K. TANIGUCHI, A. TAKANISHI. Design proposal for walking cane handle grips. Gerontechnology 2014;13(2):287; doi:10.4017/gt.2014.13.02.087.00 Purpose Many countries have an aging society, making the prevention of falls in older people an important issue and the danger of falls a primary concern for the elderly. Many studies have investigated the influence of patient activity while using different types of canes. However, very few studies have analyzed the grips of the handles of walking canes. The grip on a cane handle can easily be thought of as the most important part of the human/device interface in the prevention of falls. Many people have pain in their wrist that is caused by using incompatible handle grips. The handle grip shape is very important if the user is to obtain the most functionality and benefit from the cane1. We hypothesized that dorsi-flexion of the wrist causes increased loads on the wrist and decreases the efficiency of power. This study aims to elucidate a design for walking cane handle grips that is able to reduce dorsi-flexion of the wrist and is able to improve efficiency in power. We made a prototype (P-type) of a handle grip that has a different from the standard S-type grip. The P-type shape is positioned along the carpal bone (grayish color bone in Figure 1). Method Eleven elderly subjects (aged 38 to 75 years old) were recruited. Each subject was asked to put the walking cane on random places on a force plate (the Nintendo Wii Balance Board WBB, a portable, inexpensive, and a reliable technologically-advanced device) with his right hand, while individual load was measured. This load was constant throughout testing. Many studies have reported that the WBB produces valid results for assessing balance while standing2. The Center of Pressure (COP) sway was recorded (sampling frequency, 50Hz) for 10 seconds. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Three trials were tested for each subject, and the difference was calculated from the mean of the trial data that were derived from the COP values. Results & Discussion Table 1 shows the variation between the two types of cane grips (P-type minus S-type). To evaluate the efficiency of power and stability in the P-type grip, we used the floor reaction force and the locus length of the COP. Table 1 shows that the P-type grip provides more stability and has greater efficiency of power than the S-type for most of the subjects. These results show that the design for a walking cane handle grip that considered carpal bone shape was effective in improving the stability and efficiency of power of the cane. In future analysis, we plan to explain the relevant parameters of the handle grip and the appropriate height for the handle for individual subjects. References 1. Chiou-Tan FY, Magee KN, Krouskop TA. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development 1999:36(2):94-99 2. Clark RA, Bryant AL, Pua Y, McCrory P, Bennell K, Hunt M. Gait & Posture 2010;31(3):307-310; doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2009.11.012


We discuss target detection in LADAR intensity images. Thirteen features, eleven of which come from an asymmetric co-occurrence matrix, are extracted from region-of-interest windows in each image. Two methods of feature selection are applied to the extracted vectors. Random selection leads to a pair of selected features for a nearest-neighbor rule (1-nn) detector. Extended backpropagation leads to six selected features using a modified multilayered perceptron (MLP) network. The 1-nn detector achieves a test-error rate of about 16% at a false-alarm rate of 8%. The MLP has a test-error rate of about 12% with a false-alarm rate of 6%.


Computing variograms on 3D seismic amplitudes or related attributes must deal with structural dipping. Vertical variograms are always useful to compute as they correspond to the main processing direction (trace signal processing). But usual horizontal variograms are useless most of the time as they reflect the structural dipping much more than the horizon consistent amplitude variations. A number of computing strategies have then been developed to tackle this problem such as horizontalisation from a key horizon, use of dip azimuth cube … and they all of course require an a priori input of the structural features of the amplitude cube to guide the variogram computation. Mathematical morphology has been successfully applied to seismic cubes to provide an automatic a priori 3D segmentation that may be directly input into the variogram computation.


Friction stir processing (FSP), an offshoot from friction stir welding (FSW), is an intricate operation that involves refining the material by a rotating tool. Active control of the resulting size and distribution uniformity of grain structure is desirable. Achieving such a control across the processed area requires real-time control of the process input variables in order to control the pertinent state variables (e.g., temperature, strain, and strain rate) throughout the process. Many active control schemes typically used in friction stir processes (such as position-, speed-, force-, and torque-control schemes) require the utilization of dynamometers to provide feedback to the control loop. Many drawbacks are associated with such utilization including the complexity of the required instrumentation and control systems. Another complexity is the required rigidity of the machine tool needed to perform friction stir processes.In this work, we advance the notion of eliminating the usage of dynamometers by using the readily available motor current signals from the NC machine tool in the computer numeric control (NC) machines. This approach would drastically reduce the cost of FSP machine retrofitting. Presented in this work are guidelines for the implementation of affordable automation of CNC milling machines to perform friction stir processes. The guidelines are demonstrated by retrofitting a vertical machining center with current transducers to replace the usage of a dynamometer. The current transduces were tapped on the output of the drivers of the spindle and the z-drive motors. A custom LabVIEW software program was developed to control the machining center via direct numeric control mode and to monitor current signals which were in turn, correlated to the generated forces.To demonstrate the methodology, friction stir processing was performed on magnesium alloy sheets for a wide range of process parameters. The tool rotational speed was varied from 600 RPM to 2000 RPM and the traverse feed from 75 mm/min to 900 mm/min. Current signals were monitored during frictions stir processing and were related to the process forces which were measured using a 4-component dynamometer. Linear relations between thrust force and torques with current signals of the spindle and the z-drive motors were established and the signal to noise ratio for each correlation was investigated.It was found that the current spindle signals are highly correlated to the process torque where results can be used in a torque control loop without the need for expensive dynamometers. To a lesser extent was the correlation satisfactory between thrust force and z-drive motor signal due to bad signal to noise ratio.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


In this pilot study we tested for socioeconomic status (SES) differences in the frequency of social play in British children. Participants were 40 children, 3-5 years old, selected in equal numbers from 2 nurseries, one in a high and the other in a low SES borough of East England. Ten episodes of play from each nursery were observed, transcribed, and coded into Parten's (1932) play categories (parallel, associative, and cooperative play) obtaining a total of 282 instances of social play. The child's frequencies of the three types of social play were used as the dependent variables in a SES × gender multivariate analysis of variance. There was only one significant result, the main effect of SES for associative play, indicating that this type of play is twice as frequent in low as in high SES children. Findings indicate that there are no SES or gender differences in the overall frequency of social play, but children of low SES have a significantly stronger propensity toward associative play.


BACKGROUND
This study examined changes during the past decade, from 2005 to 2015, in binge and high-intensity drinking in 7 separate age groups of U.S. 12th graders and young adults.

METHODS
National longitudinal data (N = 6,711) from Monitoring the Future were used to examine trends in consuming 5+, 10+, and 15+ drinks on the same occasion in the past 2 weeks from ages 18 to 29/30 overall and by gender. Results were compared with trends in past 12-month and 30-day alcohol use for the same age groups.

RESULTS
Between 2005 and 2015, binge (5+) and high-intensity drinking (10+, 15+) generally decreased for individuals in their early 20s, remained somewhat stable for individuals in their mid-20s, and increased for individuals at the end of young adulthood (age 29/30). The observed historical trends in binge and high-intensity drinking were similar to those for past 12-month and past 30-day alcohol use for those aged 18 to 20, but diverged for most other age groups in young adulthood. Trends were generally similar for men and women, except that the increase in prevalence began earlier in young adulthood for women than for men.

CONCLUSIONS
Binge and high-intensity drinking among U.S. 12th graders and young adults are dynamic phenomena. Prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing the harms resulting from 5+, 10+, and 15+ drinking should acknowledge and focus on differences in trends in these behaviors by age and gender.


Addressing the increasing concentration of dairy processors in Germany, this paper investigates imperfect competition on the German raw milk market. Using a panel data set of dairy processors' price and processing data and related market information for the years 2001-2012, the conjectural variation approach allows analyzing market power of dairy processors towards raw milk producers. The paper contributes to the literature by providing an empirical up to date analysis of imperfect competition across and regions in Germany. The estimation results indicate an oligopsonistic market structure in Germany.


The adsorption properties of metal ions containing hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAp) were elucidated for the development of protein drug carrier. As-prepared metal ion containing HAp nanocrystal showed plate-like morphology with 10-20nm in length and 5-10nm in width. The metal ion containing HAp microparticles had higher specific surface area than the HAp microparticle. The adsorption amount per unit area of HAp showed higher than those of metal ion containing HAp. The adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir curves for each protein, indicating the monolayer adsorption. The loaded amount of proteins could be one of the most important properties for the application of drug delivery carrier.


We address the improvement in multiple access capability of an indoor wireless network that is achieved when equipment employing adaptive arrays is used. We specifically apply this improvement to the problem of optimal base-station placement. In the past we have considered indoor environments with conventional omnidirectional antennas. In this study we consider indoor wireless systems using adaptive arrays at the base-stations, and compare the results to those of the previous case in order to show and explain the advantages of the use of spatial diversity. The multiple access capability measures derived for the adaptive arrays scheme are used in the cost function for the solution of the optimal base-stations placement problem. We show that, in contrast to the omnidirectional case, where the minimisation of the cell-area overlap maximizes the capacity of the system, the use of an adaptive arrays scheme, achieves greater capacity when heavier cell-area overlap is allowed.


