This article presents a discussion that emerged in response to a dilemma faced by an experienced social work lecturer in planning an introductory life course lecture about people labelled as having learning disabilities. The dilemma related to whether or not to begin with a quote from a parent reflecting on her own feelings shortly after her twin children, aged six months, had been identified as having a congenital impairment. The statement, reproduced below, was made 13 years later, and involved a recollection of how the mother had felt when seeing a display of skipping ropes in a department store. A discussion ensued concerning how ways of thinking about impairment can be informed by the affirmative model of disability, a recent theoretical development within disability studies. The article takes the form of a dialogic exchange where the affirmative model is presented and examined as an alternative to the way disability has traditionally been understood in social work education. The aim is to illustrate the application of the affirmative model and to provide disabled people/social workers/families with a theoretical tool with which to look differently at impairment and disability and to challenge some traditional assumptions and practices.


We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain activity while healthy subjects performed three different tasks, each of which alternated between: (i) phases relying on stimulus‐oriented thought (i.e. cognitive processes provoked by incoming sensory information); and (ii) phases relying on stimulus‐independent thought (i.e. cognitive processes that were not related to any information in the immediate sensory environment). Within each task, the two phases were matched as closely as possible. In all three tasks, lateral rostral prefrontal cortex was transiently activated by a switch between stimulus‐oriented and stimulus‐independent thought (regardless of the direction of the switch). Medial rostral prefrontal cortex consistently exhibited sustained activity for stimulus‐oriented vs. stimulus‐independent thought. These results suggest the involvement of rostral prefrontal cortex in selection between stimulus‐oriented and stimulus‐independent cognitive processes.


Introduction: The disease is one of a variety of respiratory disorders during sleep. This disorder caused by the obstruction of the upper airways leads to a reduction in nighttime oxygenation and sleep disruption during the night. In this study, using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), we compared their airway volume and length with healthy people. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on CBCT scans of 50 patients (25 patients with OSA and 25 healthy subjects) who referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, School of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The data obtained from CBCT entered into the NNT viewer version 2.21 software. In this study, the mean area, mean volume, and total length of the upper airway were measured. The results of this study were conducted using SPSS version 17 software, and a significance level of P < 0.05 was considered. Results: The findings of this study revealed that the area and length of the upper airway were higher in patients with OSA than in healthy people, but the volume of airway in healthy subjects was higher than those with OSA. As well as, the vertical and horizontal length of soft palate was higher in people with OSA than in healthy people. The anteroposterior distance in patients with OSA was lower than normal subjects. Meanwhile, there was a difference between the vertical and horizontal length of the soft palate in healthy subjects and patients, both of which were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The final results of this study indicated that the area and length of the upper airway were higher in people with OSA than in healthy people, meaning that people with a longer upper airway have a higher risk of developing OSA.


Breast masses are very rare in infants and premature telarche due to excessive endogen or exogenous estrogens is the most common presentation during infancy. Myofibroblastoma is a stromal tumor of the breast, occurring especially in elder males. This breast mass has a close relationship between androgen receptors and has not been reported in infants previously. A 10-month old male baby with a left breast mass, which is diagnosed as myofibroblastoma, is discussed to evaluate the clinical features and treatment modalities of breast myofibroblastomas in children.


After decades of industrial manufacturing markets have become saturated which is followed by decreased growth in sales, increased competition, and razor thin profit margins. This opens up for a new field of business competition, the aftermarket. Delivering value over time for customers is now a competitive advantage with too much potential to overlook. The after-market differs from regular industrial inventory management by being managed by service-levels based on probability distributions as break-downs occur randomly. This review aims at investigating the potential benefits of using multiple-sourcing/ delivery modes and assessing available models in the context of the after-market. Three categories in the field are outlined: strategy, emergencydelivery, and order-splitting, each with significantly different value propositions. Aspects such as risk mitigation, importance of supplier competition, and operational flexibility are being discussed. Seven models from the category "Emergencydelivery" are subjected to a closer inspection where two models could be of further interest. It is found that a majority of available models are based on back-order penalties, thus not feasible in practise. No model that caters to the formulated problem has been found, nor seem to exist due to complexity. Instead, an alternative problem is suggested and formulated as a matching problem which approaches the multiple-sourcing/delivery concept from an aggregate level. Syncron is recommended to keep using the same approach as today and investigate the suggested problem instead.


Condition monitoring of gearboxes has been increasingly demanded in machinery maintenance. Many research efforts have been devoted to developing efficient and effective techniques for gear spalling detection. Most of them rely on predefined spalling and results are not representative in particular cases. This thesis presents a progressive development of the techniques to detect an irregular spall in a gearbox. Results show that well-adapted techniques such as amplitude demodulation and wavelet map are prominent in describing the amplitude modulation caused by a spall. Phase demodulation indicates the phase variation introduced by a spall. A fault indicator based on the ratio of spectral power is proposed to monitor the development of the spalling. An enhanced empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and Teager's Kaiser Energy Operator (TKEO) is developed to effectively extract the critical characteristics of spalling diagnosis. The relation between the digital signatures and the physical state of gear is comprehensively discussed.


Despite the rapid worldwide expansion of parks with outdoor fitness equipment (OFE), no objective data regarding the intensity of activity associated with using OFE are available. Hence, this study quantified the energy expenditure and intensity of physical activity by examining four outdoor fitness devices widely used by older adults and provides objective evidence-based intensity references for the Compendium of Physical Activities. Sixteen older adults (mean age: 70.7 ± 5.6 yr) equipped with a portable metabolic system for measuring energy expenditure and activity intensity completed tasks while walking or using four types of OFE. Descriptive statistics and repeated-measures ANOVA with the Bonferroni post hoc test were employed. The energy expenditure and activity intensity for using an air walker at tempos of 80, 100, and 120 bpm were 50.78 ± 14.76 (2.81 ± 0.85), 59.62 ± 14.23 (3.26 ± 0.82), and 65.62 ± 18.27 (3.55 ± 1.02) cal/kg/min (METs), respectively. The induced energy and intensity output values for a ski machine were 54.00 ± 14.31 (3.02 ± 0.87), 68.87 ± 22.74 (3.82 ± 1.35), and 74.55 ± 23.39 (4.05 ± 1.35) cal/kg/min (METs), at 80, 100, and 120 bpm, respectively. The energy output for a waist twister at 60 bpm was 38.43 ± 20.16 cal/kg/min (2.05 ± 1.15 METs), and that for a double arm stretch at 80 bpm was 31.05 ± 12.58 cal/kg/min (1.63 ± 0.70 METs). These findings indicate that activity on the ski machine and air walker could be considered to have moderate intensity, whereas the intensity of activity on the waist twister and double arm stretch was significantly lower than that for walking at either 3.2 km/h or 4 km/h and could be considered only light intensity. The MET values for the OFE were lower than those for similar indoor fitness equipment. The results of this study provide crucial implications for public health practices concerning the development of active living environments.


Introduction: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a Gram negative bacterium and one of the causative agents of acute bacterial meningitis, especially in infants and children less than 5 years old. Lipooligosaccharide (LOS), one of the virulence factors which plays an important role in pathogenesis of Hib, has multiple applications in diagnosis and conjugate vaccines. In this study, LOS extracted from two Hib standard strains (ATCC 39930 and ATCC 10214) were compared. Methods: LOS was extracted by a modified hot phenol method from the aqueous and phenol phase and its concentration and purity assayed. Protein contaminations of the samples were determined spectrophotometrically and their endotoxin contents were assayed by the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL). Result: The yield of the extracted LOS from strain ATCC10214 was about 475 μg/ml and the protein contaminations of the samples were approximately 0.07 mg/ml, whereas strain ATCC39930 yielded 520 μg/ ml of LOS with protein contamination of 0.08 mg/ml. The results showed that the production of LOS by both strains was similar and the variation observed was not statistically significant (p < 0.001). Vac Res, 2014, 1 (1): 28-30


This paper is a response to a growing vision of schools as sites of care and support for vulnerable children in the context of HIV and AIDS. The aim is to interrogate this notion and to raise some key issues in considering the role of schools in the context of the epidemic. The paper is based on two research activities. The first was a desk review of projects working in the area of schools in the context of HIV/AIDS and poverty, including a review of the policies underlying these initiatives. The second was the documentation of a particular project in a province of South Africa. The paper begins by outlining some major education policies in South Africa related to the care and support of vulnerable children in the context of HIV and AIDS. The paper then offers three cautionary notes in relation to the thrust of these policies and those programmes attempting to implement them. The first suggests consideration of the context of implementation — the schooling system. The second recommends consideration for resourcing these policies, which is looked at through a case study. The third note considers the policy visions of schools and teachers: how schools and teachers are conceptualised both in policies and programmes is problematised. The misalignment between the policies around schools and vulnerable children, the resourcing of these policies, and their contexts of implementation is brought into relief, as well as the implications for thinking about expanded roles for schools and teachers. The paper offers possible ways forward in considering the role of schools in the context of HIV and AIDS. These include new ways of thinking about resourcing, proper monitoring and evaluation of projects, and a focus on quality teaching and learning.


The OTC drug monograph process and the NDA route of OTC drug approval are two different methods that reach the same result, the approval of safe and effective drugs. Both routes to OTC marketing require substantial evidence that the drugs are safe and effective for OTC use, including evidence that the drug would be safe for self-use without the supervision of a practitioner.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine combinations of contract clauses in order to ascertain which combinations correlate to high operational performance (OP).

