AIM
Since whole-genome sequencing (WGS) information can have positive and negative personal utility for individuals, we examined predictors of willingness to pay (WTP) for WGS.

PATIENTS & METHODS
We surveyed two independent populations: adult patients (n = 203) and college seniors (n = 980). Ordinal logistic regression models were used to characterize the relationship between predictors and WTP.

RESULTS
Sex, age, education, income, genomic knowledge and knowing someone who had genetic testing or having had genetic testing done personally were associated with significantly higher WTP for WGS. After controlling for income and education, males were willing to pay more for WGS than females.

CONCLUSION
Differences in WTP may impact equity, coverage, affordability and access, and should be anticipated by public dialog about related health policy.


There is increasing interest in source separation and treatment of urine so as to recover nitrogen and phosphate more efficiently than treating combined wastewater. Although previous studies primarily focused on struvite precipitation for the recovery of phosphorus, the composition of urine changes during storage. The present study compared the precipitation conditions for fresh urine and hydrolyzed urine. The optimal conditions for struvite crystallization were obtained from orthogonal experiment and single-factor optimization. The pH of fresh urine should be adjusted to around 9.5-10.0 to make the reaction thorough, while this was unnecessary for hydrolyzed urine. To reduce cost, magnesite was selected as an alternative for pure MgO, which presented similar efficiency for phosphate recovery. About 92.4% of phosphorus and 87.2% of ammonia-nitrogen were recovered from urine when adding 2.5 g/L of magnesite and 375 g/L of zeolite to get struvite crystals and nitrogen-rich zeolite as a slow-release fertilizer. Graphical Abstract


In contrast to current donor policy, which funds a recipient country's national AIDS control program, this paper proposes a measurement strategy to enable a donor to reward a recipient country's success at HIV prevention, irrespective of the inputs, activities, or who gets the credit. In accordance with the "cash-on-delivery" model of foreign assistance, the objective is not to replace traditional input- or activity-oriented aid, but to complement it by enhancing the motivation for local actors and their partners (including the traditional bilateral and multilateral funding agencies and their agents) to achieve measurable reductions in the rate of new HIV infections. This paper proposes two approaches to measuring the number of HIV infections averted between a baseline survey and a follow-up survey and explores the properties of ten alternative "payout functions" which would link measured epidemic changes to the size of the reward to be paid. All measurement approaches include the possibility of statistical error and thus a risk of rewarding the country too little or too much. This risk depends on the initial rate of infection and on HIV prevention success and can be reduced by either increasing the survey sample size or increasing the interval between surveys. By negotiating in advance the choice of one of these measurement approaches and one of a menu of payout functions, the donor and recipient agree on the recipient's incentive structure with respect to the magnitude and precision of the estimated reduction in the rate of new infection.


Background: Intrauterine herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection often is omitted from descriptions of neonatal HSV disease. Previous characterizations of intrauterine HSV infection limit manifestations to the triad of cutaneous, central nervous system (CNS), and ophthalmologic findings. We report 3 cases of intrauterine HSV infection and provide a contemporary literature review of this disease. Methods: Cases published between 1963 and January 2009 were identified. Selected cases fit the clinical description of intrauterine HSV infection, had manifestations present at birth, and had virologic confirmation of infection. Results: This review yielded 64 cases, 3 of which were our own, of intrauterine HSV infection. Less than one-third fit the typical triad. Of the patients with cutaneous findings at birth, 24 (44%) had manifestations other than vesicles or bullae. Confirmation of HSV infection by culture of cutaneous lesions present at birth was delayed beyond 72 hours after birth in 15 patients and occurred at a median of 10 days of age. Nine of these patients had lesions at birth that were neither vesicles nor bullae, and 14 cases were confirmed by culture of new vesicles. Conclusions: More than two-thirds of reported cases do not present with the typical triad. Cutaneous findings are not limited to vesicles or bullae. A high index of suspicion and recognition of varied cutaneous manifestations is necessary to diagnose infants with intrauterine HSV infection.


Today renewable energies, particularly wind energy are important to meet 24 hour energy demands while keeping carbon emissions low. As the cost of renewable energies are high, improving their efficiency is a key factor to reduce energy prices. High quality experimental data is essential to develop deeper understanding of the existing systems and to improve their efficiency. This paper introduces an unmanned airborne data acquisition system that can measure properties around windturbines to provide new insight into aerodynamic performance and loss mechanisms and to provide validation data for windturbine design methods. The described system is a flexible and portable platform for collecting high quality data from existing fullscale windturbine installations. This allows experiments to be conducted without scaling and with realworld boundary conditions. The system consists of two major parts: the unmanned flying platform (UAV) and the data acquisition system (DAQ). For the UAV a commercially available unit is selected, which has the ability to fly a route autonomously with sufficient precision, the ability to hover, and sufficient load capacity to carry the DAQ system. The DAQ system in contrast, is developed inhouse to achieve a high quality data collection capability and to increase flexibility.


We propose a non-JWKB-based theory of electron field emission for carbon field emitters in which, for electrons with energy in the vicinity of the order of v to the Fermi level, the effective (1/x) surface potential is strongly enhanced. The model grossly violates the WKB validity criteria and necessitates an analytic treatment of the one-dimensional Schrodinger equation, which we first obtain. We determine v (which is field-dependent) from the wavefunction matching point close to the surface. For reasonable values of the surface parameters-work function phi approximate to 2-5 eV, electron affinity chi approximate to 2phi and an empirical electron loss factor sigma approximate to 10(-3) (and with no other adjustable parameters)-the theory provides an intriguing agreement with experimental data from carbon epoxy graphite composite (PFE) and certain graphitized carbon nanotube field emitters. We speculate on the surface potential enhancement, which can be interpreted as a massive (field-induced) dielectric effect of dynamic origin. This can be related via time-dependent perturbation theory to second-order non-linear polarizability enhancements at ultraviolet similar to3000 Angstrom wavelengths near the tunnelling region. Finally some exact mathematical results are included in the appendix for future reference.


Playback recorder/filter type, settings in kHz: Crown/ Kay. Cut size: 23.75 seconds. Sample rate: 81920. Number of channels recorded: 41D. See Code descriptions document for descriptions of codes used in Text header document.


An influence of epimutagen 5-azacitidine on a flower stalk morphogenesis in sugar beet was studied. After the epimutagene treatment the great number of the first- and the third-order branch formation was observed. A higher level of branching completely modified the flower stalk architectonics (generations A0Az0 and A1Az1). A number of the second-order branches in the control and the experimental plants were not distinguished. A new epiphenotype with higher level of branching (generation A0Az0) inherited in daughter generation A1Az1. A flower stalk architectonics was modified because the third-order branches developed in the bract axil instead of flower primordium. A great number of lateral shoot modified a metamer organization of the flower stalk. The metamers on the third-order branches were single-flowered.


A description is presented of the cascade controller, which has made short-term planning and control of the plants in the Guadalupe chain in Colombia feasible. A difficult operating problem has been solved by a controller with a robust and straightforward hardware/software structure. As a result, the plants along the Guadalupe river are now able to participate in the AGC (automatic generation control) of the EMP (Empresas Publicas de Medellin, Colombia) power system. This has added a substantial regulation of water resources and generation capability to the power system. Modern control theory and computer-aided design were used for the design and tuning of the controller program. At an early stage, the applied control strategy was verified to meet the requirements. The final commissioning was free of problems due to meticulous preparations made as early as the design phase. The control strategy does not rely on properties which are unique to the Guadalupe chain. For a similar plant configuration, this approach could be used, especially if the objectives are the same. Design principles, algorithms and operating experience are also given. >


Ice cores from polar ice sheets provide a unique archive for past climatic variations. But due to their remoteness
Greenland and Antarctica are up to now still to large extent unstudied areas.
Deep ice cores represent single spots. To get an estimate for the regional representativeness of one ice core and to
set the results from deep cores into a wider regional picture more drill sites are necessary covering a larger area.
A set of 13 shallow inter-mediate depth (100-150 m) ice cores were drilled during the AWI-North Greenland
traverse (NGT) in the 1990ies. It covers 500 to 1000 years back in time and offers the possibility to assess regional
representativeness.
These 13 single records were analyzed for their water isotopic composition (delta18O) and have been averaged to
produce an isotope stack for North Greenland.
The main objectives of this study are 1) to analyse this new dataset for its spatial variability and to evaluate the
impact of isotopic noise, 2) to assess whether stable water isotope records from sites with very low accumulation
rates can also be interpreted as climate signals, 3) to present a new stacked isotope record and 4) to interpret this in
terms of paleoclimate (temporal variability, relation to large scale climate information from other ice-core records etc.).


