In the IEA Network Supervision project a special method, the Tx-factor method, is investigated. Several other methods exist for in-situ heat loss determination from district heating (DH) pipes. These methods have advantages and disadvantages compared to the Tx-factor method. It is the purpose of this work to make a comparison of the methods on a particular DH pipe. This makes this investigation special as in most previous work only one or very few methods have been applied on the same DH pipe. The purpose of this work was thus to go out to the site and make measurements of the heat loss from the DH pipe at this particular time of the year - an estimate of annual heat losses could then to be made afterwards. The aim of this work being to develop methods for practical applications not very sophisticated tools were used at the experimental site. This means that although very advanced equipment could have been used for determining the centre line and the depth of the DH pipe only measurement sticks, water levels and strings were used. For the same reasons the temperature sensors were installed by using measurement sticks


This licentiate thesis, containing two papers, is in the field of biomedical signal processing with main focus on signal processing of the ECG in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The two papers deal with different aspects of characterization of the f waves during atrial fibrillation. In the fist paper several measures designed to extract features of the f waves are evaluated with respect to their ability to predict spontaneous termination of paroxysmal AF. The fibrillation frequency, the variance of the fibrillation frequency, and the harmonic pattern of the f waves was found to differ significantly between terminating and non-terminating AF. In an independent test set, 90\% of the signals were correctly classified using these measures. In the second paper, a method for improving robustness to noise when tracking the fibrillation frequency is presented. The method, which is based on an hidden Markov model (HMM), is evaluated using simulated AF mixed with different types of real noise obtained from ECG. The results show that the use of a HMM improves performance considerably by reducing the RMS error associated with frequency tracking: at 4~dB signal-to-noise ratio the RMS error drops from 0.2~Hz to 0.04~Hz. (Less)


Full-waveform inversion (FWI) in its classic form is a method based on minimizing the [Formula: see text] norm of the difference between the observed and simulated seismic waveforms at the receiver locations. The objective is to find a subsurface model that reproduces the full waveform including the traveltimes and amplitudes of the observed seismic data. However, the widely used [Formula: see text]-norm-based FWI faces many issues in practice. The point-wise comparison of waveforms fails when the phase difference between the compared waveforms of the predicted and observed data is larger than a half-cycle. In addition, amplitude matching is impractical considering the simplified physics that we often use to describe the medium. To avoid these known problems, we have developed a novel elastic FWI algorithm using the local-similarity attribute. It compares two traces within a predefined local time extension; thus, is not limited by the half-cycle criterion. The algorithm strives to maximize the local similarities of the predicted and observed data by stretching/squeezing the observed data. Phases instead of amplitudes of the seismic data are used in the comparison. The algorithm compares two data sets locally; thus, it performs better than the global correlation in matching multiple arrivals. Instead of picking/calculating one stationary stretching/squeezing curve, we used a weighted integral to find all possible stationary curves. We also introduced a polynomial-type weighting function, which is determined only by the predefined maximum stretching/squeezing and is guaranteed to be smoothly varying within the extension range. Compared with the previously used Gaussian or linear weighting functions, our polynomial one has fewer parameters to play around with. A modified synthetic elastic Marmousi model and the North Sea field data are used to verify the effectiveness of the developed approach and also reveal some of its limitations.


ABSTRACT Cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) reside as a small population within tumors, which mostly contain a larger population of differentiated cells. With their unique self-renewing abilities, CSLCs remain refractory to various therapeutic interventions, which otherwise kill differentiated cancer cells, and thus are a major culprit behind cancer treatment failures and cancer relapse. Recently, the process of macroautophagy/autophagy has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for eliminating CSLCs, as autophagic homeostasis has been discovered to play an important role in the growth of cancer and normal stem cells, and is required for the maintenance of the non-differentiated state of CSLCs. Our current work now shows that the so-called 'tumor suppressor' TP73/p73 plays an unconventional role in CSLC biology, and positively regulates the growth and stemness of CSLCs through the modulation of autophagy. Our data show that TP73/p73 deficiency, promotes autophagy in CSLCs by activating the autophagy machinery involving AMPK-TSC-MTOR signaling. Mechanistically, TP73/p73 deficiency-induced autophagy occurs as a result of reduced ATP levels resulting from the metabolic perturbations within the proline regulatory axis. Collectively, these findings unveil novel therapeutically-relevant implications for autophagy in the TP73/p73-dependent regulation of stemness within CSLCs.


We describe a new caldoactive bacterium, Dictyoglomus thermophilum, which was isolated from a slightly alkaline hot spring. This organism is a nonsporeforming, nonmotile, obligately anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium that stains gram negative and occurs singly, in pairs, in filaments, in bundles, and as spherical bodies. The cell surface structure is of the complex gram-negative type. Large spherical bodies are formed by associations of separate rods in numbers ranging from a few to perhaps as many as 100; these spherical bodies are surrounded by common outer wall membrane. The temperature range for growth is between 50 and 80°C, with optimum growth at 78°C; the pH range for growth is between 5.9 and 8.3. The doubling time at 73°C and pH 7.2 is about 2.5 h. Growth is inhibited by streptomycin, tetracycline, neomycin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, tunicamycin, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The deoxyribonucleic acid base composition is 29 mol % guanosine plus cytosine. The type strain is strain ATCC 35947.


BACKGROUND
Distal tumor spread (DTS) is an adverse prognostic factor in rectal cancer correlating with advanced stage disease. We aimed to assess prevalence and location of distal tumor spread and impact of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) in patients who underwent proctectomy for rectal cancer.

METHODS
The pathology database at our institution was queried for all patients who underwent proctectomy with curative intent for rectal cancer from 1/2008 to 12/2016. Specimen slides were re-evaluated by a single expert rectal cancer pathologist to verify diagnosis and measure the distance to the distal resection margin. Main outcome measures were 3-year overall and disease-free survival.

RESULTS
275 consecutive patients were identified. 109/111 patients with clinical stage 3 disease received preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. DTS was found in 13 (4.7%) specimens, 6 with intra-mural and 7 with extra-mural distal tumor spread. DTS was found only in patients with clinical stage 3 disease. Length of DTS from the distal end of the tumor ranged from 0 to 30 mm; in only 4 specimens DTS was >10 mm. A positive distal resection margin was found in 5/275 (1.8%) specimens.

CONCLUSION
A macroscopically tumor-free margin may suffice in patients with pre-treatment stage 1 or 2 disease. Furthermore, a 1 cm margin is adequate in most patients with stage 3 disease.


PURPOSE
The aim of this retrospective study was to determine, by dynamic acquisition, the optimal scan time of F-DOPA PET/CT in patients with recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).

METHODS
Twenty-one patients with suspected recurrent MTC underwent dynamic F-DOPA PET/CT (lasting 45 minutes) followed by whole-body scan. Three different time intervals of dynamic acquisition were evaluated: ultra-early phase (2-5 minutes), early phase (5-10 minutes), and late phase (40-45 minutes). The number and SUVmax of all detected lesions among the 3 dynamic acquisition phases were compared on qualitative and semiquantitative analyses. Time-activity curves, SUVmax washout rate between ultra-early or early phase and late phase, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between lesion and background activity were also calculated.

RESULTS
At dynamic acquisition, 15 of 21 patients were classified as PET-positive and 6 of 21 as PET-negative, with overall 21 detected lesions. Ultra-early and early imaging provided a better lesion visualization than late phase in more than 70% of cases, as also reflected by SNR (mean SNR reduction between 2 and 45 minutes, -45% ± 19%). Time-activity curves showed a rapid tracer accumulation in MTC lesions, with an average maximum uptake at 2 minutes after injection. Mean lesion SUVmax was 2-fold higher in ultra-early frames compared with last frames (mean washout rate, -44% ± 33%). Finally, compared with whole-body imaging in the same field of view, dynamic acquisition identified 1 additional positive patient and 3 additional lesions in 2 patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study, showing a very fast F-DOPA uptake in MTC lesions, suggests the utility to obtain early PET/CT images, already at 2 to 5 minutes after tracer injection, when maximum lesion tracer uptake is reached.


Understanding the mathematical mechanisms behind the patterns and the transitions between patterns exhibited by self-organising individuals is an important step in understanding the collective behavior of these individuals. Here, we use a correlated random walk approach to derive a class of nonlocal hyperbolic models for self-organised biological aggregations. Then, we discuss the variety of complex spatial and spatio-temporal patterns exhibited by these models. To investigate the formation of some of these patterns that appear via codimension-1 and codimension-2 bifurcations, we perform weakly nonlinear analysis. We show that while many patterns occur for different parameter values, there are other patterns that occur for similar parameter values. In this latter case, the transition between the patterns is intrinsic to the system, being associated with perturbations in the system (and not with changes in parameter values characterising individuals' behaviour: speed, turning rates, social interactions).