Rural-urban divides have characterized recent violent insurgencies around the world, but there are important differences in dynamics: sometimes rural insurgents target cities and sometimes not; sometimes the combat frontier is blurry, other times neat. This paper attempts to construct a simple model of the rural-urban relationship in conflict to understand when predators will attempt to prey on cities, versus when they remain in the hinterlands. It takes Krugman's (1991) core-periphery model as a starting point, in which there are just two regions, A and B (perhaps rural and urban), and two sectors. However, the model is modified such that the sectors are not "manufacturing" and "agriculture," but rather production and predation, after Hirshleifer (1991), which can both occur in either or both regions. It finds that at middling levels of predation and/or high transportation costs, rural predatory actors will target cities. At high levels of predation and/or low transportation costs, however, multiple stable equilibria may arise, creating disincentives for rural predatory actors to target cities.


This research investigated pectin extraction of lime (Citrus aurantifolia) peel with oxalic acid solvent using Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE) method. Prior of usage, lime peel was dried and ground to reduce water content and increase contact surface. Extraction using conventional method was also performed to study comparison with extraction using MAE. Extraction using MAE was performed to 10 g material and 300 mL oxalic acid 0.2 N. Pectin solution was then dehydrated using 96% ethanol (1:1 v/v) to get pure pectin. Experiment showed that MAE method obtained pectin with shorter duration (6 minutes with rendement 10.9%) compared to conventional method (20 minutes with rendement 11.8%). Pectin extraction using MAE for 6 minutes at 450 Watt produced 10.9 g pectin, higher than 350 W which produced 10.2 g. At 450 Watt with duration of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 minutes, pectin obtained are 0.75; 0.87; 0.93; 1.01 and 1.09 g respectively. The result of FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and other properties analysis showed that pectin consists of ester, cyclic-carbon, carboxylic and carbonile; and also 8.15% metoxil, 74.57% galacturonic acid, 2.7% water, 0.236% ash, esterification degree of 79.2%, and equivalent weight of 612.


The study was aimed at identifying effective feedback processes from fish farmers to fish research institute, fish farmers to extension and extension to fish research institute in the transfer and adoption of fish technologies in South East Geo-political zone of Nigeria. Two states in the zone (Abia and Imo) which are known for fish farming were chosen for the study. From each of the states, 60 fish farmers were selected making a total of 120 fish farmers. Furthermore, 45 extension staff were selected from each state making, this gave a total of 90 extension staff. Later 16 National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) scientists were selected. This gave a total of 226 respondents. Structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the sampled fish farmers, extension officers and the fish research institute scientists. Percentages, means and frequency count were used to analyse the data collected from the study. Result of the analyses shows that farmers visit to the extension officer and use of cell phone were the only effective feedback process between farmers and extension agents. Feedback process between the extension agents and the research scientists are established only through the Monthly Technology Review Meeting. None of the communication methods was effective in maintain appropriate feedback between farmers and the research scientists. Keywords: Feedback, Adoption, Transfer, Fish, Technologies, Farmers


This study evaluates 21 children treated with maxillary expansion and protraction appliances for skeletal discrepancies associated with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). The subjects were treated by the same orthodontist, using the same techniques and appliances. Mean pre- and posttreatment ages were 7.3 and 8.7 years, respectively. Each child was matched by ethnicity, sex, age, and the SN/MP angle to an untreated (non UCLP) control. Stable cranial and cranial base reference structures were used for superimposing serial cephalograms. The results showed definite protraction of the maxilla for the UCLP group. The posterior maxilla of the UCLP group underwent anterior displacement; the posterior maxilla of the control group displayed posterior growth changes. The maxillary incisor tips of the UCLP group demonstrated greater anterior movement than expected for untreated controls. Vertical changes of the maxilla showed no significant group differences. The mandible of the UCLP group was rotated inferiorly and posteriorly; the control group showed inferior/anterior changes. The lower incisor of the UCLP and control groups remained stable and moved anteriorly, respectively. The UCLP group showed significantly greater inferior movements of the anterior mandible than the control group. We concluded that differences between the control and UCLP groups are primarily related to mandibular clockwise rotation and secondarily to anterior maxillary repositioning.


A test sequence is used to select the best rule from a class of discrimination rules defined in terms of the training sequence. The Vapnik-Chervonenkis and related inequalities are used to obtain distribution-free bounds on the difference between the probability of error of the selected rule and the probability of error of the best rule in the given class. The bounds are used to prove the consistency and asymptotic optimality for several popular classes, including linear discriminators, nearest-neighbor rules, kernel-based rules, histogram rules, binary tree classifiers, and Fourier series classifiers. In particular, the method can be used to choose the smoothing parameter in kernel-based rules, to choose k in the k-nearest neighbor rule, and to choose between parametric and nonparametric rules. >


This study examined the effects of premarital counseling on newlywed communication. It was predicted that individuals who had participated in premarital counseling would have lower levels of demand/withdrawal communication and higher levels of spousal support. The effects of the format of the counseling were also examined. Individuals who had been married less than two years completed a survey measuring their marital satisfaction, levels of demand/withdraw, and perceived spousal support. Social learning theory was used as a theoretical lens. Results suggested that participating in premarital counseling has no affect on newlywed communication. Newlyweds who had been exposed to a group format during their counseling had higher marital satisfaction than those who had just participated in a one-on-one format with a counselor.


Controlling and predicting friction is a significant scientific and technological issue. It is our everyday experience that two smooth surfaces slide more easily over each other than two rough ones, due to interlocking of the rough surfaces. However, the interpretation of such friction forces is difficult since other contributions arise from e.g. adhesion forces, that are harder to control. Here, we demonstrate that designer macroscopic roughness can be used to control, dynamically tune and quantitatively predict friction. We show that the roughness allows to tune the friction coefficient by more than an order of magnitude, which can be explained completely by a simple Coulombic friction model. A kirigami metamaterial surface with externally tunable roughness allows us to show that this understanding of geometrical friction can be used to control on-the-fly the friction in a single system by dynamically controlling its roughness.


Non-viral gene vectors play an important role in the development of gene therapy. In this report, different hydrophobic chains were introduced into low molecular weight (LMW) PEI-based biodegradable oligomers to form a series of lipopolymers (LPs), and their structure-activity relationships were studied. Results revealed that the nine polymers can condense plasmid DNA well to form nanoparticles with appropriate sizes (120-250 nm) and positive zeta-potentials (+25-40 V). In vitro experiments were carried out and it was found that LP2 showed much higher transfection efficiency both in the presence and in the absence of serum under the polymer/DNA weight ratio of 0.8 in A549 cells.


BACKGROUND
Acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis, or Sweet syndrome (SS), is a condition that is presumed to be triggered by infectious disease agents. We report a case of SS associated with human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), which is of interest because Anaplasma phagocytophilum infects, multiplies in, and disrupts the function of neutrophils, the key infiltrating cell in SS.

OBSERVATIONS
A patient with initial dermatologic manifestations of SS who did not respond to standard SS treatment was suspected to have concurrent HGA with the demonstration of leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated hepatic transaminase levels. The HGA diagnosis was established when morulae in neutrophils were observed on a peripheral blood smear, a finding confirmed by both serologic examination and polymerase chain reaction on the skin biopsy specimen used to establish the SS diagnosis.

CONCLUSION
The significant involvement of neutrophils with both SS and HGA warrants a broader search for additional cases that may further define whether pathogenetic linkages could exist.


Self-categorization theory suggests that inter-group comparisons inform individual behaviour by affecting perceived in-group stereotypes that are internalized by group members. The present paper provides evidence for this chain of effects in the domain of environmental behaviour. In two studies, inter-group comparative context was manipulated. Study 1 found that the perceived in-group stereotype, self-stereotype (as represented by the reported value centrality), and behavioural intentions shifted away from a comparison out-group (irrespective of whether this was an upward or downward comparison). Study 1 also revealed that the effect of comparative context on individual environmental intentions was mediated by the perceived in-group stereotype and by changes in personal values. Study 2 extrapolated the observed effect on actual behavioural choices. The findings demonstrate the utility of a self-categorization approach to individual behaviour change.


As all of you know the recent hurricanes have devastated parts of our Chapter. Not only have wetland ecosystems been severely damaged, but also many SWS members have been directly impacted. The South Central Chapter, under the leadership of President Elect Dr. Andy Nyman, is developing ways for the Chapter to play a role in the rebuilding and restoration process. To date we have developed a "Statement of Purpose" for maximizing science in the rebuilding of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The statement, as follows, is also posted it on the Chapter website.


The recent threat of bioterrorism has fueled debate on smallpox vaccination policy for the United States. Certain policy proposals call for voluntary mass vaccination; however, if individuals decide whether to vaccinate according to self-interest, the level of herd immunity achieved may differ from what is best for the population as a whole. We present a synthesis of game theory and epidemic modeling that formalizes this conflict between self-interest and group interest and shows that voluntary vaccination is unlikely to reach the group-optimal level. This shortfall results in a substantial increase in expected mortality after an attack.


BACKGROUND
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis and there are reports associating their use with the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

AIM
To determine if PPI use is associated with major adverse renal events (MARE) in patients with CKD.

DESIGN
Observational cohort study comprising patients with CKD attending secondary care renal clinics from 01/01/2006 until 31/12/2016.

METHODS
We collated baseline clinical, socio-demographic and biochemical data at start of PPI (PPI group) or study inception (control group). MARE was considered a composite of doubling of creatinine or end stage renal disease. Association between PPI exposure and progression to MARE was assessed by cause-specific hazards competing risk survival analysis.

