In December 2001, the European Commission promoted a Conference in which more than 400 experts analyzed the synergies arisen between Bioinformatics (BI), Medical Informatics (MI) and Neuroinformatics. In November 2002, and in order to contribute to the strategy of the European RD policy for the following decade in such areas, the White Paper of the BIOINFOMED project was presented at the international congress BIOINFORSALUD 2002 (Valencia, Spain). In the strategic document entrusted by the Commission, the relations established between BI and MI were analyzed, resulting in a new definition of the discipline of Biomedical Informatics (BMI) that aims to facilitate the developments of Genomic Medicine. To elaborate the White Paper, a committee of 30 international experts coordinated by the Institute of Health "Carlos III" (ISCIII) designed the agenda with 18 lines of research that corroborated the existing synergy. They pointed out those areas in which the efforts had to be prioritized. In this article, we update this study by highlighting recent outstanding developments in this field. The projects presented respond to a careful selection carried out among the numerous initiatives that have arisen in the three years passed between the publication of the White Paper and this article. Some of the projects analyzed in this paper are: the IT infrastructure for biobanks under the Public Population Project in Genomics (P3G) Consortium, a Network of Excellence (INFOBIOMED) in Biomedical Informatics constituted within the European Union Sixth Framework Program for Research and Technological Development, the initiative headed by HL7 to include genetic information in the electronic health record, the proposal of a Human Phenome Project, a Spanish Cooperative Research Thematic Network (INBIOMED) in Biomedical Informatics, the new National Centers for Biomedical Computing (NCBCs), funded by NIH, under the BISTI initiative and the projects related with the simulation and modeling of Human Physiology.


Exposure to intense (>60 Gy) ionizing irradiation rapidly leads to cell membrane permeabilization and cellular necrosis. Membrane permeabilization results from the action of radiation induced reactive oxygen intermediates that peroxidate membrane lipids. Sealing and stabilization of the cell membrane is essential to preventing immediate necrosis. We have investigated the efficacy of the biocompatible, non-ionic surfactants, poloxamer 188 (BASF, Camden N.J., USA; CMC ~ 1 mM) and 10 kDa dextran (Sigma Chemical, St. Louis, Mo., USA) at 0.1 mM concentration for sealing of radio-permeabilized, isolated adult rat, skeletal muscle fibers. Cells maintained under physiologic conditions were exposed to 160 Gy of cobalt-60 gamma irradiation over 2 seconds at 37° C which leads to rapid loss of preloaded calcein dye from the cytoplasm in an average delay of 32 minutes indicating massive membrane breakdown. Both agents were found to delay membrane breakdown. However, poloxamer 188 was found to totally prevent breakdown over a 3-hour period. Because these agents are known to cross capillary barriers in-vivo and are widely used clinically, they maybe useful in the therapy of the acute radiation syndrome.


Objective—Endothelial cell–selective adhesion molecule (ESAM) is a junctional-type cellular adhesion molecule (CAM) that is uniquely expressed in vascular endothelium and activated platelets and mediates neutrophil and monocyte diapedesis across the endothelium. Given its role in endothelial pathobiology, we hypothesized that soluble ESAM (sESAM) would be independently associated with atherosclerosis and vascular stiffness. Methods and Results—We measured sESAM, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM)-1 in 3222 subjects participating in the Dallas Heart Study, a probability-based population sample. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) was measured by electron beam computed tomography, and abdominal aortic wall thickness (AWT), aortic plaque burden (APB), and aortic compliance (AC) by MRI. Increasing levels of sESAM were associated with all major cardiovascular risk factors as well as with inflammatory markers such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, but only weakly correlated with sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1. In multivariate analyses, sESAM was independently associated with prevalent CAC (OR 1.2 per SD increase, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3; P=0.005), AWT (P=0.035), and AC (P=0.006), but not APB (P=0.15). In contrast, no independent associations were observed between sICAM-1 or sVCAM-1 and any of the atherosclerosis phenotypes. Conclusions—In this first reported clinical study of sESAM in humans, sESAM levels were independently associated with CAC, AWT, and AC, whereas sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 were not. These findings support a unique role of this cellular adhesion molecule in atherosclerosis and suggest the need for further exploration of sESAM as a predictive biomarker and potential mediator of atherosclerosis.


The dependence on drugs today, particularly by young people, must concern many - doctors and nurses, social workers, lawyers and the police, and parents. The writers of the group of papers which follow, although inevitably overlapping in some respects, attempt to examine the questions raised from the particular point of view of each. When does taking a drug (generally a barbiturate) become a state of dependence is the question posed and answered by Dr Connell. He begins by setting out the series of offical definitions of addiction, habituation and dependence formulated by the World Health Organization and in Britain by the Interdepartmental Committee (the Brain Committee). With these definitions as a framework he examines barbiturate dependence and abuse in the setting of current medical practice.


This paper presents a real-time global illumination method for quasi-static scenes illuminated by arbitrary, dynamic light sources. In order to maintain real-time frame-rates, the light transport problem is decomposed to low-frequency and high-frequency parts. The part that has low-frequency characteristics both in the temporal and in the spatial domains is pre-computed. Due to the low-frequency properties this solution can be compressed by clustered PCA without significant reduction of the accuracy. The spatial high-frequency but temporal low-frequency parts are pre-computed on small-scale using a modified ambient occlusion/obscurances method. The temporally high-frequency components are obtained on the fly. This way we can combine the advantages of pre-computation aided methods and real-time rendering.


Changes in the conduct and regulation of intimacy during the COVID-19 crisis in the Republic of Ireland has uncovered the legacy of Catholic nationalism in Irish capitalism. Many commentators analysed the increased welfarism and community service provision as the suspension of Irish neoliberalism. In fact, the Irish COVID-19 response is shaped by a longer tradition of political and economic approaches that have their genesis in the revolutionary Catholic state following independence from Britain. Based on ethnography of community development practices in a rural Irish region, the article describes how Catholic nationalist influences are present in the collection of institutions involved in the Community Response and its approach to spatial organisation. The governance of the response also sheds light on a lack of intimacy between citizen and state that is not only the product of neoliberal structural adjustments but is uniquely characteristic of the Catholic ethos that influences Irish capitalism.


Background: Natural experiments in former smokers are an important criterion for inferring causality between smoking and tooth loss. We examined how former smoking influenced risk estimate of tooth loss incidence. Methods: Records of dental check-ups of the work cohort were examined. The sample consisted of data from 1,724 workers recorded at the ages of 40 years and 50 years, and this was analyzed for tooth loss incidence during a 10-year period. Former smokers were categorized into two groups based on whether they quit smoking before or during the observational period. Variables used for adjustment were age, sex, oral and overall health behavior, dental visit, and number of existing teeth immediately prior to observation. Results: The prevalence of tooth loss incidence and number of teeth lost during the observational period were both higher in current smokers than in never smokers (33.7% vs. 23.9% and 0.83 vs. 0.42, respectively). Incident odds ratio of tooth loss in long-term quitters relative to never smokers was not significant and less than one (incident odds ratio 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.56–1.29). Incident odds ratios of short-term quitters and current smokers were both significant, though short-term quitters exhibited higher values (1.72, 1.15–2.55) than current smokers (1.48, 1.10–2.00). Conclusions: The causal interpretation is strengthened by attenuation of the risk in long-term quitters. However, additional factors may influence the risk estimates of former smokers, suggesting potential limitations of a natural experiment for inferring causal association between smoking and tooth loss.


Neutron diffraction has been used in conjunction with isotopic substitution of deuterium for hydrogen to study the structure of lithium–ammonia solutions, at concentrations spanning the metal–nonmetal transition. Detailed analysis and visualization of our experimental data has been carried out via iterative refinement of a three-dimensional molecular model, allowing us to obtain unique insight into the formation of polaronic electron cavities in the solutions. At low electron concentrations the solutions are nonmetallic, and the ammonia molecules are orientated around cavity centres to form Bjerrum-type defects. As the electron content is increased, the solutions become metallic, and we find evidence of percolation channels through the solvent. The dissociated electrons therefore play an active role in determining the structure of these solutions, and serve to disrupt the hydrogen bonding present in liquid ammonia.


TOUGH2 is a widely used simulation package for solving groundwater flow related problems such as nuclear waste isolation, environmental remediation, and geothermal reservoir engineering. It solves a set of coupled mass and energy balance equations using a finite volume method. The parallel implementation first partitions the unstructured computational domain. For each time step, a set of coupled non-linear equations is solved with Newton iteration. In each Newton step, a Jacobian matrix is calculated and an ill-conditioned non-symmetric linear system is solved in parallel using a preconditioned iterative solver. Communication is required for convergence tests and data exchange across partitioning borders. A real problem with 17,584 blocks and 43,815 connections indicates good scalability properties. From 2 to 128 processors on Cray T3E, the solution time is reduced from 7984 to 126 seconds. Improved parallel performance is expected for larger problems with 105-106 blocks in a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site study.


