Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder and crippling condition of oral mucosa. It is a well-recognized chronic insidious disease, precancerous condition, autoimmune and collagen related disorder which is multifactorial in origin associated with betel quid chewing characterized by progressive hyalinization of the lamina propria. In the vast literature available for OSMF, numerous staging systems are put forward by various authors in the past. Some of the most important staging system are being routinely used in the clinical practice, and has helped in early diagnosis and treatment. The management of oral submucous fibrosis has been the subject of controversy ever since Schwartz first described the condition in 1952. An attempt is made to analyze critically and update the knowledge of the recent developments that enhances the understanding of the aetiology of this premalignant condition and its medicinal & surgical management which improves the life expectancy.


Ecological interactions underlying the epidemic of Lyme disease involve a spirochete\ a tick "with larval\ nymph and adult stages#\ and two "or more# vertebrate hosts[ Juvenile ticks ordinarily feed on mice^ adult ticks feed on deer[ Mice acquire the spirochete from infected nymphs and then pass the infection to larvae of the next tick generation[ Lyme disease may result when a human is inadvertently bitten by an infectious nymph[ Our model of the Lyme phenomenon counts the total number of ticks in each stage\ the numbers of infected ticks by stage\ and the number of infected mice[ We _x the total population sizes of deer and mice\ assume the ticks self!regulate\ and solve the homogeneous!mixing case for equilibrium abundances[ A local stability analysis identi_es a condition where extinction of the spirochete is stable[ Reversing this condition implies that the spirochete can invade the system of ticks and vertebrate hosts[ When the spirochete can invade\ a positive equilibrium number of infected organisms is locally stable[ Spirochete invasion is promoted by a su.cient density of mice su}ering low mortality\ high susceptibility to infection in both mice and ticks\ a high attack rate of ticks on mice\ a high density of larval ticks\ and low mortality among tick nymphs[ Low mouse mortality allows the frequency of infection among nymphs to approach an individual tick|s susceptibility when feeding on an infected mouse[


A survey was carried out to document the diversity and immune boosting claims of African indigenous leafy vegetables (AILVs) in Western Kenya. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used. The results showed that there is diversity of AILVs in the study area with nine popular and frequently consumed, but cassava leaves, stinging nettle and russian comfry are not popular. Seven of these are cultivated but two, stinging nettle (Urtica massaica) and vine spinach (Basella alba) grow wildly. The AILVs are cultivated at subsistence level on home gardens with minimal inputs and only excess of this is sold. The religion one belonged to was significant (p<0.05) in determining consumption or not of some of the vegetables. The vegetables are rain fed and the process of harvesting is by first uprooting during thinning followed by breaking the main stem and finally plucking off the leaves with maturity. Vegetable preparation in most households was mainly by women. The elderly women were keen in this process and spent more time in preparing the vegetables which were believed to be 'nutritious'. There was no processing and preservation of the AILVs for use during the dry season. The communities rely on wild weeds during such seasons. The AILVs though consumed for good nutrition are also associated with various medicinal and immune boosting claims. Out of the nine, five are known for various health benefits, African nightshade and spider plant for good nutrition by 31.8% and 25.1% of the respondents, respectively, slender leaf for healing power by 34%, cowpea leaves and slender leaf for anti-aging by 50% and 43.8%, respectively, and cowpea leaves (43.6%) and amaranthus (53%) for smooth skin and adding blood, respectively. Chi square analysis indicated that African night shade, spider plant and amaranthus are statistically significant (p<0.05) in contributing to good nutrition, healthy functioning of the body and immune boosting. Further analysis showed that spider plant and amaranthus are significant (p<0.05) for immune boosting.


Objective To investigate the cost-effectiveness of exercise therapy in the treatment of patients with non-specific neck pain and low back pain. Design Systematic review of economic evaluations. Data sources The search was performed in 5 clinical and 3 economic electronic databases. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies We included economic evaluations performed alongside randomised controlled trials. Differences in costs and effects were pooled in a meta-analysis, if possible, and incremental cost-utility ratios (ICUR) were descriptively analysed. Results Twenty-two studies were included. On average, exercise therapy was associated with lower costs and larger effects for quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) in comparison with usual care for subacute and chronic low back pain from a healthcare perspective (based on ICUR). Exercise therapy had similar costs and effect for QALY in comparison with other interventions for neck pain from a societal perspective, and subacute and chronic low back pain from a healthcare perspective. There was limited or inconsistent evidence on the cost-effectiveness of exercise therapy compared with usual care for neck pain and acute low back pain, other interventions for acute low back pain and different types of exercise therapy for neck pain and low back pain. Conclusions Exercise therapy seems to be cost-effective compared with usual care for subacute and chronic low back pain. Exercise therapy was not (more) cost-effective compared with other interventions for neck pain and low back pain. The cost-utility estimates are rather uncertain, indicating that more economic evaluations are needed. Registration PROSPERO, CRD42017059025.


Hyporheic exchange is generally analyzed with the assumption of a homogeneous hyporheic zone. In reality, streambed sediments have a heterogeneous structure, and this natural heterogeneity produces spatially variable interfacial fluxes and complex hyporheic exchange patterns. To assess the basic effects of sediment structure on hyporheic exchange, we performed salt and dye injection experiments in a recirculating laboratory flume with two heterogeneous sediment beds characterized by negative‐exponential correlated random hydraulic conductivity fields. Dye injections showed that the hyporheic flow structure was controlled by the spatial relationship of bed forms to high‐ and low‐permeability regions of the streambed. As no existing model could represent these effects, we developed a new finite element model to calculate the pore water flow field resulting from the interaction of the bed form‐induced boundary head distribution and the heterogeneous sediment structure. A numerical particle‐tracking approach was then used to assess the resulting hyporheic exchange. The combined flow‐transport model did an excellent job of predicting the complex hyporheic flow pathways in the heterogeneous bed and the net hyporheic exchange up to t ≈ 30 hours. The heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity field caused both greater spatial variability in the water flux through the bed surface and a greater average interfacial flux than would have occurred with a homogeneous bed. The layered correlation structure of the streambed produced an effective anisotropy that favored longitudinal pore water flow and caused a relatively rapid decrease of the mean pore water velocity with depth. As a result, solute penetration into the bed was confined to a more shallow region than would have occurred with a homogeneous bed. The combination of faster near‐surface transport and shallower solute penetration produced a shorter mean hyporheic residence time. On the basis of the combination of experimental results and model simulations we conclude that the structural heterogeneity of streambed sediments produces more spatially limited hyporheic exchange that occurs with greater spatial variability and at a higher overall rate.


The fundamental physics of high-field laser-matter interactions has driven ultrashort pulse generation to achieve record power densities of 1022 Watts per cm2 in focal spot sizes (FWHM) of 0.8 μm1. These enormous fields are generated by compressing longer, high energy pulses to ever shorter lengths using so-called CPA compressors. Great care has to be taken to achieve such record power densities by controlling the spatio-temporal shape during pulse compression. Despite these remarkable experimental achievements, there have been relatively few developments on the theoretical side to derive realistic physical optical material models coupled to sophisticated E.M propagators. Many of the theoretical analysis tools developed in this emerging field of extreme nonlinear optics are restricted to oversimplified 1D models that completely ignore the complex vector spatio-temporal couplings occurring within such small nonlinear interaction volumes. The advent of these high power ultra-short pulsed laser systems has opened up a whole new vista of applications and computational challenges. The applications space spans relatively short propagation lengths of centimeters to meters to a target up to many kilometers in atmospheric propagation studies. The high local field intensities generated within the pulse can potentially lead to electromagnetic carrier wave shocking so it becomes necessary to fully resolve the optical carrier wave within the 3D propagating pulse envelope. High local field intensities also lead to an explosive growth of the white-light supercontinuum spectrum and the intensities of even remote spectral components can be high enough to generate nonlinear coupling to the host material. For this reason, spectrally local models of light-matter coupling are expected to fail. In this paper, we will present a fully carrier-resolved E.M. propagator that allows for few meter long propagation lengths while fully resolving the optical carrier wave. Our applications focus will be on the relatively low intensity regime where critical self-focusing collapse in air or water can lead to very strong non-paraxial ultra-broadband excitations. One reason for this restriction is that we do not yet have computationally feasible robust physical models for ultra-broadband excitation of materials where nonlinear dispersion and absorption become dominant. The propagation of terawatt femtosecond duration pulses in the atmosphere can be qualitatively captured by physical models that include reliable linear dispersion/absorption while treating the nonlinear terms as spectrally local. We will review some recent experimental results by the German-Franco Teramobile team on atmospheric propagation, penetration through obscurants and remote laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. As a second application example will address the issue of strongly non-paraxial spectral superbroadening of femtosecond pulses while propagating in water - these latter nonlinear interactions generate so-called nonlinear X- and O-waves depending on the optical carrier wavelength of the initial pulse.


The Socio-economic Organisation of the Urartian Kingdom is an insightful and critical study of the social, economic and administrative structure of the Urartian civilisation of eastern Anatolia, Armenia and north-west Iran in the 9th-6th centuries BC.


