The paper focuses on Bayesian confirmation measures used for evaluation of rules induced from data. To distinguish between many confirmation measures, their properties are analyzed. The article considers a group of symmetry properties. We demonstrate that the symmetry properties proposed in the literature focus on extreme cases corresponding to entailment or refutation of the rule's conclusion by its premise, forgetting intermediate cases. We conduct a thorough analysis of the symmetries regarding that the confirmation should express how much more probable the rule's hypothesis is when the premise is present rather than when the negation of the premise is present. As a result we point out which symmetries are desired for Bayesian confirmation measures. Next, we analyze a set of popular confirmation measures with respect to the symmetry properties and other valuable properties, being monotonicity M, Ex1 and weak Ex1, logicality L and weak L. Our work points out two measures to be the most meaningful ones regarding the considered properties.


We report the use of a high-refractive-index aplanatic solid immersion lens (ASIL) in total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. This new solid immersion total internal reflection fluorescence (SITIRF) microscopy allows highly confined surface imaging with a significantly reduced imaging depth compared with conventional TIRF microscopy. We explore the application of a high refractive index, low optical dispersion material zirconium dioxide in the SITIRF microscope and also introduce a novel system design which enables the SITIRF microscope to work either in the epi-fluorescence or TIRF modes with variable illumination angles. We use both synthetic and biological samples to demonstrate that the imaging depth in the SITIRF microscope can be confined to a few tens of nanometers. SITIRF microscopy has the advantages of performing highly selective imaging and high-resolution high-contrast imaging. Potential applications in biological imaging and future developments of SITIRF microscopy are proposed.


Aim: In Indonesia, the elderly population is growing rapidly and will comprise 35 million in 2035. The aim of this study was to assess how geriatric training is organised in medical faculties in Indonesia.
Methods: In 2017, we asked through questionnaires the vice deans of the faculties of medicine about their perceptions towards health and ageing and how they organized the geriatric training in their respective schools. Overall, we obtained data from 32 out of 71 (45.1%) faculties of medicine.
Results: All respondents perceived geriatrics as an important issue for faculties of medicine. Only 12 (37.5%) faculties employ geriatric specialists, 28 (87.5%) teach geriatrics at the undergraduate level, and 12 (40.6%) at postgraduate level, whereas 4 (12.5%) universities teach at specialty level. Conversely, at undergraduate level, only 18 (64.2%) faculties include the 'geriatric giants', and 5 (17.8%) include ageism. There are 13 (46.4%) geriatric classes implemented through skill laboratories, 5 (17.8%) through geriatric policlinics, and 4 (14.3%) through geriatric wards.
Conclusion: Attention to geriatric training among medical schools in Indonesia has to be improved. At national level, there should be a more specific formulation of geriatric competencies and how they can be operationalised. Geriatric training is recommended to prepare lecturers in medical faculties. Related to the content of aging curriculum, geriatric issues, attitudes towards aging, and ageism should be addressed.


We present a method for utilising knowledge of qualitative spatial relations between objects in order to facilitate efficient visual search for those objects. A computational model for the relation is used to sample a probability distribution that guides the selection of camera views. Specifically we examine the spatial relation "on", in the sense of physical support, and show its usefulness in search experiments on a real robot. We also experimentally compare different search strategies and verify the efficiency of so-called indirect search.


Abstract. Changing fire regimes in western North America may impact biological soil crust (BSC) communities that influence many ecosystem functions, such as soil stability and C and N cycling. However, longer-term effects of wildfire on BSC abundance, species richness, functional groups, and ecosystem functions after wildfire (i.e., BSC resilience) are still poorly understood. We sampled BSC lichen and bryophyte communities at four sites in Idaho, USA, within foothill steppe communities that included wildfires from 12 to 16 years old. We established six plots outside each burn perimeter and compared them with six plots of varying severity within each fire perimeter at each site. BSC cover was most strongly negatively impacted by wildfire at sites that had well-developed BSC communities in adjacent unburned plots. BSC species richness was estimated to be 65 % greater in unburned plots compared with burned plots, and fire effects did not vary among sites. In contrast, there was no evidence that vascular plant functional groups or fire severity (as measured by satellite metrics differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) or relativized differenced normalized burn ratio (RdNBR)) significantly affected longer-term BSC responses. Three large-statured BSC functional groups that may be important in controlling wind and water erosion (squamulose lichens, vagrant lichens, and tall turf mosses) exhibited a significant decrease in abundance in burned areas relative to adjacent unburned areas. The decreases in BSC cover and richness along with decreased abundance of several functional groups suggest that wildfire can negatively impact ecosystem function in these semiarid ecosystems for at least 1 to 2 decades. This is a concern given that increased fire frequency is predicted for the region due to exotic grass invasion and climate change.


UNLABELLED
Current diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most pressing problems in the newborn in critical condition.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the diagnostic value of indicators of renal blood flow as a marker of acute kidney injury in critically ill newborns.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study included 40 infants in critical condition. A clinical assessment of severity of the condition during admission was carried out with Neonatal Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (NEOMOD) and Neonatal Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (NTISS). All patients underwent evaluation of clinical and instrumental parameters, including ultrasound of the renal vessels, renal vascular resistance index and speed performance.

CONCLUSIONS
1) biochemical markers used in routine clinical practice were not sufficiently informative for the diagnosis of AKI. 2) For a more accurate assessment of the risk of AKI using serum creatinine, GFR calculation and evaluation on a scale RIFLE it is should be focused on performance standards, appropriate for gestational age and birth weight. 3) Evaluation of blood flow at a particular index in the resistance of the main renal arteries had the greatest predictive value and had a relatively high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of AKI.


The aim of this study was to validate the measurement properties of the Danish version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire–Revised adapted to measure symptom representations among patients with colorectal cancer symptoms. A total of 488 colorectal cancer patients completed a questionnaire derived from the Illness Perception Questionnaire–Revised to retrospectively assess cognitive and emotional representations of experienced symptoms. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated no good comparative fit with the Illness Perception Questionnaire–Revised. Using exploratory factor analysis, a 7-factor structure was conducted, which fairly supported the Illness Perception Questionnaire–Revised. The modified Illness Perception Questionnaire–Revised is a promising tool for measuring symptom representations among Danish colorectal cancer patients.


In this paper, based on the optical rotation property of cholesteric liquid crystals, a new system for studying the optical readout infrared imaging was designed. The profile of hot object is imaged on the surface of liquid crystal cell through the infrared lens, as the uneven heating, the optical rotation is different in various parts of the cholesteric liquid crystals, especially in the imaging area and non-imaging area, the difference is larger. Through the optical system, the optical rotation signal is translated into the corresponding light intensity signal, then the light intensity signal is collected by the visible CCD, and the image of the hot object will be displayed on the screen.


The article presents prognostication concerning the forest area in Poland based on a few changing parameters which influence the condition of forest. An attempt was made to determine which of the parameters revealed the biggest influence. The forest area was forecasted with regard to the area of forest stands damaged by the influence of gas and dust pollutants, the area of forest fires and the area of forested grounds. Based on the data from the years 2002– 2006, there was simulated the state of forests in Poland's individual voivodeships in subsequent five years. The forecasting was conducted with the use of artificial neural networks. The results of forecasting indicated which of the analyzed parameters could negatively or positively affect the forest area in the nearest future. The generated parameters prove high probability of about 95%, which was verified by the average square error.


Abstract. Effective management of water resources requires that all elements of the water balance be estimated. Groundwater recharge measurements are difficult, time consuming and expensive. In some cases a field study cannot be justified and simple empirical relationships are used to estimate recharge, and often the value chosen is simply a percentage of rainfall. This paper aims to use a database of 4386 field based estimates of recharge from 172 studies in Australia to produce simple empirical relationships that relate recharge to nationally available datasets and hence can be used to estimate recharge in data-poor areas in a scientifically defensible way. It was found that the vegetation and soil type were critical determinants in forming relationships between average annual rainfall and average annual recharge. Climate zones and surface geology (lithology) were not found to be significant determinants in the relationship between rainfall and recharge. The method used to estimate recharge had an impact upon the magnitude of the recharge estimates due to the spatial and temporal scales over which the different methods estimate recharge. Relationships have been developed here between average annual rainfall and average annual recharge for combinations of soil and vegetation type that can be used with only nationally available datasets to provide a recharge estimate. These relationships can explain 60% of the variance in recharge measurements across Australia. The uncertainty in the recharge estimated using these relationships is generally greater than an order of magnitude. This means that if these relationships are used to help determine water allocations, then the precautionary principle should limit allocations to less than about 5% of the estimated recharge. If allocations are greater than this, a more detailed site specific study is warranted.


This empirical study was to compare the number of humorous expressions between ten best seller American animations and their Persian dubbed version. Furthermore, it was aimed to investigate the applied strategies in dubbing of humor. Ten American animation transcripts and their Persian dubbed versions were studied for humorous expressions. They were grouped into universal, cultural and linguistic humor, using Raphelson West (1989) categorization. The number of expressions in each group and the total numbers were compared between the ST and TT. The applied strategies in each group were analyzed using Mateo (1995) strategies for translation of irony in universal group, Leppihalm (1997) strategies for translation of allusion in cultural group and strategies suggested by Delabestita (1996) for translation of pun in linguistic group. The results indicated that the number of humorous expressions increased in the TT. Also the most preferred strategy for translation of universal humor was literal translation, for cultural group omission and for linguistic one translation of pun to pun.