Design/methodology/approach
Two hypotheses were formulated from contracting theory and tested on data collected from 45 projects. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis was used and validated with multiple regression and simulation.

Findings
The hypotheses were tested to determine whether combinations of classical, relational, and/or associational contract clauses correlate to high OP. The results show that whereas high OP correlates to combinations of relational and associational contract clauses, classical and relational clauses should not be combined.

Research limitations/implications
Directions are proposed to guide future research in order to produce a more nuanced testing of contractual complementarity.

Practical implications
The managerial implications of the findings include a more thorough understanding of the use of contract clauses and of which clauses managers should combine to achieve high OP.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the theory of contractual incompleteness and complementarity, specifically in the context of project contracting. The analysis produced two theoretical implications: first, that better performing contracts are created when combining relational and associational contract clauses; and second, that in projects, relational and classical contract clauses are not complementary with regards to realizing high OP.


Banks are key players in the financial sector of any nation's economy and sound macroeconomic management must ensure the financial health of banks in order to guarantee economic stability and economic growth. The study asks whether capital regulation merely addresses the immediate and short-term problem of illiquidity or it has a far-reaching effect of forestalling distress amongst banks in Nigeria. Data collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation for the period 1997-2006 was used to test the research hypotheses using correlation analysis. Results show that there exist a relationship between increase in minimum capital base of the commercial banks and their liquidity and asset quality as both liquidity levels and asset quality tend to improve with recapitalization. Despite these findings, the period after 2006 recorded four insolvent banks as evidenced in Ndanusa (2009) and Alford (2010). The paper concludes that the post 2006 crisis were clear indications that increasing minimum capital requirement of banks alone only account for a short-term improvement in the liquidity position of banks and improvement in their asset quality but do not have the long-term effect of forestalling distress. The study suggests that a lot more need to be done in curbing financial distress among commercial banks in Nigeria than mere increase of their minimum capital requirement. Such other approaches as improving the corporate governance of banks must be adopted to forestall future occurrence of the threat of distress in the sector.


In most cases, the stationary fluidized beds are composed of two different particle classes (inert and active particles), and the concentration profile of these binary beds along the vertical axis is crucial regarding the effectiveness of the reactor. The present study introduces a semi-empirical 1D mathematical model for predicting the vertical concentration profile of binary fluidized beds. The proposed model is a developed and applicable version of the so-called Gibilaro and Rowe two-phase model, in which the differential equations describing the jetsam movement in the bulk and wake phases were solved numerically. The main work was to determine the parameters of the basic model, which was carried out by means of an advanced multi-step parameter fitting procedure. A more general form was established, which is based on direct linkage with the operating parameters that can be directly set and measured on the system. Comparisons with very diverse measured data sets available in the literature prove the accuracy of this model. Additional comparisons pointed out that the realization of this model is numerically inexpensive as it is several orders of magnitude faster than the available 2D and 3D models.


The Hawaiian language has a rich history that includes a thriving language boasting the most literate nation in the late 1800s to less than one thousand Native speakers in the 1950s and is now a leading language in revitalization efforts [Donaghy, 1997]. The Hawaiian language has an advantage in its revitalization because of the documentation, preservation, and digitization efforts starting from the 1840s including Hawaiian language newspapers, oral histories and video recordings of elders. These documents are crucial to the revitalization efforts of researchers and students alike to developing the next generation of Hawaiian language speakers and understanding the Hawaiian culture. The motivation for this project is to use knowledge from Hawaiian language text documents to develop statistically relevant vocabulary lists. Currently there are two major textbooks used to teach Hawaiian--Ka Lei Haʻaheo and Nā Kai ʻEwalu. These two curricula provide an introduction to the language, covering a range of vocabulary. However, the sequence of teaching and relevance of the vocabulary lists are trivial. This study aims to develop data driven vocabulary lists and compare them to current vocabulary lists. Studies examining vocabulary size and frequency in second language learning suggests that there is a set of useful, high frequent, words and the set of useful words generally covers 70% or more of the words in a vocabulary size of 1000 or more [Francis, 1982; Schmitt, 1997]. Research by Laufer [1988a] suggested that 95% coverage of a vocabulary is needed to allow for reasonably successful guessing of the meaning of unknown words. Research on vocabulary size shows that a 2000 to 3000 word vocabulary provides a good basis for language use [Hirsh, 1992]. The vocabulary lists that are developed in this study are targeted for second language students at an introductory level proficiency. In this project high frequency vocabulary sets are defined based on corpora analyses of a pre-1950s document, Hiʻiakaikapoliopele [Hoʻoulumahiehie, 2008], a post-1950s corpora of modern Hawaiian language and compare the high frequency vocabulary lists using rank order and content analysis to the vocabulary lists of Nā Kai ʻEwalu and Ka Lei Haʻaheo. Hiʻiakaikapoliopele was chosen because of its significance in the Hawaiian community [Berger, 2008]. The broader impact of developing vocabulary lists from the Hiʻiakaikapoliopele book is to provide statistics for the use of this book as a standard for third year proficient students to read. Works Cited Berger, John. "Hiʻiaka finds a voice in English." Honolulu Star Bulletin. Vol 13. Issue 50. (2008). Donaghy, Keola. "'Olelo Hawai'i - A Rich Oral History, A Bright Digital Future," Cultural Survival Quarterly, (1997). Francis, W.N. and H. Kucera. Frequency Analysis of English Usage. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. (1982). Hirsh, David, and Paul Nation. "What vocabulary size is needed to read unsimplified texts for pleasure?." Reading in a foreign language 8 (1992): 689-689. Hooulumahiehie. Nogelmeier, P. (edit). "Hiiakaikapoliopele". Booklines Hawaii, Ltd. (2008). Laufer, Batia. "The concept of 'synforms'(similar lexical forms) in vocabulary acquisition." Language and Education 2.2 (1988): 113-132. Schmitt, Norbert, and Michael McCarthy, eds. Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy. Vol. 2035. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 1997.


The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare all the papers in the proceedings of ECKM in 2017 (Barcelona), 2018 (Padua), 2019 (Lisbon), and the digital conferences in 2020 and 2021. The study classifies the papers according to methodology, analysis, discussion, and conclusion regarding their contribution to the four paradigmatic boxes. The approach uses the five philosophy of science framework and compares this to the content of the research papers. We will use the findings in four representations of knowledge, two typologies of concepts, four paradigmatic classifications, and the concluding framework for knowledge management research. The five conferences heavily emphasize knowledge-itis and instrumental itis and much less on problem-itis. The papers are mostly centered around existing knowledge and accepted methodology and are less related to new problems. The results indicate a conference based upon as-is knowledge and less upon new and often unsolvable problems. The ECKM academic papers in 2017, 2018, and 2019 have relatively low complexity presented in an empirical and materialistic paradigmatic framework through definitive concepts representing a form of atomistic research. The papers in 2020 and 2021 are presented within a more robust clarified subjectivity and action research-based framework through both definitive and sensitizing concepts. What would ECKM have been with a higher degree of complexity in action and subjective paradigmatic framework through sensitizing concepts representing a form of holistic research? Probably a more creative, engaged, and relevant conference. Probable also a more scientific conference since advances in knowledge demand not living up to the conference expectations data cannot meet. The more critical and green papers in the 2020 and 2021 conferences are open to new perspectives on the choice of methodology, problems, and knowledge. The 2021 conference represents a turning point for critical green and sustainability papers based on clarifying subjectivity through action-based research.

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Background: Hypercholesterolaemia often occurs in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) as a result of chronic cholestasis, but whether these patients are exposed to greater cardiovascular risk is unknown. Aim: To establish whether hypercholesterolaemia is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in PBC. Patients: 103 consecutive patients with PBC (37 with total cholesterol ⩾6.21 mmol/l) and 37 controls with hypercholesterolaemia, and 141 matched controls with normocholesterolaemia. Methods: Ultrasound imaging of carotid artery to determine intima–media thickness (IMT) and stenosis. Results: Controls with hypercholesterolaemia had higher IMT and prevalence of carotid stenosis compared with patients with hypercholesterolaemic PBC (mean (SD) 0.850 (0.292) mm v 0.616 (0.137) mm, pc<0.001; 43% v 19%, pc = 0.129) who, in turn, were similar to the 66 patients with normocholesterolaemic PBC (0.600 (0.136) mm; 5%). Compared with subjects with normocholesterolaemia, controls with hypercholesterolaemia, but not patients with hypercholesterolaemic PBC, had an increased risk of raised IMT (odds ratio (OR) 5.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5 to 11.9, p<0.001; and 0.7, 0.3 to 2.0, p = 0.543) or carotid stenosis (8.2, 3.4 to 20, p<0.001; and 2.5, 0.9 to 6.9, p = 0.075). In PBC, compared with younger patients without hypertension, the risk of increased IMT was OR (CI) 3.1 (0.6 to 17; p = 0.192) in patients with hypertension or old age, but not hypercholesterolaemia, and 4.6 (0.8 to 27; p = 0.096) in patients who also had hypercholesterolaemia. The corresponding figures for risk of stenosis were 3.6 (0.4 to 36; p = 0.277) and 15.8 (1.8 to 141; p = 0.014). Conclusions: Hypercholesterolaemia is not consistently associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in PBC, but should be treated if other risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also present. The search for factors that may protect patients with hypercholesterolaemic PBC against atherosclerosis should be encouraged.


