Catalysis is one of the most important methods to obtain products in a selective and sustainable manner, i.e. in an environmental responsible manner. To be able to modify and optimize these catalytic production pathways, it is important to obtain knowledge on the reaction mechanisms occurring. X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy is a very powerful technique to obtain detailed electronic and structural information about the homogeneous catalysts in their chemical active environment, in situ and time-resolved, and derive structure – performance relationships and reaction mechanisms. In this thesis the application of XAFS spectroscopy in homogeneous catalytic systems is explored. Theory and data-analysis procedures to reliable analyze and interpret the obtained XAFS data, and instrumentation to monitor homogeneous catalytic reactions in situ and in a time-resolved mode were developed. A number of important homogeneous reactions are studied in detail. In the standard scanning data acquisition mode, EXAFS spectra are obtained in timescales that vary from minutes to hours. An alternative data acquisition method, i.e. the energy dispersive (ED) mode, has been developed which allows short collection times and thus enables structural information on dynamic systems. The ED-XAFS technique is further developed to apply to homogeneous catalytic systems. Moreover, a new set-up was developed to allow simultaneous time-resolved UV-Vis and ED-XAFS measurements (Chapter 2). The limited amount of applications of XAFS spectroscopy in homogeneous catalysis so far is most likely due to the complicated data-analysis of EXAFS data of organometallic compounds. In Chapter 3 a new refined data-analysis procedure is developed which accurately analyzes these EXAFS data. Application of the difference file technique while fitting in R-space, allows one to examine the different individual contributions to the total EXAFS spectrum in detail. In combination with the use of different k-weightings, antiphase behavior of different contributions can be detected and accounted for. The procedure is solely based on EXAFS parameters making it applicable to every EXAFS spectrum. Although crystal structures of many homogeneous catalysts are known, the structures in reaction medium are often not clear. Characterizing the organometallic compounds in reaction medium (solution) reveals essential structural information, which directly establishes structure-selectivity relationships in important Cu and Pd catalyzed reactions as shown in Chapters 3 and 6a. In Chapter 4 we demonstrate that X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) directly probes molecular orbitals. The negative second derivative of these XANES data provides direct information on the energy and charge distribution within the different molecular orbitals. The corresponding orbital interaction diagrams are determined. Theoretical density functional and FEFF8 calculations validate the results obtained. The XANES spectroscopy technique described can be applied to in principle every kind of sample. The introduction of substituents at the para-position of the NCN-pincer ligand benzene ring allows one to tune the metal center of the complex electronically and consequently the reactivity of the catalytically active pincer. In Chapter 5 we have used the Atomic XAFS contributions in the Pt L2,3 XAFS spectra of [PtCl(NCN)-Z] pincer complexes to probe the electron density changes on the Pt atom. The results validate the AXAFS technique and the AXAFS theoretical interpretation in particular. Theoretical FEFF8 calculations predict the proper effects and trends. AXAFS is thus a powerful technique to probe the electronic properties of Pt and principally, of every atom, similar yet complementary to NMR. Moreover, XAFS measurements can be performed in situ and time-resolved so the changes in electronic properties can be monitored during reaction. The novel time-resolved ED-XAFS/UV-Vis set-up was used to elucidate the deactivation pathway of palladium catalysts and to gain insights into the catalytic cycle of a copper catalyzed amination reaction. In Chapter 6b, the size and nature of the different inactive Pd-clusters formed during the allylic substitution reaction as a function of ligand and solvent are studied in detail. In Chapter 7 it is shown that the application of a wide range of spectroscopic techniques gives detailed structural and electronic information on the reaction intermediates involved in the Cu(II)-catalyzed arylation reaction. In combination with catalytic results, a novel, unexpected reaction mechanism for this important Cu(II) catalyzed arylation of aza-compounds has been proposed.


Intermittently connected mobile networks are wireless networks where most of the time there does not exist a complete path from source to destination, or such a path is highly unstable and may break soon after it has been discovered. In this context, conventional routing schemes would fail. To deal with such networks we propose the use of an opportunistic hop-by-hop routing model. According to the model, a series of independent, local forwarding decisions are made, based on current connectivity and predictions of future connectivity information diffused through nodes' mobility. The important issue here is how to choose an appropriate next hop. To this end, we propose and analyze via theory and simulations a number of routing algorithms. The champion algorithm turns out to be one that combines the simplicity of a simple random policy, which is efficient in finding good leads towards the destination, with the sophistication of utility-based policies that efficiently follow good leads. We also state and analyze the performance of an oracle-based optimal algorithm, and compare it to the online approaches. The metrics used in the comparison are the average message delivery delay and the number of transmissions per message delivered.


The way in which China is selecting its top leaders is perhaps changing, reflecting some new socio-cultural trends in current Chinese elite politics. Xi Jinping has at least three things going for him: his princeling background, his clean reputation and his pro-business performance. However, before 2012 he has yet to pass several other tests before possibly stepping into Hu Jintao's shoes, especially those concerned with diplomatic affairs.


Preventing pipeline from rapid crack propagation is a critical issue to avoid casualties and disasters. In this paper, by combining the energy balance theory with FEM simulation and arrest criteria, the numerical analysis is developed to solve the problem of crack dynamic propagation in gas pipeline. This simulation, in combination with the full-scale blast tests, provides a broad prediction of the dynamic fracture process. The crack tip opening angle (CTOA) criterion is consummated through the comparison between CTOA in FEM calculation and the critical value of (CTOA)C obtained by the experiment. The result of the simulation for the crack speed and location is consistent with data by Alliance and Japanese full-scale blast tests.


The concept of sharing electric vehicles (renting them for one or several hours or a fraction of an hour) has been around for a while. I describe the ongoing Intelligent Transportation System/Electronic Vehicle (ITS/EV) Yokohama project, which is demonstrating an EV sharing system for business use. The project's goal is to find real customers at the demonstration site and to develop ways to minimize operating costs.


PURPOSE
Nurses increasingly use mindfulness as an effective mental health intervention to reduce psychological distress. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions remains inconclusive, which may lead to implementation of interventions in an inefficient or ineffective manner. This study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among nurses.

DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched using six databases published through May 20, 2023, which evaluated the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing psychological distress among nurses. To assess the quality of methodology included in the RCTs, version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias instrument for RCTs with five domains was used. Standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the random-effects model in the meta-analyses. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's regression test. Further, the robustness effect size of the pooled analysis was assessed using leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.

FINDINGS
A total of 16 RCTs were included in the final analysis. Overall, the modalities appeared to alleviate stress (pooled SMD: -0.50 [95% CI: -0.82 to -0.18]; p < 0.001) and depression (pooled SMD: -0.42 [95% CI: -0.78 to -0.06]; p = 0.02) among nurses.

CONCLUSION
Mindfulness-based interventions appear to alleviate stress and depression in nurses. Future research evaluating mindfulness-based interventions among working nurses with more rigorous methodological and larger sample size.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Support for nurses' mental health must be included while implementing personal and professional development plans.


Representative polyoxometalates with proven bio‐active properties, namely {Sb9W21}, {P2W18} and {Mo7O24}, were encapsulated into chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) to afford nanoscale composites. The pristine POMs were characterized with a wide range of analytical techniques, including powder X‐ray diffraction as well as FT‐IR and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Size and morphology of their nanocomposites were determined within the 100–200 nm size range by dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods in combination with scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Their stability was monitored by UV/Vis and DLS measurements over several days. The cytotoxicity of pristine and encapsulated POMs was investigated on HeLa and MRC‐5 cell lines, representing cancer and normal cell lines, respectively. Our results suggest that CMC encapsulation enhances the specificity towards cancer cells, especially in treatment approaches where a lower drug dose would be required. The anticancer activity of POMs emerged as a dynamic property that depends on manifold parameters, such as the POM structure, the polymeric drug carrier type, and the investigated cell line.


In this study, the consequences of treatment with brake pad particles on kidney and spleen were evaluatedthrough microscopic anatomy sections for 60 male albino mice. The animals were divided into six groups, the first three groups (A,B,C)  were exposed to brake pad particles depending on periods of exposure (4, 8, and 12weeks, respectively), while the other three groups were control groups,designated asF, which were exposed to laboratory fresh air only. A special locally-designed inhalation chamber was used to expose the animals. The exposure dose to brake pad particles (total suspended particles) was 2.228 µg/m³ for 30 min/day, 5 days/week,4, 8 and 12 weeks.The statistical analysis showed that the weights of organs for both kidney and spleen of treated mice had highly significant differences (P< 0.01) compared with control groups.The histological sections examination of the kidney, when compared with the control group, showed subcapsular tubular vascular degeneration and mild cortical focal hemorrhage in group A that was exposedto brake pads particlesfor 4 weeks. In group B, the exposure for 8 weeks resulted in cortical vascular degeneration, cortico-medullary vascular congestion, focal interstitial nephritis, and thickening of interstitial tissue.Other effects included marked dilation of collecting ducts with tubular vascular degeneration, necrosis, glomerular degeneration and deterioration, and cast formation. Group C, exposed for 12 weeks , showed similar changes of the kidney to those of group B. As related to spleen sections,they demonstrated mild subcapsular vascular degeneration of lymphocytes in group A,while the exposure in group Bresulted in moderate amyloid deposits with hemosiderosis, along withmild subcapsular vascular degeneration of lymphocyteswithin the red pulp. In group C, which was treated for 12 months, severe splenomegaly with advanced secondary splenic amyloidosis was also observed within the red pulp.It was characterized by marked deposited acellular and amorphous pinkish homogenous material within red pulp.The continuous exposure to brake pad particles causes harmful effectson the tissues ofessential body organs in human health.These particles should be thought-about as a sort of additional air pollutants in several cities of Iraqin the future.