RESULTS
There were 3,824 patients with CKD included in the analyses of whom 1,195 were prescribed a PPI. The PPI group was younger (64.8 vs 67.0 years, p < 0.001), with lower eGFR (30 vs 35 ml/min, p < 0.001) and more proteinuria (64 vs 48 mg/mmol, p < 0.001). PPI use was associated with progression to MARE on multivariable adjustment (HR 1.13 [95% CI 1.02-1.25], p = 0.021). Other factors significantly associated with progression to MARE were higher systolic blood pressure, lower eGFR, greater proteinuria, congestive cardiac failure and diabetes. Hypomagnesaemia was more common in the PPI group (39.5 vs 18.9%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
PPI use was associated with progression to MARE, but not death in patients with CKD after adjusting for factors known to predict declining renal function, including lower eGFR, proteinuria and comorbidities. A prospective cohort study is required to validate these findings.


Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the process of managing IT infrastructure via programmable configuration files (also called IaC scripts). Like other software artifacts, IaC scripts may contain security smells, which are coding patterns that can result in security weaknesses. Automated analysis tools to detect security smells in IaC scripts exist, but they focus on specific technologies such as Puppet, Ansible, or Chef. This means that when the detection of a new smell is implemented in one of the tools, it is not immediately available for the technologies supported by the other tools—the only option is to duplicate the effort. This paper presents GLITCH, a new technology-agnostic framework that enables automated polyglot smell detection by transforming IaC scripts into an intermediate representation, on which different security smell detectors can be defined. GLITCH currently supports the detection of nine different security smells in scripts written in Puppet, Ansible, or Chef. We compare GLITCH with state-of-the-art security smell detectors. The results obtained not only show that GLITCH can reduce the effort of writing security smell analyses for multiple IaC technologies, but also that it has higher precision and recall than the current state-of-the-art tools.


with oral conitraceptives. Without being able categorically to deny this possibility I think it unlikely for the following reasons. Retinol in human blood is predominantly bound to a specific transport-protedin known as the retinol-binding protein (RBP). Under physiological conditions RBP ibinds to prealbumin.4 The amount of free retinol is very small, indeed. Using a fluorescence assay5 measurements have been made of the amoun-t of RBP,in plasma from 10 women before starting to take a combined oral contraceptive (Minovlar: 1 mg nocethisterone acetate and 50 ,ug ethynylestradiol) and again after three months' treatment. The mean pretreatment level of RBP was 42±8 (S.D.) ,ug/ml, but this rose to 75 ± 10 ug/ml during treatmenrt. This finding indicates that the rise in iseruum vitamin A level during the taking of oral contraceptives is due to an increased concentrtion of RBP. The amount of free retinod is unchanged. Hypervitaminosis A and the teratogeic effects of the vitamnm in pregnant animls are seen with doses which far exceed the binding capacty of RBP. I,t seems unlikely that an increase in protein-bound retinol is hazadous. A very analogous isiituation occurs with coricosterodds, where plasma levels are very high in women taking oral cotraceptives owng to an increase in,transcartin.6 The increase in plasma RBP seen in women taking oral contraceptives is probably due to the oestirogen component, for plasma retinol is not increased by progestogens alone.2 Serum vitamin A is also raised in volunteers exposed to DDT,7 for this compound yields oestrogenic mexabolites.-I am, etc., M. H. BRIGGS Biochemistry Department, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne


In symbioses between invertebrates and microalgae, host tissues are exposed to increased levels of photosynthetically produced oxygen. The biochemical consequences of symbioses have been poorly investigated in Mediterranean species, but a general increase in antioxidant defences has been recently reported in the demosponge Petrosia ficiformis as an adaptive response to the cyanobacterium Aphanocapsa feldmanni. Since Mediterranean symbioses naturally experi- ence marked seasonal variations in symbiont content, light intensity and seawater temperature, the aim of this work was to investigate if these fluctuations modulate the prooxidant challenge to sponge tissues. Antioxidant efficiency was characterised on a monthly basis by combining an analysis of the main antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferases, glutathione reduc- tase, glutathione peroxidases) with measurements of the total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC), thus achieving a more holistic assessment of the capacity of sponge tissues to absorb differ- ent forms of reactive oxygen species. Symbiotic sponges showed significant seasonal changes in antioxidant efficiency, with more marked variations in tissues directly exposed to photosynthetically produced reactive oxygen species. The greatest variations were observed during the summer months, with the highest seasonal values for some defences (i.e. catalase) and the lowest for others (i.e. glutathione peroxidases). The marked increase in catalase and TOSC in summer suggests greater production of H2O2 in the symbioses during this period, supporting the hypothesis that sea- water temperature can significantly modulate the prooxidant challenge in Mediterranean symbioses. The results suggest that species with lower antioxidant efficiency may be less tolerant of conditions effecting oxidative damage; e.g. increases in temperature during the summer months.


Constitutional conventions are of central importance to the operation of the Canadian constitution; the constitution cannot be understood without reference to them. Yet their effect on the constitutionality of the federal government's successive proposals for reforming the Senate, which aim at making most or all senators elected rather than appointed at the Prime Minister's discretion as they are now, has not received much attention. Constitutional conventions are essential to an assessment of the constitutionality of the proposed Senate reform. Although the government's proposal does not affect formal constitutional provisions, it would change the actual operation of the constitution by subverting the conventions which make the prime minister responsible for senatorial appointments and require the unelected Senate to yield to the House of Commons.We argue that he amending formula of the Constitution Act, 1982, must be interpreted to take these conventions into account. Conventions are underpinned by constitutional principles and are an essential part of the context in which constitutional text must be understood. For the constitution to be a "living tree," its interpretation must, so far as possible, be consistent with the way it is actually lived. The "method of selecting Senators" and the "powers of the Senate," which par. 42(1)(b) of the Constitution Act, 1982, protects from unilateral amendment by Parliament are not those that exist only on paper, but those of the living constitution. Because the government's Senate reform proposal would change them, it can only be enacted under par. 42(1)(b). In its present form, it is unconstitutional.


In preclinical studies, the investigational CXCR1/2 inhibitor ladarixin was shown to prevent and reverse diabetes in NOD mice. On this basis, a multicenter clinical trial in adult patients with new onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) was conducted (NCT02814838). Patients (Table 1) were randomized 2:1 to ladarixin (LDX) 400 mg BID or placebo (PLA) and randomized within 100 days from first insulin administration. Patients received 3 treatment cycles, each consisting of 14 days on and 14 days off drug, and were then followed up for 12 months. The difference between LDX and PLA in mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT) AUC of C peptide was statistically significant neither at week 13 (primary endpoint, p=0.330) nor at week 26 (p=0.404). Conversely, at week 26 patients having HbA1c In patients with baseline fasting C-peptide below the median value of trial population (prespecified subgroup analysis), the difference between LDX and PLA in MMTT AUC of C peptide trended at week 13 (p=0.111) and reached statistical significance at week 26 (p=0.041). Adverse Reactions occurring in ≥10% of patients included dyspepsia (16% LDX vs. 0% PLA) and headache (16% LDX vs. 15.4% PLA). Although primary endpoint was not met, secondary and subgroup analyses suggest further investigation of LDX in new onset T1D may be warranted. Disclosure E. Bosi: Consultant; Self; Abbott, Eli Lilly and Company, Medtronic, Novartis AG, Roche Diabetes Care, Sanofi. P. Pozzilli: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company. Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Sanofi. F. Giorgino: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk Inc., Roche Diabetes Care, Sanofi. Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., LifeScan, Inc., MedImmune, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Roche Diabetes Care, Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, LifeScan, Inc., Takeda Development Centre Europe Ltd. E. Cossu: None. T. Linn: Advisory Panel; Self; Dompe Pharmaceuticals. L. Rose: None. B. Keymeulen: None. P. Gillard: None. L. Daffonchio: Employee; Self; Domp farmaceutici S.p.A. P.A. Ruffini: Employee; Self; Domp farmaceutici S.p.A., Domp farmaceutici S.p.A. M. Allegretti: Employee; Self; Domp Farmaceutici spa. L. Piemonti: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca, Roche Diabetes Care, Semma Therapeutics, Inc.


: Orienting network is an important part of attention system and it includes two major tasks: visual orienting and visual search. For these two tasks, typically developed group showed similar neural mechanisms. However, from a perspective of attention to non-social information, different behavioral patterns were observed between visual orienting and visual search in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) group. Regarding visual orienting, the consensus is that ASD individuals are intact in attentional shift but have difficulty in attentional disengagement; however, this conclusion is still controversial. Regarding visual search, ASD individuals have superior search ability, but its time sequence and reasons deserves further exploration. Future studies should identify the hemispherical symmetry of ASD individuals in visual orienting task, the underlying mechanisms of visual search advantage


Adversarial robustness has attracted extensive studies recently by revealing the vulnerability and intrinsic characteristics of deep networks. However, existing works on adversarial robustness mainly focus on balanced datasets, while real-world data usually exhibits a long-tailed distribution. To push adversarial robustness towards more realistic scenarios, in this work we investigate the adversarial vulnerability as well as defense under long-tailed distributions. In particular, we first reveal the negative impacts induced by imbalanced data on both recognition performance and adversarial robustness, uncovering the intrinsic challenges of this problem. We then perform a systematic study on existing long-tailed recognition methods in conjunction with the adversarial training framework. Several valuable observations are obtained: 1) natural accuracy is relatively easy to improve, 2) fake gain of robust accuracy exists under unreliable evaluation, and 3) boundary error limits the promotion of robustness. Inspired by these observations, we propose a clean yet effective framework, RoBal, which consists of two dedicated modules, a scale-invariant classifier and data re-balancing via both margin engineering at training stage and boundary adjustment during inference. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of our approach over other state-of-the-art defense methods. To our best knowledge, we are the first to tackle adversarial robustness under long-tailed distributions, which we believe would be a significant step towards real-world robustness. Our code is available at: https://github.com/wutong16/Adversarial_Long-Tail.