The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country's future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English language teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications, and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research and interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and in Qatar in particular. The aim of this study was to address this gap by exploring female ELTs' perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study draws on data from life history interviews undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatari schools. The study found that the participants had very different experiences of CPD based on their personal and professional characteristics. This suggests that for it to be perceived as a positive experience, the current model of professional development for ELTs may need revising. We propose a paradigm shift from a traditional "one size fits all" CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development that facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in this country.


Antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) associated small vessel vasculitis constitutes a group of life-threatening diseases and renal involvement is its most severe and common manifestation. Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a rare form of such vasculitis in children characterized by pulmonary-renal syndrome with pauci-immune rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. A 9-yearold boy was admitted to our hospital because of rash, arthralgia and dark urine. Urine analyses showed hematuria and proteinuria. Blood examination revealed anemia, renal failure and positive p-ANCA. A chest CT revealed diffuse infitration. The renal biopsy demonstrated crescentic glomerulonephritis, immunofluorescent examination was negative. He was diagnosed MPA. High-dose methylprednisolone and high-dose cyclophosphamide therapy improved all of the lung infltrates and renal function.


This document explains how to integrate the TESLA source
authentication and packet integrity protocol to the ALC and NORM
content delivery protocols. This document only considers the
authentication/integrity of the packets generated by the session's
sender.


AIM
This paper outlines the protocol for a study aimed at exploring parent's involvement during professional-parent interactions and decisions about their child's care in the context of suspected shunt malfunction.

BACKGROUND
Hydrocephalus is a long-term condition treated primarily by the insertion of a shunt that diverts fluid from the brain to another body compartment. Shunts frequently malfunction, and parents of children with shunted hydrocephalus are responsible for recognizing and responding to shunt complications. Parents feel that interactions with professionals when they seek healthcare advice for their child do always not encourage active participation in care decisions.

METHODS
The study design is based on qualitative methodologies: a combination of conversation analysis applied to consultation recordings of professional-parent interactions when a child is admitted to hospital with suspected shunt malfunction, and semi-structured follow-up interviews with the same participants within 2 weeks of the consultation.

PARTICIPANTS
This is a prospective study and participants will be purposefully selected. Parents of children who have been admitted to hospital with suspected shunt malfunction and healthcare professionals responsible for the initial assessment of the child will be invited to participate.

DISCUSSION
The study will identify how decisions about a child's care are negotiated between parents and healthcare professionals at key stages of the care pathway. In addition, examining interactions between healthcare professionals and parents may identify approaches that support or hinder parents in contributing to the decision-making processes when they seek advice from healthcare professionals.


Explains that the 1993 Department of Environment Survey of Derelict Land in England found that the area of derelict land in England between 1988 and 1993 remained relatively static, despite the considerable sums of public money spent on derelict land reclamation during this period. With the launch of English Partnerships in 1993, and its subsuming of Derelict Land Grant the following year, evaluates the changes in the funding of derelict land reclamation in England and attempts to identify the likely outcomes of such changes. Describes a study in which key players within English Partnerships and Government Offices for the regions were interviewed, as well as local government officers with the responsibility for implementing land reclamation programmes. Concludes that there will be a reduction in the priority and funding of derelict land reclamation and that as a consequence, the area of derelict land in England may increase for the first time in over a decade.


Objective: The rare risk association of bullous pemphigoid (BP) with use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) had been reported including genetic association with HLA variants. We assessed genetic susceptibility of BP associated with DPP-4i use in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) .
 Methods: In a prospective cohort of 30,129 Chinese patients with T2D enrolled in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register between 1995 to 2018, we curated multiple case-control cohorts with available genotype data to explore the genetic associations of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region with DDP-4i-associated BP.
 Results: During a median follow period of 9 years, 60 patients developed BP (incidence of 2.cases per 10,000 patient-years) . 20 patient developed BP after DPP-4i use, with median exposure to DPP-4i of 1.7 years (incidence of 4.76 cases per 10,000 patient-years) and an adjusted odds ratio of 1.1 (95% CI 0.5-1.6) . 32 patients developed BP and were not exposed to DPP-4i (incidence of 2.87 cases per 10,000 patient-years) . In 1:2 matched case:control cohort of patients who tolerated DPP-4i and did not develop of BP, multiple variants in the second intron of HLA-DQB1 exhibited strong association with DPP4i-associated BP, including the well-reported HLA-DQB1*03: (OR 12.00; 95% CI 1.99-72.35; P-value 6.71e-03) and a novel single nucleotide polymorphism rs281863580 (OR 11.96; 95% CI 4.14-34.54; P-value 4.53e-06) . We additionally identified variants located in other HLA regions that were associated with BP in non-DPP4i users.
 Conclusion: Multiple genetic polymorphisms in the second intron of HLA-DQB1 were associated with increased susceptibility to incident BP in DPP-4i users. Further exploration of the extended MHC region beyond HLA alleles might identify a combination panel for assessing the genetic risk of BP rather than a single HLA allele.

 M.Shi: None. A.Yang: None. E.Chow: Research Support; Hua Medicine, Medtronic, Powder Pharmaceuticals Inc., Speaker's Bureau; Novartis AG, Sanofi. E.S.Lau: None. C.H.Tam: None. R.C.Ma: Other Relationship; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Research Support; AstraZeneca, Bayer AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, Pfizer Inc., Tricida, Inc. M.Cheung: None. J.C.Chan: Board Member; Asia Diabetes Foundation, Consultant; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Celltrion, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Roche Diabetes Care, Viatris Inc., Research Support; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Hua Medicine, Servier Laboratories, Stock/Shareholder; GemVCare Ltd. W.Chan: None.

 The Hong Kong Government Research Grants Committee Theme-based Research Scheme (T12-402/13N) .2) Impact Research Impact Fund (R4012-18) .


We have shown the changes in the ecosystem of Lake Onego with climate warming over the past 30 years. Due to climate warming in winter, the river runoff increases, as well as the flow of allochtonic substances into the lake. With the increased runoff of the Shuya River, the main tributary of the Petrozavodskaya Guba (Bay), there is an additional influx of iron and phosphorus to the lake combined with the humus substances. Deep-water benthic communities in the lake become depressed. Therefore, in the past three decades the role of climate warming in the aquatic ecosystem has increased in comparison with anthropogenic impacts, which differs signifcantly from the changes in previous decades.


According to the localization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen (HBcAg), detected by the avidin-biotin complex method, infected hepatocytes were classified into three types, i.e. those having nuclear (type I), nuclear and cytoplasmic (type II) or only cytoplasmic (type III) antigen. HBcAg-positive hepatocytes of all specimens (three) from non-specific reactive hepatitis and of most (five of seven) from chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) patients were only type I; the other two CPH samples and all (seven) chronic active hepatitis samples were composed of a mixture of types I, II and III. Linear correlations between the frequency of type I, as well as that of of all types (I, II and III) of the HBcAg-positive hepatocytes, and the amount of HBV DNA in serum were found. The relative HBV production of HBcAg-positive hepatocytes (serum HBV DNA amount/frequency of HBcAg-positive cells) was 0.11 in type I and 0.07 in all hepatocytes including types I, II and III. HBV core particles and complete HBV particles were found in type I hepatocytes. On the other hand, these particles were not found in a predominantly type III liver specimen. These results suggest that type I hepatocytes are more involved in the propagation of HBV than types II and III.


Organic and printed electronics relates to emerging electronics beyond silicon technology. In this growing multibillion Euros market, the need for new standards has led to the creation of multiple working groups within various standardisation forums. The disperse nature of these activities makes it challenging for companies to find relevant standards and to engage with standardisation work. The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the landscape of standardisation efforts and a short summary of the activities of these groups.
This document does not intend to completely cover all aspects of standardisation for organic and printed electronics and in that respect will cover some areas more than others. Items covered include testing of flexible printed electronic devices, functional/electronic inks (e.g. carbon nanotubes, metal nanoparticles, graphene ...), characterisation of organic light emitting diodes (device level and displays), photovoltaics (device level), thin film transistors and barrier layers. The report also includes information about how companies can obtain technology verification when no standards exist. A list of current standards and proposed work items within relevant standardisation groups is presented and a heat-map of activities provides a visual guide to the distribution of activities among the different groups. Topics related to complete products; product components (e.g. inverters, cables ...) and safety are not covered in this document.
We invite the international community to send critics/suggestion that will be taken into account when publishing a revised version of this document.


In this paper, a new concept for health-moninoring of bonded patch repairs is presented. Aerospace structures using aluminium panels occasionally crack and bonded composite patches are one of the repair methods available to maintain the integrity of the structure. Further damage beneath the repair patch cannot be monitored from simple visual inspection alone with standard repair techniques. The new proposed health-monitoring technique is based on the novel concept of overload sensors using hybrid composites, and has great potential for monitoring crack propagation in the main aluminium substrate, allowing passive, reliable and easy structural inspection to be achieved.


The musculature of the jaw, branchial, and shoulder regions of the ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei, was dissected and described in an effort to determine possible homologous characters shared by the shark, a member of the subclass Elasmobranchii, and the ratfish, a member of the subclass Holocephali. The musculature of the ratfish jaw differs from the morphological pattern found in sharks in that the jaw muscles of the ratfish are located anterior to the orbit, unlike the jaw muscles of sharks, which are posterior to the orbit. It is suggested that this anterior musculature is a character that was shared by fossil ptyctodonts (Class Placodermi) and is not found in any other living fish today. It is further suggested that the labial cartilages of the ratfish may be remnants of the palatoquatrate cartilage which were excluded as the jaw became fused to the braincase. The morphology of the head of the ratfish best supports the hypothesis that ratfish and ptyctodonts are more closely related to each other than either taxon is to sharks or other jawed fishes.


