This thesis analyses the complex interrelationship between British socialism and political economy in the period in which both discourses flourished. The thesis begins by reviewing previous studies of Owenism and suggests an alternative thematic approach to elucidate the relationships between Owenism and political economy, in terms of both differences and similarities. Chapter one focuses on the initial period when Owenism was most closely identified with key individuals like Robert Owen, and argues that the pervasive historiographical view that Owenism was essentially incompatible with political economy is too simplistic. In fact, early Owenites were never totally successful in extricating themselves from the competitive, capitalist theoretical web which they closely identified with political economy. Chapter two extends this argument to the period when Owenism emerged from its largely eponymous stage, and a variety of Owenite, co-operative and socialist discourses developed, with divergent perspectives on their relationships with competitive capitalism. Chapter three argues that the ubiquitous view of a binary opposition between pro-private property political economists and 'communistic' Owenites ignores strong contrary evidence. Not all Owenites wanted to abolish private property; indeed some wanted to extend private property rights on the basis of the moral imperative provided by the labour theory of value. Chapters four to six examine the relationship of political economy and Owenism to the labour theory of value/exchange. The major argument in these chapters is that for both Owenites and leading political economists like Ricardo and Malthus, the labour theory of value was a transcendental organising principle, but it was an economic model which neither the socialists nor economists could sustain. Finally, chapter seven argues that the widespread view that the Malthusian population theory represented a significant site of difference between Owenites and economists is erroneous. This thesis demonstrates that the intimate links between Owenism and political economy require a reconsideration of both the historical context and the historical character of British socialism to 1835.


Gnosticism, the last religion to have arisen during Western Antiquity, has its roots both in Greek thought and in late Judaism. The links between antique Gnosticism and modern offsprings such as the New Age movement have often been singled out the last fourty years. However, their common ontological features have not yet been adequately put into evidence. This article explores some of these features, in particular the way in which both forms of Gnosticism relate to Christianity: borrowing some of its teachings they forge a belief system in which an ontological continuity between God and mankind is asserted, while the relation between the one and the many becomes blurred.


Abstract Toll-like receptor (TLR) can trigger an immune response against virus including SARS-CoV-2. TLR expression/distribution is varying in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) depending on their culture environments. Here, to explore the effect of periodic thermomechanical cues on TLRs, thermally controlled shape-memory polymer sheets with programmable actuation capacity were created. The proportion of MSCs expressing SARS-CoV-2-associated TLRs was increased upon stimulation. The TLR4/7 colocalization was promoted and retained in the endoplasmic reticula. The TLR redistribution was driven by myosin-mediated F-actin assembly. These results highlight the potential of boosting the immunity for combating COVID-19 via thermomechanical preconditioning of MSCs. Graphic abstract Periodic thermal and synchronous mechanical stimuli provided by polymer sheet actuators selectively promoted the expression of SARS-CoV-2-associated TLRs 4 and 7 in adipose-derived MSCs and recruited TLR4 to Endoplasmic reticulum region where TLR7 was located via controlling myosin-mediated F-actin cytoskeleton assembly.


Although New Labour distanced itself from the neo-liberal 'underclass' discourses of its predecessors, its approach to disabled young people maintained key aspects of neo-liberalism, particularly an emphasis on individuals' human capital, aspirations and self-investments as causes of and solutions to disabled young people's unemployment. This is also apparent in early Coalition government statements. Since the 1990s, policies have focused on providing individually-tailored advice, developing individuals' skills, and motivating appropriate self-investment. We examine recent evidence that highlights a number of problems with this focus. Notably, it entails a simplistic and individualised notion of 'barriers' to employment that cannot account for the complex impacts of disablement and inequality; moves towards open-market models of training and work support create perverse incentives that divert support away from those most in need; employment success is dependent on unpredictable local opportunity structures; and the focus on paid employment undermines other social contributions made by disabled young people.


A computer simulation model of a springboard and a diver was developed to
investigate diving takeoff techniques in the forward and the reverse groups. The
springboard model incorporated vertical, horizontal and rotational movements based on
experimental data. The diver was modelled as an eight-segment link system with torque
generators acting at the metatarsal-phalangeal, ankle, knee, hip and shoulder joints.
Wobbling masses were included within the trunk, thigh and shank segments to allow for
soft tissue movement. The foot-springboard interface was represented by spring-dampers
acting at the heel, ball and toes of the foot. The model was personalised to an elite diver so
that simulation output could be compared with the diver's own performance. Kinematic
data of diving performances from a one-metre springboard were obtained using high speed
video and personalised inertia parameters were determined from anthropometric
measurements. Joint torque was calculated using a torque / angle / angular velocity
relationship based on the maximum voluntary torque measured using an isovelocity
dynamometer. Visco-elastic parameters were determined using a subject-specific angledriven
model which matched the simulation to the performance in an optimisation process.
Four dives with minimum and maximum angular momentum in the two dive groups were
chosen to obtain a common set of parameters for use in the torque-driven model. In the
evaluation of the torque-driven model, there was good agreement between the simulation
and performance for all four dives with a mean difference of 6.3%. The model was applied
to optimise for maximum dive height for each of the four dives and to optimise for
maximum rotational potential in each of the two dive groups. Optimisation results suggest
that changing techniques can increase the dive height by up to 2.0 cm. It was also
predicted that the diver could generate rotation almost sufficient to perform a forward three
and one-half somersault tuck and a reverse two and one-half somersault tuck.


The first example of a visible light-mediated atom transfer radical addition reaction of (phenylsulfonyl)difluoromethyl iodide to styrenes has been reported. By simply tuning the organic or inorganic bases in the reaction system, both ATRA and heck-type products could be afforded with high selectivity. This method has demonstrated mild conditions, high catalytic reactivity, excellent chemoselectivity and a broad substrate scope. Besides, it offers a new solution for difunctionalization of alkenes to synthesize diverse difluoromethylated molecules after a simple work-up.


Exploitation of custom-designed nucleases to induce DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at genomic locations of choice has transformed our ability to edit genomes, regardless of their complexity. DSBs can trigger either error-prone repair pathways that induce random mutations at the break sites or precise homology-directed repair pathways that generate specific insertions or deletions guided by exogenously supplied DNA. Prior editing strategies using site-specific nucleases to modify the Caenorhabditis elegans genome achieved only the heritable disruption of endogenous loci through random mutagenesis by error-prone repair. Here we report highly effective strategies using TALE nucleases and RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 nucleases to induce error-prone repair and homology-directed repair to create heritable, precise insertion, deletion, or substitution of specific DNA sequences at targeted endogenous loci. Our robust strategies are effective across nematode species diverged by 300 million years, including necromenic nematodes (Pristionchus pacificus), male/female species (Caenorhabditis species 9), and hermaphroditic species (C. elegans). Thus, genome-editing tools now exist to transform nonmodel nematode species into genetically tractable model organisms. We demonstrate the utility of our broadly applicable genome-editing strategies by creating reagents generally useful to the nematode community and reagents specifically designed to explore the mechanism and evolution of X chromosome dosage compensation. By developing an efficient pipeline involving germline injection of nuclease mRNAs and single-stranded DNA templates, we engineered precise, heritable nucleotide changes both close to and far from DSBs to gain or lose genetic function, to tag proteins made from endogenous genes, and to excise entire loci through targeted FLP-FRT recombination.


Abstract The creation of action research cycles is a fundamental part of action research projects. The aim of this article is to present the methodological challenge that is inherent in designing action research cycles. The article reports on my lived experience as I conceptualised and implemented a structured and systematic way of ordering and reporting the cycles within cycles in a mentoring self-study action research project. The paper discusses the journey that led to structure, and recognises the messiness that preluded this achievement within the action research process. I suggest that messiness is an inherent part of creating action research cycles. The path towards ordered structure is assisted through critical reflective practice and structured mentoring conversations. Of value to both emerging and more experienced action researchers, this article contributes to the practice of doing action research.


Goat meat is extensively known for its interesting nutritional value and for being an important source of protein with high quality. Its food derivatives are, therefore, a good alternative to develop new products addressed to health conscious consumers. In this work, a healthier goat product, namely, a low fat fresh sausage, was produced with the objective of evaluating the effect of inclusion of chitosan on quality, stability and shelf life. Sausages containing 2% chitosan were formulated with different fat levels (5%, 12.5% and 20%, w/w) and stored at 4 °C for 15 days. Results indicated the incorporation of 2% (w/w) chitosan was technologically feasible, due to the reduction of microbial growth and lipid oxidation, as well as the enhancement of red color. Additionally, the treated samples improved all the characteristics associated with cooking, showing the ability to bind water and fat and acquiring a firmer texture compared with control samples. Additionally, the reduction of fat content is technologically feasible without negative influences on the final product.


Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the main inorganic component of mammal bone and teeth. It is one of the few bioactive materials, which helps cell growing. The objective of this study was to fabricate hydroxyapatite-biopolimer nanofiber mats. To achieve this goal, two different suspensions were used. Approximately 1 μm diameter size fibers with large HAP agglomerates were fabricated using acetone and acetic acid. Fibers with a larger diameter size and homogenous distributed HAP particles were produced applying acetone and isopropanol. During the experiment the effect of the processing parameters: applied voltage, diameter of needle, the distance of the needle tip and the collector, flow rate was analyzed.


