This article explores the political use of discourses of nation by analysing the use of location formulation across a selection of Scottish newspapers. The article looks at a sample of the election coverage of six Scottish titles and conducts a corpus analysis to set out the patterns in their use of named locales. It argues that references to nation both come in a variety of forms and are driven by the constitutional disputes around the position of Scotland relative to the United Kingdom. In particular, the article finds that the newspapers engage in different rhetorical strategies that emphasise the Scottish dimension of the election, its British dimension, or a negotiated position between the two. The article therefore seeks to highlight the discursive role that the lexical expression of nation and nationhood might have in the articulation between nation and politics, and suggests that in the Scottish case the formulation of nation is employed in the reproduction of competing, constitutionally based political discourses.


Aim: The volume of research being conducted on the acceptance of social media platforms is rising. But the factors influencing the acceptance for academic reasons are still not properly identified. This study's goal is two-fold. Initially, by including Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and external variables, analyze the students' intention to use social media networks. Secondly, to employ Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to verify the proposed theoretical model.
Methods: The focus of this research is to create a conceptual model by supplementing TAM with a subjective norm to assess students' adoption of social media in the classroom. Students currently at one private university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provided a sum of 627 acceptable questionnaire surveys out of 700 distributed corresponding to 89.6%. The collected data were evaluated using ML and PLS-SEM.
Results: According to the research findings, students' intention to utilize social media networks for learning is significantly predicted by "subjective norms, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use". These findings illustrated how crucial it is for students to feel capable and secure using social networks in their academic work. For validation using machine learning classifiers, the results showed that J48 (a decision tree) typically outperformed other classifiers.
Conclusion: According to the empirical findings, "subjective norm," "perceived usefulness and ease of use" all significantly increase students' intention to use social networks for learning. These results were in line with earlier research on social network acceptability. Lawmakers and managers of social media platforms in education must therefore concentrate on those factors that are crucial to promoting education and enhancing students' capacity for developing and implementing successful social media applications.


The goal of the research is to study current practices of financial management in Ukrainian companies from agribusiness sector. Ukrainian managers applied a multidimensional approach in financial management oriented on such goals as sustainable growth, continuity and maximizing profits. A great importance of control, analysis and reporting in financial management derived from a need for detailed financial information for board and shareholders as well as for Ukrainian tax authorities and other governmental bodies. Efficient working capital management was a necessary condition for continuity of operations in highly volatile Ukrainian market. The most preferable capital budgeting technique was profitability index, while net present value and internal rate of return were less popular. Ukrainian managers were strongly supporting the pecking-order theory of capital structure.


Orthogonal space-time block coding is a transmit diversity method that has the potential to enhance forward capacity. For a communication system with a complex alphabet, full diversity and full code rate space-time codes are available only for two antennas, and for more than two antennas full diversity is achieved only when the code rate is lower than one. A quasi-orthogonal code could provide full code rate, but at the expense of loss in diversity, which results in degradation of performance. We propose a closed loop feedback scheme for quasi-orthogonal codes which provides full diversity while achieving the full code rate. We investigate, in particular, the performance of this scheme, when the feedback information is quantised and when the fading of the channel is frequency-selective.


Monolithic refractories are now well established as linings for a range of holding and melting applications for the processing of aluminium. The refractory lining in an aluminium furnace has to withstand a wide variety of physical and chemical environments. Each of the different furnace zones presents a different set of operating conditions, in terms of peak temperature, temperature fluctuation, metal contact, flux contact, impact from ingot loading, etc. Therefore, in order for a monolithic material to successfully perform in a particular area of the furnace, it needs to be able to cope with the specific environmental conditions in that region of the furnace. Aluminium producers continue to increase productivity through their Melt-Hold furnaces to maintain competitiveness. The use of more powerful burners to increase heat input to the furnace is therefore becoming increasingly common practice. But faster melting leads to increased metal losses from surface oxidation and to segregation from large heat gradients. These effects are countered by increased use of fluxes and increased stirring. Given the increasingly challenging environment within which the refractory lining has to work, traditional lining solutions can no longer be relied upon to provide the service lives that were previously achieved. Therefore, a new generation of furnace lining materials is required to cope with today's aluminium furnace. This paper describes one such newly developed monolithic material, designed specifically to improve performance in the superstructure zone of Aluminium furnaces. The non-metal contact, superstructure regions of aluminium furnaces present their own unique set of challenges for the refractory lining. Refractories in these regions – roof, upper walls and flue – have to cope with excessively high levels of alkali vapour and thermal shock. This paper reviews the operating conditions found in the superstructure areas of a typical melting and holding furnace and the implications these have on monolithic lining material design and performance. The improved behaviour of the newly developed monolithic material against the critical performance criteria in these furnace regions is demonstrated in the laboratory, compared to existing industry leading materials, using industry standard test methods.


SUMMARY Considerable efforts are being deployed to reduce illegal forestry activities in the Congo basin forests, but these efforts seem to be concentrated on illegal timber logging and wildlife poaching to the neglect of other illegal forest activities such as Non Timber Forests Products (NTFP) harvesting and trade. This paper applies a choice experiment approach to evaluate policy options that are hypothesised to provide incentives for small scale forest actors to comply with the forestry law governing trade in NTFP in Cameroon. Data was collected from 70 traders. Based on willingness to pay measures, it was revealed that the options most preferred by the sampled traders included a decentralisation of the application process to obtain permits and a reduction in the volume of paper work involved in the process. The authors conclude that acknowledging the preferences of small scale actors can be relevant in reducing illegality in the forestry sector.


Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting lasers (VCSELs) are compact and efficient light sources useful for a variety of applications. However, due to lack of a transverse mode control mechanism, such lasers suffer from poor spatial beam quality, intrinsic spatiotemporal instabilities and nonlinear destabilizing effects such as filamentation and spatial hole burning [1]. Therefore, there is a need for new strategies to manipulate the light wave dynamics to enhance the stability of VCSELs. Recently, non-Hermitian media have become a flexible platform for new functionalities such as asymmetric coupling, unidirectional invisibility, single mode lasing [2–3]. In this presentation, we propose a novel stabilization mechanism for VCSLEs to obtain bright and narrow beams. The mechanism relies on non-Hermitian configuration of the laser potential, achieved by simultaneous spatial modulation of the refractive index and gain-loss profiles. In particular, we consider axisymmetric non-Hermitian potentials expressed as: n(r)=nR cos(qr)-inI cos(qr-ϕ) where nR and nI are the amplitude of the refractive index and gain-loss modulations, and ϕ is the relative phase shift between them. Such potentials may confine the emitted light around the central part of VCSELs, through unidirectional-inward radial coupling among the transverse modes [4]. The interplay of the relative strength and relative phase of the index and gain-loss modulations manipulate the wave dynamics of such lasers to emit powerful and narrow beams of high brightness. We use the mean-field paraxial model to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of such VCSELs with non-Hermitian potentials. The output emission of conventional VCSEL and modified VCSEL with concentric non-Hermitian configuration is shown in Fig. 1(a,b), illustrating irregular and stable localized pattern, respectively. We assess the performance through the central intensity enhancement [see Fig. 1(c)] and field concertation [see Fig. 1(d)]. The spatial dynamics for a representative point is provided in Fig. 1(e). The stationary intensity profile and its corresponding cross-section show that intensity is strongly concentrated at r=0 due to the favoured radial coupling of inward propagating waves, as depicted in the transverse field flow on the inset [see Fig. 1(e)].


Winds of Change attempts to build upon the recent tradition of monophonic compositional practice by combining techniques directed at setting a central musical line to maintain interest and create textural clarity. These techniques are primarily inspired by the works of George Crumb and Tan Dun. Winds of Change also includes found and built percussion instruments, which are employed to create a unique timbral sound environment. The combination of these two elements is intended to create a monophonic work that is both expressively clear and unique. Chapter I concerns the basic purpose of the thesis and accompanying document. Chapter II focuses on specific techniques and compositional processes used in Winds of Change.


The results of postmortem investigation of 101 cases of HIV infection at its different stages in Saint-Petersburg are analyzed. The challenges to a pathologist performing the autopsy are discussed. There has been an increase in the number of deaths since 2000, among drug users in particular. Macrophacytic transformation and specific HIV-related encephalitis are among the most important changes directly associated with immunodeficiency virus. Among secondary infections, cryptococcosis, cytomegaly, pneumocystosis, and tuberculosis are most common and significant.


Exploring the characterization of singular black hole spacetimes, we study the relation between energy density, curvature invariants, and geodesic completeness using a quadratic $f(R)$ gravity theory coupled to an anisotropic fluid. Working in a metric-affine approach, our models and solutions represent minimal extensions of General Relativity (GR) in the sense that they rapidly recover the usual Reissner-Nordstrom solution from near the inner horizon outwards. The anisotropic fluid helps modify only the innermost geometry. Depending on the values and signs of two parameters on the gravitational and matter sectors, a breakdown of the correlations between the finiteness/divergence of the energy density, the behavior of curvature invariants, and the (in)completeness of geodesics is obtained. We find a variety of configurations with and without wormholes, a case with a de Sitter interior, solutions that mimic non-linear models of electrodynamics coupled to GR, and configurations with up to four horizons. Our results raise questions regarding what infinities, if any, a quantum version of these theories should regularize.


