Simulations of beta-glucose in the ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride have been performed in order to examine the solvation environment of the carbohydrate. Both single molecule and 1:5 glucose:ionic liquid (16.7 wt %) solutions are studied, and the hydrogen bonding between sugar and solvent is examined. The primary solvation shell around the perimeter of the glucose ring consists predominantly of chloride anions which hydrogen bond to the hydroxyl groups. A small presence of the cation is also found, with the association occurring through the weakly acidic hydrogen at the 2-position of the imidazolium ring interacting with the oxygen atoms of the sugar secondary hydroxyls. An average chloride coordination number of 4 is found around the glucose for both the single molecule and high concentration simulations, despite the reduced chloride:glucose ratio in the latter case. In relation to the cation, the glucose molecules occupy positions above and below the plane of the imidazolium ring. Importantly, even at high glucose concentrations, no significant change in the anion-cation interactions and overall liquid structure of the ionic liquid is found, indicating that the glucose is readily accommodated by the solvent at this concentration. Dominant contributions to the sugar-ionic liquid interaction energy come from favorable hydrogen bonding (electrostatic) interactions between hydroxyls and chlorides, although a small favorable van der Waals energy contribution is also seen between the sugar and cations suggesting that the cation could be tailored in order to further improve the dissolution of glucose/cellulose in ionic liquid systems.


Since I have dealt with hospitalised patients I could on principle hardly make any contribution to the question whether there is a connection between reduced endowments and endogenic psychosis. It is, however, very remarkable that half of the patients showed bad school performances, that 3.3 per cent had difficulties in learning, 40.4 per cent stayed down at school and 6.1 per cent attended a special school. In view of the fact that the patients with cyloid and unipolar phasic psychoses also showed bad performances at school, one cannot derive a connection between endowments and schizophrenia. Probably the peculiar findings are due to the fact that psychic patients who at the same time show reduced endowments are much more frequently hospitalised than others. Also with regard to the vocational development, the patients with cycloid psychoses do not show any better results than those with schizophrenia. Because of the large number of patients, it was not possible to ascertain afterwards with sufficient accuracy to what extent vocational failures are due to reduced endowments and to what extent they are due to a beginning psychosis.


A 44-year-old Asian Indian woman presented with a history of pain and redness in the left eye for 3 weeks. Scleral congestion with a nodular swelling was present inferotemporally. Raised C reactive protein and positive antinuclear and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies suggested autoimmune scleritis. The patient was therefore managed with corticosteroids. Nevertheless, the development of severe pain associated with a scleral abscess led to a revised diagnosis of infectious scleritis. Corticosteroids therapy was halted and urgent debridement was performed. Microbiology confirmed fungal scleritis due to Coprinopsis cinerea. Multiple full-thickness circumferential debridements with antifungal therapy resulted in satisfactory anatomical and visual outcomes. This case presented a unique challenge, since laboratory results were misleading, and corticosteroids resulted in a fulminant clinical course. Therefore, aggressive circumferential debridement was performed to achieve the elimination of a rare fungal aetiology of scleritis, which has not been reported previously to cause human infection.


: A wide panel of monoclonal antibodies to differentiation antigens has been originally used to determine phenotype of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with prostatic cancer (PC). Patients with local PC exhibited marked lymphocytopenia existent in vertually all populations and subpopulations. In generalized PC the above changes are more pronounced. Treatment of PC adds to immunodepression observed in this disease. Thus, immunotherapy as an adjuvant modality of PC treatment is quite appropriate.


This paper proposes a novel power electronic application, which is an IGBT-based frequency converter that performs the function of both cycloconverter and cycloinverter by changing the 2-b input parameter. It finds its application in speed control of induction motor, induction heating, fluorescent lighting, ballast, high-frequency power supplies, and so many other applications. A methodology is developed to generate the trigger signals for various IGBTs used in frequency converters such that the circuit is not restricted to a particular value of output frequency but it can produce any output frequency that is an integer multiple of the input supply frequency. The output of the converter has been improved using delta-modulation technique. Hardware design is obtained using readily available ICs and other components. The trigger circuit has been tested qualitatively by observing waveforms on CRO. The operation of the proposed system has been found to be satisfactory.


The small GTPase Rho and its effector Rho-kinase are involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease. Accumulating evidence shows profibrotic mediators, including connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), are key regulators of glomerulosclerosis under diabetic conditions. However, the interactions of Rho-kinase and these profibrotic mediators in the development of renal dysfunction remain unclear. Glomeruli isolated from type 2 diabetic db/db mice demonstrated increased gene expression of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and its downstream profibrotic mediators. Chemical inhibition of Rho-kinase suppressed the expression of profibrotic mediators in both isolated glomeruli and cultured mesangial cells. An investigation of mechanisms underlying this observation revealed activated Rho-kinase functions through the phosphorylation of JNK and Erk, and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Immunostaining studies demonstrated that a Rho-kinase inhibitor and Cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, attenuated TGF-β-mediated nuclear translocation of NF-κB, indicating that Rho-kinase-mediated actin reorganization regulates NF-κB activation. Knockdown by small interfering RNA against two Rho-kinase isoforms, ROCK1 and ROCK2, showed that ROCK2 but not ROCK1 controls this fibrotic machinery. SLx-2119, a chemical ROCK2 inhibitor, also modulated the expression of TGF-β-induced profibrotic mediators via a similar mechanism by downregulating ROCK2 activity. A further in vivo study showed that ROCK2 activity in the renal cortex of db/db mice was elevated compared to control db/m mice. These observations indicate that ROCK2 is a key player in the development of diabetic renal injury. Glomerular ROCK2 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetic kidney disease. Disclosure Y. Nagai: None. D. Kawanami: Research Support; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. K. Matoba: Research Support; Self; Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Y. Takeda: None. K. Utsunomiya: None.


The research dealt with management information systems with their dimensions (recruitment subsystem, training subsystem, motivation subsystem) and their role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of human resources in its dimensions (performance effectiveness, decision-making), and testing the relationship and influence between the dimensions of management information systems and the effectiveness of human resources in the research sample And knowing the extent to which the information environment provides in support of human resources and the extent of its contribution to achieving and enhancing employee inclusion. Research applied to a sample consisting of (66) people from human resources personnel and used the questionnaire form as a tool for data collection. The importance of the research lies in that it came out with an intellectual background of the nature of its variables, and the need to develop, motivate and encourage human resources by clarifying how the organization works in a way that contributes to knowledge and increases employee affiliation, and that management information systems are the interface of the organization in the governance of administrative decision-making, which can be Its way of clarifying the objectives of the organization and in line with its productive nature, whether service, industrial, educational or commercial.


This experimental study has demonstrated positive effects of low-intensity electromagnetic millimeter wave treatment on the development of experimental diabetes mellitus in mice. It was shown that repeated electromagnetic irradiation of the E-36 acupuncture point (daily 10 minute-long sessions for 14 days) decreased the blood glucose level in these animals, stimulated their locomotor activity, and increased life expectancy in comparison with controls. Possible mechanisms of action of low-intensity electromagnetic millimeter waves are discussed.


Geoscientists from across Africa, the United States, and Europe are building a pan-African initiative, AfricaArray, to strengthen geoscience education and research programs in Africa and to create an Africa-to-Africa academic support system. Universities, government agencies, and exploration companies are benefiting from the establishment of AfricaArray training programs coupled to a network of geophysical observatories spanning the continent. The observatory network provides support to the training programs and fosters community building by catalyzing collaborative projects and encouraging data sharing.


Context • Upper airway cough syndrome (UACS), previously called postnasal drip syndrome (PNDS), has been considered universally to be one of the most common causes of chronic cough. As an important part of complementary and alternative therapy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has found an exact curative therapy for chronic cough through clinical practice for thousands of years. Objective • The aim of the current review was to investigate systematically the beneficial and adverse effects of Chinese medicinal herbs (CMH) in the treatment of UACS. Design • The research team performed searches in 11 main databases from respective inception to October 31, 2015, supplemented with manual retrieval of other data. Only randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the effectiveness of CMH in patients with UACS were included. Descriptive and quantitative data on the studies' designs, population demographics, interventions, outcomes, and methodological quality were extracted and tabulated. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias system and the quality of the evidence was evaluated using the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Participants • The reviewed studies included 1355 participants-720 in the CMH groups and 635 in the control groups-of both genders, from various professional and ethnic groups, and with a wide range of ages. They all had a duration of cough symptoms of longer than 8 wk and a clinical diagnosis of chronic cough induced by UACS that was supported by appropriate physical findings. Outcome Measures • The primary outcomes included (1) TCM recovery rate and (2) TCM cough symptom score. TCM's curative effect was calculated as the cumulative percentage of the symptom-score reduction (PSSR), estimated between baseline and postintervention. The cough symptom scores were graded according to the Chinese Criteria Guiding Principle of Clinical Research on New Drugs of TCM, with the scores being classified into 4 grades. Those scores ranged from 0-3 (ie, 0, 1, 2, 3, respectively), or 0-9 (ie, 0, 3, 6, 9, respectively), with the higher scores signifying a more frequent and severe cough. Results • A total of 16 studies that had been published in Chinese journals was ultimately identified for the review. The majority of methodological judgments demonstrated an unclear risk of bias. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model due to the poor homogeneity of the studies. Compared with Western medicine (WM), patients in both the CMH groups and the integrated therapy groups showed (1) a higher TCM recovery rate; (2) better relief of primary symptoms, including cough and postnasal dripping; (3) a reduction in physical signs, including the cobblestone appearance of the oropharyngeal mucosa or mucus in the oropharynx; and (4) a lower risk of cough relapse. No severe adverse events occurred in either group. Conclusions • CMH may be a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of UACS. The study highlighted the paucity of reliable clinical evidence for CMH and the need for RCTs of higher quality in the future.


