Records of ground motion by strong earthquakes are important documents used in earthquake-resistant design, particularly for key construction projects. In reality, there are few records of ground motion caused by maximum earthquakes at major infrastructure facilities, even at locations where strong earthquakes frequently occur with adequate monitoring facilities such as those in Japan, US and Taiwan. To overcome the shortage of raw seismic records at these facilities, there are many simulation studies to model strong earthquake records. This research has been conducted by developed countries to apply to seismic hazard assessment in the important facilities such as hydropower, thermal or nuclear power plants. By the end of 2010, Vietnam has obtained 24 records of ground acceleration of 21 earthquakes (mostly recorded at Tuan Giao and Dien Bien seismic stations). Of these, there are 17 records of earthquakes and the rest are aftershocks of the Dien Bien earthquake on 19 February 2001 with M = 5.3. Song Tranh 2 Hydropower was built in 2010 with a seismic design of the dam of M = 5.5. In reality, the collection of strong motion records above is not enough to select a design ground acceleration for the seismic design of the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant. In November 2010 Song Tranh 2 hydropower reservoir began water filling. From then to the end of March 2011, the people of North Tra My felt slight tremors and explosive noises, this phenomenon occurred on an increasing frequency. According to the Earthquake Observation Room of the Institute of Geophysics, from 03 November 2011 to March 2014, there were more than 468 earthquakes with magnitude  M ≥ 1 occurred near Song Tranh 2 area. Among these, there were 5 earthquake with magnitude greater than M = 4.0 and one M = 4.7; 19 earthquakes with M ≥ 3; 36 earthquakes with M ≥ 2.5. Collection of these records has been very valuable for us to simulate an earthquake of M = 4.6 and compared with observed results. This result confirms that simulation strong ground motion can fully apply in seismic hazard assessment in Vietnam. Song Tranh 2 area we applied the empirical Green's function method to predict broadband ground motion of earthquake M = 4.6 base on observed records of earthquake M = 3.5. We can also use the recorder earthquake M = 4.6 to simulation design earthquake M = 5.5. References Aki, K., 1967: Scaling Law of Seismic Spectrum, J. Geophys. Res., 72, 1217-1231. Aki, K. va P. G. Richards, 1980: Quantitative Seismology: Theory and Method. M. H. Freeman and Co., New York, San Francisco, p.932. Brune, J. N., 1970: Tectonic Stress and the Spectra of Seismic Shear Waves from Earthquakes, J. Geophys. Pea., 75, 4997-5009. Brune, J. N. 1971: Tectonic Stress and the Spectra of Seismic Shear Waves from Earthquakes, J. Geophys. Res., 76,5002, 1971. Hartzell, S.H., 1978: Earthquake aftershocks as Greens functions, J. Geophys. Res.. 5, 14. Irikura, K., 1983: Semi-Empirical Estimation of Strong Ground Motions During Large Earthquakes, Bull. Disas. Prev. Res. Inst. Kyoto Univ., 33, 63-104. Irikura, K., 1986: Prediction of strong acceleration motion using empirical Green's function, Proc. 7th Jap. Earthq. Eng. Symp., 151-156. Irikura, K. and K. Kamae, 1994: Estimation of strong ground motion in broad- frequency band based on a seismic source scaling model and an empirical Green's function technique, Annali Di Geofisica. 37, 6, 1721-1743. Jan Wiszniowski, Nguyen Van Giang, Beata Plesiewicz, Grzegorz Lizurek, Dinh Quoc Van, Le Quang Khoi and Stanislaw Lasocki, 2015: Preliminary Results of Anthropogenic Seismicity Monitoring in the Region of  Song Tranh 2 Reservoir, Central Vietnam. Acta  Geophysica, Vol 63, No 3, June 2015, 843-862. Kamae. K, Irikura K., 1991: Prediction strong ground motion using a semi-emprical technique. SmiRT 11 Transactions Vol. K, Tokyo, Japan. Kanamori, H. and D. L. Anderson, 1975: Theoretical basis of some empirical relations in seismology, BulL SeismoL Soc. Am., 65, 1073-1096. Miyake, H., Y. Tanaka, M. Sakaue, K. Koketsu, and Y. Ishigaki, 2006: Empirical Green's function simulation of broadband ground motions on Genkai Island during the 2005 West Off Fukuoka Prefecture earthquake, Earth Planets Space, 58, 1637-1642. Poiata, N., and H. Miyake, 2006: Broadband ground motion simulation of Romanian earthquakes using empirical Green's function method, Proceedings of the 1st European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, p. 506. Sadeghi, H., H. Miyake, and A. Riahi, 2013: Strong ground motion simulation of the 2003 Bam, Iran, earthquake using the empirical Green's function method, J. Seismol., 17, 297-312 Trân Thi My Thanh, 2006: Mo phong trân đong đât Đien Bien, M = 5.3. Tap chi Cac khoa hoc ve Trai đât; T.29, 4, tr.342-349. Vung, V., H. Miyake, T. My Thanh, K. Irikura, 2014: Empirical Green's function simulations towards site-specific ground motion prediction at the Song Tranh 2 dam in Vietnam, AOGS 11th Annual Meeting, Japan, Jul. 28-Aug. 01, 2014, SE24-A006.


The dynamical cluster approximation (DCA) and its DCA$^+$ extension use coarse-graining of the momentum space to reduce the complexity of quantum many-body problems, thereby mapping the bulk lattice to a cluster embedded in a dynamical mean-field host. Here, we introduce a new form of an interlaced coarse-graining and compare it with the traditional coarse-graining. While it gives a more localized self-energy for a given cluster size, we show that it leads to more controlled results with weaker cluster shape and smoother cluster size dependence, which converge to the results obtained from the standard coarse-graining with increasing cluster size. Most importantly, the new coarse-graining reduces the severity of the fermionic sign problem of the underlying quantum Monte Carlo cluster solver and thus allows for calculations on larger clusters. This enables the treatment of longer-ranged correlations than those accessible with the standard coarse-graining and thus can allow for the evaluation of the exact infinite cluster size result via finite size scaling. As a demonstration, we study the hole-doped two-dimensional Hubbard model and show that the interlaced coarse-graining in combination with the extended DCA$^+$ algorithm permits the determination of the superconducting $T_c$ on cluster sizes for which the results can be fit with a Kosterlitz-Thouless scaling law.


BACKGROUND
Problem alcohol use is common among illicit drug users and is associated with adverse health outcomes. It is also an important factor contributing to a poor prognosis among drug users with hepatitis C virus (HCV) as it impacts on progression to hepatic cirrhosis or opiate overdose in opioid users.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of psychosocial interventions for problem alcohol use in illicit drug users (principally problem drug users of opiates and stimulants).

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group trials register (June 2014), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, Issue 11, June 2014), MEDLINE (1966 to June 2014); EMBASE (1974 to June 2014); CINAHL (1982 to June 2014); PsycINFO (1872 to June 2014) and the reference lists of eligible articles. We also searched: 1) conference proceedings (online archives only) of the Society for the Study of Addiction, International Harm Reduction Association, International Conference on Alcohol Harm Reduction and American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence; 2) online registers of clinical trials: Current Controlled Trials, Clinical Trials.org, Center Watch and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials comparing psychosocial interventions with another therapy (other psychosocial treatment, including non-pharmacological therapies, or placebo) in adult (over the age of 18 years) illicit drug users with concurrent problem alcohol use.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used the standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration.

MAIN RESULTS
Four studies, involving 594 participants, were included. Half of the trials were rated as having a high or unclear risk of bias. The studies considered six different psychosocial interventions grouped into four comparisons: (1) cognitive-behavioural coping skills training versus 12-step facilitation (one study; 41 participants), (2) brief intervention versus treatment as usual (one study; 110 participants), (3) group or individual motivational interviewing (MI) versus hepatitis health promotion (one study; 256 participants) and (4) brief motivational intervention (BMI) versus assessment-only (one study; 187 participants). Differences between studies precluded any data pooling. Findings are described for each trial individually.Comparison 1: low-quality evidence; no significant difference for any of the outcomes considered Alcohol abstinence as maximum number of weeks of consecutive alcohol abstinence during treatment: mean difference (MD) 0.40 (95% confidence interval (CI) -1.14 to 1.94); illicit drug abstinence as maximum number of weeks of consecutive abstinence from cocaine during treatment: MD 0.80 (95% CI -0.70 to 2.30); alcohol abstinence as number achieving three or more weeks of consecutive alcohol abstinence during treatment: risk ratio (RR) 1.96 (95% CI 0.43 to 8.94); illicit drug abstinence as number achieving three or more weeks of consecutive abstinence from cocaine during treatment: RR 1.10 (95% CI 0.42 to 2.88); alcohol abstinence during follow-up year: RR 2.38 (95% CI 0.10 to 55.06); illicit drug abstinence as abstinence from cocaine during follow-up year: RR 0.39 (95% CI 0.04 to 3.98), moderate-quality evidence.Comparison 2: low-quality evidence, no significant difference for all the outcomes considered Alcohol use as AUDIT scores at three months: MD 0.80 (95% -1.80 to 3.40); alcohol use as AUDIT scores at nine months: MD 2.30 (95% CI -0.58 to 5.18); alcohol use as number of drinks per week at three months: MD 0.70 (95% CI -3.85 to 5.25); alcohol use as number of drinks per week at nine months: MD -0.30 (95% CI -4.79 to 4.19); alcohol use as decreased alcohol use at three months: RR 1.13 (95% CI 0.67 to 1.93); alcohol use as decreased alcohol use at nine months: RR 1.34 (95% CI 0.69 to 2.58), moderate-quality evidence.Comparison 3 (group and individual MI), low-quality evidence: no significant difference for all outcomes Group MI: number of standard drinks consumed per day over the past month: MD -0.40 (95% CI -2.03 to 1.23); frequency of drug use: MD 0.00 (95% CI -0.03 to 0.03); composite drug score (frequency*severity for all drugs taken): MD 0.00 (95% CI -0.42 to 0.42); greater than 50% reduction in number of standard drinks consumed per day over the last 30 days: RR 1.10 (95% CI 0.82 to 1.48); abstinence from alcohol over the last 30 days: RR 0.88 (95% CI 0.49 to 1.58).Individual MI: number of standard drinks consumed per day over the past month: MD -0.10 (95% CI -1.89 to 1.69); frequency of drug use (as measured using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI drug): MD 0.00 (95% CI -0.03 to 0.03); composite drug score (frequency*severity for all drugs taken): MD -0.10 (95% CI -0.46 to 0.26); greater than 50% reduction in number of standard drinks consumed per day over the last 30 days: RR 0.92 (95% CI 0.68 to 1.26); abstinence from alcohol over the last 30 days: RR 0.97 (95% CI 0.56 to 1.67).Comparison 4: more people reduced alcohol use (by seven or more days in the past month at 6 months) in the BMI group than in the control group (RR 1.67; 95% CI 1.08 to 2.60), moderate-quality evidence. No significant difference was reported for all other outcomes: number of days in the past 30 days with alcohol use at one month: MD -0.30 (95% CI -3.38 to 2.78); number of days in the past month with alcohol use at six months: MD -1.50 (95% CI -4.56 to 1.56); 25% reduction of drinking days in the past month: RR 1.23 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.57); 50% reduction of drinking days in the past month: RR 1.27 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.68); 75% reduction of drinking days in the past month: RR 1.21 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.75); one or more drinking days' reduction in the past month: RR 1.12 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.38).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is low-quality evidence to suggest that there is no difference in effectiveness between different types of interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in concurrent problem alcohol and illicit drug users and that brief interventions are not superior to assessment-only or to treatment as usual. No firm conclusions can be made because of the paucity of the data and the low quality of the retrieved studies.


