Abstract We report the synthesis of a new series of 2-oxo-1,2,4,9-tetrahydro-3H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indole derivatives and diethyl 4-hydroxyquinoline-2,3-dicarboxylate starting from ethyl 3-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxylate. Intramolecular cyclization formed the target ring systems. The key substrates featuring both acyl azide and isocyanate functionalities were prepared from bis(acyl azide) intermediate. The acyl azide functionalities directly connected to methylene groups were regiospecifically converted into urea and urethanes via the reactive isocyanate intermediates. Thermal treatment of urea and urethanes provided the target 2-oxo-1,2,4,9-tetrahydro-3H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indoles. Furthermore, ozonolysis of the starting indolediester substrate and subsequent base treatment to diethyl 4-hydroxyquinoline-2,3-dicarboxylate are described.


The majority of school-age youth experience some form of bullying, and the consequences can have significant impact on a child's or adolescent's social, emotional, and academic functioning. The majority of anti-bullying initiatives have focused on schoolwide prevention programs aimed to enhance school climate and a school's response to bullying incidences. Few programs address the socio-emotional functioning of youth who are experiencing significant anxiety and mood problems following exposure to bullying. The current paper describes the development of a transdiagnostic behavioral activation and exposure program (Group Behavior Activation Therapy for Bullying) designed to address internalizing problems secondary to bullying. Case descriptions and clinical outcomes are reported from a pilot group of 5 youth (ages 12 to 13). Video clips of group demonstrations are included for illustrative purposes. Attendance was strong and group satisfaction ratings indicated the program was feasible and acceptable to conduct in school settings. Initial outcomes suggest that youth experienced benefits in anxiety and depression diagnoses, symptom outcomes, and functional impairment related to bullying. However, larger controlled evaluations are required to support any conclusions about treatment efficacy.


The Dodd–Frank Act (Section 939B) enacted in 2010 repealed the exemption of credit rating agencies (CRAs) from Regulation Fair Disclosure. Testing whether CRAs continue to provide new information to the market after the repeal, the authors find that the significant prerepeal stock price responses to rating changes disappear after the regime change. Bond price reactions, however, remain significant. These results are even more significant at the investment–speculative boundary. Evidence suggests that CRAs served as a conduit for transmitting private information before the repeal and that the continued bond price reactions are likely due to regulations favoring higher-rated bonds. TOPICS: Fixed income and structured finance, information providers/credit ratings


Two organic templating methods, viz., a Pechini and a resorcinol/formaldehyde (RF) carbon-gel approach were employed to prepare CaO-based, Al2O3and MgO-stabilized CO2 sorbents. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of microand nanostructured morphologies in the synthetic sorbents. The cyclic CO2 uptake performance of the sorbents was assessed in a thermo-gravimetric analyzer and compared to the reference limestone. It was found that as little as 10 mol% Al3+ was required to obtain cyclically stable CO2 sorbents independent of the synthesis method used. However, a sintering-induced capacity decay of MgO-supported CaO could only be overcome via RF carbon-gel templating approach using at least 20 mol% of Mg2+ for stabilization. X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of mayenite, whereas MgO did not form a solid solution with CaO. The CO2 uptake of the best synthetic sorbent exceeded limestone by more than 300% (after 10 carbonation/calcination cycles). © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of GHGT-13.


A new class of smooth and structured solid models is developed from the generalized Langevin theory of gas/solid processes [S. A. Adelman and J. D. Doll, J. Chem. Phys. 64, 2375 (1976)], and numerical results for scattering off the simplest of these model solids are presented. The models, which may be refined to arbitrary precision, allow one to treat the many‐body or lattice effect in gas/solid dynamics in a qualitatively correct but computationally simple manner. Scattering calculations based on the models may be carried out using standard classical trajectory methodology; the many‐body dynamics modifies the usual classical equations of motion through noise terms and auxiliary variables. Collisional studies based on the simplest of the new models reveal the importance of many‐body dynamics on energy transfer and trapping thresholds. The percentage of energy transfer due to many‐body effects is found to be a rapidly increasing function of solid Debye temperature ΘD; at ΘD≳225°K the many‐body contribution...


Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias require immediate defibrillation. For state-of-the-art shock treatments, a high field strength is required to achieve a sufficient success rate for terminating the complex spiral wave (rotor) dynamics underlying cardiac fibrillation. However, such high energy shocks have many adverse side effects due to the large electric currents applied. In this study, we show, using 2D simulations based on the Fenton-Karma model, that also pulses of relatively low energy may terminate the chaotic activity if applied at the right moment in time. In our simplified model for defibrillation, complex spiral waves are terminated by local perturbations corresponding to conductance heterogeneities acting as virtual electrodes in the presence of an external electric field. We demonstrate that time series of the success rate for low energy shocks exhibit pronounced peaks which correspond to short intervals in time during which perturbations aiming at terminating the chaotic fibrillation state are (much) more successful. Thus, the low energy shock regime, although yielding very low temporal average success rates, exhibits moments in time for which success rates are significantly higher than the average value shown in dose-response curves. This feature might be exploited in future defibrillation protocols for achieving high termination success rates with low or medium pulse energies.


Wireless links are often unreliable and prone to transmission error due to varying channel conditions. These can degrade the performance in wireless networks, particularly for applications with tight quality-of-service requirements. A common remedy is to use channel coding where the transmitter node adds redundant bits to the transmitted packets in order to reduce the error probability at the receiver. However, this per-link solution can compromise the link data rate, leading to undesired end-to-end performance. In this paper, we show that this latter shortcoming can be mitigated if the end-to-end transmission rates and channel code rates are selected properly over multiple routing paths. We formulate the joint channel coding and end-to-end data rate allocation problem in multipath wireless networks as a network throughput maximization problem, which is non-convex. We tackle the non-convexity by using function approximation and iterative techniques from signomial programming. Simulation results confirm that by using channel coding jointly with multi-path routing, the end-to-end network performance can be improved significantly.


Smart home products aren't living up to their promise. They claim to transform the way we live, providing convenience, energy efficiency, and safety. However, the reality is significantly less profound and often frustrating. This is particularly apparent in security and privacy experiences: powerlessness, confusion, and annoyance have all been reported. In order to reduce frustration and help fulfill the promise of smart homes, we need to explore the experience of security and privacy in situ. We analyze an ethnographic study observing six UK households over six months to present a longitudinal view of security and privacy user experiences in smart products. We find inconsistencies in managing security and privacy, e.g., contrasting the ease of granting and difficulty of withholding consent. We identify security and privacy issues in repurposing smart home devices – using devices outside of their initial intended purposes. We conclude with recommendations for design in smart home devices.


e present a detailed and self-contained analytical derivation of the evolution of sub-horizon cosmological perturbations before decoupling, based on previous work by S. Weinberg. These solutions are valid in the minimal ΛCDM scenario, to first order in perturbation theory, in the tight-coupling limit and neglecting neutrino shear stress. We compare them to exact numerical solutions computed by a Boltzmann code, and we find the two to be in very good agreement. The analytic solutions show explicitly that CDM and the baryon-photon fluid effectively behave as separate self-gravitating fluids until the epoch of baryon drag. This in turn leads to the surprising conclusion that the CMB is much less sensitive to the clustering properties of minimally coupled Dark Matter models than what would be naively expected.


Abstract The controlled release of therapeutics has been one of the major challenges for scientists and engineers during the past three decades. Coupled with excellent biocompatibility profiles, various nanomaterials have showed great promise for biomedical applications. Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials guarantee the controlled release of cargo to a given location, at a specific time, and with an accurate amount. In this review, we have combined the major stimuli that are currently used to achieve the ultimate goal of controlled and targeted release by "smart" nanomaterials. The most heavily explored strategies include (1) pH, (2) enzymes, (3) redox, (4) magnetic, and (5) light-triggered release.


Peliosis is a condition characterized by presence of multiple blood filled cysts within the parenchyma of a solid organ. Peliosis affecting spleen is usually seen in association with peliosis of liver. Isolated splenic peliosis "peliosis lienis" is a unique phenomenon. At Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India we had one such case. Dead body of a 27 year old male was brought for medico legal autopsy with history of being found dead in the morning. He had a history of mild abdominal pain on the previous day. Autopsy revealed splenic peliosis with rupture of spleen and haemoperitoneum.


Background: Postnatal depression is a disorder that can lead to serious consequences for both the mother and infant. Despite the extensively documented health benefits of breastfeeding, its association with postnatal depression remains uncertain. Objective: To investigate the relationship between full breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum and postnatal depressive symptoms among mothers in Sabah, Malaysia. Methods: A prospective cohort study of 2072 women was conducted in Sabah during 2009-2010. Participants were recruited at 36 to 38 weeks of gestation and followed up at 1 and 3 months postpartum. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the validated Malay version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Repeated-measures analyses of variance was performed to compare the depression scores over time and between subgroups of breastfeeding mothers. Results: Approximately 46% of women were fully breastfeeding their infants at 3 months postpartum. These mothers had significantly (P < .001) lower mean EPDS scores at both 1 and 3 months postpartum (mean ± SD, 4.14 ± 4.12 and 4.27 ± 4.12, respectively) than others who did not initiate or maintain full breastfeeding for 3 months (4.94 ± 4.34 and 5.25 ± 4.05, respectively). After controlling for the effects of covariates, the differences in EPDS scores remained statistically significant (P = .001) between the 2 breastfeeding groups. Conclusion: Full breastfeeding appeared to be negatively associated with postnatal depressive symptoms for mothers residing in Sabah.


true prevalence of this submicroscopic rearrangement is unknown. In 1994, Wilson et al' reported a minimum prevalence of 1/4000 live births. Their estimation was based on the fact that chromosome 22ql 1 deletions were the cause of at least 5% of congenital heart defects. The present data were extracted from the Birth Defects Registry of the Bouches-duRh6ne area in southern France. Since 1984, this Registry has covered all births to mothers resident in the department. The registration is based on voluntary notification from the maternity units. Controls are found by active


This paper focuses on the study of the plastic zone in fatigue crack closure based on the results obtained by means of 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA). These results show the crack behavior through the thickness. The plastic zone is visualized and quantified. It does not correspond to the classical shape. The plastic zone in the interior surface is similar to those obtained in 2D plane strain conditions and a reduced effect of closure is observed. However, close to the external surface, 2D plane stress results are not reproduced, the plastic zone size is smaller and an important change is observed. This transition is developed in a thin external portion of the specimen and it can only be captured if a fine mesh of the thickness is done.


