The intention of this article is to follow Elizabeth Grosz' invitation to explore some of the ways that time constructions and time metaphors attain significance in contemporary feminist theory. Each history includes and produces different temporal structures. How these temporal structures work, the value ascribed to them, and their implications for feminist historiography, is discussed by looking at various examples of writing contemporary feminist history. How is the recent history between the 1970's and the present of Swedish feminist theory portrayed? Using Claire Hemmings' historiography of Anglo-American contemporary feminist theory, the article traces similar patterns in the way the development of Swedish feminism is described. The article shows that the common way to write the history of feminist theory in terms of breaks and turning points are deeply problematic. Basically these metaphors rest on a conception of time as serial and hierarchical. That the time is "out of joint" is a prerequisite for feminist work. Feminist theorization must be untimely in Nietzsche's sense. The later part of the article shows how concepts like untimeliness, anachronism and Derrida's concept of "hauntology", along with contemporary queer theoretical research on the literary Gothic, offer alternative constructions of time, which might make it possible to see feminist pioneers, not as specters either to be revenged or silenced, but as ghosts, as un-deads in a positive sense.


Dietary quality may exhibit intergenerational associations in Taiwanese communities. Nutrition and Health Surveys in Taiwan (NAHSIT) for children and elders (1999–2002) were mapped for coincident locality and ethnicity with Geo-Gadget. Communities were characterized ecologically. Dietary quality was assessed by the Youth Healthy Eating Index-Taiwan (YHEI-TW) for children and Overall Dietary Index-Revised (ODI-R) for elders. Hierarchical regression analysis was used. Elderly ODI-R was linked with the overall child YHEI-TW (p < .001). When ODI-R increased 1 unit, the child YHEI-TW improved 0.232 and 0.134 YHEI-TW units with men and women, respectively. Dietary quality of community elders is related to that of children.


Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere, regardless from natural and anthropogenic sources. Their climatic importance is embodied through many ways. One of the ways is through acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), promoting changes in cloud microphysical properties and subsequently interfering the Earth energy budget. The role as CCN depends on aerosols physicochemical properties, such as size, chemical composition and mixing state. Since those physicochemical properties evolve on the course of the interactions between meteorology and atmospheric chemical processes, it is important to understand how the role of aerosols as CCN evolves accordingly in various environments. In this study, sampling campaigns of atmospheric aerosol particles were conducted in three locations in Japan, Tsukuba, Tokyo and Mt. Kiso-komagatake (Senjyo), and more than 30,000 individual particles were analyzed with the advanced technique of transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). (Electron microscopy particle database of Meteorological Research Institute can be accessed at http://metemadb.kir.jp/) Based on TEM analysis, individual particles size and elemental composition were revealed in great details and hygroscopicity was derived. The TEM analysis of aerosol populations sampled at the three locations showed distinct CCN properties, indicating that the interactions between meteorology, atmospheric chemistry and local emissions shaped the physicochemical and CCN properties of the aerosol populations differently. In addition, based on TEM analysis, the aerosol populations mixing state were characterized using the recently proposed aerosol mixing state metric and the impact on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties was quantified. This demonstrated that the CCN concentrations calculated in most of the atmospheric models assuming internally-mixed aerosol populations are erroneous to various extent. Apart from their climatic importance, aerosol particles are closely related to public health. The deposition efficiency of inhaled particles along human respiratory tract was shown to depend on aerosol mixing state through their hygroscopic growth after inhalation. Simulations by particle-resolved aerosol model and deposition model indicated that not considering mixing state leads to overestimation of deposition efficiency; whereas considering an average mixing state leads to underestimation of 5% to 20% of soot particle deposition efficiency.


The Cuban software industry is currently demanding the development of higher quality, more usable products that provide a better experience for end users. Usability Engineering (UE) promotes the early evaluation of usability in the software development process and user participation in all phases of the life cycle. In order to know the treatment that is given to the Usability in Software Development (USD) in the Computer Engineering degree at the University of Matanzas, an exploratory study was carried out, using methods of the theoretical and empirical level. A review of the international scientific literature related to the subject and the normative documents that govern the degree was carried out as well as interviews with professors and students in order to verify the treatment given to the USD. A case study is presented where aspects related to the subject are deepened proposing the inclusion in the optional curriculum of the degree course "Usability in software development". The results showed the appropriation of the knowledge of the group of students who received the subject. It enabled them to develop prototypes of the system of higher quality and more usability. The need to expand topics that include the end-user experience when interacting with the software as a guarantee of product quality is concluded, guaranteeing from the university curriculum the preparation of professionals in this area of scientific knowledge.


