The effects of wildfire on aquatic systems and fishes occurring in them has been linked to the direct or immediate influence of the fire on water quality and the indirect or subsequent effects on watershed characteristics and processes that influence water quality and quantity, stream channels, and aquatic biota (Gresswell 1999). Early research linking fire and aquatic systems focused on effects to soil, erosion, and water yield and quality, with a relatively limited temporal and spatial context (see Gresswell 1999 for a review). Wildfire generally was perceived as a destructive force threatening aquatic resources (e.g., fish populations) and related values (Rieman and Clayton 1997; Kaufman 2004).


The cross thickness and strip shape are the main guideposts of cold rolling strip. The important task of the AGC & AFC system is to erase the influence of the interference in the cold milling process. To acquire the accurate regularity of those interferences and improve the control effect, the main sources & reasons of longitudinal & cross thickness error are analyzed & described in detail using data mining theory & error tracing technology. Where the database of cold milling process is relied on as data resource, the interferences hided in it are separated and traced to their sources. Through special regression analysis, the character of these inferences is distinguished.. Then the models of inferences are made sure, whichi is very important to improve the precision of AGC & AFC.


Fidelity to 'democracy' is frequently assumed to be an important evaluative criterion for selecting between competing theories of constitutional interpretation. This article interrogates that assumption by examining a widely-deployed argument against progressive judicial interpretation associated with 'formalist' theories: the argument that confining constitutional change to the formal amendment process better respects popular self-governance than updating constitutional meaning through judicial interpretation. The article argues that taking this suggestion seriously would require either advocating for substantial reform to existing amendment procedures and practices, or rejecting constitutional entrenchment altogether — positions that are in tension with other commitments that formalist interpretive views commonly share. This analysis ultimately suggests that the preoccupation with democracy is at best a distraction from the real set of issues that guide one's choice of interpretive approach; at worst, it allows debates about constitutional design to proceed as if they are debates about constitutional interpretation.


Theodore Roszak's compelling parable, The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein, provides an (eco)-feminist view of the "Night of the Living Dead Model" and suggests that only the equal union of "masculine" and "feminine" energies will help us resolve the current eco-crisis. This article further explores the consequences of the highly masculinized post-Enlightenment rationalism as demonstrated in Roszak's novel. Although this article agrees that there is a dangerous imbalance between natural/spiritual and scientific/rational viewpoints, it also stresses that the extreme genderification of these energies is potentially problematic.


Predator diet can provide important data to inform management actions as well as an enhanced understanding of the fauna of a region. The diet of dingo (Canis lupus dingo), feral cat (Felis catus) and eastern barn owl (Tyto delicatula) were compared using scat, stomach and pellets from a significant conservation reserve in southwest Queensland. Dingo diet was dominated by macropods, while the diet of feral cat and barn owl was dominated by small mammals. We found no remains of threatened species but recommend continued monitoring of predator diet as a tool to assist management.


Arrhythmias are abnormal rhythms of heart. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is most often caused by life threatening arrhythmias such as Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) and Ventricular Fibrillation (VF). Early detection of life threatening arrhythmias is crucial for successive defibrillation therapy. In general heart diseases have been investigated by various methods. Among these Electrocardiography (ECG) test is considered as the best noninvasive method of investigation. ECG test is varied if the heart sound from the Phonocardiogram shows any abnormalities. So Phonocardiography (PCG) is also considered for more efficiency. Commonly used arrhythmia detection and classification algorithms are only based on surface Electrocardiogram analysis. So an algorithm corresponds to multiresolution wavelet analysis using temporal and wavelet features of Electrocardiogram and Phonocardiogram along with Electrocardiogram-Phonocardiogram relationships is designed so as to increase the efficiency of the heart diagnostics. Temporal and wavelet features of ECG and PCG along with the linear prediction coefficients representing ECG and PCG are fed to the classifier for classification. The goal of this work is to achieve an efficient arrhythmia detection system that can lead to high performance heart diagnostics.


There has been little change to definitions offered for the term "Islamic art" in the last 40 years. Alongside literary definitions, readers are presented with visual examples and sub-categories to help understand what the term might be applied to. With discussion on the understanding of Islamic art continuing to present day, we look to why ambiguity still exists. In searching for an answer we review some of the most popular definitions cited in recent literature, with a number of examples referring back to the writings of Oleg Grabar in 1973 a time when Islamic culture was still predominantly associated with Muslim lands. We also examine some of the influences on sub-categorisation within Islamic art based on these definitions and consider the validity of these in light of the contemporary Islamic art scene in places such as Britain, where there is a large and growing Muslim diaspora. We ask, who is in the position to determine whether an artwork is "Islamic?" The artist, curator, or historian? Finally, we aim to clarify ambiguities surrounding the term "Islamic art" whilst also proposing a contemporary understanding of existing definitions in light of the views from all stakeholders, including those whose views are yet to be documented – the artists.


Background : Acute fever with dengue-like fever symptoms with headache, rash, arthritis, perifer bleeding like ptechie and rinhorrhea are symptoms that often complained by patient and it may be caused by arboviruses infection. Arboviruses are very endemic in Indonesia, especially Dengue Virus (DENV), Japanese Encephalisitis Virus (JEV), and Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) that causing similar symptoms. Molecular detection is very important to confirm the etiology for adequate management. Methods : This study investigated the etiological agent using one step real time RT reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) method and SYBR Green I as fluorescent binding dye reporter. The viruses that were investigated were JEV and CHIKV. Primer design was using online software NCBI. Those primers fulfill the good primer requirements and can be used as material in RT PCR reaction. Results : The optimum temperature for all primers were at 60 °C. The limit detection of JEV primer was 4355 copy DNA every reaction. Cross reactivity between all primers with DENV serotype 2 RNA and false positive result using healthy person sample were not found. Conclusions : This study has optimized condition RT PCR protocol that can be used as diagnostic tools for patient with dengue-like fever symptoms.


The goal of active learning is to achieve the same accuracy achievable by passive learning, while using much fewer labels. Exponential savings in terms of label complexity have been proved in very special cases, but fundamental lower bounds show that such improvements are impossible in general. This suggests a need to explore alternative goals for active learning. Learning with abstention is one such alternative. In this setting, the active learning algorithm may abstain from prediction and incur an error that is marginally smaller than random guessing. We develop the first computationally efficient active learning algorithm with abstention. Our algorithm provably achieves $\mathsf{polylog}(\frac{1}{\varepsilon})$ label complexity, without any low noise conditions. Such performance guarantee reduces the label complexity by an exponential factor, relative to passive learning and active learning that is not allowed to abstain. Furthermore, our algorithm is guaranteed to only abstain on hard examples (where the true label distribution is close to a fair coin), a novel property we term \emph{proper abstention} that also leads to a host of other desirable characteristics (e.g., recovering minimax guarantees in the standard setting, and avoiding the undesirable ``noise-seeking'' behavior often seen in active learning). We also provide novel extensions of our algorithm that achieve \emph{constant} label complexity and deal with model misspecification.


This conceptual and historical analysis of paradigmatic social policy experiences in the region reveals some fundamental landmarks in the evolution of the link between selective anti-poverty policies and social sector policies. These landmarks are associated with major changes in targeting policies and with a number of universal social policy reforms. Special attention is given to the redistribution-with-growth approach; subsequent reductionist targeting proposals, which have undergone shifts in conceptual and effective terms over the last two decades; and the concern for interaction with social sectors displayed by some present-day conditional transfer programmes, which stand out in the region because of their scale. Two related trends observed in fields that go beyond the effort to combat poverty are also analysed: the reductionist social risk management proposal and, in the opposite direction, the introduction of health guarantees.


The Hantavirus pulmonary and cardiovascular syndrome (HPCVS) is an emerging disease in Brazil. In this study, eight confirmed cases of HPCVS were studied. All the patients presented fever and dyspnea as well as thrombocytopenia and hypoxemia. Tachycardia, malaise, hypotension and lung rales occurred in 75 to 87.5% of the cases. Hemoconcentration, blood cell count increased and immature neutrophils, and high levels of creatinine were observed in 75 to 87.5%. Intravenous liquid infusion, the use of drugs for increasing systemic vascular resistance and inotropism, and mechanic ventilation were used for the patients. Mechanical ventilation and volume administration should be started precociously, preferable in intensive care units employing recommended universal and respiratory precautions. Careful volume administration should be limited if signs of pulmonary edema develop. Mortality (50%) is high and probably related to the severity of the disease as well as to a delayed attending of the patients for intensive management. It is important to report hantaviruses and HPCVS to the Brazilian medical community considering that many cases could be undiagnosed.


Geographical patterns for quantitative traits in Drosophila and other insects are commonly used to investigate climatic selection. They are usually determined from comparisons of populations over extensive areas and based on one collection per population. Here we consider patterns in the Australian endemic species Drosophila serrata established over a shorter transect with repeated sampling. Summer (prewinter) and spring (post‐winter) collections were made from 10 to 14 localities, incorporating the southern border of D.serrata and extending approximately 1000 km northwards along the eastern coast of Australia. Linear or curvilinear associations with latitude were evident for development time, viability and cold resistance but patterns differed between collections. Some geographical (population) and genetic associations between traits were found and these also tended to differ between collections. Results confirm the importance of cold stress resistance over winter to the southern border of this species. Microsatellite markers were developed for D.serrata. These indicated a low level of genetic differentiation between populations, high levels of gene flow and no evidence that the most southerly populations were isolated. The results suggest that selection generated geographical patterns in cold resistance, development time and viability, and that substantial gene flow may prevent adaptation at the border to conditions beyond the current distribution of D. serrata.


