Introduction Coiling of very small (≤ 3mm) aneurysms is technically difficult and is reported to have a high intra-procedural rupture rate. This is related to both catheter stability inside the aneurysm and the small aneurysm size with inherent increased pressure on the aneurysm walls during coil delivery. Recently, a new range of extra-soft platinum coils SMART coil [PENUMBRA] have been introduced, which are supposedly extremely soft, cause less catheter displacement and conform better to the shapes of the very small aneurysms. We report the intraprocedural complication rates, angiographic results and clinical outcomes of 13 consecutive patients harbouring very small intracranial aneurysms (≤3 mm) treated with extra soft coils SMART(PENUMBRA) in a single neurosciences centre in NE England from Feb 2016 to Feb 2017. Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of the neurovascular database from 19 Feb 2016- 7 Feb 2017 identified 13 patients (with 13 very small aneurysms) treated with the extra-soft SMART (PENUMBRA) coil system. The relevant case notes, angiography, cross-sectional imaging and follow up clinic data was reviewed. In this group of patients we looked at the incidence of intra-procedural complications, the use of adjunctive devices, clinical outcomes, angiographic recurrences. Results 13 patients (8 Female and 5 male) harbouring very small intracranial aneurysms were treated with extra soft SMART (PENUMBRA) coils. Age range was from 43–71 years (median 54 years). There were 7 acutely ruptured and 6 unruptured aneurysms (3 neck remnants) comprising of 5 ACOM, 1 A1,2 M1,3 MCA and 2 Basilar aneurysms. 7 aneurysms measured 3mm, 5 aneurysms measured 2 mm and 1 aneurysm measured 2.5 mm in size respectively. 22 extra soft SMART (PENUMBRA), 3 soft SMART (PENUMBRA) and 1 Axium Prime (MEDTRONIC) coils were used for the treatment. 10 aneurysms were treated purely with the extra soft coil range, the other three aneurysms were treated with either the soft SMART or the Axium PRIME coils in addition to the extra soft coils. The average number of coils used per case was 2 coils. Adjunctive devices were used in 9 cases (6 balloons and 3 stents). Coils were delivered into these small aneurysms from the neck of the aneurysm. There was no microcatheter displacement during coil delivery. No re-sheathing or redeployment was needed in these cases. No intraprocedural rupture, coil migration, coil stretching, failure of coil detachment or intra procedural thrombosis was noted. All coils were detached. There was no mortality or procedure related morbidity in these patients with no change in the baseline mRs after the procedure. 6 month FUMRA/ catheter angiogram is available in 7/13 patients which revealed complete aneurysm occlusion with no remnants in 6 patients and a tiny neck remnant in 1 patient which is under observation. There are no rebleeds in this cohort of patients. Conclusion The extra soft SMART (PENUMBRA) coils appear to be safe and effective in the treatment of otherwise difficult to treat very small intracranial aneurysms. Selection of appropriate coil size and technique allows a favourable outcome in coiling of very small aneurysms. Disclosures: R. Padmanabhan: 3; C; PENUMBRA.


The ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra are given for 10 nm diameter colloidal particles of 52 of the metallic elements, calculated from the optical constants of the metals by means of Mie theory. For most of the elements the spectra cover the range 200–900 nm. Well resolved absorption bands are observed for colloidal Sc, Ti, V, Y, Cd, Eu, Yb, Hg and Th as well as for colloids of Cu, Ag, Au and the s-block metals. However, for the majority of the colloidal metallic elements in this size range there is only a continuous absorption in the visible range, rising to broad and poorly resolved absorption bands in the ultraviolet near 200 nm. The difference in the way that the spectra of colloidal particles of different metals change when the particle shape is varied from spherical to spheroidal is investigated systematically in the dipole approximation. This is achieved by means of contour plots of the absorbance cross-section for the particles vs. the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function for the metals, and this method of investigation is extended also to hollow spherical particles. The results suggest that Ca, Sr, Ba, Eu, Yb, Th and possibly Sc, Ti, V and Y may merit experimental investigation as new metals for exhibiting surface-enhanced Raman scattering.


Emergency medicine (EM) providers work in a fast-paced and often hectic environment that has a high risk for patient safety incidents and gaps in the quality of care. These challenges have resulted in opportunities for frontline EM providers to play a role in quality improvement (QI) projects. QI has developed into a mature field with methodologies that can dramatically improve the odds of having a successful project with a sustainable impact. However, this expertise is not yet commonly taught during professional training. In this first of three articles meant as a QI primer for EM clinicians, we will introduce QI methodology and strategic planning using a fictional case study as an example. We will review how to identify a QI problem, define components of an effective problem statement, and identify stakeholders and core change team members. We will also describe three techniques used to perform root cause analyses-Ishikawa diagrams, Pareto charts and process mapping-and how they relate to preparing for a QI project. The next two papers in this series will focus on the execution of the QI project itself using rapid-cycle testing and on the evaluation and sustainability of QI projects.


The main objective of the presented thesis was to investigate the applicability of mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques for the analysis of polymers. A variety of MS and tandem MS (MS/MS) techniques were utilized to gain accurate structural information from intricate macromolecular structures and to achieve the fragmentation behavior of several synthetic polymer classes such as various poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx), poly(ethylene imine)s (PEI), and poly(methyl acrylate)s (PMA). MS techniques was used to gain information about their molar mass distributions, PDI values, monomer units, macromolecular architectures, side chain substituents and end-group functionalities. ESI, APCI and MALDI MS were utilized in order to comprehensively analyze synthetic polymers in systematic comparison studies. Additional information about the fragmentation behavior and the stabilities of macromolecules were gained from energy-dependent CID experiments. Survival yield (SY) method was applied to several polymers for the first time and SY curves were shown as a useful tool to correlate the macromolecular structure of polymers to their fragmentation behavior. Moreover, energy dependent CID experiments were also performed successfully to analyze the gas-phase stabilities of various metal complexes. The relative complex stabilities were estimated depending on the nature of the coordinated ligands used in the synthesis of investigated metal complexes. The hyphenation of LC and MS techniques for comprehensive polymer characterization was shown for the case of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s (PEtOx). The characterization of PEtOx copolymers were accomplished by the coupling of a two dimensional chromatography (2D) technique (LCCC x SEC) to MS and MS/MS techniques. An important approach for the evaluation of the MSn data by a special interpretation software was described and the field of "Polymeromics" was introduced in detail with a number of examples.


Background: A scleral buckling procedure repairs retinal detachments by indenting the sclera under the retinal breaks. One of the complications is diplopia, which typically subsides once the muscle heals. Persistent diplopia lasting longer than three to six months is reported in 0.5% 25% of patients. Case Reports: The cases presented demonstrate the use of optometric vision therapy and/or prisms as effective treatment options for patients experiencing persistent diplopia and manifesting different magnitudes and directions of deviation. Conclusion: It is important to know when prisms and/or optometric vision therapy is indicated for patients with persistent diplopia secondary to scleral buckle surgery. Given the non-comitancy of the resultant deviations, optometric vision therapy activities modified to expand fusional reserves in all positions of gaze will help to minimize the diplopia and the final amount of prism prescribed for the patient. The two case reports suggest that patients with smaller vertical deviations could respond to passive optical treatment with compensatory prisms, while patients with larger vertical deviations may benefit from both optometric vision therapy and prism.


The sintering kinetics and microstructural evolution of alumina tubes (∼17 mm length, ∼9 mm inner diameter, and ∼11 mm outer diameter) were studied by conventional and microwave heating at 2.45 GHz. Temperature during microwave heating was measured with an infrared pyrometer and was calibrated to ±10°C. With no hold at sintering temperature, microwave-sintered samples reached 95% density at 1350°C versus 1600°C for conventionally heated samples. The activation energy for microwave sintering was 85 ± 10 kJ/mol, whereas the activation energy for conventionally sintered samples was 520 ± 14 kJ/mol. Despite the difference in temperature, grains grew from ∼1.0 μm at 86% density to ∼2.6 μm at 98% density for both conventionally sintered and microwave-sintered samples. The grain size/density trajectory was independent of the heating source. It is concluded that the enhanced densification with microwave heating is not a consequence of fast-firing and therefore is not a result in the change in the relative rates of surface and grain boundary diffusion in the presence of microwave energy.


Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources is essential to meet the demand for future food security. Advances in biotechnology have generated new opportunities for genetic resources conservation and utilization. Techniques like in vitro culture and cryopreservation have made it easy to collect and conserve genetic resources, especially of species that are difficult to conserve as seeds. While technologies like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have provided tools that are more sensitive and pathogen specific for seed health testing, tissue culture methods are now widely applied for elimination of systemic diseases such as viruses for safe exchange of germplasm. Molecular markers are increasingly used for screening of germplasm to study genetic diversity, identify redundancies in the collections, test accession stability and integrity, and resolve taxonomic relationships. The technology is also expanding the scope of genetic resources utilization.


Maintaining data security is a crucial social objective in the digital age. An emerging strategy to ensure adequate security is through breach notification laws, which require firms to provide notice upon discovering a security breach. These laws are pervasive. All fifty states, several federal laws, the E.U's GDPR and the OECD have incorporated notification schemes into an array of privacy and data security efforts. However, these laws are also in flux. Jurisdictions are constantly updating these laws by introducing new definitions, requirements and exceptions. In view of the important regulatory challenges ahead, this Article interrogates the structure and efficacy of the diverse set of data breach notification statutes and proposes an optimal regulatory path forward. In doing so, it provides crucial insights about both breach notification laws and theories about legal remedies more generally.