Many cutaneous diseases which afflict Caucasians also occur in Blacks. However, some of these diseases may occur more commonly in African-Americans or present in an "atypical" or different manner. It is important to be aware of these variations in presentation to properly diagnose and manage these diseases. There is also a subset of skin diseases which are unique to Black patients about which the clinician should be knowledgeable. Finally, because so many skin diseases can affect the pigmentary system, causing hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation, the social and psychological impact of cutaneous disease at times may be more devastating in African-Americans.


Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is a volatile organosulfur compound which has been implicated as playing key roles in climate control and in the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur. Metabolism of DMS by Bacteria has been previously identified as an important sink of DMS in soils and in the marine environment; however, relatively little is known about the physiology or biochemistry of Bacteria that metabolism DMS.
The key enzyme of DMS oxidation in Hyphomicrobium spp. – DMS monooxygenase - has been purified and characterised from H. sulfonivorans. It has been shown to be a two-componant monooxygenase, related to bacterial luciferase, comprising two subunits – an FMNH2-dependent DMS monooxygenase (DmoA) and an NADHdependent FMN oxidoreductase (DmoB). For DMS, DMS monooxygenase from H. sulfonivorans has a Vmax of 1250 nmol DMS oxidised min-1 (mg protein)-1 and a kM of 16.5μM, corresponding to a kCAT of 5.2s-1.
DMS oxidation in terms of acting as a sole-carbon source and as a supplementary energy source has been demonstrated in methylotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. Chemolithoheterotrophic growth in which DMS carbon is assimilated to biomass whilst DMS sulfur is oxidised to tetrathionate with a net energy gain has been demonstrated in "M. thiooxidans". Both "internal" and "external" chemolithoheterotrophy has been observed in "M. thiooxidans", with endogenous and exogenous thiosulfate being oxidised to tetrathionate with a net energy gain. As far as can be found from the literature, this is the first recorded production of a polythionate from an organosulfur compound, as such, representing a potential new step in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle.
Stable-isotope probing with [13C2]-DMS has been performed for the first time and has confirmed Methylophaga spp. as dominant DMS-oxidising Bacteria in the marine environment. The oxidation of marine thiosulfate to tetrathionate has been demonstrating during a phytoplankton bloom, indicating that chemolithoheterotrophic Bacteria are active during the bloom.
Preliminary analyses have been carried out on the genome sequence of "Methylophaga thiooxidans" and the genes encoding the major enzymes of formaldehyde assimilation via the KDPG aldolase variant RuMP pathway have been identified. Genes encoding key enzymes involved in the dissimilation of methanol and methylated amines have been indentified, in addition to those involved in nitrogen uptake from ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and urea.
Chemoorganoheterotrophic growth, coupling the oxidation of DMS to DMSO with ATP formation, has been demonstrated in Sagittula stellata E-37T, though the enzyme(s) responsible for this oxidation remain unclear.


To understand the spatiotemporal changes in cellular status that occur during embryonic development, it is desirable to detect simultaneously the expression of genes, proteins, and epigenetic modifications in individual embryonic cells. A technique termed methylation-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization (MeFISH) was developed recently that can visualize the methylation status of specific DNA sequences in cells fixed on a glass slide. Here, we adapted this glass slide-based MeFISH to the study of intact embryos, and established a method called whole-mount MeFISH. This method can be applied to any DNA sequences in theory and, as a proof-of-concept experiment, we examined the DNA methylation status of satellite repeats in developing mouse primordial germ cells, in which global DNA demethylation is known to take place, and obtained a result that was consistent with previous findings, thus validating the MeFISH method. We also succeeded in combining whole-mount MeFISH with immunostaining or RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH) techniques by adopting steps to retain signals of RNA-FISH or immunostaining after harsh denaturation step of MeFISH. The combined methods enabled the simultaneous visualization of DNA methylation and protein or RNA expression at single-cell resolution without destroying embryonic and nuclear structures. This whole-mount MeFISH technique should facilitate the study of the dynamics of DNA methylation status during embryonic development with unprecedented resolution.


Estimation of simultaneous equations with limited (or transformed) endogenous regressors has been difficult in the parametric literature for various reasons. In this paper, we propose a nonparametric two-stage method that is analogous to two-stage least-squares estimation. A simultaneous censored model is used to illustrate our approach, and then its generalization to other cases is developed. The technical highlight is in handling a nondifferentiable second-stage minimand with an infinite-dimensional first-stage nuisance parameter when the first-stage error is not orthogonal to the second.


An overview of various approaches for the realization of single‐material organic solar cells (SMOCs) is presented. Fullerene‐conjugated systems dyads, di‐block copolymers, and self‐organized donor‐acceptor molecules all represent different possible approaches towards SMOCs. Although each of them presents specific advantages and poses specific problems of design and synthesis, these different routes have witnessed significant progress in the past few years and SMOCs with efficiencies in the range of 1.50% have been realized. These performances are already higher than those of bi‐component bulk heterojunction solar cells some ten years ago, demonstrating that SMOCs can represent a credible approach towards efficient and simple organic solar cells. Possible directions for future research are discussed with the aim of stimulating further research on this exciting topic.


You are a UK paediatric trainee working in a small district general hospital in rural Kenya. You see a 4-year-old-boy with asthma, with his third episode of wheeze requiring admission to hospital. He improves with nebulised salbutamol and is ready for discharge home. You suggest a short-acting bronchodilator inhaler, via a water bottle spacer,1 to keep at home, but the parents are unable to afford a metered-dose inhaler (MDI), which is relatively expensive. You have heard of oral salbutamol being sold in nearby pharmacies at lower cost and wonder whether this would be acceptable in this situation. The national paediatric protocol (for Kenya) states that oral salbutamol "should ONLY be used if it is the only option available and for a maximum duration of 1 week".2

In a child with chronic asthma in a low-resource setting [patient], is oral salbutamol [intervention] an acceptable low-cost alternative to inhaled salbutamol [control] in the reduction in frequency and severity of current or subsequent episodes of wheezing requiring hospitalisation [primary outcome] or the improvement in lung function (PEFR or FEV1) [secondary outcome]?

A literature search was performed; Cochrane, PubMed and Embase were searched in January 2015 with limits of 'English language' only, using the following search terms (MeSH in italics): ( Albuterol OR salbutamol OR adrenergic beta-Agonists ) AND ( Administration, oral OR oral medication OR oral) AND ( asthma * OR wheeze OR wheezing) AND ( Child OR infant OR adolescent OR children OR child, preschool OR pediatric* OR paediatric*). In total, 454, 670 and 806 results from Cochrane, PubMed and Embase, of which …


Due to more complicated behavior than controlled access roadway, congested estimation on arterial road network has become a challenging topic for all traffic professionals in recent years. To indicate the traffic condition, link travel speed is considered as one of the important markers for representing traffic status on roadway network and most understood pointer for all road users. This paper describes the implementation of Running Speed and Stopped Delay (RSSD) technique for investigating the urban link travel speed and discusses on the limitation of error in speed associated from each global positioning system (GPS) device to maintain the advantages of proposed technique in travel speed estimation. The results from real observation traffic data on urban roadway also confirm that the accuracy of travel speed estimation is significantly improved when RSSD was employed as the estimation technique compared to baseline approach particularly in the links with highly congested condition.


With rapid growth of internet traffic over last few years, the area of internet traffic classification becomes very significant for various ISPs. Now days, traditional internet traffic classification techniques such as port number and payload based techniques are seldom used because of use of dynamic port number instead of well-known port number in packet headers and various cryptographic techniques used to encrypt packet payload. Current trends are use of machine learning techniques for internet traffic classification. In this research work, downloaded internet traffic dataset, self-developed internet traffic datasets for packet capture duration of 2 minute and 2 seconds and reduced feature datasets developed using Correlation based Feature Selection Algorithm are employed for analysis purpose. Then, five ML algorithms Multilayer Perceptron, Radial Basis Function Neural Network, C4.5 Decision Tree, Bayes Net and Naive Bayes algorithms are used for internet traffic classification. This analysis shows that C4.5 is an effective ML technique for internet traffic classification provided packet capture duration and number of features characterizing each sample should be minimum.


