The research investigation focused on performance appraisal policy and its impact on employee performance in Guaranty Trust Bank in Nigeria. The aim of the study was to ascertain the extent to which the performance appraisal policy at Guaranty Bank contributed to employee performance. Arising out of the performance appraisal reviews, an important finding revealed that the training which employees received resulted in improved job performance. The performance appraisal reviews also showed that when feedback reports were effectively used they consequently improved employee performance. The research design was quantitative in nature and a closed ended structured questionnaire was used to gather the primary data. The survey method was used for all the employees of Guaranty Trust Bank in Nigeria. The questionnaire was administered to all 150 target respondents using the personal method and a high response rate of 100% was obtained. The data gathered were analyzed using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) for the statistical tests. The initial analysis involved the use of descriptive statistical tools. The main findings revealed that employee participation in the performance appraisal was generally high and this increased job satisfaction and enhanced employee performance. The results also revealed that manager-subordinate interaction was very cordial and this boosted employee performance. Moreover, the majority of respondents preferred performance appraisal to be used regularly for career pathing in the organization. The study recommends a set of guidelines which could be used in improving the current performance appraisal policy and further boost employee performance. The study concludes with directions for future research.


The dominant CNN-based methods for cross-view image geo-localization rely on polar transform and fail to model global correlation. We propose a pure transformer-based approach (TransGeo) to address these limitations from a different perspective. TransGeo takes full advantage of the strengths of transformer related to global information modeling and explicit position information encoding. We further leverage the flexibility of transformer input and propose an attention-guided non-uniform cropping method, so that uninformative image patches are removed with negligible drop on performance to reduce computation cost. The saved computation can be reallocated to increase resolution only for informative patches, resulting in performance improvement with no additional computation cost. This "attend and zoom-in" strategy is highly similar to human behavior when observing images. Remarkably, TransGeo achieves state-of-the-art results on both urban and rural datasets, with significantly less computation cost than CNN-based methods. It does not rely on polar transform and infers faster than CNN-based methods. Code is available at https://github.com/Jeff-Zilence/TransGeo2022.


Stakeholders can positively assist or hinder attempts at innovation. Much depends on the nature of their engagement. The stakeholder engagement process can be complex and unpredictable, more so if no strategic plan is put in place or if no systematic thinking is invested in the innovation. Stakeholder engagement in the innovation process in general and innovation diffusion in particular is examined in the context of construction. From a theoretical perspective, analysis of the effect of stakeholders could be expected to help in refining the innovation process so that it produces decisions and outcomes more likely to lead to successful innovation and diffusion. To cover diverse applications from product development to the drafting and implementation of national standards, 19 innovation projects were studied. Through a statistical analysis of stakeholder involvement, based on a Fisher's exact test, it was concluded that a structured process of engagement has to be an integral part of the innovation process. Accordingly, an explicit plan for communication and engagement with identified key stakeholders is necessary ex ante as a condition for successful innovation and diffusion. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.


Basic design education retains its seminal role in most of the architectural curricula today. Having the primary goal of getting acquainted students with knowledge and skills of design basics, basic design education supports the development of creative ways of thinking combined with hands-on learning experiences. The assignments address the articulation of the basic design in 2D and 3D elements such as lines, planes, volumes, structures and forms, while students are encouraged to experiment the potentials of different materials and techniques. Course included 9 different 2D and 3D exercises that focus on design principles and elements together by adding different design problems in process. For instance, structural problems as self-standing or modular 3D units' penetrations and strengthens for complex design problems are added for further assignments in the schedule. In this process 'creativity development' is assessed and evaluated by considering the whole course schedule at the example of individual student assignments. The objective of this paper is to make an analysis of creativity development with regard to the assessment and evaluation procedures, taking the process and products of a basic design studio as a case study. The methodological framework of this paper is based on the examination of two sets of data; (1) 'quantitative data' that includes the grades of assignments that are designed as part of ARCH 101 Design course of architecture program at Özyeğin University Faculty of Architecture and Design in "ARCH 101 in Fall term of 2017-2018 academic program; (2) 'qualitative data' that includes the studio observations and reflective interpretations of instructors regarding the creativity development process for individually student assignments. Grades give the idea of which student exercise has been understood well and reached its learning objectives by considering the whole class. Majority tendency of the grades help assessment of the schedule from the aspect of creativity development. The evaluation of creativity includes manifold aspects of assessment. Teachers' style, schedule of the course, personal factors such as students' personal backgrounds, former education, and the styles of thinking and learning, being individual or collective are all effective on creativity.


Abstract. The consistency of an existing reconstructed annual (December–November) temperature series for the Lisbon region (Portugal) from 1600 onwards, based on a European-wide reconstruction, with (1) five local borehole temperature–depth profiles; (2) synthetic temperature–depth profiles, generated from both reconstructed temperatures and two regional paleoclimate simulations in Portugal; (3) instrumental data sources over the twentieth century; and (4) temperature indices from documentary sources during the late Maunder Minimum (1675–1715) is assessed. The low-frequency variability in the reconstructed temperature in Portugal is not entirely consistent with local borehole temperature–depth profiles and with the simulated response of temperature in two regional paleoclimate simulations driven by reconstructions of various climate forcings. Therefore, the existing reconstructed series is calibrated by adjusting its low-frequency variability to the simulations (first-stage adjustment). The annual reconstructed series is then calibrated in its location and scale parameters, using the instrumental series and a linear regression between them (second-stage adjustment). This calibrated series shows clear footprints of the Maunder and Dalton minima, commonly related to changes in solar activity and explosive volcanic eruptions, and a strong recent-past warming, commonly related to human-driven forcing. Lastly, it is also in overall agreement with annual temperature indices over the late Maunder Minimum in Portugal. The series resulting from this post-reconstruction adjustment can be of foremost relevance to improve the current understanding of the driving mechanisms of climate variability in Portugal.


Pentachlorophenol, a wood preservative for nonresidential applications, contains parts per million levels of dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans with six or more chlorine atoms. There is interest in reducing the levels of these microcontaminants in pentachlorophenol. We conducted pentachlorophenol synthesis reactions in the laboratory to demonstrate the ability to mimic the commercially practiced temperature-programmed synthesis and to identify an operating region where mass-transfer limitations were effectively eliminated. The laboratory system was operated in a temperature-programmed fashion and produced pentachlorophenol with a yield and microcontaminant content similar to those of the commercially produced material. The experiments also revealed a stirring rate, number of gas spargers, and chlorine flow rate that enabled the laboratory-scale reaction to proceed in the kinetics-controlled regime. Results indicated that microcontaminant formation was low until near the end of the run where the microcontami...


Sleep problems are highly prevalent in elderly persons with dementia. Poor sleep constitute a major problem as it causes distress and may aggravate the dementia symptoms. Music has been proposed as a potential sleep aid, and in this study, we assessed the feasibility and effect of bedtime music listening for improving sleep problems in older adults with dementia. We used a within-subject design including 40 participants. Participants and caregivers evaluated the feasibility and effect after the intervention period, and we measured sleep with wrist actigraphy 14 days at baseline and during the 14 days intervention period. In the intervention period participants listened to music for 30 minutes every night at bedtime. We developed five playlists with slow, soothing music of different genres, and participants could choose the genre they liked the best. We found that the music intervention was well-liked and sleep improvement was observed in around half the participants. Wrist actigraphy showed no significant changes in the objective sleep pattern. Music listening at bedtime could provide a safe, comfortable and low-cost intervention for sleep problems among elderly persons with dementia, the intervention is feasible, but more research is needed to determine the effect on sleep outcomes.


In the present "Kumulativen Habilitationsschrift", studies on clinical pharmacology of antifungal drugs for treatment of systemic mycoses are consolidated. All these clinical studies were performed in high-risk patients with specific co-morbidities aiming for optimisation of dosing strategies or treatment selection for the respective special patient population. The first part of the "Habilitationsschrift" (paper 1-2) reports on plasma pharmacokinetics of antifungal drugs in Special populations. The second part (paper 3-6) describes target-site penetration and drug distribution of antimycotics in these critically-ill patients.
Clinical Importance of Pharmacokinetics of Antifungals
The optimal drug for invasive fungal infections would display an adequate spectrum of activity against fungal pathogens, low potential for drug interactions and toxicity, a known pharmacokinetic profile and a good target-site penetration of the drug [45]. The variety of the drugs and the drug classes show advantages and disadvantages in different clinical situations. In the present "Habilitationsschrift" the human plasma and target-site pharmacokinetics of amphotericin B preparations, voriconazole and caspofungin are enlightened in specific clinical situations. In contrast to other drugs for certain diseases, anti-infectives cannot be monitored by the clinical course due to a lagtime in response [46-51]. In fungal infections, timely and appropriate therapy is mandatory for success. Underdosing may result in therapeutic failure. Substance removal is critical in organ replacement therapy such as continuous hemofiltration, hemodialysis or liver support [52-54].
Extracorporeal devices can exert hardly predictable effects on drug disposition [55-59]. Optimizing antibiotic dosage in critically ill patients receiving organ replacement therapies is challenging. Several factors must be considered in antimycotic prescription under organ replacment therapies such as pharmacokinetics, causative microorganism and their minimal inhibitory concentrations, mode of organ replacement therapy, properties and surface area of the membrane applied [60]. Therefore, we studied the pharmacokinetics of caspofungin in patients on renal replacement therapy (paper 1).
On the other hand the therapeutic window is narrow for most antifungals. Hence, an increased dose leads to toxicity, such as kidney injury by polyenes [62-68]. Vulnerable populations for drug accumulation are patients with impairment of elimination organs such as renal or liver failure. We evaluated the clinical pharmacokinetics of amphotericin B colloidal dispersion in patients with cholestatic liver failure (paper 2). For these patient populations dose recommendations were not available prior to these two studies (table 2).
Drug Penetration to the Site of Infection
Fungal infections can affect almost every compartment of the human body. Fungi are either endogenous (e.g. Candida in the gastro-intestinal tract) or exogenous (e.g. Aspergillus or Mucor by inhalation) pathogens. Fungi can spread via blood circulation (e.g. Candidemia) or by local Infiltration (e.g. Zygomyoces). The time course of an antifungal drug as well as its absolute concentrations at the site of infection may differ from those observed in the bloodstream [69]. Sufficient antifungal concentrations at the site of the pathogen are considered to be substantial for therapeutic response
[69-71]. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the pathogen for antimicrobial agents gives an indication for the adequate levels which should be reached. Disposition patterns and distribution of antifungal drugs depend on substance factors like protein binding, molecular weight, lipophilicity and charge. Patient characteristics like blood flow, compartment barriers or transporters also play an important role in drug penetration.
Therefore, the tissue distribution was studied for amphotericin B preparations (paper 3) and voriconazole (paper 4). The penetration into pleural effusion was assessed for different amphotericin B preparations (paper 5). Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects of amphotericin B lipid formulations were determined in bile fluid of liver transplant patients (paper 6).


