The aim of this article is to present arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and the associated cardiocutaneous syndromes, Naxos and Carvajal, with extension on the left ventricle and a new mutation of the desmoplakin gene. ARVC is an inherited cardiomyopathy characterized by myocyte necrosis, dominantly in the right ventricle. It is a significant cause of sudden death in children and adolescents. A thorough family history and modern diagnostic and treatment approach are prerequisites for prevention of sudden death syndrome. Diagnosis is more often established in adults than in children. Within ARVC there are two entity forms, referred to as the Naxos syndrome and the Carvajal syndrome. If ARVC also has palmoplantar keratoderma with distinctive hair features (woolly hair), it is described as Naxos syndrome, but if cardiomyopathy is spread over both ventricles, with even more severe changes on the left ventricle, the entity is referred to as Carvajal syndrome. Inheritance is autosomal recessive, and the mutation is in the desmoplakin gene. Genetic heterogeneity is less pronounced than in the Naxos syndrome. Typically, the disease mostly attacks the left ventricle. Conclusion – In order to prevent sudden cardiac death in children, it is important to recognize the special criteria for ARVC in children, published in 2010. These state the spectrum of phenotypic expressions with the primary changes to the right ventricle, but with the spread of cardiomyopathy to the left ventricle (Carvajal syndrome), and cardiocutaneous changes (Naxos syndrome).


Available estimates of biofuel-induced land use change (LUC) and corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions vary on a wide range while estimations obtained from each model are highly sensitive to certain assumptions and key parameter values. Available studies often suggest that biodiesel and ethanol and/or EU and US biofuels would lead to different LUC and GHG emissions but they don't agree on the type and/or the origin of the biofuel which would induce the least LUC and GHG emissions. In this paper we investigate the reasons behind this feature. We show that the Armington modeling of trade flows, which is currently used in models, contributes to this pattern. Using both observed data and the partial equilibrium model MATSIM-LUCA, we show that LUC stemming from the development of biofuels is highly dependent on assumptions made on trade: the Integrated World Market (IWM) approach, which relies on the homogenous product assumption, tends to erase differences in estimates of induced LUC from biodiesel and ethanol and from EU and US biofuels as compared to the Armington approach, that postulates that product are differentiated according to their origin and thus less substitutable.


The chemical grouting method presented in this paper can restore the position of a pipeline by precisely and rapidly reinforcing the failed pipeline foundation. The method can also improve the meandering and sagging conditions of a pipeline. A case study found that the method is an effective, rapid, and precise trenchless restoration technology for pipeline position restoration. Moreover, discussion results are presented of some patterns of injection tests that were conducted in the laboratory to determine the relationship between the types of grout material and the soil permeability. According to the experimental results, the grout is injected into the lower permeable soil primarily by fracture grouting. Additionally, numerical analysis was conducted by using finite-element analysis software, and the outcome showed that this numerical analysis can be used as an assessment method for predicting the vertical displacement of a pipeline after applying the chemical grouting pipeline position restoration method.


This paper presents a wirelessly powered implantable electrochemical sensor tag for continuous blood glucose monitoring. The system is remotely powered by a 13.56-MHz inductive link and utilizes an ISO 15693 radio frequency identification (RFID) standard for communication. This paper provides reliable and accurate measurement for changing glucose level. The sensor tag employs a long-term glucose sensor, a winding ferrite antenna, an RFID front-end, a potentiostat, a 10-bit sigma-delta analog to digital converter, an on-chip temperature sensor, and a digital baseband for protocol processing and control. A high-frequency external reader is used to power, command, and configure the sensor tag. The only off-chip support circuitry required is a tuned antenna and a glucose microsensor. The integrated chip fabricated in SMIC 0.13-μm CMOS process occupies an area of 1.2 mm × 2 mm and consumes 50 μW. The power sensitivity of the whole system is -4 dBm. The sensor tag achieves a measured glucose range of 0-30 mM with a sensitivity of 0.75 nA/mM.


Catalytic reaction active sites tend to be structural defects, such as edges, corners and ribs which have a low coordination number. Here, a kind of layered MnO2 (birnessite) with irregular surface pits was successfully synthesized and investigated for the catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde. The surface pits were generated by a series of chemical surface modifications. Tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) played a key role in generating surface pits, which entered the interlayer from the edge of acid-treated MnO2 and weakened the van der Waals force between interlayers. The steric effects of TBAOH lead to the generation of irregular surface pits. The presence of surface pits not only provided larger specific surface areas but also led to more unsaturated manganese and oxygen atoms, which promoted formaldehyde adsorption and oxygen activation. As a result, birnessite-type MnO2 with surface pits exhibited a lower apparent activation energy than the pristine one (37.6 versus 55.4 kJ mol−1) for 200 ppm of HCHO under a GHSV of 120 000 mL g−1 h−1 and ∼45% relative humidity. These findings open up a new way to generate surface pits on layered 2D materials, holding promise for designing highly efficient catalysts by creating active centers.


: Moraxella catarrhalis isolates (n = 413) were collected from 20 clinical laboratories in England and Scotland in 1991 and were examined for beta-lactamase production by isoelectric focusing. beta-Lactamases were found in 375 isolates of which, 349 (93.1%) had BRO-1 enzyme and 26 (6.9%) had BRO-2. Minor variation in electrofocusing pattern occurred within both enzyme types. Ampicillin MICs for BRO-1 producers were 25-fold higher than for non-producers, but those for BRO-2 producers were raised only four-fold. MICs of cefaclor, cefixime, loracarbef, co-amoxiclav and cefetamet generally were two- to four-fold higher for BRO-1 producers than for BRO-2 producers and enzyme non-producers. Similarly, the inhibition zones of discs containing cefaclor, cefixime, loracarbef or co-amoxiclav were smaller for BRO-1 producers than for non-producers. Amongst the compounds tested, cefetamet seemed the least affected by beta-lactamase production in both MIC and disc tests. Overall, these results indicate that BRO-1 enzyme predominates amongst M. catarrhalis isolates from the UK, as in other countries, and suggest that BRO-1 production gives slight protection against many of the newer oral beta-lactams as well as causing ampicillin resistance.


Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), a small wild cat of South America, showed in the last years a decline in population abundance mainly related to both habitat destruction and hunting. The increasing human population densities and the consequent demand for food and natural resources will rapidly erode and fragment its remaining habitats. In Argentina most studies about Geoffroy's cat diet have been conducted in protected areas or in their surroundings, while there are no studies conducted in purely agricultural systems. We described the diet composition of Leopardus geoffroyi and its seasonal variations in an agricultural ecosystem to contribute knowledge of its ecology and natural history. The study was carried out from spring 2008 to spring 2011. A total of 494 scats were analyzed and at least 695 prey-items were identified. The diet included 81.58% of mammal prey, representing 93.32% of the potential biomass ingested. Within mammals, the principal prey were rodents, representing 79.57% of the total prey items and 59.39% of the total potential biomass consumed. Small rodents account for a great proportion of prey items, while larger species, as the caviid Cavia aperea, contributed more biomass. The diet plasticity may enhance the persistence of Geoffroy's cat populations in variable and anthropized ecosystems. [


About 80% of the RNA molecules extracted from encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus were bound by oligo(dT)-cellulose under conditions which bind poly(A) but not poly(C) nor ribosomal RNA. This shows that most EMC virus RNA molecules contain a poly(A) tract. Both bound and unbound fractions contained RNA molecules of apparently the same size when examined by sucrose gradient sedimentation, but the bound fraction contained an adenylic acid-rich segment of about 20 nucleotides long, whereas the unbound RNA did not. The bound RNA had 200 times the specific infectivity of the unbound RNA which suggests that the poly(A) tract present in EMC virus RNA is required for infectivity.


High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) is used in oceanography to monitor surface wind waves and currents and, more recently, to detect ships in maritime surveillance. The radar accuracy is affected by range-Doppler coupling, which yields a displacement in the measured range proportional to the target radial velocity, i.e., the Doppler shift in the returned pulse. Although in oceanography this effect is usually not accounted for, its relevance grows in ship detection. In this letter, we present the results of two experimental data sets showing displacements in the HFSWR range measurements of up to 300 m and confirming the theoretical analysis. Furthermore, we show that the correction based on theoretical arguments, achieved by the statistical correlation between the range and Doppler measurements, provides remarkable improvement in the radar accuracy.


The current rectification factor can be tailored by changing the degree of asymmetry between the fluid baths on opposite sides of a nanocapillary membrane (NCM). A symmetric device with symmetric fluid baths connected to opposite sides of the NCM did not rectify ionic current; while a NCM connected between fluid baths with a 32-fold difference in cross-sectional area produced a rectification factor of 75. The data suggests that the primary mechanism for the current rectification is the change in cross-sectional area of the fluid baths and the polarity dependent propagation of the enriched and depleted concentration polarization (CP) zones into these regions. An additional contribution to the increasing rectification factor with increasing bath asymmetry appears to be a result of electroconvection in the macropore, with inside diameters (IDs) of 625 and 850-μm. Power spectral density (PSD) analysis reveals chaotic oscillations that are consistent with electroconvection in the I-t data of the 625 and 850-μm ID macropore devices. In the ON state, current rectification keeps ionic transport toward the NCM high, increasing the speed of processes like sample enrichment. A simple means is provided to fabricate fluidic diodes with tailored current rectification factors.


The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) dates back to thousands of years when man used natural sources of these agents in a lot of pain and inflammatory conditions. The tone for modern day discovery and use of NSAIDs was set with the discovery of aspirin. Today in addition to aspirin, a host of other NSAIDs of varying potency and efficacy is employed in the management of pain and inflammatory conditions. This chapter looks with key interest in the existing and evolving role of NSAIDs in therapeutics with emphasis on the current insights into their mechanism of action and side effect profiles associated with its use in pain and inflammation as well as its potential therapeutic benefits in cancer chemotherapy.


