OBJECTIVE
To survey two broad areas of oral cancer awareness and management of patients at risk of oral cancer by specialists in oral surgery, oral medicine, surgical dentistry and general dental practitioners (GDPs) in the UK. The first of these included knowledge and awareness of aetiological factors, changing patterns of disease, and screening/detection programmes including their effectiveness. The second included oral cancer detection methods, advice on avoidance of high-risk activity and self-examination, and referral pattern of GDPs.

DESIGN AND METHOD
A pretested, 44-item questionnaire, a covering letter, a brief outline of the research protocol and return, stamped envelope were mailed in March 2003. A sample of 200 GDPs whose names were obtained from the General Dental Council's main list and 305 dental specialist names obtained from specialist's list in surgical dentistry, oral medicine and oral surgery were selected randomly. Information on oral cancer awareness and practice, screening practice and education was obtained.

RESULTS
The response rate was 66.9%. The knowledge of the dental specialists was consistent with that in reports of current aetiological studies on oral cancer. However there were gaps in the GDP's knowledge and ascertainment of oral cancer risk factors. Over 70% of the dental specialists provided counselling advice on the risks of tobacco and alcohol habits compared with 41.2% of GDPs. More GDPs (52.4%) than specialists (35.4%) believed that oral cancer screening on a national basis would be effective in decreasing the mortality of oral cancer. Over 95% of all respondents used a visual examination for oral cancer screening and 89.9% of all respondents strongly believed that visual screening is effective in the early detection of oral cancer.

CONCLUSION
The results showed that GDPs had knowledge gaps in their awareness of oral cancer risk factors and the application of preventive measures. Most dental health providers in the UK perform visual screening of the oral mucosa for their patients. Opinion was equivocal as to whether a nationally based screening programme similar to cervical cancer would be effective in improving the mortality and morbidity of oral cancer.


Integrated optical detection is considered to be an important operation in lab-on-a-chips. This paper presents an optical fiber-based micro-sensor that is capable of detecting food substance particles in a lab-on-a-chip. The system consists of a microcontroller and associated circuitry, a laser emitter, a laser receiver, fiber optic cables, a microfluidics chip, and the food substance samples to be tested. When the particles flow through the microfluidic channel in the chip, the receiver's output voltage varies due to the particles blocking the passage of the laser ray. The changes in the collected signals are analyzed to count the number of particles. Experiments are conducted on several food substance samples including talcum powder, ground ginger, and soy sauce. The experimental results are presented and discussed.


The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate efficacy, tolerance and compliance of paediatric patients vis-à-vis a cycle of PMBL treatment (a sublingual tablet taken for ten consecutive days over three consecutive months). The study enrolled 89 children (65 randomised to the treated group and 24 to the control group). The study protocol included an enrolment check-up (TO) and follow-ups at two months (T1), three months (T2) and nine months (T3) following the end of treatment, during which episodes of RRI were recorded; the main blood chemistry, immunology and phlogosis parameters were measured, together with hepatic, renal and bone marrow toxicity indexes. The administration of PMBL led to a significant decrease in RRI in the treated group, not only among the same children in relation to the previous winter, but also in comparison with untreated children during the same winter (mean number of infective episodes per patient 7.84 vs. 4.78, p<0.05, in the first case; 6.78 vs. 4.78, p<0.05, in the second case). White blood cell count showed a drop in the treated group as opposed to an increase in the untreated group, but there were no statistically significant differences in the intergroup analysis or in the intragroup one. Phlogosis indexes (PCR and plasma mucoprotein) in the treated group fell following treatment with PMBL, and this is statistically significant not only in the intragroup analysis but also the intergroup one. Mean values of B-lymphocytes in the treated group seemed to increase significantly following treatment, which was not the case in the untreated group. The variations in all the blood chemistry indexes for toxicity were far from significant and they remained within the norm, without significant clinical manifestations of side-effects of drug intolerance. As to evaluation of patient compliance, use of the device we describe enabled acceptable compliance with treatment even in the youngest children, similar to the compliance observed among appropriately motivated older children.


The tiny gastropod Coelodiscus minutus is superabundant in concretions of the Early Jurassic Posidonia Shale of South Germany which were formed under anoxic or extremely dysoxic conditions. Previous suggestions that C. minutus was a holoplanktonic organism are corroborated based on new evidence from exceptionally well-preserved specimens. The measurements of shell thickness show that the shell of Coelodiscus is very thin (mean 11 µm). In contrast to previous suggestions, the shell of Coelodiscus was not formed in three ontogenetic phases (embryonic, larval and adult shell) but in two phases comprising an embryonic and a secondary shell, the latter forming during an extended larval phase. Hostile conditions on the sea floor, absence or extreme scarcity of epibenthic animals as well as the small size also argue against a benthic life style of this gastropod. Coelodiscus minutus is the oldest known holoplanktonic gastropod. We speculate that Coelodiscus evolved during the Early Jurassic from a benthic precursor, which had a planktotrophic larval development. Probably under the influence of increasing frequency of dysoxic episodes along with hostile benthic conditions, the larval phase was extended neotenously and eventually, a holoplanktonic species evolved. During the Early Toarcian anoxic event, C. minutus was highly abundant in the plankton and dead shells rained down to the anoxic or dysoxic sea bottom. These thin and fragile shells formed an ooze similar to the pteropod ooze in the modern deep sea. The shells were preserved due to the absence or low level of deposit feeding and bioturbation as well as the formation of early diagenetic concretions.


Background. From the beginning of the dialysis era, the issue of optimal dialysis dose and frequency has been a central topic in the delivery of dialysis treatment. Methods. We undertook a discussion to achieve a consensus on key points relating to dialysis dose and frequency, focusing on the relationships with clinical and patient outcomes. Results. Traditionally, dialysis adequacy has been quantified referring to the kinetics of urea, taken as a paradigm of all uraemic toxins, and applying the principles of pharmacokinetics using either singleor double-pool variable volume models. An index of dialysis dose is the fractional clearance of urea, which is commonly expressed as Kt/V. It can be calculated from blood urea concentration and haemodialysis (HD) parameters, according to the respective urea kinetic model or by means of simplified formulas. Similar principles are applicable to peritoneal dialysis (PD), where weekly Kt/V and creatinine clearance are used. Recommended minimal targets for dialysis adequacy have been defined by both American and European guidelines (DOQI and European Best Practice Guidelines, respectively). The question of how to improve the severe outcome of dialysis patients has recently come back to the fore, since the results of two recent randomized controlled trials led to the conclusion that, in thrice weekly HD and in PD, increasing the dialysis dose well above the minimum requirements of current American guidelines did not improve patient outcome. Daily HD (defined as a minimum of six HD sessions per week), in the form of either short daytime HD or long slow nocturnal HD, is regarded as a possibility to improve dialysis patient outcome. The results of the studies published so far indicate excellent results with respect to all outcomes analysed: optimal blood pressure control, regression of left ventricular hypertrophy and amelioration of left ventricular performance, improvement of renal anaemia, optimal hyperphosphataemia control, improvement of nutritional status, reduction in oxidative stress indices and improvement in quality of life. The basis for these beneficial effects is thought to be a more physiological clearance of solutes and water, with reduced preand post-HD solute concentrations and interdialytic oscillation, compared with traditional HD. Apart from concerns regarding reimbursement and organizational issues, no serious adverse effects have been described with daily HD. However, the evidence accumulated is limited mainly to retrospective cohorts, with small patient numbers and no adequate controls in most instances. Therefore, large prospective studies with adequate controls are required to make daily HD accepted by reimbursing authorities and patients. Conclusions. Given the available observational and interventional body of evidence, there is no reason to reduce arbitrarily dialysis dose, particularly dialysis treatment time in HD patients treated three times weekly. Daily HD represents a very promising tool for improving dialysis outcomes and quality of life, although its impact on patient survival has not yet been proven definitively.


In this paper, we propose the examination of spur mark evidence on inkjet-printed documents. Spur marks are tool marks created by the spur gears in the paper conveyance system of many inkjet printers. The relationship between printouts and printers were investigated by comparing the spur marks found on printed documents with reference spur marks sampled from known printers. The comparison was based on two characteristics of spur marks: pitch and mutual distance. These characteristics extracted the geometric features of spur marks and provided information on the type of spur gears and their location in the paper conveyance system. The spur marks on a printout matched the reference spur marks within three percent of the measured values. Spur marks were considered to be effective class characteristics to identify certain brands of inkjet printers since spur gears are used in many types of these machines.


The purpose of this study was to determine and analyse the factors that influence bad debts in medical practices of sole practitioners. The objective of the research was to establish a system of accounts receivable management which would lead to improved cash flows in such practices and ultimately influence a reduction in the cost of medical care. To be able to establish such a system in medical practices conducted by sole practitioners, it was necessary to study the procedures used in the granting of credit, determine the collection policies in existence and ascertain the financial training and experience of staff employed. The research data, collected by means of a questionnaire, found that accounts receivable management in such medical practices is not of an acceptable standard. Furthermore, the lack of trained staff leads to poor collection techniques and lengthy debt collection periods. These factors increase the demand for financing, which in turn leads to increased fixed costs in the form of interest payments on overdraft facilities. Consequently, this impacts negatively on the cash flow cycle of the practice. In order to improve and speed up collections from debtors, recommendations are made in respect of the method in which accounts receivable should be managed in such medical practices. These include, among others, the separation of debt collections from other functions within the practice, the use of electronic media to collect accounts receivable, as well as the introduction of a course in basic business management within the curriculum of the Bachelor of Medicine. It is envisaged that the proper management of accounts receivable would assist in reducing the cost of medical care to the consumer.