BACKGROUND
Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and nutrition management is the initial therapeutic approach.

OBJECTIVE
This multicenter study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of psyllium husk fiber as an adjunct to diet in the treatment of persons with primary hypercholesterolemia.

DESIGN
Men and women with hypercholesterolemia were recruited. After following an American Heart Association Step I diet for 8 wk (dietary adaptation phase), eligible subjects with serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations between 3.36 and 4.91 mmol/L were randomly assigned to receive either 5.1 g psyllium or a cellulose placebo twice daily for 26 wk while continuing diet therapy.

RESULTS
Serum total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were 4.7% and 6.7% lower in the psyllium group than in the placebo group after 24-26 wk (P < 0.001). Other outcome measures did not differ significantly between groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with 5.1 g psyllium twice daily produces significant net reductions in serum total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations in men and women with primary hypercholesterolemia. Psyllium therapy is an effective adjunct to diet therapy and may provide an alternative to drug therapy for some patients.


Aims: To investigate the association between estimated baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal function decline in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes with normoalbuminuria. Main Methods: A longitudinal study was performed on 368 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes whose estimated GFR (eGFR) was determined at baseline with a 3.12-year follow-up. The patients were divided into three groups according to baseline eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) : G1 (eGFR ≥ 120), G2 (90 ≤ eGFR Key Findings: Among G1 patients, the decliners were younger, had a higher baseline eGFR, shorter duration of diabetes, and lower diastolic blood pressure, compared with non-decliners. The G1 eGFR decline slope (% per year) was significantly higher than that in G2 and G3 patients. The percentage of decliners among G1 patients was significantly higher than that among G2 and G3 patients. Baseline eGFR group, HbA1c, hypertension history, and diastolic blood pressure were independent risk factors for progressive renal decline. Patients in the decliners group were more likely to progress to microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria compared with those in the non-decliners group; however, the albuminruria progression percentage was not significantly different among G1, G2, and G3 decliners. Significance: Patients with baseline eGFR ≥ 120 mL/min/1.73 m 2 had a higher risk for more rapid eGFR decline among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes with nomalbuminuria. Disclosure J. Wan: None. H. Chen: None.


Investigations on the development of a basic technology of the shielded-gas mechanized arc welding of strengthening structural elements which are used in repair of main gas pipelines were carried out. It is shown that the advanced welding wires Sv08G2S, Е71Т-1, DW-50, DW-A55 are in compliance with the requirements for providing the necessary level of mechanical characteristics, impact toughness of weld metal, content of diffusive hydrogen in the deposited metal and can be recommended for application in the further testing of technology for repair of the operating pipelines under the field conditions. The carried out works resulted in the working out of documentation on the technology of mechanized arc welding in shielding gases in repair of main gas pipelines of Ukraine.


The E74 gene is one of a small set of early genes induced by the steroid hormone ecdysone at the onset of metamorphosis in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This complex gene directs the synthesis of a 60-kilobase (kb) primary transcript that is spliced to form the 6-kb E74A mRNA. In a previous study, we found that ecdysone directly activates the E74A promoter and determined that RNA polymerase II transcribes this gene at a rate of approximately 1.1 kb/min. This elongation rate accounts for most of the 1-hour delay seen between the addition of ecdysone and the appearance of cytoplasmic E74A mRNA (C. S. Thummel, K. C. Burtis, and D. S. Hogness, Cell 61:101-111, 1990). We show here that nascent E74A transcripts are spliced, and we propose a model for the order of that splicing. This study provides, for the first time, direct biochemical evidence for splicing of a low-abundance cellular RNA before transcription termination and polyadenylation.


Abstract Changes in income distribution are estimated for the U.S. South over the 1970 and 1980 decades using Gini coefficients for county-level, real family income. To explicitly investigate causal relationships between economic growth and inequality, a two-stage least squares model was estimated. In the 1970s, more rapid increases in inequality were associated with a reduced income growth rate, ceteris paribus, while in the 1980s, the opposite was true. Faster rates of income growth were associated with more rapid increases in inequality during the 1980s, but rates of income growth had no effect on changes in inequality during the 1970s.