A core-shell multilayered composite microsphere with electric and magnetic features was designed and prepared on the basis of mutilayered fabrication. This kind of microspheres was obtained by introducing a rod-like conductive polyanilline (PANI) or its derivatives onto the surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate as a anchor molecule. Subsequently, the Fe3O4/PANI or Fe3O4/aniline oligomers microspheres, as a secondary core, were covered with a cross-linked shell layer which was constructed by a dispersion polymerization process of methacrylic acid and vinyl pyrrolidone. The structure and morphologies were characterized by using a FTIR, XRD, UV-vis, SEM, TEM and TGA. The average diameter of Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared is about 10.7 nm, and the PANI nanobars hold the size in the range of about 20.4-25.6 nm. The PANI nanobars are covalently assembled on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles mainly in a mode of extended or horizontal arrangements through XRD and TEM results. The electromagnetic properties were examined based on different polymerization degrees and component ratios of PANI or its derivatives, showing characteristics of soft magnetic materials and controllable conductivity. The multilayer microspheres can be readily used to perform separation and magnetism guide, even electric and pH-modulated drug release in the light of swelling determination and a laser diffraction particle size analyzer, and are potentially of interest for drug targeting purpose.


Signal capture is one of the hot spots in electronic test. As the representative of testing instrument, the signal capture ability of digital oscilloscope is normally judged by the waveform capture rate. Unilaterally improving signal acquisition ability whereas ignoring the improvement of waveform imaging mechanism and display effect can not increase the oscilloscopes waveform capture rate in real sense. Aiming at better ability of signal acquisition and waveform display effect of oscilloscope, this paper is committed to analyzing the improved structure of oscilloscope and conducting the real-time waveform imaging with hardware coprocessor array, and then studying the imaging mechanism of special 3D waveform and the impact of waveform display on waveform capture rate. In this way, the signal capture ability of oscilloscope is greatly improved and the effective waveform capture rate as high as 1,000,000 wfms/s is realized.


Previous studies show that cyclophilins contribute to many pathologic processes, and cyclophilin inhibitors demonstrate therapeutic activities in many experimental models. However, no drug with cyclophilin inhibition as the primary mode of action has advanced completely through clinical development to market. In this study, we present findings on the cyclophilin inhibitor, CRV431, that highlight its potential as a drug candidate for chronic liver diseases. CRV431 was found to potently inhibit all cyclophilin isoforms tested—A, B, D, and G. Inhibitory constant or IC50 values ranged from 1 to 7 nM, which was up to 13 times more potent than the parent compound, cyclosporine A (CsA), from which CRV431 was derived. Other CRV431 advantages over CsA as a nontransplant drug candidate were significantly diminished immunosuppressive activity, less drug transporter inhibition, and reduced cytotoxicity potential. Oral dosing to mice and rats led to good blood exposures and a 5- to 15-fold accumulation of CRV431 in liver compared with blood concentrations across a wide range of CRV431 dosing levels. Most importantly, CRV431 decreased liver fibrosis in a 6-week carbon tetrachloride model and in a mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Additionally, CRV431 administration during a late, oncogenic stage of the NASH disease model resulted in a 50% reduction in the number and size of liver tumors. These findings are consistent with CRV431 targeting fibrosis and cancer through multiple, cyclophilin-mediated mechanisms and support the development of CRV431 as a safe and effective drug candidate for liver diseases. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cyclophilin inhibitors have demonstrated therapeutic activities in many disease models, but no drug candidates have yet advanced completely through development to market. In this study, CRV431 is shown to potently inhibit multiple cyclophilin isoforms, possess several optimized pharmacological properties, and decrease liver fibrosis and tumors in mouse models of chronic liver disease, which highlights its potential to be the first approved drug primarily targeting cyclophilin isomerases.


As a service activity, the higher education sector may suffer from human-related risks such as absenteeism, burnout, and lack of engagement or faculty turnover. Previous researches have shown that managerial reforms led to an increase of the work-related demands and a decrease of resources. An exploratory research was conducted in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and in France in order to assess the levels of motivation, stress and workloads of marketing educators and to discover possible explanations of the observed human-related risks. Our findings show that teachers are still motivated by teaching and research activities. Working conditions are deteriorating due to high pressure on the outcomes and burdensome administrative constraints.


We have studied the body-centered cubic (bcc), face-centered cubic (fcc), and hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phases of Fe alloyed with 25 at.% of Ni at Earths core conditions using an ab initio local density approximation + dynamical mean-field theory approach. The alloys have been modeled by ordered crystal structures based on the bcc, fcc, and hcp unit cells with the minimum possible cell size allowing for the proper composition. Our calculations demonstrate that the strength of electronic correlations on the Fe 3d shell is highly sensitive to the phase and local environment. In the bcc phase, the 3d electrons at the Fe site with Fe only nearest neighbors remain rather strongly correlated, even at extreme pressure-temperature conditions, with the local and uniform magnetic susceptibility exhibiting a Curie-Weiss-like temperature evolution and the quasiparticle lifetime Gamma featuring a non-Fermi-liquid temperature dependence. In contrast, for the corresponding Fe site in the hcp phase, we predict a weakly correlated Fermi-liquid state with a temperature-independent local susceptibility and a quadratic temperature dependence of Gamma. The iron sites with nickel atoms in the local environment exhibit behavior in the range between those two extreme cases, with the strength of correlations gradually increasing along the hcp-fcc-bcc sequence. Further, the intersite magnetic interactions in the bcc and hcp phases are also strongly affected by the presence of Ni nearest neighbors. The sensitivity to the local environment is related to modifications of the Fe partial density of states due to mixing with Ni 3d states.


Low-carbon economic development strategy of globalization on the construction of deep-seated changes in production methods proposed new requirements. Requiring the construction industry to enhance output level, to improve the output value of profits, and strengthen the quality of the industry, expand the international market, and enhance core competitiveness. In this paper, an in-depth analysis on the challenges posed by low-carbon economy to the construction industry and the issues caused by international financial market volatility was made. And recommendations on strengthening the construction industry production relations, promoting the progress and improvement of the construction industry production methods and leading the sustainable development of the construction industry were proposed.


This paper investigates the feasibility of processing the organic fraction of the municipal solid waste from the Winchester, Southampton, Eastleigh and wider areas (population ~450,000) using anaerobic digestion. Commercial and agricultural organic waste is also considered. Data for feedstock location, volumes and type is collated from many information sources. A model is used to estimate the energy yield. Further modelling calculates the return on investment for various scenarios. It is found that there is sufficient feedstock local to the area to make treatment of the organic fraction of municipal waste through anaerobic digestion economically feasible in theory. However, confidential commercial agreements that form the Project Integra (incineration orientated) integrated waste management scheme make it impossible to confirm this in practice. Further work investigating the nature of these contracts is required.


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a major public health problem in the United States. It is estimated that at least 500,000 Americans suffer from (SLE), which is a complex autoimmune disease of primarily unknown etiology. SLE is about three times more common in African Americans (about 1:250 incidence) than in Caucasian Americans (about 1:1000 incidence), and predominantly affects women of child-bearing age (female to male ratio of 9:1). SLE causes a variable amount of morbidity, shortened life expectancy, and substantial total health expenditures, largely due to complications such as thrombosis, atherosclerosis, renal disease, and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Genetics plays a significant role in the etiology of SLE; therefore, understanding the underlying genetic influence of this disease is of significant public health importance. This study dealt with the analysis of one of the genes that has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE: apolipoprotein H (APOH gene, apoH protein), also referred to as B2-glycoprotein I (B2-GPI). ApoH is thought to have anti-atherogenic properties and has been shown to be a major target antigen for antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) present in patients with APS. Twelve APOH SNPs (9 TagSNPs and 3 additional functional coding SNPs) were genotyped in 398 women with a clinical diagnosis of SLE and 496 healthy women as controls. The associations of allele and genotype distributions of these 12 SNPs with SLE, race, renal disease in white patients, and APA in black and white patients and controls were analyzed. Significant allelic distribution differences were observed between whites and blacks for 9 of the 12 SNPs, indicating a race-dependent variation. No associations were found between genotype distributions in any of the 12 SNPs and SLE, renal disease, or APA status. However, haplotype analysis revealed six haplotypes that significantly differed in frequency between cases and controls. Of particular interest was one haplotype that was present in 16.2% of cases and 0.6% of controls, suggesting a potential risk factor for SLE. In conclusion, our study suggests that combined effects of APOH SNPs (haplotype) may be implicated in modifying the risk of SLE.


Energy production still relies considerably on fossil fuels, and the building sector is a major player in the energy consumption market, mainly for space heating and cooling. Thermal bridges (TBs) in buildings are very relevant for the energy efficiency of buildings and may have an impact on heating energy needs of up to 30%. Given the high thermal conductivity of steel, the relevance of TBs in lightweight steel framed (LSF) components could be even greater. No research was found in the literature for evaluating how important the size and shape of steel studs are on the thermal performance of LSF building elements, which is the main objective of this work. This assessment is performed for the internal partitions and exterior façade of load-bearing LSF walls. The accuracy of the numerical model used in the simulations was verified and validated by comparison experimental measurements. Three reference steel studs were considered, six stud flange lengths and four steel thicknesses were evaluated, and five flange indentation sizes and four indent filling materials were assessed, corresponding to a total of 246 modelled LSF walls. It was concluded that the R-value decreases when the flange length and the steel studs' thickness increases, being that these variations are more significant for bigger flange sizes and for thicker steel studs. Additionally, it was found that a small indentation size (2.5 or 5 mm) is enough to provide a significant R-value increase and that it is preferable not to use any flange indentation filling material rather than using a poor performance one (recycled rubber).


