This paper presents structural reliability applications in design and maintenance planning for ships hull structures. For the assessment of structural strength, the model developed consists in an ultimate limit-state of hull-girder considering degradation by corrosion based in a statistical investigation of time-variant hull girder strength made by ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) on 2007. The time dependent reliability index obtained with the minimum elastic section modulus required by the rules of the classification society American Bureau of shipping (ABS), of two ship designs are compared against the results obtained from the target reliability index based design. The target reliability index assessment for corroded hulls is also showed. The monte-carlo simulation reliability method is used to calculate the time-dependent reliability of the primary hull structure.Two approaches of fatigue and corrosion-enhanced fatigue time dependent reliability are developed. A long term stress range applied to a detail is fitted to a weibull distribution based in a known design life. A utilization factor is introduced in order to consider the fraction of time at sea. A risk-based inspection planning is discussed for commercial and naval vessels Both S-N curve and fracture mechanics based reliability methods are used and the results are compared. An example of reliability updating after a inspection result is showed.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Studies on ERM effectiveness appear to suffer from the same catastrophic dilemma as that of organizational effectiveness. To the best of the author's knowledge, very little research has been done on the effectiveness of ERM in managing risks. Based on the guidance from the COSO (2004) framework and the existing literature coupled with the insights gathered from semi-structured interviews, the current article aims to demarcate a workable model, and, thereafter, an instrument to be operationalized in ERM effectiveness studies. The findings suggest that the COSO framework is still relevant for ERM and that to improve the robustness of the effectiveness instrument, a multidimensional approach is key. This paper suggests a multiple model approach comprising a process model, system resource model and outcome model for measuring ERM effectiveness. Additionally, the perspectives from various ERM stakeholders of the risk, including the risk function itself, such as from the internal audit and finance or other members of the management team, may enhance the assessment of the effectiveness of ERM in managing risks. It is hoped that the model and instrument developed in this paper will encourage more studies to be conducted on the effectiveness of ERM in particular. From the practical standpoint, with some modifications to the fit, the instrument can also be applied to evaluate the effectiveness of ERM implementation in the respective organisations.


Organophosphorus (OP) insecticide poisoning causes respiratory failure due to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. The AChE reactivating antidote pralidoxime was developed in the 1950s and was soon noted to benefit patients occupationally poisoned with the highly potent OP insecticide parathion. Routine use of pralidoxime and other oximes such as obidoxime then became widely recommended. However, nearly all severe cases of OP poisoning now result from self‐poisoning with large volumes of less potent (WHO hazard class Ib and II) insecticides and co‐formulated solvents. Unfortunately, oxime clinical trials have never shown benefit from their use for these patients, and some have shown that pralidoxime may be associated with harm, including increased mortality. Oximes should not be used routinely for the care of OP insecticide‐poisoned patients until translational and clinical studies have identified a safe and effective oxime regimen and identified the patients who benefit.


Abstract. The article describes the process of aggregation of media-based data about coronavirus pandemic in the Olomouc region, Czech Republic. Originally non-spatially located news from different sources and various platforms (government, social media, news portals) were automatically aggregated into a centralized database. The application "COVID-map" is an interactive web map solution which visualizes records from the database in a spatial way. COVID-map has been developed within Ad hoc online hackathon as an academic project at the Department of Geoinformatics, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. Alongside spatially localized data, map application collects statistical data from official sources e.g. from the governmental crisis management office. Our approach focuses on cartographical aspects of COVID-map solution. It respects current trends in both development of cartographic oriented outputs and web-based interactive map application. It is fully responsive. Originally, nonspatial data were aggregated, verified, geo-located, and finally visualized in the map environment. The layout combines three main parts: interactive map with spatial data; information panel with updated statistical data; and a sidebar with a filterable list of verified and geo-located news. The main cartographic method used for the visualisation is the choropleth map. It shows the distribution of positively tested people per 10 000 inhabitants for each sub-region. In comparison with similar coronavirus visualisation made during the current pandemic, our solution respects fundamental cartographical rules. Following cartographical topics are discussed in the article: the correct choice of cartographic method and its implementation; determination of a colour scale; recalculation statistics data into relative units by choropleths map method; design of map symbols and legend; searching for a suitable visualization of spatial and non-spatial sources into map layout; discussion on the suitability of using a clustering method. The motivation for this project was both social responsibility and dissatisfaction with the wrong implementation of basic cartographic methods in a variety of alternative solutions. The impact was immediate. Within a few days after the launch, tens of thousands users per day visited the COVID-map. It has been published by regional and national media. The COVID-map solution could be considered as a suitable ad-hoc implementation of the correctly used cartographical method on the example of coronavirus pandemic. The application "COVID-map" is available online at URL: https://gis.upol.cz/covid/mapa/.


This study modifies Scholefield¿s (1994) dynamic R&D resource allocation concept and discusses its relationship with business strategies. We substitute original measures with the degree of business leverage (DBL) and the degree of R&D leverage (DRDL). These two measures are more useful and objective than those of Scholefield¿s. In addition, DBL and DRDL can be combined with the concepts of product and technology lifecycle and technology adoption more firmly. Managers can use DBL and DRDL to help them make optimal R&D resource allocation and business strategy decisions.


One hundred forty three pairs of cancer patients and healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Thirty four psychologic stress factors were analyzed by stepwise and logistic regressions to identify risk factors for cancer. At the level of significance of alpha = 0.05, F(10,120) = 1.91 and alpha = 0.01, F(10,120) = 2.47, 15 and 13 risk factors were entered into stepwise regression equation, respectively. By conditioned logistic regression analysis, the following five major correlated factors were revealed: introversive personality, family accidents, the ten-year turmoil, repeated mishaps and death of children. The results indicate that, among all the psychological stress factors studied, introversive personality is the most important predisposing factor in the causation of cancer. This study suggests that psychologic stress might play important part in the etiopathogenesis of human malignancies.


Cisplatin and paclitaxel both can cause peripheral neurotoxicity as an adverse effect; however, central nervous system neurotoxicity in the form of seizures is rare. We report a case of a 36-year-old female patient of metastatic carcinoma cervix, who developed seizure shortly after cisplatin infusion. Her laboratory investigations were within normal limits. Computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain did not reveal brain primary metastasis or meningeal carcinomatosis. She had no complaints of fever, no signs and symptoms of infection, and no history of seizure nor was she on any medication predisposing to such an event. Excluding several causes, seizure was thought to be most likely related to the chemotherapy and cisplatin was the more likely agent in view of observed temporal relationship with the adverse event.


ObjectiveTo compare pancreas transplantation with systemic-enteric (SE) versus portal-enteric (PE) drainage in a prospective fashion. Summary Background DataTo improve the physiology of pancreas transplantation, the authors developed a new technique of portal venous delivery of insulin and enteric drainage of the exocrine secretions. MethodsDuring a 26-month period, the authors prospectively alternated 54 consecutive simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplants to either SE (n = 27) or PE (n = 27) drainage. The two groups were well matched for numerous characteristics. Maintenance immunosuppression in both groups consisted of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids. ResultsPatient survival rates were 93% SE versus 96% PE; kidney graft survival rates were 93% in both groups. Pancreas transplantation survival (complete insulin independence) was 74% after SE versus 85% after PE drainage with a mean follow-up of 17 months. The mean length of initial hospital stay was 12.4 days in the SE group and 12.8 days in the PE group. The SE group was characterized by a slight increase in the number of readmissions. The incidences of acute rejection (33%) and major infection (52%) were similar in both groups. The incidence of intraabdominal infection was slightly higher in the SE group. However, the early relaparotomy rate was similar between groups. The composite endpoint of no rejection, graft loss, or death was attained in 56% of SE versus 59% of PE patients. ConclusionsThese results suggest that simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplantation with SE or PE drainage can be performed with comparable short-term outcomes.


The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of farm conditions and season of birth on body mass, respiratory system diseases and diarrhea occurrence, and mortality during the first month of calves? life. The study was conducted on two tie-stall-system farms with intensive milk production and similar nutrition of dairy cows, but with differences in rearing conditions of calves in the first week of life. The calves were tied on lying area with straw as bedding material (farm A) or free in individual boxes with straw bedding (farm B). In the first consumption, they take 1-2 L of colostrum produced by their mother or by another cow (farm A), or 2.5-3 L of colostrum produced by their mother or by another cow or frozen colostrum (farm B). According to the results, average body mass of calves was significantly higher on farm B than of those on farm A at all ages (on birth, at 8 days, and 30 days). Mortality rate and diarrhea occurrence in calves were higher on farm B, while respiratory system diseases incidence was higher on farm A. All observed welfare indicators were very significantly (P < 0.01) influenced by farm conditions and birth season.