: Hydrological modelling plays a crucial role in the planning and management of water resources, most especially in water stressed regions where the need to effectively manage the available water resources is of critical importance. However, due to the complex, nonlinear and dynamic behaviour of hydro-climatic interactions, achieving reliable modelling of water resource systems and accurate projection of hydrological parameters are extremely challenging. Although a significant number of modelling techniques (process-based and data-driven) have been developed and adopted in that regard, the field of hydrological modelling is still considered as one that has sluggishly progressed over the past decades. This is majorly as a result of the identification of some degree of uncertainty in the methodologies and results of techniques adopted. In recent times, evolutionary computation (EC) techniques have been developed and introduced in response to the search for efficient and reliable means of providing accurate solutions to hydrological related problems. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the underlying principles, methodological needs and applications of a promising evolutionary computation modelling technique – genetic programming (GP). It examines the specific characteristics of the technique which makes it suitable to solving hydrological modelling problems. It discusses the opportunities inherent in the application of GP in water related-studies such as rainfall estimation, rainfall-runoff modelling, streamflow forecasting, sediment transport modelling, water quality modelling and groundwater modelling among others. Furthermore, the means by which such opportunities could be harnessed in the near future are discussed. In all, a case for total embracement of GP and its variants in hydrological modelling studies is made so as to put in place strategies that would translate into achieving meaningful progress as it relates to modelling of water resource systems, and also positively influence decision-making by relevant stakeholders.


ABSTRACT Hur, D.S.; Cho, W.C.; Yoon, J.S.; Kang, C., and Lee, W.D., 2017. Applicability of multiple submerged narrow-crested breakwaters for reduction of mean water level in rear side and flow control. In: Lee, J.L.; Griffiths, T.; Lotan, A.; Suh, K.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), The 2nd International Water Safety Symposium. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 79, pp. 179–183. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In this study, to confirm the applicability of multiple submerged narrow-crested breakwaters (SNCBs), a 3-D numerical simulation was conducted. The numerical simulation used the numerical model developed for analyzing the 3-D flow structure around the submerged breakwaters. In addition, to verify the validity and effectiveness of the numerical model, the wave height distribution and mean water level distribution around impermeable submerged breakwater (ISB) and permeable submerged breakwater (PSB) were compared with the results of the numerical model experiment. As a result, the simulated results accurately realized the experimental values. The numerical simulation was conducted by applying the multiple SNCBs and common PSB for comparative analysis of the effectiveness on flow control and increased mean water level in the rear side, respectively. When the SNCBs are installed by more than two rows, the flow control was better than that achieved by installing PBS. However, the wave reflection was high, and the water level difference between onshore and offshore increased, owing to increased water level in the rear side. Based on this, an opening was installed on the multiple SNCBs, for the reduction of water level in the rear side. As a result, an outgoing flow toward the open sea was generated, which reduced the mean water level in the rear side. When W/Lr ≥ 0.2, the mean water level difference between onshore and offshore decreased, compared to the case of the PSB. Therefore, when appropriately installing the multiple SNCBs, whose applicability has been confirmed in this study, this can become one of the methods that can replace existing PBSs, which are bulky in size and expensive to construct.


The efficient integration of logistics modes is critical for international cargo shipping. The local transportation connecting to the export port then plays a vital role in such integration. This paper investigates the problems of carrier selection in the China Pearl River delta area, with respect to international shipping. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model is constructed based on a comprehensive industrial interviews and statistical analysis. Rather than simply ranking the given alternatives, we use AHP is used to analyse the weakness and strength of impacting factors in carrier selection. The model is implemented under different types of shipper. Seven criteria are statistically summarized from the questionnaire for evaluating eight different modes. The results are useful to those liner companies serving the PRD region in relationship to port selection and fleet deployment.


Variable heat sources in machine tools lead to unsteady displacement fields and hence necessitate temperature control in order to maintain the required positioning accuracy. Adding passive components that redistribute heat through heat storage and heat transport within the machine tool is one approach to compensate for thermal errors. While including latent heat storage components reduces the machine response to heat inputs in a certain temperature range, highly conductive elements like heat pipes provide the option to transport heat losses to environmental air or further components. Thereby, the temperature field around heat emitting machine components can be altered aiming for a reduction of thermal displacements of the tool center point. In order to guarantee the efficacy of corresponding compensation systems in machine tools, the performance of heat pipes under accelerating forces has to be determined. The present paper presents findings of experimental investigations on translationally moved heat pipes conducted on a linear direct drive based test rig. A simulation approach for modeling the heat transfer limits of heat pipes is proposed providing a high compatibility with finite element models. Different scenarios for the use of heat pipes in machine tools are demonstrated and evaluated by means of numerical results.