A 6-year-old boy with partial complex seizures developed recurrent episodes of hyperthermia 2 months after topiramate was introduced into his antiepilepsy drug regimen. Further investigation revealed that the febrile episodes were related to environmental temperature and physical activity. A pilocarpine iontophoresis sweat test showed that the amount of sweat produced by the child was 5% that of age-matched controls. Topiramate discontinuation resulted in the disappearance of febrile episodes and normalization of sweat quantity in repeat sweat testing. Based on this observation and the previous data on zonisamide and isolated case reports on topiramate-related hyperthermia and the effect on sweat production, topiramate was suspected of causing oligohydrosis. A pilot study was carried out involving 13 additional children and young adults (age range 1—37 years) receiving topiramate. All patients were directly questioned regarding symptoms of decreased sweating and heat intolerance, went through a pilocarpine iontophoresis sweat test, and were compared with 14 age-matched controls who went through the sweat test for unrelated reasons. Nine of the patients were found to have reduced sweat quantity on the pilocarpine iontophoresis sweat test (including index case) (mean 0.089 g/30 minutes, SD 0.082; age-matched control: mean 0.21 g/30 minutes, SD 0.06). Eight of them were children (below 16 years). However, only three patients revealed symptoms related to heat intolerance. Topiramate is most likely responsible for decreased sweat production as detected by a pilocarpine iontophoresis sweat test. The effect seems to be more significant in children than in adults. There is a discrepancy between test results and clinical symptoms. Interestingly, oligohydrosis was found to be a relatively common side effect of zonisamide. Both zonisamide and topiramate share a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor activity. The significance of oligohydrosis in hot climates should not be underestimated. Its extent, the role of sweat test prediction, and clinical significance during topiramate treatment should be further estimated. (J Child Neurol 2003;18:254—257).


This commentary presents the research and ideas underlying the submitted portfolio of compositions. The core of the portfolio is the exploration of composition and performance methods for transforming traditional vocal folk music using the tools and aesthetics of contemporary electroacoustic and experimental music. The process also led to a wider compositional enquiry into the connections between language and music, between technology and performance, and between scores, encryption and performance. Additionally, extended voice techniques, audio processing, information theory and encryption form a set of nodes that have expressed themselves in various combinations resulting in a portfolio that includes vocal and instrumental, electroacoustic and acoustic music. The submitted works have been created employing bespoke use of technology, selfimposed restriction on real-time voice performance and applying encryption methodology to music and text. This commentary examines the submitted works from three perspectives: the use of voice, of language and of technology. It also discusses the music in the context of perceptual and cognitive discourses about the nature of voice.


The relation between IMF conditionality and country ownership of assistance programs is considered from a political economy perspective, focusing on the question of why conditionality is needed if it is in a country's best interests to undertake the reform program. It is argued that heterogeneity of interests must form the basis of any discussion of conditionality and ownership. The paper stresses a conflict between a reformist government and domestic interest groups that oppose reform, leading to a distinction between government and country ownership of a program. After discussing conceptual issues, I present a model of lending and policy reform that illustrates the effects of unconditional and conditional assistance first without and then with political constraints. It is shown that conditionality can play a key role even when the IMF and authorities agree on the goals of an assistance program.


A quartz monochromator has been used to measure the relative response of several synthetic phosphors in the region of 2200A to 3150A. The deactivating effect of copper and nickel on certain substances is represented graphically. With a vacuum grating spectrograph the response characteristics of zinc silicate and calcium tungstate have been extended to the Schumann ultraviolet region.


Tower vacuum dryer room is the key device for continuous vacuum dryer. In order to lower the cost of manufacture, the wall of dryer should be thinner. But as the pressure container, it must have the well intensity while operating. Because its complex structure, the simple calculation is not enough, the finite element analysis in intensity control was carried out. The model of vacuum dryer was built, the intensity of general primary membrane stress and the intensity of primary bending stress was picked-up on the max stress intensity point through the path of wall thickness. Accord with JB4732-1995, the structural strength was fulfilled the requirement.


Paired extra-abdominal processes (ap) were found in the pleural region of abdominal segments 6–9 in adult Odonata for the first time. They are unsegmented bulge-like or rod-like structures of different size, degree of sclerotization and movability. A short search across odonatan families has shown that ap are inherent for all studied Aeshnidae and for some other Anisoptera. A comparative study of final stadium larvae has shown that ap appear as remnants of larval lateral spines originally situated on larval tergites. This fact provides evidence about the complex nature of the pleural region in the Aeshnidae imago which includes part of the area of the larval tergite.


We evaluated how tree community floristic composition, forest structure and dynamics varied over a period of 13 years across a topographic gradient of ravines created by anthropic disturbance in Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The study area is located within a fragment of Atlantic Forest (21° 09' S, 44° 54' W), in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. This work was based on data of tree diameter at 1.3 m from the soil, collected in four inventories. Each individual was recorded as being in one of three stratified topographic classes: hilltop, slope and bottom. We used direct gradient analysis to evaluate floristic compositional changes, phytosociological analysis to evaluate structural variations, and assessed demographic and biomass changes over time through analysis of rates of forest dynamics. The results did not reflect modifications in the patterns of floristic composition and species diversity along the topographic gradient, while differences in forest structural attributes and dynamics may be detected at these smaller spatial scales. Thus, the same species group may employ different strategies against different restrictive environmental factors. Finally, we suggest that floristic composition and species diversity may be less sensitive parameters for post-disturbance responses than forest dynamics and structure.


Evolutionary adaptations are occasionally convergent solutions to the same problem. A mutation contributing to a heat tolerance adaptation in Senepol cattle, a New World breed of mostly European descent, results in the distinct phenotype known as slick, where an animal has shorter hair and lower follicle density across its coat than wild type animals. The causal variant, located in the 11th exon of prolactin receptor, produces a frameshift that results in a truncated protein. However, this mutation does not explain all cases of slick coats found in criollo breeds. Here, we obtained genome sequences from slick cattle of a geographically distinct criollo breed, namely Limonero, whose ancestors were originally brought to the Americas by the Spanish. These data were used to identify new causal alleles in the 11th exon of the prolactin receptor, two of which also encode shortened proteins that remove a highly conserved tyrosine residue. These new mutations explained almost 90% of investigated cases of animals that had slick coats, but which also did not carry the Senepol slick allele. These results demonstrate convergent evolution at the molecular level in a trait important to the adaptation of an animal to its environment.


update summary as defined for the DUC2007 new task aims to capture evolving information of a single topic over time. It delivers focused information to a user who has already read a set of older documents covering the same topic. This paper presents a novel manifold-ranking frame based on iterative feedback mechanism to this summary task. The topic set is extended by using the summarization of previous timeslices and the first sentences of documents in current timeslice. Iterative feedback mechanism is applied to model the dynamically evolving characteristic and represent the relay propagation of information in temporally evolving data. Modified manifold-ranking process also can naturally make use of both the relationships among all the sentences in the documents and relationships between the topic and the sentences. The ranking score for each sentence obtained in the manifold-ranking process denotes the importance of sentence biased towards topic, and then the greedy algorithm is employed to rerank the sentences for removing the redundant information. The summary is produced by choosing the sentences with high ranking score. Experiments on dataset of DUC2007 update task demonstrate the encouraging performance of the proposed approach.


The primary carbohydrate metabolism of an ectomycorrhizal fungus and its transcriptional regulation has never been characterized at the genome scale although it plays a fundamental role in the functioning of the symbiosis. In this study, the genome sequence of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Laccaria bicolor S238N-H82 was explored to construct a comprehensive genome-wide inventory of pathways involved in primary carbohydrate metabolism. Several genes and gene families were annotated, including those of the glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and trehalose and mannitol metabolism. The transcriptional regulation of these pathways was studied using whole-genome expression oligoarrays and quantitative polymerase chain reaction in free-living mycelium, ectomycorrhizas and fruiting bodies. Pathways of carbohydrate biosynthesis and catabolism are identical in L. bicolor compared with other sequenced saprotrophic basidiomycetes. Ectomycorrhiza and fruiting body development induced the regulation of a restricted set of transcripts of the glycolytic, mannitol and trehalose metabolisms.


The fence is the main part of a house in terms of security. The conventional fence is opened and closed manually by the home owner. In rainy conditions this will be very ineffective and inefficient because the home owner has to get out of the vehicle to open the fence. This problem underlies the idea of making an automatic fence opening and closing system using a smartphone by utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Smartphone is useful as a NodeMCU controller contained in the ESP8266 WiFi module via an internet connection to connect to the blynk application. Relay is used as a switch that will command the motor to rotate when it gets a command from NodeMCU. Changes in relay conditions will cause the 12volt 200rpm DC motor to rotate, so the fence will move opened and closed. The movement of the servo motor also causes the turnstile to lock after the fence is closed. In order for the system to work properly, the revolutions per minute (RPM) of the motor requires a supply voltage of 12V. When the fence is opened, the motor speed is 53RPM. When closed, the motor speed is 49RPM. In the process of locking and opening the fence, the servo motor takes about 2 seconds.


Background: Positioned to face increasing issues relating to the growing and aging population, ill health, climate change, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises, nurses play a crucial role in responding to the challenges of globalisation. With nurses rising to meet these challenges, the term 'global nursing' has been coined. Given the ongoing proliferation of the term, it seems relevant to explore the key relationship of the concepts of 'global' and 'nursing' within the milieus provided through the internet. Aim: To describe how global nursing as a concept is visualised in images on the internet. Method: A cross-sectional observational design based on netnographic methodology was conducted. By searching the term 'global nursing' in the Google search engine, a total of 973 images illustrating 'global nursing' were collected and stored on one specific search occasion. The inclusion of data covered all regions but no other search limits. Results: The results show that global nursing, first and foremost, is visualised as an academic discourse, as a nursing activity, and as an approach to target sustainability. Further, the results also highlight that global nursing has manifested as a Western discourse, targeting students with access to resources and a humanitarian interest. Conclusion: By paying attention to global nursing as it is presented in this study, it has been possible to provide valuable insights about colonial boundaries in the nursing discourse relating to globality. Based on these results, we stress that the nursing paradigm would benefit from a greater postcolonial awareness and some reflexivity connected with the global issues that nurses are facing. Impact statement: Global nursing is paradoxically visualised as something distant, connected to ideas of 'otherness', and of not belonging to the Western nursing community.