In an approach recently proposed for the yield enhancement of programmable gate arrays (PGA's), an initial placement of a circuit is first obtained using a standard technique such as simulated annealing on a defect-free PGA. In the next step, this placement is reconfigured so that the circuit is mapped onto the defect-free portion of a defective PGA chip with the same architecture. We first formulate the reconfiguration aspect of this approach as a problem of shifting pebbles on a graph. We present efficient reconfiguration algorithms for this pebble shift problem. Using these algorithms as heuristics, we develop a yield enhancement system not only for PGA's, but also for programmable Wafer Scare Integrated (WSI) processor arrays. We evaluate the heuristic algorithms using the measures of routability and total wire length of the reconfigured placement of the circuit. Based on this evaluation, we establish proper reconfiguration strategies. >


The ability of hydrogels to absorb large amounts of water implies that they both provide less soil water losses by preventing deep percolation of water and also increase water use efficiency of plants leading to decrease the effects of water deficiency due to salinity stress on crops. To study the effect of two types of superabsorbent (Stockosorb and Xanous) on growth of greenhouse cucumber under saline-soil conditions, a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with 12 replications was carried out in Research Greenhouse of Yazd University. At the first stage of the experiment, effect of applying superabsorbent polymers (Stockosorb and Xanous) at three levels (0, 3 and 6 g/kg dry soil) was investigated 25 days after planting by measuring different characteristics including number of leaves, plant height, leaf length and leaf width. At the second stage, the abovementioned characteristics, along with the number of flowers and fresh and dry weight of plants, were measured 35 days after planting. Results indicated that at both stages, adding Stockosorb to the saline soil (EC= 5 dS/m) significantly increased all measured parameters when compared to the control. Application of two levels of Xanous hydrogel to the saline soil had no significant effect on measured traits, except on number of flowers, as compared to the control. Variations of number of flowers in both hydrogel treatments, and at both application levels, showed that using superabsorbent could be important in enhancing the crop yield under difficult saline conditions.


The paper discusses the tracking control of uncertain nonlinear systems. The spec& system studied is an XY-table. The control system consists of an "exact" linearizing state feedback and a linear robustifying controller in an outer loop. For the outer loop a controller is synthesizedusing the p-methodology. Iterative improvements in the robustness of the controlled system are obtained by stepwise refinements in the structure of the p-synthesis problem and in the choice of performance weights and uncertainty weights, at the cost of decreased performance. This uncovers the need for preciseness in the choice of design weights.


Importance
The prevalence of hypertension and the risk for hypertension-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) are high among black adults. The population-attributable risk (PAR) accounts for both prevalence and excess risk of disease associated with a risk factor.

Objective
To examine the PAR for CVD associated with hypertension among black adults.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This prospective cohort study used data on 12 497 black participants older than 21 years without CVD at baseline who were enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) from September 26, 2000, through March 31, 2004, and cardiovascular events were adjudicated through December 31, 2015. The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study participants were enrolled from July 1, 2003, through September 12, 2007, and cardiovascular events were adjudicated through March 31, 2016. Data analysis was performed from March 26, 2018, through July 10, 2019.

Exposures
Normal blood pressure and hypertension were defined using the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association blood pressure guideline thresholds.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The PAR for CVD associated with hypertension, calculated using multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke associated with hypertension vs normal blood pressure. Prevalence of hypertension among non-Hispanic black US adults 21 years and older without CVD was calculated using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2014.

Results
Of 12 497 participants, 1935 had normal blood pressure (638 [33.0%] male; mean [SD] age, 53.5 [12.4] years), 929 had elevated blood pressure (382 [41.1%] male; mean [SD] age, 58.6 [11.8] years), and 9633 had hypertension (3492 [36.3%] male; mean [SD] age, 62.0 [10.3] years). For a maximum 14.3 years of follow-up, 1235 JHS and REGARDS study participants (9.9%) experienced a CVD event. The multivariable-adjusted HR associated with hypertension was 1.91 (95% CI, 1.48-2.46) for CVD, 2.41 (95% CI,1.59-3.66) for coronary heart disease, 1.52 (95% CI, 1.01-2.30) for heart failure, and 2.20 (95% CI, 1.44-3.36) for stroke. The prevalence of hypertension was 53.2% among non-Hispanic black individuals. The PAR associated with hypertension was 32.5% (95% CI, 20.5%-43.6%) for CVD, 42.7% (95% CI, 24.0%-58.4%) for coronary heart disease, 21.6% (95% CI, 0.6%-40.8%) for heart failure, and 38.9% (95% CI, 19.4%-55.6%) for stroke. The PAR was higher among those younger than 60 years (54.6% [95% CI, 37.2%-68.7%]) compared with those 60 years or older (32.0% [95% CI, 11.9%-48.1%]). No differences were present in subgroup analyses.

Conclusions and Relevance
These findings suggest that a substantial proportion of CVD cases among black individuals are associated with hypertension. Interventions to maintain normal blood pressure throughout the life course may reduce the incidence of CVD in this population.


Colonialism began in Africa in the 14th century, with the primary objective of accumulating wealth at the expense of African peoples. To achieve this purpose, some European nations obliterated African autonomy by creating colonial territories, in order to harness Africa's natural resources without constraint to expand their economic systems. In retrospect, recognising the impact of colonialism, it is unquestionable that, while Africa significantly contributed to the development of the world, its peoples were disproportionately dispossessed of their natural resources and their livelihood endangered. In the face of these historic injustices, as Africa looks to creating her own development, the departure point would be to correct the current inconsistency of being rich in natural resources, yet poor and underdeveloped. The right to self-determination entails for Africans to have control over, and exercise the right to permanent sovereignty over natural resources, with the purpose of achieving continental development. Reflecting on the ethos of African renaissance and pan-Africanism, which are anchored on the need for "collective self-reliance", the African Union adopted Agenda 2063 in 2015 as a continental roadmap to structural transformation, inclusive growth, and sustainable development. This paper argues that to fulfil the aspirations contained in Agenda 2063 requires prioritising the right to permanent sovereignty over natural resources. In this regard, it advances the argument for resource nationalism as a means to achieve the right to development in Africa.


In order to investigate the growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), we construct the black hole mass function (BHMF) and Eddington ratio distribution function (ERDF) of X-ray-selected broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ∼ 1.4 in the Subaru XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) field. A significant part of the accretion growth of SMBHs is thought to take place in this redshift range. Black hole masses of X-ray-selected broad-line AGNs are estimated using the width of the broad Mg ii line and 3000 Å monochromatic luminosity. We supplement the Mg ii FWHM values with the Hα FWHM obtained from our NIR spectroscopic survey. Using the black hole masses of broad-line AGNs at redshifts between 1.18 and 1.68, the binned broad-line AGN BHMFs and ERDFs are calculated using the Vmax method. To properly account for selection effects that impact the binned estimates, we derive the corrected broad-line AGN BHMFs and ERDFs by applying the maximum likelihood method, assuming that the ERDF is constant regardless of the black hole mass. We do not correct for the non-negligible uncertainties in virial BH mass estimates. If we compare the corrected broad-line AGN BHMF with that in the local universe, then the corrected BHMF at z = 1.4 has a higher number density above 108 M☉ but a lower number density below that mass range. The evolution may be indicative of a downsizing trend of accretion activity among the SMBH population. The evolution of broad-line AGN ERDFs from z = 1.4 to 0 indicates that the fraction of broad-line AGNs with accretion rates close to the Eddington limit is higher at higher redshifts.


For millennia, Cannabis has been used in various cultural groups because of its versatile applications. Among other things, the plant served as a source of textile fibers, but was also used as a medicine to treat inflammation, cramps or epilepsy. With the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, the plant, which had fallen into disrepute in the mid-20th century because of its excessive use as a recreational drug and is therefore still subject to heavy restrictions in most countries, gained new prestige. Thus, it was found that certain secondary metabolites, known as cannabinoids, could modulate a variety of physiological processes, potentially offering new therapeutic applications. To date, more than 100 of these cannabinoids have been isolated, the best known of which are the psychoactive-acting Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the non-psychotropic cannabidiol (CBD). In this context, THC- and CBD-containing products such as Sativex® and Epidyolex®, which are already approved as pharmaceuticals, are finding application in medicine. However, THC is considered a major limitation for clinical use due to its psychoactive character, so non-psychotropic cannabinoids, as well as synthetic non-naturally-occurring cannabinoids that have similar medicinal properties to THC, but do not have the undesirable side effect, will be of key importance in the future. Given that chemical production of synthetic cannabinoids is very costly, heterologous production in host organisms could provide a remedy, potentially leading to industrial-scale production of rare phytocannabinoids or novel synthetic cannabinoid pharmaceuticals not readily offered by cannabis plants.
In this regard, the aim was to establish tobacco as an alternative host organism for the biosynthetic production of cannabinoids. It was shown that it was possible to produce all enzymes involved in cannabinoid biosynthesis in transiently transformed Nicotiana benthamiana plants and to detect their activity in vitro. Moreover, transient expression of aae1, ols, and oac and supplementation of hexanoic acid in vivo resulted in the formation of both, the cannabinoid precursor olivetolic acid (OA) and the new-to-nature C-4 OA glucoside. However, beyond the synthesis of OA, it was not yet possible to reconstruct the biosynthetic pathway in vivo, probably due to the lack of sufficient geranyl diphosphate (GPP) supply within tobacco plants. To enable efficient production of cannabinoids in the future, it is therefore essential to eliminate this bottleneck in the biosynthetic pathway.
In addition to the transient approach, stably transformed liquid cell cultures were generated, which expressed the necessary genes for the production of OA or its glucoside. This should, with a view to use in industrial production, enable large-scale cultivation in bioreactors under GMP conditions. In this context, it was possible to integrate the individual genes into Nicotiana tabacum by stable transformation. However, in contrast to transient expression, neither the synthesis of OA nor its glucoside could be detected, most likely due to a mutation in the OLS gene that was used.
The second part of the work dealt with the characterization of the cannabinoid-forming synthases Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase (THCAS), cannabichromenic acid synthase (CBCAS) and cannabidiolic acid synthase (CBDAS). It was found that N-glycosylation and therefore localization of the proteins via the secretory pathway, either into the apoplast or vacuole, is required for the production of the enzymes in planta. In addition, in vitro experiments with THCAS and CBDAS showed that when organic solvents such as acetonitrile or acetone were added, the product specificity of the enzymes changed from Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), respectively, to the synthesis of cannabichromenic acid (CBCA). This in turn indicates that, among other things, also the hydrophobic environment in the glandular trichomes of Cannabis could be responsible for the cannabinoid diversity in different Cannabis strains.
Since CBCAS has a 93 % amino acid identity to THCAS but does not produce THCA, it stands to reason that small differences in amino acid sequence outside the catalytic center affect cyclization specificities. Therefore, final mutagenesis studies were performed with CBCAS and the goal of producing THCA to gain further insight into the catalytic mechanisms of the synthases. However, none of the so far introduced mutations resulted in the production of the desired cannabinoid, thus further site-directed mutagenesis have to be performed in the future, including the initially neglected amino acids.


