Abstract Background and Aims: Emotion regulation refers to the ability to understand emotions and modulate emotional experience and expressions. Emotions are managed and regulated according to processes and techniques that may be employed automatically or purposely, as well as consciously or unconsciously. The main purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Methods and methods: Four hundred and seventy eight Iranian volunteers (226 males, 252 females) were included in this study. All participants were asked to complete the 18-item version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-28). Findings: Test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the CERQ were examined at satisfactory levels. The CERQ scales of self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, and other-blame revealed significant positive associations with depression, anxiety, stress and psychological distress, as well as significant negative associations with psychological well-being. The remaining scales of CERQ including acceptance, positive refocusing, planning, positive reappraisal, and putting into perspective revealed significant negative associations with depression, anxiety, stress and psychological distress, as well as significant positive associations with psychological well-being. Conclusion: It was concluded that the 18-item version of the CERQ can be considered as a reliable and valid scale to measure cognitive coping strategies in Iranian samples. Keywords: Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Reliability, Validity, Psychometry REFERENCES American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical manual for mental disorders (5th ed). Washington: APA. Besharat MA (2005). 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In exemplar-based speech enhancement systems, lower dimensional features are preferred over the full-scale DFT features for their reduced computational complexity and the ability to better generalize for the unseen cases. But in order to obtain the Wiener-like filter for noisy DFT enhancement, the speech and noise estimates obtained in the feature space need to be mapped to the DFT space, which yield a low-rank approximation of the estimates resulting in a sub-optimal filter. This paper proposes a novel method using coupled dictionaries where the exemplars for the required feature space and the DFT space are jointly extracted and the estimates are directly obtained in the DFT space following the decomposition in the chosen feature space. Simulation experiments revealed that the proposed approach, where the activations of exemplars calculated using the Mel resolution are directly used to obtain the Wiener filter in the DFT space, results in improved signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR) when compared to the system without coupled dictionaries. To further motivate the use of coupled dictionaries, the paper also investigates the use of modulation envelope features for the exemplar-based speech enhancement.


We show that every adhesive category gives rise to an associative algebra of rewriting rules induced by the notion of double-pushout (DPO) rewriting and the associated notion of concurrent production. In contrast to the original formulation of rule algebras in terms of relations between (a concrete notion of) graphs, here we work in an abstract categorical setting. Doing this, we extend the classical concurrency theorem of DPO rewriting and show that the composition of DPO rules along abstract dependency relations is, in a natural sense, an associative operation. If in addition the adhesive category possesses a strict initial object, the resulting rule algebra is also unital. We demonstrate that in this setting the canonical representation of the rule algebras is obtainable, which opens the possibility of applying the concept to define and compute the evolution of statistical moments of observables in stochastic DPO rewriting systems.


Xylem phenology has been widely recognised as an ecological indicator of the impact of environmental changes on forest ecosystems, especially at the edge of a species distribution. We investigated xylem phenology of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in three sites in Italy, between the 38th and 46th parallels. The phases of xylem phenology were assessed weekly on wood microcores collected from March to November 2015 to calculate timing and duration of xylem cell production. The effect of temperature and precipitation on xylem phenology were sequentially included in stepwise regressions and used to predict the duration of each phenological phase under three future climatic scenarios at different concentrations of greenhouse gases (RCP 2.6; 4. 5; 8. 5). A growing season of 163 days was detected in the southern site that was longer compared to the central (132 days) and northern (120 days) sites. A longer duration of xylogenesis was mostly related to a delayed completion of xylem differentiation in autumn rather than an earlier onset of cambium reactivation in spring. Overall, 67–76% of the duration of phenological phases was controlled by growing season precipitation, while 24 –33% was influenced by minimum temperature. Inclusion of both the above factors in the modelling exercise simulated a lengthening of the silver fir growing season during the 21st century. A longer duration of xylogenesis was envisaged in the scenario RCP 8. 5, especially in the central site. Population and climate gradients need to be considered when addressing phenological shifts and growth dynamics of silver fir in Mediterranean mountains.


The passage to ambulatory care of a patient with a long hospital stay due to a wrenching disease is not something obvious. The doctor and the care staff will have to take up the challenge of dealing with an important amount of care. The quality of life of the patient and his caregivers is influenced by the neuropsychiatric disorders, the illness intrusiveness and the depression that come along with them. The chronic disease intruding causes a crisis in their lives. In order to better evaluate these factors we are using the Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale developed by Devins. This article addresses the high complexity of clinical situations handled in an environment of rehabilitation care with the support of the consultants, nurses and doctors, of the liaison psychiatry.


Joint injuries and subsequent osteoarthritis (OA) are the leading causes of chronic joint disease. In this work, we explore the possibility of applying magnetic resonance spectroscopy‐based metabolomics to detect host responses to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction injury in synovial fluid in an ovine model. Using multivariate statistical analysis, we were able to distinguish post‐injury joint samples (ACL and sham surgery) from the uninjured control samples, and as well the ACL surgical samples from sham surgery. In all samples there were 65 metabolites quantified, of which six could be suggested as biomarkers for early post‐injury degenerative changes in the knee joints: isobutyrate, glucose, hydroxyproline, asparagine, serine, and uridine. Our results raise a cautionary note indicating that surgical interventions into the knee can result in metabolic alterations that need to be distinguished from those caused by the early onset of OA. Our findings illustrate the potential application of metabolomics as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for detection of injuries to the knee joint. The ability to detect a unique pattern of metabolic changes in the synovial fluid of sheep offers the possibility of extending the approach to precision medicine protocols in patient populations in the future. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 33:71–77, 2015.


Ownership simplifies reasoning about object-oriented programs by controlling aliasing and modifications of objects. Several type systems have been proposed to express and check ownership statically. For ownership systems to be practical, they must allow objects to migrate from one owner to another. This ownership transfer is common and occurs, for instance, during the initialization of data structures and when data structures are merged. However, existing ownership type systems either do not support ownership transfer at all or they are too restrictive, give rather weak static guarantees, or require a high annotation overhead. In this paper, we present UTT, an extension of Universe Types that supports ownership transfer. UTT combines ownership type checking with a modular static analysis to control references to transferable objects. UTT is very flexible because it permits temporary aliases, even across certain method calls. Nevertheless, it guarantees statically that a cluster of objects is externally-unique when it is transferred and, thus, that ownership transfer is type safe. UTT provides the same encapsulation as Universe Types and requires only negligible annotation overhead.


— Field experiment was conducted to investigate the combine use of animal manure and inorganic fertilizer on growth and yield performance of vegetable cowpea. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with seven treatments. Poultry manure, cattle manure and goat manure were evaluated with recommended level of inorganic fertilizer for vegetable cowpea. The highest crop yield was obtained by the application of poultry manure combined with the recommended level of inorganic fertilizer. The lowest yield was obtained by the application of goat manure only. In addition, the results revealed that the goat manure and cattle manure were inferior to poultry manure as a source of organic manure for vegetable cowpea cultivation. The animal manure combine with chemical fertilizer gave a higher yield when compared to the sole application of animal manure. The soil analysis showed that the nitrogen content and phosphorus content of poultry manure treated plots were higher than other treatments tested. But potassium content was higher in goat manure treated plots. The results further revealed that the poultry manure has a beneficial effect on crop growth and yield compared with other treatments. Therefore, the combined use of poultry manure with inorganic fertilizer application has been recognized as the most suitable way of ensuring high crop yield.


Following Snir and Zohar workaholism was defined as the individual's steady and considerable allocation of time to work‐related activities and thoughts, which does not derive from external necessities. It was measured as time invested in work, with consideration of the financial needs for this investment. The effects of attitudinal and demographic variables on workaholism were examined through a representative sample of the Israeli labor force (n=942). Using independent‐samples t tests, the following findings were revealed: respondents with a high level of occupational satisfaction worked more hours per week than those with a low level of occupational satisfaction. The same can be stated of self‐employed versus salaried workers. On the other hand, people with a high level of family centrality worked few hours per week than those with a low level of family centrality. The same was revealed with people who defined an activity as work if "you do it at a certain time," compared with those who did not define it thus. No significant difference in weekly work hours was found between respondents with a high level of leisure centrality and those with a low level of leisure centrality. A one‐way ANOVA revealed a significant effect for religiosity: secular people worked more hours per week than non‐secular people (religious and those with a loose contact with religion).


Room temperature sensor is a research hot for metal-oxide gas sensors. However, electron activation is a bottleneck to improve sensitivity for room temperature sensors. Here, an ultraviolet (UV)-activated gas sensor based on a single-sheet porous single-crystalline (PSC) zinc oxide (ZnO) sheet has been fabricated instead of heating activation, which works at room temperature. The PSC ZnO nanosheets were first prepared by a one-pot wet-chemical method. Then, the precursors were annealed for 2 h in air to obtain the PSC ZnO nanosheets. They were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and UV-visible spectrum. Finally, the single-sheet ZnO gas sensors were fabricated by focused ion beam technology, which exhibited good responses to 1-300 ppm of ethanol. The single-sheet ZnO UV-activated sensing mechanism was also put forward to explain the excellent sensing property.


