Wales in 1985 (3 October, p 807). Although quota sampling can be used to produce a sample balanced by age, sex, and social class, it is unlikely that the sample will be unbiased. ' The absence ofany detail about recruitment procedures and response rates makes assessment of sample validity still more difficult. Moreover, the questionnaire used in the survey asked merely for details of alcohol consumption on a "typical day" in the past week and ignores two difficulties discussed by Wilson2: firstly, that alcohol consumption often differs between weekdays and weekends and, secondly, that this is persistently underreported. The striking inconsistency of the survey's findings with those of earlier studies reinforces our uncertainties about its methods. The authors report that social class has "little important bearing" on alcohol intake. This finding is in direct conflict with that of larger surveys,34 which have found a consistent relation between social class and alcohol consumption in men. The questionable inclusion of pensioners (a group with low alcohol intake) in the lowest social group, where alcohol consumption might be expected to be highest, may have contributed to this observation. Moreover, nationwide surveys ofexpenditure on alcohol5 and reported levels of consumption34 have suggested that alcohol intakes are much lower in the south east and East Anglia than in other regions, a finding which was not evident on this occasion. There are obvious differences in methods between the 1985 survey and the 1978 survey2 with which it is compared. Wilson used an electoral register sampling method and interviewed subjects in their own homes with a questionnaire designed to obtain information about drinking at particular times ofday on each ofthe last seven days. Without evidence that the sampling procedures produce a similar population and the different questionnaire techniques gain similar responses with respect to alcohol consumption, comparisons between these surveys must be treated with considerable caution, irrespective of their superficial consistency with other indicators. The quota sampler is, in the words of Yates, "continually looking over his shoulder and wondering whether some extraneous factor exists which will vitiate the conclusions based on his results."6 We hope that future surveys published by the BMJ will not use quota samples of 926 subjects to represent the entire age, sex, social class, and regional characteristics ofGreat Britain.


ABSTRACT Seed treatment and foliar sprays of salicylic acid (SA) provided protection in rice against bacterial leaf blight (BLB) caused by bacterial Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Treatment of rice with exogenous SA reduced disease severity by more than 38%. Superoxide anion production and hypersensitive response increased approximately 28% and 110% at 6 and 48 h after Xoo inoculation, respectively, for plants treated with SA. Moreover, the Xoo in treated rice plants grew more slowly, resulting in a population that was half of that observed in the control. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that the higher ratios of 1233/1517, 1467/1517, and 1735/1517 cm−1 observed in treated rice suggested alteration of monomer composition of lignin and pectin in the rice cell wall. Exogenous SA-treated rice had more amide I β-sheet structure and lipids as shown by the peaks at 1629, 2851, and 1735 cm−1. These biochemical changes of rice treated with SA and inoculated with Xoo were related to primed resistance of the rice plants to BLB disease.


Grapevine leaf roll disease has vast impact on productivity, growth and vigor of grapevine plant. This disease has alone caused more economic losses globally than any other known diseases of grapevines. It is responsible for damaging wine, grape juice, and table grape cultivars, as well as rootstocks. GLD is a complex disease, eleven viruses are associated with GLD (each named Grapevine leaf roll-associated virus followed by a number) which belongs to family Closteroviridae. Out of eleven GLD associated viruses Grapevine leaf roll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) has major role in spreading GLD disease in grapevines. It belongs to genus Ampelovirus of Closteroviridae family. It is transmitted by grafting, vegetative propagation and insects like Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and soft scales (Coccidae). It is difficult to identify disease related viruses since most affected plants have mixed infection. It becomes further challenging when dissimilar viruses can cause similar symptoms. Low virus titer, uneven virus distribution in vineyards and symptomless rootstocks and white cultivars are common issues in mixed infections. This review summarizes origin, distribution, genomics and overall impact of (GLRaV-3) on grape plants and its importance related to GLD.


Tropical cyclone (TC) is a type of severe weather systems that occur in tropical regions. Accurate estimation of TC intensity is crucial for disaster management. Moreover, the intensity estimation task is the key to understand and forecast the behavior of TCs better. Recently, the task has begun to attract attention from not only meteorologists but also data scientists. Nevertheless, it is hard to stimulate joint research between both types of scholars without a benchmark dataset to work on together. In this work, we release a such a benchmark dataset, which is a new open dataset collected from satellite remote sensing, for the TC-image-to-intensity estimation task. We also propose a novel model to solve this task based on the convolutional neural network (CNN). We discover that the usual CNN, which is mature for object recognition, requires several modifications when being used for the intensity estimation task. Furthermore, we combine the domain knowledge of meteorologists, such as the rotation-invariance of TCs, into our model design to reach better performance. Experimental results on the released benchmark dataset verify that the proposed model is among the most accurate models that can be used for TC intensity estimation, while being relatively more stable across all situations. The results demonstrate the potential of applying data science for meteorology study.


In intensive care patients, pneumonia acquired under ventilatory assistance is the second most frequent nosocomial infection after urinary tract infection. Duration of ventilatory assistance and stay in the intensive care unit are both increased in this leading cause of death due to nosocomial infection. A large number of studies and national and international consensus conferences have been devoted to determining precise criteria leading to clinical suspicion of pneumonia acquired under ventilatory assistance and the appropriate elements for bacteriological diagnosis. The criteria retained in these different studies are neither precise nor reproductable. Based on data in the literature and our their clinical experience the members of the Outcomerea association constituted working groups to elaborate a set of guidelines that could be applied in routine clinic in response to three questions: 1) what criteria are suggestive of pneumonia acquired under ventilatory assistance, 2) what bacteriological tools are needed to confirm diagnosis, 3) how and why should cure be defined. We present a review of the literature and the conclusions of the working groups.


The study presented in this article investigated the removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions by a synthetic hydrogel-forming adsorbent polymer based on sodium alginate (SA) and hydroxy apatite (HA) nanoparticles. The effect of adding Zeolite on the adsorption performance of this hydrogel was also investigated, and the optimum amount of Zeolite was determined by changing its quantity. The FTIR spectrum determined the structure of the synthesized adsorbent; non-continuous adsorption tests were performed to study the kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption and also the recovery of the adsorbent. The degree of adsorption of the synthesized nanocomposite was compared with that of Zeolite, and the results showed that the maximum adsorption capacities of Zeolite and the nanocomposite for Cu ions were 29.7 and 75.8 mg/g, respectively. The kinetic studies indicated that the process of adsorption of Cu ions on both absorbents followed a pseudo second order kinetic equation. It took the Zeolite and the hydrogel 90 and 120 minutes, respectively, to reach equilibrium. The thermodynamic studies showed that Cu absorption by both adsorbents matched the Langmuir isotherm very well (R2=0.99). Since adsorbent recovery and its lifespan are of significant importance in absorption processes, recovery was carried out by hydrochloric acid (2% by weight). The repulsion coefficient of the recovered adsorbent and its efficiency in five recovery cycles were measured. The results of the tests indicated that the repulsion coefficient of Cu was 70-82.75 percent and the adsorption efficiency of Cu after 5 recovery cycles was 75 percent of the initial adsorbent.


This study contributes to the literature dealing with upgrading of the Chinese automotive industry by analysing the role of events in the upgrading process. By combining literature on temporary clusters with that of knowledge sourcing and upgrading, we investigate how firms use events for upgrading. To do so, we systematically analyse a number of upgrading mechanisms. Moreover we analyse how event organisers can influence these mechanisms, and identify a number of barriers that may hinder the process of upgrading during events. Our empirical study of two automotive events in Shanghai reveals that firms use events particularly for monitoring, to access global buzz, and for the development of new global pipelines. Mobility turned to be less relevant. Event organisers act as 'temporary cluster managers', and influence upgrading via three types of policies: content policy, matchmaking policy and access policy. Identified barriers include defensive strategies of exhibitors, a focus on trade, and the large size of the show.. These barriers hinder monitoring and access to global buzz and pipelines in particular.


Abstract : Electromagnetic material characterization is the process of determining the constitutive parameters of matter. In simple media, these parameters are permittivity and permeability. Characterization of these values is often accomplished through the use of waveguides, transmission lines, coaxial cables, and resonant cavities. Free space measurements systems are employed since they are non destructive (i.e., no sample machining is required) and broadband. Traditionally, time domain gating is utilized to mitigate systematic errors. However, an artifact of this calibration technique is band edge corruption due to data windowing. The goal of this research is to develop and apply a Three Short Calibration Technique to the General Electric Low Frequency (0.5-2GHz) Focus Beam System in order to preserve band edge data. It is shown that when working with low frequencies, such as the focus of this research, coupling effects due to multiple bounces within the collimating and focusing lenses as well as lens-sample interaction are not easily calibrated out. Although the coupling effects introduce extraneous clutter into the extracted constitutive parameter values, the results obtained agree with the known reference values of tested dielectric samples. It is concluded that with a more in depth study in sample/lens interaction at low frequencies, this calibration technique could prove useful in the accurate extraction of the desired low frequency constitutive parameter values.


