The enzymatic synthesis of N‐acetyl‐lactosamine (LacNAc) was studied in aqueous media with high substrate concentrations using the transgalactosylation of N‐acetyl‐D‐glucosamine (GlcNAc), starting from lactose as a galactosyl donor. The efficiency and regioselectivity of the β‐galactosidases from Kluyveromyces lactis (KlβGal) and Bacillus circulans (BcβGal) were compared. The reaction was optimized by varying the experimental conditions (pH, catalytic activity concentration, and mass concentration ratio of the substrates), which enhanced the synthesis yields with both enzymes and especially with BcβGal. BcβGal catalyzed the formation of the maximal LacNAc concentration obtained (101 mM or 39 g L−1, corresponding to a yield of 11% on the basis of GlcNAc conversion), after 5 h at pH 6.5 and for a substrate mass concentration ratio of 1. This enzyme also gave an optimal synthesis yield of about 17.5%. No change in regioselectivity was observed when using KlβGal, whereas the regioselectivity of BcβGal proved to be subject to variations, the 1–4 and 1–6 linkages being favored under kinetic and thermodynamic control conditions, respectively. Finally, it was demonstrated that the N‐acetyl‐allolactosamine synthesized during the GlcNAc transgalactosylation catalyzed by BcβGal was a thermodynamic product and did not result from a chemical and/or enzymatic isomerization of LacNAc. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011


Humans are the ultimate ecosystem engineers who have profoundly transformed the world's landscapes in order to enhance their survival. Somewhat paradoxically, however, sometimes the unforeseen effect of this ecosystem engineering is the very collapse of the population it intended to protect. Here we use a spatial version of a standard population dynamics model of ecosystem engineers to study the colonization of unexplored virgin territories by a small settlement of engineers. We find that during the expansion phase the population density reaches values much higher than those the environment can support in the equilibrium situation. When the colonization front reaches the boundary of the available space, the population density plunges sharply and attains its equilibrium value. The collapse takes place without warning and happens just after the population reaches its peak number. We conclude that overpopulation and the consequent collapse of an expanding population of ecosystem engineers is a natural consequence of the nonlinear feedback between the population and environment variables.


We study nominal GDP targeting as optimal monetary policy in a model with a credit market friction following Azariadis, Bullard, Singh and Suda (2016), henceforth ABSS. As in ABSS, the macroeconomy we study has considerable income inequality which gives rise to a large private sector credit market. Households participating in this market use non-state contingent nominal contracts (NSCNC). We extend the ABSS framework to allow for endogenous and heterogeneous household labor supply among credit market participant households. We show that nominal GDP targeting continues to characterize optimal monetary policy in this setting. Optimal monetary policy repairs the distortion caused by the credit market friction and so leaves heterogeneous households supplying their desired amount of labor, a type of (cid:147)divine coincidence(cid:148) result. We also analyze the case when there is an aging population. We interpret these (cid:133)ndings in light of the recent debate in monetary policy concerning labor force participation.


This paper considers unit-root tests in large n and large T heterogeneous panels with cross-sectional dependence generated by unobserved factors. We reconsider the two prevalent approaches in the literature, that of Moon and Perron (2004) and the PANIC setup proposed in Bai and Ng (2004). While these have been considered as completely different setups, we show that, in case of Gaussian innovations, the frameworks are asymptotically equivalent in the sense that both experiments are locally asymptotically normal (LAN) with the same central sequence. Using Le Cam's theory of statistical experiments we determine the local asymptotic power envelope and derive an optimal test jointly in both setups. We show that the popular Moon and Perron (2004) and Bai and Ng (2010) tests only attain the power envelope in case there is no heterogeneity in the long-run variance of the idiosyncratic components. The new test is asymptotically uniformly most powerful irrespective of possible heterogeneity. Moreover, it turns out that for any test, satisfying a mild regularity condition, the size and local asymptotic power are the same under both data generating processes. Thus, applied researchers do not need to decide on one of the two frameworks to conduct unit root tests. Monte-Carlo simulations corroborate our asymptotic results and document significant gains in finite-sample power if the variances of the idiosyncratic shocks differ substantially among the cross sectional units.


There is still controversy about the efficacy of plasma exchange in the treatment of severe lupus nephritis. Some studies have reported no beneficial effect with plasma exchange, while others claim its usefulness when used in combination ("synchronization") with immunosuppressive drugs, particularly intravenous (i.v.) pulse doses of cyclophosphamide. We report here a 13 year old girl who presented twice with severe exacerbation of lupus nephritis (WHO class IV) leading to acute renal failure (ARF) necessitating dialysis, and who on both occasions responded well to i.v. pulse doses of cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone plus plasma exchange. The second episode of ARF had occurred in spite of the patient being on maintenance therapy with prednisolone and i.v. cyclophosphamide. The course in this patient supports the view that the addition of plasma exchange to i.v. pulse cyclophosphamide might be effective in patients with severe lupus nephritis unresponsive to immunosuppressive drugs alone.


Computer simulation of population dynamics can be useful in managing harvested populations of monkeys on islands. Between 1988 and 1991, 420 adult female and 58 adult male simian retrovirus‐free Macaca fascicularis were released onto Tinjil Island, Indonesia, to provide the nucleus for a free‐ranging breeding colony. Natural habitat breeding facilities are excellent alternatives to wild trapping and compound breeding, maximizing the health and well‐being of animals destined for essential biomedical research. To avoid a population crash, the number of offspring that can be harvested annually must be based on life table characteristics such as age‐specific natality and mortality. We used a modified Leslie matrix to model changes in female population size over 26 years. First, we assumed that all 420 females were released simultaneously and varied the annual birth rate (50%, 60%, 70%), survival rate, and number of offspring harvested per year. Assuming high survival and birth rates vs. low rates, about four times as many female offspring could be harvested annually from a stable population (87 vs. 20 offspring). Terminal population size after 26 years did not differ much across rates modeled (568–696 females). Second, we modeled the number of females actually released (including the recent addition of 42 new female breeders) and harvested (averaging 49 annually 1991–1994), and projected the population through 2014. This indicated that threshold harvest rates and terminal population sizes increased considerably over the first model, assuming intermediate (78 harvested, 952 females) and high (152 harvested, 1,331 females) rates of survivorship and natality, but were unchanged assuming low rates (20 harvested, 559 females). A review of the literature and field observations on Tinjil suggest that actual birth and survival rates resemble the intermediate values modeled. If so, the present density on the island, projected to be ∼215 males and females per square kilometer, is approaching carrying capacity. The high values are realistic upper limits. If actual survivorship and birth rates are at the high end of those modeled, the island's population may be on the verge of rapid expansion, requiring increased harvest and provisioning. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The aim of this study is to examine patterns of segmentation and temporal structuring of events in early bilinguals. The participant group consists of 25 L1 Spanish — L2 Swedish adult bilinguals residing in Sweden, with ages of L2 acquisition ranging from 1 to 11 years. There were 15 native speakers of Swedish and 15 native speakers of Spanish engaged as monolingual controls. The participants provided online-retellings in both languages of an excerpt from the film Modern Times. The bilinguals' L1 and L2 retellings were compared with those of the monolingual speakers of the respective languages. The results indicated that the bilinguals resorted to the same event segmentation strategies in both L1 and L2, opting for an intermediate degree of event resolution. This behavior fell in between the monolingual Spanish high degree of resolution and the monolingual Swedish low degree of resolution. As for temporal structuring patterns, the results showed that the bilinguals in their L2 converged with the Swedish monolingual controls, linking the events by means of anaphoric adverbials (i.e., 'x then y'). The bilinguals also converged with the Spanish-speaking controls in their L1 perspectivation patterns, as both groups left the temporal relation between the events to be inferred and focused on ongoingness (i.e., now x, now y). These findings are discussed in terms of convergence and co-existence of conceptual patterns (Pavlenko, 1999, 2008).


A new unique conversion technique named the `Penta-Phase Integration' method, applied to a single-chip C/SUP 2/MOS 12-bit analog-to-digital converter designed for microprocessor system, is introduced and described. The newly developed device, fabricated with a standard metal gate CMOS process including an 8-channel multiplexer and TTL compatibility, has several features: unipolar- and ratiometric-conversion can be performed; conversion accuracy within /spl plusmn/0.05 percent of full scale over the -35/spl deg/C-+85/spl deg/C temperature range can be obtained; conversion time is 1.1 ms at a 20 MHz clock frequency, and the device can be operated with a single 5 V power supply and 6 mW power consumption at a 4 MHz clock frequency. The new technique essentially incorporated several methods which divide one conversion cycle into five-phases, accomplish minimization of the error caused by comparator response delay, provide several narrow flat phases to eliminate switching errors due to parasitic capacitance, and enable high clock frequency operation in digital circuits by utilizing C/SUP 2/MOS circuit technology and a synchronized configuration for counters.


