Although studies of national quality awards and their benefits in fostering organizational excellence are ample in many countries, such relevant studies are rare in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE launched its Business Excellence Awards for the private and public sectors almost two decades ago. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to shed light on benefits that UAE organizations have experienced through the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) and to understand the adoption of key DQA implementation factors. It also discusses implications and provides direction for future research. This study would be useful for managers considering whether to embark on the path of excellence through the DQA.,The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived benefits of participating in a quality award process. A total of 13 organizations that received the award between 2010 and 2013 are studied. This limit was set to include as many organizations as possible while not allowing too much time to have elapsed. Secondary data files were received from Department of Economic Development of Dubai. Data were registered in a MS Excel® spreadsheet by categorizing them according to the description of organizational practice, company name and industrial sector. These were then analyzed to extract the benefits and to capture lessons learned in the process. The data were also analyzed in the light of DQA criteria and key actions were recorded.,The study highlighted six major perceived benefits of quality awards in the UAE context and the results achieved by winning organizations on their journey of excellence. This study illustrates the enabler and results sides of the DQA in terms of perceived benefits. The analysis of winning organizations shows that a few sectors have been notably awarded. Although, winning organizations in the past four years fairly represent the trading, finance and retail sectors, the DQA is still not sufficiently utilized by all sector organizations. The represented sectors are mainly service-oriented and demonstrate that the key enabler, customer focus, has been given its due importance. As such, these organizations understand customer satisfaction, customer engagement and customer appreciation.,This is the first step toward an understanding of the current status of best practices of winning organizations on the road to business excellence through the DQA. This can be further developed by measuring business performances through other methods. This study provides an objective depiction of the current level of best practices and perceived benefits of the DQA. This study would be useful for managers considering whether to embark on the path of excellence through the DQA.


The research is aimed at studying the concept of musical ethos, as a characteristic universal in the conditions of the cultural space of the Middle Ages. The mentioned topic forms the following task: to indicate the main aspects of the formation of the concept of ethos of music in the Middle Ages. The methodology of work is to use comparative, historical and logical methods, a hypothetical and deductive method, which suggests the need for the existence of universal concepts in artistic cultural space, where there are certain concepts that are studied in the Middle Ages. Music is considered by the author as a form in which spiritual and real are combined. Scientific novelty. The musical ethos of the Middle Ages is primarily studied from the standpoint of the church, while at the same time not losing its material essence of scientific novelty. In the cultural space, the musical ethos is a spiritual core, a moral and psychological platform, on which the figurative and aesthetic model of contemporary humanity of life and worldview is built up. The musical ethos is characterized as the perfect embodiment of the material musical substrate, in the process of mastering the typical signs of time. Conclusions. The musical ethos is seen as a definite universal notion. It is the musical ethos that embodies the socio-psychological orientation of the world picture and the general mental setting for the formation of the cultural-civilizational process, its ability to generate and cultivate new types of reactions, ideas, and tastes in these forms. Thus, the musical ethos appears to be the genesis for the implementation in artistic forms of the preferences and cultural images.


The development of nonschool education programs, aimed at nontraditional populations such as the aged, the physically challenged, and the unemployed, has implications for the social and cultural foundations of education. First, a new clientele--namely, nonschool educators--will emerge for educational foundations. Second, nonschool educational programs will become a new frontier in the reconstruction of educational theory. A significant and growing sector of the developing nonschool educational community is employment and training. Employment and training has become a career field, complete with professional services like continuing education, associations, and publications. The career field of employment and training needs educational foundations to assure that the training programs' effect on society will be a democratic one and to produce more effective learning in these programs. Incorporating liberal learning into the programs is the key to securing these results. Foundations, too, are benefited by employment and training, when its scholars work cooperatively with employment trainers and thus expand foundations' relevance beyond schools. Employment and training focuses on three elements: work-based subject matter, alternative educational settings, and innovative procedures to meet individual needs. These elements are steps in the reconstruction of education in general, and they give credence to the concept of a more multifaceted, integrated education system. (Contains 19 references.) (JDD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * ***********************************************************************


Wood stoves are widely used in dwellings for space heating, however transient heat output and relatively large heat emission might cause problems with over-heating in new well-insulated buildings. This paper introduces a simplified power sizing method for the building integration of wood stoves which was compared to dynamic building performance simulations. The analysis showed that on average the simplified method predicted the temperature increase in the living room similarly to dynamic simulations. However, in some cases the difference was up to 60%, which is significant when carried forward to selecting the optimal stove heat capacity. Precise use of the simplified power sizing method requires accurate knowledge of the building structures and effective thermal capacity of the room with the wood stove. Typically, this kind of knowledge is unavailable when selecting a wood stove and the method needs to be developed further. These investigations confirmed that more knowledge of the occupant behaviour and preference on thermal comfort is needed.


Translation into the clinic of organic bioelectronic devices having conjugated polymers as the active material will hinge on their long-term operation in vivo. This will require the device to be subject to clinically approved sterilization techniques without a deterioration in its physical and electronic properties. To date, there remains a gap in the literature addressing the impact of this critical pre-operative procedure on the properties of conjugated polymers. This study aims to address this gap by assessing the physical and electronic properties of a sterilized porous bioelectronic patch having polyaniline as the conjugated polymer. The patch was sterilized by autoclave, ethylene oxide and gamma (γ-) irradiation at 15, 25, and 50 kGy doses. Autoclaving resulted in cracking and macroscopic degradation of the patch, while patches sterilized by γ-irradiation at 50 kGy exhibited reduced mechanical and electronic properties, attributed to chain scission and non-uniform crosslinking caused by the high dose irradiation. Ethylene oxide and γ-irradiation at 15 and 25 kGy sterilization appeared to be the most effective at maintaining the mechanical and electronic properties of the patch, as well as inducing a minimal immune response as revealed by a receding fibrotic capsule after 4 weeks implantation. Our findings pave the way towards closing the gap for the translation of organic bioelectronic devices from acute to long-term in vivo models.


Bioremediation is a simple and effective technology for metal extraction from low-grade contaminated soils and mineral concentrates. Metal remove from sulfide minerals is based on the activity of mesophilic and chemolithotrophic bacteria, mainly Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans which convert insoluble metal sulfides into soluble metal sulfates. In this study bioremediation experiments carried out in 1 L Erlenmeyer flasks containing 300 ml basal medium of A. ferrooxidans and 5% (w/v) PbS with 45 and 75 meshes and also this condition repeated for Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. The results showed that A. ferrooxidans had grown on the galena and obtained energy from it. Also, the galena was oxidized to form lead sulfate. The most important species for oxidizing galena concentrate showed A. ferrooxidans, because these species were more effective than A. thiooxidans in our bioremediation experiments. Anglesite (PbSO4) was the important product of the galena bacterial oxidation. In these experiments the highest quantity of dissolute lead was 34% approximately in A. ferrooxidans cultures. The low solubility of lead sulphate indicated that this process is not commercially feasible for the recovery of lead on mines. In view of these results, bioremediation appears to have some potential for remediation of Pb contaminated soils.


Developing 21st century reading competencies is one of the primary concerns of higher education institutions (HEIs). Initiatives have been undertaken to prepare the learners to function effectively in this technology-driven society. Hence, academic institutions integrate technology and the Internet in the teaching-learning processes. This study intends to determine the effectiveness of an instructional material on developing reading competencies using blended instruction. Dziuban, Hartman and Moskal, (2004) define blended instruction as a pedagogical approach that integrate the effectiveness and socialization opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online environment. Six lessons were implemented in the English 107 – College Reading Skills classes. The learners were provided with hypertext reading activities, individual and collaborative tasks, online discussions, online surveys and other extension activities which provided them with the opportunity to communicate their ideas on the topics discussed in class. To determine the effectiveness of the lessons, a one-group pretest and post-test design was used.  The pre-test and post-test scores were compared using the paired t-test. Findings reveal that the students performed better after the implementation of the lessons in developing reading competencies using blended instruction. Moreover, majority of the students said that the lessons are interesting, meaningful, useful and enjoyable. It can be concluded that blended instruction effectively develops the students' reading competencies.


The effect of soil acidity factors was determined on yields and foliar composition of corn grown on Ultisols and Oxisols typical of the Humid Tropics. Soil pH values increased from about 3.8 with a base saturation of around 20 percent to about pH 5 with a base saturation of around 70 percent based on cation exchange capacities determined with neutral ammonium acetate. The low pH values in relation to exchangeable base contents are explained by the presence of free salts. The level of aluminum saturation of the soil based on exchange capacities as determined with ammonium acetate decreased from 40-percent at about pH 3.9 to 0 at about pH 5.2. The Ultisols had a high content of exchangeable aluminum when acid but the more weathered Oxisols contained little aluminum. A very close relationship exists between exchangeable base (Ca + Mg) and aluminum values based on total exchange capacities determined either with ammonium acetate at pH 7.0 or by the sum of cations at a given pH permitting conversion of one value to another. Corn responded strongly to liming particularly on the Ultisols which had high exchangeable aluminum content when acid. Calcium content of the corn leaves increased with soil base content and with yields but foliar composition was not otherwise affected by liming. Corn yields increased with pH to about 5.2 at which pH level these soils contained essentially no exchangeable aluminum, with exchangeable base content as determined with ammonium acetate to about the 70-percent saturation level, and with decreasing exchangeable aluminum in the soil to essentially 0. Soil pH, exchangeable base, and exchangeable aluminum content were effective criteria for liming these soils.


