The incidence of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases has increased among developed countries in the past 30 years, creating a demand for the development of effective and economic therapies for these diseases. Interleukin 23 (IL-23) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine whose increased production has been shown to play a key role in the establishment and maintenance of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in different murine models such as inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. More importantly, increased levels of IL-23 have been found in biopsies from patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and psoriasis. The pathological consequences of excessive IL-23 signalling have been linked to its ability to promote the production of interleukin 17 (IL-17), particularly in the subpopulation of CD4 T cells Th17. However, the precise molecular mechanisms by which IL-23 sustains the Th17 response and induces pathogenic effector functions in these cells remain largely unknown. The global objective of the experiments carried out in this work was to determine the effect of IL-23 on the proliferation, survival and IL-17 and interferon gamma (IFN-ɣ) production in Th17 cells. These experiments have shown that IL-23 does not promote proliferation or survival of in vitro generated Th17 cells, and that there is no difference in the production of IL -17 in the absence or presence of IL -23.

The IL-23 receptor, like other cytokine receptors, lacks intrinsic enzymatic activity. Instead, IL-23 receptor associates with members of the Janus tyrosine kinase family (Jaks). Cytokine binding to a Jak-associated receptor triggers the activation of the Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT) family of transcription factors. Previous work indicated that the IL-23 receptor complex is associated with the tyrosine kinases Jak2 and Tyk2 that promote STAT3 phosphorylation. Subsequent studies showed that IL23 activation of STAT3 induces the expression of the transcription factor RORγt, which is crucial for IL-17 production. This work has explored the IL-23 signalling cascade, determining the optimal conditions for STAT3 activation and demonstrating the activation of other transcription factors such as STAT4, STAT5 and STAT1 that contribute to IL-23-mediated signalling pathways.


Polypropylene(PP)/carbon nanotube(CNTs) nanocomposites with different CNTs fraction were prepared by the melting blend method. The effects of CNTs content on the wear properties and mechanical properties were mainly investigated. The results show that the friction coefficient of the nanocomposites decreased as the concentration of CNTs is increased. With increasing CNTs content, tensile strength, ultimate strain, compact strength and Young's modules increase firstly and then decrease. For the composite with an effective CNTs content of 3 wt, its tensile strength, ultimate strain, compact strength and Young's modules were improved by 72, 44.4,88 and 37 %, respectively, as compared to PP.


Grain boundaries play an important role in dictating the mechanical and physical properties of nanocrystalline (NC) materials because of the increased volume fraction of inter crystalline components as the grain size decreases. In general, grain boundaries have a high energy level and there exists a thermodynamic driving force to reduce the overall area of grain boundaries through grain coarsening, making NC material systems intrinsically unstable. Recent investigations also indicate that mechanical deformation can promote grain growth in NC material even at the cryogenic temperatures. In this chapter, first, the current investigation on the grain boundary structures of NC metallic materials is briefly reviewed and then the state-of-the-art of experimental results on the microstructural
stability during deformation processes is discussed. Finally, several key issues for improving the microstructure stability of NC metallic materials and possible future work are discussed.


CeAs and Tissues is the first program in the Bro/ogv Achievement Series. It is designed to provide comprehensive practice testing in the fieki of biokigy. Specifically, the program produces tests that provide intensive review and practice questions which are similar in content to the College EntrarKe Examination Board (CEEB) Biokjgy Achievement Test. The questions are grouped into 12 categories: plant tissues, instrximentation, cellular transport, photosynthesis , nutrients, bkxhemistry, respiration and photosynthesis, enzymes, animal tissues, cell organelles, proteins, and aerobic and anaerobk: respiration. Each category allows the student the choice of working on a specific topic in biology, or practicing for the CEEB. By using a format that is similar to that used in the CEEB Achievement Test, the student is able to gain an understanding of its format style and content. The program generates over 10,000 different problems appropriate for grades 10 through 12.


Advances in science and technologies not only improve our workflow and increase the quality of life but also change the way emergency rescue operates. The eCall system is the evidence of such a new evolutionary step. However, studies are not available about 'smart' rescue methods of independent human (neither pedestrian nor a driver) who turned out to be on the roadside for one or another reason and need first aid. The research questions were how to increase the quality and speed of the rescue process by using Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication and the human pose estimation function and how to increase the reliability of transmitted information. In the article, we presented an overview about the current state-of-the-art in human pose estimation technology, discussed current methods of rescue, concept, and disadvantages of the current approach, and finally proposed our own method of rescue based on blending of vehicular communication networks with advancements in human pose estimation function. The research novelty in a scientific sense is a concept of a new information management method, where Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) act as witnesses itself without any human intervention. An example of SOS Packet Format has been designed. We proposed a novel view on the future ambulance.


quency, causes and treatment of cancers in all sites. The book is adequately produced, and its low cost keeps it within the range of most pockets. The book is extremely sound. Some comments on management would be the subject of controversy if in a formal medical text, but are certainly acceptable in a book of this kind. The authors clearly have a broad and accurate knowledge of modern oncology and have tried very hard to present it in a form that will be useful and digestible for patients and their families. I am not, however, sure that they have entirely succeeded in this very difficult task: in some places, in particular in the systematic chapters, the book reads more like a text for paramedical trainees than a book of general information for the layman. Nevertheless, in most places they succeed quite well and the book will be a valuable source of information and reference for many patients. If a doctor feels that his patient is ready for an unequivocal statement ofthe nature and outlook of his disease, he can safely recommend this book as an additional source ofinformation to complement the careful explanation that he will already have given. P SELBY Senior Lecturer and Consultant Institute ofCancer Research Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey


Detailed, single-molecule AFM mapping can further structural studies of polymeric biomolecules by pinpointing discrete changes in subunits or subunit concatenation. This study explored the binding of purified (ocular) mucins, polymers composed of genetically identical subunits, to controlled surfaces. This process was followed in situ, in real time, as were the effects of the disulfide bond reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT), a reagent routinely used to depolymerize mucins. The addition of this reagent, while mucins were bound to gold surfaces by thiol-type binding, suggested a way of assessing the strength and extent of this gold–molecule bond formation relative to other forms of mucin–substrate interactions. Real-time AFM has allowed us to visualize the cleavage of in-chain disulfide bonds in a single mucin molecule, and subsequent removal from the substrate of mucin subunits between disulfide sites. In contrast, mucins that were covalently bound via amine groups to a self-assembled succinimide monolayer were not observed to move from the point of their initial attachment to the substrate and the addition of dithiothreitol was not followed by the loss of any sections of molecules from the substrate, emphasizing the different immobilization bond types. This demonstration of the ability to follow the structural changes to a single molecule as a result of a series of chemical processes points to new approaches to single-molecule mapping, and localization of specific chemical moieties.


An accurate and simplified model of a brushless DC motor drive (BLMD) system is presented as a simulation tool for performance related studies in industrial drive applications and for system identification in controller design. The model relies on the single Fourier series expression for pulsewidth modulation (PWM), which includes the effects of inverter dead time as a substantial part of the switching period T/sub s/, in the current control loop. This simplified approach obviates the need for very small time steps (/spl sim/0.5% T/sub s/), in the search of PWM edge transitions within a switching interval, for accurate simulation. Substantial improvement in simulation speed is achieved (up to fiftyfold) with a beneficial saving in computation (CPU) resources. Model integrity is validated when simulation results are checked against actual BLMD test data for coherence. Subsequent model simulations illustrate the effect of inverter delay on the reduction of generated torque and power transfer.


The microelectronics educational contents of schools in the developing nations lag behind those in the developed nations. From design synthesis to characterization of microchips, these schools lack the equipment and computer aided design (CAD) tools required for quality VLSI (very large scale integration) education. For sustainable economic prosperity, development of the semiconductor industry is important owing to its huge global impacts. The abilities of these nations to train 21st century ready workforce would not only help them but would increase the global pool of skilled manpower. This paper discusses the challenges faced by these nations and the innovative ways they can utilize industry standard freely available or low cost CAD tools to educate their students. An adder is designed using one of these CAD tools.


In an effort to mute criticisms over the lack of oversight by the government, the Congress passed a sweeping regulatory reform act that became known as Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. It was hoped that such an act would also calm the fears of investors in a run-away bear-market and bring confidence back to corporate financial reporting. The results of the act will be studied for many years, but it is fairly clear that it may well be the culmination of a century of development of internal control definitions, applications and procedures by both private and public governmental entities. For example, the American Institute of CPAs, between 1947 and 2001, issued no less than a dozen audit standards on the issues related to internal controls, fraud recognition and prevention. Sarbanes-Oxley caps this process of internal control development through its requirement that internal controls must be reviewed and reported on in the annual report. Finally, as Sarbanes-Oxley itself shows, this evolution of the internal control process has been reactive in nature and did not develop in a proactive way to stem corporate reporting problems.


