PV temperature significantly affects the module's power output and final system yield, and its accurate prediction can serve the forecasting of PV power output, smart grid operations, online PV diagnostics and dynamic predictive management of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. This paper presents a dynamic PV temperature prediction model based on transient Energy Balance Equations, incorporating theoretical expressions for all heat transfer processes, natural convection, forced convection, conduction and radiation exchanges between both module sides and the environment. The algorithmic approach predicts PV temperature at the centre of the cell, the back and the front glass cover with fast convergence and serves the PV power output prediction. The simulation model is robust, predicting PV temperature with high accuracy at any environmental conditions, PV inclination, orientation, wind speed and direction, and mounting configurations, free-standing and BIPV. These, alongside its theoretical basis, ensure the model's wide applicability and clear advantage over existing PV temperature prediction models. The model is validated for a wide range of environmental conditions, PV geometries and mounting configurations with experimental data from a sun-tracking, a fixed angle PV and a BIPV system. The deviation between predicted and measured power output for the fixed-angle and the sun-tracking PV systems was estimated at −1.4% and 1.9%, respectively. The median of the temperature difference between predicted and measured values was as low as 0.5 °C for the sun-tracking system, and for all cases, the predicted temperature profiles were closely matching the measured profiles. The PV temperature and power output predicted by this model are compared to the results produced by other well-known PV temperature models, illustrating its high predictive capacity, accuracy and robustness.


A 42-year-old man presented to the emergency department with palpitations, arthralgias, and vomiting 2 hours after scuba diving to a depth of 26 m. The physical examination revealed diffuse violaceous skin mottling over his trunk and arms (Panel A). Laboratory values were notable for mild elevations in levels of serum aminotransferases, creatine kinase, and lactate. Given the extent of the nausea and vomiting as well as the elevated lactate level, abdominal computed tomography was performed, which showed air in the portal venous system (Panel B). The skin mottling, also known as cutis marmorata, is a recognized dermatologic manifestation of decompression sickness. Air in the portal venous system can also be a complication of decompression sickness. Its incidence is unknown, since abdominal imaging is not routinely performed for this diagnosis. The air in the portal system is thought to arise when a diver ascends too quickly and air expands rapidly, which damages the surrounding tissue. The patient underwent treatment with hyperbaric oxygen. The skin mottling and abdominal pneumatosis resolved after two sessions in the hyperbaric chamber.


:  The deduplication of data is the technique used for avoiding the redundancy of data by placing only one physical copy in the cloud storage. The data uploaded by the users are compared to the history of data in the cloud storage and it is ideal for highly redundant operations like backup which requires repeatedly copying and storing the same data set a number of times for purpose of recovery. To protect the data and to ensure confidentiality while supporting deduplication, convergent encryption technique has been designed to encrypt the data and this encrypted data will be stored in the cloud. The concept of convergent key is  used to ensure the confidentiality  and authenticity of the secure deduplication system.The concept of master key is used which enables us to protect the convergent key sent by the third party to the users and this ensures the authenticity of the convergent key Dekey is the derived key, which is the second approach, in which users do not need to manage any keys on their own but instead securely distribute the convergent key shares across the hash table .


This paper describes data from the Community Mapping Project (CMP), a set of activities within a summer seminar for high school students. CMP was designed based on the principles of culturally relevant pedagogy to create conditions where students themselves would recognize the relevance of statistics in identifying and describing inequities that face their communities. Using mixed methods we analyzed pre- and post assessments, final projects and process data from video case studies to begin to understand how this learning was organized for the 21 twelfth graders participating in this project. Our qualitative analysis revealed several tensions that emerged between the social justice goals and statistical goals and how those tensions mediated learning. The article may help inform both teachers who wish to rethink their statistics pedagogy, and the designers of culturally relevant curricula.


Background: Previous studies have assessed physical activity participation from a self-determination theory perspective. However, no study has yet determined whether individuals who engage in sufficient physical activity to obtain substantial health benefits (i.e., health-enhancing physical activity or HEPA) differ from those who do not engage in such physical activity in terms of their motivational regulations and psychological needs satisfaction. Purpose: The primary purpose of the current study was to determine whether differences in motivation and psychological needs satisfaction exist between individuals who engage in HEPA and those who do not. Secondarily, we assessed whether each of the motivational regulations would mediate the relationships between needs satisfaction and HEPA. Method: The study employed a cross-sectional design, as 332 participants completed questionnaires assessing their psychological needs satisfaction, motivation to exercise, and self-reported physical activity. Results: As hypothesized, in comparison to the minimally active group, the HEPA group showed significantly greater levels of identified, integrated, and intrinsic regulations; lower levels of external regulation; and greater satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Simultaneous multiple mediator analyses revealed that external and integrated regulation mediated the autonomy – HEPA relationship, as well as the relatedness – HEPA relationship; the relationship between competence and HEPA was only mediated by external regulation. Conclusion: These results support self-determination theory by demonstrating that individuals who participate in HEPA have higher levels in the theory's key variables. In addition, the process by which to increase the likelihood of participating in HEPA was also partially supported.


The Blended Wing Body (BWB) configuration is considered to have the potential of providing significant advantages when compared to conventional aircraft designs. At the same time, numerous studies have reported that technical challenges exist in many areas of its design, including stability and control. This study aims to create a novel BWB design to test its flying and handling qualities using an engineering flight simulator and as such, to identify potential design solutions which will enhance its controllability and manoeuvrability characteristics. This aircraft is aimed toward the commercial sector with a range of 3000 nautical miles, carrying 200 passengers. The BWB design was flight tested at an engineering flight simulator to first determine its static stability through a standard commercial mission profile, and then to determine its dynamic stability characteristics through standard dynamic modes. Its flying qualities suggested its stability with a static margin of 8.652% of the mean aerodynamic chord (MAC) and consistent response from the pilot input. In addition, the aircraft achieved a maximum lift-to-drag ratio of 28.1; a maximum range of 4,581 nautical miles; zero-lift drag of 0.005; while meeting all the requirements of the dynamic modes.


This paper presents a feature extraction algorithm combining S transform (ST) and two-directional two-dimensional principal component analysis ((2D)2 PCA) for partial discharge (PD) pattern recognition. S transform (ST) is firstly employed to obtain a time-frequency representation of the recorded UHF signals. Then, (2D)2 PCA is applied to compress the ST amplitude(STA) matrices to extract various feature vectors with different (d1, d2) combinations, i.e. (5, 5), (5, 10), (10, 5) and (10, 10). The extracted features are examined by both PSO-SVM classifier and BPNN. Experimental results show that the classification accuracies by PSO-SVM are all higher than that by BPNN under four circumstances of (d1, d2) combinations. The success rates of the PSO-SVM with the four feature vectors are above 94% in all cases. It can be found that the proposed feature extraction and classification algorithm can be effectively applied to PD pattern recognition.


Even though in-house development and the use of application packages form two major strategies for developing information systems, there is practically no research into the comparative implementability of information systems developed according to these strategies. The article suggests that the level or originality of information systems can be used as a theoretical concept underlying the dichotomy of in-house development vs. application packages, and puts forward a set of hypotheses regarding the influence of the level of originality on the implementability of information systems. The hypotheses form the theoretical basis for a comparison of the two types of information system development in terms of implementability, and clearly support Lynch's finding (Lynch, 1984) that the implementation of application packages is more difficult than one might initially expect.


We present a coastal ocean current forecasting system using exclusively past observations of a high-frequency radar (HF-Radar). The forecast is made by developing a new approach based on physical and mathematical results of the nonlinear dynamical systems theory that allows to obtain a predictive equation for the currents. Using radial velocities from two HF-Radar stations, the spatiotemporal variability of the fields is first decomposed using the empirical orthogonal functions. The amplitudes of the most relevant modes representing their temporal evolution are then approximated with functions obtained through a genetic algorithm. These functions will be then combined to obtain the hourly currents at the area for the next 36 h. The results indicate that after 4 h and for a horizon of 24 h, the computed predictions provide more accurate current fields than the latest available field (i.e., persistent field).


Traditional food crops have been cultivated in the home garden of rural communities since long times ago. The type of food crops to be grown is influenced by preferences of the owners of home garden, land area, agroclimate, and socio-economic as well as the culture of the local community. Food crops producing carbohydrates and protein grown at the home gardens are functioning to supply the daily needs and as food reserves for longer term. The type and number of crops grown at the home garden vary greatly among farmers and regions, resulting a rich food crop genetic resource reserved. Each individual farmer retains local strains and varieties, derived from previous season and from their ancestors, so it serves as in situ conservation or as the on-farm genetic resources preservation. The diversity of plant genetic resources conserved in the on-farm has shifted considerably, especially in the near urban communities, from traditional food crops to more commercial crops. But in the remote villages, diverse food crop genetic resources are still maintained. The on-farm conservation of food crop genetic resources along with their direct utilization for food by farmers, should be improved of their cultivation, harvesting and processing techniques so that it will increase the added value of the crops. This way, it would facilitate the sustainability of the conservation of food crop genetic resources.


Spring stimulation feeding of honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera carpatica) is a very important technique for the encouragement of productive foraging. In addition to improving bee health by creating favorable conditions for the development of a beneficial intestinal bacterial flora, the use of prebiotic and probiotic supplements in the feed promotes good colony development, thus increasing the forager population. This paper presents the results for the economic benefit measured following use of supplements with acidifying substances (acetic and lactic acids) and probiotic products (Enterobiotics and Enterolactis Plus), as well as the synergism between them. A total of 110 bee colonies were studied, being fed with sugar syrup (1.4 L/colony weekly) between 25 March and 15 April, supplemented according to a controlled schedule. On 20 April the bees were transferred to a rapeseed field for foraging, and then at the beginning of May they were transferred elsewhere for acacia foraging. Honey production was measured for each experimental variant after each foraging period. Colonies fed with sugar syrup containing prebiotic and probiotic supplements registered higher honey production levels and showed a higher profit (ranging from +14.67% to +45.49%) in comparison with the control group.