Purpose: Retinoblastoma (RB) is a relatively common childhood tumor. In this report we discuss the clinical characteristics, treatments and outcome of the treated RB patients from a referral center in Iran in order to understand this medical problem in our society. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on RB cases treated in Farabi Eye Hospital since 1979 to 2007. The variables analyzed were age, sex, affected eyes, time of the diagnosis, treatment modalities, pathological findings and the survival rate. Results: We analyzed 557 cases with a mean age of 32.2 months [standard Deviation (SD)= 22]. There was a male predominance (60%). There were 380 unilateral cases (68.6%). Enucleation was performed in 65.6% of the patients. Nearly 82% of the eyes were in group Va and Vb Reese-Ellsworth or in a very advanced condition. Of the enucleated cases, 43.2% of the eyes have had undifferentiated types of tumors. Disease free survival was 68.5% in this study (by a mean follow-up of 61.9 months). Conclusion: Considering the advanced stages of disease in the majority of patients at the time of diagnosis, the enucleation ratio of our RB patients was higher than other countries.


Expressive culture constitutes a field of study par excellence for the combined efforts of anthropology, history and folklore. This contribution deals with a public drama in which mock fights are enacted in the streets and squares of Andalusian towns and villages. The analysis takes into account both the history of MuslimChristian relationships and the vicissitudes of this particular festival. Links are suggested between religious folklore and economic and political trends. Students have taken it for granted that this festival is "popular". Historical evidence points in the direction of elite and urban origins. Attention is paid to the cultural agents of diffusion . Finally, suggestions are offered for further inquiry into celebratory events in Andalusia and elsewh ere in Europe.


This thesis analyses different approaches to address the unemployment volatility puzzle. In the first two chapters, we develop two types of search frictions model with efficiency wages. The models can match observed fluctuations in unemployment and job vacancies in the U.S economy. Moreover, the models also capture labour market dynamics well. In the third chapter, we analyse two proposed solutions to the unemployment volatility puzzle: sticky wages and a small `hiring surplus'. We investigate a widely used calibration strategy in the literature and argue that it is a key factor in generating large unemployment volatility. In the fourth chapter, we reassess the following arguments on the unemployment volatility puzzle: strategic wage bargaining; large fluctuations in discount rates in the financial market; and endogenous job separations caused by idiosyncratic productivity shocks.


Users commonly download, patch, and use applications such as email clients, office applications, and media-players from the Internet. Such applications are run with the user's full permissions. Because system protections do not differentiate applications, any malcode present in the downloaded software can compromise or otherwise leak all user data. Interestingly, our investigations indicate that common applications often adhere to recognizable workflows on user data. In this paper, we take advantage of this reality by developing protection mechanisms that "pin'' user files to the applications that may use them. These mechanisms restrict access to user data to explicitly stated workflows--thus preventing malcode from exploiting user data not associated with that application. We describe our implementation of PinUP on the Linux Security Modules framework, explore its performance, and study several practical use cases. Through these activities, we show that user data can be protected from untrusted applications while retaining the ability to receive the benefits of those applications.


Background Patients with limited ability to communicate cannot have a proper evaluation of pain using self-evaluation tools. Therefore they might not receive the appropriate analgesic treatment. Our audience was the medical and paramedical staff of our hospital. These people are involved in care management of patients with limited ability to communicate. Purpose The objectives of the study were to assess their knowledge and to evaluate their motivation to use appropriate tools: the behavioural tools. Materials and methods A questionnaire was sent out to all medical and nursing staff in osteoarticular wards (rheumatology and orthopaedics) and had to be completed the same day. The people queried work in outpatient and conventional wards. The main outcome measured the existence of tools to evaluate acute pain, the sensitivity of staff to patients with limited ability to communicate, and the staff's awareness and knowledge of existing behavioural tools. Results A total of 53 questionnaires was returned. The function of the participants was divided as follows: nurses (65%), nursing auxiliaries (30%), residents and physiotherapist (about 5%). A large majority (94%) reported that they evaluated patient pain using a self-report tool. The rest of the participants admitted that they were not using any instruments. To the question 'Have you identified in your ward the presence of patients with limited ability to communicate?', we obtain a 100% of positive answers by the orthopaedics ward staff, against 58% only in the rheumatology ward. Despite the fact that behavioural tools are not used in these 2 wards 20% of the staff acknowledged their existence and a few of them were able to name a specific tool. The overall majority (87%) of staff members were keen to use a behavioural tool in their daily practice. The others (13%) didn't know about them but were not opposed to learning. However, they requested a decision-making template to choose the right tool. Conclusions Within the two wards, we observed a real difference in identifying the presence of patients with limited ability to communicate. This observation was not expected. It may highlight the fact that the medical and nursing staff are not sufficiently trained to identify such patients'impairment in some wards. There is a need to ensure appropriate identification of this sub-group of patients and to be able to offer them an appropriate tool with which to rate and communicate the severity of their pain. The staff motivation was very encouraging for setting up behavioural assessment tools. This should lead to the correct use of analgesic drugs which are delivered by hospital pharmacists. No conflict of interest.


Background and Purpose: Ischemic stroke remains one of the leading causes of death in the population. In addition, mitochondrial dysfunction is an essential part of the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia and is a promising pharmacotherapeutic target. Experimental Approach: the work was performed on male Wistar rats, which were simulated cerebral ischemia by irreversible occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. 4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tret-butyl cinnamic acid (25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally for 3 days after ischemia (daily). On the 4th day of the experiment, the changes of rat's cognitive functions in the Morris water maze test, cellular respiration processes, the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and citrate synthase activity, the intensity of oxidative stress and apoptosis reactions were assessed. Key Results: it was found that the administration of 4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tret-butyl cinnamic acid at doses of 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg practically equivalently promotes the restoration of aerobic metabolism reactions and the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, decrease of the intensity of oxidative stress reactions and apoptosis, as well as an increase in the activity of citrate synthase. As a result, the restoration of mitochondrial function in the hippocampal cells contributed to the restoration of the animal's spatial memory. Conclusion and Implications: a study showed that 4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tret-butyl cinnamic acid at doses of 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg has a neuroprotective effect on hippocampal neurons under conditions of permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, realized by restoration of mitochondrial function.


Previous studies have suggested neural disruption and reorganization in adult marijuana users. However, it remains unclear whether these effects persist in adolescents after 28 days of abstinence and, if they do, what Performance x Brain Response interactions occur. Adolescent marijuana users (n=17) and controls (n=17) aged 16-18 years were recruited from local schools. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected after 28 days' monitored abstinence as participants performed a spatial working memory task. Marijuana users show Performance x Brain Response interactions in the bilateral temporal lobes, left anterior cingulate, left parahippocampal gyrus, and right thalamus (clusters >/=1358 microl; p<.05), although groups do not differ on behavioral measures of task performance. Marijuana users show differences in brain response to a spatial working memory task despite adequate performance, suggesting a different approach to the task via altered neural pathways.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To summarize the current available evidence for oncology nurses so that they may predict and prevent complications of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN), provide optimal education to patients, and become familiar with the state of the knowledge of neutropenia by understanding the evidence and guidelines for patients with cancer who may experience CIN.

DATA SOURCES
Review of primary literature, meta-analyses, available systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines, and discussions at the State of the Knowledge on Neutropenia Symposium.

DATA SYNTHESIS
The evidence for nursing interventions to prevent CIN complications is underdeveloped. Strong empirical support to prevent infection in patients with CIN (e.g., restrictions in diet, isolation procedures, providing accurate patient education) is lacking. Several areas of preventive measures by patients, hand washing, and skin care have a stronger evidence base and should have high priority on patient education plans.

CONCLUSIONS
Strong evidence is available for several nursing interventions to prevent infection in patients with CIN. Many existing practices lack empirical support and should be identified and reviewed in the clinical setting for appropriate patient management.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Oncology nurses can use the findings from the symposium to revise their care standards for patients anticipated to experience CIN. Research and practice performance improvement projects may be undertaken by oncology nurses to improve the delivery of evidence-based nursing care to this vulnerable patient population.


Samento (extract from Uncaria tomentosa) and Banderol (extract from Otoba parvifolia) have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, e.g., against different morphological forms of Borrelia burgdorferi. However, there is hardly any data on the pharmacological safety of these two herbal medicines. This in vitro study aimed at scrutinizing their possible characteristics as perpetrators in pharmacokinetic herbal–drug interactions. Inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) was quantified by commercial kits and inhibition of drug transporters by use of fluorescent probe substrates. Induction was quantified by real-time RT-PCR and activation of pregnane x receptor (PXR) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) by reporter gene assays. Organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) (IC50 = 0.49 ± 0.28%) and OATP1B3 (IC50 = 0.65 ± 0.29%) were potently inhibited by Banderol, but only weakly by Samento. CYP3A4 was inhibited about 40% at a Samento concentration of 1%. Samento significantly induced mRNA expression of CYP2J2, UGT1A3, UGT1A9, ABCB1, and SLCO1B1 and strongly activated PXR, but hardly AhR. In conclusion, the perpetrator profiles of Samento and Banderol for herb–drug interactions completely differ. Clinical studies are strongly recommended to clarify whether the effects observed in vitro are of clinical relevance.