Process models to support user objectives are used across several domains, such as eLearning or Business Process Management. Usually, specific metadata schemas, such as the XML bindings of the Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) or IMS Learning Design (IMS LD), are used to enable interoperability. Since Web services which are used throughout a process at runtime, are allocated statically within the process model at design-time, their dynamic adaptability to distinct situations is highly restricted. Whereas the aforementioned process models define a process from a user perspective, Semantic Web Services (SWS) technologies, such as WSMO or OWL-S, define processes from a system perspective by enabling the semantic description of services and data to support their automatic discovery and invocation to achieve specific user tasks at runtime. However, until now, a common link is missing to bridge between a processpsila user perspective and its system perspective. In this paper we propose a metamodel for Situation-Driven Processes (SDP) which enables the description of a process in terms of specific process situations which each is linked to a specific user Goal (user perspective) as well as a set of Brokered Goals (system perspective). Since Brokered Goals are gradually derived from SWS Goals, a process is accomplished dynamically at runtime in terms of SWS Goal achievements. As a result, following an approach of situation-driven process generation at runtime, we support the dynamic composition of a process appropriate for a given situation and its automatic transformation into distinct process metadata standards.


Author(s): Braithwaite, Scott | Advisor(s): Suffet, Irwin H | Abstract: Exposures to environmental odors often result in complaints that local air inspectors must address. Current practices vary around the world, so interviews were conducted with experts to gather the latest approaches. Several trends were apparent: odor limits based on number of dilutions are ineffective, working directly with the complainant to verify that an odor is present and then tracing it to the source is the first line of inquiry, and lengthy lists or scales of odor descriptors (e.g., type of odor, hedonic tone, intensity) are unnecessary for initial investigations. When further investigation is required, due to overlapping odor sources or ongoing complaints, the steps of traditional risk assessment apply (hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization). Unlike the exposure and risk assessment of conventional air pollutants, the human sense of smell can be used as a detector by the air inspector or a trained panel. Analytical instruments then confirm or further explore the exposure to individual odorant compounds. The hazards from odor exposure, including both irritation and smell, are usually headache or nausea but also can include stress and emotional responses. Dose- response relationships pass through several thresholds, the most commonly used being the odor- detection threshold for 50% of a sensory panel (ODTC50). In addition, acute and chronic health hazard thresholds for odorants and odorless co-pollutants can be applied to air monitoring results, as demonstrated by several case studies.For complex or unresolved odor exposures, sensory methods such as the Odor Profile Method have identified culprit odorants using an odor wheel, panel assessment of the intensity of the odor, and location information to identify the odor source. Confirmation is provided by analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography with a sensory port and parallel mass spectrometry. The promise of electronic noses that mimic the human sense of smell remains allusive, often failing to perform as well in the field as in the laboratory. The current path forward for environmental odor exposure assessment includes population-based metrics of odor, such as odor diaries and plume monitoring by panels, confirmed by modern analytical techniques.


The research for high-performance energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, Li-ion batteries, is continuing apace. These devices can store energy via electrochemical processes. However, further increases of capacity and stability of these devices to meet practical requirements remain a challenge. By using nanostructured electrode materials, several strategies were proposed in this thesis based on transition metals and their derivatives. The binder-free strategy was used across the entire project, which could increase the utilization and avoid "dead volume" of active materials. To improve the commonly reported electrochemical performance in aqueous of transition metal hybrids, such as nickel, cobalt or tungsten materials, bimetal nanostructured electrodes were proposed. Ni foam supported NiWO4 and CoWO4 electrodes were synthesized and increased the capacity and rate performance because of an increased electrical conductivity. Other methods for enhancing energy storage performance by means of increased electrical conductivities were found to be the sulfide or nitride counterparts of the corresponding oxide. To further improve the specific capacity and clarify the blurred energy storage mechanism of nickel or cobalt-based electrode materials, nickel cobalt sulfide nanostructures within sulfur and nitrogen-doped graphene frameworks were produced. Importantly, the redox reactions between materials and OH- groups were demonstrated as diffusion-controlled processes. In addition, the solid-state devices and properties of oxygen reduction were explored. Pseudocapacitor electrodes are attractive by bridging the power density and energy density between the electro-double layer capacitor and batteries. W2N@C core-shell structures on carbon cloth was synthesized by chemical vapour deposition via an ammoniation process and evaluated for supercapacitor performance. Combining with electrochemical analysis, in-situ electrical measurements and simulation, the merits of W2N materials were determined. The interesting nanostructured electrodes could be utilized in Li-ion batteries. Illuminated by above stratigies and considering the stable structures, capacity contribution and Li intercalation, a highly stable V2O5-based cathodes were developed.


Bayesian phylogenetic inference is an important alternative to maximum likelihood-based phylogenetic method. However, inferring large trees using the Bayesian approach is computationally demanding - requiring huge amounts of memory and months of computational time. With a combination of novel parallel algorithms and latest system technology, terascale phylogenetic tools provide biologists the computational power necessary to conduct experiments on very large dataset, and thus aid construction of the tree of life. In this work we evaluate the performance of PBPI, a parallel application that reconstructs phylogenetic trees using MCMC-based Bayesian methods, on two terascale systems, Blue Gene/L at IBM Rochester and System X at Virginia Tech. Our results confirm that for a benchmark dataset with 218 taxa and 10000 characters, PBPI can achieve linear speedup on 1024 or more processors for both systems.


In this paper a number of principles for content-oriented cognitive psychology will be presented in the context of research into chess players' information processing. It will be argued that modern theoretical concepts of attention, imagery and memory are based on underlying concepts of capacity and format and that these concepts are not sufficiently powerful to express all phenomena associated with mental contents. Instead, one must develop a genuinely content-oriented theoretical language to discuss, for example, contents and their integration into thinking. The main problem is how to explain the contents of representations. Why do representations have precisely the contents that they have. Here the main attention will be focussed on the question how can one explain the selection of content elements in representations. To formulate the basic concepts of contentoriented thought research several issues must be discussed. Firstly, it will be shown that traditional attention and memory research is capacity-oriented and therefore unable to express mental contents. Secondly, it will be argued that there are content phenomena which must be explained by properties of other content phenomena. Thirdly, it will be shown that in chess, people integrate information into representations by using functional rules or reasons, i.e. concepts and rules, which tell why some information contents must be included in a representation. It will then be shown that people integrate information around learned 'thought models' whose contents, together with functional rules or reasons, explain and clarify the contentstructure of a mental representation. It will also be argued that the analysis of contents is metascientifically closer to linguistics with its basic method of explication and content analysis than natural sciences, which form the most common underlying model in current experimental psychology. Finally, content-oriented cognitive psychology and its presuppositions will be compared with neural and computational approaches to show that it gives an additional and alternative theoretical resource, but not a contradictory conceptual platform, to the previous theoretical ways of working with human thinking.


We estimate the effect of drought and opportunity to sell water to state-managed Drought Water Banks, on land fallowing patterns of rice farmers in three private surface water irrigation districts in Northern California. The analysis is based on 30 years (1984-2013) of spatial data derived from satellite data on fallowing decisions matched to highly detailed ownership data at the farm parcel level. We find that drought episodes, and the presence of a Drought Water Bank increase fallowed area and the likelihood to fallow. We examine the effect of each Drought Water Bank separately, finding significant differences among them. We also find that some water sale restrictions imposed by local or state authorities have significantly affected land fallowing. These findings have ramifications for water management in future California droughts.


The paper has presented the author's views on the subject of conceptual approaches to research the features of reformations in the agrarian sphere of economy. It has paid attention to the fact that an objective compelling reason for an essential reformation of the agrarian sphere of national economy is to promote national food security. The authors think that one of the best ways to change business forms and patterns is to generate agro-industrial clusters in Russia. The authors of the paper believe that agro-industrial clusters have the potential to become in the current context an adequate response in choosing future paths to reform the agrarian sphere of the Russian Federation economy considering the common inner instability within the country as well as the constantly changing foreign-economic challenges, including food sanctions. The authors consider some theoretical aspects of creating agro-industrial clusters in the system of national economy, pay their attention to historical aspects of dialectic development of the cluster theory, analyze a possibility of exploiting advantages of clusters in relation to the agrarian sphere of national economy, carry out a development of the author's hypothesis of an official functionally structured modeling of organization of agro-industrial clusters and offer to consider agro-industrial clusters as a possible way of the reformation of business patterns in economy of the Russian Federation. Special attention is paid to agro-business holding companies as to key elements of creating subject agro-industrial clusters. The paper emphasizes relevance of the arrangement of necessary institutional conditions to create effective agro-industrial clusters in Russia. Keywords : agro-industrial clusters, investment attractiveness, quality of life JEL Classifications : E22, C38, Q13


Demyelination resulting from Schwann cell injury is a main pathological feature of diabetic neuropathy, and a key contributor to this process may be inflammation due to advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Therefore, protection by anti-inflammation agents is anticipated. In this study, we showed that interleukin-10 (IL-10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, inhibits apoptosis of Schwann cells induced by AGEs in vitro. We isolated and cultured Schwann cells from rat sciatic nerves. As detected by flow cytometry, apoptosis of Schwann cells markedly increased following incubation with AGEs for 48 h. However, pretreatment with IL-10 inhibited AGE-induced apoptosis. The effect of IL-10 on NF-κB, which is a very important regulator of inflammation, was also evaluated, and results showed high levels of phospho-NF-κB and nuclear localization of NF-κB in cells incubated with AGEs but low levels of phospho-NF-κB and cytoplasmic localization in the cells incubated with IL-10, indicating the activation of NF-κB by AGEs and inhibition of NF-κB by IL-10. Moreover, incubating Schwann cells with an NF-κB inhibitor (caffeic acid phenethyl ester) for 30 min before adding AGEs mimicked IL-10, lowering the amount of reactive oxygen species and activity of caspase-3 and also decreasing apoptosis in Schwann cells. These results indicate that IL-10 may protect Schwann cells against AGE-induced apoptosis by attenuating oxidative stress via the inhibition of activation of NF-κB.


