Objective: The current in vitro study was performed to evaluate the effect of fluoridated mouthwashes and immersion time on the corrosion behavior and microscopical surface of two different types of orthodontic mini-implants (titanium (Ti) and stainless steel (SS)). Methods: Total 30 orthodontic mini-implants (15 titanium and 15 stainless steel) were collected. Each group was subdivided equally into 3 subgroups which were immersed separately in (Artificial saliva, Lacalut-white and Kin B5 mouthwashes) for 28 days at following immersion intervals: 1-7 days, 8-14 days and 15- 28 days. All mini-implants were assessed for metal ions release, however, only 6 MIs: 3 Ti and 3 SS were selected from the studied groups (one from each group), and subjected to SEM analysis before and after immersion in the storage media. The mini-implants were used in as received condition without any additional treatment. Results: The results of (SEM) showed that the pitting and crevice corrosion was obvious in different regions of examined samples, being greater in titanium than stainless steel mini-implants, and more evident in both fluoridated mouthwashes than artificial saliva. Conclusion: The results of the microscopical examination revealed that the signs of corrosion in the form of crevice and pitting were detected in all groups of MIs, being most evident in those immersed in fluoridated Kin-B5 MW followed by fluoridated Lacalut-White MW and finally the artificial saliva group.


MOOCs takes connective attention theory and E-learning open education science as basis, present course range covers science and technology disciplines, social science discipline and humanistic studies. The course has a variety of types, appearing in the form of "micro-curriculum", is an important link of mixing teaching, which builds foundation for new round education reformation. The paper researches on MOOCs course features, origins, development history, design theory and development of its combination with ESP, in the hope of exploring paths for MOOCs development and the course and other forms course teaching combination.


This paper aims to highlight the opportunity to contribute to our understanding of strategic entrepreneurship by exploring the construct through the lens of agency theory. In particular, we claim a fundamental link between a new venture's control of critical resources and the distribution of equity between the principal and agent. According to agency theory, assigning top executives ownership in the firm provides arrangements that are compatible with the incentives of the owners of the firm. This paper suggests that agency theory has special relevance when considered in a strategic entrepreneurship context. This is because the function of managers in entrepreneurial new ventures is fundamentally different from their counterparts in large established, incumbent corporations. While both types of managers have to provide managerial and organizational expertise, managers in entrepreneurial new ventures have an additional function that is essential to the competitive advantage and performance of the new venture—providing knowledge and human capital, which, in many cases, is intrinsically linked to the capital resources of the new venture. Our framework is tested using patent ownership as a proxy for both relationship-specific investments and indispensable human capital of the top manager of the new venture. The empirical results support the main hypotheses posited by the entrepreneurial governance model. In particular, patent ownership of the top manager significantly increases the percentage of equity held, while the number of patents held by the firm significantly decreases the percentage of ownership.


It has been found that two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, can be used as remarkable gas detection platforms as even minimal chemical interactions can lead to distinct changes in electrical conductivity. In this work, epitaxially grown graphene was decorated with iron oxide nanoparticles for sensor performance tuning. This hybrid surface was used as a sensing layer to detect formaldehyde and benzene at concentrations of relevance in air quality monitoring (low parts per billion). Moreover, the time constants could be drastically reduced using a derivative sensor signal readout, allowing detection at the sampling rates desired for air quality monitoring applications.


ABSTRACT The majority of studies on natural resources management in both developed and developing countries are silent on the issue of analysis of corruption – or they treat it tangentially, as an annoying anomaly, or simply deviance from the rules. As a result, the issue has hardly been subjected to in-depth characterisation or reforms. This study employed and integrated mainstream principal-agent theory and more recently developed collective action theory to enhance our understanding – in different but complementary ways − of the socio-political underpinnings of corruption. A supposed 'best case' participatory forest management scheme in Tanzania reveals significant forest-related corrupt undertakings, which led to forest encroachment in the form of charcoal and timber exploitation. The findings point to contextual grounds for corruption, namely: undermined assumptions of the mainstream principal-agent institutions; the presence of alternative informal principal-agent institutions; the presence of immediate and substantial benefits that flow to such alternative institutions; and the huge market demands for their forest products and services. Through such a nuanced approach that blends the two above-mentioned theories in meaningful ways, more appropriate options for policy formulation and implementation are proposed.


The assessment of atmospheric sulfur deposition to forest is difficult because of its complex aerodynamic structure. Therefore, atmospheric deposition of sulfur to forest is often estimated by means of measuring throughfall fluxes onto the forest floor. In this paper, reported measurements of throughfall fluxes in European forests are analyzed. These fluxes are compared to deposition to bulk collectors located in nearby open land, to get an idea of the filtering efficiency of forests. In addition, fluxes are compared with deposition estimates from a long-range transport model of air pollutants, linked to an emission generation model. According to reported measurements from 52 European conifer stands, we found that the sulfur flux was 3.8 ± 2.3 times greater onto the forest floor than onto precipitation collectors. In a similar data set of 13 deciduous stands this ratio was 2.3 ± 0.9. The ratio of throughfall flux to model estimate was 1.8 ± 0.9 in coniferous stands and 0.9 ± 0.3 in deciduous stands. For sites that are located in moderately to highly sulfur polluted areas, it is assumed that throughfall fluxes give a good estimation of the atmospheric sulfur deposition. We conclude that (1) sulfur deposition to forests is 1.5 to 6 times higher than deposition to smooth receptor surfaces due to an efficient filtering by the forest canopy, (2) average annual sulfur deposition at a given location is 50–100% greater on conifers than on deciduous trees, (3) the existing European scale model that links sulfur deposition to the pollution generation processes is quite accurate as far as deciduous forests are concerned, and (4) the model underestimates deposition to coniferous forests. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1990.t01-2-00008.x


A rapid method requiring a small amount of materials is described for genotyping of influenza type B virus reassortants. It allows one to carry out within a short time a simultaneous analysis of the genome of 12 virus strains by PAG electrophoresis of virion RNAs. The conditions for the detection of the greatest strain-specific differences in the mobility of individual RNA segments of influenza B virus were found: 3.3% PAG plus 4.5 M urea, although the most reliable results were obtained by comparisons in gels with various acrylamide-urea ratios.


Our contribution aims at unravelling the knot between sexuality and the web in Italy during the coronavirus pandemic. Sex-related online practices intensified, due to health concerns and lockdown measures, and access to pornographic websites skyrocketed. What is the cultural, relational, and psychological impact of this? We identify two main outcomes: widespread solipsism and dissolution by excess. It is, to the best of our knowledge, an unexplored territory. Sociologists did not address previous pandemics, nor have they provided extensive and methodologically satisfying work on sexuality in Italy. Given the delicate nature of the topic, and the unreliability of traditional sociological research methods, we chose to fully carry out our research online. We will examine online prostitution, webcam girls, user-produced pornography and dating sites, in addition to touching upon other topics such as sexting. We will, to the best of our abilities, try to mark a path in the wilderness of human sexuality in the digital era and in these unprecedented circumstances. We believe that the link between online and offline sexuality will be consolidated and define this relationship as differentiated integration: a reciprocal adaptation covering the most diverse places and ways. To study this web-integrated society, we propose the eclectic approach.


Cells permeabilized with chloroform yielded ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) activities nearly equal to those of cell extracts, thus indicating that both cytoplasmic and carboxysomal RuBisCO are functional in situ. The carboxysomal and cytoplasmic RuBisCO both form the CO2-Mg2(+)-enzyme ternary complex, as evidenced by stabilization with 2-C-carboxy-D-arabinitol-1,5-bisphosphate (CABP), a potent competitive inhibitor of RuBisCO. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the carboxysome is functional in carbon dioxide fixation.


The current software development environment has been changing into new development paradigms such as concurrent distributed development environment and the so-called open source project by using network computing technologies. Especially, OSS (Open Source Software) systems which serve as key components of critical infrastructures in our society are still ever-expanding now. However, poor handling of quality attainment and customer support prohibit the progress of OSS. We focus on the problems in low software quality that prohibit the progress of OSS. In case of considering the effect of the debugging process on an entire system in the development of a method of reliability assessment for open source project, it is necessary to grasp the deeply-intertwined factors, such as programming path, size of each component, skill of fault reporter, and so on. In order to consider the effect of each software component on the reliability of an entire system under such OSS development, we propose a new approach to software reliability assessment by creating a fusion of neural networks and the software reliability growth models. Also, it has been necessary to manage the software development process in terms of reliability, effort, and version-upgrade time. In this paper, we find the optimal version-upgrade time based on the total expected software maintenance effort by using our software reliability growth models.


Introduction Due to low treatment coverage of sexual partners of pregnant women with syphilis in Brazil, this study aims to investigate the perceptions of primary healthcare workers about the calling of these partners for treatment. Methods This is a descriptive study with qualitative designs conducted in six primary healthcare facilities including those with the highest numbers of pregnant women with syphilis in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. A total of 20 healthcare workers were included (seven physicians and thirteen nurses) and six healthcare unit's coordinators. The study was performed from June to September 2016 through semi-structured interviews, and content analysis was done. Results According to interviewed healthcare workers, the calling and treatment of sexual partners of pregnant women with syphilis are complex and challenges activities, especially when they are not from the healthcare unit area or are illicit drug users. They pointed chauvinism as one of the main barriers and gender issues that causes resistance to go to the healthcare units for treatment. Lack of symptoms also makes partners believe they have no infection. There are also marital problems caused by the infection's diagnosis. The healthcare workers said not to feel able to these types of demands and require training. They believe that higher disclosures in different medias about syphilis and its consequences and "men prenatal care" would be important strategies to improve syphilis treatment coverage. Conclusion Physicians and nurses in the primary care, as well as health units' coordinators, have several difficulties for calling and treating sexual partners of pregnant women with syphilis and do not feel able enough to face this problem.


