Abstract The 2009 M w  6.3 L'Aquila earthquake produced an impressive number of rotational effects on vertically organized objects such as chimneys, pillars, capitals, and gravestones. We present a dataset of such effects that consists of 105 observations at 37 different sites and represents a compendium of earthquake-induced instances of rotational effects that is unprecedented in recent times. We find that the absolute majority of the reported effects were observed in the epicentral zone and that most of the observations are located where the Mercalli–Cancani–Sieberg intensity is between 7 and 8–9. The evident asymmetry in the distribution of the rotational effects resembles the southeastward directivity of the macroseismic effects and highlights a significant convergence between rotations and damage. Finally, we perform some qualitative analyses to recognize and evaluate which geological and seismological parameters can be significant contributors to local rotations. We find that surface geology and amplification of the seismic motion at each reported location strongly influence the occurrence and the nature of the earthquake-induced rotational effects. Conversely, the contribution of the pattern of slip distribution on the fault plane plays only a secondary role in enhancing the rotational motion at each site.


We demonstrate a method for the synthesis of cyclic polymers and a protocol for characterizing their diffusive motion in a melt state at the single molecule level. An electrostatic self-assembly and covalent fixation (ESA-CF) process is used for the synthesis of the cyclic poly(tetrahydrofuran) (poly(THF)). The diffusive motion of individual cyclic polymer chains in a melt state is visualized using single molecule fluorescence imaging by incorporating a fluorophore unit in the cyclic chains. The diffusive motion of the chains is quantitatively characterized by means of a combination of mean-squared displacement (MSD) analysis and a cumulative distribution function (CDF) analysis. The cyclic polymer exhibits multiple-mode diffusion which is distinct from its linear counterpart. The results demonstrate that the diffusional heterogeneity of polymers that is often hidden behind ensemble averaging can be revealed by the efficient synthesis of the cyclic polymers using the ESA-CF process and the quantitative analysis of the diffusive motion at the single molecule level using the MSD and CDF analyses.


A new alloy, 440 N-DUR{trademark} has been developed which will provide the corrosion resistance of 440C with improved carbide size and distribution for noiseless miniature precision bearing operation. The alloy may be through hardened to achieve a minimum hardness of 60 HRC. Its nominal composition is 0.65 wt.% C, 14.5 wt.% Cr, 0.30 wt.% Si, 0.45 wt.% Mn and 0.10 wt.% N{sub 2}. The development of the alloy is a result of a factorial experimental design including 17 alloy variants. The optimum alloy provides a combination of the best carbide structure, corrosion resistance and heat treat response. The addition of nitrogen combined with this carbon and chromium content improves the alloy`s hardenability and corrosion resistance. The alloy successfully withstands copper sulfate exposure and is currently being tested in several bearing applications. It also has great potential to outperform 440C and other corrosion resistant alloys for other ambient and low temperature applications because of its improved microstructure and heat treat response.


BACKGROUND: There is little research on characteristics and prognosis of early onset psychosis (at the age of 12-18 years). AIM: To advance our knowledge of this disorder for the purpose of proper diagnosis and treatment. Premorbid and prodromal characteristics, treatment history, symptoms and classifications, and similarities and differences between subgroups with affective and with schizophrenic psychosis are focused on. METHOD: A chart review was constructed to study a group of 129 subjects with psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: The group was characterised by early -but non-specific - treatment, developmental problems (mostly social), and clear prodromes. Drug abuse, depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviour were also frequent. Male gender, a relatively long prodromal phase, school problems and drug abuse were more indicative for a schizophrenic subgroup. Introversion was characteristic for schizophrenic boys. Classificaties, however, were notstable. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that early identification of all early onset psychosis should take place in existing treatment settings. Careful examination of the prodromal phase seems helpful to differentiate between schizophrenic and affective psychosis, which is significant for both research as (early) intervention.


Photonic crystal fibers are being designed with promising results owing to design flexibility and structure geometry. A four-ring structure with ring defects has been proposed. The results show that Photonic crystal fiber with the third ring removed has very low confinement loss of 1.17x10-4dB/km at 1.55µm, chromatic dispersion of - 69ps/km.nm at 0.75µm and zero chromatic dispersion at 0.86µm. The results also show that removing only the third ring reduces chromatic dispersion at shorter wavelengths than at longer wavelengths. Vectorial Finite element method is used for this work. The proposed fiber can be used for short and medium transmission applications.

Citation: Agbemabiese, P. A., Agamah, J. D., Nartey, J. A. and Torkudzor, M. K. (2021). Defect-Photonic Crystal Fiber structure of Zero Chromatic Dispersion very low Confinement loss.
International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.96-105.
Received: March 20, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021


Islamic Capital Markets: A Comparative Approach (2nd Edition) looks at the similarities and differences between Islamic capital markets and conventional capital markets. The book explains each topic from both the conventional and the Islamic perspective, offering a full understanding of Islamic capital markets, processes, and instruments. In addition to a full explanation of Islamic products, the book also ensures a holistic understanding of the dual markets within which Islamic capital markets operate. Ideal for both students and current practitioners, the second edition of the highly successful Islamic Capital Markets: A Comparative Approach fills a large gap in the current literature on the subject, featuring case studies from Malaysia, Indonesia, Europe, and the Middle East. One of the few comprehensive, dedicated guides to the subject available, the book offers comprehensive and in-depth insights on the topic of Islamic finance for students and professionals alike.


To make planning feasible, planning models abstract from many details of the modeled system. When executing plans in the actual system, the model might be inaccurate in a critical point, and plan execution may fail. There are two options to handle this case: the previous solution can be modified to address the failure (plan repair), or the planning process can be re-started from the new situation (re-planning). In HTN planning, discarding the plan and generating a new one from the novel situation is not easily possible, because the HTN solution criteria make it necessary to take already executed actions into account. Therefore all approaches to repair plans in the literature are based on specialized algorithms. In this paper, we discuss the problem in detail and introduce a novel approach that makes it possible to use unchanged, offthe-shelf HTN planning systems to repair broken HTN plans. That way, no specialized solvers are needed.


Herawati et al. (2004) said that sentences are regarded as a concrete form of the language
whether they are spoken in written or in oral form. Sentences have four characteristics that
are complementary to each other, ie phonological, orthographic, grammatical, and
meaning (Herawati et al., 2004: 14). This paper discusses the characteristics of
grammatical and the characteristics of meaning. The linguistic element of a sentence is
said to be complete when at least the sentence consists of subject (S) and predicate (P) as
the following sentence, Siti mangan 'Siti eats'. In that sentence, Siti is the subject (S) and
mangan is a predicate (P). The meaning of the sentence is said to be acceptable to be
explained by two examples of the following sentence: (a) Rudi nulis layang nganggo potelot
'Rudi writes a letter using a pencil' and (b) *Rudi nulis layang ngango godhong 'Rudi writes
a letter using a leaf'. Example (a) is an acceptable sentence because pencil is used for
writing, whereas example (b) contains unacceptable meaning because leaves are not a
writing tool and cannot be used for writing. So an arrangement can be said as a sentence
when the order contains acceptable meaning.
Furthermore, this paper limits the discussion only to the type of sentence according to the
purpose or the form of the interrogative sentence. While the method used in this paper is
an introspective method, namely by utilizing the author's intuition as native speakers of
Javanese, dialect of East Java. So the linguistic data obtained in the form of Java language
dialect Malang East Java. The characteristics of ukara pitakon (interrogative sentences)
in Javanese are ending with a question mark (?), and / or query element. These
characteristics can be seen from 2 things: syntactic behavior, and semantic behavior.
Syntactic behaviors of sentence in Javanese language among others are (1) In the verbs
predicated sentence then the question word or interrogative pronoun (PN1) tend to occupy
the function of the subject, object, or complement; (2) As the core of the phrase, the question
word or interrogative pronoun (PN1) occupies the main part meanwhile the supporting
part which can usually be numerals, adjectives, adjectives, verbs, or other nouns are in
front or following behind. The role (semantic function) which can be done by the question
word or the interrogative pronoun (PN1) in Javanese dialect of Malang East Java is apa
'what' to ask the object or yes no question, sapa 'who' to ask someone, kapan 'when' to ask
Time, apaa 'why' to ask why, yaapa 'how' to ask the circumstances, endi 'which' to ask for
choice or place, ndek endi 'where 'to ask the place, and pira 'how many' to ask the number
or amount of something.


Since November, 1945, the Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory of the University of Texas has been engaged in making propagation measurements of 3.2-cm waves. Results of some of these tests have been published, but a description of the equipment used has not been generally available. This paper describes the latest arrangement of the phase-difference receivers, modifications of which were used in the tests previously described. This receiver provides data for separating two waves received simultaneously by means of signal-strength and phase-difference data received at three points. It is possible to measure phase difference between two 3.2-cm signals to an accuracy of 5° over a signal-strength range of 70 db and a signal-strength ratio between channels as high as 20 db. Absolute signal strength is measured to within 1 db, while relative signal strength is measured to 0.5 db.


