Electrical properties of new Polymer-Iron nanocomposite materials obtained by laser pyrolysis were investigated, in order to find applications for the detection of reducing gases. The aim of this paper was to prove the necessity of complex experimental investigation in order to point out the contribution of different types of adsorption. Usually resistance measurement cannot fully describe the surface interactions. The electron affinity changes are of real interest for in-field conditions which always involve humidity of surrounding gasatmosphere. On the other hand, the nanocomposite materials can be a solution for specific gas-sensing properties.


This paper is an exposition of a unified approach to multiflow problems using certain polyhedral objects called tight spans or TX -spaces. The tight span was introduced by Isbell and Dress, independently of the multiflow research. In the middle of 90's, Karzanov and Chepoi explored the significance of tight spans in the multiflow theory. We explain how the tight span derives min-max relations to multiflow problems and how its geometry affects discreteness issues of flows and potentials.


These personal essays present a twenty-something's evolving attitudes toward her occupations. Each essay explores a different job-from birthday party clown, to seitan-maker, to psychiatric den mother-while circling around sub-themes of addiction, disability, sex, love, nature, and nourishment (both food and otherwise). Through landscape, extended metaphor and symbol, and recurring characters, the collection addresses how a person's work often defines how she sees the world. Each of the narrator's jobs thrusts her into networks of people and places that both helps and impedes the process of self-discovery. As a whole, the essay collection functions as a memoir, tracking an often-universal journey, one that many undertake in order to discover a meaningful life, and sometimes, eventually, a career.


ABSTRACT Lee, H.; Kim, S.; Jun, K.W.; Park, H.K., and Park, J.S., 2016. The Effects of Groundwater Pumping and Infiltration on Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifer. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 652–656. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of seawater intrusion; an examination was carried out of the impacts of groundwater pumping and infiltration by precipitation on the seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. To simulate seawater intrusion, three layers (layers 1, 2 and 3) were identified based on a drilling log. The infiltration rate of 30 years of rainfall data was calculated as 26.43%. The change of salt concentration was simulated using the FEMWATER model by considering the infiltration rate and assuming the pumping rate as 185m3/day for 300 days. The proportion of transverse dispersivity towards the longitudinal dispersivity was changed from 1/10 to 4/10; in the four cases, the total dissolved solids (TDS) were plotted to compare the observed concentrations. The simulation was performed for the following four cases: no infiltration-no pumping, infiltration-no pumping, no infiltration-pumping, and infiltration-pumping. In the initial stage, the simulated concentrations and observed concentrations of dispersivity for each case showed similar trends; however, after the 100 day period the simulated concentration began to show an underrated tendency. For the no infiltration-no pumping case, the simulated concentrations and the observed concentrations of dispersivity exhibited similar appearances at 3/10.


Purpose of review Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is an uncommon myocardial disease characterized by impaired filling of the ventricles in the presence of normal wall thickness and systolic function. Most affected individuals have severe signs and symptoms of heart failure. A large number die shortly after diagnosis unless they receive a cardiac transplant. Controversy has existed about the exact definition of the condition and diagnostic criteria that will be discussed along with an update on recent findings. Recent findings Previously, RCM was believed to be of idiopathic origin unless otherwise associated with inflammatory, infiltrative or systemic disease. Recent investigations have shown that the condition may be caused by mutations in sarcomeric disease genes and even may coexist with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the same family. However, most sarcomeric RCM mutations appear to be de novo and associated with a severe disease expression and an early onset. Summary Recent reports suggest that mutations in sarcomeric contractile protein genes are not uncommon in RCM. These findings imply that RCM may be hereditary, and that clinical assessment of relatives should be considered in addition to genetic investigations when systemic disease has been excluded. Identification and risk stratification of affected relatives is important to avoid adverse disease complications and diminish the rate of sudden death.


New concepts in the design of induction accelerators and their power supplies for space and military applications are discussed. Particular attention is given to a piecewise-rising-frequency power supply in which each elementary generator (normal compulsator or rising frequency generator) has a different base frequency. A preliminary design of a coaxial induction accelerator for a hypersonic real gas facility is discussed to illustrate the concepts described. >


The project BioZEment (University of Oslo 2014) was carried out 2014-2017, with the aim of developing a concrete product that complies with today's standards of strength and durability, but without using the calcination process. Instead of thermally decomposing the limestone to make reactive lime, the project strived towards finding a low-temperature method for partial dissolution and re-precipitation of the mineral surfaces to make the limestone particles bind to each other, and thereby creating an alternative to conventional concrete with significantly lower climate impact. Modern biotechnology was applied to find microorganisms that could perform the dissolution and precipitation in a controlled manner. The project also included detailed studies of how cementation takes place on the micro- and nano-scale, in combination with microbiology and biotechnology.In order to ensure that the project was striving toward a product that truly could be seen as a sustainable alternative to today's concrete, both the method life cycle assessment (LCA) and studies of ethical, legal and societal aspects of the process were applied. This report presents the results of the LCA.The LCA was carried out by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden. The project was led by the University of Oslo. Other project partners, all based in Norway, were the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the research institute SINTEF, the consultancy company Dr. tech. Olav Olsen, and the research institute SIFO.Results indicate that the BioZEment has the potential to reduce climate impact considerably, in a range of 70-85%. For other environmental impact categories (ozone depletion potential, eutrophication potential, and land use, and for the higher acidification estimate), the BioZEment has a higher environmental impact than conventional concrete. The impact levels are, however, not severe. Nevertheless, ammonia emissions (causing eutrophication and acidification) should be monitored. In the further development of the BioZEment, specific attention should be paid to:• Reducing water consumption• Establishing systems for waste water treatment• Minimizing urea demand• Minimizing ammonia emissions and/or capture ammonia emissions Key words: life cycle assessment, concrete, cement, bacteria, climate


A Graphene Mach-Zehnder modulator based on sandwiched structure is proposed where bi-layer graphene is inserted inside the silicon waveguide to enhance the modulation ability. The calculated results show that the modulator exhibits an excellent performance in terms of small footprint and high extinction ratio. Besides, the modulation ability of the waveguide remains stable under the variations of the temperature and the wavelength of the incident light.


The spectroscopy of anthranilic acid (AA) was examined in neat and binary solvents of varying polarity and hydrogen bonding strength in order to understand the role of water in solvating the polar sites of the molecule. With the exception of water, the Stokes shift of AA in different solvents was found to be linearly correlated with the normalized molar transition energy of solvent polarity (ETN), indicating the major role of the hydrogen bonding effect in solution. Analysis of the absorption and fluorescence spectra reveals that AA exists as an anion in neutral water. The pKa (4.50) and pKa* (4.44) values were estimated from the spectral shift in the absorption and fluorescence spectra measured in different pH solutions. The shortest fluorescence lifetime was measured in cyclohexane and is attributed to intramolecular hydrogen dislocation/transfer in the excited state. The lifetime values in polar solvents point to the dominant effect of the hydrogen-bond donating strength (α value) of the solvent. The number of water molecules solvating the polar region of the neutral form of AA was estimated to be three from the absorbance change in dioxane/buffer (pH 3.5) binary mixtures. The structures of AA:water complexes were calculated from density functional theory using the B3LYP method with a 6-311++G(2d,p) basis set. A stepwise addition of water molecules (1–3) to the polar region of AA leads to a preferential solvation of the COOH group of the molecule in a closed-cyclic geometry. It is worth noting that the spectral shift as a function of pH suggests the suitability of AA as a probe to estimate the local acidity of binding sites in macromolecules in the pH range 3.0–7.0.


Between 2018- 2020, Swedish public library staff were involved in the national project Digital First to strengthen their capability to support citizens in developing digital competencies. In this paper we focus on the challenges that staff and management in public and regional libraries experienced while striving to support people's development of digital competencies. In 2019 we met with staff and managers of five public libraries in different parts of Sweden for interviews and focus groups. In 2020, 19 online interviews and 18 email questionnaires were carried out with 20 regional coordinators of the Digital First project. The two datasets were combined for a comprehensive analysis, supplemented with data from quarterly reports collected by the national coordinator of Digital First. We conducted a qualitative content analysis guided by the theoretical concepts of institutional logic and legitimacy. On the municipal and the regional level, library staff offered education and support to users in the development of digital skills. The respondents referred to the Swedish Library Act and to their experience of citizens' information needs to justify the library's involvement in these activities. However, prospective users seldom experienced a need for competency development, nor did they regard libraries as sources for help with digital skill-building. Other bodies within the municipal organization (e.g. IT departments) were also often ignorant of the library's remit and area of expertise in digital skills. Tensions were identified among the expectations laid out at a national level in policy documents, the needs that library professionals strived to meet in their local work environments, and the expectations of the public. These tensions have complicated the ongoing efforts to justify the relevance of public and regional library work in Sweden.