This manual outlines the significance, prevalence and trends of illegal wildlife trade in the UK and places this in an international context. It is aimed at anyone interested in wildlife crime issues, but particularly those involved in enforcing wildlife crime laws and bringing cases to court. Topics covered include the international illegal wildlife trade and the illegal wildlife trade in the UK, both in native and exotic species. Several case studies are presented to illustrate points raised in the text and the types of wildlife crime occurring in the UK. Detailed guides to the relevant legislation are included in the appendices


We read with interest the letters by Djordje et al and Bavera concerning our article "Mystery of Chronic Cerebrospinal Insufficiency: Identical Venographic and Ultrasound Findings in Patients with MS and Controls." The correspondents noted the relatively small sample size and the fact the patients with MS did not undergo venography as they did not have 2 abnormal criteria. The venographic findings were also not correlated with sonography. All are true, but the important points of the article are inviolate. The starting point of the chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) entity lies on semiobjective nonvalidated sonographic findings obtained by operators who are not blinded to the patient's condition. This is compounded by a significant trend in the methodology in many articles to consider additional subjective findings of the internal jugular vein valvular appearance as being abnormal. We have indeed cited protocol guidelines that are well-accepted. The application of these subjective nonvalidated, nonblinded techniques results in a positive result in 1 defined group, and the subsequent venographic findings are confirmatory. We suggest that the difficulty here is that most humans will demonstrate the venographic findings considered abnormal in CCSVI papers. Any prevenographic screening test that defines a group, be it sonography by specially trained individuals (that cannot be replicated by others), blood tests (in our cases, the prevenogram patients having a high parathyroid hormone or adrenocorticotropic hormone), or perhaps a genetic "profile", will inevitably result in these "positive" venogram findings. The validity and accuracy of the screening test and the venographic appearance are, in our opinion, unrelated. The venous system is not analogous to the arterial tree, with marked differences in the number of collaterals, function and drainage in the erect and supine position, the presence of valves, capacitance, and the role of the thoracic cage volume changes. Moreover, the neuroscience community has extensive experience in studying diseases in which there are definite acquired venous stenoses combined with intracranial arterial hypervolemia/hypertension (cerebral dural arteriovenous fistula and arteriovenous malformations), with these cases never having images compatible with cerebral demyelination on cranial MR imaging. The calling for randomized trials is well in advance of reality. The role of a randomized trial is to compare therapies with scientific bases to establish equivalency/superiority or the safety of one therapy over another action (or inaction). CCSVI, as defined, is not a syndrome, disease, or, we would purport, a medical entity. If the proponents of venous angioplasty wish to support the therapy in the treatment of MS, it cannot be on the basis of "angioplastying" venographic findings seen in the healthy population and purporting them to be pathologic in patients with MS. It must be on the basis of unknown, perhaps humorally mediated, sequelae of subjecting internal jugular vein walls to high-pressure balloon angioplasty. A trial of sham angioplasty versus angioplasty (not easy because awake patients can often see the screen and are aware of their surroundings and operator movements) would be one way of assessing placebo-versus-real sustained improvement in a disease process that waxes and wanes in its effects on patients with time as a matter of course. We would submit such a trial is difficult to mount at this time on the basis of the evidence at hand.


Adults process speech incrementally, rapidly identifying spoken words on the basis of initial phonetic information sufficient to distinguish them from alternatives. In this study, infants in the second year also made use of word-initial information to understand fluent speech. The time course of comprehension was examined by tracking infants' eye movements as they looked at pictures in response to familiar spoken words, presented both as whole words in intact form and as partial words in which only the first 300 ms of the word was heard. In Experiment 1, 21-month-old infants (N = 32) recognized partial words as quickly and reliably as they recognized whole words; in Experiment 2, these findings were replicated with 18-month-old infants (N = 32). Combining the data from both experiments, efficiency in spoken word recognition was examined in relation to level of lexical development. Infants with more than 100 words in their productive vocabulary were more accurate in identifying familiar words than were infants with less than 60 words. Grouped by response speed, infants with faster mean reaction times were more accurate in word recognition and also had larger productive vocabularies than infants with slower response latencies. These results show that infants in the second year are capable of incremental speech processing even before entering the vocabulary spurt, and that lexical growth is associated with increased speed and efficiency in understanding spoken language.


In this paper, a new sampling technique is proposed that can be used in the Multistart global optimization technique as well as techniques based on it. The new method takes a limited number of samples from the objective function and then uses them to train an Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network. Subsequently, several samples were taken from the artificial neural network this time, and those with the smallest network value in them are used in the global optimization method. The proposed technique was applied to a wide range of objective functions from the relevant literature and the results were extremely promising.


Abstract The impact of H.L.A. Hart's The Concept of Law on modern legal thinking is undisputed. But does it reflect the reality of the way British institutions work? In Concept, Hart argued, amongst other things, that one of two 'minimum conditions necessary and sufficient for the existence of a legal system' was that 'its rules of recognition specifying the criteria of legal validity and its rules of change and adjudication must be effectively accepted as common public standards of official behaviour by its officials'. In this paper, we begin the process of testing that statement empirically. Specifically, we ask whether non-judicial UK officials have a uniform view of what the rules of recognition, change and adjudication are, and whether they uniformly take an internal point of view towards them (i.e. whether they accept the rules and do not merely obey them). By way of a pilot study, thirty non-judicial UK officials were interviewed. Those officials comprised currently serving and retired senior civil servants, senior military officials, chief constables and local authority chief executives. The findings of the pilot study are presented in this paper. They allow us to deduce that Hart's statement might well be an inaccurate and incomplete description of the modern British constitution, and to comment on the implications of that conclusion.


To the Editor. —I read with interest the speculations of Dr Glaser 1 concerning the mechanism of action of scatter photocoagulation. Dr Glaser suggests that altered cellular interactions within laser scars may be central to involution of neovascularization. The following case is difficult to understand within the framework of Dr Glaser's theoretical constructs. Report of a Case. —A 41-year-old woman presented to the Department of Neurology at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, with a 17-year history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and a four-month history of seizures. Results of physical examination were remarkable only for disc neovascularization in both eyes. A computed tomographic scan demonstrated a left anterior clinoid meningioma. She was referred to the Department of Ophthalmology. Visual acuity was 20/20 OU, and results of examination were normal except for moderate background diabetic retinopathy and neovascularization on the disc (NVD), greater in the left eye than the right (Fig 1).


Crypt abscesses caused by excessive neutrophil accumulation are prominent features of human campylobacteriosis and its associated pathology. The molecular and cellular events responsible for this pathological situation are currently unknown. We investigated the contribution of PI3K-γ signaling in Campylobacter jejuni–induced neutrophil accumulation and intestinal inflammation. Germ-free and specific pathogen-free Il10−/− and germ-free Il10−/−;Rag2−/− mice were infected with C. jejuni (109 CFU/mouse). PI3K-γ signaling was manipulated using either the pharmacological PI3K-γ inhibitor AS252424 (i.p. 10 mg/kg daily) or genetically using Pi3k-γ−/− mice. After up to 14 d, inflammation was assessed histologically and by measuring levels of colonic Il1β, Cxcl2, and Il17a mRNA. Neutrophils were depleted using anti-Gr1 Ab (i.p. 0.5 mg/mouse/every 3 d). Using germ-free Il10−/−;Rag2−/− mice, we observed that innate immune cells are the main cellular compartment responsible for campylobacteriosis. Pharmacological blockade of PI3K-γ signaling diminished C. jejuni–induced intestinal inflammation, neutrophil accumulation, and NF-κB activity, which correlated with reduced Il1β (77%), Cxcl2 (73%), and Il17a (72%) mRNA accumulation. Moreover, Pi3k-γ−/− mice pretreated with anti–IL-10R were resistant to C. jejuni–induced intestinal inflammation compared with Wt mice. This improvement was accompanied by a reduction of C. jejuni translocation into the colon and extraintestinal tissues and by attenuation of neutrophil migratory capacity. Furthermore, neutrophil depletion attenuated C. jejuni–induced crypt abscesses and intestinal inflammation. Our findings indicate that C. jejuni–induced PI3K-γ signaling mediates neutrophil recruitment and intestinal inflammation in Il10−/− mice. Selective pharmacological inhibition of PI3K-γ may represent a novel means to alleviate severe cases of campylobacteriosis, especially in antibiotic-resistant strains.


Purpose: The compulsory purchase of land forms the subject of much legal and urban regeneration research. However, there has been little examination of the contractual arrangements between local authorities and private sector property developers that often underpin the compulsory purchase process. This paper examines local authority/private developer contractual behaviour in this context. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical examination of property development contracts made for the "Silver Hill" project in Winchester, a small city in southern England, and the Brent Cross shopping centre extension in north London. Drawing on Macneil's (1983) relational contract theory, the paper analyses key contract terms and reviews local authority documentation related to the implementation of those terms. Findings: The contracts had two purposes: to provide a development and investment opportunity through the compulsory purchase and redistribution of private land; and to grant the private developers participating in the projects freedom to choose if they wished to take up that opportunity. While the contracts look highly "relational", the scope for flexibility and reciprocity is both carefully planned and tightly controlled. This exposes an asymmetric power imbalance that emerges in and is rearticulated by this type of contractual arrangement. Originality/value Empirical analysis of contract terms and contractual behaviour provides a rare opportunity to scrutinise the local authority-private developer relationship underpinning both property development practice and compulsory purchase.