The mechanisms that regulate thymocyte proliferation and differentiation within the thymus are still poorly understood. As a novel approach to analyzing these problems, we have used a retroviral vector to insert oncogenes into fetal thymic cells, and construct a library of thymic cell lines. Infection with a double promoter recombinant retrovirus containing the v-Ha-ras and v-myc oncogenes resulted in the apparent immortalization of a range of cell lines derived from 13- and 14-day murine fetal thymus, and expressing both v-Ha-ras and v-myc mRNA at high levels. Cell lines were established from untreated thymic lobes (group 1), deoxyguanosine-treated lobes (group 2), and in the presence of IL-2 (group 3). Cell lines with a wide range of surface phenotypes were established. Group 1 were adherent cell lines expressing many antigens, including Mac-1, FcR, and Ia. Group 2 were also adherent cells but expressed very few Ag. Group 3 were IL-2-dependent lymphoid-like non-adherent cells, with a null or early thymocyte-like phenotype. None demonstrated full rearrangement and expression of TCR alpha-, beta-, or gamma-genes, although cell lines in group 2 expressed short beta and those in group 3, short beta and gamma gene transcripts. This library of immortalized cell lines appears to represent several types of stromal cell and early thymocyte precursors present in 13- and 14-day fetal thymus. These cell lines should prove invaluable in reconstructing the environment of the intact fetal thymic lobe, to study the cellular interactions that appear to govern thymocyte proliferation, development, and selection of Ag reactivity.


As simulations grow in scale, the need for in situ analysis methods to handle the large data produced grows correspondingly. One desirable approach to in situ visualization is in transit visualization. By decoupling the simulation and visualization code, in transit approaches alleviate common difficulties with regard to the scalability of the analysis, ease of integration, usability, and impact on the simulation. We present libIS, a lightweight, flexible library which lowers the bar for using in transit visualization. Our library works on the concept of abstract regions of space containing data, which are transferred from the simulation to the visualization clients upon request, using a client-server model. We also provide a SENSEI analysis adaptor, which allows for transparent deployment of in transit visualization. We demonstrate the flexibility of our approach on batch analysis and interactive visualization use cases on different HPC resources.


Dermatomycoses caused by Microsporum canis are frequent in domestic animals and easily transmissible to humans. Several proteases secreted by this fungus were identified as potential virulence factors, but the construction of deficient strains is required to investigate their role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Using target genes encoding two of these proteases, a first evaluation of the utility of RNA-mediated silencing as a reverse genetic tool in dermatophytes was carried out. SUB3 and DPPIV , respectively coding for a subtilisin and a dipeptidyl peptidase, were both down-regulated, by means of two plasmid constructs designed to express an RNA hairpin that corresponds to part of their respective sequence. The degree of attenuation was evaluated by enzymatic assay of the transformants culture supernatants, and by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Enzymatic activities and expression levels varied from less than 5% to 100% of that of control transformants obtained with plasmid without hairpin inserts. Inhibition was globally more efficient for SUB3 than for DPPIV . These results show that RNA silencing can be used for functional genomics in M. canis , and particularly to circumvent the limits and technical difficulties of conventional disruption methods.


This study described the development of the Social Skills Improvement System Social Emotional Learning Edition Rating Forms (SSIS SEL RF) for teachers, parents, and students. This new multirater assessment is a reconfiguration of the SSIS Rating Scales items inspired by the CASEL Social Emotional Competency framework. The internal structure and score reliability estimates were examined across three raters for a common sample of more than 200 individual children ages 3 to 18 years. Confirmatory factor analyses tested against the CASEL five-dimensional SEL theoretical model demonstrated adequate fit for the SSIS SEL Parent and Student RFs and mediocre fit of the Teacher RF. Internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater reliability estimates for scores on each of the SSIS SEL RFs all met or exceeded acceptable criteria. Thus, researchers and practitioners interested in measuring the social–emotional behavior of children ages 3 to 18 can expect reliable scores and structurally meaningful behavior content within the Collaborative on Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) SEL competency framework. Limitations to the present findings and suggestions for future research conclude the report.


Background: The clinical significance of surgical resection for liver metastases of gastric cancer remains controversial. Here in, we report a case of twice resections for metachronous liver metastases of gastric cancer in combination with perioperative chemotherapy, which resulted in long-term survival. Case Presentation: The patient was a 66-year-old man who underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric cancer (Stage IB) in March 2012, and subsequently underwent right hemi-hepatectomy with partial resection of the vena cava and diaphragm for solitary metastases in segments 7-8 in April 2013. In September 2013, abdominal computed tomography detected a liver metastasis in segment 4. We administered systematic chemotherapy with S-1 plus cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP). Because the tumor decreased in size after five courses, and curative resection of the tumor was considered possible, hepatic resection of S4+1 was performed in June 2014. The patient has been followed for 26 months, and, after the last hepatectomy, had no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion: We experienced a case of long-term survival after twice resections for liver metastases from gastric cancer. Surgical resection for liver metastases of gastric cancer, even repeat hepatectomy, may be an effective treatment after careful selection of the optimal candidate.


Surface drilling parameters are excellent datasets to understand in-situ physical properties of the rock. We here present some results from land-based drilling experiments at Atsugi and Boso, Japan. We have acquired large surface drilling datasets together with approximately 100 m of continuous cores. Methods such as Specific Energy (SE) and Equivalent Strength (EST) have been used here to analyse drilling process and physical characteristic of the rock. Results from subsequent core scratching experiments enabled very good correlation and validation of the calculated SE/EST with the measured Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS). Our field results also demonstrate that the calculated SE/EST successfully detect fractures in the formation, show developing drilling dysfunctions such as vibration, and bit balling. The results also indicate that the frequency and amplitude of the SE/EST oscillations may be used in detecting lithological changes of the drilled rock medium.


Ratiometric optical thermometry is one of the most promising techniques for contactless temperature sensing. However, despite the efforts devoted in the last decades, the development of nanothermometers characterized by high reliability along with suitable sensitivity (Sr > 1% K−1) and thermal resolution (δT < 0.5 K) in the physiological temperature range is still a critical challenge in the biological field. Here, we propose uniform Yb,Tm co-doped crystalline Bi2SiO5@SiO2 hollow upconverting nanoparticles as red-NIR emitting nanophosphors for ratiometric optical thermometry. The synthetic procedure leads to double-layered Bi2SiO5:Yb,Tm@SiO2 hollow nanoparticles. The thermometric performances are investigated in a wide temperature range (80–800 K) demonstrating the reliability of the thermometer based on the emission ratio between the 1G4 → 3F4 (∼650 nm) and 3F2,3 → 3H6 (∼700 nm) transitions. Despite the impossibility to be in thermal equilibrium due to the large energy gap between 1G4 and 3F2,3 excited states, their relative populations are demonstrated to follow the Boltzmann distribution, reflecting, through the upconversion processes, the thermalization between the 3F2,3 and 3H4 excited states. Consequently, the system features high thermal sensitivity (Sr = 1.95% K−1 at 300 K) and excellent thermal resolution (0.28 K at 300 K) for a highly reliable system following the Boltzmann-distribution. In addition, the superior performances of the investigated system in comparison with other NIR-to-NIR thermometers such as Nd3+-based ones and the biocompatibility of the NPs prove its potential in the physiological temperature range.


The characterization of the aging of electric motors using vibration measurements and a geometric interpretation of spectral domain signatures is presented. For comparison, two vibration signal records from a three-phase induction motor were acquired during degradation due to bearing fluting, following thermal and chemical aging sequences. Power spectral densities (PSD) of the vibration signals were calculated and linear approximations to the spectral signatures were used to observe the overall trend. The intersection point and slopes of these linear representations were used to extract certain critical frequencies in order to define convex regions (CR) and convex hulls (CH) as representatives of the aging (degradation) process. Furthermore, using these CRs and CHs, the functional readiness of motors could be determined by comparison of the signatures for initial and aged conditions.


Process discovery algorithms are generally used to discover the underlying process that has been followed to achieve an objective. In general, these algorithms do not take into account any domain knowledge to derive process models, allowing to apply them in a general manner. However, depending on the selected approach, a different kind of process models can be discovered, as each technique has its strengths and weaknesses, e.g., the expressiveness of the used notation. Hence, it is important to take into account the requirements of the domain when deciding which algorithm to use, as the correct assumptions can lead to richer process models. For instance, among the different domains of application of process mining we can identify several fields that share an interesting requirement about the discovered process models. In security audits, discovered processes have to fulfill strict requisites. This means that the process model should reproduce as much behavior as possible; otherwise some violations may go undetected (replay fitness). On the other hand, in order to avoid false positives, process models should reproduce only the recorded behavior (precision). Finally, process models should be easily readable to better detect deviations (simplicity). Another clear example concerns the educational domain, as in order to be of value for both teachers and learners, a discovered learning process should satisfy the aforementioned requirements. That is, to guarantee feasible and correct evaluations, teachers need to access to all the activities performed by learners, thereby the learning process should be able to reproduce as much behavior as possible (replay fitness). Furthermore, the learning process should focus on the recorded behavior seen in the event log (precision), i.e., show only what the students did, and not what they might have done, while being easily interpretable by the teachers (simplicity). One of the previous requirements is related to the readability of process models: simplicity. In process mining, one of the identified challenges is the appropriate visualization of process models, i.e., to present the results of process discovery in such a way that people actually gain insights about the process. Process models that are unnecessary complex can hinder the real behavior of the process rather than to provide an intuition of what is really happening in an organization. However, achieving a good level of readability is not always straightforward, for instance, due the used representation. Within the different approaches focused to reduce the complexity of a process model, the interest in this PhD Thesis relies on two techniques. On the one hand, to improve the readability of an already discovered process model through the inclusion of duplicate labels. On the other hand, the hierarchization of a process model, i.e., to provide a well known structure to the process model. However, regarding the latter, this technique requires to take into account domain knowledge, as different domains may rely on different requirements when improving the readability of the process model. In other words, in order to improve the interpretability and understandability of a process model, the hierarchization has to be driven by the domain. To sum up, concerning the aim of this PhD Thesis, we can identify two main topics of interest. On the one hand, we are interested in retrieving process models that reproduce as much behavior recorded in the log as possible, without introducing unseen behavior. On the other hand, we try to reduce the complexity of the mined models in order to improve their readability. Hence, the aim of this PhD Thesis is to discover process models considering replay fitness, precision and simplicity, while paying special attention in retrieving highly interpretable process models.