(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.) INTRODUCTION According to security experts, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Social Security Numbers (SSNs) can be used [5] to help assume the identity of other individuals and commit fraud. With an estimated 10 million individuals being victimized by identity theft each year, preventing SSNs from being stolen has become increasingly essential to help protect individuals [2]. The following presentation can work well in the classroom (including a project for a Discrete Matheamtics course) to illustrate an interesting method to protect personal information and prevent identity theft. Students can encrypt SSNs in order to generate other unique numbers that can be used for non-social security purposes, such as student identification cards, health insurance accounts, and medical records. This method can be computer implemented and will: encrypt an SSN into an Identification Number (ID), and then recover the SSN from the ID number. Therefore, there would be no need to store the SSN in the computer system. To illustrate the basic idea of this paper, we will use Student IDs (SIDs) as an example of a potential application of this method. The same basic method can also be applied to other uses that involve identification numbers. ENCRYPTING THE SSN In cryptography, many encryption methods already exist. For our research, we will specifically look at ciphers, which are general systems for hiding the meaning of a message by replacing each letter or number in the original message with another. Some of the most well-known ciphers are the Caesar cipher, Vigenere cipher, affine ciphers, polyalphabetic ciphers, substitution ciphers, permutation ciphers, and block ciphers [1, 3, 4, and 7]. We will use block ciphers to encrypt SSNs into student IDs (SIDs). As the name implies, the block cipher is a cipher that encrypts a string or block of numbers into another block of numbers. We will use matrix multiplication to convert SSNs to SIDs block by block. This cipher is not only simple to apply, but is also relatively secure. To encrypt an SSN using a block cipher, we first break the 9-digit SSN into 3 blocks of 3-digit numbers. For example, an SSN 123-34-4500 is grouped into (1 2 3), (3 4 4), and (5 0 0). Then each block is turned into a 3x1 matrix: ..., ... and ... We then use a 3x3 matrix A, such as ..., to encrypt each block. This matrix A is known as a key in cryptology. We apply the matrix A to each block in matrix form by matrix multiplication. Or, equivalently, we can complete the encryption of all three blocks by performing the following computation The above calculations assign a new number to each digit of the SSN, By putting these new numbers together, we generate the encrypted number 2593638235510255 for the SSN 123-34-4500. Here are two basic questions about this encryption method: 1. Will two SSNs generate the same encrypted number? 2. Can the original SSN be recovered from its encrypted number? Suppose mat there is another SSN abc-de-fghi that generates the same encrypted number using the matrix A. We have We know that if the matrix A is invertible (in this case the matrix A is invertible), applying the inverse A~l to both sides of the equation from the left, we obtain that Therefore, two SSNs with the same corresponding encrypted number are identical under the condition that the matrix A is invertible. So, the answer to Question 1 is that no two SSNs will generate the same encrypted SID as long as the key is an invertible matrix. The condition that the matrix A is invertible is also essential to the answer of the second question. Recall that the encryption is described by the equation ... we multiply both sides of the equation by A^sup -1^ from the left and obtain ... Thus, we can recover the SSN 123-34-4500 under the condition that A is invertible. …


Clinical Image:

A 7-day-old boy infant was admitted with bilateral orbital inflammatory edema with purulent ocular secretions. On examination, the infant was afebrile and no signs or symptoms of systemic involvement were found. The baby had an uneventful full term normal vaginal delivery with birth weight of 3 kg and no significant past medical history. On investigations, white blood cell count was increased to 26,200 cells/mm3 with neutrophil predominance of 73%, C-reactive protein levels of 100 mg/L and Cerebrospinal fluid culture was sterile. CT scan of the head and orbit showed bilateral Preseptal cellulitis: stage I of Chandler's classification. Empirical therapy with intravenous ceftriaxone and vancomycin were started.Microbiological investigation of both conjunctival swabs grew Staph aureus. Eyelid edema subsided fully after 10
days of treatment with full and free movement of eyeball in all directions of gaze.


This study documents the music teaching and learning that took place in the U.S. Navy band program at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station (GLNTS) near Chicago during World War I, led by Lieutenant John Philip Sousa. The following six research questions helped guide this investigation: How did Sousa organize the Navy band program? What were the details of teaching the enlisted bandsmen? What other music experiences were provided? How did the bandsmen's work benefit the Navy and the US government? Which of the military band experiences likely influenced teaching and learning of instrumental music education after the war? What were the benefits for Sousa to volunteer near the end of his career? Findings revealed that more than three thousand bandsmen were taught by Sousa and Navy bandmasters. Bandsmen served in several ways: intact bands were sent to Navy ships to boost sailors' morale; bands served the training regiments; bands toured the nation selling bonds; the GLNTS band program impacted the supply of band teachers after the war; and Sousa's and the militaries' educational and training strategies survive in today's classrooms. The study concludes with a critique of the US government's and Sousa's role in commodifying the bandsmen.


Background: Comprehensive analysis of PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway gene alterations in breast cancer may be helpful for targeted therapy. Methods: We performed targeted sequencing using a panel of 520 cancer-related genes to investigate gene alterations in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway from 589 consecutive Chinese women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer. Analyses of overall survival (OS) were performed using the publicly available clinical and genomic data from METABRIC. Results: PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway gene alterations were detected in 62.6% (369/589) of our cohort. The most commonly altered genes were PIK3CA (45%), PTEN (7.5%), AKT1 (5.9 %), PIK3R1 (2.7%), and PIK3CG (2%). Four PIK3CA mutations (E545K, H1047R, E542K, and H1047L) were detected in all the breast cancer molecular subtypes. Seven PIK3CA mutations (E545G, E418_L422delinsV, E726K, E110del, G1049R, G118D, and D350G) were only detected in HR+ subtypes. Two PIK3CA mutations (C420R and N345K) were only detected in non-triple-negative subtypes. Most cases with PTEN mutation were HR+/HER2- subtype (77.3%), followed by triple-negative subtype (18.2%). In the METABRIC breast cancer dataset, no significant OS difference was observed between the PIK3CA-mutant and wild-type groups. However, patients with multiple PIK3CA mutations (mOS: 131 vs. 159 months, P= 0.029), or PIK3CA mutations located in the C2 domain had significantly shorter OS (mOS, 130 vs. 154 months, P=0.020) than those without the mutations. Conclusions: Our study reveals the heterogeneity in PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway among the breast cancer molecular subtypes in our cohort. Moreover, the number and specific sites of PIK3CA mutations have distinct prognostic impact.


Abstract. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationships between physiological parameters and grain yield of different bread wheat genotypes. In the present research a total of 25 bread wheat genotypes were tested during the 2016-2017 seasons under rainfed conditions. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with four replications. Grain yield, days of heading, plant height, biomass (NDVI) from GS25 up to GS85 growth stage, chlorophyll content (SPAD) during the heading stage, canopy temperature (CT) at GS60 and GS75 growth stages, and glaucousness were investigated. The results of variance analyses showed that there were significant differences (p<0.01) among genotypes for yield. The mean grain yield was 7948 kg ha-1 and yield ranged from 7033 kg ha-1 to 8759 kg ha-1, the highest grain yield performed by TE6744-16 line. According to the results, significant differences among cultivars in terms of plant height, days of heading, biomass, chlorophyll content, canopy temperature, glaucousness were found. TE6627-6 line had the highest chlorophyll content and also, chlorophyll content positively affected grain yield. Canopy temperature is generally related to yield under drought stress condition in bread wheat. In the study early maturing (days of heading) genotypes had lower canopy temperature. An increase in biomass after the heading phase has positively affected grain yield. In the study, no correlation was found between grain yield and biomass at GS25 and GS45 growth phase. There was a negative correlation between glaucousness with biomass at GS60, GS75 and GS85 growth phase. These results showed that physiological parameters such as biomass (at GS75 and GS85), canopy temperature (at GS60 and GS75), and chlorophyll content (at GS60), and glaucousness could be used for selection parameters under rainfed conditions for yield in bread wheat.


: The circular micro-texture is constructed on the inner surface of the gap seal hydraulic cylinders. The coupling relationship of the surface roughness and micro-texture is studied and solved by the equivalent flow method. At the same time, the tribological experiment is carried out with 45 steel materials commonly used as hydraulic cylinders, and the testing results are compared. The results show that the roughness has a very significant effect on the frictional properties of the annular textured surface. The coupling effect is generated and makes the friction coefficient first decrease and then increase. There are optimal roughness and optimal gap which make the further improvement of the frictional properties on the cylinder surface. This helps to improve the response frequency of the hydraulic cylinder, thereby improving the hydraulic system efficiency. Also, it has positive effects on the improvement of the working efficiency in the hydraulic system.


Abstract: Since the second half of the 1990s, the decline in academic standards in mathematics and science among undergraduate students in Japan has been noted. Despite this, problems in science education have become increasingly severe, and their impact is having a mounting effect on Japan's economy. This paper studies the return to a university education in Japan by taking into account the relative ranking of the universities. We present an empirical analysis of how annual income differs depending on whether a major is natural science or humanities. We have found that science graduates have a higher average income than humanities graduates indicates that the added value they are producing is higher than that of humanities graduates. Of particular interest is the fact that a comparison of humanities graduates of A rank universities who did not sit admission examinations in mathematics with science graduates of B rank university showed that it was the science graduates who recorded higher average income at every age grade. The above comparison also reveals that even those humanities graduates of A rank universities who did sit admission examinations in mathematics are out-earned by science graduates of B rank universities in the under 30 and 55 and over age groups.


Conditions leading to chronic pulmonary insufficiency can affect infants and children. These can lead to growth failure and delayed development. Among the most common and severe of these are bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and cystic fibrosis. In addition to the respiratory consequences of these diseases, there is ample evidence that they lead to decreased growth as a result of decreased energy intake and increased energy expenditure. Furthermore, there is evidence that infants with BPD may also have delayed development, independent of the effects of their prematurity. Enhancing the long-term outlook for these conditions may therefore require consideration of both improved pulmonary management and aggressive nutritional management to limit growth failure and potentially enhance developmental outcome. Specific micronutrient supplementation, such as antioxidant therapy, may also enhance pulmonary and nutritional status.