Tumour progression is an evolutionary process in which different clones evolve over time, leading to intra-tumour heterogeneity. Interactions between clones can affect tumour evolution and hence disease progression and treatment outcome. Intra-tumoural pairs of mutations that are overrepresented in a co-occurring or clonally exclusive fashion over a cohort of patient samples may be suggestive of a synergistic effect between the different clones carrying these mutations. We therefore developed a novel statistical testing framework, called GeneAccord, to identify such gene pairs that are altered in distinct subclones of the same tumour. We analysed our framework for calibration and power. By comparing its performance to baseline methods, we demonstrate that to control type I errors, it is essential to account for the evolutionary dependencies among clones. In applying GeneAccord to the single-cell sequencing of a cohort of 123 acute myeloid leukaemia patients, we find 1 clonally co-occurring and 8 clonally exclusive gene pairs. The clonally exclusive pairs mostly involve genes of the key signalling pathways.


In the traditional titanium alloy processing, Titanium alloys, however, are generally machined at lower cutting efficiency due to their low cutting speed and low cutting tool durability. This paper introduces a static cooling auxiliary method of titanium alloy TC11 cutting to solve the above-mentioned problems. The static cooling cutting can solve pollution by using coolant and decrease the consumption of resources and solve disadvantages in traditional titanium alloy processing problems.


Context. The Cassini mission in the Saturnian system is an outstanding opportunity to improve our knowledge of the satellites of Saturn. The data obtained thanks to this mission must be balanced with theoretical models. Aims. This paper aims at modelling the rotation of Mimas with respect to its possible internal structure. Methods. We first built different interior models, considering Mimas to be composed of two rigid layers with different porosity. Then we simulated the rotational behaviour of these models in a three-degree of freedom numerical code, considering the complete ephemerides of a Mimas whose rotation is disturbed by Saturn. We also estimated the deviation of its longitudinal orientation caused by tides. Results. We expect a signature of the internal structure up to 0.53 ◦ in the longitudinal librations and an obliquity between 2 and 3 arcmin, the exact values depend on the interior. Conclusions. The longitudinal librations should be detectable, but inverting them to arrive at clues on the internal structure of Mimas is challenging.


We present findings from a recently completed census survey of all mathematics departments in the United States that offer a graduate degree in mathematics. The census survey is part of a larger project investigating institutional features that influence student success in the introductory mathematics courses that are required of most STEM majors in the United States. We report the viewpoints of departments about characteristics shown to support students' success as well as the extent to which these characteristics are being implemented in programs across the country. We conclude with a discussion of areas where we see the potential for growth and further improvement.


The paper explores the use of vocatives in a corpus of 24 American and British films (the Pavia Corpus of Film Dialogue) by comparing film dialogue with spontaneous speech. A systematic quantitative and qualitative analysis of empirical data is provided to assess how address forms used by English speakers in natural verbal exchanges are reproduced on screen, and to identify patterns of address that can be regarded as distinctive of film dialogue. The findings show a higher frequency of vocatives in film dialogue, which serve diegetic and extradiegetic functions. From a qualitative point of view, filmic speech effectively reproduces interpersonal functions and sociolinguistic variation associated with vocatives in spontaneous interactions; on the other hand, it is characterized by a sophisticated use of address strategies accounted for in terms of authorial expressivity.


The sensitivities (in m) of bare LR115 detectors and detectors in diffusion chambers to222Rn and 220Rn chains are calculated by the Monte Carlo method. The partial sensitivities of bare detectors to the222Rn chain are larger than those to the 220Rn chain, which is due to the higher energies of alpha particles in the 220Rn chain and the upper energy limit for detection for the LR115 detector. However, the total sensitivities are approximately equal because220Rn is always in equilibrium with its first progeny, which is not the case for the 222Rn chain. The total sensitivity of bare LR115 detectors to 222Rn chain depends linearly on the equilibrium factor. The overestimation in 222Rn measurements with bare detectors caused by220Rn in air can reach 10% in normal environmental conditions. An analytical relationship between the equilibrium factor and the ratio between track densities on the bare detector and the detector enclosed in chamber is given in the last part of the paper. This ratio is also affected by220Rn, which can disturb the determination of the equilibrium factor. Health Phys. 78(4):414–419; 2000


Abstract. The Hydrogen Intensity and Real-time Analysis Experiment (HIRAX) is a radio interferometer array currently in development, with an initial 256-element array to be deployed at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory Square Kilometer Array site in South Africa. Each of the 6 m, f  /  0.23 dishes will be instrumented with dual-polarization feeds operating over a frequency range of 400 to 800 MHz. Through intensity mapping of the 21 cm emission line of neutral hydrogen, HIRAX will provide a cosmological survey of the distribution of large-scale structure over the redshift range of 0.775  <  z  <  2.55 over ∼15,000 square degrees of the southern sky. The statistical power of such a survey is sufficient to produce ∼7  %   constraints on the dark energy equation of state parameter when combined with measurements from the Planck satellite. Additionally, HIRAX will provide a highly competitive platform for radio transient and HI absorber science while enabling a multitude of cross-correlation studies. We describe the science goals of the experiment, overview of the design and status of the subcomponents of the telescope system, and describe the expected performance of the initial 256-element array as well as the planned future expansion to the final, 1024-element array.


Higher education in Zimbabwe began in the 1950s with the establishment of the University of Zimbabwe (then known as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland) being the first institution to offer university education. Since then there has been a rapid growth of universities, particularly after in 1990. What can be discerned from this growth of tertiary education is that the practice of imparting education to students is a consistently changing process in every society. What used to be traditional methods of imparting knowledge and skills to students are evolving, and Zimbabwe is not an exception to this change. The common brick and mortar institutions associated with modern education are now disrupted and at the same time complemented by new technologies. This disruption began with open distance learning. This article proffers insights into how the higher education (HE) system in Zimbabwe should continuously tap into this disruptive innovation initiated by new technologies. By constantly integrating new technologies in HE, Zimbabwe can maintain high standards associated with her globally renowned education system.


Background: Keeping the patient in a sitting or semi-sitting position for time-consuming oncoplastic breast surgery is a major challenge for anesthesiologists due to several considerations. This cohort study was conducted on two groups of patients undergoing breast surgery.Methods: Study participants were categorized into two groups: one group was composed of normotensive women (group A) and the other group comprised women with controlled hypertension (group B). After the induction of anesthesia in the supine position, the position was changed to sitting and the surgery was done in the sitting position. Hemodynamic monitoring included ECG, heart rate, non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP), invasive blood pressure (IBP), cardiac output (CO), arterial O2 saturation (SPO2), end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2), and bispectral index (BIS). The amount of administrated fluid and vasopressor was recorded for each patient. Any episode of hemodynamic instability was recorded, too.Results: Hemodynamic variation occurred in both groups, but the changes were more significant in group B and the amount of fluid and vasopressor administration was more prominent in group B. Changing the position caused no significant variation in BIS, SPO2, and EtCO2 in the two groups.Conclusions: The sitting position can be safe for time-consuming oncoplastic breast surgery using adequate hemodynamic monitoring. Hemodynamic changes are more significant in patients with controlled hypertension, and more medical interference is needed for these patients.


The Yukos affair, a high-profile story of the state-led assault on a private Russian company, provides an excellent opportunity for an inquiry into the nature of company-specific political risks in emerging markets. News associated primarily with law enforcement agencies' actions against company's managers, not formally related to the company itself, caused significant negative abnormal returns for Yukos. The results are robust and not driven by a few major events, such as the arrests of Yukos' top managers and shareholders. Stocks of less transparent private Russian companies have been more sensitive to Yukos-related events, especially employee-related charges by law enforcement agencies. The situation was different for less transparent government-owned companies such as the world-largest natural gas producer Gazprom: they appear to be significantly less sensitive to these events. Actions of regulatory agencies have had predominantly industry-wide impact, whereas law-enforcement agencies' actions affected shares of large private companies, especially those privatized in the notorious loans-for-shares privatization auctions.


ABSTRACT Endothermy and homeothermy are mammalian characteristics whose evolutionary origins are poorly understood. Given that fungal species rapidly lose their capacity for growth above ambient temperatures, we have proposed that mammalian endothermy enhances fitness by creating exclusionary thermal zones that protect against fungal disease. According to this view, the relative paucity of invasive fungal diseases in immunologically intact mammals relative to other infectious diseases would reflect an inability of most fungal species to establish themselves in a mammalian host. In this study, that hypothesis was tested by modeling the fitness increase with temperature versus its metabolic costs. We analyzed the tradeoff involved between the costs of the excess metabolic rates required to maintain a body temperature and the benefit gained by creating a thermal exclusion zone that protects against environmental microbes such as fungi. The result yields an optimum at 36.7°C, which closely approximates mammalian body temperatures. This calculation is consistent with and supportive of the notion that an intrinsic thermally based resistance against fungal diseases could have contributed to the success of mammals in the Tertiary relative to that of other vertebrates. IMPORTANCE Mammals are characterized by both maintaining and closely regulating high body temperatures, processes that are known as endothermy and homeothermy, respectively. The mammalian lifestyle is energy intensive and costly. The evolutionary mechanisms responsible for the emergence and success of these mammalian characteristics are not understood. This work suggests that high mammalian temperatures represent optima in the tradeoff between metabolic costs and the increased fitness that comes with resistance to fungal diseases. Mammals are characterized by both maintaining and closely regulating high body temperatures, processes that are known as endothermy and homeothermy, respectively. The mammalian lifestyle is energy intensive and costly. The evolutionary mechanisms responsible for the emergence and success of these mammalian characteristics are not understood. This work suggests that high mammalian temperatures represent optima in the tradeoff between metabolic costs and the increased fitness that comes with resistance to fungal diseases.