Macrophages are innate immune cells with well-established roles in the primary response to pathogens, but also in tissue homeostasis, coordination of the adaptive immune response, inflammation, resolution, and repair. These cells recognize danger signals through receptors capable of inducing specialized activation programs. The classically known macrophage activation is induced by IFN-gamma, which triggers a harsh proinflammatory response that is required to kill intracellular pathogens. Macrophages also undergo alternative activation by IL-4 and IL-13, which trigger a different phenotype that is important for the immune response to parasites. Here we review the cellular sources of these cytokines, receptor signaling pathways, and induced markers and gene signatures. We draw attention to discrepancies found between mouse and human models of alternative activation. The evidence for in vivo alternative activation of macrophages is also analyzed, with nematode infection as prototypic disease. Finally, we revisit the concept of macrophage activation in the context of the immune response.


We investigated whether individuals of the intertidal snail Littorina littorea may be attracted by waterborne and air-borne pheromones from conspecifics. The potential relative role of water-borne and air-borne pheromone in the behavioural and reproductive biology of L. littorea was assessed through chemotactic assays. These involved a series of choice experiments with snails, snail smell and snail mucus as stimuli in a T-maze under conditions of immersion and emersion, and during the nonmating and mating seasons. During the nonmating season, L. littorea did not choose the snail-conditioned side of the T-maze significantly more frequently than the control side under conditions of both immersion and emersion. During the mating season, under condition of immersion both males and females chose the side of the T-maze conditioned with individual of the opposite sex significantly more frequently than the control side, and did not show any preference for the side conditioned with individuals of the same sex. Under conditions of emersion, only males were significantly more attracted by cues from the opposite sex than by the control. These results indicate that L. littorea are not attracted by conspecifics during the nonmating season; the cues of conspecifics are then unlikely to play a role in the orientation or the aggregation behaviour of this species. The results also suggest that males and females are attracted by the odour of conspecifics of the opposite sex, which contains both water-borne and air-borne pheromones in females and only water-borne pheromones in males. Also the similar behaviours observed with snails, water-borne and air-borne snail smell, and snail mucus, as stimuli indicate that male and female sex pheromones are both present in mucus. Temperature manipulations conducted during both seasons did not affect any of the observed behavioural changes, hence suggesting that the chemoreceptive abilities of L. littorea may be driven by exogenous and/or endogenous factors that are decoupled from direct control by temperature. This is in sharp contrast to the locomotor activity of L. littorea, which consistently increased with temperature. We also report the possibility of mate-tracking in females, a behaviour that has yet to be reported in gastropods, since males are typically believed to be the active sex that searches for females. Our results build on previous evidence of the function played by mucus-trail following in the reproductive success of intertidal gastropods, through the ability of L. littorea to remotely detect the water-borne and air-borne sex-specific cues that are incorporated in their mucus.


This book is a compilation of selected papers presented at the ISI (Indian Statistical Institute) Platinum Jubilee Conference on Comparative Development held at the ISI, Delhi, India. The papers cover new and well-established topics in development economics. Some of these include political economy, role of public outrage in delivering justice and the political economy of general strikes, economics of happiness, economics of labour, agricultural economics, macroeconomics and public finance. These topics are analyzed from the perspective of developing countries. The book will be of interest to both researchers and graduate students in development economics.


Excessive accumulation of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) plays an early and critical role in synapse and neuronal loss in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Increased oxidative stress is one of the mechanisms whereby Aβ induces neuronal death. Given the lessened susceptibility to oxidative stress exhibited by mice lacking p66Shc, we investigated the role of p66Shc in Aβ toxicity. Treatment of cells and primary neuronal cultures with Aβ caused apoptotic death and induced p66Shc phosphorylation at Ser36. Ectopic expression of a dominant-negative SEK1 mutant or chemical JNK inhibition reduced Aβ-induced JNK activation and p66Shc phosphorylation (Ser36), suggesting that JNK phosphorylates p66Shc. Aβ induced the phosphorylation and hence inactivation of forkhead transcription factors in a p66Shc-dependent manner. Ectopic expression of p66ShcS36A or antioxidant treatment protected cells against Aβ-induced death and reduced forkhead phosphorylation, suggesting that p66Shc phosphorylation critically influences the redox regulation of forkhead proteins and underlies Aβ toxicity. These findings underscore the potential usefulness of JNK, p66Shc, and forkhead proteins as therapeutic targets for AD.


The Archibishop's Palace of Palermo, from Simone Beccadelli to Giovanni Paterno: history and reconstruction of fifteenth
century configuration
In the fifties of the fifteenth century, the archbishop of Palermo Simone Beccadelli started the construction of a new archbishop's palace in an
area between the upper stretch of the ancient Cassaro road and the churchyard created along the southern side of the cathedral, whose arran-
gement had engaged his predecessors since the thirties of the same century. The architectural undertaking, driven by the primary need to create
a residence suitable for the rank of the Palermo archibishop's chair, therefore also assumes a strong urban significance, helping to define the
same space of the churchyard and the monumental cathedral complex as a whole. If a first campaign of works would seem to be concluded by
the sixties of the fifteenth century, further significant interventions are recorded at the end of the same century on commission of Archbishop
Giovanni Paterno. Although substantial transformations and additions, carried out especially between the end of the sixteenth and eighteenth
centuries, have profoundly altered the volume and the original organization of the building, several elements (portal, a mullioned window,
single lancet windows) and some fragments still allow us to hypothesize about its configuration in fifteenth century, starting from concrete
data and clues. This contribution proposes, through the interaction between the usual tools of historical-critical investigation and those of dra-
wing and digital modeling, to carry out a reconstructive hypothesis of the fifteenth-century building (in particular of its eastern front) and a
critical framing of the same, in relation to its historical-artistic context.


Urology encompasses the management of diseases of the kidney, bladder, prostate, and genitals; infections; incontinence; impotence and infertility; and oncology and reconstruction. It demands an accurate degree of preoperative diagnosis, often by complex uroradiological techniques. The books described here are just a few of the outstanding ones.

** First On Call For Urology. R K Carruthers. (pounds sterling7.99.) Macmillan, 1994. ISBN 0 333 54820 5

** Lecture Notes on Urology. 3rd edn. J P Blandy. (pounds sterling16.95.) Blackwell Scientific, 1982. ISBN 0 632 02492 5

** Essential Urology. N Bullock, G Sibley, R Whitaker. (pounds sterling15.) Churchill Livingstone, 1993. ISBN 0 443 03841 4

Robert Carruthers's First On Call For Urology is designed for those involved with the hour to hour care of urological patients. Brief but comprehensive, it deals with such mundane but essential subjects as blocked catheters, postoperative bleeding, and renal colic. It is a student's and house officers's vade mecum, to answer the questions "What is wrong? What do I do next?" It really is very good. John Blandy can write as clearly …


Immunization with an IgG1 but not an IgM monoclonal anti-NP (4-hydroxy- 3-nitrophenyl acetyl) antibody induced idiotype-recognizing T helper cells, although these two antibodies carry the same variable regions. The T cells appear to react to an idiotype on the IgG1 but not the IgM antibody. They selectively enhance the expression of that idiotype in the IgG1 fraction of an in vitro anti-NP response.


The chloride and CO2 chemistry at the Wairakei geothermal field, New Zealand has been modelled using an extended version of the geothermal simulator TOUGH2 which solves the equations for the transport of reacting chemical species in multi-phase fluids. Reactions involving the speciation of aqueous CO2 to H2CO3 and HCO3-, are included in the model. Because CO2 speciation in water is pH dependent, a reaction involving the most important weak acid buffer at Wairakei (H4SiO4) has also been included. A 'Henry's Law' reaction expresses the equilibrium between the aqueous and vapour components of CO2. The chloride is treated as a conservative, non-reacting species which is present only in the liquid phase. Results from the model are compared with measured chloride and CO2 data from Wairakei covering the period 1959 to 1987.


ABSTRACT The seaside resort has long held a distinctive position within the history of British leisure. Its peculiar physicality whereby the natural landscape of sea and sand combines with distinctive architectural elements, such as pavilions and piers, has accommodated many and varied leisure activities across the years. However, to date, the majority of research on British coastal resorts considers these activities solely in connection with tourism. Using a combination of contextual archival research, participant observations, semi-structured interviews and oral history narratives, this article attempts a deliberate shift in focus where the leisure activities of a young local population are brought to the fore in the history of British seaside entertainment and, in particular, their experiences of pleasure piers in the post-war era. The article also explores the potential for the concept of the 'community pier' in terms of nurturing seaside leisure cultures in the present and future.