Atomically thin MoS2 layer, a promising transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) material, has great potential for application in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is the most effective technique for the synthesis of high-quality MoS2 layers. During CVD synthesis, monolayered MoS2 is generally synthesized by sulfidation of MoO3. Although qualitative reaction mechanisms for the sulfidation of MoO3 have been investigated by previous studies, the detailed reaction processes, including atomic-scale reaction pathways and growth kinetics, have yet to be fully understood. Here, we present quantum-mechanically informed and validated reactive molecular dynamics simulations of the direct sulfidation of MoO3 surfaces using S2 gas precursors. Our work clarifies the reaction mechanisms and kinetics of the sulfidation of MoO3 surfaces as follows: the reduction and sulfidation of MoO3 surfaces occur primarily at O-termination sites, followed by unsaturated Mo sites; these local reaction processes lead to nonuniform MoOxSy surface structures during the CVD process. After annealing the MoOxSy samples, the crystallized surface structures contain voids, and three different types of local surface complexes (MoOx, MoOxSy, and MoS2-like surface regions), depending on the fraction of S ingredients on the MoOxSy surface. These results, which have been validated by our reactive quantum molecular dynamics simulations and previous experimental results, provide valuable chemical insights into the CVD synthesis of large-scale and defect-free MoS2 layers and other layered TMDC materials.


Large scale environmental monitoring requires dynamic optimization of data transmission, power management, and distribution of the computational load. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a wireless sensor network for detection of chemical leaks on gas oil well pads. The sensor network consist of chemi-resistive and wind sensors and aggregates all the data and transmits it to the cloud for further analytics processing. The sensor network data is integrated with an inversion model to identify leak location and quantify leak rates. We characterize the sensitivity and accuracy of such system under multiple well controlled methane release experiments. It is demonstrated that even 1 hour measurement with 10 sensors localizes leaks within 1 m and determines leak rate with an accuracy of 40%. This integrated sensing and analytics solution is currently refined to be a robust system for long term remote monitoring of methane leaks, generation of alarms, and tracking regulatory compliance.


The effects of TCV-309, a specific platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonist, and OP-41483, a prostaglandin 12 analogue, on warm ischemia/reperfusion injury of the rat liver were studied. Rats were divided into five groups by the duration of warm ischemia and the treatment used. The NS1 group (normal saline pretreatment) had 60 min of warm ischemia, while the NS2 group (normal saline pretreatment), the PGI2 group (OP-41483, 500 ng/kg/min pretreatment), the TCV group (TCV-309, 3 μg/kg), and the PGI2+TCV group (both the above dosages) underwent 120 min of warm ischemia. Postoperative survival after 30 days, bile secretion, serum endotoxin levels, and tissue glutathione levels after 60 min of reperfusion were compared between the groups. The survival rates for the NS1, NS2, PGI2, TCV, and PGI2+TCV groups were 80%, 0%, 50%, 80%, and 86.7%, respectively. Bile secretion, which has a strong correlationship with hepatic cellular ATP level, was strongly correlated with survival. The NS2 group had a high serum endotoxin level—however, the PGI2 and PGI2+TCV groups had normal levels. Although there were some discrepancies between survival and the tissue glutathione level, combined treatment with the PGI2 analogue and TCV-309 was most effective in inhibited oxidative stress. In conclusion, TCV-309 increased the survival rate after 120 min of warm hepatic ischemia without endotoxemia by the PGI2 analogue. This finding suggest that warm ischemia/reperfusion injury is related to the generation of PAF. Combined pretreatment with TCV-309 and a PGI2 analogue may be useful in liver transplantation.


ABSTRACT We examine the relation between capital structure decision and the incentive power of executive compensation that contains both cash and equity components. Our analytical model shows that executive compensation motivates CEOs to pursue more aggressive capital structure policy. However, as firm leverage reaches a certain level, further incentive from compensation cannot motivate CEOs to borrow more. Our findings thus provide an explanation to the mixed evidence of the relation documented in the literature by showing that the relation also depends on the level of firm leverage. Our empirical analysis confirms the predictions of our model that executive compensation provides strong incentive for CEOs to choose high firm leverage. However, firms with high leverage tend to offer CEO compensation with lower incentive power. Subperiod analysis shows that the magnitude of the relation changes with time, while the nature of the relation still holds over the subsample periods. Also, the relation changes with the level of leverage. It is positive when firm leverage is high, but it becomes negative when firm leverage is low.


Now in its sixth edition, and with previous editions translated into 15 languages, this publication gives readers a broad and basic understanding of the key issues for each International Financial Reporting Standard. It summarizes each standard, providing a quick reference for managers and executives in the private and public sectors who may not have a strong background in accounting. This edition includes material of potential interest to the financial analyst. Most chapters also contain exercises which illustrate the practical application of key concepts in a particular standard. This provides the non-technical reader with the tools to participate in discussions on the appropriateness or application of a standard in a given situation. The reader can also evaluate the effect that applying a given standard will have on the financial results and position of a division or an entire enterprise. All of the accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) through September 30, 2010, are included in this publication.


In this study, suitable number of permutations were tried to be determined empirically for permutation test, one of which alternatively used in analysis of variance (ANOVA). Random numbers were generated from (3) χ 2 distribution by simulation technique, and type I error rates were calculated with their standard errors. For k=2, 3 and 4, data were dealt with what is commonly faced in practice. Number of observation (n) in each group were taken to be 5, 10 and 15 (except for k = 2). Number of permutation changes with respect to k and n. For k=2, 3 and 4, required number of permutation was determined to be 15,000, 25,000 and 30,000 respectively. In general, there is great advantage of not allowing number of permutation under 10,000, if permutation tests are to be used in testing significance of differences of means of groups.


Rape is selling a lot of magazines these days. You can't walk past a newsstand without seeing dozens of articles -- many written by avowed feminists -- disclosing new evidence of a rape epidemic, and how we women can protect ourselves in the face of escalating aggression and violence against our gender. The typical basis of these articles is that rape is distinct from other forms of violent crime. It is a crime against women. It is an act of subjugation by men. Rape presents a constant, all-pervasive threat; it can happen to a woman anywhere, at any time: on a date, at a family reunion, even in a marriage. The keys to preventing rape, feminists will tell you, are to change male-dominated cultural attitudes toward women, to get women to protect themselves, and to get Americans to take the issue of sexual violence more seriously. The feminists are wrong. Rape is not the victimization of all women by all men; rape is a heinous crime committed by violent individuals against innocent victims. Americans have always taken this crime very seriously, so seriously that a rape conviction, until the 1960s, was punishable by death. The great majority of men in our society are not rapists; indeed, most men fear the rape of their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, and other female loved ones as much as women themselves do. As for stopping rapists, what the feminists don't tell you is that one of the best ways to prevent rape, and other violent crimes as well, is to put convicted criminals in jail and keep them there. A case in point is Willie Horton. A Violent Man Willie Horton was convicted for the 1974 murder of a Massachusetts teenage boy. The details of the crime are grisly: Willie Horton kidnapped the boy, stabbed him to death, and then castrated and dismembered his body. Mr. Horton was convicted of murder, and because of the ferocity of the crime, was sentenced to two life sentences in prison without possibility of parole. As governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis inherited a controversial program to grant convicted felons -- even those with violent criminal records -- weekend furlough privileges. Although Mr. Dukakis had been warned of the dangerous implications of the furlough program, he decided to leave it in place. And Willie Horton, although only eight years into his life sentence, was somehow assessed as an appropriate candidate for a furlough Mr. Horton passed 10 uneventful furlough weekends in Massachusetts. On the 11th furlough, he fled the state, kidnapped a Maryland couple, and brutally raped the woman while forcing her fiance to watch; then he savagely beat the woman's fiance. He was caught and convicted in Maryland of first degree rape and assault. When the public learned of Willie Horton, the outcry was swift and furious. The story was first covered by the Lawrence, Massachusetts Eagle Tribune, which won a Pulitzer Prize for its investigative reporting. During the 1988 Democratic primaries, Al Gore referred to Willie Horton to suggest that Mr. Dukakis was soft on violent crime, a theme picked up later by the Bush campaign. The Horton story was also featured in Reader's Digest, America's largest-circulation magazine. Americans were shocked that Governor Dukakis had used such poor judgment in furloughing a vicious criminal who was supposed to be serving two life sentences. Grisly History The Horton case was made more complicated because the rapist was black and his victims were white. Dukakis supporters and civil rights organizations accused the Bush campaign of exploiting racism and of perpetuating racist stereotypes. The grisly history of lynching in the American South had been closely linked to accusations, many of them false, of rape by black men against white women. There also had been a terrible pattern of discrimination within the legal system: between 1930 and 1965, for example, 408 blacks were executed for rape in the United States, compared with only 48 whites -- even though more whites had been convicted of the crime. …


Risk analysis will become more important in formulating cost-effective solutions to flood problems. For this purpose, we need reliable estimates of flood frequencies in terms of inundation depths, as well as the possible damage that may result from the flooding. This article deals with the first aspect. Hydrologists are using many different modelling techniques for estimating the flood frequency. These methods can be divided into two categories: event based design and continuous simulation approaches. In the first approach, the probability of extreme water levels is derived directly by simulating a large number of storm events, for which the probability has been determined in advance. Each event is characterized by a combination of stochastic variables that may contribute to flooding, such as rainfall volume, antecedent conditions, rainfall pattern, event duration, etc. An important feature of this approach is that it is assumed that the probability of the simulated storm event is equal to the probability of the calculated maximum water level. In the second approach, the water level probabilities are derived with standard flood frequency analyses of a (measured or calculated) time series of water levels. In this paper, both approaches are discussed. Their results are compared for two catchments in the Netherlands. It is shown that the probability of floods is different when using continuous simulations and a stochastic event-based approach. It is concluded that for this type of problem a continuous simulation is to be preferred.


