Background: Although isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (PCLR) has become a more frequently performed procedure, reports of functional outcomes and return-to-sport (RTS) rates to support its use are still limited. Purpose: To systematically review the literature to determine the rates of RTS and the functional outcomes of patients after isolated PCLR. Study Design: Systematic review: Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Two reviewers independently searched 5 databases for patient-based clinical studies with a minimum 2-year follow-up that analyzed functional outcome and RTS following isolated PCLR. Studies with multiligament knee reconstruction were excluded. Risk of bias was performed with a modified Downs and Black checklist. The primary outcomes were Tegner and Lysholm scores, rates of RTS, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective scores. Secondary outcomes were IKDC objective scores, instrumented knee laxity assessment, and Telos radiographic analysis. Where feasible, these data were pooled via a random effects meta-analysis model. Results: Of the 240 titles identified, 14 studies were included. The median time from injury to surgery was 10.6 months (range, 6 weeks–21 years). The pooled mean postoperative Tegner and Lysholm scores were 5.7 (95% CI, 5.4-6.0) and 87.8 (95% CI, 85.6-90.0), respectively, following isolated PCLR; the pooled effect size between pre- and postoperative values was 2.8 (95% CI, 1.6-4.0) and 3.7 (95% CI, 2.6-4.9), respectively. An RTS rate of 44% (95% CI, 23%-66%) was identified. IKDC subjective scores improved to a pooled mean of 73.5 (95% CI, 62.8-84.1), with an effect size of 3.0 (95% CI, 0.4-5.6). The proportion of patients with postoperative IKDC objective scores of grade A/B was 82%. The pooled postoperative KT-1000/KT-2000 side-to-side difference was 3.4 mm (95% CI, 2.5-4.3 mm), with an effect size of 2.8 (95% CI, 1.1-4.5). The pooled postoperative Telos side-to-side difference measurement was 3.5 mm (95% CI, 2.8-4.3 mm), with an effect size of 3.9 (95% CI, 3.3-4.5). Conclusion: The results of this review demonstrate that while isolated PCLR results in a significant improvement in functional outcome scores and improved knee laxity, there is a low rate of return to preinjury level of sport. The prolonged period from injury to surgery might reduce functional improvement and RTS following reconstruction. Therefore, comparison of the outcomes of isolated PCLR and nonoperative treatment is impracticable owing to the potential for selection bias.


Lithium-ion cells, with graphite anodes and LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathodes, were cycled for up to 1000 cycles over different ranges of SOC and temperatures. The decline in cell performance increases with the span of SOC and temperature during cycling. Capacity fade was caused by a combination of the loss of cycleable Li and degradation of the cathode. The room temperature anodes showed SEI compositions and degrees of graphite disorder that correlated with the extent of the Li consumption, which was linear in cell test time. TEM of the cathodes showed evidence of crystalline defects, though no major new phases were identified, consistent with XRD. No evidence of polymeric deposits on the cathode particles (FTIR) was detected although both Raman and TEM showed evidence of P-containing deposits from electrolyte salt degradation. Raman microscopy showed differences in relative carbon contents of the cycled cathodes, which is blamed for part of the cathode degradation.


With increasing antimicrobial resistance, alternatives for treating infections or removing resistant bacteria are urgently needed, such as the bacterial predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus or bacteriophage. Therefore, we need to better understand microbial predator-prey dynamics. We developed mass-action mathematical models of predation for chemostats, which capture the low substrate concentration and slow growth typical for intended application areas of the predators such as wastewater treatment, aquaculture or the gut. Our model predicted a minimal prey size required for predator survival, explaining why Bdellovibrio is much smaller than its prey. A too good predator (attack rate too high, mortality too low) overexploited its prey leading to extinction (tragedy of the commons). Surprisingly, a predator taking longer to produce more offspring outcompeted a predator producing fewer offspring more rapidly (rate versus yield trade-off). Predation was only efficient in a narrow region around optimal parameters. Moreover, extreme oscillations under a wide range of conditions led to severe bottlenecks. A bacteriophage outcompeted Bdellovibrio due to its higher burst size and faster life cycle. Together, results suggest that Bdellovibrio would struggle to survive on a single prey, explaining why it must be a generalist predator and suggesting it is better suited to environments with multiple prey than phage.


Weapon system operational readiness is a critical requirement to ensure the combat readiness in order to guarantee the state defense sustainability time by time. Weapon systems are only operated by the military and their readiness are programmed every year based on some factors such as the amount of the allocated budget, the weapon system strength, and its circulation. Usually, the weapon system readiness is programmed based on the planner's experiences that are inherited from time to time. In this research, we proposed a simple approach by using statistical-based machine learning method called linear regression for helping the planner to predict the weapon system operational readiness faced to its affecting factors such as scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. We used a dataset from a randomized primary data for 5 years from year 2016 to year 2020 to predict year 2021. To ensure the performance of the model, two measurements are used namely, Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) to measure its accuracy and goodness, and R-squared (R2) to measure the ability of the independent variables, the weapon system circulation, influences the dependent variable, the weapon system readiness. From the measurement results, the models, in general, are able to achieve MAPE as much as 1.99% that has interpretation as very accurate prediction with the accuracy of 98.02%. On the other hand, the system is able to achieve R2 as much as 84.15% that means the combination of the independent variables altogether have given a strong influence to the dependent variable. The higher the value of R2 the better the model is. Our research conclude that linear regression is the proper machine learning model for predicting the weapon system operational readiness.


Alterations of the candidate tumor suppressor gene FHIT have been reported in multiple tumor types, including pancreatic carcinoma. The mechanism of FHIT genomic inactivation is unusual, most frequently occurring by homozygous deletion, whereas only rare cases have missense mutations. Altered (shortened) transcripts and reduced protein expression are reported, but a genetic basis for these is often inapparent. We studied FHIT genomic alterations of pancreatic carcinomas. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was found in 41% of 93 carcinomas without microsatellite instability (RER−), but no mutations were found by genomic sequencing. Homozygous deletions inside the FRA3B fragile site were found in four RER− tumors, but only two affected the FHIT coding region. In contrast, FHIT alterations were found in the three RER+ pancreatic carcinomas screened; two had FHIT homozygous deletions affecting exon 5 and the third had a heterozygous missense mutation (H76N). The excess occurrence of homozygous deletions at this site in RER+ pancreatic cancers is statistically significant (P < 0.01). Since homozygous deletions have not previously been reported in RER+ carcinomas at any genomic site, an extremely high rate of site‐specific deletion must exist within the FRA3B‐related FHIT gene. Consequently, the paucity of documented inactivating point mutations cannot be used to judge the presence or absence of putative FHIT‐related selective pressures that act during tumorigenesis of RER− neoplasia. Nonetheless, the identification of a heterozygous mutation as the sole sequence abnormality might raise doubt as to whether strong selective pressures are afforded by FHIT genomic inactivation in this tumor type. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 27:239–243, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This thesis is concerned with the use of Artificial Immune System (AIS)in the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). The hypothesis for the work presented herein is that the AIS features of self-learning and adaptability address the complex problem of improving the detection of unknown abnormal; behaviour in the long-term monitoring of the elderly.
The work presents and affordable Open Hardware Data Acquisition Device that in combination with a Markov chain-based software simulation environment can be used for the collection of human activity data and the generation of necessary information for long-term simulation. The main contributions from the work presented herein relate to the design and use of AIS based solutions, and the selection of appropriate parameter combinations for supervised classifiers. Firstly, a novel seeding technique for AIS is presented that improves the placement of detectors in the search space. Secondly, a novel AIS-based monitoring algorithm, inspired by Hierarchical Temporal Memory architecture, is designed to learn and approximate sensor data to detect and report activity abnormalities. Thirdly, an empirical analysis is carried out to provide a clear understanding of how sampling frequency, segmentation method, window size, and computational load in an area of AAL. Fourthly, a Pareto curve based technique has been devised and demonstrated as a useful tool for the informed selection of parameter combinations to achieve the best possible classification accuracy and computational load.
The evaluation of the AIS-based algorithm showed that the detection rate of abnormal activity outperformed the results of supervised classifiers with parameter combinations selected based on the Pareto curve. The results are encouraging and support the decision to introduce the use of AIS for the detection of abnormal activity in AAL environments.


This paper represents a novel method which enables users to control their home appliances and systems from remote using a cell phone-based interface. To access the control unit, the user should send an authentication code (DTMF) along with the required/desired function/action to his/her home control system via Global System for Mobile communication (GSM). Upon being properly authenticated, the cell phone-based interface at home (control unit) would relay the commands to a microcontroller that would perform the required function/action, and return a function completion code that would be sent to the source of the original command (user"s cell phone).


