Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an "umbrella" term for the broad spectrum of the disease that begins from the simple steatosis to more progressive stages of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), that includes hepatocellular ballooning, inflammation, and fibrosis. NAFLD is a growing epidemic globally, with 25% of the population predicted to be diagnosed with this disease. Liver biopsy is the only definitive method of diagnosis, despite the widespread use of sonography and elastography to predict the disease state. There is no current FDA approved medication for NAFLD/NASH. This is partly due to the lack of translatable disease model to predict the whole spectrum of the disease in humans as well as lack of definitive biomarker to predict the disease state. The goal of this dissertation is (1) To build an in vitro model for NAFLD to study the influence of fat over-load on xenobiotic as well as lipid metabolizing proteins (2) To use the model to help identify novel biomarkers in liver tissue to characterize the early stages of disease. Manuscript I: In recent times, there are numerous invitro models relevant to humans developed to predict the disease state. They involve monoculture, coculture and as well as multicellular culture in both 2D and 3D models to best represent the physiology and working of liver in the disease state. In this review, we have explored all the existing in vitro models of NAFLD relevant to humans as well as highlight the technological gaps in the current in vitro models for future development. Manuscript II: Human hepatic carcinoma cell lines are commonly used in in vitro studies of lipid and xenobiotic metabolism, as well as glucose regulation in normal and disease state. However, their validity is still under debate due to the variable expression of proteins in the cell lines and human hepatocytes. In this present study, we used a data independent acquisition based total protein approach (DIA-TPA) to quantify the protein abundance in the different cell lines versus (vs.) cryopreserved human hepatocytes (cHH) and human liver tissue (HLT). For this purpose, the global proteome from the whole cell homogenates of HepaRG, HepG2, Huh7 cell lines were compared to cHH and HLT. The MS2 spectra for all detectable peptides were quantified using SpectronautTM. In summary, 2715, 2578, 2874, 2717 and 3083 proteins in, HepaRG, HepG2, Huh7, cHH and HLT, were identified at 1% FDR, respectively. The global proteome of the cHH significantly differed from the cancer hepatic cell lines. Within the cell lines, the global as well as ADME protein profile of HepaRG most closely correlated with cHH, with 84 out of 101 ADME proteins, identified in HepaRG cells. Within gluconeogenesis and glycolysis pathway, Huh7 cell line expressed proteins in high abundance in contrast to the other groups. Therefore, we show that the comparison demonstrates the capability of untargeted global proteomics to detect the differences in protein expression among the different groups. In addition, this study provides a comprehensive database of information to aid study design and model selection. Manuscript III: To manage NAFLD and related co-morbidities, patients are administered with an array of pharmacological agents. Therefore, understanding of the effect of NAFLD on drug disposition is warranted. Using a HepaRG model, we aimed to mimic steatosis in vitro, and to examine its effects on drug-metabolizing enzymes (DME) and transporters. HepaRG cells, differentiated in-house, were exposed to a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (1:2 ratio of 0.5 mM palmitate and oleate complex conjugated to BSA for 72h) and were subjected to RNA sequencing and proteomic analyses. Lipid accumulation was ascertained by Oil Red O (ORO) staining and triglyceride (TG) quantitation and cell viability by WST-1 determination. The treatment condition resulted in ~6-fold increase in TG concentration without reducing cell viability. RNA sequencing of lipid-loaded and control cells identified a total of 393 differentially expressed transcripts (89 upand 304 down-regulated). Moreover, lipid loading resulted in significant downregulation of mRNA transcripts of transcription factors, NR1I2 (-1.18) and HNF4α (-0.55), phase 1 DMEs including CYP1A2 (-3.25), 2B6 (-2.02), 2C8 (-1.48), 2C9 (-2.00),2C19 (1.32) and 3A4 (-1.87), phase 2 DMEs including UGT1A6 (-0.36) and 2B7 (-1.09), SULT2A1 (-0.75) and 1E1 (-1.41) as well as clinically relevant transporters such as ABCC11 (-1.36), ABCG5 (-1.66), SLC10A1(-1.63) and SLCO2B1(-1.49). However, the protein expression did not show a significant change. Furthermore, lipid loaded cells significantly upregulated AKR1B10 mRNA (2.17) and protein (0.99) that may regulate lipid as well as xenobiotic metabolism. Manuscript IV: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global epidemic, present in over 10% of the world population, despite the majority of the population being undiagnosed. Liver biopsies are the only gold standard available for the confirmation of disease state. Other non-invasive diagnostics such as ultrasound and MRI are either inaccurate or expensive for routine use. Many markers for disease state are available that detect the onset of inflammation and fibrosis from moderate-to-high accuracy. However, there is a huge gap in specific biomarkers that can distinguish the NAFLD liver tissue from normal in early stages of the disease. Using SWATH-MS based Data-independent acquisition (DIA) strategy the dysregulated proteins in the in vitro model of hepatic steatosis was compared with human liver tissue (n=116) showing progressive stages of NAFLD. More than 2,500 proteins were identified in HepaRG and human hepatocyte model as well as human liver tissue. Within the hepatocyte model, 40 proteins were dysregulated in steatosis. These proteins were screened in liver tissue and 6 common proteins were identified. The sensitivity and selectivity of the markers were analyzed using receiver-operative curve (ROC) for the following markers PLIN2 (0.77), ANXA1(0.70), H2AFY (0.80), SNX1 (0.67), GCHFR (0.69), APO (0.69) and all the above markers showed significance P <0.05. Conclusion. This work demonstrates that in vitro human relevant disease model has the potential to explain the effect of NAFLD. Subsequently, the in vitro models when used in conjunction with human liver tissue aid in identification of novel biomarkers that may have therapeutic and diagnostic value.


Neuropathological findings in children who had died of cerebral arteriovenous malformation under 6 years of age were contrasted with those of children aged 6 to 15 years. In all subjects, the abnormalities were more marked in the shunting vessels and veins distal to the arteriovenous shunt than in the arteries. Fibrous thickening, calcification an adherent thrombus of vessel wall, and gliosis and haemosiderin in contiguous neural tissue were more common in the older than the younger children. Children less than 1 week old with vein of Galen malformations presented with congestive heart failure and "watershed" cerebral infarction; most of those over one week old had hydrocephalus and venous thrombosis with haemorrhagic infarction.


Progress in understanding the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been slowed by the absence of tractable small animal models. Whereas GB virus B (GBV-B, an unclassified flavivirus) shares a phylogenetic relationship and several biologic attributes with HCV, including hepatotropism, it is not known to cause persistent infection, a hallmark of HCV. Here, we document persistent GBV-B infection in one of two healthy tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) inoculated intrahepatically with infectious synthetic RNA. High-titer viremia (108 to 109 genome equivalents per ml) and transiently elevated serum alanine transaminase activities were present from weeks 4 to 12 postinoculation in both animals. However, whereas GBV-B was eliminated from one animal by 20 weeks, the second animal remained viremic (103 to 107 genome equivalents per ml) for >2 years, with alanine transaminase levels becoming elevated again before spontaneous resolution of the infection. A liver biopsy taken late in the course of infection demonstrated hepatitis with periportal mononuclear infiltrates, hepatocellular microvesicular changes, cytoplasmic lipid droplets, and disordered mitochondrial ultrastructure, findings remarkably similar to chronic hepatitis C. GBV-B-infected hepatocytes contained numerous small vesicular membranous structures resembling those associated with expression of HCV nonstructural proteins, and sequencing of GBV-B RNA demonstrated a rate of molecular evolution comparable to that of HCV. We conclude that GBV-B is capable of establishing persistent infections in healthy tamarins, a feature that substantially enhances its value as a model for HCV. Mitochondrial structural changes and altered lipid metabolism leading to steatosis are conserved features of the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis caused by these genetically distinct flaviviruses.


« We have not enough data about that ». This is often the answer one modeler may encounter while he/she is asking about one process an issue and by then a model to build needs to construct. The common answer the modeler think about is " ok, but then? We can do something ugly, fuzzy, and not precise but clearly, the mistake will be lower than not putting the process because of the lack of data ". Even more, the " not-enough-data " assertion is theoretically always valid: whatever the issue, data will be lacking. Where to position the limit after which one can say " ok, let us combine what we know to see it has a meaning " , i.e. try to build a theory, a model of the reality for answering a question? More generally, our purpose in this communication is to argue that asking " how can we model without all the necessary information? " means actually " " how can we model? ". One may consider that modelling is the last avatar of the less known and less visible and valorizing second part of research: the construction and creation of theories from data and information scientists have previously collected. This demarche, often called " inductive " in the most accepted hypothetico-deductive research approach, i.e. deduction, induction and abduction (Blecic & Cecchini, 2008, p. 539-540), implies to combine altogether " elements " , pieces of science along a plan that may enlighten an issue. This may have been assessed in the past along an intuitive process, such as described by Bergson (1911): he described this capacity of connecting processes, patterns and dynamics along sometimes illogical analogies, comparisons and consistencies as a purely human action, impossible to formalize. Nowadays, modelling tools, especially when implemented to integrate both qualitative and quantitative information and rules, do have this ability if and only if they are used along a formalized and epistemologically relevant methodology. They can then be used as a way to explicit relations along a systemic approach. We do consider that they should be used as a way to fulfill the second fraction of research: connecting data.


Purpose
To investigate the impact of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on the extraocular muscles (EOMs) by examining the distribution of neurotrophic factors (NTFs) and their receptors in EOMs and limb muscles from ALS transgenic mice.