The Article begins by introducing the foundations of data breach notification statutes and their normative justifications. Here, it breaks new ground by offering a novel taxonomy of potential justifications. In particular, a breach notification statute can be designed to promote four distinct objectives: deterring firms from applying inadequate security ex ante, mitigating the harms caused to individuals ex post, driving information flows about security breaches to regulators and enhancing the autonomy of harmed individuals. Importantly, different regulatory design strategies determine which of these justifications is featured most prominently and, in many cases, promoting one objective undermines a different one. Further, this Article assesses conventional wisdom about breach notification statutes that frames these unique laws within more traditional legal remedies (such as negligence, reputational sanctions and strict liability). The Article demonstrates that these traditional legal paradigms fail to capture the uniqueness of breach notification. As a result, breach notification cannot be subsumed into these well-worn models.

Finally, the Article examines overlooked consequences of breach notification schemes. To start, the foundations of data breach notification statutes are complicated by central yet under-theorized (in this context) concepts from cybersecurity and tort law — moral luck and activity levels. The Article applies these concepts to the different normative justifications and demonstrates how breach notification risks unfairness and inefficiency. The Article concludes by demonstrating how these complications can be overcome and provides a roadmap for regulators to craft notification schemes that optimize their normative preferences while assuring fairness and efficiency.


We have shown that alloreactive CD8 T cell activation may proceed via CD4-dependent and CD4-independent pathways, and that CD8 T cell activation in Ag-primed animals is independent of CD154 costimulation. In this report, we further analyzed the activation and function of alloreactive CD8 CTL effectors in CD4 knockout (KO) skin/cardiac allograft recipients. FACS analysis showed that alloreactive CD8 T cells were activated at a significantly reduced level in CD4 KO mice. Importantly, these helpless CD8 T cells failed to develop CD154 blockade resistance following reactivation by the same alloantigen, indicative of defective memory formation. Only transient CD4 help was required, as short-term CD4 blockade at the time of first skin graft challenge only delayed alloreactive CD8 activation, without affecting the CD8 T cell memory response to a second skin graft. Moreover, postoperative CD4 blockade had no effect on alloreactive CD8 activation. Alloreactive CD8 cells generated in the absence of CD4 help exhibited decreased effector responses. Interestingly, intragraft induction of T cell-targeted chemokines early after transplant was also dependent on CD4 help, as the induction kinetics of CXCL9 and CCL5 in CD4 KO recipients was significantly delayed, coupled with similarly delayed infiltration by CD3/CD8 cells. Remarkably, helpless CD8 cells ultimately entering the graft still displayed significantly diminished T cell effector molecules (IFN- (cid:1) , granzyme B). Thus, CD4 help is critical for alloreactive CD8 activation, function, and memory formation. The Journal of Immunology, 2007, 179: 4529–4534.


Realizing the benefits of tree planting programs depends on tree survival. Projections of urban forest ecosystem services and cost-benefit analyses are sensitive to assumptions about tree mortality rates. Long-term mortality data are needed to improve the accuracy of these models and optimize the public investment in tree planting. With more accurate population projections, urban forest managers can also plan for cycles of tree planting, death, removal, and replacement to achieve canopy cover goals. Analytical tools from demography, such as life tables and mortality curves, could be used to improve our understanding of urban tree mortality and longevity. Demographic approaches have been widely used in forest ecology to quantify population dynamics and project future changes in wildland systems. This report is a primer on demographic concepts applied to urban trees, with terms and analytical methods adapted to the cultivated urban landscape. We include an overview of the uses of urban tree mortality rate data for research and management, a summary of lessons learned from ecological monitoring in other systems, and a discussion of opportunities for long-term urban forest monitoring by researchers and practitioners.


Purpose

As the awareness of environmental preservation and of sustainable development have become increasingly pronounced among various stakeholders, such as governments and communities, many businesses, in response, commence to introduce environmental-friendly measures and/or implement an environmental management system (EMS) in their daily operations. Even a service-oriented industry such as property management is no exception. To showcase their commitment to this cause, property management companies tend to obtain different environmental certifications. This study aims to investigate the effect of green property management, through environmental certifications, on property price.

Design/methodology/approach

The hedonic price model is used to determine the impacts of different environmental certifications on prices of selected residential properties in Hong Kong. Three districts from different parts of Hong Kong, including 16 private residential developments, are covered in this study.

Findings

The results show that ISO 14001 certification itself is not statistically significant in explaining property price. It is only when a property management company has obtained other local environmental management awards/certificates that varying levels of (positive) property price premiums are found. Nonetheless, the authors also find that controlling for other housing attributes, obtaining as many environmental certifications as possible does not necessarily result in the highest property price premium.

Research limitations/implications

Nonetheless, the data sample has its limitations, such as its relatively small size and the unavailability of housing attribute(s) such as orientations.

Practical implications

For the implications, the value of environmental management awards/certificates, from the perspective of the end-users of property management services, is based on the scopes of these environmental certifications; the promotional effort on the part of organizations behind these awards/certificates; the disclosure of information about the EMS itself and the assessment criteria; and the public's perceptions as to the companies' rationale behind such certifications.

Originality/value

The study has provided some insights regarding the effect of various management standard certifications in property management, from the perspective of the end-users of the service (i.e. homeowners and potential homebuyers). This serves as a reference for developers, property managers, buyers and users alike.


Introduction Heath care professionals (HCP) who use interpreters in reproductive health consultations with people of dissimilar cultural backgrounds often describe situations where interpreters and patients who speak the same language fail to convey intended meanings. Interpreters struggle to explain certain words, attempt to substitute taboo words or explain terms with paragraphs. This study aims to engage with refugees from Burma to critically examine the language and vocabulary of sexual health consults. Methods Using qualitative techniques, we interviewed 27 HCP (doctors, nurses, interpreters, social workers) involved with refugees from Burma. The interview guide drew from a conceptual framework based on principles of "humanization" of reproductive health care interlinked with ideas of "sustainable development". Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Research team members reached consensus on coding, content and thematic analysis and key results. Results Preliminary analysis yielded four themes including a) limited reproductive health vocabulary in some ethnic dialects from Burma b) use of euphemisms to increase cultural acceptance of reproductive health terms c) low levels of health literacy and frequent improvising with similes and metaphors for simplification d) deviation of interpreters from conduit roles to practitioner aids for smooth communication. For instance, the word for intercourse in Chin language is "hupa sual nak" with the literal meaning of "man and woman commit sin". Discussion of sexual intercourse thus requires skillful interpretation. Conclusion A close look at sexual constructs in an unfamiliar language highlights the imaginative resources used by interpreters to assist HCP in understanding patients' inner world. A real challenge is for the HCP to recognise the meaning when the words used mean something similar to both patient and interpreter but the verbatim translation loses accuracy. Awareness of nuances of sexual health vocabulary will create smooth sexual health dialogue, and generate greater rapport with the patient.


We have developed optoelectronic packages having optical waveguide holes with core-clad structures for chip-to-chip optical interconnection within computer systems. A rate of 10-Gb/s/ch chip-to-chip optical signal transmission has been demonstrated. The optoelectronic package we have developed consists of two guide pins and four-channel optical waveguide holes. The two guide pins are used to align an optical fiber connector with an optical device. The optical waveguide holes are used to transmit optical signals vertically through the optoelectronic package. Using the optical waveguide holes in the optoelectronic package, and high-quality signal transmission has been achieved.


In biological cells, various transmembrane enzymes function as highly effective chemical reactors confined in space with characteristic length scales of tens of nanometers to micrometer. However, it is still challenging to quantitatively confine membranes in compact reactor platforms without losing their biochemical functions. Here, a simple and straightforward strategy towards the fabrication of a new flow‐through reactor by the functional coating of porous silica microparticles with sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes is described. After a short incubation, the membranes achieve the homogeneous, full coverage of the particle surface, spanning across pores with the diameter of about 100 nm. By using the underlying pores as cavity reservoirs, transmembrane enzyme (Ca2+‐ATPase) in the membrane retains their capability of ATP hydrolysis. This enables us to confine 1.1 m2 of native membranes containing a large amount of Ca2+‐ATPase (approx. 10 nmol) in a column‐packaged, flow‐through reactor with merely 1.8 mL volume, which cannot be achieved by the reconstitution of proteins in artificial lipid membranes or condensation of membranes in suspensions. The distinct functional levels corresponding to different reaction buffers can be reproduced even after many buffer exchanges over 14 days, confirming the stability and reproducibility of the membrane‐particle hybrid reactors.


Orientation: South Africa has faced a number of discriminatory practices in the past. Most of these practices are still present today. Although a considerate amount of attention has been given to discrimination based on gender, race and religion, limited emphasis has been placed on discrimination based on disability, specifically within the workplace. Research purpose: The objective of the study was to explore the perceptions of individuals living with a disability with regards to career advancement challenges they face in the South African workplace. Motivation for study: The research literature shows that irrespective of employment equity legislation, employees with disabilities have restricted opportunities to advance in their careers. Research is needed to assist these employees with their career development. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research design with an exploratory approach was followed. Probability, purposeful and snowballing sampling techniques were applied in this study on 15 employed individuals with declared disabilities. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and the verbatim transcriptions were analysed by content analysis. Main findings/results: The findings indicated that people with disabilities generally experience career advancement challenges and reach career plateau. Managers and colleagues' lack of knowledge about disability has an adverse impact on the careers of people living with a disability. The study found that human resource practices, especially promotion opportunities, discriminate against employees with disabilities. Furthermore, the study further indicated that there is prejudice against invisible disabilities, and as a result, employees are reluctant to declare their disability. Practical implications: Human resource practitioners and managers need to recognise the influence that disabilities have on the career advancement of individuals living with a disability in order to assist such individuals in their own career development. Contribution: The findings of this study will help companies improve their practices on the integration and inclusion of employees with disabilities and also on decision-making regarding their careers.


