The advent of online platform labor, which arises from platform economy in Web2.0 era, has become the most appealing change with regard to the employment mode and labor organization in digital era. In practice, because of different work content and operation modes, online platform labor has been given different names, such as cloud work, crowdwork, gig worker, Uberization, etc. In recent years, based on the theoretical perspectives from different disciplines such as labor economics, political economy of communications, sociology and computer science, a great deal of exploratory researches have been made regarding online platform labor and thus some preliminary understandings of its new forms and new features have been achieved.In essence, online platform labor can be recognized as a kind of new labor, which is premised on information and communication technology, mediated through the internet platform, digitally carried out by algorithms, and finally realizes exact match-making of labor on demand and intelligentized management of labor process. From the perspectives of the economics of two-sided markets, this paper fully elaborates contractual features of online platform labor, addresses main challenges to labor relationship management, outlines possible ways for improving online labor platform governance, and identifies some significant themes and weakness in the research on online platform labor, in order to provide some helpful reference and guidance for enriching future research in the Chinese context.In sum, the main conclusions are as follows: In contrast to traditional wage labor, the management of online platform labor relationship has demonstrated novel institutional features, of which the most important ones are two-sidedness of the online work platform market, de-mutuality of labor contracting, algorithmic management of labor process and digital reputation mechanism. On the one hand, the development of online platform labor has opened up new space for the allocation of human resources and enhanced employment flexibility, employment inclusiveness and work autonomy in digital era. But on the other hand, together with the institutional evolution of the replacement of wage labor by labor service contract, it has also presented challenges of decent work deficit" for labor relationship management, of which the most serious ones are weakening of labor bargaining power and thus lacking proper labor rights protection.In general, it is vital for the sustainable development of labor platform economy to enhance employment fairness and work dignity. The fundamental move is to construct and improve the labor platform governance mechanism, which should be some kind of multilevel, collaborative governance system. In such governance system, the platform's self-regulation, laborers' self-organization and government regulation should be operated efficiently and coordinately, in order to enhance the two-sided interaction equitably and rationally.


The covariance matrix, which should be estimated from the data, plays an important role in many multivariate procedures, and its positive definiteness (PDness) is essential for the validity of the procedures. Recently, many regularized estimators have been proposed and shown to be consistent in estimating the true matrix and its support under various structural assumptions on the true covariance matrix. However, they are often not PD. In this paper, we propose a simple modification to make a regularized covariance matrix be PD while preserving its support and the convergence rate. We focus on the matrix 𝓁 ∞ norm error in covariance matrix estimation because it could allow us to bound the error in the downstream multivariate procedure relying on it. Our proposal in this paper is an extension of the fixed support positive-definite (FSPD) modification by Choi et al. (2019) from spectral and Frobenius norms to the matrix 𝓁 ∞ norm. Like the original FSPD, we consider a convex combination between the initial estimator (the regularized covariance matrix without PDness) and a given form of the diagonal matrix minimize the 𝓁 ∞ distance between the initial estimator and the convex combination, and find a closed-form expression for the modification. We apply the procedure to the minimum variance portfolio (MVP) optimization problem and show that the vector 𝓁 ∞ error in the estimation of the optimal portfolio weight is bounded by the matrix 𝓁 ∞ error of the plug-in covariance matrix estimator. We illustrate the MVP results with S&P 500 daily returns data from January 1978 to December 2014


There has been much research into the nature and uses of school geography textbooks as teaching resources, yet the perceptions of their authors have been neglected. This study investigated the perspectives of a sample of authors of English primary and secondary school geography textbooks on their experiences as textbook authors. It enquired into their motivations and valuing of geographical learning, expertise in textbook writing, influences on and challenges they faced in textbook development, and their sense of the future for geography textbooks. Findings indicate that these authors valued geography for intrinsic and extrinsic reasons, including its curricular strengths. Textbook writing in England today is influenced and constrained by geography national curricula and publishers' requirements, which can enhance or inhibit the nature and quality of the sources, visual and other materials, and the learning activities authors include. Important for textbook writing are authors' up-to-date subject, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge, alongside their skills in textbook structure and design, and their capability in developing geographical understanding progressively through a single textbook and/or a series. These facets of textbook writing indicate the importance of pedagogical content knowledge for textbook authors as much as for classroom teachers. Authors are wary about the future for textbooks, given the increasing use of digital and virtual resources alongside print materials, though they see a continuing future for textbooks.


We have used a forward genetic screen to identify genes required for transgene silencing in the mouse. Previously these genes were found using candidate-based sequencing, a slow and labor-intensive process. Recently, whole-exome deep sequencing has accelerated our ability to find the causative point mutations, resulting in the discovery of novel and sometimes unexpected genes. Here we report the identification of translation initiation factor 3, subunit H (eIF3h) in two modifier of murine metastable epialleles (Mommes) lines. Mice carrying mutations in this gene have not been reported previously, and a possible involvement of eIF3h in transcription or epigenetic regulation has not been considered.


Background: Heavy Smokers appeared to be less resistant to infection, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Many studies have examined the complement components concentrations than compared with normal people and ignored the functional sequencing of complement components.
Methods: our study included the determination of complement activity by using Sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) as antigen and extracting the hemolytic activity (50%) of complement compounds, and because of difficulty of this method we using statistical analysis program (SPSS 23) and derived the inverse equation which gives the decomposition percentage (1-100%) of complement components by using five serum dilutions only, The total hemolytic complement activity (CH50) and its C3 and C4 fractions were determined in 30 heavy smokers.
Results: The results were compared with a control group that contained 30 persons matched in age and sex. Generally, both C3 and C4 concentrations were increased in smoker's individual in compared with the control group. However, when the independent t-test has applied the differences in the C3 and C4 levels in the control group (healthy individuals) and in the smoker group were found to be statistically insignificant but the inverse equation showed a 7% reduction in CH50 in smokers compared with the control group, where 18% reduction was observed.
Conclusions: Our current study suggests that the complement components of the heavy smokers suffer from a significant dysfunction in the function, although the concentration of the basic components in the serum is parallel with normal values.


The Acheulean technological tradition, characterized by a large (>10 cm) flake-based component, represents a significant technological advance over the Oldowan. Although stone tool assemblages attributed to the Acheulean have been reported from as early as circa 1.6–1.75 Ma, the characteristics of these earliest occurrences and comparisons with later assemblages have not been reported in detail. Here, we provide a newly established chronometric calibration for the Acheulean assemblages of the Konso Formation, southern Ethiopia, which span the time period ∼1.75 to <1.0 Ma. The earliest Konso Acheulean is chronologically indistinguishable from the assemblage recently published as the world's earliest with an age of ∼1.75 Ma at Kokiselei, west of Lake Turkana, Kenya. This Konso assemblage is characterized by a combination of large picks and crude bifaces/unifaces made predominantly on large flake blanks. An increase in the number of flake scars was observed within the Konso Formation handaxe assemblages through time, but this was less so with picks. The Konso evidence suggests that both picks and handaxes were essential components of the Acheulean from its initial stages and that the two probably differed in function. The temporal refinement seen, especially in the handaxe forms at Konso, implies enhanced function through time, perhaps in processing carcasses with long and stable cutting edges. The documentation of the earliest Acheulean at ∼1.75 Ma in both northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia suggests that behavioral novelties were being established in a regional scale at that time, paralleling the emergence of Homo erectus-like hominid morphology.


The social setting of the Gospel according to Matthew remains a much debated issue. The theory of a gentile setting with historical roots within Judaism was met with much opposition in recent times. The expression "the parting of the ways" as introduced by Dunn and popularised by Stanton effectively marks this discussion. However, the relation between the Christian community of Matthew and Judaism remains a much debated issue. Some studies have argued that the Matthean community was sectarian in nature, being in conflict with a larger Jewish social context. From the Gospel it is clear that there was a struggle between the Matthean community and local Jewish communities and leaders. This indicates a distance between a Jewish background and a gentile presence within the community. Matthew views the new People of God as distinct from the nation which rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Within the discussion with regard to the Matthean community, the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20) is often seen as the key to understanding the whole book and particularly the community. However, the importance of the beginning of the Gospel is often neglected in this discussion. In this article I attempt to show the importance of the opening narrative in defining this community.


tember 1973) is no exception, but there are enough original and sufficiently stimulating contributions to make it well worth the reading. Even so, one omission is noteworthy. The man/food equation is incomplete without a parameter for human culture. The two great drives that modify human behaviour are related to nutrition and reproduction. Freud has explored the latter with considerable success even if his models are no longer completely acceptable. The nutritional drive with all the associated biochemical, physical and behavioural mechanisms can be shown to have shaped and textured human culture but little of this has surfaced in nutritional science and virtually nothing in the present symposium. o PRICE JO:-OES


To the Editor.— The article entitled "Improved Cognition After Control of Risk Factors for Multi-infarct Dementia" 1 fails to provide data to support a major conclusion of the study. One hypothesis the authors propose to test is that control of hypertension improves cognition in patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID). The data provided to support this hypothesis involve the division of hypertensive subjects with MID into two groups on the basis of an outcome variable—whether or not improvement in mental function occurred. The single measure shown to be different between groups was the mean systolic blood pressure after treatment, another outcome variable. This central result is only indicative of a correlational relationship at one point in time, with no hope of inferring causation since no antecedent treatment differences between the improved and the unimproved groups were reported. No information on pretreatment blood pressure was provided to allow the effect of treatment


This study presents three-dimensional finite element models (FEMs) of mandibles with ameloblastomas (ABs), where stress distributions and deformations were examined before and after clinical surgery. The ameloblastoma tissue specimens were investigated using radiography and histopathological examinations. Through histopathological analysis, the tissue specimens were divided into four subtypes: fibrous cyst wall, intraluminal AB, intramural AB, and normal tissue. The histopathological analysis was performed under optical microscopy (OM), by examining the proliferation and tomography of the tissues. It was found that the intraluminal and intramural ameloblastoma tissue were severely proliferated and infiltrated. FEMs were constructed using a computer-aided reverse system, which uses computer topography (CT) images. For the model before clinical surgery (BS), the maximum deformation was on the intact side. On the other hand, the model after clinical surgery (AS) showed maximum deformation with an over 20% increase on the reconstructed side. Some of the most remarkable differences were that the stress increased approximately 2.42 times in the maxilla and 1.51 times in the mandible after surgery. The maximum stress was concentrated on the fixation screw of the reconstructed side near the interface between plates. This result shows the potential clinical benefits for superior biomechanical performance on ameloblastomas.