Background: Wheeze in young children is an established predictor of the development of asthma later in life. Cough frequently occurs in childhood as well. So far, little is known about the role of nocturnal dry cough (NDC) in the development of asthma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of NDC at ages 1-7 years, in the presence or absence of wheeze, with doctor-diagnosed asthma at 8 years of age.

Methods: Data from the Prevalence and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) birth cohort were used, which consists of 3963 children born in The Netherlands. Children were followed from birth up to 8 years of age. Presence of NDC without having a cold, wheeze, and a doctor's diagnosis of asthma ever with symptoms of asthma in the past 12 months (DDA) was reported yearly by the parents.

Results: The prevalence of NDC at age 1 to 7 years varied from 15.0% at age 7, to 23.3% at age 5. NDC without wheeze was significantly associated with DDA at age 8, except for the age of 1 year (range of Odds Ratios (OR) at age 2 to age 7: 1.82 (age 5) to 7.65 (age 7), range of p-values <0.001-<0.048). NDC combined with wheeze showed the most strong association with DDA at age 8 (range of OR at age 1 to age 7: 3.96 (age 1) to 35.96 (age 7), all p-values < 0.000). Wheeze without NDC was also strongly associated with DDA at age 8 (range of OR at age 1 to age 7: 2.06 (age 1) to 29.12 (age 7), range of p-values <0.001-<0.003).

Conclusion: These results show that NDC in early childhood is an independent risk factor for the development of asthma. The presence of NDC even increases the risk for asthma in children with wheeze.


The purpose of this paper is to determine the elements of family-centric non-economic goals, such as socioemotional wealth (SEW) of family business owners, that drive family commitment. The empirical study further tests whether such relationships are impacted by the aspect of ownership, that is, who controls the firm: founder generation or subsequent generation of owner managers.,Deploying the SEW and stakeholder theories, this study proposes a conceptual link between soecioemotional wealth dimensions and family commitment. The study is based on a survey of 357 private family firms in Bangladesh involved in manufacturing ready-made garments. The respondents are all in senior-level management positions in their respective firms and are members of the dominant owning family.,Prior to considering the moderating effect of controlling generation, the results indicate that four out of five FIBER dimensions of SEW affect family commitment, except for binding social ties. The study also finds that when a comparison is made between the founder generation and the subsequent generation of family firm managers, it is the latter that manifests significantly higher levels of family commitment when the focus is on the two FIBER dimensions of SEW: binding social ties and identification of family members with the firm.,Although the cross-sectional nature of the study exposes the study to the specter of common method bias, procedural remedies were initiated to minimize the likelihood. Furthermore, data were collected from a single key informant in each organization. Therefore, both a longitudinal study and corroborating data from more than one individual in each firm would possibly provide a more robust picture.,Key decision makers from within the family who wish to see their subsequent generation remain engaged and committed to the family firm may find cues from the fact that focusing on binding social ties and identification of family members with the firm play an important role in ensuring continued commitment to the business by their successors.,Family businesses are recognized to be vital contributors to most societies around the globe, both as employment generators as well as catalysts of economic activities. Hence, policy makers may derive pertinent information from the study in adopting policies to nurture and ensure survival and continuity of family-owned businesses, by understanding how family-centric non-economic goals impact family's desire to commit resources, time and effort to the enterprise from generation to generation.,Determining the factors that drive continued engagement and commitment of family members to the business enterprise is a phenomenon that needs to be better understood in order to ensure continuity and survival of family enterprises across generations. This study attempts to provide a more nuanced understanding of how different components of family-centric goals, such as SEW, impact family commitment. The study contributes to theory building by providing a conceptual link that demonstrates the components of SEW that are most pertinent in terms of ensuring higher levels of family commitment to the family-owned business.


Objective. Extremity surgery performed under tourniquet control causes one of the most common forms of skeletal muscle ischaemia-reperfusion injury in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the systemic and local inflammatory response after tourniquet-induced skeletal muscle ischaemia-reperfusion injury in patients undergoing total knee replacement. It was our hypothesis that local inflammatory responses in a surgical wound under tourniquet-induced ischaemia cause an excessive overflow of cytokines to the systemic circulation in the reperfusion phase. Material and methods. Blood was sampled before and after surgery in nine patients given total knee replacement. Samples from ischaemic and non-ischaemic limbs and from drained blood were analysed for pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Results. Surgery induced significant increases of IL-6 (p50.007) in the non-ischaemic (systemic) limb and in drained blood (p50.032), with highest levels 4 h after operation. The increased IL-6 in the ischaemic limb was non-significant. IL-1b was not detectable under surgery, from either the traumatized limb or from the non-traumatized limb, nor were TNFa and IL-10 significantly influenced by surgery. Conclusions. Knee replacement trauma performed under ischaemia, is associated with modest systemic inflammatory reactions with no spillover of increased IL-6 from the traumatized area in the reperfusion phase.


Tariana is the only North Arawak language currently spoken within the multilingual linguistic area of the Vaupes River Basin. Long-term interaction based on institutionalized multilingualism between East Tucanoan languages and Tariana has resulted in the rampant diffusion of grammatical and semantic patterns (rather than forms). A complex system of negation in Tariana reflects a combination of genetically inherited and areally diffused patterns. Tariana preserves the Proto-Arawak negative prefix in derivational and nominal negation. Some inherently negative lexemes and the distinction between future and non-future negation in declarative clauses are most likely to have resulted from impact of East Tucanoan languages. I discuss each of the Tariana negators, and then draw a comparison with negation patterns found in related North Arawak languages of the Rio Negro and the adjacent areas. These include the Baniwa of Icana-Kurripako dialect continuum, Piapoco, Guarequena, Warekena of Xie (and its dialects Baniwa of Guainia and the now extinct Yavitero), Resigaro, Achagua, Yucuna, Bahwana and Bare (both extinct). The Appendix contains an overview of negative forms in these North Arawak languages, accompanied by a list of sources.


This data set contains the salt gaugings completed over the period 2016 - 2017 to establish a stage-discharge curve at the outlet of the Vallon de Nant catchment. The data set contains also the latest version of the estimated stage-discharge curve, compared to the theoretical curve estimated from the geometric properties of the weir. The salt gaugings have been obtained independently by two different research groups from Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), Faculty of Geosciences and Environement (FGSE), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Stream Biofilm and Ecosystem Research Laboratory (SBER), School of Architecture, Environmental and Civil Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, The stream gauging station itself was constructed thanks to a joint funding by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape (WSL), University of Lausanne (chair of Prof. S. Lane) and ETH Zurich (chair of Prof. J. Kirchner). The gauging station is maintained by the Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements research unit of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape (WSL) and by the Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics of University of Lausanne.


Estimation and Assessment of Substance Exposure (EASE) is a rule-based computer expert system used by regulatory authorities within the European Union to assist in assessing exposure for both new and existing substances. It can provide estimates of both inhalation exposure levels and dermal exposure levels to the hands and forearms. This article describes the results of a study in which measurements of workplace dermal zinc exposures were collected for an industry-wide risk assessment and also compared with the levels predicted by EASE. Measurements were obtained from subjects in seven different workplaces that were producing or working with zinc metal or zinc compounds. The work activities were grouped a priori into one of three categories used by EASE for dermal exposure assessment: 'non-dispersive use with intermittent direct handling', 'wide dispersive use with intermittent direct handling' and 'wide dispersive use with extensive direct handling'. The predicted exposure ranges for these categories are 0.1-1, 1-5 and 5-15 mg cm(-2) day(-1). Although the average measured exposure levels for each of the categories increased in line with the predictions from EASE, the model overestimated dermal exposure to the hands by a factor of approximately 50 when the mid-point of the EASE range was compared with the measured mean exposure. Furthermore, a significant additional exposure was found on other parts of the workers' bodies for which EASE does not provide any estimates. Interpretation of the dermal exposure data was complicated by the use of protective gloves, which might have limited the amount of zinc dust adhering to the workers' skin. However, observation of the work activities suggested that the pattern of glove use was such that they would not provide a consistent level of protection. This study provided an opportunity to collect a large amount of dermal zinc exposure data for risk assessment purposes and also enabled a dermal sampling method to be developed and assessed. There is no standard method for dermal dust exposure measurement, and the choice of method was a key factor in the exposure estimation process. With regard to comparison with the EASE predictions, it is possible that EASE could appear to perform more accurately if its predictions were compared with measurements obtained using surrogate skin sampling methods. However, we believe that such sampling can provide a gross overestimate of the dust on the skin surface. We suggest that further development of the EASE system is necessary to ensure that it better reflects whole-body dermal exposures to dusts.