Author(s): Gao, Larry Xingming | Advisor(s): Cohen, Yoram; Christofides, Panagiotis D | Abstract: Water shortages in many areas of the world have increased the need for fresh water production through water desalination in applications such as the production of potable water, use in agricultural irrigation, and wastewater reuse. In this regard, reverse osmosis (RO) membrane desalination of both seawater and inland brackish water has emerged as the leading technology for water desalination, with a growing number of large-scale desalination plants in the planning and/or construction stages. Currently, the design of a water desalination plant is typically tailored to the specific water source in terms of meeting productivity targets and pre-treatment requirements. The standard operating procedure is to determine one optimal operating state for an RO system (e.g., overall water recovery, membrane cleaning frequency) and maintain this specific operating point for the duration of operation. However, these methods do not adequately account for the variability in feed water salinity and fouling propensity, and may result in suboptimal operation with respect to excessive energy consumption, poor RO feed pre-treatment, and degradation of RO membrane performance. Therefore, it is crucial to develop effective process control approaches which can mitigate membrane fouling and reduce RO energy consumption in order to improve the robustness of the RO desalination process. In order to reduce membrane fouling, several concepts which involve improvements to RO plant pre-filtration capability (e.g., the addition of a separate, modular ultrafiltration membrane process, the use of a transient high-flux "pulse" backwash) were developed. The concept of direct integration of ultrafiltration (UF) and RO was introduced, whereby the UF filtrate is fed directly to the RO and the RO concentrate is used for UF backwash. Additionally, a control system was designed for the UF pre-treatment unit whereby membrane fouling was reduced through optimization of backwash through a combination of varying the backwash frequency and varying the coagulant dose. This approach was shown to significantly reduce membrane fouling and significantly increased operation duration before chemical cleaning was required (~900% longer). In order to reduce energy consumption of RO desalination, energy-optimal control systems featuring a novel two-layered controller architecture were developed and implemented using fundamental models of specific energy consumption (SEC) of single-stage and two-stage RO systems. The implemented control algorithms utilized extensive sensor measurements from the pilot plants (i.e., flow rate, pressure, conductivity, etc.) to determine the optimal operating set-points for the RO systems (e.g., system feed flow rate, system feed pressure, and overall system water recovery). Accordingly, the control system shifted the RO system operation to the operating conditions that resulted in the lowest energy consumption for a given feed salinity and for a given target product water productivity while accounting for system constraints. The control and design concepts developed in this dissertation were tested on two water purification systems, constructed by a team at UCLA. The two pilot plants were the Smart Integrated Membrane System – Seawater (SIMS-SW) and the Smart Integrated Membrane System – Brackish Water (SIMS-BW). Field tests of the control systems were conducted and the results successfully demonstrated the ability for the control systems presented in this dissertation to reduce membrane fouling and RO energy consumption.


This paper presents the application software for iOS and Android devices. The iPhone and Android phone are popular among students. Users of these devices install various software applications. We focused on the effectiveness of repetitive learning for earning a license in a specialized field and built a system providing consecutive learning environments by utilizing digital tablets. Our system server has Moodle installed. The students access this system and use learning materials via PC Web-browser. On the other hand it is not applicable for mobile devices users to use these materials as they use touch panels. Therefore we have developed application software targeting for touch panel uses. However MoodleHQ released "My Moodle" native apps for iOS. This software is designed for synchronization of learning contents. Our system differs from others in that synchronization of learning result data. Our system has two advantages: 1) The application for mobile tablets automatically gets learning contents from the network. The student is able to use the materials repeatedly by the mobile device. 2) This application sends learning records to the server. Accordingly students are able to keep learning consecutively via either PC Web-browser or mobile devices.


Objective
The aim of the study is to assess various reflux sites in patients with varicose veins by using duplex scan.
Patients and Methods
This prospective observational study was done at Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi in collaboration with Department of Surgery, Social Security Hospital, Islamabad from January 2007 to December 2010. All the patients diagnosed as having varicose veins by the surgeon and referred to the department of radiology underwent duplex scanning of the venous system of the affected lower limb. The patients having recurrent varicose veins, history of limb trauma, previous venous surgery, sclerotherapy, and deep venous thrombosis were excluded from the study. The long and short saphenous systems were assessed, together with the deep veins and perforators along the medial aspect of the thigh and calf. Reflux was defined by retrograde flow lasting longer than 0.5 s after manual calf compression.
Results
A total of 128 lower limbs of 114 patients were included in the study. 71 (62.28%) were males and 43 (37.72%) were females. Mean age was 44.67 years (range 22-63). Mean age of male was 42.06 years and that of females was 48.53 years. Of the 128 lower limbs assessed, 68 were right, 60 were left and 14 patients had bilateral varicose veins. Isolated sapheno-femoral junction incompetence was found in 46 (35.9%) cases whereas isolated sapheno-popliteal junction incompetence was seen in 30 (23.4%) patients, 32 (25%) had both sapheno-femoral and sapheno-popliteal incompetence.
Conclusion
Saphenofemoral junction was the most common site of reflux in the varicose veins. As colour duplex scan is non-invasive, repeatable, and readily accepted by the patients, it should be the investigation of choice for patients presenting with varicose veins. (Rawal Med J 2011;36:305-309).


Total of 10 bullocks aged 7 to 10 years were received at Refferral Veterinary Polyclinic IVRI, Izatnagar and were divided into two groups, five animals each. On clinical examination, bullocks with complete urine retention and ruptured urinary bladder were allotted to group I and were subjected to cystorraphy with ischeorectal tube cystostomy. The bullocks showing urine dribbling through urethral orifice with intact urinary bladder were allotted to group II and were subjected to postscrotal urethrotomy alongwith ischeorectal tube cystostomy. Group II animals showed a good and satisfied recovery with no postoperative deaths as compared to group I animals. It was concluded from the study that early presentation and timely surgical intervention of obstructive urolithiasis in bullocks can improve the recovery rate without any major complications.


Federal anti-discrimination law centres upon the individual who has experienced unlawful discrimination. To address this discrimination, the individual is required to lodge a complaint at the Australian Human Rights Commission ('AHRC'), which will attempt to resolve the complaint using Alternative Dispute Resolution ('ADR'). While institutions in other areas, like competition law and occupational health and safety, have a broad range of powers to enforce compliance, successive governments have chosen not to invest the AHRC with equivalent powers. Quite a different model has operated in Britain for four decades. This article analyses the role of the AHRC by comparing it to its British equivalents and examining these institutions according to the 'enforcement pyramid' for regulating equal opportunity, which British academics Bob Hepple, Mary Coussey and Tufyal Choudhury have developed. According to these regulatory theorists, to tackle discrimination effectively, equality commissions need to be able to follow up their loud 'bark' with a punitive 'bite' if necessary. The article concludes by identifying what the experience in both countries reveals about the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws by statutory institutions.


Oil-free micro turbomachinery (OFT) implements compliant foil bearings because of their minute drag and ability to operate in extreme (high or low) temperature. Prominent to date, bump-type foil bearings integrate an underspring thin metal structure that provides resilience and material damping; and while the rotor is airborne, acts in series with the stiffness and damping of the gas film. The design and manufacturing of foil bearings remains costly as it demands of extensive engineering and actual experience. Alternative foil bearing configurations, less costly and easier to manufacture, are highly desirable to enable widespread usage of OFT. This manuscript details the design and manufacturing of a novel Rayleigh-step metal mesh foil thrust bearing (MMFTB) as well as its testing on a dedicated rig. Metal mesh structures offer significant material structural damping and can be easily procured at a fraction of the cost of a typical bump foil strip layer.
 The MMFTB consists of a solid carrier, a number of stacked annular Copper mesh sheets (wire diameter = 0.25, 0.3 and 0.41 mm), and a steel top foil (0.127 mm thick) that makes six pads (ID = 50.8 mm, OD = 2 ID), each 45° in extent. A 3 μm polymer coats each pad and a photo-chemical process etches a step 20 μm in height. Static and dynamic load measurements (without rotor speed) demonstrate the MMFTB has structural stiffness and material damping similar to that of a publicized bump-type foil thrust bearing. A maiden test of the MMFTB with rotor speed of Ω = 15 krpm (∼80 m/s at bearing outer diameter) proved briefly the bearing operation when applying a tiny thrust load. Further tests with ambient air, a rotor speed of 40 krpm (∼212 m/s at bearing OD), and a very light load/area < 7 kPa failed several of the prototype bearings, all exhibiting significant wear on one or more pads. The source of the failure is the inherent unevenness of the metal mesh stacked substructures, thus causing the pads to bulge towards the rotor collar surface before a load applies. A deficient anchoring method exacerbates the unevenness. Incidentally, a high rotor speed induced large windage that lifted the top foils pushing them against the spinning collar. As the bearing moved towards the rotating collar to begin applying thrust, the local high spots rubbed against the collar, before a hydrodynamic wedge could form to separate the surfaces. Without a robust sacrificial coating, metal-to-metal contact quickly disfigured the contacting top foil pads, erasing the etched step, and leading to failure.
 In concept, and on paper, the mesh sheets and the top foil lay flat against the bearing carrier, giving a false sense of uniformity in the design process. In actuality, a designer must consider the manufactured states of the individual components and how they assemble. A redesign of the bearing intends to overcome the existing flaws (highlighted herein) by incorporating a thicker top foil that is well anchored (to better withstand the effects of windage), a robust sacrificial coating, and a hydrodynamic wedge accomplished via a circumferential taper on each pad.


