In a vehicular edge computing (VEC) system, some vehicles with surplus computing resources can provide computation task offloading opportunities for other vehicles or pedestrians. However, the vehicular network is highly dynamic, with fast varying channel states and computation loads. These dynamics are difficult to model or to predict, but they have a major impact on the quality of service (QoS) of task offloading, including delay performance and service reliability. Meanwhile, the computing resources in VEC are often redundant due to the high density of vehicles. To improve the QoS of VEC and exploit the abundant computing resources on vehicles, we propose a learning-based task replication algorithm (LTRA) based on combinatorial multi-armed bandit (CMAB) theory, in order to minimize the average offloading delay. LTRA enables multiple vehicles to process the replicas of the same task simultaneously, and vehicles that require computing services can learn the delay performance of other vehicles while offloading tasks. We take the occurrence time of vehicles into consideration, and redesign the utility function of existing CMAB algorithm, so that LTRA can adapt to the time varying network topology of VEC. We use a realistic highway scenario to evaluate the delay performance and service reliability of LTRA through simulations, and show that compared with single task offloading, LTRA can improve the task completion ratio with deadline 0.6s from 80% to 98%.


The complexes formed by hydrogen with metal hydrides (LiH, NaH, BeH(2), MgH(2), BH(3), AlH(3), Li(2)H(2), Na(2)H(2), Be(2)H(4), and Mg(2)H(4)) have been theoretically studied at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ, MP2/aug-cc-pVQZ and CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//CCSD/aug-cc-pVTZ levels of theory. The hydrogen molecule can act as a Lewis acid or base. In the first case, a dihydrogen bonded complex is obtained and in the second an interaction between the σ-bond of the hydrogen molecule and an empty orbital of the metal atoms is found. Quantum theory of atoms in molecules and natural bond orbitals methods have been applied to analyze the intermolecular interactions. Additionally, the cooperativity effects are analyzed for selected complexes with two H(2) molecules where both kinds of interactions exist simultaneously.


Melanoma differentiation-associated gene-5 (MDA5) recognizes distinct subsets of viruses including Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) of picornavirus family, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the specificity of the viral recognition of MDA5 in immune cells remain obscure. DHX29 is an RNA helicase required for the translation of 5' structured mRNA of host and many picornaviruses (such as EMCV). We identify that DXH29 as a key RNA co-sensor, plays a significant role for specific recognition and triggering anti-EMCV immunity. We have observed that DHX29 regulates MDA5-, but not RIG-I-, mediated type I interferon signaling by preferentially interacting with structured RNAs and specifically with MDA5 for enhancing MDA5-dsRNA binding affinity. Overall, our results identify a critical role for DHX29 in innate immune response and provide molecular insights into the mechanisms by which DHX29 recognizes 5' structured EMCV RNA and interacts with MDA5 for potent type I interferon signaling and antiviral immunity.


In this work, a high-resolution atomic force acoustic microscopy imaging technique is developed in order to obtain the local indentation modulus at the nanoscale level. The technique uses a model that gives a qualitative relationship between a set of contact resonance frequencies and the indentation modulus. It is based on white-noise excitation of the tip–sample interaction and uses system theory for the extraction of the resonance modes. During conventional scanning, for each pixel, the tip–sample interaction is excited with a white-noise signal. Then, a fast Fourier transform is applied to the deflection signal that comes from the photodiodes of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) equipment. This approach allows for the measurement of several vibrational modes in a single step with high frequency resolution, with less computational cost and at a faster speed than other similar techniques. This technique is referred to as stochastic atomic force acoustic microscopy (S-AFAM), and the frequency shifts of the free resonance frequencies of an AFM cantilever are used to determine the mechanical properties of a material. S-AFAM is implemented and compared with a conventional technique (resonance tracking-atomic force acoustic microscopy, RT-AFAM). A sample of a graphite film on a glass substrate is analyzed. S-AFAM can be implemented in any AFM system due to its reduced instrumentation requirements compared to conventional techniques.


The discussion on the relative merits of swing pricing and the details of its implementation has intensified in the past few years on both sides of the Atlantic. A properly constructed swing pricing mechanism hinges crucially on the estimated magnitude of the dealing costs associated with an investment fund's net flows. This article offers an unbiased look at the competing measures of these costs and compares them across several investment categories and portfolio sizes. The evidence that the authors obtain from analyzing simulated investment portfolios suggests that a great deal of caution should be put in using commission and spread costs as the main measure of a fund's dealing costs. Their bottom-up approach relies on a properly calibrated price impact model, and the presented results indicate that the true dealing costs can differ significantly from simple commission and spread cost measures across a range of fund sizes, daily net flows, and investment styles. The adage "it's all about costs" should anchor the debate on swing pricing and how dealing costs are incorporated.


During the early decades of the nineteenth century Quakers from North Carolina began a mass exodus to the western territories of Ohio and Indiana. Previous historians of North Carolina Quaker history have overgeneralized that North Carolina Quakers from each region, migrated for the same reasons, especially, they argued, to become rid of the institution of slavery. Although slavery did impact migrations, other problems like the lack of suitable marriage partners and a limited availability of land also prompted some Quakers in the northwestern part of the state from Westfield Monthly Meeting in Surry County, North Carolina to migrate west between 1786-1828.
Other Friends from the North Carolina Yearly Meeting including many from Deep Creek in present day Yadkin County, and Chestnut Creek in present day Grayson County, Virginia also migrated during the same decades as the Westfield Friends. The three meetings merged in the west with other migrant Quakers and established renewed Quaker communities based upon Friends tenets.
Monthly meeting minutes, itinerant Quaker journals, and slave records among other sources, indicate what provoked Westfield Friends to migrate. The Westfield Quakers demonstrate that the migration of North Carolina Friends did not occur through a singular motive; migration was actually extremely multifaceted.


Today, the complexity of ISPs' networks make it difficult to investigate the implications of internal or external changes on the distribution of traffic across their network. In this article we explain the complexity of building models of large ISPs' networks. We describe the various aspects important to understanding the routing inside an AS. We present an open source routing solver, C-BGP, that eases the investigation of changes in the routing or topology of large networks. We illustrate how to build a model of an ISP on a real transit network and apply the model on two "what-if" scenarios. The first scenario studies the impact of chances in the Internet connectivity of a transit network. The second investigates the impact of failures in its internal topology.


Procedure is central to American public legal discourse. From the soaring rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence to the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the American legal tradition rests on the principle that law must be both derived and applied according to fair process. Consider that in the 2020 election the Trump Administration resorted to fervent and false allegations of widespread voter fraud—that the election process was fundamentally unfair—in order to weaponize Republican voters' ostensible commitments to fairness against what was, objectively, one of the least procedurally unfair elections in history. Yet the four-year period of the Trump Administration (2017–2021) also saw the rise of overt and deliberate racist politics and mounting evidence that a universal commitment by all to fairness for all across the United States is a mythical framing of the American creed. One can look from the apparent lack of justice for unarmed Black civilians killed by police officers to a sitting President's affirmative support for white supremacist groups to observe the doublespeak associated with fascist regimes: claiming to be restoring law and order while backing away from commitments to due process and equal protection. And yet, simultaneously, we have also seen the mainstreaming of a successful oppositional politics, including Black Lives Matter, which in June 2020 enjoyed a peak 67 percent approval rating among American adults in a national survey. Even as white nationalism flourished under the Trump Administration, polls indicate that increasing numbers of Americans acknowledge that our society is unfair to racial minorities. As Americans stand at the perpetual racial crossroads of the twenty-first century, how much does the legitimacy that they accord their government depend on the procedural justice it delivers to all?


Female labour force participation rates have stagnated in sub-Saharan Africa since the turn of the millennium. This paper aims to explain this aggregate pattern by decomposing it into the labour supply behaviour of different birth cohorts and age groups.

Using representative and repeated census data from a heterogeneous sample of sub-Saharan African countries, we show that declining female labour supply at early working age is explained by increasing school attendance among young female cohorts.

Taking this heterogeneity into account, we find a positive association between female labour force participation and female educational attainment across the working age. Female education is further positively related to female employment in the non-primary sector.

Early motherhood, in turn, is associated with lower female schooling and a widening gender gap in labour supply. The higher investments in education by younger female cohorts, together with the demographics of sub-Saharan African countries, have implications for a potentially arising 'demographic dividend'.


A defect in the beta-adrenergic system is considered to be one of the basal causes of atopic dermatitis (AD). The number and affinity (KD) of beta-receptors was determined in lymphocytes of 19 children with AD and of 17 controls using the radioligand 125JCYP to find out whether this hypothesis is relevant. In addition, the basal cAMP level was measured as well as the cAMP-accumulation after stimulation of the adenylcyclase (AC) via the beta-receptor with 10(-4) M isoprenaline (IPN) and after direct stimulation of AC with 10(-4) M forskolin. Receptor quality and receptor quantity were compared to the severity of AD. A statistically significant difference between AD and control children was not registered for the following parameters: receptor-density, affinity for 125ICYP, cAMP-accumulation after adenylcyclase stimulation via the beta-receptor with IPN or after direct stimulation with forskolin. The increase in cAMP after IPN or forskolin was in the same range for children suffering from AD as for controls. Only the basal cAMP was significantly lower. Three patients with very severe AD (greater than 20% body surface area) had a significantly reduced number of beta-receptors (603 +/- 123 BS/Ly) compared with the control group (1142 +/- 112 BS/Ly). A linear relation existed between age, receptor density and isoprenaline-mediated cAMP accumulation for both control children and those with AD. This age-dependent response of the beta-receptor seems to be specific as cAMP-accumulation after stimulation with forskolin was not age-related.