Methods
Muscle samples collected from transgenic mice overexpressing human superoxide dismutase type 1 mutations (SOD1G93A, the most widely used mouse model of ALS) at 50 and 150 days as well as age-matched controls were analyzed with immunohistochemistry using antibodies against brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and the neurotrophin receptors p75NTR, tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptor TrkB and TrkC, and GDNF family receptor alpha-1 (GFRα-1).

Results
There was an intrinsic difference in NTF expression between EOMs and limb muscles in control mice: EOMs presented significantly lower number of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) labeled for BDNF and NT-4 at 50 days, and for BDNF and GDNF at 150 days, compared with the control limb muscles of corresponding age. In ALS transgenic mice at 150 days, NTF expression in limb muscles was significantly changed but not in EOMs: the limb muscles presented a significant decline in the number of NMJs labeled for BDNF, NT-4, GDNF, p75NTR, TrkB, and TrkC, which was not observed in EOMs.

Conclusions
The significant differences in expression of NTFs on NMJs between EOMs and limb muscles in both control and ALS transgenic mice suggest that NTF may be involved in the pathogenesis of ALS and the resistance of EOMs to the disease.


Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things projects work towards adoption of standard IT technologies for real-time control networks in industrial automation. For this the IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Task Group has developed and continues to develop a set of standards. One of these standards is the IEEE 802.1AS clock synchronization protocol. IEEE 802.1AS can be used to enable time-triggered communication as well as to coordinate distributed actions in industrial networks. In this paper we study the synchronization quality of IEEE 802.1AS and we are interested in whether the clocks can be synchronized with sufficiently low error such that the protocol can be used for demanding industrial automation applications. In particular, we study the protocol behavior in large-scale networks while considering critical implementation details. We report analytical worst-case results as well as probabilistic results based on simulations, that show that implementation details such as the PHY jitter and the clock granularity have a big impact on the time synchronization precision.


THE association of astrocytes with plaques is a well-established feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has generally been interpreted as a secondary reaction to amyloid deposition or neuronal degeneration. Astrocytes in brain tissue from six non-demented controls and six patients with AD were investigated using enhanced immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) in serial sections from cortex, basal forebrain, amygdala, putamen and diencephalon. Astrocytes colocalized with all diffuse and non-diffuse plaques in AD and control brain tissue. All plaque-associated astrocytes contacted microvessels, and despite having greater numbers of hypertrophic and fine calibre processes, the cells maintained the perivascular arrangement characteristic of control brain tissue. These observations suggest that plaques form at the site of microvascular aberrations followed by reactive and degenerative changes in perivascular astrocytes.


Vascular surgery is associated with a substantial risk of cardiovascular events and death.1,2 There is no effective method for determining cardiac risk preoperatively: validated risk prediction instruments are limited by complexity and poor predictive value, and other cardiac investigations such as nuclear stress testing and coronary angiography are limited by time and resources. For these reasons, alternative methods that can predict outcome of at risk patients would be an important advance.

Plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has counter-regulatory vasodilator and natriuretic properties. Plasma BNP concentrations are often increased in cardiac disorders, such as angina and heart failure. The plasma concentrations of BNP are related to prognosis in these conditions.3 Many of these cardiovascular conditions occur in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

We investigated the predictive value of preoperative plasma BNP concentration for the occurrence of perioperative fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) in high risk vascular surgical patients. We also compared the predictive value of plasma BNP concentration with the Eagle score, a conventional surgical risk assessment instrument.1,2

We screened consecutive patients undergoing major surgery for aortic or peripheral arterial occlusive disease in Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, between April and September 2004. All patients at high risk, defined according to the American Society of Anesthesiology …


The effect of rapid mean compression on compressible turbulence at a range of turbulent Mach numbers is investigated. Rapid distortion theory (RDT) and direct numerical simulation results for the case of axial (one-dimensional) compression are used to illustrate the existence of two distinct rapid compression regimes. These regimes – the nearly solenoidal and the 'pressure-released' – are defined by a single parameter involving the timescales of the mean distortion, the turbulence, and the speed of sound. A general RDT formulation is developed and is proposed as a means of improving turbulence models for compressible flows. In contrast to the well-documented observation that 'compressibility' (measured, for example, by the turbulent Mach number) is often associated with a decrease in the growth rate of turbulent kinetic energy, we find that under rapid distortion compressibility can produce an amplification of the kinetic energy growth rate. We also find that as the compressibility increases, the magnitude of the pressure–dilation correlation increases, in absolute terms, but its relative importance decreases compared to the magnitude of the kinetic energy production.


This latest volume in the Wavelets Analysis and Its Applications Series provides significant and up-to-date insights into recent developments in the field of wavelet constructions in connection with partial differential equations. Specialists in numerical applications and engineers in a variety of fields will find Multiscale Wavelet for Partial Differential Equations to be a valuable resource. Key Features* Covers important areas of computational mechanics such as elasticity and computational fluid dynamics* Includes a clear study of turbulence modeling* Contains recent research on multiresolution analyses with operator-adapted wavelet discretizations* Presents well-documented numerical experiments connected with the development of algorithms, useful in specific applications


It has been observed that gluteal-femoral adipose tissue has a protective effect against risk factors for cardiovascular disease but has not yet been concluded how different evaluation methods of fat distribution affect the results.To test the hypothesis that B-mode ultrasound-measured subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, 326 Japanese unmedicated postmenopausal women aged 50–70 years were analyzed. Subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness at 6 sites (anterior and posterior aspects of trunk, upper-arm, and thigh) and serum total (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) was measured, and a ratio of HDLC to TC (HDLC/TC) was calculated. We used Bayesian linear regression with 4 separate models with each model predicting HDLC/TC.Our first model provided evidence for an inverse correlation (r = –0.23) between ultrasound measured body fat (6 site measurement) and HDLC/TC. The second model noted evidence for an inverse correlation between trunk fat and HDLC/TC and found evidence for the null with respect to the correlation between thigh fat and HDLC/TC. Therefore, we added thigh fat to the null model to produce Distribution Model 2. Within this model, we noted an inverse correlation (r = –0.353) between trunk fat and HDLC/TC. Our last model determined that within the trunk fatness, the abdominal area (anterior trunk) was a larger predictor than the subscapular site (posterior trunk).These results support the evidence that ultrasound-measured abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness is a non-invasive predictor for monitoring the risk for dyslipidemia in postmenopausal women.


Abstract Objective: In this study, we compared the success of sinus lifting and alternative treatment methods in applying dental implants in cases lacking adequate bone due to pneumatization of the maxillary sinus. Methods: In a computer environment, 3D models were created using computerized tomography data from a patient. Additionally, implants and abutments were scanned at the macroscopic level, and the resulting images were transferred to the 3D models. Five different models were examined: a control model, lateral sinus lifting (LSL), short dental implant placement (SIP), tilted implant placement (TIP) and distal prosthetic cantilever (DC) use. Vertical and oblique forces were applied in each model. The compression, tension and von Mises stresses in each model were analyzed by implementing a finite element analysis method. Results: In our study, the LSL method was observed to be the closest to the control model. The TIP model showed high stress values under conditions of oblique forces but showed successful results under conditions of vertical forces, and the opposite results were observed in the SIP model. The DC model provided the least successful results among all models. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the LSL method should be the first choice among treatment options. Considering its successful results under conditions of oblique forces, the SIP method may be preferable to the TIP method. In contrast, every effort should be made to avoid the use of DCs.


Objective: To establish the relationship between social and environmental determinants and the practice of physical activity in pregnant women. Materials and methods: Cross-section study conducted in pregnant women with no contraindication to physical activity; these women came for prenatal consultation and were affiliated to two healthcare providers in Barranquilla and Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Sampling was intentional. The social and demographic characteristics were evaluated, as well as the levels of physical activity and the perception of socio-environmental factors, including neighborhood infrastructure, esthetic considerations, the social environment, road connectivity, safety and surrounding traffic conditions. The raw Odds Ratio (OR) was estimated. Results: Out of 228 pregnant women, 208 were included in the analysis. 62% of the pregnant women fail to comply with the physical activity recommendations for maintaining their health. Some of the socio-environmental factors associated with a sedentary lifestyle in pregnancy are: living far away to walk to shops and supermarkets (OR = 5.1; 95 % CI: 2.8-9.4); poor sidewalk conditions (OR = 3.4; 95 % CI: 1.9-6.3); few people exercising around the neighborhood (OR = 4.1; 95 % CI: 2.2-7.5); not safe to walk during the day or evening (OR = 3.6; 95 % CI: 1.9-6.4). Conclusion: The perception of the socio-environmental characteristics is associated with physical activity in pregnant women. Interventions are needed to improve the socio-environmental characteristics that impact the perception of the population about these factors, in order to assess its impact on the physical activity of pregnant women.