A conceptual framework is developed and tested in which supplier downstream position in the supply chain, supplier innovation strategy and customer development commitment are seen as the antecedents of supplier product development activity. Using partial least squares (PLS), we analyze the results of a survey of 161 Swedish automotive suppliers and test a series of nested models to test our hypotheses. We demonstrate that the position of the supplier in the supply chain and its strategic focus on innovation not only have a direct impact on (actual) supplier product development activity, but that there is also an interaction effect, implying that the effects of strategy are contingent on the supplier???s supply chain position. Additionally, we find that customer development commitment does not have any significant direct effect on supplier product development activities, but that this relation is fully mediated by supplier innovation strategy. The meaning of the findings for developing a more extensive conceptual framework for understanding supplier product development activities, some managerial implications, and future research are discussed.


Abstract. Long-term, high-resolution temperature records which combine an unambiguous proxy and precise dating are rare in China. In addition, the societal implications of past temperature change on a regional scale have not been sufficiently assessed. Here, based on the modern relationship between chironomids and temperature, we use fossil chironomid assemblages in a precisely dated sediment core from Gonghai Lake to explore temperature variability during the past 4000 years in northern China. Subsequently, we address the possible regional societal implications of temperature change through a statistical analysis of the occurrence of wars. Our results show the following. (1) The mean annual temperature (TANN) was relatively high during 4000–2700 cal yr BP, decreased gradually during 2700–1270 cal yr BP and then fluctuated during the last 1270 years. (2) A cold event in the Period of Disunity, the Sui-Tang Warm Period (STWP), the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and the Little Ice Age (LIA) can all be recognized in the paleotemperature record, as well as in many other temperature reconstructions in China. This suggests that our chironomid-inferred temperature record for the Gonghai Lake region is representative. (3) Local wars in Shanxi Province, documented in the historical literature during the past 2700 years, are statistically significantly correlated with changes in temperature, and the relationship is a good example of the potential societal implications of temperature change on a regional scale.


The opening chapters of this book deal with new apparatus, techniques, and protection. A description of image intensifiers and their relation to cineradiography is given. The chapter on protection in the diagnostic x-ray department is timely and of real value. It should be especially useful in the United States where there is growing interest in such protection by municipal and state health departments. All the chapters are followed by a full list of references, which is a desirable feature too often neglected. The chapter on radiology in research is short but adequate. It outlines the trend in this field. The next chapter deals with the changing pattern of chest disease and contains material with which every radiologist should be familiar. The portion on lung cancer is especially good. Then follow chapters on evaluation of cardiac function by angiocardiography and cineradiology. These functions of the radiological department are mainly for very


This work examines the stability of gray in transmissive films as a function of variations in the dye amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow. The variation was confined to 10% of the combined, total dye amount. The volume defined by these variations mapped into XYZ-color space was used as a metric. The dye density functions were modeled with normal distributions. Their widths and peak positions were parameterized for optimization. For each width a dye set of maximum stability was found. At widths below 50 nm, the narrower the spectral density functions, the higher the stability. However, narrower sets have the drawback of requiring larger dye amounts. At widths below 25 nm the dye amounts or equivalent optical densities become unrealistic high (larger than 3). The color stability comes at a high price: the sets with maximum stability have a severely reduced color gamut; though, substantially larger gamuts can be obtained, i.e., multiple times larger, if the restriction of high stability is a little bit relaxed.


Developed fifty years ago by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the analytic methods of business cycles and economic indicators enable economists to forecast economic trends by examining the repetitive sequences that occur in business cycles. The methodology has proven to be an inexpensive and useful tool that is now used extensively throughout the world. In recent years, however, significant new developments have emerged in the field of business cycles and economic indicators. This volume contains twenty-two articles by international experts who are working with new and innovative approaches to indicator research. They cover advances in three broad areas of research: the use of new developments in economic theory and time-series analysis to rationalise existing systems of indicators; more appropriate methods to evaluate the forecasting records of leading indicators, particularly of turning point probability; and the development of new indicators.


In recent years small radio transmitters have been developed that can transmit physiological information from within the human body. The present units are small enough to be introduced into the bladder, or to be swallowed without unpleasant sensation. A summary of these recent developments is given along with some of the present lines of investigation toward future forms. A representative unit is described in some detail.


– Aerva lanata (Linn) belongs to the family Amaranthaceae is a rare perennial shrub or erect herb growing in the Gabal Elba protected southeast corner of the Eastern Desert of Egypt. In order to increase the demand for medicinal wild plants in the drug industry, care must be taken to the necessity of preserving those plants, especially rare ones. An efficient method of in vitro propagation, synthetic seed production protocol was established for the conservation of A. lanata . Shoot tips excised from in vitro the proliferated shoots were encapsulated in calcium alginate beads. A gelling matrix of 3% sodium alginate and 100mM calcium chloride was found the most suitable for formation of ideal calcium alginate beads. Shoot tips have been preserved in calcium alginate beads containing calcium alginate for five months. Three matrices; water, medium of Murashige and Skoog and medium of Murashige and Skoog containing 3% sucrose and measured for storage at 24 ± 2 and 4C°. The regeneration efficiency of A. lanata shoot tips encapsulated was investigated. On the Murashige and Skoog medium, 100% viability and high regrowth percentage and productivity of recovered shoot tips were observed at 4°C in all examined alginate matrices. Murashige and Skoog medium with sucrose, however, were considered superior. Rooting was carried out under the same medium and 73.3% of regenerated plantlets under greenhouse conditions were effectively hardened. The regeneration ability and regrowth of encapsulated shoot tips during storage are decreased on a monthly basis. The derived protocol can be used successfully to retain encapsulated A. lanata shoot tips for five months at 4°C without any growth regulator treatments. The encapsulation technique could also be used as an alternative method of propagation and support the conservation of the desired elite genotype of A. lanata by cost-effect germplasm.


This paper examines the convergence of a broad class of distributed learning dynamics for games with continuous action sets. The dynamics under study comprise a multi-agent generalization of Nesterov's dual averaging (DA) method, a primal-dual mirror descent method that has recently seen a major resurgence in the field of large-scale optimization and machine learning. To account for settings with high temporal variability and uncertainty, we adopt a continuous-time formulation of dual averaging and we investigate the dynamics' long-run behavior when players have either noiseless or noisy information on their payoff gradients. In both the deterministic and stochastic regimes, we establish sublinear rates of convergence of actual and averaged trajectories to Nash equilibrium under a variational stability condition.


The authors present the structure of resuscitation care of children in a large region (Sverdlovsk district) and analyze its efficacy in recent 5 years. A specific feature is the creation of a novel institution: resuscitation consulting center, carrying out therapy and consultations on a wide scale and regular organizational and methodological activity, consisting in improving specialized care both in the center and in other clinics, in upgrading specialists, and improving the equipment of resuscitation departments. An important element of the system is a universal information base for improving the diagnosis of threatened states and making strategic decisions. Proper functioning of all elements of the system will help not only decrease the level of hospital mortality, but the childhood mortality in general as well.


This paper proposes a new security method for protecting signalling for Domain Name System (DNS) architecture. That is, it makes secure DNS update messages for binding a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of an IPv6 node and the IPv6 address of the node owning this FQDN. This method is based on the use of Cryptographically Generated Addresses (CGA) and IDBased Cryptography (IBC). Combination of these two techniques allows DNS server to check the ownership of the IPv6 address and the FQDN, sent by the DNS client. In addition, this paper describes how this method has been implemented.


: A radioisotope technique has been developed for the quantitative assessment of microcirculation disorder in a local anaphylactic focus of guinea pigs sensitized with horse immunoglobulin G and polyethyleneoxide conjugate with 2,4-dinitrophenol. The technique is based on the use of a radioactive tracer, dextran derivative, labelled with radionuclide 125I. The method can be used for studying a safety of new polymer-containing drugs.


Background The mosquito Aedes koreicus (Edwards, 1917) is a recent invader on the European continent that was introduced to several new places since its first detection in 2008. Compared to other exotic Aedes mosquitoes with public health significance that invaded Europe during the last decades, this species' biology, behavior, and dispersal patterns were poorly investigated to date. Methodology/Principal Findings To understand the species' population relationships and dispersal patterns within Europe, a fragment of the COI gene was sequenced from 130 mosquitoes, collected from five countries where the species has been introduced and/or established. Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing techniques were combined to generate the first complete nuclear and mitochondrial genomic sequences of Ae. koreicus from the European region. The complete genome of Ae. koreicus is 879 Mb. COI haplotype analyses identified five major groups (altogether 31 different haplotypes) and revealed a large-scale dispersal pattern between European Ae. koreicus populations. Continuous admixture of populations from Belgium, Italy, and Hungary was highlighted, additionally, haplotype diversity and clustering clearly indicate a separation of German sequences from other populations, pointing to an independent introduction of Ae. koreicus to Europe. Finally, a genetic expansion signal was identified, suggesting the species might be present in more locations than currently detected. Conclusions/Significance Our results highlight the importance of genetic research of invasive mosquitoes to understand general dispersal patterns, reveal main dispersal routes and form the baseline of future mitigation actions. The first complete genomic sequence also provides a significant leap in the general understanding of this species, opening the possibility for future genome-related studies, such as the detection of 'Single Nucleotide Polymorphism' markers. Considering its public health importance, it is crucial to further investigate the species' population genetic dynamic, including a larger sampling and additional genomic markers. Author Summary In the present context of globalization and changing environment, the rapid spread of Invasive Mosquito Species (IMS) across Europe represents a serious public health threat because some species are competent vectors for several pathogens. A better knowledge of the IMS population relationships, demographic trends, and dispersal patterns can help the relevant authorities mitigating further spread. Aedes koreicus is an IMS that invaded the continent and has been expanding its geographic range over the last decade. In the present study, one of the most popular DNA marker (COI) was used to investigate the pan-European haplotype diversity and phylogenetic relatedness within and between Ae. koreicus populations. Also, the first complete mitochondrial genome and draft nuclear genome of Ae. koreicus were generated using combined high-throughput sequencing techniques (Oxford Nanopore, Illumina). This provides a significant leap in the general understanding of this species and opens the possibility for future genomic studies.