User-generated content on social media platforms and product search engines is changing the way consumers shop for goods online. However, current product search engines fail to effectively leverage information created across diverse social media platforms. Moreover, current ranking algorithms in these product search engines tend to induce consumers to focus on one single product characteristic dimension (e.g., price, star rating). This approach largely ignores consumers' multidimensional preferences for products. In this paper, we propose to generate a ranking system that recommends products that provide, on average, the best value for the consumer's money. The key idea is that products that provide a higher surplus should be ranked higher on the screen in response to consumer queries. We use a unique data set of U.S. hotel reservations made over a three-month period through Travelocity, which we supplement with data from various social media sources using techniques from text mining, image classification, social geotagging, human annotations, and geomapping. We propose a random coefficient hybrid structural model, taking into consideration the two sources of consumer heterogeneity the different travel occasions and different hotel characteristics introduce. Based on the estimates from the model, we infer the economic impact of various location and service characteristics of hotels. We then propose a new hotel ranking system based on the average utility gain a consumer receives from staying in a particular hotel. By doing so, we can provide customers with the "best-value" hotels early on. Our user studies, using ranking comparisons from several thousand users, validate the superiority of our ranking system relative to existing systems on several travel search engines. On a broader note, this paper illustrates how social media can be mined and incorporated into a demand estimation model in order to generate a new ranking system in product search engines. We thus highlight the tight linkages between user behavior on social media and search engines. Our interdisciplinary approach provides several insights for using machine learning techniques in economics and marketing research.


OBJECTIVE. To identify psychometric properties of the Home Safety Self-Assessment Tool (HSSAT) to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults. METHOD. We tested content validity, test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, construct validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and responsiveness to change. RESULTS. The content validity index was .98, the intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was .97, and the interrater reliability was .89. The difference on identified risk factors between the use and nonuse of the HSSAT was significant (p = .005). Convergent validity with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Home Safety Checklist was high (r = .65), and discriminant validity with fear of falling was very low (r = .10). The responsiveness to change was moderate (standardized response mean = 0.57). CONCLUSION. The HSSAT is a reliable and valid instrument to identify fall risks in a home environment, and the HSSAT booklet is effective as educational material leading to improvement in home safety.


We present a novel, non-intrusive approach for estimating contact forces during hand-object interactions relying solely on visual input provided by a single RGB-D camera. We consider a manipulated object with known geometrical and physical properties. First, we rely on model-based visual tracking to estimate the object's pose together with that of the hand manipulating it throughout the motion. Following this, we compute the object's first and second order kinematics using a new class of numerical differentiation operators. The estimated kinematics is then instantly fed into a second-order cone program that returns a minimal force distribution explaining the observed motion. However, humans typically apply more forces than mechanically required when manipulating objects. Thus, we complete our estimation method by learning these excessive forces and their distribution among the fingers in contact. We provide a full validity analysis of the proposed method by evaluating it based on ground truth data from additional sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and pressure sensors. Experimental results show that force sensing from vision (FSV) is indeed feasible.


This study extends previous research on the relationship among dream content, waking day mood and waking day anxiety while examining these variables between Italian and Canadian participants.  One-hundred Canadian females from Trent University, Canada (M = 23.4, SD = 1.8) and 100 Italian females from Tor Vergata University, Rome (M = 25.6, SD = 1.9) volunteered one dream report and completed measures of waking day anxiety (BAI) and mood disturbance (POMS-SF).  Dream imagery was categorized with Hall and Van de Castle's method of Content Analysis and conducted via computer textual analyses.  Significant differences between Italian and Canadian females were found for dream content as well as waking day measures while the predictive value of dreams was demonstrated.  The findings have clinical implications for Canadians and Italians as well as other cultures. Limitations of the study and future research directions are discussed in terms of waking day mood and dreams.


To study scientific application different computing paradigm used. Simulation of tool base Grid infrastructure plays its roll for study of grid base computation. We introduce the here Grid computing paradigm for resource coordination over the global computation world. Resources management and scheduling of applications in such large-scale distributed systems is a complex undertaking in case of Grid computational environment. It is hard and even impossible to perform scheduler performance evaluation in a repeatable and controllable manner as resources and users are distributed across multiple organizations using their own policies. To overcome this limitation, we used a Java-based discrete-event grid simulation toolkit called GridSim. The toolkit supports modeling and simulation of heterogeneous grid resources (both time- and space-shared), users and application models. It provides primitives for creation of application tasks, mapping of tasks to resources, and their management. To demonstrate suitability of the GridSim toolkit, we have simulated a Grid environment. We deploy the Gridlet on grid resources which include machine properties e.g. mips rating. We simulated the resource entities user and router connected via network Topology using Gridsm. Simulation results are obtained for different grid resource which are distributed across the globe in a computation world.


The impact of technological change on manufacturing industry and related business sectors is profound, and the pace of change continues to accelerate. The issue of implementation is now recognized as central, yet serious literature is scattered. This book collects together key theoretical and empirical international contributions covering important facets of this problem. After an editor's introduction, section two covers the nature of the problems associated with technological change. Section three then discusses manufacturing innovation as a process. Sections four and five look at issues in the key areas of corporate strategy and management of implementation. Section six analyses financing issues - the problems of resource allocation and investment, and section seven discusses the problems of reorganizing for technological change, including information systems and human skills. The book rounds off with several case studies from different industrial areas.


OBJECTIVE Monogenic diabetes is rare but is an important diagnosis in pediatric diabetes clinics. These patients are often not identified as this relies on the recognition of key clinical features by an alert clinician. Biomarkers (islet autoantibodies and C-peptide) can assist in the exclusion of patients with type 1 diabetes and allow systematic testing that does not rely on clinical recognition. Our study aimed to establish the prevalence of monogenic diabetes in U.K. pediatric clinics using a systematic approach of biomarker screening and targeted genetic testing. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 808 patients (79.5% of the eligible population) <20 years of age with diabetes who were attending six pediatric clinics in South West England and Tayside, Scotland. Endogenous insulin production was measured using the urinary C-peptide creatinine ratio (UCPCR). C-peptide–positive patients (UCPCR ≥0.2 nmol/mmol) underwent islet autoantibody (GAD and IA2) testing, with patients who were autoantibody negative undergoing genetic testing for all 29 identified causes of monogenic diabetes. RESULTS A total of 2.5% of patients (20 of 808 patients) (95% CI 1.6–3.9%) had monogenic diabetes (8 GCK, 5 HNF1A, 4 HNF4A, 1 HNF1B, 1 ABCC8, 1 INSR). The majority (17 of 20 patients) were managed without insulin treatment. A similar proportion of the population had type 2 diabetes (3.3%, 27 of 808 patients). CONCLUSIONS This large systematic study confirms a prevalence of 2.5% of patients with monogenic diabetes who were <20 years of age in six U.K. clinics. This figure suggests that ∼50% of the estimated 875 U.K. pediatric patients with monogenic diabetes have still not received a genetic diagnosis. This biomarker screening pathway is a practical approach that can be used to identify pediatric patients who are most appropriate for genetic testing.


The GU Radiation Oncologists of Canada (GUROC) had a consensus meeting in November 2000 to discuss and develop consensus on four controversial areas: risk assessment of localized prostate cancer, conformal radiotherapy, role of brachytherapy in prostate cancer and combined hormonal therapy and radiotherapy for prostate cancer. The meeting was a success and resulted in consensus being achieved on a number of areas. The group agreed on three risk groupings: low risk, intermediate risk and high risk localized prostate cancer based on clinical stage, Gleason score and PSA level. The participants agreed that based on available toxicity data from randomized controlled trials, conformal treatment techniques should be offered to patients receiving prostatic radiotherapy. Consensus was reached on the role of dose escalation in each of the three risk groups and is summarized in the article. At present there is insufficient evidence from randomized clinical trials to recommend the use of brachytherapy over current other standard therapy (radical prostatectomy or external beam radiotherapy). Non randomized published studies show promising short and intermediate term results. Where ever possible patients should be approached about participation in ongoing RCT's evaluating brachytherapy versus current other standard therapy. Outside a clinical trial the participants felt permanent seed implants should be considered an acceptable treatment option for appropriate patients with low risk prostate cancer. Based on randomized controlled trials the group agreed that patients with high risk disease should be treated with prolonged (up to 2-3 years) adjuvant hormonal therapy. Part of this hormonal treatment may be given in a neoadjuvant fashion. The group agreed that adjuvant hormones should not be routinely used in low and intermediate risk patients. Neoadjuvant hormones have been demonstrated to improve outcome in patients with bulky tumors. The role of neoadjuvant hormones in other patients with intermediate and low risk prostate cancer is unclear and will be clarified with the publication of recently completed studies. The consensus meeting strongly endorsed continued accrual to current studies investigating clinically relevant questions.