: The presence of undesirable compounds in vegetable and animal oils and fats may have many different origins such as environment, crop protection, production processes, transport and storage, packaging and industrial utilisation like frying. Although the potential toxicity of most of these undesirable compounds is real, poisoning risks are rather limited due to the efficient elimination during oil-refining steps, careful conditioning, choice of efficient packaging and industrial quality control management. For some undesirable compounds representative of the major origins listed above, the analytical methods used (sensitivity, precision), the existing regulations (EU and Codex) and an idea of their content in fats and oils are presented. Main conclusions are: ‐ For most of the undesirable compounds possibly found in oils and fats, standardised test methods do exist or are in progress. ‐ Results presented prove that oil-refining steps are efficient for elimination of most undesirable compounds. ‐ Oils and fats present in general low level of undesirable compounds such as lead, cadmium, hexane, PAHs, pesticide residues or mycotoxins. ‐ In order to get reliable and up to date data and to check the conformity of the products regarding the present regulations, the creation of survey plans on potential contaminants such as pesticide residues and benzo[a]pyrene is suggested for refined oils and for cold pressed oils, lead and ochratoxin A have to be added to the list.


Objective: We examined the effects of treatment with soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor (sEHi) and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) analogue (EET-A), given alone or combined, on blood pressure (BP) and ischemia/reperfusion myocardial injury in rats with angiotensin II (ANG II)-dependent hypertension. Methods: Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR) were used as a model of ANG II-dependent hypertension and Hannover Sprague–Dawley rats served as controls. Rats were treated for 14 days with sEHi or EET-A and BP was measured by radiotelemetry. Albuminuria, cardiac hypertrophy and concentrations of ANG II and EETs were determined. Separate groups were subjected to acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and the infarct size and ventricular arrhythmias were determined. Results: Treatment of TGR with sEHi and EET-A, given alone or combined, decreased BP to a similar degree, reduced albuminuria and cardiac hypertrophy to similar extent; only treatment regimens including sEHi increased myocardial and renal tissue concentrations of EETs. sEHi and EET-A, given alone or combined, suppressed kidney ANG II levels in TGR. Remarkably, infarct size did not significantly differ between TGR and Hannover Sprague–Dawley rats, but the incidence of ischemia-induced ventricular fibrillations was higher in TGR. Application of sEHi and EET-A given alone and combined sEHi and EET-A treatment were all equally effective in reducing life-threatening ventricular fibrillation in TGR. Conclusion: The findings indicate that chronic treatment with either sEHi or EET-A exerts distinct antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic actions in our ANG II-dependent model of hypertension whereas combined administration of sEHi and EET-A does not provide additive antihypertensive or cardioprotective effects.


In the last two decades the Uruguayan political system has shown a cooperative relationship between the two government branches. he Executives were able to pass their legislative agenda in an eicient way by building cartel-party at the Houses. his article proposes an explanation based on the theoretical developments of Cox and McCubbins (1993 and 2005), about the creation of legislative cartels in Uruguay. In particular, the article explains how constitutes a central authority in the House where the executive holds a dominant inluence, and how that authority usurps and controls the agenda power. I also present new evidence about the legislator's cooperation with the party aims, with the hope of getting beneits to extent their political careers. he data show that in the brief periods where the party or coalition does not work cartelized (rupture of the ruling coalition), the government's legislative agenda is severely afected.


National Science FoundationCan the hard work of grant review be done without face-to-face meetings? With budgets tightening, scientific organizations like the National Science Foundation are exploring ways to reduce the number of their physical meetings by holding virtual-reality meetings in the online world of Second Life. Proponents see it as a win-win scenario, saving not only time and money but also carbon emissions. Whether the technology is up to the task is another matter.


Abstract. Anthropogenic heat (AH) emissions from human activities can change the urban circulation and thereby affect the air pollution in and around cities. Based on statistic data, the spatial distribution of AH flux in South China is estimated. With the aid of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF/Chem), in which the AH parameterization is developed to incorporate the gridded AH emissions with temporal variation, simulations for January and July in 2014 are performed over South China. By analyzing the differences between the simulations with and without adding AH, the impact of AH on regional meteorology and air quality is quantified. The results show that the regional annual mean AH fluxes over South China are only 0.87 W m−2, but the values for the urban areas of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region can be close to 60 W m−2. These AH emissions can significantly change the urban heat island and urban-breeze circulations in big cities. In the PRD city cluster, 2 m air temperature rises by 1.1° in January and over 0.5° in July, the planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) increases by 120 m in January and 90 m in July, 10 m wind speed is intensified to over 0.35 m s−1 in January and 0.3 m s−1 in July, and accumulative precipitation is enhanced by 20–40 % in July. These changes in meteorological conditions can significantly impact the spatial and vertical distributions of air pollutants. Due to the increases in PBLH, surface wind speed and upward vertical movement, the concentrations of primary air pollutants decrease near the surface and increase in the upper levels. But the vertical changes in O3 concentrations show the different patterns in different seasons. The surface O3 concentrations in big cities increase with maximum values of over 2.5 ppb in January, while O3 is reduced at the lower layers and increases at the upper layers above some megacities in July. This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that chemical effects can play a significant role in O3 changes over South China in winter, while the vertical movement can be the dominant effect in some big cities in summer. Adding the gridded AH emissions can better describe the heterogeneous impacts of AH on regional meteorology and air quality, suggesting that more studies on AH should be carried out in climate and air quality assessments.


Epileptic seizure prediction, with at least some minutes in advance, would improve substantially the quality of life of patients with refractory epilepsy. This is addressed as a classification problem were the brain state is classified using a number of features extracted from the EEG. Methods based on computational intelligence, like support vector machines (SVM), are applied to build up classifiers that will make the prediction by identifying the pre-seizure phase. A problem that arises is the selection of the highly relevant inputs and classifier parameters that lead to the most appropriate classification. When all the channels and a high number of features are considered, the search space becomes high dimensional, leading to computational difficulties. In this work, SVMs were optimized by a multiobjective genetic algorithm, to improve simultaneously sensitivity, specificity and complexity (computed as the number of inputs). The Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was parameterized to search for the appropriate inputs and also for the SVM parameters (Cost and Gamma). The obtained results in a group of five patients showed that the applied methodology could reach appropriate sensitivity and specificity values while maintaining complexity low.


We present the first high resolution spectroscopic observations of one red giant star in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Segue 2, which has the lowest total mass (including dark matter) estimated for any known galaxy. These observations were made using the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan II Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We perform a standard abundance analysis of this star, SDSS J021933.13+200830.2, and present abundances of 21 species of 18 elements as well as upper limits for 25 additional species. We derive [Fe/H] = -2.9, in excellent agreement with previous estimates from medium resolution spectroscopy. Our main result is that this star bears the chemical signatures commonly found in field stars of similar metallicity. The heavy elements produced by neutron-capture reactions are present, but they are deficient at levels characteristic of stars in other ultra-faint dwarf galaxies and a few luminous dwarf galaxies. The otherwise normal abundance patterns suggest that the gas from which this star formed was enriched by metals from multiple Type II supernovae reflecting a relatively well-sampled IMF. This adds to the growing body of evidence indicating that Segue 2 may have been substantially more massive in the past.


In this paper a new real time space vector based control strategy is presented for 3-phase UPS systems powering nonlinear and unbalanced loads. The proposed control strategy generates the inverter reference and gating signals in closed loop and guarantees high quality output voltages at the load terminals. The approach, which is implemented on a DSP, adapts to a wide variation of nonlinear and unbalanced load conditions without specific knowledge of output filter (LC) component values. Analysis and experimental results on a 10 kVA system are presented. The results show that the output voltage is restored at heavy nonlinear and unbalanced load.


The U.S. biofuel industry is striving to produce ethanol from cellulosic feedstock sources in an effort to augment its existing corn grain-based ethanol production infrastructure. Technology to commercially produce cellulosic ethanol is rapidly advancing due in large part to the availability of substancial federal research and development funding. At the moment, several firms have pilot scale cellulosic ethanol production facilities under construction and testing. The transition from pilot scale to full commercialization of cellulosic ethanol will be difficult, due in large part financial constraints being imposed both internally and externally on the biofuels industry. This paper provides an overview of the biofuel industry's current financial setting and describes future challenges it faces in attempting to expand. These challenges are rooted in lack of industry capital, limited availability of performance benchmarks, concerns regarding future prospects of the industry, and general uncertainty in U.S. financial markets. If the U.S. biofuels industry is unable to capitalize and develop this next phase of growth, foreign competitors, primarily Brazil and Mexico, appear well positioned to fill U.S. consumer's demand for advanced biofuels.


OBJECTIVE
To study the epidemiological features and factors influencing behavior problems of school children in Taiyuan.

METHODS
One thousand five hundred and ninety-seven school children aged 6 - 11 years selected from three schools differently located in three city proper were measured by Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist.