Bromide (Br ) concentrations (mg/L) in groundwater range from no observed adverse effect levels (NOAEL), which is considered safe, and increase to constituent of concern (COC) when the concentrations approach the recommended maximum levels for safety, and to potentially hazardous chemical constituent when the concentrations exceed the recommended safe levels. The default recommended NOAEL of less than or equal to 0.01 mg/L was validated with the highly sensitive chicken embryo model. Chronic and acute exposure to Br in groundwater can induce negative consequences, which include hypothyroidism, reduced production and Br accumulation in organs and secretion in milk, depending on the type of livestock and their physiological state, and potential interactions with environmental factors. Bromide competes with chloride (Cl ) and infiltrates the Cl space, has a relatively long half-life in proportion to the ingestion rate, and a low renal clearance rate of approximately 5% of ingestion, leading to an accumulation in the body. The most vulnerable livestock are neonatal and suckling animals, those with a high water intake, such as during lactation, or in an adverse environment, and because of chronic exposure. The recommendation is to include Br in chemical analysis of water quality and to assess the potential risk to livestock. ____________________________________________________________________________________


An improved self-calibrating digital instrument for online flux measurements on superconducting magnets for particle accelerators prototyped at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), in cooperation with the University of Sannio, is presented. The new instrument reduces the online flux analysis time down to 4.00 mus within a resolution of 50 ns. Furthermore, the typical signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SINAD) is significantly improved with respect to the previous version and to the instruments that are currently in use. Details about the design, online measurement principle, and results of the metrological characterization of the new instrument are provided.


This article presents an analysis of observed climate extremes over the Arabian Peninsula (AP); a region for which little such analysis has been available. A set of climate extremes indices developed by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) were computed and analysed for trends including the periods 1970–2008 and 1986–2008 at 23 stations covering six countries (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE) and for Bahrain (1950–2008), Kuwait (1962–2008), Masirah and Salalah (1943–2008). The results indicate a general decreasing trend of cold temperature extremes and increasing trends of the warm temperature extremes during the periods of analysis. Over the whole region, a remarkable and highly significant increase in very warm nights during 1986–2008 has occurred. In general higher temperature trends (magnitudes/significance) are reported over the northern AP in the day‐time extremes while for the night‐time extremes the trends are higher and significant for the southern region especially during the recent decades. The precipitation indices trends are weak and insignificant except for the annual count of days when precipitation exceeds 10 mm which shows a significant decrease during 1986–2008.


A carotid web is a shelf-like intraluminal filling defect typically arising from the posterolateral wall of the proximal internal carotid artery. It is recognized as a possible cause of ischemic stroke in young adults. However, its etiopathogenesis is controversial and remains to be fully elucidated. The authors report de novo formation of a carotid web from an intimal dissection documented on serial imaging studies. The findings in this case suggest that a focal intimal dissection could be the underlying cause of a carotid web. Lower shear stress at the posterolateral wall of the proximal internal carotid artery is hypothesized to be a predisposing factor and explains the predilection of a carotid web for this specific location.


The present study was conducted in Aurangabad and Beed district of Marathwada region to know the knowledge and adoption of recommended cultivation practices of Rabi Jowar among the growers. The Data was collected personally with the help of structured scheduled and analysed with the help of statistical methods. Data revealed that the majority of the respondents (87.50%) had knowledge about the ploughing and harrowing operations whereas 62.50 per cent of them were aware about improved varieties of Rabi Jowar. Majority of them (91.67%) were well known about the proper sowing time and 32.49 per cent of them had knowledge about recommended dose of fertilizers. It was depicted that 90.00 per cent of the respondents had knowledge about thinning, while 55.83 per cent of them had knowledge about various pests and diseases and 18.33 per cent of them were having knowledge about application of weedicides Atrazine. It was further observed that 80.83 per cent of them were well known about the protective irrigation. Cent per cent respondents were aware about the methods of harvesting. As regards to overall knowledge level, majority of them (54.17%) had medium level of knowledge. In case of adoption of improved cultivation practices of Rabi Jowar by the respondents, it was found that about 87.50 per cent of them had fully adopted the practice of ploughing and harrowing, whereas, 66.67 per cent of them do not applied the manuring to the crop, while none of them had done the soil testing. It was also observed that 55.84 per cent respondents had adopted improved varieties, while 56.67 per cent of them had used recommended seed rate. It was also noticed that 35.00 per cent of them had done seed treatment. Majority of them had sown the crop during recommended sowing time. While 62.50 per cent of respondents had adopted the recommended spacing and 25.00 per cent of them had applied the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers to the crop. In case of plant protection, 37.50 per cent and 40.00 per cent of the respondents fully adopted plant protection measures for control of pest and disease, respectively. Only 8.33 per cent of them had sprayed weedicide Atrazine as per the recommendation. Most of the respondents (48.33%) had medium level of adoption of recommended cultivation practices of Rabi Jowar, followed by 36.66 per cent and 15.00 per cent of the respondents were in low and high adoption level, respectively. K e y w o r d s Knowledge, Adoption, Rabi Jowar, Recommended cultivation practices Accepted: 18 September 2018 Available Online: 10 October 2018 Article Info Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(10): 2307-2313


We present a simple method to render complex 3D models at interactive rates using real-time displacement mapping. We use an octree to decompose the 3D model into a set of height fields and display the model by rendering the height fields using per-pixel displacement mapping. By simply rendering the faces of the octree voxels to produce fragments for ray-casting on the GPU, and with straightforward transformation of view rays to the displacement map's local space, our method is able to accurately render the object's silhouettes with very little special handling. The algorithm is especially suitable for fast visualization of high-detail point-based models, and models made up of unprocessed triangle meshes that come straight from range scanning. This is because our method requires much less preprocessing time compared to the traditional triangle-based rendering approach, which usually needs a large amount of computation to preprocess the input model into one that can be rendered more efficiently. Unlike the point-based rendering approach, the rendering efficiency of our method is not limited by the number of input points. Our method can achieve interactive rendering of models with more than 300 millions points on standard graphics hardware.


The article deals with a pilot investigation into the audio communication of cosmonauts with ground controllers. The purpose was to verify in space flight the patterns and trends revealed in model tests of intergroup communication, and to pinpoint the signature of multinational crew communication with 2 national mission control centers (MCCs). The investigation employed authors' content-analysis adapted to the scenario of long-duration mission. The investigation resulted in a phenomenon of double-loop ground-orbit communication, divergence, difference in opinion predictable from the concept formulated by G.T.Beregovoi. Also, there was a notable difference of expressions used by controllers of 2 MCCs.


From 1950, a lot of researchers try to understand what is policy, how to define it and what kind of knowledge we can produce about it. When Harold Lasswell in 1942 proposed to develop the policy science, he established a strong connection between the development of policy sciences and democracy. He deemed that there was a complementary relationship between knowing policy and the political system. With policy analysis at the end of the century, two kinds of knowledge have been developed. First, knowledge about the substance of policy, the different kind of instruments which compose it, their effects, meaning and goals. Second, knowledge of the policy process, to understand how and why policy changes. Each knowledge has its own dynamics. But the problem is always the difficulty to link the two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of instrument analysis and knowledge of policy dynamics analysis. We can choose between work which understands the substance of policy but does not examine policy dynamics, and work about policy dynamics that does not take into account the specific substance of policy. Finally, a lot of researchers who produce knowledge of instruments never understand why their knowledge has so little influence. The paper aims to review the complex relationship between knowledge of instruments and knowledge of policy dynamics, and proposes to open a new way by considering the role of knowledge of instruments inside policy dynamics. The main idea is to focus on the discursive process of actors who transform instruments into policy by making sense of the instruments, and to illustrate this by some empirical examples.


The chronicles of Gowa and Talloq are the most important historical sources for the study of pre-colonial Makassar. They have provided the basic framework and much of the information that we possess about the origins, growth, and expansion of Gowa during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.


The COVID-19 pandemic has witnessed the implementations of exceptional measures by governments across the world to counteract its impact. This work presents the initial results of an on-going project, EXCEPTIUS, aiming to automatically identify, classify and com- pare exceptional measures against COVID-19 across 32 countries in Europe. To this goal, we created a corpus of legal documents with sentence-level annotations of eight different classes of exceptional measures that are im- plemented across these countries. We evalu- ated multiple multi-label classifiers on a manu- ally annotated corpus at sentence level. The XLM-RoBERTa model achieves highest per- formance on this multilingual multi-label clas- sification task, with a macro-average F1 score of 59.8%.