Biochemical composition of seaweeds is known to vary with species and environment. Kappaphycus alvarezii is an important commercial source of carrageenans (gel-forming and viscosifying polysaccharides). The nutritional and mineral composition of three (brown, green and pale yellow) colour forms of edible seaweed K. alvarezii is investigated in the current study. The brown colour form of this seaweed contained highest ash content of (25.99±0.22 %), crude fibre (21.0±0.68 %), and protein (8.92±0.41 %), while, the green form had highest carbohydrate (22.0±0.00 %) and sulphate (5.89±0.00 %) content. On the other hand, the pale yellow colour form had highest lipid content (0.72±0.00 %). Amongst the 17 minerals analyzed, highest total mineral macro-elements ( viz . Na, K, Ca and Mg) were recorded in the brown form (18.8±0.71 g/100 g d wt) followed by the pale yellow (17.3±1.07 g/100 g d wt) and green colour form (11.9±1.22 g/100 g d wt). The micro-elements varied within the three colour forms; however, the brown colour form had maximum micro-element content (P, Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Cr, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Co, Mo and Ni; 19.96±0.24mg/100 g d wt), followed by green (8.6±0.64 mg /100 g d wt) and pale yellow form (7.15±0.58mg /100 g d wt). On the basis of this study, it could be said that these three colour forms ( i.e . brown, green and pale yellow) of Kappaphycus alvarezii could be utilized as a condiment in the omnivorous diet; however, a daily intake of 5.68 g d wt is recommended in case of the brown form, while in case of the green and pale yellow form a maximum daily intake of 9.55 and 10.5 g d wt, respectively is recommended. The study also reveals that the three colour-forms differed in their nutritional and mineral composition.


Twenty‐eight rats were examined in a 5‐week experiment to investigate the effect of curcumin on gene expression and activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes in rats intoxicated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The rats were divided into four groups. Rats in 1–4 groups served as control, oral curcumin treated (15 mg/kg body weight), single i.p. dose of AFB1 (3 mg/kg body weight) and combination of single i.p. dose of AFB1 with oral curcumin treated, respectively. AFB1 Liver damage and oxidative stress were evident in untreated AFB1‐intoxicated rats as indicated by a significant elevation in hepatic transaminases, elevation in lipid peroxide biomarkers (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TBARS), reduction of reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration, reduction in the activities of antioxidant enzymes namely catalase (CAT), total superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) and down‐regulation of gene expression of these antioxidant enzymes compared to control. Liver sections of rats intoxicated with AFB1 showed a disrupted lobular architecture, scattered necrotic cells and biliary proliferation. Administration of curcumin with AFB1 resulted in amelioration of AFB1‐induced effects compared to untreated AFB1‐intoxicated rats via an up‐regulation of antioxidant enzyme gene expression, activation of the expressed genes and increase in the availability of GSH. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Motivated by queues with many servers, we study Brownian steady-state approximations for continuous time Markov chains (CTMCs). Our approximations are based on diffusion models (rather than a diffusion limit) whose steady-state, we prove, approximates that of the Markov chain with notable precision. Strong approximations provide such "limitless" approximations for process dynamics. Our focus here is on steady-state distributions, and the diffusion model that we propose is tractable relative to strong approximations. Within an asymptotic framework, in which a scale parameter $n$ is taken large, a uniform (in the scale parameter) Lyapunov condition imposed on the sequence of diffusion models guarantees that the gap between the steady-state moments of the diffusion and those of the properly centered and scaled CTMCs shrinks at a rate of $\sqrt{n}$. Our proofs build on gradient estimates for solutions of the Poisson equations associated with the (sequence of) diffusion models and on elementary martingale arguments. As a by-product of our analysis, we explore connections between Lyapunov functions for the fluid model, the diffusion model and the CTMC.


We aimed to examine mechanistically the observed foraging differences across two honey bee, Apis mellifera, subspecies using the proboscis extension response assay. Specifically, we compared differences in appetitive reversal learning ability between honey bee subspecies: Apis mellifera caucasica (Pollman), and Apis mellifera syriaca (Skorikov) in a "common garden" apiary. It was hypothesized that specific learning differences could explain previously observed foraging behavior differences of these subspecies: A.m. caucasica switches between different flower color morphs in response to reward variability, and A.m. syriaca does not switch. We suggest that flower constancy allows reduced exposure by minimizing search and handling time, whereas plasticity is important when maximizing harvest in preparation for long winter is at a premium. In the initial or Acquisition phase of the test we examined specifically discrimination learning, where bees were trained to respond to a paired conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus and not to respond to a second conditioned stimulus that is not followed by an unconditioned stimulus. We found no significant differences among the subspecies in the Acquisition phase in appetitive learning. During the second, Reversal phase of the experiment, where flexibility in association was tested, the paired and unpaired conditioned stimuli were reversed. During the Reversal phase A.m. syriaca showed a reduced ability to learn the reverse association in the appetitive learning task. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that A.m. syriaca foragers cannot change the foraging choice because of lack of flexibility in appetitive associations under changing contingencies. Interestingly, both subspecies continued responding to the previously rewarded conditioned stimulus in the reversal phase. We discuss potential ecological correlates and molecular underpinnings of these differences in learning across the two subspecies. In addition, in a supplemental experiment we demonstrated that these differences in appetitive reversal learning do not occur in other learning contexts.


To retrieve soil moisture from L-band microwave radiometry, it is necessary to account for the effects of temperature within both vegetation and soil media. To compute the effective soil temperature TG, several simple formulations accounting for soil temperatures at the surface and at depth and surface soil moisture have been developed. However, the effects of the soil physical properties in terms of texture, density, or structure, which all may be important variables in the modeling of TG, have never been investigated. In this paper, several simple formulations of TG at L-band, accounting for or ignoring the effects of soil texture and density, were developed and compared based on a very large simulated data set. The best configurations and parameterizations of these simple formulations were computed and could be directly used for operational applications in future soil moisture retrieval studies. For instance, we showed that the use of the surface temperature in the estimation of TG can be significantly improved by using additional information on the soil temperature at depth (the average error in the estimation of TG decreased from ~ 4 to ~ 1.8 K). On the contrary, almost no improvement was obtained if air temperature was used instead of surface temperature. Also, it is shown that the use of additional information on the soil properties, mainly the soil clay content and density, led to improved results by about 0.2 K in the estimation of TG. The improvement was found to be larger for sandy and dry soils: simplified formulations accounting for soil properties are able to represent the fact that TG is closer to the soil temperature at depth for these soil conditions.


Objective: Although craniopharyngiomas are benign pathologies, they have surgical challenges due to their locations, infiltrations, and potential for neuroendocrine problems. We evaluated the surgical outcomes, complications, the neuroendocrine problems in patients who underwent total or subtotal resection, and to reveal the ideal treatment regimen. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 68 patients who received pathologic results of craniopharyngioma between 1999 and 2019 in our neurosurgery clinic. The demographic characteristics, hormone levels, resection ratio (total/subtotal), residue and recurrence rate, and the complications after surgery were used in the analysis. Results: Twenty-six (38.2%) patients underwent total tumor removal, and 42 (61.8%) had subtotal removal. Fifteen (22%) patients had recurrence. Of the total tumor removal group, only one patient was determined as having recurrence. We detected hypothalamic–pituitary system deficiency in 15 patients with total removal and nine patients with subtotal removal. Of the 37 patients who had lesions smaller than 4 cm, only one died and 30 were in good health after surgery. Of the 31 patients who had lesions larger than 4 cm, five died and 15 were in poor or moderate health. Conclusion: Tumor size is one of the most important factors affecting surgical results. Subtotal tumor removal is associated with tumor recurrence and total removal with serious hypothalamic deficiency symptoms.


BACKGROUND
Lymphomas are the third most common malignancy in childhood. Cure rates are high but have reached a plateau. Therefore new treatment modalities should be developed. Antibody therapy is a successful new treatment option in adult lymphoma. However, none of the therapeutic antibodies available for adults with cancer have been approved for treatment of paediatric lymphoma.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the efficacy of antibody therapy for childhood lymphoma in terms of survival, response and relapse rates, compared with therapy not including antibody treatment. To assess quality of life and the occurrence of adverse effects caused by antibody therapy treatment in children compared with therapy not including antibody treatment.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2014, Issue 10), MEDLINE in PubMed (from 1945 to October 2014), EMBASE in EMBASE.com (from 1980 to October 2014) and reference lists of relevant articles. Furthermore, we searched conference proceedings abstracts of SIOP, ASCO and ASH for studies from 2009 to 2013), and the World Health Organization (WHO) ICTRP portal and ClinicalTrials.gov for ongoing trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials and controlled clinical trials comparing conventional therapy with antibody therapy in children with lymphoma.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently performed the study selection.

MAIN RESULTS
We found no studies meeting the inclusion criteria of the review.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
At this moment, it is not possible to draw evidence-based conclusions regarding clinical practice. Phase I and II studies show a positive effect of using antibody therapy in childhood lymphoma. Further research is needed to evaluate and implement antibody therapy for paediatric lymphoma.


The purpose of this study was to formulate an antioxidant topical cosmetic molecularly imprinted system for skin aging and was to evaluate the formulation in vivo on human volunteers. Molecular imprinted cyclodextrins (CDs) were prepared by cross-linking cyclodextrins (CD) in the presence of a vitamin E (VE) as template molecule. Characterization studies were performed on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) and non-imprinted polymers (NIP). Antioxidant effects of formulations prepared were investigated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test. In vivo skin measurements were done on human volunteers including sebum, moisture, pH, net elasticity and roughness parameters. It was seen that temperature increase influced the particle size of imprinted polymers. It was determined that MIP systems have an antioxidant effect. Formulations showed a positive effect on skin roughness parameter was determined statistically (p≤ 0.01). The preparation method of MIP is simple and quick and it will provide opportunities in future on specific cosmetic formulations.