The fact that students have mobile technology does not mean they use it for their academic activities. This research aims to discover what students do with their mobile devices? What guidance did they receive from their lecturers at the university? This research answers are built from a theoretical framework and involves collecting data from samples. For example, problems such as the ability to manage time and learning activities, what students know about technology, what activities they do with it, or what they have learned about it in the context of school education. This study is an analysis of social phenomena. Construction data techniques were chosen so as to enable students to express their own assumptions and analyze their social practices such as semi-open surveys of students, semi-structured interviews with faculty and focus groups with students. All information obtained is then triangulated. It was found that they used their mobile devices even though there were no instructions from their lecturers. Although departing audiovisual has turned into a favorite tool of young people to try to gather information, it turns out students do not make it a choice for learning. Therefore this has become an opportunity to promote the use of mobile technology for academic purposes


The evolution of protein-coding genes proceeds as mutations act on two main dimensions: regulation of transcription level and the coding sequence. The extent and impact of the connection between these two dimensions are largely unknown because they have generally been studied independently. By measuring the fitness effects of all possible mutations on a protein complex at various levels of promoter activity, we show that expression at the optimal level for the WT protein masks the effects of both deleterious and beneficial coding mutations. Mutants that are deleterious at low expression but masked at optimal expression are slightly destabilizing for individual subunits and binding interfaces. Coding mutations that increase protein abundance are beneficial at low expression but incur a fitness cost at high expression. We thereby demonstrate that expression level can dictate which coding mutations are beneficial or deleterious.


Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito borne flavivirus originally confined to Africa and Asia that has spread to islands located in Southeast Asia, and most recently to the Americas and the Caribbean. Approximately 80% of infected individuals are asymptomatic, while the remaining infected population exhibit mild febrile syndrome such as rash, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia. In some adults, ZIKV causes neurotropic Guillain Barre syndrome (1). Vertical transmission of ZIKV in infected mothers causes fetal growth restriction, microcephaly, and congenital eye disease (2-5). Cases of ZIKV sexual transmission from male to female (6-8), male to male (9), and a suspected case of female to male transmission (10) have been reported. ZIKV has been detected in the semen of infected males (11-15), even after months of symptom onset (16-19). Viral persistence in the testes and semen can increase the risk of ZIKV transmission through rectal route in men having sex with men (MSM) and between heterosexual partners. The anorectal mucosa is a major entry site for HIV-1 transmission among MSM (20), and for the acquisition and transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Although the risk of ZIKV acquisition through the rectal route is high, no pathobiological information is available. Here, we describe the establishment of a rectal route of ZIKV infection system using immunocompromised (ifnar1 -/-) male mice to determine their susceptibility to ZIKV and to assess viral dissemination to male reproductive organs. We found that rectal inoculation of ZIKV results in viremia with non-lethal infection. The rectal mucosa is susceptible to ZIKV entry and replication. Following rectal inoculation, ZIKV establishes active testicular infection that persists at least 21 days. During the acute phase of infection, the highest viral load was observed in the spleen, with inflammatory and immune cellular infiltration. Macrophages in the splenic red pulp are the target cells for ZIKV infection.


INTRODUCTION The Hudson River flows through five physiographic regions. Above Glens Falls, it courses through the ancient crystalline rocks of the Adirondacks; from Glens Falls to Newburgh, it follows the Great Valley of limestone and shale; south of Newburgh, it leaves the broad Appalachian Valley to cross the Highlands, through a relatively narrow, crooked, and steep-sided gorge; from a point just southwest of Peekskill to the city of New York, it follows a contact between the metamorphic rocks on the east and the overlying Triassic on the west; below New York Bay, its channel is cut in the submerged Coastal Plain. The Hudson Highlands are a block of northeastward-pitching pre-Cambrian crystalline rocks, separated from the Great Valley, on the northwest, by a thrust fault, and from the Piedmont, on the southeast, by a normal fault. For the purposes of this paper, these crystalline rocks may be divided into Grenville gneiss . . .


This book tells the fascinating success story of saving the flightless Woodhen of Lord Howe Island. This unique large rail, an iconic and highly endangered Australian bird, was at the very brink of extinction with just 15 individuals found in 1980, when bold and risky actions were taken to save it.

The book begins with the discovery and ecology of Lord Howe Island. It then details the history of the Woodhen, its place among the rails and their evolution of flightlessness, the planning, implementation and trials, tribulations and successes of the captive breeding programme and the way in which the wild population recovered. The ecology, behaviour and breeding biology of this unique flightless island rail are also discussed. The text is accompanied by numerous photographs and drawings.

This is a story of survival, yet the bird remains highly endangered as it is under constant potential threat, which could tip it over the brink and to extinction. The Woodhen provides gripping insights into the potential for both losing and saving vertebrate species.

Winner of a 2014 Whitley Awards Certificate of Commendation for Historical Zoology.


In a series of attempts to reveal plasma heparin, we found that high ionic strength and modification of protein amino groups were not effective in extracting endogenous heparin (or, indeed, a large percentage of exogenous labelled heparin), whereas delipidation in the presence of 4M-guanidinium chloride gave high yields, indicating that plasma heparin may be assembled with compounds other than proteins, in a form making it inaccessible to water and ions. During the extraction of lipids, a paradoxical entry of heparin into the organic phase was observed. Detergents, including sodium dodecyl sulphate, did not shift heparin into the aqueous phase, whereas repeated chloroform/methanol extraction did so. Using purified compounds we were able to reproduce in vitro both the scavenging of heparin from water as well as the formation of heparin-phosphatidylcholine complexes soluble in organic solvents. Evidence for complexing of heparin with phosphatidylcholine was also obtained by electrophoretic and ultracentrifugation assays. The quaternary-ammonium-containing phosphatidylcholine was the more effective phospholipid in binding heparin; anionic phospholipids did not bind. Only heparin-like glycosaminoglycans bound phosphatidylcholine, but less-sulphated compounds (heparan sulphate and dermatan sulphate) were weaker ligands. Gel-filtration experiments showed that heparin was not bound to liposome vesicles, but that a measurable percentage of the phospholipids was stripped off from vesicles and was found in the form of a complex separable from liposomes by gel filtration. The molecular basis as well as the biological role of the interaction of heparin with major membrane phospholipids are discussed.


Citizens are demanding greater transparency and accountability from their governments, and seek to participate in shaping the policies that affect their lives. The diffusion of the Internet has raised expectations that electronic tools may increase citizen participation in government decision-making and stop the decline of trust in political institutions. This paper brings together two relevant topics, e-participation and climate change, analyzing the websites of the environment departments of European local governments that have signed the Aalborg+10 commitments, in order to establish to what extent European local governments are making use of the Internet to promote e-participation and environmentally-friendly behaviors among their citizens. Our results show that the developments on e-participation are higher in transparency than interactivity. The Internet as a tool to revitalize the public sphere is still limited to those countries with higher levels of transparency, and penetration of ICTs and a culture of citizen engagement.


Arbitrary program extension at run time in language-based VMs, e.g., Java's dynamic class loading, comes at a startup cost: high memory footprint and slow warmup. Cloud computing amplifies the startup overhead. Microservices and serverless cloud functions lead to small, self-contained applications that are started often. Slow startup and high memory footprint directly affect the cloud hosting costs, and slow startup can also break service-level agreements. Many applications are limited to a prescribed set of pre-tested classes, i.e., use a closed-world assumption at deployment time. For such Java applications, GraalVM Native Image offers fast startup and stable performance. GraalVM Native Image uses a novel iterative application of points-to analysis and heap snapshotting, followed by ahead-of-time compilation with an optimizing compiler. Initialization code can run at build time, i.e., executables can be tailored to a particular application configuration. Execution at run time starts with a pre-populated heap, leveraging copy-on-write memory sharing. We show that this approach improves the startup performance by up to two orders of magnitude compared to the Java HotSpot VM, while preserving peak performance. This allows Java applications to have a better startup performance than Go applications and the V8 JavaScript VM.