Purpose - – This paper aims to study low adoption of modern technology for pearl millet in Rajasthan, India, from the perspective of social networks. The state has the lowest adoption of modern pearl millet seeds among Indian states. . In particular, this paper tries to identify the limitations of channels with endogenous effects, thereby limiting large-scale adoption of modern varieties that would require social multipliers. Design/methodology/approach - – Defining the network/reference groups in terms of social identity and geographical proximity, this paper utilizes the intensity of interaction with different network nodes to identify the presence of endogenous effects. In particular, this paper uses the interaction of intensity of social exchange with the group level adoptions to establish the presence of endogenous effects. With adequate controls, greater intensity of interaction having a bearing on technology choice can only happen when there exists social learning (endogenous effect) and cannot be associated with other forms of social effects (namely, exogenous and correlated effects). Findings - – This paper finds evidence for the existence of endogenous social effects in adoption but largely from exclusionary channels. A comprehensively mapped network is used with its intensity to explain the extremely low rate of adoption. Only close-knit networks that, with social fragmentation, limit benefits to few, affect adoption significantly. The non-functionality of less exclusionary information sources and services can be a factor underlying low adoption. Research limitations/implications - – The main limitation of the study is inability to control for unobserved individual heterogeneity because of the cross-sectional nature of data. Further, although an extensive mapping of individual networks has been done, it still cannot be guaranteed to be exhaustive. Practical implications - – With fragmentation, large-scale adoption programs would require networks, sources of information and services that are less exclusionary. Based on the survey data, media and non-religious organizations play a focal role here in the adoption of modern technology. This finding is extremely crucial for policy, as these channels comprise direct policy levers in a fragmented society like India. Indeed, several government programs in India have relied on these channels to run large-scale adoption programs. Their ineffectiveness could be a prime factor for such limited dissemination of technology in Rajasthan. Social implications - – In different settings, social fragmentation could be an important factor determining technology adoption outcomes. The evolving consensus in the literature based on several studies is that ethnic fragmentation has potentially negative consequences on macro-economic performance (Alesina and Tabellini, 1989 and Collier, 2000). In the literature on technology adoption, the role of fractionalization is somewhat under-studied. With fragmentation, there can be significant micro-level impacts (for instance, low technology adoption of a crop) if channels that are inclusive are not well developed. The finding that channels like extension services, media or organizations are not effective in determining choice of technology does not mean that they should not be tapped. The empirical findings suggest that, in their current form in the state of Rajasthan, the roles played by these are limited. The policy implications would be to develop these systems in a way that there is a greater uptake. Recall that less than 4 per cent of the respondents got information on seeds from media sources, an extremely low number. There is certainly scope for increasing the outreach of these channels that are much more important for spread of agricultural technology in a fragmented society. Originality/value - – This paper is an attempt to come up with an empirical strategy to mitigate the issues related to reflection problem. In the cross-sectional data itself, we use the interaction of group choices with intensity of interaction within the group to introduce a non-linearity that tries to bypass the identification issues as in reflection problem. This method of introducing non-linearity in cross-sectional data is a novel attempt to achieve identification of endogenous effects.


Author(s): Banerjee, Suchandrima | Advisor(s): Majumdar, Sharmila | Abstract: This thesis developed high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) yielding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods that require relatively short measurement times. The methods were primarily aimed at addressing existing technical limitations of low SNR and long scan times (~ 20 minutes) in the field of in vivo high resolution (HR) imaging of trabecular bone micro-architecture. HR-MRI of trabecular bone provides a non-invasive way of monitoring trabecular bone structural integrity for assessment of the disease condition, osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a debilitating skeletal disorder affecting 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 worldwide and is characterized by loss of bone mass and structure leading to atraumatic fractures at the vertebrae, hip, wrists and other sites. SNR limitations in trabecular bone MRI were overcome by incorporating a high magnetization yielding pulse sequence and translating the imaging protocol to the higher field strength of 3 Tesla (T) from the clinical standard of 1.5 T. A simulation model was developed to estimate SNR in bone tissue. The feasibility of imaging trabecular bone structure in vivo at the proximal femur (hip), until then an SNR impeded application, was demonstrated. Next, an autocalibrating parallel imaging (PI) method was implemented to accelerate data acquisition. Using an eight channel coil array, scan time was reduced 2-4 fold without any significant impact on image resolution or edge sharpness; although bone structural measures derived from the accelerated images showed overestimation. Consequently, parallel reconstruction and image processing algorithms were developed to address the causes of overestimation. With the availability of whole body 7 T magnets and the motivation for further improvement in SNR, the PI methods were adapted to the even higher field strength and its performance was found to improve relative to 3 T. To summarize, this thesis developed SNR efficient MR methods that facilitate quantitative HR-MRI of trabecular bone within 2-10 minutes, thus increasing the clinical feasibility of this application. Additionally, the PI methods were applied to diverse applications such as cartilage imaging for osteoarthritis; and susceptibility weighted imaging of brain vasculature and 3D spectroscopic imaging of brain metabolites in brain tumor patients.


Henry Thornton (1760-1815), whose major work - An Enquiry into the Nature and Effects of the Paper Credit of Great Britain - is celebrating its bicentennary in 2002, is considered today to be one of the most prominent classical monetary economist, in particular with regard to its seminal contribution to the theory of the lender of last resort. However, Thornton's original views about the rate of interest on bank credit have barely been commented so far. In this paper, we endeavour to link these views with his theory of central banking in order to demonstrate that Thornton advocated an active use of the Bank of England's discount rate for monetary policy purpose, i.e. to safeguard the value of money, instead of any direct action on the quantity of circulating banknotes. Nevertheless, Thornton does not appear to have conceived the Bank's rate as a true " key rate " of the credit market as in modern terms.


This article synthesizes relevant literature and examples from practice to examine what is known to date about communicating climate change adaptation. It explores the language used to discuss adaptation, what is known about resonant frames, drawing on adaptation discourses in policy, practice, and the media. Identifying trends and widely applicable insights is made challenging not only by the variety of words used to speak of adaptation, but by the fact that 'adaptation' language is often not used at all. A broad literature on perceptions and experiences of climate change impacts and how these experiences affect people's valuations and emotional responses to climate change offers crucial insights to the challenges and opportunities in communicating adaptation. It reveals much about people's interest in and acceptability and knowledge of adaptation, about preferred timing and who is thought to be responsible for enacting adaptive actions. Insights from the literature on place attachment and place identity are of particular relevance to public engagement on adaptation as it goes a long way toward explaining the quality of the adaptation debate to date while offering promising opportunities for dialogue. Suggestions for improved adaptation communication practice and critical research gaps are offered.


A whole structure and two management strategies are proposed here for hybridisation of a Ram air turbine (RAT) by means of supercapacitors. Such hybrid structure is dedicated to an aircraft emergency network. The structure consists in coupling, through a 270 V DC bus, a controlled source (RAT) with a storage device interfaced through a bidirectional DC DC converter. Both the energy-management strategies are described and analysed: the first one is to assign the high-frequency harmonics of the load power to the storage which is current controlled, whereas the RAT controls the bus voltage and then only feeds the average power, losses and low-frequency harmonics of the load. The second one proposes an energy optimised operation of the system: the RAT, being current controlled, is able to maximise the supplied power (maximum power point tracking), as for classical wind turbines. For such a strategy, the bus voltage is regulated from the storage device. The RAT sizing and its mass can then be strongly reduced by means of this hybrid structure controlled with optimised management strategies. Experiments on a lab test-bench confirm analyses presented.


Despite the ubiquity of domestic dogs, their role as zoonotic reservoirs and the large number of studies concerning parasites in urban dogs, rural areas in Brazil, especially those at the wildlife-domestic animal-human interface, have received little attention from scientists and public health managers. This paper reports a cross-sectional epidemiological survey of gastrointestinal parasites of rural dogs living in farms around Atlantic Forest fragments. Through standard parasitological methods (flotation and sedimentation), 13 parasite taxa (11 helminths and two protozoans) were found in feces samples from dogs. The most prevalent were the nematode Ancylostoma (47%) followed by Toxocara (18%) and Trichuris (8%). Other less prevalent (<2%) parasites found were Capillaria, Ascaridia, Spirocerca, Taeniidae, Acantocephala, Ascaris, Dipylidium caninum, Toxascaris, and the protozoans Cystoisospora and Eimeria. Mixed infections were found in 36% of samples, mostly by Ancylostoma and Toxocara. Previous deworming had no association with infections, meaning that this preventive measure is being incorrectly performed by owners. Regarding risk factors, dogs younger than one year were more likely to be infected with Toxocara, and purebred dogs with Trichuris. The number of cats in the households was positively associated with Trichuris infection, while male dogs and low body scores were associated with mixed infections. The lack of associations with dog free-ranging behavior and access to forest or villages indicates that infections are mostly acquired around the households. The results highlight the risk of zoonotic and wildlife parasite infections from dogs and the need for monitoring and controlling parasites of domestic animals in human-wildlife interface areas.


Pericardial effusion is rarely associated with hyperthyroidism, but we discuss the case of a patient with hyperthyroidism that developed pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. Case definition: A 69 year-old woman visited the hospital complaining mainly that she felt there was a lump in her throat. She had not received any treatments since being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism two years previously. The chest radiograph indicated cardiac hypertrophy and pericardial effusion on the left side of the heart. Tests showed that the level of her thyroid-stimulating hormone was low but her free thyroxine level was normal. Echocardiography revealed pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. One thousand milliliters of fluid was removed during pericardiocentesis. Discussion: About 11 cases of pericardial effusion associated with hyperthyroidism have been recorded. However, in some reports the patients suffered from bloody pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade, which was related to the drug heparin that they took. Like our patient, those in the other reports did not take anticoagulants.


. Abstract ! Bone cysts, in particular solitary bone cysts, are the most frequent cause of pathological fractures in children. However, there is still a great variety of regimens used to treat these lesions. Since demineralised bone matrix (DBM) is commercially available, we aimed to use this material for the consolidation of bones diagnosed as fragile because of cyst formation. Each of the 7 bone cysts as well as one enchondroma filled with DBM showed a continuous decrease in bone transparency over a period of two years (mean 8 months). A significant decrease in bone transparency and simultaneous cortical remodelling was radiographically detected in these cases as the specific hallmark of an initiated graft incorporation after 3 to 4 months. It was demonstrated that it is possible to heal children within an acceptable period of time using DBM to fill the cystic lesion. DBM appears to be a reasonable and beneficial alternative for the treatment of bone cysts offering both osteoinduction and os-teoconductive features.