Purpose – This study aims to provide insight to the little-researched phenomenon of reverse knowledge flow within multinational corporations (MNCs) and to explain the role of managerial attention in exploiting the prospect of knowledge transfer from subsidiaries located in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – Existing literature across disciplines has been integrated to provide a clear description of the concept of reverse knowledge flow and managerial attention, in order to explain the role of managerial attention in reverse knowledge transfer activities within MNCs. Two pilot studies were conducted on European MNCs to build the background for this study. Findings – Managerial attention is a key factor in recognising potential source of knowledge within the multinational network, and a prior requirement for knowledge transfer to take place. Attention decisions are partially based on the knowledge source location, awareness/attractiveness, and the strategic importance. Thus, MNCs can adopt managerial practices and control mechanisms to influence the attention of executives and achieve higher knowledge flow from subsidiaries. Research limitations/implications – There is a need to undertake empirical research and in-depth case studies of knowledge management practices using the arguments and framework provided in this article. Practical implications – MNCs can develop mechanisms for overcoming attention biases influence on reverse knowledge flow. The attention based approach can lead to better subsidiary integration and knowledge management practices in MNCs. Originality/value – This study advances the theory on reverse knowledge flow in MNCs by presenting an attention based theoretical framework for effective knowledge transfer.


Chain networks of manufacturers of traditional food products comprehend a large majority of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs – firms employing less than 250 people). In a more and more globalised market with increasing competition, innovation is an important strategic tool for SMEs to achieve competitive advantage (Avermaete et al., 2004a, Gellynck et al., 2007, Murphy, 2002). Innovation can be defined as an ongoing process of learning, searching and exploring, resulting in new products, new techniques, new forms of organisation and new markets (Lundvall, 1995) which are new to the firm and to the industry ranging from incremental to radical innovations. Within our study traditional food products are defined according to four criteria: (1) the key production steps of a traditional food product must be performed in a certain area, which can be national, regional or local. (2) The traditional food product must be authentic in its recipe (mix of ingredients), origin of raw material, and/or production process. Further, (3) the traditional food product must have been commercially available for at least 50 years and (4) it must be part of the gastronomic heritage.


Objectives
To evaluate the effects of ATP 360, a nutraceutical energy formula, in people experiencing long-term fatigue affecting daily living. To explore the use of ex vivo mitochondrial stress testing to evaluate cellular energy improvements with nutraceutical support.

Study Design
An open-label study design was used with screening for long-term fatigue, scoring 50% or higher on the Piper Fatigue Scale. Eleven participants (8 women, 3 men) consumed the nutraceutical energy formula for 8 weeks, with a 1-week online evaluation and 4-week and 8-week follow-up visits. Eleven healthy people of similar age and BMI range donated blood for comparative evaluation of mitochondrial function in non-fatigued subjects.

Methods
Fatigue scoring was performed using the Piper Fatigue Scale. Other data included blood pressure readings and questionnaires for pain and wellness. Blood draws were performed. Serum was tested for cytokines using bead-based immunoassays. Leukocytes were tested for mitochondrial mass and mitochondrial membrane potential after 2-hour ex vivo inflammatory challenges with bacterial lipopolysaccharide using fluorescent probes, along with flow cytometry analysis.

Primary Outcome Measures
Change in fatigue and pain levels from baseline to 8 weeks.

Results
Reduction in long-term fatigue was rapid and highly significant after 1 week. Pain reduction reached statistical significance at 4 weeks. Wellness scores improved, especially mental functioning, sleep, increased emotional wellness, and increased energy/vitality. Diastolic blood pressure was reduced. Serum levels of TNF-α and interleukin 8 were reduced. At baseline, leukocyte mitochondrial responses to ex vivo inflammation were low compared to leukocytes from healthy non-fatigued people, showing a mild 21% increase after 4 weeks (not statistically significant), and returning to baseline at 8 weeks.

Conclusion
This proof-of-concept study showed that consumption of a proprietary nutraceutical energy formula resulted in rapid and sustained fatigue reduction associated with reduced pain and inflammatory cytokines and improved wellness. A mild increase in mitochondrial response to inflammation was seen at 4 weeks. A future study with longer duration should evaluate whether mitochondrial function may approach that of a healthy population.

Trial registration
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards set forth in the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (trial registration number NCT04261881).


Walking across a crowding shopping mall, you may see a group of people who vary in their race, gender, attractiveness, clothing style, and demeanor. A similarly complex array of social stimuli confronts us at conferences, airports, farmer's markets, and college campuses. Rarely do we attend equally to all individuals in such complex social environments or to all characteristics of any given individual. Rather, we selectively direct our attention toward a smaller subset of individuals and characteristics. This selective direction of attention often occurs automatically, without conscious intent, and can have important consequences for subsequent thoughts and actions. Who do we attend to, think about, and later remember? And how are the answers to this question linked to our goals at the moment? We recently embarked on a program of research to explore the processes that influence the selective and automatic direction of perceptual and cognitive resources. In this chapter, we present a conceptual framework that begins to articulate the role that fundamental social goals play in governing these processes. We focus, in particular, on the ways in which self-protection and mating goals selectively facilitate attention toward people who have characteristics relevant to those goals. Integrating theory and research on selective attention processes, the influence of goals on social cognition and behavior, and ecological theories of motivation and social cognition, our


Based on the contemporary testimonies, wealth of the Serbian medieval kings was significantly increased by exploitation of number of precious metal mines that existed in their realm. Beginnings of the mine exploitation in medieval Serbia are related to the settlements of Saxon miners. Saxons were mining experts in medieval Europe who worked in distant mines far away from their homeland Saxony. They worked in this profitable mining business not only in Serbia, but also in Bohemia, Hungary (Transylvania and modern Slovakia) and Bosnia. The settlement of Saxons in Serbia occurred in time of the reign of King Stefan Uros I (1234-1276). Although without preserved sources which could directly support this thesis, Serbian historiography advocates that certain privileges were granted to the Roman Catholic Saxons at the time of their migration in orthodox Serbia. It appears that these privileges included self-government, freedom of religion, and mining concessions. Also judicial privileges are often mentioned in historiography especially the right of Saxons to one half of the members of their ethnicity in judicial collegium and jury in the case of a dispute with member of another ethic group. This paper attempts to test the thesis related to composition of mixed courts and juries by applying historical method, and linguistic, systemic and historical interpretation of the sources such as King's Charters issued to Dubrovnik, Dusan's Code and Despot Stefan's Mining Code.


We study the relationship between enterprise risk management and firm value. We analyze how the influence, reporting, and compensation incentives of the chief risk officer (CRO) contribute to firm value. We use data from U.S. publicly traded insurers between 2009 and 2017 and find that the existence of a CRO alone is insufficient for value creation in insurers. Our results suggest a negative relationship between a CRO and firm value. However, we find empirical evidence of a positive relationship between firm value and including the CRO in the compensation committee of the board and providing the CRO with an equity-based compensation plan. Moreover, we propose two scores meant to isolate the participation of the CRO from other ERM proxies on value creation. Using these scores, we confirm a negative relationship between CRO and firm value and a positive relationship between firm value and the utilization of the CRO.


This harmonized set of soil parameter estimates for Southern Africa has been derived from the 1:2M scale Soil and Terrain Database for Southern Africa (SOTERSAF ver. 1.0) and ISRIC-WISE soil profile database. The land surface of Southern Africa has been characterized using 4022 unique SOTER units, corresponding with 6099 polygons. The major soils have been ... described using 941 profiles, selected by national soil experts as being representative for these units. The associated soil analytical data have been derived from soil survey reports. These sources seldom hold all the physical and chemical attributes ideally required by SOTER. Gaps in the measured soil profile data have been filled using a step-wise procedure that uses taxonomy-based pedotransfer rules, based on some 9600 soil profiles held in the WISE2 database. Parameter estimates are presented by soil unit for fixed depth intervals of 0.2 m to 1 m depth for: organic carbon, total nitrogen, pH(H2O), CECsoil, CECclay, base saturation, effective CEC, aluminium saturation, CaCO3 content, gypsum content, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), electrical conductivity of saturated paste (ECe), bulk density, content of sand, silt and clay, content of coarse fragments (> 2 mm), and available water capacity (-33 to -1500 kPa). These attributes have been identified as being useful for agro-ecological zoning, land evaluation, crop growth simulation, modelling of soil carbon stocks and change, and analyses of global environmental change. The current parameter estimates should be seen as best estimates based on the current selection of soil profiles and data clustering procedure. Taxotransfer rules have been flagged to provide an indication of the possible confidence in the derived data. Results are presented as summary files and can be linked to the 1:2M scale SOTERSAF map in a GIS, through the unique SOTER-unit code. The secondary data are considered appropriate for studies at the continental scale. Correlation of soil analytical data should be done more rigorously when more detailed scientific work is considered. The attribute database is available in Microsoft Access and SQlite format (SOTWIS_SAF_sqlite.zip).


OBJECTIVES
The poor oral health of Saskatchewan's children, in concert with a significant shortage of dentists, prompted the province in the early 1970s to seek an alternative method of addressing the oral health care needs of children. The result was the Saskatchewan Health Dental Plan (SHDP), which trained and employed dental therapists in school-based clinics to provide basic dental care to all children. The program was initiated over the opposition of Saskatchewan's dentists. The purpose of this research was to provide information and data previously not documented in the refereed dental literature regarding the only school-based program staffed by dental therapists to ever exist in North America.

METHODS
This case study reviews the program's planning, opposition, implementation, and achievements based on a comprehensive review of published articles as well as a search of the grey literature. Additionally, Saskatchewan Health provided annual reports for each year of the program's existence.

RESULTS
During its thirteen years of existence, the school-based program proved popular with parents and achieved significant success in providing necessary dental care for children. It was terminated in 1987 by the newly elected provincial Conservative government, which was not supportive of such social programs.

CONCLUSIONS
The SHDP serves as a successful model of school-based dental care for children. However, the termination of the plan demonstrates the vulnerability of publicly funded dental health programs to conflicting political ideologies and special interest groups.