Manual Material Handling (MMH) is one of the key problems related to musculoskeletal disorders at the occupational settings. It is essential to assess the risk related to these tasks. The psychophysical approach can be used to assess and redesign the MMH tasks. Following a psychophysical approach and bearing in mind the specific problem faced by waste workers in a Portuguese hospital, this work aimed to determine, the Maximum Acceptable Weight (MAW) for the tasks of BIOBOX's lifting. Two different levels of BIOBOX's were assessed based on workers' usual tasks. The subjects were instructed to lift the box from the height of 110 cm and 174 cm (handling height) up to the height of 84 cm, the same height of the truck. Each set of experiments was conducted for 10 minutes. The heart rate was continuously monitored. At the end of each task, the MAW was achieved and subjects were requested to assess the Index of Perceived Exertion (IPE). The MAW determined at 110 cm and 174 cm was, respectively, 10.0 kg and 6.8 kg. The regions of the shoulders, arms and back were identified as presenting more pain during the tasks. The results show that workers are at risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, a strategy to reduce the risk related to these tasks is needed.


This project offers an analysis of the child soldier story genre of literary writing in the context of Africanist discourse in the U.S. It defines the genre as encompassing fictional and non-fiction narratives that depict child soldier protagonists in Africa as written by African authors. It examines nine of the most popular and critically-acclaimed works through their predominant themes and concludes that the genre ultimately makes a harmful contribution to how the African continent is popularly understood in the U.S.
The first chapter defines the genre as it has been constructed by the American publishing industry. It places child soldier stories within a larger marketing category known as misery literature and explains how they are taken to inappropriately represent everyday life in Africa.
The second chapter examines their representations of childhood on the continent. They convey the idea that it is not possible for children to experience what readers are likely to understand as a normative childhood and that recovery is only possible when these characters relocate in the West. China Keitetsi's 2005 memoir Child Soldier is the main focus for this analysis.
The third chapter concerns how they address organized violence in Africa and causes for child soldiering. While some reject the view that 'tribalism' is to blame for recurring conflicts, all appear to endorse the Afro-pessimistic conclusion that terrible conditions in Africa are not likely to improve. Ahmadou Kourouma's 2007 novel Allah is Not Obliged is the main focus for this analysis.
The fourth chapter considers whether a more critical view of the humanitarian industry that is exhibited in many child soldier stories can be considered a redeeming feature of the genre. It also concentrates on efforts by former child soldiers to change their public identities through their embrace of humanitarian advocacy. Emmanuel Dongala's 2005 novel Johnny Mad Dog is the main focus for this analysis.


Cod and sprat are the dominant fish species in the Baltic pelagic ecosystem, both of great economic importance and ecologically strongly interlinked. Management of both species is challenged by highly variable recruitment success. Recent studies have identified predation and hydrographic conditions during the egg phase to be of critical importance. Two years of extensive field investigations in the Bornholm Basin, central Baltic Sea, were undertaken. In 2002, a typical stagnation situation characterized by low salinity and poor oxygen conditions was investigated, and in early 2003, a major inflow of North Sea water completely changed the hydrographic conditions by increasing salinity and oxygen content, thereby altering ecological conditions. The goal was to quantify egg mortality caused by predation and hydrography, and to compare these estimates with independent estimates based on cohort analysis. Results indicated high intra-annual variability in egg mortality. Cod and sprat egg mortality responded differently to the major Baltic inflow:
mortality related to hydrographic conditions increased for sprat and decreased for cod. On the other hand, predation mortality during peak spawning decreased for sprat and increased for cod.


Increasing atmospheric CO2 gas pollution and emergence of new types of green energy sources require continuous environmental monitoring. In this context, fast, efficient, light, robust, and reliable gas sensors that can work at room temperature are in high demand. We report on a low-powered type of ultra-light sensor, based on a 3-D-microtube network from a 2-D graphene/nanographite, called aerographite, and a method to tune the nanosensor's selectivity by a simple variation of the applied bias voltage. Adequate selectivity to CO2 and ultra-fast sensing of H2 by applying 1 V and 5 V, respectively, is obtained. At ultra-low applied bias voltages (1–100 mV) only very low power consumption (≈3.6 nW for 1 mV) is needed. This is most important, as it can be run by energy harvesting methods. The presented results are of the highest interest in terms of low-cost production of ultra-light and ultra-low-power consumption gas sensors for environmental monitoring of greenhouse gases and their simplicity from the technological/engineering points of view.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to identify CT findings and determine interobserver reliability of surgically proven gastric volvulus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This single-center retrospective study included 30 patients (21 women, nine men; mean age, 73 years old) with surgically proven gastric volvulus who underwent preoperative CT and 31 age- and sex-matched control subjects (21 women, nine men; mean age, 74 years old) with large hiatal hernias who were imaged for reasons other than abdominal pain. Two blinded radiologists reviewed the CT images and recorded findings of organoaxial and mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus and ischemia. Interobserver reliability, reader accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios of each CT finding were calculated.

RESULTS
The radiologists were overall 90% accurate (55/61; six false-negatives per reader) in identifying gastric volvulus. Interobserver agreement was substantial (κ = 0.71) for identifying the presence or absence of gastric volvulus. Agreement for most CT findings of gastric volvulus (11/14, 79%) was excellent (5/14, 36%) or substantial (6/14, 43%); the remaining findings showed moderate agreement (3/14, 21%). The most frequent and sensitive CT findings of volvulus with high positive likelihood ratios were stenosis at the hernia neck (reader 1, sensitivity = 80%, positive likelihood ratio = 26.66; reader 2, sensitivity = 77%, positive likelihood ratio = 12.83) and transition point at the pylorus (reader 1, sensitivity = 80%, positive likelihood ratio = 17; reader 2, sensitivity = 70%, positive likelihood ratio = 15). The presence of perigastric fluid or a pleural effusion were significantly more frequent in patients with ischemia at surgical pathology (p < 0.05 in all comparisons, both radiologists).

CONCLUSION
In our series, CT showed substantial interobserver agreement and fair accuracy in identifying the presence of gastric volvulus.


Regulatory agencies often face a dilemma when regulating chemicals in consumer products—namely, that of making decisions in the face of multiple, and sometimes conflicting, lines of evidence. We present an integrative approach for dealing with uncertainty and multiple pieces of evidence in toxics regulation. The integrative risk analytic framework is grounded in the Dempster–Shafer (D–S) theory that allows the analyst to combine multiple pieces of evidence and judgments from independent sources of information. We apply the integrative approach to the comparative risk assessment of bisphenol‐A (BPA)‐based polycarbonate and the functionally equivalent alternative, Eastman Tritan copolyester (ETC). Our results show that according to cumulative empirical evidence, the estimated probability of toxicity of BPA is 0.034, whereas the toxicity probability for ETC is 0.097. However, when we combine extant evidence with strength of confidence in the source (or expert judgment), we are guided by a richer interval measure, (Bel(t), Pl(t)). With the D–S derived measure, we arrive at various intervals for BPA, with the low‐range estimate at (0.034, 0.250), and (0.097,0.688) for ETC. These new measures allow a reasonable basis for comparison and a justifiable procedure for decision making that takes advantage of multiple sources of evidence. Through the application of D–S theory to toxicity risk assessment, we show how a multiplicity of scientific evidence can be converted into a unified risk estimate, and how this information can be effectively used for comparative assessments to select potentially less toxic alternative chemicals. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:12–21. © 2013 SETAC


Bacillus licheniformis NCIB 6346 showed active accumulation of glucose which was inhibited by agents which affect the transmembrane proton gradient. Phosphotransferase (PTS) activity, identified as phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation of glucose, was found in cell extracts but could not be demonstrated in cells permeabilized with toluene when assays were conducted at pH 6.6. The same was true for mannitol and fructose phosphotransferase activities. Cells grown on fructose accumulated glucose at a slower rate than glucose-grown cells, and extracts prepared from them did not contain glucose PTS activity. Examination of the effects of analogs on glucose uptake and phosphorylation showed that 2-deoxyglucose was not a PTS substrate, but did markedly inhibit glucose uptake, with stronger inhibition in cells grown on fructose. Glucose accumulation by whole cells grown on glucose became less sensitive to the uncoupler tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) as the pH was raised from 6.6 to 8.0, while in fructose-grown cells TCS was equally effective across this pH range. PTS activity was exhibited by toluene-treated cells at pH 7.5 and above, although the system itself in extracts was not affected by pH in the range of 5.0 to 8.0. The results are consistent with the presence of two glucose transport systems, one a PTS and the other operating by an alternative mechanisms, and suggest that the PTS in B. licheniformis may be regulated in a pH-dependent manner.


Background: Although the association between large uterine fibromyomas and secondary polycythemia has been described previously, the mechanism has not been elucidated definitively. Investigators have measured erythropoietin levels in fibromyomas to determine whether these tumors are causing the polycythemia by erythropoietin overproduction; however, these studies were performed before the availability of recombinant erythropoietin assays. Case: A 59-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of polycythemia. Pelvic examination revealed a large lower abdominal mass. Laboratory evaluation revealed a hemoglobin of 20.8 g/dL, red blood cell mass of 3300 mL, oxygen pressure of 58 mmHg with an oxygen saturation of 89%, and erythropoietin level of 18 mU/mL. Cardiac echocardiogram showed no evidence of shunt. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed a large mass arising in the pelvis and compressing both ureters. The patient was treated surgically with a total abdominal hysterectomy. Pathology confirmed a uterine leiomyoma weighing 2320 g. Two months post-surgery, the patient was asymptomatic with a hemoglobin of 13.9 g/dL and erythropoietin level less than 4.0 mU/mL. Conclusion: This case provides evidence for three of the postulated mechanisms by which uterine fibromyomas may cause polycythemia. First, the patient was hypoxic, suggesting shunting within the tumor. Second, the leiomyoma was compressing the ureters, so the kidneys may have been inappropriately producing excess erythropoietin. Third, the tumor itself may have been producing the erythropoietin. In any case, the erythropoietin level in this patient was inappropriately high, providing useful evidence that her polycythemia was secondary to her fibromyoma.


