Introduction Studies suggest that good social support is associated with a reduction in post-treatment complications in breast cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between pre-treatment social support and early complications after surgery (pain and subjective symptoms related to early oedema in the upper limbs) in women with breast cancer. Methods Participants were women with breast cancer and that presented to the Brazilian National Cancer Institute between June 2009 and March 2010. MOS-SSS was used to assessment of social support before oncology treatment. Information about early post-operative complications were obtained by physical examination 30 days after surgery and collected in a standardised form. Bivariate analysis between dichotomous outcome and selected independent variables were conducted and RRs with 95% CIs were presented. Results 181 eligible women were studied. Patients with good emotional and affective support had a 76% (95% CI 0.10 to 0.57) reduced risk and 62% (0.12 to 0.64) reduced risk of pain respectively. Better material support was associated with a 73% (0.11 to 0.623) reduction in the risk of pain. No significant association with early oedema was observed. Conclusions Good social support was associated with reduced risk of post-operative complications in women undergoing treatment for breast cancer.


The concepts of most efficient use (MEU) of real estate objects and functional wear and tear are closely interrelated and cannot be considered separately. The application of the MEU principle allows the expert to account for this type of wear and, vice versa, without the wear and tear, the expert cannot properly apply the MEU principle in all approaches.

In the article, special attention is paid to the scheme of interaction of MEU analysis with valuation approaches through the elimination of wear and the connection of the latter with the concepts of reconstruction, modernization and repair of the object of assessment. The performance (characteristics) of buildings and structures, which are the main objects of functional wear, are considered. The place of functional wear in the structure of the accumulated wear of the objects of evaluation is shown. Ways of simplification of calculation, the situations in which it is recommended to take into account wear are considered.


With the rising complexities of SoC (Systems-on-Chip), the design community has been searching for new methodology that can handle the given complexities with increased productivity and decreased times-to-market. Electronic system-level (ESL) design is becoming a promised key solution in SoC design, software and hardware must be developed together, however, both software and hardware designers have different views of the system and they use different design/modeling techniques and tools. In this paper, we show an integrated ESL environment for model-based SoC design which supports from algorithm specification modeling by Simulink and synthesizing both software and hardware of SoC by using the combination of several commercialized ESL tools. We also show the design case of video autofocus control unit for the security camera system by using the ESL environment.


: A noninvasive technique, i.e., the intravenous injection of a bolus of 99mTc, allows one to visualize the wall motion and the stroke volume distribution of the left ventricle after myocardial infarction. Thus, in the first weeks after infarction, it is possible 1) to answer the question of the function of the involved wall segment, 2) to detect early complications, 3) to follow-up the course 4) to estimate the patient's functional status for treatment more accurately and 5) to control the result of treatment. Furthermore, one can calculate the ejection fraction, demonstrate other zones of reduced systolic function and evaluate the degree of congestion in the lung and involvement of the right ventricle. The study is based on 42 examinations in 35 patients with proven myocardial infarction. Only three patients presented normal systolic wall motion. In the remaining 32 patients there was hypokinesia of the infarcted segment partly combined with some temporary dyskinesia during ventricular contraction or with localized akinesia. Three patients had an aneurysm, two a ventricular septal defect and 19 some degree of mitral reflux, in seven congestive heart failure was present. Certain technical requirements are essential for this noninvasive technique. They are discussed in detail. Examples of wall motion and stroke volume distribution of a normal left ventricle, anterior and posterior infarction and an aneurysm are illustrated.


The groundnut breeding program at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics routinely performs marker-based early generation selection (MEGS) in thousands of segregating populations. The existing MEGS includes planting of segregating populations in fields or glasshouses, label tagging, and sample collection using leaf-punch from 20–25 day old plants followed by genotyping with 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms based early generation selection marker panels in a high throughput genotyping (HTPG) platform. The entire process is laborious, time consuming, and costly. Therefore, in order to save the time of the breeder and to reduce the cost during MEGS, we optimized a single seed chipping (SSC) process based MEGS protocol and deployed on large scale by genotyping >3000 samples from ongoing groundnut breeding program. In SSC-based MEGS, we used a small portion of cotyledon by slicing-off the posterior end of the single seed and transferred to the 96-deep well plate for DNA isolation and genotyping at HTPG platform. The chipped seeds were placed in 96-well seed-box in the same order of 96-well DNA sampling plate to enable tracking back to the selected individual seed. A high germination rate of 95–99% from the chipped seeds indicated that slicing of seeds from posterior end does not significantly affect germination percentage. In addition, we could successfully advance 3.5 generations in a year using a low-cost rapid generation turnover glass-house facility as compared to routine practice of two generations in field conditions. The integration of SSC based genotyping and rapid generation advancement (RGA) could significantly reduce the operational requirement of person-hours and expenses, and save a period of 6–8 months in groundnut genetics and breeding research.


This thesis project aimed to discover new information regarding femicide reports in the media. A majority of young adults today stay up to date on current news through online sources, which is why understanding how media plays a pivotal role is shaping society's perceptions is pivotal. Drawing on feminist and rational choice theories, I examined three online sources from different political backgrounds to examine what key demographic terms were used to describe femicide and look for evidence of victim-blaming by using a mixed methods approach. Findings indicate the conservative source, The Washington Times, published two articles with indirect victim-blaming verbiage compared to zero found within the other two sources. As the media holds the power to influence viewers opinions, this research discusses how accurate reporting without bias can assist in bringing the social issue of femicide to the forefront.


Author(s): Nanteza, Jamiat | Advisor(s): Famiglietti, James S | Abstract: Groundwater resources are an important supplier of fresh water to East Africa's communities. Resource degradation, resulting from climate variability and population growth, places many livelihoods at risk of water shortages. Monitoring of regional groundwater behaviors and associated climate and anthropogenic controls remains a limited practice over the region, a hindrance to effective resource management. In this thesis, I apply remote sensing and land surface modeling approaches to increase the state of knowledge of groundwater behaviors and resource monitoring over East Africa. In Chapter 1, a methodology is developed aimed at improving the estimation of groundwater storage changes from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites over East Africa (EA), a region characterized by significant surface water variability. Results document strong correlation between GRACE groundwater estimates and in-situ groundwater observations (Spearman's ρ = 0.6), after systematic data processing that limits the effect of spatial leakage due to surface water bodies. Additional analysis, comparing groundwater storage behaviors with satellite precipitation, permits a regional view of groundwater characteristics as well as regional recharge behaviors, which can enhance effective resource management. In Chapter 2, a multi-objective calibration approach (using GRACE total water storage anomalies and streamflow) is applied to improve land surface model parameterization and simulation of baseflow and groundwater depth within the Community Land Model (CLM)). Model simulation of groundwater depth and baseflow is shown to significantly improve, formulating a basis for further hydrologic experiments, including anthropogenic impacts. In Chapter 3, I use the calibrated model to examine the hydrologic impacts of groundwater abstraction. Specifically, the CLM groundwater generation scheme is modified to include 'human' abstraction fluxes. Results show a decline in baseflow and groundwater depth with increased groundwater abstraction, while evaporation, especially during dry periods, increases. The results suggest that a deeper groundwater table reduces capillary influences, limiting the potential to affect soil moisture and Hortonian runoff, while causing induced recharge from soil layers. Results show that induced recharge does not exceed abstractions with increased groundwater withdrawals, suggesting unsustainable use of the aquifers.


This paper is a critical history of anthropological research on the oral traditions of the cultures of the Northwest Coast of North America, where much influential work has been done using the vast text collections compiled by Boas and his collaborators. The paper reviews the development and legacy of the Boas collection and analyses of Northwest Coast texts. In addition the paper analyzes responses to this body of work by functionalists who have looked to Northwest Coast myth as a way of understanding property, and responses by structuralists who have sought ways of understanding underlying meanings in these traditions. Recent contributions have focused on a more literary analysis of oral traditions. Finally, suggestions are made as to some future avenues for future study of Northwest Coast oral traditions.


It is highly unlikely that there is another food plant equal or superior to drumstick in terms of its combination of nutritive, medicinal and disease preventive value, drought tolerance and ability to flourish on poor soils. This study used a genotype-environment approach to survey foliar mineral and carotenoid levels in a range of leafy vegetables from the Pacific Islands, Northern Australia and East Africa. The research showed drumstick has an exceptional ability to take up and accumulate in leaves the minerals selenium and sulphur, even when grown on soils where these minerals are poorly available to other plants. Moringa leaves contain particularly high levels of the important pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene. Deficiencies of selenium, sulphur amino acids and vitamin A are common, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and this has important health and medical implications. As well as improving human and livestock nutrition and reducing disease risk, moringa foliage can provide green manure for other food crops. It is recommended that drumstick be planted and become part of the staple diet globally throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. Palatability can be improved by light steaming of leaves or adding to stews/curries/soup. Ideally, the leaves should be cooked with a small amount of oil (e.g., coconut, palm, peanut) to increase beta-carotene bioavailability and bioconversion to vitamin A.


Countless ads, seminars, and publications describe the Web as a vast, untapped market for software vendors, both as a means to reach customers directly and as a venue for applications that require both an initial purchase and a monthly fee. The challenge thus far has been to provide content that people will pay for. Origin Systems, based in Austin, Texas, (USA) may have found a solution with its massively multiplayer role playing game, Ultima Online. Although UO's initial sales have outstripped any previous Origin title, the game has fallen prey to design, technical, and social problems that provide profound lessons for other online content providers.


