Aims: Psychotherapy is a widely used treatment for mental disorders, but whether it also improves employment and other labour market outcomes remains inconclusive. This study examined the effectiveness of a nationwide subsidized psychotherapy programme using extensive register-based data. Methods: The sample consisted of individuals who applied for rehabilitative psychotherapy in Finland in 2009–2012 (n = 35,083). Prior to 2011, some applications were rejected due to the limited budget that the central government provided for the programme. From 2011, all eligible applicants were granted rehabilitation. We used propensity score matching to create balanced samples of those who received a negative decision in 2009–2010 (n = 2047) and those who were granted rehabilitative psychotherapy in 2011–2012 (n = 12,046) in terms of their sociodemographic background characteristics, prior labour market attachment and health status. Results: We found that compared to the applicants who were not accepted to the programme, the granted applicants with similar background characteristics had, on average, a six-percentage-point higher employment rate, €2100 higher annual earnings and a six-percentage-point lower probability of becoming a disability benefit recipient five years after their first application. Further sensitivity analyses confirmed that these results were not biased, for example, by differences in macroeconomic conditions during the follow-up. Conclusions: Quasi-experimental research design showed that rehabilitative psychotherapy was significantly associated with better labour market outcomes. Although several relevant background factors were included in the matching analysis, it is possible that some unobserved factors explain both access to psychotherapy and subsequent labour market outcomes.


We analyze different optimization strategies for real-time energy management in building systems. We have found that exploiting building-wide multivariable interactions between CO2, humidity, pressure, occupancy, and temperature leads to significant reductions of energy intensity. Our analysis indicates that it is possible to obtain drastic energy savings compared with traditional control strategies. The exploitation of the thermal comfort zone has been found to be the most relevant factor driving energy savings. We discuss strategies to handle multiple competing objectives as well as economic functions and we analyze financial incentives provided by real-time prices and existing market designs. Numerical experiments are provided to support the claims.


Whether the law should permit parents to recover the costs of raising a child that they never intended to have is one of the most vexed questions in the law of negligence. In ACB v Thomson Medical Pte Ltd, the Court of Appeal of Singapore considered this issue in a unique factual context: where the complaint of the appellant was not that she did not want a child but, because of a negligently performed IVF procedure, that she did not want this particular child. The Court ultimately denied the appellant's claims for upkeep costs and for loss of autonomy, but recognised a novel head of damage: 'loss of genetic affinity'. In this note we deal with: (i) a preliminary issue of causation, in respect of which we argue that the Court impermissibly focused on the purpose of the loss suffered; (ii) the Court's reasons for refusing to award upkeep costs or to recognise loss of autonomy as a compensable head of damage; and (iii) the recognition of loss of genetic affinity, which we object to for the principal reason that it is indistinguishable from an award for loss of autonomy.


In this paper, the basic principles of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) formed in the periodically poled piezoelectric ceramic has been elaborated theoretically. The modal and harmonic analyses has been performed by utilizing ANSYS software for the periodically poled piezoelectric composite structure (adjacent piezoelectric polarization direction opposite) which composed by piezoelectric ceramic (PZT-4). The data of simulation result have been processed and obtained the following conclusion: the surface wave can be formed in the periodically poled piezoelectric domain with a relatively large amplitude, the motion track of each particle in the SAW is an ellipse by combined the transverse modal displacement and longitudinal modal displacement of each surface node. These conclusions are same as the theoretical values, the simulation results are very useful for designing SAW device with periodically poled piezoelectric ceramic.


The literature on the surface treatment of zinc and tin
in aqueous solutions containing sodium chromate, sodium molybdate
and sodium tungstate has been reviewed. A search for
suitable alternatives to chromate due to its toxicity level
has been established. A. review on methods of film analysis
has also been completed.
Zinc was anodically passivated in aqueous solutions
containing 0.01 - lM sodium chromate, sodium molybdate and
sodium tungstate maintained between pH 5 - 11 and operated at
temperatures in the range of 20 - 600C by the application of
an external current for 3V overpotential. The effects of
solution concentration, process pH and temperature variation
on passivity have been established. It has been found that
passivity is favoured between 0.1 - lM oxy-an.ion concentration
and pH 7 - 11. Chromate treatment favours room temperatures
whereas molybdate and tungstate treatment are best at 60oC.
Coulometric analysis was used to estimate the chromium content
and film composition of chromate films on zinc in which it
was found that the chromium content increases with the corresponding
increase in concentration, process pH, process potential
or a fall in the treatment temperature...


In this paper we present the results of real-life localization experiments performed in an unprecedented cooperative and heterogeneous wireless context. These measurements are based on ZigBee and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) devices, respectively endowed with received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and round trip delay (RTD) estimation capabilities. More particularly we emulate a multi-standard terminal, moving in a typical indoor environment, while communicating with fixed OFDM-based femto-base stations (Femto-BSs) and with other mobiles or fixed anchor nodes (through peer-to-peer links) forming a wireless sensor network (WSN). We introduce the measurement functionalities and metrics, the scenario and set-up, providing realistic connectivity and obstruction conditions. Out of the experimental data, preliminary positioning results based on cooperative and geometric algorithms are finally discussed, showing benefits through mobile-to-mobile cooperation, selective hybrid data fusion and detection of unreliable nodes.


Facilitating the mobilisation, sharing, or exchange of patents is increasingly important to promote
innovation in this globalised and well-networked world, where the circulation of ideas and technologies is
essential to innovation. In the context of open innovation, patents are expected to play a role as a means for
transferring ideas and technologies from one entity to another, in addition to acting as a means for
excluding others from using companies' own ideas and technologies. In such a situation, a variety of new
entities focusing on patent-related transactions are emerging. Some IP specialist firms seek to monetise
patents by creating strategic patent portfolios and licensing them. Others provide websites to establish
online marketplaces where patents and ideas could be traded. And still others establish a co-operative
venture that buys and licenses patents to its members for defensive purpose. They also include IP
investment banks that will lend against the value of IP, and firms that seek to create funds, similar to
mutual funds, which allow investors to earn revenue from royalties. These new players now could
significantly influence the circulation of patents. It would be important for governments to deepen their
understanding of how these new players are performing in the patent transaction markets in order to
support their development in the most socially beneficial directions. This may also be important for
traditional technology-oriented companies, since the effective use of patent transaction markets will help
them improve their innovation process and strengthen their competitiveness. Therefore, analysis of the
functions, business models, and activities of IP specialist firms is the central topic of this research.


UNLABELLED
Expression of tenascin-C reappears in articular cartilage of persons with osteoarthritis (OA), while it is almost abolished in normal mature cartilage. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a proinflammatory cytokine, is upregulated in OA cartilage and is involved in the progression of OA, and stimulates tenascin-C expression in other types of cells. We investigated regulation of tenascin-C expression by TNF-alpha through nuclear factor-alphaB (NF-kappaB) in OA cartilage in vivo and in vitro.

METHODS
Human articular cartilages were obtained from patients with OA and immunofluorescence examination of tenascin-C and the activated RelA subunit was performed. Cultured chondrocytes isolated from human OA cartilage were treated with TNF-alpha and with SN50. Activation of RelA subunit of NF-kappaB was examined by immunolabeling. Changes in tenascin-C protein concentrations were determined by immunofluorescence of cells after monensin treatment and Western blot analysis of the cell lysates, and mRNA levels were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS
Increased intensity of tenascin-C staining was observed in the damaged cartilage compared with normal cartilage. Activated RelA staining in chondrocyte nuclei was prominent in tenascin-C-positive areas of OA cartilage. Treatment of cultured chondrocytes by TNF-alpha induced translocation of activated RelA to the nuclei, followed by upregulation of tenascin-C expression in both mRNA and protein. Treatment with SN50 inhibited increases of RelA and tenascin-C expression in chondrocytes.

CONCLUSION
TNF-alpha stimulated tenascin-C expression through NF-kappaB signaling with RelA activation in cultured OA chondrocytes, suggesting involvement of tenascin-C in OA cartilage remodeling.


This special issue volume is concerned with how technology is changing the nature of work and working conditions while generating new products and new forms of service delivery. The five articles included in this volume cover service work, from the routine and clerical through to highly credentialed and professional work. Although some of the established challenges concerning the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on work and workplaces are evident in the articles, it is also clear that new service delivery processes demand new skills and training to some extent. Overall findings indicate that while ICT competencies are important, they need to be supplemented by the soft skills that are crucial for effective customer interactions and more open work systems with greater autonomy and participation whereby flexible work teams can have a positive impact on job quality outcomes. This introductory article examines technology and the changing nature of work through three strands of interpretation, prior to introducing the five articles in this special issue.


Background The Evidence that NIV is an effective treatment for patients with COPD who present in Acute Type 2 Respiratory Failure is well documented. Yet despite NIV being considered the gold standard for treating patients with this life threatening condition, no published research could be found on how individuals experienced NIV in the acute setting. The Respiratory Team has led the NIV service for the last 7 years and our knowledge has grown with every patient we have treated with NIV. However during the follow-up of patients who had undergone NIV it became apparent that some of them had strange tales to tell. They told of dreams and images that they associated with their episode on NIV. Some refused having NIV again due to their dislike of the treatment. This was not something which had been discussed whilst in hospital and warranted investigation. The Study This phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences of 8 patients with COPD who underwent NIV for Acute Type 2 RF. To gain access to the rich data, in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted. The data were analysed using a framework by Deikelman. The Outcomes Some themes which emerged from the data were expected however, the main theme of delirium was not. This unpredicted finding raised issues about mental capacity and decision making. This new understanding of delirium and its possible consequences has far reaching implications for how we care for this vulnerable group especially when it comes to nursing them on ward areas rather than the HDU setting. The findings from this study have proved fascinating and set the scene for further exploration.


