The fundamental rules which should be followed by Notary Public are: honesty, reliability,
detachment and impartiality, as well as keeping the professional secret.
As a crucial participant in creating and carrying into effect legal structures of free market, Notary
Public performs public functions. Therefore, he or she is authorized to give an official character to
declarations of persons being their clients. In view of the foregoing, the notary should secure such
documents in trading abiding by the rules and regulations of the governing law and ethics.
With a view to a special role of the profession in question in economic trade, The National Notary
Board passed a Notary Public Code of Professional Ethics, by virtue whereof a Notary shall with their
attitude and actions give a good character to their profession and mind its dignity and honor. Any
breach of the above – mentioned rules results in the Notary's liability.
Notary Public, as a person whose functions play a crucial role in legal trade and who is trusted by
the parties, is responsible for correctness and precision of their activities. Their liability as clients'
confidant may result in civil, legal, disciplinary and tax liability.


The preliminary experimental results of the generation and diagnostics of high-power ion beams of FLASH II accelerator are reported. The high-power ion beams presently are being produced in a pinched diode. The method for enhancing the ratio of ion to electron current is to increase the electron residing time by pinching the electron flow. Furthermore, electron beam pinching can be combined with electron reflexing to achieve ion beams with even higher efficiency and intensity. The anode plasma is generated by anode foil bombarded with electron and anode foil surface flashover. In recent experiments on FLASH II accelerator, ion beams have been produced with a current of 160 kA and an energy of 500 keV corresponding to an ion beam peak power of about 80 GW. The ion number and current of high power ion beams were determined by monitoring delayed radioactivity from nuclear reactions induced in a 12C target by the proton beams. The prompt γ-rays and diode bremsstrahlung x-rays were measured with a PIN semi-conductor detector and a plastic scintillator detector. The current density distribution of ion beam were measured with a biased ion collector array. The ion beams were also recorded with a CR-39 detector.


Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, causing high mortality in the affected patients. The identification of circulating tumor biomarkers in blood could be considered as non-invasive strategy for early diagnosis and prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of PRNCR1 (prostate cancer associated noncoding RNA 1) gene in the plasma of patients with breast cancer and to evaluate its expression compared to the normal ones. Materials & Methods: This study was carried out on the 32 blood samples from breast cancer patients and 25 ones from healthy women. The RNA was extracted from the plasma of the samples. Subsequently, the presence of RNA of PRNCR1 gene in plasma of patients was quantitatively evaluated by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-Time PCR). Moreover, the expression of PRNCR1 gene was studied in terms of clinico-pathological characteristics of patients. The statistical analysis of data was performed in SPSS software using t-test. Findings: The results showed that the PRNCR1 gene could be detected in the plasma of cancer patients. The obtained results indicated significantly higher expression in tumor samples, compared to the healthy ones (P<0.05). However, statistical data showed that the expression of PRNCR1 gene in tumor samples does not have any significant correlation with clinical-pathological characteristics, including tumor size, age, and lymph node involvement (P>0.5). Discussion &Conclusions: The data demonstrated that circulating non-coding PRNCR1 of plasma could be used in the discrimination of breast invasive ductal carcinomas from those of normal people. However, more studies should be conducted to determine the tumorigenic role of lncRNA PRNCR1.


Dodonaea angustifolia L.f is a medicinal plant used in the Kenyan traditional system of medicine to cure human diseases. The secondary metabolites present in the surface exudates, showed phytochemical diversity of this plant from different geographical conditions in Kenya. There was great geographical variability in the composition of the surface exudates in D. angustifolia populations as reflected in the antiplasmodial and radical scavenging activities (RSA) of this substance from the Ngong forest, Nairobi and Taita hills, Voi populations. Most of the compounds from the exudates of D. angustifolia and Senecio roseiflorus showed moderate anti-plasmodial activities against chloroquine sensitive (D6) and resistant (W2) strains of P. falciparum with IC 50 values ranging between 3.2 and 23.6 mg/ml. Of the pure compounds tested flavonols ca kaempferol ( 1 ) and rhamnocitrin ( 2 ) exhibited radical scavenging activities (RSA) comparable to the standard, quercetin ( 3 ) at 50 mM.  These studies showed that flavonoids exhibited both antiplasmodial and RSA although there was no direct relationship between these activities. This is elaborated in 5,4´-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone ( 4 ), exhibiting good antiplasmodial activities but minimal % RSA. The structure-activity relationship of the active flavonoids showed that flavonols had appreciable RSA activities as compared to 3-methoxy flavones from the surface exudates. Keywords: Dodonaea angustifolia, geographical variations, antioxidant activities, antiplasmodial activities.


Transcendental contractualism is an attempt to explain the objectivity of reasons against wronging. Chapter one discusses Scanlon's Contractualism and Utilitarianism. I argue that Scanlon fails to establish the motivational and normative basis for right and wrong. In chapter two I explain Scanlon's revised account of motivation and defend it from Humean and anti-Humean alternatives. In chapter three I discuss the normativity of what we owe to each other. I use the structure of Williams's distinction between internal and external reasons. I describe the varieties of internalism and externalism about normative reasons, and describe Scanlon as a weak externalist who is also committed to the objectivity of normative reasons. I argue that the combination of weak externalism and objectivity regarding the nature of normative reasons is problematic. In chapter four I endorse the general approach of the buck-passing argument, but criticise Scanlon's version. I develop an augmented buck-passing argument that is brought to bear in chapter five. I employ the augmented buck-passing argument to refute the charges of circularity and redundancy. In the second part of this chapter I describe the problems of normative scepticism, and explain that Scanlon cannot establish the objectivity and a priori nature of the reasons against wronging. In chapter six, I turn to the transcendental arguments of Strawson's Individuals, and argue that when combined with Scanlon's account of the nature of intentional action and the structure of right and wrong, they can refute the scepticism of the amoralist, and those who challenge the priority of what we owe to each other. I argue that the transcendental argument for practical personhood is able to show that original moral properties of contractualism are necessary, universal, and a priori. I conclude that the argument for transcendental contractualism is able to provide for the objectivity of normative reasons, and their necessary connection to motivation.


Physiology and behaviour are closely linked, making knowledge of the interaction between species' energetics and activities important when attempting to understand how animals function in the wild. I examined torpor use by western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) and eastern pygmy-possums (C. nanus) in relation to nest site characteristics and movement patterns. In coastal mallee heath in winter, C. concinnus nested beneath leaf litter at the base of dead Banksia ornata, where they employed torpor on 69% of observed days. In warm temperate sclerophyll forest, C. nanus nested in tree hollows of Eucalyptus spp. and used torpor on 64% of days in winter and 10% in summer. Torpor was used in nest sites that were buffered from outside temperature extremes. Both species frequently reused nest sites and while C. nanus was more likely to employ torpor in a previously used site, site familiarity did not influence torpor use for C. concinnus. Additionally, C. nanus was more likely to use torpor in hollows with a higher relative thickness in both seasons. No relationship was found between range size and the number of tracking days or capture body mass, though sample sizes were small. I suggest that the thermal attributes of nest sites influence torpor use for both species and this is likely vital for maintaining a positive energy balance, stressing the importance of preserving habitat with ample potential nest sites for conservation management.


The exposure and uptake of environmental estrogenic compounds have been reported in previouss studies of demersal flatfish species in the central Southern California Bight (SCB), USA. The objective of this study was to evaluate the estrogenic or feminizing activity of marine sediments from the SCB by using in vivo vitellogenin (VTG) assays in male or juvenile fish. In 2003, sediments were collected near wastewater outfalls serving the counties of Los Angeles (LACSD) and Orange (OCSD), and the city of San Diego (SD), California, USA. Cultured male California halibut (CH; Paralichthys californicus) were either directly exposed to sediments for 7 d or treated with two intraperitoneal injections of sediment extract over 7 d. The 17β‐estradiol (E2) equivalent values ranged from 1 to 90 μg/kg with LACSD > SD > OCSD. Measurable concentrations of E2 were observed in all sediment extracts and ranged from 0.16 to 0.45 ng/g. Estrone (E1) was only observed in sediments near the LACSD outfall (0.6 ng/g). Alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates were observed in all sediment samples, but were highest near the OCSD outfall, where concentrations of nonylphenol were 3,200 ng/g. Fractionation studies of the LACSD sediment extract collected in 2004 failed to demonstrate relationships between VTG expression and 62 analytes, including E2, which was observed in the whole extract (2.9 ng/g). Oxybenzone (1.6 ng/g) was identified in bioactive fractions as well as unknown compounds of relatively high polarity. These results indicate that estrogen receptor‐based assays may underestimate environmental estrogenic activity and estrogenic compounds other than classic natural and xenoestrogens may contribute to estrogenic activity of sediments from the SCB.


Xenon reacts with fluorine to form XeF2 which can be isolated before it reacts with fluorine to form XeF4. The linear configuration of XeF2 with the 2.00-A bond length and the vibrational force constants support the assignment of 10 electrons to the valence shell of xenon. Similar arguments support the assignment of 12 and 14 valence electrons respectively to xenon in XeF4 and XeF6.


Sophisticated data-distribution schemes and recent developments in sensors and instruments that can monitor the lower kilometers of the atmosphere at high levels of resolution have rapidly expanded the quantity of information available to mesoscale meteorology. The myLEAD personalized information-management tool helps geoscience users make sense of this vastly expanded information space. MyLEAD extends the general globus metadata catalog service and leverages a well-known general and extensible schema. Its orientation makes it an active player in large-scale distributed computation environments characterized by interacting grid and Web services.