This essay attempts to articulate South African women's efforts to assert their voices and presence in an oppressive and discriminatory society through literary forms. Throughout colonial times to the present, white women and black women lived in a patriarchal society which systematically disempowered them politically, economically, and socially. In this male dominated society, women like Olive Schreiner in colonial times, Miriam Tlali in apartheid times and Sindiwe Magona in post-apartheid times, used literary art to assert themselves. This in itself was a feminist struggle to change societal perceptions and stereotypes. Literature was thus used as a tool for education, development and self-empowerment. Of particular interest here is the literary projects of a white woman, Olive Schreiner and how, through her novel, The Story of an African Farm, she emerges from being 'otherized' in a male dominated society. Keywords :Oppressive and Discriminatory Society, Literary, Patriarchal Society, Post-Apartheid, Stereotypes.


With the recent development of printed electronics on flexible substrate, urge for low temperature sintering process has emerged. In the frame of temperature sensitive substrates like plastics (PET, ABS, PC, etc.) conventional convective oven cannot be suitably used to achieve near‐bulk electrical resistivity. Consequently, several alternative sintering technologies have been reported and tested. In this present work, the prospective advantage of variable frequency sintering is studied for selective and fast sintering of metal inks. This variable frequency mode (VFM) improves the distribution of the electromagnetic field within the cavity and impedes arcing phenomena that could happen on metal surface. Inkjet-printed devices were processed using a VFM mode with a central frequency of 6.425 GHz with a bandwidth of 1.15 GHz and a sweep rate of 0.1 second has been used. A solid calibration step is required for temperature measurements and control during the process. The procedure includes a camera-based observation coupled with a pyrometer and an optic fiber. A reliable determination of the substrate and ink emissivity is compulsory to tailor the temperature feedback so as to not overcome the substrate's glass transition. The direct impact of microwave has been analyzed comparatively to conventional sintering assisted sintering where a thermally conductive susceptor or matrix is exploited. A huge shrink in electrical resistivity is particularly observable for samples prepared with conventional rapid thermal annealing (RTA), while those prepared in VFM quickly exhibit resistivities below 8 μΩ.cm, about 6 time the silver bulk resistivity. The electrical resistivity shrinkage is mainly originating from the contribution of the grain size. Through a strong coupling between microwave and silver nanoparticle, selective sintering of metallic parts is achieved on low temperature substrates enabling very low electrical resistivity without damaging the plastic substrate. These promising results open ways to successful implementation of microwave sintering in industrial process for flexible electronic application.


Taking advantage of multilayer technologies, a vertical evolution of the interdigital topology is proposed with its associated synthesis method. In order to validate this filter topology, a 4-pole filter, centered at 10 GHz, and an 11-pole filter, centered at 6 GHz, have been designed and fabricated using low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Two other multipole filters have also been designed showing a large surface reduction with respect to equivalent interdigital filters. LTCC technology has been chosen for fabricating the filters, but the proposed topology can also be implemented with other multilayer technologies.


Abstract It is well-known by now that Derrida's book Of Grammatology turned out to bear an ironic title, insofar as it develops very little what a grammatology could be. Rather than inaugurating the science of this arche-writing, Derrida concludes that such a thing would be impossible, for a variety of reasons. I'm interested, however, in the consequences of arche-writing for both animals and literature. A careful reading of Derrida can demonstrate that he has always been a patient thinker of the status of animality even before his more openly ›animalist‹ late texts. Derrida himself states in his lecture »But as for me, who am I (following)?« that ›the theme of the animality of writing‹ had always been one of his main concerns (cf. Derrida 2008). Therefore, can the animality of writing make possible a Derridean thinking of the animal alongside that of writing? Or, in other words, can his work on arche-writing be read as a thesis of an arche-animality? If writing as a technique of embodiment reverberates with animalised meaning, what would a literary theory look like that focused on the arche-animality that makes possible the bodily signs of texts? A literary theory attentive to the animality of writing could no longer determine that only some texts are zoopoetic – animality would be a condition of textuality. But, on the other hand, a radical thinking of the animality of writing beyond the metaphysics of body and soul threatens to turn signs into mere things, representing nothing. My main argument is that most of what has come to be known as Literary Animal Studies performs in its methods precisely the opposite of what it aims to do with its object. And this enmeshing of method and object is precisely what I argue that an animalistic theory of literature provides. I hope to show that a dismissal of literary form is itself a speciesist procedure. But more than that, and as some sort of proof, I shall argue that we inherit signification itself – that is, the push into ›reality‹ effected by form – from animality, to the extent that to overlook the procedure of signification is to miss what it means to be an animal, either diminishing it to a Thing, or neutralising the very discourse of species that produces the difference between ›the human‹ and ›the animal‹. I start with a review of an array of position papers by literary scholars defining what they see as Literary Animal Studies, highlighting where I believe they fall short and where they point towards an animalistic understanding of signification. Following that, I offer my approach to Literary Animal Studies by grounding it on a theoretical discussion of the interrelatedness of textuality and animality – which results in what I name a zoogrammatology. Beyond that, however, I suggest that zoogrammatology might be in fact impossible, an impossibility that I hope demonstrates how complex the issue of animality can be for literary scholars and philosophers. The productive critical struggle resulting from zoogrammatology is then briefly illustrated with a reading of Ted Hughes' The Though-Fox which focuses on the graphemic technique employed by the poem to mimic a fox's footprints, with consequences to the poetic project of representing animality.


The water quality monitoring plays an important role in water contamination surveillance and guides the water resource protection for safe and clean water. A flexible automated real-time water quality monitoring and alarm system based on the wireless sensor network(WSN) is proposed. The WSN is built in accordance with Zigbee communication protocol, which consists of the sensor nodes, route nodes and coordinator node. The sensor nodes based on cheap and efficient sensors (pH electrode, dissolved oxygen electrode, temperature senor) and wireless transreceiver collect the environmental data and transmit to the coordinator node via the route nodes. The data are sent to the remote monitoring center with the help of GPRS. The time synchronous algorithm is adopted to wake up all the nodes in the network to improve the stability and reliability of the communication. The long-time measurement results verify the real time and accuracy in data acquisition and stability and reliability in communication. The system meets the requirements of water quality monitoring, and has great practical value.


The main aim of the study was to investigate how professionals (in this case, teachers and health visitors) enable students to learn during field-work placements. The authors analyse interactions between students and supervisors and suggest ways in which learning may be fostered. A 'fly on the wall' technique was used, where the researcher with a tape recorder accompanied student and supervisor during contact with class or client, and then on the following feedback session. There follows an analysis of the interactions. Examples are quoted, which fall into a number of categories and are discussed from two viewpoints: the common elements which characterise supervision and are not particularly professionspecific, and the way in which supervisors fostered learning through reflection-in-action.


Peer passengers are a significant risk factor for young drivers experiencing collisions and other adverse driving outcomes. A number of studies have tested the effect of peer passengers on driving behaviour, but few have manipulated contextual variables, such as social evaluation, that predict risky behaviour in other contexts. Further, it is not clear how individual susceptibilities to peer influence, such as physiological stress, interact with contextual variables to affect risky behaviour. The current study explored whether social evaluation (via social rejection or social acceptance) affect driving outcomes acceleration, speed, and lane positioning) and if the type of social evaluation affects perception of risky peer norms. Individual differences, including physiological stress and sensitivity to social evaluation, were measured to determine if they moderate the relationship between social evaluation and driving outcomes. A total of 75 adolescents and young adults between the ages of 17 and 25 years were randomized to complete the study alone or with a confederate who was instructed to socially accept or socially reject them, as well as model risky or risk-averse driving norms. Results indicated that peer passengers and peer driving norms, regardless of the social-evaluative context, did not generally affect mean values of driving outcomes, but did affect variability in driving outcomes, particularly in intersections. Physiological stress and perceptions of social acceptance also predicted driving outcomes, such that participants who had higher mean heart rates and felt more socially accepted by the confederate had more variability in their driving outcomes. These findings suggest that peer passengers increase variable, or inconsistent, driving patterns, perhaps due to passengers distracting young drivers from road conditions. Further, feeling socially accepted increases the strength of the relationship between presence of peer passengers and inconsistent driving patterns, indicating that social rewards may precede risky behaviour more often than social threats do.


Saturated two-phase fluid flows are often subject to pressure induced oscillations. Due to compressibility the vapor bubbles act as a spring with an asymmetric non-linear characteristic. The volume of the vapor bubbles increases or decreases differently if the pressure fluctuations are compressing or expanding; consequently, compressing pressure fluctuations in a two-phase pipe flow cause less displacement in the direction of the pipe flow than expanding pressure fluctuations. The displacement depends on the ratio of liquid to vapor, the ratio of pressure fluctuations over average pressure and on the exciting frequency of the pressure fluctuations. In addition, pressure fluctuations in saturated vapor bubbles cause condensation and evaporation within the bubbles and change periodically the ratio between liquid to vapor, and influence the dynamical parameters for the oscillation. The oscillations are conforming to an isenthalpic process at constant enthalpy with no heat transfer and no exchange of work. The paper describes the governing non-linear equation for twophase fluid oscillations with condensation and evaporation, and presents steady state approximate solutions for free and for pressure induced oscillations. Resonance criteria and stability are discussed. Keywords—condensation, evaporation, non-linear oscillations, pressure induced, two-phase flow


In this dark comedy of errors, Iris Murdoch portrays the mischief wrought by Julius, a cynical intellectual who decides to demonstrate through a Machiavellian experiment how easily loving couples, caring friends, and devoted siblings can betray their loyalties. As puppet master, Julius artfully plays on the human tendency to embrace drama and intrigue and to prefer the distraction of confrontations to the difficult effort of communicating openly and honestly.


