This thesis explores mid-twelfth century church architectures in west Sweden. The architectures are investigated in the light of a case, five parish churches' naves, in particular their attics and surviving mid-twelfth century roofs. Working from the insight that these roofs were most likely visible from the rooms below, the thesis presents in-depth analysis of the sites, buildings, and their organisation of forms and volumes. The archaeological evidence is approached with architectural perspectives, and the study brings together a partly new view of the mid-twelfth century church architectures. The churches' attics and roofs have seldom been in the focus in studies that interpret the historical church architectures. Thus, even if the uniquely old roofs are well preserved, we understand only fragments of how they may have been significant. The naves were created in a period before we have specific documentary evidence. Thus, as a study system, the idea that the archaeological physical remains establish 'iterated, performed, articulations' guide the work throughout. The physical evidence is approached with architectural perspectives. The historical architectures are viewed as a matrix for peoples' beings and doings, which means that the architectures were both essential, present 'everywhere', and routine, 'everyday'. The thesis presents relationships between the remains and architectural perspectives. Based on investigations in the buildings, and a 3D laser scan of one church, the analysis first focus on walls and roofs respectively and thereafter explores relationships between these. The interpretations show that the naves' masonry walls formed a firm and 'cave-like' setting, and that the roofs contrasted with a light and 'lively' character. The roof in one nave, in Gökhems' church, articulates or marks 'zones' in the room below, interpreted as the 'west', 'middle' and 'east'. Thereafter the thesis focus attention on four architectural themes in a sequence of events, i.e. 'discovery and approach', 'portal and doorway', 'entry and exploration' and finally, 'recalled in visual memory'. In these, the focus is on the same church in Gökhem however, some investigations connect to stave churches in Norway, as well as to a woven picture of a church, in a tapestry from north Sweden. In the last part, the thesis cast light on some important subsequent changes. The results provides a basis for future projects, pointing to the importance of the wooden built remains in Sweden and Norway, working from 'site topology', and analysis of medieval built environment from the viewpoint of preserved textiles. The five churches are part of a Swedish national heritage and they were, together with many other small churches in Sweden, extensively restored during the twentieth century. In this process, they lost some of their local diversity. As we now try to fit these monuments, which have a national identity, into an increasingly complex world with many identities, new understandings of the churches' varying pasts are important. The thesis seeks to strengthen archaeological and architectural perspectives within conservation, and argues to include roofs as particularly significant, in future monument assessments.


Measurement of aircraft attitude is a necessary step for autonomous control of aircraft. Autonomous aircraft are useful for a range of military and civilian purposes. A method of very low computational complexity is presented that allows the pitch and roll angles of an aircraft to be measured onboard an unmanned aircraft from real-time video of the horizon. This method can be used for maintaining level flight, and provides a degree of automatic terrain avoidance.


−According to the BAWASLU evaluation a variety of related negative content supports supporting prospective couples to burst into various social media pages. So sometimes the content leads to a hoax issue to the issue of religious and inter-group Racial (SARA). One of the social media used by the people of Indonesia is Twitter, according to Kompas.com number of Twitter daily users globally claimed to be increasing, this appears to be the 3rd Quarter Twitter Financial Report of 2019 on Twitter's 3rd quarter of 2019 Financial reports, daily active users on the Twitter platform are recorded to increase by 17 percent, to the number of 145 million users. So it is necessary that a sentiment analysis study can capture a pattern of community perception on social media Twitter against the 2019 elections and it is expected that this research can help interested parties to increase voter participation rate in the next 5 years. This research method uses the Indonesian tweet data taken from 16 April 2018-16 April 2019, further data in preprocessing, text transformation, stemming Bahasa Indonesia, specifying attribute class, load dictonary and a classification of Naive Bayes using Weka. The conclusion of this study was the classification of Naive Bayes finding that the 2019 election tweet dataset had a negative perception pattern of 52% much greater than the positive perception of 18% and the neutral perception had a value of 31% higher than positive perception. Naive Bayes ' degree of classification accuracy against the training dataset is 81% and the dataset testing 76%, the average precision value for positive sentiment is 86.65%, negative sentiment is 77.15%, and neutral sentiment is worth 80.95% while the average recall rate on positive sentiment is 36.8%, negative sentiment is 93.2% and the neutral sentiment is 86.8%.


Mixotrophs combine traits from plants (autotrophs) and animals (heterotrophs. They can use sunlight for photosynthesis but also feed on other organisms. Understanding the intricate interaction and regulation of these autotrophic and heterotrophic processes within mixotrophs is essential for understanding their functional role in ecosystem processes, including their potential application as biological control agents against toxic cyanobacteria. This thesis combines lab experiments with mathematical models to study the ecophysiology and population dynamics of mixotrophs. The results shed new light on the applicability of several general ecological concepts to mixotrophs.

We confirmed one of the key predictions of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology that rates of heterotrophic processes increase more strongly with temperature than those of autotrophic processes. Consequently, mixotrophs become more heterotrophic with rising temperature. Nevertheless, the interaction between the two metabolic pathways can be complex. Structural changes in the photosynthetic machinery of Ochromonas danica during mixotrophic growth indicate that its photosynthesis mainly serves to provide energy rather than to fix inorganic carbon. Hence, mixotrophs might have a tendency towards photoheterotrophic growth.

Not only can the mixotrophic chrysophyte Ochromonas efficiently feed on harmful cyanobacteria and degrade the toxic microcystins, but its growth furthermore remained unaffected by the presence of the toxins in its prey. A dataset from Scandinavian lakes showed frequent co-occurrence of Microcystis and Ochromonas, with a relatively constant biomass of Ochromonas over a wide range of nutrient loads.

The mixotroph Ochromonas acts as intraguild predator of the cyanobacterium Microcystis as it both feeds on and competes with its autotrophic prey. We used these two species to test several of the key predictions of intraguild predation theory and could demonstrate that the combination of competition and predation indeed enables intraguild predators to suppress their prey more strongly than specialist predators can. However, contrary to theoretical predictions the intraguild prey Microcystis was favored relatively more by nutrient enrichment than its intraguild predator. These results can potentially be caused by several mechanisms, with intraspecific interference being a likely explanation during our chemostat experiments.

In conclusion, it is the balance between autotrophic and heterotrophic processes that defines the position of mixotrophs in food webs. This thesis demonstrates that the relative importance of alternative sources of carbon, energy and nutrients for mixotrophic growth depends on temperature, the chemical form of the required elements and the interaction of the different nutritional pathways on the subcellular level. Hence, all these factors can affect the grazing efficiency of mixotrophs and their competitive strength for inorganic resources. In turn, this will affect the population dynamics of mixotrophs and their prey and alter the functional role of mixotrophs in food webs.

Despite the remarkable ability of Ochromonas to graze on toxic cyanobacteria and to strongly suppress their abundance in controlled lab experiments, Ochromonas is unlikely to successfully control cyanobacterial growth in natural waters. Many of the common bloom-forming cyanobacteria, such as Microcystis, seem to be well protected against grazing by mixotrophic flagellates. Especially nutrient enrichment benefits the growth of Microcystis even in the presence of its intraguild predator.


Lithofacies and age data of Jurassic foreslope and basin sediments of Rudabánya Hills (NE Hungary) and their tectonic interpretation Jurassic sedimentary rocks of the Telekesvölgy Complex (Bódva Series), Telekesoldal Complex (Telekesoldal Nappe) and the Csipkés Hill olistostrome in Rudabánya Hills (NE Hungary) were sampled for microfacies studies and interpretation of the depositional environments. The Telekesvölgy Complex is made up of reddish to greenish marl, occasionally containing limestone olistoliths — gradually progresses from the Norian Hallstatt Limestone of the Bódva Series — then grey marl, which may correspond to the latest Triassic Zlambach Formation. This variegated marl progresses into grey marl and calcareous marl, containing crinoid fragments. It may be interpreted as a hemipelagic facies, relatively close to submarine highs. Bajocian to Lower Bathonian black shales, rich in radiolarians and sponge spicules representing typical deep pelagic facies, are also assigned to the Telekesvölgy Complex. The Telekesoldal Complex represents a mélange-like subduction-related complex that consists of black shales, sandstone turbidites and olistostrome beds, and deposited by gravity mass flows. A relatively deep marine basin in the proximity of a submarine slope is likely to be the depositional environment of this unit. The clasts of the olistostromes are predominantly Middle to Upper Triassic pelagic limestones, rhyolite and basalt. Subduction related nappe stacking of the ocean margin during the Middle to Late Jurassic may have created suitable conditions for this sedimentation pattern. Bajocian-Callovian age of the complex was proved by the revision of the radiolarian fauna and new palynological data, the first from the Jurassic of the Aggtelek-Rudabánya Hills. The Csipkés Hill olistostrome consists of carbonate turbidite beds containing Jurassic platform derived foraminiferal and olistostrome horizons with Middle-Upper Triassic limestone clasts of red Hallstatt facies.