Using a nitrocellulose filter binding assay, we have detected and partially purified a protein from embryos of Drosophila melanogaster that preferentially binds to a highly repeated satellite DNA of the same species. Formation of the satellite DNA-protein complex requires physiological conditions of salt and temperature, but once formed, the complex is stable in high salt (1 M NaCl) or at low temperature. Optimal formation of the specific complex also requires the satellite DNA to be in a supertwisted conformation. The protein interacts with a limited region within the 359-base-pair repeated sequence of the satellite DNA.


I enjoyed Rom Harre's earlier effort, Great scientific experiments: twenty experiments that changed our view of the world (1) over 25 years ago. Like that book, Pavlov's dogs and Schrodinger's cat: scenes from the living laboratory takes the reader on a sentimental journey through the history of the use of animals and plants in scientific research. For example, Harre reminds us of the controversial primate work in the 1960s of American psychologist Harry F. Harlow. Harlow studied the psychological development of young rhesus monkeys exposed to "mothers" made of terry cloth or wire; the findings of these studies provided great insight into the importance of affection, security, attachment, and emotional support in childhood development. Harre also discusses Laika, the Russian space dog, who — as a precursor to humans in space flight — became the first living mammal launched into orbit in 1957. Ivan Pavlov's famous dogs, which taught us about the gastric system, are also mentioned. Descriptions of other classic studies are included, involving countless and unnamed voles, fruit flies, and fish. However, some "classics" are missing, such as the work of American biologist James V. McConnell in the 1950s and 1960s on learning and memory transfer in flatworms — perhaps omitted due to the reported difficulty in reproducing the original work. Other readers may find other favorites missing. Nonetheless, a nice selection of historical examples is presented in light and readable prose.

Harre is an emeritus fellow of Philosophy of Linacre College, Oxford, and adjunct professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He began his career in mathematics and moved into science, and both disciplines receive attention in this book. He is a past president of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science and honorary president of the International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry.

Pavlov's dogs and Schrodinger's cat is about the way animals have been utilized in the laboratory, whether that lab is on earth, in space, or just in an open field. The author spends a great deal of time distinguishing between apparatuses (related conceptually to the world) and instruments (related causally to the world) and trying to establish the role that living organisms fill in both of those settings. It is an unusual approach to be sure.

The book would be a nice gift for that bright high school student interested in biology or someone who would like to be reminded of some of the classic uses for research animals. The book benefits from a variety of accompanying illustrations; many are immediately dated by their appearance, reflecting the photographic standards of the time when they were prepared. Some are etchings, others drawings; all are historically elegant.

While the writing flows well from chapter to chapter and story to story, my favorite accounts are the narratives in the chapter entitled "Inventing novel beings: an imaginary cat and virtual life forms." The author describes one mechanism by which we share ideas through knowledge of common experiences; we invent situations with which we are all familiar and invite the reader to consider the outcome; for example ". . . Galileo asks us to imagine a horseman at full gallop, throwing up a spear above him. Can he catch it again?" Such thought experiments are a good way to communicate ideas and think about concepts. Erwin Schrodinger's cat paradox, devised by the Austrian physicist in 1935 to describe the difficulty of applying quantum physics to everyday life, is beautifully described and presented in its historical context. This thought experiment conjures an imaginary cat whose well-being is a function of a prior random event. The author indicates by implication that the syllogism is only effective when the "novel being" accurately reflects the situation that is being analogized. Perhaps, for this reason, the author repeatedly reminds us of the times and the environment in which many of the thought experiments were performed. If you like a little history with your science, you will enjoy this book.

Largely absent from the book is a focused discussion of the ethics of the use of animals in scientific research, a fact that is conceded immediately inside the book's jacket and again on the rear cover. The portrayal of animals (and even humans) as "apparatuses" and "instruments" by which we measure our physical environment may prove unfortunate. It may cause this book to become a target of convenience for those who would ascribe rights to animals — and provide a further scrap of erroneous evidence that we researchers view animals coldly, as part of the background, without adequate concern for their feelings and welfare. Nothing could be further from the truth.


Introduction
The sports club has recently been identified as a new setting for health promotion. In Ireland, a Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) sports club exists in almost every community with a remit that extends beyond promoting Gaelic games. The Healthy Club Project (HCP) was devised by the GAA and HSE in an attempt to both harness current and encourage future health promotion efforts within a GAA club setting. The purpose of this study was to carry out a process and impact evaluation of the HCP.

Methods
Eighteen GAA clubs self-selected to take part in phase one of the HCP. Data were collected using pre and post questionnaires containing a healthy club index, adapted from a tool developed by Kokko, Kannas et al. (2009). Club representatives and stakeholders involved in the HCP also took part in focus groups to describe the process, and outcomes of engaging in health promotion through sport. Quantitative analysis was carried out using SPSS and qualitative data was processed using thematic content analysis.

Results
Twelve clubs completed the baseline and follow up questionnaires, a retention rate of 75%. Analysis revealed that clubs progressed from being on average moderately health promoting at baseline to high health promoting at follow up, scoring lowest for policies and highest for ideologies. In total, clubs delivered 72 health initiatives, with physical activity, emotional wellbeing and health awareness/first aid proving to be the most popular topics covered. Results also showed that clubs viewed health promotion as a natural progression of work already underway in their club, and could see positive implications resulting for engaging in this type of work.

Conclusion
The analysis endorses GAA sport clubs as a viable setting for health promotion in an Irish context. Clubs are actively engaging in some health related activities and are eager to engage further. Clubs however, require support to ensure health is included on the agenda of the club, and embedded into all club operations.


Green technologies are at the very core of endeavors to combine economic and environmental targets to achieve sustainable growth. In this article, we aim to determine the impact of green technology development on total factor productivity of European regions. Our paper contributes to the literature on technological change and regional growth in various ways. i) Our paper is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to assess the specific role of green technologies for regional growth on a broad empirical base. ii) We advance methodologically on the pertinent literature by explicitly accounting for cross-sectional dependence in our empirical approach. iii) By providing a simple theoretical framework, we directly link our results to implications of environmental policies for capital accumulation and composition dynamics, contributing to the ongoing debate revolving around the strong version of the Porter hypothesis. Our results, based on a sample of 270 European NUTS-2 regions over 25 years, imply that general technology development is mostly associated with positive economic returns, but our data is not supportive of positive economic returns to green technologies.


Abstract Deployment of appropriate skills and competencies is crucial and germane to the development and continuous relevance of any profession. In the built environment, the science for selecting the required skills and competencies expected of quantity surveyors and understanding the inherent dependencies between them remains a research issue. The purpose of this study was to determine the skill requirements and competencies expected of quantity surveyors. A structured questionnaire was administered among quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, builders and clients in Nigeria. The respondents were asked to give rating, on a 5 point Likert scale, on usual skills and competencies required of quantity surveyors. A secondary objective of the study was to examine the important skills and competencies and categorized them into core skill, basic skill, core competence, optional competence and special competence. The results of the study indicate the important skills as computer literacy, building engineering, information technology, economics, measurement/quantification and knowledge of civil/heavy engineering works. The results also indicate the important competencies as cost planning and control, estimating, construction procurement system, contract documentation, contract administration and project management. It is emphasized that the findings of the research have considerable implications on the training and practice of quantity surveying in Nigeria.


This study presents an analytic model to support the general public in evaluating digital currency exchange platforms. Advances in technologies have offered profitable opportunities, but the general public has difficulty accessing appropriate information on digital currency exchange platforms to facilitate their investments and trading. This study aims to provide a decision support system using analytic models that will guide the public in deciding the appropriate digital currency exchange platform for trading and investment. The overarching objective is to support the public in embracing the new era of a dependable, trustworthy, and sustainable digital society. Particularly, this study offers an analytics model that compares numerous well-known digital currency exchange platforms based on the opinions of 34 human expert members on six main criteria to identify the most suitable platform. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process approach, which is a multiple-criteria decision-making method, and Expert Choice software were used for decision support. Using pairwise comparisons of exchanges with respect to the criteria in the software, the weight of each exchange was determined, and these weights became the basis for prioritizing the exchange platform. This study provides valuable insight into how an analytics-driven expert system can support the public in selecting their digital currency exchange platform. This work is an integral part of an effort to help disruptive digital technology become widely accepted by the general public.


