3D Resist profile aware OPC has becoming increasingly important to address hot spots generated at etch processes due to the mass occurrence of non-ideal resist profile in 28nm technology node and beyond. It is therefore critical to build compact models capable of 3D simulation for OPC applications. A straightforward and simple approach is to build individual 2D models at different image depths either based on actual wafer measurement data or virtual simulation data from rigorous lithography simulators. Individual models at interested heights can be used by downstream OPC/LRC tools to account for 3D resist profile effects. However, the relevant image depths need be predetermined due to the discontinuous nature of the methodology itself. Furthermore, the physical commonality among the individual 2D models may deviate from each other as well during the separate calibration processes. To overcome the drawbacks, efforts are made in this paper to compute the whole bulk image using Hopkins equation in one shot. The bulk image is then used to build 3D resist models. This approach also opens the feasibility of including resist interface effects (for example, top or bottom out-diffusion), which are important to resist profile formation, into a compact 3D resist model. The interface effects calculations are merged into the bulk image Hopkins equation. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate that resist profile heavily rely on interface conditions. Our experimental results show that those interface effects can be accurately simulated with reference to rigorous simulation results. In modeling reality, such a 3D resist model can be calibrated with data from discrete image planes but can be used at arbitrary interpolated planes. One obvious advantage of this 3D resist model approach is that the 3D model is more physically represented by a common set of resist parameters (in contrast to the individual model approach) for 3D resist profile simulation. A full model calibration test is conducted on a virtual lithography process. It is demonstrated that 3D resist profile of the process can be precisely captured by this method. It is shown that the resist model can be carried to a different lithography process with same resist setup but a different illumination source without model any accuracy degradation. In an additional test, the model is used to demonstrate the capability of resist 3D profile correction by ILT.


Two decades ago, a breakthrough in indexing string collections made it possible to represent them within their compressed space while at the same time offering indexed search functionalities. As this new technology permeated through applications like bioinformatics, the string collections experienced a growth that outperforms Moore's Law and challenges our ability of handling them even in compressed form. It turns out, fortunately, that many of these rapidly growing string collections are highly repetitive, so that their information content is orders of magnitude lower than their plain size. The statistical compression methods used for classical collections, however, are blind to this repetitiveness, and therefore a new set of techniques has been developed in order to properly exploit it. The resulting indexes form a new generation of data structures able to handle the huge repetitive string collections that we are facing. In this survey, formed by two parts, we cover the algorithmic developments that have led to these data structures. In this second part, we describe the fundamental algorithmic ideas and data structures that form the base of all the existing indexes, and the various concrete structures that have been proposed, comparing them both in theoretical and practical aspects, and uncovering some new combinations. We conclude with the current challenges in this fascinating field.


In the post-liberalization period, with increase in GDP, rising per capita income and proliferation of brands, there have been changes in the purchase behavior of Indian consumers. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world. The large consumer base has attracted many global retailers and domestic corporate to invest in modern retail in India. The government has partially allowed FDI in single-brand retail to give consumers greater access to foreign brands. At present, there is a debate in India on whether FDI should be allowed in multi-brand retail. In this context, this paper analyses the impact of the retail FDI policy on Indian consumers and make policy recommendations for the Indian government. Based on a primary survey of Indian consumers, the paper examines their shopping behavior across different product (branded and non-branded) categories, knowledge of foreign brands and attitude towards further liberalizing FDI in retail. The factors determining the choice of modern retail outlets are also examined


Probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) methodology, which represents the influence parameters in their inherent probabilistic distributions, is deemed to be promising in the structural integrity assessment of pressure-boundary components in nuclear power plants. To strengthen the applicability of PFM methodology in Japan, Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a PFM analysis code called PASCAL4 (PFM Analysis of Structural Components in Aging LWRs, Version 4) which can be used to evaluate the failure frequency of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) considering neutron irradiation embrittlement and pressurized thermal shock events. PASCAL4 is expected to make a significant contribution to the probabilistic integrity assessment of Japanese RPVs. In this study, PFM analyses are performed for a Japanese model RPV using PASCAL4, and the effects of non-destructive examination and neutron fluence mitigation on failure frequency of RPV are quantitatively evaluated. From the analysis results, it is concluded that PASCAL4 is useful for the structural integrity assessment of RPVs and can enhance the applicability of PFM methodology.


This paper establishes the complexity of determining the "public" or "private" nature of water delivery systems, by analyzing the genesis and evolution of one water system in the Western U.S.: the Salt River Project. The kind of cooperative model that has most often been documented in small coops in developing countries can also be seen in the U.S. with its vast socio-technical network that has been developed since 1900. Originally mainly an effort to help rural farmers, the Salt River Project has undergone a shift towards an emphasis on economic and urban growth and servicing major cities in central Arizona. How this shift was possible and its current implications are problematized in light of sustainability of the SRP model despite increasing water scarcity in the West


The idea of generating cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that have anti-tumor activity has been the focus of many clinical trials aimed at delivering effective immunotherapy to cancer patients. We have gained insight into the human immune system in cancer patients as a result of these numerous clinical investigations. It is now clear that although various vaccination methods are capable of inducing tumor antigen-specific T-cells in the circulating blood, these immunological responses are infrequently correlated with clinical responses. Therefore, it appears that priming of a T-cell response is not sufficient for tumor regression and other avenues, downstream of the priming phase, need to be investigated. Mechanisms of immune evasion at the effector phase of the anti-tumor phase are currently under investigation, with an increasing focus on the tumor microenvironment. There is evidence indicating that multiple variables may contribute to immune escape, including: regulatory cells; inhibitory ligands on tumor cells, such as PD-L1 and B7x; soluble factors such as TGF-β and IL-10; and nutrient-catabolizing enzymes, such as indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). In addition, there are ongoing efforts to assess the presence and function of effector cells within the tumor microenvironment. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been observed in patients with melanoma, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer. TILs in these patients have been associated with favorable clinical outcomes. In the clinical setting of bladder cancer, as compared to melanoma, there is limited data regarding TILs. This review will focus on immunological responses to bladder cancer and ongoing studies to identify factors that are amenable to therapeutic manipulation.


Brian Harland was for many years an editor of this journal. He was also a seminal figure in the origins of the current 'snowball Earth' debate, having recognized in 1964 the significance of coupling emerging palaeomagnetic data on palaeolatitude with his interpretations of diamictites. Harland worked extensively in the Arctic and knew well many of the workers involved in the arguments surrounding the origin of diamictites. He thus had a unique perspective on the evidence and the disputes surrounding it. This was his last paper but he was not able to complete it before he died. However, with the help of Professor Ian Fairchild to whom we are indebted, the editors have lightly revised this work which is presented as the personal view of one of the key figures with a very broad stratigraphic appreciation of the problems of 'snowball Earth'. Records of Precambrian glaciation onwards from the late nineteenth century led to the concept of one or more major ice ages. This concept was becoming well advanced by the mid 1930s, particularly through the compilation of Kulling in 1934. Even so tillite stratigraphy shows that glaciation was exceptional rather than typical of Earth history. Some Proterozoic tillites, sandwiched between warm marine facies, indicate low, even equatorial palaeolatitudes as determined magnetically, and more recently led to ideas of a snow- and ice-covered 'snowball Earth'. However, interbedded non-glacial facies as well as thick tillite successions requiring abundant snowfall both militate against the hypothesis of extreme prolonged freezing temperatures referred to here as an 'iceball Earth' in which all oceans and seas were sealed in continuous ice cover. On the other hand tropical environments were interrupted by glaciation several times in the Proterozoic, something that did not recur in the Phanerozoic. The term 'snowball Earth' is consistent with the established view of extremely widespread Proterozoic glaciation, but the 'iceball Earth' version of this is not compatible with the geological record.


We study the scattering of longitudinally polarized W bosons in extensions of the Standard Model where anomalous Higgs couplings to gauge sector and higher order O(p^4) operators are considered. These new couplings with respect to the Standard Model should be thought as the low energy remnants of some new dynamics involving the electroweak symmetry breaking sector. By imposing unitarity and causality constraints on the WW scattering amplitudes we find relevant restrictions on the possible values of the new couplings and the presence of new resonances above 300 GeV. We investigate the properties of these new resonances and their experimental detectability. Custodial symmetry is assumed to be exact throughout and the calculation avoids using the Equivalence Theorem as much as possible.


Concentration gradients resulting from long range diffusion during Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) have been investigated with the 3D Atom Probe technique (3D-AP). First, in a pearlitic steel where alloying elements (Mn, Si and Cr) are partitioned between the ferrite and carbides in the non-deformed state. After processing by High Pressure Torsion (HPT), they are homogeneously distributed in the nanostructure, indicating that long range diffusion occurred along with the dissolution of carbides. 3D-AP data of a Cu-Fe composite processed by HPT show as well a significant interdiffusion of Cu and Fe, probably promoted by additional vacancies. On the basis of these experimental data, and using the theory described for irradiated materials, vacancy fluxes and vacancy production rates were estimated assuming that new vacancies are continuously produced and eliminated on grain boundaries.


The ionic composition of brain fluid is linked to neuronal activity and sleep Brain electrical activity differs markedly between wakefulness and sleep. Concomitant shifts in the ion composition of brain extracellular fluids were thought to be a consequence rather than a cause of the sleep-wake–dependent changes in neuronal activity. On page 550 of this issue, Ding et al. (1) report the surprising observation that ionic changes in the extracellular fluid are a potent control of sleep-wake–dependent neuronal activity.


