The Aurignacian, traditionally regarded as marking the beginnings of Sapiens in Europe, is notoriously hard to date, being almost out of reach of radiocarbon. Here the authors return to the stratified sequence in the Franchthi Cave, chronicle its lithic and shell ornament industries and, by dating humanly-modified material, show that Franchthi was occupied either side of the Campagnian Ignimbrite super-eruption around 40000 years ago. Along with other results, this means that groups of Early Upper Palaeolithic people were active outside the Danube corridor and Western Europe, and probably in contact with each other over long distances.


Using an interdisciplinary approach, this paper explores the ways in which colleges become sites that socialise African American men as gendered beings. Twenty-four African American men enrolled in 12 colleges and universities across the 19 southern and border states of America participated in this study. The purpose is to illustrate how constructions of manhood and masculinity among this group potentially influence collegiate efforts to serve African American college men academically, socially, and developmentally. The following themes of manhood construction emerged: (1) self-expectations; (2) relationships and responsibilities to family; and (3) worldviews and life philosophies. Respondents reported differences in the ways in which they were treated and engaged in historically black and white institutions, also reinforcing various manhood constructs. The paper is a resource to advance the field's thinking about this group's college experiences, retention, and identities.


This paper analyses empirically the purchasing power parity, the uncovered interest parity and the real interest parity (Fisher parity) between Kenya and Uganda. The paper first tests the three parity relations using stationarity tests. Afterwards the study jointly models international parity conditions, namely PPP, RIP and UIP using a Cointegrated Vector Autoregressive approach. From the analysis of the individual parities, there is no evidence that the individual parities hold between the two countries except for RIP. On the other hand the joint VAR model establishes that the Kenya-Uganda inflation rates, interest rates, and the real exchange rate have followed a long-run equilibrium-correcting behavior. The joint Cointegrated VAR analysis reveals that all the endogenous variables explain more than 99.95% of the VAR model. This indicates a fast correction towards the long run equilibrium of the parity relations. Hence when the three parity relations are jointly modeled, it can be argued that Uganda has shown a tendency to converge to Kenya both in both nominal and real terms.


Purpose: Ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous disease that can be divided into multiple subtypes with variable etiology, pathogenesis, and prognosis. We analyzed DNA methylation profiling data to identify biologic subgroups of ovarian cancer and study their relationship with histologic subtypes, copy number variation, RNA expression data, and outcomes. Experimental Design: A total of 162 paraffin-embedded ovarian epithelial tumor tissues, including the five major epithelial ovarian tumor subtypes (high- and low-grade serous, endometrioid, mucinous, and clear cell) and tumors of low malignant potential were selected from two different sources: The Polish Ovarian Cancer study, and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Residual Tissue Repository (SEER RTR). Analyses were restricted to Caucasian women. Methylation profiling was conducted using the Illumina 450K methylation array. For 45 tumors array copy number data were available. NanoString gene expression data for 39 genes were available for 61 high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC). Results: Consensus nonnegative matrix factorization clustering of the 1,000 most variable CpG sites showed four major clusters among all epithelial ovarian cancers. We observed statistically significant differences in survival (log-rank test, P = 9.1 × 10−7) and genomic instability across these clusters. Within HGSC, clustering showed three subgroups with survival differences (log-rank test, P = 0.002). Comparing models with and without methylation subgroups in addition to previously identified gene expression subtypes suggested that the methylation subgroups added significant survival information (P = 0.007). Conclusions: DNA methylation profiling of ovarian cancer identified novel molecular subgroups that had significant survival difference and provided insights into the molecular underpinnings of ovarian cancer. See related commentary by Ishak et al., p. 5729


Authors : Fatiha Benghanem, Mokhtar Berarma, Saida Keraghel, Ali Ourari Abstract : Corrosion is the result of the reaction between a material and its environment. Steel in concrete is protected from corrosion by a passive film promoted by concrete alkalinity. For the initiation of corrosion, this protective film must be destroyed and this can be mainly done in two ways: by the attack of chlorides on the steel or by carbonation of the cover concrete due the reaction with carbon dioxide, which causes reduction in the alkalinity of concrete. The literature reports several ways to decrease or to prevent reinforcement corrosion. Among them, the use of corrosion inhibitors has been an envisaged solution. Two approaches are generally used to evaluate the efficiency of inhibitors for concrete application; one uses simulated pore solution testing , and the other uses actual concrete or mortar specimens. Both methods are some times used in conjunction. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of 2,3-diaminopyridine as a corrosion inhibitors of steel in alkaline media which simulate the electrolyte in the concrete pores. The effectiveness of this compound as corrosion inhibitor was investigated by measuring the corrosion potentials, the polarization curves and the corrosion current densities of steel with and without chlorides. The study of corrosion inhibition by this compound led to the conclusion that he has low rates of inhibition in the absence of aggressive ions and high rates in their presence. This type of organic compounds are promoting for the protection of armatures in concrete.


Engine or battery powered two-wheeled vehicles are an essential part of a transport system. Its users are however more vulnerable in comparison with personal vehicles. In general, compared to four-wheel vehicles even a small percentage of accidents that include motorcycles causes a significant rate of all fatalities in the Czech Republic. Two-wheelers nowadays face the challenge of electric propulsion and wider user adoption. This fact emphasizes the need to assess rider´s behaviour. One way of examination of rider´s behaviour in safe and scientific environments is an interactive vehicle simulator. In order to develop a complex semi-active motorcycle simulator, a virtual model in Unity platform was created. The main purpose of this paper is to verify the longitudinal dynamics of the physical model for emerging interactive simulator. To achieve this goal, crucial parameters of the model were set. For validation of the model we defined several riding scenarios. Based on the data measured during a track test experiment in a real environment, model parameters further needed were indirectly defined. The results show that the output of the longitudinal dynamics model closely correlates with the real data gathered on a track.


The experimental data of endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent responses of vascular smooth muscles of isolated preparations of the thoracic aorta of rats with experimental diabetes mellitus (streptozotocin-induced diabetes) and a control group of animals are presented in the article. It has been shown that at diabetes mellitus endothelium-dependent vasodilation was deteriorated to the most extent. It resulted from dysfunction of the endothelium due to a reduce in the synthesis of NO. This conclusion was based on the data of the parameters of the contents of steady metabolites of nitric oxide (NO2- and NO3-), as well as activities of inducible and constitutive NO-synthases (iNOS and cNOS) in heart, aorta, erythrocytes and blood plasma in diabetic and control animals.


In this paper, we explore the structures of the optimal solutions for the minimum power broadcast tree problem in wireless ad hoc networks. We investigate the common properties of the optimal solutions found by the algorithms based on integer programming and use the found features to describe the property of optimal solutions. We also present a series of theoretically rigorous study of the found property, named as incremental minimality. We provide the conditions of optimal solutions represented by the incrementally minimal transmissions. An algorithm based on the found properties is introduced and compared with other algorithms in the literature by computational experiments.


A high standard service must be provided in rail transportation for passenger safety and comfort. With this need in mind, data are collected on vibration problems in rail systems and control. In this study, a rail vehicle system in use in Istanbul traffic is studied and a physical model in the form of a 22-degrees-of-freedom half light rail transport vehicle and differential equations created for analyzing vibrations. A computer simulation is also been carried out. In the simulation, real parameters for the modeled vehicle are employed. In an effort to minimize displacement and acceleration of the vibrations obtained in the end of simulations based on time and frequency domains, a fuzzy logic controller is used to actively control vibrations in the simulation environment.


The paper present preliminary results of Season 1 of the archaeohydrological Sint Polje Project SIPO in Northern Oman (Ad-Dakhiliyah Governorate). The research area of Masaryk University (Czech Republic) is a large soil-filled depression (polje) at the vertex of a regional short-cut between Bat and Bahla: the Hayl Al-Aja. Excavation at the sediment-rich site near the village of Sint is expected to contribute to the knowledge of the peopling of the intermontane zone between Jebel Kawr and Jebel Shams. The main goal of the opening season has been to check whether the basin-like feature in karstic terrain indeed has a potential for prehistoric research that focuses on environmental, hydrological and depositional variables. During a survey, six prehistoric lithic sites around the polje have been identified. Archaeological testing at the most extensive SITE 1 has resulted in finding a cache-like concentration of 12 unidirectional blade cores of high-quality chert in all stages of reduction together with bladelets and debitage in 20 cm deep sediment. Concerning all aspects of the chaine operatoire (raw material selection, reduction strategy, tool utilization) this material differs from the lithic scatter that is found upon the SITE 1 surface. Dating of the site is under way (Late Pleistocene to Early/Mid-Holocene).


What, at this historical moment "after Auschwitz," still remains of the questions traditionally asked by theology? What now is theology's minimal degree? This magisterial study, the first extended comparison of the writings of Theodor W. Adorno and Emmanuel Levinas, explores remnants and echoes of religious forms in these thinkers' critiques of secular reason, finding in the work of both a "theology in pianissimo" constituted by the trace of a transcendent other. The author analyzes, systematizes, and formalizes this idea of an other of reason. In addition, he frames these thinkers' innovative projects within the arguments of such intellectual heirs as Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida, defending their work against later accusations of "performative contradiction" (by Habermas) or "empiricism" (by Derrida) and in the process casting important new light on those later writers as well. Attentive to rhetorical and rational features of Adorno's and Levinas's texts, his investigations of the concepts of history, subjectivity, and language in their writings provide a radical interpretation of their paradoxical modes of thought and reveal remarkable and hitherto unsuspected parallels between their philosophical methods, parallels that amount to a plausible way of overcoming certain impasses in contemporary philosophical thinking. In Adorno, this takes the form of a dialectical critique of dialectics; in Levinas, that of a phenomenological critique of phenomenology, each of which sheds new light on ancient and modern questions of metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. For the English-language publication, the author has extensively revised and updated the prize-winning German version.