This study, based on the time-series data covering the period from 1956 to 1986, estimates production function in the agricultural sector of Pakistan. The strategy for agricultural development in the country has been based on greater utilization of "high pay-off low-cost technology. The government advanced loans through financial institutions to make it possible for the farmers to acquire this technology. Despite the infusion of seed-fertilizer technology, per acre yield of major crops like wheat, rice, cereal and sugar-cane in Pakistan is lower than in most LDCs in the region. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of present technology has reached a plateau and it is time to look for additional inputs for improvement in productivity.


Background Interprofessional learning (IPL) can improve attitudes and awareness of other professionals' roles and may improve patient outcomes. Simulation is increasingly used for IPL and specific learning outcomes have been developed. This study aimed to measure undergraduates' attitudes to IPL, before and after, and team performance during, interprofessional simulation sessions. Methodology Final year students (50 medical, 47 nursing), in groups of 7 to 12, completed the KidSIM ATTITUDES tool1 before and after participating in a simulation session. Groups were divided into two mixed (medical/nursing) teams. One team undertook a 20 min scenario while the second team observed and scored their performance using the Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM).2 These roles were reversed for the second scenario. Reliability of both instruments was assessed by Cronbach's Alpha. We assessed pre-post changes in ATTITUDES scores using paired-sample tests. The association of student demographic factors with ATTITUDES score changes and TEAM ratings was investigated using ANOVA. Results The ATTITUDES scale showed good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.92). Total ATTITUDES scores showed a significant pre-post increase (paired t-test, p = 0.020) as did 25 of the 30 items (Wilcoxon rank sum test, p < 0.05). Total score increase was greater for those without prior team based learning experience (p = 0.011) and for White and Asian students (p = 0.007, p = 0.003) but did not vary with students' course, gender, prior IPL experience or session attended. Reliability of the TEAM score within small-group scenarios was moderate to good (Cronbach's α = 0.57–0.92). TEAM global score was unrelated to students' course, gender, ethnicity and age but was significantly lower in the first of the two scenarios (p = 0.001). Conclusions and recommendations Simulation-based interprofessional education improved attitudes to IPL in final year nursing and medical students. Observing and rating peers may improve students' teamwork skills. Funded through a Collaborative Teaching Development Grant awarded by the Higher Education Academy. References Sigalet et al. The KidSIM ATTITUDES questionnaire provides a reliable and construct valid measure of student perceptions of and attitudes toward IPE, teamwork, and simulation as a learning modality. Sim Healthcare 2012;7:353–358 Cooper et al. Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM) is a reliable and valid instrument designed to measure emergency resuscitation team performance. Resuscitation 2010;81(4):446–52 Cronbach L. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika 1951;16:297–334


This research investigates the effects of beam diffraction from a source of finite width on nonlinear Rayleigh wave propagation in an elastic half space. Previous work has shown that nonlinear ultrasonic Rayleigh waves can be used to evaluate material damage due to plastic deformation and fatigue. In this measurement, a relatively small wedge transducer is employed to launch Rayleigh surface waves in the specimen and the first and second harmonic amplitudes are measured in the far field as a function of propagation distance. In order to obtain a reliable set of measurement data, one needs to make numerous points in a wide range of distance, which can be impractical in many cases. This research investigates model is employed and the computation results are compared with experiment ones. This research will make measurements on 7075-T651 aluminum as a specimen, compensate the diffraction effects and then, will compare the feasibility of the method proposed in this research in the results of normalized second harmonic amplitude vs propagation distance.


The carbon monoxide (CO) gas sensing mechanism of the Au/MO/n-LTPS MOS Schottky diodes on a glass substrate has been studied with various metal oxides (MO) including SnO2, ZnO, and TiO2 as the sensing element. Because of the deposited SnO2 has the highest band gap and the largest surface to volume ratio morphology, thus leading the Schottky diode with SnO2 to gain the highest relative sensitivity ratio of ~546% to 100 ppm CO ambient under condition of 200°C and -3 V bias. These results are better or comparable to the reported CO sensors. We propose a band gap model to interpret the related sensing mechanism in details.


Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that signal by oligomerizing the apoptosis speck‐like protein with caspase recruitment and activator domain (ASC) and are involved in multiple inflammatory, metabolic and degenerative diseases. Pharmacological targeting of specific inflammasomes with small molecules is leading to the development of novel drugs for most common diseases. The targeting of ASC oligomers will result in a pan‐inflammasome treatment. In their study, Bertheloot et al (2022) developed specific anti‐ASC nanobodies and showed their efficacy to disaggregate already formed ASC oligomers and to treat inflammatory diseases in animal models. This approach represents a novel biologic‐based treatment for inflammasomes‐initiated inflammatory diseases.


Background: The main purpose of the present study was to further investigate study processes, learning styles, and academic achievement in medical students. Methods: A total of 214 (mean age 22.5 years) first and second year students - preclinical years - at the Asian Institute of Medical Science and Technology (AIMST) University School of Medicine, in Malaysia participated.  There were 119 women (55.6%) and 95 men (44.4%).   Biggs questionnaire for determining learning approaches and the VARK questionnaire for determining learning styles were used.  These were compared to the student's performance in the assessment examinations. Results: The major findings were 1) the majority of students prefer to study alone, 2) most students employ a superficial study approach, and 3) students with high kinesthetic and read-write scores performed better on examinations and approached the subject by deep approach method compared to students with low scores.  Furthermore, there was a correlation between superficial approach scores and visual learner's scores. Discussion: Read-write and kinesthetic learners who adopt a deep approach learning strategy perform better academically than do the auditory, visual learners that employ superficial study strategies.   Perhaps visual and auditory learners can be encouraged to adopt kinesthetic and read-write styles to enhance their performance in the exams.


In this paper, we report a pipeline, AsmMix, which is capable of producing both contiguous and high-quality diploid genomes. The pipeline consists of two steps. In the first step, two sets of assemblies are generated: one is based on co-barcoded reads, which are highly accurate and haplotype-resolved but contain many gaps, the other assembly is based on single-molecule sequencing reads, which is contiguous but error-prone. In the second step, those two sets of assemblies are compared and integrated into a haplotype-resolved assembly with fewer errors. We test our pipeline using a dataset of human genome NA24385, perform variant calling from those assemblies and then compare against GIAB Benchmark. We show that AsmMix pipeline could produce highly contiguous, accurate, and haplotype-resolved assemblies. Especially the assembly mixing process could effectively reduce small-scale errors in the long read assembly.


In this study while the relation of the Prophet Muhammad with the miracle was examined, the Qur'an was used as the basic reference source. It has also benefited from hadith and sources of Islamic history. As a result of this research, it is concluded that sending miracles belongs to Allah in the basis of Qur'anic verses, sensible/tangible miracles were given to the other prophets but Prophet Muhammad and that has not caused any deficiencies on the Messenger of Allah. From this point of view, Allah has given the Prophet Muhammad the Qur'an, which has impacts beyond the ages and is the only rational/spiritual miracle both as a source of messages and evidence and testimony of prophecy. Therefore, in this context, the miracles attributed to Prophet Muhammad outside the Qur'an as an effort of competing the prophets must be met with caution.


Since the seventies until the present many countries have experienced banking crises. These phenomena, which have been caused by a combination of both internal and external macro and microeconomic factors, have happened in both developed and undeveloped countries. They demonstrated the fragility of the financial system under the explosive growth in the volume of transactions and the growing complexity of financial instruments. This paper presents the factors that give rise to financial crises, outlines the decisions which the authorities initially took for its containment, as well as shows and analyzes the auction of financial assets as a strategy used to reduce the cost of resolution of itself.


Abstract Culicoides midges vector numerous veterinary and human pathogens. Many of these diseases lack effective therapeutic treatments or vaccines to limit transmission. The only effective approach to limit disease transmission is vector control. However, current vector control for Culicoides midges is complicated by the biology of many Culicoides species and is not always effective at reducing midge populations and impacting disease transmission. The endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis Hertig may offer an alternative control approach to limit disease transmission and affect Culicoides populations. Here the detection of Wolbachia infections in nine species of Culicoides midges is reported. Infections were detected at low densities using qPCR. Wolbachia infections were confirmed with the sequencing of a partial region of the 16S gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of Culicoides sonorensis Wirth and Jones adults and dissected ovaries confirm the presence of Wolbachia infections in an important vector of Bluetongue and Epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses. The presence of Wolbachia in Culicoides populations in the United States suggests the need for further investigation of Wolbachia as a strategy to limit transmission of diseases vectored by Culicoides midges.


Following the theory of techno-economic paradigm shifts (TEPS), this paper calls attention to the phenomenon of Commons-based peer production (CBPP). In the context of the current paradigm, it argues that civil society can play an important role in creating favourable conditions for a more sustainable global knowledge society. Approaching tentatively the ways in which 3D printing and other desktop manufacturing technologies can be used in CBPP, it also explores the ways in which the partnership with the state may provide a supportive innovative institutional basis for taking the maximum advantage of the emerging synergies in the vein of TEPS theory.