Background:
 Patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma continue to represent an unmet medical need, and this is especially true for those with deletion (del) 17p, who have an inferior prognosis. We previously reported the ability of HDP-101 to induce anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in myeloma cell lines and primary patient samples. HDP-101 showed enhanced efficacy against del 17p models, which are characterized by concurrent haploinsufficiency of RNA polymerase II subunit A (POLR2A), which is the target of amanitin. This occurred in conjunction with activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress, and at least two arms of the unfolded protein response. Also, a single dose of HDP-101 was sufficient to induce cures in murine models of myeloma both with and without TP53 and/or POLR2A. Therefore, we sought to better understand the mechanisms of action of HDP-101 and its potential immunologic sequelae.
 Methods:
 Pre-clinical studies were performed using HDP-101, the unconjugated BCMA antibody, free α-Amanitin, and a non-targeting control Amanitin antibody drug conjugate in myeloma cell line models and in vivo. These included H929, MM1.S, and MOLP-8 TP53 wild-type (WT) lines and isogenic cells in which TP53 had been knocked out (KO) using genome editing techniques. To further model del 17p and POLR2A haploinsufficiency, POLR2A expression was knocked down using sequence-specific shRNAs. Tumor rechallenge experiments were performed after 100 days of tumor free survival in NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice with longitudinal monitoring of tumor growth kinetics.
 Results:
 HDP-101 induced immunogenic cell death (ICD) in myeloma cell lines as determined by increased expression of Calreticulin (CRT), Heat shock protein (HSP)-70, and release of High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) by flow cytometry and Western blotting. Microscopic analysis of ICD upon treatment with HDP-101 in MM1.S cells showed a speckled arrangement of both CRT and HMGB1 on the cell surface. In addition, an increased ADP/ATP ratio was observed across three different cell lines in a TP53-independent manner suggestive of an operational ICD pathway. Using our current knowledge of ER stress activation and induction of ICD, we evaluated the combination of bortezomib and HDP-101 in H929, MM1.S, and MOLP-8 cells and primary samples. A significant loss of cellular viability (p<0.01) was observed upon combination treatment across the cell lines, and primary samples also showed a similar effect but only in CD138+ve populations while sparing the CD138-ve fraction. NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice injected with MM1.S luciferase-transfected cells uniformly developed systemic disease, and one dose of HDP-101 induced cures with no evidence of relapse out to 100 days. These same mice were then rechallenged with MM1.S cells but none developed recurrent disease, suggesting the generation of immunologic memory. Natural killer (NK) cells isolated from these mice showed ex vivo activity against myeloma cell lines which was greatest against MM1.S cells. Finally, cured mice were treated with the anti-asialo GM1 antibody that depletes NK cells or control serum first, and then rechallenged with MM1.S cells. While MM1.S-based tumors could not become established in control serum treated mice, pre-treatment with the anti-asialo GM1 antibody did allow tumors to develop. Studies to compare the activity of HDP-101 with other antibody drug conjugates are currently ongoing.
 Conclusions:
 Our results support the statement that HDP-101 is a novel anti-BCMA antibody drug conjugate that shows potent activity against drug-naïve and -resistant models of myeloma, and has the potential to show enhanced anti-tumor activity against del 17 p myeloma. Moreover, its mechanism of action involves both a direct cytotoxic effect, as well as the induction of immunogenic cell death, with the latter potentially leading to immunologic memory. These studies were supported by a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Specialized Center of Research (SCOR-12206-17).

 Jones: Asylia Therapeutics, Inc.: Current equity holder in private company, Patents & Royalties. Lee:Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy. Manasanch:Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; JW Pharma: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Quest Diagnostics: Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Glaxo Smith Kline: Honoraria; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria. Pahl:Heidelberg Pharma AG: Current Employment. Orlowski:Sanofi-Aventis, Servier, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen, Inc., AstraZeneca, BMS, Celgene, EcoR1 Capital LLC, Forma Therapeutics, Genzyme, GSK Biologicals, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Biotech, Juno Therapeutics, Kite Pharma, Legend Biotech USA, Molecular Partners, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Laboratory research funding from BioTheryX, and clinical research funding from CARsgen Therapeutics, Celgene, Exelixis, Janssen Biotech, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.: Research Funding; STATinMED Research: Consultancy; Founder of Asylia Therapeutics, Inc., with associated patents and an equity interest, though this technology does not bear on the current submission.: Current equity holder in private company, Patents & Royalties.


MOTIVATION
High-throughput sequencing of RNA in vivo facilitates many applications, not the least of which is the cataloging of variant splice isoforms of protein-coding messenger RNAs. Although many solutions have been proposed for reconstructing putative isoforms from deep sequencing data, these generally take as their substrate the collective alignment structure of RNA-seq reads and ignore the biological signals present in the actual nucleotide sequence. The majority of these solutions are graph-theoretic, relying on a splice graph representing the splicing patterns and exon expression levels indicated by the spliced-alignment process.

RESULTS
We show how to augment splice graphs with additional information reflecting the biology of transcription, splicing and translation, to produce what we call an ORF (open reading frame) graph. We then show how ORF graphs can be used to produce isoform predictions with higher accuracy than current state-of-the-art approaches.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
RSVP is available as C++ source code under an open-source licence: http://ohlerlab.mdc-berlin.de/software/RSVP/.


Objective: Daclatasvir is a new orally acting antiviral drug for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is substrate of both P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and CYP3A4 which are involved in the major pharmacokinetic interaction between drug-drug or drug-food. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol extracted from Curcuma longa is used regularly and widely as food additive or dietary supplement. We surmised that curcumin may interfere with the pharmacokinetics of daclatasvir as curcumin is known to have potential to hinder the drug transporters and hepatic drug metabolising enzymes. Hence, investigations were taken up to assess for such possible interactions. Materials and Methods: Pharmacokinetics of daclatasvir after oral administration as alone and in combination with curcumin (2.5 or 5 or 10 mg/kg) were investigated in Balb/C mice following determination of daclatasvir plasma concentration by using a sensitive LC-MS/MS method. Results: Area under the plasma concentration-time curve for daclatasvir was decreased at lowest dose and increased subsequently at higher doses upon concomitant administration of curcumin with daclatasvir in comparison to daclatasvir alone. Maximum plasma concentration of daclatasvir was enhanced only at highest dose. Overall effects of curcumin on daclatasvir pharmacokinetics were not statistically significant at all dose levels except significant increase in mean residence time. Conclusion: Intensity of curcumin effect on the daclatasvir pharmacokinetics at the experimental dose level in the mice model suggests that dose adjustment is unlikely to be required. Further experimentations are needed to confirm its clinical significance.


The recent explosion in work on neural topic modeling has been criticized for optimizing automated topic evaluation metrics at the expense of actual meaningful topic identification. But human annotation remains expensive and time-consuming. We propose LLM-based methods inspired by standard human topic evaluations, in a family of metrics called Contextualized Topic Coherence (CTC). We evaluate both a fully automated version as well as a semi-automated CTC that allows human-centered evaluation of coherence while maintaining the efficiency of automated methods. We evaluate CTC relative to five other metrics on six topic models and find that it outperforms automated topic coherence methods, works well on short documents, and is not susceptible to meaningless but high-scoring topics.


Efficient training of deep learning models from time series data for Internet of Things (IoT) systems requires a good understanding of the domain, particularly if the training is automated for large-scale applications. Heterogeneous graph neural networks (HGNNs) are a promising approach for incorporating domain knowledge into the modeling framework and consequently improving model performance. However, encoding domain knowledge into HGNNs is nontrivial for IoT systems and requires substantial manual effort. This complicates the adoption of HGNNs in practical settings. To overcome this drawback, we propose a framework for the automatic derivation of HGNN features by semantically parsing equations present in scientific and dedicated publications. We encode the derived features considering physical causation from these equations into an HGNN using an underlying Transformer for prediction and anomaly detection. We validate our approach using two IoT use cases, namely, the prediction of the remaining energy in the battery of an electric race car and the anomaly detection during pick and place operations in a robot workcell. We demonstrate that our approach significantly outperforms other competitive techniques.