Dry wastes (dw) generated in processing mangoes, composed (in dry weight) mainly of soluble carbohydrates (71 ± 2%) and fiber (16 ± 1%), were evaluated as substrates in a "home-made" solid-state fermentation (using polyurethane foam as inert support matrix, various C:N ratios, moisture contents, and incubation periods) of Trichoderma asperellum T8a, a promising biological control agent against the mango pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (causal agent of anthracnose). Highest spore production (2.5 x 106 up to 76 ± 3 x 108 spores g-1 dw) occurred after 8 days of incubation [at 28 ± 1 °C, relative humidity of 85 ± 5%, photoperiod of 12h (540 Lux) - 12h (20 Lux)] at a C:N ratio of 26, and a moisture content of 78%. Scanning electron microscopy showed that T. asperellum T8a was able to grow on mango industrial wastes and into polyurethane foam. The extensive growth can be related to cellulases secreted by this fungus, liberating glucose from these wastes to its growth. Most (94 ± 1%) of the spores grown on mango industrial wastes survived storage at 4 °C for 7 days and were equally effective as those grown on potato dextrose agar medium (86 ± 4% viable) in biological control tests against C. gloeosporioides ATCC MYA 456. Results indicate the potential use of mango industrial wastes as substrates to produce T. asperellum T8a spores in situ (mango orchards) under a cheap "home-made" solid-state fermentation, reducing problems associated with wastes disposal and permitting the production of a biological control agent against C. gloeosporioides.


Liver sinusoidal endothelial cell lectin (LSECtin) was recently reported to suppress intrahepatic T cell immunity and to limit immune-mediated liver injury. However, its role in the outcome and pathogenesis of viral infection has not yet been elucidated. Using a mouse model infected with a hepatotropic adenovirus, we found that the absence of LSECtin led to a higher frequency of intrahepatic effector CTLs. These cells produced higher levels of antiviral cytokines and cytotoxic factors and exhibited an increased expression of the transcription factors T-bet and Runx3. This phenotype observed in the LSECtin-knockout cells mediated a more efficient virus-specific cytotoxity compared with that of wild-type cells. As a consequence, LSECtin deficiency significantly accelerated liver adenovirus clearance. In contrast, LSECtin upregulation in the liver delayed viral clearance; this delayed clearance was accompanied by the downregulation of the antiviral activity of CTLs. We further constructed an immunocompetent mouse model of acute hepatitis B viral infection to demonstrate that LSECtin significantly delayed the clearance of hepatitis B virus from blood and infected hepatocytes by limiting the frequency of hepatitis B virus–specific IFN- g –producing cells. Consistent with this function, LSECtin was upregulated in the liver of mouse models of viral hepatitis. Taken together, our results suggest that LSECtin may facilitate the reduction of liver inflammation at the cost of delaying virus clearance and that this effect might be hijacked by the virus as an escape mechanism. The Journal of Immunology , 2013, 190: 000–000.


Proton-conducting perovskites are among the most promising electrolytes for Proton Ceramic Fuel Cells (PCFCs), electrolysers and separation membranes. Particularly, yttrium-doped barium cerate, BaCe1-xYxO3-δ (BCY), shows one of the highest protonic conductivities at intermediate temperatures (σ 10 3 S cm 1 at 400°C); values that are typically achieved under humidified atmospheres (pH2O 10 2 atm). However, BCY has commonly been discarded for such applications due to its instability in the presence of water vapour and carbonaceous atmospheres. A recent discovery has shown that BCY10 exhibits pure protonic conductivity under very low humidity contents ( 10 –10 4 atm), owing to its very high equilibrium constant for hydration. This peculiar characteristic allows this material to retain its functionally as a proton conductor in such conditions, while preventing its decomposition. Hence, this chapter explores the electrochemical properties of the BaCe0.9Y0.1O3-δ (BCY10) composition, comprehensively establishing its limiting operation conditions through defect chemistry and thermodynamic analyses. Moreover, the importance of such conditions is highlighted with respect to potential industrially relevant hydrogenation/de-hydrogenation reactions at low temperatures under low humidity.


The Maastricht Treaty (the "Treaty") first introduced the status of EU citizenship. The twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty, marked in 2013, was declared the European Year of the Citizen. Union citizenship has been understood as the world's first post-national citizenship, although it is still complementary to national citizenships. EU citizens enjoy rights that have been expanded, modified, and reinterpreted in light of the EU integration process. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has been a driving force in this process. This twentieth anniversary has provided the occasio for this special issue. Indeed, much has happened over the last two decades. The Maastricht Treaty entered into force on the heels of German reunification, and afterwards, a series of EU treaties followed: The Amsterdam Treaty, the Nice Charter of Fundamental Rights, the aborted constitutionalization process and the Rome Treaty in 2004, and the Treaty of Lisbon. The Euro took over former national currencies in 2002; the enlargement process led to today's twenty-eight Member States. But the ratio of this special issue is based on other events as linked to the 2008 financial crisis, bailouts, the fiscal compact, and similar measures. In a nutshell, the timeliness of this volume is linked to the current financial disarray. Since prognosis presupposes diagnosis, no further words are necessary as to the importance of this task. It is (almost) self-evident that before taking action and preparing for the future, one needs to address the very first question: Nosce te ipsum...


The present state of the law is unsatisfactory. The exact effect on the marriage of the parties has not been decided although in English law if artificial insemination by donor (AID) takes place without consent that would appear to be a ground for divorce since 1969. The law regards a child born as a result of AID as illegitimate and draws no distinction between the case where the husband consents and where he does not. Theoretically, an offence is committed if the birth entry is falsified, presumably in cases where the husband consents. The AID child, like any other illegitimate child, has rights against the natural parents, but he is in a worse position than most illegitimate children, in that he may not have any information about his father. It is now possible to freeze sperm and so preserve it over longer periods. All the problems associated with AID are present also when sperm is preserved in banks, but if the law is in an unsatisfactory state in relation to AID this is even more true in relation to sperm banks. The main criticism of the Feversham Report (1960) could be that it recommended, broadly speaking, the `status quo' but scientific progress has now overtaken and left the Feversham findings well behind. What, therefore, is required is a full consideration of the subject of AID and, on the basis of that, some statutory code regulating all its aspects.


The overall goal of the Bank's Women in Development (WID) Policy is to improve the socioeconomic situation of women in Latin America and the Caribbean and to improve the performance of Bank projects by enhancing women's contributions. To assist project officers in this task, gender guidelines, or resource books, are being prepared in specific sectors and economic structures and markets of Bank Activity. The information in this resource book is focused primarily on training issues regarding skills acquisition in the urban manufacturing and service sectors.


ABSTRACT Exercise sensitivity, fear of physical sensations of exertion, is particularly elevated in individuals with cardiovascular disease and can promote fear-avoidance of physical activity. We developed an ACT-informed exposure intervention to target exercise sensitivity, called Behavioral Exposure For Interoceptive Tolerance (BE-FIT). In this Stage I pilot trial, we developed and evaluated the feasibility, safety, and initial efficacy of BE-FIT in low active patients with elevated exercise sensitivity enrolled in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. BE-FIT is a 6-session, manualized, program-adjunctive treatment delivered during the initial weeks of cardiac rehabilitation and involves exposure to feared bodily sensations and exercise situations, bolstered by acceptance and values-focused processes. Patients (Mage = 70.7 years) were assigned to BE-FIT (n = 12) or an activity monitoring-only control (n = 7). Patients in the BE-FIT condition reported high satisfaction, completed 100% of sessions, and 86.3% (SD = 16.4%) of homework exposures. There were no adverse events reported. BE-FIT produced large-sized effects on reductions in exercise sensitivity and increases in both average steps/day and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) mins/day, from baseline to end-of-treatment. In contrast, the monitoring-only cohort evidenced small-sized reductions in exercise sensitivity and no change in average steps/day or MVPA mins/day. BE-FIT is safe, feasible, acceptable with promising findings from this Stage I trial.


Mycobacterium leprae is an intracellular pathogen that is ingested by and proliferates within cells of the monocyte/macrophage series. Mechanisms by which intracellular pathogens resist destruction may involve failure to elicit a phagocyte "respiratory burst" or resistance to toxic oxygen derivatives and lysosomal enzymes. We have studied the ability of M. leprae and Mycobacterium bovis BCG to stimulate the generation of superoxide anion (O2-) in vitro by human blood neutrophils and monocytes and murine peritoneal macrophages. M. leprae bacteria failed to stimulate significant O2- release except at high bacteria-to-cell ratios (greater than 50:1) whether or not they were pretreated with normal serum or serum from patients with lepromatous leprosy. Either viable or irradiated BCG; on the other hand, stimulated the three cell types to release significant amounts of O2- when challenged with as few as 10 organisms per cell. Serum pretreatment enhanced the release of O2- by the three cell types. Preincubation for 18 h with viable M. leprae did not inhibit the ability of monocytes to respond with an oxidative burst to phagocytic stimuli. The failure of M. leprae to stimulate phagocyte O2- generation may be an important factor in its pathogenicity.


Background In May 2012, a simultaneous triple point-of-care screening programme for syphilis, hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV was integrated in antenatal services in rural Guatemala. The programme included screening for pregnant women with mobile outreach teams, promotion through community networks, partner notification, and linkage to care. Our aim was to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness in increasing testing uptake, case detection and referrals for positive cases. Methods A network of over 200 midwives and community volunteers promoted testing and recruited pregnant women through community IEC campaigns. Nurses from three mobile outreach teams, two health posts, and the district health centre offered counselling and triple screening by fingerprick. Syphilis cases were treated on-site. HIV and HBV were referred with accompaniment to the tertiary hospital for care and prevention of mother to child transmission. Testing uptake was compared with the 8-month period prior to implementation of the programme. Results In 8 months, 978 women sought prenatal services; 65% were screened for HIV and syphilis and 62% for HBV. Testing uptake increased 209%/30% from baseline for HIV/syphilis (p < 0.001). 29% were screened during the first trimester. Six cases of syphilis were detected and treated (0.95%); two cases of HIV (0.32%) were detected and initiated prophylaxis/treatment; and 0 cases of HBV. All of these cases were identified by the rural outreach teams or health posts. Seven women notified their partners (5 for syphilis, 2 for HIV) yet only 1 partner was tested, resulting positive. Three children were born with suspected congenital syphilis and all three died. Conclusions This outreach programme shows the feasibility of simultaneous screening for three infections in rural Guatemala and its effectiveness in increasing screening coverage, case detection, and access to treatment services. Further efforts should work to improve earlier detection, results of partner notification, and adverse outcomes due to congenital syphilis.