ABSTRACT Enwrapment by membrane cisternae has emerged recently as a mechanism of envelopment for large enveloped DNA viruses, such as herpesviruses, poxviruses, and African swine fever (ASF) virus. For both ASF virus and the poxviruses, wrapping is a multistage process initiated by the recruitment of capsid proteins onto membrane cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or associated ER-Golgi intermediate membrane compartments. Capsid assembly induces progressive bending of membrane cisternae into the characteristic shape of viral particles, and envelopment provides virions with two membranes in one step. We have used biochemical assays for ASF virus capsid recruitment, assembly, and envelopment to define the cellular processes important for the enwrapment of viruses by membrane cisternae. Capsid assembly on the ER membrane, and envelopment by ER cisternae, were inhibited when cells were depleted of ATP or depleted of calcium by incubation with A23187 and EDTA or the ER calcium ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin. Electron microscopy analysis showed that cells depleted of calcium were unable to assemble icosahedral particles. Instead, assembly sites contained crescent-shaped and bulbous structures and, in rare cases, empty closed five-sided particles. Interestingly, recruitment of the capsid protein from the cytosol onto the ER membrane did not require ATP or an intact ER calcium store. The results show that following recruitment of the virus capsid protein onto the ER membrane, subsequent stages of capsid assembly and enwrapment are dependent on ATP and are regulated by the calcium gradients present across the ER membrane cisternae.


Within just a decade of first deriving human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from somatic cells, continual advancements in the fields of genetic engineering, improved protocols for lineage differentiation and technological developments in bioprocessing and scale-up culture have brought closer the reality of using hiPSCs-differentiated cells for therapeutic applications and regenerative medicine. One such potential is the use of hiPSCs to generate universal red blood cells (RBCs) for transfusion applications. However, unlike most cell therapies, generating RBCs for clinical application poses unique bioprocessing and manufacturing challenges. The need to generate 2 trillion RBCs for each transfusion unit of blood (equivalent to 300 ml of donated blood) requires the development of closed-system bioprocesses capable of handling ultra-high density cultures of cells. In this review, we aim to highlight key challenges associated with developing manufacturing processes for scale-up culture of hiPSC-derived RBCs. Taking into consideration challenges such as the need for large-scale expansion of hiPSCs, culture intensification of erythroblasts, improved enucleation and separation of mature RBCs, and high cost of manufacture, we take a critical look at some of these bioprocessing and biological barriers and highlight critical factors that have to considered in order to circumvent these issues en route to developing a scalable-process for generating high density culture of RBCs from hiPSCs.


While the viva voce (oral) examination has always been used in content-based educational assessment (Latham 1877: 132), the assessment of second language (L2) speaking in performance tests is relatively recent. The impetus for the growth in testing speaking during the 19th and 20th centuries is twofold. Firstly, in educational settings the development of rating scales was driven by the need to improve achievement in public schools, and to communicate that improvement to the outside world. Chadwick (1864, see timeline) implies that the rating scales first devised in the 1830s served two purposes: providing information to the classroom teacher on learner progress for formative use, and generating data for school accountability. From the earliest days, such data was used for parents to select schools for their children in order to 'maximize the benefit of their investment' (Chadwick 1858). Secondly, in military settings it was imperative to be able to predict which soldiers were able to undertake tasks in the field without risk to themselves or other personnel (Kaulfers 1944, see timeline). Many of the key developments in speaking test design and rating scales are linked to military needs.


Background The role of mineral metabolism in mortality among dialysis patients has received increased attention, but some aspects remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of serum calcium and phosphate levels for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in dialysis patients. Methods Patients on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis were enrolled from a multicenter prospective cohort study in Korea (NCT00931970). The patients were divided into low, normal, and high groups according to their baseline serum calcium or phosphate levels. Cox proportional analysis and a proportional hazards model for the subdistribution of a competing risk were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association of serum calcium and phosphate levels with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Time-dependent values of calcium and phosphate were also evaluated to assess the effect of longitudinal change in mineral metabolism parameters on mortality types. Results A total of 3,226 dialysis patients were followed up for a mean of 19.8 ± 8.2 months. Infection was the most common cause of death. Low serum phosphate was significantly associated with all-cause and infection-related death using time-dependent values (HR, 1.43 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06–1.93], P = 0.02, and HR, 1.66 [95% CI, 1.02–2.70], P = 0.04, respectively). Low serum phosphate was associated with significantly higher infection-related mortality, especially in patients older than 65 years or on dialysis more than one year or with serum albumin lower than 3.9 g/dL (HR, 2.06 [95% CI, 1.13–3.75], P = 0.02, HR, 2.19 [95% CI, 1.20–4.01], P = 0.01, and HR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.00–3.13], P = 0.05, respectively). Multinomial logistic regression analysis results suggested that low serum albumin, creatinine, and body mass index correlated with low serum phosphate. Conclusions Low serum phosphate in dialysis patients was an independent risk factor for infection-related death, especially in elderly patients. Persistently low serum phosphate might be a nutritional biomarker to predict increased susceptibility to infection and in turn worse outcomes in dialysis patients.


Abstract. This paper investigates the endurance of a national forest management
programme in Burkina Faso called Chantier d'Amenagement Forestier (CAF), which focuses on the participatory sustainable production
of fuelwood and is widely supported by international donors despite
evidence of its shortcomings. We analyse the surprising persistence of the
CAF model as a case of the territorialisation of state power through the
reproduction of "political forests" – drawing on the work of Peluso and
Vandergeest (2001, 2011). Analysing some the shortcomings and incoherencies
of the model, we bring to light the role of non-state actors in the
reproduction of the CAF as a "political forest". We show that informal
regulatory arrangements have emerged between state and non-state actors,
namely merchants and customary authorities, over the production of fuelwood.
We call these arrangements "fuelwood territorialities" because they have
contributed to keeping the CAF's resource model unquestioned. With fuelwood
territorialities, we draw attention to the role of non-state actors in the
reproduction of "political forests", that is, the process of state
territorialisation through forest governance. This analysis helps clarify
how certain areas, such as the CAFs, keep being officially represented as
"forest" even though they are dominated by a patchwork of fields, fallows, and
savannahs and do not have the ecological characteristics of one.


The question about the cost of access to scholarly resources is usually answered by focusing on subscription cost. This study highlights the article processing charges (APCs) paid by Canada's research institution as an additional scholarly resource. Unpaywall database was queried with the DOIs of CARL member universities' publication indexed in the Web of Science. We find that while Open Access should in principle reduce the cost of access to scholarly literature, we are rather in a situation where both the cost of access and the cost of publishing are increasing simultaneously.


Background: We evaluated antibody persistence up to 5 years postvaccination with a quadrivalent meningococcal serogroups A, C, W and Y tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-TT), and subsequent booster responses to MenACWY-TT in healthy US children. Methods: In the initial phase II, open, multicenter study (NCT00471081), 349 infants were randomized (1:1) to receive MenACWY-TT (1 or 2 doses). In the follow-up study (NCT00718666), we evaluated antibody persistence at years 1, 3 and 5 by serum bactericidal assay using human complement (hSBA). At year 5, children received a booster dose of MenACWY-TT. We compared their immune responses at 1 month postbooster with those from 100 age-matched, meningococcal naive children, who received a primary MenACWY-TT dose. We recorded solicited adverse events for 4 days and unsolicited adverse events for 31 days, followed by an additional 5-month extended safety follow-up. Results: At year 5, ≥64.0% of 1-dose and ≥74.6% of 2-dose recipients had hSBA titers ≥8 for MenC, MenW and MenY. For MenA, 31.7% of 1-dose and 38.0% of 2-dose recipients had hSBA titers ≥8. One month postvaccination, all booster dose recipients and ≥78.5% of primary dose recipients exhibited hSBA titers ≥8 for all serogroups. Geometric mean titers were higher in primed than in naive children. MenACWY-TT had a clinically acceptable safety profile. Conclusions: With the exception of serogroup W, antibody persistence 5 years after MenACWY-TT vaccination did not differ substantially between children who received 1 or 2 doses in infancy. A booster dose of MenACWY-TT elicited robust anamnestic responses and was well tolerated.


In mathematical theories the question of notation, while not of primary importance, is yet worthy of careful consideration, since a good notation can be of great value in helping the development of a theory, by making it easy to write down those quantities or combinations of quantities that are important, and difficult or impossible to write down those that are unimportant. The summation convention in tensor analysis is an example, illustrating how specially appropriate a notation can be.


When new forms of governance as New Public Management, user choices and competition in public services are becoming the normal praxis in Scandinavian public welfare services provided by municipalities and regions there are increasing demands for quality management. There is a basic need to follow up quality in services in particular when there are several providers of public services. The uses of quality management in private sectors are not completely applicable on these public services and thus the growing use of quality management in public services has to be addressed. In this paper the quality management in primary education is in focus both to focus on how these processes are arranged and what we can learn as more terms for quality management in public services.In addition it is far from clear what quality is in these new organizational settings of mixed public-private contexts and actors. The mix of actors are not just public and private, there are also several different organizational levels that interplay here. In spite of the local focus and provision of these services there is a lot of interaction, comparison and structures framed on national and even international levels.In this paper we will elaborate on the meanings of quality in education as a public service by analyzing the strategies, constraints and innovative responses in local schools as well as in municipal administration and policy-making processes. Case studies in five municipalities in Sweden is included, varying in size and thereby also by numbers of schools and structures of quality management. Based on this study we draw three types of more general conclusions and discuss three implications. First, we can notice that there is a need to clarify the roles and obligations of the different levels and actors in the education sectors. Second, there is a need to support and develop roles for mediating actors that can translate meanings of quality into public settings. Thirdly, there is need to elaborate on the meanings of quality management in public settings and also open up the meanings of quality in relation to education in particular and public services in general.


