Optical cochlea stimulation is under investigation as a potential alternative to conventional electric cochlea implants in treatment of sensorineural hearing loss. If direct optical stimulation of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) would be feasible, a smaller stimulation volume and, therefore, an improved frequency resolution could be achieved. However, it is unclear whether the mechanism of optical stimulation is based on direct neuronal stimulation or on optoacoustics. Animal studies on hearing vs. deafened guinea pigs already identified the optoacoustic effect as potential mechanism for intra-cochlear optical stimulation. In order to characterize the optoacoustic stimulus more thoroughly the acoustic signal along the beam path of a pulsed laser in water was quantified and compared to the neuronal response properties of hearing guinea pigs stimulated with the same laser parameters. Two pulsed laser systems were used for analyzing the influence of variable pulse duration, pulse energy, pulse peak power and absorption coefficient. Preliminary results of the experiments in water and in vivo suggesta similar dependency of response signals on the applied laser parameters: Both datasets show an onset and offset signal at the beginning and the end of the laser pulse. Further, the resulting signal amplitude depends on the pulse peak power as well as the temporal development of the applied laser pulse. The data indicates the maximum of the first derivative of power as the decisive factor. In conclusion our findings strengthen the hypothesis of optoacoustics as the underlying mechanism for optical stimulation of the cochlea.


Purpose: We assessed the effectiveness, safety and accessibility of performing FREDDY laser lithotripsy for managing urinary tract calculi. Materials and Methods: From January 1999 to May 2005, 173 consecutive patients underwent endoscopic lithotripsy with FREDDY laser lithotripsy. The numbers of patients, according to stone location, were 18 patients for the upper ureter, 11 for the mid ureter and 144 for the lower ureter. Patients were treated with a rigid endoscope on a day surgery basis. Patients were assessed 6 to 12 weeks postoperatively with KUB and ultrasound or excretory urography for determining the late obstructive complications. Results: The mean stone size and mean operation time were 7.8mm and 36.6 minutes, respectively. The overall stone-free rates were 98.9%. The stone-free rates according to stone location were 100% in the upper ureter, 100% in the mid ureter and 98.6% in the lower ureter. There were no post-operative complications. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in the operation times and stone-free rates between the urologic specialists (36.7 min and 100%, respectively) and the training residents (37.1 min and 98.6%, respectively). Conclusions: FREDDY laser lithotripsy is a highly effective and safe modality for the treatment of ureteral stone. In addition, FREDDY laser lithotripsy is very feasible for training residents. (Korean J Urol 2006;47: 502-506) ꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏꠏ


Ibn Saud grew to manhood first through living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, a life that had changed little since the days of Abraham, and then, through a careful study during his adolescence in Kuwait, of the ways of the great imperial powers such as Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire. Thus equipped, and endowed with immense physical courage, between 1902 and 1930 he fought and won, often with weapons and tactics not unlike those employed by the ancient Assyrians, a series of astonishing military victories over a succession of enemies much more powerful than himself. Over the same period, he transformed himself from a minor sheikh into a revered king and elder statesman, courted by world leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt.


The paper takes the assumptions of bounded rationality as the premise for organization theorizing. It draws a distinction between a science of objects and a science of subjects, arguing the latter as the more appropriate frame for organization analysis. Organization studies, it suggests, are an example of the type of knowledge that Flyvbjerg, following Aristotle, terms 'phronesis'. At the core of phronetic organization studies, the paper argues, there stands a concern with power, history and imagination. The core of the paper discusses power and the politics of organizing, to point up some central differences in approach to the key term in the trinity that the paper invokes. The paper concludes that organization theory and analysis is best cultivated not in an ideal world of paradigm consensus or domination but in a world of discursive plurality, where obstinate differences in domain assumptions are explicit and explicitly tolerated. A good conversation assumes engagement with alternate points of view, argued against vigorously, but ultimately, where these positions pass the criteria of reason rather than prejudice, tolerated as legitimate points of view. In so doing, it elaborates and defends criteria of reason.


Introduction Management of unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is controversial, and conducting clinical trials in this area has been a challenge. We sought to determine which, if any, patient/AVM characteristics were most likely to influence clinicians' decisions regarding management and clinical trial enrollment. Methods We performed an online survey (Survey Monkey) of members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) (n=4836) and Society of NeuroInterventional Surgeons (SNIS) (n=512). Physicians were asked to rate the likelihood that various patient/AVM characteristics would influence their treatment decisions and recommendations for clinical trial enrollment. 10 hypothetical case vignettes were also provided, and respondents were asked to select a management recommendation. Results 277 (5.2%) responses were received. Characteristics that the majority (>50%) of respondents felt should lead to treatment included size <3 cm, superficial or cerebellar location, single draining vein, age <30 years, venous aneurysm, prior AVM hemorrhage, poorly controlled seizures, intranidal aneurysm, and patient's desire for treatment. However, a significant minority (>30%) felt that six of these same characteristics should lead to observation or should not influence treatment decisions. Characteristics that the majority (>50%) of respondents felt should lead to clinical trial enrollment included size > 6cm, deep or eloquent location, and age 51–70 years. The only characteristic that the majority felt should not lead to enrollment was the presence of an intranidal aneurysm. For the 10 vignettes, the majority of respondents (>50%) favored a specific course of management in only five cases. Conclusions Clinicians' opinions on which patient/AVM characteristics are important for decisions regarding treatment or trial enrollment vary widely. These results suggest that there is no uniform opinion of clinical equipoise with regard to the management of brain AVMs.


Home care organizations focus on patients and families. But caring for care providers--their employees--is another paramount responsibility. In this and the following two issues, CARING magazine will highlight and suggest strategies for preventing a major problem facing employees, employers, and patients: back injuries. This article will give an overview of the problem and focus on organizational needs and responses. The subsequent issues will cover ergonomic and personal approaches to preventing back injury.


This Master thesis describes the development and modification of already existing assembler software for the DRUi 360. The DRUi is a controller unit for stabilization tasks mostly used in the military industry. The DRUi controls the stabilization platform which has the purpose to simulate a moving vehicle.The aim with this platform is for internal development of new hardware and software, evaluate new ideas and components for stabilization systems. The platform is also an internal education system for the engineers. The DRUi receives the input reference signal from the Ground Profile Generator which is a graphical interface running on a PC were the user has the ability to create or send already recorded road signals from a moving vehicle to the driver unit. In this case the DRUi.The main used software's for this project are Code Composer Studio for programming the DRUi software and LabVIEW which is a graphical programming language used to program the Ground Profile Generator. A theoretical study of motion control is performed together with getting familiar of al the equipment.The new software for the DRUi is adapted and implemented. Filter design for the regulator unit and necessary measurements on the test stand are presented together with the results of the production run of the stabilization platform.The stabilization platform is not fully running when this thesis ended. When the production test was performed disturbances appeared in the system. The reasons for these disturbances are not yet discovered. Al safety routines needed for running the platform secure and prevent system damage are implemented to the system software.


Supermartensitic stainless steels possess an excellent combination of strength, toughness and corrosion resistance and have attracted an increased industrial attention especially from the offshore oil and gas industry, where those materials are already successfully in use. It is well known that the mechanical properties of this type of steels are strongly dependent on the fraction of retained austenite, which is controlled by heat treatment. Because the products manufactured out of these steels are in large sections, temperature gradients and corresponding compositional inhomogeneities are inevitable. Also during heat treatment partitioning of elements between the phases will give local concentrations far removed from the bulk levels. In the present work a 13Cr6Ni2Mo supermartensitic stainless steel is thermodynamically analyzed using the Thermo-Calc® software package where the influence of compositional variations on phase transformations is investigated, in particular the effect of changes in the Ae3-temperature is discussed.


[1] The new alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) is part of the Athena payload of the two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). The APXS sensor head is attached to the turret of the instrument deployment device (IDD) of the rover. The APXS is a very light-weight instrument for determining the major and minor elemental composition of Martian soils, rocks, and other geological materials at the MER landing sites. The sensor head has simply to be docked by the IDD on the surface of the selected sample. X-ray radiation, excited by alpha particles and X rays of the radioactive sources, is recorded by a high-resolution X-ray detector. The X-ray spectra show elements starting from sodium up to yttrium, depending on their concentrations. The backscattered alpha spectra, measured by a ring of detectors, provide additional data on carbon and oxygen. By means of a proper calibration, the elemental concentrations are derived. Together with data from the two other Athena instruments mounted on the IDD, the samples under investigation can be fully characterized. Key APXS objectives are the determination of the chemistry of crustal rocks and soils and the examination of water-related deposits, sediments, or evaporates. Using the rock abrasion tool attached to the IDD, issues of weathering can be addressed by measuring natural and abraded surfaces of rocks.


Three types of small cardiac lesions were described and illustrated: (1) focal type of papillary muscle fibrosis, evidently a healed infarct of the papillary muscle present in 13% of autopsies, is a histologically characteristic lesion associated with coronary artery disease and healed myocardial infarction, (2) diffuse type of papillary muscle fibrosis, probably an aging change present in almost half of the autopsies, is associated with sclerosis of the arteries in the papillary muscle, is identifiable histologically, and apparently is not associated with any cardiac abnormality, and (3) focal cardiac myocytolysis, a unique histologic lesion, usually multifocal without predilection for any area of the heart, is associated with ischemic heard disease, death due to cancer complicated by nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis and microthrombi in small cardiac arteries as well as with other diseases. Differentiation of the 2 types of papillary muscle fibrosis is important in the study of papillary muscle and mitral valve dysfunction. Focal cardiac myocytolysis may contribute to the fatal extension of myocardial infarcts.