Mothers who are the victims of domestic violence face unique challenges in their quest for safety. The legal response to domestic violence requires that mothers respond to abuse in specific state-sanctioned manners. However, when mothers respond accordingly, such as by reporting abuse and leaving the abusive relationship, their safety and the safety of their children is not guaranteed. Moreover, by responding in state-sanctioned manners, mothers risk a host of negative consequences including increased threat to their immediate and long-term safety, the loss of their children, undesired financial, health, and social consequences, and criminal prosecution. On the other hand, when mothers respond to abuse in unsanctioned manners, such as by staying in abusive relationships, they face similarly hostile consequences including continued abuse, the loss of their children, and criminal prosecution. Thus, regardless of how mothers respond to domestic violence, they risk being harmed by their abuser and the state. As a result battered mothers' choices are significantly constrained. Though the legal response to domestic violence has improved dramatically over the past few decades, reforms are still needed. The state should sanction a broader range of maternal responses to domestic violence and accept greater responsibility for preventing and responding to private family violence. In addition to increasing victim safety, implementation of these reforms would increase respect for maternal autonomy and demonstrate the state's true commitment to protecting women and children from domestic violence.


This 1985 book is a comparative study of the origins and experience of inflation from 1950 until the 1980s in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, West Germany, France, and Italy, and in the world economy as a whole. It looks at the history of inflation, and the relationship of changes in rates of inflation and real income growth. Further chapters look at the kinds of inflationary impulse and their origins (particularly with regard to the money supply and the labour market), the role of expectations, the apparent effects of inflation on income distribution, the level of unemployment and the rate of economic growth. The final chapter looks at the effects on inflation of the depression of 1979–82, and draws the conclusions together. The book thus attempts a geographically broader study of inflationary experience than had previously been presented.


Improving livestock marketing is critical to enhance households' livelihoods and alleviate poverty in the country. This paper reviewed relevant documents in Ethiopian livestock marketing to know livestock marketing system; livestock marketing channels and key actors; and opportunities and challenges of livestock marketing. The domestic livestock marketing structure in Ethiopia follows four tiers: namely bush, primary, secondary and tertiary/terminal markets.  Many actors are involved in livestock and livestock products marketing, they are broadly classified as: livestock producers, traders, processors, retailers, food service providers, and consumers. Ethiopia exports livestock and livestock products to various Middle East and North African countries. The opportunities for livestock marketing in the country are resource availability; demand availability both regionally and in the Middle East; proximity to the markets of neighboring countries; development of export-abattoirs within the country and their substantial demand for lowland animals, especially shoats; and the tendency of both the government agencies and the NGOs to work towards integrating the pastoral marketing cooperatives with the export abattoirs supply chains. Despite the above-mentioned opportunities, livestock producers and other people who engaged in livestock marketing face various challenges in marketing their livestock and livestock products. The major challenges are: poorly developed market infrastructures; inadequate and inappropriate road transport facilities; poorly developed port facilities; few and unevenly distributed export abattoirs; absence of market information and promotional activities; prevalence of diseases; repeated import bans by the major importing countries; lack of formal trade among the neighboring countries; and natural disasters (drought, famine, wars). Keywords : Livestock, marketing, challenges, opportunities, Ethiopia DOI : 10.7176/JMCR/59-01 Publication date : August 31 st 2019


Cell heterogeneity of cytochemical characteristics of chromatin in the norm and after provocative factors in vitro (a heating at 45 degrees C, X-irradiation and joint actions of heating and X-ray irradiation) was investigated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of sheep and mouse, the lymphoid cell populations of the murine bone marrow, spleen and thymus. As a criterion of cytochemical heterogeneity were used the distinctions in the rate of staining of cell nuclei with DNA-specific dyes, that was registered by means of measurement of coefficient variation of the DNA-histogram basis peak, with a flow cytometry. Heterogeneity of cytochemical characteristics are dealt with showed a variability of spatial organization of interphase nuclei of single cells. The provocative factors bring about a decrease in the level of the cytochemical characteristics heterogeneity in the sheep mononuclear cells. In the murine cell populations studied no such equalizing of the marker of variability was revealed.


Abstract: Cysteine‐string protein (Csp) is a major synaptic vesicle and secretory granule protein first discovered in Drosophila and Torpedo. Csps were subsequently identified from Xenopus, Caenorhabditis elegans, and mammalian species. It is clear from the study of a null mutant in Drosophila that Csp is required for viability of the organism and that it has a key role in neurotransmitter release. In addition, other studies have directly implicated Csp in regulated exocytosis in mammalian neuroendocrine and endocrine cell types, and its distribution suggests a general role in regulated exocytosis. An early hypothesis was that Csp functioned in the control of voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels. Csp, however, must have an additional function as a direct regulator of the exocytotic machinery as changes in Csp expression modify the extent of exocytosis triggered directly by Ca2+ in permeabilised cells. Csps possess a cysteine‐string domain that is highly palmitoylated and confers membrane targeting. In addition, Csps have a conserved "J" domain that mediates binding to an activation of the Hsp70/Hsc70 chaperone ATPases. This and other evidence implicate Csps as molecular chaperones in the synapse that are likely to control the correct conformational folding of one or more components of the vesicular exocytotic machinery. Targets for Csp include the vesicle protein VAMP/synaptobrevin and the plasma membrane protein syntaxin 1, the significance of which is discussed in possible models to account for current knowledge of Csp function.


Rumble strips may be established in the middle of roads in order to improve traffic safety by assisting in preventing vehicle drivers from crossing the centre line without noticing it. The noise/vibration created by such strips warns drivers. However, the noise level outside increases, and may cause annoyance to road neighbours. A pilot study was conducted by the Danish Road Institute to test rumble strips generating low noise levels in the environment. Five types of rumble strips made by milling indentations in the pavement of two-lane roads were tested. Sinusoidal indentations led to only 0.5 - 1 decibel (dB) increase in maximum pass-by noise level while "cylinder-segment" indentations spaced by 0.6 metres gave an increase of 2 - 3 dB in relation to the noise level from pass-bys on the old stone mastic asphalt. With a spacing of 0.33 m "cylinder-segment" indentations gave rise to 3 - 7 dB higher noise levels than sinusoidal indentations and 2 - 5 dB higher levels than "cylinder segment" indentations spaced 0.6 metres. These results are valid for passenger cars, at distances exceeding 25 metres from the road.


It is well known that metal dichalcogenides MS2 (M=Mo, W, Nb, Ta, TiS, Zr ,Hf, S=S, Se) have lamellar structure, the bonds of adjacent lamellae are weak van der Waals interactions and inter-lamellar are strong covalent interactions. The structures make adjacent lamellae easy to slip and it shows low friction coefficient during friction process. MS2 are often used as solid lubricants in high/low temperature, heave load and vacuum, in which oil is failure. WS2 has better high temperature properties than MoS2, although little natural WS2 mineral has been deposited, and people must synthesize it by chemical means, so its price is nearly 5 times expensive than that of MoS2. Until now little study is made comparing with MoS2. Furthermore the research papers about tribological behavior of NbS2, TaS2, TiS2, ZrS2, HfS2 are not seen. In this study the thermal decomposition method is used to produce fullerene-like MS2 nanotubes. The morphology, microstructure and tribological behavior of MS2 nanotubes are investigated by means of SEM, TEM, XRD and AFM. The results show that the diameter of MoS2, WS2 and NbS2 nanotube is less than 100nm, and the length is more than 2μm. The MoS2, WS2 nanotube has lower friction coefficient than MoS2 powder tested by AFM using Si3N4 probe. Similar results are also found for NbS2 nanotube. The macroscopic friction test for pin on disc tester shows nearly the same results. TEM image shows that MS2 nanotubes have rolling debris between two antagonist surfaces, and MoS2 powder only has flattened debris. It may be the fullerene structure brings the chemical stability and lead low friction.