&NA; Social anxiety disorder is a chronic and disabling, yet treatable, condition. Effective treatment should alleviate the core domains of fear, anxiety and physiological symptoms, as well as reduce overall disability and improve social functioning. Response to treatment can, therefore, be assessed at a global level where overall improvement is considered, and at the level of individual symptoms. In considering the way in which response to treatment can be measured, this review also identifies several factors that may worsen the prognosis of social anxiety disorder. Clinical studies of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and benzodiazepines for the treatment of social anxiety disorder are presented and discussed. The accumulation of evidence supports the use of SSRIs as first line therapy for social anxiety disorder, and the majority of data come from well controlled studies of paroxetine. In line with the recommendations of the International Consensus Group on Depression and Anxiety, a strategy for the management of social anxiety disorder is provided.


Microbial adhesion and retention on surfaces are complex phenomena, critical to the formation and development of biofilms. Recently, the focus of research has been more and more on the importance of retention of bacteria under fluctuating high shear forces in biofilm formation. The aim of the present work was to carry out a comparative study of the retention process of different bacterial and yeast species using: (1) a range of surfaces with different surface free energy properties and (2) a number of different bacterial cell physiological states. It was found for the first time that once a threshold cell number is retained on the surface, microbial retention patterns are formed following a power law, i.e., not stochastic. Our results demonstrated that the overall spatial patterns of microbial retention observed for the different substrates are similar for the all investigated cell types and that the drastic modification of the surface free energy does not affect this spatial organization. On the other hand, the microbial retention patterns appear to be significantly affected by the physiological state of the cells. Finally, the experimental retention patterns have been well simulated by a general agent-based model, confirming that the typical fractal distribution of retained cells is the result of a self-organization process.


From symposium on beneficial uses for thermal discharges; New York (19 Aug 1971). A system of open water basins which allows beneficial use of heated discharges from thermal power stations while at the same time providing a heatsink is proposed. These are large, shallow compartments filled with water which is well mixed, while cooling water is pumped through conduits below the basins. They might be used for the production of single-cell protein and fish. Equations were derived for the temperature distribution in the warm water conduit and basins of the system used in conjunction with a 1000megawatt electric power plant. The rate of heat loss is controlled by the rate of heat loss at the air- water interface which may vary widely as a function of windspeed and relative humidity. The rate of heat exchange between the basins and the conduits was not critical. The surface area of basins required may vary from about 100 hectare to over 500 hectare. For a constant surface area of the basins the temperature of the cooling water would fluctuate as a result of changing rates of heat loss. It might be difficult to develop commercial uses for a large number of basins. Usemore » of such basins in conjunction with other methods of heat dispersion is therefore suggested. (auth)« less


A monolithic low-voltage H-bridge brushless DC (BLDC) vibration motor driver with an integrated high sensitivity Hall sensor has been presented in 0.18 μm high-voltage complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology. To improve the motor start-up reliability, a full-on start mode is applied to realise a high-speed start sequence by shortening the start-up time. Meanwhile, an active start function is activated to prevent dead point phenomenon if the motor magnet pole sensed by the built-in Hall sensor does not change during the motor starting. This complete one-chip solution for driving the BLDC vibration motors provides significantly enhanced reliabilities, including thermal shutdown and under voltage lockout protection functions, and fully eliminates the need for any external components. The measured results show that the motor driver chip has a typical operating point of 2 mT and a typical releasing point of - 2 mT, showing a hysteresis magnetic property of 4 mT. The chip is very robust. It can operate well within a low supply voltage range of 2-4 V and can output a maximum of 300 mA peak current while the ambient temperature ranges from - 40 to 85°C.


This correspondence is in response to the article:
Abratt RP. The fast neutron therapy programme for patients in South Africa should come to an end. S Afr Med J 2012;102(2):58. Other correspondence in this series: Neutron radiotherapy: a different perspective. S Afr Med J 2012;102(5):269; Neutron radiotherapy should continue. S Afr Med J 2012;102(5):269-270; Neutron radiotherapy, Abratt reply. S Afr Med J 2012;102(5):270-217; Neutron radiotherapy: Society comments. S Afr Med J 2012;102(5):271.


We fabricated the IN 713C alloy by a metal injection molding (MIM) process and investigated the high temperature tensile properties. The microstructure of the MIMed IN 713C alloy mainly consisted of γ, γ′ and carbides. 0.98% (area fraction) of the pores was observed near the surface of the specimen, whereas 0.27% of the pores were located in the interior of the specimens. Tensile tests were conducted from room temperature to 900 °C. The result of the tensile tests showed that this alloy had similar or somewhat higher strengths (YS: 734 MPa, UTS: 968 MPa, elongation: 7.16% at room temperature) from RT to 700 °C than those of cast IN 713C alloys. Above 700 °C, however, strengths decreased rapidly with an increasing temperature (lower than those of cast IN 713C). The observation results of fractography revealed that the tensile fracture of the MIMed IN 713C alloy started near the surface defects and then the initial crack propagated along the inter-particle region where oxides were observed regardless of deformation temperatures. †(Received Jully 11, 2013)


We analyze the prospects of employing a distributed global network of precision measurement devices as a dark matter and exotic physics observatory. In particular, we consider the atomic clocks of the global positioning system (GPS), consisting of a constellation of 32 medium-Earth orbit satellites equipped with either Cs or Rb microwave clocks and a number of Earth-based receiver stations, some of which employ highly-stable H-maser atomic clocks. High-accuracy timing data is available for almost two decades. By analyzing the satellite and terrestrial atomic clock data, it is possible to search for transient signatures of exotic physics, such as "clumpy" dark matter and dark energy, effectively transforming the GPS constellation into a 50 000 km aperture sensor array. Here we characterize the noise of the GPS satellite atomic clocks, describe the search method based on Bayesian statistics, and test the method using simulated clock data. We present the projected discovery reach using our method, and demonstrate that it can surpass the existing constrains by several order of magnitude for certain models. Our method is not limited in scope to GPS or atomic clock networks, and can also be applied to other networks of precision measurement devices.


Owing to their utility for measurements of cosmic acceleration, Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are perhaps the best-studied class of SNe, yet the progenitor systems of these explosions largely remain a mystery. A rare subclass of SNe Ia shows evidence of strong interaction with their circumstellar medium (CSM), and in particular, a hydrogen-rich CSM; we refer to them as SNe Ia-CSM. In the first systematic search for such systems, we have identified 16 SNe Ia-CSM, and here we present new spectra of 13 of them. Six SNe Ia-CSM have been well studied previously, three were previously known but are analyzed in depth for the first time here, and seven are new discoveries from the Palomar Transient Factory. The spectra of all SNe Ia-CSM are dominated by Hα emission (with widths of ∼2000 km s−1) and exhibit large Hα/Hβ intensity ratios (perhaps due to collisional excitation of hydrogen via the SN ejecta overtaking slower-moving CSM shells); moreover, they have an almost complete lack of He i emission. They also show possible evidence of dust formation through a decrease in the red wing of Hα 75–100 days past maximum brightness, and nearly all SNe Ia-CSM exhibit strong Na i D absorption from the host galaxy. The absolute magnitudes (uncorrected for host-galaxy extinction) of SNe Ia-CSM are found to be −21.3 mag ⩽ MR ⩽ −19 mag, and they also seem to show ultraviolet emission at early times and strong infrared emission at late times (but no detected radio or X-ray emission). Finally, the host galaxies of SNe Ia-CSM are all late-type spirals similar to the Milky Way, or dwarf irregulars like the Large Magellanic Cloud, which implies that these objects come from a relatively young stellar population. This work represents the most detailed analysis of the SN Ia-CSM class to date.


Carbon, an ancient element, is still fascinating us with its flexibility to be transformed into different materials via its different degrees of hybridization (sp, sp2, and sp3). After the structural identification in the beginning of the 20th century by John D. Bernal, graphite became a material of intense study. In the 1950s and 1960s, the physics and chemistry of graphite started to be developed from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. Soon after, graphite intercalation compounds and the synthesis of carbon microfibers became popular, and then in 1985, the era of nanocarbons started with the discovery of fullerenes (carbon cage molecules), followed by the structural identification of nanotubes and the isolation of graphene. Today, these three novel nanocarbons are being intensively studied and the physico-chemical properties are different among the three. This review intends to provide a historical perspective of these novel forms of carbon and their impact on electronics and other fields. We believe that, within a short time, commercial products based on any of these materials will be a reality but further experimental and theoretical research is still needed in some areas, as well as the development of low-cost production processes for commercial materials, devices, and products.


Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common type of pancreatic cancer, is characterized by a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Current treatments for PDAC, are ineffective due to a prominent immunosuppressive PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME). Although B lymphocytes are highly infiltrated into PDAC, the importance of B lymphocytes in tumorigenesis is largely neglected. B cells play a dual role in the PDAC tumor microenvironment, acting as either anti-tumorigenic or pro-tumorigenic depending on where they are localized. Tumor-infiltrating B cells, which reside in ectopic lymph nodes, namely tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), produce anti-tumor antibodies and present tumor antigens to T cells to contribute to cancer immunosurveillance. Alternatively, regulatory B cells (Bregs), dispersed inside the TME, contribute to the dampening of anti-tumor immune responses by secreting anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-35), which promote tumor growth and metastasis. Determining the role of Bregs in the PDAC microenvironment is thus becoming increasingly attractive for developing novel immunotherapeutic approaches. In this minireview, we shed light on the emerging role of B cells in PDAC development and progression, with an emphasis on regulatory B cells (Bregs). Furthermore, we discussed the potential link of Bregs to immunotherapies in PDAC. These current findings will help us in understanding the full potential of B cells in immunotherapy.