Nonheme mononuclear hydroxoiron(III) species are important intermediates in biological oxidations, but well-characterized examples of synthetic complexes are scarce due to their instability or tendency to form μ-oxodiiron(III) complexes, which are the thermodynamic sink for such chemistry. Herein, we report the successful stabilization and characterization of a mononuclear hydroxoiron(III) complex, [FeIII(OH)(TMC-py)]2+ (3; TMC-py = 1-(pyridyl-2'-methyl)-4,8,11-trimethyl-1,4,8,11-tetrazacyclotetradecane), which is directly generated from the reaction of [FeIV(O)(TMC-py)]2+ (2) with 1,4-cyclohexadiene at -40 °C by H-atom abstraction. Complex 3 exhibits a UV spectrum with a λmax at 335 nm (ε ≈ 3500 M-1 cm-1) and a molecular ion in its electrospray ionization mass spectrum at m/z 555 with an isotope distribution pattern consistent with its formulation. Electron paramagnetic resonance and Mössbauer spectroscopy show 3 to be a high-spin Fe(III) center that is formed in 85% yield. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis reveals an Fe-OH bond distance of 1.84 Å, which is also found in [(TMC-py)FeIII-O-CrIII(OTf)3]+ (4) obtained from the reaction of 2 with Cr(OTf)2. The S = 5/2 spin ground state and the 1.84 Å Fe-OH bond distance are supported computationally. Complex 3 reacts with 1-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TEMPOH) at -40 °C with a second-order rate constant of 7.1 M-1 s-1 and an OH/OD kinetic isotope effect value of 6. On the basis of density functional theory calculations, the reaction between 3 and TEMPOH is classified as a proton-coupled electron transfer as opposed to a hydrogen-atom transfer.


Recently zinc oxide (ZnO) has drawn attention as it exhibits promising properties for making optoelectronic devices, biosensors. In this paper we will present our recent results from research work on the fabrication of light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on n-ZnO nanorods grown on p-Si by a low temperature chemical approach. The ideality factor of the p- Si/n-ZnO junctions was found to be 5.47+0.67. The high value is probably due to the presence of surface state. Structural, electrical and optical characterization from different processed LEDs will be presented and analyzed.


An innovative, simplified, and accurate model is proposed and developed to enable simplified yet realistic time history analysis of multi-storey buildings with moment resisting connections using friction energy dissipaters in the commonly used structural analysis and design program, SAP2000. The analyses are rapid to undertake, thereby enabling detailed study of the influence of many building system effects on the overall response. This paper presents the outcome of dynamic analysis of a complete 13-storey moment resisting steel building with Sliding Hinge Joints as the beam-column connections, considering the influential self-centring factors such as MRF and gravity columns continuity as well as column base and diaphragm flexibilities. The building is one of the Te-Puni towers, which are structural steel apartment buildings with steel-concrete composite floors, designed according to the low damage design philosophy, built in Wellington, New Zealand in 2008 and which have already been subjected to two significant earthquakes. The key objectives of the research have been to take the design of the 13-storey building and convert that into the proposed simplified model required for time history seismic analysis, to undertake analysis under scaled El-Centro earthquake record, investigate the peak inter-storey drift and the residual drift of the building, and determine the influence of column base rotational stiffness, floor slab out of horizontal plane displacement, type of friction damper, and MRF and gravity column continuity. It is concluded that the response of the building is stable and predictable, as expected, and that the post-earthquake state of the building, particularly from the self-centring point of view, is well within the limits for maintaining operational continuity following an ULS level design earthquake.


With the increasing cost of maintaining IT centers, organizations are looking into outsourcing thier storage and computational needs to a cloud server. However, such outsourcing has also raised the more serious issue of data privacy. In this paper, we summarize our work in privacy-preserving data outsourcing. In particular, we discuss the issue of employing vertical fragmentation to a relation so that the fragment that is assigned to the cloud server contains maximum data without violating privacy. Here, privacy is expressed in terms of a set of confidentiality constraints. We represent the confidentiality constraints as a graph where the nodes are the attributes and links represent paired confidentiality. We then apply the graph coloring problem with two colors for the a cyclic portion of the graph. We use some heuristic to eliminate the cycles, and complete the coloring of all nodes. We are currently extending the work to multiple relations and constraints with multiple attributes in a constraint (i.e., triplet, quadruplet, etc.) instead of just pairs.


Background: Dysregulation of Rab18 has been implicated in human cancers. However, its clinical significance and biological function in gastric cancer have not been investigated. Methods: We examined Rab18 expression in gastric cancer tissues using immunohistochemistry. We used SNU-1 and AGS cell lines for plasmid and siRNA transfection respectively. MTT, colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis, matrigel invasion, wound healing assay, AnnexinV/ PI analysis and western blotting were used to examine the biological effect and mechanism of Rab18 in gastric cancer cell lines. Results: Rab18 protein expression was upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and this correlated with advanced stage and poor prognosis. Rab18 overexpression promoted proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Cell cycle analysis showed that Rab18 overexpression upregulated, while its depletion downregulated S phase percentage. Matrigel invasion and wound healing assays indicated that Rab18 positively regulated SNU-1 cell invasion and migration while its knockdown inhibited AGS cell invasion and migration. Rab18 maintained cell viability and downregulated apoptosis after cisplatin treatment, with upregulated mitochondrial membrane potential and downregulated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Rab18 overexpression upregulated p-Rb, survivin while downregulated cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results indicate that Rab18 promoted gastric cancer growth and chemoresistance, possibly through regulation of mitochondrial function and survivin.


This thesis makes an original contribution to our understanding of socioemotional functioning in borderline personality disorder (BPD) by critically examining social cognition and emotion regulation BPD research from a developmental perspective. It also extends on previous research, making a novel and important contribution to our understanding of sociocognitive functioning and emotion regulation ability in youth with first presentation BPD. This was achieved via two critical narrative reviews of the existing literature and two empirical studies, which examined aspects of social cognition and emotion regulation considered key to interpersonal functioning in BPD. The empirical studies assessed, 1) unconscious simulation processes, a key aspect of affective empathy, and 2) the application of two emotion regulation strategies, expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal, in the regulation of negative and positive affect, in a standard laboratory context, as well as in the context of social rejection. The reviews demonstrated that despite their shared diagnosis, important differences between young people and adults with BPD, in terms of their sociocognitive functioning and emotion regulation abilities, are evident. Future research and reviews should avoid conflating developmental age and stage of disorder. Instead, these processes, which are central to interpersonal functioning, need to be better understood over the course of BPD, especially early in its course. The empirical studies demonstrated that socioemotional functioning in youth with first presentation BPD is not uniformly affected. Specifically, rapid facial mimicry was unimpaired, contradicting predictions that heightened unconscious motor mimicry leads to heightened emotional contagion, and associated emotion regulation difficulties. Future research is needed to determine whether this finding also holds true for adults and young people later in the course of the disorder. Future research should also explore other factors that might lead to heightened emotional contagion and associated emotion regulation difficulties in BPD. Emotion regulation ability was largely preserved in youth with first presentation BPD, and functioning was mostly similar to that of typically developing young people. Specifically, for the most part, they could apply expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal, to regulate both positive and negative affect (felt subjectively and expressed behaviourally), in a standard laboratory context and in the context of social rejection, with similar effectiveness to that of healthy youth. However, youth with first presentation BPD were not only unable to apply cognitive reappraisal to regulate the behavioural expression of negative emotions in the context of social rejection, but its application in this context intensified their facial expression of negative affect. They also demonstrated a pattern of pervasively blunted positive affect, relative to healthy youth, across indices and contexts. Further research is needed to better understand whether the effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal can be improved in this context, or whether it is contraindicated. Given that social rejection is commonly experienced by this group, and given the common application of cognitive strategies in therapy, future research is clearly needed to better understand the effectiveness and consequences of this, and alternative strategies, for use in the context of social rejection by youth with first presentation BPD. Finally, while positive affect has often been neglected in BPD research, the evident pervasive blunting clearly needs greater research and clinical attention in this group.


The feeding behavior of a group of titis (Callicebus coimbrai) was monitored over an annual cycle at a site in northeastern Brazil. Behavioral data were collected in scan samples (1-min scan at 5-min intervals), and complementary data on fruit availability and new leaf cover were collected. Feeding time accounted for 28.9% of daily activity. Fruit was the principal item of the diet (61.2% of records) and the primary category in all months except September, when it was surpassed by leaves. Young leaves were the second most important category (20.0%). The consumption of seeds and insects was prominent in November and December. Fifty-two plant species were exploited, and the Elaeocarpaceae, Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae, and Passifloraceae provided the vast majority (86.0%) of plant feeding records. The phenological record did not provide a good measure of fruit availability, but a strong correlation (rs 5 0.902, Po0.0001, n 5 12) was found between the consumption of leaves and the exploitation of lianas each month. Lianas accounted for 28.2% of plant feeding records, and predominated between August and December. This suggests that lianas may represent a key factor in the ability of the species to tolerate the intense habitat fragmentation found throughout its geographic range. Am. J. Primatol. 73:1199–1209, 2011. r 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Notification of family when sudden death has occured is often a highly stressful experience for hospital Emergency Department physicians and nursing personnel. This article will offer some guidelines to health care professionals in helping a deceased patient's family cope with the initial grief and loss that accompanies the unexpected death of a loved one. At the same time, an understanding of the wide range of emotional responses of bereaved survivors may ease some of the anxiety Emergency Department staff members associate with "breaking the bad news."