Postprocessing has become a major component in movie and image production. This step is no longer a simple cleanup and cutting step, but it involves important manipulations that contribute to the atmosphere of a movie and the perception of a still image. Several movie studios spend a great part of their budget on it, as managing the postprocessing parameters is a cumbersome task, requiring costly and specialized tools and skills. For photography, while several software packages provide automatic adjustments and filters, the fine grained editing is difficult to achieve for novice users. The reason for postprocessing is that many parameters are difficult to set correctly during the actual capture of the scene. An example is exposure time. Imagine you are in a car race and want to register that moment. To convey a sense of motion in your photograph, you adjust the camera exposure time: not too short to freeze all cars, nor too long to blur the image completely. To find the threshold, other camera parameters such as aperture and sensor sensitivity must be taken into account. Even the speed of the cars needs to be considered. A much more suitable solution would be to adjust the motion blur after the acquisition. Nevertheless, this is not a simple task. Typically, it requires skill and involves manipulating the image by hand, which is time consuming and highly prone to artifacts. For videos, such edits are even more complex as the spatiotemporal coherence must be observed, especially when temporal warping occurs. In this dissertation, we present efficient solutions for exposure control in postproduction to enable high quality visual content generation. Next to imagemanipulation algorithms, we explore acquisition based solutions and intuitive interaction metaphors to support expressive content production. Our outcome is not only intended for professionals to reach their design visions regarding atmosphere and storytelling, but also includes semiautomatic approaches to enable novice users to achieve impactful and realistic images. Consequently, the presented results have the potential of inspiring new artists, while the methods described can also be employed to simplify complex visual content creation tasks.


OBJECTIVES
To shed light on the growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa and to highlight the important role that pharmacists can play in addressing this growing global concern.

SUMMARY
The combination of scarce health care resources, a lack of general awareness and data to drive new policies, and the severe shortage of health workers has contributed to the escalation of chronic disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The profession of pharmacy offers extensive knowledge on disease and medication management that has proven to yield positive health outcomes. Deploying pharmacists from the United States who can train and support community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa and in other resource constrained settings may help address many of the challenges that currently exist.

CONCLUSION
Despite the many challenges sub-Saharan Africa faces in overcoming the current and growing burden of chronic disease, pharmacists can make substantial contributions in addressing these challenges and creating sustainable solutions.


One of the common features of the five Public Health Research Centres of Germany lies in quality assurance and quality improvement of their research activities. The institutionalisation of systems of quality improvement of Public Health Research has to be regarded as innovative, hitherto unparalleled, in the German context. The article deals with the demands on quality improvement confronting empirical research, the possibilities of coming to terms with this challenge, and still unresolved problems of implementation. Demands will be outlined in discussing quality criteria and processes of empirical research, paying special attention to differences between qualitative and quantitative designs of inquiry. The concept of quality improvement, developed in the Munich Public Health Research Centre, applies two basic strategies to meet these demands: enhancement of the transparency of the research process, and the training of research staff. Instruments for quality improvement are introduced: some of them may be applied by the research team itself (such as study protocol, research diary, team discussion) some of them have to be realised by external staff, especially responsible for the process of quality improvement, in cooperation with the research team (quality circles, training, compilation of written material). In conclusion, the implementation of instruments of this kind is discussed, concentrating on the problematic cooperation between research team and external staff.


We use a natural experiment in Indonesia to provide causal evidence on the role of location-specific human capital and skill transferability in shaping the spatial distribution of productivity. From 1979-1988, the Transmigration Program relocated two million migrants from rural Java and Bali to new rural settlements in the Outer Islands. Villages assigned migrants from regions with more similar agroclimatic endowments exhibit higher rice productivity and nighttime light intensity one to two decades later. We find some evidence of migrants' adaptation to agroclimatic change. Overall, our results suggest that regional productivity differences may overstate the potential gains from migration.


Background: Hepatitis B is a dangerous disease with high morbidity and mortality rates all around the world. Vaccination is the most important way to its prevention and control. This cross-sectional study was carried out to study the levels of immunogenicity to hepatitis B vaccine in students. Materials and Methods: Six hundred and forty-four students aged 6–18 years including 316 girls and 328 boys were selected from the Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province. Selected students had been received three doses of recombinant vaccine (0, 1, and 6 months). Blood samples were taken and the titers of hepatitis B surface antigen were studied. Results: From a total of 644 students, 396 (61.5%) had a titer lesser than 10 mIu/ml and 248 (38.5%) had a titer higher than 10 mIu/ml. Therefore, the level of respond to vaccine with 95% confidence was 38.5% (34.7%–42.4%). Levels of respond to vaccine were related to age, body mass index (BMI), and educational level and were not related to sex and habit of students. Conclusion: Reverse significant relation was seen between the respond to vaccine and age and BMI in a way which the titers of antibody were lower in students with higher age and BMI.


Increased circulating levels of glucocorticoids observed in many catabolic conditions play a major role in the induction of muscle atrophy. Indeed, inhibition of glucocorticoid action by glucocorticoid receptor antagonist attenuates and, in some cases, abolishes muscle atrophy. Circulating and tissue levels of IGF-I, a growth factor that stimulates the development of muscle mass, are frequently reduced in response to glucocorticoids. This decline could therefore trigger muscle atrophy in catabolic conditions. Indeed, systemic administration of IGF-I prevents glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. However, use of systemic IGF-I administration is limited by its hypoglycemic and cardiac hypertrophic actions. Moreover, local IGF-I seems to play a more important role in the regulation of muscle mass than systemic IGF-I. Therefore, to limit loss of muscle mass observed in catabolic states, IGF-I administration must mimic as close as possible the autocrine production of IGF-I. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether the restoration of IGF-I muscle content could reverse muscle atrophy induced by glucocorticoids. In this work we have tested the hypothesis that the local decrease in muscle IGF-I content might be responsible for the muscular atrophy induced by glucocorticoids. In our work, we have demonstrated that localized overexpression of IGF-I by gene electrotransfer prevents muscle atrophy in glucocorticoid-treated rats. High rate of fiber transfection and long term gene expression were obtained by combining multiple injection sites of DNA with electroporation. Human IGF-I gene electrotransfer using this optimised protocol resulted in increased muscle IGF-I mRNA and protein levels together with prevention of loss of skeletal muscle mass. Furthermore, alterations in the Akt/GSK-3â/â-catenin signaling pathway caused by glucocorticoids were prevented by local IGF-I gene overexpression. Finally, muscle overexpression of caAkt, dnGSK-3b and ANb-catenin was sufficient to mimic the anti-atrophic effect of IGF-I supporting the role of this signalling pathway in muscle atrophy caused by glucocorticoids. Taken together, our results show, for the first time in vivo, the role of the IGF-I/Akt/GSK-3b/b-catenin pathway in the skeletal muscle atrophy caused by glucocorticoids. In conclusion, our work highlights the crucial role of decreased muscle IGF-I in glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. Indeed, the data presented in this thesis support the fact that the atrophic action of glucocorticoids is in part due to the downregulation of IGF-I, leading to the inhibition of its signalling pathways while restoration of muscle IGF-I levels is able to counteract totally muscle atrophy.


The present work employs a utilization-focused evaluation perspective to ask the big question regarding so-called deradicalization programs: how to evaluate the degree to which a given terrorism risk reduction initiative reduces post-detainment terrorism engagement. Its dual objectives are: (a) to provide a roadmap for conducting such an impact analysis with a utilization-focus, and (b) to highlight some of the unique challenges (both methodologically and theoretically) that face evaluators in the context of evaluating terrorism risk reduction initiatives. Additionally, the appendices of this work contain both a process checklist for conducting an impact analysis of such initiatives, and an evaluation self-assessment tool.


For the purpose of implementating a highly reliable self-commutated power converter system with gate turn-off (GTO) thyristors, we developed for the first time a triple redundant controller for the system. The triple redundant controller consists of triplicated sub-modules that generate gate pulses for each thyristor and voters that select one of the gate pulses from the triplicated sub-modules in 2 out of 3 fashion. The controller continue to provide correct gate pulse even in the presence of a single module fault. On the other hand, selecting gate pulse can cause gate pulse inaccuracy problem. Time lag between gate pulses of the triplicated sub-modules causes gate pulse inaccuracy, and consequently, causes over-voltage to the thyristors which leads to the destruction of the thyristor. We developed a new method of synchronizing the gate pulses of the three sub-modules for gate pulse accuracy, and applied it to the triple redundant controller. As a result, the maximum time lag between the gate pulses of the three sub-modules become under 0.1μs; so it is possible to produce accurate gate pulses even when single module fault occurs. Mean time between failures (MTBF) of the developed controller is shown to be ten times longer than the MTBF of an non redundant controller.