It is now commonplace to investigate tumour samples using whole-genome sequencing, and some commonly performed tasks are the estimation of cellularity (or sample purity), the genome-wide profiling of copy numbers, and the assessment of sub-clonal behaviours. Several tools are available to undertake these tasks, but often give conflicting results – not least because there is often genuine uncertainty due to a lack of model identifiability. Presented here is a tool, "Crambled", that allows for an intuitive visual comparison of the conflicting solutions. Crambled is implemented as a Shiny application within R, and is accompanied by example images from two use cases (one tumour sample with matched normal sequencing, and one standalone cell line example) as well as functions to generate the necessary images from any sequencing data set. Through the use of Crambled, a user may gain insight into why each tool has offered its given solution and combined with a knowledge of the disease being studied can choose between the competing solutions in an informed manner.


PURPOSE
To understand the importance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing systems in the development of corneal infection, the genotypic characteristics and pathogenesis of seven ocular isolates with low-protease and acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) activity and quorum-sensing mutants of PAO1 deficient in lasI, lasR, or rhlR were investigated in the study.

METHODS
The possession of the quorum-sensing genes lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR, and the quorum-sensing controlled genes lasB, aprA, and rhlAB in the clinical isolates were determined by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization. Elastinolytic activity, controlled by the las system, was assayed using elastin Congo red and rhamnolipid production controlled by the rhl system was assessed using agar plates containing methylene blue/cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. Induction of keratitis was examined in a scarified inbred BALB/c mouse model.

RESULTS
The clinical isolates Paer1 and -3 were lasI and lasR negative, and the isolates Paer2 and -4 were rhlR and rhlAB negative. The isolates Paer17, Paer26, 6294 and 6206 possessed all the genes examined. There was no rhamnolipid production in clinical isolates Paer2 and -4. The isolates Paer1 and -3 were virtually avirulent in the scarified mouse corneas. Using isogenic PAO1 mutants, strain lasI showed a markedly reduced virulence in the corneal infection model. The remainder of the clinical isolates and the lasR or rhlR mutant strains caused severe keratitis.

CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that quorum-sensing deficiency may occur naturally in clinical isolates, and the possession of lasI and hence a functional Las quorum-sensing system may be important in development of corneal infection.


Computer programming is a required skill for most STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students. However, teaching novices programming has long been considered a big challenge by computer science educators as manifested by the observation that first-year programming topics tend to have a higher failure rate than other first-year topics. Existing studies have discovered that lack of engagement in learning programming is a key determinant of a student's poor performance. Therefore, it is beneficial to perceive a student's lack of engagement so that appropriate actions can be taken ahead of time. However, first year topics especially programming topics usually have very large enrolments, making it hard for a lecturer to keep track of each individual student's engagement level. As learning management systems (LMS) have been widely adopted by universities, in this paper we suggest using a student's voluntary participation in a programming topic's discussion forum provided by LMS as an engagement indicator so that the lecturer can constantly monitor and re-engage those who present low or no engagement. This recommendation is based on an empirical study of a first-year programming topic that reveals a positive correlation between one's voluntary participation in peer interaction through the topic's discussion forum and one's learning outcome in the topic.


Abstract
The site specificity of phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2α) by the heme-regulated and double-stranded RNA-activated eIF-2α kinases were compared by phosphopeptide mapping. eIF-2α was maximally phosphorylated in vitro with [γ-32P]ATP and either crude or partially purified preparations of the kinases. 32P-Labeled eIF-2α was isolated by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels. The fixed, stained, and dried polypeptide band was excised and then exhaustively digested directly in the gel slice with one of several proteases (trypsin, chymotrypsin, subtilisin, or thermolysin); the resultant [32P]phosphopeptides were analyzed by one-dimensional chromatography or by two-dimensional chromatography and high-voltage electrophoresis. In addition, limited proteolysis of [32P]eIF-2α contained in fixed, dried, and stained gel slices was achieved with Staphylococcus aureus protease V8, chymotrypsin, or subtilisin, and the partial 32P-labeled cleavage products were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Each protease produced distinct and reproducible [32P]phosphopeptide profiles after partial or exhaustive proteolysis of [32P]eIF-2α. With a given protease, identical [32P]phosphopeptide patterns were obtained whether eIF-2α was phosphorylated by the heme-regulated or the double-stranded RNA-activated kinase. These data indicate that, in vitro, the kinases phosphorylate sites on eIF-2α that are identical or proximally located in the primary sequence. In this report we also provide preliminary evidence that the two eIF-2α kinases activated in lysates by heme deficiency or double-stranded RNA phosphorylate site(s) of endogenous eIF-2α that are similar, if not identical, to the sites phosphorylated in vitro with partially purified eIF-2α kinase(s) and eIF-2.


There is considerable industrial significance to understand the nature of subsurface deformation under the machined surface for correct prediction of surface properties in machined components based upon the machined conditions and material behaviors that give rise to them. In this study, high speed machining of Inconel 718 was carried with whisker reinforced ceramic cutting tool under different conditions of tool wear, coolant state and cutting parameters. The objective of the present investigation was to determine the effect of both cutting parameters and tool wear on the plastic deformation in the subsurface region of Inconel 718 after the finishing machining with above process conditions. The surface and subsurface region of machined specimens were examined using a high resolution scan electron microscope (HRSEM) and EBSD technique, microhardness measurements were also conducted on the test samples, accordingly plastic strain analysis were carried out.


Several approaches have been developed for the preparation of calcium phosphate cements, some of them are commercially available, and they have proved very effective bone substitutes in different applications. Some of their properties, such as the ability to incorporate different molecules make them very interesting candidates as drug carriers. We were interested in this paper to the study of the hydrolysis after curing a cement composed of the tricalcium phosphate (-TCP) and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (MCPM), in aqueous solution with a controlled pH, leading system to transform towards other calcium phosphates known by their very wide including biological and medical applications. In this study the operating conditions are chosen in order to have apatite containing molecular oxygen. Characterization by analyzes (IR, XRD etc.) show that the proposed process provides better results for oxygenated apatite containing together molecular oxygen and peroxide ions. These are removed by heating the final product at a temperature of 300 ° C.


Several well-studied models of access to data samples, including statistical queries, local differential privacy and low-communication algorithms rely on queries that provide information about a function of a single sample. (For example, a statistical query (SQ) gives an estimate of Ex_{x ~ D}[q(x)] for any choice of the query function q mapping X to the reals, where D is
an unknown data distribution over X.) Yet some data analysis algorithms rely on properties of functions that depend on multiple samples. Such algorithms would be naturally implemented using k-wise queries each of which is specified by a function q mapping X^k to the reals. Hence it is natural to ask whether algorithms using k-wise queries can solve learning problems more efficiently and by how much.
Blum, Kalai and Wasserman (2003) showed that for any weak PAC learning problem over a fixed distribution, the complexity of learning with k-wise SQs is smaller than the (unary) SQ complexity by a factor of at most 2^k. We show that for more general problems over distributions the picture is substantially richer. For every k, the complexity of distribution-independent PAC learning with k-wise queries can be exponentially larger than learning with (k+1)-wise queries. We then give two approaches for simulating a k-wise query using unary queries. The first approach exploits the structure of the
problem that needs to be solved. It generalizes and strengthens (exponentially)
the results of Blum et al.. It allows us to derive strong lower bounds for
learning DNF formulas and stochastic constraint satisfaction problems that hold
against algorithms using k-wise queries. The second approach exploits the
k-party communication complexity of the k-wise query function.


Epilepsy has been known throughout history. It observes no cultural, geographical, racial or economical boundaries. It can happen to anybody at any age. Approximately 1 in every 100 have epilepsy. Most of them either have their first seizure in childhood or in old age. If not treated properly at the right time, epileptic attacks recur and hamper the growth and development of children. Epilepsy thus poses a widespread, major problem.


Genetic predisposition and unhealthy lifestyle are risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated whether the genetic risk of NAFLD is modified by physical activity, muscular fitness, and/or adiposity. In up to 242,524 UK Biobank participants without excessive alcohol intake or known liver disease, we examined cross‐sectional interactions and joint associations of physical activity, muscular fitness, body mass index (BMI), and a genetic risk score (GRS) with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and the proxy definition for suspected NAFLD of ALT levels > 30 U/L in women and >40 U/L in men. Genetic predisposition to NAFLD was quantified using a GRS consisting of 68 loci known to be associated with chronically elevated ALT. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometry, and muscular fitness was estimated by measuring handgrip strength. We found that increased physical activity and grip strength modestly attenuate genetic predisposition to elevation in ALT levels, whereas higher BMI markedly amplifies it (all p values < 0.001). Among those with normal weight and high level of physical activity, the odds of suspected NAFLD were 1.6‐fold higher in those with high versus low genetic risk (reference group). In those with high genetic risk, the odds of suspected NAFLD were 12‐fold higher in obese participants with low physical activity versus those with normal weight and high physical activity (odds ratio for NAFLD = 19.2 and 1.6, respectively, vs. reference group). Conclusion: In individuals with high genetic predisposition for NAFLD, maintaining a normal body weight and increased physical activity may reduce the risk of NAFLD.


