The errors that Java programmers are likely to encounter can roughly be categorized into three groups: compile-time (semantic and syntactic), logical, and runtime (exceptions). While much work has focused on the first two, there are very few tools that exist for interpreting the sometimes cryptic messages that result from runtime errors. Novice programmers in particular have difficulty dealing with uncaught exceptions in their code and the resulting stack traces, which are by no means easy to understand. We present Backstop, a tool for debugging runtime errors in Java applications. This tool provides more user-friendly error messages when an uncaught exception occurs, and also provides debugging support by allowing users to watch the execution of the program and the changes to the values of variables. We also present the results of two preliminary studies conducted on introductory-level programmers using the two different features of the tool.


Globally, it is estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of edible food are lost every year, which is one-third of the food available. Food is lost throughout various stages of the food supply chain (production and harvesting, postharvest handling, processing, distribution and consumption), but where the main losses are, differs between countries. In medium- and high-income countries, food is mostly wasted in the kitchen or at the end of the supply chain by consumers. In low-income countries, food is mainly lost during the early and middle stages of the food chain because of the drawbacks in the farming, harvesting, packaging and often a non- existing or poor cold chain. This paper gives data for the food losses in the world, with special focus on China and India. Examples of measures to reduce food losses are given, with focus on improved cold chain.


Abstract When Sir John Franklin's expedition ships, lost since 1845, were found in the Arctic in 2014 and 2016, respectively, they were referred to several times in the media as ghost ships. However, such a comparison is not new. In 1862, an article linking the disappearance of the Franklin expedition to that of a ghost ship in Antarctic waters appeared in a newly founded German geographic journal aimed at a general audience. The story of the ghost ship Jenny in the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica would probably have been long forgotten had it not appeared again in this journal in English translation a century later. Since then, the story has appeared again and again in publications about mysterious phenomena, without succeeding in answering the question of whether such a ship ever existed at all. Instead of continuing to look for evidence of the actual existence of the ship, the following article not only presents the sources of the 1862 journal article but also examines how the story itself might have originated. In addition to a well-known legend about a ghost ship in the Arctic waters of Greenland, which will also be analysed in greater detail, oral tales and tradition about two almost forgotten voyages into Antarctic waters and a well-known one have probably also been incorporated into the tale of the ghost ship Jenny. All translations from German are by the author.


Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in the city of Sanliurfa in Turkey. Methods: Thirty-two cases that had been diagnosed as HL and of which complete clinical and histopathological information could be fully accessed at our hospital clinics between 2002 and 2013 were included in the present study. The clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical findings were retrospectively examined. Results: The male/female ratio was 2.2. The average age of the subjects was 29.9±24.4. The distribution of the ages of these cases, in terms of decades, was 31.3% in the first decade, 9.4% in the second decade, 21.9% in the third decade, 6.3% in the fourth decade and 28.1% in the fifth or a subsequent decade. The most frequent localization site was cervical region (56.3%). The most frequent symptom was pain-free lymphadenopathy (81.3%). On a macroscopic level, 68.8% of them were found to have lymphatic nodes that were larger than normal. With respect to the histological sub-types, nearly every case was classical HL, 40.6% of the cases were identified as having the mixed cellular type, 40.6% had the nodular sclerosing type and 9.4% had the lymphocyte rich type. Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells were CD15-positive in 91.6% of the cases, CD30-positive in 100% and CD20-positive in 20%. Conclusion: Our epidemiological data are generally compatible with data from both underdeveloped and developing countries. The results of immunohistochemical staining that we have obtained in this study are in line with the literature data.


This work reports the design and synthesis of novel alkylamides, characterized by a dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene nucleus, as melatonin (MLT) receptor ligands. The tricyclic scaffold was chosen on the basis of previous quantitative structure-activity studies on MT1 and MT2 antagonists, relating selective MT2 antagonism to the presence of an aromatic substituent out of the plane of the MLT indole ring. Some dibenzo seven-membered structures were thus selected because of the noncoplanar arrangement of their benzene rings, and an alkylamide chain was introduced to fit the requirements for MLT receptor binding, namely, dibenzocycloheptenes with an acylaminoalkyl side chain at position 10 and dibenzoazepines with this side chain originating from the nitrogen atom bridging the two phenyl rings. Binding affinity at human cloned MT1 and MT2 receptors was measured by 2-[125I]iodomelatonin displacement assay and intrinsic activity by the GTPgammaS test. The majority of the compounds were characterized by higher affinity at the MT2 than at the MT1 receptor and by very low intrinsic activity values, thus confirming the importance of the noncoplanar arrangement of the two aromatic rings for selective MT2 antagonism. Dibenzocycloheptenes generally displayed higher MT1 and MT 2affinity than dibenzoazepines. N-(8-Methoxy-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-10-ylmethyl)propionamide (4c) and -butyramide (4d) were the most selective MT2 receptor antagonists of the series, with MT2 receptor affinity comparable to that of melatonin and as such among the highest reported in the literature for MLT receptor antagonists. The acetamide derivative 4b produced a noticeable reduction of GTPgammaS binding at MT2 receptor, thus being among the few inverse agonists described.


We describe here LOTUS, a hitherto uncharacterized small globular domain, which was identified using sensitive sequence profile analysis. The LOTUS domain is found in germline-specific proteins that are present in the nuage/polar granules of germ cells. TDRD5 and TDRD7, two mammalian members of the germline Tudor group, possess three copies of the LOTUS domain in their extreme N-termini. The Tudor domains of these proteins bind symmetric dimethyl arginines present on the germ cell-specific Piwi proteins, which form a particular clade of Argonaute proteins. Piwi proteins interact with a specific class of non-coding RNAs [piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs)] and play a key role in the repression (silencing) of transposons and possibly other germline-specific functions. A LOTUS domain is also present in the Oskar protein, a critical component of the pole plasm in the Drosophila oocyte, which is required for germ cell formation. LOTUS domains are found in various proteins from metazoans and plants, are often associated with RNA-specific modules and are likely to adopt a winged helix fold. This suggests a germline-specific role in the mRNA localization and/or translation or a specific function toward piRNAs.


Last weekend, the Indonesian police took 43 West Papuan students into custody for allegedly disrespecting the Indonesian flag during an independence day celebration (an allegation the students deny). Police stormed the students' dorm and used teargas to force them out, while bystanders and officers called them "monkeys", a derogatory term for ethnically Melanesian Papuans. West Papuans have long been cast by Indonesians as primitive people from the Stone Age, and this racist treatment continues to this day. West Papuan author Filep Karma described the extent of racism against West Papuans in his 2014 book, As If We Are Half-Animal: Indonesia's Racism in Papua Land, saying he often heard Indonesians call West Papuans monkeys. This latest episode of discrimination builds on more than five decades of racism, torture, summary executions, land dispossession and cultural denigration of West Papuans by Indonesian security forces. Disciplines Education | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Webb-Gannon, C. (2019). Riots in West Papua: why Indonesia needs to answer for its broken promises. The Conversation, 21 August 1-5. This journal article is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/4470


This paper studies how electoral incentives influence the outcomes of political negotiations. It considers a game between two political parties that have to bargain over which policy to implement. While bargaining, the parties' popularity varies over time. Changes in popularity are partly exogenous and partly driven by the parties' actions. There is an election scheduled at a future date and the party with more popularity at the election date wins the vote. Electoral incentives can have substantial effects on bargaining outcomes. Periods of gridlock may arise when the election is close and parties have similar levels of popularity.


This report contains simulations of performance for different versions of ADSL, VDSL and SHDSL in 0.4 mm twisted pair cables. An important part of the work has been to investigate the compatibility between different DSL systems. The range of SHDSL system compliant with ITU G.991.2 Annex G has been analysed. These systems allow for bitrates up to 3.848 Mbit/s and 5.696 Mbit/ for 16-PAM and 32-PAM systems respectively. The overall conclusion is that downstream ADSL and ADSL2+ is compatible with both SHDSL Annex G and HDSL systems. The degradation in bitrate of downstream ADSL due to these systems is moderate, less than 13% compared to a cable containing only ADSL systems. ADSL subloop means that an ADSL DSLAM is installed between the local exchange and the subscriber. The purpose is to reduce the loop length between the DSLAM and the subscriber in order to increase the bitrate. This subloop signal will represent a strong interference in the downstream direction of the ADSL systems from the local exchange. As is shown in Section 7 in this report there is a severe degradation in the downstream direction of the ADSL system from the local exchange. The remedy to reduce this degradation is to use power backoff in the subloop systems. Use of power backoff regimes is not analysed in this report. The potential bitrates for VDSL2 systems have been analysed for bandplans 997 and 998. The simulations show that bandplan 997 will give almost symmetrical up- and downstream bitrates for the cables less than 800 meters, whereas for bandplan 998 the downstream/upstream ratio is close to 2:1. Three different bandwidths have been analysed, 12 MHz, 17 MHz and 30 MHz. The frequency bands above 12 MHz are used only for loop lengths less than 800 meters. The frequency bands above 17 MHz are used only for loop lengths less than 650 meters. Bandplans that makes use of the lowest upstream band U0 can still provide adequate upstream capacity (1 Mbit/s) even for loop lengths in excess of 2 km. The downstream bitrate is significant (17-18 Mbit/s) for both 997 and 998 at these lengths.