The knowledge and use of popular cures was investigated as part of health education project in such a way as to develop and expand the existing possibilities for critical and constructive discussion in the school within the health program. It was hoped that this would result in the retrieval and in an increase in the value attributed to information concerning this nonsystematized knowledge present in a controversial and poorly accepted form In the practices of the population. One hundred and five teachers and 162 students of the 1st to 4th grades of the four primary schools on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte were interviewed. One hundred and five of the teachers answered the questions put. Twenty-three (32,4%) of the teachers said they believed in special cures, 69 (65,7%) thought that certain diseases could be treated with homemade remedies for these, 54 (78.3%) were able to associate a particular disease whit a particular medicinal plant and 15 (21.7%) prescribed a treatment without any association with a particular disease, 36 (34.3%) cited a disease without relating this to a particular herb. One hundred and one (62,3%) of the students believed that homemade remedies are effective for certain diseases. Amongst the teachers and students various diseases were mentioned as well as different symptoms and organs that can be cured by medicinal plants, roots or traditional healers. A little more than 50% of the two groups of students (1st and 2nd grade, 3rd and 4th grade) live in families who make use of traditional healers to provide alternative cures. More than 36 plants or preparations of parts of plants were indicated by the teachers and students. It is conclude that these individuals possess knowledge of and do in fact make use of alternative medicine.


Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most important member of the antigen presenting cells (APC) group due to their ability to recognize antigen at the infection site and their high specialized antigen internalization capacity. These cells have central role in connecting the innate and adaptive immune responses against Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. These first line defense cells modulate host immune response depending on type, maturation level, cytokine milieu and DC receptor involved in the interactions with T. cruzi, influencing the development of the disease clinic forms. Here, we present a review of DCs– T. cruzi interactions both in human and murine models, pointing out the parasite ability to manipulate DCs activity for the purpose of evading innate immune response and assuring its own survival and persistence.


Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is now firmly established. Large series have confirmed diagnostic accuracy for a wide range of cardiac lesions.1 Diagnosis of some types of congenital heart disease during fetal life provides a potential opportunity for intervention before birth. The rationale for prenatal cardiac intervention for congenital heart defects is compelling. Some congenital heart lesions, particularly those characterised by left or right heart obstruction, are now recognised to be "progressive" with increased severity later in gestation.2 3 If intervention can be undertaken early enough during fetal life then the deterioration which would otherwise have occurred later in gestation should be averted, translating into a better outcome for affected babies. Prenatal intervention for structural cardiac defects has been undertaken with technical success for a number of different cardiac lesions, including critical aortic stenosis,4 5 6 7 8 hypoplastic left heart syndrome with an intact or severely restrictive atrial septum9 and pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum.10 11 Such interventions are now feasible with high rates of technical success at an early stage in pregnancy. It would be expected that if the rationale for prenatal intervention is correct, then technical success would be mirrored by a dramatic improvement in outcome. For any intervention being undertaken during fetal life, the potential adverse effects of disturbing the intrauterine environment, should be outweighed by improved fetal cardiac development and postnatal outcome. Procedural complications, precipitation of preterm delivery,12 intrauterine death and maternal complications are therefore crucial in evaluating the overall benefit of such interventions to judge whether prenatal intervention is "worth it".

It should also be emphasised that prenatal intervention is only being considered for a small minority of the whole population of fetuses diagnosed with congenital heart disease. At the Evelina Children's Hospital, 855 fetuses were …


The wealth of most investors contains both financial assets as well as nonfinancial assets. The author defines shadow assets as (mostly) nonfinancial and nontradable assets that are exogenous to the investor's asset allocation decision, such as human capital, nonfinancial sovereign assets (e.g., underground oil reserves), the present value of future alumni contributions for university endowments, or the nonlisted family business for the client of a family office. Ignoring shadow assets is unfortunate, as it is the existence and nature of shadow assets that distinguishes private investors, university endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices and hence leads to different demands for risky securities. Shadow assets influence the outcome of asset allocation decisions via their covariance with financial assets and their effect on total wealth. Adding shadow assets has two effects on investors: It makes investors more aggressive and can create demand for hedges. Investment advice in the client's best interests needs to incorporate shadow assets as well as shadow liabilities, as optimal allocations differ considerably when shadow components are properly accounted for


[This paper was published in two parts as: 1) Relying on the Information of Interested - and Potentially Dishonest-Parties, 3 Am. L. & Econ. Rev. 320 (2001), and 2) Games, Information and Evidence Production: With Application to English Legal History, 2 Am. L. & Econ. Rev. 342 (2000). It also appeared as a working paper under the title: "Enforcement by Hearing: How the Civil Law Sets Incentives."]The paper is a theoretical analysis of incentive setting via civil litigation, with a focus on incentives for care in activities that may be harmful to others (torts). It makes two main contributions: one directly policy-relevant, one conceptual.In most existing law and economics research, litigation is modeled in reduced form, as a sort of costly audit, without explicit specification of the fact-finding process. In such models it is always more costly to implement higher levels of care, implying that the second best level of care is lower than the first. Here we explicitly consider the court's information problem (in a single agent model; Sanchirico (1997) considers multiple parties). We find that implementation costs tend to decline in care level and the second best tends to exceed the first. This result in hand, we suggest that the familiar claim that current tort systems overdeter may in fact be no indictment.A second contribution of the paper is its integrated conception of evidence production, endogenous cost evidence. Evidence production in court is modeled as costly signaling, where signal costs are endogenous to unobserved choices made outside the court room. Care is inspired to the extent that it reduces signaling costs and so increases payoffs at the subsequent proceeding. These signaling/evidence costs are in turn costs of incentive setting via evidence production. In contrast to existing models and conventional wisdom, this view has the ironic implication that perfect (non-falsifiable) evidence may not be good enough: less perfect evidence which is sufficiently-but not infinitely-more costly for disobedient actions is likely to be cheaper all around and thus a more efficient means of setting incentives.While the paper's focus is on tort law, the model it introduces may be useful in analyzing general situations in which a principal attempts to influence the hidden behavior of an agent based on information that the agent herself supplies.


This paper evaluates three different methods for estimation of reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo) in Bajgah area, Fars province, in Iran. Monthly values of ETo were estimated with Penman-FAO, Penman-Monteith and Hargreaves equations using the mean monthly weather data from 1986-2002 (17 years). The Penman-Monteith and Hargreaves equations were calibrated based on Penman-FAO method which was recognized as the most appropriate equation for ETo estimation, according to the previous studies. This study showed that the results of Penman-Monteith and Hargreaves equations are similar to but somehow they underestimate ETo compared with Penman-FAO method. To calibrate the Penman-Monteith and Hargreaves equations, a linear regression was used. The results of calibration for PenmanMonteith equation showed the variation of the slope of the line and ET0 the calibration coefficient (CH) of the Hargreaves equation for each month. annual ETo estimated.


Big data, accumulated from biomedical and agronomic studies, provides the potential to identify genes controlling complex human diseases and agriculturally important traits through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, big data also leads to extreme computational challenges, especially when sophisticated statistical models are employed to simultaneously reduce false positives and false negatives. The newly developed Fixed and random model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU) method uses a bin method under the assumption that Quantitative Trait Nucleotides (QTNs) are evenly distributed throughout the genome. The estimated QTNs are used to separate a mixed linear model into a computationally efficient fixed effect model (FEM) and a computationally expensive random effect model (REM), which are then used iteratively. To completely eliminate the computationally expensive REM, we replaced REM with FEM by using Bayesian information criteria. To eliminate the requirement that QTNs be evenly distributed throughout the genome, we replaced the bin method with linkage disequilibrium information. The new method is called Bayesian-information and Linkage-disequilibrium Iteratively Nested Keyway (BLINK). Both real and simulated data analyses demonstrated that BLINK improves statistical power compared to FarmCPU, in addition to a remarkable improvement in computing time. Now, a dataset with half million markers and one million individuals can be analyzed within five hours, compared with one week using FarmCPU.


We showed before that both the Aden and Red Sea plate boundaries are currently rifting and propagating along two distinct paths into Afar through the opening of a series of disconnected, propagating rifts. Here we use new geochronological, tectonic, and paleomagnetic data that we acquired mostly in the southeastern part of Afar to examine the geometry, kinematics, and time-space evolution of faulting related to strain transfer processes. It appears that transfer of strain is accommodated by a bookshelf faulting mechanism wherever rifts or plate boundaries happen to overlap without being connected. This mechanism implies the rotation about a vertical axis of small rigid blocks along rift-parallel faults that are shown to slip with a left-lateral component, which is as important as their normal component of slip (rates of ∼2–3 mm/yr). By contrast, where rifts do not overlap, either a classic transform fault (Maskali) or an oblique transfer zone (Mak'arrasou) kinematically connects them. The length of the Aden-Red Sea overlap has increased in the last ∼0.9 Myr, as the Aden plate boundary propagated northward into Afar. As a consequence, the first-order blocks that we identify within the overlap did not all rotate during the same time-span nor by the same amounts. Similarly, the major faults that bound them did not necessarily initiate and grow as their neighboring faults did. Despite these variations in strain distribution and kinematics, the overlap kept accommodating a constant amount of strain (7 to 15% of the extension amount imposed by plate driving forces), which remained distributed on a limited number (seven or eight) of major faults, each one having slipped at constant rates (∼3 and 2 mm/yr for vertical and lateral rates, respectively). The fault propagation rates and the block rotation rates that we either measure or deduce are so fast (30–130 mm/yr and 15–38°/Myr, respectively) that they imply that strain transfer processes are transient, as has been shown to be the case for the processes of tearing, rift propagation, and strain jumps in Afar.