In this work, we applied density matrix renormalization group to one-dimensional Hubbard model at five numbers of sweep to solve strongly correlated interacting electrons system, starting from two electrons on two sites up to ten electrons on ten sites at half filling. The results that emerged from the present study is in agreement with that of exact diagonalization, variational and Lanczos solution at the varying values of the Coulomb interaction strength (U/t) at t=1. The total energy, Eg/t, of the ground state increases with the increase in interaction strength for all the numbers of site, N. The spectra intensity increases with increase in the interaction strength but decreases to zero when the interaction strength is made negatively large. This study is extended to more than two electrons on two sites. We equally show effect of interaction strength, U/t, at t = 1 on the energy-dependent entropy, S.

 Key words: Density matrix renormalization group, Hubbard model, sweep, exact diagonalization, variational, Lanczos, entropy.


Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a quality improvement (QI) plan aimed at primary healthcare teams (PHCTs) to optimise hypertension control and to compare it with standard clinical care. Methods Design Multicentric, non-randomised, quasi-experimental controlled intervention study. Setting 5 PHCTs in the intervention and 13 in the standard care group in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Participants This is a population-based study in which all patients over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of hypertension before 1 January 2006 were included (n=9877 in the intervention group and n=21 704 in the control group). Intervention A QI plan that targeted primary care professionals. The plan included training sessions, implementation of recommended clinical practice guidelines for the management of hypertensive patients and audit and feedback to health professionals. Main outcome measure Prevalence of hypertensive patients with an adequate blood pressure (BP) control. Results The adjusted difference between intervention and standard care groups in the odds of BP control was 1.3 (95% CI 1.1 to 1.6, p=0.003). Results of the mixed model on repeated measures showed that, on average, an individual in the intervention group had an increase of 92% in the odds of BP control (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.1). Conclusions The implementation of a QI plan can improve BP control. This strategy is potentially feasible for up-scaling within the existing PHCTs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov MS: 1998275938244441.


Advanced interaction techniques are necessary to explore the potential of large data-volume systems. In this context, rich internet application patterns were defined, but usually reduced to the development of social web applications. However, other types of applications, such as data-analysis applications, require also advanced interaction solutions to assist users in making decisions and data-analysis. This paper identifies a set of problems emerged in the interaction between humans and data-analysis applications. We propose a set of guidelines for rich applications as a solution for these problems. As illustrative example of a real data-analysis environment, the paper focuses on a case study in the cultural heritage domain, highlighting the existing interaction problems and how they can be solved through the design guidelines proposed. The set of design guidelines allows to specify interfaces abstractly, creating a repository to solve interaction problems. These guidelines aim to serve as a basis for a future identification of new rich applications design patterns.


In "Politics without a Past", Shari J. Cohen offers a powerful challenge to common characterisations of post-communist politics as either a resurgence of aggressive nationalism or an evolution toward Western-style democracy. Cohen draws upon extensive field research to paint a picture of post-communist political life in which ideological labels are meaningless and exchangeable at will, political parties appear and disappear regularly, and citizens remain unengaged in the political process. In contrast to the conventional wisdom, which locates the roots of widespread intra-national strife in deeply rooted national identities from the past, Cohen argues that a profound ideological vacuum has fuelled destructive tension throughout post-communist Europe and the former Soviet Union. She uses Slovakia as a case study to reveal that communist regimes bequeathed an insidious form of historical amnesia to the majority of the political elite and the societies they govern.Slovakia was particularly vulnerable to communist intervention since its pre-communist national consciousness was so weak and its only period of statehood prior to 1993 was as a Nazi puppet-state. To demonstrate her argument, Cohen focuses on Slovakia's failure to forge a collective memory of the World War II experience. She shows how communist socialisation prevented Slovaks from tying their individual family stories-of the Jewish deportations, of the anti-Nazi resistance, or of serving in the wartime government-to a larger historical narrative shared with others, leaving them bereft of historical or moral bearings."Politics without a Past" develops an analytical framework that will be important for future research in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and beyond. Scholars in political science, history, East European and post-Soviet studies will find Cohen's methodology and conclusions enlightening. For policymakers, diplomats, and journalists who deal with the region, she offers valuable insights into the elusive nature of post-communist societies.


STAT3 upregulates expression of HIF-1 induced EPO. Receptor EPOR was reported to activate STAT3. Our study was aimed at demonstration of tissue immunoreactivities of those proteins and determination of their relationships in reference to clinicopathological variables of breast cancers. We detected STAT3, HIF-1alpha, EPO and EPOR in specimens of 76 human, female, ductal breast cancers by immunohistochemistry. STAT3 was detected in 38 of 76 cancers (50%). HIF-1alpha was found in 55 cases (72%). EPO positive tumors comprised 89% of all the cancers (68 cases). EPOR was also visualized in 55 cases (72%). Anti-HIF-1alpha and anti-STAT3 stained nuclei and cytoplasm of breast cancer cells in diffuse and finely granular fashion. Strong membranous expressions of EPO and EPOR were distributed in cytoplasmic and membranous granularity or diffuse staining. STAT3 correlated with HIF-1 in general (r=0.4012, p<0.0001) and in different patients' subgroups. STAT3 was significantly associated with EPO and EPOR in all the cancers (r=0.2370, p=0.039 and r=0.3336, p=0.003, respectively). Besides a correlation between STAT3 and EPOR in node negative ones, STAT3 wasn't related to EPO and EPOR in remaining subgroups. HIF-1alpha correlated with EPO and EPOR in most of analyzed groups. Immunoreactivity to EPO generally was associated with EPOR (r=0.3520, p=0.002). Statistically analyzed distributions of the proteins reflected functional dependences among STAT3, HIF-1alpha, EPO and EPOR in cellular signal conduction.


The wind power market has reached a new stage of maturity as dozens of new renewable energy and infrastructure funds enter large and liquid capital markets to compete for investors against established asset classes. These funds typically acquire equity stakes in wind farms that are project financed using non-recourse debt at the project or portfolio level. However, both investors (buyers) and developers (sellers) of wind projects are currently searching for a benchmark project equity return around which to place their return expectations given the emergence of institutional investors as the dominant new class of buyers. The author judges the benchmark return for wind project equity to be 12%, in line with privately held infrastructure and PFI assets. However, he expects it to fall to 9%, in line with listed shipping, real estate, and regulated water companies. After management fees, this equates to an internal rate of return of 7% that is actually delivered to the ultimate investors. This may appear low, but it implies a required dividend yield of 9.5% for 20 years, given that wind farms have little residual value.


The continuously rising attention to and practice of eco-city development in Sweden and China, as well as the countries' active cooperation has motivated this study and the exploration of eco-city development in these two countries. In eco-city development, diverse environmental issues may well be beyond the planning sector's capacity and need to be resolved elsewhere by other authorities and agencies in such areas as energy, water and traffic. This may in practice require the reframing of certain institutions to ensure that relevant sector authorities, scientific institutions and actors have responsibilities for integrative tasks and can cooperate effectively.The study aims to investigate how institutional conditions affect environmental integration in urban planning. The approach used is the exploration of how different institutional conditions promote and/or hinder environmental integration by the examination of four examples of eco-city development in Sweden and China. Based on theories of institutions, Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) and sustainable urban planning, an analytical framework is used to describe institutional conditions related to formal rulemaking, informal rules and administrative management and organizations.Formal rules provide framework and legitimacy for guiding and enforcing actors in the practice of realizing environmental integration in urban planning. Meanwhile, informal rules; i.e. wills, interests, understanding and knowledge, could considerably affect the design of formal rules and how they are to be implemented. Administrative management and organization serve to realize environmental integration following the formal rules, but the informal institutional conditions of e.g. officials' interests, understanding, knowledge and experience, as well as political support, affect the organizations' performance and abilities for implementation, which in turn also largely depends on the specific organizational settings. All three need to be combined to achieve environmental integration in sustainable urban planning, since each one has its own strengths and weaknesses and they gradually affect each other in practices.