Based on analysis of many samples collected from Ca river and other waters belonging to Nghean province, one species of Cyclopoida: Halicyclops aequoreus (Fischer, 1860) and five species of Harpacticoida as Tachidius ( Neotachidius ) triangularis Shen et Tai, 1963; Elaphoidella coronata (Sars, 1904); Onychocamptus mohammed (Blanchard et Richard, 1891); Enhydrosoma bifurcarostratum Shen et Tai, 1965; and Stenhelia ( Delavalia ) ornamentalia Shen et Tai, 1965 that are firstly determined. All of these species are described in detail in the paper. Among these five species of Harpacticoid, only one Elaphoidella coronata distributed in mountainous waters, four remain species only distributed in blackish waters of estuarine area. Up to now, 12 species of inland freshwater harpacticoid-copepods are recorded in Vietnam. The amount of species of harpacticoid-copepods determined as above that are sure not enough to compare with the real in nature of Vietnam.


A non-linear multi-sensory adaptive noise canceller (ANC, MsANC) with both multi-primary and multi-reference channels is proposed for foetal electrocardiogram (FECG) extraction. The primary channels are connected by a linear combiner (LC) whose output serves as a primary signal for the whole MsANC. A finite impulse response (FIR) filter or a non-linear filter [a Volterra filter, or an FIR filter plus a functional link artificial neural network (FLANN), or an FIR filter plus a generalised FLANN] is placed in each reference channel to approximate the linear and non-linear mappings between the chest maternal ECG (ANC reference signal) and the abdominal ECG (ANC primary signal). The LC connecting the primary channels is updated by a constrained recursive least square algorithm, while the linear and non-linear filters placed in reference channels are updated in a least mean square sense. Two real datasets derived from the Physionet non-invasive FECG database as well as the DaISy database are used to show the effectiveness of the proposed MsANC. Experimental results have revealed that the proposed MsANC results in considerable performance improvement as the number of primary channels is increased in comparison with existing ANCs with a single primary channel.


Background COVID-19 could have even more dire consequences in refugees camps than in general populations. Bangladesh has confirmed COVID-19 cases and hosts almost 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, with 600,000 concentrated in the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Site (mean age, 21 years; standard deviation [SD], 18 years; 52% female). Projections of the potential COVID-19 burden, epidemic speed, and healthcare needs in such settings are critical for preparedness planning. Methods and findings To explore the potential impact of the introduction of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Site, we used a stochastic Susceptible Exposed Infectious Recovered (SEIR) transmission model with parameters derived from emerging literature and age as the primary determinant of infection severity. We considered three scenarios with different assumptions about the transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2. From the simulated infections, we estimated hospitalizations, deaths, and healthcare needs expected, age-adjusted for the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Site age distribution. Our findings suggest that a large-scale outbreak is likely after a single introduction of the virus into the camp, with 61%–92% of simulations leading to at least 1,000 people infected across scenarios. On average, in the first 30 days of the outbreak, we expect 18 (95% prediction interval [PI], 2–65), 54 (95% PI, 3–223), and 370 (95% PI, 4–1,850) people infected in the low, moderate, and high transmission scenarios, respectively. These reach 421,500 (95% PI, 376,300–463,500), 546,800 (95% PI, 499,300–567,000), and 589,800 (95% PI, 578,800–595,600) people infected in 12 months, respectively. Hospitalization needs exceeded the existing hospitalization capacity of 340 beds after 55–136 days, between the low and high transmission scenarios. We estimate 2,040 (95% PI, 1,660–2,500), 2,650 (95% PI, 2,030–3,380), and 2,880 (95% PI, 2,090–3,830) deaths in the low, moderate, and high transmission scenarios, respectively. Due to limited data at the time of analyses, we assumed that age was the primary determinant of infection severity and hospitalization. We expect that comorbidities, limited hospitalization, and intensive care capacity may increase this risk; thus, we may be underestimating the potential burden. Conclusions Our findings suggest that a COVID-19 epidemic in a refugee settlement may have profound consequences, requiring large increases in healthcare capacity and infrastructure that may exceed what is currently feasible in these settings. Detailed and realistic planning for the worst case in Kutupalong-Balukhali and all refugee camps worldwide must begin now. Plans should consider novel and radical strategies to reduce infectious contacts and fill health worker gaps while recognizing that refugees may not have access to national health systems.


Vulval induction in C. elegans is an example of the use of an EGF
(Epidermal Growth Factor) mediated signal transduction system. At least
five genes are involved in the negative regulation of vulval induction. Mutations at the silent locus sli-1 (suppressor of lineage defect) are
sufficient to suppress all of the phenotypes associated with hypomorphic
alleles of let-23. sli-1 functions to modify the activity of let-23 but muations
at sli-1 do not bypass the requirement for let-23. Based on the phenotypes of
animals bearing mutations at sli-1 and other genes, sli-1 may function at or
near the let-23 or sem-5 step of vulval differentiation. Null alleles of the pleiotropic locus unc-101 cause a number of mutant
phenotypes including neural defects and suppression of the vulval defects
associated with some weak let-23 mutations. These unc-101 mutations
interact with mutations in other genes required for proper vulval
differentiation but do not act as generalized suppressors. This locus has been
cloned and encodes the C. elegans homolog of the Golgi-associated clathrin
adaptor protein AP47. Animals mutant for both unc-101 and sli-1 display excessive vulval
differentiation. Animals mutant at only one of these loci display no vulval
abnormalities. This excessive vulval differentiation requires the inductive
signal and functionallet-23, suggesting that sli-1 and unc-101 function to
negatively regulate the response to the inductive signal, rather than the
basal activity of let-23. Rare mutant alleles at lin-2, lin-7, and let-23 result in excessive vulval
differentiation. These alleles are genetically similar to more common alleles
of these genes which result in the failure to differentiate vulval tissue. These
three genes apparently are required for the activation of both positive and negative regulators of vulval differentiation. A number of negative regulators function to control the activity of let-23.
At least three pathaways of negative regulation have been genetically
identified. These negative regulators act to limit the response to a growth or
differentiation factor.


Macroautophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process that is crucial for organ homeostasis in mammals. However, methods to directly measure macroautophagic activity (or flux) in vivo are limited. In this study we developed a quantitative macroautophagic flux assay based on measuring LC3b protein turnover in vivo after administering the protease inhibitor leupeptin. Using this assay we then characterized basal macroautophagic flux in different mouse organs. We found that the rate of LC3b accumulation after leupeptin treatment was greatest in the liver and lowest in spleen. Interestingly we found that LC3a, an ATG8/LC3b homologue and the LC3b-interacting protein p62 were degraded with similar kinetics to LC3b. However, the LC3b-related proteins GABARAP and GATE-16 were not rapidly turned over in mouse liver, implying that different LC3b homologues may contribute to macroautophagy via distinct mechanisms. Nutrient starvation augmented macroautophagic flux as measured by our assay, while refeeding the animals after a period of starvation significantly suppressed flux. We also confirmed that beclin 1 heterozygous mice had reduced basal macroautophagic flux compared to wild-type littermates. These results illustrate the usefulness of our leupeptin-based assay for studying the dynamics of macroautophagy in mice.


The AC superconducting power transmission cable projects are being carried out around the world, while the DC superconducting cable is also proven to be very competitive for power transmission in electrical grid due to the negligible AC losses. The critical current and current distributions are two important factors to improve the performance of DC HTS cable for large transmission capacity. In this paper, we proposed an experimental method to investigate the behavior of critical current affected by various gap distances between the individual HTS tape and transverse tape width. The results show that the critical current of the HTS tape in the cable field can be increased by about 10% if the gap distance is less than 1 mm. Finite element method (FEM) is used to calculate the magnetic field distribution to verify the experimental results. A short HTS cable has been constructed to investigate the influence of contact resistance on the current distribution among the HTS tapes. The results show that the contact resistances have significant influence on the current sharing of each HTS wire in the cable structure.


This paper describes a new project trying to harmonise approaches to wave and wind modelling offshore, helping the short-term forecasting and wake research communities by establishing virtual laboratories, offering specialised workshops, and setting up expert groups with large outreach in the mentioned fields. Currently, a good number of research projects is underway on the European and national level in the fields of short-term forecasting of wind power, offshore wind and wave resource prediction, and offshore wakes in large wind farms. The leaders of those research projects are assuming the function of a multiplier towards the larger research and user community. In the fields of short-term forecasting and offshore energy resource, Expert Groups will be formed to act as the central focus point for external stakeholders. The liaison with other groups will also include groups outside of Europe. To facilitate the spread of knowledge, a number of workshops is planned. One of them took place just before this conference on the topic of best practice in the use of short-term forecastingsystems, where utilities with a combined experience of over 50 years and a combined wind power installation of over 30 GW could share their experiences and views on the best use of those systems. A preliminary overview of the resulting best practice guide will be given. One issue hampering the progress in our fields is the difficulty of getting access to good data. In most cases, data on offshore wind or power is strictly confidential, and also data on onshore wind power, especially in conjunction with numerical weather predictions, is not easy to come by. One example of a good testing procedure comes from the Anemos project, where in all 6 test cases were defined, to be run by all involved institutes. This idea is taken to the next level with the set-up of two Virtual Laboratories, one for offshore wake modelling, the other one for short-term forecasting. Both laboratories will be well-defined and maybe already open for business by the time of the workshop.