Coronary vascular responses to acetylcholine (ACh, 3 micrograms/kg i.v.), nitroglycerin (NTG, 25 micrograms/kg i.v.), and a 20-s coronary artery occlusion (reactive hyperemia, RH) were investigated in seven conscious dogs with severe left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and chronic coronary pressure overload (CCPO) due to supravalvular aortic banding and in seven control dogs. All dogs were instrumented for measurement of ultrasonic coronary diameter (CD) and Doppler coronary blood flow (CBF). LV-to-body weight ratio was increased by 82% in CCPO dogs. In control dogs, ACh increased CD (+ 5.9 +/- 1.7%). This response was reduced (P < 0.05) in CCPO dogs (+ 1.9 +/- 0.9%). Similarly, flow-mediated increases in CD after RH were blunted (P < 0.01) in CCPO (+ 2.1 +/- 0.8) vs. control dogs (+ 6.8 +/- 1.8%). In contrast, ACh and RH increased CBF similarly in both groups. Increases in both CD and CBF to NTG were not different between control dogs and CCPO. Peak systolic CBF velocity was greater, P < 0.01, in CCPO (94 +/- 17 cm/s) compared with control (35 +/- 7 cm/s) dogs, most likely secondary to the increased systolic coronary perfusion pressure (215 vs. 130 mmHg). Histological analyses of large coronary arteries in CCPO revealed medial thickening, intimal thickening, and disruption of the internal elastic lamina and endothelium. In contrast, small intramyocardial arterioles failed to show the intimal and endothelial lesions. Thus, in CCPO selective to the coronary arteries, i.e., a model independent from systemic hypertension and enhanced levels of plasma renin activity, endothelial control was impaired for both flow-mediated and receptor-mediated large coronary artery function, which could be accounted for by the major morphological changes in the large coronary arteries sparing the resistance vessels. The mechanism may involve chronically elevated systolic coronary perfusion pressure, CBF velocity, and potential disruption of laminar flow patterns.


Study Design. Retrospective cohort study. Objective. To identify early independent mortality predictors after spine trauma. Summary of Background Data. Spine trauma consists of spinal cord and spine column injury. The ability to identify early (within 24 hours) risk factors predictive of mortality in spine trauma has the potential to reduce mortality and improve spine trauma management. Methods. Analysis was performed on 215 spine column and/or spinal cord injured patients from July 2008 to August 2011. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to investigate the effects of the Injury Severity Score, age, mechanism of injury, blood glucose level, vital signs, brain trauma severity, morbidity before trauma, coagulation profile, neurological status, and spine injuries on the risk of in-hospital death. Results. Applying a multivariate logistic regression model, there were 7 independent early predictive factors for mortality after spine injury. They were (1) Injury Severity Score more than 15 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.67; P = 0.009), (2) abnormal coagulation profile (OR = 6; P < 0.0001), (3) patients 65 years or older (OR = 3.49; P = 0.007), (4) hypotension (OR = 2.9; P = 0.033), (5) tachycardia (OR = 4.04; P = 0.005), (6) hypoxia (OR = 2.9; P = 0.033), and (7) multiple comorbidities (OR = 3.49; P = 0.007). Severe traumatic brain injury was also associated with mortality but was excluded from multivariate analysis because there were no patients with this variable in the comparison group. Conclusion. Mortality predictors for spine trauma patients are similar to those for general trauma patients. Spine injury variables were shown not to be independent predictors of spine trauma mortality.


A novel design of a dual-band antenna with integrated filtering performance is proposed. A low-profile aperture-coupled U-slot patch antenna is employed for the dual-band operation with a uniform polarization, which is fed by a dual-mode stub-loaded resonator (SLR). The U-slot patch works as a dual-mode resonator of the dual-band filter as well as the radiation element. The odd- and even-modes of the SLR are coupled and tuned with the U-slot patch, generating two second-order operation bands at 3.6 and 5.2 GHz. Compared with the traditional patch antenna, the proposed antenna exhibits improved bandwidth and frequency selectivity. In addition, the bandwidths can be controlled by adjusting the coupling strength between the SLR and the patch. Furthermore, the higher order harmonics can be suppressed over a broadband without increasing the footprint of the design. The measured and simulated results agree well with each other, showing excellent performance in terms of impedance matching, bandwidths, second-order filtering, out-of-band rejection, cross-polarization discrimination, and gains at both the bands.


Network slicing is a key enabler for providing new services to industry verticals. In order to enable network slice provisioning, it is important to study the network slice type allocation for different device types in a real industrial case. Furthermore, the costs of the required virtualization infrastructure need to be analyzed for various cloud deployment scenarios. In this paper, a cost model for the virtualization infrastructure needed for network slice provisioning is developed and subsequently applied to a real smart factory. In the model, slice types and devices are mapped such that each factory device is provisioned with one or more slice types, as required. The number of devices to be supported per slice type is forecasted for 2021–2030, and the total costs of ownership, costs per slice type, and costs for every slice type, for each device are calculated. The results are analyzed for three cloud deployment scenarios: local, distributed, and centralized. The centralized scenario was found to have the lowest cost. Moreover, sensitivity analysis is conducted by varying the device growth, the number of factories, the level of isolation between network slices, and resource overbooking. The resulting evaluation and cost breakdown can help stakeholders select a suitable deployment scenario, gauge their investments, and exercise suitable pricing.


Companies face opportunity losses from projects they cannot take on due to a shortage of people resources (Goff, 2000a). Given the effect a shortage of qualified IT workers has on a company, many employers are giving increased attention to managing turnover. Turnover (individuals leaving employers) research has consistently examined the relationship of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and stress/ burnout to turnover. However, little empirical work has been done from the perspective of employee retention. The purpose of this research proposal is to identify what factors beyond job satisfaction, organizational commitment and stress have the strongest relationship to an IT professional's intention to stay with their current employer.


We investigated the relationship between platelet function analyzer (PFA‐100TM) closure times (CT) and bleeding time (BT), platelet aggregation (PA) induced by ADP, arachidonic acid, and collagen, blood cell counts, and von Willebrand factor (VWF) in 120 well‐characterised healthy individuals. Pre‐analytical and analytical conditions were standardised comprehensively. In a substantial number of cases the differences between duplicate measurements exceeded 15%. The reference range (5th and 95th percentiles) for CT with the collagen/epinephrine (CEPI) and the collagen/ADP (CADP) cartridge was 93–223 s and 64–117 s respectively. Re‐examination of 11 individuals with CEPI‐CT above the 95th percentile revealed considerable batch‐to‐batch variation of CEPI‐CT. Males had significantly longer CADP than females (P = 0·002). CEPI and CADP‐CT measured pm were significantly longer than corresponding values determined am (P = 0·003 and P < 0·0001 respectively). Blood group O was associated with greater CEPI and CADP‐CT and lower VWF levels compared with non‐O blood groups (P = 0·008, P = 0·0003 and P < 0·0001 respectively). Linear regression analysis revealed association between CEPI‐CT, CADP‐CT and VWF (P < 0·0001), but no relationship was found between CT and BT or between CT and PA. We conclude that VWF plasma levels modulate PFA‐100TM CT to a greater extent than platelet function. Establishment of reliable reference ranges and careful standardisation of pre‐analytical and analytical conditions is a prerequisite for obtaining reliable PFA‐100TM results. Duplicate measurements are necessary.


We provide an approach to estimate trust between agents from their interactions. Our approach takes a probabilistic model of trust founded on commitments. We assume commitments to estimate trust because a commitment describes what an agent may expect of another. Therefore, the satisfaction or violation of a commitment provides a natural basis for determining how much to trust another agent. We evaluate our approach empirically. In one study, 30 subjects read emails extracted from the Enron dataset augmented with some synthetic emails to capture commitment operations missing in the Enron corpus. The subjects estimated trust between each pair of communicating participants. We trained model parameters for each subject with respect to our automated analysis of the emails, showing that our trained parameters yield a lower prediction error of a subject's trust rating given automatically inferred commitments than fixed parameters.


Energy storage systems (ESS) are key devices for improving power quality, electrical system stability and system efficiency by contributing to the balance of supply and demand. They can enhance the flexibility of electrical systems by mitigating supply intermittency, which has recently become problematic due to the increased penetration of renewable generation. The subject of this thesis is flywheel energy storage system (FESS), a technology that is gathering great interest due to benefits offered over alternative energy storage solutions, including high cycle life, long calendar life, high round‐trip efficiency, high power density, operation at high ambient temperatures and low negative environmental impact. This thesis describes the modelling and assessment of small scale energy system incorporating FESS with solar photovoltaic (PV) and a diesel generator for use in islanded residential premises with highly intermittent or non‐existent grid infrastructure. In this application, incorporation of FESS is shown to be beneficial in comparison to a system without storage or one with the alternative storage technology, Li‐Ion batteries. The thesis begins with a description of flywheel storage systems configured for electrical storage which comprises of a mechanical part; flywheel rotor, bearings and containment, and an electric drive part; motor‐generator and associated power electronics. Each of these components is described in the thesis along with the equations and modelling, itself carried out in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Finally, the flywheel model is combined with a model of an islanded residential power system incorporating a solar PV system with a diesel generator. Such a system would be particularly useful for offgrid applications or those with weak grids as occurs in developing countries.