This research presents a running model for a compliant wheel-leg hybrid mobile robot. A wheel-leg consists of three legs arranged by 120 degrees to each other and passive compliant joints. For simplicity, each leg is treated as a linear spring such that a traditional mass-spring model can be applied to model running of the wheel-leg hybrid robot. In order to achieve stable running, we propose a simple controller that can converge a robot leg to a desired angle of attack asymptotically during the swing phase. Hybrid wheel-leg running is then simulated and results are discussed.


The objective of the evaluation is to measure the sustainability of the Bank's interventions in the supply of water and sanitation services financed by the Water Supply and Sanitation Program for Small Communities (PR-0118). The evaluation starts by considering that, in order to achieve the development goals associated with the expansion of water and sanitation services, the sustainability of these services-understood as the long-term maintenance of the quality of the service provided in the interventions-must be guaranteed at the technical, financial, and operational level. Once this quality can be sustained over time, it will be possible to improve the population?s conditions, particularly in terms of health indicators. Accordingly, the evaluation seeks to identify the factors and good practices that can be correlated with higher levels of sustainability of the systems that were constructed. The scope of the evaluation includes 100 water and sanitation interventions in rural communities financed by the program in the eastern region of Paraguay.


Bronchial compression due to pulmonary artery dilation is an important problem in infants with congenital heart disease, and can complicate the postoperative course. In recent years, airway stenting has become a popular treatment for these cases. We achieved success with endobronchial stenting in a two-month-old infant with bronchial compression caused by a dilated pulmonary artery.


Abstract Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lurasidone in acutely symptomatic adolescent patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Patients aged 13–17 years were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of double-blind, fixed-dose lurasidone (40 or 80 mg/day) or placebo. Primary and key secondary efficacy measures were change from baseline to week 6 in the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) total score and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) score, respectively, using mixed model for repeated measurement (MMRM) analysis. The proportion of patients achieving treatment response at endpoint, based on ≥20% reduction in PANSS total score, was analyzed using a logistic regression model. Results: Least-squares (LS) mean change in PANSS total score from baseline to week 6 was −18.6 with lurasidone 40 mg/day (N = 108; p < 0.001 vs. placebo; effect size = 0.51), −18.3 with lurasidone 80 mg/day (N = 106; p < 0.001 vs. placebo; effect size = 0.48), and −10.5 with placebo (N = 112). Similarly, LS mean change in CGI-S score from baseline to week 6 was significantly greater with lurasidone 40 mg/day (−1.0; p < 0.001; effect size = 0.49) and 80 mg/day (−0.9; p = 0.0015; effect size = 0.45) compared with placebo (−0.5). A significantly higher proportion of patients met responder criteria on lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/day versus placebo (63.9% and 65.1% vs. 42.0%; p < 0.001 for both comparisons). The rate of study discontinuation was 10.3% in lurasidone-treated and 17.7% in placebo-treated patients. The most common adverse events (incidence ≥5% in either lurasidone dose group and at least twice the rate of placebo) for lurasidone 40 mg/day, 80 mg/day, and placebo, respectively, were nausea (12.7%, 14.4%, and 2.7%), somnolence (9.1%, 11.5%, and 5.4%), akathisia (9.1%, 8.7%, and 1.8%), vomiting (8.2%, 6.7%, and 1.8%), and sedation (5.5%, 1.9%, and 1.8%). Treatment with lurasidone was not associated with clinically meaningful effects on body weight, lipids, measures of glycemic control, or prolactin. Conclusions: In this 6-week study, lurasidone at doses of 40 and 80 mg/day demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful symptom improvement in adolescent patients with schizophrenia. Lurasidone was generally well tolerated with few effects on weight and metabolic parameters, consistent with findings in adult patients with schizophrenia.


Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 126 (immunoglobulin M) and 14.18 (immunoglobulin G3) react strongly with the cell surface of small cell carcinoma of the lungs (SCCL) and are unreactive with most normal tissues and other neoplasms with the notable exception of tumors derived from cells of neural crest origin. These MAbs react specifically with the oligosaccharide portion of the disialoganglioside GD2. Analysis of total gangliosides from cultured cell lines derived from SCCL indicates that GD2 is a predominant ganglioside. A comparison of the reactivities of MAbs against GD2 with those directed against gangliosides GM2 and GD3, each differing from GD2 by a single sugar residue, clearly indicates that GD2 is preferentially expressed by cultured cells derived from SCCL. Membranes isolated from these cells exhibit GD2 synthetase activity which specifically converts the precursor GD3 to GD2 in the presence of uridine diphosphate-N-acetyl galactosamine as the glycosyl donor. We present evidence that in SCCL, GD2 serves as a relevant target antigen for monoclonal antibody-mediated cytolysis. Specifically, we demonstrate that MAb 14.18 (immunoglobulin G3), can lyse small cell carcinoma of the lung targets by either complement- or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.


This document describes a minimal initiator version of the Internet
Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) protocol for constrained nodes. IKEv2
is a component of IPsec used for performing mutual authentication and
establishing and maintaining Security Associations (SAs). IKEv2
includes several optional features, which are not needed in minimal
implementations. This document describes what is required from the
minimal implementation and also describes various optimizations that
can be done. The protocol described here is interoperable with a full
IKEv2 implementation using shared secret authentication (IKEv2 does
not require the use of certificate authentication). This minimal
initiator implementation can only talk to a full IKEv2 implementation
acting as the responder; thus, two minimal initiator implementations
cannot talk to each other. This document does not update or modify
RFC 7296 but provides a more compact description of the minimal
version of the protocol. If this document and RFC 7296 conflict, then
RFC 7296 is the authoritative description.


The stage of dormancy is an important physiological condition in the behavior of temperate climate fruit trees, and it is reached at the end of the vegetative cycle, when the leaves are fallen. In general, a cold period is needed to overcome the state of dormancy and promote uniform buds sprouting, being therefore a limiting factor for grape production in Brazil. There are chemicals used in breaking dormancy of the vines, allowing the production. However, there is need to restrict the use of those products in the management of orchards, defending sustainable fruit production systems. For this purpose, alternative products, such as garlic extract, have shown promising results in overcoming dormancy in fruit trees. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of natural garlic extract (NGE) (Allium Sativum L.) and Bioalho® (Natural Rural S.A.) added or not to mineral oil (MO) (2%), in overcoming dormancy of grapevines buds of the cultivar 'Isabel Precoce' (Vitis Labrusca L.), soil and climate conditions of the region of Lavras – Minas Gerais. The results of this study showed that the action of NGE and Bioalho ® in breaking dormancy in different intensities, and the treatments with NGE 15% + MO (2%), NGE 20% with and without MO (2%), Bioalho ® 15% with and without MO (2%) and Bioalho ® 20% with and without MO (2%) had the best results in the induction of the shoots of the vines 'Isabel Precoce'.


The proton-exchanged (PE) and annealed PE (APE) z-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguides were fabricated using H/sub 4/P/sub 2/O/sub 7/. The positive strain, c-axis lattice constant change (/spl Delta/c/c), was calculated to be about +0.43%, which was almost independent of the exchanged conditions. The penetration depth of H measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) exhibited a step-like profile, which was assumed to be equal to the waveguide depth (d). The surface acoustic wave (SAW) properties of PE and APE z-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ samples were investigated. The phase velocity (V/sub p/) and electromechanical coupling coefficient (K/sup 2/) of PE samples were significantly decreased by the increase of kd, where k was the wavenumber (2/spl pi///spl lambda/). The insertion loss (IL) of PE samples was increased by the increase of kd and became nearly constant at kd>0.064. The temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of PE samples allowed an apparent increase with kd, reaching a maximum at kd=0.292, then slightly decreased at higher kd. The effects of annealing resulted in a restoration of V/sub p/ and an improvement of IL.


Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) signal through Toll-like receptors (TLRs) to activate immune responses, but prolonged exposure to PAMPs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and other pathogens inhibits class II MHC (MHC-II) expression and Ag processing, which may allow MTB to evade CD4+ T cell immunity. Alternate class I MHC (MHC-I) processing allows macrophages to present Ags from MTB and other bacteria to CD8+ T cells, but the effect of PAMPs on this processing pathway is unknown. In our studies, MTB and TLR-signaling PAMPs, MTB 19-kDa lipoprotein, CpG DNA, and LPS, inhibited alternate MHC-I processing of latex-conjugated Ag by IFN-γ-activated macrophages. Inhibition was dependent on TLR-2 for MTB 19-kDa lipoprotein (but not whole MTB or the other PAMPs); inhibition was dependent on myeloid differentiation factor 88 for MTB and all of the individual PAMPs. Inhibition of MHC-II and alternate MHC-I processing was delayed, appearing after 16 h of PAMP exposure, as would occur in chronically infected macrophages. Despite inhibition of alternate MHC-I Ag processing, there was no inhibition of MHC-I expression, MHC-I-restricted presentation of exogenous peptide or conventional MHC-I processing of cytosolic Ag. MTB 19-kDa lipoprotein and other PAMPs inhibited phagosome maturation and phagosome Ag degradation in a myeloid differentiation factor 88-dependent manner; this may limit availability of peptides to bind MHC-I. By inhibiting both MHC-II and alternate MHC-I Ag processing, pathogens that establish prolonged infection of macrophages (>16 h), e.g., MTB, may immunologically silence macrophages and evade surveillance by both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, promoting chronic infection.


Existing literature has placed a strong emphasis on foreign linkages for the sustainability of island territories. However, studies have largely focused the effect of Western linkages, leaving the rise of Asian linkages unexplored. Such an investigation is of increasing significance given China's rise in global politics and its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This article explains island territories' inclination towards this newfound Chinese influence by comparing two Danish island territories and two Chinese island territories and argues that island territories with strong international linkages tend to face more challenges to accept the BRI, as demonstrated by the cases of Greenland and Hong Kong with stronger US strategic, military, and diplomatic linkages; and vice versa for the Faroe Islands and Macau with relatively weak international linkages. This paper contributes to the literature by moving beyond internal factors, including island types, sizes, and peripheralities, to explore how external factors, namely foreign linkages in international politics, from an alternative geopolitical perspective.


Radio frequency ablation (RFA) for lung cancer has increasingly been used over the past few years because RFA is minimally invasive treatment for patients. As a feature of RFA for the lung cancer, lung has the air having low thermal conductivity. Therefore, RFA for lung has the advantage that only the tumor is coagulated because heating area is confined to the immediate vicinity of the heating point. However, it is difficult for operators to control the precise formation of coagulation zones due to inadequate imaging modalities. We propose a method using numerical simulation to analyze the temperature distribution of the organ in order to overcome the current deficiencies. Creating an accurate thermophysical model was a challenging problem because of the complexities of the thermophysical properties of the organ. In this work, as the processes in the development of ablation simulator, measurement of the pressure dependence of lung thermal conductivity and in vitro estimation of the temperature distribution during RFA is presented.


1Wolaita Zone Health Department, Sodo, Southern Ethiopia, Ethiopia; 2Departments of Reproductive Health and Nutrition, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, Southern Ethiopia, Ethiopia Background: The ability of individuals and couples to anticipate and achieve their desired number of children as well as the spacing and timing of their birth is family planning. Access to family planning and ensuring that needs are met is based on human rights. Nonetheless, for most women, this need has not been met. In addition, in this study field, there was minimal evidence regarding this. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of unmet need of modern contraceptive methods among currently married women in Damot Woyde district, southern Ethiopia. Methods: This community based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 20 to 28, 2019. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 658 currently married women of child-bearing age in the study areas. A pretested interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the predictors of dependent variables and the adjusted odds ratios with its 95% confidence interval was used to report the level of association. Variables with a P-value<0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: The total unmet need for modern contraceptive methods was 169 (26.3%; 95% CI= 22.9–29.7%) among currently married women for the study participants. In multiple logistic regression analysis, educational status (AOR=4.3; 95% CI=1.1–14.7), women with five or more, and three-to-four children(AOR=4.3; 95% CI=1.4–13.1 and AOR=2.8; 95% CI=1.1–7.8, respectively), little perceived risk of pregnancy due to infrequent sexual intercourse (AOR=2.2; 95% CI=1.3–3.8), and little perceived risk of pregnancy due to breast feeding (AOR=2.3; 95% CI=1.3–4.10) were factors associated with the unmet need of modern contraceptive methods. Conclusion and Recommendation: This study revealed that unmet need for modern contraceptive methods was found to be high compared to the national and regional figures. Therefore, community health workers and health professionals should be strengthening communication and discussion at grass root level in order to promote the right time for using family planning. District health office and other concerned bodies should collaborate with the education office to expand formal and non-formal education for women in order to decrease the unmet need for modern contraceptive methods.


This paper examines the role of the advent of printing and the mining boom in explaining financial integration in Central Europe from the 1460s. It finds that changes in liquidity were not a major determinant of financial integration, but the mining boom fostered financial links between the mining districts and the rest of the region. Printing promoted financial integration mainly because it triggered a fall in the costs of transmitting information rather than because it facilitated human capital formation or institutional change. The financial significance of the advent of printing was comparable to that of the mining boom.


In this study, several plantwide control structures for a multiunit process including a reactive distillation column are proposed. The process studied contains two reaction and three separation steps, two recycle streams, and six components. The second reaction of the process takes place in a reactive distillation column, while the first reaction occurs in a continuous stirred tank reactor. Flow control of a stream in each recycle loop is required for base-level regulatory control of the process in a reasonable settling time. The quality of the first product is improved using a dual-temperature control in the second distillation column. The product quality in the reactive column is improved using a three-temperature control structure.


Neuroendocrine neoplasms comprise an ever greater ratio of primary gastrointestinal tract tumors, thanks to the improving diagnostics. The clinical presentation can be quite diverse depending on the type of the tumor. Imaging methods - both the spectrum of radiological methods and methods of nuclear medicine - are an integral part of the diagnostics. This article presents a case report of a 65-year old female patient, whose routine abdominal US scan performed as part of a preventive check-up revealed a suspicious liver incidentaloma. The case report presents the image of the pathology in various imaging modalities, radiologic and molecular/hybrid methods used in the differential diagnostic process of the lesion, as well as findings in follow-up examinations after histological verification of the lesion and an outline of further approach and treatment.


The paper focuses on the joint use of a UWB system along with antenna arrays for localization purposes of mobile terminals in an indoor MIMO environment. The proposed localization method estimates the direction of arrival (DoA) by evaluating the delays of the received UWB signals impinging on the antenna array. Correlation processing in the time domain of the UWB impulse wavefronts yields precise temporal resolution which provide a fine estimation of DOAs if it is combined with an uniform linear antenna array and as a DS-TH (direct sequence-time hopping) UWB signals is used, an unique independent code identifies each users, therefore the desired user direction can be evaluated. In the simulated system each transmitter emits the same signal through indoor channels and each UWB signal replica is affected by AWGN noise, so slightly different signals are obtained from each channel, which is the perfect situation for using a MIMO implementation. Therefore, a 2/spl times/2 and a 2/spl times/3 UWB-MIIMO systems are analyzed to evaluate the angle error rate for different E/sub b//N/sub 0/ values.


We demonstrated two different DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP) alpha subunits in spores of Streptomyces granaticolor with apparent molecular masses of 40 and 43 kDa. The 43-kDa subunit was also found in vegetative cells. These two proteins are highly similar to each other as well as to other bacterial RNAP alpha subunits. The 40-kDa subunit is shortened from its C-terminus, in the portion of the protein, required for binding of DNA and transcription regulators. The gene for RNAP alpha from S. granaticolor was cloned and sequenced and the corresponding protein was overproduced in Escherichia coli. In vitro experiments using purified RNAP alpha showed that the cell free extract from spores of S. granaticolor exhibits proteolytic activity responsible for the alpha subunit shortening, whereas that from vegetative cells does not. This modification of alpha subunit might point to a novel mechanism of transcriptional control in streptomycetes.


The bones of bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus ) were used by Mackenzie Inuit groups in producing a number of items essential to transportation and procurement. However, the whale bone industry, and its relationship to Mackenzie Inuit economic and social systems, is poorly understood. A recently excavated archaeological assemblage from McKinley Bay, Northwest Territories, provides a record of intensive Nuvugarmiut whale bone tool manufacture, which can be used to reconstruct a reduction sequence. Bowhead bone reduction at McKinley Bay focused on ribs, which were transversely worked into large sections. Cortical blanks were isolated from central rib sections, but proximal and distal rib sections were treated directly as blanks and preforms for the production of large durable tools, such as harpoon heads, adze sockets, mattock blades, and picks. The intensive whale bone reduction at McKinley Bay was part of a broader gearing-up strategy focused on the manufacture and repair of sleds and harpoons needed for the late winter migration and spring seal hunt. More generally, because the whale bone industry was intimately related to the bowhead hunt and its proceeds, it may provide fundamental insights about key aspects of coastal whaling societies, such as social organization, redistribution, and inter-territorial trade.


The article explores the relationship of multiculturalism to social solidarity. The multicultural nature of Britain is accepted as a welcome reality but certain problems in relation to the development of multiculturalism in Britain are acknowledged. Various approaches to buttress or replace multiculturalism are reviewed. These are: a strengthened and/or reconstituted nationalism (`Britishness'); human rights; and social equality. The issue of citizenship recurs throughout. It is argued that a combined emphasis on human rights and greater social equality offer a better basis than nationalism for strengthening solidarity in Britain, especially in the longer term. Sociological theory offers a fruitful if strangely neglected starting point for understanding social solidarity. I draw critically on Durkheim and Marx to obtain some objective perspective on this controversial matter.