In the present work, gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) comprising polyvinylidene-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) as host polymer in a mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC) plasticizing solvent with various concentrations of lithium triflate and sodium triflate dopant salts have been prepared by the solution casting technique. Three systems of polymer electrolytes films have been prepared; these systems are the plasticized-PVdF-HFP system i.e. PVdF-HFP/EC/PC system and two plasticized-salted PVdF-HFP systems i.e. PVdF-HFP/EC/PC/LiCF3SO3 and PVdF-HFP/EC/PC/NaCF3SO3. The pure PVdF-HFP film serves as reference. Using results from impedance spectroscopy, ionic conductivity for each film in all systems has been calculated. The room temperature conductivity for pure PVdF-HFP film and plasticized-PVdF-HFP film is 1.86 x 10-11 S cm-1 and 3.31 x 10-8 S cm-1, respectively. The room temperature-conductivity for the highest conducting film in PVdF-HFP/EC/PC/LiCF3SO3 system and PVdF-HFP/EC/PC/NaCF3SO3 system are 1.40 x 10-3 S cm-1 and 2.50 x 10-3 S cm-1 respectively. The conductivity of the PVdF-HFP-based polymer electrolyte has been found to be salt concentration dependent which is attributed to the increase in the number of mobile ions within the polymer matrix. The binary plasticizing solvent helps to increase the amorphous content of the polymer matrix and tend to dissociate ion-pairs into free cations and anions thereby leading to an overall enhancement in conductivity. The conductivity-temperature studies are then performed on the highest conducting film from the in PVdF-HFP/EC/PC/LiCF3SO3 system and PVdF-HFP/EC/PC/NaCF3SO3 system. The plots of conductivity versus inverse temperature for both systems follow the VTF rule. The activation energy for all the GPE films are determined to be in the range of 0.08 - 0.102 eV. The transport number of lithium and sodium ions in the GPEs was evaluated using the combination of AC impedance spectroscopy and DC polarization techniques. DSC studies show that the Tg of the GPE film decreases upon addition of the plasticizing solvents and the salts. This result is in good agreement with the conductivity behaviour. TGA analysis shows that the samples with higher salt concentrations have greater thermal stability. FTIR and Raman studies confirm that conductivity enhancement is due to increase in free ions and decrease in ion aggregates. XRD studies show the occurrence of complexation between the polymer, the plasticizing solvents and the salts. The FESEM micrographs show that the presence of the plasticizing solvents in PVdF-HFP/salt system helped to obtain regular pore structure, which can increase ion mobility and conductivity. The electrochemical stability of the GPE films has been tested using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and the value of working voltage range appears to be high enough to be used as an electrolyte in lithium and sodium cells. Studies based on AC impedance and cyclic voltammetry (CV) confirmed the lithium and sodium ion conduction in the GPE films from both systems. The LiNiCoO2 | GPE| Li and MnO2| GPE| Na cells have been assembled and their performances have been evaluated. The cells that containing LiCF3SO3 and NaCF3SO3 salt exhibits the first capacity of 164 mAhg-1 and 168 mAhg-1, respectively.


Objective: To explore the effect of Fuzheng Paidu tablet on cyclophosphamide(CY) induced immunosuppressed mice immune function. Methods: with mushrooms polysaccharide as positive control mice, inhibit the immune function of model induced by cyclophosphamide, observe the high, middle and low dose of Fuzheng Paidu tablet (Fuzheng Paidu-HD, Fuzheng Paidu-MD, Fuzheng Paidu-LD)on immunosuppressive mice induced by cyclophosphamide, the influence of macrophage phagocytic percentage and phagocytic index of hemolysin and hemolytic plaque forming and influence of lymphocyte transformation. Results: Cyclophosphamide immunosuppression model was successfully created. Compared with the model group, high, middle and low dose of Fuzheng Paidu tablet could significantly improve the inhibition of mouse peritoneal macrophage phagocytic percentage, phagocytic index of cyclophosphamide induced immunity, and could promote the formation of hemolysin and hemolysis and the transformation of lymphocyte (P<0.01), Fuzheng Paidu-HD had the strongest effect. Conclusion: Fuzheng Paidu tablet has good improvement effect on immune function of mice induced by cyclophosphamide low


Downsampling is one of the most basic image processing operations. Improper spatio-temporal downsampling applied on videos can cause aliasing issues such as moir\'e patterns in space and the wagon-wheel effect in time. Consequently, the inverse task of upscaling a low-resolution, low frame-rate video in space and time becomes a challenging ill-posed problem due to information loss and aliasing artifacts. In this paper, we aim to solve the space-time aliasing problem by learning a spatio-temporal downsampler. Towards this goal, we propose a neural network framework that jointly learns spatio-temporal downsampling and upsampling. It enables the downsampler to retain the key patterns of the original video and maximizes the reconstruction performance of the upsampler. To make the downsamping results compatible with popular image and video storage formats, the downsampling results are encoded to uint8 with a differentiable quantization layer. To fully utilize the space-time correspondences, we propose two novel modules for explicit temporal propagation and space-time feature rearrangement. Experimental results show that our proposed method significantly boosts the space-time reconstruction quality by preserving spatial textures and motion patterns in both downsampling and upscaling. Moreover, our framework enables a variety of applications, including arbitrary video resampling, blurry frame reconstruction, and efficient video storage.


Based on survey data taken from research conducted in 1999-2000 in Italy, the essay explores the relation between the three dimensions of social capital identified in the existing literature (the associational, trust and moral dimensions) and between social capital, considered as a whole, and political participation. A first result shows that it is not the participation in associations in itself that generates generalised social (interpersonal and institutional) trust. The participation in associations fosters, instead, trust in some, specific, institutions. In addition, only certain particular types of association, such as religious ones, have a positive influence on the formation of generalised interpersonal trust. A second result concerns the role of civicness, understood as a moral dimension and inclination to pursue the public good. This shows a strong, positive, autonomous impact on institutional trust, but not on generalised interpersonal trust, which appears to be influenced strongly by other factors. A third result concerns the link between social capital and political participation. Political participation is nurtured above all by participation in associations and politically and ideologically oriented values and sensibility, while generalised social trust and civicness, i.e. common norms and values, do not seem to play a significant role in it. Trust, associational networks and civicness do not therefore always go in the same direction and do not have the same relations with political participation, with which there may even be tension.


This audit examined compliance with best practice within a busy district general hospital (750 beds) on 1 day. Audit Measures: • First line strong opioid, morphine-exceptions, renal impairment, documented sensitivity • PRN prescribing, 1/6 of the regular dose and same compound (where applicable), dosing interval 'up to hourly' and specified indication of use- exception, renal impairment • Regular laxatives • Antiemetic prescription at least PRN • Prescription compliant with Trust policy Adult inpatients prescribed regular strong opioid analgesia, irrespective of route, were included in the audit. An audit proforma was completed with reference to the patient's medical records and prescription chart. Results • 100% compliance, adherence to local Trust prescribing policy • Only 4% (29/750) of adult inpatients on the audit day were prescribed regular strong opioids, in all cases for pain relief. This figure was lower than expected and begs the question, is pain poorly assessed/poorly managed within the acute hospital environment? • 68% compliance overall with prescribing morphine first-line, 78% for those prescriptions started within the hospital • Higher ratio of prescriptions for patients with non-malignant disease- increased patch prescribing (buprenorphine, fentanyl) in this patient group • 21% (6) had no breakthrough analgesia prescribed, 65% of prescriptions met the standard, those that did not had too low a PRN dose prescribed • Mean, median and mode doses (equivalent morphine doses) 132, 60, 60mgs respectively • 89% of patients with impaired renal function had an appropriate 2nd line strong opioid prescribed but poor compliance with PRN prescribing in this patient group • Regular laxatives were prescribed in 48% patients while antiemetics were prescribed in 72% As a result of this audit practical prescribing guidance cards are being issued to all junior doctors with the plan to re-audit in 1 year's time.


With the development of computer network technology, the open, heterogeneous and distributed systems have become the mainstream in current computer applications because of the sharing resources, high availability, parallel processing and so on. However, due to the problems of development, which are constant expansion of systems size, evolution and continuous improvement, maintenance that required, specific distribution, autonomy and heterogeneity, a lot of research and software development practice shows, the introduction of software architecture which guide distributed system to develop and assume component blueprint is a practical and effective way to solve the difficulties of the development of distributed systems and build distributed systems successfully. Therefore, how to improve the quality and efficiency of distributed systems development by using software architecture, and ensuring system maintenance and space evolution are the key to develop distributed systems, also the core of this study. Software architecture, formal description of distributed systems interaction style, refinement and mapping architecture, distributed architecture systems development methods under evolution and reconstruction driving were studied based on the current distributed systems development methods as well as the problem of inadequate means.


Three hundred and thirty-six day-old male Cobb-500 broiler chickens were randomly allotted to seven dietary treatment groups. Twelve chicks were slaughtered on day 1 to obtain baseline data. There were six replicates of each treatment and eight chicks per replicate. The study reports on the assessment of performance and energy utilization of broiler chicks on diets based on five cultivars of triticale (Bogong, Canobolas, Jackie, Tobruk and Endeavour) compared with maize and wheat, with no supplemental microbial enzymes over a 22-day experimental period. The results showed that diets based on Bogong and maize were superior to the other diets. Birds on all the triticale diets except Canobolas achieved better growth than birds on the wheat-based diet. Birds in the Bogong, Jackie and Tobruk diet groups had higher energy, fat and protein intake; net energy for production (NEp) and energy, fat and protein retention.


The authors propose a new sea ice detection method for a rotating Ku-band scatterometer with dual-polarization capability, such as SeaWinds on the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT), based on probabilistic distances to ocean wind and sea ice geophysical model functions (GMFs) and evaluate its performance against other active and passive microwave algorithms. All the methods yield similar results during the sea ice growth season but show substantial differences during the spring and summer months. A detailed comparison based on high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and optical imagery shows that major discrepancies relate to newly formed, low-concentration, and water-saturated sea ice species. The new GMF-based algorithm for sea ice detection with QuikSCAT improves on the misclassification scores that affect other algorithms and provides daily sea ice masks at a 25-km resolution for use in ground processors that require the effective removal of sea ice contaminated pixels all year round.