Expansion of the working age population has been a powerful engine of the global economy in recent decades, with the resulting demographic "tailwinds" accounting for 48% of annual economic growth from 1990-2015. These tailwinds will slow, however, as the global population ages 20-64 will grow less than half as fast from 2015-2040 as compared to the prior 25 years, while the age 65+ population will grow five times faster than the working age population. Building on detailed country-specific economic models and data on age profiles of labor income, consumption and savings from the National Transfer Accounts project, we estimate how population changes will affect national incomes to 2040 under likely future demographic scenarios. We predict that slowing population growth and rapid aging of the populations in the United States and other leading economies around the globe will cause global demographic tailwinds to be only 31% as strong in the 2015-2040 period as compared to 1990-2015. Tailwinds that added 1.3% per year to global economic growth during 1990-2015 will drop to only 0.4% per year from 2015-2040. Cumulatively, this projection implies that the global economy in 2040 will be 20% smaller under projected 2015-2040 population trends than it would have been if the population trends of 1990-2015 had continued. In the United States, tailwinds will drop by 0.8% per year, only slightly better than the 0.9% drop in other high income countries. Many low and middle income countries will experience similar slowdowns to economic growth, although countries earlier in the demographic transition will see rising demographically-driven economic growth, such as a 0.4% increase in Nigeria's tailwind. A major exception is China, which we project will transition from a 1.5% annual tailwind to a 0.6% headwind as China's working age population actually began to shrink in 2016. An upcoming report will present more detailed estimates by country and year, while future research by the Berkeley Forum on Aging and the Global Economy (BerkeleyAGE) will further explore effects on different aspects of the economy, including effects on per capita income and consumption.


Introduction Documentation of Rockall score (RS) in patients with AUGIB should be accurate in order to prioritise patients for gastroscopy. We conducted a pilot study in 2012 which showed that RS was calculated incorrectly in 46% patients. We investigated this further with a larger cohort of patients. Method Information was collected retrospectively on patients who presented with presented with AUGIB from February 2012 to February 2013. Patients who had out-of-hours gastroscopy excluded. Demographics, time to perform gastroscopy, RS documented by the doctor requesting the gastroscopy, RS calculated by analysing patient records (including A&E, paramedic records) were collected. We analysed patients whose RS was either underscored or overscored by the requesting doctor (this was compared to the actual score calculated by us) and correlated the calculated RS with the need for endoscopic intervention. Results There were 248 patients with 149 (60%) males, age 16 to 98 years (mean 69). Presenting symptoms were melaena in 129 (51%), haemetemesis 35 (14%), coffee ground vomiting 64 (25%), rectal bleed 17 (7%), melaena and haematemesis 4. RS was calculated incorrectly in 194 (78%) patients with 110 (44%) over scored (Group A), 84 (34%) underscored (Group B). Mean RS on request form for Group A patients was 3.64 ± 1.97 while the calculated RS was 1.85 ± 1.61. In Group B, mean RS documented was 1.8 ± 0.96 while the calculated RS was 3.9 ± 1.04. Mean time from electronic booking to gastroscopy was 2.02 days – 1.67 days for Group A and 2.04 days in Group B. FY1s calculated incorrect scores in 83 (43%) patients, FY2s in 20 (10%), SHOs in 81 (42%), registrars in 7 (4%) and consultants 3 (2%). Of the 111 FY1s (45%) who calculated the RS, 46 (41%) overscored, 37 (33%) underscored and 28 (25%) calculated RS correctly. The numbers for 27 FY2 (11%) were 11 (41%), 9 (33%) and 7 (26%) respectively. Of the 95 (38%) SHOs, 47 (50%) overscored, 34 (36%) underscored and 14 (15%) calculated RS correctly. There were 11 specialist registrars (4 correct, 4 overscored and 3 underscored) and 4 Consultant request forms (3 incorrect). Of the 248 patients, 37 (15%) required endoscopic intervention. In Group A, 16 (15%) needed endoscopic intervention, compared to 11 (13%) in Group B. Ten (19%) of the 54 patients scored correctly required endoscopic therapy. Conclusion This study shows that it is important to document the RS at the time of first presentation of AUGIB rather than at the time when the patient is seen by the admitting doctor. This study however does not show a direct correlation between the RS and endoscopic intervention. It emphasises the fact that all doctors should be educated about the importance of documenting the correct RS as more than three quarter of the RS on request forms were found to be inaccurate. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Clinical trials indicate that amifostine may confer protection on various normal tissues without attenuating anti-tumor response. When administered prior to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, it may provide a broad spectrum of cytoprotection including against alkylating drugs. The mechanism of protection resides in the metabolism at normal tissue site by membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase. Toxicity of this drug is moderate with hypotension, nausea and vomiting, and hypocalcemia being observed. We report a phase II study using amifostine as a protective drug against high-dose cyclophosphamide (HDCY) (7 g/m2), used to mobilize peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) and to reduce tumor burden. We enrolled 29 patients, 22 (75. 9%) affected by aggressive and 7 (24.1%) by indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), who were submitted to 58 infusions of amifostine and compared them with a historical group (33 patients) affected by aggressive NHL and treated with VACOP-B followed by HDCY. The most important results in favor of amifostine were the reduction of intensity of cardiac, pulmonary and hepatic toxicity, and a significant reduction of frequency and severity of mucositis (P = 0. 04). None of the 29 patients died in the protected group, while in the historical group 2/33 patients died because of cardiac or pulmonary toxicity and 2 patients stopped therapy due to toxicity. Amifostine did not prevent the aplastic phase following HDCY. PBPC collection and hematological recovery were adequate in both groups. The number of CFU-GM (colony-forming units-granulocyte/macrophage) colonies and mononuclear cells in the apheresis products was significantly higher in the amifostine group (P = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). Side effects were mild and easily controlled. We conclude that amifostine protection should be useful in HDCY to protect normal tissues, with acceptable side effects.


Background: Birth weight has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality in later life, but the mechanisms are poorly defined. It is not clear if adults with low and high birth weights have different percent body fat and pattern of fat distribution, which are associated with health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study is to assess if the percentage body fat and its distribution within the body differ between adults with a low and high birth weight, after adjusting for BMI. Methods: A total of 29 men aged 65-72 y old were recruited randomly from a Hertfordshire cohort with known birth weight and divided into two groups: a low birth weight group ( 9 lbs). Body composition was assessed using DEXA Hologic Delphin and the results were processed using software v12.2, and expressed as mean +/-standard error. Results: Compared to the high birth weight group the low birth weight subjects were shorter (1.72 +/- 0.02 v 1.78 +/- 0.02m; P=0.05) and lighter (79.44 +/- 2.17 v 88.80 +/- 3.42 kg; P = 0.02). The low birth weight group also had a greater % body fat (28.71 +/- 1.03 v 25.53 +/- 1.85%; NS) despite a lower BMI (26.76 +/- 0.50 v 28.00 +/- 1.17 kg/m2; NS). When adjusted to the same BMI (27.31 kg/m2) using ANCOVA, there was about 5% more body fat (29.32 +/- 1.03 v 24.77+/-1.15 %; P=0.006) and more centrally located fat (ratio of non limb/ limb fat, 1.53 +/- 0.05 v 1.34 +/- 0.06; P=0.03). Conclusion: At the same BMI, older adults with a low birth weight had relatively more body fat and more centrally distributed fat than those with a high birth weight. This suggests that BMI should not be indiscriminately used to assess adiposity in low and high birth weight adults. The results could also help explain the higher risk of cardiovascular disease associated with poor fetal growth.


In Xenopus eggs, fertilization initiates a rotational movement of the cortex relative to the cytoplasm, resulting in the transport of critical determinants to the future dorsal side of the embryo. Cortical rotation is mediated by microtubules, resulting in activation of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway and expression of organizer genes on the dorsal side of the blastula. Similar cytoplasmic localizations resulting in β‐catenin activation occur in many chordate embryos, suggesting a deeply conserved mechanism for patterning early embryos. This review summarizes the experimental evidence for the molecular basis of this model, focusing on recent maternal loss‐of‐function studies that shed light on two main unanswered questions: (1) what regulates microtubule assembly during cortical rotation and (2) how is Wnt/β‐catenin signaling activated dorsally? In addition, as these processes depend on vegetally localized molecules in the oocyte, the mechanisms of RNA localization and novel roles for localized RNAs in axis formation are discussed. The work reviewed here provides a beginning framework for understanding the coupling of asymmetry in oogenesis with the establishment of asymmetry in the embryo. WIREs Dev Biol 2012, 1:371–388. doi: 10.1002/wdev.29


Erich T. Hester: Impact of Geomorphic Structures on Hyporheic Exchange, Temperature, and Ecological Processes in Streams (Under the direction of Martin W. Doyle) Water exchange between streams and groundwater (hyporheic exchange) facilitates exchange of heat, nutrients, toxics, and biota. In-stream geomorphic structures (IGSs) such as log dams and steps are common in natural streams and stream restoration projects, and can significantly enhance hyporheic exchange. Hyporheic exchange is known to moderate temperatures in streams, a function important to a variety of stream organisms. Nevertheless, the connection between IGS form, hydrogeologic setting, hyporheic exchange, and hyporheic thermal impacts are poorly known. In this dissertation, I used hydraulic modeling and field experiments to quantify how basic characteristics of IGSs and their hydrogeologic setting impact induced hyporheic water and heat exchange and stream temperature. Model results indicate that structure size, background groundwater discharge, and sediment hydraulic conductivity are the most important factors controlling induced hyporheic exchange. Nonlinear relationships between many such driving factors and hyporheic exchange are important for understanding IGS functioning. Weir-induced hyporheic heat advection noticeably affected shallow sediment temperatures during the field experiments, and also caused slight cooling of the surface stream, an effect that increased with weir height. Nevertheless, such advection was far less important to the stream heat budget than atmospheric heat exchange, indicating streambed hydraulic conductivity was the overriding factor controlling hyporheic influence on surface water temperatures. Lotic organisms are ii adapted to the thermal regime typically experienced in their native ranges, and are therefore sensitive to thermal shifts from human activities. However, a basic survey of ecological sensitivity to temperature change in lotic systems is currently lacking. In this dissertation, I generated a quantitative synthesis of ecological sensitivity to temperature from the peerreviewed scientific literature which I compared to a broad array of human thermal impacts to streams and rivers. Results indicate that on average, lotic organisms are more sensitive to warming than to cooling, and fish are more sensitive than invertebrates. Human thermal impacts entail warming more often than cooling and are of similar magnitude to that required to induce a 50% reduction in organism level functioning, indicating significant potential to impair ecological functioning. My results highlight the need for thermal mitigation in lotic systems at local, regional, and global scales.