Author(s): Alvaro, Peter Alexander | Advisor(s): Hellerstein, Joseph M | Abstract: Distributed systems are difficult to reason about and program because of fundamental uncertainty in their executions, arising from sources of nondeterminism such as asynchrony and partial failure. Until relatively recently, responsibility for managing these complexities was relegated to a small group of experts, who hid them behind infrastructure-backed abstractions such as distributed transactions. As a consequence of technology trends including the rise of cloud computing, the proliferation of open-source storage and processing technologies, and the ubiquity of personal mobile devices, today nearly all non-trivial applications are physically distributed and combine a variety of heterogeneous technologies, including "NoSQL" stores, message queues and caches. Application developers and analysts must now (alongside infrastructure engineers) take on the challenges of distributed programming, with only the meager assistance provided by legacy languages and tools which reflect a single-site, sequential model of computation.This thesis presents an attempt to avert this crisis by rethinking both the languages we use to implement distributed systems and the analyses and tools we use to understand them. We begin by studying both large-scale storage systems and the coordination protocols they require for correct behavior through the lens of declarative, query-based programming languages. We then use these experiences to guide the design of a new class of "disorderly" programming languages, which enable the succinct expression of common distributed systems patterns while capturing uncertainty in their semantics. We first present Dedalus, a language that extends Datalog with a small set of temporal operators that intuitively capture change and temporal uncertainty, and devise a model- theoretic semantics that allows us to formally study the relationship between programs and their outcomes. We then develop Bloom, which provides—in addition to a programmer-friendly syntax and mechanisms for structuring and reuse—powerful analysis capabilities that identify when distributed programs produce deterministic outcomes despite widespread nondeterminism in their executions.On this foundation we develop a collection of program analyses that help programmers to reason about whether their distributed programs produce correct outcomes in the face of asynchrony and partial failure. Blazes addresses the challenge of asynchrony, providing assurances that distributed systems (implemented in Bloom or in parallel dataflow frameworks such as Apache Storm) produce consistent outcomes in all executions. When it cannot provide this assurance, Blazes augments the system with carefully-chosen synchronization code that ensures deterministic outcomes while minimizing global coordination. Lineage-driven fault injection (LDFI)—which addresses the challenge of partial failure—uses data lineage to reason about whether programs written in Dedalus or Bloom provide adequate redundancy to overcome a variety of failures that can occur during execution, including component failure, message loss and network partitions. LDFI can find fault-tolerance bugs using an order of magnitude fewer executions than random fault injection strategies, and can provide guarantees that programs are bug-free for given configurations and execution bounds.


Abstract Gadolinium has been added to nuclear fuel to enable longer fuel cycles. UO2-Gd2O3 mixed fuel shows bad sintering behavior, which is hindered at temperatures of [approximately]1200°C. The mechanism that explains this unusual sintering behavior is not yet fully understood. The formation of Gd-rich phases with low diffusivity or pore formation during sintering have both been suggested as possible causes. Experimental data published in the literature appear not to support phase formation; however, the formation of large closed pores in Gd2O3-rich regions of the fuel has been reported. Pore formation could be developed during the Gd2O3 C[right arrow]B phase transition, which is followed by volume reduction. Our study investigated this hypothesis. The results showed that the mechanism proposed does not explain the UO2-Gd2O3 sintering behavior.


Every material found in nature has a speci c feature of the radioactivity. Depending on the degree of radioactivity, radioactivity e ects are detrimental to human health. The use of these materials in the areas of human life can a ect human health. Degree of radioactivity of these materials should be determined and usability of theirs should be controlled in buildings. In this study, determinations of natural radioactivity in aggregates used for construction were examined. As varieties of the aggregate of the region of Western Mediterranean: barite, olivine, tu , aggregate, pumice, and andesite for the measurement of natural radioactivity was obtained. Materials were ground before they were used to determination of radioactivity and chemical analysis experiments. Of the powderized materials, by gamma-spectroscopic method there were carried out measurements of natural radioactivity in the Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Ege University. Degrees of natural radioactivity of materials that can be used as aggregate obtained from Western Mediterranean region were determined. The degree of radioactivity was compared with the values speci ed in the standards, the results were compared.


In the present research, a "green" recipe was used to produce innovative phytogenic magnetic nanoparticles (PMNPs) from leaf extract of Fraxinus chinensis Roxb without employing any additional toxic surfactants as capping agents. The convenient reaction between metal salt solution and plant biomolecules occurred within a few minutes by color changes from pale green to intense black, hinting at the production of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The formation of PMNPs was verified by employing different techniques such as UV-visible spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The fabricated PMNPs were further utilized as a catalyst for removing toxic dyes, i.e., Crystal violet (CV) and Eriochrome black T (EBT) from aqueous solutions in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The concentrations of CV and EBT were calculated using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy throughout all the experiments. The results indicated that PMNPs showed >95% removal of both dyes within 10 min of contact time over a wide range of concentration, 10-300 mg/L. The degradation kinetics were also investigated using firstand second-order rate equations, and the results indicated that kinetic data of both CV and EBT followed first-order degradation rate. Moreover, the removal efficiency of the fabricated PMNPs was also *e-mail: email@example.com **e-mail: email@example.com DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/89505 ONLINE PUBLICATION DATE: 2019-02-19


Pt-based metallizations using different adhesion layers (Ti, Zr and Ta) were studied for use as electrodes for ferroelectric thin films on oxidized silicon substrates. Different ways of oxidizing the adhesion layers prior to ferroelectric film growth are compared, with regard to obtaining stable, adherent Pt films of well-defined (111) orientation, while avoiding lead diffusion through the electrode. Upon in-situ deposition of PbTiO3 at high excess lead flux, lead diffusion through the Pt film was found to depend strongly on the adhesion layer and the stabilization treatment. Pre-oxidation reduces lead diffusion during the later processing. Ti diffuses through the electrode upon oxidation, whereas Ta and Zr stay in place, in analogy to the diffusivities in the corresponding oxides. A novel oxidation treatment was developed to produce stable, adherent metallizations with controlled orientation and good barrier properties against lead diffusion.


: Extracting foreign bodies from the esophagus is a common procedure in emergency rooms. We report the case of an 82-year-old man who came to the emergency room after swallowing a clam shell. After three successive examinations by fiberoptic endoscopy, the last of which was performed with general anesthesia, the patient suffered pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax first on the right side and then, within a few hours, on the left. After extraction of the foreign body, bilateral pleural drainage and emergency repair of esophageal perforation were required. Episodes of pneumothorax have been described after endoscopic procedures on the digestive tract such as esophagoscopy. The cause of esophageal perforation described may be iatrogenic, produced during esophageal manipulations or it may be caused by the foreign body itself, by an awake patient's performance of Valsalva maneuvers during esophagoscopy, or the entrance of air in the pleural cavity through esophageal perforation; any of these would explain the presentation of pneumothorax in this case. In the presence of sudden cardiorespiratory deterioration in a patient undergoing an endoscopic procedure, a diagnosis of tension pneumothorax must be considered.


UDC: 556.3(497.4) Andrej Kranjc: Karst Water Research in Slovenia About 43% of the territory of Slovenia is karst and more than 50% of its inhabitants are supplied with water from karst. Karst in Slovenia is divided into Dinaric, Alpine and transitional karst. Each of these types bears its own hydrological properties. Already in the antique literature underground water connections are mentioned. Water tracing in the Slovene Karst is among the first modern tracing research. Karst water research may be divided into several periods: (1) aimed at determining underground water connections between swallow-holes and springs (the first half of the 20 century), (2) to achieve combined water tracing tests (since 1970), (3) to define karst watersheds, (4) to study water percolation through the epikarst and the vadose zone (since 1980). In particular, the researches of karst water quality must be emphasised, as well as the study of karst hydrology as a phenomenon in itself. At the end a logical question appears: what are the future perspectives of karst water studies in Slovenia? Water tracing of not yet fully ascertained connections or repeating the water tracing tests under different hydrological conditions; a detailed determination of watersheds and water flow with the help of tracers directly injected underground; to develop water tracing techniques and methods; to study in the field percolation water behaviour; modelling; to theoretically determine physical laws. Special attention must also be paid to education.


Outbreaks of food-borne listeriosis in recent years have caused governmental regulatory and health agencies and the food industry to focus on the problem of food contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. A review is presented of the association of L. monocytogenes with human illness and its occurrence in foods and the environment.


A total of 18 surface soil samples were collected from surrounding of industrial district at north Baiji town, and the concentration of seven trace elements (i.e.  Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, As, Cd and Cr) were analyzed. The geo-accumulation index, pollution index, Nemerow pollution index, ecological risk factor and potential ecological risk index were utilized to assess soil contamination by trace elements. The mean values of geo-accumulation index showed that the study area soils are ranged from moderate to heavy contamination by Ni and slight contamination by As, Cd and Cr and uncontaminated by Zn, Pb and Cu. According to categories of pollution index, the surface soil of study area considers strongly polluted by Ni, moderately polluted by Cr and non-polluted by Cu, Zn, As, Pb and Cd. The Nemerow pollution index values of study area showed 11% of sites are slightly polluted, 17% of sites are moderately polluted and 72% of sites are seriously polluted.  According to Eco- risk factor for an individual metal, the values showed moderate to considerable ecological risk by Cd, low to moderate ecological risk by Ni and low ecological risk for Cu, Zn, As, Pb and Cr. For Eco-risk index for metals, the results also showed that 27.8% of sites are low potential ecological risk and 72.2% of sites are moderate potential ecological risk


Although many times underestimated, family still plays a crucial role in adolescence as a developmental context that can prevent risk and promote positive outcomes. Changes in society have involved an increasing number of new family arrangements, urging researchers to understand to what extent family structure and environment impacts individuals' psychological adjustment, not only in childhood, but also in adolescence, when rapid and multiple developmental changes occur.
Our paper focuses on the role of family environment and structure on internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence through two hypotheses: (1) family environment predicts internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence; (2) family structure impacts family environment and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. 489 individuals between 9 and 17 years old (60.5 % females) were recruited in schools in the region of Coimbra (Portugal) and asked to fill the Portuguese versions of two self-report measures for this study: Youth Self-Report, and Family Environment Scale, together with a sociodemographic questionnaire.
After running regression analysis, we confirmed that family environment factors (conflict, organization and cohesion) play a significant role in internalizing and externalizing symptoms. ANOVA confirmed differences in antisocial behaviour, anxiety/depression and thought problems, but not on family environment factors, between children in traditional and non-traditional family structures.
We conclude that family environment offers an important contribution to psychological adjustment and needs to be addressed in prevention/intervention programmes. Although we found significant differences between traditional and non-traditional families in some internalizing and externalizing symptoms, those differences do not seem to be related to family environment. Thus, although family structure may impact adjustment in adolescence, it is not related to the fact that non-traditional family arrangements involve poorer family environments. More research is needed in order to understand what other factors may be involved in non-traditional families' experiences that explain higher antisocial behaviour, anxiety/depression and thought problems in adolescents.