Radioactive labelling of the CaCO 3 in the crab9s carapace was employed as a tool to study the contribution of the carapace carbonates to acute buffering of acid-base disturbances. Since Ca 2+ uptake is extremely rapid during the post-moult period, crabs that moulted in the laboratory were incubated with 45 Ca for 5 days immediately following the moult in order thoroughly to load the carapace carbonate pool with radiolabel. After a subsequent 2-week interval for feeding and completion of the post-moult carapace mineralization phase, these 45 Ca-loaded crabs were subjected to a 24h control period and a 24h hypercapnic period (water equilibrated with 2 % CO 2 in air) to induce an internal acidosis. Compared with the control period, a compensatory increase in [HCO 3 − ] of 17 mequiv1 −1 was observed in the blood, along with an apparent H + excretion to the external sea water of 10.8 mequiv kg −1 . A statistically significant increase in circulating [Ca 2+ ] and in the specific radioactivity of the blood Ca 2+ reached a maximum during the first 3 h of the compensatory phase. By measuring the radioactivity appearing in the water and the blood, and the specific radioactivity of the carapace carbonates, the contribution of the carapace carbonates was calculated to be 7.5% of the total compensatory H + disposal. The rapid exchange of Ca 2+ with the external medium, coupled with physiological regulation of blood [Ca 2+ ] minimized changes in blood [Ca 2+ ]. The total dissolution of carapace CaCO 3 was approximately 0.9 mequiv kg −1 , less than 0.1% of the quantity contained in the shell. The carapace carbonates, therefore, do contribute to acute buffering of hypercapnic acidosis, but their quantitative importance is small, with the gills serving to conduct most of the compensatory exchanges with the environment.


We discuss in detail the flavor structure of the supersymmetric SO(10) grand unified models with the three traditional 16-dimensional matter spinors mixed with a set of extra ten-dimensional vector multiplets which can provide the desired sensitivity of the standard model matter spectrum to the grand unified theory symmetry breakdown at the renormalizable level. We put the qualitative argument that a successful fit of the quark and lepton data requires an active participation of more than a single vector matter multiplet on a firm, quantitative ground. We find that the strict no-go obtained for the fits of the charged-sector observables in case of a single active matter 10 is relaxed if a second vector multiplet is added to the matter sector and excellent, though nontrivial, fits can be devised. Exploiting the unique calculable part of the neutrino mass matrix governed by the SU(2){sub L} triplet in the 54-dimensional Higgs multiplet, a pair of genuine predictions of the current setting is identified: a nonzero value of the leptonic 1-3 mixing close to the current 90% C.L. limit and a small leptonic Dirac CP phase are strongly preferred by all solutions with the global-fit {chi}{sup 2} values below 50.


Within the past decade, acceptance of minimally invasive techniques has changed the traditional approach to hysterectomy from open abdominal procedures to laparoscopy 1. Our objective was to compare efficiency of LAVH and TAH (total abdominal hysterectomy). This retrospective case control study was done in the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Ram Nagar, Dehradun, over a period of 18 months from October 2012 to March 2014. Data from medical records of 50 patients who underwent LAVH were reviewed and taken as cases. Out of the total 186 cases that underwent TAH during this period, 50 cases were matched in a case control manner, with the patients for whom LAVH was done and were recruited as controls. Statistical analysis was done using Student-t test and Chi-square test. Mean operative time was 150.83±41.55 minutes for LAVH group, which was significantly longer than 99±14.20 minutes for TAH group (p<0.001). The estimated blood loss in LAVH group was significantly lower than in TAH group (116.08±14.23 and 150.20±24.83, p=0.001). The drug requirement to control pain i.e. number of doses of injectable analgesics (Diclofenac in mg) used per patient was significantly more in TAH group (135.00+_67.50 Vs 300.00+_75.00). Overall complication rate was comparable in both the groups (10% in LAVH group and 14% in TAH group). Patients of LAVH had statistically significant higher activity score and shorter convalescence. Taking all the parameters together, LAVH was marginally costlier than TAH. LAVH safely and efficiently tackles abdomino-pelvic adhesions, endometriosis and complex adenexal masses. Hence enables the surgeon to convert most of the difficult abdominal hysterectomies into vaginal ones with all the benefits of a vaginal procedure. LAVH is patients' favorite because of its smaller incisions, less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, rapid return to normal activity and better body image.


Beauty has received sparse attention from emotion theorists, some of whom have argued that aesthetic pleasure is cognitive in nature and too "disinterested" to be emotional. This view is supported by research suggesting that aesthetic pleasure is based on processing fluency. The authors review recent findings in the psychology of aesthetics and present two arguments. First, processing fluency explains the mild pleasure associated with simple or familiar objects, but it cannot account for the more intense pleasure associated with complex or novel objects. Immediately recognizing an object tends to be mildly pleasant, whereas sensing the prospect of successfully representing a complex object can be exhilarating. Second, to explain how these forms of aesthetic pleasures differ, a theory must go beyond cognitive dynamics. The authors' affect-based model of emotion differentiates aesthetic pleasures in terms of epistemic goals. Pretty, fluently processed stimuli implicate prevention goals that maintain and protect knowledge. Beautiful, novel stimuli implicate promotion goals that reshape and expand knowledge. The emotional nature of interest and awe are also discussed.


Asteroid 4 Vesta, sometimes called the "smallest terrestrial planet", will be orbited next July by NASA's Dawn mission. This will be the first time a small planet is visited by a spacecraft, and novel geological structures are expected. A key issue regarding Vesta (mean diameter 530 km) is to what extent its geology is dominated by the ∼460 km diameter impact basin on its southern hemisphere. We model the basin's formation using a very high resolution 3D smooth‐particle hydrodynamics simulation to establish some of the major impact‐related aspects of Vesta's geology. The goal is to provide a framework for interpreting anticipated observations of landforms. A collision of this magnitude (a ∼50 km diameter impactor at ∼5 km/s) exposes many deep strata from within the planet and offsets the center of mass by ∼10 km from the center of figure. Vesta spins every 5.3 hr, so that a hemispheric‐scale impact evolves in a non‐inertial frame, and deposits variably‐shaped, multiply‐folded and abruptly‐terminated ejecta sequences of regional scale. Since little of this ejecta would have been molten, these massive sequenced deposits could be mistaken in images of Vesta for other geologic forms such as thrusts and folds. Detailed mapping, and the piecing‐together of mega‐ejecta via impact models, will enable an informed understanding of the interior geology of Vesta.


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate testicular function in men with epilepsy treated with different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) versus no drugs. METHODS: Two hundred men with epilepsy (mean age, 36 years) were investigated. Inclusion criteria included one or no AEDs, no comedication, and no endocrine comorbidity. Findings were compared with those from 105 healthy men (mean age, 33.9 years). Luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), free testosterone (free T), and inhibin B were measured. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-eight men had focal epilepsy (117 of these had temporal lobe epilepsy [TLE]) and 22, idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). Thirtythree men were not taking an AED; 124 men received enzyme-inducing AEDs. Free T was lowered in all patient subgroups, and the T/LH ratio was lowered in all groups except patients with IGE and patients receiving valproate (VPA). T was lower in patients with temporal than extratemporal focal epilepsy. Compared with TLE patients taking carbamazepine (CBZ), patients treated with VPA had higher total T and lower LH values, resulting in a significantly lower T/LH ratio with CBZ. CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy, especially TLE, adversely affects testicular endocrine function. CBZ may increase the negative effects of epilepsy on serum levels of reproductive hormones.


There are many areas of structural safety and structural dynamics in which it is often desirable to compute the first few statistical moments of a function of random variables. The usual approximation is by the Taylor expansion method. This approach requires the computation of derivatives. In order to avoid the computation of derivatives, point estimates for probability moments have been proposed. However, the accuracy is quite low, and sometimes, the estimating points may be outside the region in which the random variable is defined. This technical note proposes new point estimates for probability moments, in which increasing the number of estimating points is easier because the estimating points are independent of the random variable in its original space and the use of high-order moments of the random variables is not required. By using this approximation, the practicability and accuracy of point estimates can be much improved.


Abstract This essay examines a moment of institutionalization in cultural studies, and argues that questions of gender have a significant place in this interdisciplinary domain. The issue is discussed in a pedagogic context that has almost normalized feminism, seeing its political contributions as belonging to the past. The essay argues that the conceptual conjuncture of culture and gender which has been central to feminist theorizing in India needs to be rethought. This conjuncture arose from thinking about culture in the framework of nationalism and the anti‐colonial struggle, and the alignment of women with national culture. I discuss briefly the trajectory of how we have gone about investigating the culture‐gender conjuncture, present a reformulation of what I think we're up against, and introduce some new research projects which are trying to take this on board. The focus in these projects is on the question of translation, and how the issue of 'regional' languages poses a challenge to prevalent ideas in the women's movement and in feminist teaching. The larger proposition is that we need to formulate curricula based on new kinds of research if we are to take feminism into the cultural studies classroom of the future.