The purpose of the study is to find out the awareness and utilization of library services by the users of Women's College and Tika Ram Kanya Mahavidyalaya library, Aligarh. Data for the study was collected via a well-structured questionnaire that was administered to 200 users of select libraries. Out of 200, a total of 175 questionnaires were completed and returned back by respondents, showing an overall response rate of 87.5 percent. The study reveals that highest percentage of users from WC (64.44%) and TRKM (63.53%) respectively prefer to visit library for borrowing books and all the respondents in TRKM (100%) and majority of library users in WC (97.78%) are aware about circulation service. However, 94.12% respondents from TRKM followed by WC (88.89%) prefer circulation service. A moderate percentage of respondents in WC (45.56%) face difficulties in obtaining the required information due to library rules, while in TRKM most of the users (41.18%) face difficulties due to inadequate library resources. The study shows that more than half of library users of both the colleges are satisfied with library's physical facilities i.e. library location, opening hours, library environment, space for study, furniture and collection of books and highest percentage of respondents from TRKM (62.35%) and WC (51.11%) are satisfied with the overall functioning of library. The study concludes with some suggestions for further development of the library resources, facilities and services.


From the Publisher:
IT insider Joseph J. Byrne shares his strategies for gaining the technological edge in Internet professions with the i-NET+ Certification Study System. As a member of the CompTIA's i-NET+ exam objectives team, he knows how to help you focus your study, assess your weak spots, and practice to perfect your skills and pass that test.
After explaining Internet basics and client-side issues, this course presents the steps to creating a Web page and advanced techniques. One exercise walks you through setting up a practice Web site. The larger issues of networking, infrastructure, and security are discussed; and a quick, critical look is taken at the role of e-commerce inside all of today's commerce.
In the appendixes, handy crib sheets provide an examination blueprint, exam prep tips, and Q&As to quiz you along the way. A CD-ROM features more than 100 sample questions and a variety of exams in an interactive format, with a way to track your progress through historical analysis.


As device geometries continue to shrink, single event upsets are becoming of concern to a wider spectrum of system designers. These "soft errors" can be a nuisance or catastrophic, depending on the application, but they must be understood and their effects budgeted for. Ultimately, experimental measurement is needed to quantify soft error rates, but after-the-fact measurement is too late to make changes. This paper shows a methodology that can be used to estimate the soft error properties of individual IP blocks by using a combination of critical charge calculations and experimental data.


Teachers' perceptions of professional development experiences related to process, content, and context were explored to better address leadership preparation needs. Teachers responded to the Professional Development Questionnaire, three demographic variables (teaching experience, Title 1 status, and current grade level) pertaining to the individual, and one open-ended comment field. A total of 327 teachers from a large western school district in the United States responded. The findings indicated that there were no significant differences for the three demographic grouping variables. Overall, results revealed low mean values, indicating that teachers disagreed or strongly disagreed with statements related to their professional development experiences. Teachers also indicated that their own building administrators did not value professional development. Finally, teachers' perceptions of professional development also suggested that professional development topics were irrelevant, and that they were not provided with enough time to integrate topics into their current practice


The pollination process and breeding system of the sympatric Habenaria johannensis, H. macronectar, H. megapotamensis and H. montevidensis was documented for native populations from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. All species investigated offer a nectar reward (mean values of total sugars ranging from 18 to 26%) concealed in a spur. Habenaria montevidensis is pollinated by butterflies (Hesperiidae, especially of the genus Urbanus) that carry pollinaria on their eyes; the other three species are pollinated by Sphingidae. Habenaria johannensis is pollinated by the moths Manduca rustica and M. sexta that carry the pollinaria at the base of the proboscis. Habenaria macronectar is pollinated by the moths Eumorpha labrusca and M. cf. lucetius, and these bear pollinaria between the palpi. Habenaria megapotamensis is pollinated by moths of M. cf. lucetius that bear the pollinaria on the proboscis. All species studied are self-compatible, but pollinator dependent. They also displayed high reproductive success (ranging from 69.48 to 97.40%) and male efficiency factors slightly higher than 1, suggesting that at least one flower was pollinated for each flower acting as pollen donor. At the study sites, the investigated Habenaria spp. are isolated (in terms of pollination) by a set of factors that includes differing floral morphologies, different pollinators and/or different pollinarium placement on the pollinator. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ••, ••–••.


Reticle Haze results from the deposition of a chemical residue of a reaction that is initiated by Deep Ultra Violet (DUV) or higher frequency actinic radiation. Haze can form on the backside of the reticle, on the chrome side and on the pellicle itself. The most commonly reported effect of haze is a gradual loss in transmission of the reticle that results in a need to increase the exposure-dose in order to maintain properly sized features. Since haze formation is non-uniform across the reticle, transmission loss results in an increase in the Across Chip Linewidth Variation (ACLV) that is accompanied by a corresponding reduction in the manufacturing process window. Haze continues to grow as the reticle is exposed to additional low wavelength radiation through repeated use. Early haze formation is a small-area phenomenon in comparison to the total area of the reticle and may initiate simultaneously in separate areas. The early stages of reticle haze therefore results in a degradation of Best Focus, Depth of Focus and the Exposure latitude of individual features in the "hazed" area prior to any noticeable large area transmission loss. Production lots subject to reticle hazing on critical layers will experience a direct loss of lithographic yields, loss of capacity, an increase in rework rates and an ultimate loss in overall final-test yield long before the need for an overall image exposure-dose increase is detected. Feature profiles and process response are degraded at the earliest stages of haze formation. While early hazing may occur in a small area of the reticle, the area influenced by the initial deposition is relatively large in comparison to the size of an individual circuit feature. A sampled metrological inspection of a regular array of points across the exposure field is therefore able to detect any form of reticle haze if the analysis monitors the feature-profile response rather than simply feature widths. A model-driven method for the early detection of reticle-haze using basic feature metrology is developed in this study. Application results from a production reticle are used to demonstrate validation of the technique that employs a highly accurate method of calculation of the uniformity of the reticle exposure-response for individual features across the exposure.


Studies have been made on the molecular weight and amino acid composition of albumin from the blood serum and liver, as well as on its content in liver extracts and in the blood serum of male rabbits at the age of 1, 30, 180, and 720 days. During postnatal life, quantitative changes in the amino acid composition of the proteins investigated take place, which are more significant in liver albumin than in serum albumin. Albumin content of the blood serum and liver extracts decreases at later ontogenetic stages (in 180- and 720-day animals), which is presumably associated with the decrease in synthesis of this protein by the liver. The molecular weight of the albumin remains constant in all age groups being typical for serum albumin of vertebrates.


The persistence of Prudhoe Bay crude oil was evaluated with cereal plantings over a 4-year period on field plots at Palmer, Alaska, oiled at 10 and 20 liters/m/sup 2/ with tillage and fertilization as treatments. Following the field study soil was removed for greenhouse evaluations and analyses. Tilling aided water infiltration on the oiled plots in the field. Oiled plots without tillage or fertilization produced negligible growth during the first three growing seasons and very poor growth (< 10% coverage) in the fourth year. In the first year, only the 10-liter tilled plots provided tangible growth, about one-tenth that of the unoiled plots. The 20-liter plots required both treatments to produce growth in the second and third years, while either treatment sufficed for the 10-liter plots, with growth still much reduced from the controls. Oil decomposition was sufficiently advanced in the fourth year to permit over 75% coverage on the tilled 10-liter plots, about 50% coverage on the tilled and fertilized 20-liter plots, and about 25 to 40% coverage on the tilled, unfertilized 20-liter and on the fertilized, untilled 10-liter plots. Annual weeds were mostly unsuccessful in invading the oiled plots until the fourth year. Greenhouse studies with oiled, fertilizedmore » soil removed from the field in the fourth year showed that tillage benefited growth of barley and bromegrass in the surface layer but was detrimental to growth in the 10- to 15-cm layer. Field moisture levels were highly negatively correlated with residual oil contents, thus emphasizing the droughty effects of oil contamination. Decreasing levels of residual oil with increasing depth of tilled soil did not result in significantly greater plant growth. Beneficial degradation of oil may be retarded at depths in the soil, thus prolonging its phytotoxic effects. Tillage is best delayed to allow volatilization and some weathering to occur.« less


Modeling tissues with cellular and subcellular resolution requires clever representations of single cell complexity. Too much detail can saturate even most powerful computers while too simplistic approaches have usually limited predictive power. As it is usual in sciences the demands and capabilities are orthogonal to each other. To solve simple cell-sorting problem, in 1992 Graner and Glazier [1] introduced cellular Potts Model (CPM) which currently is one of the most popular ways to model tissues, organs or even organisms with single-cell resolution. CPM represents cells as spatially extended domains and allows relatively faithful model representation of basic cellular behaviors such as adhesion, growth, death, mitosis, chemical secretion, absorption etc. Over the years CPM evolved to become one of the most popular methods used in single-cell-based tissue simulation. In this talk I will present CompuCell3D (CC3D) simulation environment [2] that allows building running and testing CPM-based models of tissues. CC3D is an open source project with fairly rich set of tools that facilitate model construction, visualization and post-processing. CC3D has Python interpreter that gives modelers great flexibility in customizing their models without requiring code recompilation. In fact bulk of the typical CC3D model is written in Python. I will present brief demo of the CC3D package and conclude the talk by addressing most pressing software-related issues facing multi-cell tissue modeling community. [1] Maciej Swat, Gilberto L. Thomas, Julio M. Belmonte, Abbas Shirinifard, Dimitrij Hmeljak, James A. Glazier (2012). "Multi-Scale Modeling of Tissues Using CompuCell3D," In Anand R. Asthagiri, Adam P. Arkin ed. Methods In Cell Biology , Vol 110, pp. 325-366. [2] Francois Graner, James A. Glazier (1992). "Simulation of biological cell sorting using a two-dimensional extended Potts model," Phys Rev Lett . 69. p. 2013-2016.


