BACKGROUND
Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are two childhood disorders usually identified separately. DCD is a heterogeneous condition with little known of the underlying aetiology of the disorder. This paper examines the potential overlap between DCD and JHS and examines children with DCD for symptoms which may be consistent with a diagnosis of JHS. Implications for research and clinical practice are considered.

METHODS
A questionnaire covering a range of symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of JHS and related autonomic nervous systemic symptoms was completed by parents from 27 children with DCD and compared with responses from parents of 27 typically developing children.

RESULTS
Children with DCD showed a significant difference from the group of typically developing children on questions regarding hypermobility, pain and autonomic nervous system symptoms, typifying JHS.

CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown a similarity in symptoms seen in some DCD children to those with a diagnosis of JHS. In addition, children are also presenting with multi-system symptomatology including those involving the autonomic nervous system. This study reinforces other recent work showing the reverse pattern of JHS children showing similar functional similarities to DCD children. This has implications for future research in DCD in order to understand the underlying aetiology of this complex disorder. In addition, it is important for clinicians to be aware of these findings in order to provide appropriate and tailored support and treatment for children presenting with differing patterns of co-ordination difficulties. Children with DCD and JHS may require appropriate podiatry as well as recognition of their symptoms of pain and how this may affect participation in physical activity.


The Sinjar Trough is a major east-west trending extensional feature in Northwest Iraq and Northeast Syria. It began to develop in the Late Cretaceous (the Maastrichtian) due to transtensional tectonics and was inverted during the late Pliocene- Pleistocene as a result of the Zagros Orogeny. Through biostratigraphic, Sr-isotope age dating, petrographic, and sequencestratigraphic studies of two late Oligocene-earliest Miocene basin-center evaporite intervals in Northwest Iraq and adjacent Northeast Syria, we recognized several minor episodes of inversion in the Sinjar Trough during the Paleogene. The Basal Serikagni Anhydrite (BSA) is a thin basinal anhydrite unit imbedded between the middle and late Chattian deepmarine carbonate sequences. The BSA extends into Northeast Syria but is missing in several adjacent wells within the Sinjar Trough. The Dhiban Formation is a thicker late Aquitanian-early Burdigalian evaporite-dominated interval mixed with carbonates. It overlies the Serikagni Formation and onlaps onto the carbonate ramp margins of the Euphrates Formation, which prograded towards basin center from the northeast and southwest. In Northeast Syria, the same basin-center evaporite is called the Dibbane Formation and shows local thickening and thinning. The overlying Jeribe Formation, however, has a uniform thickness across Iraq and Northeast Syria. The areal distribution, facies, and stratal geometry of these basin-center evaporite-bearing intervals reflect the antecedent topography during their deposition. Minor inversions within the Sinjar Trough before or during the late Oligocene caused non-deposition or erosion of the BSA in Northeast Syria. Another episode of inversion before the early Miocene created lowrelief highs and differential accommodation within the Sinjar Trough. The Dhiban/Dibbane Formation simply filled the remnant basin and was able to cover the highs during the lowstand stage, resulting in local variations of the basin-center evaporite accumulation. This study may shed some light on the timing of early trap formation within the Sinjar Trough.


: The phantom-pain syndrome model was used to examine the effects of phenazepam, sydnocarb and their combination in chronic oral administration. Phenazepam was shown to have no effects on the development of the phantom-pain syndrome. Sydnocarb arrested the progression of the pain syndrome, reduced its symptoms, alleviated inflammatory manifestations and extremity edema. The agent increased animals' excitability. When their combination was used, the clinical signs of the pain syndrome developed in the same way as with sydnocarb alone. At the same time phenazepam decreased the animals' aggression and excitability caused by sydnocarb. It is suggested that enhancing the efficiency of inhibitory GABAergic processes may result in lower clinical signs of the phantom-pain syndrome in case of involvement of brain catecholaminergic systems whose activation increases the inhibitory functions of its related GABA. The sympathomimetic action of sydnocarb induces an elevation of norepinephrine concentrations in the nerve endings and postsynaptic receptors, resulting in trophic improvement and restoration of tissue viability.


Background Recognising that people are entering the last phase of illness isn't always straightforward, and having conversations about treatment aims and planning for future care is not easy. In light of this a Senior Clinician Development Programme was established, comprising 7 consultants in different specialties and a GP to give a community perspective, facilitated by 2 palliative medicine consultants. This ran for 18 months from October 2011. The following audit specifically looked at oncology, assessing if there was improvement in communication between secondary and primary care. Method All letters to GPs of patients over 18 with a Leeds postcode previously under the care of an oncologist and who died in January 2010 (n=79) and January 2014(n=82) were included. Patients whose treatment was curative and more than 10 years before their death were excluded if they died of an unrelated cause. The improvement plan implemented between the two audits involved an oncology consultant participating in the development programme working alongside a GP in an Action Learning Set and spending time with District Nurses to understand their roles. He then worked with colleagues to highlight the importance of communication with GPs, patients and carers. Results There was a statistically significant improvement in all desired characteristics of the letters between 2010 and 2014. This was most marked in recommendation to add the patient to the palliative care register. There was also a major improvement in documenting discussions with patients about the palliative nature of the disease and emphasis on quality of life. Conclusion This audit shows that educational initiatives with system change can alter consultants' behaviour. This was a sustained effect, as funding for the development programme finished 2 years before re-auditing. Whilst other factors may contribute, it does demonstrate that long term change in consultant behaviour is possible, particularly when initiated by their peers with insight into department specific issues.


An apparatus consisting of a Dewar flask and a relay system controlling the flow of liquid nitrogen permitted the irradiation of samples in tin cans or Pyrex tubes at temperatures ranging from 0 +/- 1.5 C to -194 +/- 2 C. An inoculated pack comprising 320 cans of ground beef containing 5 x 10(4) spores of Clostridium botulinum 33A per can (10 cans per radiation dose) was irradiated with Co(60) at 0 and -196 C. Incubation was carried out at 30 C for 6 months. Approximately 0.9 Mrad more radiation was required to inactivate the spores at -196 C than at 0 C. Cans irradiated at -196 C showed partial spoilage at 3.6 Mrad and no spoilage at 3.9 Mrad; the corresponding spoilage-no spoilage doses at 0 C were 2.7 and 3.0, respectively. The majority of positive cans swelled in 2 to 14 days; occasional swelling occurred as late as 20 days. At progressively higher doses, swelling was delayed proportionally to the radiation dose received. The remaining nonswollen cans had no toxin after 6 months of storage, although occasional cans contained very low numbers of viable spores comprising on the average 0.1% of the original spore inoculum. The D(10) values in phosphate buffer were 0.290 Mrad for 0 C and 0.396 Mrad for -196 C; in ground beef, the corresponding D(10) values were 0.463 Mrad and 0.680 Mrad, respectively. These D(10) values indicate that the lethal effect of gamma rays decreased at -196 C as compared with 0 C by 13.5% in phosphate buffer, and by 47% in ground beef.


In this work we extend a previously established systematic
approach to design optimum chip pulse shapes for DSCDMA
systems. Instead of designing strictly band-limited
signals we consider strictly time-limited chip pulse shapes,
whose power is mainly concentrated within a specified
bandwidth with controlled spill-over, and that minimize the
Cramer-Rao lower bound for time-delay estimation. The
proposed methodology enables to formulate the problem of
designing optimum chip pulse shapes in terms of achieving
a trade-off between synchronization accuracy and acquisition
and tracking robustness as an optimization problem.
Additionally, spectral separation to non-interoperable
signals in the same band is considered. This methodology
uses the prolate spheroidal wave functions (PSWF) as basis
functions in order to transform the primal variational problem
into a dual, tractable parametric optimization problem.
This work shows the interesting capabilities of the
presented signal design approach for DS-CDMA systems.
The overall objective of this work is to prepare tools for
GNSS signal design for the next generation of Galileo.


Abstract. Glaciers with extensive surface debris cover respond differently to climate forcing than those without supraglacial debris. In order to include debris-covered glaciers in projections of glaciogenic runoff and sea level rise and to understand the paleoclimate proxy recorded by such glaciers, it is necessary to understand the manner and timescales over which a supraglacial debris cover develops. Because debris is delivered to the glacier by processes that are heterogeneous in space and time, and these debris inclusions are altered during englacial transport through the glacier system, correctly determining where, when and how much debris is delivered to the glacier surface requires knowledge of englacial transport pathways and deformation. To achieve this, we present a model of englacial debris transport in which we couple an advection scheme to a full-Stokes ice flow model. The model performs well in numerical benchmark tests, and we present both 2-D and 3-D glacier test cases that, for a set of prescribed debris inputs, reproduce the englacial features, deformation thereof and patterns of surface emergence predicted by theory and observations of structural glaciology. In a future step, coupling this model to (i) a debris-aware surface mass balance scheme and (ii) a supraglacial debris transport scheme will enable the co-evolution of debris cover and glacier geometry to be modelled.