Adenocarcinoma of the appendix is a rare entity with a reported incidence of .03 to .08 per cent. A review of all appendectomies performed at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (a private community hospital) between 1963 and 1979 was undertaken to assess the efficacy of preoperative diagnosis. Six adenocarcinomas were found, consisting of five male patients and one female patient with a mean age of 65 years. Symptoms were present for 24 hours or greater in all cases. A preoperative diagnosis was not made in any patient. Three patients later required a definitive therapeutic procedure, and two patients died from metastatic disease during their initial hospitalization. The literature was reviewed to evaluate methods of preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis of appendical adenocarcinoma. A suspicion of carcinoma of the appendix should be entertained for patients over the age of 50 years who present with signs and symptoms of appendicitis for greater than 24 hours. A barium enema performed preoperatively and especially a frozen section at the time of surgery of any suspicious appendiceal lesions may improve the diagnostic accuracy and survival of patients with this disease entity. If preoperative or intraoperative diagnosis is made, the patient can be better prepared and definitive surgical therapy carried out. This avoids delay in treatment and a second operative procedure.


The iron and steel industry is a large energy user in the manufacturing sector. Carbon dioxide from the steel industry accounts for about 5–7% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emission. Concerns about energy consumption and climate change have been growing on the sustainability agenda of the steel industry. The CO2 emission will be heavily influenced with increasing steel production in the world. It is of great interest to evaluate and decrease the specific CO2 emission and to find out feasible solutions for its reduction. In this work, a process integration method focusing on the integrated steel plant system has been applied. In this paper, an optimization model, which can be used to evaluate CO2 emission for the integrated steel plant system, is presented. Two application cases of analysing CO2 emission reduction possibilities are included in the paper. Furthermore, the possibility to apply the model for a specific integrated steel plant has been discussed. The research work on the optimization of energy and CO2 emission has shown that it is possible to create a combined optimization tool that is powerful to assess the system performance from several aspects for the steel plant. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Despite the growing interest in the therapeutic value of sport, limited attention has been devoted to understanding the meanings that individuals attribute to their use of physical activity as a complementary therapy. In our analysis, we draw on literature in the sociology of lay knowledge in order to better understand the use of physical activity as a health practice among people with HIV/AIDS. Our objective is to move beyond a biomedical focus, and explore the social, cultural, and political dimensions of using sport and physical activity to negotiate illness. The themes that emerge illustrate the diverse significance of physical activity as a complementary approach to health. Our analysis indicates that research in the sociology of sport can make an important contribution to understanding the therapeutics of physical activity and sport for people with health problems.


Introduction: Diabetes mellitus remains a significant universal health problem. Globally, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is projected to grow from 135 million in 1995 to 300 million in 2025. Due to inadequate healthcare facilities and providers, poverty, and illiteracy coupled with increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, there is limited patient-physician contact time. As a result, patients with diabetes mellitus develop complications and die early in life due to poor management. This has grave economic implications as diabetes mellitus principally affects people in their most productive years of life. A cross-sectional and longitudinal study on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was carried out to demonstrate how diabetic management objectives can be achieved in a resource-poor environment by Increasing patient-physician contact time and with health education. Methods: One group of 105 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited and managed in the metabolic research unit (MRU), where health education was emphasised for five years, served as the intensively-treated cohort (ITC). Another group of 115 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were also recruited and managed over the same five-year period in the medical outpatient department (MOPD) of the same hospital, where there was patient congestion at the clinic, served as the control cohort (CC). The CC also reported to the MRU during their follow-up for measurement of their blood pressure and urinalysis. Other measurements for the CC were obtained from the MOPD on the same day of their visit to the MRU. Morbidities were recorded on recruitment, at each visit, and at the end of the study in each cohort. Results: There was a marked reduction of morbidity at the end of the study in the ITC (222 versus 106, p-value is 0.0013), compared to the CC (138 versus 130, p-value is greater than 0.05). There was also a significant reduction in the number of patients with individual morbidities in the ITC, while significant reduction was only noticed in hypertension, eye problems, neuropathies, infections/boils, and ulcer/blisters in the CC. In 85 percent of the ITC, plasma glucose clustered around the target of the study as compared to only 58 percent of the CC. Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus management objectives can be achieved by increasing both patient-physician contact time and health education in addition to other conventional forms of treatment, especially in a resource-poor environment.


Recent studies of 'design thinking' for management have criticized the current focus on principles and tools of design thinking, for creating an over-simplified view of a complex process. As a response, this paper sets out to study the empirical details of 'doing designing' in order to explore what 'managing as designing' involves in practice. Adopting a practice-based theoretical orientation, the paper presents findings from the design meetings of three residential refurbishment projects in the UK. The findings suggest that the management of design practices was accomplished through everyday interactions during which the nature and level of uncertainty of various issues were established, and the corresponding adaptive and innovative courses of actions were developed. Based on these insights, it is concluded that 'managing as designing' is primarily about facilitation of everyday organizational interactions, and leadership for the reconciliation of various concerns of multiple stakeholders.


Crystallins are the major water-soluble proteins in vertebrate eye lenses. These lens-specific proteins are encoded by several gene families, and their expression is differentially regulated during lens cell differentiation. Here we show that a cloned mouse y-crystallin promoter is active in lens explants derived from 14-day-old chicken embryos but inactive in a variety of cells of nonlens origin. We also show that sequences required for proper utilization of this promoter are contained between nucleotide positions -392 and +47 relative to the transcription initiation site; deletion of sequences from positions -392 to -171 completely abolishes promoter activity. Since chickens do not have y-crystallin genes, the expression of a mouse y-crystallin promoter in chicken lens cells suggests that different classes of crystallin genes may be regulated by common lens tissue-specific mechanism(s) independent of species.


Introduction Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare inherited disorder due to a defect in NADPH oxidase, resulting in recurrent, life-threatening invasive infections and granulomatous inflammatory disorders. Although CGD is diagnosed mostly in early childhood, its prognosis has now much improved, allowing a majority of patients to reach adulthood. Very few studies have focused on the long-term outcome of adult CGD patients. Objective To study the clinical course and sequelae at various time points (age 16, 20, 30 and beyond) of CGD patients, diagnosed before 16 years of age. Method A one-year (May 2012 to May 2013) French national retrospective study of CGD patients, diagnosed before the age of 16 years, and who had reached adulthood (defined as above 16 years of age) by the time of data collection. CGD patients were screened through the registry of the French national reference center of primary immune deficiencies (CEREDIH), and data were retrieved by reviewing medical charts and collected in a pre-defined case-report form. Results Eighty CGD patients (71 male (88.7%), 59 X-linked (73.7%), with a median NBT level of 0 [range:0; 15]) were included in the study. Median ages at diagnosis and last follow-up were 2.52 years [range: 0; 15.87] and 23.9 years [range: 16.61; 59.89], respectively. Seventeen patients (21%) were older than 30 years at time of last follow-up. Seven patients (8.8%) had undergone a hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). A total of 553 infections requiring hospital care (382 before age 16, and 171 thereafter), occurred among all patients during follow-up. The most common sites of infection were: pulmonary (31% of total infections, involving 77.5% patients), suppurative adenitis (24% of infections, 75% of patients), and cutaneous (16.2% of infections, 60% of patients). Aspergillus spp. (17%) and Staphylococcus aureus (10.7%) were the most common pathogens. These characteristics (sites and pathogens involved), as well as the annual frequency of infections, did not vary, when compared before and after age 16. When considering granulomatous events, a total of 224 inflammatory flares, mainly digestive (50%), pulmonary (16.7%) and urologic (10.3%), occurred among 71/80 (88.8%) patients. Thirty autoimmune events (mainly discoid lupus erythematosus) also occurred among 14/80 patients (17.2%). The median age of the first inflammatory event (12.5 years [range: 0.25; 44.2]) was much higher than that of the first serious infectious event (0.97 years [range: 0; 23.9]) (figure 1). The annual frequency of inflammatory events did not however significantly increase after age 16. Concerning the long-term consequences of such repeated infectious and steroid-treated inflammatory events, the main sequelae in CGD adults were a small adult median height and weight (167.5cm [range: 138; 185] and 56 kg [range: 35; 90] at age 20), as well as mild chronic restrictive respiratory failure (26.7% of chronic dyspnoea at the age of 30 years). At the age of 16 years, only 58% of patients were in high school. After 30 years, 9/13 (69%) patients were working, and 2 had had children. Ten patients died during adulthood at a median age of 23.6 years [range: 18.2; 45.4], most of them of infectious causes. Discussion & Conclusion Adult CGD patients display similar characteristics and rates of severe infections as during their childhood. As CGD patients grow older, inflammatory flares also become a major concern, because of an older age of appearance. The high rate of handicap that these repeated infectious and inflammatory events entail in adult CGD patients, now becomes a matter of medical and social considerations. A careful follow-up is thus recommended in specialized centers. Finally, HSCT and gene therapy should be more systematically considered in order to try to avoid long-term complications, which are responsible for major disabilities. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


ABSTRACT
AIM: Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in women world wide. Estrogen levels appear to be associated with an increased risk for the development of breast cancer. Tamoxifen (TAM), a non steroidal antiestrogen, is used as a chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agent for breast cancer. Propolis has been reported to be important antioxidant. This study aims to elucidate the protective effects of propolis on rat liver after treatment with TAM.
METHODS: Three groups of adult female albino rats were used; each containing 10 rats. Group 1 (control): rats were administrated with 0.9% NaCl. Group 2 (experimental): rats were received a diet with 20 mg/kg bw TAM. Group 3 (experimental): rats received a diet containing propolis (50 mg/kg bw) prior to daily TAM 20 mg/kg bw. Paraffin sections were used for histopathological studies.
RESULTS: Histopathological degenerative effects in the form of vacuolar degeneration, fatty changes and hydropic degeneration were noticed in TAM treated rat liver. Karyolysis and karyorrhexis were also seen. Dysplasia and chromatin clumping were observed in scattered hepatocytes. Histopathological and ultrastructural changes were diminished in rats treated with propolis prior to TAM.
CONCLUSION: The present study noticed the protective effect of propolis in improving the histological and ultrastructural changes of liver after treatment with TAM.