The synthesis, structure, and reactions of (acylimino)triaryl-lambda(5)-bismuthanes and a comparative study of the structure and reactivity of a series of (acylimino)pnictoranes are reported. Treatment of ortho-substituted triarylbismuth dichlorides 1 (Ar(3)BiCl(2); Ar = 2-MeC(6)H(4), 2-MeOC(6)H(4), 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2)) with amides 2 (H(2)NCOR; R = CF(3), CCl(3), 3,5-(CF(3))(2)C(6)H(3)) in the presence of 2.2 equiv of KO-t-Bu in dichloromethane afforded (acylimino)triaryl-lambda(5)-bismuthanes 3 (Ar(3)Bi=NCOR) in yields of 77-96%. The ortho-substituted aryl ligands and the electron-withdrawing N-substituents afford kinetic and thermodynamic stabilization, respectively, to the reactive Bi=N bond. The structures and properties of a series of (acylimino)pnictoranes (Ar(3)M=NCOR and H(3)M=NCOCF(3); M = P, As, Sb, Bi) are compared by IR and (13)C and (15)N NMR, X-ray crystallography, and ab initio molecular orbital calculations. It was found that the contribution of the M(+)-N=C-O(-) canonical form becomes more prominent and the single-bond character of the M=N bond increases progressively as the pnictogen atom becomes heavier. The Bi=N bond of (acylimino)-lambda(5)-bismuthanes 3 possesses a highly polarized single-bond character, probably due to the differences in orbital size and electronegativity between the bismuth and nitrogen atoms. Thermal decomposition of (aroylimino)triaryl-lambda(5)-bismuthane 3f (o-Tol(3)Bi=NCOAr; Ar = 3,5-(CF(3))(2)C(6)H(3)) produces a gel in dry conditions or aniline 12 (ArNH(2)) in slightly wet conditions with a good recovery of tris(2-methylphenyl)bismuthane (4a). It is likely that the aryl isocyanate 13 (ArNCO) is produced during the thermolysis via a concerted C --> N migration of the Ar group with an elimination of the triarylbismuthonio group as bismuthane 4a. (Acylimino)triaryl-lambda(5)-bismuthanes 3 oxidize 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethanediol, benzenethiol, methanol, and ethanol to benzophenone, diphenyl disulfide, methyl formate, and acetaldehyde, respectively, in two different reaction pathways depending on the structure of the substrates. Compound 3d (o-Tol(3)Bi=NCOCCl(3)) transfers the nitrenoid moiety to triphenylphosphane, triphenylarsane, and tris(2-methylphenyl)stibane to give the corresponding (acylimino)pnictoranes (Ar(3)M=NCOCl(3); M = P, As, Sb) and 4a, suggesting that 3d is thermodynamically much less stable than their lighter pnictogen counterparts. The copper-catalyzed decomposition of 3 (o-Tol(3)Bi=NCOR) afforded N-acyl-o-toluidines 18 (o-TolNHCOR) via a Bi --> N migration of the tolyl group. The observed reactivities of (acylimino)triaryl-lambda(5)-bismuthanes 3 demonstrate a good leaving ability of the bismuthonio group.


It is well-established that (1) there is a large genetic component to mental health, and (2) higher schooling attainment is associated with better mental health. Given these two observations, we test the hypothesis that schooling may attenuate the genetic predisposition to poor mental health. Specifically, we estimate associations between a polygenic score (PGS) for depressive symptoms, schooling attainment and gene-environment (GxE) interactions with mental health (depressive symptoms and depression), in two distinct United States datasets at different adult ages-29 years old in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and 54 years old in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). OLS results indicate that the association of the PGS with mental health is similar in Add Health and the WLS, but the association of schooling attainment is much larger in Add Health than in the WLS. There is some suggestive evidence that the association of the PGS with mental health is lower for more-schooled older individuals in the WLS, but there is no evidence of any significant GxE associations in Add Health. Quantile regression estimates also show that in the WLS the GxE associations are statistically significant only in the upper parts of the conditional depressive symptoms score distribution. We assess the robustness of the OLS results to omitted variable bias by using the siblings samples in both datasets to estimate sibling fixed-effect regressions. The sibling fixed-effect results must be qualified, in part due to low statistical power. However, the sibling fixed-effect estimates show that college education is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in both datasets.