Aims We describe the development of an EPCP in Myanmar that supports the Ministry of Health priorities. Methods A partnership between 3 paediatric associations – RCPCH, KPA and Myanmar Paediatric Society (MPS) reviewed ways to reduce child mortality in Myanmar. Kenyan ETAT+ teaching materials were adapted in accordance with Myanmar's Facility-based Integrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illness manual and national guidelines. Experienced KPA and RCPCH instructors support the development of a faculty of Myanmar EPCP instructors. The development of ETAT+ Teams and implementation plans for each hospital is crucial in minimising barriers to change. Results A key difference between the EPCP and Kenyan ETAT+ course was the inclusion of dengue, snakebite and beriberi. In 2015, 56 doctors and 47 nurses successfully attended 4 EPCP courses in Myanmar; 2 Voluntary Service Overseas international nurses joined to ensure consistent teaching. The majority had limited experience of simulation and skills training and found these sessions training doctors and nurses together particularly useful. Feedback has been very positive – "excellent training, essential for doctors and nurses" – with 1 participant reporting that they subsequently saved the lives of several children using an intraosseous needle. 14 exceptional participants were invited to attend a Generic Instructor Course which enabled them to "grow in confidence" and develop their teaching styles to "facilitate other people to learn." They were mentored as instructor candidates on 3 subsequent EPCP courses. EPCP participants review the hospital facilities, making recommendations that guide local implementation plans; examples include regular simulation training and patient admission forms. 5 Global Links Volunteers (UK paediatricians) have been recruited to support the local ETAT+ Teams with clinical duties, training, quality improvement, monitoring and evaluation. Conclusions EPCP is designed to lead to sustainable changes in clinical practice by incorporating South-South training with highly interactive practical teaching; facility improvements to allow learning to be put into practice; leadership and teamwork to create a culture of willingness to change. The formation of a highly-skilled faculty of local instructors maintains the quality of training and reduces the need for international instructors. Support from UNICEF to expand the programme to other regions is further evidence of EPCP success.


Three free-base porphyrins, modified with Boc-D-threonine and their zinc porphyrins have been synthesized using benzaldehyde, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde. The effects of peripheral substituents on the coordination reactions between zinc porphyrins and imidazole derivatives have been studied by UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectrometry, and theoretical calculations. The results show that the coordination reaction forms a Zn-N bond between zinc porphyrins involving different peripheral substituents and imidazole derivatives. The association coordination constants decrease (N-MeIm > Im) due to the change in enthalpy; the zinc porphyrin synthesized using 4-chlorobenzaldehyde and N-methylimidazole shows the largest association constant. Fluorescent quenching is observed during the coordination process with the zinc porphyrin synthesized using 4-methoxybenzaldehyde and N-methylimidazole showing the largest Stern-Volmer quenching rate constant. In addition, theoretical calculations have been used to investigate essential characteristics of the reaction, charges, bond lengths, and bond energies for each system.


Seventy-three low birthweight babies were independently assessed for gestational age using the scoring system of Dubowitz et al. (1970) and 5 neurological reflexes described by Robinson (1966). The results obtained by the 5 reflexes were compared with those obtained by the scoring system and were found to be accurate estimations of gestational age. The 5 reflexes may be used for babies of gestational ages 29 to 37 weeks, but above 37 weeks the scoring system must be used.


Purpose

– This paper is a conversation piece which highlights the ways in which succession planning in large company might be handled. The discussion focuses on Christopher Oughtred the former Chairman of William Jackson Food Group, one of the largest family businesses in the UK. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper presents a conversation with a panel of leading family business experts and a family business owner. The paper presents latest thoughts on family business research, insights into a real family business succession project and reflections from a former Chairman on the succession process.

Findings

– Findings highlight possible stages and requirements of a successful transition and succession plan. Also suggestions for areas of further research are presented.

Originality/value

– The conversation recorded in this paper represents a rare opportunity to obtain reflections and insights on a succession process and how it was managed in a large family business. The conversation also highlights the kinds of challenges often experienced by family businesses during transition and succession. As a case study this is an exemplar of how succession might be planned.


Background Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a type of malignant tumor, which is histologically diagnosed as a metastatic carcinoma while the tissue-of-origin cannot be identified. CUP accounts for roughly 5% of all cancers. Traditional treatment for CUP is primarily broad-spectrum chemotherapy; however, the prognosis is relatively poor. Thus, it is of clinical importance to accurately infer the tissue-of-origin of CUP. Methods We developed a gradient boosting framework to trace tissue-of-origin of 20 types of solid tumors. Specifically, we downloaded the expression profiles of 20,501 genes for 7713 samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), which were used as the training data set. The RNA-seq data of 79 tumor samples from 6 cancer types with known origins were also downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for an independent data set. Results 400 genes were selected to train a gradient boosting model for identification of the primary site of the tumor. The overall 10-fold cross-validation accuracy of our method was 96.1% across 20 types of cancer, while the accuracy for the independent data set reached 83.5%. Conclusion Our gradient boosting framework was proven to be accurate in identifying tumor tissue-of-origin on both training data and independent testing data, which might be of practical usage.


Systematic biases in climate models hamper their direct use in impact studies and, as a consequence, many bias adjustment methods, which merely correct for deficiencies in the distribution, have been developed. Despite adjusting the desired features under historical simulations, their application in a climate change context is subject to additional uncertainties and modifications of the change signals, especially for climate indices which have not been tackled by the methods. In this sense, some of the commonly-used bias adjustment methods allow changes of the signals, which appear by construction in case of intensity-dependent biases; some others ensure the trends in some statistics of the original, raw models. Two relevant sources of uncertainty, often overlooked, which bring further uncertainties are the sensitivity to the observational reference used to calibrate the method and the effect of the resolution mismatch between model and observations (downscaling effect).

In the present work, we assess the impact of these factors on the climate change signal of a set of climate indices of temperature and precipitation considering marginal, temporal and extreme aspects. We use eight standard and state-of-the-art bias adjustment methods (spanning a variety of methods regarding their nature -empirical or parametric-, fitted parameters and preservation of the signals) for a case study in the Iberian Peninsula. The quantile trend-preserving methods (namely quantile delta mapping -QDM-, scaled distribution mapping -SDM- and the method from the third phase of ISIMIP -ISIMIP3) preserve better the raw signals for the different indices and variables (not all preserved by construction). However they rely largely on the reference dataset used for calibration, thus present a larger sensitivity to the observations, especially for precipitation intensity, spells and extreme indices. Thus, high-quality observational datasets are essential for comprehensive analyses in larger (continental) domains. Similar conclusions hold for experiments carried out at high (approximately 20km) and low (approximately 120km) spatial resolutions.


The paper deepens how students' ability to solve problematic situations could be developed (Wiggins, 1998; Lumbelli, 2009; Biasi, 2010; Boonen et al., 2013) in relation to the logical-linguistic and logical-mathematical areas through the enhancement of their creative dimension. According to the research designing chosen, many classes of middle secondary schools were involved in the administration of semistructured tests based on "Reality Tasks" (Moretti & Giuliani, 2016) and of the Test of "Creative Personality" (TCD-A; Williams, 1994). The scale construction of the TCD-A was verify through Exploratory Factor Analysis. Results suggest that in designing teachers' professional development projects should be focused issues like the relationships between the learning outcomes and the creative dimensions. Data analysis also shows that the teachers awareness of these relations could encourage the development of problem solving skills by students.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between lattice retinal degeneration and axial length of the eye in different grades of myopia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A sample of 200 eyes from 124 myopic patients was collected by chance. The average age was 34.8 years (20-50 years) and the myopia was between 0.5 and 20 diopters (D). The eyes were grouped according to the degree of refraction defect, the mean axial length of each group (Scan A) and the frequency of lattice retinal degeneration and the relationship between these variables was studied. The possible influence of age on our results was also considered. For the statistical analysis, the SAS 6.07 program with the variance analysis for quantitative variables, and chi(2) test for qualitative variables with a 5% significance were used. A multivariable linear regression model was also adjusted.

RESULTS
The highest frequency of lattice retinal degeneration occurred in those myopia patients having more than 15 D, and also in the group of myopia patients between 3 and 6 D, but this did not show statistical significance when compared with the other myopic groups. If the axial length is assessed, a greater frequency of lattice retinal degeneration is also found when the axial length is 25-27 mm and 29-30 mm, which correspond, respectively, to myopias between 3-10 D and more than 15 D. When the multivariable linear regression model was adjusted, the axial length showed the existence of lattice retinal degeneration (beta 0.41 mm; p=0.08) adjusted by the number of diopters (beta 0.38 mm; p<0.001). The determination coefficient (r(2)) was also 0.86.

CONCLUSIONS
The highest number of cases of lattice retinal degeneration was found for myopias with axial eye length between 29-30 mm (more than 15 D), and 25-27 mm (between 3-10 D).


Extracapsular spread of squamous cell carcinoma in cervical lymph nodes is associated with approximately 50% decrease in survival and a twofold increase in regional recurrence. This study examines the hypothesis that increased regional recurrence may be, in part, due to unrecognized microscopic perineural invasion of the nerve rootlets of the cervical plexus. Thirty patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with clinically N+ necks undergoing radical neck dissection were prospectively studied. Neck dissection specimens were evaluated for extracapsular spread, and the cervical plexus rootlets were histologically examined for perineural invasion. The incidence of extracapsular spread was 83% (25 of 30 patients). Only one (4%) of 25 had involvement of the cervical plexus, and this patient had gross as well as microscopic cervical plexus invasion. Microscopic perineural spread of squamous cell carcinoma in the cervical plexus occurs infrequently when extracapsular spread is present. Routine histologic evaluation of cervical rootlets for margins is warranted only when gross tumor is in close proximity to the cervical plexus.