This report is comprised of a three-part Brazil Energy Efficiency Study (BREES), which was prepared by the World Bank. The objective of BREES is to support the evaluation of energy efficiency (EE) programs and opportunities in Brazil based on good practices, nationally and internationally. The topics included in the study were selected as a result of consultations with the Brazilian Government, academia, and the private sector, in December 2006 and March 2007. As agreed by the Bank with the government of Brazil, the study would be in three parts, and organized around major themes: Part 1 focusses on the review of recommendations for revising Brazil's Energy Efficiency Program (EEP) part two on the support of the Brazilian Power Sector Regulator's (ANEEL) recent decision to improve regulation of the program, and the analysis of policy, institutional, and market issues, related to realizing energy efficiency potential in public sector buildings; and part three focussing on the water and sanitation sector.


The LOw Frequency ARray – LOFAR – is a new fully digital radio telescope designed for frequencies between 30 MHz and 240 MHz centered in the Netherlands. In May 2006 ten German institutes formed the German LOng Wavelength consortium – GLOW – to coordinate its contributions and scientific interests to the LOFAR project. The first LOFAR station CS1 was installed in summer 2006 near Exloo/Netherlands. The second station IS-G1 is presently been placed in the immediate vicinity of the Effelsberg 100m radio telescope near Bad M ünstereifel/Germany. This contribution briefly describes the basic properties and aims of LOFAR, the aims of the GLOW consortium and the actual activities to install a LOFAR station at the Effelsberg site.


The global exponential growth in the number of exotic turtle species exploited in the pet trade market facilitates hybridization events between distantly related species. The 1997 EU trade ban on red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans), followed by the Spanish ban on all T. scripta subspecies in 2011, resulted in the importation of other chelonians (e.g. Graptemys spp., Pseudemys spp., Mauremys spp.), mainly from America and Asia to Spain. The importation of the Chinese stripe-necked pond turtle, Mauremys sinensis, via the pet trade market resulted in its release into natural environments across Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula where it co-occurs with the Western Mediterranean pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa. We maintained three M. leprosa females and two M. sinensis males in captivity, and analysed the obtained offspring (two hatchlings) with mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (R35) genetic markers. Both morphological (i.e. with intermediate morphological characters) and genetic (heterozygous hatchlings) results confirmed the hybridization between these two species and raise concern about the negative effects of acclimatised Mauremys sinensis across the Mauremys leprosa range.


The g-Eclipse framework provides a general, integrated workbench toolset for Grid users, operators and developers. Based on the Open Source Eclipse eco system, it supports scientists to interact with Grid resources independent of the underlying Grid middleware. Its main objective is to deliver an extensible framework for different Grid actors, by providing an unified abstraction of the Grid. The Grid abstraction enables Grid application users to access the Grid in a desktop-like manner with wizards specific for common use cases; It also provides a set of visual configuration tools to maintain and configure Grid re-


Phonation threshold pressures (PTP) have been commonly used for obtaining a quantitative measure of vocal fold motility. However, as these measures are quite low, it is typically difficult to obtain reliable data. As the amplitude of an electroglottograph (EGG) signal decreases substantially at the loss of vocal fold contact, it is mostly easy to determine the collision threshold pressure (CTP) from an EGG signal. In an earlier investigation (Enflo & Sundberg, forthcoming) we measured CTP and compared it with PTP in singer subjects. Results showed that in these subjects CTP was on average about 4 cm H2O higher than PTP. The PTP has been found to increase during vocal fatigue. In the present study we compare PTP and CTP before and after vocal loading in singer and non-singer voices, applying a loading procedure previously used by co-author FP. Seven subjects repeated the vowel sequence /a,e,i,o,u/ at an SPL of at least 80 dB @ 0.3 m for 20 min. Before and after the loading the subjects' voices were recorded while they produced a diminuendo repeating the syllable /pa/. Oral pressure during the /p/ occlusion was used as a measure of subglottal pressure. Both CTP and PTP increased significantly after the vocal loading.


This article reviews the evidence pertaining to changes in women's relative pay during the Second World War and presents new evidence relating to important wartime manufacturing industries. It is argued that gender pay inequality declined sharply where women were employed in industries that had previously been dominated by men, but did not occur in industries that had traditionally been important areas of female employment. The explanation for this pattern probably lies in a combination of excess demand effects and institutional factors, both of which were strongest in wartime munitions industries. Because of the importance of these industries to the war economy, the behaviour of inequality in munitions dominates the behaviour of inequality across all industries. Nearly all existing scholarship acknowledges the impact of the Second World War on reducing the employment segregation of women, but simultaneously views the war as an unimportant episode in the history of gender pay inequality. This article shows how the transition from 'female' to 'male' work also led to a significant improvement in women's relative pay.


Claire Bishop argued that the ethical lens applied to socially engaged arts practice encourages 'authorial renunciation' in favour of collaboration and limits the opportunity to expose such practice to critical reception. This article responds to Bishop's implicit call to envision an artist-centred framework for participatory arts by identifying the motivations and beneficial discoveries that artists make when they seek out the creative involvement of others. Based on interviews with Australian performing artists who have established socially engaged practices, the article aims to bring about a form of 'authorial reinstatement' into the value system around participatory arts practice. It identifies a range of motivations for artists who establish socially engaged or participatory practice, from self-developmental to altruistic; and from arts-focused to community- and society-focused. The article argues that using these motivations to inform indicators of achievement for participatory practice provides new opportunities for critical interrogation of those practices.


Objective. Longitudinal observation of single unit neural activity from large numbers of cortical neurons in awake and mobile animals is often a vital step in studying neural network behaviour and towards the prospect of building effective brain–machine interfaces (BMIs). These recordings generate enormous amounts of data for transmission and storage, and typically require offline processing to tease out the behaviour of individual neurons. Our aim was to create a compact system capable of: (1) reducing the data bandwidth by circa 2 to 3 orders of magnitude (greatly improving battery lifetime and enabling low power wireless transmission in future versions); (2) producing real-time, low-latency, spike sorted data; and (3) long term untethered operation. Approach. We have developed a headstage that operates in two phases. In the short training phase a computer is attached and classic spike sorting is performed to generate templates. In the second phase the system is untethered and performs template matching to create an event driven spike output that is logged to a micro-SD card. To enable validation the system is capable of logging the high bandwidth raw neural signal data as well as the spike sorted data. Main results. The system can successfully record 32 channels of raw neural signal data and/or spike sorted events for well over 24 h at a time and is robust to power dropouts during battery changes as well as SD card replacement. A 24 h initial recording in a non-human primate M1 showed consistent spike shapes with the expected changes in neural activity during awake behaviour and sleep cycles. Significance. The presented platform allows neural activity to be unobtrusively monitored and processed in real-time in freely behaving untethered animals—revealing insights that are not attainable through scheduled recording sessions. This system achieves the lowest power per channel to date and provides a robust, low-latency, low-bandwidth and verifiable output suitable for BMIs, closed loop neuromodulation, wireless transmission and long term data logging.


Background: Despite a lot of research regarding postgraduate residents (PGRs) duty hours, its benefits are still controversial. There is a constant need for further evaluation. So, we conducted the present research work to update a systematic review of the literature on duty hour restrictions. Objective: To evaluate the effects of the 80-hour postgraduate trainees work per week, restrictions on patient safety, resident well-being, and resident education. Study Design: Cross-Sectional Survey. Settings: Allied Hospital, Faisalabad Pakistan. Duration: One year from, Jan 2018 – Jan 2019. Methodology: A 15 item structured questionnaire based upon 5-point Likert scale was developed. The participants were 130 including males & females. Results: Residents reported per week working hours a mean of 103 ± 0.31, certainly more than 80-hours limit recommended by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Among all, 78% respondents reported that sleep deprivation had negatively affected their duty. A strong majority of senior PGs (88%), as compared to juniors (72%), believed that work hour limits would have markedly improved effect on patient care and somewhat improve the work life (juniors 69% & seniors 65%).  89% seniors suggested marked improvement in personal life after work hour limits while 55% juniors believed a somewhat improvement. Conclusion: Present PGRs duty hour changes are insufficient to improve resident well-being and have negative effects on patient outcomes and performance. Greater flexibility regarding their training requirements, is the need of the day.