The kinetics of glucose uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are complex. An Eadie-Hofstee (rate of uptake versus rate of uptake over substrate concentration) plot of glucose uptake shows a nonlinear form typical of a multicomponent system. The nature of the constituent components is a subject of debate. It has recently been suggested that this nonlinearity is due to either a single saturable component together with free diffusion of glucose or a single constitutive component with a variable Km, rather than the action of multiple hexose transporters. Genetic data support the existence of a family of differentially regulated glucose transporters, encoded by the HXT genes. In this work, kinetic expressions and nonlinear regression analysis, based on an improved zero trans-influx assay, were used to address the nature of the components of the transport system. The results indicate that neither one component with free diffusion nor a single permease with a variable Km can explain the observed uptake rates. Results of uptake experiments, including the use of putative alternative substrates as inhibitory compounds, support the model derived from genetic analyses of a multicomponent system with at least two components, one a high-affinity carrier and the other a low-affinity carrier. This approach was extended to characterize the activity of the SNF3 protein and identify its role in the depression of high-affinity uptake. The kinetic data support a role of SNF3 as a regulatory protein that may not itself be a transporter.


Cattle ranching in Latin America supports wildlife conservation. Ranching probably represents one of the few land uses in which we can advance conservation goals. The approximately 950,000 km2 of Bolivian, Brazilian, Paraguayan, Colombian, and Venezuelan savannas that are privately owned and dedicated to meat production provide a model for conservation programs. We present a geographic and historical description that covers several centuries and ends with descriptions of seven successful cattle ranches (three in the Venezuelan Llanos and four in the Brazilian Pantanal) where cattle ranching, ecotourism, and wildlife conservation coexist. These three activities support each other: tourism creates additional income for cattle ranchers while promoting protection of natural heritage and wildlife research.


Laparoscopic esophagojejunostomy is one of the most technically challenging aspects when expanding institutional indication from distal to total gastrectomy. Expected advantages of linear-stapled overlap method are better intraperitoneal visibility, wide applicability to high anastomosis or small-sized intestine, and no concern for postoperative stenosis. In our standardized method, the esophagus is divided after twisted in 90 degree clockwise, so that the esophageal stump results in vertical direction. The jejunum is anastomosed to posterior wall of the esophagus, to make an opening hole face anterior, which enables stress-free suturing for closure. During the anastomotic steps, guidance by a nasogastric tube is very useful. Additionally, preparation of the tension-free jejunal limb is essential for secure anastomosis. In high anastomosis, the diaphragmatic crus should be cut to widen the esophageal hiatus. Articulating function of the linear stapler is useful to adjust the insertion axis to the esophagus. There are several well-known intraoperative pitfalls regarding this procedure, such as involvement of a nasogastric tube or miss-introduction of the stapler tip to the submucosal layer, therefore surgical team should pay maximum attention to prevent these events.


BACKGROUND
Type 2 diabetics account for a large proportion of patients presenting in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Although diabetic renal disease can be predicted, a lot of diabetics present to Nephrologists in ESKD.

OBJECTIVE
To assess for markers of nephropathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics, using blood pressure levels, endogenous creatinine clearance and urinary protein excretion as markers of renal disease.

STUDY DESIGN
Ninety newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics were studied within 6 weeks of diagnosis. They were in good glycaemic control during the period of study. Seventy-two age and sex-matched and apparently healthy non-diabetics served as controls. Blood pressure was recorded in all subjects. 24 hours urine sample was collected for estimation of urinary protein excretion and endogenous creatinine clearance.

RESULTS
Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were consistently higher in diabetics than in controls (p=0.001 and p=0.001 respectively). High-normal and midly elevated blood pressure were more prevalent in diabetics (p=0.001). Mean creatinine clearance in diabetics was significantly lower than in non-diabetics (p=0.037). 7 % of diabetics had supra-normal creatinine clearance of >125mls/minute. The prevalence of microproteinuria was 40% in diabetics and 33% in non-diabetics, while macroproteinuria was present in 44% of diabetics but absent in non-diabetics (p=0.000).

CONCLUSION
High-normal, mildly elevated blood pressure and microproteinuria were commonly encountered in newly diagnosed diabetics studied. The phenomenon of hyperfiltration was present in type 2 diabetics. These tools should be assessed at diagnosis of diabetes as this will help in identifying those who are at an increased risk for developing diabetic nephropathy.


Cryogen-free superconducting magnet systems (CFMS) have become popular over the last two decades for the simple reason that the use of liquid helium is rather cumbersome and that helium is a scarce resource. Some available CFMS use a mechanical cryocooler as the magnet's cold source. However, the variable temperature insert (VTI) for some existing CFMS are not strictly cryogen-free as they are still based on helium gas circulation through the sample space. We designed a prototype of a gas gap heat switch (GGHS) that allows a thermal management of a completely cryogen-free magnet system, with no helium losses. The idea relies on a parallel cooling path to a variable temperature insert (VTI) of a magnetic properties measurement system under development at Inter-University Accelerator Centre. A Gifford-McMahon cryocooler (1.5 W @ 4.2 K) would serve primarily as the cold source of the superconducting magnet, dedicating 1 W to this cooling, under quite conservative safety factors. The remaining cooling power (0.5 W) is to be diverted towards a VTI through a controlled GGHS that was designed and built with a 80 μm gap width. The built GGHS thermal performance was measured at 4 K, using helium as the exchange gas, and its conductance is compared both with a previously developed analytical model and a finite element method. Lessons learned lead to a new and more functional prototype yet to be reported.


The Centre for Faith and Culture, whose aim is to promote greater understanding of the Roman Catholic tradition in the light of the Second Vatican Council, with particular attention to contemporary cultural, social and ethical issues, was opened at Westminster College in Oxford, with the support of the publishers, T&T Clark, in 1994. In the following year the Centre held a conference on the work of the lay Roman Catholic historian, Christopher Dawson, whose books on the relationship between religion and culture were well known in the 1930s and 1940s. Etemity in Time: Christopher Dawson and the Catholic Idea of History (T&T Clark, 1997, £19.95, pp. 214, ISBN 0-567-08548-1), edited by Stratford Caldecott and John Morrill, contains the Conference papers, among them a valuable essay on Dawson's career by Christina Scott, the historian's younger daughter. Christopher Dawson advocated a Christian, and specifically Roman Catholic, philosophy of history. He thought that the Enlightenment was destroying civilization and that the only hope of humanity was the re-formation of a universal Catholic culture. One of the contributors to the present volume, Fernando Cervantes, echoes this when he talks of 'restoring the Christian faith to its rightful place as the principle of cultural unity and the creator of moral values'. The


We describe one of the oldest notoungulate skeletons with associated craniodental and postcranial elements: Thomashuxleya externa (Isotemnidae) from Canadon Vaca in Patagonia, Argentina (Vacan subage of the Casamayoran SALMA, middle Eocene). We provide body mass estimates given by different elements of the skeleton, describe the bone histology, and study its phylogenetic position. We note differences in the scapulae, humerii, ulnae, and radii of the new specimen in comparison with other specimens previously referred to this taxon. We estimate a body mass of 84 ± 24.2 kg, showing that notoungulates had acquired a large body mass by the middle Eocene. Bone histology shows that the new specimen was skeletally mature. The new material supports the placement of Thomashuxleya as an early, divergent member of Toxodontia. Among placentals, our phylogenetic analysis of a combined DNA, collagen, and morphology matrix favor only a limited number of possible phylogenetic relationships, but cannot yet arbitrate between potential affinities with Afrotheria or Laurasiatheria. With no constraint, maximum parsimony supports Thomashuxleya and Carodnia with Afrotheria. With Notoungulata and Litopterna constrained as monophyletic (including Macrauchenia and Toxodon known for collagens), these clades are reconstructed on the stem to Euungulata (i.e., Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla). Unconstrained, Bayesian analysis weakly supports the possibility that Thomashuxleya is a stem xenarthran; with Notoungulata and Litopterna constrained as monophyletic, the two clades are recovered as sister to Perissodactyla. Anatomical data sampled thus far for Thomashuxleya, combined with collagen amino acids for Pleistocene meridiungulates, substantially limit the number of possible affinities for endemic South American species among mammals, although ambiguity still remains.