Shape-changing interfaces match forms and haptics with functions and bring affordances to devices. I believe that shape-changing interfaces will be increasingly available to end-users in the future. To increase acceptance of shape-changing interfaces by end-users, we need to provide designers with design criteria and framework closely grounded on their current skills and needs. Also, we need to provide them with prototyping tools to enable quick assessment of ideas in the physical world. In this paper, I introduce the three threads of my Ph.D. research in the direction of providing the design tools. First, I advance existing shape-changing interface taxonomies to broaden design vocabulary and systemize design framework, based on the classification of everyday objects. Second, I conduct a study with end-users to suggest interaction techniques and design guidelines for shape-changing interfaces from their current practice. Lastly, I develop a physical prototyping tool for shape-changing interfaces to shorten prototyping iterations based on well-known Lego-like bricks.


OBJECTIVES
To describe and explore current practice, methods and experience of communicating carrier status information following newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) and sickle cell (SC) disorders, to inform practice and further research.

DESIGN
Three linked qualitative studies.

SETTING
All nine health regions in England.

PARTICIPANTS
Child health screening coordinators in all English health regions, health professionals communicating results to parents and parents of newborn carriers.

METHODS
A preliminary phase of semi-structured telephone interviews with child health screening coordinators in all nine English health regions, and thematic analysis of data; semi-structured face-to-face interviews with purposeful samples of 67 family members of 51 infants identified by universal newborn screening as carriers of CF or SC with data analysis by constant comparison; and semi-structured telephone interviews, and focus groups, with a key informant sample of 16 differing health professionals currently tasked with communicating results to parents in a range of ways, with thematic analysis of data.

RESULTS
Methods for and respondents' experiences of communication of carrier results varied considerably within and between regions, and within and between SC and CF contexts. Approaches ranged from letter or telephone call alone, to in-person communication in the clinic or at home, with health professionals from haemoglobinopathy, CF, screening and genetics backgrounds, or from community and primary care, such as health visitors with SC carrier results. Health professionals identified pros and cons of different methods, preferring opportunity for face-to-face communication with parents where possible, particularly for CF carrier results. They were concerned by regional variations in protocols, the lack of availability of translated information on SC carrier results, and the feasibility of sustaining more 'specialist' involvement at current levels, particularly for SC carriers. Parents were often poorly prepared for the possibility of a newborn carrier result. Some had felt overloaded by screening information received during pregnancy or prior to newborn screening, or found this information failed to meet their needs. Opportunity for face-to-face communication of results was valued by parents of SC carriers and appeared particularly necessary for those without prior knowledge of SC carrier status or where English was not their first language. Indirect communication of results by letter appeared effective and feasible for parents more aware of SC carrier status from antenatal or earlier experience, and where this communication contained an unambiguous opening statement emphasising 'your child is not ill'. Face-to-face communication of CF carrier results by professionals with screening, CF or genetics backgrounds worked well for parents, but communication and information was crucially lacking at the earlier stage of repeat blood spot testing, creating considerable distress among half of respondents. Respondents had no particular preference for the type of health professional who communicated results to them, as long as they were well informed and could answer their queries. Parents regarded carrier results as valuable information gained fortuitously.

CONCLUSIONS
Methods of communication of newborn carrier results vary considerably across England. Parents' needs for timely and appropriate information may not be met consistently or adequately. Respondents' experiences suggest a need for greater recognition of communication with individuals occurring across a screening pathway, rather than as a discrete event.


Peer observations of teaching, POT, is a model for developing teachers to reflect on their teaching practice and discuss their ideas with colleagues. This article contributes to the knowledge of how peer observation of teaching can be used in a primary school as a model to develop teachers' teaching practices, and highlights the challenges throughout the process. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and analyzed by a qualitative content analysis with a deductive approach. The results of the study confirm that peer observation of teaching is, in fact, a useful model for metacognitive improvement of teaching and learning for teachers, provided that some necessary conditions are met, for example transparency in the planning of the process, inclusion of teachers in the decision-making process, and training in the process of providing and receiving feedback. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.3.7


Cantilevered beams with piezoceramic layers are typically used to generate electrical energy; hence, a base excitation on a harvester is required. This work investigates the use of a link-type mechanism called the Peaucellier mechanism to actuate piezoelectric energy harvesters. The Peaucellier mechanism is known to trace an exact straight line, providing harmonic motion, which is exploited here for exciting a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam. To generate the required base excitation, a function generation synthesis methodology for designing a defect-free Peaucellier mechanism driven by a dyad (PMD) is proposed, in addition to an example being provided to confirm the efficacy of the method. The harmonic motion involves two design variables (frequency and amplitude) which are key parameters and can be tuned to generate the required electrical power. It was determined that PMD could excite the energy harvester, generating an electrical power of approximately 4.52 μ W at low frequency. The synthesis generated a mean absolute error of 0.061 m/s2 confirming an excellent match between the points of the input-output and desired acceleration. The results confirm that the Peaucellier mechanism is suitable for the actuation of energy harvesters where parasitic power harvesting is required in different practical applications, including robotics and stationary machines.


Consider a multi-user underlay cognitive network where multiple cognitive users concurrently share the spectrum with a primary network and a single secondary user is selected for transmission. The channel is assumed to have independent but not identical Nakagami-m fading. Closed form expressions for the outage performance and the symbol-error-rate performance of the opportunistic multi-user secondary network are derived when a peak interference power constraint is imposed on the secondary network in addition to the limited peak transmit power of each secondary user.


Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) is a low molecular weight protein present in all cells except erythrocytes. Although Tβ4 is the major monomeric actin-sequestering peptide in cells and can depolymerize F-actin, evidence is mounting to support the idea that it has multiple, seemingly diverse, cellular functions. In cornea, as in other tissues, Tβ4 promotes cell migration and wound healing, has anti-inflammatory properties, and suppresses apoptosis. In this review we discuss the current state of knowledge regarding the effects of Tβ4 in maintaining the healthy, functional cornea. The clinical implications of the use of Tβ4 as a wound healing and anti-inflammatory agent are discussed.


BACKGROUND
Connectedness to school is a significant predictor of adolescent health and academic outcomes. While individual predictors of connectedness have been well-described, little is known about school-level factors which may influence connectedness. A school's ecology, or its structural, functional, and built aspects, coupled with interpersonal interactions, may also help to enhance adolescent connectedness.

AIM
This study aims to identify school ecological characteristics which predict enhanced connectedness in secondary school.

SAMPLE
Data from 5,159 Grade 8 students (12-13 years) from 39 randomly selected schools were tracked until the end of Grade 9 (13-14 years).

METHOD
Students' self-reported school, teacher, and family connectedness, mental health and peer relationships were measured at two time points. Accounting for school-level clustering, student- and school-level ecological characteristics were modelled on self-reported school connectedness in Grades 8 and 9.

RESULTS
Students' higher school connectedness in Grades 8 and 9 was influenced by greater levels of family connectedness, fewer classroom and peer problems, less difficult secondary school transition, fewer emotional problems, and greater prosocial skills. Seven school-level ecological variables were significantly associated with school connectedness after controlling for student-level predictors. At the school-level, priority for pastoral care and students' aggregated writing skills scores significantly predicted concurrent and future enhanced connectedness.

CONCLUSIONS
Interventions to improve students' school connectedness should address individual student characteristics and school functional features such as pastoral care strategies and helping students to achieve greater academic outcomes. Future studies should focus on the cumulative longitudinal influence of school ecological and student-level predictors of school connectedness.


This paper was prepared by liquid phase deposition of quartz sand load nanometer titanium dioxide film, in which quartz sand as the carrier, and to Fe3+,Zn2+ as doping on the membrane was modified. The initial value of pH is 6.7,in this condition, select the heating temperature, the doping ratio of Fe3+andZn2+ to design the orthogonal experiment. CODCr removal and pH value as the evaluate index, to deal with the real tannery wastewater, discussed when Fe3+,Zn2+ co-doping, the best doping ratio of them, the best technical conditions such as heat treatment temperature; and their affect on CODCr removal rate and pH value.Under the optimum conditions, confirmed by further study that Fe3+ doped titanium dioxide modified membrane absorption band red shifts, the utilization of solar is increased, the tannery wastewater which was treated by modified membrane, its biodegradability is greatly increased.


The nonlinear Ball-beam system combine with a CCD camera is studied in this paper. The images which include Ball-beam system and a ruler are collected by CCD sensor. The image is segmented using the adaptive image binarization threshold algorithm, and then the ruler, the ball position and the pointer position are extracted from the image. The ruler is scaled and the pointer position is also calculated. Finally, the value of pointer position is input into Ball-beam system as an expected ball balance position. A Fuzzy self-tuning PID controller and a BP neural network PID controller are designed for ball balance stable control. After experimental, the Ball-beam balance control in any position can be fulfilled using both of algorithms.


Pain is the unpleasant condition raised as a normal response of the body to injury and illness. In the case of Chronic Pain Syndrome, this can ailment can continue even after the cause that provoked it has disappeared. The classical painkiller medicines (like paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids) are used as therapy, but they raise problems of overdose, adverse side-effects and addiction. Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) is showing promise as a possible drug-free substitute for pain management. The VRT lets patients to navigate through Virtual Reality environments and to execute operations which are often personalized to specific medical conditions. It offers a multisensory experience that captures the subject attention on an innate level and attenuates the discomfort. Besides the lack of painkiller medicine drawbacks, it is well received by the young patients, which usually have supplementary restrictions to the pharmacological agents. We present in the paper the state of the art in the domain and the results we obtained with the two VRT applications we developed in Unity. The first one, Snow Land, was targeted primarily to patients with burn wounds. The action takes place into a cold environment inhabited by penguins and polar foxes and some of the regular activities are walking, throwing fish and snowballing. In the second one, Angling in Virtual Reality, we are trying a more general approach, with a larger scope, represented by the typical relaxation activity of fishing. The degree of immersion is higher, by using better graphics, sounds and the Leap Motion controller. These approaches permit us to understand what type of interactions, environments, mechanics and sound ambience are more beneficial for providing the patient an efficient pain relief effect and to select the direction we intend to continue our efforts.