Professionalism still is on the way up. However, the working methods of managers and professionals do not develop at the same pace. Professionals often seek out their workplace within an organisation but then proceed to act as soloists, which makes fragmentation, mediocrity and non‐commitment the rule rather than the exception. The manager's reflex dictates that he/she tackles problems with control and command, resulting in all sorts of conflicts. It is argued that this dysfunctional habit can be corrected by introducing a clear division of roles: professionals manage the primary process, managers the secondary processes. Peace then will be restored but fragmentation, mediocrity and non‐commitment are still evident. We have found heuristically that these core problems only can disappear when professionals and managers tackle them in a concerted action by developing a collective ambition, investing in mutual learning and setting performance standards. Although professionals' loner genes hold them back in concerted action on these matters, they can overcome this resistance when managers are willing and able to orchestrate a dialogue on these matters. This is a tall order, but the core problems can thus be transformed into inspiration, growth and dedication.


Purpose: The goals of this study were (a) to investigate whether preconditioning of immunocompetent mice with PC-61-mediated regulatory T-cell (Treg) depletion and interleukin-2 (IL-2) would enhance systemic delivery of reovirus into subcutaneous tumors and (b) to test whether cyclophosphamide (CPA), which is clinically approved, could mimic PC-61 for modification of Treg activity for translation into the next generation of clinical trials for intravenous delivery of reovirus. Experimental Design: C57Bl/6 mice bearing subcutaneous B16 tumors were treated with CPA or PC-61 followed by 10 injections of low-dose IL-2. Mice were then treated with intravenous reovirus. Virus localization to tumor and other organs was measured along with tumor growth and systemic toxicity. Results: Preconditioning with PC-61 and IL-2 enhanced localization of intravenous oncolytic reovirus to tumors with significantly increased antitumor therapy compared with controls (P < 0.01). However, with the maximal achievable dose of reovirus, Treg modification + IL-2 was also associated with systemic toxicity. CPA (100 mg/kg) did not deplete, but did functionally inhibit, Treg. CPA also mimicked PC-61, in combination with IL-2, by inducing "hyperactivated" NK cells. Consistent with this, preconditioning with CPA + IL-2 enhanced therapy of intravenously delivered, intermediate-dose reovirus to a level indistinguishable from that induced by PC-61 + IL-2, without any detectable toxicity. Conclusion: With careful reference to ongoing clinical trials with dose escalation of reovirus alone and in combination with CPA, we propose that future clinical trials of CPA + IL-2 + reovirus will allow for both improved levels of virus delivery and increased antitumor efficacy.


ABSTRACT Interactions with cellular stress pathways are central to the life cycle of many latent viruses. Here, we utilize adeno-associated virus (AAV) as a model to study these interactions, as previous studies have demonstrated that cellular stressors frequently increase transduction of recombinant AAV (rAAV) vectors and may even substitute for helper virus functions. Since several chemotherapeutic drugs are known to increase rAAV transduction, we investigated the effect of arsenic trioxide (As2O3), an FDA-approved chemotherapeutic agent with known effects on several other virus life cycles, on the transduction of rAAV. In vitro, As2O3 caused a dose-dependent increase in rAAV2 transduction over a broad range of cell lines from various cell types and species (e.g., HEK-293, HeLa, HFF hTERT, C-12, and Cos-1). Mechanistically, As2O3 treatment acted to prevent loss of virions from the perinuclear region, which correlated with increased cellular vector genome retention, and was distinguishable from proteasome inhibition. To extend our investigation of the cellular mechanism, we inhibited reactive oxygen species formation and determined that the As2O3-mediated increase in rAAV2 transduction was dependent upon production of reactive oxygen species. To further validate our in vitro data, we tested the effect of As2O3 on rAAV transduction in vivo and determined that treatment initiated transgene expression as early as 2 days posttransduction and increased reporter expression by up to 10-fold. Moreover, the transduction of several other serotypes of rAAV was also enhanced in vivo, suggesting that As2O3 affects a pathway used by several AAV serotypes. In summary, our data support a model wherein As2O3 increases rAAV transduction both in vitro and in vivo and maintains perinuclear accumulations of capsids, facilitating productive nuclear trafficking.


Abstract To date, COVID-19 has spread to more than 108 million people globally, with a death toll surpassing 2 1/2 million. With the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of two highly effective COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna, we now have a novel approach to contain COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. Chronic pain care has faced unprecedented challenges for patients and providers in this ever-changing climate. With the approval of COVID-19 vaccines, we now face questions relating to the potential effects of pain treatments utilizing steroids on vaccine efficacy. In this analysis, we address these issues and provide guidance for steroid therapies based on available data and expert recommendations.


Introduction Common mental disorders (CMDs) are highly prevalent and a leading cause of work disability. Although specialised programs are now offered to prevent these workers from developing long-term work disability, little is known about their views on helpful aspects of these programs. Our study sought to describe the active components of a work rehabilitation program based on the best scientific evidence, from the participants' perspective. Methods This study is the qualitative part of a broader research project aimed at the developmental evaluation of the program using a mixed methods approach over two years. We conducted semi-structured interviews of 26 participants after program completion. The questions concerned the program components they considered beneficial and their reasons. The interviews were conducted by telephone, recorded and analysed using thematic analysis principles. Converging themes were identified and classified by component type. Result The active components identified concerned the interventions' group format, activities, and occupational therapists (OTs). Participants saw three benefits to the group format: it offsets the feelings of isolation and shame associated with mental disorders; allows them to adjust their view of their work disability and means for reducing it; and reactivates their social interaction skills. The activities seen as most beneficial concerned training on techniques to better cope with work and daily life (e.g. mindfulness meditation). OTs were seen as having three main functions: relaying information to physicians and other stakeholders; coaching (supporting integration of the techniques, giving meaning to the experience, pointing to external resources); and ensuring the therapeutic environment of the group interventions. Discussion Our study results provide valuable insights into components that should be priorities if we are to ensure that work rehabilitation programs meet this population's needs. While additional work is required, current results suggest that a group format is an important intervention component for workers with CMDs.


A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) able to bind 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was prepared using non-covalent molecular imprinting methods and evaluated as a selective sorbent in molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) on-line coupled to a reverse-phase HPLC. It has been shown that the conditions chosen for washing the MIP and for eluting the analyte in the MISPE process are extremely important for ensuring good selectivity and recovery. River water samples, spiked with the eleven Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) phenolic compounds at μg l levels, were preconcentrated on-line using this MIP and 4-NP was selectively extracted. The humic acid interference was simultaneously reduced considerably. The MIP was also compared with a commercially available highly cross-linked polymer (LiChrolut EN) and the former yielded cleaner extracts.


This paper discusses the first phase of a computerassisted methodology for implementing CIM within small and medium enterprises. Some of the existing methodologies and tools were furnished by extra items to ease the process for small and medium size manufacturing companies. The methodology aims at using limited expertise, limited staff, and minimising cost. The existing analysis tools i.e. DFDs, ELH, and tools in the GRAI methodology were modified and a new tool was developed PIFR to shed light on the needs and new forms of integration of material and data flows in various parts of the organization. A knowledge base is developed for portability and ease of use. To demonstrate the methodology, a case study was carried out in a firm in apparel industry.


Many enterprise solutions can greatly benefit from Machine Learning (ML) models that are created from cross-domain enterprise data. However, many enterprises cannot share data freely across different locations due to regulatory restrictions, performance issues in moving large data volumes, or requirements to maintain autonomy. In such situations, the enterprise can benefit from the concept of federated learning in which ML models are created at multiple different geographic sites. These are combined together at a federation server without the need to share data. Motivated by the fact that web-services based architectures provide a means for robust integration of cross-domain information, in this paper, we describe a solution to the federated learning problem using such an architecture. We specifically focus on the problems enterprises encounter in using distributed data and discuss how we solved those problems through the solution architecture.


This paper describes a clustering process taking inspiration from the cemetery organization of ants. The goal of this paper is (i) to show the importance of the local interactions which allow to produces complex and emergent behavior. (ii) To propose a multi-robot systems in the field of clustering objects allowing optimization of: time of convergence, rate of occupation of the objects in the environment and final number of the clusters. And finally (iii) to propose another system with the use of cognitive robots instead of reactive robots in the same field of clustering objects with generic rules which can be used independently of the environment. Series of simulations enable us to discuss and validate the proposed approach.


ABSTRACT We report a possible spontaneous case of oxalate nephrosis in an African fruit bat (Epomops franqueti), incidentally observed in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria, in an anatomical and serological survey of the species. Wild caught bats underwent sedation, intracardial perfusion, necropsy and histopathology. All 15 wild-caught African fruit bats were apparently healthy. However, light microscopy revealed mild oligofocal tubulonephrosis with intraluminal deposition of polarizing crystals interpreted as subclinical oxalate nephrosis in one case. In summary, we suggest a dietary aetiology, based on seasonal availability of high ascorbic acid or oxalate containing fruits. However, exposure to anthropogenic contaminants cannot be completely ruled out.