OBJECTIVE To assess respiratory symptoms among hairdressers in Norway. METHODS The study was based on a questionnaire sent to 100 hairdressers (91% responding) and 95 office workers (84% responding). The questionnaire sought information about allergy, respiratory symptoms in the past year, and symptoms after exposures to different types of pollutants, working conditions, and smoking habits. A population based control group was established because the hairdressers and office workers differed in age and smoking habits. RESULTS The prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the past year did not differ significantly between hairdressers and office workers after adjusting for age, atopy, and smoking. The hairdressers over 40 years of age reported significantly more symptoms—such as wheezing and breathlessness—in the past year than the office workers of the same age. Compared with the population based control group, both hairdressers younger than 30 and those over 40 reported more symptoms—such as breathlessness in the past year. The oldest hairdressers reported such symptoms as wheezing and breathlessness more often than did the younger hairdressers. These differences in breathlessness were significant after adjusting for smoking and wheezing. The same trend was not found among the office workers. The hairdressers reported significantly more wheezing, breathlessness, runny eyes, and blocked or runny nose from exposure to hair dyes, permanent oils, bleaching powder, and other chemicals used in a hairdressing salon, compared with the office workers. Prevalence of symptoms during exposure to other types of generel pollutants was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Hairdressers are exposed to low levels of various irritating chemicals every day. The prevalences of acute symptoms related to the exposure of hairdressers to hairdressing chemicals are very high. Hairdressers, especially the oldest hairdressers, have more asthma-like symptoms than the control groups.


What does it mean to live dangerously? This is not just a philosophical question or ethical call to reflect upon our own individual recklessness. It is a deeply political question being asked by ideologues and policy makers who want us to abandon the dream of ever achieving security and embrace danger as a condition of possibility for life in the future. As this article demonstrates, this belief in the necessity and positivity of human exposure to danger is fundamental to the new doctrine of 'resilience'. Resilience demands our disavowal of any belief in the possibility to secure ourselves and accept that life is a permanent process of continual adaptation to dangers said to be outside our control. The resilient subject is a subject which must permanently struggle to accommodate itself to the world, and not a subject which can conceive of changing the world, its structure and conditions of possibility. However, it is a subject which accepts the dangerousness of the world it lives in as a condition for partaking of that world and which accepts the necessity of the injunction to change itself in correspondence with threats now presupposed as endemic. This is less than acceptable. Not only is it politically catastrophic, it is fundamentally nihilistic. Identifying resilience as a nihilism that forces the subject to wilfully abandon the political, we argue for a wholesale rethinking of the question of what a politics of life is and can be.


We report a unique case of coexisting exogenous lipoid pneumonia, endogenous lipoid pneumonia (ELP), and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) in a 5-year-old patient with severe neurodevelopmental disease. The patient presented with gastroesophageal reflux and presumed chronic lung disease resulting from recurrent aspiration pneumonias and succumbed to respiratory failure. The autopsy showed lipid-laden macrophages and periodic acid-Schiff-positive granular material in alveolar spaces and multilamellated structures within both alveolar macrophages and extracellular debris. These findings were similar to those in previous reports of coexisting ELP and PAP in the setting of gastroesophageal reflux. However, the present case differed by the presence of scattered large osmiophilic extracellular lipid vacuoles. Besides strengthening the association between ELP and PAP and their relationship to gastroesophageal reflux, this case suggests that they may arise together with exogenous lipoid pneumonia, through related mechanisms, in the setting of neurodevelopmental disease.


This revised second edition, of a book first published in 1968, has placed particular emphasis on the strength of laminated composites and hygrothermal effects, both of which are particularly important to modern design. The book has seven chapters and three short appendices. Chapter 1 gives a brief descriptive introduction to composite materials and the terminology used. Chapter 2 develops the lamina (ply) constitutive equation giving the relationship between lamina stresses to strains. The classical laminated plate theory is then developed in the next chapter. Chapter 4 deals with the strength analysis (using the maximum strain failure criterion) of a lamina and a laminate, which includes post first-ply-failure behaviour. Also touched upon in this chapter are topics on strength of notched laminates and interlaminar stresses. The governing differential equations for a laminated plate, laminated beams and cylindrical shells are developed in Chapter 5 and highlight how these equations may be used for design. The micromechanics of a lamina for the purposes of prediction of the elastic and physical properties of the composite lamina are examined in Chapter 6 while Chapter 7 highlights the various coupling effects in laminated plates which need to be considered for the characterisation of stiffness properties. The three appendices deal respectively with a brief presentation of matrices and tensor concepts, the development of the plate equilibrium equation and values of some trigonometric functions. At appropriate sections, worked examples, in imperial units, are presented to clarify the concepts discussed. The book is well written and provides an introduction, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to the analysis of layered plate made from continuous fibrous composite materials. The book makes a valuable contribution to the teaching in this field and should serve an engineering student well in understanding the analysis of composite materials. DR M.H. DATOO MRAeS


A new extreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer coating has been developed comprising Pd and Y layers with thin B4C barrier layers at each interface, for normal incidence applications near 10 nm wavelength. Periodic, nonperiodic, and dual-stack coatings have been investigated and compared with similar structures comprising either Mo/Y or Pd/B4C bilayers. We find that Pd/B4C/Y multilayers provide higher reflectance than either Mo/Y or Pd/B4C, with much lower film stress than Pd/B4C. We have also investigated the performance of periodic multilayers comprising repetitions of Pd/Y, Ru/Y, or Ru/B4C/Y, as well as Pd/B4C multilayers deposited using reactive sputtering with an Ar:N2 gas mixture in order to reduce stress: these material combinations were all found to provide poor EUV performance. The temporal stability of a periodic Pd/B4C/Y multilayer stored in air was investigated over a period of 16 months, and a slight reduction in peak reflectance was observed. Periodic Pd/B4C/Y multilayers were also found to be thermally stable up to 100°C; at higher temperatures (200°C and 300°C) we observe a slight reduction in peak reflectance and a slight increase in multilayer period. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area diffraction of an as-deposited Pd/B4C/Y film indicates a fully amorphous structure, with interfaces that are both smoother and more abrupt than those observed in a comparable Pd/B4C multilayer in which the Pd layers are polycrystalline. The new Pd/B4C/Y multilayers are suitable for normal-incidence imaging and spectroscopy applications, including solar physics, plasma physics, high-brightness EUV light sources, and others.


Using sorghum silage, the effect of roughage/concentrate ratios was evaluated on nutrient intake, digestibility, ruminal parameters and methane production by beef cattle. Three treatments (0, 30 and 60% of concentrate in DM of the diet) were distributed in three Latin squares, with nine animals and three periods. Dry matter intake increased as the grain concentration in diet increased; pH showed opposite behavior. Methane emissions were lower for animals fed the diet exclusively with sorghum silage as compared with those fed 30% of concentrate, but was similar to that of animals receiving 60% of concentrate. Losses of ingested gross energy as methane were reduced by 33% when grain concentration was increased in the diet. Concentrations of propionic and butyric acids were greater in diets with grain concentrate; acetic acid concentration was not affected. Concentrate in diet increases available energy for the metabolism, measured by lower losses of ingested gross energy as ruminal methane.


Recent research in the global South has highlighted that persons with disabilities are a vulnerable category of persons during the COVID19 outbreak. This paper provides some preliminary insights into Sri Lankan government responses to the outbreak, which, as we will be highlighting, take an ableist approach that further neglect the interests of persons with disabilities while entrenching disability dependencies on informal structures of familial and household support and in turn, increasing their marginality and economic insecurity. The COVID-19 outbreak hit Sri Lanka during a period of political turmoil – national Parliament had been dissolved on 3 March 2020 with elections initially called for 25 April 2020, six months prior to the official end of the Government's elected term. Drawing upon rapid interview narratives, we present the lived experiences of two women with disabilities and the unique challenges they are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we write this paper in September 2020, we acknowledge that the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 will not become immediately visible, particularly for disabled people from ethno-religious minority groups, including those residing within the former conflict zones.


Since, in the foreseeable future, we cannot exclude those at special risk, we must assume that one in thirty of all graduates will continue to suicide unless we identify them and help them. While we wait for the objective tests referred to above, it would be worthwhile making sure that everyone knows what goes on. Seminars on doctors' diseases would seem to be a mandatory part of any curriculum, not in the optimistic expectation that appropriate instruction will remove pathological changes, but in the hope of opening up the topic generally, and indicating that it is rational, respectable, useful and occasionally life-saving to take one's problems to an appropriately trained person. In the early resident years, many pathological patterns are laid down. Addiction to stimulants, sedatives, narcotics and alcohol may appear then, and neurotic defences tend to proliferate and become consolidated in those whose difficulties are pressing them. Only too often junior practitioners are exploited, in that armed with little more than technical advice, they are left on their own to deal with situations which might daunt the most courageous. It is pointless to argue that in the good old days, when men were men, those of one's own year seemed to cope without much trouble: quite certainly some of them have killed themselves by now, and more will do so in the future because of the general denial of anxiety and grief found in the profession. It is being acknowledged, at last, that residents need adequate technical training programmes. It should also be realized that many of them need to know how to deal with their own emotions, and so stay alive.