To investigate the domestic sewage treatment processes fitting for small mountain towns in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, a demonstration project was built to treat domestic sewage which combined with anaerobic hydrolysis, natural water-dropping aeration and improved artificial soil rapid infiltration and was based on the features of large terrain elevation and many barren ravines. Changes of major pollutants were analyzed in the combined process. The impact of temperature and influent loadings on removal rates of pollutants was investigated. The results showed that, the treatment system had a strong resistance to the influent loadings with good removal rates of pollutants. There was a relationship between temperature and the removal rates of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia and total nitrogen in the system, where the removal rate of total phosphorus was not associated with temperature. There was a clear linear relationship between effluent concentration and influent loadings, effluent concentration increased with influent loadings. There were approximate logarithmic relationships between removal loadings per unit area and influent loadings.


: The radioimmunological analysis revealed an increase in the concentration of arginine vasopressin in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats during aging. This correlated with the results of karyometry of neurosecretory neurons of the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus which showed an increase in the size of their nuclei. Under conditions of water deprivation of both adult and old rats, there was an increase in the above parameters being more marked in the adult than old rats. All this indicated pronounced changes of the vasopressin regulation in aging, limited reserves of the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system, and age-related decrease of its response to stress. An enhanced role of the cerebrospinal fluid in accomplishment of vasopressin-induced regulation of brain functions in the old age was suggested.


During the spring of 2015, wewere twoMSWstudents who collaborated on a pilot program for the benefit of older adults. We began with the usual literature review for the purpose of defining the target population, their specific needs, and evidence-based research that identified effective interventions for the elderly population. We learned that the aging of the baby boomer generation, advances in medicine, and increasing racial and ethnic diversity are factors that demand that more emphasis be placed on the development of creative, preventive approaches to improve physical, mental, and emotional health conditions for a diverse population of aging Americans. After researching a broad range of issues and interventions for older adults, we chose to utilize ballroom dance as a psychosocial intervention for older adults.


Consistent with Darwin's ideas, this meta-analysis reveals that males experience stronger sexual selection than females. Since Darwin's conception of sexual selection theory, scientists have struggled to identify the evolutionary forces underlying the pervasive differences between male and female behavior, morphology, and physiology. The Darwin-Bateman paradigm predicts that anisogamy imposes stronger sexual selection on males, which, in turn, drives the evolution of conventional sex roles in terms of female-biased parental care and male-biased sexual dimorphism. Although this paradigm forms the cornerstone of modern sexual selection theory, it still remains untested across the animal tree of life. This lack of evidence has promoted the rise of alternative hypotheses arguing that sex differences are entirely driven by environmental factors or chance. We demonstrate that, across the animal kingdom, sexual selection, as captured by standard Bateman metrics, is indeed stronger in males than in females and that it is evolutionarily tied to sex biases in parental care and sexual dimorphism. Our findings provide the first comprehensive evidence that Darwin's concept of conventional sex roles is accurate and refute recent criticism of sexual selection theory.


The North Pacific Ocean has been of great significance to understanding biogeography and speciation in temperate faunas, including for two species of char (Salmonidae: Salvelinus) whose evolutionary relationship has been controversial. We examined the morphology and genetics (microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA) of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma) in lake systems in western Alaska, the eastern and western Arctic, and south of the Alaskan Peninsula. Morphologically, each lake system contained two forms: one (Arctic char) largely confined to lake habitats and characterized by greater numbers of pyloric caeca, gill rakers, and shallower bodies, and another (Dolly Varden) predominated in adjacent stream habitats and was characterized by fewer pyloric caeca, gill rakers, and deeper bodies. MtDNA partial (550 bp) d‐loop sequences of both taxa were interspersed with each other within a single 'Bering' clade and demographic inferences suggested historical gene flow from Dolly Varden to Arctic char had occurred. By contrast, the taxa were strongly differentiated in sympatry across nine microsatellite loci in both lakes. Our data show that the two taxa are highly genetically distinct in sympatry, supporting their status as valid biological species, despite occasional hybridization. The interaction between these species highlights the importance of the North Pacific, and Beringia in particular, as an evolutionary wellspring of biodiversity.


Gallbladder cancer (GC) is a relatively uncommon cancer with higher incidence in certain areas including Japan. Because of the difficulty in diagnosis, prognosis of GC is very poor. To identify genetic determinants of GC, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 41 GC patients and 866 controls. Association between each single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with GC susceptibility was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis conditioned on age and gender of subjects. SNPs that showed suggestive association ( P o 1 (cid:2) 10 (cid:3) 4 ) with GC were further examined in 30 cases and 898 controls. SNP rs7504990 in the DCC ( deleted in colorectal cancer , 18q21.3) that encodes a netrin 1 receptor achieved a combined P -value of 7.46 (cid:2) 10 (cid:3) 8 (OR ¼ 6.95; 95% CI ¼ 3.43–14.08). Subsequent imputation analysis identified multiple SNPs with similarly strong associations in an adjacent genomic region, where loss of heterozygosity was reported in GC and other cancers. Reduced expression of DCC was indicated to be associated with the poorly differentiated histological type, increased proliferation and metastasis through loss of adhesiveness. However, due to the limited sample size investigated here, further replication study and functional analysis would be necessary to further confirm the result of the association.


Abstract. The Mineral Aerosol Profiling from Infrared Radiances (MAPIR) algorithm retrieves vertical dust concentration profiles from cloud-free Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) thermal infrared (TIR) radiances using Rodgers' optimal estimation method (OEM). We describe the new version 4.1 and evaluation results. Main differences with respect to previous versions are the Levenberg–Marquardt modification of the OEM, the use of the logarithm of the concentration in the retrieval and the use of Radiative Transfer for TOVS (RTTOV) for in-line radiative transfer calculations. The dust aerosol concentrations are retrieved in seven 1 km thick layers centered at 0.5 to 6.5 km. A global data set of the daily dust distribution was generated with MAPIR v4.1 covering September 2007 to June 2018, with further extensions planned every 6 months. The post-retrieval quality filters reject about 16 % of the retrievals, a huge improvement with respect to the previous versions in which up to 40 % of the retrievals were of bad quality. The median difference between the observed and fitted spectra of the good-quality retrievals is 0.32 K, with lower values over oceans. The information content of the retrieved profiles shows a dependence on the total aerosol load due to the assumption of a lognormal state vector. The median degrees of freedom in dusty scenes (min 10 µm AOD of 0.5) is 1.4. An evaluation of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) obtained from the integrated MAPIR v4.1 profiles was performed against 72 AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) stations. The MAPIR AOD correlates well with the ground-based data, with a mean correlation coefficient of 0.66 and values as high as 0.88. Overall, there is a mean AOD (550 nm) positive bias of only 0.04 with respect to AERONET, which is an extremely good result. The previous versions of MAPIR were known to largely overestimate AOD (about 0.28 for v3). A second evaluation exercise was performed comparing the mean aerosol layer altitude from MAPIR with the mean dust altitude from Cloud–Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). A small underestimation was found, with a mean difference of about 350 m (standard deviation of about 1 km) with respect to the CALIOP cumulative extinction altitude, which is again considered very good as the vertical resolution of MAPIR is 1 km. In the comparisons against AERONET and CALIOP, a dependence of MAPIR on the quality of the temperature profiles used in the retrieval is observed. Finally, a qualitative comparison of dust aerosol concentration profiles was done against lidar measurements from two ground-based stations (M'Bour and Al Dhaid) and from the Cloud–Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instrument on board the International Space Station (ISS). MAPIR v4.1 showed the ability to detect dust plumes at the same time and with a similar extent as the lidar instruments.
This new MAPIR version shows a great improvement of the accuracy of the aerosol profile retrievals with respect to previous versions, especially so for the integrated AOD. It now offers a unique 3-D dust data set, which can be used to gain more insight into the transport and emission processes of mineral dust aerosols.


Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are primary means for rapid regulation of a variety of neuronal functions, such as membrane excitability, neurotransmitter release, and gene expression. Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels are targets for phosphorylation by a variety of second messengers through activation of different types of protein kinases (PKs). Protein phosphatases (PPs), like PKs, are equally important in regulating Ca2+ channels in neurons. However, much less is understood about whether and how a particular type of PP contributes to regulating neuronal Ca2+ channel activities. This is primarily because of the lack of specific inhibitors/activators for different types of PPs, particularly the PP2c family. The functional roles of PP2c and its substrates in the brain remain virtually unknown. During our yeast two-hybrid screening, PP2calpha was pulled out by both N- and P/Q-type Ca2+ channel C termini. This raised the possibility that PP2calpha might be associated with voltage-gated Ca2+ channels for regulation of the Ca(2+) channel activity. Biochemical studies show that PP2calpha binds directly to neuronal Ca2+ channels forming a functional protein complex in vivo. PP2calpha, unlike PP1, PP2a and PP2b, is more effective in dephosphorylation of neuronal Ca2+ channels after their phosphorylation by PKC. In hippocampal neurons, disruption of the PP2calpha-Ca2+ channel interaction significantly enhances the response of Ca2+ channels to modulation by PKC. Thus, the PP2calpha-Ca2+ channel complex is responsible for rapid dephosphorylation of Ca2+ channels and may contribute to regulation of synaptic transmission in neurons.