Importance
Many patients with focal epilepsy experience seizures despite treatment with currently available antiseizure medications (ASMs) and may benefit from novel therapeutics.

Objective
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of XEN1101, a novel small-molecule selective Kv7.2/Kv7.3 potassium channel opener, in the treatment of focal-onset seizures (FOSs).

Design, Setting, and Participants
This phase 2b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-ranging adjunctive trial investigated XEN1101 over an 8-week treatment period from January 30, 2019, to September 2, 2021, and included a 6-week safety follow-up. Adults experiencing 4 or more monthly FOSs while receiving stable treatment (1-3 ASMs) were enrolled at 97 sites in North America and Europe.

Interventions
Patients were randomized 2:1:1:2 to receive XEN1101, 25, 20, or 10 mg, or placebo with food once daily for 8 weeks. Dosage titration was not used. On completion of the double-blind phase, patients were offered the option of entering an open-label extension (OLE). Patients not participating in the OLE had follow-up safety visits (1 and 6 weeks after the final dose).

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary efficacy end point was the median percent change from baseline in monthly FOS frequency. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were recorded and comprehensive laboratory assessments were made. Modified intention-to-treat analysis was conducted.

Results
A total of 325 patients who were randomized and treated were included in the safety analysis; 285 completed the 8-week double-blind phase. In the 325 patients included, mean (SD) age was 40.8 (13.3) years, 168 (51.7%) were female, and 298 (91.7%) identified their race as White. Treatment with XEN1101 was associated with seizure reduction in a robust dose-response manner. The median (IQR) percent reduction from baseline in monthly FOS frequency was 52.8% (P < .001 vs placebo; IQR, -80.4% to -16.9%) for 25 mg, 46.4% (P < .001 vs placebo; IQR, -76.7% to -14.0%) for 20 mg, and 33.2% (P = .04 vs placebo; IQR,  -61.8% to 0.0%) for 10 mg, compared with 18.2% (IQR, -37.3% to 7.0%) for placebo. XEN1101 was generally well tolerated and TEAEs were similar to those of commonly prescribed ASMs, and no TEAEs leading to death were reported.

Conclusions and Relevance
The efficacy and safety findings of this clinical trial support the further clinical development of XEN1101 for the treatment of FOSs.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03796962.


Whether monarchy and democracy can coexist was the key question in both Bhutan and Nepal during 2005. Two developments in Nepal will be major factors in determining the survival of the Shah dynasty and, in the longer term, whether the Nepalese nation-state survives as a sovereign entity at all. These were the ""royal coup"" of February 1 and the agreement between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and seven parliamentary political parties announced on November 22. In Bhutan, a new constitution is out for consultation that would establish a two-party democracy and reduce the powers of the king.


Prefabricated construction is a hot topic in architecture these days, and for good reason. Prospective homebuilders around the world are gravitating to prefab as an environmentally responsible and cost effective way to achieve that holiest of grails: an affordable, well-designed house. If you're hoping to jump onto this bandwagon or are just interested in what prefab building really entails, "Prefab Prototypes" is required reading. While other prefab books on the market show what can be done, dangling pretty pictures of affordable homes before your starry eyes, "Prefab Prototypes" takes you to the next step - it shows you how. Architects Mark Anderson and Peter Anderson have been working with prefab buildings for more than fifteen years. With "Prefab Prototypes", they break prefab down into six systems, from most flexible to most complicated - panelized wood framing, sandwich paneling, steel framing, timber framing, concrete systems, and modular systems. Each chapter delves into the benefits and drawbacks of its respective method, and features detailed plans, sections, and photographs of projects they've completed that use each of these systems. The resulting book is both a lush depiction of their prefab output as well as an in-depth analysis that will prepare you for taking the plunge into prefab building. If you're familiar with the prefab trend and want to graduate to the next level, "Prefab Prototypes" is your ticket.


BACKGROUND
Several treatment strategies target the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in breast carcinomas, including monoclonal antibodies directed against HER2's extracellular domain (ECD) and small molecule inhibitors of its tyrosine kinase activity. Yet, novel therapies are needed that prevent HER2 dimerization with other HER family members, because current treatments are only partially effective.

METHODS
To test the hypothesis that HER2 activation requires a protein sequence in the HER2-ECD that mediates HER2 homo- and heterodimerization, we introduced a series of deletion mutations in the third subdomain of HER2-ECD. These deletion mutants were retrovirally expressed in breast cancer (BC) cells that naturally overexpress HER2 and in noncancerous, HER2-negative breast epithelial cells. One-factor analysis of variance or Student's t test were used to analyze differences. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS
The smallest deletion in the ECD domain of HER2, which removed only 16 amino acids (HER2-ECDΔ451-466), completely disrupted the oncogenic potential of HER2. In contrast to wild-type HER2, the mutant-inhibited anchorage-independent growth (mean number of colonies: mutant, 70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 55 to 85; wild-type, 400, 95% CI = 320 to 480, P < .001) increased sensitivity to paclitaxel treatment in both transformed and nontransformed cells. Overexpression of HER2Δ451-466 efficiently inhibited activation of HER1, HER2, and HER3 in all cell lines tested.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings reveal that an essential "activating" sequence exists in the extracellular domain of HER2. Disruption of this sequence disables the HER2 dimerization loop, blocks subsequent activation of HER2-driven oncogenic signaling, and generates a dominant-negative form of HER2. Reagents specifically against this molecular activation switch may represent a novel targeted approach for the management of HER2-overexpressing carcinomas.


Human interference in estuaries has led to increasing problems of mud, such as hyper‐turbidity with adverse ecological effects and siltation of navigation channels and harbours. To deal with this mud sustainably, it is important to understand its long‐term effects on the morphology and dynamics of estuaries. The aim of this study is to understand how mud affects the morphological evolution of estuaries. We focus on the effects of fluvial mud supply on the spatial distribution of mudflats and on how this influences estuary width, depth, surface area and dynamics over time. Three physical experiments with self‐forming channels and shoals were conducted in a new flume type suitable for tidal experiments: the Metronome. In two of the experiments, we added nutshell grains as mud simulant, which is transported in suspension. Time‐lapse images of every tidal cycle and digital elevation models for every 500 cycles were analysed for the three experiments. Mud settles in distinct locations, forming mudflats on bars and sides of the estuary, where the bed elevation is higher. Two important effects of mud were observed: the first is the slight cohesiveness of mud that causes stability on bars limiting vertical erosion, although the bank erosion rate by migrating channels is unaffected. Secondly, mud fills inactive areas and deposits at higher elevations up to the high‐water level and therefore decreases the tidal prism. These combined effects cause a decrease in dynamics in the estuary and lead to near‐equilibrium planforms that are smaller in volume and especially narrower upstream, with increased bar heights and no channel deepening. This trend is in contrast to channel deepening in rivers by muddier floodplain formation. These results imply large consequences for long‐term morphodynamics in estuaries that become muddier due to management practices, which deteriorate ecological quality of intertidal habitats but may create potential area for marshes. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.


Fish assemblage was examined for patterns in spatial and seasonal structure within an estuarine coastal lagoon, Ria de Aveiro. Two years of variation in abiotic conditions were recorded to identify factors responsible for maintaining the structure of fish assemblages. Nine sites were sampled monthly with a traditional "chincha" beach-seine net between November 1998 and October 2000. Fish abundance and biomass changed significantly between sites. Temperature was found to be the most important abiotic factor affecting the abundance (number of fish) distribution of fish assemblage, which is more related to seasonal migrations than to spatial migrations. Salinity was the most important abiotic factor affecting the fish biomass, with temperature also having a major influence. The other abiotic parameters analysed also showed some influence on the distribution of fish, although, isolated from the other controlled and/or uncontrolled factors, they could not fully explain all the differences between assemblages. Feeding analysis indicates that fish assemblage is mostly dependent on small benthic and pelagic crustaceans and/or detritus, although they can feed opportunistically on other prey. The low spatial segregation of fish in relation to feeding preference indicates that, in a food-rich lagoon such as Ria de Aveiro, the environmental-biological interactions appear to have a greater effect on fish distribution than do biological interactions.


Leadership requires making decisions and implementing the results by influencing those being lead. The Personal Access to Leadership project, PAL, is constructing tools to assist leaders in creative ways and assisting the development of leaders. The tools are knowledge-based systems employing shallow understanding of the domain. The approaches used provide guidance, but do not generate solutions. One aspect that continues under exploration in PAL is the use of stories for training and guiding leaders. In order to make such support systems work, a representation is needed to enable locating useful stories related to the task of a leader. This article defines a model for story representation for the PAL tools, called the PAL tool IdeaLab. The IdeaLab is the tool to which stories are being added, as a help system to support and extend the user's thinking.