This staff paper describes research on grain reserve stocks as a means of achieving price stability. It is assumed that price stabilization is desirable and the question of desirability is not investigated in this study. The paper is divided into two parts: Part I: Concept and Measurement of Price Instability and a Model of Price-Stocks relations Part II: A Model of Optimal Buffer Stocks for Price Stabilization -- Theory and Computation


OBJECTIVE
To report piloerection and vasomotor instability as a sole manifestation of partial seizures.

DESIGN
Case report.

SETTING
Inpatient tertiary care center.

PATIENT
A 72-year-old man with acute onset of repetitive autonomic events.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Extensive cardiovascular evaluation, electroencephalographic testing, radiology, laboratory assessment, and frequency of clinical events (seizures).

RESULTS
We characterize an uncommon manifestation of right temporal lobe partial seizures, initially thought to be cardiovascular in origin, as pilomotor seizures accompanied by other autonomic phenomena. The ictal electroencephalogram recordings established the diagnosis of right temporal lobe seizures, and head magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated right mesial temporal T2 signal change, enhancement, and subsequent atrophy. The underlying etiology was not uncovered despite an extensive laboratory and radiological evaluation. However, given the history and imaging findings, an infectious or secondary immunological etiology was suspected.

CONCLUSIONS
Pilomotor events with other transient autonomic features, such as tachycardia and blood pressure fluctuations, may represent localization-related epilepsy. The acute onset of these events accompanied by other autonomic phenomena in the setting of focal magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities within the hippocampal region raises questions concerning pilomotor seizures as well as the differential diagnosis of acute seizure activity in the setting of neuroimaging findings characteristic for limbic encephalitis.


Humidity induced changes in the refractive index and thickness of polyethylene glycol (PEG) thin films are in situ determined by optical waveguide spectroscopy. PEG brushes are covalently attached to the surface of a thin gold film on a borosilicate crown glass (BK7) using a grafting-from chemical synthesis technique. The measurements are carried out in an attenuated total internal reflection setup. At low humidity levels, both the refractive index and the thickness change gradually due to swelling of the PEG thin films upon water intake. At around 80% relative humidity, a steep decrease in the refractive index and a steep increase in the thickness are observed as a result of a phase change from a semicrystalline state to a physical gel state. The hydrogenation of PEG films causes a less pronounced phase change from a semicrystalline state to a gel state. Due to fewer ether oxygen atoms available for the water molecules to make hydrogen bonding, the polymer has a more stable structure than before and the phase change is observed to shift to higher humidity levels. It is discussed that such a humidity induced change in the index of refraction can be utilized in constructing of a PEG based humidity sensor.


A discussion about which of the two factors, rich multipath (in NLOS) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (usually in LOS), affects the Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) channel capacity more is presented in this paper. is interesting discussion is investigated by performing simulations using simple circle scatterer model and WINNER II channel model. And the simulation shows that these two factors behave differently as the channel condition varyies. When the scatterer number in channel is low, the high receive SNR is more important to capacity. e multipath richness will have greater in�uence when the scatterer number exceeds a certain threshold. However, the channel capacity will not change much as the scatterers continue to increase.


Building an AI agent that can design on its own has been a goal since the 1980s. Recently, deep learning has shown the ability to learn from large-scale data, enabling significant advances in data-driven design. However, learning over prior data limits us only to solve problems that have been solved before and biases us towards existing solutions. The ultimate goal for a design agent is the ability to learn generalizable design behavior in a problem space without having seen it before. We introduce a self-learning agent framework in this work that achieves this goal. This framework integrates a deep policy network with a novel tree search algorithm, where the tree search explores the problem space, and the deep policy network leverages self-generated experience to guide the search further. This framework first demonstrates an ability to discover high-performing generative strategies without any prior data, and second, it illustrates a zero-shot generalization of generative strategies across various unseen boundary conditions. This work evaluates the effectiveness and versatility of the framework by solving multiple versions of two engineering design problems without retraining. Overall, this paper presents a methodology to self-learn high-performing and generalizable problem-solving behavior in an arbitrary problem space, circumventing the needs for expert data, existing solutions, and problem-specific learning.


It is widely held that, although the scope of linguistic freedom is indefinitely large, its very expansiveness is thought to be possible only in virtue of rules that constrain what can be said. I argue that this widely held view is wrong because it posits nomic constraints on language where there aren't any--i.e., where there are only customs and habits, or uses in contexts. What this widely held view needs is a permissive conception of linguistic agency. The argument for my thesis proceeds by testing a novel account of linguistic agency against three theories of language that assume this widely held view. All three test cases are unified by a critical analysis of how the linguistic agent is controlled, but differ in the types of controls they posit, e.g., by the linguistic content of the expressions the agent utters, by the agent's subpersonal language faculties, and by the agent's linguistic environment. The first test pits my conception of linguistic agency against Semantic Minimalism, which claims that truth-conditional content can be ascribed to sentences without reference to speakers' intentions or to context. In place of Semantic Minimalism, I argue for an utterance-based pragmatism about linguistic content. This alternative is truer to the interpretation of, and truthconditions for, actual utterances made by real speakers. The second test pits actual, performative utterances against the assumptions of generative grammar. Whereas generative grammar has assumed that the seat of language is the subpersonal, competence system of a speaker, I suggest a realist alternative that rejects the privileging of the subpersonal in favor of a usage-based model that integrates performative aspects of language use. The third test pits the lone speaker against her linguistic community. Contra this final view, I argue for a leaner, sparser, interpretation-based alternative to the externalist tradition. From these points of departure, a maximally rich conception of the linguistic agent emerges. This conception stresses that language is usage-based, that meanings are constructs in contexts between speakers and interpreters, and that we should favor contextualism, maximalism, and pragmatism over the alternatives


In a pilot clinical trial, treatment of patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma with the combination of fluorouracil (5FU) and recombinant interferon alfa-2a (IFN) resulted in objective tumor regression in 62% of patients. To confirm these findings in a multiinstitutional setting, a phase II clinical trial was initiated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) in 1989. The treatment regimen was identical to that used in the earlier study: 5FU 750 mg/m2/d for 5 days as a continuous infusion followed by weekly outpatient bolus therapy and IFN 9MU subcutaneously beginning day 1 and administered three times per week. Doses were modified for gastrointestinal, hematologic, and neurologic toxicity and for fatigue, similarly to those used in the previous pilot trial. Thirty-eight patients were registered; 36 are evaluable for response (one lost to follow-up and one with nonmeasurable disease). All patients had metastatic or locally recurrent disease beyond the scope of resection; 31 of 38 had liver metastases, and 20 of 38 had two or more sites of involvement. Eight patients had grade 4 toxicities, including sepsis (nonneutropenic) (one), watery diarrhea (two), and granulocytopenia (six). Grade 3 neurologic toxicities were observed in two (5%) patients and included slurred speech and gait disturbance. Objective response was 42% (95% confidence interval [Cl], 27% to 58%), including one clinical complete responder and 14 partial responders. Among the responding patients, the median time to treatment failure was 8 months. Two patients remain on treatment at 10+ and 16+ months: median survival has not been reached. The results of this multiinstitutional trial suggest that the addition of IFN to 5FU enhances the objective response rates achieved in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma and that the toxicities of this regimen are acceptable.


Background to the topic
The number of women entering higher education has increased significantly over the last ten years, as have the numbers of women working in higher education and gaining promotion. However, women are still under-represented in senior management positions and among the professoriate. It is important to study women who have already succeeded in obtaining senior university positions and to identify the leadership skills and qualities that they bring to such roles.

Research questions/focus of the enquiry
The study explored women leaders 19 perspectives of their day to day experiences in higher education, longer term strategies and goals, relationships with colleagues and leadership styles. Factors affecting their role, such as prior management experience, training, support from departmental colleagues and senior university managers, were also investigated.

Research methods and/or mapping of the literature
Research findings confirm the continuing under-representation of women in management and leadership positions in higher education and their marginalisation in structural and cultural ways. An interpretive, case study approach was used in order to elicit the perspectives of 12 women on their leadership roles, using in-depth interviews. The study was carried out in two higher education institutions in England: a pre-1992 university and a new university. The sample of women leaders, six in each university, consisted of heads of departments and deans from arts, social science and business departments.

Theoretical framework
The study is situated within a feminist theoretical framework. Feminist research (e.g. Morley & Walsh, 1996) has highlighted the under-representation of women in higher education leadership, the cultural clashes and contradictory positioning of women, as well as the transformative potential of women leaders. The framework will foreground social and cultural dimensions of the study, and highlight barriers and opportunities for women leaders.

Research findings and/or contribution to knowledge
Some major themes emerged from the analysis of findings: the importance of prior experience and training; nature of the work and management styles; relationships with colleagues and senior managers. Gender issues, such as the tension between authority and caring aspects of the role, are identified. The complexity of the work, rewards and challenges, the difficulties faced by women leaders on a day to day basis, as well as the strengths and many positive attributes that women can bring to leadership roles, are all highlighted.