The most common aetiological factors of acute pancreatitis in an unselected group of 215 consecutive surgical patients were biliary tract disease (40.0%), alcoholism (20.0%) and gastroduodenal ulcer (4.2%). In women, biliary tract disease was by far the most common cause (61.3%), but in men considerably high frequencies of alcoholism (48.3%) and gastroduodenal ulcer (15.7%) were noted as at least one possible aetiological factor. This deserves a special notation when contemplating prophylactic measures to prevent recurrences of acute pancreatitis.


A new approach to analog simulation and study of the neuron is proposed. This approach is based on recent physiological evidence which indicates that the individual nerve cell is functionally much more complex than the classical view of a synaptic region coupled directly to a spike or impulse-generating region. At least two different intermediate regions have been found. One provides a reliable low-frequency timing or pacemaker function; the other provides nonlinear amplification of both the synaptic and the pacemaker potentials. In addition, the synaptic regions have been found to provide a large variety of complicated interneural transfer functions. In the view presently held by many physiologists, the spatial distribution of these functionally distinct regions within a single neuron would determine its information-processing capabilities. The behavior of each of the functionally distinct regions of the neuron is discussed in this paper. Simple transistor circuits which may be used to simulate individual regions are also described. Groups of these circuits may be connected to form analogs of the entire neuron or any part thereof. Special emphasis is placed here on the synaptic functions, with only a cursory discussion being given for the other regions. It is hoped that networks of the type described in this paper will be of considerable use in future studies of the information processing capabilities of single nerve cells.


The Supreme Court often insists that Fourth Amendment rules must be objective. The doctrine should focus on what police officers do, not what they are thinking when they do it. Recently, however, Fourth Amendment law's objective facade has begun to crack. In a series of cases, the Supreme Court has introduced subjective tests. Fourth Amendment law is now best understood as a complex mix of subjective and objective tests. The Justices have not offered a clear explanation for why they use objective rules in some cases and subjective rules in others. But it should be clear that the Justices are making a choice, and that both subjective and objective approaches are in play.

This Article identifies the Supreme Court's recent turn to subjective rules and offers a normative framework for the choice between subjective and objective tests in Fourth Amendment law. It begins by reviewing existing caselaw and showing how it often hinges on an officer's subjective state of mind. The Article then offers a framework for choosing between objective and subjective tests. Subjective approaches can permit courts to craft narrower rules that better distinguish harmful from beneficial police practices. But the benefits of subjectivity depend on whether harms track subjectivity and whether states of mind can be determined reliably. To best achieve the aims of Fourth Amendment law, courts should consider in each context the civil liberties benefit of narrowing doctrine in light of the risk that a subjective test will be misapplied.


All kinds of factors affecting the efficiency of three phase asynchronous motor are studied, the methods of energy-saving and efficiency improvement of flame proof three phase asynchronous motor for fan are analyzed form the aspect of calculation of electromagnetism, selection of material, design of wind path, machining process etc, the practical optimizing methods are put forward and are verified through the product. The experiment show that the efficiency of the motor designed according to this method has improved greatly. So these methods provide some reference for the design of flame proof three phase asynchronous motor for fan. Other methods that could be used to saving energy are also analyzed in theory in the paper, which offer some reference for the enterprise using mining flame proof fan to seek the method of energy-saving and efficiency improvement.


The nano-carbon materials have attracted a lot of research interests since the discovery of C60 molecule in 1985 by Kroto et al. (1), and the first experimental evidence of tabular carbon structure from Iijima in 1991 (2). Current methods used for the preparation of nano-carbon materials, including chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and arc vaporisation (3), are commonly characterized by high cost and the high-pure carbonaceous precursor gasses. In this work, the potential of using coconut shell which is very cheap and readily available for the production of graphitic nano-carbon three-dimensional networks was investigated.


In patients who undergo surgery for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM), a number of somatic mutations have been associated with worse overall (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Although useful, an association with prognosis does not necessarily equate to an impact on surgical management. In this review, we investigate whether the best-studied somatic mutations impact surgical management of CRLM by informing: (I) post-hepatectomy surveillance; (II) selection of surgical technique; (III) selection of optimal margin width; and (IV) selection of patients for surgery. Lastly, we discuss the refinement of genetic data from overall mutation status to specific variants, as well as lesser studied somatic mutations. We conclude that genetic data may impact surgical management of CRLM in three ways. Firstly, KRAS mutations can predict lung recurrences. Secondly, KRAS mutations may help tailor both margin width and surgical technique. Lastly, using genetic data to guide surgical selection remains elusive, as the data cannot support denying surgery to patients according to their somatic mutation profile.


A comparative study of four antennal apical cones of diplopods is undertaken in two julids, Typhloblaniulus lorifer Brolemann and Cylindroiulus punctatus (Leach), and in a penicillate, Polyxenus lagurus (Linnaeus). The sensory cones, with an apical pore, show a comparatively similar structure. Sensory units converge on each of them. Each unit consists of a group of neurons, the dendrites of which are surrounded by two superposed sheath cells; all the units are also surrounded by other sheath cells overlapping one another at the base of the sensory cones. According to their structure the dendrites seem to belong to two types of neurons: chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors. The chemoreceptive dendrites are nearly always uniciliate and reach the cone tip. The mechanoreceptive dendrites are always biciliate. At the base of each antennal cone of P. lagurus the two tubular bodies of the single mechanoreceptive neuron surround the chemoreceptive distal segments of one sensory unit. In the sensory cones of the two julids, one mechanoreceptive neuron per sensory unit can be observed, i. e. more than 8 neurons per cone in the specimens studied; their tubular bodies occur in the cone lumen, at 3/4 of its length. Besides, in julids, ducts and a group of sensory cells can be observed, their four ciliary extensions being "free" inside the cone; the cone wall is provided with pores on 3/4 of its length. The possible double function, gustatory as well as tactile, is discussed.


Inflammation is a constant feature of tumors. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is rich in inflammatory cells and inflammatory mediators that strongly affect tumor growth and progression as well as metastatic spreading. It has been known for a while that tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) promote tumor growth, and accordingly several soluble factors, such as the CCL2 chemokine, the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, and TNFα, the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF are enriched in the TME (1). Nevertheless, no oncogene or oncosuppressor genes have been so far found to encode molecules belonging to the humoral innate immune system.

A main constituent of the soluble arm of innate immunity are the pentraxins, a superfamily of highly conserved immune effector molecules comprised the short pentraxins (C reactive protein, CRP, and serum amyloid P, SAP, component) and the long pentraxin PTX3 (2). Pentraxins interact with complement and with complement-regulating factors to effect microbe recognition and disposal, with wide-range implications for host defense and regulation of inflammation. Short pentraxins are synthesized in the liver and released in the blood at the inception of inflammation. On the contrary, PTX3 is produced locally, not only by macrophages and neutrophils but also by endothelial and smooth muscle cells, in response to cytokines, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), intact microbes, oxidized-LDL, or HDL. PTX3 has been shown to play an important role in resistance against selected pathogens, and is under evaluation as an antimicrobic agent.

Bonavita et al. now show that PTX3 has a pivotal role in controlling tumor growth, and this is related to its ability to modulate the inflammatory response (3). Carcinogenesis was investigated in Ptx3−/− and Ptx3+/+ mice treated with 3-methylcholantrene (3-MCA) or 7,12-dimethylbenz [α] anthracene/terephthalic acid (DMBA/TPA) to induce formation of sarcomas or papillomas/skin carcinomas, respectively. Twice as many Ptx3−/− mice developed sarcomas compared to Ptx3+/+, and incidence and multiplicity of papillomas and progression to carcinomas were also much higher in Ptx3−/−than in Ptx3+/+. Interestingly, and in support of the prevalent origin of PTX3 from immune cells, the main source of PTX3 were infiltrating leukocytes and endothelial cells, but not tumor cells. Since PTX3 had no direct effects on tumor cell growth, attention was focused on cancer-related inflammation (CRI). Sarcomas growing in Ptx3−/− host showed a much higher macrophage and neutrophil infiltrate, and higher levels of CCL2, CXCL2, TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β, and VEGF, suggesting an exacerbated tumor-associated inflammatory response. The crucial mechanistic link to dysregulated activation of inflammation in the Ptx3−/− mice was shown to be complement activation. Both C3 and C5a were found to be deposited in higher amounts in Ptx3−/− versus Ptx3+/+ homogenates, while the complement regulatory protein factor H was found significantly lower, suggesting that lack of PTX3 caused an unrestricted activation of complement-dependent inflammation as a consequence of defective factor H recruitment.

Inflammation is likely promoting cancer via multiple pathways, such as inhibition of anti-tumor cytotoxic responses, secretion of growth-promoting cytokines, release of angiogenic factors, but it may also favor tumor genetic instability. Bonavita et al. addressed this issue by investigating frequency of mutations in two genes, Trp53 and Kras, that are target of several carcinogens, 3-MCA included (3). Quite interestingly, while frequency of Kras mutations was not increased, frequency of Trp53 mutations was significantly higher in Ptx3−/− versus Ptx3+/+ mice, pointing to a progressive loss of Trp53-dependent oncosuppressor function in the Ptx3−/− host. Of relevance for human pathology, the Ptx3 gene was found to be silenced by methylation in several human tumors.

Macrophages, MDSCs, several cytokines, and growth factors are thought to be essential components of the TME and have a prominent role in tumor progression (4), while complement was not included so far within the components of tumor-promoting inflammation. Now, the study by Bonavita et al. shows that complement should be considered a factor of cancer-promoting inflammation in its own right, and identifies the long pentraxin PTX3 as a crucial modulator of the complement-dependent tumor-promoting pathway (3). These observations, on one hand, underline the role of PTX3 as an extrinsic tumor suppressor gene, and on the other, give an additional, paradigmatic, demonstration of the fundamental role played by inflammation in tumorigenesis.

