Hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC had been categorized as a malignant tumor. The symptoms of HCC is hidden and cold not receive primary therapeutic aids. In compared to other medicine center, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that could detect HCC symptoms and cure it. This study had presented a new improved artificial bee colony (ABC) method in order to find existing syndromes of HCC. At first stage, we had formed the hierarchical feature demonstration using three layer tree models. The symptoms and positive number of an ill are leaf nodes and root of the tree, whereas the syndrome feature of internal layer is pulled out from a range of appeared symptoms. At the second stage, in the newly decreased feature space, we had used an enhanced model on the basis of proposed algorithm in order to investigate on the optimal syndromes. According to the obtained outcomes of feature selection, we had extracted out the usual relations of symptoms and syndromes from Bayesian system. In this conducted study, we had compound various symptoms. By applying the suggested method we had recognized many syndromes that ameliorate detecting preciseness. Ultimately, in order to show the common connection of symptoms and syndrome level we had used Bayesian method. The outcomes demonstrated that our suggested calculation model has the ability to intense the detection process of HCC.


Just as the prevalence of incest and child sexual abuse was a well-kept secret until recently, the phenomenon of multiple personality disorder (MPD) - recently re-labelled dissociative identity disorder [DID - has been minimized. In her practice as a psychologist, Margo Rivera has found this to be no coincidence.Confirming that the root of most severe dissociative conditions lies in severe trauma, most commonly child abuse, Rivera first discusses the general historical and social contexts of dissociation and proceeds through clinical theory, case vignettes, and recorded personal experience to provide practical guidance to assessment and treatment. Rivera covers such topics as 'therapeutic frame,' 'transference and countertransference,' and how to understand and make use of these concepts. She discusses the controversies around 'False Memory Syndrome' and ritual abuse, issues which currently divide professionals treating trauma survivors.Rivera makes a unique contribution to the treatment of lesbian and gay abuse survivors. She theorizes that all sexuality is a social construct, subject to change over an individual's lifetime, a reality that is nowhere more clear than in those with MPD who may experience themselves as alternately heterosexual female, homosexual male, lesbian, and heterosexual male.Insightful and provocative, this important therapeutic guide will be of interest to professionals who treat trauma survivors as well as to their clients.


Abstract Electromagnetic ultra-wideband (UWB) sensing and imaging provide perspectives for early-stage breast cancer detection. This paper deals with practical challenges of real measurements. We present an experimental setup for breast phantom trials based on M-sequence radar technology and short active dipole antennas. It combines short impulse responses, appropriate fidelity and very small antenna dimension and allows array construction with sufficient number of antennas around the breast. The basic approach and obtained imaging results are presented. Furthermore, in this extended paper version continuative development steps are described and measurement results reflecting specific performance aspects are discussed.


Research progress on sustainable and renewable biofuel has gained motion over the years, not just due to the rapid reduction of dwindling fossil fuel supplies but also due to environmental and potential energy security issues as well. Intense interest in microalgae (photosynthetic microbes) as a promising feedstock for third-generation biofuels has grown over recent years. Fuels derived from algae are now considered sustainable biofuels that are promising, renewable, and clean. Therefore, selecting the robust species of microalgae with substantial features for quality biodiesel production is the first step in the way of biofuel production. A contemporary investigation is more focused on several strategies and techniques to achieve higher biomass and triglycerides in microalgae. The improvement in lipid enhancement in microalgae species by genetic manipulation approaches, such as metabolic or genetic alteration, and the use of nanotechnology are the most recent ways of improving the production of biomass and lipids. Hence, the current review collects up-to-date approaches for microalgae lipid increase and biodiesel generation. The strategies for high biomass and high lipid yield are discussed. Additionally, various pretreatment procedures that may aid in lipid harvesting efficiency and improve lipid recovery rate are described.


We model power grids transporting electricity generated by intermittent renewable sources as complex networks, where line failures can emerge indirectly by noisy power input at the nodes. By combining concepts from statistical physics and the physics of power flows and taking weather correlations into account, we rank line failures according to their likelihood and establish the most likely way such failures occur and propagate. Our insights are mathematically rigorous in a small-noise limit and are validated with data from the German transmission grid.


This bibliography, prepared under the editorship of Elisabeth T. Crawford, is consecutive to the bibliography published in Volume 10 (2), April 1971. We want to remind readers of the principles and problems concerning the inclusion of materials which have caused this installment of the bibliography to be limited in at least one important respect. With respect to US materials, we decided at the time these bibliographies were initiated to only list titles published since 1968. This decision applies to the present installment as well. With respect to other materials, the bibliography lists both recent and old publications which have come to our attention since the latest installment of the bibliography was compiled. We invite readers to help in the compilation of future installments of the bibliography by bringing pertinent materials to our attention. References to materials or the documents themselves should be sent to Mrs. Elisabeth Crawford, Social science iiiforiiiatioti, International Social Science Council, Unesco, 1, rue Ntiollis, Paris 15~. We would appreciate it if documents, whenever possible, could be sent in two copies. -~ .


Objective. To study the association between ischemic stroke (IS) and rs11575945 polymorphism of gene encoding an apoptotic marker annexin-A5 protein (ANXV), to evaluate the serum content of annexin-A5 protein in patients with IS on the first day of stroke compared to healthy subjects and the relationship between the levels of annexin-A5 protein and rs11575945 polymorphism. Material and methods. The study included 94 patients in the acute stage of IS. Polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used. Results and conclusion. ANXV mutant allele frequency was in average 2.6 times higher in patients (p<0.00001) than in healthy subjects, and annexin-A5 mean concentration in the blood serum of IS patients was 3 times higher compared to healthy subjects. Moreover, the concentration of annexin-A5 in the serum of the rs11575945*T mutant allele carriers of the ANXV gene was 4 times higher in comparison to individuals homozygous for the rs11575945C standard allele.


Mathematical derivation of calculating blood flow volume (BFV) at arteriovenous fistula (AVF) using a newly-developed photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor is presented in this work. Also, the readout circuit of the PPG sensor intended to increase the signal-noise ratio (S/NR) is designed and presented in this work. The designed PPG sensor equipped with derived mathematical equations shows high correlation (R2 = 0.7563) and low error (RMSE = 212 ml/min) as compared to the gold standard.


Nanotechnology cover a wide range of research on the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disorders, diseases and conditions of the body functions and their impact on the human body. The discipline of research on Nanomaterials has undergoing changes in range, methods, instrumentation and technology which is propelled by increased awareness of quality care in Nanotechnology researches in the field of Nanotechnology. The field of Nanotechnology is evolving at a rapid pace, with the introduction of several materials, instruments, and equipment's. However, there is minimum information of their relevance of Nanotechnology.


To enable rich and meaningful Augmented Reality (AR) experiences within a Ubiquitous Computing environment, a detailed, coherent and up-to-date spatial model of the world is essential. However, current tracking technologies are limited in their range and operating environments. This has, so far, restricted the development of wide-area AR applications. To extend the range of AR applications, it will be necessary to combine widely different tracking technologies dynamically, aggregating their data and balancing their trade-offs. In this paper, we propose a formal framework, called Ubiquitous Tracking, which uses a graph-based model of spatial relationships to build dynamically extendible networks of trackers suitable for the high-precision, low-latency requirements of Augmented Reality. The framework is powerful, allowing us to model existing complex tracking setups; extensible, accommodating new trackers, filtering schemes and optimisation criteria; and efficient, allowing an effective implementation within existing AR systems.


Gallium nitrate is a potent antiresorptive drug that has been extensively tested in patients with accelerated bone turnover. We have evaluated the effects of this new agent in a pilot multicenter trial of 49 patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone. Patients were randomized to receive 0.05, 0.25, or 0.5 mg/kg.day gallium nitrate administered by sc injection in two 14-day cycles. Serum alkaline phosphatase, fasting 2-h urinary hydroxyproline and N- telopeptide collagen cross-links excretion, and quality of life were assessed every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. The group mean alkaline phosphatase activity at baseline was 854 +/- 100 (+/- SEM) IU/L. The mean changes from baseline to week 12 in serum alkaline phosphatase were +0.5%, -24%, and -31%, respectively, for the three doses tested. The differences for each of the higher dose levels (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg.day) was statistically significant (P < or = 0.05), and nearly half of the patients treated with the 0.5 mg/kg.day dose achieved a 50% or more reduction in enzyme activity. The nadir value in hydroxyproline excretion occurred at 10 weeks, with mean changes of +9%, -10%, and -17% for the 0.05, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg.day doses, respectively; the difference was significant only at the 0.5 mg/kg.day level (P < 0.01). Urinary collagen cross-link excretion showed a significant decrease at the 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg.day doses. We also observed a definite, but nonsignificant, trend for improved quality of life in patients treated at the highest drug dose. Minor discomfort at the injection site was frequently reported, but did not lead to interruption of therapy. Our results in these patients who had received moderate to extensive prior therapies with other drugs show that cyclical, low dose, sc administration of gallium nitrate is safe and effective for treating patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone.