We introduce the notion of the stopping redundancy hierarchy of a linear block code as a measure of the tradeoff between performance and complexity of iterative decoding for the binary erasure channel. We derive lower and upper bounds for the stopping redundancy hierarchy via Lovasz's local lemma (LLL) and Bonferroni-type inequalities, and specialize them for codes with cyclic parity-check matrices. Based on the observed properties of parity-check matrices with good stopping redundancy characteristics, we develop a novel decoding technique, termed automorphism group decoding, that combines iterative message passing and permutation decoding. We also present bounds on the smallest number of permutations of an automorphism group decoder needed to correct any set of erasures up to a prescribed size. Simulation results demonstrate that for a large number of algebraic codes, the performance of the new decoding method is close to that of maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding.


This paper is one of a series of papers about monetary policy and the economy. The focus of this particular paper is the way banks have changed their behaviour as a result of the process of deregulation that began in the 1970s and accelerated in the 1980s. The principal theme of the paper is the shift from asset management to liability management that accompanied deregulation. This change in particular has had implications for the behaviour and interpretation of financial aggregates. The paper is largely historical but includes some comments on recent changes, including to SRD arrangements.


Electroencephalography (EEG) signals are one of the most popular signals used for brain–machine interfaces (BMIs). EEG-based BMI methods often work in batch mode, where a user must conduct the learning phase for a pre-determined period of time. This paper proposes an EEG-based sequential BMI system in which (i) the machine can determine when to end the learning phase automatically by monitoring the learning progress using the sequential error rate (SER) as an evaluation index and (ii) sequential learning in both the brain and the machine in a cooperative manner is employed. In the proposed approach, called brain–machine co-learning, subjects learn how to use the system by means of real-time visual feedback, whereas the machine learns the subjects' EEG signals by Bayesian sequential learning. The SER refers to the average classification error rate windowed over a short time period, which was proposed in Hara et al. , Sequential error rate evaluation of SSVEP classification Problem with Bayesian sequential learning, Proc. 10th IEEE Int. Conf. on Information Technology and Applications in Biomedicine , Corfu, Greece, November 2–5, 2010, and it represents the status of Bayesian sequential learning in real time. In our proposed approach, subjects can use the system while eliminating unnecessary training. The proposed system was tested against a steady-state visual-evoked potential classification problem. The training phase varied for each subject and was sometimes short, yet satisfactory, leading to high classification accuracy.


Standards concerned with the development of safety-critical systems, and the software in such systems in particular, abound today as the software crisis increasingly affects the world of embedded computer-based systems. The use of formal methods is often advocated as a way of increasing confidence in such systems. This paper examines the industrial use of these techniques, the recommendations concerning formal methods in a number of current and draft standards, and comments on the applicability and problems of using formal methods for the development of safety-critical systems on an industrial scale. Some possible future directions are suggested.


Bankruptcy Code § 546(e) contains a safe harbor that prevents avoidance of a securities settlement payment, e.g., as a preferential or constructively fraudulent transfer. This amicus brief was filed in Merit Mgmt. Grp. v. FTI Consulting, Inc., No. 16-784 (U.S.). The brief explains how § 546(e) rationally constrains its scope via the statutory specification that the safe harbor only applies (because it need only apply) if the "transfer" sought to be avoided was allegedly "made by or to (or for the benefit of)" a protected securities market intermediary, such as a stockbroker or a financial institution.
Ascertaining the meaning and function of that determinative scope language requires an understanding of (1) the concept of a "transfer" as the fundamental analytical transaction unit throughout the Code's avoidance provisions, and (2) the relationship between that avoidable "transfer" concept and the inextricably interrelated concepts of who that "transfer" is "made by or to (or for the benefit of)." By its express terms, § 546(e) only shields a challenged "transfer" from avoidance if (1) that transfer was "made by" a debtor-transferor who was a qualifying intermediary, "or" (2) a party with potential liability — because the challenged transfer allegedly was made "to or for the benefit of" that party — was a protected intermediary.


The presence and behavior of private labels add a significant dimension to price competition among the food system's subsectors. Recent surveys in two college towns in Texas show a larger price difference between national brands and private labels than previous studies. The increase in price differences are attributed to "horizontal" and "vertical" influences on prices and also to advertising and the proliferation of brands. This competitive process gives the consumer the advantage of new products and products with brand appeal (national brands) as well as low cost copies (private labels) of these successful products.


Northern Ireland has made headlines around the world for three decades. The province has become synonymous with conflict, terrorism and tortuous efforts to forge peace. But what is life there really like? In this enchanting and highly original book Martin Fletcher presents a portrait of Northern Ireland utterly at odds with its dire international image. He paints a compelling picture of a place caught in a time warp since the 1960s, of a land of mountains, lakes and rivers where customs, traditions and old-world charm survive, of an incredibly resourceful province that has given the world not just bombs and bullets but the Titanic, the tyre and the tractor, a dozen American presidents, two prime ministers of New Zealand and a Hindu god. He meets an intelligent, fun-loving, God-fearing people who may do terrible things to each other but who could not be more welcoming to outsiders. He describes a land of awful beauty, a battleground of good and evil, a province populated by saints and sinners that has yet to be rendered bland by the forces of modernity.


Data on 37 chemical products are used to test a number of hypotheses about the learning curve and industrial price behavior. The results document a strong and consistent learning effect. Learning is found to be a function of cumulated industry output and cumulated investment rather than calendar time. Standard economies of scale appear significant but small in magnitude relative to the learning effect. Variations in the slope of the learning curve are linked to differences in R&D expenditures and capital intensity. Market concentration is found to be a strong influence on price flexibility and the timing of learning-related price changes.


Abstract Intensive use of external inputs in specialized industrial farming systems has created significant socio-ecological externalities, including water and air pollution from nutrients and pesticides, soil erosion and depletion of carbon stocks, biodiversity loss and rising production costs. Ecological intensification is a strategy for reducing reliance on inputs by intentionally designing agroecosystems to harness biological processes and ecological relationships for the sustainable functioning of the system. Incorporating perennials and diversifying systems are two avenues for achieving ecological intensification, and both are characteristics of agroforestry. This preliminary report uses examples of agroforestry in the US state of California as a proof of concept to explore the agronomic and economic feasibility and sustainability benefits of agroforestry in intensive irrigated and temperate farming systems. An exploratory study of farmers experimenting with agroforestry systems and other agricultural professionals identified eight different variants of agroforestry systems being practiced on prime agricultural land in California, ranging from simple use of winter cover crops in orchards to multi-storied cropping systems with integrated grazing. Respondents noted benefits of reduced inputs and production costs, and better nutrient cycling, soil health and pest control. Trade-offs and challenges included increases in labor requirements and management complexity. Knowledge gaps included lack of guidance in biophysical systems design, lack of clarity about economic tradeoffs, and lack of information about ecosystem services benefits. In light of interviewees' responses, we discuss the constraints and factors needed to foster the successful expansion of agroforestry systems in California and other regions characterized by industrialized farming.


The samples of the Citrus fruits viz., lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfayden), bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poit.), bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.), sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) were collected from southern Turkey (Antalya) in November 2006 and their peel oils were obtained by coldpressing process. The antimicrobial activities of Turkish Citrus peel oils were evaluated using the disk diffusion method toward 9 bacteria and the results compared with those for penicillin-g, ampicillin, cefotaxime, vancomycine, oflaxacin and tetracycline. Antifungal activities were reported for Kluyveromyces fragilis, Rhodotorula rubra, Candida albicans, Hanseniaspora guilliermondii and Debaryomyces hansenii yeasts, and the results were referenced against nystatin, ketaconazole and clotrimazole antifungal agents. The Citrus peel oils showed strong antimicrobial activity against the test organisms. Lemon and bergamot peel oils have a little higher activity than the other Citrus peel oils.


In this study, thin films of pure ZnO and  doped ZnO with different percentages of gallium (0.5, 1, 2 and 4vt. %) on the glass substrates were deposited by using sol-gel method via spin coating technique at 2500 rpm, and all layers were annealed at 200°C for 1h and then Were examined their electrical, optical and structural properties. Concentration of all solution was 0.1M. The results show that the optimized layer is 0.5% GZO. By examining the transmittance spectrums we find that by doping the transparency of samples were improved and all samples in the visible areas 400-800nm are transparent. The electrical conductivity of all samples has been measured by four-point probe technique. The electrical conductivitys of pure ZnO sample and 0.5% GZO are 910-5 S/cm and 110-4 S/cm respectively. It can be a good choice for optoelectronic applications. Also X-ray diffraction results showed that diffraction peaks of 0.5% GZO sample have a small changes towards lower angles compared to the diffraction peaks of ZnO.


Therapeutic horse riding or hippotherapy is used as an intervention for treating individuals with mental and physical disabilities. Equine-assisted interventions are based on the hypothesis that the movement of the horse's pelvis during horseback riding resembles human ambulation, and thus provides motor and sensory inputs similar to those received during human walking. However, this hypothesis has not been investigated quantitatively and qualitatively. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis by conducting a three-dimensional analysis of the horse's movements while walking and human ambulation. Using four sets of equipments, we analysed the acceleration patterns of walking in 50 healthy humans and 11 horses. In addition, we analysed the exercise intensity by comparing the heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure of 127 healthy individuals before and after walking and horse riding. The acceleration data series of the stride phase of horse walking were compared with those of human walking, and the frequencies (in Hz) were analysed by Fast Fourier transform. The acceleration curves of human walking overlapped with those of horse walking, with the frequency band of human walking corresponding with that of horse walking. Exercise intensity, as measured by the heart rate and breathing rate, was not significantly different between horse riding and human walking. The levels of diastolic blood pressure were slightly higher during horse riding than during walking, but were lower during both conditions compared with those in normal conditions (P < 0.01). The present study shows that, although not completely matched, the accelerations of the horse and human walking are comparable quantitatively and qualitatively. Horse riding at a walking gait could generate motor and sensory inputs similar to those produced by human walking, and thus could provide optimum benefits to persons with ambulatory difficulties.