Info 2019 The reliability of a motor control based on a variable speed drive is an important issue for industrial applications. Most of these machines are inverter based induction motors and are used in specific and complex industrial installations. Unlike the induction motor, the feeding part is very delicate and sensitive to faults. In order to improve system performance, it is therefore very important for a researcher to know the impact of a fault on the whole of his drive system. This paper discusses the short-circuit fault of the DC-link capacitor of an inverter fed induction motor. The simulation results of this type of faults are presented and its impact on the behavior of the rectifier, the inverter as well as the induction motor analyzed and


The bulk composition, structure and valence state of a model catalyst containing 3% Pt and 12% MoO3 supported on Al2O3 have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS). Electron microscopy (EM) indicated that molybdenum oxide was likely to be present as a thin surface layer of MoVI as shown by EDX and XPS. MoVI was not quantitatively reduced to MoV and MoIV upon H2 treatment at 673 K. Sulfidation by H2S at 673 K produced more MoIV, mainly as MoS2 spread over the surface and/or in the pores of alumina. A constant in-depth Mo ISS signal indicated that there were larger Mo particles. Sulfur, in turn, was removed by ISS, pointing to the presence of S adspecies other than MoS2, in agreement with XPS. Pt was distributed as separate small crystallites. Reduction created almost clean metallic Pt sputtered away by ISS, indicating its very disperse character. EM, XRD and XPS confirmed that some Pt transformed to PtS upon H2S–H2 treatment, larger PtS crystallites coexisting with smaller Pt particles. A reduced catalyst was very active in cyclohexene hydrogenation; much lower activity with increased benzene selectivity was observed after sulfidation.


Self-similar optical pulses (or "similaritons") of parabolic intensity profile can be found as asymptotic solutions of the nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation in a gain medium such as a fiber amplifier or laser resonator. These solutions represent a wide-ranging significance example of dissipative nonlinear structures in optics. Here, we address some issues related to the formation and evolution of parabolic pulses in a fiber gain medium by means of semi-analytic approaches. In particular, the effect of the third-order dispersion on the structure of the asymptotic solution is examined. Our analysis is based on the resolution of ordinary differential equations, which enable us to describe the main properties of the pulse propagation and structural characteristics observable through direct numerical simulations of the basic partial differential equation model with sufficient accuracy.


Oxidative damage due to free-radical generation in the setting of underlying defects of neuronal energy metabolism has been implicated as a pathogenetic mechanism for Huntington's disease (HD). The authors conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of the tolerability of OPC-14117, a lipophilic free-radical scavenger that concentrates in the brain. Ambulatory patients with HD received OPC-14117 60 mg/d, 120 mg/d, 240 mg/d, or placebo and were assessed by the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) for 20 weeks, including 12 or 16 weeks of assigned treatment and 8 or 4 weeks of blinded withdrawal of the study drug. Tolerability was measured by the proportion of patients completing the initial 12-week course of treatment on their originally assigned regimen. Sixty-four patients were enrolled in the study, 56 of whom completed the 12 weeks of treatment. Treatment was discontinued in four patients (1 placebo, 1 60 mg/d, 2 240 mg/d) due to asymptomatic but persistent serum elevations of liver transaminase. Two patients (1 60 mg/d and 1 120 mg/d) withdrew because of increased involuntary movements, one patient (60 mg/d) withdrew due to persistent dry eyes, and one patient (120 mg/d) withdrew because of persistent vomiting. There were no significant differences between treatment arms in the primary measures of tolerability, the frequency and types of clinical adverse events, or the clinical/functional features of HD. OPC-14117 was safe and generally well tolerated; however, elevations of liver transaminase suggested that continued surveillance monitoring is warranted in conducting more long-term studies of this antioxidant therapy.


High female mortality due to male aggression in Hawaiian monk seals led us to investi- gate the role of habitat use and social structure on sex ratios and aggression at Laysan Island, Hawaii. The sex ratio was strongly skewed towards males in the early 1980s and this, combined with the social structure, asynchronous reproduction, and terrestrial habitat use patterns, resulted in dramatic sex ratio imbalances in particular areas. Male:female ratios approached 1:1 in the northeast, whereas the overall ratio in the southwest was 5:1 ranging up to 25:1. Most of the aggressive incidents were observed in the southwest and females using this area were more likely to incur injuries. To reduce aggression, we selectively removed 37 males between 1984 and 1994, bringing the adult sex ratio to parity. Here, we evaluate the effect of this correction on aggression and female mortality. Before the removals, aggression accounted for an average annual mortality of adult females of 4.1% (range 0 to 12.9%), with up to 8 females being killed per year. The male removals, together with natural pro- cesses, decreased the absolute sex ratio from 2.1:1 in 1983 to 0.9:1 in 1994. Both the proportion and the absolute number of injuries and deaths declined after this date. Although some adult females still incurred severe mounting injuries, the proportion of females that were lost decreased to 0.3% yr -1 (range 0 to 2.6%), and only 3 females are believed to have been killed through 2005. Thus, sex ratio reduction through selective male removals proved to be a valuable tool in reducing mortality in this Critically Endangered species.


Purpose –While it is essential to further research the growing diversity in western metropolitan cities, little is currently known about how the members of various ethnic communities acculturate to multicultural societies. The purpose of this paper is to explore immigrants' cosmopolitanism and acculturation strategies through an analysis of the food consumption behaviour of ethnic consumers in multicultural London. Design/methodology/approach – The study was set within the socio-cultural context of London. A number of qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and photographs were used to assess consumers' acculturation strategies in a multicultural environment and how that is influenced by consumer cosmopolitanism. Findings – Ethnic consumers' food consumption behaviour reflects their acculturation strategies, which can be classified into four groups: rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment. This classification demonstrates ethnic consumers'multi-directional acculturation strategies, which are also determined by their level of cosmopolitanism. Research limitations/implications – The taxonomy presented in this paper advances current acculturation scholarship by suggesting a multi-directional model for acculturation strategies as opposed to the existing uni-directional and bi-directional perspectives and explicates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism in consumer acculturation. The paper did not engage host communities and there is hence a need for future research on how and to what extent host communities are acculturated to the multicultural environment. Practical implications – The findings have direct implications for the choice of standardisation vs adaptation as a marketing strategy within multicultural cities. Whilst the rebellion group are more likely to respond to standardisation, increasing adaptation of goods and service can ideally target members of the resistance and resonance groups and more fusion products should be exclusively earmarked for the resonance group. International Marketing Review Emerald Publishing Limited


Conventional procedures for electrophoretic identification of gain samples according to variety are too slow to permit checking at the time of delivery. The method described permits electrophoretic identification within an hour. It involves extraction of gliadin proteins from crushed grain with 6% urea solution or ethylene glycol, cathodic electrophoresis for 9 min at 300 V in a Micrograd gel (MG 315 from Gradipore Ltd, Sydney, Australia) using sodium lactate buffer (pH 3.1), and staining in Gradipore (at about 50°C). Distinction between a set of Australian varieties was similar to that obtainable with the Australian Standard Procedure.


Pulmonary sarcoidosis is a chronic disorder characterized by the activation of helper/inducer T-cells in the lung without a concomitant increase in suppressor/cytotoxic T-cells. It is known that patients with sarcoidosis have circulating anti-T-cell antibodies, primarily of the IgM class. To evaluate a functional role for these antibodies in enhancing lung helper T-cell processes in pulmonary sarcoidosis, we evaluated serum and lavage fluid of patients with active sarcoidosis for the presence of anti-T-cell antibodies, the T-cell subset specificity of these antibodies, and the possible stimulatory or inhibitory effects of these antibodies on T-cells relevant to the exaggerated helper T-cell processes in sarcoidosis. Indirect immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that sarcoid patients had anti-T-cell antibodies of the IgM type reacting with autologous as well as with nonautologous normal T-cells. IgM recovered in sarcoid lavage fluid also reacted with T-cells, thus demonstrating the autoantibodies at the site of disease. Two-color immunofluorescence and flow cytometry showed that these sarcoid autoantibodies bound to mostly Leu2+ suppressor/cytotoxic T-cells, but also to a small proportion of Leu3+ helper/inducer T-cells. Incubating lymphocytes with sarcoid serum or IgM purified from sarcoid serum did not stimulate T-cell proliferation. Furthermore, when Leu2+ T-cells were stimulated with irradiated allogenic B-cells, increasing concentrations of sarcoid serum had no inhibitory effects on the activation and proliferative response of the Leu2+ T-cells. Likewise, the purified IgM anti-T-cell antibodies had no inhibitory effects on the mitogenic response of Leu2+ T-cells to the anti-T-cell antigen receptor-associated T3 complex antibody OKT3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract The Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay—Xenopus (FETAX) was used to assess the teratogenic potential of two tocolytics. Embryos of the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, were exposed to ritodrine or nifedipine. Exposure media were changed and monitored at 24-hour intervals. The 96-hour LC50 (Lethal concentration), the 96-hour EC50 (Malformation), and the No Observable Adverse Effect Concentrations (NOAEC) and the Lowest Observable Adverse Effect Concentration (LOAEC) for mortality, malformation and length were determined for each drug. Nifedipine was determined to be the more toxic and teratogenic than ritodrine, with a LC50 of 0.606 µg/L, an EC50 of 0.006 µg/L, and a teratogenicity Index (TI) value (LC50/EC50) of 101. On the other hand, the LC50 of ritodrine was 28.571 mg/L. In addition; the LC50, EC50 and TI values for nifedipine in the 5 mg/L ritodrine + nifedipine combination group were determined as 1.050 µg/L, 0.868 µg/L and 1.5 respectively. For ritodrine, the NOAEC and LOAEC values were determined as 2 mg/L and 4 mg/L, respectively. For the nifedipine and the ritodrine + nifedipine groups; while the LOAEC values of these groups were 0.0001 µg/L and 0.1 µg/L, respectively. NOAEC value couldn't be determined. Our results demonstrated that nifedipine administration was associated with higher levels of teratogenic and toxic effects. However, the ritodrine + nifedipine combination form reduced the toxic and teratogenic effects of nifedipine on Xenopus embryos. Further studies should be conducted in order to investigate the optimal combination concentrations of these substances for the treatment of preterm labor.