Simulations of ice-shelf basal melting in future climate scenarios from the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) have revealed a large uncertainty and the potential of a rapidly increasing basal mass loss particularly for the large cold-water ice shelves in the Ross and Weddell Seas. The large spread in model results was traced back to uncertainties in the freshwater budget on the continental shelf, which is governed by sea-ice formation. Differences in sea-ice formation, in turn, were shown to follow the regional differences between the atmospheric heat fluxes imprinted by the climate models. A more recent suite of FESOM model experiments was performed with output from two members of the newer generation of climate models engaged in the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Comparing simulations forced with output from the AR5/CMIP5 models HadGem2 and MPI-ESM, we find that projected heat fluxes and thus sea-ice formation over the Southern Ocean continental shelves have converged to an ensemble with a much smaller spread than between the AR4 experiments. For most of the modeled ice shelves, a gradual but accelerating increase of basal melt rates during the 21st century is a robust feature. Both with HadGem2 and with MPI-ESM forcing, basal melt rates for the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf in FESOM increase by a factor of two by the end of the 21st century in the RCP85 scenario. For the smaller, warm-water ice shelves, inter-model differences in ice-shelf basal mass loss projections are still slightly larger than differences between the scenarios RCP45 and RCP85; compared with AR4 projections, however, the model-dependent spread has been strongly reduced. Current work aims at further reducing the uncertainties arising from atmospheric forcing by using output from the regional climate model RACMO. The effect of a varying cavity geometry and the response of the grounded ice are being adressed by coupling to the RIMBay ice shelf / ice sheet model.


We introduce a concept of dynamic sensing that uses fiber speckle fields. By autonomously updating the fiber speckle patterns (i.e., using a moving reference to perform frame-to-frame comparison) on an electronically addressable spatial light modulator, we can exploit the dynamic fiber status. In other words, by joint transforming the rapidly changing speckle patterns from a sensing fiber, we can determine the dynamic aspects of the fiber status. For demonstration, dynamic displacement sensing is illustrated in which we have observed that the rate change and the trend of the fiber perturbation can indeed be detected. We note that the dynamic sensing technique can be applied to a variety of sensing parameters, e.g., strain, stress, temperature, and possibly seismic monitoring.


Reconnaissance in the White Canyon district, San Juan County, Utah., indicates that rocks of the Shinarump member of the Chinle formation of Triassic age were deposited in that district in two different channel systems; sediments deposited in channels of one system were derived from a source to the east and sediments of the other from a source to the south. The channel system containing Sediments derived from the east, the Elk Ridge-White Canyon channel system, was apparently formed by a large braided stream that flowed westward from a source in granitic and metamorphic terrane of the ancestral Uncompahgre highland. All known uranium deposits of any consequence in the White Canyon district are confined to the Shinarump member deposited in the Elk Ridge-White Canyon system. The nature of the channels and the lithologic characteristics of the rocks filling this system of channels combine to form a much more favorable environment for the localization of uranium deposits than do the channels formed and the rocks deposited by northward-flowing streams. Recognition of channel systems in the White Canyon district suggests that channel systems may be recognized elsewhere in the Shinarump member, and that the Shinarump member on the Colorado Plateau may be composed of rocks deposited in many coalescing channel systems. In addition, study in the ¥hite Canyon district indicates that rocks deposited in some of these channel systems are more favorable hosts for uranium deposits than the rocks deposited in others. Recognition and delineation of these ancient channel systems, may fee o*f help in making regional appraisals of ore potential and in the search for new mining districts.


&NA; Near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measures hemoglobin saturation in small vessels. A number of interesting studies have used this method. However, difficulties with signal quantification and studies in which NIRS oxygen saturation did not behave as expected raise concerns. NIRS remains promising for studies of skeletal muscle, but a better understanding of the method is needed.


As an engineering design practitioner both as an educator as well as a practicing design consultant it became clear that there was a need for a sustainability measurement tool for the mechanical engineering product designer who actually designs products, that is, the engineer who drives the Computer Aided Design (CAD) station. This need was confirmed upon consulting several publications but in particular the codes of practice of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, (I.Mech.E.) [A1.1], American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) [A1.2], and The Royal Society of Engineers (RSoC) [A1.3], who prominently advocate sustainability practices to member engineers.
This research project aims were formulated to derive a sustainability measurement system for new products across the entire product life cycle. The process of design was used as the system driver with ISO Standards as the system regulator. The adopted technique was to use Embodied Energy as the measurement parameter and aggregate its application to the product throughout the entire product life cycle. Furthermore, saved or generated energy was accrued and used to offset the Embodied Energy input, resulting in an energy balance sheet. A computer algorithm was devised to collect, collate and disseminate the life cycle wide generated data. A control and guidance system was also required and evolved into a top down management system from CEO to the manual worker and governed by ISO Standards.


Interactions between ferric species and silica have been shown to play a large part in the coagulation of suspensions. These effects are quite distinct from those associated with polymeric or colloid silica. The interaction of monosilicic acid with Fe ions has been discussed in this paper. Compared with traditional iron salt, poly-silica-ferric-chloride (PFSC) is characterized by having higher molecular weight, less positive charge, lower Feb and higher Fec. In addition, the Si/Fe is higher and the Silica is higher and Silicc is lower. With increasing Si/Fe ratio the effective diameter of PFSC increases. Along with the increase of Si/Fe ratio, more complicated polymers are formed and the particle size distribution is broadened. Resluts show that some co-polymerized species or aggregates between silica and Fe( ) polymers are formed.


We present a relativistic description of electron vortex beams in a homogeneous magnetic field. Including spin from the beginning reveals that spin-polarized electron vortex beams have a complicated azimuthal current structure, containing small rings of counterrotating current between rings of stronger corotating current. Contrary to many other problems in relativistic quantum mechanics, there exists a set of vortex beams with exactly zero spin-orbit mixing in the highly relativistic and nonparaxial regime. The well-defined phase structure of these beams is analogous to simpler scalar vortex beams, owing to the protection by the Zeeman effect. For states that do show spin-orbit mixing, the spin polarization across the beam is nonuniform rendering the spin and orbital degrees of freedom inherently inseparable.


BACKGROUND
Monocyte subsets are involved in atherosclerotic vascular disease and its thromboembolic complications. Moreover, the role of monocytes has been suggested in the pathogenesis of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

OBJECTIVES
We hypothesized that pro-inflammatory non-classical and intermediate monocytes are increased in the first months following VTE.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We enrolled 70 patients aged 18-65 years (mean age 41.6 ±11.6) with the firstever provoked (n = 32; 45.7%) or unprovoked (n = 38; 54.28%) VTE episode, and 46 healthy controls. The exclusion criteria were: acute infection, cancer, autoimmune disorders, previous myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke. Monocyte subsets were assessed 12 (8.5-21.5) months after VTE using flow cytometry and were defined as classical (CD14++CD16-), intermediate (CD14++CD16+) and non-classical (CD14+CD16++).

RESULTS
Patients with VTE had higher intermediate and non-classical monocyte counts compared to the control group (16.8 ±9.3 vs 10.4 ±4.0 cells/μL, and 64.1 ±25.2 vs 44.1 ±19.2 cells/μL, respectively, both p < 0.001). Increased non-classical monocyte counts were observed in patients who experienced a VTE incident within 12 months prior to enrollment (71.5 ±27.4 vs 56.03 ±20.6 cells/μL; p = 0.01) and those with unprovoked VTE (70.2 ±4.1 vs 58.8 ±4.3 cells/μL; p = 0.06). There were no differences in monocyte subsets related to the current anticoagulation.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data has shown for the first time that VTE is associated with an increased number of nonclassical and intermediate monocytes, which may indicate the involvement of monocyte-related mechanisms in the pathophysiology of this disease.


The function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in rotavirus (RV) infection in humans is poorly understood. To date, no RV-specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I-restricted T-cell epitopes have been described. In this study, four peptides derived from human RV Wa strain VP6 protein were predicted by computer algorithms and verified by an HLA*0201-binding assay. Two peptides with high affinity for HLA-A*0201 molecules were further assessed. The CTLs induced in vitro by P340‐348 (TLLANVTAV)-loaded autologous dendritic cells from peripheral blood lymphocytes of HLA-A*0201-matched healthy donors released gamma interferon specifically upon stimulation with P340‐348-loaded T2 cells. The CTLs lysed both P340‐348-loaded T2 cells and human RV Wa strain-infected HLA-A*0201 + Caco-2 cells in an antigen-specific and HLAA*0201-restricted manner. At the same time, P340‐348 was shown to be immunogenic in vivo in HLA-A*0201/Kb transgenic mice. It is proposed that P340‐348 is an HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL epitope.


We report density functional calculations based on local density approximation (LDA) of the properties of doped barium bismuthates. Using linear-response approach developed in the framework of the linear muffin-tin-orbital method the phonon spectrum of the Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$BiO$% _3$ system is calculated and is compared with the results of the neutron diffraction measurements. The effect of doping in the calculation is modelled by the virtual crystal and mass approximations. The electron-phonon coupling constant $\lambda $ is then evaluated for a grid of phonon wave-vectors using the change in the potential due to phonon distortion found self-consistently. A large coupling of the electrons to the bond-stretching oxygen vibrations and especially to the breathing-like vibrations is established. Also, a strongly anharmonic potential well is found for tilting-like motions of the oxygen octahedra. This mode is not coupled to the electrons to linear order in the displacements, therefore an anharmonic contribution to $\lambda $ is estimated using frozen-phonon method. Our total (harmonic plus anharmonic) $\lambda $ is found to be 0.34. This is too small to explain high-temperature superconductivity in Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$BiO% $_3$ within the standard mechanism. Finally, based on standard LDA and LDA+U like calculations, a number of properties of pure BaBiO$_3$ such as tilting of the octahedra, breathing distortion, charge disproportionation and semiconducting energy gap value is evaluated and discussed in connection with the negative $U$ extended Hubbard model frequently applied to this compound.