Chronic, low-grade inflammation is a constant feature of all malignant tumors, whether they are epidemiologically related to inflammation or not. CRI can be due to stimulation of the host inflammatory response by tumor cells, or tumor cell-derived soluble factors, or to specific activation of inflammatory pathways by oncogenes. These different pathways result in the production of a cellular and biochemical microenvironment, the TME, that is conducive to tumor progression and metastatic spreading. However, how and whether host genes encoding inflammatory mediators determine tumor progression is an as yet open question. In this context, identification of the PTX3 gene as a key player in cancer may also help to better rationalize the role of inflammation in tumor growth.

We should not be dogmatic in the interpretation of CRI. Inflammation may not always be "good" for the tumor and "bad" for the host. We know that tumor-infiltrating immune cells (e.g., γδ IL-17-producing T cells, CD8+ T lymphocytes, or type I macrophages) can kill tumor cells (5), and that high TNFα doses can inhibit tumor growth (6). Coley (7) showed as early as the late 1890s that bacterial extracts could be used to treat cancer, and in the same years, similar observations on the "anti-cancer activity of inflammatory exudates" were also reported by the Italian Pathologist Eugenio Centanni. Nowadays, urologists use bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) for local treatment of bladder cancer, and with success! It is therefore clear that CRI can be "good" or "bad" for the host. How can we turn "bad" CRI into "good" CRI? It is likely that a switch might be located at the level of host inflammatory cells stimulation by PAMPs and/or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). The "Coley" "melange" of bacterial extracts, like the BCG suspension used in bladder cancer, promotes a strong TLR-mediated response that facilitates development of protective adaptive immunity. This favorable outcome might not only be due to an efficient PAMP recognition but also to a large and concomitant release of DAMPs by injured tumor as well as host cells. It has been proposed that the "way" tumor cells die, also as a consequence of chemotherapy, is crucial for the development of an efficient adaptive immune response (immunogenic cell death), since factors released from dying cells (e.g., ATP, calreticulin, or high-mobility group box 1, HMGB1, protein) prime tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells for an efficient Ag presentation to CD8+ T lymphocytes. Stimulation of the P2X7 receptor, activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and enhanced IL-1β release are components of this virtuous pathway. In addition, it should be noted that some experimental tumors have a stronger tendency than others to induce the generation of a "good" inflammatory microenvironment, protective for the host, probably because they are intrinsically and potently immunogenic. It is fair to say that molecular mechanisms that turn "good" into "bad" inflammation are not clear, yet every effort should be made to get a better insight into this crucial biological switch point because successful treatment of cancer patients might in the end reside in our ability to effectively modify CRI.


The analysis was applied to the situation on national market of immune-enzyme diagnosticums with further quantitative reporting of results. The issues of coincidence and interpretation of results and causes of discrepancy are considered The notions of biologic ambiguity and metrological traceability are explained.


We address the problem of construction of space-time codes for cooperative communications in block fading channels. More precisely, we consider a pragmatic approach based on the concatenation of convolutional codes and BPSK/QPSK modulation to obtain cooperative codes for relay networks, for which we derive the pairwise error probability, an asymptotic bound for frame error probability, and a design criterion to optimize both diversity and coding gain. Based on this framework, we set up a code search procedure to obtain a set of good pragmatic space-time codes (P-STCs) with overlay construction, suitable for cooperative communication with a variable number of relays in quasistatic channel, which outperform in terms of coding gain other space-time codes (STCs) proposed in the literature. We also find that, despite the fact that the implementation of pragmatic space-time codes requires standard convolutional encoders and Viterbi decoders with suitable generators and branch metric, thus having low complexity, they perform quite well in block fading channels, including quasistatic channel, even with a low number of states and relays.


The use of medicines can never be 100% safe, or 100% effective, and therefore each prescription is a balance of the intended benefits from using the medication versus the risks associated with it. Any patient using medicines may experience only the positive effects, only the negative effects, a combination of both positive and negative effects or no effects at all. The negative effects of medicines are referred to as 'adverse drug reactions' (ADRs) and are officially defined as 'A response to a medicinal product which is noxious and unintended'.1 A negative symptom or effect of a medicine may be categorised as an ADR regardless of how a drug has been used, and so includes abuse, overdose, industrial exposure, medication errors, and unlicensed and/or off-label use.

To generate data on ADRs, including identification of previously unsuspected ADRs, the UK set up one of the world's first spontaneous reporting schemes for collecting SUSPECTED ADRs in 1964. These data were initially collected by doctors who would complete a yellow-coloured card found at the back of the British National Formulary (BNF). Fifty years later, although the range of potential reporters and means of completion have evolved, the 'Yellow Card' Scheme continues to be a vitally important mechanism to collect these data. To identify the rarest ADRs, national data may not be sufficient, and so the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring was established in 1968 and has been coordinated by the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) in Sweden since 1978. The UMC is a WHO collaborating centre currently collecting, …


AIMS
Cardiac energy requirement is met to a large extent by oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria that are highly abundant in cardiac myocytes. Human mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD2) is a selenocysteine-containing enzyme essential for mitochondrial oxygen radical scavenging. Cardiac-specific deletion of Txnrd2 in mice results in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The aim of this study was to investigate whether TXNRD2 mutations explain a fraction of monogenic DCM cases.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Sequencing and subsequent genotyping of TXNRD2 in patients diagnosed with DCM (n = 227) and in DCM-free (n = 683) individuals from the general population sample KORA S4 was performed. The functional impact of observed mutations on Txnrd2 function was tested in mouse fibroblasts. We identified two novel amino acid residue-altering TXNRD2 mutations [175G > A (Ala59Thr) and 1124G > A (Gly375Arg)] in three heterozygous carriers among 227 patients that were not observed in the 683 DCM-free individuals. Both DCM-associated mutations result in amino acid substitutions of highly conserved residues in helices contributing to the flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-binding domain of TXNRD2. Functional analysis of both mutations in Txnrd2(-/-) mouse fibroblasts revealed that contrasting to wild-type (wt) Txnrd2, neither mutant did restore Txnrd2 function. Mutants even impaired the survival of Txnrd2 wt cells under oxidative stress by a dominant-negative mechanism.

CONCLUSION
For the first time, we describe mutations in DCM patients in a gene involved in the regulation of cellular redox state. TXNRD2 mutations may explain a fraction of human DCM disease burden.


Obesity represents a rapidly emerging epidemic amongst pregnant women. Our study looks at the impact of morbid obesity on pregnant singleton nulliparous women in comparison with normal body mass index women. We conclude that morbid obesity is associated with a significantly higher risk of pre‐existing medical conditions, developing antenatal complications, induction of labour, caesarean section and greater birth weight. However, there was no significant difference in caesarean section rates when adjusted for induction of labour. We also found no significant difference in length of hospital stay, postnatal complications and neonatal morbidity.


Grand Rapids lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa L.) with 6 to 8% water content show no light-induced germination responses, whereas in seeds with 15% or more water content, germination is promoted or retarded by red and far red light respectively. By adjusting seed water content, persistent potentiated responses to light are induced in the seeds at seed water levels much below that required for germination itself. Alternate moistening and drying of seeds in conjunction with red and far red irradiations show that potentiated responses may be phototransformed only with sufficient seed water. However, the process of drying and remoistening has no effect on potentiated responses.


Introduction The causative agents of venereal syphilis ( Treponema subsp. pallidum), yaws (subsp. pertenue), and bejel (subsp. endemicum) are indistinguishable on the basis of morphology, syphilis serology and existing diagnostic PCR. Our objective was to develop a real-time (rt) multiplex PCR assay that can simultaneously detect all three organisms in a single tube. In addition, we evaluated the potential use of FTA Elute cards for collection of skin lesion specimens for molecular testing. Methods Serial dilutions of purified genomic DNA from T. pallidum were spotted onto FTA cards and air dried. Cards were stored at ambient temperature (∼23oC) for up to 1 month. DNA was eluted from a 6-mm disc and tested by a polAPCR, a rt PCR for macrolide point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, and the CDC typing method (PCR/RFLP analysis of tpr and arp). The rt triplex PCR targets the tp858 and tp0620 genes and the assay was evaluated using DNA from 25 strains of T. pallidum, 14 strains of T. pertenue, and 2 strains of T. endemicum. Results The rt triplex PCR distinguished all three subspecies and had an analytical sensitivity of 1–10 genomic copies using purified DNA from T. pallidum strain Nichols. The detection limit of polA rt PCR was approximately 10–100 genomic copies/6-mm disc. The molecular subtype and azithromycin susceptibility genotype was easily determined using the spiked FTA cards. Conclusions The rt triplex PCR is a specific and sensitive assay for differentiation of the T. pallidum subspecies and should be useful in areas where both syphilis and yaws or bejel are endemic and, in determining the extent of yaws worldwide. The FTA Elute card provides a simple way to collect, store and transport specimens at ambient temperature in the absence of a cold chain and involves minimal sample processing prior to molecular testing.