Head-injured patients were examined by a number of observers whose assessments were compared. Considerable discrepancies occurred when overall "levels" of consciousness and coma were used, and also with some terms which are in common use. More consistent assessments were obtained by employing the "Glasgow Coma Scale," which describes eye opening, verbal behaviour, and motor responsiveness. Nurses and general surgeons were as consistent as neurosurgeons when using this scale, and it was relatively resistant to language or cultural differences between observers. The practical reliability of the Glasgow scale enhances its value, both for monitoring individual cases and for making meaningful comparisons between series of patients with acute brain damage.


ABSTRACT Amitraz is a non-systemic acaracide and insecticide. Current maximum residue limits for amitraz are stated as 'Amitraz including the metabolites containing the 2,4-dimethylaniline moiety'. Therefore, determination of amitraz and its all degradation products are important. In this study, we develop a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for determination of amitraz and its degradation products 2,4 dimethylaniline (DMA), 2,4 dimethylformamidine (DMF) and N-(2,4-dimethyl phenyl)-N'-methylformamidine (DMPF) in cucumber and quince. The mechanism of the degradation process was monitored at different temperatures. Amitraz and its degradation products were extracted using the QuEChERS method. To determine amitraz and its degradation products, we used GC/MS. Quantification was carried out by using selected ion monitoring, and total ion chromatogram was used to monitor additional degradation products. The method was validated by studying linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), recovery and precision. The mechanism of the degradation process was monitored at different temperatures. Degradation of amitraz mainly to three degradation products, namely DMA, DMF and DMPF, increased with temperature. Besides these three main degradation products, two other new degradation products were detected.


The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of South Australia (UniSA) have embarked on Federally-funded project to collaborate in the design, development and delivery of a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in engineering. The collaboration investigates new ways to bring together the strengths and discipline expertise of each institution to the students of both universities, utilising blended teaching and learning approaches. The collaboration brings much change - at the organisational level in the blending of programs, at the staff level in their approaches to teaching and at the students' level in their approaches and engagement with cross-institutional blended learning. This paper focuses on how change management principles were used to guide a systematic approach to engaging students into the learning culture associated with the Engineering Hubs and Spokes Project's theme - 'Advanced Collaboration for Excellence'.


Flapping-wing micro air vehicles, based on insect-like apping, could potentially ll a niche in the current market by o ering the ability to gather information from within buildings. The aerodynamics of insect-like apping are dominated by a large, lift-enhancing leading-edge vortex (LEV). Historically, the cause and structure of this vortex have been the subject of controversy. This thesis is primarily intended to provide insight into the LEV, using computational uid dynamics coupled with validating experiments. The problem is simpli ed by breaking down the complex kinematics involved in insect-like apping and examining only a part of these kinematics; rstly in 2D, before progressing to 3D sweeping wing motions. The thesis includes discussion of published literature in the eld, highlighting gaps and inconsistencies in the current knowledge. Among the contributions of this thesis are: descriptions of the e ects of changing Reynolds number and angle of attack for 2D and 3D ows; clari cation of terminology and phenomenology, particular in the context of 2D ows; and detailed descriptions of the development and structure of the LEV in both 2D and 3D cases, including discussion of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The issues of Strouhal number, delayed leading-edge separation, dynamic stall and the Wagner e ect are also considered. Generally, the LEV is shown to be unstable in 2D cases. However, in 3D cases the LEV is seen to be stable, even if Reynolds number is increased. The stability of the LEV is found to be critically dependent on wing aspect ratio.


© 2016 Deputy of Research and Technology of Baqiyatallah Hospital Abstract Introduction: Cardiac diseases are of of the most common diseases in the world. Patients with these diseases should be treated for a long time and cardiac rehabilitation must be performed for them in order to return to an active life. There is an inverse relationship between the amount of physical activity and mortality rate in patients with cardiac diseases. Exercise-based rehabilitation is an important and effective part of comprehensive care of patients with heart diseases, which in addition to controlling the disease, declines its progression and improves its symptoms. Hence, this article by utilizing the scientific evidence, reviewed the beneficial effects of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation and training characteristic in patients with cardiac diseases. Materials and Methods: In this review article, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases and Persian language articles were used for searching the relevant studies. Results: The performance of exercise-rehabilitation by patients with heart diseases enables them to perform their daily activities and improves their functional capacity. There is an inverse relationship between participation in exercise-based rehabilitation program and mortality rate. Conclusions: High-intensity exercise improves cardiac functions and exercise capacity. Type, intensity, frequency, duration and need to supervise exercise rehabilitation could be determined individually according to each patient's symptoms.


THE DEVELOPMENT of selective media has greatly improved the isolation of salmonellae from faeces, sewage and food. Several media, such as brilliant-green phenol-red agar (Kristensen, Lester and Jurgens, 1925), the medium of Wilson and Blair (1926, 1927, 1931) and deoxycholate-citrate agar (Leifson, 1935), as modified by Hynes (1942), are still in general use. Nevertheless they are far from ideal (British Medical Journal, 1968). Even when carefully prepared and controlled, they often support an abundant growth of Klebsiella, Proteus or Pseudomonas which may obscure the presence of Salmonella. Wilson and Blair's (WB) medium, and to a less extent that of Hynes, also suffer the serious disadvantage of varying unpredictably from batch to batch. The new medium described in this paper largely overcomes these difficulties and appears to be more selective, more reproducible and more reliable for the isolation of salmonellae, other than Salm. typhi, than the media in common use for this purpose.


This best-selling guide is ideal for those starting out as well as the more experienced boarders looking to fix a persistent problem or just improve their skills. Along with dozens of color photographs, Snowboarding Skills features: Pro tips from the world's top boarders Action photo sequences with explanatory diagrams Directional arrows showing exactly how and where to turn "Don't" and "do" photo comparisons Troubleshooting sidebars Lessons to improve skills Explanations on understanding snow and weather conditions Safety tips and equipment maintenance Hill etiquette, avoiding injury, and more. From the basics of standing up and stopping to the challenges of pivoting and jumping, Snowboarding Skills covers everything a boarder needs to know.


For a substorm 24 July 1998 PIXIE observes the onset and expansion during a perigee pass of the Polar satellite. This gives an opportunity to follow the evolution of the onset and expansion phase, almost on a global scale with relatively high temporal resolution. The substorm is presented with multiple observations throughout the magnetosphere. Following the onset of the substorm we observe a localised region of modulated energetic electron fluxes following the passage of the westward travelling surge in the pre-midnight region. We count at least six clear pulses with a period of approximately one minute. Concurrent magnetic ground measurements show similar characteristics, almost simultaneously with the pulses in precipitation. We propose several possible mechanism for the pulsations, amongst them the theory of modulated wave particle interaction first proposed by coroniti70.


Background. Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) is an instructional method in which students work together in a cooperative framework, jointly construct a model of text and come to its potential meaning through discussions.
Purpose. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group research design was used to examine the effects of cooperative grouping within the framework of CSR, with the aim of determining whether cooperative grouping is effective in developing EFL students' reading skills.
Method. The response variables included the students' scores on questions testing Vocabulary, Factual Information, Prose Summary, Sentence Simplification, Reference Question and Insert text, whereas the explanatory variable was group membership (+/- cooperative), measured across three testing times (the beginning, middle and the end of the experimental intervention).
Results. The results indicate that the students exposed to CSR within cooperative groups significantly developed those reading skills which focus on the comprehension of global information – prose summary, insert text and reference question. A possible explanation is that, in order to answer these questions, readers must approach the text in a holistic manner and focus on its main ideas, which seems to be facilitated by discussions in heterogeneous teams and negotiations of meaning resulting from those discussions.
Conclusion. The main pedagogical implication of the results concerns the need for introducing cooperative grouping as an alternative to a typical university-level foreign language classroom, allowing teachers to organize an effective, interactive context for reading academic texts in English.


Since their appearance in 1994 in the Concept virus, VBA macros remain a preferred choice for malware authors. There are two main attack techniques when it comes to document-based malware: exploits and VBA macros, with the latter applied in the vast majority of threats. Although Microsoft have added multiple security features in an attempt to protect users against malicious macros, such protections are often easily circumvented by simple social engineering techniques. Anti-virus companies can no longer rely on static signatures due to the rate at which new macro malware is distributed, and thus are tasked with employing a more proactive approach to threat detection. This paper details the literature on machine learning methods for the detection of VBA macro malware. Further, a machine learning system for the detection of VBA macro malware is proposed and evaluated. A Random Forest classifier achieves a true positive detection rate of 98.9875% with a false positive detection rate of 1.07% over a set of 611 mixed (benign and malicious) malware samples.


As countries seek to develop their education systems, achieving sustainable improvements amongst students from disadvantaged communities remains a major challenge. This has considerable implications for those in the research community as they seek to influence developments in the field.

Drawing on the authors' extensive experiences as researchers, policy advisors and influencers, Changing Education Systems offers key insights on how to promote equity within education systems. Exploring three large-scale national reform programmes, the book:

Presents a series of propositions that are the basis of a research-based approach to system change
Explains the creation of relationships in which academic researchers collaborate in the process of development
Considers smaller place-based projects that are set within policy contexts dominated by the idea of market forces as a strategy for improvement
Explores the steps needed to overcome locally specific barriers
Changing Education Systems is a must-read for policy-makers and practitioners involved in educational reforms, as well as researchers wishing to contribute to and learn from such developments.