Background There is accumulating evidence that Th17 cells promote inflammation and tissue injury in many autoimmune diseases. Although recent epidemiological studies identified IRF8 as a susceptibility factor for the autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus1 and multiple sclerosis2, it has remained unknown how IRF8 influences the role of Th17 cell expansion in the pathogenesis. Objectives Here we investigated the role of IRF8 in Th17 differentiation using mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis. Methods Wild-type (WT), conventional Irf8 –/–, and two conditional Irf8 –/– mice, Irf8 f/f mice with LysM-cre and those with Lck-cre, were injected with MOG35–55 and clinical sign of the EAE were scored. The mRNA levels of cytokine and transcription factor genes and the populations of immune cell subsets in lymph nodes, spleens, and spinal cords were measured by qPCR and flow cytometry. Luciferase reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were performed to test IRF8 regulation of Itgb8 transcription. We examined in vitro development of Th17 cells from naïve CD4+ T cells cultured with CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) in the presence of latent TGFβ. Results Irf8 –/– mice were resistant to EAE and failed to generate Th1, Th17 and Treg cells after MOG injection. Irf8 f/f mice with LysM-cre remained resistant to EAE, while those with Lck-cre showed similar clinical scores as WT mice, indicating that IRF8 in APCs, but not in T cells, is responsible for causing EAE. The levels of Il12b, a subunit of IL-12p70 and IL-23, greatly increased in WT mice, but not in Irf8 –/– mice, during EAE. The increase in IL-27 production in Irf8 –/– mice was observed, indicating that IRF8 creates IL-12 family cytokine milieu favoring EAE. On the other hand, Itgb8, an integrin molecule important for Th17 differentiation via TGFβ activation, was highly expressed and in WT APCs, but was much lower in the Irf8 –/– counterparts. The reporter containing Itgb8 upstream fragment gave robust luciferase activity when co-transfected with Irf8 vector. Luciferase assays and ChIP assays showed that Itgb8 is a direct target of IRF8 which activates Itgb8 transcription. With latent TGFβ, WT DCs, but not Irf8 –/– DCs, stimulated Th17 differentiation. Conclusions This study shows that IRF8 is essential for Th17 cell development by controlling the production of IL-12 family cytokines and by activating TGFβ signaling in APCs. References BIOLUPUS Network, GENLES Network. Identification of IRF8, TMEM39A, and IKZF3-ZPBP2 as susceptibility loci for systemic lupus erythematosus in a large-scale multiracial replication study. Am J Hum Genet 2012;90:648-60. International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (IMSGC). Analysis of immune-related loci identifies 48 new susceptibility variants for multiple sclerosis. Nat Genet 2013;45:1353-60. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.3457


Terrorism and guerrilla warfare, whether justified as resistance to oppression or condemned as disrupting the rule of law, are as old as civilization itself. The power of the terrorist, however, has been magnified by modern weapons, including television, which he has learned to exploit. To protect itself, society must understand the terrorist and what he is trying to do; thus Dr. Clutterbuck's purpose in writing this book: \u201cto contribute to the understanding and cooperation between the police, the public and the media.\u201d


The major objective of this study is to test two alternative models in order to investigate whether customer value and satisfaction represent two theoretically and empirically distinct concepts. We address the core research themes of our study using a survey. This paper contributes to marketing research by introducing a new parameter (the examination of the mass communication theories) at the growing discussion about the ambiguities surrounding marketing constructs, such as consumer perceived value and consumer satisfaction. The consumer perceived value and consumer satisfaction conceptualizations (in the food-marketing context) that have an interest for both academic research and practitioners.


Anaerobic digestion of tofu-processing wastewater was carried out in batch and continuous systems. The performance of continuous system was investigated at HRT of 10 days and OLR of 0.752 kg/m3day. Anaerobic digestion operated in the continuous system generated higher biogas yield (123 mL/g VS) compared with the batch system (43 mL/g VS). The assessment of biodegradation efficiency showed that continuous reactor had higher VS reduction (76%) in comparison to the batch reactor, which only had 57% of VS reduction. Results of the current study also revealed that anaerobic digestion applied for treating the tofu-processing wastewater could recover pH culture from the acidic condition (pH 5) into the level close to the neutral condition (pH 6.6). The current study is highly significant for the development of applied technology for protecting environment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.75.1.21532


Results from systematic gas sensing experiments on polymer coated surface-transverse-wave- (STW) and surface-acoustic-wave- (SAW) based two-port resonators on rotated Y-cut quartz, operating at the same acoustic wave length of 7.22 /spl mu/m, are presented. The acoustic devices are coated with chemosensitive films of different viscoelastic properties and thicknesses, as solid hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), semisolid styrene (ST) and soft allyl alcohol (AA). The sensor sensitivities to vapors of different chemical analytes are automatically measured in a sensor head, evaluated and compared. It is shown that thin HMDSO- and ST-coated STW sensors are up to 3.8 times more sensitive than their SAW counterparts, while SAW devices coated with thick soft AA-films are up to 3.6 times more sensitive than the STW ones. The results show that SAWs are more suitable for operation with soft coatings while STWs perform better with solid and semisolid films. A close-to-carrier phase noise evaluation shows that the vapor flow homogeneity, the concentration of the analyte, its sorption dynamics and the design of the sensor oscillator are the major limiting factors to the sensor noise and its resolution. A well designed ST-coated 700 MHz STW sensor provides a 178 kHz sensor signal at a 630 ppm concentration of tetra-chloro ethylene and demonstrates a short-term stability of 3/spl times/10/sup -9//s which results in a sensor resolution of about 7 parts per billion (ppb).


A core function of social work is to assist, empower and protect the most vulnerable in society. Every day social workers make difficult decisions in complex and challenging situations. They work in organisations that have clear statutory duties. It is essential therefore, that social work students know what their responsibilities are. Familiarity with law, legislation and legal processes is consequently fundamental to sound social work practice.

This bestselling book helps social work students gain this foothold in understanding law as it applies to social work practice. It avoids complicated legal jargon remote from the everyday realities of practice, offering instead a grounding in legally-appropriate, rights-based social work. It covers the full range of social work law, including services for children and families and child protection, adult care law, youth justice, court work, professional regulation and human rights.


Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMFTs) are rare, distinct clinicopathological entities characterised by a dense inflammatory cell component amid myofibroblastic proliferation. Although the lung is the site commonly associated, there are reports of extra pulmonary involvement. IMFTs of the gastrointestinal tract are extremely rare and there have been only three confirmed cases of involvement of the appendix. These benign tumours have distinctive clinicopathological features that distinguish them from inflammatory fibroid polyps, gastrointestinal stromal tumours, smooth muscle tumours, sclerosing mesenteritis, lymphoma and other malignant tumours.1–6 This letter highlights the clinical and immunohistological features of an IMFT of the appendix.

A 34-year-old man presented with progressively worsening colicky pain in the right lower abdomen for the past 3 days, associated with low-grade fever and two episodes of vomiting. Clinical examination showed a tender right lower quadrant with a vague mass. Investigations were unremarkable except for a raised total white cell count and an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (12 800 cells/mm3 and erythrocyte …


The 2-5A-dependent RNase (RNase L) is a tightly regulated endoribonuclease of higher vertebrates that is catalytically active only after engaging unusual effector molecules consisting of the 2′,5′-linked oligoadenylates, p1–3A(2′p5′A)≥2 (2-5A). Progressive truncations from either terminus have provided insight into the structure, function, and regulation of RNase L. We determined that deletion of the N-terminal 335 amino acids of RNase L, about 45% of the enzyme, produced a constitutively active endoribonuclease, thus effectively eliminating the requirement for 2-5A. The truncated nuclease had 6-fold lower catalytic activity against an oligo(rU) substrate than wild type RNase L. However, the two enzymes showed identical RNA cleavage site preferences with an mRNA as substrate. The repressor function required only the last three of a series of nine ankyrin-like repeats present in the N-terminal part of RNase L. In contrast, the entire ankyrin repeat region was necessary and sufficient for 2-5A binding activity. Deletion of a 10-amino acid sequence near the C terminus of RNase L, between residues 710 and 720, eliminated both the catalytic and RNA substrate binding functions of the enzyme. The ability to bind native RNase L in response to 2-5A required amino acid sequences near both termini of the protein. A bipartite model for the structure of RNase L emerged in which the regulatory functions of the molecule are located in the N-terminal half, while the catalytic domain is present in the C-terminal half.


Noninvasive liquid biopsy analysis of circulating tumor DNA permits direct detection of early-stage cancers. Finding smaller needles in haystacks The detection and analysis of cell-free DNA in patients' blood are becoming increasingly accepted in oncology. However, this approach has generally been applied for the monitoring of patients with existing tumors. It has not been useful for early diagnosis of cancer because of insufficient sensitivity to detect really small tumors that only shed minute quantities of DNA into the blood, as well as difficulties with identifying cancer-associated genetic changes without knowing what mutations are present in the primary tumor. A method developed by Phallen et al., called targeted error correction sequencing, addresses both of these limitations and demonstrates the feasibility of detecting circulating cell-free DNA from many early tumors, suggesting its potential use for cancer screening. Early detection and intervention are likely to be the most effective means for reducing morbidity and mortality of human cancer. However, development of methods for noninvasive detection of early-stage tumors has remained a challenge. We have developed an approach called targeted error correction sequencing (TEC-Seq) that allows ultrasensitive direct evaluation of sequence changes in circulating cell-free DNA using massively parallel sequencing. We have used this approach to examine 58 cancer-related genes encompassing 81 kb. Analysis of plasma from 44 healthy individuals identified genomic changes related to clonal hematopoiesis in 16% of asymptomatic individuals but no alterations in driver genes related to solid cancers. Evaluation of 200 patients with colorectal, breast, lung, or ovarian cancer detected somatic mutations in the plasma of 71, 59, 59, and 68%, respectively, of patients with stage I or II disease. Analyses of mutations in the circulation revealed high concordance with alterations in the tumors of these patients. In patients with resectable colorectal cancers, higher amounts of preoperative circulating tumor DNA were associated with disease recurrence and decreased overall survival. These analyses provide a broadly applicable approach for noninvasive detection of early-stage tumors that may be useful for screening and management of patients with cancer.