Electrical low frequency stimulation (1-20 c/s) of ventrolateral (VL) nucleus of the thalamus was performed with a bipolar stimulating electrode of 0.5-1 mm distance on 25 cases of Parkinsonism. The evoked potentials were recorded with monopolar and bipolar scalp leads. The records could be averaged directly with ATAC-401 or MC-401 medical data processing computer, which had been used for only monopolar recording. The evoked potentials were noted mostly on the ispilateral side of fronto-parietal region at the regular suprathreshold stimulation, but bilateral evoked potentials with the highest amplitude of the ipsilateral fronto-parietal region at the excessive suprathreshold stimulation. EEG of fronto-parietal region was analysed before, during and after the VL stimulation by means of Walter-type hand-pass filter apparatus. It was interesting that waxing and waning phenomena were observed in the analysed band, which was concordant with the frequency of stimulation. When 6 c/s stimulation was applied, the phenomena were obtained clearly in the θ band, 10 c/s in the α band. The evoked potentials were assumed as an augmenting response when 5-10 c/s repetitive stimulation was applied to VL nucleus. The averaged response showed small primary positive-negative-positive phases within 30 msec after stimulation, followed by large late negative phase with 50 to 60 msec of peak latencies. But in some cases, the responses averaged with the computer, showed primary positive phase with 5 to 10 msec and a following large negative phase with 30 to 40 msec of peak latencies, which led into a more variable positive wave with peak latency 50-65 msec. The peak latencies of both positive and negative phases showed a fairly constant duration in the stimulations of lower frequencies (1-10 c/s). The large negativity with peak latency 30-60 msec showed maximum amplitude at 8-10 c/s stimulation. When the stimulations of higher frequencies were appiled, the large negativity became lower and lower in amplitude and finally disappeared at the frequency of 15-20 c/s. It was considered that the large negativity was the most principal component in the augmenting response of VL stimulation. However, in five cases of parkinsonian patients who showed typical augmenting responses at 5-10 c/s stimulation, recruiting-like responses were also noted at 15-20 c/s. The position of the tip of the stimulating electrode was checked roentgenologically, and identified to be in the regular VL area of the thalamus. It could be considered that ventrolateral nucleus of the human thalamus has some aspect of diffuse projecting systems in it or close relation to them electrophysiologically.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are small (21–25 nucleotides) endogenous and noncoding RNAs involved in many cellular processes such as apoptosis, development, proliferation, and differentiation via binding to the 3′‐untranslated region of the target mRNA and inhibiting its translation. Angiogenesis is a hallmark of cancer, which provides oxygen and nutrition for tumor growth while removing deposits and wastes from the tumor microenvironment. There are many angiogenesis stimulators, among which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most well known. VEGF has three tyrosine kinase receptors, which, following VEGF binding, initiate proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis of endothelial cells in the tumor environment. One of the tumor microenvironment conditions that induce angiogenesis through increasing VEGF and its receptors expression is hypoxia. Several miRNAs have been identified that affect different targets in the tumor angiogenesis pathway. Most of these miRNAs affect VEGF and its tyrosine kinase receptors expression downstream of the hypoxia‐inducible Factor 1 (HIF‐1). This review focuses on tumor angiogenesis regulation by miRNAs and the mechanism underlying this regulation.


The precarity of the humanities today is symptomatic of the broader reassessment of the value and utility of the public university. This helps explain the prevalent role of humanists in the recent struggles for public education, but it now also demands from humanists a new level of institutional engagement and reflexivity about the conditions of their labor.


A high‐performance monitoring system for human blood glucose levels was developed using microchip electrophoresis with a plastic chip. The combination of reductive amination as glucose labeling with fluorescent 2‐aminoacridone (AMAC) and glucose‐borate complex formation realized the highly selective detection of glucose even in a complex matrix such as a blood sample. The migration time of a single peak, observed on an electropherogram of AMAC‐labeled plasma, closely resembled that of glucose standard solution. The treatment of plasma with hexokinase or glucokinase for glucose phosphorylation resulted in a peak shift from approximately 145 to 70 s, corresponding to glucose and glucose‐6‐phosphate, respectively. A double‐logarithm plot revealed a linear relationship between glucose concentration and fluorescence intensity in the range of 1–300 μM of glucose (r2 = 0.9963; p <0.01), and the detection limit was 0.92 μM. Furthermore, blood glucose concentrations estimated from the standard curves of three subjects were compared with results obtained by conventional colorimetric analysis using glucose dehydrogenase. Good correlation was observed between methods according to simple linear regression analysis (p <0.05). The reproducibility of the assay was about 6.3–9.1% (RSD) and the within‐days and between‐days reproducibility were 1.6–8.4 and 5.2–7.2%, respectively. This system enables us to determine blood glucose with high sensitivity and accuracy, and will be applicable to clinical diagnosis.


This response to Adams' comment regarding the interpretation of Çatalhöyük, a 9000 year old tell site in central Turkey, notes some important differences between Neolithic Çatalhöyük and the Indonesian societies described by Adams. Ritual was closely linked to daily practices in all houses at Çatalhöyük. While it is argued that socialization through daily routines in houses was a main mechanism for creating and maintaining social relationships at Çatalhöyük, it is also accepted that feasting was a very central part of social and political strategies. However the role of feasting needs to be situated within specific sets of historical meanings. Similarly, a contextual analysis of the circulation of human heads suggests that those at Çatalhöyük were more likely ancestral heads than victim or enemy heads.


We develop a model of international trade with export quality requirements and two dimensions of firm heterogeneity. In addition to "productivity", firms are also heterogeneous in their "caliber" – the ability to produce quality using fewer fixed inputs. Compared to single-attribute models of firm heterogeneity emphasizing either productivity or the ability to produce quality, our model provides a more nuanced characterization of firms' exporting behavior. In particular, it explains the empirical fact that firm size is not monotonically related with export status: there are small firms that export and large firms that only operate in the domestic market. The model also delivers novel testable predictions. Conditional on size, exporters are predicted to sell products of higher quality and at higher prices, pay higher wages and use capital more intensively. These predictions, although apparently intuitive, cannot be derived from single-attribute models of firm heterogeneity as they imply no variation in export status after size is controlled for. We find strong support for the predictions of our model in manufacturing establishment datasets for India, the U.S., Chile, and Colombia. JEL codes: F10, F12, F14,


Personal characteristics of migrants could help to strengthen the impact of migrant networks on bilateral trade. While most of the attention has been focused on immigrants' educational attainment, this paper focuses on the relevance of the tasks carried out by migrants. Our empirical results confirm that the existence of a large number of foreign-born workers with managerial duties is critical to explain the reduction of transaction costs caused by migrant networks.


During a 16-year period, 47 wounds of the portal and/or superior mesenteric veins were encountered. Overall mortality was 57%. Survival was greatest in patients with injury to the superior mesenteric vein, wounds repairable by lateral phleborrhaphy, absence of associated major vascular trauma, and only transient or minimal hypovolemic shock. The majority of deaths were due to uncontrollable bleeding or sequelae of profound hemorrhagic shock. Limited follow-up of survivors has demonstrated a low patency rate at the site of venous repair, suggesting that mere ligation may be all that is necessary when lateral repair is impossible.


The behavior of the free surface in skimming flows along stepped chutes is investigated for the step ratio 1V:1H. Data were collected using high frequency ultrasound probes. The measurements included mean surface profiles, statistical parameters related to the surface position, aeration inception point, water depth at the inception point and transition length. The measurements were related to turbulence parameters at the free surface. The measurement methodology was adequate for both the black-water and the white-water regions. Characteristic relations are developed for different variables defined for skimming flows. The results demonstrate regions of increasing and decreasing turbulence in the transition between the black-water and the white-water flows, and a region of decay of turbulence, related to the distance needed to attain the quasi-uniform flow of the white-water.


We present Optimal Transport GAN (OT-GAN), a variant of generative adversarial nets minimizing a new metric measuring the distance between the generator distribution and the data distribution. This metric, which we call mini-batch energy distance, combines optimal transport in primal form with an energy distance defined in an adversarially learned feature space, resulting in a highly discriminative distance function with unbiased mini-batch gradients. Experimentally we show OT-GAN to be highly stable when trained with large mini-batches, and we present state-of-the-art results on several popular benchmark problems for image generation.


The unprecedented shift to remote schooling introduced in many countries in the spring of 2020 as one of the preventive measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 gave us the opportunity not only to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of remote schooling, but also to reflect on how education is being provided in general. We interviewed in total around 150 key stakeholders coming from five Member States that represent different degrees of readiness to use digital technologies in education. We aimed to obtain different perspectives about the remote schooling experience collecting insights from various groups, namely students, parents, teachers and school leaders. The topics discussed with study participants related to their experience and perceptions on: unequal access to education, learning tools and content available and put in place through urgent measures, digital and social and emotional competences to face and develop remote schooling, the assessment and certification of students' learning progress, as well as their psychological well-being. The results of our study show that full-time remote education with the current state of infrastructure and accessibility of equipment would aggravate existing inequalities, especially for some groups of children who were prevented from attending classes delivered online. We also saw that parents played a key role in their children's learning process during remote schooling. This applies in particular to students in primary education or children with special education needs, who required more of their support. Parents played a double role of motivators and facilitators of learning, especially when teachers were not present. Yet, parents' level of preparedness to play these roles and the level of support received from schools were not always perceived as satisfactory and could contribute to increasing inequalities in access to education.