We study the response to slow tectonic loading of rough faults governed by velocity weakening rate and state friction, using a 2‐D plane strain model. Our numerical approach accounts for all stages in the seismic cycle, and in each simulation we model a sequence of two earthquakes or more. We focus on the global behavior of the faults and find that as the roughness amplitude, br, increases and the minimum wavelength of roughness decreases, there is a transition from seismic slip to aseismic slip, in which the load on the fault is released by more slip events but with lower slip rate, lower seismic moment per unit length, M0,1d, and lower average static stress drop on the fault, Δτt. Even larger decreases with roughness are observed when these source parameters are estimated only for the dynamic stage of the rupture. For br ≤ 0.002, the source parameters M0,1d and Δτt decrease mutually and the relationship between Δτt and the average fault strain is similar to that of a smooth fault. For faults with larger values of br that are completely ruptured during the slip events, the average fault strain generally decreases more rapidly with roughness than Δτt.


In this study indirect  ELISA  test was conducted on 118 serum samples for Cytomegalovirus collected from women in different ages and cases in Bent AL-Huda hospital. Indirect ELISA was applied on all these samples depending on the optical density (OD) value of sera previously prepared  from blood of well know healthy and non-vaccinated women.  According to ages groups the higher ratio are (56.5%) was observed in first age group. A highly significant differences were observed in the seropositivity concerning to age groups (P< 0.01). According to Cases groups the higher ratio of seropositivity were found in women (75.61%) was observed in Recurrent abortion and then in Bleeding (75 %). The Quantitative ELISA test was used to detect the Luteinizing hormone as antigens in same serum samples.  the higher rate of Luteinizing hormone positivity was observed in the last age groups (83.33%). there was a highly significant difference between the ages groups. Depending  on Cases the higher rate of Luteinizing hormone positivity was (87.50%) in bleeding case , there was highly significant  difference in the Luteinizing hormone in Cases groups of Quantitative ELISA


Abstract Wind profiles measured with the Arecibo Observatory 430 MHz radar during 1979 and 1980 have been used to calculate frequency and radial wavenumber power spectra. Periods between 2 min and 6 h and vertical wavelength between 300 m and 13.5 km are covered by the spectra The data are line-of-sight velocity components obtained with a beam pointing between 5.4° and 15° off-vertical. The presented evidence supports the conclusion that the dominant contribution to the spectra at periods less than 1 h is from the vertical velocity component. The frequency spectra have spectral slopes near −1 for periods of less than 1 h, and the radial wavenumber spectra have slopes between −1 and −3/2. The results are discussed in the context of two-dimensional turbulence and a universal gravity-wave spectrum. We also present the spectra from an event associated with convection in the early evening hours. A strong peak in the spectral energy near the Brunt-Vaisala frequency was present during the convective activity. Th...


To increase the open circuit voltage (VOC) of polymer solar cells based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) containing polymers, the weakly electron-withdrawing thiophene-3,4-dicarboxylate unit was introduced into the polymer backbone. Two ester group functionalized DPP containing polymers, PCTDPP with a random structure and PDCTDPP with a regular structure, were designed and synthesized by the Stille coupling reaction. The resulting copolymers exhibit broad and strong absorption bands from 350 to 1000 nm with low optical band gaps below 1.40 eV. Through cyclic voltammetry measurements, it is found that regular PDCTDPP's HOMO energy level is 0.18 V lower than that of the corresponding random PCTDPP (−5.14 eV for PCTDPP and −5.32 eV for PDCTDPP). Preliminary photovoltaic properties of the copolymers blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as an electron acceptor were investigated. The PSC based on a PCTDPP:PCBM blend shows a power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 3.52%, with a VOC of 0.66 V, a short circuit current (ISC) of 8.53 mA cm−2, and a fill factor (FF) of 0.63. For the PDCTDPP:PCBM blend, the highest VOC reaches a value of 0.84 V, and a final PCE (0.92%) is limited by the poor hole mobility of the active layer.


A new sensitive and selective pulse polarographic method for the determination of Se(IV) next to interfering ions is described. This method is based on the highly sensitive peak formed by the reaction of Se(IV) with o-phenylenediamine in Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH 2.5) at --0.08 V vs. SCE. The new peak due to the Se(IV)/o-PDA complex not only prevents the interference of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Sn(II) for selenium, but also increases its sensitivity. A linear calibration graph is obtained for Se(IV) at a concentration of 5.0 x 10-8 to 6.8 x 10-5 M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9988. The proposed method showed good reproducibility and accuracy with a relative standard deviation of 5.5% and relative error of --5.6% for the determination of 5.0 x 10-8 M Se(IV) next to 5.0 x 10-7 M Pb(II). There is no serious interference from some ions when present at levels more than 50 times that selenium and no need for separation or pre-concentration procedures, which are tedious, time-consuming and polluting.


Over the past decade, radiocarbon dating of the carbonate contained in the mineral fraction of calcined bones has emerged as a viable alternative to dating skeletal remains in situations where collagen is no longer present. However, anomalously low δ13C values have been reported for calcined bones, suggesting that the mineral fraction of bone is altered. Therefore, exchange with other sources of carbon during heating cannot be excluded. Here, we report new results from analyses on cremated bones found in archaeological sites in Africa and the Near East, as well as the results of several experiments aiming at improving our understanding of the fate of mineral and organic carbon of bone during heating. Heating of modern bone was carried out at different temperatures, for different durations, and under natural and controlled conditions, and the evolution of several parameters (weight, color, %C, %N, δ13C value, carbonate content, crystallinity indexes measured by XRD and FTIR) was monitored. Results from archaeological sites confirm that calcined bones are unreliable for paleoenvironmental and paleodietary reconstruction using stable isotopes. Experimental results suggest that the carbon remaining in bone after cremation likely comes from the original inorganic pool, highly fractionated due to rapid recrystallization. Therefore, its reliability for 14C dating should be seen as close to that of tooth enamel, due to crystallographic properties of calcined bones.


The ferritic-martensitic steel EUROFER is intended for use as a structural material for blanket components of future fusion reactors. A blanket module consists of a multiplicity of diffusion-welded cooling plates, which are connected by TIG, EB or laser welding seams. For the quality assurance of these welding seams the ultrasonic non-destructive testing is currently examined. In the context of this work the ultrasonic immersion testing is considered for the examination of EUROFER parts including welding seams of different types (diffusion welding, electron-beam welding and TIG - welding). Differently arranged artificial flaws of varying sizes were introduced into the welding seams to determine their minimum detectable size. In essence, the artificially introduced flaws for immersion testing consisted of longitudinal holes and cross holes 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm in diameter as well as of tungsten wires whose diameter was in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm. Investigations were conducted using the KC 200 immersion testing facility developed by GE Inspection Technologies. Ultrasonic testing was performed intermitting straight- and angle beam examinations of longitudinal and transverse waves from sensors of different resolutions. The DAC (Distance Amplitude Correction) curves for flaws that are 0.2 mm and 0.1 mm in diameter were derived from the measuring results in addition.


Mapping the landscape of possible macromolecular polymer sequences to their fitness in performing biological functions is a challenge across the biosciences. A paradigm is the case of aptamers, nucleic acids that can be selected to bind particular target molecules. We have characterized the sequence-fitness landscape for aptamers binding allophycocyanin (APC) protein via a novel Closed Loop Aptameric Directed Evolution (CLADE) approach. In contrast to the conventional SELEX methodology, selection and mutation of aptamer sequences was carried out in silico, with explicit fitness assays for 44 131 aptamers of known sequence using DNA microarrays in vitro. We capture the landscape using a predictive machine learning model linking sequence features and function and validate this model using 5500 entirely separate test sequences, which give a very high observed versus predicted correlation of 0.87. This approach reveals a complex sequence-fitness mapping, and hypotheses for the physical basis of aptameric binding; it also enables rapid design of novel aptamers with desired binding properties. We demonstrate an extension to the approach by incorporating prior knowledge into CLADE, resulting in some of the tightest binding sequences.


In brief: Little information is available about medical complaints after marathons held in cool weather. To obtain such information medical records were maintained on every runner requesting medical attention after the Bostonfest Marathon on Oct 30, 1983. One hundred sixty-four (11.5%) of the runners finishing the race requested medical attention at the finish line. Men and women requested attention with equal frequency, but younger (20 to 30 years old) and faster (finishing in less than 3:00) runners sought medical attention more often than the older and slower runners. The complaints and symptoms of runners after the race were similar to those of runners following warm-weather races.


This study concerns the relationship between students' travel behaviour and their attitudes towards environmental issues. Previous studies have shown car use correlated with attitudes towards climate change, and with attitudes towards various policy measures designed to reduce car use. This study aimed to explore these relationships amongst students. 305 questionnaires were completed by undergraduates from several built environment courses. The findings reveal a surprisingly high level of car availability and use, even amongst first years living on campus with no parking. There is a statistically significant relationship between car availability and level of concern about climate change, though the differences are small. There was no significant relationship between car ownership or use and acceptance of scientific evidence about climate change, although there was a significant gender difference: all of the 'climate sceptics' in the sample were male. There were strong associations between car availability/use and support for policies around parking and allocation of road space to pedestrians and cyclists, but not with other measures such as investment in rail and increasing tax on petrol. The conclusions of this paper consider the implications of the findings for teaching of sustainable transport and climate change issues to built environment students.