After much preparation and hard work, we are pleased to release this inaugural issue of the Journal of Gypsy Studies which is an international, peer-reviewed journal aiming to publish quality and rigorous research and scholarship, as well as intellectual conversations/interviews, book reviews, conference reports, viewpoints, and letters on the groups known as and associated with Gypsies. As the production of academic work pertaining to the cultural, social, economic, and political lives of Gypsies is increasing, there is a need for research and theoretical contributions that centre on issues of poverty, discrimination, the sedentary/nomad divide, migration, urban policies, and citizenship and identity, among others. This is particularly important as right-wing political parties are on the rise in many countries where Roma/Gypsies live. Universities that have been influential in Romani studies are being threatened with closure, and Roma/Gypsies face violent attacks and forced evictions everyday. Although some governments and international organizations engage more and more with Roma/Gypsy organisations and development and inclusion programs, tangiable change is rare on the ground. This journal has been created by the hard work and dedication of a small team of academics initiated by Basak Akgul, Doga Elcin, and Ibrahim Sirkeci in 2015 and among several brilliant colleagues who offered help and support, including Ozge Burcu Gunes, Deniz Eroglu Utku, Danielle V. Schoon, and Margarite Blignaut. We are grateful for their support as well as many colleagues who joined the editorial boards and served as reviewers.


The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) comprises ATP binding and transmembrane domains, and a unique regulatory (R) domain not found in other ATP binding cassette proteins. Phosphorylation of the R domain at different sites by PKA and PKC is obligatory for the chloride channel function of CFTR. Sequence similarity searches on the R domain were uninformative. Furthermore, R domains from different species show low sequence similarity. Since these R domains resemble each other only in the location of the phosphorylation sites, we generated different R domain patterns masking amino acids between these sites. Because of the high number of the generated patterns we expected a large number of matches from the UniProt database. Therefore, a relational database management system (RDBMS) was set up to handle the results. During the software development our system grew into a general package which we term Modular BioSQL (mBioSQL). It has higher performance than other solutions and presents a generalized method for the storage of biological result-sets in RDBMS allowing convenient further analysis. Application of this approach revealed that the R domain phosphorylation pattern is most similar to those in nuclear proteins, including transcription and splicing factors.


Electroencephalograms (EEGs) reflect the electrical activity of the brain. The problem of analyzing and interpreting the meaning of these signals has received a great deal of attention. Since EEG signals may be considered chaotic, chaos theory may supply effective quantitative descriptors of EEG dynamics and of underlying chaos in the brain. The complexity of the chaotic system can be characterized by complexity measure computed from the signals generated by the system. The complexity measures include the algorithm complexity of Kolmogorov and C1/C2 complexity. This paper gives one new complexity definition of partition algorithm complexity. The experiments proved that the method can distinguish health from diseases. Complexity measure not only provides a new method to analyze EEG signal, but also advances a new idea for diagnosing mental diseases


Based on the compaction test and unconfined compression test of cement soil, the optimum water content is ascertained. The relationship is studied about cement content, curing time and unconfined compression strengths, ultimate strain of compacted cement soil in this paper. The results indicate that the unconfined compression strengths increase in linear with the increase of curing time and cement content on the whole, and the ultimate strains decrease with the increase of cement content and curing time. The results provide theoretical basis for rational construction mixture ratio and parameter which have been successfully used to a project and achieved good economic benefit.


Simon Stevin (1558/59–1620) was a mathematician, physicist and engineer with an extremely wide spectrum of interest. His music treatise titled Vande spiegeling der Singconst was written in ca. 1600 but remained unpublished until the end of the19th century. This was the first European writing which defined the equal temperament with mathematical exactness, involving the ratio 12 √2 for half-tones and chromatic steps. This paper tries to show parallels between his music theory and his general way of thinking. It describes the highly contradictory and changing practical requirements and demands a theory of tone systems and temperaments had to meet; and it explains how Stevin, sacrificing much of the practical needs of the musician of his day for the simplicity of theoretical construction, discovered ingeniously equal temperament which was justified and generally accepted only two centuries later, with the development of musical style.


The response time of a rotor system on a magnetorheological(MR) fluid squeeze film damper was measured experimentally. The effects of rotating speed, step voltage and rotor imbalance on the response time were dealt with. It is shown that the MR fluid damper rotor system is a second-order dynamic system. The rapid response time defined by the time taken for the vibration amplitude to rise (fall) from 10 % (or 90%) to 90 % (or 10%) of the vibration amplitude difference between the initial and final states is 0.05~0.7s in applying a step voltage and 0.01~1.225s in dropping a step voltage, respectively. It is impossible for the response time to be within a few milliseconds. The response time is determined not only by magnetic field strength, MR fluid specification, rotational speed, but operation mode of the power supply. There is a zero initial delay time at either applying or dropping the step voltage, which is caused by the magnetizing or de-magnetizing process.


This paper aims at investigating the periodic wave solutions for the (3+1)-dimensional potential-Yu–Toda–Sasa–Fukuyama equation, from its bilinear form, obtained using the Hirota operator. Two major cases were studied from two different ansatzes. The 3D, 2D and density representation illustrating some cases of solutions obtained have been represented from a selection of the appropriate parameters. The modulation instability is employed to discuss the stability of got solutions. That will be extensively used to report many attractive physical phenomena in the fields of acoustics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, classical mechanics and so on.


Externalities of road traffic include congestion, accidents, conception of scare space. One of the measures to control these externalities are by Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). Clutter is the major problem for outdoor Radar operations and there is no standard measure to reject it. Moving Target Indicator(MTI) is a proven technique which currently used in airborne Radar ,the advantage of the Doppler frequency in MTI is used in ITS and the desired results has achieved. In this paper, we focus on Spread Spectrum (SS) technology in the base-band section and MTI in the RF section of Radar operation are combined as a hybrid technique for clutter rejection.


This paper presents a natural language processing (NLP) based cognitive decision support system that automatically identifies the status of a disease from the clinical notes of a patient record. The system relies on IBM Watson Patient Record NLP analytics and supervised or semi-supervised learning techniques. It uses unstructured text in clinical notes, data from the structured part of a patient record, and disease control targets from the clinical guidelines. We evaluated the system using de-identified patient records of 414 hypertensive patients from a multi-specialty hospital system in the U.S. The experimental results show that, using supervised learning methods, our system can achieve an average 0.86 F1-score in identifying disease status passages and average accuracy of 0.77 in classifying the status as controlled or not. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first system to automatically identify disease control status from clinical notes.


This article explores the outcomes of using participatory action research with youth (YPAR) as an entry point into Africana Studies. The author draws from empirical research and anecdotal narratives to document a program where youth of African descent in the US engage in Ethnic Studies through the lens of action research. Beginning with a tracing of the development of Ethnic Studies in the US, the author shows how combining Ethnic Studies and YPAR builds a dual-subjectivity within youth where they are subjects of their own curricular exploration and simultaneously developing a subjectivity as researchers and knowledge producers. The article highlights three major implications of this dual-subjectivity for the political agency of youth of African descent living in a midsized US city.


Nigeria is experiencing the reality of climate change more than ever with Sea level rise, coastal and riverine flooding; erosion and desertification as 'clouds of witnesses'. People's perception and experiences appears to be the core issues that will influence their climate change anxiety level, a potent factor behind climate action. The younger generation would have a larger share of this experience and propensity for the worst hit including women. This background necessitated the need for the development of a Climate Change Anxiety Instrument (CCAI) for secondary school students. This research attempts to develop and test a reliable and valid instrument that will assess students' level of anxiety towards the changes that climate change brings to bear on humans and the environment in general. The development phase, patterned alongside Computer Anxiety Scale (CAS) developed by Okebukola and Woda (1993), first involved 50 senior secondary school students and the final phase involved 90 senior secondary school students. Results compared students' learning outcomes using constructivism, pictorial/discussion and traditional techniques. Pedagogy significantly influenced students' climate change anxiety. The Tukey analysis shows pictorial/discussion significant differences among the group on climate change anxiety. Location significantly influenced students' level of climate change anxiety in favour of rural students.