Patients with diabetes mellitus may experience peripheral neuropathy and extremity system impairment, which may lead to ulceration if the treatments are delayed. Diabetic ulcers, unfortunately, are chronic, which require proper treatments, including debridement and bacterial removal using an irrigation device. To date, commercial irrigation devices included pulsed-lavage, bulb syringe, and gravity bags. Unfortunately, the devices have limitations in terms of portability, measurability, controllability, and disposability. To tackle the limitations, this study aims to design, fabricate, and characterize an automated portable wound irrigation device (Apdice), which is controllable non-disposable, and portable. The device was designed and fabricated using a lightweight construction, a rechargeable battery, and non-disposable materials to support the portability and non-disposable means. Meanwhile, the proportional-derivative-integral controller with its peripheral components were featured to enable controllability. Furthermore, the device was also tested regarding the contamination using a particle counter, and appeared to be contamination free. In short, Apdice showed a robust technological performance. However, it is also worth the try to test the contamination test against biological agents to guarantee the biocompatibility of the device.


One generalization that can be made about North American dialects of English is that they are changing, in some cases rapidly (Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006:304). Also according to the Atlas of North American English (ANAE), however, the Western Pennsylvania (WPA) variety is an exception, relatively stable against a backdrop of dramatic change occurring nearby. Sociolinguists are primarily interested in change, so we have tended to pay relatively little attention to its counterpart. But even if stability appears to be the exception rather than the rule in the history of spoken language, a full account of language variation and change requires exploring the factors that favor stability as well as those that drive change. This study first tests ANAE's claim about the the stability of the WPA variety, using a much larger dataset. Analysis of vowel formant measures from sociolinguistic interviews with 52 Anglo-American speakers from the Pittsburgh area generally confirms ANAE's findings both about the quality of WPA vowels and about their stability across apparent time, which is causing this variety to become increasingly different from those of neigboring dialect areas. To account for this, we propose demographic reasons including population loss and the lack of large-scale in-migration, as well as ideological reasons including geographic exceptionalism that leads WPA speakers not to expect their accent to be like others'. Stability is often discussed in the context of enclave and/or endangered dialects, where competition from other varieties and the lack of a critical mass of speakers means that variation may arise or acquire social meaning (eg. Dorian 1989). Since WPA is neither an enclave nor endangered, at least in the short term, our study suggests more generally that we need to think about other contexts for stability.


Author(s): Mukherjee, Soumendu Sundar | Advisor(s): Bickel, Peter J | Abstract: Networks are abstract representations of relationships between a set of entities. As such they can be used to represent data in a variety of complex interactive systems such as people and their social connections, researchers and their collaborations, proteins and their interactions, and so on. Vast amounts of such interaction data are being collected routinely in a range of disciplines and thus call for the attention of the statistician. Due to their large size (number of observations scales as the square of the number of nodes), traditional statistical methods are usually not scalable and one needs to come up with more computationally feasible inference techniques.A concrete example of the issue is the problem of community detection in networks. Traditional likelihood-based methods are computationally intractable, so researchers have come up with various computation-friendly alternatives. Although these methods work well on small to moderately large networks, most of them cannot handle truly large networks in a reasonable amount of time.In this dissertation, we first advance divide and conquer strategies for community detection. We propose two algorithms which perform clustering on a number of small subgraphs and finally patch the results into a single clustering. The main advantage of these algorithms is that they bring down significantly the computational cost of traditional algorithms, including spectral clustering, semidefinite programs, modularity based methods, likelihood based methods, etc., without losing on accuracy and even improving accuracy at times. These algorithms are also, by nature, parallelizable. Thus, exploiting the facts that most traditional algorithms are accurate and the corresponding optimization problems are much simpler in small problems, our divide and conquer methods provide an omnibus recipe for scaling traditional algorithms up to large networks. We prove consistency of these algorithms under various subgraph selection procedures and perform extensive simulations and real data analysis to understand the advantages of the divide and conquer approach in various settings.We then extend these divide and conquer methods to the more realistic situation of mixed memberships. Models that can be tackled are the mixed membership blockmodel, topic models, etc.Next we focus on the problem of network comparison. We tackle two aspects of this problem: clustering and changepoint detection.While being able to cluster within a network, in the sense of community detection, is important, there are emerging needs to be able to \emph{cluster multiple networks}. This is largely motivated by the routine collection of network data that are generated from potentially different populations. These networks may or may not have node correspondence. For example, brain networks of a group of patients have node correspondence, whereas collaboration networks of researchers in different disciplines such as Computer Science, Mathematics or Statistics will have little node correspondence. When node correspondence is present, we cluster networks by summarizing a network by its graphon estimate, whereas when node correspondence is not present, we propose a novel solution for clustering such networks by associating a computationally feasible feature vector to each network based on traces of powers of the adjacency matrix. We illustrate our methods using both simulated and real data sets, and theoretical justifications are provided in terms of consistency.In the changepoint problem, one observes a series of networks indexed by time and wishes the check if there is some significant change in the structure of these networks at some point of time. Potential applications are in, for instance, brain imaging, where one has brain scans of individuals collected over time and is looking for abnormalities, ecological networks observed over time, where one wonders if there is a structural change. We consider a CUSUM (short for cumulative sum) statistic for this problem, and prove its consistency. We find that in this high dimensional setting, the estimation error rate is better than the classical rate for fixed dimensional changepoint problems. As applications, we detect changepoints in the MIT reality mining data and the US senate roll call data.


BACKGROUND
It's well known fact that Hallux valgus (HV) alternates foot biomechanics. In different populations HV and postural stability has been studied but HV and adolescent ballet dancer has not been studied. Aim of the our study is to explore affect of HV on adolescent ballet dancers' balance. Also we wanted to explore health related quality of life of adolescent ballet dancers with HV.

METHODS
Ballets aged between 8-16 years old has been screened prospectively. The dancers divided into two groups group 1;Ballets with HV and group 2; Ballets without HV. HV diagnosis was made clinically. Two groups were compared according to balance parameters and health related quality of life (HRQOL) questionaires.

RESULTS
Group 1 was formed with 31 participants and group 2 was formed with 24 participants. All participants in both groups were female. Mean age in group 1 was 11.6 (8-16 years old) and 12.2 (8-16 years old) in group 2. Mean first metatarsophalangeal angle was 13.4° (10°-15°) in group 2 and 19.8° (16°-25°) in HV group respectively. A statistically significant difference was found according to the nonparametric Mann Whitney U test results in the comparison of HVA (Hallux Valgus Angle) between groups. According to Spearman Rho correlation analysis, it was determined that the increase in HVA caused deterioration in the static Flamingo test. (r=0.552 p=0.019). No significant relationship was found between HRQoL questionaries and the presence of HV. (p>0,05) Conclusions: Adolescent ballet dancers experience static balance impairment due to HV angle increase. Clinical measurement of HV and application of balance parameters made easy without need of set ups to perform evaluation with high numbers of participants in concordance with literature.


Fermentation is the oldest traditional method in order to protect against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Thermal treatment, pH and water activity lowering and preservative addition other food preservation techniques that are commonly used. Although, as preservatives, many improved antibiotic and chemical agents have been gained, there are some other factors such as rapid resistance to antibiotics used in bacteria, in order to limit their use in food, to be found dimensions of threatening human health of the chemical protection and to cause allergic reactions. Recently, studies on bacteriocins that are produced by the safe bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria, contain no toxic and adverse effects for human consumption have gained sudden intensity in accordance with the request against consumers in developing microbiologically safe and minimal processed food. There are some important effects using of bacteriocins accepted the new generation of antimicrobial agents as food preservatives such as extension of shelf life, reducing of the use of chemical preservatives and the economic loss caused degradation by microorganisms. Nisin, defined as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by FDA and named the E234 code 'Nisin-protective' or 'natural protective' located in the food additives list, first used in 1988 as a natural preservative by prohibiting of antibiotics using in food in the US. Nowadays in more than 50 countries, there have been more successful implementation of the nisin protected up the food from milk and dairy products to canned foods many food products


Study Design. Analysis of radiographic interpretation and vertebral level identification. Objectives. To assess the intra- and interobserver reliability by observer training level used for selecting the end vertebra (EV), neutral vertebra (NV), and stable vertebra (SV) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. Summary of Background Data. Various radiographic and clinical factors are important in surgical planning. For adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, an analysis of the end, neutral, and stable vertebrae are of paramount importance for understanding spinal deformity management and determining the distal fusion level. Additionally, the development and comparison of optimal surgical techniques requires reliable, reproducible radiographic parameters. Methods. One hundred consecutive radiographs of operative cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were evaluated on three separate occasions by three surgeons (2700 data points) at various levels of training (fellowship-trained spine surgeon, fellow in-training, orthopedic surgery resident). For each iteration, the observers attempted to identify the distal structural Cobb curve EV, NV, and SV. The radiographs included preselected Lenke type 1, 3, and 5 curves in random order. The average main thoracic curve was 53° (range, 30–82°) with a T8–T9 average apex, whereas the average thoracolumbar curve was 33° (range, 18–65°). Intra- and interobserver reliability was assessed by means of Cohen's Kappa correlation coefficient, and raw percentages of agreement were recorded. Results. Intraobserver reliability was good to excellent for determining the EV (&kgr;a = 0.69–0.88), good for determining the NV (&kgr;a = 0.65–0.73), and good to excellent fordetermining the SV (&kgr;a = 0.74–0.91) with 83.5, 72.2, and 85.6% intraobserver agreement, respectively. A trendwas noted towards greater intraobserver reliability with increasing levels of observer experience. Interobserver reliability was poor (&kgr;a = 0.26–0.39) for each vertebral level, with interobserver agreement for only 48.7% of EV, 41.7% of NV, and 51.0% of SV. However, interobserver agreement increased significantly when concurrence within one vertebral level was assessed, with 91, 73, and 76% agreement for identifying the EV, NV, and SV, respectively. Conclusions. Radiographic determination of the EV, NV, and SV demonstrated good to excellent intraobserver, but poor interobserver, reliability. Interobserver agreement was fair to good when concurrence within one adjacent level was assessed. Observer experience level may be a factor. The difficulties in identifying these vertebral levels represent a potential obstacle to reproducible patient-specific fusion level determination and to the optimization and uniformity of patient care.