This study investigates the mode identifiability of a multi-span cable-stayed bridge in terms of a benchmark study using stabilization diagrams of a system model identified using stochastic subspace identification (SSI). Cumulative contribution ratios (CCRs) estimated from singular values of system models under different wind conditions were also considered. Observations revealed that wind speed might influence the mode identifiability of a specific mode of a cable-stayed bridge. Moreover the cumulative contribution ratio showed that the time histories monitored during strong winds, such as those of a typhoon, can be modeled with less system order than under weak winds. The blind data Acc 1 and Acc 2 were categorized as data obtained under a typhoon. Blind data Acc 3 and Acc 4 were categorized as data obtained under wind conditions of critical wind speeds around 7.5 m/s. Finally, blind data Acc 5 and Acc 6 were categorized as data measured under weak wind conditions.


Notes on Contributors vii Introduction 1 Jean-Michel Rabat'e 1 Hard and Soft Modernism: Politics as Theory 15 Peter Nicholls 2 Streams Beyond Consciousness: Stylistic Immediacy in the Modernist Novel 35 Vicki Mahaffey 3 Modernisms High and Low 55 Eric Bulson 4 Kafka, Modernism, and Literary Theory 75 Vivian Liska 5 Race: Tradition and Archive in the Harlem Renaissance 87 Jeremy Braddock 6 Empire, Imperialism, and Modernism 107 John Marx 7 Marxist Modernisms: From Jameson to Benjamin 123 Catherine Flynn 8 Reactionary Modernism 139 Robert L. Caserio 9 Transnationalism at the Departure Gate 157 Matthew Hart 10 From Ritual to the Archaic in Modernism: Frazer, Harrison, Freud, and the Persistence of Myth 173 Shanyn Fiske 11 Modernism, Orientalism, and East Asia 193 Christopher Bush 12 Translation Studies and Modernism 209 Steven G. Yao 13 Modernism, Mind, and Manuscripts 225 Dirk Van Hulle 14 Modernism and Visual Culture 239 Laura Marcus 15 More Kicks than Pricks: Modernist Body-Parts 255 Maud Ellmann 16 Materialities of Modernism: Objects, Matter, Things 281 Bill Brown 17 Glamour s Silhouette: Fashion, Fashun, and Modernism 297 Judith Brown 18 Otherness and Singularity: Ethical Modernism 313 Marian Eide 19 Phenomenology and Affect: Modernist Sulking 327 Sara Crangle 20 Queer Modernism 347 Benjamin Kahan 21 Cultural Capital and the Revolutions of Literary Modernity, from Bourdieu to Casanova 363 James F. English 22 Modernism and Cognitive Disability: A Genealogy 379 Joseph Valente 23 From Parody to the Event from Affect to Freedom: Observations on the Feminine Sublime in Modernism 399 Ewa Plonowska Ziarek 24 Aesthetic Formalism, the Form of Artworks, and Formalist Criticism 415 Jonathan Loesberg 25 Ranci'ere s Aesthetic Regime: Modernism, Politics, and the Logic of Excess 431 Molly Anne Rothenberg Index 445


INTRODUCTION
Every year about 400 women in Denmark are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 175 die from the disease. Studies show that the majority of patients did not participate in screening programmes and that a significant number of non-participants died from the disease compared to participants with two or more previous cervical smears. The aim was to investigate the screening profile of women who died from cervical cancer compared to a control group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 72 patients were included in a case-control study. Five cases were excluded. One geographical and age-matched control person was drawn by the Danish Civil Registration System. All data files about the disease and screening profile of every case and control person were registered in a data base. The statistics were performed by the chi2-test with Yates correction.

RESULTS
63% of the patients were non-participants compared to 49% of the controls. The study showed that elderly women in particular are insufficiently screened as 65% of cases as well as controls at 60 years or older were non-participants.

CONCLUSION
The fact that non-participants suffered from advanced cervical cancers compared to the participants at the time of diagnosis means that increase of the response rate must be the focus of attention in the future.


Few qualitative studies have been done in Cambodia, a country held hostage by the murderous Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. As it recovers from these atrocities, Cambodia looks to education to aid in its redevelopment. This ethnographically-informed case study describes the educational understandings and oral history of residents of a rural Cambodian village. By listening to the voices of those who lived through the Khmer Rouge era and those who grew up in its shadow, we can better understand the foundations of education in rural Cambodia. The research describes ways in which literacy is exhibited in this village, revealing the possibilities of rich alternate literacies and strong beliefs in the future of education. Using both Paulo Freire's work and a feminist lens as suggested by Sara Lawrence- Lightfoot, field work was conducted in Cambodia using a variety of data sources: observations, interviews, and casual conversations. Analysing these data using the Portraiture Approach resulted in a complex picture of life within the village and ways literacy is shared. Findings from this case study reveal a rich foundation on which to build literacy within Cambodian by tending to the expressed and observed local needs.


Domestic Cat Felis silvestris catus populations have been increasing since the 1970s in Western Europe. This increase is particularly notable in human habitats, such as gardens and parks, where Cats have locally become the most abundant carnivore. In urban contexts, understanding Cat behaviour could be important for biodiversity management. In this study, we analysed Cat predation on garden birds, using existing data from ringing programmes in France and Belgium. These types of data permit us to (1) investigate the bird species killed by Cats, (2) analyse changes in the proportion of birds killed by Cats over the years 2000–2015, and (3) compare the causes of bird mortality as reported by observers. The most affected species were passerines, both granivorous and insectivorous (Europian Robin Erithacus rubecula, Dunnock Prunella modularis, Greenfinch Carduelis chloris), who can frequently be found feeding on the ground or visiting feeders in the winter. Perched birds (Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita, Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla) were less represented. Ground-dwelling habits were significantly correlated to predation rates. Between 2000 and 2015, Cat-related mortality in garden birds increased by at least 50%, depending on the ringing programme studied, which coincided with an increase in Cat populations. Cat-related mortality is one of the leading causes of death reported by observers (12.8–26.3% of total dead birds) and occurs at the same order of magnitude as deaths due to collisions with windows. These results underline the need to consider Cats and their potential impacts on urban biodiversity management at garden and urban levels.


The present study comprises 12 female cows on one farm in Tirana district. The purpose of this study is to investigate and evaluate the efficiency of three common local anesthetics techniques used during rumenotomi. The purpose was to compare different conditions and types of foreign bodies syndrome which precipitated the need to perform the surgical intervention. The selected cows were divided into four groups with three cows belonging to each one of them. Rumenotomi was performed under the sedation protocol with Xylasine (0.05 mg/kg). After that proksimal paravertebral nerve block was performed in the first group. In the second group the distal paravertebral block was administered. In the third group linear infiltration local block was performed. While in the fourth group distal paravertebral nerve block with linear infiltration was performed. The local anesthesia was administered using lidocaine 2%. To conclude, the quality of anesthesia and analgesia used in the fourth group (distal paravertebral nerve block with linear infiltration) was more clinically suitable for performing surgery without complications during rumenotomi when compared with the other three techniques performed in the other three groups.


One of the most studied aspects of ecosystems in recent years has been the relationship between plant species diversity and ecosystem functions; however, the relationship with one such ecosystem function, soil conservation, has been less well studied. We established forest plots in the secondary succession phases of a semihumid evergreen broadleaf forest in China. The plots differed in plant species richness but had otherwise similar soil-erosion factors, observed surface runoff, sediment, and total phosphorus (P) loss. We analyzed the relationship between plant diversity and soil conservation and stability. Results indicated that the frequency and volume of surface runoff, sediment, and total P loss in the test plots, as well as their CV (coefficients of variation), present significant negative correlations with increasing species richness. The plot with the lowest richness in Yunnan pine, African boxwood, and running mountaingrass (Ass. Pinus yunnanensis, Myrsine africana, and Oplismenus compositus [APMO]) yielded the highest runoff rates, with runoff occurring a total of 77 times: 23, 32, and 22 times in 2001, 2002, and 2003, respectively. The average values for surface runoff, sediment, and total P loss over the three-year study period were, respectively, 960.20 m3 ha−1 y−1 (13.72 thousand ft3 ac−1 yr−1), 11.40 t ha−1 y−1 (4.54 tn ac−1 yr−1), and 127.69 kg ha−1 y−1 (113.82 lb ac−1 yr−1). The CV values for the three parameters were, respectively, 287.6, 534.21, and 315.47. However, in the plot with the highest richness in a native oak species, Evelyn keteleeria, and a species of viola (Ass. Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides, Keteleeria evelyniana, and Viola duelouxii [ACKV]), surface runoff only occurred 9 times: 2, 4, and 3 times, respectively in the three years. The average values for surface runoff, sediment, and total P loss were 75.55 m3 ha−1 y−1 (1.08 thousand ft3 ac−1 yr−1), 0.28 t ha−1 y−1 (0.11 tn ac−1 yr−1), and 4.71 kg ha−1 y−1 (4.20 lb ac−1 yr−1). The CV values for the three parameters were, respectively, 57.93, 187.94, and 59.2. Plant density increased linearly in herb, shrub, and tree layers with increasing plant species richness, whereas plant cover increased logarithmically. Plant species diversity can enhance soil conservation, but this effect was comparatively weak relative to the contributions of plant cover and density to soil conservation. Plant species diversity increases plant density and cover in the local community, indirectly regulating and enhancing soil conservation. Competition and niche theories can explain, to some extent, the increases in plant density and cover. Our results challenge the view of a negative relationship between plant species diversity and productivity.