In an era when women were supposed to be disciplined and obedient, Anna proved to be neither. Defying 16th-century social mores, she was the frequent subject of gossip because of her immodest dress and flirtatious behavior. When her wealthy father discovered that she was having secret, simultaneous affairs with a young nobleman and a cavalryman, he turned her out of the house in rage, but when she sued him for financial support, he had her captured, returned home and chained to a table as punishment. Anna eventually escaped and continued her suit against her father, her siblings and her home town in a bitter legal battle that was to last 30 years and end only upon her death. Drawn from her surviving love letters and court records, "The Burgermeister's Daughter" is a fascinating examination of the politics of sexuality, gender and family in the 16th century, and a powerful testament to the courage and tenacity of a woman who defied the inequalities of this distant age."A very considerable history by an accomplished scholar." "--Atlantic Monthly" "A splendid and very unusual entry into the private life of the distant past." "--New York Times Book Review" "Compelling, suspenseful, and 'sexy'...impossible to put down." "--Yale Review"


Abstract The erosion and basin-filling histories of the central Rocky Mountains (Rockies) are critical to the understanding of landscape evolution in the interior of western U.S.A. Ages and sources of fluvial deposits formed during late Paleogene allow the reconstruction of paleogeography within an improved chronostratigraphic framework. Here we use detrital-zircon and single-grain-zircon U-Pb geochronology to constrain the provenance and depositional ages of upper Paleogene fluvial deposits in the central Rockies. A total of 885 concordant detrital-zircon dates from ten fluvial sandstone samples show major age populations of 24–44 Ma, 920–1326 Ma, 1334–1825 Ma, and 1830–3314 Ma, and minor age populations of 45–218 Ma and 227–708 Ma. The youngest population was derived from distal ignimbrite eruptions in western and southwestern North America. The populations older than 45 Ma were derived directly from local Precambrian basement-cored uplifts and recycled from Paleozoic–lower Cenozoic strata. The maximum depositional ages based on the weighted mean U-Pb ages of the youngest clusters of detrital zircons are generally consistent with the available ash radiometric ages for samples of latest Eocene–Oligocene, a time interval with high ignimbrite eruption flux in western and southwestern North America, suggesting that detrital-zircon U-Pb ages can be used to tightly constrain the depositional ages of these strata when pure ash beds are not present and when the strata contain abundant concurrent magmatic zircons. Sandstone samples of latest Eocene age have more Archean zircons (> 2500 Ma) than samples of Oligocene age in the central Rockies, suggesting that the Archean cores of the Laramide ranges were largely exposed until the Oligocene. By combining these results with previously published detrital-zircon provenance results of late Paleogene eolian sandstones in the same region, we suggest that the gradual burial of the Archean cores during the Oligocene resulted from widespread eolian deposition initiated during the latest Eocene–early Oligocene. Generally eastward-flowing fluvial systems and eolian depositional processes supplied unlithified source sediments for each other and promoted sediment recycling during the Oligocene. Furthermore, the abundance of zircons with 37–25 Ma ages in the late Paleogene deposits shows that the ignimbrite eruptions in western and southwestern North America were most active during this time interval.


In this paper, we propose a novel adaptive routing algorithm to solve the communication congestion problem for Network-on-Chip (NoC). The strategy competing for output ports in both X and Y directions is employed to utilize the output ports of the router sufficiently, and to reduce the transmission latency and improve the throughput. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is very effective in relieving the communication congestion, and a reduction in average latency by 45.7% and an improvement in throughput by 44.4% are achieved compared with the deterministic XY routing algorithm and the simple XY adaptive routing algorithm.


A series of Ge(1-x)Si(x) crystal growth experiments are planned to be conducted in the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) onboard the International Space Station. The primary objective of the research is to determine the influence of containment on the processing-induced defects and impurity incorporation in germanium-silicon alloy crystals. A comparison will be made between crystals grown by the normal and "detached" Bridgman methods and the ground-based float zone technique. Crystals grown without being in contact with a container have superior quality to otherwise similar crystals grown in direct contact with a container, especially with respect to impurity incorporation, formation of dislocations, and residual stress in crystals. "Detached" or "dewetted" Bridgman growth is similar to regular Bridgman growth in that most of the melt is in contact with the crucible wall, but the crystal is separated from the wall by a small gap, typically of the order of 10-100 microns. Long duration reduced gravity is essential to test the proposed theory of detached growth. Detached growth requires the establishment of a meniscus between the crystal and the ampoule wall. The existence of this meniscus depends on the ratio of the strength of gravity to capillary forces. On Earth, this ratio is large and stable detached growth can only be obtained over limited conditions. Crystals grown detached on the ground exhibited superior structural quality as evidenced by measurements of etch pit density, synchrotron white beam X-ray topography and double axis X-ray diffraction. The plans for the flight experiments will be described.


Casamance is the main centre of cultivated traditional rainfed rice in Senegal including Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima species. Traditional landraces are an important source of genetic variability essential for the improvement of elite varieties adapted to local conditions. The study aimed at collecting and characterizing rice accessions cultivated in Middle Casamance. A total of 11 valleys and 29 villages were characterized in an open-field trial. Accessions presented a high variability for all the traits assessed (p-value < 0.001) and were grouped into three main clusters based on seven quantitative variables with grain yield and panicle number as the most discriminative traits. Most of the accessions was semi dwarf to intermediate plant type, early to medium flowering, early maturing and with a low to moderate tillering ability. An average overall mean diversity (0.52 ± 0.21) was observed with the highest in Sindina, Balmadou and Bambali valleys. This study revealed an interesting diversity in the collection, representing a pre-breeding material for future rice improvement programs targeted to Casamance local conditions. It highlights also the significant role played by local farmers in maintaining and shaping local germplasm.


A long-standing hypothesis links the increased prominence of meandering rivers in the middle Paleozoic to the colonization of terrestrial environments by vegetation. This hypothesis is tested using a data set of Cambrian to Devonian fluvial literature and field examination of key stratigraphic units. According to some researchers, Cambrian to mid-Silurian river systems were braided in planform, with a sharp increase in the abundance of meandering rivers during the Silurian–Devonian. Although meandering systems were largely identified on the basis of thick mudstones and organized channel deposits, the data set record of lateral accretion sets appears to be a robust proxy for the abundance of meandering river point bars. Lateral accretion is first recorded from Pridolian–Lochkovian strata, but is noted in nearly 40% of fluvial case studies by the Famennian. This trend matches the known record of rooted vegetation, suggesting that vegetation progressively stabilized river banks and promoted single-thread channels. However, the presence of Precambrian and extraterrestrial meandering systems indicates that vegetation is not essential for meandering, and the lack of evidence for Cambrian to Silurian (Ludlow) point bars is surprising. If originally present, they may largely have been destroyed by extreme floods, chute cut-offs in coarse-grained meandering systems, and eolian activity.


PURPOSE
The ability to prescribe treatment based on relative risks for normal tissue injury has important implications for oncologists. In non-small-cell lung cancer, increasing the dose of radiation may improve local control and survival. Changes in plasma transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) levels during radiotherapy (RT) may identify patients at low risk for complications in whom higher doses of radiation could be safely delivered.

PATIENT AND METHODS
Patients with locally advanced or medically inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer received three-dimensional conformal RT to the primary tumor and radiographically involved nodes to a dose of 73.6 Gy (1.6 Gy twice daily). If the plasma TGFbeta level was normal after 73.6 Gy, additional twice daily RT was delivered to successively higher total doses. The maximum-tolerated dose was defined as the highest radiation dose at which < or = one grade 4 (life-threatening) late toxicity and < or = two grade 3 to 4 (severe life-threatening) late toxicities occurred.

RESULTS
Thirty-eight patients were enrolled. Median follow-up was 16 months. Twenty-four patients were not eligible for radiation dose escalation beyond 73.6 Gy because of persistently abnormal TGFbeta levels. Fourteen patients whose TGFbeta levels were normal after 73.6 Gy were escalated to 80 Gy (n = 8) and 86.4 Gy (n = 6). In the 86.4-Gy group, dose-limiting toxicity was reached because there were two (33%) grade 3 late toxicities.

CONCLUSION
It is feasible to use plasma TGFbeta levels to select patients for RT dose escalation for non-small-cell lung cancer. The maximum-tolerated dose using this approach is 86.4 Gy.


We present a linear clustering model of cosmic infrared background (CIB) anisotropies at large scales that is used to measure the cosmic star formation rate density up to redshift 6, the effective bias of the CIB, and the mass of dark matter halos hosting dusty star-forming galaxies. This is achieved using the Planck CIB auto- and cross-power spectra (between different frequencies) and CIB × CMB (cosmic microwave background) lensing cross-spectra measurements, as well as external constraints (e.g. on the CIB mean brightness). We recovered an obscured star formation history which agrees well with the values derived from infrared deep surveys and we confirm that the obscured star formation dominates the unobscured formation up to at least z = 4. The obscured and unobscured star formation rate densities are compatible at 1σ at z = 5. We also determined the evolution of the effective bias of the galaxies emitting the CIB and found a rapid increase from ~0.8 at z = 0 to ~8 at z = 4. At 2 < z < 4, this effective bias is similar to that of galaxies at the knee of the mass functions and submillimetre galaxies. This effective bias is the weighted average of the true bias with the corresponding emissivity of the galaxies. The halo mass corresponding to this bias is thus not exactly the mass contributing the most to the star formation density. Correcting for this, we obtained a value of log(Mh/M⊙) = 12.77−0.125+0.128 for the mass of the typical dark matter halo contributing to the CIB at z = 2. Finally, using a Fisher matrix analysis we also computed how the uncertainties on the cosmological parameters affect the recovered CIB model parameters, and find that the effect is negligible.