Oil and gas accumulations in the sandy conglomerate diagenetic traps that developed in the fan delta of the Triassic Baikouquan Formation of the Mahu sag, Junggar Basin, differ from stratigraphic accumulations controlled by sedimentary facies. This study uses conventional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry measurements, mineralogical and petrological data, fluid inclusion analyses, and geophysical inversion to confirm the trap type and accumulation processes. The results indicate that accumulations in the sandy conglomerate formed in distributary channels of the fan-delta front, with the boundary controlled by reservoir quality. In turn, reservoir quality was controlled by differential diagenesis caused by detrital-feldspar content, paleotemperature, and formation fluids, suggesting that the trap is a diagenetic trap. The diagenetic trap formed from secondary pores developed in the fan-delta front facies with seals forming through a combination of altered sandy beds and mudstone. The critical physical property of the reservoir, based on the ratio of its average capillary radius to the ratio of its seal, is a crucial parameter for describing diagenetic trap boundaries. Here, it effectively distinguishes between reservoirs at different burial depths. A good correlation exists between the formation of the diagenetic traps and hydrocarbon filling. Three hydrocarbon charging and two accumulation stages are identified. The diagenetic traps primarily formed in the Jurassic, and the last charging stage of highly mature oil charge occurred in the Early Cretaceous. Few studies have investigated the conglomerate diagenetic trap studied herein, so this study should improve the understanding of oil and gas traps.


Introduction As the use of online and social media increases globally, the need for sentiment analysis tools in multiple languages is critical in order to understand and analyze the vast amount of data that may contain users' feelings, perceptions, and beliefs. Users from different countries convey their messages in various languages, which may convey different sentiments and cultural connotations. Developing non-English sentiment analysis tools can ensure that data is not lost due to language. A proof-of-concept Tagalog Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) dictionary for positive and negative emotion was developed for use in analyzing mixed language Twitter data from the Philippines and evaluated against humanannotated sentiment for Twitter, referred to as groundtruth.


With the economic development and the improvement of residents' income level, China's tourism industry is now entering into a new historical period. In this paper, we construct an empirical analysis model about urban residents' rural travelling decision-making, and then analyze influential factors mechanism by using logistic regression model. Based on the analysis of rural travelling decision-making behaviors, the result shows that the variables as disposable in- come, discretionary time of urban residents, infrastructure, traffic condition, tourism culture and tourism environment are significantly affecting rural travel decision-making, which is at 10% significant level; meanwhile, other variables as envi- ronmental quality, policy and media publicity is not obvious.


This research seeks to extend the current understanding of the relationship between intellectual human capital and exploratory innovation within organizations. In particular, this study explores the direct and facilitating roles played by three kinds of intellectual human capital: 1) pure scientists; 2) bridging scientists; and 3) pure inventors, for the two dimensions of firms' exploratory innovation: 1) recombinatory innovation and 2) pioneering innovation. The research model is tested using the patent, publication, and financial data of biotechnology firms from around the world.


Though previous studies have examined how formalising land tenure affects housing improvements in informal settlements, the role of tenure security and its long-term influence remain unclear. In response, this paper quantitatively examines the extent to which formalising land tenure by way of slum declaration has stimulated housing improvements during the last three decades in the slums of Pune, India. Since slum declaration guarantees residents occupancy but not full property rights, this study focuses on how tenure security contributes to housing outcomes, such as materials, size, the number of floors and the amount of money spent for the improvements. Using original household survey data, analysis involving propensity score matching and difference-in-differences methods reveals that slum declaration has tripled a household's likelihood of having added a second floor and, albeit less clear, increased the average amount of money spent on housing improvements. At the same time, slum declaration has not induced any improvement in housing materials, largely since many residents of non-formalised slums have also replaced materials. These results indicate that slum declaration, even in the long run, has continued to influence housing investments in Pune's slums, in terms of both type and amount spent, though residents of non-formalised slums have also come to enjoy certain de facto tenure security. Among other implications for policy, these findings underscore that governments should at least provide legal assurance of occupancy rights in informal settlements, even if active interventions such as slum upgrading and titling are currently difficult.


The prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) of mechanical equipment provides a timely understanding of the equipment degradation and is critical for predictive maintenance of the equipment. In recent years, the applications of deep learning (DL) methods to predict equipment RUL have attracted much attention. There are two major challenges when applying the DL methods for RUL prediction: (1) It is difficult to select the prediction model structure and hyperparameters such as network depth, learning rate, batch size, and etc. (2) The developed prediction model is domain dependent, i.e., it can only give good prediction performance in one data domain (one particular type of working conditions and fault modes). In order to meet the challenges, a novel RUL prediction method developed using a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) combined with Bayesian optimization and adaptive batch normalization (AdaBN) is presented in this paper. The proposed RUL prediction model is validated by the turbofan engine degradation simulation dataset provided by NASA. The prediction results show that the proposed prediction model provides better prediction results than model structures obtained by random search and grid search. The results also show that the domain adaptation capability of the prediction model has been improved.


Although human rights and unfair competition have been part of the legal discussion for decades theirrelations have mostly been analysed from the perspective of commercial communications and not witha view to freedom of economic activities. This paper proposes several conceptual changes. A newconcept has to overcome the notion of the passive role of consumers and consequently the concept oftheir defensive rights. Consumers need to be given an active role in the market place and voice directeconomic choices. Providing for comprehensible information in the market (in the sense of thetransparency principle) is therefore essential. Consequently, consumers must have protective rights,including proactive entitlements to protection (for example through the application of the precautionaryprinciple). Legislators, regulators, and courts are called to define the 'public' consumer interests('public' because widely dispersed among the consuming public). Philosophically, an interest that isconverted into a fundamental right 'trumps' any opposing, utilitarian interest or policy. Courts need toask the question whether the consumers' position and role in the contemporary globalized marketswould call for a special degree of legal protection (of a high order). In this regard, basic rights protectioncould become a legal strategy. A further important aspect is the empowerment of consumers. Only ifconsumers are aware of risk assessments and precautionary measures, they can decide to "opt-out" inrespect of eg health or environmental risks.


The kids in our house are making a public comeback. They are surfacing from the private recesses of the house out into the more communal space of the family lounge room. After years of being holed-up in their bedrooms they are back – thanks to pay TV. Foxtel has presented them with a smorgasbord of programs, tempting enough to entice even the most die-hard gamer or teenage recluse out of the bedroom and into the throes of lounge room politics. In some ways, our newly populated lounge room is reminiscent of David Morley's Family Television with television viewing "situated firmly within the politics of the living room"(19). This article explores the notion that the introduction of pay TV in Australia challenges the general movement towards an individualisation of media consumption in the family home. Due to pay TV's limitations of one outlet per household, children and teenagers are leaving the privacies of their own bedrooms and returning to the family lounge room. With this return, many family members are having to relearn the art of sharing (or getting your fair share of) this limited resource. This situation may also be a particularly Australian one, as it seems that pay TV with its multi-channel viewing is more readily available on multiple television sets within homes in other countries (Tidhar, Chava and Nossek 16) Family television viewing seems to be part of a relatively recent (round the hearth) tradition, which followed from the family piano, phonograph and the radio. These traditions re-established the home and family as a place where parental authority overrode the dangers of the outside world. Radio broadcasters in the 1940s endorsed the family radio as a way to promote family togetherness because (as they saw it) "the house and hearth have [had] been largely given up in favour of a multitude of other interests and activities outside, with the consequent disintegration of family ties and affections" (Lewis qtd. in Flichy 158). Television viewing followed suit as another round-the-hearth family tradition during the earlier period of domestic television. David Morley (1986) explored the domestic consumption of television in the context of everyday family life during this time, a time when only one television set was available to most families – a time when dads, and the occasional mum, ruled the television viewing habits of the family. Morley's approach to television viewing was one in which the household (or family) was central to interpreting the television audience; where there were gendered regimes of watching and program choice which often reflected existing power relationships in the home. Today most Australian families have more than one television set (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), leading the way to more individualised and fragmented modes of television watching within Australian homes. The introduction of computers, the Internet and video consoles in many family homes seems to have further dispersed family members to more private spaces in the family home, diffusing existing conflict surrounding the family television. Therefore, "if television once brought the family together around the hearth, now domestic technologies permit the dispersal of family members to different rooms or different activities within the same space" (Livingstone 128). The geographical migration of the television set, along with new digital technologies, to the bedrooms and secondary living spaces in many family homes has brought with it new dynamics for social space within the household and a "reciprocal (re)construction of the meanings and functions of both the technological objects and the domestic spaces they inhabit" (Caron 3). Equipping bedrooms with television and digital technologies has the ability to change the room's conventional usage – both spatially and temporally. In this way our 11-year-old's bedroom has been transformed into a specialised bedroom culture – a gamer's paradise. By locating a television and game console in this bedroom the technologies are identified as personal property while at the same time allowing for a space that functions as both communal and private, for sharing with siblings and friends and solitary gaming. The upside of this general movement towards a separate bedroom culture (or private media spaces) is that there are more spaces to engage with media technologies and therefore more viewing choice for family members. These extra media spaces have freed up the lounge room possibly allowing for more harmony and accord within the family, while at the same time bringing about the opportunity for some family members to retreat from the social togetherness of family television viewing. However, with the limitations of one outlet per household in Australian pay TV, the lounge room has again become the focus of family television viewing in some Australian homes. With over twenty percent of Australian homes now subscribing to pay TV (Australian Film Commission) some Australian families may again be experiencing the togetherness (and the inevitable struggles) of sharing one television set. In the days when one television set was the norm, Morley explored the way in which family viewing habits reflected existing power relationships in the home, focussing mainly on issues concerned with gender and class in the UK home. Twenty years later, in our house on the other side of the world, similar battles are taking place – Dragonball Z vs. Ocean Girl, Robot Wars vs. Buffy and World Series Cricket vs. Changing Rooms. However, unlike Morley's Family Television the results of these gendered battles are too close to call. Perhaps, with forty or more channels to choose from, and programs designed to appeal to specific family members, the stakes are even higher and the battle has only just begun. Today's media-rich home environments, with multiple television sets and digital technologies, seem to have gone some way to resolving household conflicts over television viewing allowing for more choice and individualisation of media consumption. However, the introduction of pay TV in Australia has seen a return to the living room politics of family television viewing somewhat reminiscent of Morley's Family Television where sharing the family television reflected and highlighted existing family power relationships and struggles. Works Cited