A Study of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Materials at High Temperature Using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are promising energy conversion devices, but their economic viability depends on long term stability of the SOFC materials at the high operating temperatures. The in-situ study of materials degradation faces a great challenge because of the unavailability of analytical methods at those high temperatures. The traditional analytical techniques for degradation measurements are widely based on postmortem studies. The cells or cell materials are cooled down to room temperature and are then subjected to microscopy-based methods. Combining post-mortem analyses with cell modelling, several studies have reported the following microstructural degradations: (a) Lanthanum Strontium Manganite (LSM) particles, one of the most widely used cathode material, 'melt' or 'spread' at temperatures as low 850 0 C without the presence of a current flow on Yttrium Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) surface, (b) the Ni particle shapes change during oxidation of nickel to NiO and as a result of reduction of NiO to Ni during redox cycling, (c) the formation of nickel phosphide particles on the Ni/YSZ anode surface due to the presence of PH3 in coal syngas. However, these reports are limited due to the fact that analyses were done at room temperature rather at their high operating temperature. In this current study, cell materials were examined in-situ at high temperature using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope installed with a heating stage. High temperature images were collected for different cell materials such as silver paste, LSM particles, nickel oxide particles and secondary nickel phosphide phase formed on YSZ substrate. The images were analyzed by using ImageJ, an open source image processing software. An image analysis protocol was developed to analyze the cell materials images taken from 500 0 C to 1080 0 C. The image analysis provides both qualitative and quantitative insight of electrode/electrolyte interface. This novel approach of the SOFC materials study suggest that: (a) the absence of detectable microstructural changes in LSM particles as a function of temperature(no sign of 'melting'); (b) NiO particles do not shrink because of partial reduction of NiO to Ni under vacuum at high temperatures, (c) the nickel phosphide particles formed on the Ni/YSZ anode during PH3 exposure are predominantly Ni3P and the particles melt between 900 0 C and 1000 0 C. Based on the findings this study suggests that : (a) the frequently reported increase in polarization resistance at the LSM/YSZ interface with temperature is most likely due to the cation migration rather than formation of new layers because of particle melting or migration, (b) partial reduction of nickel oxide on YSZ surface does not cause crack formation due to the volume reduction, (c) the low melting temperature of nickel phosphide particles at Ni/YSZ interface suggests that during PH3 exposure nickel phosphide particles form inside the anode first and then migrate to the surface.


This paper explores the possibilities of a historical narratology of the life sciences – by analysing exemplary articles of two leading scientific journals of 19 th century Germany. Strikingly, the old tradition of constituting scientific knowledge through first-person narrative persists into the early 19 th century, although scientists develop empirical and experimental methods and abandon philosophical speculation as well as natural history. The paper argues that in the fields of geology, comparative anatomy and embryology, nature itself becomes processual and is therefore highly suitable for sequential representation; even decades before Darwin's epoch-making publication. Thus, two major functions can be attributed to homodiegetic narration: firstly, event sequencing within early experimental contexts reduces contingencies and produces coherent lines of thought. Secondly, the truth of the represented knowledge is authenticated by a first-person narrator who has witnessed everything with his own eyes. Hence, the explanatory and the persuasive function of epistemological narration are closely interlinked.


The idea that end-to-end computerisation can reduce public distribution system leakage has been theorised, but not yet examined in practice. This note tries to fill the gap by conducting a case study of the information technology system for PDS in Karnataka, which includes bac k-end software as well as a front-end interface. It reveals three drawbacks: machines can be tampered, there is limited monitoring of the early stages of the supply chain, and policy shifts cannot be achieved by technology alone. It concludes by drawing lessons for other states computerising their PDS.


In the present study pollen morphology of the Euphorbeaceae is treated as an additional character in taxonomy. Besides the greater part of the genera occurring in the system of PAX and K. HOFFMANN (1931), most of the genera published after 1931 are studied. The pollen grains have been described with the aid of a terminology as simple as possible. In principle the terminology of IVERSEN and TROELS-SMITH has been followed, although in addition, many improvements of ERDTMAN have been used. One of the simplifications is the rejection of POTONIE's term sculpture. All elements occurring on the endexine are called structure elements; all structure elements together form the structure of a pollen grain. For the sake of consequence endexine apertures and extexine apertures are discussed separately. Different pollen grains are placed in different pollen types. If the differences are of minor importance, the pollen grains are placed in subtypes. Several types can have some characters in common. To express the correspondences, these types are assembled in configurations. As the pollen types in Phyllanthoideae and Crotonoideae differ distinctly, the division of the Euphorbiaceae in these subfamilies is maintained in the discussion of the results. The Phyllanthodieae can be separated in three large groups of pollen types ( Antidesma configuration, Amanoa configuration and Aristogeitonia configuration), which agrees with the grouping of PAX in 1924. The remaining small configurations belong in taxonomic respect to the genera of the Antidesma configuration. In the Crotonoideae many genera possess pollen grains with a croton-pattern. These genera should be treated as a single group. Besides this natural group, the Plukenetiinae possess pollen grains which are clearly distinguished from other genera in the Crotonoideae. Pollen grains of Omphalea are similar to those in the Plukenetia configuration. This pollen-morphological result agrees with the opinion of CROIZAT. The remaining pollen grains in the Crotonoideae are less easy to differentiate in groups. One of the largest configurations is the Mallotus configuration, which includes most genera of the Acalypheae and several genera or other tribes. The Hippomane configuration is another large one. This configuration comprises the tribes Hippomaneae and Euphorbieae. The pollen grains of both tribes are very similar. The genus Pachystroma is pollen-morphologically as well as taxonomically related to the tribe Hippomaneae. Pera, treated as a separate tribe by PAX and K. HOFFMANN, is related by its pollen grains to some genera in the Acalypheae. Dalechampia is habitually related to the genera in the Plukenetiinae. Pollenmorphological data, however, do not support this relation. The pollen grains of Dalechampia are not similar to any other pollen type. The morphology of the pollen grains of the Stenolobeae is in agreement with the opinion of PAX, that any separation of these Australian genera is an artificial one.


We present HumMod Browser, a multi-scale exploratory visualization tool that allows physiologists to explore human physiology simulation data with more than 6000 attributes. We first present a tag cloud technique to reveal the significance of time-varying attributes and then study how a chain of tag clouds can form an exploratory visuailzation that assist multiple dataset comparison and query. One purpose is to reduce the high cognitive workload of understanding complex interactions within the large attribute space. The HumMod Browser produced can give physiologists flexible control over the visualization displayed for quick understanding of complicated simulation results. The visualization is constructed through the metaphorical bubble interface to allow dynamic view controls and the data relationships and context informaiton unfold as physiologists querying groups of connected bubbles within the hierarchical or causal relationships. HumMod Browser contributions to the interaction design and provides multi-scale coordinated interactive exploration for a new type of physiological modeling data. Two case studies have been reported with real datasets containing more than 6000 physiology attributes, which provide supportive evidence on the usefulness of HumMod Browser in supporting effective large-attribute-space exploration.


We propose precision gating (PG), an end-to-end trainable dual-precision quantization technique for deep neural networks. PG computes most features in a low precision and only a small proportion of important features in a higher precision. Precision gating is very lightweight and widely applicable to many neural network architectures. Experimental results show that precision gating can greatly reduce the average bitwidth of computations in both CNNs and LSTMs with negligible accuracy loss. Compared to state-of-the-art counterparts, PG achieves the same or better accuracy with 2.4× less compute on ImageNet. Compared to 8-bit uniform quantization, PG obtains a 1.2% improvement in perplexity per word with 2.8× computational cost reduction on LSTM on the Penn Tree Bank dataset. Precision gating has the potential to greatly reduce the execution costs of DNNs on both commodity and dedicated hardware accelerators. We implement the sampled dense-dense matrix multiplication kernel in PG on CPU, which achieves up to 8.3× wall clock speedup over the dense baseline.


This book presents asset-protecting strategies for the millions of investors spooked by the ongoing Enron debacle. The collapse of Enron - one of the most costly bankruptcy cases in history - has led millions of investors to question the safety of their portfolios and retirement plans. Investing in a Post-Enron World gives wary investors the tools they need to determine the safety of any investment and outlines a step-by-step program for ensuring that their portfolios are shielded from sudden disasters. The first Enron book specifically for investors, "Investing in a Post-Enron World" pulls no punches in telling investors what to buy and whom to trust, along with red flags to watch for. Its numerous methods for minimizing risk and over-exposure include: a quick course in investing and finance; guidelines for pulling the truth from financial statements; rules for "Enron-proofing" a portfolio through diversification; simple techniques for valuing a company and its stock; ways to manage downside risk; and how to become a "financial sleuth".


Underwater visual surveys are widely used to estimate reef fish abundance. Using data from repeated surveys of coral reef sites on West Hawai'i, we assessed one possible factor driving variation among and within observers' counts, namely the level of observers' previous survey expe- rience. Increasing experience was associated with higher estimates of species richness and of abun- dance for some but not all taxa, but no systematic change in intra-observer variability. Least experi- enced observers counted 66 to 71% as many Acanthuridae, Labridae, and benthic Pomacentridae as the most experienced observers, and only 44% as many Holocentridae, those taxa being numerically dominated by small, mobile, or cryptic fishes. In contrast, there was no effect of experience level on counts of more conspicuous or slow-moving taxa: Chaetodontidae, Chromis, and Cirrhitidae. Experi- ence bias is unlikely to be a major problem for survey programs that pool data from multiple observers with broadly similar levels of experience, other than that all sources of difference among observers contribute to increased data variability and consequently lowered statistical power and precision. However, experience bias clearly could be a serious issue for survey or monitoring pro- grams that begin with largely inexperienced survey divers who gain experience and, consequently, tend to count more fish as the program matures. While experience level is not the only factor causing differences among observers, it is relatively easy to recognize and therefore to mitigate.