This paper presents a multi-agent based operation and control of distribution system with dispersed power sources such as a photo-voltaic unit, a wind generation unit, a diesel generation unit, and an energy capacitor system (ECS) for the energy storage. An advanced load following operation has been proposed through the coordination of controllable power sources between the diesel unit and the energy capacitor system (ECS) with small capacity. All the required information for the proposed operation is transferred between the diesel unit and the ECS through computer networks. All the control function has been achieved by using the proposed multi-agent based control system. Simulation studies have been performed to investigate the degradation of control performance caused by the communication delay time through computer networks. The proposed control scheme has highly improved control performance even in the existence of the communication delay time.


A dictionary data structure is a key-value store which supports insert, search and delete operations. Conventional data structures such as balanced binary search trees and hash tables are good both in theory and practice. However, these dictionaries are not adaptive as they do not exploit the temporal locality in key access patterns over time. On the other hand dictionaries like splay trees and working-set trees adapt to the changing key access patterns by reorganizing themselves with every key access. Consequently, the set of most frequently accessed key, i.e. the working-set, can be retrieved quickly in these dictionaries. With the gaining popularity of GPU based accelerator platforms for general purpose computing, several data structures such as B-tees and hash tables have been successfully ported to these platforms. In this thesis, we propose heterogeneous (CPU+GPU) hash tables, that optimizes operations for the frequently accessed keys. The basic idea is to maintain a dynamic set of most frequently accessed keys in the GPU memory and the rest of the keys in the CPU main memory. Further, queries are processed in batches of fixed size. We measured the query throughput of our hash tables using Millions of Queries Processed per Second (MQPS) as a metric, on different key access distributions. On distributions, where some keys are queried more frequently than others, we achieved on an average 10x higher MQPS when compared to a highly tuned serial hash table in the C++ Boost library; and 5x higher MQPS against a state of the art concurrent lock free hash table. The maximum load factor on the hash tables was set to 0.9. On uniform random query distributions, as expected our hash tables do not out perform concurrent lock free hash tables, nevertheless matches their performance. The second main contribution of this thesis is the design and implementation of self organizing Cache Oblivious B-trees (CO B-tree) which use the memory hierarchy effectively to reduce the number of cache misses incurred while processing a query. A cache oblivious B-tree (CO B-tree) incurs optimal number of cache block transfers across any two levels in a multi level memory hierarchy. In this work, we propose two variants of the dynamic CO B-tree, a working set CO B-tree and a hybrid CO B-tree. They reorganize themselves with every key access facilitating faster retrieval of the frequently accessed keys with the minimum number of cache misses. Theoretically, we prove that a self organizing CO B-tree can be designed with a small additive factor overhead to the already proven bounds for the data structure. In empirical experiments we compare both our data structures to a B-tree, an AVL tree, a top down splay tree and a static/dynamic CO B-tree. Our CO B-trees, on average, have 1.5 to 2 times lesser cache misses compared to the B-tree and the top down splay tree respectively. For higher degree of temporal locality in access patterns, the hybrid CO B-tree has better query throughput (queries processed per unit time) and lesser number of cache misses compared to the rest of the data structures including a static CO B-tree.


In recent years, the contributions of small business to the American economy have become increasingly apparent. Small firms are a significant source of new jobs, and play crucial roles in the development of new technologies and provision of economic opportunities. Small businesses may be especially critical to the regional economies of upstate New York, where a number of large employers have either moved their operations or scaled back their workforces. As a result, it is important to understand the factors that affect small business growth in the region. Recognizing the growing importance of small firms to the upstate New York economy, the Buffalo Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in partnership with the Center for Governmental Research (CGR) surveyed small businesses in western and central New York State. Small business owners know firsthand the challenges of operating a business in the region, and their insight is vital to comprehending what is necessary for future job growth.


Nuclear extracts from adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) infected HeLa cells were used to study the template requirements for adenovirus DNA replication in vitro. When XbaI digested Ad5 DNA, containing the parental terminal protein (TP), was used as a template preferential synthesis of the terminal fragments was observed. The newly synthesized DNA was covalently bound to the 82 kD preterminal protein (pTP). Plasmid DNAs containing the Ad2 origin sequence or the Ad12 origin sequence with small deletions were analyzed for their capacity to support pTP-primed DNA replication. Circular plasmid DNAs were inactive. When plasmids were linearized to expose the adenovirus origin, both Ad2 and Ad12 TP-free fragments could support initiation and elongation similarly as Ad5 DNA-TP, although with lower efficiency. These observations indicate that the parental terminal protein is dispensable for initiation in vitro. The presence of 29 nucleotides ahead of the molecular end or a deletion of 14 base pairs extending into the conserved sequence (9-22) destroyed the template activity. DNA with a large deletion within the first 8 base pairs could still support replication while a small deletion could not. The results suggest that only G residues at a distance of 4-8 nucleotides from the start of the conserved sequence can be used as template during initiation of DNA replication.


K. Melchiorre1,4, G. Sutherland2, M. Liberati3, B. Thilaganathan1 1Fetal Maternal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Georges Hospital, University of London, London, United Kingdom; 2Department of Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Georges Hospital, University of London, London, United Kingdom; 3University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy; 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Spirito Santo Hospital, Pescara, Italy


Microfluidic solvent extraction (microSX) of metal ions from industrial grade mineral leach solutions was studied. In conventional bulk-scale SX, partially hydrophobic nanoparticles that are present in the leach solution readily adsorb at the liquid-liquid interface of the dispersed droplets, causing delayed or incomplete phase separation and reduce efficiency. In contrast, microSX employs continuous microscopic streams of aqueous and organic phases (without mixing the phases) and, in this way, bypasses the need for a conventional phase separation stage. This makes the technique promising for handling complex leach solutions. The stability of the two-phase flow is considered in terms of the surface wettability and guiding geometry of the microchannel, which determines the Laplace pressure window that stabilizes the liquid-liquid interface. We show that careful characterization of the microchannel wettability, including contact angle hysteresis, is essential to predict long-term flow stability.


We hypothesized that the four rotation crops: wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Merr.], lablab [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet] and mung bean [ Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] differ in their ability to repair soil structure. The study was conducted on a Typic Haplustert, Queensland, Australia, locally termed a Black Earth and considered a prime cropping soil. Large (0.5-m depth by 0.3-m diam.) soil cores, collected from compacted wheel furrows in an irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) field, were subjected to three, six, or nine wet-dry cycles that simulated local flood irrigation practices. After each cycle, soil profiles were sampled for clod bulk density, image analysis of soil structure, and evapotranspiration. Generally, all crops improved soil structure over the initial field condition but lablab and mung bean gave improvements to greater depths and more rapidly than wheat and sorghum. Mung bean and lablab caused up to a threefold increase in clod porosity in the 0.1- to 0.4-m soil layer after only three wet-dry cycles, whereas sorghum required nine wet-dry cycles to increase clod porosity in only the 0.2- to 0.3-m layer, and wheat gave no improvement even after nine wet-dry cycles. Image analysis of soil structure showed that lablab and mung bean rapidly (by three wet-dry cycles) produced smaller peds with more interconnected pore space than wheat and sorghum. By nine wet-dry cycles, sorghum achieved deep cracking of the soil but the material between the cracks remained large and dense. Evapotranspiration was double under lablab and mung bean compared with wheat and sorghum. Our results indicate greater cycles of wetting and drying under lablab and mung bean than wheat and sorghum that have led to rapid repair of soil compaction.


Makhana ( Euryale ferox ) is an aquatic crop from the family Nymphaeace and is commonly grown in stagnant water bodies like ponds, swamps and ditches with shallow water. Euryale is a self-pollinated plant, in which pollination takes place at the early stage of flower development. Bihar is the largest producer of makhana throughout the country with an area of approx 15,000 ha. In spite of several uses and immense market potential in India and abroad, makhana is still cultivated through traditional system, area of which is declining in recent years. Therefore, an attempt was made to understand traditional wisdom of makhana production practices with special reference to its post harvest management. For this purpose, 100 makhana growers were identified from Madhubani district of Bihar which occupies more than 30% of the total area and production. They were personally interviewed with the help of a structured schedule consisting of different components such as, suitable soils in terms of type, quality and its strength, the type, slope and depth of ponds of makhana, the preparation and management of pond for makhana cultivation, seeds with respect to source and quality, fertilizer and disease management, harvesting process of makhana with respect to its the time and process of maturity along with the grading and marketing of makhana. The results indicated that makhana production practices are primarily governed with the traditional knowledge system which the growers obtained through their forefathers.


Many clinical syndromes are associated with short stature, which can be proportionate or disproportionate. In the first group of syndromes, such as Turner syndrome and its variants, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi-Labhart syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and Silver-Russell syndrome growth hormone therapy can lead to increased growth velocity, but so far only short-term results have been reported. Growth hormone is contraindicated in syndromes with an increased risk of chromosomal breakage, e.g. Bloom syndrome. In disproportionate syndromes, such as hypochondroplasia, pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism, spina bifida, and hypophosphataemic rickets, the results of growth hormone therapy are not encouraging. Growth hormone therapy in children with rheumatoid arthritis and thalassaemia appears little effective. Long-term clinical trials of reasonable size are needed before reliable conclusions can be drawn about the value of growth hormone therapy in these conditions.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether changes in muscle tissue perfusion measured with positron emission tomography would be reflected by parallel changes in muscle tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) measured using near-infrared spectroscopy during high and low blood flow levels achieved using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in an animal model.