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australia in Brief: Way of Life. Commonwealth of Australia. 2 March 2003 . Australian Film Commission. Get the Picture: Fast Facts. 2002. 3 March 2003 . Caron, Andre. "New Communication Technologies in the Home: A Qualitative Study on the Introduction, Appropriation and Uses of Media in the Family." Young People and the Media. Sydney: International Forum of Researchers, 2000. Livingstone, Sonia. "The Meaning of Domestic Technologies: A Personal Construct Analysis of Familial Gender Relations." Consuming Technologies: Media and Information in Domestic Spaces. Eds. Roger Silverstone and Eric Hirsch. London: Routledge, 1992. 113-30. Morley, D. Family Television: Cultural Power and Domestic Pleasure. London: Routledge, 1986. Tidhar, Chava E., and Hillel Nossek. "All in the Family: The Integration of a New Media Technology in the Family." Communications 27 (2002): 15-34.
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It was reported that the parathyroid gland hyperplasia correlated with enhanced co-expression of TGF-alpha and its receptor EGFR at early stages of renal failure. This time, we investigated the time course for EGFR and its ligands, TGF-alpha, and EFG expression, and the influence of high-phosphorus (P) diet to EGFR and EGF expression, and the effect of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (Gefitinib, [IRESSA; AstraZeneca]; TKI) in rat PTGs with established stage of renal failure. The levels of EGFR, EGF, TGF-alpha mRNA in rat PTGs were increased for the time periods. The serum intact PTH levels, and EGFR, EGFmRNA in rat PTGs were suppressed in normal-P diet group. Nuclei positive cells for PCNA in TKI group were suppressed. The levels of p21mRNA were increased in TKI group. These results suggested that the enhanced expression of EGFR, TGF-alpha and EGF participate in the cell proliferation of hyperplastic PTGs in established stage of renal failure.


Milkweeds are important nectar resources for insects in the New World. In addition, nectar is the germination medium for milkweed pollen. This study is the first controlled, greenhouse examination of patterns of nectar production in a milkweed species. We measured nectar volume, concentration, and mg of sugar in the pantropical, weedy milkweed Asclepias curassavica. Our results show that A. curassavica secretes nectar primarily during daylight hours and it continues at a constant daily rate for four to five days. Freshly secreted nectar is lower in sugar concentration than older nectar. This provides an opportunity for milkweed pollen to germinate throughout the day, but pollen germination could be inhibited at times when the sugar concentration increases. Nectar production in A. curassavica is adapted to attract diurnal insect pollinators over several days and to allow pollen germination to occur quickly. Significant differences in nectar production exist among plants and among inflorescences within plants. Nectar production increases in flowers when nectar is extracted using paper wicks that simulate removal by insects in nature. Removal-enhanced nectar production in milkweeds may allow plants to adjust resources to inflorescences receiving insect visitation. Significant inter-plant differences in nectar production and the unique milkweed flower provides a model system for examining the role of pollinator-mediated selection on nectar traits.


STATISTICAL ASPECTS OF FETAL SCREENING CHRISTINE M DONOVAN This thesis discusses the current screening algorithm that is used to detect fetal Down's syndrome. The algorithm combines a model for predicting age related risks and a model for appropriately transformed serum concentrations to produce estimates of risks. A discriminant analysis is used to classify pregnancies as either unaffected or Down's syndrome. The serum concentrations vary with gestational age and the relationship between serum concentrations and gestational age is modelled using regression. These models are discussed and alternative models for these relationships are offered. Concentration values are generally expressed in terms of multiples of the medians for unaffected pregnancies, or MoM values, which involves grouping the concentrations into weekly bins. Transformations of the MoM values are used in the model for predicting risks. The transformed values are equivalent to the residuals of the fitted regression models. This thesis directly models the residuals rather than converting the data to MoM values. This approach avoids the need to group gestational dates into completed weeks. The performance of the algorithm is assessed in terms the detection rates and false positive rates. The performance rates are prone to considerable sampling error. Simulation methods are used to calculate standard errors for reported detection rates. The bias in the rates is also investigated using bootstrapping techniques. The algorithm often fails to recognize abnormalities other than Down's syndrome and frequently associates them with low risks. A solution to the problem is offered that assigns an index of atypicality to each pregnancy, to identify those pregnancies that are atypical of unaffected pregnancies, but are also unlike Down's syndrome pregnancies. Nonparametric techniques for estimating the class conditional densities of transformed serum values are used as an alternative to the conventional parametric techniques of estimation. High quality density estimates are illustrated and these are used to compute nonparametric likelihood ratios that can be used in the probability model to predict risks. The effect of errors in the methods of recording gestational dates on the parameter estimates that are used in the discriminant analysis is also considered.


An attempt has been made to simulate the thermodynamic features of the thunderstorm (TS) event over Dhaka (23.81 ° N, 90.41 ° E) occurred from 1300 UTC to 1320 UTC of 4 April 2015 using Advanced Research dynamics solver of Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF-ARW). The model was run to conduct a simulation for 48 hours on a single domain of 5 km horizontal resolution utilizing six hourly Global Final Analysis (FNL) datasets from 0600 UTC of 3 April 2015 to 0600 UTC of 5 April 2015 as initial and lateral boundary conditions. Kessler schemes for microphysics, Yonsei University (YSU) scheme for planetary boundary layer (PBL) parametrization, Revised MM5 scheme for surface layer physics, Rapid Radiative Transfer Model (RRTM) for longwave radiation, Dudhia scheme for shortwave radiation and Kain–Fritsch (KF) scheme for cumulus parameterization were used. Hourly outputs produced by the model have been analyzed numerically and graphically using Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADS). Deep analyses were carried out by examining several thermodynamic parameters such as mean sea level pressure (MSLP), wind pattern, vertical wind shear, vorticity, temperature, convective available potential energy (CAPE), relative humidity (RH) and rainfall. To validate the model performance, simulated values of MSLP, maximum and minimum temperature and RH were compared with observational data obtained from Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). Rainfall values were compared with that of BMD and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Based on the comparisons and validations, the present study advocates that the model captured the TS event reasonably well. GANIT J. Bangladesh Math. Soc. Vol. 37 (2017) 131-145


Parties to litigation expect courts to operate both predictably and fairly. A core part of this expectation is the presence of codified rules of procedure, which ensure fairness while constraining, and making more predictable, the ebb and flow of litigation.
Within the courts of this country, however, there is a font of authority over procedure that courts often turn to in circumstances when they claim that there is no written guidance. This authority, referred to as the "inherent" or "supervisory" power of courts, is an almost pure expression of a court's exercise of discretion in that it gives courts the ability to do "all things reasonably necessary" for the administration of justice. The sweeping nature of this power requires us to examine the role of discretion in courts' decisions and to ask whether procedural goals of fairness, notice, and predictability can be met in circumstances when courts rely on their inherent powers. As a first step in this examination, this Article begins by considering and characterizing the use of inherent power by both federal and state courts, as well as its roots in common law judicial authority.
While the unconstrained exercise of inherent power is ever-less acceptable in a legal system that is increasingly moving toward written rules, the absence of such authority would present its own difficulties. This Article therefore concludes by suggesting that although courts should not be barred from using their inherent power, they should do so only after making two explicit findings: (1) why inherent power should be exercised, particularly in light of relevant positive law, and (2) what standards the court will use to determine whether to apply that power in a given case. Through these findings on whether and how the inherent power should be used, lower courts retain the procedural flexibility of inherent power while being discouraged from its unconstrained use. At the same time, appellate courts are given the tools they need to fully test the proper application of this otherwise sweeping power in future cases.


Despite the importance of mucociliary epithelia in animal physiology, the mechanisms controlling their establishment are poorly understood. Using the developing Xenopus epidermis and regenerating human upper airways, we reveal the importance of BMP signalling for the construction of vertebrate mucociliary epithelia. In Xenopus, attenuation of BMP activity is necessary for the specification of multiciliated cells (MCCs), ionocytes and small secretory cells (SSCs). Conversely, BMP activity is required for the proper differentiation of goblet cells. Our data suggest that the BMP and Notch pathways interact to control fate choices in the developing epidermis. Unexpectedly, BMP activity is also necessary for the insertion of MCCs, ionocytes and SSCs into the surface epithelium. In human, BMP inhibition also strongly stimulates the formation of MCCs in normal and pathological (cystic fibrosis) airway samples, whereas BMP overactivation has the opposite effect. This work identifies the BMP pathway as a key regulator of vertebrate mucociliary epithelium differentiation and morphogenesis. Summary: The BMP pathway controls both morphognenesis of and cell type specification in mucociliary epithelia: the Xenopus embryonic epidermis and regenerating human airways.