This article identifies and briefly describes the broad range of variables that may influence clients' readiness to beneflt from career interventions. The article also discusses consequences of low readiness for effective use of career interventions and addresses implications for practice as well as for future research. Variables contributing to low readiness for effective use of career interventions include personal characteristics and circumstances; knowledge of self, opuons, and decision making; and prior experience with career interventions. Consequences of low readiness for using career interventions include premature disengagement, negative perception of skills and interests, selective acquisition of incomplete information, premature choice foreclosure, protracted exploration, dependent decision-making style, and poor evaluation of options.


This article presents an approach to Programming by Demonstration (PbD) to simplify programming of industrial manipulators. By using a set of task primitives for a known task type, the demonstration is interpreted and a manipulator program is automatically generated. A pick-and-place task is analyzed, based on the velocity profile, and decomposed in task primitives. Task primitives are basic actions of the robot/gripper, which can be executed in a sequence to form a complete a task. For modeling and generation of the demonstrated trajectory, fuzzy time clustering is used, resulting in smooth and accurate motions. To illustrate our approach, we carried out our experiments on a real industrial manipulator.


Patterns of cell heredity in vertebrates and possibility of its alteration, i. e. artificial tissue metaplasia, are considered. These problems are compared with the well studied phenomenon of metaplasia in eyes of the newt in which the removal of some parts of the eye leads to natural metaplasia, an initial step for restoration of eye parts. A brief analysis of sequence of inductive processes in development shows that by the end of the period of induction and the onset of terminal differentiation the maximum concentration of specific inducing agents in induced rudiments can be expected. This suggestion was confirmed by the experiments of specific assimilatory induction in gastrula ectoderm and artificial conversion of pigmented epithelium in retina and lens tissues. On the basis of the data reported and in comparison with the theories of intragenomic regulation, a new hypothesis of cell heredity is put forward. The basic idea of this hypothesis is that the regulatory genes can switch on the genes responsible for the synthesis of terminal proteins via inducing proteins; the latter can simultaneously programm the function of regulatory genes, initiating their own synthesis. Due to such a feedback mechanism forming during development, stable cell types arise. Their inheritance can be altered by the introduction of new inducing agents in parallel with the elimination of conditions stabilizing cell differentiation. Possible ways for application of artificial metaplasia for restoration of eye defects in medical practice are considered.


The concentration of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) was measured in plasma from 200 healthy subjects belonging to 78 family units. The AAG concentration varied markedly between individuals (mean 0.77, range 0.36-1.46 g 1(-1]. When the genetic contribution to the variability was assessed, the only significant correlation observed was that between husband and wife and this was weak. We conclude that in addition to the known effects of age and gender, environmental (rather than genetic) factors largely determine the variance of AAG concentrations.


Abstract Male Satin Bowerbirds, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, have been reported to construct their bowers with the decorated portion of the bower platform oriented northward. Given the regularity of this orientation, it has been suggested that the intensity and quality of incoming solar radiation may enhance male displays. However, previous reports of bower orientation originate from studies conducted in open-canopy, sclerophyll forest, where diel variation in the intensity of light striking the bower is mostly influenced by the altitude and azimuth of the sun. We studied 12 Satin Bowerbird bowers in the mountainous rainforest of the Atherton Tablelands, Australia, and found no significant tendency for bower platforms to face north. Instead, bowers were invariably constructed near canopy gaps, and there was a significant tendency for bowers to face away from these gaps. We suggest that this pattern of orientation allows displaying males to be illuminated predominantly from the front when viewed by females from within the bower avenue. There was also a significant positive association between bower orientation and the orientation of the slope of the hill on which the bower was constructed, such that bowers were oriented upslope, further enhancing frontal illumination. We suggest that Satin Bowerbirds may use a variety of means, including bower orientation, to achieve this objective.


Laboratory coated papers with different pigment compositions (clay and calcium carbonate) and pilot coated papers with different types of latex binders have been characterized by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The surfaces were very rich in carbon and approximately 90% of the carbon signal originated from the latex binder. The variable angle technique showed that the outermost surface layer of the coated papers was free from thin overlayers. This made it possible to calculate the paper surface area fractions of clay, calcium carbonate and latex binder. The area fraction of latex in the paper surface decreases with increasing specific surface area of the coating pigments and the area fraction of clay is proportional to the content of clay in the coating colour when this is expressed in area-% instead of weight-%.


In September 2018, the University of Northampton, will move to a new campus. It will become a truly blended institute, with no lectures, just seminars and online learning. It has therefore become imperative that Northampton's Learning Development introduces this model in to all our teaching
practices before the move. This paper will examine two level 6 teaching sessions, delivered within the new blended model and analyse how effective they actually were for the students. It will also discuss the challenges of introducing blended learning to course lecturers, essentially managing their expectations of what Learning Development should be delivering. The paper will finally examine what areas need improvement for next year and how this can be achieved.
While the skill taught were the same for both courses, critical analysis, the sessions were tailored to
the courses specific requirements. One was for the Faculty of Business and Law, the other for the Faculty of Education and Humanities. Each of these course have over a hundred students enrolled on them, which created staff time issues when it came to delivering seminar sessions, that had to be
addressed for the new model. For blended, both courses were set pre-sessional task, which were designed by Learning Development and set by the course lecturers on the university's VLE.
The research has been carried out using mixed methods. Feedback from both course lecturers and students was carried out, as well as an analysis of the grades. Ethical approval was obtained and all participants were anonymised.


This study examines the effects of internet use, as part of digitalisation, on the performance of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Yogyakarta province. Using primary data on MSEs in Yogyakarta, the paper exploits conceivably exogenous variations in the cellular signal strength that MSEs receive to connect to the internet, once number of local cellular transmitters, location topography, local building and infrastructure development and sectoral characteristics are controlled. The findings show that internet use has enabled MSEs to engage in the digital economy and has improved labour productivity and exports. The associated monetary benefit due to internet use is substantial for local people.


In this paper, we explore self-supervised audio-visual models that learn from instructional videos. Prior work has shown that these models can relate spoken words and sounds to visual content after training on a large-scale dataset of videos, but they were only trained and evaluated on videos in English. To learn multilingual audio-visual representations, we propose a cascaded approach that leverages a model trained on English videos and applies it to audio-visual data in other languages, such as Japanese videos. With our cascaded approach, we show an improvement in retrieval performance of nearly 10x compared to training on the Japanese videos solely. We also apply the model trained on English videos to Japanese and Hindi spoken captions of images, achieving state-of-the-art performance.


Metamaterial-based absorbers utilize the intrinsic loss, with the aid of appropriate structure design, to achieve near unity absorption at a certain frequency. The frequency of the reported absorbers is usually fixed and operates over a limited bandwidth, which greatly hampers their practical applications. Active or dynamic control over their resonance frequency is urgently necessary. Herein, we theoretically present a novel frequency tunable terahertz metamaterial absorber formed by a square metallic patch and a ground plane separated by a strontium titanate dielectric layer. Up to 80.2% frequency tuning is obtained by changing the temperature of the absorber, and there is very little variation in the strength of the absorption. The frequency shift is attributed to the temperature-dependent refractive index of the dielectric layer. Furthermore, the ratio between the lattice period and the resonance wavelength is close to 1/36 at 0.111 THz, which is smaller than the previously reported results. The proposed absorber has potential applications in detection, sensors, and selective thermal emitters.


In the realm of primary cells, the Li/CFx chemistry holds immense potential due to its unmatched theoretical specific energy, longevity, and shelf time. However, little work has been done on creating a simple, practical methodology to determine the state of charge (SoC) of a partially-discharged battery in critical applications, such as remote sensing and probing, and mission control hardware. We propose an approach in which the SoC can be estimated by measuring the output voltage under various current loads and fitting the data to an original model in the general form of a logistic curve. The resulting function can then be used in conjunction with least squares analysis to efficiently estimate the SoC.


The peptides ghrelin (or acyl ghrelin; AG), des-acyl ghrelin (DAG) and obestatin are all encoded by the prepro-ghrelin gene that is expressed predominantly in the stomach. Compared with ghrelin and obestatin, DAG has not received a great amount of attention. DAG has long been considered an inert degradation product of AG. Recent evidence, however, indicates that DAG behaves like a separate hormone. Therefore, it is believed that DAG must activate its own receptor, and that it may also interact with AG at this receptor. DAG can act together with AG, can antagonize AG and seems to have AG-independent effects. Of potential clinical importance is that an increasing number of studies suggest that DAG is a functional inhibitor of AG. Therefore, DAG or DAG analogs are being trialed in early clinical studies for treatment of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity and Prader-Willi syndrome.


The name Blastobacter natatorius is proposed for a new species of the genus Blastobacter. The type strain is strain UQM 2507, which was isolated from a freshwater swimming pool. B. natatorius is a yellow, gram-negative, oxidase-positive organism with rod-shaped or wedge-shaped cells with straight or slightly curved axes. Each cell has a simple mucilaginous holdfast at its nonreproductive pole by which it attaches to other cells or to solid surfaces to form rosettes. Reproduction occurs by asymmetric division (budding) of the mother cell to produce a spherical or ovoid daughter cell (bud). The free bud cells are motile, and each has a single polar flagellum. This organism is strictly aerobic and chemoorganotrophic. The guanine-plus-cytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acid of the type strain is 65 mol%. The description of the genus Blastobacter is emended to include motile organisms and physiological information lacking because a culture of the type species, Blastobacter henricii, has never been isolated.


STUDY DESIGN
A technical report.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to present an improvement on localization techniques employed for use in the thoracic spine using sterile spinal needles docked on the transverse process of each vertebra, which can be performed in both percutaneous and open spinal procedures.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Wrong-level surgery may have momentous clinical and emotional implications for a patient and surgeon. It is reported that one in every 2 spine surgeons will operate on the wrong level during his or her career. Correctly localizing the specific thoracic level remains a significant challenge during spine surgery.