DESIGN
A prospective, randomized study.

SETTING
Research laboratory, single institution.

PARTICIPANTS
Eight pigs (69-71 kg).

INTERVENTIONS
In anesthetized pigs, normothermic CPB was established with a blood flow of 60 mL/kg/min for 1 hour. Thereafter, a low blood flow of either 47.5 or 35 mL/kg/min was applied for 1 hour followed by a blood flow of 60 mL/kg/min for an additional hour. Regional StO2 was measured continuously by placing a near-infrared spectroscopy electrode on the skin above the gracilis muscle of the noncannulated back leg. Muscle tissue perfusion was measured using positron emission tomography with 15O-labeled water during spontaneous circulation and the different CPB blood flows. Systemic oxygen consumption was estimated by measurement of venous saturation and lactate levels.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
The results showed profound systemic ischemia during low CPB blood flow. StO2 remained high until muscle tissue perfusion decreased to about 50%, after which StO2 paralleled the linear decrease in muscle tissue perfusion.

CONCLUSION
In an experimental CPB animal model, StO2 was stable until muscle tissue perfusion was reduced by about 50%, and at lower blood flow levels, there was almost a linear relationship between StO2 and muscle tissue perfusion.


Forced migration of refugees or trafficked persons has emerged as one of the critical human rights issues of our time. One aspect of this issue has generated increasing international political and legal concern but has not received adequate scholarly attention: how effective are the legal mechanisms that seek to protect child asylum seekers who are separated from their families because of persecution or trafficking? This question underpins a new, international research project being launched at Harvard University in conjunction with the University of Sydney in Australia and collaborators in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The project is funded by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Preliminary research supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees has already been started in Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway. The project will explore how the asylum adjudication system within the three countries studied maps its international legal obligations under the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees onto its domestic decisions. It will analyze the meaning and application of the "best interests of the child" principle as it applies to both the process and the outcome of the asylum determination system. It will examine how the populations of trafficked and separated child asylum applicants compare between different countries, in terms of nationality of origin, age and gender distribution, and nature of claims. The results of the research will be contributed to a database of decisions on child asylum cases (with precedents and sample pleadings). Roll out meetings with policy makers, NGOs and advocates are envisaged as part of the dissemination of the findings in future.


This multiple case study is a description and analysis of the self-perceived leadership strengths of five K-12 school site principals who earned National Board Certification as classroom teachers. Individuals in this group have all been assessed against nationally set norms of performance and knowledge relative to curriculum, instruction, and assessment which is crucial to successful leadership at the school site (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). The idea that site principals who earned National Board Certification as classroom teachers may bring a greater focus on curriculum, instruction, and assessment to the principalship and therefore be a resource for administrator recruitment is the impetus for this study. The theoretical framework supporting this study is research on effective school leadership, National Board Certification, leadership self-perception, and transformational learning theory. Using a mixed-methods approach, data collected from a survey based on leadership responsibilities as defined in the literature was augmented with interviews and document analysis for each case. The researcher analyzed data for patterns, evidence of alignment between the National Board Certification process and leadership strengths, and commonalities across cases in self-perceived leadership strengths. Findings of the study indicate common self-perceptions of leadership strengths within three aspects of leadership (philosophical, relational, and technical) with most alignment occurring within the relational aspect. All study participants reported self-perceived strengths in six of 21 leadership responsibilities identified in the literature: ideals and beliefs; input; knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; monitoring and evaluating; outreach; and visibility. All study participants cite the National Board Certification process as a valuable professional development activity that encourages reflective leadership practice. All study participants also believe their confidence in the area of curriculum, instruction, and assessment stems from the validation they received when certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Further study is indicated to determine the correlation of NBCT- principals' leadership self-perceptions with the perceptions of their staff members, the impact of NBCT- principals on student achievement, and the impact of formalized self-reflection on successful transformational leadership practices.


This essay describes a graduate course, The Nineteenth-Century Novel in Context, that I developed and taught in fall 2011 at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. The essay was developed from an oral presentation that was part of a teaching panel at the Northeast Victorian Studies Association annual conference in the spring of 2013. The course was my final effort to "go wide" in teaching Victorian literature in its larger context, a desire that grew increasingly difficult to satisfy as the canon of Victorian literature became enlarged and thus somewhat unstable. I also wanted to organize the readings so that my students might get a sense of the literary context in which Victorian readers might have experienced the individual texts when they read them in the nineteenth century. In an effort to describe how I got to the syllabus for The Nineteenth-Century Novel in Context (included as an appendix), I give a personal sense of the history of the field of Victorian literature over the last fifty years, tracing the development of the field of English literature in general and Victorian literature in particular. I end with my evaluation of the course I developed, its strengths and its weaknesses, and what I learned from it.


In this paper, the fundamental nature of acceleration sensitivity is reviewed and clarified. The driving factor behind the acceleration-induced frequency shift is shown to be the deformation of the resonator. The deformation drives two effects: an essentially linear change in the frequency determining dimensions of the resonator, and an essentially nonlinear effect of changing the velocity of the propagating wave. The basic properties of acceleration sensitivity are illustrated through the simple examples of "BAW in a box" and "STW in a box". These examples serve to clarify a number of concepts, including the role of mode shape and the basic difference between the bulk acoustic wave and acoustic surface wave cases. Finally, these basic understandings are extended to other cases such as BAW microresonators.


Background Persistent antigenic stimulation due to repeated exposure to nickel may lead to chronic inflammation resulting in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Objectives This study was performed to assess nickel induced immune activation among patients sensitized against nickel. Patients and Methods A total of 35 patients (29 females and 6 males; mean age 36±9 years) with nickel contact dermatitis and 20 patch test negative healthy individuals (14 females and 6 males; mean age 29±7 years) were included in this study. Peripheral blood of patients and controls was incubated with nickel sulfate for 24 hours. Immune activation was assessed by CD69 up-regulation on T lymphocyte sub-sets by flow cytometry. Results Base line expression of CD69 on CD8+ lymphocytes was higher among patients compared to controls (4.1±1.3%vs2.8±1.1%;p<0.009). There was no difference in proportions of CD±CD69+ cells between patients and controls (3.2±0.9%vs2.3±0.8%). Exposure to nickel induced expression of CD69 on a significantly higher proportion of CD4+ lymphocytes (22.1±6.2%) of the ACD patients compared to controls (2.8±2.5%;p<0.0001). Similarly nickel induced CD69 expression on a higher proportion of CD8+ lymphocytes (18.2±5.3%) from ACD patients compared to the controls (1.9±1.8%;p<0.0006). Conclusion CD69 molecule appears to be an important regulator of immune response in nickel contact dermatitis.


Gestational age determination based on obstetric dating criteria, early pregnancy ultrasound scans, Dubowitz examinations, and ultrasound scans performed shortly before delivery were reviewed for 69 preterm infants requiring neonatal intensive care. The last ultrasound scans underestimated gestational age by a median of 8 days, and by 2 weeks or more in 20 of the 69 cases, as opposed to best dating criteria. Ultrasonic fetal weight estimation was more accurate, but erred by more than 20% in 10% of cases. When obstetric decisions regarding preterm neonates must be made without prior information regarding gestational age, late ultrasound findings must be applied with extreme care.


A survey on feeding practices was conducted with thirty-one cattle farmers belonging to three categories: households without land and no income from agricultural labour (Class 100;10 farms), households without land but deriving considerable income from agricultural labour (Class 101;10 farms), and households with land and without income from agricultural labour (Class 110;11 farms). Information on the types of feeds given to cattle, amounts of feed offered and refused, and chest girth measurements were recorded every two weeks for a period of one year. In addition, samples of the feeds offered and refused were collected every two weeks and analysed for dry matter, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD). Grass was usually cut at an early stage of growth, as such the CP (11.8€and OMD (62€were relatively high. All types of rice straw (whole, lower and upper part) and sugarcane forage (tops and leaves) were low in CP (<6 and <8.9°respectively) and OMD (<45 and <47°respectively). Rice bran and tofu waste was of much better quality than any other feed. The average number of different feeds in the rations (mean of all farms) was 1.98, with a lower value for class 101 (1.80), than for classes 100 and 110 (2.11 and 2.02, respectively). Of the total amount of OM consumed, 42 as rice straw, 21␐rass, 19␖aize forage, 10␜ugarcane forage, <4␘ther forages (soya and groundnut straw), 1.3␛ice bran and 2.9␝ofu waste. The total amount of OM offered varied from <80 g/kg0.75/d in August/September to 1.5 times as much in May (p<0.01). The intake of digestible organic matter (IDOM) for farm class 110 (37.7 g/kg0.75/d) was significantly (p<0.001) lower than that for classes 100 and 101 (44.1 and 41.3 g/kg0.75/d, respectively). The highest CP/IDOM ratio was recorded for farm class 101 (0.201 as compared to 0.181-0.184).


: Where a strong conviction exists about the value of public worship for nursing home residents, leaders will make efforts to meet their religious needs. Although it is expensive, a spacious chapel can be one of the most important additions a long-term care facility can make. In July 1983 the board of directors at the Merkle-Knipprath Nursing Home, Clifton, IL, decided to build a spacious chapel for its residents. The building committee began planning by developing a list of what features the chapel would need to adequately serve the residents. Once it had established the needs, the committee began to consider what kind of design would fulfill them. The chapel was completed in 1985. Members decided that a somewhat circular building would work best. Pews are arranged in a semicircle around the alter, with an aisle on both ends of each pew for easy access. For practical reasons, seat cushions have vinyl covers and the floor is linoleum. Automatic doors open onto the chapel from the corridor. The chapel also has a quiet room with glass panels facing the altar. The room, with a front door leading into the chapel and a back door leading to the corridor connecting the chapel and the nursing home proper, can be used for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To enhance the spiritual atmosphere, the committee commissioned an artist to design stained-glass windows, which extend from the floor to the lower part of the chapel's vaulted ceiling. An organ also adds a significant dimension to religious services.