Heterogeneity is a hallmark of cancer whether one considers the genotype of cancerous cells, the composition of their microenvironment, the distribution of blood and lymphatic microvasculature, or the spatial distribution of the desmoplastic reaction. It is logical to expect that this heterogeneity in tumor microenvironment will lead to spatial heterogeneity in its mechanical properties. In this study we seek to quantify the mechanical heterogeneity within malignant and benign tumors using ultrasound based elasticity imaging. By creating in-vivo elastic modulus images for ten human subjects with breast tumors, we show that Young's modulus distribution in cancerous breast tumors is more heterogeneous when compared with tumors that are not malignant, and that this signature may be used to distinguish malignant breast tumors. Our results complement the view of cancer as a heterogeneous disease on multiple length scales by demonstrating that mechanical properties within cancerous tumors are also spatially heterogeneous.


Macrophages and B cells are activated by unmethylated CpG-containing sequences in bacterial DNA. The lack of activity of self DNA has generally been attributed to CpG suppression and methylation, although the role of methylation is in doubt. The frequency of CpG in the mouse genome is 12.5% of Escherichia coli , with unmethylated CpG occurring at (cid:1) 3% the frequency of E. coli . This suppression of CpG alone is insufficient to explain the inactivity of self DNA; vertebrate DNA was inactive at 100 (cid:1) g/ml, 3000 times the concentration at which E. coli DNA activity was observed. We sought to resolve why self DNA does not activate macrophages. Known active CpG motifs occurred in the mouse genome at 18% of random occurrence, similar to general CpG suppression. To examine the contribution of methylation, genomic DNAs were PCR amplified. Removal of methylation from the mouse genome revealed activity that was 23-fold lower than E. coli DNA, although there is only a 7-fold lower frequency of known active CpG motifs in the mouse genome. This discrepancy may be explained by G-rich sequences such as GGAGGGG, which potently inhibited activation and are found in greater frequency in the mouse than the E. coli genome. In summary, general CpG suppression, CpG methylation, inhibitory motifs, and saturable DNA uptake combined to explain the inactivity of self DNA. The immunostimulatory activity of DNA is determined by the frequency of unmethylated stimulatory sequences within an indi-vidual DNA strand and the ratio of stimulatory to inhibitory sequences. The Journal of Immunology, 2003, 170: 3614–3620.


The purpose of this paper is to explore opportunities to improve cashew value chain performance in Mozambique in ways that create income for smallholders and small and large scale processors. Considering the importance of the cashew industry for the national economy and for poverty reduction, the suggested improvements can be used by policy makers, investors, and donors to re-examine policy strategies, resource reallocation and the development of infrastructure. It may also trigger the interest of the private sector to develop new marketing strategies. The paper commences by giving the background to the cashew industry and its impact on rural development, followed by policy interventions and major activities. Then, a SWOT analysis, value chain mapping, strategic fit and drivers of profit are outlined. The Sunshine Nut company is presented as an example of an innovative business model in the cashew Industry. It is concluded that investment in market research, domestic value adding and balancing customer requirements may potentially enhance competitiveness and efficiency in the cashew value chain in Mozambique.


Some patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) develop persistent central sleep apnea activity when started on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This recently recognized syndrome, complex sleep apnea syndrome (CompSAS), is thought to be due to dysfunction of the respiratory center in a setting of an obstructive sleep apnea. We present the current knowledge on epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment options in CompSAS. We review the current literature on CompSAS, and present our own data on this interesting condition.


Perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundaries are widely used to suppress spurious edge reflections in seismic modeling. When modeling Rayleigh waves with the existence of the free surface, the classical PML algorithm becomes unstable when the Poisson's ratio of the medium is high. Numerical errors can accumulate exponentially and terminate the simulation due to computational overflows. Numerical tests show that the divergence speed of the classical PML has a nonlinear relationship with the Poisson's ratio. Generally, the higher the Poisson's ratio, the faster the classical PML diverges. The multiaxial PML (M-PML) attenuates the waves in PMLs using different damping profiles that are proportional to each other in orthogonal directions. The proportion coefficients of the damping profiles usually vary with the specific model settings. If they are set appropriately, the M-PML algorithm is stable for high Poisson's ratio earth models. Through numerical tests of 40 models with Poisson's ratios that varied from 0.10 to 0.49, we found that a constant proportion coefficient of 1.0 for the x- and z-directional damping profiles is sufficient to stabilize the M-PML for all 2D isotropic elastic cases. Wavefield simulations indicate that the instability of the classical PML is strongly related to the wave phenomena near the free surface. When applying the multiaxial technique only in the corners of the PML near the free surface, the original M-PML technique can be simplified without losing its stability. The simplified M-PML works efficiently for homogeneous and heterogeneous earth models with high Poisson's ratios. The analysis in this paper is based on 2D finite difference modeling in the time domain that can easily be extended into the 3D domain with other numerical methods.


The elderly population in the United States is growing dramatically and is expected to reach over seventy-two million, or twenty percent of the citizenry, by 2030. But serious legislative and regulatory gaps leave the surging population of older adults with many unmet needs. Many Americans are aware of the Social Security and Medicare funds' financial woes. This Article emphasizes that these challenges are only the tip of the iceberg. In addition, the elderly face under-funded Older Americans Act programs, unaffordable long-term care, inadequate driving regulations that fail to identify and protect at-risk drivers, and a significant shortage of geriatricians, among other problems.

Neglect of the aging population in the legal and policy arenas makes little sense. Public choice theory, which teaches that all political actors act in their own self-interest, would suggest that support for the elderly should be a high priority because all individuals face the prospect of aging and caring for elderly loved ones. Relying in part on this theory, the Article develops new insights as to why seniors fail to use their potential political strength to advocate forcefully for beneficial policy changes and why aging issues do not resonate with policymakers, voters, and the media. The Article argues that it is human nature to avoid contemplating one's future decline, and thus we choose to ignore the challenges that lie ahead. Elected officials, in turn, respond to voters' priorities and conclude that focusing on eldercare matters will not win them votes or yield political pay-offs. The media, for their part, prefer sensational stories to those that engage in in-depth exploration of social problems' causes and solutions.

At its core, the Article is a call to action, as highlighted in its recommendations section. Aging and caregiving for elderly loved ones are not special-interest matters but matters that will affect all of us. Preparing for the swelling older population is not only in everyone's best interest, but is also a regulatory, social, and political necessity.


Objectives: The angled blade plate has been the historical standard in fixed-angle extramedullary subtrochanteric femur fracture fixation, but it requires an extensile lateral approach to the femur. Little formal evaluation exists for specifically designed percutaneous extramedullary implants. The purpose of this study was to compare 3 locked plating constructs, all with percutaneous insertion capability, with the standard 95-degree angled blade plate to determine whether specifically designed fixed-angle extramedullary implants for subtrochanteric femur fractures were biomechanically comparable to the angled blade plate. Methods: Forty composite adult femurs were divided into 4 equal groups. The constructs evaluated included a 95-degree angled blade plate, a broad 4.5-mm combination locking plate, and a precontoured proximal femoral locking plate (PFLP) with and without an oblique, angled strut or "kickstand" screw. A 30-degree wedge osteotomy was used to create a subtrochanteric fracture gap model. Each specimen underwent axial and torsional stiffness testing along with cyclic axial loading to failure. Results: Axial stiffness testing revealed that the PFLP with the "kickstand" screw was the stiffest construct (92.2 ± 17.4 Nm/m), which was 211% stiffer than the blade plate, 309% stiffer than the broad plate, and 194% stiffer than the PFLP without the kickstand screw. The blade plate had the highest torsional stiffness (2.42 ± 0.08 Nm/degree), which was 151% stiffer than the broad plate, 128% stiffer than the PFLP with the kickstand, and 138% stiffer than the PFLP without the kickstand screw. The PFLP with the kickstand screw had the least irreversible deformation (6.3 mm), which was 52% less than the broad plate and 61% less than the PFLP without the kickstand screw. Conclusions: Our data reveal that the PFLP with the "kickstand" screw provides more axial stiffness, less torsional stiffness, and equivalent irreversible deformation to cyclic axial loading when compared with the blade plate.


Quantifying fireline effectiveness (FLE) is essential to evaluate the efficiency of large wildfire management strategies to foster institutional learning and improvement in fire management organizations. FLE performance metrics for incident-level evaluation have been developed and applied to a small set of wildfires, but there is a need to understand how widely they vary across incidents to progress towards targets or standards for performance evaluation. Recent efforts to archive spatially explicit fireline records from large wildfires facilitate the application of these metrics to a broad sample of wildfires in different environments. We evaluated fireline outcomes (burned over, held, not engaged) and analyzed incident-scale FLE for 33 large wildfires in the western USA from the 2017 and 2018 fire seasons. FLE performance metrics varied widely across wildfires and often aligned with factors that influence suppression strategy. We propose a performance evaluation framework based on both the held to engaged fireline ratio and the total fireline to perimeter ratio. These two metrics capture whether fireline was placed in locations with high probability of engaging with the wildfire and holding and the relative level of investment in containment compared to wildfire growth. We also identify future research directions to improve understanding of decision quality in a risk-based framework.


In the first decade of the reign of King Matthias Corvinus, extraordinary taxes were imposed to provide revenues with which the state could recover the Holy Crown, fund the campaigns against "Czech" mercenaries who were causing upheavals in the northern parts of the kingdom, and make preparations for imminent conflicts in the south because of the continuous threat of Ottoman attacks. The extraordinary taxes were mostly used for military purposes, more specifically, to finance the wars and military campaigns against the Czech warbands and the Turks. However, the manner in which these taxes were administrated varied considerably, as did their scope. During the period in question, there were particular taxes for some counties or rather regions (especially for the northeastern) and countrywide levies. Furthermore, it was possible for the nobility to be granted an exemption from the obligation to serve in the military in person or provide soldiers for the military (the so-called militia portalis) by paying an extraordinary tax (and thus essentially purchasing this exemption). There was a close connection between the administration of the extraordinary tax and the process of recruitment. Members of the royal court who served as officers in the royal army often took part in the taxation as tax collectors, and they probably used these taxes directly to pay their mercenaries.