RESULTS
Pervaleuce rate of children having behavior problems averaged 12.34%, with 12.40% in boys and 12.27% in girls. If was found higher in Hexi than in other two schools. The total scores of CBCL hyperkinesia and discipline violation among boys were higher than that of girls. The score including depression, somatic problem, and social withdraw of girls was found higher than that of boys. The result of multiple regression indicated that factors as interest in study, easy rearing, and good living condition when mother was in pregnancy were possibly benefit to behavior development in children, while beating and scolding children, indifference toward children, and particular preference of diet seemed to be the main risk factors affecting children's behavior.

CONCLUSION
There appeared different rates of childrens behavior problems among pupils. The scores of CBCL were different between boys and girls. It is essential to adopt comprehensive measures for the prevention of behavior problems in children.


This research applied a novel method to investigate the relationship between energy use and environmental pollution. We applied Spatial Panel Simultaneous-Equations for a panel of 22 developing countries over the period of 2000-2011. Previous researches indicate that the level of CO2 emissions increases with energy consumption. Also, Energy consumption is likely to have an increase in CO2 emissions. Appling a simultaneous equation model allowed us to estimate the relation between these two variables simultaneously. Identifying this relationship helps policymakers to design appropriate policies for achieving sustainable economic growth. On the other hand, the spatial models explain to what extent each dependent variable in a country depends on neighbors' characteristics. Empirical results of this method show that energy consumption and environmental pollution in each country is affected by these factors in neighboring countries. Also, results confirm bidirectional causality and positive relation between energy use and environmental pollution. The econometrics estimation indicates that reducing CO2 emission in developing countries is dependent on the reform of energy consumption patterns and using renewable energy to replace fossil fuels in production simultaneously in these countries.


A CCD based bistatic lidar (CLidar) system has been developed and constructed to measure scattering in the atmospheric boundary layer. The system used is based on a CCD camera, wide-angle optics and laser. Measuring near the ground with the standard monostatic lidar method is difficult due to the huge change in signal strength with altitude and the incomplete overlap between the laser and the telescope. High spatial (altitude) resolution is also desired near the ground for comparison with in-situ aerosol instruments. Imaging a vertical laser beam from the side with a CCD camera and wide-angle field of view optics overcomes both of these problems. While the molecular signal changes many orders of magnitude in the standard method, it only changes about one order with the CLidar method. In addition, the CLidar resolution near the ground is less than a meter. For perpendicular polarization, the molecular signal is nearly constant all the way to the ground. Other advantages of the CLidar method include low cost and simplicity. The signal is integrated on the CCD rather than with specialized electronics. With the bistatic CLidar method the scattering angle changes with altitude. The variation of scattering intensity with the scattering angle will be influenced by the aerosol size distribution and thus could help provide information on aerosol parameters of interest in the boundary layer.


We have developed a simple and general technique for measuring the flow velocity over a wide range of values. It involves creating a cw light-induced grating and measuring the velocity-induced phase shift occurring in a known time period. It uses polarization spectroscopy and optical heterodyne detection with two beams from a single cw laser. Measurements are made of the two spatial phase components of the induced steady-state grating, and their ratio determines the velocity. Because a ratio is computed, the effects of many possible error sources cancel out. We have demonstrated this method for an approximately 1-m/sec flow of ethanol seeded with an absorbing, nonfluorescing dye.


The objective is to determine whether Morningstar's classification of the investment styles of large-cap funds as growth, blend, and value is consistent with the groups and styles identified by cluster analysis. The analysis identified three homogeneous style groups: growth and two versions of value. The two value clusters were differentiated by degree of diversification of asset allocation and by degree of concentration of security and sector holdings. The mix of Morningstar styles in each identified cluster reveals problems in their method of classifying fund style, especially in the case of their blend and value funds.


The present study is intended to develop a model for Translation Quality Assessment
(TQA) based on the prototipe designed in the previous research. The study aims to examine the
strenghts and weaknesses of the prototipe, to revise the protipe, and to produce a model
applicable for assessing the quality of translation from English into Indonesian.
The study employs a descriptive-qualitative approach. The data for the study were
obtained through document analysis, interviewing with key informants and respondents and
Focus Group Discussion, and were analyzed using an interactive data analysis technique.
The results of data analysis indicate that the prototipe of the model for translation
assessment has some strenghts and weaknesses. The strenghts are as follows. Firstly, the
prototipe assesses the quality of a translation holistically as it evaluates not only the accuracy,
acceptability but also the readability of a translation. Secondly, there is a possibility that scores
given by the raters may be different from one another; nevertheless, the results of the assessment
are still valid as the final scores are based on the mean scores. Thirdly, though the scores given
are in the forms of numbers and are used as the basis for determining the quality of a translation,
the raters and readers are required to provide qualitative statements underlying their scoring.
Fourthly, the prototipe can be used not only to assess professionaltranslation but also to evaluate
the quality of translation within teaching and research settings.
The prototipe, however, is not without weaknesses. Firstly, as the assessment is targetted
at the micro level, there is a possibility that the assessment is out of context. Secondly, the raters
or readers assigned to do the assessment should fulfill required criteria; in many cases, they
cannot be obtained and sometimes are reluctant to participate. Thirdly, the application of
prototipe is time consuming as prior to the assessment, the raters and readers should be trained
first.
To solve the problems, it is neccessary to provide context for each translation unit to
assist raters and readers to determine whether the translation unit in question is of high quality or
not. In addition, prior to the assessment, the raters and readersthat fulfill the criteria need to be
identified and contacted first for their willingness to participate; it is also necessary to provide an
incentive for them. Moreover, in addition to the source and target texts and the instruments, a
necessary instruction on how to apply the instruments should be provided to facilitate the raters
and readers to do the assessment.


The properties and void structures of foamed concretes prepared from portland cement, fly ash, steel slag and foam agent were investigated. The results show that substituting cement by steel slag resulted in little change in dry bulk density, but reduced the compressive strength; on the other hand, when cement was substituted with fly ash, though the dry bulk density decreased, the compressive strength increased as the proportion of substitution increased from 30%to 45%. Increasing the volume fraction of the foam decreased greatly the dry bulk density and the compressive strength, and reduced the thermal conductivity as well. Image analysis on the air void structure shows that the larger air void fraction, the larger average void size and lower void roundness. There is a close correlation between the average mean Feret diameter and the average shape factor.


Mast cells (MCs) are abundant in almost all vascularized tissues. Furthermore, their anatomical proximity to lymphatic vessels and their ability to synthesize, store and release a large array of inflammatory and vasoactive mediators emphasize their significance in the regulation of the lymphatic vascular functions. As a major secretory cell of the innate immune system, MCs maintain their steady-state granule release under normal physiological conditions; however, the inflammatory response potentiates their ability to synthesize and secrete these mediators. Activation of MCs in response to inflammatory signals can trigger adaptive immune responses by dendritic cell-directed T cell activation. In addition, through the secretion of various mediators, cytokines and growth factors, MCs not only facilitate interaction and migration of immune cells, but also influence lymphatic permeability, contractility, and vascular remodeling as well as immune cell trafficking through the lymphatic vessels. In summary, the consequences of these events directly affect the lymphatic niche, influencing inflammation at multiple levels. In this review, we have summarized the recent advancements in our understanding of the MC biology in the context of the lymphatic vascular system. We have further highlighted the MC-lymphatic interaction axis from the standpoint of the tumor microenvironment.


The effective and efficient use of the memory hierarchy of the computer system is one of the, if not the single most important aspect of computer system design and use. Cache memory performance is often the limiting factor in CPU performance and cache memories also serve to cut the memory traffic in multiprocessor systems. Multiprocessor systems are also requiring advances in cache architecture with respect to cache consistency. Similarly, the study of the best means to share main memory is an important research topic. Disk cache is becoming important for performance in high end computer systems and is now widely available commercially; there are many related research problems. The development of mass storage, especially optical disk, will promote research in effective algorithms for file management and migration. In this paper, we look at each component of the memory hierarchy and address two issues: what are likely directions for development, and what are the interesting research problems.


The Miocene successions of the central-eastern region of Duero Basin can be grouped into five informal lithostratigraphic units, named: Marly Unit (U.l); Lutitic Unit (U.2); Marly-Gypsiferous Unit (U.3); Carbonate Unit (U.4); Carbonate-Siliciclastic Unit (US). Deposition of these successions took place in alluvial-flats with meande~gchannel(sa ssociationoff aciesA ), and lacustrine environments (associations of facies B. C and D). Association B is mostly composed of marls and represents open to semiclosed shallow lakes with moderate terrigenous influx. Association C is mostly carbonated and was formed in low-gradient ramp margins-low energy shallow lakes. Association D is gypsiferous and reflects drylsaline mud flats, playa-lake and evaporitic ponds. An ulterior alteration, related to the development of a morphological Plio-Pleistocene surface, affected the top of the Marly-gypsiferous and Carbonate Units, givingrise to two telodiagenetic faciesisHociations (El and E2). Consequently, the distribution of facies association and their general sequence enable us to recognize three depositional systems separated by discontinuities: the first contains U.l, the second assembles U.2, U.3 and U.4, and the third is formed by U.5.