What kinds of challenges do educators face in increasing Native American high school graduation rates, and what kinds of adaptations to a traditional high school are understood as necessary to achieve this outcome? This case study explored these questions as part of a larger multiple case study that investigated practices and processes related to high school graduation rates. It focused on educators' attempts to increase Native American student graduation rates in a high school with typical gaps in graduation rates between Native American students and white students. Data collected included teacher and administrator interviews and documentary evidence. Framed by socioecological theory that focuses on relationships between district, school, and classroom processes and practices, study findings revealed that adaptations to improve Native youth graduation rates included (1) offering personally-relevant, real-world, experiential, and interdisciplinary learning experiences aligned to students' own learning goals; (2) adapting school schedules to students' lives outside of school; (3) prioritizing developing students' sense of worth in contributing to their communities and societies; (4) providing flexibility regarding absences, (5) offering effective supports that emphasize connecting to an adult; and (6) partnering with families and other community members. Implications for future research and practice are discussed in light of the findings.


This paper describes a facile one-pot synthesis of a poly(benzoxazine imide), NDOPoda Bz, through the reaction of a difunctional naphthalene dianhydride ortho-phenol (ND-ortho-phenol), paraformaldehyde, and 4,4′-oxydianiline in 1,4-dioxane, without the need for either the preparation of an amino-functionalized benzoxazine or subsequent thermal treatment. This new poly(benzoxazine imide) underwent cross-linking polymerization to form a highly cross-linked poly(benzoxazine imide), which, with additional thermal treatment, was converted to highly cross-linked polybenzoxazoles. A model monomer (NDOPa Bz) was also synthesized based on the reaction of ND-ortho-phenol with paraformaldehyde and aniline. Moreover, we investigated the blending of NDOPoda Bz with a poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVPh) homopolymer at various weight ratios to form miscible blend systems. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed the thermal stability and thermal curing behavior of these blends, which were miscible because of strong hydrogen bonds between the CO groups of PNDOPoda BZ and the OH groups of PVPh. The DSC and TGA data suggested that these hydrogen bonds enhanced the glass transition temperatures, thermal stability, and char yields of the blends. In addition, this approach decreased the temperature for ring opening of the benzoxazine, accelerated the rate of benzoxazole ring formation of NDOPda Bz at a lower temperature, and improved the thermal stability of the formed polybenzoxazoles.


Hadamard transform capillary electrophoresis, which is a sensitive detection method using multiple sample injection, was applied to the separation of glutamic acid enantiomers labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). A capillary was filled with a sample solution containing FITC-labeled D,L-glutamic acids, cyclodextrin, and buffer components. The sample was injected by an optically gated sample injection method, in which an intense laser beam was focused onto the capillary to convert fluorescent analyte ions to nonfluorescent ones by photodegradation. To form analyte plug, a shutter placed in the pathway of the laser beam was closed for a constant time period. In the presence of cyclodextrin, enatiomers of FITC-labeled glutamic acid could be injected by the optically gated sample injection method. Two cyclodextrins, β- and γ-cyclodextrins, were employed as chiral selectors in the capillary electrophoretic separations. For the separation of FITC-labeled glutamic acid enantiomers, γ-cyclodextrin shows a better resolution than β-cyclodextrin. The optimum concentration of γ-cyclodextrin was found to be 10 mM. Multiple sample injection was accomplished by closing or opening the shutter according to a sequence based on a Hadamard matrix. When the resulting electropherogram was transformed by the inverse Hadamard matrix, The S/N ratio in the transformed result was enhanced with no degradation in the resolution, compared to that in the electropherogram obtained by a single injection method. As a result, Hadamard transform capillary electrophoresis allows a significant improvement in the S/N ratios for FITC-labeled glutamic acid enantiomers. Therefore, the present method will be applicable to the separation and sensitive detection of enantiomers labeled with FITC.


This work presents a framework for predicting unknown input distributions for turbomachinery applications starting from scarce experimental measurements. The problem is relevant to turbomachinery where important parameters are obtained using indirect measurements. In this paper a scroll compressor is used as example but the suggested framework is completely general and can be used to infer missing data on material composition (carbon fiber properties, laser melted specimens for additive manufacturing etc) or input data (such as the turbine inlet temperature).
 Scroll compressors are small devices with a very complex geometry that is difficult to measure. Moreover these compressors are highly sensitive to manufacturing errors and clearances. For these reasons we have chosen this example as an ideal candidate to prove the effectiveness of the framework. An input probability distribution for the scroll height is recovered based on a scarce, synthetic data set. The scroll height is used as an example of a missing distribution for a geometric parameter as it has the highest variance and is challenging to measure experimentally.
 The framework consists of two main building blocks: an equivalence in a probabilistic sense and a Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos formulation able to deal with scarce data. The probabilistic equivalence is defined by a Probability Density Function (PDF) matching approach in which the statistical distance between probability distributions is quantified by either the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) distance or the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence. By representing the missing inputs with a generalised Polynomial Chaos Expansion (gPCE) the back-calculation problem can be recast as an optimisation problem in which an arbitrary Polynomial Chaos (aPC) formulation was used to propagate the uncertain input distributions through a computational model of the system and generate a probability distribution for the Quantity of Interest (QoI).
 The framework has been tested with multiple non-Askey scheme distributions to prove the generality of the proposed approach.


The maize Opaque2 (O2) protein is a "leucine zipper" DNA binding factor that interacts with the sequence TCCACGTAGA in the promoters of the 22-kD alpha-zein genes and activates its transcription. A completely different consensus sequence (GATGAPyPuTGPu) identified in b-32, a gene that encodes an abundant albumin that is also under control of the O2 locus, can also be bound by the O2 protein. We showed that the gene encoding the 22-kD-like alpha-coixin, the alpha-prolamin of the maize-related grass Coix, can also be transactivated by the O2 protein. A binding assay in vitro and footprint analysis demonstrated that the GACATGTC sequence of the alpha-coixin promoter can be recognized and protected by the maize O2 protein. Employing transient expression experiments in immature maize endosperm and tobacco mesophyll protoplasts, we demonstrated that the O2 protein can activate expression of the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene placed under the control of the 22-kD-like alpha-coixin promoter. We also demonstrated that a 22-kD-like alpha-coixin pseudogene promoter is transactivated by the maize O2 protein.


Removal of the tumor-bearing organ together with the regional lymphatic system is a principle in carcinoma surgery. This was not sufficiently clearly formulated when Conner,2in Cincinnati, made the first total gastrectomy, in 1884. His patient died on the operating table, and the first total gastrectomy to succeed was performed by Schlatter16in Switzerland in 1897. A classic description of the lymph drainage of the stomach was given by Jamieson and Dobson,8in 1907, and subsequently a series of detailed investigations have been carried out in this field—in this country by Eker *—which forms the basis of block dissection in total gastrectomy. Block dissection gradually has become more radical, in that the great and the lesser omentum have been included, as well


Atypical glandular cells are a common finding in cervical cytology in cervical cancer screening and its occurrence has increased in the last decades. The identification of these cells is clinically very important due to its association with cervical and endometrial dysplasic lesions and cancer. Using a systematic approach, this article reviewed studies investigating cervical lesions that are characteristic in patients previously diagnosed as having atypical glandular cells. Studies in which diagnostic investigation did not include histopathological diagnosis were excluded. A comprehensive search for available material in LILACS, SciELO, PubMed/ Medline and Old Medline databases, dated between 1966 and 2009 was performed. Articles omitted by the electronic database search were also included. Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected. This report aims at evaluating whether atypical glandular cells, initially found in cervical cytology and subsequently identified at the histological analysis, are related to the presence of benign, pre-malignant and malignant lesions. Eleven out of 19 selected articles showed the highest correlation between atypical glandular cells with benign diseases and six with squamous pre-malignant lesions.


is required of all submissions and must present a concise summary of the investigation—what was done, observed—and interpretations/significance of the findings and not simply list the topics discussed or preface the Introduction. The abstract is untitled in the text and must be limited to a single paragraph. A non-English translation of the English version is permitted. Literature citations in the abstract are not permitted. BODY OF TEXT may employ named sections at three levels (i.e., primary, secondary, and tertiary) and cannot be lettered or numbered. Primary sections are all caps, bold font, left justified, and employ the following heads: MATERIALS AND METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, LITERATURE CITED, and figure legends. Note that the Introduction is not titled in the article file text. If appropriate, MATERIAL EXAMINED follows DISCUSSION, and appendices follow figure legends. If only two heading levels are used, follow this format: MATERIALS AND METHODS


: Our case of azygos continuation of the inferior vena cava is very rare because there was no associated heart disease or abdominal situs inversus. The diagnosis of this anomaly of the inferior vena cava should be suspected by observation of a dilated azygos vein on the chest roentgenogram and confirmed by venography.


Unlike other genetic methods which are devoted to optimize the input data, this paper proposes an approach, CPE, aiming at finding the computation process of any problem by only using a few input and output data, consisting of the cases needed to be satisfied and those needed to be avoided. It first encodes the antibody using the method similar to that of gene expression programming (GEP), a new efficient technique of genetic programming (GP) with linear representation. Through the gradual evolution, the affinity between antibody and the non-selves become more and more intense. At the same time, every time after the chromosomes are mutated, the chromosomes should be checked to determine whether the antibody chromosome would match the selves, which are the conditions that should be satisfied. Two kind of experiment are examined in order to test the performance of the approach. The results show that CPE evolves out the data-processing processes which are exactly the same as those from which the experimental input data were generated, and compared with GP and GEP which is currently one of the most efficient genetic methods, CPE experiences shorter evolution process. Most importantly, unlike previous evolutionary methods that only consider increasing fitness, this approach takes into account both the goal (fitness) and the constraints of actual problems, which makes it possible to solve complex real problems using evolutionary computation


Vertical markets and industries are addressing a large diversity of heterogeneous services, use cases, and applications in 5G. It is currently common understanding that for networks to be able to satisfy those needs, a flexible, adaptable, and programmable architecture based on network slicing is required. Moreover, a softwarization and cloudification of the communications networks is already happening, where network functions (NFs) are transformed from monolithic pieces of equipment to programs running over a shared pool of computational and communication resources. However, this novel architecture paradigm requires new solutions to exploit its inherent flexibility. In this paper, we introduce the concept of resource elasticity as a key means to make an efficient use of the computational resources in 5G systems. Besides establishing a definition as well as a set of requirements and key performance indicators (KPIs), we propose mechanisms for the exploitation of elasticity in three different dimensions, namely computational elasticity in the design and scaling of NFs, orchestration-driven elasticity by flexible placement of NFs, and slice-aware elasticity via cross-slice resource provisioning mechanisms. Finally, we provide a succinct analysis of the architectural components that need to be enhanced to incorporate elasticity principles.