This chapter discusses the important role of the electric transmission and distribution grid in meeting deep decarbonization goals. The U.S. Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project reports state that meeting the 2050 target of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels will require almost "fully decarbonizing�? U.S. electricity resources and shifting a large share of transportation-related energy needs from petroleum resources to electricity resources. Accomplishing this goal will require a doubling of U.S. electricity generation as well as a significant expansion of the U.S. electric transmission and distribution grid, particularly since onshore renewable energy resources are dispersed widely throughout the country and are often located far from population centers. The reports conclude that the actual monetary cost to build the necessary transmission and distribution infrastructure is modest and will not significantly impact the cost of electricity resources for consumers. But there are legal, political, and socioeconomic barriers to building large amounts of new, interstate transmission infrastructure. These barriers and potential solutions to them are the focus of the chapter.


Two studies were conducted to measure expertise in aeronautical weather-related risk perception using the Cochran–Weiss–Shanteau (CWS) index. In the first study, qualified pilots, student pilots, and geography students were presented with weather-related scenarios, and rated the risk involved in each scenario. There was no relationship between flight experience and the CWS scores. The 3 groups of participants did not significantly differ in their CWS scores, although the qualified pilots were the most discriminating, and the geography students were the most consistent. To decrease reliance on memory, the CWS procedure was modified to involve a blocking task and a second study was carried out with qualified pilots. In contrast to Study 1, there was a relationship between flight experience and the CWS scores, suggesting that the adapted CWS procedure was a more valid measure of expertise in weather-related risk perception than the CWS task used in Study 1. The CWS procedure could be a useful tool in assessing expertise in aeronautical judgment and decision making.


This study was conducted to investigate the roles of different Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis)-induced and ligature-induced experimental periodontal bone resorption in mice. Wild-type (WT), TLR2 knockout (KO), TLR4KO, and TLR2&4 KO mice with C57/BL6 background were divided into three groups: control, P. gingivalis infection, and ligation. Live P. gingivalis or silk ligatures were placed in the sulcus around maxillary second molars over a 2-week period. Images were captured by digital stereomicroscopy, and the bone resorption area was measured with ImageJ software. The protein expression level of gingival RANKL was measured by ELISA. The gingival mRNA levels of RANKL, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 were detected by RT-qPCR. The results showed that P. gingivalis induced significant periodontal bone resorption in WT mice and TLR2 KO mice but not in TLR4 KO mice or TLR2&4 KO mice. For all four types of mice, ligation induced significant bone loss compared with that in control groups, and this bone loss was significantly higher than that in the P. gingivalis infection group. RANKL protein expression was significantly increased in the ligation group compared with that in the control group for all four types of mice, and in the P. gingivalis infection group of WT, TLR2 KO, and TLR4 KO mice. Expression patterns of RANKL, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 mRNA were different in the P. gingivalis infection group and the ligation group in different types of mice. In summary, P. gingivalis-induced periodontal bone resorption is TLR4-dependent, whereas ligation-induced periodontal bone resorption is neither TLR2- nor TLR4-dependent.


Abstract. Significant efforts are invested by rescue agencies worldwide to save human lives during natural and man-made emergency situations including those that happen in wilderness locations. These emergency situations include but not limited to: accidents with alpinists, mountainous skiers, people hiking and lost in remote areas. Sometimes in a rescue operation hundreds of first responders are involved to save a single human life. There are two critical issues where geospatial imaging can be a very useful asset in rescue operations support: 1) human detection and 2) confirming a fact that detected a human being is alive. International group of researchers from the Unites States and Poland collaborated on a pilot research project devoted to identify a feasibility of use for the human detection and alive-human state confirmation small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAVs) and inexpensive forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensors. Equipment price for both research teams was below $8,000 including 3DR quadrotor UAV and Lepton longwave infrared (LWIR) imager which costs around $250 (for the US team); DJI Inspire 1 UAS with commercial Tamarisc-320 thermal camera (for the Polish team). Specifically both collaborating groups performed independent experiments in the USA and Poland and shared imaging data of on the ground and airborne electro-optical and FLIR sensor imaging collected. In these experiments dead bodies were emulated by use of medical training dummies. Real humans were placed nearby as live human subjects. Electro-optical imagery was used for the research in optimal human detection algorithms. Furthermore, given the fact that a dead human body after several hours has a temperature of the surrounding environment our experiments were challenged by the SUAS data optimization, i.e., distance from SUAV to object so that the FLIR sensor is still capable to distinguish temperature differences between a dummy and a real human. Our experiments indicated feasibility of use SUAVs and small thermal sensors for the human detection scenarios described above. Differences in temperatures were collected by deployed imaging acquisition platform are interpretable on FLIR images visually. Moreover, we applied ENVI image processing functions for calibration and numerical estimations of such a temperature differences. There are more potential system functionalities such as voice messages from rescue teams and even distant medication delivery for the victims of described emergencies. This paper describes experiments, processing results, and future research in more details.


Abstract. A Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) able to ingest surface soil moisture (SSM) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) observations is tested at local scale to increase prediction accuracy for water and carbon fluxes. The ISBA-A-gs Land Surface Model (LSM) is used together with LAI and the soil water content observations of a grassland at the SMOSREX experimental site in southwestern France for a seven-year period (2001–2007). Three configurations corresponding to contrasted model errors are considered: (1) best case (BC) simulation with locally observed atmospheric variables and model parameters, and locally observed SSM and LAI used in the assimilation, (2) same as (1) but with the precipitation forcing set to zero, (3) real case (RC) simulation with atmospheric variables and model parameters derived from regional atmospheric analyses and from climatological soil and vegetation properties, respectively. In configuration (3) two SSM time series are considered: the observed SSM using Thetaprobes, and SSM derived from the LEWIS L-band radiometer located 15m above the ground. Performance of the LDAS is examined in the three configurations described above with either one variable (either SSM or LAI) or two variables (both SSM and LAI) assimilated. The joint assimilation of SSM and LAI has a positive impact on the carbon, water, and heat fluxes. It represents a greater impact than assimilating one variable (either LAI or SSM). Moreover, the LDAS is able to counterbalance large errors in the precipitation forcing given as input to the model.


The purpose of this PhD thesis is to study mesoscopic and macroscopic fluctuations in Interacting Particle Systems. The thesis is split into two main parts. In the first part, we consider a system of Ising spins interacting via Kac potential evolving with Glauber dynamics and study the macroscopic motion of an one-dimensional interface under forced displacement as the result of large scale fluctuations. In the second part, we consider a diffusive system modelled by a Simple Symmetric Exclusion Process (SSEP) which is driven out of equilibrium by the action of current reservoirs at the boundary and study the non-equilibrium fluctuations around the hydrodynamic limit for the SSEP with current reservoirs.

We give a brief summary of the first part. In recent years, there has been significant effort to derive deterministic models describing two-phase materials and their dynamical properties. In this context, we investigate the law that governs the power needed to force a motion of a one dimensional macroscopic interface between two different phases of a given ferromagnetic sample with a prescribed speed V at low temperature. We show that given the mesoscopic deterministic non-local evolution equation for the magnetisation (a non local version of the Allen-Cahn equation), we consider a stochastic Ising spin system with Glauber dynamics and Kac interaction (the underlying microscopic stochastic process) whose mesoscopic scaling limit (intermediate scale between microscale and macroscale) is the given PDE, and we calculate the corresponding large deviations functional which would provide the action functional. We obtain that by deriving upper and lower bounds of the large deviation cost functional. Concepts from statistical mechanics such as contours, free energy, local equilibrium allow a better understanding of the structure of the cost functional. Then we characterise the limiting behaviour of the action functional under a parabolic rescaling, by proving that for small values of the ratio between the distance and the time, the interface moves with a constant speed, while for larger values the occurrence of nucleations is the preferred way to make the transition. This led to a production of two published papers [12] and [14] with my supervisor D. Tsagkarogiannis and N. Dirr.

In the second part we study the non-equilibrium fluctuations of a system modelled by SSEP with current reservoirs around its hydrodynamic limit. In particular, we prove that, in the limit, the appropriately scaled fluctuation field is given by a Generalised Ornstein- Uhlenbeck process. For the characterisation of the limiting fluctuation field we implement the Holley-Stroock theory. This is not straightforward due to the boundary terms coming from the nature of the model. Hence, by following a martingale approach (martingale decomposition) and the derivation of the equation of the variance for this model combined with "good" enough correlation estimates (the so-called v-estimates), we reduce the problem to a form whose Holley-Stroock result in [45] is now applicable. This is work in progress jointly with my supervisor and P. Goncalves, [13].


The real-time thermal performance analysis and monitoring system (RTPAMS) of power plant is the guarantee that power plants work in economic operating condition. Four different structures of the system are summarized: Independent- RTPAMS, RTPAMS basing on DCS, RTPAMS basing on SIS, RTPAMS basing on MIS. It also analyzes characters and acclimatization of them. Finally, it forecasts the trend of RTPAMS and puts forward a new scheme of RTPAMS, basing on demands of electric information system.