Background: Relatively little is known about differences in the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) by race and region in the United States. Objectives: To use the 1999-2002 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Minimum Data Set (MDS), Atlanta Region, to investigate the prevalence of UI among African American and Caucasian residents of nursing homes (NH) in the southeastern United States. Methods: A repeated-measures, two time-period design was employed. Data for 95,911 residents in 7,640 NH were extracted using the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria. Residents' admission and annual assessment records were accessed; UI presence and relevant indicators were captured; and admission and postadmission UI prevalence rates were determined by region, state, race, and gender. Logistic regression, adjusting for residents' demographics, morbidity status, bed mobility, and cognitive and functional statuses, was conducted also. Results: The majority of residents were Caucasian (82.4%) and women (76.5%) with mean (±SD) age of 82.7 ± 7.58 years. Regional UI prevalence was 65.4% at admission and 74.3% postadmission. Postadmission, 73.5% of Caucasian and 78.1% of African Americans were incontinent. Similarly, 72.2% of men and 75% of women were incontinent. For African Americans postadmission, adjusted odds of UI were OR = 1.07 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.14). Discussion: Prevalence of UI was high in this region and the odds of UI was significantly higher among African Americans in two of eight states, suggesting racial disparity in this condition in these states. Factors contributing to this disparity should be explored to increase quality care to vulnerable populations.


The "Garden City" concept has been the main planning concept that drives Singapore's urban development for the past five decades. This has led to a remarkably green city despite it being a high-density city. As of 2012, Singapore's National Parks Board manages approximately 2,850 hectares of parks, and based on future land use plan, it is expected that more parks will be added over the next two decades. This is also supported by Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015, a long term strategic and sustainable development plan in which urban greenery has been given prominence. It aims to bring green spaces nearer to people through a national park provision target of 0.8 hectare of park area per 1,000 people, and by planning parks to be within 10 minutes-walk from homes. While this is highly commendable, it is also necessary to consider where parks are distributed in relation to socio-demographic profile, i.e., to consider if there are current issues on unequal distribution of parks. This is currently an unknown area in park planning in Singapore, and falls within the emerging area of spatial equity, which traditionally has focused on "environment bads" but is now increasingly applied to "environmental goods". Green spatial equity is a broad term that considers the distribution of green spaces such that the benefits of green spaces are provided where needs are the strongest. In this study, we examined correlations between key social demographic profile (population, population density, income, types of home ownership) of planning units at two spatial scales to understand spatial distribution of parks in relation to needs. Through the use of spatial analysis in GIS, we report on several novel findings of distinct parks distribution pattern and gaps of parks provision between different social demographic groups, examined in two planning scales. This findings highlight that local park planning need to consider the effects of scale, and to correct for apparent unequal distribution of parks in Singapore. Our results can provide the foundation to explore urban interventions that are able to promote more equitable distribution of a key public amenity of importance to livability in Singapore.


This article examines the duties and responsibilities owed by persons involved with organising and staging major sporting events under Australian workplace health and safety (WHS) laws. While WHS laws focus primarily on the health and safety of workers, they also have a very broad public safety component. This examination reveals multiple actors involved with major sporting events owe broad, concurrent, overlapping and non-delegable WHS duties. The duties appear to impose onerous obligations on event organisers to ensure the safety of work undertaken by expert contractors they engage. On closer examination, however, the duties form part of a larger legislative scheme that allocates risk management responsibilities amongst persons involved with major sporting events.


In unsupervised learning, dimensionality reduction is an important tool for data exploration and visualization. Because these aims are typically open-ended, it can be useful to frame the problem as looking for patterns that are enriched in one dataset relative to another. These pairs of datasets occur commonly, for instance a population of interest vs. control or signal vs. signal free recordings. However, there are few methods that work on sets of data as opposed to data points or sequences. Here, we present a probabilistic model for dimensionality reduction to discover signal that is enriched in the target dataset relative to the background dataset. The data in these sets do not need to be paired or grouped beyond set membership. By using a probabilistic model where some structure is shared amongst the two datasets and some is unique to the target dataset, we are able to recover interesting structure in the latent space of the target dataset. The method also has the advantages of a probabilistic model, namely that it allows for the incorporation of prior information, handles missing data, and can be generalized to different distributional assumptions. We describe several possible variations of the model and demonstrate the application of the technique to de-noising, feature selection, and subgroup discovery settings.


Two Swiss Braunvieh cows in late pregnancy underwent surgery because of a rare form of ileus due to strangulation of the duodenum at its caudal flexure by the gravid uterus. The whole uterus had passed through a gap between the mesoduodenum and duodenum and with increasing weight had led to strangulation of the duodenum. This was possible since the mesoduodenum and both walls of the greater omentum adjacent to its caudal edge were not connected with the duodenum, probably due to a congenital inhibitory malformation. A transsection and an end-to-end anastomosis of the duodenum were necessary in both cases since it was impossible to retract the gravid uterus through the defect. Postoperative recovering was uneventful in both cows, which were discharged after seven and five days respectively and calved normally about two months later.


The human DMD gene is the largest known to date, spanning > 2000 kb on the X chromosome. The gene size is mainly accounted for by huge intronic regions. We sequenced 190 kb of Fugu rubripes (pufferfish) genomic DNA corresponding to the complete dystrophin gene (FrDMD) and provide the first report of gene structure and sequence comparison among dystrophin genomic sequences from different vertebrate organisms. Almost all intron positions and phases are conserved between FrDMD and its mammalian counterparts, and the predicted protein product of the Fugu gene displays 55% identity and 71% similarity to human dystrophin. In analogy to the human gene, FrDMD presents several-fold longer than average intronic regions. Analysis of intron sequences of the human and murine genes revealed that they are extremely conserved in size and that a similar fraction of total intron length is represented by repetitive elements; moreover, our data indicate that intron expansion through repeat accumulation in the two orthologs is the result of independent insertional events. The hypothesis that intron length might be functionally relevant to the DMD gene regulation is proposed and substantiated by the finding that dystrophin intron gigantism is common to the three vertebrate genes.


An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of diets containing peas on productive traits, carcass yields, and fatty acid profiles (breast and drumstick meat) of broiler chickens. Hubbard strain broiler chicks, divided into 2 groups, received from 14 d to slaughtering age (49 d) a wheat middlings-based diet containing soybean (190 g/kg) or micronized-dehulled peas (400 g/kg) as the main protein source. The inclusion of peas did not significantly change the growth performance of birds. The pea level had no effect on the dressing percentage, the percentage of breast or drumstick muscles, and abdominal fat. The muscles of birds fed the pea diet had significant (P < 0.05) lower L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness, drumstick muscle) values and fat content. Instead, total collagen and water-holding capacity values were higher in the pea treatment. The polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration in breast and drumstick muscles was significantly increased with the alternative protein source inclusion, whereas the saturated fatty acid was similar among treatments. The n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio of the broiler drumstick meat decreased significantly in the pea group. Dietary pea inclusion improved the saturation index of meat without altering atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes. It can be concluded that the pea treatment tested had a positive effect on the performance and meat quality of broiler chickens.


Lloyd Evans, a leading plant scientist, published extensively on the regulation of flowering and on crop production during a lifetime spent in research at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). His significant achievements included the identification of a gibberellin plant hormone as a flowering regulator in the grass Lolium temulentum, the discovery of a synthetic gibberellin growth retardant that blocked endogenous gibberellin synthesis, and the discovery of a novel biological flowering clock in Pharbitis with a 12 h (semidian) period. In crops he established the impact on yield of photosynthate production and transport to competing sinks. Two of his books, Crop evolution: adaptation and yield and Feeding the ten billion, have had a major influence on agricultural research and policy. His ability to define research options led to many years of international advisory work. He was an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, subsequently becoming President of the latter.


Based on the numerical simulation and finite element method, the longitudinal seismic action of a long-span continuous bridge is systematically analyzed. Four load cases are considered, i.e. bridge without piers, bridge with piers, neglecting friction force and combining friction force and pier scouring respectively. Calculation results show that: when considering the piers, the contribution of piers to bridge longitudinal seismic forces is depending on the concrete problems; when the friction force of rubber supports is regarded, sliding support greatly enhances the longitudinal overall rigidity of the bridge, but the force is resolved to each rubber support and can improve the stress state of the fixed support; considering effect of scouring, the elongation of piers will lead to the decrease of longitudinal overall rigidity, thereby lowering the longitudinal seismic forces. From comparison of the two piers that, the relatively flexible structure has shock absorption to a certain extent, so it is more suitable for the bridge.


The nuclear envelope (NE) consists of two continuous membranes, with pores where the inner nuclear membrane (INM) meets the outer nuclear membrane (ONM).
V-Type ATPases in the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes alter pH (ΔpH) and generate a transmembrane electrical potential (ΔΨ) across plasma membranes and intracellular compartments.

In the accompanying article by Santos et al published in this issue of the American Journal of Physiology: Cell Physiology the authors tested the hypothesis that the V-type ATPase was present and functional in the NE. The authors established that the nuclear pH is acidic, pH gradients across the nuclear membrane were bafilomysin and concanamycin sensitive and that the V-type ATPase was present in the NE by immunolocalization, and in both the ONM and INM by western blots and ATPase assays.