We present a new class of irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes for finite block length (up to a few thousand symbols). The proposed codes are efficiently encodable and have a simple rate-compatible puncturing structure which is suitable for incremental redundancy hybrid automatic repeat request (IR-HARQ) systems. The codes outperform optimized irregular LDPC codes and (extended) irregular repeat-accumulate codes for rates 0.67-0.94, and are particularly good at high puncturing rates where good puncturing performance has been previously difficult to achieve. These characteristics result in good throughput performance over time-varying channels in IR-HARQ systems


The study examined budget and financial control in selected government parastatals in Nigeria. The survey research design was adopted in the study. Primary data was obtained using a well-designed questionnaire. Data gathered in the study was analyzed using descriptive, correlation analysis, logit regression analysis and other post estimation tests. Findings obtained in the study indicated that budget preparation exerts insignificant positive impact on financial control in Nigerian government parastatals with coefficient estimate of .034178 (p=0.195> 0.05); budget implementation exerts insignificant positive impact on financial control of Nigerian government parastatals with coefficient estimate of .0082354 (p=0.750> 0.05) and budget monitoring and evacuation exert insignificant positive impact on financial control, with coefficient estimate of .0468773 (p=0.234> 0.05). Premise on these findings, the study concluded that financial control on the average tends to increase as government parastatals experience effectual budget performance, with more budget preparation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation as opposed to the usual neglect of budget after implementation. Hence, it was suggested that government should ensure improvement in budget design; government should ensure adequate budget monitoring procedure and government should ensure viable budget evaluation procedure.


Research into titles has always been a neglected field in Onomastics, though, because of its interdisciplinarity, it deserves attention. This study examines what titles are given to paintings of different representation modes by elementary school children. Challenges in giving titles to paintings depend on several factors (e.g. age, prior knowledge, cultural influences, concentration skills), which determine the outcome collectively; but a high degree of empathy, abstraction and insightfulness is always required from the person giving the title. The author carried out a questionnaire survey, in which answers were given by second, fifth and eighth grade pupils. Children were expected to give titles to, among others, a realistic and a cubist painting. Titles suggested are examined in the present paper from semantic and formal points of view, exploring habitual practices of giving titles by children of this age-group. The topic deserves further research.


Nasal drug delivery has been used since ancient times for therapeutic and recreational
purposes. For the last decades, nasal drug delivery has been extended for drug delivery to the
brain. Therefore, it is important to understand the several physiological and physicochemical factors of
the nose for brain drug delivery.

A major highlight of the present review article is the several aspects of the nose to brain delivery
for migraine treatment. This review will help to understand different factors which are needed to
be considered for intra-nasal formulations to achieve the desired therapeutic effects.

There are different drug delivery routes available for migraine treatment. Nasal route of administration
may be optimal for migraine treatment which has better drug concentration in the brain.
These approaches may be associated with limiting the adverse effects of drug therapeutics.

A list of total FDA approved approaches has been provided. Novel approaches used for drug
targeting to get maximum drug concentration in the brain have been highlighted. Several novel drug
delivery approaches such as nanoparticle, nanoemulsion, microspheres, etc. have been reported and better
therapeutic effects have been observed. Among the novel approaches, some of them are currently
under either Phase II or Phase III development but may prove to offer better clinical effects. These approaches
would become the alternate choice for migraine treatment with patients experiencing symptoms
consistent with gastrointestinal dysfunction associated with migraine.

 Intra-nasal administration of drugs for migraine treatment may offer an interesting alternative
for achieving therapeutic effects of drugs which are comparable to the parenteral route. Nasal drug
delivery can be an alternative route of drug administration for migraine treatment to achieve better
bioavailability.


The sustainable management of coastal zones requires appropriate tools within the framework of the Blue Economy. This paper adopts a supply/coastal zone perspective to investigate key issues and aspects related to the implementation of coastal tourism initiatives. The main research question is: "What lessons could we take from practical experiences?" A related question is: "What are the critical factors for effective implementation?" The paper's aim is to suggest a framework of essential factors and guidelines for successful and effective implementation of related projects. The study's focus is on gaining insight and capitalizing on experience from Integrated Coastal Zone Management plans implemented in four countries.


A method of accelerated eradication of bovine brucellosis was developed and applied in the Czech Republic, where livestock was reared primarily in large-scale units. Before this method was adopted, annual economic losses were about US dollars 20 million and thousands of people were estimated to suffer from brucellosis (e.g. 32.4% of tested veterinarians were positive). Initial mass serological testing confirmed 654 outbreaks with 99,787 intrafocal bovines distributed in half of the regions of the Republic. Disease incidence was 213 with a prevalence of 676 per 100,000 bovines. Systematic investigations detected all affected herds, including 91 new outbreaks. A depopulation policy was applied on farms and ranches with brucellosis-infected cattle, with the aim of totally eradicating the disease by a fixed deadline. Breeding on diseased ranches was temporarily discontinued and affected herds were replaced by healthy cattle from brucellosis-free regions. Since then, the incidence of the disease in cattle and humans has been maintained at level zero. Eradication without recurrence was achieved within five years, without reducing the cattle population, the rate of cattle production, or the income of farmers. Ten years after the eradication of the disease, the cumulative benefit/eradication cost ratio reached 7:1. Post-eradication surveillance has confirmed a brucellosis-free status. The eradication of bovine brucellosis has resulted in an increase in cattle production and trade. By 2000, eradication had averted losses of approximately US dollars 700 million and saved more than two thousand people from becoming affected with this zoonosis.


This article analyses the circumstances under which the EU incurs liability for contributing to breaches of EU law committed by Member States. It proposes to distinguish between what will be called primary liability, i.e. the liability that directly arises from the violation committed by the Member State, and associated liability, i.e. the liability arising for having contributed to the Member State's violation. Systematically analysing the ECJ's case law on primary and associated EU liability for contributions to breaches of EU law, this article identifies patterns in the Court's approach and ultimately provides a clearer picture of the conditions under which liability may arise.


The effect of a boron based anion receptor, tris (hexafluoroisopropyle) borate (THFIPB), on the electrochemistry of graphite was investigated in 1 M LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate (EC/DMC, 1:1 by weight) electrolyte. A stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and more porous SEI layer, as observed by SEM, was formed in the presence of THFIPB. The rate capability of the graphite electrode was improved due to THFIPB addition. Capacity measurements performed for more than 200 cycles showed that the capacity retention was significantly improved due to THFIPB addition. Cycling experiments at 0 °C and 50 °C demonstrated that THFIPB is compatible with operations in an extended temperature window, and improved practical specific charge was demonstrated. Improved performance was also demonstrated for LiFePO4 (LFP) cathodes in combination with THFIPB containing electrolyte. However, in graphite-LFP full cells, the use of the THFIPB containing electrolyte resulted in a slightly lower capacity, attributed to the higher irreversible charge "loss" and corresponding limitations of the Li-inventory in the balanced cell.


Men appear more likely to delay seeking medical advice for cancer symptoms, resulting in later stage at diagnosis and poorer health outcomes. Limited research has investigated variation in men's experiences of and responses to cancer symptoms. This study examined the psychosocial aspects of men's help-seeking for cancer symptoms, as well as potential variation across men residing in urban and rural Australia. Semistructured interviews were conducted with men recently diagnosed with cancer (n = 13). Participants' partners (n = 8) were recruited to enable data triangulation. Interview schedules addressed participants' pathway to cancer treatment, cancer knowledge, masculinity, and rural living. A theoretical thematic analysis approach was used. Medical help-seeking behavior was similar for participants residing in urban and rural areas. Five key themes and one subtheme were identified, including symptom factors, traditional masculine norms (subtheme: women's health-related responsibilities), level of concern, conflicting responsibilities and access, and trust in medical professionals. Participants from rural Australia experienced greater access difficulties and noted optimism regarding symptoms. Results highlight important within-gender differences in the psychosocial barriers to help-seeking for cancer symptoms. Future research should further explore variation between men and test the predictive strength of factors.


Sellers work together as a team on sales opportunities, using their expertise in different roles to increase the probability of a win. These roles include managing the relationship with the client, overall architecture support or deep knowledge of a particular product depending on the seller's expertise, and the current opportunity requirements. Forming the right team for an incoming opportunity is vital and depends on several factors including understanding the required roles for the opportunity and assigning the right person to fulfill these roles, taking into consideration the seller's social network. In this paper, we present the Opportunity Team Builder solution, which supports sellers in this work by dividing the process into the following sub-tasks; identifying the required roles for the opportunity based on the products that the client is interested in, recommending the best people to fulfill these roles, and providing a win probability figure to guide users in team formation. This supports the sellers in forming the bestfitting team for current opportunity dynamics. Each task in the solution is implemented as a model using historical data from previous sales opportunities. Models work in coordination with each other to ultimately maximize the probability of win over loss. The solution not only recommends the best person to join a team taking into account a combination of inferred skills and social relationships, but also the predicted impact the person can have on the overall performance of the team. We present how the whole solution is realized with an intelligent user interface enabling interaction with the user throughout the team formation process. Substantial experiments with real world data show that win/loss prediction is performed accurately and the Opportunity Team Builder solution can recommend teams that achieve a higher win probability.


Dendrogeomorphological analyses of trees affected by debris flows have regularly been used to date past events. However, while previous studies in the Swiss Alps have focused primarily on granitic and gneissic debris-flow material and on Larix decidua Mill. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. trees, they have - at the same time - widely disregarded torrents dominated by finely fractured calcareous and dolomitic lithologies and forests populated with Pinus sylvestris L. In this paper, we report on results obtained from a debris-flow cone in the Rhone valley (Valais, Switzerland) where very fine and muddy material (limestone, dolomite, quartzite and calcite) occasionally affects P. sylvestris trees. Based on the results of a geomorphic map, 1004 increment cores from 451 disturbed P. sylvestris, 37 L. decidua and five P. abies trees were sampled, allowing reconstruction of 15 events between AD 1793 and 2005 as well as the determination of breakout locations of events. From the data, it also appears that debris-flow material only rarely left the incised channel over the last 200 years and that overbank sedimentation events did not occur after 1961, when a rockslide delivered large amounts of erodible material and subsequent debris flows caused an important incision of the canyon on the cone.