Introduction The adolescence is a period marked by intense vulnerability, with a high prevalence of HPV, mostly of transient infections. We aimed to identify the population of adolescents infected with HPV and risk factors associated. Methods A cross-sectional study evaluating adolescents (from 10 to 19 years of age) carried out from January to August 2012 at the major Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Reference Centre in Bahia, Brazil. Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained by reviewing charts and analysed through SPSS 20.0. Results Of the adolescents evaluated, 324 had the diagnosis of HPV, evidencing an HPV prevalence of 62.5%. Among those, the mean age was 16.8 (±1.5) years and the sexual debut occurred at 13.2 (±3.5) years of age. There was an association between the female gender and the diagnosis of HPV (p<0.01; OR 3.22, 95% CI 2.18–4.77), as well as to being 16 years old or older (p<0.01; OR 3.44, 95% CI 2.28–5.19). Regarding lifestyle, 25.6% (42/164) of HPV patients reported alcohol use, 8.1% (16/197) illicit drugs use and 2.2% (3/138) were smokers. There was a statistical correlation between having ≥8 years of schooling and HPV (p=0.02; OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.10–2.79), as well as working and the infection (p=0.01; OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.17–5.53). As for clinical characteristics, 15.8% (40/253) of HPV patients were pregnant during the study, with a significant association between pregnancy and the virus (p=0.02; OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.10–6.58). There was 91.9% (295/321) of clinical diagnosis of HPV, and 61.9% (199/321) of genital warts among the infected population. 90.9% (280/308) of the infected adolescents underwent treatment for HPV. Conclusion The clinical and epidemiological profile of these adolescents revealed the need for prevention campaigns against STIs with accessible language, promoting access to information. Access to HPV vaccine is now possible, and it is still necessary to stimulate follow-up and treatment in order to reduce this infection and its associated diseases.


In the present study, Raman spectroscopic measurements were performed using clathrate hydrate samples composed of ethanol, propan-1-ol, or propan-2-ol + deuterated methane + deuterium oxide. The temperature of the samples was stepwise increased from 93 K to 263 K in steps of 10 K or 20 K to decompose the clathrate hydrate samples during the measurements. The Raman spectra of the alcohols + deuterated methane hydrate sample in the C–H symmetric vibration region were similar to that of pure vapor alcohols, which indicates the weak guest alcohol–host water interaction although alcohols are hydrophilic compounds. In the propan-2-ol + deuterated methane + deuterium oxide system, the formation of two compounds having different composition from structure II propan-2-ol + deuterated methane clathrate hydrate was observed.


Optically dilute solutions of 2,3,7,8-tetraethyl-N,N′-carbonyldipyrrinone displays an absorbance peak at 401 nm and an emission peak at 493 nm in acetonitrile. The two carbonyl groups in the structure seems to be optimally placed for cation coordination, and when calcium ions are added in the form of a perchlorate salt, a remarkable bathochromic change in the absorption and emission spectrum takes place: the absorption peak shifts by 24 nm and the emission peak shifts by 49 nm towards the red end of the visible spectrum. The shift in the emission spectrum allows wavelength ratiometric assessment of calcium concentration. In addition, the response is highly selective with respect to the cations added.


The first component of complement (C1) was isolated from carp serum by a 6-step purification procedure: 1) affinity chromatography (I) on Blue Cellulofine, 2) QAE-Sephadex A-50 chromato-graphy, 3) gel filtration on Sepharose CL-6B, 4) Blue Cellulofine chromatography (II), 5) DEAE-Toyopearl 650M chromatography (I), and 6) DEAE-Toyopearl 650M chromatography (II). The final recovery of C1 hemolytic activity was 18%, representing a 788-fold purification. The purity of the isolated carp C1 was established by gel filtration on Sepharose CL-6B and by immuno-electrophoresis against anti-whole carp serum (rabbit). The molecular weight of carp C1 was estimated to be 1, 020, 000. The hemolytic activity of carp C1 was inhibited by EDTA treatment, but this inhibition was overcome by dialysis against a Ca2+-containing buffer. The hemolytic activity of carp C1 was destroyed by heating (50°C, 10 min) or incubation with carrageenan, but was retained when incubated with ammonia, hydrazine or zymosan. This indicates that carp C1 resembles mammalian C1 in chemical properties.


There appear to be limited differences between employed and nonemployed wives in their use of strategies to relieve time pressures. Holding income and life-cycle stage constant, neither wives' employment nor recent entry into the labor force are significant determinants of the purchase or ownership of labor-saving durables, such as microwave ovens and dishwashers. Although working wives prepare fewer meals, if income or life cycle is held constant, working wives and nonworking wives are generally similar with respect to method of meal preparation and shopping behavior.


Critical scholars in the business school are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of their research beyond the confines of academia. This has been articulated most prominently around the concept of 'critical performativity'. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with critical leadership scholars, this article explores how academics engage with practitioners at the same time as they seek to maintain a critical ethos in relation to their external activities. While proponents of critical performativity tend to paint a frictionless picture of practitioner engagement—which can take the form of consulting, coaching, and leadership development—we show how critical scholars may end up compromising their academic values in corporate settings due to practitioner demands and other institutional pressures. Taken together, these pressures mean that critical scholars often need to negotiate a series of (sometimes insoluble) dilemmas in practitioner contexts. We argue that the concept of critical performativity is unable to contend meaningfully with these tensions because it replicates the myth of the 'heroic-transformational academic' who is single-handedly able to stimulate critical reflection among practitioners and provoke radical change in organizations. We conclude with a call for further reflection on the range of ethical dilemmas that can arise during academic–practitioner engagement.


ABSTRACT:The article examines the contention that the Basic Law of Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People undermines Israel's liberal character. A comparison of the controversial provisions in the Israeli bill to the constitutional provisions of other liberal democracies reveals that it fits comfortably with the widespread practice of constitutionally affirming the particularistic identity of the nation's majority population. Such provisions tie communal identity to that of the state through state religions, dynastic heads of state, or ethnic self-determination. Moreover, the specific national identity measures in Israel's Nation-State Law—those dealing with language, immigration, and related matters—are common to the constitutions of various Western democracies in similar circumstances. While the provisions of Israel's Nation-State Law are not exceptional, the international hostility they arouse undoubtedly is.


A model of the catalytic triad of chymotrypsin is built assuring the arrangement and properties as they are within the complete enzyme. The model contains 18 amino acid residues of chymotrypsin and its substrate. A total of 135 atoms (including 70 heavy atoms) were subjected to full ab initio geometry optimizations through 127 individual steps along the reaction coordinate of the complete catalytic mechanism. It was shown that the described model of the catalytic apparatus forms a self‐stabilized molecule ensemble without the rest of the enzyme and substrate. According to the calculations, the formations of the first and second tetrahedral intermediates in the model have 20.3 and 15.7 kcal/mol activation energy barriers, respectively. Removing elements of the catalytic apparatus such as the (1) catalytic aspartate or (2) the anion hole, as well as (3) inserting a water molecule "early" in the catalytic process, or (4) introducing conformational rigidity of the substrate, results in an increase of the above energy barrier of the first catalytic step in the model by 6.4, 13.7, 3.7, and 4.1 kcal/mol, respectively. Based on the calculated process one can conclude that the catalytic reaction in this model is much more similar to the reaction in the enzyme than to the reference reaction. To our knowledge, this is the first model system that mimics the complete catalytic mechanism. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Debates surrounding the approach to and distinctiveness of contemporary history qua history that had been simmering ever since the professionalization of history in the late nineteenth century re-emerged with vigour after 1990. This article attempts to identify what characterizes and distinguishes (the history of) our present time, by comparing the evolution of what has been labelled 'contemporary history' in France, Germany and Britain over the last 90 years. In discussing some of the conceptual problems and methodological challenges of contemporary history, it will be revealed that many in Europe remain stuck in an older, 'national' (and transnational) fixation with the second world war and the nazis' atrocities, although working in medias res today appears to point to the investigation of events and phenomena that are 'global'. The article will seek to make a fresh suggestion of how to delimit 'contemporariness' from the older 'past' and end with some comments on the significance of the role of contemporary history within the broader historical discipline and society at large.