METHODS
Fluoroscopic anteroposterior and lateral views were obtained starting in the lower lumbar spine, and an 18-G spinal needle was placed in the transverse process of L3 counting up from the sacrum and also at T12. The fluoroscopy was then moved cephalad and counting from the spinal needle at T12, the other spinal needles were placed at the targeted operating thoracic vertebrae. Once this was done, we were able to accurately determine the thoracic levels for surgical intervention.

RESULTS
Using this technique, the markers were kept in place even after the incisions were made. This prevented us from losing our location in the thoracic spine. Correctly placed instrumentation was made evident with postoperative imaging.

CONCLUSIONS
We have described the successful use of a new technique using spinal needles docked against transverse processes to correctly and reliably identify thoracic levels before instrumentation. The technique was reproducible in both open surgeries and for a percutaneous procedure. This technique maintains the correct spinal level during an open procedure. We posit that wrong-level thoracic spine surgery may be preventable.


Due process is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts in the U.S. legal system, especially as it appears to those outside the United States. For lawyers trained in the United States, 'due process' becomes a phrase with special meaning resulting from the study of a number of judicial decisions, especially those of the U.S. Supreme Court. For lay persons, and for lawyers from other countries, discussions of 'due process' may not always provide a clear understanding of what that phrase means in the U.S. legal system. This paper discusses the historical development of the concept of due process in U.S. law, particularly as it relates to issues of jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in U.S. courts. Like many aspects of amendments to the United States Constitution, the Due Process Clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments provide limitations on the federal and state governments. This paper provides a historical look at the term as applied in U.S. jurisdiction decisions, and compares that approach with the due process implications of jurisdictional issues under the Brussels Convention in Europe. It also explains how due process limitations on jurisdiction result in limitations on the negotiating authority of the United States in the context of multilateral conventions on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments.


Identities compactly describe properties of a mathematical expression and can be leveraged into faster and more accurate function implementations. However, identities must currently be discovered manually, which requires a lot of expertise. We propose a two-phase synthesis and deduplication pipeline that discovers these identities automatically. In the synthesis step, a set of rewrite rules is composed, using an e-graph, to discover candidate identities. However, most of these candidates are duplicates, which a secondary de-duplication step discards using integer linear programming and another e-graph. Applied to a set of 61 benchmarks, the synthesis phase generates 7215 candidate identities which the de-duplication phase then reduces down to 125 core identities.


The recent global financial crisis has called for improvement on the intensity of economic challenges such as skill shortage to strengthen global economies. Vocational education and training (VET) is one of the education systems that is important for improving workers' and firms' efficiency, productivity and competitiveness. In view of the contribution of VET in addressing labour market imbalances, it is crucial to understand that impacts of the VET on economic growth. Therefore, this study examines the impacts of lower and upper secondary VET on economic growth in 92 countries from year 2000 to 2016 by using panel regression model. The results indicate that upper secondary VET [does] significantly and positively influence economic growth but lower secondary VET does not affect economic growth. The study further examines the impacts of lower and upper secondary VET on the economic output indicator below and above median groups, respectively. It indicates that the effect of upper secondary VET on economic growth is stronger in the economic output indicator below median group compared to whole sample. The implications from this study are that upper secondary VET does matter for economic growth and it is more important to the countries below median group. Therefore, policymakers need to emphasize on upper secondary VET to enhance the contribution of national investment in VET to improve economic growth.


This collection of original articles provides a state-of-the-art overview of key issues and approaches in contemporary language teaching. Written by internationally prominent researchers, educators, and emerging scholars, the chapters are grouped into five sections: rethinking our understanding of teaching, learner diversity and classroom learning, pedagogical approaches and practices, components of the curriculum, and media and materials. Each chapter covers key topics in teaching methodology such as reflective pedagogy, teaching large classes, outcomes-based language learning, speaking instruction, and technology in the classroom. Chapters assume no particular background knowledge and are written in an accessible style.


The Biefeld-Brown (B-B) effect consists of two parts: 1) the initial thrust is due to the electric potential that moves the electrons to the positive post; and 2) the subsequent lift is due to the separate concentration of the positive and the negative charges. The weight reduction of a charged capacitor is due to a repulsive charge-mass interaction, which is normally cancelled by the attractive current-mass interaction. In a charged capacitor, some electrons initially moving in the orbits become statically concentrated and thus a net repulsive force is exhibited. Based on observations, it is concluded that a repulsive charge-mass interaction is proportional to the charge density square and diminishes faster than the attractive gravitational force, and that the current-mass force is perpendicular to the current. This charge-mass interaction is crucial to establish the unification of electromagnetism and gravitation. To confirm general relativity further, experimental verification of the details of this mass-charge repulsive force is recommended. Moreover, general relativity implies that the photons must include gravitational energy and this explains that experiments show that the photonic energy is equivalent to mass although the electromagnetic energy-stress tensor is traceless. In general relativity,it is crucial to understandnon-linear mathematics and that the Einstein equation has no bounded dynamic solutions. However, due to following Einstein's errors, theorists failed in understanding these and ignored experimental facts on repulsive gravitation. Since the charge-mass interaction occurs in many areas of physics, Einstein's unification is potentially another revolution in physics. Moreover, the existence of a repulsive gravitation implies the necessity of re-justifying anew the speculation of black holes.


Traffic matrix is essential to traffic engineering (TE) methods. Because it is difficult to monitor traffic matrices directly, several methods for estimating them from link loads have been proposed. However, estimated traffic matrix includes estimation errors which degrade the performance of TE significantly. In this paper, we propose a method that reduces estimation errors while reconfiguring the virtual network topology (VNT) by cooperating with the VNT reconfiguration. In our method, the VNT reconfiguration is divided into multiple stages instead of reconfiguring the suitable VNT at once. By dividing the VNT reconfiguration into multiple stages, our traffic matrix estimation method calibrates and reduces the estimation errors in each stage by using information monitored in prior stages. We also investigate the effectiveness of our proposal using simulations. The results show that our method can improve the accuracy of the traffic matrix estimation and achieve an adequate VNT as is the case with the reconfiguration using the actual traffic matrices.


The Gutenberg Literary English Corpus (GLEC, Jacobs, 2018a) provides a rich source of textual data for research in digital humanities, computational linguistics or neurocognitive poetics. In this study we address differences among the different literature categories in GLEC, as well as differences between authors. We report the results of three studies providing i) topic and sentiment analyses for six text categories of GLEC (i.e., children and youth, essays, novels, plays, poems, stories) and its>100 authors, ii) novel measures of semantic complexity as indices of the literariness, creativity and book beauty of the works in GLEC (e.g., Jane Austen's six novels), and iii) two experiments on text classification and authorship recognition using novel features of semantic complexity. The data on two novel measures estimating a text's literariness, intratextual variance and stepwise distance (van Cranenburgh et al., 2019) revealed that plays are the most literary texts in GLEC, followed by poems and novels. Computation of a novel index of text creativity (Gray et al., 2016) revealed poems and plays as the most creative categories with the most creative authors all being poets (Milton, Pope, Keats, Byron, or Wordsworth). We also computed a novel index of perceived beauty of verbal art (Kintsch, 2012) for the works in GLEC and predict that Emma is the theoretically most beautiful of Austen's novels. Finally, we demonstrate that these novel measures of semantic complexity are important features for text classification and authorship recognition with overall predictive accuracies in the range of .75 to .97. Our data pave the way for future computational and empirical studies of literature or experiments in reading psychology and offer multiple baselines and benchmarks for analysing and validating other book corpora.


Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) are found in both the small and the large intestine. We demonstrate that there are a number of striking phenotypic and functional differences between the two populations of IEL isolated from mice. In the large intestine, the majority of IEL express the alpha beta TCR, and among these TCR-alpha beta+ lymphocytes, CD4+ cells are as prevalent as CD8+ cells. In contrast, in the small intestine, most of the TCR-alpha beta+ IEL express CD8, and an increased percentage of cells express TCR-gamma delta. In addition, most TCR-gamma delta+ IEL isolated from the large intestine (LI-IEL) are CD4- CD8- cells, as compared to TCR-gamma delta+ IEL isolated from the small intestine (SI-IEL), which are predominantly CD8+. Furthermore, CD2 and the lymph node homing receptor, L-selectin, are expressed by most LI-IEL but not by SI-IEL. Furthermore, LI-IEL have much less cytolytic activity than SI-IEL. These data suggest that LI-IEL are a distinct population of lymphocytes that may have a different immunologic role than that of SI-IEL.