The effects of nutrition on serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations during pregnancy of rats were investigated by using rat cultured hepatocytes in vitro, and by the assessment of nitrogen balance in vivo. IGF-1 concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay, and nitrogen balance was calculated by Pregl-Dumas method. The results were as follows: (1) Cultured rat hepatocytes produced IGF-1 in medium and it was significantly stimulated by the addition of various concentrations of glucose (1.1-4.4 mM) and/or several amino acid concentrations in a dose-related manner. (2) Serum IGF-1 concentrations, which indicated 368.6 +/- 143.8 ng/ml in a non-pregnant fed state, markedly decreased in a fasted state, reaching the levels of 143.8 +/- 30.4 ng/ml after 72 hours fasting. Nitrogen balance in these fasted rats also decreased according to the fasted period. (3) In early pregnancy (Day 0-12), serum IGF-1 concentrations were indistinguishable from those of non-pregnant fed rats. It gradually declined after the 13th day of pregnancy and reached the minimum levels of 77.0 +/- 12.1 ng/ml on the 21st day. On the other hand, mean nitrogen balance which was calculated from the difference of nitrogen retention in the maternal body and that in the fetal body, also decreased after 13 days of pregnancy and reached the levels of 14.9 g/day on the 21st day of pregnancy. These results suggested that IGF-1 concentrations in rat serum and conditioned medium might be regulated by nutritional factors, i.e., glucose and/or several amino acids. The curious profiles of IGF-1 concentrations observed in pregnant rats might be due in part to the effects of nutritional changes between the maternal and fetal body, especially, the changes of protein metabolism represented by the nitrogen balance.


Background Chinese people experienced a nationwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic after the adjustment of epidemic response policies from December 2022 to January 2023. This study aims to explore the prevalence of mental and cognitive symptoms and their associated factors among medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between February 27th and March 8th, 2023. The symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cognitive function among medical students were examined using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6), and the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-Depression-5 (PDQ-D-5). Data on demographic information was also collected. Statistical analyses were conducted to describe the prevalence and explore the associated factors of mental and cognitive symptoms. Results Among 947 participants, the proportion of students experiencing anxiety, depression, insomnia, and PTSD symptoms was 37.8, 39.3, 28.3, and 29.5%, respectively. The self-reported COVID-19 infection rate was 72.2%. Higher grades, childhood, and current rural residence were identified as potential risk factors for mental and cognitive symptoms. Gender, age, average monthly household income, and COVID-19 diagnosis were not associated with mental and cognitive symptoms among medical students. Conclusion Our findings revealed a high prevalence of mental and cognitive symptoms among Chinese medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Special attention should be paid to the mental health of higher-grade students and those residing in rural areas.


The elastic compliance of a work-piece under machining forces during machining operation and its subsequent spring back causes dimensional error. This phenomenon is more critical in turning process especially when long work-pieces are machined between chuck and center or between centers. Ultrasonic vibration assisted turning (UAT) where the cutting tool is put into an ultrasonicfrequency vibration during the ordinary cutting process leads to considerable improvement of the machined work-piece including increase in the dimensional accuracy. This is partly attributable to the noticeable decrease of the machining force in UAT compared with those occurring in conventional turning (CT). It is noteworthy that UAT is regarded as an advanced machining technique which is especially suitable for machining of brittle and hard-to-cut materials such as glass, ceramics and super alloys. In the present study, the diametrical error due to the spring back of work-piece being machined between chuck and center in turning operation is first analyzed. A model is then presented for prediction of this error in UAT by statistical analysis of extant experimental results. All influencing parameters are thus taken into consideration when deriving the predicting model. This model is verified by FEM simulation.


The Supreme Court's divided decision in Kerry v. Din, 135 S. Ct. 2128 (2015), shows the difficulty of defining liberty for purposes of procedural due process. Din, a United States citizen, claimed that she had been denied procedural due process when the State Department refused to grant an immigrant visa to her husband. Justice Scalia's plurality opinion reasoned that Din had no liberty interest protected by procedural due process, while Justice Breyer's dissent concluded that Din had such an interest based on fundamental rights involving marriage, the right of citizens to reside in the country, and statutory immigration preferences for spouses. The Din decision raises questions as to the content of procedural due process liberty. It also raises questions of the extent to which substantive constitutional rights and statutorily granted interests should be treated as liberty interests for purposes of procedural due process. While prior scholarship has answered a number of such questions with respect to property, no similar systematization has occurred with respect to liberty interests. This article undertakes to provide a taxonomy of liberty for purposes of procedural due process, and it analyses Kerry v. Din in light of those categories.


This article describes the user-written program margeff, which enables the fast estimation of (average) marginal effects. Besides describing the program, this article offers a new discussion of some problems that are related to computation of marginal effects. I will argue that (1) marginal effects computed at means are not good approximations of average marginal effects, computed as means of marginal effects evaluated at each observations, if some of the parameter estimates are large; (2) both average marginal effects and marginal effects computed at means might produce wrong estimates for dummies that are part of a set of indicator variables indicating different categories of a single underlying variable; and (3) the use of marginal effects computed at means is preferred if some of the regressors are mathematical transformations of other regressors.


The purpose of this work was to clarify the essentiality of glucose production from amino acids in obese subjects undergoing prolonged starvation and to provide an explanation for death after the depletion of lean body mass when some body fat is still available to meet body energy requirements. Five obese subjects fasted for 21 d. Nitrogen balance studies were combined with measurements of blood metabolite and hormone concentrations, indirect calorimetry, determination of body-composition changes, and catheterization techniques. Phenylacetate was administered from day 19 to day 21 to remove glutamine from the body and to assess this perturbation on energy requirements, ammoniagenesis, ureagenesis, gluconeogenesis, and ketogenesis. The obese subjects lost body fat and fat-free mass in parallel and resting metabolic energy requirements per mass remained constant during starvation. Urinary nitrogen excretion reflected continuous demands for amino acid oxidation. Phenylacetate administration decreased blood glutamine concentrations, increased plasma epinephrine concentrations, and increased urinary nitrogen loss through phenylacetylglutamine excretion; urinary excretion rates of urea, ammonium, urate, creatinine, and ketone bodies remained unchanged. The essentiality of amino acid oxidation was therefore shown. Late in prolonged starvation, aminogenic oxidation amounted to 7% and fat provided the remaining energy requirements. Hepatic and renal gluconeogenesis were not curtailed. Blood glutamate served as a vehicle for carbon and nitrogen transport; the contribution of glycerol to gluconeogenesis equaled that of all amino acids combined. The minimal quantities of amino acid (0.27 +/- 0.08 and 0.52 +/- 0.10 g) and fat (1.53 +/- 0.21 and 2.98 +/- 0.15 g) oxidized per kg body wt or fat-free mass/d, respectively, were determined. Included within amino acid and fat oxidation were the minimal amounts of precursors needed for synthesizing the essential quantity of glucose (0.34 +/- 0.14 and 0.66 +/- 0.20 g) oxidized per kg body wt or fat-free mass, respectively.


Adversarial images, inputs designed to produce errors in machine learning systems, are a common way for researchers to test the ability of algorithms to perform tasks such as image classification. "Fooling images" are a common kind of adversarial image, causing miscategorisation errors which can then be used to diagnose problems within an image classification algorithm. Situations where human and computer categorise an image differently, which arise from adversarial images, reveal discrepancies between human image interpretation and that of computers. In this paper, aspects of state of the art machine learning research and relevant artistic projects touching on adversarial image approaches will be contextualised in reference to current theories. Harun Farocki's concept of the operative image [1] will be used as a model for understanding the coded and procedural nature of automated image interpretation. Through comparison of current adversarial image methodologies, this paper will consider what this kind of image production reveals about the differences between human and computer visual interpretation.


The rise of China has elicited a voluminous response from scholars, business groups, journalists and beyond. Within this literature, a 'China Threat Theory' has emerged which portrays China as a destabilizing force within global politics and economics. Though originating in Realist accounts, this China Threat Theory has spread across to other approaches, and it increasingly forms the backdrop against which scholarly work positions itself. Our article contributes to this debate by examining China's role within the World Trade Organization (WTO). It assesses the extent to which China has been the disruptive power that it is often claimed to be. In particular, the article examines the change identified in Chinese diplomacy around 2008, and argues that this is attributable to the process of learning and socialization that China had to undergo as a new member, coupled with its elevation to a position of decision-making power. Contrary to the China Threat Theory, we find little to suggest that China has adopted an aggressive system challenging mode of behaviour.


Background: Arctigenin, a lignan polyphenol found in burdock sprout, is a potent activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and has beneficial effects on metabolic disorders in mice. This highlights the potential value of arctigenin for the reduction of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) by activation of AMPK in human, but not well elucidated.Methods: We conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-groups study in healthy adults to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of a continuous intake of burdock sprout extract enriched with arctigenin on lipid metabolism. The subjects were 100 Japanese individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) < 140 mg/dl and a body mass index (BMI) of 23–30 kg/m2 who were randomly assigned to receive either burdock sprout extract (test food) or a placebo. The test food was encapsulated burdock sprout extract containing approximately 40 mg of arctigenin equivalent per day, and the placebo capsules contained no burdock sprout extract. The subjects consumed the assigned foods daily for 12 weeks.Results: The test food significantly suppressed oxLDL after 12 weeks in subjects with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or higher. The test food inhibited an increase in the FIB-4 index (liver fibrosis index), an indicator of hepatic fibrosis. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis revealed a significant correlation between oxLDL and FIB-4 index changes, suggesting that the test food suppressed the rise in the FIB-4 index by controlling oxLDL while maintaining the platelet count.Conclusions: We conclude that the consumption of a burdock sprout supplement containing arctigenin is effective in suppressing oxLDL, which may prevent liver fibrosis.Clinical trial registration: UMIN000036664Keywords: arctigenin, burdock sprout, oxidized LDL, FIB-4 index, randomized controlled study