We study the dynamics of a chiral SU(2) gauge theory with a Weyl fermion in the I=3/2 representation and of its supersymmetric generalization. In the former, we find a new and exotic mechanism of confinement, induced by topological excitations that we refer to as magnetic quintets. The supersymmetric version was examined earlier in the context of dynamical supersymmetry breaking by Intriligator, Seiberg, and Shenker, who showed that if this gauge theory confines at the origin of moduli space, one may break supersymmetry by adding a tree level superpotential. We examine the dynamics by deforming the theory on S^1 x R^3, and show that the infrared behavior of this theory is an interacting CFT at small S^1. We argue that this continues to hold at large S^1, and if so, that supersymmetry must remain unbroken. Our methods also provide the microscopic origin of various superpotentials in SQCD on S^1 x R^3 - which were previously obtained by using symmetry and holomorphy - and resolve a long standing interpretational puzzle concerning a flux operator discovered by Affleck, Harvey, and Witten. It is generated by a topological excitation, a "magnetic bion", whose stability is due to fermion pair exchange between its constituents. We also briefly comment on composite monopole operators as leading effects in two dimensional anti-ferromagnets.


Osteoblasts are versatile cells involved in multiple whole‐body processes, including bone formation and immune response. Secretory amounts and patterns of osteoblast‐derived proteins such as osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OCN) modulate osteoblast function. However, the regulatory mechanism of OPN and OCN expression remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that p54/p46 c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) inhibition suppresses matrix mineralization and OCN expression but increases OPN expression in MC3T3‐E1 cells and primary osteoblasts treated with differentiation inducers, including ascorbic acid, bone morphogenic protein‐2, or fibroblast growth factor 2. Preinhibition of JNK before the onset of differentiation increased the number of osteoblasts that highly express OPN but not OCN (OPN‐OBs), indicating that JNK affects OPN secretory phenotype at the early stage of osteogenic differentiation. Additionally, we identified JNK2 isoform as being critically involved in OPN‐OB differentiation. Microarray analysis revealed that OPN‐OBs express characteristic transcription factors, cell surface markers, and cytokines, including glycoprotein hormone α2 and endothelial cell–specific molecule 1. Moreover, we found that inhibitor of DNA binding 4 is an important regulator of OPN‐OB differentiation and that dual‐specificity phosphatase 16, a JNK‐specific phosphatase, functions as an endogenous regulator of OPN‐OB induction. OPN‐OB phenotype was also observed following LPS from Porphyromonas gingivalis stimulation during osteogenic differentiation. Collectively, these results suggest that the JNK‐Id4 signaling axis is crucial in the control of OPN and OCN expression during osteoblastic differentiation.—Kusuyama, J., Amir, M. S., Albertson, B. G., Bandow, K., Ohnishi, T., Nakamura, T., Noguchi, K., Shima, K., Semba, I., Matsuguchi, T. JNK inactivation suppresses osteogenic differentiation, but robustly induces osteopontin expression in osteoblasts through the induction of inhibitor of DNA binding 4 (Id4). FASEB J. 33, 7331–7347 (2019). www.fasebj.org


The increasing importance of wireless communications, involving electronic devices, has been widely recognized. Performance is a fundamental issue, resulting in more reliable and efficient communications. Security is also crucially important. Laboratory measurements are presented about several performance aspects of Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11ac WPA2 point-to-point links. Our study contributes to performance evaluation of this technology under WPA2 encryption, using available equipment (Cisco 2702i access points and TP-Link AC1900 USB 3.0 adapters). New results are given from TCP and UDP experiments concerning TCP throughput versus TCP packet length, jitter and percentage datagram loss versus UDP datagram size. Comparisons are made to corresponding results for WPA2 802.11n. Conclusions are drawn about the comparative performance of the links.
Keywords: Wi-Fi, WLAN, IEEE 802.11ac, Wireless network laboratory performance, Point-to-Point WPA2 links


The objective of this article is to study the order allocation problems in a stochastic supply chain. This supply chain consists of a company that can order raw materials from multiple suppliers. At any time of a supply order, decisions have to be made by the company concerning the respective supplier order quantities and price breaks, so that the total purchasing cost and disruption risk cost are minimized, while maintaining a specified service level and quality. For this purpose, we have developed an integrated multi-objective decision model under random constraint to supply order allocation.


We have developed tensile and porous neutralized chitosan scaffold (NCS) whose pore size was controlled by freezing temperatures. At -70 oC, mean pore size of 112 μm was obtained. At -196 oC, mean pore size was approximately 70 μm at surface. The scaffold processed at -196 oC showed homogeneous small pores with structural integrity, which may be more useful as a guidance dermal scaffold for inward cell migration. The scaffold processed at –70 oC may be more useful for cell loading scaffold requiring wider pore. Since biodegradability and biocompatibility are crucial parameters for the development of dermal scaffold, we evaluated the rate of NCS degradation in the culture medium containing lysozyme by measuring weight loss as well as mean molecular weight of the scaffold. Approximately 40% weight loss at one week and 70% weight loss at 30 days was observed, which means that 70% of the scaffold will be degraded and releasable if the wound microenvironment is similar to the test condition. Again, mean molecular weight of the scaffold based on gel permeation chromatography was less than 1x105 after 10 day incubation. This result suggests that degradation of the NCS begins earlier than the observation of gross weight loss. We also evaluated whether degradation product of NCS are toxic to the human dermal fibroblast or not. Chitosan oligomer up to 1.0 mg/ml, which corresponds to 10% of the total degradation derivatives of the NCS, did not affect the viability of the dermal fibroblast based on MTT assay. This result along with the biodegradation data suggests that the NCS can be developed as suitable dermal scaffold.


Peptidoglycan (PG), also known as murein, is an essential component in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, even if the chemical structure has been well-known for long, the great tertiary structure remains not clear due to its variability and complicated cross-link mechanism. And it inevitably raises the huge challenge for computational simulations. Against the background, here we present a method for building a solvated peptidoglycan system at coarse-grained level as required. The method is named PEPpy, which represents a Peptidoglycan python code. It reads in the user's parameters in sequence and automatically generates a topological file and a structure file in the meantime. With these files generated, molecular dynamics simulations and a series of analyses can be easily performed afterwards. PEPpy: A tool to generate bacterial peptidoglycan scaffolds for coarse-grained simulations


Thank you very much for downloading after culture anthropology as radical metaphysical critique. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look numerous times for their chosen novels like this after culture anthropology as radical metaphysical critique, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some malicious virus inside their computer.


This article will explain why training is so important to the success of internal audit. Several new initiatives will be outlined covering the IIA's new internal audit competencies, the NVQ scheme, learning and the so called "expert", along with a newly developed three circles model. The material is intended to allow audit management to assess where its audit shop stands in terms of its current strategy. The next step is to carry out a formal assessment of the staff development strategy by using the enclosed checklist. Keeping up to date is essential since no audit shop can afford to be left behind. We are concerned with developing your staff. The top and bottom line revolves around this all‐important concept. The next step is to establish whether you are in a position to live up to your contention. Test your position – if you mean to do more than merely pay lip service to staff development, you might consider the material in this article and work out how much you are already doing and how much further you may need to go.


As lightning surges are considered to be the most dangerous events in power distribution systems, the more we know about them the better we can select and coordinate protection devices. Moreover, a better knowledge of lightning surges gives rise to the accurate positioning of device protection, the reduction of insulation costs at installations and allows operation with well-known risks of failure. The development of a computer application based on fuzzy logic techniques, which allow the determination of the accurate position of the surge arrester in power systems, controls the risk of failure, thus permitting the selection of appropriate protection schemes for each network. As a consequence, protection costs are reduced in accordance with the costs of the elements actually protected and the continuity of service to be achieved.


Internet traffic is rapidly increasing, as well as the number of users. The increased link speeds result in smaller available time for the lookup and, hence, require faster lookup algorithms. There is a trade-off between complexities of the IP lookups and the IP lookup table updates. In this paper, we propose, implement and analyze lookup table updating for parallel optimized linear pipeline (POLP) lookup algorithm and balanced parallelized frugal lookup algorithm (BPFL). We compare POLP and BPFL update algorithms in terms of their execution times for real-world routing tables. In order to analyze the influence of updates on packet forwarding, we will observe the number of memory accesses when the lookup tables are updated due to the network topology changes. For both lookup algorithms, we measure the memory requirements as well. Our analysis will show that the BPFL update algorithm has the smaller memory requirements, while the POLP update algorithm is faster.


This article studies the design and valuation of debt contracts in a general dynamic setting under uncertainty. We incorporate some insights of the recent corporate finance literature into a valuation framework. The basic framework is an extensive form game determined by the terms of a debt contract and applicable bankruptcy laws. Debtholders and equityholders behave noncooperatively. The firm's reorganization boundary is determined endogenously. Strategic debt service results in significantly higher default premia at even small liquidation costs. Deviations from absolute priority and forced liquidations occur along the equilibrium path. The design tends to stress higher coupons and sinking funds when firms have a higher cash payout ratio. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.