Context. Stellar activity cycles are the manifestation of dynamo process running in the stellar interiors. They have been observed from years to decades thanks to the measurement of stellar magnetic proxies on the surface of the stars, such as the chromospheric and X-ray emissions, and to the measurement of the magnetic field with spectropolarimetry. However, all of these measurements rely on external features that cannot be visible during, for example, a Maunder-type minimum. With the advent of long observations provided by space asteroseismic missions, it has been possible to penetrate the stars and study their properties. Moreover, the acoustic-mode properties are also perturbed by the presence of these dynamos. Aims. We track the temporal variations of the amplitudes and frequencies of acoustic modes allowing us to search for signature of magnetic activity cycles, as has already been done in the Sun and in the CoRoT target HD 49933. Methods. We used asteroseimic tools and more classical spectroscopic measurements performed with the NARVAL spectropolarimeter to check that there are hints of any activity cycle in three solar-like stars observed continuously for more than 117 days by the CoRoT satellite: HD 49385, HD 181420, and HD 52265. To consider that we have found a hint of magnetic activity in a star we require finding a change in the amplitude of the p modes that should be anti-correlated with a change in their frequency shifts, as well as a change in the spectroscopic observations in the same direction as the asteroseismic data. Results. Our analysis gives very small variation in the seismic parameters preventing us from detecting any magnetic modulation. However, we are able to provide a lower limit of any magnetic-activity change in the three stars that should be longer than 120 days, which is the length of the time series. Moreover we computed the upper limit for the line-of-sight magnetic field component being 1, 3, and 0.6 G for HD 49385, HD 181420, and HD 52265, respectively. More seismic and spectroscopic data would be required to have a firm detection in these stars.


Carter describes how tobacco companies infiltrate into tobacco control movements in order to damage their efforts. 1 Industry documents on Hungary suggest similar intentions. The transnational tobacco corporations (TTCs) jumped into the new market and privatised the factories of the formerly state owned Hungarian tobacco monopoly in the very first years of the transition from communism (1991-92). 2 Using their sophisticated lobbying practices, the TTCs succeeded in transforming the regulatory framework of tobacco and easing marketing and trade restrictions on their products. As Philip Morris put it, they sought to protect " the legitimate interests of the company. . .against discriminatory or unfair legislation and practices ". 3 The Hungarian anti-smoking movement was relatively inexperienced in neutralising the political and economical power of a wealthy and influential industry. Nonetheless , documents show the TTCs intended to monitor closely and counteract its efforts. Manager of Philip Morris Hungary, received a research plan aimed at assessing " the social context of smoking in Hungary ". The submission 4 came from the formerly state owned Tobacco Institute (Dohánykutató és Minõségfejlesztõ Intézet Kutató-Fejlesztõ Rt.), which had no previous experience in assessing the social and health issues in tobacco use. The plan states that " tobacco and smokers have become ostracized among the health-maniac snobs " and its authors considered smoking nothing more than " a scapegoat for the deteriorating health condition of the population ". The authors acknowledged that the tobacco control " snobs " had succeeded in putting tobacco control higher on the political agenda and gained power from the increasing involvement of its members into the international tobacco control efforts. This " challenge requires appropriate reactions from the tobacco industry " , with the document proposing that a panel of smoking volunteers be formed who could be " regularly questioned to learn the public opinion on social issues ". Members of these panels should be sent to collect information with the aim of learning more about the programmes of anti-tobacco organisations: " As a possible method it could be envisaged that members of the panels . . .also take part in these programs and pass on their experiences to the leaders of the panels. " Another document also mentions the " tight monitoring of activities and plans of government and anti-smoking groups " as an important strategy to " maintain the social acceptability of smoking " , since the " growing anti-smoking …


Recently, some methods exploiting both the spatial and spectral features have drawn increasing attention in hyperspectral anomaly detection (AD) and they perform well. In addition, a tensor decomposition-based (TenB) algorithm treating the hyperspectral dataset as a three-order tensor (two modes for space and one mode for spectra) has been proposed to further improve the performance for AD. In this paper, a method using the sparsity divergence index (SDI) based on tensor decomposition (SDI-TD) is proposed. First, three modes of the hyperspectral dataset are obtained by tensor decomposition. Then, low-rank and sparse matrix decomposition is employed separately along the three modes and three sparse matrices are acquired. Finally, SDIs based on the three sparse matrices along the three modes are obtained, and the final result is generated by using the joint SDI. Experiments tested on the real and synthetic hyperspectral dataset reveal that the proposed SDI-TD performs better than the comparison algorithms.


Emergency medicine in the UK may not survive the current reorganisation of emergency services

Emergency medicine in the UK has undergone many changes recently. This article describes how these changes, and the current reorganisation of emergency services (and of acute hospitals), may threaten the future of this specialty.

In 2004, members of the British Association of Accident and Emergency Medicine voted to change the name of their specialty from accident and emergency medicine to emergency medicine. The reasons for this included a desire to use the same title as that used in other countries, and because many hoped that UK emergency departments might come to resemble their Australian counterparts (where emergency departments have accredited emergency physicians on duty at all times and where definitive care is provided for most medical emergencies).

However, some were concerned about losing the title "A&E", which was a term widely understood by the general public and by healthcare purchasers. Others feared that the new title would signal further disinterest in the trauma side of the specialty.

At the same time a new specialty was being developed—acute medicine. Specialist acute physicians had become necessary to lead the medical assessment areas that had developed in most hospitals, and to compensate for the many cardiologists, gastroenterologists and respiratory physicians who were no longer interested in the emergency element of their specialty.

The unfortunate consequences of these developments are now becoming apparent. Many outside observers now believe that emergency medicine deals principally with medical emergencies, and that emergency medicine and acute medicine are synonymous. This in turn has led to a flawed (but widely quoted) concept of what support specialties an emergency department requires.1 Furthermore, the public is also now confused about exactly what …


This letter evaluates the performance of eCognition's multi-resolution segmentation algorithm on the task of delimiting agricultural parcels in Denmark using very high spatial resolution 8-band WorldView-2 (WV2) imagery. Fifty-seven different scale parameters setting, ranging from 100 to 1500, was employed in order to assess the quality of segmentation. An accuracy assessment was performed using seven metrics based on the topological or geometric similarity between segmented polygons and reference polygons, which were derived through manual delineation. The results indicate that (1) segmentation accuracy is influenced by the size of the reference polygons and (2) the presence of clear boundaries (e.g. hedgerow, ponds, ditches and road) drives the segmentation algorithm when the scale parameter exceeds a certain value.


Healthcare representation learning on the Electronic Health Record (EHR) is seen as crucial for predictive analytics in the medical field. Many natural language processing techniques, such as word2vec, RNN and self-attention, have been adapted for use in hierarchical and time stamped EHR data, but fail when they lack either general or task-specific data. Hence, some recent works train healthcare representations by incorporating medical ontology (a.k.a. knowledge graph), by self-supervised tasks like diagnosis prediction, but (1) the small-scale, monotonous ontology is insufficient for robust learning, and (2) critical contexts or dependencies underlying patient journeys are never exploited to enhance ontology learning. To address this, we propose an end-to-end robust Transformer-based solution, Mutual Integration of patient journey and Medical Ontology (MIMO) for healthcare representation learning and predictive analytics. Specifically, it consists of task-specific representation learning and graph-embedding modules to learn both patient journey and medical ontology interactively. Consequently, this creates a mutual integration to benefit both healthcare representation learning and medical ontology embedding. Moreover, such integration is achieved by a joint training of both task-specific predictive and ontology-based disease typing tasks based on fused embeddings of the two modules. Experiments conducted on two real-world diagnosis prediction datasets show that, our healthcare representation model MIMO not only achieves better predictive results than previous state-of-the-art approaches regardless of sufficient or insufficient training data, but also derives more interpretable embeddings of diagnoses.


ABSTRACT Research on restorative justice in prison settings has focused largely on the relationship between restorative and criminal justice, or on the potential of such programs to reduce recidivism rates among participants. Little research focuses on possible other transformations that restorative justice can engender among incarcerated individuals. We address this gap by describing the outcomes of an evaluation of Mending Bridges, a restorative justice program implemented at three men's correctional institutions in New England. Our research points to the transformative potential of this program, not only among individuals but also in changing behaviors and relationships that have an impact on the prison community as a whole.


This paper proposes a method for improving hydrogen generation using pulse current in a proton exchange membrane-type electrolyzer (PEMEL). Traditional methods of electrolysis using direct current are known as the simplest approach to produce hydrogen. However, it is highly dependent on environmental variables, such as the temperature and catalyst used, to enhance the rate of electrolysis. Therefore, we propose electrolysis using a pulse current that can apply several dependent variables rather than environmental variables. The proposed method overcomes the difficulties in selecting the frequency of the pulse current by deriving factors affecting hydrogen generation while changing the concentration generated by the cell interface during the pulsed water-electrolysis process. The correlation between the electrolyzer load and the frequency characteristics was analyzed, and the limit value of the applicable frequency of the pulse current was derived through electrical modeling. In addition, the operating characteristics of PEMEL could be predicted, and the PEMEL using the proposed pulse current was verified through experiments.


Background: Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS), mitral valve sclerosis (MVS), remodeling of major arteries, and increased pericardial fat are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. We assessed these markers of atherosclerosis in severely obese patients before and 1 year after bariatric surgery. Methods: Eighty-seven severely obese patients (43 ± 10 years, preoperative body mass index [BMI] 41.8 ± 5 kg/m2) underwent echocardiography before and 1 year after Roux-en-Y bypass surgery in the FatWest (Bariatric Surgery on the West Coast of Norway) study. We measured the end-diastolic aortic wall thickness (AWT), pericardial fat thickness at the right ventricular free wall, and AVS/MVS based on combined aortic leaflet thickness and hyperechoic valve lesions. Results: Postoperatively, patients experienced a reduction of 12.9 ± 3.9 kg/m2 in BMI, 0.5 ± 1.9 mm in AWT, 2.6 ± 2.3 mm in pericardial fat, and 45%/53% in AVS/MVS (p < 0.05). In multivariate regression analyses with adjustment for clinical and hemodynamic variables, less pericardial fat reduction was associated with male sex and higher 1-year blood pressure and BMI, and less AWT-reduction with higher age and 1-year BMI (p < 0.05). Persistent AVS and MVS were related to higher 1-year BMI and more advanced valve sclerosis preoperatively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Markers of subclinical atherosclerosis decreases significantly 1 year after bariatric surgery, particularly in younger patients that achieve a BMI < 28 kg/m2.


Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of removable denture (complete and partial) deliveries through Croatian Public Health Service (covered by insurance) in different districts of Croatia and to compare the two periods: 1996 to 2001 and 2002. Number of dentures delivered was obtained from Croatian Institute for Health Insurance for the district of Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Karlovac. Information of the population living in the same districts was obtained from the National Institute for Statistics. The percentage of fully edentulous inhabitants varied from more than 13% to more than 20%, dependent on the district, while the percentage of partial edentulism reconstructed with removable partial dentures varied from more than 13% to more than 30%. The highest percentage (average for living population) of complete and removable partial dentures was delivered in Zagreb in the both observed periods. In all districts, the number of complete denture wearers increased in 2002, except in Split. The percentage of removable partial denture deliveries increased significantly in all examined districts. Partial and complete denture deliveries increased in higher percentage in population younger than 70 years than in older population. The percentage of metal framework removable partial dentures increased significantly in all districts. The prevalence of removable denture deliveries increased, especially in patients younger than 70 years. This was attributed not only to the consequences of the 1991-1995 war, the migrations from rural to urban areas, decrease of economic status, but also to the new rules of the Croatian Insurance System.


A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for analysis of galactosylceramides as their benzoyl derivatives has been devised. Samples con- taining 10- 150 nmoles of monohexosylceramides are benzoylated by heating for 60 min at 60°C in 0.5 ml of 10% (v/v) benzoyl chloride in pyridine. The products are purified by solvent distribution and analyzed by HPLC. The benzoylated cerebrosides with nonhydroxy fatty acids are separated from those with hydroxy fatty acids on a Zipax column with 7% ethyl acetate in hexane as a solvent and UV absorption at 280 nm is recorded. This isocratic procedure can be applied directly to chloroform-methanol extracts of adult brain with a relative standard deviation of 3.0% for cerebrosides with nonhydroxy fatty acids and 4.0% for cerebrosides with hydroxy fatty acids. Sulfatides do not interfere in the assay and can be converted to cerebrosides after desulfation by mild acid methanolysis. Benzoylated glucosyl- and galactosylceramides can be sepa- rated on a MicroPak NH2 column with 1.5% 2-propanol in cyclopentane as the chromatographic solvent.


This article outlines a theoretical framework for understanding deviance and deviance-management in a social movement context. Such a deviance perspective is useful because in striving for social change, activists challenge existing social norms and may readily be defined by their environments as "outsiders" or deviants. However, activists also differ from traditional deviant groups. The article therefore conceptualizes activists as "entrepreneurial deviants," combining features of both moral entrepreneurs and deviants in society, as presented in Howard Becker's classical theory. It is argued that in order to understand the strategies of deviance-management performed by activists, traditional notions of "passing," "techniques of neutralization," and "subculture" must be complemented by the concepts of "confronting," "techniques of idealization," and the forming of a "transformative subculture." Empirically, the article builds on a case study of animal rights activism in Sweden and the ways in which the activists counter stereotypes, which is interpreted as a form of deviance-management.


In this portion of the panel I shall discuss the epidemiological aspects which have a bearing on the therapy and prevention of upper respiratory tract diseases. Many efforts have been made to prevent upper respiratory tract diseases by immunization and by attempts to break the chain of transmission. The purpose of this paper is to show, on epidemiological grounds, why these attempts have failed and to indicate the points that must be understood before actual prevention can be achieved. First, it is necessary to define what is meant by upper respiratory tract disease. I shall include under this term all the nonspecific infections that involve the upper respiratory tract and recognize the fact that in a large proportion of theseillnesses the lower respiratory tract is also involved. The scope of the problem is illustrated in the first table, which shows the experience of a group of normal families which my


Abstract. Floods caused by levee breaching pose disastrous risks to the lower reaches and the flood flow zones of rivers. Thus, a comprehensive assessment of flow and sediment transport during floods must be performed to mitigate flood disasters. Given that the flow state becomes relatively more complex and the range of the submerged area becomes more extensive after a levee breach, this paper established a flow and sediment model by using two-dimensional shallow water equations (SWEs) to explore the breach development process and the flow and sediment transport in a curved bed after a levee breach due to overtopping. A three-element weighted essentially non-oscillatory Roe scheme was adopted for the discretization of SWEs. In addition, a non-equilibrium total-load sediment transport model was established to simulate the scour depth development process of the breach. A stable equilibrium of the breach was established based on flow shear force and soil shear strength. The lateral widening of the breach was simulated by the scouring-collapse lateral widening mode. These simulations, together with the levee breach experiment conducted in the laboratory, demonstrate the validity of the flow and sediment transport process established in this paper. The effects of water head in and out of the watercourse, the flow rate, the levee sediment grading, and other variables during levee breaching were also analyzed. The mathematical model calculation provided a number of physical quantities, such as flow rate and flow state at the breach, that are difficult to measure by using the current laboratory facilities. The results of this research provide fundamental data for developing measures that can reduce casualties and asset loss due to floods caused by levee breaching.


Recently, in the Netherlands impact experiments were performed using flat wooden targets with different physical properties. Materials studied include Obeche, Meranti, Beech, Spruce, Pine, and Ipe. In these ricochet experiments 7.65 mm Browning (.32 Auto) and 9 mm Luger projectiles were used. In this paper the critical impact angle ac for bullet ricochet is studied using analytical models. For the modelling work physical properties of wood and the projectile relevant to ricochet will be discussed. In a first approximation, deformations and grain structure of the wood will be neglected. The bullet ricochets will be evaluated using the analytical ricochet models of Tate and Rosenberg et al. developed for impacting rods. However, the ricochet model of Wijk predicts the critical impact angle ac best. Possible reasons for differences between the model and experimental results are given.


Renal cell carcinoma is the sixth leading cause of death for cancer in industrialized countries and one third of patients has metastases at the time of diagnosis. The three most common histological types of renal cell carcinoma are: clear cell carcinoma (70-80%), papillary carcinoma (10-15%) and chromophobe cell carcinoma (5%). The location of metastases vary according to histotype: lung metastases are found in 53.6% of cases in patients with clear cell carcinoma, whereas in patients with papillary carcinoma or chromophobe cell carcinoma in 33.3% and 28.2% of cases, respectively. In contrast, chromophobe cell carcinoma is more often associated with liver metastases (33.3%), compared with clear cell carcinoma (9.7%) or papillary carcinoma (18%). Patients with renal cell carcinoma metastatic to a single organ have a better prognosis than patients with metastases in multiple organs and the overall survival of patients with localized lung metastases is similar to that of patients with exclusive bone metastases. The overall survival, therefore, is related more to the number of organs involved by metastasis rather than by the location of metastases. The widespread use of abdominal non-invasive diagnostic procedures, with an incidental finding of renal cell carcinomas still in a low stage of development, and the refinement of surgical techniques for resection of metastatic disease (metastasectomy) have led to only a slight improvement in overall survival in the last 30 years for the resistance of the tumor to common chemo-radiotherapy. Surgery remains the best therapeutic option and a rising in cutting-edge molecular therapies is strongly needed.


This paper considers components of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio – as well as certain prevailing gaps which may necessitate the introduction of a complementary liquidity ratio. The definitions and objectives accorded to the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) highlight the focus which is accorded to time horizons for funding bank operations. A ratio which would focus on the rate of liquidity transformations and which could also serve as a complementary metric given certain gaps which currently prevail with the Liquidity Coverage Ratio, as well as existing gaps with other complementary liquidity monitoring tools, is proposed.


We demonstrate the semiclassical nature of symmetry twist defects that differ from quantum deconfined anyons in a true topological phase by examining non-abelian crystalline defects in an abelian lattice model. An underlying non-dynamical ungauged S3-symmetry labels the quasi-extensive defects by group elements and gives rise to order dependent fusion. A central subgroup of local Wilson observables distinguishes defect-anyon composites by species, which can mutate through abelian anyon tunneling by tuning local defect phase parameters. We compute a complete consistent set of primitive basis transformations, or F-symbols, and study braiding and exchange between commuting defects. This suggests a modified spin-statistics theorem for defects and non-modular group structures unitarily represented by the braiding S and exchange T matrices. Non-abelian braiding operations in a closed system represent the sphere braid group projectively by a non-trivial central extension that relates the underlying symmetry.


Achieving thermal comfort in the tropical climate of Malaysia is always a great challenge for any house designer or builder. Although some practical solutions have been developed over centuries through the slow but constant evolution of indigenous houses such the Malay house, the longhouses in Borneo and the Chinese townhouses in Melaka, their integration into contemporary designs have been hampered by various modern constraints. For instance, building the Malay house in urban areas is deemed unsuitable due to the need for wide land lots and their perceptively fragile building materials that do not allay any security worries. The lack of skilled carpenters for building such a house is also a worsening problem. Hence, new and innovative strategies to achieve thermal comfort for contemporary houses are greatly needed to serve the needs and expectations of an urbanized society. One method that has been studied and proved successful is the Smart and Cool Home system which was first used at a private bungalow in Semenyih, Malaysia. The overarching principle of this system is to reverse the role of the building envelope from being a thermal mass into a heat sink which effectively reduces heat gains and allow the occupants inside to easily adapt to a milder indoor environment. This paper describes this house in detail and provides some understanding of the principles involved.