The pitting corrosion behavior of sintered SUS 444 stainless steels (P/M specimens) with different kinds of porosity ratios of 13.3, 9.11 and 6.88 % was studied in an aqueous solution containing MgCl2 compared with a conventionally processed SUS 444 stainless steel(I/M specimen). The pitting corrosion potential decreased almost linearly as porosity ratio increased, and the I/M specimen showed the best resistance against the initiation of pitting corrosion. The pitting corrosion morphology by SEM observation showed that more small pits were observed on the specimen with larger porosity ratio while less number but larger diameter pits were observed on the specimen with smaller porosity ratio, and it was also confirmed that the I/M specimen had the least number but the largest and deepest pits.


Fifty-four consecutive patients underwent aortic valve replacement with a pulmonary autograft (Ross operation) over an 18-month period. It was inserted as an intra-aortic cylinder in 13 patients and as a total aortic root replacement in 41; unwrapped in 16, partially wrapped with autologous pericardium in 12 and completely wrapped with bovine pericardium in 13. There were two cardiac deaths, one death from mediastinitis, and two early reoperations to replace an incompetent autograft. Comparison of postoperative echocardiographic data showed a higher incidence of moderate and severe autograft incompetence in the intra-aortic cylinder group and also in the subset without previous operation which had a total root replacement without a complete wrap. Autograft function was best in the group which received a total root replacement with a complete wrap and in those with previous cardiac surgery who received an unwrapped autograft. This preliminary information with short follow up supports the use of complete wrapping of the autograft when it is used as a total root replacement particularly in older patients without previous cardiac surgery in whom future autograft growth is not desirable.


Several constitutively activating mutations have been demonstrated in the sixth transmembrane helix of the human LH receptor (hLHR) in boys with gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty. In the current study, we examined two unrelated Brazilian boys with gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty caused by two different heterozygous activating mutations of the hLHR. Direct sequencing of the entire exon 11 of the hLHR revealed a heterozygous substitution of T for G at nucleotide 1370, that converts Leu 457 to Arg in the third transmembrane helix of the hLHR in one affected boy. His biological parents had a normal hLHR gene sequence, establishing the sporadic nature of this novel Leu457Arg mutation. Human embryonic 293 cells expressing hLHR mutant (L457R) or hLHR wild-type bound CG with high affinity. However, cells expressing hLHR(L457R) exhibited significantly higher basal levels of cAMP (7- to 14-fold) than cells expressing the wild-type receptor, indicating constitutive activation of hLHR(L457R). Basal levels of cAMP in hLHR(L457R)-expressing cells were, nonetheless, not as great as the levels of cAMP produced by hLHR wild-type-expressing cells incubated with a saturating concentration of CG. Furthermore, cells expressing hLHR(L457R) were unresponsive to further stimulation by CG. This finding was confirmed in the patient by lack of an increase in serum testosterone after CG stimulation. These results suggest that the conformation of hLHR(L457R) mutant represents a different activated receptor state (R*) than the agonist-occupied wild-type receptor. We also identified the previously described Ala568Val mutation in the third intracellular loop of the LHR in the other affected African-Brazilian boy and his normal prepubertal sister, suggesting the inherited form of precocious puberty in this boy. We conclude that the third transmembrane helix is a potential area for activating mutations of the hLHR that cause male precocious puberty.


Blasts and blunt impacts are clearly large-scale phenomena, yet traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs at a cellular or sub-cellular level. A number of hypotheses have been offered as the root causes of TBI including mechanical insults due to reverberations inside the skull following the primary blast wave, secondary and tertiary blast injury due to impact from projectiles and individuals thrown by the blast wave, vascular pressure resulting from a blast wave to the body extremities and electromagnetic radiation [1,2]. There is anecdotal information that supports, as well as contradicts, each of these hypotheses. In this work, a simulation-based framework is developed to help elucidate the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury.


A survey was conducted among 692 Australian 13- to 16-year-olds to examine aspects of their Internet use and, in particular, their exposure to inappropriate material and behaviors online and their online safety practices. Significant differences were found in the amount of exposure to inappropriate material or behaviors online according to sex and frequency of usage, with males and more frequent Internet users showing greater exposure. No differences were found according to whether blocking or filtering software was installed. Significant differences in online safety practices were also found, with younger participants (13- to 14-year-olds) and those participants whose parents had not discussed Internet safety with them being less safety conscious.


Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have attracted tremendous attention in the field of photocatalysis, owing to their superior optoelectronic properties for photocatalytic reactions, including high absorption coefficients and long photogenerated carrier lifetimes. Herein, by choosing 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-oxobutanenitrile as a model substrate, we demonstrate that the stereoselective (>99 %) C-C oxidative coupling reaction can be realized with a high product yield (99 %) using zwitterionic ligand capped CsPbBr3 perovskite QDs under visible light illumination. The reaction can be generalized to different starting materials with various substituents on the phenyl ring and varied functional moieties, producing stereoselective dl-isomers. A radical mediated reaction pathway has been proposed. Our study provides a new way of stereoselective C-C oxidative coupling via a photocatalytic means using specially designed perovskite QDs.


Groundwater recharge is critical for sustainable water resource planning and modelling fluid and contaminant transport within th e subsurface. Unfortunately, direct groundwater measurements are often too short to investigate long-term trends for many regions in Australia. Over the past, a number of methods have been developed to estimate groundwater recharge over different temporal and spatial scales. Among the most widely used techniques for estimating recharge, the water table fluctuation (WTF) method has been applied in numerous studies. In this study, we use the WTF method to estimate annual groundwater recharge at 438 groundwater monitoring bores in South Australia and analyse long-term annu al groundwater recharge trends using the nonparametric Mann -Kendall trend test. The results indi cate that the spatially averaged annual groundwater recharge has declined significantly with a trend of -0.92 mm/year for the period 1970- 2012. Similar trend tests for the 237 groundwater monitoring bores with longer data records exhibit that 161 bores have downward trends of which 103 bores are statistically significant, whereas 44 bores have upward trends and 15 of them are statistically significant. Moreover, a linear extrapolation of annual groundwater recharge trend suggests that the m ean will reach the lowest recorded annual recharge in history (2006 drought) by 2058 if the recent clima tic trends continue over a longer peri od, indicating a potential threat to the hydrological and ecological regimes. Furthermor e, the correlation analysis demonstrates that the dominating downward trends in annual groundwater rech arge are affected by the large-scale hydroclimate variables (e.g. rainfall) in South Australia.


Problem statement: Noise control was one of the major requirements to improve the living environment. One of the methods to do that is provided by sound absorber. Commonly, multi-layer sound absorbers are applied to absorb broadband noise that was composed of perforated plates, air space and porous material. However, multi-layers sound absorbers effectiveness depends on their construction. This study was conducted to investigate the potential of using coconut coir fiber as sound absorber. The effects of porous layer backing and perforated plate on sound absorption coefficient of sound absorber using coconut coir fiber were studied. Approach: Car boot liners made from woven cotton cloth were used as type of porous layer in the study. This material has been used widely in automotive industry. Perforated plate used was machined with perforation ratio of 0.20, thickness of 1 mm and holed diameter of 2 mm. The samples were tested at the acoustic lab of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, according to ASTM E 1050-98 international standards for noise absorption coefficient. Results: The experiment data indicates that porous layer backing can improve noise absorption coefficient at low and high frequencies with significant increasing. 20 mm thick layer coconut coir fiber with porous layer backing exhibit peak value at frequencies between 2750-2825 Hz with maximum value of 0.97. The experimental results also found that the coconut coir fiber with perforated plate gives higher value for lower frequencies range from 600-2400 Hz. The optimum value for coconut coir fiber with perforated panel is around 0.94-0.95 for the frequency range 2600-2700 Hz. Conclusion: Noise absorption coefficient of coconut coir fiber was increased at all frequency when they were backing with Woven Cotton Cloth (WCC). At low frequency, the NAC have significant increasing. This is because WCC have higher flow resistivity than coconut coir fibers, so that sound can be dissipated as it travels through material significantly. The results from the experimental tests show that it has good acoustic properties at low and high frequencies and can used to be an alternative replacement of synthetic based commercial product. By using the porous layer and perforated plate backing to coconut coir fiber, the sound absorber panel shows a good potential to be an environmentally friendly product. This innovative sound absorption panel has a bright future because they are cheaper, lighter and environmentally compare to glass fiber and mineral based synthetic materials.


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Purpose of review Pleural effusions are frequent in the context of acute idiopathic pericarditis and following pericardiotomy, but they have seldom been characterized. This review summarizes their most relevant clinical features. Recent findings In acute idiopathic pericarditis, pleural effusions tend to be left-sided and, if bilateral, they are usually larger on the left. Less than 5% are unilateral right-sided. About 90% of the effusions occupy less than one-third of the hemithorax, and 99% meet Light's exudative criteria with a predominance of lymphocytes in three fourths of the cases. Although postcardiac injury syndrome (PCIS)-related effusions share similar characteristics, they present some differential features: more than 15% are unilateral on the right (except for Dressler syndrome), one-fourth opacify half or more of the hemithorax, and nearly two thirds are bloody. The combination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and colchicine, along with therapeutic thoracenteses for moderate-to-large effusions, is the mainstay treatment approach. The postoperative use of colchicine is also a reasonable option for preventing PCIS in patients who have undergone cardiac surgery. Summary Pleural effusions because of pericardial diseases remain a clinical diagnosis. If unilateral right-sided, massive, or transudative effusions are seen, an alternative diagnosis to acute pericarditis should be considered.