Standardisation is a powerful tool to achieve better interoperability. However, it needs to overcome a lack of interest and modest participation from stakeholders. Also, promising research results are not always used as the basis for new standards. The overall goal of ResiStand is to find new ways to improve the crisis management and disaster resilience capabilities of the European Union and individual Member States through standardisation. ResiStand contributes to an improved disaster resilience by identifying and analysing the drivers, constraints and expectations of three main stakeholder communities: Standardisation Organisations, End-Users and Suppliers, consisting of researchers, industry and SMEs. Based on this information, gaps in standardisation are identified and a prioritised roadmap for new initiatives will be created. The roadmap will be complemented by a critical evaluation of standards as a tool to improve disaster resilience. ResiStand aims at implementing a pre-standardisation process that supports the development of standards. The feasibility of the process will be tested by developing a new work item. The aim is that stakeholders will continuously utilize this "ResiStand Process" in the future, and that the project delivers a better understanding of the potential of standards for contributing to an improved disaster resilience. ResiStand will support the management of increasing threats to society such as armed conflicts, terrorism, pandemics and natural disasters, which have increasingly cross-border, even global consequences due to the on-going globalisation. Protection of citizens through anticipation, preparedness, response and adaptation to crisis situations – i.e. maintaining disaster resilience – will be more efficient. Collaboration between national, European and international stakeholders will be improved by unified processes and management systems as well as by technical, procedural, operational and semantic interoperability.


The study evaluates economic analysis of labour use in food crops production in Ogun state, Nigeria. Data were collected by the use of multistage random sampling with the help of well-structured questionnaire from a cross-section of 170 Food crop farmers and analysed using descriptive, budgetary and multiple regression. The socio-economic data of the respondents were analysed by descriptive statistics and the result revealed that majority (82.4%) of the food crop farmers were male, aged between 41 and 60 years. The mean household size was 4 persons. The mean farm size was 1.8ha with a mean farming experience of 25years. The result of the budgetary analysis reveals that for a hectare of farmland, a cost of N213, 60766 was incurred giving a revenue of N 352,809.59 and a rate of investment (ROI) of 0.65. This shows for every N1 spent, there was corresponding profit of 65kobo. The study further revealed that farm size, labour (man-day) and cost of plant material significantly influence the revenue of farmers in the study area. The study concludes that food crop production is profitable but at a high cost of labour. The study recommends the adoption of labour savings technology as an alternative to increasing scarcity and high labour cost in the study area.


Riser base gas lift is conventionally used in deep water fields to minimize backpressure on wells, smooth start-up transients, and mitigate slugging in the flowline-riser system which can cause disruption in the topside facilities. The effectiveness of riser base gas lift depends on several factors, such as the reservoir performance, the fluid properties, the field architecture, and the topography. There are several technical solutions available to deliver the lift gas to the riser base. Such technical solutions differ in terms of lift-gas supply method (distributed vs point-to-point), riser specifications, and overall system complexity. The selection of technical solution has the potential for minimizing infrastructure. Available solutions include bundled risers and concentric riser configurations that allow gas lift functions to be integrated with the main production conduit. The evaluation of riser base gas lift effectiveness and the selection of the most appropriate technical solution is typically performed early in the field development cycle. This paper presents a review of the available subsea gas lift technical solutions and discusses an evaluation process, including criteria for the selection of the most appropriate solution. The presented case study assumes a deep water Gulf of Mexico field, in which the main subsea system consists of two wet insulated piggable flowline loops. Key decision drivers were flow assurance requirements, complexity, operability, impact on field layout, interfaces, installation, and schedule are discussed. This holistic approach aids the selection of the most appropriate riser base gas lift system in the early field development cycle.


The understanding of the pathobiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has undergone a major change in the past three decades. The classical 'protease-antiprotease' hypothesis still holds true, nevertheless, the sequence of the biochemical events which lead to the protease/antiprotease imbalance have been unraveled. For instance, tobacco smoke, a primary risk factor for COPD, contains a plethora of reactive Oxygen/Nitrogen Species (ROS/RNS) that serve to initiate the oxidant/antioxidant imbalance in the respiratory tract of chronic smokers, a phenomenon that is amplified if certain other risk factors co-exist (e.g. a genetic deficiency of the major antiproteases, a suboptimal antioxidant defense system, airway hyper responsiveness etc.). The inflammatory response that ensues as a result of the initial occult exogenous oxidative/ nitrosative stress becomes a secondary endogenous source of ROS/RNS. This perpetuates the ongoing lung damage, even though the primary insult may no longer be present (abstinence). Depletion of the pulmonary antioxidants, damage to the local antiprotease protective screen, a decreased immune response, hypersecretion of mucus, superadded infections, oxygen therapy-induced oxidant production, etc. are some of the critical factors which account for the oxidative/ nitrosative stress-mediated pulmonary as well as extrapulmonary features of COPD. In the light of the recent developments, remarkable efforts are being made, either to develop novel therapeutic strategies or to improve the existing ones, which are aimed at treating different aspects of the disease. Thus, it is reasonable to recommend antioxidants as a useful adjunct to the more conventional treatment options, keeping in view the 'oxidant/antioxidant' hypothesis as a unifying theme for the 'protease/antiprotease' theory of COPD.


Objective: To explore the feasibility and clinical value to keep the denatured dermis in the deep II degree burns. Methods: With the consent of the 41 patients, their burn wounds were divided into two groups, one group is called the observation group, and the other is called the control group. Comparison was made in the same body. Apply retaining denatured dermis plus autograft skin in the observation group and scab removing plus autograft skin in the control group, individually. Then compare the following factors of the two groups: blood loss amount, 14th day wound healing rate, and the color B-measurement of the thickness from the skin surface to fascia thickness. Results: The blood loss was 10.2 ± 2.3 ml in the observation group, 39.2 ± 6.1 ml in the control group. t = - 22.3, P = 0.000; 14d wound healing rate was 75.6% (31/41) in the observation group, and 87.8% (36/41) in the control group. 2= 0.581; P > 0.05. The thickness of skin and subcutaneous tissue was measured to be 1.2 ± 0.5cm in the observation group, and 0.8 ± 0.3cm in the control group, t = 19.4, P = 0.000. Conclusions Retain denatured dermis and implant autograft skin surgery can reduce the intensity of operation, it can also benefit the skin and soft tissue reconstruction. Thus, it is one of the most effective surgical methods in the treatment of deep II degree burns.


We examined the development of coral reef science and the policies, institutions, and governance frameworks for management of coral reefs in China in order to highlight the wicked problem of preserving reefs while simultaneously promoting human development and nation building. China and other sovereign states in the region are experiencing unprecedented economic expansion, rapid population growth, mass migration, widespread coastal development, and loss of habitat. We analyzed a large, fragmented literature on the condition of coral reefs in China and the disputed territories of the South China Sea. We found that coral abundance has declined by at least 80% over the past 30 years on coastal fringing reefs along the Chinese mainland and adjoining Hainan Island. On offshore atolls and archipelagos claimed by 6 countries in the South China Sea, coral cover has declined from an average of >60% to around 20% within the past 10–15 years. Climate change has affected these reefs far less than coastal development, pollution, overfishing, and destructive fishing practices. Ironically, these widespread declines in the condition of reefs are unfolding as China's research and reef‐management capacity are rapidly expanding. Before the loss of corals becomes irreversible, governance of China's coastal reefs could be improved by increasing public awareness of declining ecosystem services, by providing financial support for training of reef scientists and managers, by improving monitoring of coral reef dynamics and condition to better inform policy development, and by enforcing existing regulations that could protect coral reefs. In the South China Sea, changes in policy and legal frameworks, refinement of governance structures, and cooperation among neighboring countries are urgently needed to develop cooperative management of contested offshore reefs.


The aim of this study is to understand what it is like to grow up with a sibling with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from the Typically Developing (TD) sibling's own perspective and how they access and utilise knowledge of ASD. The data were gathered from semi-structured email interviews with seven 16-18-years-olds who have a sibling with ASD. Template Analysis (TA) was used from an interpretive phenomenologically informed stance to thematically analyse the data. The findings highlight the importance of social care funding for services such as Short Breaks and a need for meaningful public awareness of ASD. In terms of knowledge, some participants accessed knowledge of ASD from the Internet, listening to other people's experiences and professionals and they utilised this knowledge to understand how ASD affects their sibling with ASD. Some participants spoke proudly of the distinct and unique ways that sets their sibling apart from other people, suggesting that it is possible for TD siblings to share a positive relationship with their sibling with ASD.


The advent of the euro has eroded many of the barriers that segmented the European corporate bond market along currency lines and given rise to a unified market comparable in size to the one denominated in US dollars. In doing so, the new currency has made it easier for investment banks to explore scale economies in the provision of underwriting services, lowered the entry barriers to this industry, and made it easier for European borrowers to benefit from scope economies by combining their purchasing of commercial and investment banking services. This paper shows that the arrival of the euro led to a reduction in the underwriting fees of corporate bonds issued in the new currency and that this reduction was largely due to greater contestability of the investment banking business in the post-EMU European market. Our paper also shows that the elimination of market segmentation led to a migration of underwriting business towards the larger international investment banking houses, particularly those from the United States, rather than an intensification of the business links between euro area borrowers and bankers from the same country. Moreover, borrowers that chose American investment banks appear to have made extra savings in the underwriting fees. Finally, our analysis shows that these fee savings were not overcome by an increase in the credit spreads of these borrowers' bonds at issue date. Altogether, these results suggest that borrowers attach more weight to placing capacity than to business relationships in the choice of an underwriter.