Summary The European Concerted Action on Thrombosis (ECAT) DVT Study was a collaborative study of preoperative haemostatic tests in prediction of DVT (diagnosed by routine bilateral venography) after elective hip replacement. 480 patients were recruited in 11 centres across Europe. Clinical risk factors were assessed, and stored citrated plasma aliquots were centrally assayed for 29 haemostatic factors according to the ECAT methodology. 120 (32%) of 375 evaluable patients had DVT, and 41 (11%) had proximal DVT. Among clinical variables, DVT was significantly associated with increased age, obesity, and possibly non-use of stockings. Of the 29 haemostatic factors, mean preoperative levels were significantly higher in patients with subsequent DVT (on univariate analyses) for factor VIII activity, prothrombin fragment F1+2, thrombin-antithrombin complexes, and fibrin D-dimer; and significantly lower for APTT and APC sensitivity ratio. Factor V Leiden was also associated with DVT. Most of these variables were also associated with age, while D-dimer was higher in patients with varicose veins. On multivariate analyses including clinical variables, only a shorter APTT (locally but not centrally performed) and APC resistance showed a statistically significant association with DVT. We conclude that (a) DVT is common after elective hip replacement despite prophylaxis; (b) the study provides some evidence that DVT is associated with a preoperative hypercoaguable state; and (c) preoperative haemostatic tests do not add significantly to prediction of DVT from clinical variables, with the possible exception of APC resistance.


EDITOR, I am moved to write, having just read the obituary of Dr John GP Williams, published in Volume No 29, Number 4, December 1995. I was a trainee of Dr Williams in the early part of 1979. During my time with him at the Farnham Park Rehabilitation Centre I learnt an enormous amount of sports medicine and, more importantly, the practice of sports medicine. As described in Dr Williams' obituary he was primarily a physician and then a surgeon. His hands-on approach to patients was a hallmark of his practice and I believe was the single most important thing impressed upon me at the time. I still teach his philosophy to my students today. I wish to emphasise to all the readers of your journal that the contribution Dr Williams made to sports medicine around the world is enormous. He has influenced many ofmy colleagues directly through his teaching and research and we owe him a huge debt. At a personal level, I attribute my success in sports medicine largely to the teaching of Dr Williams who was, in every sense, my mentor. He will be greatly missed.


Fibrin(ogen) deficiency (Fg-/-) was shown previously to be compatible with rapid thrombus growth within injured arterioles, but platelet fibronectin content was increased and newly formed thrombi were unstable. To further define the role of fibrin(ogen) in thrombus formation and stabilization, platelet biology was examined in mice expressing a form of fibrinogen that clots normally but lacks the gamma chain C-terminal binding site for alpha IIb beta 3 (Fg gamma Delta 5). Thrombus growth within the arterioles of Fg gamma Delta 5 mice appeared faster than in wild-type mice despite a far greater emboli formation. Unlike Fg-/- mice, the emboli were relatively small and released from the top of thrombi, rather than by fracture at the vessel wall. The fibronectin content in Fg gamma Delta 5 platelets was also dramatically increased through a beta 3 integrin-dependent mechanism. The following has been concluded: (1) Fibrin formation contributes to, but is not sufficient for, the stabilization of arterial thrombi. Platelet receptor engagement of the C-terminal of the Fg gamma chain contributes to the stable incorporation of platelets into thrombi. (2) Alternative ligands to fibrinogen can support efficient thrombus growth. (3) Fibrinogen is internalized through alpha IIb beta 3 engagement of the fibrinogen gamma chain element, and this interaction secondarily controls the fibronectin content of platelets.


This study was conducted to analysis of the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) for anticipating the effect of oil spills on the environment in coastal areas. The study location is the coastal area and waters of the Karas District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua Province, Indonesia. The purpose of the study is to determine the priority of areas that are sensitive to oil spills. This method was carried out by scoring each unit of land based on vulnerability, conservation, and social values. ESI Analysis was carried out through geographic information systems and classified into 5 classes of sensitivity levels. The land use classification was carried out through satellite imagery and field surveys conducted in December 2018. The results of resource classification can be divided into 16 classes. The ESI analysis showed that most (51%) were categorized as insensitive, sensitive low 24%, very sensitive 15%, moderately sensitive 6%, and sensitive 4%. Although most are not sensitive, it should be followed by effective environmental protection to maintain sustainable development.


Abstract Background: In rabies endemic areas, re-exposures to rabies are quite common and the incidence could be up to 15%. The recent guidelines of World Health Organization do not specify the duration of protection provided by previous pre- or post exposure prophylaxis. This often puts the treating physician in a dilemma in such cases of re-exposure. Objective: Study the time interval between primary and booster vaccination in individuals who have taken previously a full course of either pre- or post exposure prophylaxis and are now re-exposed to rabies. Methods: The data obtained through a literature search using Pubmed and advanced Google search along with data from in house clinical trials were used for analysis. Sixty-six vaccine cohorts spanning more than 27 years from 1983 to 2010 from six countries were studied. The duration of protection offered by previous vaccination was assessed by using a surrogate marker of adequate (> 0.5 IU per mL) rabies virus neutralizing antibody levels in the individuals vaccinated either by pre-exposure or post exposure regimens received by intramuscular or intradermal routes. Results: The proportions of 2,795 subjects who had received prior post-exposure immunization and produced rabies virus neutralizing antibody levels of less than 0.5 IU per mL were 0.07% and 0.14% at the end of the first and third month post primary vaccination. All 577 subjects with previous pre-exposure vaccination had antibody responses above 0.5 IU per mL at the end of the first and third month post primary vaccination. Conclusion: We concluded that it may be safe for up to three months after previous pre- or post exposure vaccination to not administer boosters to healthy subjects who have been re-exposed to rabies.


Abstract: Unggahan tradition in a ritual that is unique and full of magical feel. Unggahan conducted at sites considered sacred and trusted local people can get closer to the Almighty. This ritual in understood as a form of preservation of cultural heritage. In the social and cultural context, unggahan can be used as a vehicle for social cohesion, a means of togetherness of community members. In a unggahan ritual procession, community members gathered togheter without any barriers in the class and social status. Unggahan centred in rural communities Bonokeling Pekuncen Jatilawang District of Banyumas. All members of the community, including "child putu" of the various regions, both in the district of the Banyumas, Cilacap, Banjarnegara, even in far away arears come together in Pekuncen. Unggahan also become a means of gathering the family and as well as a social, cultural, and religious transformation. Unggahan is an expression of piety society where a sense of mutual assistance, solidarity and togetherness become main patterns of this tradition.
Keyword: Unggahan, Transformation, Religion, Social, Culture.


Steady-state heat transfer through a rarefied gas confined between parallel plates or coaxial cylinders, whose surfaces are maintained at different temperatures, is investigated using the nonlinear Shakhov (S) model kinetic equation and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) technique in the slip regime. The profiles of heat flux and temperature are reported for different values of gas rarefaction parameter d, ratios of hotter to cooler surface temperatures T , and inner to outer radii ratio R. The results of S-modelkinetic equation and DSMC technique are compared to the numerical and analytical solutions of the Fourier equation subjected to the Lin and Willis temperature-jump boundary condition. The analytical expressions are derived for temperature and heat flux for both geometries with hotter and colder surfaces having different values of the thermal accommodation coefficient. The results of the comparison between the kinetic and continuum approaches showed that the Lin and Willis temperature-jump model accurately predicts heat flux and temperature profiles for small temperature ratio T = 1.1 and large radius ratios R > 0.5; however, for large temperature ratio, a pronounced disagreement is observed.


Purpose: Dysregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR pathway is seen in 40% to 60% of patients with colorectal cancer. Everolimus, an oral inhibitor of mTOR, showed efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancers in phase I studies. Experimental Design: In sequential phase II studies assessing two dosing schedules, patients with metastatic colorectal cancers refractory to bevacizumab-, fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based regimens received everolimus 70 mg/wk (n = 99) or 10 mg/d (n = 100). Primary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR) and objective response rate; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and duration of response or stable disease (SD). Tumor tissue was collected from all patients for predefined exploratory biomarker analyses. Results: Seventy-one patients were included in the per-protocol set for each cohort. DCRs of 31.0% and 32.4% (all SD) were seen in the weekly and daily schedules, respectively. Median duration of SD was 3.9 months in each cohort. Median PFS and OS were 1.8 and 4.9 months and 1.8 and 5.9 months, respectively, for the weekly and daily schedules. Among patients receiving daily everolimus, those with a KRAS mutation experienced significantly shorter median OS (P = 0.008) and lower DCR (P = 0.035) compared with those with wild-type KRAS in exploratory biomarker analyses. Conclusions: Everolimus 70 mg/wk or 10 mg/d was well tolerated but did not confer meaningful efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancers. Future studies may consider evaluating everolimus in combination with other agents or in patients with dysregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Clin Cancer Res; 19(14); 3987–95. ©2013 AACR.