Thirty six of F1 generation produced using half diallel mating design in the autumn of 2016 between nine inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.) were obtained. The 45th genotypes were sown on 22-07-2016 at the field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Duhok University/Iraqi Kurdistan Region, using Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications to estimate combining ability, gene action, average degree of dominance, heritability as well as heterosis. The significant estimates of GCA and SCA variances suggested the importance of both additive and non-additive gene actions for the expression studied traits. Parent (Ir – S4) was an excellent general combiner for yield and related traits. Parents (DKcc 6418, Max – S4, V – Poh – S4 and Sym – S5) were also good combiners for some of the important yield components. Some crosses showed desirable SCA effects for more than one characters. Furthermore, the significant positive SCA effect involved parents where one or both were related to good combiners. Additive genetic variance was significant for ear height, 300-kernel weight and kernel yield/plant, while values of dominance genetic and environment variances were significant for all studied characters. Dominance genetic variance was larger than additive genetic variance for yield component traits. The degree of dominance produced greater values than unity. Low estimates of narrow-sense heritability were observed, while high estimates of broad-sense heritability for all studied traits were observed. The maximum number of hybrids showed significant positive heterosis for kernel yield/plant and the hybrid [Agr – S4 × San – S4] had the highest positive heterosis for kernel yield/plant and 300-kernel weight.


The twenty-first century has witnessed a cap craze. Nearly every facet of society has embraced its own version - from rappers to punk rockers, cyclists to baseball stars, hipsters to high fashionistas. In Caps: One Size Fits All, Steven Bryden explores the evolution of the cap, tracing its roots from functional item to fashion must-have. Filled with expertly shot color images, the book features interviews with cap connoisseurs and icons of cap fashion, including Supreme's Aaron Bondaroff and Craig Ford, owner of the London BAPE store. It explores the design and construction of caps, and the incredible array of brands and types: from baseball to 5-panel, painter cap to the Pittsburgh bucket, Ralph Lauren to Stussy. The book also peers into the closets of avid collectors, tracks the cap's journey through pop culture history and includes street style photos showcasing how people are wearing caps around the world today.


This paper presents a new method of constructing phonetic decision trees (PDTs) for acoustic model state tying based on implicitly induced prior knowledge. Our hypothesis is that knowledge of pronunciation variation in spontaneous, conversational speech contained in a relatively large corpus can be used for building domain-specific or speaker-dependent PDTs. In the view of tree structure adaptation, this method leads to transformation of tree topology in contrast to keeping fixed tree structure as in traditional methods of speaker adaptation. A Bayesian learning framework is proposed to incorporate prior knowledge of decision rules in a greedy search of new decision trees, where the prior is generated by a decision tree growing process on a large data set. Experimental results on the telemedicine automatic captioning task demonstrate that the proposed approach results in consistent improvement in model quality and recognition accuracy.


ABSTRACT Phenomenography is internationally well-known for its use in studying learning and teaching in educational settings. This paper begins with the discussion of two approaches reported in the literature to study classroom teaching in the phenomenography tradition. The paper goes on to put forward a third approach that is in essence to return to the original idea of phenomenography and use observation of teaching activities for identifying the qualitatively different ways of seeing the object of learning. Observational data are collected and analysed by categorizing the teaching activities according to the ways of seeing that emerge from the data. This approach has been developed from a number of our projects on learning to teach Chinese. In this paper, the focus of the discussion is on the differences in the methodological assumptions underlying the three approaches to study teaching in the phenomenography tradition.


Effects of a high cholesterol (HC) diet and HC diet supplemented with polydextrose on fecal flora, fecal bacterial enzyme activity and fecal putrefactive products in eight healthy volunteers were studied. They were fed a low cholesterol (LC) diet, HC diet, HC diet supplemented with polydextrose (15 g/day) (HCP) at 2-week intervals consecutively for 6 weeks. Polydextrose supplementation increased fecal weight and decreased fecal pH and the stool concentration of indole, p-cresol, iso-valeric acid and iso-butyric acid. A significant reduction of Clostridium in the feces was also observed during the HCP diet period. The frequency of occurrence and number of Clostridium perfringens in the feces were lower for the HCP diet than for the HC diet.


This article presents an integrated electricity dispatch and load flow model with endogenous electricity generation capacity expansion. The target is to quantify generation capacity requirements for 2030 and where within Central Europe it shall be ideally placed when taking into account the projected grid structure. We explicitly model the interdependence between grid operation and power plant placing as we investigate the contribution of centralized power plant placement on reducing the need for grid expansion. The application focuses on Germany and its neighbors and reference is made to recently published plans on grid expansion (TSO 2012). We adopt the perspective of a welfare maximizing system planner and thus determine capacity expansion levels as first-best benchmark. Results show that optimal capacity expansion levels are much lower than previous studies indicate (e.g. dena (2008); EC (2011); EWI et al. (2010); Maurer et al. (2012)). We also show that the need for grid expansion can be reduced by the appropriate placing of just a few Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plants as well as the use of storage and Demand-Side-Management. The presence of intra-national HVDC lines as proposed in the Grid Development Plan of 2012 (TSO 2012) is found to significantly reduce overall congestion and the need for back-up power plants. However, the contribution of the proposed HVDC lines varies greatly from project to project, calling for a prioritization of plans.


The study of processes that transpire at heterogeneous interfaces is an exceedingly difficult proposition. No single experimental technique can ever hope to unravel all the nuances of heterogeneous reactions; hence, in surface science, the use of multiple complementary methods is not uncommon. Ultrahigh vacuum electrochemistry (UHV/EC) is a term ascribed to the approach that rests upon the integration of classical electrochemical methods with surface-sensitive analytical techniques; this strategy parallels that successfully implemented in the study of gas–solid heterogeneous catalysis. The unique surface sensitivity of the techniques adopted emanates from the use of particles (e.g. ions or electrons) that serve to interrogate the outermost layer(s) of the electrode. This surface sensitivity is tempered by the requirement that the analysis be performed in an environment (outside the electrochemical cell) that does not impede the mean-free paths of the probe particles. Since its inception in the early 1970s, more than a thousand UHV/EC-based studies have been published; most of the work involved polycrystalline materials and focused on the elemental composition at the electrode surface. While its importance in the study of polycrystalline surfaces cannot be trivialized, the greater value of UHV/EC appears to be in its ability to help resolve fundamental issues that intertwine interfacial structure and composition with electrochemical reactivity. It is in this context that the present review is written.

A complete mechanism of an electrochemical reaction must incorporate all the physical and chemical interactions that arise between an electrified surface and its environment. The extent of such interactions depends upon several factors such as solvent, supporting electrolyte, electrode potential, reactant concentration, electrode material and surface crystallographic orientation. The traditional approach is based upon a thermodynamic treatment of the interface and its response to external perturbations. Interpretation of the results relies on phenomenological models of the interface. Although a thermodynamic treatment cannot be ignored, the need for an atomic-level view has long been realized. One approach1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 towards the establishment of an atomic-level description parallels that successfully implemented in the study of gas–solid heterogeneous catalysis; it rests upon the integration of classical electrochemical methods with surface-sensitive analytical techniques. The analytical methods that exhibit surface sensitivity are based upon the mass-selection and/or energy-discrimination of electrons, ions, atoms or molecules scattered from solid surfaces. These particles have shallow escape depths; hence the information they bear is characteristic of the near-surface layers. Their short mean-free paths, however, necessitate a high vacuum (<10−6 torr) environment. The application of such surface techniques to electrochemistry requires that the analysis be performed outside the electrochemical cell. The possibility of structural and compositional changes that accompany the removal of the electrode from solution is the major concern in UHV/EC studies. Although a myriad of surface analytical techniques is currently available, those actually employed in UHV/EC have been limited to low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), work-function changes, and thermal desorption mass spectrometry (TDMS).

While most vacuum-based analytical methods do not require single-crystal surfaces, the use of uniform (monocrystalline) surfaces is a necessary aspect for fundamental studies. The low-index crystallographic faces [(100), (110) and (111)] have been widely used because of their low free energies, high symmetries, and relative stabilities. In addition, it may be possible to reconstruct the overall behavior of polycrystalline electrodes from the individual properties of the low-index planes. 1, 2, 3, 4 A handful of procedures for the preparation and preservation of well-defined single-crystal surfaces have been described. 5, 6, 7, 8 The verification or identification of initial, intermediate, and final interfacial structures and compositions is an essential ingredient in electrochemical surface science.