Purpose: Positron emission tomographic (PET) scanning provides a novel means of imaging malignancies. This prospective study was undertaken to evaluate PET scanning in detecting para-aortic nodal metastasis in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma and no evidence of extrapelvic disease before planned surgical staging lymphadenectomy. Materials and Methods: After 20 mCi of 2-[18F]fluoro2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) were administered intravenously, the abdomen and pelvis were scanned. Continuous bladder irrigation was used to reduce artifact. Patients were classified by the presence or absence of FDG uptake in the primary tumor and in pelvic or para-aortic nodes. Para-aortic node metastases were classified as present or absent according to a standardized staging procedure. Pelvic node metastases were similarly classified in a subset of patients who underwent pelvic node resection. Results: Thirty-two patients with stage IIB (n 5 6), IIIB (n 5 24), and IVA (n 5 2) tumors were studied. Fluorodeoxyglucose was taken up by 91% of the cervical tumors. Six of eight patients with positive para-aortic node metastasis had PET scan evidence of para-aortic nodal metastasis. One of the two false-negatives had only one microscopic focus of metastatic cancer. In the para-aortic nodes, PET scanning had a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value of 75%, and a negative predictive value of 92%. Fluorodeoxyglucose para-aortic nodal uptake conferred a relative risk of 9.0 (95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 36.0) for para-aortic nodal metastasis. All 10 of 17 patients with metastasis were predicted by PET scanning (P F .001); five of these patients had abnormalities on computed tomographic scans. Conclusion: Cervical cancers have a high avidity for FDG. The use of PET-FDG scanning accurately predicts both the presence and absence of pelvic and para-aortic nodal metastatic disease. J Clin Oncol 17:41-45. r 1999 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.


Abstract. Rising demand and increasing cost pressure for lightweight materials – such as sandwich structures – drives the manufacturing industry to improve automation in production and quality inspection. Quality inspection of honeycomb sandwich components with infrared (IR) thermography can be automated using image classification algorithms. This paper shows how principal component analysis (PCA) via singular value decomposition (SVD) is applied to compress data in an IR-video sequence in order to save processing time in the subsequent step of image classification. According to PCA theory, an orthogonal transformation can project data into a lower dimensional subspace with linearly uncorrelated principal components preserving all original information. The effect of data reduction is confirmed with experimental data from IR-video sequences of simple square-pulsed thermal loadings on aramid honeycomb-sandwich components with CFRP/GFRP (carbon-/glass-fiber-reinforced plastic) facings and GFRP inserts. Hence, processing time for image classification can be saved by reducing the dimension of information used by the classification algorithm without losing accuracy.


Significant advancement of research on image classification and object detection has been achieved in the past decade. Deep convolutional neural networks have exhibited superior performance in many visual recognition tasks including image classification, object detection, and scene labeling, due to their large learning capacity and resistance to overfit. However, learning a robust deep CNN model for object recognition is still quite challenging because image classification and object detection is a severely unbalanced large-scale problem. In this dissertation, we aim at improving the performance of image classification and object detection algorithms by taking advantage of deep convolutional neural networks by utilizing the following strategies: We introduce Deep Neural Pattern, a local feature densely extracted from an image with arbitrary resolution using a well trained deep convolutional neural network. We propose a latent CNN framework, which will automatically select the most discriminate region in the image to reduce the effect of irrelevant regions. We also develop a new combination scheme for multiple CNNs via Latent Model Ensemble to overcome the local minima problem of CNNs. In addition, a weakly supervised CNN framework, referred to as Multiple Instance Learning Convolutional Neural Networks is developed to alleviate strict label requirements. Finally, a novel residual-network architecture, Residual networks of Residual networks, is constructed to improve the optimization ability of very deep convolutional neural networks. All the proposed algorithms are validated by thorough experiments and have shown solid accuracy on large scale object detection and recognition benchmarks.


Solitary Rhabdomyoma of the Heart. J. HAKOSALO, 0. RASANEN, and F. STENBACK (OUIU, Finland). The patient, a boy, had slight postnatal asphyxia, but made normal progress until at 7 months of age there was a 7-day episode of convulsions. At that time the first chest x-rays and ECGs were taken. Left ventricular enlargement with an abnormal, eggshaped, cardiac contour was seen. The ECG showed left bundle-branch block, which was a constant finding for the rest of the patient's life. Physical examination of the heart, and physical and mental development were normal. At the age of 4-7 years the boy contracted pneumonia, followed by convulsions and respiratory arrest. Some days later he died, after a cardiac arrest. At necropsy no tuberous sclerosis or other malformations were found. In the lateral wall ofthe left ventricle, at the apex of the heart, a spherical, pale, spongy, and sharpbordered tumour was found, measuring 3 x 3 x 4 cm. The histological sections presented a typical picture of a rhabdomyoma of the heart. In this case three unusual features of the disease were evident: the tumour was single, the disease was not associated with tuberous sclerosis, and the life span of the patient was quite long. A triad of an abnormal ECG, an abnormal cardiac contour, and convulsions should always arouse suspicions of a heart tumour.


Ecological communities are structured by interactions between coexisting species that mutually influence their distribution and abundance. Ecologically similar species are expected to exclude one another from suitable habitat, so the coexistence of two mouse lemur species in an assemblage of several closely related cheirogaleid primates in the central Menabe region of Madagascar requires explanation. We assessed the occurrence of Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs (Microcebus berthae) and Gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), and of two larger cheirogaleids, Coquerel's giant mouse lemur (Mirza coquereli) and the western fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius), by nocturnal line transect walks between 2003 and 2007. We explored interspecific interactions for four different scenarios with varying resource availability (degraded and non-degraded habitat in the wet and dry season), both on the regional spatial scale and on a finer local (transect) scale. We tested whether the interspecific distribution of mouse lemur individuals indicates interspecific competition and whether their regional coexistence might be stabilized by interactions with M. coquereli or C. medius. We developed the "Inter-Species Index of Attraction" (ISIA) to quantify the observed interspecific interactions within transects and determined if these were significantly different from a null model generated by a combination of randomization and bootstrapping to control for intraspecific aggregation. For the two mouse lemurs, interspecific spatial exclusion was most pronounced during the resource-poor dry season, consistent with the hypothesis of feeding competition. Seasonally varying distribution patterns indicated resource tracking in a spatio-temporally heterogeneous environment. The interspecific distribution of individuals suggested that the larger cheirogaleids benefit M. berthae at the expense of the more abundant M. murinus: spatial associations of both, M. coquereli and C. medius, with M. murinus were negative in most scenarios and across spatial scales, but neutral or even positive with M. berthae. Thus, our study revealed that coexistence among ecologically similar heterospecifics can rely on complex density-mediated interspecific processes varying with habitat quality and season. With regard to the stability of animal assemblages, this insight has major implications for biodiversity conservation.


We apply a method to filter relevant information from the correlation coefficient matrix by extracting a network of relevant interactions. This method succeeds to generate networks with the same hierarchical structure of the Minimum Spanning Tree but containing a larger amount of links resulting in a richer network topology allowing loops and cliques. In Tumminello et al., 1 we have shown that this method, applied to a financial portfolio of 100 stocks in the USA equity markets, is pretty efficient in filtering relevant information about the clustering of the system and its hierarchical structure both on the whole system and within each cluster. In particular, we have found that triangular loops and 4 element cliques have important and significant relations with the market structure and properties. Here we apply this filtering procedure to the analysis of correlation in two different kind of interest rate time series (16 Eurodollars and 34 US interest rates).


In-frame insertions in exon 20 of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) are the most common HER2 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, a disease in which approved EGFR/HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) display poor efficiency and undesirable side effects due to their strong inhibition of wild-type EGFR. Here, we report a HER2-selective covalent TKI, JBJ-08-178-01, that targets multiple HER2 activating mutations including exon 20 insertions as well as amplification. JBJ-08-178-01 displayed strong selectivity towards HER2 mutants over wild-type EGFR compared with other EGFR/HER2 TKIs. Determination of the crystal structure of HER2 in complex with JBJ-08-178-01 suggests that an interaction between the inhibitor and Ser783 may be responsible for HER2 selectivity. The compound showed strong antitumoral activity in HER2-mutant or -amplified in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with JBJ-08-178-01 also led to a reduction in total HER2 by promoting proteasomal degradation of the receptor. Taken together, the dual activity of JBJ-08-178-01 as a selective inhibitor and destabilizer of HER2 represents a combination which may lead to better efficacy and tolerance in NSCLC patients harboring HER2 genetic alterations or amplification.


The influence of the Parkinson's disease (DP) on lower limbs coordination during walking is still not completely known. The intra and interlimb coordination are essential during walking and an impairment in the motor control may affect them. On the other hand, studies about the effects of walking training with additional body load in PD are lacking. There is evidence that the increase of body load during treadmill walking improves reflex activity and leg extensor muscle activity, which are impaired in subjects with PD. Furthermore, the PD affects the quality of life of the subjects. For these reasons, two studies were accomplished. The purpose of the Study I was to compare the intralimb and interlimb coordination during walking between subjects with PD and healthy control subjects. Ten subjects with PD (PG) and ten control subjects (CG) were submitted to a clinical evaluation and a gait kinematic evaluation. The PG presented larger stride duration, stance and swing phase durations and smaller stride length, speed, cadence and joint range of motion than CG. The intra and interlimb coordination do not differ significantly between groups. These results indicate that the PG presented spatial-temporal variables and joint range of motion alterations but it was able to adapt to the limitations imposed by the disease and accomplish a functional gait, without undermine the intra and interlimb coordination pattern. The purpose of the Study II was to assess the effects of treadmill walking training with additional body load on the quality of life, motor functions and gait of subjects with PD. Nine subjects with idiopathic PD, in moderate stage, participed in this study. The training program was divided into three phases: treadmill training with additional body load (A1), control condition (conventional physical therapy group) (B) and treadmill training with load again (A2). Each phase lasted six weeks. Both evaluations and training were performed during on-phase of the medication cycle. The results showed an improvement in total score, and mobility, activities of daily life and cognition subscores related to quality of life and an improvement in the motor functions. Significant increase in propulsive forces, stride length, speed, and maximum hip extension during stance were also observed after the training program. In conclusion, the treadmill training with additional body load promoted an improvement in different aspects related to quality of life and in important variables for the maintenance of the functional gait of subjects with PD, and it is a promising alternative to optimize the rehabilitation process in combination with conventional physical therapy. Key-words: Parkinson's disease, coordination, treadmill, load, gait, quality of life