Obesity and weight gain in adulthood are associated with an increased risk of several cancers. Telomeres play a critical role in maintaining genomic integrity and may be involved in carcinogenesis. Using data from 647 women ages 35 to 74 years in the United States and Puerto Rico (2003-2004), we examined the association between current and past anthropometric characteristics and telomere length in blood. In a multivariate linear regression model, higher current body mass index (BMI) and hip circumference were inversely associated with telomere length. Higher BMI in the 30s was associated with shorter telomere length among women ages ≥40 years (Ptrend < 0.01). Weight gain since the age 30s (Ptrend = 0.07) and weight cycling (Ptrend = 0.04) were also inversely associated with telomere length. When current BMI and BMI at ages 30 to 39 years were considered together, the most marked decrease in telomere length was found for women who had overweight or obese BMI at both time points (mean telomere repeat copy number to single-copy gene copy number ratio = 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.30) compared with women who had normal BMI at both times (mean telomere repeat copy number to single-copy gene copy number ratio = 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-1.36). These findings support the hypothesis that obesity may accelerate aging, and highlight the importance of maintaining a desirable weight in adulthood. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(3):816–20)


We describe a case of endophthalmitis following routine cataract surgery caused by the aerobic gram negative organism, Rhizobium radiobacter. The low virulence of this organism is demonstrated through the late clinical presentation of sight-threatening signs and symptoms. This case highlights the importance of the high levels of suspicion required in postoperative cataract patients, prompt diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antimicrobials. Indeed, the array of cases reported in the literature demonstrates the varying severity of postcataract endophthalmitis and delays in presentation. Specifically, this case highlights shifting sensitivity of R. radiobacter, from gentamicin to ciprofloxacin, and confirms that this species can be treated safely with a good visual outcome, without requiring the removal of the intraocular lens implant. Moreover, this case should remind clinicians of the need to advise patients not to undertake activities which involve exposing the eye to organic material, such as gardening, following cataract surgery.


The present investigation by means of boarding quanti-qualitative, identifies the beliefs of tobacco consumers, users of a program of promotion of the cardiovascular health in the city of Bogotá-Colombia. The information harvesting became from recorded interviews in depth of 15 persons of the promotion group, who voluntarily constituted the provisory sample until obtaining the thematic saturation of the issue one. The data were analysed and the results considered by the culture. We obtained with it a large description of motivations and discouraging factors for the tobacco smoking.


Spatial and temporal variations of the demersal fisheries resources of Malaysia were studied using multivariate analysis of their abundance (biomass) from research trawl surveys in relation to geographical and environmental parameters. TWINSPAN results indicate that the demersal resources of Malaysia can be geographically divided into five major species assemblages. Two assemblages are in Peninsular Malaysia and three assemblages are in Sabah and Sarawak waters. In general the demersal resources can be grouped into three types: assemblages associated with coastal/mangrove communities, with the offshore (deepwater) ecosystem and an intermediate assemblage. The coastal assemblage is found in shallow coastal waters, less than 40 m depth, while the offshore assemblage is beyond the 90 m depth range. The intermediate assemblages occur between 40 to 90 m depth. Intermediate assemblages were observed in the entire peninsula of Malaysia. A coastal assemblage was also found on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The Sabah and Sarawak waters were characterized by all three types of demersal assemblages. Salinity and temperature were noted as the environmental parameters that influence the delineation of the species assemblages geographically. In terms of temporal variation, two periods in relation to the monsoon were recognized, the pre-monsoon period and the post-monsoon period, separated from each other in July.


Recent studies have shown that the current primitives for connecting multiple routing protocol instances (OSPF 1, OSPF 2, EIGRP 10, etc.) are pervasively deployed in enterprise networks and the Internet. Furthermore, these primitives are extremely vulnerable to routing anomalies (route oscillations, forwarding loops, etc.) and at the same time too rigid to support some of today's operational objectives. In this paper, we propose a new theory to reason about routing properties across multiple routing instances. The theory directly applies to both link-state and vector routing protocols. Each routing protocol still makes independent routing decisions and may consider a combination of routing metrics, including bandwidth, delay, cost, and reliability. While the theory permits a range of solutions, we focus on a design that requires no changes to existing routing protocols. Guided by the theory, we derive a new set of connecting primitives, which are not only provably safe but also more expressive than the current version. We have implemented and validated the new primitives using XORP. The results confirm that our design can support a large range of desirable operational goals, including those not achievable today, safely and with little manual configuration.


The increased affordability of whole genome sequencing has motivated its use for phenotypic studies. We address the problem of learning interpretable models for discrete phenotypes from whole genomes. We propose a general approach that relies on the Set Covering Machine and ak-mer representation of the genomes. We show results for the problem of predicting the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important human pathogen, against 4 antibiotics. Our results demonstrate that extremely sparse models which are biologically relevant can be learnt using this approach.


BACKGROUND: Intrathecal (i.t.) opioids can provide labor analgesia, but the onset of pain relief is slow. Bupivacaine has the beneficial property of less motor blockade than other local anesthetics. This study retrospectively examined the efficacy of concomitant use of i.t. morphine and bupivacaine for labor pain relief. METHODS: Fifty five nulliparas who requested analgesia in the active phase (IA group) prior to a cervical dilation 3.9 +/- 0.6 cm and received i.t. morphine 0.5 mg and 0.1% bupivacaine 2.5 mg served as the treatment group, and 88 similar nulliparas who did not request and receive analgesia served as the control group. RESULTS: The mean onset time of analgesia was 2.6 +/- 0.5 min, the duration was 4-12 h and 93% of parturients did not request additional analgesia after a single injection of i.t. morphine and bupivacaine. The active phase of the first and second stages of labor in the treatment group were significantly longer [318 +/- 214 min vs. 176 +/- 120 min; 74 +/- 29 min vs. 37 +/- 26 min]. Frequency of instrument-assisted vaginal delivery was higher compared with the control group (30.9% vs. 14.1%). However, there were no significant differences in the rate of cesarean section and the Apgar scores of newborns at 1 min and 5 min between the treatment and control group. The major side effects of the treatment group included pruritus (48%), nausea (40%), vomiting (37%), somnolence (27%), shivering (27%), urinary retention (21%), hypotension (15%), and bradycardia (13%). Most of the side effects were mild and could be alleviated by naloxone. Neither post-spinal headache nor respiratory depression was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that a single injection of i.t. morphine and bupivacaine provided rapid onset and effective analgesia with manageable side effects and without major complications. Thus, i.t. morphine and bupivacaine provides an alternative to epidural analgesia for most women in labor.


Involving people in research that affects them is recognised as good practice, but in most cases involvement is 'top-down' through consultations on pre-decided research topics. As such, 'important' issues are researcher driven and may not address research areas that would truly impact on people's lives. We present the PEOPPLE Project; a 'bottom-up' approach in which older people lead and shape the research by identifying research questions, and working as part of the research team to answer them. The PEOPPLE (Putting Evidence for Older People into Practice in Living Environments) Project has fostered partnerships with older people in Portsmouth to identify and prioritize research questions tailored to meet their needs as identified by them. We will discuss the PEOPPLE method, which consists of four active phases including: identifying relevant issues; establishing research questions based on these needs; looking at existing evidence to determine practical projects; projects carried out to establish or evaluate local solutions. We hope to show that the PEOPPLE approach is meaningful, and why more research should be carried out this way. We also hope to raise discussion about the benefits and challenges that surround user driven research and how community needs can be responded to by research.


Ethylene production, oxygen uptake, the activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase in vivo and the contents of ACC and 1-(malonylamino)cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (MACC) were determined in peach and tomato fruits held in carbon dioxide-enriched atmosphere. Ethylene production in peaches decreased to a trace level with 60% carbon dioxide and in tomatoes to 50% of the initial level. The ethylene production rates in both fruits reverted to the initial level when the fruits were transferred back to air. Oxygen uptake in both fruits was markedly inhibited during carbon dioxide exposure. In vivo activities of ACC oxidase and ACC synthase in both fruits were also inhibited during carbon dioxide exposure. ACC content in peaches held in carbon dioxide-enriched atmosphere decreased but it increased in tomatoes. The level of MACC in peaches was constant during carbon dioxide treatment, whereas that in tomatoes slightly increased. These results indicate that inhibition in ethylene production by carbon dioxide may be mediated mainly by reduced conversion of ACC to ethylene in tomatoes, whereas in peaches, the inhibition is attributed to both reduced conversion of S-adenosylmethionine to ACC and ACC to ethylene.


Enterprise databases comprise multiple local databases that exchange information. The component databases will rarely have the same native form, so one must map between the native interfaces of the data suppliers and the recipients. An SQL view is a convenient and powerful way to define this map, because it provides not just an evaluation mechanism, but also query, and (to some degree) update and trigger capabilities. However, SQL views do not map the critical metadata (e.g., security, source attribution, and quality information) between data suppliers and their recipients. The paper examines the research problems arising from the creation of a metadata propagation framework: a theory for inferring and reconciling metadata on views, rules for each property type and data derivation operator, efficient implementation, and ways to coordinate metadata administration across multiple schemas.


Study of fecundation ability following unilateral experimental cryptorchism as a function of the timing of orchiopexy. Two groups of 45 Wistar rats underwent unilateral mechanical cryptorchism and early and late prepuberal posterior orchyopexy, respectively. A third group of 45 rats underwent a dummy intervention. Mating taking place in subgroups of 15 animals at different ages showed that in the experimental animal, and therefore in any non-dysgenetic test, orchiopexy performed at the prepuberal period allows preservation of fecundation ability.