In October 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) hosted the Solar Decathlon-a competition in which 20 teams compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette entry, called the BeauSoleil House, was designed and assembled by a group of engineering and architecture students and faculty. Details of the BeauSoleil House Photovoltaic (PV) and electrical system design, issues associated with assembly, results of performance during competition, and lessons learned are presented in this paper.


Warfighter safety can be significantly increased by offloading critical reconnaissance and surveillance missions to robotic assets. The subtleties of these tasks require significant operator involvement--usually carried out locally to the robot's deployment. Human soldiers use gestures to communicate movements and commands when engaged in this type of task. While considerable work has been done with robots visually observing humans to interpret their gestures, we propose a simpler, more field-appropriate system that allows robot operators to use their natural movements and gestures (via inertial measurement units [IMUs]) to teleoperate a robot while reducing the physical, as well as the cognitive, load on the soldier. This paper describes an operator control interface implemented on a smartphone, in contrast to the proprietary robot controllers typically used. The controller utilizes the device's IMUs, or attitude sensors, to bypass the touchscreen while accepting user input via gestures; this addresses a primary concern for gloved users in dirty environments where touchscreens lack reliability. We also propose that it provides a less visually-intense alternative for control, freeing up the soldier's cognitive load toward other functions. We present details of the attitude-based control software, as well as the design heuristics resulting from its iterative build-test-rebuild development. Additionally, results from a set of user studies are presented, showing that as a controller, this technique performs as well, or better than, other screen-based control systems, even when ignoring its advantages to gloved users. Twenty-five users were recruited to assess usability of these attitude-aware controls, testing their suitability for both driving and camera manipulation tasks. Participants drove a small tracked robot on an indoor course using the attitude-aware controller and a virtual [touchscreen] joystick, while metrics regarding performance, mental workload, and user satisfaction were collected. Results indicate that the tilt controller is preferred by 64% of users and performs equally as well, if not better to the alternative, on most performance metrics. These results support the development of a smartphone-based control option for military robotics, with a focus on more physical, attitude-based input methods that overcome deficiencies of current touch-based systems, namely lack of physical feedback, high attention demands, and unreliability in field environments.


Aims: To study supervisory behaviour as a predictive factor for return to work of employees absent due to mental health problems; and to explore the association between conditional factors and supervisory behaviour. Methods: Eighty five supervisors of employees were interviewed by telephone. Questionnaires providing information on person related factors, depressive symptoms, and sickness absence were sent to the employees at baseline, three months, six months, and after one year. Three aspects of supervisory behaviour during the period of absence were measured: communication with the employee, promoting gradual return to work, and consulting of other professionals. Results: Better communication between supervisor and employee was associated with time to full return to work in non-depressed employees. For employees with a high level of depressive symptoms, this association could not be established. Consulting other professionals more often was associated with a longer duration of the sickness absence for both full and partial return to work. If sickness absence had financial consequences for the department, the supervisor was more likely to communicate frequently with the employee. Supervisors who were responsible for return to work in their organisation were more likely to communicate better and to consult more often with other professionals. Conclusion: Supervisors should communicate more frequently with employees during sickness absence as well as hold follow up meetings more often as this is associated with a faster return to work in those employees.


We present a novel case of a 48-yr-old female with a uterine adenomyoma with an unusual pseudoinvasive growth pattern displaying full-thickness penetration beyond the serosal surface in association with a dehisced Caesarian scar. Before hysterectomy, magnetic resonance imaging findings showed an infiltrative lesion suggestive of endometrial carcinoma. An endometrial biopsy was benign but definitive operative management was pursued given the concerning imaging. Gross examination of the uterus demonstrated a 7.2 cm, relatively well-circumscribed polypoid neoplasm with pushing borders extending through the full thickness of the myometrium. A serosal defect with protruding red tissue was noted where the neoplasm penetrated the exterior surface of the uterus. Histologic examination demonstrated benign endometrial glands, associated endometrial stroma, thick-walled vessels, and a prominent smooth muscle component consistent with an adenomyoma. To our knowledge, this unique presentation of a pseudoinvasive adenomyoma extending beyond the serosa is extremely rare and is the first time reported in the literature.


This paper develops a transform-based approach for the pricing of participating life insurance contracts with a constant or floating guaranteed rate. Our analysis incorporates credit, market (jump), and economic (regime switching) risks, where the evolution of the reference portfolio is described by a regime switching double exponential jump-diffusion model. We provide semi-analytical formulas for the contract value by using a Laplace or Laplace–Fourier transform that involves matrix Wiener–Hopf factors. Then, the price is obtained by implementing the matrix Wiener–Hopf factorization and by performing a numerical Laplace and Fourier inversion. By comparing the results with Monte Carlo simulations, we show that our pricing method is easy to implement and accurate. We also show that the contract with a floating guaranteed rate is riskier but more profitable than the contract with a constant guaranteed rate. Two hedging strategies are introduced to hedge jump and regime switching risks in the participating contracts.


Abstract. A continuous update of building information is necessary in today's urban planning. Digital images acquired by remote sensing platforms at appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions provide an excellent data source to achieve this. In particular, high-resolution satellite images are often used to retrieve objects such as rooftops using feature extraction. However, high-resolution images acquired over built-up areas are associated with noises such as shadows that reduce the accuracy of feature extraction. Feature extraction heavily relies on the reflectance purity of objects, which is difficult to perfect in complex urban landscapes. An attempt was made to increase the reflectance purity of building rooftops affected by shadows. In addition to the multispectral (MS) image, derivatives thereof namely, normalized difference vegetation index and principle component (PC) images were incorporated in generating the probability image. This hybrid probability image generation ensured that the effect of shadows on rooftop extraction, particularly on light-colored roofs, is largely eliminated. The PC image was also used for image segmentation, which further increased the accuracy compared to segmentation performed on an MS image. Results show that the presented method can achieve higher rooftop extraction accuracy (70.4%) in vegetation-rich urban areas compared to traditional methods.


Groups of juvenile chum salmon were reared on food that was either dispersed throughout, or localized in one area of, the rearing tank. Groups receiving localized food displayed more aggression than those receiving dispersed food. This led to differences in growth, with fish reared on localized food having greater individual growth variability, i.e. growth depensation. However, after several months of rearing in these different feeding/social environments, fish reared on dispersed food were just as aggressive when first exposed to localized food as were fish reared on localized food. Furthermore, in competitive contests between fish of the two rearing histories, those reared on dispersed food were just as likely to become dominant as those reared on localized food. These results suggest that the behavioural development of aggressiveness is not amenable to alteration by manipulation of food distribution.


Muscarinic receptors are expressed in the adrenal medullary (AM) cells of various mammals, but their physiological roles are controversial. Therefore, the ionic mechanism for muscarinic receptor-mediated depolarization and the role of muscarinic receptors in neuronal transmission were investigated in dissociated guinea-pig AM cells and in the perfused guinea-pig adrenal gland. Bath application of muscarine induced an inward current at -60 mV. This inward current was partially suppressed by quinine with an IC(50) of 6.1 μM. The quinine-insensitive component of muscarine-induced currents changed the polarity at -78 mV and was inhibited by bupivacaine, a TWIK-related acid-sensitive K(+) (TASK) channel inhibitor. Conversely, the current-voltage relationship for the bupivacaine-insensitive component of muscarine currents showed a reversal potential of -5 mV and a negative slope below -40 mV. External application of La(3+) had a double action on muscarine currents of both enhancement and suppression. Immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry revealed expression of TASK1 channels and cononical transient receptor potential channels 1, 4, 5, and 7 in guinea-pig AM cells. Retrograde application of atropine reversibly suppressed transsynaptically evoked catecholamine secretion from the adrenal gland. The results indicate that muscarinic receptor stimulation in guinea-pig AM cells induces depolarization through inhibition of TASK channels and activation of nonselective cation channels and that muscarinic receptors are involved in neuronal transmission from the splanchnic nerve.


Salmon lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837), are fish ectoparasites causing significant economic damage in the mariculture of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758. The control of L. salmonis at fish farms relies to a large extent on treatment with anti-parasitic drugs. A problem related to chemical control is the potential for development of resistance, which in L. salmonis is documented for a number of drug classes including organophosphates, pyrethroids and avermectins. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) gene superfamily is found in all biota and includes a range of drug efflux transporters that can confer drug resistance to cancers and pathogens. Furthermore, some ABC transporters are recognised to be involved in conferral of insecticide resistance. While a number of studies have investigated ABC transporters in L. salmonis, no systematic analysis of the ABC gene family exists for this species. This study presents a genome-wide survey of ABC genes in L. salmonis for which, ABC superfamily members were identified through homology searching of the L. salmonis genome. In addition, ABC proteins were identified in a reference transcriptome of the parasite generated by high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of a multi-stage RNA library. Searches of both genome and transcriptome allowed the identification of a total of 33 genes / transcripts coding for ABC proteins, of which 3 were represented only in the genome and 4 only in the transcriptome. Eighteen sequences were assigned to ABC subfamilies known to contain drug transporters, i.e. subfamilies B (4 sequences), C (11) and G (2). The results suggest that the ABC gene family of L. salmonis possesses fewer members than recorded for other arthropods. The present survey of the L. salmonis ABC gene superfamily will provide the basis for further research into potential roles of ABC transporters in the toxicity of salmon delousing agents and as potential mechanisms of drug resistance.