THUS G (Morgan MS. 397). Autopsy confirms TOUTO) as against TOVTO (reported by Husselman, T.A.P.A. lxvi [1935], 123). B paraphrases: e^i-Bvav 4K TOV t/tvxovs cKirveovoav ijfSij ytoipyos €vpwv ev T<p K6\TTU> edaAiptv (= 147. :-2 Crusius). At the end of 1. 1 Husselman, followed by Perry, restores iKmiiovT [sic] VTTO i/ivx°vsBut with the exception of one minor corruption G virtually reads tKirviovra T<3 ijiv^ei. This is acceptable in metre and sense and also avoids the unparalleled elision of the ultima of a participle ending in -MTO (see Crusius \ed. mai.], p. liii). The line should read:


First-principles pseudopotential density-functional calculations for pentacene and anthracene are used to obtain atomic structures, cohesive energies, and surface energies for the low index surfaces. For pentacene, calculations predict that the (001) surface has a much lower surface energy than the other surfaces. From the first-principles results a general model of the intermolecular bonding is developed. This model may be employed to estimate the surface energies and cohesive energy for any polyacene crystal. Implications of the present results for understanding the temperature dependence of the growth morphology of pentacene are discussed.


Michał Kosman's book is worth attention not just in the context of the ongoing discussions regarding deteriorating Polish-German relations. It deserves to be read for a number of reasons – in order to verify widespread opinions on the role of Germany in European politics in the final decade of the twentieth century. €The most important of these reasons are: high competence of the young researcher (affiliated with universities in Bydgoszcz and Poznań), his balanced opinions and comments formulated on the basis of Germanlanguage publications and magazine articles, and thorough factographical presentation.


In Web Services Management different approaches are discussed. In this paper we analyse three options for Web Service Management: a) Web Services standards descriptions and tools (WS*), b) Semantic-supported and c) Automatic semantic Web Services Management. For the analysis of the differences we identify a number of use cases and investigate the information required for the management of Web Services. The three discussed options result in varying processes with considerable differences in the work efforts. As they involve different levels of investment which only repay on a number of similar WSapplications the discrimination between them is not straightforward. A number of factors must be included in the analysis. Based on the cost arguments and the actual status of standards we consider Semantic-supported management of Web Services to be the most promising option for near future.


Lawyers use words with great care and, particularly in public discourse, often like to use Latin dicta. They do so not only to make their arguments sound more sophisticated, but also to support their theses not merely with elegantly worded, classical maxims, but also with well tested, established concepts based on the experience of people who lived in ancient Rome, a consummately practical society, very well versed in the practice of law. A legal dictum formulated in Latin is referred to as a rule, maxim, definition, precept, or principle. It is impossible to differentiate these terms clearly, although this has been done for instance in the terminology used in contracts in continental private law. How can contemporary lawyers best use Latin maxims and sentences? This is explored by using the example of nemo plus iuris ad alium transferre potest, quam ipse haberet. The six steps are as follows: use maxims competently; be aware of the context of your quotation; do not allow yourself to be taken by surprise; make sure the maxim is well established in the law; do not neglect related and supporting maxims; and take the local context into account.


Recent developments in supply chain management information systems have greatly increased the ability of firms to integrate processes, systems, and information with their supply chain partners. Despite the apparent benefits of web-enabled supply chain integration, its further study and application is hindered by the lack of an empirically supported model for classifying the varying levels of supply chain integration that are now possible using e-business technologies. This paper presents findings from a multiple case study used to explore web-enabled supply chain integration and identify potential questionnaire measures for further study. The questionnaire findings were corroborated by rich qualitative evidence from the five manufacturers studied, but highlighted several issues in measuring integration in web-enabled supply chains. In contrast to well-publicized examples such as Dell Computer, the cases studied exhibited a very modest level of supply chain integration, despite each having large investments in supply chain partnerships. This discrepancy highlights the need to measure supply chain integration using empirically-supported models such as the one described, rather than relying on managerial assumptions about how integrated a firm is with its supply chain partners.


Historians of the postwar transformation of science have focused largely on the physical sciences, especially the relation of science to the military funding agencies. In Shaping Biology, Toby A. Appel brings attention to the National Science Foundation and federal patronage of the biological sciences. Scientists by training, NSF biologists hoped in the 1950s that the new agency would become the federal government's chief patron for basic research in biology, the only agency to fund the entire range of biology-from molecules to natural history museums-for its own sake. Appel traces how this vision emerged and developed over the next two and a half decades, from the activities of NSF's Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, founded in 1952, through the cold war expansion of the 1950s and 1960s and the constraints of the Vietnam War era, to its reorganization out of existence in 1975. This history of NSF highlights fundamental tensions in science policy that remain relevant today: the pull between basic and applied science; funding individuals versus funding departments or institutions; elitism versus distributive policies of funding; issues of red tape and accountability. In this NSF-funded study, Appel explores how the agency developed, how it worked, and what difference it made in shaping modern biology in the United States. Based on formerly untapped archival sources as well as on interviews of participants, and building upon prior historical literature, Shaping Biology covers new ground and raises significant issues for further research on postwar biology and on federal funding of science in general.


In this paper, an integrated analog front-end (AFE) to condition ISFET-based sensors is presented. This is accomplished by a pH-controlled ring oscillator (pHCO) that produces a pulse frequency-modulated signal proportional to pH of a testing solution. The AFE was designed in a 180-nm standard CMOS process and a Verilog-based model was used to aid electrochemical simulations. Sensorless measurements of the chip were carried out on the oscilloscope and results revealed a digitally-represented signal with 70 MHz/V of responsivity, under a sweeping voltage from 1.0 V to 1.2 V, and a worst-case scenario of 69.4 µW for the overall power consumption. Moreover, the circuit topology circumvents the body effect problems, suppress the use of OP-AMPs or ADCs, and allows monolithic integration.


This paper develops a systematic and mathematically formal study of the balancing theory of series-stacked multilevel converters. It is shown that the DC bus voltages of these converters balance naturally, provided that the switching frequency is chosen high enough. Two balancing mechanisms, one associated with losses and the other with the load impedance, are identified. A single phase of a 2 MVA series-stacked power quality device was constructed and the theoretical results were verified experimentally.


The e(cid:14)cient usage of parallel computers and workstation clusters for biologically motivated simulations depends (cid:12)rst of all on a dynamic re-distribution of the workload. For the development of a parallel algorithm for the Penna model of aging we have used a dynamic load balancing library, called PLB. It turns out that PLB manages a nearly balanced load situation during runtime taking only a low communication overhead. We compare di(cid:11)erent architectures like parallel computers and nondedicated heterogeneous networks, and give some results for large populations


This paper represents the practical use of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) in order to model the control engineering educational critical success factors. FCMs are fuzzy signed digraphs with feedbacks, and they can model the events, values, goals as a collection of concepts by forging a causal link between these concepts. In this study, the concepts of the FCM model is developed by the help of the academics, then the suggested FCMs of each academic is aggregated to build the final FCM to model the control engineering educational critical success factors. Afterwards the model is coded in Matlab to study four scenarios via different simulations. The results of the simulations show the effectiveness of FCMs to understand the success factors of educational organizations and programs.


Until recently, it is hard to find studies to estimate how much the total economic losses for U.S. or other states by the BSE incidents except one dominant study by Devadoss et al (2005), which used CGE (Computable Generalized Equations) model for U.S. However, they are not reporting the direct impacts by each state and indirect impacts resulting from state-by-state economic relations. The interindustry relations and spatial connections have required to developing the Multiregional Input-Output (MRIO) type model, and in the sense, the experience of beef export closures to foreign countries is the suitable case enabling to estimate the economic impacts via inter-regional inter-industrial connections. Therefore, this study estimated the U.S. economic losses by foreign export closures of each state due to the BSE incident in Washington State using a different, newly developed methodology, complementing the previous study. To assess the economic impacts of BSE on each state and U.S. national economy, we used two methodologies. First, we forecasted normal status of beef exports from January in 2004 to April in 2005 using time-series analyses, based on monthly pre-2004 foreign historical exports data obtained from WISERTrade data, in order to calculate the direct gaps between the estimated exports which would have been had if the BSE had not been discovered and the actually decreased exports. Second, a newly constructed MRIO-type model by Park et al (2006), the NIEMO (National Interstate Economic Model), addressed how much the impacts within each state including Washington, interstate effects, and U.S. national losses by the BSE are, based on the final demand losses from the ex-post incidents. While domestic U.S. market can find the equilibrium rapidly by tightening supply side, international barriers to hinder U.S. exports still become a critical agricultural policy for U.S. government. The closure of U.S. exports of bovine by mad cow disease occurred in Washington State yielded a huge shock into the U.S. economy due to simultaneous closures of other state exports. Currently, the only available MRIO model, the NIEMO, enables to estimate the economic losses by the simultaneous closures of each state export of beef and related products. In terms that the NIEMO can supply information comparing the different economic impacts of state-by-state to agricultural policy-makers, they can distribute the national subsides due to the incident, considering the spreading impacts.