The use of acoustic wave sensors for industrial applications is widespread. At present there are few sensors for assessing fluid properties which are capable of operating at temperatures in excess of 500°C. In this work we present surface acoustic wave devices fabricated on Langasite substrates as possible candidates for such sensors. Two port delay line devices are produced and investigated in terms of temperature and their ability to measure viscosity-density properties of liquids. Single port resonator devices are fabricated and a polymer guiding layer applied to enhance sensitivity. A sharp resonance is seen for a guiding layer thickness of 4.2µm and the mass sensitivity is assessed by depositing layers of gold onto its surface. This sensitivity is found to 749 Hz·ng−1·cm−2 which is several orders of magnitude higher that that for a thickness shear mode device produced on the same substrate. By further developing these devices with particular focus on the reflector arrangement on the single port resonator devices, highly sensitive sensors for temperatures in excess of 900°C may be produced which will be suitable for use with automated data processing.


There is abundant evidence that the efficacy of the carbamazepine-lithium combination in acute manic episodes is comparable to that of other custom medications (e.g., a haloperidol-lithium combination). The aim of the current investigation was to compare the clinical efficacy and side effects of lithium combined with carbamazepine versus lithium combined with haloperidol and biperiden in patients with bipolar disorder. In the present study, 24 patients in an acute manic phase were randomly assigned to receive either lithiumcarbamazepine (Li-CBZ) or lithium-haloperidol (Li-Hal) combinations for 8 weeks. Clinical (including ESRS, MRS, CBZ side effect profile, and HAM-D) and laboratory measurements were regularly performed on all patients. Both therapeutic regimens were effective in alleviating manic symptoms, whether psychotic features were present or not (p<.001). However, there was a faster response to treatment for the Li-CBZ group compared to the Li-Hal group, as revealed by a lower mean MRS score on day 14 in the former group (p=.018). HAM-D scores revealed significantly better outcomes for the Li-CBZ group. A higher mean HAM-D score on day 56, as well as a higher mean alteration in HAM-D scores throughout the study period, were noted in the Li-Hal group (p=.008 and p=.011, respectively). Dropouts in the Li-Hal group were considerable due to noncompliance resulting from neuroleptic-induced side effects (depressive and extrapyramidal). Similarly, several subjects in the LiCBZ group had to end the study prematurely as a result of developing side effects for which drug discontinuation is indicated. It may be prudent to reevaluate neuroleptic medications in manic patients, specifically for long-term management.


The suspension of sand by waves has been studied in the field under shoaled wave conditions through the application of acoustic backscatter techniques. The spatial and temporal resolution of the techniques allow for the examination of suspended sediment concentration on time scales corresponding to individual waves, and space scales of approximately 1 cm. This has led to the identification and description of near‐bed intermittent suspension events, and provided insight into the mechanisms for suspended sediment transport in coastal regions. [Work supported by ONR.]


While much has been written about children caught up in the all too numerous conflicts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, what is not as apparent is the impact these conflicts have on "transferred" children: Those removed from the conflict areas by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, and private individuals. The practice of removing children from conflict zones has been a byproduct of many of the most violent events in recent memory: the rescue missions during the Armenian genocide, the Refugee Children Movement, kindertransport and hidden children of the Holocaust, and the lesser-known transfer of children during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. This article addresses the underreported events surrounding the transfer of children during the Rwandan genocide as a way to interrogate the consequences of this practice. It argues that as the most vulnerable of those caught up in unimaginable violence, these children become yet another face of human suffering during the conflict and in the aftermath they become the nexus for issues of identity, repatriation, and assimilation that are mobilized in national discourses of reconciliation and national unity. Of note in the cases of transferred children is how the patterns of familial fracture, alternative family structures, conflicts over the fate of former transferred children, and governments' transborder claims to their citizens are, on the one hand, mobilized to support transferred children and, on the other, to support and provide legitimation for political policies and the project of creating a new postconflict society.


A symbolic analysis tool is presented that generates approximate symbolic expressions for the small-signal characteristics of large analog integrated circuits. The expressions are approximated while they are computed, so that only those terms are generated which remain in the final expression. This principle causes drastic savings in CPU time and memory, largely increasing the maximum size of circuits that can be analyzed. By taking into account a range for the value of a circuit parameter rather than one single number, the generated expressions are generally valid. Mismatch handling is explicitly taken into account in the new algorithm. The capabilities of the new tool are illustrated with several experimental results.<<ETX>>


During the 1830s, Marshall Hall carried out innumerable experiments on a great variety of animals to establish the concept of a 'reflex arc'. In France F.L.Goltz showed that decerebrate frogs were still capable of complex behaviours. Thomas Laycock in England and Ivan Sechenov in Russia sought to apply the reflex idea to the brain. This paper follows the debate in the periodical literature of mid-Victorian England and discusses the contributions of WB Carpenter, Herbert Spencer, TH Huxley, W Clifford and others. The previous outing of this issue in the post-Cartesian seventeenth century had been largely suppressed by ecclesiastical authority. In the nineteenth century ecclesiastical power had waned, at least in England, and the debate could take a more open form. As neurophysiology and behavioural science developed, with the widespread acceptance of Darwinian evolution, it became more and more difficult to deny that brain and mind were part of the natural world and subject to the usual laws of cause and effect. This, of course, had powerful implications for the human self-image and for jurisprudence. These implications are still with us and the work of neurophysiologists such as Benjamin Libet have only reinforced them. Should humans be regarded as 'automata' and, if so, what becomes of 'free will', 'responsibility', and the rule of law? The Victorian debate is still useful and relevant.


The structures of polypropylene fibers, spun according to a factorial experimental design, have been studied with the aid of wide angle X-ray diffraction and birefringence measurements. From statistical analysis of the results, the fibers have been characterized in terms of their crystallographic order and the overall orientation of their constituent polymer chains. These properties have been quantitatively assessed as responses to seven specially selected process control parameters in the extrusion equipment used to process the fibers. For both crystallographic order and overall orientation, the metering pump speed (MPS) at which the fibers are extruded and the speed (WS) at which the extruded fibers are wound exert significant effects. Moreover, the interaction, WS × MPS, between these two control parameters also significantly influences orientation. For crystallographic order, two further significant parameters are the melt flow index (MFI) of the grade of polypropylene used and the temperature (ST) at which the polymer melt passes through the spinneret. The roles of these two factors in the development of crystallites within the fibers are discussed. No interaction effects, however, appear to be significant for crystallographic order. Models that specify the direction of change of the significant parameters for increasing or reducing both responses are given. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 568–576, 2004


Background Patients with glenohumeral instability have proprioceptive deficits that are suggested to contribute to muscle activation alterations. Hypothesis Muscle activation alterations will be present in shoulders with anterior glenohumeral instability. Study Design Posttest-only control group design. Methods Eleven patients diagnosed with anterior glenohumeral instability were matched with 11 control subjects. Each subject received an external humeral rotation apprehension perturbation while reflexive muscle activation characteristics were measured with indwelling electromyography and surface electromyography. Results Patients with instability demonstrated suppressed pectoralis major and biceps brachii mean activation; increased peak activation of the subscapularis, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus; and a significantly slower biceps brachii reflex latency. Supraspinatus-subscapularis coactivation was significantly suppressed in the patients with instability as well. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance In addition to the capsuloligamentous deficiency and proprioceptive deficits present in anterior glenohumeral instability, muscle activation alterations are also present. The suppressed rotator cuff coactivation, slower biceps brachii activation, and decreased pectoralis major and biceps brachii mean activation may contribute to the recurrent instability episodes seen in this patient group. Clinicians can implement therapeutic exercises that address the suppressed muscles in patients opting for conservative management or rehabilitation before and after capsulorraphy procedures.


Background According to American Gastroenterological Association Institute criteria, the diagnosis of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EOE) requires clinicopathological correlation. In the appropriate clinical context, a high eosinophil count (HEC, defined as ≥15/HPF) is considered pathological evidence of EOE. However, HEC may not always be identified in biopsies given its patchy distribution, and there may be histological overlap between EOE and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in the distal oesophagus. Aims To evaluate the utility of subepithelial sclerosis and HEC in proximal oesophageal biopsies as additional diagnostic criteria. Methods Cases between 2004 and 2008 with paired proximal and distal oesophageal biopsies and the mention of eosinophils in the reports were retrieved from PathWest Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre archives. Biopsies were reviewed and assessed for eosinophilic count and presence of subepithelial stroma and sclerosis. A final diagnosis was made after review of both biopsy and clinical details. Results There were 23 cases of EOE and 20 cases of GORD in an adult cohort. In comparison to GORD, cases of EOE had significantly higher eosinophil counts in proximal (39.4 vs 0.6 eosinophils/HPF) and distal biopsies (35.6 vs 1.9), with HEC in proximal biopsies a feature exclusive to EOE (83% vs 0%). Subepithelial sclerosis was identified in at least one biopsy in 74% of EOE and in only a single case of GORD. Conclusions HEC in proximal oesophageal biopsies and subepithelial sclerosis should be considered major diagnostic findings in EOE.