Science a weekly journal founded in 1880, is published each Friday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the Business Press, 10 McGovern Ave., Lancaster, Pa. Editorial and Advertising Offices, 1515 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington 5, D. C. Telephone, Executive 6060. Cable address, SCIMAG, Washington, D. C. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Lancaster, Pa., January 13, 1948, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at the special rate postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in Paragraph 4, Sec. 538, P.L. and R., authorized January 13, 1948. Manuscripts submitted for publication should be sent to the Editorial Office, with stamped, self-addressed envelope enclosed for possible return. The AAAS assumes no responsibility for the safety of the manuscripts or for the opinions expressed by contributors. Annual aubscription, $7.50; single copies, $.25; foreign postage, outside the Pan-American Union, $1.00; Canadian postage, $.50. Remittances and orders for subscriptions and single copies should be sent to the Circulation Department, Science, 1515 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington 5, D. C. Membership correspondence for the AAAS should be addressed to the Administrative Secretary at the same address.


A pilot plant for treating 1,000 m3/day of dyeing wastewater with e-beam has been constructed and operated since 1998 in Daegu, Korea together with the biological treatment facility. The wastewater from various stages of the existing purification process has been treated with electron beam in this plant, and it gave rise to elaborate the optimal technology of the electron beam treatment of wastewater with increased reliability at instant changes in the composition of wastewater. Installation of the e-beam pilot plant resulted in decolorizing and destructive oxidation of organic impurities in wastewater, appreciable to reduction of chemical reagent consumption, in reduction of the treatment time, and in increase in flow rate limit of existing facilities by 30-40%. Industrial plant for treating 10,000 m3/day, based upon the pilot experimental result, is under construction and will be finished by 2005. This project is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Korean Government.


A good part of the local research objectives, in the telemanufacturing field, concern the remote monitoring of manufacturing machines. This paper introduces a novel remote monitoring solution that achieves data acquisition and online publishing with Freescale's Tower System and uses an Android application for remote display of the monitored values. The biggest part of the monitoring system was already developed and only slight modifications of its parts are needed. A FMEA study was conducted in order to eliminate as many possible failure causes as possible before the actual implementation and its results are included as well.


This study aimed at exploring how high school studentsdeal with designing an information system, for example,for a small business or a medical clinic, the extent towhich students develop as independent learners whileworking on their projects, and the factors that help orhinder fostering students' design skills. The three-phasedual-loop (TPDL) model for system design is proposed,according to which design consists of conceptual design,structural designand detailed design, and includes ahuman-drivenfeedback loop and an instrumentation-drivenfeedback loop. It was found that the design of areal-life system is a complicated task for high schoolstudents because it requires the integration of conceptualknowledge, primarily in the phase of defining a system'sobjectives and planning its general structure, andprocedural knowledge, for example, in the phase ofhandling the detailed design, implementation and testing.The common situation in schools is that students learnand practice using procedural knowledge, whereasachieving conceptual knowledge is a long-term process.Therefore, it is essential to engage students in design tasksof increasing complexity from early stages in school inorder to enable them to accumulate experience andconstruct their own knowledge about all phases of systemdesign.


The investigation on the heat transfer characteristics for supercritical pressure water (SCW) is of value for the development of the supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor (SCWR). As an important heat transfer enhancement element, heat transfer for SCW in internally-ribbed tubes was still not solved, though lots of experimental studies have been published and a great many heat transfer correlations were proposed.This paper presented an analysis of heat transfer in the internally-ribbed tubes, through comparing heat transfer correlations for SCW gained from different internally-ribbed tubes under the same operating condition. It was found that all existing heat transfer correlations reported could not been well applied for various internally-ribbed tubes with large deviation between prediction results and experimental values, because rib geometry had a great influence on heat transfer of internally-ribbed tubes. On the basis of experimental data collected from open literature for internally-ribbed tubes, a new general calculation correlation of heat transfer coefficient for SCW was developed for various internally-ribbed tubes by combining an optimized empirical correlation for vertically-upward smooth tubes and four dimensionless numbers of rib geometry.The results show that the calculated values of the new present correlation is in reasonable agreement with available experimental data collected. Moreover, the new correlation was verified well by experiment data of two new-type internally-ribbed tubes performed beyond the above experimental database.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The selection of a genetic reporter can be difficult because of the wide range of genes available. In order to reduce the selection, we compared the performance of different reporter genes: firefly luciferase (Photinus pyralis lucFF), bacterial luciferase operon (Photorhabdus luminescens luxCDABE), green fluorescent protein (Aequorea victoria gfp), and red fluorescent protein (Discosoma sp. dsred) in whole-cell bacterial sensors. Escherichia coli sensor bacteria were engineered to contain a reporter plasmid that carries the reporter gene under the control of mercury- (mer from Tn21) or arsenite- (ars from R773) responsive regulatory units. Characteristics of the strains were studied by using different arsenite or mercury concentrations and incubation times. The lowest detectable concentration of analytes and the fastest responses were achieved with lucFF or luxCDABE as reporter genes. The fluorescent proteins, GFP and DsRed, gave responses at higher analyte concentrations and after significantly longer incubation times. The results indicate that luciferases are better reporters in whole-cell sensor bacteria.


Artificial intelligence (AI) based self-learning or self-improving material discovery system is the holy grail of next-generation material discovery and materials science. Herein, we demonstrate how to combine accurate prediction of material performance via quantum chemical calculations and Bayesian optimization-based active learning to realize a self-improving discovery system for high-performance photosensitizers (PS). Through self-improving cycles, such a system can improve the model prediction accuracy (best mean average error of 0.09 eV for singlet-triplet spitting) and high-performance PS search ability, realizing the efficient discovery of PS. From a molecular space with more than 7 million molecules, 5950 potential high-performance PSs were discovered.


Objective. The main objectives of our study were to explore reasons for seasonal influenza vaccine acceptance and declination in employees of a large integrated healthcare system and to identify underlying constructs that influence acceptance versus declination. Secondary objectives were to determine whether vaccine acceptance varied by hospital location and to identify facility-level measures that explained variability. Design. A national health promotion survey of employees was conducted that included items on vaccination in the 2009-2010 influenza season. The survey was administered with two other institutional surveys in a stratified fashion: approximately 40% of participating employees were randomly assigned to complete the health promotion survey. Setting. National single-payer healthcare system with 152 hospitals. Participants. Employees of the healthcare system in 2010 who responded to the survey. Methods. Factor analysis was used to identify underlying constructs that influenced vaccine acceptance versus declination. Mean factor scores were examined in relation to demographic characteristics and occupation. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to determine whether vaccine acceptance varied by location and to identify facility-level measures that explained variability. Results. Four factors were identified related to vaccine declination and were labeled as (1) "don't care," (2) "don't want," (3) "don't believe," and (4) "don't know." Significant differences in mean factor scores existed by demographic characteristics and occupation. Vaccine acceptance varied by location, and vaccination rates in the previous year were an important facility-level predictor. Conclusions. Results should guide interventions that tailor messages on the basis of particular reasons for declination. Occupation-specific and culturally appropriate messaging should be considered. Continued efforts will be taken to better understand how workplace context influences vaccine acceptance.


It has been shown that calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is an effective phosphate binder which is less toxic than Al(OH)3. However, given that its use with standard calcium dialysate (CaD) levels may lead to hypercalcemia, a decrease in CaD levels has been proposed. The aim of the present study was to elevate the acute clinical and biochemical consequences of a lowering of CaD in HD patients. Dialysate composition was otherwise the same. (1) Blood pressure levels (BP) during short hemodialysis were measured in a group of 12 patients who underwent alternate hemodialyses with dialysate calcium of 1.75 and 1.25 mmol/l. (2) Ca2+ and PTH kinetics during short hemodialysis were studied in a group of 6 patients who were sequentially treated with 1.75 and 1.25 mmol/l CaD. The results show: (1) that cardiovascular stability in chronic HD patients during short HD sessions with low CaD (LCaD) may be good; (2) that a single treatment with standard CaD (SCaD) produces positive calcium balances (JCa2+) with Ca2+ plasma increase and PTHi inhibition at the end of HD sessions; during HD with LCaD there were neutral mean JCa2+ and no changes in post-dialysis mean Ca2+ and PTHi plasma levels; furthermore 2 patients showed a small PTHi increase during HD with LCaD and neutral JCa2+ because of a high positive bicarbonate balance during HD. In conclusion, as with several aspects of dialysis treatment, dialysate calcium levels should also be individualized to avoid hypercalcemic crises or PTHi stimulation.


ABSTRACT Standardized writing assessments based in linear progressions position teachers for deficit views of young children's emergent writing development. Consequently, the researcher video recorded a writing assessment of his son, Daniel, at age 5 years, 4 months, as he composed a story across pages of a blank book, using an assortment of writing tools. Data sources included the transcription of the writing session and Daniel's final product. The researcher first used open coding then coding based in systemic functional linguistics. Based in ecological and social semiotic perspectives, the researcher shows how Daniel's writing development was expressed interpersonally, with the emerging text functioning as mediational tool. Findings show Daniel's emergent sense of self as a writer, the role of the adult facilitator, and the dynamics of interaction and dialectic of Daniel's internalization process. As formative assessment, next steps in instruction are suggested. The author discusses the necessities of closely observing and supporting young children's composing process and the imperative of a developmental assets perspective when assessing young children's writing, with implications for policy, teacher education, teaching, and research.