Yellow head virus (YHV) is a lethal Penaeid shrimp virus that has caused significant losses to aquaculture farms raising black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). In order to probe some of the underlying molecular events occurring in P. monodon cells in response to YHV infection, we investigated the response of 96 selected shrimp haemocyte transcripts from 90 distinct genes at 24 hours post infection using cDNA macroarray hybridization. We found that the transcripts encoding for PMCP423 (innexin-2-like protein) and NF229 (optomotor blind-like protein) showed increased expression, while those encoding for PMC252 (clathrin light chain) and PMC238 (selenoprotein W-like) showed a decreased expression. Interestingly, no significant alteration in expression levels was noted for several transcripts involved in immune or defence functions such as the putative anti-lipopolysaccharide factor, proteinase inhibitor, or crustin-like antibacterial protein. The reduced level of expressed selenoprotein W transcript in YHV-infected shrimp haemocytes might be related to systemic apoptosis and death of the shrimp.


Although Listeria monocytogenes can induce systemic infection causing spontaneous abortion, septicemia, and meningitis, studies have not been performed to investigate human anti-L. monocytogenes immune responses, including those of Ag-specific Vγ2Vδ2 T cells, a dominant human γδ T cell subset. L. monocytogenes is the only pathogen known to possess both the mevalonate and non-mevalonate isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways that produce metabolic phosphates or phosphoantigens activating human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells, making it interesting to explore in vivo anti-L. monocytogenes immune responses of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells. In this study, we demonstrated that subclinical systemic L. monocytogenes infection of rhesus macaques via parenteral inoculation or vaccination with an attenuated Listeria strain induced multieffector-functional immune responses of phosphoantigen-specific Vγ2Vδ2 T cells. Subclinical systemic infection and reinfection with attenuated L. monocytogenes uncovered the ability of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells to mount expansion and adaptive or recall-like expansion. Expanded Vγ2Vδ2 T cells could traffic to and accumulate in the pulmonary compartment and intestinal mucosa. Expanded Vγ2Vδ2 T cells could evolve into effector cells producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-17, or perforin after L. monocytogenes infection, and some effector Vγ2Vδ2 T cells could coproduce IL-17 and IFN-γ, IL-4 and IFN-γ, or TNF-α and perforin. Surprisingly, in vivo-expanded Vγ2Vδ2 T effector cells in subclinical L. monocytogenes infection could directly lyse L. monocytogenes-infected target cells and inhibit intracellular L. monocytogenes bacteria. Thus, we present the first demonstration, to our knowledge, of multieffector-functional Vγ2Vδ2 T cell responses against L. monocytogenes.


As the growing population needs to receive antithrombotic therapy, perioperative management of anti- thrombotic therapy, with anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet has become a major concern to physicians taking care of surgical patients. Balancing the risk of bleeding with continuation and thrombosis with discontinuation requires consideration of each patient's risks for thrombotic complications and probability of bleeding in surgical procedures. Warfarin has been a mainstay of chronic anticoagulation therapy, and patients receiving warfarin need interruption of warfarin prior to the surgery and a preoperative bridge therapy with an alternative anticoagulant, typically unfractionated or low molecular weight heparin. The novel oral anticoagulants including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, edoxaban and apixaban have shorter half-lives and may not need the preoperative bridge therapy. However they raised other concerns for perioperative management including prolonged elimination half-life in patients with compromised kidney, poor correlation between routine laboratory tests and clinical effectiveness of anticoagulation or lack of a specific antidote.


GEOPHYSICAL EXPRESSION OF THE NORTHERN PART OF THE MONOINYO VOLCANIC CHAIN, MONO BASIN, CALIFORNIA by Amanda Pera McDonell The Mono Domes are located at the northernmost end of the Mono-Inyo volcanic chain just north of the Long Valley Caldera and include more than 30 overlapping domes and coulees that follow an arcuate trend. A shallow basement high, possibly bounded by a fault, as suggested by potential-field models of data collected in Mono Basin, California, may have influenced the geometry and location of the Mono Domes. Over 320 new gravity stations and approximately 297 line-km of ground magnetic data were collected during the summer of 2010 to investigate the subsurface structure of the Mono Basin. Regional gravity data were collected throughout the basin, and ground magnetic data were collected on major roads along numerous transects throughout the region, one of which was coincident with a seismic refraction line. Gravity and magnetic data were compiled with pre-existing data from studies dating back to the 1960's to produce a new regional isostatic gravity anomaly map and ground magnetic profiles throughout the basin. Aeromagnetic and ground magnetic data revealed an anomalous ring-shaped magnetic high centered over Aeolian Buttes, whose eastern margin follows the arcuate trend of the Mono Domes. This magnetic high is essentially coincident with what Kistler (1966) inferred to be a ring-fracture. Two-dimensional forward modeling of potential field data along a profile across the basin suggests a basement high, or ridge, at roughly 700 m depth, the eastern edge of which lies beneath the Mono Domes. The basement ridge is probably fractured, as suggested by potential field data, indicating a possible preexisting fault beneath the Mono Domes. This fault is along the eastern edge of the basement ridge and could have served as a conduit for the Mono Domes feeder dike.


Multi-hop transmissions are desirable in realizing large-scale long-distance covert wireless communications, since a single-hop transmission cannot fully satisfy the covertness requirement even with high transmit power. Against this background, this work compares amplify-and-forward (AF) and decode-and-forward (DF) relaying strategies by examining their achievable effective throughput taking into the covertness quality-of-service. To this end, we first present a framework of maximizing the effective throughput with the assumption that each relay adopts equal transmit power to seek mathematical tractability. With the number of relays and each relay's transmit power optimized, our results reveal that DF relaying outperforms AF relaying in the considered multi-hop covert communications, in terms of achieving a higher effective throughput with a smaller optimal number of relays. This is mainly due to that regardless of the same detection performance at the warden Willie for AF and DF relaying under the same condition, AF relays amplify both information and noise signals, while DF relays only forward the information signals. In addition, our examinations show that DF relaying with independent codewords achieves a higher effective throughput with a fewer number of relays relative to the DF relaying with a single-codeword. Furthermore, we find that the optimal number of relays increases as the desired covert communication distance increases or the covertness constraint becomes stringent.


This paper assesses the effect of openness on corruption, using foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as a measure of openness, after trade intensity is accounted for. We use a broad cross section of countries over the period 1970 to 1994 and address th


As early as 1980, the Malaysianfederal government's spending on education, was the highest in East Asia andhigher than the OECD average of 3.4% of GDP. This demonstrates that theMalaysian Government has big expenses from educational sector and respectivelyis amenability for Malaysian economic budget. In other side Waqf in Malaysia isone of large financial source that has not been fully explored. By using qualitative methodology through content analysis this paper attempt to explore the issues andeconomic role of Waqf in Malaysia, especially in Higher Education Institution(HEI) and attempt to study how Waqf fund empowering the education. Thisstudy found that taking the que from the institutions of Waqf, the explorationand development of waqf fund can be exalarate through the formation of formalorganizations at state and federal level and rearrange the Malaysian educationalbudget and policy to support the better quality of HEI. DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v8i1.2514


The availability of huge amounts of data has changed the role of physics with respect to other disciplines. Within this dissertation I will explore the innovations introduced in molecular biology thanks to statistical physics approaches. In the last 20 years the size of genome databases has exponentially increased, therefore the exploitation of raw data, in the scope of extracting information, has become a major topic in statistical physics. After the success in protein structure prediction, surprising results have been finally achieved also in the related field of RNA structure characterisation. However, recent studies have revealed that, even if databases are growing, inference is often performed in the under sampling regime and new computational schemes are needed in order to overcome this intrinsic limitation of real data. This dissertation will discuss inference methods and their application to RNA structure prediction. We will discuss some heuristic approaches that have been successfully applied in the past years, even if poorly theoretically understood. The last part of the work will focus on the development of a tool for the inference of generative models, hoping it will pave the way towards novel applications.


pg/mi (compared with 2556 and 2888 pg/ml after infusion at 80 ng/kg/min in the neonate reported here). The same workers found ANP infusion to attenuate the pulmonary response to hypoxia in pigs.' On the first day of infusion the infant showed a slight fall in Pao2 at the end of the infusion followed, 90 minutes later, by an appreciable rise that lasted for approximately two hours. The initial fall might be explained by increased perfusion of poorly ventilated lung units3 but the late rise is difficult to explain, though the cGMP excretion rate did remain raised for two hours. A dose dependent relaxation of pulmonary arteries, induced by ANP, has been shown in bovine arterial rings2 but in our case ANP concentration returned to baseline by around 23 minutes. In this infant high dose ANP infusion was relatively well tolerated. Although we do not claim that this child's satisfactory outcome was related to treatment with ANP, we do believe that ANP should be added to the list of therapeutic options in the management of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn that require further study.