The purpose of this study was to identify novel transcriptional events occurring in the aortic wall before angiogenesis. We used a defined tissue culture system that takes advantage of the capacity of rat aortic rings to generate neovessels ex vivo in response to angiogenic factor stimulation. Total RNA isolated from aortic rings 18 h posttreatment with angiopoietin (Ang)-1 or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was used to probe oligonucleotide microarrays. Many genes were up- or downregulated by either Ang-1 or VEGF, with a subset being affected by treatment with both growth factors. Grouping of genes by biological function revealed that Ang-1 and VEGF both upregulated a host of immune-related genes including many inflammatory cytokines. A mixture of the Ang-1- and VEGF-induced cytokines stimulated the spontaneous angiogenic response of aortic rings and was synergistic with a low dose of recombinant VEGF. This effect was associated with enhanced recruitment of adventitial macrophages and dendritic cells in the angiogenic outgrowths. Thus Ang-1 and VEGF activate the innate immune system of the vessel wall, stimulating the production of proangiogenic inflammatory cytokines before the emergence of neovessels. This hitherto unreported feature of the angiogenic response might represent an important early component of the cellular and molecular cascade responsible for the angiogenic response of the aortic wall.


In patients with central vestibular disorders it is often seen an anomaly of the nystagmus (either spontaneous or provoked) presenting as a defectuous (or non existing at all) reduction of its intensity, when the glance is fixed in a spot. We report 6 cases with this finding. Detailed clinical records, complete vestibular tests and other ancilliary studies as well, allowing to pinpoint the diagnosis, are set forth. The faulty or anomalous visual suppression is not an uniform response, because three several forms through the electronystagmographic tracins could be checked. One in which visual fixation does not affect at any the course of the nystagmic response, a second in which there is a significative reduction of the studied parameter but clearly pathologic, and the third one in which only with visual fixation nystagmus was seen. We consider that this finding indicates the existence of a central disorder, once sedative drugs are ruled out and the practice of the ENG was realized in good conditions of alertness of the patient.


Labor pain is one of the leading fear of Acupressure is a pain relief method which showed promising results. Comparing the effect of body acupressure at multiple points and auricular acupressure on the pain and duration of labor, the present study is designed. In a randomized controlled trial, 90 primigravida women who attend for childbirth would be randomly assigned to three groups (interventions: body acupressure and auricular acupressure, control: routine care). In order to determine the allocation sequence with 1:1:1 ratio, the computer-generated 6-block randomization techniques would be used. To hide the allocation, the type of intervention will be written based on the generated sequence and put in opaque enveloped pockets; then, the pockets as well as questionnaires are encoded respectively. The pain score of all the participants would be measured at the peak uterine contraction at the 4cm cervical dilation and at 10 cm dilation based on visual analog scale (VAS). Duration of the active phase of labor in these groups are recorded too. Data are imported into SPSS-16 software. First, normality of the data distribution will be investigated. To compare the labor duration among the research groups, ANOVA would be used, which will be followed, in case of significance, by the Scheffe post-hoc test. Furthermore, Chi-squared test would be used to compare the categorized demographic variables and ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests will be used to compare the quantitative variables in the studied groups. significance level of 0.05 is considered significant.


Background Spinal anesthesia (SA) is a standard technique for cesarean section. Hypotension presents an incident of 80–85% after SA in pregnant women. Objective To determine the effect of intermittent pneumatic compression of lower limbs on declining spinal anesthesia induced hypotension during cesarean section. Methods This double-blind clinical prospective study was conducted on 76 non-laboring parturient patients, aged 18–45 years, with the American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status I or II who were scheduled for elective cesarean section at Razi Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran from December 21, 2015 to January 20, 2016. Patients were divided into treatment mechanical pump (Group M) or control group (Group C) with simple random sampling. Fetal presentation, birth weight, Apgar at 1 and 5 min, time taken for pre-hydration (min), pre-hydration to the administration of spinal anesthesia (min), initiation of spinal to the delivery (min) and total volume of intravenous fluids, total dose of ephedrine and metoclopramide were recorded. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 19, using repeated measures of ANOVA and Chi square test. Results Heart rate, MPA, DAP and SAP changes were significantly higher in off-pump group in the baseline and 1st-minute (p<0.05), and in the other times, this change was significantly different with control groups. Conclusion This research showed the suitability of the use of Sequential Compression Device (SCD) in reducing hypotension after spinal anesthesia for cesarean section, also this method can cause reducing vasopressor dosage for increased blood pressure, but the approval of its effectiveness requires repetition of the study with a larger sample size. Trial registration The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the IRCT ID: IRCT2015011217742N3. Funding The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.


The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of a moderate- to high-intensity paintball game program on fitness, cognitive functions, and ADHD-related behavior in children with ADHD. Fitness level, motor skills, behaviors, and cognitive functions are assessed by standardized tests before and after a 10-week training or control period. Findings show that participation in a paintball game program (improves muscular capacities, motor skills, behavior reports by parents and teachers, and level of information processing. A structured paintball game program may have clinical relevance in the functional adaptation of children with ADHD. This supports the need for further research in the area of physical activity with this population.


Treatment of Experimental Status Epilepticus in Immature Rats: Dissociation between Anticonvulsant and Antiepileptogenic Effects Suchomelova L, Baldwin RA, Kubova H, Thompson KW, Sankar R, Wasterlain CG Pediatr Res 2006;59:237–243 We studied the effects of treating status epilepticus (SE) induced by lithium and pilocarpine at postnatal day 15 (P15) or 28 (P28), on the severity of acute SE and of SEinduced epileptogenesis. Rats received topiramate (10 or 50 mg/kg, IP) or diazepam (5 mg/kg, IP) 20, 40 or 70 min after pilocarpine, and three months after SE 24-h video/EEG recordings were obtained for one (P28) or two weeks (P15) continuously. In P15 rats, topiramate did not modify the course of SE, yet treatment at 20 or 40 min completely prevented the development of spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) while later treatment (70 min) was partially effective in reducing the severity and frequency of SRS. Diazepam was effective against acute SE at all time points tested. Early (20 min) but not late treatment with diazepam had the effect of reducing the frequency and severity of SRS. In P28 rats, both drugs reduced the cumulative seizure time. Early treatment (20 min) with either drug reduced the incidence of chronic epilepsy. Late treatment (40/70 min) did not alter the incidence of SRS, but decreased their frequency. This study demonstrates that, in the treatment of SE, anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic effects can be dissociated in a development-specific manner: topiramate was antiepileptogenic without being an effective anticonvulsant in P15 animals at the doses tested. Diazepam, on the other hand, was a better anticonvulsant than an antiepileptogenic agent in the P15 animals at the dose tested. Such effects were not seen in the older animals.


Fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT) (FENTORA) is indicated for the management of breakthrough pain (BTP) in patients with cancer pain and who are tolerant to ≥60 mg of oral morphine equivalents, at least with the current availability of the minimal strength of 100 μg. FBT uses the OraVescent technology to further increase the rate and extent of absorption of fentanyl. Short-term, randomized, controlled, clinical studies of FBT in patients with cancer pain have shown the efficacy of FBT in the management of breakthrough cancer pain. The efficacy was also confirmed in long-term studies on the safety and tolerability of FBT. It has been recommended that administration should be tailored to the patient's individual requirement, through dose titration starting from the lowest dose to find the effective dose. However, recent studies have demonstrated that predictable doses calculated from the basal opioid regimen are safe and more effective than doses achieved after dose titration.


SV40 particles can apparently enter the nucleus intact. However, they do not leave the nucleus despite the high concentration present during the productive phase. We found structural evidence that SV40 virus is prevented from approaching the most likely site of exit, the nuclear pore complex. From these images, it is concluded that the fibrils attached to the nuclear pore complex prevent egress of SV40 particles from the infected nucleus.


The human face is an object that is easily located in complex scenes by infants and adults alike. Yet the development of an automated system to perform this task is extremely challenging. This paper is concerned with the development of a computational model for locating human faces in newspaper photographs based on cognitive research in human perceptual development. In the process of learning to recognize objects in the visual world, one could assume that natural growth favors the development of the abilities to detect the more essential features first. Hence, a study of the progress of an infant's visual abilities can be used to categorize the potential features in terms of their importance. The face locator developed by the authors takes a hypothesis generate and test approach to the task of finding the locations of people's faces in digitized pictures. Information from the accompanying caption is used in the verification phase. The system successfully located all faces in 44 of the 60 (73%) test newspaper photographs.