We have recently shown (D. Sorrentino, R.B. Robinson, C.-L. Kiang, and P.D. Berk. J. Clin. Invest. 84: 1325-1333, 1989) that, in a variety of isolated cell types, the uptake of oleate at physiological albumin concentrations is consistent with traditional pharmacokinetic theory (i.e., driven by unbound ligand). Lower albumin concentrations were associated with a deviant uptake pattern for which alternative theories have been proposed. Whether other classes of organic anions exhibit similar behavior is unknown. Therefore, we examined the effect of albumin on uptake of two widely studied organic anions, sulfobromophthalein (BSP) and taurocholate. Initial uptake velocity of [35S]BSP and [3H]taurocholate by isolated hepatocytes was studied employing a fixed albumin concentration and ligand-to-albumin molar ratios from 0.01:1 to 2:1 for taurocholate and 0.031:1 to 0.75:1 for BSP. In other experiments, albumin and ligand were altered in parallel, keeping their molar ratio constant. Unbound taurocholate concentrations were measured directly by equilibrium dialysis; unbound BSP concentrations were calculated from published data (K.J. Baker and S.E. Bradley. J. Clin. Invest. 45: 281-287, 1966). At 600 microM albumin, uptake of both ligands was a function of the unbound ligand concentration. At low ligand-to-albumin molar ratios and consequent unbound ligand concentrations this relationship was linear; over the entire range of unbound ligand concentrations studied, both ligands exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with definable maximal velocity and Michaelis constant values. At low albumin concentrations, the relationships between uptake and unbound ligand were unchanged for taurocholate; however, BSP exhibited altered kinetics similar to those observed with oleate. Nontraditional uptake kinetics at low albumin concentrations appear to correlate with very high affinity for albumin.


As a quick, accurate and efficient inspecting equipment, the Portable Falling Weight Deflectometer (PFWD) is widely used in subgrade modulus evaluation in the foreign countries. However, most analysis methods used in the modulus back calculation of PFWD is based on the classical Boussinesq solution or empirical formulas, which could hardly reflect the resilient of subgrade accurately. In this paper, the elastic half-space theory is introduced into the analysis of modulus back calculation, and with the integral transform and the numerical analysis, this paper provides an approximate method to evaluate the elastic modulus of subgrade.


This paper proposes a new method for the selection of input–output pairing in decentralized control structures for multivariable systems. This method proposes the input–output pairing problem as a multi-objective optimization problem (MOP). For each control structure and loop pairing analyzed, a different design concept is proposed and a MOP is stated. All MOPs share the same design objectives, and Pareto fronts associated with each design concept can be compared globally under a multi-objective (MO) approach. The design objectives were chosen for the MOP, as well as the designer's preferences, have an important role in selecting a certain loop pairing. The main contribution of the proposed approach is that it enables a systematic analysis of the conflicts between the objectives and the performance of a control system. The method enables selecting a certain input–output pairing and a suitable tuning of the controller directly using information that a designer can interpret. To show the application of the methodology, two loop pairing examples are presented, one of them for a two-input–output system (with four scenarios of analysis), and the other for a three-input–output system (with one scenario of analysis). Through the examples presented in this paper, it is evident how the designer can affect the loop pairing to be used, either by choosing the objectives or preferences.


The purpose of the study reported herein was to identify important aspects of statistical knowledge needed for teaching in the middle school grades. A systematic study of the current literature, including state and national standards, was conducted to identify these important aspects and to measure the degree of emphasis or importance suggested for the content. Results show that state and national standards differ greatly in their expectations of what topics in data analysis and statistics students and teachers should master. The variation is also large in the degree of emphasis given to the content. The majority of the documents analyzed suggest giving greater emphasis to the selection and proper use of graphical data representation and measures of center and spread. Additionally teachers' standards also suggest as important the proper selection and use of teaching strategies and inference of students' understanding from their work and discourse.


The purpose of this research is 1) to compare the market power of the rubber product industry (HS code 4011) between Australia and similar industries from the exporting country; 2) to analyze the impact of import tariff reduction on rubber product trade especially price, demand, export, import, export value and import value of rubber product for exporting country and importing country; and 3) to analyze the impact of weakening the demand of importing countries on the trade of rubber products (tire) especially price, demand, export, import, export value and import value for exporting country and importing country. The ability of exporters of Indonesian rubber products for mark-up prices is lower than similar industry capabilities from Thailand, China and Japan, but higher than similar industries in Australia. The decline in import tariffs has the effect of lowering import prices of rubber products in Australia, as well as export prices of rubber products from exporting countries to export markets in Australia. The decline in import tariffs for rubber products provides more benefits received by China, Thailand and Indonesia compared to benefits received by Japan and similar industries from Australia. The decline in tariffs on rubber products on the condition of weakening demand has an impact on the decline in import prices and consumer prices of these products. Export prices of rubber products from exporting countries tend to decrease if market demand weakens, and production of domestic rubber products in Australia also decreased.


This note describes a compact automatic sampler des~gned to collect small water samples (about 3 ml) at high frequency (minutes to hours), which is very useful for marine microbial data acquisition. The devlce consists of a microprocessor card controlling, through an interface and a BASIC program, a fraction collector, a peristaltic pump and a set of tube-pinching electrovalves. Samples are kept at 4°C until analysis or fixation, which appears to result in minimal effects on parameters such as abundance, size or pigment fluorescence.


BACKGROUND
There are some indications that maternal lifestyle during pregnancy (smoking and stress) contributes to symptoms of ADHD in children. We prospectively studied whether prenatal exposure to maternal smoking and/or stress is associated with ADHD symptoms and diagnostic criteria (according to DSM-IV) in 7-year-olds.

METHODS
Nulliparous Scandinavian women were consecutively recruited at their first prenatal health care visit and assessments of smoking and stress were collected at gestational weeks 10, 12, 20, 28, 32, and 36. Children were followed up at 7 years old. We obtained full data for 72% of the sample: ADHD symptoms were rated by 74% of mothers (n=290) and 96% of eligible teachers (n=208). Attrition analyses showed no differences on key variables between participants and non-participants at follow-up.

RESULTS
Results of multiple regression analyses showed prenatal exposure to smoking (beta=.16, p<.01) and stress (beta=.18, p<.01) were independently associated with later symptoms of ADHD. Results of logistic regression analyses showed that fulfillment of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD was related to exposure to prenatal stress (beta=.68, p<.01) especially in boys. The results were not confounded by sociodemographic factors or birth outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that prenatal exposure to stress and smoking is independently associated with later symptoms of ADHD in human children, particularly for boys. Because stress and smoking are relatively common during pregnancy, and yet preventable, these results are of public health significance.


Background/Aim: The objective was to examine cohort changes in cognitive function in 2 cohorts of centenarians born 10 years apart. Methods: The Longitudinal Study of Danish Centenarians comprises all Danes reaching the age of 100 in the period April 1, 1995 through May 31, 1996. A total of 207 out of 276 persons participated (75%). The Danish 1905 Cohort Survey includes all individuals born in 1905. In total, 225 out of 364 persons who reached the age of 100 in the cohort participated in the most recent 2005 follow-up (62%). In both cohorts, cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results: There were no significant differences in cognitive score between the two centenarian birth cohorts. However, modest tendencies were seen towards better cognitive functioning for the centenarians in the 1905 cohort living at home compared to the home-dwelling ones in the 1895 cohort and worse cognitive performance for the centenarians in the 1905 group living in nursing homes compared to the nursing home dwellers in the 1895 cohort. Conclusion: The increasing number of centenarians may not entail larger proportions of cognitively impaired individuals in this extreme age group.


The EU in 2020 is in the midst of a triple crisis of unemployment, public health and environmental collapse. These aspects are deeply intertwined and should be tackled together, since they all reflect structural problems of the European labor market. Job Guarantee is the proposed fiscal tool, since a growing body of empirical evidence shows that labor market policies targeting unemployment have considerable positive impact, beyond direct social aid. We suggest creation of a European Job Guarantee (EU JG) as a policy tool for post-pandemic recovery. EU JG would be a programme of publicly funded, high work standard employment of last resort, based on local economic needs (including industrial transition). Pilot projects should be set up; the proposed regions are the decarbonising regions in transition. We analyse the possibilities for job creation and suggest an outline of the pilot programme.


OBJECTIVES
To determine if a polymorphic GTn repeat in the intron of the C-reactive protein (CRP) gene associates with occurrence of vascular arterial events in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODS
We performed a nested case-control study on the LUMINA cohort of 546 Hispanic, African-American and Caucasian SLE patients. Twenty-five patients who developed vascular arterial events (i.e. myocardial infarction, angina, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, stroke, claudication, gangrene or significant tissue loss and/or arterial peripheral thrombosis) after enrolment were selected as cases and 32 ethnically matched patients with no previous vascular arterial events served as controls. Their CRP gene GTn polymorphism and plasma CRP was determined.

RESULTS
Patients with vascular events had more severe SLE and were more likely to have plasma CRP in the highest quintile of measured values. The overall distribution of GTn alleles for patients with vascular events had a greater number of the GT20 variant compared with controls [26.0% of alleles (13/50) vs 15.6% (10/64)]. This greater number of GT20 in patients with vascular events was observed for African-Americans [29.2% (7/24) vs 21.0% (8/38)] and Hispanics [33.0% (4/12) vs 0% (0/16)] but not for Caucasians [14.3% (2/14) vs 20.0% (2/10)]. For African-Americans and Hispanics combined (45 patients), the frequency of GT20 in those with vascular events (30.6%, 11/36) was significantly higher than in those without them (14.8%, 8/54) (P<0.05, one-tailed test for difference in proportions). When patients were categorized according to the number of GT20 alleles they carried (thus GT20/GT20, GT20/GTx or GTx/GTx, where x is any allele other than GT20), for both African-Americans and Hispanics the likelihood of vascular arterial events increased in proportion with the GT20 dose, and all GT20-homozygous patients developed vascular arterial events.