This article explores current and emerging regulatory approaches to "second generation" manifestations of workplace bias. Second generation bias involves structures and patterns of interaction within the workplace that, over time, exclude members of non-dominant groups. This complex and dynamic type of problems poses a serious challenge for a first generation system that depends on judicial or legislative elaboration of rules, enforced by judicial sanctions for deliberate violations. Over the last decade, an interesting and complex regulatory pattern has emerged to address second generation bias. Multiple public, private and nongovernmental actors are actively and interactively developing systems to address issues such as sexual harassment and the glass ceiling. Each of these institutional actors has begun to approach these questions as posing essentially issues of problem solving. Each has, to varying degrees, linked their anti-bias efforts with the more general challenge of enhancing institutional capacity to manage complex workplace relationships. These multiple actors have, perhaps unwittingly, begun to carve out distinctive roles and relationships that form the outlines of a dynamic regulatory system for addressing second generation discrimination. This article offers a framework that makes visible these emerging and converging patterns for addressing second generation discrimination problems in the judiciary, the workplace, and mediating institutions. It explores the potential for a judicially de-centered, holistic, and dynamic approach. This new regulatory approach shifts the emphasis away from primary reliance on after-the-fact enforcement of specific legal rules. Instead, normative elaboration occurs through a fluid, interactive relationship between problem solving within specific workplaces and the courts, mediated by non-governmental actors. In this framework, compliance is defined, achieved through, and evaluated in relation to improving institutional capacity to identify, prevent, and redress exclusion, bias, and abuse. The article documents examples of this structural approach in the workplace, the courts, and the non-governmental sector, and then extrapolates from these examples to offer a starting point for identifying how internal workplace processes can meet concerns about accountability, legitimacy and effectiveness. In particular, it provides case studies of Home Depot, Intel, and Deloitte & Touche, and analyzes how these initiatives achieve accountability and effective remediation of second generation problems. It also addresses the counter-tendencies and patterns that undercut the viability of this structural approach, and proposes some preliminary steps that encourage the information pooling, capacity building, and accountability mechanisms needed to more fully realize the potential inchoate in the Supreme Court's structural jurisprudence. These proposals highlight the importance of professional and institutional gatekeepers, such as insurance companies, research consortia, human resource practitioners, advocacy organizations, and lawyers, in performing these crucial roles within the emerging regulatory system.


Bangka and Belitung Islands is known to have the geological potential of mineral resources, especially tin along with its accessory minerals which are distributed in almost all land and sea regions. Besides tin, tin mining activities in Bangka Belitung produces a by-product containing radioactive substances which have a risk as one of factor that can affect on the health of publics members. A major contribution of the radiation dose to the publics health comes from natural radionuclides of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in accessory minerals of tin core. The aim of this study was to estimate the total annual radiation dose received by the cmembers of the public in Bangka-Belitung through external and internal exposure. Estimation of external dose was based on the concentration of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in the soil and gamma exposure rate direct measurement in public houses. While the internal dose was estimated based on intake of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K by ingestion of foodstuffs that were consummed by public of Bangka - Belitung (vegetables, seeds, tubers, fruits, fishes and drinking water). Internal dose also estimated from the inhalation of radon ( 222 Rn) and thoron ( 220 Rn) inside the house. The annual effective external doses of outdoor and indoor ranged between 0,05 to 11,55 mSv (mean=1,17 mSv) and  0,15 to 2,10 mSv (mean=0,69 mSv) per year respectively. The annual effective internal doses by ingestion of foodstuffs and drinking water and inhalation of radon and thoron gases were 0.20 mSv, 0,76 mSv and  2,32 respectively. So that the total annual effective doses received by the member of the public in Bangka-Belitung through external and internal exposure was 5.14 mSv. In conclusion, the members of the public in Bangka – Belitung islands received higher dose of radiation than the worldwide average value for normal areas.


Abstract Background and Objective: Interpreting analgesic efficacy based solely on measures of pain intensity can be misleading. Here, we use data from an adult hemorrhoidectomy study to demonstrate the importance of evaluating pain intensity scores with other outcome measures in interpreting analgesic study results. Methodology: We looked for coordinated outcome measures including pain intensity at rest using a numeric rating scale (NRS), postsurgical consumption of rescue medication, subject-reported results from the Brief Pain Inventory, subject satisfaction with postsurgical analgesia, and adverse events. Results: The analgesic efficacy of liposome bupivacaine was reflected in a significant reduction in pain intensity scores at each timed assessment during the first 12 to 24 hours after surgery (meanNRS at 12 hours: liposome bupivacaine, 2.2; placebo, 2.9; P = 0.04), and less consumption of opioid rescue medications thereafter through 72 hours postsurgery (mean total amount of opioids consumed: liposome bupivacaine, 10 mg; placebo, 18 mg; P = 0.0006). These observations are supported by results of other outcome measures, including time to first use of opioid rescue medication, pain-related interference of subject functionality, and subject satisfaction with postsurgical analgesia. Conclusion: Liposome bupivacaine produced superior analgesia when compared with placebo at early postoperative time points, but appropriate use of rescue medication diminished this effect after 12 hours. However, based on our assessment of multiple outcome measures used in the study, it appears that the therapeutic benefit associated with the tested analgesic lasted throughout the 72-hour study period.


The problems encountered in developing expert database systems (EDSs) are described. It is suggested that what is needed is an EDS shell that is general-purpose and thus alleviates much of the ad hoc tedium associated with constructing present EDSs, and overcomes performance and semantic problems stemming from the present mismatch in the front and back ends of these systems. A language called LDL (logic data language) is described that was developed for this purpose. The discussion is restricted to LDL features with an immediate bearing on the main theme, i.e. tightly coupled systems.<<ETX>>


Counting repressive events is difficult because state leaders have an incentive to conceal actions of their subordinates and destroy evidence of abuse. In this article, we extend existing latent variable modeling techniques in the study of repression to account for the uncertainty inherent in count data generated for this type of difficult-to-observe event. We demonstrate the utility of the model by focusing on a dataset that defines 'one-sided-killing' as government-caused deaths of non-combatants. In addition to generating more precise estimates of latent repression levels, the model also estimates the probability that a state engaged in one-sided-killing and the predictive distribution of deaths for each country-year in the dataset. These new event-based, count estimates will be useful for researchers interested in this type of data but skeptical of the comparability of such events across countries and over time. Our modeling framework also provides a principled method for inferring unobserved count variables based on conceptually related categorical information.


Continuous system simulation languages are very high level programming languages which facilitate modelling and simulation of systems characterized by ordinary and partial differential equations. This paper discusses design principles and implementation techniques for continuous system simulation languages.
 Following a brief introduction to very high level languages, design principles for continuous system simulation languages are presented. These principles are illustrated by examples from the Continuous System Modelling Program (CSMP) and the Partial Differential Equation Language (PDEL). A typical program in each language is included.
 Batch and interactive implementation techniques for continuous system simulation languages are discussed. The classical batch implementation technique is to provide a preprocessor which translates the simulation language into an algorithmic language such as FORTRAN or PL/1. The PL/1 preprocessor is described as a useful language for the implementation of very high level language translators.
 The final section of the paper presents an interactive implementation technique which interfaces a batch program processor to interactive graphics display and updating routines. In this manner, efficient simulation code is interfaced to flexible interaction routines. In addition, the batch processor is preserved intact, thus requiring only one implementation of the language for both batch and interactive applications.


Social network and decision-making approaches became dominant ways to study born global firms. Network approaches explain internationalization of born global firms in terms of the connections established and utilized by the born global firms. Decision-making approaches explain the determinants of the decision logic associated with the use of social networks. A prominent theory used in this endeavour is the effectuation. Research applying this view to the study of the logic associated with the use of social networks in the internationalization show conflicting empirical results. Towards that end, through multiple cases, we study how effectuation and causation influence the process of becoming born global firms. Applying a 'small world networks' lens, we advance two contributions. First, we suggest that born global firms are not only a matter of social networks, but the embeddedness of the entrepreneurs in the networks are vital to the logic used and the chosen paths for internationalization. Embedded entrepreneurs use effectuation to bridge networks and circumvent resource scarcity, whereas entrepreneurs that are not embedded use causation and become born global firms. Secondly, we contribute to the effectuation literature by advancing the thought that the embeddedness is a boundary condition of effectuation.


In response to concerns about inefficiencies that can be caused by a distorted health service mix, the Health Economics Unit has a major research stream on allocative efficiency. This paper reports on that research, with a brief description of the Framework for priority setting and its application to diabetes. The Framework has been developed based on economic principles which require that all options be treated equivalently, whether they be for primary prevention, management or end stage care. The Framework ensures the consideration of options outside narrowly defined areas of program responsibility of a single agency. The structure developed is that of a disease based model, which provides a mechanism within which to establish resource priorities to minimise disease burden. In application of the model to diabetes, the overwhelming conclusion is that too few resources are allocated to primary and secondary prevention and health promotional approaches to management, with a consequent higher complication rate than could otherwise be achieved. This is consistent with the distortions expected from a medically focused funding system. We found the broad structure of the Framework to be workable, and the priority setting task tractable with a modest resource commitment (of perhaps 3 to 6 equivalent full time research staff at senior and junior research fellow level, per disease). Suggested modifications to the Framework largely reflect the extreme paucity of cost-effectiveness and health outcome data. The role of this type of research in contributing to research agendas and priorities for clinical and health services research is perhaps one of the more important conclusions.