Objectives The aim of this systematic review was to assess incidence rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza (LCI) outcomes among infants under 6 months of age. Design Systematic literature search and review of indexed studies in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL Plus from inception to 19 April 2017. Setting Population-based estimates from community or hospital settings. Participants Infants under 6 months of age. Primary and secondary outcome measures LCI illness in ambulatory care settings, LCI hospitalisation, LCI intensive care unit admission and LCI death. Only studies with population-based incidence data were included. Results We identified 27 primary studies, 11 of which were from the USA, four were from other non-US high-income settings and the remaining were from lower-middle-income or upper-middle-income countries. Most studies (n=23) assessed incidence of LCI hospitalisation, but meta-analysis to pool study-specific rates was not possible due to high statistical and methodological heterogeneity. Among US studies, the reported incidence of LCI hospitalisation ranged from 9.3 to 91.2 per 10 000 infants under 6 months for seasonal influenza, while the only US-based estimate for pandemic H1N1 influenza was 20.2 per 10 000 infants. Reported rates for LCI hospitalisation for seasonal influenza from other countries ranged from 6.2 to 73.0 per 10 000 infants under 6 months, with the exception of one study with an estimated rate of 250 per 10 000 infants. No events were reported in five of the nine studies that evaluated LCI death among infants under 6 months. Conclusion Our review of published studies found limited data on LCI outcomes for infants under 6 months, particularly from non-US settings. Globally representative and reliable incidence data are necessary to fully evaluate influenza disease burden and the potential impact of maternal influenza immunisation programme on morbidity and mortality in young infants.


The relationships between travel behavior and land use patterns have been the object of intensive research in the past two decades. Because of their immediate policy implications, mode choice and vehicle miles traveled have been the main focus of attention. Other relevant dimensions, such as trip chaining, tour type choice, and number of tours, have received less attention. This paper contributes to research dealing with the role of land use patterns in tour type choice. A tour type choice is modeled with a hybrid choice model that allows simulating the effect of the latent propensity to travel in the discrete choice among types of tours. This model is applied to a travel diary of workers collected in the Lisbon, Portugal, metropolitan area in 2009. Various model specifications were built and tested the inclusion of purportedly built land use factors, which have the advantage of better capturing the multidimensionality of the urban environment or land use variables, or a combination of these. The results show significant effects on tour type choice related to land use patterns. Land use patterns influence not only the utility functions but also the propensity to travel. Workers who reside in central, mixed, and traditional urban spaces tend to have a higher propensity to travel. Workers who live in more diverse areas have a higher probability of engaging in more complex work-related tours. Working in suburban areas reduces the probability of engaging in more complex tours.


This article empirically tests the hypothesis that cooperative boards of directors and board size, specifically, can influence firm performance. Most existing studies of cooperative governance rely on qualitative data to draw inferences; however, this chapter uses several USDA data sets and a survey of co-op managers to determine whether above-average board size has a negative impact on co-op performance. This approach is comparable to those found in the corporate governance literature; however, it contributes to the cooperative literature by providing statistically-based findings on optimal board size. Specifically, this study finds that additional board members do eventually reduce some measures of performance; however, board size must be quite large.


This purchasing guide for small libraries offers a comprehensive look at system software—what's out there and what's in development. What type of system will work best for your institution? The author explores the steps and questions involved in making a selection, including financial factors.


Research on happiness and how it can be attained has grown rapidly in the last few years. However, it is noticeable that the western paradigm emanating from the positive psychology movement, as well as the enlightenment worldview has dominated the mainstream theories on happiness and individual wellbeing. Consequently, hedonistic and eudemonistic theories which strictly separate scientific enquiry from religion prevail as the norm in psychological research. This state of affairs led to the dismissal of other non-western views to happiness including Islamic perspectives. This paper aims to shed light on the contribution of some Muslim thinkers to the issue of happiness from a moderate cultural relativist approach. The goal of this effort is to strike a constructive dialogue between Islam and the West by identifying the similarities and differences between the two worldviews in order to establish a dialogue while preserving the richness of both cultural identities. An attempt is made to give a detailed overview of two Islamic accounts of happiness, on one hand the philosophical and the religious perspectives illustrated by Al-Faraabi and Al-Ghazali respectively, and a religio-philosophical view exemplified by Ibn Rush or Averroes as he is known in the West on the other hand. Finally, why the study of happiness should remain an important topic in the Middle East is discussed.


The mechanisms underlying experience-dependent plasticity in the brain may depend on the AMPA subclass of glutamate receptors (AMPA-Rs). We examined the trafficking of AMPA-Rs into synapses in the developing rat barrel cortex. In vivo gene delivery was combined with in vitro recordings to show that experience drives recombinant GluR1, an AMPA-R subunit, into synapses formed between layer 4 and layer 2/3 neurons. Moreover, expression of the GluR1 cytoplasmic tail, a construct that inhibits synaptic delivery of endogenous AMPA-Rs during long-term potentiation, blocked experience-driven synaptic potentiation. In general, synaptic incorporation of AMPA-Rs in vivo conforms to rules identified in vitro and contributes to plasticity driven by natural stimuli in the mammalian brain.


Offshore structures are subjected to a harsh environment where the fluctuating waves continuously strain the structures and these forces cause the initiation and propagation of cracks in the structures. In other words, the structures accumulate fatigue damage, which eventually leads to structural failure. To avoid fatigue failure, the operational lifetime of a structure is limited to a design lifetime in which the structure is safe for operation. This design process is based on precautious stochastic assessments, norms, and industry standards that simplify the actual structure and environment in such a manner that it involves little risk of structural failure.
As many structures in the North Sea approach the end of their design lifetime, the owners are faced with a dilemma: either abandon the field or replace the structures. Another option is the lifetime extension of the existing structures. This requires a reduction of the uncertainties in the design process - such as the stress history in fatigue-critical location. Unfortunately, these locations are often inaccessible or directly harmful to the sensors due to the hostile environment of the ocean. This thesis focuses on virtual sensing to estimate the stress/strain response of offshore structures by indirect measurements. The thesis addresses the state of the art and maps some essential issues within stress/strain estimation. In this thesis, stress/strain estimation is applied to different test specimens to address certain scientific issues. Parts of the thesis relate to the calibration of the system model for virtual sensing by operational modal analysis.


In this paper, we present a method to create a new class of polyhedra. All the faces of these polyhedra are bounded by smooth (quadratic B-spline) curves and the face boundaries are Cl discontinuous everywhere. These polyhedral shapes are limit surfaces of a generalized vertex truncation subdivision scheme. We obtain an approximation of these smooth and fractal polyhedra by iteratively applying a new vertex truncation scheme to an initial manifold mesh. Our vertex truncation scheme is based on Chaikin's construction. If the initial manifold mesh is a polyhedra only with planar faces and 3-valent vertices, in each iteration we construct a polyhedral mesh in which all faces are planar and every vertex is 3valent,


This paper reports results from social learning experiments where subjects choose between two options and each subject has a small chance of being perfectly informed about which option is correct. In treatment 'sequence,' subjects observe the entire sequence of predecessors' choices while in treatment 'no-sequence' they only observe the number of times each option has been chosen. The theoretical predictions are that subjects follow their immediate predecessors in treatment sequence and follow the minority in treatment no-sequence (Callander and Horner, 2009). The former prediction is borne out in the data, but subjects tend to follow the majority in treatment no-sequence. We observe substantial heterogeneity in levels of strategic thinking, as predicted by level-k and Cognitive Hierarchy. While these models reproduce some features of our data, their fit is poor because of the assumed best-response behavior. Allowing for some degree of 'trembling' improves the fit significantly, especially if subjects are aware that others tremble, as in logit-QRE. The 'noisy introspection' model proposed by Goeree and Holt (2004), which combines different levels of thinking with error-prone behavior, best describes the data.


Surrogacy in the context of cross-border care has hitherto received little attention from the international social work community. In India, the provision of surrogacy services for foreign couples may be seen as part of the country's wider health tourism industry. This article overviews current evidence on surrogacy in India, and discusses the extent to which proposed legislation, the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill and Rules 2009, satisfactorily addresses social workers' concerns to ensure adequate protection of the interests of young Indian women engaged in surrogacy, as outlined in the International Federation of Social Workers' policy on cross-border reproductive care.


In this paper, we propose a Tele-medicine application platform as a medical aid for patients suffering from Heart malfunction. We focus on heart diseases since they remain by far the major cause of death in the globe. Our solution utilizes the Satellite communication protocol DVB-RCS (Digital Video Broadcast- Return Channel Satellite), Wi-Fi, and the Network-on-Chip (NoC) technology. We utilize the 12-lead ECG biomedical technique to detect heart disorders via the biomedical NoC, which transmits the medical alarm and results via the biomedical network, ECG-BIONET. We do not investigate the DVB-RCS standard or Wi-Fi technology, but rather we try to utilize this technology, and we look at it from a performance point of view for our application by investigating three parameters, namely: delay, packet loss, and reliability. We follow a top down approach by looking at the needs of the application from a performance guarantee for our specific-purpose network.