One of the consequences of global climate change is the more frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions. Semi-arid regions are especially vulnerable since evapotranspiration significantly exceeds precipitation for most of the year and rainfall occurrence is dominantly sporadic and highly variable in amount and spatial extent. Consequently, these regions suffer from droughts of increasing duration and severity, occasionally interrupted by strong rainfall events generating high surface runoff and in part highly destructive floods. In semi-arid regions water retention capability is often further reduced by changes of the original vegetation cover due to conversion into farmland and intensification of land use. The result is widespread land degradation by a decrease in permanent vegetation cover and an increase in soil erosion. Under such conditions sustainable water resources management is of key importance, however, reliable long-term observations describing the water cycle and the resulting water budget are missing for many regions of the world. This situation requires new approaches in improving seasonal forecast for relevant water resources parameters as well as spatiotemporally explicit understanding the of influence of water and land use management on the long-term development of water availability and land surface conditions.
The German collaborative research project ‘Seasonal water resources management in semi-arid regions: Transfer of regionalized global information to practice’ (SaWaM) aims at the development of methods allowing the use of global data for deriving information needed for regional water resources management in semi-arid regions by integrating meteorological, hydrological and ecosystem sciences and supported by satellite remote sensing analysis. The performance, practical applicability and transferability of the developed methods are assessed in several semi-arid regions including Brazil, Iran and Sudan. Here, we present our work on the analysis of the seasonal and long-term vegetation dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales using satellite time series data of different spatial and temporal resolution (MODIS and Sentinel-2).  Our goal is linking the derived vegetation dynamics to changes in meteorological conditions, water availability and land use. In this context we put emphasis on the spatiotemporal analysis of bioproductivity related to different land use types and climatic conditions to identify and characterize hotspots of water usage in form of irrigated agriculture as a basis for further evaluation of the underlying water management practices.
We perform time series analysis of satellite-derived vegetation indices (VI) using various statistical aggregates, such as maximum, mean and temporal duration related to variable time periods (hydrological year, dry and wet season, growing patterns) as well as additive time series decomposition. Thus, we analyze long-term trends, seasonal deviations from long-term average conditions, and break points in the time series related to land use and water management changes. Moreover, we compare the derived spatiotemporal VI dynamics against the dynamics of hydrometeorological conditions (e.g. precipitation, evapotranspiration, temperature) as well as land use patterns in order to evaluate the impact of hydrometeorological drought conditions on different land use types and water management practices.  In conclusion, we present prototypes for information products supporting decision making of the local experts in the target regions.


Satellite images, repeated photography, temperature and precipitation data, and other proxy scientific evidences support the claim that climate is changing rapidly in Nepal, including in the Trans-Himalayan regions of the country. Climate change in the Trans-Himalayan region of Nepal is altering the existing relations of functional socio-ecological system for generations. This ethnographic assessment of Nhāson village looks at the disturbance posed by climate change to the social and ecological relationship in reference to livestock management practices. It focuses on two thematic areas of communities' verbalisation of issues and challenges faced by the mountain herders in the climate change context. This paper is the product of ethnographic study between the years 2012 and 2014 in Nhāson. The locals' attachment to environment and witnesses of change is capable of telling the story on the disturbance of climate change in the social and ecological systems, contextually. The stories gathered during walking, herding, travelling, watching and observing of the places are "real stories" with insights into the past climate variability and fluctuation which is critically valuable to understand the environmental phenomena at times when scientific evidences are not sufficient. Ethnographic study can contribute in documenting the place and cultural specific stories as a powerful evidence to climate change and its impact on grounded social and ecological systems.


Shigella, the causative agent of bacillary dysentery, is capable of directing its own movement in the cytoplasm of infected epithelial cells. The bacterial surface protein VirG recruits host components mediating actin polymerization, which is thought to serve as the propulsive force. Here, we show that neural Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (N‐WASP), which is a critical target for filopodium formation downstream of Cdc42, is required for assembly of the actin tail generated by intracellular S.flexneri. N‐WASP accumulates at the front of the actin tail and is capable of interacting with VirG in vitro and in vivo, a phenomenon that is not observed in intracellular Listeria monocytogenes. The verprolin‐homology region in N‐WASP was required for binding to the glycine‐rich repeats domain of VirG, an essential domain for recruitment of F‐actin on intracellular S.flexneri. Overexpression of a dominant‐negative N‐WASP mutant greatly inhibited formation of the actin tail by intracellular S.flexneri. Furthermore, depletion of N‐WASP from Xenopus egg extracts shut off Shigella actin tail assembly, and this was restored upon addition of N‐WASP protein, suggesting that N‐WASP is a critical host factor for the assembly of the actin tail by intracellular Shigella.


A low-cost THz sensor, with a broadband high responsivity, low noise equivalent power, and capable of working at room temperature is still a challenge. Moreover, sensor integration with signal processing electronics is required in order to realize compact systems to be used in commercial imaging applications.
In this thesis, CMOS FET-based THz detectors and with integrated noise-efficient readout circuits are presented as a solution. In an attempt to improve the THz focal plane arrays state of the art, the use of an imager architecture is proposed, where each sensing element of an array can be addressed individually. This architecture provides better system performance in terms of sensitivity, resolution or speed.
A first chip was fabricated in the LFoundry 0.15-µm standard CMOS technology containing a 16 x 16 staring imaging array for terahertz detection in the range of 0.8 THz to 1.5 THz. Each pixel is composed of an antenna, a FET detector, and its readout electronics (a current integrator) so as the whole matrix can be integrated simultaneously. The current integrator employs an amplifier with two offset compensation techniques (chopper and current injection) and an output saturation control by adding and subtracting voltages.
A second chip composed of 15 test structures was fabricated in the STMicrolectronics 0.13 µm standard CMOS technology for terahertz detection at 600 GHz, 850 GHz and 1.5 THz. This chip contains different FET detectors (transistor and antenna) and switched-capacitor readout circuits that provide both signal amplification and filtering, improving the system SNR after each operation cycle. A comparative study of their performance is done as a first step towards a future array implementation (THz camera). For both chips, electrical and terahertz characterization results of the designed structures are presented and discussed.


The article deals with data of comparison of different antiemetic drugs used for prophylactics of intraoperative nausea and vomiting (IONV) during caesarian operation. 150 women included in the study were divided into three groups. Patients of the group-1 (80 women) received dproperidol 0.08-0.12 mg kg -1 intravenously and atropine 0.006-0.009 mg kg -1. Patients of the group-2 (50 women) received dexamethasone 0.04-0.1 mg kg -1 intravenously. In the group-3 (20 women) patients received methoklopramide 0.1-0.2 mg kg -1 intravenously. Intravenous administration of low doses ofatropine and dproperidol provides the most effective prophylactics of IONV.


Background: The most commonly performed operation to repair distal hypospadias is the Tubularised incised plate (TIP) repair. The key step is midline incision of the urethral plate, which widens a narrow plate and converts a flat into a deep plate groove, ensuring a vertical, slit neomeatus and a normal-calibre neourethra. At times in cases of proximal hypospadias, the urethral plate is very narrow and needs to be augmented or substituted for further tubularisation. We report our experience with primary single stage dorsal inlay urethroplasty using preputial skin grafts. Patients and Methods: Children with proximal hypospadias with a narrow urethral plate formed the study group. Children needing transection of the urethral plate, having undergone circumcision/hypospadias repair previously or having an inadequate prepuce was excluded. Results: Twelve children with a mean age of 48.83 months underwent primary dorsal inlay preputial graft urethroplasty for proximal hypospadias with a very narrow urethral plate. At an average follow-up of 42.16 months, 2 (16.66%) children had a breakdown of ventral shaft skin. None of the children had meatal stenosis, and none of these 12 children developed urethrocutaneous fistula. Conclusion: Primary dorsal inlay inner preputial graft urethroplasty successfully fulfills all traditional hypospadias repair criteria. It offers a viable, safe, rapid and easy option in the management of proximal hypospadias with a narrow urethral plate.


A pressure vessel burst (PVB) is an explosion scenario commonly encountered at chemical processing and petroleum refining facilities. Existing methodologies are available to predict the blast loads resulting from a spherical or cylindrical PVB source, with the PVB source either at grade or at an elevation. In the case of an elevated PVB source, the resulting blast wave will reflect from the ground at an angle. This ground level reflection will result in the formation of a Mach stem at certain angles between the incident blast wave and ground, with the required angles dependent on the blast wave overpressure. The triple point associated with the Mach stem moves upwards as the Mach stem progresses forwards, which can create a region of high blast pressure. This paper focuses on the investigation of a methodology that can be used to determine the high-pressure region generated by the Mach stem, along with the associated blast pressure, as a function of the PVB source elevation and incident blast pressure.


Bacterial pathogens induce potent innate and adaptive immune responses, which, in the majority of situations, are able to eradicate an infection. Extracellular and intracellular bacterial pathogens induce different types of immune responses and have varying strategies for evading the host immune responses. This chapter on pathology and pathogenesis of bacterial infections summarizes the different types and mechanisms of pathology caused by bacteria once they cross mucosal or cutaneous barriers, and either multiply in extracellular spaces or take up residence within host cells. It illustrates how different types of immune responses can cause a variety of pathological damage to the host. The complement system is composed of over 20 different proteins and can be activated directly by extracellular bacteria in multiple ways. The interactions of chemokines and their receptors are critical for the recruitment of neutrophils and monocytes and the inflammatory response to infection. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most important chronic bacterial infection in humans, and is responsible for 9 million cases of TB and 1.9 million deaths annually. Extensive studies have identified the surface M protein as the major GAS protein, which stimulates cross-reactive T-cell response.