The increased demands on the market for pharmaceutical plants from the wild put a high pressure for their future conservation and therefore they need protection. Thus, species such as Arnica montana L well known for their medicinal effects in a range of human diseases became for long time a target for being collected from the wild. Still, since 1977 the species is declared as nature monument and later on it is protected under the current legislative framework for nature protection. However the transfer of the plant into the crop filed my further support the access to this genetic resource without any harm on the wild species. The scope of this article is to analyse if Arnica montana may change the profile of volatile oil if it is transferred from the wild into the crop field. Based on morphometry and biochemical analysis it can be considered that arnica may become a medicinal crop plant as no changes in their volatile oil composition was observed.


PURPOSE
To estimate changes in surface shape and gradient refractive index (GRIN) profile in primate lenses as a function of accommodation. To quantify the contribution of surface shape and GRIN to spherical aberration changes with accommodation.

METHODS
Crystalline lenses from 15 cynomolgus monkeys were studied in vitro under different levels of accommodation produced by a stretching system. Lens shape was obtained from optical coherence tomography (OCT) cross-sectional images. The GRIN was reconstructed with a search algorithm using the optical path measured from OCT images and the measured back focal length. The spherical aberration of the lens was estimated as a function of accommodation using the reconstructed GRIN and a homogeneous refractive index.

RESULTS
The lens anterior and posterior radii of curvature decreased with increasing lens power. Both surfaces exhibited negative asphericities in the unaccommodated state. The anterior surface conic constant shifted toward less negative values with accommodation, while the value of the posterior remained constant. GRIN parameters remained constant with accommodation. The lens spherical aberration with GRIN distribution was negative and higher in magnitude than that with a homogeneous equivalent refractive index (by 29% and 53% in the unaccommodated and fully accommodated states, respectively). Spherical aberration with the equivalent refractive index shifted with accommodation toward negative values (-0.070 μm/diopter [D]), but the reconstructed GRIN shifted it farther (-0.124 μm/D).

CONCLUSIONS
When compared with the lens with the homogeneous equivalent refractive index, the reconstructed GRIN lens has more negative spherical aberration and a larger shift toward more negative values with accommodation.


In this investigation, fluidized bed crystallization (FBC) is utilized to treat phosphorus wastewater that is produced by the manufacture of thin film transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD). TFT-LCD wastewater contains 500 10 ppm phosphorus. The pH and molar ratio of Fe/P for removing phosphorus was initially examined by performing a jar-test. The parameters of the FBC – effluent pHe, Fe/P ratio and the upflow velocity (m h ) – were tested to recover phosphorus from wastewater as ferrous phosphate pellets, characterized using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and silica sand was used as the seed material. The experimental results revealed that the control of effluent pHe was an essential parameter in maximizing the phosphorous removal (PR%) and crystallization ratio (CR%). At pHe 5–6, the supersaturation of phosphate precipitation by conditioning the molar ratio of Fe/P to 1.5 and the upflow rate was adjusted within the range of 30.56– 68.76 m h 1 in the metastable zone at a cross-section loading of 0.72 kg per P per h per m, leading to a phosphorus removal (PR) of 95% and a crystallization ratio (CR) of 63%. Under optimal hydraulic conditions, the treatment of real wastewater in a FBC process was viable by converting the pollutant into crystals with a high-purity phase of vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2$8H2O).


The trace element data pool for South African coals is limited. However, certain elements are reported as occurring in considerably higher concentrations than global average values. These elements include chromium (Cr), as well as manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), and molybdenum (Mo), with Cr showing the most consistent enrichment. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Cr in South African coals sampled from five coalfields, and to assess the possible source of Cr. A total of 21 run-of-mine (ROM) coal samples from the Waterberg, Soutpansberg, Witbank, Highveld, and the Nongoma Coalfields were obtained from active mines. Coal characterization, mineralogy, and geochemical data were compiled. The Cr values for the Waterberg (23 to 28 ppm), Soutpansberg (4.7 to 43 ppm), Witbank (24 to 37 ppm), and Highveld (33 to 37 ppm) coal samples are higher than those for the Nongoma coals (1.2 to 2.5 ppm), and, in nearly every case, higher than the Clarke value for hard coals (17 ppm). Correlation coefficients, density fractionation, and selective leaching were used to infer (indirect) modes of occurrence. A dominant silicate (clay) affinity was determined with Cr, as well as an organic affinity in the ROM samples. The Nongoma coals, with illite and no kaolinite, have extremely low Cr values. The other samples are enriched in kaolinite and also have a high Cr content. Chromium values as high as 67 ppm were reported for 1.4 RD float fraction samples, indicating a positive correlation with organic matter. A Cr - silicate association was observed following selective leaching. These results imply multiple modes of occurrence of Cr in the South African samples, in agreement with studies conducted globally. Chromium in the South African coals could have originated from the Bushveld Complex (approximately two billion years old), the largest Cr reserve in South Africa, which predates coal formation (approximately 299 to 252 million years ago) and is proximal to the coalfields. The Cr, seemingly not associated with chromite, may have been redistributed in the peat swamps during peat deposition, accumulating in the sediments and organic material. The Nongoma Coalfield is the farthest distance from the possible Bushveld Complex Cr source, and these samples are depleted in Cr.


The role of FSH in the maintenance of spermatogenesis in man is poorly understood. To determine whether normal serum levels of FSH are necessary for the maintenance of quantitatively normal spermatogenesis, we first studied the effect on sperm production of selective FSH deficiency induced by chronic administration of hCG in normal men. Then, we determined the effect of FSH replacement in some of these men. After a 3-month control period, eight normal men (aged 30-39 yr) received 5000 IU hCG, im, twice weekly for 7 months. Then while continuing the same dosage of hCG, subjects simultaneously received 200 mg testosterone enanthate (T), im, weekly for an additional 6 months. hCG administration alone resulted in partial suppression of the mean sperm concentration from 88 +/- 24 (+/-SEM) million/ml during the control period to 22 +/- 7 million/ml during the last 4 months of hCG treatment (P less than 0.001 compared to control values). With the addition of T to hCG, sperm counts remained suppressed to the same degree. Except for one man who became azoospermic while receiving hCG plus T, sperm motilities and morphologies remained normal in all subjects throughout the entire study. During both the hCG alone and hCG plus T periods, serum FSH levels were undetectable (less than 25 ng/ml), and urinary FSH levels were comparable to those in prepubertal children and hypogonadotropic hypogonadal adults. We replaced FSH activity in four of the eight men in whom prolonged selective FSH deficiency and partial suppression of sperm production were induced by hCG administration. Immediately after the period of hCG plus T administration, T was stopped in four men who continued to receive hCG alone (5000 IU, im, twice weekly) for 3 months. Then, while continuing the same dosage of hCG, these men received 100 IU human FSH, sc, daily (n = 2) or 75 IU human menopausal gonadotropin, sc, daily (n = 2) for 5-8 months. During the second period of hCG administration alone, serum FSH levels were undetectable (less than 25 ng/ml), and sperm concentrations were suppressed (34 +/- 13 million/ml) compared to the control values for these four men (125 +/- 39 million/ml; P less than 0.001). With the addition of FSH to hCG, FSH levels increased (213 +/- 72 ng/ml) and sperm concentrations rose significantly, reaching a mean of 103 +/- 30 million/ml (P less than 0.03 compared to hCG alone).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Foreign Direct Investment becomes one of the business globalization forces. It is by this meaning, a strong factor having its evident impact on tying together the economies and forcing the exchange waves between them. In this context, the advocates of foreign investment claim that it brings new technology and know-how in an attempt to increase productivity and enhance efficiency. At the contrary, the opponents of foreign investment effects claim that this investment is no more than one of the different features of the economic imperialism. This paper tends to present a synthesis of the foreign direct investment effects.JEL classification numbers: F21, F43, C23Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, Effects


Effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF EMF) on the activation of different tissue recovery processes have already been fully understood. Preliminary recent data demonstrated that a special case of sinusoidal electromagnetic fields, known as amplitude-modulated currents (AMC) could have a potential to accelerate the cell metabolism or cell migration. An AMC generator was designed to generate sinusoidal induced electric currents with the amplitude modulation and the harmonic carrier frequency of 5,000 Hz was modulated by frequencies of 1 to 100 Hz. The magnetic field peak was 6 mT, electric field intensity 2 V/m and the current density of induced electrical currents was approximately 1 A/m(2). The coil of the generator was adapted to easy handling and safe integration into the shelf of the CO(2) incubator. The shelf with the coil was prepared for the introduction of cells in standard plastic in vitro chambers. The tests focused on cells with migratory capacity after injury or during immunological processes and thus, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), dendritic cells (DC), and fibroblasts were chosen. The tests involved exposures of the cells to LF EMF (180 min/day) every day, for a period of three days, before examining them for cell death, morphology changes, and CD markers. The samples were tested by using MTT assay and the effects on the intracellular concentration of reactive oxygen species were quantified. The cell migration was finally measured with the help of the transwell migration assay. None of the cell types showed any decrease in the cell viability after the LF EMF application and the cells displayed minimum changes in reactive oxygen species. Functional changes (acceleration of cell migration) after AMC exposure were statistically significant for the MSC samples only. The acceleration of MSCs is associated with the production of MMP by these cells. The EMF has a potential to be a safe, clinically applicable selective activator of MSC homing, MSC paracrine production, and subsequent regeneration processes.