Mapping benthic cover in deep waters comprises a very small proportion of studies in the field of research. Majority of benthic cover mapping makes use of satellite images and usually, classification is carried out only for shallow waters. To map the seafloor in optically deep waters, underwater videos and photos are needed. Some researchers have applied this method on underwater photos, but made use of different classification methods such as: Neural Networks, and rapid classification via down sampling. In this study, accurate bathymetric data obtained using a multi-beam echo sounder (MBES) was attempted to be used as complementary data with the underwater photographs. Due to the absence of a motion reference unit (MRU), which applies correction to the data gathered by the MBES, accuracy of the said depth data was compromised. Nevertheless, even with the absence of accurate bathymetric data, object-based image analysis (OBIA), which used rule sets based on information such as shape, size, area, relative distance, and spectral information, was still applied. Compared to pixel-based classifications, OBIA was able to classify more specific benthic cover types other than coral and sand, such as rubble and fish. Through the use of rule sets on area, less than or equal to 700 pixels for fish and between 700 to 10,000 pixels for rubble, as well as standard deviation values to distinguish texture, fish and rubble were identified. OBIA produced benthic cover maps that had higher overall accuracy, 93.78±0.85%, as compared to pixel-based methods that had an average accuracy of only 87.30±6.11% (p-value = 0.0001, α = 0.05).


Within-country income inequality has risen since the early 1980s in most of the OECD, all transitional, and many developing countries. More recently, inequality has risen also in India and nations affected by the Asian crisis. Altogether, over the last twenty years, inequality worsened in 70 per cent of the 73 countries analysed in this volume, with the Gini index rising by over five points in half of them. In several cases, the Gini index follows a U-shaped pattern, with the turn-around point located between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Where the shift towards liberalization and globalization was concluded, the right arm of the U stabilized at the 'steady state level of inequality' typical of the new policy regime, as observed in the UK after 1990.Mainstream theory focusing on rises in wage differentials by skill caused by either North-South trade, migration, or technological change poorly explains the recent rise in income inequality. Likewise, while the traditional causes of income polarization-high land concentration, unequal access to education, the urban bias, the 'curse of natural resources' - still account for much of cross-country variation in income inequality, they cannot explain its recent rise.This volume suggests that the recent rise in income inequality was caused to a considerable extent by a policy-driven worsening in factorial income distribution, wage spread and spatial inequality. In this regard, the volume discusses the distributive impact of reforms in trade and financial liberalization, taxation, public expenditure, safety nets, and labour markets. The volume thus represents one of the first attempts to analyse systematically the relation between policy changes inspired by liberalization and globalization and income inequality. It suggests that capital account liberalization appears to have had-on average-the strongest disequalizing effect, followed by domestic financial liberalization, labour market deregulation, and tax reform. Trade liberalization had unclear effects, while public expenditure reform often had positive effects.


Abstract The school education system is an important public sphere where popular notions of archaeology and the archaeological past are produced and reproduced. Within the framework of an interpretive public archaeology, schools represent a significant social context in which archaeologists might seek meaningful engagement with the wider community. Analysis of the Queensland Education Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) syllabus reveals that there are many opportunities for the inclusion of Australian archaeology examples in the curricula of both primary and secondary schools. In this paper we develop a public outreach strategy for engaging the Queensland school curriculum and report on two case studies from southeast Queensland where this strategy was implemented.


The political modernization in Nepal accelerated since 1951 when the country changed its course owing to a popular movement that was acclaimed as the beginning of democracy in the country. However, the governments continued cultural and political homogenization.  This has been so in the case of local governance practices as well. Modern governing structures/institutions are guided by the state formed policies and elite-based power structures despite the fact that different ethnic groups in Nepal have their own traditional self-governance systems. In this context, this article unfolds the inheritance of traditional practices of the Tamang community (one of the major ethnic groups of Nepal), in a village, in the district adjoining Kathmandu valley, within the modern structures of governance of forest and school management systems. The paper argues that there is a legacy of the traditional institution, the Choho, though the system of Choho itself has now largely disappeared. This paper, based on ethnographic fieldwork, presents the accounts of Choho and examples of how the particular norms, values, beliefs, and practices are still in practice challenging and denying the modern/state formed mechanisms of governing the forests and schools in the village. The paper further argues that given the modern governance system, the traditional souvenir exchange practice that was rooted in the notion of honour and respect has now shifted towards the practice of giving and receiving gifts based upon the principle of reciprocal benefits that could be described as a bribe.


Anemia is a major public health problem in India affecting over half of population in almost all age groups. It has devastating effect on human health and affects the socio-economic development. Government has devised several programs like National Nutritional Anemia Control Program (NNACP), Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS), National Iron Plus Initiative (NIPI) etc to combat anemia. The facts remain that in spite of all the programs, no marked improvement has been noticed in the magnitude of anemia. A holistic approach is required with special emphasis on community awareness about consequences of anaemia and benefits of Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, uninterrupted supply availability of Iron folic Acid tablets and syrups, hard to reach areas and monitoring and review system to find out adequacy in terms of participation and frequency of meetings and problem-solving in NIPI


This paper presents the experimental and numerical investigations on the interaction between uni-directional focusing waves and a cylinder. Two numerical tools have been used to conduct the investigations. These include the Quasi Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian Finite Element Method (QALE-FEM) based on the fully nonlinear potential theory (FNPT) and the OpenFOAM adopting general flow theory. The unidirectional focusing waves are generated based on the second order wavemaker theory. Both fixed cylinder and moving cylinder subjected to such waves are considered in the investigation. The wave elevations and the pressure time histories on the surface of the cylinder are focused in the paper. The comparison shows that the numerical results from the QALE-FEM can agree very well with experimental data when the cylinder is fixed or moving at a slow speed. However, the difference can be significant when the moving speed is large due to the fact that the potential method cannot model the vortex shedding.


This study was devoted to the formation of a spherulitic pattern in a confined space. Thin poly(methylene oxide) films, one wide and the second of width of average spherulite diameter, were crystallized isothermally at the same temperature and studied. In the narrow sample, the number of spherulites per unit area increased, whereas the length of interspherulitic boundary lines per unit area and the number of triple points, impingement points of three spherulites, per unit area were significantly smaller than in the wide sample. Computer simulation of the spherulitic crystallization demonstrated not only a decrease in the number of boundary lines and triple points per unit area due to limits of space available for the spherulitic nucleation and growth but also differences in the progression of the spherulitic structure formation between wide films and narrow strips. A model of the spherulitic pattern development in narrow strips of the polymer based on probability theory is elaborated. The model allows one to predict the rates of formation of the interspherulitic boundaries and also the distributions of distances from the spherulites centers to the boundaries for an isothermal and a nonisothermal crystallization. The total length of interspherulitic lines and the total number of triple points between spherulites can be also calculated.


The study examined the effect of livelihood activities on food security status of rural households in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 150 households through a multi-stage sampling procedure. The majority of the rural residents were in their economic active years, had diversified their livelihood activities so as to increase their income stream and also mitigate against shocks. The highest food poverty headcount was observed among female crop farming non-farming households with one to six members while all households with more than 12 members were food poor. Severity of food poverty decreased with years of farming experience, educational status and farm size of crop farmers and those engaged in non-farm activities. The probability of a rural household being food poor reduced with household head's attainment of primary education and land ownership but increases with being headed by a woman and having high dependency ratio.


With the crisis in the euro area, the issue of the institutional structure of the monetary union has gained in significance. One problem with regard to the longer-term stability of the euro area is the absence of mechanisms to adequately absorb asymmetric cyclical shocks in the individual member states. Such an instrument is essential in order to be able to implement a single monetary policy suitable for all countries. Consequently, the European Monetary Union should be equipped with an economic transfer mechanism - for instance, in the form of common unemployment insurance. This is not an instrument to solve the current crisis but rather to provide more stability to the European Monetary Union in the medium and long term.


The effect of applying a periodic perturbation to an accessible parameter of various chaotic systems is examined. Numerical results indicate that perturbation frequencies near the natural frequencies of the unstable periodic orbits of the chaotic systems can result in limit cycles for relatively small perturbations. Such perturbations can also control or significantly reduce the dimension of high-dimensional systems. Initial application to the control of fluctuations in a prototypical magnetic fusion plasma device will be reviewed.


The subject of the present invention is microspheres intended to be administered by injection, comprising a protein active ingredient and an agent coating the active ingredient intended to prolong its release, free of any trace of organic solvent and obtainable according to a coating method involving bringing the active ingredient and the coating agent into contact, with stirring, in a supercritical fluid, the said coating agent being soluble in the supercritical fluid. The protein active ingredient is not denatured.


Objectives Care givers may engage in a variety of strategies to try and improve drinking water for children. However, the pattern of these efforts is not well known, particularly for young children in high-risk situations. The objective of this study was to determine care giver-reported strategies for young children with (1) undernutrition and (2) living in an unplanned poor peri-urban community in the Dominican Republic. Methods Practices reported by care givers of young children from a community and clinic group were extracted from interviews conducted between 2004 and 2008 (n = 563). These results were compared to two previous similar samples interviewed in 1997 (n = 341). Results Bottled water is currently the most prevalent reported strategy for improving drinking water for young children. Its use increased from 6% to 69% in the community samples over the last decade and from 13% to 79% in the clinic samples. Boiling water continues to be a common strategy, particularly for the youngest children, though its overall use has decreased over time. Household-level chlorination is infrequently used and has dropped over time. Conclusions Care givers are increasingly turning to bottled water in an attempt to provide safe drinking water for their children. While this may represent a positive trend for protecting children from water-transmitted diseases, it may represent an inefficient approach to safe drinking water provision that may place a financial burden on low-income families.