The focus of this work is to analyze from a medical perspective the multiple aspects that guide the criteria that assumes the training of health professionals. This research is based on the theory of social representations; this theory is referred to an epistemology of the sense common, which allows to interpret the reality-the knowledge every day, product of social interactions. Within this theoretical framework, it worked with the approach process, which focuses on the content of the representation in terms of its meaning and significance. It was a descriptive study, qualitative, cross-not experimental, with interviews semistructured with three axes categorical (training, bonding and regulation). The sample was obtained in a manner not probabilistic, they interviewed 12 subject, six heads of teaching and six medical in training attached to the institutions that agreed to participate in the research. From the crossroads of knowledge, the experiences and opinions of education managers and doctors in training, is develop that the training of the professional of the health still framed in the paradigm positivist (hegemonic biomedical). Of this form is evidence a worldview in the training of the medical and an approach to this reality training, that allows carry to the reflection all those aspects forgotten that dan by made a conformation infinite and dogmatic of medical and thus, placed in the context to the actors main (universities, institutions of health, decision makers of decisions, executing or responsible of the training).


The paper presents estimated single origin premiums based on retail prices for specialty coffees offered in the U.S. market from 1997 to 2014. The data include retail price, the quantity sold in a retail package and label descriptions that identify 28 different origins. Label descriptions also include information on cultural practices such as natural and organic production, market channels such as Fair Trade and whether the wholesale source was a specialty auction. In addition, data for each coffee contains a score for roast type and a cup rating determined by professional tasters. The overall data set permits and evaluation how coffee origin affects market values, as well as how different coffee supply chain segments affect value, including the coffee producer, market channel and roaster.


The environmental and health hazards associated with chromium-containing solution have aroused wide public concern, so attempts have been made to find alternatives for metal finishing. In the present paper, inhibition effect of acridine on corrosion of hot dipped Zn and Zn-Al alloy coatings on steels in diluted hydrochloric acid was investigated using weight loss test, electrochemical measurement, and quantum chemistry analysis. The results showed that inhibition efficiency increased with inhibitor concentration, and the highest inhibition efficiency was up to 99%. And acridine adsorbed on coating surface by chemisorption. Quantum chemistry calculation results indicated that acridine possesses planar structure with a number of active centers, and showed a good ability of electron exchange with the coating surface.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP5 grew on 2, 5-dichlorobenzoate with doubling time (D) 6.64 d and mean growth rate (k) 0.104 d-1. The organism showed a prolonged lag period lasting 9 days followed by a sudden rise within 3 days (D=1.1 d; k =0.628 d-1) and death in less than 72 hours on 2,6- dichlorobenzoate. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of DNA of LP5 showed aromatic dihydroxylating (ARHDO) gene band with molecular weight corresponding to the targeted fragment (0.73 kb). The capability of LP5 on dichlorobenzoates and detection of dioxygenase genes is a validation of its versatility and potential for bioremediation.


New notations using the wavelength transfer matrix for wavelength circuits and networks are proposed. The method is a simple and effective in expressing and analyzing complicated wavelength circuits and networks; only simple notations are used. Wavelength transfer matrixes reported for network circuits are described and functionally verified. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, a new passive star coupler employing arrayed-waveguide-grating for WDM star networks is proposed. Its asymmetric wavelength characteristics are easily verified by the wavelength transfer matrix method and experiments. It reduces the total number of wavelengths by 81 % for a 64 node network.


Abstract. The response of particulate matter (PM) concentrations to emission reductions was analysed by assessing the results obtained with two different source apportionment approaches. The brute force (BF) method source impacts, computed at various emission reduction levels using two chemical transport models (CAMx and FARM), were compared with the contributions obtained with the tagged species (TS) approach (CAMx with PSAT module). The study focused on the main sources of secondary inorganic aerosol precursors in the Po Valley (Northern Italy): agriculture, road transport, industry and residential combustion. The interaction terms between different sources obtained from a factor decomposition analysis were used as indicators of non-linear PM10 concentration responses to individual source emission reductions. Moreover, such interaction terms were analysed in the light of the free ammonia/total nitrate gas ratio to determine the relationships between the chemical regime and the non-linearity at selected sites. The impacts of the different sources were not proportional to the emission reductions and such non-linearity was most relevant for 100 % emission reduction levels compared with smaller reduction levels (50 % and 20 %). Such differences between emission reduction levels were connected to the extent to which they modify the chemical regime in the base case. Non-linearity was mainly associated with agriculture and the interaction of this source with road transport and, to a lesser extent, with industry. Actually, the mass concentration of PM10 allocated to agriculture by TS and BF approaches were significantly different when a 100 % emission reduction was applied. However, in many situations the non-linearity in PM10 annual average source allocation was negligible and the TS and the BF approaches provided comparable results. PM mass concentrations attributed to the same sources by TS and BF were highly comparable in terms of spatial patterns and quantification of the source allocation for industry, transport and residential combustion. The conclusions obtained in this study for PM10 are also applicable to PM2.5.


A photoactivatable benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole-dressing tetraphenylethylene (TPE) was developed. The optical performance results indicate that UV-irradiation can lead to remarkable emission enhancement in solution states due to the cyclization of the TPE component. Application in the solid state confirmed that it has a potential to serve as a photoactivatable visualized material.


The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene was discovered just over 30 years ago, and soon after, gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) has been rapidly and continually developing. Recently, novel gene therapy strategies have been developed, including mRNA delivery, genome editing, and mRNA repair; all these strategies are collectively named "genetic medicines." The last quarter of the century showed a significant boost in the development of viral and nonviral vectors to deliver genetic treatment. This chapter will provide a brief overview of the CFTR gene and its different classes of mutations as well as a review of the different genetic therapeutic options that are under research. Later in this chapter, drugs that target different CFTR mutation classes and are currently approved to treat CF patients will be briefly presented.


Class V myosin (myosin-V) was first found as a processive motor that moves along an actin filament with large ( approximately 36-nm) successive steps and plays an important role in cargo transport in cells. Subsequently, several other myosins have also been found to move processively. Because myosin-V has two heads with ATP- and actin-binding sites, the mechanism of successive movement has been generally explained based on the two-headed structure. However, the fundamental problem of whether the two-headed structure is essential for the successive movement has not been solved. Here, we measure motility of engineered myosin-V having only one head by optical trapping nanometry. The results show that a single one-headed myosin-V undergoes multiple successive large (approximately 32-nm) steps, suggesting that a novel mechanism is operating for successive myosin movement.


Fantasy theme analysis of virtual teams and communities A new model for research on technology acceptance Call for research on culturally modeled features for IT based products A Goldilocks model for software reuse libraries Business models for digital multimedia broadcasting Virtual teams and virtual communities are of increasing interest for organizing work and play in diverse contexts, such as research, education, business, and entertainment. Researchers have used a number of perspectives to study them including culture, cognitive psychology, politics, gender, and information systems. Kendal, Kendall, and Kah (2006) employ fantasy theme analysis to identify "heroes, villains, plots and subplots" in the development of virtual community policy. This perspective has the advantage of allowing investigations of the roles of individuals and concepts in the management of virtual communities, independent of their physical contexts. It also is a method that has the potential to result in rich, qualitative understanding of the community. As such, it follows a tradition in IS research and practice to employ methods, such as focus groups, storyboarding, and role playing, to develop a richer understanding of the functionality, efficacy, and the role of the individual in information systems development and organizational culture. Sun and Zhang (2006) apply Markus and Robey.s (1988) "Casual Structure in Theory and Research" to research that uses the technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis, Bagozzi and Warshaw 1989). The concept of causal structure links three dimensions, causal agency, beliefs about causal relationships among events and actions; logical structure, whether beliefs about causation are related to associations or processes; and the level of analysis, which may be macro social phenomena, micro or individual behavior, or mixed. The authors review prior TAM research to characterize it in terms of these three dimensions. They argue for a new model, based on TAM, task-technology fit (Goodhue and Thompson 1995), and computer self-efficacy (Compeau and Higgins 1995), that allows for the use of an emergent perspective for study at a mixed level of analysis. They propose a set of 13 propositions for study using the new model. This paper should be of interest to researchers interested in studying user acceptance using mixed level data. The problem of developing information systems and IT based products is more than simply developing success products and systems for the home market, developing localized versions, and seeing if they fly or not. Many products have been developed for one market and been very successful, only to fail when transported to a market in a distinctly different culture. The success and failures of mobile telephonic products in diverse markets, such as Northern Europe, Japan, and the US presents a good example of this. Tuunanen, Peffers, Gengler, Hui, and Virtanen (2006) point out that individual values, models of how the universe works, and product preferences vary greatly across market cultures. They collect data about consumer preferences for mobile applications using "presence. technology and analyze it to show substantial differences in preferences, among potential consumers in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Helsinki, for bundles of products. Rather than develop IT-based products for one market and rolling them out worldwide to succeed or fail, they argue for developing culture-based products and feature sets for each culture, based on differences in values, consequence models, and preferences. The findings of the study should be of interest to researchers who are interested in extending requirements elicitation and related research to incorporate processes that take advantage of culture to develop systems and products that better fit the cultures for which they are intended. Prior research and intuition suggests that the reuse of software components should reduce costs and improve quality in software engineering efforts. …


THE IRISH DISPENSARY SERVICE REPORT. -SIR,-1 beg you will allow me, as your late Special Comanissioner deputed by you to report on the condition of the Irish Poor-law Medical Service, to place on record the great help and sympathetic support I received throughout my Airish tour from Dr. Leonard Kidd of Enniskillen, the President of the Irish Medical Association. Although not himcelf a member of the important Poor-law Service, he has for these officials the warmest sympathy and the fullest feeling of comradeship; and throughout my tour I received unceasing guidance and help from his local knowledge. My tour was sketched out by his own hand, and I feel that, without his ready help, I should not have achieved whatever measure of success may have attended my tour. From each and all the members of the Irish Infirmary Medical Service I received the most kindly help; but I should fail in my duty if I did not specially place on record my debt to Dr. Leonard Kidd. -I am, etc., SPECIAL COMMISSIONER, BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, REPORTING ON IRISH POOR-LAW MEDICAL May 29th. SERVICE, 1903-1904.


distantly related to outer kinetochore proteins Ndc80 and Nuf2. The family member in kinetoplastids, KKT-interacting protein 1 (KKIP1), associates with the kinetochore, and its depletion causes severe defects in karyokinesis, loss of individual chromosomes, and gross defects in spindle assembly or stability. Immunopurification of KKIP1 from stabilized kinetochores identifies six further components, which form part of a trypanosome outer kinetochore complex. These findings suggest that kinetochores in organisms such as kinetoplastids are built from a divergent, but not ancestrally distinct, set of components and that Ndc80/Nuf2-like proteins are universal in eukaryotic division.