This paper examines the case of the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Jerba (or Djerba) in Tunisia, where a historic Jewish community continues to live alongside the Muslim majority population. The synagogue, like its community, dates back to at least the first century ad and came to international attention in 2002 when it suffered an attack by al-Qaeda.Claims exist for the synagogue being to some degree a shared shrine, and here I draw on approaches both from anthropology and my own discipline of linguistics, more specifically discourse analysis, to consider the reality of such propositions. I will look at actual practice at the shrine, and perspectives on it, as well as the attitudes of those associated with it, including members of local communities, persons involved in the tourist industry, pilgrims, and government spokespersons. My paper will show that although the practice of sharing the shrine of the Ghriba does exist, it is a marginal practice rather than a popular one. I will analyse the convergence of participants, the media, and officials in the construction of the discourse of the Ghriba as a mixed shrine, and draw parallels with nostalgic discourses about multicultural Tunisia.


The mechanism of dominant follicle selection is unclear because of its physiological complexity. However, some studies have reported that the immune system plays an important role in reproductive physiology. The objective of the current study was to investigate the differential expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the dominant (DFs) and nondominant follicles (NFs), and to determine the correlation between the expression of TLRs and the related genes, such as WNT4 and FOXL2. In this comparative study, the expression levels of TLRs, WNT4, and FOXL2 genes of DFs and NFs were obtained from three Dazu black goats were estimated using the real-time PCR. Our results showed no significant difference in the expression of seven TLRs (excluding TLR2, TLR5, and TLR8), WNT4, and FOXL2 between the DFs and NFs. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of WNT4 significantly correlated with the relative expression of TLR6 (r = 0.949739, P < 0.01); however, no significant expression of the TLR genes was found to be associated with FOXL2 mRNA expression. Our results support the fact that TLRs are not involved in the process of dominant follicle selection; however, TLR6 might play a role in the development of follicles by interacting with WNT4.


We describe properties of perpendicular electron heating in inhomogeneous E ⊥ B fields. The heating is due to the demagnetization of the electrons when the electric field slope becomes large enough such that e |▿E|/meΩ² > 1, Ω = eB/me. Electrons can be efficiently accelerated across the magnetic field by the electric field. Such a phenomenon may occur in the ramp of a quasi-perpendicular collisionless shock, resulting in the effective transfer of the cross-shock potential energy into the downstream electron gyration energy. This energization should be observed as heating. Numerical analysis of electron dynamics in a model shock structure shows that experimentally observed dependencies are reproduced quite naturally. Efficiency of the proposed mechanism depends on the electric field scale in the shock front. Available observational data do not allow unambiguous conclusions about the presence of necessary scales. On the other hand, electron measurements and comparison with the proposed mechanism can help understand the shock fine structure.


In a summer 2018 interview conducted for this special issue of RHR, the US-born lesbian feminist artist, activist, and scholar Margaret Randall reflects on the Cuban Revolution's achievements and shortcomings in the arena of women's and sexuality rights. What have women and sexual minorities contributed to Cuba's experiment in radical equality, and what remains to be done? How has feminism—in all its variety—shaped the aspirations of Cuban men and women, and what have US feminists learned from their efforts? What makes gender justice happen, and who or what constitutes barriers to change?


Once a marginal political coalition, the French National Front has become the most high-profile far-right organization in Europe. In Politics on the Fringe Edward G. DeClair provides the first extensive analysis of the Front's history, from its creation in 1972 and outcast status in the early 1980s to its achievement of broad-based support and show of political strength in the 1997 elections.

Using rare, in-depth interviews with twenty-nine members of the Front elite, as well as public opinion survey data and electoral results, DeClair examines the internal structure of the Front, its political agenda, and its growing influence in France. DeClair shows how the party has dramatically expanded its traditionally narrow core constituency by capitalizing upon anxieties about national identity, immigration, European unification, and rising unemployment. In illustrating how the rhetoric surrounding such topics is key to the Front's success, DeClair examines the Front's legacy by detailing the links between the French far-right and similar movements in such countries as Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, and the United States. Finally, Politics on the Fringe offers not only a complete picture of the Front's increasingly influential role in French partisan politics but also further insight into the resurgence of right-wing extremism throughout western societies in the late twentieth century.

This volume will be of primary importance to political scientists and those engaged with European politics, culture, and history. It will also appeal to those concerned with right-wing populism and political movements.


To reduce computation time in a multiprocessor environment the efficient configuration and utilization of hardware components is necessary. It requires both a restructuring of the considered algorithms and a reconfiguration of the corresponding machine architectures. A transformation system is presented, which uses computation graphs as a representation of both the algorithmic structure and the processor configuration. The system is able to rewrite the computation graph automatically, dependent on the available hardware resources. In this paper the design strategy for algorithms and machine models is illustrated by the DFT. Several models for the algorithm are discussed. Finally the results of time and hardware complexity with regard to the different graph structures and machine architectures are presented.


The buoyant computer and information technology (IT) industry has been long plagued by the problem of having to re-invent the wheel each time the occasion arises for the construction of legal contracts for IT projects. Each time, much time is expended by managers in the negotiation and production of the appropriate contract terms for such contracts. This is not only a European problem, but a world-wide one. As such there is an increasing demand today by the parties involved in the procurement and delivery of IT systems projects for the standardization of contract terms and for the establishment of an internationally accepted IT model contracting scenario (similar to those in force by the International Chambers for Commerce for general international sales contracts). The widely-held view is that the IT industry would be able to save considerable sums in time and legal costs (both during contract negotiation and with regard to any eventual conflicts) as a result leading to a considerable reduction in costs for the parties involved. This paper examines the current relative state of affairs and progress for a solution.


BACKGROUND
This survey assessed satisfaction with the practice environment among physicians who have completed fellowship training in critical care medicine (CCM) as recognized by the American Board of Anesthesiology (and are members of the American Society of Anesthesiology) and evaluated the perceived effectiveness of training programs in preparing fellows for critical care practice.

METHODS
A cross-sectional online survey composed of 39 multiple choice and open-ended questions was administered between August and December 2018 to all members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) who self-identified as being CCM trained. The survey instrument was developed and revised in an iterative fashion by ASA committee on CCM and the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA). Survey results were analyzed using a mixed-method approach.

RESULTS
Three hundred fifty-three of the 1400 anesthesiologists who self-identified to the ASA as having CCM training (25.2%) completed the survey. Most were men (72.3%), board certified in CCM (98.7%), and had practiced a median of 5 years. Half of the respondents rated their training as "excellent." A total of 70.6% described currently working in academic centers with 53.6% providing care in open surgical intensive care units (ICUs). Most anesthesiologist intensivists (75%) spend at least 25% of their clinical time providing ICU care (versus clinical anesthesia). A total of 89% of the respondents were involved in educational activities, 60% reported being in administrative leadership roles, and 37% engaged in scholarly activity. Areas of dissatisfaction included fatigue, lack of collegiality or respect, lack of research training, decreased job satisfaction, and burnout. Analysis suggested moderate levels of job satisfaction (49%), work-life balance (52%), and high levels of burnout (74%). A significant contributor to burnout was with a perception of lack of respect (P = .005) in the work environment. Burnout was not significantly associated with gender or duration of practice. Qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses also identified these 3 variables as major themes.

CONCLUSIONS
This survey of CCM-trained anesthesiologists described a high rate of board certification, practice in academic settings, and participation in resident education. Areas of dissatisfaction with an anesthesia/critical care practice included burnout, work/life balance, and lack of respect. These results may increase recruitment of anesthesiologists into critical care and inform strategies to improve satisfaction with anesthesia critical care practice, fellowship training.


Druid is an open source data store designed for real-time exploratory analytics on large data sets. The system combines a column-oriented storage layout, a distributed, shared-nothing architecture, and an advanced indexing structure to allow for the arbitrary exploration of billion-row tables with sub-second latencies. In this paper, we describe Druid's architecture, and detail how it supports fast aggregations, flexible filters, and low latency data ingestion.


British Journal of Midwifery • March 2015 • Vol 23, No 3 Earlier this month, a temporary suspension of out-of-hours midwifery services for Skye and Lochalsh was announced. This suspension—a problem that is especially significant in an area where there is an ageing midwifery workforce—was reportedly due to staff shortages—. It is not news that there is a shortage of midwives in the UK; however, something needs to be done to entice new midwives to these remote areas. Gillian Smith, Director of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) for Scotland said to BJM: 'This is an ongoing struggle in the remote and rural areas of Scotland. It is a real life-changing decision to move to these areas from the central belt. Although the areas are beautiful, they are often quite challenging with transport infrastructure and local facilities. Skye is not the first area to present problems; the Head of Midwifery on the Western Isles has also had difficulty recruiting over the last year and with the ageing midwifery workforce in Scotland, this will present further challenges over the next few years. The interesting thing is working in places like Skye, the Western Isles and some of the other island and remote communities in Scotland allows you to practise midwifery as a member of the community and develop a different, but highly expert, set of skills.' These closures also highlight the issue of accessing maternity care in remote and hard to access areas—something that many women have to face all over the UK. NHS Highland hopes the situation will improve after a month. However, in the mean time, women will have to travel over 100 miles to access services in Inverness for their birth if it occurs during out-of-hours—which is likely to be the case for most. For many women, travelling this far while in labour will be uncomfortable and potentially dangerous if the baby is born before arrival to hospital. Failure to maintain body temperature poses a significant risk to the baby if it is born before arrival to a hospital and women are also more likely to experience retained placenta requiring manual removal and increased blood loss (Loughney et al, 2006). These complications may lead to more claims to the NHS Litigation Authority. Already, maternity claims represent the highest value and third highest number of clinical negligence claims reported to the NHSLA (NHSLA, 2014) and shutting services may only exacerbate this. Closing maternity services in remote areas, whether temporarily or permanently, is dangerous and not sustainable. Unless long-term strategies are put in place, this may happen again. Whatever the solution, it is important to remember that every woman has the same right to access high-quality care wherever she lives. BJM