Google Earth and Google Earth Voyager https://earth.google.com/web

In its corporate mission statement, Google promises to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."1 But what does it mean for information about architecture and history to be useful? There can be little doubt that students of both architecture and history find significant use value in simply having access to a comprehensive database of satellite and aerial photography of most of the earth's built environment, and in having available a corpus of precisely geolocated photographs and photographically rendered digital models of buildings and sites. Furthermore, the utility of introducing historical imagery such as maps and photographs into the same database, enabling the visual comparison of contemporary and past images and the assessment of changes over time, is obvious. All of this is precisely what the original Google Earth platform aimed to provide. A review in this journal almost a decade ago focused on that platform as cartography, and on the ways in which its aerial photographs operated as a database of pictorial evidence.2

Since that time, Google has consolidated its set of geographic tools—Earth, Maps, and Street View, all of which Google acquired in the early 2000s—into one platform: the new Google Earth. The original Earth application promised fully navigable, low-altitude, three-dimensional simulated photographic views of cities and buildings, while Street View added the possibility of remotely viewing full-surround photographic imagery generated from station points on public streets around the world. Operating together, these platforms promised a frictionless freedom of movement and exploration, a kind of universal accessibility unimpeded by travel distances, time differences, and local customs.

Several features distinguish the new Google Earth from its predecessors. Where Maps and Street View were browser based, the original Earth was a desktop application requiring a fairly powerful computer. The new version of Earth has been …


This study investigates mode switching from spark ignited operation with early intake valve closing to residual gas enhanced HCCI using negative valve overlap on a port-fuel injected light-duty diesel engine. A mode switch is demonstrated at 3.5 bar IMEPnet and 1500 rpm. Valve timings and fuel amount have to be selected carefully prior to the mode switch. During mode transition, IMEPnet deviates by up to 0.5 bar from the set point. The time required to return to the set point as well as the transient behavior of the engine load varies depending on which control structure that is used. Both a model-based controller and a PI control approach were implemented and evaluated in experiments. The controllers were active in HCCI mode. The model-based controller achieved a smoother transition and while using it, the transition could be accomplished within three engine cycles. The initial deviation in load is unacceptable but can most likely be improved with a predictive mode transition model compared to empirically selected mode transition parameters. Changing the fuel injection method to direct injection instead of port injection is another possible improvement. (Less)


This dissertation investigates the specificities of the Lebanese Dabkeh through its enactment by city folk dancers and within a young Non Governmental Organization in Beirut, Lebanon. By examining the mutable structure of the dance and the space it opens for individual agency's interaction, as displayed in the field, this paper suggests that Lebanese Dabkeh enables constant novelty and change. By looking at the Lebanese social agents' historical construction, the study asserts that the long-standing social diversity of the geographical area, frequent travels and the hospitable reception of multiple "others" have formulated cosmopolitan social actors that values fusion, change and exchange. The project of homogeneity and authenticity brought by the Nation State project did not succeed in Lebanon, due to the loose structure of the state, and motivated enactment of Lebanese artists, who succeeded in maintaining and reinforcing the "mix and match" tendency and strengthening the hybridity of the dance rather than purifying it. A further look at Marhabtain's contemporary Dabkeh performance Women under the line reaffirms our statement of "hybridity" is embedded in Dabkeh tradition. This dissertation attempts to critically examine Marhabtain's safeguarding endeavours in relation to the sociopolitical environment of the practice, and proposes to protect the cosmopolitan character of the dance rather than creating a fixed "traditional" form.


As interest grows in applying machine learning force-fields and methods to molecular simulation, there is a need for
state-of-the-art inference methods to use trained models within efficient molecular simulation engines. We have designed and implemented software that enables integration of a scalable GPU-accelerated molecular mechanics engine,
HOOMD-blue, with the machine learning (ML) TensorFlow package. TensorFlow is a GPU-accelerated, scalable,
graph-based tensor computation model building package that has been the implementation of many recent innovations
in deep learning and other ML tasks. TensorFlow models are constructed in Python and can be visualized or debugged
using the rich set of tools implemented in the TensorFlow package. In this article, we present four major examples of
tasks this software can accomplish which would normally require multiple different tools: (1) we train a neural network
to reproduce a force field of a Lennard-Jones simulation; (2) we perform online force matching of methanol; (3) we
compute the maximum entropy bias of a Lennard-Jones collective variable; (4) we calculate the scattering profile of
an ongoing TIP4P water molecular dynamics simulation. This work should accelerate both the design of new neural network based models in computational chemistry research and reproducible model specification by leveraging a
widely-used ML package.


OBJECTIVE
In a previous study, the authors demonstrated an association between prenatal famine in middle to late gestation and major affective disorders requiring hospitalization. In this study, they sought to examine the association by using newly identified cases from the Dutch birth cohort used previously to examine the gender specificity of the association and to assess whether this relation is present for both unipolar and bipolar affective disorders.

METHOD
The authors compared the risk of major affective disorder requiring hospitalization in birth cohorts who were and were not exposed, in each trimester of gestation, to famine during the Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944-1945. These cases of major affective disorder requiring hospitalization were newly ascertained from a national psychiatric registry. A larger data set from this registry was used for analysis by gender and diagnostic subtype.

RESULTS
For the newly ascertained cases, the risk of developing major affective disorder requiring hospitalization was increased for subjects with exposure to famine in the second trimester and was increased significantly for subjects with exposure in the third trimester, relative to unexposed subjects. For the cases from the entire period of ascertainment, the risk of developing affective disorder was significantly increased for those exposed to famine during the second and the third trimesters of gestation. The effects were demonstrated for men and women and for unipolar and bipolar affective disorders.

CONCLUSIONS
These results provide support for the authors' previous findings on the association between middle to late gestational famine and affective disorder.


Foreign exchange turnover in Asian currencies grew faster than the global total between 2001 and 2004. Renminbi trading rose particularly strongly. Evolving expectations about the renminbi seem to be joining the dollar/yen spot rate in exerting an influence on Asian foreign exchange markets. Asian currencies with more flexible exchange rates appear to be trading with an effective exchange rate orientation.


Background: Questionnaire studies have reported associations between indoor moulds and dampness, asthma and rhinitis. We investigated if levels of fungal DNA in dwellings were associated with nasal patency, tear film stability, and levels of exhaled NO. Methods: Totally 49 adults from 42 homes, randomly selected from a larger population survey in the city of Lund, Scania, Sweden. Exhaled NO was measured by NIOX MINO (50 ml/min). Nasal patency was measured by acoustic rhinometry. Tear film break up time (BUT) was monitored as a sign of eye irritation. FeNO was log-transformed and associations were analysed by multiple linear regression, adjusting for age, gender, pollen/furry pet allergy and smoking. Fungal DNA in airborne settled dust was measured in the living room for one weekby Petri dish method and levels of five fungal DNA-sequences were analysed by QPCR. Results: Three types of fungal DNA was commonly found in the homes. Exhaled NO was higher at higher concentrations of total fungal DNA (p=0.04). Mean cross-sectional area in the front part of the nasal cavity was decreased at higher levels of Aspergillus/Penicillium DNA (p=0.05), and posterior cross-sectional area was decreased at higher levels of Aspergillus versilcolor DNA (p=0.05). No associations were found between BUT and fungal DNA. Conclusion: Fungal DNA in settled dust in random selected ordinary homes can be a risk factor for nasal inflammation, measured as decreased nasal patency, and lower airway inflammation measured as exhaled NO.


Two published versions of a letter in which Oliver Wendell Holmes, MD, recommended the name anaesthesia were identified from publications supportive of the claims of W. T. G. Morton. The earliest known publication of Holmes' letter is in a pamphlet published by Edward Warren in May-June 1847. Another version of the letter was published 12 years later in Nathan P. Rice's biography of Morton. Holmes' letter to Morton was probably lost when a substantial part of a collection of Morton's papers was damaged during storage. There are no reported copies of Holmes's letter. The currently available information does not provide any assistance in determining the correct form of Holmes's letter.


Abstract. Snow avalanches break, uproot and overturn trees causing damage to forests. The extent of forest damage provides useful information on avalanche frequency and intensity. However, impact forces depend on avalanche flow regime. In this paper, we define avalanche loading cases representing four different avalanche flow regimes: powder, intermittent, dry and wet. Using a numerical model that simulates both powder and wet snow avalanches, we study documented events with forest damage. First we show that in the powder regime, although the applied impact pressures can be small, large bending moments in the tree stem can be produced due to the torque action of the blast. The impact area of the blast extends over the entire tree crown. We find that, powder clouds with velocities over 20 m s-1 can break tree stems. Second we demonstrate that intermittent granular loadings are equivalent to low-density uniform dry snow loadings under the assumption of homogeneous particle distributions. The intermittent regime seldom controls tree breakage. Third we calculate quasi-static pressures of wet snow avalanches and show that they can be much higher than pressures calculated using dynamic pressure formulas. Wet snow pressure depends both on avalanche volume and terrain features upstream of the tree.


This article presents some the issues that arise in the context of restructuring a project finance transaction. The Dabhol Power Project, one of the largest independent power projects being implemented in India, is used for illustration. The issues faced by this project are a reflection of what ails the Indian electricity sector: low tariff collection, high subsidies, high transmission losses, poor transmission and distribution infrastructure, and political unwillingness to undertake measures necessary to reform the electricity distribution regime. The article concludes by outlining a possible option for restructuring the project.