Scaphognathite and heart-pumping frequencies, ventilation volume, cardiac output, oxygen uptake and oxygen transport by haemolymph have been studied in unrestrained Dungeness crabs ( Cancer magister ) before, immediately after, and during recovery from 20 min of enforced exhausting activity. Exercise increased oxygen uptake 4-fold. This increase was achieved by more than 2-fold elevation of both ventilation volume and cardiac output and by greater participation of haemocyanin in oxygen delivery. The elevated ventilation volume resulted entirely from an increase in scaphognathite pumping frequency, while the rise in cardiac output resulted largely from increase in stroke volume. Prior to exercise haemocyanin accounts for less than 50% of the oxygen delivered to the tissues. Following exercise this increases to over 80%, the additional oxygen release being mediated by a depression of prebranchial oxygen tension and a substantial Bohr effect resulting from build up of lactate ion in the haemolymph and subsequent fall in pH. These changes allowed % oxygen extraction from branchial water to be maintained at 28% despite a 2-fold increase in ventilation volume, and allowed an increase in %. oxygen extraction by the tissues. Despite these changes oxygen supply fell below demand during exercise, and considerable anaerobic metabolism resulted, as evidenced by a 9-fold increase in haemolymph lactate concentration. The resulting oxygen debt required 8–24 h for repayment. Aerobic metabolic scope, and mechanisms of increasing oxygen uptake and transport in this crab are compared with those of a range of fish species.


Part of the challenge achieving maximum field density in subgrade materials is transferring the optimal compaction and moisture content data from laboratory testing to the field. This research investigated the proficiency of four different instruments at accurately predicting moisture contents of three subgrade soils (loam, silt, silty/clay) commonly used in Minnesota roadway construction projects. The four instruments were; DOT600 (moisture content), WP4C dewpoint potentiometer (matric suction), the Button Heat Pulse Sensor (BHPS) (temperature rise vs. moisture content), and an exudation pressure test device. The DOT600 showed a strong correlation between the output period (measured in micro-seconds) and volumetric water content. The WP4C did not accurately measure matric suction for any of the loam, silt or silt/clay soils at suctions below 250 kPa. Published data shows that the matric suction of soils compacted at optimum moisture content is usually in the range of 200 – 300 kPa. The BHPS showed a strong correlation between measured temperature rise and water content but in its current configuration is not rigorous enough to withstand field conditions. The exudation pressure device was applied to soils compacted in a AASHTO T99 mold at various moisture contents. Water was exuded from the packed samples at pressures between 100 and 500 psi corresponding to AASHTO-T99 moisture contents of 10 to 25 %. Accurate moisture content readings from any of these instruments may not be as important as a more precise and simple calibration between the measurement units of the instrument and the optimum moisture content determined from the AASHTO T99 test.


Major advances in the understanding in the biological sciences have been achieved by the precision automation of repetitive analytical procedures. The requirements for precision are pushed to the extreme when considering the analysis of cell function at the single cell level. Such analyses may include examination of gene expression, protein synthesis, and metabolic activity. The repetitive nature of performing measurement of these parameters requires not only effective signal transduction and amplification, significant attention to system integration and automation is paramount to instrument development objectives. Here we present the systems integration and software development for a multi-spectral imaging and phosphorescence lifetime measurement tool. This tool represents and early engineering prototype of one subsystem of an integrated automation pipeline comprising robotics for microwell-array movement, microwell-array sealing for metabolic rate measurements, control of experimental protocol sequencing and real-time imaging of dynamic experiments. A graphical user interface and underlying control software allows for flexible construction of experimental procedures. The engineering prototype has demonstrated experimental operation times up to 10 times faster than previous manual methods.


A clinical study was initiated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1970 to evaluate the use of constant direct current in treating acquired non-union. In 1977 the study was expanded to include twelve participating investigators throughout the United States. The results indicate that, given proper electrical parameters and proper cast immobilization, a rate of bone union comparable to that seen with bone-graft surgery was achieved. Experience dictated that four cathodes, each delivering twenty microamperes of constant direct current for twelve weeks, were required to heal a non-union of a long bone. Of 178 non-union in 175 patients treated with adequate electricity in the University of Pennsylvania series, 149 (83.7 per cent) achieved solid bone union. Patients with a history of osteomyelitis had a healing rate of 74.4 per cent. The presence of previously inserted metallic fixation devices did not affect the end-result healing rate. Of eighty non-unions in seventy-nine patients treated with electricity in the participating investigators' series, fifty-eight (72.5 per cent) achieved solid bone union. Review of the non-unions treated unsuccessfully with constant direct current suggested that inadequate electricity, the presence of synovial pseudarthrosis or infection, and dislodgment of the electrodes are causes for failure with the procedure. Complications of the electrical treatment were minor and there was no deep infection resulting from this procedure in patients without previous osteomyelitis. We concluded that the practicing orthopaedic surgeon utilizing constant direct current to treat non-union should, by adhering to proper fracture management and by following the biophysical principles described herein, be able to achieve a rate of union comparable to that of bone-graft surgery, with a lower associated risk.


A stratigraphic analysis of the Lower Palaeozoic in the Bernesga-Porma area revealed relatively stable shelf conditions in the miogeosynclinal part of a geosyncline located further to the south (fig. 5). The Caledonian period might be represented by the synsedimentary volcanism (dolerites and tuffites) during the Ordovician and Silurian. With the onset of the Devonian, the shelf area became progressively less stable and is separated into the Bernesga and Esla sub-basins by the WSW-ENE trending Pardomino ridge (fig. 15). The Leonide facies south of the Leon line varies in composition and becomes thinner towards this line (fig. 14 and app. III and IV). The WNW-ENE trending Sabero-Gordon hinge line becomes apparent during the Upper Devonian; it separates an area of progressively steeper uplift and subsequent erosion in the northern Leonides from an area of continued subsidence and rapid sedimentation in the southern Alba and Corada sub-basins (fig. 16). The fundamental Leon, Sabero-Gordon and Pardomino lines were reactivated during the Lower Carboniferous (fig. 23) which is identified by shallow marine, condensed sequences and again during the deposition of the Upper Carboniferous flysch and molasse facies in tectonically controlled asymmetric basins (figs. 30 and 66). The Bretonic epeirogenic phase resulted in a ± 4° SSW tilt of the Leonides west of the Pardomino line (fig. 14) and further accentuated the outwedging of the strata. The geometry of the asymmetric folding and thrusting of the Leonides during the initial Sudetic folding phase is a direct consequence of the palaeogeography and facies boundaries recorded (fig. 63). Subsequent erosion of these culminations produced the coarse-grained material of the flysch facies, consisting of graded wackes and turbidites (fig. 65). The gradually climaxing Asturian folding phase migrated in time and space; the oldest tecto-facies are developed on top of the Visean Alba griottes south of the Sabero-Gordon line, while north of this line they are found on top of the Namurian (A) Caliza de Montana Formation (fig. 31). The youngest fusulinid assemblages in the San Emiliano Formation south of the Leon line indicate the base of the Westphalian, while the youngest fossil determinations in the Lena Formation north of this line are indicative of the Upper Westphalian (app. V). The depositional environment changes from marine to paralic and finally to continental. In the Bernesga-Porma area, the Leonides consist of seven thrust units, which are more than 25 km long and approximately 2 km thick; the maximal recorded displacement is more than 3 km. These thrust units were back-folded and faulted before they were partly covered by Stephanian molasse facies, deposited in intramountainous basins in the back- and fore-deeps of the thrust-folds. In the disharmonically folded Piedrafita Unit parasitic and cascade folds occur (figs. 70 and 71); stretching of the competent beds (boudinage) and flattening of argillaceous beds (slaty cleavage) were also recorded (fig. 60). The Stephanian Matallana and Rucayo basins are mainly deformed by reversed faulting in the basement (fig. 72) during and after the molasse deposition (late-orogenic Saalic phase). Epithermal mineralizations and silicious mylonite lenses mark the most important fault zones. The large gap in the stratigraphic record (Stephanian-Upper Cretaceous) represents the period of structural adjustment and uplift of the Hercynian core of the Cantabrian Mountains. After the Upper Cretaceous transgression had ceased (fig. 39), a strong morphogenetic uplift (> 1 km) related to the Savian phase (Oligocene) took place along a narrow E-W trending flexure zone (fig. 76). The extensive erosion resulted in the deposition of limestone conglomerates in torrential piedmont fans towards the down-warped Leon Basin (fig. 74). The geometry of the associated mountain flank thrusting was also studied from detailed gravity profiles covering the entire area (fig. 75). The tectono-stratigraphical evolution of the Bernesga-Porma area is sketched in figure 77.


The effect of operating conditions, such as adsorption time, adsorbent dosage, influent pH and influent oil concentration, on the performance of organic modified sepiolite used for the treatment of steel rolling oily wastewater was investigated via single factor method, and the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics were also studied with batch test. Results indicated that oil removal rate reached 96.78% in 45 min which increased by 55.44% compared with crude sepiolite. Reasons for oil removal efficiency rise with organic modified sepiolite included augmentation of interlayer distance (0.007 nm larger than crude sepiolite), increase of specific surface area (from 41.63 to 104.40 m2/g) and stronger hydrophobic. The pseudo second order kinetic model well described experiment data with a perfect correlation coefficient value of 0.9999. Thermodynamic parameters including the Gibbs free energy (△G0), enthalpy (△H0), and entropy (△S0) revealed that adsorption process was a spontaneous, exothermic and physical adsorption process.