As laptop computers have become more reliable, less fragile, and less expensive, these machines have gone from being a luxury to an everyday business tool. Many physicians travel frequently and often have projects or correspondence to work on at home and at the office. All of this can be made much more practical with a laptop computer.


: During social categorization, a critical cognitive process that serves as the basis for group cognition and impression evaluation, a very specific type of categorization, or Cross-categorization, may arise, in which two or more social categories/dimensions of targets are simultaneously salient for participants, forming intersections of ingroups and outgroups across multiple categories. Research examining whether cross-categorization decreases or increases stereotyping shows conflicting results. Theoretical explanation from a categorization perspective emphasizes the effect of group membership and identification, whereas an individualization perspective highlights a "de-categorization" process in the multiple-category context. The limitations of existing research are the failure to reach an agreement about how to understand and investigate the conflicting results and to recognize the significance of stereotypes for an individual's cognition and identification process. Future research should focus on the motivations and cognitive processes critical to the categorization perspective, the dominant category and processing styles under the individualized perspective, as well as the potential of a theoretical integration based on self-categorization process.


A study on the effect of low- protein diet on the toxicity of acute doses of Actellic-20 in the heart and brain of albino rats was carried out. Three weeks old weaning albino rats Rattus norvegicus were grouped into two and fed low and normal protein diet for four weeks after which they were given Actellic-20 at low dose levels (100ppm and 150ppm) by oral intubation. The rats were sacrificed at 24h, 72h, and 120h after dosing and the activities of Alkaline phosphatase, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were monitored in these tissues. The activities of Alkaline phosphatase, Alanine aminotransferase and Aspartate aminotransferase were significantly reduced (P<0.05) at 24h and 120h but significantly increased at 72h in both animals fed low protein and normal protein diet dosed with Actellic-20 when compared with the control rats. It is considered that effect of this pesticide Actellic-20 on the activities of these enzymes on the heart and brain may affect energy production and amino acid metabolism in these organs.


Abstract Voltage offset and built-in polarization were investigated in in-situ reactively sputter deposited PZT thin films on Pt, as a function of composition, doping and cooling conditions. The voltage offset increases with increasing Ti content. Hot-poling treatments show that the voltage offset originates from non-mobile defects. Cooling the samples at various O2 partial pressures leads to a change in lattice parameters and orientation, showing a 'bulk' effect rather than a simple 'surface' effect. While doping with Nb does not change the status of the films, doping with Fe increases coercive fields but removes the asymmetrical behavior of the voltage offset after hot-poling at positive and negative voltages. Annealing/cooling cycles are reversible in the suppression/creation of voltage offset and built-in polarization, respectively, excluding the idea of oxygen and lead vacancy dipolar defects. Experimental data suggest that oxygen is lost and the vacancies diffuse during cooling without being compensated to equilibrate with surface or electrode band bending, resulting in the creation of an internal bias field.


We present the Zero Resource Speech Challenge 2021, which asks participants to learn a language model directly from audio, without any text or labels. The challenge is based on the Libri-light dataset, which provides up to 60k hours of audio from English audio books without any associated text. We provide a pipeline baseline system consisting on an encoder based on contrastive predictive coding (CPC), a quantizer ( k -means) and a standard language model (BERT or LSTM). The metrics evaluate the learned representations at the acoustic (ABX discrim-ination), lexical (spot-the-word), syntactic (acceptability judg-ment) and semantic levels (similarity judgment). We present an overview of the eight submitted systems from four groups and discuss the main results.


As production has become more globally integrated, imported components account for a rising share of the value of exports. Many countries may contribute inputs to a good, and the final assembler may capture only a small share of the product's value. Official trade statistics, which attribute all value to the final exporter, can be uninformative or misleading about a country's global engagement and its participation in global supply chains. New measures are required that incorporate both production and trade, and track the flow of inputs, and their value, through industries and across national borders. This paper examines the construction and use of value-added measures that incorporate the necessary production and trade data, and evaluates their performance against similar measures based on gross trade. The value-added measures provide a more revealing look into global integration that is consistent across different measures and analytical approaches.


Despite intensive research, the factors driving spatial patterns in life-history traits remain poorly understood. One of the most frequently documented, and paradoxically, least understood patterns, is the latitudinal gradient of increasing avian clutch size at higher latitudes. Th ese gradients are less marked in the southern hemisphere, thus clutch sizes tend to be smaller at southern latitudes than at equivalent northern ones. We exploited a natural experiment provided by the introduction of European passerines to New Zealand (NZ) to test three widely proposed ecological drivers of this pattern, i.e. the nest predation, Ashmole ' s seasonality, and the breeding density hypotheses. We focus on the blackbird Turdus merula and the song thrush T. philomelos as founder eff ects do not have a major infl uence on the reproductive traits of their introduced populations. Both species laid smaller clutches in NZ than in Europe. Th ese reductions had stabilised within one hundred years and were not associated with a compensatory increase in investment in individual off spring by laying larger eggs. In contrast to the nest predation hypothesis, daily nest predation rates were lower in NZ than in Europe. Smaller southern hemisphere clutches were associated with higher conspecifi c population densities and a relaxation of seasonal clutch size trends. Th ese fi ndings thus provide some support for both Ashmole ' s seasonality and the breeding density hypotheses. Analyses across 11 European passerines introduced to NZ suggest, however, that neither of these hypotheses provide general explanations of smaller clutches in the southern hemisphere. We suggest that reduced seasonality and lower nest predation promote increased breeding densities and adult survival in the southern hemisphere. Th e later may drive smaller southern clutch sizes by generating spatial variation in the outcome of the trade-off between reproductive investment and longevity.


Importance
For patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), communication difficulties often create substantial barriers in daily life, affecting a person's ability to return to work, establish or maintain relationships, or participate in everyday activities.

Objective
To examine variables significantly associated with communication in everyday activities, or communicative participation, in adult survivors of HNC.

Design, Setting, and Participants
In a cross-sectional study, from November 1, 2008, through March 18, 2011, participants completed questionnaires about specific experiences and symptoms associated with their health and communication. Seventeen variables were considered in association with communicative participation. Data were collected from adult survivors of HNC residing in a community. Participants completed questionnaires, in English, either online or using paper forms according to their preference. Participants were recruited through support groups, professional email lists, and professional contacts.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Communicative participation and predictor variables were measured using a variety of validated patient-report scales and demographic information. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted with variables entered using a backward stepwise regression procedure. Variables with significant regression coefficients were retained in the model and reported as change in R2.

Results
One hundred ninety-seven adults (121 males and 76 females; mean age, 61.5 years) participated, all at least 6 months posttreatment of HNC with no additional medical conditions affecting speech. The final model contained 4 significant variables (R2 = 0.462): self-rated speech severity, cognitive function, laryngectomy status, and time since diagnosis. Better communicative participation was associated with less severe speech and cognitive problems; together, these 2 variables explained 42% of the variance in the model (self-rated speech severity, R2 = 0.227, and cognitive function, R2 = 0.193 [0.227 + 0.193 = 0.420 = 42%]). To a lesser extent, better communicative participation also was associated with not having undergone a total laryngectomy surgical procedure (R2 = 0.035) and longer time since diagnosis (R2 = 0.007); full model: R2 = 0.462, P < .001; regression coefficients [SE]: self-rated speech severity 0.551 [0.065], P < .001, R2 = 0.227; cognitive function 0.063 [0.011], P < .001, R2 = 0.193; laryngectomy status 0.285 [0.117], P = .02; and time since diagnosis 0.015 [0.006], P = .02.

Conclusions and Relevance
These results suggest that communicative participation in adults with HNC is associated with self-rated speech severity, cognitive function, whether or not a person has undergone total laryngectomy, and time since diagnosis. Clinicians can use these results to inform their practice in pretreatment counseling, patient education, and rehabilitation for survivors of HNC.


Psychology is viewed by medical students in a negative light. In order to understand this phenomenon, we interviewed 19 medical students about their experiences of psychology in medical education. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Four main themes were generated: attitudes, teaching culture, curriculum factors and future career path; negative attitudes were transmitted by teachers to students and psychology was associated with students opting for a career in general practice. In summary, appreciation of psychology in medical education will only happen if all educators involved in medical education value and respect each other's speciality and expertise.