This paper investigates the barriers behind the underutilisation of six sigma in Libyan manufacturing companies (LMCs). A mixed-method methodology is proposed, starting by conducting interviews to collect qualitative data followed by the development of a questionnaire to obtain quantitative data. The focus of this paper is on discussing the findings of the interview stage and how these can be used to further develop the questionnaire stage. The interview results showed that only four key barriers were highlighted as being encountered by LMCs. With a difference in terms of their significance, these factors were identified, and placed in descending order according to their importance, namely: "Lack of top management commitment", "Lack of training", "Lack of knowledge about six sigma", and "Culture effect". The findings also showed that some barriers which, were found in previous studies of six sigma implementation were not considered as barriers to LMCs but can, in fact, be considered as success factors or enablers for six sigma adoption. These factors were identified as: "sufficiency of time and financial resources"; "customers unsatisfied"; "good communication between all departments in the company"; "we are certain about its results and benefits to our company and unhappy with the current quality system". These results suggest that LMCs face fewer barriers to adopting six sigma than many well-established global companies operating in other countries and could take advantage of these successful factors by developing and implementing a six sigma framework to improve their product quality and competitiveness.


Introduction
Nurses face ethical dilemmas as part of their professional practice and it is often these that cause the greatest concern for the patient, their family and the nurse (Storch 2004, DH,1999) . It is therefore important that we are able to understand what registered nurses contribute to addressing these dilemmas as they occur.
Aim of the study
The aim of this pilot study is to test the data collection methods for a study in order to examine what it is that Registered Nurses contribute to the resolution of ethical dilemmas as part of their nursing practice.
Methods
This is a qualitative study using audio recording of semi-structured interviews to collect narrative data from participants (Polit and Beck 2006). A two phased analysis was undertaken a thematic approach, followed by a narrative analysis to examine the cultural dimensions within the clinical setting (Burns and Grove 2001).
Results
Questions required minor amendments and three themes emerged from the data:
Organisational priorities
Nurse – phycian relationship
'Best for the patient'
Discussion incl. Conclusion
Participants identified and discussed conflicts that have arisen between organisational objectives, procedures or protocol and that which was thought to be 'best for the patient'.
Practical relevance
This pilot study highlighted the importance of developing the appropriate interviewing skills required for data collection and appropriate wording of questions to illicit the required data from participants prior to undertaking major study
Research implications
Three key areas identified by registered nurses in relation to ethical dilemmas where further research would be beneficial


The Mississippi Alluvial Valley once had extensive bottomland hardwood forests, but less than 25% of the original area remains. Impounded bottomland hardwood forests, or greentree reservoirs, and naturally flooded forests are important sources of invertebrate or other prey for waterfowl, but no previous studies of invertebrate abundance and biomass have been at the scale of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Additionally, the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan requires precise, contemporary estimates of invertebrate biomass in hardwood bottomlands to determine potential foraging carrying capacity of these habitats for wintering ducks. We used sweep nets to collect aquatic invertebrates from four physiographically disjunct hardwood bottomlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Mississippi's Interior Flatwoods region during winters 2008–2010. Invertebrate abundance varied inversely with water depth in both early and late winter, with greatest abundances in depths ranging from 10 to 20 cm. The estimate of invertebrate biomass in naturally flooded forests of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley for both years combined was 18.39 kg(dry)/ha (coefficient of variation [CV] = 15%). When we combined data across regions, sites, greentree reservoirs and naturally flooded forests, and years, the estimate of mean invertebrate biomass decreased to 6.6 kg/ha but precision increased to CV = 9%. We recommend the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture adopt 18.39 kg(dry)/ha as a revised estimate for invertebrate biomass for naturally flooded forests, because this estimate is reasonably precise and less than 2% of remaining hardwood bottomland is impounded greentree reservoirs in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Additionally, we recommend managing to invoke dynamic flooding regimes in greentree reservoirs to mimic natural flood events and provide maximal coverage of depths less than 30 cm to facilitate foraging ducks' access to nektonic and benthic invertebrates, acorns, and other natural seeds.


The Warren Court is often portrayed as hostile to constitutional federalism. But this critique misses the degree to which the Warren Court's jurisprudence was reparative of the legitimacy of state governments, while at the same time it advanced a new form of post-World War II constitutional federalism. The Warren Court's decisions, especially on apportionment, in important respects strengthened the legitimacy of state governments. It is even arguable that the Court's decisions, by providing the impetus for a more democratically legitimate form of state government, helped contribute to a revival of states as a locus of reform, contributing to the more aggressive judicially enforced federalism limits on national power in the late 20th century. The post World War II model of constitutional federalism, which reaction to the human rights abuses of World War II helped legitimate, guarantees a set of basic individual rights against all levels of government. It is a model that the political branches of the United States government supported in the postwar reconstruction of Germany. In raising the floor of basic constitutional norms designed to protect individuals from unfair treatment by any government, state or federal, the Warren Court both anticipated and reflected a burgeoning recognition of worldwide standards of human rights and human dignity, in international documents and in the new constitutions adopted in other federal systems such as Germany, India, and, later on, Canada. The Court's insight that, in a post-Hitler world, all governments must be held to high standards of protection for the rights of the individual and that such standards were not incompatible with vigorous states in a federal union, was consistent with burgeoning models of post-war constitutional federalism.


In the last decades, the use of natural language interfaces to databases (NLIDBs) has increased exponentialy; unfortunately, the complexity of natural language has limited their effectiveness. The presence of Boolean columns in databases increases the difficulty for translating natural language queries to SQL. A Boolean column is a column that can only store two possible values: true/false, yes/no, 1/0. The problem for processing queries that involve Boolean columns, is that the search value for these columns (true/false, yes/no, 1/0) is not explicit in the queries. This problem makes NLIDBs generate erroneous translations as shown in experimental tests. A survey of the literature on NLIDBs has shown that this problem has not been identified, much less addressed. In this article, a new algorithm for processing queries that involve Boolean columns is presented. The algorithm uses syntactic and semantic information that facilitates detecting Boolean columns and their implicit values in a query. The experimental tests show that it is highly effective for translating this type of queries.


Introduction: Insulin glargine (300 units/mL) is a long-acting insulin approved in Canada on 28-May-2015 for once-daily administration in the treatment of T1DM or T2DM requiring basal insulin therapy. Made of the identical molecule as insulin glargine (100 unit/mL), insulin glargine (300 units/mL) delivers the same amount of insulin in one third of the dose. Four pivotal trials compared GLA-300 to GLA-100 with changes in HbA1C from baseline to 6 months. However, persistence is another important medication metric. Persistence with antihyperglycemic therapies have been associated with positive clinical outcomes and reduced health care costs. Objective: To assess 12-month persistence on neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH), insulin detemir, and insulin glargine using Canadian private claims data. Methods: The study utilized longitudinal private drug plan claims data from IQVIA's Canadian Private Drug Plan Database. The study was performed looking at persistence for T1DM and T2DM patients combined, without any treatment cessation or change to a different basal insulin. Patients were indexed on their first claim for any of the basal insulins of interest between May 28th 2014 and June 30th 2016, patients' basal insulin therapy was tracked for 12 months plus a 3 month look-forward period. Patients who did not have continuous coverage or with fewer than 3 claims for an insulin were excluded from the analysis. Results: At 12 months using a 90 day grace period, 63% of insulin glargine 300 IU/ ml (Toujeo®) patients persisted with therapy compared to 54% of insulin glargine 100 IU/ml (Basaglar), 50% for insulin glargine 100 IU/ml (Lantus), 45% insulin detemir 100 IU/ml (Levemir) and 29% of NPH patients. Conclusion: A retrospective cohort study of real-world claims data demonstrated insulin glargine 300 IU/ml (Toujeo ®) had the highest persistence among all basal insulins. Disclosure K.A. Quansah: Consultant; Self; Sanofi. Employee; Self; Allergan. L. Sauriol: Employee; Self; Sanofi. A.A. Kukaswadia: Consultant; Self; Sanofi. S. Bremner: Consultant; Self; Sanofi. B. Millson: Consultant; Self; Sanofi.


A novel scheme for perceptual coding of audio for robust and real-time communication is designed and analyzed. As an alternative to PCM, DPCM, and more general noise-shaping converters, we propose to use psychoacoustically optimized noise-shaping quantizers based on the moving-horizon principle. In moving-horizon quantization, a few samples look-ahead is allowed at the encoder, which makes it possible to better shape the quantization noise and thereby reduce the resulting distortion over what is possible with conventional noise-shaping techniques. It is first shown that significant gains over linear PCM can be obtained without introducing a delay and without requiring postprocessing at the decoder, i.e., the encoded samples can be stored as, e.g., 16-bit linear PCM on CD-ROMs, and played out on standards-compliant CD players. We then show that multiple-description coding can be combined with moving-horizon quantization in order to combat possible erasures on the wireless link without introducing additional delays.


Abstract፡ This article aims to describe about the techniques of make understanding for the space of audience or target group in the satire drama in the stage. The researcher would watch the theater in YouTube and in the stage and also read the script which written by Bereket Belayneh in the type of satire drama, its function in terms of political and social issues. In the addition to the above mentioned these script and play must show the use of satire for political and social criticism for the audience clearly with easy understanding. The other thing that plays show transmitted of the message to the higher officials in the comic entertaining way to the audience of the satire drama. Besides techniques, purpose and different features of satire has investigated from the relevant references. Its researcher mainly has shown the technique of making understand for the audience that have been watched the satire theater on the stage. Bereket Belayneh and Girum Zenebe Eyayu fenges Ethiopian Satire Theater focusing on political satire to find the satire and comic elements used in the humor in order to ridicule the political evils and suggest solutions with in artistically color. The primary sources of this article are Bereket Belayneh and Girum zenebe Eyayu fenges Ethiopian Satire Theater. It's have used as methodology a qualitative descriptive analysis and have use the document study which is that in library, research digital media sites and the relative relevant materials.