The counter-rotation solution is preferred to increase the power and flow rates of fans. The aims of the present work are to experimentally and numerically characterize the aerodynamic performance of a counter-rotating fan (CRF) and investigate the effects of some design parameters such as the variable stagger angle and inter-distance. The baseline axial fan was modified by adding a rear rotor, a spherical nose and a tail fairing, thus a higher pressure rise is obtained from the conversion of a large part of swirl flow into a static pressure. The results reveal the effects of stagger angle and axial inter-distance on the improved aerodynamic performance and show the best setting parameters. Besides, the counter-rotation seems reducing the aerodynamic loading of both rotors and allowing working at a stable static pressure rise over a wide range of air flow rate.


Formulating mouth dissolving tablet using solid dispersion of drug shall not only improve solubility and consequent bioavailability but also improved patient compliance and convenience. The aim of the present study was to improve the solubility of Aceclofenac (ACE) by solid dispersion (SD) technique and formulate it as mouth dissolving tablets using some superdisintegrants. Solid dispersion (SD) of ACE was prepared by solvent evaporation method using PEG 6000 as carrier. Different weight ratios of drug and carrier i.e. 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5 were taken. Solubility of drug was determined in physical mixture and SD formulations. The prepared SD formulations were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and in vitro drug release. Mouth dissolving tablets of ACE were formulated using optimized SD formulation of drug and carrier along with super-disintegrants such as croscarmellose sodium, crospovidone, and sodium starch glycolate. From IR and DSC studies, it was concluded that there is change in crystalline form of drug into amorphous state during formation of SD. Mouth dissolving tablets containing crospovidone (20%) as super-disintegrants showed the fastest disintegration (39s) and in vitro drug release (92.2%). It can be concluded that combination of solid dispersion and super-disintegrants is a promising approach to prepare efficient mouth dissolving tablets of Aceclofenac.


In November 2004 the remains of an unknown New Zealand soldier from the First World War were brought home from France and placed in the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (TUW) outside the National War Memorial (NWM) in Wellington. This was one of the largest ceremonial events ever held in New Zealand, and the entire programme was broadcast live on national television. An estimated 100,000 people lined the streets of Wellington to watch his casket make its way from Parliament to its final resting place. Why did the return of the Unknown Warrior, some 90 years after his death, have such an impact on the country, and what is the significance of the TUW for visitors today? The aim of this dissertation is to bring together the material culture of war commemoration with aspects of public memory and meaning-making in an examination of visitor interpretations of the TUW. To achieve this, entries left in the NWM visitor books and onsite survey interviews are analysed in the light of the institutional objectives set out in the design and planning of the TUW, and the political and popular motivations that led to its construction. The view advanced by this dissertation is that visitors draw on individual memory, civil remembrance and national commemoration to construct meanings of the TUW. Their interpretations draw on lived experience and personal connections to form connections with the TUW. These are influenced by the impact of 'grassroots' interest in war remembrance, soldier ancestors and an understanding of the experience of war, public ritual and state involvement in commemoration. This provides a snapshot of contemporary war remembrance in New Zealand.


While eyewitness memory continues to play a critical role in police investigations and court rulings, its validity has repeatedly come under question. Can we trust ourselves to recall critical information under stressful conditions? The association between stress and memory formation has long been a subject of debate. Inconsistencies in experimental findings may be due to experimental failure to create adequately stressful conditions. Environmental stressors, such as cold temperatures, have been shown to affect memory formation, and in turn cognitive recall. Our experiment uses a derivative of the cold pressor test to induce stress in participants. We hypothesized that stress induced by the cold pressor test should reduce long term memory retention. Forty subjects were randomly tested in control (n=20) and stress (n=20) experimental groups. The control group submerged their feet in room temperature water and the experimental group submerged their feet in cold water. Both groups were shown a crime scene video. We measured our participants stress state through testing heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. Ten minutes after experimentation, participants were asked to complete a memory test. Data from statistical testing revealed no significant difference between control and experimental groups.


From March 2003 to April 2004, were prospectively collected in France 1,289 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with data on diagnosis, patient and tumour characteristics, and treatments. Median age was 56 years (range, 30-84). DCIS was diagnosed by mammography in 87.6% of patients. Mastectomy (M), conservative surgery alone (CS) and conservative surgery with radiotherapy (CS + RT) were performed in 30.5, 7.8 and 61.7% of patients, respectively. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) and axillary dissection (AD) were performed in 21.3 and 10.4% of patients, respectively. Hormone therapy was administered to 13.4% of the patients. Nuclear grade was low in 21% of patients, intermediate in 38.5% and high in 40.5%. Excision was considered complete in 92% (CS) and 88.3% (CS + RT) of patients. Treatment modalities varied widely according to region: mastectomy rate, 20-37%; adjuvant RT, 84-96%; hormone treatment, 6-34%. Our survey on current DCIS management in France has highlighted correlations between pathological features (tumour size, margin, grade) and treatment options, with several similar variations to those observed in recent UK and US studies.


Dynamic Reconfiguration is absorbing more and more research focus for its demand in automatic measurement system for low-cost products and short time to market. In this paper, we propose a software architecture, which is built on component and software bus models. In our architecture, the measurement system software is viewed as an integration of a set of reusable components, which are modelled with routing workflow for measurement, data process logic for execution of behavioural specifications and a series of communication ports for data exchange with others. The behaviours of the measurement system software can be viewed as an integration of components and their interactions and specified in application specification, which is based on routing workflow and independent of component implementation. When the measurement system needs to be reconfigured to adapt to the changing application requirements, the software using our architecture can be easily reconfigured by changing reusable components and their interactions in application specification and reconfiguration can be achieved at the executable code level after the software is implemented. Finally, a reconfigurable measurement platform bases on above software architecture for testing engineering signal has been developed and the goal of higher reconfigurability, lower development and maintenance costs are achieved with the proposed architecture.


This study focuses on haredi activists in the Likud movement. It begins by examining some of the social processes that are essential for our understanding of haredi affiliation with the Likud party. One main process is the deteriorating 'solidarity' within the haredi faction which allowed for the distinct identities of haredi sub-groups to be emphasized. This process has weakened traditional sources of power within haredi society and contributed to the decline in the status of rabbis who claim to speak in the name of Torah (da'at Torah). Another cause of the waning power of traditional sources has been the increase in critical discourse within this society in recent years. An additional principle fueling this offensive has been the 'generational decline' (yeridat hadorot); the undermining of this principle has contributed to reduced legitimacy of the traditional division of power. This destabilization of the traditional power bases, along with the emergence of new ones, has led to the formation of a somewhat more equal and democratic haredi society. Entering the Likud movement can be regarded as part of this trend. Most of those who have joined the Likud are on the social margin of the haredi faction, in contrast to those who are affiliated with the haredi parties, most of whom belong to the elite. Thus, affiliation with the Likud has contributed to a more evenhanded distribution of social power within haredi society. These developments, which constitute the background for affiliation with the Likud movement, are accompanied by the process of emergence from the protected haredi environment into the wider Israeli milieu, a trend to which economic and demographic factors have contributed. This study will prove that, despite the fact that in many aspects haredi activists in the Likud deviate from the demands of the haredi cultural model, in many other aspects this model continues to mold their behavior, mind-set, and perception. Thus, for example, I will show how according to this way of thinking, the individual represents the word of God and the community, activists are obligated to behave according to a strict set of rules, and their consciousness and their fields of interest are therefore molded. The centrality of the community and its manifold ties are revealed as an important resource on the way to political involvement. The 'haredi-ness' of these activists can also be considered a resource because it enables them to serve as a bridge to the haredi public, which the Likud movement regards as a pool of potential voters. Further in this study I will explore how different activists ('Litvaks,' Sephardim, and Hassidim) cope with the hazards facing them as they enter a political arena that lies beyond the protected confines of the haredi milieu. The haredi activists put forward a variety of motives and reasons for their involvement. Many of them give personal motives as their incentive. Others emphasize their commitment to the material needs of the haredi community. Yet, some of them describe their political involvement as spiritual calling. They also occasionally mention a desire to protect the haredi Torah world, or improve the standing of religion in the State. As of yet haredi involvement in the Likud has not been officially sanctioned by the rabbis, but there have been indications in haredi society of a developing awareness of the sanctity of the State and its institutions, including the political arena. According to traditional haredi thinking, non-haredi political leaders are motivated by personal intent. In contrast, politicians in haredi parties are seen as subjugating their own interests to the wishes of the Almighty. haredi activists within the Likud mainly reject this perception of haredi politicians and severely criticize the way they are being treated. At the same time, many of them are to some degree ambivalent, due to their religiosity and world view. The effect of the haredi cultural model and the hierarchical distinctions between the spiritual world and the material world also impacts the political arena, as can be seen from those interviewed. They distinguish between the work of the Knesset which focuses on legislation, that is, laying down principles, and serving a government which focuses on corporal activity and change. Others describe political involvement as 'dirty' and prefer to function as consultants, behind the scene, without 'dirtying' themselves in the political limelight. The last part of my study is devoted to my claim that political involvement exposes activists to a new model of masculinity: the man who works to change the tangible reality that lies beyond the walls of the Beit Midrash. Some activists described their encounter with this model as an amazing discovery, and it would appear that at least some of them fervently embrace it. Another change reported by some was the feeling that they lost their naivete when they encountered the non-haredi, competitive society that functions according to different norms. Young haredi men who participate in Likud activities are exposed to new influences. Involvement in the Likud also constitutes a position of power. It allows those on the social periphery to return to the haredi setting in a stronger position, after having been close to positions of power and influence. It allows them to stand up for themselves more firmly, gain legitimacy for their way of life, and in this way generate change within the haredi milieu as well.