References
Blackmore,J. & Sachs,J. (2001) Women leaders in the restructured university. In A.Brooks & A.Mackinnon (Eds.) Gender and the restructured university. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.

Morley,L. & Walsh,V. (Eds.) (1996) Breaking boundaries: Women in higher education. London: Taylor & Francis.

Wisker, G. 1996. Empowering women in higher education. London: Kogan Page.


Controlled low-strength material (CLSM) is a self-consolidating cementitious material used as backfill in narrow trenches. The high content of aggregates and water in CLSM leads to a special behavior that is closer to soil than concrete. Consequently, mixture proportioning methodologies for conventional concrete do not apply to CLSM. The objective of this paper is to propose a new methodology to achieve the optimal composition that fulfills the flowability and compressive strength requirements of the material. Instead of computing the aggregate or the cement separately, all solid particles in the mixture are considered concurrently to estimate the water content in terms of water-to-solid ratio (W/S). In this way, the compressive strength can be modified without compromising the desired flowability. An example application is presented and an experimental program is conducted to validate this philosophy. The results confirm that the methodology proposed provides compositions that satisfy the main requirements of CLSM, thus representing a contribution to the use of more economical and adequate materials.


We report results of a wideband search for periodic gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars within the Orion spur towards both the inner and outer regions of our Galaxy. As gravitational waves interact very weakly with matter, the search is unimpeded by dust and concentrations of stars. One search disk (A) is 6.87° in diameter and centered on 20 h 10 m 54 . 71 s þ 33 ° 33 0 25 . 29 00 , and the other (B) is 7.45° in diameter and centered on 8 h 35 m 20 . 61 s − 46 ° 49 0 25 . 151 00 . We explored the frequency range of 50 – 1500 Hz and frequency derivative from 0 to − 5 × 10 − 9 Hz = s. A multistage, loosely coherent search program allowed probing more deeply than before in these two regions, while increasing coherence length with every stage. Rigorous follow-up parameters have winnowed the initial coincidence set to only 70 candidates, to be examined manually. None of those 70 candidates proved to be consistent with an isolated gravitational-wave emitter, and 95% confidence level upper limits were placed on continuous-wave strain amplitudes. Near 169 Hz we achieve our lowest 95% C.L. upper limit on the worst-case linearly polarized strain amplitude h 0 of 6 . 3 × 10 − 25 , while at the high end of our frequency range we achieve a worst-case upper limit of 3 . 4 × 10 − 24 for all polarizations and sky locations.


The Drini and ManfredoniaGulfswere investigated in May 2008 and April 2009, respectively. The gulfs are located in the South Eastern (GulfofDrini) and South Western (GulfofManfredonia)Adriatic Sea. The areas are partially influenced by two main Adriatic surface currents: the Eastern Adriatic Current-EAC that flows north-westward along the eastern side, and the Western Adriatic Current—WAC that flows south-eastward along the western side of the basin. The spatial variations of temperature, salinity, fluorescence, dissolved oxygen concentration, Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter—CDOM, nutrients, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton composition parameters in the two areas were observed and compared. CDOM regulates the penetration of UV light into the sea and plays an important role in many hydrological and biogeochemical processes on the sea surface layer including primary productivity. The phytoplankton specific diversity of the Gulf of Manfredonia showed a spring community with dinoflagellates (21 taxa) as the main important fraction, coccolithophorales (6 taxa) and diatoms with 10 identified taxa. The phytoplankton distribution along the eastern coast showed a different biodiversity: a prevalence of dinoflagellates (58 taxa) included harmful microalgae such as Alexandrium, Dinophysis and Lingulodinium genus. Diatoms were less abundant, among them Pseudo-nitzschia was also reported which could include some potentially toxic species. Nanoplankton are ever abundant in offshore waters and an exceptional bloom of cyanobacteria was registered in Buna-Boyana estuary due to strong industrial impact. The gulfs showed similar physical and biochemical characteristics despite the WAC carried out along the westernAdriatic Seathe water rich in nutrients from the major northern Italian rivers. No correlations were found between CDOM and chlorophyll a in the two areas and this implied that, probably, the primary source of CDOM might come from terrestrial input rather than the biological production from phytoplankton. The Gulf of Drini is impacted by the runoff of the Buna-Bojana River that makes this gulf an eutrophic area despite the mostly eastern side of the Adriatic being an oligotrophic basin.


Nonhomologous end joining is the most common mechanism of DNA double-strand break repair in human cells. Here we show that nonhomologous end joining can occur by two biochemically distinct pathways. One requires a fraction containing the Mre11-Rad50-NBS1 complex. The other requires a fraction containing a novel, ∼200-kDa factor that does not correspond to any of the previously described double-strand break repair proteins. The two pathways converge, sharing a common requirement for the DNA ligase IV-XRCC4 complex to catalyze the final step of phosphodiester bond formation. Whereas the Mre11-Rad50-NBS1-dependent pathway does not require, and may be inhibited by, DNA-dependent protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation, the new pathway depends on this phosphorylation for release from a DNA-dependent protein kinase-mediated reaction checkpoint. The existence of two distinct pathways, which are differentially regulated by the DNA-dependent protein kinase, provides a possible explanation for the selective repair defects seen in DNA-dependent protein kinase-deficient mutants.


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world and the second most common type of cancer that causes death in women. The timely and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer using histopathological images is crucial for patient care and treatment. Pathologists can make more accurate diagnoses with the help of a novel approach based on computer vision techniques. This approach is an ensemble model of two pretrained vision transformer models, namely, Vision Transformer (ViT) and Data-Efficient Image Transformer (DeiT). The ViTDeiT ensemble model is a soft voting model that combines the ViT model and the DeiT model. The proposed ViT-DeiT model classifies breast cancer histopathology images into eight classes, four of which are categorized as benign, whereas the others are categorized as malignant. The BreakHis public dataset is used to evaluate the proposed model. The experimental results show 98.17% accuracy, 98.18% precision, 98.08% recall, and a 98.12% F1 score, which outperform existing classification models.


At the current stage of development of Russia's financial system, with quite high risks and interest rates, with only just gaining strength the stock market and the upcoming large-scale entering the domestic companies interest in the theory and practice of functioning of developed markets for financial instruments is obvious. Today, Finance of a business entity is an indicator of its competitiveness, indicator of its viability in a market economy. The complexity and diversity of internal and external financial relations of the enterprise determines the need for the effective management of its finances. Financial management of individual businesses was allocated in the countries with developed market economies in the early twentieth century in a special field of knowledge which is called "Financial management". The effectiveness of each control system largely depends on its information systems. In conditions of transition to market economy the known formula "time - money" is supplemented with the similar formula: "the information - money". With reference to financial management it acquires a direct sense. Keywords : financial management, management system, management finances, enterprise JEL Classifications : G02, G03, G32


Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are produced as protein complexes by bacteria of the genus Clostridium that are Gram-positive, anaerobic and spore forming (Clostridium botulinum, C. butyricum, C. baratii and C. argentinense spp.). BoNTs show a high immunological and genetic diversity. Therefore, fast, precise, and more reliable detection methods are still required to monitor outbreaks and ensure surveillance of botulism. The botulinum toxin field also comprises therapeutic uses, basic research studies and biodefense issues. This review presents currently available detection methods, and new methods offering the potential of enhanced precision and reproducibility. While the immunological methods offer a range of benefits, such as rapid analysis time, reproducibility and high sensitivity, their implementation is subject to the availability of suitable tools and reagents, such as specific antibodies. Currently, the mass spectrometry approach is the most sensitive in vitro method for a rapid detection of active or inactive forms of BoNTs. However, these methods require inter-laboratory validation before they can be more widely implemented in reference laboratories. In addition, these surrogate in vitro models also require full validation before they can be used as replacement bioassays of potency. Cell-based assays using neuronal cells in culture recapitulate all functional steps of toxin activity, but are still at various stages of development; they are not yet sufficiently robust, due to high batch-to-batch cell variability. Cell-based assays have a strong potential to replace the mouse bioassay (MBA) in terms of BoNT potency determination in pharmaceutical formulations; they can also help to identify suitable inhibitors while reducing the number of animals used. However, the development of safe countermeasures still requires the use of in vivo studies to complement in vitro immunological or cell-based approaches.


As higher education is being internationalized globally, it is also not rare to find degree programs delivered in English, the world's lingua franca, in countries where English is learned as a foreign language. In mainland China, such courses are available for bachelor and master's degrees. Accordingly, students in those programs have to meet the academic English requirements, by which writing is assumed to be the most challenging. This small-scale research was conducted among 81 mainland non-English-major students studying in the taught postgraduate program in Hong Kong, with the instruments of questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Within the framework of needs analysis, it reports their detailed perceptions of English academic writing. Results indicate that those upper-intermediate language learners are generally able to get accustomed to academic writing in English, but some writing skills, and particularly language issues (academic lexis, grammar, and style) pose challenges to their studies. The article concludes with some feasible pedagogical implications for updating the university English education system in mainland China.