This dissertation describes research undertaken on the management of software testing. A support environment for the management of software testing, entitled SEMST, is presented. The research approach involves the investigation of software configuration management and its application to the testing process; the study of software testing techniques and methods; the exploration of the significance of software testing management; a survey of related work; the development and analysis of the requirements for SEMST; its implementation and an assessment. The current version of SEMST is a prototype built on the top of Unix and RCS on a Sun workstation. It is able to maintain all versions of specifications, test cases and programs, as well as to manage the relationships between these components.


This book uses the modern theory of artificial intelligence (AI) to understand human suffering or mental pain. Both humans and sophisticated AI agents process information about the world in order to achieve goals and obtain rewards, which is why AI can be used as a model of the human brain and mind. This book intends to make the theory accessible to a relatively general audience, requiring only some relevant scientific background. The book starts with the assumption that suffering is mainly caused by frustration. Frustration means the failure of an agent (whether AI or human) to achieve a goal or a reward it wanted or expected. Frustration is inevitable because of the overwhelming complexity of the world, limited computational resources, and scarcity of good data. In particular, such limitations imply that an agent acting in the real world must cope with uncontrollability, unpredictability, and uncertainty, which all lead to frustration. Fundamental in such modelling is the idea of learning, or adaptation to the environment. While AI uses machine learning, humans and animals adapt by a combination of evolutionary mechanisms and ordinary learning. Even frustration is fundamentally an error signal that the system uses for learning. This book explores various aspects and limitations of learning algorithms and their implications regarding suffering. At the end of the book, the computational theory is used to derive various interventions or training methods that will reduce suffering in humans. The amount of frustration is expressed by a simple equation which indicates how it can be reduced. The ensuing interventions are very similar to those proposed by Buddhist and Stoic philosophy, and include mindfulness meditation. Therefore, this book can be interpreted as an exposition of a computational theory justifying why such philosophies and meditation reduce human suffering.


The adverse human health effects associated with the most prolonged and intense exposure known to Pfiesteria piscicida Steidinger & Burkholder cultures and toxin(s) are described. In December 1993, a patient presented with acute illness to the Memory Disorders Clinic of the Bryan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Duke University Medical Center with significant cognitive deficits 2 weeks after ceasing occupational laboratory exposure on the recommendation of the evaluating primary care physician. The clinical and exposure histories of this patient are presented. The comprehensive neurological examination findings are reviewed, with attention to the patient's neuropsychological evaluation. Six-week follow-up data illustrate the course of symptom resolution with exposure cessation. This case is presented in an effort to contribute to the gradually accruing evidence of potential central nervous system sequelae of Pfiesteria exposure. The case is discussed in the context of additional cases evaluated at Duke University Medical Center and the complicated scientific framework in which such evaluations proceed while definitive surrogate or biological markers are awaited.


The estimation of flood magnitudes required for the design of hydraulic structures can be achieved by making use of two types of flood peak series, namely Annual Maximum (AM) series and Peaks over Threshold (PoT). The dilemma in flood frequency analysis therefore is on whether to use AM series or PoT series. In this study a comparison is made in using AM and PoT series to estimate flood magnitudes in the Equatorial Lake Victoria subbasin upstream in the Nile basin. The technique based on regression in Q-Q plots (QQR method), only recently introduced in hydrology, is used to evaluate the applicability of the extreme value distributions to model the AM and PoT series. The QQR method allows to do the evaluation by analyzing the shape of the tail of the distribution of extreme events. The discrimination between heavy tail, normal tail and light tail cases, facilitates inference on the suitable distribution to model the extreme events. The data used in the study is from three gauging stations located in the Equatorial Lake Victoria subbasin on the Kenyan side. The evaluation of the applicability of the extreme value theory for at site AM and PoT series for the stations considered in the study on the basis of the exponential Q-Q plot inferred that Extreme value type 1(EV1) and Exponential (EXP) distributions are suitable to model the AM and PoT extreme events respectively. Comparison of empirical and theoretical distributions fitted to the AM and PoT extreme events indicated that at higher return periods (greater than 10 years), both AM and PoT models give similar or comparable predictions of flood magnitudes.


Froth flotation is widely used for concentration of base metal sulphide minerals in complex ores. One of the major challenges faced by flotation of these ores is the ever varying grade and mineralogy. This therefore calls for a continual characterisation and optimisation of flotation parameters such that concentrator performance as a whole is always maintained. In this study, the robust Taguchi experimental design method was used to determine the optimum conditions for the flotation of nickel, copper and cobalt from a nickel-copper sulphide ore. The parameters investigated include collector dosage, percentage solids, depressant dosage and pH. The effects of these parameters at three different levels on the recovery of Ni, Cu and Co were investigated using an L9 Taguchi orthogonal array. The optimum conditions for the recovery of the base metals are collector dosage, 80g/t; pH, 10.15; %solids, 25; and depressant dosage, 100g/t. Relative significance of flotation parameters (based on difference between max and min. values) indicates that pH has the most significant effect on the recovery of nickel, copper and cobalt during flotation. Analysis of variance showed that pH and depressant dosage were the most significant parameters affecting the recovery of Ni, while collector dosage and percentage solids were insignificant. None of the tested parameters significantly affected copper recovery whilst pH was found to also significantly affect cobalt recovery.


In this paper I examine how irregular work can affect the employment career chances. Using the Italian Longitudinal Household Survey to approach this question I first study the sequence of job career trajectories within the first five years, then the exit from irregular work and their changes over time. I find that irregular jobs give serious limit to the career prospects for the majority of people and entrap them in precarious careers for long periods. This happen especially for the less qualified and people living in the South. For women it increases the prospect to go out of the labour market being unemployed or inactive. One third of the sample shows a positive occupational destination. Success in the irregular employment tends to favour men, and workers with higher levels of education and living in the Centre-North part of the country. They are more likely to be able to use the irregular experience as a fast port of entry to regular employment. Results give no evidence of change across cohorts on the distribution of the typical trajectories outlined in the first five years on the labour market. Across time longlasting job pattern prevails. An examination of transitions out of irregular work using event history analysis shows that the previous work experience in the regular market does not help people to find a regular job, neither the youngest. What it seems very important in this successful transition, especially for the most recent entry cohorts, is having a lot of job to job mobility. Empirical findings show doubts on the effectiveness of the ongoing process of labour market flexibilization on the incorporation of irregular employment. Deregulation has not encouraged irregular workers to match regular occupations and actually it increases the chances to go into another spell of irregular work.


CONTEXT
Reduced longevity observed in hypopituitarism has been attributed to GH deficiency (GHD). It is, however, unclear whether GHD or other confounding factors cause this early mortality.

OBJECTIVE
The aim was to study longevity in subjects from a large kindred with untreated, lifetime isolated GHD (IGHD) due to a homozygous mutation in the GHRH receptor gene and in heterozygous carriers of the mutation.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
We carried out a retrospective cohort study on three groups. We first compared mortality risk of 65 IGHD individuals and their 128 unaffected siblings from 34 families. We then compared mean age of death of the IGHD to the general population. A transversal study was carried out to compare the rate of heterozygosity for the mutation in two groups of young (20-40 yr old) and old (60-80 yr old) normal-appearing subjects from the same county.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
We measured longevity.

RESULTS
The risk of death of IGHD subjects was not different from their siblings. Life span in IGHD individuals was shorter than the general population. When stratified by sex, this difference persisted only in females, due to a high frequency of IGHD deaths in females aged 4-20. There was no significant difference in life span between IGHD subjects and siblings or the general population when analyzing subjects who reached age 20. The prevalence of heterozygosity did not differ in young and old groups, suggesting no survival advantage or disadvantage.

CONCLUSIONS
In a selected genetic background, lifelong untreated IGHD does not affect longevity.


This study addresses changes in the organization of the U.S. pork industry, most notably marketing contracts between packers and producers, by exploring their function in addressing pork quality concerns. A number of developments brought quality concerns to the forefront. These include health concerns and corresponding preferences for lean pork, a decline in other quality attributes, heightened concerns over food safety and related regulatory programs, and expansion into global markets. Organizational arrangements can facilitate industry efforts to address pork quality needs by reducing measuring costs, controlling quality attributes that are difficult to measure, facilitating adaptations to changing quality standards, and reducing transaction costs associated with relationship-specific investments in branding programs.


We previously discovered a novel missense mutation (Lys650Met) in the tyrosine kinase domain of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene in four unrelated individuals with a condition we called "severe achondroplasia with developmental delay and acanthosis nigricans" (SADDAN) [Tavormina et al., 1999: Am. J. Hum. Genet. 64:722-731]. Here we present a more detailed clinical account of the SADDAN phenotype. The FGFR3 Lys650Met mutation results in severe disturbances in endochondral bone growth that approach and overlap those observed in thanatophoric dysplasia, type I. However, this mutation is most often compatible with survival into adulthood. Other unusual bone deformities, such as femoral bowing with reverse (i.e., posterior apex) tibial and fibular bowing and "ram's horn" bowing of the clavicle, are also seen in some patients. In addition to skeletal dysplasia, progressive acanthosis nigricans, and central nervous system structural anomalies, seizures and severe developmental delays are observed in surviving SADDAN patients. Despite its location within the same FGFR3 codon as the thanatophoric dysplasia type II mutation (Lys650Glu) and a similar effect on constitutive activation of the FGFR3 tyrosine kinase, the Lys650Met is not associated with cloverleaf skull or craniosynostosis.