Free Fatty acid  resulting from hydrolisis of  various types of oil enzymatically has been great interest recently to save energy, in other hand  that the product are environmentally friendly.  Lipases as biocatalysts for synthesis reactions  will  be  dissolved with the product, making difficult their reuse. Efficiency can be done with the use of enzyme immobilization, which can be used for repeated reaction. The products of free fatty acids from coconut oil by hydrolysis of lipase can be used as a natural substrate for making flavor  that can be consumed and safe for health. The effect of free lipase and  immobilization of lipase on hydrolisis  were studied.   Reaction time of hydrolisis was varied as 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 minutes. The  variation  of concentration of lipase  addition was 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 % .  The types of treatment were used in this research free lipase and the immobilized lipase. The results shows that the highest conversion on hydrolisis of coconut oil  by using free lipase treatment  was performed by 6 % of lipase addition  with reaction time 60 minutes that are 52,31%. While, the highest conversion on hydrolisis of coconut oil by using the immobilized lipase was shown  by 8% of lipase addition with reaction time 120 minutes that is 56,01%.  The results of the hydrolysis process in the form of fatty acid was used as the base material esterification process resulting ester product (natural flavor). Ester yield was produced by free lipase esterification was 28,21 and 32,14 % in immobilized  lipase  esterification.


Speleothems from several caves located in the semi-arid Eastern Mediterranean (EM) type climate (Israel) were studied through high resolution U-230Th TIMS dating and stable isotope composition. Their oxygen isotope (δ18O) records, covering the last 250 kyr, show striking similarities, indicating that they are a robust proxy for the climatic conditions on land. These speleothem δ18O records show a strong match with the marine δ18O records of the planktonic foraminifera G.ruber, which reflect sea surface conditions. The almost constant value of Δ G.ruber speleothems suggests a direct connection between the isotopic composition of EM Sea surface (the rainfall source) and on-land rain, and that calibrated sea surface temperatures (SST) serve as a good proxy for land temperatures.

Presently, minimum rainfall δ18O values occur during periods of enhanced rainfall. The δ18O minima of the speleothems formed during sapropel periods and correspondingly high water level stands in the caves, point to high rainfall on land in the EM region during these periods. This agrees with evidence for increasing rainfall in the entire Mediterranean during sapropel events (Kallel et al., 2000). The EM sea-surface water δ18O value during the post-Holocene sapropel S1 period was similar to present, because there is no evidence for addition of large water amounts from external sources. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that changes in sea surface δ18O mainly reflect temperature variations. Assuming that the calculated SST (Emeis et al., 2000) represent land temperatures, we have calculated the δ18O of the rain and cave water from which the speleothems were deposited. The corresponding amount of rainfall was then estimated using the last decade relationship between mean annual rainfall amount and its δ18O. These calculations show that post-sapropel conditions were associated with a decrease in rainfall, followed by an aridity trend on land. This pattern probably characterizes the conditions that developed after earlier interglacial sapropel periods.


A new transhepatic endoprosthesis, a so-called screw endoprosthesis with a spiral-shaped elevation to prevent dislodgement, is presented. The elevation is created by a silver wire wound around the endoprosthesis. Further, the wire may be used as a marker for radiotherapy or for taking biopsies, and it makes it easier to control the position of the endoprosthesis. The screw endoprosthesis was used in 22 patients, including 9 patients with high strictures in which dislodgement is known to be frequent, and 2 patients in whom previously inserted ordinary endoprostheses had been dislodged. The insertion of the screw endoprosthesis was easy. The complication rate was similar to that of ordinary transhepatic endoprosthesis. No cases of dislodgement were observed.


: An 18-year-old female patient is described, suffering from the syndrome of the immunoendocrine insufficiency, status thymicolymphaticus with hyperplasia of the reticulo-epithelial cells and Hassall's corpuscles of the thymus, generalized hyperplasia of the lymphoid tissue and adrenal hypoplasia. When pregnant, she developed a giantism of the mammary glands with a high blood prolactin level. Death occurred several hours after surgery for artificial abortion from acute adrenal insufficiency resulting from adrenal hypoplasia possibly aggravated by the use of parlodel. Eosinophilic (prolactin-somatotrophic) adenohypophyseal hyperplasia which was much higher than that expected in pregnancy evidenced the role of both prolactin and somatotrophic hormone in the pathogenesis of the mamma giantism. The morphological manifestations of the latter were proliferation of the intralobular connective tissue and end ducts and marked interstitial edema of the mammary glands.


Increased fructose consumption in sweetened beverages is associated to increased cardiovascular events and hypertension in patients. We found that in normal, salt resistant, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, a moderately high fructose intake (20% fructose drinking water) induced salt sensitive hypertension whereas fructose in normal Na diet had little effect. The mechanisms by which fructose intake induced salt sensitive hypertension are unclear. Fructose directly increases the activity of the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter NKCC2 in the thick ascending limb (TAL), and when consumed for 7 days or more, increases phosphorylation of NKCC2, suggesting that this may contribute to fructose induced salt sensitive hypertension. The kinases upstream of NKCC2 phosphorylation, SPAK and OSR1 were also activated by fructose intake. The Dahl SS rat has higher NKCC2 and SPAK phosphorylation in the TAL. We hypothesized that elevated fructose intake causes hypertension in Dahl SS rats on normal Na, but not in SD rats, and that SPAK and NKCC2 phosphorylation are involved. We measured systolic BP (SBP) by radiotelemetry in conscious SD rats fed normal Na (0.4% Na) and 20% fructose in drinking water. SBP minimally increased by 7±2 mmHg (from 122±3 to 129±3 mmHg, p<0.05) after 4 weeks of high fructose and normal Na. In Dahl SS rats fed normal Na, SBP increased by 25±4 mmHg (from 148±3 to 173±4 mmHg, p<0.05 vs SD rat) after 4 weeks of high fructose intake. To study SPAK, we generated Dahl SS rats with genetic deletion of SPAK (SPAK KO). Baseline SBP was lower in SPAK KO (133±2 mmHg, p<0.05), and minimally increased by 10±3 mmHg (from 133±2 to 144±3 mmHg, p<0.05 vs Dahl SS) after 4 weeks of high fructose intake. The decreased effect of fructose in SPAK KO rats may be related to lower NKCC2 phosphorylation because phosphoNKCC2/total NKCC2 was 33 ± 7% lower (p<0.05) in TALs from SPAK KO compared to Dahl SS on high fructose for 14 days. We concluded that a moderately elevated fructose intake induces hypertension in Dahl SS rats on normal Na diet, but not in SD rats. Fructose-induced hypertension in Dahl SS is in part mediated by SPAK and related to higher NKCC2 phosphorylation. Our data suggest that in patients with genetic susceptibility to high salt, BP may also be enhanced by high fructose consumption.


Historical and literature reviews as well as considerations on the issue of risk aversion and entrepreneurship show that insurance can reduce uncertainty, protect assets, and ultimately support entrepreneurship and economic activity.  Insurance and the various policies have their unified characteristic as a business that has the institutional role of supporting other business activities. Thus the development of insurance is commingled with other economic activities and initiatives and with economic growth. However, the conditions for insurance in emerging markets—and in particular in Latin America and the Caribbean—are not primarily conducive to economic activity and entrepreneurship. There are numerous reasons for this, including institutional shortcomings and insurance premiums that do not reflect fair prices. The research refers at various areas, e.g., economic growth, financial market, insurance markets, entrepreneurship. The literature explored and provided answers of different links e.g., financial markets and economic growth; financial markets and entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship and economic growth. In fact, financial market development is considered an important determinant of economic growth and for entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship and economic growth are closely related in the sense that entrepreneurship prompts economic growth. However, the links between insurance and entrepreneurship and the contribution of insurance to economic activity and growth, and particularly how insurance supports entrepreneurship still need to be qualified and empirically proved.


Both the dynamic and stochastic aspects of economic life are increasingly being recognized and incorporated in current analytics. In this paper we examine these aspects in production models, with the aim of achieving the following goals: (i) Unifying the various existing efforts into one more general analytic framework; (ii) Evaluating the tractability of the two dominant functional forms in the presence of dynamics and uncertainty; (iii) Exhaustively analyzing the estimation issues of the general form in stochastic multiperiod and multistage problems with observable and unobservable intermediate outputs; (iv) Determining the conditions under which production function and factor demand estimation is separable, i.e., when knowledge of the production process is not required for efficient factor demand estimation, and vice-versa; (v) Examining the existence of analytic factor demands in the general dynamic stochastic model; and finally, (vi) Providing alternative conditions that lead to an assortment of tractable, estimable models for empirical use. We are encouraged by the conclusion that, subject to avoiding certain pitfalls, the general production model can be extended to include both multiple periods and uncertainty, with increased empirical relevance.


Welding is one of the most popular joining technologies in industry. Depending on the materials to be joined, the geometry of the parts and the number of parts to be joined, there is a wide variety of methods that can be used. These joining techniques share a common feature: the material in the weld zone experiences different thermo-mechanical history, resulting in significant variations in material microstructure and spatial heterogeneity in mechanical properties. To optimize the joining process, or to refine the design of welded structures, it is necessary to identify the local mechanical properties within the different regions of the weld. The development of full-field kinematic measurements (digital image correlation, speckle interferometry, etc.) helps to shed a new light on this problem. The large amount of experimental information attained with these methods makes it possible to visualize the spatial distribution of strain on the specimen surface. Full-field kinematic measurements provide more information regarding the spatial variations in material behaviour. As a consequence, it is now possible to quantify the spatial variations in mechanical properties within the weld region through a properly constructed inverse analysis procedure. High speed tensile tests have been performed on FSW aluminium welds. The test was performed on an MTS machine at a cross-head speed of up to 76 mm/s. Displacement fields were measured across the specimen by coupling digital image correlation with a high-speed camera (Phantom V7.1) taking 1000 frames per second. Then, through the use of the virtual fields method it is possible to retrieve the mechanical parameters of the different areas of the weld from the strain field and the loading. The elastic parameters (Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio) are supposed to be constant through the weld. Their identification was carried out using the virtual fields method in elasticity using the data of the early stage of the experiment. Assuming that the mechanical properties (elastic and plastic) of the weld are constant through the thickness, the plastic parameters were identified on small sections through the specimen, using a simple linear hardening model. This method leads to a discrete identification of the evolution of the mechanical properties through the weld. It allows the understanding of the slight variations of yield stress and hardening due to the complexity of the welding process.