Clinical presentation and mortality of patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) were different during the French epidemic waves. The management of COVID-19 patients evolved through waves as much as knowledge on that new viral disease progressed. We aimed to compare the mortality rate through the first three waves of CARDS patients on ECMO and identify associated risk factors. Fifty-four consecutive ECMO for CARDS hospitalized at Amiens University Hospital during the three waves were included. Patients were divided into three groups according to their hospitalization date. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between groups. Pre-ECMO risk factors predicting 90 day mortality were evaluated using multivariate Cox regression. Among 54 ECMO (median age of 61[48–65] years), 26% were hospitalized during the first wave (n = 14/54), 26% (n = 14/54) during the second wave, and 48% (n = 26/54) during the third wave. Time from first symptoms to ECMO was higher during the second wave than the first wave. (17 [12–23] days vs. 11 [9–15]; p < 0.05). Ninety day mortality was higher during the second wave (85% vs. 43%; p < 0.05) but less during the third wave (38% vs. 85%; P < 0.05). Respiratory ECMO survival prediction score and time from symptoms onset to ECMO (HR 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.20; p < 0.001) were independent factors of mortality. After adjustment, time from symptoms onset to ECMO was an independent factor of 90 day mortality. Changes in CARDS management from first to second wave-induced a later ECMO cannulation from symptoms onset with higher mortality during that wave. The duration of COVID-19 disease progression could be selection criteria for initiating ECMO.


The purpose of this research is to examine the level of knowledge, perception and acceptance among the public towards programs organized by Rukun Tetangga (RT). The programs organized include social, educational as well as sports and recreational activities. Activities related to health and environment, welfare, art and culture, economy and public safety are also carried out. This research looks at the correlation analysis between demographic variables of the respondent with the level of knowledge, perception and public acceptance towards the program organized. In brief, this research tries to answer the question of how far is the effectiveness of RT in organizing activities to promote unity among our community. This is considered as beneficial development in order to identify the RT's direction in the future. The research is done in a few districts in Selangor and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The selected areas are chosen due to the existence of diversified characteristics of the community that is relevant to the research needs. The characteristics include the aspect of different races and the distribution of location as they are thought to be the threat towards the solidarity among the main races. Moreover, the location is identified as to be the highest in population in the country. The research shows that the knowledge level, perception and public acceptance toward the programs organized by RT are generally high. This result can be used as an indicator that RT is a success entity in all situations. It has also increased harmony and contributed to national integration among Malaysians.


Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is effective in the treatment of patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We sought to evaluate its efficacy in reducing the number of disease flares in adults with SLE. For this retrospective study, all patients seen at our institution over a six year period, 1999–2005, with the diagnosis of SLE treated with MMD were identified. Data regarding lupus flare was obtained for patients at least one and up to two years prior to starting MMF. The number of flares prior to MMF therapy was compared to the number of lupus flares in the one to two year period after starting MMF. Clinical assessment was performed with the SELENA-SLEDAI instrument. Differences between groups were compared using the signed rank test. The rate of flares (flares per person-year), before and after the introduction of MMF were compared assuming the occurrence of flares followed a Poisson distribution. In the evaluable 67 patients, the mean time period of followup prior to starting MMF was 14.1 months (range 0.3–24), mean time period of follow-up after starting MMF was 14.8 months (range 1.5–24); and mean MMF dose was 1328 mg/day (range 250–3000). The mean flare rate was reduced from 8.9 to 5.3 per 10 personyears and the mean prednisone dose was reduced on average 7.3 mg/day after starting MMF therapy. MMF treatment significantly reduced the total number of lupus flares and prednisone requirements. Even with the reduction in mean daily prednisone dose, both the SLEDAI and physican global assessment also improved during MMF therapy.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the availability and performance of pencil beam algorithm for fast neutrons radiotherapy dose calculations and to achieve improvements in universality, speed and inhomogeneities corrections.

METHODS
Pencil beam (PB) method uses integration of dose kernel cross field size to estimate dose distribution. In order to calculate dose kernels we used general purpose Monte-Carlo (MC) code MCNP. The same program was used also for PB benchmarking. Multi-group approach used for kernels calculation virtually allows calculation for arbitrary spectrum. Nevertheless we took four common spectra to investigate accuracy and to establish according corrections. Several approaches for inhomogeneities corrections have been investigated. The output of MC calculations is discrete kernel data, which does not allow fast calculations. To overcome this limitation we investigated different dose kernels approximations and integrations.

RESULTS
PB dose kernel library was established. Comparison of PB calculation with reference algorithm shows adequate precision for arbitrary neutron spectra with inhomogeneities correction, while calculations are fast enough for optimization tasks. Secondary photon dose distributions comparison give worse still promising results.

CONCLUSIONS
Researches of this paper show benefits and limitations of PB method for neutron teletherapy treatment planning. Calculations made during research allow saying that results of PB method are generally acceptable. Still additional data are needed to evaluate our results, probably voxel phantom MC calculations and/or beam data measurements.


Chick skeletal muscle cells in tissue culture were fixed and treated with saponin to allow [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin access into the cells while preserving ultrastructure. The kinetics of binding of iodinated alpha-bungarotoxin to intracellular acetylcholine (ACh) receptors and to surface A Ch receptors were comparable. About half of the intracellular ACh receptors are newly synthesized and in the pathway leading to incorporation into the plasma membrane. Correlated electron microscope autoradiographic and kinetic studies of this receptor population suggest that a substantial fraction of the newly synthesized ACh receptors are located in the Golgi apparatus, where they reside for approx. 2 h.


INTRODUCTION
Determining which patients with ureterolithiasis are likely to require urologic intervention is a common challenge in the emergency department (ED). The objective was to determine if normal renal sonogram could identify low-risk renal colic patients, who were defined as not requiring urologic intervention within 90 days of their initial ED visit and can be managed conservatively.

METHODS
This was a prospective cohort study involving adult patients presenting to the EDs of a tertiary care centre with suspected renal colic over a 20-month period. Renal ultrasonography (US) was performed in the diagnostic imaging department by trained ultrasonographers, and the results were categorized into four mutually exclusive groups: normal, suggestive of ureterolithiasis, visualized ureteric stone, or findings unrelated to urolithiasis. Electronic medical records were reviewed to determine if patients received urologic intervention within 90 days of their ED visit.

RESULTS
Of 610 patients enrolled, 341 (55.9%) had US for suspected renal colic. Of those, 105 (30.8%) were classified as normal; none of these patients underwent urologic intervention within 90 days of their ED visit. Ninety (26.4%) US results were classified as suggestive, and nine (10%) patients received urologic intervention. A total of 139 (40.8%) US results were classified as visualized ureteric stone, and 34 (24.5%) patients had urologic intervention. Seven (2.1%) US results were classified as findings unrelated to urolithiasis, and none of these patients required urologic intervention. The rate of urologic intervention was significantly lower in those with normal US results (p<0.001) than in those with abnormal findings.

CONCLUSION
A normal renal sonogram predicts a low likelihood for urologic intervention within 90 days for adult ED patients with suspected renal colic.


Background and Objectives. This study evaluated 462 consecutive surgical cancer patients who underwent uncomplicated surgeries of the thorax or abdomen, or both, of more than 3 hours duration between 1989 and 1991. Methods. Patients received either epidural analgesia (EA group) with 0.1% bupivacaine, 0.01% morphine sulfate after combined general‐epidural anesthesia, or parenteral morphine therapy via intravenous patient‐controlled analgesia (IV‐PCA) after balanced general anesthesia after the operation. Patients in both the EA (n = 352) and IV‐PCA (n = 100) groups were compared for demographics, length of surgical intensive care unit (SICU), and hospital stays. Moreover, the same comparisons were performed when patients were allocated into surgical subgroups: thoracic (TH), upper abdominal (UA), lower abdominal (LA), radical hysterectomies (RH), and RH with colon resection (RHCR). Results. No differences existed with respect to age or sex between the EA and IV‐PCA groups. All patients reported adequate dynamic pain control as evaluated with visual analog pain scores (VAS < 4/10), during the treatment periods (5 ± 3 versus 5 ± 2 days, EA versus IV‐PCA). Overall, 262 (58%) patients were admitted to the SICU after the operation, 205 (58%) from the EA group and 57 (57%) from the IV‐PCA group. Patients in the EA group required less ventilatory support than did those in the IV‐PCA group (0.5 ± 0.8 versus 1.2 ± 0.9 days, P < .05). Patients in the EA group also spent less time in both the SICU (1.3 ± 0.8 versus 2.8 ± 0.6 days, P < .05) and in the hospital (11 ± 3 versus 17 ± 5 days, P < .05) than did their counterparts in the IV‐PCA group. Significant differences were also found when subgroup comparisons were made. Conclusions. The use of both analgesic techniques was associated with satisfactory postoperative pain control. However, patients receiving epidural anesthesia and analgesia experienced faster recovery as judged by shorter mechanical ventilation time, and decreased SICU and hospital stays, resulting in significantly lower hospitalization costs. The use of perioperative epidural techniques should be considered to expedite recovery of surgical patients, and has the added benefit of being cost effective by reducing hospital stays.