Lithuania is urbanized country, about 70 % of poluation lives in urban areas. Curent urbanization is organized  by the new territorial planning law, which came into force in 1995. New system was applied on the developing market and democracy conditions, why it is not fully developed till nowadays. New urban planning and management system are rapidly changing the spatial patterns of Lithuania. How much those changes are foresighted in transformation process towards sustainable development? What actions are needed and whom participation is necessary to avoid the influence of current trends? The analyses of demographic trends and the Master plans of Lithuanian metropolitan cities and suburban municipalities shows unconformity to the existing social and economical trends. While the population is decreasing the huge need of land for new developmet had been planned. The spread of urban structures to the rural areas had raised the need and price of infrastructure and public services, it induced inhabitants dependence from own cars, enhanced environment pollution and consumption of energy resources. Current EU policy documents and the expert organizations the suburbanization are describing as " urban sprawl" which does not meet the principles of sustainable development [1,2,3,6]. Urban sprawl is a matter of concern in Europe, but only few cities (notably in Northern Europe) are coping well. The sprawl in cities of Eastern Europe iliustrate the developmet of "free for all" of 1990 and impact of transition from socialist to free-market economy with its effect on local economies, social patterns and planning system. [4]. The growth of suburbanization, when the local economy and population decline, in Lithuania had occurred not long ago, urban dictionaries do not include the precise equivalent for the term above. Local specialists call it as "urban chaos" or "spread of compact urban structures", etc. [5]. The contributors think the guide for the foresighted urban planning and sustainable development can serve the EU policy documents, exper'ts reccommendations. It is useful to listen famous urban thinkers, as Jane Jacobs (1916 - 2006) in her last book "Dark age ahead" warned of the professional and educational organizations based on content and thinking rather than licensing and mannerism. In Lithuania this is achieve is possible through the National urban forum, which for the moment is the strong public think tank in Lithuania. They suggesting that planning and management of cities shall be based on more realistic social, economic forecasts and sustainable, coordinated urban & rural developmet polisy, supported by legal, financial measures. It could alloved to manage and use effectively the inner territories of cities, existing public infrastructure and to stop the urban sorawl and growth of energy consumption, use of own cars and environmet polution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.59.1.679


Abstract This paper shows an investigation of the expressions of MMP-3,-13 and their polymorphisms in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Hypertrophied LF tissues and peripheral bloods were obtained from 50 patients with LSS. The expressions of MMP-3,-13 and their polymorphisms were analyzed. No relationship was found between thickness of LFs and MMP-3,-13 genotypes. LF tissues were divided to three groups as grade 1, 2 and 3. Rich elastic fibrils were observed in grade 1. Elastic fibers and elastin/collagen rates decreased in grade 2-3 and 4, and collagen fibers increased and presented a cystic degeneration. MMP-3 immunopositive cells were higher than MMP-13. A correlation between LF thicknesses and MMP-3 was detected. Both MMP-3, -13 were expressed (MMP-3 in higher quantities) in high grade hypertrophied LF. The researchers expect that this paper would provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of LF hypertrophy and lead to therapeutic alternatives for LSS patients.


Androgen deprivation therapy increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in men. We previously showed that male pancreatic β-cell specific androgen receptor knockout (βARKO MIP ) mice develop glucose intolerance because AR potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) through increasing cyclic AMP (cAMP) production and amplifies the insulinotropic effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). We show that male βARKO MIP mice exhibit impaired intraperitoneal (IP) glucose tolerance- because of impaired IP-GSIS- without alteration in oral glucose tolerance, suggesting that AR amplifies the islet-derived, but not the gut-derived GLP-1 to potentiate GSIS. Using male insulin-secreting β-cell line 832/3 transduced with exchange factor directly activated by a cAMP (EPAC)-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensor, we observe that AR agonist dihydrotestosterone (DHT) allows GLP-1, glucagon and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) to increase cAMP production above level of the individual hormones and to a similar level to forskolin control. Accordingly, DHT increases the insulinotropic effect of forskolin, GLP-1, glucagon and GIP in mouse islets. The insulinotropic effect of DHT is abolished using EPAC and PKA inhibitors as well as rapamycin indicating that DHT amplifies the effect of GPCRs coupled to adenylate cyclase and stimulates GSIS via a cAMP/PKA/EPAC pathway and activation of mTOR. Disclosure W. Xu: None. F.B. Ashford: None. D. Hodson: None. F. Mauvais-Jarvis: Research Support; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc..


In this paper, the development of large-sized silicon microchannel heat sink (SMHS) packages for high power dissipation microelectronic modules is presented. The microchannel wafer was designed and fabricated through deep reactive ion etching on the 8" (100) wafer, which included 500 microchannels arranged in parallel and each channel possessed a depth of 400mum. The channel wafer was then bonded to a cover wafer to form the closed flow channel. Two wafer bonding techniques, gold diffusion bonding and bis-benzocyclobutene (BCB) bonding were evaluated. Large thermo-mechanical stress was induced in the first technique, which may not be suitable for the large silicon wafer bonding. In the second technique, a BCB bonding process was successfully developed by producing a bonding layer of around 5mum of minimal stress and free from micro voids. Fluidic interconnects were formulated through the use of elastic room-temperature vulcanizing silicone material between the cover wafer and the metallic housing to minimize the bonding stress. Both hydraulic tests and thermal modeling were conducted for the fabricated SMHS packages. All the heat sink packages with BCB bonding passed hydraulic tests at around 60 psi at a flowrate of 4 l/min, whereas those with gold diffusion bonding were found to fail at a pressure of 20-30 psi. The workability of the SMHS package for thermal management of high power microelectronics modules is demonstrated through a thermal model


A general method of analysis is developed for two-dimensional, steady, compressible flow in stators or rotors of radial and mixed flow turbomachines with conic flow surfaces (surfaces of right circular cones generated by center line of flow passage in the axial-radial plane). The variables taken into account are: (1) tip speed of the rotor, (2) flow rate, (3) blade shape, (4) variation in passage height with radius, (5) number of blades, and (6) cone angle of the flow surface. Relaxation methods are used to solve the nonlinear differential equation for the stream function. Two numerical examples are presented; one for compressible and the other for incompressible flow in a centrifugal compressor with thin, straight blades. The results of these examples are given by plots of the streamlines, constant velocity-ratio lines, and constant pressure-ratio line.


Strategic rationality of a planning module, defined by Albrechts, places citizens as protagonists
of decision making. This empowerment of social and intellectual capital facilitates transparent
processes and encourages participatory democracy. A Smart City through its interlayered
definitions and components stresses upon the importance of citizen engagement in all its
undertakings. The concept dating back to the '70s has seen its maturity in the developed world.
In recent times, implementation of infrastructure needs and governance tools through smart
solutions, places the concept of smart cities as the most sought urban reform, particularly in
the developing world.
India, one of the biggest agglomerations of the world and with a doubling character in
urbanization, has proposed an ambitious proposal of 98 smart cities across the country.
Determination of the newly elected Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi saw this model develop
as one of the biggest urban reforms with his Ministry of Urban Development penning down
guidelines for the federal states to execute. The model proposes installation of smart
infrastructure with citizen engagement and feedbacks, through all the stages of decision making
i.e., from framing the vision statement to the prioritization of development schemes and
proposition of smart solutions. The Smart Cities Mission also aims to foster smart citizenry
through consultations, citizen based solutions and calls for active engagements of
representative groups.
This research juxtaposes itself between the set guidelines of the Mission and ground reality.
The country is marked by dominance of public authorities on one hand and poverty on the other
hand, playing the main curmudgeons that can render urban projects hapless. Moreover,
overcoming problems related to access to information, prevailing inequalities and
administrative inefficiencies are critical elements that determine the success of this initiative.
With citizen participation framing the crux of the concept, the guidelines outline participatory
means and the stages to be adopted in the cities. The city of Tumakuru was one of the first
nominated smart cities amongst the 98 cities and forms the context to the findings of this
research focusing on the citizen engagement initiative. With an inquiry on the concepts and
impacts of urban reforms, contextual parameters that surface the injustices, are observed calling
for a case study typology.
The premise of this research is concentrated on the vulnerable class of the informal settlements
who are excluded in voicing out their opinions. Specific to citizen engagement framework of
smart cities, the performance of this particular social class is evaluated and comparatives are
drawn with other social classes through semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, adherence to
the mission guidelines and the execution at the city's context are chalked out to analyse the
effectiveness in participation. On-ground explorations revealed participation absent in all social
classes exposing missing links in networks. These networks were identified as a commendation
to strengthen the nexus and foster enhanced participation.


Methods: This was a retrospective review over a 2 year period (1st June 2008 to 31st May 2010). Cases were identified from local registration, referrals to a tertiary centre, admission to the neonatal unit and the local paediatric cardiology outpatient. 4 chamber view and outflow tracts were evaluated at anomaly scan. Results: There were 17 cases of congenital heart disease out of 7690 deliveries (0.2%). Eleven of the cases were detected antenatally giving a detection rate of 65% (11/16). Six cases went undetected out of which two were transpositions of the great arteries, one pulmonary atresia, one pulmonary stenosis with an atrial-septal defect, one tetraology of fallot and two atrio-ventricular septal defects. One neonate died due to an inoperable defect and the others are all alive and well till date. Five out of the six undetected cases had more than one anomaly scan by sonographers due to 'inadequate' cardiac views Conclusions: The overall detection rate in our Hospital NHS Trust meets the required standard of 50% set by the National Screening Committee, UK. There is current inadequate capture of data on a regional level making underreporting likely. In those cases that were missed, repeated anomaly scans by sonographers should prompt specialist review. This is likely to improve the detection rate even further.