OBJECTIVES: To make an update on Gregorio Maranon's work "Biological essay about Henry IV and his time" (Madrid 1930), reviewing the clinical diagnosis made by the famous spanish doctor-historian more than 70 years ago on the last Monarch of the Castilian Trastamara, because we consider that diseases suffered by Henry IV were urologic mainly. METHODS: We reviewed 10 chronicles, 5 contemporary manuscripts, and 25 works about the figure of Henry IV published up to year 2000. For comparisons between works we evaluated not only the chronicles and works used by Maranon, but also the more recent ones of medical character, which have resulted in a significant increase in the amount of data about the figure of the Monarch. Additionally, following our current knowledge we tried to adapt the clinical diagnosis from Maranon--eunucoid dysplasia with acromegalic reaction--to current nomenclature in order to define the kind of endocrinopathy the Monarch suffered. RESULTS: Following a review of contemporary chronicles and recent bibliography about Henry IV, the Monarch was a singular urologic patient. He suffered chronic renal lithiasis, impotence, a presumptive penile anomaly, and almost surely infertility, although all his uro-andrological diseases were part of the endocrinopathy the Monarch suffered, probably a hypophyseal tumor. Included in the work there are descriptions of his physiognomy and psychopathological characters of his personality from the chronicles, commenting on all clinical symptoms the Monarch suffered according to his biographers and present day doctors and historians.


Decisive Monkeys Decision-making is a central theme in current research in cognitive neuroscience. Behavioral protocols have provided an entry into explorations of the neural processes that underlie decision-making. Empirical studies have provided support for a diffusion model in which information accumulates over time until a threshold is reached, with noisiness in the inputs related to decision errors. Kiani and Shadlen (p. 759) developed a behavioral task to study choice certainty and identified the corresponding neuronal representations in monkeys. The monkeys were allowed to choose to opt out of an uncertain, higher reward choice in favor of a certain, lower payoff. The same neurons that encoded the information used to make a choice also encoded the extent of certainty, which in humans would be described as the degree of confidence in one's decision. Neurons in the primate parietal cortex encode information required to make a decision and also the certainty of that choice. The degree of confidence in a decision provides a graded and probabilistic assessment of expected outcome. Although neural mechanisms of perceptual decisions have been studied extensively in primates, little is known about the mechanisms underlying choice certainty. We have shown that the same neurons that represent formation of a decision encode certainty about the decision. Rhesus monkeys made decisions about the direction of moving random dots, spanning a range of difficulties. They were rewarded for correct decisions. On some trials, after viewing the stimulus, the monkeys could opt out of the direction decision for a small but certain reward. Monkeys exercised this option in a manner that revealed their degree of certainty. Neurons in parietal cortex represented formation of the direction decision and the degree of certainty underlying the decision to opt out.


Previous research examining effects of previously existing and reader generated text marking has failed to demonstrate whether or not it is beneficial or detrimental to the reader. Furthermore, whether or not text marking has differential effects on readers of different skill has not been determined. The studies reported here attempted to clarify the questions that remain about the effects of text marking on comprehension, in readers of different skill levels, through analysis of marking in student textbooks as well as through the use of experimental methods. Study 1 demonstrated that low-skill readers claim to highlight on more occasions when studying, but do not claim to mark more of the text. However, textbook analyses failed to support this finding. Additionally, lowskill readers claim to prefer a previously marked textbook to a greater degree than high-skill readers. Study 2 found that low-skill readers claim to, and use text-marking strategies more often and mark more of the text than high-skill readers. Study 2 also confirmed that low-skill readers report higher preference for studying previously marked texts and a tendency to study only material marked by a previous reader. Finally, Study 2 demonstrated that low-skill readers are less capable of identifying the most relevant material in textbooks and that this inability is related to poorer course performance. The finding that low-skill readers report greater reliance on previously marked material, use text-marking strategies more often, and are less capable of identifying the most relevant material suggests that many low-skill readers study irrelevant material in textbooks. Study 3 examined the effects of irrelevant text marking on comprehension and found that low-skill readers are differentially affected by the presence of irrelevant marking, such that the study of text containing irrelevant marking leads to poorer comprehension. Practical implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.


Astrocytes are highly responsive to changes in their microenvironment, and undergo prominent functional alterations in pathological conditions, a process called astrogliosis. In such conditions, astrocytes can gain immune cell-like functions, form glial scars and promote brain repair and regeneration. However, astrogliosis can also contribute to disease pathogenesis by exacerbating inflammation and perturbing the normal physi - ological functions of astrocytes. The IKK/NF-κB signaling system is a master regulator of inflammation, cell survival and differentiation, which also controls astrocyte functions, in particular their responses to pathological conditions. Activation of IKK/NF-κB signaling in astrocytes is a key driver of neuroinflammation and astrogliosis, which can interfere with normal brain development and homeostasis and can aggravate various central nervous system (CNS) pathologies. Besides IKK/NF-κB signaling, several other signaling pathways regulate pathophysiological responses of astrocytes, in particular hypertrophy, proliferation and the reactivation of neural stem cell-like properties of astrocytes. Further dissection of the role of these signaling pathways in the control of physiological functions and pathophysiological plasticity of astrocytes will reveal new insights into the pathogenesis of neurological diseases and might indicate new neuroprotective and regenerative therapeutic approaches.


Chronic communal conflicts often embody prisoner's dilemmas. Both communities prefer peace to war. Yet neither trusts the other, viewing the other's gain as its loss, so potentially shared interests often go unrealized. Achieving positive-sum outcomes from apparently zero-sum struggles requires a particular kind of risk-embracing leadership. To succeed leaders must (a) see power relations as potentially positive-sum, (b) strengthen negotiating adversaries when tempted to weaken them, and (c) demonstrate hope for a positive future and take great personal risks to achieve it. Such leadership is exemplified by Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk in the South African democratic transition. To illuminate the strategic dilemmas Mandela and de Klerk faced, we examine the work of Robert Axelrod, Thomas Schelling, and Josep Colomer, who highlight important dimensions of the problem but underplay the role of risk-embracing leadership. Finally we discuss leadership successes and failures in the Northern Ireland settlement and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


An organometallic 4d transition metal complex [Cp*RhCl2]2, together with commercially available dyes, was used to construct indicator displacement assays (IDAs) for the detection of peptides, amino acids, and nucleotides. The combination of the Cp*Rh complex with the dye azophloxine was found to form a chemosensing ensemble for the sequence-selective detection of histidine- and methionine-containing peptides in water at neutral pH. A strong interaction of the rhodium complex with peptides bearing histidine or methionine residue in the position 1 or 2 allowed to detect these peptides down to a concentration of 0.3 µM. The same organometallic complex and three commercially available dyes were employed to compose an array of IDA chemosensors for the detection of natural amino acids. We found that the variation of the pH can effectively be used to modulate the selectivity of an IDA sensor. An excellent discrimination of 20 amino acids was achieved. The combination of [Cp*RhCl2]2 with the dyes gallocyanine, evans blue, and mordant yellow 10 forms a multicomponent indicator displacement assay (MIDA), which can be used to sense low millimolar concentrations of nucleotides and the pyrophosphate anion in buffered aqueous solution. Moreover, the MIDA allows to simultaneously determine the concentrations of adenosine triphosphate and pyrophosphate/cyclic adenosine monophosphate with a single UV-Vis measurement. In the second part of our work we investigated whether dynamic combinatorial libraries (DCLs) can be used for sensing purposes. We found that the dyes arsenazo I, methylcalcein blue, and glycine cresol red, in combination with the metal salts CuCl2 and NiCl2, form a DCL of differently colored metal-dye complexes. The addition of an analyte able to interact with a member(s) of such a library, results in a re-equilibraion easily detectable by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Using dipeptides as analytes we demonstrated that this way of sensing is very effective – even closely related peptides such as regio- (Ala-Phe vs. Phe-Ala) and stereo- (Phe-Ala vs. D-Phe-Ala) isomers can easily be discriminated. Additionally, we found that the identity of the best sensor depends on the problem to be addressed.


The purpose of the study is described about tourism awareness and learning of
souvenir merchants. The research approach used is qualitative. The subject is
souvenir merchant which determined by the government. Data collection
techniques used were observations and conducted interviews with merchants
souvenir. Interviews were conducted by the people who were around them.
Especially, who knew their participation for advancing the tourism area. The
research findings are: (1) the description about tourism awareness of souvenir
merchant, a part of them were giving the suggestion to increase the security in
tourist area, (2) a small number of them was participated in maintaining the
cleanliness facilities, maintaining the orderliness, cleanliness of the tourist area as
a market, (3) a small number of them, less on serving the customers well, and less
pacakaged product,
(4) Just a little program available to learn the tourism awareness of them
conducted by the government.


Only knowing the future development of the farmers' age structure, it is possible to formulate the steps for its improvement and to plan young farmers' support. The aim of the paper is (with regard to the European Union's programme periods) to project the age-and-sex structure of agricultural workers until 2041 and to model the scenarios of subsidies supports. Cohort-component method and data from Census 2011 are used for projection of two variants of population development. The number of old agricultural workers will exceed the number of young in 2026. It will start to grow after as the second generation of children born during the 70s of the last century (under the strong pro-population policy of the communist regime and the government of President Gustav Husak) will enter the reproduction period. As an implication it will be possible (and necessary) to support more applicants. While in 2011 it there were 12.1% of young farmers (potential applicants for subsidies) supported by EUR 205.7 bil., this amount will be able to cover 18.6% in 2041.