Distribution pattern of phosphatases, oxidoreductases and non-specific esterases were studied in ovary of prepubertal, follicular phase, luteal phase and in pregnant animals. In the ovary of prepubertal buffaloes, distribution of phosphatases (AKPase and G-6-Pase) was negligible in the surface epithelium, tunica albuginea and stroma in the cortex region while it was weak during the follicular, luteal and pregnant animals. Its activity was strong in the primordial and primary follicles in all the phases of the reproduction. Strong to intense reaction was observed in the theca cells and granulosa cells. The luteal cells and blood vessels in corpus luteum of luteal phase showed moderate reactions while strong reaction was observed in the pregnant buffaloes. The enzyme reaction of dehydrogenases revealed that the steroidogenic cells were more active during follicular phase, luteal phase and pregnancy while weak activity was observed in the surface epithelium and tunica albuginea. Reactivity of diaphorases were weak to moderate in surface epithelium and tunica albuginea, moderate activity in theca cells and oocyte and intense reaction in granulosa cells of tertiary follicles and weak activity in connective tissue septa and intense in luteal cells in parenchyma of corpus luteum of buffalo. Activity of NSE was strong in the granulosa cells and corona radiate cells of secondary and tertiary follicles while it was moderate in the theca cells. Most of the enzymes were more active in pubertal and pregnant buffaloes compared with prepubertal buffaloes and could be correlated with the steroid synthesis. The difference in the intensity of enzyme in different compartments of ovary also correlated with the cells participating in the hormone synthesis.


Abstract. The 17O excess (Δ17O = δ17O−0.52 × δ18O) of sulfate and nitrate reflects the relative importance of their different production pathways in the atmosphere. A new record of sulfate and nitrate Δ17O spanning the last 2400 years from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core project shows significant changes in both sulfate and nitrate Δ17O in the most recent 200 years, indicating changes in their formation pathways. The sulfate Δ17O record exhibits a 1.1 ‰ increase in the early 19th century from (2.4 ± 0.2) ‰ to (3.5 ± 0.2) ‰, which suggests that an additional 12–18% of sulfate formation occurs via aqueous-phase production by O3, relative to that in the gas phase. Nitrate Δ17O gradually decreases over the whole record, with a more rapid decrease between the mid-19th century and the present day of 5.6 ‰, indicating an increasing importance of RO2 in NOx cycling between the mid-19th century and the present day in the mid- to high-latitude Southern Hemisphere. The former has implications for the climate impacts of sulfate aerosol, while the latter has implications for the tropospheric O3 production rate in remote low-NOx environments. Using other ice core observations, we rule out drivers for these changes other than variability in extratropical oxidant (OH, O3, RO2, H2O2, and reactive halogens) concentrations. However, assuming OH, H2O2, and O3 are the main oxidants contributing to sulfate formation, Monte Carlo box model simulations require a large (≥ 260%) increase in the O3 / OH mole fraction ratio over the Southern Ocean in the early 19th century to match the sulfate Δ17O record. This unlikely scenario points to a~deficiency in our understanding of sulfur chemistry and suggests other oxidants may play an important role in sulfate formation in the mid- to high-latitude marine boundary layer. The observed decrease in nitrate Δ17O since the mid-19th century is most likely due to an increased importance of RO2 over O3 in NOx cycling and can be explained by a 60–90% decrease in the O3 / RO2 mole fraction ratio in the extratropical Southern Hemisphere NOx-source regions.


This study applies the quadratic hill climbing model, stepwise regression, and a dynamic generalized method of moments to investigate the relationship between oil rents and agriculture growth in Ghana. Agriculture, once considered the backbone of Ghana's economy recorded a reduction of its contribution to GDP from 45% in 1992 to 22% in 2013 and a growth rate of 0.04 in 2015. The results from all models confirm an inverse relationship between oil rents and agriculture output. Further, availability of agriculture land is a major driver of agriculture output. Since oil resources are exhaustible and oil revenues are volatile, the study recommends a sustainable investment plan that emphasis on diversification, private investment in the agriculture value chain, and productive land use, and encourages higher percentage of revenues into agriculture.


In the present chapter, we made a detailed analysis of the different regimes of certain chaotic systems and their correspondence with the change in the normalized Shannon entropy, Statistical Complexity, and Fisher information measure. We construct a bidimensional plane composed of the selection of a pair of the informational tools mentioned above (a casual plane is defined), in which the different dynamical regimes appeared very clear and give more information of the underlying process. In such a way, a plane composed of the normalized Shannon entropy, statistical complexity, normalized Shannon entropy, and Fisher information measure can be applied to follow the changes in the behavior variations of the nonlinear systems.


Current ground-motion prediction equations invariably assume that site conditions at strong-motion stations, often characterized by the average shear-wave velocity to a depth of 30 m (VS30), are known to a uniform accuracy. This is, however, rarely the case. In this article, we present a regression procedure based on generalized least-squares and maximum-likelihood approaches that take into account the varying uncertainties on VS30. Assuming that VS30s for various groups of stations are known to different accuracies, application of this procedure to a large set of records from the Japanese KiK-net shows that the regression coefficients are largely insensitive to the assumption of nonuniform uncertainties. However, this procedure allows the computation of a site-specific standard deviation (σ) that should be used for sites where VS30 is known to different accuracies (e.g., a site only specified by class or a site with a measured VS profile). For sites with a measured VS profile, this leads to lower sitespecific σ than for a site that is poorly characterized because this technique explicitly models the separation between the epistemic uncertainty in VS30 and the aleatory variability in predicted ground motion.


Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type IV is a clinical entity with autosomal dominant inheritance in type 1 collagen genes; collagen, type I, alpha 2 (COL1A2) and more rarely collagen, type I, alpha 1 (COL1A1) point mutation or small deletion, and short stature, osteoporosis and/or diffuse osteopenia, repeating fractures and observed as normal sclera and more rarely seen compared to other type of osteogenesis imperfecta. On the physical examination of a 15-year old male child admitted to our clinic three times last year with minor traumas and complaints of fractures, the weight was 59 kg, height 150 cm, height standard deviation score (height SDS) -2.31, and upper/lower segment ratio 1.03. The sclera color was normal and other physical examination fi ndings also normal. The serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), parathormone (PTH) levels were within the normal range. The patient's serum 25(OH)D level was 16.7 mcg/L but his 1.25-(OH)2D3 level (30 pg/ml) was normal. The lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) of our patient who had a repeating fracture history conformed with osteoporosis (BMI z score:-3.1). After amplifying the DNA samples obtained from the patient's serum, the molecular analysis made by using the reverse hybridization method helped determine a heterozygous COL1A1 spl (s/s) and homozygous Vitamin D receptor (VDR) Bsml (B/B) gene polymorphism. This result brings to mind the contribution of the VDR anomalies in the development of the disorders accompanying hereditary osteoporosis. In other words, the determination of the risk alleles of VDR and COL1A1 together is important in identifying a hereditary component of osteoporosis.


There is growing interest in quantitative analysis of in vivo genetic toxicity dose‐response data, and use of point‐of‐departure (PoD) metrics such as the benchmark dose (BMD) for human health risk assessment (HHRA). Currently, multiple transgenic rodent (TGR) assay variants, employing different rodent strains and reporter transgenes, are used for the assessment of chemically‐induced genotoxic effects in vivo. However, regulatory issues arise when different PoD values (e.g., lower BMD confidence intervals or BMDLs) are obtained for the same compound across different TGR assay variants. This study therefore employed the BMD approach to examine the ability of different TGR variants to yield comparable genotoxic potency estimates. Review of over 2000 dose‐response datasets identified suitably‐matched dose‐response data for three compounds (ethyl methanesulfonate or EMS, N‐ethyl‐N‐nitrosourea or ENU, and dimethylnitrosamine or DMN) across four commonly‐used murine TGR variants (Muta™Mouse lacZ, Muta™Mouse cII, gpt delta and BigBlue® lacI). Dose‐response analyses provided no conclusive evidence that TGR variant choice significantly influences the derived genotoxic potency estimate. This conclusion was reliant upon taking into account the importance of comparing BMD confidence intervals as opposed to directly comparing PoD values (e.g., comparing BMDLs). Comparisons with earlier works suggested that with respect to potency determination, tissue choice is potentially more important than choice of TGR assay variant. Scoring multiple tissues selected on the basis of supporting toxicokinetic information is therefore recommended. Finally, we used typical within‐group variances to estimate preliminary endpoint‐specific benchmark response (BMR) values across several TGR variants/tissues. We discuss why such values are required for routine use of genetic toxicity PoDs for HHRA. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:632–643, 2017. © 2017 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This paper presents a 10-bit 80-MS/s successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) suitable for integration in a system on a chip (SoC). By using the top-plate-sample switching scheme and a split capacitive array structure, the total capacitance is dramatically reduced which leads to low power and high speed. Since the split structure makes the capacitive array highly sensitive to parasitic capacitance, a three-row layout method is applied to the layout design. To overcome the charge leakage in the nanometer process, a special input stage is proposed in the comparator. As 80 MS/s sampling rate for a 10-bit SAR ADC results in around 1 GHz logic control clock, and a tunable clock generator is implemented. The prototype was fabricated in 65 nm 1P9M (one-poly-nine-metal) GP (general purpose) CMOS technology. Measurement results show a peak signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SINAD) of 48.3 dB and 1.6 mW total power consumption with a figure of merit (FOM) of 94.8 fJ/conversion-step.


Retinoblastoma (Rb1) has been described as an essential player in white adipocyte differentiation in mice. No studies have been reported thus far in human adipose tissue or human adipocytes. We aimed to investigate the possible role and regulation of RB1 in adipose tissue in obesity using human samples and animal and cell models. Adipose RB1 (mRNA, protein, and activity) was negatively associated with BMI and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) while positively associated with the expression of adipogenic genes (PPARg and IRS1) in both visceral and subcutaneous human adipose tissue. BMI increase was the main contributor to adipose RB1 downregulation. In rats, adipose Rb1 gene expression and activity decreased in parallel to dietary-induced weight gain and returned to baseline with weight loss. RB1 gene and protein expression and activity increased significantly during human adipocyte differentiation. In fully differentiated adipocytes, transient knockdown of Rb1 led to loss of the adipogenic phenotype. In conclusion, Rb1 seems to play a permissive role for human adipose tissue function, being downregulated in obesity and increased during differentiation of human adipocytes. Rb1 knockdown findings further implicate Rb1 as necessary for maintenance of adipogenic characteristics in fully differentiated adipocytes.