Using the results of the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), this paper identifies which factors have the greatest effect on employee satisfaction in the Canadian public service. Several hypotheses are tested against the backdrop of existing literature. In general, public servant satisfaction is affected by belief in opportunities for promotion, fair classification, adherence to client service standards, life balance, recognition by immediate supervisors, team relationships with colleagues, how well information is shared and, finally, belief in the abilities of senior management. Some interesting elaborations of these basic findings emerge when other variables are controlled. The discussion considers how the public service can be seen as a more desirable career choice.


This paper on strategy for forestry development in the Southern Cone points out that Forest policy review by the World Bank group, adopted in 2002, covers all types of forests and has the following objectives: (i) use the potential of forestry to reduce poverty in a sustainable manner; (ii) to integrate effectively forests in sustainable development; and (iii) protect vital environmental services and local and global values. With this strategy, the Bank is fully committed to forestry throughout the developing world, ensuring compliance with related safeguard policies. On the other hand, the policy provides only a general framework for its lending operations in forestry and cannot take into account the socioeconomic individual needs, and environmental regions and sub-regions. To address the needs of regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) more detailed regional and sub-regional strategies are needed to ensure that forestry contributes fully to face the challenges of poverty, social injustice, environmental degradation and sustainable development. This report provides such a strategy for the Southern Cone of South America (CS) comprising: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.


Application of silver nanoparticles with self cross-linking binders by pad-dry- cure method has been attempted in this study. Application parameters have been optimized and relevant physical, structural and antimicrobial properties are evaluated. Mechanism of the binder action is found to be impregnation or adhesion. Silver nanoparticles are fixed on the silk fibroin either by entrapping in the binder matrix or due to the adhesive force involved. FTIR studies prove that there is no chemical binding of silver nanoparticles involved. SEM image shows that the binder is impregnated in the interstitials with some amount of adherence as coating. Based on X-ray diffraction studies, the treatment is observed to be predominately in the amorphous region. The antimicrobial activity due to the treatment is found to be good and fast to drycleaning with loss in strength well within the industrial norms.


Summary This study uses the third National Family Health Survey (2005–06) in India to investigate whether differences in women's status, both at the individual and community levels, can explain the persistent gender differential in nutritional allocation among children. The results show that girls are less likely than boys to receive supplemental food and more likely to be malnourished. In general it appears that higher women's status within a community, as well as higher maternal status, have beneficial effects on a daughter's nutritional status. Further, the moderating effects of community appear to be more consistent and stronger than the individual-level characteristics. A positive relationship between the percentage of literate women in a community and the gender differential in malnutrition appears to be an exception to the general findings regarding the beneficial nature of women's status on a daughter's well-being, showing the need for more than just basic adult literacy drives in communities to overcome the problem of daughter neglect.


According to Sloan Consortium blended learning systems refer to integrating online teaching tools into the specific activities of the traditional learning. The main purpose for these blended learning systems is that of bringing added value to the learning and teaching process by developing computer usage skills among the students. Such an example is that of the blended learning programmes, which represent those varied forms of delivering the training courses that are found on the continuum between the traditional face-to-face courses and the online courses. The University of Pitesti has implemented a European funded project whose final outcome was the development of an e-learning platform for the students of Faculty of Educational Sciences ; on the e-platform there has been implemented such a blended learning system. Several types of learning, such as asynchronous learning, have been provided on the platform, in order to offer students the possibility to create their process of learning at their own pace. In this respect, teachers can upload the educational resources that are necessary for the course, which will further be shared to the students automatically, so that they can access them in an easy and flexible manner.

The purpose of the study is the analysis of the impact of the blended learning programme implementation on the e-learning platform for the students in the first year at the university, with respect to access to the features of the platform, to the teachers communicating by forums, to the access to digital courses, to taking self- evaluation tests, to uploading specific portfolios, to teachers for the online evaluating of these portfolios.
The methodology used in this investigative approach is the questionnaire applied on a group of 200 students from the study program Pedagogy of primary and preschool education, University of Pitesti. The questionnaires were applied using an online platform.
Findings and Results. The data gathered from the applied questionnaires have been elaborated and analyzed through statistics methods such as the descriptive and the inferential one and have confirmed the usefulness of implementing such a blended learning system.


In developing countries, gastroenteritis is the major cause of infant mortality; however, owing to inadequate laboratory facilities and personnel, little is known about the status of enteropathogenic agents, especially rotavirus. Disease patterns differ between developed and developing communities, and rotavirus plays a markedly lesser role in the overall etiology of the disease in developing than in developed countries--where it is one of the major etiological agents. This may be due to extensive exposure to rotavirus in developing communities during and soon after the neonatal period, causing inapparent or mild clinical infection that could result in immunity during the significant target age of 6 to 24 months. This immunity may have important implications for immunization. However, immunoprophylaxis should be secondary to an improvement in socioeconomic conditions. The dramatic reduction in incidence and mortality of gastroenteritis seen in the Black urban populations of Johannesburg and Cape Town was a direct result of improvements in nutrition, housing, sanitation, etc.


The distinctive impact of a Catholic college on students springs from its identity. Students sense Catholic identity in a vibrant campus environment shaped by the Catholic college mission. Although many constructs found in mission statements are common to a host of colleges, their practical application in the campus environment affects student perceptions of their institution in different ways. The purpose of this research was to investigate differences in student perception of engagement in institutional mission and identity at Catholic and independent colleges in order to identify the constructs of mission most relevant to students in each group. This research was conducted using original data that the author/principal investigator has generated in an ongoing study to explore college student perceptions of mission. Student data were obtained between 2009 to 2012 from Catholic (59) and independent (24) colleges that administered the National Survey of Student Engagement, with extra Mission Perception Inventory (MPI) questions attached.2 Results show that senior students at Catholic colleges score signifi cantly higher than those at independent colleges on scales representing Sense of Mission, Respect for Diversity, and overall Mission Perception. Catholic colleges demonstrate particular strength in representing several distinctive features of Catholic identity, such as knowledge of a founding religious community, freedom to express individual spirituality, and discussion of ethical issues. Conversely, there are some matters that the results indicate are in need of attention, including developing leadership skills, increasing respect for different cultures, accepting people of different sexual orientations, and promoting awareness of social justice issues. It is concluded that outcomes observed in this research provide promising evidence that Catholic colleges and universities are cultivating students who appreciate the Catholic identity of their colleges and universities and further, who grow in their affiliation with the mission and Catholic identity of their institutions from the first to final year of their college career.


Abstract Based upon four years of complete data spanning 1957 through 1960 at Ship P, "clear-sky" multiple regression equations were obtained relating computed long-wave flux from water vapor over Ship P to shipboard measurements of the black-body flux and the square root of vapor pressure, as the two independent variables. The water-vapor radiative flux computations were made using the "total water vapor" flux table in the recent Elsaaser-Culbertson Meterological Monograph. In order to limit the noise, only those clear-sky cases synoptic with the filing time of radiosondes were selected. The multiple correlation coefficient was of the order of 0.95. Statistical tests indicate, at high confidence levels, that both independent variables gave significant contributions to the explained variance.


Previous RFCs specify the procedures necessary to allow IP multicast
traffic to travel from one site to another within a BGP/MPLS IP VPN
(Virtual Private Network). However, it is sometimes desirable to allow
multicast traffic whose source is in one VPN to be received by systems
that are in another VPN. This is known as a "Multicast VPN (MVPN)
extranet". This document updates RFCs 6513, 6514, and 6625 by
specifying the procedures that are necessary in order to provide
extranet MVPN service.


A study, funded by the Australian government, explored differences in the literacy practices of schools, families, and community groups. In particular, the study examined the matches and mismatches between the discourse practices of home and school, and the impact that any differences had on students' school success. Also observed were innovative attempts to create school curricula and learning environments that meet the needs of specific students and which facilitate effective partnerships among home, school, and community. Case studies were conducted in four schools (one secondary, three elementary) which had been identified as adopting innovative strategies to respond to differences in language and literacy practices in their communities; all the schools had significant populations of language minority children. Detailed observation and discourse analysis of the literacy practices of 35 case study children as they moved about at home, school, and community contexts was carried out. Transcripts (n.13) of discourse analysis illustrate the research results. One important finding was that children from "minority" language and cultural backgrounds are not the only ones who may find school literacy less than empowering. While many children from mainstream culture may be academically successful, their learning is nevertheless constrained by mismatches between literacy at home and at school. It is clear from this study that families and schools differ markedly in their literacy practices and values and significant differences exist among families in the way they define and use literacy. (Contains 43 references.) (NKA) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************


We present a simple and accurate method for measuring the Giles parameters of a double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber. The characterization is performed by cut-back on the doped fiber under constant pumping. Using nonlinear curve-fitting of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) power-density spectra, along with iterative solution of the photon balance model, we compute both the small-signal gain at complete population inversion and the small-signal absorption of the fiber. The method successfully predicts the extraction efficiency of an amplifier operating at 1064 nm. The ratio between the signal power and the out-of-band ASE power at the output of the amplifier is also accurately predicted by introducing spurious feedback from the fiber facets in the photon balance model. This work shows that a fiber facet reflectivity of a few thousandths of a percent (-40 to -50) dB can significantly enhance the out-of-band ASE power.