Welcome to "Pine Tree Hall": An Ethnography of Caregiving for the Elderly in Beijing Shika Card McGill University Abstract Drawing upon ethnographic observations from Songtang Guanhuai Hospital, the first institution to offer hospice care in Beijing, China, this paper is an anthropological examination of caregiving for the elderly within a contemporary, urban Chinese context from the perspectives of patients and both professional and familial caregivers. Taking a phenomenological approach to anthropology, this article explores how Chinese individuals approach the illness experience, the aging process, and the end of life of elderly family members and patients, and aims to understand the particular Chinese cultural ideologies of caregiving for the elderly. By focusing on the notion of "sensibility," or that which allows each individual to experience in her own way the challenges and realities of moral experience, I argue that not only is the practice of caregiving a fundamentally intersubjective process, but moreover that the experience of giving care in a Chinese setting is intersubjective in culturally specific ways. Through ethnography it is possible to examine how subjectivities are shaped and how intersubjectivity is experienced within the Chinese context. This article demonstrates how the active commitment to and the moral presence of caregiving emerges in the lives of Chinese individuals amidst the confusion, messiness, and deep uncertainty of the aging process and the end of life in China.


On the basis of user satisfaction, authors made research hypotheses by learning from relevant e-service quality evaluation models. A questionnaire survey was then conducted on some content-based websites in terms of their convenience, information quality, personalization and site aesthetics, which may affect the overall satisfaction of users. Statistical analysis was also made to build a user satisfaction-based quality evaluation system of network information service.


Entry position of the graft is very important in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However the determination of entry position is very difficult to the surgeon. Methods: In this paper, a navigation and evaluation system based on the video tracking is implemented for the simulation evaluation and planning insertion points based on quadrant method for the femur and Stäublis method for the tibia on the lateral X-ray image of knee joint. Meanwhile, the implementation of the key technologies such as image correction, image registration, C-arm calibration, video tracking, bone surface reconstruction, image fusion, and virtual simulation are introduced. Finally, Experiments about the tunnel planning method and real time tracking of surgical apparatus are implemented on 8 bone of plastic models (Sawbone, Swiss) and 10 bones of the goat ones. In the experiment, the tibia rotates around the femur under the surgeon's implementation to evaluate the planning result with the virtual simulation and evaluation module. Result: The positioning error is 1.59mm from analysis on 30 space targets. The virtual reconstruction ACL is satisfied with two important criteria of the best isometry and collision detection between graft and intercondylar surface of femur. The results are well accepted in operations. Conclusions: It can improve precision of the entry placement and quality of ACL reconstruction operation. Low position error satisfies the requirement of operations, and system performance has been verified by the experiment. Because the position can be assured effectively in time, it not only reduces the patient's additional pain, but also decreases the surgeon and patient's radiation.


The wave propagation in structures involving metamaterials can be described owing to homogenization approaches which allow to replace the material structured at the subwavelength scale by an equivalent and simpler, effective medium. In its simplest form, homogenization predicts that the equivalent medium is homogeneous and aniso-tropic and it is associated to the usual relations of continuity for the electric and magnetic fields at the boundaries of the metamaterial structure. However, such prediction has a range of validity which remains limited to relatively thick devices and it is not adapted to more involved geometries (notably three-dimensional). The following two aspects are considered: (i) we study how the homogenization at the leading order can be improved when the thickness of the device becomes small and (ii) we propose a heuris-tic extension of the solution given by the leading order homogenization in order to deal with a complex geometry; in the latter case, an application to a demultiplexer device is proposed.


Research studies for mode I cracks have shown that fracture toughness or the critical value of J for fracture initiation, Jcrit is not merely a material property but depends also on the geometry and loading configurations. The geometry dependency of fracture toughness can be attributed to the effect of the crack tip constraint. In this paper, the constraint effect is studies for the initiation stage in mode II ductile crack growth. Two major mechanisms of ductile fracture: 'void growth and coalescence' and 'shear band localization and de-cohesion' are considered. A boundary layer model is simulated using the finite element method and the effect of far-filed T-stress on the relevant stress parameters near the crack tip is studied. It is shown that the initiation of the ductile crack growth in mode II is influenced significantly by T for the mechanism of void growth and coalescence and is insensitive to T for the mechanism of shear localisation and de-cohesion.


In this paper, an adaptive feedback control method is proposed for the anti-control of chaos of single time scale brushless DC motor system with unknown parameters based on model-matching. The well-known Rössler chaotic system is considered as the reference system. The chaotification is achieved choosing an appropriate control law and a parametric updating law using Lyapunov stability theory, which provides the stability of the resulting adaptive system and the convergence of the tracking errors to zero. The numerical simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.


The increasing use of social media after work hours for work purposes, termed social media connectivity (SMC), is an emerging phenomenon in supply chain management. Although SMC can have debilitating effects on supply chain professionals and their organizations, research on its effects on work-related attitudes, especially turnover intentions, remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of SMC on voluntary turnover of supply chain professionals and the resulting implications for them and their organizations.,The study draws from the conservation of resources theory and the concept of information overload to explain how SMC leads to emotional exhaustion and impacts turnover intentions of supply chain professionals, contingent on work–life balance. The model is tested using survey data (n=325) collected at multiple times from a large Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor with spatially dispersed workforce and distribution facilities.,The results confirm that emotional exhaustion mediates the association between SMC and turnover intentions and that SMC exacerbates the intentions of supply chain professionals to quit their jobs. However, work–life balance is found to dampen the exhausting effects of SMC on emotional exhaustion thereby reducing its debilitating effects on turnover intentions of supply chain professionals.,The focus on SMC highlights the need for greater understanding of the dark side of social media on supply chain professionals and their organizations and how SMC can be better managed in an age of social media ubiquity.


Formation of a favorable investment environment in the market of agricultural insurance is possible with the organization and use of the business processes by insurance companies to provide insurance protection for farmers. The problem of research is the need to increase the motivation of insurers and policyholders to the implementation of the existing interests of their insurance through the mechanism of activation of business processes in the market of agricultural insurance .The objective of research is to justify modern methods of business process management of the insurer for the rational allocation of risks and responsibilities among all the participants of the insurance process. Methodology of research is based on generally accepted methods and techniques of organization and management, interrelated business processes of the insurer from its design till implementation, based on equivalent financial and economic interests of participants of the insurance market. The research results confirm the need for differentiation of concepts "value" and "utility" in the system of insurance relations, as well as the adaptation of the proposed simulation model for managing business processes for all agricultural insurance entities. JEL Codes: G15, G22, Q13, Q14.


Should it be a crime to cross the border into the United States? This Article explores the growing resistance to the politics and practices of mass border criminalization. In doing so, it makes three central contributions. First, it dis-sects the varied strands of the punitive practices of the U.S. Department of Justice, including policies of zero-tolerance prosecution for first-time unauthorized border crossers and enhanced punishments for those who reenter after deportation. Second, it traces how growing public awareness of the previously hidden practices occurring in Border Patrol holding cells and federal criminal courts along the Southwest border have sparked new and outspoken criticism of the illegal entry and reentry laws. These laws have resulted in the forced separation of families, interfered with the rights of asylum seekers, and fostered a racially segregated and substandard court process. Third, this Article analyzes the nascent movement by immigrant rights groups, prominent politicians, and grassroots coalitions of community members to decriminalize border crossing by repealing Sections 1325 and 1326 of the immigration law that have punished unauthorized border crossing since 1929. Although critics maintain that such a legislative change would create so-called open borders, irregular entry would remain a civil violation of the immigration law and be handled by the civil deportation system. As this Article argues, the call to decriminalize border crossing exposes the racialized harm imposed by current policing practices and inspires discussion of additional reforms that would make the civil side of immigration law more humane and equitable.


In this technical note, the authors present the effects of climate change on tourism development in the Caribbean, focusing on sea level rise and approaches to sustainability managing climate change impacts. For government and business decision makers in the tourism sector, climate change is a new strategic reality. Increasingly, institutional investors, banks, and insurance companies seek information on the material risks associated with climate change - driven by regulations at national and international levels, physical impacts on business, and the indirect consequences of regulation on business trends, such as changes in the demands for goods and services.


The emergence of cooperation is analyzed in heterogeneous populations where individuals can be classified in two groups according to their phenotypic appearance. Phenotype recognition is assumed for all individuals: individuals are able to identify the type of every other individual, but fail to recognize their own type, and thus behave under partial information conditions. The interactions between individuals are described by 2 × 2 symmetric games where individuals can either cooperate or defect. The evolution of such populations is studied in the framework of evolutionary game by means of the replicator dynamics. Overlapping generations are considered, so the replicator equations are formulated in discrete-time form. The well-posedness conditions of the system are derived. Depending on the parameters of the game, a restriction may exist for the generation length. The stability analysis of the dynamical system is carried out and a detailed description of the behavior of trajectories starting from the interior of the state-space is given. We find that, provided the conditions of well-posedness are verified, the linear stability of monomorphic states in the discrete-time replicator coincides with the one of the continuous case. Specific from the discrete-time case, a relaxed restriction for the generation length is derived, for which larger time-steps can be used without compromising the well-posedness of the replicator system.


Abstract A ▵11-desaturase gene was cloned from the sex pheromone gland of the obliquebanded leafroller moth, Choristoneura rosaceana. The desaturase cDNA sequence spans 1300 nucleotides with an open reading frame encoding a 335 amino-acid protein, which has 81% identity to a Z/E11-desaturase of the redbanded leafroller moth, Argyrotaenia velutinana. A functional assay with a pYES2 yeast expression system demonstrated that the ▵11-desaturase exhibits unusual substrate and stereospecificities in producing a Z/E11 mixture (7:1) of only C14 acids. A metabolic Z9-desaturase also was cloned from fat body of this species, and proved to be in the class that produces more Z9-16:Acid than Z9-18:Acid.