Integration of leprosy services into the general health services is regarded as the core strategy to ensure that leprosy control remains cost-effective and equitable, and, thus, sustainable in the coming years. In this article an extensive review is presented of the integration of leprosy services into the general health services. After the rationale of integration is discussed, the article highlights several recent developments within leprosy control and the health sector that are in support of the integration process. An overview is presented of recent experiences in countries that have already embarked on the integration process. Based on these experiences important lessons can be learned and incorporated into a model for the process of integration. This model, which is presented at the end of the article, will assist countries to successfully integrate leprosy services into the general health services.


The composite steel of iron-aluminum alloy and high carbon steel was fabricated by clad rolling, which process conditions were determined by the flow stress ratio between the constituents. Flow stress ratio of iron-aluminum alloy to carbon steel exhibits near unity at temperatures ranging from 873K to 1273K. Composite steel consisting of alloy/steel/alloy is successfully fabricated with about 70 % reduction in thickness, which demonstrates distinctive bending deformability. Clad plate is further rolled at room temperature to 150 µm in thickness with 98.3 % in reduction, and it is capable of winding without damage. The composite has shown significantly better high temperature oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance in a sulfuric acid than carbon steel. The dependency of corrosion resistance upon aluminum content of iron-aluminum alloy in an oxidation atmosphere is positive, whereas that in a sulfuric acid is negative. These results provide a strategy for the fabrication of functional composite steel.


Automatic Identification System (AIS)  is primarily used as a  tracking system  for ships, but with the launch of satellites to collect these data, new and previously untested possibilities are emerging. This paper presents the development of heuristics for establishing the specific ship type using information retrieved from AIS data alone. These heuristics expand the possibilities of AIS data, as the specific ship type is vital for several transportation  research  cases,  such  as  emission  analyses  of  ship  traffic  and  studies  on  slow  steaming.  The presented method for developing heuristics can be used for a wider range of vessels. These heuristics may form the  basis  of  large‐scale  studies  on  ship  traffic  using  AIS  data  when  it  is  not  feasible  or  desirable  to  use commercial ship data registers. http://www.transnav.eu the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation Volume 11


Uncooled infrared focal plane arrays are being developed for a wide range of thermal imaging applications. Fire-fighting, predictive maintenance, process control and thermography are a few of the industrial applications which could take benefit from uncooled infrared detector. Therefore, to answer these markets, a 35-μm pixel-pitch uncooled IR detector technology has been developed enabling high performance 160×120 and 384×288 arrays production. Besides a wide-band version from uncooled 320×240/45 μm array has been also developed in order to address process control and more precisely industrial furnaces control. The ULIS amorphous silicon technology is well adapted to manufacture low cost detector in mass production. After some brief microbolometer technological background, we present the characterization of 35 μm pixel-pitch detector as well as the wide-band 320×240 infrared focal plane arrays with a pixel pitch of 45 μm.


Medication therapy management services (MTMS), as outlined in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA 2003), is likely to have a significant impact on pharmacy practice, Jannet Carmichael, Pharm.D., told attendees at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy annual meeting, held last month in Dallas. She is PBM manager at VISN 21 Health Care Services at the VA Sierra Pacific Network in Reno.


Source inverters have recently been proposed as an alternative power conversion concept as they have both voltage buck and boost capabilities. These inverters use a unique impedance network, coupled between the power source and con- verter circuit, to provide both voltage buck and boost properties, which cannot be achieved with conventional voltage-source and current-source inverters. To facilitate understanding of -source inverter modulation, this paper presents a detailed analysis, showing how various conventional pulse-width modulation strate- gies can be modified to switch a voltage-type -source inverter either continuously or discontinuously, while retaining all the unique harmonic performance features of these conventional modulation strategies. This paper starts by analyzing the modu- lation requirements of a single-phase H-bridge -source inverter, and subsequently extends the analysis to cover the more complex three-phase-leg and four-phase-leg -source inverters, with car- rier-based implementation reference equations derived for all the inverters. The theoretical and modulation concepts presented have been verified both in simulation and experimentally. Index Terms—Buck-boost, current source inverters (CSIs), pulse-width modulation (PWM), voltage source inverters (VSIs), -source inverters.


Shape modeling is an active area of research in Computer Graphics and Computer Vision. Shape models aid in the representation and recognition of arbitrarily complex shapes. This paper proposes a fast and computationally efficient narrow band level set algorithm for recovering arbitrary shapes of objects from various types of image data. The overall computational cost is reduced by using a five grid point wide narrow band applied on a variational level set formulation that can be easily implemented by simple finite difference scheme. The proposed method is more efficient and has many advantages when compared to traditional level set formulations. The periodical reinitialization of the level set function to a signed distance function is completely avoided. Implementation by simple finite difference scheme reduces computational complexity and ensures faster curve evolution. The level set function is initialized to an arbitrary region in the image domain. The region based initialization is computationally more efficient and flexible. This formulation can form the basis of a shape modeling scheme for implementing solid modeling techniques on free form shapes set in a level set framework. The proposed method has been applied to extract shapes from both synthetic and real images including some low contrast medical images, with promising results.


A detailed orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) investigation was conducted to evaluate the microstructural characteristics in samples of pure nickel processed using three different procedures of severe plastic deformation (SPD): equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP), highpressure torsion (HPT) and a combination of ECAP and HPT. Electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) techniques were employed to measure the microtextures and the distributions of the misorientation angles. A thorough analysis of the microtexture revealed the shear plane normal and shear direction for UFG nickel obtained by various kinds of severe plastic deformation. It is shown that a combination of ECAP and HPT leads both to a greater refinement in the microstructure and to a smaller fraction of boundaries having low angles of misorientation.


Hemolytic transfusion reactions represent one of the most common causes of transfusion-related mortality. Although many factors influence hemolytic transfusion reactions, complement activation represents one of the most common features associated with fatality. In this paper we will focus on the role of complement in initiating and regulating hemolytic transfusion reactions and will discuss potential strategies aimed at mitigating or favorably modulating complement during incompatible red blood cell transfusions.


Aerodynamic characteristics of passenger cars have been a fruitful area of research for several years, and continue to this day. The Ahmed body represents simplified geometry of generic passenger car that can be used to study the flow characteristic of vehicles. The main objective of this paper is to understand the aerodynamic characteristics and drag reduction techniques of an isolated passenger car. To study this problem, Ahmed car model with different rear slant angles (0°40°), is simulated at the air velocity of 35 m/s using CFD. Also the effect of Reynolds Number, Ground clearance and rear end drag reduction techniques (varying fore body rounding and boattailing) on drag coefficient is identified. The computational part includes numerical simulation of the flow around the Ahmed car body employing CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) techniques. The designing of model and CFD simulation is carried out in FLUENT (ANSYS 15.0). Major findings show that the rear part of the vehicle plays a major role in formation of wake. Significant drag reduction was observed for 25° rear slant angle resulting from the reduced recirculation region behind the model.


By reacting copper(II) or nickel(II) salts with sodium 2-(2-(2,4-dioxopentan-3-ylidene)hydrazinyl) benzenesulfonate (NaHL) in an EtOH/H2O solvent mixture and in the presence of ethylenediamine (en), [Cu(HL)2(en)2] (1) or {[Ni(en)3](HL)2}·C2H5OH·6H2O (2) were synthesized, respectively. In MeOH, the coordination polymer [Cu(μ-L1-1κO,NN′N′′:2κO′)]n (3) was obtained, where L1 refers to a dianionic ligand species attained via Schiff-base condensation of NaHL with en on the Cu(II) metal centre, whereas no reaction was obtained in the case of Ni(II). All the compounds were characterised by IR spectroscopy, ESI-MS, elemental and single-crystal diffraction. The Cu(II) compounds 1 and 3 act as effective homogenous catalysts for the cyanosilylation reaction of a variety of aldehydes with trimethylsilyl cyanide affording the corresponding cyanohydrin trimethylsilyl ethers in high yields (up to 93%) and at room temperature.


INTRODUCTION
This study was a retrospective case series over one year.

OBJECTIVES
The purpose was to review the clinical presentation, travel history, laboratory findings and outcome of Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in the medical wards of Dr. George Mukhari Hospital, a teaching hospital in South Africa that serves mainly black patients. Fifty-nine patients were evaluated. The mean age was 34 years. Twenty-three patients (39%) had strictly defined severe malaria. Ninety-eight percent acquired Plasmodium falciparum in Sub-Saharan Africa. The death rate was 1.7%. Virtually all patients had a travel history obtained in the emergency department and the diagnosis was confirmed in all cases within 24 hours of admission.

RESULTS
In our study population, the differences in the percent parasitemia, platelet count, haemoglobin and bilirubin were not statistically significant between the cases with severe and those with less severe malaria.

CONCLUSIONS
Plasmodium falciparum malaria should not carry a high mortality in adequately equipped centers, when the diagnosis is made early and therapy is instituted promptly.