Abstract Friedreich ataxia, the most prevalent inherited ataxia, is caused by an expanded GAA triplet-repeat sequence in intron 1 of the FXN gene. Repressive chromatin spreads from the expanded GAA triplet-repeat sequence to cause epigenetic silencing of the FXN promoter via altered nucleosomal positioning and reduced chromatin accessibility. Indeed, deficient transcriptional initiation is the predominant cause of transcriptional deficiency in Friedreich ataxia. Treatment with 109, a class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, resulted in increased level of FXN transcript both upstream and downstream of the expanded GAA triplet-repeat sequence, without any change in transcript stability, suggesting that it acts via improvement of transcriptional initiation. Quantitative analysis of transcriptional initiation via metabolic labeling of nascent transcripts in patient-derived cells revealed a >3-fold increase (P < 0.05) in FXN promoter function. A concomitant 3-fold improvement (P < 0.001) in FXN promoter structure and chromatin accessibility was observed via Nucleosome Occupancy and Methylome Sequencing, a high-resolution in vivo footprint assay for detecting nucleosome occupancy in individual chromatin fibers. No such improvement in FXN promoter function or structure was observed upon treatment with a chemically-related inactive compound (966). Thus epigenetic promoter silencing in Friedreich ataxia is reversible, and the results implicate class I HDACs in repeat-mediated promoter silencing.


In this book, Finck provides a step-by-step guide to forty stretches, movements, and postures to improve physical and spiritual well-being. The book features photographs and devotional reflections for individuals to use to create their own routines. While on a pilgrimage trek through Thailand, Finck discovered the benefits of daily stretching and quiet prayer. On the physical level, after only one week, the chronic back pain that had plagued him for twenty years disappeared. On a spiritual level, the poses deepened his prayer experiences.


Type III adenylyl cyclase (AC3, ADCY3) is predominantly enriched in neuronal primary cilia throughout the central nervous system (CNS). Genome-wide association studies in humans have associated ADCY3 with major depressive disorder and autistic spectrum disorder, both of which exhibit sexual dimorphism. To date, it is unclear how AC3 affects protein phosphorylation and signal networks in central neurons, and what causes the sexual dimorphism of autism. We employed a mass spectrometry (MS)-based phosphoproteomic approach to quantitatively profile differences in phosphorylation between inducible AC3 knockout (KO) and wild type (WT), male and female mice. In total, we identified 4,655 phosphopeptides from 1,756 proteins, among which 565 phosphopeptides from 322 proteins were repetitively detected in all samples. Over 46% phosphopeptides were identified in at least three out of eight biological replicas. Comparison of AC3 KO and WT datasets revealed that phosphopeptides with motifs matching proline-directed kinases' recognition sites had a lower abundance in the KO dataset than in WTs. We detected 14 phosphopeptides restricted to WT dataset (i.e., Rabl6, Spast and Ppp1r14a) and 35 exclusively in KOs (i.e., Sptan1, Arhgap20, Arhgap44, and Pde1b). Moreover, 95 phosphopeptides (out of 90 proteins) were identified only in female dataset and 26 only in males. Label-free MS spectrum quantification using Skyline further identified phosphopeptides that had higher abundance in each sample group. In total, 204 proteins had sex-biased phosphorylation and 167 of them had increased expression in females relative to males. Interestingly, among the 204 gender-biased phosphoproteins, 31% were found to be associated with autism, including Dlg1, Dlgap2, Syn1, Syngap1, Ctnna1, Ctnnd1, Ctnnd2, Pkp4, and Arvcf. Therefore, this study also provides the first phosphoproteomics evidence suggesting that gender-biased post-translational phosphorylation may be implicated in the sexual dimorphism of autism.


Privatization of state-owned enterprises may have important welfare implications, in particular in less developed economies where markets are small and domestic firms are typically relatively weak, both technologically and financially. In these environments, a high-tech foreign investor acquiring the state-owned assets may end up dominating the local market, thereby harming local consumer and producer interests. A foreign investor, however, is likely to be both willing and able to offer a higher bid for the assets than local investors. This paper addresses the trade-off for local governments between privatization revenues and foreign market power. The authors find that there may be an incentive to privatize \"strategically\" by selling the state-owned firm to a local (less advanced) investor at a lower price in order to achieve a more competitive post-privatization market structure.


The brand personality is a very popular area of research in marketing. Consumers perceive brands as if they were living beings. They assign to brands positive and negative personal traits, demographic characteristics, physical characteristics and cognitive skills. The personality of the brand is a very important means of differentiation, which is the most difficult to copy. Although this topic has been popular in in theoretical marketing research for a long time, little has been done to implement brand personality measuring tool in practice. The author dealt with the methodological shortcomings of a large number of brand personality studies and presented an extended model of "brand as a person," which, in addition to personality traits includes other determinants of the brand as a person, in order to enhance the practical use of this measuring tool. The author has conducted her own research of the extended personality profile of brands of mobile operators in Serbia (telecommunications sector), including two international companies and one domestic company, in order to determine the diagnostic and predictive value of extended brand personality measuring tool. By determining a broader profile of the "brand as a person" (current or desired), we can clearly perceive: if the diversity of the brand compared to other similar brands is sufficient, where we made the mistakes, and how we can focus brand positioning in the future, using a variety of marketing tools.


This study was executed to determine the prevalence, serotypes and virulence profiling of Salmonella isolated from raw milk and dairy products purchased randomly from small private dairy farms, local groceries and street vendors in Mansoura, Egypt during the period from April through October 2015. A total of 200 samples that comprising 100 raw milk (market and bulk farm, 50 per each) and 100 dairy products (pickled white cheese, fresh soft cheese, Kareish cheese and ice cream, 25 per each) were tested for the presence of Salmonella by conventional bacteriological methods followed by serotyping. Salmonella strains were molecularly screened by PCR for the presence of virulence associated genes. By culturing, 58 Salmonella isolates were recovered with an overall occurrence of 29%, distributed as 52% (26/50), 14% (7/50), 20% (5/25), 8% (2/25), and 72% (18/25) from market milk, bulk farm milk, fresh soft cheese, Kareish cheese and ice cream, respectively. No Salmonella isolates were detected from pickled white cheese. Approximately 85% of all Salmonella isolates were identified into S. Enteritidis (25/58), S. Typhimurium (15/58) and S. Infantis (9/58). By PCR, all the representative Salmonella serovars possessed both invA and stn genes. Meanwhile, 77.8% of the screened isolates carried the specific amplicon of avrA at 422 bp. This study concluded that there is a need for continuous surveillance and monitoring of milk and dairy products especially the locally produced ones to minimize the possibility of human infections with Salmonella.


Purpose: To report the efficacy of a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection alone or in combination with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide versus macular laser photocoagulation (MPC) as primary treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: In this randomized, three-arm clinical trial, 103 eyes of 97 patients with clinically significant DME and no previous treatment were enrolled. The eyes were randomly assigned to one of three study arms: the intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) group, patients who received 1.25 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab (37 eyes); the IVB/IVT group, patients who received 1.25 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab and 2 mg of intravitreal triamcinolone (33 eyes); and the MPC group, patients who underwent focal or modified grid laser (33 eyes). Primary outcome measure was change in visual acuity. Results: Visual acuity changes ± SD at 12 weeks were −0.22 ± 0.23, −0.13 ± 0.31, and + 0.08 ± 0.31 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution in the IVB, IVB/IVT, and MPC groups, respectively. The marginal regression model based on generalized estimating equation analysis demonstrated that the visual acuity changes in the groups were statistically significant at both 6 weeks (P < 0.0001) and 12 weeks (P = 0.024). The significant treatment effect was demonstrated at both 6 weeks and 12 weeks in the IVB group and only at 6 weeks in the IVB/IVT group. Significant central macular thickness (CMT) reduction was observed in eyes in the IVB and IVB/IVT groups only up to 6 weeks; however, CMT changes were not significant in the groups. Conclusion: Up to 12 weeks, intravitreal bevacizumab treatment of patients with DME yielded better visual outcome than laser photocoagulation, although it was not associated with a significant decrease in CMT. No further beneficial effect of intravitreal triamcinolone could be demonstrated. Further clinical trials with longer follow-up are required to evaluate the long-term visual outcomes and complication profiles after primary treatment with such medications.


In this paper, we apply support vector regression (SVR) for groundwater level forecasting and compare its results to other prediction methods using real groundwater level data. Since support vector machines have greater generalization ability and guarantee global minima for given training data, it is believed that support vector regression will perform well for time series analysis. Compared to other predictors, our results show that the SVR predictor can reduce significantly both relative mean errors and root mean squared errors of predicted groundwater level. We demonstrate the feasibility of applying SVR in groundwater level prediction and prove that SVR is applicable and performs well for groundwater data analysis.