Weed control is one of the most intensive management practices in coffee plantations resulting in changes in soil chemical properties. The objectives of this study were: a) to assess the effects of weed management in a coffee plantation on the chemical properties of a Dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol) compared to soil under native forest; b) to verify the relationship between soil organic carbon content (COS) and the effective cation exchange capacity (effective CEC) and the cation exchange capacity at pH 7. This study was carried out on an experimental farm of the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG) at the Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso County, of Minas Gerais State. In the experimental area, coffee was planted and the experiment was installed in randomized blocks with three replications. The following weed plant managements were evaluated: without weed control (SCAP); hand weeding (CAPM); post-emergence herbicide (HPOS); mechanized mower (ROCA); rotary tiller (ENRT); coffee tandem disc harrow (GRAD) and pre- emergence herbicide (HPRE). Each one of these weed control systems had been performed in the preceding 30 years in three inter-rows (length 36 m). Five soil samples were collected in three layers (0-3, 10-13 and 25-28 cm) per plot between coffee rows, in December 2007. The following soil chemical analyses were performed: pH-water, exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K and Al), cation exchange capacity at natural pH (effective CEC) and cation exchange capacity at pH 7.0 (CEC potential. The results showed that the maintenance of weed plants between coffee rows in the treatment no weed control (SCAP) had positive effects on the chemical properties (exchangeable Ca, effective CEC and CEC at pH 7.0 in the three layers). Furthermore, the total soil organic carbon content at 0-3 cm depth increased and may contribute to the increase and maintenance of carbon stocks in coffee plantations. Thus, no weed control (SCAP) between coffee rows can be adopted for the improvement and maintenance of the chemical properties in coffee plantations. On the other hand, the constant long term-use (30 years) with HPRE management decreases the pH-water values in the layers 10-13 and 25-28 cm and the exchangeable Ca, Mg and effective CEC in the three layers studied in relation to other weed plant managements. The effective CEC of the soil was related with organic carbon content in 59, 60 and 47 % of the cases and CEC at pH 7 in 65, 55 and 46 % in the layers 0-3, 10-13 and 25-28 cm.


Analysing the main motives in work activity, both in theory and
practice, there are five main motives for work activity that are
determined: motive of benefit (which consists of obtaining an award
for work); motive of safety (satisfying the need for avoiding the
danger which appears in work environment); motive of comfort (the
tendency to choose an easier way to perform work assignments);
motive of satisfaction (satisfaction with work results) and motive of
levelling (it satisfies the need to act in accordance with the accepted
way of action in a work group, with the tendency not to be worse than
others). All these motives are present in every human work activity.
However, their hierarchy depends both on the environment where a
person lives and works and an individual as well, since individuals
have or they can have their own hierarchy of motives which expresses
dynamic core of their personalities.
The overall objective of the research was to gain insight into the
structure of employees' motivation for safety and health at work in
the context of professional risk management and increase of
productivity, as well as the practical assessment of methods and
instruments that will measure the motivation for occupational safety.
For the purpose of the research, the modified scale for measuring of
occupational safety motivation has been used whose application had
already been confirmed in practice in the form of questionnaire which
has been handed to examinees from companies: "Kontejnerski
transport i generalni tereti", "Port of Adria" and "Luka Bar". The
study included 386 respondents. In processing of the collected data of
this empirical research, the following statistical methods have been
used: frequency; percentage; cumulative percentage; rank; standard
deviation; coefficient of correlation; paired sample T test; ABC
diagram.
The results indicate the nature of the hierarchy of motives and
determine the factors that affect the motivation of workers for
occupational safety and health in the context of professional risk
management. Also, the results unequivocally indicate that workers in
workplaces with increased risk have highly expressed motivation for
occupational safety.


School nurses and teachers often perform visual screenings on students with the use of the Snellen Visual Acuity Chart. Snellen acuity taken at twenty feet is not an adequate evaluation of the visual system. Efficient visual skills are necessary for effective learning in current classroom environments. This is a guide directed toward school board members to improve vision screening programs provided by the educational system.


Platelets play a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, acute coronary syndromes and ischaemic complications following percutaneous coronary intervention. More recently, the platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor has been identified as the pivotal mediator of platelet aggregation, leading to thrombus formation. This has led to the emergence of a novel class of potent antiplatelet agent, the GP IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists. These agents show great promise in reducing ischaemic complications of coronary angioplasty and acute coronary syndromes. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of the biology of GP IIb/IIIa receptor, the different classes of GP IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists, the results of the various trials, and their impact on current clinical practice.


Purpose To evaluate changes in differential renal function (DRF), as a functional outcome, in children who underwent redo pyeloplasty for management of failed pyeloplasty and to examine the factors that affect functional outcomes. Materials and Methods Between January 2002 and November 2010, a total of 18 patients who underwent redo pyeloplasty for persistent ureteropelvic junction obstruction after failed pyeloplasty were enrolled in this study. We assessed perioperative factors and evaluated changes in renal cortical thickness (RCT), renal function, and hydronephrosis by use of serial ultrasound and diuretic renography. Results The mean follow-up period was 44.83±28.86 months. After redo pyeloplasty, prevention of further functional deterioration was observed in only 12 of the 18 patients. After dividing the patients according to this observation, we discovered significant differences in both change in DRF (dDRF) and change in RCT (dRCT) (difference between before and after initial pyeloplasty) between the two groups (p<0.001). Additionally, we noted a significant positive correlation between dRCT and dDRF. All patients showed improvements in hydronephrosis grade and relief of symptoms compared with before redo pyeloplasty. Conclusions Redo pyeloplasty should be considered in cases of failed pyeloplasty to preserve renal function and obtain relief from symptoms. If patients show severe deterioration of DRF or a decrease in RCT after initial pyeloplasty, preservation of DRF in these patients after redo pyeloplasty could be difficult. Therefore, redo pyeloplasty should be performed before severe deterioration of DRF or decrease in RCT.


Following the 2008 financial crisis many financial institutions in Europe, particularly banks, have found themselves as holders of unwanted collateral real estate assets. Few of them had prepared an effective strategy to deal with asset management and disposal. Such property assets could be both expensive to maintain and dispose.When property markets are distressed accompanied by economic turbulences, decision-making needs to be adapted to the specific conditions and size of local market. Whilst some developed markets returned to growth faster, distressed economies are continuing to affect property markets across global developing markets, One of the main outcomes of the crisis in Central Easter European emergent property markets consisted of banking institutions being forced to hold and asset manage property assets as a result of recent defaults. The global dimension of this problem is better illustrated by the recent Chinese market turbulence, which may well lead to a similar problem for global financial institutions involved.Clearly business strategies adopted prior to 2008 did not include a specific Corporate Real Estate (CRE) dimension. Post 2008, financial institutions needed to reassess their approach to CRE to comply with political and financial regulations set by the European Union, the European Central Bank and national financial regulators. Financial institutions became unwittingly ensnared in a dilemma which requires them to either dispose of build assets at unacceptable discounts or hold and manage those assets despite political pressure and the interests of their investors.This paper adopts a two-fold analytical approach surrounding the decisionmaking process; First, what are the factors that would affect the decision to dispose of unwanted properties in the near future when the property market is disrupted? Second, what are the strategic measures that could facilitate a successful sale in the near future?Specific findings highlight the importance of adopting a specific strategy to align Corporate Real Estate decisions with the current business strategy and the most important factors affecting the decision-making process. One of the main measures to facilitate a sale is of course to improve occupancy, despite of this not always being achievable. Thus, the paper explores new strategic alternatives that might provide future solutions.


This paper explores the impact of multi-car teams on driver wins, total points, and total earnings in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the years of 2005 through 2008. Early in NASCAR's history, multi-car teams were rare as the conventional wisdom was that multi-car teams would have poor chemistry which would negatively impact driver performance. Recently, however, multi-car teams have become more popular. Using season-level data, we show that multi-car teams generally enjoy a competitive advantage on the track over single-car teams but that diminishing returns to the number of cars on a team mitigates the motivation for arbitrarily large teams.


The "golden era" of American environmental lawmaking, between 1964 and 1980, saw twenty-two pieces of major environmental legislation (including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act) passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed into law by presidents of both parties. But since then environmental issues have divided the parties and engendered bitter interest-group politics, with most new proposals blocked by legislative gridlock. In this book, Christopher McGrory Klyza and David Sousa argue that this longstanding legislative stalemate at the national level has forced environmental policymaking onto other pathways, both inside and outside government. Despite the congressional impasse, they write, environmental policymaking today is vibrant and complex--although the results fall short of what is needed in the years ahead. Klyza and Sousa identify and analyze five alternative policy paths, which they illustrate with case studies: "appropriations politics" in Congress; executive authority, including the rulemaking process; the role of the courts, whose role in environmental policymaking has grown in the era of legislative gridlock; "next-generation" collaborative experiments (which, the authors argue, should be seen as an important approach but not a panacea); and policymaking at the state level. Their comprehensive analysis of the state of environmental policymaking since 1990 shows that although legislative gridlock is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon, the nation continues to move in the direction favored by environmentalists, largely because of the policy legacies of the 1960s and 1970s that have created an enduring "green state" rooted in statutes, bureaucratic routines, and public expectations. Christopher McGrory Klyza is Robert '35 and Helen '38 Stafford Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College. David Sousa is Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound.