The metolazone-furosemide combination of diuretics was compared with the thiazide-furosemide combination in nephrotic patients with edema. Nine patients underwent a crossover, randomized study receiving furosemide (2 mg/kg per dose) and either metolazone (dose varied according to weight) or chlorothiazide (10 mg/kg per dose). An additive natriuretic and diuretic effect was observed after both metolazone and thiazide were combined with furosemide. The use of both types of diuretic combination was associated with marked kaliuresis. These combinations of diuretics seem equally effective in inducing natriuresis and diuresis in edematous nephrotic patients.


Questions: What is the diversity and main vegetation types in
mesic grasslands on the Iberian Peninsula? What are the main
diagnostic species of each type? What are the main
environmental gradients that drive patterns of species
composition? To what extent does biogeography influence
community diversity? Location: Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and
Spain, including the French Pyrenees). Methods: Formal
definitions based on the Cocktail method were used to establish
a typology of mesic grasslands of the Arrhenatheretalia order.
This method was applied to a stratified data set of 3485
releves, also including other types of perennial grassland.
Semi-supervised classification based on the K-means algorithm
was used to assign almost 757 releves into the vegetation types
defined by Cocktail and to identify new ones. The types were
compared by means of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA)
using climate data, altitude and Ellenberg indicator values as
explanatory variables. Results: Fourteen ecologically
well-defined associations were distinguished in the
Arrhenatheretalia order: five in the Arrhenatherion alliance,
two in Triseto-Polygonion and seven in Cynosurion. Soil
reaction, summer aridity and altitude were identified as the
most important determinants of species composition. These
lithological and bioclimatic gradients are related to the
biogeographic diversity of the study area, which is the main
driver of community diversity in Arrhenatheretalia grasslands;
it is more important than the management practices expressed in
the concept of alliances. The classification and ordination
analyses also showed a clear differentiation in community
diversity according to biogeographic sectors (eastern
Cantabrian-Atlantic, Galician-Portuguese, Carpetan-Leonese,
Pyrenean, Orocantabrian/western Pyrenean and
Oroiberian/Catalan-Valencian). In addition, moisture and
nutrient content were more important than altitude in
differentiating Arrhenatherion and Triseto-Polygonion
communities in the Pyrenees. Conclusions: We suggest a
simplification of the traditional classification of the Iberian
Arrhenatheretalia grasslands. For this revised classification,
we propose an electronic expert system with consistent rules
for assigning vegetation observations to the associations
defined, and a list of the diagnostic species of each
vegetation type. These results can be applied to identify and
monitor the hay meadows included in Annex I of the European
Habitats Directive, taking into account the biogeographic
context of the indicator species.


Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) show acute effects on the neural processes associated with negative affective bias in healthy people and people with depression. However, whether and how SSRIs also affect reward and punishment processing on a similarly rapid time scale remains unclear. Methods: We investigated the effects of an acute and clinically relevant dose (20 mg) of the SSRI escitalopram on brain response during reward and punishment processing in 19 healthy participants. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study using functional MRI, participants performed a well-established monetary reward task at 3 time points: at baseline; after receiving placebo or escitalopram; and after receiving placebo or escitalopram following an 8-week washout period. Results: Acute escitalopram administration reduced blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response during punishment feedback in the right thalamus (family-wise error corrected [FWE] p = 0.013 at peak level) and the right caudate head (pFWE = 0.011 at peak level) compared to placebo. We did not detect any significant BOLD changes during reward feedback. Limitations: We included only healthy participants, so interpretation of findings are limited to the healthy human brain and require future testing in patient populations. The paradigm we used was based on monetary stimuli, and results may not be generalizable to other forms of reward. Conclusion: Our findings extend theories of rapid SSRI action on the neural processing of rewarding and aversive stimuli and suggest a specific and acute effect of escitalopram in the punishment neurocircuitry.


An effective low-cost technique for rapid characterization of SiC ingots at the early stage of substrate manufacturing process is proposed. The method allows for revealing simultaneously open-micropipes, polytype inclusions, low grain boundary regions, and non-uniform resistivity. The idea of the method is to subject full-size single SiC wafer cut from an ingot to anodization treatment. The porous structure formed as a result of the treatment decorates existing defect regions via the effect of non-homogeneity in the porous structure caused by the defect-related internal stress, as well as by non-uniformity in the doping level across the wafer. The method is inexpensive, not time consuming and not fully destructive. It can also be combined with the standard selective KOH-etching technique.


The Mars Orbiter Camera on board the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has returned images of numerous dark streaks that are the result of down‐slope mass movement occurring under present‐day martian climatic conditions. We systematically analyze over 23,000 high‐resolution images and demonstrate that slope streaks form exclusively in regions of low thermal inertia (confirming earlier results), steep slopes, and, remarkably, only where peak temperatures exceed 275 K. The northernmost streaks, which form in the coldest environment, form preferentially on warmer south‐facing slopes. Repeat images of sites with slope streaks show changes only if the time interval between the two images includes the warm season. Surprisingly (in light of the theoretically short residence time of H2O close to the surface), the data support the possibility that small amounts of water are transiently present in low‐latitude near‐surface regions of Mars and undergo phase transitions at times of high insolation, triggering the observed mass movements.


Multiphase flows, such as liquids in gases or particles in liquids, pose challenging, complex problems. While significant advances in experimental techniques and numerical modeling have been made over the past 20 years, no up-to-date, practical book on the subject has been available. The Multiphase Flow Handbook fills that void. It provides complete, authoritative coverage of the concepts, experimental techniques, and numerical modeling of multiphase flows. Chapters contributed by an outstanding international team of experts provide state-of-the-art information on physical and computational models, innovative measurement techniques, numerical examples, and more than 600 illustrations.


The focus of traditional prodrug approach was on altering various physiochemical parameters, whereas the current modern computational approach considers designing prodrugs through attaching appropriate linkers with drugs having poor bioavailability which upon exposure to physiological environments release the parent active drugs in a programmable (controlled) manner resulting in an improvement of their bioavailability. With the possibility of designing prodrugs with different linkers, the release rate of the parent active drugs can be controlled. The future of prodrug technology is exciting and yet challenging. Advances must be made in understanding the chemistry of many organic reactions that can be effectivel y utilized to enable the development of more types of prodrugs. The understanding of organic reaction mechanisms of certain processes, particularly intramolecular reactions, will be the next major milestone in this field. It is envisioned that the future o f prodrug technology holds the ability to create safe and efficacious delivery of a wide range of active small molecules and biotherapeutics. This goal can be achieved using computational chemistry methods such as ab initio, semi -empirical and density func tional theory (DFT), and molecular mechanics (MM) to calculate physicochemical and molecular properties of current marketed drugs suffer low bioavailability or/and unpleasant taste or odor. Editorial


on intrathoracic surgery has been modernized, and diagrams of endobronchial intubation have been added. The operation for coarctation of the aorta receives brief mention, but anaesthesia for Blalock's operation, which bristles with interesting problems, is not discussed. Weights and measures are given arbitrarily in English or in metric units. It is a pity that the chance has been lost in this new edition, which will be so widely read, of striking a blow for uniformity by expressing them all in the metric system, with the English equivalents, when these are more familiar, in parentheses. The book is excellently produced, and Messrs. Livingstone are to be congratulated for surpassing their already high standard. Many new illustrations, some in colour, have been added, and much enhance its value. The touched up photograph of McMurrav's inxtra-nasal administrator in position on what appears to be a dissecting room specimen is one of the few which might, with advantage, be omitted from subsequent editions. Apart from such very minor blemishes, this book is a model of what a textbook should be. It is well balanced, embracing in scope, and full of knowledge and practical instruction, presented in a lucid style which makes it a delight to read. Its price has gone up by twenty per cent.: its worth by more than that. R.F.W.


Summary: Recognition of an ovarian tumor as a metastasis from an undiagnosed primary gastrointestinal tract carcinoma can be difficult when specific symptoms referable to the primary tumor are lacking and the tumor simulates a primary ovarian neoplasm grossly and microscopically. Ovarian metastases of colorectal adenocarcinomas, in particular, continue to pose diagnostic challenges both clinically and pathologically. Clinicopathologic features of 20 cases of ovarian metastases from undiagnosed colorectal adenocarcinomas (U-CRAs) were compared with those of 22 cases having metastases from known colorectal adenocarcinomas (K-CRAs). Women with ovarian metastases from U-CRAs were significantly younger (mean age, 48 years; median, 47 years) than those with ovarian metastases from K-CRAs (mean, 61 years; median, 63 years) (P = 0.002), presented with clinical findings related to the ovarian metastases, often had elevated CA-125 levels, and lacked specific symptoms due to the colorectal carcinomas, which were diagnosed only at the time of intraoperative evaluation of the ovarian tumors. Mean/median ovarian tumor sizes (12.8/13.0 cm for U-CRAs; 14.1/15.8 cm for K-CRAs) and frequencies of bilaterality (45% for U-CRAs and 36% for K-CRAs) were not significantly different for the 2 groups; frequencies of clinically unilateral tumors of more than 10 cm were similar in both groups (30% for U-CRAs and 45% for KCRAs). Other features more commonly observed in ovarian metastases from U-CRAs included mucinous differentiation, extracellular mucin production, and some degree of cytokeratin 7 expression; endometrioid-like differentiation was more common in metastases from K-CRA, but a garland pattern of necrosis and the presence of a confluent glandular, rather than infiltrative, pattern of invasion were similarly common in both groups. In cases having ovarian metastases from U-CRA, the younger age of the women, uniform presentation as pelvic masses without symptoms referable to the bowel, elevated CA-125 levels, occasional presentation as a large clinically unilateral tumor, frequent mucinous differentiation, and frequent coexpression of cytokeratin 7 are features that can contribute to misclassification of these metastases as primary ovarian neoplasms.