Abstract. Increasing concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the interior ocean are expected as a direct consequence of increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere. This extra DIC is often referred to as anthropogenic carbon (Cant), and its inventory, or increase rate, in the interior ocean has previously been estimated by a multitude of observational approaches. Each of these methods is associated with hard to test assumptions since Cant cannot be directly observed. Results from a simpler concept with fewer assumptions applied to the Atlantic Ocean are reported on here using two large data collections of carbon relevant bottle data. The change in column inventory on decadal time scales, i.e. the storage rate, of DIC, respiration compensated DIC and oxygen is calculated for the Atlantic Ocean. We report storage rates and the confidence intervals of the mean trend at the 95% level (CI), reflecting the mean trend but not considering potential biasing effects of the spatial and temporal sampling. For the whole Atlantic Ocean the mean trends for DIC and oxygen are non-zero at the 95% confidence level: DIC: 0.86 (CI: 0.72–1.00) and oxygen: −0.24 (CI: −0.41–(−0.07)) mol m−2 yr−1. For oxygen, the whole Atlantic trend is dominated by the subpolar North Atlantic, whereas for other regions the O2 trends are not significant. The storage rates are similar to changes found by other studies, although with large uncertainty. For the subpolar North Atlantic the storage rates show significant temporal and regional variation of all variables. This seems to be due to variations in the prevalence of subsurface water masses with different DIC and oxygen concentrations leading to sometimes different signs of storage rates for DIC compared to published Cant estimates. This study suggest that accurate assessment of the uptake of CO2 by the oceans will require accounting not only for processes that influence Cant but also additional processes that modify CO2 storage.


An organic, ultrathin, and transparent sound-emitting device was fabricated using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonic) (PEDOT:PSS) films. This sound-emitting device was easily processed by spin coating. Sound emission from PEDOT:PSS was measured as a function of power, distance, and frequency. The sound frequency spectrum was found to be ultra-flat in a wide sound frequency range (10–45 kHz). Theoretical analysis showed that the working principle was the thermoacoustic effect. The PEDOT:PSS sound-emitting device has potential applications in the acoustic field. In particular, it can be integrated with a liquid crystal display to realize sound emission and image display at the same time.


The development of heat sinks for microelectronic applications, which are compatible with sustainable development, involves the achievement of a subtle balance between a superior thermal design, minimum material consumption, and minimum pumping power. Due to the rapid proliferation of electronic systems, substantial material streams and energy consumption rates are associated with the cooling of computers, as well as other categories of electronic equipment. This presentation explores the potential for the least-energy optimization of natural- and forced-convection cooled rectangular plate heat sinks. The results are evaluated in terms of a heat sink coefficient of performance, relating the cooling capability to the energy invested. Guidelines for "sustainable" heat sink designs are suggested.


INTRODUCTION Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, and particularly since the defeat of Iraq in the second Gulf War, the popular press in the West, the Arab world, and Israel, as well as more academic publications and policy-makers have been addressing the issue of the scale, nature, and quality of Iran's rearmament program. According to these accounts, the IRI has been on an arms-buying binge over the last two years intended to make it the most powerful nation in the Persian Gulf and the second most powerful nation in the Middle East after Israel. Similarly, it is believed to be very determined to acquire all kinds of weapons of mass destruction. (2) More recent articles have addressed the potentially adverse consequences for the West of the massive flow of dual-use technology into Iran and express worry that the West is witnessing the rise of another Iraq. (3) The United States is very worried by the prospect of resurgent Iranian military power and two years ago Bush Administration launched a diplomatic effort aimed at preventing other Western states from providing Iran with the wherewithal to develop a sophisticated defense industrial base. (4) Whether Iran's forces in the future will be used as the spearhead of an "imperialistic" Islamic ideology cannot be answered one way or the other with any degree of finality. However, a heavily armed Iran would most likely fight as a result of the unresolved dispute with Iraq. Iran shares the determination of the West and its local Arab allies to see the downfall of Saddam Husayn and to hobble Iraqi military power. This attitude is not conducive to improved Iraqi-Iranian relations. Competition with Turkey for influence in Central Asia could conceivably produce a clash. (5) Finally, massive economic failure coupled with depressed oil prices could lead to Iranian threats or pressures against the resource-rich but weak Gulf states. (6) In other words, in the latter part of the 1990s a heavily armed and regionally preponderant Iran faced with tremendous economic problems might be akin to Iraq on the eve of its invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The fact that these scenarios could take place makes Iran a potentially destabilizing force in the medium and long-term. (7) Like Iraq--whose veterans chose to flee instead of fighting in the Gulf War--Iran is a nation exhausted by eight years of sanguinary war and almost unimaginable personnel losses. Many of the country's seasoned veterans were either killed or maimed in Iran's last large-scale make-or-break offensive in front of Basra in January 1987. In the last year of war, Iran had difficulty finding enough volunteers to go to the front and those who were sent were of very low quality and no match for the Iraqi units. Furthermore, many of Iran's surviving battle-hardened veterans, who had fought an infantry-intensive war with low technology, are not capable of using the more sophisticated weapons making their way into Iran's order of battle. They will need years of retraining and familiarity with these weapon systems in order to be able to conduct combined arms operations using armor, artillery and air assets. On the other hand, one can take too sanguine a view of Iran's rearmament program. Shireen Hunter ascribes nothing but the most benign intentions to Iran's recent foreign policy activism and its rearmament drive. She argues that Tehran's rearmament is motivated solely by motives of self-defense. Furthermore, she states, "Militarily, it [Iran] is weaker than all of its neighbors." (8) This assertion no doubt would come as a surprise to the militarily weak states of the Arabian Peninsula. These monarchies formed the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981 to counter what was seen as the Iranian Islamic menace. Despite billions of dollars spent on Western weapons, none of these peninsular countries have developed militarily effective forces and the Gulf War against Iraq starkly highlighted their collective military weakness and their absolute need to rely on outside forces. …


Recent generations of farmers have experienced considerable difficulties earning a consistent living wage to support the needs of themselves and their families. To meet these needs, many farmers and their spouses have increasingly left the agricultural industry to seek employment. Previous studies have found government policies intended to slow the migration of labor from agriculture have little influence. Using an autoregressive distributed lag model and adjusting for non-stationary variables in the labor migration equation, direct government payments were found to have a negative and significant effect on labor migration from agriculture.


A method for automated circulation patterns (CPs) definition and classification is presented, based on optimized fuzzy rules. The target of the method is to provide a basis (daily classified CPs) for downscaling of the most common climate data, i.e. precipitation and temperature. Therefore the presented classification method is objective providing CPs that explain the dependency between the large-scale atmospheric circulation and the surface climate. Thus the downscaling can be done by means of downscaling models with parameters depending on the CPs. The CPs are defined using 700 hPa geo-potential field anomalies. Fuzzy rules are described by the position of high- and low-pressure anomalies. The fuzzy rules are obtained automatically, using an optimization for the performance of the classification. For the precipitation, the performance of the classification is measured by rainfall frequencies and rainfall amounts conditioned on the CPs. Thus, the task is to define wet or dry CPs. For the temperature, the deviation from the average long-term annual cycle is used. In this way, warm or cold CPs are identified. The presented method produces physically realistic CP definitions. With the help of these definitions, the observed (historical) pressure fields can be classified for twelve precipitation stations and four temperature stations inside and around the Mesochora catchment in Greece.


Introduction: Reduction in the vertical transmission of HIV is possible when prophylactic measures are implemented. Our objective was to determine demographic characteristics of HIV-infected pregnant women and the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using notification, and investigating data from the Notifiable Diseases Data System in the Brazilian State of Amazonas, between 2007 and 2009. Results: During the study period, notification was received of 509 HIV-positive pregnant women. The vertical transmission was 9.9% (95% CI: 7.2-12.6%). The mean age of women was 27 years (SD: 5.7), and the majority (54.8%) had not completed elementary school (eighth grade). Diagnosis of HIV seropositivity was made prior to pregnancy in 115 (22.6%) women, during prenatal care in 302 (59.3%), during delivery in 70 (13.8%), and following delivery in 22 (4.3%). Four hundred four of these women (79.4%) had had prenatal care, with 79.4% of patients receiving antiretroviral during pregnancy and 61.9% of the newborn infants receiving prophylaxis. In the final multivariate logistic regression model, living in urban area [OR = 0.7 (95% CI: 0.35-0.89)] and having had prenatal care [OR = 0.1 (95% CI: 0.04-0.24)] remained as protective factors against vertical HIV transmission in this population. Conclusions: The relevance of adequate compliance with the measures already established as being effective in guaranteeing a reduction in HIV transmission within the maternal and infant population should be emphasized.


Behavioral finance raises questions about market efficiency, suggesting that noise, and not just information, moves securities prices. This creates a conundrum for the fraud on the market theory. While some fraud remedy is arguably necessary to ensure adequate disclosure, behavioral finance raises doubt about the efficiency of fraud remedies in noisy markets. These issues are particularly important in the wake of the Supreme Court's opinion in Dura v. Broudo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which tightens proof of loss causation in fraud on the market cases and creates uncertainty about the future of the fraud on the market theory. This paper argues for interpreting Dura to sharply constrain the fraud on the market theory. It also proposes dealing with the need to deter fraud by allowing state courts and legislatures to supplement federal liability. More broadly, this paper suggests that, contrary to the assertions of many of its proponents, the indeterminacy of behavioral economics generally, and behavioral finance in particular, may support reducing rather than increasing legal paternalism.