Testing is a key step in the software development cycle. Errors and bug fixing costs can significantly affect development costs without a full and comprehensive test on the system. Testing is even more important in real-time systems, because they are used in environments where a single failure could lead to serious damages. The first efforts to change the Linux kernel, introducing in it some real-time features, are dating back more than ten years ago. Nevertheless, up to now there's not a comprehensive test suite able to assesses the functionality and the conformance to the real-time operating systems standards for the Linux kernel and for the real-time nanokernels that rely on it. This paper discusses an ongoing work on Lachesis, an automated test suite for real-time Linux features. Lachesis's main goals are: to provide a standard and simple API to develop new tests; to provide a set of functional, regression, performance and stress test, either developing or porting them from other test suites; to design and experiment a series of build tests; to make the test suite extensible and portable. Up to now Lachesis is used to test Linux, PREEMPT RT, RTAI and Xenomai real-time features and performances. It provides some tests for SCHED DEADLINE patch, too. Lachesis is under active development: extensions to other real-time systems and more tests are planned to be added in the near future.


Nonsense is a philosophical concept of strange ubiquity—it is very often used but not often explained. In this paper I turn to the lyrical content of popular songs and the particular brands of nonsense it allows for. The problem I identify is that even at their most nonsensical the lyrics of popular songs lend themselves to certain steady attributions of sense. In other words, while pop songs have the tendency to collapse into lyrical nonsense they also avail themselves of corrective mechanisms that somehow salvage their lyrical and/or musical meaning. Why lyrical nonsense is so frequent in pop songs and how it gets dissolved are questions that merit philosophical attention. My attempt to suggest answers to these questions is twofold. Firstly, I propose a simple taxonomy of lyrical nonsense in songs and try to relate that to the existing scholarship on musical expression and performance. Secondly, I explore the relationship sung nonsense stands in to musical meaning. What ultimately makes nonsense work in songs is not our "common sense" tendency to avoid taking such lyrical content seriously. I argue that our acceptance of sung nonsense is more likely due to the fact that such nonsense suggests its own, heretofore unstudied, conditions of understanding.


Objective Prednisone is a first-line immunosuppressive treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG), whereas short-term and long-term adverse effects (AEs) are a limiting factor in its usage. Method The MG patient registry is a patient-driven, nation-wide database with patients of age ≥18 years, who were diagnosed with MG and live in the United States. Custom-designed "prednisone-steroid use and MG" survey was sent out to MG registry participants as part of semi-annual follow-up. Data were collected and analyzed for frequency. Results A total of 398 MG participants (21% response rate) completed the survey, including 173 men and 225 women. Among them, 298 reported current (174) or past (288) prednisone intake. Current prednisone dosage varied from 0.5 to 75 mg (median 10 mg, IQR 7–20), dosing frequency was daily in 132 (76%) and every other day in 31 (18%). Peak prednisone dose was commonly between 25 mg and 60 mg (Median 50 mg, IQR 25–60); however, doses more than 60 mg daily were reported in 59 (20%). Prednisone AEs were reported more commonly in women (95% vs 81%, p < 0.0001). Women reported more intolerable AEs (77% vs 50%, p < 0.00001) and less willingness to accept a dose increase (26% vs 44%, p = 0.03) compared with men. Conclusions Prednisone is commonly used in the treatment of MG, with highly variable dosages and dosing frequencies reflecting the absence of a standard guideline. Intolerable AEs were more commonly reported among women and was associated with unwillingness to accept a dose increase. Consensus guidelines and their validation are required to guide prednisone treatment for MG.


During human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, alcohol has been known to induce inflammation while cannabinoids have been shown to have an anti-inflammatory role. For instance cannabinoids have been shown to reduce susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and attenuate HIV replication in macrophages. Recently, we demonstrated that alcohol induces cannabinoid receptors and regulates cytokine production by monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC). However, the ability of alcohol and cannabinoids to alter MDDC function during HIV infection has not been clearly elucidated yet. In order to study the potential impact of alcohol and cannabinoids on differentiated MDDC infected with HIV, monocytes were cultured for 7 days with GM-CSF and IL-4, differentiated MDDC were infected with HIV-1Ba-L and treated with EtOH (0.1 and 0.2%), THC (5 and 10 μM), or JWH-015 (5 and 10 μM) for 4–7 days. HIV infection of MDDC was confirmed by p24 and Long Terminal Repeats (LTR) estimation. MDDC endocytosis assay and cytokine array profiles were measured to investigate the effects of HIV and substances of abuse on MDDC function. Our results show the HIV + EtOH treated MDDC had the highest levels of p24 production and expression when compared with the HIV positive controls and the cannabinoid treated cells. Although both cannabinoids, THC and JWH-015 had lower levels of p24 production and expression, the HIV + JWH-015 treated MDDC had the lowest levels of p24 when compared to the HIV + THC treated cells. In addition, MDDC endocytic function and cytokine production were also differentially altered after alcohol and cannabinoid treatments. Our results show a differential effect of alcohol and cannabinoids, which may provide insights into the divergent inflammatory role of alcohol and cannabinoids to modulate MDDC function in the context of HIV infection.


The deubiquitinating enzyme BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) possesses growth inhibitory activity and functions as a tumor suppressor. In this study we report that BAP1 also plays positive roles in cell proliferation. BAP1 depletion by RNAi inhibits cell proliferation as does overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of BAP1. Mass spectrometry analyses of copurified proteins revealed that BAP1 is associated with factors involved in chromatin modulation and transcriptional regulation. We show that the interaction with host cell factor-1 (HCF-1), a cell-cycle regulator composed of HCF-1N and HCF-1C, is critical for the BAP1-mediated growth regulation. We found that HCF-1N is modified with Lys-48-linked polyubiquitin chains on its Kelch domain. The HCF-1 binding motif of BAP1 is required for interaction with HCF-1N and mediates deubiquitination of HCF-1N by BAP1. The importance of the BAP1-HCF-1 interaction is underscored by the fact that growth suppression by the dominant negative BAP1 mutant is entirely dependent on the HCF-1 binding motif. These results suggest that BAP1 regulates cell proliferation by deubiquitinating HCF-1.


A cosmid gene bank of Vibrio cholerae 395, classical Ogawa, was screened in Escherichia coli HB101 for expression of the vibrio neuraminidase (NANase) gene ndnH (N-acylneuraminate glycohydrolase). Positive clones were identified by their ability to cleave the fluorogenic NANase substrate 2'-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-ccD-N-acetylneuraminic acid. Seven NANase-positive clones were detected after gcreening 683 cosmid isolates with a rapid, qualitative plate assay method. The nanH gene was subcloned from one of the cosmids and was located within a 4.8-kilobase-pair BglII restriction endonuclease fragment. Evidence that nanH was the NANase structural gene was obtained by transposon mutagenesis and by purification and comnparison of the cloned gene product with the secreted NANase purified from the parent V. cholerae strain. The sequence of the first 20 amino-terminal amino acids of the secreted NANase purified from V. cholerae was determined by automated Edman degradation and matched perfectly with the amino acid sequence predicted from nucleotide sequencing of nanH. The sequence data also revealed the existence of a potential signal peptide that was apparently processed from NANase in both V. cholerae and E. coli. In contrast to V. chokrae, E. coli nanH+ clones did not secrete NANase into the growth medium, retaining most of the enzyme in the periplasmic compartment. Kinetic studies in V. cholerae showed that nanH expression and NANase secretion were temporally correlated as cells in batch culture entered late-exponential-phase growth. Similar kinetics were observed in at least one of the E. coli nanH+ clones, suggesting that nanH expression in E. coli might be controlled by some of the same signals as in the parent V. cholerae strain.


Changing world conditions make imperative consolidation of Foreign Services under State Dept.; former methods of trade promotion no longer effective; problem today one of keeping channels of trade open, which involves agreements between governments, and by law, only State Dept. officers are authorized to deal with foreign governments; President approves plan for consolidation; State Dept. and Agriculture Dept. in complete accord; believes 9 out of 10 Commercial Attaches and trade commissioners of Commerce Dept. agree on the proposal; those who oppose do so from personal or departmental prejudice; probable that legislation will be submitted to Congress early next session; should have no difficulty getting it passed; sending copy of memorandum outlining proposed consolidation.


Abstract Background People who work long hours on the road are intensively exposed to high levels of fine particulate matters (PM2.5) which may lead to oxidative stress mechanisms in the human body that cause deleterious health problems. Malondialdehyde (MDA) is the major metabolite produced during lipid peroxidation metabolism that serves as a reliable biomarker for oxidative stress in cells. Objectives To identify the association between PM2.5 exposure and other characteristics with urinary MDA levels among public transport drivers in Jakarta. Methods A cross-sectional design was implemented by involving 130 public transport drivers of nine trajectories from Kampung Melayu Terminal, Jakarta. The continuous PM2.5 data were collected in personal measurement during one round trip of driving. Weight and height measurements were obtained to calculate body mass index (BMI) and structured questionnaires were completed to identify other characteristics. MDA levels were examined from the driver's urine right after driving and evaluated using TBARS analysis. Results The average of PM2.5 exposure was 91.56 ± 20.05 μg/m3 and MDA levels were 2.23 ± 1.57 nmoL/mL. Drivers with overweight and obese BMI had significantly higher MDA levels (2.66 ± 1.65 nmoL/mL) compared to those with normal and underweight BMI status (1.97 ± 1.47 nmoL/mL). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated low PM2.5 exposure, normal and underweight BMI status, and a long period of working as drivers were associated with MDA levels (p<0.05). Contrary to the prior study, PM2.5 exposure was negatively associated with MDA levels due to most drivers' BMI status being normal and underweight. Conclusion Our study suggests that the drivers who were obese and overweight should lose weight to lower the risk of increased MDA levels. We also suggest the drivers to consider maintaining their vehicle's ventilation system or using personal protection equipment (PPE) to avoid high PM2.5 exposure while driving.