Premise of the study: The One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Project (1KP, 1000+ assembled plant transcriptomes) provides an enormous resource for developing microsatellite loci across the plant tree of life. We developed loci from these transcriptomes and tested their utility. Methods and Results: Using software packages and custom scripts, we identified microsatellite loci in 1KP transcriptomes. We assessed the potential for cross-amplification and whether loci were biased toward exons, as compared to markers derived from genomic DNA. We characterized over 5.7 million simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci from 1334 plant transcriptomes. Eighteen percent of loci substantially overlapped with open reading frames (ORFs), and electronic PCR revealed that over half the loci would amplify successfully in conspecific taxa. Transcriptomic SSRs were approximately three times more likely to map to translated regions than genomic SSRs. Conclusions: We believe microsatellites still have a place in the genomic age—they remain effective and cost-efficient markers. The loci presented here are a valuable resource for researchers.


Topography of the fibrillar centre and other nucleolar components has been studied during the oocyte large growth in golden hamster. The fibrillar centre was found to show a tendency to marginal distribution, which is characteristic of the initial period of large growth and its final stages. Localization of the fibrillar centre correlates with the amount of granular component and the general level of the nucleus transcription activity. A possible role of the marginal localization of the nucleolus fibrillar centre in maturating oocytes is discussed as a distinguishing trait of chromosomes that enter into meiosis.


When failure analysis and prevention, guided by historical design knowledge, are coupled with product design at its conception, shorter design cycles are possible. By decreasing the design time of a product in this manner, design costs are reduced and the product will better suit the customer s needs. Prior work indicates that similar failure modes occur with products (or components) with similar functionality. To capitalize on this finding, a knowledge base of historical failure information linked to functionality is assembled for use by designers. One possible use for this knowledge base is within the Elemental Function-Failure Design Method (EFDM). This design methodology and failure analysis tool begins at conceptual design and keeps the designer cognizant of failures that are likely to occur based on the product s functionality. The EFDM offers potential improvement over current failure analysis methods, such as FMEA, FMECA, and Fault Tree Analysis, because it can be implemented hand in hand with other conceptual design steps and carried throughout a product s design cycle. These other failure analysis methods can only truly be effective after a physical design has been completed. The EFDM however is only as good as the knowledge base that it draws from, and therefore it is of utmost importance to develop a knowledge base that will be suitable for use across a wide spectrum of products. One fundamental question that arises in using the EFDM is: At what level of detail should functional descriptions of components be encoded? This paper explores two approaches to populating a knowledge base with actual failure occurrence information from Bell 206 helicopters. Functional models expressed at various levels of detail are investigated to determine the necessary detail for an applicable knowledge base that can be used by designers in both new designs as well as redesigns. High level and more detailed functional descriptions are derived for each failed component based on NTSB accident reports. To best record this data, standardized functional and failure mode vocabularies are used. Two separate function-failure knowledge bases are then created aid compared. Results indicate that encoding failure data using more detailed functional models allows for a more robust knowledge base. Interestingly however, when applying the EFDM, high level descriptions continue to produce useful results when using the knowledge base generated from the detailed functional models.


Using diversity mechanisms in evolutionary algorithms for multi-objective optimization problems is considered as an important issue for the design of successful algorithms. This is in particular the case for problems where the number of non-dominated feasible objective vectors is exponential with respect to the problem size. In this case the goal is to compute a good approximation of the Pareto front. We investigate how this goal can be achieved by using the diversity mechanism of ε-dominance and point out where this concept is provably helpful to obtain a good approximation of an exponentially large Pareto front in expected polynomial time. Afterwards, we consider the drawbacks of this approach and point out situations where the use of ε-dominance slows down the optimization process significantly.


Abstract – A server room is a room used to store applications, data and network devices such as routers. The server room is the data center of a company or institution in which there are applications and databases that store all important and valuable information for the company or institution concerned, therefore the server room must always be in good temperature conditions because the devices work for 24 hours no stopping. If there is a significant increase in temperature, it can cause system performance to be disrupted or hardware damage occurs. The cooler in the server room is not optimal because the cooler is often constrained by frequent power outages. From these problems, a solution is needed to be able to monitor the system remotely so that changes in room temperature can be seen in real time. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the solution to this problem, by using LoRa, which then sends the data to the Telegram application that has been installed on the smartphone so that real-time temperature changes can be obtained


This article argues that because the home is so familiar, it is necessary to make it strange, or defamiliarize it, in order to open its design space. Critical approaches to technology design are of both practical and social importance in the home. Home appliances are loaded with cultural associations such as the gendered division of domestic labor that are easy to overlook. Further, homes are not the same everywhere---even within a country. Peoples' aspirations and desires differ greatly across and between cultures. The target of western domestic technology design is often not the user, but the consumer. Web refrigerators that create shopping lists, garbage cans that let advertisers know what is thrown away, cabinets that monitor their contents and order more when supplies are low are central to current images of the wireless, digital home of the future. Drawing from our research in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia, we provide three different narratives of defamiliarization. A historical reading of American kitchens provides a lens with which to scrutinize new technologies of domesticity, an ethnographic account of an extended social unit in England problematizes taken-for-granted domestic technologies, and a comparative ethnography of the role of information and communication technologies in the daily lives of urban Asia's middle classes reveals the ways in which new technologies can be captured and domesticated in unexpected ways. In the final section of the article, we build on these moments of defamiliarization to suggest a broad set of challenges and strategies for design in the home.


Tapping energy from a HVDC transmission line to serve small remote communities has been considered by researchers and HVDC manufacturers since the 1960s. Many HVDC taps proposed consider the performance of diodes, Thyristors and GTOs and the utilization of bulky and expensive high voltage transformers. This paper proposes a novel HVDC tap topology, the n-phase multi-modular series tap (MMST), which utilises capacitors to decouple HV voltage and IGBT H-bridge sub-modules typically found in modular multilevel converters to transfer HVDC to MVAC. The number of phases and operating frequency can be picked according to the requirement of the application. The feasibility of n-phase MMST has been verified by the results from simulation carried out in PLECS software.


1 Welborn LG. Post-operative apnea in the former preterm infant: a review. Paediatr Anaesth 1992; 2: 37–44. 2 Craven PD, Badawi N, Henderson-Smart DJ et al. Regional (spinal, epidural, caudal) versus general anaesthesia in preterm infants undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy in early infancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003; : CD003669. 3 Fellmann C, Gerber AC, Weiss M. Apnoea in a former preterm infant after caudal bupivacaine with clonidine for inguinal herniorrhaphy. Paediatr Anaesth 2002; 12: 637–640. 4 Ivani G. Caudal block: the 'no turn technique'. Paediatr Anaesth 2005; 15: 83–84. 5 Ooi R, Pattison J, Feldman SA. The effects of intravenous clonidine on ventilation. Anaesthesia 1991; 46: 632–633. 6 Benhamou D, Veillette Y, Narchi P et al. Ventilatory effects of premedications with clonidine. Anesth Analg 1991; 73: 799–803. 7 O'Halloran KD, Herman JK, Bisgard GE. Ventilatory effects of alpha2-adrenoceptor blockade in awake goats. Respir Physiol 2000; 126: 29–41. 8 Ivani G, Bergendahl HT, Lampugnani E et al. Plasma levels of clonidine following epidural bolus injection in children. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1998; 42: 306–311. 9 Rapp HJ, Molnar V, Austin S et al. Ropivacaine in neonates and infants: a population pharmacokinetic evaluation following single caudal block. Pediatr Anesth 2004; 14: 724–32. 10 Breschan C, Krumoholz R et al. Can a dose of 2 microg/kg of caudal clonidine cause respiratory depression in neonates? Paediatr Anaesth 1999; 9: 81–83.


Patterns of consumers' use of products are of interest to manufacturers. This paper is concerned with modelling diary data on the use of one product, shampoo, recorded to the nearest hour by over 500 men during 1 week. A binary response multilevel model is developed, building on similar models for consumer purchase data. The model allows for a dependence on the number of days since last use. The results of fitting various versions of this model are discussed. A problem is that the number of days since last use is missing for all times up to the first use. An approximate EM approach is considered to deal with this problem.


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In this thesis we address various indications of breast MRI, with the emphasis on the value of MRI in screening of women with high genetic risk for breast cancer, and especially in BRCA1 mutation carriers. We showed that in the era of up-to-date MRI expertise and digital mammography the screening efficacy is improved. However, the additional value of mammography over MRI is little while at the same time BRCA carriers are more sensitive the risks of low dose radiation as in mammographic screening. Based on radiation risk estimations we advise to screen BRCA1 mutation carriers annually with MRI from age 25 onwards and to postpone mammographic screening until age 40. We demonstrated that addition of MRI to mammography for screening BRCA1/2 mutation carriers of 50 years and older improved screening sensitivity by a magnitude similar to that observed in younger women. We advise to continue MRI screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers of 50 years and older.

Furthermore, we discuss the role of breast MRI in patients with early stage breast cancer who wish to undergo breast conserving surgery. Patients with preoperative MRI underwent significantly fewer reoperations. Preoperative MRI changed the surgical plan to more extensive surgery in a substantial part of patients.

Finally we describe that breast MRI is capable of detecting occult breast cancer in patients who present with axillary metastasis of an adenocarcinoma without a clinically or mammographically detectable breast cancer.


Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common vascular tumors of childhood, affecting ∼5% of all infants. Although most lesions proliferate and then involute with minimal consequence, a significant minority can be disfiguring, functionally significant, or, rarely, life-threatening. Recent discoveries concerning hemangioma pathogenesis provide both an improved understanding and more optimal approach to workup and management. Important detrimental associations can be seen with IH, such as significant structural anomalies associated with segmental IH. Standards of care have dramatically changed evaluation and management of hemangiomas. The goal of timely recognition and therapy is to minimize or eliminate long-term sequelae. New modalities, such as oral propranolol, provide the caregiver with better therapeutic options, which can prevent or minimize medical risk or scarring, but the side effect profile and risk-benefit ratio of such interventions must always be evaluated before instituting therapy.


rhBMP-2 is an osteoinductive protein that, when administered locally, results in the induction of new bone tissue at the site of implantation. The osteoinductive properties of rhBMP-2 first were demonstrated by implantation at ectopic (nonbony) sites in rodents. BMPs are the only protein factors known to induce new, ectopic bone. rhBMP-2/Absorbable Collagen Sponge (ACS) is a TEMP that combines rhBMP-2 with a matrix for implantation. rhBMP-2/ACS is used in long bone fracture repair and spinal fusion. The development of rhBMP-2 protein as the active ingredient in the rhBMP-2/ACS product is summarized. Four aspects of rhBMP-2 development are covered: protein structural characterization, functional characterization, purity analysis and design of comparability studies to support changes in the manufacturing process. Topics discussed include rhBMP-2 as a "biologic" and as a constituent of a combination TEMP. The lessons learned during the development of rhBMP-2/ACS may allow general insight into the development of future standards for TEMPs that contain biologically active proteins.


This article examines the intersections between jurisprudence and literature through a close reading of George Eliot's last three novels in relation to Henry Sumner Maine's 'Ancient Law: Its Connection With the Early History of Society, and Its Relation to Modern Ideas' (1861). A legal bestseller in its time, 'Ancient Law' expounded a theory of social evolution centring on the idea that the 'movement of progressive societies … from Status to Contract.' Maine's status-contract model provided a framework for his readers to view customs of inheritance and succession in light of a binary social discourse that presented family interests (expressed juridically in terms of "status") in opposition to individual interests (expressed as "contract," the epitome of non-familial legal relations). The reconciliation of family and individual interests in Eliot's fiction is the main focus of this essay, which offers fresh interpretations of 'Felix Holt', 'Middlemarch', and 'Daniel Deronda' in their theoretical and historical contexts.


Undoubtedly, public enterprise reforms have taken the world by storm. Likewise, Fiji is no exception. This island nation has witnessed economic recession and structural adjustment policies since 1987. Local authors assert that the reasons behind reforms in Fiji involve a combination of internal as well as external factors. The very first corporatisation process eventuated in four companies namely, Post and Telecommunications Department; Ika Corporation; Fiji Pine Commission and National Marketing Authority between 1990 and 1992. Till to date, the one and only government owned section that underwent privatisation in Fiji was the Government Shipyard and Public Slipways. Much to everyone's dismay, the privatisation of Government Shipyard and Public Slipways (April 1996) failed miserably as the privatised entity faced receivership. This thesis discusses the 'back to square one cycle' with phases of: a national entity, the privatisation of it and again the re-nationalisation of it. While some say that it was the major shipbuilding project disaster and the continued unmanageable financial burden on the state that prompted this privatisation, others felt it was a political ploy for personal gains for some ministers. Whatever the actual motivations, numerous recommendations were put onto paper well before the actual privatisation process. In many instances, the workers showed great dislike for the process but the same was pushed down their throats without proper consultation and without proper education of what this concept was all about. To put it simply, this thesis highlights 'How Not to Privatise'.


Abstract: Oxygen consumption is a necessity for all aerobic organisms, but oxygen is also a toxic molecule that leads to the generation of free radicals. The brain consumes a high percentage of the oxygen inhaled (18.5%), and it contains large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, which makes it highly susceptible to lipid peroxidation. Melatonin (N‐acetyl‐5‐methoxytryptamine), the main secretory product of the pineal gland, is a free radical scavenger that was found to protect against lipid peroxidation in many experimental models. Another compound found in the pineal gland is pinoline (6‐methoxy‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydro‐β‐carboline). Pinoline is structurally related to melatonin. Evidence suggests that pinoline may have an antioxidant capacity similar to that of melatonin. In this study, the ability of pinoline to protect against H2O2‐induced lipid peroxidation of different rat brain homogenates (frontal cortex, striatum, cerebellum, hippocampus, and hypothalamus) was investigated. The degree of lipid peroxidation was assessed by estimating the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4‐hydroxyalkenals (4‐HDA). Pinoline's antioxidant capacity was compared with that of melatonin. Both melatonin and pinoline reduced the level of MDA and 4‐HDA in a dose‐dependent manner in all brain regions tested. To compare the antioxidant capacities, percent‐inhibition curves were created, and the IC50 values were calculated. The IC50 values for melatonin were higher in all brain regions than were those for pinoline. The IC50 values for melatonin in the five different brain regions ranged from 0.16mM‐0.66 mM, and for pinoline, they ranged from 0.04 mM‐0.13 mM. The possibility of synergistic interactions between melatonin and pinoline were also determined using the method of Berenbaum. Little evidence for either synergistic, additive, or antagonistic interactions between melatonin and pinoline was found.


This paper examines the macroeconomic effects of financial innovation in the Israeli economy. Israel, like other economies in the West, has experienced significant innovation in financial services in the 1980's. By innovation we refer to the introduction of new, liquid assets that partially replace traditional money in agents' portfolios; technological progress in banking services that reduces the costs of transactions; and changes in the regulatory environment that facilitate transactions. In Israel these innovations were made in conjunction with a high inflation process and were expressed in the increased use of foreign-exchange linked (PATAM) deposits in the period 1978-1985; the increased use of interest-bearing short-term deposits since 1982; and a decline in traditional M1 use concurrently with technological progress in banking services. We propose a theoretical model, whereby financial innovation has effects of production and consumption in an infinitely - lived, utility-maximizing, representative agent model. Innovation affects the transactions costs of the consumer, generating a portfolio shift. This in turn either enlarges or reduces financial intermediaries resources and hence affects their lending rate to firms. The rate change induces changes in the long-run level of capital and therefore in production and consumption. We test the implication of the model by estimating a series of VAR models. Examining cumulative impulse responses of real activity variables to shocks in the relative quantities of the different financial assets, we find that the model's predictions that increased use of PATAM deposits is contractionary while increased use of short-term deposits is expansionary are borne out by the data.


A mathematical model of a microfluidic controller comprising a hydrogel in a typical T- and Y-junction is derived and presented. The model takes into account conservation of momentum, mass and ions for laminar incompressible flow and the deformation/sensing of a pH-sensitive hydrogel. The response of the pH-responsive hydrogel is validated with experimental equilibrium swelling curves for which good agreement is found. The model is employed to study the behavior of the hydrogel and its impact on the overall fluid flow in different microfluidic flow channel/hydrogel configurations, e.g. in a T-junction, where the hydrogel can act autonomously and without external power supply to regulate the flow. Finally, we discuss how the model can be generalized for other types of stimuli-responsive hydrogels.


Multi-label learning aims at assigning a set of appropriate labels to multi-label samples.  Although it has been successfully applied in various domains in recent years, most multi-label learning methods require sufficient labeled training samples, because of the large number of possible label sets.  Co-training, as an important branch of semi-supervised learning, can leverage unlabeled samples, along with scarce labeled ones, and can potentially help with the large labeled data requirement. However, it is a difficult challenge to combine multi-label learning with co-training. Two distinct issues are associated with the challenge: (i) how to solve the widely-witnessed class-imbalance problem in multi-label learning; and (ii) how to select samples with confidence, and  communicate their predicted labels among  classifiers for model refinement. To address these issues, we introduce an approach called Multi-Label Co-Training (MLCT). MLCT leverages information concerning the co-occurrence  of pairwise labels to address the class-imbalance challenge; it introduces a predictive reliability measure to select samples, and applies label-wise filtering to confidently communicate labels of selected samples among co-training classifiers.  MLCT performs favorably against related competitive multi-label learning methods on benchmark datasets and it is also robust to the input parameters.


Introduction: We previously published the case of a woman taking warfarin who was found to have scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. This led us to hypothesize that patients taking warfarin who consume a diet limited in vitamin K rich foods may be at risk for other nutrient deficiencies. To test our hypothesis, we studied dietary nutrient intake in patients taking warfarin compared to patients with heart disease not taking warfarin. Methods: The warfarin (n=59) and control groups (n=24) comprised convenience samples of patients with heart disease over age 60 years. Patients completed a three-day food diary and reported use of supplements. Results: Based on diet history, the most common deficiencies were vitamin D (100% both groups), vitamin E (93% warfarin, 92% control), vitamin A (71% warfarin, 71% control), vitamin K (66% warfarin, 58% control), vitamin C (58 % warfarin, 46% control) and pantothenic acid (69% warfarin, 71% control) with no significant differences in intake deficiencies between warfarin and control groups. Conclusion: All of our patients had nutritional intake deficiencies. This may be due to Appalachian dietary habits and not the low vitamin K diet. It seems prudent to recommend multivitamins, however, universal multivitamin supplementation has not been supported by randomized controlled trials. More study is needed to determine the reason for poor nutritional intake in our Appalachian population and to determine whether similar results are evident in a larger sample


Abstract Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is a highly prevalent condition with substantial public health implications. The disease is associated with a high degree of disability, impairment of quality of life, and school and workplace absenteeism. Acute rhinosinusitis is most often precipitated by a viral upper respiratory infection or an episode of allergic rhinitis. Typical signs and symptoms include nasal congestion, purulent nasal discharge, headache, cough, and facial pain or tenderness. Diagnosis is usually based on patient history and physical examination. Specialist consultation is indicated for intractable or complicated disease, signified by signs or symptoms suggestive of orbital, intraosseous, or intracranial extension of sinus disease. Most cases of ARS in the ambulatory setting are viral. In the absence of severe or rapidly worsening symptoms, antibiotic prescription should be delayed until an appropriate surveillance period has elapsed. Symptomatic therapy is the most efficient approach for uncomplicated ARS. There is a paucity of data supporting use of commonly used symptomatic therapies, with the exception of intranasal corticosteroids, which have demonstrated rapid improvement of the symptoms of ARS and return to normal functioning when used as monotherapy or as an adjunct to antibiotics.