Abstract. In the past 2 decades a new modern scaling technique has emerged from the highly developed theory on the Lie group of transformations. This new method has been applied by engineers to several problems in hydrology and hydraulics, including but not limited to overland flow, groundwater dynamics, sediment transport, and open channel hydraulics. This study attempts to clarify the relationship this new technology has with the classical scaling method based on dimensional analysis, non-dimensionalization, and the Vaschy–Buckingham-Π theorem. Key points of the Lie group theory, and the application of the Lie scaling transformation, are outlined and a comparison is made with two classical scaling models through two examples: unconfined groundwater flow and contaminant transport. The Lie scaling method produces an invariant scaling transformation of the prototype variables, which ensures the dynamics between the model and prototype systems will be preserved. Lie scaling can also be used to determine the conditions under which a complete model is dynamically, kinematically, and geometrically similar to the prototype phenomenon. Similarities between the Lie and classical scaling methods are explained, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the techniques are discussed.


Cerebral Malaria (CM) is a clinical syndrome defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a potentially reversible diffuse encephalopathy characterized mainly by coma and the presence of asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in peripheral blood smears in the absence of other causes of encephalopathy. A wide range of clinical manifestations follows the disease including cognitive, behavioral and motor dysfunctions, seizures and coma. The underlying mechanisms of CM pathogenesis remain incompletely understood although vascular, immunological and metabolic changes have been described. The classical treatment of CM is based on the administration of antimalarial drugs, especially chloroquine and artemisinin derivates as artesunate. Even with treatment, 15 to 20% of children with CM die and approximately 10 to 17% of those who survive remain with significant long-term cognitive impairment. In this context, neuroprotective and adjuvant therapies have been recently investigated in clinical and experimental studies of CM in an attempt to improve cognitive outcome. A poor understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms, properties of compounds used and patient selection have contributed to the lack of success of these interventions. This review discusses clinical aspects of cognitive sequelae, possible mechanisms involved in the brain injury, perspectives and limitations regarding the pharmacological strategies to improve cognitive outcome in CM.


Aortic arch obstruction and bronchial compression are possible postoperative complications in patients with truncus arteriosus communis (TAC) with interrupted aortic arch (IAA). We present a case of bronchial compression as adverse effect of right pulmonary artery (PA) stenting in an infant with TAC (Type 4A)-IAA (Type B) repair. Due to growth potential, self-expandable metal stent was applied for postoperative proximal right PA stenosis, which caused bronchial compression. Later, we found patient having bronchomalacia. Surgical removal was needed. Stent insertion might be an option for postoperative PA stenosis, but bronchial compression might be a potential risk, particularly in patients with bronchomalacia.


This article attempts briefly to review the main areas in which population trends in post-war Poland have raised or impinged on political issues. It is divided into the following seven subsections: (1) demographic background; (2) evolution of policies on population questions; (3) economic effects; (4) ethnic relations; (5) foreign relations; (6) ideology; and (7) population policy debates and dilemmas. This particular scheme has been adopted in order to facilitate a comparative approach to these problems for the socialist countries of Europe (including the USSR).1 Consequently the neatness of fit tends to vary slightly from item to item and country to country. Thus sections (4) and (5) are included here, though their inherent importance from a narrowly Polish perspective might not strike one as overwhelming. Within the broad and diffuse field of overlap between politics and demography, particular emphasis is concentrated on numerical demographic trends rather than qualitative ones; and the implicit criterion of relevance universally applied is political sensitivity. Thus, for example, fluctuations in manpower supply and discussions of pro-natalism in population policy are given special consideration as being both more "numerical" and politically more sensitive, whereas problems like the stagnation of small towns and the plight of elderly and socially isolated farmers tend to be neglected as being both more qualitative than quantitative (or, perhaps, as more sociological than demographic), and more directly social than political. Insofar as social issues of this type enter into debates on population policy as such, they are reviewed in section (7).


The present study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of endothelin (ET) to the pharmacodynamic response to chronic cigarette smoke in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The contribution of ET was studied consequent to the hemodynamic response following 8 weeks of cigarette smoke by determining the changes in tissue ET-1 content and ET receptors. The blood pressure (BP) at the early phase of smoking and the heart rate (HR) 24 h later were apparently reduced in SHR, while the HR at the early phase was transiently elevated in normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. Tissue ET-1 levels in the hypothalamus, striatum, and cortex of SHR were higher than those in WKY rats, and these higher levels in SHR were reduced by exposure to chronic cigarette smoke. The ET-1 contents in the medulla oblongata and midbrain of both strains were clearly increased by smoke exposure, although the levels of SHR and WKY rats were not different. In addition, the immunoreactivity of the ET type A receptor in the adrenal glands and type B receptor in the kidneys of SHR showed a different response to smoke exposure as compared to WKY rats. Our present findings suggest that the changes of ETs may relate to the pharmacodynamic effects of chronic cigarette smoke.


Personal computing devices, such as smart-phones and PDAs, are commonplace, bundle several wireless network interfaces, can support compute intensive tasks, and are equipped with powerful means to produce multimedia content. Thus, they provide the resources for what we envision as a human pervasive network: a network formed by user devices, suitable to convey to users rich multimedia content and services according to their interests and needs. Similar to opportunistic networks, where the communication is built on connectivity opportunities, we envisage a network above these resources that joins together features of traditional pervasive networks and opportunistic networks fostering a new computing paradigm: opportunistic computing. In this article we discuss the evolution from opportunistic networking to opportunistic computing; we survey key recent achievements in opportunistic networking, and describe the main concepts and challenges of opportunistic computing. We finally envision further possible scenarios and functionalities to make opportunistic computing a key player in the next-generation Internet.


This resistance by tests to simulate the sputtering thickness distribution and the relative value, we try to reduce the degree of uneven thickness by designing baffle shape for the coating equipment. In view of the structural characteristics of the device and the deposition of complex principles, theory and practice there are still some gaps, according to the measured data (resistance value) to be constantly revised to optimize and baffle design to achieve greater uniformity of product thickness. For example, to meet the resistivity greater than or equal 9.6 Ω and the average transmittance above 80%, TiO2/Ag/TiO2 film fully met the requirements of practical applications by applying improved baffle. Concluding remarks are stated at the end of the abstract text. Based on the use of a simple baffle design and improvement, we had achieved good results in mastering the sputtering parameters.


This thesis assesses pyrolysis pathways for the production of second generation biofuels and for carbon storage in the form of biochar under thermodynamic, environmental and economic aspects. Process simulation is used for modelling the conversion plants and as principal data source for the assessments. For this purpose, both the pyrolysis plants and the biorefinery for upgrading the bio-oil are simulated in Aspen Plus. Focus is put on the pyrolysis plant, for which a predictive kinetic reaction model is developed. This permits the calculation of product yields and compositions for the pyrolysis of any lignocellulosic feedstock as a function of its biochemical composition and the reactor conditions. The reaction model is validated successfully against existing literature data and with a series of own experiments. Exergy analysis methodology is used for assessing the efficiencies of the processes and identifying improvement potentials on a component level of the plants. The environmental assessment follows the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and evaluates the environmental impacts and benefits of the bioenergy products in comparison with fossil fuel alternatives and with alternative use options for the biomass feedstock. Finally, an economic assessment gives an idea of the competitiveness of the pyrolysis products with conventional fuels and therewith potential needs for subsidies. The production of synthetic biofuels via fast pyrolysis and hydrotreatment shows exergetic efficiencies well above those published for alternative second generation biofuel processes. Under environmental aspects, it nearly reaches a 60% GHG reduction potential in comparison with fossil fuels while still showing significant improvement potential. The estimated final fuel cost can be competitive with fossil fuels if a continuous operation of the plants can be achieved. Processing the biomass in a slow pyrolysis plant to biochar and heat shows a higher exergetic efficiency and higher GHG saving potential than the production of synthetic fuels via fast pyrolysis. On the other hand, it leads to increased environmental impacts in other categories. Economic viability cannot be achieved for the slow pyrolysis biochar process at current fossil fuel prices. In any case, the use the biomass resource for other energetic purposes like co-firing or cogeneration shows potentially higher environmental benefits and could be the better alternative than its processing to biofuels or to biochar for soil application.


We systematically investigated the structure formation pathways and transient morphologies involved in the formation of mesoporous membranes by the self-assembly of block copolymers during nonsolvent-induced phase separation. Using AFM, SEM, and in situ synchrotron SAXS, we mapped the topological paths and characteristic transient structures into a ternary phase diagram. We focused on the stability region of an ordered pore phase which is relevant for the generation of integral asymmetric isoporous membranes. We could identify several characteristic morphologies, i.e., spinodal networks, sphere percolation networks, ordered pore structures, and disordered and ordered cylinder arrangements together with transient structures connecting their stability regions. With given evaporation rates for the pure solvents, we calculated the corresponding composition trajectories in the phase diagram to identify suitable experimental conditions in terms of initial polymer volume fraction, solvent composition, and immers...


Survival of exposure to methylglyoxal (MG) in Gram‐negative pathogens is largely dependent upon the operation of the glutathione‐dependent glyoxalase system, consisting of two enzymes, GlxI (gloA) and GlxII (gloB). In addition, the activation of the KefGB potassium efflux system is maintained closed by glutathione (GSH) and is activated by S‐lactoylGSH (SLG), the intermediate formed by GlxI and destroyed by GlxII. Escherichia coli mutants lacking GlxI are known to be extremely sensitive to MG. In this study we demonstrate that a ΔgloB mutant is as tolerant of MG as the parent, despite having the same degree of inhibition of MG detoxification as a ΔgloA strain. Increased expression of GlxII from a multicopy plasmid sensitizes E. coli to MG. Measurement of SLG pools, KefGB activity and cytoplasmic pH shows these parameters to be linked and to be very sensitive to changes in the activity of GlxI and GlxII. The SLG pool determines the activity of KefGB and the degree of acidification of the cytoplasm, which is a major determinant of the sensitivity to electrophiles. The data are discussed in terms of how cell fate is determined by the relative abundance of the enzymes and KefGB.