T cell tolerization prevents and improves T cell-mediated experimental autoimmune diseases. We investigated here whether similar approaches could be used for antibody (Ab)-mediated autoimmune diseases. Myasthenia gravis, caused by IgG Ab against muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR), is perhaps the best characterized of them. We used an animal model, experimental myasthenia gravis induced in C57Bl/6 mice by immunization with Torpedo acetylcholine receptor (TAChR), to demonstrate that nasal administration of synthetic sequences of the TAChR alpha-subunit- forming epitopes recognized by anti-TAChR CD4+ T helper cells (residues alpha150-169, alpha181-200, and alpha360-378), given before and during immunization with TAChR, causes decreased CD4+ responsiveness to those epitopes and to TAChR, reduced synthesis of anti-TAChR Ab, and prevented experimental myasthenia gravis. These effects were not induced by nasal administration of synthetic epitopes of diphtheria toxin. Secretion of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 by spleen T cells from TAChR immunized mice, in response to challenge with TAChR in vitro, indicated that in sham-tolerized mice only Th1 cells responded to TAChR, while peptide-treated mice had also an AChR-specific Th2 response. The TAChR peptide treatment induced also in vitro anergy to the TAChR of the spleen T cells, which was reversed by IL-2.


A dialogical commentary on Yuly Zentella' s (2009) article dealing with the cultural experiences of the loss of ties with their land among the Hispanos of Northern New Mexico is attempted firstly by referring to the psychological literature on transitions which utilizes Bowbly's theory of attachment and loss in actual incidents of relocations and displacement, and secondly by critically questioning the validity of combining concepts emerging from a grounded theory approach with general notions borrowed from attachment and place attachment theories. Although there are similarities between Zentella's study and studies of psycho-social transition that reveal stage-like processes following loss and grieving reactions of individuals, the former study is characterized by the impact's longer time-frame, which extends over generations of the population, while the latter literature deal with the loss of immediate environment by individuals, who undergo critical changes in a relatively shorter period. The cultural specificity of the multi-dimensional model proposed by Zentella is questioned on the ground that the added dimensions did not originate from the specific population under study, but are borrowed from more general theoretical abstractions. While the abductive mode of reasoning is appreciated, a possible mis-match between local concepts emerging from the grounded theory approach and the notion of attachment is discussed. As an alternative direction to value cultural specificity and phenomenological traditions, some exploration on the concept of `imprisonment' found by Zentella is attempted by adopting a symbol formation approach which takes language at a metaphorical level, and thus several examples of place metaphors, such as attached, rooted and imprisoned, are considered, with the hope of accumulating culturally specific studies of place experiences.


This paper describes the experiences of practicing social practice design (SPD) activities with user groups, in geographically distributed, collaborating manufacturing companies, struggling with the introduction of model based enterprise systems. Within a European project, we observed and routinely analyzed ongoing development and assessment work of model based technologies and methodologies, in these companies. Based on an ethnographic study of Modelling sessions and Validation sessions, we performed an in depth analysis of people semantic and pragmatic perspectives (a necessary and needed 'second step back'), and identified core disconnects on modelling concept use and language, and on motivations and goals, between technology designers – modellers and domain experts – users clearly hindering project progress -. These disconnects were addressed with user groups in the form of SPD sessions ('second order' activities), which consisted mostly in a series of design game and scenario-building workshops, enriched by open conversations and perspective sharing and comparison. The paper describes how these SPD sessions facilitated the creation of sense making and trust, enabling participants to engage and learn, and to act as change agents in the project, opening the way to co-construction of solutions with other actors. Observations of Modelling and Validation sessions showed that participants could not automatically build on a deep understanding of modelling and its trade-offs; they adopted the representational conventions they had learned to use. Lack of sense making and lack of co-construction were observed, along with lack of facilitation for genuinely participative conditions. Modeller-guided Modelling sessions showed no appropriation of object decomposition and relationship structures by domain experts, nor contribution from users to leadership in the modelling process; only imposition of hierarchical structures by modellers, in the midst of a cloud of mistrust and suspicion. Validation sessions of the model-based approach showed that 'common' users do not perceive the value of the approach, as they have not been helped to gain a conceptual understanding of modelling, of the tradeoffs of abstractions, and of how a model may productively interact with work practices. In this distributed project, different concepts of various user groups all conflicted with modellers' concept. The SPD facilitation interventions helped participants in stepping back from the "official view" of the work process created in the course of the project, and in focussing more on their own experiences, opening up for creativity. SPD events were grounded in the belief that, when it comes to one's own things, people with no special knowledge of the issues to be discussed can contribute something valuable, especially on those matters that they perceive as problems for themselves; it was impressive to witness how people with no management perspective can engage in strategy development within a very short time. The methods were easy enough to adopt without much preparation and rich enough to stimulate learning and valuable insights; people felt comfortable and not at risk at being judged. Participants expressed how important the experience of working creatively on solving "real problems" had been for them. We can understand this also as a result of the longitudinal character of our SPD engagement with people in the project, which had provided us with good knowledge about work practices, potentials and problems on the one hand, allowed trust building on the other hand.


We theoretically study the coherent transport of a single electron between the ground states of a double coupled quantum dot structure. The coherent transport is externally controlled by applying a few-cycle pulse with an adjustable carrier-envelope phase (CEP). By simulating numerically, it is shown that there exhibits a strong dependence of electron transport on the CEP and on the arrival time of few-cycle pulse. We provide a simple analytical description for this phenomenon by approximating the quantum dot structure as a three-level Λ-type system. These results also illustrate the potential of utilizing excitation in coupled quantum dots as a means of measuring the CEP of few-cycle pulses.


Abstract: We use comprehensive data on student teaching placements from 14 teacher education programs (TEPs) in Washington State to explore the sorting of teacher candidates to the teachers who supervise their student teaching ("cooperating teachers" or CTs) and the schools in which student teaching occurs. All else equal, teachers with more experience, higher degree levels, and higher value added in math are more likely to host student teachers, as are schools with lower levels of historical teacher turnover but with more open positions the following year. Teacher candidates are also more likely to work with CTs of the same gender and race, and are more likely to be placed with CTs and in schools with administrators who graduated from the candidate's TEP. We then assess the impact of these placements on student achievement in the classrooms in which student teaching occurs, and find that a teacher's students perform only slightly worse in math, and not significantly better or worse in English Language Arts, all else equal, in years in which the teacher hosts a student teacher than in other years. The negative effect in math is driven by CTs in the lowest quartile of value added, suggesting that more effective CTs can mitigate the impact of hosting a student teacher on student performance.


Whether it be for results summarization, or the analysis of classifier fusion, some means to compare different classifiers can often provide illuminating insight into their behaviour, (dis)similarity or complementarity. We propose a simple method to derive 2D representation from detection scores produced by an arbitrary set of binary classifiers in response to a common dataset. Based upon rank correlations, our method facilitates a visual comparison of classifiers with arbitrary scores and with close relation to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and detection error trade-off (DET) analyses. While the approach is fully versatile and can be applied to any detection task, we demonstrate the method using scores produced by automatic speaker verification and voice anti-spoofing systems. The former are produced by a Gaussian mixture model system trained with VoxCeleb data whereas the latter stem from submissions to the ASVspoof 2019 challenge.


We investigated the mechanistic basis for the observed correlation between leg length and perch size among West Indian Anolis lizards by testing the hypothesis that species use those perches upon which they can move most effectively. We used four Anolis species which differed in leg length and perch use in nature. We measured maximum sprint speed on rods of several sizes. Longer-legged species ran faster on thick rods. The speed of all species declined on thinner rods, but long-legged species were affected to a greater extent in that all species ran at approximately the same speed on the smallest rod. The short-legged A. valencienni experienced much less difficulty moving on thin rods than did the other species. Variation in leg length among Anolis might thus represent an evolutionary trade-off between maximizing sprint speed and maximizing stability on thin perches.


A continual function of the kidney is essential to good health playing active roles in urine formation. Under normal physiological state urine is expected to be protein free. The production of protein free urine is exclusively carried out by the kidney nephrons. Nephrons are structured to perform an important role of filtration and reabsorption. Therefore, a defective or diseased kidney is associated with defective reabsorption mechanisms and an indication of injured nephrons. The appearance of proteins in urine (proteinuria) is a strong indicator of kidney disease. The assessment of proteinuria is clinically and diagnostically an important index in renal function generally and particularly that of nephrons. However, pathological proteinuria may be due to various factors or diseases. It is has been shown that diabetis mellitus, cardiovascular disease and hypertension could provoke secondary kidney problems. Proteinuria is also significant in some non-pathological cases such as pregnancy and static proteinuria found among military men. Various methods are used for the screening and detection of pathological and non-pathological proteinuria; the methods have their individual merit and demerits. Researchers had made significant contributions in improving the traditional techniques used in detecting and estimating urine protein. Current research in proteomics and genomics science with the development of new techniques in chromatography. (2D-gel chromatography) had produced interesting and promising results in discovery of other classes of urine proteins that could be used as biomarkers of renal disease. This review examines the clinical and diagnostic importance of proteinuria and available techniques. It is hoped that this paper would throw more light into this important but taken-for-granted diagnostic tool in laboratory medicine.


The rising star of scholarly publishing is Open A ccess. Even some traditional journals now offer this option on author payment, and many f ull freely accessible journals are now available to scholars, providing relief to research instituti ons increasingly unable to afford the escalating subscription rates of serials. However, proper reco gnition of full Open Access journals by the community remains a major obstacle to overcome if t hey are to become a viable alternative for scholarly communication. Through a survey, this wor k investigates economics scholars' attitudes to OA, and attempts to outline the state of practices and norms governing individuals' publication choices.