In this paper, I seek to explain the causes of the massive migratory flows from Turkey to Greece since August 2015. The context of conflict and regional turbulence in the Middle East, together with several events taking place at the beginning of 2015, in which Turkey was directly or indirectly involved, triggered in August the unprecedented refugee crisis that we are still witnessing today. These events led to a sea change, in the period of the 9th to the 14th of August, in the Turkish position towards refugees and in the Syrian refugees' willingness to wait in Turkey till the end of the war in Syria. The intersection, during these days, between Turkey's decreasing interest in receiving and controlling Syrian refugees within its territories and the increasing motivation of a significant number of Syrian refugees to leave Turkey, sparked the beginning of the current refugee crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean route. Finally, I will argue that this refugee crisis has accelerated the EU-Turkey accession negotiations in an unprecedented way, and at the same time has increased the leverage power of Turkey.


The measure of ambulance cycle time is of particular interest in the performance of Emergency Medical Systems (EMS). Its value determines the ambulance capacity of the operations system of an EMS institution. For a given number of ambulances in operation, as the value of the average ambulance cycle time increases, total ambulance capacity for the system is reduced. Additional impacts resulting from this situation are; an increase on the average ambulance response time and patient ́s health risk due to the unavailability of ambulances; and a greater need of ambulance replacement investment requirements and operating cost. This work suggests an improvement approach based on Theory of Constraints (TOC) and elimination of waste for reducing ambulance cycle time. The approach is applied to a Mexican EMS institution based on metropolitan Monterrey. Results of the application are provided.


This paper summarizes the methodology and conclusions used on a master thesis that had the research aim of exploring how Web 2.0 and social networks are having an effect on users' information behavior. The method used for the collection of data was a semi structured interview, containing questions constructed according to the issues of Web 2.0 and social networks identified on the literature, along with typical features or characteristics of social networks. Purposive sampling was used to select the interview participants. The method for analyzing data was discourse analysis and a framework of categories was created to present the data in a certain order. This study identified various trends and tendencies in users' information behavior and some future directions for research were proposed. Findings of this type of study provide insights to users' information behavior in information systems, they could contribute to a better understanding of the users and to the design of such systems; this is relevant when it is necessary to build information systems from the point of view of users needs and behaviors, that is, by taking a bottom-up approach.


Exploring consumer preferences for a product is essential for the enterprise in product improvement. Many studies have been conducted in consumer preference. However, few studies have concentrated on evaluating the product and service characteristics of a specific product, to facilitate product and service improvements. This study proposes a systematic research framework for exploring major product and service features that reflect consumer preferences based on the online reviews. By creatively integrating quantitative studies of multiple linear regression and meta-analysis, this study expects to generate a feature-based preference importance ranking. Furthermore, by adopting an importance-satisfaction analysis, we can draw a matrix that is valuable in product improvement. Coupled with the preference rankings, implications for competitive strategies that facilitate product improvement can be drawn. The effectiveness of this methodology is verified by a case study of laptop on the basis of the online reviews from amazon.cn.


PURPOSE
The present study aimed to establish differences in load-velocity profiling, active drag (AD), and drag coefficient (Cd) between 3 age groups of female swimmers.

METHODS
Thirty-three swimmers (11, 13, or 16 y old) were recruited. The individual load-velocity profile was determined for the 4 competitive swimming strokes. The maximal velocity (V0), maximal load (L0), L0 normalized to the body mass, AD, and Cd were compared between the groups. A 2-way analysis of variance and correlation analysis were conducted.

RESULTS
Compared with their younger counterparts, 16-year-old swimmers generally had larger V0, L0, and AD, which was particularly evident when comparing them with 11-year-old swimmers (P ≤ .052). The exception was breaststroke, where no differences were observed in L0 and AD and Cd was smaller in the 16-year-old group than the 11-year-old group (P = .03). There was a negative correlation between Cd and V0 for all groups in backstroke (P ≤ .038) and for the 11-year-old group and 13-year-old group in breaststroke (P ≤ .022) and front crawl (P ≤ .010). For the 16-year-old group, large correlations with V0 were observed for L0, L0 normalized to the body mass, and AD (P ≤ .010) in breaststroke and for L0 and AD with V0 in front crawl (P ≤ .042). In butterfly, large negative correlations with V0 were observed in the 13-year-old group for all parameters (P ≤ .027).

CONCLUSIONS
Greater propulsive force is likely the factor that differentiates the oldest age group from the younger groups, except for breaststroke, where a lower Cd (implying a better technique) is evident in the oldest group.


Hypertension is a common chronic disease that leads to significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Blood pressure control is critical in reducing the end-organ complications, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, or kidney disease. Currently available antihypertensive agents work by different mechanisms to reduce blood pressure. Aliskiren, a novel direct renin inhibitor, lowers blood pressure by decreasing renin activity, and angiotensin I and II levels. At the approved dosage (150–300 mg once daily), it reduces systolic blood pressure by 12–16 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 2–12 mm Hg. In studies its efficacy was comparable to losartan 100 mg, irbesartan 150 mg, and valsartan 80–320 mg. When used adjunctively with ramipril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, valsartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), or hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic, it provides additional blood pressure reduction compared with placebo or monotherapy. Aliskiren is well tolerated, with the most common side effects being gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, weakness, and headache. In short-term clinical trials, aliskiren caused fewer disturbances in potassium levels when compared with hydrochlorothiazide, ACE inhibitors and ARBs. Long-term data on morbidity and mortality outcomes are not currently available, thus it is unknown whether aliskiren would join ACE inhibitors and ARBs as the preferred hypertensive agents for end organ protection. At this time, aliskiren should be considered as an alternative agent for mild-to-moderate hypertension, or as an adjunctive therapy when preferred agents fail to maintain optimal blood pressure control. It is also an option for those patients who have contraindications or intolerability to other antihypertensive agents, including dry cough induced by ACE inhibitors.


Research on China's internal migration has mostly focused on moving rather than staying. Urban destinations of migrants are often seen as discrete points of economic opportunity in space, exerting a magnetic force on the rural population from the countryside. But after commencing their urban lives, rural migrants start to perceive their host cities and towns as places that entail value and meaning, which may encourage them to settle. This paper examines how the settlement intentions of rural migrants vary across urban destinations and socioeconomic backgrounds. A questionnaire survey dataset of 10,896 rural migrants in cities of different tiers in Jiangsu Province is used to unravel the factors that predict rural migrants' settlement intentions. In addition, interviews with rural migrants and their family members are examined to explore the personal experiences and subjective perceptions that may contribute to their inclinations to settle in the city. Results indicate that the factors which encourage rural migrants to settle differ significantly from those which drive them to migrate. Economic and social resources and a resultant sense of (in)security are the prominent factors affecting rural migrants' intentions to settle in cities.


The final stages of mammalian erythropoiesis involve enucleation, membrane and proteome remodeling, and organelle clearance. Concomitantly, the erythroid membrane skeleton establishes a unique pseudohexagonal spectrin meshwork that is connected to the membrane through junctional complexes. The mechanism and signaling pathways involved in the coordination of these processes are unclear. Here we reveal an unexpected role of membrane skeleton in the modulation of proteome remodeling and organelle clearance during the final stages of erythropoiesis. We found that diaphanous-related formin mDia2 is a master regulator of the integrity of the membrane skeleton through polymerization of actin protofilament in the junctional complex. The mDia2-deficient terminal erythroid cell contained a disorganized and rigid membrane skeleton that was ineffective in detaching the extruded nucleus. In addition, the disrupted skeleton failed to activate the ESCRT-III complex, which led to a global defect in proteome remodeling, endolysosomal trafficking, and autophagic organelle clearance. We revealed that Chmp5, a component of the ESCRT-III complex, is regulated by mDia2-dependent activation of serum response factor and required for membrane remodeling and autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Mice with loss of Chmp5 in hematopoietic cells in vivo resembled the phenotypes in mDia2 knockout mice. Furthermore, over-expression of Chmp5 in mDia2 deficient hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells significantly restored terminal erythropoiesis in vivo. These findings reveal a formin-regulated signaling pathway that connects membrane skeleton to proteome remodeling, enucleation, and organelle clearance during terminal erythropoiesis.


Abstract In recent decades the landscape architectural discourse has tended to eschew ideas of aesthetics while focusing instead on notions of functional and sustainable design. We offer the view that Aesthetic Creation Theory, whose principal exponent is the philosopher Nick Zangwill, has the potential to redress this imbalance by interpreting landscape architecture as 'art'. Zangwill's account of 'art' differs, however, from many other definitions found in philosophical aesthetics: it holds that works of art have aesthetic functions that are essential to them, but also allows that they have other, non-aesthetic functions, for example practical or ecological ones. It thus removes the strict distinction between fine art and the useful arts. After introducing Zangwill's theory, we discuss some rival theories of art and then explore the virtues of Aesthetic Creation Theory for the theory, practice, and pedagogy of landscape architecture.


ABSTRACT Background: Extended polyethylene terephthalate mesh (PET, Dacron) can provide containment of compressed particulate allograft and autograft. This study assessed if PET mesh would interfere with osteoprogenitor cell migration from vertebral plates through particulate graft, and its effect on osteoblast differentiation or the quality of bone forming within fusing vertebra during vertebral interbody fusion. Methods: The impact of PET mesh on the biological response of normal human osteoblasts (NHOst cells) and bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) to particulate bone graft was examined in vitro. Cells were cultured on rat bone particles +/− mesh; proliferation and osteoblast differentiation were assessed. The interface between the vertebral endplate, PET mesh, and newly formed bone within consolidated allograft contained by mesh was examined in a sheep model via microradiographs, histology, and mechanical testing. Results: Growth on bone particles stimulated proliferation and early differentiation of NHOst cells and MSCs, but delayed terminal differentiation. This was not negatively impacted by mesh. New bone formation in vivo was not prevented by use of a PET mesh graft containment device. Fusion was improved in sites containing allograft/demineralized bone matrix (DBM) versus autograft and was further enhanced when stabilized using pedicle screws. Only sites treated with allograft/DBM+screws exhibited greater percent bone ingrowth versus discectomy or autograft. These results were mirrored biomechanically. Conclusions: PET mesh does not negatively impact cell attachment to particulate bone graft, proliferation, or initial osteoblast differentiation. The results demonstrated that bone growth occurs from vertebral endplates into graft material within the PET mesh. This was enhanced by stabilization with pedicle screws leading to greater bone ingrowth and biomechanical stability across the fusion site. Clinical Relevance: The use of extended PET mesh allows containment of bone graft material during vertebral interbody fusion without inhibiting migration of osteoprogenitor cells from vertebral end plates in order to achieve fusion. Level of Evidence: 5.