Stack gas and fly ash samples were collected in two steel plants and three cement kiln plants for the determination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). A standard sampling method (U.S EPA method 23) was used following the requirements for isokinetic sampling of stack gas emission. The quantification of PCDD/Fs was done by high resolution gas chromatography, coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/ HRMS). The results demonstrated that PCDD/F concentrations in steel plants varied from 0.234 to 0.577 ng/Nm 3 on a mass basis, and 0.048 to 0.166 ng/Nm 3 on a TEQ basis. In cement kiln plants, the mass concentration varied from 0.280 to 5.32 ng/Nm 3 , while TEQ concentration varied from 0.033 to 0.837 ng TEQ/Nm 3 . In general, PCDD/F emissions from steel industry in Vietnam were slightly lower than those reported for European Union, and were comparable to those reported for Taiwan and Korea. A similar trend was observed for the emissions of PCDD/Fs from cement kiln industry in Vietnam. PCDD/F emission factors for steel and cement kiln industries were also estimated to compare with the guidelines of the UNEP for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) inventory.


We predict that it is possible to achieve a purely voltage-driven switching of a ferromagnet using spin-dependent resonant tunneling. In a configuration of two exchange-coupled magnets through a resonant-tunneling barrier, application of a voltage leads to a resonant enhancement and an oscillatory nature of the exchange coupling. The peak equivalent exchange field is strong enough to switch typical ferromagnets used in scaled magnetic memory devices. The switched configuration is retained once the electric field is removed since the equilibrium exchange coupling is negligible, suppressed by large barriers. Bidirectional switching is possible with the same polarity of the voltage, unlike conventional magnetic memory devices where a bidirectional current or a magnetic field is necessary. Further, the threshold of switching is decoupled from the speed, due to the conservative nature of the exerted torque. This is very different from the conventional spin-torque devices that exhibit a trade-off due to the nonconservative nature of the switching torque. We further show that the structure shows an oscillation in the magnetoresistance (MR) stemming from the resonant tunneling. Interestingly, the MR is higher for smaller voltages while the exchange field is higher for larger voltages---this is promising for efficient read and write operations in potential memory applications.


Multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) films with spontaneously formed periodic stripe domains can generate above-gap open circuit voltages under visible light illumination, nevertheless the underlying mechanism behind this intriguing optoelectronic response has not been understood to date. Here, we make contact-free measurements of light-induced currents in epitaxial BFO films via detecting terahertz radiation emanated by these currents, enabling a direct probe of the intrinsic charge separation mechanisms along with quantitative measurements of the current amplitudes and their directions. In the periodic stripe samples, we find that the net photocurrent is dominated by the charge separation across the domain walls, whereas in the monodomain samples the photovoltaic response arises from a bulk shift current associated with the noncentrosymmetry of the crystal. The peak current amplitude driven by the charge separation at the domain walls is found to be two orders of magnitude higher than the bulk shift current response, indicating the prominent role of domain walls acting as nanoscale junctions to efficiently separate photogenerated charges in the stripe domain BFO films. These findings show that domain-wall-engineered BFO thin films offer exciting prospects for ferroelectric-based optoelectronics, as well as bias-free strong terahertz emitters.


Over the past 50 years, vertically integrated multinationals dominated global food markets by providing huge product diversity at low prices. Such systems are characterized by long supply chains capable of achieving high cost efficiencies resulting from the use of cheap raw materials, high chemical inputs, industrial shelf-life extension processes, economies of scale and mechanization. This dominant position on the market, however, has been achieved at a heavy cost on the global environment, generated by massive food wastage, and by a steady supply of fossil fuels. For such reasons, global supply chains are considered unsustainable and new food systems are being promoted in order to replace them on the long run. It is generally recognized that, in order to be sustainable and competitive a food system must be based on shortened/local supply chains thus reducing the inefficiencies of multiple marginalization. The current market situation, characterized an ever increasing request for higher quality standards, healthy eating, and a lower carbon footprint is an ideal environment for the growth of such systems. In this context, Short food supply chains (SFSCs), as defined in Reg.(EU) n.1305/13, have been recently proposed alternative food systems able to create a direct relationship between producers and consumers and to provide quality products and long-term sustainability. Due to their peculiarities, however, SFSCs require proper methodologies to respond to timely adapt market demand fluctuations and to manage perishable inventories. This paper, in particular, focuses on the logistics of SFSCs and proposes a methodology for optimal inventory management, with the aim to preserve the shelf-life (freshness, safety, nutritional properties etc..) of the products, as well as to ensure supply chain efficiency. A numerical application is proposed in order to prove the effectiveness of the mode.


Author(s): Vasquez, Hector Garcia | Advisor(s): Zocchi, Giovanni | Abstract: The subject of consciousness is a debated and open question on all levels of inquiry. There is no general consensus for its definition, nor is there agreement in the minimum number of computational units required to produce a conscious experience or to perform the simplest stimulus-response tasks. The unknowns persists down to the interaction between two neurons. When one neuron fires, competing theories exist for how a downstream neuron uses this signal. A novel, experimental system was developed in the Zocchi lab to explore these questions with a constructivist approach. We call this system the Artificial Axon (AA), and it is the first artificial system to produce an action potential with a voltage-gated ion channel outside of the cell. The long-term direction for the Artificial Axon in our lab is toward a large network of Axons to probe the surface of consciousness with a "brain-like" system. There are many challenges to overcome before such a network is realized. However, we are approaching the end of early development for this system.My experimental work with the Artificial Axon is in the development of the computational unit for this future network. Because the microscopics of the Artificial Axon and the neuron are the same – both are driven by the voltage-gated ion channel – we expect overlap between the neuron and the computational unit of the AA in response to input and communication of output. I show that this is certainly the case. I demonstrate that the Artificial Axon is a logic gate, capable of performing simple Boolean logic. I produce a firing rate in the Artificial Axon, a crucial property in neuron communication and computation. I develop an electronic connection between Axons, and describe its immediate potential for information storage in a larger network. I end the thesis with a demonstration of two Axons performing a simple task. Namely, I use two Axons to steer an RC car toward a light source.


EEG coherence was measured between pairs of three different subjects during a one-hour period practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program. Coherence between subjects was evaluated for two sequential fifteen minute periods. On six experimental days, these periods preceded and then coincided with a fifteen minute period during which 2500 students participated in the TM-Sidhi program at a course over 1000 miles away. After the course had ended coherence was evaluated on six control days. It was found that intersubject coherence was generally low, between 0.35 and 0.4, with coherence in the alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (16-20 Hz) frequencies significantly higher than at other frequencies. On the experimental days, intersubject EEG coherence increased during the experimental period relative to the fifteen minute baseline period immediately preceding the experimental period. Coherence increased significantly from baseline to experimental periods on experimental days compared with control days (p = 0.02). This effect was particularly evident in the alpha and beta frequencies. The results reinforce previous sociological studies showing decreased social disorder in the vicinity of TM and TM-Sidhi participants and are discussed in terms of a field theoretic view of consciousness.


Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis viruses (TMEVs) belong to the Picornaviridae family and are divided into two groups, typified by strain GDVII virus and members of the TO (Theiler's original) group. The highly virulent GDVII group causes acute encephalitis in mice, while the TO group is less virulent and causes a chronic demyelinating disease which is associated with viral persistence in mice. This persistent central nervous system infection with demyelination resembles multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans and has thus become an important model for studying MS. It has been shown that some of the determinants associated with viral persistence are located on the capsid proteins of the TO group. Structural comparisons of two persistent strains (BeAn and DA) and a highly virulent strain (GDVII) showed that the most significant structural variations between these two groups of viruses are located on the sites that may influence virus binding to cellular receptors. Most animal viruses attach to specific cellular receptors that, in part, determine host range and tissue tropism. In this study, atomic models of TMEV chimeras were built with the known structures of GDVII, BeAn, and DA viruses. Comparisons among the known GDVII, BeAn, and DA structures as well as the predicted models for the TMEV chimeras suggested that a gap on the capsid surface next to the putative receptor binding site, composed of residues from VP1 and VP2, may be important in determining viral persistence by influencing virus attachment to cellular receptors, such as sialyloligosaccharides. Our results showed that sialyllactose, the first three sugar molecules of common oligosaccharides on the surface of mammalian cells, inhibits virus binding to the host cell and infection with the persistent BeAn virus but not the nonpersistent GDVII and chimera 39 viruses.


This article uses the Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances to examine the debt holdings of near-retirees (aged 50-61) in 1995 and 2004. Employing a variety of measures of household borrowing, we find that near-retirees in 2004-the leading edge of the baby-boom cohort--had more consumer and housing debt than their counterparts in 1995. We observe a modest increase in the median debt service and debt-to-assets ratios between the two cohorts, but no statistical difference in the average ratios. Analysis of several demographic and socioeconomic subgroups reveals certain population segments, such as households headed by single women, with significantly higher debt service ratios in 2004. We discuss the implications of these trends for the retirement income security of older baby boomers and suggest further avenues of research.