This dissertation describes a proposed framework of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) of a practitioner who is competent in business ethics, compliance, or integrity should possess. These competencies may be leveraged as key input to selecting content for an institutionalized business ethics (BE) training program.
The research problem for this dissertation was: What competencies are important for job performance of business ethics practitioners in industry and how do their perceptions compare with those of academics?
Triangulation of research methods and data sources—including industry (public service and private sector) and academics, were used to investigate this problem. Phase I consisted of developing a provisional taxonomy of business ethics competencies through the use of the secondary methodology to help design a survey questionnaire.
Phase II involved a survey of academic and industry practitioners implicated in business ethics to empirically validate the conceptually developed provisional taxonomy of business ethics competencies and help identify potentially under or over-emphasized competencies to help make recommendations regarding the selection of business ethics training content by choosing relevant course materials based on competencies and key risks and issues.
Several theoretical and pragmatic contributions to the business ethics training, competency-based management, and risk management bodies of knowledge are made that include:
Institutionalized BE Program (IBEP) parent theory and body of knowledge
A model for content selection for BE instruction is developed to help guide future selection and tailoring of training content based on baseline competencies and organizational context.
Competency-Based Management (CBM) parent theory and body of knowledge
A conceptually and empirically developed and content validated proposed business ethics competency model that may serve to guide future research in this neglected area is provided.
Risk Management (RM) parent theory and body of knowledge
Given the rapid pace of technological, social, economic, and other constant changes faced by organizations, future competency identification is made possible by the proposed enhancement of traditional environmental scanning methods to include new dimensions to the risk identification process through the creation of an extended environmental scanning model (STEEP LEDGES). Also, the traditional risk assessment framework is enhanced by adding prevalence, a third dimension to augment likelihood and impact that should help assess current and new risks and issues using the extended risk assessment model (LIP).


PURPOSE
To compare the accuracy of occlusal stabilization appliances fabricated by digital workflows to those fabricated by conventional workflows.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In total, 10 volunteers were recruited in this single-blinded crossover study. All volunteers received two types of occlusal stabilization appliances: a digital additively manufactured stabilization splint (DS) and a conventionally fabricated splint (CS). The accuracy was assessed using a 4-point rating scale addressing two aspects of the occlusal appliances: occlusal contact and basic performance. In addition, silicone impression materials were used to assess the gap between the appliance and the maxillary arch to ensure an accurate fit. Differences were quantitatively assessed with Mann-Whitney U test and independent-sample t test.

RESULTS
The occlusal contact rating of DS (15.90 ± 1.73) was significantly higher than that of CS (14.10 ± 1.10, P < .05). The basic performance rating of DS (8.70 ± 0.48) was also significantly higher than that of CS (7.20 ± 0.92. P < .05). Quantitative evaluation of fit accuracy revealed a statistically significant difference (P < .05), with DS (636.29 ± 268.51 μm) being superior to CS (704.2 ± 306.05 μm).

CONCLUSION
The stabilization splints fabricated with a digital workflow showed better accuracy than the conventionally fabricated splints in terms of occlusal contact, basic performance, and fit accuracy. Because this is a pilot study, formal trials with a completely digital fabrication workflow will be conducted in the future.


Wafer bonding is an established technology for the manufacturing of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidic devices. Low temperature direct bonding techniques can be of particular interest for the fabrication of monolithic radiation sensors. Such techniques allow the joining of various absorbers on the backside of thinned CMOS circuity without intermediate layers or through vias. This paper presents a method for the electrical characterization of such bonded interfaces based on the Transient Current Technique (TCT). This method can be extended to the investigation of any type of solid-state devices.


Prior studies have defined multiple, but inconsistent, roles for the enigmatic pattern recognition receptor NLRX1 in regulating several cancer-associated biological functions. In this study, we explore the role of NLRX1 in the highly metastatic murine 4T1 mammary tumor model. We describe a functional dichotomy of NLRX1 between two different cellular contexts: expression in healthy host cells versus expression in the 4T1 tumor cells. Using Nlrx1-/- mice engrafted with 4T1 tumors, we demonstrate that NLRX1 functions as a tumor suppressor when expressed in the host cells. Specifically, NLRX1 in healthy host cells attenuates tumor growth and lung metastasis through suppressing characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the lung metastatic niche. Conversely, we demonstrate that NLRX1 functions as a tumor promoter when expressed in 4T1 tumor cells using gain- and loss-of-function studies both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, NLRX1 in the tumor cells augments 4T1 aggressiveness and metastasis through regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition hallmarks, cell death, proliferation, migration, reactive oxygen species levels, and mitochondrial respiration. Collectively, we provide critical insight into NLRX1 function and establish a dichotomous role of NLRX1 in the 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma model that is dictated by cellular context.


ABSTRACT This article presents a hermeneutical epistemology for the assessment and production of truth-claims in journalism. This epistemology is based on Gadamer's functional hermeneutics, and it advances the concept of source criticism as an alternative to other practices and understandings of information verification in journalism. The article argues that source criticism is a better approach to bridge the gap between news and truth in journalism in a time of "information disorder". Source criticism is a common concept in certain journalistic cultures, for instance in Scandinavia, but it needs revision due to current developments in digital information networks. A modern version of source criticism offers great value to journalism as (1) guidelines for the practical assessments of sources and source material, (2) a professional attitude related to what it takes to produce truth-claims, and (3) a tool to perform audits of journalism. The article ends with highlighting three norms for journalistic practice and audits of journalism. These norms, which contain operationalisation of source criticism as journalistic epistemology and methodology, are: (1) harness truth-claims with modesty; (2) deploy interpretive transparency; and (3) operationalise self-reflective truth-claims.


A new generation of local three-body potentials providing an excellent description of the properties of light nuclei, as well as of the neutron-deuteron doublet scattering length, has been recently derived. We have performed a comparative analysis of the equations of state of both pure neutron matter (PNM) and symmetric nuclear matter (SNM) at zero temperature obtained using these models of three-nucleon forces. In particular, we have carried out both variational and auxiliary field diffusion Monte Carlo calculations of the equation of state of PNM, while in the case of SNM we have only the variational approach has been considered. None of the considered potentials simultaneously explains the empirical equilibrium density and binding energy of symmetric nuclear matter. However, two of them provide reasonable values of the saturation density. The ambiguity concerning the treatment of the contact term of the chiral inspired potentials is discussed.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with progressive cognitive decline leading to dementia. The atrophy/loss of brain structure as seen on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is strongly correlated with the severity of the cognitive impairment in AD. In this paper, we set out to find associations between predefined regions of the brain (regions of interest; ROIs) and the severity of the disease. Specifically, we use these associations to address two important issues in AD: (i) typical versus atypical atrophy patterns and (ii) the origin and direction of progression of atrophy, which is currently under debate.
 We observed that each AD-related ROI is associated with a wide range of severity and that the difference between ROIs is merely a difference in severity distribution. To model differences between the severity distribution of a subpopulation (with significant atrophy in certain ROIs) and the severity distribution of the entire population, we developed the concept of Distributional Association Rules. Using the Distributional Association Rules, we clustered ROIs into disease subsystems. We define a disease subsystem as a contiguous set of ROIs that are collectively implicated in AD. AD is known to be heterogeneous in the sense that multiple sets of ROIs may be related to the disease in a population. We proposed an enhancement to the association rule mining where the algorithm only discovers association rules with ROIs that form an approximately contiguous volume. Next, we applied these association rules to infer the direction of disease progression based on the support measures of the association rules. We also developed a novel statistical test to determine the statistical significance of the discovered direction.
 We evaluated the proposed method on the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) prospective patient cohorts. The key achievements of the methodology is that it accurately identified larger disease subsystems implicated in typical and atypical AD and it successfully mapped the directions of disease progression.
 The wealth of data available in Radiology gives rise to opportunities for applying this methodology to map out the trajectory of several other diseases, e.g. other neuro-degenerative diseases and cancers, most notably, breast cancer. The applicability of this method is not limited to image data, as associating predictors with severity provides valuable information in most areas of medicine as well as other industries.


INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
Prescription drug misuse and related harms have been increasing considerably over the past decade. At the same time, there has also been rapid growth in the use of online and Internet technologies. Thus, it is important that we understand the role online and Internet technologies play in prescription drug misuse.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Published work addressing the role of technology in prescription drug misuse is explored. Topics include: Internet supply, online monitoring of prescription drug use trends and electronic prescription monitoring.

RESULTS
Little is known about the prevalence of acquiring prescription drugs from online pharmacies. Prescription drugs are easily accessible through vendor websites, and 'rogue' no-prescription websites have proven difficult to control. There has so far been limited application of real-time monitoring to prevent overuse of prescription medications. Online monitoring of drug use trends may also prove to be a useful and timely source of information about new methods of 'off-label' prescription drug use.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Technology has the potential to play a more prominent role in facilitating drug acquisition, while also enhancing the monitoring and prevention of prescription drug misuse. As technology becomes more ubiquitous in everyday life, the continued investigation of its relationship with prescription drug misuse becomes even more important.