In this paper I present conditions, not involving common knowledge of rationality, that lead to (correlated) rationalizability. The basic observation is that, if the actual world belongs to a set of states where the set Z of action profiles is played, everyone is rational and it is mutual knowledge that the action profiles played are in Z, then the actions played at the actual world are rationalizable actions. Alternatively, if at the actual world the support of the conjecture of player i is Di, there is mutual knowledge of: (i) the game being played, (ii) that the players are rational, and (iii) that for every i the support of the conjecture of player i is contained in Di, then every strategy in the support of the conjectures is rationalizable. The results do not require common knowledge of anything and are valid for games with any number of players.


The use of foam as a drilling fluid was developed to meet a special set of conditions under which other common drilling fluids had failed. Foam drilling is defined as the process of making boreholes by utilizing foam as the circulating fluid. When compared with conventional drilling, underbalanced or foam drilling has several advantages. These advantages include: avoidance of lost circulation problems, minimizing damage to pay zones, higher penetration rates and bit life. Foams are usually characterized by the quality, the ratio of the volume of gas, and the total foam volume. Obtaining dependable pressure profiles for aerated (gasified) fluids and foam is more difficult than for single phase fluids, since in the former ones the drilling mud contains a gas phase that is entrained within the fluid system. The primary goal of this study is to expand the knowledge-base of the hydrodynamic phenomena that occur in a foam drilling operation. In order to gain a better understanding of foam drilling operations, a hydrodynamic model is developed and run at different operating conditions. For this purpose, the flow of foam through the drilling system is modeled by invoking the basic principles of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. The model was designed to allow gas and liquid flow at desired volumetric flow rates through the drillstring and annulus. Parametric studies are conducted in order to identify the most influential variables in the hydrodynamic modeling of foam flow.


Manganese (Mn) toxicity is a potential limitation to plant growth on acidic and poorly drained soils. Five laboratory experiments using such soils were conducted to examine the influence of soil temperature, pH and water potential on the redox reactions of Mn and the potential for Mn toxicity. The microbial inhibitor sodium azide was used in some experiments to assess the role of microorganisms in these reactions. The reduction of Mn oxides (MnOx) during waterlogging was faster at 20°C and 30°C than at 10°C or 4°C. Sodium azide slowed the reduction of Mn oxides at 20°C and 30°C during waterlogging but had little effect at 4°C and 10°C, suggesting that microbial MnOx reduction during waterlogging was minimal at the lower temperatures. Re-oxidation of Mn2+ in soil drained after severe waterlogging was only observed in soil not treated with sodium azide, indicating that even when very high concentrations of Mn2+ were present, Mn2+ oxidation was still microbial. Prior liming of aerobic soil established lower starting concentrations of water-soluble plus exchangeable (WS+E) Mn2+ and slowed the reduction of Mn oxides during subsequent waterlogging. After drainage, rapid re-oxidation of Mn2+ was observed in all lime treatments but was fastest at the two highest lime rates. In the fourth and fifth experiments, interactions between temperature and water potential were observed. When waterlogged soils were drained to –5 and –10 kPa, re-oxidation of Mn2+ occurred at both 10°C and 20°C. At –1 kPa, there was no net change in WS+E Mn2+ at 10°C, whereas at 20°C, the concentration of WS+E Mn2+ increased, possibly due to the lower concentration of O2 in the soil water at the higher temperature. In the fifth experiment, at 4°C and 10°C there was little or no effect on Mn reactions of varying water potential from –1 to –1500 kPa, but at 20°C and especially at 30°C, both Mn2+ oxidation and Mn oxide reduction were slowed at –1500 kPa compared with the higher water potentials. Overall, the experiments show that a delicate balance between the microbial oxidation of Mn2+ and the reduction of Mn oxides can exist, and that it can be shifted by small changes in soil water potential along with changes in temperature and pH.


Conventional tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) measure the air pressure in each tire of a car with a sensor mounted on the rim. In future, advanced tire monitoring systems (ATMS) will measure additional data like tire tempera- ture, contact area, vertical load, and slip angle. As a consequence, ATMS modules must be mounted directly at the tire tread. Furthermore, tire identification and lifecycle management via radio frequency identification (RFID) will be enabled. To design appropriate antennas for these applications, it is mandatory to investigate the interaction of antennas with the tire. Therefore we explore the tire structure and the dielectric material properties of the tire rubber. In this contribution the characterization of the dielectric tire materials using an open-ended coaxial probe is presented. We measure the reflection coefficients for each rubber tire layer and determine the relative permittivity and loss tangent by a numerical curve fitting method. The dielectric properties of each rubber layer are measured for a standard and a run-flat tire.


The introductory part of the article is dedicated to the analysis of the external structure of the lecture on the ecclesiastical power. Are describing the date of the lecture, its place among others relectiones of Vitoria, the lists of the authorities and adversaries of the Dominican Theologist. In the principal part of the article are analyzing the crucial pillars of the theory of Church Power elaborated by Francisco de Vitoria. The theory of power formulated by this thinker had represented a new stage in the development of European Political Thought of Modernity. First of all, Vitoria denies the identity of the concepts of potestas and potentia and declares that the potestas consists from potentia, some preeminence and the auctoritas. Thus, the auctoritas became to be considered as a principal part of the potestas or, at times, its complete synonyms. The next crucial point marked in the article is the idea of the separation of Church and State. Vitoria considered the Church as an autonomous system (he said, "the Christian Commonwealth"), which had the same rights and privileges as the State. At the same time, when the State enters in the political collapse, is the Church (or, more precisely, a Pope) who should take the power and lead the State to its normal position. The State, in its turn, can rule the clergy in the causes concerning the civil administration, because the king "is the king not only for laymen but also for a clergy".


Group size is known to correlate with various indices of brain size in the primates. The possibility that increases in group size foster social complexity forms the central empirical topic of this thesis. A ten month field study of olive baboons, Papio cynocephalus anubis, was carried out on the Laikipia Plateau, Kenya. Data were collected on a wide range of social behaviours in two troops, one smaller than the mean group size for Papio and one larger. The concepts of complexity and social complexity are critically examined with a view to their quantification in behaviour and cognition. The status of social complexity in the debate concerning the evolution of high intelligence in the Primate Order is discussed. Dimensions of social complexity are developed and then investigated empirically. Females in the two troops showed similar grooming frequencies and grooming network sizes. However, the troops differed in the patterning of their grooming with respect to rank: individuals in the small troop groomed those of high rank, individuals in the large troop groomed those of rank similar to themselves. Cluster analysis of spatial proximities showed no sign of cliquishness in ei ther troop. Females formed associations with particular males ('friendships') in both troops but there were no clear differences in either the number or stability of these associations. The rate of interaction was higher in the large troop, but, proportional to total interaction rates, the rates of agonistic and polyadic interactions were not. The rate of interaction was higher for adult and sub-adult females than for adult and subadult males In comparison, the proportion of interactions that were agonistic was greater for the adult and sub-adult males. The variability of response to affiliation that individuals faced was the same across the two troops. Males, however, faced more variability than did females largely because of a high number of avoidant responses. The absence of strong differences in social complexity between differently sized troops suggests that, proximally, cognitive complexity limits social complexity. Thus, interspecific comparisons may prove to be the most fertile area of research into complexity in the future.


Despite the centrality of translations in introducing Marxist ideas, we know little about the agendas that shaped them. This paper investigates how reviews of translated Marxist theoretical texts, issued between 1927 and 1934 by the Communist Party of Greece, were utilised in a struggle to appropriate Marxist discourse from its rivals. Drawing on Foucault's procedures of discourse control, and calling attention to power struggles among forces with counterhegemonic ideas, the paper analyses the party's rules and conditions under which it was legitimate for a translator to carry out a translation and for the translation to enter political discourse. It will be argued that political tensions triggered changes in reviewing practices and efforts to renew translation quality criteria. These tensions shaped contemporary debates on the correct interpretation of Marxism and helped advance the party's position (a) by calling on readers to disregard earlier translations issued by political rivals; (b) by constructing its own translations as truth-objects; and by fashioning itself as the gatekeeper of Marxism. Studying translation reviews allows us to extend our understanding of the complexities of discourse formation, to trace the history of discourses, to document how knowledge can be a resource in power struggles, and to understand how power struggles can recast discursive practices.


In 1993, Sweden commenced the unprecedented practice of using Language Analysis (LA) as evidence in refugee status determination. Since that time, Western governments trying to cope with the perceived refugee crisis have similarly adopted the tool to corroborate and undermine the nationality claims of asylum seekers crossing borders without identity documents. During this same period, language professionals, lawyers, various news media, and others across the globe have proceeded to fuel international controversy on the subject, largely challenging the linguistic integrity of the tool, while investing less energy addressing the political context of use, as well as the implications for violations of refugee rights. In 2007, Canada reflected prioritized concerns for efficiency when it made public a pilot project to address the value of this language tool in aiding status decision-making.

This paper interrogates the Canadian efficiency paradigm through the Australian lens of LA in practice. In exposing the ethical and legal sites of likely disengagement should Canada proceed with implementation, this paper cautions against LA becoming the most recent assault on a Canadian protection regime already under siege.