Tips for academic writers Native and nonnative speakers who need a concise guide to academic writing will appreciate this useful book. In Focus: Strategies for Academic Writers covers a wide variety of common academic writing tasks, including paragraphs, summaries, short essays, critical reviews, synthesis papers, argumentative papers, research papers, and impromptu response writing. This textbook incorporates the process approach to writing and presents strategies for every aspect of the pre-writing and writing process. The "Focus Approach" helps students analyze the writing task at hand and clarify the goals of their projects, while the "Power Writing Process" allows students to complete the writing and revision of their assignments one step at a time. The textbook also addresses the problem of writer's block and provides techniques to help students cope with anxiety associated with writing.


Abstract Fitzmaurice's King Leopold's Ghostwriter is a fascinating Dickensian tale of law and extreme hubris upending one of Oxford, the law, and Queen Victoria's own—Sir Travers Twiss. His failed attempt to conceal that he had married a prostitute ultimately led him to an ill-advised, and self-contradictory, endorsement of Belgian King Leopold II's establishment of the Congo Free State. Indeed, Twiss' every professional accomplishment is now subject to a severe re-assessment in the light of his willingness to do Leopold's dirty work and thus place millions of Congolese in serious harm's way. More Congolese would have lived, and Africa might have remained less scrambled if Twiss had not married a prostitute and been exposed as a fabulous mountebank.


BACKGROUND
Obesity and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are both related to an increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the intestinal microbiota. However, an association between obesity and CDI is unknown. We aimed to assess the association between obesity and CDI in hospitalized patients.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective case-control study. From January to December 2011, all consecutive patients hospitalized with CDI, in 2 internal medical departments in 2 hospitals, were included. Patients with CDI were compared to hospitalized patients without diarrhea, during the same period and in the same departments, and matched by age, sex, Charlson score, length of hospitalization, and antibiotic use during the last 3 months.

RESULTS
Of the 6300 patients hospitalized, 178 were diagnosed with CDI. CDI prevalence was 2.8% (178/6300). Thirty patients were excluded from the study. The 148 cases with CDI were compared to 148 hospitalized controls. Mean body mass index (BMI) in the CDI group was 33.6 (SD, 4.3) versus 28.9 (SD, 5.4) in the control group (P = .001). The multivariable model of conditional logistic regression for matched pairs showed that a history of intra-abdominal surgery (odds ratio [OR] = 2.865; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-6.52) and a high BMI value (OR = 1.196 per 1-unit increase in the BMI scale; 95% CI, 1.12-1.27) were the only variables found to be significantly associated with CDI.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that obesity is associated with the risk of CDI. Further studies are needed to reveal the exact mechanisms underlying this association.


Patients with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), a rare soft tissue cancer associated with loss of the tumor suppressor neurofibromin (NF1), have poor prognosis and typically respond poorly to adjuvant therapy. We evaluated the effect of 299 clinical and investigational compounds on seven MPNST cell lines, two primary cultures of human Schwann cells, and five normal bone marrow aspirates, to identify potent drugs for MPNST treatment with few side effects. Top hits included Polo‐like kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibitors (volasertib and BI2536) and the fluoronucleoside gemcitabine, which were validated in orthogonal assays measuring viability, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis. DNA copy number, gene expression, and protein expression were determined for the cell lines to assess pharmacogenomic relationships. MPNST cells were more sensitive to BI2536 and gemcitabine compared to a reference set of 94 cancer cell lines. PLK1, RRM1, and RRM2 mRNA levels were increased in MPNST compared to benign neurofibroma tissue, and the protein level of PLK1 was increased in the MPNST cell lines compared to normal Schwann cells, indicating an increased dependence on these drug targets in malignant cells. Furthermore, we observed an association between increased mRNA expression of PLK1, RRM1, and RRM2 in patient samples and worse disease outcome, suggesting a selective benefit from inhibition of these genes in the most aggressive tumors.


Protection planning is made for rural centralized drinking water source areas according to current situations of rural drinking water and existing problems of centralized drinking water source areas in Chongqing, and in combination with survey, analysis and evaluation of urban-rural drinking water source areas in whole city. There are engineering measures and non-engineering measures, to guarantee drinking water security of rural residents, improve rural ecological environment, realize sustainable use of water resource, and promote sustainable development of society. Engineering measures include conservation and protection of water resource, ecological restoration, isolation, and comprehensive control of point-source and area-source pollution. Non-engineering measures include construction of monitoring system for drinking water source area, construction of security information system for rural centralized drinking water source area, and construction of emergency mechanism for water pollution accidents in rural water source areas.


This thesis attempts to examine the political and economic role of the trade unions and associations in the Gaza Strip 1967-1993. The main theme of analysis is based upon the assumption that these indigenous organizations showed a high degree of politicization. The thesis discusses the unstable socio-economic-organizational- political-and legal setting in the Gaza Strip under the Israeli occupation which constituted a limit on the overall performance of the Palestinian organizations. Within this volatile setting, three main actors interacted: the trade unions and associations, the Israeli occupation authorities, and the Palestinian political factions. The study gives a general review of the associations and non governmental organizations working in the Gaza Strip and it examines the genesis of the Palestinian trade unionism and the trade unions in the Gaza Strip. These organizations constituted a Palestinian institutional- organizational national response and worked parallel to the occupation apparatus. The thesis goes on to analyse the political role of the trade unions and associations in the Gaza Strip through discussing : the nature of their relationship with the Israeli authorities; their relationship with the Palestinian political movements; their positions towards the uprising (intifada); and their attitudes towards the peace process. The study argues further that the economic role of the trade unions and association was very limited compared to their political role. The loan programmes and economic activities of two lending organizations working the Gaza Strip are examined. The lending capacity of the credit organizations was less than US$10 million (the GDP of the Gaza Strip was about US$250 million in 1993). Most of their loans went to finance services, consumptive, and non-productive projects.


Policy makers are now re-aligning their thinking towards demand-side management (DSM), where for the industrial sector specifically, strategies have been emphasising water consumption reduction through conservation, increased efficiency, and wastewater recycling. Although DSM-based strategies have been seen as a viable option to delay the need for large capital investment and to avoid irreversible environmental impact, their implementation at a large scale have been largely unknown as is implementation has generally been reported at a small-scale. As such, this research attempts to assess the effectiveness of implementation of decentralised wastewater reuse facilities in industrial parks as a DSM-based strategy targeted at the manufacturing sector.

The research first assessed the vulnerability of three reservoirs in Selangor – namely Semenyih, Klang Gates, and Langat dam – against water deficiency events using a modelling approach to analyse their: i) reliability, via the use of an inflow-demand reliability index, and ii) resilience, through a water supply resilience index. Total potential potable water savings were then estimated for all industrial parks in the area served by each reservoir and subsequent potable water treatment plant. The impact of the potential water savings through reuse of wastewater in industrial parks within an overall water supply system was then evaluated.

The feasibility of this DSM-based strategy was assessed in terms of its technical, economics, and environmental impact. Four treatment trains corresponding to the two cases of i) potable and ii) non-potable reuse were assessed in terms of their removal efficiencies necessary to comply with the current potable and non-potable water quality standards. The financial cost of each treatment train was determined for both capital and operational costs, while the environmental assessment was assessed using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach based on several environmental impact categories.

Findings for the three dams indicated varying level of vulnerability, with Klang Gates dam being the most vulnerable, while Semenyih the least. For Klang Gates and Langat dams, the resultant IDR and WSR indexes achieved similar conclusions; both indices resulted in almost constant negative values for both dams, suggesting that an effective DSM-based strategy could possibly delay the need for implementation of an SSM strategy. For Semenyih dam, it was observed that the system is approaching system vulnerability, where lower IDR and WSR values were observed in the later years as compared to historical scenarios. Here, it can be hypothesised that a well-planned DSM-based strategy might eliminate the need for a SSM strategy.

It was found that there was minimal number of industrial parks within the Klang Gates water supply area, further reducing the feasibility of wastewater reuse to reduce the vulnerability of this WSS. Conversely, it was estimated that, for Langat and Semenyih WSS, approximately 308,903 and 430,281 m3/month of water consumed by the premises within the identified IPs. This translates to approximately 266,430 and 374,009 m3/month of water savings if 90% of the total demand was discarded as effluent, and treated at 95% recovery rate. The savings calculated for this reuse option could contribute to a savings of 5.5% (8.8 MLD) and 12.2% (12.47 MLD) for the Langat and Semenyih dam respectively. These accumulated savings had a different impact on each dam's vulnerability. For the Langat dam, recalculation of the IDR and WSR values with the savings indicated little change to the system's overall vulnerability. In contrast, recalculations for the Semenyih dam resulted in positive changes for the WSR specifically, indicating reduced vulnerability of the system.