Previous studies have suggested that protozoa prey on Fe(III)- and sulfate-reducing bacteria that are enriched when acetate is added to uranium contaminated subsurface sediments to stimulate U(VI) reduction. In order to determine whether protozoa continue to impact subsurface biogeochemistry after these acetate amendments have stopped, 18S rRNA and ß-tubulin sequences from this phase of an in situ uranium bioremediation field experiment were analyzed. Sequences most similar to Metopus species predominated, with the majority of sequences most closely related to M. palaeformis, a cilitated protozoan known to harbor methanogenic symbionts. Quantification of mcrA mRNA transcripts in the groundwater suggested that methanogens closely related to Metopus endosymbionts were metabolically active at this time. There was a strong correlation between the number of mcrA transcripts from the putative endosymbiotic methanogen and Metopus ß-tubulin mRNA transcripts during the course of the field experiment, suggesting that the activity of the methanogens was dependent upon the activity of the Metopus species. Addition of the eukaryotic inhibitors cyclohexamide and colchicine to laboratory incubations of acetate-amended subsurface sediments significantly inhibited methane production and there was a direct correlation between methane concentration and Metopus ß-tubulin and putative symbiont mcrA gene copies. These results suggest that, following the stimulation of subsurface microbial growth with acetate, protozoa harboring methanogenic endosymbionts become important members of the microbial community, feeding on moribund biomass and producing methane.


The field of cosmetic dentistry emerged when people began to realize the importance of a good smile. Stains on teeth were no longer deemed acceptable with the advent of cheap and safe procedures like tooth bleaching. This new procedure replaced the older, more costly and invasive method of laminated veneers and crowns. The chemistry behind this bleaching occurs via unstable hydroxyl radicals and thus the question arose as to how safe this accepted procedure really is. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the negative ramifications of tooth bleaching and to determine if it's truly safe. The null hypothesis is that the procedure is innocuous and the status quo of cosmetic dentistry is appropriate. Data for this report was obtained from EBSCOhost, Google scholar and PubMed. Tooth sensitivity, oral mucosal and gingival irritation are among the most common side effects observed. More serious side effects like weakening of bond strength, leakage of restorations, cervical root resorption, bleachorexia and degradation of enamel matrix are all observed and are concluded to be serious issues. Though they are reported in the literature, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and depletion of oral microbes are all determined to not be of any true concern. With a plethora of reasons to avoid tooth whitening, it's imperative that users be properly informed before commencing whitening. This will ensure that all possible measures to avoid these negative effects are indeed taken. Needless to say, the use of such toxic materials shouldn't be available OTC (over-the-counter) as they currently are. If a new and cheaper system is developed on the heels of the successful Pearl Brilliant White Ionic Teeth Whitening System, then bleaching will finally be a safe and universal procedure.


: The key to agricultural sustainability is to carry out all farming activities in a sustainable manner. It is required for environmental assets such as animal varieties, greenery cover, soil, water, and energy sources such as solar, wave, and geothermal, are all to be conserved and enhanced. The essentials for the healthy, long-term operation of the economy are energy sources, climate, and ecological services agriculture. Furthermore, the widespread uses of herbicides, synthetic dressings on lands, and polluted water for irrigation have impacted agriculture. However, ensuring the food security of the growing population is a need. To address these difficulties, more creative solutions are required right away. In this sense, nanotechnology has aided the agro-technological revolution, which has the potential to change the robust agricultural system while ensuring food security shortly. Advanced nanotechnology is being used to increase sustainable crop yield while reducing the negative environmental effects of chemical fertilization. Nanotechnology improves agricultural production by boosting input efficiency while lowering losses due to the nanoparticles' larger specific surface area. The agrochemicals are carried by nanoparticles for increased crop protection through controlled distribution. The current paper provides an overview of recent advances in nanotechnology-based nanofertilizers, which have changed the agriculture industry. Furthermore, future perspectives on nanomaterial use in agriculture, their deliverables, limitations, and impacts of nano-agricultural threats are highlighted. As a result, this review states the recent initiatives and formulations of smart fertilizers, as well as the use of nanofertilizers in agriculture, which may aid in the development of solutions to existing and future chemical fertilization issues


: Killing of bacteria which cause acute coliform mastitis was studied in vitro, using serum without exogenous complement. Using 10% freshly collected whole serum, it was found that some strains were killed rapidly and could be classified as serum sensitive and others were killed less rapidly and could be classified as intermediate serum sensitive. With other strains, fewer were killed, and then the survivors multiplied; these could be classified as serum resistant. A 50-percentage kill of serum-resistant strains could not be achieved with serum (even in concentrations of greater than 90% serum), whereas 15 strains showed 50-percentage kill at appropriate serum concentrations. Resistance of Escherichia coli to serum bactericidal activity was greatest in strains with large amounts of heat-labile capsule present. The capsule could be demonstrated, using a test for somatic inagglutinability and a hemagglutination-inhibition test. Resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae to serum bactericidal activity was not related to somatic inagglutinability. In K pneumoniae, resistance to serum bactericidal activity was related to presence of somatic antigens on the resistant strain.


In CNC machining, various errors, which caused by the cutting process and the structure of the machine tool, affect the machining accuracy of the machined parts. To analyze the relationship among the cutting force induced error, the thermal deformation, and the tool wear induced error, the empirical formula is employed in this study. The result shows that the cutting force is the main factor which affects the error distribution of the machined parts; the thermal deformation and the tool wear induced error change the error distribution. Furthermore, all the errors are coupling each other. To improve the accuracy of the machined parts, a pre-compensation method is proposed. To achieve the real-time error compensation, an application is designed to calculate the coupling error and to generate the NC code. Using the pre-compensation method, the maximum error is reduced from 0.015 mm to 0.002 mm. The error is compensated by 86.7% compared with no compensation.


Parallel in vitro and in vivo studies provide insight into the relationship between clinical response and intrinsic cellular radiosensitivity and may aid in the development of predictive assays. Compilations of radiosensitivity parameters from in vitro experiments can also be used to examine the potential effectiveness of alternative or new treatment plan designs until enough clinical data become available to directly estimate the requisite radiosensitivity parameters. In this work, survival data for six prostate cancer cell lines (ten datasets total) have been extracted from the literature and re-analysed using the linear-quadratic (LQ) survival model. The paired bootstrap technique for regression is used to compute 95% confidence intervals for the estimated radiosensitivity parameters. LQ radiosensitivity parameters derived from the in vitro data are then compared to radiosensitivity parameters derived from clinical data for prostate cancer. Estimates of alpha range from 0.09 to 0.35 Gy(-1) (all cell lines), and the alpha/beta ratio ranges from 1.09 to 6.29 Gy (all cell lines). Point estimates of the repair half-time (PPC-1, TSU-Pr1, PC-3 and DU-145 cell lines) range from 5.7 to 8.9 h (95% confidence interval from 0.26 h to 10.7 h). Differences in the radiosensitivity parameters determined from the data reported by different laboratories are as large as or larger than the differences in radiosensitivity parameters observed among the various prostate cell lines. The reported studies demonstrate that even seemingly small corrections for dose rate effects, such as those expected in high dose rate (HDR) experiments, can sometimes have a significant impact on estimates of alpha and alpha/beta. By neglecting dose rate effects in the analysis of HDR experiments, estimates of the alpha/beta, ratio may be too high by factors as large as 1.3 to 6.2. The half-time for repair derived from the in vitro experiments appears significantly larger (slower repair rate) than estimates derived from the clinical data. However, the prostate radiosensitivity parameters alpha and alpha/beta may be approximately the same in vitro and in vivo. Most of the in vitro data are consistent with an alpha/beta ratio for prostate cancer less than 3 or 4 Gy.


This paper explores the learnability of covert contrasts (impressionistically homophonous categories that can be reliably distinguished at the phonetic level) through a series of model-based clustering simulations using human production data. Allowing the models to learn both the number and parameters of those categories provides a way to explore the potential stability of category structures. The results indicate that while a statistical learner can be quite effective at inducing covert contrasts, success depends crucially on the number and distributional characteristics of the relevant cue dimensions.


The aim of the study was to examine the implementation of the 60:40 policy in three selected regular day secondary schools. A research model together with four research questions was used to facilitate the research study. The multiple case study was adapted for the purpose of a qualitative study to gain an insight of how three selected groups of teachers implement the 60:40 policy in three different sites. Concurrently three groups of Form 4 students in the science stream in the three sites were also selected for the research study. The approach involved understanding and describing the activities of the selected group members in implementing the said policy. It was a flexible approach to deal with human behaviour in a complex and dynamic environment like the education system. The primary data was gathered by the use of observation, questionnaire and interview. The overall finding strongly suggests to the fact that the secondary schools were not ready to implement the 60:40 policy. The school settings were not ideal for the teaching and learning of science. The problem of not having enough trained and qualified science teachers persisted. Teacher's attitudes, beliefs and values towards the students studying science subjects needed some transformation. The system of student selection for the study of science in Form 4 needed to be reformed in order to improve the teaching and learning process. MOE and parents had to be more aggressive to encourage more students to study science. The prevailing demand conditions in the industries needed improvement to encourage more students to study science. The science students were interested to study science but the teaching-learning process and the facilities were not conducive enough for the learning of S/T. The teachers had the perception of the science students short of the prerequisites for the study of science subjects at the Form 4 level. The inability to achieve the 60:40 policy so far was due to the wrong strategy for the implementation of the said policy. The need of intellectual capability had not been seriously considered before the implementation process. This
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aspect had a more serious impact on the implementation process than the tangible assets which could be rectified more readily. The human assets like the students and teachers had not been given the due recognition for the realisation of the policy. The success of the policy depended greatly on the performance of the teachers, the implementers but they had been left to hunt on their own without proper training, coordination and collaboration with the policy makers. It needed a team effort making up of the planners and implementers to ensure the success of the implementation of the national policy. Suggestions to facilitate the implementation of the 60:40 policy included centralisation of S & T schools, the supply and demand for science education, a systems approach, a spiral curriculum for science education from primary to secondary schools and the recognition of the teachers.