Since 1985, ISRO/India has been working on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies under its Microwave Remote Sensing Programme (MRSP). During these years, ISRO has already developed and operationalised two airborne C-band imaging SAR systems. Thereafter, RISAT-1 multi-mode spaceborne SAR development has been initiated. Various onboard base-band subsystems and Tile Electronics of RISAT-1, scheduled for launch in 2008/2009 timeframe are in advanced stages of development. For the next decade, ISRO has also planned a number of future SAR missions in LEO orbits like L-band Polarimetric SAR, P- and X-Band Agile Airborne and Small Satellite SARs. The major subsystems of all these future microwave missions will also be based on Core Radar electronics developed for RISAT-1. Considering the obvious advantages offered by L-band microwave remote sensing for Agriculture applications and India being predominantly agriculture based economy, ISRO has identified L-band Polarimetric SAR mission as the main follow-on mission of RISAT-1. The basic design requirements for this L-band SAR mission are 30- 240 km swath coverage with moderate 5-25 meter resolution, Stripmap and ScanSAR operating modes with polarimetric capability. The design and development of various advanced technology elements like active antenna consisting of about 80 miniaturized Transmit/Receive modules with associated controls and onboard base-band Digital Subsystems like Data Acquisition and Compression system (DACS), Digital Chirp Generator (DCG), Distributed Embedded Controller consisting of Payload Controller (PLC), Tile Control Units (TCU) and TR Control (TRC) units, have been initiated. This apart, RISAT-1 Ground segment consisting of Real / Near Real Time Quick Look SAR Processor (QLP) and Ground Checkout Units (GCU) will also be augmented and utilized for this L-band SAR mission. This paper gives the details of design requirements of L-band Polarimetric SAR, tradeoffs, salient features, implementation details and preliminary test results of the various advanced onboard technology elements for L-band multi-mode Polarimetric SAR payload for ISRO's RISAT-1 follow-on satellite mission.


Bacterial cells utilize monitoring substrates, which undergo force-sensitive translation elongation arrest, to feedback-regulate a Sec-related gene. Vibrio alginolyticus VemP controls the expression of SecD/F that stimulates a late step of translocation by undergoing export-regulated elongation arrest. Here, we attempted at delineating the pathway of the VemP nascent-chain interaction with Sec-related factors, and identified the signal recognition particle (SRP) and PpiD (a membrane-anchored periplasmic chaperone) in addition to other translocon components and a ribosomal protein as interacting partners. Our results showed that SRP is required for the membrane-targeting of VemP, whereas PpiD acts cooperatively with SecD/F in the VemP arrest-cancelation. We also identified the conserved Arg-85 residue in VemP as an essential element for the regulated arrest-cancelation of VemP. We propose a scheme of the arrest-cancelation processes of VemP, which likely monitors late steps in the protein translocation pathway.


Many text mining models are constructed by fine-tuning a large deep pre-trained language model (PLM) in downstream tasks. However, a significant challenge nowadays is maintaining performance when we use a lightweight model with limited labelled samples. We present DisCo, a semi-supervised learning (SSL) framework for fine-tuning a cohort of small student models generated from a large PLM using knowledge distillation. Our key insight is to share complementary knowledge among distilled student cohorts to promote their SSL effectiveness. DisCo employs a novel co-training technique to optimize a cohort of multiple small student models by promoting knowledge sharing among students under diversified views: model views produced by different distillation strategies and data views produced by various input augmentations. We evaluate DisCo on both semi-supervised text classification and extractive summarization tasks. Experimental results show that DisCo can produce student models that are 7.6 times smaller and 4.8 times faster in inference than the baseline PLMs while maintaining comparable performance. We also show that DisCo-generated student models outperform the similar-sized models elaborately tuned in distinct tasks.


In the fight against tuberculosis one major obstacle is the social stigma associated with the disease. Stigma, which is both relational and contextual, marks the body of the tubercular as a site of danger. This essay reflects on the social history of tuberculosis and proposes that stigma's contingent history in the Philippines can be traced to public health campaigns carried out during the twentieth century, which sought to segregate and isolate the tubercular to limit contagion but could not provide an effective cure. The stigmatization of tuberculosis persists at present, and public health campaigns may need to address stigma directly.


Designing web sites is a complex task. Ad-hoc rapid prototyping easily leads to unsatisfactory results, e.g. poor maintainability and extensibility. However, existing web design frameworks focus exclusively on data presentation: the development of specific functionalities is still achieved through low-level programming. In this paper we address this issue by describing our work on the integration of (semantic) web services into a web design framework, OntoWeaver. The resulting architecture, OntoWeaver-S, supports rapid prototyping of service centred data-intensive web sites, which allow access to remote web services. In particular, OntoWeaver-S is integrated with a comprehensive web service platform, IRS-II, for the specification, discovery, and execution of web services. Moreover, it employs a set of comprehensive site ontologies to model and represent all aspects of service-centred data-intensive web sites, and thus is able to offer high level support for the design and development process.


To improve on existing models of interaction with a proof assistant (PA), in particular for storage and replay of proofs, we introduce three related concepts, those of: a proof movie, consisting of frames which record both user input and the corresponding PA response; a camera, which films a user's interactive session with a PA as a movie; and a proviola, which replays a movie frame-by-frame to a third party. In this paper we describe the movie data structure and we discuss a prototype implementation of the camera and proviola based on the ProofWeb system [7]. ProofWeb uncouples the interaction with a PA via a webinterface (the client) from the actual PA that resides on the server. Our camera films a movie by "listening" to the ProofWeb communication. The first reason for developing movies is to uncouple the reviewing of a formal proof from the PA used to develop it: the movie concept enables users to discuss small code fragments without the need to install the PA or to load a whole library into it. Other advantages include the possibility to develop a separate commentary track to discuss or explain the PA interaction. We assert that a combined camera+proviola provides a generic layer between a client (user) and a server (PA). Finally we claim that movies are the right type of data to be stored in an encyclopedia of formalized mathematics, based on our experience in filming the Coq standard library.


This study proposes that the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell (IHC) stereocilia in the intact organ of Corti can be derived from the responses of the auditory fibers (AFs) using computational tools. The frequency-dependent relationship between the AF threshold and the amplitude of the stereocilia vibration is estimated using a model of the IHC-mediated mechanical to neural transduction. Depending on the response properties of the considered AF, the amplitude of stereocilia deflection required to drive the simulated AF above threshold is 1.4 to 9.2 dB smaller at low frequencies (≤500 Hz) than at high frequencies (≥4 kHz). The estimated frequency-dependent relationship between ciliary deflection and neural threshold is employed to derive constant-stereocilia-deflection contours from previously published AF recordings from the chinchilla cochlea. This analysis shows that the transduction process partially accounts for the observed differences between the tuning of the basilar membrane and that of the AFs.


Recent advancements in language models (LMs) have gained substantial attentions on their capability to generate human-like responses. Though exhibiting a promising future for various applications such as conversation AI, these LMs face deployment challenges on various devices due to their extreme computational cost and unpredictable inference latency. Such varied inference latency, identified as a consequence of uncertainty intrinsic to the nature of language, can lead to computational inefficiency and degrade the overall performance of LMs, especially under high-traffic workloads. Unfortunately, the bandwidth of these uncertainty sources is extensive, complicating the prediction of latency and the effects emanating from such uncertainties. To understand and mitigate the impact of uncertainty on real-time response-demanding systems, we take the first step to comprehend, quantify and optimize these uncertainty-induced latency performance variations in LMs. Specifically, we present RT-LM, an uncertainty-aware resource management ecosystem for real-time inference of LMs. RT-LM innovatively quantifies how specific input uncertainties, adversely affect latency, often leading to an increased output length. Exploiting these insights, we devise a lightweight yet effective method to dynamically correlate input text uncertainties with output length at runtime. Utilizing this quantification as a latency heuristic, we integrate the uncertainty information into a system-level scheduler which explores several uncertainty-induced optimization opportunities, including uncertainty-aware prioritization, dynamic consolidation, and strategic CPU offloading. Quantitative experiments across five state-of-the-art LMs on two hardware platforms demonstrates that RT-LM can significantly reduce the average response time and improve throughput while incurring a rather small runtime overhead.


Light fidelity (LiFi), using light emitting devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are operating in the visible light spectrum between 400 and 800 THz, provides a new layer of wireless connectivity within existing heterogeneous radio frequency wireless networks. Link data rates of 10 Gbps from a single transmitter have been demonstrated under ideal laboratory conditions. Synchronization is one of these issues usually assumed to be ideal. However, in a practical deployment, this is no longer a valid assumption. Therefore, we propose for the first time a low-complexity maximum likelihood-based timing synchronization process that includes frame detection and sampling clock synchronization for direct current-biased optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing LiFi systems. The proposed timing synchronization structure can reduce the high-complexity two-dimensional search to two low-complexity one-dimensional searches for frame detection and sampling clock synchronization. By employing a single training block, frame detection can be realized, and then sampling clock offset (SCO) and channels can be estimated jointly. We propose three frame detection approaches, which are robust against the combined effects of both SCO and the low-pass characteristic of LEDs. Furthermore, we derive the Cramér–Rao lower bounds (CRBs) of SCO and channel estimations, respectively. In order to minimize the CRBs and improve synchronization performance, a single training block is designed based on the optimization of training sequences, the selection of training length, and the selection of direct current (DC) bias. Therefore, the designed training block allows us to analyze the trade-offs between estimation accuracy, spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and complexity. The proposed timing synchronization mechanism demonstrates low complexity and robustness benefits and provides performance significantly better than achieved with existing methods.