This paper describes a novel method for image corner detection based on the curvature scale-space (CSS) representation. The first step is to extract edges from the original image using a Canny detector (1986). The corner points of an image are defined as points where image edges have their maxima of absolute curvature. The corner points are detected at a high scale of the CSS and tracked through multiple lower scales to improve localization. This method is very robust to noise, and we believe that it performs better than the existing corner detectors An improvement to Canny edge detector's response to 45/spl deg/ and 135/spl deg/ edges is also proposed. Furthermore, the CSS detector can provide additional point features (curvature zero-crossings of image edge contours) in addition to the traditional corners.


Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Titanium Elastic Nailing (TEN) used in the surgical treatment of pediatric femoral shaft fractures and the effect of the complications to the outcome. Another objective was to assess the changing of Limb Length Discrepancy (LLD) and angulation degree with prolonged follow-up time and to evaluate whether the patient had a functional problem because of this situation. Methods: Thirty children between the ages of 6 and 15 who had femur shaft fractures were evaluated. The times of operation, ambulation, bone union and follow-up were recorded. Post-operative complications were evaluated between 1996-2016 with at least 24 Months follow up. Results: The mean follow-up was 52.5 ± 49.0 months (range 24-240). The mean varus angulation was 3.2 ± 5.1 degrees. The length of the fracture side was approximately 0.71 ± 0.58 cm (range 0-2.09 cm) longer than the intact side. There were eight patients with LLD of 1-2 cm. There was no statistically significant relationship between the type, location, and age of fracture of the LLD (P> 0.05). It was evaluated according to Flynn's criteria. According to this, 12 (40%) of the patients' results were excellent, 14 (46.7%) were good, and four were poor. Conclusion: TEN is an effective, easy, fast treatment method and has minimal complications for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in childhood. Most complications can be reduced by performing basic principles and technical directions. Although LLD is a common complication of childhood femur fractures, the disease does not present a functional problem in daily life.


Over the last century, a large body of literature emerged on mechanisms driving speciation. Most of the research into these questions focussed on terrestrial systems, while research in marine systems lagged behind. Here, we review the population genetic mechanisms and geographic context of 33 potential cases of speciation with gene flow in the marine realm, using six criteria inferred from theoretical models of speciation. Speciation with gene flow occurs in a wide range of marine taxa. Single traits, which induce assortative mating and are subjected to disruptive selection, such as differences in host-associations in invertebrates or colour pattern in tropical fish, are potentially responsible for a decrease in gene flow and may be driving divergence in the majority of cases. However, much remains unknown, and with the current knowledge, the frequency of ecological speciation with gene flow in marine systems remains difficult to estimate. Standardized, generally applicable statistical methods, explicitly testing different hypotheses of speciation, are, going forward, required to confidently infer speciation with gene flow.


Abstract : "Understanding Command and Control" is the first in a new series of CCRP Publications that will explore the future of Command and Control (C2). This book begins at the beginning: focusing on the problem(s) Command and Control was designed (and has evolved) to solve. It is only by changing the focus from "what" Command and Control is to "why" Command and Control is that the U.S. military will place itself in a position to move on. Although transformation, which is inarguably about disruptive innovation, is a major policy objective of not only the DoD, but militaries throughout the world, these commitments to transformation have yet to shift the focus of Command and Control analysis and experimentation to the other side of the discontinuity. This series is meant to stimulate and contribute to the exploration of the other side. The purpose of the book is to provide the conceptual foundation for the C2 research and experimentation necessary to develop and explore the new C2 approaches needed for this transformation. In developing and presenting this foundation, the authors are unwaveringly focused on the future, not the past. While the foundation presented can be used to understand traditional approaches to C2, its value lies in its ability to help the military understand new network-centric approaches. The intended audience is very broad because, without a broad-based understanding of C2, progress is problematical. At the same time, the authors also are addressing issues crucial to the C2 community, from practitioners to theoreticians.


This dissertation reports on experimental research into the effects of text- and reader- characteristics on text comprehension and text appreciation of less-skilled readers of the vmbo (Dutch Prevocational Education) for their study texts at school. In the first study we investigated to what extent the common assumption that vmbo-pupils have a negative reading motivation and reading attitude is true. In the second study we examined to what extent the reading attitude of vmbo-pupils affects their comprehension skills. The results show no causal effect between reading attitude and text comprehension scores. Pupils do not become better readers if they like reading, and a good comprehension of study texts does not lead to a better reading attitude. In the third study, we reported an empirical study of the effects of integrating structure characteristics in the text comprehension and appreciation of vmbo-pupils. We used eight experimental texts which we based on the real study texts from the vmbo-study books. We constructed two versions of each text: one fragmentized (without connectives and structure signals and with each sentence starting on a new line) and one integrated version (with connectives, structure signals and integrated sentences). The content of the text was kept constant in both versions. A large group (582) of pupils of the vmbo had to read three text versions of different texts and they answered appreciation questions and three different types of comprehension questions. The results show that vmbo-pupils score higher on comprehension questions after reading an integrated text than after reading a fragmentized text. The results do not show an influence of text manipulation on text appreciation. In the fourth study, we examined the effect of identification increasing characteristics (the presence of a (fictive) person, the description of emotions these persons have, a personal point of view (eye-witness), and use of the present tense) in the text comprehension and the text appreciations of vmbo-pupils. We constructed an reading experiment with eight texts, all based on real study texts. For each text we constructed two versions, a formal version and an identification version. Vmbo-pupils had to read three different text versions and they answered appreciation and comprehension questions. The results show that vmbo-pupils score higher on comprehension questions after reading a formal text than after reading a text with identification increasing characteristics. The results also show that vmbo-pupils appreciate a text with identification increasing characteristics more. In a second reading experiment we predicted an interaction effect between integrating structure characteristics and identification increasing characteristics. The results do not point towards an interaction between style and structure characteristics. In a third experiment we examined to what extent the characteristics point of view and narrative time (use of past or present tense) attribute to the effects we found for identification increasing characteristics. The results show no effect of point of view and narrative time on text comprehension. However, we do find an effect on appreciation: pupils are most appreciative of texts that are set up in the past tense with an eye-witness point of view.


ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 02 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Malaria is one of the killer diseases posing serious threat across the globe. Managing malaria has become a big challenge due to the drug resistance. Now considering the global trend, there is an immense need to discover novel antimalarial drug. There is variety of routes available, in that especially, computer aided molecular drug discovery is one of the successful emerging platform to develop drug molecules. Vivax malaria is the one area which is not addressed in depth at the global level due to the lack of attention towards the severity and relapse patterns of the disease. NMyristoyl transferase is one of the iconic molecular drug targets in protozoans and also recently validated as significant target for Plasmodium vivax. Nucleus of the study is to discover obvious and selective NMT inhibitor by constructing a pharmacophore model, atom based 3D-QSAR using thirty two known NMT small molecule inhibitors. Our effort was to construct a five point pharmacophore model with three hydrogen bond acceptor (A), one hydrophobic group (H), and one aromatic ring (R) so that they are more biologically responsive. Followed by that, attempt to build robust 3D-QSAR model yielded significant values such as regression R2 (0.9311) and correlation co-efficient Q2 (0.7909) which further highlights that we have identified the best -in -class QSAR model. Resultant best model was employed as a 3D query to screen against large chemical database, Zinc in order to find new scaffolds. Docking studies of the newly identified scaffolds revealed five new hit molecules possessing unique ability to interact with NMT. It further warrants that the identified molecules could be taken further to assess its efficacy under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Above all, this study may serve as a new horizon in the antimalarial drug discovery. K e y w o r d s Malaria, Plasmodium vivax, N-myristoyl transferase, Pharmacophore modeling, QSAR, Antimalarial drug discovery Accepted: 10 January 2018


It has been observed that 30–40% of the cancer can be avoided by only changing the life style and way of taking diet. Gerson Therapy advices a meal which is rich in salad, cooked vegetables, and potatoes which are highly baked soup and juices of vegetables. Increased intake of fruits reduce gastric cancer incidence.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate after two years, the survival rate of glass ionomer cement (GIC) sealants placed in primary molars of six to eight year-olds and as part of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restoration.

DESIGN
A longitudinal clinical study.

SETTING
Matungulu/Kangundo rural divisions, Machakos district, Kenya.

SUBJECT
A total of 804 six to eight year-olds from rural Kenya received a sealant as part of a proximal restoration placed in a primary molar using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach.

RESULTS
The two-year cumulative survival of the sealants was 10.9%, and the survival of the sealants was not significantly affected by the GIC material brand and the tooth-isolation method used. However, slightly more sealants survived when Fuji IX and rubber dam tooth- isolation method were used.

CONCLUSION
The two-year survival rate of the sealants was poor and was not significantly influenced by the GIC material or the tooth-isolation method used.


RNA levels in a cell are regulated by the relative rates of RNA synthesis and decay. We recently developed a new approach for measuring both RNA synthesis and decay in a single experimental setting by biosynthetic labeling of newly transcribed RNA. Here, we show that this provides measurements of RNA half-lives from microarray data with a so far unreached accuracy. Based on such measurements of RNA half-lives for human B-cells and mouse fibroblasts, we identified conserved regulatory principles for a large number of biological processes. We show that different regulatory patterns between functionally similar proteins are characterized by differences in the half-life of the corresponding transcripts and can be identified by measuring RNA half-life. We identify more than 100 protein families which show such differential regulatory patterns in both species. Additionally, we provide strong evidence that the activity of protein complexes consisting of subunits with overall long transcript half-lives can be regulated by transcriptional regulation of individual key subunits with short-lived transcripts. Based on this observation, we predict more than 100 key regulatory subunits for human complexes of which 28% could be confirmed in mice (P < 10−9). Therefore, this atlas of transcript half-lives provides new fundamental insights into many cellular processes.