Objectives: Strong biomechanical and epidemiologic evidence associates knee valgus collapse with isolated non-contact ACL injury. However, the predominance of isolated non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is challenging for clinicians and researchers to explain, as the medial collateral ligament (MCL) has been reported to be the primary restraint against knee valgus. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative ACL to MCL strain patterns during physiologic simulations of a wide range of high-risk dynamic landing scenarios. We hypothesized that both knee abduction and internal tibial rotation moments would generate a disproportionate increase in ACL strain relative to MCL strain. However, the physiologic range of knee abduction and internal tibial rotation moments that produce ACL injuries would not be of sufficient magnitude to consistently compromise MCL integrity. Methods: A novel in sim approach was used to test our hypotheses. 17 cadaveric lower extremities (45 ± 7 years, 9 female & 8 male) were tested to simulate a broad range of landing conditions following a jump under anterior tibial shear, knee abduction and internal tibial rotation. Specimens were oriented to simulate lower extremity posture during ground strike while landing from a jump. Landing was simulated by applying an impulsive axial impact load (simulating ground reaction forces) under simulated muscle forces. ACL and MCL strains were quantified using DVRT displacement transducers arthroscopically placed across the ACL AM-bundle and sutured to the anterior/middle/posterior aspects of superficial MCL across the joint line. Specimens were tested until failure. Multiple paired and independent t-tests along with general linear models were used to investigate the changes in strain levels under each modes of loading. An extensively validated, detailed finite element model of the lower extremity was used to better interpret experimental findings. Results: ACL failure was generated in 15 of 17 specimens (88%). Increased anterior tibial shear force, and knee abduction and internal tibial rotation moments resulted in significantly higher ACL: MCL strain ratios (p<0.05) compared to landing under no applied external loads. Under all modes of single- and multi-planar loading, ACL: MCL strain ratio remained greater than 1.7, and relative ACL strain was significantly higher than relative MCL strain (p<0.003, Figure 1). Relative change in ACL strain was significantly greater under combined multi-planar loading compared to ACL strain under anterior tibial shear force (p=0.016), knee abduction (p=0.018) and internal tibial rotation (p<0.0005) moments alone. Conclusion: The tibiofemoral frontal plane loading mechanism has become a recent topic of debate as a contributing factor to non-contact ACL injuries. Both in vivo and video analyses studies indicate that increased knee abduction is associated with increased risk for ACL injury. The current findings demonstrates that while both the ACL and MCL resist knee valgus during landing, physiological magnitudes of the applied loads that lead to high ACL strain levels and injury were not sufficient to compromise MCL integrity. Further, these findings support multi-planar knee valgus collapse as a primary mechanism of non-contact ACL injury. This enhances our understanding of the non-contact ACL injury mechanism, and provides insight that can improve current risk screening and injury prevention strategies.


This paper will first re-examine the importance of remittances to developing countries and will also look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on remittances flows in 2020, both across the Commonwealth and beyond. It reviews cases in which countries have recorded unexpected increases to or stable remittances flows. These phenomena warrant further investigation for two main reasons: first, remittances support macroeconomic fundamentals in several developing countries, reflected as a high proportion of gross domestic product (GDP); and, second, vital lessons can be learned from those countries that have been able to sustain remittances flows during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the paper outlines some policies that developing countries can adopt to help maintain the flow of remittances in the wake of a crisis.


Abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in slowness, tremors, and imbalance. Treatment of mice with 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is one of several models used to mimic PD in humans. Administration of MPTP leads to the production of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐2,3 dihydropyridinium (MPP+). MPP+ is taken up by dopaminergic neurons, causing mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. Because calpain is involved in neuronal cell death and mitochondrial dysfunction, we examined the level of calpain in neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and hippocampus of MPTP‐treated C57BL/6 mice. Because of the interconnections between spinal cord and upper central nervous system neurons, we examined morphology, calpain activity, and calpain expression in neurons by double immunofluorescence using calpain and neuron marker (NeuN) antibodies. In controls, calpain expression was low in SN, hippocampus, and spinal cord NeuN+ cells, and the NeuN stain was concentrated around the nucleus. In mice sacrificed 24 h after administration of three 20 mg/kg doses of MPTP, calpain expression was slightly increased in SN and hippocampal neurons and moderately increased in spinal cord neurons. In these animals, the NeuN stain was less concentrated around the nuclear membrane. One week after MPTP treatment, calpain content in NeuN+ cells was greatly increased in SN, hippocampus, and spinal cord. Morphologically, SN and spinal cord neurons, treated for one week, were necrotic with a granular cytoplasmic NeuN content. Also, MPTP treatment upregulated calpain activity and mRNA level in spinal cord. These data suggest that following MPTP treatment, calpain causes neuronal death in SN as well as in spinal cord.


Herein, a novel concept for the separation and recovery of heavy metal ions and salt ions from wastewater by 3D graphene-based asymmetric electrodes via capacitive deionization is presented for the first time. Instead of the traditional practice to adsorb heavy metals via the stirring method, we rationally design functional 3D graphene by grafting ethylenediamine triacetic acid (EDTA) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane on the 3D graphene surface, and take advantage of capacitive deionization for wastewater treatment. In this process, Pb2+ is adsorbed by EDTA through chelation reaction and Na+ is adsorbed into the 3D graphene pores by electrosorption. Meanwhile, 3D graphene aminated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane is used as an anode to minimize the co-ion effects and improve the removal efficiency. This research investigates the adsorption and desorption behaviors of Pb2+ and Na+ and the influence of operation conditions, such as pH, voltage, concentration and time on Pb2+ and Na+ removal. The removal efficiency is 99.9% at pH 6.0 for Pb2+ and 98.7% for Na+. It is worth noting that Pb2+ and Na+ can be separated and recovered in the desorption process in two steps due to the different adsorption mechanisms of Pb2+ and Na+. The desorption rates are ∼99.6% for Pb2+ and ∼97.2% for Na+, which remain at ∼94.3% and ∼88.2%, respectively, without further degradation after 8 cycles. Overall, CDI with 3D graphene-based asymmetric electrodes is a promising route for the separation and recovery of heavy metals and salt ions from wastewater.


Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and use emotions. Organizational settings are now considered important arenas for the manifestation of human emotions. In order to establish long-term success, today's organizations continually emphasize the search for emotionally intelligent employees. This chapter provides a detailed overview of the current literature on emotional intelligence with respect to work-related attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. In particular, it provides empirical evidence for the associations of emotional intelligence with job satisfaction, work performance, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, effective leadership, and well-being. This chapter also provides practical implications and suggestions for future research by addressing plausible moderators and mediators, which are related to emotional intelligence.


ABSTRACT Characteristics of grain size distributions have been used as environmental indicators. The beach environment contains a double saltation population when the distribution is plotted on log-probability paper. This saltation break has been attributed to the swash-backwash action of waves. In order to study the double saltation population and its origin, a model beach was formed in a wave tank and individual swash and backwash movements of waves were sampled. Surface samples were taken from the swash zone of the resulting beach so that the combined effects of the swash and backwash movements could be compared. The grain size distribution of the surface samples showed the existence of the characteristic saltation break. The individual swash and backwash distribution curves showed no salta ion breaks. When the swash and backwash distributions were combined into a composite, however, the saltation break was formed. This confirms that the saltation break may be formed by the swash-backwash action of waves as postulated.


Abstract A model of the spatial emergence of an interstellar civilization into a uniform distribution of habitable systems is presented. The process of emigration is modelled as a three-dimensional probabilistic cellular automaton. An algorithm is presented which defines both the daughter colonies of the original seed vertex and all subsequent connected vertices, and the probability of a connection between any two vertices. The automaton is analysed over a wide set of parameters for iterations that represent up to 250 000 years within the model's assumptions. Emigration patterns are characterized and used to evaluate two hypotheses that aim to explain the Fermi Paradox. The first hypothesis states that interstellar emigration takes too long for any civilization to have yet come within a detectable distance, and the second states that large volumes of habitable space may be left uninhabited by an interstellar civilization and Earth is located in one of these voids.


Zambia has been a poster child for progress against malaria. Between 2006 and 2011, donors invested more than $300 million into the country to combat the disease. Zambia was the first country in Africa to adopt artemisinin combination therapy to treat malaria. More than 24 million insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed to protect against the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. Screening for the disease was scaled up. The efforts paid off, with dramatic drops in malaria cases and deaths in parts of the country. But those gains are fragile, malaria experts warn, and if attention is diverted, they could well be lost.


The nanomaterials exist in nature ever since the earth came into existence. Nature has created these materials in vivid environmental conditions. During the past two decades, extensive research has been carried out on the biomedical applications of nanostructured materials. Nanotechnologybased delivery systems can also protect drugs from degradation or prematured metabolism, and have longer plasma circulation times. If the release mechanism is stimuli-responsive, a therapeutic level of the drug can be sustained over days or even months. biodegradable polymers from which the drug will be released in a sustained manner. The performance of a polymeric material relies greatly upon the properties of the boundaries in many applications because interactions between the material and its environment occur chiefly at its surfaces. For blood contacting implant devices, it is very important that surface show minimal protein adsorption and it can be achieved by increasing the hydrophilicity of the surface because it reduces protein fouling and improve biocompatibility. Poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) is particularly attractive for biomedical engineering applications because of their high water content, non-toxicity and favorable tissue compatibility and its physical properties can be easilymanipulated through formulation chemistry and it has been extensively used in medical applications. This review includes the preparation techniques, characterization and drug delivery applications of PHEMA based nanoparticles.