The purpose of this study was to investigate different methods and materials which could be used for filling the gap between bentonite buffer and rock in the deposition hole. This work included a short literature survey of the previous gap filling tests which have been done in the recent years. The experimental work done during the study was divided in two phases. In the first phase small scale laboratory experiments were done using several different bentonite materials, material combinations and installation methods for 25 mm and 35 mm gaps. The sizes of these rectangular gap elements used in these tests were approximately 1 m in height and 2 m wide. Based on the first stage results the second sets of experiments were commenced. This time two materials and two methods were used in larger scale with gap widths of 35 mm and 50 mm. The large scale tests were done with cylinder shaped elements which had real size deposition hole radius of 1.75 m but the height was limited to 2 meters. Materials used in these gap filling tests included bentonite pellets and granules and their combination mixtures. Installation methods studied were free fall pouring method, shotcrete spraying method, Proctor hammer compaction method and two vibration methods to verify their functioning with these materials, material types and material forms. The achieved dry density was determined after each filling. The homogeneities of the fillings were also studied with X-ray imaging. The results from the small scale tests suggest that all the filling materials and methods used during the test would have high enough dry density average value needed by current buffer design options. The dry density values ranged from 800-1200 kg/m. The lowest values were noted from free fall pouring of the largest Cebogel QSE pellets and the highest values were obtained from compacted small grain size Minelco bentonite. The X-ray images and their analysis showed that Minelco and Ibeco Seal S-FGS had the most homogenised results. The largest differences in homogeneities were determined from Cebogel QSE pellets or from its combination mixture with finer material. Also when these combinations were used with shotcrete spraying installation the separation of the particles could be seen. In large scale experiments the shotcrete spraying tests gave out higher dry density values when compared to free fall pouring. Also there seems to be little or no difference in achieved density values between 35 mm and 50 mm gaps. The increase of the gap size by 15 mm was not a significant factor with the materials and installation methods used in this study. The dry density values ranged from 800-1000 kg/m. The highest dry density value was lower than in small scale tests because no compaction methods were used. The spraying rates during shotcrete installation method tests varied between 1.6 – 2.0 m/h depending on the pressure used. Because of the relatively small size of the gap elements used the spraying pressure had to be adjusted lower during installations. In the case of much deeper real size deposition hole the situation may be completely different. If buffer design requires gap filling of certain dry density value range 800 – 1200 kg/m to be used it can be achieved in several ways as shown in this study. Pellets could be used alone and the voids in this type of filling enable artificial wetting design option. Installation method could be the simplest free fall pouring or dry shotcrete spraying. Also there are ways to make more homogeneous filling with fine grain size bentonite materials if the artificial wetting option is not needed.


Hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) has long been used for structural regulations. Recently, some examples have been reported where electrical conductivity and magnetism were switched based on direct modulation of electronic states through H-bond. If the application of this strategy is realized to a wide range of functionalities, including optical properties, it will greatly expand the design criteria of functional molecular materials. Here, we report a novel zinc dithiolene complex crystal, which exhibits a new vapochromism induced by electron transfer through H-bonds. This crystal exhibits changes in both visible-light absorption and photoluminescence properties with single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformations caused by methanol or water vapor absorption. Single-crystal structural analysis revealed that the zinc dithiolene complex formed H-bonds with the vapor molecules. Importantly, first-principles calculations based on the periodic crystal structures indicated that the vapochromism in this crystal was solely induced by H-bond formation, not by structural changes. Detailed investigations of the energies and shapes of the crystal orbitals as well as Mulliken population analysis revealed that electron transfer through the H-bonds caused vapochromism in this crystal. The findings provide important insights into the material designs of novel vapochromic materials as well as other stimuli-responsive materials considering the intermolecular H-bonds in the solid-state.


In a 29-y-old male with neuroborreliosis, partially responsive to ceftriaxone, myasthenia gravis with acetylcholine-receptor antibodies elevated almost 1000 times the upper reference limit was diagnosed. Pyridostigmine resolved all remaining neurological deficits. During a 1-y follow-up the patient remained symptom free, despite persistently high acetylcholinereceptor antibodies. They were attributed to epitope homology of the acetylcholine receptors and Borrelia surface antigens.


The association amoxicillin-clavulanic acid can be employed as an alternative to the usual antibiotic therapy of periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to determine subgingival microbial changes in 33 patients with periodontitis after using amoxicillin (500 mgrs.-t.i.d.) and clavulanic acid (125 mgrs.-t.i.d.) for 5 days. It resulted clinically in a decrease of both gingival index and plaque index (not significant) and microbiologically in absence of the main bacterial pathogens found pretreatment, such as Bacteroides melaninogenicus, Bacteroides intermedius, Eikenella corrodens and Actinomyces sp., although it was not able to eliminate Actinobacillus asinomycetemcomitans from a juvenile periodontitis and from a prepuberal periodontitis patient. Atibiotic susceptibility testing showed that all bacteria tested were sensitive to this antibiotic. Although this short term study shows good microbial response of main periodontal pathogens, long term studies are necessary to assess the effect of this antibiotic in periodontitis therapy.


Korea, a large net-food importing country, is rapidly opening its doors to agricultural trade. In this study, we investigate the nature and extent of competition between two major exporters, China and the United States, to the Korean food market. We first employ the un-centered correlation distance approach to investigate the similarities in the export structures of major exporters to the Korean market. Results show that the United States, traditionally a large food exporter to Korea, is facing serious competition from Chinese exports. The similar export structures of China and America have made the latter vulnerable to competition. Furthermore, the geographic proximity of China to Korean markets confers the former two-fold advantages: similar food products and varieties, and lower transport costs. Secondly, the concept of competitive threat is used to determine which exporter faces threats from which competitor. We show that China poses a threat to the United States in virtually every agricultural product exported to Korea. The complexity of trade patterns and competition is likely to increase given the impending Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement and the ongoing negotiations for a Korea-China Free Trade Agreement.


Immunomagnetic bead (IMB)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been the tool frequently used for protein detection in research and clinical laboratories. For most ELISA reactions the recommended dosage of IMBs is usually according to their weight (mg) or mass fraction (w/v) instead of the bead number. Consequently, the processes occurring in the immediate vicinity of the IMBs have always been ignored by researchers and they cannot be revealed in detail during the ELISA reaction. In this paper, we established the relationship between number of IMBs and colorimetric results, and further proposed a new concept of "nominal effective immunoreaction volume (NEIV)" to characterize a single IMB during ELISA reaction. Results showed that the NEIV of a single IMB has a constant value, which is unrelated to the amount of beads and the concentration of antigen. Optimal results of the colorimetric ELISA are achieved when the incubation volume meets each IMB's NEIV and is no longer enhanced by increasing the incubation volume. Thus, the reliable and relatively precise number of IMBs for ELISA detection during practical application could be determined. Most importantly, a study using IMB's NEIV would lay the foundation for a kinetics analysis of IMBs and antigens for future study.


The present study evaluated the maintenance of Sporothrix spp. (6 Sporothrix brasiliensis; 6 S. schenckii; 5 S. mexicana, and 3 S. globosa) in saline at 4°C, and in 10% glycerol plus either 10% lactose or 10% sucrose, at −20°C and −80°C. Viability was assessed after 3, 6, and 9 months of storage, through the recovery of strains on potato dextrose agar and analysis of macro- and micromorphological features. Conidium quantification was performed before and after storage, at 3, 6 and 9 months. 100% viability was observed, regardless of storage conditions or time period. Storage at 4°C and at −20°C did not alter the number of conidia, but lower conidium counts were observed at −80°C. This study shows that the combination of glycerol with lactose or sucrose is effective to maintain Sporothrix spp. at freezing temperatures.


The volume begins with an overview of surfactant, the historical background, and takes us forward to the concept of gene cloning. There follows a treatise on the physical chemistry and physiological activity of pulmonary surfactants and this chapter is succeeded by one on surfactant proteins, those mysterious molecules that are, at once, fundamental to the function of surfactants while being unwilling to yield their secrets. The chapter on surfactant and lung liquid absorption at birth is revealing, at least to the reviewer, but one wonders if the only function of fetal lung liquid is 'a template for fetal lung growth'. Alan Jobe takes us through the metabolism of lung surfactants explaining what is known, nudging us towards the unknown, raising questions along this way. One example-it would appear that exogenous surfactant does not impair endogenous surfactant synthesis but isn't this odd in a biofeedback system? The chapter on immune complexes formed in response to surfactant administration is disturbing. Whereas no clinical effects of such complexes has been described, they may pose problems in the longer term. The chapter by Bengt Robertson on microscopy both without and with surfactant replacement lends weight to the argument that such treatment improves lung function. Again, he raises problems of lung poor size and protein fluxes which will stir the reader from any intellectual lethargy. The second half of the book deals with the variety of surfactants so far used in clinical trials. Much of the work has already been published so the reader is able to relax more into this section. Again, the authors are at pains not to be too hopeful, to draw attention to some potential disadvantages. Altogether, I found this book stimulating and well worth reading. My major criticism is that, overall, it may be a little too enthusiastic. I doubt whether surfactant will prove to be a panacea and would have liked to see a discussion of surfactant failures. My other criticism is that, yet again, little is mentioned of European work-an all too common complaint of American books. G MCCLURE Consultant paediatrician


Although humans are generally capable of distinguishing single events of pain or touch, recent research suggested that both modalities activate a network of similar brain regions. By contrast, less attention has been paid to which processes uniquely contribute to each modality. The present study investigated the neuronal oscillations that enable a subject to process pain and touch as well as to evaluate the intensity of both modalities by means of Electroencephalography. Nineteen healthy subjects were asked to rate the intensity of each stimulus at single trial level. By computing Linear mixed effects models (LME) encoding of both modalities was explored by relating stimulus intensities to brain responses. While the intensity of single touch trials is encoded only by theta activity, pain perception is encoded by theta, alpha and gamma activity. Beta activity in the tactile domain shows an on/off like characteristic in response to touch which was not observed in the pain domain. Our results enhance recent findings pointing to the contribution of different neuronal oscillations to the processing of nociceptive and tactile stimuli.