The quality of wines has often been associated with their geographical area of production, as well as the grape variety used in their elaboration. Many research studies have been carried out to characterize and differentiate between red wines labeled with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from different geographical areas, but very few have been carried out on white and rosé wines. The objective of this work was to characterize white and rosé PDO wines from different geographical areas of Spain very close to each other elaborated with different grape varieties and select the variables that most contribute to their differentiation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used as statistical methods. The ethanol content was the nonvolatile variable that most contributed to differentiating between some of the white and rosé wines according to their PDO. The white wines from RD (Ribera del Duero) and BI (Bierzo) were characterized by a high terpenic content (floral notes) while the wines from RU (Rueda), TO (Toro) and CI (Cigales)by a high content of ethyl esters and alcohol acetates (fruity aromas). The rosé wines elaborated with the Mencía grape variety from BI were characterized by their highest polysaccharidic content, which could have a positive sensory effect on the mouthfeel. The rosé wines from CI were characterized by their volatile profile complexity, having the highest content of volatile compounds from the oak wood, terpenes and C6 alcohols which provide pleasant woody, floral and herbaceous aromas. On the contrary, the RD wines were richest in alcohol acetates responsible for fruity aromas.


Wind turbines are growing bigger to becomemore cost-efficient. This does increase the severity of the vibrations that are present in the turbine blades, both due to predictable effects like wind shear and tower shadow, and due to less predictable effects like turbulence and flutter. If wind turbines are to become bigger and more cost-efficient, these vibrations need to be reduced. This can be done by installing trailing-edge flaps to the blades. Because of the variety of circumstances which the turbine should operate in, this results in large uncertainties. As such, we need methods that can take stochastic effects into account. Preferably we develop an algorithmthat can learn from online data how the flaps affect the wind turbine and how to optimally control them. A simple prior analysis can be done using a linearized version of the system. In this case it is important to know not only the expected cost (damage) that will be incurred by the wind turbine in various situations, but also the spread of this cost. This can for instance be done by looking at the variance of the cost function. Various expressions are available to analytically calculate this variance. Alternatively, we can prescribe a degree of stability for the system. Due to the limitations of linear approximations of systems, it is more effective to apply nonlinear regression methods. A promising one is Gaussian Process (GP) regression. Given a training set (X, y) it can predict function values f (x¤) for test points x¤. It has its basis in Bayesian probability theory, which allows it to not only make this prediction, but also give information (the variance) about its accuracy. The usual way in which GP regression is applied has a few important limitations. Most importantly, it is computationally intensive, especially when applied to constantly growing data sets. In addition, it has difficulties dealing with noise present in the training input points x. There are methods to solve either of these issues, but these tricks generally do not work well together, or their combination requires many computational resources. However, by making the right approximations, like Taylor expansions and at times even linearizations, Gaussian process regression can be applied efficiently, in an online way, to data sets with noisy input points. This enables GP regression to be used for system identification problems like online non-linear black-box modeling. Another limitation is that it can be difficult to find the optimum of a Gaussian process. The reason is that the optimum of a Gaussian process is not a fixed point but a random variable. The distribution of this optimum cannot be calculated analytically, but we can use particle methods to approximate it. We can subsequently use this principle to efficiently explore an unknown nonlinear function, trying to locate its optimum. To do so, we sample a point x from the optimum distribution, measure what the function value f (x) at this point is, update the Gaussian process approximation of the function, update the optimum distribution and repeat this process until the distribution has converged. Finding the optimum of a function like this has shown to have competitive performance at keeping the cumulative regret low, compared to similar algorithms. In addition, it allows wind turbines to tune the gains of a fixed-structure controller so as to optimize a nonlinear cost function like the damage equivalent load. All these improvements are a step forward in the application of Gaussian process regression to wind turbine applications. But as is always the case with research, there are still many things left to improve further.


Spontaneous canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) have been widely considered a good research model for human breast cancers, which brings much attention to CMCs. In recent years, the oncolytic effect of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) on cancer cells has been widely studied, but its effect on CMCs is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the oncolytic effect of NDV LaSota strain on canine mammary carcinoma cell line (CMT-U27) in vivo and in vitro. The in vitro cytotoxicity and immunocytochemistry experiments showed that NDV selectively replicated in CMT-U27 cells, and inhibited cell proliferation and migration but not in MDCK cells. KEGG analysis of transcriptome sequencing indicated the importance of the TNFα and NF-κB signalling pathways in the anti-tumour effect of NDV. Subsequently, the significantly increased expression of TNFα, p65, phospho-p65, caspase-8, caspase-3 and cleaved-PARP proteins in the NDV group suggested that NDV induced CMT-U27 cells apoptosis by activating the caspase-8/caspase-3 pathway and the TNFα/NF-κB signalling pathway. Nude mice tumour-bearing experiments showed that NDV could significantly decrease the growth rate of CMC in vivo. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the effective oncolytic effects of NDV on CMT-U27 cells in vivo and in vitro, and suggests NDV as a promising candidate for oncolytic therapy.


Convective heat flow measurements of a basaltic lava flow were made during the 1983 eruption of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. Eight field measurements of induced natural convection were made, giving heat flux values that ranged from 1.78 to 8.09 kilowatts per square meter at lava temperatures of 1088 and 1128 degrees Celsius, respectively. These field measurements of convective heat flux at subliquidus temperatures agree with previous laboratory measurements in furnace-melted samples of molten lava, and are useful for predicting heat transfer in magma bodies and for estimating heat extraction rates for magma energy.


This paper presents a new method to compute upper and lower bounds of any voltage or current of an arbitrary linear electric circuit model with uncertain parameters. The bounds are in the frequency domain, and when compared to a previously proposed method, this novel approach provides a higher level of guarantee. The reason is that the bounds are not only computed for a set of fixed frequencies but also computed to a set of intervals of frequencies. The details of the proposed approach, especially the equivalent uncertain element models, are given. Additionally, tests are performed on problems with low and high number of uncertain parameters. Contrary to the classical method of Monte Carlo, the results are not based on a random choice of parameters and do not depend on the number of iterations. It is shown on an example that the classical method of Monte Carlo needs a high number of iterations to reach results in agreement with the proposed method. Then, it leads to higher computation times of several orders of magnitude.


There has been increased deployment of gantry-mounted linacs with onboard kilovoltage x-ray imagers. Despite this trend, most clinics still employ beam's-eye-view (BEV) imaging using flat panel electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) as a highly useful means of verifying geometric localization pre- and post-delivery. In recent years, there has been increased interest in the use of EPIDs for a variety of clinical and investigational applications ranging from megavoltage cone-beam CT, in vivo dosimetry, patient-specific QA to real-time target localization for dynamic MLC-based tumor tracking. In conjunction, there are several innovative EPID designs currently under investigation that hold great promise in bringing novel imaging and image-guidance applications into clinical practice. This symposium is aimed at clinical and research-oriented medical physicists who want to learn more about current and future megavoltage imaging technology and applications. In this symposium, we will examine the (i) interesting applications that make use of current EPID technology such as volumetric 4D image-based models, real-time position estimation for dynamic MLC tracking, etc., (ii) clinical applications such as in vivo EPID dosimetry and (iii) innovative high-performance EPID designs and exciting future applications, including designs based on thick segmented scintillators, hybrid kV/MV imagers using segmented strip scintillators, and energy-resolving EPIDs based on multilayer imagers and poly-Silicon active matrix flat panel imagers. Learning Objectives - In this symposium, the attendees will learn 1. Novel applications using currently available EPIDs 2. Use of EPIDs to perform in vivo dosimetry 3. Novel designs using high-efficiency, energy resolving EPIDs and future applications of megavoltage imaging J. Rottmann, Varian Medical SystemsP. Greer, Research Grant Funding from Radiation Oncology Institute (Grant ROI2013-912), 2013-2014.


Abstract. The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. Over 80 cruises were completed through early 2010 with deployments continuing. Measurement areas included various parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean, the South Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and inland seas. MAN deploys Microtops hand-held sunphotometers and utilizes a calibration procedure and data processing traceable to AERONET. Data collection included areas that previously had no aerosol optical depth (AOD) coverage at all, particularly vast areas of the Southern Ocean. The MAN data archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we present results of AOD measurements over the oceans, and make a comparison with satellite AOD retrievals and model simulations.