In this article I address two broad questions: how can we best imagine a dialogue between psychoanalysis and anthropology in relation to subjectivity? And which are key elements of a psychoanalytic approach that have the potential to challenge anthropology and open interesting avenues of collaboration? In relation to the first question, I contend that dialogue has to take place not at border zones but between the most specific and conceptually advanced topics in each discipline. Building on French psychoanalysis, I emphasize several points: a dynamic notion of the Unconscious conceived as a field of struggle among competing forces, implying that the Subject is divided and nontransparent; the notion of Kulturarbeit conceived by Freud as a work of transformation of basic human drives that operates together at the individual and at the collective levels, inviting a revision of the status of culture in psychoanalysis; and an interpretative stance that builds on free associations and floating attention and operates in decomposing the apparent coherence and rationality of discourse. I present anthropology and psychoanalysis as sharing an interest in the "site of the stranger" and in the destabilizing power of Otherness. Their dialogue reveals additional textures both in ethnography and in psychoanalytic concepts. [psychoanalysis, Otherness, Kulturarbeit, interpretation, interdisciplinarity]


We investigate a class of multilayered metamaterials characterized by moderate-permittivity inclusions and low average permittivity. Via first-principles calculations, we show that in such a scenario, first- and second-order spatial dispersions may exhibit a dramatic and nonresonant enhancement, and may become comparable with the local response. Their interplay gives access to a wealth of dispersion regimes encompassing additional extraordinary waves and topological phase transitions. In particular, we identify a configuration featuring bound and disconnected isofrequency contours. Since they do not rely on high-permittivity inclusions, our proposed metamaterials may constitute an attractive and technologically viable platform for engineering nonlocal effects in the optical range.


INTRODUCTION The metabolic monitoring of the critical patient by means of indirect calorimetry is a technique that is used more and more often in ICU's. OBJECTIVES To establish the methodological basis for the application of indirect calorimetry in the ventilatory monitoring of the critical patient. METHODS 20 critical patients with complete support ventilation, who because of their clinical condition required an increased or decreased ventilatory minute volume, are monitored with indirect calorimetry (Deltatrac). The dead space was calculated (Vd/Vt ratio) using the formula; Vd/Vt = 1 - (0.863 x VeCO2/PaCO2 x Vm). The changes in carbon dioxide exhalation (VeCO2) were measured, and so was the dead space after changing the ventilation parameters, and the stabilization time of both parameters was measured also. RESULTS The average oxygen use (VO2) was 265 +/- 45 ml/min, the average baseline VeCO2 was 219 +/- 38 ml/min, and the mean baseline PaCO2 was 37.8 +/- 8 mm Hg. The mean initial minute volume (Vm) was 10.8 +/- 3.2 l/min; in 10 patients this increased in 74 +/- 20%, and in the rest it decreased by 42 +/- 7%. The time required to reach the new equilibrium was less when the minute volume increased than if this decreased: 45.6 +/- 10 vs. 74.2 +/- 7 min (p < 0.01) for the VeCO2, and 45.4 +/- 7 vs. 76 +/- 6.8 min (p < 0.01) for the PaCO2. Both the PaCO2 and the VeCO2 reached the new equilibrium in similar times. The Vd/Vt prior to the ventilatory change was 0.5 +/- 0.12 and after the change the ratio was 0.49 +/- 0.1; in patients in whom the Vm decreased, the Vd/Vt also decreased (p < 0.01), but in contrast, when the Vm increased, the dead space did too (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS On one hand indirect calorimetry permits monitoring of the metabolic equilibrium, and on the other hand in can monitor the patient's hemodynamics (Fick method) and finally, as has been show by this study, it allows a monitoring of the ventilatory situation of the critical patient with complete supported ventilation.


The Arctic seasonal halocline impacts the exchange of heat, energy, and nutrients between the surface and the deeper ocean, and it is changing in response to Arctic sea ice melt over the past several decades. Here, we assess seasonal halocline formation in 1975 and 2006-2012 by comparing daily, May to September, salinity profiles collected in the Canada Basin under sea ice. We evaluate differences between the two time periods using a one-dimensional (1D) bulk model to quantify differences in freshwater input and vertical mixing. The 1D metrics indicate that two separate factors contribute similarly to stronger stratification in 2006-2012 relative to 1975: (1) larger surface freshwater input and (2) less vertical mixing of that freshwater. The larger freshwater input is mainly important in August-September, consistent with a longer melt season in recent years. The reduced vertical mixing is mainly important from June until mid-August, when similar levels of freshwater input in 1975 and 2006-2012 are mixed over a different depth range, resulting in different stratification. These results imply that decadal changes to ice-ocean dynamics, in addition to freshwater input, significantly contribute to the stronger seasonal stratification in 2006-2012 relative to 1975. These findings highlight the need for near-surface process studies to elucidate the impact of lateral processes and ice-ocean momentum exchange on vertical mixing. Moreover, the results may provide insight for improving the representation of decadal changes to Arctic upper-ocean stratification in climate models that do not capture decadal changes to vertical mixing.


ABSTRACTEvaluation of models for simulating temporal and spatial variations of PM2.5 chemical composition in Japan has been limited by the lack of observational data. In this study, we used PM2.5 chemical composition data measured simultaneously over several regions of Japan in winter, spring, and summer 2012 to evaluate three sensitivity simulations, one based on a secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yield model and two based on a volatility basis set (VBS) model. Concentrations of sulfate (SO42–), nitrate (NO3–), and ammonium (NH4+) were well reproduced by all the simulations in summer. However, in winter and spring, SO42– concentrations were underestimated and NO3– concentrations were overestimated by the standard simulation. NO3– concentrations were better reproduced by a model with dry-deposition velocities of nitric acid and ammonia enhanced by a factor of 5, as was done in a previous study. Observed concentrations of elemental carbon and organic aerosol (OA) were higher at urban sites than at the surrounding remote sites, and this behavior was not adequately reproduced by models with a grid size of 15 km. Further refinements of emission inventories and models are necessary for better simulations of PM2.5 chemical compositions. OA concentration was greatly underestimated by the simulation based on the SOA yield model over all the seasons but was better reproduced by the simulations based on the VBS model in spring and summer because aging reactions were considered in the VBS model-based simulations. The VBS model-based simulations reproduced the observations that primary OA predominated in winter and that the contribution of SOA was higher than that of primary OA in spring and summer. These contributions should be validated by means of observation-based source contributions of OA in future studies.


The use of a co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) is wide spread throughout the manufacturing industry. In spite of this, generative inspection planning for a CMM, especially by using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, is not well developed. This paper presents an approach of using a genetic algorithm technique to carry out the inspection path planning for a CMM, in a multi-component inspection application. This path planning system applies genetic algorithm theory to establish an optimiser and to develop a learning function.


With the increasing of service years, failure happens more frequently than before, which is consistent with the failure rate of equipment during the wear-out life period. On the base of continuous time Markov model for multi-state elements during the useful life period, aging factor is introduced to establish a non-homogenous continuous time Markov model during the wear-out life period. To obtain the reliability of a multi-state element, universal generating function is applied to combine its performance levels and probability functions. Through a combination operator determined by series-parallel logic relations, universal generating function of a multi-state system can be obtained. At last, a compressor of an engine is taken for example. The reliability of the system and its elements considering aging factor are relatively lower than that during the useful life period. And to maintain a reliability level at 80% under the demand of 50%, two days will be reduced from the planned maintenance cycle. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.24.2.19183


Language comprehension deficits in adults with focal right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) can cause considerable social handicap. To date, however, treatment for these deficits remains almost entirely untested. This abstract reports an investigation of whether Contextual Constraint Treatment (CCT) -- a novel, implicit, stimulation-facilitation treatment for language comprehension processes1,2 -- can yield generalized gains to measures of discourse comprehension in adults with RHD.

The focus of CCT is motivated by two major accounts of typical RHD language comprehension problems: that they are due to coarse coding or suppression deficits. Coarse coding (CC) activates wide-ranging aspects of word meaning independent of surrounding context. In RHD, CC deficits impair processing of distant meanings/features of words (e.g., "rotten" as a feature of "apple")3. A normal suppression (SUPP) process reduces mental activation of concepts that become less relevant to a current context. RHD SUPP impairment is indexed by prolonged processing interference from contextually-inappropriate interpretations (e.g., the "ink" meaning of the word "pen," in the sentence "He built a pen")4,5. CC and SUPP are partially domain-general language comprehension processes. For example, both predict aspects of discourse comprehension and are hypothesized to underpin figurative language comprehension; SUPP is important for resolving lexical and inferential ambiguities; and CC is involved in processing both literal lexical items and phrasal metaphors1,2,6. Thus, treatment that improves CC and SUPP processes may hold promise for improving a broad range of communicative outcomes.

CCT is novel in aiming to facilitate comprehension processes implicitly, through contextual prestimulation. Adults with RHD who perform well on implicit assessments of language processing often have difficulty on metalinguistic assessments of the same operations2. Thus we implemented this approach to avoid confounding treatment of impaired processes with irrelevant, and potentially difficult, task demands.


We describe newly developed remote sensing tools to map the localized occurrences and regional distribution of the marsh dieback in coastal Louisiana. As a final goal of our research and development, we identified what spectral features accompanied the onset of dieback and could be directly linked to the optical signal measured at the satellite. In order to accomplish our research goal, we carried out two interlinked objectives. First, we determined the spectral features within the hyperspectral spectra of the impacted plant that could be linked to the spectral return. This was accomplished by measuring the differences in leaf optical properties of impacted and non impacted marsh plants in such a way that the measured differences could be linked to the dieback onset and progression. The spectral analyses were constrained to selected wavelengths (bands of reflectance data) historically associated with changes in leaf composition and structure caused by changes in the plant biophysical environment. Second, we determined what changes in the canopy reflectance (canopy signal sensed at the satellite) could be linked to dieback onset and progression. Third, we transformed a suite of six Landsat Thematic Mapper images collected before, during, and in the final stages of dieback to maps of dieback occurrences.