This paper aims to analyse the social and political determinants behind the proliferation of shari'a regional regulations at regional levels in Indonesia. Most studies have argued that Islamist groups are the key proponents of the implementation of shari'a in the public arena in the form of laws or regulations. It has been argued elsewhere that support for shari'a regional regulations in certain regions stems from a cultural movement expressing local religious identity. From this perspective, Islamist groups have influenced local political leaders, legislatures and various other political actors to implement shari'a in their regions as a way to recognise their cultural identities. In contrast, this paper argues that it is the political elites themselves who have played a pivotal role in adopting shari'a as a basis for regional regulation. This study is based on extensive research in several regions in Indonesia where shari'a regional regulations have been implemented — Aceh in Sumatra, Padang in West Sumatra, Cianjur in West Java, and Makassar in South Sulawesi. We argue that in each of these cases elites have manipulated religious sentiment to serve their own political interests. This helps to explain the recent stagnation in the introduction of new shari'a regional regulations. In many cases, politicians who initially supported the enactment of shari'a lost interest as soon as the political returns began to diminish.


In both cases of quark-antiquark (Q-Qbar) and three-quark (3Q) systems, we study ground-state and low-lying excited-state potentials in terms of the gluon-momentum component in the Coulomb gauge in SU(3) quenched lattice QCD. By introducing UV-cut in the gluon-momentum space, we investigate the "UV-gluon sensitivity" of the ground-state and excited-state potentials quantitatively. Such a non-quark-origin excitation is a purely gluonic excitation, which can be interpreted as a stringy excitation in the color flux-tube picture of hadrons. For both Q-Qbar and 3Q systems, the IR part of the ground-state potential is almost unchanged, even after cutting off high-momentum gluon component. On the other hand, we find more significant change of excited-state potential by the cut of UV-gluons. However, even after the removal of UV-gluons, the magnitude of the low-lying gluonic excitation remains to be of the order of 1GeV.


The applicability of a synthetic zeolite (type 4A, Union Carbide Corp., Linde Div., New York, N.Y.) as a disruptive agent in a procedure for the preparation of pure bacterial cell wall fractions from a variety of phenol-killed gram-negative, gram-positive, and acid-fast bacteria was demonstrated. The disruptive effect was found to be limited with formaldehyde-killed gram-positive cells and most gram-positive cocci killed either by phenol or formaldehyde.


In this paper we obtain the scaling law for the mean broadcast time of a file in a P2P network with an initial population of N nodes. In the model, at Poisson rate lambda a node initiates a contact with another node chosen uniformly at random. This contact is said to be successful if the contacted node possesses the file, in which case the initiator downloads the file and can later upload it to other nodes. In a network with altruistic nodes (i.e., nodes do not leave the network) we show that the mean broadcast time is O(log(N)). In a network with free-riding nodes, our main result shows that a O(log(N)) mean broadcast time can be achieved if nodes remain connected to the network for the duration of at least one more contact after downloading the file, otherwise a significantly worse O(N) time is required to broadcast the file.


In order to take the advantage of the specific property of sericin to improve wear property of cotton fabric, cotton fabric was finished with sericin. Sericin was fixed onto the surface of cotton fabric in the presence of poly-carboxylic acids (CA and BTCA) at high temperature using a pad-dry-cure process. The effects of catalyst concentration, pH value, curing temperature and curing time on the finish were investigated. The optimized finishing conditions for cotton fabric were obtained. The weight gain of treated fabric with BTCA as crosslinking agent was higher than CA. The whiteness, breaking strength, moisture regain, permeability to gas and crease recovery properties of treated fabrics were measured. The results showed that wrinkle recovery angle evidently increased, and the wrinkle recover angle of BTCA combined secrin treated fabric was higher than CA. The breaking strength, moisture regain and whiteness of the treated fabric slightly decreased, the permeability to gas of cotton fabrics were not changed.


In the quest to achieve better response times in dense urban environments, law enforcement agencies are seeking AI-driven planning systems to inform their patrol strategies. In this paper, we present a framework, OFFICERS, for deployment planning that learns from historical data to generate deployment schedules on a daily basis. We accurately predict incidents using ST-ResNet, a deep learning technique that captures wide-ranging spatio-temporal dependencies, and solve a large-scale optimization problem to schedule deployment, significantly improving its scalability through a simulated annealing solver. Methodologically, our approach outperforms our previous works where prediction was done using Generative Adversarial Networks, and optimization was performed with the CPLEX solver. Furthermore, we show that our proposed framework is designed to be readily transferable between use cases, handling a wide range of both criminal and non-criminal incidents, with the use of deep learning and a general-purpose efficient solver, reducing dependence on context-specific details. We demonstrate the value of our approach on a police patrol case study, and discuss both the ethical considerations, and operational requirements, for deployment of a lightweight and responsive planning system.


We propose a novel Bayesian hierarchical structure of state-space surplus production models that accommodate multiple catch per unit effort (CPUE) data of various fisheries exploiting the same stock. The advantage of this approach in data-limited stock assessment is the possibility of borrowing strength among different data sources to estimate reference points useful for management decisions. The model is applied to thirteen years of data from seven fisheries of the lebranche mullet ( Mugil liza ) southern population, distributed along the southern and southeastern shelf regions of Brazil. The results indicate that this modelling strategy is useful and has room for extensions. There are reasons for concern about the sustainability of the mullet stock, although the wide posterior credibility intervals for key reference points preclude conclusive statistical evidence at this time


Imaging experiments of ultrafast phenomena of matter at nanometre-scale require intense, short pulse duration and diffraction-limited soft–X-ray beams, nowadays almost only provided by free-electron lasers. Here, we focused on a table-top soft–X-ray source, which fulfils these fundamental criteria and in addition presents high temporal coherence, the high harmonics generated with a two-colour field (ω+2ω). These harmonics revealed to be free from aberration just by slightly spatially filtering the laser used for generation (ω). Indeed, the measured wavefront distortions, equal to λ/17 RMS at 44 nm, correspond to a diffraction-limited beam. This behaviour is explained by an additional spatial nonlinear filtering effect of the driving laser wavefront, induced here in our particular but simple geometrical configuration of generation by the 2ω component.


Observations: Papillon-Lefevre Syndrome (PLS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, periodontitis which causes premature loss of both deciduous and permanent teeth and recurrent pyogenic infections. Topical keratolytics, antibiotics and retinoids, such as isotretinoin and acitretin, have been used in the treatment of PLS. We report a 5 years old girl with palmoplantar hyperkeratosis and chronic eye infection persisting over 1,5 years. She also defined recurrent skin lesions which began as purple lesions that evolved into abscesses and finally healed with scars on her hips, trunk and scalp. All deciduous teeth were previously lost due to chronic swelling and bleeding of the gums, except for two molars. Acitretin (10 mg/day) in combination with topical-PUVA therapy twice weekly was initiated. Additionally, she also used keratolytic preparation containing 5% salicylic acid in 10% urea and pure vaseline for palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. An improvement on the palmoplantar hyperkeratosis and chronic eye infection was observed after 4 sessions of topical PUVA therapy and within 6 weeks of therapy respectively. Four months after initiating treatment with acitretin, she had new permanent teeth.


We report on the utilisation of a full polarimetric subsurface borehole radar measuring system for efficient characterisation of subsurface fractures. This system can measure the full polarisation (HH, HV, VV and VH) of electromagnetic waves for one borehole, and thus enables us to obtain more information about subsurface fractures compared to that obtained from conventional borehole radar systems, which usually use only single polarisation. Polarimetric datasets have been acquired at several sites, particularly at Mirror Lake, USA, which is a well known site for testing subsurface fractures. Nine fracture sets were observed in one borehole, FSE-1, in the Mirror Lake site. These were divided into four category fracture sets depending on polarimetric analysis of alpha, entropy and anisotropy decomposition analysis of scattering behaviour from fractures at frequency 30 MHz. We found that the characterised four fractures sets have the highest hydraulic permeable zones at depths of 24.75 m, and 47.80 m. The lowest hydraulic permeable zones were found to be at 28.50 m, 36.15 m and 44.80 m. These results show a good consistency with the hydraulic fractures permeability tracer test that was done by USGS. To validate these conclusions we implemented numerical simulation for a synthesised fractures property using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. Here, we used a plane wave as an electromagnetic source with frequency ranging from 1 MHz to 200 MHz, and monitored the electromagnetic scattering for various fractures. We found that distributions of alpha, entropy and anisotropy polarimetric parameters differ with the fracture roughness property which validates the polarimetric analysis of the measured data. The polarimetric borehole radar has the ability to characterise subsurface fractures. Nine fracture sets were characterised into four category fractures depending on polarimetric analysis of alpha, entropy and anisotropy decomposition. Validation of these results was implemented by numerical simulation for a synthesised fractures property using the Finite Difference Time Domain method.


This study aimed to test the relations of perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviours from coaches with athletes' sport performance during competition in a context of female aesthetic group gymnastics. In line with self-determination theory, it was expected that the sequence of perceived psychological needs satisfaction and autonomous motivation, and psychological needs frustration and controlled motivation would mediate these relationships. Female aesthetic group gymnasts (n=128) ages 11–20 years completed self-report measures of perceived autonomysupportive and controlling behaviours from coaches, athletes' needs satisfaction and needs frustration, including the need for novelty, as well as athletes' autonomous and controlled motivation. Athletes' objective performance during the competition was also obtained. Results from the single-indicator structural equation modelling analyses revealed a positive, indirect relationship between perceived autonomy-supportive behaviour from coaches and athletes' performance mediated by the sequence of needs satisfaction and autonomous motivation. Significant indirect relationship between perceived controlling behaviour from coaches and athletes' performance mediated by the sequence of needs frustration and controlled motivation was not followed. However, a negative direct relationship of controlled motivation, instigated by needs frustration, on athletes' performance was evident. Findings suggest that perceived autonomy-supportive behaviour from coaches is an essential antecedent to athletes' performance in a female aesthetic group gymnastics.