Hydrocortisone depresses hemnolytic complement in male and female mice. Testosterone causes increase of serum complement in female mice, and diethylstilbestrol causes decrease of serum complement in male mice, in each instance to activities approximating those found normally in the opposite sex. Male and female sex hormones have no effect, in the doses used, on the serum complement of male and female mice respectively.


Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are used in various applications including environmental photocatalysis and solar cells. In this work we present the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles employing sol-gel methodology. The morphology, composition, particle size, surface area and band gap of these nanoparticles have been characterized and compared with a standard anatase TiO2 reference specimen exploiting several instrumental techniques namely, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDXS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Diffused Reflectance UV-VIS spectrometry (DUR-UV-VIS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory and Raman Spectrometry.


In this work, we show that in Spanish and Polish, the distribution of dative Experiencers in the sentence is influenced by factors pertaining to argument structure as well as to information structure. From an argument-structure point of view, they are claimed to be generated in VP, in a position higher than the nominative subject, and hence it is the closest candidate to move to spec-TP and satisfy the EPP under T. From an information-structure perspective, dative Experiencers occur first only in two situations, namely when they are part of the broad focus that the whole sentence performs or when they function as topic. However, different tests will tear Spanish and Polish DEs apart with respect to their "subject" properties, which will ultimately be derived from the syntactic position they target when they are used in all-focus sentences.


At the beginning of the twenty-first century two legal concepts linking citizen/enemy status with criminal law have provoked heated discussion both in Europe and in the United States. The American concept, i.e., Enemy Combatants, has been basically developed by the U.S. Supreme Court and more recently by the Bush administration. The European term, Feindstrafrecht/Enemy Criminal Law, has been fundamentally coined and explained by leading German academic Professor Guunther Jakobs. Though born and raised by different parents, the two concepts have numerous aspects in common, or at least this will be argued throughout the paper. The most important common ground is that both concepts, with similar terminology, try to address the problem of what to do with individuals who are viewed as sources of extreme dangerousness. Put differently, they both tackle the question of whether citizenship-in a broad sense-concedes certain rights but imposes a fundamental duty: to have a minimum of law-abiding behavior. If the duty is not fulfilled, then the rights are not acknowledged and the individual is treated as an enemy, not as a citizen. The underlying reasoning oozes social contract theory. This is not by chance, as great philosophers (Rousseau, Fichte, Hobbes, Kant) have employed similar arguments that are briefly sketched in the essay. There are also references to the legal theory behind the scenes predicating that in order for legal constructions to exist (rights, the State), they need to be followed by most people. Hence such a duty to comply, in general terms, with the law is imposed upon all persons. If not, law would be just daydreaming. Strong and consistent as all these arguments sound, the basic problem with this type of reasoning is that it is hard for the legal system to follow without entering into self-contradiction. In this light, criticism will be brought by one of the most prominent social theories of the time, i.e., systems theory, arguing that law-abiding behavior is a precondition for legal institutions to exist, yes, but it cannot be secured by law itself. It is a precondition that has to be presupposed by the legal system. Moreover, using this kind of necessity rule, i.e., the State and the Law need to secure the preconditions of their own existence (self-preservation), entails a diabolic logic as it may lead to the destruction of the system itself. To this extent, self-preservation against external threats (terrorist attacks) and internal threats (curtailment of civil liberties) seems equally important. The essay finishes with some proposals for resolving this delicate matter, trying to reflect a keen sense of balance and forward-looking thinking.


While domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) play a large role in human daily lives, little is known about how they perceive the visual world. Recent research suggests that dogs may perceive certain visual illusions differently than humans. To further evaluate geometric illusion susceptibility, eight dogs were assessed on their susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion. Four experiments were conducted: 1) a presentation of the Ponzo illusion with target circles in a 'grid inducer context', 2) a re-test of Experiment 1 after additional training, 3) a presentation of the Ponzo illusion with target rectangles in a 'grid inducer context' and 4) a presentation of the Ponzo illusion with target circles in a 'converging lines context.' A one-sample t-test of the dogs' responses to the Ponzo stimuli in Experiment 1 demonstrated illusion susceptibility at the group level; however, no individual dog performed significantly above chance in binomial tests. In Experiments 2, 3, and 4, one-sample t-tests found no significant results at the group level, although one or more dogs did demonstrate a small but significant effect. Taken together, then, there was limited evidence for dogs' susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion in a two-choice discrimination paradigm. As most animals tested previously have demonstrated human-like susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion, these findings have implications for theoretical explanations. The divergence of results between dogs and humans/other animals suggest that mechanisms underlying perception of the Ponzo illusion may differ across species and that care should be taken when using visual paradigms to test dogs' cognitive skills.


The aim of this thesis is to forecast the production of conventional Algerian natural gas. Algeria is a long-standing gas supplier of Europe, especially Italy and Spain, therefore a close examination of the phenomenon should be carried out. The analysis is divided in two parts and each of them has a peculiar research approach. The first one involves the depiction of the "broad picture", that is how natural gas market is changing across the world, and then a more detailed description of Algeria and its energy market. The second chapter presents a class of statistical models called "diffusion models"; several specifications are showed with the aim to capture different features of the population, such as latent heterogeneity among the agents and multiple generations. The models yield useful statistics to assess future development of gas production in Algeria. The forecasts stemming from the two approaches are coherent each other, suggesting an incontrovertible declining trend in gas production for Algeria and a shift towards renewables energy resources


The frame of the Poor Law amendment Act of 1834 envisaged that, under the reformed relief system, with its tenet of 'less eligibility', the problem of able-bodied pauperism would disappear. The thesis investigates the relief of able-bodied poor in North Yorkshire, in the period c 1834-1900, and asks whether the New Poor Law, as it operated in this rural northern region, was successful in terms of the aims of 'l834'. The interest of such a regional study lies in the unique problems of poverty, associated with do-industrialisation, which were typical of neither the rural south nor the northern industrial towns - areas which have received considerable attention from both contemporary poor law commentators and historians. The first chapter is concerned with the process of de-industrialisation - the timing and extent of the decline of rural industries, the size and distribution of their labour force, in addition to their rates of wages and employment. The interaction between central and local poor law authorities in the administration of able-bodied poor relief in North Yorkshire forms the subject of chapter two, while chapter three examines in more detail the pressure exerted on the poor relief system by different groups of able- bodied poor in the period of de-industrialisation. Finally, the relative importance of poor law relief in the lives of the able-bodied poor is considered. Concentrating on just one aspect of the new Poor Law and attempting to relate socio-economic developments to the administration of poor relief necessitated sifting through much primary poor law material for only a modest return and analysing; de-industrialisation in more detail than is possible from secondary sources alone.


The propagation of bacteriophages and other mobile genetic elements requires exploitation of the phage mechanisms involved in virion assembly and DNA packaging. Here, we identified and characterized four different families of phageencoded proteins that function as activators required for transcription of the late operons (morphogenetic and lysis genes) in a large group of phages infecting Gram-positive bacteria. These regulators constitute a super-family of proteins, here named late transcriptional regulators (Ltr), which share common structural, biochemical and functional characteristics and are unique to this group of phages. They are all small basic proteins, encoded by genes present at the end of the early gene cluster in their respective phage genomes and expressed under cI repressor control. To control expression of the late operon, the Ltr proteins bind to a DNA repeat region situated upstream of the terS gene, activating its transcription. This involves the C-terminal part of the Ltr proteins, which control specificity for the DNA repeat region. Finally, we show that the Ltr proteins are the only phage-encoded proteins required for the activation of the packaging and lysis modules. In summary, we provide evidence that phage packaging and lysis is a conserved mechanism in Siphoviridae infecting a wide variety of Gram-positive bacteria.


The rut pathway of pyrimidine catabolism is a novel pathway that allows pyrimidine bases to serve as the sole nitrogen source in suboptimal temperatures. The rut operon in E. coli evaded detection until 2006, yet consists of seven proteins named RutA, RutB, etc. through RutG. The operon is comprised of a pyrimidine transporter and six enzymes that cleave and further process the uracil ring. Herein, we report the structure of RutD, a member of the α/β hydrolase superfamily, which is proposed to enhance the rate of hydrolysis of aminoacrylate, a toxic side product of uracil degradation, to malonic semialdehyde. Although this reaction will occur spontaneously in water, the toxicity of aminoacrylate necessitates catalysis by RutD for efficient growth with uracil as a nitrogen source. RutD has a novel and conserved arrangement of residues corresponding to the α/β hydrolase active site, where the nucleophile's spatial position occupied by Ser, Cys, or Asp of the canonical catalytic triad is replaced by histidine. We have used a combination of crystallographic structure determination, modeling and bioinformatics, to propose a novel mechanism for this enzyme. This approach also revealed that RutD represents a previously undescribed family within the α/β hydrolases. We compare and contrast RutD with PcaD, which is the closest structural homolog to RutD. PcaD is a 3‐oxoadipate‐enol‐lactonase with a classic arrangement of residues in the active site. We have modeled a substrate in the PcaD active site and proposed a reaction mechanism. Proteins 2012;. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


With the expanded use of composite materials in civil structures such as bridge decks, a moving-load analysis would simulate a truck moving over a composite bridge. Available results concerning moving-load analysis are in the form of deflections and dynamic load factors; a natural extension is the behavior of such a beam under a hygrothermal environment. In this research a finite element method employing h-p version finite elements is made and analyzed to determine the deflection distribution and the dynamic magnification factor of a composite beam under the action of a moving load. A computer code is written in MATLAB to accomplish this. Classical laminate plate theory (CLPT) and first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) are considered for the analysis of composite beams. A consistent formulation is used to reduce the composite plate theory to beams. The governing equations are obtained using Hamilton's principle. Newmark's time integration scheme is used to determine the dynamic response in the form of the displacement field of the beam. The maximum deflection obtained for the moving load case is compared with that of the static load to determine the dynamic magnification factor when subjected to a hygrothermal environment. Results are presented for a simply-supported beam subjected to a moving load that traverses the entire span of the composite beam. The displacement field and the magnification factors based on the CLPT is compared with that of FSDT. A parametric study is conducted by considering different fiber volume fractions and different laminates. The major conclusions are listed here. The ply orientation influences the dynamic behavior of a beam subjected to moving load. The dynamic magnification factors in dry and hygrothermal conditions for the laminates considered generally follow similar pattern. As the fiber volume fraction increases, the dynamic magnification factor generally decreases.