This article explores patterns of mediatized participation of European citizens and the way they differ across different media systems, in a multilevel, cross-national comparative research design. Mediatized participation is operationalized as audience practices on the Internet. The media system is conceptualized through the theoretical model of digital mediascapes, which applied to 22 European Union countries produced three clusters/media systems. The audience data are from representative online surveys in 8 eastern and western European countries N = 9532 collected by the authors and their research partners. Factor and cluster analyses were performed showing types and patterns of mediatized participation. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis and ANOVA were performed to relate the individual level variables to the macro-level clusters of digital media systems. The article shows audiences in the more mediatized, Western cluster are more engaged in participatory practices in comparison to audiences in the Eastern/Southern cluster of European countries which show more extensive information consumption practices.


[Extract] In his preface to a special issue (and dedicated workshop) on the biology of butterflyfishes, Motta (1989) suggested that butterflyfishes have received disproportionate scientific attention compared to other common and conspicuous families of coral reef fishes. In support of this assertion, the number of scientific publications that consider butterflyfishes (151 Web of Knowledge; 382 publications since 1927) is far greater than for many other families of nominal reef fishes (e.g., angelfishes, surgeonfishes, and rabbitfishes); the only families that have been more intensively studied are the Pomacentridae (damselfishes), Serranidae (groupers) and Labridae (parrot fishes and wrasses), which probably reflects their high diversity, commercial and functional importance, respectively. In this respect, research on butterflyfishes has contributed greatly to genera l understanding of the biology and ecology of coral reef fishes (e.g., Almany et al., 2007; Lawton et al., 2011). The fields of research in which butterflyfishes have played essential roles also extends well beyond the notion that butterflyfishes are "indicators" of overall reef health, which is the usual justification for studying this relatively unique group of reef fishes (e.g., Ohman et al., 1998; Bozec et al., 2005; Shokri et al., 2005).


The Compassion Fatigue concept is common in the scientific literature of International Social Work, although surprisingly nonexistent in Spanish literature. Fatigue can be defined by compassion as a state of exhaustion and biological, psychological and relational dysfunction, the result of immediate or prolonged exposure to compassionate stress and as the final result of the progressive and cumulative process resulting from pro-longed, continuous and intense contact with clients or clients patients, the use of oneself and exposure to stress. The maintenance of the wear can lead to severe pictures typical of secondary traumatization or the onset of Burned Professional Syndrome (Burnout). In any case, if a social work professional experiences this phenomenon, their ability to empathize, connect and help their clients is severely diminished. Paradoxically, compassion fatigue is, on the one hand, necessary and inevitable if good practice is developed; on the other, dangerous and disabling if it is not compensated by other mechanisms. Compassion fatigue can not be prevented but it can and must be palliated consciously. Increasing the ability to recognize and minimize the impact of attrition is a responsibility of the professional and the organization in which he works. Finally, the work raises what to do about this phenomenon and how to take care of yourself, professionally and institutionally.


Aspect Sentiment Triplet Extraction (ASTE) is the most recent subtask of ABSA which outputs triplets of an aspect target, its associated sentiment, and the corresponding opinion term. Recent models perform the triplet extraction in an end-to-end manner but heavily rely on the interactions between each target word and opinion word. Thereby, they cannot perform well on targets and opinions which contain multiple words. Our proposed span-level approach explicitly considers the interaction between the whole spans of targets and opinions when predicting their sentiment relation. Thus, it can make predictions with the semantics of whole spans, ensuring better sentiment consistency. To ease the high computational cost caused by span enumeration, we propose a dual-channel span pruning strategy by incorporating supervision from the Aspect Term Extraction (ATE) and Opinion Term Extraction (OTE) tasks. This strategy not only improves computational efficiency but also distinguishes the opinion and target spans more properly. Our framework simultaneously achieves strong performance for the ASTE as well as ATE and OTE tasks. In particular, our analysis shows that our span-level approach achieves more significant improvements over the baselines on triplets with multi-word targets or opinions.


We report on the development of transient parkinsonism after progesterone injection in a pregnant patient with a risk of abortion. Etiological possibilities are discussed, including pregnancy itself, possible toxic effects of the dead fetus, and progesterone injection. Progesterone‐induced parkinsonism seems the most likely diagnosis in this case. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society


Introduction Neuroferritinopathy is an adult onset autosomal dominant movement disorder which occurs due to a mutation in the ferritin light chain gene (FTL1). This mutation results in abnormal iron accumulation in the brain. Though the disease presents in middle age, little is known about the temporal relationship between iron accumulation and symptomatic presentation. Methods A prospective double blind MRI trial was performed of first degree relatives of known carriers of pathological FTL1 mutations. The coded MRI images were sent to a radiologist in Australia who was blind to the results of the genetic analysis on the same subjects. Results Eleven subjects completed the MRI scans and were stratified by age: 6–16 yrs (n=4); 17–25 yrs (n=3); 26–36 yrs (4 n=4). Three subjects had abnormal studies. In each case the signal abnormality in the basal ganglia was readily visible on T2* MRI images, and all three participants orived to be gene positive for the c.460insA mutation in the FTL1 gene: The youngest was aged 6 years old. Discussion Neuroferritinopathy is regarded as an adult onset movement disorder, however patients actually begin to deposit iron within their basal ganglia from early childhood. This disorder should be regarded as a cause of iron deposition in infants, and when effective pharmacological interventions are established, carriers of mutations in the ferritin light chain gene will need to consider early treatment commencement.


The development of uninucleate amoebae into multinucleate plasmodia in myxomycetes is called the amoebal-plasmodial transition (APT). During the APT in Physarum polycephalum the ability to form flagellar axonemes is lost; the astral, open mitosis is replaced by the anastral, closed mitosis; and cytoskeletal microtubules disappear. These changes are accompanied by alterations in the repertoire of expressed tubulins. Using immunofluorescence microscopy we have studied the timing of loss and accumulation of developmentally regulated tubulin isotypes in relation to other cellular events during the APT. We specifically asked whether changes in the composition of microtubules are correlated with changes in their organization. The plasmodium-specific beta 2-tubulin can first be detected in microtubules of uninucleate cells after they become committed to plasmodium formation. However, rare cells are observed that exhibit beta 2-tubulin at earlier or only at later stages of development. Amoeba-specific acetylated alpha 3-tubulin disappears gradually during development. Individual cells differ in the timing of loss of this isotype: alpha 3-tubulin is present in the majority of uninucleate cells, in a fraction of binucleate and quadrinucleate cells, and is absent from larger multinucleate cells. Cytoplasmic microtubules in uninucleate cells are organized by a single microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) juxtaposed to the nucleus. Binucleate cells and quadrinucleate cells exhibit variable numbers of MTOCs. Cytoplasmic microtubules persist during the APT until the stage of plasmodia containing at least 100 nuclei. The lack of a strict correlation between the changes in tubulin composition and changes in organization of microtubular structures indicates that accumulation of beta 2-tubulin and disappearance of alpha 3-tubulin isotypes are not sufficient to bring about reorganization of microtubules during development. Individual cells in a developing population differ not only in the succession of accumulation and loss of developmentally regulated tubulins, but also in the sequences of other cellular changes occurring during the APT.


A BSTRACT . Pectins are synthesized and secreted to the cell wall as highly methyl-esterified polymers and demethyl- esterified by pectin methylesterases (PMEs), which are regulated by pectin methylesterase inhibitors (PMEIs). PMEs and PMEIs are involved in pectin degradation during fruit softening; however, the roles of the PME and PMEI gene families during fruit softening remain unclear. Here, 71 PME and 30 PMEI genes were identified in the peach ( Prunus persica ) genome and shown to be unevenly distributed on all eight chromosomes. The 71 PME genes comprised 36 Type-1 PMEs and 35 Type-2 PMEs. Transcriptome analysis showed that 11 PME and 15 PMEI genes were expressed during fruit ripening in melting flesh (MF) and stony-hard (SH) peaches. Three PME and five PMEI genes were expressed at higher levels in MF than in SH fruit and exhibited softening-associated expression patterns. Upstream regulatory cis elements of these genes related to hormone response, especially naphthaleneacetic acid and ethylene, were investigated. One PME (Prupe.7G192800) and two PMEIs (Prupe.1G114500 and Prupe.2G279800), and their promoters were identified as potential targets for future studies on the biochemical metabolism and regulation of fruit ripening. The comprehensive data generated in this study will improve our understanding of the PME and PMEI gene families in peach. However, further detailed investigation is necessary to elucidate the biochemical function and regulation mechanism of the PME and PMEI genes during peach fruit ripening.


The didactic of physical activities in the school, while exercising the individual technical skills, never loses sight of the unity of knowledge and invites the child to reflect on his actions, on his mental and physical changes, but also on his knowledge. For this reason, the school is differs from sports federations and associations, and it must rise to the role of leadership in the sport education. After these necessary preambles, it seems now particularly interesting to introduce the scenario laid out by ISTAT (Italian Statistics Institute) survey "100 statistics to understand the country we live in". The ISTAT analysis shows how Campania is the region after Sicily with the highest percentage of people with a sedentary lifestyle. It seems that in Campania, the primary school fails in its leadership role with regard to the sports education and the motor practices and in supporting non-sedentary lifestyles. In fact, in Campania the sport practice is very low and the level of giving up is particularly high. This discussion starts from this point and should be considered as a pilot study to evaluate a possible contributory cause of the status here outlined, i.e. the perception that teachers have of their own basic and technical skills in the motor field. It is not forbidden to think that, if this survey shows a widespread perception of lack of ability, this will adversely affect the motor teaching and be at least partly responsible for the situation described herein. Therefore the aim of this research is to monitor the level of the basic skills and of the motor teaching skills of primary school teachers in the region Campania, and the way they perceive the movement, highlighting any possible critical factor.