Feedback from participants in Extension programs is often favorable. However, some of these participants do not adopt the management changes recommended through a specific Extension program. The evaluation reported here assessed producer adoption of management recommendations from the Mississippi Farm to Feedlot Program. This program facilitates cattle finishing and carcass data collection and then assists beef cattle producers in interpreting and using this information to make needed management changes. Farm-level and aggregate results reveal areas where improvements are needed and document the rate of adoption of recommendations. This can help Extension professionals modify programming efforts to improve program impact.


Background— A recent report suggested that carriers of the Q allele of the PON1 Q192R polymorphism had decreased biotransformation of clopidogrel into its active metabolite and decreased efficacy of clopidogrel in preventing cardiovascular events. Furthermore, PON1 has been reported to have a central role in the antioxidant function of high-density lipoprotein, and the Q192R polymorphism has been previously associated with cardiovascular risk in patients not treated with clopidogrel. Methods and Results— Patients (n=5059) from the Clopidogrel in Unstable Angina to Prevent Recurrent Events (CURE) randomized trial that demonstrated benefits of clopidogrel versus placebo in preventing cardiovascular events in acute coronary syndromes were genotyped for the PON1 Q192R polymorphism. Clopidogrel compared with placebo significantly reduced the first primary efficacy outcome, irrespective of PON1 Q192R genotype (P=0.07 for heterogeneity). No association was observed between the Q192R polymorphism and cardiovascular events in the overall sample (hazard ratio [HR], 1.09 per allele; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95–1.24; P=0.23). However, an association was observed between the Q allele and increased cardiovascular events in the placebo group (HR, 1.23 per allele; 95% CI, 1.03–1.47; P=0.03) but not in the clopidogrel group (HR, 0.93 per allele; 95% CI, 0.76–1.13; P=0.46). In 1156 atrial fibrillation patients from the Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial With Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events, there was no evidence of interaction between PON1 genotype and clopidogrel for any outcome or for an association between genotype and cardiovascular events. Conclusions— In conclusion, our study shows that PON1 Q192R genotype does not modify the efficacy and safety of clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute the association of the Q allele with adverse cardiovascular events independent of clopidogrel in secondary prevention patients.


The respiratory health and work environment of 575 brickworkers in five brickworks in Cape Town, South Africa, were investigated by means of a questionnaire, a physical examination, pulmonary function testing, chest radiography, and dust measurements. This study presents the background, aims, and methods of the determining dust exposure assignments. The mean concentrations of respirable dust and total dust were 2.22 and 15.16 mg/m3, respectively, with a mean free-silica percentage of 2.1%. Subjective and objective, as well as categorical and continuous, dust indicators were constructed for subsequent analyses, together with findings from the health survey, which are reported elsewhere.


The present study was designed to investigate the role of D(4) dopamine receptors in regulating the Akt/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways. The D(4) dopamine receptor agonist PD168077 induced time- and dose-dependent activation of Akt and ERK in D(4)MN9D cells that stably express D(4) dopamine receptors. Maximal Akt and ERK stimulation was achieved at 1 microM PD168077. The agonist-mediated stimulations of Akt and ERK were abolished when cells were preincubated with 50 ng/ml PTX or with 1 microM L745,870, a D(4) dopamine receptor antagonist, indicating that activation of the Akt or ERK pathways is mediated by D(4) dopamine receptors and require a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein. We also detected a time- and dose-dependent activation of NF-kappa B. Activation of NF-kappa B by 1 microM PD168077 was attenuated in D(4)MN9D cells that were transfected with a kinase-deficient Akt but not in cells transfected with a dominant negative Ras (N17Ras), suggesting that NF-kappa B activation requires Akt but is independent of Ras. In contrast, the transfection of N17Ras into D(4)MN9D cells blunted D(4) dopamine receptor-mediated ERK activation, indicating a Ras-dependent mechanism. Moreover, PP2 (20 nM), an inhibitor of Src, blocked D(4) receptor-mediated SHC phosphorylation and ERK activation. In contrast, transfection of a kinase-dead Akt did not alter D(4) receptor-stimulated ERK. However, PP2 and the mitogen activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor PD98059 did not change D(4) receptor-mediated Akt/NF-kappa B activation. All these indicate that distinct mechanisms mediate ERK and Akt/NF-kappa B activation by D(4) dopamine receptor stimulation. We also demonstrated that D(4) receptor-stimulated cell proliferation is mediated by the Src/SHC/Ras/ERK pathway.


Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) grown hydroponically in an irradiated nutrient solution containing FeDTPA had root ferric reductase activity 120% greater, foliar Fe level 33% less, and foliar Mn level 90% greater than did plants grown in an identical, nonirradiated solution, indicating that the plants growing in the irradiated solution were responding to Fe-deficiency stress with physiological reactions associated with Fe effi- ciency. The youngest leaves of plants grown in the irradiated solution had symptoms of Mn toxicity (interveinal chlorosis, shiny-bronze necrotic spots, and leaf deformation). Plants grown in irradiated solution in which the precipitated Fe was replaced with fresh Fe- chelate were, in general, no different from those grown in the nonirradiated solution. Chemical name used: ferric diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (FeDTPA).


Social commerce encourages users of social networking sites to shop while socializing and for visitors of ecommerce websites to socialize while shopping. Since social commerce emerged as an alternative form of e-commerce, industry and academia have almost entirely focused their attentions on investigating how large enterprises are approaching this new opportunity with little attention on smaller enterprises. In this paper, we begin to fill this gap and report on how smaller enterprises are using social commerce. Our contribution was achieved through case studies and analysis of data associated with businesses conducting commercial activities on a popular social networking site, Instagram. The premise of our research is that by using Instagram posts (tagged with for example #forsale) we could identify smaller enterprises and in particular microenterprises conducting social commerce. This premise was proven to be true. There are four main conclusions from our research. (1) Microenterprises are using two main approaches (traditional and `simple') to social commerce on Instagram. Enterprises with e-commerce websites use the traditional approach which involves directing Instagram users to their websites and this is the same route taken by larger enterprises. (2) Microenterprises without an e-commerce website are taking a `simple' approach to social commerce which means in practice that social commerce is conducted using systems and services provided by Instagram and other social networking and communication applications. In other words, these small businesses are conducting e-commerce by accessing the systems of others with no ownership or associated costs to them. (3) Analysis of Instagram data revealed that the number of users and their posts (tagged with #forsale) on Instagram has steadily risen each year since the first appearance of hash tagged posts in November 2010. Finally, (4) our research conclusions (1) to (3) were confirmed (with some interesting differences) for businesses using both English and Arabic language on Instagram and this confirms that our research findings are of a global phenomenon. The paper concludes with proposals on how our initial findings can be taken forward to reveal more on how microenterprises are exploiting social networking sites for commerce.


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are increasingly popular in hospital medicine and general practice and are readily available over the counter. The vast majority of healthy children who ingest therapeutic doses of NSAIDs for a limited duration tolerate them without any significant adverse effects. However, the risk of renal toxicity is potentially increased in situations where there is stimulation of the renin–angiotensin system such as with volume depletion or in pre-existing chronic renal disease. We describe four cases which illustrate this complication occurring in a children's hospital. We have not proven cause and effect, but further research is needed to define the true risk of the potential renal complications of NSAIDs in patients at risk of dehydration.


Voters are often uninformed about the political candidates they choose between. Governments, media outlets and civic organizations devote substantial resources to correcting these knowledge deficits by creating tools to provide candidate information to voters. Despite the widespread production of these aids, it remains unclear who they reach. We collect validated measures of online voter guide use for over 40,000 newspaper readers during a state primary election. We show these guides are primarily used by individuals with high levels of political interest and knowledge, a finding in contrast to earlier hypotheses that providing these guides directly to voters online would reduce disparities in use based on political interest. A field experiment promoting voter guides failed to diminish these consumption gaps. These results show that the same content preferences that contribute to an unequal distribution of political knowledge also impede the effectiveness of subsequent efforts to close knowledge gaps.


We characterize the impact of a linear $\beta$-reduction on the result of a control-flow analysis. (By 'a linear $\beta$-reduction' we mean the $\beta$-reduction of a linear $\lambda$-abstraction, i.e., of a $\lambda$-abstraction whose parameter occurs exactly once in its body.) As a corollary, we consider the administrative reductions of a Plotkin-style transformation into Continuation-Passing Style (CPS), and how they affect the result of a constraint-based control-flow analysis and, in particular, the least element in the space of solutions. We show that administrative reductions preserve the least solution. Preservation of least solutions solves a problem that was left open in Palsberg and Wand's article 'CPS Transformation of Flow Information.' Together, Palsberg and Wand's article and the present article show how to map in linear time the least solution of the flow constraints of a program into the least solution of the flow constraints of the CPS counterpart of this program, after administrative reductions. Furthermore, we show how to CPS transform control-flow information in one pass.