The saemix package for R provides maximum likelihood estimates of parameters in nonlinear mixed effect models, using a modern and efficient estimation algorithm, the stochastic approximation expectation maximisation (SAEM) algorithm. In the present paper we describe the main features of the package, and apply it to several examples to illustrate its use. Making use of S4 classes and methods to provide user-friendly interaction, this package provides a new estimation tool to the R community.


The paper presents results of non-ferrous metal crystallization research with use of ATND method. The research was carried out in the Faculty of Chipless Forming Technology, University of Bielsko-Biała. The new method of analysis of non-ferrous metals alloy crystallization assures complete picture of generated structural components of the alloy. Structural components defined in the tested alloy using ATND method have been verified by X-ray microanalysis, which unambiguously has confirmed their presence. Below are presented results of the crystallization analysis with ATND method in graphic form (crystallization diagrams). In crystallization diagrams of AK7 alloy there were shown curves (thermal curve with its derivative, voltage curve and its derivative). Individual structural components crystallizing in the tested alloy are reflected on curves of the method in form of characteristic peaks. The research was carried out on AK7 aluminum cast alloy. Moreover, the paper shows the structures of the tested alloy together with marked structural components, identified with use of X-ray microanalysis.


ABSTRACT The type III arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) was detected in three Staphylococcus epidermidis oral isolates recovered from separate patients (one healthy, one healthy with dental implants, and one with periodontal disease) based on ACME-arc-operon- and ACME-opp3-operon-directed PCR. These isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing to characterize the precise structural organization of ACME III for the first time, which also revealed that all three isolates were the same sequence type, ST329.


Tourism represents the sector of services which is developing the most considerably and dynamically. However, its development is influenced by: trends in globalization, process of demographic aging, economic parameters, geographical conditions of a country, consumers, and other aspects. The following aspects contribute to its development: new destinations, markets, innovative activities in service sector, and also technological development. Tourism plays a significant economic role in a process of sustainable regional development, where it helps to develop low-growth regions. Monitoring and quantification of tourism outputs is a very complicated process. There also absents a quality database, which complicates a quantification of sector's efficiency and a creation of national and international benchmarking indicators that inform of sustainable tourism level. These aspects demand a realization of multi-dimensional analyses, which would examine causal relations between tourism factors and economic parameters of a country. The study's motivation was driven by all of the above-mentioned facts. It aims at researching an influence of tourism spending on OECD countries' productivity. Consequently, it evaluates their potential of the sector's sustainability. Multiple analytical procedures, which were determined by database availability, were performed in order to achieve the, research aim. The following analyses were performed besides the descriptive statistics: variance analysis of researched variables between individual years and OECD countries, context analysis, regression and cluster analyses. There were analysed 5 variables that characterize individual types of tourist spending: Business Tourism Spending, Domestic Tourism Spending, Leisure Tourism Spending, Outbound Travel & Tourism Expenditure , Visitor Exports (Foreign Spending) and one variable that characterizes productivity during 2010 – 2018 for all OECD countries. Spending variables were standardized per 1,000 inhabitants of a given country and productivity was measured by GDP per capita, while both groups of variables were provided in USD (fair value). The analyses' results provided interesting findings. The regression models' outputs confirmed an influence of tourist spending on a country's productivity. All variables that indicate spending are significant. The cluster analysis's results allowed a selection of countries into four groups. There is two huge clusters and other two clusters represent only one countries in specific cluster. Luxemburg and Iceland give us different values than countries in other clusters. The countries with higher rank are as follows: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Belgium (BEL), Canada (CAN), Germany (DEU), Denmark (DNK), Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Unites Kingdom (GBR), Switzerland (CHE), Ireland (IRL), Italy (ITA), Netherland (NLD), Norway (NOR), New Zealand (NZL), Sweden (SWE), United States (USA), Island (ISL) and Luxembourg (LUX). On the other hand, the countries with lower rank are as follows: Czech Republic CZE, Spain (ESP), Estonia (EST), Greece (GRC), Hungary (HUN), Chile (CHL), Israel (ISR), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Lithuania (LTU), Latvia (LVA), Mexico (MEX), Poland (POL), Portugal (PRT), Slovak Republic (SVK), Slovenia (SVN) and Turkey (TUR). These findings provide a space for a deeper research of effect between determinants of tourism development and economic indicators, while they enable to reveal a space for a growth of countries' productivity that would provide a sustainability in tourism sector.