A three-dimensional turbulence spray combustion simulation in a gas turbine combustor with Large Eddy Simulation is carried out. In this study, we construct a new eddy characteristic time model derived from a large-scale motion to estimate the combustion reaction rate with an eddy dissipation concept (EDC) model, and estimate combustion characteristics (temperature and chemical species distribution) in the gas turbine combustor for the purpose of validating this model. The essence of this model is that eddy characteristic time is estimated by considering Kolmogorov scale at first. From this assumption, eddy dissipation rate is apparent. However it is not solved directly in Large Eddy Simulation. So eddy dissipation rate is estimated by an assumption that turbulence energy generation and dissipation are locally equal (it is the same assumption as Smagorinsky model), and it is substituted in the eddy characteristic time formula. The overall reaction C12 H24 +18O2 → 12CO2 +12H2 O, is often used for turbulent combustion simulation for saving calculation time, but cannot consider CO and H2 formation in local fuel-rich region. To solve this problem, we use 3-step global mechanism (C12 H24 +6O2 → 12CO+12H2 , CO+0.5O2 ↔ CO2 , H2 +0.5O2 ↔ H2 O) to calculate turbulent non-premixed flame characteristics coupling with EDC. The calculated CO2 mole fraction distribution is in fairly good agreement with the experimental data. However, the calculated temperature distribution does not agree well with the measured result of temperature because of disturbing heat transport to downstream by dilution air jet. Though few problems are left, it is shown that the combustion simulation using LES with EDC model is effective method to calculate the characteristics of turbulent diffusion flame in furnace such as gas turbine combustor.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


The Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA) has been exploring computerized adaptive testing (CAT) for the national certification examination (NCE) over the past several years. CCNA representatives have consulted with experts in testing and with individuals from professional associations who use CAT for certification or licensure testing. This article will provide an overview of CAT and discuss how the CCNA plans to implement CAT for the NCE beginning April 8, 1996. A future article that explains the theoretical concepts of CAT will be published in the April 1996 AANA Journal. It is important to note that the NCE will not be a new test, the current content outline and item bank will remain the same. It is only the method of test administration that is changed--from paper and pencil to CAT. Each candidate will answer questions and take a test that is individualized to his or her ability or competence level and meets the specifications of the test outline. All candidates must achieve the same passing score. The implementation of CAT for the NCE will be advantageous for the candidates and provide a more efficient competency assessment. The last paper and pencil examination was administered on December 9, 1995. The transition is a significant event in nurse anesthesia history, just as nurse anesthesia was the first advanced practice nursing specialty to implement the certification credential, the CCNA will be the first to introduce CAT.


This study systematically examines an anion commonly used in room temperature ionic liquids, hexafluorophosphate PF6−, and its non-covalent interactions with up to two explicit water molecules (PF6 − (H2 O)n where n = 1, 2). Initial low-energy configurations are identified via a set of relaxed angular scans across the edges and faces of the PF6− octahedron using the global hybrid M06-2X density functional with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on all non- hydrogen atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for P, O, F; denoted haTZ). Full geometry optimizations are performed on these initial structures using a variety of common density functionals theory (DFT) methods (B3LYP, B3LYP-D3, M06-2X, and ωB97XD) as well as the MP2 and CCSD(T) ab initio methods with the same haTZ basis set. The corresponding harmonic vibrational frequencies are computed for all identified stationary points. Single point energy computations are also performed on the CCSD(T)/haTZ geometries using the CCSD(T) method with an analogous quadruple-ζ basis set (haQZ). A new PF6−(H2O)2 minimum has been identified that is approximately 2 kcal mol−1 lower in energy than any other structure previously reported in the literature. For the PF6−(H2O)1 system, DFT computations identify two unique stationary points competing for the lowest energy configuration, which is consistent with prior work. However, only one of these structures is a stationary point on the MP2 and CCSD(T) potential energy surfaces. This result suggests that some DFT methods might not correctly describe the interaction between PF6−and H2O.


Background: Sex and gender differences are often overlooked in research design, study implementation and scientific reporting, as well as in general science communication. This oversight limits the generalizability of research findings and their applicability to clinical practice, in particular for women but also for men. This article describes the rationale for an international set of guidelines to encourage a more systematic approach to the reporting of sex and gender in research across disciplines. Methods: A panel of 13 experts representing nine countries developed the guidelines through a series of teleconferences, conference presentations and a 2-day workshop. An internet survey of 716 journal editors, scientists and other members of the international publishing community was conducted as well as a literature search on sex and gender policies in scientific publishing. Results: The Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines are a comprehensive procedure for reporting of sex and gender information in study design, data analyses, results and interpretation of findings. Conclusions: The SAGER guidelines are designed primarily to guide authors in preparing their manuscripts, but they are also useful for editors, as gatekeepers of science, to integrate assessment of sex and gender into all manuscripts as an integral part of the editorial process.


Experiments carried out on rats show that inhibiting influences from striatal electrostimulation on the cortical epileptic activity are removed under conditions of destruction of entopeduncular nucleus (EPN). They decrease under conditions of lesion of substantia nigra pars retieulata (SNR). It is found that both EPN and SNR destruction resulted in antiepileptic effect on the development of the neocortex epileptic activity complexes. Possible mechanisms realizing inhibition of the caudate nucleus effects on the neocortex epileptic activity are discussed.


We treat a position dependent quantum walk (QW) on the line which we assign two different time-evolution operators to positive and negative parts respectively. We call the model "the two-phase QW" here, which has been expected to be a mathematical model of the topological insulator. We obtain the stationary and time-averaged limit measures related to localization for the two-phase QW with one defect. This is the first result on localization for the two-phase QW. The analytical methods are mainly based on the splitted generating function of the solution for the eigenvalue problem, and the generating function of the weight of the passages of the model. In this paper, we call the methods "the splitted generating function method" and "the generating function method", respectively. The explicit expression of the stationary measure is asymmetric for the origin, and depends on the initial state and the choice of the parameters of the model. On the other hand, the time-averaged limit measure has a starting point symmetry and localization effect heavily depends on the initial state and the parameters of the model. Regardless of the strong effect of the initial state and the parameters, the time-averaged limit measure also suggests that localization can be always observed for our two-phase QW. Furthermore, our results imply that there is an interesting relation between the stationary and time-averaged limit measures when the parameters of the model have specific periodicities, which suggests that there is a possibility that we can analyze localization of the two-phase QW with one defect from the stationary measure.


This study was conducted to support the ongoing policy dialogue in India on strategies to support the formalization of the informal economy. While informal economy issues affect entrepreneurs and workers alike, this study focuses on the enterprise side of informality. It is part of a series of four country studies commissioned by the ILO to research the impact of labour laws and the cost of regularization on entrepreneurs' decisions to formalize their business. The countries covered by this research are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.


O. J. Blanchard's (1985) formulation of the overlapping-generations model and the social welfare function advocated by G. Calvo and M. Obstfeld (1988) are used to analyze interest taxation and tariffs in a small open economy. When the revenue lost from the elimination of these taxes is replaced by raising the tax on labor, as in recent Canadian experience, a 'low' social discount rate is required for the model to support lower interest-income taxes, while a 'high' discount rate is needed to support the elimination of tariffs. The authors illustrate the empirical importance of this simultaneous need for both a 'high' and a 'low' discount rate.


It has been demonstrated that melatonin and other pineal hormones play a role in the neuroendocrine control of immunity. Anomalies of both pineal and immune functions have been reported in cancer. Pineal and lymphocyte functions, however, have never been simultaneously evaluated in oncologic patients. This preliminary study was carried out in order to analyze the melatonin-lymphocyte relationship in human neoplasms. In a first investigation, we evaluated melatonin serum levels and lymphocyte subpopulations on venous blood samples collected during the morning from 46 healthy controls and from 27 cancer patients, 13 of whom had metastases, while the other 14 were without metastases. Moreover, melatonin levels were high in 10 oncological patients and within the normal range in the other 17 cases. B lymphocyte (B), total T lymphocyte (T3), T helper/inducer (T4) and T suppressor/cytotoxic (T8) mean percentages and T4/T8 mean ratios did not significantly differ, either between patients with high and normal melatonin levels, or between metastatic and nonmetastatic cancer patients. In a second study, we evaluated the effects of a prolonged treatment with melatonin (20 mg/daily intramuscularly at 3:00 p.m. for 2 months) on 8 patients with advanced cancer, in whom conventional antitumor therapies had failed. Mean percentages of B, T3, T4, T8 lymphocytes and T4/T8 mean ratios were not significantly different before or after melatonin treatment. In only one patient did the T4/T8 ratio decrease after therapy; in this case only, a stabilization of the disease was obtained, while in all 7 other patients the neoplastic disease progressed also during melatonin treatment, even if an evident improvement of the performance status was seen as it was in most cases. These results seem to exclude that melatonin may influence lymphocyte functions in cancer. Longitudinal studies and further data, however, will be needed to clarify this question.


A pot experiment based on complete blocks design was carried out to investigate the effect of salinity on growth traits and essential oil content of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.). Four levels of salinity including control (0 mM), 50, 150 and 250 mM Nacl and CaCl2 in 5 : 1 molar ratio were used. Result indicated that increased salinity caused reduction in plant height, number of branches per plant, number of flowers per plant. Increased salinity also significantly decreased plant dry weight, flower dry weight and essential oil content. The highest values of growth traits such as number of flower per plant, flower dry weight and essential oil content were observed under control condition (non-salinity stress). The effect of salinity on flower dry weight is greater than other traits. Flower dry weight of plants at low (50mM) level of salinity was decreased 12.2 % compared to control (non-stressed plant) while essential oil content increased 18.2 % at the same salt concentration. At the highest level of salt stress (250mM) flower dry weight and essential oil content was decreased by 79.8 and 45.5 % compared to non stressed plants, respectively. Number of flower per plant was decreased by 16.1 and 69.2 % at lowest (50 mM) and highest (250 mM) salinity concentration respectively. Salinity affects flowering time of plants. Flowering time of non-stressed plants started 50 days after plant transplanting while flowering time of plants treated by 250 mM salinity started 64 days after seedlings transplanting to pots.