Telomere are composed of G rich nucleotide (TTAGGG)n typically 20 kb in length, are the regions of repetitive DNA at the end of the chromosomes. As the eukaryotic cells divide, the protective ends of the linear chromosomes, the telomeres, gradually shorten with each cell division. When a critical telomere length is reached, the cells are signaled into senescence, an irreversible state of quiescence. Thus, telomere length has emerged as replicative clock within each population of cells. Since telomere are also non coding sequence of DNA, as that of introns, there might be specific sites as of 5' splice site and 3'splice site, which might be the conserved regions in telomere and can possibility generate a signal for apoptosis after a certain time of cell division.
Since Telomere Length (TL) in the somatic cells determines the number of cell divisions, TL has been proposed as a marker for biological ageing and cancer. Under conditions of chronic oxidative stress, the rate of telomere shortening is increased. Since telomeres consist of the repetitive sequence TTAGGG, and have a high GC content, they are very vulnerable to base oxidation. Additionally, DNA strand breaks are less efficiently repaired at the telomeres when compared to the rest of our genome. This means that reactive oxygen species cause more damage to the telomeres and this damage is less well repaired. Genetics play an important role in determining TL, but environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, body composition and coffee and tea consumption can affect oxidative stress levels, which may contribute significantly to accelerated telomere shortening. Since, buccal cells are under direct contact with smoke and various toxic chemical substances in people who are acutely habituated with taking tobacco and cigarettes. So in our work we have found the conserved region of the telomere and showed the prolonged effect of tobacco and cigarettes on these conserved regions of the telomere.


The work presented in this thesis is a collection of four different research projects, conducted at the intersection between academic and industrial fields, and related to the restructuring of the electricity industry. Many models have been proposed to organise restructured electricity systems. We first propose a unified mathematical framework for expressing them, using variational inequalities. This allows the use of existence and uniqueness theorems, but also leads to models that can be solved by existing numerical algorithms. In the second part, we present a model of the European Commission proposals on cross-border trade, in particular access to the network and congestion issues. The model allows for various domestic regulation of the national non-eligible market, and different forms of competition in the eligible market. We illustrate this flexibility on a stylised example, and identify policy issues to be studied in a more realistic case study. The third contribution elaborates on the modelling of imperfect competition on electricity markets, more specifically the integration of imperfect competition behaviours in power models, through conjectural variations. We propose a consistent estimation procedure. Finally, a model of the EU Emission Trading Scheme, limiting the total CO2 emissions, is proposed. We illustrate the effect of some basic economic assumptions on the investment and generation mix, and how these assumptions impact the permit price and affect profitability. The novel part is in the way allocation mechanisms for subsequent commitment periods can potentially distort the behaviour of CO2 emitting agents.


After being cosseted by the media for what they incorrectly considered to be a scientific feat, the author found himself widely boycotted by the more "responsible" media. The reason for this was his critical view of the evolution of science, which he felt had become a tool at the service of innovation, and, therefore, of industrial interests. The traditional image of science, which serves to help us to understand the world, still persists despite being perverted by commercial interests, because it is defended by naive people as well as by lobbies, themselves responsible for this debasement. Thus, the "militant" scientist is suspected of dishonourable behaviour and finds himself expelled from the "scientific community", forced to express himself from the margins. As a result, a parallel world of information and debate is created, which presents truths different from those of the mainstream institutions. Abstract


Abstract Background The use of vascular grafts is indicated in case of insufficient pedicle length or for complex defects involving both soft tissues and vessels. Venous grafts (for both venous and arterial reconstructions) and arterial grafts (arterial reconstruction) can be used. This study retrospectively evaluated the needs for vascular reconstruction and its results in a clinical series of lower limb reconstructions with microsurgical free flaps. Materials and Methods From 2010 to 2015, a total of 16 vascular grafts or flow-through flaps were used in 12 patients out of a total of 150 patients undergoing microsurgical reconstruction (8%). Arterial reconstruction was performed in seven cases (six flow-through flaps, one arterial graft), combined arterial and venous reconstruction in four cases (three vein grafts, one combined venous/arterial graft), and venous reconstruction in one case (one venous graft). The rate of complications and donor-site morbidity related to vascular graft harvest were evaluated. Results Reconstruction was successful in all cases, despite an overall complication rate of 17 and 8% of surgical revision. Donor-site morbidity, subjectively evaluated, was minimal with respect to functional deficits and aesthetic outcome. Indications for the different types of grafts are discussed. Conclusion The use of vascular grafts is needed in a relevant percentage of microsurgical reconstruction cases. Venous and arterial vascular grafts, transient arteriovenous fistulas, and "flow-through" microsurgical flaps showed a safe reconstruction comparable to microsurgical reconstructions without the use of grafts. Donor-site morbidity secondary to vascular graft harvest is minimal, and in almost 70% of cases no additional scars are needed.


This study investigates the removal efficiency of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in raw water at a water treatment plant using a biological powder-activated carbon system (BPACS). The presence of an excessive amount of DBPs has a large impact on the water quality of drinking water treated from the purification process. This study collected rapidly filtered water from an advanced water treatment plant for use in experiments on raw water. The removal efficiency of the trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) and haloacetic acids formation potential (HAAFP) was studied under various hydraulic retention times and under organic DOC loadings. The results showed that the BPACS lowered the average concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV254 and the SUVA value (equivalent to UV254/DOC) in raw water. The system efficiently removed the THMFP and HAAFP during the treatment of the three primary organic carbon items. These results highlight the importance of the BPACS for efficiently treating disinfection by-products. These discoveries provide important information on biological degradation behaviors that can remove excessive amounts of disinfection by-products from drinking water.


2016 marks the 30 th anniversary of Richard Lowenstein's acclaimed Dogs in Space, a fictionalized cinematic memoir of nominal bohemians in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. Set 6-8 years before the film's release, Lowenstein utilised genuine participants in the events/milieu depicted, as well as key locations, notably the house central to the film's story. Icons abound in this film and its subsequent career: an 'icon' of Australian music and culture in Michael Hutchence; the 'Dogs in Space house' (in Berry Street, Richmond) has become a shrine for fans of the film; and the film itself features numerous 'icons' of inner-city Melbourne's built environment, including the Pelaco factory and venues such as St Kilda's Seaview Ballroom. Questions raised in examination of this important film relate to its legacy in the 21 st century – including creative men and women whose profiles were both enhanced and distorted by their involvement in its production – and the way in which it is both remembered and understood in the present day. What does Dogs in Space tell us about Melbourne forty years ago (when it is set), thirty years ago (when it was released) and now? How do impressions of the film tally or conflict between those who 'lived it' and those who were either born later, or are not Melbournites, and subsequently come to see it? Using original interview and fieldwork material, this paper reflects on a remarkable document of both the 1970s and the 1980s, seen through a 2016 lens.


Epileptic seizures present a serious danger to the lives of their victims, rendering them unconscious, lacking control, and may even result in death only a few seconds after onset. This gives rise to a crucial need for an effective seizure detection method that is fast, accurate, and has the potential for mass market adoption. Kriging methods have a good reputation for high accuracy in spatial prediction, hence, their extensive use in geostatistics. This paper demonstrates the successful application of Kriging methods for an effective seizure detection device in an edge computing environment by modeling the brain as a spatial panorama. We hereby propose a novel wearable for real-time automated seizure detection from EEG signals using three different types of Kriging, namely, Simple Kriging, Ordinary Kriging and Universal Kriging. After multiple experiments with electroencephalogram (EEG) signals obtained from seizure patients as well as those from their healthy counterparts, the results reveal that the three Kriging methods performed very well in accuracy, sensitivity and latency of detection. It was found however, that Simple Kriging outperforms the other Kriging methods with a mean seizure detection latency of 0.81 sec, a perfect specificity, an accuracy of 97.50% and a sensitivity of 94.74%. The results in this paper compare well with other seizure detection models in the literature but their excellent seizure detection latency surpasses the performance of most existing works in seizure detection.


With an estimated base of more than 300,000 users, there are an awful lot of ColdFusion developers out there. The cream of the crop, however, are those with Macromedia certification. To get that, you must pass the Certified ColdFusion Developer exam: This comprehensive study guide ensures that you do! In these pages, veteran author and ColdFusion product evangelist Ben Forta provides you with the inside skinny on everything you need to know to become a certified ColdFusion MX 7 developer. Organized as a series of tightly focused review sessions that follow the same subject divisions as the test itself, this thoroughly updated study guide covers all that's new in ColdFusion-structured business reports, rich forms, Enterprise Manager (which lets users cluster multiple ColdFusion servers on a single machine), and more-as well as every major feature and skill: variables and expressions, data types, services and protocols, databases, tuning and optimization. Each short chapter includes well-explained code examples, and a companion Web site rounds out the package.i¾


The use of anxiolytics and antidepressants indicates the presence of psychiatric morbidity among active workers in labour market. When used without proper orientation (self-medication), the consumption of these substances can exacerbate or cause more serious conditions, intoxication and dependence. Occupational stressors can be related to psychiatric medication use, including self-medication. Cross-sectional study, with random and representative sample, was held at Minas Gerais State Court, Brazil. The aim was to investigate psychosocial factors associated with psychiatric self-medication among State Court workers. All permanent workers (n = 12,251) who were working in the 296 Minas Gerais law districts were eligible. The estimation of the sample size (n = 1000) considered the following parameters: number of workers, prevalence of sick leave of 40% and 95% confidence interval. A stratified proportional random sampling was performed. Data was collected by telephone survey, including socioeconomic, occupational, and health information. Among the occupational variables we call atention to eletronic tools use, job demands, work control and social support. Logistic regression analysis indicated associations between psychiatric self-medication and occupational variables. Our findings suggested that work intensification was associated with self-medication use. Health policies focusing on controlling and monitoring psychosocial factors at work in Brazilian judiciary services are desirable.