Olivine is one of the most important minerals used to reconstruct magmatic processes, yet the rare earth element (REE) systematics of Fe-rich olivine in igneous rocks and ore deposits is poorly understood. As detected by in situ laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis, cumulate fayalite (Fe2SiO4) in the Paleoproterozoic Vergenoeg F-Fe-REE deposit of the Bushveld large igneous province (LIP) in South Africa contains the highest heavy REE (HREE) contents ever recorded for olivine, with HREE enrichment of as much as 6000× chondritic values. Atom probe tomography maps confirm the incorporation of the HREEs into the fayalite crystal lattice, facilitated by lithium acting as a main charge balancer and by high REE contents in the highly fractionated felsic parental melt that is related to the Bushveld LIP. The high HREE concentrations of fayalite in concert with its high modal abundance (>95 vol%) indicate that the fayalite cumulates are the main host for the HREE mineralization of the Vergenoeg deposit. Fayalites of Vergenoeg demonstrate that Fe-rich olivine may fractionate large amounts of HREEs, and we propose fayalite cumulates as potential future targets for HREE exploration.


Rigorous assessments of protein structure prediction have demonstrated that fold recognition methods can identify remote similarities between proteins when standard sequence search methods fail. It has been shown that the accuracy of predictions is improved when refined multiple sequence alignments are used instead of single sequences and if different methods are combined to generate a consensus model. There are several meta-servers available that integrate protein structure predictions performed by various methods, but they do not allow for submission of user-defined multiple sequence alignments and they seldom offer confidentiality of the results. We developed a novel WWW gateway for protein structure prediction, which combines the useful features of other meta-servers available, but with much greater flexibility of the input. The user may submit an amino acid sequence or a multiple sequence alignment to a set of methods for primary, secondary and tertiary structure prediction. Fold-recognition results (target-template alignments) are converted into full-atom 3D models and the quality of these models is uniformly assessed. A consensus between different FR methods is also inferred. The results are conveniently presented on-line on a single web page over a secure, password-protected connection. The GeneSilico protein structure prediction meta-server is freely available for academic users at http://genesilico.pl/meta.


Plants of Nicotiana tabacum (O3-tolerant cv Bel-B and O3-sensitive cv Bel-W3) were exposed to 150 ppb of ozone for 5 h; the fumigation produced visual injury in mature leaves, particularly in Bel-W3. After O3-treatment the pigments of the xanthophyll cycle pool decreased in both cvs, with a strong reduction in violaxanthin content, while antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin increased slightly. Under these conditions the content of leaf abscisic acid (ABA) markedly increased, particularly in O3-sensitive cv, indicating that the violaxanthin may have been partially converted into ABA. The control plants of Bel-B showed an ascorbic acid content four times greater than Bel-W3 and the ozone treatment did not produce significant differences in the ascorbic acid content and in the redox state. The two tobacco cvs were found to have similar total glutathione content, however the redox state was lower in O3-sensitive cv and decreased after ozone exposure. Ozone fumigation caused an increase in oxidized glutathione, particularly in Bel-W3, associated with a reduced glutathione reductase (GR) activity and a reduced GR protein content.


Market concentration and imbalances in bargaining leverage are a tremendous economic and social problem. As lax antitrust enforcement and diluted antitrust doctrine have allowed markets to become more concentrated and monopolies to fester, the idea of letting companies bargain collectively, merge, or even fix prices to mitigate the ill effects of this concentration has reemerged. The recent House Judiciary Report on the big technology companies and their tactics makes the need for some solution to their immense power apparent. At the same time, great care must be taken in crafting such a solution to avoid undermining competition and unwinding the antitrust laws.

This AAI White Paper "Countervailing Power: a Comprehensive Assessment of a Persistent but Troubling Idea" examines one of the more vexing ideas that has been offered as a partial solution to increased concentration and market power: countervailing power. Although not a new idea or one that has been widely embraced, what is notable about countervailing power in the current moment is that it is seemingly embraced by an array of antitrust and competition thinkers, lawmakers, and companies that is exceedingly diverse and usually opposed to one another. Apple, for example, has both deployed defenses based in countervailing power and been subject to arguments that the app developers with whom they deal should be allowed to collude to counter Apple's market power. So have the major health insurers both deployed and opposed countervailing power defense. In academic and policy circles, support for countervailing power as a solution to monopoly is being put forth not just by conservatives who argue that total welfare should guide antitrust but also those who argue for the primacy of the competitive process.

This White Paper begins with a background on the economics of countervailing power and its treatment under current antitrust laws. It then surveys the recent resurgence interest in countervailing power, and places the current thinking in historical context. With this backdrop, next is a discussion of the myriad reasons why countervailing power is not an effective or prudent solution to problems of decreased competition and increased market concentration. And, accordingly, why lawmakers, enforcers, and courts should continue to push back against attempts to infuse countervailing power defenses into antitrust law. It concludes with policy recommendations for addressing market concentration and imbalances in bargaining power with competition-based solutions.

Market concentration and imbalances in bargaining power are a serious problem. Although much attention has been focused on Big Tech recently, this is an issue that affects many other markets tech and that demands attention and solutions. But, those solutions should be focused on preserving and promoting competition, which countervailing power does not do.


Quasi-one-dimensional iron chalcogenides possess various magnetic states depending on the lattice distortion, electronic correlations, and presence of defects. We present neutron diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering experiments on the spin ladder compound BaFe 2 − δ S 1 . 5 Se 1 . 5 with ∼ 6% iron vacancies. The data reveal that long-range magnetic order is absent, while the characteristic magnetic excitations that correspond to both the stripe- and block-type antiferromagnetic correlations are observed. First-principles calculations support the existence of both stripe and block-type antiferromagnetic short-range order in the experimental sample. The disappearance of long-range magnetic order may be due to the competition between these two magnetic orders, which is greatly enhanced for a certain concentration of iron vacancies, which we calculate to be about 6%, consistent with the measured iron vacancy concentration. Our results highlight how iron vacancies in the iron-based spin ladder system strongly influence the magnetic ground state.


Abstract: In efforts to determine the primary structure of intermediate filament proteins in the goldfish visual pathway, we isolated clones from a retinal λgt11 cDNA expression library that represent goldfish vimentin. We show that there are at least two forms of goldfish vimentin, designated as vimentin α and vimentin β. RNase protection assays indicate that vimentin α mRNA is expressed in low amounts in retina, optic nerve, and brain and in higher amounts in spinal cord. In contrast, vimentin β mRNA is expressed in low amounts in retina, optic nerve, brain, and spinal cord and in very high amounts in eye lens. Immunohistochemical studies show that in the optic nerve, vimentin α is mainly restricted to blood vessels, meninges, and septa. Light staining is observed with this antibody in an astrocytic glial pattern throughout the optic nerve. Two‐dimensional gel analysis shows that all of these goldfish vimentins are low abundant components of optic nerve cytoskeletal preparations.


In the early modern Atlantic world, trade brought communities and commodities closer together and, as a result, many merchants became linked in expansive networks of exchange. The unstable nature of long-distance trade meant that these networks were continually being transformed. The Liverpool–New York trade network, in particular, underwent many changes between 1763 and 1833. The article aims to demonstrate how the use of network visualizations over three distinct phases (1760–1790, 1790–1815, and 1815–1833) can elucidate these changes and provide a different approach for studying the development of this trading community. These visualizations will serve to illustrate the extent to which this network was dynamic and further our understanding of how merchant networks sustained longevity and coped with risks in the ever-changing Atlantic world.


Thermoelectric materials have attractive applications in electric power generation and solid-state cooling. The performance of a thermoelectric device depends on the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) of the material, defined as ZT = S 2 o-T / k, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, o is the electrical conductivity, k is the thermal conductivity, and T is the absolute temperature. In recent years, the idea of using nanotechnology to further improve the figure of merit of conventional thermoelectric materials has triggered active research and led to many exciting results. Most of the reported ZT enhancements are based on thin films and nanowires in which the thermal conductivity reduction plays a central role. We pursue the nanocomposite approach as an alternative to superlattices in the quest for high ZT materials. These nanocomposites are essentially nano-grained bulk materials that are synthesized by hot pressing nanoparticles into a bulk form. The interfaces inside a nanocomposite strongly scatter phonons but only slightly affect the charge carrier transport. Therefore, we can significantly reduce the lattice thermal conductivity and even somewhat increase the power factor S 2 U, resulting in higher ZT than for bulk materials. Compared with expensive thin-film superlattices, nanocomposites will have significant advantages in mass production, device construction and operation. This thesis covers my studies on bismuth antimony telluride nanocomposites and some recent work on Co 4Sb12-based nanocomposites. In bismuth antimony telluride nanocomposites, we have achieved a peak ZT of 1.4 at 100 'C, a 40% increase in ZT over the bulk material. This is the first significant ZT increase in this material system in fifty years. The same approach has also yielded a peak ZT around 1.2 in Yb filled Co4Sbi 2 nanocomposites. During the process, great efforts were dedicated to assuring accurate and dependable property measurements of thermoelectric nanocomposites. In addition to comparing measurement results between the commercial setups and a homebuilt measurement system, the high ZT obtained in bismuth antimony telluride nanocomposites was further confirmed by a device cooling test. To better understand the measured thermoelectric properties of nanocomposites, theoretical analysis based on the Boltzmann transport equation was performed. Furthermore, frequency-dependent Monte Carlo simulations of the phonon transport were conducted on 2D periodic porous silicon and 3D silicon nanocomposites. In the thermoelectrics field, the latter one provided the first accurate prediction for phonon size effects in a given nanocomposite. For charge carriers in thermoelectric nanocomposites, their transport can be significantly affected by the interfacial electronic states. To address this, impedance measurements were conducted on nanocomposites to determine the electronic barrier height at the grain interfaces, which is critical for the detailed theoretical analysis of the interfacial charge transport and energy conversion processes. Although large amount of work has been done using this technique to understand the defect states and the barrier height on the grain boundaries of polycrystalline silicon or oxides, this method has not been applied to thermoelectric materials. Along another line, a simple bandgap measurement technique with nanopowders was developed based on the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. This provided a convenient way to quickly check the bandgaps of various thermoelectric nanocomposites, which is also crucial for theoretical studies. Thesis Supervisor: Gang Chen Title: Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering


Renewable fresh water comprises a tiny fraction of the global water pool but is the foundation for life in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. The benefits to humans of renewable fresh water include water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial uses, for production of fish and waterfowl, and for such instream uses as recreation, transportation, and waste disposal.