A modern, statutory competition regime emerged in Britain only after the Second World War, developing somewhat haphazardly thereafter. From today's vantage, this policy was tentative, partial, and under-enforced. Only by the passing of the Competition Act 1998 and the Enterprise Act 2002 did the United Kingdom achieve a regulatory scheme that evinces a coherent design and an orthodox underpinning rationale. The relative tardiness of this development is a perplexing fact. For decades, the UK had been a primary exponent of the neoliberal philosophy that places faith in markets as the most efficient means of allocating societal resources. Yet the introduction of the necessary corollary - an effective policy designed to police newly competitive markets - did not emerge until recent years. This paper, first, notes the pertinent common law in this regard and outlines chronologically the main statutory competition measures introduced in the UK in the fifty years following the Second World War. Secondly, it considers the curious period of inaction in the face of an evident need to revisit competition policy at the end of the C20th. Thirdly, it offers a brief overview of the design of the systems introduced under the Competition Act 1998 and the Enterprise Act 2002, and interrogates the motivations behind such reforms. Finally, it reviews the underpinning purposes and the design of the more minor developments that have occurred since 2003. Ultimately, the intention is to allow some insight into factors which explain how and why UK competition law developed – or conversely, failed to do so – over recent legal history.


Governments in emerging economies have pursued real exchange rate targeting through Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) rules that link the nominal depreciation rate to either the deviation of the real exchange rate from its long run level or to the difference between the domestic and the foreign CPI-inflation rates. In this paper we disentangle the conditions under which these rules may lead to endogenous fluctuations due to self-fulfilling expectations in a small open economy that faces nominal rigidities. We find that besides the specification of the rule, structural parameters such as the share of traded goods (that measures the degree of openness of the economy) and the degrees of imperfect competition and price stickiness in the non-traded sector play a crucial role in the determinacy of equilibrium. To evaluate the relevance of the real (in)determinacy results we pursue a learn ability (E-stability) analysis for the aforementioned PPP rules. We show that for rules that guarantee a unique equilibrium, the fundamental solution that represents this equilibrium is learnable in the E-stability sense. Similarly we show that for PPP rules that open the possibility of sunspot equilibria, a common factor representation that describes these equilibria is also E-stable. In this sense sunspot equilibria and therefore aggregate instability are more likely to occur due to PPP rules than previously recognized.


Abstract:  With its nearly 40 years of existence, speckle interferometry (SI) has become a complete technique, widely used in many branches of experimental mechanics. It is thus a challenging task to try to summarise in a couple of pages its principal characteristics from both theoretical and practical points of view. Admittedly, even though this goal is not met here, it appeared worth attempting to provide the photomechanics community with a discussion of the ins and outs of the technique. The necessity of a vocabulary free of ambiguity was a prerequisite, and hence the first section is a plea for a clearer definition of the discipline. Moreover, this section offers the opportunity to re‐examine the basic aspects of SI. Then, the main features of the method are briefly considered following a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Endowed with a lot of specific advantages, compared with other whole‐field methods, SI can play an increasing role in photomechanics.


Following the Asia crisis of 1997-98, policymakers invested a great deal of energy in designing a new international financial architecture. However many of the policy proposals which have emerged from think tanks and the multilateral agencies have proven unworkable or politically unpalatable. The debate focuses on state-led initiatives. But the assumption that public policy is by definition an output of public institutions is difficult to sustain in an era of global change. This paper considers specialized forms of intelligence-gathering and judgment-determination which seem increasingly important as sources of governance in this era of financial market volatility. These agents - embedded knowledge networks (EKNs) - include the major bond rating agencies, Moody's Investors Service and Standard and Poor's, the focus of this paper. The Basel Committee has put forward a serious proposal to reform the existing capital adequacy framework which uses banks' own internal ratings and external bond ratings to calculate bank risk-weighted capital requirements. The paper shows that there are potentially unexpected consequences from using private rating agencies as a substitute for state-based regulation, due to the organizational incentives that shape the ratings industry. Cementing these organizational incentives into the emerging financial architecture will give rise to negative social and economic consequences.


A quasiequilibrium (QE) computational scheme was recently developed in general relativity to calculate the complete gravitational wave train emitted during the inspiral phase of compact binaries. The QE method exploits the fact that the gravitational radiation inspiral time scale is much longer than the orbital period everywhere outside the ISCO. Here we demonstrate the validity and advantages of the QE scheme by solving a model problem in relativistic scalar gravitation theory. By adopting scalar gravitation, we are able to numerically track without approximation the damping of a simple, quasiperiodic radiating system (an oscillating spherical matter shell) to final equilibrium, and then use the exact numerical results to calibrate the QE approximation method. In particular, we calculate the emitted gravitational wave train three different ways: by integrating the exact coupled dynamical field and matter equations, by using the scalar-wave monopole approximation formula (corresponding to the quadrupole formula in general relativity), and by adopting the QE scheme. We find that the monopole formula works well for weak field cases, but fails when the fields become even moderately strong. By contrast, the QE scheme remains quite reliable for moderately strong fields, and begins to breakdown only for ultrastrong fields. The QE scheme thus provides a promising technique to construct the complete wave train from binary inspiral outside the ISCO, where the gravitational fields are strong, but where the computational resources required to follow the system for more than a few orbits by direct numerical integration of the exact equations are prohibitive.


Hydraulic servo systems are usually used in industry. This kind of system is nonlinear in nature and generally difficult to control. The ordinary linear constant gain controller can cause overshoot or even loss of system stability. Application of adaptive controller to a nonlinear hydraulic servo system is investigated in this paper. The dynamic model of the system is given and the stability is also analyzed using Popov's criterion. The steady state error can be eliminated using adaptive controller combined with an integration term. Simulation results show the performance of adaptive controller with fast response and less overshoot


The correlation between the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of ultrafinegrained face centered cubic (f.c.c.) metals processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) was studied. It was found that the maximum value of the yield strength obtained at high strains is determined by the shear modulus and the saturation value of the dislocation density according to the Taylor equation. It was also revealed that the value of the parameter α in this equation decreases with decreasing stacking fault energy, indicating the effect of different geometrical arrangements of dislocations in the grain boundaries. In addition, it was shown that for ECAP processed Cu, the ductility decreases with increasing strain but at extremely high strains the ductility is partially restored due to a recovery of the grain boundary structure.


By careful abdominal examination of the infant or child, the physician may detect an abdominal mass which has not produced symptoms. The finding of an abdominal mass under these circumstances is of great importance to the patient, because it affords the physician the opportunity to treat the lesion not only when the possibility for cure is feasible but when the chance for cure can be greatly increased. Accidents are still the greatest cause of death in children, and the second cause of death is benign and malignant tumors. During the past 15 years there has been a dramatic decrease in the death rate in infants and children from infectious diseases, so that today the juvenile population has increased. With this increase, the number of infants and children having an abdominal mass is potentially increased. The majority of abdominal masses in this age group are of congenital origin, and the time


The present study aims to verify how attachment to school and open classroom climate for discussion is related to adolescent' pro-social engagement. Participants were adolescents from Lithuania (N = 1741, 727 boys and 1014 girls, age 15-19 years). To measure school atmosphere we used the Attachment to school scale from School atmosphere questionnaire (Ruchkin, Schwab-Stone, & Vermeiren, 2004) and Open classroom climate for discussion scale (Torney-Purta, et al., 2001). To measure prosocial engagement we used the School activity scale (Noack, 2003), Voluntary activity scale, and Future social activity scale (both constructed for this longitudinal study by the authors of this paper). The cluster analyses procedure using a modified LICUR procedure from the statistical package SLEIPNER (Bergman, Magnusson, & El Khouri, 2003) revealed five different groups of adolescents according to their perceived attachment to school and open classroom climate for discussion. MANOVA results revealed that those five groups differ in school activity, volunteering, and future social participation.