Crossed testicular ectopia (CTE) is a rare congenital anomaly of testicular descent in which migration of one testis towards the opposite inguinal canal. The ordinary presentation is that of ipsilateral inguinal hernia and contralateral cryptorchidism. Here, a 2-year-old boy presented in surgical outpatient department with right inguinal hernia and impalpable testis in left scrotum and inguinal canal. Right herniotomy was performed. Left testis was brought to the left scrotum through transceptal window.


Primarily intended as a research guide for HUM 135, this guide provides resources relating to the pursuit and evaluation of Native American literature.


This paper examines the relationship between the official and parallel exchange rates, in three Caribbean countries, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad, during the 1985-1993 period using cointegration, Granger causality, and reduced form methods. The official and parallel rates are cointegrated in all three countries, but with significant average disparity between them in Guyana and Trinidad, which unlike Jamaica applied infrequent and large adjustments to their official rates. The causation is bi-directional in the case of Jamaica and uni-directional, with changes in the official rate Granger causing changes in the parallel rate, in the cases of Guyana and Trinidad, reflecting the difference in their official exchange rate policies. Our reduced form estimates indicate that exchange controls, expansionary fiscal and monetary policy, and changes of government mostly have the expected positive effect on the black market premium. After past values of the premium, exchange controls exert the strongest impact on the premium.


The Eighty Years' War and the partition of the Low Countries led to the publication of numerous chorographical works on towns and regions in the Northern and Southern Netherlands. This book offers a comparison of these histories reflecting political change and promoting new identities.


Entity set expansion (ESE) aims at obtaining a more complete set of entities given a textual corpus and a seed set of entities of a concept. Although it is a critical task in many NLP applications, existing benchmarks are limited to well-formed text (e.g., Wikipedia) and well-defined concepts (e.g., countries and diseases). Furthermore, only a small number of predictions are evaluated compared to the actual size of an entity set. A rigorous assessment of ESE methods warrants more comprehensive benchmarks and evaluation. In this paper, we consider user-generated text to understand the generalizability of ESE methods. We develop new benchmarks and propose more rigorous evaluation metrics for assessing performance of ESE methods. Additionally, we identify phenomena such as non-named entities, multifaceted entities, vague concepts that are more prevalent in user-generated text than well-formed text, and use them to profile ESE methods. We observe that the strong performance of state-of-the-art ESE methods does not generalize well to user-generated text. We conduct comprehensive empirical analysis and draw insights from the findings.


An innovative wave-based time-domain passivity approach applied to a four-channel nonlinear teleoperation system is proposed. The primary objective of this approach is to enhance system transparency while maintaining stability in the presence of random time delays. The system stability for different scenarios of human and environment condition is analyzed. The method is validated through experimental work based on a 3-DOF bilateral teleoperation system. The experimental results show that the proposed control algorithm can robustly guarantee the system stability, and simultaneously provide better performance than methods developed in previous work.


Abstract Soluble amino acids in roots and primary amino acids, which were involved in primary ammonium assimilation, in the metabolites of 14C-glucose fed to roots for 3 h in the dark were analyzed in the roots of non-nodulated soybean and pea plants grown in ammonium, nitrate or nitrogen-free media for 1 day. Compared with the effect of nitrate, ammonium supply strongly affected the content and synthesis of the amino acids in the roots. In both soybean and pea roots, the supply of ammonium increased considerably the concentrations of the primary amino acids, and asparagine was the most predominant amide, followed by glutamine. In nitrate-supplied soybean roots, the concentrations of asparagine, aspartate and alanine increased, but the concentration of glutamine was low. In the roots of pea plants grown in nitrate media, asparagine was the predominant amino acid, although the composition of the primary amino acids was little affected by nitrate supply. The proportion of amino acids synthesized from 14C-glucose increased and asparagine rather than glutamine was predominantly synthesized in ammonium-supplied soybean and pea roots, whereas in nitrate-supplied roots asparagine was more actively synthesized than glutamine, although asparagine was not predominant. The ratio of C4 (asparagine + aspartate) to C5 (glutamine + glutamate) amino acids was twofold higher in ammonium-supplied and nitrate-supplied soybean roots than in roots receiving no nitrogen. In contrast, in pea roots, the C4/C5 ratio was twofold higher only in ammonium nutrition. The results obtained suggest that the roots of leguminous plants might possess an indigenous ability to provide a carbon skeleton for preferential synthesis of asparagine rather than glutamine with a high intensity of ammonium supply.


: In 1989, St. Joseph Medical Center initiated a community-based nursing case management program with two nurses providing care to high-risk, chronically ill, frail elderly patients. This program has expanded to five registered nurses actively following over 120 patients. Target populations now served have expanded to include: frail elderly, high-risk pregnant women, premature infants, AIDS patients, and those with chronic physical and mental illness. The nurse manages and coordinates the care for patients through all settings (community and hospital), brokering services, acting as a patient advocate, and giving traditional hands-on care as needed. Outcomes analysis has shown that, after nursing case management intervention, the patients demonstrated a 71% decrease in admissions to the medical center, a 21% decrease in length of stay, and a 64% decrease in Emergency Room usage. Nursing case management helps to prevent patients' health problems from becoming more complex. Consequently, managing their health effectively requires fewer, less costly resources while achieving improved patient outcomes.


This resource guide presents practical approaches to conducting a citywide economic competitiveness assessment. This is relevant for assessing cities and wider city-regions. The guide includes guidance on how to choose local economic development (LED) indicators and tools that can be used to collect and analyze data and assess the overall competitiveness of the local economy. The guide is intended for the people and organizations involved in the local economy assessment and strategy development processes, including mayors and municipal managers, strategy process leaders, and LED practitioners. Given the diverse interests of this target group, users are encouraged to make selective and creative use of the guide based on the interests, context, and capacities of their local communities. To make the guide accessible to different audience needs, it is split into two sections: the first provides an overview of key issues and tools; and the second provides detailed practical guidance useful for conducting the local economy assessment.


Rationale: Despite the widespread popularity of opioid analgesics, significant differences in the potency and effectiveness of these drugs are often observed across age groups. Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to examine age-related differences in sensitivity to the antinociceptive effects of mu opioids and to identify the conditions under which these differences are most apparent. Methods: In a warm-water tailwithdrawal procedure, young (3 months) and aged (24 months) male rats were habituated to restraint and the latencies to remove their tails from 50°C (low nociceptive intensity) and 55°C (high nociceptive intensity) water were measured. Opioids possessing a range of intrinsic efficacy at the mu receptor (morphine, levorphanol, buprenorphine, butorphanol, nalbuphine, nalorphine) were examined. Results: Young and aged rats were equally sensitive to the antinociceptive effects of morphine, levorphanol, and buprenorphine when tested at the low nociceptive intensity. When these drugs were tested at the high nociceptive intensity, differences between the two age groups became apparent, such that aged rats were significantly more sensitive to the antinociceptive effects of these drugs than young rats. Differences between age groups were most apparent when butorphanol, nalbuphine, and nalorphine were tested, in that each of these drugs produced maximal levels of antinociception in aged rats under conditions in which they failed to produce antinociceptive activity in young rats. Under conditions in which lower efficacy opioids failed to produce antinociceptive activity in young rats, they antagonized the effects of morphine in drug combination tests. Conclusions: These data may be taken as evidence that aged male rats are more sensitive to the antinociceptive effects of mu opioids than young male rats, and that age-related differences in opioid sensitivity are most apparent when lower efficacy opioids and higher nociceptive intensities are employed during behavioral testing.


Combined effects of acid rain and lanthanum on growth of soybean seedling (Glycine max) and its inherent mechanism were studied in this paper. Compared with treatments by simulated acid rain (pH 3.0, 3.5, 4.5) or rare earth La(III) (60, 100 and 300 mg x L(-1)), the decrease degree of growth parameters in combined treatments was higher, indicating that there were a synergistic effects between acid rain and La. Moreover,the inhibition effects of acid rain and La(III) were more obvious when pH value of acid rain was lower or the concentration of La(III) was higher. The changes of photosynthetic parameters were similar to those of growth, but the decrease degree of each parameter was not same in the same treatment group. The decrease degree of optimal PSII photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and chlorophyll content (Chl) were 9.35%-22.75% and 9.14%-24.53%, respectively, lower than that of photosynthetic rate Pn (22.78%-84.7%), Hill reaction rate (15.52%-73.38%) and Mg2+ -ATPase activity (14.51%-71.54%), showing that the sensitivity of photosynthetic parameters to the combined factors was different. Furthermore, relative analysis showed that the change of Pn were mainly affected by Hill reaction rate and Mg2+ -ATPase activity, and was less influenced by Chl and Fv/Fm. It indicates that the effect of acid rain and La on each reaction in photosynthesis was different, and the inhibition of combined treatments on photosynthesis in plants was one of the main factors affecting growth of plant.