One of the major differences between markets that follow a "sharing economy" paradigm and traditional two-sided markets is that the supply side in the sharing economy often includes individual nonprofessional decision makers, in addition to firms and professional agents. Using a data set of prices and availability of listings on Airbnb, we find that there exist substantial differences in the operational and financial performance of professional and nonprofessional hosts. In particular, properties managed by professional hosts earn 16.9% more in daily revenue, have 15.5% higher occupancy rates, and are 13.6% less likely to exit the market compared with properties owned by nonprofessional hosts, while controlling for property and market characteristics. We demonstrate that these performance differences between professionals and nonprofessionals can be partly explained by pricing inefficiencies. Specifically, we provide empirical evidence that nonprofessional hosts are less likely to offer different rates across stay dates based on the underlying demand patterns, such as those created by major holidays and conventions. We develop a parsimonious model to analyze the implications of having two such different host groups for a profit-maximizing platform operator and for a social planner. While a profit-maximizing platform operator should charge lower prices to nonprofessional hosts, a social planner would charge the same prices to professionals and nonprofessionals.


This guide is intended as a landing page and research platform for diving deeper into the world of Anthropological, Archaeological, and Ethnographic research.


Abstract This paper documents the first detailed structural analysis of the Lüliang Massif in the Trans-North China Belt, North China Craton. A nappe, made up of a Terrigeneous and Mafic Unit (TMU) derived from an oceanic basin thrust over gneisses and volcanic-sedimentary rocks, is interpreted as a magmatic arc deposited upon a TTG basement. The nappe is rooted to the west in the Trans-North China Suture that separates the Fuping Block from the Western Block. Nappe stacking, coeval with a top-to-the-SE synmetamorphic D1 event, is dated around 1890–1870 Ma using chemical U–Th/Pb EPMA datings on monazite and U–Pb LA-ICP-MS dating on zircon. A second D2 ductile event, characterized by SE-verging folds, reworks the D1 structures. D2 is the first event recorded in the late-orogenic sedimentary series that unconformably covers the metamorphic units formed during D1. These lithological, structural and geochronological results are correlated with those described in the eastern massifs of Hengshan, Wutaishan and Fuping. The Trans-North China Belt resulted from the collision of the Fuping Block and the Western Block after a westward-directed subduction and subsequent closure of an oceanic basin where the TMU was deposited.


Predictive biomarkers are used to develop (binary) classifiers to identify patients as either good or poor candidates for clinical decision to optimize treatment selection. Ideally, these candidate biomarkers have been well studied in the phase II developmental stage, the performance characteristics of the classifier are well established in one or more retrospective validation, and the assay and predictive performance are reproducible and robust experimentally and analytically. However, completely phase II validated biomarkers for uses in phase III trial are often unavailable. Adaptive signature design (ASD) combines the biomarker identification and classifier development to the selection of candidate patients and a statistical test for treatment effect on the selected patient subgroup for phase III clinical trials. Biomarker-adaptive designs identify the most suitable target subpopulations, based on clinical observations or known biomarkers, and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment on that subpopulation in a statistically valid manner. This review is concerned with statistical aspects in the biomarker adaptive design for randomized clinical trials. Statistical issues include the interaction test to identify predictive biomarkers, subgroup analysis, multiple testing and false discovery rate (FDR), classification of imbalanced class size data, sample size and power, and validation of the classification model.


Dynamic analysis of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is characterized by the nonlinear coupling of electrical and mechanical domains. The nonlinear coupling between the two domains gives rise to several interesting dynamic phenomena besides the well established pull-in phenomenon in electrostatic MEMS. For proper understanding and detailed exploration of MEMS dynamics, it is important to have a reliable and efficient physical level simulation method. In this paper, we develop relaxation and Newton schemes based on a Lagrangian description of both the mechanical and the electrical domains for the analysis of MEMS dynamics. The application of a Lagrangian description for both mechanical and electrostatic analysis makes this method far more efficient than standard semi-Lagrangian scheme-based analysis of MEMS dynamics. A major advantage of the full-Lagrangian scheme is in the accurate computation of the interdomain coupling term (mechanical to electrical) in the Jacobian matrix of the Newton scheme which is not possible with a semi-Lagrangian scheme. The full-Lagrangian based relaxation and Newton schemes have been validated by comparing simulation results with published data for cantilever and fixed-fixed MEM beams. The Newton scheme has been used for the dynamic analysis of two classes of comb-drives widely used in MEMS, namely, transverse and lateral comb-drives. Several interesting MEM dynamic phenomena and their possible applications have been presented. Spring-hardening and softening of MEM devices has been shown. The existence of multiple resonant peaks in MEM devices has been analyzed under different electrical signals and their possible applications in multiband/passband MEM filters/oscillators is discussed. Switching speed is a serious constraint for capacitive based RF-MEM switches. We have shown that a DC bias along with an ac bias at the resonant frequency can give very fast switching at a considerably less peak power requirement.


Cenozoic opening of the central Scotia Sea involved the tectonic translation of crustal blocks to form the North Scotia Ridge, which today is a major topographic constriction to the flow of the deep Antarctic Circumpolar Current that keeps Antarctica thermally isolated from warmer ocean waters. How this ridge developed and whether it was a topographic barrier in the past are unknown. To address this we investigated the Cenozoic history of the South Georgia microcontinental block, the exposed part of the ridge. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology data confirm that the Cretaceous succession of turbidites exposed on South Georgia was stratigraphically connected to the Rocas Verdes backarc basin, part of the South America plate. Apatite thermochronometry results show that South Georgia had remained connected to South America until ca. 45–40 Ma; both record a distinct rapid cooling event at that time. Subsequent separation from South America was accompanied by kilometer-scale reburial until inversion ca. 10 Ma, coeval with the cessation of spreading at the West Scotia Ridge and collision between the South Georgia block and the Northeast Georgia Rise. Our results show that the South Georgia microcontinental block could not have been an emergent feature from ca. 40 Ma until 10 Ma.


We constrain the recent star formation histories of the host galaxies of eight optical/UV-detected tidal disruption events (TDEs). Six hosts had quick starbursts of <200 Myr duration that ended 10–1000 Myr ago, indicating that TDEs arise at different times in their hosts' post-starburst evolution. If the disrupted star formed in the burst or before, the post-burst age constrains its mass, generally excluding O, most B, and highly massive A stars. If the starburst arose from a galaxy merger, the time since the starburst began limits the coalescence timescale and thus the merger mass ratio to more equal than 12:1 in most hosts. This uncommon ratio, if also that of the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) binary, disfavors the scenario in which the TDE rate is boosted by the binary but is insensitive to its mass ratio. The stellar mass fraction created in the burst is 0.5%–10% for most hosts, not enough to explain the observed 30–200× boost in TDE rates, suggesting that the host's core stellar concentration is more important. TDE hosts have stellar masses 109.4–1010.3 M☉, consistent with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey volume-corrected, quiescent Balmer-strong comparison sample and implying SMBH masses of 105.5–107.5 M☉. Subtracting the host absorption line spectrum, we uncover emission lines; at least five hosts have ionization sources inconsistent with star formation that instead may be related to circumnuclear gas, merger shocks, or post-AGB stars.


Biological systems are composed of highly complex networks and decoding the functional significance of individual network components is critical for understanding healthy and diseased states. Several algorithms have been designed to identify the most influential regulatory points, or hub nodes, within a network. However, none of the current methods correct for inherent positional biases which limits their applicability. In addition, none of the currently available hub detection algorithms effectively combine network centrality measures together. To overcome this computational deficit, we undertook a statistical assessment of 200 real-world and simulated networks to decipher associations between centrality measures, and developed an algorithm termed "integrated hubness score" (IHS), which integrates the most important and commonly used network centrality measures, namely degree centrality, betweenness centrality and neighbourhood connectivity, in an unbiased way. When compared against the four most commonly used hub identification methods on four independent validated biological networks, the IHS algorithm outperformed all other assessed methods. Using this universal method, researchers of any discipline can now identify the most influential network nodes.


Numerous glazing technologies are under development worldwide to improve the performance of building facades. High-performance glazings can provide substantial energy and related environmental benefits, but often at greatly increased first cost when compared to conventional design solutions. To increase market viability, we discuss strategies to reduce the actual and owner-perceived costs associated with developing and producing advanced window systems, specifically switchable electrochromic glazings, and we also suggest marketing strategies designed to appeal to early adopter and mainstream purchasers. These strategies may be applicable to a broad range of advanced glazing materials.


A coupling between the lateral flexion and axial rotation as a result of the geometric arrangement of the motion segments is well known in a normal spine. The kinematic behavior of idiopathic scoliotic spines has been analyzed by means of a biomechanical model study and a radiologic study. The anteroposterior and lateral flexion radiographs of 40 patients with progressive adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were studied. In five of these patients, anteroposterior radiographs were also made with the spine in a ventrally flexed position. The kinematic behavior of a nonpathologic spine was examined by means of a three-dimensional, nonlinear geometric mathematical model of the spine. The frontal plane inclination of the facet joints in conjunction with the vertebral orientation in the sagittal plane influence the kinematic behavior in the normal spine. In a scoliotic spine, there is an axially rotated position and, in most cases, a dorsal inclination (lordotic) of the motion segments. Nevertheless, the direction of the axial rotation during lateral flexion does not differ from the direction of the axial rotation during lateral flexion in a normal spine. The existing axial rotation in idiopathic scoliosis cannot be explained on the basis of spinal kinematics. In contrast to normal spines, in scoliotic spines exists a coupling between ventral flexion or extension and axial rotation. This may be essential in the management of idiopathic scoliosis.