CONCLUSIONS
The CRP GT20 variant is more likely to occur in African-American and Hispanic SLE patients than in Caucasian ones, and SLE patients carrying the GT20 allele are more likely to develop vascular arterial events.


Author(s): Corrigan, Robert M. | Abstract: Field research was conducted from Purdue University during 1991 to 1993 to examine some aspects of the efficaciousness of the various types of glue traps against wild populations of house mice. The research was conducted in agricultural and livestock buildings containing various infestation levels of mice. Tests compared the capture and escape rates of glue boards vs. trays, covered vs. uncovered glue traps, and glue traps vs. snap traps, and multiple catch curiosity traps. Observational work, via night vigils, was also conducted to note the behavioral response of mice to glue surfaces, including the behavioral aspects of mice neutralizing glue surfaces in well-used runways. These field tests indicate many mice, upon initial interactions with glue traps and surfaces, are repelled by them and either learn to avoid them or neutralized them in some manner. Results of comparison trials between glue traps and non-glue mouse traps also indicate strong differences in interaction and capture rates favoring non-glue traps. It is hypothesized that when glue traps are successful, it is likely due to mice traveling kinesthetically along frequently used runways in which traps are placed, or to factors associated with age class of mice. These studies have strong implications for rodent pest management programs in facilities which are restricted to non-chemical approaches (e.g., food handling establishments and sensitive accounts).


Abstract: Buffering, namely the need to preload data before streaming a video or audio file, epitomizes the oft-ignored ruptures and disruptions of digital engagement. Whereas buffering is often read as "noise" or as a technical nuisance awaiting a solution, a closer look can challenge our notion of mediation, immersion, and control. By contextualizing the study of buffering within a rich history of spectatorial and sonic noise, this article explores the unique "perpetual anxiety" it invokes and exposes, as well as the tension between pleasure and pain embodied in recognizing the imperfections of a supposedly seamless techno-utopia.


A comparative transcriptome approach was used to assess genes involved in metabolism and pathogenesis that are specifically activated during anaerobic growth of the spore-forming food-borne human pathogen Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579. Growth under anaerobic conditions in Brain Heart Infusion broth revealed a reduced growth rate and a lower yield as compared to that under aerobic conditions. Comparative transcriptome analysis of cells harvested at early- and mid-exponential growth phase, transition phase and stationary phase, subsequently showed hundreds of genes to be induced under anaerobic condition. These included novel genes identified for anaerobic growth of B. cereus, encoding metabolic pathways, such as the arginine deiminase pathway (ArcABDC), a formate dehydrogenase (FdhF) and a pyruvate fomate lyase (Pfl), and alternative respiratory proteins, such as arsenate reductases. Furthermore, the nitrosative stress response was induced in the anaerobic transition phase of growth, conceivably due to the production of nitric oxide as a by-product of nitrite and nitrate respiration. Notably, both hemolytic enzyme and enterotoxin encoding genes were activated in different oxygen limiting conditions, i.e. hemolytic enzyme encoding genes were induced during anaerobic growth, whereas enterotoxin encoding genes were induced in the transition and stationary phase of aerobic cultures reaching a high cell density. These data point to metabolic rearrangements, stress adaptation and activation of the virulent status of B. cereus under anaerobic conditions, such as encountered in the human GI-tract.


Optimal power allocation, in a wireless sensor network with a fusion center, for distributed parameter estimation under a total network power constraint is considered. For the simple star topology, an analysis of the effect of the measurement noise variance on the optimal power allocation policy is presented. As the measurement noise variance increases, the optimal solution evolves from sensor selection to power equalization - the sensor with the lowest SNR is allocated the largest fraction of the total power.Relaying nodes are introduced to form more complicated branch, tree and linear topologies. The optimal power allocation strategies for these topologies are then considered for both amplify-and-forward and estimate-and-forward transmission protocols. Analytical solutions for these cases are intractable, and thus asymptotically (for increasing measurement noise variance) optimal solutions are derived.


Existing robot guides are able to offer a tour of a building, such as a museum, bank, science center, to a single person or to a group of participants. Usually the tours are predefined and there is no support for dynamic interactions between multiple robots. This paper focuses on distributed collaboration between several robot guides providing a building tour to groups of participants. Semantic techniques are adopted in order to formally define the tour topics, available content on a specific topic, and the robot and human profiles including their interests and content knowledge. The robot guides select different topics depending on their participants' interests and prior knowledge. Optimization of the topics of interests is achieved through exchange of participants between the robot guides whenever in each others neighborhood. Evaluation of the implemented algorithms presents a 90% content coverage of relevant topics for the individual participants.


Pulmonary hypertension is an abnormal physiological state associated with a variety of medical conditions. However, the ability to accurately phenotype disease subtypes within this heterogeneous syndrome is limited.
In this thesis, I utilised advanced phenotyping techniques, guided by pathophysiological processes known to be dysregulated in pulmonary vascular diseases; immunity and metabolism. I used flow cytometry based immunophenotyping to study circulating leukocyte subpopulations and metabolomic analysis to study metabolite profiles in circulating blood. I hypothesised that there would be differences between disease and health, and differences between disease subgroups.
In the immunophenotyping studies, I identified an immune cell signature in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (IPAH) and Heritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (HPAH) characterised by increased frequencies of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, plasmablasts and PD1-expressing CD8+ T cells. This signature was not found in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH). These findings support the hypothesis that dysfunctional immune activation may be implicated in IPAH pathobiology, and that IPAH and HPAH may have shared immunopathological mechanisms.
In the metabolomic studies, I identified wide ranging metabolic changes in pulmonary vascular disease, including evidence of disrupted energy metabolism, increased cellular proliferation and reduction in antioxidant metabolites. Additionally, by comparing paired samples from different anatomical sites, it was possible to differentiate metabolic perturbations which are localised to specific anatomical sub-compartments.
Key to the clinical applications of this research, I have demonstrated immunological and metabolic alterations which are a shared feature amongst different pulmonary vascular disease subgroups, but also some changes which are specific to disease subsets. Future advances in disease phenotyping may facilitate effective new targeted therapy for pulmonary vascular diseases.


This study investigated the inter-day and intra-device reliability, and criterion validity of six devices for measuring barbell velocity in the free-weight back squat and power clean. In total, 10 competitive weightlifters completed an initial one repetition maximum (1RM) assessment followed by three load-velocity profiles (40–100% 1RM) in both exercises on four separate occasions. Mean and peak velocity was measured simultaneously on each device and compared to 3D motion capture for all repetitions. Reliability was assessed via coefficient of variation (CV) and typical error (TE). Least products regression (LPR) (R2) and limits of agreement (LOA) assessed the validity of the devices. The Gymaware was the most reliable for both exercises (CV < 10%; TE < 0.11 m·s−1, except 100% 1RM (mean velocity) and 90‒100% 1RM (peak velocity)), with MyLift and PUSH following a similar trend. Poorer reliability was observed for Beast Sensor and Bar Sensei (CV = 5.1–119.9%; TE = 0.08–0.48 m·s−1). The Gymaware was the most valid device, with small systematic bias and no proportional or fixed bias evident across both exercises (R2 > 0.42–0.99 LOA = −0.03–0.03 m·s−1). Comparable validity data was observed for MyLift in the back squat. Both PUSH devices produced some fixed and proportional bias, with Beast Sensor and Bar Sensei being the least valid devices across both exercises (R2 > 0.00–0.96, LOA = −0.36–0.46 m·s−1). Linear position transducers and smartphone applications could be used to obtain velocity-based data, with inertial measurement units demonstrating poorer reliability and validity.


Geology of the Birdseye 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Utah County, Utah, Implications for Mid-Cenozoic Extension and Deposition of the Moroni Formation Don Bagshaw Department of Geological Sciences, BYU Master of Science Geologic structures within the Birdseye 7.5 minute quadrangle Utah County, Utah have been related by previous workers to both the Jurassic Arapien Shale diapirism and to the midCenozoic extensional collapse of the Charleston-Nebo Thrust. Whichever model proves valid, it will have implications for oil exploration and interpretation of the subsurface geologic structure in the region. A detailed map of the quadrangle was constructed to better constrain which mechanism was responsible for the deformation. Exposures of Arapien Shale near, and within the Birdseye quadrangle show no evidence of diapiric movement. Arapien involvement in the deformation of Tertiary rocks in the center of the quadrangle is therefore unlikely. Changes in the pattern of sedimentation of Eocene age rocks suggest a change in tectonics during this time. Restoration of the Eocene strata shows that the most plausible mechanism for this deformation is extension along reactivated thrusts in the Arapien Shale, Thaynes Formation, and Woodside Shale, related to Basin and Range extension. The Moroni Formation, a prominent Tertiary volcanic unit present throughout the Birdseye quadrangle, has been used to justify Eocene extension. Deformation with the formation was found to be present only along the Thistle Canyon normal fault, constraining movement along the fault to the Eocene and later. Dip and facies relationships present within the formation mainly are a result of paleotopography rather than extension. Several distinctive units were mapped within the formation, including lahar and fluvial deposits, as well as two different ashflow tuffs. A depletion in nickel and chromium, an unusually ferroan composition, and distinctive Fe/Ti ratios suggest that the volcaniclastic rocks of the Moroni Formation are similar to volcanic rocks in the Slate Jack Canyon and Goshen quadrangles which lie about 35 km to the west. This implies that the ignimbrites and volcanic clasts in the Moroni Formation were sourced from the East Tintic volcanic center. It further implies that any mid-Tertiary extension between the East Tintic center and the Birdseye quadrangle did not create barriers to sedimentation and was limited in extent.