Effects of maternal ethanol consumption were investigated on the rates of protein synthehsis by livers of foetal and neonatal rats both in vivo and in vitro, and on the activities of enzymes involved in protein synthesis and degradation. The rates of general protein synthesis by ribosomes in vitro studied by measuring the incorporation of [14C]leucine into ribosomal protein showed that maternal ethanol consumption resulted in an inhibition of the rates of protein synthesis by both foetal and neonatal livers from the ethanol-fed group. The rates of incorporation of intravenously injected [14C]leucine into hepatic proteins were also significantly lower in the foetal, neonatal and adult livers from the ethanol-fed group. Incubation of adult-rat liver slices with ethanol resulted in an inhibition of the incorporation of [14C]leucine into hepatic proteins; however, this effect was not observed in the foetal liver slices. This effect of externally added ethanol was at least partially prevented by the addition of pyrazole to the adult liver slices. Pyrazole addition to foetal liver slices was without significant effect on the rates of protein synthesis. Cross-mixing experiments showed that the capacity of both hepatic ribosomes and pH5 enzyme fractions to synthesize proteins was decreased in the foetal liver from the ethanol-fed group. Maternal ethanol consumption resulted in a decrease in hepatic total RNA content, RNA/DNA ratio and ribosomal protein content in the foetal liver. Foetal hepatic DNA content was not significantly affected. Ethanol consumption resulted in a significant decrease in proteolytic activity and the activity of tryptophan oxygenase in the foetal, neonatal and adult livers. It is possible that the mechanisms of inhibition of protein synthesis observed here in the foetal liver after maternal ethanol consumption may be responsible for at least some of the changes observed in 'foetal alcohol syndrome'.


BACKGROUND
The decision to transfuse intra-operatively is based on preoperative haemoglobin (Hb), estimated blood loss and physiological variables. The visual estimate of blood loss is notoriously unreliable especially with small volumes of blood losses in children.

OBJECTIVES
We sought therefore to determine the appropriateness of intra-operative blood transfusion in a sample of children

METHODS
All children requiring intra-operative blood transfusion between May and June 2008 were prospectively studied. Neonates and children already on blood transfusion at induction were excluded. Transfusion was prescribed at the discretion of the attending anaesthetist. The Estimated blood volume (EBV) and estimated blood loss (EBL)were determined. Appropriate transfusion was defined as blood transfusion at EBL > 15% of EBV, maximum allowable blood loss to PCV of 27% and pre-transfusion Hb < 8g/dl.

RESULTS
Twenty-five patients were studied with a mean age of 4.16 +/- 3.59 years (Range 0.33-11 years). The mean preoperative PCV was 31.14 +/- 3.53% (range 25-34%). Twelve patients (48%) were appropriately transfused when MABL was calculated to PCV of 27%. Nine patients (36%) had appropriate blood transfusion at an EBL greater or equal to 15% of the EBV. Of the 12 patients that had pre-transfusion Hb measured, 2 (16.6%) were appropriately transfused at Hb < 8 g/dl.

CONCLUSION
The use of near patient monitoring devices should be encouraged as this will give an accurate assessment of Hb and appropriate indication for transfusion. Equipment should be made available to perform gravimetric estimation of blood loss as the visual method is notoriously unreliable.


Introduction. Pregnant women have a risk for tobacco smoke both actively and passively. Pregnant women
are usually exposed to enviromental tobacco smoke (ETS) in various places with different duration of time.
Cigarette smoke has a severe effect not only on pregnant women but also on the fetus.Methods Various
references were collected from online database including reports, journals, mostly in the last 10 years. The
journals were mostly from the scholarly journals.
Results. Tobacco smoke can effect the immunity, hormonal and metabolic system of the pregnant woman,
therefore disturbing the growth of the fetus. Tobacco smoke also known to increase the risk of premature
birth and reduce gestational age. Tobacco smoke cause several problems in newborn such as respiration
distress, low birth weight (LBW), neural disorder, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and congenital
anomaly.
Conclusion. The effect of tobacco smoke, actively of passively, have worse outcome for the pregnant
women and their babies.


The process of inspecting electroencephalography (EEG) signals of patients with epilepsy to distinguish between focal and non-focal seizure source is a crucial step prior to surgical interference. In this paper, a deep learning approach using a long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm is investigated for the purpose of automatic discrimination between focal and non-focal epileptic EEG signals. The study is carried out by acquiring 7500 pairs of x and y EEG channels signals from the publicly available Bern-Barcelona EEG database. The manual classification of each signal type was visually done by two board-certified electroencephalographers and neurologists. Initially, every channel signals are pre-processed using $z$ -score normalization and Savitzky-Golay filtering. The signals are used as inputs to a pre-defined Bi-directional LSTM algorithm for the training process. The classification is performed using a k-fold cross-validation following 4-, 6-, and 10-fold schemes. At the end, the performance of the algorithm is evaluated using several metrics with a complete summary table of the recent state-of-art studies in the field. The developed algorithm achieved an overall Cohen's kappa $\kappa $ , accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values of 99.20%, 99.60%, 99.55%. and 99.65%, respectively, using x channels and 10-fold cross-validation scheme. The study pave the ways toward implementing deep learning algorithms for the purpose of EEG signals identification in a clinical environment to overcome human errors resulting from visually inspection.


Introduction: Autoimmune diseases are caused by immune systems reacting against self antigens. One important feature of autoimmune diseases is the tendency for overlap, such that an individual with a specific syndrome is more likely to simultaneously develop a second syndrome. Autoimmune thyroid disorders are frequently associated with autoimmune diseases of other organs such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of thyroid disorders in patients with RA or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Materials & Methods: In this case-control study, 200 patients with diagnoses of RA or SLE, referred to the rheumatology clinic of Shahid Mohammadi hospital (Bandar abbasIran) between May 2004 and December 2006 and following thyroid investigations were categorized in 3 groups (T3, T4, TSH, Anti TPO, and Anti TG); 57 patients with RA, 59 patients with SLE and 66 patients with mechanical low back pain or osteoarthritis as controls. Results: Sub clinical hypothyroidism was more frequent in the RA (10.7%) and SLE (10.2%) groups than in controls (0%) (P<0.05). Clinical hypothyroidism was found in 8% of RA patients & 15.2% of SLE patients. None of the controls had clinical hypothyroidism (P<0.02). Hyperthyroidism (Graves disease) was found in only 1 patient with RA (1.13%) (P>0.05). Anti TG & Anti TPO were found more frequently in RA and SLE cases than in controls. Conclusion: Autoimmune thyroid disorders are more frequent in patients with RA and SLE than in controls.


The U.S. fruit and vegetable industry is labor intensive, pays higher wages than are paid in many other countries, and increasingly operates in a global economy. U.S. fruit and vegetable farms rely on seasonal workers who are likely to be unauthorized immigrants; any future immigration reform could reduce the supply of labor or raise wages. Fruit and vegetable growers may respond to any potential wage increases by reducing the number of seasonal workers employed, adopting mechanized harvesters or other labor-saving technologies in the field, or reducing production.


Turbulent flows present structures with a wide range of scales. The computation of the complete physics of a turbulent flow (termed DNS) is very expensive and is, for the time being, limited to low and medium Reynolds number flows. As a way to capture high Reynolds number flows, a part of the physics complexity has to be modeled. Large eddy simulation (LES) is a simulation strategy where the large turbulent eddies present on a given mesh are captured and the influence of the non-resolved scales onto the resolved ones is modeled. The present thesis reports on the development and validation of a methodology in order to apply LES for complex wall-bounded flows. Discretization methods and LES models, termed subgrid scale models (SGS), compatible with such a geometrical complexity are discussed. It is proved that discrete a kinetic energy conserving discretization of the convective term is an attractive solution to perform stable simulations without the use of an artificial dissipation, as upwinding. The dissipative effect of the SGS model is thus unaffected by any additional dissipation process. The methodology is first applied to a developed parallel fourth-order incompressible flow solver for cartesian non-uniform meshes. In order to solve the resulting Poisson equation, an efficient multigrid solver is also developed. The code is first validated using DNS (Taylor-Green vortex, channel flow, four-vortex system) and LES (channel flow), and finally applied to the investigation of an aircraft two-vortex system in ground effect. The methodology is then applied to improve a RANS-based industrial unstructured compressible flow solver, developed at CENAERO, to perform well for LES applications. The proposed modifications are tested successfully on the unsteady flow past a sphere at Reynolds of 300 and 10000, corresponding to the subcritical regime.


Yellow fever endemicity is currently stabilized in South America: an average of 115 cases has officially been notified each year since 25 years (between 12 and 304 annual cases). These figures are underevaluated but no epidemic has been observed since 1983. Only sporadic or limited grouped cases have been reported. All declared cases correspond to people who have been infected within sylvatic areas, mainly adult forestmen. Within the last years, the majority of cases have occurred in Peru and Bolivia; the other cases have been observed in Brazil, in Columbia, in Ecuador and in French Guiana (imported strains from Surinam). This apparently low virus circulation may be due to massive campaigns of vaccination and to mosquito vector control. But this situation could suddenly reverse as observed in the past with yellow fever and the spring of the urban Aedes aegypti vector. Genetic and immunochemical heterogeneity has been demonstrated between South American and African yellow fever strains, which may reveal evolutionary divergence due to different ecological environment between the two continents. Yellow fever definitely remains a topical disease which requires a constant surveillance.


: In the authors' study it is shown that the mechanism of cardiovascular complications arising in prostatic cancer (PC) patients on estrogen therapy works through developing defects in coagulation which result in hypercoagulation and deterioration of blood rheology due to enhanced platelet aggregation. Activation of fibrinolytic enzymes seems to be an adaptive reaction decreasing hypercoagulation. The authors believe it necessary to evaluate cardiovascular and coagulative systems of PC patients before estrogen therapy to define the risk of probable complications, to design adequate prophylaxis and treatment with coronary-active and antihypertensive drugs, heparin, acetylsalicylic acid which help to prevent relevant cardiovascular complications and improve outcomes of the disease.


AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA

4506

Many genes in the human genome are associated with CpG-dense DNA known as CpG "islands" at their 5' ends. Aberrant methylation of CpG sites within such islands is associated with inappropriate gene silencing and has been implicated in the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. However, the mechanism responsible for eliciting these changes has yet to be elucidated. Our lab has identified a CpG island associated gene called TMS1 (Target of methylation-induced silencing-1) that is subject to epigenetic silencing in 40% of primary breast tumors and other cancers. The CpG island of TMS1 in normal somatic cells contains three DNaseI hypersensitive sites (HS) with two forming at the boundary between unmethylated and densely methylated flanking DNA. Aberrant methylation of TMS1 CpG island in cancer cells is accompanied by the loss of CpG island-specific DNaseI HS sites and gene silencing, indicating that local alterations in chromatin structure play an important role in methylation-dependent silencing. We identified a methylation-sensitive complex that bound to HS2 located in the first intron of TMS1. Using DNA affinity chromatography we identified one component of the complex as GABPα, a heterotetrameric ets family transcription factor. Interestingly, the interaction of GABP with its recognition sequence has been shown to be blocked by DNA methylation. It is our hypothesis that the GABP complex plays a role in maintaining the unmethylated, open chromatin structure across the CpG island domain of TMS1 in normal cells, either through direct effects on TMS1 transcription or by recruiting factors that mark the CpG island domain with a "permissive" histone code. To this end, we find that the GABP complex binds to a 55bp fragment of HS2 containing tandem ets transcription factor binding sites separated by 29bp. Methylation of a CpG in either ets site blocks GABP complex binding in vitro . Preliminary studies using chromatin immunoprecipitation show that the binding of GABP to the endogenous TMS1 locus is also sensitive to the methylation status of the locus in that HS2 is occupied by GABPα in cells that are unmethylated and express TMS1, but devoid of GABP binding in cells in which TMS1 is methylated and silent. We further examined the impact of HS2/GABP on TMS1 promoter activity through the use of luciferase assays. Inclusion of the HS2 element in the sense or anti-sense orientation resulted in a 2-3 fold increase in transcriptional activity from the TMS1 promoter in a normal fibroblast cell line and a transformed breast cancer cell line. Initial siRNA experiments indicate that transient knockdown of GABPα leads to a corresponding decrease in TMS1 expression. Taken together, these data support a role for the GABP complex and HS2 in the regulation of TMS1 expression. Spurious methylation of the GABP binding sites might be one mechanism contributing to the silencing of TMS1 in human cancer cells. Supported by NIH grants GM078787 and CA077337.


Optical imaging techniques that provide free space, label free imaging are powerful tools in obtaining structural and biochemical information in biological samples. To date, most of the optical imaging technologies create images with a specific contrast and require multimodality integration to add additional contrast. In this study, we demonstrate spectroscopic Thermo-elastic Optical Coherence Tomography (TE-OCT) as a potential tool in tissue identification. TE-OCT creates images based on two different forms of contrast: optical reflectance and thermo-elastic deformation. TE-OCT uses short laser pulses to induce thermo-elastic tissue deformation and measures the resulting surface displacement using phase-sensitive OCT. In this work we characterized the relation between thermo-elastic displacement and optical absorption, excitation, fluence and illumination area. The experimental results were validated with a 2-dimensional analytical model. Using spectroscopic TE-OCT, the thermo-elastic spectra of elastic phantoms and tissue components in coronary arteries were extracted. Specific tissue components, particularly lipid, an important biomarker for identifying atherosclerotic lesions, can be identified in the TE-OCT spectral response. As a label-free, free-space, dual-contrast, all-optical imaging technique, spectroscopic TE-OCT holds promise for biomedical research and clinical pathology diagnosis.


To make the nuclear fuel cycle more economical and convenient, as well as prevent nuclear proliferation, the conceptual study of a simple high-temperature dry reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for a ceramic fast reactor is proposed in this paper. This simple high-temperature dry (HT-dry) reprocessing includes the Atomics International Reduction Oxidation (AIROX) process and purification method for rare-earth elements. After removing the part of fission products from SNF by a HT-dry reprocessing without fine separation, the remaining nuclides and some uranium are fabricated into fresh fuel which can be used back to the ceramic fast reactor. Based on the ceramic coolant fast reactor, we studied neutron physics of nuclear fuel cycle which consists operation of ceramic reactor, removing part of fission products from SNF and preparation of fresh fuels for many time. The parameters of the study include effective multiplication factor (Keff), beam density, and nuclide mass for different ways to remove the fission products from SNF. With the increase in burnup time, the trend of increasing 239Pu gradually slows down, and the trend of 235U gradually decreases and become balanced. For multiple removal of part of fission products in the nuclear fuel cycle, the higher the removal, the larger the initial Keff.


Objective - Medicinal plants and their active constituents are frequently used components for treating hyperglycemia. In the present study, the effect of curcumin was investigated on acute hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia induced by ketamine-xylazine in rats. To explore the possible mechanism, yohimbine (a α 2 -adrenergic receptor antagonist) was also used. Design - An experimental study. Animals – Forty-eight healthy male Wistar rats. Procedures – Rats were divided into eight groups with six rats in each group to receive intraperitoneal injection of normal saline, oral administration of curcumin (12.5, 50 and 200 mg/kg), intraperitoneal injection of yohimbine (0.5 and 2 mg/kg), and oral administration of curcumin (12.5 mg/kg) plus intraperitoneal injection of yohimbine (0.5 mg/kg). After these treatments, ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally administered to all groups. Blood glucose concentration was measured at 60 and 5 min before and at, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after ketamine-xylazine injection. Serum insulin concentration was measured by ELISA kit at the end of experiment. decreased serum insulin. Curcumin lowered the increased blood glucose and increased the decreased serum insulin. Yohimbine prevented the hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia induced by ketamine-xylazine produced the same results as curcumin. Low doses of curcumin and yohimbine induced documented hypoglycemic and hyperinsulinemic effects. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance- Based on the results, it is concluded that curcumin improves hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia induced by ketamine-xylazine and α 2 adrenergic receptor may involve in this effect.


Objectives N-nitroso compounds, endogenously formed from nitrate-derived nitrite, are suspected to be important bladder carcinogens. However, the association between nitrate exposure from food or drinking water and bladder cancer has not been substantially investigated in epidemiologic studies. Methods We evaluated the associations between nitrate exposure and bladder cancer in the Netherlands Cohort Study, conducted among 120,852 men and women, 55–69 years of age at entry. Information on nitrate from diet was collected via a food frequency questionnaire in 1986 and a database on nitrate content of foods. Individual nitrate exposures from beverages prepared with tap water were calculated by linking the postal code of individual residence at baseline to water company data. After 9.3 years of follow-up and after excluding subjects with incomplete or inconsistent dietary data, 889 cases and 4,441 subcohort members were available for multivariate analyses. We calculated incidence rate ratios (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox regression analyses. We also evaluated possible effect modification of dietary intake of vitamins C and E (low/high) and cigarette smoking (never/ever). Results The multivariate RRs for nitrate exposure from food, drinking water, and estimated total nitrate exposure were 1.06 (95% CI, 0.81–1.31), 1.06 (95% CI, 0.82–1.37), and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.84–1.42), respectively, comparing the highest to the lowest quintiles of intake. Dietary intake of vitamins C and E (low/high) and cigarette smoking (never/ever) had no significant impact on these results. Conclusion Although the association between nitrate exposure and bladder cancer risk is biologically plausible, our results in this study do not support an association between nitrate exposure and bladder cancer risk.


As ventilation is one of the critical heat loads in an office space, the ventilation rate might be optimized to develop sustainable, low-energy buildings and a healthy indoor environment. To create comprehensive and optimized indoor environmental designs, a building energy simulation (BES)-computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-integrated simulation is used to provide accurate and informative prediction of the thermal and air-quality performance in buildings, especially in the design stage. With the aim of developing an optimization procedure for the ventilation rate, this paper presents simulations that integrates BES and CFD with CO2 demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) system, and applies them to a typical office space in Japan to optimize the ventilation rate through an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). The transient system control strategy is applied to two different airflow conditions in an office: a traditional ceiling supply system and an under-floor air distribution system. Compared with the fixed outdoor air intake rate, which is referred to as constant air volume ventilation, optimized ventilation systems associated with a CO2 DCV produces energy savings of 11.6% and 24.1%, respectively. The difference in the energy saving effects of the two ventilation systems is caused by the difference in the ventilation efficiency in the occupied zone. The ventilation rate and ventilation efficiency have a significant impact on the energy penalty of an ERV. Therefore, optimizing the ventilation rate according to a CO2 DCV system with an appropriate airflow pattern could contribute to both creating and maintaining a healthy, comfortable environment, in addition to saving energy.


Motivated by the recent European debt crisis, this paper investigates the scope for a bailout guarantee in a sovereign debt crisis. Defaults may arise from negative income shocks, government impatience or a "sunspot"-coordinated buyers strike. We introduce a bailout agency, and characterize the minimal actuarially fair intervention that guarantees the no-buyers-strike fundamental equilibrium, relying on the market for residual financing. The intervention makes it cheaper for governments to borrow, inducing them borrow more, leaving default probabilities possibly rather unchanged. The maximal backstop will be pulled precisely when fundamentals worsen.


Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a middle ear condition characterized by the accumulation of serous fluid. It is common, though not exclusive; among children with its attendant developmental consequence if missed or untreated in early life. OME could be managed surgically, pharmacologically, or physiologically. EarPopper is a medical device developed for physiologic management of OME, Eustachian tube dysfunction, and related problems. We aim to ascertain the suitability/efficiency of EarPopper® device for the treatment of OME in our setting. Methodology: This is a prospective interventional study of volunteers diagnosed with OME from four (4) medical centers in Abuja. Pneumatic otoscopy, video-otoscopy, tympanometry, and pure-tone audiometry were done to confirm the diagnosis. Serial EarPopper sessions were performed twice weekly for 2–12 weeks, and outcome was assessed using patients' reports. The reports include the EarPopper scoring system (ESS) and audiometric parameters (before and after therapy). Results: Forty-five patients (17 males and 28 females) aged between 3–56 years were enrolled. Thirty-five were diagnosed with bilateral OME and 10 unilateral. All patients had Type-B tympanometry tracing with mild-to-moderate conductive hearing losses and ESS of between 2.45% and 84%. Out of the 45 participants, 32 (71.1%) completed the treatment, whereas 13 (28.9%) were lost to follow-up. Duration of EarPopper treatment ranged from 2 to 12 weeks. The outcome revealed improvement in 26/32 (81.3%) with significant reduction in ESS (1% to 9.8%). Six patients 6/32 (18.9%) had persistence symptoms. These 18.9% had the propensity to progress to chronic OME. Conclusion: This study highly suggests good prospect in using EarPopper for the management of OME among Africans.