In this article, we present PCovR, an R package for performing principal covariates regression (PCovR; De Jong and Kiers'92). PCovR was developed for analyzing regression data with many and/or highly collinear predictor variables. The method simultaneously reduces the predictor variables to a limited number of components and regresses the criterion variables on these components. The flexibility, interpretational advantages, and computational simplicity of PCovR make the method stand out between many other regression methods. The PCovR package offers data preprocessing options, new model selection procedures, and several component rotation strategies, some of which were not available in R up till now. The use and usefulness of the package is illustrated with a real dataset, called psychiatrists.


The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has a mandate to respond to crises of human displacement on a global scale. The ways in which the organization conceives of gender and culture in this humanitarian context are problematic because they tend either to essentialize 'woman' and 'culture' in the planning process or to minimize the meaning and implications of these differences vis-a-vis gender policies which focus on integration. In this article, the discourse of 'UN humanism' is analyzed, noting a long-standing tension between culture as shared humanity and culture as a pivotal basis of difference. Drawing on current research relating to UNHCR's gender policies and on initiatives against violence towards refugee women in camps, the implications of overarching frameworks which attend to gender and cultural differences are discussed. Strategies to avoid authenticating or fixing categories of difference, on the one hand, and to avoid treating gender and culture as simply variables, on the ...


Past research on haptic perception suggests that humans can accurately identify the physical properties of an object without any access to visual information. Researchers contend that, in the absence of vision, the distribution of the inertial forces of an object are used to perceive other properties. The literature suggests that the haptic perception system is sensitive to inertial forces and haptic perception relies on the inertial distribution to identify predictable relationships between the inertia and other properties. However, prior studies supporting the role of inertia in perception allowed access to additional mechanical properties other than inertia. This study used an apparatus that limited information availability solely to rotational inertia. If rotational inertia alone is sufficient for perceiving physical properties of objects, participants would be able to accurately judge disk diameter from inertial information. When exposed to disks varying in diameter, I expected that participants would consistently discriminate between the magnitudes of the object's diameter. Findings were generally in support of the inertia tensor hypothesis and demonstrated the generalizability to a novel event.


Initial work on mapping CFD codes onto parallel systems focused upon software which employed structured meshes. Increasingly, many large scale CFD codes are being based upon unstructured meshes. One of the key problems when implementing such large scale unstructured problems on a distributed memory machine is the question of how to partition the underlying computational domain efficiently. It is important that all processors are kept busy for as large a proportion of the time as possible and that the amount, level and frequency of communication should be kept to a minimum.

Proposed techniques for solving the mapping problem have separated out the solution into two distinct phases. The first phase is to partition the computational domain into cohesive sub-regions. The second phase consists of embedding these sub-regions onto the processors. However, it has been shown that performing these two operations in isolation can lead to poor mappings and much less optimal communication time.

In this thesis we develop a technique which simultaneously takes account of the processor topology whilst identifying the cohesive sub-regions. Our approach is based on an unstructured mesh decomposition method that was originally developed by Sadayappan et al [SER90] for a hypercube. This technique forms a basis for a method which enables a decomposition to an arbitrary number of processors on a specified processor network topology. Whilst partitioning the mesh, the optimisation method takes into account the processor topology by minimising the total interprocessor communication.

The problem with this technique is that it is not suitable for dealing with very large meshes since the calculations often require prodigious amounts of computing processing power.

The problem can be overcome by creating clusters of the original elements and using this to create a reduced network which is homomorphic to the original mesh. The technique can now be applied to the image network with comparative ease. The clusters are created using an efficient graph bisection method. The coarseness of the reduced mesh inevitably leads to a degradation of the solution. However, it is possible to refine the resultant partition to recapture some of the richness of the original mesh and hence achieve reasonable partitions.

One of the issues to be addressed is the level of granuality to obtain the best balance between computational efficiency and optimality of the solution. Some progress has been made in trying to find an answer to this important issue.

In this thesis, we show how the above technique can be effectively utilised in large scale computations. Results include testing the above technique on large scale meshes for complex flow domains.


Despite the lack of confirmed reports of an exogenous Simian betaretrovirus (SRV) isolated from baboons (Papio sp.),reports of simian endogenous gammaretrovirus (SERV) in baboons with complete genomes suggest that such viruses may be potentially infectious. In addition, serologic tests have repeatedly demonstrated antibody reactivity to SRV in baboons from multiple colonies. These findings complicate the management and use of such animals for research. To provide further insight into this situation, we performed in vitro and in vivo studies to determine if baboons are or can be infected with SRV. In our initial experiment, we were not able to isolate SRV from 6 seropositive or sero-indeterminate baboons by coculturing their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with macaque PBMC or permissive cell lines. In a subsequent experiment, we found that baboon PBMC infected in vitro with high dose SRV were permissive to virus replication. To test in vivo infectibility, groups of naive baboons were infused intravenously with either (i) the same SRV tissue culture virus stocks used for the in vitro studies, (ii) SRV antibody positive and PCR positive macaque blood, (iii) SRV antibody positive or indeterminate, but PCR negative baboon blood, or (iv) SRV antibody and PCR negative baboon blood. Sustained SRV infection, as defined by reproducible PCR detection and/or antibody seroconversion, was confirmed in 2 of 3 baboons receiving tissue culture virus but not in any recipients of transfused blood from seropositive macaques or baboons. In conclusion, the data indicate that even though baboon cells can be infected experimentally with high doses of tissue culture grown SRV, baboons that are repeatedly SRV antibody positive and PCR negative are unlikely to be infected with exogenous SRV and thus are unlikely to transmit a virus that would threaten the SPF status of captive baboon colonies.


In stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and its variants, the optimized gradient estimators may be as expensive to compute as the true gradient in many scenarios. This paper introduces a calibrated stochastic gradient descent (CSGD) algorithm for deep neural network optimization. A theorem is developed to prove that an unbiased estimator for the network variables can be obtained in a probabilistic way based on the Lipschitz hypothesis. Our work is significantly distinct from existing gradient optimization methods, by providing a theoretical framework for unbiased variable estimation in the deep learning paradigm to optimize the model parameter calculation. In particular, we develop a generic gradient calibration layer which can be easily used to build convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Experimental results demonstrate that CNNs with our CSGD optimization scheme can improve the stateof-the-art performance for natural image classification, digit recognition, ImageNet object classification, and object detection tasks. This work opens new research directions for developing more efficient SGD updates and analyzing the backpropagation algorithm.


A visualization car ABS simulation platform is presented with aid of the advanced computer technology. Based on the overall framework design of ABS virtual simulation platform, the implementation of ABS simulators and upper interface are analyzed in order to make the upper interface get the real-time wheel and speed signal and draw the ABS braking process animation. The simulation platform is applied to analyze the simulation animation process with or without ABS and promising results are omitted .It is proved that the simulation platform can intuitively see if the car is locked or deflected and reduce the ABS developing cycle greatly.


Rapid urbanization and related land cover and land use changes are primary causes of climate change, and of environmental and ecosystem degradation. Sustainability problems are becoming increasingly complex due to these developments. At the same time vast amounts of data on urbanization, construction and resulting environmental conditions are being generated. Yet it is hardly possible to gain insights for sustainable plan-ning and design at the same rate as data is generated. Moreover, the complexity of compound sustainability problems requires interdisciplinary approaches that address multiple knowledge fields, multiple dynamics and multiple spatial, temporal and functional scales. This raises a question regarding methods and tools available to planners and architects for tackling these complex issues. To address this problem we are developing an interdisciplinary approach, computational framework and related workflows for multi-domain and trans-scalar modelling that integrate planning and design scales. For this article two lines of research were selected. The first focuses on understanding environments for the purpose of discovering, recovering and adapting land knowledge to different conditions and contexts. This entails an analytical data-integrated computational workflow. The second line of research focuses on designing environments and developing an approach and computational workflow for data-integrated planning and design. These two lines converge in a combined analytical and generative data-integrated computational workflow. This combined approach aims for an intense integration of architectures and environments that we call embedded architectures. In this article we discuss the two lines of research, their convergence, and further research questions.