Service quality with prmary focus on Covenant University, Ota, in determining level of satisfaction amongst end users of the university's lecture theatre formed the crux of the present study. The study entailed review of literature on service quality and customers' satisfaction with emphasis on the application of SERVQUAL. Three sets of questionnaires with over 77% response rate cutting across the three focus groups - students, faculties who have offices in the lecture theatre and faculties who lecture in the lecture theatre- were administered. The SERVQUAL Model utilized ten (10) questions each for the seven (7) services peculiar to the lecture theatre. From gap analysis carried out service quality performance (perception) against the service quality needs (expectation) for each of the focus group based on the five dimensions of service quality on a five point linkert scale, indicates need for improvement in the operation of these services. Its perceptions appeared below expectations thereby placing the respective end users' in an unsatisfactory position most especially decoration and furnishing (-2.208); acoustic system (-1.946); and lavatory system (-2.167). The researchers hereby make a wakeup call for all facilities provided to integrate the feelings of end users for their satisfaction as that justifies its provision.


Abstract This study investigates how individuals may develop more or less strong beliefs in the indivisibility of a disputed territory and how such beliefs may influence their policy preferences toward resolving the dispute. Using a survey experiment in Japan, we find that historical ownership strengthens respondents' beliefs in territorial indivisibility. Furthermore, those who hold the strongest belief in territorial indivisibility are much less likely to support bilateral negotiation and more likely to support contentious policies, including but not limited to military actions. Finally, we explore external validity of the findings by analyzing respondents who had a real dispute in mind during the survey with China, South Korea, and Russia, respectively.


The Prosodic Word (Pwd) is a foundational notion in phonological theories, being relevant for the statement of many phonological generalizations. In spite of this importance, basic open questions remain about prosodic words. How many distinct prosodic categories, even at the 'word' level, are available to languages? Are they innately determined or emergent? Can their structure in one language vs. another be predicted? In this paper I consider a research program that attempts to address such questions by viewing prosodic words as emergent over time from the interaction of phonetics, phonologization, and syntactic structure. An important bridging idea in this understanding of prosodic words is that of domain generalization.


This article investigates the relationship between musicians and dancers in the mid-20th century village social dance tradition and the 21st century traditional dance club movement. The two dance trends are named the "first" and the "second" dance traditions in accordance with social folk dance classification used in Lithuania and internationally. The two traditions existed in different socio-cultural contexts, which had significantly determined their respective differences. Semi-structured interviews with 36 individuals and answers to an online survey from 45 respondents were used for comparative analysis, which explored the general attributes of the two dance traditions, as well as the differences in musician-dancer relationship and their causal relations. The analysis revealed several similarities between the traditions, yet most aspects are only partially similar or wholly different: the features of a good dancer and good musician are rather similar, but privileges attached to those positions are different; meanwhile, dance order and giving comments to the musicians are similar in both traditions. It was also exposed that the musician-dance relationship differences between the two traditions are most affected by the dance repertoire, remuneration for performances, professionalization of musicians, fulfilment of dancer's wishes, and the group responsible for organizing dance events. Key words: ethnochoreology, dance anthropology, social dance, social folk dance, "first" and "second" dance traditions, traditional dance club movement, mid-20th century village dance tradition, dance repertoire, remuneration for performance, good dancer and good musician. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/td.v13i0.1702


Variations in the lattice parameters of γ and γ' phases perpendicular to the [001] tensile axis were recorded in situ at ~10 minutes intervals using the Triple Axis Diffractometer of the High Energy (ID15) beamline at ESRF. Testing was carried out on an AM1 superalloy specimen with a raft microstructure at high temperature (1072°C) under load steps between 0 MPa and 300 MPa. These data were used to evaluate the Young modulus and the effective (Von Mises) stresses within the γ' rafts and γ corridors, as well the average plastic strain rates of each phase. The recorded stress data scatter was within the MPa range, and should be good enough to probe the elementary mechanisms of plasticity.


Many analyists characterize democracy and markets as opposing systems. The political equality of citizens contends against the inequality conferred by economic strength. They claim that democracy encourages fairness; in contrast, the marketplace allows persons with more funds greater power. The essence of democracy is the equality of humanity: one person, one vote. The essence of the marketplace is the unequal power of money: one dollar, one vote. This article asserts that this key difference between democracy and markets does not represent a disagreement over the nature of "fairness." Instead, the disparate methods of allocating "votes" result from practical problems rooted in a core variation between the goods produced by the two systems. Democracy should generate public goods (i.e. goods generating externalities). In contrast, markets should generate private goods (i.e. goods which, at least in theory, do not generate externalities). The principle that every person's vote is equal reduces externalities. Since the marketplace lacks such externalities, it has no need of this externalitiy-reducing feature. In sum, the difference in vote allocation is a practical choice, not a moral error.


ABSTRACT The rRNA gene PCR and sequencing test, SepsiTest, was compared with blood culture (BC) regarding the diagnosis of pathogens in 160 blood samples drawn from 28 patients during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. With 45% of positive samples, SepsiTest was 13 to 75 h faster than BC. SepsiTest indicated bacteremias in 25% of patients who were BC negative.


Surface water is unprotected and exposed to the vagaries of weather and environmental pollution and therefore, the possibility of contamination. The main target of water treatment is the removal of chemical and bacteriological contamination and inactivation of disease causing organisms. A filter model with luffa sponge as filter media was tested for its effectiveness in the purification of water. The experimental work was conducted on selected luffa sponge in a plate form inserted in a Perspex plastic filter model that has been designed for this purpose. The filter medium (luffa sponge) was placed in the four separated chambers starting from the more porous to the least one in the direction of flow. The system was operated in series. Each compartment was separated by a cascade and the sponges were held in place to avoid the deformation of the filter media. The filter bed was provided with an under drain system for flushing after a certain running time. It was observed that luffa sponge has high hydraulic efficiency and that the horizontal filter is more efficient than the vertical filter. However, it only has a moderate TSS removal capacity due to its high porosity value. It was calculated that the filter media performance efficiency was 18.15% for turbidity removal, 48.33% for TSS, 10% for hardness, 0% for alkalinity, 16% for chloride, 16.66% for ammonia nitrogen and 80% for bacterial removal. The study showed that the luffa aegyptiaca (cylindrica) sponge possesses a great potential for heavy metals removal in water as well as hardness and microbiological reductions. Because of these advantages and the fact that it performed poorly in the reduction of parameters of importance in potable water quality, it is concluded that the luffa sponge filter media can be considered as a preliminary wastewater roughing filter, but cannot adequately be used as a filter media for potable water supply. However, the size of the sponge limits the filter size and its fibrous nature offers high degree of porosity


Software engineering is both difficult and expensive. This is as true today as it was 40 years ago. The end products of software engineering, software artifacts consisting of streams of instructions, are intended to solve some problem, live up to some requirements, implement some design. To improve software engineering, we must continue to improve the process that eventually outputs these instructions. We want the instructions correctly to address the problem, and we want the ability flexibly and precisely to change the instructions when the problem, requirements, and design change.


Corrosion of reinforcing steel and other embedded metals is the main cause of severe deterioration in reinforced concrete members which subsequently imposes adverse effects on ultimate and serviceability limit state performance of the whole structure. In this paper, a new corrosion detection method for reinforced concrete beams, based on wavelet analysis is presented. To evaluate the capability and efficiency of the method, a simply supported RC beam is modeled in 3-D taking into account the behaviors of concrete, steel and bond degradation. Deflection profile and mode shapes are extracted numerically and analyzed by wavelet transform. Based on the numerical results obtained, it can be concluded that this wavelet-based method is capable of detecting corrosion at its earliest stage. It is also concluded that both discrete and continuous wavelet transforms can be used and mother wavelet type has no significant effect on the results.


Degradation of the mammalian cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p27 is required for the cellular transition from quiescence to the proliferative state. The ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of p27 depend on its phosphorylation by cyclin–CDK complexes. However, the ubiquitin–protein ligase necessary for p27 ubiquitination has not been identified. Here we show that the F-box protein SKP2 specifically recognizes p27 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner that is characteristic of an F-box-protein–substrate interaction. Furthermore, both in vivo and in vitro, SKP2 is a rate-limiting component of the machinery that ubiquitinates and degrades phosphorylated p27. Thus, p27 degradation is subject to dual control by the accumulation of both SKP2 and cyclins following mitogenic stimulation.


The diffraction of light by acoustic waves on a film is characterized and analyzed in detail. This investigation includes the mechanism of excitation of acoustic waves, the propagation of acoustic waves, and diffraction of light. The acoustic waveguiding phenomenon in unidirectionally stressed film is analyzed. Applications to optical processing are discussed. These include spectrum analysis, simultaneous parallel array data processing, and sequential multiproduct processing. Agenda for future development are discussed.