Solving exactly Combinatorial Optimization Problems (COPs) using a Branch-and-Bound algorithm requires a huge amount of computational resources. The efficiency of such algorithm can be improved by distributing at large scale the computation required by the exploration of the search tree. In this paper, we propose ParallelBB, which is a P2P-based parallelization of the Branch-and-Bound algorithm for the computational Grid. The algorithm has been implemented using the ProActive distributed object Grid middleware. The algorithm has been applied to a mono- criterion permutation flow-shop problem and promisingly experimented on the Grid5000 computational Grid.


Point contacts between normal and ferromagnetic metals are investigated using magnetoresistance and transport spectroscopy measurements combined with micromagnetic simulations. Pronounced hysteresis in the point contact resistance versus both bias current and external magnetic field are observed. It is found that such hysteretic resistance can exhibit, in addition to bi-stable resistance states found in ordinary spin valves, tri-stable resistance states with a middle resistance level. We interpret these observations in terms of surface spin valve and spin vortex states, originating from a substantially modified spin structure at the ferromagnetic interface in the contact core. We argue that these surface spin states, subject to a weakened exchange interaction, dominate the effects of spin transfer torques on the nanometer scale.


The use of franchises to deliver rail services has raised major problems. Franchises restrict competition in the market, whilst competitive bidding for franchises has met with difficulties, notably in relation to risk transfer and the recent use of short‐term contracts that have not been awarded competitively. Further, franchise agreements are detailed and highly stipulative and do not achieve the flexibility and opportunities for innovation originally intended. This reflects an underlying lack of trust resulting from the arrangements adopted on privatisation. By contrast, in Sweden regional services have been procured through contracts with limited risk transfer, and in Italy provision of services has been entrusted to a dominant operator with comparatively limited detailed service specifications; both seem to have been more successful. For the future in the UK, possibilities include greater use of competition, a return to public ownership, regionalisation, and the use of concessions with limited risk transfer to secure stability.


— Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae) is a reputed traditional remedy for various human ailments such as skin diseases, microbial infections, melanoma, stomach troubles, metabolic disorders, malaria and general pains. In spite of the fruit being widely used for purposes related to its antibacterial and antifungal properties, the chemical constituents associated with the activity have not been fully identified. To elucidate the active principles, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of fruit extracts and purified fractions against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Moraxella catarrhalis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis . Shade-dried fruits were powdered and extracted with hydroalcoholic (1:1) mixture by soaking at room temperature for 72 h. The crude extract was further fractionated by column chromatography, with successive elution using hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol. The dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions were combined and subjected to column chromatography to furnish a wax and oil from the eluates of 20% and 40% ethyl acetate in hexane, respectively. The GC-MS and GC×GC-MS results revealed that linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, arachidic acid and stearic acid were the major constituents in both oil and wax. The crude hydroalcoholic extract exhibited the strongest activity with MICs of 0.125-0.5 mg/mL, followed by the ethyl acetate (MICs = 0.125-1.0 mg/mL), dichloromethane (MICs = 0.250-2.0 mg/mL), hexane (MICs = 0.25-2.0 mg/mL), acetone (MICs = 0.5-2.0 mg/mL) and methanol (MICs = 1.0-2.0 mg/mL), whereas the wax (MICs = 2.0-4.0 mg/mL) and oil (MICs = 4.0-8.0 mg/mL) showed poor activity. The study concludes that synergistic interactions of chemical constituents could be responsible for the antimicrobial activity of K. africana fruits, which needs a more holistic approach to understand the mechanism of its antimicrobial activity.


The effect of different levels of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and benzyladenine (BA) on shoot multiplication and regeneration of Petunia hybrida was studied. Regenerated shoots from leaf explants were grown ex vitro for analysis of somaclonal variation. Seeds of Petunia hybrida were germinated in vitro on MS basal medium. The seedlings were used as a source of explants for the multiplication and regeneration experiments. For the shoot multiplication experiment, shoot explants taken from germinated seedlings were cultured on MS basal media supplemented with different concentrations of BA (0.1, 0.4, 0.8 mg l ―1 ) and NAA at concentration of 0.1 mg l ―1 . Highest number of axillary shoot was obtained on medium supplemented with 0.8 mg l -1 BA and 0.1 mg l ―1 NAA. For regeneration experiments, leaf sections taken from germinated seedlings were cultured onto MS media supplemented with three levels of BA (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg l ―1 ) and 0.5 mg l ―1 NAA. The highest shoot regeneration rate (45%) was observed in MS medium supplemented with 2 mg l ―1 BA. For the evaluation of somaclonal variation, lateral bud explants were taken from pink colored petunia plants that were grown in the greenhouse. The buds were disinfected and cultured on MS basal media supplied with 30 mg l ―1 gentamycin sulfate and 30 mg l ―1 Benlate. After shoots grew, leaf sections were then taken from them shoots and cultured onto shoot regeneration medium (MS medium supplemented with 2 mg l ―1 BA). The regenerated adventitious shoots were cultured on MS medium without growth regulator. These shoots were then rooted, acclimatized and transferred to the greenhouse for evaluation. Two forms of leaf shape (orbicular and elliptic) and three flower colors (violet, purple and light pink) appeared on the plantlets.


This book contains 14 original papers on SELinux, an operating system program designed to protect against software vulnerabilities. The papers were originally presented at a 2007symposium sponsored by IBM, Red Hat, Tresys, and Hewlett-Packard. The book contains programming and other guidance for those using SELinux to improve the security of computer operating systems. TABLE OF CONTENTS Security-Enhanced Darwin: Porting SELinux to Mac OS X Christopher Vance, Todd C. Miller, Robert Dekelbaum and Andrew Reisse, SPARTA, Inc. Enforcing Security Enhanced Linux Policies in a Networked Policy Domain Joshua Brindle, Karen Vance and Chad Sellers, Tresys Technology Using the Flask Security Architecture to Facilitate Risk Adaptable Access Controls Machon Gregory and Peter Loscocco, National Security Agency Using GConf as an Example of How to Create an Userspace Object Manager James Carter, National Security Agency Application of the Flask Architecture to the X Window System Server Eamon F. Walsh, National Information Assurance Research Laboratory,National Security Agency FCGlob: A New SELinux File Context Syntax Don Miner, University of Maryland, Baltimore County James Athey, Tresys Technology, LLC Towards Intuitive Tools for Managing SELinux: Hiding the Details but Retaining the Power James Athey, Christopher Ashworth, Frank Mayer and Don Minner, Tresys Technology, LLC Madison: A New Approach to Policy Generation Karl MacMillan, Red Hat Setroubleshoot: A User Friendly Tool to Diagnose AVC Denials John Dennis, Red Hat The Design and Implementation of a Guard Installation and Administration Framework Boyd Fletcher, USJFCOM J9 & SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego Chris Roberts, General Dynamics Kurt Risser, Dataline Securing Inter-Process Communications in SELinux Spencer Shimko and Joshua Brindle, Tresys Technology, LLC Integrating SELinux with Security-Typed Languages Boniface Hicks, Sandra Rueda, Trent Jaeger and Patrick McDaniel, Systems and Internet Infrastructure Security Laboratory (SIIS), Computer Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University Porting Legacy Multilevel Secure Applications to Security Enhanced Linux Andy Suchoski and Rick Supplee, Hewlett Packard Company Extending Linux for Multi-Level Security George Wilson, IBM Corporation Klaus Weidner, Atsec Information Security Corporation Loulwa Salem, IBM Corporation Author Index


Cellular growth and differentiation are controlled by multiple extracellular signals, many of which activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. Components of the MAP kinase pathways also cause oncogenic transformation in their constitutively active forms. Moreover, expression of activated ras can confer metastatic potential upon some cells. Activation of MAP kinases requires phosphorylation of both Thr and Tyr in the catalytic domain by a family of dual-specificity kinases, called MEKs (MAP kinase/ERK kinase). MEK1 is activated by phosphorylation at Ser218 and Ser222 by Raf. Mutation of these two sites to acidic residues, specifically [Asp218], [Asp218, Asp222], and [Glu218, Glu222], results in constitutively active MEK1. Using these mutant variants of MEK1, we showed previously that transfection of NIH/3T3 or Swiss 3T3 cells causes morphological transformation and increases growth on soft agar, independent of ERK activity. The transformed cell lines show increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 and cathepsin L, proteinases that have been implicated in the metastatic process. We tested NIH3T3 cells transfected with the [Asp218] or [Asp218, Asp222] for metastatic potential after i.v. injection into athymic mice. Parental 3T3 cells formed no tumors grossly or histologically. However, all MEK1 mutant transformants formed macroscopic metastases. Thus, like activated Ras, MEK1 can confer both tumorigenic and metastatic potential upon NIH3T3 cells. These results refine the mechanism through which ras could confer tumorigenic and metastatic potential (ie., the critical determinants of tumorigenic and metastatic potential are downstream of MEK1).


OBJECTIVES
To synthesize lessons learned from the experiences of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded patient safety projects in implementing safe practices.