This clear and readable paper is an excellent introduction to the ideas of algebraic logic. The author develops the subject far enough to produce an "internal" definition of truth for a language, thus fitting the theme of the conference. He then observes that one advantage of the algebraic approach is that it extends into areas in which other methods may be inadequate. In the concluding half of the paper, this is illustrated by an algebraic treatment of languages with only finitely many individual variables. and classical domain-and-valuation semantics often makes it possible to apply simple variants of their criticisms to areas they probably do not wish to damage. This paper is a semantic investigation of the extent to which nice properties of modal logics (strong completeness, compactness, weak completeness) depend on the underly ing sentential logic. Two kinds of Kripke models (for each of M, B, S4, and S5) are considered. In K models, different possible worlds may use the same interpretation. In K models, they may not. K models turn out to be nicer than K models. For instance, if a sentential logic is compact, so are the modal extensions defined by using K models. But there are sentential logics such that no B, M, or S4 modal extension defined by using K models is strongly complete. The author does, however, show that for a certain class of sentential logics the two approaches coincide. The results mentioned here are not stated in the full generality of the paper, which sorts things out very thoroughly.


Soft x-rays are attractive for microscopy because they tend to be less damaging to specimens than charged probes. In addition their interactions with specimens can result in element-specific information and the penetration depth is adjustable by choice of the beam energy. Resolution on the order of 50 nm has been demonstrated, and further improvements are anticipated. The experimental program at the NSLS X1A beamline is dedicated to soft x-ray microscopy. We are developing two types of instruments, both dependent on the remarkable brightness of the undulator source. One of these uses a Fresnel zone plate to focus the beam to a small size. This microprobe is used either to study biological specimens, or, in a different apparatus, to study surfaces by photoelectron microscopy. The other type of instrument makes use of x-rays diffracted by the specimen. In this category we are involved in the development of Gabor holography, Fourier transform holography, and in imaging by soft x-ray diffraction.


The toxicity, exposure, and risk from chlorpyrifos are briefly discussed in juxtaposition with two recent articles in Environmental Health Perspectives concerning potential exposures to children. In studies conducted according to EPA guidelines, chlorpyrifos has been shown not to be mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic, nor does it adversely affect reproduction. Chlorpyrifos toxicity does not occur in the absence of significant cholinesterase inhibition. If exposures are less than those that cause significant cholinesterase depression, then no signs or symptoms related to chlorpyrifos exposure occur. The weight of empirical evidence indicates that the risk of adults or children experiencing an adverse health effect from exposure to chlorpyrifos through both nondietary and dietary sources is negligible. Both the research supporting the registration of these products and their long history of widespread use suggest that unless these products are seriously misused, their margins of safety are wide enough to protect everyone with the potential to be exposed. A weight-of-evidence review of the entire scientific knowledge base relating to chlorpyrifos products supports these conclusions.


A new technique for lumbar sympathectomy is described. It consists of CT-guided trans-abdominal fine needle puncture and injection of alcohol. The technique is simple and well tolerated by the patient, and it permits accurate application of the alcohol. Complications have so far not been observed.


The previous issues of the journal featured publications of lectures about such outstanding 20th century Russian composers as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofi ev, Nikolai Myaskovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, Georgy Sviridov, and Rodion Shchedrin. This series is being continued with a lecture about the music of Alfred G. Schnittke. The fi rst part of the lecture ("National 'Fermentations' and Early Works") examines the questions of the genesis of the composer's personality and the initial stage of his artistic formation with a drastic reorientation from a traditional style to avant-garde experiment. The second part ("The Middle Period") is devoted to Schnittke's explorations in the direction of contacts with wide audiences, which went along various lines of democratization of his artistic approach. The conclusive part ("The Late Style") is directed towards the composer's immense contribution to the formation of the stylistic realities of the Postmodern aesthetics. During the course of the lecture's exposition fragments of musical compositions are offered with recommended performances of them, in their sum providing a perception of the most substantial sides of Alfred G. Schnittke's musical output.


A steel reinforced concrete frame-concrete core wall structure is taken as the research object in this paper. The whole space finite element models are established by software ETABS, modal analysis, response spectrum method and elastic time-history analysis are conducted. And static elastio-plastic time history analysis of the high-rise structure is conducted by software MIDAS/GEN. Seismic response of the high-rise structure is analyzed under medium earthquake and rare earthquake , elastic deformation is calculated under conventional earthquake and elastic-plastic deformation is calculated under rare earthquake. The results show that the structure can meet the requirements of no-damage under light earthquake, repairable under medium earthquake and no-collapse under strong earthquake.


In this paper the electrical conductivity of Cu2O matrix inhomogeneous composites were tested. Cu2O matrix inhomogeneous composites, which were prepared by traditional powder metallurgy method, were with different Cu content and porosities. The results show that the electrical conductivity as a function of Cu content is consistent with percolation theory. The relationship between electrical conductivity and porosity can be calculated using the equation, . When the Cu content is below the percolation threshold, the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity shows a hysteresis phenomenon.


The SARS-CoV-2 has caused tremendous stress in cancer patient care. Millions of confirmed cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths have been reported since the virus first reported in just 6 months ago in January 2020.  While patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are particularly vulnerable to COVID19, cancer patients will probably suffer the most from visits due to weak immune system, frequent hospital visits, complicated treatment regimens, and ever-growing costs of seeking in-person healthcare.  In this perspective, we propose a simple workflow based on artificial intelligence (AI) that integrates currently available platforms and resources. The workflow hereby proposed is easy to develop and will promote the entry of the first clinical application of AI in modern medicine.


The development of new general methods for the synthesis of chiral fluorine-containing molecules is important for several scientific disciplines. We herein disclose a straightforward method for the preparation of chiral organofluorine molecules that is based on the iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of trisubstituted alkenyl fluorides. This catalytic asymmetric process enables the synthesis of chiral fluorine molecules with or without carbonyl substitution. Owing to the tunable steric and electronic properties of the azabicyclo thiazole-phosphine iridium catalyst, this stereoselective reaction could be optimized and was found to be compatible with various aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic systems with a variety of functional groups, providing the highly desirable products in excellent yields and enantioselectivities.


Hyaluronidase has two cruical isoforms, hyaluronidase-1 (Hyal-1) and hyaluronidase-2 (Hyal-2), which are essential for cellular hyaluronic acid (HA) catabolism to generate different-sized oligosaccharide fragments for performing different physiological functions. In particular, Hyal-1 is the major tumor-derived hyaluronidase. Thus, specific detection of one hyaluronidase isoform, especially Hyal-1, in live cells is of scientific significance but remains challenging. Herein, by use of differentiated tolerance capability of an amphiphilic HA-based nanoassembly to Hyal-1 and Hyal-2, we rationally design a Hyal-1 specific nanosensor, consisting of cholesterylamine-modified HA nanoassembly (CHA) and RNA-binding fluorophores (RBF). The RBF molecules were entrapped in CHA to switch off their fluorescence via aggregation caused quenching. However, CHA can be disassembled by Hyal-1 to release RBF, resulting in fluorescence activation. Moreover, the fluorescence of the released RBF is further enhanced by cytoplasm RNA. Owing to this cascade signal amplification, this nanosensor RBF@CHA displays a significant change of signal-to-background-noise ratio (120-fold) toward 16 μg/mL Hyal-1 in cellular lysates. In contrast, it is resistant to Hyal-2. By virtue of its selective and sensitive characteristics under a complicated matrix, RBF@CHA had been successfully applied for specifically visualizing Hyal-1 over Hyal-2 inside live cells for the first time, detecting a low level of intracellular Hyal-1 and distinguishing normal and cancer cells with different expressions of Hyal-1. This approach would be useful to better understand biological functions and related diseases of intracellular Hyal-1.


This work describes the recognition of human activity based on the interaction between people and objects in domestic settings, specifically in a kitchen. The difference between this and other proposals is that considers a human activity in a process without vision tracking. Videos are a sequence of photographs. Taking this into account, if you analyze an orderly sequence of images it could be based on the objects present in each scene so that you can understand the possible activity performed. However, it is not enough to consider the objects present in the scene; it is necessary to determine if those objects are employed or not by the humans present. If they are used, it is evident that they are necessary to carry out the activity; if they are not used they would only provide noise to the recognized activity. Therefore, it is necessary to generate a conceptualization of objects in the scene with characteristics (definition of an object, motion detector, object recogni- tion, object position, object action) that allows you to recognize them and to determine the degree of use (unchanged, added, removed, moved, and indeterminate) and influence the possible recognized activity.