Background In the past decade, China has observed an annual increasing rate of syphilis over 14% and the cases of neurosyphilis were increased accordingly. The WHO standard method for screening neurosyphilis is examination of CSF fluid and a mandatory VDRL laboratory procedure. The situation is even more challenging in China as there are no commercial VDRL reagents approved by the SFDA for CSF-VDRL examination. In this study we aimed to determine the performance characteristics of CSF-TRUST as compared to CSF-VDRL for laboratory diagnosis of neurosyphilis. Methods CSF and serum samples were collected from 824 individual STD clinic patients who have syphilis and are suspected to progress to neurosyphilis in a 9-month period. CSF-VDRL and CSF-TRUST were performed in parallel on the same day when collected. TPPA tests were also performed on the CSF and the serum samples, and Biochemical analysis of the CSF samples was also performed. Results The overall agreement between CSF-TRUST and CSF-VDRL was 97.3%. The reactive ratios of the CSF samples were 22.1% by CSF-TRUST and 24.8% by CSF-VDRL, respectively. All CSF-TRUST reactive cases were reactive in the CSF-VDRL. Twenty-two samples with CSF-TRUST negative were tested CSF-VDRL reactive with low titers (1:1 to 1:4). Over 97% of the double reactive CSF samples (CSF-VDRL and CSF-TRUST) had an identical titer or a titer within a 2-fold difference. The agreement of CSF-TPPA and CSF-VDRL was 71.9%. Similarly the agreement of CSF-TPPA and CSF-TRUST was 69.2%. Conclusions TRUST reagent kit is commercially available in China with SFDA certificate. It seems that CSF-TRUST and CSF-VDRL are congruence in most cases, but CSF-TRUST is less sensitive than CSF-VDRL. Nevertheless, our results suggested that CSF-TRUST may be used as an alternative for laboratory diagnosis of neurosyphilis in clinical settings with CSF-VDRL unavailable.


Purpose: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals aged less than 5 years. ARI often leads to hospitalisation, and it has been indicated that causative viral and bacterial infections go undetermined and results in the occurrence of resistant strains. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of various viral and bacterial infections in patients with ARIs. Materials and Methods: Two hundred samples were collected from July 2011 to July 2012 with patients suffering from ARI. Viral and bacterial infections were determined by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: Influenza-like illness (ILI) consisted of 109 patients and ARI consisted of 91 patients. Pandemic influenza A H1N1 was the major viral infection with 21 (19.2%) patients in ILI as compared with 16 (17.4%) patients in ARI. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was found to be 1 (0.9%) in ILI and ARI. Viral co-infections were 16 (14.4%) in ILI and 4 (4.37%) in ARI where pandemic influenza A H1N1 and influenza type B were major contributors. In bacterial infections, Streptococcus pneumoniae with 11 (10.9%) cases were predominant in both the groups. Bacterial co-infection accounted for only 1 (1.09%) case in both the groups but the most significant finding was the viral-bacterial co-infection in which Haemophilus influenzae was the major co-infecting bacteria with the influenza viruses with 4 (4.36%) cases as compared with Streptotoccus pneumoniae. Conclusion: This data indicate the need to undertake continued surveillance that will help to better define the circulation of respiratory viruses along with the bacterial infections.


Cancer patients are the vulnerable group of population and have more chances of contracting Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They are at great risk of passing through very stressful events during this COVID-19 pandemic that may lead to different psychological problems. Different psychological symptoms of breast cancer patients are evaluated in this study during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Consecutive fifty women selected with a non-metastatic breast cancer, scheduled to receive cancer treatment in the upcoming days/weeks not. Received treatment in the past, completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised(IES-R), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D), the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI). and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and questionnaires. The study was conducted at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from the 1st July 2020 to the 30th June 2021.. Patients were investigated about their worries regarding the impact of COVID-19 on their lives as carcinoma breast patients. Since the 1st July 2020 to the 30th June 2021, Consecutive 50 patients were prospectively evaluated. They were diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer. The mean age was 42.3 (range 30–70). Most of the patients (90%, n. 45) are married, 8% (n.4) patients are single and 2% (n. 1) patients are widowed. Among the patients 24 (48%) patients have high school or less education level, 19 (38%) have college experience and 7 (14%) have university degrees. Ten patients (20%) lived alone, 8 (16%) with one or two family members, and 32 (64%) with three or more family members. Concerning their working life, 36 (72%) were not working (namely housewives, retired, unemployed, or students) and 14 (28%) was occupied. In consideration of economic status 52% (n. 26) patients have annual family income in BDT 250001- 350000. On the other hand 22% (n. 11) within BDT 350001- 450000, 14% (n. 7) within BDT 150000- 250000, 6% (n. 3) within BDT 450001-550000 and 6% (n. 3) within BDT >550000 respectively. We found that 62% of patients had anxiety (HADS-A), 66% depression (HADS-D), and 68% fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for mild post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 2% patients for moderate and 2% patients for severe PTSD. Results revealed that 50% (n.25) patients were suffering from subthreshold insomnia. On the other hand 46% (n.23) patients had no clinically significant Insomnia but 2% (n.1) patients had moderate and severe insomnia in each category. The Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) score was 14.7(SD±6.2) which was more than the cut-off value..Breast cancer patients pass through many stressful events that may develop significant psychological symptoms during this COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of this study definitely contributes to understand the psychological distress of cancer patients and a to formulate a better plan for their management and psychological support.
BSMMU J 2021; 14 (COVID -19 Supplement): 36-41


Background: Psychological correlates i.e. stress, personality traits, coping strategies and readiness to change were studied as predictors of self-care, distress and quality of life in patients with diabetes. Methods: A sample of 44 patients with equal numbers of type I and type II diabetes was recruited from the diabetes clinics of major teaching hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. The Rahe and Holmes Stress Inventory, Big Five Personality Inventory, Coping strategies Questionnaire, Readiness to change Questionnaire, Diabetes Distress Scale, the Summary of Diabetes Self Care Activities, and Quality of Life Scale were used for assessment. Individual assessments were carried out at the premises of the clinics. Findings: Type II patients scored higher on neuroticism and type I patients scored higher on foot care and were significantly more distressed compared to type II patients. High stress and distress were correlated. Personality traits and coping strategies were significantly correlated with distress, self-care and quality of life. Regression analysis identified avoidance focused coping (B= -.49; sig) and blood sugar (B= .46; sig) to be significant predictors of quality of life. Discussion: Findings highlight personality traits and coping strategies as important factors in adherence to self-care strategies and improving quality of life in patients with diabetes.


Hematogenous metastasis is initiated by a subset of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) shed from primary or metastatic tumors into the blood circulation. Thus, CTCs provide a unique patient biopsy resource to decipher the cellular subpopulations that initiate metastasis and their molecular properties. However, one crucial question is whether CTCs derived and expanded ex vivo from patients recapitulate human metastatic disease in an animal model. Here, we show that CTC lines established from breast cancer patients are capable of generating metastases in mice with a pattern recapitulating most major organs from corresponding patients. Genome-wide sequencing analyses of metastatic variants identified semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D) as a regulator of tumor cell transmigration through the blood-brain-barrier and MYC as a crucial regulator for the adaptation of disseminated tumor cells to the activated brain microenvironment. These data provide the direct experimental evidence of the promising role of CTCs as a prognostic factor for site-specific metastasis.


The interrelationship between politics and (political) communication has increased dramatically since the advent of mass media. During the modern era, mass media plays an important role to articulate societal, political and social demands. In many instances, political action is a reaction to political communication from the mass media, but also from civil society, individuals in society and other role-players. In the modern era the mass media has become political actors deeply integrated within the political process. This is partly the result of a decline in political socialisation, where the family in their role as primary agents play a lesser role as a result of the media's role as principle agents through which information and policies are being presented to the public. However, during the apartheid years, mass media in South Africa predominantly articulated support to the government, and disenfranchised communities were left with few channels to articulate their grievances. The disenfranchised communities used different channels to articulate their grievances. One channel that was used was sport. Visiting teams to South Africa were supported to illustrate dissatisfaction with their position in society. However, after the democratisation of the country, the expectation was that support would be transferred back to the national team. This article investigates this continued phenomenon of cross-national support and provides a number of reasons to explain the reasoning behind this form of political protest.


We calculate the self-energy of the standard-model Higgs boson by means of the pinch technique. We work in the general Rξ gauge and show that the final result is independent of the gauge parameters. This result is useful in order to demonstrate that the threshold singularities encountered in the description of Higgs-boson production and decay in the on-shell renormalization scheme only arise at physical thresholds and are independent of the chosen gauge.


postoperatively and at least annually thereafter. RESULTS: The follow up period was from 3 months up to 18 years (mean 8.5 0.8 years). Postoperative complications developed in 16 (9.4%) cases. Short-term complications (less than 30 days postoperatively) occurred in 12 (7.1%) patients and included: intestinal obstruction -4 (2.4%), ileal graft mesentery thrombosis -2 (1.2%), bleeding -2 (1.2%), and acute pyelonephritis e 4 (2.4%). Late complication e stricture of uretero-ileal anastomosis developed in 4 patients (2.4%) in 3 months after operation. Thus, the complications which have required surgical treatment occurred at 12 (7.1%) patients. The results of all operations were successful. According to all patients the renal function was restored. There were no cases of metabolic acidosis. CONCLUSIONS: Ileal and appendicular ureteral reconstruction is a safe and efficacious procedures in patients with extended and multiple ureteral strictures. During long-term follow-up major complications are rare and renal function remains good.