Section One Oblique angels - women poets and modernism: Charlotte Mew and T.S. Eliot and modernism, Kathleen Bell great expectations - rehabilitating the recalcitrant war poets, Gill Plain H.D. imagiste? bisexuality - identity - imagism, Megan Lloyd Davies. Section Two The politics of place: dodging around the grand piano - sex, politics and contemporary Irish women's poetry, Ailbhe Smith from room to homesick room - women and poetry in Northern Ireland, Declan Long writing near the fault line - Scottish women poets and the topography of tongues, Helen Kidd. Section Three (Post)colonial contexts: sentimental subversion - the poetics and politics of devotion in the work of Una Marson, Alison Donnell "holding my beads in my hand" - dialogue, synthesis and power in the poetry of Jackie Kay and Grace Nichols, Paraskevi Paleonida. Section Four The body: Sylvia Plath's revolutionary wieldings of the female body, Cath Stowers in/corporation? Jackie Kay's "The Adoption Papers", Gabriele Griffin delivering the mother - three anthologies of birth poetry, Karin Voth Harman. Section Five Radical poetics: Lorine Niedecker on and off the margins - a radical poetics out of objectivism, Harriet Tarlo reading between the lines - identity in the early poems of Veronica Forrest-Thomson, Alison Mark feminist radicalism in (relatively) traditional forms - an American's investigations of British poetics, Romana Huk. Section Six Women/poet - reconfigurations: poetry and the position of weakness - some challenges of writing in healthcare, Fiona Sampson objecting to the subject - science, femininity and poetic process in the work of Elizabeth Bishop and Lavinia Greenlaw, Deryn Rees-Jones no one's mother - can the mother write poetry?, Nicole Ward Jouve.


This article is about differences between, and the adequacy of, response rates to online and paper‐based course and teaching evaluation surveys. Its aim is to provide practical guidance on these matters. The first part of the article gives an overview of online surveying in general, a review of data relating to survey response rates and practical advice to help boost response rates. The second part of the article discusses when a response rate may be considered large enough for the survey data to provide adequate evidence for accountability and improvement purposes. The article ends with suggestions for improving the effectiveness of evaluation strategy. These suggestions are: to seek to obtain the highest response rates possible to all surveys; to take account of probable effects of survey design and methods on the feedback obtained when interpreting that feedback; and to enhance this action by making use of data derived from multiple methods of gathering feedback.


Azimuthal angular correlations of charged hadrons with respect to the axis of a reconstructed (trigger) jet in Au + Au and p + p collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV in STAR are presented. The trigger jet population in Au + Au collisions is biased toward jets that have not interacted with the medium, allowing easier matching of jet energies between Au + Au and p + p collisions while enhancing medium effects on the recoil jet. The associated hadron yield of the recoil jet is significantly suppressed at high transverse momentum (p(T)(assoc)) and enhanced at low p(T)(assoc) in 0%-20% central Au + Au collisions compared to p + p collisions, which is indicative of medium-induced parton energy loss in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.


The aim of  this  study  was to  compare  the  effective ness of two teaching methods, problem-based learning (PBL) and a didactic lecture, in the continuing education of pharmacists about adverse drug reactions (ADRS). Fifty pharmacists were recruited from four hospitals within the United Kingdom: 16 pharmacists (hospital 1) underwent PBL, 15 pharmacists (hospital 2) received a didactic lecture, and 19 pharmacists (hospital 3, and hospital 4) were the control group and did not receive an formal teaching intervention. Immediately prior to any teaching interventions, all participants completed an ADR test. All groups completed the same ADR test 6 months later. Records of ADR reporting rates by the participants were examined for defined periods pre- and post-teaching interventions. The PBL participants demonstrated a significant improvement in the mean rank scores for both the MCQ and the clinical cases analysis sectiosn of the test. Participants who received the didactic lecture significantly improved only in the MCQ section of the test. No significant differences in either section of the test were detected for the control participants. The PBL participants were the only group to significantly improve their mean rank ADR reposrting rate post-intervention. The result of this study indicate that PBL has benefits compared to a didactic lecture method in educating pharmacist about ADRs and enhancing their motivation to report adverse drug reactions.


A high proportion of Aboriginal Australians residing in remote communities are mobile-only internet users. This chapter examines how infrastructures and social norms are informing digital choices in these communities, and how this in turn influences the utility of location technologies. Within this setting, device sharing practices are undermining location technologies insofar as they are assumed to be associated with ongoing, individual use.


Two basic problems in defining and displaying 3-D structures are discussed. One is the development of segmentation methods and boundary description structures that are appropriate for data derived from real physical measurements. The other is assessing and guaranteeing the accuracy of the models that are created. Surface and volume rendering and reprojection techniques are examined.<<ETX>>


An innovative gel-casting process was developed in order to obtain macro porous ceramics scaffolds of hydroxyapatite to be used in regenerative medicine for bone tissue reconstruction. Mechanical investigation was carried out on different formulations of dense hydroxyapatite samples in order to evaluate the effect of the gel casting process parameters on the density, the elastic modulus, the tensile and the compressive strength. The fracture critical stress intensity factor (KIC) was also evaluated by means of microhardness measurements. The correlations between KIC and tensile and compressive strength were examined taking into account the average and maximum size of porosity. The mechanical properties of macro and micro-porous HA are in agreement with the model of Gibson and Ashby.


Following trade agreements between ASEAN states, the expansion of cross-border roads and bridges between Laos and Thailand has linked local communities and distant markets in increasingly diverse ways. Although the planned impacts of such integration are expected to be beneficial, effects on the ground vary, as witnessed at a sleepy outpost in Xayabury and a more vibrant crossing in Savannakhet. This paper discusses first the physical setting of such border facilities, and then explores their actual local effects on traders' activities, highlighting changes in gender roles and perceptions of entrepreneurial competition participated in by women in the two research sites.


A novel 2D finite difference time domain (FDTD) subgridding method is proposed, only subject to the Courant limit of the coarse grid. By making μ or e inside the subgrid dispersive, unconditional stability is induced at the cost of a sparse, implicit set of update equations. By only adding dispersion along preferential directions, it is possible to dramatically reduce the rank of the matrix equation that needs to be solved.


This paper uses household data to assess the near-term impact of the program on incomes and activity choices of rural households in areas where the sandstorm control program (Beijing and Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control Program) was implemented. Central to our analysis is a unique panel survey conducted by the State Forestry Administration covering years from 1998 to 2003 in 17 counties in three Northern provinces Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia (autonomous region). The essential feature of the program is an annual subsidy provided to participating farmers to cover costs associated with permanent retirement of farm land and the planting of saplings. We first look at the impact of program participation on household incomes and, not surprisingly, observe a positive relationship. Next we look at the impact of the program on the activity choice of farm households. We found evidence that 1) participating households are more likely to engage in off-farm wage employment than self-employment activities after retiring farmland, and 2) participating households are diversifying income away from farming to more non-agricultural activities. These findings may suggest that 1) farmland retirement payments may have helped farm households overcome credit constraints preventing them from starting their own businesses, and 2) the program may have contributed to re-shaping the structure of rural household production in a way that household labor supply is slowly moving from farming to non-agricultural sector such as self-employment and off-farm wage employment.


This work reports on the synergetic effect of water-to-cement ratio, curing conditions, varying external environment and stray current on the microstructural (porosity and pore size), electrical (resistivity) and mechanical (compressive strength) properties of 28 days-cured cement-based materials. The influence of curing on porosity and pore size, in stray current conditions, was assessed by correlating the performance of 28 days cured mortar with that of fresh (24h-cured only) mortar specimens in identical environmental medium. Three different levels of electrical current density (i.e. 10mA/m, 100 mA/m and 1 A/m) were applied to simulate stray current flow through hardened mortar specimens with water-to-cement ratio of 0.5 and 0.35. Different environmental conditions were employed i.e. sealed conditions, partly immersed, and fully submerged in water and calcium hydroxide medium. Microstructural, mechanical and electrical properties were monitored in the course of 140 days. The outcomes suggest a potentially positive effect of the stray current, where water and/or humidity exchange with the external environment is restricted. The potential for this positive effect was experimentally supported through the recorded matrix densification and increased compressive strength of mortar specimens, subjected to stray current and treated in calcium hydroxide and/or sealed conditions, compared to equally handled and treated control cases. In contrast, for water submerged mortar specimens, subjected to stray current, coarsening of the bulk matrix and reduced compressive strength were observed. The outcomes were irrespective of w/c ratio and curing conditions. The effect of stray current was found to be predominantly determined by the current density level and increased at values > 100mA/m. This would result in compromised mechanical properties and potentially reduced performance of cementbased materials within service life. Therefore, concrete curing and conditioning on site need to include considerations for the potential effect of stray currents.


In a previous study, we presented psychophysical evidence that time-shrinking (TS), an illusion of time perception that empty durations preceded by shorter ones can be conspicuously underestimated, gives rise to categorical perception on the temporal dimension (Sasaki, Nakajima, & ten Hoopen, 1998). In the present study, we first survey studies of categorical rhythm perception and then describe four experiments that provide further evidence that TS causes categorical perception on the temporal dimension. In the first experiment, participants judged the similarity between pairs of /t1/t2/ patterns (slashes denote short sound markers delimiting the empty time intervals t1 and t2). A cluster analysis and a scaling analysis showed that patterns liable to TS piled up in a 1:1 category. The second and third experiments are improved replications in which the sum of t1 and t2 in the /t1/t2/ patterns is kept constant at 320 ms. The results showed that the 12 patterns /115/205/, /120/200/,  . . ., /165/155/, /170/150/ formed a 1:1 category. The fourth experiment utilizes a cross-modality matching procedure to establish the subjective temporal ratio of the /t1/t2/ patterns and a 1:1 category was established containing the 11 patterns /120/200/, /125/195/,  . . ., /165/155/, /170/150/. On basis of these converging results we estimate a domain of perceived 1:1 ratios as a function of total pattern duration (t1 + t2) between 160 and 480 ms. We discuss the implications of this study for rhythm perception and production.