Background and Aims: The effects of injuries and stress from coronavirus on people in the community may affect various dimensions, including lifestyle, quality of life, mental and physical health. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of static and dynamic balance, quality of life, and the rate of musculoskeletal pain between healthy and COVID-19 disease individuals. Methods: The present study was descriptive and comparative causal. The statistical population of the present study was people with a history of coronavirus and healthy people aged 20-30 years. The subjects were selected from Qom, Tehran, and Mashhad, each of which included 40 people with coronavirus (20 males and 20 females), 40 healthy individuals (20 males and 20 females). They were divided into two groups: patient and healthy. In this study, modified stork and Y balance tests were used to evaluate the performance of static and dynamic balance, respectively. The Nordic questionnaire was used to assess the rate of musculoskeletal pain, and the SF-36 questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life. Results: The independent t-test showed a significant difference between static and dynamic balance variables and quality of life between the two groups (P<0.05), and healthy individuals showed higher scores in balance tests and better performance in the quality of life. The results of the Mann–Whitney U test showed that in the values related to musculoskeletal pain in the neck, shoulders, upper back, elbows, wrist, lower back, thighs, knees, ankles in the last seven days between the two groups, there was a significant difference between men and women (P<0.05) so that people with coronavirus recorded more pain. Also, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the rate of musculoskeletal pain in the last twelve months (P<0.05). Conclusion: It is suggested that the present study results be used to increase the general information of the community. People with coronavirus and even healthy people during quarantine and exposure to this disease should pay special attention to physical fitness and the amount of musculoskeletal pain in different parts of the body to keep their physical and mental fitness and quality of life at the optimal level.


Ridge and runnel features were originally described by King and WiIliams (1949) from observations at Blackpool beach (U.K.) and laboratory experiments. They were characterised as intertidal, shore-parallel sandbars (ridges), commonly 2–6 bars in total, and disconnected from each other by troughs (runnels). The nomenclature 'ridge and runnel' was, however, also used by Hayes (1967) to describe multiple-barred beaches but referring to subtidal bars. The more specific term 'Multiple Inter-Tidal Bars' (MITB) was subsequently adopted for intertidal beaches exhibiting successive shore-parallel sandbars. To date, a detailed understanding of the formation of MITB has remained elusive and their precise definition is still unclear. It has been suggested that MITB features are the result of both swash and surf zone processes acting on the intertidal beach profile. These processes are involved in the formation, the long-term persistence, and behaviour of MITB. Despite the long-term persistence of MITB systems they are dynamic at short timescales. Ridge crest positions are regularly modified over each tidal cycle by successive surf and swash processes. At seasonal scales, ridges may undergo erosion and cross-shore migration under high energy conditions (winter) while ridges are well developed during summers. Via a meta-analysis of 93 separate published works at 67 sites globally, we define MITB, characterise their morphodynamics and assess their global distribution. Our study shows that the distribution of MITB is a function of thresholds in beach slope (< 0.02), tidal range (3–10 m), and wave period (3–8 s). They are developed at sites with sufficient sediment supply, limited wind and wave fetch, mesoto macrotidal (> 3 m) and on low gradient (wide) intertidal beach slopes.


This paper provides a historical overview of the South African trade union movement, followed by a brief discussion of the labour market legislation and institutions formed since 1994. Thereafter, a detailed evaluation of the impact of trade unions, legislation, and institutions on labour market outcomes in South Africa is provided, and it is found that despite a long history, trade union membership levels, their impact on average wage levels, and their pursuit of strike action, has resulted in relatively benign economic impacts within country and relative to other economies around the world. The political-economy effects shaping the country's employment relations are then discussed.


This study puts forth the synergistic effect of fiber concentration and maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (PE-g-MA) compatibilization on the abrasive wear properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. Composites including carbon, basalt, jute and coconut short fibers with different weight ratios were processed by melt blending and then tested by using a pin-on-disc abrasive wear tester in dry sliding conditions. The test rig was also equipped with a vacuum system, for the first time, to promote two-body abrasive wear of the composites by reducing the wear debris which may be trapped in the wear track and alter the wear properties. In addition, fiber and coupling agent concentrations and test parameters were investigated using L16 full-factorial experimental design and the relationships between these parameters and wear behaviors of the composites were analyzed on the basis of the findings. This work clearly shows that high rigidity obtained by fiber contribution was not beneficial from the abrasive wear resistance point of view, due to repeated plowing effect of the counterpart material under the test conditions. Nevertheless, basalt fiber-reinforced composites showed higher wear resistance than other composites. Except for coconut fibers, PE-g-MA exhibited good miscibility between fibers and matrix, and thus an enhancing effect on the hardness values, and also wear resistance of the samples. Briefly, the rigidity and miscibility of the composites were found in balance for optimum wear rates.


Part I of this article will concentrate generally on the Hague Convention with an overview of the treaty's provisions and the history behind its inception. Part II concentrates specifically on the Child's Objection Clause - which allows a court to consider the objection of an abducted child of sufficient age and maturity to being returned to the country of his habitual residence after an international abduction - and reviews the legislative history of this clause, and United States case law interpreting this provision. Part III examines the various policy arguments for and against the current interpretation of the Child's Objection Clause and evaluates whether those policy interests are adequately considered under the current system. Finally, Part IV concentrates specifically on how the courts can more effectively consider children's objections in order to further both children's rights and the objectives of the Hague Convention.


In this paper, we present a method (Action-Fusion) for human action recognition from depth maps and posture data using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Two input descriptors are used for action representation. The first input is a depth motion image that accumulates consecutive depth maps of a human action, whilst the second input is a proposed moving joints descriptor which represents the motion of body joints over time. In order to maximize feature extraction for accurate action classification, three CNN channels are trained with different inputs. The first channel is trained with depth motion images (DMIs), the second channel is trained with both DMIs and moving joint descriptors together, and the third channel is trained with moving joint descriptors only. The action predictions generated from the three CNN channels are fused together for the final action classification. We propose several fusion score operations to maximize the score of the right action. The experiments show that the results of fusing the output of three channels are better than using one channel or fusing two channels only. Our proposed method was evaluated on three public datasets: 1) Microsoft action 3-D dataset (MSRAction3D); 2) University of Texas at Dallas-multimodal human action dataset; and 3) multimodal action dataset (MAD) dataset. The testing results indicate that the proposed approach outperforms most of existing state-of-the-art methods, such as histogram of oriented 4-D normals and Actionlet on MSRAction3D. Although MAD dataset contains a high number of actions (35 actions) compared to existing action RGB-D datasets, this paper surpasses a state-of-the-art method on the dataset by 6.84%.


Objective: To evaluate the interference of supervised resistance and aerobic training in glycemic levels during and after 36 sessions, belonging to a training period of three months in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as the comparison of both exercise training. Methods: This is a experimental study with twelve T2DM patients, all sedentary and attended by the Specialized Care Center of Vicosa-MG, randomized into aerobic (n = 6.54 ± 5 years) and resisted (n = 6.58 ± 9 years) groups. Capillary glycemia was collected before (M1), during (M2) and after (M3) each exercise session for 12 weeks with a weekly frequency of three days. It was used ANOVA for repeated measures followed by Tukey and Student's test. Results: A mean drop in capillary glycemia was observed between M1 and M2 (p = 0.001), M2 and M3 (p = 0.001) and M1 and M3 (p = 0.001) in both groups. Conclusion: It is concluded that aerobic and resistance exercise training caused a decreased in the blood glucose during exercise sessions. The findings showed that both modes of exercise are important in the hyperglycemic treatment of T2DM patients.


ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica degrades 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) in a coenzyme B12-dependent manner. Previous enzymatic assays of crude cell extracts indicated that a phosphotransacylase (PTAC) was needed for this process, but the enzyme involved was not identified. Here, we show that the pduL gene encodes an evolutionarily distinct PTAC used for 1,2-PD degradation. Growth tests showed that pduL mutants were unable to ferment 1,2-PD and were also impaired for aerobic growth on this compound. Enzyme assays showed that cell extracts from a pduL mutant lacked measurable PTAC activity in a background that also carried a pta mutation (the pta gene was previously shown to encode a PTAC enzyme). Ectopic expression of pduL corrected the growth defects of a pta mutant. PduL fused to eight C-terminal histidine residues (PduL-His8) was purified, and its kinetic constants were determined: the V max was 51.7 ± 7.6 μmol min−1 mg−1, and the Km values for propionyl-PO42− and acetyl-PO4 2− were 0.61 and 0.97 mM, respectively. Sequence analyses showed that PduL is unrelated in amino acid sequence to known PTAC enzymes and that PduL homologues are distributed among at least 49 bacterial species but are absent from the Archaea and Eukarya.