Plant milk was produced from almond (Prunus amygdalu var. dulcis) seeds and home prepared soy milk served as control. The milk samples were subjected to proximate, mineral and sensory qualities evaluation using standard methods. A difference and preference test was carried out on milk samples for sensory evaluation. Almond milk sample had a characteristic white colour and milk yield was 82.5%. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the proximate, mineral and mean sensory scores of milk samples. Almond milk had significantly higher ash and crude fibre contents. It also contained appreciable and significantly higher amounts of calcium (13.1mg/100ml), potassium(65.33mg/100ml), phosphorus(75.2mg/100ml),magnesium (42.05mg/100ml), iron (1.40mg/100ml) and zinc (4.58mg/100ml). Sensory evaluation of the milk samples showed significant differences between samples. Almond milk (1.90) was comparable to soymilk (2.10) in mouth feel (p>0.05). However, almond milk was more preferred in terms of colour, flavor, taste and overall acceptability (p<0.05). Almond milk is nutrient dense with lower calories than soy and dairy milks. Noteworthy is its nutritional benefits of promoting cardiovascular health and reduction of trace mineral deficiencies especially iron and zinc.


The importance of gas turbine blades is to convert the thermal energy into shaft work output, which makes the turbine blades as one of the critical components of the gas turbines. Besides the mechanical stresses caused by the centrifugal force and the fluid forces, the thermal stresses arise because of the temperature gradient within the blade materials. This paper aims to have a uniform circumferential temperature field at the combustor exit, consequently reducing the thermal stresses caused by the non-uniform temperature distribution along the turbine blade. The validation of the simulation results with the experiments showed an acceptable agreement with the available experimental data. The agreement includes the uniformity factor and the normalized mixture fraction at two different flowrates. Furthermore, another location of the guide vanes, external guide vanes, was experimentally and numerically tested. The results show that the external guide vanes with a 30 deg orientation gave the most uniform temperature flow for the two different flowrates. Compared with the internal guide vanes with the same orientation, the external guide vanes gave a 7.5% higher uniformity factor and a 2% lower pressure drop. The main reason for this result is that the external guide vanes direct the cold stream to penetrate the dilution zone with an angle enhance the swirling effect which are the main factors for excellent mixing, while the pressure drop is lower as the external guide vanes are facing the lower flowrate which is the secondary stream. Another advantage of the external guide vanes over the internal ones is that they are subjected to less thermal stresses as they are facing the cold flow. Furthermore, the external guide vanes are reachable and easy to maintain compared with the internal guide vanes.


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It is well known that a titanium doped sapphire (Ti: sapphire) crystal exhibits outstanding features as a laser material. We can easily handle the Ti: sapphire because it is highly stable in humidity, properly obtain high gain for the amplification due to the adequate emission crosssection, and also utilize it in a high-average powered amplifier because it can carry a heavy thermal load due to the high thermal conductivity. The most distinct feature of Ti: sapphire, however, is the broadest gain bandwidth of all the solid laser materials, which can serve the sufficiently broad spectrum to generate sub-10-femtosecond optical pulses. In this review, I introduce how we can generate high-intensity ultrashort pulses from the Ti: sapphire laser with ultrafast optical elements in a mod-locked oscillator and a chirped pulse amplification system, of which pulse duration comes down to sub-10-femtosecond regime.


A 750m section on a hillside in the upper Liffey Valley, county Wicklow has exposed a small valley buried beneath blanket peat. The section shows two alluvial sequences underlain by a stone line over regional till and weathered granite. 14C dates from wood in the sediments indicate that the older alluvium formed between 4950-4550 cal. BP and the younger between 3470-3000 cal. BP. Wood in the basal layer of the overlying peat yielded a date of 2310-2150 cal. BP. The younger alluvium shows the effects of soil paludification prior to the peat expansion and dated pollen analyses elsewhere in the upper catchment show that blanket peat began spreading over most areas above 350m after 40003600 BP. The buried valley contributed sediments to the mid-Holocene floodplains in the upper Liffey valley prior to the extension of blanket peat.


Generalized causal dynamical triangulations (generalized CDT) is a model of two-dimensional quantum gravity in which a limited number of spatial topology changes is allowed to occur. We solve the model at the discretized level using bijections between quadrangulations and trees. In the continuum limit (scaling limit) the amplitudes are shown to agree with known formulas and explicit expressions are obtained for loop propagators and two-point functions. It is shown that from a combinatorial point of view generalized CDT can be viewed as the scaling limit of planar maps with a finite number of faces and we determine the distance function on this ensemble of planar maps. Finally, the relation with planar maps is used to illuminate the mysterious identity of certain continuum cylinder amplitudes.


This study investigated the potential of a number of compounds to act as probes for the indirect detection of inorganic and organic anions separated by capillary zone electrophoresis and using light emitting diodes (LED) as the light source. Desirable characteristics of the probe anion included: high molar absorptivity, moderate to high electrophoretic mobility, and having a wavelength of maximum absorbance near the maximum emission wavelength of a LED. A preliminary study led to the evaluation of eleven possible compounds. Two of these, p-nitrophenol and 4-hydroxy-3,5dinitrobenzoic acid were selected for further study as they fulfilled the criteria previously mentioned. The optimised BGEs containing p-nitrophenol and 4-hydroxy3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid as the visualising agent were used to separate a mixture of 11 anions. Both probes were best suited for the separation and detection of anions of moderate mobility such as phosphate and benzoate. Limits of detection of 0.003 mM were achieved for benzoate using the p-nitrophenol BGE and 0.006 mM for phosphate using the 4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid BGE. Multiple co-ionic electrolytes were explored to help increase the ability to efficiently analyse for analytes with a wider range of mobilities. A p-nitrophenol/4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid system and a p-nitrophenol/chromate system were investigated. Both systems displayed improvements in peak shape compared to a separation utilising a single probe. The optimised BGEs were then applied to oxalate using samples of interest to the alumina industry. p-nitrophenol displayed potential for the routine analysis of oxalate in high oxalate concentration samples, whereas 4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid was the probe of chOice for the determination of oxalate in typical Bayer liquor samples.


The development objective of the Local Economy and Infrastructure Development Project for Armenia is to improve infrastructure services and institutional capacity for increased tourism contribution to local economy in selected regions of Armenia. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) demolition debris should be kept in controlled area and sprayed with water mist to reduce debris dust; (2) during operations, the engine covers of generators, air compressors, and other powered mechanical equipment be closed, and equipment placed as far away from residential areas as possible; (3) waste collection and disposal pathways and sites should be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; (4) prior to removal (if removal is necessary), the asbestos be treated with a wetting agent to minimize asbestos dust; (5) the containers of hazardous substances should be placed in a leak-proof container to prevent spillage and leaching; (6) signposting, warning signs, barriers, and traffic diversions: site should be clearly visible and the public warned of all potential hazards; and (7) local communities be consulted to identify and pro-proactively manage potential conflicts between an external workforce and local people.


We study the determinants of organizational slack in large decentralized firms and focus in particular on how management accounting systems (represented by business unit controllers) affect slack. We rely on an adverse selection model to derive several predictions and to motivate our tests. Consistent with this framework, we find that organizational slack (measured by achievability of business unit managers' performance targets) is higher in settings where business unit controllers focus relatively more on providing decision‐making information to business unit managers than on providing information for corporate control. We also find that organizational slack is persistent over time and positively associated with business unit growth, our proxy for the extent of information asymmetry between corporate headquarters and local business unit management.


Canada has a small, but vibrant winemaking industry. Since the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which went into effect in 1987, growers have shifted to vinifera grapes and modern winemaking techniques and there has been an explosion in the number of wineries, which number about 150 in the Niagara peninsula alone. However, their share of the Ontario wine market, which fell with free trade, has continued to decline. This paper delves into the reasons for the downward trend. Ontario provides a unique source of data on the wine market, since a single price for each wine is enforced by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). The paper analyses data downloaded from the LCBO's website at the end of 2012 for all Ontario white table wines available for sale, and for wines from both "old world" (France and Italy) and "new world" (Argentina and Chile) wine producers. It is shown that after controlling for wine characteristics Ontario wines are higher priced than their competitors. This helps to explain why, despite improvements in the quality of Ontario wines, the share of imports in LCBO sales has risen. Certain wine varieties, in particular Chardonnay and Riesling, command higher prices, while in Vintages stores (but not in ordinary LCBO outlets), both the age of the wine and alcohol content have a significant positive effect on price. In terms of exports, Canada is miniscule on the world wine market, and it does not have a revealed comparative advantage in wine (except for ice wine). In addition to the disadvantage on input costs, Ontario wine production also suffers from an industry structure that limits the extent that most wineries can exploit economies of scale. A limit in the number of off-winery stores--included in the FTA and subsequently NAFTA to prevent further protection of Canadian wines--has led to an uneven playing field in which two firms, one now American owned, operate the vast majority of those stores. Other wineries are limited to selling through the LCBO or at the winery. Further development of Ontario's wine industry is likely to require opening up wine retailing to allow all wineries to benefit equally. In order to avoid the strictures of NAFTA, this would have to mean opening up competition to a wider range of wine retailers able to sell both domestic and imported wines.