Within all these years after the Chernobyl disaster the population of contaminated areas of the Rivne region was shown to consume radioactive contaminated foodstuffs. The main components of the formation of the internal irradiation of the population in them were and remain locally sourced milk and meat, forest mushrooms and berries. After 1991, the largest annual internal doses in persons observed in 1997 varied from 2,2 to 1,45 mSv/year and in 2011--in the inhabitants of the village of El'no they were yet reaching 1.43 mSv/year. After 2003, exposure levels in most inhabitatants of affected areas exceeded the criterion specified by national legislation for residents of the tightened radioecological control zone (0,5 mSv/year). The long-term residence in the contaminated area, elevated levels of chronic internal exposure, lack of radioactively sound foodstuffs and involuntary consumption in 1987-2011 radioactively contaminated food of local production were noted to led to an increase in general morbidity, and incidence of endocrine diseases rate and their separate nosological forms.


ABSTRACT Lyndon B. Johnson became a senator the year of Israel's creation: 1948. Moral, political, and strategic considerations guided Johnson's outspoken support for Israel from an early point in his political career. This analysis reveals that Johnson's advocacy of Israel whilst a senator foreshadowed his policy as president of championing the Israeli-American military-strategic alliance. Beginning with his time in Congress, Johnson had many Jewish American friends supporting the establishment of a Jewish state and, due to the importance of Jewish-American backing of the Democratic Party, Johnson supported Israel for significant political reasons. From a moral and strategic perspective starting in the 1950s, Johnson believed that Israel served as a humanitarian refuge for Jews in the aftermath of the Holocaust and, as a liberal democracy, was well suited to oppose the expansion of Soviet influence and communism in the Cold War Middle East. For these reasons, Johnson supported the initiation of American aid to Israel in the early 1950s, which would presage decisions to arm Israel with the first American tanks and fighter jets as president. As a senator, Johnson staunchly opposed President Dwight Eisenhower's threat to impose sanctions against Israel if it did not withdraw from Egyptian territories occupied in the 1956 Suez crisis. Johnson's stance on Suez – that Israel deserved greater security guarantees prior to withdrawal – would starkly parallel his policy following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.


Natural regeneration is the most important factor in survival and sustaining forest parks. This study was conducted to compare the regeneration frequency of trees species at distances of 15, 40 and 80 mfrom roads considering tourist pressure in Alang Dareh forest park. Results show that number of high seedling in low tourist pressure area was more than that of area with severe tourist pressure. Moreover, total number of seedlings in low tourist pressure area was more than that of area with severe tourist pressure. Lowest number of seedlings was recorded at distance of 80 m from road edge because of the tourist density and consequently soil compaction.

 Key words: Tourist pressure, regeneration, forest road, Alang Dareh park.


Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) is an endangered and endemic tropical tree species from India in need of restoration. This study evaluated options for improving establishment of its advance regeneration in degraded forests. Using randomized complete block design, the effect of silvicultural treatments involving prescribed fire, in combination with disking, singling, disking with singling, and control (no treatment) on survival and growth of advanced regeneration were evaluated for a period of 2 years. Results indicate that the treatments served to ameliorate microsite conditions resulting in better survival and growth. Seedlings with fewer coppice shoots, treatments with a singling component, and treatments with disking component showed better survival and growth. The number and height of other neighboring seedlings and trees also influenced seedling establishment. Seedlings showed significantly higher survival results in the prescribed fire with disking (disking with prescribed burn [DPB]: 96%) and prescribed fires with disking and singling (singling plus disking with prescribed burn [SDPB]: 94%) treatments. Similarly, tall seedlings and those with larger root collar diameters accrued significantly higher volume growth in DPB (87%) and SDPB (97%) treatments. Although seedlings showed similar increments in DPB and SDPB treatments, better survival due to singling indicated the latter as the best option. In dense regeneration areas, preferential treatment of the taller and larger stump‐sized seedlings and, in limited regeneration areas that of smaller seedlings, may yield better results. Additionally, removal of competing vegetation and canopy opening may also help establishment of young regeneration. The results of this study have applications for restoration of endangered species in other tropical dry deciduous ecosystems worldwide.


This article presents an overview of the technical aspects of the existing technologies for wireless indoor location systems. The two major challenges for accurate location finding in indoor areas are the complexity of radio propagation and the ad hoc nature of the deployed infrastructure in these areas. Because of these difficulties a variety of signaling techniques, overall system architectures, and location finding algorithms are emerging for this application. This article provides a fundamental understanding of the issues related to indoor geolocation science that are needed for design and performance evaluation of emerging indoor geolocation systems.


Virtual reality and video games are becoming a part of everyday life. Computer games are provided with game-level editors (GLE), which allow the user to create customized virtual environments (VE). In a therapeutic framework, GLE's VEs combined with virtual reality have been used in many fields including psychotherapy. The present article comprises two studies. In the first study, criteria for selecting the most relevant GLE for the construction of interactive VEs are outlined. During the second study, the selected GLE was utilized to construct 9 distinct virtual situations in which a sample of 18 agoraphobics were immersed. Within each VE, the participants contended with their least feared situation and their most feared one. Questionnaires and physiological measures demonstrated increased levels of presence and anxiety within the feared VEs. There was a significant correlation between presence and anxiety. These data indicate that GLE's interactive worlds combined with VR offers a viable possibility to establish a therapeutic environment at an affordable cost.


Italian coasts are subjected to morphological modifications that in the last decades have, in many cases, been the cause of considerable coast-line withdrawal. A detailed cognizance on dynamics and relative consequences on territory and environment is necessary to plan actions for limiting these events and their impacts. Reconstruction of temporal shoreline changes can be realized using historical and recent maps, remote sensed images and topographic survey results. Because of the heterogeneity of these data, their different levels of accuracy must be considered. In this paper one of the most emblematic Italian shorelines affected by erosion, the Domitian shoreline located in Northern Campania Region (South Italy), is considered. GIS environment is used to compare ancient and recent maps as well as remote sensed images. Cartographic layers include IGMI (Istituto Geografico Militare Italiano) products from 1876 to 1984, on a scale 1:25.000 or 1:50.000. Others are an aerial photo (1:10.000) produced in 1998 and an IKONOS panchromatic image acquired in 2005. Taking into account the heterogeneity of these documentations, to realise comparisons of their contents, all layers are related to the same cartographic datum (Gauss-Boaga Roma40), so a reconstruction of the coastal evolution from 1876 to 2005 is obtained.


Numerical study was conducted to analyze the effect of a moving charge on a stationary target. As was found earlier, the shock wave emanating from the moving charge is spherical although the pressures in the direction of movement are much greater than those in the opposite one. The analysis was conducted by running Autodyn 2D and 3D, assuming the target is rigid and either stationary or moves parallel to the charge. The reflected pressures and the overall force on the target were measured for a moving 1 Kg charge at various velocities. The results show that the load on the target increases significantly if the explosion is in air and the intensity of this load depends strongly on the charge velocity.


Background Life expectancy (LE) in Mexico has risen rapidly since the 1950s. In high-income contexts, these increases have coincided with a compression of disability to later ages. However, little evidence on trends in disability-free LE (DFLE) exist from Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America. Methods Using data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, we compare changes in LE and DFLE in ages 50–59, 60–69 and 70–79 using birth-cohort-specific multistate lifetable models across successive 10-year birth cohorts. Disability was measured using the Katz activities of daily living (ADL) index, and limitation was measured using a seven-item questionnaire on physical functioning. Results Overall, Mexican adults born in 1953–1962 lived 0.87 (p<0.001) fewer active years between ages 50 and 59 than individuals born in 1942–1951, a difference comprised of a 0.54-year (p<0.001) increase in physically limited LE and a 0.27-year (p<0.001) increase in ADL-disabled LE. Active LE declined by 1.13 (p<0.001) years in ages 60–69, and by 0.93 (p<0.001) years in ages 70–79, across successive 10-year birth cohorts. No substantial changes in total LE were seen in any age group, and the magnitude of the expansion of disability was larger in females than in males. Conclusions Our results indicate that more recently born cohorts of Mexican adults are spending more years of life with physical limitations and disabilities. These results foreshadow a need to closely monitor adult health in middle-income contexts, as the epidemiological conditions under which disability has expanded in Mexico are similar to those seen in many other countries.


Traffic sign detection and recognition has been thoroughly studied for a long time. However, traffic panel detection and recognition still remains a challenge in computer vision due to its different types and the huge variability of the information depicted in them. This paper presents a method to detect traffic panels in street-level images and to recognize the information contained on them, as an application to intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The main purpose can be to make an automatic inventory of the traffic panels located in a road to support road maintenance and to assist drivers. Our proposal extracts local descriptors at some interest keypoints after applying blue and white color segmentation. Then, images are represented as a "bag of visual words" and classified using Naïve Bayes or support vector machines. This visual appearance categorization method is a new approach for traffic panel detection in the state of the art. Finally, our own text detection and recognition method is applied on those images where a traffic panel has been detected, in order to automatically read and save the information depicted in the panels. We propose a language model partly based on a dynamic dictionary for a limited geographical area using a reverse geocoding service. Experimental results on real images from Google Street View prove the efficiency of the proposed method and give way to using street-level images for different applications on ITS.


OBJECTIVES
We examined the impact of community mobilization (CM) on the empowerment, risk behaviors, and prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infection in female sex workers (FSWs) in Karnataka, India.

METHODS
We conducted behavioral-biological surveys in 2008 and 2011 in 4 districts of Karnataka, India. We defined exposure to CM as low, medium (attended nongovernmental organization meeting or drop-in centre), or high (member of collective or peer group). We used regression analyses to explore whether exposure to CM was associated with the preceding outcomes. Pathway analyses explored the degree to which effects could be attributable to CM.