The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been used to study the adhesion of red oxide primer on selected substrates. The substrates are stainless steel, mild steel, galvanized steel and aluminium. Twenty (20 No) specimens were prepared from the four different substrate metals and examined metallographically, after coating them with red oxide primer using different methods of application. Results showed varying degrees of adherence. The red oxide primer was able to form bonds with the different substrate metals, especially with the well cleaned, primed and subsequently painted stainless steel specimen.


Abstract Background There is an on-going debate whether 2- or 3-weekly administration of R-CHOP is the preferred first-line treatment for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The UK NCRI R-CHOP14v21 randomized phase 3 trial did not demonstrate a difference in outcomes between R-CHOP-14 and R-CHOP-21 in newly diagnosed DLBCL patients aged 19–88 years, but data on elderly patients have not been reported in detail so far. Here, we provide a subgroup analysis of patients ≥60 years treated on the R-CHOP14v21 trial with extended follow-up. Patients and methods Six hundred and four R-CHOP14v21 patients ≥60 years were included in this subgroup analysis, with a median follow-up of 77.7 months. To assess the impact of MYC rearrangements (MYC-R) and double-hit-lymphoma (DHL) on outcome in elderly patients, we performed a joint analysis of cases with available molecular data from the R-CHOP14v21 (N = 217) and RICOVER-60 (N = 204) trials. Results Elderly DLBCL patients received high dose intensities with median total doses of ≥98% for all agents. Toxicities were similar in both arms with the exception of more grade ≥3 neutropenia (P < 0.0001) and fewer grade ≥3 thrombocytopenia (P = 0.05) in R-CHOP-21 versus R-CHOP-14. The elderly patient population had a favorable 5-year overall survival (OS) of 69% (95% CI: 65–73). We did not identify any subgroup of patients that showed differential response to either regimen. In multivariable analysis including individual factors of the IPI, gender, bulk, B2M and albumin levels, only age and B2M were of independent prognostic significance for OS. Molecular analyses demonstrated a significant impact of MYC-R (HR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.22–3.16; P = 0.01) and DHL (HR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.18–4.11; P = 0.01) on OS in the combined trial cohorts, independent of other prognostic factors. Conclusions Our data support equivalence of both R-CHOP application forms in elderly DLBCL patients. Elderly MYC-R and DHL patients have inferior prognosis and should be considered for alternative treatment approaches. Trial numbers ISCRTN 16017947 (R-CHOP14v21); NCT00052936 (RICOVER-60).


A method to analyze axially polarized piezoelectric ceramic cylinders with arbitrary length to radius ratio and arbitrary boundary conditions on the flat surfaces is presented. The method is based on the use of functions that individually exactly satisfy the axisymmetric equations of motion and the Gauss electrostatic conditions. The axial and radial components of displacement and the potential are expressed as weighted sums of these functions. The functions form complete sets in the radial direction and arbitrary boundary conditions can, therefore, be satisfied on the flat surfaces. On the curved surface, certain uniform boundary conditions can be exactly satisfied. The weights are easily determined by using the orthogonal property of the functions. The input electrical admittance is a function of only the average boundary conditions and is very easily determined. Several special cases and numerical results are presented for electrically and mechanically excited cylinders to illustrate the method. The series expressions for displacements, potential, and stress converge rapidly and they are in good agreement with results obtained using ATILA--a finite element program. The method can be extended to analyze hollow cylinders with arbitrary boundary conditions on all surfaces.


This thesis looks at agricultural decision-making in changing environments. The environments in which smallholder producers in Southeast Asia operate in is changing rapidly. Increased incomes in the region have changed consumer demand, which provides opportunities in new markets for agricultural households. Producers also face several new challenges associated with climate change. Understanding agricultural decision-making is more important than ever, as the producers' environments are changing faster than ever. In this thesis, we will look at agricultural decisions as they relate to climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as why some producers enter new export markets while others do not.


OBJECTIVE
To identify risk factors associated with development of pyothorax in cats, assess survival rates for cats that are treated, determine prognostic indicators, and determine recurrence rates.