The feasibility of four treatment trains corresponding to both reuse options for their technical, financial, and environmental dimensions were considered. The general findings in all three dimensions reinforced the option of non-potable reuse, specifically the NP-1 treatment train, which resulted in the lowest cost while providing the highest technical capability to remove contaminants from the industrial wastewater to meet both non-potable and potable water reuse standards. Additionally, from the environmental perspective, the resultant water for reuse had a lower human toxicity impact without an additional blending requirement, though this produced a higher terrestrial eco-toxicity impact due to the contaminants removal to landfill.

On the other hand, it was also illustrated via this research that the additional financial resources, institutional reconfiguration of existing water service industry, as well as current awareness of the industrial players itself will limit the effective implementation of the identified strategy. As such, it was concluded that, although the use of industrial wastewater for manufacturing sector is technical, financial, and environmental feasible, its deployment however, is improbable against the current organizational structure and current awareness of the users.


Background: In this study, we developed the Screening Test for At-risk Drinking in the Elderly (STAD-E), a new abbreviated version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) intended for use in the elderly populations. This test comprises three questions that reflect the structure of the AUDIT 10 questionnaire and the characteristics of the Korean population and was developed using nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods: We performed exploratory factor analysis for each question from the AUDIT questionnaire that was responded by elderly (≥ 65 years) participants of KNHANES IV-V to derive our abbreviated test based on the structure of each AUDIT item. For validation, we analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the new abbreviated test using KNHANES VI datasets (excepting KNHANES VI-2). Results: We selected question (Q) 1, Q3, and Q7 on the three-factor structure for the elderly population. The cut-off values of STAD-E were 4 for elderly males and 3 for elderly females. During the validation test, STAD-E yielded significantly greater AUROC values than AUDIT-QF and similar values to AUDIT-C. Conclusions: Unlike previous abbreviated tests, STAD-E reflects the item structure of AUDIT and the alcohol consumption patterns in an elderly population. Therefore, it can be used as a simple and reliable screening test for at-risk drinking in clinical settings.


This paper discusses the effect of two similar gold wire (wire A and wire B) used mainly as a wire bonding material for Quad Flat Nolead (QFN) package. Both wires with diameter of 25.4 μm were bonded using automatic wire bonder by maintaining the temperature at 200°C. The effect of trace elements on the mechanical properties of 4N gold wire has not been widely investigated for some years despite the important of wire-bonding and the move towards fine pitch applications. Due to the element analysis, atomic percentage of Ca in wire B is higher than wire A. Pull strength increase with the increasing of the trace element. The higher pull strength of wire B could improve the yield strength, elastic modulus and recrytallization temperature.


We used quantitative immunoblotting to measure the total tissue insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate (IGF-II/Man-6-P) receptor in the rat. Whole embryos (6-15 days of gestation) and tissues from 16- and 20-day-old fetal and 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-day-old postnatal rats were placed in liquid nitrogen, extracted with 2% Triton X-100, and boiled in 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate. The extracts were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis together with aliquots of a highly purified rat IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor standard. The protein bands were transferred from the gel to nitrocellulose sheets by electroelution. The nitrocellulose sheets were incubated with a specific IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor antiserum (3637). The immunoblots were developed with 125I-protein A and an immunoperoxidase stain. Stained areas were cut from the immunoblots, and radioactivity was measured in a gamma-counter. IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor levels were high in fetal tissues and in most tissues declined dramatically in late gestation and/or in the early postnatal period. Concentrations in 16-day-old fetal tissues, expressed as percent of total protein in the extract, were: heart, 1.7; placenta, 1.0; lung, 0.7; intestine, 0.7; muscle, 0.5; kidney, 0.5; liver, 0.3; and brain, 0.1. In whole embryos (6-15 days of gestation), the IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor ranged between 0.1 and 0.4% of total protein in the extract. The IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor size varied within approximately 20 kDa among different tissues and also varied with developmental age in the same tissue. We conclude that the IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor is a major cellular protein in some fetal tissues and that the developmental pattern of receptor expression suggests that the receptor plays an important role in fetal growth and development.


Money markets have two functions, the allocation of liquidity and the processing of information. We develop a model that allows us to evaluate the efficiency of different money market derivatives regarding these two objectives. We assume that due to its size, a large bank receives a more precise signal about the overall liquidity development in the banking sector. In an upcoming liquidity shortage this large bank can exploit its informational advantage in the spot money market by rationing liquidity. Using forward contracts, the large bank can credibly commit not to squeeze small banks in the event of a liquidity shortage. But forward contracts do not provide incentives for the large bank to pass on its information to other banks. In contrast, lines of credit between the large and the small banks ensure that the large bank provides its information to other banks.


The relationship between health and employment status continually shows that individuals who work have lower levels of illness and higher self-reported health. This study examines how self-reported health and objective measures of health (multimorbidity and mental health problems) differ across employment status and occupations among adults of working age (25-65 years). In addition, the study examines how public health coverage – medical card and GP visit card (GPVC) – and private health coverage (PHI), and lack thereof, differ across occupations. Overall, individuals not in employment have much lower rates of self-reported health and higher rates of illness. In particular, mental health problems are three times higher among unemployed individuals across all age groups. Examining workers separately, differences in health status across occupations are small. However, rates of health coverage differ considerably across occupations. In general, occupations associated with poorer health status tend to have the highest percentages of workers without a medical card/GPVC or PHI. This affects workers' ability to access lower cost or free healthcare, including for the purpose of certified sick leave.


This paper provides an overview of the recently released Gas Quality Management Manual [1] that was developed by the American Gas Association Transmission Measurement Committee over a period of roughly seven years. The manual pulls together a wide range of information and provides context that allows both the expert and the novice to understand the "why, how and what" needed to develop a plan for managing gas quality.


By examining Latin American and Caribbean fiscal policies from a gender perspective, this discussion paper suggests that further study is necessary of the biases, both explicit and implicit, of fiscal systems that serve to reinforce traditional roles of women in society. Many modern fiscal policies are based on the idea that there is a male breadwinner in every home, and that he is the one interacting economically with the market and the state. These fiscal policies may therefore be reinforcing a gendered division of labour between women and men, fostering inequalities and operating as obstacles to the development and realization of women's potential.  Currently only available in Spanish.


Privacy-preserving energy management is studied in the presence of a renewable energy source. It is assumed that the energy demand/supply from the energy provider is tracked by a smart meter. The resulting privacy leakage is measured through the probabilities of error in a binary hypothesis test, which tries to detect the consumer behavior based on the meter readings. An optimal privacy-preserving energy management policy maximizes the minimal Type II probability of error subject to a constraint on the Type I probability of error. When the privacy-preserving energy management policy is based on all the available information of energy demands, energy supplies, and hypothesis, the asymptotic exponential decay rate of the maximum minimal Type II probability of error is characterized by a divergence rate expression. Two special privacy-preserving energy management policies, the memoryless hypothesis-aware policy and the hypothesis-unaware policy with memory, are then considered and their performances are compared. Further, it is shown that the energy supply alphabet can be constrained to the energy demand alphabet without loss of optimality for the evaluation of a single-letter-divergence privacy-preserving guarantee.


A great number of settlement areas from past to present have been constructed over the Pleistocene-Recent loose deposits due to their lithological, topographical properties and positions. Nonetheless, many engineering promblems are generally typical for these deposits. One of the example of these areas is located in and around the Mersin city center. Old and recent alluvial deposits formed by rivers, beach deposits, sand dunes, calcrete and various colored soil formations are found in this region. Within the scope of this study, physical and mechanical properties of the loose units situated in the Mezitli town of Mersin Province were investigated, and the situation of the recent buildings were evaluated under the light of the gathering parameters. The proximity of the beach to the study area, depend on this closeness of underground water to the surface, looseness of the deposits and shalowness of the exacavated surficial foundations form a great risk for buildings. In fact, it is observed that working  in the foundation becomes impossible due to water, also excavation depth can not be increased due to same reason. Several promblems such as cracking, fracturing and settlements have been occured in the buildings due to low strength, high compressibility and heteregenous distributions of Pleistocene-Recent deposits and continuously increasing of the static loads sourced from the human activities. The principal aim of this study is to determine the accordance degree of examined lithological parameters to these apparent negative conditions. Ground properties of this area were determined with using the previous ground investigations and observation from the field observations and investigation trenchs during this study. Several tests were performed over the undisturbed and disturbed ground samples in order to determine the basic physical and mechanical properties of them. Shear strength parameters of sand sized coarse-grained deposits were fixed by drained shear box test. These loose deposits placed in SP ground type and has a high liquefaction potential, thus this state expressly that these regions are carrying the risks in the view of construction. However, it is observed that, in this region multi-layered buildings are still rapidly continuing construction.