Harsh environment applications include high temperature, pressure and mechanical shock. Aluminum nitride is a strong ceramic material with very good high temperature survivability. It also has piezoelectric properties that can be used for sensing applications and it can be deposited with good control as thin polycrystalline film for the fabrication of micro-electromechanical systems. In this dissertation, optimized deposition parameters for aluminum nitride films and characterization techniques for film stress gradients are investigated. Furthermore, two different fabrication processes are presented that can be used to build several sensors and other micromechanical elements on a single chip. The more advanced process includes a bulk-micromachining step that enables the use of the silicon substrate as large proof masses for accelerometers. At the same time, the fabrication process can be used to create membranes for devices such as pressure sensors. Several different devices are discussed from the device design and theoretical analysis to the fabrication and experimental verification. The most significant contribution is the performance improvement of several orders of magnitude that can be achieved with aluminum nitride accelerometers by switching from double-ended tuning forks to triple-beam tuning forks and by using the newly discovered sensing concept of bent-beam sensing. Additionally, rate gyroscopes were presented that use aluminum nitride as the structural material and for both actuating the drive axis and reading the sense axis. Both types of sensors have potential applications in inertial navigation at high temperature. Double-ended tuning forks and triple-beam tuning forks were tested in hot environment and it was shown that they can be used as highly sensitive strain sensors up to at least 570~degC. Additionally, a testing setup for high temperature testing of accelerometers was demonstrated.


"In this paper we present a new methodology to develop SDR - Software Defined Radio - equipments, called MOPCOM methodology. This methodology is based on UML/MDE approach, to design high quality real-time embedded systems. The MOPCOM methodology defines a set of rules to build UML models for embedded systems, from which HDL code is automatically generated by means of MDE - Model driven Engineering - techniques. This is based on the MARTE profile, of the OMG, as an UML extension to describe real-time properties and perform platform modeling. Three abstraction levels are defined: abstract, execution and detailed modeling levels (AML, EML and DML, respectively). We will detail in this paper the middle MOPCOM level (EML) design rules in order to explore the architecture of the platform and the partitioning of software and hardware. The case study of a SDR transceiver will be detailed."


GaN nanowires containing AlN/GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) heterostructures have been grown on (001) silicon substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. A peak reflectance of 70% with normal incidence at 560 nm is derived from angle resolved reflectance measurements on the as-grown nanowire DBR array. The measured peak reflectance wavelength is significantly blue-shifted from the ideal calculated value. The discrepancy is explained by investigating the reflectance of the nanoscale DBRs with a finite difference time domain technique. Ensemble nanowire microcavities with In0.3Ga0.7N nanowires clad by AlN/GaN DBRs have also been characterized. Room temperature emission from the microcavity exhibits considerable linewidth narrowing compared to that measured for unclad In0.3Ga0.7N nanowires. The resonant emission is characterized by a peak wavelength and linewidth of 575 nm and 39 nm, respectively.


Microbial communities are ubiquitous in nature. Bacterial consortia live in and on our body and in our environment, and more recently, biotechnology is applying microbial consortia for bioproduction. As part of our body, bacterial consortia influence us in health and disease. Microbial consortium function is determined by its composition, which in turn is driven by the interactions between species. Further understanding of microbial interactions will help us in deciphering how consortia function in complex environments and may enable us to modify microbial consortia for health and environmental benefits. ABSTRACT In nature, microbes interact antagonistically, neutrally, or beneficially. To shed light on the effects of positive interactions in microbial consortia, we introduced metabolic dependencies and metabolite overproduction into four bacterial species. While antagonistic interactions govern the wild-type consortium behavior, the genetic modifications alleviated antagonistic interactions and resulted in beneficial interactions. Engineered cross-feeding increased population evenness, a component of ecological diversity, in different environments, including in a more complex gnotobiotic mouse gut environment. Our findings suggest that metabolite cross-feeding could be used as a tool for intentionally shaping microbial consortia in complex environments. IMPORTANCE Microbial communities are ubiquitous in nature. Bacterial consortia live in and on our body and in our environment, and more recently, biotechnology is applying microbial consortia for bioproduction. As part of our body, bacterial consortia influence us in health and disease. Microbial consortium function is determined by its composition, which in turn is driven by the interactions between species. Further understanding of microbial interactions will help us in deciphering how consortia function in complex environments and may enable us to modify microbial consortia for health and environmental benefits. Author Video: An author video summary of this article is available.


Abstract: Violence is one of the most pervasive problems in the world today. Despite all efforts to apply the powers of reason in order to contain, if not completely eliminate violence, violence proves to be capable of escaping capture and re-emerging in new and unexpected forms. Reason and rationality appear to be powerless against violence. The paper explores some philosophical issues that shed new light on the persistence of violence in the modern world. It argues that the failure of modernity to recognize and come to grips with the process of construction that constitutes the basis of our relationship with reality plays a critical role in the continued survival of violence.


The present study aimed to investigate emotional state in terms of depression, anxiety, well-being, body image and social withdrawal in dermatological patients. Additionally it also focuses on investigating the relationship of emotional states and psychological well-being of dermatological patients. Emotional state scale for dermatological patients (ESS-D) by Samina Bukhari 2000 and psychological well-being scale affector-2 by Naheed in Urdu 1997 were used to assess the emotional states and psychological well-being in dermatological patients respectively. A total of 100 patients with chronic skin disease from the areas of Wah Cantt and Islamabad approached. Age limit was from 18 to 40 years. Cross sectional design and purposive convenient sampling was applied. The data were analyzed by applying correlation analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16). The results were statistically significant at 0.01** and 0.05* levels and proved that anxiety, depression and body image were negatively correlated with psychological well-being of dermatological patients while the social withdrawal and well-being shows non-significant results: the correlational values of anxiety and psychological well-being was correlated at -0.301**; depression and psychological well-being was correlated at -0.288**; body image and psychological well-being was correlated at -0.261*; correlation between social withdrawal and psychological well- being was -0.115; and correlation between well-being and psychological well-being was 0.098.


ABSTRACT:
 A junior homonym was detected amongst the beetles genus group names, and the following replacement name is proposed: Miksicus nom. nov. for Urbania Miksic, 1963. Accordingly, new combinations are herein proposed for the species group names currently included in this genus.


The brain has a very high rate of energy consumption relative to its size, and requires a ready supply of 'fuel'. Glucose is the major fuel for the brain, and the continuous delivery of glucose via the bloodstream is essential for the normal functioning of the central nervous system. The relationship between normal brain functioning and glucose has been well established for many years. However, it was not until relatively recently that systematic investigations into the cognitive effects of variations in blood glucose levels were begun. Over the past decade, it has been clearly demonstrated that changes in blood glucose levels can affect memory processes. We here present some of our studies that have investigated whether the administration of glucose (and its primary biochemical reagent—oxygen) can significantly facilitate memory processes in healthy, young individuals. The implications of our findings for the cognitive neuroscience of memory will also be considered.


Michael addition has been achieved with a variety of amino acid esters and 2- or 4-vinylpyridine. Similar reactions were accomplished with an alkenyl-substituted pyrimidine, pyrazine, thiazole, quinoxaline, benzoxazole, and quinolone. In reactions at a prochiral center, modest diastereoselectivities were observed with the formation of the new stereogenic carbon. NMR experiments indicate that the addition reaction is reversible under acidic conditions.


Management of multifunctional landscape in conformity with the pre- requisites of the sustainable and harmonious development constitutes currently one of the priorities of spatial policy in the countries of European Union. This pol- icy assigns a special significance to rural areas, subject to a very strong human pressure and the associated functional and spatial transformations of landscape. The purpose of the present report is to identify the conditions of regional develop- ment of the rural areas, linked with the concept of "smart growth", and to illus- trate them with the results of analysis of the factors determining this process, con- ducted for two territorial units of Poland, corresponding to the provinces of Greater Poland - situated in western Poland, and Podlasie - in the north-eastern part of the country. The choice of these provinces was by no means incidental, since they are representative, in terms of numerous socio-economic features, for the larger areas of western and eastern Poland. The results obtained indicate that smart growth can be considered a very important tool in development of the regional growth policies. It allows, on the one hand, for making use of the natural resources of the environment and of the socio-economic potential of the region, while on the other hand - to optimise regional growth in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.