ABSTRACT The induction of disease-suppressive soils in response to specific cropping sequences has been demonstrated for numerous plant-pathogen systems. The role of host genotype in elicitation of the essential transformations in soil microbial community structure that lead to disease suppression has not been fully recognized. Apple orchard soils were planted with three successive 28-day cycles of specific wheat cultivars in the greenhouse prior to infestation with Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group (AG)-5 or AG-8. Suppressiveness to Rhizoctonia root rot of apple caused by the introduced isolate of R. solani AG-5 was induced in a wheat cultivar-specific manner. Pasteurization of soils after wheat cultivation and prior to pathogen introduction eliminated the disease suppressive potential of the soil. Wheat cultivars that induced disease suppression enhanced populations of specific fluorescent pseudomonad genotypes with antagonistic activity toward R. solani AG-5 and AG-8, but cultivars that did not elicit a disease suppressive soil did not modify the antagonistic capacity of this bacterial community. When soils were infested prior to the initial wheat planting, all cultivars were uniformly susceptible to R. solani AG-8. However, when pathogen inoculum was added after three growth-cycles, wheat root infection during the fourth growth-cycle varied in a cultivar specific manner. The same wheat cultivar-specific response in terms of transformation of the fluorescent pseudomonad community and subsequent suppression of Rhizoctonia root rot of apple was observed in three different orchard soils. These results demonstrate the importance of host genotype in modification of indigenous saprophytic microbial communities and suggest an important role for host genotype in the success of biological control.


We derive bounds on the sample complexity of empirical risk minimization (ERM) in the context of minimizing non-convex risks that admit the strict saddle property. Recent progress in non-convex optimization has yielded efficient algorithms for minimizing such functions. Our results imply that these efficient algorithms are statistically stable and also generalize well. In particular, we derive fast rates which resemble the bounds that are often attained in the strongly convex setting. We specify our bounds to Principal Component Analysis and Independent Component Analysis. Our results and techniques may pave the way for statistical analyses of additional strict saddle problems.


The objective of this paper is to examine the role of civil society in both promoting and securing access to information (ATI) legislation and assisting in its implementation. The focus of the paper is to understand the background to campaigns for access to information in five countries, Bulgaria, India, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In each, the paper seeks to understand the role that civil society played in conjunction with other social actors. The paper looks at the interaction between civil society and public officials, which is an important dynamic in the passage of any legislation. The paper also considers the various roles played by civil society groups in helping with implementation after the passing of the law. This paper represents an attempt to examine these observations. There are issues that can be explored further and many more lessons to draw from these cases. This paper aims to contribute to a broader debate on the role of civil society as it relates to this essential right to information.


The paper presents results of the research on the power transmission from the tractor wheel onto the grounds with different properties. The research was carried out in field conditions with the use of a stand aggregated with a farm tractor. Firstly, an initial evaluation of tractive properties was carried out by determination of the traction force and efficiency. In the fundamental part of the research values of the useful power (drawbar power), power lost to the rolling resistance and the power lost to the wheel slip were determined. A vertical load of a wheel, except for the ground type, was an additional factor. Based on the obtained results, it was proved that a wheel used on soil had higher values of the traction force but lower tractive efficiency in comparison to the values obtained on sod. Analysis of the power transmission proved that these differences result from higher power losses related to the rolling resistance of a wheel used on soil. Moreover, it was proved that the increase of the vertical wheel load favours the improvement of traction properties (increase in the tractive efficiency and the drawbar power shares) only in case of a wheel exploited on sod.


On April 18, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reminded patients, caregivers, and health care professionals of the importance of appropriate storage, use, application, and disposal of fentanyl patches (including Duragesic and generic products) to prevent potential life-threatening harm from accidental exposure to the active ingredient, fentanyl. Recently, FDA evaluated a series of 26 cases of pediatric accidental exposures to fentanyl patches reported over the past 15 years. Of these 26 cases, 10 resulted in death and 12 in hospitalization. Sixteen of the 26 cases occurred in children 2 years old or younger. Young children are at particular risk of accidental exposure to fentanyl patches. Their mobility and curiosity provide opportunities for them to find lost patches, take improperly discarded patches from the trash, or find improperly stored patches, all of which may result in patches being placed in their mouths or sticking to their skin. Additionally, young children are at risk of exposure when being held by someone wearing a partially detached patch, which can then transfer to the child. Exposure of young children to a fentanyl patch can lead to serious adverse events even death, due to the amount of fentanyl present in the patches. This can even occur with used patches, which still contain a considerable amount of fentanyl. The FDA previously alerted the public to the appropriate use and disposal of fentanyl patches in 2005 and 2006, following the receipt of reports of death and life-threatening adverse events related to fentanyl overdose. The adverse events occurred when the fentanyl patch was used to treat pain in patients who were not tolerant to opioids and when opioid-tolerant patients applied more patches than prescribed, changed the patch too frequently, or exposed the patch to a heat source. In these advisories, FDA reminded patients, caregivers, and physicians about the appropriate use and disposal of patches. Additionally, as part of a broader public awareness campaign about the proper disposal of medications in 2011, FDA advised consumers on the proper disposal of fentanyl patches1 when they are no longer needed. FDA recommends that the adhesive side of the patch should be folded together and then the patch should be flushed down the toilet. Health care professionals are urged to educate their patients and caregivers about the appropriate use and disposal of fentanyl patches. Patients are encouraged to review the fentanyl patch product label2 for the instructions for use.


The extracellular matrix plays an integral role in tissue remodeling and development and it defines the different mechanical properties of a variety of connective tissues. Its complexity in composition and the details in organization has only been partly elucidated. This thesis focuses on collagen VI and the mutual interactions of a number of matrix proteins that lie within close proximity. Collagen VI is unique among the collagens in its molecular assembly. It forms filamentous networks distinct from those of the fibrillar collagens. During this assembly, the role of the individual domains of the collagen VI molecule in the initial intracellular assembly and subsequent extracellular organization was studied. The N5 domain of the N-terminal globular domain of collagen VI α3-chain was shown to have an essential role. We investigated how two small proteoglycans from the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein family, biglycan and decorin, interact with collagen VI and how they effect the supermolecular organization of collagen VI. Biglycan and decorin were shown to interact with collagen VI within the region spanning the N-terminal end of the triple helical domain to the first part of the globular domain. Binding was mediated by the core protein and isolated glycosaminoglycan chains were not able to prevent this interaction. However, biglycan showed a unique ability, not only to organize collagen VI into hexagonal networks but also to catalyze this event, where the two glycosaminoglycan chains were shown to play a crucial role. By extracting collagen VI microfibrils from chondrosarcoma tissue under mild conditions, we showed that collagen VI was attached to the major cartilage molecules, collagen II and aggrecan, via a bridge of the small LRR proteoglycans and matrilins. This bridge constituted collagen VI bound to biglycan or decorin, which in turn bound to matrilin-1, -2 or –3 associated with collagen II or aggrecan.


Transcriptional switch (TS) is a widely observed phenomenon caused by changes in the relative expression of transcripts from the same gene, in spatial, temporal or other dimensions. TS has been associated with human diseases, plant development and stress responses. Its investigation is often hampered by a lack of suitable tools allowing comprehensive and flexible TS analysis for high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data. Here, we present deepTS, a user-friendly web-based implementation that enables a fully interactive, multifunctional identification, visualization and analysis of TS events for large-scale RNA-Seq datasets from pairwise, temporal and population experiments. deepTS offers rich functionality to streamline RNA-Seq-based TS analysis for both model and non-model organisms and for those with or without reference transcriptome. The presented case studies highlight the capabilities of deepTS and demonstrate its potential for the transcriptome-wide TS analysis of pairwise, temporal and population RNA-Seq data. We believe deepTS will help research groups, regardless of their informatics expertise, perform accessible, reproducible and collaborative TS analyses of large-scale RNA-Seq data.


Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a debilitating illness that affects the life expectancy of patients. It is possible to test for SCD before birth, to allow for reproductive options to parents. However, under Cameroonian Law, voluntary abortion is a criminal offense and medical abortion is permitted only "…if it is done by an authorized professional and justified by the need to save the mother from grave health jeopardy." The objective of the present study was to compare the views of Cameroonian doctors, parents with at least one living SCD-affected child, and adult SCD patients, regarding prenatal genetic diagnosis and termination of SCD-affected pregnancy. We conducted a quantitative sociological survey of 110 doctors, 130 parents, and 89 adult patients. The majority accepted the prenatal genetic diagnosis for SCD (78.7%, 89.8%, and 89.2%, respectively). Parents (62.5%) were more in favor of termination of SCD-affected pregnancy, than doctors and adults patients (36.1% and 40.9% acceptance, respectively). Parents and patients who found medical abortion acceptable cited fear to have a SCD-affected child (98.1 and 88.9%) and the poor quality of the affected child's health (92.6% and 81.5%). The data underscore the urgency of policy action to place emphasis on: premarital screening, early detection and care of SCD, socio-economic measures to assist SCD-affected families, appropriateness to consider maternal distress due to fetal anomalies in medical abortion legislation. These novel findings signal potential value-based conflicts on the horizon, and can usefully inform the future policy actions in the African continent as OMICS biotechnologies are increasingly employed in global health. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first attempt in sub-Saharan Africa to attempt to triangulate the views of multiple stakeholders towards prenatal diagnosis of SCD and termination of an affected pregnancy.


The Florida horticulture industry (vegetables, ornamentals, citrus, and deciduous fruit), valued at $4.5 billion, has widely adopted microirrigation techniques to use water and fertilizer more efficiently. A broad array of microirrigation systems is available, and benefits of microirrigation go beyond water conservation. The potential for more-efficient agricultural chemical (pesticides and fertilizer) application is especially important in today's environmentally conscious society. Microirrigation is a tool providing growers with the power to better manage costly inputs, minimize environmental impact, and still produce high-quality products at a profit.


Background: Achilles tendinopathy is a common condition, which can become chronic and interfere with athletic performance. The proteinase inhibitor aprotinin (as injection) has been found to improve recovery in patellar tendinopathy1 (evidence level 1b2) and Achilles tendinopathy.3 Internationally this therapy is being used based on this limited knowledge base. Aim: To evaluate whether aprotinin injections decrease time to recovery in Achilles tendinopathy. Method: A prospective, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial was performed comparing saline (0.9%) plus local anaesthetic injections and eccentric exercises with aprotinin (30 000 kIU) plus local anaesthetic injection and eccentric exercise. Three injections were given, each a week apart. In total, 26 patients, with 33 affected tendons, were enrolled for this study. Results: At no follow up point (2, 4, 12, or 52 weeks) was there any statistically significant difference between the treatment group and placebo. This included VISA-A scores4 and secondary outcome measures. However, a trend for improvement over placebo was noted. Conclusion: In this study on Achilles tendinopathy, aprotinin was not shown to offer any statistically significant benefit over placebo. Larger multicentre trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of aprotinin in Achilles tendinopathy.


Heart rate variability is a important physiological data that presents information about sympathetic or parasympathetic domination in autonomic nervous system. Sympathovagal balance (SB) can be described as the power rate of low frequency/high frequency. In this study, we have investigated SB on ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA) patients and compared with normal data obtained from same patients. In VTA, min value and max value have been determined as 0.1236 and 11.0855. In normal data, SB min value is 0.3640 and SB max value is 6.5239.


We propose a nonlinear heterogeneous panel unit root test for testing the null hypothesis of unit-roots processes against the alternative that allows a proportion of units to be generated by globally stationary ESTAR processes and a remaining nonzero proportion to be generated by unit root processes. The proposed test is simple to implement and accommodates cross sectional  dependence. We show that the distribution of the test statistic is free of nuisance parameters as (N;T) tends to infinity. Monte Carlo simulation shows that our test holds correct size and under the hypothesis that data are generated by globally stationary ESTAR processes has a better power than the recent test proposed in Pesaran (2007). Various applications are provided.


Nowadays, the concept of innovation is omnipresent in most political discourses as well as in technological, socio-economic and scientific development plans. Innovation is essential for solving complex problems in new ways, which can lead countries to development and prosperity. The realisation of an innovation is not the result of a random act, but the product of a multidisciplinary process, rich in methods and scientific and technical tools, using materials and human resources. These human resources, in particular engineers, must possess both technical and soft skills that strengthen their capacity to innovate, and which have been in continual development since the initial training phase. Innovation is at the heart of engineer training concerns and requires management and structuring according to a well-defined process. The objective of this paper is to present the approach followed to define an innovation training process model for engineers through Project Based Learning (PBL). In this work, we have identified the main components of our process through a combination of data from the literature review and the results of an empirical study. Innovative projects in the field of mechanical engineering, carried out by future Moroccan engineers, were studied in depth. The results of the study enabled the identification of the different elements characterising the process of carrying out an innovative project such as the inputs, outputs, control milestones and resources required for the implementation of innovative educational projects in this field. These elements were supported by semi-directive interviews to form the basis of our systemic modelling.


Few studies have focused on the epidemiology of perimenopausal syndrome, and its prevalence in African women is concerningly high. This study investigated selected biochemical parameters, hormonal changes, and possible metabolic syndrome (MetS) in perimenopausal and premenopausal women among Igbo women in Enugu, Southeast of Nigeria.This study was conducted between March 2018 and November 2018. A total of 200 apparently healthy women, comprising 120 perimenopausal women (mean age 50 years) and 80 premenopausal women (mean age 35 years), living in Enugu, were randomly recruited for this study. Anthropometric indices (blood pressure, waist circumference, weight, and height) of these women were measured. Fasting blood samples were collected and used for measurement of luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and lipid profile using standard methods. MetS in the perimenopausal and premenopausal women was observed using three different criteria: the National Cholesterol Education Program- Adult Treatment Panel 111 (NCEP-ATP 111), the World Health Organization (WHO), and International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Student's t-test and Chi-square were used to compare continuous and categorical variables.There were significantly (p<0.05) higher values of blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), FPG, waist circumference, LH, FSH, total cholesterol, and LDL-C, but significantly (p<0.05) lower values of estradiol in perimenopausal women as compared to premenopausal women. The incidence of MetS was higher in perimenopausal women as compared to premenopausal women in all the three criteria studied.Perimenopausal women have a higher risk for the development of metabolic syndrome-associated diseases than premenopausal women.


Today, most newly created textual, photographic, audio,
and video content is available in digital form. Even older
content, that was not «born digital», can relatively easily
converted to machine-readable formats. At same time,
the world has become more networked, making it easy to
transfer digital content from one person to another. The
combination of technological progress in both digitization
and computer networking has been a challenge for
traditional ways of managing intellectual property. Some
observers have even questioned whether current models
for intellectual property can or should survive
in a digital world.


Smartphones and tablets are often used in dynamic environments that force users to break focus and attend to their surroundings, creating a form of "situational impairment." Current mobile devices have no ability to sense when users divert or restore their attention, let alone provide support for resuming tasks. We therefore introduce SwitchBack, a system that allows mobile device users to resume tasks more efficiently. SwitchBack is built upon Focus and Saccade Tracking (FAST), which uses the front-facing camera to determine when the user is looking and how their eyes are moving across the screen. In a controlled study, we found that FAST can identify how many lines the user has read in a body of text within a mean absolute percent error of just 3.9%. We then tested SwitchBack in a dual focus-of-attention task, finding that SwitchBack improved average reading speed by 7.7% in the presence of distractions.


In some instances midwives find it difficult to implement research into practice (Albers, 2001). For example, evidence informs of the benefits of providing continuous support during labour (Hodnett et al, 2003), yet one midwife to one woman is not compulsory in every maternity unit in the UK. Olsen (1997) meta-analyzed research that relates to the relative safety of home birth compared to hospital birth. Results found no difference in survival rates between babies born at home and those born in hospital. Amniotomy is still a common procedure, yet contra-indicated since fetal heart abnormalities are more likely in the healthy term fetus (Fraser et al, 1993). Such examples serve to sharpen awareness that some research is being overlooked. Consequently ideas about how to narrow the theory–practice gap become salient. With this in mind a model is proposed to help midwives implement change into practice. Changing behaviour is possible when logical structured approaches are taken at a number of levels.


Because of the potential for more rapid data collection, newer scanners for reconstructive tomography are implemented in a "fan-beam" geometry. In these implementations there is a source that emits a fan-shaped pattern of radiation. A detector located on the opposite side of the scanned object provides data that depend on the attenuation density of the object integrated along a ray in the fan joining the source and detector. Increased speed is realized by the use of not just a single detector but, rather, a circular array of detectors that collect data simultaneously along several rays in the fan. Original procedures for constructing tomographic sections from fan-beam data rely on the use of existing algorithms for parallel-beam data, which can be used by rearranging the fan-beam data into a parallel-beam format. (1,2) However, in this format the data suffer from a nonuniformity in sampling due to the nonlinear relationship between the fan-beam and parallel-beam coordinate systems. Partly for this reason, as well as for the conservation of data storage and potential speed benefits, algorithms that make direct use of fan-beam data have been derived by a number of investigators. (3,4,5) Published fan-beam algorithms assume that the output of all detectors in the fan are sampled simultaneously at discrete source angles as the source rotates about the object. The samples so derived at each source angle are processed together in a filtering operation which is followed by an "inverse square-law" back projection to yield the tomographic section after all source angles have been completed. We have investigated the implications of processing each detector output independently as the source rotates and then combining these processed detector outputs at the completion of all data collection to form the section. For a geometry in which the detector array rotates with the source, we have found that this can be accomplished without the back projection operation by using the emerging technology of adaptive transversal filters.