In 2005, the Mexican Caribbean was impacted by two powerful hurricanes: Emily (July) and Wilma (October). This study assessed the immediate damage caused by these events on the coral community in the Marine Protected Area of Cozumel. Six reefs were evaluated during three time periods: before the hurricanes, after Emily, and after Wilma. In each reef, six transects were surveyed to determine the cover of corals. The results indicate a cumulative decline of 56% in live coral cover after both hurricanes had struck. At the generic level, chi-square statistics revealed a uniform reduction in the percent cover of the different coral genera. Standard ecological indices indicated no major modifications in community structure; however, the taxonomic distinctness and ordination analysis revealed a directional change to an increasingly more homogeneous composition of species after each impact. The present study reveals a significant decrease in live coral cover and gradual modifications in composition of assemblages after the hurricanes, but paradoxically, there were no major modifications in community structure.


I first argue that we have reason to look to the computational needs of communication for justifying the claim that natural language semantics is compositional. I then turn to discussing appropriate measures of computa- tional complexity. For the measure chosen I present arguments that maxi- mally efficient computational systems have a certain form. I argue that se- mantic functions of a certain more specific compositional kind can be com- puted by systems of that form. In this sense, they have minimal complexity. I finally discuss the converse question about the extent to which maximal efficiency mandates compositionality, and conclude that although it is not strictly required, there is reason to think that natural language semantics at least approximates a kind of semantics that is in one respect more specific than, and in another respect a generalization of, standard compositionality.


By now the hygienic assessment of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies and the evaluation of their safety to human health in full measure present a challenging task. The major complexities are associated with the small sizes of particles of structural constituents, the high extent of phase boundaries and interface, the possibility of forming metastable, so far unstudied phases, high reactivity, etc. In some cases, the physicochemical features of nanomaterials keep the existing study methods from being used; and some procedures require major modifications or development. At the same time, the existing physicochemical analytical methods that are aimed at determining substances at the level of microconcentrations, the sensitivity of which meets hygienic standards requirements may be used to evaluate the efficiency of nanotechnologies. Spectral analytical tests, such as atomic emission and atomic absorption analyses that determine as many as 80 elements of the Periodic System on present-day spectrometers, as well as ultraviolet, infrared, optical, microwave, and radiospectroscopic techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, high-resolution electron microscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray and ultraviolet photospectroscopies, and Auger spectroscopy, may be employed to determine the elemental composition of nanomaterials and the sizes and surface of particles.


A piecewise curvature-corrected CMOS bandgap reference (BGR) is proposed. It features in utilizing piecewise nonlinear curvature-corrected current and rail-to-rail operational amplifier to a conventional first-order current-mode BGR. The corrected current is zero, exponential with temperature and proportional to the squared temperature in the lower, middle and higher temperature range (TR). The rail-to-rail operational amplifier biased by a current proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) helps to provide negative feedback for the proposed BGR. Measured results indicate that the proposed BGR achieves temperature coefficient (TC) of 3.72 ppm/ 0 C in the TR of -75 0 C to +150 0 C without trimming, power supply rejection (PSR) of -58 dB and line regulation of 2.4 mV/V in the voltage supply of 1.2 V. It is fabricated in 90 nm CMOS process with power consumption of 36 uW and effective chip area of 0.2 mm 2 . The physical design was carried out using Virtuoso tools for Custom IC design and physical verification with Assura toolset from Cadence ® .


European wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an introduced invasive species that now constitute a major threat to agriculture and the natural ecology of the environments they now inhabit. Wild pigs also carry many diseases known to infect wildlife, humans, and livestock. Two of these diseases, pseudorabies (PRV) and brucellosis, constitute major diseases in the United States. Better data are needed regarding the prevalence of these diseases in wild pigs to understand and manage the potential risks to wildlife, humans, and livestock. From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2017, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency personnel trapped and euthanized 4,727 wild pigs, of which 2,991 were tested for PRV and brucellosis. Of the wild pigs successfully tested and county recorded, 2.52% (73/[2,829+73]) were positive for PRV antibodies and 2.09% (59/[2,768+59]) were positive for brucellosis antibodies. Although the overall incidence of PRV and brucellosis seropositive wild pigs was low across the state, there were counties with high prevalence of past exposure. Disease issues will likely increase as wild pig populations expand across Tennessee. Efforts to educate the public regarding the disease potential of wild pigs should be increased and options made available for control.


While cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications continue to gain popularity, their energy cost is evidently becoming unsustainable. In most instances, the main cost comes from the required amount of energy for the Proof-of-Work, and this cost is inherent to the design. In addition, useless costs from discarded work (e.g., the so-called Forks) and lack of scalability (in number of users and in rapid transactions) limit their practical effectiveness. In this paper, we present an innovative scheme which eliminates the nonce and thus the burden of the Proof-of-Work which is the main cause of the energy waste in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. We prove that our scheme guarantees a tunable and bounded average number of simultaneous mining whatever the size of the population in competition, thus by making the use of nonce-based techniques unnecessary, achieves scalability without the cost of consuming a large volume of energy. The technique used in the proof of our scheme is based on the analogy of the analysis of a green leader election. The additional difference with Proof-of-Work schemes (beyond the suppression of the nonce field that is triggering most of the waste), is the introduction of "empty blocks" which aim are to call regular blocks following a staircase set of values. Our scheme reduces the risk of Forks and provides tunable scalability for the number of users and the speed of block generation.


Introduction: The association between bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and morbid obesity (MO) is common.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of BHR using mannitol (MAN) in patients with MO before and one year after bariatric surgery (BS).

Methods: We determined BHR in 70 patients with MO (46±11 yr; BMI, 46±6 kg/m2; 53 females; smokers, [33±26 pack-yr] 59%). BHR(+) was defined as a PD15<635mg. Severe OSA (apnea/hypopnea Index [AHI] ≥ 30 events/h) was present in 31 patients.

Results: Before BS, patients had FEV1, 93±15%; FEV1/FVC, 0.83±0.05; bronchodilator test, +4.9±0.7%. Twenty two had BHR(+) (PD15=78 mg) with an FEV1 fall of -20±2%. BMI and central obesity (abdominal circumference and waist-hip-ratio) were higher in patients with BHR(+) than in those BHR(-) (p<0.05 each). Likewise, the AHI was higher (53±10 vs 29±5 events/h) in patients with BHR(+) than in those BHR(-) (p<0.05).

The ratio-dose-response (RDR) to MAN was positively associated with BMI (r=0.30, p<0.05). There were also associations between AHI and TNF-α, and between the abdominal circumference and TNF-α (r=0.40, p<0.05 each).

After BS, all but one BHR(+) patient, reverted their BHR (PD15 ≥ 635 mg) with an FEV1 fall of -8±2%, and IL-8 levels decreased in all patients (p<0.05).

Conclusions: In MO the prevalence of BHR with MAN is elevated, which is associated with increased BMI, central obesity and AHI. Our findings suggest that obstructive sleep apnea and central obesity can in MO share a similar pathogenic mechanism related to development of BHR.

Supported by FIS PI080311 CIBERES, Almirall and Esteve.


More than 110 countries including 500 cities worldwide have set the goal of reaching carbon neutrality. Heating contributes to most of the residential energy consumption and carbon emissions. The green energy transition of fossil-based heating systems is needed to reach the emission goals. However, the heating systems vary in energy source, heating technology, equipment location, and these complexities make it challenging for households to compare heating systems and make decisions. Hence, a decision support tool that provides a generalized ranking of individual heating alternatives is proposed for households as decision-makers to identify the optimal choice. This paper presents an analysis of 13 heating alternatives and 19 quantitative criteria in technological, environmental, and financial aspects, combines ideal solution based Multi-Criteria Decision Making with 6 weighting methods and 4 normalization methods, and introduces ensemble learning with a fuzzy membership function derived from Cauchy distribution to finalize the final ranking. The robustness of the proposed method is verified by 3 sensitive analyses from different aspects. Air to water heat pump, solar heating and direct district heating are the top three rankings in the final result under Danish national average data. A framework is designed to guide the decision-makers apply this ranking guideline with their practical feasible situations.


Frank Gaitan and Lane Clark Ramsey Numbers and Adiabatic Quantum Computing Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 010501 (2012) The graph-theoretic Ramsey numbers are notoriously difficult to calculate. In fact, for the two-color Ramsey numbers R(m,n) with m,n≥3, only nine are currently known. We present a quantum algorithm for the computation of the Ramsey numbers R(m,n). We show how the computation of R(m,n) can be mapped to a combinatorial optimization problem whose solution can be found using adiabatic quantum evolution. We numerically simulate this adiabatic quantum algorithm and show that it correctly determines the Ramsey numbers R(3,3) and R(2,s) for 5≤s≤7. We then discuss the algorithm's experimental implementation, and close by showing that Ramsey number computation belongs to the quantum complexity class quantum Merlin Arthur.