Alkali metal salts of polyoxometalates (POMs) of the group VI elements (W and Mo) and polycoltanates (Nb and Ta POMs) exhibit opposing trends in their solubility in water and ion-association in solution. Mixed clusters of these two group V metals and tungsten provide an opportunity to probe the reversal in these trends and to understand their origin. A review of a classic study of mixed Nb/W clusters and our own work in Ta/W polyanions have led us to isolate Cs+/Na+ salt of [Nb4W2O19]6− and two salts, Cs+/Na+ and pure Cs+, of [Nb2W4O19]4− by using peroxoniobate ([Nb(O2)4]3−) instead of hexaniobate ([Nb6O19]8−) as the niobium source. Crystallographic analysis shows that Cs+-bonding to clusters increases with Nb-content, following the trend observed in our previous studies of hexaniobate in solution. Fragmentation by ESI-MS suggests that niobium-rich [Nb4W2O19]6− is less stable than isostructural [Nb2W4O19]4− and this technique, together with FTIR, confirms the predominance of the cis-isomer in the cluster structures. The mixed-metal composition of these isopolyanions is reflected in the crystallographic bond lengths and in the positions of the absorption bands in the UV spectra. DFT calculations reveal that the HOMO–LUMO energy gap widens with increasing Nb content in the cluster framework – an effect ascribed to the overall poorer mixing of Nb4d, versus W5d, atomic orbitals with the corresponding O2p orbitals.


Twenty years ago, as an early childhood teacher, I was fortunate to attend a professional development day conference led by the inimitable Professor Tina Bruce. At the conference, Tina asked we early childhood teachers: 'What one thing would you put your back to the wall for in your job?' In other words, Tina wanted us to share with one another the values that guide our daily work with young children and their families. An avowed Froebelian, Tina herself subscribes to a very particular set of values (Bruce 2015) and she is not alone. Many early childhood educators over two centuries have been influenced by the principles and philosophy developed by Froebel, the original kindergarten practitioner (Froebel Trust 2018). Indeed, as for so many others, my own initial teacher education was strongly influenced by Froebelian principles which have continued to guide my work in the field for thirty-five years. We live in an era of unprecedented global focus on early childhood development (UNESCO 2017; WHO 2018), in this editorial I revisit Froebel's principles and I argue that we would be wise to continue to regard them as relevant and valuable touchstones for early childhood education in the twenty-first century.


Introduction: Involvement of the skeleton can cause an excruciating pain in two-thirds of terminal patients with a history of malignancy. Due to several limitations of other therapies, such as analgesics, bisphosphonates, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and external beam radiotherapy; bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals have an important role in palliation of pain from bone metastases. Although these kinds of therapies have many advantages including the ability to treat multiple sites of tumoral involvement simultaneously, no significant confliction with other treatments, ease of administration and the potential to be used repetitively; in Iran using of this modality is not widely practiced. In this study we evaluated the clinical usefulness of Sm-153 lexidronamfor pain management of bone metastases. Methods: 28 patients (14 males and 14 females) aged 38-77 years with a history of painful bone metastases caused by different cancers, not responding to conventional treatments were included in the study. All patients had a recent whole body bone scan indicating multiple bone metastases. 1 mCi/Kg Sm-153 lexidronam was injected intravenously to the patients. Whole body scintigraphy was done 3 or 18 hours post injection. Pain relief and quality of life have been evaluated by analog pain scale and Karnofsky index every week, respectively. Also, all patients were evaluated for hematological toxicity every two weeks. Active follow ups were performed. Results: 43% of patients showed the presence of the flare phenomenon during the first three days after Sm injection with a mean duration of 2.2 days. The pain relief began between 2 and 16 days post injection and the duration of pain palliation was in the range of 4 to 32 weeks (mean±SD=15.22±7.8). 64.3% of patients showed complete relief of pain and 21.4% achieved partial response to therapy. (Over all response to therapy was 85.7%). The lowest amount of peripheral blood cells was detected in the fourth week for RBCs and in the 6th week for WBCs and PLTs. No one experienced hematological toxicity induced problems. Conclusion:  Sm-153 lexidronam is an effective treatment for painful bone metastases. The complication rate is low and the quality of life of the patients after treatment would be significantly improved.


A dissertation on Promoting metal scrapers collection and sales in Kinondoni for income poverty reduction by Formalization is a result of the Community Needs Assessments (CNA) conducted at Tegeta in Kinondoni district. Prior to project intervention, the CNA exercise was conducted which came up with the community needs and problems. The main problem unveiled by the CNA exercise, which faces majority community members in Tegeta Village was the prevalence of income poverty. Among other activities Tegeta community members do, is the engagement in concrete production sand mining as their basic activities and fishing which contribute to their household income for income poverty reduction. However, under this study there were four objectives which set to facilitate solving the problem, these are: Sensitize 60 Tegeta community members on metal scraper collection and sales project by March 2016, Equip 30 community with knowledge and skills on how to manage and run Metal scrapers collection and sales project by March 2016. Now, the project planned to achieve four objectives namely: Three objectives have been achieved except one objective, which was to ensure reliable market, which will be met under the full operation of the project. Other activities have not been executed due to different factors including: The Government has no clear policy for metal scraper collection and sales so some licenses are on process.


Housing is mostly exempted from Medicaid and Supplemental Social Insurance means tests. Reforms of this special treatment have been debated, but little is known about its costs, benefits, and redistributive implications. I estimate a life cycle model of single retirees accounting for this exemption. It shows that the homestead exemption explains important patterns of Medicaid recipiency and that it is highly valued. It also shows that estate recovery could cover most of its costs with possibly limited negative welfare consequences. Finally, the model predicts that removing the homestead exemption or enforcing estate recovery programs would reduce redistribution toward lower-income retirees. (JEL D15, G51, H51, I13, I18, I38, J26)


A patient who would otherwise be at low risk for cerebrovascular accident had a right hemiparesis and aphasia. Evaluation revealed iron deficiency anemia secondary to menorrhagia and marked thrombocytosis, which responded to intramuscular and, later, oral iron replacement. Hemiparesis and aphasia resolved after a month.


Introduction The assessment of functional exercise capacity is important in the evaluation of patients with chronic conditions and field walking tests are often used to assess functional exercise capacity. The ISWT is one field exercise test which is often employed in the assessment of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation (PR, CR) patients and also to prescribe a walking speed. In PR and CR programmes the ISWT is employed to calculate walking speed set at a desired training threshold. The aim of the study was to establish reference values for the ISWT and an equation for its prediction in a healthy population. This will allow comparison between patients from PR and CR programmes and healthy age-matched controls. Methods Subjects were aged between 40 and 90 years, had normal spirometry defined as FEV1 % pred >80% and/or a FEV1/FVC >70% and had no known co-morbidities affecting mobility. The best distance from two ISWT was recorded along with body mass index (BMI) and leg length. Quadriceps maximal voluntary contraction (QMVC: Kg) was measured using a strain gauge (Kern). Physical activity was assessed using the DUKE physical activity questionnaire and an activity monitor (SenseWear PRO2 Armband). The number of steps and energy expenditure achieved over 2 days was recorded. Subjects also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results 114 patients completed the study [mean (SD) age 60.48 (10.99) years, FEV1 108.82% (15.13) predicted, 37 male]. Mean ISWT distance was 690 m (152.68). There were no significant differences in walking distance between males and females (p>0.05). ISWT distance showed significant correlations with age, BMI, FEV1, QMVC, DUKE physical activity score and height (p<0.01). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that age, BMI, FEV1, QMVC and DUKE physical activity score were independent contributors to the ISWT distance achieved by healthy subjects, explaining 50.4% of the variance. (Abstract S120 figure 1).Abstract S120 Figure 1 ISWTpred=603.345+(61.870×FEV1)+(6.960×QMVC)+(9.183×DUKE)−(13.140×BMI)−(4.010×age). Conclusions Variance in the ISWT can be measured using a composite score, comprising of: age, BMI, FEV1, QMVC and DUKE physical activity score. These findings would allow clinicians to express results of the ISWT as a percentage of the predicted values making results more meaningful for patients with chronic conditions.


From Perez Hilton to Lainey Lui, the figure of the gossip blogger no longer exists solely on the periphery of celebrity culture. The 'bitchy' personas that celebrity gossip bloggers espouse are now firmly embedded within mainstream media. Gossip blogs regularly feature posts that scrutinise female celebrities in terms of how well, or not, they age. Much of this scrutiny is centred on narratives of cosmetic surgery. This article will examine such narratives and discuss the ways in which the construction of the ageing female celebrity and the state of endless transformation that is so revered in neo-liberal and post-feminist cultures operates in the gossip industry, suggesting that the notion of continual self-maintenance through consumption has become a necessity in a society that rewards continual corporeal change.


The recent PIRLS report painted a dire picture of South Africa's literacy: 80% of Grade 4 learners are unable to read for meaning. With a large body of research confirming how reading literacy holds predictive validity for later child development and academic success, Shine Literacy offers an intervention that is set as a measure for those who struggle to read. This quasi-experimental impact evaluation estimated the treatment effect of Shine Literacy via difference-in-differences. Average treatment effects range between 0.6 to 1.9 standard deviations. IsiXhosa and 'At risk' learners are the main beneficiaries of the programme. JEL classifications: D04, H43, I24


The evolution of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their integration in the education lead to specific changes both in the pre-service and in-service teachers' training programs curricula developed during the last decades in Romanian universities. ICT in education is seen both as a necessity, since universities need to have well trained graduates integrated in the society and on the job market, and as an opportunity because it gives students access to significant resources at very low costs of time and money. Initial teacher training for Romania primary teachers is nowadays accomplished by a three years program at the university. Starting with an analyze of the ICT student teacher training policies developed during the last two decades in several European countries, this article will discuss the main measures taken by the Romanian universities in order to integrate information and communication technologies in education and will present the results of a study which aimed to analyze student teachers' attitude regarding ICT use in education and their opinion regarding ICT access at resources in the faculty where they are enrolled. Involving 60 students from the Pedagogy of Preschool and Primary School from two Romanian universities, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iasi and "Ştefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, our study also captures the main difficulties encountered by students when using ICT.In the end, we will discuss several implications of the results of this study on the specific information and communication technologies teacher training policies and strategies developed in the Romanian universities.