This project takes its evidence from Chinese North American authors who have written about their own lives or those of members of their immigrant community. Authors such as Denise Chong, Wayson Choy, Ben Fong-Torres, Amy Tan, and Yuen-Fong Woon have written autobiographical fictions, fictionalized biographies, and family histories that delve into Chinese communities in Canada and America. These authors have opened windows into the personal worlds of their communities, and this project attempts to analyze what can be seen. Although racism is discussed in all the literature, it remains peripheral to themes of connections to China, family dynamics, generational conflicts, and formal and informal education. Through their historical novels or fictionalized ethnographies they attempt to understand their families and cultural history, to come to terms with their hyphenated existence, and to assuage their existential angst at being viewed as neither 'this nor that,' neither 'truly' Chinese, nor 'truly' Canadian. l o my parents, B06 andJudy Byme. . . who b e supported allmy e c k t i c educationulendeavours. And to Kay, my amazing hus6and.. . ~ h o f u l l j understandr andsupports my compuljion to


In recent years, libraries have made great progress in digitising troves of historical maps with high-resolution scanners. Providing user-friendly information access for cultural heritage through spatial search and webGIS requires georeferencing of the hundreds of thousands of digitised maps. Georeferencing is usually done manually by finding "ground control points", locations in the digital map image, whose identity is unambiguous and can easily be found in modern-day reference geodata/mapping data. To decide whether two symbols from different maps describe the same object, their semantic and spatial relations need to be matched. Automating this process is the only feasible way to georeference the immense quantities of maps in conceivable time. However, automated solutions for spatial matching quickly fail when faced with incomplete data – which is the greatest challenge when comparing maps of different ages or scales. These problems can be overcome by computing map similarity in the image domain. Treating maps as a special case of image processing allows efficient and robust matching and thus identification of geographical regions without the need to explicitly model semantics. We propose a method to encode worldwide reference VGI mapping data as image features, allowing the construction of an efficient lookup index. With this index, content-based image retrieval can be used for both geolocating a given map for georeferencing with high accuracy. We demonstrate our approach on hundreds of map sheets of different historical topographical survey map series, successfully georeferencing most of them within mere seconds.


Summary: Aquatic ecosystems near urban areas are often ecologically impaired, but causative factors are rarely identified. Effects may be revealed by considering multiple lines of evidence at different levels of biological organization. Biological impairment is evident in the urban section of the Upper Dandenong Creek Catchment (Victoria, Australia). We assessed whether episodic sewage spills or other pollutants were the cause of poor ecological condition in the stream. The evidence evaluated included chemical and invertebrate assessments, caging studies of mudsnails Potamopyrgus antipodarum, antioxidant biomarkers and endocrine disruption-related endpoints in fish (Carassius auratus and Gambusia holbrooki) and toxicological studies with chironomids (Chironomus tepperi). A combination of metals and pesticides is likely to be affecting the aquatic fauna across all biological levels, with macroinvertebrate communities, P. antipodarum and C. tepperi populations and C. auratus individuals all ecologically impaired. Adverse alterations to aquatic fauna were consistently seen in Bungalook Creek and persisted downstream of this confluence into Dandenong Creek. In addition, chemical assessments and toxicity identification evaluation (TIEs) resulted in several point sources of both metals and pesticides being identified as origins of impairment. This contrasted with an expectation that adverse effects were likely to be associated with sewer-related pollution. As a consequence, target areas and specific pollutants were identified for remediation instead of an expensive sewer upgrade. Synthesis and applications. The results demonstrate that it is important to investigate biological effects in different taxa, in both the laboratory and field, to understand which stressors are causing adverse effects on faunal assemblages. When adverse effects are seen across multiple levels of biological organization and caused by the same pollutant from an identifiable source, there is a clear


In this article the claim is made that some of the representations of "sex", "gender", and "sexuality" in Strindberg's authorship point to the influence of pre-modern discourses rather than modern ones. First, there is a discussion about the pre-modern influences on the sex-gender distinction in Creditors (1888) and There Are Crimes and Crimes (1899), an analysis which shows that in these texts, "sex" is perceived as one rather than two, and, moreover, organized hierarchically rather than dichotomously. Furthermore, it is argued that in these texts, "gender", in fact, supersedes "sex", something that is understood within the theoretical frameworks provided by, for example, Thomas Laqueur, Maja Bondestam and Carol Clover. Secondly, it is argued that in Playing with Fire (1892) and other texts, the definition of gender is intimately linked to the sexual desires represented in Strindberg's authorship. This points to influences from what, for example, R.A. Nye has claimed to be pre-modern understandings of gender and sexuality as a unit rather than two distinct concepts, adding a historical perspective to the play between norm and subversion in the fictional texts. Also on a more general level, for example, in Getting Married, Parts I and II (1894, 1896), "sexuality" seems to be phrased according to the difference previously pointed out by Michel Foucault, as acts (pre-modern discourse) rather than identity (modern discourse). In addition, it is argued that when discussing the (for Strindberg) burning question of feminism, pre-modern and modern discourses are simultaneously employed. Finally, it is concluded that the co-existence, collision, conflict, and merge of different paradigms concerning sex, gender and sexuality are part of the complexity and enigmatic attraction in Strindberg's authorship. It is also noted that the interest in the relationship between body, matter and discourse that motivates this article is in line with not only contemporary perspectives in posthumanism, transgender studies and new feminist materialism but also with Strindberg's own concerns.


Glucagon in doses of 0.25 or 1.0 mg. was injected rapidly, intravenously, into healthy normal subjects. There was a striking rise in arterial immunoreactive insulin levels within one minute of the start ot the injection before any change in arterial glucose concentration occurred Plasma insulin levels reached their peak within ten minutes and began to fall thereafter. In contrast, blood glucose levels were highest twenty to thirty minutes after the injection. A second glucagon injection during the hyperglycemic phase produced a larger rise in plasma insulin than the first. During constant infusions of smaller amounts of glucagon, the insulinogenic effect of glucagon was usually only apparent if blood glucose levels were raised. The effect of consecutive forty-minute intravenous infusions of glucagon (10μg./min.), glucose (0.5 gm./min.) and a glucagon-glucose (5μg. and 250 mg./min., respectively) on plasma insulin and arterio-venous blood glucose differences in six healthy normal subjects was studied. Plasma insulin levels were two to five times higher during glucose infusions alone, despite similar peak arterial blood glucose levels during the infusions. Similar results were obtained in other subjects during separate infusions of glucose and glucagon. Total body glucose clearance, judged by the rate of fall in arterial blood glucose levels, was faster after glucagon- than after glucose-induced hyperglycemia. Forearm A-V blood glucose differences were not obviously greater during glucagon, in spite of the higher plasma insulin levels, than during glucose infusions. Possible reasons for the failure of forearm A-V blood glucose differences to reflect accurately total peripheral glucose assimilation under these experimental conditions are discussed, and it is suggested that the co-existence of hyperglucagonemia and hyperinsulinemia may tend to favor incorporation of glucose into adipose tissue rather than muscle. Plasma glucagon levels were measured by immunoassay and the half-life was about ten minutes. The results provide evidence of a direct effect of glucagon upon insulin secretion. The suggestion is made that the insulinogenic effect of glucagon is physiological importance and is due to accelerated intra-β-cell glycogenolysis.


Major issues of urban drainage are coping with flooding caused by torrential downpours and water pollution caused by washing loads from non-point sources. Large-scale trunk sewers and pumping stations are constructed in large Japanese cities. To reduce both types of damage due to floods and water pollution, these sewerage systems should have additional functions of storage and treatment of the washing loads. In such a case, pump operations have a key role for the reduction of damage. However, perfect observation of the state of the system is difficult since continuous observation of water levels and/or water flow in all the points of the sewers is necessary. Hence, we cannot use operation optimization techniques which require perfect observation of the system. In a certain condition, several stochastic optimization techniques only require partial state observations: systems equations and observation equations are both linear, the objective function is quadratic and the time-horizon of the problem is finite. Although there may be cases where these assumptions hold, it is hard to obtain an optimal operation policy of pumping stations in urban inner-drainage systems using these optimization techniques, since observation equations, at least, are non-linear in most situations. This paper focuses on this partial observability of states for pump operation problems in sewerage systems. A practical method to design pump operation optimization and an evaluation method of the performance on the reduction of damage by implementing another monitoring station to the system are introduced. A numerical example is also presented to illustrate how the proposed method works.


Repeated opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) after ischemic stroke significantly contributes to brain injury. As the β1 integrin receptor family has been linked to changes in BBB permeability via changes to tight junction (TJ) protein expression and function, we hypothesized that the pro-angiogenic fibronectin receptor α5β1 integrin is acutely upregulated in cerebrovasculature after ischemic stroke and contributes to BBB breakdown via affects on the TJ protein claudin-5. First, α5β1 brain immunohistochemistry after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) in mice demonstrated an increase in core infarct and peri-infarct vascular expression of α5β1 as early as 24 hours after stroke that became even more prominent by post stroke day 2. Next, in vitro studies demonstrated an increase in barrier permeability where stroke was simulated using oxygen-glucose deprivation or TNF-α treatment, as measured by trans-endothelial cell electrical resistance and FITC-dextran permeability, that correlated with an increase in α5β1 expression and changes in claudin-5 expression and localization away from the cell-surface (i.e. away from TJ complexes). Importantly, this increased permeability could be completely prevented by addition of the α5β1 inhibitor ATN-161. Finally, MCAo performed in endothelial cell selective α5β1 knockout mice demonstrated significantly increased post-stroke BBB stability, stable claudin-5 expression, and little to no ischemic injury. Collectively, our results demonstrate that endothelial cell α5β1 integrin expression is increased acutely after stroke, may contribute to BBB breakdown and subsequent expansion of brain injury, and therefore could represent a novel stroke therapeutic target worthy of further investigation.


In criminal cases judges evaluate and combine probabilistic evidence to reach verdicts. Unavoidably, errors are made, resulting in unwarranted conviction or acquittal of defendants. This paper addresses the questions (1) whether hearing cases by teams of three persons leads to less error than hearing cases alone; (2) whether deliberation leads to better decisions than mechanical aggregation of individual opinions; and (3) whether participating in deliberations improves future individual decisions. We find that having more than one judge consider cases reduces error effectively. This does not mean that it is necessary to deliberate about all cases. In simple cases many errors can be avoided by mechanical aggregation of independent opinions, and deliberation has no added value. In difficult cases discussion leads to less error. The advantage of deliberation goes beyond the case at hand: although we provide no feedback about the quality of verdicts, it improves individual decisions in


Clinical and laboratory studies were carried out in 125 pregnant patients with gestosis of different severity. Respiratory distress syndrome was diagnosed, its severity depending on the severity of patient's status. Platelet changes indicated involvement of the lung parenchyma and can serve as an additional laboratory criterion in the diagnosis of the respiratory distress syndrome in pregnant patients with gestosis.