DESIGN
Retrospective study.

ANIMALS
80 cats with pyothorax and 212 control cats.

PROCEDURE
History; month of evaluation; physical examination findings; results of hematologic, serum biochemical, and retrovirus testing; radiographic findings; outcome; recurrence rate; and necropsy findings were recorded. For control cats, age, sex, breed, indoor versus outdoor status, vaccination history, and single- versus multi-cat household status were recorded.

RESULTS
Cats from multi-cat households were 3.8 times as likely (95% confidence interval, 1.9 to 8.2) to develop pyothorax, compared with cats from single-cat households. Indoor or outdoor status was not a risk factor. Cats with pyothorax were significantly younger (mean, 3.83 +/- 3.43 years) than controls (mean, 5.62 +/- 5.27 years). Nonsurvivors had significantly lower heart rates than survivors. Hypersalivation was significantly more common in nonsurvivors (11/39; 26.8%) than survivors (1/39; 3%). Overall, 48.8% (39/80) of cats survived. When cats that were euthanatized without treatment were excluded from analyses, the survival rate was 66.1% (39/59). Pyothorax recurred in 1 of 17 cats for which follow-up information was obtained.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Cats with pyothorax that received treatment had a fair to good prognosis, with low recurrence rates in survivors. Hypersalivation and low heart rate were associated with worse clinical outcome. Cats with pyothorax were likely to come from multi-cat households.


The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is based on the concept of schema languages, which are used for validation of XML documents. In most cases, the metamodeling view of XML-based application is rather simple, with XML documents being instances of some schema, which in turn is based on some schema language. In this paper, a metaschema layering approach for XML is presented, which is demonstrated in the context of various application scenarios. This approach is based on two generalizations of the standard XML schema language usage scenario: (1) it is assumed that one or more schema languages are acceptable as foundations for an XML scenario, but these schema languages should be customized by restricting, extending, or combining them; (2) for applications requiring application-specific schema languages, these schema languages can be implemented by reusing existing schema languages, thus introducing an additional metaschema layer. Metaschema layering can be used in a variety of application areas, and this paper shows some possible applications and mentions some more possibilities. XML is increasingly entering the modeling domain, since it is gradually moving from an exchange format for structured data into the applications as their inherent model. XML modeling still is in its infancy, and the metaschema layering approach presented in this paper is one contribution how to leverage the most important of XML feature's, which is the reuse of existing concepts and implementations.


THERMO-MECHANICAL SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION OF A SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY ACTUATED MECHANISM Cody Alexander Wright Old Dominion University, 2016 Director: Dr. Onur Bilgen Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators paired in an antagonistic arrangement can be used to produce mechanisms that replicate human biomechanics. To investigate this proposal, the biomechanical articulation of the elbow by means of the biceps brachii muscle is compared with that of a SMA actuated arm. This is accomplished by parametric analysis of a crank-slider kinematic mechanism actuated, first, with an experimentally characterized SMA wire and then an idealized musculotendon actuator based on actuation properties of muscles published in the literature. Next, equations of motion for the system dynamics of the SMA actuated mechanism are derived and phase portrait analysis is conducted varying system parameters around different operating points. The eigenvalues of the differential equation are examined around equilibrium points and a stiffness ratio metric is proposed to characterize dynamic stability based on system parameters. Next, a heat transfer model is proposed and energy analysis is conducted on each stage of phase transformation for the SMA wire. The unknown parameters in the heat transfer model are theoretically derived and an experimental system identification is conducted. A proof of concept antagonistic SMA actuated mechanism is designed and kinematic analysis is conducted on an experimental prototype.


Few texts contain the tremendous breadth of up-to-date information presented in this third revised edition of Unwanted Effects of Cosmetics and Drugs Used in Dermatology . The book opens with a thorough discussion of traditional irritant and allergic contact dermatitis as well as patch test placement and interpretation. Discussions on less commonly observed unwanted product effects include phototoxic and photoallergic contact dermatitis, contact urticaria, acne and folliculitis, discoloration of the skin and appendages, and cutaneous stinging. The remaining pages are devoted to assessing side effects caused by topical and systemic medications used by dermatologists and cosmeticians for the hair, skin, and nails. The text is well-referenced and contains a more comprehensive discussion of the formulation and individual ingredient cutaneous reactions due to cosmetics than Fisher's standard text ( Contact Dermatitis ). Detailed charts are given listing patch test concentrations and vehicles for the dermatologist who is called on to patch test fragrance materials,