: The authors present the case of a 57-year-old asymptomatic woman, in whom a large left coronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm was incidentally diagnosed on a routine echocardiogram in 1998. The case was initially presented to cardiac surgery consultants, and since there were no signs of rupture and the patient was asymptomatic, it was decided to keep her in close clinical and echocardiographic follow-up. Eight years later, and with no clinical manifestation in the meantime, a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) showed that the aneurysm was filled with swirling spontaneous echo contrast ("smoke") overlying a thrombus, which was not detected by transthoracic echocardiography. The patient then underwent surgical treatment with aortic root and aortic valve replacement and coronary reimplantation, with an excellent result. Although the need for early surgical intervention in patients with ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms is well established, the optimal management of an asymptomatic, unruptured aneurysm is less clear, due to the absence of a precise natural history. The follow-up of our patient clearly demonstrated that it is mandatory to assess unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms by TEE, particularly to exclude thrombotic complications. Such complications are one of the possible paths of the natural history of unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms, and support the indication for early surgical treatment to avoid future complications.


Although the accumulation of the neurotoxic peptide β amyloid (βA) in the CNS is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, the mechanism of βA neurotoxicity remains controversial. In cultures of mixed neurons and astrocytes, we found that both the full-length peptide βA (1–42) and the neurotoxic fragment (25–35) caused sporadic cytoplasmic calcium [intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]c)] signals in astrocytes that continued for hours, whereas adjacent neurons were completely unaffected. Nevertheless, after 24 hr, although astrocyte cell death was marginally increased, ∼50% of the neurons had died. The [Ca2+]c signal was entirely dependent on Ca2+ influx and was blocked by zinc and by clioquinol, a heavy-metal chelator that is neuroprotective in models of Alzheimer's disease. Neuronal death was associated with Ca2+-dependent glutathione depletion in both astrocytes and neurons. Thus, astrocytes appear to be the primary target of βA, whereas the neurotoxicity reflects the neuronal dependence on astrocytes for antioxidant support.


While many organisms filter feed and exchange heat or nutrients in flow, few benthic organisms also actively pulse to enhance feeding and exchange. One example is the pulsing soft coral (Heteroxenia fuscescens). Pulsing corals live in colonies, where each polyp actively pulses through contraction and relaxation of their tentacles. The pulses are typically out of phase and without a clear pattern. These corals live in lagoons and bays found in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean where they at times experience strong ambient flows. In this paper, $3D$ fluid-structure interaction simulations are used to quantify the effects of ambient flow on the exchange currents produced by the active contraction of pulsing corals. We find a complex interaction between the flows produced by the coral and the background flow. The dynamics can either enhance or reduce the upward jet generated in a quiescent medium. The pulsing behavior also slows the average horizontal flow near the polyp when there is a strong background flow. The dynamics of these flows have implications for particle capture and nutrient exchange.


Kiplagat CS, Onyari JM, Mulaa F, Wabomba J. 2018. Extraction and characterization of gelatin from Lates niloticus and potential industrial applications. Biofarmasi J Nat Prod Biochem 16: 53-64. This research aims to extract and characterize gelatin from Lates niloticus (Nile perch) scales, then blend it with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Hydrolysis of the scales was done using a crude alkaline protease harvested from a bacterium, Bacillus cereus strain wwcp 1, obtained from Lake Bogoria. The lyophilized solution yielded 16.3% of gelatin powder calculated from the dry weight of the scales. The sample was characterized using infrared spectroscopy and showed peaks at 3442 cm-1, 1653 cm-1 and ~ 1590 cm-1 corresponding to Amide A, Amide I and Amide II bands respectively. The amino acid analysis shows that glycine was the most abundant amino acid (21.7%), followed by proline (14.6%) and alanine (11.8%). Isoleucine, Histidine, and Tyrosine were the least abundant (1.8, 1.4 and 0.9% respectively). Polyvinyl alcohol-gelatin blend films of various compositions ranging from 10% to 90% PVA were prepared by solution casting method. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA) tests showed the films had glass transition, melting and thermal decomposition onset temperatures intermediate between those of the respective individual polymers ( PVA and gelatin). The thermal stability of the films reduced with the increase in the amount of the less thermally stable constituent. Lastly, potential applications of the prepared blend films were investigated. Batch experiments to assess the potential of the polymer blend films as an adsorbent material was done using Methylene Blue dye. The films were found to adsorb up to 64% of the dye and the percentage of dye removal varied with the initial concentration of the dye and contact time.


A multiple-valued reconfigurable VLSI useful for improving the utilization ratio of hardware resources is proposed. Hybrid architecture based on wired programming and dynamic data-path control can be effectively employed for high utilization ratio of hardware resources with small overhead of additional hardware resources. A 2-to-1 multiplexer is provided in each cell. Accordingly, distributed control can be realized simply, so that interconnections between arithmetic logic modules and controllers become very short. Moreover, superposition of data and control signals is introduced to reduce not only complexity of interconnections but also switch block area.


AI-Qasr is a small historical town in the Dakhleh Oasis in the Western Desert in Egypt. The old center of al-Qasr, completely built in mud brick, is now almost abandoned and is deteriorating more and more. The endangered earthen architecture, which still determines the shape of the town, dates from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has recognized the value of this endangered architecture and as a result the town of al-Qasr was placed under monument protection. There were, however, no actual plans regarding maintenance and reuse. This paper includes a partial description of a Qasr Dakhleh Project (QDP), which has recently started, and which aims to rehabilitate and repopulate the old city by studying the architecture, building history and developing of a pilot model for restauration and rehabilitation. The inner town mainly consists of four storeyed houses that were built in such a way that they are adequately adapted to the hot climate ofthe desert: they are built very compactly with narrow, often covered streets and ingenious ventilation systems. Examples demonstrate how, after restauration and reconstruction, the qualities of these old structures could be useful again for present-day inhabitants. The traditional and sustainable building technology using sun-dried mud bricks will be maintained and executed by local masons, who still master this skill well enough to be able to reconstruct the buildings in the original way. The success of the rehabitation will be crucial to the survival of the mud-brick architecture of al-Qasr. The results of the pilot will provide the decisive answer to this question.


According to the conditions that hot work die steels, for example H13 and HOTVAR, were used, the main chemical compositions and the ranges of their contents were determined as follows: 0.25~0.6%C, 0.5~1.5%Si, 0.2~1%Mn, 2~6%Cr, 1~3%Mo and 0.3~1.5%V. Based on uniform design, six kinds of steels and the following heat treatment schemes were designed. The tempering resistance and the impact toughness at room temperature were measured. The results were analyzed by quadratic stepwise regression analysis, the relationships between the chemical compositions, the heat treatment processes and the properties were studied in detail, the influence coefficients and the influence tendencies of the main variables were also given in this paper.


Description Helen Foster's Networked Process: dissolviNg BouNdaries of Process aNd Post-Process is a rigorous and extensive exploration of one of the dominant metaphors of rhetoric and composition, and, more broadly, of the formation and the future of an academic discipline. Foster offers an important new approach to research in the field, one that explores and moves beyond the tension between "writing process" and "post-process" positions. Her notion of networked process promotes a culture of inquiry that grapples with the complexity of writers, writing research, pedagogy, and curricular change. Central to networked process is a theory of networked subjectivity, an idea that complicates and reformulates commonplace assumptions about student, teacher, and disciplinary identities. Networked subjectivity is grounded in the material reality of writing work and a fundamental acknowledgment of multiple literacies and multiple ways of knowing and being in the world. In Networked Process, Foster offers a compelling and timely investigation of the future of the discipline, arguing convincingly for the promotion of the undergraduate writing major and for the coalescence of disciplinary identity around the increasingly complex, postmodern notion of networked process, encapsulated by the re-visioning of rhetoric and composition as rhetoric and writing studies. About the Author Helen Foster holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from Purdue University and is currently associate professor of English at the University of Texas El Paso, where she serves as director of the Rhetoric and Writing Studies Program.


The distribution of energy density is derived for the diffraction image produced by an Airy type objective of a single, uniform, opaque or transmitting particle located in a uniform, transmitting surround and illuminated by a narrow cone of axial illumination. It is shown that for a large class of particles the diffraction image can have an irregular variation in energy density in addition to a regular variation and that these variations are in accord with experiments performed with opaque particles. The irregular variation can appear as a secondary Airy disk located well within the regular Airy disk. The development of the diffraction image with increasing radii of disk-shaped particles is described. The equations which govern this development are adapted to the determination of the radius of the particle from linear or photometric measurements upon the diffraction image. The smallest measurable radii are restricted by practical limits rather than by physical limits as in the resolution of two particles. The practical limit is about 0.6 Airy unit for the linear measurements but may fall below 0.3 Airy unit with photometric measurements.


For more than fifty years, political scientists have questioned whether citizens are sufficiently informed about politics to ensure representation and democratic accountability. On the one hand, surveys suggest that most voters are poorly informed about politics and policy, have inconsistent policy preferences, and suffer from deep-seated biases that hinder rational political judgment. On the other, aggregate studies of representation and collective opinion have produced evidence that voters do hold officials accountable when they fail to represent their interests, and that public opinion tends to reflect national events. These micro and macro patterns present something of a puzzle: how can political accountability exist when overall levels of citizen competence are low? More recent research has argued that while citizens are not encyclopedias of political knowledge, they can often learn what they need to know to make rational choices. These studies focus on the dynamics of political learning and the role of the information environment in providing voters with useful cues and policy information. When examined through this lens, citizens often appear more capable than was previously thought. But important questions about information effects and political learning remain. Some studies find that citizens will update their beliefs in predictable ways when they learn something new. Others find that political misperceptions are hard to erase, even in the face of efforts to correct them. Under what conditions will citizens learn from new political information? Are some messages more potent than others? And do simple cues always help voters navigate the political world? This dissertation contributes to these debates by examining information effects across three different venues: electoral politics, attitudes toward government programs, and social policy markets. Using three different data sources, I explore whether the political environment helps citizens to become more informed and whether new information prompts them to revise their preferences and perceptions in rational ways. I begin with intuitions from a rational learning model that help to explain the divergent findings in the literature and serve as a guide for the empirical chapters that follow. I find considerable evidence of information effects across all three venues. Citizens in the context of an election campaign are more informed about the party identification of their senator, and this party cue helps them to make inferences about the senator's issue positions. Importantly, however, this increase in accuracy is only evident on votes where the senator voted the party line. When senators defected to vote with the other party, citizens' reliance on party cues led them astray. Similarly, I show how providing citizens with information about the performance of social programs like Food Stamps and Head Start has a significant effect on their perceptions and preferences. Negative performance information appears to be more potent than positive, but the findings show no evidence of ideological bias. Finally, I find that citizen-consumers in the market for public colleges use additional information about student outcomes to update their preferences. The dissertation concludes by returning to the rational learning model in an effort to reconcile these findings with those in the existing literature. I argue that the divergent findings are largely due to different assumptions about the precision of new political information, the strength of prior beliefs, and the probability that citizens receive political messages.