Introduction
In 2008 the Elverding committee published a report on the structural improvement and
acceleration of the process of realising infrastructure projects. In this report, the committee
gave recommendations with respect to legislative, participative and administrative
processes. One of the main recommendations is to start the planning process with a broad
explorative study (brede verkenningsfase) and to finish this study with broad administrative
commitment for one alternative. This requires a new and intensive way of involving
stakeholders in the explorative phase.
Nowadays, stakeholder management (omgevingsmanagement) draws a lot of attention.
The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) has
been developing and implementing it for a while now. Yet, it is relatively new for
explorative studies. The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management
aims at more uniform approach in stakeholder management. As a consequence, the
organization aims at a guideline with existing practical knowledge.
This has led to a Master's Thesis project focussed on the consequences of the Elverding
recommendations for stakeholder management. This project is restricted to the explorative
phase, because the most comprehensive changes are expected in this phase.
Research objective
The objective of this research is to design a guideline for stakeholder management in
explorative studies that takes into account the recommendations of the Elverding
committee.
Methodology
To design the guideline thoroughly, the research is built-up by:
1) A literature study into decision-making and participation of stakeholders;
2) An analysis of the requirements and preconditions for stakeholder management
and explorative studies;
3) An investigation of the stakeholder management key success factors of
accomplished explorative studies by qualitative interviews and desk research;
4) Qualitative interviews to list the expected consequences of the committee's
recommendations for stakeholder management;
5) Design and evaluation of a guideline for stakeholder management in explorative
studies.
Results
Stakeholder management in explorative studies consists of 1) requirements for explorative
studies and of 2) responsibilities of a stakeholder manager. This stakeholder manager is
responsible for setting up both a communication plan and a stakeholder analysis. During
the explorative study the stakeholder manager is responsible for making an inventory of
problems, requirements and design criteria. Furthermore, the manager is responsible for
identifying and adjusting solutions, communicating impacts with the stakeholders and for
the organization of administrative consultation and agreements. The definition of the scope
has an important role during the whole explorative study.
Management Summary 6
In practice the stakeholder management approach in explorative studies depends on the
history of the project, the theoretical approach, the competences of the stakeholder
manager and the division of tasks between the project manager and stakeholder manager.
Future explorative studies ask for an integral and area-oriented approach with a prominent
role for the governmental, or administrative, commitment. Therefore the importance of the
organization of (public) participation rises. The explorative study demands an open
process and elaborate communication with stakeholders.
The result of this research is a guideline, the "New Approach for Stakeholder
Management". The main characteristics of this new approach are:
1) Explorative studies are part of a greater framework. They are the result of political
consultation and will be continued in a plan phase;
2) A thorough preparation of stakeholder management is an essential factor for the
rest of the exploratory process. Time spent preparing will be regained in the
remaining part of the process;
3) During the whole explorative study communication should be transparent en
frequent;
4) Participation should be part of every constituent process. There should be
different rounds of decision-making;
5) A preferred alternative with public support is a crucial factor to reach the desired
acceleration and improvement of the whole planning process.
Conclusions & Recommendations
The main conclusions that can be drawn from the results of this research are:
• An explorative study needs a process approach;
• The approach of stakeholder management widely differs. Every stakeholder
manager organises it in his own way;
• Stakeholder management's key success factors of accomplished explorative
studies are (political) urgency, an open process, a clear scope and personal
relations with and between stakeholders;
• In future explorative studies attention for stakeholder management is necessary,
because of the area-oriented approach and the need for reaching commitment for
an alternative during the explorative phase. This leads to a central role for
stakeholder participation, thorough preparation and a change of attitude and
behaviour of stakeholdermanagers;
• An evaluation shows that the guideline is appropriate for all sorts of explorative
studies and applicable in practice. Besides that, it guides the stakeholder
manager and leaves room for creativity and spontaneity.
The main recommendations are:
• Preparation of the study is important for stakeholder managers;
• Stakeholder managers and other team members are recommended to commit
themselves to explorative studies for two years. This will lead to a more stable
process;
• Further development and application of the New Approach for Stakeholder
management based on an evaluation of the approach in practice. Besides that,
integration of the New Approach for Stakeholder Management into the
"Handreiking Omgevingsmanagement" is recommended.
• Further research into stakeholder management by other stakeholders and seen by other stakeholders.


Within the entrepreneurship literature, network ties have received significantly more attention than network processes. This is surprising because, although it is ties that form a network, it is what occurs within them, i.e. exchange, that affects entrepreneurial outcomes. By investigating the role of exchange among network ties, this study provides a more accurate illustration of the generation of entrepreneurial outcomes. Through an examination of work on networks and exchange this thesis focuses not only on the role of exchange among and within ties but also how this role brings about change in networks. To arrive at a thorough understanding of the issue, both network and exchange perspectives on entrepreneurship are combined, thus generating a stronger conceptual appreciation of exchange in networks than is currently offered in the literature. To deal with the issues arising from a review of network and exchange perspectives, a critical realist, qualitative approach is adopted. The unit of analysis is the entrepreneurs' network, centred around individual entrepreneurs. Through analysis of data obtained from sixteen entrepreneurs in the wine industry in Greece, the research illustrates that, as the network the firm is immersed in goes through various stages, different types of tie are utilised and, although exchanges among ties are present throughout the network process, different stages highlight different facets of exchange. The key finding is that the role of exchange among and within network ties can be accurately delineated through four stages: Stage 1: Early Phase; Stage 2: Establishment; Stage 3: Growth; Stage 4: Change and Reshaping. This integrative, non-linear model of exchange follows networks through their evolution and development over time, thus shedding light on the entrepreneurial process from an interactive perspective. In addition, it provides an accurate explanation of entrepreneurial change, illustrating it as the product of both intrinsic and extrinsic effects. By doing so, this study addresses calls for better understanding what is that is really going on within network relations, network development and change over time.


Four-centuries-long encounters between the Ottoman Empire and the Grand Duchy of Muscovy/Russian Empire point to complex relations that have been triggered and defined mostly by territorial, trade disputes, and wars, and maintained by diplomatic rivalry and occasional military alliances. Starting as friendly encounters during Sultan Bayezid II reign at the beginning of the 16th century, these relations, essentially and persistently asymmetrical, reveal an initial and long Ottoman dominance over the Muscovy/Russian side; one that lasted from the early 16th to the late 18th century—whereby the two sides shared no direct borders, traded and did not fight each other until the late 17th century—followed by a late 18th-century and mid-19th-century Russian ascendency. This ascendency was achieved largely thanks to the military reform that Tsar/Emperor Peter the Great undertook, namely, the establishment of a standing and professional army and consequentially due to the many wars that Russia won throughout the 19th century; the decisive ones being those fought during the reign of Empress Catherine the Great. The mid-19th century and the early 20th century—which witnessed the implosion of the Russian Empire due to the Bolshevik Revolution and the break-up of the Ottoman Empire by Britain and France—was a long period that saw few and brief military alliances, contested trade relations and yet continued wars. It was ultimately marred by an Ottoman drive to counterbalance Russia's dominance, while the latter sought to preserve it, by involving other European powers (British and French)—the most crucial moment being the British, French, and Ottoman armies defeating the Russian one in the Crimean War (1853–1856)—transforming their bilateral interactions into multilateral but unsustainable relations.


Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, have historically experienced research as another means of colonialization and oppression. Although there are existing frameworks, guidelines and policies in place that respond to this history, the risk of exploitation and oppression arising from research still raises challenging ethical questions. Since the 1990s the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia has developed specific sets of guidelines that govern research with these populations in an attempt to redress injustices of the past. The current guidelines: Ethical Conduct in Research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities: Guidelines for Researchers and Stakeholders, 2018, emphasis six core values which are bound together by "spirit and integrity." The values are reflected through respect for cultural inheritance, and genuine negotiation of partnerships between researchers, other stakeholders, and communities. We examine whether these guidelines can lead to research and research practices that redress some of the ongoing traumas of colonialization and racism. We draw upon Margaret Urban Walker's formulation of restorative justice, based upon her "pragmatics of repair" which relies upon "voice, validation and vindication" and at its core, the restoration of relationships.


Working from multiple meanings of reckoning (to count, to settle rewards or penalties, to pay a bill, to measure possibilities for the future), this essay explores the post-war in Guatemala and the work of, and struggles over, number in making different people and experiences count. The peace treaty signed in 1996 instituted a truth commission and efforts to bring justice to the victims. The commission's quantifications of 250,000 dead, 93 percent at the hands of the state, mix in complex ways with the qualitative judgment that those deaths constitute genocide, leading to further quandaries in quantifying forms of repair. The state has begun paying reparations to survivors, but is also compensating civilians who were drafted into para-militaries that carried out massacres. How these para-victimizers count in relation to the aggregate of victims is, in turn, hard to calculate, and I look at some ways Guatemalans are working to make it all add up.