This report presents the GIWA assessment of the Mekong River region which comprises parts of Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Rapid economic development and population growth are increasing the demand for water, energy and food, necessitating more hydro-dams, the intensification of agricultural and fisheries production, and higher rates of deforestation. The resultant transboundary environmental changes, particularly to the fluxes of water and sediments, are leading to severe habitat and community modification. The past and present status and future prospects of water-related problems in the Mekong River Basin are discussed and traced back to their root causes. Policy relevant conclusions are provided so that appropriate solutions can be developed to address the emerging challenges to the management of the region's aquatic environment.


AIM
In order to provide adequate treatment to a patient with a subtype of Oromandibular Limb Hypogenesis Syndromes (OLHS), this study aimed to review and to analyze the current literature and treatment options of OLHS.

METHODS
Literature review in PubMed and Sciencedirect. Due to the small number of results, all available references were analyzed precisely.

RESULTS
Cases of OLHS are formerly rare and often incomplete. There are various classifications available, which, however, often seem confusing and are of little practical relevance. Furthermore, we present a complete case report of a patient with Charlie M syndrome, a type IV (Chicarilli)/ V (Hall) OLHS malformation. We also describe embryologic pathogenesis and differential diagnoses.

CONCLUSION
As a result of our literature review, we recommend an adjusted classification for OLHS.


The paired‐like homeodomain transcription factor Pitx2c has an essential role in patterning the left–right axis. However, neither its transcriptional targets nor the molecular mechanisms through which it exerts its patterning function are known. Here we provide evidence that the N‐terminal domain of Pitx2c is important for this activity. Overexpression of the Pitx2c N‐terminus in ovo randomizes the direction of heart looping, the first morphological asymmetry conserved in vertebrate embryos. In addition, the Pitx2c N‐terminal domain blocks the ability of Pitx2c to synergize with Nkx2.5 to transactivate the procollagen lysyl hydroxylase (Plod‐1) promoter in transient transfection assays. A five amino acid region containing leucine‐41 is required for both of these effects. Our data suggest that the Pitx2c N‐terminal domain competes with endogenous Pitx2c for binding to a protein interaction partner that is required for the activation of genes that direct asymmetric morphogenesis along the left–right axis. Developmental Dynamics 238:2459–2470, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


BACKGROUND
Both human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) and human follicle stimulating hormone (hFSH) have been used successfully for ovarian stimulation, but the relative importance of FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH) in follicular growth and maturation has been the subject of much debate.

OBJECTIVES
To conduct a systematic overview of available data comparing FSH and hMG in IVF treatment cycles.

SEARCH STRATEGY
This review has drawn on the search strategy developed for the Menstrual Disorders & Subfertility Group as a whole. Relevant trials were identified in the Group's Specialised Register of Controlled Trials. See Review Group details for more information.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials or quasi randomised controlled trials of ovarian stimulation with either hFSH or hMG, in combination with GnRHa or alone, in IVF treatment cycles.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Common odds ratios (OR) were calculated after demonstrating homogeneity of treatment effect across all trials.

MAIN RESULTS

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Clinical pregnancy rates per cycle started, per cycle reaching oocyte retrieval, and per cycle reaching embryo transfer (ET).

RESULTS
Eight trials met the inclusion criteria. The overall OR in favour of FSH for cycle start, oocyte retrieval, and ET were 1.70 (95% CI, 1.11-2.60), 1.68 (95% CI, 1.10-2.56), and 1.69 (95% CI, 1.10-2.59), respectively.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis demonstrates that in IVF cycles the use of FSH is associated with a significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate than hMG.


Jewish tradition guides the American Jewish community in its attitude toward the elderly. But the attention paid by the Jewish community in Florida to its elderly' members is dictated as much by modern demographics as it is by ancient tradition.' While 17.6% of Florida's population are age 65 and over, about 55% of Florida's Jewish population are age 65 and over (Bureau of Economic and Business Research 1998).


Global climate change is predicted to increase heat, drought, and soil-drying conditions, and thereby increase crop sensitivity to water vapour pressure deficit, resulting in productivity losses. Increasing competition between agricultural freshwater use and municipal or industrial uses suggest that crops with greater heat and drought durability and greater water-use efficiency will be crucial for sustainable biomass production systems in the future. Agave (Agavaceae) and Opuntia (Cactaceae) represent highly water-use efficient bioenergy crops that could diversify bioenergy feedstock supply yet preserve or expand feedstock production into semi-arid, abandoned, or degraded agricultural lands, and reclaim drylands. Agave and Opuntia are crassulacean acid metabolism species that can achieve high water-use efficiencies and grow in water-limited areas with insufficient precipitation to support traditional C3 or C4 bioenergy crops. Both Agave and Opuntia have the potential to produce above-ground biomass rivalling that of C3 and C4 crops under optimal growing conditions. The low lignin and high amorphous cellulose contents of Agave and Opuntia lignocellulosic biomass will be less recalcitrant to deconstruction than traditional feedstocks, as confirmed by pretreatments that improve saccharification of Agave. Refined environmental productivity indices and geographical information systems modelling have provided estimates of Agave and Opuntia biomass productivity and terrestrial sequestration of atmospheric CO2; however, the accuracy of such modelling efforts can be improved through the expansion of field trials in diverse geographical settings. Lastly, life cycle analysis indicates that Agave would have productivity, life cycle energy, and greenhouse gas balances comparable or superior to those of traditional bioenergy feedstocks, but would be far more water-use efficient.


The Zuni Life Skills Development Program, an effective community-initiated and high-school-based suicide prevention intervention, is featured. Development and evaluation of this intervention are followed by note of the specific challenges associated with stabilizing the program. A more tribally diverse, culturally-informed model entitled the American Indian Life Skills Development Curriculum is then presented to illustrate a hybrid approach to the cultural tailoring of interventions. This curriculum is broad enough to address concerns across diverse American Indian tribal groups yet respectful of distinctive and heterogeneous cultural beliefs and practices. Finally, we reflect upon issues in community-based research that emerged during this collaboration.


The emerging peer-to-peer (p2p) model has become a very powerful and attractive paradigm for developing Internet-scale systems for sharing resources, including files and documents. The distributed nature of these systems, where nodes are typically located across different networks and domains, inherently hinders the efficient retrieval of information. In this paper, we consider the effects of topologically aware overlay construction techniques on efficient p2p keyword search algorithms. We present the peer fusion (pFusion) architecture that aims to efficiently integrate heterogeneous information that is geographically scattered on peers of different networks. Our approach builds on work in unstructured p2p systems and uses only local knowledge. Our empirical results, using the pFusion middleware architecture and data sets from Akamai's Internet mapping infrastructure (AKAMAI), the active measurement project (NLANR), and the text retrieval conference (TREC) show that the architecture we propose is both efficient and practical


'Repetition' in language practice has often been associated with behavioristic drills, typically regarded as giving rise to habit formation, and often excluded from mainstream language teaching approaches. However, this study, drawing upon Bygate's (1999) argument that task is a context for the framing and reframing of language, shows that repetition in meaningful tasks does not necessarily involve passive performance repetition; instead, L2 learners are actively re-constructing the narrative discourse. This study provides support to this argument through the analysis of the speech samples from thirteen learners performing an immediate exact L2 task repetition. The participants were asked to perform a video-based monologue story narration twice to an imagined listener, and the comparison of the learners' first and second speech performances shows that the learners enhanced their discourse performance with: (1) increased quantity of discourse (evidenced by more Total Words, Total Propositions, and higher P-density); (2) increased cohesion (evidenced by higher ratio of given words to new words in sentences based on latent semantic analysis, i.e., LSA Given/New value); and (3) increased quality of lexis (evidenced by higher Noun Hyperonymy value, indicating more specific nouns used). The results suggest that task repetition, in addition to its effects on language complexity, accuracy, and fluency, has an impact on learners' speech performance at the discourse level.


Context. Ruprecht 147 is the oldest (2.5 Gyr) open cluster in the solar vicinity (<300 pc), making it an important target for stellar evolution studies and exoplanet searches. Aims. We aim to derive a census of members and the luminosity, mass, and spatial distributions of the cluster. Methods. We used an astro-photometric data set including all available information from the literature together with our own observations. We processed the data with an updated version of an existent membership selection methodology. Results. We identify 259 high-probability candidate members, including 58 previously unreported. All these candidates cover the luminosity interval between G & 6 mag and i . 21 mag. The cluster luminosity and mass distributions are derived with an unprecedented level of details allowing us to recognize, among other features, the Wielen dip. The mass distribution in the low-mass regime drops sharply at 0.4 M even though our data are sensitive to stellar masses down to 0.1 M , suggesting that most very-low-mass members left the cluster as the result of its dynamical evolution. In addition, the cluster is highly elongated (ellipticity ∼0.5) towards the galactic plane, and mass segregated. Conclusions. Our combined Gaia+DANCe data set allows us to obtain an extended list of cluster candidate members, and to derive luminosity, mass, and projected spatial distributions in the oldest open cluster of the solar vicinity.


A self-tuning method to determine the appropriate parameters of a proportional-integral-derivative controller for an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) system using a biogeography-based optimization (BBO) algorithm is proposed in this study. The BBO algorithm was developed based on the theory of biogeography, which describes migration and its results. We propose that the BBO algorithm has a high-quality solution and stable convergence characteristics, and thus it improves the transient response of the controlled system. The performance of the BBO algorithm depends on the transient response, root locus, and Bode analysis. Robustness analysis is done in the AVR system, which is tuned by an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm in order to identify its response to changes in the system parameters. We compare the BBO algorithm with the ABC algorithm, particle swarm optimization algorithm, and differential evolution algorithm. The results of this comparison show that the BBO algorithm has a better tuning capability than the other optimization algorithms.