Understanding the sorption mechanism of organic contaminants on cation exchange resins (CXRs) will enable application of these resins for the removal of cationic organic compounds from contaminated water. In this study, sorption of a diverse set of 12 organic cations and 8 neutral aromatic solutes on two polystyrene CXRs, MN500 and Amberlite 200, was examined. MN500 showed higher sorption capacities due to its microporous structure. The sorption capacities followed the same trend of aromatic cations > aliphatic cations > neutral solutes for both resins. Generally, solute-solvent interactions, nonpolar moiety of the solutes, and resin matrix can affect selectivity of the cations. Sorption capacities of the neutral compounds were significantly less than those of the cations, indicating a combined effect of electrostatic and non-electrostatic interactions. By conducting multiple linear regression between Gibbs free energy of sorption and Abraham descriptors for all 20 compounds, polarity/polarizability (S), H-bond acidity (A), induced dipole (E), and electrostatic (J+) interactions were found to be involved in the sorption of the cations by the resins. After converting the aqueous sorption isotherms to sorption from the ideal gasphase by water-wet resins, a more significant effect of J+ was observed. Predictive models were then developed based on the linear regressions and validated by accurately estimating the sorption of different test-set compounds with a root mean square error range of 0.91 to 1.1 and 0.76 to 0.85 for MN500 and Amberlite 200, respectively. The models also accurately predicted sorption behavior of aniline and imidazole between pH 3 and 10.


Verifying correctness of stated facts, rules, and term definitions for an industrial domain of work requires the contributions of experts in the domain. Conversely, use of automated reasoning technologies to assist in making industry decisions and validating industry information demands that facts, rules and the definitions of terms be stated in a formal logic language. Such languages are very difficult for engineers and operations experts to understand, and generally difficult to use. A restricted English is a language that looks like English, but is carefully restricted in grammar, so that it has an unambiguous equivalent in a formal logic language. This paper presents the grammar for RECON – a restricted English language whose purpose is to capture industry concepts, facts and rules in such a way as to permit conversion to an extended firstorder logic language (IKL). The vocabulary of the language – the nouns, verbs and adjectives – is defined by the industry experts. The grammar regulates the forms of definitions and sentences that use those terms. The RECON grammar supports the use of complex noun phrases involving individuals, groups, classifiers and properties, quantifying expressions and ad hoc classifiers that are qualified by adjectives and properties. It supports verb phrases involving verbs and prepositional phrases, and it supports simple, compound and conditional sentence structures. RECON English can be read by experts in the industry domain, and can be written more easily by analysts who are capturing the knowledge of those experts. It facilitates the transfer of human knowledge to computational forms.


A novel detection approach for signals in digital communications is proposed in this paper by using the NNTCTG (neural network with transient chaos and time-varying gain) developed by the author (1997, 1998). The maximum-likelihood signal detection problem can be always described as a complex optimization problem with so many local optima that conventional Hopfield-type neural networks cannot be applied. To amend the drawbacks of Hopfield-type networks, the NNTCTG is used to search for globally optimal or near-optimal solutions of the optimization problems with lots of local optima, since it has richer and more flexible dynamics than conventional networks with only point attractors. We established a neuro-based detection model for digital communication signals and analyzed its working procedure in detail. Two simulation experiments were conducted to illustrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Originally Published by Scholars PressNow Available from Duke University PressIn this interdisciplinary work, Martin H. Krieger examines the entrepeneur in terms of modes and ideal figures drawn from religion and classical studies. In so doing, he provides a means or vocabulary with which entrepreneurs can articulate their experience of risk, commitment, and judgment. In addition, by establishing a comparison between the entrepreneur and the figures he utilizes from religious and classical literature, Krieger generates surprising new ways to look at the careers of such traditional figures as St. Augustine, Moses, Oedipus, Antigone, and the characters of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Both an exercise in the humanities and in the pragmatic world of business, Krieger's work offers an intriguing methodology for how humanistic learning can be applied to the real world concerns of the entrepreneur. A teaching and self-study guide to Entrepreneurial Vocation is included as an appendix for those wishing to adopt the text as a classroom resource.


Abstract The Wehrmacht's penal court system served to maintain the functionality of the Wehrmacht and was, therefore, an element of the war of annihilation. The essay enquires into the course of the careers of the actors in the Wehrmacht's judicial system. Exemplarily, the career path of a judge from the Regional Court of Appeals in Hamburg to the military justice system and back to the civilian justice system is analysed. Thereby, the reintegration of the NS judges into the Federal Republic of Germany, a state founded on the rule of the law, is discussed. By combining the biography of this Wehrmacht judge with his sentencing, the room for maneuvering available to the actors of the Wehrmacht' s judicial system is explained. Only after long political debates an attempt was made in the late 1950's to determine the NS incrimination of numerous judges in the judicial service of the Federal Republic. However, the realization of these investigations remained insufficient and, often, without any consequences.


Abstract I highlight new and emerging threats to tropical forests, the world's most biologically diverse ecosystems. The drivers of tropical forest destruction and key perils to biodiversity have changed over the past decade and will continue to evolve in the future. Industrial drivers of forest conversion, such as logging, large-scale soy and cattle farming, oil-palm plantations, and oil and gas development, have escalated in importance, buoyed by rapid globalization, economic growth, and rising standards of living in developing nations. Biofuels are likely to grow rapidly as a driver of future forest destruction. Climate change is similarly emerging as a potentially serious driver of change in the tropics, and many species, including certain amphibians, primates, and plants, are being harmed by emerging pathogens. In general, old-growth forests are vanishing rapidly and being replaced by fragmented, secondary, and selectively logged forests, particularly in impoverished tropical countries. Road expansion continues apace and is increasingly imperiling the world's last tropical frontiers. Human population growth, especially in developing nations, remains an important underlying threat to forests. These various environmental dangers often operate in concert, magnifying their impacts and posing an even greater threat to tropical forests and their biodiversity.


Air pollution has been a growing worry of international medical organizations and governments due its relation with a large number of respiratory diseases, among other effects. This work proposes an open, crowdsourced, scalable methodology to model spatial air pollution in cities worldwide. We use both Waze and Open Street Maps data to construct a collection of features aimed to model car emissions in (large) cities. Waze data carries information about all jammed road segments of a region for every two minutes and Open Street Maps (OSM) is an open source, detailed, dynamically updated, spatial database of mapped features. Our model is trained using data from a 30 sq km region of Oakland, California in the United States of America. The dependent variables are the annual concentration of fine grained black carbon, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The features are aggregated in hexagons with a 173 meters edge. We notice that pollutant concentration between hexagons follows a power law and high concentration is associated with the presence of highways. We estimate four models: simple linear regression where the only feature is the presence of a highway in the hexagon, multiple linear regression, random forest, and XGBoost. The latter yields better results in the validation set for black carbon, NO and NO2. Finally, we extrapolate the model for Montevideo, Uruguay and observe adherence to what is expected in practice.


In this paper, we compare the effects of different theories of gravitation on the apsidal motion of a sample of eccentric eclipsing detached binary stars. The comparison is performed by using the formalism of the post-Newtonian parametrization to calculate the theoretical advance at periastron and compare it to the observed one, after having considered the effects of the structure and rotation of the involved stars.

A variance analysis on the results of this comparison shows that no significant difference can be found due to the effect of the different theories under test with respect to the standard general relativity (GR). It will be possible to observe differences, as we would expect, by checking the observed period variation on a much larger lapse of time. It can also be noted from our results that f(R) theory is the nearest to GR with respect to the other tested theories.


Most often, agent-based situated simulations use reactive agents. While the use of this paradigm offers a rather natural way to build simple behaviours, it is not so easy to define complex behaviours, and these are often built ad hoc and requires precise adjustements. Moreover reactive model is not well fitted to describe deliberate group behaviours since it is more intended to emergence. For these reasons and in order to obtain more explicative models, we are working on proactive agent-based situated simulations. We aim at proposing a generic cognitive agent model. Such agents must build plan to achieve some goals and thus to propose a behaviour. In this paper we show why and how classical planification works must be adapted to the particular context of spatially situated agents in simulations.


Located in a strategic position, that is between two great oceans and two land masses have made Indonesia a centre of international trade and shipping. In fact, 90% of international trades are carried out through the ocean. It is therefore crucial to assure that the activities in carrying goods across the ocean are incident free. However, if accident happens, assistance from professionals to preserve items of property is desirable. In such, salvage law emerged. This paper discusses comprehensively Indonesian salvage law within the framework of contemporary maritime law. While Indonesian maritime law is mostly based on its national law on the carriage of goods by the sea, in fact, the development of maritime law is highly affected by international practices which are largely based on international conventions and regulations. This research finds that while Indonesian salvage law can be found in Book II Chapter VII article 545-568k Wetboek Van Koophandel or known as Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Dagang (KUHD), which focused narrowly on the value of salved property as the primary measures of success, yet Indonesian salvage law has not been developed in accordance with current international salvage law, which adopted a broader and more balanced approached in both commercial and environmental aspects. Although it is believed that such approached is "culturally unrecognized" in Indonesia, this research argued that since Indonesian waters are part of international waters, all process by waters including salvage should confirm the relevant international practices and regulations. While Indonesia has taken out salvage law from KUHD and regulates it within Act Number 17/2008 on navigation, however, such act only provides one article for salvage stating that salvage will be regulates further by Ministry Regulation. Untill this paper was written no such government regulation produced yet by Indonesia. Since Indonesian waters is the centre of international navigational routes, this paper argued that it is an urgent need for Indonesia to have appropriate salvage law in place, so it can develop dinamically from shipping practice and confirm with international regulations in salvage. Keywords : salvage law, maritime law, commercial and environmental.