In the coming century, climate change and a growing imbalance among freshwater supply, consumption, and population will alter the water cycle dramatically. Many regions of the world are already limited by the amount and quality of available water. In the next 30 yr alone, accessible runoff is unlikely to increase more than 10%, but the earth's population is projected to rise by approximately one-third. Unless the efficiency of water use rises, this imbalance will reduce freshwater ecosystem services, increase the number of aquatic species facing extinction, and further fragment wetlands, rivers, deltas, and estuaries.

Based on the scientific evidence currently available, we conclude that: (1) over half of accessible freshwater runoff globally is already appropriated for human use; (2) more than 1 × 109 people currently lack access to clean drinking water and almost 3 × 109 people lack basic sanitation services; (3) because the human population will grow faster than increases in the amount of accessible fresh water, per capita availability of fresh water will decrease in the coming century; (4) climate change will cause a general intensification of the earth's hydrological cycle in the next 100 yr, with generally increased precipitation, evapotranspiration, and occurrence of storms, and significant changes in biogeochemical processes influencing water quality; (5) at least 90% of total water discharge from U.S. rivers is strongly affected by channel fragmentation from dams, reservoirs, interbasin diversions, and irrigation; and (6) globally, 20% of freshwater fish species are threatened or extinct, and freshwater species make up 47% of all animals federally endangered in the United States.

The growing demands on freshwater resources create an urgent need to link research with improved water management. Better monitoring, assessment, and forecasting of water resources will help to allocate water more efficiently among competing needs. Currently in the United States, at least six federal departments and 20 agencies share responsibilities for various aspects of the hydrologic cycle. Coordination by a single panel with members drawn from each department, or by a central agency, would acknowledge the diverse pressures on freshwater systems and could lead to the development of a well-coordinated national plan.


Background: This study focussed on the effect of dual versus single tasking on balance, gait and cognition in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). We examined the correlation between these parameters, with responses to questions on community reintegration activities. Method: 22 male and female veterans (aged 19-65) walked along a narrow and 6.1-meter long path, both at their self-selected and fastest but safe pace under single and dual tasking conditions. For dual tasking, participants were required to recall and vocalize a 5-digit number at the end of the path. The outcome measures were the accuracy, velocity, cadence, stride length, and number of steps off the path. We calculated the reliability and correlation coefficient values for the walking time compared with the stride length, velocity, and percentage of swing and stance. Results: Under dual task, the participants demonstrated slower gait, recalled shorter digit span and stepped off the path 12.6% more often than under single task. The stride length decreased by about 20% and the stride velocity increased by over 2% in dual compared with single tasking. Conclusions: Dual tasking slows down the gait and reduces the attention span in patients with mTBI, which can negatively impact their community reintegration, at least early after their hospital discharge, hence the need for exercising caution with their community reintegration activities. Dual tasking may have the potential to improve balance, gait and attention span of the patients in the long-term, thus leading to safer community integration, if incorporated in the rehabilitation plans.


In this paper, a half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) based equilateral triangular antenna is initially designed to operate at 6.5 GHz wireless frequency. This parent antenna is fitted with metallic vias all along two of its sides to make them perfect electrical conductor (PEC) walls while radiation taking place from the other side acts as perfect magnetic conductor (PMC) wall being devoid of such metallic vias. The antenna exhibits a gain of 5.5 dBi at the fundamental TE101 mode with linear polarization. Its gain is augmented using polarization independent coupled-resonator spatial filter (CRSF) frequency selective surface (FSS) as superstrate and is found to increase to 8.7 dBi at the same 6.5 GHz resonating frequency. The antenna prototype along with the FSS structure are both fabricated using Arlon AD270 substrate and experimental measurements are carried out. It is observed that both simulated and measured results are in close agreement with each other.


: Fatty acid content was found to be an important parameter in the identification and numerical taxonomy of many micro-organisms. Isolates of the same species and genus as well as members of many well defined groups, such as the Enterobacteriaceae, were included in the study. A direct methylation procedure of the bacteria was found to be accurate, efficient and rapid. Fatty acids were found to be reliable indicators of micro-organisms in group, generic, specific and strain identification. Other biochemical tests were especially valuable when used in conjunction with fatty acid profiles in identification and classification of the bacteria studied.


The need for decreasing carbon emissions in the transportation sector in order to meet the targets of the European Union by 2030, inevitably leads to the large scale adoption of cleaner alternatives. Hydrogen fueled vehicles could possibly provide one such alternative, if we could assume that the necessary infrastructure would be widely available throughout Europe. Already, the European Union has committed to the construction of a significant number of Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) by year 2025 and in view of that, there is a need of developing suitable configurations for the production, compression, storage and dispensing of green hydrogen to hydrogen fueled vehicles. This work presents an autonomous hybrid system which produces green hydrogen by PV- powered water electrolysis (PEM), which is subsequently compressed by a novel metal hydride hydrogen compressor to pressures up to 200 bar. This pilot HRS will meet the daily demand of 2 scooters and a golf cart which have been transformed, in order for their electric motor to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a battery. An important element of the work which is presented, revolves around the integration of the metal hydride compressor with the rest of the system, and how this integration won't hinder its functionality. The complete system design and layout is presented, while the results from the system operation could give a good idea regarding the optimal system sizing for similar large scale applications.


OBJECTIVE
To compare Doppler and oscillometric methods of indirect arterial blood pressure (IBP) with direct arterial measurements in anesthetized and awake red-tailed hawks.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, randomized, blinded study.

ANIMALS
Six, sex unknown, adult red-tailed hawks.

METHODS
Birds were anesthetized and IBP measurements were obtained by oscillometry (IBP-O) and Doppler (IBP-D) on the pectoral and pelvic limbs using three cuffs of different width based on limb circumference: cuff 1 (20-30% of circumference), cuff 2 (30-40%), and cuff 3 (40-50%). Direct arterial pressure measurements were obtained from the contralateral superficial ulnar artery. Indirect blood pressure measurements were compared to direct systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) during normotension and induced states of hypotension and hypertension. Measurements were also obtained in awake, restrained birds. Three-way anova, linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses were used to evaluate the IBP-D data. Results are reported as mean bias (95% confidence intervals).

RESULTS
The IBP-O monitor reported errors during 54% of the measurements. Indirect blood pressure Doppler measurements were most accurate with cuff 3 and were comparable to MAP with a bias of 2 (-9, 13 mmHg). However, this cuff consistently underestimated SAP with a bias of 33 (19, 48 mmHg). Variability in the readings within and among birds was high. There was no significant difference between sites of cuff placement. Awake birds had SAP, MAP and diastolic arterial pressure that were 56, 43, and 38 mmHg higher than anesthetized birds.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Indirect blood pressure (oscillometric) measurements were unreliable in red-tailed hawks. Indirect blood pressure (Doppler) measurements were closer to MAP measurements than SAP measurements. There was slightly better agreement with the use of cuff 3 on either the pectoral or pelvic limbs. Awake, restrained birds have significantly higher arterial pressures than those under sevoflurane anesthesia.


Reading epilepsy recruits critical language-related areas, with synchronization and subsequent spreading of excitation in response to the epileptogenic stimulus. The mechanism by which possible generalized discharges result in the expression of bilateral or unilateral clinical symptoms remains controversial. The cortical and subcortical areas involved may constitute part of the normal reading network, such as the visual word form area (VWFA). A right-handed, 59-year-old man was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15 after tonic-clonic seizures. Later, the patient described myoclonic jerks of the masticatory and perioral muscles while reading. A multimodal approach with magnetic resonance imaging and ambulatory and video-electroencephalogram was used for seizure characterization and source analysis. A left hemisphere spontaneous occipital-temporal epileptic focus, activated by reading, was observed, spreading broadly throughout frontal and temporal language networks. There was an abnormally increased cortical response to visual word presentation in comparison to pseudowords. Spatial localization of spike sources suggested a close association between the primary epileptic focus and the VWFA. This epileptiform activity seems to be selectively triggered at an early stage of lexical processing, with a functional connection between the epileptic network and the VWFA. This multimodal and functional connectivity approach could be helpful in determining the epileptic network in reading epilepsy.