Applying the wireless sensor networks (WSN) to bridge vibration measurement not only provides the on-time monitoring but also reduces the cost of wired system significantly. The servo velocity sensors (SVS) are the most popular sensors of vibration measurement for the civil infrastructures such as bridges. In this feasibility study, a mote-integrated converter module is designed and implemented for connecting the SVS and WSN. The major limitation of this application is the low-bit rate wireless transmission. Through several field measurements, the number of nodes in a wireless channel is advised to be two at most and the multiple single hop schemes are suggested for the vibration monitoring applications. Utilizing the WSN to monitor the on-time bridge vibration is feasible and the application can be further optimized by employing the distribution algorithms specific to the vibration measurements.


The cell surface density of high-affinity membrane receptors for the T-lymphocytotrophic hormone interleukin 2 (IL-2) determines the rate of T-cell-cycle progression. Since 10-fold greater numbers of IL-2 receptor molecules were found by using a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody reactive with IL-2 receptors (anti-Tac) compared with binding of IL-2, the functional relationship of the binding sites recognized by both of these ligands was assessed. In the presence of cycloheximide, IL-2 binding sites declined with a half-time (to) of 2.6 hr, whereas the decay of anti-Tac binding sites was much slower (t1⁄2 = 6.4 hr). Moreover, after limited membrane proteolysis, the half-time for the reappearance of IL-2 binding sites was remarkably similar to its decay (11⁄2 = 2.2 hr), while Tac antigen reappearance was markedly retarded, returning to only 20% of original levels within 5 hr after proteolysis. Addition of homogeneous immunoaffinity-purified IL-2 to cell populations that expressed equivalent IL-2 and anti-Tac binding sites resulted in a timeand temperature-dependent 8to 10fold enhancement of Tac epitope expression and, simultaneously, a 20-30% diminishment of detectable high-affinity IL-2 binding sites. As the magnitude of the IL-2-dependent proliferative response correlated with the density of high-affinity IL-2 binding sites, rather than Tac antigen levels, quantitation of Tac epitope density does not provide a reliable indication of IL-2 responsiveness among activated T-cell populations. Instead, IL-2-receptor interactions actually promote the loss of IL-2 responsiveness by diminishing the density of high-affinity binding sites at the time that Tac antigen levels


Estimating spatially resolved grassland productivity is essential for benchmarking the total UK productive potential to assess food, feed and fuel trade-offs in the context of whole systems analyses. Our objectives were to adapt and evaluate a well-known process-based model (PBM) and estimate productivity of improved (permanent, temporary) and semi-natural grassland systems using meta-models (MM) trained by extensive PBM scenario simulations. Observed dry matter (DM) yields in multi-site nitrogen (N) response (0, 150 and 300 kg N ha) experiments were well emulated describing the average productivity of rough grazing, permanent and temporary grassland (3.1, 7.4 and 9.8 t DM ha, respectively). Cross-validated with independent and long-term data (Park Grass Experiment), the PBM explained more variation when considering all systems combined (81%) than across all improved grasslands (61%) but little for rough grazing (26%). The PBMtrained MMs explained 48, 72 and 70% of the simulated yield variation in the grasslands of increasing management intensity, and 43 and 75% of observed variation in the combined improved and all three grassland systems, respectively. Considering the assessment of ecosystem services, like drainage and water productivity, PBM scenario simulations are essential. Compared to improved grassland rough grazing will result in 40% more groundwater recharge due to its lower simulated water use and water productivity (12 versus 25 and 43 kg ha mm for permanent and temporary grassland, respectively).


Luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone (LHRH) neurons migrate from the vomeronasal organ (VNO) to the forebrain in all mammals studied. In mice, the direction of LHRH neuron migration is dependent upon axons that originate in the VNO, but bypass the olfactory bulb and project caudally into the basal forebrain. Thus, factors that guide this unique subset of vomeronasal axons that comprise the caudal vomeronasal nerve (cVNN) are candidates for regulating the migration of LHRH neurons. We previously showed that deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) is expressed by neurons that migrate out of the VNO during development [Schwarting et al. (2001) J. Neurosci., 21, 911–919]. We examined LHRH neuron migration in Dcc−/− mice and found that trajectories of the cVNN and positions of LHRH neurons are abnormal. Here we extend these studies to show that cVNN trajectories and LHRH cell migration in netrin 1 (Ntn1) mutant mice are also abnormal. Substantially reduced numbers of LHRH neurons are found in the basal forebrain and many LHRH neurons migrate into the cerebral cortex of Ntn1 knockout mice. In contrast, migration of LHRH cells is normal in Unc5h3rcm mutant mice. These results are consistent with the idea that the chemoattraction of DCC+ vomeronasal axons by a gradient of netrin 1 protein in the ventral forebrain guides the cVNN, which, in turn, determines the direction of LHRH neuron migration in the forebrain. Loss of function through a genetic deletion in either Dcc or Ntn1 results in the migration of many LHRH neurons to inappropriate destinations.


Bullying is an increasing problem globally, which affects school children over the years.  The students who have experienced bullying have a greater risk of psychological distress. Likewise, the incidence of bullying has been increasing despite the efforts of the Philippine government and Department of Education. Moreover, the problem of bullying was even exacerbated by technology resulting in a new form called cyberbullying. Studies also show that students are aware of the different bullying types, yet high bullying incidence still prevails. Hence, the paper describes the level of bullying awareness and the extent of bullying incidence in a public school in Antique during the School Year 2019-2020. The paper also evaluates if a significant difference exists in the level of awareness and the extent of bullying practices when respondents are grouped according to sex, grade level, birth order, living condition, and family monthly income. Furthermore, it also investigates whether a relationship exists between awareness and extent of bullying incidence.


Effective non-destructive testing techniques for modern lattice structural materials are in great demand. Amongst the more successful tecniques are ultrasonic and acoustic testing. The focus of this paper is the simulation of wave propagation through 2D lattice structures. This simulation helps to optimize the design of ultrasonic/acoustic testing techniques (e.g. find optimal response and excitation points), as well as outline the boundaries of applicability for the testing.

An ultrasonic propagation model for lattices composed of beam structures is developed and implemented in Matlab to obtain a computationally efficient and flexible simulation tool. This paper describes application of the code to the simulation of wave propagation through 2D lattice structures of various geometry. The considerations presented can be applied for the investigation of wave propagation in various complex structural systems, such as honeycombs, panels with periodic reinforcements and other. The code can be extended to simulate propagation in 3D assemblies to cover a wider range of configurations.


Deformation behavior of pure Mg and Mg alloy were studied in the temperature range of 423 to 773 K and at strain rates of 10 � 4 –10 � 2 s � 1 . Three temperature regions can be categorized both in Mg and Mg alloy. The deformation behavior in Mg can be described by an exponantional law at temperatures below 523 K. At the higher temperatures a power law of deformation is valid with the stress exponent close to n ¼ 7 in the intermediate (523–623 K) and 2.2 in the high (673–773 K) temperature ranges. The alloying of Mg with elements such as Zn changes the phenomenology of plastic deformation. An exponantional law is operative at temperatures below 473 K. At above 473 K deformation obeys a power law. The stress exponent is close to n ¼ 7 at intermediate temperatures (473–523 K) and 5 in the high temperature range. An analysis of experimental results shows that alloying changes the controlling mechanisms of plastic deformation and so leads to different deformation behavior in pure Mg and Mg alloy that can be associated with decreasing stacking fault energy (SFE) in Mg alloy. The effect of SFE on the mechanisms of plastic deformation when alloying Mg is discussed.


Modern vibrational spectroscopy is more than just an analytical tool. Information about the electronic structure of a molecule, the strength of its bonds, and its conformational flexibility is encoded in the normal vibrational modes. On the other hand, normal vibrational modes are generally delocalized, which hinders the direct access to this information, attainable only via local vibration modes and associated local properties. Konkoli and Cremer provided an ingenious solution to this problem by deriving local vibrational modes from the fundamental normal modes, obtained in the harmonic approximation of the potential, via mass‐decoupled Euler–Lagrange equations. This review gives a general introduction into the local vibrational mode theory of Konkoli and Cremer, elucidating how this theory unifies earlier attempts to obtain easy to interpret chemical information from vibrational spectroscopy: (a) the local mode theory furnishes bond strength descriptors derived from force constant matrices with a physical basis, (b) provides the highly sought after extension of the Badger rule to polyatomic molecules, (c) and offers a simpler way to derive localized vibrations compared to the complex route via overtone spectroscopy. Successful applications are presented, including a new measure of bond strength, a new detailed analysis of infrared/Raman spectra, and the recent extension to periodic systems, opening a new avenue for the characterization of bonding in crystals. At the end of this review the LMODEA software is introduced, which performs the local mode analysis (with minimal computational costs) after a harmonic vibrational frequency calculation optionally using measured frequencies as additional input.