SIMPLE (SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions)
is a protocol suite for instant messaging (IM) service, but it is
inefficient in processing session-mode instant message due to its
complex signaling processes and heavy header overheads, which makes it
difficult to meet the QoE (quality of experience) requirement,
especially in the usage scenario of mobile Internet and other traffic
sensitive networks. This document describes an alternative Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP) extension for instant messaging service. The
extension uses the publish-subscribe mode to simplify signaling
procedures and introduces message user agent (MUA) to publish and
receive message, and message broker (MB) as an intermediary to
exchange messages between MUAs. Message is tagged with a topic, and
the lightweight message format is more suitable for traffic sensitive
networks.


Highly specific and efficient drugs have been developed during the last two decades to treat non-communicable chronic inflammatory skin diseases (ncISD). Due to their specificity, these drugs are asking for precise diagnostic measures to attribute the most efficient treatment to each patient. Diagnosis, however, is complicated by the complex pathogenesis of ncISD and their clinical and histological overlap. Especially, precise diagnosis of psoriasis and eczema is difficult in special cases and molecular diagnostic tools need to be developed to support gold standard diagnosis of patients. In this line, we have developed a real-time based molecular classifier to distinguish psoriasis from eczema in RNA-later fixed skin samples. However, this type of skin sample is not regularly used in routine diagnostics. Therefore, we evaluated if the combination of NOS2 and CCL27 expression in lesional skin can be transferred to formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue. We present a FFPE-based molecular classifier (MC) that determines the probability for psoriasis with a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 92%, respectively, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97 delivering comparable results to the RNA-later based MC. The probability for psoriasis as well as the PCR result of NOS2 expression correlated positive with disease hallmarks of psoriasis and negative with eczema hallmarks. This tool now offers broad usage in pathology laboratories and can support diagnostic decision making on a molecular level.


Sir, The paper from Ørtoft et al. demonstrates a hazard to future pregnancy proportional to the length of cervical canal excised at conisation. In the same issue, Van de Vijver et al. further recommend that expectant management of all lesions should be considered in young women. We question, however, whether these findings are relevant to current UK practice. Measuring histological specimen size is difficult, and the technique of transport in saline, opening and stretching before fixation may result in different dimensions from those that we typically see in our practice. The dimensions of the large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) specimens described by Ørtoft et al. were mean height of 15.8 ± 4.2 mm and mean ectocervical diameter (D = C/p) of 13.2 ± 2 mm. This suggests a long thin cone with a focus on excising the endocervical canal. The vast majority of our patients undergoing the standard outpatient LLETZ procedure have a visible squamocolumnar junction (SCJ), and therefore excision of the transformation zone is effected by a much shallower excision of the order of 8–12 mm in depth. This would have less effect on future pregnancy, and our advice to patients should take account of this. Finally, if one manages all lesions expectantly in young women, why screen them at all? j


A series of studies was conducted to characterize changes in components of the cell signalling cascade that mediates oxytocin-induced prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) synthesis at the onset of luteolysis in sheep. In the first experiment, caruncular tissue was dissected from 20 ewes on days 12-15 of the oestrous cycle, and incubated for the measurement of phospholipase C (PLC) activity or secretion of PGF2 alpha. Activation of GTP-binding proteins with aluminium fluoride stimulated both inositol phosphate accumulation and PGF2 alpha secretion on all days examined. However, oxytocin did not stimulate PLC activity or PGF2 alpha accumulation until day 13. While the ability of oxytocin to stimulate PLC activity increased after day 13, oxytocin-induced PGF2 alpha secretion declined slightly from day 13 to 15, suggesting that cell signalling components downstream from PLC modulate the response to oxytocin after day 13. Oxytocin failed to stimulate PGF2 alpha synthesis on day 14 after oestrus. Secretion of endogenous luteal oxytocin may have rendered uterine tissues collected on day 14 refractory to oxytocin in vitro. Therefore, a second study was conducted in ovariectomized, steroid replaced ewes. Ovarian steroids were administered to mimic endogenous changes in progesterone and oestradiol. The temporal patterns of PGF2 alpha synthesis in response to oxytocin and pharmacological agents were similar to uterine tissues from cyclic ewes in the first experiment; however, the magnitude of the response was less. These data suggest that oxytocin receptors are absent or are not coupled to PLC until day 13 after oestrus.


Background Hypokalemia reduces the cardiac repolarization reserve. This prolongs the QT-interval and increases the risk of ventricular arrhythmia; a risk that is exacerbated by administration of classical class 3 anti-arrhythmic agents. Small conductance Ca2+-activated K+-channels (KCa2) are a promising new atrial selective target for treatment of atrial fibrillation. Under physiological conditions KCa2 plays a minor role in ventricular repolarization. However, this might change under hypokalemia because of concomitant increases in ventriculay -60r intracellur Ca2+. Purpose To study the effects of pharmacological KCa2 channel inhibition by the compounds AP14145, ICA, or AP30663 under hypokalemic conditions as compared to dofetilide and hypokalemia alone time-matched controls (TMC). Methods The current at +10 mV was compared in HEK293 cells stably expressing KCa2.3 perfused first with normo- and then hypokalemic solutions (4 mM K+ and 2.5 mM K+, respectively). Guinea pig hearts were isolated and perfused with normokalemic (4 mM K+) Krebs-Henseleit solution, followed by perfusion with drug or vehicle control. The perfusion was then changed to hypokalemic solution (2.5 mM K+) in presence of drug. 30 animals were randomly assigned to 5 groups: ICA, AP14145, AP30663, dofetilide, or TMC. QT-interval, the interval from the peak to the end of the T wave (Tp–Te), ventricular effective refractory period (VERP), arrhythmia score, and ventricular fibrillation (VF) incidence were recorded. Results Hypokalemia slightly increased KCa2.3 current compared to normokalemia. Application of KCa2 channel inhibitors and dofetilide prolonged the QT interval corrected for heart rate. Dofetilide, but none of the KCa2 channel inhibitors increased Tp–Te during hypokalemia. During hypokalemia 4/6 hearts in the TMC group developed VF (two spontaneously, two by S1S2 stimulation) whereas 5/6 hearts developed VF in the dofetilide group (two spontaneously, three by S1S2 stimulation). In comparison, 0/6, 1/6, and 1/6 hearts developed VF when treated with the KCa2 channel inhibitors AP30663, ICA, or AP14145, respectively. Conclusion Hypokalemia was associated with an increased incidence of VF, an effect that also seen in the presence of dofetilide. In comparison, the structurally and functionally different KCa2 channel inhibitors, ICA, AP14145, and AP30663 protected the heart from hypokalemia induced VF. These results support that KCa2 inhibition may be associated with a better safety and tolerability profile than dofetilide.


To develop a purification strategy for isolating the most primitive hematopoietic stem cells present in normal human marrow we have combined cell separation techniques with an assay for cells that initiate sustained hematopoiesis in vitro in the presence of irradiated human marrow adherent cells. These "feeders" were established by subculturing 2- to 6-week-old primary long-term marrow culture adherent layers at a density of 3 x 10(4) irradiated cells per square centimeter. Test "long-term culture (LTC)-initiating cells" were plated on top of the feeders and the cocultures then maintained as standard long-term marrow cultures with half-media changes and removal of half of the nonadherent cells each week. The total number of myeloid, erythroid, and multilineage clonogenic progenitors present after 5 weeks was used to provide a quantitative assessment of the number of LTC-initiating cells originally added. Using this assay, the density, light scatter, and two cell surface antigen properties of LTC-initiating cells have been defined and compared with cells capable of directly forming colonies in methylcellulose. While the majority of the clonogenic cells were found in the high forward light scatter (FLS) "blast" window, LTC-initiating cells had significantly lower FLS properties and in this respect were more similar to lymphocytes. LTC-initiating cells also expressed less HLA-DR antigen than clonogenic cells. The majority of LTC-initiating cells were found in the top 2% of the CD34 (My10) fluorescence profile, whereas clonogenic cells were found throughout the top 5% of the CD34 fluorescence profile. By combining low FLS, low orthogonal light scatter (OLS), low HLA-DR expression, and high CD34 expression, a population could be obtained that was enriched for LTC-initiating cells approximately 800-fold over unseparated marrow. This population contains only 0.06% of the marrow cells and 2% of the total clonogenic cells, but retains 50% to 60% of the LTC-initiating cells present in the original marrow. The ability to purify these two populations independently shows that the LTC and clonogenic assays identify distinct, although not necessarily nonoverlapping cell types in human marrow. Since clonogenic cells are derived from LTC-initiating cells, the LTC assay clearly detects a more primitive population. The availability of a simple approach that allows the purification of such cells by three orders of magnitude in high yield should be useful for the investigation of early events in hematopoiesis as well as for the definitive isolation of human hematopoietic stem cells with long-term in vivo repopulating potential.


We show that the interaction between a plasmonic and a magnetoplasmonic metallic nanodisk leads to the appearance of magneto-optical activity in the purely plasmonic disk induced by the magnetoplasmonic one. Moreover, at specific wavelengths the interaction cancels the net electromagnetic field at the magnetoplasmonic component, strongly reducing the magneto-optical activity of the whole system. The MO activity has a characteristic Fano spectral shape, and the resulting MO inhibition constitutes the magneto-optical counterpart of the electromagnetic induced transparency.


We have developed a collaborative scheme that facilitates active human supervision of the binary segmentation of an echocardiogram. The scheme complements the reliability of a human expert with the precision of segmentation algorithms. In the developed system, an expert user compares the computer generated segmentation with the original image in a user friendly graphics environment, and interactively indicates the incorrectly classified regions either by pointing or by circling. The precise boundaries of the indicated regions are computed by studying original image properties at that region, and a human visual attention distribution map obtained from the published psychological and psychophysical research. We use the developed system to extract contours of heart chambers from a sequence of two dimensional echocardiograms. We are currently extending this method to incorporate a richer set of inputs from the human supervisor, to facilitate multi-classification of image regions depending on their functionality. We are integrating into our system the knowledge related constraints that cardiologists use, to improve the capabilities of our existing system. This extension involves developing a psychological model of expert reasoning, functional and relational models of typical views in echocardiograms, and corresponding interface modifications to map the suggested actions to image processing algorithms.