BACKGROUND
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is considered an important serum marker for prostate cancer detection, monitoring and staging. The purpose of this study was to generate IgY class antibodies that recognize native PSA and selected epitopes.

METHODOLOGY
Hens immunized with either full-length human PSA or its peptidyl fragment-conjugates produced specific antibodies that were isolated from egg yolks. We developed a monoclonal/IgY sandwich ELISA with a PSA detection limit of 50 pg/ml and a linear range of 0.05-1.0 ng/ml.

CONCLUSION
Because the signal observed for the PSA-specific IgY antibodies by ELISA and the reactivity profile of the epitope-derived IgYs were comparable to those of mouse monoclonal IgG antibodies, avian antibodies may be a cost-effective alternative to mammalian antibodies for prostate cancer diagnostics.


Eu2Zr2O7 nanocrystals with cubic structure were successfully synthesized by salt-assistant combustion method. The Eu2Zr2O7 nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Emission/ excitation spectra. The effect of thermal treatment temperature on the crystal size of nanocrystals was studied. The results indicated that Eu2Zr2O7 nanocrystals obtained by this method were well-dispersed and uniform in particle size distribution with average size of 20 nm. By comparison, it was found that the introduction of KCl in the solution combustion reaction process can effectively prevent nanocrystallites from sintering and forming inseparable three-dimensional network, and result in the formation of well-dispersed nanoparticles. The method provides a convenient, low-cost and nontoxic route for the synthesis of nanostructures of oxide materials. Moreover, the strong fluorescent property of the Eu2Zr2O7 nanocrystals obtained by salt-assistant combustion method at 385 nm upon excitation was measured at room temperature. The results showed that Eu2Zr2O7 nanocrystals obtained by salt-assistant combustion method put up excellent fluorescent properties.


In this paper, we analyze our graph-based approach for 2D and 3D object duplicate detection in still images. A graph model is used to represent the 3D spatial information of the object based on the features extracted from training images so that an explicit and complex 3D object modeling is avoided. Therefore, improved performance can be achieved in comparison to existing methods in terms of both robustness and computational complexity. Different limitations of our approach are analyzed by evaluating performance with respect to the number of training images and calculation of optimal parameters in a number of applications. Furthermore, effectiveness of our object duplicate detection algorithm is measured over different object classes. Our method is shown to be robust in detecting the same objects even when images with objects are taken from very different viewpoints or distances.


Abstract Lattice and core physics modeling and calculations have been performed to quantify the impact of power/flux levels and power history on the reactivity and achievable burnup for 35-element fuel bundles made with thorium-based fuels, such as (Pu,Th)O2 and (233U,Th)O2. These bundles are designed to produce on the order of 20 MWd/kg burnup in homogeneous cores in a 700-MW(electric)–class pressure-tube heavy water reactor, operating on a once-through thorium cycle. Methods have been developed to model time-dependent power histories in lattice physics calculations that are more consistent with core physics analysis results. Results demonstrate that the impact of power/flux level and the modeling of time-dependent power histories on the core power distributions and achievable fuel burnup are modest for Pu/Th fuels but are more significant for 233U/Th fuels. Thus, to reduce the neutron capture rate in 233Pa and to increase fuel burnup and fissile utilization, there may be an incentive to develop solutions to reduce the time-average specific power in the fuel.


The use and study of comparative law has grown in scope and in importance-and no more so than in the area of commercial exchange between the United States and Japan. Comparative law is being applied more practically in the Courts; it is an agent of change and of harmonization between different peoples and economies. However, the respective concepts of law and its role in society, as well as the role of language in understanding the law, continue to make the use and study of comparative law a challenge. A real sensitivity to the cultural, structural and conceptual differences in the civil and common law systems requires an understanding of these problems.


Our major cultural artefacts, or at least those endorsed by dominant culture, such as museums, monuments, statues and the like, suggest through their passive advocacy of stainlessness a paradoxical commitment to both permanence and progress. Not unlike their iron predecessors in the late-nineteenth century, whose Jugendstil organicism created a metallic imaginary that provided Baudelaire with the title for his most well known collection of verse, Les Fleurs du Mal, the evils of our shiny, contemporary wish images remain obscure, not least because their capacity to reflect cultural values is necessarily distorted. Whether one is pacing the promenade leading to Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Music Hall in Los Angeles, cautiously approaching Ned Kahn's undulating kinetic facade that skins the Technorama Science Centre in Zurich, or finding one's bearings among the gluttonous consumption of Michigan Avenue beneath Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park, we witness how our current epoch reiterates a pernicious but pervasive value: metallic surfaces are synonymous with progress. The more polished, refined, expansive and contiguous these metallic surfaces, the greater the representational carrying capacity for our most lauded but least considered civilizational fetishstainlessness.


Background: Leishmaniasis caused by leishmania protozoa can be considered as a zoonotic disease. This disease caused major health problems in some parts of Iran. Aran and Bidgol city (Isfahan province, Iran) is considered as one of the endemic foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis (Salak). For success in controlling the disease and to provide the necessary training for high-risk groups, the epidemiological data of disease in the region is required.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 94 patients admitted to the health center of Aran and Bidgol from April to September 2009. The demographic and epidemiologic data were collected and analyzed.

Results: Thirty percent (30.8%) of patients were in the age group of 1-9 years. The number of patients in urban areas was more than that of rural areas and in men more than women. Most of these cases were seen in Aran and Bidgol city (52.1%) and then in Abuzeydabad city (22.3%), respectively. Moreover, most cases of disease were found in July (37.2%) and 54.3% and 45.7% of cases were dry and wet cutaneous sores, respectively.

Conclusion: It seems that the high incidence of disease in age group of 1-9 years is due to the susceptibility of this age group to leishmaniasis. Therefore, regulating the control training programs in this group is suggested.
Keywords: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Epidemiology, Leishmaniasis treatment,


Native grasslands provide a multitude of benefits to society including forage production, wildlife habitat, and nutrient and CO2 sequestration. There has been continuing interest in restoring grasslands to maximize these multiple benefits within the conservation community. There are presently many ongoing prairie restoration projects, and many more are being started throughout Iowa. Warm-season grasses such as big bluestem, indian grass, switchgrass, little bluestem, or side-oats grama often dominate prairies. In western Iowa, all five of these species are dominant, at least in some patches of grassland. Diversity is what most people are most concerned with when they restore or reconstruct prairie. However, species diversity in prairies is mainly from various forbs. Most prairie restorations become heavily dominated by one or a few grass species without a wide diversity of legumes and forbs. We suggest that understanding how dominant warm-season grasses suppress total plant diversity and prevent weed invasions is a key issue for developing better restoration plans.


Orthopaedic Manual Therapy Diagnosis is a comprehensive and easily-accessible compendium of theory and technique related to orthopaedic manual therapy (OMT). This essential resource covers key topics such as spinal anatomy, biomechanics, arthrology, general functional aspects of the spine, definitions, theories, and examination. This text combines a comprehensive discussion of both the pathophysiologic rationale and the applied evidence base with regard to OMT diagnosis. It demonstrates numerous diagnostic techniques used in the clinical practice of manual medicine. Providing an up-to-date analysis of spinal examination, this is an ideal textbook for courses in OMT. It also serves as a reference for all manual medicine practitioners including physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and medical physicians.


: The accuracy of meridional refraction using equally spaced preselected meridians was investigated by using populations of computer-simulated patients. The number of meridians refracted, patient refractive error, and the coarseness of phoroptor steps were varied. Results indicate that the accuracy of meridional refraction is independent of the relative orientation of the axis of the patient's astigmatism and the preselected meridians, that little is to be gained by use of a phoropter with steps finer than the usual 0.25 D, and that with a sufficient number of meridians, meridional refraction can be as accurate as more conventional techniques.


Year 2020 is a historic year for society and challenging for science. With the rise of COVID-19 pandemic, several research groups around the world have studied the structure of the causative virus, potential new drugs, drugs candidates for repurposing, vaccines, and methods of management of the main complications caused by the disease. The new coronavirus can cause several organic complications in respiratory, nervous, urinary, hepatobiliary tissues and bloodstream. Among these complications, it is important to highlight the cardiovascular disorders, since patients with heart disease, systemic arterial hypertension, congestive heart failure, metabolic syndrome and diabetes are some of the main risk groups. In a global alert scenario, the social importance of scientists in cardiovascular research is ratified. Therefore, several research groups have sought strategies aiming the early diagnosis of cardiovascular complications in patients with COVID-19. Additionally, different patient management protocols in intensive care have been designed and constantly revised, which could improve life quality of these patients and minimize mortality rates. Therefore, this editorial for the International Journal of Cardiovascular Research aims to reinforce the importance of research in the area, congratulate the scientists for their efforts in these turbulent times and encourage new studies on this topic, suggesting new experimental and clinical paths.


A research guide to bibliographic sources for federal tax research on how and where to find tax documentation. Call numbers are specific to locations within the Brooklyn Law School Library.