This research aims at exploring whether simple trading strategies developed using state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) algorithms can guarantee more than the risk-free rate of return or not. For this purpose, the direction of S&P 500 Index returns on every 6th day (SPYRETDIR6) and magnitude of S&P 500 Index daily returns (SPYMAG) were predicted on a broad selection of independent variables using various ML techniques. Using five consecutive data spans of equal length, GBM was found to provide highest prediction accuracy on SPYRETDIR6, consistently. In terms of magnitude prediction of daily returns (SPYMAG), Random Forest results indicated that there is a very high correlation between actual/predicted values of SPY. Based on these results, Trading Strategy #1 (using SPYRETDIR6 predictions) and Trading Strategy #2 (using SPYMAG predictions) were developed and tested against a simple Buy & Hold benchmark of the same index. It was found that Trading Strategy #1 provides negative returns on all data spans, while Trading Strategy #2 has positive returns on average when data is separated into consecutive data spans. None of the trading strategies have a positive Sharpe ratio on average, but Trading Strategy #2 is almost as profitable as investing in T-bills using the risk-free rate.


Abstract Background Danon disease is an X-linked dominant disorder with defects in the lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2) gene and is characterized histologically by intracellular autophagic vacuoles in skeletal and cardiac muscles. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping potentially allows to differentiate intracellular and extracellular cardiac abnormalities with a combination of native T1 value and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction. Case summary We assessed CMR T1 mapping in two Danon disease patients (a 22-year-old man and his 48-year-old mother), who had a LAMP2 c.864G>A p. Val288Val mutation, and two blood relatives without Danon disease (his 47-year-old maternal aunt and 49-year-old father). The male patient underwent a left ventricular (LV) assist device implantation at 15 months after the image acquisition because he was inotrope dependent (INTERMACS profile 3) and had no noticeable psychological or musculoskeletal symptoms. His mother was in New York Heart Association Class II with mildly reduced LV ejection fraction (46%). The Danon group showed late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the anterior and posterolateral LV walls. In the interventricular wall, where evident LGE was not noted, the Danon group had high native T1 value, compared with the T1 value in the non-Danon group, and normal ECV fraction. Cardiac biopsy from the interventricular wall showed intracytoplasmic autophagic vacuoles, which are characteristics of Danon disease. Discussion This characteristic pattern of high native T1 and normal ECV fraction in the areas without LGE, which may reflect the existence of intracytoplasmic autophagic vacuoles, may support the differential diagnosis of Danon disease from other cardiomyopathies.


Current therapies for cancer treatment, organ transplantation, and many inflammatory diseases involve the use of a variety of immunosuppressive agents, including antineoplastics, steroids, and cyclosporine. Direct neurotoxicities associated with these drugs include central nervous system disorders such as encephalopathy, seizure, cerebellar dysfunction, ophthalmologic and ototoxicities, mental status changes, and peripheral neuropathies with sensory or motor dysfunction. The incidence and severity of these toxicities vary and often depend on the dosage and schedule of administration and the presence of associated risk factors. Many of these neurotoxicities are reversible upon dose reduction or discontinuation of therapy. Important nursing measures for patients at risk for or experiencing neurologic complications include patient/family teaching, baseline neurologic assessment, monitoring response to therapy, and providing psychosocial support and appropriate reassurance to family members. This article presents an overview of neurologic complications specific to common immunosuppressive agents associated with cancer therapy, predisposing risk factors, and clinical manifestations. Nursing assessment parameters and management strategies also are described.


The City is filled with signs of life. It teems with human traces waiting to be discovered. Street art of different kinds prevails behind traffic signs, on posts and electrical boxes. Personally con-structed dogs guard roundabouts all around Sweden and small gardens spire underneath window ledges. In this work I want to identify these phenomena and find out what thoughts inspired these creations. My focus has been to interview creators I believe have wanted to contribute something positive to the city life. I call these expressions creative imprints.

I found pleasure in coming up with ideas and realising them with all interviewees. A few even mention enjoying the production more than the finished result. Some of the creators feel a sense of responsibility for the city and view it as an extension of their living room. Most of them want to spread joy and communicate with fellow citizens, by making contact, or making specific statements with the imprints. They wish to raise questions, confuse or surprise. Furthermore they provoke, comment and criticise how society and the city itself functions. Some aim to inspire other city dwellers to claim space.

The unused and forgotten places in the city – the "no man's land" – are common whereabouts for creative imprints. In those areas they interfere less, thus the imprints have a longer life span. Yet we also find them in more visible places, and often in the areas their creators frequent. Many of the interviewees have become inspired by the areas in which they move about. This way they can also enjoy and maintain their creations more easily.

Some statements emphasized the boring nature of the city. Few places offer mystique and ex-citement. There is a lack of spontaneity and playfulness in the city planning. There should be room for the unattractive and unplanned, places for citizens to be co-productive. The citizens, however, are considered to suffer from a certain lack of initiative on their part; they have been reduced to consumers of space. One of the interviewees points out that you are expected to consume if you occupy space in the city. Non-consumers are looked upon unfavourably. Since the commercial interests are evermore expansive – like the adverts splattered all over the city – some of the creators feel that they have the right to take up some space too.

Not everyone would take the initiative to produce creative imprints. Two of the male interviewees, both involved in street art, believe that it is more common for males to feel that they have right to the city space. One of them thinks females create imprints of a more inoffensive kind. Yet, in spite of differences in age and sex, there were also some similarities between the various people I interviewed. They were all older than twenty and I experienced most of them as Swedish middleclass. Several have some kind of artistic background. Some have experiences from staying abroad for several years - another reality than the Swedish one.

I found that the creators I interviewed really wanted to contribute something good to the city – making it more interesting and enjoyable. To counter the anonymity, as one of them formulates it and bring signs of life. The title Human traces is thus something more than just the creation of human hands. The human is also in the acts and thoughts around creative imprints. In contrast to the commercial in the background, the colourfully embraced lamp post on the front page, expresses this care for the city and its inhabitants.


Abstract Perfectionism is linked to a range of psychological disorders. Burnout is an important construct in the working population and has been found to overlap with related constructs such as depression. There has been limited research conducted between perfectionism and burnout. This study aimed to examine the link between perfectionism and burnout and if procrastination and over commitment to work were mediators of the relationship. There were 69 participants recruited who were seeking counselling from a counselling firm, providing employee assistance services. The results indicated that procrastination was not a significant mediator of the relationship between concern over mistakes (CM) perfectionism and burnout. There was a significant mediating relationship found, where overcommitment to work mediated the relationship between CM perfectionism leading to burnout. The implications of the study in terms of interventions for employees suffering burnout, and directions for future research in regards to the relationship between perfectionism and burnout are considered.


Influence of surface treatment to diffusion bonding before joining was analyzed during the process of magnesium alloys diffusion bonding. We processed diffusion bonding by using ZK60 rolling superplasticity magnesium alloy sheets with thickness 1.5mm and grain size 8.9$m. Joint was carried out ageing strengthening by experiment study to increase its shearing strength. Ageing strengthening performance was researched under ageing temperature 150-190 °C and the ageing time 6-48h. The results showed: diffusion bonding joints' shearing strength had enhanced in some degrees and reached 86% of basal strength when the ageing temperature is 160 °C and the ageing time is 24h. It showed that the magnesium alloy joint's strength could be greatly improved by ageing strengthening.


Abstract The results of a field census of Alaotran gentle lemurs Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis carried out in February and March 1999 are reported. The results are compared with a census carried out 5 years earlier in 1994. Both censuses followed the same methods and were carried out by the same team, using direct observation from canoe. Mean group encounter rates for the lemur were assessed in each location, which allowed us to calculate the relative group density in each site. Qualitative information on habitat condition (on the basis of plant diversity, vegetation height and evidence of burning) was gathered at each site. Additional information, mainly on lemur hunting, was acquired through interviews with local people. In most sites group encounter rate was at least 50 per cent lower than 5 years before. Taking into account unusually low water levels because of a drought at Lac Alaotra in 1999, we estimate that these encounter rates reflect a 30 per cent decline in the total population size over the last 5 years. The main cause of this dramatic decrease was humaninduced fire (habitat degradation) coupled with heavy hunting (poaching of lemurs for food). The importance of assessing regularly both population status and threats, and of adjusting conservation actions accordingly is emphasized.