The beam sources implemented in Chapter 5 are for the most part simple apertures illuminated by a plane wave. They are modeled with real functions and, in effect, have a zero phase component. In this chapter functions are presented that create a more complicated field by altering the magnitude and/or phase of the field. The functions can be used to apply "tilt" or "focus" to a field, model the effect of a periodic structure, or model a lens. In general, these transmittance functions can be thought of as multiplying an incident field to create a desired effect; however, some represent well-known optical components such as a diffraction grating or a lens. The functions discussed in this chapter provide considerable utility in their own right, but like the basic functions they can be combined to create more elaborate fields. As a matter of convenience these functions are described as part of the source, or as applied in the source plane. However, they can be applied in other planes; for example, the pupil of an imaging system, which is coming up in
Chapter 7. 6.1 Tilt An optical beam can be steered in a propagation simulation by applying a "tilt" to the beam wavefront. Suppose a tilt of angle of α is applied to a wavefront, as indicated in Fig. 6.1, where the dashed line represents the tilted wavefront of the beam and the arrow indicates the intended direction of propagation. An expression for the dashed line in Fig. 6.1 is z = −y tan α. The intent is to convert this line to a phase front in the x−y plane at z = 0. This essentially requires replacing the position z with a phase quantity. As time progresses the wave moves in the positive z direction, but (as noted previously), the phase representation becomes more negative. This reverses the sign of the expression.
The wavelength λ corresponds to 2π rad in the phase notation; so, using the wavenumber parameter k = 2π/λ, the phase function for producing the tilt is (6.1)


Bone Joint J 2015;97-B(10 Suppl A):45–8. The patient with a painful arthritic knee awaiting total knee arthroplasty (TKA) requires a multidisciplinary approach. Optimal control of acute post-operative pain and the prevention of chronic persistent pain remains a challenge. The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether stratification of patients can help identify those who are at particular risk for severe acute or chronic pain. Intense acute post-operative pain, which is itself a risk factor for chronic pain, is more common in younger, obese female patients and those suffering from central pain sensitisation. Pre-operative pain, in the knee or elsewhere in the body, predisposes to central sensitisation. Pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee may also trigger neuropathic pain and may be associated with chronic medication like opioids, leading to a state of nociceptive sensitisation called 'opioid-induced hyperalgesia'. Finally, genetic and personality related risk factors may also put patients at a higher risk for the development of chronic pain. Those identified as at risk for chronic pain would benefit from specific peri-operative management including reduction in opioid intake pre-operatively, the peri-operative use of antihyperalgesic drugs such as ketamine and gabapentinoids, and a close post-operative follow-up in a dedicated chronic pain clinic.


The paper is devoted to the linguistic diversity of the Caucasus as reflected in the writing of Arab-Muslim geographers and historians. Dealing with the locus classicus jabal al-alsun 'mountain of tongues' in the output of Arab-Muslim authors, the author juxtaposes the current state of the study of Caucasus polyglossia with the description of the jumble of languages in the works of Ibn al-Faqīh, al-Mas'ūdī, Abū al-Fidā', al-Muhallabī and other authors. Outlining some parallels in Graeco-Roman historians, the author concludes that the diversity of languages spoken in the Caucasus as described by Arab-Muslim geographers appears to be in concord with the degree of the linguistic diversity as conceived today in areal-typological studies.


ABSTRACT Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, internet memes about the war have been widely disseminated through social media, both in Ukraine and abroad. The Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) initiative uses crowdsourcing to collect Ukrainian war memes. Community submissions are curated and published on the interactive online SUCHO Meme Wall. The resulting archival collection is diverse in its content and format, preserving an important element of Russo-Ukrainian war discourse and offering unique material for research and teaching.


Involucrin, a component of the cornified cell envelope, is expressed specifically in differentiating keratinocytes of stratified squamous epithelia. To explore the regulation of involucrin expression, 3.7 kb of upstream sequences of the human involucrin gene was cloned into a plasmid containing a beta-galactosidase reporter gene and transfected into early passage keratinocytes and a variety of human cell types. The full-length construct gave maximal and tissue-specific expression. Deletion analysis showed that sequences between 900 and 2500 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site and the intron located between the transcriptional and translational start sites were required for maximal expression. Further analysis of the intron indicated that its effects on expression were independent of it being present in nascent RNA and suggested that sequences within the intron have regulatory activity. These results suggest that the involucrin intron operates in vivo to regulate expression in the epidermis.


: Islam is a major world religion and the Muslim population is one of the fastest growing religious populations in the Western world, including in the United States. However, few research studies have examined the lived religious experience of U.S. Muslim families. Much of the attention on Islam among researchers and the media tends to be on controversial aspects of the religion. The purpose of this paper is to examine the unique religious practice of the month-long fast of Ramadan, especially its perceived role on marital and familial relationships from an insider's perspective. Content analysis of in-depth, qualitative interviews of twenty diverse Shia and Sunni Muslim families living in the United States (N = 47 individuals) yielded several emergent themes. This study presents and explores data on the focal theme: "fasting brings us closer together." These data suggest that Ramadan serves a sacred, unifying, and integrating purpose for many of the 47 practicing Muslim mothers, fathers, and youth in this study. Meanings and processes involved in Ramadan and family relationships are explored and explained. Implications and applications of the research findings are discussed and some potential directions for future research are outlined.


This article serves as an introduction to the following two articles which describe the effects of drugs that interact with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors on a number of behavioral baselines. The discussion in the subsequent articles focuses on detailed examination of performance on complex learning tasks, although effects of drugs affecting NMDA receptors on simple learned and unlearned behaviors are also mentioned. This article will provide a framework for interpretation of the results reported. To that end, a short primer on the principles of behavior is provided, followed by a description of a number of behavioral tests and discussion of issues important for the interpretation of results from such tests. The behavioral baselines discussed are, for the most part, the specific tasks from which data are presented in the following reports. A few additional descriptions have been included to illustrate specific points regarding data interpretation. The examples discussed are not necessarily representative of behavioral endpoints used routinely in the assessment of the behavioral effects of drugs. A number of reviews are available to the interested reader (Cabe & Eckerman 1982; Heise 1984; Rice 1990; Thompson & Shuster 1968; World Health Organization 1986).


Abstract Purpose: Recent research has suggested that serotonin may play an important role in the expression of radiation-induced bystander effects. Serotonin levels in serum were reported to range from 6–22 μM and to correlate inversely with the magnitude of cellular colony-forming ability in medium transfer bystander assays. That is, high serotonin concentration correlated with a low cloning efficiency in cultures receiving medium derived from irradiated cells. Methods: Because of the potential importance of this observation, the European Union's Non-targeted Effects Integrated Project (NOTE) performed an inter-comparison exercise where serum samples with high and low serotonin levels were distributed to seven laboratories which then performed their own assay to determine the magnitude of the bystander effect. Results: The results provided some support for a role for serotonin in four of the laboratories. Two saw no difference between the samples and one gave inconclusive results. In this summary paper, full data sets are presented from laboratories whose data was inconclusive or insufficient for a full paper. Other data are published in full in the special issue. Conclusion: The data suggest that there may be multiple bystander effects and that the underlying mechanisms may be modulated by both the culture conditions and the intrinsic properties of the cells used in the assay.


Cytoplasmic Dynein 1, or Dynein, is a microtubule minus-end directed motor. Dynein motility requires Dynactin and a family of activating adaptors that stabilize the Dynein-Dynactin complex and promote regulated interactions with cargo in space and time. How activating adaptors limit Dynein activation to specialized subcellular locales is unclear. Here, we reveal that Spindly, a mitotic Dynein adaptor at the kinetochore corona, exists natively in a closed conformation that occludes binding of Dynein-Dynactin to its CC1 box and Spindly motif. A structure-based analysis identified various mutations promoting an open conformation of Spindly that binds Dynein-Dynactin. A region of Spindly downstream from the Spindly motif and not required for cargo binding faces the CC1 box and stabilizes the intramolecular closed conformation. This region is also required for robust kinetochore localization of Spindly, suggesting that kinetochores promote Spindly activation to recruit Dynein. This mechanism may be paradigmatic for Dynein activation by other adaptors at various cellular locales.


The origin of the kinetic theory of granular flow was originally credited to Bagnold [1]. By using a very primitive expression of the particle collision frequency, he derived an expression for the repulsive pressure of the particles in uniform shear flows. His repulsive pressure was proportional to the square of the velocity gradient and the particle diameter and directly proportional to the particle density. This theory was later extended by Savage [2] and Gidaspow [3]. Such theories provide insight on the dependence of the viscosity, and various moduli (elastic, non elastic, viscous…) in terms of the granular temperature and the associated shear-rates. Until recently, such parameters were difficult to measure because of the lack of specifically designed equipment. This challenge was successfully taken up and resolved by P. Marchal of ENSIC who designed a new rheometer for powders (figure 1). This equipment can put in evidence the importance of the granular temperature on the elastic and viscous behaviors of the granular flows. Such rheological behavior is important in risk analysis for nanopowders, because as the nanopowder may be subjected to process shear rates and stresses, its structural and topological changes, in terms of the transformation of agglomerates into primary nanoparticles, have strong impacts on emission factors of nanosized particles that can be released in the environment or into a workplace from such dense-phase nanopowder processes. Such transformation can be analyzed by studying the nano-granular rheological signature of the system. Such risk assessment approach using these new fundamental rheological safety parameters is described in this paper.


This article highlights the importance of value-based leadership and cultural change, and illustrates how organizational development strategies can facilitate positive learning environments. This is essential during periods of rapid change, restructuring, and downsizing, when the quality of patient care can be at risk. By ensuring a values focus, and a systematic approach to the development of a "learning organization", nurses can be empowered to develop their clinical practice and to lead the redesign of healthcare systems in a more creative and patient-centered way.