The extinction of species can destabilize ecological processes. A way to assess the ecological consequences of species loss is by examining changes in functional diversity. The preservation of functional diversity depends on the range of ecological roles performed by species, or functional richness, and the number of species per role, or functional redundancy. However, current knowledge is based on short timescales and an understanding of how functional diversity responds to long-term biodiversity dynamics has been limited by the availability of deep-time, trait-based data. Here, we compile an exceptional trait dataset of fossil molluscs from a 23-million-year interval in the Caribbean Sea (34 011 records, 4422 species) and develop a novel Bayesian model of multi-trait-dependent diversification to reconstruct mollusc (i) diversity dynamics, (ii) changes in functional diversity, and (iii) extinction selectivity over the last 23 Myr. Our results identify high diversification between 23–5 Mya, leading to increases in both functional richness and redundancy. Conversely, over the last three million years, a period of high extinction rates resulted in the loss of 49% of species but only 3% of functional richness. Extinction rates were significantly higher in small, functionally redundant species suggesting that competition mediated the response of species to environmental change. Taken together, our results identify long-term diversification and selective extinction against redundant species that allowed functional diversity to grow over time, ultimately buffering the ecological functions of biological communities against extinction.


Significance Toxin–antitoxin systems are enigmatic and diverse elements of bacterial and bacteriophage genomes. We have uncovered remarkable versatility in an antitoxin protein domain that has evolved to neutralize dozens of different toxin domains. We find that antitoxins carrying this domain—Panacea—form complexes with their cognate toxins, indicating a direct neutralization mechanism, and that Panacea can be evolved to neutralize a noncognate and nonhomologous toxin with just two amino acid substitutions. This raises the possibility that this domain could be an adaptable universal or semi-universal protein neutralizer with significant biotechnological and medical potential. Toxin–antitoxin (TA) gene pairs are ubiquitous in microbial chromosomal genomes and plasmids as well as temperate bacteriophages. They act as regulatory switches, with the toxin limiting the growth of bacteria and archaea by compromising diverse essential cellular targets and the antitoxin counteracting the toxic effect. To uncover previously uncharted TA diversity across microbes and bacteriophages, we analyzed the conservation of genomic neighborhoods using our computational tool FlaGs (for flanking genes), which allows high-throughput detection of TA-like operons. Focusing on the widespread but poorly experimentally characterized antitoxin domain DUF4065, our in silico analyses indicated that DUF4065-containing proteins serve as broadly distributed antitoxin components in putative TA-like operons with dozens of different toxic domains with multiple different folds. Given the versatility of DUF4065, we have named the domain Panacea (and proteins containing the domain, PanA) after the Greek goddess of universal remedy. We have experimentally validated nine PanA-neutralized TA pairs. While the majority of validated PanA-neutralized toxins act as translation inhibitors or membrane disruptors, a putative nucleotide cyclase toxin from a Burkholderia prophage compromises transcription and translation as well as inducing RelA-dependent accumulation of the nucleotide alarmone (p)ppGpp. We find that Panacea-containing antitoxins form a complex with their diverse cognate toxins, characteristic of the direct neutralization mechanisms employed by Type II TA systems. Finally, through directed evolution, we have selected PanA variants that can neutralize noncognate TA toxins, thus experimentally demonstrating the evolutionary plasticity of this hyperpromiscuous antitoxin domain.


Although a great deal of attention has been paid to the history of intellectual property in Great Britain, very little has been said about the history of intellectual property law in the British colonies. This Article attempts an overview, focusing on the nineteenth century. The author argues that there was no apparent imperial strategy as to the development of colonial intellectual property laws, and that, as a consequence wide variations existed between the laws operative in Britain and the colonies. One exception to this picture existed in relation to literary copyright, where, for reasons that were never clearly articulated, British law had been extended to its colonies from 1814. The overall picture was otherwise one of "legal fecundity," with capacity for variation and experiment by the colonial legislatures constrained more by internalized notions of what was appropriate than by formal, external, limitations imposed from Britain. However, towards the end of the nineteenth century, there appeared a growing desire both in Great Britain, and amongst many of the colonies and self-governing dominions, for a greater level of uniformity.


The Thermal InfraRed channel in honor of professor Vassili Ivanovich Moroz (TIRVIM) of the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite onboard ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has continuously monitored the Martian atmosphere from 13 March 2018 until 2 December 2019, covering almost a complete Martian Year (MY). In the nadir mode of observations, infrared spectra obtained by TIRVIM in the spectral range 600–1,300 cm−1 permit retrievals of vertical temperature profiles from the surface up to 60 km of altitude, surface temperatures and column aerosol optical depths. Here we report the retrieved atmospheric thermal structure and the column dust content during the global dust storm (GDS) of MY 34 monitored from Ls = 182.2° to Ls = 211.8° (Solar Longitude), capturing the evolution of the GDS and the response of the atmospheric thermal structure to the changing dust loading. The global storm caused asymmetric atmosphere heating, predominantly in the southern hemisphere, and changed diurnal contrast of atmospheric thermal structure. We also observe a reduced diurnal contrast of surface temperatures at the peak of the GDS.


The mutual solubility and related liquid-liquid equilibria of C5 hydrocarbons with water are exhaustively and critically reviewed. Reports of experimental determination of solubility in 13 chemically distinct binary systems for which data appeared in the primary literature prior to end of 2002 are compiled. For seven systems sufficient data are available to allow critical evaluation. All data are expressed as mass percent and mole fraction as well as the originally reported units. In addition to the standard evaluation criteria used throughout the Solubility Data Series, a new method based on the evaluation of the all experimental data for a given homologous series of saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons was used.


Research on life history evolution in birds has revealed both direct and indirect effects of predation. Increased levels of nest predation favor reproductive behaviors that reduce the threat of predators on offspring or allow parents to bet hedge for future reproductive attempts. In this study, I investigate whether the presence of a competitor, the house wren (Troglodytes aedon), results in similar indirect effects on life history and reproductive behaviors of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis). House wrens compete for nesting cavities and will kill Carolina chickadee eggs and nestlings. I monitored nest boxes in Western North Carolina where exposure to house wrens varies. I surveyed house wren presence at active Carolina chickadee nests and measured clutch size and mass, incubation, provisioning rates, nestling growth rates, development, and fledging success of chickadees. House wren takeover accounted for 35% of nesting failures, more than any other cause of failure in our study. I found smaller clutch sizes in areas where house wrens were present. However, I did not detect any effects of house wren presence on chickadee egg size, incubation, provisioning, growth, or development. These results suggest that house wren presence affects a narrow range of life history traits early in the nesting period, possibly because this is when house wrens are the biggest threat. Reducing clutch size may be a strategy used by Carolina chickadees to decrease reproductive investment in an environment where early nest failure is probable, allowing adults to reserve energy for survival to the next breeding season.


In current en route operations, controllers integrate weather information and traffic data manually while providing advisories to pilots. Previously, the authors developed a weather support tool called Automatic Identification of Risky Weather Objects in Line of Flight (AIRWOLF) that (a) detects conflicts between aircraft and hazardous weather, (b) alerts the controller, and (c) generates automatic weather advisories. Automated weather advisories based on the AIRWOLF tool could support the controller by eliminating the need for a manual integration of traffic and weather data, thereby reducing the total time it takes a controller to provide an advisory. To test this hypothesis, the authors evaluated the AIRWOLF weather support tool in a part-task simulation. During the simulation, participants responded to the AIRWOLF tool alerts by providing weather advisories via radio or data link communication. The results showed that it took, on average, 27 seconds to manually compose and transmit a weather advisory by radio (currently used in Air Traffic Control). When participants used automatic weather advisories, it reduced the advisory time by approximately 7 seconds. When participants used data link communication with the AIRWOLF tool, the weather advisory times were reduced by as much as 16 seconds. These results show that the AIRWOLF tool could reduce advisory time and support controllers for the safe, efficient, and strategic efforts required to handle adverse weather conditions in the en route environment.


Parking violation citations, often used to identify factors contributing to parking violation behavior, offer one of the most valuable datasets for traffic operation research. However, little has been done to examine their spatial dependence caused by location-specific differences in features such as traffic, land use, etc., and potential selection biases resulting from different effects of traffic enforcement. This study leveraged extensive data on double parking citations in Manhattan, New York City, in 2015, along with other relevant datasets including land use, transportation, and sociodemographic features. Moran's I statistics confirmed that double parking tickets were spatially correlated so that spatial lag and spatial error models were proposed to account for the spatial dependence of parking tickets to avoid biased estimates. To investigate whether selection bias exists in issuing tickets, we estimated the effects of parking ticket density and police precinct distance, when controlling for variables such as commercial area, truck activity, taxi demand, population, hotels, and restaurants. Parking ticket density and police precinct distance were used as indicators of the enforcement levels and coverage and were found to be statistically significant. This indicated the existence of selection bias due to heterogeneity in enforcement levels or coverage across different regions. Moreover, patrol patterns of traffic enforcement officers revealed that the majority had less than three daily patterns. These findings can assist with proper usage of the citation data by recommending that researchers and agencies consider spatial dependence as well as selection bias, and provide insights for parking violation management strategies.