In this article, one of the most important challenges facing the National Iranian Oil Company - the optimum allocation of natural gas to the different consuming sectors such as export, petrochemical plants and injection into oil fields – is discussed employing the optimization and preference analysis theory of Professor Harry Markowitz!. Our results show that gas export, gas injection and petrochemicals are the optimal preferences from the mean expected present value and risk points of view. When choosing the optimal portfolio employing a risk-return frontier, if less risk is desired, then the weight (ratio) of gas allocated to export projects should be decreased. On the other hand, decreasing the weight ratio for gas injection and petrochemicals will mean that the risk (as well as the expected value) increases. Put another way, in the case of Iran at the present time, it appears that the more risk averse is the investor, the smaller the gas ratio allocated to gas exportation projects.


PURPOSE
A recent work has demonstrated the feasibility of estimating the dose to individual organs from multidetector CT exams using patient-specific, scanner-independent CTDIvol-to-organ-dose conversion coefficients. However, the previous study only investigated organ dose to a single patient model from a full-body helical CT scan. The purpose of this work was to extend the validity of this dose estimation technique to patients of any size undergoing a common clinical exam. This was done by determining the influence of patient size on organ dose conversion coefficients generated for typical abdominal CT exams.

METHODS
Monte Carlo simulations of abdominal exams were performed using models of 64-slice MDCT scanners from each of the four major manufacturers to obtain dose to radiosensitive organs for eight patient models of varying size, age, and gender. The scanner-specific organ doses were normalized by corresponding CTDIvol values and averaged across scanners to obtain scanner-independent CTDIvol-to-organ-dose conversion coefficients for each patient model. In order to obtain a metric for patient size, the outer perimeter of each patient was measured at the central slice of the abdominal scan region. Then, the relationship between CTDIvol-to-organ-dose conversion coefficients and patient perimeter was investigated for organs that were directly irradiated by the abdominal scan. These included organs that were either completely ("fully irradiated") or partly ("partially irradiated") contained within the abdominal exam region. Finally, dose to organs that were not at all contained within the scan region ("nonirradiated") were compared to the doses delivered to fully irradiated organs.

RESULTS
CTDIvol-to-organ-dose conversion coefficients for fully irradiated abdominal organs had a strong exponential correlation with patient perimeter. Conversely, partially irradiated organs did not have a strong dependence on patient perimeter. In almost all cases, the doses delivered to nonirradiated organs were less than 5%, on average across patient models, of the mean dose of the fully irradiated organs.

CONCLUSIONS
This work demonstrates the feasibility of calculating patient-specific, scanner-independent CTDIvol-to-organ-dose conversion coefficients for fully irradiated organs in patients undergoing typical abdominal CT exams. A method to calculate patient-specific, scanner-specific, and exam-specific organ dose estimates that requires only knowledge of the CTDIvol for the scan protocol and the patient's perimeter is thus possible. This method will have to be extended in future studies to include organs that are partially irradiated. Finally, it was shown that, in most cases, the doses to nonirradiated organs were small compared to the dose to fully irradiated organs.


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ABSTRACT Interleukin-29 (IL-29) is a cytokine belonging to the Type III interferon family. It was recently detected in the gingival crevicular fluid of periodontitis patients. However, the role of IL-29 in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of IL-29 on C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) production in human oral epithelial cells. We measured CXCL10 production in TR146 cells, which is a human oral epithelial cell line, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We used a Western blot analysis to detect IL-29 receptor expression and the phosphorylation levels of signal transduction molecules, including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and nuclear factor (NF)- κB p65, in the TR146 cells. The TR146 cells expressed the IL-29 receptor. IL-29 induced CXCL10 production in the TR146 cells. IL-29 significantly enhanced CXCL10 production in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-stimulated TR146 cells. The p38 MAPK, STAT3, and NF-κB pathways were found to be related to the IL-29-induced enhancement of CXCL10 production in TNF-α-stimulated TR146 cells. IL-29 promotes T helper 1-cell accumulation in periodontal lesions by inducing CXCL10 production in oral epithelial cells.


We study how the local concentration of ethnic minorities relates to natives' likelihood of out-migration in the capital of Denmark. In US studies, a high or increasing proportion of racial or ethnicminorities in inner city neighborhoods is seen as the prime motivation for 'white flight;' Whitemiddle-class families moving towards racially and ethnically homogeneous suburbs. The relativelyegalitarian Scandinavian setting offers a contrasting case, where inner cities are less deprived, andwhere minority groups primarily consist of immigrants and children of immigrants that have arrivedover the past few decades. Using rich, population-wide, longitudinal administrative data over atwelve-year period, linked to exact coordinates on places of residence, we document how thegeographical distribution of minorities within Copenhagen relates to native out-migration. Weobserve increasing out-migration among the native majority population from areas with high andincreasing minority concentrations, largely supporting the hypothesis of a 'native flight' mobilitypattern.


We empirically and theoretically study the effects of capital flows on resource allocation within sectors and cross-sectors. Novel data on service firms – in addition to manufacturing firms – allows us to assess two channels of resource reallocation. Capital inflows lower the relative price of capital, which promotes capital-intensive industries – an input-cost channel. Second, capital inflows increase aggregate consumption, which tilts the demand towards goods with high income elasticities – a consumption channel. We provide evidence for these two channels using firm-level census data from the financial liberalization in Hungary, a policy reform that led to capital inflows. We show that firms in capital intensive industries expand, as do firms in industries producing goods with high income elasticities. In the short-term, the consumption channel dominates and resources reallocate towards high income elasticity activities, such as services. We build a dynamic, multi-sector, heterogeneous firm model with multiple sectors of an economy transitioning to its steady-state. We simulate a capital account liberalization and show that the model can rationalize our empirical findings. We then use the model to assess the permanent effects of capital flows and show that the long-term allocation of resources and, thus, aggregate productivity depend on degree of long-term financial openness of the economy. Larger liberalizations trigger long-run debt pushing the country to a permanent trade surplus. This tilts long-run production towards manufacturing exporters, which also increases aggregate productivity.


Background
This work proposed a joint L1 and total variation (TV) regularized reconstruction method for X-ray fluorescence tomography (XFT), and investigated the performance of this method in quantitative imaging of gold nanoparticles (GNPs).

Methods
We developed a dual-modality XFT/CT imaging system which consisted of a benchtop X-ray source, a translation/rotation stage, a silicon drift detector for X-ray fluorescence (XRF) detection, and a flat panel detector for transmission X-ray detection. A pencil-beam collimator was 3D printed with steel and employed in sample excitation. The sensitivity of the XFT imaging system was determined by imaging water phantoms with multiple inserts containing GNP solutions of various concentrations (0.02-0.16 wt.%). A joint L1 and total variation (TV) regularized algorithm was developed for XFT reconstruction, where the L1 regularization was used to reduce image artifacts and the TV regularization was used to preserve the shape of targets. Nonlinear conjugate gradient (NCG) descent algorithm with backtracking line search was adopted to solve the reconstruction problem. We compared the L1 + TV regularization method with filtered back projection (FBP), maximum likelihood expectation maximization (ML-EM), L1 regularization, and TV regularization methods. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and localization error (LE) metrics were used to compare the performance of different methods. The CT and XFT imaging doses were also measured using EBT2 radiochromic films.

Results
The 3D printed pencil-beam collimator shaped an excitation beam with a 2 mm full width at half maximum at the imaging isocenter. Based on the phantom imaging experiments, the joint L1 and TV regularization method performed better than FBP, ML-EM, L1 regularization and TV regularization methods, with higher localization accuracy (offset <0.6 mm), CNR and DSC values. Compared with CT, XFT with L1 + TV regularized reconstruction demonstrated higher sensitivity in GNP imaging, and could detect GNP at a concentration of 0.02 wt.% or lower. Moreover, there existed a significant linear correlation (R2>0.99) between the reconstructed and true GNP concentration. The estimated XFT imaging dose is about 41.22 cGy under current setting.

Conclusions
The joint L1 + TV regularized reconstruction algorithm performed better in noise suppression and shape preservation. Using the L1 + TV regularized reconstruction, the XFT system is able to localize GNP targets with submillimeter accuracy and quantify GNP distribution at a concentration of 0.02 wt.% or lower.


THE CARRABA MABBLE DISTBICT (APUAN ALPS). SIB,—In reply to Professor Bonney's remarks on p. 47 of the GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE of January, suffice it to point out (1) that the determination of the age of the crystalline schists and of the marble beds is essentially a question of palasontological and stratigraphical evidence, which, as I have shown, is absolutely conclusive, and is, moreover, universally accepted; (2) that it was neither the object nor within the available space of my paper to enter into the details of microscopical examination, the less so as this part of the subject has been exhaustively dealt with in the recent memoirs of Professor d'Achiardi, of Pisa, and of Mattirolo and Franchi of the Italian Geological Survey; (3) that the district of the Apuan Alps is pre-eminently one which, owing to its extent and complexity, requires long and patient study of the entire area, and cannot be mastered by two admittedly incomplete visits, of only a few hours each, barely beyond one point of its peripherv. ~ _ " _ r ' C. Du RICHE PKELLKR. EDINBURGH. January 13,1916.