Although the idea that youthful offenders are affected by the company they keep is widely accepted, evidence in support of this idea is based primarily on reports provided by offenders and their peers. As an alternative to relying on reports of criminal behavior, a method that may overestimate the role that peers play in criminal behavior, the current research on co-offending uses court records to identify and track over time individuals who are known to commit crimes together. The present investigation is the first co-offending study to track patterns of violent criminal behavior (over an 18-year period) among a sample of urban offenders and their accomplices. The study tests whether violence "spreads" from violent offenders to those inexperienced in violence. Results indicate that nonviolent offenders who commit their first co-offense with violent accomplices are at increased risk for subsequent serious violent crime. Findings suggest that lessons of violence can be learned "on the street," where knowledge is passed along through impromptu social contexts, including those in which offenders commit crimes together. Aggr. Behav. 28:97–108, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


TGF-β inhibits adipocyte differentiation, yet is expressed by adipocytes. The function of TGF-β in adipogenesis, and its mechanism of action, is unknown. To address the role of TGF-β signaling in adipocyte differentiation, we characterized the expression of the TGF-β receptors, and the Smads which transmit or inhibit TGF-β signals, during adipogenesis in 3T3-F442A cells. We found that the cell-surface availability of TGF-β receptors strongly decreased as adipogenesis proceeds. Whereas mRNA levels for Smads 2, 3, and 4 were unchanged during differentiation, mRNA levels for Smads 6 and 7, which are known to inhibit TGF-β responses, decreased severely. Dominant negative interference with TGF-β receptor signaling, by stably expressing a truncated type II TGF-β receptor, enhanced differentiation and decreased growth. Stable overexpression of Smad2 or Smad3 inhibited differentiation and dominant negative inhibition of Smad3 function, but not Smad2 function, enhanced adipogenesis. Increased Smad6 and Smad7 levels blocked differentiation and enhanced TGF-β–induced responses. The inhibitory effect of Smad7 on adipocyte differentiation and its cooperation with TGF-β was associated with the C-domain of Smad7. Our results indicate that endogenous TGF-β signaling regulates the rate of adipogenesis, and that Smad2 and Smad3 have distinct functions in this endogenous control of differentiation. Smad6 and Smad7 act as negative regulators of adipogenesis and, even though known to inhibit TGF-β responses, enhance the effects of TGF-β on these cells.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Intravitreous drug delivery systems are injected or surgically implanted for sustained release of drugs to the posterior segment for conditions such as vein occlusions and diabetic macular edema. Since these devices rely upon the vitreous body for support, concerns regarding their migration and prolonged direct retinal contact have limited their use in vitrectomized eyes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Three patients with persistent macular edema received dexamethasone intravitreal implantation following vitrectomy employing the authors' novel technique for embedding the system in a residual inferior vitreous skirt that serves as a pillow on which the implant rests after pars plana vitrectomy.

RESULTS
At minimum 6-month follow-up, all patients had improved visual acuity and improved central retinal thickness on optical coherence tomography, were without complaints of floaters or migration of the implant, and were without complications. The implant consistently remained embedded in the inferior vitreous skirt.

CONCLUSION
The technique may mitigate concerns regarding implant migration and direct retina contact.


Though Nietzsche's lifelong fascination with Wagner's Tristan and Isolde is well documented, its impact upon the developmental trajectory of his philosophy and in particular, his thinking on the nature of eroticism remains far from obvious. This article examines the previously unheralded influence of Wagner's opera on Nietzsche's various attempts, throughout the 1880s, at forging an alternative conception of erotic desire—a conception no longer subordinated to the pursuit for fusional reconciliation but rather linked to the eternal return and the unconditional affirmation of distance itself.


A widely used heuristic for solving stochastic optimization problems is to use a deterministic rolling horizon procedure, which has been modified to handle uncertainty (e.g. buffer stocks, schedule slack). This approach has been criticized for its use of a deterministic approximation of a stochastic problem, which is the major motivation for stochastic programming. We recast this debate by identifying both deterministic and stochastic approaches as policies for solving a stochastic base model, which may be a simulator or the real world. Stochastic lookahead models (stochastic programming) require a range of approximations to keep the problem tractable. By contrast, so-called deterministic models are actually parametrically modified cost function approximations which use parametric adjustments to the objective function and/or the constraints. These parameters are then optimized in a stochastic base model which does not require making any of the types of simplifications required by stochastic programming. We formalize this strategy and describe a gradient-based stochastic search strategy to optimize the parameters.


The molecular details of how copper (Cu) is transferred from the human Cu chaperone Atox1 to metal-binding domains (MBDs) of P(1B)-type ATPases are still unclear. Here, we use a computational approach, employing quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods, to shed light on the reaction mechanism [probable intermediates, Cu(I) coordination geometries, activation barriers, and energetics] of Cu(I) transfer from Atox1 to the fourth MBD of Wilson disease protein (WD4). Both Atox1 and WD4 have solvent-exposed metal-binding motifs with two Cys residues that coordinate Cu(I). After assessing the existence of all possible 2-, 3- and 4-coordinate Cu-intermediate species, one dominant reaction path emerged. First, without activation barrier, WD4's Cys1 binds Cu(I) in Atox1 to form a 3-coordinated intermediate. Next, with an activation barrier of about 9.5 kcal/mol, a second 3-coordinated intermediate forms that involves both of the Cys residues in WD4 and Cys1 of Atox1. This species can then form the product by decoordination of Atox1's Cys1 (barrier of about 8 kcal/mol). Overall, the Cu-transfer reaction from Atox1 to WD4 appears to be kinetically accessible but less energetically favorable (DeltaE = 7.7 kcal/mol). Our results provide unique insights into the molecular mechanism of protein-mediated Cu(I) transfer in the secretory pathway and are in agreement with existing experimental data.


Feature extraction methods based on the statistical analysis of the change in event pressure levels over a period and the level of ambient pressure excitation facilitate the development of a robust classification algorithm. The features reliably discriminates mortar and artillery variants via acoustic signals produced during the launch events. Utilizing acoustic sensors to exploit the sound waveform generated from the blast for the identification of mortar and artillery variants as type A, etcetera through analysis of the waveform. Distinct characteristics arise within the different mortar/artillery variants because varying HE mortar payloads and related charges emphasize varying size events at launch. The waveform holds various harmonic properties distinct to a given mortar/artillery variant that through advanced signal processing and data mining techniques can employed to classify a given type. The skewness and other statistical processing techniques are used to extract the predominant components from the acoustic signatures at ranges exceeding 3000m. Exploiting these techniques will help develop a feature set highly independent of range, providing discrimination based on acoustic elements of the blast wave. Highly reliable discrimination will be achieved with a feedforward neural network classifier trained on a feature space derived from the distribution of statistical coefficients, frequency spectrum, and higher frequency details found within different energy bands. The processes that are described herein extend current technologies, which emphasis acoustic sensor systems to provide such situational awareness.


Research on gender equality policy has generally focused on actors and institutions at the national and international levels. This paper considers the role of local level actors and institutions in explaining different policy responses to violence against women and girls (VAWG). The literature on gender policy trajectories identifies the particular importance of executive actors in influencing 'status policies' like VAWG. Quantitative data is analyzed to show how local Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales have responded to demands for policy action. The focus is on the interaction between the 41 elected commissioners and the new institutional arrangements for police governance introduced in 2012. The paper shows that variation in policy outcomes is related (a) to the gender of executive actors, and (b) to the way in which actors interpret elements of the institutional framework, regardless of their own gender.


This study examines the health impact of a proposed dental school in Southwest Virginia. In setting the stage for an evaluation of the dental school impacts, this study first assesses the economic, social, and health context for the Southwest Virginia region. It also presents a summary of research regarding the causes of differences in oral health, demand and supply for dental care services, the uneven geographical distribution of the health care workforce, and the regional labor market consequences of expanding area training and educational opportunities. The study provides a descriptive analysis of national, state, and regional oral health needs as well as pertinent national, state, and regional dental care resources and analyzes gaps in the existing and future provision of regional dental services. It assesses how a new dental school could affect the availability of dentists, utilization levels of dental services, and quality of care. Lastly, it discusses alternative policies and programs, including variants of the dental school model, for improving access to dental care and oral health outcomes in the Southwest Virginia region.


Ascorbic acid (AA) is one of the most important and abundant water-soluble antioxidants in plants, and plays important role in adaptation of plants to stress conditions including salt stress. Salt stress is first perceived by the plant roots and inhibits plant growth in the short-term by inducing osmotic stres caused by decreased water availability. The study focused on determination of alleviating effects of exogenous application of ascorbic acid (AA) on barley seedlings exposed to salt stress for short term. In hydroponic conditions, three-leaf-stage barley cv. Marti treated with 160 mM NaCl with or without 0.5 mM AA for 0, 2, and 26 h. The exogenous AA has been found to increase the accumulation of osmolytes by 10 and 25% in leaf and root, respectively, at 26 h after treatment compared to salinity conditions. Besides, AA decreased the enhanced levels of electrolyte leakage due to salt stress of root and leaf tissues from 88.6 to 78.2% and 37.5 to 32.9%, respectively. Furthermore, addition of 0.5 mM AA into root medium led to rapidly differentiation in expression of salt-stress responsive genes including HvDRF2, HvWRKY12, HvBAS1, HvDHN3, and HvNHX1 in root and leaf of barley seedlings under salt stress.