The coherent motions identified in passively marked turbulent boundary-layer experiments are reviewed. Data obtained in our laboratory using simultaneous hot-wire anemometry and flow visualization are analysed to provide measures of the percent contribution of the coherent motions to the total Reynolds stress. A coherent structure model is then developed. In the outer region the model incorporates the large-scale motions, the typical eddies and their interactions. In the wall region the model is characterized by the long streaks, their associated hairpin vortices, and the pockets with their associated pocket and hairpin vortices. The motions in both regions have unique phase relations which play an important role in their evolution and the resulting intensity of their interactions. In addition, the inner-outer region interactions are seen to be strong because typical eddies, microscale motions which can directly initiate the bursting process near a wall, are convected towards the wall by the response of the high speed outer region fluid to the presence of the large-scale motions. This interaction establishes a phasing between the inner and outer regions. The length and velocity scales of the typical eddy are used to remove the Reynolds number dependence of the stream wise fluctuations and the Reynolds stress in the fully turbulent portion of turbulent boundary layers over a wide range of Reynolds numbers


Airport surface congestion results in significant increases in taxi times, fuel burn and emissions at major airports. This thesis proposes a control strategy to improve the performance of airport operations at Boston Logan International Airport. First of all, an Eulerian model of the airport is built in order to be used for the purpose of control. This model can be used with different control strategies, however, in this project a strategy based in Model Predictive Control is chosen, which allows to include some feedback in the decision algorithms. This approach determines which are the optimal moments to release aircraft from the gates (pushback) in order to prevent the airport surface from entering congested states and to reduce the time that flights spend with engines on while taxiing to the runway. Finally, simulations results are shown in order to compare the efficiency of the proposed approach versus the current strategy used in ATC, the well-known First Come, First Served policy. The results demonstrate that lots of benefits are obtained through the proposed method in situations with high demand.


The article deals with various opinions of scientists concerning the "adaptation" concept and the need to determine clear criteria for diagnostics of the development level of social and psychological adaptation. At present, there is no reasonably sufficient desirable adaptation model at various life-cycle stages. The degree of satisfaction of the needs of the elderly people can be considered as an adjustment criterion.


SourceURL:file:///Users/sofiahultin/Desktop/AMDex/Summary%20of%20essay.docI my essay I describe my master project Alla maste duscha – en gympasalsredovisning/ Everyone has to shower – a school gym presentation. Through my work I investigate possibilities for action and agency in a limiting space; the gymnasium. With the help of Mika Hannulas book Politics, Identity and Public Space: Critical Reflections in and through the Practices of Contemporary Art, I discuss how the stories I tell trough my project can be seen as suggestions for a possible reality. By adding my stories to the old ones (that create our society) I hope they, if only just the slightest, can influence on how we look at reality and on a possible reality. In my essay I describe how the school gym and the gym class is characterized by a scientific way of looking at students, the human body and education and that this clashes with the complexity of us as humans. I describe how norms for sex and gender become very distinct during gym class, because of the students vulnerability, and how that can create an unsafe space for them. Even though it's often not their intention, students who break these norms become political because they show us that the norms are not stabile. With their presence, they question the ways that they and their classmates have been taught to behave. In my master project, "the little girl" is very present. In the essay I explain how I through my master project, aim to create a more complex image of who this person can be. I describe her as "the little girl" because I think that we are used to see this person as mainly her gender and her littleness/harmlessness. Not dividing the characters actions into either good or bad is also an important part of my work. Instead I try to focus on the characters actions as ways of surviving, or ways of using loopholes in power structures, as a way of getting around a lack of symbolic capital. I have also looked at the word manipulation and tried to see if it could be seen as a positive and creative feature and as a way to these loopholes. I have also talked about the possibility of being political without using classic patriarchal attributes such as strength and certainty, through the text Vi vill inte, vi kan inte, vi tors inte/We don't want, we can't, we don't dare. This way of looking as uncertainty, as something positive, was something that I discussed with Hakan Larsson, a professor at The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences. During my interview with him we discussed this as a counterweight to the sports contexts noncomplex view on people. To strive towards this uncertainty in my work might be the most political I can do.


Background : Anxiety is a complex phenomenon with important results. In fact anxiety is a biologic process that has repetitive biological and physiological effect on the biological structure of brine. From long time ago anxiety and fear has bean one of the important psychological issues and for the control of anxiety different drugs with different mechanisms have been presented and understanding mechanisms that are involved lead us to newer drugs discovery. In this research the effect of morphine on the anxiety in the adult Male rats in the Ventral Tegmental area (VTA) and Nucleus Accumbens (NA c ) was studied. Methods : The elevated plus maze was used in combination with the percentage of time spent in the open arms of the maze (OAT %) and the percentage of entries into the open arms (OAE %) to measure anxiety. Increases in the OAT% and OAE% indicate an anxiolytic effect (reduction in anxiety), whereas decreases in the OAE% and OAT% indicate an anxiogenic effect. Adult male rats, weighing 200-240 grams, underwent surgery. After five days, the rats were injected with saline and three different doses of morphine ( 2.5 , 5 , and 7.5 µl/rat). Experiment one included the injections into the VTA . In the second experiment, these injections were in the NA c. Behavioral tests were conducted between 12 pm and 4 pm and each animal was used once for each experiment. Results : In the first experiment, although these doses of morphine injected into the TVA had no effect on the OAE% , a dose of 5 µl/rat increased the OAT% , showing a decrease in the animals' anxiety. In the second experiment, doses of 2.5 µl/rat injected into the NA c induced a significant increase in the OAT% and OAE% , there by displaying decreased anxiety in the animal. However, no significant change in the activity of the animals was observed. Conclusion : As a Result of these experiments, it seems that different doses of morphine can decrease anxiety, probably through interaction with gabaergic system. Abstract


SUMMARY This paper presents a number of new concepts concerning the gravity anomaly. First, it identifies a distinct difference between a surface (2-D) gravity anomaly (the difference between actual gravity on one surface and normal gravity on another surface) and a solid (3-D) gravity anomaly defined in the fundamental gravimetric equation. Second, it introduces the 'no topography' gravity anomaly (which turns out to be the complete spherical Bouguer anomaly) as a means to generate a quantity that is smooth, thus suitable for gridding, and harmonic, thus suitable for downward continuation. It is understood that the possibility of downward continuing a smooth gravity anomaly would simplify the task of computing an accurate geoid. It is also shown that the planar Bouguer anomaly is not harmonic, and thus cannot be downward continued.


A study was conducted to develop a hydraulic normal loading device for a single wheel test rig available in the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur. A hydraulic circuit was designed to apply additional normal load up to 2000 kg on wheel axle. The same circuit also can be used to remove 1350 kg load from the initial load. The circuit uses a fixed displacement pump, a 3-way4 port-solenoid operated- spring centered directional control valve, a pressure relief valve and a double acting hydraulic cylinder. The normal load is sensed by a ring transducer and recorded in a data acquisition system. This device was used to study the effect of normal load on a radial-ply tire (14.9 to 28) under soft and hard soil condition. It was observed that, with hydraulic loading device the normal load on the wheel axle under dynamic condition was found to increase in the range of 1 to 5% for soft and hard bed soil surface.


ACCORDING to the pathological definition, a bony sequestrum is a piece of dead bone that has become separated from the living bone during the process of necrosis. In horses and cattle, most bony sequestra are associated with localised trauma and generally involve the distal extremities because of their minimal soft-tissue coverage (Clem and others 1987, Firth 1987, Valentino and others 2000, Milner 2008). Bone sequestration can also develop following haematogenous bone infection resulting in bone necrosis (chronic osteomyelitis; Firth 1987, Lew and Waldvogel 2004) and open fractures that have a piece of broken-off bone left in the wound (Hedrickson 2005, Braun and others 2009). The diagnosis is confirmed by radiography, which typically reveals calcified tissue within the lucent lesion surrounded by sclerotic bone (Sayegh and others 2001, Reef and others 2004). At the same time, an involucrum that is formed in layers of exudates, lytic bone and capsule (periosteal new bone and sclerosis of the adjacent cortex) around the sequestrum can be identified (Clem and others 1987, Desrochers and others 2001, Pineda and others 2009). Although ultrasound waves are almost completely reflected and highly attenuated by normal cortical bone (Reef and others 2004, Pineda and others 2009), they allow the exploration of what lies within lytic bone, once the dense cortical bone has been partially destroyed, because lytic and periosteal new bone are less dense than sound cortical bone and transmit ultrasound waves. In fact, ultrasonographic examination has been used in cattle for detecting the bone sequestrum of a fractured sternebra (Braun and others 2009) and a rib that was inaccessible to radiography (Valentino and others 2000), but the ultrasonographic features have not been characterised. Even though ultrasound is widely used to diagnose bone sequestra, the few studies on the ultrasonography of bone sequestration in large animals …


Isolated fourth ventricles were diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) in 16 children in a 3 year period. They all had had shunting of the lateral ventricles for hydrocephalus, and all needed subsequent shunt revisions. Seven patients without signs of raised intracranial pressure clinically had new posterior fossa signs at different intervals after lateral ventricular shunting. The clinical findings in the other nine patients were much less specific and in some cases the isolated fourth ventricle was an incidental finding. CT is essential for the diagnosis. The isolated fourth ventricle needs to be differentiated from posterior fossa cysts and cystic tumors. Shunting of the fourth ventricle improved the clinical condition in six of 14 children.