Graves' disease (GD) is the paradigm of an anti-receptor autoimmune disease, with agonistic auto-antibodies against the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR-thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor) being the underlying pathogenic effector mechanism. The TSHR belongs to the category of tissue-restricted antigens, which are promiscuously expressed in the thymus and thereby induce central T cell tolerance. In order to understand the association between TSHR gene polymorphisms and GD, we tested the hypothesis that TSHR gene variants affect susceptibility to GD by influencing levels of TSHR transcription in the thymus. We show that thymic glands from non-autoimmune donors homozygous for the rs179247 SNP predisposing allele of TSHR had significantly fewer TSHR mRNA transcripts than carriers of the protective allele. In addition, in heterozygous individuals, the TSHR predisposing allele was expressed at a lower level than the protective one as demonstrated by allele-specific transcript quantification. This unbalanced allelic expression was detectable in both thymic epithelial cells and thymocytes. Since the level of self-antigen expression is known to influence the threshold of central tolerance, these results are compatible with the notion that defective central tolerance contributes to the pathogenesis of GD, a scenario already implicated in type 1 diabetes mellitus, myasthenia gravis and autoimmune myocarditis.


This is a letter from the Charles B. Moore Collection. It is written by Charlie Gross and is addressed to Charles B. Moore. In this letter, Gross updates the Moore family on the happenings in Collin County and the news includes: a dialogue about not getting the grass burnt and not having trouble with the stock pumping into the garden, a discussion about Bryney was has been cut deep and may pass, an update on the peach crop, news about community meetings and picnics, details about Clarence's lemonade stand, a dialogue about attending the show in town, updates about the turnips and plans to sow the rest of the patch as soon as it is dry, a weather update, a message to Mrs. Moore about the hens, a message to Linnet about seeing Lora in town and details that Gross will write Linnet soon. He closes the letter by stating that he has told the Moore family all he can. The envelope is included with the letter.


Objectives: The purpose of this manuscript was to review Intersectoral Collaboration policies for Tobacco Control. Methods: The author selected the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and adopted guidelines, and reviewed intersectoral and multisectoral collaboration policy recommendations. Results: There are 11 chapters and 38 articles in the Convention. In the Demand reduction policies included price and non price measures. The author selected a few non price measures for cross sectoral collaboration examples. They are protection from exposure to tobacco emission, education and communication, banning advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, and offering treatment to tobacco use cessation. Inter sectoral and multi sectoral approaches could increase effectiveness, and better outcome of the tobacco control policy for implementation of many different articles of FCTC. Conclusions: It is important to give a specific role in structures of different government sectors and infrastructure for intersectoral collaboration. In addition, the role of civil society is very important for implementation of tobacco control policy effectively, and governments have to support the civil society for anti-smoking activities and campaigns.


ABSTRACT Parent–teacher rating discrepancies in rating of children's social skills were examined in a low-income, ethnically diverse preschool sample, using the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales [Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (2008). Social Skills Improvement System – Rating Scales. Minneapolis, MN: Pearson Assessments]. Participants included 663 preschool children (326 male, 336 female, M = 3.51 years, SD = 0.50) rated in the Fall of their preschool year. Children were drawn from 68 classrooms in 13 preschool sites. The results indicated that mean parent ratings were significantly greater than mean teacher ratings for the Social Skills Scale. The mean parent–teacher ratings were not significantly different for the Problem Behaviours Scale. Follow-up analyses indicated that parent–teacher ratings differed across six of the seven Social Skills sub-scales. These differences were significantly associated with family income. Implications for parents, teachers, and educational policy are explored.


This is a list of some major sources of business and economic information on countries and regions. This bibliography does not include company directories


This paper proposes a switching anti-windup design, which aims to enlarge the domain of attraction of the closed-loop system. Multiple anti-windup gains along with an index function that orchestrates the switching among these anti-windup gains are designed based on the min function of multiple quadratic Lyapunov functions. In comparison with the design of a non-switching anti-windup gain which maximizes a contractively invariant level set of a single quadratic Lyapunov function as a way to increase the size of the domain of attraction, the use of multiple Lyapunov functions and switching in the proposed design allows the union of the level sets of the multiple Lyapunov functions, each of which is not necessarily contractively invariant, to be contractively invariant and within the domain of attraction. As a result, the resulting domain of attraction is expected to be significantly larger than the one resulting from a single anti-windup gain and a single Lyapunov function. Indeed, simulation results demonstrate such a significant improvement.


Books can help child welfare professionals who work with children of alcoholics as an adjunct to other therapies and interventions. Fiction books used in bibliotherapy and nonfiction books directed at the COA, adult, and professional communities can all serve useful purposes. As with any other technique, there are limitations to its effectiveness. Children who are good readers and/or used to finding solutions for other kinds of needs in books will probably profit most. When combined judiciously with personal interaction, however, books can help professionals break through COAs' defensive barriers and meet the special needs of this difficult-to-reach, at-risk population.


We conducted a retrospective study of 99 patients with methicillin-suseptible Staphylococcus aureus catheter-related bacteremia in which vancomycin MIC was determined by Etest. High vancomycin MIC (>1.5 ug/mL) was the only independent risk factor for development of complicated bacteremia caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (odds ratio 22.9, 95% confidence interval 6.7-78.1).


Miranda Fricker's theory of epistemic injustice articulates the connections between ethics and epistemology that come to light in the harms caused when someone is wronged in their capacities as a knower. Although Fricker's account has provided an important contribution to the academic literature, its many flaws mean that a new approach to epistemic injustice is needed. This new account will focus more on structures of society, context, and relationships to better understand how epistemic injustices happen. This new approach will then be applied to the broad context of global development, and to the specific case study of Cuba's education and health care policies. The goal of this project is to show that epistemic injustice interferes with effective and ethical global development work aimed at improving the well-being of people, and how taking a more structural, contextual, and relational approach will mitigate the harms of epistemic injustice.


ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic significantly disrupted education systems in the United States as evidenced by school closures, the rapid implementation of online learning, physical distancing policies, and restrictions on extracurricular activities. Youth in foster care are a vulnerable population in need of school-based services and supports to ensure positive educational outcomes. This qualitative interview study assessed the pandemic's impact on the educational experiences of foster youth from the perspectives of their caseworkers. Participant caseworkers discussed how the pandemic affected the academic progress and social/emotional development of youth in foster care and highlighted some challenges of online learning. They also described how the pandemic impacted classroom management, communication and relationships, and special education services. Overall, caseworkers believed many of the educational challenges caused by the pandemic would not have long-term implications, and they highlighted several positive outcomes resulting from the changes in school operations. Results suggest that caseworkers can mitigate some of the short-term negative effects by ensuring these students have reliable access to technology and that screenings and referrals for therapeutic services are completed in a timely manner.


Abstract—Experimental evidence suggests that acute parenteral administration of high-dose ascorbic acid has beneficial vascular effects in type 2 diabetes. We studied the hemodynamic effects of chronic oral supplementation in this condition. Thirty patients, 45 to 70 years of age, with type 2 diabetes, were randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to receive 500 mg ascorbic acid daily by mouth or placebo. Patients were studied at baseline and after 4 weeks of assigned treatment. The central aortic augmentation index (AgIx) and the time to wave reflection (Tr) were derived from radial artery pulse wave analysis data. AgIx and Tr were used as measures of systemic arterial stiffness and aortic stiffness, respectively. Ascorbic acid decreased brachial systolic blood pressure from 142.1±12.6 (SD) to 132.3±12.1 mm Hg (difference [95% CI] 9.9 [4.7, 15.0];P <0.01), brachial diastolic pressure from 83.9±4.8 to 79.5±6.0 mm Hg (4.4 [1.8, 7.0];P <0.01), and AgIx from 26.8±5.5% to 22.5±6.8% (4.3 [1.5, 7.1];P <0.01). Tr increased from 137.1±12.6 to 143.4±9.2 ms (−6.3 [−10.1, −2.5];P <0.01). Placebo had no hemodynamic effects, and this difference between treatments was significant (P <0.01 for blood pressure and Tr, P =0.03 for AgIx). We have therefore shown that after 1 month, oral ascorbic acid lowered arterial blood pressure and improved arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes. As strict control of blood pressure reduces cardiovascular risk in diabetes, ascorbic acid supplementation may potentially be a useful and inexpensive adjunctive therapy. Larger and longer studies now need to be performed.