An investigation of dynamic-threshold (DT) performance was carried out on a 0.5 μm gate length p-type Si:SiGe heterostructure field effect transistor, for temperatures ranging from T = 300 K to T = 10 K. The maximum low-field transconductance of DT-mode operation was found to be 30% higher than in normal mode, through a better control of carriers in the channel. The subthreshold slope of the device, when operated in DT mode, also improved, decreasing by 28%. The sensitivity of the threshold voltage to substrate bias was extracted from experimental data over the whole temperature range, and was found to be higher in the SiGe device than in a corresponding Si control device. The substrate sensitivity was used together with equations derived from classical Si MOSFET theory to successfully predict the performance improvement due to DT-mode operation, at all temperatures.


Reliability is a key factor for realizing safety guarantee of fully autonomous robot systems. In this paper, we focus on reliability in mobile robot localization. Monte Carlo localization (MCL) is widely used for mobile robot localization. However, it is still difficult to guarantee its safety because there are no methods determining reliability for MCL estimate. This paper presents a novel localization framework that enables robust localization, reliability estimation, and quick relocalization, simultaneously. The presented method can be implemented using a similar estimation manner to that of MCL. The method can increase localization robustness to environment changes by estimating known and unknown obstacles while performing localization; however, localization failure of course occurs by unanticipated errors. The method also includes a reliability estimation function that enables a robot to know whether localization has failed. Additionally, the method can seamlessly integrate a global localization method via importance sampling. Consequently, quick relocalization from a failure state can be realized while mitigating noisy influence of global localization. We conduct three types of experiments using wheeled mobile robots equipped with a two‐dimensional LiDAR. Results show that reliable MCL that performs robust localization, self‐failure detection, and quick failure recovery can be realized.


Trajectory analysis is essential in many applications. In this paper, we address the problem of representing motion trajectories in a highly informative way, and consequently utilize it for analyzing trajectories. Our approach first leverages the complete information from given trajectories to construct a thermal transfer field which provides a context-rich way to describe the global motion pattern in a scene. Then, a 3D tube is derived which depicts an input trajectory by integrating its surrounding motion patterns contained in the thermal transfer field. The 3D tube effectively: 1) maintains the movement information of a trajectory, 2) embeds the complete contextual motion pattern around a trajectory, 3) visualizes information about a trajectory in a clear and unified way. We further introduce a droplet-based process. It derives a droplet vector from a 3D tube, so as to characterize the high-dimensional 3D tube information in a simple but effective way. Finally, we apply our tube-and-droplet representation to trajectory analysis applications including trajectory clustering, trajectory classification & abnormality detection, and 3D action recognition. Experimental comparisons with state-of-the-art algorithms demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.


The news and information in radio can not be relayed directly without passed through gatekeeping process, considering the pers social responsibility and related media interest. The problem is each radio station not certainly has gatekeeper, although the gatekeeper role is very vital. During this time the gatekeeper's tasks in radio are processing, inputing and broadcasting in the short time and as accurate as possible. For gatekeeper at radio whose task is processing the news until broadcast it especially for traffic news, s/he must really smart in filtering the incoming information and traffic news from the audiences. This matter was the background of the research namely how the journalistic process of traffic news, what factors that supporting and hampering the traffic news and the editorial policy of traffic news that is implemented by gatekeeper, related with the difficulties of gatekeeper performance in producing the news and information. Therefore the research purposes were describe the journalistic process of traffic news, describe
the supporting and hampering factors of traffic news and describe the editorial policy of traffic news. This research was descriptive research type with qualitative data. The research object was PT. Radio Fiskaria Jaya Suara Surabaya FM, with research informan subjects were On Air Manager, gatekeeper supervisor, and gatekeeper staff. The data collection technique use interview technique, observation technique, and documentation technique. While data analysis technique that used was consists of three activities line that occurred simultaneously, namely datareduction, data presentation and draw inference/verification.
The research result indicated that traffic news in SS Radio could be differentiated to be 2, namely news and information. The traffic news in this field was all of information that related with traffic, such as the news about the traffic accident and traffic jam in the road. While the traffic information in SS Radio was all of data/material that was informed, namely the smoothness of traffic in the road. For making that traffic news and information was done by the gatekeeper. The traffic news and information came from the audiences. The calling audience who has high news value will be followed up by gatekeeper, namely assuring it to the reliable sources/parties. The collection of traffic news and information previously will be recorded by the gatekeeper.
After collected, gatekeeper will directly selected the incoming traffic news and information by editing (found the news value). If the information from audience was considered has news value, so the audience allowed to on air with the approval from supervisor. Information that has news value was information about the importance, attraction, up to date aspect, fulfilling the taste, draw attention, and fulfilling the insight reference needs. In processing the news, a gatekeeper in writing the traffic news and information was different with that asserted by the audience, because it is done to make the message more attractive and draw the audience's attention. Writing the traffic news and information principally was as short as
possible but must fulfill the information properness with use 5W+1H formula. The research also indicated the factors that supporting the traffic news and information namely if
an audience called SS Radio and reported the traffic accident near him/her, s/he will allowed to on air directly. While the impeding factor was when the audience call for on air, but in SS Radio still broadcasting special program such as Talk show or still running the advertisement, thereby s/he must delayed for a while. Another impeding factor was when the traffic news and
information has little news value such as audience who just call for knowing the address of SS Radio or the audience digress about his/her information, thereby that message could not on air directly and just will be recorded by gatekeeper. Basically all of traffic news dan information at SS Radio could be broadcasted, but the gatekeeper staff must choose the properness of information to be relayed. In gatekeeper room, who become the implementor editor was supervisor, his/her task was hold the responsibility of
relayed news. And gatekeeper as call receiver from audience who also processes, select, and relay that news. In fact, the journalistic process at SS Radio is very simple, that is very different with printing media. Because for traffic news in SS Radio is not needed any reporter just with the audience who has role as resource person who report to SS Radio. Gatekeeper staffs at SS Radio just select the traffic news and information that has news value, then by them will be followed up directly. The editorial policy is very depended o the person who work at gatekeeper room,
namely supervisor and gatekeeper staff.


A difference exists between sexes for the incidence of concussion injuries and severity of post-injury outcomes with females having a higher incidence rate (in comparable sports) and experience more robust symptoms than males. The basis for this disparity has remained largely unresolved. Recent findings point to a potential biological mechanism that may be related to the menstrual cycle as an arbiter of post-injury outcomes. What has not been addressed, is whether the phase of menstrual cycle (inferred fluctuations of ovarian hormones) contributes to an increased vulnerability to sustain a concussion injury. This prospective, observational study sought to determine if concussions occurred at different frequencies throughout the phase of the menstrual cycle. Female athletes who sustained a concussion injury were queried three times over the 7-day study (e.g., within 48 h of injury, and 4 and 7 days after injury) to recall the number of days that have elapsed since the beginning of their most recent menstruation. Twenty female athletes enrolled after sustaining a concussion; 18 were eumenorrheic and 2 amenorrheic. Among eumenorrheic participants at the time of injury, 2 were in the follicular phase, 4 were in the early luteal phase and 9 were in the late luteal phase. Two athletes were injured on the first and 1 was injured on the second day of menstruation. The greatest number of concussions were sustained during the late luteal phase and during the first 2 days of menstruation. This 9-day window accounted for 2/3rd of the sustained concussions in our study.


This paper examines India's role in perpetuating North-South imaginaries in global climate politics. A Global South perspective on climate politics is premised on the differential contribution of developed and developing countries towards climate change, differential adaptive capacities, and the overriding need of developing countries to focus on poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Meanwhile, the North-South binary has been extensively critiqued in the literature for the heterogeneity of each category, narrowing gaps between North and South, and the state-centrism implicit in such a categorization. Based on the understanding that the reproduction of the North-South frame in climate discourses is inherently political, I examine the politics behind their reproduction, rather than focus on the validity of these categories. Based on fieldwork in Delhi and Copenhagen, my paper provides insight into the spatial politics of climate policy negotiations. The categories North and South, developed and developing, or First World and Third World constitute powerful spatial imaginaries that strongly influence the negotiating positions of Indian officials in global climate politics, even as India's image as a developing country is increasingly questioned in light of its status as an emerging economy and major emitter. The self-identification of Indian officials with the imaginary of the Global South is a crucial feature of global climate politics.


The introduction of reversible covalent bonds into polymeric systems afford robust, yet dynamic, materials that can respond to external stimuli. A series of aliphatic polycarbonate polymers were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization of furanyl and maleimido-bearing cyclic carbonate monomers. These side chains undergo thermally induced Diels-Alder reactions to afford cross-linked films. Because both the diene and dienophile were incorporated into the same polymer backbone, a protected maleimido group, in the form of the furan adduct, was used. Both the forward and reverse Diels-Alder reaction are triggered thermally, which allows the deprotection of the maleimido group and the subsequent reaction with the furanyl side chains to form cross-links. Random copolymers and poly(ethylene glycol) containing block copolymers were formed using diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene as the catalyst and a thiourea cocatalyst. The polymers form uniform films that can be cross-linked in the bulk state. To further illustrate the dynamic nature of the covalent bonds within the cross-linked films, a patterned silicon mold was used to transfer a series of nanoscale patterns using a thermal nanoimprint process.


This study aimed to analyze the professional development, organizational climate, supervisory rapport, and overall satisfaction of employees from a local higher education institution in Central Luzon, Philippines. This study made use of a descriptive-correlational design with an adapted and modified survey questionnaire as an instrument and selected sixty-five (65) respondents using a convenience sampling technique. The paper utilized SPSS 20 to treat the gathered data with the use of the following statistical tools: frequency, percentage, weighted mean, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson-r. The study generated the following results: the employees unanimously agreed on the contexts and concepts presented in the three variables of the study namely, professional development, organizational climate, and supervisory rapport. Moreover, they responded favorably about their job satisfaction. In addition, there are significant findings observed as regards to professional development, organizational climate and supervisory rapport of the employees when grouped according to demographic profiles. Furthermore, there is substantial evidence of relationships observed among demographic profile, professional development, organizational climate, supervisory rapport, and overall satisfaction. With the foregoing results, the researchers recommended suggestions to promote organizational development among employees.