Pakcoy is a type of mustard are cultivated by farmers. Plants pakcoy seen from the economic and business aspects should be developed to meet consumer demand higher and higher so that the necessary technical good farming. One of them with fertilization. Fertilizer that can be used for cultivation pakcoy one of them is by using Tricho - compost TKKS . This study aimed to determine the effect Tricho - compost application and get a better dose on growth and production Pakcoy . This study used a randomized block design (RBD ) consists of 5 treatments with 4 replicates . The treatment being tested is the use of multiple doses of Tricho - compost TKKS namely providing Tricho - compost TKKS with doses of 0 ( no Tricho - compost EFB ), 3, 6, 9 and 12 tons / ha. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and tested further by a further test DNMRT. The results showed multiple dose administration of Tricho - compost TKKS showed different effects on parameters of plant height, plant fresh weight and fresh weight of plants suitable for consumption, while for the parameter number and leaf area and root crown ratio did not show a different effect. Tricho - compost dosing TKKS with a dose of 9 tons / dose constitutethe best dose for plant height parameters, plant freshweightandplantfreshweight ofconsumable. Keywords : Tricho-compost, dose, growth, production.


Objective: This study examines gender and socioeconomic inequalities in parental psychological wellbeing (parenting stress and psychological distress) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.
Background: The dramatic shift of childcare and schooling responsibility from formal institutions to private households during the pandemic has put families under enormous stress and raised concerns about caregivers' health and wellbeing. Despite the overwhelming media attention to families' wellbeing, to date limited research has examined parenting stress and parental psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Germany.
Method: We analyzed four waves of panel data (N= 1,771) from an opt-in online survey, which was conducted between March 2020 and April 2021. Multivariable OLS regressions were used to estimate variations in the pandemic's effects on parenting stress and psychological distress by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
Results: Overall, levels of parenting stress and psychological distress increased during the pandemic. During the first and third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers, parents with children younger than 11 years, parents with two or more children, parents working from home as well as parents with financial insecurity experienced higher parenting stress than other sociodemographic groups. Moreover, women, respondents with lower incomes, single parents, and parents with younger children experienced higher levels of psychological distress than other groups.
Conclusion: Gender and socioeconomic inequalities in parents' psychological wellbeing increased among the study participants during the pandemic.


Abstract
Saudi Arabia is a young wealthy nation with multiple social and economic problems. While the country is extremely wealthy, it has a young population, many of whom are unemployed. The country is highly dependent on a single resource (oil), and relies heavily on imported labour to meet the requirements of economic growth and contribute to the development of the country. In recognition of these systemic problems, the Government has developed a policy of 'Saudization' as a way of replacing expatriate with Saudi workers as a way of solving the problem of unemployment.
This thesis is an attempt to understand the roots of this paradox of high wealth and high unemployment. How did Saudi Arabia arrive at a situation where it became dependent on the labour of expatriates and why did the government not use the countries' wealth to create a vibrant high-skill economy? What strategies is the government using to deal with alarming rates of high unemployment, and how successful are their endeavours. Is Saudization the answer to the current labour market situation and, if not, what are the shortcomings of the policy? These are questions addressed in this thesis.
With Saudi Arabia having developed relatively recently, the thesis begins by providing an historical overview of the establishment of the Kingdom and at the impact of the 1970s oil boom. It focuses on the labour market, the role of religion and on government attempts to stem rising unemployment through the policy of Saudization. The thesis draws on documentary evidence as well as on interviews with representatives of the key stakeholder groups: policy makers, employers and employees.
It is argued that the roots of the problem in the Saudi labour market can be traced back to the process of transformation from an agricultural to an industrial society. Reliance on oil wealth and the establishment of a rentier economy led to a situation where citizens had a low level of involvement in the economy or the political process and labour needs were met through the recruitment of expatriate employees rather than through education and training.
III
The thesis argues that the policy of Saudization falls short in several key areas. First, Saudization as a policy is targeting the symptom (unemployment) instead of focusing on the problem employability. In many respects, the education system and labour market situations are poorly aligned; strict religious controls over the content of the curriculum and a lack of forward planning means that young Saudis are not being equipped with the hard or soft skills necessary to meet economic demands. Second, the policy is not tuned into the needs of the private sector and has failed to meet the concerns of employers or employees. Third, the policy has failed to respect the varying situations of employers in different sectors of the labour market and should recognise the need to set industry specific targets for Saudization.
In sum, the research lends weight to the idea that Saudization is deficient as a policy and that, without targeted logistics and application, provides little more than a short-term solution to unemployment.


Vaccines are arguably the most powerful medical intervention in the fight against infectious diseases. The enormity of the global human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic makes the development of an AIDS vaccine a scientific and humanitarian priority. Research on vaccines that induce T-cell immunity has dominated much of the recent development effort, mostly because of disappointing efforts to induce neutralizing antibodies through vaccination. Whereas T cells are known to limit HIV and other virus infections after infection, their role in protection against initial infection is much less clear. In this article, we will review the rationale behind a T-cell-based vaccine approach, provide an overview of the methods and platforms that are being applied, and discuss the impact of recent vaccine trial results on the future direction of T-cell vaccine research.


In two experiments we tested people's naive beliefs about where interventions act in real-world causal systems. We provided people with a description of a novel health condition that could be treated by two different treatments, a medication and a lifestyle modification. Participants judged a medication as acting on the symptoms of a disorder instead of the cause of the disorder, while a lifestyle modification was seen as acting on both the cause and the symptoms of a health condition (Experiment 1). These results held despite participants rating both treatments as effective. Providing information about the specific causal mechanism by which a treatment could work did not increase beliefs about a medication's ability to target the cause of a disorder (Experiment 2). Implications for understanding of everyday causal interventions and health treatments is discussed.


The growing interest in shoulder joint imaging comes from the ever-increasing demand for such an examination in orthopedics. Since more complete and detailed imaging of bone, capsuloligamentous and musculotendinous compartments is always needed, CT arthrography has necessarily become a widely used method. In this study, 282 patients were investigated with CT arthrography. Seventy per cent of them had anatomical instability, 17.3% had functional instability and the extant 12.7% had shoulder pain. In traumatic instability, the most often injured structures were the glenoid labra (91%) and the capsule (82%). Lesions in the two structures were nearly always associated. Moreover, high incidence (65.8%) of Hill-Sachs lesions of the humeral head was observed. In atraumatic instability, abnormal anteversion of the scapular glenoid was always detected. In the patients with shoulder pain, the most common causes were the impingement syndrome (30.5%), superior labrum lesions (16.7%), adhesive capsulitis (16.7%) and synovial osteochondromatosis (13.7%). With CT arthrography, labial abnormalities (detachments, tears, amputations, eversions and degeneration) can be identified, as well as capsular lesions (insertional detachment and laxity), rotator cuff conditions (bursitis, tendinitis and partial/complete tears), biceps tendon abnormalities and glenoid rim and humeral head fractures. Moreover, CT arthrography is minimally invasive and well tolerated. It exhibits 97.7% specificity, 91% sensitivity and 96% accuracy. Furthermore, it has been proven to be extremely useful in treatment and surgical planning.


Recent advances in tracking technology have enabled devices such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) loggers to be used on a wide variety of birds. Although there are established ethical considerations to these processes, different species may react differently to particular devices and attachments. Thus, pilot studies are still of utmost importance in this field. Here, we describe one such study trialling a novel harness design for GPS tracking devices on Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen. Despite previous testing demonstrating the strength and durability of the harness, devices were removed within minutes to hours of initial fitting. Notably, removal was observed to involve one bird snapping another bird's harness at the only weak point, such that the tracker was released. This behaviour demonstrates both cooperation and a moderate level of problem solving, providing potential further evidence of the cognitive abilities of this species. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the conspecific removal of GPS trackers, and should be considered when planning future tracking studies especially on highly social species.


Bioremediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals is based on the use of specially selected plants able to reduce the hazards of toxic metals. Depending on the mode of action on the heavy metals existing in the soil and the place where the action takes place, the following mechanisms for soil phytoremediation are distinguished: phytostabilization, phytoextraction, phytoimobilization, rhizofiltration, or evapotranspiration. These mechanisms are complex and include the plant ability to reduce the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals and other pollutants, to extract large amounts of heavy metals from the soil or to evaporate water together with various pollutants already reached in the rhizosphere. Decontamination of polluted soils by using bioaccumulative plants is proposed as an environmental-friendly alternative to the traditional physicochemical methods, being a sustainable method with a great potential in the terms of environmental protection and cost management.


In this work, we are dedicated to a new task, i.e., hand-object interaction image generation, which aims to conditionally generate the hand-object image under the given hand, object and their interaction status. This task is challenging and research-worthy in many potential application scenarios, such as AR/VR games and online shopping, etc. To address this problem, we propose a novel HOGAN framework, which utilizes the expressive model-aware hand-object representation and leverages its inherent topology to build the unified surface space. In this space, we explicitly consider the complex self- and mutual occlusion during interaction. During final image synthesis, we consider different characteristics of hand and object and generate the target image in a split-and-combine manner. For evaluation, we build a comprehensive protocol to access both the fidelity and structure preservation of the generated image. Extensive experiments on two large-scale datasets, i.e., HO3Dv3 and DexYCB, demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of our framework both quantitatively and qualitatively. The project page is available at https://play-with-hoi-generation.github.io/.