Seed extraction from pines is challenging to the forestry sector globally. This is usually contributed by the pine cone anatomy that opens through a function of temperature and humidity which varies widely in the pine growing regions of the world and the Pinus species as observed in previous works done on Pinus roxburghii, Pinus halepensis, Pinus wallichiana, Pinus pinaster, Pinus radiata, and Pinus sylvestris. This study sought to reduce the extraction time and improve the extraction efficiency of Pinus patula seed in Kenya. The experimental design used was two factorial design with replicates of twenty cones randomly picked per treatment. Data analysis was analyzed through ANOVA with a P-value of 0.05. We present evidence that soaking does not influence the opening of cones and seed yield for the optimum temperature which the study determined to be 65°C. We also present evidence that, for rapid seed extraction, the temperature 65°C with an exposure period of between 4 and 24 h is significantly effective. This study presents a new understanding of rapid seed extraction, which contributes to one of the Kenya Forestry Research Institute's strategic objectives of generating technologies for enhanced production of superior germplasm for priority tree species.

 Key words: Soaking effects, temperature treatments, seed yield.


Synthetic polypeptides are important protein mimics due to their similar primary and secondary structures. Previously, the properties of polypeptides can be regulated by either introducing N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) stimuli-responsive moieties directly or modifiable groups for post-polymerization functionalization. Here we combine the two approaches and report the synthesis of photo-responsive and modifiable helical poly(L-glutamate) bearing an azobenzene (Azo) and an alkene ("ene") group in the side chain, namely P(AzoEne-Glu)s. The polypeptides, prepared by the controlled ring-opening polymerization of a novel monomer AzoEne-GluNCA, undergo rapid and high yield UV-triggered trans–cis isomerization of the Azo moiety. However, this change in the primary structure does not lead to interruption of the helical secondary structure. The rigid helical main-chain and pendent Azo mesogen together endow P(AzoEne-Glu)s with liquid crystalline properties. Moreover, the "ene" group of P(AzoEne-Glu)s can be modified with thiols via a UV-mediated thiol–ene reaction, or quantitatively transformed to azide via a novel anti-Markovnikov hydroazidation approach. The newly generated azido-containing polymer can be further converted by click-type cycloaddition reactions. This work may streamline the rapid synthesis of diverse functional and stimuli-responsive polypeptides that are potentially useful for self-assembly and liquid crystalline materials.


The first impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam reservoir in China started from a water surface elevation of 95 m on June 1, 2003 and reached 135m on June 15, 2003. After that, an intensive rainfall lasted nearly a month, Qianjiangping landslide occurred on the early morning of July 14, 2003 and caused great loss of lives and property. In order to study the influence of impoundment and rainfall, based on the coupling model of runoff and infiltration, the seepage and runoff of the landslide during impoundment and rainfall were simulated. The results show that the toe of slope are immersed because of the change of reservoir water level, the suctions of sliding mass and sliding zone on upper slope are decreased and the runoff occurs because of intensive rainfall. These are inducing factors of the landslide. The results are useful to study instability mechanism of the landslide.


Obbens, F. J. A review of the tuberous Calandrinia species (section Tuberosae), including three new species for Western Australia. Nuytsia 16(1): 95-115 (2006). Background on the current systematic status of Australian Calandrinia is explained. Three new species of section Tuberosae von Poellnitz are described and illustrated: Calandrinia crispisepala Obbens, C. kalanniensis Obbens and C. translucens Obbens. A key to section Tuberosae is provided. Additional descriptive material for the previously named species is provided along with notes that explain the important differences and similarities between the six species now belonging to this section.


In 2004, the U.S. State Department declared Filipina hostesses in Japan the largest group of sex trafficked persons in the world. Since receiving this global attention, the number of hostesses entering Japan has dropped by nearly 90 percent-from more than 80,000 in 2004 to just over 8,000 today. To some, this might suggest a victory for the global anti-trafficking campaign, but Rhacel Parrenas counters that this drastic decline-which stripped thousands of migrants of their livelihoods-is in truth a setback. Parrenas worked alongside hostesses in a working-class club in Tokyo's red-light district, serving drinks, singing karaoke, and entertaining her customers, including members of the yakuza, the Japanese crime syndicate. While the common assumption has been that these hostess bars are hotbeds of sexual trafficking, Parrenas quickly discovered a different world of working migrant women, there by choice, and, most importantly, where none were coerced into prostitution. But this is not to say that the hostesses were not vulnerable in other ways. Illicit Flirtations challenges our understandings of human trafficking and calls into question the U.S. policy to broadly label these women as sex trafficked. It highlights how in imposing top-down legal constraints to solve the perceived problems-including laws that push dependence on migrant brokers, guest worker policies that bind migrants to an employer, marriage laws that limit the integration of migrants, and measures that criminalize undocumented migrants-many women become more vulnerable to exploitation, not less. It is not the jobs themselves, but the regulation that makes migrants susceptible to trafficking. If we are to end the exploitation of people, we first need to understand the actual experiences of migrants, not rest on global policy statements. This book gives a long overdue look into the real world of those labeled as trafficked.


Athletes train physically to reach beyond their potential maximum aerobic threshold. However, due to declines in muscle performance, sports injuries and fatigue, athletes seek ergogenic aids to enhance performance and recovery. Whey protein supplements (WPS) are often used by athletes in conjunction with physiotherapy and psychotherapy to regain muscle performance and enhance the recovery process. However, some clinical evidence suggests that other protein supplements are better than WPS. My research uses systematic review and meta-analysis approach to draw a single conclusion on the efficacy and safety of WPS as compared to other protein supplements on performance and recovery among athletes.


Crystallization and thermal histories of two plutons in the west-central Alborz (also Elburz, Elburs) Mountains, northern Iran, are combined with crosscutting relations and kinematic data from nearby faults to determine the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of this segment of the youthful Euro-Arabian collision zone. U/Pb, ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar, and (U-Th)/He data were obtained from zircon, biotite, K-feldspar, and apatite. The Akapol pluton intruded at 56 ± 2 Ma, cooled to ∼150 °C by ca. 40 Ma, and stayed near that temperature until at least 25 Ma. The nearby Alam Kuh granite intruded at 6.8 ± 0.1 Ma and cooled rapidly to ∼70 °C by ca. 6 Ma. These results imply tectonic stability of the west-central Alborz from late Eocene to late Miocene time, consistent with Miocene sedimentation patterns in central Iran. Elevation-correlated (U- Th)/He ages from the Akapol suite indicate 0.7 km/m.y. exhumation between 6 and 4 Ma, and imply ∼10 km of Alborz uplift that was nearly synchronous with rapid south Caspian subsidence, suggesting a causal relation. Uplift, south Caspian subsidence and subsequent folding, reversal of Alborz strike-slip (from dextral to sinistral) and(?) eastward extrusion of central Iran, coarse Zagros molasse deposition, Dead Sea transform reorganization, Red Sea oceanic spreading, and(?) North and East Anatolian fault slip all apparently began ca. 5 ± 2 Ma, suggesting a widespread tectonic event that we infer was a response to buoyant Arabian lithosphere choking the Neo-Tethyan subduction zone.


In order to consider how this capacity of the mind ('mindfulness') impacts our biology, this chapter is divided into three parts. First, I formalize an account for how mindfulness might affect health: the mindfulness stress-buffering hypothesis—and then consider the available evidence for this account. Second, I will ground this stress buffering account in an evidence-based biological model (Miller, Chen, & Cole, 2009) depicting how mindfulness influences stress-related neural and peripheral biological pathways, which in turn might explain a broad range of stress-related mental and physical health outcomes. Third, I conclude with thoughts about how this account stimulates new questions that could be fruitfully explored in subsequent research.


BACKGROUND
catheter-related infection is one of the complications of central parenteral nutrition treatment with the highest morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVES
the primary endpoint of this study was to analyze the prevalence of bloodstream infection in patients with central parenteral nutrition. Secondary objectives included: a) an assessment of whether type of central catheter, duration of parenteral nutrition treatment, body mass index, or being admitted to the intensive care unit are factors associated with the development of bloodstream infection; b) an analysis of the therapeutic approach.

METHODS
this was a retrospective observational study. All patients who received central parenteral nutrition after surgery between July 2018 and March 2019 were included. The association between the different variables and the development of bloodstream infection was analyzed by logistic regression.

RESULTS
the prevalence of bloodstream infection was 7.3 % (95 % CI: 3.9-13.3) (n = 9/123 patients). The duration of central parenteral nutrition was the only variable associated with the development of bloodstream infection (OR = 1.12; 95 % CI:1.05-1.20; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
the prevalence of catheter-related bloodstream infection in this study is low, and the duration of central parenteral nutrition seems to be related to its development. However, further studies are needed to identify risk factors that might help reduce this kind of complications.


Objective: To study whether workplace social relations explain use of worksite health promotion (WHP), by examining colleagues' and team managers' WHP encouragement of a healthy lifestyle, and colleague WHP uptake. Methods: Multilevel data came from the second wave of theEuropeanSustainableWorkforceSurvey(4345employees of 402team in 9 countries). Linear probability models were used to test use of two types of WHP: healthy menus and sport facilities. Results: Employees are more likely to use healthy menus and sport facilities when more colleagues do so too and when colleagues encourage a healthy lifestyle. Surprisingly, encour-agement by one's manager plays no role. Conclusions: Social contact among colleagues can facilitate WHP use, and WHP initiatives should pay attention to the influential role of colleagues.


Our topological setting is a smooth compact manifold of dimension two or higher with smooth boundary. Although this underlying topological structure is smooth, the Riemannian metric tensor is only assumed to be bounded and measurable. This is known as a rough Riemannian manifold. For a large class of boundary conditions we demonstrate a Weyl law for the asymptotics of the eigenvalues of the Laplacian associated to a rough metric. Moreover, we obtain eigenvalue asymptotics for weighted Laplace equations associated to a rough metric. Of particular novelty is that the weight function is not assumed to be of fixed sign, and thus the eigenvalues may be both positive and negative. Key ingredients in the proofs were demonstrated by Birman and Solomjak nearly fifty years ago in their seminal work on eigenvalue asymptotics. In addition to determining the eigenvalue asymptotics in the rough Riemannian manifold setting for weighted Laplace equations, we also wish to promote their achievements which may have further applications to modern problems.