To begin with, while the cinema used to make one situation produce another situation, and another, and another, again and again, and each scene was thought out and immediately related to the next (the natural result of a mistrust of reality), today, when we have thought out a scene, we feel the need to "remain " in it, because the single scene itself can contain so many echoes and reverberations, can even contain all the situations we may need. Today, in fact, we can quietly say: give us whatever "fact" you like, and we will disembowel it, make it something worth watching. -Cesare Zavattini1 Code Unknown (Michael Haneke, FR, 2000) begins with a prologue: a young girl cowers against a blank white wall then shrinks to the floor, seemingly, in fear. She then stands back up, and the film cuts to a series of shots of children who obviously have been watching what we now realize was a performance staged for them. The third child to whom the film cuts asks, in sign language, "Alone?" The film cuts back to the first girl, the performer, who must shake her head "No," just as she does to each of the following five children who venture similar interpretations. An image is presented in a single long take. It is presented to an audience that does not understand it, that must try, or feels it must try, to interpret it. The audience must fail in this activity, or at least its activity is suspended by the film's ending of the scene through the simple fact of a cut which is all we get of closure. With Haneke, instead of closure or denouement, it seems, we get termination. What follows from this point in the film (with very few-though significant-exceptions) is a series of long takes that record the events in the lives of several characters whose movements occasionally overlap, intersect or simply, perhaps more accurately, abut one another. We spectators will occupy the position of the children in the prologue who attempt to interpret the dumb show, as we attempt to interpret the melodrama of Code Unknown. Vision and sound will be crappy guides to knowledge of the film, of the world that we look at through it, but they (that is, sound and image-this being film, of course) will be all we have to go on. Sometime, the point will seem to be, as in the film's prologue, that we don't know what we see. Or that the name we might have attached (had we been asked . . . but were we not?) to what we were seeing (the content of a given shot) would have been the wrong name. Which is to say that the film, despite the near relentlessness of its long-take unfolding, sends us as much backwards as it does forwards, calls us to recall the earlier moments in the film when we thought we knew what we were seeing and why, and why those things then seemed important or insignificant: as in a mystery film when we realize too late that we have misread clues. Except that here there is no mystery, there are only facts. These facts become mysteries retrospectively only because we realize that we did not know that we did not know, or that we did not know that our not knowing was at all an issue. The principle way in which these mysteries of facts present themselves as such is the matter-of-fact unspooling of the film's long-take cinematography in which scene and shot are identical. Often these takes are fluid, at times almost balletic; other times they are static, rigid, immobile. In every case we cannot miss the fact of them, miss their advertisement of themselves as virtuosically such. In many ways, this is not a subtle film. But the film's investment in the long take: what is it? And what guesses are we to hazard, like the deaf children whose doubles we are, as to its meaning? Through the long take the film most obviously immerses itself and us in the murky waters of cinematic realism, and particularly that of neorealism in its many manifestations and mutations, both in Italy and elsewhere. The long take, in Andre Bazin's famous terms, performs a variety of labors, among them this one: a forcing of spectators to assume a more active role in interpreting the representation of reality before them. …


Multiple myeloma, a generalized malignancy resulting from the proliferation of a single clone of neoplastic plasma cells, occurs rarely in pregnancy. This is the fifth documented case of pregnancy in a woman with this disorder. Clinical features of multiple myeloma include bone pain, pathologic fractures, neurologic deficits, and frequent bacterial infections. Laboratory evaluation often reveals hypercalcemia, anemia, and some degree of renal failure. Both radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used to treat multiple myeloma. Although the ultimate prognosis of a woman with this disease is poor, the offspring are apparently unaffected.


AbstractBACKGROUND: Compared to normal weight women, women with obesity have higher mortality from breast cancer but are less often screened.
 OBJECTIVES: To examine the relation between mammography use and weight category and to examine the influence of race, illness burden, and other factors on this relationship.
 DESIGN AND SETTING: The 1998 National Health Interview Survey, a U.S. civilian population-based survey.
 PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand, two hundred, and seventy-seven women ages 50 to 75 years who responded to the Sample Adult and Prevention questionnaires.
 MEASUREMENTS: Mammogram use in the preceding 2 years.
 RESULTS: Among 5,277 eligible women, 72% reported mammography use. The rate was 74% among white women and 70% among black women. Among white women, mammogram use was lowest in women with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 kg/m2 (64% to 67%). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health care access, medical conditions, hospitalizations, and mobility status, higher BMI was associated with lower screening among white women, P=.02 for trend; the relative risk (RR) for screening in moderately obese white women (BMI, 35 to 40 kg/m2) was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68 to 0.96) compared to normal weight white women. Compared to normal weight black women, mammography use was similar or higher in overweight (BMI, 25 to 30 kg/m2; RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.32), mildly obese (BMI, 30 to 35 kg/m2; RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.39), and moderately obese black women (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.37 to 1.50) after adjustment. The P value for the race-BMI interaction was .001. Results for white and black women were unchanged after additional adjustment for psychological functioning and health habits.
 CONCLUSION: Among white women, those with higher BMI were less likely to undergo breast cancer screening than normal weight women. This relationship was not seen in black women. Our findings were not explained by differences in sociodemographic factors, health care access, illness burden, or health habits. More research is needed to determine the reasons for these disparities so that appropriate efforts can be made to improve screening.


Political participation is higher among men than women in most parts of the world. As time goes by, more technologies are being developed; women are accepted in the society especially in the politics where the potentials of women can be compared to male politicians. This article studies the perspectives of constituents on how a female politician can handle a given position better than male politicians. With the use of a complete triangulation of techniques via survey, interviews and secondary analysis of data; this study shows that women hold more radical opinions on issues regarding gender equality and being a political entity. These factors have positive impact on women's participation, and as a result, women often confront a "glass cliff" in which their position in the office is precarious. Results indicated that women now are truly accepted in politics especially here in the Philippines; women are also very cooperative in political exercises in which it increases the support of women politicians here in the Philippines. Also, there was a strong preference for a female politician on the appointment when the seat was described as hard to win.


The publications on the structural and functional features of the main molecular shaperon of li-chain were updated. In the 1990s the determination of molecular shaperon as a group of mutually unrelated protein molecules taking part in the assembly of other polypeptides was worked out. In humans the main isoform of li-chain is the protein with a mol. wt. of 31-33 kD. A great variety of functions of this shaperon is linked with definite amino acid sequences. In particular, the molecular shaperon of the molecules of the main histocompatibility complex-II has functions connected with the presentation of antigen and the differentiation of B lymphocytes.


Abstract A good assignment of code reviewers can effectively utilize the intellectual resources, assure code quality and improve programmers' skills in software development. However, little research on reviewer assignment of code review has been found. In this study, a code reviewer assignment model is created based on participants' preference to reviewing assignment. With a constraint of the smallest size of a review group, the model is optimized to maximize review outcomes and avoid the negative impact of "mutual admiration society". This study shows that the reviewer assignment strategies incorporating either the reviewers' preferences or the authors' preferences get much improvement than a random assignment. The strategy incorporating authors' preference makes higher improvement than that incorporating reviewers' preference. However, when the reviewers' and authors' preference matrixes are merged, the improvement becomes moderate. The study indicates that the majority of the participants have a strong wish to work with reviewers and authors having highest competence. If we want to satisfy the preference of both reviewers and authors at the same time, the overall improvement of learning outcomes may be not the best.


A significant inoculum-size effect has been observed with piperacillin-tazobactam, and has been associated with beta-lactamase production in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers. This association has not been previously studied in the case of amoxycillin-clavulanate. Piperacillin-tazobactam and amoxycillin-clavulanate were compared, using high inocula of susceptible strains either harbouring ESBLs or not. Two non-ESBL-producing and 15 amoxycillin-clavulanate-susceptible and piperacillin-tazobactam-susceptible ESBL-producing Escherichia coli isolates, and their respective transconjugants, were tested in dilution susceptibility tests using standard and 100-fold higher inocula. Three ESBL-producing strains and E. coli ATCC 25922 were selected for time-kill studies using standard and high initial inocula. At high inocula, MICs of piperacillin increased >eight-fold for non-ESBL-producing strains, and MICs of piperacillin-tazobactam (8:1 ratio or with tazobactam fixed at 4 mg/L) increased>eight-fold for all ESBL-producing strains. However, amoxycillin MICs were not affected by a high inoculum with non-ESBL-producing strains, whereas the MICs of amoxycillin-clavulanate (2:1 and 4:1) increased <or=four-fold for ESBL producers, using the broth and agar dilution methods. In kinetic studies at a high inoculum, amoxycillin and amoxycillin-clavulanate were bactericidal against E. coli ATCC 25922, whereas piperacillin and piperacillin-tazobactam yielded decreases of <1 log(10) CFU/mL. Similarly, at a high inoculum, only amoxycillin-clavulanate was able to maintain bactericidal rates of killing over 24 h against the ESBL-positive E. coli isolates. The stability of amoxycillin-clavulanate and the contrasting results obtained with piperacillin-tazobactam against high inocula of ESBL-non-producing and ESBL-producing E. coli strains appear to be related to aspects other than the amount of beta-lactamase production.