Immune checkpoint inhibitors have entered clinical practice for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several previous studies for other cancers have revealed that tumor mutation burden, tumor PD-L1 expression and cytotoxic T-cell infiltration are predictive of treatment response. The genetic analysis of HCC has shown that β-catenin mutation might be a biomarker predicting the poor response against immune checkpoint inhibitors. β-catenin is a transcription factor downstream of WNT signaling and somatic mutations of this gene are the third most common in HCC. WNT signaling is an important signal for organogenesis and is also involved in the maintenance of stem cells in several organs. Recently, clinical and basic studies have shown the specific roles of WNT/β-catenin signaling in many aspects of hepatic function and carcinogenesis including metabolic zonation and inflammation, and sub-classification and radiologic features of HCC. Base on the review on the recent advances of research investigating WNT/β-catenin signaling associated with hepatocytes, we speculate the clinical role of this signal on the immunotherapy for HCC, which suggests that an era of genetic mutation profiles may be coming to add to the HCC treatment algorithm.


This is the story of a hero. Ten-year-old Robert knows many things. He knows all about his hometown, Geneva, with its statues and cannons and underground tunnels and the Longest Bench in the World. He knows about the Red Cross and all the places his dad has been on his missions. He knows that his mum is writing a book about vampires and how long his older brother spends practicing his 'swag' poses in front of the mirror. He knows all about animals, too, because his Auntie Delphia is a vet in Zimbabwe. But still he has questions. Is his neighbour, Monsieur Renoir, really evil? Why did he leave a Victoria Cross medal on Robert's doorstep? And why has Auntie Delphia disappeared? In the 'Peace and Conflict' unit in school, Robert learned all about wars and heroes. But as the lives of his friends, foes and family unfold, he discovers what it really means to be a hero ...


The Brain tumor harmful disease of brain. 10 Billion or more working cells contained in a brain cells. Normally, damaged cell turnover takes place in an orderly and controlled manner. If in curtained condition the process gets out of control then the cells will continue to divide and developing into a lump, that causes a tumor. Brain tumors are classified into two types that is primary brain tumor and secondary brain tumor. The detection of primary brain tumor which is also called as Gliomas is possible by analyzing EEG signals. This paper, proposes a method to classification EEG signal for detection of primary brain tumor detection, that is combination of multi-wavelet transform and artificial neural network. Uncertainty in the EEG signals is measured by using the Approximate Entropy. The proposed method will implemented, tested and compared with existing method based on performance indices such as sensitivity, specificity, accuracy; results are promising with accuracy of upto 96%.


In this paper, features which are usually employed in automatic speech recognition (ASR) are used for the detection of seizures in newborn EEG. In particular, spectral envelope-based features, composed of spectral powers and their spectral derivatives are compared to the established feature set which has been previously developed for EEG analysis. The results indicate that the ASR features which model the spectral derivatives, either full-band or localized in frequency, yielded a performance improvement, in comparison to spectral-power-based features. Indeed it is shown here that they perform reasonably well in comparison with the conventional EEG feature set. The contribution of the ASR features was analyzed here using the support vector machines (SVM) recursive feature elimination technique. It is shown that the spectral derivative features consistently appear among the top-rank features. The study shows that the ASR features should be given a high priority when dealing with the description of the EEG signal.


OBJECTIVES
Determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in adult woman who was attended by family physician, to explore risk factors for depression and estimate how often depression is registered as a diagnosis by the family physician.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We did a prospective, analytic, and transversal study with simple randomized sampling at a Mexico City Family Medicine Clinic from March to December 2004. The size of the study was 384 patients. It includes women from 20 to 59 years of age. We excluded women without a clinical file for at least 1 year of reliable information. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Family Apgar Scale were applied.

RESULTS
The survey included a total of 400 patients with the following characteristics: average age, 39 +/- 11 years; married, 74%; homemakers, 68%, and women with education level of high school or less were 79%. Prevalence of depressive symptoms was 52% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 47-57). In women between 20 and 39 years of age, there was an association between depression and family dysfunction; the average number of healthcare appointments for the year prior to the study was significantly higher in patients 40 years old or more.

CONCLUSIONS
There is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in adult women, and depression diagnosis is frequently omitted. Depression-associated factors differ according to chronological age. In young women, family dysfunction is the main risk factor.


The objective of the study was to develop and validate predictors of 30-day hospital readmission using readily available administrative data and to compare prediction models that use alternate comorbidity classifications. A retrospective cohort study was designed; the models were developed in a two-thirds random sample and validated in the remaining one-third sample. The study cohort consisted of 29,292 adults aged 65 or older who were admitted from July 2002 to June 2004 to any of seven acute care hospitals in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area affiliated with the Baylor Health Care System. Demographic variables (age, sex, race), health system variables (insurance, discharge location, medical vs surgical service), comorbidity (classified by the Elixhauser classification or the High-Risk Diagnoses in the Elderly Scale), and geographic variables (distance from patient's residence to hospital and median income) were assessed by estimating relative risk and risk difference for 30-day readmission. Population-attributable risk was calculated. Results showed that age 75 or older, male sex, African American race, medical vs surgical service, Medicare with no other insurance, discharge to a skilled nursing facility, and specific comorbidities predicted 30-day readmission. Models with demographic, health system, and either comorbidity classification covariates performed similarly, with modest discrimination (C statistic, 0.65) and acceptable calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow ϰ2 = 6.08; P > 0.24). Models with demographic variables, health system variables, and number of comorbid conditions also performed adequately. Discharge to long-term care (relative risk, 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.80–2.09) had the highest population-attributable risk of 30-day readmission (12.86%). A 25% threshold of predicted probability of 30-day readmission identified 4.1% of patients ≥65 years old as priority patients for improved discharge planning. We conclude that elders with a high risk of 30-day hospital readmission can be identified early in their hospital course.


Earlier studies have reported that faecal pH is more alkaline in patients with colonic cancer, indicating a reduction in colonic carbohydrate fermentation to organic acids. The pH of faeces from 11 pre and 14 postoperative, selected colonic cancer patients without intestinal obstruction, major loss of appetite or weight, not treated with antibiotics, and without signs of dissemination or recurrence of the cancer, did not differ, however, from faecal pH in 17 patients with previous colonic adenomas removed by polypectomy and faecal pH in 17 age matched (mean 61 years) healthy controls (mean (SE) 7.03 (0.10), 7.15 (0.11), 7.20 (0.12), 7.11 (0.12) respectively; p = 0.82). Faecal pH in 20 younger (mean 32 years) healthy controls tended to be lower (6.89 (0.07) compared with the older age matched control group (p < 0.06). Faecal concentrations of D-, L- or total D+L-lactate did not differ between the patients with present or previous colonic cancer, adenomas, and the healthy controls (D+L-lactate mean (SE) 3.2 (0.5), 3.1 (0.3), 3.5 (0.7), 4.1 (1.0) mmol/l respectively; p = 0.72), and the production pattern of lactate from different carbohydrates (glucose and dietary fibre) in 16.6% faecal homogenates was similar in all the three groups of patients and the healthy controls. Faecal pH was changed within days by modifications of the diet. An enteral diet free of fibre, starch, and lactose increased faecal pH within three days, whereas pH decreased when the colonic load of carbohydrates was increased by lactulose. Therefore, the reported alkaline faecal pH in patients with colonic cancer may reflect short term reduction in dietary intake and colonic fermentation secondary to the presence of the cancer, especially in patients with advanced disease, rather than long term differences in the precancer dietary habits.


Distributed computing applications rely on transmissions of messages between processes. However, as workstations are not intended to manage this kind of communications, it is necessary to use some communication tools known as message passing libraries. Currently, MPI (Message Passing Interface) and PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) are the most used. In addition, the need for interoperability among the rapidly proliferating amount of hardware and software led to the definition of CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), which standardizes the execution support of distributed object applications. This architecture offers good interoperability and encapsulation support. Moreover, its method invocation mechanism, offers several features and can be used as a good communication model. Consequently, the use of such an architecture for distributed and grid computing applications seems interesting and promising. However, CORBA is always criticized on the performance level. By taking account of all these elements, a performance evaluation of CORBA seems necessary. The aim of the paper is to present benchmark results of some CORBA implementations (ORBacus and TAO) and to compare them with those of the two message passing libraries MPI (MPICH and LAM) and PVM, by using a Network of WorkStations (NOW).


The energy, exergy, and economic aspects are analyzed of a cycle consisting of a polymer fuel cell, a burner, a reformer, and a heat exchanger. Water is used for cooling the fuel cell, and the heated water is used for domestic consumption. The exergy and energy efficiencies of the cycle are calculated, and the effects of various cycle parameters on the exergy and energy efficiencies are investigated. To maximize the exergy efficiency while minimizing the cost of electricity generation by the fuel cell, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is utilized. The results show that increasing the cooling water flow rate has the greatest effect on increasing the energy efficiency of the cycle, while increasing the burner temperature has the greatest effect on increasing the exergy efficiency of the cycle. Moreover, it is shown via multi-objective optimization of the proposed cycle that the exergy efficiency of the cycle increases by 31% and the cost of electricity generation decreases by 18% by applying optimized parameters.