BACKGROUND
Electronic frailty indices (eFIs) can expand measurement of frailty in research and practice and have demonstrated predictive validity in associations with clinical outcomes. However, their construct validity is less well studied. We aimed to assess the construct validity of the VA-FI, an eFI developed for use in the U.S. Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

METHODS
Veterans who underwent comprehensive geriatric assessments between January 31, 2019 and June 6, 2022 at VA Boston and had sufficient data documented for a comprehensive geriatric assessment-frailty index (CGA-FI) were included. The VA-FI, based on diagnostic and procedural codes, and the CGA-FI, based on geriatrician-measured deficits, were calculated for each patient. Geriatricians also assessed the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), functional status (ADLs and IADLs), and 4-meter gait speed (4MGS).

RESULTS
A total of 132 veterans were included, with median age 81.4 years (IQR 75.8-88.7). Across increasing levels of VA-FI (<0.2; 0.2-0.4; >0.4), mean CGA-FI increased (0.24; 0.30; 0.40). The VA-FI was moderately correlated with the CGA-FI (r 0.45, p < 0.001). Every 0.1-unit increase in the VA-FI was associated with an increase in the CGA-FI (linear regression beta 0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03-0.06), higher CFS category (ordinal regression OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.24-2.30), higher odds of ADL dependency (logistic regression OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.20-2.11), IADL dependency (logistic regression OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.23-2.30), and a decrease in 4MGS (linear regression beta -0.07, 95% CI -0.12 to -0.02). All models were adjusted for age and race, and associations held after further adjustment for the Charlson Comorbidity Index.

CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrate the construct validity of the VA-FI through its associations with clinical measures of frailty, including summary frailty measures, functional status, and objective physical performance. Our findings complement others' in showing that eFIs can capture functional and mobility domains of frailty beyond just comorbidity and may be useful to measure frailty among populations and individuals.


This paper takes the form of an event study surrounding the current financial crisis. It proposes a theoretical relationship which can be used to model traditional carry trade crosses on a daily return basis as a negative function of equity returns and a positive function of market volatility. In order to test this theory, an Arbitrage Pricing Theory framework is adopted which is used to estimate the factor betas of carry trade crosses with respect to equity returns and market volatility. It is shown how the variation in the currency crosses explained by the functional relationship as well as the estimated factor betas have increased significantly in relation to the financial crisis. The results indicate that low yielding currencies (the JPY and CHF) can be successfully modelled as a negative function of equity returns and a positive function of volatility in the market. The results furthermore underpin studies that have shown how carry trading activity is highly sensitive towards sudden sparks of volatility and risk aversion, and thus how carry trade fundamentals are time varying.


The Cahn-Hilliard nonlinear diffusion equation for a binary alloy system was extended to a ternary system. Numerical model based on the Cahn-Hilliard equation for multicomponent system was applied to the prediction of microstructural evolutions in Fe-Cr binary and Fe-Cr-Mo ternary alloys. The free energy of the system was approximated by the regular solution model. In an Fe-40at%Cr binary alloy, the Cr composition profile at 800 K shows a modulated structure with the wave length of about 4 nm. This result is consistent with those of reported Atom-probe FIM analyses. In an Fe-40at%Cr-3at%Mo ternary alloys, the wave lengths of Cr and Mo composition profiles were similar to that for the binary alloy. However, the decrease in the Mo composition was observed at the peak position of Cr composition because of the repulsive interaction of Cr and Mo atoms.


The Centre for Teaching Computing aims to facilitate co-operation between third level colleges in Ireland and Europe. Such co-operation will result in the development, use and publication of best practices and material for teaching computing. A number of electronic d iscussion groups were set up b y the CTC to assist in providing a forum for exchanging ideas and materials and promoting co operation between those involved in the field of computing at third level. The eSIGs need to have members communicating on a regular basis to be successful. This dissertation explains the technology of the eSIGs and details the support measures that have been put in place to ensure that they deliver on their potential.


Purpose: State-owned enterprise directors in Indonesia function as management and as the representation of the company based on the principle o is role ambiguity, this study seeks to investigate the implementation of the concept of trust in the legal system in Indonesian state-owned enterprises. Approach/Methodology/Design: The research in this study uses the doctrinal method, known as the normative research method, to explain the role of the director in the implementation of trust in a state-owned enterprise. Findings: The results showed that the implementation of trust can be done through equity, in which a person has an object for the benefit of the other party. Equity requires the fulfilment of obligations based on trust, which makes the person who has the object in the law as the legal owner, to the beneficial owner. Practical Implications: The The application of the concept of trust in SOE directors as a public official needs to be clarified because state-owned enterprises are state-owned legal entities which must also be financially accountable. Originality/value: The study first analyze the trust in SOEs in relation with the function of board of directors in carrying out the obligations as stipulated in the LLC Law, and being responsible for the management of the company, with the aim of generating profits with the good corporate governance.


We reviewed the literature to evaluate: a) The compliance of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on bleaching with the CONSORT; and b) the risk of bias of these studies using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool (CCRT). We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed and other electronic databases, to find RCTs focused on bleaching (or whitening). The articles were evaluated in compliance with CONSORT in a scale: 0 = no description, 1 = poor description and 2 = adequate description. Descriptive analyses of the number of studies by journal, follow-up period, country and quality assessments were performed with CCRT for assessing risk of bias in RCTs. 185 RCTs were included for assessment. More than 30% of the studies received score 0 or 1. Protocol, flow chart, allocation concealment and sample size were more critical items, as 80% of the studies scored 0. The overall CONSORT score for the included studies was 16.7 ± 5.4 points, which represents 52.2% of the maximum CONSORT score. A significant difference among journal, country and period of time was observed (p < 0.02). Only 7.6% of the studies were judged at "low" risk; 62.1% were classified as "unclear"; and 30.3% as "high" risk of bias. The adherence of RCTs evaluating bleaching materials and techniques to the CONSORT is still low with unclear/high risk of bias.


Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a commonly used imaging technique in radiation therapy. Images are acquired prior to radiation therapy treatment to assess changes in patient anatomy and correct any errors in patient positioning. CBCT is an x-ray modality and its use for imaging includes a dose to the patient. This study aims to calculate the dose of ionizing radiation received during conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Monte Carlo (MC) methods were used to perform these dose calculations. The CBCT scanner examined in this study was the Varian Truebeam X-ray Imager (XI). The present study is comprised of two main parts: • Construction and validation of a MC model of a CBCT imager. The scanner was modelled using the GATE MC simulation toolkit. The results simulated by the model were compared with experimental measurements. Precise dose measurements were then made to convert the simulated dose into experimental dose for a given x-ray tube potential. • Estimation of organ doses and effective dose in a human phantom. The GATE CBCT model was used to perform MC dose calculations in a population-based computational phantom. The absorbed dose calculations were converted into effective dose to evaluate the risk of developing secondary cancers due to CBCT imaging. Patient organ doses were analysed by dose-volume histograms (DVHs) and expressed using the minimum dose delivered to 50% and 10% of the organ volume, D50% and D10%. For the latter part of the study simulated and measured percentage depth doses (PDD) and profiles were compared. PDDs matched within 2% while profiles matched within 10%. Experimental measurements were performed in an anthropomorphic phantom using thermoluminiscent dosimeters (TLDs). Simulated and experimental results from the anthropomorphic phantom were compared to calculate an energy-specific MC calibration factor. The average difference between simulated and experimental results was 13.7% for pelvis CBCT and 6.4% for head CBCT. Effective doses were measured for the three main CBCT scan protocols: head and neck, thorax, and pelvis. The pelvis effective dose was the highest at 3.91 mSv ± 0.11 mSv. Thorax CBCT imaging, which uses an identical beam energy and geometry to pelvis imaging but lower mAs, had an effective dose of 1.72 mSv ± 0.07 mSv. Head CBCT imaging uses a lower beam energy and varying beam arrangement to the other sites. The effective dose for head CBCT was 0.289 mSv ± 0.020 mSv. DVHs were evaluated for six different sites using the three main CBCT imaging protocols. The D50% and D10% were calculated for radiosensitive OARs. For pelvis CBCT imaging, centred on the prostate, the dose at the centre of the scan was 16.9 mGy. For selected radiosensitive organs the bladder (D50%=18.7 mGy, D10%=22.4 mGy), rectum (D50%=17.8 mGy, D10%=18.7 mGy) received the highest absorbed dose. For thorax CBCT imaging, centred in the mid-lung region, the centre dose was 5.1 mGy. For selected radiosensitive organs the heart (D50%=3.58 mGy, D10%=4.85 mGy) and lungs (right: D50%=3.89 mGy, D10%=5.27 ; left:D50%=2.22 mGy, D10%=3.59 mGy) received the highest absorbed dose. For head CBCT imaging, centred on the brain, the highest doses were received when the partial gantry rotation was through the anterior structures of the head. DVH analysis of the eyes showed D50% was around 6 mGy while the D50% of the brain and spinal cord were 2.45 mGy and 1.87 mGy. The intention of this study was to provide dose detriment and treatment planning data for CBCT imaging using the XI scanner. The DVH data is intended to provide estimates to be used during radiation therapy treatment planning.