Synthetic biology is a cutting-edge area of research that holds the promise of unprecedented health benefits. However, in tandem with these large prospective benefits, synthetic biology projects entail a risk of catastrophic consequences whose severity may exceed that of most ordinary human undertakings. This is due to the peculiar nature of synthetic biology as a 'threshold technology' which opens doors to opportunities and applications that are essentially unpredictable. Fears about these potentially unstoppable consequences have led to declarations from civil society groups calling for the use of a precautionary principle to regulate the field. Moreover, the principle is prevalent in law and international agreements. Despite widespread political recognition of a need for caution, the precautionary principle has been extensively criticized as a guide for regulatory policy. We examine a central objection to the principle: that its application entails crippling inaction and incoherence, since whatever action one takes there is always a chance that some highly improbable cataclysm will occur. In response to this difficulty, which we call the 'precautionary paradox,' we outline a deliberative means for arriving at threshold of probability below which potential dangers can be disregarded. In addition, we describe a Bayesian mechanism with which to assign probabilities to harmful outcomes. We argue that these steps resolve the paradox. The rehabilitated PP can thus provide a viable policy option to confront the uncharted waters of synthetic biology research.


Abstract. Regional air pollution is significantly associated with dominant weather systems. In this study, the relationship between the particle pollution over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region and weather patterns is investigated. First, the pollution characteristics of particles in the YRD are studied using in situ monitoring data (PM2.5 and PM10) in 16 cities and Terra/MODIS AOD (aerosol optical depth) products collected from December 2013 to November 2014. The results show that the regional mean value of AOD is high in the YRD, with an annual mean value of 0.71±0.57. The annual mean particle concentrations in the cities of Jiangsu Province all exceed the national air quality standard. The pollution level is higher in inland areas, and the highest concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 are 79 and 130 µg m−3, respectively, in Nanjing. The PM2.5  :  PM10 ratios are typically high, thus indicating that PM2.5 is the overwhelmingly dominant particle pollutant in the YRD. The wintertime peak of particle concentrations is tightly linked to the increased emissions during the heating season as well as adverse meteorological conditions. Second, based on NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis data, synoptic weather classification is conducted and five typical synoptic patterns are objectively identified. Finally, the synthetic analysis of meteorological fields and backward trajectories are applied to further clarify how these patterns impact particle concentrations. It is demonstrated that air pollution is more or less influenced by high-pressure systems. The relative position of the YRD to the anti-cyclonic circulation exerts significant effects on the air quality of the YRD. The YRD is largely influenced by polluted air masses from the northern and the southern inland areas when it is located at the rear of the East Asian major trough. The significant downward motion of air masses results in stable weather conditions, thereby hindering the diffusion of air pollutants. Thus, this pattern is quite favorable for the accumulation of pollutants in the YRD, resulting in higher regional mean PM10 (116.5 ± 66.9 µg m−3), PM2.5 (75.9 ± 49.9 µg m−3), and AOD (0.74) values. Moreover, this pattern is also responsible for the occurrence of most large-scale regional PM2.5 (70.4 %) and PM10 (78.3 %) pollution episodes. High wind speed and clean marine air masses may also play important roles in the mitigation of pollution in the YRD. Especially when the clean marine air masses account for a large proportion of all trajectories (i.e., when the YRD is affected by the cyclonic system or oceanic circulation), the air in the YRD has a lesser chance of being polluted. The observed correlation between weather patterns and particle pollution can provide valuable insight into making decisions about pollution control and mitigation strategies.


The High Speed Anti-radiation Missile (HARM) is an air to surface tactical missile designed to seek and destroy enemy radar-equipped air defense systems. Unfortunately, the HARM is "no respector of persons", and it has been known, most notably during the Gulf War, to attack "friendly" targets. The international HARM Upgrade Project is a tri-national missile technology project sponsored by the United States, Italian, and German governments. The HARM Precision Navigation Upgrade (PNU) program has as its goal, the development and installation of a PNU into the HARM that will improve the weapon's effectiveness, while nearly eliminating the likelihood of fratricide. The precision navigation system consists of a modem SAASM (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) based Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver (NavStrike/sup TM/, Rockwell Collins Government Systems), and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), consisting of state-of-the-art Fiber Optic Gyros (FOG MFORS-1, Litef) and modem micro-machined accelerometers (B-290 Triad, Litef).


The factor structure of Hartmann's scale (1996b) for Central Imagery (CI) was further investigated using exploratory factor analysis. Dreamer-rated emotion and information about any trauma history, was compared to CI and the factors derived from CI. Two dreams from each of 143 participants were collected and rated for both CI and each of the separate descriptor words for CI. Participants also provided information regarding level of emotion in each dream, any trauma history, time since trauma, type, level of distress at the time, and current distress. We found further evidence that the CI scale is best thought of as comprising at least two factors. Dreamer-rated emotion was significantly correlated with all the trauma related variables, but not trait coping style. The number of distressing peritraumatic events was significantly related to CI , and with all but the visual factor. CI may be related to variables at the time of the trauma, rather than current distress.


This article focuses on simulation-based inference for the time-deformation models directed by a duration process. In order to better capture the heavy tail property of the time series of financial asset returns, the innovation of the observation equation is subsequently assumed to have a Student-t distribution. Suitable Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms, which are hybrids of Gibbs and slice samplers, are proposed for estimation of the parameters of these models. In the algorithms, the parameters of the models can be sampled either directly from known distributions or through an efficient slice sampler. The states are simulated one at a time by using a Metropolis-Hastings method, where the proposal distributions are sampled through a slice sampler. Simulation studies conducted in this article suggest that our extended models and accompanying MCMC algorithms work well in terms of parameter estimation and volatility forecast.


Women's networks
proliferated during the long nineteenth century in the Atlantic World and began
spreading globally. Connecting Women
features presentations from the second
conference of the Intercontinental Cross-Currents Network, "The Dynamics of
Power: Inclusion and Exclusion in Women's Networks during the Long Nineteenth
Century," held in 2016 at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal.
Intercontinental Cross-Currents provides a cooperative platform for researchers
from all scholarly disciplines interested in the literal and metaphorical
networks created and navigated by women from the European and American
continents from 1776 to 1939—the so-called long nineteenth century. Organized
by the University's Institute of Arts and Humanities' Centre for Humanistic Studies
and the Department of English and North American Studies, the conference
brought together international participants who investigated mechanisms of
inclusion and exclusion within women's networks forged in Britain, France,
Italy, the Philippines, Portugal, and the United States. Connecting Women delves
into both literary networks and those with social and political agendas that
centered around temperance associations, anti-slavery societies, crime
syndicates, suffragism, political organizations, and war relief.


Introduction: The aim of this study was the exploration of the spread of gambling in adults in Avola, their consequences and the exploration of the typical thoughts, behaviors and beliefs related to gambling. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 160 adults, aged between 18 and 78 years recruited in Avola (Sicily, Italy). The materials were constituted by an exploration questionnaire about gambling to investigate the social-demographic characteristics of the players, the game frequency, the control capacity and the motivation to play and a shorter and multidimensional version of gambling attitudes and beliefs survey (GABS-23), a useful diagnostic tool for screening of gambling that explores the dysfunctional beliefs of gambling and allows to evaluate the beliefs, emotions and attitudes among the gamblers. Results: Results showed that more than half of the sample declared to gamble. In accordance with the diagnostic manual of gambling, the "frequency of game", the "time spend in gambling", the consequent "spend money" are indicative indices that discriminate the "social game" from pathological game. For this reason we have find, in our sample, tree categories of gamblers: "problematic gamblers", "regular players" and "casual players". About GABS-23 factors, they showed that all sample believe that behaviors implemented during the gambling affects about it and believe that some strategies increase the probability of win. Also, according with the studies in the literature, the gamblers showed medium-high score in the "chasing" scale. Conclusion: Despite the prevalence of gambling among adults in Avola, there was no presence of pathological disorder, but a small percentage of those who claim to play, play more frequently, play more than three games a week, undertake more than three hours a week and spend between one hundred and one hundred fifty euro a week. Despite this, the reason that drives them to play in "to earn money" and don't indicate the motivation "try the thrill of risk" typical pathological gambler. This phenomenon is frequently normal amongst the non-clinical population but it needs attention in order to prevent and avoid real psychopathological disorder.


Advances in medical technology is not sufficient alone to satisfy the growing and emerging needs such as improving quality of life, providing healthcare services tailored to each individual, ensuring efficient management of care and creating sustainable social healthcare. There is a potential for substantially enhancing healthcare services by integrating information technologies, social networking technologies, digitization and control of biomedical devices, and utilization of big data technologies as well as machine learning techniques. Today, data has become more ubiquitous and accessible by virtue of advancements in smart sensor and actuator technologies. This in turn allow us to collect significant amount of data from biomedical devices and automate certain healthcare functions. In order to get maximum benefit from the generated data, there is a need to develop new models and distributed data analytics approaches for health industry. Big data has the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of health care services as well as reducing the maintenance costs by minimizing the risks related with malfunctions of biomedical devices. Hospitals grasp this noteworthy potential and convert collected data into valuable information that can be used for several purposes including management of biomedical device maintenance. To this end, in this study, by leveraging the latest advancements in big data analytics technologies, we propose a scalable predictive maintenance architecture for healthcare domain. We also discussed the opportunities and challenges of utilizing the proposed architecture in the healthcare domain.


We administered either a Guilty or an Ambiguous version of a fatal hit-and-run accident involving one's favorite sport celebrity, a measure of schadenfreude, and a version of the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) modified to target one's favorite sport celebrity to 77 Black and 119 White college students. Results of two ANOVAs showed that Black students who chose Black favorite sport celebrities showed a significantly stronger admiration for their favorite sport celebrity, but significantly greater schadenfreude as compared to White students who chose favorite sport celebrities who were White. There were no other main effects or interactions. Schadenfreude scores were lower as compared to previous studies in which target persons were maliciously envied or deserving of misfortune. There was an inverse correlation between schadenfreude scores and reported strength of the bond with the favorite sport celebrity as measured by the single item "How strongly do you feel about your favorite sport celebrity/" and scores on the sport version of the Celebrity Attitude Scale. Results were discussed with a focus on racial differences and the failure to find a difference due to certainty of guilt.