Kenaf bast fiber was chemically modified by using propionic and succinic anhydrides. Five retention times were compared: 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes at 100°C. Confirmation of anhydride modification was established by the weight percent gain (WPG) and was further confirmed by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Based on WPG, succinylated fibers exhibited higher WPG than propionylated fibers. The results of WPG for both succinylated and propionylated fibers showed that 180 minutes was an optimum time for modification, yielding the highest WPG. The thermal stability of modified fibers was characterized with Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Succinylated fibers showed better thermal stability than propionylated fibers. Anhydride modification also enhanced the fiber smoothness, as demonstrated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. Succinylated fibers showed a much smoother surface as compared to propionylated fibers and untreated fibers. Anhydride modification significantly decreased the contact angle of kenaf bast fibers, thus imparting good adhesion characteristics to the fibers.


The almost sure rate of convergence of linear stochastic approximation algorithms is analyzed. As the main result, it is demonstrated that their almost sure rate of convergence is equivalent to the almost sure rate of convergence of the averages of their input data sequences. As opposed to most of the existing results on the rate of convergence of stochastic approximation which cover only algorithms with the noise decomposable as the sum of a martingale difference, vanishing and telescoping sequence, the main results of this paper hold under assumptions not requiring the input data sequences to admit any particular decomposition. Although no decomposition of the input data sequences is required, the results on the almost sure rate of convergence of linear stochastic approximation algorithms obtained in this correspondence are as tight as the rate of convergence in the law of iterated logarithm. Moreover, the main result of this correspondence yields the law of iterated logarithm for linear stochastic approximation if the law of iterated logarithm holds for the input data sequences. The obtained general results are illustrated with two (nontrivial) examples where the input data sequences are strongly mixing strictly stationary random processes or functions of a uniformly ergodic Markov chain. These results are also applied to the analysis of least mean square (LMS) algorithms.


Column is one of the most important elements in a structure, its usefulness makes
column designer try to get an approriate and efficient design. Column with
varying surface in geometry is oftenly used in engineering field because it can
reduce weight of the structural design so that the cost can be reduced as well. One
of the case that involves that condition is Taper and Stepper Column which are
weighted by axial load. The design of this column structure is done by calculating
the critical load using Numerical Approachment Equation.
This Research is aimed to calculate critical strenght of Taper and Stepper Column
by considering the critial load of the Column. The process is done by using
Approachment Equation based on Finite Element Methode. After getting the
numerical results, then a simple and practically escort is introduced in designing
Structural Column caused by axial load. This practically secort includes
information about the reduction factor value (Pcr/Py) that is suggested in many
designing column taper condition. Within knowing the reduction factor, Critical
strength of column structure can be predicted easily by only multiplying
reduction factor value with the yield strength value of the Column material.
Keywords: Critical strength, Taper Column, Stepper Column


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Renewable power-to-hydrogen (P2H) technology is one of the most promising solutions for fulfilling the increasing global demand for hydrogen and to buffer large-scale, fluctuating renewable energies. The high-power, high-current ac/dc converter plays a crucial role in P2H facilities, transforming medium-voltage (MV) ac power to a large dc current to supply hydrogen electrolyzers. This work introduces the general requirements, and overviews several power converter topologies for P2H systems. The performances of different topologies are evaluated and compared from multiple perspectives. Moreover, the future trend of eliminating the line frequency transformer (LFT) is discussed. This work can provide guidance for future designing and implementing of power-electronics-based P2H systems.


We introduce SPADE (small particle detection), a novel method to detect and characterize objects only a few pixel large on microscopy images, based on the use of a dictionary of shapes (Figure 1). It involves the minimization of an energy function embedding a prior and a data fidelity term to match shapes of the dictionary with patterns in images. The data fidelity term is a comparison between the pixels' intensities within a potential match and the surrounding pixels' intensities. It can be defined in different ways, from simple averages differences to formulas incorporating variance of the intensities. The prior forbids any overlap between the matched shapes. The sensitivity of the detector can be tuned using a minimal threshold on the data fidelity term. Using synthetic images of increasing blur, i.e., detection difficulty, we showed that, on certain images, SPADE can out-perform widely used methods in this classical task of biological image processing (Figure 2). We also show that the data fidelity term must be adapted to the nature of the images in order to get the best results. We then apply SPADE, in a real-case scenario, on con-focal fluorescence microscopy images of D. melanogaster cultured cells where cytoplasmic ribonucleoproteic granules have to be detected and characterized (Figure 3). We demonstrate that our method can be calibrated for high-throughput screening imaging study, generating a F 1 detection score of 0.76 after cross-validation using a trained biologist expertise as ground truth (data not shown). An open-source python implementation of SPADE has been released on the Python Package Index 1. Different dic-tonaries of shapes and data fidelity terms could be used for different applications.


In recent years, scholars and practitioners have focused increasing attention on the role of information in achieving environmental policy goals. This article develops a framework for understanding how information is used in making environmental policy, and compares the kinds of information development and communication efforts undertaken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Environment Agency (EEA). The analysis suggests that institutional factors such as organizational structure and the mix of policy instruments used by the agency affect the kinds of information efforts undertaken. It also suggests possible areas of focus for environmental information efforts within the EPA and the EEA. These suggestions and the framework provided may also be of use to other environmental agencies.


Introduction One of the major topics in education today is inclusion of students with special needs. But what is inclusion? Inclusion is "to have or regard or treat as part of a whole, the act of including or the state of being included" (Montgomery, 1994). The area of concern is how included should these students be and when should students be included. Some educators say that inclusion should be full, but others state that it should be partial. These questions cannot be answered, and the debate will always be here, but the overall expectations of inclusive education are academics and social interaction between students in the school (Montgomery, 1994). As a future educator, how can I strive to achieve these expectations in my classroom especially if it is my first year? What accomplishments are made by having an inclusive classroom? First, to fully understand what inclusion is and the purpose behind this type of education, one needs to look at the history of inclusion. One of the main pieces of legislation that was passed was the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which were amendments to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) in 1975. In 1997 amendments were added to IDEA; these amendments were that every child should first be provided an education in a regular classroom setting, and schools must try to make the special needs students included in the regular class setting. If a severe student cannot function in the regular classroom and every measure has been made to work with that child, then other measures can be deemed appropriate. Another amendment was that teachers are an integral part in developing the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP), and also the amendment describes aids and supplementary services for the student (Department of Education, 1999). With the new amendments to IDEA, educators are not sure where to stand on this issue. Some educators feel that inclusion should not be implemented because there are problems with this, but special needs students have rights as a regular child and should be taught in the same manner with some modifications made (Salisbury, 1997). But what are these modifications and what should I do for the child? One of the expectations of inclusion is academics. As a future teacher, what can I do for the betterment of the child? According to Michael F. Giangreco's article "What Do I Do Now? A Teacher's Guide to Including Students with Disabilities," there are many steps that a teacher should take to prepare for an inclusive student. One of the first steps mentioned is to get help from colleagues. This is probably the most important step because most of the time other colleagues have dealt with this, and they can aid you in your first endeavor. Colleagues will be able to tell a person what has worked and what has not worked, what is good and bad, which materials to use, and which not to use. Welcoming the student in the classroom is another point made. According to Mr. Giangreco, this is a simple task to do, but many teachers do not do this, and it can be detrimental to the students involved. He points out an excellent thought: "Your students look to you as their primary adult model during the school day" (Giangreco, 1996, p.56). If your students are looking at you as their adult model, you must set a good model to the students so they will mimic your actions. An important aspect for any teacher is to make sure everyone belongs to the classroom community. According to Mr. Giangreco, many students with special needs are placed in a regular classroom but aside from the rest of the students. In addition to this, the special needs student also receives different activities and has different schedules than the rest of the class. Mr. Giangreco states this happens in many situations, but teachers need to place the student with special needs in the class, not aside, and they should be able to do the same activity as the others. …


Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) are vascular anomalies composed of malformed arteries, veins, and capillaries. Although 50% of AVMs are located in the head and neck, they are rarely diagnosed in the paranasal sinuses. We report a rare case of an ethmoid sinus AVM in a patient who suffered from years of intermittent left forehead pressure. Non-contrast computed tomography demonstrated a 2 × 1.5 cm mass filling the left anterior ethmoid sinus and frontal recess, causing bony erosion of the lamina papyracea and lateral lamella of the cribriform plate, but significant hyperostosis of the fovea ethmoidalis. Magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium contrast demonstrated heterogenous enhancement of the lesion without periorbital or dural invasion. The imaging findings suggested a vascular mass, but the preoperative differential diagnosis was broad. The mass was completely resected endoscopically, and final histopathology revealed the lesion to be an AVM.


The complex soils of Jamaica may be subdivided into three groups on the basis of their Fe/Na concentration ratio, which reflects their genetic and pedological development, and the geochemical diversity of their parent materials. The three groups are non-Terra Rossa soils with Fe/Na concentration ratios of <40, Terra Rossa soils with Fe/Na 40–320, and bauxitic soils with Fe/Na >320. A series of ANOVAs demonstrate that the geometric means of As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, Cr, U and Sm are significantly different from each other for all subpopulations, with the exception of Zn and Hg in Terra Rossa and bauxitic soils. A combination of the Tukey boxplot procedure and the visual inspection of cumulative probability plots is used to estimate the ranges of natural background for the above elements in the three soil environments. It is noted that these estimates based on total and near-total analyses overestimate the actual amounts of the elements that are bioaccesible.