Summary 1. The indicator qualities of terrestrial invertebrates are widely recognized in the context of detecting ecological change associated with human land-use. However, the use of terrestrial invertebrates as bioindicators remains more a topic of scientific discourse than a part of land-management practice, largely because their inordinate numbers, taxonomic challenges and general unfamiliarity make invertebrates too intimidating for most land-management agencies. Terrestrial invertebrates will not be widely adopted as bioindicators in land management until simple and efficient protocols have been developed that meet the needs of land managers. 2. In Australia, ants are one group of terrestrial insects that has been commonly adopted as bioindicators in land management, and this study examined the reliability of a simplified ant assessment protocol designed to be within the capacity of a wide range of land managers. 3. Ants had previously been surveyed intensively as part of a comprehensive assessment of biodiversity responses to SO 2 emissions from a large copper and lead smelter at Mt Isa in the Australian semi-arid tropics. This intensive ant survey yielded 174 species from 24 genera, and revealed seven key patterns of ant community structure and composition in relation to habitat and SO 2 levels. 4. We tested the extent to which a greatly simplified ant assessment was able to reproduce these results. Our simplified assessment was based on ant 'bycatch' from bucket-sized (20-litre) pitfall traps used to sample vertebrates as part of the broader biodiversity survey. We also greatly simplified the sorting of ant morphospecies by considering only large (using a threshold of 4 mm) species, and we reduced sorting time by considering only the presence or absence of species at each site. In this manner, the inclusion of ants in the assessment process required less than 10% of the effort demanded by the intensive ant survey. 5. Our simplified protocol reproduced virtually all the key findings of the intensive survey. This puts effective ant monitoring within the capacity of a wide range of land managers.


U–Pb geochronology of Variscan granitoid rocks from the West Asturian Leonese Zone of the NW Iberian belt documents the episodic nature of magmatism in this section of the western European Variscides. Each magmatic episode is characterized by granitoids with distinct features and has a duration on the scale of several millions of years. The ages of these granitoids place new constraints on the age and duration of magmatic and tectonic events, that are consistent with previous structural studies and proposed models for the tectonic evolution and migration of deformation in the NW Iberian Variscan belt. Granitoid rocks in this zone belong to two main magmatic episodes (syn‐ and post‐tectonic relative to the Variscan Orogeny) and are broadly representative of the granitoid types found in the NW Iberian Variscan belt. The syntectonic association is formed by: (i) tonalite–granodiorite–monzogranite intrusions emplaced synchronously with the main phase of crustal deformation (D2) at c. 325 Ma and (ii) younger leucogranite intrusions emplaced synchronously with syn‐convergence extensional structures at c. 320–310 Ma. The post‐tectonic association is composed of: (i) volumetrically dominant tonalite–granodiorite–monzogranite intrusions (and associated minor mafic‐intermediate rocks) emplaced at c. 295–290 Ma; and (ii) scarce leucogranite intrusions emplaced at c. 290–285 Ma.


Objective: To evaluate the positive predictive value of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler peak systolic velocity (PSV) measurement > 95th centile for the detection of fetal anemia in pregnancies complicated by red cell alloimmunization. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 41 patients over a 3 year period. In 47 cases an intrauterine fetal transfusion was undertaken between 21 and 35 weeks gestation because of suspected fetal anemia. Deviation of MCA PSV and hemoglobin from the mean/median were expressed as either Z-scores (SDs) or multiples of the median (MoM), respectively. The sensitivity of the 95th centile (> 2SD) of MCA PSV for mild (< 0.85 MoM) and moderate/severe (< 0.65 MoM) anemia were calculated. Results: The sensitivity of the 95th centile of MCA PSV for mild and moderate/severe anemia was 97% and 100%, respectively. There were only 3 false positive MCA PSV tests, two of which were related to the presence of a coincidental fetoplacental vascular tumor causing a hyperdynamic circulation. Conclusions: The 95th centile of the MCA PSV appears to have an equal sensitivity with a low false positive rate for the detection of fetal anemia compared to the 66th centile (1.5MoM), which is the currently recommended standard. Use of the 95th centile would reduce the number of invasive tests required in the management of red blood cell isoimmunised pregnancies.


This thesis studies methods for improving and enhancing NWP based wind power forecasts for cases from the Western coast of Norway. This is an area with excellent wind conditions, but where the installed wind power capacity at present is limited. The area is characterized by a rugged coastline and complex terrain, which have earlier been shown to lead to high wind power forecast errors. The overall aim of the thesis is to study how this kind of conditions influence wind power forecast errors and to investigate how wind power forecast models can be made more resistant to the challenges these conditions pose. The data basis for the thesis consists of wind observations and NWP wind forecast for 43 sites, all covering the period from January 1 2009 to December 17 2011. The observations and forecasts are transformed into synthetic wind power forecasts and observations by the use of a logarithmic height profile and a generic power curve. Different methods of reducing the wind power forecast errors of the single sites and groups of sites are tested. When applied to "unseen" forecasts (i.e. independent test data) the simpler models tend to out-compete more complicated models of the same kind. This is caused by a combination of noisy data and sparse data for certain wind speeds and wind directions leading to models being easily over-fitted. Still, using a regression model based on information on spatial and temporal dependencies of the forecast errors of groups of sites, a reduction in the group forecast error of 49 % is obtained. The group point forecasts are expanded into probabilistic forecasts using the postprocessing method Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA). It is shown how BMA can be used to produce probabilistic forecasts for the lumped power output of groups of sites from the point forecasts for the single-site group members and historical observations and forecasts from a training period. Some ideas for further development of the method for wind power forecasting are presented. Last, the issue of wind power ramps – large sudden changes in the wind power production – is addressed. Using a simple method to forecast ramps from wind power forecasts it is found that the methods earlier used to reduce the wind power forecast errors for groups of sites also lead to an increased predictability of wind power ramps. Ramp forecasts are also made using the classification method Random Forests. The method is found to have some very desirable properties, but the current implementation of the method also has some serious problems that need to be solved before the method is a good option for wind power ramp forecasting.


The link between identity and action is a fundamental topic across the social sciences. A key site to investigate this relationship is social interaction, where identities and social relations are built and used to accomplish action. In this thesis, I used discursive psychology to analyse the relationship between identity and the action of help in recorded calls to a victim support helpline. Victim is a contentious identity, with feminists and other critical scholars pointing to the politics involved when certain people are categorised as victims and others are overlooked. The name of the organisation that was the setting for my research, 'Victim Support,' explicitly links a victim identity with rights to access the help the service offers. Drawing on concepts in discursive psychology and using conversation analysis and membership categorisation analysis, I examined how participants oriented to the contentious questions of who victims are and how they should be helped. Drawing on contemporary interactional research which theorises the epistemic, deontic, and affective basis of human social relations, I examined how participants used self-other relations as a resource to build and interpret actions as help.  The findings provide evidence for the mutually constitutive relationship between identity and action. Counter-intuitively, most callers did not explicitly categorise themselves as victims when asking for help. My analyses show how call-takers understood callers' identities as victims even when they did not say so directly. The act of asking for help from Victim Support constituted callers' identities as victims; and their identities rendered their requests accountable.  Call-takers on the victim helpline act as gate-keepers, determining callers' eligibility before providing help. I analysed how call-takers denied callers' requests by implicitly or explicitly disavowing their identities as victims. Conversely, I showed that offers of help constituted callers as legitimate victims. Yet even once participants had accomplished joint understanding of callers as victims, they negotiated their respective epistemic and deontic rights to determine what help was needed and how it should be provided.  The negotiation of how victims should be helped was particularly salient when callers sought help on behalf of others. Participants negotiated whether the moral obligation to help victims was associated with friends and family members, or institutions. The emotional support and practical advice offered by Victim Support is delivered by volunteer support workers, reflecting a common-sense assumption that these forms of help are normatively available to any competent person. My analyses attend to the dilemmas involved when callers sought help for others rather than providing it themselves.  The findings contribute to three main areas of research: conversation analytic study of help as social action; membership categorisation analysis research on categorically organised rights and obligations; and the re-specification of psychological phenomenon as interactional objects within discursive psychology. The mutually constitutive link between identity and help is consequential, as the provision or withholding support can have material effects when callers are highly distressed or in fear for their lives. Thus, studying real-life interaction demonstrates the practical ways identity matters for seeking help.