Abstract While condensation particle counters (CPCs) are routinely used to measure particle number concentrations in the size range from 3 to 1000 nm, the detection efficiency for sub-3 nm particles remains relatively poor. In this study, the performance of an ultrafine butanol based CPC for the measurement of alkyl ammonium halide ions, flame-generated particles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and soot is evaluated. Homogenous nucleation of butanol vapors, and detection efficiency of THAB ions are systematically evaluated for a range of saturator temperatures (39–45 °C) and capillary flow rates (30–70 sccm). The optimal operating conditions with minimal background interferences was found to be a saturator temperature of 45 °C and capillary flow rate of 70 sccm. Flame generated particles of TiO2 and soot were activated more readily than the alkyl ammonium halide salts of similar mobility diameters, especially in the below 1.6 nm mobility size range, whereas above 1.6 nm the detection efficiency is independent of particle material, but depends on particle size. The negative charge on the particles is found to promote activation with butanol vapors leading to higher activation efficiencies than positively charged particles. Finally, the importance of butanol as a working fluid, and its calibration for precise measurement of sub-3 nm particles is discussed. This will enable researchers to perform experiments using a 'conventional' CPC with boosted conditions for the understanding of early stages of particle formation and growth in different aerosol reactors. Copyright © 2021 American Association for Aerosol Research


We develop a new technology for calculating Feynman integrals by solving differential equations derived from conformal symmetry. Singularities hidden in the collinear region around an external massless leg may lead to conformal symmetry breaking in otherwise conformally invariant finite loop momentum integrals. For an l-loop integral, this mechanism leads to a set of linear 2nd-order differential equations with a non-homogeneous part. The latter, due to the contact nature of the anomaly in momentum space, is determined by (l− 1)-loop information. Solving such differential equations in general is an open problem. In the case of 5-particle amplitudes up to two loops, the function space is known, and we can thus follow a bootstrap approach to write down the solution. As a first application of this method, we bootstrap the 6D penta-box integral.


The Peace Policy of Spain, 1596-16CU. is an examination of the motives of the government of Philip II and of Philip III in bringing to an end a long and exhausting war with three enemies - France, England and the United Provinces. It is based almost entirely upon original manuscript sources, most of which have not previously been studied in depth or for the period as a whole. The intellectual climate in which decisions were made, the political state of the Court, the efficiency of the handling of foreign affairs, the dramatis personae and their attitude towards Spain and her resources are first described by way of introduction. Relations with the Low Countries are then examined so as to provide the back-cloth to the rest of the foreign policy, and the war against the Dutch is shown as being Spain's true priority. The chapters on the negotiations that led up to the Treaty of Vervins (1598), on the Saluzzo crisis (1600) and on the cold war that culminated in the Biron conspiracy (l602) shew the working-out of a new policy towards France. Anglo-Spanish affairs occupy the chapters on the failure to find a naval or, in the English succession question, a diplomatic solution to the problem of England's hostility, and those on the preliminaries and course of the Treaty of London (1604.). New light is thrown on to the efficiency and range of Spain's governmental and diplomatic machinery, as on to her sense of imperial mission; some of the customary strictures upon the government's vapidity and indifference are strongly criticized; and Spain's great reluctance to face the economic and military fact that she had outgrown her strength emerges with clarity.


This study examined the contributions of verbal ability and executive control to verbal fluency performance in older adults (n = 82). Verbal fluency was assessed in letter and category fluency tasks, and performance on these tasks was related to indicators of vocabulary size, lexical access speed, updating, and inhibition ability. In regression analyses the number of words produced in both fluency tasks was predicted by updating ability, and the speed of the first response was predicted by vocabulary size and, for category fluency only, lexical access speed. These results highlight the hybrid character of both fluency tasks, which may limit their usefulness for research and clinical purposes.


We present a highly efficient entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) for a four-electron system in a less-entangled cluster state. In this ECP, we only require one pair of less-entangled electron cluster states and one ancillary electron to complete the task. With the help of the controlled-not (CNOT) gate, the concentrated maximally entangled state can be retained for further application with some success probability. On the other hand, the discarded items can be reused to obtain a high success probability. All the features make this ECP useful in the current quantum information field.


Model-based reinforcement learning (RL) is a sample-efficient way of learning complex behaviors by leveraging a learned single-step dynamics model to plan actions in imagination. However, planning every action for long-horizon tasks is not practical, akin to a human planning out every muscle movement. Instead, humans efficiently plan with high-level skills to solve complex tasks. From this intuition, we propose a Skill-based Model-based RL framework (SkiMo) that enables planning in the skill space using a skill dynamics model, which directly predicts the skill outcomes, rather than predicting all small details in the intermediate states, step by step. For accurate and efficient long-term planning, we jointly learn the skill dynamics model and a skill repertoire from prior experience. We then harness the learned skill dynamics model to accurately simulate and plan over long horizons in the skill space, which enables efficient downstream learning of long-horizon, sparse reward tasks. Experimental results in navigation and manipulation domains show that SkiMo extends the temporal horizon of model-based approaches and improves the sample efficiency for both model-based RL and skill-based RL. Code and videos are available at https://clvrai.com/skimo


Ground‐state vibrational analyses of firefly luciferin and its conjugate acids and bases are performed. The Gibbs free energies obtained from these analyses are used to estimate pKa values for phenolic hydroxy and carboxy groups and the N–H+ bond in the N‐protonated thiazoline or benzothiazole ring of firefly luciferin. The theoretical pKa values are corrected using the experimental values. The concentrations of these chemical species in solutions with different pH values are estimated from their corrected pKa values, and the pH dependence of their relative absorption intensities is elucidated. With the results obtained we assign the experimental spectra unequivocally. Especially, the small peak near 400 nm at pH 1–2 in experimental absorption spectra is clarified to be due to the excitation of carboxylate anion with N‐protonated thiazoline ring of firefly luciferin. Our results show that the pKa values of chemical species, which are contained in the aqueous solutions, are effective to assign experimental absorption spectra.


Kepulauan Seribu is an area off the north coast of Jakarta consisting a relatively large number of small islands. Development of the electricity system here is planned to interconnect among islands. These developments tend to consider more on the supply and not much on the demand of each household. The difference in functions of each island is expected that in the future, planning to increase electricity transmission can be more focused on the pattern of needs as reflected in the consumption patterns and household characteristics. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the pattern of household electricity consumption based on differences in the island function, and to find out the relationship between household characteristics and that patterns. The characteristics include household income, house building area, number of household members, and building functions. The variables in this study were analyzed using the descriptive spatial analysis and chi-square test. The results of the study showed that the electricity consumption pattern on the island which function in the tourism category was higher than the one in the non-tourism category. The results of statistical tests showed that both of an island tourism categories and non-tourism category the function of the household building has a relationship with electricity consumption.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the predominant respiratory tract pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and its resistance to phagocytosis may contribute to its virulence. P. aeruginosa ingestion by macrophages occurs only in the presence of D-glucose or D-mannose, sugars present in low concentrations in the endobronchial space. Here we show that only isolates of P. aeruginosa and not other bacterial species were ingested by murine macrophages in a glucose-dependent manner. Glucose transport inhibitors blocked both [3H]-2-deoxy-glucose (2dG) uptake and phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa pretreated with 2dG or 5-thio-D-glucose (5TG) was efficiently ingested. Macrophages pretreated with 2dG or 5TG were able to bind but unable to ingest P. aeruginosa in the presence of glucose; however, they efficiently ingested zymosan or IgG-coated sheep erythrocytes. Macrophages produced lactate only from glucose or mannose. The facilitative glucose transporter GLUT1 mRNA transcript was detected by PCR in preparations from purified macrophages. The nucleotide sequence of the PCR product was identical to that published for murine GLUT1. GLUT1 protein was detected with anti-GLUT1-peptide polyclonal Abs. We conclude that glucose exerts its effect on the macrophage, not on the bacterium, in the glucose-dependent nonopsonic phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa and that glucose transport via GLUT1 by the macrophages is required to trigger ingestion. The unique glucose dependency for phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa by macrophages may contribute to the pathogenicity of this bacterial species in CF patients.


Despite the importance of fungi in soil functioning they have received comparatively little attention and our understanding of fungal interactions and communities is lacking. This study aims to combine a physiologically based model of fungal growth and interactions with digitized images of undisturbed soil samples from contrasting management practices to determine the effect of physical structure on fungal growth and colonization. We quantified pore geometries of the undisturbed soil samples from long-term agricultural and native vegetation land uses, modelled invasion of a single fungal species and of two different fungal species within the soil samples; and evaluated the role of soil structure on fungal invasion and species interactions; in particular, we identified those characteristics of the pore volume that promote or exclude fungal invasion.