This paper presented results of a study on emission characteristics of diesel engines. A numerical simulation model for a diesel engine was established by GT-POWER. Emission species studied include of NO, CO and HC. The developed model was validated by engine tests under laboratory condition. Based on the model, the simulation changing the variable parameters including injection timing, intake air temperature and EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) ratio were carried out to study their effect on emissions. The simulation results showed that with the decrease of CA BTDC, intake air temperature, compression ratio and EGR ratio respectively, the NO emission decreased. However, the CO and HC emissions increased.


Due to the high toxicity of endocrine disruptors (EDs), studies are being undertaken to design effective techniques for separation and detection of EDs in various matrices. Recently, research activities in this area have shown that a diverse range of chromatographic techniques are available for the quantification and analysis of EDs. Therefore, on the basis of significant, recent original publications, we aimed at providing an overview of different separation and detection methods for the determination of trace-level concentrations of selected EDs. The biological effects of EDs and current pretreatment techniques applied to EDs are also discussed. Various types of chromatographic techniques are presented for quantification, highlighting time- and cost-effective techniques that separate and quantify trace levels of multiple EDs from various environmental matrices. Reports related to methods for the quantification of EDs from various matrices primarily published since 2008 have been cited.


In this paper the chatter stability of turning and full-immersion milling operations with spindle speed variation is studied. We present a method to calculate the stability lobes in the limit of very low and very high frequencies of the delay modulation. These approximations help to classify the results of numerically exact methods, as for example semi-discretization or multi-frequency approaches. For slowly time-varying delay, the position of the stability lobes is understandable from a simple connection between the lobes for constant and time-varying delay. Furthermore, this method can be used to estimate the efficiency of an application of spindle speed variation and helps to find optimal parameters for it.


The perceived dichotomy between the industrial and the ecological or amenity has led to a loss or misperception of identity and value of industrial landscapes. Conventional industrial precinct greening moves or the design of parks within these spaces fail to establish any sense of identity or contribute to the growth and development of these environments. Looking beyond the notion of a park as a respite from the urban condition, the challenge lies in developing parks that capitalise on what is perceived as negative and exploit it as amenity.
In search of a strategy, the discourse on the relationship between landscape and infrastructure and the ensuing paradigm shift in the way we understand infrastructure, is examined. What has conventionally existed as a mono-programmatic object for the sake of managing a technical problem is being redefined into a multi-layered spatial field, performing over time as well as space. However care must be taken in how we go about redefining the notion of infrastructure; when we keep broadening its definition it begins to lose significance. If infrastructure is to be reinterpreted from a rigid object to a field that is able to engage with open and unpredictable systems, rather than defining what an infrastructural thing may be, it becomes more important to define how something might perform or develop 'infrastructurally'. Much of the discourse surrounding landscape infrastructure focuses on the efficiency that is to be gained by the layering of multiple flexible systems or employing it as a means to remediate a site. While many contemporary landscape infrastructure projects seek to reintroduce the ecological histories that have been suppressed by urban development, their attempts to do so often erase much of what is too readily dismissed as negative, and with it meaningful social histories and qualities that may be exploited as opportunity.
In focussing on the disturbed and residual spaces and the opportunities these territories offer, this thesis seeks to explore the potential of designing infrastructurally to not only reintegrate these forgotten spaces in the urban fabric of their industrial context but to coordinate their development and/or their deterioration in such a way that they become fundamental to the area's identity and growth.
Drawing on Stan Allen's propositions for infrastructure and reinterpreting them through the lens of landscape as a catalytic infrastructure, an architectural strategy is proposed that capitalises upon the qualities found within the abandoned landscapes of the Seaview/Gracefield industrial precinct in Wellington, New Zealand, and recognises them as an opportunity to develop the concept of park in this context into something that reflects the important social histories of these sites while also presenting a proving ground for future operations. These spaces aim to question the way in which we assess infrastructural efficiency, their performance valued not just in quantitative output but also in qualitative terms.


fixation, open reduction, plantar plate, surgery, x-pins:The plantar dislocation of the interphalangeal joint of the hallux is a very rare lesion. The mechanism of this lesion was a combination of an axial load with plantar flexion. We present a case report with 1 year follow-up data of a male soldier of 25 years old, who has exhibited an interphalangeal dislocation of the right hallux for three weeks when the patient struck his hallux against the edge of the stairs. The patient did not consult urgently. Three weeks later, and in the face of persistent pain, deformation and difficulty in footwear, especially during military exercises and during walking, the patient presented himself in orthopedic consultation. Clinical examination and radiographic examination are in favor of a plantar dislocation of the interphalangeal of the hallux. Open cut was achieved after failure by external maneuver reduction. The dislocations of plantar feet are very rare. Their treatment depends on the patient's previous activity and the time between the injury and the final treatment.


The Nordic welfare states pioneered parental leave arrangements for fathers and not just mothers to care for their young children at home during their first year of life. The parental leave rights for fathers consist of one part that is family based and one part that is individually given to fathers. The article aims to show how these two types of leave have influenced the fathers' experiences and appreciation of parental leave. Findings show that family based parental leave rights given to parents to share seem to enable gender equality, but as there is no pressure on fathers to use them. They are defined as mother's rights and thus they have less positive effects than individual, non-transferrable leave. Individual parental leave rights such as the father's quota is better able to promote gender equality in parental leave use and childcare.


The Malay Peninsula (formerly ancient Sundaland) is regarded as a barrier that isolates organisms of the South China Sea from those of the Bay of Bengal. During the interglacial period, approximately 5 Mya, sea levels rose and organisms migrated across the narrowest part of this peninsula, the Kra Isthmus. In the present study, we examine the chloroplast genomes of Ceriops tagal along the coasts of both sides of the Kra Isthmus to retrace divergence events and to evaluate the probability of previous long distance dispersal. The haplotype distributions support the hypothesis that the Kra Isthmus was an effective geographic barrier that caused genetically differentiated populations. Based on comparison of the chloroplast genomes, the estimated time of divergence between the two populations is consistent with the emergence time of the Kra Isthmus. However, ancient and recent gene flow obscures the phylogenetic relationships between eastern and western haplotypes. We used nested clade analysis (based on user-defined-distances corresponding to the distances across the peninsula and the sea route around it) and provide evidence of pre-isthmus range expansion and restriction of gene flow that resulted from geographic isolation. Trans-isthmus long distance dispersal probably occurred at the pre-isthmus region ~5 Mya via the southern Malay Peninsula. Our results indicate that the Malay Peninsula has had separate populations on opposite sides of the Kra Isthmus since its formation, but that interglacial migration at the Strait of Malacca may have provided a corridor for gene flow. This is an instance of arrested allopatric speciation due to genetic homogenization via rare long distance dispersal.


CONTEXT
People living in rural areas face barriers when seeking health care, often experiencing difficulties accessing health providers or facilities. Little is known about barriers to the use of health care confronting people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in rural areas.

PURPOSE
To identify any rural/urban differences in access and barriers to health services, including MS-focused care, among people with MS.

METHODS
The data were collected in a survey of 1,518 people with MS living in all 50 States. The study included three geographic subgroups: urban areas; adjacent rural areas; and more remote rural areas.

FINDINGS
We found significant rural/urban differences in access and barriers to care among people with MS, especially for MS-focused care. Significantly smaller proportions of people with MS from adjacent and more remote rural areas reported no difficulty getting MS-related care than their urban counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS
Greater difficulty accessing MS-related care experienced by people with MS in rural areas has negative implications for the quality of the MS care they receive.


The effects of cooling time, storage temperature and storage duration on the guava cv. Kampuchea were determined. The experimental design carried out was RCBD with a factorial arrangement of treatments (4 cooling times x 3 storage temperatures x 6 duration of storage) and three replications with two fruits per each replication. The results indicated that cooling time only effected the browning but it did not significantly effect the visual appearance, skin colour, weight loss and soluble solids concentration. Treatment combinations of storage temperature and storage duration were found to have significant effects on the visual appearance, skin colour, weight loss and soluble solids concentration. However, the treatment did not significantly effect browning. Storage temperature of 10°C resulted slow loss of visual appearance, delayed changes on the skin colour, lowest weight loss, and the lowest changes in soluble solids concentration of fruit. Acceptable visual appearance of the fruit stored at 10°C was up to 3.6 weeks compared to only 1.6 and 1.3 weeks for the fruit stored at 5 and 15oC, respectively. The limit of acceptable L*, C* and ho changes in this study were 65.33 +3.3, 43.0 +0.5 and 113.83 +2.5, respectively and this colour space values corresponded to pale green fruit. In addition, the fruit stored at 10°C were found to have lowest incident of browning compared to those stored at 5°C, while the fruit stored at 15°C were ripened, developed senescence, shrivelled and freckled. Results of this research can be used by guava producers in deciding the time level for their precooling and temperature setting for their cold room.