Abstracts of the Joint Meeting of the EPC and IAP, Heidelberg, June 2002: www.pancreasweb.com/abstracts/abstracts.asps of the Joint Meeting of the EPC and IAP, Heidelberg, June 2002: www.pancreasweb.com/abstracts/abstracts.asp


Abstract:What can we learn from the data on economic inequality? First, that comparisons should be made very carefully. That said, inequality connects to human rights in many ways that may elude precise measurement but not common sense. For example, oligarchy is the enemy of the demos, as the Athenians have known since Socrates. An inherent imbalance stems from the fact that wealth is power, which creditors exercise over debtors. In considering how to reduce this power, when it comes to mobilizing people, high theory has uses, but it is much better to offer specific measures that will affect their lives.


The effects of biochar application to calcareous soils are not well documented. In a laboratory incubation study, a hardwood-based, fast pyrolysis biochar was applied (0, 1, 2, and 10% by weight) to a calcareous soil. Changes in soil chemistry, water content, microbial respiration, and microbial community structure were monitored over a 12-mo period. Increasing the biochar application rate increased the water-holding capacity of the soil-biochar blend, a trait that could be beneficial under water-limited situations. Biochar application also caused an increase in plant-available Fe and Mn, soil C content, soil respiration rates, and bacterial populations and a decrease in soil NO-N concentration. Biochar rates of 2 and 10% altered the relative proportions of bacterial and fungal fatty acids and shifted the microbial community toward greater relative amounts of bacteria and fewer fungi. The ratio of fatty acid 19:0 cy to its precursor, 18:1ω7c, was higher in the 10% biochar rate soil than in all other soils, potentially indicating an environmental stress response. The 10% application rate of this particular biochar was extreme, causing the greatest change in microbial community structure, a physiological response to stress in Gram-negative bacteria, and a drastic reduction in soil NO-N (85-97% reduction compared with the control), all of which were sustained over time.


Abstract - Many experimental aquatic ecologists are familiar with the commonly used model system Sarracenia purpurea (Purple Pitcher Plant), as this plant contains an entire aquatic ecosystem with obligate invertebrates in its pitcher-shaped leaves. An obligate herbivore of the Purple Pitcher Plant, Exyra fax (Pitcher Mining Moth), consumes plant tissue and chews a hole at the base of the pitcher, draining the pitcher of fluid and thereby creating unsuitable habitat for obligate aquatic invertebrates. Historically, it has been noted that the obligate aquatic invertebrate larvae within the Purple Pitcher Plant are incapable of leaving the pitcher they were initially deposited in as eggs. The objective of this experiment was to determine if larvae of the obligate invertebrate Metriocnemus knabi (Pitcher Plant Midge) is capable of emigrating to new pitchers when faced with pitcher drainage as a result of damage from the Pitcher Mining Moth. We placed midge larvae of varying abundances in experimental pitchers that were drained in a way similar to the work of Pitcher Mining Moth larvae. After drainage, larval midges were allowed 2 weeks to emigrate. At the end of 2 weeks, as much as 38.2% of the initial abundance of M. knabi larvae had emigrated out of drained pitchers to new, viable, fluid-filled pitchers and survived. We present here the first evidence that the obligate Pitcher Plant Midge larvae are capable of emigration when faced with unsuitable habitat.


There is a constantly growing interest in biomedical research to visualize changes in the location of various biomolecules in tissue sections as a result of complex diseases. Mass spectrometry imaging is one of the techniques that enable the mapping of molecules on a 2D surface. However, the technique has several limitations that should be addressed by developments in ion generation and ion detection. This thesis presents work on instrument development in the field of mass spectrometry imaging. The improvements presented include both the ion source and the ion detection part of the mass spectrometer. Chapters 3-5 concentrate on developments in secondary ion mass spectrometry and the application of SIMS for biomedical research. Chapter 3 and 4 discusses the implementation of an active pixel detector, the Timepix detector for microscope mode SIMS imaging which detector promises increased speed, spatial resolution and sensitivity for mass spectrometry imaging. Chapter 5 presents an example for the application of high spatial resolution SIMS imaging in biomedical research. SIMS imaging is used to differentiate the different regions of a heart tissue section after myocardial infarction. Also, the changes in lipid metabolism due to heart attack are studied both in positive and negative ion mode. The increased diacylglycerol ion intensities in positive ion mode and the increased fatty acid abundance in negative ion mode indirectly suggest the overexpression of various phospholipase enzymes. These enzymes play important role in inflammatory processes and ventricular remodeling after the heart attack. Thus, SIMS imaging gives a new insight into the molecular changes following myocardial infarction. Chapter 6 focuses on a different aspect of increasing the information content of a mass spectrometry imaging experiment. The chapter presents a recently developed ambient pressure ion source, the Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization source. A commercial version of this ion source is modified to interface it with an FT-ICR mass spectrometer. Thus, both the advantages of an ambient pressure ion source and the superior mass accuracy and mass resolving power of an FT-ICR mass spectrometer are employed to enable the top-down imaging of multiply charged intact proteins. The systems capabilities are demonstrated with protein solutions that are measured in combination with IRMPD and ECD fragmentation directly from a liquid droplet. Additionally, intact proteins are imaged directly from a frozen lung tissue section and are identified by CID and IRMPD imaging experiments. This work also presents the first example of imaging the distribution of a post-translational modification of a protein. The new developments in ion detection and ion production for mass spectrometry imaging presented in this thesis have the potential to significantly increase the speed, spatial resolution and information content of this technique. Thus, these new developments have the potential to open up new application areas for mass spectrometry imaging.


while demands on video traffic over mobile networks have been souring, the wireless link capacity cannot keep up with the traffic demand. The gap between the traffic demand and the link capacity, along with timevarying link conditions, results in poor service quality of video streaming over mobile networks such as long buffering time and intermittent disruptions. Leveraging the cloud computing technology, we propose a new mobile video streaming framework, dubbed CCMVA, which has two main parts: AMoV (adaptive mobile video streaming) and ESoV (efficient social video sharing). AMoV and ESoV construct a private agent to provide video streaming services efficiently for each mobile user. For a given user, AMoV lets her private agent adaptively adjust her streaming flow with a scalable video coding technique based on the feedback of link quality. Likewise, ESoV monitors the social network interactions among mobile users, and their private agents try to prefetch video content in advance. We implement a prototype of the CCMVA-Cloud framework to demonstrate its performance. It is shown that the private agents in the clouds can effectively provide the adaptive streaming, and perform video sharing (i.e., prefetching) based on the social network analysis.


Context: Autosomal-recessive mutations in the growth hormone receptor (GHR) are the most common causes for primary growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) syndrome with classical GHI phenotypically characterized by severe short stature and marked insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I deficiency. We report three families with dominant-negative heterozygous mutations in the intracellular domain of the GHR causing a nonclassical GHI phenotype. Objective: To determine if the identified GHR heterozygous variants exert potential dominant-negative effects and are the cause for the GHI phenotype in our patients. Results: All three mutations (c.964dupG, c.920_921insTCTCAAAGATTACA, and c.945+2T>C) are predicted to result in frameshift and early protein termination. In vitro functional analysis of variants c.964dupG and c.920_921insTCTCAAAGATTACA (c.920_921ins14) suggests that these variants are expressed as truncated proteins and, when coexpressed with wild-type GHR, mimicking the heterozygous state in our patients, exert dominant-negative effects. Additionally, we provide evidence that a combination therapy of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and rhIGF-I improved linear growth to within normal range for one of our previously reported patients with a characterized, dominant-negative GHR (c.899dupC) mutation. Conclusion: Dominant-negative GHR mutations are causal of the mild GHI with substantial growth failure observed in our patients. Heterozygous defects in the intracellular domain of GHR should, therefore, be considered in cases of idiopathic short stature and IGF-I deficiency. Combination therapy of rhGH and rhIGF-I improved growth in one of our patients.


Autism is a complex behavioral disorder that develops prior to age three years and is distinguished by high heritability. Many genes predisposing to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been identified. These findings have demonstrated that ASDs are etiologically heterogeneous; although, the mutations underlying ASDs are identifiable only in a minority of patients. Indeed, the causes of ASDs are unknown in more than 70% of patients. Recently, we have described two unrelated families whose affected individuals display a characteristic triad of symptoms of autism; such as impairments in social interaction, impairments in communication, restricted interests and repetitive behavior. They also displayed other symptoms commonly observed in autistic individuals; such as gait imbalance, clumsiness, mental retardation and epilepsy. The genetic analysis of these families resulted in the identification of new heterozygous point mutations in the KCNJ10 gene that encodes the inwardly-rectifying K channel Kir4.1 expressed predominantly, but not exclusively, in astrocytes. Functionally, the mutated channels exhibited a phenotype consistent with gain-offunction defects. These new findings highlight the emerging role of inwardly-rectifying K channels and astrocyte dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders associated with epilepsy.