U.S military medical personnel are currently trained to care for combat casualties using the principles taught in the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course. The appropriateness of many of the measures taught in ATLS for the combat setting is unproven. A 2-year study to review this issue has been sponsored by the United States Special Operations Command. This paper presents the results of that study. We will review some of the factors that must be considered in caring for wounded patients on the battlefield with an emphasis on the Special Operations environment. A basic management protocol is proposed that organizes combat casualty care into three phases and suggests appropriate measures for each phase. A scenario-based approach is needed to plan in more detail for casualties on specific Special Operations missions, and several sample scenarios are presented and discussed.


Introduction Laparoscopic surgery for live donor nephrectomy has become the standard of care due to multiple benefits. This has also facilitated an increase in the live donor pool. Over last few years, laparoscopic surgery for kidney transplantation has been explored with promising results. However, concerns have been raised as to whether there is any additional predisposition to damage to the kidney graft due to prolonged time for vessel anastomosis during learning period. Therefore, the aims of this study are to investigate the outcomes of kidney transplantation by laparoscopic surgery in comparison with open surgery in a large animal model. Materials and Methods The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the institute. Eleven large white female pigs, weighing about 40 kg were selected for this study. The model of orthotopic auto transplantation was employed in this study with transplantation performed by laparoscopic surgery in six pigs (LG), and open surgery in five pigs (OG). The technique of laparoscopic kidney transplantation has been described previously with 5 ports and a small ventral midline incision (6-8 cm). The open surgery was performed by a large flank incision about 18 cm in length. The pigs recovered from surgery and were monitored for 4 weeks. Body temperature was monitoredKidney graft temperature was monitored during vessel anastomosis. A kidney biopsy was taken prior to kidney procurement and kidney implantation, immediately post implantation and at the end of study. The time for vessel anastomoses was recordedBlood tests of haemoglobin (Hb) and creatinine (Cr) were done for assessment of the kidney function. Outcomes All surgeries were performed successfully. The recovery in 7 pigs was uneventful, while 2 pigs in each group required early euthanasia during the recovery period. The venous anastomotic time was similar in both groups, although the renal artery anastomosis was longer in LG (P<0.05). Body temperature was stable during the surgery.Kidney temperature rapidly increased to ~20°C and then slowly increased until completion of vessel anastomosis.The Hb level was stable pre and post surgery in both groups. The peak Cr level was on day 1 and returned to pre-operative levels by day 7. The Cr level was significantly higher in OG on day 1 and day 3 post-transplant, then returned close to normal level from day 7 and remained stable until the end of study. Histopathology of the biopsy was similar in both groups with very mild change. The incision was significantly smaller in LG than OG Conclusion The recovery of kidney graft function after transplantation was comparable between the two groups.The Kidney graft temperature increased rapidly, then remained steady.There is no specific damage seen on histopathology in the kidney graft that was transplanted by laparoscopic surgery. The major advantage of laparoscopic surgery over open surgery is a minimally invasive with a smaller incision. RAC Grant-Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital 2016/2017. • Animal care service & Large animal facility, The University of Western Australia (UWA) for providing the care to the animals. • Clinical Training & Evaluation Centre (CTEC), The University of Western Australia, for supporting the equipment. • COVIDIEN, B BRAUN, STORZ & APPLIED MEDICAL for generously supplying surgical equipment and instruments.


Throughout its history, the hope has always been cherished that typology is holistic, and holism entails that there is systematic co-variation not only within levels or modules of grammar but also between them. Accordingly, numerous claims have been made that phonology does not vary across languages independently of morphology and syntax, and vice versa. The variables that are allegedly interrelated pertain to segment inventories, the shapes of syllables, morphemes, and words, phonological or morphonological rules, tones and accents, and rhythmic or prosodic patterns on the one hand and to analytic or (poly-}synthetic grammar, Separatist or cumulative morphological exponence, the complexity of grammatical units, and their linear order on the other. These claims are cataloguedin thispaper. To substantiate them and to accommodate those that are found valid in theories of the Interface between phonology, morphology, and syntax remain äs tasks for the future.


Deep video recognition is more computationally expensive than image recognition, especially on large-scale datasets like Kinetics [1]. Therefore, training scalability is essential to handle a large amount of videos. In this paper, we study the factors that impact the training scalability of video networks. We recognize three bottlenecks, including data loading (data movement from disk to GPU), communication (data movement over networking), and computation FLOPs. We propose three design guidelines to improve the scalability: (1) fewer FLOPs and hardware-friendly operator to increase the computation efficiency ; (2) fewer input frames to reduce the data movement and increase the data loading efficiency ; (3) smaller model size to reduce the networking traffic and increase the networking efficiency . With these guidelines, we designed a new operator Temporal Shift Module (TSM) that is efficient and scalable for distributed training. TSM model can achieve 1 . 8 × higher throughput compared to previous I3D models. We scale up the training of the TSM model to 1,536 GPUs, with a mini-batch of 12,288 video clips/98,304 images, without losing the accuracy. With such hardware-aware model design, we are able to scale up the training on Summit supercomputer and reduce the training time on Kinetics dataset from 49 hours 55 minutes to 14 minutes 13 seconds, achieving a top-1 accuracy of 74.0%, which is 1.6 × and 2.9 × faster than previous 3D video models with higher accuracy. The code and more details can be found here: http://tsm-hanlab.mit.edu .


Despite increased reporting figures for sexual offences, it is believed that this crime type is under-reported. Support information stresses the need to preserve forensic evidence, including the victim not washing themselves/their clothes. The bath scrunchie is a popular choice in the UK as a personal cleaning instrument, and its ability to retain semen was examined in this study. Retention of Acid Phosphatase (AP) and spermatozoa was explored on new and previously used bath scrunchies, in the presence/absence of Dove body wash. Seventy-seven percent of samples were positive for AP and spermatozoa were recovered from 99%, indicating that the bath scrunchie is suitable for recovering this evidence type. Higher spermatozoa recovery was possible from the rope in comparison to the net, as a consequence of differences in surface area, but recovery in the presence of Dove body wash requires further examination, as this was variable. The compactness of the bath scrunchie affected spermatozoa recovery from the net, but did not appear to affect recovery from the rope. These preliminary study results show that the bath scrunchie could be of value as an evidential item if the victim has bathed or showered post-sexual offence and prior to reporting to the Police.


Abstract Sheep predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) is a major problem for sheep producers in North America. Solutions are facilitated by a basic understanding of the trophic dynamic context of this problem, one that likely varies geographically in important qualitative ways. Little is known about vertebrate trophic dynamics in Mediterranean ecosystems, where prey are diverse and their biomass is strongly influenced multi-annually by variable rainfall. We used long-term data sets from north-coastal California, USA, to investigate whether wild prey fluctuations caused immediate negative effects on sheep predation via a reduction in the coyote functional response or delayed positive effects on sheep predation via a numerical response by coyote predators. Because we could not measure prey biomass directly, we used variables associated with lower trophic levels (e.g., annual plant productivity, vole abundance, rainfall) as proxies for wild prey biomass. Coyote population growth rate was positively correlated with lower-trophic-level variables of the previous year, suggesting a numerical response, and sheep (ad F + lambs) predation was positively correlated with coyote abundance in the current year. Sheep predation also was negatively correlated with lower-trophic-level variables of the current year, suggesting an immediate buffering effect of wild prey on sheep predation. Together, coyote abundance and lower-trophic-level variables explained 47% of the multi-annual variation in sheep kills. The negative pathway between lower-trophic-level variables and sheep predation was stronger than the positive pathway, possibly due to the erratic nature of multi-annual fluctuations in lower-trophic-level variables, which could prevent the numerical response from reaching its full potential. Monthly analyses revealed a type III functional response of coyotes to lambs, which is expected to enhance buffering effects of wild prey on sheep predation. Our findings suggest the dominant effect of wild prey biomass on sheep predation by coyotes in this Mediterranean-type community is as a buffer.


OBJECTIVES
Visual rehabilitation after penetrating keratoplasty (PK) has difficulties linked to the high spherical and/or cylindric refractive errors with high order aberrations (HOAs) based on the ocular surface irregularities. We aimed to present the scleral contact lens (SCL)-induced complications and improvements in refractive errors and HOA with SCL fitting in post-PK patients.

METHODS
In this prospective study, 38 eyes of 35 patients who underwent PK and using SCLs were included. Uncorrected visual acuity, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalence, manifest astigmatism (Cyl), keratometry, and wavefront analyses of HOAs with corneal topography of all patients were measured before SCL and after 8 hrs of SCL wearing-on. The endothelial cellular density (ECD) changes at 6 months were also recorded. Any complications related to SCL were noted.

RESULTS
All patients showed an improvement in visual acuity with SCL. Uncorrected visual acuity before SCL fitting was 1.15±0.26 log of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) and BCVA was 0.84±0.24 logMAR. The contact lens-corrected visual acuity decreased to 0.13±0.09 logMAR. Spherical equivalence, Cyl, and keratometry parameters decreased significantly with SCL. The anterior corneal HOAs, coma, and astigmatism coefficients decreased significantly. Conjunctival prolapse (in one eye) and graft rejection episode (in two eyes) were observed during follow-up time (14.25±1.3 months) and they restarted to use SCLs after treatment. The ECD decrease was similar with those who not using SCLs after PK in the literature.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that scleral lenses may be a safe and effective option for the treatment of corneal astigmatism and HOAs associated with PK.