Management of the white root disease in Indonesia and other tropical regions has been developed without any knowledge of population of the causal fungus. We determined 33 mycelial compatibility groups (MCGs) out of 62 isolates collected from 11 plant species in South Sumatra and Bangka Island. Mycelial incompatibility in R. microporus is characterized by formation of demarcation line and/or sparse aerial mycelial growth along the zone of interaction of genetically different mycelia. Failure to anastomosis between incompatible mycelia induced abnormal, spiral-like of hyphal growth. Most of isolates colonizing the stumps were somatically compatible with isolates from either a nearby stump or living trees, which suggested the evidence of stump-to-tree or stump-to-stump clonal growth of the fungus. Each study site was occupied by at least one MCG which indicated that local population of R. microporus consists of different genotypes (genetic individual) which spread clonally to form patches of mycelial networks. A territorial clone covered large area (up to 52 m across) that encompassed both old trees (Hevea brasiliensis, Artocarpus integra and Arenga pinata) and recent non-woody plants (Languas galangal and Musa paradisiaca). All of isolates occurring on different location have different MCG. This indicated that no evidence of clonal (vegetative) spread between separate locations. Most of isolates of R. microporus were strongly pathogenic on rubber seedlings. These isolates belonged to different MCG and showed strongly laccase activity as compared to the less pathogenic isolates.


We examined pathways to activism, focusing on the narratives of women's rights activists who grew up in different places and times, using interview transcripts from the Global Feminisms Project archive. The findings reveal that experiencing a socially or personally disruptive event (e.g., a war or loss of a daughter due to domestic violence, respectively) facilitated activism at different stages of life in unique ways; and there were specific catalysts for activism for each stage. Those who grew up under oppressive regimes thought activism was the most "natural" response to what was going on sociopolitically; for them, feelings of freedom and strength were the catalyst. Those who experienced a disruptive event in their adolescence viewed their activism as intertwined with their personal identity; for them, love, support and togetherness were the catalyst. Finally, those who experienced disruption in their adulthood viewed their activism not as identity, but simply as action. They made sense of these actions by tracing the continuity in their lives; and for them, small political acts and accomplishments were the catalyst. The relationship between politicized identity and personal identity, as well as the bidirectional relationship between activist involvement and politicized identity is discussed in light of these findings.


This thesis is based on a fieldwork consisting of sixteen in-depth interviews with mothers having children younger than seven years old and a discourse analysis of comments and posts on a mother blog. It analyzes following questions: Do the motivations and practices of mothers for feeding their children organic differ from each other?, why and how?; is it considered primarily as the duty of mothers and why?; is organic nurturing of a child a distinctive practice?; do varied forms of organic food experiences in the urban space contribute to the symbolic boundaries within these mothers? Research findings indicate that there are multiple discourses which circulate and constitute the basis of concerns and motivations of mothers for feeding their children organic. The study also reveals that mothers contribute to these discourses not only and simply by reproducing them but also negotiating, transforming and reshaping them as active agents through their own practices in which their own economic and cultural capital, and their social positioning play an important role. It explores their impact on the diversification of perspectives and experiences of organic feeding, and thus points out that these practices are not only gendered but also classed and distinctive. Also, the research elaborates the symbolic boundaries that these practices strengthen, not only by drawing attention to the socio-economic boundaries but also the moral boundaries that organic feeding experiences highlight. Finally, through this case, it demonstrates how managing food security for children becomes a technique of neoliberal governmentality for mothers as a privatized responsibility. It examines how the ideals of selfconscious and sensitive mothers intersect with the organic food and risk discourses, and how intense mothering performances and the affective burden of these ideals are experienced by women.


Researchers have mostly focused on U.S. historical data to develop the 4 percent withdrawal rate rule. This rule suggests that retirees can safely sustain retirement withdrawals without outliving their wealth for at least 30 years, if they initially withdraw 4 percent of their savings and adjust this amount for inflation in subsequent years. But, the time period covered in these studies represents a particularly favorable one for U.S. asset returns that is unlikely to be broadly experienced. This poses a concern about whether safe withdrawal rate guidance from the U.S. can be applied to the situation in other countries. Particularly for emerging economies, defined-contribution pension plans have been introduced along with under-developed or non-existing annuity markets, making retirement withdrawal strategies an important concern. We study sustainable withdrawal rates for a sample of 25 emerging countries and find that the sustainability of a 4 percent withdrawal rate differs widely and can likely not be treated as safe. The results suggest, as well, high stock allocations in the portfolio mix are not the optimal choice for retirees in emerging market countries.


A theoretical and experimental analysis of the dominant forces measured in photoinduced force microscopy is presented. It is shown that when operated in the noncontact and soft-contact modes, the microscope is sensitive to the optically induced gradient force (Fg) and the scattering force (Fsc). The reconstructed force-distance curve reveals a tip-dependent scattering force in the 30–60 pN range. Whereas the scattering force is virtually insensitive to the nanoscopic tip-sample distance, the gradient force shows a z −4 dependence and is manifest only for tip-sample distances of a few nm. Measurements on glass, gold nanowires, and molecular clusters of silicon naphtalocyanine confirm that the gradient force is strongly dependent on the polarizability of the sample, enabling spectroscopic imaging through force detection. The nearly constant Fsc and the spatially dependent Fg give rise to a complex force-distance curve, which varies from point to point in the specimen and dictates the image contrast observed for a given set point of the cantilevered tip.


In this work, we study a model of the interaction of n species ( n >2 ) which involves cross-diffusion. The model generalizes the model introduced in 1979 by Shigesada, Kawasaki and Teramoto for two species (SKT). All species are assumed to exhibit a functional response of the same form similar to SKT model. By constructing a Lyapunov functional of the system subject to some conditions on the cross-diffusion matrix and the diffusion vector, we established the global stability of the constant equilibrium. A sufficient condition is also derived for the coexistence of a large number of interacting species. We also established the uniform W 2 1  estimate of the solution for the the generalised SKT model in the process of which the existence of global solution is proved. Particular cases of the model for two species are considered extensively in the literature. Most of these results are shown to follow as consequences of the general theory developed here.


Within an IT program, a key source of conflict has been the competition among project managers over scarce resources necessary for the completion of their own individual projects. To succeed in the overall implementation of their program, however, program managers must consider methods for effectively monitoring resources when designing projects. The shared cognition theory suggests that a shared understanding of tasks among all program members would serve as a solid foundation for the effective monitoring of resources. However, would a shared understanding alone be sufficient to achieve the needed level of resources monitoring among individual teams? Drawing from the social interdependence theory, we propose that goal interdependence is a critical condition for integrating multiple projects into a program. We argue that shared goal understanding leads to heightened levels of resources monitoring which in turn leads to greater efficiency in the implementation of the IT program. However, this relationship may be moderated by the goal interdependence among projects within the program. To empirically test the model, an instrument has been developed while data collection nears completion.


Background: Not only a long-term anti-estrogen therapy, but also estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer are generally prone to induce resistance, causing poor prognosis in clinic. Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) plays an important role in multidrug resistance. Here it is to elucidate the mechanism that a natural compound cryptotanshinone inhibits BCRP.Methods: HPLC was for analyzing the special compound concentration and molecular docking assay for the affinity of compound with protein. Non-reducing gradient gel electrophoresis and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy imaging were used to detect polymer and stain the membrane protein. Immunofluorescence staining, plasmids transfection, real-time PCR and western blot were also used.Results: Cryptotanshinone, an anti-estrogen compound was firstly found to inhibit breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) membrane dimerization to attenuate its transport function. And this process is dependent on estrogen receptor α (ERα) in breast cancer. Furthermore, the resistant breast cancer cells with high BCRP expression are also sensitive to cryptotanshinone because it can bind to BCRP and significantly inhibit membrane dimer of BCRP although they are ERα-negative, suggesting that BCRP expression is essential to cryptotanshinone reversing the resistance; Meanwhile, the combination of cryptotanshinone and chemotherapy drugs could obviously enhance the chemotherapeutic effect. Conclusion: Cryptotanshinone is a novel natural BCRP inhibitor via blocking the formation of BCRP membrane dimer by an ERα-dependent and -independent way. Cryptotanshinone reverses resistance dependent on BCRP in breast cancer.


The oral administration of Streptococcus salivarius K12 represents a valid solution for the prevention of pharyngitis or pharyngotonsillitis, of bacterial or viral origin, and/or acute otitis media. In particular, this could be an interesting alternative to antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with relapse or disease recurrence. In this regard, the studies published in the scientific literature are limited, and thus, it was of interest to provide a meta-analysis in order to analyze in more detail the results obtained in this research field. For the meta-analysis, clinical studies were selected, as identified through PubMed, which examined the relationship between the use of formulations based on Streptococcus salivarius K12 and the number of cases or episodes of pharyngitis or pharyngotonsillitis, of bacterial or viral origin, and acute otitis media in children and adults. The effect size (ES) was calculated according to Cohen using the fixed effects model (fixed effects). Seven studies met the predefined inclusion criteria and they were included in the meta-analysis. ES values equal to -1.40 [-1.67; -1.13] and -1.01 [-1.19; -0.83] were obtained for the effect of Streptococcus salivarius K12 on the prevention of pharyngitis and acute otitis media, respectively. Both values were translated into a "big effect" according to Cohen's scale. Treatment based on this strain is effective for both the prevention of pharyngitis and acute otitis media. In addition, it is further revealed that the strain is more effective in the prevention of pharyngitis. It is desirable that further clinical investigation continues to expand and update the meta-analysis work and to recommend the use of the strain as a useful prophylactic tool to reduce the events of pharyngotonsillitis and acute otitis media.