, According to stellar metamorphosis stellar evolution is the . process of planet formation Since life is a by product of a star's , evolution as is the case of the Earth we can come to the conclusion that the conditions in which life arises are currently . present in all evolving stars The chemical reactions necessary for the formation of life from the formation of molecules from ionized , , , plasma to polymerization of the molecules to prokaryotes to , eukaryotes and then to multicellular life to sea plants then to animals and land plants all result in a series of stages of a single . , star's evolution Life evolves as stars evolve this means stars are , . life producing objects as their inherent nature not fusion reactors , , , , The Sun Jupiter Saturn Neptune Uranus and all the stars in the night sky and in the galaxy are in one stage or another of life . , formation It also means that Venus Mars and Mercury at one point , . hosted life very similiar to Earth's as they are dead stars This , leads credence to the fact that as the star evolves life evolves and , . as the star dies the life on it dies as well Life and stars are much more intimitely tied together than what establishment dogma can , consider because they consider stars and planets as separate , objects [ ] 1 which is the gravest mistake ever in the history of . astrophysics


We use quantitative media (blogs, and news as a comparison) data generated by a large-scale natural language processing (NLP) text analysis system to perform a comprehensive and comparative study on how company related news variables anticipates or reflects the company's stock trading volumes and financial returns. Building on our findings, we give a sentiment-based market-neutral trading strategy which gives consistently favorable returns with low volatility over a long period. Our results are significant in confirming the performance of general blog and news sentiment analysis methods over broad domains and sources. Moreover, several remarkable differences between news and blogs are also identified.


Aim: To determine the pattern and identify problems and outcome of management of congenital anomalies in Ilorin, Nigeria.
Methodology: We retrospectively studied all children presenting over a 5-year period (1998 to 2002) with congenital anomalies to the Paediatric Surgery and Neurosurgery units of the University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. Clinical data abstracted and analyzed include age, type of congenital anomaly, management, complications and outcome.
Results: There were 803 children with various systemic congenital malformations. Of these, 588 (73.2%) were operated, constituting 54.4% of the total operations performed on children (1080) during the study period. Malformations of the gastrointestinal tract (536) including hernias (317), anorectal malformations (61), Hirschsprung\'s disease(45), and omphalocoeles(19), were the most frequent. Next in frequency were malformations of the central nervous system (114), the commonest being spinal dysraphism (50) and hydrocephalus (44). Less common malformations included urogenital (105) and biliary (3) anomalies as well as lesions of the neck (35), skin (8) and soft tissues(2). The overall mortality rate of 3.4% (20/586) was predominantly due to the deaths of infants with oesophageal atresia, gastroschisis, and ruptured myelomeningocoele.
Conclusion: The commonest systemic congenital malformations encountered by the paediatric and neurosurgical units in this center are in order of decreasing frequency gastrointestinal, central nervous and genitourinary. Keywords : congenital malformation, pattern, management, outcome Sahel Medical Journal Vol. 8(1) 2005: 4-8


Autophagy is a cellular process conserved in eukaryotes that involves the trafficking of intracellular material from the cytosol to the vacuole/lysosome. This material is wrapped in a double membraned vesicle called an autophagosome, which ls constructed at the pre-autophagosomal structure. Many proteins are Involved In autophagy, one of them being Atgll. This protein is crucial in the selective autophagy pathway, and is responsible for proper formation of the pre-autophagosomal structure as well as recruiting the material intended for degradation to the autophagosome. Atgl 1 interacts with many other autophagy proteins, but it Is unknown whether it interacts with these binding partners spatially or temporally. To better understand the mechanism of Atg11' s interactions, it was tested against Yptl, an upstream regulator whose Interaction with Atgll is crucial for selective autophagy. Yptl with an N-terminal 6-histidine tag was expressed and purified using Rosetta cells, yielding a concentration of 0. 242 mg/ml seems low. This protein was then used in an in vitro binding test with pure GST ·Atgl1CC2·3 and imaged via Western blot using primary antibodies rabbit antihistidine {raHis) and rabbit anti-GST (raGST}, and secondary antibody goat anti-rabbit (Gar). The blot showed no Interaction between the proteins in vitro, so the interaction was tested in vivo using a yeast 2-hybrid screen with a multiple-knockout strain. BO-Yptl was tested against AD-Atg11CC2-3, pseudo-positive control AD-Atgll, and negative control AD-empty. Contrary to previous literature, i no interaction showed between the two proteins in any of the strains. This indicates that another type of selection must be used, or there might be another protein involved in the interaction. 3 Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department Chemistry First Advisor Steven Backues, Ph.D. Second Advisor Hedeel Evans, Ph.D.


The latitudinal distribution of species is primarily driven by physical factors, particularly temperature. However, several studies suggest the importance of non-climatic physical stressors, such as irradiance, which may interact synergistically with temperature as unexpected de leterious effects or, alternatively, as additive factors. We performed 1 field and 1 mesocosm experiment to evaluate the potential interactive effects of physical stressors operating at the southern distributional ranges of Fucus serratus and F. spiralis, 2 intertidal macroalgae with contrasting geographic distributions. The first experiment analysed field response to low tide stress by measuring temperature increase, desiccation rate and photoinhibition in fronds exposed to air and fronds covered by other fronds. The second experiment compared the response of these 2 fucoid species by recreating harsh vs. mild conditions of major intertidal stressors. Results suggest that the additive effects of climatic factors, namely air temperature, and non-climatic physical variables, namely irradiance and air humidity, partially explain and can help to forecast distributional shifts of intertidal macroalgae. F. spiralis was better adapted than its congener F. serratus with lower inhibition and faster recovery. This agrees with its low latitude affinity and higher position in the intertidal. The only major interactive effect observed was the antagonistic amelioration of atmospheric thermal stress by mid to high humidity conditions, particularly when irradiance was not excessive. These intertidal seaweeds retain ambient humidity and shade themselves, lowering physiological damage through self-cover with their fronds. We observed overall additive effects of stressors and higher physiological resilience of covered algae to low tide stressors than expected by their additive effects.


: The oncological and obstetrical follow-up is described of 321 patients who presented between 1981 and 1988 in the St Radboud Hospital with a history of intrauterine diethylstilbestrol(DES) exposure. In 45 out of 321 cases cytological abnormalities were found including 20 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). No relation could be established between CIN and the extension of the cervical adenosis. Twenty-two percent of 87 evaluable pregnancies terminated in spontaneous abortion, 13 percent of the patients delivered immaturely and 27 percent prematurely. These percentages were significantly higher than in the rest of the hospital population. The consequences of intrauterine exposure to DES are discussed. Full examination of the patients is advised, including colposcopy and hysterosalpingography. If abnormalities are present it is advised to offer a timely cerclage in case of pregnancy.


In April 1915 Ottoman State subjected to migration of Zeituns Armenians to Konya. Later by extracted with the law in 27 May 1915, Armenian people subjected to migration Aleppo, Musul, Dairel-zor region. The reason for this law that Armenian people had cooperation with the state of war with Ottoman State and its enemies. In addition Armenian people had tried to establish an independent state in south and east region of Anatolia. To reach this aim, despite to this deportation decide Armenian people had went to mountain for rebellions in Findicak and Musa Mountain. Even Armenian people taken out rebellion in Urfa city center. After suppression of the rebellion some Armenians have continued to set up some small gangs activities in Amanus and Taurus Mountains.


Diabetes-associated male sexual dysfunction and fertility impairments are both common clinical complications with limited therapeutic options; hence it seriously affects the quality of life of the patients, in particular, the patients of reproductive age. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has long being believed to maintain and to promote reproductive functions in the traditional medical practice in China. The current study was to investigate if LBP may contribute to recovery of male sexual dysfunction and fertility impairments in diabetic individuals. The effects of LBP on sexual behaviors and histological changes of testis were studied in the type-1 diabetes male mice induced by intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ). After oral administration of LBP (10, 20 or 40 mg/kg), sildenafil citrate (SC, 5 mg/kg) or saline for 62 consecutive days, the typical abnormal changes in the sperm parameters, in relative weight of reproductive organs and in morphology of testis were observed in diabetic mice. LBP treatment of the diabetic mice considerably reversed those changes and Johnsen's testicular score, serum testosterone (T), follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) level were also increased to different degrees. Moreover, our data have also shown that a marked improvement in sexual behavior and fertility level after administration of LBP (40 mg/kg) compared to the diabetic group. These results suggested that LBP can exert functional recovery of male sexual dysfunction and fertility damages induced by diabetes in male mice, which is likely to be mediated through regulating the hypothalamus- pituitary-gonadal axis endocrine activity.


We present various performance trades for multiantenna global navigation satellite system (GNSS) multisensor attitude estimation systems. In particular, attitude estimation performance sensitivity to various error sources and system configurations is assessed. This study is motivated by the need for system designers, scientists, and engineers of airborne astronomical and remote sensing platforms to better determine which system configuration is most suitable for their specific application. In order to assess performance trade-offs, the attitude estimation performance of various approaches is tested using a simulation that is based on a stratospheric balloon platform. For GNSS errors, attention is focused on multipath, receiver measurement noise, and carrier-phase breaks. For the remaining attitude sensors, different performance grades of sensors are assessed. Through a Monte Carlo simulation, it is shown that, under typical conditions, sub-0.1-degree attitude accuracy is available when using multiple antenna GNSS data only, but that this accuracy can degrade to degree level in some environments warranting the inclusion of additional attitude sensors to maintain the desired level of accuracy. Further, we show that integrating inertial sensors is more valuable whenever accurate pitch and roll estimates are critical.


Although viruses infecting and affecting humans are the focus of considerable research effort, viruses that target other animal species, including cold-blooded vertebrates, are receiving increased attention. In part this reflects the interests of comparative virologists, but increasingly it is based on the impact that many viruses have on ecologically and commercially important animals. Frogs and other amphibians are sentinels of environmental health and their disappearance following viral or fungal (chytrid) infection is a cause for alarm. Likewise, because aquaculture and mariculture are providing an increasingly large percentage of the "seafood" consumed by humans, viral agents that adversely impact the harvest of cultured fish and amphibians are of equal concern. [...]