There are several areas in the Australian cybersecurity ambition where key foundations or linking mechanisms are absent. There is a large gap between U.S. assessments of advanced technology threats and the Australian government's public assessments. These gaps have important policy implications, as well as negative impacts on the security and prosperity of Australians. The country's cybersecurity, cyber defence and cyber war education and training policy is foundational to the establishment, development and enhancement of every other cybersecurity policy in a civilian or defence context, and as guidance for the glaringly obvious national lack of a skilled workforce. Australia needs to make giant steps, of which an enhanced STEM approach is only one, and one that will have no strong pay-offs in the next decade at least.


The aim of this paper is to show and discuss the influence of cold plasma treatment on a germination enhancement of wheat and oat caryopses in wider context. Wheat and oat corns have been stimulated by cold plasma discharge under power of 500 W, air gas flow of 200 ml/min for different time durations (from 0 to 2400 s). Wheat seed coat showed an eroded surface after plasma treatment. Plasma treatment inhibited the germinating acceleration of wheat in first days but enhancement of footstalk was observed on plants grown from seeds treated for medium time. On the other hand, plasma treatment did not affect germination of oat seeds, but accelerated the rootlet generation at plants grown from treated seeds. The different content of phenolic compounds between control sprouts and sprouts from treated seedlings was discovered. The different contents illustrated changes in metabolism processes in both tested species. These phenomena indicate penetration of active species from plasma through the porous seed coat inside the seed where they react with seed cells.


The success of childhood language development is influenced by the family environment which includes the care applied by parents at home. Many of the factors behind the parents, especially a mother, are earning an additional income, one of which is to fulfill the life needs of family members for the sake of mutual survival. The style of parenting greatly influences the quality of children because parents are the first educators of their children. The purpose of this study was to determine the type of parenting style applied by parents in developing the language skills of preschool children in Central Aceh. The research method used is quantitative with the survey method. With the number of research samples as many as 270 parents who get using cluster random sampling analysis techniques. Reliability test in this study has a Cronbach alpha of 0.819. The results of the research show that the type of Authoritative parenting style is higher with Mean = 3.65; Standard Deviation = 0.47. Followed, the permissive parenting style which is in the second level after autotranslation has a value of Mean = 2.08; Standard Deviation = 0.42. Furthermore, at the third level is the authoritarian parenting style that is with Mean = 2.04; Standard Deviation = 0.50. The introductory parenting style shows the parenting style with the lowest value with the acquisition of an average value of Mean = 1.47; Standard Deviation = 0.36. The results of the T-test analysis show the p-value is 0.759 while the significant level that has been set is α = 0.05. It can be understood that the location of the residence of respondents both in the city and in the countryside there is no difference in parenting in developing the language skills of preschool children.


In adaptive cluster sampling design, the initial sample is considered in terms of primary and secondary sampling units. The secondary sampling units being arranged in systematic or strip pattern. The problem of unbiased variance estimation occurs when a single primary sampling unit is selected; consequently, the objective of this study is to introduce three alternative estimators of the variance of unbiased estimator of the population mean proposed by Thompson [1] for the design of adaptive cluster sampling. All three new variance estimators are performed based on the method of splitting the sample and regarding the sample as a stratified sample of equal size and a simple random sample. The numerical study is carried out with real blue-wing teal data in order to investigate the properties of the variance estimators. These three variance estimators are compared to each other empirically in terms of relative bias, MSE and relative frequency of coverage the population mean of 95% confidence interval that is formed by each variance estimator. In addition, all three estimators are also compared to other variance estimators in systematic sampling. The confidence interval containing the population mean is performed based on the assumption of asymptotic normality.


Type III CRISPR systems detect foreign RNA and activate the cyclase domain of the Cas10 subunit, generating cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) molecules that act as a second messenger to signal infection, activating nucleases that degrade the nucleic acid of both invader and host. This can lead to dormancy or cell death; to avoid this, cells need a way to remove cOA from the cell once a viral infection has been defeated. Enzymes specialised for this task are known as ring nucleases, but are limited in their distribution. Here, we demonstrate that the widespread CRISPR associated protein Csx3, previously described as an RNA deadenylase, is a ring nuclease that rapidly degrades cyclic tetra-adenylate (cA4). The enzyme has an unusual cooperative reaction mechanism involving an active site that spans the interface between two dimers, sandwiching the cA4 substrate. We propose the name Crn3 (CRISPR associated ring nuclease 3) for the Csx3 family.


Kravtsov et al. claim that we incorrectly assess the statistical independence of simulated samples of internal climate variability and that we underestimate uncertainty in our calculations of observed internal variability. Their analysis is fundamentally flawed, owing to the use of model ensembles with too few realizations and the fact that no one model can adequately represent the forced signal.


The quantification and monitoring of training load (TL) has been the topic of many scientific works in the last fifteen years. TL monitoring helps coaches to individually prescribe, follow-up, analyse, adjust and programme training sessions. In particular, the aim of the present review was to provide a critical literature report regarding different physiological markers of TL monitoring, particularly in soccer, as the load is specific to individual sports. Therefore, the interests and limitations of heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV) and biochemical variables (blood, urinary and hormonal variations) were analysed, with a special focus on daily measures (before, during and after training) and monitoring throughout a whole season. It appears that the most relevant markers were the resting HR before training, HR reserve during training, HRV during rest days, blood lactate, and blood and salivary immunological status in follow-ups throughout the season. Urinary markers indicative of the players' hydration status also deserve attention. However, these objective markers should be considered with a subjective marker of TL such as the rating of perceived exertion to give a more precise quantification of TL and its perception. Future research could be directed towards urinary marker analysis and the analysis of specific markers of TL, which could be related to injury occurrence and to performance during competition.


Because toxicities may differ for Cr(VI) compounds of varying solubility, some countries and organizations have promulgated different occupational exposure limits (OELs) for soluble and insoluble hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) compounds, and analytical methods are needed to determine these species in workplace air samples. To address this need, international standard methods ASTM D6832 and ISO 16740 have been published that describe sequential extraction techniques for soluble and insoluble Cr(VI) in samples collected from occupational settings. However, no published performance data were previously available for these Cr(VI) sequential extraction procedures. In this work, the sequential extraction methods outlined in the relevant international standards were investigated. The procedures tested involved the use of either deionized water or an ammonium sulfate/ammonium hydroxide buffer solution to target soluble Cr(VI) species. This was followed by extraction in a sodium carbonate/sodium hydroxide buffer solution to dissolve insoluble Cr(VI) compounds. Three-step sequential extraction with (1) water, (2) sulfate buffer and (3) carbonate buffer was also investigated. Sequential extractions were carried out on spiked samples of soluble, sparingly soluble and insoluble Cr(VI) compounds, and analyses were then generally carried out by using the diphenylcarbazide method. Similar experiments were performed on paint pigment samples and on airborne particulate filter samples collected from stainless steel welding. Potential interferences from soluble and insoluble Cr(III) compounds, as well as from Fe(II), were investigated. Interferences from Cr(III) species were generally absent, while the presence of Fe(II) resulted in low Cr(VI) recoveries. Two-step sequential extraction of spiked samples with (first) either water or sulfate buffer, and then carbonate buffer, yielded quantitative recoveries of soluble Cr(VI) and insoluble Cr(VI), respectively. Three-step sequential extraction gave excessively high recoveries of soluble Cr(VI), low recoveries of sparingly soluble Cr(VI), and quantitative recoveries of insoluble Cr(VI). Experiments on paint pigment samples using two-step extraction with water and carbonate buffer yielded varying percentages of relative fractions of soluble and insoluble Cr(VI). Sequential extractions of stainless steel welding fume air filter samples demonstrated the predominance of soluble Cr(VI) compounds in such samples. The performance data obtained in this work support the Cr(VI) sequential extraction procedures described in the international standards.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the expression profiles of FOXA1, DUSP6, and HA117 in different portions of the colon of patients diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR).

METHODS
Colon specimens were collected from 34 HSCR patients and grouped into 3 segments: proximal anastomosis, dilated segment and stenotic segment. Levels of FOXA1, DUSP6, and HA117 RNA were evaluated by real-time PCR. Levels of FOXA1 and DUSP6 protein were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.