The objective of this research project is to develop the technology for the production of physically robust iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts that have suitable activity, selectivity and stability to be used in the slurry phase synthesis reactor development. The catalysts that are developed shall be suitable for testing in the Advanced Fuels Development Facility at LaPorte, Texas, to produce either low- or high-alpha product distributions. Previous work by the offeror has produced a catalyst formulation that is 1.5 times as active as the ``standard-catalyst`` developed by German workers for slurry phase synthesis. The proposed work will optimize the catalyst composition and pretreatment operation for this low-alpha catalyst. In parallel, work will be conducted to design a high-alpha iron catalyst this is suitable for slurry phase synthesis. Studies will be conducted to define the chemical phases present at various stages of the pretreatment and synthesis stages and to define the course of these changes. The oxidation/reduction cycles that are anticipated to occur in large, commercial reactors will be studied at the laboratory scale. Catalyst performance will be determined for catalysts synthesized in this program for activity, selectivity and aging characteristics. The research is divided into four major topical areas: (a) catalyst preparation and characterization, (b) product characterization, (c) reactor operations, and (d) data assessment.


Detailed usage data is becoming available through different devices (e.g., personal computer, cell phones, tablets, watches, glasses, wrist bands), in huge volumes, and in a speed that requires new models and visualizations to support the understanding of detailed user actions at scale. Without appropriate methods that summarize or provide means of analyzing large usage data sets, a semantic gap between the event-by-event data and the tasks profile remains. In this context, this work proposes a technique to support the analysis of task deviation from the examination of detailed user interface events streams. From the analysis of 427 event-by-event logged sessions (captured under user consent) of a technical reference website, this work presents how to identify task deviations by using eccentricity distribution. The proposed technique is a promising way of identifying task deviations in large log data sets containing information about how users performed real tasks.


The additional evidence of the existence of antigenic differences between the early virus-induced antigen and structural retrovirus D antigens as well as antigens from human fetus normal tissues was obtained by quantitative complement fixation micromethod using radioactive chromium (51Cr-CFT). In examinations of 13 specimens of cancer tumours and fibroadenomas of the female mammary glands the new antigen was found in 8 cases, including 4 cancer tumours where this antigen could not be detected by the conventional CFT.


A new modular multilevel DC-DC converter with high power density and simplified localized voltage balancing control is proposed. In the proposed configuration, converter building blocks with the same power handling capability are connected in parallel in each row. Converter building block consists of an H-bridge and mutually coupled inductors whose total current is nearly ripple free. These features are shown to reduce the voltage ripple of DC-link capacitors significantly, leading to a smaller capacitance and size. An optimized control algorithm with voltage feedback PI loop is proposed resulting in the elimination of current sensors. This, reduces overall system complexity and increases cost-effectiveness. Significant ripple reduction of the inductor current and capacitor voltages is observed based on the simulation and prototype of multi-level systems. With a fully modular power stage module and localized control module, a system of arbitrary number of level can be built by stacking modules thereby contributing to enhanced system redundancy.


In cognitive radio (CR) systems, the channel sensing scheme for detecting the presence of primary user directly affects the quality-of-service of CR users and primary user. In this letter, we propose a sensing scheme that consists of a series of consecutive energy detections followed by feature detection, where the energy detection time is much shorter than the feature detection time. With the proposed scheme, multiple energy detections decrease the feature detection due to false alarm and the overall channel sensing time. The performance evaluation using Markov analysis shows that the proposed scheme can heighten the maximum channel utilization of CR users, while maintaining the detection delay of primary user under a predefined value.


Objective: To examine the association between migraine and stroke/vascular outcomes in a racially/ethnically diverse, older cohort. Methods: Participants from the Northern Manhattan Study, a population-based cohort study of stroke incidence, were assessed for migraine symptoms using a self-report questionnaire based on criteria from the International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition. We estimated the association between migraine and combined vascular events including stroke and stroke only over a mean follow-up of 11 years, using Cox models adjusted for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors. Results: Of 1,292 participants (mean age 68 ± 9 years) with migraine data followed prospectively for vascular events, 262 patients (20%) had migraine and 75 (6%) had migraine with aura. No association was found between migraine (with or without aura) and risk of either stroke or combined cardiovascular events. There was an interaction between migraine and current smoking (p = 0.02 in relation to stroke and p = 0.03 for combined vascular events), such that those with migraine and smoking were at an increased risk. The hazard ratio of stroke for migraine among current smokers was 3.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13–8.85) and among current nonsmokers was 0.77 (95% CI 0.44–1.35). In relation to combined vascular events, the hazard ratio for migraine vs no migraine among current smokers was 1.83 (95% CI 0.89–3.75) and among current nonsmokers was 0.63 (95% CI 0.43–0.94). Conclusion: In our racially/ethnically diverse population-based cohort, migraine was associated with an increased risk of stroke among active smokers but not among nonsmokers.


UPPER BOULDER-CLAT OF THE N.W. OF ENGLAND. SIB,—I am sorry that the very eminent glacialist, Mr. Kinahan, did not see a better specimen of the above deposit than that mentioned in his article. I have been familiar with it, for many years, in the flat and low-lying districts of Shropshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, and West Cumberland. It is the best-defined, most persistently uniform in its character, and horizontally-continuous of any glacial deposit I have seen. It likewise contains the largest per-centage of flattened pebbles with parallel and perfectly-preserved striae. With regard to the drifts of the Isle of Man, I think they ought to be compared with the magnificent normal sections occurring on the opposite sea-coast of Cumberland, between Maryport and St. Bees, but especially between Eavenglass and Millom. For information on the above subjects, see GEOL. MAG. for Dec. 1870, June and July, 1871, and Sept. 1872. See also Quart. Journal Geol. Soc, vol. xxv. p. 407 ; vol. xxviii. p. 388; and vol. xxx. p. 181.


The photo-response of 3C-SiC pn homojunction photodiodes was measured at high temperature up to 673K. At 473K, the response is hardly different from that at the room temperature. At 573K and 673K, the peak is red shift and lowering comparing that of 298K. The response increases on the long-wavelength region of the profile because of an increase in optical absorption coefficient on increase in temperature. Responsivities at various temperatures were calculated using one-dimensional diffusion model. The calculated profiles of response are qualitatively in agreement with the experimental results except for that of 473K.


Background and Purpose: Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the importance of time to endovascular therapy (EVT) in clinical outcomes in large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke. Delays to treatment are particularly prevalent when patients require a transfer from hospitals without EVT capability onsite. A computer-aided triage system, Viz LVO, has the potential to streamline workflows. This platform includes an image viewer, a communication system, and an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that automatically identifies suspected LVO strokes on CTA imaging and rapidly triggers alerts. We hypothesize that the Viz application will decrease time-to-treatment, leading to improved clinical outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was assessed for patients who presented to a stroke center currently utilizing Viz LVO and underwent EVT following transfer for LVO stroke between July 2018 and March 2020. Time intervals and clinical outcomes were compared for 55 patients divided into pre- and post-Viz cohorts. Results: The median initial door-to-neuroendovascular team (NT) notification time interval was significantly faster (25.0 min [IQR = 12.0] vs. 40.0 min [IQR = 61.0]; p = 0.01) with less variation (p < 0.05) following Viz LVO implementation. The median initial door-to-skin puncture time interval was 25 min shorter in the post-Viz cohort, although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.15). Conclusions: Preliminary results have shown that Viz LVO implementation is associated with earlier, more consistent NT notification times. This application can serve as an early warning system and a failsafe to ensure that no LVO is left behind.


The importance of renewable energy sources is increasing in our world. Solar energy is the most natural, unlimited, ergonomic, environmentally friendly, useful and available everywhere source among of the renewable energy sources. The installed capacity of solar energy in electricity generation is increasing rapidly all of the countries. The most important part of photovoltaic power installed projects is cost-effective of projects for these systems installations because millions of dollars are being invested to it. This study is crucial in this respect. An example of location is determined and is designed for photovoltaic installation according to the European Commission Photovoltaic Geographical Information System for the city of Van where is the east of Turkey. Needs of the system, system equipments, design style and how it should be established are indicated and worked while considering the geographical coordinates of the location. A detailed study has been prepared taking into consideration all these data. It is a fact that such a system designing would serve as an example for all photovoltaic applications in the world.


Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle to be effective writers. Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is one approach to writing instruction that has demonstrated success for students with EBD. However, there is little research exploring its utility to teach writing to students with EBD in social studies. The current study expanded the literature base by investigating the effectiveness of SRSD to teach summary writing of informational texts to three high school students with EBD served in a residential facility. A researcher taught the SRSD lessons for writing using the mnemonic TWA+PLANS, which stands for Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading and Pick goals, List ways to meet goals, And make Notes, Sequence notes. Using a multiple probe, multiple baseline, across participants design, SRSD instruction resulted in a functional relation with student writing performance, as measured by summary elements, quality, and total written words. Improvement rate differences and Hedges' g were also large for each variable. The intervention was implemented with high levels of fidelity, as rated by both the interventionist and an outside researcher. Limitations and future directions are discussed.


Complex childhood trauma often affects the capacities of survivors to experience empathy and compassion toward themselves and others. Recent mindfulness literature recognizes meditation as an evidence-based practice that is able to change the brain, increasing one's capacities for empathy and compassion. This article offers an exploration of selected literature on complex childhood trauma and on mindfulness practices related to the development of compassion and empathy. A case study illustrates the use of a meditative dialogue practice in psychotherapy with a survivor of complex childhood trauma that serves to increase her ability to have empathy and compassion for herself and others.