Introduction Obesity and related medical conditions are an increasing problem in the West. British National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines recommend the use of bariatric surgery for morbidly obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 or more, and for patients with a BMI 35–40 kg/m2 who have complicating comorbidity that may be improved by weight loss. The prevalence of gastro- oesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma is increased in obese individuals. Obesity is also related to psychosocial morbidity and psychological problems which in turn predispose to functional gastrointestinal complaints. We investigated the prevalence of gastro-intestinal symptoms in candidates for bariatric surgery at the time of their pre-operative assessment and 3 months post bariatric surgery. Methods Bariatric surgery candidates were asked to complete a locally validated Rome II questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) at the time of their pre-assessment. The same questionnaires were sent out by post to these patients 3 months after surgery. Their weight and any changes in medication were also recorded at that stage. Pearson's χ2 test and Fisher's exact tests (SPSS V.16) were used for statistical analysis. Results Thirty-nine of 58 patients approached pre-operatively completed the study. There were 33 women and 6 men, mean age of 45 years (range 25–60). Thirty five patients (90%) underwent laparoscopic roux-en-Y gastric bypass, RYGB, (30F/5M), three (8%) had a sleeve gastrectomy (2F:1M) and one had intragastric balloon insertion (1F). Mean time of follow-up was 3.4 months. Thirty-eight patients who lost weight (mean 24.5 kg) were included in this analysis. Their mean BMI was 47 kg/m2 preoperatively and 38.3 kg/m2 on follow-up. There was a significant reduction in the frequency of heartburn, reported by 11 patients pre-op and only two post-operatively, p<0.05 (RR 5.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 23.2). Post-operatively, significantly more patients reported dysphagia, dyspepsia and vomiting (p<0.05). There was no difference pre and post operatively in frequency of IBS, constipation, diarrhoea, biliary or anorectal disorders. HAD scores for anxiety were similarly unchanged. Although the frequency of depression was reduced by half (from 10.5% to 5.3%) the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion The frequency of heartburn was reduced post bariatric surgery. Dysphagia, dyspepsia and vomiting increased in the first 3 months post-operatively.


This paper sets out the ways in which technologies for learning have been at the heart of education for development for millennia, not as is sometimes thought only in the last 30 years of the digital revolution. Short case studies of the University of London External System and the Open University UK set out the development outcomes of these major distance education innovations. The context of widening access to Higher Education is acknowledged, in particular from the perspectives of student success and dropout. The major dimensions of open education enabled by digital affordances are elaborated, and their contribution to development acknowledged. Finally, the article suggests that the move to mass Higher Education systems in an overall majority of countries over the period of the UN Sustainable Development Goals will see the distinctions between online and campus based modes diminished.


Background—Adult human epicardium-derived cells (EPDCs), transplanted into the infarcted heart, are known to improve cardiac function, mainly through paracrine protection of the surrounding tissue. We hypothesized that this effect might be further improved if these supportive EPDCs were combined with cells that could possibly supply the ischemic heart with new cardiomyocytes. Therefore, we transplanted EPDCs together with cardiomyocyte progenitor cells that can generate mature cardiomyocytes in vitro. Methods and Results—EPDCs and cardiomyocyte progenitor cells were isolated from human adult atrial appendages, expanded in culture, and transplanted separately or together into the infarcted mouse myocardium (total cell number, 4×105). Cardiac function was determined 6 weeks later (9.4T MRI). Coculturing increased proliferation rate and production of several growth factors, indicating a mutual effect. Cotransplantation resulted in further improvement of cardiac function compared with single cell-type recipients (P<0.05), which themselves demonstrated better function than vehicle-injected controls (P<0.05). However, in contrast to our hypothesis, no graft-derived cardiomyocytes were observed within the 6-week survival, supporting that not only EPDCs but also cardiomyocyte progenitor cells acted in a paracrine manner. Because injected cell number and degree of engraftment were similar between groups, the additional functional improvement in the cotransplantation group cannot be explained by an increased amount of secreted factors but rather by an altered type of secretion. Conclusion—EPDCs and cardiomyocyte progenitor cells synergistically improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction, probably instigated by complementary paracrine actions. Our results demonstrate for the first time that synergistically acting cells hold great promise for future clinical regeneration therapy.


In a previous study using the Dunning rat prostate cancer model, we found high mobility group protein I-(Y) [HMG-I(Y)] to be overexpressed in metastatic tumor lines when compared to nonmetastatic lines. Hence, overexpression of this 12-kDa non-histone chromosomal protein may be associated with tumor progression. Firstly, by Northern analysis we showed that HMG-I(Y) expression increases in high grade prostate tumors. These studies, however, required fresh material, and clinical follow-up was limited. To overcome this problem paraffin-embedded material must be made amenable for determination of HMG-I(Y) expression in retrospective studies. RNA in situ hybridization enables the evaluation of mRNA levels in such material. We studied tumors from 71 patients with prostate cancer. The microscopic analysis of each sample included: (a) hybridization on sections with sense HMG-I(Y) and (b) 28S rRNA probes (nonspecific signal); (c) hybridization with antisense 28S rRNA (RNA preservation); (d) hybridization with an antisense HMG-I(Y) probe [quantification of HMG-I(Y) mRNA in the expressing areas]. Data were quantified using an image analysis system. High expression of HMG-I(Y) was observed in regions with high Gleason grade (4 and 5); whereas in lesions of Gleason grade 3, both weak and no expression was observed. In areas of grade 1 and 2, as well as in normal glands, low or no expression was found. We conclude that HMG-I(Y) expression assessed by RNA in situ hybridization is related to tumor differentiation in prostate cancer. These findings indicate that HMG-I(Y) expression may be a marker in prostate cancer diagnosis, and the possible clinical implication of expression of this gene in malignancy is discussed in this report.


Abstract. The Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC) is a stratospheric circulation characterized by upwelling of tropospheric air in the tropics, poleward flow in the stratosphere, and downwelling at mid and high latitudes, with important implications for chemical tracer distributions, stratospheric heat and momentum budgets, and mass exchange with the troposphere.
As the photochemical losses of nitrous oxide (N2O) are well known, model differences in its rate of change are due to transport processes that can be separated into the mean residual advection and the isentropic mixing terms in the transformed Eulerian mean (TEM) framework.
Here, the climatological impact of the stratospheric BDC on the long-lived tracer N2O is evaluated through a comparison of its TEM budget in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), in a chemical reanalysis of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder version 2 (BRAM2) and in a chemistry transport model (CTM) driven by four modern reanalyses: the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim reanalysis (ERA-Interim; Dee et al., 2011), the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55; Kobayashi et al., 2015), and the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 1 (MERRA; Rienecker et al., 2011) and version 2 (MERRA-2; Gelaro et al., 2017).
The effects of stratospheric transport on the N2O rate of change, as depicted in this study, have not been compared before across this variety of datasets and have never been investigated in a modern chemical reanalysis.
We focus on the seasonal means and climatological annual cycles of the two main contributions to the N2O TEM budget: the vertical residual advection and the horizontal mixing terms. The N2O mixing ratio in the CTM experiments has a spread of approximately ∼20 % in the middle stratosphere, reflecting the large diversity in the mean age of air obtained with the same CTM experiments in a previous study.
In all datasets, the TEM budget is closed well; the agreement between the vertical advection terms is qualitatively very good in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is good in the Southern Hemisphere except above the Antarctic region.
The datasets do not agree as well with respect to the horizontal mixing term, especially in the Northern Hemisphere where horizontal mixing has a smaller contribution in WACCM than in the reanalyses.
WACCM is investigated through three model realizations and a sensitivity test using the previous version of the gravity wave parameterization.
The internal variability of the horizontal mixing in WACCM is large in the polar regions and is comparable to the differences between the dynamical reanalyses.
The sensitivity test has a relatively small impact on the horizontal mixing term, but it significantly changes the vertical advection term and produces a less realistic N2O annual cycle above the Antarctic.
In this region, all reanalyses show a large wintertime N2O decrease, which is mainly due to horizontal mixing.
This is not seen with WACCM, where the horizontal mixing term barely contributes to the TEM budget.
While we must use caution in the interpretation of the differences in this region (where the reanalyses show large residuals of the TEM budget), they could be due to the fact that the polar jet is stronger and is not tilted equatorward in WACCM compared with the reanalyses. We also compare the interannual variability in the horizontal mixing and the vertical advection terms between the different datasets.
As expected, the horizontal mixing term presents a large variability during austral fall and boreal winter in the polar regions.
In the tropics, the interannual variability of the vertical advection term is much smaller in WACCM and JRA-55 than in the other experiments.
The large residual in the reanalyses and the disagreement between WACCM and the reanalyses in the Antarctic region highlight the need for further investigations on the modeling of transport in this region of the stratosphere.


The need to decrease the United States' dependency on oil has pushed ethanol to the forefront of energy sources. In the U.S., corn is used to make ethanol. Corn-based ethanol production has been profitable over the past few years, but there has been a near doubling of corn prices in late 2006 and early 2007 (Outlaw, et. al., 2007). The trend is a constant rise in prices, which has given way to ethanol production by other sources of raw materials like sugarcane. Sugarcane ethanol is the most cost-efficient biofuel available anywhere in the world, and in the United States, the government supports sugar prices. Through the US sugar policy, sugar prices are controlled, and foreign imports are severely limited. Brazil is leading the way in sugarcane ethanol, and its neighbors in Central America are following suit. In 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) was established. The agreement allows sugar imports into the U.S. from these countries duty free. Those countries have extreme ethanol growth potential with low production costs and large sources of sugarcane. This paper uses GIS and statistical tools to determine the impact of the expanded U.S. sugar imports from CAFTA-DR countries on the U.S. ethanol market in terms of production and regional concentration. To estimate the relationship between ethanol production and sugar imports, an OLS regression model has been developed with monthly U.S. ethanol production as a function of imported sugarcane, gas, ethanol , and corn prices; covering January 2000 to September 2008.