Mobile communication and the mobile Internet can provide important opportunities,
economic advantages for enterprises end organisations and support their more efficient
operating as they can be used anytime and anywhere. We can make their wide spread
use, innovative effects and advantages economical if we consider the effect system of
technologies and services. The technological, social and economical complex effect
system puts a pressure on the spreading of business applications. The types of
applicable equipment are increasing. The Internet technology and the Internet network
have become essential communication tools in business processes recently. Using the
Internet by means of mobile appliances increases the possibilities. By studying the
business process the expenses, advantages, disadvantages can well be seen. Nowadays
these applications are more and more successful in areas such as agriculture, different
parts of the food industry, extension services, precision agriculture and logistics. It can
be stated that the international and the Hungarian development tendencies of the mobile
Internet, the RTD Programmes of EU help the wide-spread use of mobile services. The
rapid development of the Hungarian domestic mobile market over the last years is the
basis for the wide spread use of new broadband mobile services and applications. This
system can contribute to the development of agriculture, enterprises and rural areas and
can support production, commerce, services and product tracing. But for successful
applications we have to consider the impact factors.


Abstract Proximal phalanges recovered from Oligocene sediments of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt, are attributed to the anthropoids Aegyptopithecus and Apidium . A multivariate discriminant function analysis using phalangeal shape indices proved reliable for distinguishing between manual and pedal proximal phalanges of extant primates, and these data can be applied to classify phalanges of fossil primates. Manual and pedal phalanges of Aegyptopithecus show features clearly related to a quadrupedal arboreal lifestyle involving frequent and powerful digital flexion: plantar tubercles are prominent, the flexor sheath ridges are well developed, shaft height increases proximally, shaft cortices are thickest in their distal halves, and the phalanges display strong dorsoventral curvature. Proximal phalanges of Aegyptopithecus resemble those of extant Alouatta , and to a lesser extent those of colobine primates, in these respects. These fossil phalangeal specimens resemble quadrupedal cercopithecids in having large palmar and plantar tubercles, flaring basal apophyses, robust shafts, and dorsally extended and proximodorsally tilted metacarpal and metatarsal facets. Manual and pedal phalanges of Apidium have straight, robust shafts with cortices of equal thickness throughout, relatively dorsoventrally compressed condyles, weak flexor ridges, and a flared base for insertion of the collateral ligaments and interosseous musculature. These features suggest a locomotor repertoire for Apidium that is well suited for stable digital extension during quadrupedal running on horizontal substrates with little emphasis on grasping capabilities. These features compare most favourably with those of the phalanges of extant Saimiri .


This thesis presents a new algorithm for material boundary interface reconstruction from data sets containing volume fractions. The reconstruction problem is transformed to a problem that analyzes the dual data set, where each vertex in the dual mesh has an associated barycentric coordinate tuple that represents the fraction of each material present. After constructing the dual tetrahedral mesh from the original mesh, material boundaries are constructed by mapping a tetrahedron into barycentric space and calculating the intersections with Voronoi cells in barycentric space. These intersections are mapped back to the original physical space and triangulated to form the boundary surface approximation. This algorithm can be applied to any grid structure and can treat any number of materials per element/vertex. It is a generalization of previous work done in other fields, allowing for any number of materials to be present in a given volume. This algorithm generates continuous surfaces. Experimental results shows the preservation of overall volume fractions within a difference range of 0.5


This study examined effects of precommercial thinning (PCT) on annual radial growth (ring width) and wood density in balsam fir [ Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.]. In addition, the responses to PCT were measured and compared at several stem heights (0.2 m, 0.7 m, 1.3 m, 3 m, 5 m, 7 m, 9 m). Fifty-four trees were collected from plots subjected to moderate thinning (nominal stand density of 2,150 stems/ha), and light thinning (nominal stand density of 4,200 stems/ha), and from control plots. Ring width and wood density of individual rings were measured by X-ray densitometry. Our results show that in balsam fir the annual radial growth rate showed a positive response to PCT, especially in the low part of the stem (up to 5 m high), and this response lasted for 7 years. To achieve a significant increase in annual diameter growth in this species, however, a moderate thinning intensity is needed. This study also revealed that the response of annual radial growth to PCT was limited primarily to the earlywood width, whereas the latewood width showed little response. As a result, the latewood percentage was affected by the moderate thinning. The light thinning and the control plots, however, had a comparable earlywood width and latewood percentage. Both earlywood density and latewood density showed little response to PCT. However, the wood density of growth rings tended to decrease following the moderate thinning, due to a decreased latewood percentage. In addition, the moderate thinning might somehow reduce the intra-ring variation in wood density and thus produce more uniform wood. This study also revealed that the responses to thinning in this species tended to weaken appreciably with increasing stem height. The remarkable responses were observed in the low part of the stem (up to 5 m high), whereas little response was found at the upper part of the stem. As a result, an increased stem taper may result from PCT in balsam fir.


The pathophysiology of impaired exercise tolerance in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is not completely understood. The objective of this study was to compare exercise ability (at clinical and cellular levels) and resting energy expenditure in female athletes with CF compared with matched control subjects. Sixteen subjects and matched control subjects participated in the study. The girls with CF not only had a significantly greater resting energy expenditure (7.6% higher; p<0.05), their habitual daily activity was also significantly greater than that of control subjects (15% greater; p<0.01). Peak aerobic capacity was similar in both groups. However, peak anaerobic power was 20% less (p<0.05) in girls with CF. The 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies demonstrated that there were no differences between the groups at rest, but at 25% total work output the girls with CF were less acidotic (CF, pH 6.99 [0.06]; control subjects, 6.90 [0.05]) and had a significantly lower inorganic phosphorus-to-phosphocreatine ratio (CF, 0.34 [0.07]; control subjects, 0.41 [0.08]). These differences continued to increase to maximal exercise. This study demonstrates that in spite of normal lung function and good nutritional status, females athletes with CF still had significant deficiencies in some measures of fitness and muscle metabolism compared with healthy athletes.


Summary Ground compaction zone develops under action of structure foundation. Boundaries of it could be limited by a distance at which pressure from structure action is equal to structural strength of the soil. The structural strength of soil can be expressed by the parameters of shear resistance—the cohesion and the angle of the internal friction. These parameters are obtained by the experiment and corresponded to the strength at the beginning of the soil movement The ground compaction zone of structure will be at a depth, where the values of additional pressure is equal to the value of the structural strength of soil. Using the theory of soil limits the formula for the calculation of the structural strength state could be obtained: where c—soil cohesion; Φ—the angle of the internal friction. Values c and Φ are obtained experimentally. They corresponds to the strength when shear movement starts.


A marriage between the English Prince and the Spanish Infanta was deemed desirable following the signing of the Anglo-Spanish peace treaty in London in 1604. After several years of tortuous negotiations, the match failed in 1624 and England declared war on Spain the following year. This thesis addresses the end of the Anglo-Spanish Match negotiations in the period 1617-1624 by placing reasons for its failure in the global context of European diplomacy and dynastic politics in the early seventeenth century. Traditional historiography has considered the failure of the marriage diplomacy as the inevitable consequence of religious differences and cultural misunderstandings between England and Spain. Consequently, scholars have only looked within Europe when investigating the end of the union. My research, however, depicts a more composite picture not only by expanding the geographical boundaries of the investigation but also by demonstrating the extent to which new imperial rivalries played a much greater role in the marriage diplomacy than has previously been recognised. In the first chapter, I discuss the notion of reason of state in the relationship between England and Spain at the beginning of the seventeenth century and I investigate the way in which the choice politically and/or economically most favourable was often taken regardless of religious considerations and increasingly in response to extra-European concerns. The body of the thesis is then dedicated to a few episodes when the imperial rivalry between England and the Iberian Peninsula influenced the end of the negotiations. In the second chapter, I look at Walter Raleigh's second expedition to Guyana and the actions of the Spanish ambassador in London, Count of Gondomar, who asked that Raleigh should receive an exemplary punishment in order to maintain the marriage agreement after the English explorer had attacked Spanish settlements. In the following chapter, I move towards the East and analyse the taking of the Portuguese port of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf by the English East India Company in 1622. In doing so, I outline the complex dynamics underlying the union of the Iberian crowns (1580-1640) as well as the specific repercussions of this episode on the Infanta's dowry to be given by Spain to England. The fourth chapter introduces a further key player in both European diplomacy and the imperial rivalry between Spain and England, which is to say the Dutch. By looking at the 'massacre' at Amboyna in 1623, I prove that the rivalry with the Dutch in the Spice Islands, and especially the executions at Amboyna, initially pushed King James to pursue the marriage alliance with the Spanish Habsburgs with even greater commitment. In the last chapter, I look back at Europe to discuss how the two composite monarchies reacted to the arrival at their respective courts of the news of recent episodes of conflict in the West and East Indies. This concluding chapter argues that the awareness in Madrid and London of what had happened in the Indies put additional burdens onto the already deteriorating marriage negotiations and fundamentally contributed to their failure. Thus, the thesis sheds light on a well-known episode of Anglo-Spanish relations by observing it through a new lens. As a result, I improve our traditional understanding of the end of Anglo-Spanish Match as well as of global connectedness in the early seventeenth century.


Molecular phylogenies have been used to study the diversification of many clades. However, current methods for inferring diversification dynamics from molecular phylogenies ignore the possibility that clades may be decreasing in diversity, despite the fact that the fossil record shows this to be the case for many groups. Here we investigate the molecular phylogenetic signature of decreasing diversity using the most widely used statistic for inferring diversity dynamics from molecular phylogenies, the γ statistic. We show that if a clade is in decline its molecular phylogeny may show evidence of the decrease in the diversification rate that occurred between its diversification and decline phases. The ability to detect the change in diversification rate depends largely on the ratio of the speciation rates of the diversification and decline phases, the higher the ratio the stronger the signal of the change in diversification rate. Consequently, molecular phylogenies of clades in relative rapid decline do not carry a signature of their decreasing diversification. Further, the signal of the change in diversification rate, if present, declines as the diversity drop. Unfortunately, the molecular signature of clades in decline is the same as the signature produced by diversity dependent diversification. Given this similarity, and the inability of current methods to detect declining diversity, it is likely that some of the extant clades that show a decrease in diversification rate, currently interpreted as evidence for diversity dependent diversification, are in fact in decline. Unless methods can be developed that can discriminate between the different modes of diversification, specifically diversity dependent diversification and declining diversity, we will need the fossil record, or data from some other source, to distinguish between these very different diversity trajectories.