: Jaya Mukti is one of the sub-districts in Dumai Timur District East Dumai Urban Village Jaya Mukti is one of urban villages located in the middle of Dumai City with the highest population density among urban villages in Dumai City. To realize JayaMukti Village Mission, Kelurahan is assisted by the performance of the existing Chairman of the RT, and coincides with the respective term of each Chairman of the RT ended in March 2017 then the researcher made a research on how the Head of RT in JayaMukti Kota Dumai by Payaman J. Simanjuntak "(2005: 1) Is a level of achievement of the results of the implementation of certain tasks. "And Prawirosentono in Sinambela (2012: 5) performance is the work that can be achieved by a person or group of people within an organization, in accordance with the authority and responsibility of each, See that the outcomes of the results or the implementation of the task of Chairman of the RT has not been optimal. Research was chosen purposively in JayaMukti Subdistrict, Kecamtan Dumai Timur Kota Dumai with qualitative approach and data collection technique by interview, observation and documentation. Respondents only 16 Head of RT from 23 RT , Key Informant is Lurah Jayamukti.serta Kasi Pemerintahannya.hasil Research is Performance Chairman of RT in Kelurahan JayaMukti from Administration Reporting that maximal routine only reaches 50%, Increase participation of citizen or citizen in Village JayaMukti average 72,50% for , Community empowerment or average citizen of 26.56% and Maintenance of Public Security and Order of the Community Average of 43.75%. To improve the performance of Ketau RT in addition to increasing the capacity of the RT Chairman himself and realizing that the position of Chairman of the RT is a Social , So the consciousness of the consequences, while the community must be educated about the social function as Chairman of the RT while from the Village can make a kind of integrity fact that must be signed by the Head of RT in Kelurahan so there are things that need to be accounted for according to the fact of integrity.


In this work, transport and thermodynamic properties of mixtures of n-hexane with the aldehydes citral, citronellal and dihydrocitronellal, important to the fine chemicals industry, were determined experimentally and compared to theoretical predictions. Liquid binary diffusion coefficients were measured using the Taylor dispersion technique at various temperatures. The Wilke-Chang correlation gave precise approximations. The second part of this work is concerned with the gas-liquid phase equilibrium of citral/n-hexane. The mixture is slightly nonideal and may be sufficiently described by applying the modified UNIFAC (Dortmund) group contribution method. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 2557–2562, 2012


This study is basic experiment for estimating influence of strength by curing temperature of concrete's heat of hydration and estimate relationship of compressive strength development by initial curing temperature factor, and then asume temperature factor which influence compressive strength development and for showing basic document of quality control. According to the result of cement mortar by the curing temperature factor high-curing temperature shows high strength on 3 day compare with low curing-temperature, shows higher strength than the piece of high curing temperature.


Claims of benefits of aromatherapy for cancer patients include reduced anxiety levels and relief of emotional stress, pain, muscular tension and fatigue. The objective of this paper is to provide an updated descriptive, systematic review of evidence from pre-clinical and clinical trials assessing the benefits and safety of aromatherapy for cancer patients. Literature databases such as Medline (via Ovid), the Cochrane database of systematic reviews, Cochrane Central were searched from their inception until October 2010. Only studies on cancer cells or cancer patients were included. There is no long lasting effect of aromatherapy massage, while short term improvements were reported for general well being, anxiety and depression up to 8 weeks after treatment. The reviewed studies indicate short-term effects of aromatherapy on depression, anxiety and overall wellbeing. Specifically, some clinical trials found an increase in patient-identified symptom relief, psychological wellbeing and improved sleep. Furthermore, some found a short-term improvement (up to 2 weeks after treatment) in anxiety and depression scores and better pain control. Although essential oils have generally shown minimal adverse effects, potential risks include ingesting large amounts (intentional misuse); local skin irritation, especially with prolonged skin contact; allergic contact dermatitis; and phototoxicity from reaction to sunlight (some oils). Repeated topical administration of lavender and tea tree oil was associated with reversible prepubertal gynecomastia.


A high retention enzymatic bioreactor was developed by coupling membrane distillation with an enzymatic bioreactor (MD-EMBR) to investigate the degradation of 13 phenolic and 17 non-phenolic trace organic contaminants (TrOCs). TrOCs were effectively retained (90–99%) by the MD membrane. Furthermore, significant laccase-catalyzed degradation (80–99%) was achieved for 10 phenolic and 3 non-phenolic TrOCs that contain strong electron donating functional groups. For the remaining TrOCs, enzymatic degradation ranged from 40 to 65%. This is still higher than those reported for enzymatic bioreactors equipped with ultrafiltration membranes, which retained laccase but not the TrOCs. Addition of three redox-mediators, namely syringaldehyde (SA), violuric acid (VA) and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), in the MD-EMBR significantly broadened the spectrum of efficiently degraded TrOCs. Among the tested redox-mediators, VA (0.5 mM) was the most efficient and versatile mediator for enhanced TrOC degradation. The final effluent (i.e., membrane permeate) toxicity was below the detection limit, although there was a mediator-specific increase in toxicity of the bioreactor media.


The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has implemented HR1S in its operations. However, the effectiveness of the FIRIS in the organization has not been so pronounced. This may be attributed to various aspects such as lack of competence, lack of capital for infrastructure and user characteristics. Despite the fact that Human Resource Information Systems are being used with increasing frequency in organizations, there is still relatively little research on factors that influence the degree to which HRIS are effectively implemented in organizations resulting in functional versus dysfunctional consequences for individuals and organizations and in conjunction with the ever-increasing demand for HRIS, further research is still needed in this field. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors influencing effectiveness of human resource information systems at the NCPB. This was a case study since the unit of analysis will be one organization. The population of interest was the management staffs who included top and middle level management staff in the NCPB. A sample of responding staffs was selected by picking 50% of the possible respondents. This generated 14 sample respondents for this study. Primary data was collected using face to face interviews. Being a case study, conceptual content analysis was most useful in analyzing the data. The data was presented in a continuous prose as a qualitative report on the factors influencing HRIS in the National Cereals and Produce Board. This study concludes that HRIS is used simplify the decision making process by helping to provide information used in HR decision making such as administration, payroll, recruiting, training, and performance analysis. The study also concludes that user satisfaction criterion considers attitudes, beliefs, cultural, and behavioral issues as key areas that influence successful implementation of information systems. The study also established that mutual relationships with information technologies (IT), IS and organizational culture is relatively low among the employees hence slowing the intended effectiveness of the HRIS. The study recommends that the organization should adopt changes in human resources jobs, business plan and vision, careful selection of a third-party vendor, change management, clear communication, detailed requirements analysis, end-user involvement, leadership and project championship, project management, skill set of the implementation team members and support for users.


The aims of treating epilepsy are to stop seizures, and to neutralize any associated cognitive or psychosocial penalty associated with epilepsy or its treatment. Inappropriate medication and/or continuance of seizures have deleterious effects on quality of life. The Epilepsy Task Force devised a 30-item questionnaire which was sent to children with epilepsy whose families are members of the British Epilepsy Association. The 896 replies which were received within the first two weeks have been analysed. Forty-two per cent of respondents had tonic-clonic seizures. Thirty-five per cent had had no seizures within the previous six months, but 29% reported seizures which occurred at least once a week. Although 42% didn't mind their seizures, the remaining respondents described their seizures as making them feel helpless, scared, panicky, frustrated and different from others. The most common medications were carbamazepine and sodium valproate. Side effects attributed to the medication included tiredness, difficulty in concentrating, dizziness, headache, irritability and weight gain. Thirty-six per cent said that their doctor had never explained about their epilepsy. The questionnaire included space for free-text comments and these were made by more than 400 respondents.


Abstract We studied retrospectively the outcome of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-related disease with EBV monitoring and preemptive rituximab to prevent post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in 319 consecutive allogeneic stem cell transplantations 2004–2012. Patients who received anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) or alemtuzumab were regarded as high-risk for PTLD (n = 214). EBV DNAemia ≥1000 copies/mL plasma was observed in 50 (23%) of the high-risk patients. Thirty-three of the high-risk (15%) and one of the low-risk (1%) patients received rituximab, in combination with reduction of immunosuppression (n = 24) or chemotherapy (n = 4). Although rituximab was initiated only 5 d after first EBV load ≥1000 copies/mL, 85% of the rituximab-treated patients developed symptoms (lymphadenopathy 50%, fever 76%, and encephalitis/meningitis 12%). Response-rate to EBV treatment was 88%. Overall survival at 1- and 5-year was 71 and 52% for rituximab-treated patients, which was not inferior to all other patients post-transplant. In conclusion, rituximab therapy for EBV DNAemia does not affect long-term survival negatively.


Second Life (SL) is an internet-based virtual world launched in 2003 by Linden Research Inc. A free downloadable program enables its users to interact with each other via avatars (i.e., a computer user's representation of him- or herself), in virtual simulations of real-world environments. Thus far there have been few studies which evaluate the effectiveness of SL in learning and teaching environments. The aim of this project was to create a virtual conference centre and dedicated tutorial huts within SL which would provide psychology students with the opportunity to participate in additional academic tutorials, and also allow them to present the findings of their empirical projects at a virtual conference. This paper reports on the process of building and teaching within the virtual school, and the subsequent evaluation. Forty-three students attended virtual tutorials and a further 27 gave a virtual poster presentation within SL. Feedback was very positive, showing most students liked SL for tutorials, found them fun, and wanted more SL in their degree. Students enjoyed presenting in a virtual environment and liked the anonymity when interacting with others. Attending SL tutorials was also found to have a significant effect on students' assessment performance, even when controlling for general ability and engagement with IT-based module resources. It was concluded that the benefits of SL to the learning of students involved in this project outweigh the disadvantages.