DATA SOURCES
Self-reported data from individual and group interviews with Original, Challenge, and Partnerships in Implementing Patient Safety (PIPS) grantees, from 2003 to 2006.

STUDY DESIGN
Interviews with three grantee groups (n=60 total) implementing safe practice projects, with comparisons on factors influencing project implementation and sustainability.

DATA COLLECTION
Semi-structured protocols contained open-ended questions on lessons learned and more structured questions on factors associated with project implementation and sustainability.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
The grantees shared common experiences, frequently identifying lessons learned regarding structural components needing to be in place before implementation, components of the implementation process, components of interventions' results needed for sustainability, changes in timelines or activities, unanticipated issues, and staff acceptance/adoption. Also, fewer Original grants had many of the factors related project to implementation/sustainability than the PIPS or Challenge grantees had.

CONCLUSIONS
Although much of what was reported seemed like common sense, surprisingly few projects actually planned for or expected many of the barriers or facilitators they experienced during their project implementation. Others implementing practice improvements likely will share the experiences and issues identified by these implementation projects and can learn from their lessons.


The standard interference functions introduced by Yates have been very influential on the analysis and design of distributed power control laws. While powerful and versatile, the framework has some drawbacks: the existence of fixed-points has to be established separately, and no guarantees are given on the rate of convergence of the iterates. This paper introduces contractive interference functions, a slight reformulation of the standard interference functions that guarantees existence and uniqueness of fixed-points and geometric convergence rates. We show that many power control laws from the literature are contractive and derive, sometimes for the first time, convergence rate estimates for these algorithms. Finally, we show that although standard interference functions are not contractive, they are paracontractions with respect to a certain metric space. Extensions to two-sided scalable interference functions are also discussed.


The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effects of unilateral concentric isokinetic leg extension training on peak torque (PT) and electromyographic (EMG) responses in the trained and untrained limbs. Twenty adult men were randomly assigned to a training (TRN, n = 11) or control (CTL, n = 9) group. The TRN group performed 6 sets of 10 leg extensions 3 days per week for 12 weeks at a velocity of 90°s−1. All subjects were tested every 4 weeks for PT and EMG responses of both legs at a velocity of 90°s−1. The 3-way mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in PT over the 12 weeks in both the trained and untrained limb for the TRN group but no significant change in PT in either limb for the CTL group. The results of the 3-way ANOVA for the EMG data indicated no significant change in EMG amplitude in the trained or untrained limb for the TRN or CTL group. The increase in PT in the absence of a change in EMG may result from hypertrophic factors and/or changes in the other muscles or muscle groups involved in leg xtension.


This study investigated the immediate impact of an 8-month center- and home-based prevention program for preschoolers at high risk for conduct problems. We report immediate program effects on observed and self-rated parenting practices and observed child behavior with peers. Ninety-nine preschool-age siblings of adjudicated youths and their families were randomly assigned to an enhanced version of the Incredible Years Series (Webster-Stratton, 1989; n = 50) or to a no-intervention control condition (n = 49). In an intent-to-treat design, the intervention yielded significant effects on negative parenting, parental stimulation for learning, and child social competence with peers. Improvements in negative parenting, stimulation for learning, and child social competence support the potential of the intervention to prevent later conduct problems in high-risk children.


Clinching is a mechanical press joining method, which has become of growing interest in recent time since it has the potential to replace other conventional joining methods like e.g. spot welding. However, there still exists a lack of knowledge in terms of the mechanical behavior of clinched joints under quasistatic or cyclic loading. For that reason clinching is usually used for applications in structures which are not subjected to external loads. In particular the residual stress distribution in the vicinity of clinched joints and its influence on the mechanical behavior of the joints is unknown. Here diffraction methods are used for the determination of characteristic residual stress distributions in undismantled clinched samples. A combined residual stress determination by X-ray and neutron diffraction has been used to get a well-founded assessment of the residual stress distributions in the immediate vicinity of clinched joints. The residual stress analysis is supplemented by characterizations of the microstructures and the mechanical properties of single clinched joints. Two materials with different strain hardening behavior were used for clinching, a micro alloyed steel (ZStE340) and a non age hardenable aluminum base alloy (AlMg5). In addition two different common clinching techniques were applied - the TOX- [5] and the Eckold-technique [6]. Characteristic residual stress distributions were found for the combinations of clinching techniques and joined sheet materials investigated here. It has been determined that the clinching process induces predominantly compressive residual stresses inside the clinch and in the immediate vicinity of the clinch. The near surface residual stress distributions determined by X-ray diffraction measurements tend to reveal somewhat different residual stresses than measured by neutron diffraction, indicating a possible stress gradient through the sheet thickness. Further evaluation of the FWHM-values of the respective interference profiles shows that for both clinching techniques the largest amount of plastic deformation occurs in the clinch lock region.


This quasi-experiment investigates the impact of Letter Bingo (a modified Bingo game encompassing phonics instruction) on the spelling performance and perceived motivation in learning English of 27 Hong Kong Primary 3 students. Three volunteer groups (Experimental Group, n=8; Placebo Group, n=9; Control Group, n=10) participated over one school term. Quantitative data for measuring spelling performance were drawn from 5 sets of dictation scores and qualitative data for measuring motivation were drawn from 3 interviews with students, parents and teachers. Unexpectedly, all groups experienced a decline in spelling performance over the duration of the study. For the Experimental Group, findings drawn from the quantitative data show no positive impact of Letter Bingo on spelling performance and findings drawn from the qualitative data reveal that some students perceived a positive impact of Letter Bingo on their spelling performance and motivation (however, this finding is not supported by parent and teacher perceptions, and more importantly, is not supported by the quantitative data). Noting that in this quasi-experiment, the quantitative data are the main data and the qualitative data are interpreted in the context of the quantitative data, the qualitative data alone might suggest that limited positive impact is rendered unreliable by the power of the quantitative data. Caution is needed when interpreting findings of this study because of the methodological concerns including the small sample size, the lack of randomization and breadth of interview questions as well as data relating to the perceived motivation of the Control Group. It is firmly concluded that the efficacy of Letter Bingo has not been robustly demonstrated in this study. Acknowledging that generalizations of the findings to the wider population are limited and are not the objective of this study, this quasi-experiment demonstrates some methodological insights into the investigation of using games in educational settings thus providing groundwork for further research on the impact of learning games particularly with language learning.


Diabetes is characterized by β cell death and/or dysfunction. Currently, one promising treatment option for patients with diabetes involves replenishing the body with β cells to restore glucose homeostasis. Despite great progress using in vitro differentiation protocols to generate human β cells from stem cell populations, there are still challenges associated with generating fully functional β cells. To improve this therapeutic strategy, my studies are focusing on defining the role of cell signaling pathways in pancreatic islet cell specification. Genetic studies in fish, mice, and humans have demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA) is broadly required for pancreas development; however, the role of RA signaling in pancreatic endocrine cell specification remains unclear. By examining the role of RA using in vivo endocrine-specific inhibition of RA signaling at critical time points during pancreas development, we demonstrate that inhibition of RA signaling in the endocrine progenitor population results in the generation fewer β and increased Δ cell genes by embryonic day (e)16.5. These defects persist after birth and are accompanied by overt hyperglycemia in the adult. Whole transcriptome analysis further indicates that cross-talk between RA signaling and the Wnt pathway is important for islet cell specification. In addition, we show that RA signaling is also important for human β cell specification. Together, these data demonstrate the importance of RA signaling in the endocrine progenitor population and provide a framework to more clearly define the mechanisms by which RA signaling directs endocrine cell fate in mice and humans. Future studies on the role of RA and its interacting pathways during pancreas development will better inform strategies to treat diabetes using cell replacement therapies. Disclosure D. Lorberbaum: None. L. Sussel: None. Funding American Diabetes Association (1-18-PDF-107 to D.L.)


The aim of this paper is to report about a requisitely holistic examination of the business ethics, focused on internal gaps between company's and employees' ethics. Contribution considers reasons for emergence of business ethics' internal gaps and their appearance forms.,The authors specify and test model drawing upon modified versions of the ethics and management theory. In all, 1,125 responses were analyzed from an on-going survey conducted biannually among employees in Slovenian companies in the past decade.,Results reveal that company's real business ethics remained steady over the decade, while employees' real business ethics have significantly improved. Significant differences exist between employees' and company's real business ethics and shape internal business ethics' incompatibilities. Finally, results reveal a significant influence of employees' real business ethics on company's real business ethics.,Research is limited to postulated hypotheses, qualitative consideration of internal gaps of business ethics and quantitative analysis of business ethics' development in the considered Slovenian companies in the past 10 years.,The authors rethought the habit of separated consideration of managerial business ethics and employees' ethics as well as the presumption about congruence between company's and employees' business ethics. The requisitely holistic understanding and consideration of internal gaps of business ethics is suggested.,Available literature does not provide a similar model for a requisitely holistic consideration of internal gaps of business ethics. The study confirms the proposed model of business ethics gaps.


Soil and mineral evidence is encountered with moderate frequency in civil and criminal investigations. In recognition of this fact, the text in question attempts to depict the state of the art in the forensic characterization of geological materials. A tripartite audience is intended by the authors: (1) criminalists, (2) attorneys, both prosecuting and defense, and (3) geologists and soil scientists who may wish to become involved with the forensic area. Since each of these three groups will approach this book with different backgrounds and expectations, it is to be expected that each group will respond to the text in a somewhat different manner.