Context. The population of Be/X-ray binaries shows strong evidence of bimodality, especially in the spin period of neutron stars. Several physical mechanisms may produce this bimodality. The most favored candidate mechanisms are two distinct supernova channels or different accretion modes of the neutron stars in Be/X-ray binaries. Investigating the kinematics of these systems may provide some additional insight into the physics of this bimodality. Aims. If the two Be/X-ray binary subpopulations arise from two distinct supernova types, then the two subpopulations should have different peculiar (systemic) velocities. This can be tested either directly, by measuring the velocity of the system, or indirectly, by measuring the position of the system with respect to its birthplace. A difference in the peculiar velocity magnitude between the subpopulations would favor the supernova hypothesis, and the lack of this difference would suggest that the accretion hypothesis is a more favorable option to explain the bimodality. Methods. Using the most recent Gaia dataset and the newest catalogs of Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) star clusters, we analyzed the tangential peculiar velocities of Be/X-ray binaries in the Galaxy and the positions of Be/X-ray binaries in the SMC. We used the distance of the system from the nearest young star cluster as a proxy to the tangential velocity of the system. We applied statistical testing to investigate whether the two subpopulations that are divided by the spin of the neutron star are also kinematically distinct. Results. There is evidence that the two subpopulations are indeed kinematically distinct. However, the tangential peculiar velocities of the two subpopulations are the reverse from what is expected from the distinct supernova channel hypothesis. We find some marginal evidence (p ≈ 0.005) that the Galactic Be/X-ray binaries from the short-spin subpopulation have systematically higher peculiar velocities than the systems from the long-spin subpopulation. The same effect, but weaker, is also recovered for the SMC Be/X-ray binaries for all considered cluster catalogs. The unexpected difference in the peculiar velocities between the two subpopulations of Be/X-ray binaries contradicts these two hypotheses, and an alternative physical explanation for this may be needed.


Botulinum toxin A is used as treatment for various conditions involving muscle spasm and is available in several formulations. One of these (Botox) has recently been licensed in the UK for the prevention of headaches in adults with chronic migraine1 as regular injections into head and neck muscles. Here we discuss the efficacy and safety of this treatment.


In subway systems, kinetic energy can be converted into electrical one by using regenerative braking systems. If regenerative energy (RE) is fully used, the energy demands from power grid can be dramatically reduced. Since energy storage systems usually have a high cost, they are not considered in this work. Thus, RE has to be immediately utilized by accelerating trains; otherwise, it is wasted into heat via resistors. Timetable optimization methods are often used to coordinate accelerating and braking trains at a station, such that RE can be optimally used by the former. To improve RE utilization (REU) in a subway line, we propose a timetable optimization problem and establish its mathematical model. Many realistic constraints with the decision variables, i.e., headway time and dwell time, are considered. Then we design an improved artificial bee colony (IABC) algorithm to solve the problem. Several numerical experiments are conducted based on the actual data from a subway line in Beijing, China. The correctness of the mathematical model and effectiveness of IABC are shown by comparing it with commercial software CPLEX and a genetic algorithm, respectively. The impact of the decision variables on REU is analyzed, which helps to improve the timetable currently used in this subway line. We also test the robustness of the optimized timetable when certain disturbance takes place.


Public health practitioners are often suspicious of colleagues who work with the pharmaceutical industry. But, by analogy with the legal system, public good flows from allowing commercial interests to present their case as strongly as possible within rules set by the government or National Health Service. In court, both parties work within an agreed framework, but each party presents only one side of the argument. Arguing the commercial case balances the drive for innovation against the inertia of the NHS.


The cardiovascular effects induced by the daytime administration of melatonin (1 mg) were compared with those of placebo in 17 young, healthy, early follicular-phase women. Compared with placebo, the administration of melatonin modified, within 90 min, the pulsatility index (PI), evaluated by color Doppler ultrasound, of the internal carotid artery, abdominal aorta, and axillary artery. The effect was linearly related to baseline PI, higher baseline PI being associated with greater PI declines. Melatonin administration significantly decreased mean PI of internal carotid artery ( P < 0.02), systolic and diastolic blood pressure ( P < 0.01), and norepinephrine levels evaluated after 5 min of standing position ( P < 0.02). Heart rate and supine catecholamine levels were not modified. These data indicate that in young, healthy women the administration of 1 mg of melatonin greatly influences artery blood flow, decreases blood pressure, and blunts noradrenergic activation. Clinical implications of present data are worthy to be fully explored.


Heterogeneous communication networks with their variety of application demands, uncertain time-varying traffic load, and mixture of wired and wireless links pose several challenging problem in modeling and control. In this paper we focus on the packet delay, which is an important variable for efficient end-to-end congestion control. In particular, we study the delay effects of radio links which use power control and link-layer retransmissions. Link-layer retransmissions induce delays which do not conform to the assumptions on which the transport protocol is based. This causes undesired TCP control actions which reduce throughput. A link-layer solution based on adding carefully selected delays to certain packets is proposed to counteract this problem. All information needed for this is available locally at the link.


Purpose: To evaluate a 10-year single-center experience of arch endovascular aortic repair (AEVAR) using the hybrid approach. Methods: Between 1999 and 2009, 311 patients were treated with endografts for thoracic aortic pathologies. The aortic arch was involved in 116 (37.3%) patients (97 men; mean age 70.3±10.7 years, range 27–84). There were 83 atherosclerotic aneurysms, 21 type B dissections, and 12 other lesions whose proximal landing zones were categorized according to Ishimaru's classification as 24 zone 0, 27 zone 1, and 65 zone 2. A hybrid approach was performed for all zone 0 and zone 1 procedures and in nearly half (47.7%) of zone 2 procedures. Early and midterm outcomes were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The initial clinical success in zone 0 aneurysms was 83.3%, with a 30-day mortality of 12.5% due to intraoperative stroke in all the cases. The respiratory failure rate was 12.5%, and there was 1 type I endoleak that spontaneously resolved at follow-up. Midterm clinical success at a mean 26±21 months was 83.3%. In zone 1 aneurysms, the initial clinical success was 82.1% without 30-day mortality or perioperative stroke. The midterm clinical success was 81.5% at a mean 21±17 months [2 (7.4%) late aneurysm-related deaths]. Four type I endoleaks spontaneously resolved in 3 patients. In zone 2 cases, the initial clinical success was 90.8%. There was 1 (1.5%) intraoperative death and another (1.5%) within 30 days; 1 (1.5%) patient suffered a stroke, and the respiratory and renal failure rates were 3.0%, respectively. This is the only zone in which paraplegia (2 patients, 3.0%) was encountered. The midterm clinical success was 93.9% at a mean 34±20 months. Four type I endoleaks spontaneously resolved in 3 patients at follow-up. Conclusion: In selected patients, early and midterm outcomes of AEVAR using the hybrid approach are promising; however, mortality and morbidity, especially for zones 0 and 1, are not negligible. Our results may have practical implications for the ongoing evolution of the hybrid procedure in the aortic arch, as well as for patients fit for traditional surgery.


During the past two decades, the consistent trend in engineering education has been to cultivate an ever increasing degree of sophistication pertaining to research, mathematics, and engineering analysis at the expense of effort devoted to developing the student's skill and confidence in engineering synthesis and creative design. The time has now come to restore a more equitable balance between these two complementary poles of the educational enterprise. This paper reviews various aspects of the problem and offers some suggestions for achieving a better balance. Some of these suggestions deal with what the individual teacher can do within the existing framework of his present courses. Other broader proposals deal with needed new administrative policies relating to faculty recruitment, pay, promotion, and tenure.


A growing body of evidence demonstrates that human vision operates differently in the space near and on the hands; for example, early findings in this literature reported that rapid onsets are detected faster near the hands, and that objects are searched more thoroughly. These and many other effects were attributed to enhanced attention via the recruitment of bimodal visual-tactile neurons representing the hand and near-hand space. However, recent research supports an alternative account: stimuli near the hands are preferentially processed by the action-oriented magnocellular visual pathway at the expense of processing in the parvocellular pathway. This Modulated Visual Pathways (MVP) account of altered vision near the hands describes a hand position-dependent trade-off between the two main retinal-cortical visual pathways between the eye and brain. The MVP account explains past findings and makes new predictions regarding near-hand vision supported by new research.


We present numerical simulations of the propagation of the field emitted by laser arrays consisting of a small number of elements. Our computations show how propagation transforms part of an amplitude modulation into a phase modulation. This fact can be used to enhance the central lobe energy in the far field of high-power laser arrays by means of a simple corrective optical element. We discuss optimal filtering conditions and prove that the quarter-Talbot distance generally used in previous studies is not the best choice.


Ride Smart was a CD-ROM created especially for Victorian motorcycle riders. It was designed with the input of experienced motorcycle trainers and instructional design experts to provide training on a range of motorcycling skills such as hazard perception and decision making. Each year, the TAC sends Ride Smart order forms out to approximately 20,000 newly licensed riders. Approximately 16 per cent of the riders proceed to order the free CD. However, only 2.5 per cent of the riders who order the CD actually complete all the exercises. It was proposed that an on-line version of the training could potentially offer a better means to track and inform the formulation of strategies to improve completion rates. A collateral benefit of re-developing Ride Smart as an online product was the opportunity to make enhancements that might better engage users and thereby motivate them to complete the product. This paper will discuss the transition of Ride Smart to an online environment, the enhancements made and the motivational strategies used to improve the uptake and completion of the resource.