Objectives: To increase accuracy of the detection and differential diagnosis of the early epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) with transvaginal contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (TVCEUS) combining serum human epididymisprotein 4 (HE4), and resistance index (RI). Methods: This retrospectively case-control study of 230 patients with ovarian tumors were reviewed at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China between June 2008 and September 2015. Before the operation of 110 cases with EOC (Group A) and 120 cases of patients with benign ovarian tumor (Group B), we observe and calculate both Groups' tumor vascular contrast-enhanced ultrasonography morphology scores (U), time-intensity curve (TIC) of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, HE4, and RI. Results were compared with the histopathological analysis results. Results: The ultrasonography morphology scores, peak intensity (PI) enhancement rate (ER) with the parameters of the TIC and HE4 are higher in Group A compared with patients in Group B and the RI was lower than Group B. The detection rates for all indexes in the benign and malignant groups and their comparisons to the histopathological results were determined. The detection rate differences for HE4 (p=0.001), RI (p=0.001), U (p=0.001), PI (p=0.001), and ER (p=0.001) were all statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The high clinical value through combined TVCEUS, HE4, and RI detection can increase the sensitivity of the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the early EOC.


Magnesium alloys are attractive materials for structural engineering applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratios and formability. However, the widespread use of magnesium alloys has been hindered by their poor corrosion resistance. Generally, magnesium alloys containing low amounts of impurities (iron and silicon) have acceptable atmospheric corrosion resistance, but the corrosion resistance deteriorates in chloride-containing environments.

Many surface engineering/coating techniques, such as electroplating, anodisation, microarc oxidation, chemical conversion and polymer coatings, have been studied to enhance the corrosion resistance of magnesium and magnesium-based alloys. However, in recent years, conducting polymers have gained high interest for use as corrosion protection coatings on engineering materials such as steel, copper and magnesium due to their unique electrical properties. Furthermore, these conducting polymers can be easily processed and are economically viable for use as metal coatings. Polyaniline and polypyrrole are the conducting polymers most commonly studied for use as coating materials for the corrosion protection of metals. In recent years, electrochemical polymerisation techniques have been widely used due to their characteristics of being environmentally friendly, easy to process, rapid and requiring few chemical additives. However, synthesis of polymer coatings is challenging when forming coatings on active metals, due to oxidation or prior dissolution of the metal substrate.

In this study, following cyclic voltammetry coating, the voltammetric curves for the alloy in the polyaniline sodium salicylate electrolyte (PASS) showed that the first-forward cycle had strong magnesium oxidation until ~0.75 V and, above that, oxidation of aniline started to occur. However, in subsequent forward cycles, magnesium oxidation was insignificant due to the formation of polyaniline, which occurred during the reverse cycles. In contrast, in the polyaniline potassium hydroxide electrolyte (PAPH), which contained strongly alkaline potassium hydroxide, there was little dissolution of magnesium during the first-forward cycle. Based on the anodic peak current density, it can be said that the oxidation of aniline in PAPH electrolyte was significantly lower than in the PASS electrolyte. Further, it was noted that the peak current increased as the number of cycles increased in the PAPH electrolyte, which is in contrast to that observed in the PASS electrolyte. The corrosion rates of the bare metal, and the PASS- and PAPHcoated alloy samples were 2.02, 0.34 and 4.92 mpy, respectively. The degree of protection (DP) provided by the PASS coating was ~83%.

The second phase of coating testing was performed using the galvanostatic technique at current densities of 14, 18 and 20 mA/ cm2. Potentiodynamic polymerisation tests of bare samples and samples coated with aniline and sodium salicylate were carried out in a chloride-containing solution. The corrosion tests showed substantial decreases in the corrosion currents of samples coated in aniline and sodium salicylate electrolyte. The systematic decrease in corrosion current revealed that the sample coated at 20 mA/cm2 had better corrosion resistance than those coated at 18 and 14 mA/cm2. The DPs of the samples coated at 20, 18 and 14 mA/ cm2 were ~97%, ~48% and ~5%, respectively. The corrosion rates for the bare alloy and alloys coated at 14, 18 and 20 mA/cm2 were 6.27, 5.96, 3.27 and 0.113 mpy, respectively. For all the samples, coating was carried out for 600 seconds. However, at high current densities and high coating times, samples started substantial hydrogen evolution. Severe bubble formation hindered the coating process, causing blisters in the coating.

Alkaline pre-treatment of the magnesium alloy prior to electropolymerisation of aniline was carried out to enhance corrosion resistance. Pre-treatment of the alloy was done in 3 M sodium hydroxide solution at constant potentials o f − 750mV and −195mV. Electropolymerisation was performed using a cyclic voltammetry technique in an acidic electrolyte containing aniline and sodium salicylate. The corrosion protection provided by the polyaniline coating on the alloy was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarisation in a chloride-containing solution. The electrochemical results showed that the polyaniline coating reduced the alloy's corrosion rate by almost an order of magnitude. However, post-corrosion analysis revealed delamination of the coating. It is suggested that polyaniline did not adhere well to the hydroxide/oxide layer that formed on alloys during pre-treatment.

This study found that aniline, as a conducting polymer, formed better coatings in acidic electrolytes than in alkaline ones. The propagation of aniline in the emeraldine state (dark green colour coating) produced good coatings on the surfaces of magnesium alloy samples. The coating obtained at 20 mA/cm2 by the galvanostatic technique provided the highest corrosion protection. However, at current densities higher than 20 mA/cm2, hydrogen evolution hindered coating formation. The effect of coating time is also important in the galvanostatic coating technique; hydrogen evolution increased with coating time. Alkaline pre-treatment of magnesium alloy did not enhance the coating morphology. During potentiodynamic polarisation tests, polyaniline coatings tended to peel off due to weak adhesion with the metal substrate. The outcomes of this study may help improve the coating quality of magnesium alloy used in small gadgets and automotive industry. However, there is still more work needs to be done to form pore free coating on the metal for commercial use.


The effects of globalization in business, have been especially impactful in the recent years. This process contributed to a series of positive outcomes for the business sphere, such as the emergence of a solid global market, economic development or increased competition. However, this phenomenon also entailed some adverse effects. The legislative process has not kept the pace with the heightened scale of business activities, resulting in a legal void, where human rights abuses are being committed, while their perpetrators remain unpunished. Taking this in mind, it becomes clear that the European Union, as a superpower, can and must do much more. A documentary analysis was conducted, starting with the historical evolution of corporate social responsibility, followed by a review of the main documents at the European level, as well as interviews with relevant actors in the field, and finalizing with the forecast for CSR and for business and human rights. Through this research, it was possible to conclude, that the EU should go back to its initial position, as one of the front-runners in the advancement of this field, particularly by engaging actively in the negotiation process of the binding treaty on business and human rights. Finally, this dissertation has also highlighted that the pertinence of this debate, opens the opportunity for further investigation and also, how in this field, the establishment of partnerships and synergies should be prioritized.


Exact forward photocounting distributions for a source of optical radiation with arbitrary statistics are obtained in the presence of photodetector dead time. In particular, we examine the counting and pulse-interval distributions that arise from amplitude-stabilized radiation, from chaotic radiation, and from a Van der Pol laser with arbitrary excitation. The exact dead-time-corrected Poisson distribution is graphically compared with a previous approximate result and with the uncorrected Poisson. Plots of the Bose–Einstein distribution clearly indicate the dramatic anti-bunching effects of the dead time in overcoming the inherent bunching of this distribution. A simplified approximate solution is also found. for the Van der Pol laser above threshold; this result is similar to light from an amplitude-stabilized source incident on a photodetector with a gaussian-distributed dead time. Information about photodetector dead-time variation can therefore be obtained either by using an amplitude-stabilized source or by properly choosing system parameters such that irradiance fluctuations are averaged out.


BACKGROUND: Supplemental oxygen is administered during procedural sedation to prevent hypoxemia. Continuous flow oxygen, the most widespread method, is generally adequate but distorts capnography. Pulsed flow oxygen is novel and ideally will not distort capnography. We have developed a prototype oxygen administration system designed to try to facilitate end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETco2) measurement. We conducted a volunteer study (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02886312) to determine how much nasal ETco2 measurements vary with oxygen flow rate. We also conducted a clinical study (NCT02962570) to determine the median difference and limits of agreement between ETco2 measurements made with and without administering oxygen. METHODS: Both studies were conducted at the University of Utah and participants acted as their own control. Inclusion criteria were age 18 years and older with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I–III. Exclusion criteria included acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, lung or cardiovascular disease, nasal/bronchial congestion, pregnancy, oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry <93%, and a procedure scheduled for <20 minutes. For the volunteer study, pulsed and continuous flow was administered at rates from 2 to 10 L/min using a single sequence of technique and flow. The median absolute deviation from the median value was analyzed for the primary outcome of ETco2. For the clinical study, ETco2 measurements (the primary outcome) were collected while administering pulsed and continuous flow at rates between 1 and 5 L/min and were compared to measurements without oxygen flow. Due to institutional review board requirements for patient safety, this study was not randomized. After completing the study, measurements with and without administering oxygen were analyzed to determine median differences and 95% limits of agreement for each administration technique. RESULTS: Thirty volunteers and 60 patients participated in these studies which ended after enrolling the predetermined number of participants. In volunteers, the median absolute deviation for ETco2 measurements made while administering pulsed flow oxygen (0.89; 25%–75% quantiles: 0.3–1.2) was smaller than while administering continuous flow oxygen (3.93; 25%–75% quantiles: 2.2–6.2). In sedated patients, the median difference was larger during continuous flow oxygen (−6.8 mm Hg; 25%–75% quantiles: −12.5 to −2.1) than during pulsed flow oxygen (0.1 mm Hg; 25%–75% quantiles: −0.5 to 1.5). The 95% limits of agreement were also narrower during pulsed flow oxygen (−2.4 to 4.5 vs −30.5 to 2.4 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that nasal ETco2 measurements while administering pulsed flow have little deviation and agree well with measurements made without administering oxygen. We have also demonstrated that ETco2 measurements during continuous flow oxygen have large deviation and wide limits of agreement when compared with measurements made without administering oxygen.