One of the biggest problems for variationist approaches to syntactic variation is the question of where such variation occurs in the grammar, and what type of variation is allowed. Kroch (1994) suggests that syntactic variables are a result of Competing Grammars, in which grammars that derive differing surface outputs are in competition and selected by the speaker. In this paper, I observe an implicit prediction of the Competing Grammars viewpoint as typically described: material above the variable cannot condition variation. I test this prediction in a variationist study of embedded passives (the ëneeds washedí construction) in Pittsburghese, and show that material above the variable does condition variation. This finding suggests that a look-ahead problem arises if a grammar in competition is selected prior to derivation of the variable. To solve this, I propose that both grammars are initially derived, and that the derivation transferred to LF and PF is chosen in Spell-Out from the two possibilities. Grammars still compete; however, the competition selects a variant later than previously thought. This working paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: https://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/vol25/iss1/11


This ethnography of blackjack dealing at a corporate casino in Nevada reveals that dealers, to make tips, regularly violate the house's directives for regulating their interactive labor. Although the emergent sociology of service work has highlighted novel dilemmas of autonomy (workers must be free to provide "authentic" emotional labor) and interests (workers may team up with clients) for management, it too narrowly focuses on the service labor process and, thus, cannot fully account for the genesis and functions of the casino's system of labor control. This regime is analyzed as a "hegemonic" regime. This entails, first, specifying the structural changes in the American gambling industry that have led to the contemporary competitive casino's tipped labor system; and second, elucidating the functions for management of ceding to workers a degree of freedom: lower labor costs and customized service provision.


Background: Bone marrow lesions (BMLs) are associated
with osteoarthritis (OA). We assessed the performance of two commonly used
MRI sequences, IW-TSE and DESS, for reliability in the detection of BMLs and
sensitivity to estimate change over time. We suggested that the IW-TSE would
demonstrate higher sensitivity to change than DESS in the assessment of BML
prevalence and change over time. This study was performed using a subset of the
Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) cohort. Methods: A sub-group of 144 patients
was selected from the OAI progression cohort who all had IW-TSE and DESS MRI
acquisitions at baseline and 24 months. BMLs were assessed using a
semi-quantitative scale in the global knee, medial and lateral compartments,
and subregions. Intra-reader reliability was assessed on a subset of 51
patients. Results: Intra-reader reliability was substantial for the global knee
≥ 0.64, medial ≥ 0.70, and lateral ≥ 0.63 compartments for IW-TSE and DESS. The
prevalence of BML detected at baseline was only slightly greater for IW-TSE
compared to DESS. The mean BML score at baseline was significantly higher (p ≤
0.006) for the IW-TSE than the DESS. However, mean change at 24 months was
similar for both sequences for all regions except the medial compartment (p = 0.034)
and medial femur (p = 0.015) where they were significantly higher for DESS than
IW-TSE. Moreover, the prevalence of BML change at 24 months was similar in all
regions except the global knee (p = 0.047)
and the lateral tibial plateau (p = 0.031). Conclusion: This study does
not suggest superior sensitivity to change of one sequence over the other for
almost all the regions. The only difference is a higher BML mean change over
time detected by the DESS sequence in the medial compartment and femur. These
data bring into perspective that both sequences seem equivalent regarding
their use for the assessment of BML in clinical trials.


Primary objective: The aim of this study was to explore physical activity (PA) amongst children and young people with Down syndrome (DS). Method and procedures: The youth physical activity promotion model (YPAP) was used to inform semi-structured interviews to explore PA of children and young people with DS. Participants were three males and five females, aged between 6 and 21 years (16.38 + 5.04 years (mean + SD)) who had been diagnosed with the condition DS. Dyadic interviews were conducted with the participant and their parent(s). The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and inductive and deductive analyses of the data were completed. Main outcomes and results: The results were structured around the YPAP Model's key themes included: enabling factors (seasonal variation, transport, type of activity and independence); predisposing factors (enjoyment, social interaction, dislikes of PA, following instructions, and understanding of PA); reinforcing factors (support and opportunities, parents, and care providers); and barriers to PA engagement (ear problems). Conclusion: The children and young people with DS in the study typically only engaged in fun, unstructured activities. Key facilitators for PA participation were social interactions and parental support. Increasing the level of independence for people with DS within adolescence may have beneficial effects for PA participation in later life.


Abstract There is a growing recognition within higher education institutions of the importance of teaching as a core activity for trainee academics. This paper outlines and reports on a scheme which has been established to address the needs of postgraduate researchers who wish to build a career as university teachers. The scheme, now under review at the close of its first year of operation, is one which provides a potential model for other institutions. The paper includes extracts from a frank discussion involving participants in the scheme and highlights some of the practical difficulties which have occurred, in addition to the many benefits which are both expected in the future as well as some which are currently accruing


The proposed 2005 edition of the National Building Code of Canada specifies dynamic analysis as the preferred method for computing seismic design forces and deflections, while maintaining the equivalent static force method for areas of low seismicity and for buildings with certain height limitations. Dynamic analysis procedures are categorized as either linear (elastic) dynamic analysis, consisting of the elastic modal response spectrum method or the numerical integration linear time history method, or nonlinear (inelastic) response history analysis. While both linear and nonlinear analyses require careful analytical modeling, the latter requires additional considerations for proper simulation of hysteretic response and necessitates a special study that involves detailed review of design and supporting analyses by an independent team of engineers. The paper provides an overview of dynamic analysis procedures for use in seismic design, with structural elements, and hysteretic response. A discussion of the determination of structural period to be used in association with the equivalent static force method is presented.


A fraction of the visual information arriving at the retina is transmitted to the brain by signals in the optic nerve, and the brain must rely solely on these signals to make inferences about the visual world. Previous work has probed the visual information contained in retinal signals by reconstructing images from retinal activity using linear regression and nonlinear regression with neural networks. Maximum a posteriori (MAP) reconstruction offers a more general and principled approach. We develop a novel method for approximate MAP reconstruction by combining a generalized linear model of light responses in retinal neurons and their dependence on spike history and spikes of neighboring cells, with an image prior implicitly embedded in a deep convolutional neural network trained for image denoising. We use this method to reconstruct natural images from ex vivo simultaneously-recorded spikes of hundreds of ganglion cells uniformly sampling a region of the retina. The method produces reconstructions that match or exceed the state-of-the-art in perceptual similarity and exhibit additional fine detail, while using substantially fewer model parameters than previous approaches. The use of more rudimentary encoding models (a linear-nonlinear-Poisson cascade) or image priors (a 1/F spectral model) significantly reduces reconstruction performance, indicating the essential role of both components in achieving high-quality reconstructed images from the retinal signal.


Section I. Framework and Overview 1. Expanding Across Borders: The Growth of Cross-border Partnerships in Higher Education, Robin Sakamoto, Kyorin University and David W. Chapman, University of Minnesota 2. Higher Education Crossing Borders: A Framework and Overview of New Developments and Issues, Jane Knight, University of Toronto Section II. Moving Campuses (Instead of Students) Across Borders 3. Motivation and Aspirations for International Branch Campuses, Patricia W. Croom, Michigan State University 4. Joint Ventures in Cross-border Higher Education: International Branch Campuses in Malaysia, Jason E. Lane, University at Albany, SUNY Section III. Partnerships beyond the Classroom Research 5. Cross-border Higher Education and the Internationalization of Academic Research, Stephan Vincent-Lancrin, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Faculty Development 6. Fostering Organizational Change and Individual Learning through "Ground-Up" Inter-Institutional Cross-border Collaboration, Ann E. Austin, Michigan State University and Cheryl Foxcroft, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Quality Assurance 7. Cross-border Collaboration for Quality Assurance in Oman: Contested Terrain, Thuwayba Al-Barwani, Sultan Qaboos University, Hana Ameen, Oman Ministry of Higher Education, and David W. Chapman, University of Minnesota Section IV. Partnerships in Fields of Practice Health Care 8. Global Nursing: Sustaining Multinational Collaboration Over Time, Jane C. Shivnan, Johns Hopkins University and Martha N. Hill, Johns Hopkins University Business Administration 9. Making Cross-border Partnerships Work: The Case of China's Hong Kong System, Peter Fong, Hong Kong University and Gerard Postiglione, Hong Kong University Agricultural Extension 10. Collaboration for Instructional Technology Systems in Agriculture, Gauri Maharjan, United Graduate school of Agriculture, Iwate University and Robin Sakamoto, Kyorin University Section V: Partnerships in Pursuit of Benefits beyond the Campus Sustainable Development 11. Region-wide Education for Sustainable Development Networks of Universities in the Asia-Pacific, Ko Nomura, Nagoya University, Yoshihiro Natori, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, and Osamu Abe, Rikkyo University Poverty Reduction 12. Cross-border Collaboration in the Service of Human Capacity Development, Christopher S. Collins, UCLA Equity and Access 13. Cross-border Collaboration for Inclusive and Sustainable Higher Education: Searching for Priorities, Jouko Sarvi, Asian Development Bank Conclusion 14. The Future of Cross-border Partnerships in Higher Education, David W. Chapman, University of Minnesota and Robin Sakamoto, Kyorin University


Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease with distinct molecular subtypes that respond differentially to chemotherapy and targeted agents. The absence of high‐frequency molecular alterations and a limited number of known biomarkers have limited the development of therapeutic strategies for the disease. Herein, we summarize the results of the first round of targeted therapy approaches in TNBC and discuss new preclinical strategies. Common themes emerge from the proposed strategies, such as the use of biomarkers to identify tumours with genomic instability, targeting adapted molecular states resulting from tumour suppressor loss, and targeting altered metabolic pathways. Copyright © 2013 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We have investigated the influence of multimode fiber core (MMFC) diameters and lengths on the sensitivity of an SMS fiber based refractometer. We show that the MMFC diameter has significant influence on the refractive index (RI) sensitivity but the length does not. A refractometer with a lower MMFC diameter has a higher sensitivity. Experimental investigations achieved a maximum sensitivity of 1815 nm/ RIU (refractive index unit) for a refractive index range from 1.342 to 1.437 for a refractometer with a core diameter of 80 μm. The experimental results fit well with the numerical simulation results.