We analyze western Caribbean structural styles and depositional controls associated with Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic deformational events using a 1600-km (994-mi)-long, regional, northwest–southeast transect extending from the Cayman Trough in Honduras to northern Colombia. Different structural provinces defined along the transect include (1) the Cayman Trough and adjacent Honduran borderlands marking the North American–Caribbean transtensional plate boundary characterized by late Eocene–Holocene fault-controlled depocenters; (2) the Nicaraguan Rise that includes continental Paleocene–Eocene rocks deposited in sag basins, which are overlain by relatively undeformed Miocene–Holocene carbonate and clastic shelf deposits of the northern Nicaraguan Rise, following a Late Cretaceous convergent phase; (3) the Colombian Basin that includes thick Miocene clastic depocenters and the localized presence of Upper Cretaceous rocks overlying the basement and where much of the subsidence is likely isostatic and flexurally driven given its proximity to the subduction zone of northern Colombia; (4) the south Caribbean deformed belt, an active, accretionary prism produced by the subduction of the Caribbean large igneous province beneath the South American plate, which has deformed the Cenozoic prism and fore-arc section and produced thrust-fault–controlled accommodation space for upper Miocene–Holocene piggyback deposits; and (5) the onshore Cesar–Rancheria Basin in northern Colombia, which has recorded the uplift of its bounding mountain ranges, the Sierra de Santa Marta massif to the west and Perija Range to the east. Plate reconstructions place the various crustal provinces along the transect into the context of the Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic deformation events that can be partitioned into strike-slip, convergent, and extensional components.


The major capsid protein (MCP) of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was expressed in three portions as beta-galactosidase fusion proteins, covering about 75% of the open reading frame (ORF). Fusion protein SH 1 contained nucleotides 101 to 1243 of the ORF, fusion protein FS 1 contained nucleotides 1944 to 3089 and fusion protein SS 1 covered nucleotides 2624 to 3793. The recombinant proteins were tested for their immunoreactivity with human sera. Fusion protein FS 1 was found to represent the immunodominant region. The recombinant proteins were used to generate polyvalent rabbit antisera to investigate cross-reactivities with the major capsid protein (VP5) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). A monospecific antiserum raised against the fusion protein close to the N terminus of the MCP, as well as a monoclonal antibody and a monospecific rabbit antiserum directed against the viral MCP, cross-reacted with the VP5 as shown by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. In order to detect common epitopes of the major capsid proteins of HCMV and HSV-1, the recombinant proteins were conjugated to CNBr-activated Sepharose and taken for purification of MCP antibodies from HCMV and HSV-1 seropositive individuals. Using this affinity chromatography method, cross-reactivity could be observed with HCMV- and HSV-positive human antisera in immunoblot experiments.


This paper describes the research project OPTIMIST at the University of Skovde. The project is focused on the development and application of intelligent techniques for simulation-based optimisation of real-world industrial problems. A software environment called OPTIMISE which tightly integrates Discrete-Event Simulation systems with AIbased optimisation is developed within the project.


This study examines how fluctuations in the supply of credit and financial constraints affect capital structure. It is one of the first studies to do so and its methodology is inspired by the recent studies of Faulkender & Petersen (2006) and Bougheas et al. (2006). It examines the economy of Japan, a perfect testing ground for this theory due to the extreme credit supply fluctuations that have occurred during the past years. Furthermore under this new perspective of capital structure theory two more hypotheses are tested. A "horse race" test between the two predominant theories of capital structure, the trade-off and the pecking order hypothesis, is run. The methodology utilised to perform this test is similar to that derived by Shyam-Sunder & Myers (1999). Finally the role of trade credit, a factor overlooked by the majority of previous capital structure studies, is investigated through the use of a similar methodology as that utilised by Mateut et al. (2006). The results of this panel data study, applied in a large sample of public and private firms, clearly indicate that fluctuations in the supply of credit affect capital structure and also that Japanese firms face financial constraints. The pecking order hypothesis is proven to be the winner of the "horse race" test and trade credit is found to be a significant factor of capital structure and more specifically a substitute to bank credit. These findings should be taken into consideration by future research and even perhaps lead into the creation of a new theory of capital structure


diazepoxide is also reported to have caused non-urticarial reactions.8 In most cases the abnormalities resolved after the offending agent was discontinued. However, rechallenge in some instances with the aetiological agent at a later date was rapidly followed by reappearance of the allergic reactions noted earlier. This brief review clearly establishes the fact that, although hypersensitivity reactions to diazepam and other benzodiazepines are rare, they are far from being undocumented.


Purpose
Diversity in the boardroom is a social factor that spurs public debate in academic and practical arenas. In a two-tier governance system, the question lingers on the impact of board of commissioners and board of directors' diversity on a company's performance. This study aims to investigate this issue based on a comprehensive set of diversity variables, namely, age, tenure, gender, education level, culture, functional expertise, industry experience, school of origin and "busyness."

Design/methodology/approach
The authors constructed diversity indices for board of directors and board of commissioners and used multiple linear regressions to test the hypotheses using samples of companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2014 to 2018.

Findings
Board of director (commissioner) diversity has no significant (a positive) impact on corporate performance. However, the latter does not moderate the relationship between board of director diversity and company performance.

Research limitations/implications
Although the theories of human capital and upper echelons are applied here, the results more likely support a contingency argument, as the effect of diversity may vary by company and period, hence leading to offsetting effects. Thus, the impact of diversity on corporate performance might be better observed through in-depth case studies.

Practical implications
The positive impact of the board of commissioners' diversity on firm performance might indicate the importance of close monitoring by this board. The results further suggest that appointment decisions of directors and commissioners from diverse backgrounds should be based on criteria other than financial performance.

Originality/value
No study has constructed comprehensive diversity indices of the board of commissioners and directors in a two-tier governance context. The study fills this gap.


Passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies is an indispensable cornerstone of clinical oncology. Notably, all FDA‐approved antibodies comprise the IgG class, although numerous research articles proposed monoclonal antibodies of the IgM, IgG, IgA and IgE classes directed specifically against tumor‐associated antigens. In particular, for the IgE isotype class, several recent studies could demonstrate high tumoricidic efficacy. Therefore, this review specifically highlights the latest developments toward IgE‐based immunotherapy of cancer. Possible mechanisms and safety aspects of IgE‐mediated tumor cell death are discussed with special focus on the attracted immune cells. An outlook is given on how especially comparative oncology could contribute to further developments. Humans and dogs have a highly comparable IgE biology, suggesting that translational AllergoOncology studies in patients with canine cancer could have predictive value for the potential of IgE‐based anticancer immunotherapy in human clinical oncology.


The Iapetus suture in Ireland and Britain is that line which separates Caledonian rocks of the Laurentian and Avalonian continents. The suture is cryptic: nowhere is there an exposed fault-zone containing ophiolite remnants, blue-schist melanges, or trench deposits. Instead a suture line may be traced with varying degrees of confidence through a series of faults that traverse the Iapetus suture zone, which contains two or more tectonostratigraphic terranes. Several data sets are utilized to constrain this trace. The distribution of faunal provinces caused by oceanic separation can be used most reliably to define early Ordovician terranes. Fauna1 intermingling in the mid-Ordovician reduces provinciality and the confidence of terrane identification using faunal data. The late Ordovician and particularly Silurian tectonostratigraphic histories of terranes either side of the suture suggest that amalgamation of the terranes, elimination of the Iapetus Ocean and development of the suture zone had begun by the Ashgill. Therefore the resolution of the suture trace becomes unreliable where Ordovician rocks do not crop out, because Silurian turbidite fans of Laurentian provenance may have dispersed across a significant width of Avalonian crust. Similarly, the precision of structural identification of the suture zone, by correlating the suture with a major fold-facing confrontation, may be weakened by late overthrusting. Tectonic interleaving of crustal flakes in the zone is supported by geophysical evidence which suggests that some major boundaries in the lower crust do not always coincide with their inferred projections in outcrop. Tectonic and sedimentary mixing of crustal blocks and sediments in the zone is further reflected by Nd and Pb isotopic patterns; the Rb-Sr patterns of granites record a stronger distinction between north and south of the suture. Despite these difficulties, we depict a possible suture trace in Ireland that departs significantly from the traditionally placed line by following a NE-SW-aligned trace through the Slane fault and the Navan-Tipperary lineament, and thence through a dog-leg to pass north of the Dingle Peninsula.


The past five decades have witnessed immense coevolution of methods and tools of information technology, and their practical and experimental application within the medical and healthcare domain. Healthcare itself continues to evolve in response to change in healthcare needs, progress in the scientific foundations of treatments, and in professional and managerial organization of affordable and effective services, in which patients and their families and carers increasingly participate. Taken together, these trends impose highly complex underlying challenges for the design, development, and sustainability of the quality of supporting information services and software infrastructure that are needed. The challenges are multidisciplinary and multiprofessional in scope, and they require deeper study and learning to inform policy and promote public awareness of the problems health services have faced in this area for many years. The repeating pattern of failure to live up to expectations of policy-driven national health IT initiatives has proved very costly and remains frustrating and unproductive for all involved. In this article, we highlight the barriers to progress and discuss the dangers of pursuing a standardization framework devoid of empirical testing and iterative development. We give the example of the openEHR Foundation, which was established at University College London (UCL) in London, England, with members in 80 countries. The Foundation is a not-forprofit company providing open specifications and working for generic standards for electronic records, informed directly by a wide range of implementation experience. We also introduce the Opereffa open source framework, which was developed at UCL based on these specifications and which has been downloaded in some 70 countries. We argue that such an approach is now essential to support good discipline, innovation, and governance at the heart of medicine and health services, in line with the new mandate for health commissioning in the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), which emphasizes patient participation, innovation, transparency, and accountability. In attempting to arrive at the truth, I have applied everywhere for information but in scarcely an instance have I been able to obtain hospital records fit for any purpose of comparison. If they could be obtained, they would enable us to decide many other questions besides the one alluded to. They would show subscribers how their money was being spent, what amount of good was really being done with it or whether the money was not doing mischief rather than good.