In this thesis we consider both scheduling problems from a theoretical point of view, as well as from a practical point of view. With respect to the theoretical point of view, we consider two machine scheduling problems. The first problem is minimizing the sum of weighted tardiness when all jobs have a corresponding release date, due date, weight, and a processing time that is equal for all jobs. We show for what kind of instances this problem is solvable in polynomial time and we provide a branching strategy that can be used in a branch-and-bound method to use as much structure of the problem to solve the problem efficiently. The second machine scheduling problem we consider is minimizing the maximum lateness of the jobs when all jobs have a release date, due date, and deadline. We do this by first formulating the problem a integer linear programming problem with the time-indexed formulation. We then determine a lower bound for the minimum value of the maximum lateness by means of a column generation approach. After this we use this lower bound to speed up the solving of the integer linear programming problem. With respect to the scheduling problems from a practical point of view, we consider two real-life problems that occur at an airport. The two problems we consider are the gate assignment problem (i.e. determine which flight will be assigned to which gate when it arrives at the airport) and the bus planning problem (i.e. determine which bus is used to transport passengers to or from a flight that is assigned to a gate that is not connected to the terminal building via a air-bridge). For both problems we provide a model and a solution method based on column generation. We did not only consider these two problems as separate problems, but we also integrate them into one large model. This integration allows for using information from the bus planning problem while solving the gate assignment problem which results in better overall solutions. We have implemented the models and solution methods for both the separate problems as well as the integrated problem and then used data provided by Schiphol to test these implementations. The experiments show that we can solve not only the separate problems in a matter of minutes, but also the integrated model for a complete day of data can be solved in about 15 minutes.


To enhance the velocity profile's smoothness and machining efficiency of continuous short line segments, a velocity smooth control algorithm was presented based on the transition of cubic parametric spline curves. The transitional mathematical model was constructed, and an improved S-shaped jerk-limited acceleration/deceleration algorithm with look-ahead was adopted for smoother velocity profiles. The simulation and experiment results showed that machining efficiency was greatly improved, and smoother velocity profile was achieved, which approved the feasibility and validity of the proposed method.


We present a comparative study of two schemes to provide survivability for guaranteed QoS connections in a possible next generation Internet network architecture. In the first scheme a QoS connection is provided by standby backup resources on a disjoint path by reserving resources on both the working and backup path. In order to reduce the amount of backup resources required a method for sharing backup resources when the working connections with disjoint routes has been included. In the second scheme a dynamic search for restoration resources is conducted over a preplanned set of alternate paths upon notification of a failure. A simulation based performance study shows that the first scheme results in much higher connection blocking under normal operations, slightly faster restoration times, and longer transient congestion times after fault recovery due to non-optimal backup routing.


The amount and frequency of use of pesticides in vegetable farming have been shown to be high in the five farming areas in Al-Ain, UAE. The mean usage of all pesticides was high (6.81 g/m2) while the usage of organophosphorus pesticides (2.11 g/m2) was higher compared to the usage of all the other types of pesticides. A number of pesticides banned from use in the developed countries are still used in vegetable farming. The depletion of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity among farmworkers was positively correlated with the length (p<0.01), frequency(p<0.05) and the use of pesticides (p<0.0001) and inversely correlated with the use of personal protective equipment (p<0.05) and personal hygiene practice (p<0.05). The morbidity profile among farmworkers was positively correlated with the use of pesticides on the farms (p<0.0001) and the non-use of personal protection (p<0.05).
The mean concentrations of all pesticide residues (1.19±0.09 mg/kg) and the organophosphorus pesticide residues (1.23±0.22 mg/kg) in the locally grown vegetables exceeded the respective MRLs by 4 and 6 times respectively. The mean concentrations for all pesticides and for organophosphorus pesticide residues in
twelve of the thirteen vegetable commodities also exceeded the corresponding MRLs. The mean dietary intakes of all pesticide residues, as a percentage of ADI, were 14% and 17% respectively for the ethnic and farming populations, while corresponding values for organophosphorus pesticides were 37% and 45%
respectively. However, the dietary intakes of pesticide residues exceeded the ADI for mixtures for the ethnic (137%) and the farming populations (163%). A review of congenital malformations among ethnic and immigrant non-farming populations has suggested an interplay of genetic, dietary and environmental factors. Methods are proposed to reduce the environmental exposure and the dietary intake of pesticide residues and these include the establishment of a pesticide register, the training of the farmworkers in the proper use of pesticides, the use of protective measures, alternate methods of farming, the proper processing of vegetables prior to consumption and a comprehensive risk assessment of reproductive and genetic toxicity of organophosphorus pesticides.


Summary form only given. The two-stage tapered gyro-TWT has shown its stable operation at Ka-band with 20% bandwidth. A Ka-band harmonic multiplying amplifier is being investigated employing an axis-encircling electron gun with moderate beam voltage of 30 kV and current of 1A. A two-stage linearly tapered interaction circuit is chosen using a rectangular waveguide. A nonlinear simulation predicted a saturated gain of 25 dB with peak power of 4 kW without axial velocity spread of electron beam at the third harmonic. The bandwidth of 9% is predicted at the center frequency of 35 GHz. The bandwidth decreases to 3% when the velocity spread of 4% is assumed. A detailed discussion on the design will be presented.


and Materials, 1997, pp. 243-258. The objective of this study was to determine whether a shifting approach can be used to account for both chemical and physical effects during long-term aging of high temperature polyimidethermoset polymers, such as the commercial material PMR-15. Stress relaxation curves measured after aging at 316°C for times up to 800 h could be shifted to form a master curve. The horizontal shift factors were found to increase with increasing aging time, consistent with a reduction in molecular mobility that occurs as a result of either physical aging or increased cross-linking. There was a correlation between the vertical shift factors and cure related chemical changes that cause T g to increase and mass to decrease. Aging effects were partially reversed by heating the aged specimen above its glass transition temperature, indicating that a large portion of the aging is physical in nature. Specimens aged in nitrogen had a larger reversible component than specimens aged in air.


The equations of motion for the rotation of Mercury are solved for the general case by an asymptotic expansion. The findings of Liu and O'Keefe, obtained by numerical integration of a special case, that it is possible for Mercury's rotation to be locked into a 2:3 resonance with its revolution, are confirmed in detail. The general solution has further applications.


The effects of pulping variable, wood classification and storage time on pitch deposition during kraft pulping of mixed tropical hardwood species growing in Nigeria were investigated. Storage time has effect on pitch deposition in all the groups. Pulp resin decreased from 0.535% in control experiment to 0.235% after the sixth month in group A. In group B, pulp resin decreased from 0.560% for the control experiment to 0.243% after the sixth month while in group C, pulp resin decreased from 0.529% to 0.277% after the sixth month. Pulp resin is also influenced by effective alkali concentration of the pulping medium. With increase in effective alkali concentration from 13% to 15%, pulp pitch is reduced. The interaction effect of storage and effective alkali concentration was not significant indicating that reduction in pulp pitch caused by effective alkali concentration in the different group occurs at about the same rate. However, interaction effect of maximum temperature and effective alkali concentration was significant. This occurs as the combination of high temperature and high effective alkali concentration causes saponification of triglycerides and esters of wood resin to fatty acids which tend to form liquid crystals. On cooling the cook below 100oC during washing, the crystals form micelles which dispersed and which are washed out of the pulp. Keywords : resin, effective alkali concentration, storage, hardwoods, pulping.


In this thesis, a research program aimed at investigating the performance of fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) piles in soft clays is presented. FRP materials have experienced a surge in interest during the recent decades due to their favorable properties such as resistance to corrosion and degradation in comparison to steel and concrete particularly in harsh or contaminated soil conditions such as waterfront applications. The results of this experimental program indicate that for all of the FRP pile interfaces tested the interface shear strength is higher or at least on par with steel pile interfaces. The findings presented in this work show that the FRP piles are a viable alternative to steel piles. Further studies in the form of full scale pile load tests are needed in order to corroborate the results presented herein.


Histone acetylation plays a key role in the regulation of gene expression. The chromatin structure and accessibility of genes to transcription factors is regulated by enzymes that acetylate and deacetylate histones. The Sin3A corepressor complex recruits histone deacetylases and in many cases represses transcription. Here, we report that SAP30L, a close homolog of Sin3-associated protein 30 (SAP30), interacts with several components of the Sin3A corepressor complex. We show that it binds to the PAH3/HID (Paired Amphipathic Helix 3/Histone deacetylase Interacting Domain) region of mouse Sin3A with residues 120–140 in the C-terminal part of the protein. We provide evidence that SAP30L induces transcriptional repression, possibly via recruitment of Sin3A and histone deacetylases. Finally, we characterize a functional nucleolar localization signal in SAP30L and show that SAP30L and SAP30 are able to target Sin3A to the nucleolus.


The proposed approach uses two types of correlator. The first is a correlator using DFT to detect the positions of peak values, while the second is a correlator using the discrete rotational Fourier transform (DRFT) to display the correlated images. The purpose of this scheme is to recognise multiple different targets simultaneously.


Purpose
There is convincing evidence that companies need a special form of leadership to succeed with lean transformations. The general advice for lean leaders, however, is often obvious or unrealistic. The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss specific lean leadership practices for top-managers, middle managers and front-line managers.

Design/methodology/approach
In this conceptual paper, the authors draw on their rich experience from researching, leading and consulting in lean transformations in a large number of firms.

Findings
Leaders must adapt lean leadership practices to their hierarchical levels. This paper provides a framework to understand and debate lean leadership at different levels of the organisational hierarchy.

Originality/value
This paper demystifies lean leadership by offering a discussion of specific lean leadership practices at different hierarchical levels. The paper offers a new perspective for researchers studying lean leadership behaviours and contains helpful advice for firms seeking lean transformations.