Data citations, or citations in reference lists to data, are increasingly seen as an important means to trace data reuse and incentivize data sharing. Although disciplinary differences in data citation practices have been well documented via scientometric approaches, we do not yet know how representative these practices are within disciplines. Nor do we yet have insight into researchers' motivations for citing - or not citing - data in their academic work. Here, we present the results of the largest known survey (n = 2,492) to explicitly investigate data citation practices, preferences, and motivations, using a representative sample of academic authors by discipline, as represented in the Web of Science (WoS). We present findings about researchers' current practices and motivations for reusing and citing data and also examine their preferences for how they would like their own data to be cited. We conclude by discussing disciplinary patterns in two broad clusters, focusing on patterns in the social sciences and humanities, and consider the implications of our results for tracing and rewarding data sharing and reuse.

 https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway/wos/peer-review/10.1162/qss_a_00264


Group living often requires strong levels of communication between individuals. This communication is usually studied in the context of visual or auditory communication. However, chemical communication is the most widely used form of communication. We examined the role of chemical communication in mediating social decisions in a group‐living lizard, Egernia stokesii. Specifically, we examined the extent to which scat‐piling, a behaviour by which individuals deposit scat in a communal area, affected the refuge choice of individual E. stokesii . To achieve this, we examined individual refuge choice in response to scat piles or single scats and against two types of scat stimuli, one being their own scat and the other being scat belonging to an unrelated and unfamiliar conspecific. We show that lizards behave differently when presented with a scat pile compared with a single scat, and whether the scat stimulus was their own or sourced from an unfamiliar conspecific. When scats were in piles, individuals spent more time inspecting, more time in, and more often chose the treatment refuge as their final refuge choice, at a trial's end, when the treatment was their own scat compared with when the treatment was the refuge with the unfamiliar scat. In contrast, for individual scat treatments, individuals spent more time inspecting and more often ended up in the treatment refuge with an unfamiliar scat compared with when the treatment was their own scat. These results suggest that individuals are responding to information contained within multiple components of the scats - both their volume and their source. These results have implications for understanding how social aggregations are maintained within squamates, where sociality has evolved independently from other vertebrate lineages.


Background: Lack of thermal protection is one of the major challenges faced by developing nations for newborn survival. Early detection and subsequent prevention of hypothermia through Kangaroo Care could lead to significant health outcomes for the newborn. Hypothermia alert device is a bracelet that monitors for early hypothermia by sensing the extremities and sounding an alarm for parents to take action. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, the effect of the hypothermia alert device on KMC compliance at home and weight gain of newborns on 4th week follow-up was evaluated. New borns discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit at Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH). Neonates who were LBW (less than 2500 grams) were included in the study once they were stable and ready for discharge. Neonates were given a hypothermia alert device to monitor their temperatures for hypothermia for 4 weeks. Weekly follow-ups were held with parents and to record measurements of growth. Additionally, parents were given a KMC diary to track sessions of KMC. Neonates were given either a placebo bracelet or a BEMPU Bracelet. Bracelets were identical and both monitored for hypothermia, however only the BEMPU Bracelet gave an alarm when the newborn was hypothermic. Results: Statistically 44 neonates completed the 4-week trial; 23 were in the control group and 21 were in the BEMPU group; of these, 19 participants in the control group completed KMC diaries and 19 BEMPU group completed KMC diaries. The results of the clinical trial reveal that parents of neonates in the BEMPU group demonstrated better compliance to KMC. In the BEMPU group, the average daily time spent doing KMC was significantly higher in first (3.02 v 1.96 h, p=0.016) and fourth (3.04 v 2.38 h, p=0.094) week of discharge. There was an increase of weight gain in the BEMPU group after the first (25.7 v 20.7 g, p=0.1.85) and fourth (28.3 v 22.9 g, p=0.057) week of discharge. Conclusions: The hypothermia alert device was found to be an effective intervention to promote parent adherence to Kangaroo Care and weight gain.


A bound-state field theory approach to muonic hydrogen is set up using a variant of the Furry representation in which the lowest-order Hamiltonian describes a muon in the presence of a point Coulomb field, but the origin of the binding field is taken to be three charged quarks in the proton which are modeled as Dirac particles that move freely within a spherical well. Bound-state field theory techniques are used to evaluate one- and two-photon effects. Particular attention is paid to two-photon exchange diagrams, which include the effect of proton polarizability. In addition the modification of the electromagnetic self energy of the proton by the electric field of the muon is examined. Finally, the model is used to carry out a calculation of the static electric polarizability of the proton.


Bioturbation processes of a dense ophiuroid assemblage were studied by in situ time-lapse sediment-profile imagery (t-SPI) and laboratory tracer-experiments. The burrows of 4 Amphiura fili- formis (Ophiuroida) individuals were visible throughout the t-SPI deployment. Mean burrow excavation was 2.9 cm 2 h -1 . Mounding ranged from 0 to 7.12 cm 2 h -1 . Loss of sediment from the sediment-water interface ranged from 0 to 7.0 cm 2 h -1 . Bioturbation at the station was dominated by A. filiformis, whose presence appeared to mask the activity of conspecifics. Species interactions were investigated in terms of particle reworking by laboratory luminophore-tracer experiments of monocultures and species mix- tures using A. filiformis, Leptopentacta elongata (Holothuroida) and Nephtys hombergii (Polychaeta). Bioturbation by these large species fit a symmetric non-local model well. Species interactions led to underyielding with respect to predicted additive species-effects. Treatments containing A. filiformis were significantly different from treatments without A. filiformis, and not significantly different from each other. When the data was processed on a per capita basis, multiculture treatments containing N. hombergii underyielded due to the high biomass of N. hombergii and its relatively low bioturbation activity. Ordination of a distance matrix derived from tracer profiles showed that tracer profiles produced by multispecies treatments were most similar to the strongest bioturbator, due to destruction of con- specific structures by the strongest bioturbator. Species interactions are not additive in terms of particle bioturbation, and may be difficult to predict without knowing in situ densities.


: The diameters and number per unit area (density) of intramembrane particles in mitochondrial inner membranes isolated from livers of chloramphenicol-fed and control mice were assessed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. In addition, the levels of cytochrome hemes aa3, b, and c + c1 of the mitochondria were measured spectrophotometrically. The results show that CAP caused (1) a portion of the mitochondria to develop much larger than normal matrix volumes and inner membrane surface areas, (2) a decrease in the average diameter of intramembrane particles on both the convex and concave fracture faces of all membranes regardless of the membrane surface area, (3) a decrease in intramembrane particle density on only those membranes with a greater than normal surface area, and (4) a 75% decrease in heme aa3, a 25% decrease in heme b, and no change in heme c + c1 levels. It is concluded that intramembrane particles represent membrane integral proteins and that the components of integral proteins which originate from mitochondrial translation are located in the hydrophobic region of the bilayer and occupy volumes shared equally by each bilayer leaflet. In addition the mechanism by which CAP induces a portion of the mitochondria to develop larger than normal sizes most likely includes a net lipid insertion into the bilayer which exceeds the net protein insertion during the CAP-feeding interval.


We present a search for gamma-ray emission from the direction of the newly discovered dwarf galaxy Reticulum 2. Using Fermi-LAT data, we detect a signal that exceeds expected backgrounds between ~2-10 GeV and is consistent with annihilation of dark matter for particle masses less than a few x 10^2 GeV. Modeling the background as a Poisson process based on Fermi-LAT diffuse models, and taking into account trials factors, we detect emission with p-value less than 9.8 x 10^-5 (>3.7 sigma). An alternative, model-independent treatment of background reduces the significance, raising the p-value to 9.7 x 10^-3 (2.3 sigma). Even in this case, however, Reticulum 2 has the most significant gamma-ray signal of any known dwarf galaxy. If Reticulum 2 has a dark matter halo that is similar to those inferred for other nearby dwarfs, the signal is consistent with the s-wave relic abundance cross section for annihilation.


There is a central dilemma embedded in the relationship between teachers and researchers. Teachers know the story of the classroom well, but they are seldom asked to tell their stories, nor do they usually have the opportunity. Researchers, on the other hand, are skilled at telling certain things about classrooms, but they often miss the central stories that are there. This divergence can lead to different opinions on what teaching is about and what is important within it. To bridge this gap, we describe an approach which puts the teacher and the student at the centre.
With respect to emotional and behavioural problems of students, we underline the notion of student-teacher compatibility, deriving from theories emphasizing the transactional/reciprocal nature of human behaviour. One of the aims of the Lectorship and Knowledge Network 'Behavioural Problems in School Practice', is to identify 'at-risk'-teachers (i.e. those most vulnerable to the presence of behaviourally challenging students and parents) so that interventions, both in initial teacher training as well as in inservice training can be applied to help them develop adequate attitudes and coping-skills. In clinical supervision, peer coaching or reflective practice, these teachers can be helped to consider in what way student and parental problem behaviour contribute to their loss of satisfaction, their feelings of self doubt, perceived disruption of the teaching process, and their frustration working with parents.


Background. Research has shown that peer-group supervision can strengthen GPs' professionalism, but little is known about the individual learning processes. To establish professionalism beyond professional behaviour, identity and idealism need to be included. The inner attitudinal values of professionalism within the individual are, however, difficult to assess. Aim. On the basis of a multiple case study, this paper describes the process of professional learning and challenges for individual GPs, as they take part in supervision groups focusing on children cases. Methods and Results. By using a two-dimensional theoretical model, it is shown that all GPs developed their professional behaviour, and many of them strengthened their professional identity in this domain towards a changed professionalism. Most participants emphasized the positive experience of sharing worries with families indicating care and interest. Some participants learning processes were very linear/convergent; others were complex/divergent—starting out with a relatively simple objective, realizing how multifaceted the issue was after the first year leading to a final development of new perspectives or action possibilities. Conclusion. The composition of supervision groups, as well as the professional background of the supervisor, may play a significant role in the development of professional behaviour and professionalism.