Abstract Objective: To develop and test a screening measure of mental health symptoms and well-being in college students, the Symptoms and Assets Screening Scale (SASS). Participants: Participants were 758 college students at 2 universities in the Northwest sampled between October 2009 and April 2011. Methods: Participants completed the SASS, as well as measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, substance problems, and eating problems in 1 session. A subset of participants (n = 259) completed the SASS 1 to 2 weeks later to allow an examination of test–retest stability. Results: The SASS demonstrated good reliability and validity and appears to assess similar constructs as well-established measures in college students. Fifty-nine percent of the sample reported having problems with their thoughts, behaviors, or emotions, whereas only 9.7% reported currently receiving treatment. Conclusions: The SASS is a brief instrument that has the potential to effectively screen for the most prevalent mental health problems in college students.


What explains the variation of child labor rates across Indian states? This dissertation explores why certain states in India, which are not necessarily the wealthiest, have been able to reduce child labor significantly in the past few decades, while child labor continues to increase at alarming rates in other states. Previous economic and cultural explanations, which focus on household-level poverty or the hierarchical social stratification of Indian society fail to adequately explain variation in child labor rates across Indian states. This research project explores how systematic regional differences in bureaucratic performance and patterns of civic engagement have influenced child labor rates in Indian states. The dissertation articulates and tests several hypotheses about the efficacy of bureaucracy and civil society activity in implementing child labor and elementary education laws. This study employs a multi-level research design including a range of statistical and qualitative techniques of analysis to get at the social and institutional variables that influence parents' decision to send a child to work. It utilizes cross-state survey dataset for 28 Indian states for the year 2005 to run statistical analyses which confirm the theoretical hypotheses. Further, two case studies based on six months of fieldwork in the two Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan provide further understanding of the theoretical mechanisms. This study finds that educational deprivation plays a key role in determining levels of child labor- even controlling for income, states that have focused on universal elementary education have been more successful at reducing child labor than states that have not prioritized elementary education.


The investigations of the Thompson-McFadden Pellagra Commission have been directed especially toward the study of the etiological factors in pellagra. We conceive this problem to include not only a study of the nature of the disease, the recognition and identification of the essential infecting or intoxicating agent, or the recognition of the dietary elements, the deficiency of which may give rise to pellagra, but also necessarily a study of the disease in its endemic centers, a study of the people who live there, their habits of life, their environment and occupations and their food, and, especially, a careful scrutiny of those respects in which the non-pellagrins of such a population differ from the pellagrins living in the same regions. During the course of this work we have undertaken to record every known case of pellagra existing within a limited geographical district


Objective: MSCs that have been isolated from different sources are expected to possess different secretion patterns which might influence the therapeutic mechanism in the disease environment. Introduction: Through their paracrine effects such as immunomodulation and trophic functions, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to possess the therapeutic potential to be used as a viable treatment for various diseases. MSCs can be isolated from different sources including adipose tissue, bone marrow, placenta and Wharton's Jelly(WJ), and be expanded in vitro. Although they possess similar characteristics, the source of origin of the MSCs is thought to affect the overall secretion patterns and thus their applications in the disease environment. Methods: MSCs from different sources (adipose, bone marrow, placenta, WJ) were cultured in serum free MEM-α medium for 24 hours at 37°C 5% CO2. The collected media were mixed with protease inhibitors and were then concentrated up to 250-fold. The concentrated media was then mixed with lysis buffer consisting of 8M urea, 75mM NaCl, and 50mM Tris (pH 8.2). The protein mixtures were digested into peptide samples and were then scanned under LC-MS/MS. Secreted proteins that were identified were functionally analyzed by DAVID. Results: The features and patterns of secreted proteins were highly dependent on the source of the MSC. While a majority of the secreted proteins of MSCs from neonatal sources (placenta, WJ) was highly involved in the developmental process, secreted proteins of MSCs from adult sources (adipose, bone marrow) were related to biological regulation and metabolic process. Conclusion: This study shows that source difference is an aspect that needs to be considered for disease-specific mesenchymal stem cell therapeutics and personalized therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. PT599 Effect of single ketogenic diet containing medium chain triglycerides on cognitive functions in elderly adults Junko Matsuo, Kinya Ashida, Kotaro Hattori, Hiroshi Kunugi, Miho Ota, Takeshi Takahashi, Toyisha Teraishi, Hidekazu Tonouchi, Fuyuko Yoshida National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan Abstract Introduction: Glucose is the principal energy substrate for the brain, although ketone bodies are an effective alternative. Evidence suggests that elevation of plasma ketone body levels through oral intake of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) may improve cognitive function. We aimed to examine the possible effects of single ketogenic diet on cognition in elderly nondemented subjects. Material and Method: Subjects were 20 non-demented adults over 60  years old (14 females, mean age; 66.3 ± 2.9  years) who underwent neurocognitive tests in 90 and 180 minutes after an oral intake of a diet (Meiji Ketonformula®) containing 20 g of MCTs and an isocaloric diet without MCTs on separate days. Results: Plasma levels of ketone bodies significantly increased in 60 through 180 minutes after the intake of MCTs compared to the placebo. Cognitive performance was also improved by the MCTs in working memory, executive function, and the composit cognitive score. The executive function improvement positively correlated with the increase of plasma β-hydroxybutyrate level. Discussion: Significant increase of plasma ketone concentration after 20g ingestion of MCTs may have a positive effect on cognitive functions, particularly working memory and executive function. The therapeutic potential of MCTs represents a promising new area of dementia research.Introduction: Glucose is the principal energy substrate for the brain, although ketone bodies are an effective alternative. Evidence suggests that elevation of plasma ketone body levels through oral intake of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) may improve cognitive function. We aimed to examine the possible effects of single ketogenic diet on cognition in elderly nondemented subjects. Material and Method: Subjects were 20 non-demented adults over 60  years old (14 females, mean age; 66.3 ± 2.9  years) who underwent neurocognitive tests in 90 and 180 minutes after an oral intake of a diet (Meiji Ketonformula®) containing 20 g of MCTs and an isocaloric diet without MCTs on separate days. Results: Plasma levels of ketone bodies significantly increased in 60 through 180 minutes after the intake of MCTs compared to the placebo. Cognitive performance was also improved by the MCTs in working memory, executive function, and the composit cognitive score. The executive function improvement positively correlated with the increase of plasma β-hydroxybutyrate level. Discussion: Significant increase of plasma ketone concentration after 20g ingestion of MCTs may have a positive effect on cognitive functions, particularly working memory and executive function. The therapeutic potential of MCTs represents a promising new area of dementia research. EATING DISORDERS: PT600 – PT600 PT600 Oylethanolamide Modulates Human Neural Responses to Food Stimuli in Obesity Markus Leweke, Martin Grosshans, Falk Kiefer, Andreas MeyerLindenberg, Cathrin Rohleder, Carola Schaefer, Emanuel Schwarz, Heike Tost, Christian Vollmert, Sabine Vollstadt Central Institute of Mental Health, Germany Abstract Background: Obesity has emerged as a leading health threat and major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, andBackground: Obesity has emerged as a leading health threat and major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The neurobiological basis of overeating remains insufficiently known, hampering sufficient intervention strategies. Here we investigate oleoylethanolamide, an agonist of PPAR-α. It has been implicated in weight regulation in animals but its respective role in humans is still unclear. Methods: Associations between plasma oleoylethanolamide, BMI and associated neurobiological impact (fMRi response to food stimuli) in 21 obese patients (BMI≥30) and 24 controls were investigated. We hypothesized that oleoylethanolamide interacts with BMI and fMRI response to food stimuli and may be affected in obese patients. Results: Associations between oleoylethanolamide and BMI differed significantly depending on whether subjects were obese or not (P=0.02). For obese individuals, oleoylethanolamide showed a trend towards a positive correlation with BMI (P=0.06, rho=0.42) while this relationship was inverse for controls (P=0.07, rho=0.34). We observed significant interactions between oleoylethanolamide and obesity on food-related brain activation in cortical areas associated with reward processing and interoceptive signaling (P=0.009). fMRI-investigation of food-craving suggests that identified brain areas may be involved in suppressing 'liking' of food, in non-obese subjects.


In order to create better decisions for business analytics, organizations increasingly use external data, structured, semi-structured and unstructured, in addition to the (mostly structured) internal data. Current Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) tools are not suitable for this "open world scenario" because they do not consider semantic issues in the integration process. Also, current ETL tools neither support processing semantic-aware data nor create a Semantic Data Warehouse (DW) as a semantic repository of semantically integrated data. This paper describes SETL: a (Python-based) programmable Semantic ETL framework. SETL builds on Semantic Web (SW) standards and tools and supports developers by offering a number of powerful modules, classes and methods for (dimensional and semantic) DW constructs and tasks. Thus it supports semantic-aware data sources, semantic integration, and creating a semantic DW, composed of an ontology and its instances. A comprehensive experimental evaluation comparing SETL to a solution made with traditional tools (requiring much more hand-coding) on a concrete use case, shows that SETL provides better performance, knowledge base quality and programmer productivity.


The authors have written an introduction to logic taking Godel's incompleteness theorem as a starting point. The book should interest everyone from mathematicians to philosophers and readers who wish to understand the foundations and limitations of rational thinking. It is used as a textbook at major colleges and universities but lends itself to self-study as well.