Supersingular isogeny key encapsulation (SIKE) is a promising candidate in the NIST postquantum cryptography (PQC) standardization process, which has the smallest key lengths. It is the only isogeny-based cryptographic scheme in the NIST list that leverages the traditional elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) arithmetic; however, the high computational complexity is one of its limiting factors. In this work, we proposed a high-performance hardware architecture for the SIKE protocol. The architecture includes an improved multiplier based on the high-performance finite field multiplication (HFFM) algorithm which is 15%–20.7% faster than the previous multiplier based on the HFFM algorithm and a unified adder/subtractor with radix $3^{b}$ . In addition, it also comprises an efficient scheduler strategy that decomposes all the functions of SIKE into finite field $F_{p}$ and then effectively schedules through optimized multiplication chains for maximal performance. The proposed architecture is synthesized and implemented on Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA for all the four variants of SIKE having security levels from 1 to 5 and achieved 2.6%–7.8% faster speeds as well as consumed less equivalent number of slices (ENS) than the state-of-the-art designs. In the comparison of area and time (AT), the proposed architecture is 14.2%–34.5% lower than the previous architecture.


The subject of infections of the kidney may be regarded perhaps as a thoroughly explored field, and yet I suspect that a great majority of capable physicians are still unfamiliar with important facts in this field and are likely to regard various stages in the same process as different disease entities. It does not seem improper, therefore, to discuss the subject further in an attempt to determine whether broad generalizations in regard to the origin and course can be deduced from the knowledge now at hand. I am intentionally excluding from consideration certain large groups of cases. Those which are definitely secondary, and which are regarded as a natural consequence of other lesions of the urinary tract are not considered. In this group belong the infections of the kidney secondary to other diseases of the kidney, such as stone and tumor, and infections clearly consequent on gross organic obstruction of


Maps in newspapers generated many discussions among cartographers and geographers working from different approaches and theoretical backgrounds. This work examines these maps from a historiographical as well as a historical perspective. It considers three main questions, namely how maps in the press should be conceptualized, how cartographic images in newspapers have been studied, and how these images changed over time. In order to provide a perspective on the origins, development, and impact of war maps in the press, this work will explore maps representing three geopolitical conflicts for Brazilian audiences: The War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870), World War II (1939–1945) and the War on Drugs in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (1994–2010). By exploring these war maps, specific cartographic practices used in this genre as well as the connections that this mode has with other types of map production and consumption will be identified.


Manipulating and utilizing light in nanoscale are becoming tasks of not only scientific interest, but also industrial importance. My research includes two major topics in nanoscale optics: 1. Nanoscale optical motor. 2. Optical modulator based on novel materials.Light carries both linear and angular momentum, and therefore generating force or torque with light is feasible. The ability to provide torque in nano-meter scale opens up a new realm of applications in physics, biology and chemistry, ranging from DNA unfolding and sequencing, to active Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS). In the first part of this dissertation, I demonstrate a nano-scale plasmonic structure generating a significantly large rotational force when illuminated with linearly-polarized light. I show that a metallic particle with size of 1/10 of the wavelength is capable of rotating a silica microdisk, 4,000 times larger in volume. Furthermore, the rotation velocity and direction can be controlled by merely varying the wavelength of the incident light, thereby inducing different plasmonic modes which possess different torque directions. The tiny dimensions along with the tremendous torque may have a profound impact over a broad range of applications such as energy conversion, and in-vivo biological manipulation and detection.Compared with the interaction between particles and photons, the optical force between particles is of fundamentally important as well. In the end of the first part, I propose a new technique to measure the optical binding forces between two plasmonic particles. By using localization technique on a build-in cantilever, I prove the potential to measure the force with accuracy up to sub-pico-Newton.The second part of this dissertation is about the modulation of light, an optical modulator. Integrated optical modulator with high modulation speed, small footprint and large optical bandwidth is poised to be the enabling device for on-chip optical interconnects. However, present devices suffer from intrinsic narrow-bandwidth aside from their sophisticated optical design, stringent fabrication, temperature tolerances and large foot print. By using graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms, I experimentally demonstrated a broadband, high-speed, waveguide-integrated electroabsorption modulator. The extremely strong interaction between light and relativistic electrons in graphene allows us to integrate an optical modulator within an ultra-small footprint while operating at a high speed with broad bandwidth under ambient conditions. Even monolayer of being less than 1 nm in thickness, its modulation effectiveness is comparable with the best materials like Ge and SiGe with tens nanometers. In addition, the athermal optoelectronic properties of graphene make the device immune to harsh operation environments, in sharp contrast to all existing semiconductor approaches.


This paper introduces several new combinatorial constructions of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, in contrast to the prevalent practice of using long, random-like codes. The proposed codes are well structured, and unlike random codes can lend themselves to a very low-complexity implementation. Constructions of regular Gallager codes based on cyclic difference families, cycle-invariant difference sets, and affine 1-configurations are introduced. Several constructions of difference families used for code design are presented, as well as bounds on the minimal distance of the codes based on the concept of a generalized Pasch configuration.


With the renaissance of the railway system in the past 20 years, the station building, historically the gateway to the city and the nucleus for dynamic urban development, has become a key urban infrastructure facility again. But the change of passengers' needs and the necessity to interconnect different modes of public and private transport has created new requirements to the features of train stations. An important task for the coming years is to strengthen the position of railways in an integrated system and to increase the demand for this mode of transport. This requires a number of measures to improve the standards of passenger service, amongst others, the functional design of the station buildings. An integration of users' experiences into the design process can contribute to positive results regarding intermodality and may improve the public opinion about rail facilities. This research conducted between March 2014 and September 2014 in two station buildings in Berlin and Leipzig, took up behavioral quality issues related to wayfinding, transfer options and technical aspects concerning ventilation, lighting and acoustics. The study target focused on subjective feelings of the main users - the passengers - concerning aesthetics and functionality of the spatial design. A mixed strategy was used, in which quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (case studies) examination was carried out in parallel. The main research tool was a questionnaire designed to gather information on the impact of railway station design on the needs and emotional reception of passengers and furthermore to indicate irregularities that could be avoided in similar projects in future. Orientation at the station must take into account the needs of different groups of customers (tourists, commuters, people with disabilities, parents with children, etc.). In Leipzig's historic station building, more than 80% of respondents reported that the station's orientation was very or fairly easy but in Berlin's new and Europe's largest railway hub 38% of respondents answered that they had stumbled across some obstruction or had had difficulties in finding the way from one mode of transport to another. For 78% of the interviewees it was related to the architectural design. The findings show that in the planning process the designers' (intentional or unintentional) decisions may cause problems of wayfinding for future users. This study can help professionals involved in the design and decision-making process to recognize strengths and weaknesses of existing intermodal stations, and it may become an important tool for the future designs.


The TanDEM-X mission, result of the partnership between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Astrium GmbH, opens a new era in spaceborne radar remote sensing. The first bistatic satellite synthetic aperture radar mission is formed by flying TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X in a closely controlled helix formation. The primary mission goal is the derivation of a high-precision global digital elevation model (DEM) according to High-Resolution Terrain Information (HRTI) level 3 accuracy. The finite precision of the baseline knowledge and uncompensated radar instrument drifts introduce errors that may compromise the height accuracy requirements. By means of a DEM calibration, which uses absolute height references, and the information provided by adjacent interferogram overlaps, these height errors can be minimized. This paper summarizes the exhaustive studies of the nature of the residual-error sources that have been carried out during the development of the DEM calibration concept. Models for these errors are set up and simulations of the resulting DEM height error for different scenarios provide the basis for the development of a successful DEM calibration strategy for the TanDEM-X mission.


To enhance the approximation and generalization ability of artificial neural network (ANN) by employing the principles of quantum rotation gate and controlled-not gate, a quantum-inspired neuron with sequence input is proposed. In the proposed model, the discrete sequence input is represented by the qubits, which, as the control qubits of the controlled-not gate after being rotated by the quantum rotation gates, control the target qubit for reverse. The model output is described by the probability amplitude of state in the target qubit. Then a quantum-inspired neural network with sequence input (QNNSI) is designed by employing the sequence input-based quantum-inspired neurons to the hidden layer and the classical neurons to the output layer, and a learning algorithm is derived by employing the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Simulation results of benchmark problem show that, under a certain condition, the QNNSI is obviously superior to the ANN.


Purpose of the article: This paper is concerned with Market Orientation (MO) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). These two topics have been frequently explored in the field of corporate management and marketing. Nevertheless, these two concepts are still analyzed separately in the literature. This article explains why these concepts are interdependent and sets the degree of dependence of these concepts. It also finds out whether the level of MO and CRM is dependent on company size or the type of market.
Methodology/methods: This article has been prepared based on the analysis of secondary and primary sources. The primary research was conducted on a sample of 29 completed questionnaires provided by firms from the aerospace field in the Czech Republic. The level of CRM and MO was determined for each company and a statistical verification was conducted.
Scientific aim: One aim of this article is to reveal the interconnections between MO and CRM. Other aim is to determine whether CRM and MO are affected by the size of the company and whether they depend on the type of market (business-to-business, i.e. B2B or business-to-customer, i.e. B2C).
Findings: Findings of this article are new information in this area. The data strongly support the proposition that MO is interconnected with CRM, while no dependence on the size of the company or the type of market has been confirmed.
Conclusions: This research supports the opinion that MO and CRM are appropriate for each of the researched type of the company (under certain conditions). The findings must be considered within the limitations of this study. Conclusions for the whole business may be drawn after the comparison of experiences across business sectors from different countries.