Abstract Cephaloziella uncinata R.M. Schust. (Cephaloziellaceae, Marchantiophyta) has been observed in a peaty forest of a former loop of the Seine River (Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie). The criteria for a correct identification of this leafy liverwort, which is new to France, are discussed and compared synthetically to those of some close taxa. The ecology of its habitat and its worldwide distribution are given. The conservation issues of the species are discussed


Purpose: Vitamin D exerts its inhibitory influence on colon cancer growth by inhibiting Wnt signaling and angiogenesis. We hypothesized that SNPs in genes involved in vitamin D transport, metabolism, and signaling are associated with outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with first-line FOLFIRI and bevacizumab. Experimental Design: 522 mCRC patients enrolled in the FIRE-3 (discovery cohort) and TRIBE (validation set) trials treated with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab were included in this study. 278 patients receiving FOLFIRI and cetuximab (FIRE-3) served as a control cohort. Six SNPs in 6 genes (GC, CYP24A1, CYP27B1, VDR, DKK1, CST5) were analyzed. Results: In the discovery cohort, AA carriers of the GC rs4588 SNP encoding for the vitamin D–binding protein, and treated with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab had a shorter overall survival (OS) than those harboring any C allele (15.9 vs. 25.1 months) in both univariable (P = 0.001) and multivariable analyses (P = 0.047). This association was confirmed in the validation cohort in multivariable analysis (OS 18.1 vs. 26.2 months, HR, 1.83; P = 0.037). Interestingly, AA carriers in the control set exhibited a longer OS (48.0 vs. 25.2 months, HR, 0.50; P = 0.021). This association was further confirmed in a second validation cohort comprising refractory mCRC patients treated with cetuximab ± irinotecan (PFS 8.7 vs. 3.7 months) in univariable (P = 0.033) and multivariable analyses (P = 0.046). Conclusions: GC rs4588 SNP might serve as a predictive marker in mCRC patients treated with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab or FOLFIRI/cetuximab. Whereas AA carriers derive a survival benefit with FOLFIRI/cetuximab, treatment with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab is associated with a worse outcome. Clin Cancer Res; 24(4); 784–93. ©2017 AACR.


The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next era of communication. Using the IoT, physical objects can be empowered to create, receive, and exchange data in a seamless manner. Various IoT applications focus on automating different tasks and are trying to empower the inanimate physical objects to act without any human intervention. The existing and upcoming IoT applications are highly promising to increase the level of comfort, efficiency, and automation for the users. To be able to implement such a world in an ever-growing fashion requires high security, privacy, authentication, and recovery from attacks. In this regard, it is imperative to make the required changes in the architecture of the IoT applications for achieving end-to-end secure IoT environments. In this paper, a detailed review of the security-related challenges and sources of threat in the IoT applications is presented. After discussing the security issues, various emerging and existing technologies focused on achieving a high degree of trust in the IoT applications are discussed. Four different technologies, blockchain, fog computing, edge computing, and machine learning, to increase the level of security in IoT are discussed.


Faust, C.; Storm, C.; Schwabe, A.: Impact of rabbit grazing in Armerio-Festucetum trachyphyllae vegetation: flower phenology, extraction of phytomass and diet preferences. – Hercynia N.F. 40 (2007): 177-192. Optimized nature conservation and management strategies are necessary to preserve Armerio-Festucetum trachyphyllae vegetation, which is also an important habitat for a species-rich flower-visiting insect fauna, if it contains diverse flower resources. The remaining larger areas of this community in the northern upper Rhine valley are severely disturbed by a large rabbit population, which developed especially after the dry year 2003. In this study we analyse whether rabbits feed on flower resources that are important for flower-visiting wild bee species (Hymenoptera, Apoidea), and if they have an impact on flower phenology. The question which Plant Functional Types (PFTs) are mainly extracted by rabbits (Leguminosae, other herbs, graminoids) is also considered. We analysed the effects by means of a replicated six-fold split-plot design (without rabbits K-, with rabbits K+). Additionally we were able to determine the extraction rates (repeatedly mown phytomass of PFTs, afterwards dried) by comparison of sheltered mini-exclosures (1 m x 2 m) and side-by-side comparative plots. Flowers especially of entomophilous species could be recorded quantitatively. The results show that grazing had a significant negative effect in that it reduces flower quantities. Some species reacted by regrowth and a shift of flower-phenological phases (e.g. Armeria maritima ssp. elongata , Berteroa incana , Sedum acre ). Rabbits preferred Fabaceae and "other herbs", but they also fed on graminoids poor in sclerenchyma. Dietary preferences changed during the year: in summer they mainly fed on Fabaceae and other herbs, in spring and early summer they additionally fed on graminoids, which were partly rejected in summer and autumn. Many of the preferred plant species were entomophilous (e.g. Armeria , Erodium cicutarium , Medicago falcata ). Feeding impact on species with poisonous ingredients (e.g. Euphorbia cyparissias ) and those with a high degree of sclerenchyma (e.g. Carex hirta ) or which are pubescent (e.g. Geranium molle ) was very low. Compared to the K- plots there was partly an extraction of up to 100 % of flowers in the K+ plots. Key words: dry grassland, Fauna-Flora-Habitat directive, entomophilous flowers, intensive grazing, flower resources, plant functional types (PFTs), standing crop


ABSTRACT Objective: To explore women's experiences of support from their partners in the first year and a half post-baby and identify the particular attitudes and behaviours they considered helpful. Background: Becoming a mother brings major life changes that impact on maternal mental health. Partner support can have a protective effect during this transition period, although there is currently a gap in the research regarding specific examples of partner support that women find helpful. Methods: Six mothers who self-identified as receiving positive partner support took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Three superordinate themes emerged: role navigation, emotional support and teamwork. Role navigation included an attitude of respect and appreciation of the mother role, as well as a shift in the father's priorities to include the whole family. Specific behaviours such as communicating with the mother in an empathic way, offering praise and demonstrating reliability and a willingness to help were seen as emotionally supportive. Teamwork included notions of fairness and equality. Conclusion: The present study extends upon previous research by providing clear examples of what women consider helpful from their partners, including an attitude of respect, placing family first, contributing fairly to household responsibilities, flexibility during the changing stages of child development, and facilitating personal time for mothers. These findings may assist to support new parents through the often difficult transition to parenthood.


In this paper, we consider a second-order singularly perturbed differential-difference equations with mixed delay and advance parameters. At first, we approximate the model problem by an upwind finite difference scheme on a Shishkin mesh. We know that the upwind scheme is stable and its solution is oscillation free, but it gives lower order of accuracy. So, to increase the convergence, we propose a hybrid finite difference scheme, in which we use the cubic spline difference method in the fine mesh regions and a midpoint upwind scheme in the coarse mesh regions. We establish a theoretical parameter uniform bound in the discrete maximum norm. To check the efficiency of the proposed methods, we consider test problems with delay, advance and the mixed parameters and the results are in agreement with our theoretical findings.


In this work a new chemically modified carbon paste electrode was constructed for accurate, simple, sensitive and selective determination of molybdenum (VI) ions. The results of modified electrode by an ion imprinted polymer were compared with those obtained with carbon paste electrode. The results showed the stripping peak currents had a dramatic increase at the modified electrode. Under the optimal conditions, the linear dynamic range and limit of detection were 0.2-500.0 and 0.04 ng mL-1, respectively. The relative standard deviation for five successive measurements of 5.0 and 20.0 ng mL-1 of Mo(VI) ions were 1.8 and 1.4 %, respectively. The reproducibility and stability of the designed modified electrode response were also investigated. By examining the effect of different cations and anions on the determination of the target ion, it was found that the electrode is highly selective for the determination of Mo(VI) ions. Furthermore, the present method was applied to the determination of Mo in real samples with satisfactory results.


The top priorities for urban water sustainability include the provision of safe drinking water, wastewater handling for public health, and protection against flooding. However, rapidly aging infrastructure, population growth, and increasing urbanization call into question current urban water management strategies, especially in the fast-growing urban areas in Asia and Africa. We review innovative approaches in urban water management with the potential to provide locally adapted, resource-efficient alternative solutions. Promising examples include new concepts for stormwater drainage, increased water productivity, distributed or on-site treatment of wastewater, source separation of human waste, and institutional and organizational reforms. We conclude that there is an urgent need for major transdisciplinary efforts in research, policy, and practice to develop alternatives with implications for cities and aquatic ecosystems alike.


Mallorca cathedral is one of the largest ever built cathedrals in the world. When compared with all other Gothic cathedrals in the world, it is found that its columns have the highest slenderness ratio, its main nave span is the second longest after Girona cathedral, and its main nave is the third highest after those of Beauvais and Milan cathedrals. The preservation of the cathedral was always of concern due to its audacious dimensions and slender structural members. About one century ago, a pioneering structural assessment was carried out by Rubió. Since then, and up to date, a relevant number of studies have been carried out on this cathedral and covered many aspects such as the history of construction, the characterization of the construction materials, the seismic assessment, the static and the dynamic monitoring, and the investigation of the foundation soil, among others. The objective of this article is to review these studies making focus on their main conclusions that are relevant for future studies on the cathedral and other similar historical structures.


Realizing the benefits of SDN for many network management applications (e.g., traffic engineering, service chaining, topology reconfiguration) involves addressing complex optimizations that are central to these problems. Unfortunately, such optimization problems require (a) significant manual effort and expertise to express and (b) non-trivial computation and/or carefully crafted heuristics to solve. Our goal is to simplify the deployment of SDN applications using general high-level abstractions for capturing optimization requirements from which we can efficiently generate optimal solutions. To this end, we present SOL, a framework that demonstrates that it is possible to simultaneously achieve generality and efficiency. The insight underlying SOL is that many SDN applications can be recast within a unifying path-based optimization abstraction. Using this, SOL can efficiently generate near-optimal solutions and device configurations to implement them. We show that SOL provides comparable or better scalability than custom optimization solutions for diverse applications, allows a balancing of optimality and route churn per reconfiguration, and interfaces with modern SDN controllers.