RESULTS
By the final survey, FSWs with high CM exposure were more likely to have been tested for HIV (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 25.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 13.07, 48.34) and to have used a condom at last sex with occasional clients (AOR = 4.74; 95% CI =  2.17, 10.37), repeat clients (AOR = 4.29; 95% CI = 2.24, 8.20), and regular partners (AOR = 2.80; 95% CI = 1.43, 5.45) than FSWs with low CM exposure. They were also less likely to be infected with gonorrhea or chlamydia (AOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.87). Pathway analyses suggested CM acted above and beyond peer education; reduction in gonorrhea or chlamydia was attributable to CM.

CONCLUSIONS
CM is a central part of HIV prevention programming among FSWs, empowering them to better negotiate condom use and access services, as well as address other concerns in their lives.


This paper develops a framework to analyse the determinants of the long term growth rate of Bangladesh. It is based on the Solow (1956) growth model and its extension by Mankiw, Romer and Weil (1992) and follows Senhadji's (2000) growth accounting procedure to estimate total factor productivity (TFP). Our growth accounting exercise shows that growth rate in Bangladesh, until the 1990s was primarily due to factor accumulation. Since then, however, TFP has made a small positive contribution. An analysis of the determinants of TFP shows that remittances by emigrant workers has no significant long run growth effect. Using our results on the determinants of TFP we examine policy options to double per capita income of Bangladesh in about 15 years.


CYP2A6 inactivates nicotine to cotinine and cotinine to 3-hydroxycotinine. We investigated which of plasma nicotine and metabolites were most related to CYP2A6 genotype and smoking levels. We assessed demographic and smoking histories in 152 Caucasian ad libitum smokers, measured breath carbon monoxide (CO) levels, and determined plasma nicotine, cotinine, and 3-hydroxycotinine by high-performance liquid chromatography and CYP2A6 genotypes by PCR. Cigarettes per day was most closely related to CO (r = 0.60, P < 0.001) followed by plasma cotinine (r = 0.53, P < 0.001), whereas plasma cotinine was most strongly correlated with CO levels (r = 0.74, P < 0.001), confirming that cotinine is a good indicator of smoking levels; this was not limited by CYP2A6 variants. 3-Hydroxycotinine/cotinine is reported to be a good marker of CYP2A6 activity, and we found that the 3-hydroxycotinine/(cotinine + nicotine) ratio was most correlated with CYP2A6 genotype (r = 0.38, P < 0.001). Inclusion of the CYP2A6*12A allele strengthened the correlation (r = 0.46, P < 0.001), suggesting that the identification of novel alleles will continue to improve this relationship. Nicotine metabolism is slower in smokers, and we have shown that CYP2A6 is reduced by nicotine treatment in monkeys. Here, we found that plasma nicotine levels were inversely correlated with CYP2A6 activity (3-hydroxycotinine/cotinine, r = −0.41, P < 0.001) among those without CYP2A6 variants, suggesting a reduction in metabolism with higher nicotine levels. Together, these findings (a) confirm the use of plasma cotinine and CO as indicators of Caucasians' smoking levels, and that this is not limited by CYP2A6 genetic variation; (b) indicate that 3-hydroxycotinine/cotinine and 3-hydroxycotinine/(cotinine + nicotine) are moderately good indicators of the CYP2A6 genotype; and (c) support that nicotine exposure may reduce its own metabolism. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1812–9)


For several years, the (lack of) safety associated with school children's journeys to/from the school has attracted attention. In this project, an analysis has been made of bus related accidents during the period of 2003-2006, with the aim of acquiring a better insight into accidents sustained by children during journeys by bus, chiefly during school hours. A comparison has also been made with the outcome at other times and for other age groups. This is expected to provide further opportunities for assessing how the measures proposed for improving children's road safety may also affect journeys both during and outside school hours. Every year, on average, three children aged 6-16 are killed in conjunction with journeys by bus over the whole service day. At the time of the accident they are usually pedestrians on the way to/from the bus. Most of the injuries to those in the 6-16 age group (two thirds) occurred during school hours. When only injuries during school hours are studied, it is found that about one half of those injured were bus passengers. However, among the most severe injuries (including fatalities) it is pedestrians who dominate, 69%. It may be pointed out by way of comparison that, during the same hours, almost 77% of those killed or severely injured in bus related accidents in the 25-64 age group were either bus passengers or passenger car occupants.


The lines of curvature of a surface embedded in $\R^3$ comprise its principal foliations. Principal foliations of surfaces embedded in $\R^3$ resemble phase portraits of two dimensional vector fields, but there are significant differences in their geometry because principal foliations are not orientable. The Poincar\'e-Bendixson Theorem precludes flows on the two sphere $S^2$ with recurrent trajectories larger than a periodic orbit, but there are convex surfaces whose principal foliations are closely related to non-vanishing vector fields on the torus $T^2$. This paper investigates families of such surfaces that have dense lines of curvature at a Cantor set $C$ of parameters. It introduces discrete one dimensional return maps of a cross-section whose trajectories are the intersections of a line of curvature with the cross-section. The main result proved here is that the return map of a generic surface has \emph{breaks}; i.e., jump discontinuities of its derivative. Khanin and Vul discovered a qualitative difference between one parameter families of smooth diffeomorphisms of the circle and those with breaks: smooth families have positive Lebesgue measure sets of parameters with irrational rotation number and dense trajectories while families of diffeomorphisms with a single break do not. This paper discusses whether Lebesgue almost all parameters yield closed lines of curvature in families of embedded surfaces.


L-DOPA is the primary drug used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms, but motor side effects limit its long term use. Previous experimental studies show that L-DOPA acts on supersensitive D1 receptors in the basal ganglia to induce extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), a pair of MAP-kinase proteins that may be involved in induction of motor side effects. Since GABA is known to be intimately involved in basal ganglia function, we investigated whether elevating GABA levels via a GABA-transaminase (GABA-T) inhibitor affects the L-DOPA-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the striatum and substantia nigra (SN) using a rat model of PD. Unilateral dopaminergic lesions of median forebrain bundle neurons were done using the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine. Rats were prescreened for the extent of the lesion by apomorphine-induced rotation test. Lesioned rats were treated with aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA, a GABA-T inhibitor), L-DOPA, or in combination. Immunohistochemistry of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, a direct indicator of dopaminergic lesion), substance P (SP, an indirect marker that decreases after lesion), and phospho-ERK1/2 was done using slices at the level of striatum and SN. Unilateral dopaminergic lesioned rats, as expected, exhibited >90% TH loss and a modest SP loss in the striatum and SN. L-DOPA alone induced a 343% and 330% increase in phospho-ERK1/2 in the striatum and SN, respectively. We report here a novel finding that pretreatment with AOAA attenuated the L-DOPA induced increase in phospho-ERK1/2 by 62% and 68% in the striatum and SN, respectively, suggesting a DA-GABA-ERK1/2 link in the therapeutic and/or side effects of L-DOPA.


This paper deals with free vibration behaviour of axially loaded composite beams with arbitrary lay-ups by using a quasi-3D theory, which accounts for shear and normal deformation effects as well as coupling effects arising from the material anisotropy. The axial and transverse displacement variations are assumed to be cubic and quadratic functions of the depth, respectively. Using an assumed displacement field, the governing differential equations of motion are derived by applying Hamilton's principle. A two-node C1 finite element with six degree-of-freedom at each node is developed to solve the free vibration problem. Numerical results are obtained for representative composite beams and the effects of fiber orientation on the natural frequencies and mode shapes are demonstrated. An elastic buckling analysis is also carried out as a degenerate case of free vibration analysis at zero frequency. In order to achieve this, a compressive axial load in the beam is gradually increased so that the natural frequencies decrease and in doing so, there comes a stage when for a particular high value of compressive load, the beam becomes unstable and buckling occurs as a degenerate case of free vibration at zero frequency. The load-frequency curves and the corresponding mode shapes are illustrated. The results are discussed and the paper concludes with some important remarks.


Abstract : Many fire service providers (FSPs) do not adequately address homeland security. While some FSPs in the United States have dedicated homeland security divisions or operational practices, the majority do not. The current roles and responsibilities of most FSPs appear to be broad and vague, as there are no overall adopted best practices for developing homeland security response procedures and/or practices. While the majority of FSPs deliver fire suppression and emergency medical services, the majority of FSPs have not broadened their service delivery models to address the preventative, emergent and recovery phases of service delivery within homeland security. While there are no widely accepted practices, regulations or standards addressing FSPs and their expectations within homeland security, it is possible to create a structure upon which FSPs may build. This document will demonstrate the importance of cultural acceptance of homeland security services, which will lead to effective planning and preparedness as well as appropriate resourcing and training practices. From these components FSPs, regardless of their size, jurisdiction served, geographic location, jurisdictional target threat assessments, budgetary resources and staffing matrixes will be able to create a structure that will allow them to provide effective and efficient homeland security services.


Context: Biochemical control reduces morbidity and increases life expectancy in patients with acromegaly. With current medical therapies, including the gold standard octreotide long-acting-release (LAR), many patients do not achieve biochemical control. Objective: Our objective was to demonstrate the superiority of pasireotide LAR over octreotide LAR in medically naive patients with acromegaly. Design and Setting: We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind study at 84 sites in 27 countries. Patients: A total of 358 patients with medically naive acromegaly (GH >5 μg/L or GH nadir ≥1 μg/L after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and IGF-1 above the upper limit of normal) were enrolled. Patients either had previous pituitary surgery but no medical treatment or were de novo with a visible pituitary adenoma on magnetic resonance imaging. Interventions: Patients received pasireotide LAR 40 mg/28 days (n = 176) or octreotide LAR 20 mg/28 days (n = 182) for 12 months. At months 3 and 7, titration to pasireotide LAR 60 mg or octreotide LAR 30 mg was permitted, but not mandatory, if GH ≥2.5μg/L and/or IGF-1 was above the upper limit of normal. Main Outcome Measure: The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients in each treatment arm with biochemical control (GH <2.5 μg/L and normal IGF-1) at month 12. Results: Biochemical control was achieved by significantly more pasireotide LAR patients than octreotide LAR patients (31.3% vs 19.2%; P = .007; 35.8% vs 20.9% when including patients with IGF-1 below the lower normal limit). In pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR patients, respectively, 38.6% and 23.6% (P = .002) achieved normal IGF-1, and 48.3% and 51.6% achieved GH <2.5 μg/L. 31.0% of pasireotide LAR and 22.2% of octreotide LAR patients who did not achieve biochemical control did not receive the recommended dose increase. Hyperglycemia-related adverse events were more common with pasireotide LAR (57.3% vs 21.7%). Conclusions: Pasireotide LAR demonstrated superior efficacy over octreotide LAR and is a viable new treatment option for acromegaly.