The possible origin of Escherichia coli found on cuts and trimmings in the breaking facility of a beef packing plant was examined using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis. Coliforms and E. coli were enumerated in samples obtained from 160 carcasses that would enter the breaking facility when work commenced and after each of the three production breaks throughout the day, from the conveyor belt before work and after each break, and from cuts and trimmings when work commenced and after each break. Most samples yielded no E. coli, irrespective of the surface types. E. coli was recovered from 7 (<5%) carcasses, at numbers mostly ≤1.0 log CFU/160,000 cm(2). The log total numbers of E. coli recovered from the conveyor belt, cuts, and trimmings were mostly between 1 and 2 log CFU/80,000 cm(2). A total of 554 E. coli isolates were recovered. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of 327 selected isolates identified 80 distinct genotypes, with 37 (46%) each containing one isolate. However, 28% of the isolates were of genotypes that were recovered from more than one sampling day. Of the 80 genotypes, 65 and 2% were found in one or all four sampling periods throughout the day. However, they represented 23 and 14% of the isolates, respectively. Of the genotypes identified for each surface type, at least one contained ≥9 isolates. No unique genotypes were associated with carcasses, but 10, 17, and 19 were uniquely associated with cuts, trimmings, and the belt, respectively. Of the isolates recovered from cuts, 49, 3, and 19% were of genotypes that were found among isolates recovered from the belt, carcasses, or both the belt and carcasses, respectively. A similar composition was found for isolates recovered from trimmings. These findings show that the E. coli found on cuts and trimmings at this beef packing plant mainly originated from the conveyor belt and that small number of E. coli strains survived the daily cleaning and sanitation process, thus persisting in the plant.


Identification Number)  40 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903 (Address of principal executive offices)  Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (401) 421-2800  Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instructions A.2. below):  o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)  o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)  o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))  o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))  Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).  Emerging growth company o  If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o


The purpose of this study was to determine the training needs for TAC tutors in Kiambu East district. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to investigate the knowledge and skills that TAC tutors possessed and that which they required for effective performance of their roles. Six of the nine centres in Kiambu East district were used for the study. The target population consisted of six TAC tutors, one thousand, one hundred and nineteen (1119) primary school teachers and five Education Officers. Both the TAC tutors and Education Officers were purposively sampled while the primary school teachers were randomly sampled. Data was collected using three research tools namely questionnaires, interview schedules and checklists. To determine their reliability, the questionnaires were piloted using one TAC tutor and seven primary school teachers. The questionnaires were administered to the TAC tutors and primary school teachers by the researcher. Data was collected, coded and analyzed. Data was then quantified using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages .The findings were presented in tables and graphs. The results were organized as per the research objectives. According to the fmdings, the TAC tutors were being appointed on merit .They had also acquired some knowledge, skills and attitudes that enabled them perform their duties. However, they required more competencies to enable them discharge their roles effectively. It also emerged that the TAC tutors encountered various challenges in the course of performing their duties. The main recommendations, therefore, were that after appointment the TAC tutors should be given special training to make them conversant with their new roles. They would also require regular in-service courses to keep them abreast with changes in the curriculum and emerging issues. The researcher also suggested that those appointed to positions of TAC tutors be holders of at least Bachelor <of Education degree.


The changes in government policies are continuous to correct the ill effects of its earlier policies. In this study an attempt is made to examine the equity aspect due to reforms in the banking sector at sub-regional level in the state of Andhra Pradesh covering the period 1985 to 2004. The analysis indicates that the share of rural areas in number of branches, number of accounts, deposits and credit declined during pre and post liberalisation periods. Despite declining shares in most of the parameters especially those of credit and deposits, there is positive growth in both the periods. However, the growth of these parameters is more in urban areas. The distribution of credit among the sectors indicates that the share of agricultural sector in accounts and credit declined during pre and post liberalisation periods. The share of agricultural credit declined in all the regions during pre and post liberalisation periods. This is true with respect to credit and number of credit accounts. In the case of other sectors, the share in accounts and credit increased in both the periods. Though, the share in the agriculture sector declined in all the regions, per account credit increased in all the regions during both the periods. It may be concluded that liberalisation has increased inequalities. But the rate of increase in inequalities is arrested to a certain extent in the recent past. But if one looks at the growth of credit given to different sectors and growth of credit in rural and urban areas, one may not come to this kind of conclusion.


Kumi odori is an aristocratic dance-drama developed in 1719 by Tamagusuku Chōkun as part of Okinawan court performance for the ritual investiture of the monarch. Shūshin Kani'iri (Possessed by Love, Thwarted by the Bell) was written for this court presentation and has remained one of the most frequently performed works. The all-male form, which combines music, dance, and narrative, has Okinawan, Chinese, and Japanese roots. Kumi odori's most important performances for 250 years were in the context of ukwanshin entertainments for the official envoys sent by the Chinese emperor. With the demise of court in 1879, the genre languished until it was designated as an important cultural asset by the Japanese government in 1972. This article gives an introduction to kumi odori based on the practice of Kin Ryōshō, an important twentieth-century practitioner of the form. A translation of the 1719 classic Shūshin Kani'iri (Possessed by Love, Thwarted by the Bell) with stage directions reflecting Kin Sensei's choreography gives an example of this important art. Shūshin Kani'iri has been a consistent part of the repertoire and was recently presented at the opening of the new National Kumi Odori Theatre (Kokuritsu Kumi Odori Gekijō) in Urasoe-shi near Naha in 2004.


It is evident that outdated clinical models persist in nursing homes today. These outdated models reflect an institutionalized approach to care. Self-doubt, limited resources and lack of knowledge affect the ability of providers to transition to a person-directed model of care. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a person-directed care model in multiple long term care facilities. Over a period of five years a selection of data from Signature HealthCare communities was taken to demonstrate the efficacy of a person-directed care model in a nursing home setting on specific metrics to include occupancy rates, return to hospital percentages, finance (EBITDA), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-star ratings.


Aim: Prospective studies indicate that apolipoprotein (apo) measurements predict coronary heart disease risk. However, few population-based follow-up studies have addressed the predictive value of apo measurements in stroke risk. The aims of the present study were to analyze the predictive ability of apo measurements in the risk of ischemic stroke. Methods: Serum apo A-I and apo B levels and calculated apo B/apo A-I ratio were measured at baseline in 2002 in a cohort of 4,204 participants who were followed for a mean of 4.61 years for a stroke event. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, a significantly stepwise increase in the incidence rate of stroke across quartiles of both apo B and the apo B/apo A-I ratio was evident in both genders and across age-groups. The predictive ability of apo B to detect ischemic stroke was comparable with that of the apo B/apo A-I ratio. Furthermore, both apo B and the apo B/apo A-I ratio were better predictors of the risk of ischemic stroke than total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the TC/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio. Conclusions: This cohort study demonstrates that apo B and the apo B/apo A-I ratio were a significant risk predictor of stroke. Furthermore, the predictive ability of apo B and the apo B/apo A-I ratio in stroke risk was better than routine clinical lipid measurements. Thus, measurements of apolipoproteins have superior clinical utility over traditional lipid measurements in identifying subjects at risk for ischemic stroke.


A MgCr-based layered double hydroxide (LDH) was synthesized by a coprecipitation method, followed by an intercalation process using an oxalic anion. The materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, and pH pzc measurement. The materials were then applied as adsorbents for removal of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) from aqueous solution. Pristine Mg/Cr LDH exhibited RhB adsorption capacity of 32.154 mg g−, whereas the use of intercalated Mg/Cr LDH caused an increase in the capacity (139.526 mg g−). Kinetic studies indicated that the dye adsorption using both LDHs followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model; the K2 values of pristine and modified Mg/Cr LDH for RhB and MB were 6.970, 0.001, 0.426, and 2.056 g mg− min−, respectively. The thermodynamic study identified that the adsorption of both dyes onto the LDHs was a spontaneous process and can be classified as physical adsorption with adsorption energies of <40 kJ/mol. Moreover, the desorption and regeneration experiments indicated the high economic feasibility and reusability of the LDHs. By using HCl as the optimal solvent, the LDHs could desorb as much as 98% of the dye and could be used as adsorbents with high adsorption capacity over three cycles.


Background Studies have shown that long-term LMWH (low molecular weight heparin) is superior to warfarin for ambulant, good performance status cancer patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is standard care. Patients with poor performance status are largely excluded from these studies. We explored the barriers for doctors in their investigation and treatment of advanced cancer patients with VTE. Method Qualitative in depth interview study conducted with 45 participants (oncologists, palliative medicine doctors and GPs) working across a range of grades in Yorkshire, England and South Wales. Results A strong theme emerged from the data about whether doctors considered it ethically appropriate to investigate and/or treat a patient with advanced cancer for VTE. The expected prognosis of the patient was a pivotal factor in decision making. Doctors were more willing to investigate and treat if the patient had a better prognosis. There was considerable debate whether LMWH should be used in patients likely to die within days/weeks and whether these patients should be moved for investigation, with concerns about inflexible ambulance transport and worries that hospital was not able to manage such unwell patients. Uncertainty existed about when LMWH injections should cease with some feeling a sense of over-caution in their own and others' treatment of patients as a result. Participants diverged on whether dying of a PE was 'a good way to go' with a minority viewing LMWH treatment as 'overmedicalisation'. The lack of evidence base in this patient group was observed. Illustrative quotations will be employed. Conclusion The personal ethical framework of doctors plays a large role in medical decisions. Acknowledging this via empirical research informs a scant evidence base about how decisions are made for VTE management.