This thesis consists of four papers, which together address questions about the private participation in the water sector since early 1950s. Water sector, as an essential infrastructure sector, has been the topic of extant research, and private participation in this sector has also attracted a lot of attention among scholars and policy makers. Many studies in the existing literature focus on cases of private companies' involvement in the sector (for example, in specific regions or countries), while others discuss trends based on available data. This work attempts to build a multi-disciplinary framework in order to look at private participation in the sector from various aspects, including the overall trends of governments and companies' tendencies to work together on water projects, and companies' collaboration in projects. By investigating collaborations, some insight into competition between entities involved is also obtained. To achieve the goal for this study, World Bank database on Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI), and Orbis database on companies' parent-subsidiary information (used for Veolia Environment S.A. and Suez S.A.) are used. Various descriptive and statistical methods are then used to analyse the data, including Social Network Analysis (SNA) measures and metrics, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), and General Method of Moments (GMM).

The first paper attempts to provide a wholistic view of the associated literature, while the second paper and third paper focus on the World Bank PPI data and its analysis. The inspiration behind paper three is the studies by Gulati on formation of strategic alliances, specially "Where do interorganizational networks come from?" (Gulati & Gargiulo, 1999). The last paper discussed two multinational companies, Veolia Environment S.A. and Suez S.A, which are known for the scope of their activities in the water sector. The results of analysis and the insight gained from this study have been discussed with close attention being paid to the specificities of the water sector. The descriptive analyses carried out in paper 2 document the extent, scope, and timeline of public-private partnerships in the water sector throughout the developing world, over almost 7 decades. The analyses show how commercial enterprises – both local/national and multinational – have seized the opportunities opened by privatisation policies in different national contexts. This chapter shows very clearly that water services are an international economic sector: if services are to be provided at infra-national level, providers are often positioned at supra-national level, and often operate in multiple national contexts simultaneously. The results of paper 3 suggest that there is an effect of the global structure of public-private partnerships on each new partnership that is created; one of the interesting findings is that the more private companies had collaborated in projects with public entities, the more they did again in consequent years. It is for this reason that the case-study approach misses some important explanatory factors, and it is for this reason that my approach contributes to the existing knowledge. I also find that local factors matter, as seen in the case of China, and that dyad-level factors matter too, such as geographical proximity and similarity between a government and a private company. These results suggest that despite its elements of novelty, my research is still consistent with what previous literature has found. In the fourth paper, it is found that the two prominent environmental services companies, Veolia Environment and Suez, follow different foreign penetration strategies, and through blockmodeling it is suggested that interaction between subsidiaries of the two firms is more or less between those in higher income countries. The analysis of these two companies, with specific attention paid to how their subsidiaries operate on a global level are discussed in view of the OLI paradigm, and reveals interesting insights which are useful for strategy decision making and policy implementations when it comes to private companies' involvement in the water sector.


Exploring the genotype-phenotype map for gene regulatory networks capable of pattern formation. The phenomenon of pattern formation is one of the most intriguing in developmental biology. The fundamental question is how a group of identical cells develops into a spatially organized set of different cell types. These patterning mechanisms are controlled by regulatory networks of genes in different cells interacting together to act like a cellular computer. Traditional approaches worked on a case by case basis, analyzing gene networks responsible for specific pattern formation phenomena and exploring how they function by reverse genetics. More recently systems biology approaches have been used to explore how these gene networks function, extracting features that are only apparent on a systems scale. These approaches require the computational modeling of the underlying gene regulatory networks controlling the individual patterning phenomena in a spatial context. They have been successful in identifying widespread phenomena such as the robustness of network function to mutation and noise. Due to the advent of more powerful computers, we now believe systems biology can go much further. Instead of limiting ourselves to the gene networks we know are responsible for pattern formation in specific systems, we can model all possible gene networks up to a particular level of complexity (number of genes and interactions). By modeling all possible regulatory networks in a spatial context we are exploring how network structure (genotype) relates to the possible gene expression patterns (phenotype). Fundamental design and evolutionary principles can be extracted by mapping out the space of possibilities in this fashion, which is not possible by analyzing real gene networks on a case by case basis. As a byproduct, by using a realistic model of gene regulation, new non-intuitive patterning mechanisms can also be discovered and suggested to account for observed patterning phenomena in real biological systems.


In 2013, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) in US adults aged 55 to 80 years who currently smoke or formerly smoked with a 30 pack-year history, and for those who formerly smoked, quitting within the past 15 years (grade "B" recommendation).1 In this issue of JAMA, the USPSTF updates this recommendation, proposing 2 significant changes, both related to the population recommended to undergo screening. The first change reduces the age at which to initiate annual screening from 55 to 50 years. The second change reduces the smoking intensity from 30 to 20 pack-year history. Thus, the USPSTF now "recommends annual screening for lung cancer with LDCT [low-dose CT] in adults aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Screening should be discontinued once a person has not smoked for 15 years or develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery. (B recommendation)"2 It is estimated that these 2 changes will result in 14.5 million US adults being eligible for lung cancer screening under the 2021 recommendations, an increase of 81% (6.4 million adults) from the 2013 recommendations.3 Given the limited uptake of lung cancer screening (range 6%-18%),4,5 and concerns regarding sex, race, and ethnicity-based disparities in eligibility that occurred with the 2013 recommended criteria, it remains to be seen if the revised 2021 recommended criteria can be implemented and will reduce inequities in accessing screening.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of glycemic control and insulin therapy on the longitudinal growth and weight development of children with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Prospective measurements of standing height and weight were recorded longitudinally in 634 children after IDDM onset (median age at onset, 9 years [range 1–15 years]; median diabetes duration at final examination, 11 years [range 1–19]; 3,236 patient-years on two or three injections daily; 399 patient-years on multiple injection therapy [MIT]). RESULTS Normal development was found until puberty, with a tendency toward stunted growth and overweight (weight > 97th centile) thereafter. Female sex (P < 0.01) and MIT (P < 0.01) were associated with overweight. Final height was evaluated in a subgroup of 197 young adults followed until age 18 years. Relative growth was calculated as the difference between the standard deviation scores (SDSs) at manifestation (median 0.2 [range −3.5 to 2.9]) and at 18 years of age (reduction of −0.5 [−2.5 to 1.8]), equivalent to a median loss of 2.9 cm in boys and 2.3 cm in girls. Significant linear correlations with the change in height SDS after diabetes manifestation were found for age at manifestation (r = 0.21, P < 0.001) and prepubertal (r = −0.40, P < 0.001) and postpubertal HbA1c (r = −0.15, P < 0.001). While children with poorer relative growth also had a higher BMI (P < 0.05), no influences of sex, prevalence of limited joint mobility, or presence of retinopathy were found. CONCLUSIONS Female sex and MIT are associated with diabetes-related obesity. Prepubertal and postpubertal glycemic control appear to be of importance for the diabetes-associated relative growth deficit.


Background Physical activity (PA) is a recognised key determinant of future health and disability particularly in older people, the least active and most sedentary age group. The aim of this study is to examine how PA and sedentary behaviour (SB) vary over the course of the day and whether the diurnal patterns differ by age, mobility limitations, chronic conditions and body mass index (BMI). A better understanding of these variations may help refine PA interventions in the elderly. Methods Men aged 71–91 years participating in an established UK population-based cohort study were invited to wear an Actigraph GT3x accelerometer over the hip for one week in 2010–12. Percentages of time spent in sedentary (SB, <100 counts per minute [CPM]); in light (LIPA, 100–1040 CPM) and in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA, >1040 CPM) were derived. Multilevel models were used to estimate the associations of age, mobility limitations, chronic conditions and BMI with SB, LIPA and MVPA. Results 1455 of 3137 men invited (46.4%) participated and provided adequate data. Men spent 73% of the day in SB, 23% in LIPA and 4.5% in MVPA (619, 197 and 39 min per day respectively). The percentage of time spent in MVPA and LIPA was highest in the morning, peaking at 10–11 am, and then declining until the evening, with the exception of a small increase at 2–3 pm. The decline in MVPA was particularly marked over the course of the day; compared to the morning the levels decreased by 43% during afternoon (95% CI –46, –41; p < 0.001) and by 83% in the evening (95% CI –85, –81; p < 0.001). Conversely, the time spent in SB increased by 9% during afternoon (95% CI 9, 10; p < 0.001) and by 21% in the evening (95% CI 21, 22; p < 0.001), when compared to morning. Men who were older, had mobility limitations, had more chronic health conditions and were obese had lower levels of PA and higher levels of SB. These factors influenced PA and SB levels in the morning more than in the afternoon and evening (p for interaction <0.05). Conclusion Levels of activity are highest in the morning (peak at 10–11 am) and decrease during the day. SB increases through the course of the day to peak in the evening. Efforts to increase PA might focus on increasing the intensity of morning activity, attempt to enhance the afternoon activity peak, or reduce SB later in the day.


Background Public reporting (PR) of health-care provider's quality was proposed as a public health instrument for providing the transparency and accountability in health-care (HC) which could enable patients to make informed and rational choices about their health-care. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of literature to assess the impact of PR on improvement, market share and unintended consequences. Methods Literature search was performed by accessing MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, SCOPUS and EconLit databases to identify studies that investigated relationship between PR and quality improvement, changes in market share and unintended consequences, published in English or Italian until 01/04/ 2016. Additional publications were identified from the references of initially retrieved articles. GRADE derived approach was used to assess quality of the studies and narrative review was used for describing the results. Results Forty-tree studies published between 1994 and 2016 were included in this review. Nineteen studies had quality improve- ment as main outcome, 16 unintended consequences and remaining 8 tackled market share and economic outcomes. Most of the studies were conducted in USA (86%) and in hospital settings (76.7%) with cohort design used throughout the studies. Performance information was presented in the form of ''report cards'' in the majority of the studies. The body of evidence was characterized by moderate to low quality level. Mainly, the effect of PR was positive on quality improvement (57.9%), unintended consequences (56.3%) and market share (37.5%). Conclusions PR is associated with changes in HC provider's behavior and can influence the market share. Unintended consequences are concern of PR and should be taken into account when allocating the HC resources. The paper an impact on HC user's perception of the providers' quality and help them make empowered choices. effect on quality improvement,