Castleman's disease is a very rare heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative disorders characterized by non-neoplastic growths. It is unknown about the pathophysiology of the Castleman's disease. Previous studies demonstrated that Castleman's disease can be divided into two groups according to clinical classification, including unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). The hyaline vascular type is most common in the head and neck, and is abbreviated as UCD. In the present case, a woman complained that a mass in her parotid gland was growing and it was painless seven months ago. The computed tomography (CT) showed that the superficial lobe of the parotid gland on the left had an elliptical soft tissue density shadow, about 2.5×3.5 cm, with clear boundaries and no obvious abnormalities in the surrounding bone. The CT scan showed no obvious abnormalities in the shape and density of the right parotid and bilateral submandibular glands. After the operation, combined with the results of immunohistochemistry, the final diagnosis was Castleman tumor. The patient recovered smoothly, after the operation and during follow-up. The patient maintained good health without recurrence or metastasis.


One of the most serious problems for the agriculture in many countries of the world is represented by the presence of excessive amounts of soluble salts in the soil. Soil salinisation has been identified as a major process of land degradation, and the main cause of land desertification, particularly in arid or semi-arid areas. This phenomenon is mainly due to artificial irrigation with waters of inadapted quality in the absence of adequate drainage systems, especially in arid or semi-arid regions. It was estimated from various available data that the world is losing at least three hectares of productive land every minute because of increasing soil salinity (Abrol et al., 1988). The social and economic repercussions of soil salinisation impact severely impact the populations of arid and semi-arid regions. It is in fact the population of developing countries that is hardest hit by the consequences of this phenomenon.


BACKGROUND
New food biomarkers are needed to objectively evaluate the effect of diet on health and to check adherence to dietary recommendations and healthy eating patterns.

OBJECTIVE
We developed a strategy for food biomarker discovery, which combined nutritional intervention with metabolic phenotyping and biomarker validation in a large-scale epidemiologic study.

DESIGN
We administered a standardized diet to 8 individuals and established a putative urinary biomarker of fruit consumption by using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic profiling. The origin of the biomarker was confirmed by using targeted NMR spectroscopy of various fruit. Excretion kinetics of the biomarker were measured. The biomarker was validated by using urinary NMR spectra from UK participants of the INTERMAP (International Collaborative Study of Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Blood Pressure) (n = 499) in which citrus consumption was ascertained from four 24-h dietary recalls per person. Finally, dietary patterns of citrus consumers (n = 787) and nonconsumers (n = 1211) were compared.

RESULTS
We identified proline betaine as a putative biomarker of citrus consumption. High concentrations were observed only in citrus fruit. Most proline betaine was excreted < or =14 h after a first-order excretion profile. Biomarker validation in the epidemiologic data showed a sensitivity of 86.3% for elevated proline betaine excretion in participants who reported citrus consumption and a specificity of 90.6% (P < 0.0001). In comparison with noncitrus consumers, citrus consumers had lower intakes of fats, lower urinary sodium-potassium ratios, and higher intakes of vegetable protein, fiber, and most micronutrients.

CONCLUSION
The biomarker identification and validation strategy has the potential to identify biomarkers for healthier eating patterns associated with a reduced risk of major chronic diseases. The trials were registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01102049 and NCT01102062.


Open access (OA) has had, and will continue to have, a significant effect on the scholarly publishing landscape in academia, yet many academic staff publish OA in order to comply with policies, rather than engaging with the value of open scholarship and in debates that ultimately affect them. Training sessions and workshops are often arranged to increase knowledge and awareness in the academic community, but engagement is often low. On the other hand, some academic staff, who already do engage, will happily attend sessions and workshops to increase their knowledge even further. The struggle to increase OA engagement overall could be due to the training not being appealing enough, and academics not being aware of benefits until after they have attended workshops. At the University of Essex, we took a bold, brave and curious approach to increasing engagement during Open Access Week 2018, and created an OA-themed escape room. This resulted in great engagement from students, academic staff and professional services staff, some of whom reported that they never knew how relevant OA was for them. The Open Access Escape Room was a success, and provided a positive environment for conversations around OA.


A clear differentiation between media sources and electorates within the legacy media ecosystem may help to explain the limited importance of the alternative media (focused on fake news and hoaxes) as relevant information sources. In a political and analytical discourse, the alternative media can be seen as an "alternative" to the dominant liberal media and discourse. Within this context, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński were active in "liking" other profiles on their FB pages. Morawiecki liked some media, mostly TV and radio channels from his constituency region. His focus was more on the national identity and national interests in an economic sense. However, he also liked a press magazine that is a borderline case between ideologically heavily biased and disinformation scene in Poland.


Abstract Russia's policy on Afghanistan has witnessed considerable transformation during the last two decades. This has allowed Moscow to change its stance towards the Taliban from confrontation to accommodation. The article explains Russia's foreign policy trajectory towards Afghanistan, exploring the key determinants, approaches and potential outcomes. Drawing mainly on secondary sources as well as the statements of officials and experts, the article also seeks to highlight the recent trends in Russia's Afghan policy. Against the backdrop of changing regional geopolitics, the analysis is likely to be useful for the Indian government which is recalibrating India's own stance in the changing circumstances.


no. 4, December 1992, pp. 358-62. ButterworthHeinemann, 80 Montvale Avenue, Stoneham, MA 02180. £65 TTRA member annual subscription; otherwise £150. In considering the way tourism can be organized, the author examines the systems of two countries, France and the United Kingdom, with brief references to the United States, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Australia, and those of two regions, the European community and the Caribbean. The key to success lies, clearly, in the interaction of the public sector and the private sector and while there appears to be no


Comparison of surviving texts of eighteenth-century composers, Bach and Mozart in particular, show that considerable latitude was granted to performers for extempore embellishment and cadenzas, not only in arias and concertos but in solo works as well. Amateurs required prepared elaborations, whereas professional performers did not. The aesthetic of improvision in performance is shot through with risk—an element sadly lacking in the training and the performance of classical music at the present time. This article finds distinct parallels among what it calls the "ghetto language" of 1730s Liepzig, 1780s Vienna, and 1930s New York. Duke Ellington is said to be Bach's and Mozart's true successor.


In this paper, we study the estimation of partially linear models for spatial data distributed over complex domains. We use bivariate splines over triangulations to represent the nonparametric component on an irregular two-dimensional domain. The proposed method is formulated as a constrained minimization problem which does not require constructing finite elements or locally supported basis functions. Thus, it allows an easier implementation of piecewise polynomial representations of various degrees and various smoothness over an arbitrary triangulation. Moreover, the constrained minimization problem is converted into an unconstrained minimization via a QR decomposition of the smoothness constraints, which leads to a penalized least squares method to estimate the model. The estimators of the parameters are proved to be asymptotically normal under some regularity conditions. The estimator of the bivariate function is consistent, and its rate of convergence is also established. The proposed method enables us to construct confidence intervals and permits inference for the parameters. The performance of the estimators is evaluated by two simulation examples and by a real data analysis.


The severity of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is highly variable between patients. Recent twin and population studies indicated that the severity of joint destruction is influenced by genetic factors.1 ,2 Previously, we reported the association of rs10818488 ( TRAF1-C5 ) and rs675520 ( TNFAIP3-OLIG3 ) with progression of joint destruction.3 ,4 The genes near these loci encode for tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor-1 ( TRAF1 ), complement component-5 ( C5 ) and tumour necrosis factor α-induced protein-3 ( TNFAIP3 ; a protein that inhibits NF-κ B activation). A basic principle in genetic association studies is to evaluate multiple cohorts to validate observed findings. We therefore studied both single-nucleotide polymorphisms in several RA cohorts with radiological follow-up data.

Six thousand two hundred and eighty-two x-rays of 2666 RA patients were studied: 147 patients from Lund (Sweden), 385 patients from Sheffield (UK), 285 patients from Iceland, 384 patients from the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium (NARAC), 756 patients from the National Databank of Rheumatic Diseases (NDB), 113 patients from Wichita and 596 patients from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic (Leiden-EAC) cohort (table 1). Detailed information on these datasets is provided elsewhere.2 ,5,–,10 …


This study was carried out to determine the infection rates of 9 Paecilomyces fumosoroseus isolates and 1 Paecilomyces lilacinus isolate on the glasshouse whitefly (GWF), Trialeurodes vaporariorum. Furthermore, the infection progress of P. fumosoroseus was observed on the insect using light and scanning electron microscopes. Bioassays were carried out on second instar nymphs by the application of a spore suspension of each isolate. The mortality data were recorded 3 and 6 days after the application. The effect of Paecilomyces isolates increased as the incubation time was extended. Seven isolates caused significant mortality to the GWF nymphs. The most virulent isolates, 2658, 4400, 4406, 4408 and 4415, killed over 70% of the inoculated nymphs 6 days after inoculation. The development of infection was monitored on artificially infected nymphs at 12-h intervals. Infection by the fungus on the GWF was similar to those reported for other fungus-insect cases. The results of this study showed that the fungus was pathogenic to T. vaporariorum, rapidly killing its host, and thus further studies are required to determine the potential use of the fungus as a biocontrol agent against GWF in greenhouses.