Improvements in meat quality are sought through sources of variation along the meat chain, including breed and production system. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine slaughter weight and sex effects on the meat quality of the indigenous Krskopolje pig breed reared in a feed-enriched indoor environment for the growing-finishing periods. Raised in this enriched environment, the intramuscular fat (IMF) content of the loin was 1.5–2.5% higher than previously reported for other production systems. Slaughter weight (119–132 kg or >135–170 kg) influences on meat colour and IMF composition were observed. Animals from the light group had lighter coloured meat with lower Japanese colour scores as well as higher saturated fatty acid (SFA) and lower monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) proportions in the IMF. A lower proportion of MUFA was also observed in the IMF from gilts than barrows. Furthermore, a higher proportion of SFA was found in the IMF from the gilts. However, the lower IMF content in the gilts negates any apparent compositional advantages between the sexes. The IMF content and composition of the Krskopolje pig reared in an enriched environment suggests good commercial potential of this breed.


BACKGROUND
It is unclear whether patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma and negative findings on positron-emission tomography (PET) after three cycles of chemotherapy with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) require radiotherapy.

METHODS
Patients with newly diagnosed stage IA or stage IIA Hodgkin's lymphoma received three cycles of ABVD and then underwent PET scanning. Patients with negative PET findings were randomly assigned to receive involved-field radiotherapy or no further treatment; patients with positive PET findings received a fourth cycle of ABVD and radiotherapy. This trial assessing the noninferiority of no further treatment was designed to exclude a difference in the 3-year progression-free survival rate of 7 or more percentage points from the assumed 95% progression-free survival rate in the radiotherapy group.

RESULTS
A total of 602 patients (53.3% male; median age, 34 years) were recruited, and 571 patients underwent PET scanning. The PET findings were negative in 426 of these patients (74.6%), 420 of whom were randomly assigned to a study group (209 to the radiotherapy group and 211 to no further therapy). At a median of 60 months of follow-up, there had been 8 instances of disease progression in the radiotherapy group, and 8 patients had died (3 with disease progression, 1 of whom died from Hodgkin's lymphoma); there had been 20 instances of disease progression in the group with no further therapy, and 4 patients had died (2 with disease progression and none from Hodgkin's lymphoma). In the radiotherapy group, 5 of the deaths occurred in patients who received no radiotherapy. The 3-year progression-free survival rate was 94.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.5 to 97.7) in the radiotherapy group and 90.8% (95% CI, 86.9 to 94.8) in the group that received no further therapy, with an absolute risk difference of -3.8 percentage points (95% CI, -8.8 to 1.3).

CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study did not show the noninferiority of the strategy of no further treatment after chemotherapy with regard to progression-free survival. Nevertheless, patients in this study with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma and negative PET findings after three cycles of ABVD had a very good prognosis either with or without consolidation radiotherapy. (Funded by Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research and others; RAPID ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00943423.).


In order to develop an overall efficient and accurate model of simulating an unsteady three-dimensional airflow over complex terrain with characteristic length scales on the order of kilometers, we have been examining the large-eddy simulation (LES) technique using a finite-difference method (FDM). These LES codes are referred to as the RIAM-COMPACT (Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Computational Prediction of Airflow over Complex Terrain), and are based on two grid systems and corresponding variable arrangement: one is an orthogonal staggered grid; the other is a generalized curvilinear collocated grid. In this paper, using the RIAM-COMPACT based on a generalized curvilinear collocated grid, we have performed the calculations of a non-stratified airflow over real complex terrain. This area covers the new campus of Kyushu University. To investigate more clearly the influence of topography on the airflow over the new campus area, we employed nested grids: the outer grid domain is 9.75km×4.65km×1.46km with horizontal grid spacing of 50m and the inner grid domain is 5km×2.7km×1.46km with horizontal grid spacing of 25m. The numerical results were compared with the wind tunnel experiment, and airflow characteristics due to the topographic effect, such as the wind speed-up and the separated flow, were successively simulated.


In a broadcasting task, source node wants to send the same message to all the other nodes in the network. Existing solutions address specific mobility scenarios, e.g. connected dominating set (CDS) based for static networks, blind flooding for moderate mobility, hyper flooding for highly mobile and frequently partitioned networks. We are interested in designing a unique protocol that will seamlessly (without using any parameter) adjust itself to any mobility scenario, and with capability to address various model assumptions and optimality criteria. Existing approaches for all scenarios are based on some threshold parameters (e.g. speed) to locally select among different algorithms, and therefore different nodes may run different algorithms. Here we describe a novel general BSM (Broadcasting from Static to Mobile) framework, built over several recent algorithms handling special cases. It aims at high delivery rate with low message cost, and addresses intermittent connectivity and delay minimization. Each node activates with respect to broadcast message whenever it identifies one or more neighbors in need of the message. It selects, upon activation, waiting time (dynamically adjusted with reception of any message) depending on the number of such neighbors, distance to their centroid, and its CDS membership. It competes (at MAC layer) to retransmit at timeout expiry if it still believes that a neighbor needs message. We map this algorithm to variety of multi-hop wireless networks scenarios, with and without: positional information, acknowledgments, and time criticality goal. Some existing solutions are derived as special cases, and we also show how to timely deliver warnings in vehicular networks with arbitrary road structure, without using road maps.


In the pre-3,760-m.y.-old Isua supracrustal belt, West Greenland, copper sulfides with minor amounts of pyrrhotite are found in sulfide, silicate, and carbonate facies iron-formation. In oxide facies iron-formation pyrite is the sole sulfide, occurring in small quantities. In metamorphosed basaltic tuffs thin layers of chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite have been found. Metamorphism to lower amphibolite facies resulted in formation of high-temperature chalcopyrite-cubanite crystals. Subsequent cooling resulted in unmixing and separation of the chalcopyrite and cubanite as lamellae, which in some localities occur together with spindles of pyrrhotite. Lead isotopic ratios in galenas show that the sulfides are coeval with the supracrustals. The sulfides in the iron-formation and in the tuffaceous amphibolites are considered to be of submarine exhalative origin.


This article discussed the model of mutual cooperation between college and company, model of skilled personnel development, innovative teaching model. Make revolution on operation, changes management to form regional characteristic system will help to train high qualified and high skilled personnel for company needs. The cooperation model will solve problem of lack skilled staff in company and provide a flat for company to employ variety skilled personnel. College and company share resources will help to save more resources for each other. College will reduce invest on equipment and facility. Company will reduce cost on staff training and technical development. This continuous skilled personnel development model will promote common development for college, company and the student, realizing multi win.


During Middle Triassic times, the Peri-Tethys Basin bordered the north-western Tethys shelf and was connected to the open Tethys Ocean via three seaways. Today, lower Muschelkalk carbonates of this epeiric sea cover large parts of Central Europe, documenting the evolution of a low-relief, homoclinal, mud-dominated ramp system during the Anisian. In view of their geotectonic/climatic setting, depositional processes, facies architecture, and distribution, the rocks are considered as an outcrop analogue for layer-cake reservoirs of world-wide importance, e.g. the Permo-Triassic Khuff or Jurassic Arab carbonates in the Middle East. In general, two different reservoir types and their interplay might be considered: The proximal stacks of muddy dolostones (NW part of the basin) and the more distally developed grainy limestones (central and sE part of the basin). The rather uncommon depositional setting with minor relief and minimal accommodation contributed to both, the stratal and lateral facies development, and to unusual and possibly even "inverted" facies patterns with thick, grainy facies found in the more distal environments. Based on litho- and microfacies analyses, six main facies types are distinguished, building characteristic cyclic facies successions of different hierarchies. The stratal architecture of small-scale depositional sequ ences systematically changes in relation to their relative proximal-distal position on the Muschelkalk ramp system. here, we present porosity and permeability data of the different facies types and within the basin-wide sequence stratigraphic framework. dolo-wacke-/packstones and peloid grainstones attain the highest porosities of up to 24%, whereas bioclastic grainstones show porosities of up to 8%. The platy and nodular mud-/wackestone and most of the bioclastic wacke-/packstones typically show porosities below 2%. Even in the most porous strata, permeabilities do not exceed 10 mD, and only a few carbonates show higher permeabilities up to 90 mD. Within large-scale, third-order depositional sequences late highstand deposits represent the most permeable sediments.


Rotationally resolved visible spectroscopy (6000 9500 A) of (7) Iris is presented. Within a few percents, no variation in Iris' visible spectrum over a ro-tational period has been found. These data suggest that the mineralogic properties of Iris' surface are globally homogeneous , although we cannot exclude the presence of some texture and/or albedo variegation as suggested by previous photometric and polarimetric studies available in the literature. From a dynamical point of view, we estimate the ejection velocity required for collisional fragments from this asteroid to be injected into the surrounding chaotic regions. The resulting velocity values are fairly high, but not incompatible with the values suggested by the present knowledge of catastrophic break-up phenomena and by the observational constraints put by asteroid families. Taking into account the close similarity between Iris' spectrum and that of (6) Hebe, a typical S(IV)-type object according with the most modern spectral classii-cations, we believe that (7) Iris may be a not negligible source of Ordinary Chondrite meteorites.