This paper first proposes three improved gossip mechanisms by mapping links into metric space and dynamically adapting the number of selected neighbors to disseminate messages. Experiments and comparisons show that these mechanisms can improve the performance of gossip in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. This is the effect of mapping a network into a metric space that differentiates nodes and links according to linking characteristics and controlling local information flow with knowing such differences. A further study about query routing on P2P semantic link network shows that mapping a network into a semantic space can also improve the performance. An intrinsic rule is found by experimental comparisons and analysis: the performance of a P2P network can be improved by designing an appropriate mapping from the network into metric space or semantic space. A general framework for networking with metric space and semantic space is suggested


Purpose
This paper is based on a single case study carried out as part of a change programme but is used as a reflective tool to draw on some of the wider organisational learning which can be considered when implementing, reviewing or re-energise a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Programme. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach has been used and referenced throughout the paper with references to literature to support the wider learning points drawn which are then applied to any continuous improvement (CI) programmes.

Findings
The paper presents a range of learning points which are drawn from a successful deployment of LSS within a change project carried out as part of an overall programme in Scottish policing services.

Research limitations/implications
The points are drawn from a single case study which was deployed within a wider change programme and is supported by wider literature but is used as a vehicle for informing strategic considerations within an organisation.

Originality/value
This case study is drawn from policing services in the public sector which alone is an area that has not been significantly studied. It is used to explore wider implications in terms of strategic alignment, organisational performance and project management and presents the argument that the design of a CI programme is much wider than the implementation of LSS itself.


Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune disease that encompasses a wide range of dermatologic manifestations with varying degrees of association with systemic disease. Treatment options for CLE are limited, and no medication has been approved specifically for CLE. However, increased emphasis on the role of biological therapies for CLE has emerged in recent years due to an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of CLE. This review summarizes the recent insights into the pathogenesis of CLE and current advances in the development of CLE treatments.


Summary
1. International river catchments pose challenges for effective water resource management. Catchment-wide strategies are often complicated by differences in national bioassessment and quality classification. Intercalibration efforts aim to harmonise these differences, but rely on the consistent delineation of near-natural reference sites that are almost unavailable in today's landscape, especially for large rivers.

2. We introduce the concept of alternative benchmarking that is based on the notion of aquatic communities at similar (low) levels of impairment associated with least-disturbed conditions (LDC) as defined by abiotic criteria. Using data acquired during the second Joint Danube Survey, we defined LDC sites based on a multivariate gradient of anthropogenic pressures, mostly related to morphological deterioration, that spans the entire navigable Danube.

3. The river was subdivided into four stretches, each featuring homogeneous biological assemblages. Indirect gradient analysis revealed relationships between the pressure gradient and selected features of the macroinvertebrate and macrophyte community but not for diatoms or phytoplankton.

4. We identified biological metrics suitable for the quality classification of individual stretches or the entire river. Impoundment is the major hydromorphological alteration on the Danube but various metrics still responded significantly to differences in the morphological condition of sites not affected by impoundment.

5. A comparison of macroinvertebrate sampling techniques (airlift versus kick-and-sweep) revealed differences in how the acquired data reflect the effects of anthropogenic pressure. Biological metrics based only on kick-and-sweep sample data were insensitive to habitat deterioration in the heavily modified Upper Danube.

6. This study exemplifies the empirical approach of alternative benchmarking in intercalibration and offers practical solutions to some of the challenges of large river bioassessment.


The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it seeks to use a practical real-world example to demonstrate the power of a systems thinking perspective in design, and more specifically in the design of services. It makes use of the paradigm of e-accessibility, in the application domain of publicly available self-services. Secondly, the benefits of this perspective will be discussed, through some theoretical tenets of systems thinking, such as the use of emerging properties, the law of requisite variety and notions of second order cybernetics, in terms of the richness that they offer to the conceptualisation and praxis of design in general, and service design in particular. Finally, we speculate on the implications of systems thinking to question the nature of the interdisciplinarity and even transdisciplinarity of design.


I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill. (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)


Despite the importance of diversification in portfolio construction, our current methods of measuring it are inefficient. Construction of a Portfolio Diversification Index (PDI) presents a new way to understand the concept. PDI, which measures the number of unique investments in a portfolio, is useful to assess marginal and cumulative diversification benefits across asset classes and across time. Implementation in hedge fund strategies reveals that various hedge funds offer less diversification than may have been thought, and that there has been reduced diversification in the past several years


In this paper, we try to leverage a large-scale and multilingual knowledge base, Wikipedia, to help effectively analyze and organize Web information written in different languages. Based on the observation that one Wikipedia concept may be described by articles in different languages, we adapt existing topic modeling algorithm for mining multilingual topics from this knowledge base. The extracted 'universal' topics have multiple types of representations, with each type corresponding to one language. Accordingly, new documents of different languages can be represented in a space using a group of universal topics, which makes various multilingual Web applications feasible.


To verify whether an empirical distribution has a specific theoretical distribution, several tests have been used like the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and the Kuiper tests. These tests try to analyze if all parts of the empirical distribution has a specific theoretical shape. But, in a Risk Management framework, the focus of analysis should be on the tails of the distributions, since we are interested on the extreme returns of financial assets. This paper proposes a new goodness-of-fit hypothesis test with focus on the tails of the distribution. The new test is based on the Conditional Value at Risk measure. Then we use Monte Carlo Simulations to assess the power of the new test with different sample sizes, and then compare with the Crnkovic and Drachman, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and the Kuiper tests. Results showed that the new distance has a better performance than the other distances on small samples. We also performed hypothesis tests using financial data. We have tested the hypothesis that the empirical distribution has a Normal, Scaled Student-t, Generalized Hyperbolic, Normal Inverse Gaussian and Hyperbolic distributions, based on the new distance proposed on this paper.


. Abstract. A stand of red gum eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) heavily infested with red gum lerp psyllid (RGLP) (Glycaspis brimblecombei) was micro-injected at crown level with a single standard treatment of imidacloprid, oxydemeton-methyl, or a combination of both. Psyllid populations were monitored for 15 months following initial treat-ment. Significant mortality and reduced population levels of immature RGLP occurred within 1 week following an application of all treatment materials. Oxydemeton-methyl was significantly effective, when compared to untreated trees, for approximately 2 months. Imidacloprid-treated trees showed statistically significant reduction of psyllid nymphs, compared to untreated trees, for approximately 8 months. The combination of both materials significantly reduced psyllid nymph populations for approximately 8 months. Many trees continued to show control up to 15 months with imidacloprid. However, nymph population variances among treatment trees were too high to statistically detect significant differences among treatment averages. The longer residual activity in some trees may indicate variability among individual trees sustaining levels of imidacloprid beyond 8 months.


IS0-13660 has defined line attributes in digital prints. In order to investigate the effect of these attributers on perceived text definition (PTD), the correlation model between the two was developed in this study. The test target with a multi-stroke Black Type Chinese character in two sizes of 6.5 and 10.5 points, as well as some single lines, was designed and printed, coming into being 16 test samples with different qualities. The objective line attribute measurements and subjective definition evaluations were carried out, and linear correlation model was built between the two. The experimental results indicate that the PTD could be relevant to line's contrast, raggedness, blurriness and width, and is always positively relevant to the contrast and negatively relevant to the later three attributes.


OBJECTIVE
An increasing number of children seem to have a deficiency in Central Processing as a reason for reading and writing difficulties (RWD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD). There is often also a delay in phonological consciousness. A test would therefore be useful to distinguish children with RWD and ADD.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
This study involved 75 consecutive schoolchildren from the 1 (st) to 5 (th) classes (ages 6-11), and was carried out at the Department of Phoniatric-Paediatric Audiology at the University ENT Clinic Ulm. Various tests were undertaken: hearing tests for peripheral hearing, central auditory tests, tests of phonological competence and a questionnaire completed with the parents. Statistical calculations were used to verify correlations with clinical findings and the questionnaire.

RESULTS
BAKO 1-4 and H-LAD test phonological awareness and the T-values showed a good correlation, as expected. These are therefore reliable tests. No gender specific differences could be found. The BAKO 1-4 test was better statistically and this confirms other groups' findings. The questionnaire is not ready to be used for diagnosis. It is not possible to distinguish different diagnoses (central auditory processing disorder, writing difficulties, delayed speech acquisition and delay in phonological consciousness) by means of auditory tests.

CONCLUSIONS
This means that the capacity to distinguish phonemes is not directly correlated to central auditory functions. Equally, one can also say that not every child with such problems has deficits in central auditory processing which require therapy. They all require an interdisciplinary management tailored to their own needs and underlying causes.


What is assessed gets attention: what is not assessed does not. When higher education is expected to promote complex achievements in subject disciplines and in terms of 'employability', problems arise: how are such achievements to be assessed?

In the first part, Knight and Yorke argue that existing grading practices cannot cope with the expectations laid upon them, while the potential of formative assessment for the support of learning is not fully realised. Improving the effectiveness of assessment depends, they claim, on a well-grounded appreciation of what assessment is and what may and may not be expected of it. The second part is about summative judgements for high-stakes purposes. Using established measurement theory, a view is developed of the conditions under which affordable, useful, valid and reliable summative judgements can be made. A conclusion is that many complex achievements resist high-stakes assessment, which directs attention to low-stakes, essentially formative, alternatives. Assessment for learning and employability demands more than module-level changes to assessment methods. The final part discusses how institutions need to respond in policy terms to the challenges that have been posed.

This book has wide and practical relevance - to teachers, module and programme leaders, higher education managers and quality enhancement specialists.