The efficiency of Helicobacter pylori as a mucosal pathogen is caused by unique soluble and integral membrane proteins, which allow its survival at acidic pH and successful colonization of the gastric environment. With about one‐fourth of the H. pylori's proteome comprising integral membrane proteins, the need for solution of their three‐dimensional (3D) structures becomes persistent as it can potentially drive the generation of more effective drugs. This study presents a medium‐throughput approach for cloning and expression screening of integral membrane proteins from H. pylori (26695) using Escherichia coli as the expression host. One‐hundred sixteen H. pylori targets were cloned into two different vector systems and heterologously expressed in E. coli. Eighty‐four percent of these proteins displayed medium to high expression. No clear‐cut correlation was found between expression levels and number of putative transmembrane spans, predicted functionality, and molecular mass. Nonetheless, expression of transporters and hypothetical proteins ≤40 kDa with two to four transmembrane spans displayed generally high expression levels. To statistically strengthen the quality of the data from the medium‐throughput approach, a comparison with data derived from robotic‐based methodologies was conducted. Optimization of expression and solubilization conditions for selected targets was also performed. Seventeen targets have been purified and subjected to crystallization so far. Eighteen percent of these targets (2/17) produced crystals under specific sets of crystallization conditions.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to screen for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Maracan~ a stadium construction workers. It is part of the 'Ball begins with B and Champion with C' campaign that started in July 2012, with the objective of analyzing 12 stadiums that will be part of the World Cup in 2014 and were under construction/renovation. METHOD: Out of the 5500 construction workers, 1200 were tested for HBsAg. Sera from HBsAg positive patients were collected for additional tests. Sequencing of the HBV polymerase was carried out in the DNA Sequencing Platform PDTIS/FIOCRUZ, using BigDye Terminator model 3730 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). HBV genotyping and subtyping are been conducted by using phylogenetic analyses. SUMMARY OF RESULTS: From the 1200 individuals analyzed, 8 (0.6%) were HBsAg positive. Serum HBV-DNA was detectable in 6/8 (75%) patients and all these six patients were anti-HBe positive. All of them were male with mean age of 50 years. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HBV in the Maracan~ a construction workers was lower. The most probable route of transmission was the injection in the army in the 80's decade. None of them heard about viral hepatitis. This kind of campaign is very important to prevent and educate the population.


In this qualitative study, I examine the persistent trend of black women as an
excluded relationship partner for white men. Integral to understanding the exclusion of
black women as relationship partners is the construction of black female bodies, by
influential white men historically and contemporarily, as the abject opposite of
hegemonic femininity, which holds "middle-class, heterosexual, [w]hite femininity" as
the norm (Collins 2005:193). This construction essentially places black women outside
the bounds of hegemonic femininity, beauty, sexuality, and womanhood. Using the
theoretical concept deep frame, which is the "conceptual infrastructure of the mind"
(Lakoff 2006a:12) and representative of one's commonsense world view, I argue that the
ways in which influential white men have constructed black female bodies is a critical
component of the raced, gendered, and classed deep frame of white men. This deep
frame undergirds how many white men perceive, interpret, understand, emote, and
engage in actions where black women are concerned. Hence in this study, I qualitatively
examine, through analyzing and interpreting the in-depth online questionnaires of 134 white male respondents, how the deep frame of white men affects how they perceive
black women and ultimately the relationships they seek with black women.
The results of the study show that many white male respondents, despite most
having very limited or no personal interactions with black women, viewed black women
through the one-dimensional lens of the raced, gendered, and classed deep frame. Many
respondents perceived black women as unattractive unless capable of a white normative
standard, as possessing a negative "black" culture, and as possessing negative and
"unfeminine" attributes that make them complicit in their own rejection. These findings
show how the deep frame disciplines white men to view black women as "out of
bounds" as legitimate relationship partners, and disciplines the types of relationships
they seek with black women. The results of this study also reveal that the conceptual
approach of deep frame rooted in an understanding of the power of influential white men
to control and construct society provides a theoretical alternative to the outmoded
interracial marriage theories of caste and exchange.


In the present review it is not possible to discuss the effects of the numerous endogenous mediators of growth. What we have attempted to do is to indicate the areas of controversy and the need for further research. In our view, four main questions arise. First, what are the relative contributions of the direct and indirect effects of GH? Indeed, if GH can produce all its effects by local production of IGF, is the original somatomedin hypothesis still tenable? Second, how is the biological activity of the IGF modified by the presence of binding proteins? Because of the role of binding proteins in modulating IGF bioactivity, care must be taken when interpreting results from immunoassays for IGF because this will only represent the concentration of IGF not the level of biological activity, a situation which is analogous to that which pertains with certain polypeptide hormones (for review, see Robertson et al. 1987). Third, how are the activities of the osteoblast and osteoclast coupled so that in the mature adult, bone formation and bone resorption are roughly equivalent? Understanding of this process will undoubtedly involve the elucidation of the roles and interactions between a number of locally acting growth factors and systemic hormones and will lead to the understanding of certain metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Last, how is the response to local stimuli such as mechanical stress transduced? This is again probably dependent on the activity of local growth factors but may also involve changes in the interactions between bone cells and their underlying matrix components (Skerry et al. 1988).


Multilevel models are one of the most frequently used methods for analyzing multilevel data. These types of data occur when observations (Level 1) are clustered within higher-level collectives (Level 2), for example, students nested in schools or employees nested in work teams. Unfortunately, multilevel data often contain missing data, for example, when participants omit certain items in a questionnaire or they drop out before the end of a study. If treated improperly, missing data can distort parameter estimates and compromise statistical decision making. For this reason, it is often recommended to use principled methods for dealing with missing data such as multiple imputation (MI) or maximum likelihood estimation (ML).
In the present dissertation, I consider the treatment of missing data with an emphasis on multilevel MI. In multilevel research, it is important that the imputation model takes the multilevel structure into account. However, many open questions remain about how this can be achieved in practice. In multiple studies, I considered different implementations of multilevel MI and examined how missing data can be treated in multilevel models with random intercepts, random slopes, interaction effects, continuous and categorical data, and missing data at Level 2.
In addition, I considered the analysis of multiply imputed data sets and examined different procedures for pooling the results of multiparameter tests (e.g., model comparisons), including applications in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multilevel models with tests about fixed effects and variance components. Finally, I present the R package mitml, which provides a set of practical tools for conducting multilevel MI. This includes tools for the specification of the imputation model, convergence diagnostics, analyzing multiply imputed data sets, and various pooling methods along with a tutorial article that illustrates its features and provides a nontechnical introduction to multilevel MI.


According to an assumption proposed by Globus in 1976, special ring-shaped polycrystalline soft ferrites could have a toroidal arrangement of their magnetic domains (so-called magnetic ring concept). Experiments in the past have shown that this property must be restricted to the defect-free grain microstructures. This paper gives two examples of investigations wich confirm the good validity of the concept. The first example is concerned with the magnetoelastic effects of the mechanical compression applied along the circumferences of the ring sample. λ being negative (YIG), the spins are forced to align in the stress direction leading to a more or less marked increase of the initial susceptibility (measurement is made in the same direction as the stress applied) according to the aptitude of the sample investigated to obey the above concept. In the most favourable cases, the axial direction (the revolution axis of the ring), can be then approached as a true hard magnetization axis, so that it becomes possible to interpret the magnetization in this direction as an irreversible rotational process. The second investigation is thus the analysis of the magnetization in this so-called hard direction. Comparisons with a theoretical development of the hysteresis of rotation are made which lead to good agreements.


This paper deals with the description and analysis of syntactic and semantic features of incomplete verbs in Arabic, their classification and their syntactic status within a complex predicate. These verbs represent an extremely heterogeneous group of verbs consisting of individual groups of verbs interconnected according to their semantic features and syntactic usage. In the paper, incomplete or auxiliary verbs will be examined from the perspective of phrase structure building. The starting point is the hypothesis that incomplete verbs in Arabic are partly grammaticalized, that is they have passed the first phase of grammaticalization, i.e. desemantization, in which their basic lexical meaning has been reduced or completely lost in favour of grammatical meanings. As dependents within a complex predicate, they have the syntactic function of specifiers.


Binary program dependence analysis determines dependence between instructions and hence is important for many applications that have to deal with executables without any symbol information. A key challenge is to identify if multiple memory read/write instructions access the same memory location. The state-of-the-art solution is the value set analysis (VSA) that uses abstract interpretation to determine the set of addresses that are possibly accessed by memory instructions. However, VSA is conservative and hence leads to a large number of bogus dependences and then substantial false positives in downstream analyses such as malware behavior analysis. Furthermore, existing public VSA implementations have difficulty scaling to complex binaries. In this paper, we propose a new binary dependence analysis called BDA enabled by a randomized abstract interpretation technique. It features a novel whole program path sampling algorithm that is not biased by path length, and a per-path abstract interpretation avoiding precision loss caused by merging paths in traditional analyses. It also provides probabilistic guarantees. Our evaluation on SPECINT2000 programs shows that it can handle complex binaries such as gcc whereas VSA implementations from the-state-of-art platforms have difficulty producing results for many SPEC binaries. In addition, the dependences reported by BDA are 75 and 6 times smaller than Alto, a scalable binary dependence analysis tool, and VSA, respectively, with only 0.19% of true dependences observed during dynamic execution missed (by BDA). Applying BDA to call graph generation and malware analysis shows that BDA substantially supersedes the commercial tool IDA in recovering indirect call targets and outperforms a state-of-the-art malware analysis tool Cuckoo by disclosing 3 times more hidden payloads.


Advances in autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems indicate a rapidly approaching future in which intelligent vehicles will automatically handle the process of driving. However, increasing the efficiency of today's transportation infrastructure will require intelligent traffic control mechanisms that work hand in hand with intelligent vehicles. To this end, Dresner and Stone proposed a new intersection control mechanism called Autonomous Intersection Management (AIM) and showed in simulation that by studying the problem from a multiagent perspective, intersection control can be made more efficient than existing control mechanisms such as traffic signals and stop signs. We extend their study beyond the case of an individual intersection and examine the unique implications and abilities afforded by using AIM-based agents to control a network of interconnected intersections. We examine different navigation policies by which autonomous vehicles can dynamically alter their planned paths, observe an instance of Braess' paradox, and explore the new possibility of dynamically reversing the flow of traffic along lanes in response to minute-by-minute traffic conditions. Studying this multiagent system in simulation, we quantify the substantial improvements in efficiency imparted by these agent-based traffic control methods.