Abstract—The majority of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems transfer power in a directional manner. This paper describes a discrete exciting voltage control technique for WPT via magnetic resonant coupling with two orthogonal transmitter coils (2D omni-directional WPT system) which can maximize the power transfer efficiency in response to the change of coupling status. The theory allows the equations of the efficiency of the system to be determined at all the rate of the mutual inductance. The calculated results are included to confirm the advantage to one directional WPT system and the validity of the theory and the equations.


This thesis deals with the analytical utility of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of metals as metal complexes, using thin-layer chromatography as a pilot technique. The requirements for the successful application of the method are discussed. The Co(II), Cu(II), Mg(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes of acetyl-acetone, benzoylacetone and dibenzoylmethane, and the Fe(III) and A1(III) complexes of dibenzoylmethane were found to be chromatographically unstable in a variety of thin-layer chromatographic and HPLC systems. The complexes of Cu(II) and Fe(III) with dibenzoylmethane were, however, stable during HPLC in the exclusion mode and a separation was obtained. The complexes of Co(III) and Cr(III) with the three ligands were stable in several thin-layer chromatographic and HPLC systems and separations of the acetyl acetone and dibenzoylmethane complexes were obtained by HPLC using a microparticulate silica substrate. The possibility of extraction of Co(III) and Cr(III) from aqueous solution as the dibenzoylmethane complexes was demonstrated. Several complexes of thiodibenzoylmethane were also found to be chromatographically unstable during thin-layer chromatography and HPLC on silica. The Ni(II) and Co(III) complexes were stable, however, and could be separated by HPLC on a microparticulate silica substrate. A surface effect in the presence of water was indicated as a possible cause of decomposition of the Cu(II) complex. The solvent extraction properties of the Ni(II) and Co(III) complexes were investigated and extraction was found to be rapid and quantitative. Interference from excess ligand in the determination of Ni(II) and Co(III) could be avoided by back-extraction with sodium hydroxide solution. The development of an HPLC method for the determination of traces of Ni and Co is described and the effect of many diverse ions investigated. Fe(III), Cr(III) and Sn(II)/(IV) were the most significant interfering ions but the other ions investigated were tolerated in 100 - 1000-fold excess. The extreme sensitivity of the detector enabled 3 x 10-11 g of Ni and Co to be detected as the complexes and Ni and Co concentrations of approximately 6 ng/ml in aqueous solution were determined in routine analysis. The application of the method to a variety of specimens selected to demonstrate the versatility of the technique is described.


This symposium aimed to bring together researchers working on quantifying nanoscale carrier transport processes in excitonic solar cells. Excitonic solar cells, including all-organic, hybrid organic-inorganic and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), offer strong potential for inexpensive and large-area solar energy conversion. Unlike traditional inorganic semiconductor solar cells, where all the charge generation and collection processes are well understood, these excitonic solar cells contain extremely disordered structures with complex interfaces which results in large variations in nanoscale electronic properties and has a strong influence on carrier generation, transport, dissociation and collection. Detailed understanding of these processes is important for fabrication of highly efficient solar cells. Efforts to improve efficiency are underway at a large number of research groups throughout the world focused on inorganic and organic semiconductors, photonics, photophysics, charge transport, nanoscience, ultrafast spectroscopy, photonics, semiconductor processing, device physics, device structures, interface structure etc. Rapid progress in this multidisciplinary area requires strong synergetic efforts among researchers from diverse backgrounds. Such efforts can lead to novel methods for development of new materials with improved photon harvesting and interfacial treatments for improved carrier transport, process optimization to yield ordered nanoscale morphologies with well-defined electronic structures.


Chronic wounds infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are a relevant health problem worldwide because these pathogens grow embedded in a network of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and extracellular DNA, named biofilm, that hinders the transport of antibiotics and increases their antimicrobial tolerance. It is necessary to investigate therapies that improve the penetrability and efficacy of antibiotics. In this context, our main objectives were to study the relationship between P. aeruginosa and S. aureus and how their relationship can affect the antimicrobial treatment and investigate whether functionalized silver nanoparticles can improve the antibiotic therapy. We used an optimized in vitro wound model that mimics an in vivo wound to co-culture P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilm. The in vitro wound biofilm was treated with antimicrobial combinatory therapies composed of antibiotics (gentamycin and ciprofloxacin) and biofilm-dispersing free or silver nanoparticles functionalized with enzymes (α-amylase, cellulase, DNase I, or proteinase K) to study their antibiofilm efficacy. The interaction and colocalization of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in a wound-like biofilm were examined and detailed characterized by confocal and electronic microscopy. We demonstrated that antibiotic monotherapy is inefficient as it differentially affects the two bacterial species in the mixed biofilm, driving P. aeruginosa to overcome S. aureus when using ciprofloxacin and the contrary when using gentamicin. In contrast, dual-antibiotic therapy efficiently reduces both species while maintaining a balanced population. In addition, DNase I nanoparticle treatment had a potent antibiofilm effect, decreasing P. aeruginosa and S. aureus viability to 0.017 and 7.7%, respectively, in combined antibiotics. The results showed that using nanoparticles functionalized with DNase I enhanced the antimicrobial treatment, decreasing the bacterial viability more than using the antibiotics alone. The enzymes α-amylase and cellulase showed some antibiofilm effect but were less effective compared to the DNase I treatment. Proteinase K showed insignificant antibiofilm effect. Finally, we proposed a three-dimensional colocalization model consisting of S. aureus aggregates within the biofilm structure, which could be associated with the low efficacy of antibiofilm treatments on bacteria. Thus, designing a clinical treatment that combines antibiofilm enzymes and antibiotics may be essential to eliminating chronic wound infections.


Abstract: The traditional conception of dementia is of a global impairment of intellect. A logical inference is that the dementia associated with distinct pathologies ought not to be differentiable on neuropsychological grounds. Yet, it is now clear that dementia comprises highly distinct profiles of cognitive and behavioural change, reflecting differences in the topographical distribution of cerebral pathology. These characteristic cognitive profiles can predict the nature of the underlying histopathology with a high degree of accuracy. In this talk I discuss neuropsychological profiling in Alzheimer's disease and other major forms of degenerative dementia, making reference to memory as well as to the cognitive domains of language, perception, spatial skills and executive functions and to behaviour and affect. I highlight the potential pitfalls in interpreting neuropsychological test data, which are particularly pertinent in the context of the dementias and which have clouded evaluation of dementia in the past. I show that there is no one-to-one correspondence between a neuropsychological test and a cognitive function or brain location and tests can potentially be failed for diverse reasons. I demonstrate the importance of examining test performance in the light of other tests and taking account of qualitative performance characteristics. I discuss phenotypic variation within Alzheimer's disease and its relationship to APOE status, and the neuropsychology of "focal" dementia syndromes, particularly frontotemporal dementia, semantic dementia and progressive aphasia. I show that the neuropsychological characteristics of patients can separate focal presentations of Alzheimer's disease from non-Alzheimer frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Moreover, neuropsychological phenotype has strong predictive value too in distinguishing τ from τ-negative, ubiquitin-positive histology, and even in separating sub-classes of ubiquitin histopathology. A prevailing assumption is that neuropathology provides the "gold-standard" for classification and understanding of disease. Yet, classification depends too on knowledge of the relationships between pathology and its clinical manifestation. Neuropsychology can play a crucial role in increasing understanding of the neurobiology of degenerative brain disorders and in the classification of the dementias. I conclude that dementia can best be regarded as a constellation of deficits, with patients showing both strengths (areas of relative preservation of function) as well as weaknesses. Different pathologies are associated with distinct and characteristic forms of dementia. The notion of dementia as generalised intellectual impairment should be abandoned.


Eating disturbances are common in children placing a vulnerable group of them at risk for full-syndrome eating disorders and adverse health outcomes. To provide a valid self-report assessment of eating disorder psychopathology in children, a short form of the child version of the Eating Disorder Examination (ChEDE-Q) was psychometrically evaluated. Similar to the EDE-Q, the ChEDE-Q provides assessment of eating disorder psychopathology related to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder; however, the ChEDE-Q does not assess symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, pica, or rumination disorder. In 1,836 participants ages 7 to 18 years, recruited from two independent population-based samples, the factor structure of the recently established 8-item short form EDE-Q8 for adults was examined, including measurement invariance analyses on age, gender, and weight status derived from objectively measured weight and height. For convergent validity, the ChEDE-Q global score, body esteem scale, strengths and difficulties questionnaire, and sociodemographic characteristics were used. Item characteristics and age- and gender-specific norms were calculated. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good model fit for the 8-item ChEDE-Q. Measurement invariance analyses indicated strict invariance for all analyzed subgroups. Convergent validity was provided through associations with well-established questionnaires and age, gender, and weight status, in expected directions. The newly developed ChEDE-Q8 proved to be a psychometrically sound and economical self-report assessment tool of eating disorder psychopathology in children. Further validation studies are needed, particularly concerning discriminant and predictive validity.