This study has been conducted for the purpose o f determining the halophytic and ruderal vegetation located in the study area where secondary salinization occurs due to excessive irrigation and evaporation o f the irrigation water leaking from surrounding lands o f the agricultural territory in Akcakale region on Turkish-Syrian borders in the southern part o f Harran plain and its periphery. Analysis o f the vegetation has been conducted by using B raun-Blanquet method. Structures and limits o f the vegetation mosaic o f present associations were determined by Geographic information system (GIS) and Satellite remote sensing data. As a result o f this study, the following were found: a new alliance belonging to halophytic vegetation, Halothamno hierochunticae-Salsolion incanescentis and two new associations, Halothamno hierochunticae-Salsoletum incanescentis and Hymenolobo procumbentis-Aeluropetum lagopoidis and two new associations belonging to ruderal vegetation, Frankenio pulverulentae-Chenopodietum albi and Prosopo farctae-Alhagietum manniferae.


Smashing through the Arctic Ocean with the crew of a Russian icebreaker, herding reindeer across the tundra with Lapps and shadowing the Trans-Alaskan pipeline with truckers, Sara Wheeler discovers a complex and ambiguous land belonging both to ancient myth and modern controvery. The Magnetic North is a spicy confection of history, science and reflection in which Wheeler meditates on the role of the Arctic: fragmented lands which fed imaginations long before the scientists and oilmen showed up (not to mention desperado explorers who ate their own shoes). The Magnetic North tells of all this, plus gulag ghosts, old and new Russia, colliding cultures and bioaccumulated toxins in polar bears. Chosen as Book of the Year by Will Self, Michael Palin, A. N. Wilson, Robert Carver and others.


In recent decades, transient faults have become a critical issue in modernelectronic devices. Therefore, many fault-tolerant techniques have been proposedto increase system reliability, such as active redundancy, which can beimplemented in both space and time dimensions. The main challenge of activeredundancy is to introduce the minimal overhead of redundancy and to schedulethe tasks. In many pervious works, perfect fault detectors are assumed to simplifythe problem. However, the induced resource and time overheads of suchfault detectors make them impractical to be implemented. In order to tacklethe problem, an alternative approach was proposed based on imperfect faultdetectors.So far, only software implementation is studied for the proposed imperfectfault detection approach. In this thesis, we take hardware-acceleration intoconsideration. Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used to accommodatetasks in hardware. In order to utilize the FPGA resources efficiently, themapping and the selection of fault detectors for each task replica have to be carefullydecided. In this work, we present two optimization approaches consideringtwo FPGA technologies, namely, statically reconfigurable FPGA and dynamicallyreconfigurable FPGA respectively. Both approaches are evaluated andcompared with the proposed software-only approach by extensive experiments.


Late blight (LB), caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, is one of the most destructive diseases of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and potato (S. tuberosum L.) worldwide, causing significant economic losses annually. The success of P. infestans as a pathogen originates from its effective asexual and sexual life cycles, as well as its remarkable capacity to rapidly overcome plant resistance genes, a result of its high evolutionary potential. The most sustainable strategy to manage tomato LB would be to deploy an integrated system including cultural practices, fungicide application, and the use of cultivars with broad-spectrum genetic resistance against LB. Prior to the reemergence of LB in the late 1980s, cultural practices in combination with fungicide applications were highly effective measures to control the tomato LB. However, with the appearance of new and more aggressive isolates of P. infestans, many of which are resistant to LB-specific systemic fungicides, the greatest contribution to tomato LB control in the future will have to be through the development of cultivars with improved genetic resistance. Thus far, a number of major LB-resistance genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been identified in tomato and several breeding lines and cultivars, with improved resistance developed. Research is also underway to identify additional resistance genes or QTLs and to pyramid multiple resistance factors in order to develop stronger and more durable resistance. Further, as exemplified by the fast progress in potato LB research and conservation of LB signaling pathways between potato and tomato, detailed knowledge of the pathogen effectors in combination with high-throughput genomics technology will facilitate a better understanding of the LB disease and host-pathogen interactions, which in turn may lead to development of tomatoes with more durable resistance.


Secondary, non-sample data, mainly from official statistics from 259 municipalities in Sweden, are used to investigate systematic variations in the consumptian of pharmaceuticals on the county and municipality level. The theoretical framework is taken from health economics. The utilization of health care, and consequently the consumptian of pharmaceuticals, is determined simultaneausly by the demand for health care, derived from a demand for health, and the supply of health care. The model is exploratory, aiming at the identification of important factors for further study. In particular the importance of the economic budget restriction is examined. An analysis of variance shows that there is no reason to assume systematic differences in the consumptian of pharmaceuticals caused by actions on the county level. The existing variation more likely stems from differences in characteristics of the municipalities, thus reflecting intovariations on the county level. The impact of a number of explanatory variables on drug consumptian is measured by means of multiple regression analyses. The variables included are sick-leave, disability pension, unemployment, age, alcohol consumption, religiousness, occupational structure, commuting, physician density, rural population, presence of a hospital or a regional hospital and income. The regression results indicate that age structure, the number of doctars and commuting explain approximately one third of the variation. Detailed regression studies of the consumption of 19 pharmaceutical subgroups show a more diversified result, but the main pattern remains. Using predictians from the 19 subregressions, a case study is performed for Gotland, known as a divergent municipality with respect to drug consumption. Two pharmaceutical groups, cardiovasculars and analgesics, were identified as particularly divergent campared to the general consumptian behaviour of the municipalities of Sweden. An analysis using the LISREL technique is performed in order to study the relative importance of the latent, unmeasured variables 'morbidity', 'life style', 'availability' and 'economy', grouped from the measured variables. The analysis indicates that 'availability' is the most important factor underlying pharmaceutical consumptian and that 'econorny' is more important than 'morbidity' and 'life style'. The analysis also shows, that low income is associated with high consumption of drugs. Whether this relationship on the municipality leve! also holds on the individual levelis not known.


We studied the single-photoelectron detection capabilities of a multianode photomultiplier tube H8500C-03 and its performance in high magnetic field. Our results show that the device can readily resolve signals at the single photoelectron level making it suitable for photon detection in both threshold and ring imaging Cherenkov detectors. We also found that a large longitudinal magnetic field, up to 300 Gauss, induces a change in the relative output of at most 55% for an edge pixel, and of at most 15% for a central pixel. The H8500C-03 signal loss in transverse magnetic fields it is significantly more pronounced than for the longitudinal case. Our studies of single photoelectron reduction in magnetic fields point to the field induced misfocusing of the photoelectron extracted from the photocathode as primary cause of signal loss. With appropriate shielding this PMT could function in high magnetic field environments.


Drinking alcohol is a normal behavior in many societies, and prior studies have demonstrated it has both genetic and environmental sources of variation. Using two very large samples of twins and their first-degree relatives (Australia ≈ 20,000 individuals from 8,019 families; Virginia ≈ 23,000 from 6,042 families), we examine whether there are differences: (1) in the genetic and environmental factors that influence four interrelated drinking behaviors (quantity, frequency, age of initiation, and number of drinks in the last week), (2) between the twin-only design and the extended twin design, and (3) the Australian and Virginia samples. We find that while drinking behaviors are interrelated, there are substantial differences in the genetic and environmental architectures across phenotypes. Specifically, drinking quantity, frequency, and number of drinks in the past week have large broad genetic variance components, and smaller but significant environmental variance components, while age of onset is driven exclusively by environmental factors. Further, the twin-only design and the extended twin design come to similar conclusions regarding broad-sense heritability and environmental transmission, but the extended twin models provide a more nuanced perspective. Finally, we find a high level of similarity between the Australian and Virginian samples, especially for the genetic factors. The observed differences, when present, tend to be at the environmental level. Implications for the extended twin model and future directions are discussed.


Malnutrition is a serious problem in Ethiopia as a result of which there is a high rate of mortality of children under the age of five years. The main objective of this paper is, therefore, to identify the prevalence of protein energy malnutrition and determine factors contributing to it for children under the age of five years that were admitted to Asella Referral and Teaching Hospital in Arsi administrative zone, central Ethiopia. Data were collected from 367 sample households selected randomly from a total of 6554 respondents. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model. The results revealed that 12%, 46% and 14% children were underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. This implied that there is less severe problem form of protein energy malnutrition status. It was also found that sex of children, educational level of parents, distance of work place of caregiver from home, age of children, age of caregiver, marital status, family size, and family income were predictors of protein energy malnutrition. In addition, educational level of parents and economy of parents were important components for ensuring good nutritional of children. Therefore, improving parents' economy and literacy of the community (especially female literacy) is instrumental in minimizing protein energy malnutrition for under five-year children. Moreover, it is advisable if nutritional status of children be assessed periodically to monitor the situation and to take appropriate measures for combating and preventing malnutrition in children.


Frugal innovations are often associated with sustainable development. These connections, however, are based on anecdotal assumptions rather than empirical evidence. This article evaluates the sustainability of four frugal innovations from water and energy sectors. For the purposes of the evaluation, a set of indicators was developed. Indicators are drawn from sustainable development goals by the United Nations and they encompass central dimensions of sustainability: ecological, social and economic. In this article, frugal innovations are compared to solutions that are currently used in similar low-income contexts. Studied frugal innovations were found more sustainable in terms of energy production and water purification capacity than the existing solutions. In terms of social sustainability, larger differences between innovations were found. For example, business models of frugal energy solutions focus on capacity building and the inclusion of marginalized low-income people, whereas business models of water purification solutions focus on more traditional corporate social responsibility activities, such as marketing awareness campaigns and cooperation with non-governmental organizations. Three major sustainability challenges for frugal innovators were identified: (1) the proper integration of material efficiency into product or service systems; (2) the patient promotion of inclusive employment; and (3) the promotion of inclusive and sustainable local industrialization. The article concludes that despite indisputable similarities between frugality and sustainability, it is problematic to equate the two conceptually.