Objective This study explored the mechanism of the Kelch-like erythroid cell-derived protein with CNC homology-associated protein 1 (Keap1)–nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway under conditions of zearalenone (ZEA)-induced oxidative stress in the duodenum of post-weaning gilts. Methods Forty post-weaning gilts were randomly allocated to four groups and fed diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/kg ZEA. Results The results showed significant reductions in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and increases the malondialdehyde content with increasing concentrations of dietary ZEA. Immunohistochemical analysis supported these findings by showing a significantly increased expression of Nrf2 and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) with increasing concentrations of ZEA. The relative mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2, GPX1 increased linearly (p<0.05) and quadratically (p<0.05), which was consistent with the immunohistochemical results. The relative mRNA expression of Keap1 decreased linearly (p<0.05) and quadratically (p<0.05) in the duodenum as the ZEA concentration increased in the diet. The relative mRNA expression of modifier subunit of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCLM) increased quadratically (p<0.05) in all ZEA treatment groups and the relative mRNA expression of quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) catalytic subunit of glutamate-cysteine ligase decreased linearly (p<0.05) and quadratically (p<0.05) in the ZEA1.0 group and ZEA1.5 group. The relative protein expression of Keap1 and GCLM decreased quadratically (p<0.05) in the duodenum as the ZEA concentration increased in the diet, respectively. The relative protein expression of NQO1 increased linearly (p<0.05) and quadratically (p<0.05) in all ZEA treatment groups in the duodenum. Conclusion These findings suggest that ZEA regulates the expression of key factors of the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway in the duodenum, which enables resistance to ZEA-induced oxidative stress. Further studies are needed to examine the effects of ZEA induced oxidative stress on other tissues and organs in post-weaning gilts.


The transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein-1 (BMAL1) is an essential regulator of the circadian clock, which controls the 24-h cycle of physiological processes such as nutrient absorption. To examine the role of BMAL1 in small intestinal glucose absorption, we used differentiated human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2 cells). Here, we show that BMAL1 regulates glucose uptake in differentiated Caco-2 cells and that this process is dependent on the glucose transporter sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1). Mechanistic studies show that BMAL1 regulates glucose uptake by controlling the transcription of SGLT1 involving paired-homeodomain transcription factor 4 (PAX4), a transcriptional repressor. This is supported by the observation that clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 (Cas9) knockdown of PAX4 increases SGLT1 and glucose uptake. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-quantitative PCR assays show that the knockdown or overexpression of BMAL1 decreases or increases the binding of PAX4 to the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-α binding site of the SGLT1 promoter, respectively. These findings identify BMAL1 as a critical mediator of small intestine carbohydrate absorption and SGLT1.


Abstract. Two discrete auroral arc filaments, with widths of less than 1 km, have been analysed using multi-station, multi-monochromatic optical observations from small and medium field-of-view imagers and the EISCAT radar. The energy and flux of the precipitating electrons, volume emission rates and local electric fields in the ionosphere have been determined at high temporal (up to 30 Hz) and spatial (down to tens of metres) resolution. A new time-dependent inversion model is used to derive energy spectra from EISCAT electron density profiles. The energy and flux are also derived independently from optical emissions combined with ion-chemistry modelling, and a good agreement is found. A robust method to obtain detailed 2-D maps of the average energy and number flux of small scale aurora is presented. The arcs are stretched in the north-south direction, and the lowest energies are found on the western, leading edges of the arcs. The large ionospheric electric fields (250 mV m−1) found from tristatic radar measurements are evidence of strong currents associated with the region close to the optical arcs. The different data sets indicate that the arcs appear on the boundaries between regions with different average energy of diffuse precipitation, caused by pitch-angle scattering. The two thin arcs on these boundaries are found to be related to an increase in number flux (and thus increased energy flux) without an increase in energy.


In this article, I analyze the central role of economic liberalization in Philip Morris's makeover into a "responsible corporate citizen," including the firm's unlikely support for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco products. On the basis of fieldwork in North Carolina, I provide an ethnographic view of how the recent shift from traditional auction marketing to private contract agriculture affects differently positioned farmers and farmworkers. This transition has galvanized both potent cultural meanings associated with locality and modes of stigmatization deployed by various actors to respond to social and economic restructuring. Ostensibly about improving public health, Philip Morris's makeover, linked to stringent producer contracts and government regulation of consumption, makes U.S. farm businesses less stable, deepens their dependency on a transnational flow of low-wage labor migration from Mexico and Central America, and compounds social and housing problems that affect migrants. The tobacco industry's transition is an exemplary case of biocapitalism, a strategic merger of economic, ethical, and public health values that mirrors trends in the pharmaceutical industry. Analyzing social dynamics of stigmatization in light of health-driven production models, I show how the involvement of a private firm in regulatory politics builds on uneven social and economic conditions among people who manage and work on tobacco farms. This study expands the scope of tobacco's public health picture beyond a narrow focus on consumer health to include important social and health problems related to commercial leaf production. [tobacco, cigarettes, smoking, corporate social responsibility, agriculture, farm labor, stigma, biocapitalism, North Carolina]


Abstract Research in comparative capitalism has seen an increasing interest in emerging economies and has made attempts at integrating the informal economy as a distinct and significant feature of the institutional configuration and reproduction of contemporary capitalisms. The way this has been achieved, however, is problematic as it has mainly worked with a dualist notion of the formal and informal economies, thereby making it difficult to conceptualise any interlinkages. This article argues that the relation between the formal and informal economies needs to be conceptualised as an interlocking one in order to analyse the constitutive place the informal economy has in the dynamics of formal institutions as well as the overall institutional configuration of emerging capitalisms. A focus on interlockages helps in conceptualising diversity, by bringing the heterogeneity of social relations within the formal and informal economies to the fore. This focus also allows for a more nuanced understanding of the distribution of resources across institutions and actors, and how change is shaped by struggles within specific interlocking configurations. India serves as a useful example in this respect insofar as the centrality of the informal economy to Indian capitalism can be shown to be due to the specific interlockages as opposed to the, probably more eye catching, size of its informal economy.


BACKGROUND
Researchers often use census-derived measures of socioeconomic status (SES) when personal information is not available. Theory predicts that the resulting misclassification will blunt associations between outcomes and SES and that control for confounding by SES will be less effective. The purpose of this paper was to examine the magnitude of this problem using data from the National Population Health Survey (NPHS).

METHODS
Subjects were 4,037 respondents to the NPHS who were linked to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. An ecologic measure of income was obtained by linkage of subjects' postal codes to the Census.

RESULTS
The relationships between the ecologic-level measure and health outcomes or health services utilization were attenuated in comparison to the relationships relative to the direct measure of household income. The ecologic measure also produced poorer control for confounding by income in the analysis of other health relationships.

CONCLUSIONS
Many interesting public health and health services questions can be addressed only with the use of ecologic level socioeconomic information. While most of the results were qualitatively similar when the direct and ecologic measures were compared, researchers and users of research findings should be aware that attenuated or potentially misleading findings may result from the use of these methods.


The objectives of this study were to examine sex differences in depressive symptom patterns in 475 sib pairs with well‐defined recurrent major depression and to test the hypotheses that (a) symptom patterns show higher intraclass correlations within same sex sib pairs versus mixed sex sib pairs; and (b) symptoms more associated with women, e.g. atypical depressive and anxiety symptoms, account for differences between male and female siblings within the same family. A total of 878 individuals, with a past history of at least two depressive episodes, were interviewed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry interview and diagnosed according to DSM‐IV using a computerized scoring program (CATEGO5). Intraclass correlations were compared between mixed and same sex sibs, and a conditional regression analysis in mixed sex sib pairs was performed to test whether specific symptoms account for differences between male and female siblings within the same family. Women showed a significantly earlier onset of depression compared with men (23.0 years, SD=10.6 versus 25.5, SD=12.5 years, P=0.0004), and a significantly greater frequency of several aspects of depressed mood was found in women compared with men, including atypical depressive features of fatiguability, appetite gain, weight gain and hypersomnia. Discordant sib‐pair data analyses revealed five symptoms that accounted for the sex differences between siblings (P=.000035): phobia (exp(B)=2.04, P=0.017), hypersomnia (exp(B)=1.37, P=0.055), appetite loss (exp(B)=1.38, P=0.004) and appetite gain (exp(B)=2.19, P<0.001). Sex significantly modifies clinical features of depression and an earlier onset of depression and atypical depressive symptoms occur more frequently in women. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–8, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


There is a rich body of research addressing the issues of conflict-related sexual violence, and a similar wealth of scholarship focused on resilience. To date, however, these literatures have rarely engaged with each other. This article developed from an ongoing research project that seeks to address this gap, by exploring how victims-/survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in three highly diverse settings – Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia and Uganda – demonstrate resilience. This research is the first to apply the Adult Resilience Measure (ARM), a 28-item scale that seeks to measure protective resources across individual, relational, and contextual subscales, to the context of conflict-related sexual violence. A total of 449 female and male participants in the three aforementioned countries completed the ARM (in the framework of the study questionnaire) as part of this research. This article presents some of the results of the analyses. Specifically, we first sought to establish through Confirmatory Factor Analysis whether the ARM was actually measuring the same construct in all three countries, by confirming the invariance (or otherwise) of the factor structure. The second aim was to explore how different resources function and cluster in different cultural contexts, to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the different protective factors in the lives of study participants. We generated different factor structures for BiH, Colombia, and Uganda respectively, suggesting that a single factor structure does not sufficiently capture the diverse groupings of protective factors linked to the particularities of each country, including the dynamics of the conflicts themselves. Ultimately, we use the findings to underscore the need for policy approaches that move away from a deficit model and give greater attention to strengthening and investing in the (often overlooked) protective resources that victims-/survivors may already have in their everyday lives.