Throughout the nation, court-involved girls frequently pose minimal risk to public safety but suffer with significant social service needs. Data on detention utilization show that girls are being disproportionately detained for misdemeanors, status offenses and technical violations of probation and parole. In short, many girls enter detention for the wrong reasons and many remain in detention for extended periods harmful to them and contrary to best practice.This practice guide responds to a call from both mature and new sites from within the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) network, which continue to find that effectively serving and supervising girls is among the most difficult issues in detention reform. The practice guide stresses that efforts to safely reduce the inappropriate detention of low-risk girls must be rooted in JDAI's core strategies, but with an added intentional focus on applying those core strategies to girls' unique needs and circumstances. Thus, the Practice Guide updates the 2005 Pathways report Detention Reform and Girls: Challenges and Solutions and then details steps jurisdictions can take to pinpoint policies or practices that may result in girls' inappropriate or unnecessary detention. It then profiles an array of promising and proven strategies drawn from experience and literature that jurisdictions can use to improve the detention process and reduce the use of detention for girls.


Thermal stresses may be induced in a hot dry rock when a cold fluid is injected in the well. To study this problem, we look at the thermoelastic response of a hot rock that is suddenly cooled. The cooling is assumed to be either at a constant temperature or at a constant heat flux per unit depth. Our approach is to nondimensionalize the equations and perform a parametric study and look at the temperature distribution and the induced-thermal stresses. The results indicate that depending on the extent of cooling and the cooling time, thermal stresses can be induced. Numerical simulations on sandstone, with an initial uniform temperature of 473 K, are also carried out. The results show that if the cooling is due to the surface temperature maintained at 463 K (10 °C lower than the initial temperature of the hot rock), thermal stresses that are larger than the rock tensile strength could be induced. When the cooling is due to a constant surface heat flux, this temperature can be reached after about 777 days of cooling with a minimum value of a heat flux of −20 W/m.


Previous research has shown that 3-SAT problems are easy to solve both when the "constrainedness" (the ratio of the number of clauses to the number of variables) is low and when it is high, abruptly transitioning from easy to hard in a very narrow region of constrainedness. Most of these "phase transition" studies were done on SAT instances that follow uniform random distribution. In such a distribution, variables take part in clauses with uniform probability, and clauses are independent (uncorrelated). The assumptions of uniform random distribution are, however, not satisfied when we consider SAT instances that result from real problems. Our project aims for a deeper understanding of the hardness of SAT problems that arise in practice. In particular, we study two key questions: (1) How does the phase transition behavior change with more realistic and natural distributions of SAT problems? and (2) Can we gain an understanding of the phase transition in terms of the network structure of these SAT problems? Our hypothesis is that the network properties help predict and explain how the easy-to-hard problem transition for realistic SAT problems differs from those for uniform random distribution.


As of today over 40 planetary systems have been discovered in binary star systems. In all cases the configuration appears to be circumstellar, where the planets orbit around one of the stars, the secondary acting as a perturber. The formation of planets in binary star systems is more difficult than around single stars due to the gravitational action of the companion on the dynamics of the protoplanetary disk. In this contribution we first briefly present the relevant observational evidence for planets in binary systems. Then the dynamical influence that a secondary companion has on a circumstellar disk will be analyzed through fully hydrodynamical simulations. We demonstrate that the disk becomes eccentric and shows a coherent precession around the primary star. Finally, fully hydrodynamical simulations of evolving protoplanets embedded in disks in binary star systems are presented. We investigate how the orbital evolution of protoplanetary embryos and their mass growth from cores to massive planets might be affected in this very dynamical environment. We consider, in particular, the planet orbiting the primary in the system Gamma Cephei.


We report the case of a patient with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria who presented with a repeat attack of Reye like syndrome clinically. Vomiting and somnolence, generalized tonic and clonic convulsions with hepatomegaly, hyperammonemia, liver function impairment, and mild metabolic acidosis were the presenting signs. 3-hydroxyisovaleric, 3-methylglutaric, 3-methylglutaconic and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acids were detected in the urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. 3-methylglutarylcarnitine was also identified in the urine by fast atom bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry. Therefore, the possibility of metabolic disease should be considered in neonates and infants with repeat attacks of Reye like syndrome and a history of similarly affected siblings.


Alcoholism is a chronic, progressing, and relapsing psychiatric disorder with a substantial genetic background. The neural circuitry mediating alcohol reinforcement, seeking, and relapse has not been fully delineated. The aim of the present experiments was to acquire further insight into the neural systems associated with alcohol preference and high voluntary alcohol drinking in the alcohol-preferring AA (Alko Alcohol) rats by using both neuroimaging and pharmacological tools. First, we compared the basal brain activity of AA rats with that of heterogeneous Wistar rats with manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI). For manganese administration, alcohol-naïve rats were implanted with subcutaneous osmotic minipumps delivering 120 mg/kg MnCl2 over a 7-day period, and were then imaged with a three-dimensional rapid acquisitionrelaxation enhanced pulse sequence. MEMRI image analysis revealed that the most conspicuous subcortical activation difference was located in the caudal linear nucleus of raphe (CLi), with AA rats displaying a significantly lower T1 signal in this region compared to Wistar rats. However, long-term alcohol drinking by AA rats restored the CLi activity. In the second experiment, the CLi was targeted with pharmacological tools. AA rats trained to drink 10% alcohol during 2-hour sessions were implanted with guide cannulas aimed at the CLi and given injections of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol into the CLi before drinking sessions. Muscimol dose-dependently increased alcohol drinking, and co-administration of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline blocked muscimol's effect. These findings add to increasing evidence supporting the role of the mediocaudal VTA in the reinforcing actions of drugs of abuse. In particular, the present data suggest that the CLi is important for the propensity for high alcohol drinking and controls alcohol reward via GABAergic transmission. PM303 Altered temporo-striatal and fronto-cingulate circuits in acute methamphetamine nonhuman primate model Jin-Young Kim1, Ji-Won Chun2, Jihye Choi2, Han-Na Kim3, Chang-Yeop Jeon3,5, Kyu-Tae Chang3,4, Sang-Rae Lee3,4*, Dai Jin Kim2* 1 Department of Biomedicine & Health Science, The catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea 2 Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea 3 National Primate Research Center (NPRC), Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, Republic of Korea 4 Department of Functional Genomics, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea 5 Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea *correspondence: firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract Methamphetamine (MA) is strong central nervous system stimulant knowns, both in humans and in animals. However, there have been no previous studies which investigate brain alterations by period after injection in acute model. So this study aimed to estimate the alteration of the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the caudate nucleus(CN), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) as regions of interest(ROIs) after MA administration in none human primate. 16 macaca fascicularis (6months-11years) were evaluated once (baseline) before MA injection and 7 times (12hours4weeks) after MA injection (2mg/kg, intra-muscle). The MRI data were acquired using a 3T MRI system (Philips Achiva), and the resting-state images were preprocessed and analyzed with the statistical parametric mapping toolbox (SPM8). To examine the changed rsFC of seeds, we used a seed-based correlation approach. Results were considered statistically significant if they exceeded the uncorrected p < .005 with an extent threshold of 10 voxels. The rsFC from the left CN to the middle temporal gyrus was decreased steadily for period of 4 weeks after MA injection. In addition, from the left SFG to the ACC showed decreased rsFC in the same period. The observations of dysfunction of temporostriatal and fronto-cingulate circuit in acute MA nonhuman primate model suggest that acute effect of MA induce functional abnormality in the brain. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2014M3A9B6070246).Methamphetamine (MA) is strong central nervous system stimulant knowns, both in humans and in animals. However, there have been no previous studies which investigate brain alterations by period after injection in acute model. So this study aimed to estimate the alteration of the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the caudate nucleus(CN), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) as regions of interest(ROIs) after MA administration in none human primate. 16 macaca fascicularis (6months-11years) were evaluated once (baseline) before MA injection and 7 times (12hours4weeks) after MA injection (2mg/kg, intra-muscle). The MRI data were acquired using a 3T MRI system (Philips Achiva), and the resting-state images were preprocessed and analyzed with the statistical parametric mapping toolbox (SPM8). To examine the changed rsFC of seeds, we used a seed-based correlation approach. Results were considered statistically significant if they exceeded the uncorrected p < .005 with an extent threshold of 10 voxels. The rsFC from the left CN to the middle temporal gyrus was decreased steadily for period of 4 weeks after MA injection. In addition, from the left SFG to the ACC showed decreased rsFC in the same period. The observations of dysfunction of temporostriatal and fronto-cingulate circuit in acute MA nonhuman primate model suggest that acute effect of MA induce functional abnormality in the brain. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2014M3A9B6070246). PM304 Neural Circuits for Stress-related Impulse Control Difficulties in Alcoholism Dongju Seo1, Cheryl Lacadie2, and Rajita Sinha1 Departments of Psychiatry1 and Radiology2, Yale University School of


Data subject to heavy‐tailed errors are commonly encountered in various scientific fields. To address this problem, procedures based on quantile regression and least absolute deviation regression have been developed in recent years. These methods essentially estimate the conditional median (or quantile) function. They can be very different from the conditional mean functions, especially when distributions are asymmetric and heteroscedastic. How can we efficiently estimate the mean regression functions in ultrahigh dimensional settings with existence of only the second moment? To solve this problem, we propose a penalized Huber loss with diverging parameter to reduce biases created by the traditional Huber loss. Such a penalized robust approximate (RA) quadratic loss will be called the RA lasso. In the ultrahigh dimensional setting, where the dimensionality can grow exponentially with the sample size, our results reveal that the RA lasso estimator produces a consistent estimator at the same rate as the optimal rate under the light tail situation. We further study the computational convergence of the RA lasso and show that the composite gradient descent algorithm indeed produces a solution that admits the same optimal rate after sufficient iterations. As a by‐product, we also establish the concentration inequality for estimating the population mean when there is only the second moment. We compare the RA lasso with other regularized robust estimators based on quantile regression and least absolute deviation regression. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the satisfactory finite sample performance of the RA lasso.