Abstract. Fog-induced visibility reduction is responsible for a variety of hazards in the transport sector. Therefore there is a large demand for an improved understanding of fog formation and thus improved forecasts. Improved fog forecasts require a better understanding of the numerous complex mechanisms during the fog life cycle. During winter 2012/13 a field campaign called ParisFog aiming at fog research took place at SIRTA (Instrumented Site for Atmospheric Remote Sensing Research). SIRTA is located about 20 km southwest of the Paris city center, France, in a semi-urban environment. In situ activation properties of the prevailing fog were investigated by measuring (1) total and interstitial (non-activated) dry particle number size distributions behind two different inlet systems; (2) interstitial hydrated aerosol and fog droplet size distributions at ambient conditions; and (3) cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration at different supersaturations (SS) with a CCN counter. The aerosol particles were characterized regarding their hygroscopic properties, fog droplet activation behavior and contribution to light scattering for 17 developed fog events. Low particle hygroscopicity with an overall median of the hygroscopicity parameter, κ, of 0.14 was found, likely caused by substantial influence from local traffic and wood burning emissions. Measurements of the aerosol size distribution at ambient RH revealed that the critical wet diameter, above which the hydrated aerosols activate to fog droplets, is rather large (with a median value of 2.6μm) and is highly variable (ranging from 1 to 5μm) between the different fog events. Thus, the number of activated fog droplets was very small and the non-activated hydrated particles were found to contribute significantly to the observed light scattering and thus to the reduction in visibility. Combining all experimental data, the effective peak supersaturation, SSpeak, a measure of the peak supersaturation during the fog formation, was determined. The median SSpeak value was estimated to be in the range from 0.031 to 0.046% (upper and lower limit estimations), which is in good agreement with previous experimental and modeling studies of fog.


Coronal loops, constituting the basic building blocks of the active Sun, serve as primary targets to help understand the mechanisms responsible for maintaining multi-million Kelvin temperatures in the solar and stellar coronae. Despite significant advances in observations and theory, our knowledge on the fundamental properties of these structures is limited. Here, we present unprecedented observations of accelerating slow magnetoacoustic waves along a coronal loop that show differential propagation speeds in two distinct temperature channels, revealing the multi-stranded and multithermal nature of the loop. Utilizing the observed speeds and employing nonlinear force-free magnetic field extrapolations, we derive the actual temperature variation along the loop in both channels, and thus are able to resolve two individual components of the multithermal loop for the first time. The obtained positive temperature gradients indicate uniform heating along the loop, rather than isolated footpoint heating.


Nowadays, technology has a great importance. Usage of technology has a significant impact on development and advancement of industry; hence, technology can be used for utilizing suitable opportunities. The purpose of formulating technology strategy is to optimized employment of technologies in order to achieve better position in the market and to save the costs of complicated structures in industrial businesses. Since formulating technology strategy and employing technology strategy models in industrial organizations face with ambiguous, current study attempts to evaluate technology strategy models and to compare them with industry circumstances and as a result, propose a suitable model. We therefore can guarantee the future of car parts manufacturers and help them to achieve competitive advantage.  Keywords: Technology strategy, Strategy formulating approaches, Little model, Hax-Majluf's model


In this paper, we present a new type of alternating-optimization-based possibilistic c-shell algorithm for clustering-template-based shapes. A cluster prototype consists of a copy of the template after translation, scaling, rotation, and/or affine transformations. This extends the capability of shell clustering beyond a few standard geometrical shapes that have been in the literature so far. We use a number of 2-D datasets, consisting of both synthetic and real-world images, to illustrate the capability of our algorithm in detecting generic-template-based shapes in images. We also describe a progressive clustering procedure aimed to relax the requirements for a known number of clusters and good initialization, as well as new performance measures of shell-clustering algorithms.


The microfiltration (MF) and nanofiltration (NF) integrated membrane technologies were used in the advanced treatment of dyeing wastewater. The ZrO2 MF membrane was used to remove colloidal species from the wastewater before NF. The effects of permeate flux, CODCr rejection, the removal effects of ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus by polyamide NF membrane were investigated. The results indicated that the turbidity removal efficiency was 76.7%~95.0%. CODCr rejection was range from 33.3% to 54.9% by MF. After the process of NF, CODCr rejection was between 66.65% and 91.18%. The removal effects of both color and turbidity were 100%. The value of pH was 6~7. The CODCr was smaller than 60mg•L-1. The value of ammonia nitrogen was smaller than 7mg•L-1. The value of total phosphorus was smaller than 0.5mg•L-1. It came up to the quality standard of recycling raw water for industrial uses. It can be used as the water for industrial.


Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is strongly expressed in glioma and has an important role in tumour blood flow (TBF) regulation. Whether manipulation of NOS function within a tumour can have any therapeutic effect is unknown. This study therefore evaluated the pathophysiological effects of chronic systemic NOS inhibition on experimental rodent glioma blood flow, growth and necrosis. To determine the duration and pathophysiological effects of systemic NOS inhibition, Ng-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) was given to rats bearing C6 glioma acutely (single dose i.v., 30 mg kg) or for either 4 or 7 days (i.p. 75 mg kg day) prior to study. TBF and local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) were measured using C14-iodoantipyrine quantitative autoradiography. Tumour volume, tumoural necrosis and tumoural NOS were measured using conventional neuropathology and immunocytochemistry. Acute and 4-day L-NAME administration produced significant TBF reductions (-48 and -39%, respectively) with less marked changes in LCBF (-35 and -15%, respectively). Seven-day L-NAME administration reduced tumour volume (p = 0.12), increased tumoural necrosis (p < 0.05), but immunohistochemistry showed no difference in tumoural NOS expression. These results confirm that NOS has a significant role in the pathophysiology of experimental glioma, and that in this glioma model the effects of chronic systemic NOS inhibition are, for the period under study, predominately anti-tumoural. Whether chronic NOS inhibition is useful as an adjunct in glioma therapy or provides the opportunity for novel therapeutic approaches requires further study.


In this article we discuss a new method for describing the 3D shape of woman warm jacket and set up its mathematic model, which is by dint of body scanning technology. Telmat scanning system scanned samples. The scanning point cloud were analyzed in horizontal and vertical sections. Outlines of vertical sections were described and mathematic models were set up. The result helped to prognosticate the shape of woman warm jacket. A new describing method for 3D shape is discussed. And it opens our mind to utilize body-scanning technology for deeper science research.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
A strong dose-response relationship exists for psychosocial treatments for co-morbid substance abuse disorders; yet rates of attrition are exceedingly high for those seeking treatment in residential and hospital settings. This study examined patient characteristics, including attachment style as predictors of completing 42 contiguous days of inpatient dual-diagnosis treatment among patients with substance use disorders.

METHODS
Baseline characteristics were assessed in 187 consecutively admitted patients with research diagnosis of substance use disorders. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to examine predictors of treatment retention.

RESULTS
Results indicated a two-variable model consisting of total number of co-occurring Axis I and II disorders, and pre-occupied attachment style, accounting for 17% of the variance. Attachment status predicted retention above and beyond psychiatric co-morbid disorders, demonstrating incremental predictive validity. Moderator analyses failed to detect an interaction.

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
Among inpatients with substance abuse disorders, anxious-preoccupied attachment style predicted treatment retention, reflecting the importance of interpersonal components of treatment relationships in completing treatment. This study adds to a growing body of evidence linking attachment style with treatment adherence. Further research is needed to examine possible mechanisms associated with this relationship.


: Bilateral acoustic neuromas are common in von Recklinghausen's disease. Their surgical removal likely will produce total hearing loss unless the lesions are small and intracanalicular. Therefore, a posterior fossa myelogram is indicated in all patients when a diagnosis of neurofibromatosis is made. To preserve hearing in resection of small tumors, a middle fossa approach is appropriate. In lesions slightly larger than intracanalicular size, hearing may be preserved with a two-stage middle fossa and transsigmoid approach. The prospect of total hearing loss and even facial diplegia predisposes to surgical procrastination. However, the morbidity and mortality associated with removal of medium and large tumors may be greater for neurofibromatosis than for patients with singular acoustic neuromas. Therefore, we believe it is not advisable to postpone operation when tumors extend into the cerebral pontine angle, even though it means loss of hearing.


ABSTRACT It is widely argued that engineering education needs to change in order to attract new groups of students and provide students with knowledge appropriate for the future society. In this paper we, therefore, investigate and analyse Swedish universities' websites, focusing on what characteristics are brought to the fore as important for tomorrow's engineers. The data consist of text and pictures/photos from nine different Engineering Mechanics programme websites. Using a critical discourse analysis approach, we identify three societal discourses concerning 'technological progression', 'sustainability', and 'neoliberal ideals', evident in the websites. These discourses make certain engineering identities possible, that we have labelled: traditional, contemporary, responsible, and self-made engineer. Our analysis shows that universities' efforts to diversify students' participation in engineering education simultaneously reveal stereotypical norms concerning gender and age. We also argue that strong neoliberal notions about the self-made engineer can derail awareness of a gendered, classed, and racialized society.