RESULTS
The levels of FOXA1 and DUSP6 RNA were significantly lower in the stenotic segment compared to proximal anastomosis (P < 0.05). The level of HA117 RNA was significantly higher in the stenotic segment compared to proximal anastomosis (P < 0.05). In proximal anastomosis, FOXA1 and DUSP6 were both expressed at the protein level in ganglion cells and nerve fibers between the circular and longitudinal muscles. In the stenotic segments, positive staining for FOXA1 and DUSP6 was diminished. The levels of FOXA1 and DUSP6 protein were significantly lower in the stenotic segment compared to proximal anastomosis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Suppression of the FOXA1/DUSP6 signaling pathway may contribute to the development of HSCR. LncRNA HA117 may have an anti-differentiation function, and play a pivotal role in the progression of HSCR.


An analytical model for wave propagation in a three-layered sandwich structure with different boundary conditions was developed. The sandwich material that was treated, consisted of a thick lightweight core, and two thin and stiff laminates. Both laminates and core were assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic. The governing equations were derived partly by applying the general field equations (2-D theory) to the core and, partly by utilizing the thin plate/ beam theory (1-D) to the laminates. The dispersion equation for the structure was derived and solved using the winding-integral technique. The boundary conditions across the thickness of the structure were then satisfied at a finite number of the points. The calculated natural frequencies were shown to converge with respect to the number of collocation points and included modes. Comparisons with alternative models, i.e. the Euler-Bernoulli, the Timoshenko, and a complete layered media model, were made. The latter comparison, concerned only the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for the infinite structure. The first two models are shown to diverge, to a great extent, with the present theory while a good agreement is obtained between modal wave numbers calculated by the present theory and the complete layered media model, respectively. Moreover, measurements, using modal analysis, were carried out on a sandwich beam with two different boundary conditions, i.e., clamped-clamped and free-free. The results of the analytical model, as well as measurements, suggest that the boundary conditions have a considerable effect on the apparent bending stiffness of the sandwich beams. In other words, there is a great discrepancy between the natural frequencies for the sandwich beam with fixed and free ends, respectively. The agreement between the predicted and the measured results is found to be quite satisfactory. Furthermore, a restricted parameter study was carried out. The results of the parameter study indicate that the stiffness relation between laminates and core is of great importance as regards the dynamic behavior of the sandwich structure.


Motivation: Visualization of genomic data is fundamental for gaining insights into genome function. Yet, co‐visualization of a large number of datasets remains a challenge in all popular genome browsers and the development of new visualization methods is needed to improve the usability and user experience of genome browsers. Results: We present Dynamix, a JBrowse plugin that enables the parallel inspection of hundreds of genomic datasets. Dynamix takes advantage of a priori knowledge to automatically display data tracks with signal within a genomic region of interest. As the user navigates through the genome, Dynamix automatically updates data tracks and limits all manual operations otherwise needed to adjust the data visible on screen. Dynamix also introduces a new carousel view that optimizes screen utilization by enabling users to independently scroll through groups of tracks. Availability and Implementation: Dynamix is hosted at http://furlonglab.embl.de/Dynamix. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


This paper describes interactive facilities for simulating abstract muscle actions using Rational Free Form Deformations (RFFD). The particular muscle action is simulated as the displacement of the control points of the control‐unit for an RFFD defined on a region of interest. One or several simulated muscle actions constitute a Minimum Perceptible Action (MPA), which is defined as the atomic action unit, similar to Action Unit (AU) of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), to build an expression.


Introduction: In our clinic for several years we are pursuing the concept of mini-invasive surgery applied to the spine. Increasingly we have to our attention patients with comorbidities (figure 1) and for this reason could not face a major surgery. In this work we analyze various patients who suffered an osteoporotic vertebral fracture. The fractures on CT and MRI study, presented a minimal back protrusion of the wall with no images related to compression of the structures (figure 2a, 2b, 2c), but presented deformities,like kyphosis. The deformities in the past would certainly have required anterior surgery and corpectomy with placement of a mesh and interbody stabilization. This method provides access to trans-abdominal peritoneal or retro peritoneal and often requires the collaboration of general and vascular surgeon due to the presence of abdominal viscera and major vessels. Materials and methods: From January 2008 to August 2011, we treated 26 patients, 10 males and 16 females with a mean age 66 years. Most of them presented comorbidities. We decided to use a minimally invasive technique that allowed us to avoid the anterior approach, however, allowing us to attack the affected vertebrae through a less traumatic way possible. The surgery was performed by 2 surgical approaches performed in the same operative session. The first provided a lateral position with incision of about 4 cm. The exhibition allows direct visualization of the lateral side facilitating the disc discectomy, corpectomy, and the placement of a prosthetic vertebral body expansion and bone grafting. Through this technique it is possible to remove the fractured vertebral body and restore the mechanical support of the anterior column. The second half provided a hand lying prone and the insertion of pedicle screws cemented in the vertebral bodies adjacent to the fractured vertebra solidarity by means of two rods. The degree of kyphosis, construct height and the subsidence of the cage in relation to the vertebral endplates were measured preoperatively, early postoperatively, and at the latest follow-up. Results: No intraoperative complications were observed. Faster functional recovery is observed and load was granted from the fifth to ninth day. Pain relief with reduction of VAS values (pre-op 9, post-op 5) and ODI (86% pre-op, post-op 38%). Conclusions: The advent of minimally invasive surgery has allowed us to perform surgeries, such as the vertebral corpectomy, with minimal access, low blood loss, allowing rapid functional recovery with reduced length of stay.


Creating a hands-on lab that conveys important information while simultaneously allowing for student autonomy can be difficult. This is particularly true for the field of microbiology, in which labs often rely on "recipe-style" instructions and materials that can be difficult to scale up for larger class sizes. For these reasons, microbiology concepts are often left out of introductory biology labs, the ramifications of which have been made apparent during the recent COVID-19 virus pandemic. Fundamental microbiology concepts, e.g., the prevention of communicable diseases, are important to teach in introductory biology classrooms – often a student's only exposure to biology in their academic careers – in order to create a healthier community as a whole. Therefore, this general biology lab introduces an active-learning microbiology lab that teaches students about the microbial world. Students are first introduced to the three major types of symbioses and apply these concepts to microbial organisms on a symbiotic continuum. Next, the students are given examples of mutualistic bacteria, i.e., the human microbiome, through a mini lecture prepared by the instructor. The students are then introduced to examples of parasitic/ pathogenic microbes that can interfere with human health and cause relatable diseases (e.g., diarrhea, STDs, and athlete's foot). Students then apply this information through a short matching game before learning common practices used to prevent the spread of these pathogens, including an active learning exercise and video on how to wash their hands like healthcare professionals. Finally, students are asked to generate their own questions about microbes before working through a handout that guides the students in using the scientific method to address their questions. This exercise thus provides students with the autonomy to ask their own questions about microbes, design their own experiments, prepare growth media their own way, and present their findings in a way that is both scalable for large class sizes and reduces the burden of lab prep common for microbiology labs.


In order to explore the microstructure of bilateral cingulum bundles associated with side and handedness, fractional anisotropy was extracted from diffusion tensor imaging. Distinguished from the conventional region of interest-based method, a fiber-based analysis method called scale-invariant parameterization method was employed to ascertain the anisotropy along the cingulum bundle in 31 normal right-handers and 14 normal left-handers. The statistical results showed a remarkable left-greater-than-right asymmetry pattern of anisotropy in most segments of cingulum bundles except the most posterior segment, for both right-handers and left-handers. Interestingly, higher anisotropy of the right-hander than the left-hander was found in the bilateral cingulum bundles. No significant handedness-by-side interaction was obtained in the present study, however.


The objective of this research is to analyze the financial literacy knowledge of the Millennial generation. The research method is qualitative-quantitative of correlational type since it consists of identifying the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. The general hypothesis is that limited financial education in curricula affects the financial education of the Millennials. Through the information gathered and the surveys applied, it is evident that Millennials have no financial knowledge and university curricula have limited information on financial education.


The DNAs of eight parapoxviruses (four stomatitis papulosa viruses isolated from infected calves, a pseudocowpox virus isolated from a teat lesion of an infected cow and three orf viruses, one isolated from an infected sheep and two isolated from human infections) were analysed in CsCl gradients. The mole % of G+C was calculated from the buoyant density and found to be approx. 63% for all virus isolates examined. Parapoxvirus DNA thus has by far the highest G+C content of all poxvirus DNAs so far examined.


Baluran National Park is a oldes national park and unique in terms of existing ecosystems. One area that is considered to be of broad condition is Bama Resort. Baluran National Park has various forest formations including mangrove formations, coastal forests, savana forests, seasonal forests, rainforests, and plain forests. This study aims to examine the composition and structure of each forest formation in Baluran National Park in East Java. The number of plant species found in mangrove forest formations were 6 species, 40 species of coastal forest, 37 species of savana forest, 44 species of rain forest, 28 species of lowland forest, and 50 species of seasonal forest formations. The highest density values were in savana forest formation at the seedlings and understorey level of 132445 ind / ha while the density at the tree level was found in the mangrove forest formation of 346 ind / ha. The diversity index of seedlings and understorey species is medium (2 <H '<3) while for other growth rates it is classified as medium and low (0 <H' <3). The value of community similarity between overall forest formations is categorized as low (values below 50%.). Overall header stratification in each formation is in strata c. Key words: Forest Formation, Species Composition, Structure, Baluran National Park


Electromagnetic induction by a magnetic dipole located above a dipping interface is of relevance to the petroleum well-logging industry. The problem is fully three-dimensional (3-D) when formulated as above, but reduces to an analytically tractable one-dimensional (1-D) problem when cast as a small tilted coil above a horizontal interface. The two problems are related by a simple coordinate rotation. An examination of the induced eddy currents and the electric charge accumulation at the interface help to explain the inductive and polarization effects commonly observed in induction logs from dipping geological formations. The equivalence between the 1-D and 3-D formulations of the problem enables the validation of a previously published finite element solver for 3-D controlled-source electromagnetic induction.