We develop a reduced-order model for large-scale unsteadiness (vortex shedding) in a two-dimensional diffuser and use the model to show how periodic mass injection near the separation point reduces stagnation pressure loss. The model estimates the characteristic frequency of vortex shedding and stagnation pressure loss by accounting for the accumulated circulation due to the vorticity flux into the separated region. The stagnation pressure loss consists of two parts: a steady part associated with the time-averaged static pressure distribution on the wall, and an unsteady part caused by vortex shedding. To validate the model, we perform numerical simulations of compressible unsteady laminar diffuser flows in two dimensions. The model and simulation show good agreement as we vary the Mach number and the area ratio of the diffuser. To investigate the effects of periodic mass injection near the separation point, we also perform simulations over a range of the injection frequencies. Periodic mass injection causes vortices to be pinched off with a smaller size as observed in experiments. Consequently, their convective velocity is increased, absorption of circulation from the wall is enhanced, and the reattached point is shifted upstream. Thus, in accordance with the model, the stagnation pressure loss, particularly the unsteady part, is substantially reduced even though the separation point is nearly unchanged. This study helps explain experimental results of separation control using unsteady mass injection in diffusers and on airfoils.


Five new molecular semiconductors that differ from dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene, by the introduction of ether or thioether side chains, have been synthesized and obtained in good yields. Their availability in sufficient quantities has allowed investigation of their electrochemical behaviour in solution and their electronic properties in solid state. Both ether and thioether compounds oxidise rather easily in solution, but nevertheless, they exhibit rather high ionisation potentials. This is a consequence of their crystal structure. Dioctylthioetherbenzothienobenzothiophene is rather sensitive to oxidation and degrades easily in close to ambient conditions. Dioctyletherbenzothienobenzothiophene is more stable. Its charge carrier mobility remains however rather moderate, on the order of 0.5 cm2 V−1 s−1, whereas that of dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene reached 4 cm2 V−1 s−1, in the same conditions. The difference is explained by intrinsic factors as shown by a theoretical modelling.


"This is an excellent text which covers all of the important research methods in the field, including randomised control trials. A strong component of the text is the inclusion of chapters on ethics and the future of paramedic research...The use of paramedic examples throughout the chapters will help students and other budding paramedic researchers connect with the subject matter and help them link theory, evidence and practice." Professor Peter O'Meara, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Australia This practical book provides a no nonsense guide for student and qualified paramedics looking to understand the key elements of research, and what it means for their profession. The authors explain key concepts and methodologies to help you get to grips with the nature of paramedic research and how it works in practice. By drawing on a wealth of cases and examples, research is placed firmly in the context of clinical practice. The book will enable you to critique research and to engage in small-scale research projects of your own. Emphasising what you need to know, the book includes information on: Knowledge that underpins practice Key elements of qualitative and quantitative research Research ethics and evidence based practice Undertaking a literature review Dissemination of research findings Considerations of the future for paramedic researchWritten by experienced lecturers, the authors offer practical advice and tips to more advanced researchers on getting work published and giving oral and poster presentations at conferences. Contributors: Jayne Cutter, Gary Rolfe, Megan Rosser, Julia Williams, Malcolm Woollard


This dissertation presents a new approach to modeling the causal structure of conscious agency, with a foundation in the metaphysics of causation and empirical tools for incorporating scientific results into an enriched causal model of agency. I use an interventionist causal analysis and experimental evidence from cognitive science to demonstrate that conscious awareness plays several significant causal roles in action. I then consider metaphysical challenges to this approach, and demonstrate that higher level causes such as awareness are legitimately causal.I expose the flawed understanding of causation required for inferring the causal inertness of awareness from experimental evidence. This leads to a differentiation between metaphysical causal questions, about the nature of causation itself, from empirical questions, which apply causal analysis to actual systems in the world. I challenge the practice of focusing on the awareness of agency in order to address the causal role of awareness in agency on the grounds that it inappropriately internalizes conscious agency. To demonstrate how we ought to incorporate scientific results into philosophical theories of agency, I offer an empirically enriched view of conscious agency. I rely on an interventionist approach to develop an evidentiary framework to ascertain the extent to which conscious awareness is a causal factor in action. Based on results from automatism research, I demonstrate at least three important ways in which awareness is a major causal contributor to human action: conscious intentions or goals; conscious perceptual information relevant to the goal; and conscious execution. I then address the problematic assumption that 'higher level' causes are derivative from lower level ones. I introduce the notion of counterfactual robustness to show how, for single tokens of causation, microphysical explanations are often explanatorily inferior to macrophysical ones, and distort the explanandum. I allay concerns about my variable choice by showing that we cannot, even in principle, replace higher level variables such as awareness with lower level variables such as neuronal processing. I introduce the notion of causal articulation in complex systems as the means by which higher level causes have lower level effects, while avoiding problems encountered by other theories of downward causation.


BACKGROUND
people with vertebral fractures are at high risk of developing hip fractures. Falls risk is important in the pathogenesis of hip fractures.

AIM
to investigate if balance tests, in conjunction with a falls history, can predict falls in older women with vertebral fractures.

METHODS
a cohort study of community-dwelling women aged over 60 years, with vertebral fractures. Balance tests investigated were: 5 m-timed-up-and-go-test (5 m-TUG), timed 10 m walk, TURN180 test (number of steps to turn 180 degrees ), tandem walk, ability to stand from chair with arms folded. Leg extensor power was also measured.

OUTCOME MEASURE
fallers (at least one fall in a 12 month follow-up period) versus non-fallers.

RESULTS
one hundred and four women aged 63-91 years [mean=78 +/- 7], were recruited. Eighty-six (83%) completed the study. Four variables were significantly associated with fallers: previous recurrent faller (2+ falls) [OR=6.52; 95% CI=1.69-25.22], 5 m-TUG test [OR=1.03; 1.00-1.06], timed 10 m walk [OR=1.07; 1.01-1.13] and the TURN180 test [OR=1.22; 1.00-1.49] [P <0.05]. Multi-variable analysis showed that only two variables, previous recurrent faller [OR=5.60; 1.40-22.45] and the 5 m-TUG test [OR=1.04; 1.00-1.08], were independently significantly associated with fallers. The optimal cut-off time for performing the 5 m-TUG test in predicting fallers was 30 s (area under ROC=60%). Combining previous recurrent faller with the 5 m-TUG improved prediction of fallers [OR=16.79, specificity=100%, sensitivity=13%].

CONCLUSIONS
a previous history of recurrent falls and the inability to perform the 5 m-TUG test within 30 s predicted falls in older women with vertebral fractures. Combining these two measures can predict fallers with a high degree of specificity (although a low sensitivity), allowing the identification of a group of patients suitable for fall and fracture prevention measures.


A proper communication combined with a caring attitude develops sound rapport with any paediatric patient. Non-pharmacological behaviour management techniques enable paediatric dentists to successfully alleviate behavioural problems by matching their selection of techniques to that of the child's style of interaction. On the other hand, few aggressive techniques applied in childhood have been implicated as being prominent factors in the behaviour of developed adult patients with dental phobias. The aim of instilling positive reinforcement is achieved by conventional methods but disruptiveness increase with increase in treatment time. Hence, to overcome this disadvantage newer non-threatening techniques were handled by the paediatric dentists, which provide long time reinforcement in younger children. This review will focus on enumerating the recent advances in non-pharmacological behaviour management techniques in children.


Abstract. Fluxgate magnetometers are an important tool in geophysics and space physics but are typically sensitive to variations in sensor temperature. Changes in instrumental gain with temperature, thermal gain dependence, are thought to be predominantly due to changes in the geometry of the wire coils that sense the magnetic field and/or provide magnetic feedback. Scientific fluxgate magnetometers typically employ some form of temperature compensation and support and constrain wire sense coils with bobbins constructed from materials such as MACOR machinable ceramic (Corning Inc.) which are selected for their ultra-low thermal deformation rather than for robustness, cost, or ease of manufacturing. We present laboratory results comparing the performance of six geometrically and electrically matched fluxgate sensors in which the material used to support the windings and for the base of the sensor is varied. We use a novel, low-cost thermal calibration procedure based on a controlled sinusoidal magnetic source and quantitative spectral analysis to measure the thermal gain dependence of fluxgate magnetometer sensors at the ppm°C−1 level in a typical magnetically noisy university laboratory environment. We compare the thermal gain dependence of sensors built from MACOR, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) engineering plastic (virgin, 30 % glass filled and 30 % carbon filled), and acetal to examine the trade between the thermal properties of the material, the impact on the thermal gain dependence of the fluxgate, and the cost and ease of manufacture. We find that thermal gain dependence of the sensor varies as one half of the material properties of the bobbin supporting the wire sense coils rather than being directly related as has been historically thought. An experimental sensor constructed from 30 % glass-filled PEEK (21.6 ppm°C−1) had a thermal gain dependence within 5 ppm°C−1 of a traditional sensor constructed from MACOR ceramic (8.1 ppm°C−1). If a modest increase in thermal dependence can be tolerated or compensated, then 30 % glass-filled PEEK is a good candidate for future fluxgate sensors as it is more economical, easier to machine, lighter, and more robust than MACOR.