Background— Tissue edema and endothelial barrier dysfunction as observed in sepsis and acute lung injury carry high morbidity and mortality, but currently lack specific therapy. In a recent case report, we described fast resolution of pulmonary edema on treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib through an unknown mechanism. Here, we explored the effect of imatinib on endothelial barrier dysfunction and edema formation. Methods and Results— We evaluated the effect of imatinib on endothelial barrier function in vitro and in vivo. In human macro- and microvascular endothelial monolayers, imatinib attenuated endothelial barrier dysfunction induced by thrombin and histamine. Small interfering RNA knock-downs of the imatinib-sensitive kinases revealed that imatinib attenuates endothelial barrier dysfunction via inhibition of Abl-related gene kinase (Arg/Abl2), a previously unknown mediator of endothelial barrier dysfunction. Indeed, Arg was activated by endothelial stimulation with thrombin, histamine, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Imatinib limited Arg-mediated endothelial barrier dysfunction by enhancing Rac1 activity and enforcing adhesion of endothelial cells to the extracellular matrix. Using mouse models of vascular leakage as proof-of-concept, we found that pretreatment with imatinib protected against vascular endothelial growth factor–induced vascular leakage in the skin, and effectively prevented edema formation in the lungs. In a murine model of sepsis, imatinib treatment (6 hours and 18 hours after induction of sepsis) attenuated vascular leakage in the kidneys and the lungs (24 hours after induction of sepsis). Conclusions— Thus, imatinib prevents endothelial barrier dysfunction and edema formation via inhibition of Arg. These findings identify imatinib as a promising approach to permeability edema and indicate Arg as novel target for edema treatment.


Objective The objective of this study was to assess the histological alterations that occurred in the periodontal area of rat molars submitted to induced tooth movement (ITM) right after an intentional trauma (subluxation). Methods Forty adult male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus) were selected. The animals were divided into eight groups (n = 5), according to the combination of variables: Group 1 - control (neither trauma nor ITM); Group 2 - ITM; Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 - dentoalveolar trauma groups corresponding, respectively, to 1, 3, 8 and 10 days after trauma; Groups 7 and 8 - the animals' molars were subjected to a 900 cN impact and, one and three days after the trauma event, tooth movement was induced. The rats' maxillary first molars were mesially moved during seven days with a closed coil (50 cN). After the experimental period of each group, the animals were sacrificed by anesthetic overdose and the right maxillas were removed and processed for histological analysis under light microscopy. Results In the animals of group 3, 4, 5 and 6, the histological alterations were not very significant. Consequently, the effect of induced tooth movement right after a subluxation event (groups 7 and 8) was very similar to those described for Group 2. Conclusion There was no difference in the quality of periodontal repair when ITM was applied to teeth that had suffered a subluxation trauma.


Development of coal seam gas fields is conceptually simple but complexity arises with: the stochastic nature of coal reservoirscontinually changing work scopethe large number of wells required to meet gas contracts.
 In the current environment, the cost of developing thousands of wells and hundreds of kilometres of associated gathering is a key driver to the success or failure of CSG projects. Continuous reduction in cost/funding with limited resources drives companies to derive an integrated approach to the field development.
 Subsurface models now form an integral part of production forecasting and decision making. Companies have benefited from the computation technological advances in the recent past, whereby it is possible to run large-scale models in a reasonable timeframe. Several tools and approaches are available today to integrate complex 3D reservoir models with surface networks to generate an integrated production forecast. In this paper we focus on using advanced geospatial applications with integrated system models to derive a development concept which is optimal, realistic and capable of adapting to changes in work scope as the development progresses. Gathering routes and associated material take off (MTO) points are generated in geographic information system (GIS) tools, using constraints and criteria such as: access and approvalssub-surface data (scope of recovery maps, net coal and permeability)maximum use of existing infrastructure (Roads, Tracks, etc.)environmental constraints (overland flow, vegetation, etc.)well spacing.
 Seamless integration of GIS tools and sub-surface modeling tools is what makes this workflow unique. GIS tools acts as a key integrator, forcing different disciplines and departments to work together in a common platform. It also functions as a common database used across an entire organisation. GIS toolbox gives a significant head-start to the project by first defining what is achievable. It is then finessed with the best value sub-surface outcome and a final forecast is derived in a significantly shorter time scale. With the approach presented in this paper, the forecasting cycle, involving full economic run, is substantially reduced– from several months to just weeks, if not days. The final outcome is an achievable well sequence which is derived along a realistic gathering route. With this, the MTO and the production forecasts are aligned and the associated costs can be easily traced to source. This workflow is automated and can be easily repeated if scope or project premise changes. Last but not least, this approach can be applied to any onshore unconventional or conventional plays.


The volume of sweat produced by axon reflex stimulation using acetylcholine was measured in one foot each of 35 control subjects and 52 feet of 37 diabetic patients (28 with neuropathic ulceration, 11 with Charcot arthropathy, nine with somatic neuropathy but no foot lesion and four with no evidence of somatic neuropathy). In controls, the volume of sweat was greater in males than females. A flare response was seen in 94% of control feet. In diabetics, the volume of sweat was within the control range in 17 feet, increased in one, reduced in seven, and absent in 27. Sweating was absent in 75% of feet with a neuropathic ulcer; a flare response was absent in 86% of them. Sweating was only absent in 36% of feet with Charcot arthropathy and was increased in one, whereas the flare response was absent in all. Autonomic cardiovascular reflexes were more frequently abnormal than the sweat test; sweating was absent in only one patient with normal cardiovascular reflexes.


Abstract. Shifting cultivation is a common agricultural practice in the Pacific Islands rarely sustainable today since fallow periods are ever shorter due to the demographic growth, farms fragmentation, uncertain land tenure, and pressures from the market economy among other factors (drivers). Official statistical data and maps were utilized to build up chloropleth maps indicating the areas of high land use intensity (LUI) according to farm size ranges and socioeconomic parameters (treatments) for the country. Twenty vector layers were digitized from published maps for eight ranges of farm sizes (from less than 1 to more than 100 ha), and converted to raster format with a 170 m2 pixel size. Critical maps were then built by boolean operations displaying areas in which both the land use and the socioeconomic driver were simultaneously ranked as high or very high. Treatments showed significant differences among them (p < 0.05), being the most influential those related to human demography. In farms smaller than 3 ha size land use is intense when (in order of importance) Indo-fijian population, household size and land availability values are high; while in farms of 20–50 ha size it is intense when the values of (in order of importance) population change, Indo-fijian population, land availability, fishing and sugar farming are also high. LUI patterns normally decrease with the increase of farm size, but increases on farms over 20 ha size. It is recommended to propose policies that will des-accelerate the rates of land use, such as the facilitation of land ownership over farms of bigger sizes, the gradual replacement of mono cropping by agroforestry systems, and the creation of more employment opportunities in the industry, tourism and services sectors.


Demolition waste materials mainly consist of concrete and bricks and arise from the demolition of existing structures and buildings. Environmental and economical reasons make their recycling necessary but up to date little research has been undertaken to what is perceived as low level reuse of these materials.This project tries to understand the behavioural characteristics of three types of recycled materials to determine their potential for engineering fill applications. For this purpose their physical and mechanical characteristics have been extensively investigated. Two types of crushed concrete, one obtained straight after demolition and the other further processed to industry specifications, and one type of crushed bricks were tested. Due to the variable nature of recycled materials large quantities were tested and their grading, particle shape and aggregate crushing and impact values established. In addition, large scale equipment was developed for the determination of their compaction and permeability characteristics. An extensive large scale shear box test regime was used to determine the shear strength behaviour of the materials. Two different densities and maximum particle sizes were used, and their influence on the shear strength established. The degree of particle breakage was also quantified by sieving the shear box specimens before and after testing. The comparison of the behaviour of the materials during shearing has shown that the two crushed concrete based materials behave similarly despite the different degrees of processing, but there is difference between them and the crushed brick material. The friction angles of the materials decrease with decreasing density and maximum particle size, with the reduction of the latter affecting the friction angles values more. The results show that the friction angles reduce with increasing normal stress, the shear-normal stress envelopes exhibit curvature at low normal stresses and the materials exhibit dilatancy at low normal stresses that decreases with increasing normal stress. This behaviour during shearing is similar to the behaviour exhibited by natural granular materials from literature. For all the three types of materials tested, the friction angles fall above the lower limits of strength for rockfill set by Leps (1970), which indicates their suitability for use as engineered fill.


Nanotechnology deals with researching on materials of size one to one hundred nanometers with comparative different physical properties with respect to same materials at higher dimensions. Nanotechnology is recently considered as general-purpose technology essential for solving problems optimally related to both basic needs and advanced wants. Being anticipated as universal technology of21st century, nanotechnology is on the verge of solving many long-time waiting problems related to human prosperity. It is predicted that nanotechnology may have its largest impact on the medical industry compared to other industries. Patients may drink medicine containing nanorobots programmed to kill and reconstruct the molecular structure of cancer cells and viruses. It is also predicted that nanorobots could slow or even reverse the aging process, and life expectancy of human beings could increase significantly. Through suitable programming, nanorobots are expected to perform delicate surgeries which can be thousand times more precise than expert surgeons. Nanorobots can also change the physical structure and appearance of human beings through programmed cosmetic surgery. The advancements in medical and pharmaceutical applications of nanotechnology will be expected to improve the drug delivery and organ regenerations prospects. The paper anticipates and discusses the possibilities how the health science progress is driven by nanotechnology-based innovations leading to predicted and most desired immortality of living beings in this world and reaching the expected status – the ultimate state in human life comfortability.


The subject of the paper originated from practical project work in a large organization designing, planning, and supervising public infrastructure projects. This organization can be described as traditional with a lot of regulations but conscious of the fact that project work could be improved. Cooperative phase planning along the lines of the Last Planner System was applied in several pilot projects (design/planning phases only). It became obvious rather quickly that lean approaches on a project level would be limited in developing their potential if the overlying organizational structures and cultures would not offer a commitment to Lean and preparedness to changes. The objective of the paper is to show how these changes can gradually be initiated to overcome the main obstacles as fear, resistance to change, and existing procedures. The main questions are: What are the desirable features of an organization that will support lean project work? Can the Last Planner System play a double role by both improving the project and facilitating gradual changes within the organization? The method adopted in the organization referred to in this paper was to make the project teams acquainted with some selected eye openers of organizational concepts. To discuss the full set of such concepts with the teams would have done no good. This paper gives a report on this selective approach. In this process the Last Planner System is now being used to transfer improvements of motivation, cooperation, transparency, reliability and promises from the project level into the organization.