Background: Post-MI patients are highly susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) resulting from ventricular arrhythmia (VA). The search for new clinical predictors to identify those patients who are at the highest risk of these events is therefore essential. Numerous data indicate that the presence of polymorphisms and mutations in the cardiac ion channel genes SCN5A, KCNQ1 and KCNE1 might serve as such a predictor. Since genetic alterations in these genes underlie congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), which is associated with an increased occurrence of arrhythmic complications and SCD, we decided to verify how alterations in these genes contribute to QT interval abnormalities and consequently to VA, SCA and SCD in post-MI patients. Aim: To detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in SCN5A, KCNQ1 and KCNE1 of post-MI patients, and to assess whether they are related to electrophysiological markers of cardiac arrhythmia (QT interval) and the clinical course. Method: The study group consisted of 100 patients (27 females, mean age 69 years) with documented MI ≥3 months before enrolment. All patients underwent baseline and (after 12 months) control examinations encompassing history, physical examination, basic laboratory analysis, resting 12-lead ECG, 24-hour 12-lead Holter ECG monitoring and echocardiography. Genetic tests were performed during baseline examination. Results: In post-MI patients two exonic polymorphisms, H558R in SCN5A and S38G in KCNE1, and two intronic ones, in KCNQ1, were detected. H558R was associated with an increase in QT dispersion (QTd) at minimum and maximum heart rate and QT interval prolongation before premature ventricular beats (PVB), whereas S38G and intronic polymorphisms were related to an increase in QTd before PVB. None of the above polymorphisms was related to complex VA, SCA or SCD. Conclusion: The above polymorphisms were associated with abnormal repolarisation phase patterns in post-MI patients, which manifested in QT interval prolongation and QTd increase. There was no relationship between these polymorphisms and complex VA, SCA or SCD. The results show that not only exonic alterations but also intronic ones may affect the phenotype.


This Precis entitled, Family health in Zimbabwe, complements the Bank's Operations and Evaluation Department (OED), Performance audit report, Zimbabwe : Family health project, Report No. 15944, dated August 13, 1996. According to the audit the project upgraded hospital and health facilities, trained health workers, and established an information and education center. Overall, the project was a good example of a cost-effective move toward a primary health care system.


The highly gendered nature of early childhood education is highlighted by the statistical reality that currently less than one percent of early childhood educators in New Zealand are men. This situation is of significant concern and has potentially negative implications, not only for the early childhood educational experiences for both boys and girls but also for the sector as a whole. This paper explores the notion that men in the early childhood sector, as a statistical minority, may be perceived in terms of being unusual, different and even perhaps as outsiders. An analysis of nine 'Personal Stories' posted on the TeachNZ (the recruiting arm of the Ministry of Education) website was conducted to gain an insight into how men in early childhood education can be unintentionally positioned as outside the norm and how the differences between men and women early childhood educators can be accentuated within this specific context (i.e., the TeachNZ website). This paper considers how such positioning of men within the early childhood education sector not only highlights the difference and otherness of men within the sector but may also actively contribute to the perpetuation of such a perception.


The collapse of scaffolds can bring about substantial damage and economic loss. In recent years, over hundreds of people died and an even greater number have been injured because of inadequate scaffolding system designs. In this study, the effects of truss height and number of tie bars on the structural behavior of suspended scaffolding systems were experimentally investigated. Three full-scale scaffolding systems with truss heights of 30, 45, and 60 cm were tested in the laboratory. Each system included a wooden floor, steel purlins and trusses. The number of steel tie bars connected to the systems was also varied. A load transmission system was placed in these experimental systems to distribute single loads to the center of a specific area in a step-by-step manner using a load jack. After each load increment, the displacement was measured by means of linear variable differential transducers placed at critical points of the wooden floor, purlins, and trusses. This test was repeated for all systems and under all system conditions. The test results revealed that displacement increased exponentially in scaffolds with truss heights of 30, 45, and 60 cm without tie bars. Under the same load, systems with truss heights of 60, 45, and 30 cm revealed displacements of 8.8, 12.1, and 23.3 cm, respectively. The results of this work demonstrate that the number of tie bars and truss height considerably affect the structural behavior of scaffolding systems. Our findings further suggest that a scaffolding system with 60 cm-high truss and two tie bars presents optimal safety and cost-savings.


Abstract. Almost every year, localised and in some cases more widespread floodings affect parts of Cyprus, causing damages to properties destruction to infrastructure and housing and sometimes the loss of human life. Various factors such as the meteorological situation and type and intensity of precipitation, the geomorphology, the geology and the human intervention to geomorphology are responsible for flood events. In the present study, only the meteorological situation and the associated mechanisms are examined in an attempt to gain the essential knowledge for improvement of local weather forecasts. The study period covers a thirteen-year period, from 1994 to 2006, in which 43 cases of flooding were reported, mainly over urbanized areas. The dominant favorable weather conditions for flood events are either the existence of a depression or weather conditions of convectional type. According to these two factors, the flood events were classified into two categories; the "instability'' category which includes isolated flood events of short duration, and the "depression'' category which includes widespread flood events of long duration.


The rapidity of change has left scant opportunity for investigation of the consequences of adoption of transgenic crops on long-term ecosystem or economic system functioning. Economic theory suggests that, if the "Biotechnology Revolution" is left to market forces alone, there will be neglected public goods. Theory and limited empirical evidence suggests that there are significant incentives for private firms to discount and neglect certain environmental impacts and to develop products that meet mainly the needs of those able and willing to pay. Negative distributional impacts on rural societies and economies will not normally enter the private calculus nor will the long-term problems of insect and plant resistance. Thus, there is a strong case for enhanced public roles with respect to the use of transgenic crops. The adoption of the precautionary approach in public policies addressing transgenic crops is one alternative to better reflect public concerns.


Purpose of reviewTo provide an update on the currently available insulin infusion protocols for treatment of hyperglycemia in critically ill patients and to discuss the major differences and similarities among them. Recent findingsWe identified a total of 26 protocols, 20 of which used manual blood-glucose calculations, and six that used computerized algorithms. The major differences and similarities among the insulin infusion protocols were in the following areas: patient characteristics, target glucose level, time to achieve target glucose level, incidence of hypoglycemia, rationale for adjusting the rates of insulin infusion, and methods of blood-glucose measurements. Several computerized protocols hold promise for safer achievement of glycemic targets. SummaryInsulin infusion is the most effective method for controlling hyperglycemia in critically ill patients. Clinicians should utilize a validated insulin infusion protocol that is well tolerated, and is most appropriate and practical for their institution based on the resources that are available.


We present an introspective failure prediction approach for autonomous vehicles. In autonomous driving, complex or unknown scenarios can cause a disengagement of the self-driving system. Disengagements can be triggered either by automatic safety measures or by human intervention. We propose to use recorded disengagement sequences from test drives as training data to learn to predict future failures. The system then learns introspectively from its own previous mistakes. In order to predict failures as early as possible, we propose a machine learning approach where sequences of sensor data are classified as either failure or success. The car itself is treated as a black box. Our method combines two sensor modalities that contain different types of information. An image-based model learns to detect generally challenging situations such as crowded intersections accurately multiple seconds in advance. A state data based model allows to detect fast changes immediately before a failure, such as sudden braking or swerving. The outcome of the individual models is fused by averaging the individual failure probabilities. We evaluate our approach on a data set provided by the BMW Group containing 14 hours of autonomous driving. The proposed late fusion approach allows for predicting failures at an accuracy of more than 85% seven seconds in advance, at a false positive rate of 20%. The proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art failure prediction by more than 15% while being a flexible framework that allows for straightforward addition of further sensor modalities.


1Despite their evident differences, it is not difficult to draw cer tain parallels between India and the Republic of Korea (ROK). The emergences of both states from decades of colonial rule after World War II were marked by tragic bifurcations, resulting in low-level conflicts that continue to this day. After many years of uncertainty about their political and economic trajectories, both countries developed into successful market democracies in a region that, until recently, was believed to be inherently hostile to both democratic rule and free markets. Both countries are also considered key partners of the United States in the years to come, but maintain complex relations with China marked by growing economic interdependence and intensifying security concerns.


In April of 1996, a visual inspection of a suspect brine spill site led to an electrical conductivity survey in order to detect and delineate a chloride plume in the S 1/2 Section 1, T14S, R15W in west-central Russell County, 45 miles east of Gorham, Kansas. On this ½ section 32 wells were drilled in the search for oil. As oil is produced, salt water (brine) is encountered, which needs to be disposed of. In the 1930s through early 1960s, pumping the brine into evaporation ponds seemed to be the solution; however, this method only dealt with the liquid, not the solids (salt crystals). Disposal wells were used to inject brine back into the deep authorized zones below the aquifers; however, spilled brine percolated through the earthen ponds into the shallow subsurface, rendering cropland useless and contaminating ground water. When the area is modeled, electrical conductivity data reveal high conductivity values where brine contamination occurs. The central region of the study area exhibits these high-conductivity, contaminated zones that can be attributed to brine spillage. It appears that the contaminant plume is concentrated around the anthropogenic surface oil features and is migrating to the south.