This paper has put forward a high-temperature quantitative X-ray powder diffraction analysis method for the determination of an isothermal section of a ternary system in comparison with a conventional method. In a three-phase region of the isothermal section at 1150 °C of Cu2O(CuO)-Al2O3-SiO2 pseudo-ternary system, the compositions of the solid phase points of three system points are determined according to the quantitative analysis of the crystalline phases in the samples carried out by Rietveld method. Then the liquid phase point of the three-phase region is determined according to the crosspoints of the tie lines of every pair of system point and solid phase point. The precisions of the analytical results have reached to be 0.1 ~ 5.0 %. By comparison, a good result is obtained for the determination of the liquid phase point of the three-phase region in the isothermal section at 1150 °C when the analytical results of high-temperature RQA analysis are used in determination of the isothermal section of the pseudo-ternary system.


Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy disorder that lacks effective treatments other than delivery. Improper sensing of oxygen changes during placentation by prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs), specifically PHD2, causes placental hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1) buildup and abnormal downstream signaling in early-onset preeclampsia, yet therapeutic targeting of HIF1 has never been attempted. Here we generated a conditional (placenta-specific) knockout of Phd2 in mice (Phd2–/– cKO) to reproduce HIF1 excess and to assess anti-HIF therapy. Conditional deletion of Phd2 in the junctional zone during pregnancy increased placental HIF1 content, resulting in abnormal placentation, impaired remodeling of the uterine spiral arteries, and fetal growth restriction. Pregnant dams developed new-onset hypertension at midgestation (E9.5) in addition to proteinuria and renal and cardiac pathology, hallmarks of severe preeclampsia in humans. Daily injection of acriflavine, a small molecule inhibitor of HIF1, to pregnant Phd2–/– cKO mice from E7.5 (prior to hypertension) or E10.5 (after hypertension had been established) to E14.5 corrected placental dysmorphologies and improved fetal growth. Moreover, it reduced maternal blood pressure and reverted renal and myocardial pathology. Thus, therapeutic targeting of the HIF pathway may improve placental development and function, as well as maternal and fetal health, in preeclampsia.


Purpose: We examined associations between vaccine confidence and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Methods: Computer-assisted self-interviews were conducted among 249 GBMSM participating in mSTUDY from May to October 2021-a cohort of GBMSM with a history of substance use in Los Angeles. Data were collected using a vaccine confidence index. The association between vaccine confidence and COVID-19 vaccine uptake was assessed using multivariable log-binomial regression. Results: Two-thirds (64.7%) of GBMSM reported receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine confidence was positively associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Participants expressed neutral attitudes on government trust and vaccine safety. Perceived health benefit and vaccine effectiveness were statistically significantly associated with vaccine uptake (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-2.16; APR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.07-2.15). Conclusions: Public health programs should prioritize public benefit and vaccine effectiveness messaging to advance vaccination among GBMSM who use substances.


We present the radial profiles of the Hβ, Mg and Fe line-strength indices for a sample of eight spiral galaxies with a low-surface-brightness stellar disc and a bulge. The correlations between the central values of the line-strength indices and velocity dispersion are consistent with those known for early-type galaxies and bulges of high-surface-brightness galaxies. The age, metallicity and α/Fe enhancement of the stellar populations in the bulge-dominated region are obtained using stellar population models with variable element abundance ratios. Almost all the sample bulges are characterized by a young stellar population, ongoing star formation and a solar α/Fe enhancement. Their metallicity spans from high to subsolar values. No significant gradient in age and α/Fe enhancement is measured, whereas a negative metallicity gradient is found only in a few cases. These properties suggest that a pure dissipative collapse cannot explain the formation of all the sample bulges and that other phenomena, such as mergers or acquisition events, need to be invoked. Such a picture is also supported by the lack of a correlation between the central value and the gradient of the metallicity in bulges with very low metallicity. The stellar populations of the bulges hosted by low-surface-brightness discs share many properties with those of high-surface-brightness galaxies. Therefore, they are likely to have common formation scenarios and evolution histories. A strong interplay between bulges and discs is ruled out by the fact that, in spite of being hosted by discs with extremely different properties, the bulges of low- and high-surface-brightness discs are remarkably similar.


The Patient Reported Outcomes after Pouch Surgery (PROPS) Delphi Consensus Study recently described Ileoanal Pouch Syndome – the constellation of functional outcomes that should be the focus of future research. Importantly, several additional items not related to bowel function were identified by patients as critical to their quality of life. The aim of this abstract is to highlight these additional items.

 Three panels of expert stakeholders were chosen to correlate with the clinical scenario of the multidisciplinary team that cares for pouch patients: (A) patients, (B) colorectal surgeons, (C) gastroenterologists/other clinicians. IPAA patients were recruited by advertisements on the social media pages of a national patient advocacy groups. Clinicians were recruited by a 14 member scientific committee with the aim of selecting experts in inflammatory bowel disease and IPAAs. A starting list of items was generated by systematic literature review. Three rounds of Delphi surveys were employed to select high priority items based on an a priori threshold. Participants had the opportunity to suggest additional symptoms not included in the starting list. A final online consensus meeting with representation from all three expert panels was held to finalize a consensus statement.

 After three rounds of voting, 195 patients, 62 colorectal surgeons, and 48 gastroenterologists/other specialists completed all three rounds. In the patient group, 95% had UC and J-pouch anatomy. In the early Delphi rounds, approximately 74% of patients identified impact on sexual function/intimacy as a high priority outcomes, while 70% of patients identified impact on ability to conceive as a high priority. Similarly, 78% of patients believed that risk of pouchitis was a high priority, compared to 47% of surgeons and 66% of gastroenterologists. Furthermore, patients participating in the subsequent online focus groups and final consensus meeting felt strongly that future research on delivery of care, long term follow up, and proper consent before surgery (including accurate counseling on function and perception of being "cured") were critical areas for future research.

 PROPS was the first study to identify key functional outcomes after pouch surgery with direct input from a large panel of IPAA patients. The inclusion of patients in all stages of the consensus process allowed for a true patient-centered approach in defining the core domains that should be focused on in future studies of pouch function. In addition to the identification of key bowel function outcomes, the study highlighted additional patient-centered core outcomes that clinicians should focus future research efforts on.


The effects of bovine somatotrophin (bST) on ovarian follicle development and function and associated gonadotrophin profiles during the first nine weeks post partum were investigated in beef cows. Thirty-two cows (Shorthorn x Galloway) in moderately low body condition (BC) at calving were fed to maintain BC thereafter. At Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 post partum, animals were injected with 320 mg bovine somatotrophin (bST) (T, treated; n = 17) or with the carrier oil only (C, control; n = 15). Ovulation occurred in 4 of 17 T cows and 0 of 15 C cows (P = 0.10) by nine week post partum. Treatment with bST did not affect the numbers of small (3-8 mm in diameter) or large (> 8 mm in diameter) follicles or the granulosa cell populations but enhanced the oestradiol (P < 0.05) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) content (P < 0.01) of large follicles by nine weeks post partum. It did not significantly affect the testosterone concentrations of large follicles. Circulating concentrations of growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I were higher in T cows than in C cows (P < 0.001) but were unrelated to gonadotrophin profiles or gonadotrophin receptor concentrations in the follicles. At Week 8, plasma insulin concentrations were higher in T cows than in C cows both before (P < 0.05) and after (P < 0.05) glucose injection. It is concluded that GH may play an important role in mediating the effects of nutritional state on ovarian function during the post-partum period, possibly through alteration of intrafollicular IGF-I concentrations.


: Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage secondary to gastric varices still has a high death rate. Fourteen patients were admitted to our unit with bleeding gastric varices from November 1989 to August 1991. Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy obtained control of the bleeding in 92.3%; however, recurrences occurred in 33% of these cases in the first 24-48 hours, with a death rate of 50% during the second stage of the upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Total mortality rate was 21.4%. Of the fourteen patients, nine exhibited junctional varices, while five hand fundic varices. In ten of the fourteen patients, gastric varices developed during esophageal sclerotherapy. While hospitalized, it was observed that patients with gastric varices in the fundus had more recurrences and mortality, than those located next to the cardio-esophageal junction. Sclerosis of the varices only obtained temporary control of the bleeding with greater frequency of recurrences and mortality.


A simple genetic test allowed us to carry out the first systematic study of the apocarotenoids in the Mucorales. We have identified 13 apocarotenoids in the culture media of the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus (Mucoromycota, Mucorales). Three of these compounds were novel apocarotenoids: (2S,8R,E)-8,14-epoxycyclofarnesa-4,6,9-triene-2,11-diol (6), (2S,6E,8E)-cyclofarnesa-4,6,8-triene-2,10,11-triol (7), and its 6Z isomer (8). Four of the remaining compounds have been reported previously from this fungus and six from other Mucorales. All of them belong to three families, the 18-carbon trisporoids, the 15-carbon cyclofarnesoids, and the 7-carbon methylhexanoids, derived from the three fragments that result when β-carotene is cleaved at its 11',12' and 12,13 double bonds. The apocarotenoids were more varied and more abundant in mated cultures of strains of opposite sex than in single cultures. The presence of acetate in the medium blocked the production of many apocarotenoids while having little effect on the concentrations of the remaining ones.