ABSTRACT Proper DNA methylation patterns are essential for mammalian development and differentiation. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) primarily establish and maintain global DNA methylation patterns; however, the molecular mechanisms for the generation and inheritance of methylation patterns are still poorly understood. We used sucrose density gradients of nucleosomes prepared by partial and maximum micrococcal nuclease digestion, coupled with Western blot analysis to probe for the interactions between DNMTs and native nucleosomes. This method allows for analysis of the in vivo interactions between the chromatin modification enzymes and their actual nucleosomal substrates in the native state. We show that little free DNA methyltransferase 3A and 3B (DNMT3A/3B) exist in the nucleus and that almost all of the cellular contents of DNMT3A/3B, but not DNMT1, are strongly anchored to a subset of nucleosomes. This binding of DNMT3A/3B does not require the presence of other well-known chromatin-modifying enzymes or proteins, such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen, heterochromatin protein 1, methyl-CpG binding protein 2, Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2, histone deacetylase 1, and UHRF1, but it does require an intact nucleosomal structure. We also show that nucleosomes containing methylated SINE and LINE elements and CpG islands are the main sites of DNMT3A/3B binding. These data suggest that inheritance of DNA methylation requires cues from the chromatin component in addition to hemimethylation.


Inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) have been found to induce apoptosis. The current study examined the expression of FLAP and bcl family proteins and the induction of apoptosis in interleukin-3-dependent control andbcl-x L -overexpressing FL5.12 cell lines after treatment with MK886, a specific FLAP inhibitor. FL5.12 cells contained a substantial amount of FLAP protein and mRNA but surprisingly had no measurable 5-lipoxygenase protein or 5-, 12-, or 15-lipoxygenase activity. The basal level of FLAP protein in cells overexpressingbcl-x L was 70% less than in controls. FLAP disappeared 4 h after withdrawal of interleukin-3 inbcl-x L cells but not in control cells, which underwent apoptosis. A dose- and time-response study revealed that 5 nmol of MK886/106 cells was sufficient to induce apoptosis both in control and bcl-x L cells, respectively, but to different degrees. bcl-xL and bcl-2 proteins, but not bax or FLAP, were decreased by 4 h after 5 nmol of MK886/106 cells in both cell lines, although the higher levels of bcl-xL in overexpressors took longer to disappear. This early loss of bcl-xL and bcl-2 was not attributable to generalized proteolysis, as shown by Coomassie Blue staining and by the maintenance of bax. Caspase-3 was activated 2 h after MK886 treatment in control cells but not inbcl-x L cells. Inhibition of caspase-3 decreased MK886-induced apoptosis by 50% in control cells. Inhibition of this caspase after MK886 treatment was unable to prevent the loss of bcl-xL in control cells but did provide partial protection for the loss of the transfected form, but not the endogenous form, in overexpressing cells. These data indicate that MK886 induces extensive apoptosis that is partially caspase-3 dependent and may be related to a rapid loss of bcl-xL. Although caspase-3 inhibitors had no effect on the loss of bcl-xL, other caspases or protease systems may still be involved. The absence of 5-lipoxygenase in cells containing FLAP, the lower level of FLAP in bcl-xL cells, the apoptosis-inducing activity of MK886, and the rapid loss of bcl-xL and bcl-2 proteins after treatment with MK886 strongly indicate that FLAP has activities unrelated to lipoxygenase and suggest a possible functional or regulatory link between these proteins, which share similar subcellular localizations.


Abstract Background. The specific role of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains to be validated. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the accuracy of staging FDG-PET/CT for newly diagnosed NPC. Methods. We searched various biomedical databases and conference proceedings for relevant studies. We determined the pooled sensitivities and specificities, diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves using the hierarchical regression model. Results. 15 relevant studies including 851 patients were identified. Five addressed primary tumor (T), nine addressed regional lymph nodes (N) and seven addressed distant metastasis (M). The combined sensitivity estimate for FDG-PET/CT in T classification was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.95). For N classification, combined sensitivity was 0.84 (95% CI 0.76-0.91), specificity was 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.97), DOR was 82.4 (23.2-292.6) and Q*-index was 0.90. For M classification, the combined sensitivity estimate was 0.87 (95% CI 0.74-1.00), specificity was 0.98 (95% CI 0.96-1.00), DOR was 120.9 (43.0-340.0) and Q*-index was 0.89. Conclusion. FDG-PET/CT showed good accuracy in N and M but not T classification for newly diagnosed NPC. FDG-PET/CT, together with Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the nasopharynx, should be part of the routine staging investigations


Greater environmental considerations and the desire to reduce pollution overflows to watercourses
are requiring engineers to develop a better understanding of the processes involved in pollution
transport through sewer networks. Furthermore, developments in modelling techniques and
computer power are allowing urban drainage modellers to increase the complexity of their software
and so demand additional data that can be incorporated. Presently, an important aspect is
quantifying the retention time and dispersion of pollutants entering an urban drainage system.
Manholes provide a means of sewer access for maintenance and inspection. Under storm flow
conditions they are liable to surcharge above the level of the pipe soffit. This creates a storage
volume that has an impact on the longitudinal dispersion and travel time of soluble pollutants in
sewer systems. A laboratory investigation has been completed to quantify these effects for various
manhole configurations. These include step heights between the inlet and outlet pipes, benching and
extreme high surcharge conditions. In addition, re·analysis of previously acquired data has allowed
variations in manhole diameter to be considered.
Numerical modelling using computational fluid dynamics, combined with laser light sheet
visualisation of the flow structures within manholes, has provided greater insight into the processes
causing longitudinal dispersion.
The coefficients required for two existing longitudinal dispersion models, the advection dispersion
equation and the aggregated dead zone model, have been determined by means of an optimisation
process. This has been undertaken with computer software specifically written for the purpose. The
technique adopted for optimisation is fully detailed. Final conclusions regarding the longitudinal
dispersion due to surcharged manholes are presented.


Relay observers, connected by radio, were established on a north-west line to discover how long Mallard continued to fly in that direction after release. The observers provided positive data on 493 birds. Cross-fixes established the distances to which Mallard can be followed visually, and their straight line flying speeds. After being lost to sight by the liberator the birds' flight became increasingly undirected and within four miles their general orientation had ceased to have any relation to that which they had initially. The great majority would have landed within twenty minutes. 'Nonsense' orientation is thus a short-lived affair.


Angiotensin II (ANG II) is a potent vasoconstrictor in isolated human placental cotyledons and may contribute to the regulation of fetoplacental perfusion. We have used quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography to examine antagonist ((Sar1,Ile8)-[125I]ANG II) and agonist ligand ([125I]ANG II) binding sites in normal-term, preeclamptic and fetal (intrauterine) growth retarded pregnancies. A similar distribution of binding sites was demonstrated using both ligands, localized to blood vessels in placental villi. Binding density was inversely related to vessel size, being significantly greater on microvessels in distal regions of the villous tree than on proximal vessels in main stem villi. Binding sites exhibited the characteristics of the AT1 class of ANG II receptor, ligand binding being sensitive to dithiothreitol, completely inhibited by nonpeptide AT1 antagonists (Losartan, EXP3174 and SKF108566) and not inhibited by the AT2 antagonist (PD123319). Guanine nucleotides also inhibited [125I]ANG II binding and abolished the high affinity component of agonist inhibition of (Ser1,Ile8)-[125I]ANG II binding, indicating G protein coupling. The capacity and affinity of the binding sites were significantly lower in placentae from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation compared to that in normal-term controls. These differences were apparently not due to prior receptor occupancy by endogenous ligand, but may reflect activation of the placental renin-angiotensin system and receptor down-regulation. Locally generated ANG II, acting via AT1 receptors, may contribute to the regulation of fetoplacental blood flow and influence placental perfusion in preeclamptic and growth retarded pregnancies.


Background The laboratory diagnosis of syphilis is a crucial point in the diagnostic evaluation of the syphilis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the new commercial immunoblotting "recomLine Treponema" (Mikrogen Diagnostik, Germany) assay which includes two new recombinant antigens (Tp257 (Gpd) and Tp453) in addition to the four (Tp47, TmpA, Tp17, Tp15) shown in a previous version. Methods The presence of specific antibody response to T. pallidum was evaluated by comparing the immunoblotting test, that detects both IgG and IgM antibodies, with the "Syphilis TP" (Architect system, Germany) immunoassay, that detects the total T. pallidum specific antibody and routinely used in our Hospital for serological screening. The serum samples included in this study were obtained from 112 patients with suspect or clinical evidence of syphilis infection. Results Of the 112 samples analysed for specific T. pallidum antibody by "Syphilis TP" assay, 90 samples were detected positive, 8 negative, 10 borderline and 4 samples showed an not interpretable result. Of the 112 samples analysed for specific IgG and IgM antibodies by "recomLine Treponema" assay, 97 (86.61%) specimens resulted positive (100% were IgG positive and 16.49% were also IgM positive), 7 (6.25%) negative and 8 (7.14%) borderline (6 for the IgG and 2 for the IgM). Conclusion The comparison between the two test showed that the "recomLine Treponema" assay identified more positive sample, less negative and borderline samples and not interpretable results. This preliminary results underline that the "recomLine Treponema" (Mikrogen Diagnostik, Germany) test is clinically valid not only because it can be used as confirmatory test but also because it allows to discriminate between IgG and IgM antibodies. Future objectives of this study will be to validate the "recomLine Treponema" test on other groups of subjects and compare it with other serological tests.


EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. GANESH RAMAN Dr. Ganesh Raman's interests are in the areas of Flow Control and Experimental Aeroacoustics. His research in the areas of supersonic jet noise, screech, and high speed jet flows is widely recognized. Dr. Raman has over 18 years of experience working with Industry, Academia, and the U.S. Government. He is currently Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology where he has also served as the Associate Chair for Aerospace Engineering. Before coming to IIT he spent 14 years at NASA Glenn performing contract research, including research for NASA's High Speed Civil Transport Program. He has over 100 technical publications to his credit that have appeared in conference proceedings and leading journals. He is a Fellow of ASME and an Associate Fellow of AIAA. He also served as the Chairman of the Fluid Mechanics Technical Committee of the ASME and the Aeroacoustics Technical Committee of AIAA. He was awarded the ASME Lewis F. Moody best paper award in 2002. In addition he was cited in 2001 Boeing Special Invention Awards and received a NASA Certificate of recognition for a creative innovation. Dr. Raman has a Bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, USA.