New durable and hydroxide ion conducting anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) are currently required in order to develop alkaline fuel cells into efficient and clean energy conversion devices. In the present work we have attached quaternary piperidinium (QPi) cations to poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)s (PPOs) via flexible alkyl spacer chains with the aim to prepare AEMs. The bromine atoms of bromoalkylated PPOs were displaced in Menshutkin reactions to attach one or two QPi groups, respectively, via heptyl spacers. The cationic polymers have excellent solubility in, e.g., methanol, dimethylsulfoxide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone at room temperature, and form tough and transparent membranes. AEMs with bis-QPi side chains efficiently form ionic clusters and reach very high hydroxide ion conductivities, up to 69 and 186 mS cm−1 at 20 and 80 °C, respectively. The AEMs further have excellent alkaline stability, and 1H NMR analysis showed no degradation of the AEMs after storage in 1 M NaOH at 90 °C during 8 days. Thermogravimetry indicated decomposition only above 225 °C. The AEM properties were further tuned by controlled formation of bis-QPi crosslinks through an efficient reaction between bromoalkylated PPO and 4,4′-trimethylenebis(1-methylpiperidine) during a reactive membrane casting process. In conclusion, alkali-stable and highly conductive AEMs can be prepared by placing cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium cations on flexible side chains and crosslinks.


Suppression of vibration is an important engineering problem. In this paper, control problem of a flexible system that includes a stretched string supported on a transporter is defined and solved. Such a system may be encountered in device manufacturing and process automation. Robust and adaptive control is designed to damp out transverse oscillation of the string via compensating for possible uncertainties in string dynamics and transporter motion. Standard robust control design based on a straightforward Lyapunov argument commonly seen in control design for rigid-body systems is extended to the flexible system. Asymptotically/exponentially and robustly stabilizing controls are found.


Polycythaemia By J Oli N H. LAWRENCE. N ew Tork : Grime and Stratt on, Pp . 136, 3B illus. Price 85. 50 . T his book is number th irteen of th e M od ern Medical Monogra p hs ; in it Dr. Lawren ce gives a detail ed and com prehensive acco unt of both pol ycythaemia rubra ve ra a nd th e seco ndary polycythacmias based on his extensive stud ies of 303 cases ove r twenty years . He giv es a clear description of th e diagnosis, path. ological disturbances and variou s methods of tr eatment. In his expe rie nce radioactive phosp ho rus, eithe r al on e or in conj unction with venesections, produced the best results. I t will be a valuable book of refer en ce for doctors who have to manage this rare disease. T. A. KEMP.


Abstract. A new annually resolved sedimentary record of Southern
Hemisphere mid-latitude hydroclimate was recovered from Lake Ohau, South
Island, New Zealand, in March 2016. The Lake Ohau Climate History (LOCH)
project acquired cores from two sites (LOCH-1 and -2) that preserve sequences
of laminated mud that accumulated since the lake formed ∼ 17 000 years
ago. Cores were recovered using a purpose-built barge and drilling system
designed to recover soft sediment from thick sedimentary sequences in lake
systems up to 150 m deep. This system can be transported in two to three
40 ft long shipping containers and is suitable for use in a range of
geographic locations. A comprehensive suite of data has been collected from
the sedimentary sequence using state-of-the-art analytical equipment and
techniques. These new observations of past environmental variability augment
the historical instrumental record and are currently being integrated with
regional climate and hydrological modelling studies to explore causes of
variability in extreme/flood events over the past several millennia.


Introduction: Prior to the introduction of immunotherapies, treatment options were limited for patients (pts) with NSCLC who progressed after first-line platinum doublet chemotherapy. The majority of pts with advanced disease died within 1 y of diagnosis, and 5-y survival for metastatic NSCLC was ~1%. Nivolumab, a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody, showed encouraging activity in pts with heavily pretreated advanced NSCLC in a phase 1 dose-escalation cohort expansion trial (CA209-003; NCT00730639). Based on improved overall survival (OS) versus docetaxel in 2 phase 3 studies in previously treated advanced NSCLC (CheckMate 017 and 057), nivolumab was approved in this population. Reports of long-term efficacy and safety with immune checkpoint inhibitors are limited. Here we report updated results from CA209-003 based on ~5 y of follow-up, representing the longest survival follow-up for an immune checkpoint inhibitor in advanced NSCLC to date. Methods: Pts with heavily pretreated (1-5 prior systemic regimens) advanced NSCLC received nivolumab (1, 3, or 10 mg/kg) every 2 wk in 8-wk cycles for up to 96 wk. The primary objective was safety and tolerability; secondary objectives included objective response rate and duration of response. OS from the time of first dose was an exploratory objective. The minimum follow-up for the current analysis was 58.25 mo. Results: At database lock, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated 5-y OS rate in all pts (N = 129) was 16% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10, 23). OS rates at 5 y were similar in pts with squamous (SQ; n = 54; 16% [95% CI: 8, 28]) and non-SQ (n = 74; 15% [95% CI: 8, 25]) NSCLC (excludes 1 pt with unknown histology). Of the 16 pts who survived ≥5 y (median age: 61.5 y [range: 44, 80]), 9 pts were male and 12 were current smokers at baseline (2 former smokers; 2 unknown). In 10 evaluable pts, PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was ≥1% in 7 pts (≥50% in 5) and Conclusions: Nivolumab resulted in durable OS in a notable proportion of pts with pretreated advanced NSCLC, as demonstrated by a 5-y OS rate of 16%. Long-term survivors had diverse baseline and on-treatment characteristics including histology, PD-L1 expression level (including pts with Citation Format: Julie Brahmer, Leora Horn, David Jackman, David Spigel, Scott Antonia, Matthew Hellmann, John Powderly, Rebecca Heist, Lecia Sequist, David C. Smith, Philip Leming, William J. Geese, Dennis Yoon, Ang Li, Scott Gettinger. Five-year follow-up from the CA209-003 study of nivolumab in previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Clinical characteristics of long-term survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT077. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-CT077


Obesity is a complex multifactorial disease. Adipocytes arise from pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), which are also capable of differentiation into bone, muscle, or cartilage. Adipogenesis involves lineage commitment, mitotic clonal expansion, and terminal differentiation. Understanding these mechanisms, as well as when and how to turn them on or off, may allow development of new therapeutic approaches to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The most abundant non-lipid component of olive plant is the polyphenol oleuropein (Ole). We found that Ole modulates adipocyte differentiation, fat accumulation and adipogenic gene expression in human MSCs (hMSC). Ole blocks adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Using RT-PCR to monitor gene expression, we found that Ole down-regulates the expression of adipogenic genes PPARγ2, LPL (lipoprotein lipase), and aP2 (lipid binding protein), while it upregulates PPARδ expression. In addition, in the presence of Ole, we were able to achieve transdifferentiation and dedifferentiation, allowing fat cells to assume other fates. These results demonstrate the potential utility of Ole for the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and related disorders, which are associated with increased fat mass. Because it modulates adipocyte differentaion, Ole may also be useful for the treatment of cachexia and lipodystrophy.


Arrays of Au nanoparticles were created using the inherent repeating patterns of bacterial S-layer proteins. Bacterial self-assembling S-layer protein lattices display a highly repetitive surface structure that makes them particularly suitable as biotemplates to fabricate metallic/semiconducting nanostructures and arrays. One interesting S-layer for nanoparticle templating is the hexagonally packed intermediate (HPI) layer of Deinococcus radiodurans . This S-layer, displaying hexagonal (p6) symmetry, is comprised of a hexameric protein core unit with a central pore, surrounded by six relatively large openings ("vertex points"). In this work, the influences of particle properties and adsorption conditions on the formation of ordered arrays of 5-nm Au nanoparticles using HPI S-layers were investigated. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it was found that the templating of citrate-capped Au nanoparticles on HPI layers under low ionic strength conditions resulted in hexagonal-packed ordered arrays with 18-nm interparticle spacings that corresponded with the pore-to-pore distance of the S-layer. Interestingly, nanoparticle binding occurs at the vertex points on the HPI layer and, due to repulsion forces, adsorption tends to be favored at every second vertex point. Upon increasing the ionic strength, ordered packing is still observed. However, because interparticle repulsions are less prominent, adsorption of nanoparticles occurs in virtually every available vertex point, resulting in the formation of a honeycomb-like pattern of nanoparticles extending throughout the HPI monolayer sheet. Combined with the results of additional investigations using either uncharged hydroxy-terminated particles or positively charged ferritin molecules, the experimental data suggest that the creation of ordered arrays through biotemplating of Au nanoparticles onto HPI S-layers depends on the electrostatic interactions between individual nanoparticles as well as the interaction with the HPI layer.


This paper reviews the literature discussing some of the qualities and properties of spruce that characterize its refractory nature and influence its treatability. Topics discussed include a review of the permeability of spruce, fluid flow through wood, and the anatomy of spruce. Permeability and liquid flow through wood are discussed, with an emphasis on differences in flow between sapwood and heartwood and between earlywood and latewood. Literature covering the effects of reversing the direction of flow and decreases in flow with time are also reviewed. Permeability through earlywood and latewood was variable, with neither being more or less treatable than the other. Reversing the direction of flow through wood was shown to increase the rate of flow, which normally tapers off over time. Discussion of wood anatomy and the path of flow includes a review of longitudinal flow and transverse flow. Pit aspiration and the effects of surface tension, the rigidity of pit membrane, and the adhesion of the torus to pit border are also addressed.