The concept of single atom catalysts (SACs) originated from reducing the amount of noble metals used, by steadily refining the particle size loaded on a substrate surface. It has been rapidly moving to non-noble elements and their compounds in recent years, notably transition metals and even non-metals. They are of heterogeneous types, where the active species are refined to atomic dispersion scales on the surfaces/sub-surfaces of the solid support. The catalytic performance is governed by both the type and population of accessible active sites, and their bond and coordination environment, largely as a result of the interactions with the substrate surface. Unlike the internal structure within a crystalline solid, there is a large spatial variation in the bond and coordination environment of different atoms on the solid surface across different length scales, and in particular with the unsaturated surface, where there are various defects. They can also be dramatically altered during both the catalyst synthesis and actual catalysis process. In a way, they form a "surface heterocompound", where the local bonds for each metal atom are of a compound type, while there can be a large variation from one to another. Herein, we will look into the evolution from traditional heterogeneous catalysts to SACs, from the surface heterocompound perspective. Discussion will then be made on the on-going strategies and challenges in manipulating and identifying the local bond and coordination environment on the hetero-surfaces, in an attempt to develop efficient catalysts for the targeted applications, where both synthesis techniques and analytical tools are critically important, and computational studies can provide the key guiding principles. With selected paradigm studies, we will briefly examine the future perspectives for this newly emerging catalysis frontier.


This essay considers the requirement of state action in suits brought against private corporations under the Alien Tort Statute. It argues that, in addressing this requirement, courts have erred in applying the state action jurisprudence developed under the domestic civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1983. It also argues that, even if it were appropriate to borrow in this manner from the Section 1983 cases, such borrowing would not support the allowance of aiding and abetting liability against corporations, and that this liability is also problematic on a number of other grounds.


Palonosetron (Aloxi™) is a 5-HT3-receptor antagonist antiemetic indicated for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting following moderately emetogenic chemotherapy and for acute nausea and vomiting following highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Although it is the fourth member of this class to enter the US market, palonosetron is distinguished by distinct pharmacological characteristics. It has a higher binding affinity for the 5-HT3receptor and a terminal serum half-life at least four times greater than any other available agent of this class (∼ 40 h). The high affinity and long half-life may explain the persistence of antiemetic effect throughout the delayed emesis risk period. The indications for palonosetron are supported by one dose-ranging study and three large, randomised, Phase III studies that all demonstrated at least equivalent activity (and in some cases, superior activity) compared to other 5-HT3-receptor antagonists. In spite of the pharmacological differences, the side effect profile of palonosetron is comparable to that of other 5-HT3-receptor antagonists. Palonosetron may prove valuable in combination therapy for delayed emesis and may be an appropriate agent for clinical settings, such as multiple-day chemotherapy, where acute emesis is repeatedly induced. Palonosetron provides a convenience advantage if multiple-day 5-HT3-receptor antagonist therapy is anticipated and is a unique addition to the antiemetic armamentarium.


A study of the fundamental mechanics of the droplet and gas motion in liquid sprays is presented in this paper. Only vertical sprays without any externally applied gas flow are considered. First a detailed account of the origin of induced air motion within spray jets is given, and this lays the basis for a new one-dimensional model for predicting the induced axial air velocity. Two main flow zones (zone I and zone II) are identified, where the droplet velocity is much greater and of the same order as the induced air velocity respectively. Within zone I there is a near-sub-zone I, close to the nozzle where the droplet velocities deviate little from their initial values, and it is found that the air velocity decreases or increases to a maximum value, depending on whether its initial value is greater or less than a critical value, which itself is a function of the drag coefficient, the initial spray radius and the droplet velocity. In this zone the average induced air velocity decays more slowly, as z-½ (z being the downstream distance) than the rate of decay, as z-1, in regular unforced jets. Further downstream in the adjacent forced jet sub-zone, the drag of the faster moving droplets forces an air jet to develop with a rate of growth that is determined by the turbulence if the angle of the spray droplets is small or by the angle of the spray if the angle is large. In this second sub-zone, which typically extends to the stopping distance of the droplets, the flow is largely independent of the flow in the near sub-zone. The 1D model was applied to a rose-head axisymmetric spray and a flat-fan agricultural spray. The calculations agree closely with experimental observations. To calculate the radial variation of the air velocity a 2D axisymmetric model was developed where the air velocity was obtained in the form of a similarity solution. The predictions were in good agreement with the measurements of Binark & Ranz (1958). Finally it is shown that the 1D and the 2D models are consistent with each other.


Abstract The family Remingtonocetidae is a basal family of Eocene cetaceans only known from near shore marine environments of India and Pakistan. We describe a new skull for Remingtonocetus harudiensis which elucidates the anatomy and functional morphology of the head and provides new details on cranial cavity and nasopharyngeal region. We suggest that Remingtonocetus was an ambush predator that hunted from a perch on the ocean floor, and that hearing was its most important sense. We speculate that the greatly elongated rostrum is an adaptation for water retention because these are some of the earliest whales living in seawater.


This study proposes and evaluates a simple stimulus display that allows one to measure memory color effects (the effect of object knowledge and memory on color perception). The proposed approach is fast and easy and does not require running an extensive experiment. It shows that memory color effects are robust to minor variations due to a lack of color calibration.


The second edition of a bestseller, Quantitative Methods and Socio-Economic Applications in GIS (previously titled Quantitative Methods and Applications in GIS) details applications of quantitative methods in social science, planning, and public policy with a focus on spatial perspectives. The book integrates GIS and quantitative (computational) methods and demonstrates them in various policy-relevant socio-economic applications with step-by-step instructions and datasets. The book demonstrates the diversity of issues where GIS can be used to enhance the studies related to socio-economic issues and public policy. See Whats New in the Second Edition: All project instructions are in ArcGIS 10.2 using geodatabase datasets New chapters on regionalization methods and Monte Carlo simulation Popular tasks automated as a convenient toolkit: Huff Model, 2SFCA accessibility measure, regionalization, Garin-Lowry model, and Monte Carlo based spatial simulation Advanced tasks now implemented in user-friendly programs or ArcGIS: centrality indices, wasteful commuting measure, p-median problem, and traffic simulation Each chapter has one subject theme and introduces the method (or a group of related methods) most relevant to the theme. While each method is illustrated in a special case of application, it can also be used to analyze different issues. For example, spatial regression is used to examine the relationship between job access and homicide patterns; systems of linear equations are analyzed to predict urban land use patterns; linear programming is introduced to solve the problem of wasteful commuting and allocate healthcare facilities; and Monte Carlo technique is illustrated in simulating urban traffic. The book illustrates the range of computational methods and covers common tasks and major issues encountered in a spatial environment. It provides a platform for learning technical skills and quantitative methods in the context of addressing real-world problems, giving you instant access to the tools to resolve major socio-economic issues.


This Special Issue is associated with the 10th International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT), Symposium C: Semiconductor Photonics held on 23–28 June, 2019 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Organised through the Materials Research Society of Singapore (MRS-S), ICMAT has been held since 2001 and has attracted strong interest amongst the global materials science and engineering research communities. The 10th conference in the ICMAT series attracted over 3,500 delegates with a number of keynote and plenary presentations notably including four Nobel Laureates in Physics and Chemistry. The ICMAT conference consists of a number of topical symposia. Symposium C was organized jointly with Australian MRS and co-chaired by Professors Dao-Hua Zhang (NTU, Singapore), Chennupati Jagadish (ANU, Australia), Stephen J. Sweeney (University of Surrey, UK), Boon S. Ooi (KAUST, Saudi Arabia), Hao Gong (NUS, Singapore) and Weijun Fan (NTU, Singapore). The Symposium focused on recent developments in materials for applications in photonic devices covering systems including III-V and II-VI semiconductors, group IV alloys for silicon compatibility, oxides and perovskites for solar cell and emitter applications, quantum dot based devices and in general a wide variety of organic and inorganic materials spanning applications from the ultra-violet through to the mid-infrared. In total, 20 invited and 53 oral and 19 poster papers were presented over the four days of technical sessions.


Abstract Over fifty years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, how have mechanisms of residential segregation changed? Using a case study of a Los Angeles suburb's reaction to Black movement through the federal Housing Choice Voucher program, I argue that policing should be considered among the contemporary forces of residential segregation. Through interviews with forty-three local residents, I show how one community's reaction to voucher movement spans from attitudes to actions. First, I document widespread hostility towards Black voucher holders on the basis of their race, gender, and participation in the voucher program. Second, I trace how the city's municipal code changes have responded to public sentiment and created an incentive to participate in policing. By attaching fines and incentives for landlords to evict tenants to broadly written and subjective nuisance codes, the city has created a pathway by which local residents can pressure unwanted neighbors out of the community. Third, I illustrate how some residents engage in participatory policing by surveilling neighbors they believe are using vouchers and dispatching city and police agencies to inspect, fine, and possibly evict these targets. These findings illustrate how communities can use policing to racially segregate space, how eviction might be communally produced, and how local opposition to Black movement breaks the pathway between residential mobility and socio-economic gains that underlies the voucher program.


In order to execute a handover processes in a Radio Access Network, each cell has a configured list of neighbors to which such handovers are made. Rapid re-configuration ofthe neighborhood list in response to network failures and other events is currently not possible. To address this problem this paper suggests an autonomic approach for dynamically configuring neighboring cell lists and introduces a decentralized, three-layered framework. As a key element of this framework, a novel probabilistic protocol that detects and continuously tracks the coverage overlaps among cells is presented and evaluated. The protocol called DOC maintains a distributed graph of over-lapping cells. Dae to asing Bloom filters and aggregation techniques it exhibits a low traffic and computational overhead. A first series of simulation studies suggests that DOC is scalable with respect to network size and the namber of terminals.


Education as a pervasive process has affected all aspects of individual and group life, and today, almost all those seeking development and reform start from all over the world. Preventing radicalization and violent extremism is one of the most controversial issues in the world in this century. In addition, it was found that some extremist groups are recruiting in educational settings. These findings led to a new approach to the education sector as a prominent partner in preventing and combating the radicalization of young people. Education faces many challenges in developing countries, including Afghanistan. With the change of world views, cultures and different beliefs of human beings, the goals of education have also changed and according to this, there is a direct relationship and coordination between society and education. The inefficiency of the education system in different sections of the society will have adverse effects and dangerous consequences, as can be seen from the findings, lack of inclusive education, lack of quality in education and lack of job opportunities after graduation are recommended to strengthen the role of education for sustainable development in developing countries, especially Afghanistan because education is the cornerstone of development. One of the most important and influential institutions, investing in equal education and creating a safe environment for students at different levels (primary, secondary and tertiary) and adopting sensible strategies can be in the process. Integration, convergence, peaceful coexistence and the elimination of violence between peoples and nations have brought about many effects and changes.