Two hundred and seven families of patients with schizophrenia were examined. Diagnosis of the disease in probands and relatives was made according to the syndromal forms of schizophrenia. The simple, catatonic, hebephrenic and paranoid forms of the disease were distinguished. Current genetic-correlation analysis demonstrated marked genetic correlation between the disease forms. This makes the above-mentioned classification of schizophrenia inadequate for special genetic studies aimed at the definition of factors that determine the development of different clinical forms of the disease.


Abstract Phenylketonuria (PKU) is one of the most prevalent inherited metabolic diseases and is accountable for a severe encephalopathy by progressive intoxication of the brain by phenylalanine. This results from an ineffective L-phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme (PAH) due to a mutated phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene. Neonatal screening programs allow an early dietetic treatment with restrictive phenylalanine intake. This diet prevents most of the neuropsychological disabilities but remains challenging for lifelong compliance. Adult-derived human liver progenitor cells (ADHLPC) are a pool of precursors that can differentiate into hepatocytes. We aim to study PAH expression and PAH activity in a differenciated ADHLPC. ADHLPC were isolated from human hepatocyte primary culture of two different donors and differenciated under specific culture conditions. We demonstrated the high expression of PAH and a large increase of PAH activity in differenciated LPC. The age of the donor, the cellular viability after liver digestion and cryopreservation affects PAH activity. ADHLPC might therefore be considered as a suitable source for cell therapy in PKU.


Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease of motor neurons leading to progressive weakness of the limbs, the bulbar muscles and the respiratory muscles. Fifty percent of patients die within 3 years after onset of symptoms, mainly due to respiratory failure. In a large, prospective, population-based study we calculated the incidence and prevalence of ALS in the Netherlands using the capture-recapture methodology. The annual incidence rate was 2.77 per 100,000 person years. ALS is considered to be a multifactorial disease. Several molecular mechanisms have been described to mediate motor neuron death. We investigated several possible risk factors in ALS, studied in a large prospective, population-based case-control study in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2010. Cigarette smoke could increase the risk of developing ALS through several mechanisms, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurotoxicity caused by heavy metals and other chemical compounds present in cigarette smoke. Our study showed that cigarette smoking is, indeed, independently associated with an increased risk of ALS and alcohol consumption is independently associated with a reduced risk of ALS. Current smoking is also associated with a worse prognosis. ALS is more prevalent in men. This suggests a possible neuroprotective effect of female reproductive hormones. We concluded that a longer reproductive time-span, which may be a proxy for longer exposure to female productive hormones, was found to be independently associated with a decreased risk of ALS and with a prolonged survival of ALS patients. An association with increased parental age might suggest there is a role for specific (epi)genetic changes, however in our large study, parental age was not associated with an increased risk of ALS. Familial aggregation of ALS with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease or dementia, could suggest shared genetic or environmental risk factors.However, in our study no familial aggregation of ALS with other neurodegenerative diseases could be established. On the other hand, the lowered risk of vascular diseases in relatives of ALS patients supports the hypothesis that a beneficial vascular risk profile is associated with increased susceptibility for ALS. Supportive of this hypothesis, a higher level of leisure time physical activity was found in our study . Diagnosing ALS remains difficult because of the lack of a reference test with a high positive predictive value. The aim of the revisions of the different sets of diagnostic criteria was to enhance clinical research, therapeutic trials and molecular genetic studies. Our study showed that the revised El Escorial criteria as well as the Awaji algorithm, still exclude a large percentage of the patients for clinical trials at time of diagnosis. A higher copy number of the SMN2 gene is associated with a more favorable disease course in ALS patients. Increasing the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein expression by enhancing SMN2 transcription by valproic acid could therefore modify the disease course in ALS patients. In our randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial, valproic acid, at a dose used in epilepsy, as an adjunct to riluzole, did not improve survival in ALS


The Aramaeans are always presented as an "undifferentiated group present from the Lower Khabur to the Mount Lebanon" (Sader 1992), without any ethnic affiliation. The construction of their identity may be given by two opposite viewpoints: their own perspective (internal view) and that perceived by other populations (external view). We will show this through the notion of "all Aram" in the Sefire inscription, and by looking at some passages from Assyrian records and the Bible. The first document is the longest Aramaic inscription (about 200 lines) found 25 km from Aleppo in 1930 and dated to the 8th century. It is a treaty stipulated between the unknown king of KTK, Barga' yah and the king of Arpad Matiʻel. The other inscriptions concern, in particular, the records of Shalmaneser III and Tiglath-pileser III who occupied the Aramaean territories in the 9th-8th centuries, and some letters from Nippur.


: Congenital tumors of midline location are infrequent. Their highest incidence is before 3 years old. They can be localized on the surface of the skin or have a connection to the central nervous system. The diagnosis can be established by clinical examination, image study and biopsy. The present study describes the clinical case of a six year old boy with a fast growing swelling, located close to the inner orbit of the right eye and off the mid-nasal line. The diagnosis was established by TC (computerized axial tomography) as well as FNAB (fine needle aspiration biopsy), concluding it was a dermoid cyst. Literature was revised focusing our attention on the way of appearance, differential diagnosis and possibilities of treatment for these tumors.


Abstract : The Department of Defense (DoD) uses market research to adapt advertising content and focus recruiting strategies. DoD market researchers have been collecting information on youth attitudes toward military service since 1975. Unlike the youth population; however, little information has been collected on adult attitudes toward the military and military service. This research effort is the first of a series of polls to assess attitudes of the adult population. The poll asked adults questions on what advice they give to youth on options after high school, who they advise, and what they know about the military. The Adult Poll 1 sample was divided into two segments of the adult market. A shortened survey was conducted among 22- to 27-year-old adults. They were asked their propensity to join the military and whether or not an incentive like educational loan forgiveness would affect their likelihood to join the military. The adults ages 28 and older (n=1,108) were asked their impressions of the military, their likelihood of recommending military service and if they actually gave advice to youth. In this report, any reference to adults or the adult public applies to results for the 28 and older segment and carries a 2.9 margin of error at the 95% confidence level. The smaller sample size for younger adults, 22 to 27 year olds (n=143), was insufficient to meet this standard and these younger adults were treated as a separate analytical subgroup. Interviews were conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) during the period of May 16-26, 2001. Data were weighted by age, race/ethnicity and education to the May 2001 Current Population Survey.


On the basis of electrokymographic and echocardiographic findings, the authors elucidated a sharp fall in myocardial hemodynamics and contractility during extrasystole contractions arising from the ventricles which was directly dependent on the severity of blood circulation insufficiency. Post-extrasystole contractions occurring after a full compensatory pause tended to compensate the worsened hemodynamics only partially; the degree of compensation being the higher, the better the functional state of the myocardium.


CONTEXT
Increasing research has shown that low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin (25OHD) predict the onset of diabetes, but no research is available on this issue in elderly people.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to examine whether low serum levels of 25OHD are associated with a higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes over a lengthy follow-up in a representative group of elderly people.

DESIGN AND SETTING
This was a population-based cohort study as part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.) Study over a follow-up of 4.4 years in the general community.

PARTICIPANTS
PARTICIPANTS included 2227 participants (1728 with follow-up visits and 499 died during the follow-up) over 65 years of age without diabetes at baseline, of 2352 initially included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
The main outcome measure was incident diabetes.

RESULTS
There were no baseline differences in known factors for the onset of diabetes (body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, renal function, and hemoglobin A1c levels) between the groups with different serum 25OHD levels (≤ 25, 25-50, 50-75, and ≥ 75 nmol/L). Over a 4.4-year follow-up, 291 individuals developed diabetes, with an incidence of 28 events per 1000 person-years. No significant difference in the incidence of diabetes emerged between the baseline 25OHD groups. Cox's regression analysis, adjusted for potential confounders, revealed no relationship between low vitamin D levels and incident diabetes during the follow-up (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76-1.45, P = .77; HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.95-1.98, P = .12; and HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 0.87-2.16, P = .17 for those with 25OHD ≤25, 25-50, and 50-75 nmol/L, respectively).

CONCLUSION
Baseline serum concentrations of 25OHD were not associated with the incidence of diabetes in community-dwelling elderly people over a follow-up of 4.4 years.