This paper aims to provide an insight on the CSR activities developed by top Romanian companies and to analyze whether some economic indexes as number of employees and turnover have a considerable impact on the decision of companies to involve in social responsible activities. The approach is based on a cross-analysis of the statistical weight of donations for eight top company donors in 2007 in Romania. By reviewing the results of the research, the author considers the opportunity to develop a case for CSR, even in its basic form: philanthropy, as a premise for long run social performance.


This article offers an overview of Japanese customs law. After a short introduction in which the history of customs law is touched upon, the various laws containing provisions on customs are introduced. In the following chapters, the authors deal with the organization of the Japanese customs authorities and the different functions of customs. Customs clearance, the question as to when customs debts arise, and how customs are charged are further major issues addressed. The authors also point out provisions dealing with violations of customs law. The article concludes with a few words on the particularities of trade between the EU and Japan. (Translation by the Editors)


The topic of sonographic markers in the first trimester of pregnancy is reviewed, in order to provide an update. The predictive markers on the most frequent congenital anomalies are emphasized. It was concluded with important aspects that should be considered for a correct interpretation of these findings.


The goal of current research was to investigate the influence of adding low shrinkage "Phene" like comonomers hexaethylene glycol bis(carbamate-isoproply-α-methylstyrene) (HE-Phene) and triethylene glycol bis(carbamate-isoproply-α-methylstyrene) (TE-Phene) on the surface and color characteristics of composite resin. A range of weight fractions (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 wt.%) of HE/TE-Phene monomers were mixed with bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) monomer. Experimental composite resins were made by mixing 71 wt.% of silica fillers to 29 wt.% of the resin matrix. A Vickers indenter and glossmeter were used for testing surface hardness (SH) and gloss (SG) at 60°. A chewing-simulator was used to evaluate the surface wear after 15,000 cycles. Color change (∆E) and translucency parameter (TP) were measured using a spectrophotometer. Data showed that HE/TE-Phene monomer had no negative impact (p > 0.05) on surface gloss, wear, color change and translucency of experimental composite resins. Surface hardness was in a reducing direction with the increas in HE/TE-Phene weight fraction (p < 0.05). The study results suggested that incorporating HE/TE-Phene monomers up to 30 wt.% with Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin did not negatively influence the surface integrity of composite resins except for SH.


Screening is defined as the presumptive identification of unrecognized disease or defect by the application of tests, examinations, or other procedures that can be applied rapidly and carried out in the general population or in individuals at high risk. When considering immunochemical or biochemical cancer markers, it might be more appropriate to describe these tests as risk-factor monitors and introduce the concept of two interpretations of these tests: in asymptomatic populations as indicators of probability of cancer, and in patients with previously treated cancer as predictors of recurrence despite initial treatment described as "curative." The successes of screening with alpha-fetoprotein for hepatocellular carcinoma and with catechol metabolites in neuroblastoma are discussed. The major emphasis will be the possible use of CA 125 and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in risk-factor assessment of ovarian cancer and prostate cancer, respectively. It is important to understand in what context a PSA value > 10 micrograms/L indicates a 67% probability of cancer.


Although all the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) experienced a period of significant growth during the 2000s, their growth paths were far from homogenous. The growth path followed by Brazil and Russia was based on the production and export of primary goods, while in China and India the pattern of industrial development remained grounded in manufacturing exports and services, respectively. These distinct trajectories resulted in a vast range of interpretations about sectors that act as the relevant engines of growth. On the one hand, some economists supported the idea that expansion based on the production and export of commodities or services had no negative effect once these countries were exploiting their comparative advantages. Alternatively, the main argument of those who did not support economic growth based on primary product exports was that development is essentially a process of structural change, and sustained economic growth is associated with the capacity to diversify the structure of domestic production.With the aim of analyzing the different growth paths of the BRIC countries in recent decades and their long-term consequences, this study assessed the potential of each sector to promote economic growth. Input-output tables were used to calculate each sector's output multipliers, Rasmussen-Hirschman backward and forward linkage indexes, and pure normalized backward and forward linkage indexes with the aim of assessing which sectoral orientation has a higher potential to stimulate the economy as a whole. The results show that manufacturing is the sector where the multipliers are the highest, while they are the lowest in agriculture and mineral commodities. The findings corroborate the hypothesis that having a dynamic manufacturing sector is essential to promote economic growth. Moreover, the results show that forward linkages are larger than backward linkages for services and that modern services present slightly larger forward linkages than those observed for traditional services. In that way, the hypothesis that the output of services depends on production in other sectors, and hence that a service-oriented strategy is linked to manufacturing production and exports, is reinforced.


Standard computations reveal that locational marginal prices (LMPs), being Lagrange multipliers in an optimization problem, must lie in the null space of a Jacobian matrix evaluated at the optimal power flow solution, augmented by columns associated with active line flow limits. The impact of network power flow and active line limit constraints is to confine the LMPs in a subspace that satisfies necessary conditions for optimality. Optimal market clearing can then proceed as a minimization over offer curves confined to admissible LMPs in this subspace. When no line limits are active and losses neglected (e.g. in a dc power flow representation), the matrix in question has a generalized Laplacian structure, and admits only a vector of all equal elements in its null space (verifying the well-known equal incremental cost condition). As line flow limits become active, the null space grows in dimension. Among the phenomena of interest as the dimension of admissible LMPs grows is that of ldquoload pocketsrdquo; that is, admissible LMP vectors that can show patterns in which buses partition into zones of approximately equal LMPs, with significant differences between zones. This paper explores an approach to admissible LMP calculation that isolates the topological role of active line flow constraints, independent of offer curve prices. Identification of this admissible subspace can then greatly facilitate computations such as clustering to identify potential zones of differentiated LMPs.


This study was conducted to investigate the performance variation between 11th grade male and female students in 1 semester English and last year EGSECE achieven .ent test results and to find out the influencing factors that contribute for achievement variation in JUCPS. The respondents for this study were JUCPS 11th grade students (57 female and 46 malej.The student's academic performance was gauged by the result of 1SI semester English and last year EGSECE achievement result. Three instruments, students' questionnaire, English teachers' and school director's interview and 1 semester English and last year EGSECE achievement result were analyzed. The descriptive statistics such as frequencies, mean values and standard deviations were used for analysis. Also, t-test was used to show the performance differences between male and female students. This study revealed that .I UCPS female students perform better in first semester English and last year EGSECE achievement results from their male counter parts. It showed that there is a mean difference in both achievement test results, but the variation is statistically significant only in first semester English result. And no statistical difference in last year EGSECE achievement result. Regarding the affecting factors that contribute to achievement variation both male and female perceived differently. The biological factors (brain struc~ure and h011110nesecretion) and gender factors were considered as affecting factor by male and female students for achievement variation. The other factors which were perceived by both groups were family xizc and economic factors. On the other hand female students perceived gender factors and family size as influential factors for achievement variation, whereas male students perceived the economic factor and family size considered as influential factors for achievement variation in test results. Finally, the English language and EGSECE achievement result or female students were better than male students in JUCPS. So teachers, parents and school community must try to make a balanced teaching environment for both sexes and provide nee. ssary materials for students, in order to minimize the achievement gap variation.


A thesis report submitted to the Department of Architecture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Post Graduate Diploma in Architecture, 2009


A newly developed nano/microcrystalline diamond composite film for thermal applications was prepared in this investigation. A microcrystalline diamond (MCD) film was deposited onto silicon substrate by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method, and then a nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) film was grown onto this MCD film to obtain a NCD/MCD composite film. The root-mean-square (RMS) value of surface roughness for the composite film estimated from the atomic force microscope image was 42.7nm. Compared with 85.9nm for the MCD film. And it was also found that the thermal diffusivity increased from 32.61mm2/s to 37.63mm2/s by further growing a NCD film. Results indicated that the deposition of NCD film reduced the rough surface of the MCD film with grain sizes of the order of microns, and thus increased the efficiency of diamond films as thermal spreading device. It was found that the NCD/MCD composite film had a smoother surface and a higher thermal diffusivity compared with MCD film.


The pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to compare circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to age, sex, and cigarette smoking matched healthy controls. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 37) and healthy controls (n = 19) were matched by age, sex, and smoking status. Circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34(+) or CD133(+) mononuclear cells) and endothelial progenitor cells (CD34(+)KDR(+) or CD34(+)CD133(+)KDR(+) mononuclear cells) were quantified by flow cytometry. Endothelial cell-colony forming units from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were quantified in vitro and phenotypic analysis carried out using immunocytochemistry. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had more circulating mononuclear cells compared with controls (8.4 ± 0.6 vs. 5.9 ± 0.4 × 10(9) cells/l; P = 0.02). CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells were reduced as a proportion of mononuclear cells in patients compared with controls (0.99 ± 0.12 vs. 1.9 ± 0.12%; P = 0.02); however, there were no differences in the absolute number of CD34(+), CD34(+)KDR(+), or CD34(+)CD133(+)KDR(+) cells (P > 0.05 for all). Endothelial cell-colony forming units were increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared with controls (13.7 ± 5.2 vs. 2.7 ± 0.9 colonies; P = 0.048). In contrast to previous studies, the number of circulating progenitor cells was not reduced in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared with carefully matched controls. It seems unlikely that circulating endothelial progenitor cells or failure of angiogenesis plays a central role in the development of emphysema.