Antennas constitute a decisive component of all communications abilities. The development of ground, air, sea, and space-based antennas must totally comply with the state-of-the-art and beyond advances in vehicle communications systems. Mobility, bandwidth demands, gain and radiation efficiency as well as low cost and simple integration are requirements that need to be met concurrently. In cases where conformality is also a prerequisite, planar and slot antennas prove to be optimal solutions. In this context, a conical slot antenna for vehicle applications at VHF-UHF operation frequencies is presented. The simulation and the measurement results show that the proposed slot antenna provides efficient radiation pattern while being lightweight, low cost and simple to manufacture and integrate.


ABSTRACT The field of learning analytics was founded with the goal to harness vast amounts of data about learning collected by the extensive use of technology. After the early formation, the field has now entered the next phase of maturation with a growing community who has an evident impact on research, practice, policy, and decision-making. Although learning analytics is a bricolage field borrowing from many related other disciplines, there is still no systematised model that shows how these different disciplines are pieced together. Existing models and frameworks of learning analytics are valuable in identifying elements and processes of learning analytics, but they insufficiently elaborate on the links with foundational disciplines. With this in mind, this paper proposes a consolidated model of the field of research and practice that is composed of three mutually connected dimensions – theory, design, and data science. The paper defines why and how each of the three dimensions along with their mutual relations is critical for research and practice of learning analytics. Finally, the paper stresses the importance of multi-perspective approaches to learning analytics based on its three core dimensions for a healthy development of the field and a sustainable impact on research and practice.


Rhizobium strains were isolated from root nodules of five species of Indigoferaviz., Indigofera trita, Indigofera linnaei, Indigofera astragalina, Indigofera parviflora and Indigofera viscosa on Yeast Extract Mannitol Agar (YEMA) medium. The strains were examined for production of acid, exopolysaccharide (EPS) and indole acetic acid (IAA) by utilizing 10 different carbon sources. The Rhizobium strains isolated from I. trita, I. parviflora and I. viscosa showed maximum growth on glucose, while those from I. linnaei and I. astragalina showed maximum growth on fructose and maltose, respectively. All the five strains produced acid, EPS and IAA in Yeast extract mannitol broth. Among the strains studied, maximum EPS production was observed with the strain isolated from I. parviflora and maximum IAA production was observed with the strain isolated from I. viscosa.

 Key words: Rhizobium, Indigofera species, exopolysaccharide, indole acetic acid, acid production.


We explored the epidemiological risk factors for dental caries to help explain differences in the prevalence of adult dental caries. We examined 841 people for the presence of Helicobacter pylori in their dental plaque and for dental caries. Of the 841 subjects, 574 (68.25%) were infected with H pylori, and 516 (61.36%) were diagnosed with dental caries. Among the 574 subjects with H pylori, the prevalence of dental caries was 73.52% (422/574), while the prevalence among the 267 cases without H pylori was 35.21% (94/267). A correlation existed between the presence of H pylori and the occurrence of dental caries (χ2 = 112.8, P < .01, odds ratio = 5.110, 95% confidence interval = 3.740-6.982). The 574 persons with H pylori had a higher mean dental plaque index than those without. In conclusion, H pylori infection in the oral cavity is associated with dental caries and poor dental hygiene.


An extension of Milner's CCS with a priority choice operator called prisum is investigated. This operator is very similar to the PRIALT construct of Occam. The binary prisum operator only allows execution of its second component in the case in which the environment is not ready to allow the first component to proceed. This dependency on the set of actions the environment is ready to perform goes beyond that encountered in traditional CCS. Its expression leads to a novel operational semantics in which transitions carry read-sets (of the environment) as well as the normal action symbols from CCS. A notion of strong bisimulation is defined on agents with priority by means of this semantics. It is a congruence and satisfies new equational laws (including a new expansion law) which are shown to be complete for finite agents with prisum. The laws are conservative over agents of traditional CCS.<<ETX>>


Background. Undernutrition occurs in approximately 2 of every 5 nursing home residents, negatively influencing their health and quality of life. The purposes of this study were to collect data about institutional meal preparation and food service practices that promote or retard adequate nutritional intake and to evaluate residents' food and food service satisfaction. Methods. The FoodEx-LTC, a simple, 44-item, 5-subscale questionnaire that measures food and food service satisfaction, was administered to 61 residents. Serum albumin and body mass index gauged the nutritional status of each resident. SPSS for Windows, version 10, was used for analyses. Results. Overall, 89% of residents were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the food service. Of those who ate in the dining room, 44% had to wait to go back to their rooms, presenting a quality of life issue. Fifty-two percent received food they hated, 56% often received the same food, and 59% received food always cooked the same way. Most residents (75%) felt comfortable refusing food they did not like, but 65% did not complain. Most (79%) wanted to choose what to eat, but only 54% believed that choosing when to eat was important. Conclusions. The FoodEx-LTC, used to monitor nutrition care in nursing homes, incorporates residents' views into service delivery and responds to the Health Care Finance Administration's Nutritional and Hydration Awareness Campaign, part of the federal Nursing Home Initiative. Using the FoodEx-LTC to identify residents' perspectives may promote resident satisfaction and dietary intake through adaptation of nursing home food and food service practices.


Sir, I would like to thank Weller and Cheang for their interest in this somewhat annoying problem. I sympathise with their point that the suction tubing does indeed have a 'memory' of sorts. However, I have found that with the brand of tubing used in my present department, it is possible to simply place a curved part of the tubing, rather than the Zoellner sucker itself, over the hook. This ensures that the sucker and tubing sit in the hook in a stable manner; this can be seen in the photograph accompanying the original letter. Unlike the clip-and-plastic tie assembly, the hook, which does not have to be fixed to anything, can also be moved to any horizontal tube to suit the user.


La1-x(Sr, Ca)xMnO3 manganites present a special interest due their high Curie and metal-insulator transition temperatures and the possibility to obtain magnetoresistive sensors able to work near room temperature. We have synthesized two rows of manganites, with La0.54Ho0.11Sr0.35-xKxMnO3 and La0.54Ho0.11Ca0.35-xNaxMnO3 chemical compositions. XRD analysis, performed with a Huber diffractometer at room temperature, indicated that the manganites contain perovskite phases, with Pnma structure. The atomic positions, lattice parameters and some microstructure parameters, as average size of coherent blocks and microstrains, were obtained by using GSAS program. The dependence of the resistivity with temperature and the applied magnetic field was determined by means of four probes method, between 77 and 300 K. The influence of K/Na concentration on the disorder degree (at atomic and crystallite level) and on the transport mechanisms was discussed.


N-Bromosuccinimide reacts with aromatic aldehydes in the solid state to yield exclusively nuclear brominated products while a similar reaction in the solution phase produces a number of products under varied conditions. The reactivity and regioselectivity have been studied in terms of the energies of HOMO, HOMO–LUMO difference, reaction free energy, reaction conditions and crystal packing. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde has been carried out. Crystal packing energies of some of the reactive and unreactive benzaldehydes indicate the importance of molecular bromine diffusion in the solid state.


We study the tunneling of a spin polarized Fermi gas in a three-dimensional double-well potential, focusing on the time dynamics starting from an initial state in which there is an imbalance in the number of particles in the two wells. Although fermions in different doublets of the double well tunnel with different frequencies, we point out that (incoherent) oscillations of a large number of particles can arise, as a consequence of the presence of transverse degrees of freedom. Estimates of the doublet structure and of the occupation of transverse eigenstates for a realistic experimental setup are provided.


Following the report of an excess in paediatric cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology by the United Kingdom (UK) on 5 April 2022, 427 cases were reported from 20 countries in the World Health Organization European Region to the European Surveillance System TESSy from 1 January 2022 to 16 June 2022. Here, we analysed demographic, epidemiological, clinical and microbiological data available in TESSy. Of the reported cases, 77.3% were 5 years or younger and 53.5% had a positive test for adenovirus, 10.4% had a positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 and 10.3% were coinfected with both pathogens. Cases with adenovirus infections were significantly more likely to be admitted to intensive care or high-dependency units (OR = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.18–3.74) and transplanted (OR = 3.36; 95% CI: 1.19–9.55) than cases with a negative test result for adenovirus, but this was no longer observed when looking at this association separately between the UK and other countries. Aetiological studies are needed to ascertain if adenovirus plays a role in this possible emergence of hepatitis cases in children and, if confirmed, the mechanisms that could be involved.


Cationic surfactant, quaternary ammonium salt of lignin, was synthesis from the lignin and trimethylamine though Mannich Reaction. Then quaternary ammonium salt of lignin was used as a novel template to prepare nanostructural silica from TEOS by sol-gel templating method. After removing the template at 580°C, nanostructural silica were obtained. The results of SEM and TEM show that there were two kinds of the silica after calcined. One is 3-dimetional macroporous silica, with the pore size of 100-200 nm. The other kind of silica is nanoparticle: the particle sizes range from 20 to 200nm and the specific surface area is 387.6 m2•g-1.


Abstract. Direction relations between object groups play an important role in qualitative spatial reasoning, spatial computation and spatial recognition. However, none of existing models can be used to compute direction relations between object groups. To fill this gap, an approach to computing direction relations between separated object groups is proposed in this paper, which is theoretically based on gestalt principles and the idea of multi-directions. The approach firstly triangulates the two object groups, and then it constructs the Voronoi diagram between the two groups using the triangular network. After this, the normal of each Voronoi edge is calculated, and the quantitative expression of the direction relations is constructed. Finally, the quantitative direction relations are transformed into qualitative ones. The psychological experiments show that the proposed approach can obtain direction relations both between two single objects and between two object groups, and the results are correct from the point of view of spatial cognition.