Building on the success of the first workshop on understanding, generating, and adapting user interfaces at CHI2022, this workshop will advance this research area further by looking at existing results and exploring new research directions. Computational approaches for user interfaces have been used in adapting interfaces for different devices, modalities, and user preferences. Recent work has made significant progress in understanding and adapting user interfaces with traditional constraint/rule-based optimization and machine learning-based data-driven approaches; however, these two approaches remain separate. Combining the two approaches has great potential to advance the area but remains under-explored and challenging. Other contributions, such as datasets for potential applications, novel representations of user interfaces, the analysis of human traces, and models with multi-modalities, will also open up future research options. The proposed workshop seeks to bring together researchers interested in computational approaches for user interfaces to discuss the needs and opportunities for future user interface algorithms, models, and applications.


Voluntary standard and certification systems are proliferating in the United States and around the world. While the majority of certification research draws on case studies, we pursue a cross-sectional empirical analysis of an original database of 108 certifications operating in the United States. We analyse the rise and configuration of private regulatory initiatives, variations in programme breadth and focus, and variations in programme participation and oversight requirements. We highlight the predominance of international and multi-stakeholder initiatives in the United States. Our research identifies substantial convergence in the ecological and social priorities of certification programmes and even greater convergence in their assessment and oversight procedures. Statistical analysis helps explain the prevalence of multi-stakeholder initiatives, but we find no significant differences between these and industry-led initiatives in their foci or procedures. We argue that there is a standardization of certification norms and practices which may mask important programme differences.


This paper reviews the literature on the forces driving urbanization in developing countries. It presents a model outlining how globalization can lead to the evolution of an urban structure which may approximate Zipf's law. Policy implications are outlined.


fibreoptic bronchoscope passed through an endotracheal tube, "even if the patient is still actively bleeding." One of the problems in severe haemoptysis is the rapid formation of clots which can obstruct main or lobar bronchi completely and can be removed only through a wide bore (5 mm) aspirating tube or by grasping forceps. Thus the use of a rigid bronchoscope is not an outdated tradition, as the authors imply, but a lifesaving necessity. Some of my most alarming experiences when treating severe intrabronchial bleeding akin to massive haemoptysis have been after bronchial or transbronchial biopsy during fibreoptic bronchoscopy. Vision was immediately lost, the narrow suction channel rapidly became blocked, and prompt use of a rigid bronchoscope under intravenous anaesthesia with oxygen injection ventilation was needed to avert death. When haemoptysis is not copious, or when it is subsiding, fibreoptic bronchoscopy is preferable to rigid bronchoscopy in finding the source of bleeding and determining its cause. In the presence of massive haemoptysis, however, even in the restricted sense defined by the authors, an operator skilled in the use of the rigid instrument must be readily available if deaths are to be prevented. This is one setting in which the rapidly diminishing number of respiratory physicians trained in rigid bronchoscopy is a cause for concern.


The empirical analysis of multiproduct pricing suffers from a lack of clear theoretical guidance and appropriate data, limitations which often render traditional regression-based analyses impractical. This paper analyzes ticket, parking, and concession pricing in Major League Baseball for the period 1991-2003 using a new methodology based on principal components, which allows inferences to be formed about the factors underlying price variation without strong theoretical guidance or abundant information about costs and demand. While general demand shifts are the most important factor, they explain only half of overall price variation. Also important are price interactions that derive from demand interrelationships between goods and the desire to maximize the capture of consumer surplus in the presence of heterogeneous demand.


Intravenous methylprednisolone (MP) is the standard method in the treatment of acute relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is believed to affect various immunological processes involved in the pathology of MS, including apoptosis and phagocytosis. Peripheral blood was obtained from 50 patients, with clinically definite MS, fulfilling the revised criteria of McDonald, a day before, after 5 days of MP treatment, and two weeks after conclusion of the treatment. Intravenous administration of 1.0 gamma daily of MP was used to treat the new relapses of the disease. The control group comprised 20 healthy blood donors. The subset of lymphocytes CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19, CD95 /CD3 and CD95/ CD19 was studied using monoclonal antibodies by flow cytometry. Using the flow cytometric test the phagocytosis of granulocytes and caspase activity of granulocytes and lymphocytes were studied. In MS and in the course of MP treatment, both the absolute and relative count of lymphocytes were decreased, as well as the percentage of lymphocytes with CD3, CD4 and CD8 antigen. The relative amount of lymphocytes CD16 and CD19 was increased. The lymphocytes CD95/CD3 and CD95/CD19, representing markers of apoptotic activity, were not significantly changed. The phagocytosis of peripheral granulocytes before and after intravenous MP was increased. The quantitative shift in the lymphocyte immunomarkers have an impact on the effect of methylprednisolone in the course of MS relapses. The increase in phagocytic activity in MS is a generalized one and is reflected in the peripheral blood granulocytes, but without marked changes after MP therapy.


Summary:Summary: These assays are performed on all the pig models studied by the DiaComp to assess the extent of atherosclerotic lesions in diabetic cardiovascular disease models. Each measurement/assay is listed below with the details of how the data is collected. Details of the reagents and materials are in the assay.


The objective was to determine the effects of needle-free injection (NF) compared with traditional needle injection (N) on microbial translocation of generic E. coli in beef strip loins. Longissimus muscles (LM) (n=5) from USDA Select carcasses were used in preliminary research to determine the optimal injection pressure required for NF injections. Seven treatments with sterile colored saline solution were administered: 1) 90 psi ; 2) 55 psi ; 3) 50 psi ; 4) 45 psi ; 5) 30 psi ; 6) 25 psi ; or 7) 20 psi . For the second portion of the experiment 15 LM were obtained and halved; the surfaces were inoculated with generic E. coli at a level of 10 CFU/cm (three replications of five loins). Matching halves were allocated to NF or N injection treatments with a phosphate, salt solution. Immediately after injection, two cores, 23 cm in area, were taken aseptically from each half. A 2-mm thick cross-sectional slice was removed from the inoculated surface of the core and labeled "surface". Using sterile technique, the two cores from each half were sliced into cross-sectional strips at depths of 1, 3, and 5 cm. Corresponding depth measurements were combined in stomacher bags with 99 ml of peptone water and stomached. Serial dilutions were then plated. From the preliminary study, it was determined that 25 psi was the optimal pressure for NF injection based on dispersion, visual appraisal, and solution retention. Samples taken from the surface of N injected LM had lower (P < 0.05) microbial counts than NF-injected muscles (2.79 versus 3.23 log CFU/g, respectively). The 3 and 5 cm depth samples from N injection had the least (P < 0.05) microbial contamination (1.69 and 2.12 log CFU/g) compared to NF injections. Samples from 1 cm deep of N injected LM had lower (P < 0.05) (2.53 log CFU/g) microbial counts than the 1 cm samples of NF injected LM (3.04 log CFU/g). Traditional N injection resulted in approximately 0.5 log CFU/g less microbial contamination at all depths. N injection posed fewer microbial risks when compared with NF injection using these defined application settings.


The works of N.A. Bernstein on the construction of daily life movements in humans and those of P.K. Anokhin on the integrative nature of the nervous system in animals led to new descriptions of the brain functioning and behaviour, which contributed to the development of neuropsychology by A.R. Luria. Their work, which was considered as conflicting with Pavlov's reflex theory, which was sanctioned by the Soviet authorities, were for a long time disregarded in the USSR, and were unrecognised in the West due to the lack of English translations which were only produced much later. Bernstein described activity as being directed toward the resolution of a specific motor problem, programmed and guided by a copy of the desired solution constructed by the brain (a model of the future), and implemented and regulated according to the probability theory through sensory corrections carried out at different levels in the brain. Anokhin's systemic theory of brain functioning was defined by a complex integrative process with adaptive value, carried out by a system of permanent interactions between a cortical centre and the peripheric motor apparatus, regulated by reverse afferences from the periphery. These descriptions appear to be close to modern conceptions of brain functioning and continue to be of interest in the study of the relationships between psychic activity and brain function.


The birth of "Moore"s Law" provided a great insight to electronic industry. As a result of which so many technologies are adapted to increase the number of components on integrated circuits. One of which is Scaling .As scaling of technology is adapted, performance and efficiency of devices is improved to a great extent. But on the other hand power dissipation has become a matter of great concern. And it becomes the main constrain when it comes to portability of any electronic device. The operational amplifiers need no introduction as this device has become an integral part of fields like instrumentation, automotive and so on. So, this paper is proposing a design of a low power operational amplifier using MT-CMOS Technology. Various technologies for low power dissipation are also considered in this paper along with their advantages and disadvantages.