Orangutan as an umbrella species is closely interlinked with sustainable forest management meaning that the protection of this species has implications on the protection of other species and maintain ecosystem stability.  The total natural habitat required to support orangutan's population could only be determined by the appropriate population size. It is associated with the carrying capacity to accommodate or fulfill the habitat requirements of a wildlife population. Selection and delineation of core and wilderness zones as habitat preference should be based on the results of preference test shown by the spatial distribution of orangutan population. Value of the coefficient  of  variation (CV) was used to observe the precision of the population estimation and to identify important ecological factors in selection of nesting trees.  The study resulted in varied CV spatial values for various habitat types: 22.60%,  11.20%, and 13.30% for heath, lowland dipterocarp, and peat swamp forest, respectively. In the other side, CV temporal values for various habitat types were 5.35%, 22.60%, and 17.60% for heath, lowland dipterocarp, and peat swamp forest, respectively. This indicated that the population density in each type of forest ecosystems had a variation based on location and did not varied according to time of survey.  The use of  nest survey technique showed good reliable results in estimating orangutan population density.  Efforts to improve the precision of estimation can be done by formulating r value as the harmonic average of nest production rates and t as the average of nest decay time per nest category. Selection of habitat preference and nest trees were influenced by food availability thus should form important consideration in conducting nest survey to avoid bias in estimating orangutan populations. Keywords : conservation forest management, nest survey, orangutan, population size, ecological factors


In this paper, we study the node distribution of an R-tree storing region data, like, for instance, islands, lakes, or human-inhabited areas. We will show that real region datasets are packed in an R-tree into minimum bounding rectangles (MBRs) whose area distribution follows the same power law, named REGAL (REGion Area Law), as that for the regions themselves. Moreover, these MBRs are packed in their turn into MBRs following the same law, and so on iteratively, up to the root of the R-tree. Based on this observation, we are able to accurately estimate the search effort for range queries, using a small number of easy-to-retrieve parameters. Furthermore, since our analysis exploits, through a realistic mathematical model, the proximity relations existing among the regions in the dataset, we show how to use our model to predict the selectivity of a self-spatial join query posed on the dataset. Experiments on a variety of real datasets (islands, lakes, human-inhabited areas) show that our estimations are accurate, enjoying a geometric average relative error ranging from 22 percent to 32 percent for the search effort of a range query, and from 14 percent to 34 percent for the selectivity of a self-spatial join query. This is significantly better than using a naive model based on uniformity assumption, which gives rise to a geometric average relative error up to 270 percent and up to 85 percent for the two problems, respectively.


Studying the effect of temperature on fertility is particularly important in the light of ongoing climate change. We need to know if organisms can adapt to higher temperatures and, if so, what are the evolutionary mechanisms behind such adaptation. Such studies have been hampered by the lack different populations of sufficient sizes with which to relate the phenotype of temperature tolerance to the underlying genotypes. Here, we examined temperature adaptation in populations of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, in which individual strains are able to successfully reproduce at 30°C. Analysis of the frequency of heat tolerant strains in different temperature zones on La Réunion supports that this trait is subject to natural selection. Reconstruction of ancestral states along the phylogeny of highly differentiated P. pacificus clades suggests that heat tolerance evolved multiple times independently. This is further supported by genome wide association studies showing that heat tolerance is a polygenic trait and that different loci are used by individual P. pacificus clades to develop heat tolerance. More precisely, analysis of allele frequencies indicated that most genetic markers that are associated with heat tolerance are only polymorphic in individual clades. While in some P. pacificus clades, parallel evolution of heat tolerance can be explained by ancestral polymorphism or by gene flow across clades, we observe at least one clearly distinct and independent scenario where heat tolerance emerged by de novo mutation. Thus, temperature tolerance evolved at least two times independently in the evolutionary history of this species. Our data suggest that studies of wild populations of P. pacificus will reveal distinct cellular mechanisms driving temperature adaptation.


This is a further investigation of our approach to group actions in homological algebra in the settings of homology of Γsimplicial groups, particularly of Γ-equivariant homology and cohomology of Γ-groups. This approach could be called Γ-homological algebra. The abstract kernel of non-abelian extensions of groups, its relation with the obstruction to the existence of non-abelian extensions and with the second group cohomology are extended to the case of non-abelian Γ-extensions of Γ-groups. We compute the rational Γ-equivariant (co)homology groups of finite cyclic Γ-groups. The isomorphism of the group of n-fold Γ-equivariant extensions of a Γ-group G by a G⋊Γ-module A with the (n+1)th Γ-equivariant group cohomology of G with coefficients in A is proven.We define the Γ-equivariant Hochschild homology as the homology of the ΓHochschild complex involving the cyclic homology when the basic ring contains rational numbers and generalizing the Γequivariant(co)homology of Γ-groups when the action of the group Γ on the Hochschild complex is induced by its action on the basic ring. Important properties of the Γ-equivariant Hochschild homology related to Kahler differentials, Morita equivalence and derived functors are established. Group (co)homology and Γ-equivariant group (co)homology of crossed Γ-modules are introduced and investigated by using relevant derived functors. Relations of the second group cohomology with extensions of crossed Γ-modules, in particular with relative extensions of group epimorphisms in the sense of Loday and with Γ-equivariant extensions of crossed Γ-modules are established. Long exact sequences of (co)homology and Γ-equivariant (co)homology of crossed Γ-modules and the six terms exact sequences for the integral homology and Γ-equivariant homology of crossed Γ-modules are provided. Universal and Γequivariant universal central Γ-extensions of Γ-perfect crossed Γmodules are constructed and Hopf formulas for the integral homology and Γ-equivariant integral homology of crossed Γ-modules are obtained. Finally, applications to algebraic K-theory, Galois theory of commutative rings and cohomological dimension of groups


Since the early 2000s the unemployment rate in Israel has declined steadily at comparable points in the business cycle. We evaluate the extent to which this development reflects variation in business cycle intensity versus changes in noncyclical factors. To that end we utilize a theoretical flow-accounting model, similar to Blanchard and Diamond (1989), to study the dynamics of unemployment and vacancies in response to cyclical and non-cyclical changes in the labor market. We then use insights from the model as identifying restrictions on a structural VAR system in unemployment, vacancies and the labor force. The impulse response functions of the empirical model are in line with the predictions of the theoretical model. In particular, cyclical fluctuations, interpreted as aggregate activity shocks, move unemployment and vacancies in opposite directions, giving rise to the Beveridge curve, while structural movements, interpreted as changes in the average efficiency of matching unemployed workers to vacant jobs and developments in labor supply, shift the Beveridge curve. Our estimates suggest that non-cyclical factors have accounted for at least half of the decline of the unemployment rate during the period between 2004-Q1, when unemployment peaked at 10.9 percent, and 2011-Q4, when it marked a trough at 5.4 percent; suggesting a shift inward of the Beveridge curve.


Background Genetic regulation of gene expression, revealed by expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), varies across tissues in complex patterns ranging from highly tissue-specific effects to effects shared across many or all tissues. Improved characterization of these patterns may allow us to better understand the biological mechanisms that underlie tissue-specific gene regulation and disease etiology. Results We develop a constrained matrix factorization model to learn patterns of tissue sharing and tissue specificity of eQTLs across 49 human tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. The learned factors include patterns reflecting tissues with known biological similarity or shared cell types, in addition to a dense factor representing a universal genetic effect across all tissues. To explore the regulatory mechanisms that generate tissue-specific patterns of expression, we evaluate chromatin state enrichment and identify specific transcription factors with binding sites enriched for eQTLs from each factor. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that matrix factorization can be applied to learn the tissue specificity pattern of eQTLs and that it exhibits better biological interpretability than heuristic methods. We present a framework to characterize the tissue specificity of eQTLs, and we identify examples of tissue-specific eQTLs that may be driven by tissue-specific transcription factor (TF) binding, with relevance to interpretation of disease association.


Detecting defects within reinforced concrete is vital to the safety and durability of our built infrastructure upon which we heavily rely. In this work a non‐invasive technique, ElectroMagnetic Anomaly Detection (EMAD), is used which provides information into the electromagnetic properties of the reinforcing steel and for which data analysis is currently performed visually: an undesirable process. This article investigates the first use of two neural network approaches to automate the analysis of this data: Echo State Networks (ESNs) and Extreme Learning Machines (ELMs) where fast and efficient training procedures allow networks to be trained and evaluated in less time than traditional neural network approaches. Data collected from real‐world concrete structures have been analyzed using these two approaches as well as using a simple threshold measure and a standard recurrent neural network. The ELM approach offers a significant improvement in performance for a single tendon‐reinforced structure, while two ESN architectures provided best performance for a mesh‐reinforced concrete structure.


: In global world, the environment has become a scarce resource. Since economics is about how to deal with scarce resources, environment and economics are interrelated with each other. On the other hand it is also clear that economics which creates both positive and negative externalities, affects the environment. For this reason, it is not possible to except environmental problems from the economics. Today some socio-economic activities like increasing consumption based on shopping malls, urban regeneration, fast population growth and etc. have being created environmental cost. One way of using economics is to ensure that the costs and the benefits of environmental measures are well balanced. Although it is difficult to estimate costs and benefits, there is an increasing demand that this is should be done before the economical activity. Economic and environmental objectives are often perceived as being contradictory. It is believed that a choice must be made between one and the other and that cannot be achieved concurrently. To change this perception, some measures should be taken on both national and international level.  At this point, an efficient environmental auditing is being important day by day to ensure environmental economics.