We present an efficient grouping strategy for the detection of regular repetitions of planar (but not necessarily coplanar) patterns. At the heart of our system lie the fixed structures that typify the geometric transformations of the regularities. The approach unifies a number of grouping types that have traditionally been dealt with separately. It avoids the use of combinatorics in the search for pattern repetitions, through the combined use of invariants for hashing-based pattern matching on the one hand, and Hough transforms for the detection of the fixed structures on the other hand. In this paper we concentrate on planar homologies and elations in particular Results on real-world scenes demonstrate the performance of the approach.


: The procedure of triboluminescent analysis of blood lipid peroxidation processes using TRA-2 express analyzer is described. 0.02 ml of the blood is sufficient for analysis that takes 40 seconds; all the measurements are automated, no laboratory assistants participate here; no special chemical reagents are necessary. Results of laboratory clinical trials evidence good prospects of employing this method for the differential diagnosis between oncologic and inflammatory diseases.


We consider a recent proposal to filter association rules on the basis of their novelty: the confidence boost. We develop appropriate mathematical tools to understand it in the presence of negated attributes, and explore the effect of applying it to association rules with negations. We show that, in many cases, the notion of confidence boost allows us to obtain reasonably sized output consisting of intuitively interesting association rules with negations.


Enticed by the promise of billions of dollars in savings and production uplift, the oil and gas industry has paid heavy attention in recent years to the fast-paced development of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Budgets for this area of advanced computing software have exploded since the onset of the downturn, and now industry professionals want to know more than ever what success really looks like.
 To share views on how the industry's digital transformation is shaping up, top executives from Google, Shell, Encana, and Schlumberger will take the stage for the opening session of the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in Dallas, 24–26 September.
 This kickoff discussion will focus on the culture shift required to adopt big data tools, and how to effectively leverage a new workforce of digitally-enabled engineers and scientists that is beginning to fill the industry's rank and file.
 Darryl Willis, the newly appointed vice president of Google Cloud's oil and gas unit, is a trained geologist who spent more than 2 decades in senior positions at BP. From the podium, he plans to share perspectives on the digital challenges and opportunities the upstream sector is currently faced with.
 "Machine learning, data analytics, and AI thrive on lots of data," and while the industry has plenty of that data, "it only uses a fraction of it," he explained.
 To start unlocking the value of this information, he said that companies must do things that include "liberating" data from their traditional silos while also ensuring they are in fact capturing high-quality data from their wells and rigs. These are just two of the big steps required to take advantage of the power of cloud computing, and by not taking them, future profits are at risk.
 "Companies will either be a catalyst for change, or they will be a casualty of change," said Willis, citing projections that say many of the globe's largest firms are poised to be surpassed by newcomers as technological and economic disruption continues.
 ATCE's opening session will provide attendees a chance to hear about where the industry is making the right moves and seeing positive returns on its recent investments in digital technologies. One place that fits the bill is the Wamsutter tight-gas field in Wyoming, an asset that Willis used to be in charge of during his tenure at BP.
 "Wamsutter was a very tough field to produce because it was 2,500 wells over 2,500 sq. miles," he said. "The way we managed that field was by sending pumpers, out in trucks, to actually check on the health of the wells."
 But business-as-usual changed last year when BP hooked 180 of those wells up to an AI program developed by a Silicon Valley startup called Kelvin Inc. The success metrics from the pilot were highly encouraging: operating costs dropped by 22%, production increased by 20%, and gas venting was cut by a whopping 74%.


Electroinduced copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN)–polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) initiated by Ce(IV) was performed in aqueous solution and compared with chemical copolymerization, which allowed Ce(III) to be converted to Ce(IV) electrochemically during the polymerization. The polymer that was insoluble in water was formed in the cathodic compartment. The effect of Ce(IV), H2SO4, monomer, PEG-400 concentration, temperature, time, and potential on the yield were studied and compared with similar effects under nonelectrolytic conditions. The role of Ce(IV) salt on the copolymerization was followed by spectrophotometric methods during the reaction period. Polymers were characterized by FTIR, UV-visible spectrophotometry, and NMR. Intrinsic viscosities of polymers were determined. Possible polymerization mechanisms are suggested in the case of electrolytic and nonelectrolytic conditions. The electrolytic process has a demonstrable advantage over the nonelectrolytic method. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1410–1419, 2001


Periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) can be subcategorized into acute postoperative infections, occurring within three months of implantation, and delayed onset infections, occurring after three months of implantation. PJIs can be caused by numerous infectious etiologies. Here, we describe a unique case of a patient with a history of bilateral shoulder and knee replacements over five years. The patient received a diagnosis of Waldenströms macroglobulinemia five years before her admission but deferred ibrutinib treatment until one year before her admission. We believe that the timeline coincides with the development of multiple PJIs secondary to ibrutinib therapy. The patient presented with bilateral shoulder and knee pain and swelling, following a flu-like illness that had resolved one year before the admission. Her joint symptoms did not subside along with the remaining flu-like symptoms. Initially, her symptoms served as clues to the diagnosis; however, the diagnosis was finally made and supported by joint aspiration. The patient was treated with vancomycin 1.25 g in sodium chloride 0.9% 250 mL intravenous piggyback every 24 hours for the treatment of PJI and oral daptomycin 500 mg daily for six weeks as prophylaxis for PJI. In conclusion, physicians need to consider the development of PJIs when prescribing immunosuppressive therapy, as well as an early diagnosis to prevent further complications.


Access to an intravenous (IV) route is very crucial in emergency patients under resuscitation. The difficulty to access and administer fluid and drugs through intravenous will influence the outcome of patient. In case of unavailable of intravenous route, the alternative is intraosseous access. To date, there is no data available on the prevalence and pattern of intraosseous cannulation knowledge among emergency paramedics in the published literature from our country, even though the use of intraosseous cannulation for emergency patients is being practices. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the level of knowledge regarding intraosseous cannulation among emergency paramedics. The knowledge related to intraosseous cannulation among emergency paramedics was assessed through structured validated test questions. Fifteen paramedics participated in this study. Majorities of participants were male (86.6%). The age group ranged from 22 – 45 old years. The working experiences were from two to thirteen years. There was only 1 out of 15 participants who had scored 75%. The majority (10) scored 40% to 50%. This suggests that necessity in teaching of intraosseous cannulation among emergency paramedics needs to be emphasised.


The lung is a complex organ with multiple functions; in addition to facilitating gas exchange, it also serves as the first line of defense against inhaled environmental pathogens and toxins. Given these critical roles, disruption of normal cell function or cell-cell interactions can have devastating health consequences. The articles of this Review Series highlight recent progress in understanding the pathophysiology of several pulmonary diseases and suggest how these insights are leading to the development of new therapeutic strategies.


We are often unable to plan menus ahead, thus making poor and unhealthy choices of meals. Besides healthy, one may want menus in which ingredients harmonize and cover well the available ingredients in the pantry. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-objective-based recommender of menus that features an optimal balance between nutritional aspects, harmony and coverage of available ingredients. We conduct experiments on real-world and synthetic datasets and show that our approach achieves the desired levels of nutrients, harmonization and coverage of ingredients.


Engagement of certain cell surface receptors by the their cognate ligands leads to the rapid induction of cell death by an intracellular suicide program known as apoptosis (1). The signaling pathways employed by these "death receptors" appear to involve the sequential activation of the caspase group of cysteine proteases in an ordered and hierarchical manner (2). A well-described cofactor in this process is FADD, a key adapter protein that mediates the recruitment of proximal caspases to the cell surface receptor (3). However, a recent report by Bannerman et al. in the JCI (4) reveals an intriguing additional function for FADD as a regulator of the transcription factor NF-κB.

FADD is best known as an intracellular factor that, upon ligand binding, is recruited to the cytoplasmic domain of Fas (also known as Apo-1 and CD95), a member of the TNF receptor (TNFR) superfamily (5, 6). Fas and FADD associate through a conserved motif known as the death domain (DD), which is found in both the Fas cytoplasmic tail and the FADD protein (7). In turn, FADD can recruit certain caspases, notably caspase-8, through a second element known as the death effector domain, present in FADD and in the prodomain of the caspase.

How might FADD control the apparently unrelated NF-κB pathway? A complex relationship exists between the control of apoptosis and NF-κB. Studies of signaling through the type 1 TNFR (TNFR1) have demonstrated the activation of both a proapoptotic pathway (similar to the Fas mechanism) and NF-κB (8); in this case activation of NF-κB appears to provide a prosurvival signal whose mechanism is still unclear but that is presumed to involve the transcriptional induction of various apoptotic suppressors (9). As reviewed recently by Budd (10), variations on this theme are numerous and may be cell type–specific. The existence of these two opposing signals may explain why many cells bearing TNF receptors do not undergo apoptosis upon TNF binding. Similarly, the proinflammatory molecule lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can act through the Toll-like receptor Tlr-4 to induce caspase and NF-κB activation. Some of the intracellular components involved in Tlr-4 signaling are different (the adapters MyD88, FADD, and the NF-κB–activating kinase IRAK are recruited to the Tlr-4 cytoplasmic domain in the latter pathway), but the paradigm is the same: caspases are activated, but so is NF-κB (11). The report by Bannerman et al. (4) shows that FADD can function in both pathways to activate apical caspases while at the same time suppressing NF-κB signaling (Figure (Figure1).1). The precise manner in which FADD achieves this is still unclear. The authors speculate that through binding to MyD88, FADD might competitively displace IRAK from the complex. An alternative mechanism would be the direct binding of FADD to IRAK.