Host breadth is often assumed to have no evolutionary significance in broad interactions because of the lack of cophylogenetic patterns between interacting species. Nonetheless, the breadth and suite of hosts utilized by one species may have adaptive value, particularly if it underlies a common ecological niche among hosts. Here, we present a preliminary assessment of the evolution of mycorrhizal specificity in 12 closely related orchid species (genera Goodyera and Hetaeria) using DNA‐based methods. We mapped specificity onto a plant phylogeny that we estimated to infer the evolutionary history of the mycorrhiza from the plant perspective, and hypothesized that phylogeny would explain a significant portion of the variance in specificity of plants on their host fungi. Sampled plants overwhelmingly associated with genus Ceratobasidium, but also occasionally with some ascomycetes. Ancestral mycorrhizal specificity was narrow in the orchids, and broadened rarely as Goodyera speciated. Statistical tests of phylogenetic inertia suggested some support for specificity varying with increasing phylogenetic distance, though only when the phylogenetic distance between suites of fungi interacting with each plant taxon were taken into account. These patterns suggest a role for phylogenetic conservatism in maintaining suits of fungal hosts among plants. We stress the evolutionary importance of host breadth in these organisms, and suggest that even generalists are likely to be constrained evolutionarily to maintaining associations with their symbionts.


The structure and distribution of the two principal types of fovea are briefly described. Using the convexiclivate central fovea of the eagle as a type the effect of refraction at the boundary of retina and vitreous humour on the foveal image is computed. It is shown that, when aberration and diffraction are taken into account, no improvement in acuity can result from refraction at the fovea. On the contrary, the results strongly suggest that the convexiclivate fovea is a device for achieving improved fixation and improved sensitivity to movement of objects in the visual field at some sacrifice of acuity. The application of these results to other variants of fovea is discussed, and a scheme indicating possible relations between function and geometrical form is proposed.


X-ray lithography is a technology which has been waiting for a problem to solve that is tougher than its own problems. Development of X-ray lithography dates from the early 1970's [1]--[3] and since that time, improvements in resolution of optical and near UV projection aligners and step-and-repeat systems have kept pace with processing ability for fabrication of smaller components in silicon integrated circuits (IC's). However, 1 µm or smaller features are now a design requirement for semiconductor integrated circuits (SIC's) which will have a significant performance advantage over current manufacture [4], [5]. In addition practical means for fabricating high quality X-ray masks have been found [6] along with sensitive resists and resist systems which are designed for reactive ion etching (RIE) processes [7], [8]. Reliable, economical, and long-lived X-ray sources have also been developed, [9], thus enabling us to design and build X-ray exposure tools for SIC and other fabrication. In this paper the X-ray lithography system developed at Bell Laboratories will be described along with evaluation of its use in a laboratory SIC fabrication facility. Projections for future developments in X-ray lithography will be given.


This abstract summarizes the results of a research project undertaken during 1983 to 1985 to evaluate the dose to the surrounding tissue contributed by secondary electrons originating from metallic surgical sutures and total hip prosthesis implanted in human tissue, upon interaction with high energy photons during radiation therapy. To date, no such work, has been undertaken on metallic prostheses or sutures but the effect of breast prosthesis made of silicone gel, during radiation therapy with high energy photons and electrons has been reported in two research papers. In this investigation, film and TLD methods of dosimetry are used to evaluate the dose due to these secondary electrons in a polystyrene phantom. Two types of films are used: they are Dupont 7L and Dupont 6 PLUS. Calibrated beams of X-ray photons of 4 MeV and electrons of 8.6 MeV energy are used as the sources of X-ray photons and electrons. The difference in optical density with film and the difference in response in the case of TLDs with and without the metallic objects is a measure of the dose contributes by the secondary electrons. This dose is taken off from the corresponding calibration curves for film and TLDs and this dose varies from 2.5% to 6.72% to soft tissue and the dose to bone varies from 4% to 12% approximately. In certain clinical situations, this amount of dose could be quite significant. Knowing such contribution, a more effective course of radiation therapy can be planned.


Summary form only given. The vast majority of computer architects believe the future of the microprocessor is hundreds to thousands of processors ("cores") on a chip. Given such widespread agreement, it's surprising how much research remains to be done in algorithms, computer architecture, networks, operating systems, file systems, compilers, programming languages, applications, and so on to realize this vision. Fortunately, Moore's law has not only enabled dense multi-core chips, it has also enabled extremely dense FPGAs. Today, one to two dozen soft cores can be programmed into a single FPGA. With multiple FPGAs on a board and multiple boards in a system, 1000-processor designs can be economically and rapidly explored. To make this happen, however, requires a significant amount of infrastructure in hardware, software, and what we call "gateware", the register-transfer level models that fill the FGPAs. By using the Berkeley Emulation Engine boards that were created for other purposes, the hardware is already done. A group of architects plan to design the gateware, create this infrastructure, and share the results in an open-source fashion so that every institution could have their own. Such a system would not just invigorate multiprocessors research in the architecture community. Since processors cores can run at 100 to 200 MHz, a large scale multiprocessor would be fast enough to run operating systems and large programs at speeds sufficient to support software research. Moreover, there is a new generation of FPGAs every 18 months with capacity for twice as many cores and run them faster, so future multiboard FPGA systems are even more attractive. Hence, we believe such a system would accelerate research across all the fields that touch multiple processors. Thus the acronynm RAMP, for Research Accelerator for Multiple Processors. RAMP has the potential to transform the parallel computing community in computer science from a simulation-driven to a prototype-driven discipline, leading to rapid iteration across interfaces of the many fields of multiple processors, and thereby moving much more quickly to a parallel foundation for large-scale computer systems research in the 21st century.


This dissertation investigates how new organizational forms with explicit moral claims take shape as various actors make, revise, and evaluate symbolic claims and concrete practices. To this end, I inductively examine Islamic banking and organic agriculture in Turkey throughout their history spanning three decades to understand how Islamic banking and organic agriculture are conceptualized, codified into law, translated into commercial products, and communicated to various audiences. I find that in both industries the question of 'alignment' to an 'ideal', the ideal being informed by the alternative codes of, Islamic law in the case of Islamic banking, and the rules of Nature in the case of organic agriculture was persistent throughout the history of these industries. Debates over authenticity of practices, definitions and purposes in relation to the 'ideal' included deliberate discussions of the sources and the nature of that 'ideal' facilitating ever detailed accounts of the 'ideal' and influencing the practices and the law and regulations along the way. In explicating the connection between construction of meanings and practices and their relation to authenticity, this dissertation provides insights into how authenticity concerns as conforming to a sacralized ideal play out in the trajectory of new organizational forms with moral claims.


While software inspection is an effective activity to detect defects early in the software development lifecycle, it is an effort-intensive and error-prone activity. Motivated by a real need in the context of the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI), a tool named AutoInspect was developed to (semi-) automate the inspection of software design documents and, as a result, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the inspection process. We present in this paper the features of the tool, its development details and its initial evaluation for inspecting the design documents of three real systems in the company. The results of the initial case-study reveal that the tool is indeed able to increase the inspections efficiency and effectiveness. In terms of efficiency, inspection engineers who used AutoInspect performed 41-50% more efficiently, for the three design documents under study, compared to the case when the tool was not used (i.e., manual inspections). In terms of effectiveness, compared to manual inspections, the automated approach found between 23-33% more defects in the three design documents under study. As the tool currently only provides partial automation, our efforts are currently underway to increase its automation level even further.


Astronauts undergo significant training in preparation for operating in space. In the past governments have been driving space exploration through ventures such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), however more recently new private companies have formed such as SpaceX who are designing commercially viable and reusable spacecraft. As such, the economics of space travel are more important than ever, and there is a logical need to research affordable and effective training procedures for astronauts.Virtual Reality (VR) has been shown to be an effective technique for training people to perform high skilled physical tasks such as medical surgery. Research into VR as a platform for training astronauts has shown encouraging results with the implementation of hand tracking data gloves allowing the trainee to interact with the virtual environment. Further, there is evidence that VR can aid in the treatment of phobias with exposure therapy by better preparing the patient for real life exposure. Tactile feedback was found to enhance the treatment. Hence training with VR may help prepare an astronaut for the experience of operating in space through exposure to realistic simulations.This paper proposes using existing underwater systems with VR to create a low cost extra vehicular activity (EVA) astronaut training simulation. Incorporation of tactile feedback and methods to track the body, hands and finger flexure, enabling user interaction with the virtual environment was explored. This allows for the creation of a varied neutrally buoyant training environment with a smaller physical space requirement compared to existing methods.


AbstractArchitects who understand the need to build enduringly are faced with the almost complete absence of international agreements with respect to a planetary ecological project. The coming environmental changes will probably occur long before the small measures that can be implemented by some building industries on a regional level have even the slightest effect. Meanwhile, the health of the planet in positive feedback. Any project that aims for a wise ecological dwelling on this planet needs to consider short-term sustainable measures in comparison with long-term enduring practices. Might schools of thoughts such as traditional architecture, Gaia theory, Earth System Science, deep ecology, eco-feminism, converge on a co-evolutionary partnership between the natural and the human?