Background: Considering roles of social-psychological risk factors, behavior and unhealthy life etiology and pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, this study explores vital exhaustion and type D personality in patients with heart disease, acute myocardial infarction and heart failure with normal individuals. Methods: In the is causal-comparative study, 100 patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (50 patients with heart failure and 50 with acute myocardial infarction) and 50 healthy individuals matched with the patient groups were selected. The study instruments were vital exhaustion Maastricht questionnaire and Denollet type D personality form. Multivariate analysis of variance was used for data analysis. Results: The findings showed that among heart patients and normal subjects in terms of type D personality and its components (social inhibition and negative affect) there were significant differences in vital exhaustion. But no difference was observed between patients with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. Conclusion: Since vital exhaustion and type D personality are from important risk factors for patients with heart disease, the results of this study have important implications in the field of education and health interventions to improve the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular diseases.


The spatial and temporal reach of contemporary environmental problems are unparalleled. Collective efforts to address global environmental problems are required but actions to tackle these problems demand initial recognition of their seriousness. Cross-cultural research has shown a reliable bias in comparative judgements about the severity of environmental problems for geographically distant places, with environmental issues perceived to be more severe "there" than "here." The robustness of this effect may have unwarranted consequences since perceiving environmental problems as being worse elsewhere might lead individuals to not take actions in their locality. We conducted a within-country study to test whether this spatial bias would emerge for samples from all Brazilian states (k = 27, N = 4,265; 85% female; Age M = 24; Age SD = 9.67). Providing further support for a biased comparative judgement, we observed that the severity of environmental problems was judged as worse at the country level than at the state level (mean spatial bias score among Brazilian states = 0.54). Only 2% of the variation in spatial bias was attributable to across-state differences. By replicating cross-cultural findings within a single nation, our findings provide further support for the prevalence and generalizability of biased comparative judgements about the severity of environmental problems. We discuss critical future directions for spatial bias research.


Mindfulness meditation has shown benefits for increasing empathy and reducing stress in health professionals. This study examined the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention course on empathy in student therapists using a quasi-experimental design. Results indicated overall empathy as measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), as well as Empathic Concern, a subscale of the IRI, increased significantly after 6 weeks for participants in the mindfulness course compared to control participants. Additionally, the mindfulness class showed increased scores on the Observe and Nonjudgment subscales of the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) between Time 1 and Time 2. Also, the control group had increased scores on the Nonjudgment subscale of the FFMQ from Time 1 to Time 2. According to the Mindful Awareness Attention Scale (MAAS) and the Describe, Act with Awareness and Nonreactivity subscales of the FFMQ, there were no significant differences in mindfulness between the intervention and control group from Time 1 to Time 2. These findings support the hypothesis that participation in a mindfulness course increases empathy, but the relationships between mindfulness and empathy remain unclear.


The population genetic structure of a species can be an important conservation tool informing us about the potential for genetic loss and the capacity for species recovery. Depending on the nature of population subdivision, it can also provide a means for assessing the source population of dead or injured individuals of unknown geographic origin. This type of information can be partic- ularly useful in instances of large-scale environmental accidents, such as oil spills. Following the wreck of the 'Erika' oil tanker in the Bay of Biscay in December 1999, more than 80 000 seabirds were washed ashore along the west coast of France. The most heavily affected species (80% of all birds) was the common guillemot Uria aalge, a widespread long-lived colonial seabird. In an attempt to evaluate the 'true' geographic extent of this accident, we carried out population genetic analyses using 6 microsatellite markers on samples from 22 breeding colonies in the North Atlantic and on individuals collected after the oil spill. A pattern of isolation by distance was detected among com- mon guillemot populations, but populations were only weakly structured, even at large spatial scales. The low level of genetic differentiation between colonies prevented clear assignments of oiled birds to their population of origin using only the genetic information. The weak genetic structure suggests that little genetic variability was lost during the oil spill and implies a high potential for population recovery via dispersal. However, current gene flow among extant colonies may overestimate the capacity of locally extinct colonies to recover due to the behavioural processes involved in recruit- ment. Clearly, the mortality of tens of thousands of high-latitude seabirds due to oil pollution war- rants ongoing scientific scrutiny and conservation effort.


It is recognized that rain attenuation is the primary factor in the degradation of Earth-satellite communication at the Ka band frequency. The beacon signal of the ROCSAT-1 is set at 19.5 GHz for downlink and 28.5 GHz for uplink. ROCSAT-1 is the low earth orbit (LEO) satellite with a circular orbit at the altitude of 600 km and 35° inclination angle and scheduled to be launched at the beginning of 1999. Given the extremely high frequency of the beacon, impairment of ROCSAT-1 communications due to rain attenuation should be seriously considered. In this paper, the ground-based instruments for the Ka band propagation experiments of ROCSAT-1, including Chung-Li VHF radar, 19.5 GHz radiometer, optical rain gauge, automatic weather station, and disdrometer, are introduced. The spatial distribution of the long-term statistics of rainfall rate is analyzed in this paper on the basis of 8 years (1988-1995) rainfall rate data at one-minute time resolution, recorded by more than 70 tipping bucket rain gauges distributed over Taiwan island. It shows a pronounced latitudinal variation in the percentage of time that the rainfall rate exceeds a specified level, indicating that more severe rain attenuation will be encountered in the southern part than that in the northern part of Taiwan. In addition, the sky noise temperature at the frequency of 19.5 GHz is measured by using a radiometer, both in the conditions of clear-air and precipitation. The observed sky noise temperature in the case of clear-air at the elevation angles of 90°, 60°, 30°, and 15° are respectively 50K, 80K, 100K, and 130K, corresponding to the attenuations of 0.7dB, 0.78dB, 1.2dB, and 2.7dB. Data analysis indicates that the observed clear-air sky noise temperature increasing exponentially with the decrease of the zenith angle is in perfect agreement with our theoretical prediction. The sky noise temperature in the case of precipitation is also investigated. A comparison between observed precipitation sky noise temperature and surface rainfall rate shows that a salient time shift in the two is seen, implying that great caution should be taken in establishing an empirical relationship between precipitation sky noise temperature and surface rainfall rate.


In ad lib.-fed rats the epithelium of the small intestine, like the liver, contains large quantities of glutathione, 17.0 and 32.4 nmol/mg protein respectively. Following 24 h food restriction the glutathione content in both tissues fell 53 and 69% respectively. Unlike the liver, however, the glutathione content of the intestinal mucosa is not regulated to a diurnal rhythm, suggesting that the liver may provide glutathione or glutathione precursors to maintain intestinal glutathione levels. Intestinal epithelial cell preparations obtained from 24 h food-deprived rats had depleted glutathione stores (50%) and as a consequence were more susceptible to the oxidizing effects of cumene hydroperoxide. These results suggest that if glutathione plays a major role in the defence of the intestinal mucosa from ingested toxins then depletion of this defence during periods of food restriction could significantly increase the susceptibility of the individual to toxins present in the diet.


To support conservation policies for old Dutch grasslands that are still in agricultural use, morphological variation and AFLP‐based (amplified fragment length polymorphism‐based) genetic diversity was studied in perennial ryegrass and white clover populations and compared with the diversity in reference varieties. In addition, AFLP variation was also studied in grasslands located in nature reserves. From principal component analysis (PCA), it appeared that date of ear emergence in perennial ryegrass and characters related to plant vigour in white clover were the main morphological characters separating the reference varieties from the old Dutch grassland populations, and some of the grassland populations from each other. In both species, intrapopulation variation was lower for the reference varieties. Lower heterogeneity within the reference varieties was also found in the AFLP analysis. All common AFLP's observed in old Dutch grasslands could also be found in the reference varieties and nature reserves. Only a small number of low‐frequency alleles found in old Dutch grasslands were absent from the other two groups. However, band frequencies of markers could vary considerably between populations, which may have been caused by selection. Analysis of the AFLP data by PCA distinguished the majority of reference varieties from the old Dutch grasslands, and showed genetic differentiation only between some grasslands. Comparison of old Dutch grasslands with grasslands in nature reserves indicated that basically the same range of genetic variation is covered by the two groups. Our study indicates that the Netherlands harbour a more or less continuous population for major parts of the diversity of perennial ryegrass and white clover. It was concluded that no specific conservation measures are presently needed to maintain genetic diversity of perennial ryegrass and white clover occurring in old Dutch grasslands.


Prof Philip Mease introduced psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with a particular emphasis on disease symptoms and an update on the status of current disease management. Erik Lubberts described the interleukin (IL)-17 pathway and its role in the pathogenesis of PsA. Prof Iain McInnes reviewed the clinical evidence for the efficacy of IL-17 inhibition in PsA. Prof Désirée van der Heijde brought the symposium to a close with a presentation on the clinical impact of joint structural damage and strategies for its prevention in PsA.


This article looks at some recent developments in the relationship between public space and dissent. The article does this by firstly distinguishing between dissent and resistance. Dissent is based broadly around disagreements between individuals in particular groups and contexts against a perceived grievance of some sort. As a result dissent can arise in a variety of contexts, especially within everyday life, popular culture, and with small acts of defiance against frustrations one experiences. These acts can also assume more overtly political modes in the form of resistance as when people demonstrate in the streets. The distinction is therefore useful because it helps us understand how the state and other governance mechanisms adopt policies and strategies to pre-empt dissent and thereby prevent dissent from spilling over into resistance located in particular places. The article will examine how the state and governance have changed the way in which they pre-empt the formation of spaces of dissent in order to effectively regulate them in the pre- and post-9/11 climate. Taking examples from the USA and the UK, the paper explores these points through global social movements, law and dissent, planning and designing dissent, and the surveillance of dissent.