This study analyzes the technologies used in dealing with frailty within the following areas: prevention, care, diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this paper is, on the one hand, to analyze the extent to which technology is present in terms of its relationship with frailty and what technological resources are used to treat it. Its other purpose is to define new challenges and contributions made by physiotherapy using technology. Eighty documents related to research, validation and/or the ascertaining of different types of hardware, software or both were reviewed in prominent areas. The authors used the following scales: in the area of diagnosis, Fried's phenotype model of frailty and a model based on trials for the design of devices. The technologies developed that are based on these models accounted for 55% and 45% of cases respectively. In the area of prevention, the results proved similar regarding the use of wireless sensors with cameras (35.71%), and Kinect™ sensors (28.57%) to analyze movements and postures that indicate a risk of falling. In the area of care, results were found referring to the use of different motion, physiological and environmental wireless sensors (46,15%), i.e. so-called smart homes. In the area of treatment, the results show with a percentage of 37.5% that the Nintendo® Wii™ console is the most used tool for treating frailty in elderly persons. Further work needs to be carried out to reduce the gap existing between technology, frail elderly persons, healthcare professionals and carers to bring together the different views about technology. This need raises the challenge of developing and implementing technology in physiotherapy via serious games that may via play and connectivity help to improve the functional capacity, general health and quality of life of frail individuals.


Pancreatitis, which is most generally described as any inflammation of the pancreas, is a serious condition that manifests in either acute or chronic forms. Chronic pancreatitis results from irreversible scarring of the pancreas, resulting from prolonged inflammation. Six major etiologies for chronic pancreatitis have been identified: toxic/ metabolic, idiopathic, genetic, autoimmune, recurrent and severe acute pancreatitis, and obstruction. The most common symptom associated with chronic pancreatitis is pain localized to the upper-to-middle abdomen, along with food malabsorption, and eventual development of diabetes. Treatment strategies for acute pancreatitis include fasting and short-term intravenous feeding, fluid therapy, and pain management with narcotics for severe pain or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories for milder cases. Patients with chronic disease and symptoms require further care to address digestive issues and the possible development of diabetes. Dietary restrictions are recommended, along with enzyme replacement and vitamin supplementation. More definitive outcomes may be achieved with surgical or endoscopic methods, depending on the role of the pancreatic ducts in the manifestation of disease.


Butter and anhydrous milk fat are considered valuable raw materials, therefore it is important to detect the presence of foreign fats and declare their purity. In this study, the authors compared the physical properties of pure anhydrous milk fat and its contaminated forms which were binary blends made with lard and palm fat. Tests with pulsed NMR and DSC were carried out ignoring any solvents or chemicals to observe melting and crystallization processes. Based on the results, small amounts (5-10 V/V %) of lard or palm fat can modify milk fat's behavior in perceptible extent. Despite of this, a completely unknown fat cannot be identified by these methods only. However, with multiple replications and using statistical methods pNMR and DSC can be utilized for quality control purposes.


Post industrial cities have recently seen an exponential increase in vacant and underutilised land and property. In response, this article introduces the principles of 'urban agility' (and its method: adaptive re-use) which is a heuristic concept that can be used to inform urban adaptation. The paper contrasts this approach with urban financial policy in England, revealing tension between the traditional aims of urban planning/renewal and the current fixation with urban capitalisation. Whilst the rhetoric of government policy in England is generally supportive with regard to 'urban agility,' evidenced by the recent relaxation of permitted development rights in relation to office to residential conversion, its agents of change are not. The paper concludes that contemporary mechanisms of urban finance preclude 'urban agility' and are preoccupied with buoyant economic areas and new build development. This ignores the latent value and transient possibilities of existing property stock and the dynamic needs of occupier demand. The key urban finance mechanism in England; the retained business rate model, precludes investment in existing urban development. This prohibition creates a significant barrier with regard to temporary and permanent means of countering urban depreciation and obsolescence. What this situation demands is a re-imagining of the prevalent urban business model based on progressive ideals and methods of urban value.


Pyranine, a water soluble fluorescent tracer, has been used in spray drift studies, yet there is limited information regarding analytical methods, and conflicting information on the rapidity and extent to which the pyranine may degrade. This study assessed the suitability of pyranine as a tracer for drift studies. While pyranine did decompose when exposed to sunlight whilst in solution, spray droplets dry in minutes and photodecomposition appears to be significantly slower in the solid phase. Droplet residues showed minimal photodecomposition after exposure to sunlight for 2 h. Pyranine samples could be stored in cool, dark conditions, as dried deposits or in solution, for over 2 weeks without significant degradation. Pyranine is a suitable tracer for spray drift determinations as there is no significant degradation over the time required to collect, process and measure samples allowing residues to be accurately quantified, provided liquid extracts are suitably buffered.


Melanin is an epidermal pigment commonly known to give darker skin coloration under sun exposure. It is
also present in the hair, eyes, inner ear and brain. The first function of epidermis melanin is believed to be
photoprotective against harmful ultraviolet (UV) light, but the recent increase of skin cancer correlated to an
increase of sun exposure questions the properties of melanin. Its presence in different body parts suggests
that its function is not solely protective against UV-light.
Melanin in epidermis is divided in two categories eumelanin responsible of the dark coloration and
pheomelanin, which does not have great influence on the skin shade, but gives the red coloration of hair. The
amount of skin cancer has been observed to be greater in patients presenting a fair type of skin. The
mechanism after melanin UV absorption is poorly understood. Two main problems arise in the study of
melanin photochemistry. First the pigment is believed to be an oligomer assembly of different sizes, resulting
in a broad heterogeneity of a studied sample, which makes the distinction of active species difficult. On the
other hand, this is probably a key property of melanin, to ensure a photoprotective barrier against especially
UV-light. The second main difficulty in the study of melanin is the solubility. The larger the pigment the less
soluble in aqueous solution. An additional issue in the study of melanin is the reproducibility of the sample.
The work presented here focuses on eumelanin and its interaction with UV-light. With help of fluorescence
steady state and time-resolved methods we have investigated eumelanin photochemistry. We present here a
model of the energy dissipation mechanism of the pigment after UV absorption. Our method is based first on
the study of synthetic samples, which allows us to have control over the heterogeneity and thus identify the
function of each molecule involved in the whole melanin structure. Secondly, we have performed a bottom
up approach, starting with the study of monomer constituents up to the polymer. Moreover, we have
developed a method to solubilize the polymer, which does not interfere with the photodynamics of the
molecules.
We demonstrate that the main dissipation channel of eumelanin after UV absorption in aqueous solution is
controlled by Excited State Proton Transfer (ESPT). The surrounding solvent is essential to have a rapid and
efficient UV dissipation on the order of hundreds of femtoseconds. We show that the melanin precursor
DHICA, in its polymeric form, is much more efficient than the DHI precursor in the dissipation mechanism.
Our approach brings new insight to the eumelanin photochemistry and shows that one of the eumelanin
components has great photoprotection properties against UV-light, while the other one present longer excited
state lifetimes that leave more time to the molecule to produce radicals and reactive species, possibly
responsible of melanoma formation. We hope to have brought a better understanding to the property of the
black polymer and opened a way to deepen the study of melanin and its interaction with UV-light.


Introduction With the national move to integrated sexual health services confusion regarding staff leadership and roles can increase already high levels of stress and anxiety. Costs for professional rota management services can vary so we aimed to achieve an in-house system. Methods Though co-located in the same building SRH and GU/HIV clinics were traditionally staffed separately. The local tender was awarded to the University Hospital clinic as hub with spokes providing an equitable city-wide service. Previously there were four separate rotas to staff SRH, GUM, and HIV services. Bringing together a group of health professionals with varying degrees of dual training can be difficult so we took this opportunity to ensure an adequate skill mix was available for each clinic, help staff identify who was available for advice, improve cross-specialty training and thereby enhance the overall patient experience. A clinic co-ordinator doctor role was established to provide focus for leadership and advice (GU/HIV) with corresponding clinic co-ordinator nurse staffed by senior contraception clinicians. Discussion Rotas were combined onto a single colour-coded template. Editing rights were restricted to named individuals aware of staff mix and availability. Numbers were calculated at the start of each day and communicated to reception to ensure spread of appointments. The CCD role was utilised to help teach SRH colleagues in GU with the CCN providing a reciprocal service for contraception. Combining the rota encouraged staff to integrate and get to know each other so that perceived fears were dealt with in a safe reassuring environment.


Palliative care research in South Africa is at an early stage and there is an increasing need to develop a body of evidence that is relevant to South African conditions. One of the biggest challenges that palliative care in Africa faces is the projected increase in the number of cancer patients in the developing world by 2050, many of whom will need palliative care. There is a concern at present about the integration of oncology and palliative care services in South Africa and whether or not cancer patients are able to access quality palliative care. Palliative care plays an important role in improving quality of life for people and family members affected by life-threatening illness. It pursues its goal by relieving pain and other distressing symptoms in cancer patients and giving psychosocial support to patients and their families. It should begin at diagnosis and continue throughout treatment, follow-up care, and at the end of life in addition to the cancer treatment which is given Aim of the study The aim of this study was to assess the integration of palliative care in the caring of cancer patients in the selected oncology clinics in the eThekwini district in KZN. Methodology A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to guide this study. The study was participative in nature and employed a focus group methodology. The participants in this study were professional nurses who were working at the selected sites in the public urban oncology clinics for more than three months. Two focus groups were conducted within one month of each other at selected oncology sites with participation from 16 oncology nurses. Findings Findings indicated that most participants understood palliative care as end of life care when a patient is beyond curative treatment and that it is often the doctor who determines eligibility. Participants also perceived palliative care in terms of different types of medical treatment. The findings indicated nurses only contacted hospices when the patient was at the last stage of their illness, were often not aware of all the hospices in the area, and acknowledged that communication between the oncology clinics and hospices was not good. Some nurses believed that palliative care is also provided in the oncology clinic and that it is not only the hospices that provide palliative care. Only one oncology nurse who participated in the study mentioned that she is trained in palliative care, but they all showed interest in becoming more knowledgeable in this area and improving relationships between oncology clinics and the palliative care team/hospices.