Structure static testing is an important means to study the static characteristic of complex engineering structure. Electrohydraulic stactic loading system is the singnificant equipment of the testing. With its function of transfering low-power electrical singal to large-power hydraulic output quickly and precisely, the servo valve plays a key role in an electrohydraulic servo control system and dominates to a large extent the performance of the whole control system. Conventional electrohydraulic servo or proportional control is subject to the nonlinearites of their electro-mechanical interface, such as hysteresis, saturation and finite resolution. In this paper, a direct actuated digital servo valve was applied in electrohydraulic static loading system. It can be driven directly by computer needn't D/A and has the advantages of simple structure, high tolerance to contamination and high reliability. Practical load-experiment results show that the static loading system with a direct actuated digital servo valve can work steadily and reliably and possess high accuracy and fast response.


Abstract Last generation of force-fields are raising expectations on the quality of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of DNA, as well as to the belief that theoretical models can substitute experimental ones in several cases. However these claims are based on limited benchmarks, where MD simulations have shown the ability to reproduce already existing 'experimental models', which in turn, have an unclear accuracy to represent DNA conformation in solution. In this work we explore the ability of different force-fields to predict the structure of two new B-DNA dodecamers, determined herein by means of 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The study allowed us to check directly for experimental NMR observables on duplexes previously not solved, and also to assess the reliability of 'experimental structures'. We observed that technical details in the annealing procedures can induce non-negligible local changes in the final structures. We also found that while not all theoretical simulations are equally reliable, those obtained using last generation of AMBER force-fields (BSC1 and BSC0OL15) show predictive power in the multi-microsecond timescale and can be safely used to reproduce global structure of DNA duplexes and fine sequence-dependent details.


The adoption of satellite systems in providing broadband transmissions to mobile users such as trains, buses and vans is expected to be an interesting solution. The scenario we considered refers to a hybrid network architecture, where a geostationary satellite forward link and a terrestrial 3G return link are used in order to exploit both the high bandwidth of a satellite channel and the lower propagation delay of a terrestrial path. The resulting round-trip delay is much shorter than that one experienced by using both the forward and return link via satellite. This is particularly appealing for overcoming the TCP efficiency degradation in high delay-bandwidth product and error prone channels. In this hybrid scenario, we used simulation results to compare the goodput of four of the most popular TCP variants, in the presence of a GOOD-BAD satellite channel, as the one experienced by mobile users. We applied an Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) technique as well, and studied its impact on TCP efficiency, when used both alone and in cooperation with an Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) scheme of the Selective Repeat (SR) type with low persistency. Results obtained indicate that this hybrid architecture is advantageous for TCP transmissions in terms of average goodput, and that ACM is effective only if it is jointly used with ARQ schemes.


Both state- and trait-like manifestations of depression have been associated with poor interpersonal functioning. One mechanism by which this could occur is through individuals' sensitivity to criticism. In the present study, 414 undergraduates were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck et al. 1996) and Depressive Personality Disorder Inventory (Huprich et al. 1996) as representative measures of state and trait depression respectively. They also were assessed with self-report measures of sensitivity to criticism and interpersonal problems. Sensitivity to criticism significantly mediated the relationship between state and trait depression within five dimensions of interpersonal problems. However, sensitivity to criticism was more strongly related to the trait depression-interpersonal problems relationship than the state depression-interpersonal problems relationship, when controlling for state depression and trait depression respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Epidemiological studies since 1979 have raised some medical and much public concern that low frequency electromagnetic fields, such as those of power-lines and in domestic and industrial electrical wiring, may have harmful biological effects. These studies are generally inconsistent, inconclusive, and difficult to replicate. Identifying biological mechanisms by which such harmful effects may occur has proved difficult, although there are several new and promising approaches. In epidemiological and laboratory studies much greater co-ordination and standardization is needed if greater scientific knowledge of these phenomena, as opposed to mere diverse speculation, is to be achieved.


Pressure drop in the ITER PFCI cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) has been measured at CRPP using pressurized water at room temperature. The PFCI conductor is a dual channel CICC and the coolant flows in parallel in the central channel and in the annular bundle region. In our experiment the flow in the central channel is blocked and the longitudinal friction factor of the annular bundle region is deduced from measurements of pressure drop and mass flow rate. Two conductor samples are investigated, one with and one without subcable/outer cable wraps. The results show that the wraps have a negligible effect on the friction factor, and that the Katheder correlation overestimates the actual friction factor.


The idea for this book originated when planning, organizing and carrying out field work for the first All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring (ATBI+M) pilot sites established in the National Parks Mercantour and Alpi Marittime (France/Italy) in 2007, as part of the activities of the EDIT (European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy: www.e-taxonomy.eu) network, supported for five years by the European Commission. One of the overall aims of the EDIT project is to better integrate taxonomic research with biodiversity conservation. To attain this objective, innovative and new methods and tools for inventorying and monitoring biodiversity have to be deployed (Hauser et al., 2007). Individual participants embarking on inventories as well as partners from the hosting national parks frequently asked the project coordinators which are the best-recommended or "standard" techniques and protocols for inventorying specific taxa or habitats. Formulating a response to these questions often was not straightforward as several approaches and methods are described in the, often scattered, literature. In order to provide ATBI+M participants, as well as other interested parties, with appropriate information, it was proposed that "field experiences" should be captured and made available for wider dissemination and use.


From a management perspective, sustainable development concerns how to create social and environmental value in a way that also benefits economic value creation. Furthermore, managers need answers on such ?how?-questions following a prescriptive approach. In this context, further studies are needed because the empirical literature gives an unclear picture when it comes to cause-and-effect relations and managerial recommendations in general. This thesis utilizes findings from the Ulstein Group obtained during a period where the company has been evaluating membership in UN Global Compact (UN GC). UN GC is a sustainability initiative that comprises ten principles within areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption, to which companies commit. A company that becomes a member is obligated to communicate their progress on these issues annually. The main purpose of this study was to investigate how a company can implement the UN GC principles in order to achieve long-term benefits. Using the Ulstein Group and UN GC as units of analysis, a qualitative and exploratory investigation was conducted. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were used as main source of empirical data. The study was scoped in a way that emphasized the environmental principles of UN GC along with the obligation of transparent communication. Furthermore, the implementation process was analyzed by applying a theoretical framework that emphasizes organization acceptance as a separate implementation goal. Regarding implementation of the environmental principles of UN GC, the strategies of pollution prevention and product stewardship reflect conceptual relations to increased economic value creation. The former has gained most empirical support, mainly caused by its linkages to continuous improvement and resource efficiency. The latter is product oriented and based on stakeholder integration. The findings suggest that product stewardship is successful only if the willingness to pay among customers is in place, and in the maritime industry, this seems to be missing to some extent at present. Transparent and honest communication can facilitate corporate reputation because it signals quality. However, when relieving information about failures and delays, a company must ensure that an action plan is in place and that resources are allocated in order to address the challenges. From a strategic point of view, the goal would be to convince stakeholders that the company is a proactive industry actor that learn from its mistakes. The study pinpoints that organizational acceptance is especially important when it comes to sustainability initiatives because employees will most likely have difficulties seeing business relevance and relations to their daily tasks. Therefore, it seems crucial that management first relate the new activities to existing policies within business ethics and for instance health, safety and environment in order to pinpoint relevance. Second, it is likely to achieve acceptance if employees are involved throughout the implementation process. Objectives and concrete measures should be developed using interdisciplinary groups and employees on different organizational levels. Furthermore, the findings indicate that people working towards customers or suppliers would see possible benefits more easily than those who are working closely with project deliveries and production tasks. Regarding the strategy of pollution prevention, it seems clear that concrete performance indicators must be developed in order to get successful outcome. This would also show business relevance more clearly, and hence be advantageous when aiming for acceptance among employees that work with production or other tasks linked to daily operations. However, the main point is not such indicators in themselves, but how they are introduced to the organization. Ownership is needed which again would facilitate motivation and engagement among employees. The key point is to give new activities attention and follow them up at different levels within the organization, so that value creation in practice can take place.


In this work the structural behaviour of a mandible considering a unilateral occlusion is numerically analysed by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM). The mandible, considered as completely edentolous, is modelled together with its articular disks, whose material behaviour is assumed as elastic or hyper-elastic. The mandible model is obtained by computer tomography scans. The anisotropic and non homogeneous bone material behaviour is considered and the loads applied to the mandible are those related to the active muscle groups during unilateral occlusion. The results of FEM analysis are presented mainly in terms of stress distribution on the mandible. Because of uncertainty on the determination of the adopted parameters, a sensitivity analysis is provided, showing the way in which the variation of articular disc stiffness and temporomandibular joint friction coefficient has an impact on the mandible stress peak and occlusal force.


The background of this research based on the empirical fact in 2011 where local government of  Sidoarjo has made the policy based on  sreet vendors which  exist in alun-alun area  should be disciplined for their existence  that contrary to the rules contained in Sidoarjo's Regulation No. 5 of  2007 which state that alun-alun is the area with administrative functions of government activities and not to be economical functions that is in use for trading. The purpose of this research is to answer the research problem about how the dialogue relation between PKL Development Team and trader in Kabupaten Sidoarjo and to determine the implication from PKL Development Team dialogue with trader  about relocation PKL in alun-alun. This research use qualitative methods with type research type is descriptive. The selection of informants done by purposive sampling and than developed by using snowball techniques. The data obtained through observation and process of interview, and take advantage from the source document data and online data search. The validity of the data was tested through triangulation of data sources so that the data presented is valid. Analysis and interpretation of the data is done by reviewing all available data obtained through in-depth interviews and using the data document source, then sorted, combined and grouped or categorized and defines a set of data relationships