The acetylator phenotype of 35 healthy, drug-free volunteers and 21 patients with cardiac and/or renal disease has been assessed using oral sulphapyridine. Comparative evaluation of a simplified and a more selective method of sulphapyridine analysis was performed. Thirteen of the patients were also phenotyped by determination of plasma isoniazid half-life. 81% of the patients were slow acetylators, compared with only 51% of the volunteers. When phenotyping healthy, drug-free subjects the analytical procedure, involving a direct estimation of sulphapyridine in urine with the Bratton-Marshall procedure, was satisfactory. On the other hand, in patients receiving concomitant drug therapy the more selective analytical procedure was necessary in order to diminish the risk of methodological interference.


We live in a world of alienation, and the contemporary desire for spiritual experience is one indicator of our hunger for wholeness. Perhaps that is one reason why some people question whether there is anything which resembles a Reformed spirituality. Their interaction with Reformed Christians has been dry and devoid of joy. Unfortunately, there have been some within the Reformed household of faith who have lost the historical Christian integration of head and heart. Instead of cultivating a healthy sense of wonder and the experience of God, they have communicated a faith laden with disconnected knowledge and explanation. This experience is by no means unique to Reformed Christians; almost every denomination or faith tradition has had similar struggles. I however, since my roots are Reformed, I write from this perspective. Over the years some of these frustrated persons have migrated to explore a wide range of spiritual options ranging from charismatic to non-Christian expressions of the New Age. Sadly, rather than recognizing the valid critique their exodus offers, members of the Reformed tradition are apt to look with critical eyes on those who moved to more emotional or expressive faith practices.


Lemna spp . have been shown to be up to 1000 times more sensitive to some sulfonylurea herbicides (SUs) than the green alga (e.g., P. subcapitata) which is commonly used as a representative organism for aquatic primary producers in environmental risk assessments. When the compounds are evaluated according to the EU Water Framework Directive, the resulting Water Quality Standards (WQSs) are below the analytical quantification limit, making it difficult to verify compliance with the limit values. However, several methodological concerns may be raised in relation to the very low effect concentrations reported for SUs in duckweed tests in the literature. Therefore, we decided to further investigate the effects of four SUs on Lemna gibba by studying how different test parameters affected the toxicity of the SUs. The SUs used were metsulfuron methyl, thifensulfuron methyl, flupyrsulfuron methyl and rimsulfuron. The following parameters were varied during testing: pH, exposure duration, temperature and light/dark cycle. Preliminary results show that a decrease in pH causes an increase in toxicity for all compounds. Exposure to a high concentration for 24 hours caused a reduction in growth rate, from which the plants recovered within 5 days. Difficulties in maintaining the concentration of the test substances were encountered due to a rapid hydrolysis of certain SUs in aqueous solution. These preliminary results raise the question whether the presently used standard Lemna tests are suitable for setting limit values for SUs or if more detailed information should be gained by taking methodological considerations into account.


C+G content (GC content or G+C content) is known to be correlated with genome/chromosome size in bacteria but the relationship for other kingdoms remains unclear. This study analyzed genome size, chromosome size, and base composition in most of the available sequenced genomes in various kingdoms. Genome size tends to increase during evolution in plants and animals, and the same is likely true for bacteria. The genomic C+G contents were found to vary greatly in microorganisms but were quite similar within each animal or plant subkingdom. In animals and plants, the C+G contents are ranked as follows: monocot plants>mammals>non-mammalian animals>dicot plants. The variation in C+G content between chromosomes within species is greater in animals than in plants. The correlation between average chromosome C+G content and chromosome length was found to be positive in Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria (but not in other analyzed bacterial phyla), Ascomycota fungi, and likely also in some plants; negative in some animals, insignificant in two protist phyla, and likely very weak in Archaea. Clearly, correlations between C+G content and chromosome size can be positive, negative, or not significant depending on the kingdoms/groups or species. Different phyla or species exhibit different patterns of correlation between chromosome-size and C+G content. Most chromosomes within a species have a similar pattern of variation in C+G content but outliers are common. The data presented in this study suggest that the C+G content is under genetic control by both trans- and cis- factors and that the correlation between C+G content and chromosome length can be positive, negative, or not significant in different phyla.


Electron transfer and dissociative electron attachment to 3-methyluracil (3meU) and 1methylthymine (1meT) yielding anion formation have been investigated in atom-molecule collision and electron attachment experiments, respectively. The former has been studied in the collision energy range 14-100 eV whereas the latter in the 0-15 eV incident electron energy range. In the present studies, emphasis is given to the reaction channel resulting in the loss of the methyl group from the Nsites with the extra charge sitting on the pyrimidine ring. This particular reaction channel has neither been approached in the context of dissociative electron attachment nor in atom-molecule collisions yet. Quantum chemical calculations have been performed in order to provide some insight into the dissociation mechanism involved along the N-CH3 bond reaction coordinate. The calculations provide support to the values derived from the electron transfer measurements, allowing for a better understanding of the role of the potassium cation as a stabilising agent in the collision complex. The present comparative study gives insight into the dynamics of the decaying transient anion and more precisely, into the competition between dissociation and auto-detachment. 4.1.


We present a finite temperature theory for bias-dependent tunnelling in ferromagnetic tunnelling junctions. The effects of the barrier width d on the tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR) and its sign change behaviour are discussed with this theory. Numerical results show that both the zero-bias TMR and the critical voltage Vc at which the TMR changes its sign decrease with the increasing barrier width for a considerably thick barrier junction. Furthermore, it is found that a minimum exists in the curve of Vc versus d if a composite junction is under oxidized.


Soil acidity and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) yield may be influenced by cover crop, N, and tillage method. Application of half the recommended lime rate may be possible without reducing lint yield and net revenue. The objective was to determine cotton yields and profitability for full and half recommended rates of lime, cover crops, N rates, and tillage methods. Data for 1995 through 2001 from a long-term experiment on a Memphis silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Hapludalf) were used to estimate cotton lint yield response functions. The experimental design was a split-split-split randomized complete block with four replications. Plots were established in 1981 with four cover crop alternatives, four N rates, and two tillage methods. Soil pH declined until 1995 when plots were split into blocks and assigned a one-time application of lime at the recommended rate and half the recommended rate. Results for no cover (unplanted winter cover) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) winter covers suggest that the amount of N fertilizer had a significant effect on lint yields, but was less important for the crimson clover cover (Trifolium incarnatum L.). No-tillage significantly increased cotton lint yields over time. When either the half or full rates of lime were applied, the plots combined with no-tillage resulted in the highest net revenues. Cotton lint yields and net revenues for the half rate of lime were comparable or greater than the full rate of lime for both tillage methods and all cover alternatives. In the short-to-medium term, cotton farmers may be able to apply half the recommended rate of lime without reducing yield or net revenue.


Several UK University Chemistry Departments have former secondary school chemistry teachers employed as School Teacher Fellows (STF) who are heavily involved in outreach work and a range of teaching responsibilities. This study looks at the outreach role from the point of view of several of the STFs; the benefits, and the barriers and how this role can be developed further. A reflective exercise, asking STFs to write a letter to themselves to advise any new incumbent was used to generate data. This mode was preferred to a formal interview after consultation with STFs. All the responses were analysed in terms of their relationships, motivations and other aspects of their posts. It is concluded that the STF provides a number of unique opportunities to progress relationships between university and secondary and primary schools, to assist new undergraduates in making an effective transition from post-16 study to undergraduate study and to review, support and progress teaching practice at tertiary level. However, barriers to the effective utilisation of STFs include; appropriate support and recognition at the tertiary institute and funding.


A synthesis approach for a set of Boolean functions on table-lookup-based field programmable gate arrays is proposed. Synthesis is considered as a global problem and, therefore, includes suitable factorization techniques as well as decomposition methods relying on the factored form. The factorization step looks for lexicographical expressions of Boolean functions. Some trade-offs between a strict input-driven decomposition and a maximal cell filling strategy are presented. The approach is applied to the Xilinx XC3000 and XC4000 series. Decomposition techniques both for area and speed optimization are detailed and their performance is compared to all available performance results. >


Purpose: Periodic quality assurance is essential for the accurate and consistent operation of dynamic multileaf collimators (DMLC) for volume modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Varian RapidArc is a system for delivering VMAT that can vary gantry speed and dose rate as the DMLCs quickly change position in order to obtain a conformal dose. A more time efficient and reproducible method for verifying the RapidArc capabilities has been developed building upon previous work by Ling et. al. using a 2D ionization chamber array. Methods: The PTW seven29 2D‐ARRAY was used in conjunction with an isocentric gantry mount, removing directional dependence, to complete three tests. Tests included evaluating machine performance while varying dose rate and gantry speed, while varying DMLC speed and the dose rate, and DMLC position accuracy. Reproducibility of each test was also evaluated. Results: Dose rate (111–600 MU/min) and gantry speed (5.5–4.3 degrees/s) capability was studied with a RapidArc picket fence pattern consisting of 7 different sections of combinations and compared to a corresponding open field and was found to agree within 0.84%. DMLC speed (0.46, 0.92, 1.84, and 2.76 cm/s) evaluation was performed similarly and agreed within 3.66% (2.93–3.66%). A RapidArc picket fence was compared with a static gantry picket fence to evaluate DMLC position accuracy to within 2.91%. Reproducibility of each of the three RapidArc tests was found to be within 0.57%, 1.78%, and 2.70% respectively. Conclusions: The seven29 detector was able to perform the RapidArc quality assurance tests efficiently and accurately and the results were reproducible. Periodic verification of DMLC movement, dose rate variation, and gantry speed variation relating to RapidArc delivery can be completed in a timelier manner using this equipment. This work partially supported by PTW, Freiburg, Germany.