The development of cancer is driven by complex genetic and epigenetic changes that result in aberrant and uncontrolled cellular growth. Epigenetic changes, in particular, are implicated in the silencing or activation of key genes that control cellular growth and apoptosis and contribute to transformative potential. The purpose of this review is to define and assess the treatment strategy of "episensitization," or the ability to sensitize cancer cells to subsequent therapy by resetting the epigenetic infrastructure of the tumor. One important facet is resensitization by epigenetic mechanisms, which goes against the norm, i.e., challenges the long-held doctrine in oncology that the reuse of previously tried and failed therapies is a clinically pointless endeavor. Thus, episensitization is a hybrid term, which covers recent clinically relevant observations and refers to the epigenomic mechanism of resensitization. Among the many formidable challenges in the treatment of cancer, the most inevitable is the development of acquired therapeutic resistance. Here, we present the basic principles behind episensitization and highlight the evidence suggesting that epigenetically mediated histone hypoacetylation and DNA hypermethylation events may reverse clinical drug resistance. The potential reversibility of epigenetic changes and the microenvironmental impact of epigenetic control on gene expression may mediate a return to a baseline state of treatment susceptibility. Episensitization is a novel and highly practical management strategy both to prevent the practice of permanent treatment discontinuation with the occurrence of resistance, which rapidly exhausts remaining options in the pharmaceutical armamentarium and to significantly extend patient survival. Accordingly, this review highlights several epigenetic agents including decitabine, vorinostat, entinostat, 5-azacitidine, oncolytic viruses, and RRx-001.


With the advent of increasingly higher numbers of processors on-chip, task scheduling has become an important concern in system design, and research in this area has produced substantial and diversified knowledge. As a result, the efficient management and taping of this knowledge has become a concern in itself. This paper addresses the issue of how to effectively extract performance information about a scheduling algorithm in the context of a set of applications, by learning the association rules between the applications' attributes and the algorithms' performance metrics. The new methodology that is presented serves to both increase the designer's knowledge about a particular scheduling algorithm and compare algorithms.


The problems encountered in measuring intraocular pressure in eyes containing a compressible gas and the problem of determining the effect of changes in ambient atmospheric pressure on such eyes have been studied experimentally in enucleated human eyes and living rabbit eyes, and studied theoretically using the Friedenwald pressure-volume relationship, Boyle law, and the Goldmann equation of aqueous humor inflow and outflow. It has been concluded that high displacement tonometry, such as Schiötz tonometry will give false low measurements of intraocular pressure under these circumstances, and that there is no reliable way to correct these erroneous measurements other than to carry out tonometry with a low displacement instrument such as the Goldmann tonometer, the Perkins tonometer, or the Mackay-Marg tonometer. It was noted that large changes in intraocular pressure occur during rapid changes in ambient atmospheric pressure. It was concluded from theoretical considerations that persons with an eye containing 1 cu cm or more of a compressible gas should be advised to avoid air travel.


The Amba Dongar carbonatite complex is located approximately 400 km northeast of Bombay, India, and consists of a carbonatite ring dike and a number of syenitic intrusions which were emplaced into Late Cretaceous Bagh sandstones and Early to Late Eocene Deccan volcanic rocks. Hydrothermal activity associated with intrusion of the carbonatite was responsible for fenitization of the surrounding sandstones, and deposition of economic quantities of fluorite (11.6 Mt of 30% CaF 2 ). Fluorite mineralization occurs as veins and vug fillings, localized along fractures within the calcite carbonatite, near its contact with the sandstone.Fluid inclusions in fluorite indicate a low temperature-low salinity ( -42 and <3.5, respectively. The presence of Al and S in the fluid, the molar equivalence of Na and Cl, and the positive deviation of 18 O and D from the meteoric water line point to a small contribution from orthomagmatic fluids.A model is proposed in which the intrusion of a carbonatite magma at high crustal levels caused faulting and fracturing of the surrounding country rocks, and was accompanied by the release of orthomagmatic fluids, expressed as extensive K and Na metasomatism of the surrounding sandstones. With the decline of orthomagmatic activity, a meteoric water-dominated hydrothermal system was initiated by the heat of the intrusion. The interaction of Ca-bearing meteoric fluids with the last vestiges of F-bearing orthomagmatic NaCl brines caused deposition of large quantities of fluorite at the site of mixing.


This study, using a non-experimental, exploratory and descriptive method, established learners' and educators' views about factors that contribute to poor performance in mathematics and physical science. Participants were purposefully selected from seven schools with poor pass rates in District 3 of Tshwane North. Focused group interviews with ten Grade 11 learners from each school were used as a means to collect data. In addition, one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted with ten educators from the participating schools. Results indicated that two factors were identifiable. The first identified to have a direct influence related to teaching strategies, content knowledge, motivation, laboratory use, and non-completion of the syllabus in a year. The second factor, associated with indirect influences, was attributed to the role played by parents in their children's education, and general language usage together with its understanding in the two subjects. Recommendations as well as suggestions for further research aimed at addressing the identified factors are advanced. South African Journal of Education Vol. 26(2) 2006: 253–266


Sprite streamers initiate from electron inhomogeneities in the lower ionosphere and undergo significant acceleration and expansion growth before their optical emissions become observable. It is shown that electron inhomogeneities located at high altitudes in the region of sprite halo, which may be sub‐visual, only transform into single‐headed downward streamers, and corresponding upward streamers quickly merge into the sprite halo due to fast relaxation of lightning‐induced electric field. In contrast, the inhomogeneities located at and below the lower edge of the sprite halo, where a high field region persists significantly longer, can transform into double‐headed streamers. The upward negative streamer heads start from the existing bright structures in the channel of previous downward streamers as observed by Cummer et al. (2006), McHarg et al. (2007), and Stenbaek‐Nielsen and McHarg (2008) because at low altitudes, electron density enhancements associated with these channels are much stronger than in preexisting inhomogeneities in the ambient ionosphere.


Synopsis Olenellus is recorded from the basal Grudaidh Formation of the Durness Group for the first time, thus confirming the Lower Cambrian age of that part of the succession. Lower Ordovician conodonts have been collected from near the top of the Eilean Dubh Formation, showing that the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary must lie within that unit, at a level somewhat lower than formerly supposed. Previous correlations are reviewed in the light of these new data. There is no positive evidence for rocks of early Lower Cambrian (Placentian) age in NW Scotland. The occurrence of Salterella in the Pipe Rock Member (Eriboll Formation) and the An t-Sròn and basal Grudaidh formations, and of Olenellus in the second two, indicates that part of the sequence belongs to the Olenellus Biozone (Toyonian Stage, Branchian Series) of the late Lower Cambrian. The upper part of the Grudaidh and lower part of the Eilean Dubh formations are probably of Middle Cambrian age, while the upper part of the Eilean Dubh spans the Upper Cambrian to earliest Ordovican. If non-sequences are present within the Eilean Dubh Formation, they are of only short duration. Previously published evidence shows that the higher formations of the Durness Group range from Tremadoc to Llanvirn in age.


This paper discusses the use of Stata for the analysis of time series and panel data. The evolution of time-series capabilities in Stata is reviewed. Facilities for data management, graphics, and econometric analysis from both official Stata and the user community are discussed. A new routine to provide moving-window regression estimates—rollreg—is described, and its use illustrated.


One million people have been killed by small arms since the last UN conference on the issue in 2001. While the death toll rises, governments have failed to take concerted action to combat the problem. In pursuit of the 'war on terror', some arms producers now supply arms to allies with poor human rights records. It is time states took effective control of small arms from the factory door to the arms affected community. They should back the call for the Arms Trade Treaty and fulfill their duty to protect their citizens.


This study examines adult children's propensity to provide personal care to older mothers and fathers. The theory of intergenerational solidarity facilitates the understanding of commitment and support between adult children and parents. Solidarity may depend on childhood events as well as the current situation, and we therefore focus on whether there was a parental breakup in childhood and the parent's current living arrangements. We also focus on the gendered aspects of the relations as earlier research has found stronger matrilinear relationships. The propensity for personal care was analyzed with regression analysis using the 2012 Swedish Generations and Gender Survey. The results show that daughters are more likely than sons to provide personal care to both parents. Parental breakup in childhood does not change the propensity of personal care to any parent. The probability of receiving care is higher for lone mothers than for mothers living with the father, but not for repartnered mothers. Adult children's care provision does not differ for lone fathers and fathers living with the mother, but children are more likely to provide care to lone fathers than to repartnered fathers. We interpret this to indicate that repartnering weakens ties to fathers but not mothers. The results indicate that the child's gender and the parent's living arrangements operate differently with regard to care for mothers and fathers. The most common pattern is care provided from daughters to mothers. For example, daughters of lone mothers are more likely to provide care than sons in the same situation. We conclude that intergenerational solidarity is not affected by parental breakup in childhood but that present living arrangements affect such solidarity in gendered ways.


We present InferWiki, a Knowledge Graph Completion (KGC) dataset that improves upon existing benchmarks in inferential ability, assumptions, and patterns. First, each testing sample is predictable with supportive data in the training set. To ensure it, we propose to utilize rule-guided train/test generation, instead of conventional random split. Second, InferWiki initiates the evaluation following the open-world assumption and improves the inferential difficulty of the closed-world assumption, by providing manually annotated negative and unknown triples. Third, we include various inference patterns (e.g., reasoning path length and types) for comprehensive evaluation. In experiments, we curate two settings of InferWiki varying in sizes and structures, and apply the construction process on CoDEx as comparative datasets. The results and empirical analyses demonstrate the necessity and high-quality of InferWiki. Nevertheless, the performance gap among various inferential assumptions and patterns presents the difficulty and inspires future research direction. Our datasets can be found in https://github.com/TaoMiner/inferwiki.