4 elected to terminate the pregnancy (TOP). Additionally, 28/29 minor anomalies were detected at the 2nd trimester scan. 7 cases of increased Nuchal Translucency (NT) were identified. 1 was trisomy 21, 1 elected TOP, 1 was a major anomaly as described above and 4 had a normal perinatal outcome. Conclusions: In this preliminary study most major fetal anomalies were detected at the time of the NT Scan, however, minor fetal anomalies were detected later in gestation. Our results suggest that early pregnancy screening for major fetal anomalies is feasible.


CD28 is one of the key molecules for co-stimulatory signalling in T cells. Here, novel ligands (affibodies) showing selective binding to human CD28 (hCD28) have been selected by phage display technology from a protein library constructed through combinatorial mutagenesis of a 58-residue three-helix bundle domain derived from staphylococcal protein A. Analysis of selected affibodies showed a marked sequence homology and biosensor analyses showed that all investigated affibodies bound to hCD28 with micromolar affinities (KD). No cross-reactivity towards the related protein human CTLA-4 could be observed. This lack of cross-reactivity to hCTLA-4 suggests that the recognition site on hCD28 for the affibodies resides outside the conserved MYPPPYY motif. The apparent binding affinity for hCD28 could be improved through fusion to an Fc fragment fusion partner, resulting in a divalent presentation of the affibody ligand. For the majority of selected anti-CD28 affibodies, in co-culture experiments involving Jurkat T-cells and CHO cell lines transfected to express human CD80 (hCD80) or LFA-3 (hLFA-3) on the cell surface, respectively, pre-incubation of Jurkat cells with affibodies resulted in inhibition of IL-2 production when they were co-cultured with CHO (hCD80+) cells, but not with CHO (hLFA-3+) cells. For one affibody variant denoted Z(CD28:5) a clear concentration-dependent inhibition was seen, indicating that this affibody binds hCD28 and specifically interferes in the interaction between hCD28 and hCD80.


First published in 1980. At their most successful, Shakespeare's styles are strategies to make plain the limits of thought and feeling which define the significance of human actions. John Baxter analyses the way in which these limits are reached, and also provides a strong argument for the idea that the power of Shakespearean drama depends upon the co-operation of poetic style and dramatic form. Three plays are examined in detail in the text: The Tragedy of Mustapha by Fulke Greville and Richard II and Macbeth by Shakespeare.


ABSTRACT Contemporary discussions and disagreements about the deployment of machine learning, especially in criminal justice contexts, have no foreseeable end. Developers, practitioners and regulators could however usefully look back one hundred years to the similar arguments made when polygraph machines were first introduced in the United States. While polygraph devices and machine learning operate in distinctly different ways, at their heart, they both attempt to predict something about a person based on how others have behaved. This paper, through an historical perspective, examines the development of the polygraph within the justice system – both in courts and during criminal investigations – and draws parallels to today's discussion. It can be argued that the promotion of lie detectors supported a reforming legal realist approach, something that continues today in the debates over the deployment of machine learning where 'public good' aims are in play, and raises questions around how key principles of the rule of law can best be upheld. Finally, this paper will propose a number of regulatory solutions informed by the early lie detector experience.


AIM
To investigate the correlation between tissue ST6Gal I and serum msAFP in HCC patients, and to investigate their prognostic significance.

METHODS
Preoperative sera, paired tumorous and non-tumorous tissues were collected from 19 consecutive patients who had undergone surgical resection of HCC. ST6Gal I activities in the tissues were measured by an in vitro microsomal enzyme activity assay. The percentages of tumor-specific msAFP in the sera were also estimated by an isoelectric focusing-immunoblotting assay.

RESULTS
The tumor ST6Gal I activity was negatively correlated with serum msAFP percentage (r = -0.53, P = 0.019). Both decreased tumor ST6Gal I activity and increased serum msAFP percentage were associated with poor tumor cell differentiation. Univariate analyses showed that both decreased tumor ST6Gal I activity (P = 0.028), increased serum msAFP percentage (P = 0.034) and poor tumor cell differentiation (P = 0.031) were associated with shorter overall survival. Multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model showed that the preoperative serum msAFP percentage (P = 0.022) and tumor cell differentiation status (P = 0.048) were independent prognostic indicators for patient overall survival.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that the presence of msAFP in blood circulation is associated with a decreased activity of ST6Gal I activity in HCC. Both tissue ST6Gal I and serum msAFP are potential prognostic markers for patients with operable HCC.


Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells reprogram the T cells to target tumor cells and have undergone several generations of enhancement. Accumulating evidence shows that by incorporating co-stimulatory molecules and single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), CAR-T cells maintain sustainable proliferation capacity along with high sensitivity and enhanced cytokines production. Moreover, CAR-T cell therapy has shown great promise in clinical trials. However, complications and toxicities must be considered and managed. In this review, we aimed to summarize the development of CAR and the criteria for the selection of the tumor associated antigen (TAA) based on the literature. In addition, we review current clinical trials of CAR-T therapy. Finally, we discuss the adverse effects of CAR-T therapy, managements of complications, and expectations from CAR-T therapy.


Abstract This paper considers a range of so-called image macro Internet memes and describes them as emerging multimodal constructions relying as much on image as on text, and apportioning roles to images much like constructional slots, for instance to fill in a subject role in a subjectless clause, or even to provide the main clause content to a textually given when-clause. In addition to existing or partially altered linguistic constructions, many examples also rely on specific top text/bottom text division of labor, and crucially depend on frame metonymy, with limited formal means quickly cueing richly detailed frames (for instance by using iconic images). The popularity of memes, forming series and cycles of iterations and remixes, and their role in establishing and maintaining discourse communities seems to be driven by a need to express and reconstrue viewpoints, often starting from ideas, affects or stereotypes assumed to be intersubjectively shared with viewers, whose responses they solicit. This paper argues that a proper description of Internet memes of the type considered requires a construction grammar approach, complemented by an understanding of viewpoint dynamics in terms of a Discourse Viewpoint Space regulating the network of spaces and viewpoints.


This paper analyzes the evolution of hydrogen-assisted damage topographyin progressively drawn pearlitic steels. The fractographic analysis revealed changes in themicroscopic topographies depending on the fracture propagation mode, with an evolutionfrom pure tearing topography surface (TTS) in slightly drawn steels to a kind of verydeformed TTS (in direction of cold drawing or wire axis) in heavily drawn steels. An imageanalysis technique was used to analyze the different microscopic fracture modes, thusfinding correlations between them. Results showed that the very deformed TTS reallyobserved in heavily drawn steels could be virtually obtained by deforming –in the drawingdirection– the micrograph of slightly drawn steels. This fact provides bases to elucidate thereal physical micromechanism of hydrogen-assisted fracture in pearlitic steels.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical efficacy of topical 20% azelaic acid cream and 15% azelaic acid gel compared with their respective vehicles and metronidazole gel in the treatment of papulopustular rosacea.

DATA SOURCES
Electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, and SciSearch through July or August 2004 and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through 2004 (issue 3). We performed hand searches of reference lists, conference proceedings, and clinical trial databases. Experts in rosacea and azelaic acid were contacted.

STUDY SELECTION
Randomized controlled trials involving topical azelaic acid (cream or gel) for the treatment of rosacea compared with placebo or other topical treatments. Two authors independently examined the studies identified by the searches. Ten studies were identified, of which 5 were included (873 patients).

DATA EXTRACTION
Two authors independently extracted data from the included studies, then jointly assessed methodological quality using a quality assessment scale.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Because standard deviation data were not available for 4 of the 5 studies, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Four of the 5 studies demonstrated significant decreases in mean inflammatory lesion count and erythema severity after treatment with azelaic acid compared with vehicle. None of the studies showed any significant decrease in telangiectasia severity.

CONCLUSIONS
Azelaic acid in 20% cream and 15% gel formulations appears to be effective in the treatment of papulopustular rosacea, particularly in regard to decreases in mean inflammatory lesion count and erythema severity. Compared with metronidazole, azelaic acid appears to be an equally effective, if not better, treatment option.


In Cloud computing involves deploying groups of remote servers and software networks that allow centralized data storage and online access to computer services or resources. Clouds can be classified as public, private or hybrid. Cloud service providers offer both highly available storage and massively parallel computing resources at relatively low costs. As cloud computing becomes prevalent, an increasing amount of data is being stored in the cloud and shared by users with specified privileges, which define the access rights of the stored data. One critical challenge of cloud storage services is the management of the ever-increasing volume of data. Datadeduplication is a specialized data compression technique for eliminating duplicate copies of repeating data. This technique is used to improve storage utilization and can also be applied to network data transfers to reduce the number of bytes that must be sent and save bandwidth. To protect the confidentiality of sensitive data while supporting deduplication, the convergent encryption technique is used to encrypt the data before outsourcing. It encrypts/decrypts a data copy with a convergent key, which is obtained by computing the cryptographic hash value of the content of the data copy. Convergent encryption allows the cloud to perform deduplication on the ciphertexts and the proof of ownership prevents the unauthorized user to access the file. To enhance the system in security OAuth is used. OAuth (Open Authorization) is an open protocol for token-based authentication and authorization on the Internet used in hybrid cloud to enhance the security. OAuth enables the system to ensure that the user is an authenticated person or not. Only such authenticated user got the token for uploading and downloading in pubic cloud.