On her first return visit to Germany in 1950, Hannah Arendt went walking in the Black Forest with Martin Heidegger. They discussed revenge, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Upon her return to New York, Arendt began her diary of thoughts, her Denktagebuch. The first seven pages of Arendt's Denktagebuch argue that reconciliation—and not revenge or forgiveness—is an essential example of political judgment. The connection between reconciliation and judgment means that only reconciliation, and not revenge or forgiveness, can respond to wrongs in a way that fosters the political project of building and preserving a common world. This essay argues that the question—"Ought I to reconcile myself to the world?"—is, for Arendt, the pressing political question of our age.


Current textbooks of anatomy consider the chorda tympani to leave the external surface of the base of the skull through the petrotympanic fissure (of Glaser). In contrast to this view, Krause in 1905 described the sphenopetrosal fissure as outlet structure. The present reexamination of the extracranial course of 33 chordae tympani confirms the latter conception. Thus, the prevailing opinion has to be revised. Clinical impacts are discussed.


Payment for ecosystem services (PES), a voluntary transaction for the optimum use of scarce natural resources, are highly recommended for conservation of forests and watershed. Despite multiple recommendations, there has not been enough studies regarding PES in Nepal, except for limited areas like hydropower plants and community forests. Every PES scheme is unique, depending upon the conditions prevalent in its site therefore more studies are required to understand appropriateness of PES mechanism. Taking drinking water scheme in Sundarijal watershed as a case, this study assessed drinking water supply scheme prevalent in the site, and prioritized its problems, and expectations, from stakeholders' perspectives. A phenomenological cross-sectional research approach was used and data were collected through in-depth interviews with major stakeholders. The result transcripts were analyzed in Atlasti version 7 and prioritized based on their frequency. The proper buying and selling mechanisms were not found in the current drinking water supply scheme in Sundarijal. The poor economic condition of users, inadequate funds in water users committee, and inadequate water collection for sales were determined as primary obstacles associated with PES establishment at the study site. Since the area has immense potential for PES, building additional water collection tanks with filter plants, a collaboration of multiple local organizations in the preparation of baseline document, identification of additional water sources, and adequate funding are perquisite to establish proper payment mechanism.


To determine whether corticosteroids influence alveolar type 2 cell events after acute lung injury, we administered 30 mg/kg/day of methylprednisolone (MP) to mice at various times after a single injection of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Tritiated thymidine (3H-T) autoradiographs were used to study type 2 cell proliferation and differentiation. Type 2 cell maturation was evaluated by ultrastructural analysis of lamellar body volume density and area in cells labeled with 3H-T. The BHT damaged type 1 cells and induced proliferation of type 2 cells. Sixty per cent of type 2 cells labeled with 3H-T on Day 3 differentiated into type 1 cells over a 4-day period. Lamellar body area per cell was unchanged. Early administration of MP (Days 1 and 2) inhibited type 2 cell proliferation when lung injury was mild; rebound proliferation occurred afer its discontinuation. The MP failed to inhibit proliferation when lung injury was severe. Prolonged MP administration (Days 1 to 5) resulted in greater type 2 cell proliferation, lung injury, and mortality. Late MP administration (Days 3 and 4) impaired differentiation of type 2 to type 1 cells and more than doubled lamellar body area per cell of new type 2 cells. Important interactions appear to exist between proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of alveolar type 2 cells suggesting that agents that influence one of these processes may influence all aspects of type 2 cell function.


Segmentation of handwritten text into lines, words and characters is one of the important steps in the handwritten text recognition process. In this paper we propose a water reservoir concept-based scheme for segmentation of unconstrained Oriya handwritten text into individual characters. Here, at first, the text image is segmented into lines, and the lines are then segmented into individual words. For line segmentation, the document is divided into vertical stripes. Analysing the heights of the water reservoirs obtained from different components of the document, the width of a stripe is calculated. Stripe-wise horizontal histograms are then computed and the relationship of the peak-valley points of the histograms is used for line segmentation. Based on vertical projection profiles and structural features of Oriya characters, text lines are segmented into words. For character segmentation, at first, the isolated and connected (touching) characters in a word are detected. Using structural, topological and water reservoir concept-based features, characters of the word that touch are then segmented. From experiments we have observed that the proposed "touching character" segmentation module has 96.7% accuracy for two-character touching strings.


Introduction: After discontinuation of growth friendly (GF) surgery for early onset scoliosis, patients undergo spinal fusion or continued observation. This last planned treatment is colloquially called "definitive" treatment, conferring these patients as "graduates" of a growing program. The 5-year radiographic and clinical outcomes of this cohort are unknown. Methods: An international pediatric spine database was queried for patients from a GF program (spine or rib-based) with minimum 5-year follow-up from last planned surgery (GF or spinal fusion). Radiographs and charts were reviewed for main coronal curve angle and maximum kyphosis as well as occurrence of secondary surgery. Results: Of 580 graduates, 170 (29%) had minimum 5-year follow-up (37% male). Scoliosis etiology was congenital in 41 (24%), idiopathic 36 (21%), neuromuscular 51 (30%), and syndromic 42 (25%). Index surgery consisted of spine-based growing rods in 122 (71%) and rib-based distraction in 48 (29%). Mean age at index surgery was 6.8 years, and patients underwent an average of 5.4 lengthenings over an average of 4.9 years (range, 6 mo to 11 y). Last planned treatment was at an average age of 11.8 years (range, 7 to 17 years). Last planned treatment consisted of spinal fusion in 114 patients, 47 had growing implants maintained, 9 had implants removed. Average follow-up was 7.3 years (range, 5 to 13 y). When compared from postdefinitive treatment to 2-year follow-up, there was noted progression of the coronal curve angle (46±19 to 51±21 degrees, P=0.046) and kyphosis (48±20 to 57±25 degrees, P=0.03). However, between 2 and 5 years, no further progression occurred in the coronal (51±21 to 53±21 degrees, P=0.26) or sagittal (57±25 to 54±28 degrees, P=0.93) planes. When stratified based on etiology, there was no significant coronal curve progression between 2- and 5-year follow-up. When comparing spinal fusion patients to those who had maintenance of their growing construct, there was also no significant curve progression. Thirty-seven (21%) underwent at least 1 (average, 1.7; range, 1 to 7) revision surgery following graduation, and 15 of 37 (41%) underwent 2 or more revision surgeries. Reason for revision was implant revision (either GF or spinal fusion) in 34 patients, and implant removal in 3. On an average, the first revision was 2.5 years after the definitive treatment plan (range, 0.02 to 7.4 y). In total, 15 of 37 (41%) revisions occurred over 2 years following the final decision for treatment plan, and 7 of 37 (19%) occurred 5 or more years after the definitive treatment. Patients who underwent spinal fusion as a definitive treatment strategy were more likely to undergo revision surgery (27%) than patients who had their GF implants maintained (11%) (P=0.04). Conclusions: Five years following "graduation" from growing surgery for early onset scoliosis, there is progression of curve magnitude in both the coronal and sagittal planes up to 2 years, with no further progression at 5 years. A total of 21% of patients undergo at least 1 revision surgery, and average time to revision surgery is over 2 years from last planned surgery. Risk of revision surgery was higher in patients who underwent a spinal fusion as their definitive treatment strategy. Level Evidence: Level III—retrospective comparative. Type of Evidence: Therapeutic.


Burkitt's lymphoma is a form of Non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. We report a case of Burkitt's lymphoma mimicking peritoneal carcinomatosis. We will discuss the imaging and clinical findings that differentiate between peritoneal carcinomatosis and Burkitt's lymphoma. A 26-year-old man presented with nonspecific abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea associated with significant amount of loss of weight. Computed tomography images showed extensive peritoneal and mesenteric mass associated generalized lymphadenopathy. Core biopsy of the mass confirmed Burkitt's lymphoma. CT scan features are helpful indicator to differentiate Burkitt's lymphoma and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Focal or diffuse nodular thickening of the bowel wall with extensive lymphadenopathy are likely to be lymphomatosis over carcinomatosis. However, final and confirmatory diagnosis is histopathology examination.


The meshing stage of a Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) problem is of crucial importance. In realistic engineering applications, issues arise when dealing with complex, sharp and moving boundaries, removing the possibility of automatic creation of a high quality structured mesh for instance. For Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems, the standard body-fitted meshing approaches are also limited to low structure deformation and to simple geometries. In light of these limitations, Immersed Boundary Methods (IBMs) have shown to be good alternatives for a broad range of problems.
The present work sets out to build a set of numerical methods based on IBMs to simulate both the motion of rigid bodies and the transport of thin flexible solids. This research focuses on the specific area of waste water pumps. Firstly, IBMs are used to provide estimates of the hydrodynamic performances of centrifugal pumps. Secondly, this type of method is used to give a first answer regarding the characterization of the physical mechanism that leads to clogging in such pumps.
The numerical tool is coupled to two different solvers for the fluid equations: (i) Navier-Stokes (NS) and (ii) Lattice-Boltzmann (LB). In the NS context, a sharp IBM based on a penalization method is developed and implemented in the open source library OpenFOAM in order to model the flow around rigid bodies. The complete model includes correction of the boundary conditions at the fluid-solid interface to improve the accuracy of the solution and coupling with turbulence models. To model the transport and the deformation of flexible structures, a diffuse penalty based IBM coupled to a solid model based on the variational derivative of the deformation energy is considered. In the LB context, the diffuse IBM available in the open source library Palabos is assessed for one-way coupling problems with rigid bodies. The latter is extended and coupled to the same solid model as above in order to study flexible structures.
The capabilities and the accuracy of the two IBMs are assessed and compared with several test cases dealing with rigid bodies. For the sharp NS-IBM, numerical results of academic cases highlight the benefits brought by the corrections of the interface boundary conditions. In engineering cases, the method leads to results in good agreement with experimental data and numerical data from standard body-fitted simulations. Finally, for the IBMs aimed at modelling the flexible structures, both physical approaches compare well with previous numerical models in literature, and are giving promising results regarding the clogging mechanism.