Duelling and Napoleonic history go together like a horse and carriage. Though strictly forbidden and disliked by Napoleon, duelling was a very frequent phenomenon in the Grande Armée. It is even possible to speak about a 'duellomanie', which caused many (deadly) victims. Nevertheless, for various reasons soldiers crossed blades and duels went according to certain unwritten rules. After an official invitation to go to a certain place at a certain time, a duel, fought with specific weapons, took place under the watchful eye of seconds. Sometimes these duellists wanted to kill their opponent, but in many duels the only intention was to cause a (light) wound. Although duels were honourable and a symbol of masculinity and bravery, they also caused many soldiers to die, not for their country, but in a fight without purpose.


The thesis of this article is that there has been no transition to capitalism in the post-Soviet space and that there has been no transition because there could be no transition. The pre-conditions for a move to capitalism have been absent throughout this time. We have been witnessing a continuing disintegration of the previous system leading into a disintegration of the society itself through national independence, civil war, emigration, growth of criminal enterprise and the exclusion of ever greater numbers from direct participation in that society. Every society must have a social form, which we call its social system and if that social system is disintegrating without replacement, it follows that the society itself must begin to disintegrate. This article is an attempt to theorize and so understand the nature of the 'transition'. It does not attempt to uncover yet more empirical details, something that is amply dealt with by quality newspaper and periodical articles. Instead the article tries to take part in the process of discussing the salient features of what might be termed a 'frozen transition' or 'continued disintegration'.


UNLABELLED
The introduction of multihole mega cup has proposed innovative answers in the management of acetabular impediments that ensued from the use of bipolar hemiarthroplasty. This study bestows a prospective analysis of the outcome of conversion surgery from bipolar hemiarthroplasty to total hip replacement in patients with acetabular complications.Forty-two patients, 22 men and 20 women, with a mean age of 59 years (range 46-69 years) who experienced complex acetabular deficiencies following bipolar hemiarthroplasty, were converted to total hip replacement between January 2008 and June 2010. Pain was the main complaint in all cases. It was primarily confined to the groin region. Limping due to shortening of the affected limb was the second main complaint (30 cases). All cases had erosion of the acetabulum with varying degrees of protrusion. Cementless mutihole cups with augmentation by autogenous bone graft from the iliac crest and large metal heads' sizes were used for conversion in all cases. After a minimum follow-up of 36 months, Harris hip scores (HHS) improved from a mean of 36.8±6.8 (range 21-59) preoperatively to a mean of 85.9±5.6 (range 71 to 94) postoperatively. Thirty six (85.7%) patients experienced no groin pain postoperatively while six patients (14.3%) described limited improvement. Postoperative complications included: dislocation in two cases which were reduced and did not result in a poor outcome later on. No patients were lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
Short-term results at minimum three years follow-up of multihole mega cup were encouraging regarding high capability of acetabular reconstruction with less morbidity of recipient site. Significant pain and functional improvement were noticeable, however further longer term studies are consequently recommended.


To some, namely those well acquainted with Adler, the title of this article goes without saying; to others it may represent a provocative thesis which is not understood. More than likely, readers will "find what they have known before" (3, p. 155). Naturally, the scope of the article seeks to make the title understood, i.e., discuss what is meant by friendship and existence in general, then Adler's relationship to these concepts in particular. By defining friendship, then existence, and relating these concepts to Adler as theorist and therapist, a new perspective may emerge under which one is able to stand. How does one define friendship? Webster (8) defines the term "friendship" as "a state of being friends." The term "friend" is defined in two ways: (a) "one attached to another by esteem, respect, and affection; an intimate;" (b) "one not hostile, one not a foe; also one of the same nation, party, kin, etc." Despite the apparent clarity of Webster's definition, he fails to reveal the limiting situational factors and the essential experiences of friendship relations. A more precise definition would include three elements: first, objective factors necessary for friendship relations; second, the primary experiential atmosphere in such relations; and last, the friend's attitude toward the befriended. The author believes these three elements are contained in the following definition: Friendship is a complex of human experiences which emerges from socially structured human interactions of a personal and intimate nature; such interactions foster frequent conversation and mutual understanding in an atmosphere of comfortableness and cooperation; and both parties in friendship relations intentionally sustain and renew the interaction for its personal value. At first glance the definition seems precise but empty, deceptively pregnant with meaning but embedded in ambiguity. To reveal its clear meaning an analytic breakdown is needed, stressing the three facets of the definition: first, socially structured human interactions;


Abstract Taylor, C. M. & Z. S. Rogers (2013). Six new species of Danais Vent. (Rubiaceae, Danaideae) from Madagascar. Candollea 68: 167–180. In English, English and French abstracts. Danais Vent. (Rubiaceae, Danaideae) comprises about forty species of woody climbing plants, with most of them found in Madagascar. Recent exploration there has documented six new endemic species that are described, illustrated, and mapped here: Danais antilahimenae C. M. Taylor, Danais disticha C. M. Taylor, Danais laciniata C. M. Taylor, Danais masoalana C. M. Taylor, Danais rakotovaoi C. M. Taylor, and Danais randrianaivoi C. M. Taylor. All six occur in humid vegetation and qualify as threatened based on preliminary IUCN conservation assessment (one "Critically Endangered", four "Endangered", one "Vulnerable").


Nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted considerable attention in various fields, such as cosmetics, the food industry, material design, and nanomedicine. In particular, the fast-moving field of nanomedicine takes advantage of features of NPs for the detection and treatment of different types of cancer, fibrosis, inflammation, arthritis as well as neurodegenerative and gastrointestinal diseases. To this end, a detailed understanding of the NP uptake mechanisms by cells and intracellular localization is essential for safe and efficient therapeutic applications. In the first part of this review, we describe the several endocytic pathways involved in the internalization of NPs and we discuss the impact of the physicochemical properties of NPs on this process. In addition, the potential challenges of using various inhibitors, endocytic markers and genetic approaches to study endocytosis are addressed along with the principal (semi) quantification methods of NP uptake. The second part focuses on synthetic and bio-inspired substances, which can stimulate or decrease the cellular uptake of NPs. This approach could be interesting in nanomedicine where a high accumulation of drugs in the target cells is desirable and clearance by immune cells is to be avoided. This review contributes to an improved understanding of NP endocytic pathways and reveals potential substances, which can be used in nanomedicine to improve NP delivery.


The sparse matrix estimation problem consists of estimating the distribution of an $n\times n$ matrix $Y$, from a sparsely observed single instance of this matrix where the entries of $Y$ are independent random variables. This captures a wide array of problems; special instances include matrix completion in the context of recommendation systems, graphon estimation, and community detection in (mixed membership) stochastic block models. Inspired by classical collaborative filtering for recommendation systems, we propose a novel iterative, collaborative filtering-style algorithm for matrix estimation in this generic setting. We show that the mean squared error (MSE) of our estimator converges to $0$ at the rate of $O(d^2 (pn)^{-2/5})$ as long as $\omega(d^5 n)$ random entries from a total of $n^2$ entries of $Y$ are observed (uniformly sampled), $\E[Y]$ has rank $d$, and the entries of $Y$ have bounded support. The maximum squared error across all entries converges to $0$ with high probability as long as we observe a little more, $\Omega(d^5 n \ln^5(n))$ entries. Our results are the best known sample complexity results in this generality.


Consider the following situation: universities are proliferating rapidly, the number of professors is increasing even more rapidly, and the growth in the number of students is still greater. Words replace ideas. Is this situation the present one? Not at all. It is the 15th century when the scholastic philosophy is at the height of acceptance, and educational facilities have expanded and developed accordingly. As Henry Osborn Taylor makes clear in the sections on "Duns Scotus" and "Occam" in his Mind of the Middle Ages , the system was actually about to collapse. Fortunately for culture in the Western World, its replacement was already at hand. The effects of the collapse of medieval culture were masked by the glories that the emerging Renaissance was to initiate. The situation was saved by selective recourse to the past. Likewise, there is reason to believe that American medicine may soon need an approach different from


In deterministic model testing, focusing wave groups are used for the simulation of dedicated wave environments. They are characterized by the transient appearance of one relatively steep wave crest. The phasing of the wave components which leads to an exact focusing in one point in time and space is strongly dependent on the correct modeling of the wave phase velocity while the position of the focusing point depends on the wave group celerity. For wave generation purposes, the calculation of a wave maker control signal based on a target wave train at a desired position in the tank (inverse or backward modeling) is of crucial importance. Numerical wave tanks and empirical approaches are often calibrated based on wave characteristics measured in a particular tank. This paper presents model test results for the variation of frequency range, steepness and focal point of focusing wave groups at intermediate water depth. The measured characteristics are compared to predicted parameters.Copyright © 2009 by ASME