Heart rate variability (HRV) is the temporal variation of the interval between consecutive heartbeats. It can be analyzed by numerousmethods, including spectral analysis. However, HRV time series naturally consist of unevenly spaced data. Several methods emerged to counteract this problem, usually yielding different results. Therefore, in this work three spectral analysis methods were investigated: the Welch, Lomb-Scargle, and Burg method. Their properties were analyzed by theoretical considerations and verified in simulations. Using an oscillator network model with the integral pulse frequency modulation model, artificial HRV time series were generated. Their power spectral densities and their dominant frequencies were evaluated and compared to the nominal values of the simulated time series. The results of these experiments and the theoretical considerations suggest that the Lomb-Scargle method is the most exact in reproducing power spectral densities and dominant frequencies of unevenly spaced HRV data.


Time difference of arrival (TDOA) is one of transmitter tracking method to find location or position based on the difference of arrival signals from transmitter to receiver in time domain. This work aims to find the position of a transmitter using TDOA method. Operating frequency used is amateur radio 144.100 MHz for sending and receiving burst signal. Time difference is calculated by using cross correlation function. Output parameters are distance and coordinate of Tx toward Rx. The transmitter position is calculated by hyperbolic and trigonometry equations, giving distance error of 30.49%. Further improvement would require two or more tracking position methods in order to obtain more accurate value.


Recycling of volatiles at subduction zones is a key step in the Earth's geochemical cycle. Some subducted CO 2 is remobilized in island-arc magmas, but most of it is recycled into the deeper mantle. Calcite-olivine-bearing veins in the mantle rocks of the Kohistan Paleo-Island Arc (North Pakistan) contain some of the best gem quality olivines worldwide. The O, C, and Sr isotopy of the vein minerals indicate that these veins formed from H 2 O-CO 2 fluids partly equilibrated with the mantle. Fe-Mg borate inclusions in gem olivine indicate that the fluid contained substantial B. Trace element concentrations of the vein minerals show patterns relatively enriched in La, Ce, Ta, Cu, and Zn, indicating that these elements were mobile in the vein fluids. These veins provide evidence that CO 2 may be mobilized by dissolution of carbonates in fore-arcs and that B- and HFSE-rich reservoirs may form through secondary deposition. Reprocessing of such veins could play an important role in C, B, and HFSE recycling, making these elements not necessarily a direct indicator of the slab devolatilization processes.


This article reports the construction of a model for predicting the rate of dimensional change of fabric composites after wash. The mechanical properties of the fabrics and fused interlinings were tested in FAST system and KES system and the parameters of fabrics and interlinings are analyzed by a objective mathematic method. Through this method, eight principal components are obtained. A BP neural network with a single hidden layer is constructed including eight input nodes, six hidden nodes and one output nodes. During training the network with a back-propagation algorithm, the eight principal components are used as input parameters, while the rate of dimensional change are used as output parameters. All original data are preprocessed and the learning process is successful in achieving a global error minimum. The the rate of dimensional change can be predicted with this training network and there is a good agreement between the predicted and tested values.


We report a new method for the real-time quantitative analysis of sodium in human sweat, consolidating sweat collection and analysis in a single, integrated, wearable platform. This temporal data opens up new possibilities in the study of human physiology, broadly applicable from assessing high performance athletes to monitoring Cystic Fibrosis (CF) sufferers. Our compact Sodium Sensor Belt (SSB) consists of a sodium selective Ion Selective Electrode (ISE) integrated into a platform that can be interfaced with the human body during exercise. No skin cleaning regime or sweat storage technology is required as the sweat is continually wicked from the skin to a sensing surface and from there to a storage area via a fabric pump. Our results suggest that after an initial equilibration period, a steady-state sodium plateau concentration was reached. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used as a reference method, and this has confirmed the accuracy of the new continuous monitoring approach. The steady-state concentrations observed were found to fall within ranges previously found in the literature, which further validates the approach. Daily calibration repeatability (n = 4) was ±3.0% RSD and over a three month period reproducibility was ±12.1% RSD (n = 56). As a further application, we attempted to monitor the sweat of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) sufferers using the same device. We observed high sodium concentrations symptomatic of CF (∼60 mM Na+) for two CF patients, with no conclusive results for the remaining patients due to their limited exercising capability, and high viscosity/low volume of sweat produced.


A modified six-step evaluation procedure has been proposed to evaluate local wall thinning due to flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC). In step 1, the one-dimensional (1-D) distribution of flow turbulence and the temperature along pipes in cooling systems were analyzed with a 1-D system simulation code to obtain approximate mass transfer coefficients at structure surfaces, prior to using a three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for precise flow turbulence analysis of the major parts. In step 2, corrosive conditions were calculated with a N2H4-O2 reaction analysis code. In step 3, high FAC risk zones were determined for further evaluation for wall thinning rates, based on five parameters: temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, mass transfer coefficient, and chromium content. Then, in step 4, the 3-D CFD code was used to calculate precise mass transfer coefficients at the high FAC risk zones. In step 5, the wall thinning rates were calculated using a coupled model of electrochemical analysis and oxide layer growth analysis by applying the corrosive conditions and the mass transfer coefficients. Finally, in step 6, the residual lifetime of the pipes and the applicability of countermeasures against FAC were evaluated. This paper introduces procedures for determining major FAC parameters and evaluation procedures for high FAC risk zones by synthesizing the parameters in step 3. The procedures for determination of high FAC risk zones in a pressurized water reactor secondary cooling system are also demonstrated.


Aims: This paper presents a study solar radiation spatial and temporal variations in Bordeaux winegrowing area, for a 20 year period (1986-2005). Methods and results: Solar radiation data was retrieved from the HelioClim-1 database, elaborated from Meteosat satellite images, using the Heliosat-2 algorithm. Daily data was interpolated using ordinary kriging to produce horizontal solar radiation maps at a 500 m resolution. Using a digital elevation model, high resolution daily solar radiation maps with terrain integration were then produced for the period 2001-2005, at a 50 m resolution. The long term (20 years) analysis of solar radiation at low spatial resolution (500 m) showed a west to east decreasing gradient within Bordeaux vineyards. Mean August-to-September daily irradiation values, on horizontal surface, were used to classify Bordeaux winegrowing areas in three zones: low, medium, and high solar radiation areas. This initial zoning was upscaled at 50 m resolution, applying a local correction ratio, based on 2001-2005 solar radiation on inclined surface analysis. Grapevine development and maturation potential of the different zones of appellation of origin of Bordeaux winegrowing area are discussed in relation with this zoning. 2 Conclusions: Solar radiation variability within Bordeaux winegrowing area is mainly governed by terrain slopes and orientations, which induce considerable variations within the eastern part of Bordeaux vineyards. Significance and impact of the study: Solar radiation has a major impact on vineyard water balance, grapevine development and berry ripening. However, irradiation data is seldom available in weather stations records. This paper underline the interest of high resolution cartography of solar radiation, using satellite sensing and terrain effect integration, for agroclimatic studies in viticulture.


Drs M. D. Fewirell& D. G. Smith write: Ramsbottom and Mitchell propose reintroduction into British stratigraphic nomenclature of the Series names Tournaisian and Viséan which were abandoned by the authors of the Geological Society's Special Report on the Dinantian subsystem (George et al. 1976).They also propose the extension to the British Isles of 2 new Belgian regional stages, comprising the Tournaisian, and the abandonment of the British Courceyan Stage, the lowest of the 6 new regional stages established by George et al. 1976 . The basis for these proposals is a paper by Conil et al. 1977 in which for the first time stages are defined for the Belgian Lower Carboniferous with their bases precisely located by marker horizons in specified stratotype sections. The base of the lowest Belgian stage, the Hastarian, was, like that of the British Courceyan Stage, taken at a level currently believed to approximate most closely to the conventional base of the Carboniferous System as at present accepted by stratigraphers in western Europe (that is, the base of the Gattendorfia subinvoluta Zone of Germany). The top of the second Belgian stage, the Ivorian, defined by the base of the succeeding Moliniacian Stage, was taken at a level believed to approximate to the now accepted base of the Viséan Series, although not at the same locality. The correlation table presented by Conil et al. (1977) shows that they regard the Hastarian and Ivorian Stages as together comprising the whole of the Tournaisian Series, although this explicitly omits from the


We present a detailed low-temperature investigation of the statics and dynamics of the anions and methyl groups in the organic conductors (TMTSF)2PF6 and (TMTSF)2AsF6 (TMTSF: tetramethyl-tetraselenafulvalene). The 4 K neutron-scattering structure refinement of the fully deuterated (TMTSF)2PF6-D12 salt allows locating precisely the methyl groups at 4 K. This structure is compared to the one of the fully hydrogenated (TMTSF)2PF6-H12 salt previously determined at the same temperature. Surprisingly, it is found that deuteration corresponds to the application of a negative pressure of 5 × 10 2 MPa to the H12 salt. Accurate measurements of the Bragg intensity show anomalous thermal variations at low temperature both in the deuterated PF6 and AsF6 salts. Two different thermal behaviors have been distinguished. Small Bragg-angle measurements reflect the presence of low-frequency modes at characteristic energies θE = 8.3 K and θE = 6.7 K for the PF6-D12 and AsF6-D12 salts, respectively. These modes correspond to the low-temperature methyl group motion. Large Bragg-angle measurements evidence an unexpected structural change around 55 K, which probably corresponds to the linkage of the anions to the methyl groups via the formation of F ... D-CD2 bonds observed in the 4 K structural refinement. Finally we show that the thermal expansion coefficient of (TMTSF)2PF6 is dominated by the librational motion of the PF6 units. We quantitatively analyze the low-temperature variation of the lattice expansion via the contribution of Einstein oscillators, which allows us to determine for the first time the characteristic frequency of the PF6 librations: θE ≈ 50 K and θE = 76 K for the PF6-D12 and PF6-H12 salts, respectively.