Abstract. The ratio Φ=kHC+OH[HC]/kNOx+OH[NOx] is used as an indicator for the sensitivity of ozone production (P(O3)) to HC and NOx in the field campaign RISFEX 2003 (RIShiri Fall EXperiment 2003) at Rishiri Island (45.07° N, 141.12° E, and 35 m a.s.l.) in the sea of Japan during September 2003. Four different sensitivity regimes are obtained based on the indicator. The sensitivity is found to show a distinctive pattern in each regime. In Regime I (Φ 45 ± 7). During the campaign, 91 percent of P(O3) data appear in Regime III and IV, indicating that NOx is a limiting factor of ozone production. Hence, it may be an efficient strategy to control NOx emission for ozone abatement at the site. Comparisons between the observed P(O3) and the ones modelled have represented general agreement. However, the model tends to underestimate P(O3) in Regime II, implying that an important source of peroxy radicals is possibly missed. In Regime IV, the modelled P(O3) is systematically larger than the measured one under a low j(O1D) condition, which may be caused by the over-estimated yields of peroxy radicals from the reactions of monoterpenes with ozone. A budget analysis indicates that sensitivity of P(O3) is declining with HC and enhancing with NO when the condition shifts from Regime II to Regime IV, which is also observed through the analysis of P(O3) sensitivity using Φ. Sensitivity studies for P(O3) are conducted to determine the effect of NOx and monoterpenes on ozone production and the conclusions are very consistent with those derived from the indicator. This study demonstrates that the ratio Φ could be a useful index to ascertain the sensitivity of P(O3) to HC and NOx in the clean marine boundary layer.


A surface emitting spin-polarized light emitting diode (Spin-LED) is considered for the study of the device geometry dependence of the output circular polarization It is found that the output circular polarization is maximum at the outer region of the circular non-FM Ohmic contact to the p-region, which delineates radial extent of the active region in the intrinsic layer. We observe that the output circular polarization increase as a function of the p-contact radius when the contact size is small but for large values of the p-contact radius the reverse trend is noted. An enhancement of the spin diffusion length increases the degree of polarization of the emitted circular light. The enhancement however is observed to fall off for still higher values of spin lifetime.


Adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change is a rapidly developing area of policy and the subject of active negotiation at the international level under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This article applies theories of norm evolution to the adaptation negotiations. It proposes that the history of these negotiations can best be understood as a contest between two proposed framings that can be roughly characterized as "adaptation as development" and "adaptation as restitution." These two framings have some similar and some contradictory implications for policy. The article shows that the major areas of consensus and controversy around adaptation in the UNFCCC negotiations map closely to these areas of similarity and contradiction, respectively. Though the "adaptation as restitution" norm is relatively disadvantaged on many measures of norm-fitness suggested by previous authors, it nevertheless appears to help explain the development of adaptation institutions both within and outside the UNFCCC. A hybridized norm that can be described roughly as "like development but different" is coming to characterize international adaptation institutions.


In November 2002 the tanker 'Prestige' sunk in front of the Galician coast (NW Iberian Peninsula). As a result, > 60 000 t of heavy fuel oil leaked into the sea, affecting > 1000 km of coastline. In order to assess the effects of the oil spill on coastal ecosystems, mussels Mytilus galloprovindalis were sampled (April, July and September 2003) in 17 locations along the Galician and Bay of Biscay coasts. In this study, 3 biomarkers were assessed: lysosomal responses as changes in the lysosomal structure and in the lysosomal membrane stability, accumulation of intracellular neutral lipids and peroxisome proliferation as induction of acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX) activity. Mussel flesh condition index and gonad developmental stages were assessed as supporting parameters. Lysosomal membrane stability was reduced in mussels from all locations, indicating disturbed health, especially in mussels from all Galician locations. Similarly, lysosomal enlargement was observed in most locations, as shown by relatively low values of the surface-to-volume ratio, although the volume density of lyso-somes was low due to decreased lysosomal numbers. Overall, intracellular accumulation of neutral lipids was conspicuous in digestive tubules of mussels collected in July and was increased further in September. AOX induction was detectable in mussels sampled in April, except for those collected in Galicia. In July mussels from the most impacted stations in Galicia, Caldebarcos and Camelle, showed the highest AOX values. In conclusion, the biomarkers employed detected exposure to toxic chemicals and a disturbed status of health in mussels from the northern Iberian Peninsula after the 'Prestige' oil spill and will allow assessment of the long-term effects of the spill on the coastal ecosystems.


The high price of auction-based 3G licences and the growing competition in telecommunications market is putting enormous pressure on manufacturers and operators to configure the next-generation mobile network in the most cost-effective way possible providing high quality 3G services. Therefore, aiming to improve overall network performance and to ensure efficient utilization of network resources, radio network planning and optimization became even more important thar. in previous generation networks. On the other hand, in 3G networks, due to support of multiple services, high data rates, low frequency reuse, higher spectral loading and interference levels, and much uncertainty about future traffic growth. these processes became more challenging tasks.This thesis addresses the problem of pilot power optimization in WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) networks studying such issues as a trade-off between coverage of the service area and pilot power consumption, load balancing, and soft handover control. In the thesis, the author presents a number of pilot power optimization models, discusses the solution approaches. and reports numerical results obtained for test networks of various sizes based on real planning scenarios.


Morphology of schistosomatid cercariae of the genus Trichobilharzia (ocellata group) is described based on original and reference data. The material (Trichobilharzia cercariae) was collected in 1999-2000 from naturally 'infected snails Lymnaea stagnalis from Moscow and Saint-Petersburg megalopolises. The more accurate flame cell formula for these cercariae, as well as some aspects of chaetotaxy and eye morphology are given. The differences between cercariae from these regions were found. Based on a comparison of nef data with the reference data, it was found that the cercariae examined differ from those from the Central Europe.


Under the best of circumstances, knowledge brings about changes in behavior and public policy. When thinking about what we know and what we have accomplished in the realm of smoking and health, we perceive a paradox. Decades of careful medical research have documented the hazards of smoking. Social scientists continue to investigate and define the factors that impede efforts to prevent the use of tobacco. We know that nicotine is an addictive substance and that our children are very vulnerable to this addiction. We know that smoking is the single greatest cause of death in the United States. 1 Yet, we are still plagued by an entirely preventable problem, and this is the paradox of tobacco control. To better understand this paradox and perhaps be better able to reconcile what we know and what we do, we have developed a framework that provides an organized approach to categorizing tobacco control


Bertalanffy's so-called "general system theory" (GST) and cybernetics were and are often confused: this calls for clarification. In this article, Bertalanffy's conceptions and ideas are compared with those developed in cybernetics in order to investigate the differences and convergences. Bertalanffy was concerned with first order cybernetics. Nonetheless, his perspectivist epistemology is also relevant with regard to developments in second order cybernetics, and the latter is therefore also considered to some extent. W. Ross Ashby's important role as mediator between GST and cybernetics is analysed. The respective basic epistemological approaches, scientific approaches and inherent world views are discussed. We underline the complementarity of cybernetic and "organismic" trends in systems research within the unitary hermeneutical framework of "general systemology".


We study here the effects of future tax and budgetary shocks on present levels of economic activity and real interest rates in a nonmonetary and possibly non-Ricardian economy. The paper first takes up an (unanticipated) temporary tax cut to be effective on a given future date—a delayed "debt bomb." The sudden prospect of this future-dated shock causes at once a drop in the (unit) value placed on the firms' business asset, the customer, and accordingly on the price of shares—with the result that the hourly wage, hours worked and GDP drop in tandem. This paradox of reduced activity through announcement of future "stimulus" does not hinge on an upward jump of long rates of interest, which may or may not occur: the short rate of return on shares is increased by the initial drop in their price, but the price has so much farther to fall that this is more than offset for a time by the expectation of ongoing capital loss, so short rates of interest actually drop. The paper next studies a future tax cut lacking a "sunset" provision and requiring instead a gradual welfare benefit adjustment to retain solvency. The same negative effects on present activity result. Third, the paper shows that if the tax cut is effective immediately, its effect is ambiguous, as the Marshallian supply-sider effect works the other way. Finally, the paper also examines the new anticipation of a future increase in the number of retirees in a payas-you-go social security program. In conclusion, juxtaposing these results against recent US experience, we hypothesize that the legislation of an unsustainable fiscal gap—the cuts in tax rates and the rise of future obligations owing to the cumulative deficit and the approaching bulge in retirement benefits—is an important cause of the decline in hours worked per employee and in the participation rates over the period. (JEL: E24, E43, E62, F41)


2 Abstract: Machine Vision Systems find their major applications in the industrial sector. But their use in the field of detection of boundary defects and analysis have been realized which is the reason why extensive research is being carried out in this direction. The current work is an attempt to utilize image processing technique in the direction of detection of defects through Machine Vision systems. For this, various components necessary for a simple Machine Vision System will be assembled. A photoelastic spur gear specimen will be taken for study and image processing will be performed on the acquired image using a DSLR camera. Boundary design and defects will be studied by binarization of the image and interpretation of the acquired data in a computer language called Python. The work is carried out in the direction of successfully incorporating this technique of defects detection in future Machine vision systems.


Cangkurawok Village is located in the outer of the Bogor Agricultural University area and does not have good sanitation facilities. Disposal of domestic wastewater directly discharges into drainage channels to river. Wastewater treatment plant design from toilets communal divides into three stages. The first stage is determining the location of toilets communal and excreta treatment plant. Location provided by the public is around 5 meters above the surface of the river water. The second stage is the determination of service areas. In this village consists of 70 heads of households as the basic criteria for determining the volume of septic tanks. The last step is determining the design of toilets communal and wastewater treatment unit. This stage requires t he unit options that fits on the selected sites, based on ease of maintenance and no need employ trained operators. Waste treatment facility consists septic tank and infiltration well planning. Septic tank volume is 26.5 m3 with the long dimension of 2.75 m, width of 5.5 m and height of 1.5 m plus 0.3 meters for free board. Septic tank serving four toilets communal is built above it, with the division of space for two men and two spaces for women. infi lt rat ion well constructed to absorb the waste liquid vertically through the soil pores. Layers of sand and gravel is spread throughout the wells to assist the flow pattern. Depth and diameter of infiltration well are 3 m and 1 rn, This wells should be placed lower than the drinking water sources and wells, with a minimum distance of 15 m.


NINETEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES E. T. A. Hoffmann's Musical Aesthetics. By Abigail Chantler. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2006. [xii, 202 p. ISBN 0-754-60706-2. $89.95.] Music examples, bibliography, index. Given the fact that E. T. A. Hoffmann's writings have proved pivotal to discussions of music-musical listening, the idea of absolute music, the reception of church music, and above all, the music of Beethoven -readers may be surprised to learn that English-language music scholarship has lacked a book-length study of the musical thought of Hoffmann. Abigail Chantler's new account, E. T. A. Hoffmann's Musical Aesthetics, puts forth a vision of Hoffmann's far-reaching significance that considers his writings and musical compositions and that is informed by over a century of previous scholarship on Hoffmann. Readers of German will recognize the influence of contributions by individuals such as Georg Ellinger (E. T. A. Hoffmann: sein Leben und seine Werke [Hamburg: L. Voss, 1894]), Peter Schnaus (E. T. A. Hoffmann als Beethoven-Rezensent der Allgemeine Musikalischen Zeitung [Munich: Musikverlag Emil Katzbichler, 1977]), and Gerhard Kaiser (E. T. A. Hoffmann [Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler, 1988]). Others will note the shadow of David Charlton and Martyn Clarke's invaluable annotated translations (E. T. A. Hoffmann's Musical Writings: Kreisleriana, The Poet and the Composer, Music Criticism, ed. David Charlton, trans. Martyn Clarke [New York: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989]). Early Romanticism-a movement of ambiguity and ever-widening circles of thought-pervades every aspect of Chantler's account of Hoffmann's aesthetics. Introducing Hoffmann as a "polymath with eclectic interests" (p. vii), Chantler emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of her endeavor and draws on perspectives from the disciplines of religious studies, literature, music, and German history. The result is a fluid interchange of Hoffmann's ideas and those of his time, presented through a large selection of primary and secondary sources. Chantler's first chapter, "Art Religion," acknowledges the wide-reaching nature of spiritual imagery in late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century aesthetics. The permeation of ideas such as "spirituality," "divinity," and "religion" in literature of the time has been tied to contemporaneous phenomena of platonic idealism (by Mark Evan Bonds and John Neubauer) and romantic expressivism (by M. H. Abrams and Charles Taylor). For her exposition of spirituality in writings of the early nineteenth century, Chantler chooses the formulation of Carl Dahlhaus (Die Idee der absoluten Musik [Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, 1978]), who in his account of absolute music draws attention to a Kunstreligion or "art religion" that he cursorily traces as emerging from the writings of Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder and Ludwig Tieck, Friedrich Schleiermacher, G. W. F. Hegel, and Hoffmann. Chantler's general survey-perfectly appropriate given her purposes-of spiritual ideas at the time does not address the larger conceptual issues circling around the idea of an "art religion," but it does introduce the reader to Schleiermacher's aesthetics and a diverse body of writings about genius. In particular, she draws the reader's attention to descriptions of genius as both active and passive in the writings of Wackenroder, C. F. Michaelis, and Hoffmann, an often neglected paradox that returns in her later arguments about Hoffmann's poetic language and hermeneutics. Chapter 2, "Hoffmann's Romantic Poetry," highlights elements of early romantic thought in Hoffmann's fiction. The exploration of literary techniques such as the arabesque, authorial ambiguity, the fragment, and irony guides her consideration of Hoffmann's Kreisleriana and The Golden Pot, especially as they reflect the "self-detachment" of the author "facilitating the self-cultivation of the reader" (p. 45). Specific consideration of the musical subject matter of Kreisleriana in light of romantic literary techniques is conspicuously absent, and in this respect, Chantler's account differs markedly from Daniel Chua's reading of romantic instrumental music as portrayed as "absolute fragment" (Absolute Music and the Construction of Meaning [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999], 177) in Hoffmann's writings. …


In this original and compelling book, Mary Chamberlain explores the nature and meaning of migration for Barbadians who migrated to Britain and elsewhere. It is a unique oral and social history, based on life-story interviews across three or more generations of Barbadian families. Locating migration within the contemporary debate on modernity, Narratives of Exile and Return highlights the continuing role of migration in shaping the culture and history of Barbados. But it does more by providing post-modern theorizing with concrete national and ethnic settings.


Developing robust NLP models that perform well on many, even small, slices of data is a significant but important challenge, with implications from fairness to general reliability. To this end, recent research has explored how models rely on spurious correlations, and how counterfactual data augmentation (CDA) can mitigate such issues. In this paper we study how and why modeling counterfactuals over multiple attributes can go significantly further in improving model performance. We propose RDI, a context-aware methodology which takes into account the impact of secondary attributes on the model's predictions and increases sensitivity for secondary attributes over reweighted counterfactually augmented data. By implementing RDI in the context of toxicity detection, we find that accounting for secondary attributes can significantly improve robustness, with improvements in sliced accuracy on the original dataset up to 7% compared to existing robustness methods. We also demonstrate that RDI generalizes to the coreference resolution task and provide guidelines to extend this to other tasks.


Aim: To    assess    the    impact    of    mental    attitude    and    class    of    edentulism    on    the    oral-health    related    quality    of    life    of    patients    treated    with    conventional    complete    dentures. Materials and method: The    mental    attitude    and    class    of    edentulism    was    assessed    for    20    completely    edentulous    patients    who    were    also    provided    with    complete    dentures.    Their    oral-health    related    quality    of    life    was    also    assessed    before    treatment,    1    month    and    3    months    post    insertion    of    complete    dentures. Results: Majority    14    (70.0%)    of    the    patients    had    a    "philosophical"    mental    attitude    while    6    patients    (30%)    had    "exacting"    attitude.    Patients    with    Kennedy    class    III    edentulous    space    had    the    highest    mean    score    of    5.3    ±    0.6    (P=0.035)    in    the    "physical    function"    domain    while    Class    IV    complete    edentulism    had    the    highest    mean    score    of    7.5    ±    2.1    in    the    psychosocial    function    domain.    Those    with    Philosophical    mind    had    the    higher    base    line    score    and    post    treatment    scores.    (p<0.05).    Overall,    a    significant    increase    (P=0.0001)    in    the    GOHAI-T    mean    score    was    observed    after    treatment    with    complete    dentures    irrespective    of    their    class    of    edentulism    or    mental    status.    Conclusion: Class    of    edentulism    and    mental    status    of    patients    had    significant    impact    on    the    oral    health    related    quality    of    life    of    complete    edentulous    patients    after    treatment    with    complete    dentures.


We demonstrate the efficient generation of coherent light in a four-level double-cascade atomic medium by continuous-wave low-intensity laser radiation. We derive the corresponding explicit analytical expressions for the generated four-wave mixing (FWM) field. Dependencies of the intensity of the generate FWM field on the propagation distance, on the input-wave intensity, and on the photon detuning are investigated. To conclude, we also give a brief discussion on the experimental realization of the proposed scheme.


This paper presents the design principles of a Phasor Data Concentrator (PDC) that implements both the absolute and relative time data pushing logics together with a third one that aims at minimizing the latency introduced by the PDC without increasing the data incompleteness, as suggested in the IEEE Guide C37.244–2013. The performance of the aforementioned logics are assessed and compared in terms of reliability, determinism, and reduction of the overall latency in two real Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) installations adopting different telecom infrastructures. The first one is based on optical fiber links that transmit synchrophasor data measured by 15 PMUs installed in the sub-transmission network of the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. The second one adopts a 4G LTE wireless infrastructure to support the data streaming of 10 PMUs installed in a distribution network supplying the city of Huissen, The Netherlands. The experimental results show that the proposed logic is characterized by the lowest latency, whereas the absolute time logic better mitigates the synchrophasor data latency variations.


MicroRNAs exert regulatory effects on a number of genes, thereby contributing to both physiological and pathological processes. The functions of microRNAs in tumorigenesis are becoming increasingly clear. In the present study, we investigated the role of microRNA-125b (miR‑125b), previously implicated in prostate and breast cancer, in gastric cancer, particularly regarding proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. The expression of miR‑125b was measured in 50 samples of gastric cancer tissues and corresponding para-cancerous tissues by real-time PCR. The levels of miR‑125b expression in the gastric cancer tissues were significantly higher compared to the adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05). To begin to understand how the increased expression of miR‑125b may promote gastric cancer, the miR‑125b mimic was transfected into the gastric cancer cell line, HGC‑27, for the determination of proliferation (CCK8) and apoptosis (Annexin V) by flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that the proliferation significantly increased and apoptosis significantly decreased in the HGC‑27 cells following transfection with the miR‑125b mimic, compared to the untreated and scramble‑treated controls (P<0.05). Thus, miR‑125b may act as an oncogene in gastric cancer by dysregulating gastric cell proliferation and apoptosis.