This work considers the problem of scheduling actuators to minimize the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) objective. In general, this problem is NP-hard and its solution can therefore only be approximated even for moderately large systems. Although convex relaxations have been used to obtain these approximations, they do not come with performance guarantees. Another common approach is to use greedy search. Still, classical guarantees do not hold for the scheduling problem because the LQR cost function is neither submodular nor supermodular. Though surrogate supermodular figures of merit, such as the log det of the controllability Gramian, are often used as a workaround, the resulting problem is not equivalent to the original LQR one. This work shows that no change to the original problem is needed to obtain performance guarantees. Specifically, it proves that the LQR cost function is approximately supermodular and provides new near-optimality certificates for the greedy minimization of these functions over a generic matroid. These certificates are shown to approach the classical 1/2 guarantee of supermodular functions in relevant application scenarios.


with manufacturing in the US, Canada and abroad had a problem, which was not unique to them. Their manufacturing process engineers could not reliably verify that their pouch packages were sealed properly and the product could potentially ship with questionable packaging which failed stability testing. They were using the dye ingress testing method, and found it was not only slow and operator dependent (not reliable), causing false accepts. The Dye Ingress test method was also very messy and involved destroying the packages tested, which become costly if done in few hundreds per day.


Approximation properties of a class of artificial neural networks are established. It is shown that feedforward networks with one layer of sigmoidal nonlinearities achieve integrated squared error of order O(1/n), where n is the number of nodes. The approximated function is assumed to have a bound on the first moment of the magnitude distribution of the Fourier transform. The nonlinear parameters associated with the sigmoidal nodes, as well as the parameters of linear combination, are adjusted in the approximation. In contrast, it is shown that for series expansions with n terms, in which only the parameters of linear combination are adjusted, the integrated squared approximation error cannot be made smaller than order 1/n/sup 2/d/ uniformly for functions satisfying the same smoothness assumption, where d is the dimension of the input to the function. For the class of functions examined, the approximation rate and the parsimony of the parameterization of the networks are shown to be advantageous in high-dimensional settings. >


Among all cardiovascular diseases, congestive heart failure (CHF) has a very high rate of hospitalization and mortality. In order to prevent hospitalization, there is a strong need to identify patients at risk of a CHF event by estimating a set of relevant hemodynamic parameters that will allow physicians to detect its early onset. Today, one of the most popular non-invasive methods to obtain these parameters is through the acquisition of electrocardiogram (ECG) and impedance cardiogram (ICG) by using large hospital systems with electrodes placed on the chest and thorax region. In order to be useful in an ambulatory setting, it is important to obtain an ultra-low power wearable system for acquiring the ICG and ECG, and to detect CHF. In this paper, we present a touch-based ultra-low power device for real-time ICG and ECG signal acquisition, and hemodynamic parameters estimation. We also propose methods for noise cancellation and for calculating the hemodynamic parameters. In addition, a comparative evaluation of susceptibility to different measuring positions is presented. Our proposed design is highly correlated with traditional systems (> 80%), but able to work with very low power budgets, thus allowing long duration of operation of over four days on a single battery charge.


Abstract The bread quality is considerably dependent on the texture characteristic of bread crumb. Crumb texture is an important quality indicator, as consumer prefer different bread taste. Texture analysis is primarily concerned with the evaluation of mechanical characteristics where a material is subjected to a controlled force from which a deformation curve of its response is generated. It is an objective physical examination of baked products and gives direct information on the product quality, oppositely to dough rheology tests what inform on the baking suitability of the flour, as raw material. This is why the texture analysis is one of the most helpful analytical methods of the product development. In the framework of our research during the years 2008 – 2009 were analyzed selected indicators for bread texture quality of five Triticum spelta L. varieties – Altgold, Oberkulmer Rotkorn, Ostro, Rubiota and Franckenkorn grown in an ecological system. The bread texture quality was evaluated on texture analyzer TA.XT Plus (Stable Micro Systems, Surrey, UK), following the AACC (74-09) standard method and expressed as crumb firmness (N), stiffness (N.mm-1) and relative elasticity (%). Our research proved that all selected indicators were significantly influenced by the year of growing and variety. The most soft bread was achieved in Rubiota, whereas bread crumb samples from Franckenkorn and Altgold were the most firm and stiff. Correlation analysis showed strong negative correlation between relative elasticity and bread crumb firmness as well as bread stiffness (-0.81++, -0.78++). The spelt grain can be a good source for making bread flour, but is closely dependent on choice of spelt variety. The spelt wheat bread crumb texture need further investigation as it can be a reliable quality parameter.


Unnatural alanine derivatives bearing a benzoxazole moiety at the side chain, acting simultaneously as the coordinating and reporting unit, via fluorescence changes, were synthesised with a furan ring at position 2, substituted with different (hetero)aryl substituents, in order to tune the photophysical and chemosensory properties of the resulting compounds. The amino acid derivatives were prepared in protected form at their N- and C-termini with tert-butoxycarbonyl urethane and methyl ester protecting groups, respectively. The novel furyl-benzoxazol-5-yl-L-alanines were evaluated for the first time in the recognition of several transition metal cations with environmental, medicinal and analytical interest such as Co2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+, in acetonitrile solution. The spectrofluorimetric titrations showed that the novel benzoxazolyl-alanines 3a–g were sensitive, although not selective, fluorimetric chemosensors for the above mentioned cations, with the best result being obtained for N,N-diethylamino substituted alanine 3d in the sensing of Cu2+. The heterocyclic system at the side chain was identified as the key factor in the recognition event of the metal cations, through its electron donor atoms. The encouraging photophysical and metal ion sensing properties of these furyl-benzoxazolyl-alanines suggest that they can be used to obtain bioinspired fluorescent reporters for metal ions such as peptides/proteins with chemosensory/probing abilities.


This article clarifies that methodological choices can be made independently for two steps in the construction of alternative equity index strategies: the constituent selection and choice of a diversification-based weighting scheme. By flexibly combining the different possible choices for these steps, the authors create a large variety of strategies and test their performance and risk results. The results suggest that diversification approaches may be a superior alternative, or at least a very important complement, to pure stock selection approaches when it comes to reaching a risk–return objective. Moreover, even though some argue that the risk and performance of diversification-based weighting schemes are solely driven by factor tilts, the authors show how straightforward it is to correct such tilts through the selection of stocks with appropriate characteristics while maintaining the improvement in achieving a risk–return objective that is due to the respective diversification approaches.


Objective To examine the association between sickness absence and mortality compared with associations between established health indicators and mortality. Design Prospective cohort study. Medical examination and questionnaire survey conducted in 1985-8; sickness absence records covered the period 1985-98. Setting 20 civil service departments in London. Participants 6895 male and 3413 female civil servants aged 35-55 years. Main outcome measure All cause mortality until the end of 1999. Results After adjustment for age and grade, men and women who had more than five medically certified absences (spells > 7 days) per 10 years had a mortality 4.8 (95% confidence interval 3.3 to 6.9) and 2.7 (1.5 to 4.9) times greater than those with no such absence. Poor self rated health, presence of longstanding illness, and a measure of common clinical conditions comprising diabetes, diagnosed heart disease, abnormalities on electrocardiogram, hypertension, and respiratory illness were all associated with mortality—relative rates between 1.3 and 1.9. In a multivariate model including all the above health indicators and additional health risk factors, medically certified sickness absence remained a significant predictor of mortality. No linear association existed between self certified absence (spells 1-7 days) and mortality, but the findings suggest that a small amount of self certified absence is protective. Conclusion Evidence linking sickness absence to mortality indicates that routinely collected sickness absence data could be used as a global measure of health differentials between employees. However, such approaches should focus on medically certified (or long term) absences rather than self certified absences.


With staffs that are collectively larger than the Russian army and combined revenues of over $130 billion a year, the Big Four accounting firms—Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG—are a keystone of global commerce. But leading scholar Ian Gow and award-winning author Stuart Kells warn that a house of cards may be about to fall.

 Stretching back to the Medicis in Renaissance Florence, this book is a fascinating story of wealth, power, and luck. The founders of the Big Four lived surprisingly colorful lives. Samuel Price, for example, married his own niece. Between the world wars, Nicholas Waterhouse collected postage stamps while also hosting decadent parties in his fashionable London home.

 All four firms have endured major calamities in recent decades. There have been hundreds of court cases and legal prosecutions for failed audits, tax scandals, and breaches of independence. The firms have come so close to "extinction level events" that regulators have required them to prepare "living wills." And today, the Big Four face an uncertain future—thanks to their push into China, their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition, and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency.

 This account of the past, present, and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working or considering working in the industry, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.


A very intriguing question in Open Source software (OSS) development is: why there are only a few open source projects succeed, while the majority of projects never do. In this research, we examine the factors that may influence the performance of OSS projects. We particularly focus on the OSS's core developers' role in the project's success. Extant research has yet to distinguish core developers and non-core developers from the community at large. The different roles of the core developers and non-core developers in OSS projects' success still remain unclear. Our research contributes to the literature by separating the core developers from the development forces in general and empirically examining the core developers' importance. Drawing the evidences from our extensive dataset of 300 open source projects, we demonstrated that core developers' leadership and project advocation are crucial in determining the fate of the OSS projects. Our research could provide better understanding of OSS sustainability. It could also give practical advice to the OSS community on how to make the project successful.