Multilayered 2D Sn nanodendrites were synthesized by a one-step electrodeposition process from an aqueous solution containing coumarin (C9H6O2). Under a high cathodic current density that is necessary for dendritic growth, hydrogen bubbles evolved with Sn reduction. The hydrogen bubbles limited the diffusion path of the Sn ions to space between hydrogen bubbles and concealed the splitting sites for additional branches, which suppressed the development of the branches. The addition of coumarin greatly reduced the departure diameter of the hydrogen bubbles and thus made the growth of the Sn dendrites with a high density of nanosized branches possible. Furthermore, coumarin suppressed Sn crystallite growth along the [001] direction, promoting two-dimensional growth of the 2D Sn nanodendrites along the set of [220] directions that are normal to the [001] direction. These 2D Sn nanodendrites grew layer-by-layer on a substrate, forming a unique multilayered structure. As an anode material for Na-ion batteries, the multilayered 2D Sn nanodendrites exhibited a high specific capacity of 783.88 mA h g−1 and excellent cycle performance with 96.6% capacity retention over 300 cycles. Moreover, the multilayered 2D Sn nanodendrites showed a superior rate capability of 412.84 mA g−1 at 5C. The outstanding performance is attributed to a high density of free space inside the multilayered 2D Sn nanodendrites and the nanosized Sn branches that offer short diffusion paths for Na ions.


The gain margin of optimal controllers of bang-band type is considered. It is shown that the gain margin is infinite if the switching surface is such that trajectories that reach it stay in the surface. For other types of switching surface an example shows that the behavior is more complicated when the gain is increased.


Virtual reality videogames can be used to motivate rehabilitation, and telerehabilitation can be used to improve access to rehabilitation. These uses of technology to improve health outcomes are a burgeoning area of rehabilitation research. So far, there is a lack of reports of long-term outcomes of these types of interventions. The authors report a 15-year-old boy with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy because of presumed perinatal stroke who improved his plegic hand function and increased his plegic forearm bone health during a 14-month virtual reality videogame hand telerehabilitation intervention. A total of 14 months after the intervention ended, repeat evaluation demonstrated maintenance of both increased hand function and forearm bone health. The implications of this work for the future of rehabilitation in children with neurological disabilities are discussed in this article.


This project sought to analyze how sexual assault in the political sphere is perceived and treated in contemporary society in the United States of America. The thesis analyzed eight cases of sexual misconduct, including six from the past thirty years. In each case, the reaction of party and social leaders, of the politician's constituents and of the politician himself were looked at, as well as the consequences the politician faced. The results were then analyzed side-by-side to discover similarities and differences between ho cases of sexual assault allegations were treated and in terms of what happened to the politician after the allegations came out. I found that a politician's partisan affiliation and power within their party greatly affected what kind of support they had both from party leaders and from their constituents. While this may be slightly changing now, an analysis of cases from 2016 and 2017 shows that it is still the most important factor in determining how a politician will be treated and what consequences they will receive.


In recent years, a mixed physics ensemble approach has been investigated as a method to better predict Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) rainfall. For both mixed physics ensemble design and interpretation, knowledge of the general impact of various physical schemes and their interactions on warm season MCS rainfall forecasts would be useful. Adopting the newly emerging Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for this purpose would further emphasize such benefits. To pursue this goal, a matrix of 18 WRF model configurations, created using different physical scheme combinations, was run with 12 km grid spacing for 8 International H20 Project (IHOP) MCS cases. For each case, 3 different treatments of convection, 3 different microphysical schemes and 2 different planetary boundary layer schemes were used. Sensitivity to physics changes was determined through the use of Correspondence Ratio and Squared Correlation Coefficient. The factor separation method also was used to quantify in detail the impacts of the variation of two different physical schemes and their interaction on the simulated rainfall. Skill score measures averaged over all 8 cases for all 18 configurations indicated that no one configuration was obviously best at all times and thresholds. The greatest variability in forecasts was found to come from changes in the choice of convective scheme, although notable impacts also occurred from changes in the microphysics and planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes. Specifically, changes in convective treatment notably impacted the forecast of system average rain rate, while forecasts of total domain rain volume were influenced by choices of microphysics and convective treatment. The impact of interactions (synergy) of different physical schemes, although occasionally of comparable magnitude to the impacts from changing one scheme alone (compared to a control run), varied greatly among cases and over time, and was typically not statistically significant.


The distribution, size structure, and feeding of three sea robin species belonging to the family Triglidae ( Bellator brachychir , Prionotus nudigula and Prionotus punctatus ) were studied based on specimens caught with bottom trawls on the continental shelf of Campos Basin, southeastern Brazil. The two Prionotus species were more concentrated in the inner shelf (<50 m), while B. brachychir was generally more abundant on the outer shelf (50-100 m). In general, the three species showed a carcinophagous diet, but with small overlap in their main preys. While amphipods was the most important prey to B. brachychir , isopods and shrimps were the basic food item found in P. nudigula and P. punctatus diet, respectively. This reduction in interspecific competition for food was followed by some degree of spatial segregation and thermal preferences for each species.


In allusion to the existing shortage of engineering drawings' adjusting technology, such as time-consuming, imperfect method, complex process, etc., an optimization for them was carried out. The benefits and shortcomings of commonly used view scale adjusting method were discussed and its adjusting process was optimized. Through researching the stretch law of model edges, putting forward the notion of dimension angle and protracting the assembly layout sketch based on it, the view position adjustment was simplified. By studying the distribution law of dimensions, a convenient way to adjust the position of dimensions is proposed. In addition, by proposing the notion of annotation binding element, discussing the effect it had on the position of annotations, and using the marking method on the basis of it, the annotations adjustment was optimized.


BACKGROUND
Neurophysiological monitoring (NPM) is frequently performed during arteriovenous malformation (AVM) embolization. However, the ability of NPM to predict neurological deficits or improve surgical decision making in this setting has not been studied.

OBJECTIVE
To review our use of NPM during AVM embolization to better define its utility.

METHODS
We retrospectively examined AVM embolization cases from 2004 to 2017. We recorded patient and AVM characteristics as well as outcomes. We then reviewed NPM results from each case, including somatosensory evoked potentials and electroencephalogram. Our primary outcome was postoperative neurological deficit, and secondary outcomes were discharge and 30-d modified Rankin Score (mRS).

RESULTS
There were 173 embolizations in 74 patients. Mean patient age was 40 yr. There were 8 (5%) transient and 2 (1.3%) permanent neurological complications. Among those with neurological complications, 3 had NPM changes during the operation (positive predictive value [PPV] = 50%). This improved to 67% for permanent NPM change. Three patients had NPM changes but did not suffer clinical deficits postoperatively (negative predictive value = 90%). The predictive value of the test was improved for discharge but not 30-d mRS, and the test performance improved dramatically with increased pretest probabilities (likelihood ratio [LR](+) = 14.5, LR(-) = 0.715).

CONCLUSION
We present a large series of AVM embolization operations performed with NPM. The PPV of NPM changes was moderate but improved dramatically with increased pretest probabilities. The rate of permanent neurological complications was among the lowest reported in the literature, suggesting NPM may lead to improved intraoperative decision making.


In this paper, we consider the coding of an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian source with side information available only at the decoder in the form of a noisy version of the source to be encoded. This problem is known as Wyner-Ziv coding in literature. In this paper, we propose concrete implementation by using the strategy of multi-dimensional nested lattice quantization (NLQ). By investigating various lattices in the dimensions considered, we give some analysis on how lattice properties affect performance. We also propose a method on choosing good coarse lattices in multiple dimensions. By introducing scale factors, we examine the relationship between distortion and scale factor for various rates. As dimension increases to eight and twenty-four, we obtain distortion performance close to the Wyner-Ziv limit. Meanwhile, our scheme is simple without causing long delay and large storage, which is suitable for sensor networks.


The effects of water stress on water relations in the leaves of young common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants were studied. Water stress was imposed 14 days after the emergency by withholding water until soil water potential reached -0.9 MPa. Water defi cit led to a noticeable decrease in both the osmotic potential at full hydration and turgor loss poin in the primary and the fi rst trifoliate leaves of all the cultivars. The lowest calculated values for osmotic adjustment are found in droughted plants of cv. Dobrudjanski ran (-0.29 MPa for the primary and -0.42 MPa for the fi rst trifoliate leaf). In contrast, high osmotic adjustment was found in cultivars Plovdiv 10 and Prelom. The three bean genotypes displayed signifi cant differences in their adaptive response to drought. This study indicated that osmotic adjustment is one of the major adaptive mechanisms of Phaseolus vulgaris to survive drought. The main difference among cultivars appears to be due to turgor maintenance, which may be more representative of the physiological status of the leaves in these cultivars.