Neonatal nutrition may influence performance in later life in many species; however, there have been a few studies of this phenomenon in cattle. Determining if there are direct and residual effects of nutrition during the first 60 days of life may help optimise lifetime productivity. Underfeeding reduces calf weaning weight and delays puberty, which reduces the potential lifetime productivity of the dairy heifers. As well as repercussions on calf health, growth and welfare; many studies in human suggest that underfeeding of the newborn is a major risk factor for metabolic diseases in the adult. The aims of this study were to investigate the performances of Holstein heifers that were fed increased milk replacer compared to restricted volumes during their early life and to determine the impact of this on key performance indicators of these animals as future potential the best cows in the herd. Thus, a total of eighty eight heifers were included in this study, which forty seven heifers were in Group A (ad libitum milk replacer fed group) and forty one heifers were in Group R (restricted milk replacer fed group). They were enrolled 8 weeks prior to predicted calving based on artificial insemination dates of pregnancies confirmed by per rectum ultrasound examination of the uterus and 282 days of gestation period. The body weight, body condition score, withers and loin height, heart and belly girth, crown to rump length and hock fetlock length were recorded from 8 weeks prior to predicted calving until 30 weeks of postpartum. Blood samples were collected for β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration measurements and milk samples were collected for pregnane profiles analysis. Data on physical measurements (heifers and calves), pregnane profiles, reproductive parameters, BHB concentration values, health parameters, milk yield and milk components were analysed. The MilkBot parameters were used to describe the lactation curve between the 2 groups. There was no large effect of different pre-weaning feeding strategies during early life of heifers on their growth, fertility, health, milk yield and day old calf performances between Group A and Group R during first lactation period. There were no differences in MilkBot parameters; estimated scale, decay, persistence, peak milk and peak day between the 2 groups. However, several significant findings were observed; heifers in Group A had higher milk protein percentage and higher in somatic cell counts (SCC). Meanwhile, heifers in Group R had higher number of delayed ovulation type 1 (DOV1) profile, higher incidence of subclinical ketosis (SCK) and higher in estimated ramp. Another finding was heifers produced more milk following birth of a bull calf regardless of groups.


Data Mining is a method which centers on expansive data sets to remove data for expectation and disclosure of concealed patterns. Data Mining is appropriate for different zones like human services, protection, showcasing, retail, correspondence, agriculture. At first, this information extraction was figured and assessed physically utilizing measurable systems. Along these lines, semi-automated data mining systems rose due to the progression in the innovation. Such headway was additionally as a capacity which expands the requests of examination. In such case, semi-mechanized systems have turned out to be wasteful. Consequently, robotized data mining systems were acquainted with blend information productively. A study of the accessible writing on data mining and pattern recognition for soil data mining is displayed in this paper. Data mining in Agricultural soil datasets is a generally novel research field. Proficient strategies can be produced and customized for explaining complex soil datasets utilizing data mining.


The humpback smooth-hound shark (Mustelus whitneyi) is one of the most captured shark species in the south-east Pacific and is classified as vulnerable, yet its reproductive biology has been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to increase our knowledge of the reproductive biology of the humpback smooth-hound shark. In all, 41 pregnant females, 386 macroscopically visible embryos in utero and 16 neonates were sampled off northern Peru. Pregnant females measured between 73- and 118-cm total length (TL) and the number of embryos per litter ranged from 6 to 18, with a mean of 10. Size at birth ranged between 21 and 22cm TL. Litter size increased with the TL of the mother, yet this relationship was not strong (r2=0.36). The gestation period had a minimum duration of 7 months and a synchronous cycle in which birth occurred in September. The humpback smooth-hound shark is a placental viviparous elasmobranch. This study represents the most comprehensive research of the reproductive biology of the humpback smooth-hound shark, and is the first time the embryonic development is described for this species. These findings could contribute to the design and implementation of local management plans for this species.


A 55-year-old man with liver cancer underwent partial hepatectomy under combined lumbar epidural and general anesthesia. Asystole during postoperative recovery was followed by ventricular fibrillation. After unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts, brain death was diagnosed. In the absence of anemia, acidosis, electrolytic alterations or hypothermia, and after ruling out hemoperitoneum, acute myocardial infarction and stroke, we conclude that the clinical picture described was the result of autonomic imbalance due to spreading of the sympathetic block.


Sex in birds is determined genetically as in mammals and a Z-linked gene DMRT1 is required for testis development. But it remains possible that the W chromosome contains a similarly critical factor for female development. The W-linked gene PKCIW was put forward as the seductive candidate for avian sex determination and/or sex differentiation. Mis-expression and over-expression of PKCIW were performed respectively in male and female chicken embryo fibroblast with tet-on inducible expression system in this study. The results of RT-PCR showed that with the PKCIW recombinant vector introducing, PKCIW mRNA expression was significantly improved in female chicken embryo fibroblast and was close to that of the female controls and in male chicken embryo fibroblast, in which normally there was no expression. Both misand over-expression of PKCIW led to up-regulated expression of P450arom and down-regulated expression of AMH, while large increase of P450arom in female and large decrease of AMH in male appeared. With misand over-expression of PKCIW, there was no significant change of FOXL2, SOX9, DMRT1 and ATP5A1W mRNA expression. These results showed the possible regulatory effect of PKCIW on AMH and P450arom in transcription level.


Hazardous Material transportation by road is coupled with inherent risk of accidents causing loss of lives, grievous injuries, property losses and environmental damages. The most common type of hazmat road accident happens to be the releases (78%) of hazardous substances, followed by fires (28%), explosions (14%) and vapour/ gas clouds (6 %.). The paper is discussing initially the probable 'Impact Zones' likely to be caused by one flammable (LPG) and one toxic (ethylene oxide) chemicals being transported through a sizable segment of a State Highway connecting three notified Industrial zones in Surat district in Western India housing 26 MAH industrial units. Three 'hotspots' were identified along the highway segment depending on the particular chemical traffic and the population distribution within 500 meters on either sides. The thermal radiation and explosion overpressure have been calculated for LPG / Ethylene Oxide BLEVE scenarios along with toxic release scenario for ethylene oxide. Besides, the dispersion calculations for ethylene oxide toxic release have been made for each 'hotspot' location and the impact zones have been mapped for the LOC concentrations. Subsequently, the maximum Initial Isolation and the protective zones were calculated based on ERPG-3 and ERPG-2 values of ethylene oxide respectively which are estimated taking the worst case scenario under worst weather conditions. The data analysis will be helpful to the local administration in capacity building with respect to rescue / evacuation and medical preparedness and quantitative inputs to augment the District Offsite Emergency Plan document.


This workshop explores the many roles children can play in the design of technology for their own use. Much literature has reported on how children have been mainly playing co-designer roles. By looking closer it emerges that children have mostly been involved in the ideation phase of design. More rarely were they actively engaged in other design phases e.g. conducting Contextual Inquiry, elaborating User Data Analysis, producing Personas, preparing Sketches and Story Boards and crafting Low and High resolution Prototypes. When it comes to evaluation, children are still mostly considered as final users while only rarely are they invited to run heuristic evaluations or even to have a more active role during the process. We would like to invite all relevant stakeholders: researchers, teachers, parents, and of course children, to share their experiences. The purpose of the workshop is also to bring their open questions and requests for guidelines and suggestions as to when and how to involve children in the various process stages. We hope to produce good definitions of the many roles children can play as co-researchers as well as to explore the benefits each participant will get from engaging with the overall design experience.


Development of immunomodulatory agents that enhance innate immune responses represents a promising strategy for combating infectious diseases. In the present studies, we screened a series of 71 arylcarboxylic acid hydrazide derivatives for their ability to induce macrophage tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production and identified six such compounds, including one compound previously shown to be a formyl peptide receptor (FPR/FPRL1) agonist. The two most potent compounds [compound 1, nicotinic acid [5-(3-bromophenyl)-2-furyl]methylene-hydrazide; compound 2, 4-fluoro-benzoic acid [5-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-2-furyl]-methylene-hydrazide] were selected for further analysis. These compounds induced de novo production of TNF-α in a dose- and time-dependent manner in human and murine monocyte/macrophage cell lines and in primary macrophages. These compounds also induced mobilization of intracellular Ca2+, production of reactive oxygen species, and chemotaxis in human and murine phagocytes. Induction of macrophage TNF-α production was pertussis toxin-sensitive, and analysis of the cellular target of these compounds showed that they were FPRL1-specific agonists and that this response was blocked by FPR/FPRL1 and FPRL1-specific antagonists. In addition, pharmacophore modeling showed a high degree of similarity for low-energy conformations of these two compounds to the current pharmacophore model for FPR ligands ( Mol Pharmacol68:1301-1310, 2005 ). Overall, these compounds represent novel FPRL1 agonists that induce TNF-α, a response distinct from those induced by other known FPR and FPRL1 agonists.


The N-S oriented central floodplain of Thailand is situated between the NE-SW-trending strike-slip Uttaradit Fault Zone (UTFZ) to the north, the northern shoreline of the Gulf of Thailand to the south, and irregular paths of normal faults to the east and west. Major structures of the area include the NW-SE-trending sinistral strike-slip Mae Ping and Three Pagoda Fault Zones (MPFZ and TPFZ) located to the west and a N-S-oriented Central Volcanic Belt (CVE) located to the east of the plain. Tertiary basins located within the Central Plain have geometries indicating that they were formed due to the reversed movement from sinistral to dextral ofthe major NW-SE-trending strike-slip fault zones during Late Oligocene-Early Miocene times. Geophysical data interpretation results (magnetic, gamma-radiometric, digital terrain data and regional gravity data) show the N-S-trending CVE, outline the known major fault zones, discover the Chao Phraya Fault Zone (CPFZ) and other subsurface lineaments and magnetic bodies within the Central Plain, as well as suggest a new fault path for the TPFZ. The findings indicate that the tectonic evolution of the Central Plain was controlled by the movement along the CVE, which may represent an ancient suture zone, and strike-slip faults bounding small subcontinental blocks. These movements include: extension (oblique) along the old sutures and volcanic arcs, reversed sinistral-to-dextral movement on the NW-SE-trending MPFZ, TPFZ and CPFZ, and reversed dextral-to-sinistral UTFZ. Indochina's southeast extrusion tectonic setting associated with the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates may have reactivated these lithospheric weak zones and caused the opening of the Central Plain and the Gulf of Thailand since Late Oligocene time.