It is quite challenging to assess weld quality real-time and doing it accurately. A proper real-time nondestructive evaluation approach should be considered as an essential component of an automated weld process to produce quality welds consistently. Part of this study focuses on determining if NDE techniques, specifically acoustic emission (AE) and ultrasonic testing (UT) can be used to detect burn-through, weld porosity, and assesses weld penetration during weld fabrication. This thesis presents the development of a real-time welding defect detection system for gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and the challenge to integrate non-contact acoustic and ultrasonic methods to assess weld quality concerning the welding parameters (i.e., weld current, voltage, travel speed, and gas flow rate).

The in-situ NDE monitoring system was used to evaluate the changes in weld morphology, burn-through by varying the weld heat input and assessing the presence of porosity by adding oxygen to the Ar-shielding gas. Different categories of burn-through were defined that includes the onset of burn-through with the back side of the base plate undergoing melting also with weld contained within the plate, and the production of real burn-through where a through thickness a cavity is produced in the base metal.

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate real-time burn-through and porosity in gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) with a combination of acoustic emission and ultrasonic NDE methods. Weld heat input and a mixture of Ar gas and Ar- 2%O2were the controlling parameters used to introduce burn through and porosity in the weld respectively. The AE data provides qualitative information about the weld condition and characteristics. The UT data provide more quantitative information about the weld morphology.
Results demonstrated that complete air-coupled UT could not be used simultaneously with welding due to the influence of the magnetic field that develops in the welding torch during when the arc was struck, this resulted in the UT signal being eliminated. Consequently, a rolling UT transmitter was combined with an air-coupled UT receiver to increase the signal/noise value and able to assess the weld online. Wave dispersion due to the different levels of burn-through was detected. The AE signal was correlated with the heat input, and it was determined that surface discontinuities resulted in sudden surges in AE energy indicating that surface weld defects could be detected during processing. In conclusion, passive and active NDE methods could be combined to monitor weld quality real-time for assessment of the weld.


Fusarium culmorum is one of the species causing Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereals in Europe. We aimed to investigate the association between the nucleotide diversity of ten F. culmorum candidate genes and field ratings of aggressiveness in winter rye. A total of 100 F. culmorum isolates collected from natural infections were phenotyped for FHB at two locations and two years. Variance components for aggressiveness showed significant isolate and isolate-by-environment variance, as expected for quantitative host-pathogen interactions. Further analysis of the isolate-by-environment interaction revealed the dominant role of the isolate-by-year over isolate-by-location interaction. One single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the cutinase (CUT) gene was found to be significantly (p < 0.001) associated with aggressiveness and explained 16.05% of the genotypic variance of this trait in rye. The SNP was located 60 base pairs before the start codon, which suggests a role in transcriptional regulation. Compared to a previous study in winter wheat with the same nucleotide sequences, a larger variation of pathogen aggressiveness on rye was found and a different candidate gene was associated with pathogen aggressiveness. This is the first report on the association of field aggressiveness and a host-specific candidate gene codifying for a protein that belongs to the secretome in F. culmorum.


Objective: To determine the incidence and predisposing factors for Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)among Pakistani women delivering in 16 referral facilities included in World health organization (WHO) Multicountry survey (MCS) on maternal and new born health (MNH), 2011.Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 16 referral level health care facilities across Pakistan, from 1st March to 30th May, 2011 to evaluate the incidence and management strategies linked to maternal and neonatal mortalities. Data were collected from the hospital records of all women delivering in the studied facilities or admitted within 7 days of delivery or abortion with near miss maternal mortality. The data was entered and analyzed on SPSS. This study is a sub analysis of 217 women with PPH among the total population of 13175 delivered women. The incidence and predisposing factors of women with PPH were compared to the rest of the study population.Results: Out of a total of 13175 women included in the study 217 (1.6%) suffered from PPH. The average maternal age was similar in both groups. Of the total 217 women with PPH, 32.0% women with PPH delivered preterm compared to 11%in the non PPH group. Cesarean delivery (51% vs 34%) and previous cesarean section 34%vs19% were significantly associated with PPH. Similarly, general anesthesia28.4%vs 3.1% for regional analgesia and antibiotics use 40.5% vs21.7%were associated with PPH. Illiteracy was associated with PPH 41%vs 31% (p 0.001). There were 18(8.3%) maternal deaths contributing to 47.3% of overall deaths in the study.Conclusion: PPH is still responsible for an unacceptably large proportion of maternal mortality in Pakistan. Improved literacy rates, good nutrition, iron supplementation during antenatal visits and availability of better health facilities at the door step can reduce severe morbidity and maternal deaths from PPH.


Background: Hidden curriculum refers to the unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives that students learn at the university, which influences the acquisition of professional skills. Aim: To analyze the perception about the influence of the hidden curriculum in the education of medical students at the Universidad de Concepcion, Chile. Material and Methods: Qualitative investigation with case study approach. Seventeen graduated medical students were selected by probability sampling. A semi-structured interview was used to collect the information and a content analysis was applied. Results: Forty seven percent of participants recognized having fulfilled their academic expectations. As favorable factors for academic achievement the students underlined clinical practice, access to patients and to clinical fields. As negative factors, they identified the lack of commitment, educational support and over-specialization of their mentors. Conclusions: The results show the strengths and weaknesses of the educational environment of undergraduated medical students. This information should be used to modify teaching environments.


We report the effect of applying an electric field on the surface coverage of 40nm gold colloidal nanoparticles on silicon wafer using dip-coating and electrochemical cell set up. By applying electric field during the dip-coating of silicon wafer in a solution of gold nano particles (GNP) the surface coverage increased by 10% when the electric field varied from 5V/cm to 25V/cm at fixed deposition time of 90s. Ultra High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM) images shows that the particle agglomeration becomes more noticeable at higher electric field and as the deposition time increases from 90 s to 20 min a thin film of gold is achieved. Moreover, the results are discussed in terms of chemical bonding, electrostatic force and electrophoretic mobility of Au nano particles during the electric field enhanced deposition on the Si surface. Applied voltage, time of dipping, concentration of the aqueous solution, and particles zeta potential are all can be controlled to enhance the uniformity and particles profile on the silicon surface.


Igbo, an African language with around 32 million speakers worldwide, is one of the many languages having few or none of the language processing resources needed for advanced language technology applications. In this article, we describe the approach taken to creating an initial set of resources for Igbo, including an electronic text corpus, a part-of-speech (POS) tagset, and a POS-tagged subcorpus. We discuss the approach taken in gathering texts, the preprocessing of these texts, and the development of the POS tagged corpus. We also discuss some of the problems encountered during corpus and tagset development and the solutions arrived at for these problems.


Background: Patients with endometrial or ovarian cancer have an increased risk for breast or colon cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the individual and age- related characteristics of patients with a combination of these malignancies. Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, we reviewed the medical records of 100 patients admitted for endometrial or ovarian cancer in Rasol Akram, Akbarabadi and Firozgar educational Hospitals in Tehran, Iran, during 2010- 2011. Colon polyps were evaluated by immunohistochemistry assay. Results: The mean age, weight and BMI of the patients were 50.21, 65.9 and 26.07, respectively. Among 100 cases participating in this study, five (5%) patients had colon polyps. All the five cases with colon polyp had positive familial histories of ovarian cancer. Conclusion: With considering the low prevalence of colorectal polyps among women with ovarian and endometrial cancers, patient's follow-up for screening test is not recommended Abstract


BACKGROUND
Pruritus is a common symptom of many dermatological and systemic diseases. It is a common complaint among patients with psoriasis of the chronic plaque type. Patients with pruritus suffer from more severe psoriasis although some authors did not find a significant relationship between pruritus intensity and psoriasis severity.

AIMS
In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical features and symptoms among psoriasis patients. And also we aimed to evaluate whether the severity of disease, depression and quality of life scores could effect these symptoms or not.

METHODS
Eighty seven patients with psoriasis were enrolled in this study. Epidemiological data of patients were noted. Clinical symptoms, such as pruritus, pain, burning, exudation, bleeding, weakness, etc. were interrogated. The answers to these questions were classified as 'never', 'rare', 'sometimes', 'often' and 'all the time'. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hamilton Anxiety-Depression Scale (HAD) were calculated for each patient. PASI and DLQI scores were classified as > or = and < 10.

RESULTS
We found that the most frequent symptom was pruritus (96.6%). Other frequent symptoms were burning (56.3%), exudation (56.3%) and bleeding (49.4%). Hurting, sensitiveness and bothering were more frequent in women. Percentages of hurting, pain, exudation and weakness symptoms had been increasing with age. Frequency of weakness was significantly high in PASI > or = 10 patients.

CONCLUSION
Pruritus is a very common symptom in psoriasis. Burning, exudation and bleeding are also common symptoms seen in psoriasis. New scoring systems including symptoms of psoriasis patients may be developed for evaluating the severity of the disease.


Author(s): Heisterberg, Jon F.; Nunez-Garcia, Fernando | Abstract: A program to trap and remove shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) was conducted during two successive passerine nesting seasons at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in eastern Puerto Rico. It sought to improve existing trapping techniques and to determine the effect cowbird removal has on the reproductive success of the endangered yellow-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus). Decoy traps of two basic designs were used to capture 2449 cowbirds in 1162 trap-days (average 2.1/trap-day) in June-September 1985 and 850 cowbirds in 1571 trap-days (average 0.5/trap-day) in March-August 1986. The lower capture rate in 1986 suggests that cowbirds removed in 1985 were not being replaced during the non-trapping period. Trapping data from yellow-shouldered nesting areas in mangrove swamps indicated that cowbird capture rates were significantly higher (P=0.02) for large (14.2-14.8 m3) traps than for smaller (4.2 m3) ones. The effect of cowbird removal on the nesting success of the yellow-shouldered blackbird could not be directly determined because only one nest could be found. Cowbird removal, however, greatly reduced parasitism rates of another parasitized species, the yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia).