This chapter shows how to develop an answer to a particular research question. It first considers the requirements and components of an answer to a research question before discussing the role of 'theory' in social science research, what a 'theoretical framework' is, and what a hypothesis is. It then explores the three components of a hypothesis: an independent variable, a dependent variable, and a proposition (a statement about the relationship between the variables). It also looks at the different types of hypotheses and how they guide various kinds of research. It also explains why conceptual and operational definitions of key terms are important and how they are formulated. Finally, it offers suggestions on how to answer normative questions.


Background: This paper shares reflections from participatory action research (PAR) and Indigenous approaches to research (IAR) team members on how they developed both personally and professionally through involvement on two Indigenous-focussed studies. Objectives: Sharing these reflections with the community-engaged scholarship (CES), which includes PAR, and Indigenous research communities is intended to further understanding about the relational role of individuals to themselves and with others in community-university research. Methods: Reflections were gathered from 20 university and community research members on the two studies in the forms of focus groups, interviews and written submissions. Results: Three compatible themes emerged from the participants' reflections on their development: establishment of respectful relationships, increased cultural understanding, and personal empowerment. To help detail the meaning of these advancements, an Indigenous artist and study team member identified the oak tree as a metaphor representing the strength it took for team members to self-reflect on their beliefs, values, practices and assumptions. The metaphor is applied to present the results. Conclusion: Branching outside the boarders of discipline-specific scholarship, and intersecting two traditions in a unique and culturally rooted way, has contributed meaningful insight on researcher development in community-engaged scholarship.


Effects of Media Use on College Students' Eating Behaviors and Body Image Shelby Sanya Weber Director: Miglena Sternadori, Ph.D. Eating disorders are on the rise, especially among adolescents. As exposure to mass media is also increasing among all ages, much research has explored the links among media exposure, individual eating behaviors, and the ways in people view their own bodies. This thesis describes and analyzes correlations between mass media exposure and the development of eating disorder symptomology. Eating disorders are defined, and mass media's influences on body image and self-esteem are discussed as the foundation for several hypotheses and a research question regarding the effects of media exposure on eating behaviors and body image. A quasi-experiment and a self-questionnaire were administered to 100 college students in exchange for extra credit through particular courses. Although most hypotheses were not supported or only partially supported at the level of statistical significance, an interesting positive correlation emerged between selfreported exposure to fashion magazines and self-reported binge-eating, which is known to be an indirect indicator of food deprivation in one's past.


The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of desialylation on the intrinsic in vivo biological activity of hCG. To block the hepatic uptake of asialo-hCG we investigated asialo-orosomucoid. The biological activity of hCG and asialo-hCG was estimated with the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion assay (OAAD). The uptake studies were performed with [125I]hCG and [125I]asialo-hCG. Desialylation of hCG increased its hepatic uptake, almost completely abolished its ovarian uptake, and reduced its in vivo biological activity to less than 1%. Administration of asialo-orosomucoid caused a reduction of the hepatic uptake of asialo-hCG to the level observed for hCG. The ovarian uptake increased, but was lower than observed for hCG, due to a considerably higher renal accumulation of asialo-hCG. The in vivo biological activity of asialo-hCG was approximately 1/5 of the activity of hCG when both were tested in the presence of asialo-orosomucoid. To exclude the interference of renal accumulation, binding and biological activity were also investigated after bilateral nephrectomy. The uptake of radioactivity in the ovaries following injection of [512I]asialo-hCG and asialo-orosomucoid was then almost the same as observed after injection of [125I]hCG alone. When both preparations were now tested in the presence of asialo-orosomucoid, the in vivo biological activity of asialo-hCG appeared to be approximately 1/3 of the value obtained for hCG. It is concluded that the intrinsic in vivo biological activity of hCG is lowered by desialylation.


According to the statistical data of Shandong Province from 1990 to 2006, we use the method of statistical analysis to analyze the dynamic relationship between the cultivated land change and the population and economic development in recent 17 years. We establish the regression model for the research on the correlation among cultivated land change, population, GDP and per capita GDP. Result shows that the cultivated land area in Shandong Province experienced three stages from slow decrease, sharp decrease to slight decrease in 1990-2006, and the per capita area of cultivated land had been decreasing gradually during the 17 years. There are significant correlation among the cultivated land area, population and per capita GDP in Shandong Province, and they can be well described by the linear regression model. The regional differences of cultivated land change in Shandong Province are significant. With the development of economic development level, the cultivated land area occupied by increasing unit economic aggregate is gradually decreasing.


Purpose: Leadership is one of the crucial modern topics in the field of management. A leadership trait is one of the three components to be considered in establishing leadership success. The other two components not assessed in this research are ideal leadership behaviour and situational factors. Managers must act as leaders as they have a critical role to play to ensure effective change. This paper explores the leadership traits relevant to middle managers acting as leaders at Eskom. Design/Methodology/Approach: A theoretical analysis of literature in the field of leadership is conducted with a further focus on leadership traits. Quantitative research is done within Eskom by means of an e-mail survey to a random sample of employees on middle management level. Areas of possible improvement and leadership traits excellence are identified. Recommendations are made regarding leadership traits. Findings: The broad leadership trait categories tested include: intelligence; flexibility; sensitivity to others; stability; dominance; high energy; integrity (honesty and ethics); and finally locus of control. The most dominant traits based on the perception of the respondents are that they possess integrity, intelligence, high energy and the ability to act as leaders. Leadership traits that require great attention and are not as dominant are sensitivity to others, flexibility and to some extent stability. Implications: Managers must have the leadership ability and trait to influence employees in order to communicate, direct, negotiate and motivate with success. Teamwork and a relationship of trust are required in the modern and changing organisation in order to be successful in achieving organisational goals. Originality / Value: South Africa as well as Southern Africa could face an energy crisis in the near future. As Eskom is currently facing growing demand for services and is experiencing limitations to provide this continuous increase in demand, managers need to develop the leadership capacity with the appropriate traits to deal with this increasing threat.


Introduction: Convenience and fast foods have slowly worked their way into the rural Appalachian diet playing a major role in increased obesity and food-related ailments. Increasing future health providers' knowledge of historical Appalachian dietary patterns and how health is perceived in their rural patients may lead to the development of culturally-sensitive diet therapy when working with rural populations. Methods: To verify the Traditional Southern Appalachian Diet Pyramid and to determine the composition of these dietary patterns, historical cookbooks, articles, and oral history interviews were qualitatively analyzed. Food items were coded into categories on the Diet Pyramid using qualitative analysis software. Results: Final analysis divulges the four largest categories of the traditional Appalachian diet: home grown produce, added fats and sugars, sources of protein, and sources of carbohydrates. Within these categories corn, potatoes, green beans, fat back, soup beans, and pork are some of the ingredients most commonly consumed. Discussion: Findings reveal the traditional Appalachian diet was plant-based, home-grown or gathered produce with the addition of added fats and sugars, protein, and carbohydrate sources fleshing out the diet. Future research endeavors can utilize these findings for developing culturally-sensitive nutrition interventions in rural patients seeking diet therapy.


Given the advance of Internet technologies, we can now easily extract hundreds or thousands of news stories of any ongoing incidents from newswires such as CNN.com, but the volume of information is too large for us to capture the blueprint. Information retrieval techniques such as topic detection and tracking are able to organize news stories as events, in a flat hierarchical structure, within a topic. However, they are incapable of presenting the complex evolution relationships between the events. We are interested to learn not only what the major events are but also how they develop within the topic. It is beneficial to identify the seminal events, the intermediary and ending events, and the evolution of these events. In this paper, we propose to utilize the event timestamp, event content similarity, temporal proximity, and document distributional proximity to model the event evolution relationships between events in an incident. An event evolution graph is constructed to present the underlying structure of events for efficient browsing and extracting of information. Case study and experiments are presented to illustrate and show the performance of our proposed technique. It is found that our proposed technique outperforms the baseline technique and other comparable techniques in previous work.


Nano-sized crystals of zinc oxide (ZnO) were synthesized, with a size of 26 nm. The products have been subjected to thorough characterization with Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopic techniques as well as X-ray diffraction analysis. These investigations confirm the formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The nano-particles showed remarkable adsorption efficiency in removal of methylorange dye. For the evaluating the adsorption kinetics of methyl orange on ZnO nanoparticles, the data was treated with Lagergren first order model. Thusthis studyaimed at assessing the nature of adsorption kinetics resulting from photo degradation of methylorange dye using ZnO nanoparticles. Precipitation technique was used to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles. The values obtained for Lagergren second order plot of methyl orange adsorption under sunlight and fluorescent conditions were higher than those of Lagergren first order. This suggests that the process followed the pseudo second order kinetics. Future studies should focus on the nature of adsorption isotherms in case where stabilizers are used to enhance the efficiency of nanoZnO in the removal of dyes from water waters.