Perceptual expertise is traditionally associated with enhanced brain activity in response to objects of expertise in category-selective visual cortex, primarily face-selective regions. We reevaluated this view by investigating whether the brain activity associated with expertise in object recognition is limited to category-selective cortex and specifically whether the extent of expertise-related activity manifests automatically or whether it can be top-down modulated. We conducted 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies comparing changes in hemodynamic activity associated with car expertise in a conventional 1-back task (Experiment 1) and when the task relevance of cars was explicitly manipulated (Experiment 2). Whole-brain analysis unveiled extensive expertise-related activity throughout the visual cortex, starting as early as V1 and extending into nonvisual areas. However, when the cars were task irrelevant, the expertise-related activity drastically diminished, indeed, becoming similar to the activity elicited by cars in novices. We suggest that expertise entails voluntary top-down engagement of multiple neural networks in addition to stimulus-driven activation associated with perceptual mechanisms.


The diffraction efficiency of amplitude holograms recorded on photographic emulsions is shown to be independent of the thickness of the emulsion layer. This can be explained theoretically under the assumption that the exposure modulation is not too high, i.e., for high and moderate beam ratios K. With this assumption it is possible to demonstrate the equivalence of Kogelnik's equation using a coupled-wave theory for thick holograms and the equations derived by Kaspar and Lamberts for thin holograms. This is true even though the former contains an explicit dependence on thickness and the latter equation includes only the MTF of the emulsion and the slope of the amplitude-transmittance log-exposure characteristic of the emulsion. This conclusion is demonstrated experimentally by measuring the diffraction efficiency for two series of very-fine-grain emulsions, which differ only in the thickness of the emulsion layer.


The paper used the CCl4 solutions of three kinds of petroleum as experimental subject, and a series of 3-dimentional fluorescence spectra were obtained by a fluorescence spectrometer. 3-D fluorescence data of different samples consisted three-way data arrays. The paper overlooked the specific components of petroleum pollutant, and each kind of petroleum was regarded as a whole, then PARAFAC method could obtain satisfactory spectrum decomposition result, and the concentration predictions of predicted set are shown in paper. When interfering substance exists, the method is effective similarly.


The present doctoral thesis studies and develops methodologies for turbulent combustion with the Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Three main objectives for present doctoral thesis were. First, development of LES methodology in curvilinear coordinates. LES formulation in curvilinear coordinates can be achieved in two ways, (1) conventional approach, where filtering is performed prior to the transformation, and (2) alternate approach, where filtering is performed after the transformation. In present work the conventional approach was preferred than the alternate approach. Furthermore, filtering in physical space introduces a commutation error between filtering and differentiation due to non uniform meshes. The commutation filter, which can commute upto any order of accuracy were discussed in generalized coordinates. The LES module in generalized coordinate was implemented in the in-house RANS code. The methodology was validated by performing the LES of pipe, 3D lid driven cavity, Backward facing step, axisymmetric dump combustor with and without swirl. Furthermore, the influence of numerical scheme, discretization, subgrid model, grid resolution were explored for LES. The second objective of the present doctoral research was development of the Eddy Dissipation Concept for turbulent combustion (EDC) for LES. EDC assumes that combustion take place in the fine structure and they are located in the isolated regions. In RANS, the fine structure regions are estimated based on the full cascading in the each numerical cell, however this was not applicable for the LES, where either partial cascading or no cascading take place in the each numerical cell. In present work fine structure regions were formulated considering the partial cascading. Furthermore, in LES the turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation are not computed explicitly, therefore the fine structure length and velocity scales, based on the eddy viscosity were proposed. The LES-EDC was validated by performing the LES of many diffusion flames i.e. Sandia Flame D, Flame H3, Flame DLR and Flame ETH. The last objective was to extend the applicability of the EDC for predicting the pollutant such as NOx with low computational effort. Estimation of minor species such as NOx requires modelling of detailed chemical kinetics with eddy dissipation concept model, which is a computationally expensive procedure specially in large industrial burners with LES. A method was presented, where EDC with fast chemistry approach was used for major species mass fractions. A mixture fraction was formulated from the major species mass fractions and a transport equation for the NOx was solved, where source term was estimated as a function of mixture fraction from flamelet tables.


Atmospheric radon-222 (222Rn) variability is analyzed and compared with model simulations made by the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM), with three horizontal resolutions (223, 56, and 14 km), in order to understand high 222Rn events predominantly caused by frontal activities. Seasonal variations of event frequency are well reproduced by the model, with correlation coefficients of 0.79 (223 km) to 0.99 (14 km). The three horizontal resolutions can reproduce general features of the observed peak shapes of events in winter, which dominantly reflect the passage of cold fronts that trap dense amounts of 222Rn. Peak height and width are well reproduced by the 56 km and 14 km resolution models, while the 223 km resolution model shows much lower and broader peaks due to insufficient resolution. We also find that simulations of 222Rn and equivalent potential temperature gradient ( |Ñθe | ) during the events show similar horizontal distributions around the 222Rn observation station, suggesting |Ñθe | is a useful tool to understand the variability of atmospheric components around fronts. Consequently, model with horizontal resolution of 56 km and 14 km can well simulate spatiotemporal variations of atmospheric components driven by frontal activities, while 223 km resolution is not enough to reproduce them. (Citation: Ishijima, K., M. Takigawa, Y. Yamashita, H. Yashiro, C. Kodama, M. Satoh, K. Tsuboi, H. Matsueda, Y. Niwa, and S. Hirao, 2018: Analysis of high radon-222 concentration events using multi-horizontal-resolution NICAM simulations. SOLA, 14, 111−115, doi:10.2151/sola.2018-019.)


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate rates and causes of visual loss among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis before widespread availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

METHODS
Data from 681 patients with AIDS and newly diagnosed or relapsed CMV retinitis who enrolled in 3 clinical trials conducted by the Studies of Ocular Complications of AIDS (SOCA) Research Group (between 1990 and 1996) were combined to evaluate the rates and causes of visual loss. Visual acuity and visual field (Goldmann visual fields) losses were evaluated.

RESULTS
The rates of visual loss in eyes with CMV retinitis were substantial in all 3 clinical trials, ranging from 51.7 to 97.7 events per 100 eye-years for loss of visual acuity to worse than 20/40 and 18.9 to 49.1 events per 100 eye-years for loss of visual acuity to 20/200 or worse. The 2 major causes of visual loss were retinitis, involving either the macula or the optic nerve, and retinal detachment. After 1992, visual outcomes improved significantly. Antiretroviral therapy was associated with a 30% reduction in the risk of visual acuity loss (relative risk, 0.70; P =.02).

CONCLUSIONS
In the pre-HAART era, visual morbidity was substantial. However, there was a secular trend for improved outcomes. The principal causes of visual loss were CMV involvement of the posterior retina and retinal detachment.


BACKGROUND: Heart Team decision-making for patients with complex coronary disease is a new concept in patient management, increasingly supported by guidelines. Although the Heart Team concept is supported by theory, there are little real-world data on implementation and prevalence. We sought to assess the prevalence of Heart Teams, and their impact on collaborative practice.

METHODS: The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium and Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons performed a survey of 31 hospitals in Michigan where percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is performed. This survey was performed in 5/2011, before Heart Teams were recommended in National Guidelines. Physicians from each hospital were asked about the presence of a Heart Team or Case Conference, the frequency of collaboration, and the subjective level of collaboration (using a five-point Likert-type scale). We assessed the level of agreement between respondents from the same hospital about whether a Heart Team was active at their hospital. Due to disagreement at several hospitals, we classified them into Definite, Possible, or No Heart Team groups.

RESULTS: Fifty-three physicians responded, representing 27/31 (87.1%) of hospitals surveyed. Seven hospitals out of 27 (25.9%) reported either a Heart Team or combined Case Conference, while 11/27 hospitals (40.7%) reported no Heart Team or Case Conference. There was disagreement about the presence of a Heart Team at 7/27 (25.9%) of hospitals and about Case Conferences at 9/27 (33.3%) of hospitals. There were few significant differences in the size or characteristics of hospitals between Heart Team groups. All Heart Team hospitals were teaching hospitals, compared with 73% (8/11) of non-Heart Team hospitals (p=0.056). The reported level of collaboration was significantly higher at Heart Team hospitals; this was reported as very good or best possible (4 or 5 out of 5) by 83.8% (31/37) of possible or definite Heart Team hospital respondents, compared with 50% (8/16) of respondents from hospitals without Heart Teams (p=0.017). Communication about patients undergoing multivessel PCI was higher at Heart Team hospitals (p=0.005).

Discussion: This is the first report on the prevalence of Heart Teams in real-world practice, prior to the release of guidelines supporting their implementation. The most important findings of this study are the low initial prevalence of Heart Teams, and the level of disagreement between survey respondents about whether their hospital has a Heart Team or Case Conference. The survey shows higher levels of collaboration at hospitals with Heart Teams or Case Conferences. As Heart Teams become more widespread, more formal definition of the implementation and activities of a Heart Team will be crucial. Further study is needed to clarify the institutional characteristics that lead to a successful Heart Team.


Despite a common agreement on the necessity of the application of the separation of concerns (SOC) principle, there is not yet a consensus for its key issues. The separation of the concerns is usually based on the adopted programming paradigm, the applied method or even the programming language. This paper presents the so-called six 'C' properties that can be applied as a guideline for defining and evaluating the approaches that adopt the SOC principle.