Gene therapy is a promising approach for the treatment of genetic diseases. Currently, there are no gene therapy drugs available on the market. There are many therapeutic genes available for treating various diseases but they are not delivered effectively to the target site. The size, negative charge and susceptibility of DNA to degradation can be overcome by using a gene carrier. Current gene carriers are divided into two groups, viral and non-viral. Viral carriers are very efficient but they can induce an immune response. Non-viral carriers are less efficient and sometimes toxic. The optimisation of gene carriers is an ongoing endeavour for researchers. We have designed gene carriers to overcome the barriers associated with gene delivery. These barriers include DNA stability, the cell membrane, endosomal membrane, nuclear membrane and dissociation of DNA/carrier complex. Therefore, our gene carrier design included a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) TAT, a nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptide, dendritic polylysine and lipoamino acids (LAAs). The carriers were synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis using Boc chemistry. They were purified by preparative RP-HPLC and characterized by mass spectrometry and analytical RP-HPLC. The carriers' ability to form a complex with DNA was assessed by gel shift assay, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential (zetasizer), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cell uptake and gene expression were analysed by our collaborators. The carriers were successfully synthesized and were shown to form complexes with plasmid DNA. The gel shift showed a shift of the band to the well of the gel compared to free DNA. The sizes of the complexes were 60-100 nm according to DLS and TEM measurements. The zeta potential of the particles was positive when an excess of carrier was used. ITC experiments revealed that the ionic interaction between the carrier and DNA was strong and increased with the carriers possessing more positive charges. The cell uptake was high when TAT was used in combination with NLS and/or polylysine. Also, the inclusion of LAAs increased cell uptake in Jurkat cells. Gene expression was low for all carriers without the application of chloroquine, a lysosomotropic agent. The TAT peptide was synthesized with different polycationic dendrimers to determine the optimum type, composition and size of dendrimer. We found that a polylysine dendrimer with eight positive charges provided the best results. A different CPP, penetratin, was used to see if it employed a different mechanism of cell uptake and therefore increase gene expression. However, these carriers did not significantly improve gene expression because the complexes were trapped inside the endosome. Carriers incorporating a substitute for chloroquine, the N-terminal of the influenza virus haemagglutinin HA2, were synthesized to increase endosomal escape and therefore, gene expression. An improvement in gene expression only occurred when using high ratios of carrier (20:1) but still the gene expression was low and increased upon the application of chloroquine. An anticancer peptide, shepherdin, was enhanced by adding penetratin and a LAA to improve its cell uptake and to lower the concentration of administration required for a therapeutic effect. The inclusion of a LAA did improve shepherdin's anticancer ability. However, the negative control peptide coupled with a LAA was also toxic to cancer cells. A LAA conjugated with thymine was assessed for its ability to hydrogen bond to single-stranded DNA and characterized by diffusion ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY), ITC and TEM. It was found that the LAA-thymine compound binds to DNA at a ratio of 1.7:1 (LAA-thymine:DNA). Additionally, a control experiment titrating LAA-thymine into a solution of adenine showed a ratio of 0.9:1. A selection of peptide vaccines were analysed by DOSY, DLS and mathematical expressions to determine their particle size and to compare the three methods used. DOSY yielded results that were closer to the expected size compared to DLS measurements. Also, the smaller the peptide, the more accurate the measurements were when compared to the expected size generated from mathematical models. Our investigations proved that combinations of CPPs, NLS peptides, charged dendrimers, fusogenic peptides and lipids can be applied for successful gene delivery.


Tissue-resident memory CD8+ T (Trm) cells define a distinct non-recirculating subset. Trm cells constitute a first line of defense against local infections in barrier tissues, but they are also found in non-barrier tissues and play a role in antitumor immunity. Their differentiation in tissues and their phenotypical, transcriptional, and functional characteristics are the object of active research. Herein, we will discuss the potential existence of committed CD8+ Trm precursors and the genealogy of memory CD8+ T cell subsets. In addition to the priming of naive T cells, there is some plasticity of antigen-experienced effector and memory T cell subsets to generate Trm precursors. Local inflammation, antigen presentation, and cytokines drive Trm differentiation. It is of prime interest how specific dendritic cell subsets modulate priming and differentiation of Trm cells, as well as their reactivation within tissues. Research on how we can manipulate generation of memory T cells subsets is key for improved vaccination strategies.


Functional characteristics of neuronal responses of the frog tectum and the cat primary visual cortex were obtained under identical experimental conditions, the intensity and duration of flashes changing within the limits of 6 log. units. The comparison of the characteristics reveals a predominance of neurons with a short summation time and relatively lower thresholds in frogs, the response latencies being 5--7 times longer than those in cats. Nearly all the tectum units can react only to a very narrow range of photic energy different for different cells. In cats most cells react to changes in brightness within a range of 4--5 log. units; the units with a long summation time produce short latency responses with relatively higher thresholds. The revealed differences and comparison of various functional characteristics of neurons in the visual centre of both animals show that frogs possess fixed mechanisms of time and spatial interaction providing for the detection of stimulus brightness by means of inhibitory interaction of single units. In cats such interaction of neural populations and mutual inhibition between adjacent units of the visual cortex are not prominent. Complication and overlapping of interneuronal connections result in the convergence of day and night vision signals to one neuron and in the ability of single cells to react to the whole "working" light range used by the cat visual system.


Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO(2) and In(2)O(3) are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in MgO nanotubes and porous MgO nanotubes can be obtained by taking advantage of the reduced thermal stability of the ZnO core. Furthermore, after MgO shell-coating and the appropriate annealing treatment, the intensity of the ZnO near-band-edge UV emission becomes much stronger, showing a 25-fold enhancement. The intensity ratio of the UV/visible emission can be increased further by decorating the surface of the ZnO/MgO nanowires with high-density plasmonic Au nanoparticles. These heterostructured semiconductor-insulator-metal nanowires with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities have great potential for use as nanoscale building blocks in photonic and electronic applications.


Objectives To examine the gross and histologic anatomy of the proximal, mid, and distal posterior vaginal compartment and discuss implications for surgical repair. Study Design In this cadaver study, pelvic organs were resected en bloc, immersed in formalin solution, and transected in the mid sagittal plane. Measured distances included: posterior vaginal wall length, cervicovaginal junction or vaginal cuff to posterior peritoneal reflection, peritoneal reflection to proximal edge (apex) of perineal body, and perineal body apex to hymenal remnant (height). The posterior vaginal wall was divided into 3 segments along the midsagittal plane and submitted in whole tissue blocks for staining. Histologic analysis included that of 2 young nulliparous women whose tissue was harvested within 12 hours of death. Results Eleven cadavers were examined. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) posterior vaginal length was 7.6 (2.2) cm. The peritoneum attached to the posterior vaginal wall a median (IQR) of 1.3 cm (0.5 cm) distal to the cervicovaginal junction (n = 8). The rectovaginal space, spanning from the peritoneal reflection to perineal body apex, had a median (IQR) length of 4.7 cm (2.1 cm). Microscopic examination of the mid segment revealed a layer of loose fibroadipose tissue between the vaginal/rectal walls, with no distinct dense fibroconnective tissue layer. The median (IQR) perineal body height was 2.3 cm (1.2 cm). No discrete fibrous capsule was seen surrounding the external anal sphincter muscle. Conclusions These findings support evidence showing absence of a rectovaginal fascia. The anal sphincter lacks a fibrous capsule, which is important during closure of third-/fourth-degree obstetric lacerations.


, issue of Environmental Health Perspectives contained a commentary by Legator and Strawn entitled "Pub-lic Health Policies Regarding Hazardous Waste Sites and Cigarette Smoking: An Argument by Analogy." Although the article does not include any discussion of either methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), it does list them in Table 3 as substances that cause cancer in animals and/or humans." Because MEK and MIBK are both widely used industrial chemicals, they have been studied extensively for possible human health or environmental effects. The Ketones Panel of the Chemical Manufacturers Association has sponsored a number of the studies and surveyed all the pertinent literature on these two compounds. The panel is not aware of any evidence suggesting that either MIBK or MEK causes cancer in humans or animals. Indeed, neither MEK nor MIBK is known or reasonably expected to cause any type of chronic health effect in humans. MEK has been shown to be inactive in a wide variety of in vitro and in vivo genetic toxicity assays and was not neurotoxic in five recent studies. Although MEK has not been tested specifically for carcinogenicity, the data on its structure and metabolism, the results of numerous subchronic studies, and the absence of genotoxicity indicate that MEK is highly unlikely to pose a cancer risk. With respect to MIBK, inhalation studies conducted with rats, mice, dogs, and monkeys all indicate a very low order of subchronic toxicity. The results from a number of different mutagenicity screening assays show that MIBK exhibits very little, if any, mutagenic activity. Existing studies also demonstrate that MIBK is not teratogenic and exhibits low reproductive toxicity. As with MEK, MIBK has not been tested specifically for carcinogenicity because data on its structure and metabolism , subchronic health effects, and geno-toxicity indicate that it is highly unlikely to pose a cancer risk. If you are aware of any evidence that either MEK or MIBK is carcinogenic, please notify the panel. If not, we request that you publish a correction in order to set the record straight. Inaccurate and misleading information, even from a single publication, can have a significant impact. We therefore ask that you take the steps necessary to correct the false impression that has been created by your April 22, 1993, publication. If you have any questions or wish to provide information on either of these these compounds, please contact Barbara Francis, manager …


AIMS
Little is known about the impact of daily physical activity timing (here referred to as 'chronoactivity') on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We aimed to examined the associations between chronoactivity and multiple CVD outcomes in the UK Biobank.

METHODS AND RESULTS
physical activity data were collected in the UK-Biobank through triaxial accelerometer over a 7-day measurement period. We used K-means clustering to create clusters of participants with similar chronoactivity irrespective of the mean daily intensity of the physical activity. Multivariable-adjusted Cox-proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) comparing the different clusters adjusted for age and sex (model 1), and baseline cardiovascular risk factors (model 2). Additional stratified analyses were done by sex, mean activity level, and self-reported sleep chronotype. We included 86 657 individuals (58% female, mean age: 61.6 [SD: 7.8] years, mean BMI: 26.6 [4.5] kg/m2). Over a follow-up period of 6 years, 3707 incident CVD events were reported. Overall, participants with a tendency of late morning physical activity had a lower risk of incident coronary artery disease (HR: 0.84, 95%CI: 0.77, 0.92) and stroke (HR: 0.83, 95%CI: 0.70, 0.98) compared to participants with a midday pattern of physical activity. These effects were more pronounced in women (P-value for interaction = 0.001). We did not find evidence favouring effect modification by total activity level and sleep chronotype.