This paper outlines the analysis of subject English in a report written for the Commonwealth government entitled Year 12 Curriculum Content and Achievement Standards (CCAS). This report could not find 'a core of common content (either topics or skills) in senior English (including Literature)'. In the light of the diversity of English courses described by the CCAS report, this article examines the kinds of questions posed in some different Year 12 Australian English examinations, and categorises them as either conceptual, thematic, process-oriented, formal, substantive or skill-oriented. After reviewing the nature of English as a subject, and a range of questions from English examinations, it is argued that while English courses must specify content in terms of a text list for pragmatic reasons, examination candidates should be given choice among texts and choice about how they respond to those texts. Themes should not be specified in senior English courses, and candidates should be able to choose to make more conceptual or more substantive responses to texts. English examinations, in contrast with most current practice, should give at least as much emphasis to testing skills operating on unseen material as to rehearsing pre-prepared material.


Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb is the only conifer tree in Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is listed as a threatened tree by IUCN Red List in Pakistan. These forests and their associated plants and animals constitute a unique forest ecosystem; unfortunately, these forests in the northeastern region of Balochistan are degradating due to increased human population, poor regeneration, illegal cuttings, over grazing, agricultural land extension, canopy dieback, mistletoe attack, and periodic drought. Rehabilitation of these degraded forests land needs to be monitored over a long period of time with collaborative efforts and support from different related governmental organizations, as well as local inhabitants. Silvicultural practices and sustainable management must be adopted as tools for rehabilitation with floristic, ecological, and socio-economic interest. In the present study, the main objective is to indicate the major threats and recommend the appropriate silvicultural treatments in order to preserve and increase this species (J. excelsa) located in the Ziarat valley of Baluchistan. Under present conditions J. excelsa exhibits an adequate recruitment and does not face any immediate danger. However, if grazing does not stop in the future, J. excelsa may be replaced in better sites by more competitive species. In order to preserve an important component of the landscape such as J. excelsa stands and the integrity of ecosystem diversity, forest practice must imitate the impact of grazing and tree cutting in better sites. Intensive grazing must be avoided due to the negative effect upon the soil, juvenile seedlings, and microclimate. A forest management system that enables the original stands to survive and regenerate must be undertaken without delay. Moreover, the density of J. excelsa tree can be increased through specific silvicultural techniques such as the replanting of drought tolerant exotic trees and Juniper.


The authors review 39 patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks originating from the middle or posterior fossa. They evaluate the usefulness of preoperative investigative procedures, including cisternal radionuclide scanning and the deliberate increase of intracranial pressure. The results in this series emphasize the important role that abnormal CSF dynamics play in the recurrence of problematic cases of rhinorrhea or otorrhea. The following guidelines are recommended by the authors on the basis of their recent experience: 1) if hydrocephalus is present, if the cisternogram is abnormal, or if the CSF leak is intermittent and slight, the initial treatment should be insertion of a lumboperitoneal shunt; 2) if the leak is localized in the sellar or parasellar area, a transsphenoidal approach to obliterate the leak is advised; 3) if the CSF leak originates through a dural opening into the middle ear, an intracranial repair is indicated.


The knowledge of health seeking behaviour is pivotal for prevention, treatment, management of disease and promotion of health. Proper understanding of those health seeking behaviors could reduce delay to diagnosis, improve treatment compliance and improve health promotion strategies in a variety of contexts. To identify the perception among rural adults regarding quality of health care services in private and public health facilities and to find the association between perception regarding the quality of health care services and selected demographic variables. A descriptive survey was done among 260 rural adults using self-administered rating scale. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Pearson correlation were used. Out of 260 samples, 61% were had neutral perception about the quality of health services in government health facilities while 70% sample were had positive perception towards private health facilities. There is a significant association between perception regarding the quality of health care services and demographic variables. Majority of the sample prefer to go to private health facilities during the period of illness. The sample had better perception regarding the quality of health care services in private health facilities than government.


We present a retrospective review of a single-surgeon series of 30 consecutive lengthenings in 27 patients with congenital short femur using the Ilizarov technique performed between 1994 and 2005. The mean increase in length was 5.8 cm/18.65% (3.3 to 10.4, 9.7% to 48.8%), with a mean time in the frame of 223 days (75 to 363). By changing from a distal to a proximal osteotomy for lengthening, the mean range of knee movement was significantly increased from 98.1 degrees to 124.2 degrees (p = 0.041) and there was a trend towards a reduced requirement for quadricepsplasty, although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). The overall incidence of regenerate deformation or fracture requiring open reduction and internal fixation was similar in the distal and proximal osteotomy groups (56.7% and 53.8%, respectively). However, in the proximal osteotomy group, pre-placement of a Rush nail reduced this rate from 100% without a nail to 0% with a nail (p < 0.001). When comparing a distal osteotomy with a proximal one over a Rush nail for lengthening, there was a significant decrease in fracture rate from 58.8% to 0% (p = 0.043). We recommend that in this group of patients lengthening of the femur with an Ilizarov construct be carried out through a proximal osteotomy over a Rush nail. Lengthening should also be limited to a maximum of 6 cm during one treatment, or 20% of the original length of the femur, in order to reduce the risk of complications.


Motivated by the gap between the use of health technologies and actual health-related outcomes, this study builds on self-regulation theory to construct a research model that aims to unveil how technological intervention of health app overall quality affects self-regulated abilities and behaviors about health app use, health information literacy, and physical activity, which together determine health-related outcomes pertaining to health status and satisfaction with life. Responding to the lack of exploration of the interaction among different apps, narcissistic theory is applied to explain how the usage of selfie apps reinforce the effects of health apps. To empirically test our proposed research model, we plan to administer a large-scale survey questionnaire on health app usage.


In Ferenczi's idea of identification with an aggressor we can distinguish two sides. One is what we might call an interactive tactic or a social strategy, which is used in upsetting or unbalanced relations of power in order to forestall lack of control, fear, and the like. This is the side that is explored in great detail by Jay Frankel. The other side consists in a intrapsychic change, which flows from severe trauma. The specific effects of the latter are described by Ferenczi as dissociation/fragmentation of the personality, sequestering of the trauma, emotional abandonment, and isolation. Elsewhere, Ferenczi refers to this as a form of psychic self-mutilation.


An exact relation between the Ni56 mass and the bolometric light curve of a type Ia supernova can be derived as follows, using the following excellent approximations: 1. the emission is powered solely by Ni56->Co56 ->Fe56; 2. each mass element propagates at a non-relativistic velocity which is constant in time (free coasting); and 3. the internal energy is dominated by radiation. Under these approximations, the energy E(t) carried by radiation in the ejecta satisfies: dE/dt=-E(t)/t-L(t)+Q(t), where Q(t) is the deposition of energy by the decay which is precisely known and L(t) is the bolometric luminosity. By multiplying this equation by time and integrating over time we find: E(t)*t=\int_0^t Q(t')t'dt' -\int_0^t L(t')t'dt'. At late time, t>>t_peak, the energy inside the ejecta decreases rapidly due to its escape, and thus we have \int_0^t Q(t')t'dt'=\int_0^t L(t')t'dt'. This relation is correct regardless of the opacities, density distribution or Ni56 deposition distribution in the ejecta and is very different from"Arnett's rule", L_peak ~ Q(t_peak). By comparing \int_0^t Q(t')t'dt' with \int_0^t L(t')t'dt' at t~40 day after the explosion, the mass of Ni56 can be found directly from UV, optical and infrared observations with modest corrections due to the unobserved gamma-rays and due to the small residual energy in the ejecta, E(t)*t>0.


Herein, a novel rod-like BiOBr–Bi4O5Br2 heterostructure with a high quality interface was synthesized by calcining a BiOBr precursor in air at 450 °C for 2 h. Bi4O5Br2 nanosheets grew on the rod-like BiOBr made of nanosheets. The content of the loaded Bi4O5Br2 can be controlled by adjusting the concentration of glucose during the preparation of BiOBr precursors. The photocatalytic activity of the as-made products was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The results show that the BiOBr–Bi4O5Br2 heterostructure displays outstanding photocatalytic activity as compared to the pure phase BiOBr and Bi4O5Br2, and 100% RhB (20 mg L−1) can be degraded within 5/10 min under solar/visible-light irradiation. This enhanced photocatalytic performance is ascribed to the synergistic effect of the suitable band alignment of BiOBr and Bi4O5Br2 and the formation of a high quality interface between BiOBr and Bi4O5Br2. Radical scavenger experiments prove that the photogenerated holes and ˙O2− play a key role in the photodegradation process. This study would offer a simple route for the design and fabrication of one-dimensional junction structures with high interface quality for photocatalytic applications.