This study presents an analytical approach for proper selection of output functions to be regulated for the Vienna rectifier such that the resultant closed-loop systems are minimum phase. Specifically, two different adaptive control methodologies based on the input-output linearisation are developed and categorised. In the first category, three output functions are introduced and imposed to be zero by using three dynamic feedback laws. On the basis of states to be regulated, four different cases are studied and it is shown that only one of these cases results in a one-dimensional zero dynamics with an asymptotically stable equilibrium point. In the second category, two output functions are defined and output zeroing problem is solved with two control inputs. In addition, the remaining control is used to feedback linearise the resultant two-dimensional zero dynamics. Eighteen different cases are studied to demonstrate that only in one of these cases, the corresponding zero dynamics is feedback linearisable. Stability properties of the adaptive systems are investigated to show that the proposed adaptive controllers are capable of DC output voltage regulation and power factor correction in the presence of parametric and non-parametric uncertainties. Finally, simulation results are presented to confirm the validity of the developed approaches.


Internally pressurised pipe behaves differently than externally pressurised pipe. DNVGL-ST-F101 [4], a prevailing standard for the design of submarine pipelines, provides limit-state equations for combined loading that are valid only if the diameter-to-wall-thickness ratio (D/t) is between 15 and 45. A recent study has shown that the results are increasingly conservative for lower values of this ratio if the nett pressure is acting on the pipe's outside [8], especially if it is below 20.
 In this paper, the applicability of the limit-state equations for thick-walled pipe with D/t less than 15 and loaded by a nett internal pressure has been investigated. The first step was a fundamental review of the formulations. Next, the predicted capacities were compared with those estimated using a finite-element (FE) model. The results greatly coincided, which indicates that the conservatism underlying the formulations does not depend on D/t. Hence they can be used for design against local buckling under internal overpressure, too, when the ratio is below 15.


In this paper, we focus on the process of mass transfer in the rotating disk apparatus formulated as a Stefan problem with consideration given to both the hydrodynamics of the process and the specific chemical reactions occurring in the bulk. The wide range in the reaction rates of the underlying chemistry allows for a natural decoupling of the problem into a simplified set of weakly coupled convective–reaction–diffusion equations for the slowly reacting chemical species and a set of algebraic relations for the species that react rapidly. An analysis of the chemical equilibrium conditions identifies an expansion parameter and a reduced model that remains valid for arbitrarily large times. Numerical solutions of the model are compared to an asymptotic analysis revealing three distinct time scales and chemical diffusion boundary layer that lies completely inside the hydrodynamic layer. Formulated as a Stefan problem, the model generalizes the work of Levich (Levich and Spalding (1962) Physicochemical hydrodynamics, vol. 689, Prentice-Hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ) and will help better understand the natural limitations of the rotating disk reaction vessel when consideration is made for the reacting chemical species.


Compared with the near-infrared-I spectral window (NIR-I, 650–950 nm), a newly developed imaging and treatment window with a 1000–1700 nm range (defined as the NIR-II bio-window) has attracted much attention owing to its higher spatiotemporal resolution, increased tissue penetration depth and therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we designed a nanotheranostic platform (HC-AB NPs) via loading ammonia borane (AB) into hollow carbon nanoparticles (HCs) for NIR-II photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided NIR-II hydrogenothermal therapy. Importantly, by exploiting the characteristics of beta zeolite as a hard template and a template-carbonization-corrosion process, the prepared HCs have excellent NIR-II absorption performance and AB loading capacity. With the high biocompatibility of HC-AB NPs, an efficient synergistic anti-tumor strategy has been achieved via high intratumoural accumulation and acid-stimulated H2 release as well as PA-guided precise NIR-II photothermal therapy. The HC-AB NPs as a promising nanotheranostic platform opens a new avenue for high-efficacy NIR-II hydrogenothermal therapy.


Two major energy-related problems confront the world in the
next 50 years. First, increased worldwide competition for
gradually depleting fossil fuel reserves (derived from past
photosynthesis) will lead to higher costs, both monetarily and politically. Second, atmospheric CO_2 levels are at their highest recorded level since records began. Further increases are predicted to produce large and uncontrollable impacts on the world climate. These projected impacts extend beyond climate to ocean acidification, because the ocean is a major sink for atmospheric CO2.1 Providing a future energy supply that is secure and CO_2-neutral will require switching to nonfossil energy sources such as wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal energy and developing methods for transforming the energy produced by these new sources into forms that can be stored, transported, and used upon demand.


Moral panics" of the "Black Peril" ("Not a White Woman Safe!") variety are a staple of much more than the stock South African conversations that Doris Lessing irritatedly noted in Going Home:There is no psychological quirk or justification or rationalisation that is new or even interesting [about "all these colour attitudes and prejudices"]. What is so terrible is the boring and repetitive nature of "white civilisation".(1)Nearly fifty years before, Perceval Gibbon made the same observation in Margaret Harding:Margaret had started a subject which no South African can exhaust. They discuss it with heat, with philosophic impartiality, with ethnological and eugenic inexactitudes, and sometimes with bloodshed, but they never wear it out.(2)Inter-racial sexual encounters, coerced or consenting, and often culminating in social crisis, provide a plot for much colonial and post-colonial fiction, hence fuelling literary criticism. They have, moreover, provoked debates within colonial social psychology and social history.(3) My purpose here is to examine how some American and Australian feminist literary criticism over the past decade has wrestled with the radical feminist contention, asserted in Shulamith Firestone's The Dialectic of Sex that "racism is sexism extended".(4) Lessing's The Grass is Singing(5) will be my major literary reference.The concept of "moral panic" is fully detailed by Stanley Cohen in Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. But Stuart Hall has provided a useful resume of this spiralling, amplifying sequence: socio-structural conduciveness and strain; growth and spread of a generalised fear; precipitating factors and a dramatic event; public disquiet; "moral enterprise"; mobilisation of the control culture, resulting in increased, even more punitive social control. Although Hall and his colleagues were not totally satisfied with the concept when writing Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State and Law and Order, they were unable to replace it as a description of ideological configurations and processes which both foster and aggravate acute social distress. "The crisis always assumes the form of a collective projected fear of a society disintegrating or being invaded, or about a nemesis at work unlocking it."(6) One distinctive feature of moral panics is that the "dramatic event" -- in the instance considered here, inter-racial sex and murder -- need not even occur. Apprehension that it will may be enough to instigate or keep the sequence in motion.A striking aspect of sociological, psychological and historical expositions of moral panics has been recourse to fiction when customary professional documentation, however assiduously assembled and ingeniously interpreted, cannot answer questions of special interest to feminists. Why, in situations of acute socio-structural strain, are conflicts among groups divided and stratified by class and colour fought out in monotonously predictable sexual imagery, however varied the historical circumstances? (These include the "syndrome" of recession-political uncertainty-industrial action identified by Charles van Onselen for the Witwatersrand between 1886 and 1914; Timothy Keegan's analysis of "lapsed whites" and deracinated blacks as the "folk devils"(*) of the ideological crisis over segregation in South Africa during 1912; the tense transitions from frontier to settlement in a variety of Pacific "beach" communities, such as those described by Amirah Inglis and Caroline Ralston; and Angela Y. Davis' association of the tactics of lynching with the over-exploitation of black labour after the Reconstruction period in the American South.(7) Is class/colour being ideologically displaced by this recourse to a rhetoric of sexual threat, or may gender conflict be a material precipitant of such crises? Feminists further note the vast discrepancy between the inflated symbolic role of "the" white woman during a moral panic contrasted with her attenuated presence in most historical accounts (although not necessarily, as social history has demonstrated, in the records themselves. …


This paper seeks to look into the causes and factors that lead to the practice of vote buying in the Philippines. This also tries to examine the motivations of candidates who buy and sell their votes. The data were obtained from a combination of government data bases and informal sources. The findings revealed a significant correlation between poverty, literacy rate and the buying price of votes. Vote buying thrives where poverty incidence is high and where literacy is low. Due to the rather high incidence of poverty in the country, vote buying appeared to escalate over the years. The interplay of economic needs of the voters and their willingness to cast their votes to the highest bidders paint a rather glowing political scenario in the future.


Abstract Objective: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a widely hypothesized biomarker of biological aging. Persons with shorter LTL may have a greater likelihood of developing dementia. We investigate whether LTL is associated with cognitive function, differently for individuals without cognitive impairment versus individuals with dementia or incipient dementia. Method: Enrolled subjects belong to the Long Life Family Study (LLFS), a multi-generational cohort study, where enrollment was predicated upon exceptional family longevity. Included subjects had valid cognitive and telomere data at baseline. Exclusion criteria were age ≤ 60 years, outlying LTL, and missing sociodemographic/clinical information. Analyses were performed using linear regression with generalized estimating equations, adjusting for sex, age, education, country, generation, and lymphocyte percentage. Results: Older age and male gender were associated with shorter LTL, and LTL was significantly longer in family members than spouse controls (p < 0.005). LTL was not associated with working or episodic memory, semantic processing, and information processing speed for 1613 cognitively unimpaired individuals as well as 597 individuals with dementia or incipient dementia (p < 0.005), who scored significantly lower on all cognitive domains (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Within this unique LLFS cohort, a group of families assembled on the basis of exceptional survival, LTL is unrelated to cognitive ability for individuals with and without cognitive impairment. LTL does not change in the context of degenerative disease for these individuals who are biologically younger than the general population.