CONCLUSION
Irrespective of total physical activity, morning physical activity was associated with lower risks of incident cardiovascular diseases, highlighting the potential importance of chronoactivity in CVD prevention.


The role of religion in the public space is a matter of debate. The public sphere understood as a space oriented to achieving interests of common concern, reaching social and political consensus by means of deliberation has relegated religion to the private sphere. The last decades have attested a revival of the public role of religion, a "de-privatization" of religion. This paper explores the contemporary influence of religious beliefs and liturgical practice on issues of public concern focusing on the statements and liturgical gestures of Pope Francis, notably regarding the disenfranchised and the refugees, as well as his engagement for the environment. The statements and liturgical gestures of Pope Francis have challenged the dissociation between religious practice and social ethics, and have returned religion to the forefront of public debates. A symbolic example is his unconventional practice of a traditional rite, that of the washing of the feet during liturgical celebrations on Holy Thursday. This classical liturgical rite, brought to public attention through the media, has become the vehicle of Francis' social ethical views, and due to his involvement in the refugee-debate, a powerful political statement. Such statements are not limited to Catholics or individuals of other denominations, but contribute to the agenda of public discussions.


Mechanizing the manual harvesting of fresh market fruits constitutes one of the biggest challenges to the sustainability of the fruit industry. During manual harvesting of some fresh‐market crops like strawberries and table grapes, pickers spend significant amounts of time walking to carry full trays to a collection station at the edge of the field. A step toward increasing harvest automation for such crops is to deploy harvest‐aid collaborative robots (co‐bots) that transport empty and full trays, thus increasing harvest efficiency by reducing pickers' non‐productive walking times. This study presents the development of a co‐robotic harvest‐aid system and its evaluation during commercial strawberry harvesting. At the heart of the system lies a predictive stochastic scheduling algorithm that minimizes the expected non‐picking time, thus maximizing the harvest efficiency. During the evaluation experiments, the co‐robots improved the mean harvesting efficiency by around 10% and reduced the mean non‐productive time by 60%, when the robot‐to‐picker ratio was 1:3. The concepts developed in this study can be applied to robotic harvest‐aids for other manually harvested crops that involve walking for crop transportation.


: We describe a new technique for angioplasty of totally occluded coronary arteries and bypass grafts in the absence of acute myocardial infarction. We used a guiding catheter, a coronary infusion catheter, and a relatively stiff steerable guide wire to perforate the occlusion. Angioplasty of the recanalized vessel was subsequently performed. The procedure was attempted in nine patients; it was successful in eight. There were no complications. The advantages of this technique are discussed.


The objective of this paper is to develop an intelligent computer system with some deductive capabilities to conceptually cluster, match and rank pages based on predefined linguistic formulations and rules defined by experts or based on a set of known homepages. The conceptual fuzzy set (CFS) model will be used for intelligent information and knowledge retrieval through conceptual matching of both text and links (here defined as "Concept"). The selected query doesn't need to match the decision criteria exactly, which gives the system a more human-like behavior. The model can be used for intelligent information and knowledge retrieval through Web-connectivity-based clustering.


Objectives To describe working and employment conditions, and health-related outcomes in non-agricultural employees in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Central America and Uruguay on the basis of the working conditions surveys (WCSs) available in Latin America. In addition, we aimed to discuss the methodological barriers that hinder the comparability of these surveys. Methods The data have been taken from the first WCSs of Colombia (2007), Argentina (2009), Chile (2009–2010), Central America (2011) and Uruguay (2012). For comparative purposes, we selected a subsample of 15241 employees, aged 18–64 years, engaged in non-agricultural activities. For our analysis, we selected the variables for which data were available in at least three surveys and that were measured with the same or similar questions. We calculated prevalences with 95% confidence intervals for the selected variables on working and employment conditions, and health-related outcomes, separated by sex and country. Results Overall, regarding employment conditions, a large share of both sexes worked >40 hours a week. The most frequent exposures were repetitive movements, followed by noise and manual handling, with men being more frequently exposed. Regarding psychosocial exposures, working fast was very common among both sexes. In relation to health, while workers in Chile (33.4% of women and 16.6% of men) and Central America (24.3% of women and 19.1% of men) were more likely to report poor self-perceived health, workers in Colombia (5.5% of women and 4.2% of men) were less likely to do so. Moreover, the percentage of workers reporting occupational injuries was always less than 10%. Conclusions Although there are differences in exposures and health-related outcomes between the studied populations of the Latin American countries, we identified some common patterns. Given that the development of national WCSs in the region contribute to the understanding of occupational health, ongoing efforts focused on improving their comparability should be strengthened.


The incidence of complications related to wrist arthroscopy is unknown because of the small number of reported cases. Potential complications have been identified and are classified as (1) traction related; (2) complications incurred during the establishment of portals; (3) procedure-specific complications; and (4) miscellaneous. Techniques are described that may decrease the likelihood of each of these complications.


The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review most of the significant works ever done worldwide to study the effects of essential parameters on PPT Performance and to analyze their effects. All the important works studying PPT performance are categorized by the parameter they have studied its effect on PPT performance and their works have been reviewed to analyze the influence of each parameter. The analysis leads to elucidate the effects of different geometrical parameters including aspect ratio, electrode width, electrode spacing, electrode shape, electrode length, electrode material, flare angle and also the effects of other parameters like propellant type, propellant temperature, Spark distance from propellant, pulse repetition frequency, discharge energy, connecting line between capacitor and thruster, and hood angle on PPT performance, as well. The analysis is mainly focused on rectangular breech-fed PPTs and side-fed PPTs and does not deal with co-axial PPTs. The results of the current analysis can be an invaluable assistance in PPT design and optimization procedure and helps the designer to develop a system with better performance characteristics.


Secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism (NSH) is a metabolic disease characterized by the symptoms such as lameness, constipation, lordosis, and pathological fractures resulting from Ca and P imbalance. A five months old captive-bred two lion cubs were presented with pain in the whole body, reluctance to move, and growth retardation with no history of trauma. Radiographs revealed generalized osteopenia, multiple fractures of all limbs, and lordosis of the caudal vertebrae. Some of these fractures were nonunion. Based on radiographic findings and a history of an exclusive chicken liver diet and goat milk since weaning (after 1 month age), a diagnosis of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism was made. The diet was changed to a portion of commercial kitten food, vitamin D supplements, goat milk. Operative interventions were performed to repair the fractured bones and for those which were not suitable for operation, bandage was applied. Cubs were given cage rest for 8 weeks. At the end of these processes, patients were discharged walkable.


The possibilities and efficacy of performance of simultant operations for invasive thyroid gland cancer in initial neuropathic laryngeal stenosis and dysphonic syndrome, aimed at minimization of the residual volume of thyroid gland tissue and surgical laryngeal reinnervation, were studied. The results of laryngeal surgical reinnervation, in accordance to data of videolaryngoscopy, aerodynamical and spectral analysis of the voice, self estimation of the vocal disorders impact on the patients quality of life were analyzed. Postoperatively in all the patients the improvement of phonation and quality of life was noted. Primary neurorhaphia of recurrent laryngeal nerve secures restoration of normal or nearly normal talkative voice due to restoration of the tone and volume of m. cricoarytenoideus lateralis and m. thyroarytenoideus on the side of affection and may be effectively applied for correction of consequences of laryngeal neuropathic paralysis in surgical treatment of the thyroid gland cancer.


Maternal obesity induced by a high fat (HF) diet may program susceptibility in offspring, altering pancreatic development and causing later development of chronic degenerative diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Female mice were fed standard chow (SC) or an HF diet for 8 weeks prior to mating and during the gestational and lactational periods. The male offspring were assessed at birth, at 10 days, and at 3 months of age. The body mass (BM) gain was 50% greater before pregnancy and 80% greater during pregnancy in HF dams than SC dams. Dams fed an HF diet showed higher oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood pressure, serum corticosterone, and insulin levels than dams fed SC. At 10 days of age and at 3 mo old the HF offspring showed greater BM and higher blood glucose levels than the SC offspring. The mean diameter of the islets had increased by 37% in the SC offspring and by 155% in the HF offspring at 10 days of age. The islet mass ratio (IM/PM) was 88% greater in the HF offspring at 10 days of age, and 107% greater at 3 mo of age, compared to the values obtained at birth. The HF offspring had a beta cell mass (BCM)/PM ratio 54% lower than SC offspring at birth. However, HF offspring displayed a 146% increase in the BCM/PM ratio at 10 days of age, and 112% increase at 3 months of age than values at birth. A 3 mo of age, the HF offspring showed a greater OGTT and higher levels of than SC offspring. In conclusion, a maternal HF diet consumed during the preconceptional period and throughout the gestational and lactational periods in mice results in dramatic alterations in the pancreata of the offspring.


The Lena River is one of the biggest Russian rivers draining into the Laptev Sea. Due to predicted increasing temperatures the permafrost areas surrounding the Lena will melt at increasing rates. With this melting high amounts of carbon, either organic or as methane will reach the waters of the Lena and the adjacent Laptev Sea. As methane is an important green house gas its further fate in the Lena Delta is of uttermost importance.
Once methane is dissolved in the water column it can be either oxidized by methanotrophic bacteria and thus incorporated into the carbon cycle of the system or it is diluted with methane-poor sea water or it diffuses across the water-air interphase into the atmosphere. In the following we try to assess the fate of methane in the Lena River and the adjacent Buor Kaya Bay.