H.G. Wells professed himself to be antipathetic to religion in general, and to
the extremes of Protestantism and Catholicism which he experienced during
his upbringing in particular. In The Outline of History (1920) and Experiment in
Autobiography (1934), both written later in his career, Wells professes his
non-belief, and laments what he sees as the Church's negative influence
on the intellectual and social development of mankind. Nonetheless, his
fantastic writing frequently makes use of Judaeo-Christian tropes of the
end of the world. Performing as a secular kind of hellfire preacher, Wells's
didactic portrayals of the end of the world function as an apocalyptic revelation,
in the hope that his audience might be shocked into grasping the
'truths' of his political programme of universal education and a utopian
World State. The War of the Worlds (1898) in particular draws on biblical
language and eschatological imagery, and even contains a theological debate
between the text's narrator and a curate whose belief is wavering.
Surprisingly, given Wells's later account of his own beliefs, the narrator
himself is a Christian, and his faith endures the Martian invasion—he even
thanks God for world's deliverance from the Martians and speculates
whether the Martians themselves too believe in Him. Wells's visions of
eschatology in his scientific romances give him both a mode for addressing
his readership, and a way of dramatising his own personal convictions.


The volatility and lipophilicity by which organic solvents are distinct from other chemicals constitute a characteristic pharmacokinetic feature. They enter a living body by inhalation, preferentially distribute in the adipose tissue, and are eliminated by both expiration and metabolic degradation. This review article is centered on experimental studies conducted by the authors and their co-workers, and it deals with pharmacokinetic principles, partition coefficients in relation to toxicity, significance of metabolism in the development of organic solvent toxicity, and environmental factors that alter the metabolism and toxicity of solvents.


Dy2O3-doped bismuth titanate (Bi4-xDyxTi3O12: BDT) thin films with random orientation were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by rf magnetron sputtering technique, and the structures and ferroelectric properties of the films were investigated. XRD studies indicated that all of BDT films consisted of single phase of a bismuth-layered structure with well-developed rod-like grains. The remanent polarization (Pr) and coercive field (Ec) of the BDT Film with x = 0.8 were 20 μC/cm2 and 60 KV/cm, respectively. After 3 × 1010 switching cycles, 20% degradation of Pr is observed in the film.


Extratropical eddy-driven jets are predicted to shift poleward in a warmer climate. Recent studies have suggested that cloud radiative effects (CRE) may enhance the amplitude of such shifts. But there is still considerable uncertainty about the underlying mechanisms, whereby CRE govern the jet response to climate change. This study provides new insights into the role of CRE in the jet response to climate change by exploiting the output from six global warming simulations run with and without atmospheric CRE (ACRE). Consistent with previous studies, it is found that the magnitude of the jet shift under climate change is substantially increased in simulations run with ACRE. It is hypothesized that ACRE enhance the jet response to climate change by increasing the upper-tropospheric baroclinicity due to the radiative effects of rising high clouds. The lifting of the tropopause and high clouds in response to surface warming arises from the thermodynamic constraints placed on water vapor concentrations. Hence, the influence of ACRE on the jet shift in climate change simulations may be viewed as an additional "robust" thermodynamic constraint placed on climate change by the Clausius–Clapeyron relation. The hypothesis is tested in simulations run with an idealized dry GCM, in which the model is perturbed with a thermal forcing that resembles the ACRE response to surface warming. It is demonstrated that 1) the enhanced jet shifts found in climate change simulations run with ACRE are consistent with the atmospheric response to the radiative warming associated with rising high clouds, and 2) the amplitude of the jet shift scales linearly with the amplitude of the ACRE forcing.


Embedded computing systems have become a pervasive part of daily life, used for tasks ranging from providing entertainment to assisting the functioning of key human organs. As technology scales, designing a dependable embedded system atop a less reliable hardware platform poses great challenges for designers. Cost and energy sensitivity, as well as real-time constraints, make some fault-tolerant techniques unviable for embedded system design. Many techniques to improve reliability can incur performance, energy, or cost penalties. Further, some solutions targeted at a specific failure mechanism could negatively affect other mechanisms. For example, lowering operational voltage can help mitigate thermal problems but increases vulnerability to soft errors. Developers must understand the trade offs when designing reliable embedded systems.


An automated warehouse system has two main components: an automated storage and retrieval subsystem consisting of a number of aisles, each one served by a crane, and a picking area which is formed by bays where stock units coming from the aisles are partially emptied by human operators. These two components are connected via an interface area consisting of carousels, conveyors, and buffers. This area is usually modeled as a discrete event system, while the overall system performance depends also on continuous time phenomena. Part I presents a hybrid model based on a new Petri net formalism that merges the concepts of Hybrid Petri Nets and Colored Petri Nets to obtain modular and compact models for these systems. An example is discussed in detail to motivate the introduction of a new formalism. A control oriented simulation tool is also presented. Part II will focus on the application of this formalism to automated warehouse systems analysis and performance evaluation. Finally, a real case study is considered to show the effectiveness of the approach.


: Regulatory T-cells CD4+CD25+Foxp3 (Treg) present a small subpopulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes, which develop in the thymus and are disseminated into peripheral lymphoid organs on the 3rd or the 4th day of the neonatal period. Treg play a decisive role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and the development of tolerance to transplantation antigens, regulate the immune response to allergens, and suppress antimicrobial immunity. Treg suppress proliferation as well as the cytotoxic effect and the secretion of Th1 and Th2 cytokines by effectory T lymphocytes, thus limiting the strength of the immune response of effectory T-cells, which makes them impossible to adequately control viral and bacterial infections. Recognition via antigen-presenting cells and the subsequent induction of the proliferation of antigen-reactive T and B lymphocytes, directed towards infectious agent elimination, is accompanied by the activation of regulatory T cells as well, which leads to immune response suppression; repeated microbial infections are not only able to strengthen T-cell immunity by generating memory T-cells, but can also strengthen the suppressive activity of endogenous T regulators CD4+CD25+. Moreover, T reg are capable of the direct recognition of a microbial product; these cells selectively express Toll-like receptors (TLR)-2, -4, -5, -7, and -8. Under normal conditions T reg are anergic, but are capable of direct proliferation in response to stimulation by TLR ligands, expressed on microbes and parasites. Treg removal enforces protective immune response to contagious microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which leads to the elimination of pathogens from the host organism. The removal of Treg population will help to accomplish infectious pathogen elimination and diminish inflammation within a short period of time.


We consider transmission over a wiretap channel where both the main channel and the wiretapper's channel are Binary Erasure Channels (BEC). We propose a code construction using two edge type LDPC codes based on the method of Thangaraj, Dihidar, Calderbank, McLaughlin and Merolla. The advantage of our construction is that we can easily calculate the threshold over the main channel. Using standard LDPC codes with a given threshold over the BEC we give a construction for a two edge type LDPC code with the same threshold. Since this construction gives a code for the main channel with threshold zero we also give numerical methods to find two edge type LDPC codes with non-zero threshold for the main channel.


A number of factors, including increased iron stores and alcohol consumption, are known to be associated with the development of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) in susceptible individuals. Recent reports have described a significant association between inheritance of the C282Y and H63D mutations in the HFE gene, associated with genetic hemochromatosis (GH) and PCT. A strong association between hepatitis C virus infection and PCT has also been demonstrated, while case reports record a link between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and PCT. We have investigated the frequency of these factors in a racially-mixed population of patients with PCT in Cape Town, South Africa. 57 patients with PCT drawn from three ethnic groups were screened for the presence of the C282Y and H63D mutations linked to GH, and the prevalences were compared with corresponding healthy control populations. The seroprevalence of markers for HCV, hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV infection were examined in 28 of these. In the control populations, we found that both the C282Y and H63D mutations are highly prevalent in South Africans of European origin. In a population of mixed or Asian origin, the C282Y mutation is very rare whereas the H63D mutation is common. Neither mutation was encountered in any African subject. Both mutations are associated with PCT, but the association is dependent on the ethnic origins of the population to which the patient belongs. In contrast to other studies, HCV infection is numerically unimportant in PCT in our patients. HIV infection is increasingly encountered in our patients with PCT, but the strength of the association cannot be determined in view of the high background prevalence of HIV infection in some sectors of the South African population. The contribution of specific risk factors may be heavily dependent on the population from which patients are drawn, and care should be taken in extrapolating from observations in one racial or geographic population to any other.


Neuropsychological and psychometric investigations have sometimes attested to and sometimes denied the existence of cognitive perturbations during the early phases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (stages II and III of the CDC classification): strictly asymptomatic seropositivity or generalized lymphadenopathy. Therein lies the basis of the debate concerning the neurotropism of the virus and its deleterious effects on the central nervous system (CNS). We hoped to contribute to the resolution of this discussion by recording late evoked auditory potentials, which are composed of two types of components: exogenous responses attesting to the reception of stimuli by specific sensory areas of the CNS, regardless of their informative value for the subject; and endogenous responses that occur later, appearing when the subject is required to distinguish between different stimuli, for example, counting high-pitched sounds randomly distributed among low-pitched ones. The latter responses, which have been most extensively studied for wave P300, are associated with cognitive functions, and alterations of the evoked cognitive potentials have been observed during the course of demential syndromes of various origins. Fifteen individuals were subjected to the protocol for recording long-latency, evoked auditory potentials. These studies were completed by a battery of psychometric tests, two methods for evaluating depression and an assessment of the anxiety level. The results showed a significant lengthening of the latency of wave P300 in the seropositive subjects. This prolongation also affected one of the exogenous components, i.e., wave P2. In addition, their intelligence quotients, regardless of whether the IQ explores the so-called crystallized component or the fluid component of intelligence, were not significantly different from those of the general population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)