Applied Cryogenic Engineering. R. W. Vance and W. M. Duke {Editors). John Wiley & Sons, London. 1962. 510 pp. Illustrated. 132s. When almost weekly there is news of yet another initially rocket propelled body being put into an Earthly orbit or sent on a longer and more complex course, popular opinion tends to regard these most impressive achievements as being extremely scientific developments of the second secret weapon of the late War, the V2. This may be correct, but the military rocket certainly has had a long history during the greater part of which its development has not been scientific, but was empirical. In China, in the 13th century A.D., rockets propelled by a chance discovered mixture termed lazy powder (in reality, a slow burning gunpowder) were used for military purposes. Further and rather surprisingly, towards the end of the next century, due largely to the observations of an Arab, Ibn Albaith (Son of the Horse Doctor) and to the meditations thereon of his book-writing compatriot, Nedshm Eddin (Star of Faith) knowledge of such weapons was fairly widely dispersed over the Continent of Asia. Certainly towards the end of the 18th century rockets were effectively used against British troops, and in particular against their cavalry, by Tippo Sahib of Mysore in his two battles in the neighbourhood of Seringapotam. This enemy weapon superiority in a quite unexpected area, led, naturally enough, to strong criticism of the Home Authorities. The ultimate result of this was that about a generation later, due to the inventive ability of William Congreve (stimulated and materially helped by his father, Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich, and by what Was doubtless in those days, a powerful influence, the patronage of the Prince Regent) there were effective British military rockets. These weapons and developments therefrom continued for nearly half a century to be a part of military equipment until increase in range and accuracy of field guns eliminated their significance. Here might end this note on the history of military rockets, but it rightly does not. After a pause approaching a century in length, study, generally followed by experiments with the object of increasing the range, accuracy and speed of rockets intermittently took place; leading, inter alia, to the German conclusion that these aims could, in part, be met by the use of cryogenics—literally meaning a freezing mixture but, in the case under consideration, and, in the book under review, implying the use of one or more liquid gases under such conditions that the engineering problems arising from very low temperatures had to be met. The book consists of a compilation of a graduate level series of lectures organised by the University of California's Departments of Engineering. It deals with some of the cryogenic engineering problems of space exploration. The work has two editors (one of whom is part author of one of the lectures) and fourteen other specialist contributors. This team, with great clarity, sets out the significant properties of what are now regarded as the main cryogenic fluids: further the lectures indicate the engineering problems arising from their characteristics and in some cases indicate solutions. This book contains fifteen chapters at the end of each of which is an adequate bibliography. In addition to this last, there are three appendices and an above average index. In the space of 510 pages there cannot, of course, be a complete enumeration of all cryogenic problems and provision of satisfactory engineering solutions to all of them. The book does, however, constitute a thoroughly good review of the present state of the art and provides lucid indications of "where we should go from here".—P. L. TEED. An Introduction to Magneto-fluid Mechanics. V. C. A. Ferraro and C. Plumpton. Oxford University Press, London. 1961. 181 pp. 25s. The declared intention of this book is "to meet the undoubted need of physicists and engineers for an introductory account of magneto-fluid dynamics". During the past five years this introduction has been supplied mainly by the Interscience publications of Spitzer and Cowling. This book by Ferraro and Plumpton covers very much the same basic material as those previous publications. The book starts with an interesting historical introduction to the subject of magneto-fluid dynamics. Thereafter it has been divided into two parts, the first is called "Magnetohydrodynamics" and the second, "Plasma Dynamics". It has been assumed that the reader has had an introductory course in theoretical physics and is fully acquainted with Maxwell's equations, together with the general equations of fluid motion. Vector methods have been extensively used throughout. Part I begins with a brief discussion of the relevant equations and includes chapters of magnetohydrostatics, magnetohydrodynamic waves, turbulence and shock waves. Part II is concerned with the motion of charged particles in magnetic fields and also contains an elementary discussion of the dynamics of fully ionised gases from the macroscopic viewpoint based on the kinetic theory of gases. A final chapter deals with fundamental wave systems which may be excited in plasmas. As stated by the authors, the Bibliography is by no means exhaustive. However, it contains references to books and papers dealing with the more important aspects of the subject together with short summaries. Selected reading from this bibliography helps considerably in gaining a better physical insight to some of the problems considered in the text. Scientists and engineers, who are likely to be engaged in magnetohydrodynamic power generation or space flight, would have undoubtedly appreciated some discussion of these practical subjects in the main text. In writing the book it appears that brevity has been a ruling factor. Such a condition must necessarily be at variance with its intended introductory nature when too strictly applied.—j. p. APPLETON.


Herein, we have developed an easy method for the fabrication of hollow three-dimensional (3D) graphene oxide/MnFe2O4 (GO/MnFe2O4) motors by mediating GO suspension with aniline and MnFe2O4via coupling shear force with capillarity. It is found that shear force helps the size breakup of GO/MnFe2O4 hydrogels and the formation of turbulent flow structures during their assembly. Furthermore, capillarity further shrinks their sizes and produces an asymmetric hollow Janus-like GO/MnFe2O4 motor at the millimeter scale during the drying process. In addition, the GO/MnFe2O4 motor demonstrates high efficiency as an adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals (i.e., Pb2+ and Cd2+) because of the rich oxygen-containing groups of GO. MnFe2O4 enables external magnetic control and functions as an engine decomposing H2O2 fuel for bubble-driven movement of motors in the target area. Typically, 20 mg GO/MnFe2O4 motor can fully remove 100 mg L−1 Pb2+ and Cd2+ in 150 min and 180 min, respectively. Furthermore, the motor can be reused and retains 99.8% adsorption efficiency in the fifth cycle after chemical detachment of Pb2+ and Cd2+ with 0.2 M HCl from the surface of GO/MnFe2O4.


In this essay I investigate Carigradski glasnik (Constantinople's Messenger), an Istanbulbased periodical written by Ottoman Serbs between 1895 and 1909. This journal was a direct product of Serbian diplomatic circles in Istanbul aimed at audiences in Ottoman Macedonia, a region which was claimed by Greek, Bulgarian and Serbian countries as their own national territory and which soon became a political arena for the spread of national propaganda intended to persuade the Slavic-speaking Orthodox population of its respective Greek, Serbian, or Bulgarian national roots. Carigradski glasnik propagated the idea of Serbian nationhood and fought for the establishment of a Serbian Millet. Essentially, it was an attempt to create nationhood from above, propagating "Serbianness" as envisioned by its editors and Serbian diplomats. It was engaged in the dispute over Ottoman Macedonia, which in the historiography is known as the Macedonian question.


Although numerous mechanistic studies have been conducted over the past three decades that have correlated stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility with various parameters, a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of the SCC susceptibility of aluminum-magnesium-zinc-copper alloys is still lacking. Most mechanistic theories support either an anodic dissolution type of mechanism or a hydrogen embrittlement type of mechanism but within each of these two types of environmentally induced cracking (EIC) mechanisms there is little consensus on the mechanistic details and it seems likely that both anodic dissolution and hydrogen embrittlement phenomena play critical roles in the EIC of 7xxx aluminum alloys. From 1996 to 2000, a multidisciplinary research program was carried out by researchers from University of Virginia, Lehigh University, and Alcoa Technical Center to study the EIC mechanisms in 7xxx series aluminum alloys. The results of this program provided new evidence to support critical roles of both hydrogen embrittlement and anodic dissolution. The role of hydrogen was supported by establishing a correlation between hydrogen uptake and Stage II crack growth rates (CGR), demonstrating Arrhenius dependence of crack growth in humid air, and establishing a correlation between changes in the activation energy for bulk or volume diffusion of hydrogen with temper and corresponding changes in activation energy for crack growth. The primary evidence for an anodic dissolution contribution to the SCC process is the observation that development of an aggressive localized environment at the crack tip is a pre-requisite for high crack growth rates. In this study, crack growth rates in humid air (90%RH) were measured for AA7050 isothermally aged at 325¢aF for various times. Ln-ln plots of CGR as a function of aging time show linear relationships. However, a distinct change in slope after ~10 hours of aging indicates a change in the rate controlling process for environmentally induced cracking (EIC). TEM analyses of AA7050 under the same aging conditions and mechanically strained 2% indicate that the change in the slope of the CGR behavior coincides with the transition in the dislocation glide behavior from predominantly particle shearing and planar slip to homogeneous, wavy slip. The correlation between a change in the rate controlling process for EIC and the change in the slip character suggests that crack velocity may be controlled by the rate of dislocation transport of hydrogen. Quantitative evaluation of the results shows the dependence of CGR on the precipitation and growth processes via the Avrami equation. A comprehensive mechanism for EIC of Al-Mg-Zn-Cu alloys that is consistent with the experimental data in this study and in the literature is proposed.


Early-life education (years of schooling) has been investigated in regards to cognition, health outcomes and mortality. It has been shown to confer cognitive reserve that might lessen the impact of brain pathology and its impact on cognitive and motor functioning in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases and, for instance, to influence electrical activity [Begum, T., Reza, F., Ahmed, I., & Abdullah, J. M. (2014). Influence of education level on design-induced N170 and P300 components of event related potentials in the human brain. J Integr Neurosci, 13(1), 71–88. doi:10.1142/S0219635214500058]. On the other hand, demonstrations of a direct association between education and brain-structural measures have been more equivocal and scant. The current study sought to identify univariate cortical-thickness patterns underlying education and general intelligence after adjusting for age, gender and possible in-scanner movement in 353 individuals aged 40 to 80. We followed up this idea with multivariate analyses as well. For univariate analyses, our analyses yielded no robust associations between education and general intelligence beyond confounding effects of gender, age and extraneous in-scanner movement. A subsequent multivariate analyses showed a relationship between education and regional cortical thickness with a robust pattern of negative as well as positive loadings in several right-sided brain areas, speaking to a subtle but robust distributed effect of education on cortical thickness. Cortical thickness variance that is the residual of this education-related pattern was shown to be positively associated with age and extraneous in-scanner movement. Our study thus presents a complex picture of the association of education with regional cortical thickness: education was associated with a distributed brain-wide pattern of positive as well as negative loadings with unaccounted residuals being larger for older participants. Focal regional associations beyond demographic and age covariates were not identified.