Fully optimized semiempirical quantum-chemical calculations of photochromic spiropyrans are presented. The vertical ionization potentials are calculated and their variation with substitutions are correlated to experimental oxidation potentials. The effects of the substitutions are studied and the partial charges on indoline and pyran components generated by HOMO are found to be responsible for the variations. The deactivating groups on the indoline ring system and deactivating groups on the pyran system increase the ionization potential and, consecutively, the oxidation potential. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 75: 111–117, 1999


Porphyromonas gingivalis is the primary etiologic agent of periodontal disease that is associated with other human chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. The ability of P. gingivalis to invade and persist within human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) has been postulated to contribute to a low to moderate chronic state of inflammation, although how this is specifically achieved has not been well defined. In this study, we demonstrate that P. gingivalis infection of HAEC resulted in the rapid cleavage of receptor interacting protein 1 (RIPK1), a mediator of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-1 (TNF-R1)-induced cell activation or death, and RIPK2, a key mediator of both innate immune signaling and adaptive immunity. The cleavage of RIPK1 or RIPK2 was not observed in cells treated with apoptotic stimuli, or cells stimulated with agonists to TNF-R1, nucleotide oligomerization domain receptor 1(NOD1), NOD2, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) or TLR4. P. gingivalis-induced cleavage of RIPK1 and RIPK2 was inhibited in the presence of a lysine-specific gingipain (Kgp) inhibitor. RIPK1 and RIPK2 cleavage was not observed in HAEC treated with an isogenic mutant deficient in the lysine-specific gingipain, confirming a role for Kgp in the cleavage of RIPK1 and RIPK2. Similar proteolysis of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was observed. We also demonstrated direct proteolysis of RIPK2 by P. gingivalis in a cell-free system which was abrogated in the presence of a Kgp-specific protease inhibitor. Our studies thus reveal an important role for pathogen-mediated modification of cellular kinases as a potential strategy for bacterial persistence within target host cells, which is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation, a hallmark of pathogen-mediated chronic inflammatory disorders.


The development of Information Systems which are effective (i.e. satisfy users' needs) and flexible enough to incorporate future changes of user requirements basically depends on the importance given to the requirements analysis stage and to the techniques employed for their development This paper presents a new approach to requirements analysis through an environment called VENUS. The VENUS environment provides a set of tools to support the requirements capture and analysis process so that design and development is more effective and flexible. The construction of user requirements starts by first constructing an Entity-Relationship Model which is then transformed to an Object-oriented Rule-based Model (ORM) where rules are used for the definition of the behaviour of each object class. ORM is then mapped to a graphical Petri-net based model and is validated by employing graphical animation and exploiting formal properties of the underlying Petri-net formalism.


AZD6738 is a potent and selective orally bioavailable kinase inhibitor of ataxia telangiectasia and rad3 related (ATR). Here we report the pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo and biological profile of AZD6738. ATR is a serine/threonine protein kinase involved in DNA damage response signalling caused by DNA replication associated stress. Activation of ATR at stalled replication forks leads to suppression of replication fork origin firing, promotes repair and S/G2-cell cycle checkpoints to prevent premature mitosis and maintain genomic integrity. Failure to resolve damage leads to genomic instability and if sufficiently high, cell death. Stalled replication forks may collapse leading to formation of DNA double stranded breaks and activation of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase. ATM works in conjunction with ATR to efficiently resolve replication associated DNA damage creating a co-dependency with loss of one leading to a greater reliance on the other to maintain genomic stability. ATM is frequently inactivated across B-cell malignancies, head and neck, breast and lung cancers through chromosomal deletion, promoter hypermethylation or mutation. ATM-deficient tumours are hypothesised to be more reliant on ATR for survival and specific inhibition of ATR may lead enhanced anti-tumour activity while minimizing normal tissue toxicity. AZD6738 demonstrates this preclinical profile. AZD6738 inhibits the phosphorylation of direct downstream substrate CHK1 while increasing the phosphorylation of ATM-dependent substrate CHK2 and DNA damage marker γH2AX. This is associated with impaired S-phase cell cycle progression with prolonged inhibition causing cell death, indicative of replication fork stalling, collapse and irreversible damage. AZD6738 is active as a single agent across cancer cell line panels but shows enhanced sensitivity in cell lines with ATM-pathway defects. AZD6738 when used in combination with DNA damaging inducing agents' gemcitabine, cisplatin or ionising radiation (IR) shows enhanced synergistic cell killing activity. In vivo, AZD6738 monotherapy treatment leads to significant anti-tumour activity in ATM-deficient but not ATM-proficient xenograft models at equivalent, tolerated doses. When AZD6738 is used in combination with carboplatin or IR anti-tumour growth inhibitory activity or regression is observed. AZD6738 in vivo activity is also associated with a persistent increased γH2AX staining in tumour tissue but only a transient increase in normal bone marrow or gut tissue suggesting a favourable therapeutic index can be achieved. Early pre-clinical safety studies support these findings with target related bone marrow suppression, neutropenia and GI tract impact only at high-doses. These data merit further investigation of AZD6738 as a monotherapy or in combination with chemo or radiotherapy. Citation Format: Sylvie M. Guichard, Elaine Brown, Rajesh Odedra, Adina Hughes, Dan Heathcote, Jen Barnes, Alan Lau, Steve Powell, Clifford D. Jones, Willem Nissink, Kevin M. Foote, Philip J. Jewsbury, Martin Pass. The pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo activity of AZD6738: A potent and selective inhibitor of ATR kinase. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3343. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3343


Online social media plays an important role in the marketing communications mix of many companies. Thus, scholars have recently tried to uncover patterns that have a positive impact on the effectiveness of social media communication, predominantly focusing on message characteristics. Although a lot of valuable insights have been generated, it remains unclear what the drivers of 'super successful posts' (SSP) are. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to reveal why a very small proportion of social media posts significantly outperform the majority of other posts. For this purpose, we employed case evidence from the automotive industry and collected 2,000 Facebook posts. In regard to the numbers of likes, comments, and shares, the 20 most successful posts each were selected. After removing the duplicates, a final sample of 42 SSP remained. With an explorative multi-level approach, including two focus group sessions, an in-depth analysis was conducted for every post. Aiming to capture a comprehensive picture, we also investigated the context of each post beyond the online environment. With our analysis, we reveal five typical patterns of social media excellence (co-branding, wow effect, cognitive task, timing, and campaign). In addition, we further elaborate on four selected SSP to enhance the understanding of underlying mechanisms. Among other things, our findings encourage practitioners to employ a broader view when planning social media posts. Thus, the understanding about the five patterns of SSP may support practitioners in enhancing the popularity of their future posts.


ABSTRACT Variation has been reported in the amount of DNA accumulating on the skin of individuals. A shedder status is the propensity of a person to transfer DNA to a substrate by touch. In previous tests of shedders, individuals washed their hands and after 15 minutes made contact with substrates at time points up to 180 minutes after handwashing. No examination has looked at the accumulation of cellular material between time zero and this 15 minute time point. Here we present the results of an examination of cellular material within thumbprints at time points 0, 2, 5, 15 and 60 minutes after handwashing using donors who are representative of heavy, intermediate and light shedders. The rate of accumulation of cellular material and the total amount detected in thumbprints showed a difference between these donors, but for all donors the initial rate of accumulation is surprisingly fast. Informative STR profiles can be generated only 2 minutes after handwashing from 100%, 33% and none of the heavy, intermediate and light shedders, respectively. These results confirmed that there was a correlation between the cellular material present on the thumbprint and the percentage success of an STR profile for each individual and time point.


The million degree plasma of the solar corona must be supplied by the underlying layers of the atmosphere. The mechanism and location of energy release, and the precise source of coronal plasma, remain unresolved. In earlier work, we pursued the idea that warm plasma is supplied to the corona via direct heating of the chromosphere by nanoflares, contrary to the prevailing belief that the corona is heated in situ and the chromosphere is subsequently energized and ablated by thermal conduction. We found that single (low-frequency) chromospheric nanoflares could not explain the observed intensities, Doppler-shifts, and red/blue asymmetries in Fe xii and xiv emission lines. In the present work, we follow up on another suggestion that the corona could be powered by chromospheric nanoflares that repeat on a timescale substantially shorter than the cooling/draining timescale. That is, a single magnetic strand is re-supplied with coronal plasma before the existing plasma has time to cool and drain. We perform a series of hydrodynamic experiments and predict the Fe xii and xiv line intensities, Doppler-shifts, and red/blue asymmetries. We find that our predicted quantities disagree dramatically with observations and fully developed loop structures cannot be created by intermediate- or high-frequency chromospheric nanoflares. We conclude that the mechanism ultimately responsible for producing coronal plasma operates above the chromosphere, but this does not preclude the possibility of a similar mechanism powering the chromosphere, extreme examples of which may be responsible for heating chromospheric plasma to transition region temperatures (e.g., type II spicules).