Data in this issue of Diabetes show that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)–derived nitric oxide (NO) is required in adipose tissue for mitochondrial biogenesis in response to exercise. These results add to a growing body of literature showing the importance of eNOS in mitochondrial biogenesis in a variety of tissues that are relevant in diabetes and glucose metabolism. A key feature of the new report by Trevellin et al. (p. 2800) is that the implications of earlier studies, which focused heavily on the role of eNOS in skeletal and cardiac muscle, have now been fi rmly extended to adipose tissue. In the new experiments, wild-type (WT) and eNOS-/mice underwent a progressive exercise regimen, and data from these mice were compared with sedentary WT animals. In the WT mice that were exercised, mitochondrial biogenesis was higher than in the sedentary WT and eNOS-/mice. Expression of peroxisome proliferator– activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), which regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and function, was also higher in the trained WT animals compared with their eNOS-/counterparts. Further, a link was demonstrated between exercise and both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the WT mice but not the eNOS-/mice. To understand the potential application of these observations in humans, the investigators studied subcutaneous adipose tissue samples from bariatric surgery patients. The experiments showed that NO promoted mitochondrial biogenesis in human adipocytes and also increased both glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation. These results contribute to an evolution in thinking about the effect of NO in mediating the impact of exercise in adipose tissue, and they also raise important questions regarding the potential implications of these observations for the development of future therapies. — Helaine E. Resnick, PhD, MPH


The question whether exchange rate risk a⁄ects trade has received considerable attention in the literature. However, the conclusions are still mixed. This paper analyzes why it is so di¢cult to obtain a clear answer from time series analyses. We use data on bilateral aggregate US exports to the other G7 countries. The results show that export decisions are mostly a⁄ected by the exchange rate about one year later. The riskiness of the exchange rate at such a long horizon appears fairly constant over time with only short-term (cid:135)uctuations. This makes it di¢cult to discover the true e⁄ect of exchange risk on trade from the limited time series data that are typically available.


A ten-year survey of abdominal pregnancy was made regarding numbers, diagnosis, and treatment. The hazards of intraperitoneal infusion of concentrated saline, thought to be administered into the amniotic sac, in an attempt to produce abortion is discussed. A favorable result was obtained after laparotomy was done and the correct diagnosis established.


Summary
Analysis of the 136 possible pairings of the coat protein amino acid sequences from 17 strains of eight distinct potyviruses revealed a bimodal distribution of sequence homology. Distinct members of the group exhibited sequence homologies ranging from 38 to 71% (average 54%) with major differences in the length and sequence of their N termini and high sequence homology in the C-terminal half of the coat proteins. In contrast strains of individual viruses exhibited sequence homologies of 90 to 99% (average 95%) and had very similar N-terminal sequences. These findings cast doubt on the currently held 'continuum' hypothesis proposed to explain the unsatisfactory taxonomy of the potyvirus group. The coat protein sequence data, in combination with information on the nature of the potyvirus particle assembly, can be used to develop rationally designed, simple serological techniques that appear to be more useful and more easily applied than those properties previously used for potyvirus identification and classification.


The conventional result of the theory of the public enforcement of law is that wrongful convictions of innocents are detrimental to deterrence. This proposition has been challenged recently. In some cases, wrongful convictions do not jeopardize deterrence, because they influence equally the innocent and the guilty. Therefore deterrence does not change. We show that, in general, wrongful convictions do lower deterrence. We prove that wrongful convictions do not jeopardize deterrence only in very limited circumstances or under unlikely assumptions.


Escherichia coli (E. coli) continues to result in significant morbidity and mortality in domestic poultry causing a variety of diseases either alone or as an adjunct to other pathogens. The methods of definitive diagnosis and identification of bacteria, which are time consuming, are based on cultural, biochemical and serological characters. To address this limitation, 16S rRNA based method was developed for rapid identification of E. coli using PCRsingle strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis to which a total of 150 isolates were subjected under test. Strain specific 22 SSCP patterns were determined for the isolates collected from the birds died of various disease conditions, mainly egg peritonitis, yolk sac infection and coliseptisemia. The bands of single stranded (ss) DNA in these patterns corresponded to the mobility equivalent to 983 base pair (bp) to 379 bp of double stranded (ds) DNA ladder. This method can be applied to other bacterial species directly obtained from affected tissues as well as grown on media. Rapid detection will help in timely diagnosis, suitable antibiotic therapy and thus reducing morbidity and mortality. Contains 2 tables and I figure


Background: Metformin is FDA approved for the treatment of type II diabetes. Frequently reported side effects of metformin use in diabetics are abdominal cramping, nausea, and diarrhea. Lactic acidosis, a life-threatening accumulation of lactic acid in the blood, is also a potential adverse effect of metformin. The primary goal of this phase I study was to assess the safety and tolerability of metformin in non-diabetic patients with germline mutations in TP53 and a clinical diagnosis of LFS. LFS is a highly-penetrant, autosomal dominant, cancer predisposition disorder characterized by early onset of breast, sarcoma, adrenocortical, brain, and other cancers. Further, LFS patients have been shown to have increased oxidative phosphorylation capacity in skeletal muscle and oxidative stress markers. Evidence suggests metformin inhibits oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, reducing available energy for cancer cell proliferation, and decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species that can cause DNA damage. Although metformin is used safely in non-diabetic individuals for off -label indications such as polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility, its use in non-diabetic patients with germline TP53 mutations has never been documented. Objectives: To assess safety and tolerability of metformin dosages from 500 mg to 2000 mg per day in patients with germline mutations in TP53 and a clinical diagnosis of LFS. Methodology: Adult LFS patients (?18 years old) with documented germline mutation in TP53 were enrolled for 20 weeks. Patients with a history of cancer had to be in remission (surgery and chemotherapy completed 6 and 12 months prior respectively). Patients could not have a history of diabetes or prior metformin use. Metformin was initiated at 500 mg per day and increased in 500 mg dose increments every two weeks to a maximum dose of 2000 mg by week 8. Patients were maintained on 2000 mg of metformin for six additional weeks (week 14). For the last six weeks of the study, patients were taken off metformin (week 20). The targeted accrual goal was ?22 subjects. Results: Of 24 non-diabetic, LFS patients enrolled, 18 (75%) were female, and 6 (25%) were male. Thirteen (54%) females and 1 male (16%) had a prior history of cancer. The age range for females and males was 25-52 and 20-54 years old respectively. One patient developed cancer, and 2 withdrew from the study before starting treatment; 1 dropped out of the study due to personal issues after reaching a dose of 1500 mg. Of the remaining 20 patients, 1 dropped out of the study due to intolerable dyspepsia/reflux at a dose of 500 mg and 1 patient could only tolerate a maximum dose of 1500 mg due to headaches and nausea; the remaining 18 patients tolerated 2000 mg of metformin. Of 22 patients who took metformin, 20 (90%) experienced abdominal pain/nausea/diarrhea. Five patients (22%) experienced headaches. Three patients (13%) experienced reflux/dyspepsia. Two patients experienced one episode of vomiting (9%). None of the patients experienced lactic acidosis. Fasting glucose at week 14 on 2000 mg of metformin daily for females ranged from 76-96 mg/dL and for males 86-98 mg/dL. Conclusions: Metformin was safe and tolerable in non-diabetic LFS patients with germline mutations in TP53. LFS patients report similar side effects as diabetic patients on metformin. No cases of lactic acidosis occurred. Citation Format: Farzana Lukmanji Walcott, Paul M. Hwang, Ping-yuan Wang, Sharon A. Savage, Phuong Mai, Seth M. Steinberg, Michael N. Pollak, Christina Annunziata, Antonio T. Fojo. Safety and tolerability of metformin for chemoprevention in Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr CT156.


You are asked to review a previously healthy 11-month-old boy who presented to the Accident and Emergency department following a generalised convulsion lasting 7 min. His parents tell you that he was started on oral amoxicillin by his general practitioner 2 days ago, the reason for which is unclear. Clinical examination reveals a drowsy child with a temperature of 38.8°C. In the absence of a clear focus of infection you decide to do a full septic screen, including a lumbar puncture (LP). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis shows a white blood cell count (WCC) of 17×106/l, a protein concentration within normal limits and no bacteria on a Gram stain. You wonder if the mild CSF pleocytosis indicates partially treated meningitis or can be attributed to the convulsion alone.

In a child with a febrile convulsion [patient], does the convulsion alone [intervention] cause CSF pleocytosis (defined as CSF WCC>7×106/l) [outcome]?