Arteriovenous malformations of the temporalis muscle (TM-AVMs) are rare lesions commonly considered as a variant of scalp AVMs. A study was designed in order to analyze TM-AVMs features and to confirm them as a certain entity different from scalp AVMs. Seven TM-AVMs cases (5 from literature plus 2 from our database) were studied. Clinical, epidemiological, radiological, and therapeutic data were analyzed and compared to common scalp AVMs features. All TM-AVMs presented as large soft tumor-like masses on the temporal region (mean diameter: 6 cm). Pain was referred in half of cases, while overlying cutaneous stigmas were described only once. No masticatory malfunction was reported. TM-AVMs tend to appear in young patients (mean: 29 yr), commonly as longstanding and slow-evolving lesions (mean evolution time before diagnosis: 5 yr). All cases displayed a diffuse slow-flow blush on angiogram. All TM-AVMs were completely located within the TM, with no involvement of scalp or bone. The pathological analysis of all cases demonstrated the presence of striate muscular bundles intermingled with fairly mature arterial and venous vessels. No clearly distorted vessel was found within the TM-AVMs. Surgery was performed for all cases with complete removal. Preoperative embolization was done in 4 cases to reduce blood loss during surgery. No clinical/radiological recurrence was reported. Opposite to TM-AVMs, scalp AVMs commonly present as high-flow lesions with no evident tumor mass, mainly located in the subcutaneous tissue. TM-AVMs present clearly distinct features compared to scalp AVMs, for which they should be considered as a certain pathological entity and not as a variant of scalp AVMs.


This study examined the contribution of Ward secondary schools into form four leavers' socio economic development in Kilindi District. The study specifically explored the academic performance trend of Ward secondary schools in Kilindi district in 2012 to 2015; assessed the socio-economic status of students who completed form four from Ward Secondary Schools in Kilindi District, The sample comprised of 155 participants, involving: Students, Form Four Leavers, Parents, Heads of Schools, Village and Ward Executive Officers and District Secondary Education Officer. The data were collected through questionnaires, focus group discussion and interviews. The findings revealed that students who went beyond form four education were few, and most of form four leavers are unemployed. They live with their parents, and are engaged in petty businesses such as 'bodaboda', 'mama ntilie', 'machinga' and subsistence farming among other things. Moreover, it seemed that there was no difference between those who passed and those who did not pass through secondary education in terms of socio-economic conditions when both groups are in their normal lives in communities. To a lesser extent those who didn't go to secondary school might be better off socially and economically. It was concluded that ward secondary schools have little positive contribution to socio-economic development of secondary school leavers. It is recommended that science subjects should be made compulsory to ordinary level students instead of being optional subjects in ordinary level. Moreover, entrepreneurial education should be introduced in basic education in order to impart socio-economic skills and knowledge for secondary school leavers to improve their socio-economic wellbeing and their communities in general.


Background: Acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity is a major cause of acute liver failure in many countries. Mechanistic studies in mice and humans have implicated formation of a reactive metabolite, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidant stress as critical events in the pathophysiology of APAP-induced liver cell death. It was recently suggested that ATP released from necrotic cells can directly cause cell death in mouse hepatocytes and in a hepatoma cell line (HepG2). Aim: To assess if ATP can directly cause cell toxicity in hepatocytes and evaluate their relevance in the human system. Methods: Primary mouse hepatocytes, human HepG2 cells, the metabolically competent human HepaRG cell line and freshly isolated primary human hepatocytes were exposed to 10-100 µM ATP or ATγPin the presence or absence of 5-10 mM APAP for 9-24 h. Results: ATP or ATγP was unable to directly cause cell toxicity in all 4 types of hepatocytes. In addition, ATP did not enhance APAP-induced cell death observed in primary mouse or human hepatocytes, or in HepaRG cells as measured by LDH release and by propidium iodide staining in primary mouse hepatocytes. Furthermore, addition of ATP did not cause mitochondrial dysfunction or enhance APAP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in primary murine hepatocytes, although ATP did cause cell death in murine RAW macrophages. Conclusions: It is unlikely that ATP released from necrotic cells can significantly affect cell death in human or mouse liver during APAP hepatotoxicity. Relevance for patients: Understanding the mechanisms of APAP-induced cell injury is critical for identifying novel therapeutic targets to prevent liver injury and acute liver failure in APAP overdose patients.


In order to explore the impact of integrating a robot as a facilitator in a collaborative activity, we examined interpersonal distancing of children both with a human adult and a robot facilitator. Our scenario involves two children performing a collaborative learning activity, which included the writing of a word/letter on a tactile tablet. Based on the learning-by-teaching paradigm, one of the children acted as a teacher when the other acted as a learner. Our study involved 40 children between 6 and 8 years old, in two conditions (robot or human facilitator). The results suggest first that the child acting as a teacher feel more responsible when the facilitator is a robot, compared to a human; they show then that the interaction between a (teacher) child and a robot facilitator can be characterized as being a reciprocity-based interaction, whereas a human presence fosters a compensation-based interaction.


»Umweltmonitoring im Entstehen: Von der Übersicht über natürliche Ressourcen zur Beobachtung von Umweltveränderungen«. This article examines the nexus of ecological science and environmental politics by considering the tensions between the global circulation of the notion of "environmental monitoring" and the local production of data on environmental change. The history of the planning of the Global Network of Environmental Monitoring (GNEM) program provides a glimpse of what it takes to launch a program of environmental monitoring globally on the level of intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations. The first part of the paper traces the GNEM project as it moved through different international agencies and international programs in the 1960s and 1970s. The second part explores the local story of the environmental monitoring of Lake Baikal. The emergence of "environmental monitoring" as an issue of global concern, and the local story of environmental monitoring of Lake Baikal were interrelated, but only in theory: Rather than boosting the already ongoing local monitoring of Lake Baikal, the intergovernmental global monitoring program was used as a legitimation to sustain the environmental pollution of the lake. Yet, the Soviet scientists-led environmental activism, which failed to influence environmental regulation in the Soviet Union, had critically contributed to the sustaining of the environmental monitoring programs in a small way, through collecting the data detailing the environmental changes in the places most affected by disastrous Soviet environmental policies, such as those regarding Lake Baikal.


Knowledge of the canine immune system is valuable not only for understanding the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases, but also for improving canine health. The dog serves as an important model for drug toxicity trials, solid organ and hematopoietic stem-cell transplants (Thomas and Storb 1999), and a variety of human diseases such as cyclic neutropenia (Weiden et al. 1974), X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID) (Felsburg et al. 1999), von Willebrand's disease (Thomas 1996), severe hereditary hemolytic anemia (Weiden et al. 1976), hemophilia (Fogh et al. 1984), glutensensitive enteropathy (Hall and Batt 1990), rheumatoid arthritis (Halliwell et al. 1972), systemic lupus erythematosus (Lewis and Schwartz 1971), narcolepsy (Baker et al. 1982), canine atopic dermatitis (Zur et al. 2002), pemphigus vulgaris (Hurvitz and Feldman 1975), and myasthenia gravis (Pflugfelder et al. 1981). Dogs have high rates of spontaneous malignancies and thus have served as models for a variety of cancers including breast cancer (Mol et al. 1999), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Weiden et al. 1979), and prostate cancer (Navone et al. 1998–1999). Many of these diseases may have an immune basis. The immune systems of dogs protect them from a variety of infectious agents. In dogs, as in other mammals, the immune system has a complex series of functions including distinguishing self from non-self as well as the ability to "recall" previous foreign antigen exposure (for review, see Klein 1982). An important genetic component of the immune system that facilitates many of these functions is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC),...


Since 2003 the international oil market has been moving away from the previous 20-year equilibrium in which prices fluctuated around $25/bbl (in today's dollars). The single most important reason is that growing demand has eliminated the structural surplus of crude production capacity which had existed since the oil price shock of 1979-83. So far, the higher oil prices since 2003, and even higher since 2005, have not induced economic recession in oil-importing countries so that oil demand has not fallen as it did in the 1980s after the second oil shock. Unless this occurs, a structural surplus will not be recreated, and prices are likely to remain 'high' – above $50/bbl – until longer-term reactions take effect. If the political situation in the Middle East deteriorates further prices could reach new levels, but the reaction would be quicker and stronger. Meanwhile, supply and demand are set to expand roughly in balance over the next five years, though there are many uncertainties which will lead to short-term fluctuations. With so little controllable flexibility in supply or demand, prices will remain volatile in the short term. Five or more years of oil and related energy prices averaging double (or more) their previous long-term average cannot fail to create a new long-term situation both in terms of economic behaviour and government policy. This will bring new competition which will simultaneously reduce the demand for energy, increase the supply of oil, and increase the substitution of other fuels for oil outside the transport sector. As these forces develop, oil prices will be unstable through the long term. For the transport sector, there is a very large range of possibilities which do not depend on the development of new technology. Examples are a shift in US vehicle demand to vehicles with typical Japanese or European fuel efficiency (which would reduce world transport fuel demand by nearly 10%) and the opening of US and European markets to competition from Brazilian and other developing country ethanol supplies. A period of high oil prices will also lead to investment to increase the production of liquid fuels from oil sands or natural gas. Once these investments are made, they are likely to continue producing as long as their operating costs remain lower than the price of oil.