Figure 1

Central components of the TNF and Tlr-4 signaling pathways. Recruitment and activation of FADD suppress Tlr-4– but not TNFR1-mediated signaling, presumably through an interaction with MyD88. See text for details.

As pointed out by Bannerman et al. (4), previous studies have found that FADD can act as a suppressor — and not, as in this report, an inducer — of NF-κB (12–14). One of the most significant experimental differences between these reports is the use by Bannerman et al. of lines containing stably overexpressed FADD, as well as lines derived from FADD-deficient mice. In contrast, the earlier studies employed transient overexpression of FADD. Differences in cell type and the nature of the stimulus may also have a profound influence. Indeed, Bannerman et al. found that, whereas FADD-deficient embryonic fibroblasts show heightened induction of NF-κB following LPS treatment, their response to TNF is normal (4).

Perhaps the most fascinating question arising from these studies concerns the physiologic advantage of coordinating caspase induction and NF-κB pathway suppression by FADD. Could the suppression of NF-κB by FADD determine the level of sensitivity to apoptosis? Given the ability of FADD to specifically block the induction of NF-κB by LPS, this is a possibility that should be fairly straightforward to test. Secondly, could the cell utilize this cross-talk mechanism to manage a more likely physiologic scenario, the simultaneous induction of more than one receptor pathway? For example, if LPS-mediated NF-κB induction is suppressed by FADD, would LPS stimulation alter the cellular responsiveness to, say, TNF? These types of studies might have great clinical significance, particularly in our understanding of the mechanism by which LPS-expressing Gram-negative bacteria induce septic shock. A tantalizing question raised by these studies is whether the effects seen by Bannerman et al. (4) could be regulated by neutralization of the TNF pathway. Thus, a more complete understanding of the signaling cascades induced by LPS may have great value in the treatment of septicemia.


Qualitatively proposed by Mariotte and mathematically formulated by Weibull, the statistical theory of size effect reigned supreme until the 1980s. However, beginning in 1976, a different, nonstatistical theory of size effect gradually emerged and was shown to be important for brittle heterogeneous materials, concisely termed "quasibrittle", which include concrete, fiber composites, sea ice, rocks, stiff cohesive soils, snow slabs, foams, wood, paper, bone and many materials on micrometer scale. In these materials, the maximum load is attained only after the stable formation of either (1) a large fracture process zone (FPZ), with distributed cracking, or (2) a large crack. The lecture first reviews the sources of these type I and II size effects, consisting of the energy release associated with stress redistribution prior to maximum load, and combined in Type I size effect with the statistical weakest link model for a finite chain. Numerical simulation, requiring nonlocal and stochastic approaches, is discussed. The asymptotic matching approach (anchored through dimensional analysis) to the development of analytical laws for Type I and Type II quasibrittle size effects, is then outlined. It is explained that while in Type 2 material randomness affects only the variance and the tail of the cumulative distribution of RVE strength is unimportant, in Type I it also strongly (though not totally) affects the mean, and the far-left tail plays a major role. This role can be theoretically predicted by nano-fracture mechanics of cracks in the atomic lattice based on crack length dependence of the activation energy barriers for the metastable states of the free energy potential of the atomic lattice. Extensions to reentrant corners, time dependence, and cyclic loading are pointed out. Various structural applications, experimental evidence, and reinterpretation of some structural disasters are discussed. Finally, some important open problems are highlighted.


Mitochondrial disease (mito) is a rare and often debilitating illness that affects children and adults. This disease is caused by a failure in the mitochondria, in which they no longer are able to produce the energy needed for cells to survive38. Mito is a progressive and life limiting disease that severely affects children. There have been numerous studies that have examined the effect of perceived stigma on parents who have a child with a mental illness11, 23. According to Goffman18 stigma is the way society views those who have a mental illness, usually in a negative way. Since mito is not classified as a mental illness, we were interested in seeing if perceived stigma exists with a disease whose physical manifestations could possibly produce these feelings of perceived stigma. The current study will examine parents of children with mito. It is hypothesized that parents will perceive stigma is attached to them, even with a disease that not many people know about, which will lead to an increase in stress and an increase in depression. Also, it is hypothesized that the more stigma a parent perceives they have, the more likely they will use social comparison when to comes comparing their child to someone else's child. A survey was administered on an online support group for parents of children with mito, Parent2Parent. Fifty-eight parents, mean age 34, all of whom have at least one child with mito (or a similar metabolic disease) participated in the survey. A significant positive correlation was found between perceived stigma and depression and between perceived stigma and stress. There was also a significant positive correlation between perceived stigma and social comparison. These results show that parents perceive they are negatively stigmatized and this stigmatization leads to an increase in stress and depression. Parents who perceive stigma also will use social comparison more. It is hoped that this study will help spread awareness of mito and also help those whose lives are affected by mito face the everyday issues they encounter.


Target costing has been pointed out as a powerful strategy of lean manufacturing companies' interaction with suppliers. In fact, recent academic and corporate literature show that target costing has a wider role in the lean business system, driving product development and production activities, when combined with kaizen costing. This research aims to develop a framework taking together these two matching approaches, providing a basis of a total cost-management system during the project's life cycle. The main idea is to first design the project to an allowable cost consisting of the difference among target price meeting customer's expectations and the desired profit. Cost-reduction interventions should be not restricted to the design phase; they proceed to the construction phase where a continuing series of kaizen activities are needed to achieve great product performance and, at the same time, assuring value for the customer at a lower cost. Combining target and kaizen costing is a powerful approach for construction firms performing in a competitive market, by assuring value for the customer at a low but still profitable price.


We are interested in the design of robust (or resilient) capacitated rooted Steiner networks in case of terminals with uniform demands. Formally, we are given a graph, capacity and cost functions on the edges, a root, a subset of nodes called terminals, and a bound k on the number of edge failures. We first study the problem where k = 1 and the network that we want to design must be a tree covering the root and the terminals: we give complexity results and propose models to optimize both the cost of the tree and the number of terminals disconnected from the root in the worst case of an edge failure, while respecting the capacity constraints on the edges. Second, we consider the problem of computing a minimum-cost survivable network, i.e., a network that covers the root and terminals even after the removal of any k edges, while still respecting the capacity constraints on the edges. We also consider the possibility of protecting a given number of edges. We propose three different formulations: a cut-set based formulation, a flow based one, and a bilevel one (with an attacker and a defender). We propose algorithms to solve each formulation and compare their efficiency.


Metal foam sandwich panels have been subject of many concept studies, due to their exceptional stiffness, light weight, and crash absorption capacity. Yet, the industrial production of the material has been hampered by the fact that it is challenging to bend the material into practical engineering shapes. Only recently it has been shown that bending of metal foam sandwich panels is possible using lasers. It was shown that the material can be bent into Euclidean (2D) geometries, and the governing laser-induced bending mechanisms were analyzed.
 This study was focused on laser forming of metal foam sandwich panels into non-Euclidean (3D) geometries. It was investigated whether the knowledge about the bending mechanisms translates to 3D deformation, and whether the combination of process parameters that were identified for 2D laser forming are still appropriate. Moreover, the impact of the laser scan length was determined by comparing different scan patterns that achieve the same 3D geometries.
 It was shown that 3D deformation could be induced for both the bowl and saddle shapes, the two most fundamental non-Euclidean geometries. The amount of laser-induced bending and in-plane strains vary depending on process conditions and thus bending mechanisms. Lastly, the laser scan length was shown to become more important for metal foam sandwich panels, where the panel thickness tends to be large.


Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) can be broadly divided into true aneurysms and false aneurysms (pseudoaneurysms). True aneurysms contain all three layers of the aortic wall (intima, media, and adventitia), whereas false aneurysms have fewer than three layers and are contained by the adventitia or periadventitial tissues. Multidetector computed tomographic (CT) angiography allows the comprehensive evaluation of TAAs in terms of morphologic features and extent, presence of thrombus, relationship to adjacent structures and branches, and signs of impending or acute rupture, and is routinely used in this setting. Knowledge of the causes, significance, imaging appearances, and potential complications of both common and uncommon aortic aneurysms, as well as of the normal postoperative appearance of the thoracic aorta, is essential for prompt and accurate diagnosis. Supplemental material available at http://radiographics.rsnajnls.org/cgi /content/full/29/2/537/DC1.


Viscous heating plays an important role in the dynamics of fluids with strongly temperature-dependent viscosity because of the coupling between the energy and momentum equations. The heat generated by viscous friction produces a local temperature increase near the tube walls with a consequent decrease of the viscosity which may dramatically change the temperature and velocity profiles. These processes are mainly controlled by the Peclét number, the Nahme number, the flow rate and the thermal boundary conditions. The problem of viscous heating in fluids was investigated in the past for its practical interest in the polymer industry, and was invoked to explain some rheological behaviours of silicate melts, but was not completely applied to study magma flows. In this paper we focus on the thermal and mechanical effects caused by viscous heating in tubes of finite lengths. We find that in magma flows at high Nahme number and typical flow rates, viscous heating is responsible for the evolution from Poiseuille flow, with a uniform temperature distribution at the inlet, to a plug flow with a hotter layer near the walls. When the temperature gradients induced by viscous heating are very pronounced, local instabilities may occur and the triggering of secondary flows is possible. For completeness, this paper also describes magma flow in infinitely long tubes both at steady state and in transient phase.