In Amsterdam and Beirut, Abdallah has ethnographically researched interactional dynamics between disadvantaged young people, regarding experiences of success, in settings of education, work, sports, and music. He analyzed how focus, mood, and bodily deployment produced shared symbols, emotional contagions, and situated solidarities and moralities. He came to characterize constructive interactions as a main context for young people to experience three components of success: boosts, elevation, and grounding. Combinations of these experiences have important restorative effects for young people who suffer from an abundance of adversity and discouragement. Tensions arise for young people between, on the one hand, their loyalties toward old settings of belonging with their short-term, at times destructive, tendencies and, on the other hand, their success in new settings which demanded of them new types of discipline and commitments. Continued success depends partly on young people's abilities, but more so on the availability of constructive interaction rituals helping them manage such tensions, without necessarily committing to one loyalty over the other. Next to young people's dynamics and processes, Abdallah has focused on the input of NGO professionals and volunteers in such constructive interactions to learn how their involvement can help young people in their struggles for success. The analysis employs concepts of sociological studies of emotions, such as interaction rituals, emotion management, and embodied dispositions to clarify how emotion, experience and energy act as driving forces in young people's activities and development.


Glycomic profiling methods were used to determine the effect of metabolic inhibitors on glycan production. These inhibitors are commonly used to alter the cell surface glycosylation. However, structural analysis of the released glycans has been limited. In this research, the cell membranes were enriched and the glycans were released to obtain the N-glycans of the glycocalyx. Glycomic analysis using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) with a PGC chip column was used to profile the structures in the cell membrane. Glycans of untreated cells were compared to glycans of cells treated with inhibitors, including kifunensine, which inhibits the formation of complex- and hybrid-type structures, 2,4,7,8,9-Penta-O-acetyl-N-acetyl-3-fluoro-b-d-neuraminic acid methyl ester for sialylated glycans, 2-deoxy-2-fluorofucose, and 6-alkynyl fucose for fucosylated glycans. Kifunensine was the most effective, converting nearly 95% of glycans to high mannose types. The compound 6-alkynyl fucose inhibited some fucosylation but also incorporated into the glycan structure. Proteomic analysis of the enriched membrane for the four inhibitors showed only small changes in the proteome accompanied by large changes in the N-glycome for Caco-2. Future works may use these inhibitors to study the cellular behavior associated with the alteration of glycosylation in various biological systems, e.g., viral and bacterial infection, drug binding, and cell–cell interactions.


Jorge Arroyo, MD, discussed the epidemiology and pathophysiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The discussion centered on Dr G, a 76-year-old semiretired surgeon devastated by the loss of depth perception in his right eye because it prevented him from continuing to practice surgery. Three years prior to the conference, Dr G noticed subtle vision changes, which progressed, resulting in a diagnosis of AMD. After the diagnosis, Dr G received photodynamic therapy to the right eye 5 times, twice with the experimental addition of intraocular triamcinolone. Despite these treatments, Dr G lost vision in his right eye. At the time of the conference, Dr G was primarily concerned with protecting the vision in his left eye, allowing him to maintain autonomy and function with general ease. Dr Arroyo suggested that Dr G meet with a visual rehabilitation specialist to discuss strategies to help him overcome the functional limitations of his vision loss. Dr Arroyo also advised Dr G to adhere to a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts and to take a daily Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS)– recommended antioxidant and zinc formulation. Finally, Dr Arroyo recommended that Dr G's depressive symptoms be addressed and treatment provided if necessary.


We have conducted a study of Sierra Nevada runoff by analyzing the onset of snowmelt (or peak snowmass timing) from observations and conducting model simulations of snowpack. For our observation study, monthly snow water equivalent ("SWE") measurements were combined from two data sets to provide sufficient data from 1930 to 2008. The monthly snapshots are used to calculate peak snow mass timing for each snow season. Since 1930, there has been an overall trend towards earlier snow mass peak timing by 0.6 days per decade. The trend towards earlier timing also occurs at nearly all individual stations. Even stations showing an increase in April 1st SWE exhibit the trend toward earlier timing, indicating that enhanced melting is occurring at nearly all stations. Analysis of individual years and stations reveals that warm daily maximum temperatures averaged over March and April are associated with earlier snow mass peak timing for all spatial and temporal scales included in the data set. The influence is particularly pronounced for low accumulation years indicating the potential importance of albedo feedback for the melting of shallow snow. The robustness of the early spring temperature influence on peak timing suggests the trend towards earlier peak timing is attributable to the simultaneous warming trend (0.1oC per decade since 1930, with an acceleration in warming in later time periods). For our modeling study, we have used the Weather Research and Forecasting Model ("WRF") to model snowpack at high resolution over the Sierra Nevada during the 2001-2002 water year. We have focused on one year to validate the use of WRF for understanding runoff variability. We have found that high resolutions are necessary to accurately model snow cover over the Sierras.


OBJECTIVE
To discuss the characteristics and reconstruction strategies of acetabular bone deficiency in total hip arthroplasty in order to find the optimal resolution for this clinical puzzle.

METHODS
Clinical and radiological materials of 37 patients (37 hips) with acetabular deficiency who underwent primary or revision total hip arthroplasty were analyzed retrospectively from May 1998 to August 2008. According to the common classification system for acetabular bone deficiency-the AAOS classification system, the acetabular bone defect was reconstructed using morselized or structural bone grafting, accessory acetabular hardware (ring, cup or cage) together with cemented or cementless acetabular component respectively. All patients were followed up regularly to assess their hip function improvement by measuring the Harris hip score and to find out the grafting bone healing, absorption and position of the prosthesis by plain radiographic examination.

RESULTS
There were 11 primary and 26 revision total hip arthroplasty. There were 9 hips of AAOS-type I defect, 13 of type II and 15 of type III. Morselized bone grafting was used in 24 cases, bulk structural bone grafting in 6 cases and mixed bone grafting in 7 cases. Twenty-one patients used cementless prosthesis and 16 used cemented prosthesis. The average follow-up period was 53.7 months (6.5 to 130.5 months), the average preoperative Harris hip score was 42 +/- 8 with contrast to 87 +/- 5 of post-operation. Statistically significant difference was found according to t-test with P value less than 0.05. Major or complete healing of grafting bone was obtained at the latest follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
Acetabular bone defect during primary or revision total hip arthroplasty should be reconstructed according to its characteristics and severity. For relatively simple AAOS type I and type II cases, morselized or bulk structural bone grafting together with cementless prosthesis could achieve favorable initial stability, but for more severe AAOS type III cases, bulk structural bone grafting with accessory reinforcement hardware would be necessary. Though the early and mid-term results of the above strategies are satisfied, the long term outcome still require further study.


This paper concerns redistribution and public good provision under asymmetric information, which are here ingredients of a policy-problem facing each member state (nation) of an economic federation with decentralized leadership. Each member state is assumed to have its own redistributive policy and pattern of public consumption, whereas the federal level redistributes (ex-post) between the member states. The results show how and why federal ex-post redistribution may modify the use of income taxation and public good provision at the national level, relative to the policy outcome in the absence of a federal government, as well as how the national policy incentives depend on whether or not the federal government uses distortionary taxes.


Abstract In 1957 several eminent scientists ('the 1957 Blue Tier Expedition') investigated unusual rock markings reported to be Aboriginal petroglyphs on Blue Tier in northeast Tasmania and concluded that some markings were the result of dissolution of granite by roots, some were made by the subaerial action of plants abrading granite, and others were made by miners and prospectors. However a recent publication has restated claims of an Aboriginal origin for the 'petroglyphs'. As a result the markings were re-examined so that their genesis could be conclusively decided. The markings on Blue Tier are classified into eight types: (1) Rills; (2) Long Linear Grooves; (3) Circular Holes; (4) Inscriptions; (5) Oval Depressions; (6) Regularly Spaced Circular Depressions; (7) Short Linear Grooves; and (8) Small Circular Depressions. We conclude that Types 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8 markings are natural; Type 3 markings were drilled by prospectors or geologists; Type 4 markings were incised by miners or visitors; and Type 6 markings, which form a distinctive feature just below the crest of Australia Hill, were made by tin prospectors employed by the Mt Lyell Railway and Mining Company Limited. Therefore all markings on Blue Tier have been either produced by natural means (chiefly chemical weathering) or by geologists, prospectors and recent visitors. There is no evidence for the presence of Aboriginal petroglyphs on Blue Tier.


Using the sticky price monetary model of exchange rate determination and the sunk cost model of trade hysteresis, we show that a sufficiently large policy misalignment can induce hysteresis in the trade balance and thereby alter the steady?state real exchange rate. Thus in our model exchange rate dynamics are path dependent, PPP need not hold and money need not be neutral even in the very long run. We present only positive analysis but conjecture that the results have strong welfare, policy, and econometric implications. Since hysteresis in our model can entail industrial dislocation and the scrappage of sunk assets, we suggest that these factors may constitute a welfare cost of large policy misalignments that have not been formally considered. On the policy side, one could sensibly argue against the dollar volatility of the 1980s without at the same time arguing for a return to a formal exchange rate regime (because 1980s-size swings may involve welfare costs that 1970s-size swings do not). Lastly, since the long-run exchange rate is path dependent, standard empirical tests of exchange rate models may be misspecified.