Recently, semi-supervised learning algorithms for phonetic classifiers have been proposed that have obtained promising results. Often, these algorithms attempt to satisfy learning criteria that are not inherent in the standard generative or discriminative training procedures for phonetic classifiers. Graph-based learners in particular utilize an objective function that not only maximizes the classification accuracy on a labeled set but also the global smoothness of the predicted label assignment. In this paper we investigate a novel graph-based semi-supervised learning framework that implements a controlled random walk where different possible moves in the random walk are controlled by probabilities that are dependent on the properties of the graph itself. Experimental results on the TIMIT corpus are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of this procedure.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the value of some commonly used orthopedic tests used in evaluating nonspecific lower back pain where there are no demonstrable pathological or neurological deficits.

DESIGN
Retrospective analysis of patient files.

SETTING
Chiropractic teaching clinic, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

SUBJECTS
Five hundred sixty-four files of patients presenting to the above clinic with nonspecific lower back pain were analyzed.

DATA ANALYSIS
The data were entered into a spreadsheet, contingency tables were created, and the data were analyzed using chi 2 tests. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.

RESULTS
Kemp's and Yeoman's tests were most commonly positive, whereas Bonnet's, supported Adams' and axial compression tests showed relatively low positive results. The factors studied that affected the rate of positive responses were age, gender, pain site, duration and cause. The number of previous episodes of lower back pain had no effect on the positive test rates.

CONCLUSION
For cases of nonspecific, mechanical lower back pain, orthopedic testing has limited clinical value once nerve root problems and pathologies have been ruled out. Kemp's and Yeoman's tests were the most frequently positive, and seemed to be the most useful in diagnosing nonspecific lower back pain. When selecting the most appropriate tests to use, one needs to take into account the patient profile and history.


Bodily manipulations, such as juggling, suggest a well‐synchronized physical interaction as if the person were a physics expert. The juggler uses "knowledge" that is rooted in bodily experience, to interact with the environment. Such enacted bodily knowledge is powerful, efficient, predictive, and relates to sensory perception of the dynamics of objects. This paper describes results of an empirical study in physics learning, aimed at exploring links between sensory input, visual representations, and corresponding conceptual learning in physics. The central finding is that through sensory interaction (e.g., touch, vision) with a physical system in the physics laboratory, learners spontaneously generate a novel reference‐system of pictorial representations, typical to the situation explored. Results show that in collaborative hands‐on problem‐solving in physics, a pictorial referential communication system is generated. Elements of the pictorial communication system were found to be one of three: photographic, metaphoric, or symbolic. The constituents of the communication system are socially shared, hence valid, are used repeatedly when similar experience happens, therefore consistent. Thus visual‐spatial representations of non‐explicit knowledge turn into pictorial representations for communication. It is powerful because it allows access and retrieval of tacit knowledge, inaccessible by symbolic interaction.


In recent years there has been a push towards more CS and STEM education in Flanders. These two domains require a set of skills with which teachers are currently often unfamiliar. To enable teachers to acquire these skills, professional development programs should be implemented. In this paper we first present a way of identifying the properties of such a program to allow comparison with other programs. Next, we describe a professional development program in the form of a physical computing workshop.


Summary 1. Ten random strains of each of the following species were sensitive in vitro (3 exceptions in 40 cultures) to 6.2 μg/cc or less of neomycin in a 48-hour nutrient broth culture: E. coli, A. aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, B. proteus vulgaris, Hemolytic staphylococcus aureus and Hemolytic streptococcus. In 5 strains of enterococci the range of sensitivity was 25-3.2 μg neomycin/cc, while Clostridia were not sensitive at a concentration of 200 μg/cc or higher. When neomycin is effective, its antibacterial action is bactericidal and not bacteriostatic under the conditions of the test(8). 2. Oral administration of neomycin usually eliminates coliform bacilli from stool cultures in dogs and in man within 48 hours and frequently within 24 hours. Continuation of the drug for 5-6 days resulted in the appearance of resistant strains of E. coli in dogs. Such resistance was not observed in 25 humans. 3. The numbers of Enterococci, Ps. aeruginosa, and B. proteus vulgaris in the stool are reduced in most cases by oral neomycin therapy. 4. Clostridia are not noticeably affected by neomycin.


This guide is to help you navigate the different elements of the Scholarly Communication world and find out how you can use them to your benefit.


Alexandrium catenella is the main species that form harmful algae blooms (HABs) in southern Chile. Since its first record in 1972 in the Magallanes region this species apparently has increased its range distribution from south to north. In this study, we investigate the influence of the range expansions distribution on the A. catenella populations genetic diversity and structure. This was achieved by isolating 33 clones from different localities along the Magallanes and Aysen region which were genetically characterized with Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLPs) molecular markers. Results showed a latitudinal genetic diversity gradient from the south to north populations. Inter-populations genetic divergences were low but significant between both geographically close and distant populations. Results indicated that the genetic diversity differentiation could be generated by a founder effect, which is expected in populations that have expanded their distribution range. On the other hand, low levels of genetic divergences between distant populations seems point out that high gene flow occurs along coast of the Pacific Ocean, but also, seems hints the connectivity route between the Magallanes and Aysen populations i.e. , the vegetative cells dispersion among populations, would occur through coastal Pacific coast and Boca del Guafo. Finally, the high values of multilocus linkage disequilibrium found between closer population of Aysen indicates that divergence could be influenced along with the reproductive dynamic of the vegetative cells.


Urban areas are experiencing a latent rebellion, which is manifesting itself in numerous forms; each wave the culmination of increasing variety and imagination. Violence, a physical expression of this rebellion captures the hatred felt towards the establishment, in particular towards the prevailing social networks and societal relationships currently in force. It is therefore necessary to reflect upon the unthinkable, over that which we have considered unthinkable since the non-rational: to think that the non-rational is far from being irrational. The spirit of this great social asepsis has sought to expel the darkness, which corrodes both the body of the individual and society as a whole. Analysis, in terms of social contract, citizenship, and a democratic ideal has been incapable of explaining the aforementioned detonation of tribal passion and emotion. The question that we now face is how must we confront this flammable reality within the bounds of normative ethics and morality.


The differentiated thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine tumour, whose incidence has increased faster today than any other malignancy. Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common form of differentiated thyroid cancer and represents 90% of cases, with the average age at diagnosis of 45 years. There is not much information on the occupational risk of thyroid cancer literature, probably due to the low incidence of this tumour. Objective Identify cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed in workers at a Hospital in Spain during the period 2010-2015 and to establish whether there is excess cases. Material and method For each case, occurred during the period 2010-2015, it has analysed: date of birth, gender, employment status, service/unit and work history in the hospital, location and size of the tumour, date of diagnosis of neoplasia, type histological of neoplasia, risk factors (BMI, tobacco). We calculated the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for thyroid cancer. Results There have been six thyroid neoplasms, which were diagnostic in women, with an average age at diagnosis of 47 one year. The rates were histologically papillary neoplasm (66.6%) and follicular (33.3%) carcinoma. The average tumour size was 3.25 mm. We had 2 cases in nurses, 2 cases in technical assistant, 1 case a psychologist and 1 was detected in an administrative. Conclusions It has detected an excess risk of cancer in the group studied. The few studies found establish a relationship, but not consistently; among health workers not exposed to ionising radiation and increased risk of thyroid cancer. The difficulty in obtaining information on people at risk and raises the incidence of cases improved information sources for this type of study in Spain.


The second half of the 18th century saw a handful of English colonies transform themselves into a nation. This process involved not only a revolution against the British crown but also the uniting of a diverse population; in addition to the English who made up the bulk of the population, Africans and continental Europeans joined in the creation of the new republic. Although tradition dictated that the independent male citizen was the most important actor in this drama, political leaders soon learned that the support of women was essential to the success of a republican form of government. Salmon demonstrates the new directions in women's lives, including reforms in education, that occurred during this era of experimentation. She also delineates the ways in which women's lives remained constrained by the racial and cultural assumptions of the age, for while white women's horizons expanded, Native American women and women of African descent suffered greatly.Educator Judith Sargent Murray, poet Phillis Wheatley, writer and educator Susanna Rowson (who wrote Charlotte Temple, the first American best-seller), and other women--both well-known and unsung--fill the pages of The Limits of Independence, which looks at women's lives during the time of the American Revolution.


To design actuators or motors requires analyzing a lot of parameters such as length, temperature, efficiency, weight, etc. To obtain the optimum results for given specifications the solution is to analyze globally all the free parameters in one go, with an optimization algorithm based on the "Prodesign" software which includes an optimization module developed by INPG in Grenoble (France). A comparison between the parametrical study and the finite element design is made with two different examples. The first one is a reluctance actuator and the second one is a brushless DC motor intended for a new intra-cardiac blood pump.