The problem of finding patterns in financial time series has been tackled by systematic observations of trends, statistical analysis or the use of artificial intelligence techniques in trend analysis. These techniques are more for the discovering of patterns in data rather than the understanding of association relationships between the discovered patterns. As time series patterns often overlap with each other, identifying and discovering association relationships among them can be very challenging. To tackle these problems, we propose here a method to determine if there exists any association relationship between two sequential patterns in a financial time series. The method is based on the use of machine learning techniques and has been tested with data from Hang Seng Index (HSI) constituent stocks. The results reveal that there is statistical evidence of association relationships between some of the stocks whereas there is no evidence for such a relationship between some others. We conclude that the price behavior of these HSI stocks is easier to understand than that of the HSI index.


Wireless sensor networks can be used in various fields, e.g., military and civil applications. The technique of saving energy to prolong the life of sensor nodes is one of main challenges to resource-constrained sensor networks. Therefore, in-network aggregation of data has been proposed in resource-constrained environments for energy efficiency. Most previous works on in-network aggregation only support a one-dimensional data (e.g., MIN and MAX). To support a multi-dimensional data, the skyline query is used. The skyline query returns a set of points that are not dominated by any other point on all dimensions. The majority of previous skyline query processing methods (e.g., BNL and BBS) work on centralized storage. Centralized query processing methods do not have merits in terms of energy efficiency in high event rate environments. In this paper, we propose new algorithm of in-network processing for the skyline queries. The proposed algorithm reduces the communication cost and evenly distributes load. The experimental results show the advantages of our algorithm over in-network aggregation in terms of improving energy efficiency.


Aim of this research is to answer if organizational commitment changes according to demografic factors. Inputs gained from 200 person sample group from banking sector. According to the analysis it is found that affective and continuance commitment increases with age and job experience, and all componenets of commitment increase according to time in the last job. With the results derived from analysis, research's support to organizational theory is discussed and some advices put forward.


Thirty years ago, the invention and volume shipment of IBM PC significantly enlarged the user population of computing. For the next thirty years, what is the most fundamental challenge of the computing field? What paradigm shift is needed? What is the most significant industrial problem? What are the most needed scientific breakthroughs? This article addresses these questions by discussing a dozen essential issues of computing for the masses. The most fundamental challenge is the computing market's growth stagnation. Computing for the masses is proposed to reverse this trend and should be a fundamental future direction. It has three features of value-augmenting, affordability, and sustainability. The most basic paradigm shift is human-cyber-physical ternary computing. The most significant industrial problem is the Insecta Classis paradox. Computing for the masses needs five pillars of science support, including ternary computing science, universal compute account, efficient sea-network-cloud computing platforms, information ecosystem science, and national information accounts. This article helps outline the problem space for future computer science research, with a discussion on related transformative research projects.


Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of SmearOFF, 7% maleic acid (MA) and 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), on the surface microhardness of Biodentine (BD). Materials and Methods: Forty BD cylindrical-shaped specimens were prepared using a split mold and were divided randomly into four groups (n = 10) based on the type of irrigant used for 1 min. In Group I, the specimens were treated with 17% EDTA, in Group II with 7% MA, in Group III with SmearOFF solution, and in Group IV with 5 mL distilled water. In all these groups, the irrigants were taken in a beaker and the samples were immersed with a magnetic stirrer placed to ensure complete wetting of the specimens. All the samples were then washed with distilled water and air-dried. The surface microhardness of the specimens was measured using Knoop hardness tester. Data were analyzed statistically using Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U-test. The significant level was preset to P = 0.05. Results: MA significantly compromised the microhardness of BD followed by EDTA, SmearOFF, and distilled water which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). On comparison between 17% EDTA and SmearOFF, 17% EDTA reduced microhardness to maximum (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that microhardness of BD cement was generally affected by chelating agents.


The term 'lupus anticoagulant' is a misnomer as it is neither only found in lupus, nor is it mainly associated with bleeding. The term LA was first coined to describe the phenomenon of plasma samples from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that failed to clot within an appropriate time.[1] Lupus anticoagulant (LA) is one the of antiphospholipid antibodies, which also include anticardiolipin (aCL) antibody and anti-beta2-glycoprotein (GP) I antibodies. LA are heterogenous autoantibodies, predominantly IgG, and IgM isotypes that specifically target the phospholipid-protein component of the cell membrane. LA interferes and prolongs clotting process, which is a risk factor for arterial and/or venous thrombosis with complications such as stroke, transient ischemic strokes, acquired thrombophilia, and pregnancy loss. Furthermore, LAs may be transitory in the setting of certain medications or infections and thus have also present in asymptomatic patients.[2] Testing for LAs is essential in patients with hypercoagulable states and antiphospholipid syndromes.[3]


A cascaded linear system model is developed for calculating the frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency, DQE(f), of a direct conversion x-ray imaging detector by incorporating the effects of charge carrier trapping and reabsorption of K-fluorescent x-rays. The present model considers a combination of series and parallel processes and interactions between them. The modulation transfer function for K-fluorescent x-ray reabsorption is modelled by determining the line spread function and subsequent one-dimensional Fourier transform. The DQE model is applied to amorphous selenium (a-Se) and polycrystalline mercuric iodide (poly-HgI2) detectors. The charge carrier trapping has a significant effect on DQE in both a-Se and poly-HgI2 detectors. The charge carrier transport properties have higher influences on DQE performance in a-Se detectors than that in HgI2 detectors, because of relatively low conversion gain in a-Se detectors. High conversion gain can minimise the adverse effect of incomplete charge collection. A simplified model for the calculation of zero spatial frequency detective quantum efficiency, DQE(0), under parallel cascaded system is also proposed in this study. There exists an optimum photoconductor thickness, which maximises the DQE(0). The proposed model is compared with the published measured data and shows good agreement.


This project aims to develop and optimize soft magnetic materials for use in solenoids for automotive components such as: electric injectors, electric valves, electric pumps... etc. The work seeks to produce soft magnetic materials with higher magnetic permeability to produce higher magnetic forces in solenoids.

Powder metallurgy was used to produce the magnetic solenoid parts with a wide array o f possible material combinations. Different mixtures o f Fe-Si, Fe-Co and Fe-Si-Co were developed. A cold-isostatic compacting technique was used with a pressure of 180 MPa. Then the samples were sintered twice at a temperature o f 1315 °C for 45 min after compacting, and after the final machining.

Density, compression, hardness and microstructure were investigated for all samples before and after the second sintering. The results showed that the mechanical properties and the microstructure were improved after the second sintering. The magnetic density and intensity (B-H) was determined for each material. A sample o f each new material was sent to an American Lab.

Finite element simulations were carried out using commercial software (ANSYS) to simulate the magnetic field o f a common rail electro-injector solenoid. The maximum magnetic force was determined for each developed material. Different models were built-up by varying the magnetic material properties and the working parameters such as the coil turn - current for a fixed gap between the armature and the back iron.


Bilateral cochlear ablation leads to a profound weakening of synaptic inhibition within the inferior colliculus (IC) of gerbils [Vale & Sanes (2000) J. Neurosci., 20, 1912–1921]. To examine whether unilateral deafening leads to similar functional alterations, we studied the effect of unilateral cochlear ablation on inhibitory synaptic properties both ipsilateral and contralateral to the deafened ear. Lateral lemniscal and commissure of the IC‐evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were recorded in an IC brain slice preparation using whole‐cell and gramicidin perforated‐patch electrodes in the presence of kynurenic acid. Unilateral cochlear ablation led to a 23 mV depolarizing shift in the IPSC equilibrium potential for IC neurons contralateral to the deafened ear, but only a 10 mV depolarization in the ipsilateral IC. Lateral lemniscal‐evoked inhibitory synaptic conductance declined significantly in the ipsilateral and contralateral IC, whereas commissural‐evoked inhibitory synaptic conductance declined only contralateral to the ablated cochlea. An analysis of paired‐pulse facilitation showed that inhibitory transmitter release was more affected ipsilateral to the ablated cochlea. Thus, unilateral cochlear ablation modifies inhibitory synapses in the inferior colliculus, but these changes appear to be dominated by postsynaptic alterations in the contralateral IC, and by presynaptic changes in the ipsilateral IC.


Increased demand on existing interconnected power systems, together with the tightening of both operational and economic constraints, has led to the optimisation of maintenance and expansion planning becoming more critical. The planning task requires consideration of many often indeterminate variables and constraints, such as projected system loading, generation bidding strategies, plant capacity and environmental factors. The expert system presented here attempts to aid the knowledge intensive task of analysing and solving transient and steady-state problems associated with hypothetical network configurations. This enables the planning engineer to assess the operational viability of proposed maintenance or expansion plans.


Across the European Union, education and training in information technology (IT) is seen as a way to move people experiencing disadvantage - such as the unemployed, people with disabilities, immigrants, marginalized women, and disadvantaged youth - into sustainable employment. All the EU member countries and the European Commission have invested heavily in IT education and training programs for these groups. This article discusses the study took place in five European countries, and concluded that for students experiencing disadvantage, IT training and education should be only one element of a much broader pedagogy. Successful programs in the countries studied - Ireland, the U.K., Finland, Italy, and Spain - used a pathway approach of interventions.