Medline was searched with the PubMed interface (1950 to present, limited to publications in English) using the search terms: (epilepsy OR convulsion OR seizure) AND (cerebrospinal fluid OR lumbar puncture OR blood brain barrier) AND (leukocyte OR leukocytosis OR pleocytosis OR white blood cell OR cell count). This produced 357 matches, of which five were relevant.1,–,5

Searches of EMBASE (1970 to present; 1012 matches) and Scopus (1960 to present; 717 matches) using the same search strategy did not identify any additional papers. All relevant publications were hand-searched for further references, which identified a further four relevant reports.6,–,9

In instances where the original manuscript provided insufficient information, the authors were contacted for further details. The search date was 1 May 2011. The relevant papers are summarised …


Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were extirpated from Yellowstone National Park in the 1920s. The ensuing seven decades marked a period when wild ungulates, principally Elk (Cervus elaphus), extensively used woody browse species in the upper Gallatin and northern winter ranges, thus limiting the capability of establishing plants to grow more than 100 cm in height. Following the reintroduction of wolves in the mid‐1990s, we evaluated patterns of woody browse species recovery within riparian areas of these winter ranges. Measurements indicated that cottonwood (Populus spp.) recruitment (growth of seedlings/sprouts into tall saplings and trees) was occurring for the first time in several decades. A spatially patchy increase in the heights of young willow (Salix sp.) and cottonwood in the upper Gallatin and northern winter ranges, respectively, was also found within riparian transects comprising nearly 20 km in total length. Within some transects, heights of woody species have begun to exceed 200 cm (the approximate upper browse level of Elk). Results are consistent with the reestablishment of a tri‐level trophic cascade involving wolves, ungulates, and riparian vegetation. We additionally present conceptual models of vegetation recovery, illustrating differences in plant height responses to behaviorally and density‐mediated trophic cascades. Northern Yellowstone's "experiment in time," whereby wolves were removed and then reintroduced, provides new insights regarding how top predators can influence the structure and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Restoration ecologists and policymakers should consider the potential benefits of large predators as an option for helping restore degraded ecosystems.


Privacy has become an important issue in Data Mining. Many methods have been brought out to solve this problem. This paper deals with the problem of association rule mining which preserves the confidentiality of each database. In order to find the association rule, each participant has to share their own data. Thus, much privacy information may be broadcasted or been illegal used. These issues can be divided into two categories: data hiding and knowledge hiding. This paper reviews the major method of privacy preserving on each category and chooses some of them to complete our system. At the end, an improvement of sensitive rule hiding is proposed to make it more accurate and secured.


One challenge for PET-MR hybrid imaging is the correction for attenuation of the 511 keV annihilation radiation by the required RF transmit and/or RF receive coils. Although there are strategies for building PET transparent Tx/Rx coils, such optimised coils still cause significant attenuation of the annihilation radiation leading to artefacts and biases in the reconstructed activity concentrations. We present a straightforward method to measure the attenuation of Tx/Rx coils in simultaneous MR-PET imaging based on the natural 176Lu background contained in the scintillator of the PET detector without the requirement of an external CT scanner or PET scanner with transmission source. The method was evaluated on a prototype 3T MR-BrainPET produced by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, both with phantom studies and with true emission images from patient/volunteer examinations. Furthermore, the count rate stability of the PET scanner and the x-ray properties of the Tx/Rx head coil were investigated. Even without energy extrapolation from the two dominant γ energies of 176Lu to 511 keV, the presented method for attenuation correction, based on the measurement of 176Lu background attenuation, shows slightly better performance than the coil attenuation correction currently used. The coil attenuation correction currently used is based on an external transmission scan with rotating 68Ge sources acquired on a Siemens ECAT HR  +  PET scanner. However, the main advantage of the presented approach is its straightforwardness and ready availability without the need for additional accessories.


Swirling structures in calmly flowing water inspire a deep, primal sense of peace and well-being. At the same time, images of Poe's maelstrom in turbulent oceans inspire a sense of terror.1 Throughout the duration of my PhD, modelling the flow through ocean channels full of tidal turbines, I experienced both of those feelings. The mathematical beauty in my work is involved in the equations that I use to describe the ocean flowing through a tidal channel full of turbines.  A von Karman vortex street is the repeating pattern in parallel rows of swirling eddies that form in the wake of an obstruction in flowing fluid. The beauty and terror that eddies inspire in humanity is mirrored by the blessing and curse that these cause for engineers designing tidal turbines. While the fast-flowing water provides the power to drive the turbine, the turbulent vortices in the wake of a turbine put stress on downstream turbines by bending and twisting the blade as a vortex moves past the turbine. Understanding the balance between the power in the flow that can be captured by turbines and the impact on the natural flow by building these turbines was a fundamental part of my research.


In this age of innovation and globalization, interest in research on measuring and analyzing intellectual capital (IC) and determining its impact on business performance is on the rise. This study is intended to review the literature concerning the effects of implementing the Balance Scorecard (BSC) on the organizational performance of banks, with the Intellectual Capital (IC) enhancement being the mediator. Based on the literature a new comprehensive performance measurement framework for banks has been proposed. This framework can be validated through further research by integrating the interaction between BSC and IC components in the context of Bangladeshi banks by examining different banking environment i.e. nationalized, private commercial, foreign commercial and Islamic banks, as the literature shows strong deviation in measurement models depending on the nature of business.


A method is presented to construct object-related structure observables, such as size, mass, shape, and trajectories from two-dimensional plasma imaging data. The probability distributions of these observables, deduced from measurements of many realizations, provide a robust framework in which the fluctuations, the turbulence, and the related transport are characterized. The results for imaging data recorded in the presence of drift-interchange instabilities and turbulence on the TORPEX toroidal plasma experiment [A. Fasoli et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 055902 (2006)] are discussed.


: New deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on choline chloride (ChCl) and aromatic amines: m -phenylenediamine (MPDA) and 2,4-diaminotoluene (DAT) were prepared for the first time and ap plied for bisphenol A-based low molecular epoxy resin curing. Some physicochemical features of both DESs were presented and discussed on a basis of literature data. Curing process of epoxy compositions with stoichiometric and substoichiometric amounts of amine hydrogens was characterized via differ ential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The resulting cured materials possess acceptable thermomechanical properties. Advantages of DES based on ChCl and MPDA allowed to determine possible application areas of this epoxy resin curing agents.


This article presents an overview of a general model for the dynamic functioning of musical systems within an anthropological perspective. This theoretical approach is based on a set of conjectures: — 1. Music fulfils an adaptive function of biopsychical regulation; — 2. This function is fulfilled by means of a multidimensional system; — 3. The system is determined by constraints of psychophysical, anatomophysiological, psychomotor, cognitive, cultural and psychical nature; — 4. Every sound/musical structure bears a potential energy; — 5. Actualisation of these potentialities results from the interaction of these structures with a subject. The model is briefly presented here according to two axes: of potential tensions linked to sound and musical structures, and of the actualisation of these tensions by the individual. The first outlines ten dimensions (grouped together within three levels) by means of which the potential energy of sound and musical structures could be borne. The second places these dimensions and their mechanisms in context of the subject: the "affective system" enables a modulation of the investment of musical system dimensions; this investment is controlled by "operating models"; a stylistic mediation and an emotional mediation ensure the sociocultural integration of the dynamic "scenario" worked out by the subject. A general diagram sums up the model.


Rho-kinase has been identified as one of the effectors of the small GTP-binding protein Rho. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the Rho/Rho-kinase-mediated pathway plays an important role in various cellular functions, not only in vascular smooth muscle contraction but also in actin cytoskeleton organization, cell adhesion and motility, cytokinesis, and gene expressions, all of which may be involved in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis/atherosclerosis. Indeed, animal experiments have demonstrated that Rho-kinase inhibitors effectively suppress coronary artery spasm and that long-term inhibition of Rho-kinase inhibits the development of coronary arteriosclerotic lesions and even causes regression of coronary vascular lesions in vivo. Recent clinical studies also have demonstrated the inhibitory effect of a Rho-kinase inhibitor on coronary artery spasm in patients with vasospastic angina and on exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with stable effort angina with adequate safety. It is possible that Rho-kinase is also involved in the pathogenesis of other forms of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, Rho-kinase could be regarded as a novel therapeutic target in treatment of cardiovascular diseases.


the paper deals with the origin of caves in Sokola Hill (Polish Jura). the caves abound in solution cavities in the walls and ceilings, many of them arranged hierarchically, some others arranged in rising sets. blind chimneys and ceiling half-tubes are also present. these features collectively indicate that the caves originated under phreatic conditions by an ascending flow of water, probably of elevated temperature. Phreatic calcite spar, crystallized from water of elevated temperature, lines the cave walls. during the formation of the caves the Jurassic limestone aquifer was confined by impermeable cover. three possible scenarios for the origin of the caves are suggested. the first scenario points to formation of the caves during the Palaeogene prior to the removal of the confining cretaceous marls. the second connects the origin of the caves with regional palaeoflow driven by tectonic loading by carpathian nappes to the south, while the third refers to local topographically driven palaeoflow. both the second and third scenarios assume that the Polish Jura had a cover of Miocene impermeable clastics. All the scenarios account for the origin of the caves in Sokola Hill and explain the common occurrence of ascending caves throughout the Polish Jura. In the subsequent stages of evolution the caves were partly filled with various deposits. conglomerates composed of Jurassic limestone clasts, quartz sands and sandstones are preserved as erosional remnants, locally covered by or interfingered with calcite flowstones. the clastic deposits were laid down by surface streams that invaded the caves earlier than 1.2 Ma. the caves were not invaded by water from Pleistocene glaciers, which is proved by the assemblage of heavy minerals in the cave clastics.


Cement-based composites were prepared from rice husk and styrene-acrylic emulsion (SAE) with semi-dry production process. The volume of SAE, the rice husk content and alkali treatment on the properties of the composites were studied. Particle-matrix bonding were observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanical test of the rice-husk cement composites proved that SAE is an effective additive for reinforcing the composites, the mechanical properties improved significantly by alkali treatment and adding SAE. the properties can meet the requirement of the china building material standard(JC411—2007) when the content of SAE reached 3%.