Chitosan is a natural organic polyelectrolyte of high molecular weight and charge density; obtained from deacetylation of chitin. This study explored the potential and effectiveness of applying chitosan as a primary coagulant and flocculent, in comparison with aluminium sulphate (alum) for pre-treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME). A series of batch coagulation and flocculation processes with chitosan and alum under different conditions, i.e. dosage and pH were conducted, in order to determine their optimum conditions. The performance was assessed in terms of turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reductions. Chitosan showed better parameter reductions with much lower dosage consumption, compared to alum, even at the original pH of POME, i.e. 4.5. At pH 6, the optimum chitosan's dosage of 400 mg/L was able to reduce turbidity, TSS and COD levels by 99.90%, 99.15% and 60.73% respectively. At this pH, the coagulation of POME by chitosan was brought by the combination of charge neutralization and polymer bridging mechanism. As for alum, the optimum dosage was 8 g/L at pH 7 which result in reductions of turbidity, TSS and COD by 99.45%, 98.60% and 49.24%, respectively. Combinations of chitosan and alum, showed very little increment in efficiency, compared to using chitosan alone. It can be suggested that polymer bridging mechanism by chitosan is more dominant than alum and the dosage of alum can also be reduced.


We have analysed 18 samples of komatiite from five consecutive lava flows of the Komati Formation at Spinifex Creek, Barberton Mountain Land. Our samples include massive komatiite, various types of spinifex-textured komatiite, and flow-top breccias. The rocks have low platinum-group element (PGE) contents and Pd/Ir ratios relative to komatiites from elsewhere, at 0·45–2 ppb Os, 1–1·4 ppb Ir, <1–5 ppb Ru, 0·33–0·79 ppb Rh, 1·7–6 ppb Pt, 1·6–6·1 ppb Pd, and Pd/Ir 3·3. Pt/Pd ratios are c. 1·1. Platinum-group elements are depleted relative to Cu (Cu/Pd = 15 300). They display a tendency to increase in the less magnesian samples, suggesting that the magmas were S-undersaturated upon eruption and that all PGE were incompatible with respect to crystallizing olivine. Komatiites from the Westonaria Formation of the Ventersdorp Supergroup and the Roodekrans Complex near Johannesburg have broadly similar PGE patterns and concentrations to the Komati rocks, suggesting that the PGE contents of South African ultrabasic magmas are controlled by similar processes during partial mantle melting and low-P magmatic crystallization. Most workers believe that the Barberton komatiites formed by relatively moderate-degree batch melting of the mantle at high pressure. Based on the concentration of Zr in the Komati samples, we estimate that the degree of partial melting was between 26 and 33%. We suggest that the low PGE contents and Pd/Ir ratios of all analysed South African komatiites are the result of sulphides having been retained in the mantle source during partial melting. The difference in Pd/Ir between our samples and Al-undepleted komatiites from elsewhere further suggests that the PGE are fractionated during progressive partial melting of the mantle. Thus, our data are in agreement with other recent studies showing that the PGE are hosted by different phases in the mantle, with Pd being concentrated by interstitial Cu-rich sulphide, and the IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru) and Rh resting in monosulphide solid solution included within silicates. Pt is possibly controlled by a discrete refractory phase, as Pt/Pd ratios of most komatiites worldwide are sub-chondritic.


Importance
Quadruple misfolded proteins (tau neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid-β [Aβ], α-synuclein, and transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 [TDP-43]) in the same brain are relatively common in aging. However, the clinical presentation, associated factors, frequency in community-based cohorts, genetic characteristics, and cognitive trajectories associated with the quadruple misfolded proteins phenotype are not well understood.

Objective
To describe the quadruple misfolded proteins phenotype, including the trajectories of global cognition, in an autopsy cohort.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This retrospective cohort study used brain autopsy data from the University of Kentucky Alzheimer Disease Center (UK-ADC) Brain Bank. Participants were deceased individuals who were enrolled in a longitudinal community-based cohort study of aging and dementia in central Kentucky conducted by the UK-ADC. Included participants were enrolled in the UK-ADC cohort between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2017; aged 55 years or older at baseline; and followed up for a mean duration of 10.4 years. The participants had Alzheimer disease pathology (tau and Aβ), α-synuclein, and TDP-43 data, along with Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage I to VI. Data analysis was conducted between February 1, 2019, and September 30, 2019.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Frequency of quadruple misfolded proteins was estimated, and proteinopathy group characteristics and associations with global cognition were evaluated. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the association of proteinopathy group with participant characteristics, including age at death, sex, and apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4) allele. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the probability of obtaining Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores within the normal cognition (27-30 points) and severe impairment (≤13 points) ranges during the 12 years before death.

Results
The final sample included 375 individuals (mean [SD] age at death, 86.9 [8.0] years); 232 women [61.9%]). Quadruple misfolded proteins were detected in 41 of 214 individuals with dementia (19.2%). Overall, 46 individuals (12.3%) had quadruple misfolded proteins, whereas 143 individuals (38.1%) had 3 proteinopathies. Dementia frequency was highest among those with quadruple misfolded proteins (41 [89.1%]), and participants with quadruple misfolded proteins had the lowest final mean (SD) MMSE scores of 13.4 (9.8) points. Adjusting for age at death and sex, the APOE ε4 allele was associated with higher odds of quadruple misfolded proteins (adjusted odds ratio, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.16- 5.62; P = .02). The quadruple misfolded proteins group had both the lowest probability of obtaining MMSE scores in the normal cognition range, even 12 years before death, and the highest probability of having MMSE scores in the severe impairment range.

Conclusions and Relevance
Quadruple misfolded proteins appear to be a common substrate for cognitive impairment and to be associated with an aggressive course of disease that typically ends with severe dementia. The prevalence of comorbid α-synuclein and TDP-43 with Alzheimer disease pathology (tau and Aβ) may complicate efforts to identify therapies to treat and prevent Alzheimer disease.


Abstract A wide number of genetic models have been proposed for volcanically transported ruby and sapphire deposits around the world. In this contribution we compare the trace element chemistry, mineral and melt inclusions, and oxygen isotope ratios in blue to reddish-violet sapphires from Yogo Gulch, Montana, U.S.A., with rubies from the Chantaburi-Trat region of Thailand and the Pailin region of Cambodia. The similarities between Thai/Cambodian rubies and Yogo sapphires suggest a common origin for gem corundum from both deposits. Specifically, we advance a model whereby sapphires and rubies formed through a peritectic melting reaction when the lamprophyre or basalts that transported the gem corundum to the surface partially melted Al-rich lower crustal rocks. Furthermore, we suggest the protolith of the rubies and sapphires was an anorthosite or, in the case of Thai/Cambodian rubies, an anorthosite subjected to higher pressures and converted into a garnet-clinopyroxenite. In this model the rubies and sapphires are rightfully considered to be xenocrysts in their host basalts or lamprophyre; however, in this scenario they are not "accidental" xenocrysts but their formation is intimately and directly linked to the magmas that transported them to the surface. The similarities in these gem corundum deposits suggests that the partial melting, non-accidental xenocryst model may be more wide-reaching and globally important than previously realized. Importantly, in both cases the gem corundum has an ostensibly "metamorphic" trace element signature, whereas the presence of silicate melt (or magma) inclusions shows they ought to be considered to be "magmatic" rubies and sapphires. This discrepancy suggests that existing trace element discriminant diagrams intended to separate "metamorphic" from "magmatic" gem corundum ought to be used with caution.


Microcracks in thermal barrier coatings are inherent from the plasma spraying process. Such cracks might constitute a threat to the coating. The influence of pre-existing cracks in the global direction of the interface between the bond coat and the top coat on the risk of delamination is addressed through finite element simulations. Stress concentrations at the interface due to the roughness of the plasma sprayed bond coat are accounted for by a sinusoidal interface. The effect of oxidation of the bond coat is modelled by including a thin oxide layer between the ceramic coat and the bond coat. It was found that the crack tip position of pre-existing cracks, as well as the presence of an oxide layer, significantly influences the risk of delamination. As the oxide thickness increases, the risk of crack propagation increases. It is also found that not all pre-existing cracks can propagate. For some crack tip locations, the crack remains closed during the entire loading sequence.


This paper reports Primary School teachers' discourses analysis about their difficulties related to the teaching of Astronomy. It reports partial data of a master's level research carried out in the last two years, named "An exploratory study for inserting Astronomy in primary school teachers' education" (LANGHI, 2004). The study took into consideration students' and teachers' common sense conceptions about astronomical phenomena, conceptual mistakes in textbooks, and Astronomy's suggestions given by the PCN (Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais – The Brazilian National Curriculum Standards). The paper aims to characterize teachers' difficulties, in order to provide subsides to the implementation of an initial or continuing education program. This study is justified by the fact that courses plans like these only will be adapted to the teacher's (and students') reality, if there is a primary investigation about what the teachers really need to know about Astronomy. This fact was possible here by the enunciations interpretation of a teachers' sample using semi-structured interviews, according to discourse analysis procedures. The research outcomes show difficulties related to factors like: those of personal order, methodological, on teacher's formation, educational infrastructure and other related to information sources for educators.


The philosopher's statement, now more than a century old, that there is nothing in the mind that has not come in through the senses, might be applied to motion in general. Certainly, so far as those movements due to the central nervous system are concerned, we may say that there are extremely few motions that have not had their antecedent afferent impulses. The modern conception of the nervous system regards it as a mechanism in which afferent impulses, arising in the various kinds of peripheral receptors or sensory endings are gathered up into a definite body of sensory impulses, and somewhere in their course, are summed or integrated to a definite orderly motor response. For example, when a child is learning to write, and is copying a simple figure, afferent impulses are passing in from various peripheral sources, not from the eye alone, but also from the skin,