Establishing and constructing appropriate behavior for successful learning and interpersonal relationships with peers and family is a concern for all parents, teachers, and children. In this book, the author: shows how teachers, and parents can encourage children to learn positive attitudes and engage in appropriate behavior; build interventions to effect lasting change which minimizes disruptive behavior; encourage a range of useful perspectives on children´s behavior in school and the family; and supply practical, easy-to-implement strategies. This book is a useful resource for school managers, teachers, educational psychologists and parents who wish to advocate for cognitive behavior support programs.


This study uses time-domain induced polarization data for the delineation and characterization of the former landfill site at Eskelund, Denmark. With optimized acquisition parameters combined with a new inversion algorithm, we use the full content of the decay curve and retrieve spectral information from time-domain IP data. Thirteen IP/DC profiles were collected in the area, supplemented by el-log drilling for accurate correlation between the geophysics and the lithology. The data were inverted using a laterally constrained 1D inversion considering the full decay curves to retrieve the four Cole-Cole parameters. For all profiles, the results reveal a highly chargeable unit that shows a very good agreement to the findings from 15 boreholes covering the area, where the extent of the waste deposits was measured. The thickness and depth of surface measurements were furthermore validated by el-log measurements giving in situ values, for which the Cole-Cole parameters were computed. The 3D shape of the waste body was pinpointed and well-defined. The inversion of the IP data also shows a strong correlation with the initial stage of the waste dump and its composition combining an aerial map with acquired results.


For hard optimization problems, it is difficult to design heuristic algorithms which exhibit uniformly superior performance for all problem instances. As a result it becomes necessary to tailor the algorithms based on the problem instance. In this paper, we introduce the use of a cooperative problem solving team of heuristics that evolves algorithms for a given problem instance. The efficacy of this method is examined by solving six difficult instances of a bicriteria sparse multiple knapsack problem. Results indicate that such tailored algorithms uniformly improve solutions as compared to using predesigned heuristic algorithms.


OBJECTIVE
Computerized medical decision support tools have been shown to improve the quality of care and have been cited by the Institute of Medicine as one method to reduce pharmaceutical errors. We evaluated the impact of an antiinfective decision support tool in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

METHODS
We enhanced an existing adult antiinfective management tool by adding and changing medical logic to make it appropriate for pediatric patients. Process and outcomes measures were monitored prospectively during a 6-month control and a 6-month intervention period. Mandatory use of the decision support tool was initiated for all antiinfective orders in a 26-bed PICU during the intervention period. Clinician opinions of the decision support tool were surveyed via questionnaire.

RESULTS
The rate of pharmacy interventions for erroneous drug doses declined by 59%. The rate of anti-infective subtherapeutic patient days decreased by 36%, and the rate of excessive-dose days declined by 28%. The number of orders placed per antiinfective course decreased 11.5%, and the robust estimate of the antiinfective costs per patient decreased 9%. The type of anti-infectives ordered and the number of antiinfective doses per patient remained similar, as did the rates of adverse drug events and antibiotic-bacterial susceptibility mismatches. The surveyed clinicians reported that use of the program improved their antiinfective agent choices as well as their awareness of impairments in renal function and reduced the likelihood of adverse drug events.

CONCLUSIONS
Use of the pediatric antiinfective decision support tool in a PICU was considered beneficial to patient care by the clinicians and reduced the rates of erroneous drug orders, improved therapeutic dosage targets, and was associated with a decreased robust estimate of antiinfective costs per patient. antiinfective agents, decision support systems, drug therapy, medication errors, child, infant.


The motor protein kinesin moves along microtubules, driven by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis. However, it remains unclear how kinesin converts the chemical energy into mechanical movement. We report crystal structures ofmonomeric kinesin KIF1A with three transition-state analogs: adenylyl imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP)–vanadate, and ADP-AlFx (aluminofluoride complexes). These structures, together with known structures of the ADP-bound state and the adenylyl-(β,γ-methylene) diphosphate (AMP-PCP)–bound state, show that kinesin uses two microtubule-binding loops in an alternating manner to change its interaction with microtubules during the ATP hydrolysis cycle; loop L11 is extended in the AMP-PNP structure, whereas loop L12 is extended in the ADP structure. ADP-vanadate displays an intermediate structure in which a conformational change in two switch regions causes both loops to be raised from the microtubule, thus actively detaching kinesin.


Background and aims To study the effect of disease remission on organ damage and quality of life(QOL) in Chinese patients with SLE. Methods Adult patients who fulfilled the ACR criteria for SLE were identified and their remission status at last visits was determined by the European consensus criteria (complete/clinical remission ± immunosuppressive drugs). The increase in SLE damage index (SDI) in the preceding 5 years was compared between patients who were and were not in remission for ≥5 years. QOL of patients as assessed by the validated Chinese version of the SF36 and the LupusPRO. Results 769 SLE patients were studied (92%women; age46.4±14.6 years, SLE duration 12.6±8.1 years). Clinical remission (serologically active) was present in 259 (33.7%) patients (median 43 months) and complete remission (clinically and serologically inactive) was present in 280 (36.4%) patients (median 51 months). Clinical and complete remission for ≥5 years was achieved in 64 (8.3%) and 129 (16.8%) of the patients, respectively. 53 (6.9%) patients in remission ≥5 years were taken off all medications including HCQ. Patients remitted for ≥5 years were older, and had significantly lower prevalence of renal and haematological disease. Moreover, these patients had significantly less SDI increment than those who did not remit (0.17±0.53 vs 0.67±1.10;p<0.001). Among 453 patients who had QOL assessment within 6 months of last visits, remission for ≥5 years was associated with significantly better SF36 and the health-related scores of the LupusPRO. Conclusions Durable drug-free remission in SLE is uncommon. Patients with complete or clinical remission for ≥5 years have significantly less damage accrual and better QOL.


Due to a growing awareness of fuel prices and government regulations on emissions there has been an expanding interest in hybrid vehicle research. Though much of these efforts have been in electric hybrid vehicles, hydraulic hybrid vehicles show great potential due to their higher power density, higher efficiency in regenerative braking, and lower cost of materials. Many different hydraulic hybrid architectures have been proposed, one of the most common being the series hybrid. The series hybrid has many deficiencies due to the hydraulic units being connected directly to the high pressure accumulator. In many operating conditions the units operate inefficiently at low displacements and high pressures. Additionally the driver's torque demand can exceed that available from the accumulator's current pressure. As a result additional fluid must be pumped into the accumulator to raise the system pressure. This can result in a delay on the order of seconds in meeting the driver's demand thereby yielding an undesirably sluggish response.To address these issues the authors' research group previously introduced the blended hydraulic hybrid [1]. Using dynamic programming, an optimal control simulation tool, the blended hybrid showed improved efficiency and response when compared to the series hybrid [2]. This transmission achieves high efficiency and fast response partially through the inclusion of a hydrostatic transmission. In addition regenerative braking and blending of engine and accumulator power are realized through the use of actively and passively controlled valves.With these promising results, the Maha Fluid Power Research Center has begun designing and constructing a blended hydraulic hybrid SUV. In preparation for this the authors have developed a new sizing methodology to determine transmission sizing that meets both the efficiency and performance requirements of the designer. To explore the trends in blended hydraulic hybrid sizing a full factorial combination of hydraulic unit sizes, accumulator sizes and accumulator minimum pressures were optimally controlled for the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) using dynamic programming and maximum acceleration was simulated to obtain trends in performance.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


While using different methods of skeletal investigation, definite alterations were revealed in frequency of osteosarcomas under plutonium exposure (2.5 muC/Kg). The ratio of the corresponding values is 1:1,2:1,27:1,47. The highest incidence of osteosarcomas was noted in the complex roentgeno-morphological study (according to an extensive scheme of procurement of the osteomaterial) -- 39.8% In separate application of different methods of skeletal investigation the roentgenological method seems to be prefered: it determines more precisely the number of tumor nodes and the number of tumor-bearing rats, accordingly.


Background Low socioeconomic status has convincingly been associated with childhood obesity. The risk factors for childhood obesity appear to originate in the earliest stages of life. Objective We aimed to examine the role of early life factors such as maternal prepregnancy BMI, maternal smoking during pregnancy, standardized birth weight, infant feeding practice and infant first year weight gain in the association between socioeconomic status and childhood body composition. This is a prospective study in 1725 5-6 yr old Dutch children from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development Study, a population-based pregnancy cohort. Using path-analysis, the higher BMI in children with low-educated mothers can be explained by maternal smoking during pregnancy (27%), maternal prepregnancy BMI (20%), infant weight gain between 0 and 3 months (14%), infant weight gain between 3 and 6 months (5%) and infant weight gain between 6 and 12 months (2%). The latter two act through a shorter breastfeeding duration. Regarding fat mass index (FMI), the results are comparable, though maternal smoking did not contribute to the association between maternal education and childhood FMI. BMI and FMI differences by family's income adequacy are explained by maternal prepregnancy BMI only (~30%). We demonstrated that children with low-educated mothers have a higher BMI and also a higher FMI compared to children with high-educated mothers. This study provides novel evidence for the explanation of this association by maternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal prepregnancy BMI, and higher weight gain in the first year of life. The contribution of first year weight gain acts partly through a shorter duration of breastfeeding in the low-educated group. The association between income adequacy and body composition can partly be explained by maternal prepregnancy BMI.