Mouse uterine glands, obtained during the peri-implantation period of pregnancy, were investigated using light and electron microscopy. From day 4 to day 6 of pregnancy, there was a progressive luminal dilation and an accumulation of dense homogeneous material in the gland lumina. Although numerous large electron-lucent vesicles were present in the apical portion of the glandular cells on day 4, their number decreased by days 5 and 6 of pregnancy. Dense granules were present along the apical border of many glandular cells on day 6. In addition, there was an increase in the number and more orderly arrangement of RER cisternae by day 6 of pregnancy. Cytochemical studies on days 4, 5, and 6 of pregnancy, using the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate method for the ultrastructural localization of carbohydrate material, showed specific staining of the multivesicular bodies and the saccules of the concave surface of the Golgi complex, but not the dilated saccules of the convex surface. Specific staining was also observed over both the luminal material and apical granules present on day 6 of pregnancy.

The cytochemical evidence suggests that the secretory product of the uterine glands has carbohydrate components and that carbohydrate material accumulates in the Golgi complex. In addition, the morphological changes observed imply increased secretory activity of the uterine glands during the peri-implantation period. Thus, the uterine glands must be considered an important source of uterine fluid components during the peri-implantation period.


Objective: To describe clustering of death from Parkinson disease (PD) in relatives in a large US study. Methods: We analyzed the Utah Population Database resource, which includes genealogy data of more than 2.7 million individuals linked to 519,061 individuals with a Utah death certificate (DC). We identified individuals whose DC included PD as a cause of death using ICD coding. In those individuals whose Utah DC listed PD as a cause of death, the relative risk (RR) of death with PD was determined among close and distant relatives using sex-, birth year–, and birthplace-specific rates. Results: We identified 4,031 individuals whose DC indicated PD. Among 18,127 first-degree relatives of probands with a Utah DC, the RR of death with PD was significantly increased (RR = 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.61–2.04). The RR of death with PD was also significantly increased among 40,546 second-degree relatives with a Utah DC (RR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.29–1.60) and among 93,398 third-degree relatives with a Utah DC (RR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.03–1.18). Conclusions: Significant evidence for excess familial clustering was observed for PD deaths. The excess familial clustering and the significantly elevated RRs for PD among close and distant relatives strongly support a genetic contribution to PD mortality. These results confirm and expand the results of previous studies of PD by quantifying the risk of PD death among more distant relatives.


Armed forces has historically been, and is still today, an essential actor in peacekeeping. Armed forces provides peacekeeping missions with the aim to provide stability and security in war-torn areas. Despite the mission's aim, sexual transgressions by soldiers have been reported. Victims of these transgressions have been both soldiers and locals from the areas where the soldiers were supposed to provide stability and security. As a consequence of these revelations, a debate arose concerning the suitability of using armed forces for peacekeeping missions. The debate has been dominated by feminist scholars, who questioned for whom security is provided, if it is provided by the armed forces. Feminist scholars have highlighted the traditional understanding of the armed forces as carriers of destructive masculinity norms. With a point of departure in this debate, this study seeks to examine and understand gendered norms within the Swedish Armed Forces with the aim to understand if the views of Swedish peacekeepers gender relations and equality is compatible with keeping peace.This study is conducted as a single case study, based on semi-structured interviews. The central findings of this research concern the Swedish Armed Forces' views and strategy on gender equality and how the male and female soldiers perceive and have experienced gender relations and equality. Lastly this research identifies some challenges for the work with gender equality within the Swedish Armed Forces. The study concludes that the Swedish Armed Forces work towards gender equality through gender neutrality. Even if there has been major work put into the area of equality, there is still evidence of gender-based discrimination and views upon gender relations and equality which does not correlate with the organisations vision of an equal organisation.


The 1990s bore witness to significant advances in the study of Chinese migration history. This paper explores ways in which these new insights into population and migration patterns in the lower Yangtze watershed throw light on the history of dialects currently assigned to the Jiāng-Huai family by the Language atlas of China . It is found that the lexical corpora of many of these dialects were laid down as the result of two migration waves, one during the late Tang period and the other after the fall of the Northern Song. Material from the first of these waves is now found in bai or colloquial pronunciations of certain syllables. Material from the second wave constitutes the primary lexical component of these dialects and also contributes those wen or literary readings which pair directly with the colloquial pronunciations in each dialect. Interaction with several contiguous dialect groups is also noted. In particular, interlocking or commensurate wen/bai correspondences with dialects of the Northern Wu group are discussed and exemplified.


Objective: We report the 1-year results of a prospective, singlecenter clinical study in which a posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) was performed using a novel porous polyether ether ketone (PEEK) implant and pedicle screw fixation in patients with symptomatic single-level degenerative lumbar disc disease.

Methods: Thirty consecutive patients with single-level symptomatic degenerative lumbar disc disease were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a single level PLIF procedure using a porous PEEK implant with pedicle screw fixation and bone marrow concentrate applied to a ceramic carrier. Patients were assessed preoperatively and at 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Standardized outcome measures were used to evaluate the patient's condition before and after surgery. Plain radiographs were used to assess fusion, sagittal plane angulation, bony ingrowth, subsidence, and migration of the implant.

Results: Three patients were lost to follow up after their 3-month follow-up visits and were removed from the study; 27 patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months. At their last follow up, Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores and back and leg pain scores showed improvement in all patients. All patients showed radiographic fusion with no motion across the instrumented interspaces on dynamic flexion-extension lateral radiographs. Segmental lordosis at the surgical site improved from -1° to an average of -7° (0° to -9°) with no evidence of implant migration or subsidence. Average disc space height increased 6 mm. No patient showed radiographic evidence of a pseudarthrosis. No patient developed radiolucency at the implant interface with the host bone.

Conclusion: We found that used of a porous-surface PEEK implant with bone marrow concentrate on a ceramic carrier is a clinically viable alternative for improving the osseointegration and fusion rates in patients undergoing single-level PLIF surgery for degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine.


This thesis surveys the rapid, growth of Middlesbrough, its basic Industry, and the establishment and growth of the Christian churches in the town between 1830 and 1914; but the work is particularly concerned with the years I89O-I9I4. It aims to discover the church's understanding of its mission in relation to the iron and steel industry and the society which it produced, in order to evaluate the church's successes and failures. The thesis begins with a summary of Christian social teaching in the second half of the nineteenth century to establish what ideas were current at national level (Chapter l). It proceeds to a study of Middlesbrough and its iron industry, as the environment with which the local churches had to contend (Chapter 2). The attitudes and activities of the churches are then examined in two chapters. The first of these (Chapter 3), discusses their institutional response in church extension, schools, hospitals, church life, missionary activity, and the 1904 religious census. The second (Chapter 4), considers the churches' concern for personal morality, temperance, gambling, Sunday observance, the 1912 Church Congress, and the churches' reactions to the iron and steel industry as the determining factor in the life of the community. The concluding chapter (Chapter 5), uses Richard Niebuhr's study, Christ and Culture, as a framework for a theological assessment of the church's work in Middlesbrough on the basis of what, in the earlier chapters, has been established historically.


Dampness is one of the defects that commonly occur at all types of building. The dampness defect is usually causes by the excessive quantity of moisture of moisture inside the building. It will cause a bad internal and external environment condition which can lead to building deterioration. This study will be describe on the dampness defect that occurs at the government building in three different area which is Shah Alam (Urban), Kuantan (Coastal) and Cameron Highlands (Highland). The purpose of this study is to investigate the causes of dampness that occur at each area selected and to compare the characteristics of the dampness defect based on visual inspection. This study focused at the government quarters at different areas where the weather condition of each area probably lead to different causes and types of dampness defect. From the analysis of dampness defect at the three areas that has been carried out, the type of dampness that is occurs is different at each area. The most dampness defect occurs at the urban is mold growth. However, there is a dampness defect that that only occurs at coastal area which is hygroscopic salt. And the most dampness defect occur at highland area is mold growth and discolouration. The dampness problems at each area need a remedial and repairing work such as removing of the mold growth. All the building needs a proper maintenance in order to maintain the condition and performance of the building.


Earnings equations are estimated for major league baseball hitters and pitchers using salary data for the 1989 season. The results indicate that final-offer salary arbitration and long-term contracts have a large positive impact on salaries. The impact of free-agency eligibility is also positive, but smaller man arbitration eligibility. This implies that some players have used the arbitration process to extract above-market salaries. Therefore it is concluded that it would be in the interest of the owners to replace arbitration with earlier eligibility for free agency.