VO2 and V2O3 thin films have been prepared by controlled oxidation and reduction reactions in the vanadium–oxygen system. During these reactions, crystalline phase formation and stability were characterized by means of in situ X-ray diffraction. Oxidation of vanadium thin films was carried out over a wide range of oxygen partial pressures between 0.2 and 200 mbar and temperatures between 430 °C and 615 °C. Depending on the oxygen partial pressures and temperatures, VO2, V6O13 and V2O5 could be obtained as pure or mixed phases. Reduction of V2O5 in 50 mbar H2 resulted in a continuous reduction to V2O3. Stabilization of the VO2 phase was obtained by adding low O2 concentrations in the range from 0.2 to 2 mbar to the H2 gas, a method which proved to be successful also for the controlled oxidation of vanadium to VO2. The semiconductor−metal transition was observed by means of temperature dependent sheet resistance measurements. VO2 films prepared by the oxidation of vanadium at low oxygen partial pressures were characterized by a 3 orders of magnitude decrease in resistance during transition. Annealing in air only yielded comparable switching ratios when the annealing time was carefully optimized. Both the VO2 films prepared by oxidation of vanadium or reduction of V2O5 in the mixture of H2 and O2 showed 4 to 5 orders of magnitude switching, which is close to the best reported values for bulk, single-crystal VO2. This excellent switching performance is believed to originate from a decreased level of defects at grain boundaries and in the bulk. In addition, the V2O3 films prepared by reduction of V2O5 showed a 3 orders of magnitude increase in resistance near −100 °C. Our results provide methods for transforming vanadium oxide phases into VO2 and V2O3 with high resistance switching ratios.


Web Services and their potential applications are currently under heavy discussion in industry, research, and standardization. As a result of evaluation and experience by early adopters, the technology is expected to mature through the advent of new standards and solutions leveraging Web Service's power. In essence, the efforts undertaken to create and complete a stack of Web Service protocols lead to a new communication architecture and extends the stack of classical network protocols. This evolving architecture could serve as a future-proof infrastructure for businesses to rely on. However the growth of the Web Service stack with respect to the addition of new layers and expansion of the resulting infrastructure has not been studied in comparison with well-established protocol suites like the ISO/OSI stack or the set of protocols constituting the Internet. Strictly speaking, industry's demand for functionality and services enhancing the basic Web Service protocols such as XML-RPC or SOAP, leads to the creation of a full-fledged layered protocol suite on-top of the existing ones. Nevertheless, the various standards, specifications, and ideas have neither been consolidated on a common terminological basis, nor been integrated in a single framework of reference. This observation also applies to the established trio of Web Service standards composing of SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI. According to the specific usage patterns of these specifications, they are not operating on one layer as the well-known triangular relationship graph suggests, but instead they are connected by means of unidirectional usage dependencies. From this point of view, the message patterns (MP) defined by WSDL 2.0 offer services to layers organized on top of WSDL which rely on the service interfaces exposed by SOAP. More precisely, not the interface definition with WSDL but the accompanying MPs act as the transport layer of the service stack. Based on this and other criteria, SOAP can be categorized as the basic low-level layer of the Web Service infrastructure corresponding to the network-dependent layers of the classical protocol suites. Based on these facts, all of the various efforts relying on the seminal Web Service protocols can be categorized at the various levels layered above the transport layer. This is especially true for specifications dealing with the management of sessions and transactions which are layered directly above the MPs. Also, security standards like XML digital signatures and XML encryption fit well into this by classifying them as part of the presentation layer. Furthermore, within the Web Service environment quite analogous application layer mechanisms (e.g. firewalls for content filtering) emerge are commonly known for classical network operation. Taking this congruency of established protocol stacks and the Web Service's one step further the analogy may serve as a valuable framework for the comparison of different architectural styles in Web Service deployment. Taking the continuing debate weighing services based on representational state transfer (REST) against those based on RPC-style SOAP as an example, both approaches reveal themselves as heterogeneous protocols. Both ideas are not mutually exclusive nor conflicting at all. Both protocols can be made interoperable by the use of bridges or gateways arbitrating between the two parties. Our analysis shows that Web Services are a true but yet incomplete protocol suite deploying classical Internet protocols as basic services by the continued addition of supplemental specifications and standards. Proceedings by deepX Ltd. 1 Rendered by www.RenderX.com


A 64-year-old Iranian woman presented with a genital erosive skin lesion that she had noticed from two years ago. On physical examination, a 20 to 25 millimeter purplish lesion was observed on the vulval skin (Figure 1). The indurated lesion showed a small central erosion measuring 3 to 5 mm. Inguinal lymph nodules were not palpable. A skin biopsy specimen was obtained from the eroded lesion (Figure 2).


This article examines my collaboration with British composer, Adam de la Cour, on his work for piano, video and electronics, Transplant the Movie! (2016). I use auto-ethnographic techniques to examine our collaborative relationship as the work was conceived, created and prepared for performance. Transplant the Movie! (2016) takes as its inspiration the subgenre of early horror films that focus on pianists receiving hand transplants from the corpses of deceased criminals, including The Hands of Orlac (1924), Mad Love (1935), The Beast with Five Fingers (1946), and Hands of a Stranger (1962). I worked with Adam de la Cour to film re-enactments of selected scenes, imitating the style of the original films which he then intercut to form the film used in this work. The pianist, at first plays the role of a silent movie pianist accompanying the film, before finding himself transported into it, imitating the action on screen in a process that is both horrific and comedic. The score for the pianist is itself a collage of excerpts from across the canonical piano repertoire creating another layer of intertextual complexity that both enhances and resists the narrative of cut-up horror films on screen, before this relationship unravels in a wild climax where the film becomes a hallucinatory graphic score. In a collaboration where the pianist is a co-creator, a character on screen, and the performer of the finished work, the roles of all the creative participants must remain constantly fluid throughout the process, with the cinematic and musical elements improvised, negotiated and discussed in tandem over many stages. The case-study demonstrates how working across art forms both facilitates and necessitates the need for a unique approach to collaboration, where both composer and performer play a variety of creative roles in the composition and filmmaking processes.


In communication channel of a tele-operation control task, there always exists a time-delay problem which causes poor performance and even instability of the system. To overcome the time-delay problem, in this paper, the Smith predictor configuration is considered. The Smith predictor can stabilize the system by taking the time delay term out of the characteristic equation when the system model is given and a delayed time is known. Neural network is employed to identify and model the slave controlled system to form the structure of the Smith predictor. Experimental studies are conducted to regulate contact force of a mobile robot by the master robot, the Phantom haptic device.


Emaciation is one of the clinical signs of locoweed poisoning but few studies have documented impacts of locoweed poisoning on weight gains. Stocker steers (British X Continental cross, 200-210 kg) were grazed on locoweed-infested, short-grass prairie in 1996 and 1997 in northeast New Mexico. Each year, half the steers were averted to locoweed to allow them to graze locoweed-infested pastures without eating locoweed. They did not graze locoweed and steadily gained weight (0.50 kg/day in 1996 and 0.71 kg/day in 1997). The other group of steers were allowed to graze locoweed under natural grazing conditions and became intoxicated. Weight gains were not affected for the first 3 weeks, but thereafter the steers lost weight in both years. In 1996, non-averted steers consumed locoweed for a season average of 20% of bites. They were severely intoxicated and did not begin gaining weight for 50 days after they stopped eating locoweed. Steers in the 1997 trial consumed less locoweed (11% of bites) than those in 1996 and they recovered more rapidly. Seasonal weight gains were 21 to 30 kg less for locoed steers than control steers in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Locoweed poisoning will cause weight loss, and severely intoxicated cattle require a lengthy recover period after they cease grazing locoweed before weight gains resume. Stocker cattle should not be placed on locoweed-infested rangelands until green grass is abundant and locoweed begins to mature. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v53i1_ralphs


A current limit avoidance (CLA) system has been proposed to avoid current saturation in the poloidal field (PF) coils of the Joint European Torus tokamak when the eXtreme Shape Controller is used to control the plasma shape. CLA uses the redundancy of the PF coil system to automatically obtain almost the same plasma shape with a different combination of control currents. This paper describes the set of graphic tools that has been recently developed to aid the design of the CLA parameters by nonexpert users.


Sports industry is not only a comprehensive economic industry, but also an industry with strong economic relevance, the industry needs to provide necessary material conditions and social environment for the sports industry on the existing socio-economic basis. Related factors with the development of sports industry include: the own factors of sports industry, employing factors, GNP growth of the three major industries and GNP growth. In order to study the development situation and development prospects of the sports industry, it is essential to carry through the linkage analysis of this industry and related industries. On the basis of related data in 2006-2008 between the sports industry and other industry, this paper established the gray comprehensive evaluation model, carried through analysis on the correlation between the industries and provided a theoretical basis for ChinaÂÂ's sports industry and national production.


It was Hamilton who introduced the concept of &dquo;inclusive fitness&dquo; to replace classical Darwinian fitness, an insight considered the single most significant contribution to evolution theory since The Origin of Species. Hamilton was also the first to apply the Theory of Games to evolution. He has, in addition, made major contributions to the theory of animal dispersion and to the evolutionary theory of reciprocation, cooperation and mutualism.


Diagnosis of ovarian adenocarcinomas is based on histopathologic analysis of tumor tissue obtained by invasive biopsies. However, invasive biopsies are associated with procedural expenses, sequelae, and risk of complications. Though immunocytochemistry (ICC) profiling of circulating tumor cells (CTCs, defined as EpCAM+, panCK+, CD45-) has been previously considered for diagnosis in some cancers, the attempts have been unsuccessful. We used a novel approach for enrichment of sufficient viable CTCs that permit meaningful ICC profiling for diagnosis of ovarian cancers in suspected cases. We obtained 15 mL of venous blood draw from 248 patients with confirmed diagnosis of ovarian cancer. PMBCs were isolated by centrifugation. CTCs were enriched from PBMC using an epigenetically acting enrichment process that is lethal towards normal (nonmalignant) cells but confers survival privilege on apoptosis-resistant CTCs. Harvested CTCs were confirmed by immunostaining for EpCAM and pan-CK. Deep ICC profiling of these CTCs was performed with organ-specific markers CA125 and WT1 as well as P63 as a nonspecific marker. Viable CTCs could be obtained from 225 samples (90.7%) out of 248. Among the 100 samples characterized by deep ICC profiling, 70 samples (70%) were positive for CA125 and WT1. None of the samples was positive for P63. Our results show that ICC-based characterization of CTCs can provide necessary diagnostic information noninvasively to substitute conventional procedures dependent on tissue extraction. Citation Format: Dadasaheb B. Akolkar, Darshana Patil, Revati Patil, Pradip Devhare, Pradip Fulmali, Pooja Fulmali, Shoeb Patel, Navin Srivastava, Vineet Datta, Cynthe Sime, Ajay Srinivasan, Rajan Datar. Noninvasive liquid biopsies for guideline-compliant diagnostic assessment in ovarian cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Liquid Biopsies; Jan 13-16, 2020; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(11_Suppl):Abstract nr B16.


Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the major nutrient composition of Indian rhinoceros milk (Rhinoceros unicornis) over the first 13 mo of an 18-mo lactation period and to compare the results to those of previous studies on rhinoceros, African elephant (Loxodonta africana), and horse milk (Equus ferus caballus). The following parameters were measured: dry matter (DM), crude ash (ASH), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), nitrogen-free extract (NFE; calculated), lactose, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), fatty acids (FAs), and gross energy (GE). DM, ASH, CP, and EE were determined with a proximate analysis, lactose with infrared spectroscopy and an enzymatic method, minerals with an autoanalyzer, FA with gas chromatography, and GE with bomb calorimetry. Milk samples were collected from two Indian rhinoceros cows from Zoo Basel. Rhino A gave birth to her third calf on 10 September 2012; three samples were collected and analyzed (colostrum, milk 1 wk and 2 wk postpartum). Rhino B gave birth to her eighth calf on 05 October 2013; samples were collected and 15 were chosen for the analyses (from colostrum to 13 mo postpartum). The composition of rhino B's colostrum was 13.8% DM (wet-weight basis), 4.8% ASH, 61.8% CP, 0.7% EE, 32.6% NFE, 26.7% lactose, 0.59% Ca, 0.54% P, 0.2% Mg (DM basis), and 20.3 MJ GE/kg DM. Rhino B's sample collected 13 mo postpartum averaged 8.0% DM (wet-weight basis), 3.6% ASH, 16.3% CP, 1.8% EE, 78.3% NFE, 84.7% lactose, 0.54% Ca, 0.48% P, 0.09% Mg (on DM basis), and 17.43 MJ GE/kg DM. The main FAs in rhino B's and rhino A's samples were C10 : 0, C12 : 0, C16 : 0, C18 : 1n9c, and C18 : 2n6c. Milk of the Indian rhinoceros is low in fat and protein but high in lactose, which is comparable to the milk composition of other rhinoceros species and horses, but not African elephants.


High silicon Al-Si alloy powders having nanocrystalline structures have been produced by mechanical alloying process. Microstructures in mechanically alloyed Al-Si powders were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction analyses were also carried out to characterize lattice constant, crystallite size and misfit strain. Effective milling time for the formation of nanocrystalline microstructure was thought to be approximately 12 hours, and the sizes of Al and Si crystallites in mechanically alloyed powders after longer than 12 hours of milling were reduced to about 30nm and 70nm respectively, in Al-70 mass% Si alloy system. The misfit strains increased with milling time up to 240 hours, and saturated to 5.73×10-3 and 4.39×10-3 for Al and Si crystallites, respectively.


Objective
To investigate the mechanisms of quercetin in retinal angiogenesis via in vitro and in vivo studies.

Methods
Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was used in in vitro study, and oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) animal models were used in in vivo study.In the in vitro cell study, normal control group, VEGF-165 treatment group and VEGF-165 combined with quercetin treatment group were used.Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and Transwell were used to measure HUVECs cell viability, including proliferation and migration.OIR and CNV animal models were administrated through intraperitoneal injection of quercetin, and the non-perfusion area and CNV aera were evaluated.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of integrin α5 and integrin β3 expression.In the animal study, 18 breastfeeding mice and 18 infant mice were randomly divided into normal control group, model control group and quercetin treatment group, 6 for each group.The animal feeding and use was in accordance with the standards set by the ARVO, and the experiment was approved by the Ethic Committee for Experimental Animal of Fu Xing Hospital, Capital Medical University (2016-KY-0036).

Results
In the in vitro study, VEGF-165 (20 ng/ml) promoted the proliferation and migration of HUVECs, while quercetin (50 μmol/L) inhibited HUVECs proliferation and migration significantly, comparing to the VEGF-165 treatment group (proliferation: Fgroups=18.51, P=0.00; migration: F=85.74, P=0.00). In the in vivo studies, quercetin 20 mg/(kg·day) decreased the non-perfusion area and CNV area comparing to the untreated groups, with significant differences between them (t=6.02, P=0.00; t=5.79, P=0.00). Besides, quercetin down-regulated the expression of integrin α5 and integrin β3 significantly both in the in vitro and in vivo studies.Western blot test showed that integrin α5 and integrin β3 in VEGF-165+ quercetin processing 24 hours group were significantly decreased than those in the VEGF-165 group, with significant differences between them (t=4.46, P<0.05; t=5.18, P<0.01). Compared with the VEGF-165+ quercetin 24 hours group, the integrin α5 and integrin β3 in VEGF-165+ quercetin processing 48 hours group were increased, but they were still significantly increased than those in the VEGF-165 group, with significant differences between them (t=6.54, P<0.05; t=7.17, P<0.01). For the animal studies, quercetin also inhibited the levels of integrin α5 and integrin β3 in OIR and CNV models (t=5.44, 13.52; both at P=0.00).

Conclusions
Quercetin can inhibit the retinal and choroidal neovascularization through integrin pathway, which provides a new treatment strategy for clinical therapy.

Key words:
Quercetin; Retinal angiogenesis; Choroidal neovascularization; Umbilical vein endothelial cells; Integrin


One of the mechanisms in promoting housing development in a country is by having sufficient legal provisions
regulating land matters and development. Recently the Malaysian Parliament has passed a new act relating to
housing in Malaysia that is Perumahan Rakyat 1 Malaysia 2011(hereinafter referred to as "PR1MA"). It is
alleged that the purpose of the Act inter alia to give opportunity to the middle income class citizens to buy
houses where the corporation established through PR1MA will take care of the housing development.
.evertheless having read through the Act, it is observed that there are many ambiguities and uncertainties as to
the functions of the corporation and how the corporation will carry out such functions. This paper is aimed at
analysing the provisions of PR1MA Act 2011 with the intention to present the strengths and weaknesses of the
Act. As this paper will involve pure legal discussions, it will use the qualitative approach and the law and
practices in Scotland may be referred to as comparison.


The role of the Hox gene Hoxd‐13 in postnatal morphogenesis of the male accessory sex organs was examined by correlating the distribution and temporal regulation of expression in the accessory sex organs of postnatal mice with morphologic abnormalities of Hoxd‐13‐deficient transgenic mice. Previous studies of Hoxd‐13 expression in the perinatal period have shown a broad domain of expression in the lower genito‐urinary tract, with expression in both mesenchyme and epithelium; focal expression was also noted in the epithelium of the nascent ducts of the developing prostate. Quantitative RT‐PCR studies of Hoxd‐13 expression in the 5 day mouse confirm widespread expression in the accessory sex organs developing from both the Wolffian duct and the urogenital sinus. Expression is down‐regulated with age, and a detailed time course of expression in the developing prostate shows that the level of Hoxd‐13 expression correlates with morphogenetic activity in the development of the prostate ductal system. Transgenic Hoxd‐13‐deficient mice display multiple abnormalities in the male accessory sex organs. The most severe abnormalities were observed in organs exhibiting ductal branching during postnatal development and included diminished mesenchymal folding in the seminal vesicles, decreased size and diminished ductal branching in the ventral and dorsal prostate, and agenesis of the bulbourethral gland. We conclude that Hoxd‐13 expression in the postnatal period correlates with a period of intense morphogenetic activity in accessory sex organ development and that the function of Hoxd‐13 is evidenced by morphologic abnormalities in accessory sex organs of the Hoxd‐13‐deficient mutant. Dev. Dyn. 208:454–465, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Interleukin (IL)-10 is a potent immunosuppressant of monocyte/macrophage function and may help control the inflammatory response induced by bacterial infection. To analyze whether IL-10 is detectable in plasma of patients with septic shock and to evaluate its relationship with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS])-induced and monocyte/macrophage-induced inflammatory response, plasma IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, LPS, and neopterin were studied in 24 patients with septic shock and in 12 critically ill patients. Eighty-three percent of patients with septic shock and 25% of critically ill patients had detectable levels of IL-10 (P < .001). There was a significant correlation between plasma IL-10, neopterin (r = .72), TNF-alpha (r = .76), IL-6 (r = .68), and IL-8 (r = .61) levels in patients with septic shock. Monocyte/macrophage activation leads to massive secretion of IL-10, which, however, seems to be unable to control the increased production of proinflammatory mediators during septic shock.


In the last 20 years, both public and private expenditures on resource conservation and environmental protection have increased dramatically. However, there are numerous technical and political barriers to the efficient use of conservation funds. This paper discusses some of these barriers and approaches to overcoming them. It argues that ecosystem complexities such as threshold effects, ecosystem linkages, and spatial connections often mitigate against politically palatable criteria for resource allocation. Ignoring these complexities is likely to result in substantial efficiency losses. While challenges are daunting for the efficient management of conservation investments, payoff is potentially high for the use of sciences.