Mathematical modeling in Epidemiology is an important tool to understand the ways under which the diseases are transmitted and controlled. The mathematical modeling can be implemented via deterministic or stochastic models. Deterministic models are based on short systems of non-linear ordinary differential equations and the stochastic models are based on very large systems of linear differential equations. Deterministic models admit complete, rigorous and automatic analysis of stability both local and global from which is possible to derive the algebraic expressions for the basic reproductive number and the corresponding epidemic thresholds using computer algebra software. Stochastic models are more difficult to treat and the analysis of their properties requires complicated considerations in statistical mathematics. In this work we propose to use computer algebra software with the aim to solve epidemic stochastic models such as the SIR model and the carrier-borne model. Specifically we use Maple to solve these stochastic models in the case of small groups and we obtain results that do not appear in standard textbooks or in the books updated on stochastic models in epidemiology. From our results we derive expressions which coincide with those obtained in the classical texts using advanced procedures in mathematical statistics. Our algorithms can be extended for other stochastic models in epidemiology and this shows the power of computer algebra software not only for analysis of deterministic models but also for the analysis of stochastic models. We also perform numerical simulations with our algebraic results and we made estimations for the basic parameters as the basic reproductive rate and the stochastic threshold theorem. We claim that our algorithms and results are important tools to control the diseases in a globalized world.


Overview This 2010 publication is the eighth edition of Cite them right , now published by Palgrave Macmillan, the well-known producer of study skills handbooks for secondary and higher education. The book describes itself as a 'guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism' and is designed for a wide range of users; from secondary to post-graduate levels and for students, researchers, and authors. This new edition contains many updates to reflect the ever expanding and changing world of electronic publishing, which means that most students now locate information via the internet.


This thesis investigates the colonial organisation of leprosy care in Samoa from 1890 to 1922. It begins with the examination of the nineteenth century "Three Power" governments of Germany, United States of America and Great Britain over Samoa, and moves on to a study of German rule beginning in 1900 and New Zealand administration from 1914. It analyses colonial politics alongside the medical changes and exchanges of ideas about race, health and disease which dominated the direction of leprosy care in Samoa. During these thirty two years of European influence and control over Samoan affairs, the leprosy sufferer became confined and restricted, to some extent a result of international pressure for the segregation of leprosy sufferers, and a consequence of a public and medical push for isolation and confinement. Beginning in the German period, leprosy care involved medical and missionary alliances, evidence of a shift in the perception of leprosy as a shared responsibility, rather than exclusively a state one. This thesis examines the isolation policies carried out through the network of authorities involved in the organisation of leprosy care. It analyses the medical understanding of leprosy and the leprosy sufferer and traces the impact of these ideas on the leprosy policies implemented in Samoa, particularly the development and establishment of the first leprosy station in the village of Falefa which was later moved to the island of Nu'utele. The


Aim: Vitamin K2 and phosphatidylcholine are two common drugs in clinical treatment. Studies carried out in the past several years demonstrated vitamin K2 and phosphatidylcholine could separately inhibit hepatocarcinogenesis. In this study, we sought to investigate the synergy of vitamin K2 and phosphatidylcholine and the potential mechanism. Methods: Multiple assays were performed to evaluate the effect of combination administration in vitro and in vivo. Then microRNA microarray, bioinformatics analysis and western blot were performed to explore the potential mechanism of drug action. Results: In vitro, combined administration of vitamin K2 and phosphatidylcholine for 72 hours showed significant anti-tumor effect in four HCC cell lines (Hep-3B, Hep-G2, Huh-7 and SMMC-7721). In vivo, tumor growth was significantly suppressed in the treated group. According to microRNA microarray and bioinformatics analysis, miR-16 was significantly up-regulated and WNT signaling pathway was strongly correlated with the process of anti-tumor. Then western blot analysis indicated that low-expression of WNT3A, p-β-catenin and Bcl-2 accorded with the assumption of miR-16's function. Conclusions: At last we inferred, given together, vitamin K2 and phosphatidylcholine exhibited synergy against hepatocarcinogenesis via miR-16 regulating. However, further study is needed to confirm these regulatory relationships.


South Korea has gained economic development despite the obstacles it faced as a wartorn country with little natural resources and capital. Poverty, lack of democracy, as well as war and conflict were challenges the country faced in the early 1960s; issues not very different from what many developing countries face in the 21st century. This paper focuses on the following topics during the most dynamic period in South Korea's economic development from 1960s to 1980s: the developmental state and industrial policies; the role of the private businesses; and state–business relationship.


An experiment was conducted to study the effects of water-soluble carbohydrate extracts from Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis), Acacia (Acacia pycnantha), and Undaria seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) (at 5 or 10 g/kg diet) on the performance and gut microbiota of broilers. The plant extracts had no negative effect on growth performance, except that a high level of Undaria extract in the diet suppressed the growth of broiler chicks. Ileal digesta viscosity was increased (P < 0.05) and apparent ileal digestibility of fat was depressed (P < 0.05) in birds fed the higher level of Undaria extract compared with the negative control. The plant extracts increased (P < 0.05) the numbers of lactobacilli in the ileum and caeca. The high levels of Acacia extract and Undaria extract significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the population of coliform bacteria in the ileum compared with the negative control group. The population of Clostridium perfringens in caeca, but not the ileum, was reduced (P < 0.05) by the plant extracts. An antibiotic positive control reduced the population of C. perfringens in both the ileum and caeca compared with the negative control group. The plant extracts altered microbial fermentation patterns in the ileum and caeca. The higher level of Undaria extract reduced villus height in the ileum while the antibiotic diet resulted in higher (P < 0.05) villus height and villus height : crypt depth ratio compared with the negative control group. The results of the study suggest that prebiotic plant extracts had no negative effect on performance of broilers except at a high level (10 g/kg diet) of Undaria extract. The plant extracts beneficially modulated the composition of the microflora in the ileum and caeca by increasing the number of lactobacilli and reducing harmful bacteria, such as potential pathogenic coliforms and C. perfringens.


Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) is a promising winter cover crop for northern climates, but germination can be limited by low soil moisture conditions. Farmers may be reluctant to use hairy vetch, concerned that hard seed will emerge as weeds in succeeding crops. This work examines germination, dormancy, and viability of hairy vetch seeds from nine commercial seed sources, and evaluates the effects of mechanical scarification and ambient temperature hydropriming on the degree ofhard-seededness, germination, seed viability and seedling vigor in a range of simulated soil moisture conditions. Hydropriming increased germination by 5% across seed sources and water potentials, but reduced seedling growth by 16%. Mechanical scarification eliminated all hard-seededness, but increased physiologically dormant seed by ∼5% and nonviable seed by ∼2% and reduced seedling growth by 39%. This work indicates that pretreatments may increase germination and reduce hard-seeded ness, but reduce seed viability and seedling vigor in some seed sources.


We show that it is possible to accommodate physical scalar resonances within a minimal nonlinearly realized electroweak theory in a way compatible with a natural Hopf algebra selection criterion (Weak Power Counting) and the relevant functional identities of the model (Local Functional Equation, Slavnov-Taylor identity, ghost equations, b-equations). The Beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) sector of the theory is studied by BRST techniques. The presence of a mass generation mechanism \`a la St\"uckelberg allows for two mass invariants in the gauge boson sector. The corresponding 't Hooft gauge-fixing is constructed by respecting all the symmetries of the theory. The model interpolates between the Higgs and a purely St\"uckelberg scenario. Despite the presence of physical scalar resonances, we show that tree-level violation of unitarity in the scattering of longitudinally polarized charged gauge bosons occurs at sufficiently high energies, if a fraction of the mass is generated by the St\"uckelberg mechanism. The formal properties of the physically favoured limit after LHC7-8 data, where BSM effects are small and custodial symmetry in the gauge boson sector is respected, are studied.


K.J., female, aged seven months, was admitted to the Royal セ ッ イ エ ィ Shore Hospital at 8.30 a.m. on April 10, 1924, with the following history: The chi ld had wakenedher mother at 1 a.m, by screaming. she appearedvery pale, but took a feed from the breast and vomited almost immediately. The vomiting and screaming continued at intervals right up to the time of admission to the hospital, An hour after the onset a normal motion was passed, in another hour the motions containeda few streaks of blood and an hour hefore admissiona quantity of pure blood was passed. The only previous illness was an attack of diarrhrea a week before from which the child had recovered. On examination the child was pale and restless, but was not crying and did not appearto be in pain. Temperature was 37.2 C. (99° F.) and the pulse rate one hundred and eighty in the minute. A large firm oval tumour was readily palpable in the left upper portion of the abdomen. No attempt was made to reduce it by enema and immediate operation was decided upon. On opening the abdomenthe intussusceptionwas found to consist of the lower seventeenand a half or twenty centimetres (seven or eight inches) of the ileum which had invaginatedwith the caecum and whole of the ascendingand transverse colon as far as the splenic flexture. By gentle squeezing the mass was gradually reduced and then it was seen that the region of the commencementof the intussusception was gangrenous. About fifteen centimetres (six inches) of the bowel, including the caecum and part of the ileum were thereforecut away after tying the vessels. The ends of the remaining bowel were turned in and sewn over and a lateral anastomosismade betweenileum and colon as the child's condition seemedgood enough to allow it being done and save a secondoperation later on. For the first forty-eight hours the vomiting after food continued and there was a good deal of abdominal distension. This was relieved on two occasions by hypodermic injections of "Pituitrin" followed by enemeta. Once this was relieved, the recovery was uneventful. •