Social dominance affects territory acquisition, reproduction and survival in many species. It plays a major role in the life of an individual, and has important consequences for its fitness. Several factors that can influence dominance relationships between individuals have been well studied, such as differences between rivals in size, weight, fighting experience, prior residence, and resource value. Individual behavioural characteristics can also influence dominance. Studies of domesticated and laboratory animals show that individual animals can be characterised by their aggressiveness, as measured in standardised tests, and that aggressive individuals are generally dominant over non-aggressive ones. These behavioural characteristics have a genetic basis, and are not only reflected in aggressiveness but also in a whole range of other behaviours, such as exploration or nest building. Based on these behavioural characteristics, different types of animals can be distinguished. So far, behavioural characteristics have mainly been studied in mammals, not in birds. Moreover, the effect of such behavioural characteristics on social dominance has received little attention in studies of natural populations. This thesis aims to take a first step by studying the existence of consistent individual behavioural characteristics and their effect on social dominance in the great tit (Parus major).If behavioural characteristics are really individual traits, or in other words 'consistent', they should already exist early in life, before any dominance relationship develops. In that phase of life, exploration and foraging are the main activities of great tits. Indeed, during the first 18 weeks of their life, hand-reared young male great tits, collected from a natural population, could be characterised by their exploratory behaviour (chapter 2). In repeated tests, they showed consistent reactions to a strange object in their home cage, even with different objects and after an interval of some weeks. This extended to other exploratory behaviour. Birds that approached a strange object quickly, were also fast to explore an aviary with which they were unfamiliar. Accordingly, birds that approached a strange object more slowly, took more time to explore thoroughly the unfamiliar aviary. These behavioural differences were also reflected in the strength of foraging habits, built up during a training in which food was always offered in the same place. After a change in the location of food, the fast and superficial explorers (FE) would stick to their habit, and keep going to the place where the food used to be. The slow and thorough explorers (SE) soon changed their behaviour and stopped going to the usual feeding place. They seemed to remain alert and to pay more attention to stimuli in the known environment than the fast, superficial explorers.The juveniles could also be characterised by their aggressive behaviour in experimental pair-wise confrontations (chapter 3). FE started more fights and won more often than SE, also when possible effects on dominance of other factors such as weight and size were taken into account. For FE clearly the first blow was half the battle. For natural populations, the relevance of these findings could still be small, since dominance relationships normally develop in a flock of juveniles, resulting in a more complex social hierarchy. Therefore groups of birds were observed in aviaries, which probably better resemble natural conditions (chapter 4). In all observed groups, a stable hierarchy only established after a dynamic phase of several days, in which many reversals in dominance relations occurred. During the first day in the aviary, the situation was similar to that observed in the tests with pair-wise confrontations. FE initiated more fights than SE and won more often, again after correction for factors such as weight and size. Surprisingly though, once the hierarchy had stabilised, SE were on average dominant over FE; SE had higher ranks than FE in the hierarchy.Apparently, the same behavioural characteristics result in different dominance relationships under different circumstances. Further observations supported and specified this conclusion. Other studies have shown that familiarity with the environment increases chances of becoming dominant. The birds in the groups had been unfamiliar with the aviary before being put together. The SE initiated fewer fights than FE and initiated their first fight more often in the place where they had spent most time. This suggested that SE made more use of their knowledge of the environment than FE, who were more focused on fights. Their more thorough manner of exploring may gradually have led to a better, or more detailed, knowledge of the environment in SE, which in turn may increase their chances of winning. In this way, the initial advantage that FE had by giving the first blow, could be reversed by the alertness and increasing spatial knowledge of SE. Such a gradual process could not happen in groups of birds that were first separately familiarised with the aviary before being put together (chapter 5). In those groups, all birds had a good knowledge of the environment and FE and SE did not show the differences in their behaviour that they showed in the unfamiliar aviaries. In these familiar aviaries, FE won on average over SE, both on the first day and after stabilisation of the hierarchy. These results suggest that SE may be best adapted to new or unstable and changing environments, while FE may do better in familiar and stable ones.The presence and behaviour of flock mates in the groups also modified dominance relations of FE and SE (chapters 4, 5). Several studies have shown that previous experience in a fight influences the outcome of a subsequent fight. FE and SE differed in their fighting behaviour and reaction to previous fights. FE seemed to take more risks in their fighting behaviour. In all groups, they attacked quickly and won from SE on the first day. But if FE lost severely, they needed more time to recover before starting a new fight, which strongly suggests that they had problems in coping with the defeat. The more cautious SE needed less time to recover and seemed not only to make more use in their fights of information about their physical, but also about their social, environment. They would take advantage of the vulnerability of a FE that had just lost from a third bird, by starting a fight with that loser. In this way, a FE with a high rank that lost severely from a FE with an even higher rank, could subsequently also lose from SE and fall in hierarchy to the lowest positions. This resulted in a stable hierarchy in which fast explorers had either high or low ranks, while slow explorers had middle ranks. This characteristic dominance pattern was found in all observed groups. In the groups in unfamiliar aviaries, only a small proportion of the FE had extreme high ranks, while a large proportion had extreme low ranks. In the groups in familiar aviaries it was the other way round. Hence, familiarity with the environment only influenced the proportion of FE in highest or lowest places, resulting in different average dominance of FE and SE in the two experimental situations. Such average dominance is therefore not the most sensitive way to describe dominance relations in a stable hierarchy.The last chapter (6) discusses whether the behavioural characteristics reflect two different, but equally successful, behavioural strategies to cope with environmental challenges, and what their consequences could be for foraging success, territoriality and survival in different natural situations. This could be the starting point for future studies.In conclusion, the results of this study show that juvenile male great tits show consistent individual differences in exploratory behaviour. These differences extend to fighting behaviour, which is consistent over different social situations. These behavioural characteristics predict dominance, the outcome depending on familiarity with the environment and behaviour of possible flock mates.


his feature explores the operation of individual markets. Patterns of behavior in markets for specific goods and services offer lessons about the determinants and effects of supply and demand, market structure, strategic behavior, and government regulation. Suggestions for future columns and comments on past ones should be sent to James R. Hines Jr., c/o Journal of Economic Perspectives , Department of Economics, University of Michigan, 611 Tappan Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1220


Background Children hospitalised with severe anaemia in Africa are at high risk of readmission or death within 6 months after discharge. No strategy addresses this post-discharge period. In Malawi, 3 months of post-discharge malaria chemoprevention (PMC) with monthly 3 day courses of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in children with severe malarial anaemia prevented 31% of deaths and readmissions. There is now a need to design and evaluate an effective delivery strategy for PMC. Methods This is a cluster-randomised trial whose primary objective is to determine the optimum PMC delivery strategy by comparing community versus health facility-based strategies with the aim to inform policy. Convalescent children under 5 years old, weighing >5 kg, admitted with severe anaemia and clinically stable are included. All children received dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine 2, 6 and 10 weeks after discharge, either: 1) at discharge with SMS reminder; 2) at discharge without an SMS reminder; 3) at discharge and community health worker reminder; 4) at the hospital with an SMS reminder; or 5) at the hospital without an SMS reminder. The primary outcome measure is uptake of courses of PMC drugs. Children will be followed up for 15 weeks. The sample size is 75 children per arm (375 total). Results The study has nearly completed enrollment and preliminary data analysis is in progress. We expect to identify the most effective, cost-effective, acceptable and feasible strategy for delivering intermittent preventive therapy post-discharge for management of severe anaemia in under-five children. Conclusion The findings of this study will be presented; they address the knowledge gap regarding the potentially preventable component of the burden that occurs after discharge from hospital, and inform the optimal delivery strategy for PMC.


The goal of this thesis is to study the economics of computational learning. Attention is also paid to applications of computational learning models, especially Valiant's so-called `probably approximately correctly' (PAC) learning model, in econometric situations. Specifically, an economically reasonable stopping time model of learning is the subject of two attached papers. In the rst paper, Paper A, the economics of PAC learning are considered. It is shown how a general form of the optimal stopping time bounds can be achieved using the PAC convergence rates for a `pessimistic-rational' learner in the most standard binary case of passive supervised PAC model of finite Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension. The second paper, Paper B, states precisely and improves the ideas introduced in Paper A and tests them in a specific and mathematically simple case. Using the maxmin procedure of Gilboa and Schmeidler the bounds for the stopping time are expressed in terms of the largest expected error of recall, and thus, effectively, in terms of the least expected reward. The problem of locating a real number θ by testing whether xi ≤ θ , with xi drawn from an calculated for a range of term rates, sample costs and rewards/penalties from a recall ae included. The standard econometric situations, such as product promotion, market research, credit risk assessment, and bargaining and tenders, where such bounds could be of interest, are pointed. These two papers are the essence of this thesis, and form it togheter with an introduction to the subject of learning.


With the popularization of the inverter-driven air-conditioner and the requirement of comfort and energy saving, the operating frequency of inverter-driven air-conditioner is lower and lower, even to 1Hz. But when the air-conditioner operates under the frequency of 10Hz, a periodic sound will appear in the air-conditioner outdoor unit, which should be researched and solved. According to the experiment test and theoretical analysis, it is found that the periodic sound is the excited resonance when the valve opens. The resonator is composed by the discharge port of top-flange and discharge cavity which is made up by cylinder, roller, top-flange and bottom-flange. In one cycle the characteristic of the periodic sound is that the sound will be only taken place when the valve opens and the frequency of the sound will be higher and higher with the crank angle increasing. According to the experimental testing about different type compressor and air-conditioner outdoor unit, it is found that this sound exists in every kinds of rolling piston compressor. Using proper muffler and increasing the thickness of the valve could both reduce this periodic sound.


Due to the increasing use of the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) method and the frequent implementation of such method in new services, we describe herein, in a step-by-step format, the acquisition techniques that are necessary for a complete cardiac approach, of the main anatomical planes of the heart used by CMR.