The present study aimed to examine the relationship between mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and glucose transporter 3 (Glut3) in the process of mTOR-mediated oncogenic glycolysis and tumorigenesis. Western blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to compare the expression of Glut3 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) null for tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (Tsc2−/−) and control Tsc2+/+ MEFs. In addition, the glycolytic rate was tested following siRNA-mediated knockdown of Glut3 in Tsc2−/− cells. To determine whether Glut3 depletion affects the ability of cells to form tumors in vivo. Tsc2−/− MEFs infected shGlut3 and shControl were injected into nude mice subcutaneously. The present study demonstrated that the expression of Glut3 is controlled by mTOR in Tsc2−/− cells and that downregulation of Glut3 reduced the glycolytic rate in Tsc2−/− cells. cells. Further studies in nude mice demonstrated that reduced Glut3 expression levels reduced the tumorigenetic effect in cells with hyperactive mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1). The present study indicates for the first time that Glut3 is a downstream target of mTORC1 and that Glut3 is critical in mTORC1-associated tumorigenesis. Therefore, Glut3 is a potential target for the treatment of diseases associated with dysregulated mTORC1 signaling.


Purpose In previous research the EyeQ item bank, which measures vision-related quality of life (Vr-QoL), was calibrated for future use as a computer adaptive test (CAT). The aim of the current study was to define optimal administration rules. Methods CAT simulations were performed using real responses. Patients (N = 704; mean age, 76.2 years), having macular edema completed the EyeQ. Four CAT simulations were performed, which were set with different administration rules regarding length, accuracy level and the association with best health, which means the test was aborted after the first 4 responses of having no complaints. Results The CATDefault showed a mean test length of 6.9 and 15.1% unreliable estimations. Extending the test length to 15 items (CATAlt1) resulted in a mean test length of 7.3 and slightly decreased the percentage unreliable estimations (11.5%). Under CATAlt2, the percentage unreliable estimations was 15.1% and the mean test length was 9.7. Percentages of floor/ceiling effects for CATDefault, CATAlt1, and CATAlt2 were 3.1, 3.0, and 3.1, respectively. CATBestHealth reduced the mean test length to 5.9 and showed 18.2% unreliably estimated patients, of which 14.2% had floor/ceiling scores. Conclusions This study shows that the CATBestHealth provided reliably estimated ability scores, with a negligible increase in the number of unreliably estimated patients and ensures that patients having little or no vision-related quality of life problems are minimally burdened with completing items. Translational Relevance The computer adaptive test EyeQ, set with optimal administration rules, can now be used for the computer adaptive assessment of vision-related quality of life in patients suffering from exudative retinal diseases in ophthalmic clinical practice.


The advent of new antibiotics has helped clinicians to control severe bacterial infections. Despite this, inappropriate and redundant use of antibiotics, inadequate diagnosis, and smart resistant mechanisms developed by pathogens sometimes lead to the failure of treatment strategies. The genotypic analysis of clinical samples revealed that the rapid spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) genes is one of the most common approaches acquired by bacterial pathogens to become resistant. The scenario compelled the researchers to prioritize the design and development of novel and effective therapeutic options. Nanotechnology has emerged as a plausible groundbreaking tool against resistant infectious pathogens. Numerous reports suggested that inorganic nanomaterials, specifically gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), have converted unresponsive antibiotics into potent ones against multi-drug resistant pathogenic strains. Interestingly, after almost two decades of exhaustive preclinical evaluations, AuNPs are gradually progressively moving ahead toward clinical evaluations. However, the mechanistic aspects of the antibacterial action of AuNPs remain an unsolved puzzle for the scientific fraternity. Thus, the review covers state-of-the-art investigations pertaining to the efficacy of AuNPs as a tool to overcome ESBLs acquired resistance, their applicability and toxicity perspectives, and the revelation of the most appropriate proposed mechanism of action. Conclusively, the trend suggested that antibiotic-loaded AuNPs could be developed into a promising interventional strategy to limit and overcome the concerns of antibiotic-resistance.


Within the framework of the efforts to find non-invasive treatment methods for severe periodontitis, a topical gel was developed by an Israeli research group. The aim of the current study is to present clinical observations and X-ray measurements of alveolar bone changes following an 8 week, self-care periodontal treatment in two groups of patients with severe periodontitis. All 31 patients who participated in the study showed an improvement of the periodontal condition as expressed in all the indexes examined. The observation findings testify to the fact that through self-care using a topical gel, significant results were achieved: decrease in probing depth, decrease in bleeding, significant improvement in teeth mobility and in level of the alveolar bone height and its density. These clinical findings raise interesting research questions and hint at the potential for regeneration of supportive periodontal tissues in cases of severe periodontitis, currently achieved only through surgical means. In order to obtain more accurate data regarding the treatment potential of this gel, it is important to conduct additional controlled clinical trials on different populations and also to try and determine how it works.


BACKGROUND
 Digital imaging of dermatological patients is a novel approach to remote assessment and has recently become more relevant since telehealth and remote decentralized clinical trials are gaining ground.

 OBJECTIVE
 We aimed to investigate whether photographs taken by a smartphone are of adequate quality to allow severity assessments to be made and to explore the usefulness of an established atopic dermatitis severity assessment instrument on photograph evaluation.

 METHODS
 During scheduled visits in a previously published study, the investigating doctor evaluated the severity of atopic dermatitis using the Scoring AD (SCORAD) index and took photographs of the most representative lesions (target lesions) with both a smartphone and a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR). The photographs were then assessed by 5 dermatologists using the intensity items of the SCORAD (iSCORAD), which consists of erythema, oedema/papulation, excoriations, lichenification, oozing/crusts, and dryness (scale 0-3, maximum score 18). The mean iSCORAD of the photographs was calculated and compared with in-person assessments using Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman plots. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used for interrater reliability.

 RESULTS
 A total of 942 photographs from 95 patients were assessed. The iSCORAD based on smartphone photographs correlated strongly with the evaluations performed in person (iSCORAD: r=0.78, P<.001; objective SCORAD: r=0.81, P<.001; and total SCORAD: r=0.78, P<.001). For iSCORAD specifically, a Bland-Altman plot showed a difference in mean score of 1.31 for in-person and remote iSCORAD. In addition, the interrater agreement between the 5 rating dermatologists was 0.93 (95% CI 0.911-0.939). A total of 170 lesions were photographed, and the difference in mean scores was 1.32, 1.13, and 1.43 between in-person and remote evaluations based on photographs taken by a DSLR camera, a smartphone without flash, and a smartphone with flash, respectively.

 CONCLUSIONS
 In terms of quality, remote atopic dermatitis severity assessments based on photographs are comparable to in-person assessments, and smartphone photos can be used to assess atopic dermatitis severity to a similar degree as photographs from a DSLR camera. Further, the variation in how the dermatologists in this study rated the iSCORAD based on the photographs was very low.

 CLINICALTRIAL


A fundamental investigation of the influence of novel phosphonium bromide salts within the polymer main chain (23.75 mol %) of polyurethanes was conducted to elucidate the effect of ionic associations on hard segment hydrogen bonding. A novel poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO)-based polyurethane containing a phosphonium diol chain extender was prepared using a conventional prepolymer method. In addition, a polyurethane containing a 1,4-butanediol chain extender was synthesized for comparison with the thermomechanical and morphological properties of the phosphonium ion-containing analog. Moreover, the unprecedented comparison of morphological development in the presence of cationic sites is described herein. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that phosphonium polyurethane was more crystalline compared to the noncharged analog, and it was presumed that enhanced hydrogen bonding in the noncharged polyurethane restricted polymer mobility and reduced PTMO crystallinity. Moreover, FT-IR spectroscopy demonstrated that hydrogen-bonding interactions were significantly reduced in the presence of phosphonium cations. These results correlated well with tensile properties, i.e., the noncharged polyurethane offered superior tensile strength compared to phosphonium polyurethane. X-ray scattering indicated that both polyurethanes were amorphous at room temperature and exhibited hard segment microphase separation. Upon stretching, the interparticle scattering between the microphase-separated domains aligned preferentially along the stretching direction. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in the STEM indicated that the charged polyurethane exhibited ionic aggregates that were rich in P and Br.


Therapists' use of metaphor in psychotherapy is ubiquitous. However, compared to theoretical and clinical claims about the potential effectiveness of using metaphor, research investigations pose challenges and remain relatively sparse. We provide examples of metaphors in sessions and then systematically review the empirical literature. This research suggests that collaborative coelaboration of metaphors with clients is related to positive in-session client outcomes, particularly cognitive engagement. Future research might benefit from a more in-depth focus on the process and impacts of using metaphors. We draw out implications from the research for clinical training and psychotherapy practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


The paper presents field experiments on the throughput performance of a shared packet data channel over 100 Mbps using a variable spreading factor-orthogonal frequency and code division multiplexing (VSF-OFCDM) transceiver with a 100-MHz bandwidth in a real multipath fading channel. The field experiments employed a base station (BS) with a 120-degree sectored beam antenna with an antenna height of 50 m; a van equipped with a mobile station (MS) was driven at an average speed of 30 km/h along measurement courses that are approximately 800 to 1000 m away from the BS, mostly under non-line-of-sight conditions. The field experiments applied an adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) scheme with QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM and punctured turbo coding together with two-branch antenna diversity reception. The results show that throughput values of over 100 and 200 Mbps are achieved for the average received signal-to-interference-plus-noise power ratios (SINR) of approximately 6.0 and 14.0 dB, respectively. Furthermore, the location probability for achieving throughput over 100 and 200 Mbps becomes approximately 90% and 20% in these measurement courses, which experience a large number of paths, when the transmission power of the BS is 10 W with a 120-degree sectored beam transmission.


Reusing a Si wafer for the formation of wire arrays by transferring the wire arrays to a polymer matrix, reusing a patterned oxide for several array growths, and finally polishing and reoxidizing the wafer surface and reapplying the patterned oxide.


Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and examine the correlates of physical activity counseling by primary health care professionals in Florianopolis, state of Santa Catarina. A face-face survey was carried out with 587 professionals from 49 Health Centers. Physical activity counseling was evaluated in the last 12 months. The correlates explored in the association were sociodemographic, training and professional performance, knowledge of physical activity recommendations and physical activity level. The prevalence of physical activity counseling was 86.2% (95%CI=83.2-88.8%). The professionals most likely to provide counseling were those with graduate degrees in Public Health (OR=3.71; 95%CI: 1.69-9.37), who had academic experiences in primary health care (OR=2.68; 95%CI: 1.32-5.92), who belonged to the Family Health Support Center (OR=4.52; 95%CI: 1.31-28.50), who participated in meetings of physical activity (OR=1.91; 95%CI: 1.08-3.44) and were physically active (OR=1.80; 95%CI: 1.01-3.27). The results show that aspects of training and professional performance and the physical activity level of professionals contribute positively to counseling for physical activity in primary health care.


The photon statistics of CdSe/CdS dot-in-rods nanocrystals is studied with a method involving post-selection of the photon detection events based on the photoluminescence count rate. We show that flickering between two states needs to be taken into account to interpret the single-photon emission properties. With post-selection we are able to identify two emitting states: the exciton and the charged exciton (trion), characterized by different lifetimes and different second order correlation functions. Measurements of the second order autocorrelation function at zero delay with post- selection shows a degradation of the single photon emission for CdSe/CdS dot-in-rods in a charged state that we explain by deriving the neutral and charged biexciton quantum yields.


IS researchers have so far developed conceptual propositions rather than empirical insights into what it takes to green an industry in practice. This paper analyzes an ongoing ten-year action design research effort, which seeks to leverage transport competition for environmental sustainability by guiding vertical standard design. Drawing on extensive field data, the paper theorizes about design challenges that surround attempts to tie together people, technologies, and processes into integrated IT solutions. In doing so, it illustrates the usefulness of a competitive lens for understanding these challenges and their effects on the evolution of such solutions. The paper also suggests that the action design research approach helps IS researchers to guide technology development in real-world situations.


A photoactivated nanoprobe for cell labeling and tracking is demonstrated. The nanoprobe enables all targeted cells to be imaged (at 680 nm) as well as specific cells to be photoactivated using 405 nm light. Photoactivated cells can then be tracked (at 525 nm) spatiotemporally in a separate channel over prolonged periods.


In the first episode of SuchThatCast, I sit down with Luciano Floridi – who currently holds the Research Chair in philosophy of information and the UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics at the University of Hertfordshire, Department of Philosophy. He is also a Fellow by Special Election of St Cross College, Oxford University, Senior Member of the Faculty of Philosophy and Research Associate and Fellow in Information Policy at OUCL (the Department of Computer Science), University of Oxford. He is best known for his work on two areas of philosophical research: the philosophy of information and information ethics.

In this episode, Floridi takes the opportunity to reveal a driving force behind his philosophy that has never been publicly announced before. For anyone with some knowledge of Floridi's philosophy, this will come as a huge surprise, and it will change how you perceive his theories from now on. We also discuss the state of computer and information ethics as a field, and how philosophy and academia needs to change radically in order to stay relevant and timely. We also discuss Kant's noumenon, especially the possibility to get a glimpse of it — and what that 'it' may signify, which is connected to the aforementioned revelation and its importance to ethics. We conclude by looking at what lies ahead for Floridi and a philosophical system that is increasingly taking on Germanic proportions.


For the past decades, public discourse on veils in Western societies has mainly focused on the Islamic veil. In the Western history of thought, however, veils have frequently been used as symbols in epistemological contexts, too, both in literary and in theoretical primary texts. Astonishingly, an overwhelming majority of secondary sources concerned with veils as epistemological symbols in Western culture continue to talk about "the veil"—as if there were only one. Indeed, veils have usually been used in similar epistemological contexts, albeit expressing completely different worldviews depending on the degree of transparency or opacity, the material structure, and—most important—the veils' position in relation to the subject. Consequently, "the veil" as such does not exist; there is rather a plurality of different types of veils, for example, the veil of Isis, the metaphysical veil, the discursive veil, the veil of perception, the psychological veil, or the veil between subjects, all of which contribute to an all-encompassing veil in the sense of a "world metaphor." Different literary texts from the corresponding periods in literary history use veils as epistemological metaphors, too, and thereby reflect the conception of reality dominant in the respective epoch.


This paper tries to investigate the Fatimid educational administration experience in Egypt. It starts by reviewing
the historical conditions that paved the way for the establishment of this Ismā'īli state, as well as the principal foundations of their ideology. This is significant, because in medieval Islam administration of educational activities was part of an interconnected bureaucracy, in which education, religious sectarian preferences and politics were inseparable. Writing about the Fatimid educational administration is always difficult because the Fatimid political apparatus's nature, and the wide spread culture of secrecy. What makes the matter more
complicated is the style of recording events by Muslim historians of that era. They followed a methodology which
chronicled the political, religious and economic aspects of life on annual basis, and neglected other aspects such
as educational administration. Concepts related to modern educational administration literature like
centralization, unity of command, span of control and merit, were rarely mentioned in the historical sources.
These difficulties made this research a testing challenge.


Learning a common latent embedding by aligning the latent spaces of cross-modal autoencoders is an effective strategy for Generalized Zero-Shot Classification (GZSC). However, due to the lack of fine-grained instance-wise annotations, it still easily suffer from the domain shift problem for the discrepancy between the visual representation of diversified images and the semantic representation of fixed attributes. In this paper, we propose an innovative autoencoder network by learning Aligned Cross-Modal Representations (dubbed ACMR) for GZSC. Specifically, we propose a novel Vision-Semantic Alignment (VSA) method to strengthen the alignment of cross-modal latent features on the latent subspaces guided by a learned classifier. In addition, we propose a novel Information Enhancement Module (IEM) to reduce the possibility of latent variables collapse meanwhile encouraging the discriminative ability of latent variables. Extensive experiments on publicly available datasets demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance of our method.


By using microassay, the strong human sperm agglutination were caused by 9 of 23 monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) obtained by immunization with fresh human acrosome-reacted (AR) sperm, which was induced by ionophore A 23187, but no one of them demonstrated the ability to immobilize human sperm. In contrast to most studies reported by other laboratories, the antigens recognized by most of McAbs in the present study were located in equatorial segment and midpiece of human sperm, and no one in acrosome region of human sperm. The binding pattern of some McAbs on non-treated and AR sperm was found to be different. The human sperm proteins ranged in the size of 16-146 kDa were demonstrated to be reacted with 9 of 23 McAbs by immunoblotting. Moreover, the cross reaction of 23 McAbs with mouse and tree shrew sperm was detected by indirect immunofluorescent assay. These results suggest that AR sperm possesses peculiar immunogenic properties.


OBJECTIVES
HIV controllers (HICs) are rare HIV-infected individuals able to maintain undetectable viremia in the absence of antiretroviral treatment. Although HIV-specific cytotoxic T cells have been well deciphered in HIC, γδ T lymphocytes remain largely uncharacterized. The aim of this study was to analyse phenotypic and functional characteristics of γδ T cells and their relationship with immune activation, which remains abnormally elevated and associated with comorbidities in HICs.

METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 16 HICs, 16 patients with untreated chronic HIV infection (UT-CHI) and 20 healthy donors. Surface marker expression and cytokine production by γδ T cells were analysed by flow cytometry.

RESULTS
Despite normal frequencies of total γδ T cells, the Vδ2/Vδ2 ratio was significantly reduced in HIC, albeit to a lesser extent than UT-CHI patients. Of note, nine HICs showed elevated Vδ2 γδ T cells, as patients with UT-CHI, which was associated with higher CD8 T-cell activation. Interleukin (IL)-17-production by γδ T cells (Tγδ17) was better preserved in HIC than in UT-CHI patients. Proportion of total γδ T cells positively correlated with CD8 T-cell activation and HIV-DNA, IP-10 and sCD14 levels. Conversely, Tγδ17 cells negatively correlated with CD8 T-cell activation and plasma sCD14 levels. Moreover, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β producing Vδ2 T cells were as dramatically depleted in HIC as in UT-CHI patients.

CONCLUSION
The relative preservation of IL-17-producing γδ T cells in HIC and their negative association with immune activation raise the hypothesis that Tγδ17 cells - potentially through prevention of microbial translocation - may participate in the control of chronic systemic immune activation.


The temporal relationship among laryngeal, velopharyngeal, and labial activity was investigated by studying the reaction times of eight normal adults. Four female and four male subjects sustained production of the nasal consonant /m/ until a computer-driven imperative tone was presented at which time they were required to say /pi/ as quickly as possible. This task was repeated 30 times for each subject. The offset of voicing at the end of the /m/ and the onset of bilabial plosive release were monitored using a commercially available Nasometer. The onset of velopharyngeal (V-P) movement toward closure and the attainment of closure were monitored using a photodetector system. Across 240 responses, the average latencies were: 146 ms for initiation of V-P movement toward closure, 224 ms for voicing offset, 280 ms for onset of V-P closure and 317 ms for onset of plosive release. The significance of these findings is discussed with respect to speech motor control and the clinical evaluation of patients with velopharyngeal impairments.