A rapid and nondestructive method for measuring internal browning of apple was put forward based on FT-NIR spectroscopy and the relationship between NIR spectroscopy nondestructive measurement and internal browning was developed. The NIR spectroscopies were acquired from 512 apples. Cluster analysis algorithm based on Euclidean distance was applied to selection of representative samples. The multivariable analysis concluding partial least squares (PLS) and multiple linear regression (MLR) were applied to build the regression models. The excellent model with high R2 (0.871) was obtained by PLS based on 3 wavelength ranges (950–1440 nm, 1480–1890 nm, 1960–2300 nm) and with multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) pretreatment. These suggest the model of apple internal browning was reliable with good predict ability and can meet the requirement to quick determination of internal browning of apples.


OBJECTIVE
Many children who die are eligible for hospice enrollment but little is known about parental perceptions of the hospice experience, the benefits, and disappointments. The objective of this study was to explore parental perspectives of the hospice experience in children with cancer, and to explore how race/ethnicity impacts this experience.

STUDY DESIGN
We held 20 semistructured interviews with 34 caregivers of children who died of cancer and used hospice. Interviews were conducted in the caregivers' primary language: 12 in English and 8 in Spanish. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using accepted qualitative methods.

RESULTS
Both English and Spanish speakers described the importance of honest, direct communication by medical providers, and anxieties surrounding the expectation of the moment of death. Five English-speaking families returned to the hospital because of unsatisfactory symptom management and the need for additional supportive services. Alternatively, Spanish speakers commonly stressed the importance of being at home and did not focus on symptom management. Both groups invoked themes of caregiver appraisal, but English-speaking caregivers more commonly discussed themes of financial hardship and fear of insurance loss, while Spanish-speakers focused on difficulties of bedside caregiving and geographic separation from family.

CONCLUSIONS
The intense grief associated with the loss of a child creates shared experiences, but Spanish- and English-speaking parents describe their hospice experiences in different ways. Additional studies in pediatric hospice care are warranted to improve the care we provide to children at the end of life.


We developed a whole-circulation computational model by integrating a transmission line (TL) model describing vascular wave transmission into the established CircAdapt platform of whole-heart mechanics. In the present paper, we verify the numerical framework of our TL model by benchmark comparison to a previously validated pulse wave propagation (PWP) model. Additionally, we showcase the integrated CircAdapt–TL model, which now includes the heart as well as extensive arterial and venous trees with terminal impedances. We present CircAdapt–TL haemodynamics simulations of: 1) a systemic normotensive situation and 2) a systemic hypertensive situation. In the TL–PWP benchmark comparison we found good agreement regarding pressure and flow waveforms (relative errors ≤ 2.9% for pressure, and ≤ 5.6% for flow). CircAdapt–TL simulations reproduced the typically observed haemodynamic changes with hypertension, expressed by increases in mean and pulsatile blood pressures, and increased arterial pulse wave velocity. We observed a change in the timing of pressure augmentation (defined as a late-systolic boost in aortic pressure) from occurring after time of peak systolic pressure in the normotensive situation, to occurring prior to time of peak pressure in the hypertensive situation. The pressure augmentation could not be observed when the systemic circulation was lumped into a (non-linear) three-element windkessel model, instead of using our TL model. Wave intensity analysis at the carotid artery indicated earlier arrival of reflected waves with hypertension as compared to normotension, in good qualitative agreement with findings in patients. In conclusion, we successfully embedded a TL model as a vascular module into the CircAdapt platform. The integrated CircAdapt–TL model allows detailed studies on mechanistic studies on heart-vessel interaction.


The best predictor of achievement in college when cognitive and noncognitive variables were tested in two classes of freshmen nursing students (1975 and 1976) at Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was the Aptitude Test for Nursing. Cognitive variables significant in 1975 were mathematics Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and high school rank, while in 1976 arithmetic formulation entered into the regression equations as did the noncognitive variable of conformity. A discrepancy was found between 1975 and 1976 predictor variables of dropping out of nursing. For the 1975 freshman class, science grade point average and the support scale of the Gordon Survey of Interpersonal Values were the best predictors of dropping out of the nursing program; in the 1976 class, nursing GPA alone was the best predictor of dropping out. Although an intercorrelation was noted between science GPA and nursing GPA, the success of predicting dropping out of nursing in relationship to science GPA and nursing GPA appeared to be unstable.


The paper tried to make a connection between the lunar phases and the bovine conception rate both in dairy and beef farms. The goal of the study was to improve the efficiency of farming by sparing semen doses used for a successful insemination. 1481 pregnant cattle from seven different areas of Romania were the subject of this study. New moon and waxing crescent vs. full moon and waning crescent were associated with the insemination process. In one farm hormonal timing was used for inducing heats. In the others farmyards the oestrus was marked by spontaneous behaviour changing. The results confirmed a small influence of the lunar phases on the conception rate. The score was tight proportionally with the number of subjects. However the full moon offered a higher number of gestations than the new moon. The cows with hormonal timing heats offered a better connection between the lunar phase and fertility. Further studies could be done in this direction.


Adopting an interdisciplinary scope, this paper presents a review of research on blogs and blogging within the social sciences and the humanities. It maps out what kind of research has been completed, how it has been performed and what gaps that might need to be filled in this relatively new area of research. More specifically, the paper will analyze all articles on blogs and blogging published until 2009 and indexed by the ISI Web of Knowledge .


With the growing attention on learning-to-learn new tasks using only a few examples, meta-learning has been widely used in numerous problems such as few-shot classification, reinforcement learning, and domain generalization. However, metalearning models are prone to overfitting when there are no sufficient training tasks for the meta-learners to generalize. Although existing approaches such as Dropout are widely used to address the overfitting problem, these methods are typically designed for regularizing models of a single task in supervised training. In this paper, we introduce a simple yet effective method to alleviate the risk of overfitting for gradient-based meta-learning. Specifically, during the gradient-based adaptation stage, we randomly drop the gradient in the inner-loop optimization of each parameter in deep neural networks, such that the augmented gradients improve generalization to new tasks. We present a general form of the proposed gradient dropout regularization and show that this term can be sampled from either the Bernoulli or Gaussian distribution. To validate the proposed method, we conduct extensive experiments and analysis on numerous tasks, demonstrating that the gradient dropout regularization mitigates the overfitting problem and improves the performance upon various gradient-based meta-learning frameworks.


We assume a population of in nitely-lived households of the economy split into two groups : one with a high discount factor (the patient) and one with a low one (the impatient). The environmental quality is deteriorated by rm's polluting emissions. The governmen tal policy consists in proposing households to vote for a tax aimed at environmental maintenance. We study the voting equilibrium at steady states. The resulting equilibrium aintenance is the one of the median voter. We show that (i) an increase in total factor productivity may produce e ects described by the Environmental Kuznets Curve, (ii) an increase in the patience of impatient households may foster en- vironmental quality if the median voter is impatient and maintenance positive, (iii) a decrease in inequality among the patient households leads to an increase in environmental quality if the median voter is patient and maintenance is positive. We also show that, if the median income is lower than the mean, our model predict lower level of environmental quality than the representative agent model, and that increasing public debt decreases the level of environmental quality.


: Combined investigation of systemic and intracardiac hemodynamic parameters (radiocardiography and Fick's procedure, transvenous catheterization, and right-ventricular and pulmonary arterial blood pressure measurement) was carried out in 428 myocardial infarction patients admitted to hospital within the early hours after the attack; changes in necrotic area were monitored for 7 days (precordial ECG cartography and serial serum CPK assays). Computer-assisted combined data analysis made use of image identification techniques, the images being based on a general approximation algorithm and informative coefficient. The algorithm permitted a classification of patients' condition by left-ventricular insufficiency (a 77.4% reliability) and by the spread of necrotic area (a 72.5% reliability). The prognosis chart, constructed on the basis of comparison between actual hemodynamic values and their standard vectors, brought out optimum regimens for every parameter associated with the least risk of left-ventricular insufficiency and necrotic spread.


The present paper presents a typological investigation of whether languages make an animacy distinction in their independent nominal interrogative pronouns. The data comprises 24 languages and was taken mainly from grammatical descriptions. 3rd person pronouns and relative pronouns are included for comparison. The outcome of the survey is that the vast majority of the sample languages do make a 'who' vs. 'what' distinction. Constructions special to questions, in particular fronting and its possible implications for the question words, are discussed, as is the role of case marking on interrogative pronouns.


We present the results of the first stage of the Program for the Control of Intestinal Parasitosis and Nutrition, analyzing the frequency of anemia and its relation with intestinal parasitic infections and socio-cultural and environmental factors present in school children from a semirural community of Argentina. A total of 123 children aged 4-8 years were interviewed; 93 (75.6%) of them showed up for blood extraction and a fecal sample was taken properly. The frequency of anemia was 33.3%; 45.0% in children aged 4-5 years and 24.5% in those aged 6-8 years (p=0.038). Intestinal parasites were found in 83.9% of the children; 75.0% in children aged 4-5 years and 90.6% in those aged 6-8 years (p=0.043). No statistical differences were found when relating parasitic infections, social/cultural variables and housing characteristic with anemia, probably of nutritional origin. This study reveals the coexistence of anemia and parasitic infections in apparently healthy children who were unnoticed by the conventional public health system.