This article presents a joint distribution for the strength of a randomly selected piece of structural lumber and its observable characteristics. In the process of lumber strength testing, these characteristics are ascertained under strict grading protocols, as they have the potential to be strength reducing. However, for practical reasons, only a few such selected characteristics among the many present, are recorded. We present a data-generating mechanism that reflects the uncertainties resulting from the grading protocol. A Bayesian approach is then adopted for model fitting and construction of a predictive distribution for strength that accounts for the unrecorded characteristics. The method is validated on simulated examples, and then applied on a sample of specimens tested for bending and tensile strength. Use of the predictive distribution is demonstrated, and insights gained into the grading process are described. Details of the lumber testing experiments can be found in the online supplementary materials.


BACKGROUND
Before 2003, the sale of paracetamol in Norway was restricted to pharmacies only. In November 2003 this place of sale restriction was lifted, allowing sale of paracetamol in non-pharmacy locations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence, severity and mortality of paracetamol poisoning before and after the lifting of the place of sale restriction.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Incidence was assessed using discharge data from three selected hospitals and the enquiry database of the National Poisons Information Centre (PIC). Evaluation of poisoning severity was based on degree of hepatotoxicity in admitted patients, number of requests regarding evaluation for liver transplantation at the National Transplantation Unit and PIC severity grading of cases. Data regarding mortality of paracetamol poisoning was obtained from the National Cause of Death Register. Data for the two-year period before (2001-2002) the place of sale restriction was lifted was compared with two years after (2005-2006).

RESULTS
There was no significant change in the number of hospital admissions due to paracetamol poisoning in any of the three hospitals following the lifting of the place of sale restriction. The number of inquiries to PIC regarding paracetamol intake showed a statistical significant increase. The extent of severe paracetamol poisoning might be rising, but the mortality of paracetamol poisoning does not appear to have increased since the place of sale restriction was lifted.

INTERPRETATION
There is no evidence that the number of paracetamol poisonings or deaths has increased since the place of sale restriction was lifted. The proportion of patients with liver toxicity/liver damage, and the number of patients evaluated for liver transplantation may be increasing. However, the development in paracetamol poisoning should be monitored in the coming years.


The effect of haloperidol on the passive avoidance habit retrieval upon amnesia was studied in C57BL/6J mice with aggressive and submissive behavioral stereotypes formed under agonist confrontation conditions. In the control (untreated) group, the efficacy of the amnesic action of detention in the dangerous compartment on the learning day was reduced for the aggressive stereotype as compared to the submissive one. In the aggressive mice, the administration of haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg) one hour before learning deteriorated the conditional reaction retrieval between 2nd and 13th days of test. In the submissive mice, the administration of haloperidol produced a prolonged antiamnesic effect. Thus, the effect of haloperidol on the violated memory trace reproduction depends on the individual behavioral state.


Methional is a potent inducer of apoptosis in an interleukin 3-dependent murine lymphoid cell line BAF3 b0 when it is added to the culture medium. In these cells transfected with the bcl2 gene, BAF3 bcl2, the apoptotic-inducing activity of methional is dramatically reduced. The addition of disulfiram (an inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase) in order to reduce methional oxidation brought about an increase in apoptosis in BAF3 b0 but not in BAF3 bcl2 cells. In contrast, the addition of quercetin (an inhibitor of aldehyde reductase) in an attempt to diminish methional reduction increased apoptosis in both BAF3 b0 and BAF3 bcl2 cells. The extent of DNA fragmentation in BAF3 bcl2 cells approached that in BAF3 b0 cells in the presence of quercetin and exogenous methional, suggesting a defect in methional biosynthesis in BAF3 bcl2 cells. Direct evidence for this was obtained by measuring labelled methional in cells incubated with the sodium, salt of [U-14C]4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoic acid (MTOB), the precursor of methional. The 80% decrease in labelled methional in BAF3 bcl2 compared with BAF3 b0 cells was accompanied by a concomitant rise in the transamination of [14C]MTOB to [14C]methionine in BAF3 bcl2 cells. Inhibition of the transaminase, however, by a synthetic transition-state-type compound, pyridoxal-L-methionine ethyl ester, induced apoptosis in BAF3 b0 but not in BAF3 bcl2 cells, confirming that the defect in BAF3 bcl2 cells was not in the transaminase itself but rather in the oxidative decarboxylation step MTOB --> methional. In addition, no evidence was obtained for the synthesis of [14C]malondialdehyde from [14C]methional in BAF3 bcl2 cells. As these cells show no deficiency in their content of reactive oxygen species compared with that of BAF3 b0 cells, they may possess some other defect in the beta-hydroxylase enzyme system itself.


Diffuse malignant mesothelioma (DMM) is an uncommon cancer with great clinical significance because it currently remains an incurable disease, and most patients die within months after diagnosis. Although DMM incidence is leveling off or decreasing in developed countries because of the strict control of asbestos use, it is increasing in countries without adequate asbestos control. In some settings, benign, reactive mesothelial hyperplasias and organizing pleuritis can be difficult to differentiate from DMM and vice versa, and the variety of DMM's histopathologic features generates an extensive list of differential diagnoses with other malignancies, particularly, metastatic malignancies, which are more frequent in the pleura than are primary malignancies. These two issues are the topic of discussion in this review, along with a brief presentation of a case of DMM that presented in a 66-year-old man with recurrent, right pleural effusions, and in whom, diagnosis of DMM had not been suspected clinically, radiographically, surgically, grossly, or initially, on frozen section. It was not until focal invasion into the skeletal muscle was discovered on permanent sections that a diagnosis of DMM could be established.


Management of burn injury is an onerous clinical task since it requires continuous monitoring and extensive usage of specialized facilities. Despite rapid improvizations and investments in burn management, >30% of victims hospitalized each year face severe morbidity and mortality. Excessive loss of body fluids, accumulation of exudate, and the development of septic shock are reported to be the main reasons for morbidity in burn victims. To assist burn wound management, a novel polyurethane (PU)-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey (HN) and Carica papaya (PA) fruit extract was fabricated using a one-step electrospinning technique. The developed dressing material had a mean fiber diameter of 190±19.93 nm with pore sizes of 4–50 µm to support effective infiltration of nutrients and gas exchange. The successful blending of HN- and PA-based active biomolecules in PU was inferred through changes in surface chemistry. The blend subsequently increased the wettability (14%) and surface energy (24%) of the novel dressing. Ultimately, the presence of hydrophilic biomolecules and high porosity enhanced the water absorption ability of the PU-HN-PA nanofiber samples to 761.67% from 285.13% in PU. Furthermore, the ability of the bio-nanofibrous dressing to support specific protein adsorption (45%), delay thrombus formation, and reduce hemolysis demonstrated its nontoxic and compatible nature with the host tissues. In summary, the excellent physicochemical and hemocompatible properties of the developed PU-HN-PA dressing exhibit its potential in reducing the clinical complications associated with the treatment of burn injuries.


45 granite crushers and 45 age and smoking matched referents underwent pulmonary function tests in 1976 and 1988. On average, the granite crushers at follow up had worked for 22 years, were 52 (range 36-78) years old, and had inhaled a cumulated amount of 7 mg of silica in the respirable dust fraction. Between 1976 and 1988 the average concentration of respirable quartz in air was 0.16 mg/m3 (threshold limit value (TLV) = 0.10 mg/m3). In 1988 the granite crushers had somewhat lower forced expiratory flows (forced expiratory volume in one second/vital capacity (FEV1/VC) -4.5% and forced midexpiratory flow FEF50 -15%) compared with the referents and a more uneven ventilation distribution (17% higher slope of phase III in the nitrogen single breath curve). Five smoking granite crushers, but none of the referents, had an FEV1 < 80% of the predicted. During the 12 year interval the granite crushers had--compared with the matched referents--a greater decrease in FEV1 (-4.6%), FEV1/VC (-5.4%), maximal expiratory flow, (-8%) and FEF50 (-14%), and a larger increase in phase III and static compliance (p < 0.02 in all variables). The functional changes suggest the presence of airways obstruction and increased compliance of the lungs. Exposure to silica at concentrations of about twice the present TLV was thus associated with airways obstruction and loss of elastic recoil rather than fibrosis and a restrictive function loss as seen in silicosis. The changes were on average small, but in some tobacco smokers more pronounced changes were found.


Traditional approaches to structuring policy portfolios for strategic asset allocation have not provided the full potential of diversification. Portfolios based on a 60/40 allocation between equities and bonds remain volatile and dominated by equity risk. In this article, the authors introduce a different approach to portfolio diversification, constructing portfolios using available risk premia within the traditional asset classes or risk premia from systematic trading strategies rather than focusing on classic risk premia, such as equities and bonds. Correlations between many risk premia have historically been low, offering significant diversification potential, particularly during periods of distress. These diversification benefits are illustrated with a simple asset allocation case study. From 1995 to 2009, an equal-weighted allocation across 11 style and strategy premia realized similar returns to a traditional 60/40 allocation, but with 70% less volatility.


Neuronal noise is a major factor affecting the communication between coupled neurons. In this work, we propose a statistical toolset to infer the coupling between two neurons under noise. We estimate these statistical dependencies from data which are generated by a coupled Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) model with additive noise. To infer the coupling using observation data, we employ copulas and information-theoretic quantities, such as the mutual information (MI) and the transfer entropy (TE). Copulas and MI between two variables are symmetric quantities, whereas TE is asymmetric. We demonstrate the performances of copulas and MI as functions of different noise levels and show that they are effective in the identification of the interactions due to coupling and noise. Moreover, we analyze the inference of TE values between neurons as a function of noise and conclude that TE is an effective tool for finding out the direction of coupling between neurons under the effects of noise.