Acrylamide is formed in heat processing of many common foods. According to animal cancer tests acrylamide is a carcinogen. To estimate the cancer risk from exposure via food, the response at high doses in the cancer tests with rats has to be extrapolated to the exposure levels in humans. Acrylamide is biotransformed to the epoxide glycidamide, which is assumed to be the cancer-risk increasing agent. Therefore in vivo doses of both acrylamide and glycidamide should be measured in rats and humans and related to the acrylamide intake. In vivo doses (area under the time-concentration curve, AUC) of reactive compounds can be determined from measured reaction products, adducts, to hemoglobin (Hb). A study in mice showed that the food matrix does not have an influence on the absorbed amount of acrylamide from food. There was a linear dose-response of Hb-adduct levels from acrylamide and glycidamide. For cancer risk assessment it is important to describe variations between individuals in intake and in AUC. Hb-adduct levels of acrylamide and glycidamide were studied in two large groups. In non-smokers the acrylamide and glycidamide-adduct levels varied with a factor of 5 and 8, respectively. The influence of other compounds in the diet on metabolic formation/elimination of glycidamide was demonstrated by associations between the ratio of glycidamide-to-acrylamide-adduct levels and alcohol intake. Furthermore, a non-linearity between glycidamide and acrylamide-adduct levels was shown at low exposure levels. AUCs from acrylamide and glycidamide in rats exposed as in the cancer tests were measured and compared with AUCs in humans exposed to acrylamide through food. The AUC of glycidamide per given dose of acrylamide was somewhat higher in humans than in the rats. Altogether the generated data could be used to improve the cancer risk estimate of acrylamide in food. The obtained data strengthen earlier preliminary cancer risk estimates of acrylamide.


Environmental biotechnology concerns the science and practical knowledge relating to the use of microorganisms and their products. Biotechnology combines fundamental knowledge in microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, and engineering knowledge of the specific processes and equipment. The main applications of biotechnology in industrial hazardous waste treatment are: prevention of environmental pollution through waste treatment, remediation of polluted environments, and biomonitoring of environment and treatment processes. The common biotechnological process in the treatment of hazardous waste is the biotransformation or biodegradation of hazardous substances by microbial communities. Bioagents for hazardous waste treatment are biotechnological agents that can be applied to hazardous waste treatment including bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa. Bacteria are microorganisms with prokaryotic cells and typically range from 1 to 5 mm in size. Bacteria are most active in the biodegradation of organic matter and are used in the wastewater treatment and solid waste or soil bioremediation. Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that assimilate organic substances and typically range from 5 to 20 mm in size. Fungi are important degraders of biopolymers and are used in solid waste treatment, especially in composting, or in soil bioremediation for the biodegradation of hazardous organic substances. Fungal biomass is also used as an adsorbent of heavy metals or radionuclides. Algae are saprophytic eukaryotic microorganisms that assimilate light energy. Algal cells typically range from 5 to 20 mm in size. Algae are used in environmental biotechnology for the removal of organic matter in waste lagoons. Protozoa are unicellular animals that absorb organic food and digest it intracellularly. Typical cell size is from 10 to 50 mm. Protozoa play an important role in the treatment of industrial hazardous solid, liquid, and gas wastes by grazing on bacterial cells, thus maintaining adequate bacterial biomass levels in the treatment systems and helping to reduce cell concentrations in the waste effluents. Microbial aggregates used in hazardous waste treatment. Microorganisms are key biotechnology agents because of their diverse biodegradation and biotransformation abilities and their small size. They have high ratios of biomass surface to biomass volume, which ensure


Hydrogen ions were implanted into separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers near the oxygen-implantation-induced damage peak under different conditions of energy and dose. It was found that the implanted hydrogen ions not only accelerate the diffusion of oxygen atoms from the annealing ambience into the wafer but also cause an outward diffusion of oxygen atoms in the buried oxide (BOX) layer. Thus, greatly broadened buried oxygen-rich (BOR) layers were formed in our experiments, which are 18%–79% broader than the BOX layer of standard SIMOX SOI wafers under the same conditions of oxygen implantation. The mechanism was discussed. A potential low cost method to fabricate SIMOX SOI wafers is proposed.


Members of the chloride channel family ClC are present in organisms ranging from bacteria to animals. In ClC channels, ion conduction and gating are tightly coupled. Dutzler et al. compared their structures of wild-type and mutant Escherichia coli ClC channels and found that a glutamate residue acts as a gate. When it is unprotonated, the glutamate side chain occupies a chloride ion-binding site and closes the channel. However, when it is protonated, the side chain flips out of the way, and the channel opens. Thus, extracellular pH can regulate gating. The open channel contains a queue of three chloride ions, not unlike the ion pathway in the structurally distinct potassium channel. R. Dutzler, E. B. Campbell, R. MacKinnon, Gating the selectivity filter in ClC chloride channels. Science 300, 108-112 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The diagnosis of entero-neuropancreatic tumours different from Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and carcinoid syndrome require an high index of suspicion and even when they are associated to virulent syndromes such as VIPoma or insulinoma syndrome the mean delay in diagnosis is of 4 years. Symptomatic hypoglycaemia due to inappropriate insulin release from insulinoma and watery diarrhoea leading to dehydration caused by elevated circulant vaso-intestinal peptide levels are present in the 90% and 100% of the patients at presentation of the respective syndrome. Somatostatinoma syndrome has a far more subtle presentation and it tends to present much later during the disease course. The diagnosis is based on the presence of gallstones, diabetes, weight loss, diarrhoea and steatorrhoea. Growth hormone releasing factor neuroendocrine tumours (GRFoma) present with acromegaly and account for less than 2% of the acromegalic patients in which the growth hormone is from an ectopic source located in the pancreas. The Cushing's syndrome diagnosis due to rare ectopic neuroendocrine tumour adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion can be made only with selective angiography, whereas non-functional and pancreatic polypeptide producing neuroendocrine tumours (PPoma) present without any symptoms. Finally, multiple endocrine neoplasia type one occurs more commonly with somatostatinoma or GRFoma, conversely patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type one can develop insulinoma (20%) or PPoma (60%).


Licorice flavonoid oil (LFO), which contains hydrophobic flavonoids from Glycyrrhiza glabra LINNE, is a new ingredient for functional foods. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity action of LFO in diet-induced obese rats. The addition of 2% LFO in a high-fat diet significantly decreased the weight of abdominal adipose tissue and the levels of hepatic and plasma triglycerides. We found that the enzymatic activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase, the rate-limiting enzymes in the fatty acid synthetic pathway, were significantly decreased by LFO, whereas the enzymatic activity of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the fatty acid oxidative pathway, was significantly increased. All our findings suggest that the anti-obesity action of LFO is controlled by regulation of the rate-limiting enzymes in the fatty acid synthetic and oxidative pathways in the liver.


Abstract Little research investigates the academic and interpersonal competence of Latino students in classroom settings. As such, the current study seeks to better understand how language proficiency and ethnicity relate to teacher ratings of children's academic and social capabilities. The present study compared European American students with Latino students in regular and bilingual classrooms from the fall of fourth grade to the spring of fifth grade. Using discriminant function analyses at four times, results suggest that in the fall of fourth grade several distinctions existed between students in regular and bilingual classrooms. By the spring of fifth grade, the number of differences diminished to just two variables among the groups. For each factor separating the students, teachers consistently rated Latinos in bilingual classrooms as less competent, whereas Latinos in regular classrooms were often, though not always, similar to European American students. Implications for practice are discussed.


To improve the water budgeting of forested catchments and inform relevant hydrologic theory regarding water cycling within forests, the scientific community has been seeking simple, inexpensive, direct methods for determining rain water storage on in situ tree canopies. This paper evaluates an installation arrangement and routine for one such method: mechanical displacement sensors placed on a tree's trunk to directly monitor compression under canopy water loading from rainfall. The evaluated installation routine aligns mechanical displacement sensors along orthogonal axes passing through the mechanical center of the trunk to reduce wind‐induced noise. The experimental attainment of neutral bending axes for a subject hardwood and softwood tree suggests the routine is precise and approximates the trunk's mechanical center well regardless of differences in cellular axial stiffness between heart and sapwood. When installed in this precise sensor arrangement, bending tests of different loading directions produced a consistent signal ratio between sensor pairs of approximately −1 (1 unit compression/1 unit elongation), allowing the identification and removal of bending strains from the raw strain signals to isolate the compression component attributable to canopy water storage loads. The same experiments performed on sensors just 5 cm off the trunk's computed mechanical center were unable to produce neutral bending axes or consistent signal ratios during bending from variable loading directions. Results from the method evaluation were translated into a data processing technique that is then applied to strain data collected through two sample rain events (one each for the hardwood and softwood trees). The processed strain data showed a clear synchronicity between rainfall and canopy loading, as well as periods of maximized canopy water loading (canopy storage capacity). Our results indicate that the evaluated arrangement and installation procedure for mechanical displacement sensors may be able to provide scientists with simple, direct canopy water storage estimates at high temporal resolution and sensitivity.


Development of data mining technologies to predict treatment errors in populations of patients represents a major advance in patient safety research. In the work presented here we (1) create a simulation test environment using characteristic models of physician decision strategies and simulated populations of type 2 diabetic patients, (2) employ a specific data mining technology that predicts encounter-specific errors of omission in representative databases of simulated physician-patient encounters, and (3) test the predictive technology in an administrative database of real physician-patient encounter data. Two dominant decision making strategies with different rates of treatment errors are identified: feedback strategies that use the results of past actions to guide treatment decision, and feedforward strategies that make treatment decisions based on anticipated future patient states. Evaluation of data mining results shows that the predictive tools developed from simulated treatment data can predict errors of omission in clinical patient data. The methods developed in this work can have the potential for wide use in identifying decision strategies that lead to encounter-specific treatment errors in chronic disease care.