Formal de jure Standard Development Organizations (SDOs) coordinate the development of compatibility standards that ensure technological progress and welfare through interoperability. Informal SDOs, which are self-organized and not mandated by law, co-exist with formal SDOs to develop compatibility standards in a substituting or complementing way. As a result, the process of standardization evolves within and across multiple SDOs. An examination of the process of managing standardization across collaborating formal and informal SDOs can fundamentally change our theoretical understanding of governance of standardization. Drawing upon the tensions-based view, we argue that fundamental characteristics of the co-existence of complementary standardization are dynamic and contradictory. To balance such tensions, generative responses within and across formal and informal SDOs are required. This two-staged case study research examines the emergence of five tensions throughout the collaboration of two SDOs, HL7 and ISO, in health informatics. Our results explain the contradictory nature of five tensions with respect to (1) technological functions, (2) legal purview and geographic scope, (3) trigger, (4) time, and (5) usage/IPR and how they evolve over time. We also empirically derive three governance responses to such tensions, namely dynamic and multi-level roles, dynamic processes, and evolving resources; these responses allow members of the SDOs to respond to these tensions in a way that succeeds in managing the process of standardization. This research provides a novel theoretical understanding of governance of standardization for innovation. We conclude with recommendations for policy makers and standards developers.


Based on the calculation of energy density for several kinds of non-traditional machining process of engineering ceramics, the material removal mechanism for ceramics was studied. The studies revealed that the key reason for these technologies to machine ceramics effectively is high-energy-density. For Laser machining, EDM and plasma arc cutting, the material was removed by the high temperature ablation while the high density energy is applied to material surface. For high pressure abrasive water jet machining, the material was removed by erosion using the abrasive particles with high density energy. The ceramics was machined by micro-detonation arc under the synergy of ablation and erosion.


This paper presents a glacial geomorphological map of over 17,000 landforms on the bed of a major palaeo-ice stream in Marguerite Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula. The map was compiled using various geophysical datasets from multiple marine research cruises. Eight glacial landform types are identified: mega-scale glacial lineations, crag-and-tails, whalebacks, gouged, grooved and streamlined bedrock, grounding-zone wedges, subglacial meltwater channels, gullies and channels, and iceberg scours. The map represents one of the most complete marine ice-stream signatures available for scrutiny, and these data hold much potential for reconstructing former ice sheet dynamics, testing numerical ice sheet models, and understanding the formation of subglacial bedforms beneath ice streams. In particular, they record a complex bedform signature of palaeo-ice stream flow and retreat since the last glacial maximum, characterised by considerable spatial variability and strongly influenced by the underlying geology. The map is presented at a scale of 1: 750,000, designed to be printed at A2 size, and encompasses an area of 128,420 km2.


COVID-19 has forced many cities and countries to restrict commerce and movement of people, causing unprecedented loss of economy. Protracted lockdown may become unavoidable as health authorities have no means to isolate all infected individuals because existing testing capacities are very small compared with entire populations.We propose here a new screening methodology that greatly expands the size of the screened cohort beyond given testing capacity. This is an abridged version of the full multiplier grid (MG) methodology paper.With expanded screening cohort size, entire highrise residential complex can be screened 20X faster, and the same test capacity can screen 20X as many residential complexes. The same methodology can be applied to factories, villages, towns, university campuses, office towers, cruise ships, etc. The exact multiplier varies between target populations and can be larger.


Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are of great interest for their potential use in cellular therapies. To define the population more precisely, diverse surface markers have been used. We propose here to use CD271 as the sole marker for MSCs in fresh bone marrow. We compared CD271+ populations to the presence or absence of five defined markers for MSCs: CD90+, CD105+, CD45-, CD34and CD79. The correlations between markers were evaluated and analyzed with a Pearson's correlation test. We found that the average percentage of cells expressing the combination of markers CD90+, CD105+, CD45-, CD34and CD79was 0.54%, and that the average percentage average of CD271+ cells was 0.53%. The results were significant (p<0.05). The exclusive use of CD271 as a marker for MSCs from fresh samples of bone marrow appears to be highly selective. Using CD271 as the sole identification marker for MSCs could reduce costs and accelerate the process of identifying MSCs for the field of cellular therapy.


ABSTRACT Models of care that include a prominent role for Aboriginal workers are fundamental to improving the health of Aboriginal Australians. However, tension arises when these models co-exist with mainstream models, contributing to difficulties sustaining an Aboriginal workforce. The 'ideal worker' theory is drawn on to explore whether historical workplace norms undermine the roles of Aboriginal workers in an Australian hospital setting. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 staff and clients of an innovative maternity service, featuring Aboriginal Maternal Infant Care (AMIC) workers caring for Aboriginal women in partnership with midwives. A phenomenological methodology highlighted that unrealistic and inappropriate assumptions embedded in the ideal worker notion underpin many challenges facing AMIC workers. These workers have deep ties to their communities, with extensive responsibilities beyond the workplace. Although the hospital system relies on these ties to engage clients, this time commitment and the unbounded ways in which AMIC workers provide care are not acknowledged. Findings illustrate how the ideal worker concept has a cultural and gender dimension, which undermines AMIC workers and does not value culturally relevant care. This work has implications for ingraining cultural competence into health care, suggesting the wide-ranging contributions of Aboriginal workers must be recognised to achieve sustainable reform.


In this work we study the evaluation of optical aerosol measurements. Our aim is to reconstruct the size distributions of aerosol particles from optical light extinction measurements in order to obtain a safe measurement technology for potentially harmful aerosols inside a nuclear reactor containment. The first half of this work is devoted to linear inverse problems. In particular we study the linear integral equation relating aerosol particle size distributions to optical extinction measurements via Mie theory. We derive reconstruction algorithms which work independently from a human operator and thus do not require any monitoring or further adjustments. Based on statistical observations, we derive residual-based methods for finding the appropriate number of discretization points and the regularization parameter for Tikhonov regularization. Since particle size distributions are nonnegative, we apply nonnegativity constraints throughout the whole reconstruction process and all results are derived for constrained regression problems. A special emphasis lies on computational efficiency, since we demand that a single inversion must be completed in less than thirty seconds on a regular notebook. We compare our method based on the discrepancy principle with a Monte Carlo inversion method, where we also apply nonnegativity constraints. Here the regularization parameter is considered as a model variable and retrieved together with the sought-after size distributions. Then the discrepany principle strategy is generalized to the case of two-component aerosols, where the aerosol particle material is a mixture of two pure component materials. In addition to the particle size distribution, we retrieve the unknown mixing ratio of the two components. In the second half of this work we study the nonlinear inverse problem of reconstructing the refractive indices of an aerosol material from measurements of monodisperse aerosols. First we investigate this problem for a fixed light wavelength. We take into account all local minima found here and regard them all as candidate solutions. Then we apply a selection method based on smoothness estimates for refractive index curve sections covering consecutive light wavelengths. The resulting coupled refractive index reconstructions are regularized further using Phillips-Twomey regularization.


The properties of localized standing spin wave (SW) resonances are investigated numerically for a regular 2-D array of 10 nm diameter, 300 nm long metallic (iron) nanowires, magnetized at different orientations of the bias magnetic field \mmb H0 with respect to the wire axis. At 30 THz the penetration depth of the electromagnetic (EM) waves can be close to the diameter of the nanowires, leading to interesting resonance effects as a result of the inhomogeneous rf magnetization distribution across the nanowire diameter. The mathematical model considers the metallic character of the wires and the exchange interactions between the wires, when solving Maxwell equations simultaneously with the Landau-Lifshitz equation for the magnetization. The transmission coefficients |T21| of TEM waves through arrays with different wire radius were determined. There are well-defined extrema of |T21| at certain values of the bias magnetic field \mmb H0, corresponding to ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and antiresonance (FMAR) modes. The position of these maxima and minima does not depend on the orientation of H0, although |T21| is sensitive to the direction of \mmb H0. The distribution of the rf magnetization component across the nanowire is calculated for the second and low order exchange SW modes.


Summary.  Since 2001 we have performed 105 radioisotope synovectomy (RS) in 65 children and young adults, age ranging from 3 to 25 years with a average of 15 years in Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. One fourth of cases were below 10 years of age. All patients had severe haemophilia A and B. Ten patients (17 joints) had high responder inhibitor. We prefer to use Yttrium 90 for all joints (5 mCi for knees; 2 mCi for others). The knees were injected in 56 cases, elbows in 24 cases, ankles in 23 cases and shoulders in two cases. Steroid injections were not preferred as the principle drug of choice. Mean follow‐up period after procedure was 2 years (range: 6 months to 3.5 years). All inhibitor patients had satisfactory results. The best results were obtained in elbows than knees and ankles. Excellent rates (no bleeding) were observed in grade‐II synovitis 84% for knees, 93% for elbows and 50% for ankles. Because of the excellent and good response (bleeding reduction to 75%), rates were 100% for knees and elbows and 92% for ankles. In six cases, repeated injections were given at 6‐month interval and all of them had good results. The grading of synovitis seems to be an important parameter than the age of the patient. Even in patients below 10 years of age, outcomes are not satisfactory in all joints with grade‐III vs. grade‐II synovitis (12% vs. 73%). No serious complications were observed during and after procedure except two cases. A mild and transient inflammatory reaction was observed in the ankle. There was a minimal radioisotope leakage to superficial skin in the elbow. RS seems to be a safe and effective treatment for chronic synovitis causing recurrent joint bleedings.


Interleukin (IL) 4 is a potent immunomodulatory cytokine secreted by T-helper 2 (Th2) cells and Th2 mast cells that promotes the commitment of cells. However, unregulated production and release of IL-4 can exacerbate allergic reactions and increase susceptibility to infectious organisms and viruses. Here, we present evidence that AG-490, a Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK) 2-JAK3 inhibitor, effectively blocked IL-4 gene expression and secretion in the Th2 cell line D10 that was not occurring after anti-CD3 antibody stimulation, whereas AG-490 had no inhibitory effect on production of other Th2 cytokines or cytokines synthesized by the corresponding Th1 cell line clone 29. AG-490 potently inhibited IL-4–mediated proliferation of both D10 and the IL-4–dependent cell line CT.4S. Moreover, AG-490 markedly inhibited IL-4 activation of JAK3 and blocked the downstream activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6, as judged by tyrosine phosphorylation, DNA binding, and transcription assays. In contrast, AG-490 did not affect tumor necrosis factor  activation of NF-κB at similar concentrations of drug. These data suggest that tyrosine kinase inhibitors that inhibit JAK3 may have previously unrecognized and selective clinical potential as immunotherapeutic drugs to treat Th2-mediated diseases driven by IL-4.


ABSTRACT Because of dust, trees, high buildings in the surrounding area, partial shading conditions (PSC) occur in photovoltaic (PV) systems. This condition affects the power output of the PV system. Under PSC there is a global maximum power point (GMPP) besides there are a few local maximum power points (LMPP). This condition makes the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) procedure a challenging task. In order to solve this issue, soft computing techniques such as gray wolf optimization (GWO), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) are implemented. However, the performance of MPP trackers still needs to be improved. The main contribution of this paper is improving the tracking speed by implementing BOA to the MPPT of the PV system under PSC. Thus, in real-time applications a promising alternative presented to the literature to improve the performance of the PV systems under variable PSC because of its fast tracking speed. PV system consists of PV array, boost converter and load are modeled and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink. BOA algorithm is implemented for three different insolation scenarios on the PV array. The results of the BOA algorithm verified by a comparative analysis with PSO-GSA and GWO algorithms. The results show that BOA can give high accuracy and better tracking speed than these algorithms in recent literature.


A survey was carried out to study the common menstrual problems faced by women during their menstural period. 210 individuals of Allithurai and Lalgudi areas of Tiruchirappalli district were interviewed personally with a standard questionnaire. The statistical analysis was performed using SPPS software. The level of significance was analyzed using chi-square test where the results emphasized that 31.4% had their first menses at the age of 14, maximum number of respondents (68.6%) experiences pain and 68% showed medium bleeding. Most of them experienced psychological problems which affects their routine life. The most prevalent psychological symptom is anger (35.7%). Of the individuals surveyed most of them (92.9%) had a regular menstrual cycle with less abnormality. Marriage has a significant effect on bleeding, bleeding in between two successive periods, days of menses, pain, fatigue, increased appetite, fainting, indigestion and forgetfulness. Area also had a significant effect on many of the symptoms surveyed. The women residing in Allithurai area had shown significantly higher irregular periods.


Ecosystems are subject to multiple, natural and anthropogenic environmental influences, including nitrogen (N) deposition, land use and climate. Assessment of the relative importance of these influences on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is crucial for guiding policy and management decisions to mitigate global change; yet, few studies consider multiple drivers. In the UK, ongoing loss of the internationally important arctic/alpine moss‐sedge community, Racomitrium heath, has been linked to elevated N deposition, high grazing pressures and their combination; however, the relative importance of these drivers remains unclear. We used environmental gradients across the habitat's European distribution (UK, Faroes, Norway and Iceland) to investigate the relative impact of N deposition and grazing pressure, as well as climate, on the condition of the dominant moss species, Racomitrium lanuginosum. Key variables including tissue chemistry, growth and cover were measured at 36 sites, and multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relative importance of the drivers across sites. Our results clearly show that regional variation in the condition of R. lanuginosum across Europe is primarily associated with the impacts of N deposition, with climate (air temperature) and grazing pressure playing secondary roles. In contrast to previous experimental studies, we found moss growth to be stimulated by elevated N deposition; this apparent discrepancy may result from the use of artificially high N concentrations in many experiments. Despite increased growth rates, we found that moss mat depth and cover declined in response to N deposition. Our results suggest that this is due to increased decomposition of material in the moss mat, which ultimately leads to loss of moss cover and habitat degradation. This study clearly demonstrates both the key role of N deposition in degradation of Racomitrium heath and the importance of observational studies along natural gradients for testing predictions from experimental studies in the real world.


This two-volume reference details immunological techniques for biologists of all disciplines. Volume I includes a detailed discussion of the tissue culture laboratory. It addresses what the lab needs to be, and the general "housekeeping" procedures involved in tissue culture. Presented next are chapters on specific aspects of tissue culture and hybridoma technology. The book includes a review of bioassays for interleukins, and a series of papers on lymphokines and functional assays in vitro. The section on molecular genetic studies begins with consideration of the choice of strategies for cloning the genes of cell surface molecules. It continues with papers on aspects of molecular biological techniques most closely related to immunology. The final section covers immunochemical techniques. Volume II reviews techniques used with small laboratory animals. It includes papers on specialized procedures with animals. Technical aspects are emphasized through a detailed analysis of effects of ultraviolet light on the immune system. Covered also is antigen detection in cells and tissue. The book addresses the important areas of protein purification using monoclonal antibodies.These two volumes are of great importance to those who use immunological techniques, whether they are immunologists or trained in other disciplines. The book is intended for those in animal science, veterinary science, genetics and cell biology, bacteriology, immunology, pathology, biochemistry, laboratory medicine, and hematology.


An electromagnetic signal propagated through a medium of randomly varying dielectric exhibits random-phase fluctuations. The phase of the total signal is the average of all rays which strike the reflector and is therefore smoothed by a receiver-reflector combination of finite aperture. This paper presents a theoretical analysis and numerical results for this phase-smoothing for small phase perturbations. The receiver is assumed to be a circular parabolic reflector with a collecting feed at the focus. The propagation is described by Fresnel scattering and the one dimensional ray theoretical expressions employed. Closed form results are obtained for three separate space correlation models of the random dielectric medium. These results are valid so long as the scattering parameter L\lambda l_{0}^{-2} is small.


BACKGROUND AND METHODS
The Sydney Blood Bank Cohort consists of a blood donor and eight transfusion recipients who were infected before 1985 with a strain of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with a deletion in the region in which the nef gene and the long terminal repeat overlap. Two recipients have died since 1994, at 77 and 83 years of age, of causes unrelated to HIV infection; one other recipient, who had systemic lupus erythematosus, died in 1987 at 22 years of age of causes possibly related to HIV. We present longitudinal immunologic and virologic data on the six surviving members and one deceased member of this cohort through September 30, 1998.

RESULTS
The five surviving recipients remain asymptomatic 14 to 18 years after HIV-1 infection without any antiretroviral therapy; however, the donor commenced therapy in February 1999. In three recipients plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA are undetectable (<200 copies per milliliter), and in two of these three the CD4 lymphocyte counts have declined by 9 and 30 cells per cubic millimeter per year (P=0.3 and P=0.5, respectively). The donor and two other recipients have median plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA of 645 to 2850 copies per milliliter; the concentration has increased in the donor (P<0.001). The CD4 lymphocyte counts in these three cohort members have declined by 16 to 73 cells per cubic millimeter per year (P<0.001). In the recipient who died after 12 years of infection, the median plasma concentration of HIV-1 RNA was 1400 copies per milliliter, with a decline in CD4 lymphocyte counts of 17 cells per cubic millimeter per year (P=0.2).

CONCLUSIONS
After prolonged infection with this attenuated strain of HIV-1, there is evidence of immunologic damage in three of the four subjects with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA. The CD4 lymphocyte counts appear to be stable in the three subjects in whom plasma HIV-1 RNA remains undetectable.


e ubiquitin/26S proteasome system (UPS) plays a central role in the degradation of short-lived regulatory proteins that control many cellular events. In this study, the Arabidopsis knockout mutant rpt2a, which contains a defect in the AtRPT2a subunit of the 26S proteasome regulatory particle, showed hypersensitivity to sugars as well as enlarged leaves. When the role of RPT2a in sugar response was examined in further detail it was found that putatively only the AtRPT2a gene of 19S proteasome was markedly transcriptionally promoted by sugar application. Notably, poly-ubiquitinated proteins degraded by the UPS accumulated signi cantly in rpt2a mutant under 6% sucrose conditions compared to wild type. In addition, the AtRPT2a gene in gin2, a glucose insensitive mutant with a defective glucose-sensing hexokinase, was not upregulated by sugar application, indicating that AtRPT2a is involved in hexokinase-dependent sugar response. Taken together, the above ndings indicate that AtRPT2a plays an essential role in the maintenance of proteasome-dependent proteolysis activity in response to sugars.


The relationship between blood type and personality has long been one of the more challenging issues of scientific studies. Several large-scale surveys were conducted to address the issue, and some of them had shown statistically significant associations. This study analyzed data from two large-scale surveys (Survey 1: N = 1,000, Survey 2: N = 1,859) to examine the relationship between blood type and personality. ANOVA results indicated that 13 of the total 20 respondents' own blood type characteristic question items scored higher as "fit to my personality" than the averages of the other blood types. The same differences in scores were found in the group who reported no blood type personality knowledge, although the values were smaller. AI predicted blood types of participants more than by chance. We observed a clear and significant relationship between blood type and personality in large-scale surveys.