ABSTRACT Race is a marketplace icon. How so? By holding true to an icon's defining characteristics: high visibility, divisiveness, and uncritical devotion. In this brief musing, we describe how despite its centrality to market activities, race is uncritically addressed in academic marketing research. We next introduce the Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Research Network, a newly-formed interdisciplinary collective of scholars and scholar-activists that seek to break race of its iconic standing and bring greater equity to markets by disseminating critical, collaborative, and transdisciplinary race-based market research that supports liberatory public policies and community actions. We close with a call to join our effort to reimagine the marketplace through the critical examination of what has been a perpetually overlooked icon in marketing academia.


The Whitehall Briefing (leaked in January but only officially released this month) is not the last word on the potential long-term economic impact of Brexit, despite claims from others that it 'proves' GDP will be lower in 'all' scenarios. As the report itself says, it is only 'draft analytical thinking with preliminary results', with many gaps and uncertainties. In particular, officials had not attempted to quantify the outcome that the government is actually seeking to achieve, including a new and comprehensive free trade deal with the EU that minimises both tariff and non-tariff barriers. Instead, the Briefing only looks at three alternative trade scenarios based on existing precedents. It does suggest that the UK might land somewhere in-between. But the outcome will depend on talks with the EU that have not yet even begun, as well as future policy choices to be made by HMG alone. For example, the Briefing recognises that the impact of leaving the Customs Union on customs barriers between the UK and EU could be anywhere between 'high' and 'none', depending on what new arrangements are agreed. Here, some have argued it is wrong to model something that the EU may not be willing to accept. But the purpose of scenario analysis is to look at a range of possible outcomes, not to close options down. Elsewhere, the Briefing includes only skimpy assessments of the scope for new trade deals with the rest of the world and for regulatory optimisation, and is too quick to dismiss the budget savings on payments to the EU. Overall, the 'Cross Whitehall Briefing' is an honest attempt to improve on the analysis published by the Treasury in 2016. But it is far from conclusive, and anyone claiming otherwise should read it again.


Abstract Certified nursing assistants (CNAS) provide the hands-on care to residents in nursing homes, often developing close relationships with those in their care. The current study used a support program model to explore CNAS' feelings, experiences, and needs when caring for the dying. Special attention was given to the experience of caring for residents who opted not to continue life-sustaining treatment. Second, the efficacy of this type of support program for CNAS was examined. Care of the dying elicited complex reactions: most CNAS reported that caring for dying residents can be a very rewarding experience. At the same time, most thought that caring for a dying person is always emotionally draining. Moreover, CNAS said they felt sad and felt stressed at least some of the time when caring for the dying. CNAS participated openly in the discussion and expressed positive feelings about participating in this type of support program. (Geriatr Nurs 2001;22:299-305)


This review attempts to clarify the concepts of Laboratory Quality Management System (Lab QMS) for a medical testing and diagnostic laboratory in a holistic way and hopes to expand the horizon beyond quality control (QC) and quality assurance. It provides an insight on accreditation bodies and highlights a glimpse of existing laboratory practices but essentially it takes the reader through the journey of accreditation and during the course of reading and understanding this document, prepares the laboratory for the same. Some of the areas which have not been highlighted previously include: requirement for accreditation consultants, laboratory infrastructure and scope, applying for accreditation, document preparation. This section is well supported with practical illustrations and necessary tables and exhaustive details like preparation of a standard operating procedure and a quality manual. Concept of training and privileging of staff has been clarified and a few of the QC exercises have been dealt with in a novel way. Finally, a practical advice for facing an actual third party assessment and caution needed to prevent post-assessment pitfalls has been dealt with.


Maternal effects on offspring size can have a strong effect on fitness, as larger offspring often survive better under harsh environmental conditions. Selection should hence favour mothers that find an optimal solution to the offspring size versus number tradeoff. If environmental conditions are variable, there will not be a single optimal offspring size, as predicted in a constant environment, but plastic responses can be favoured. To be able to adjust offspring size in an adaptive manner, mothers have to use environmental cues to predict offspring environmental conditions. Cues can be unreliable, however, particularly in species where individuals occupy different niches at different life stages. Here we model the evolution of plasticity of offspring size when the environmental cues mothers use to predict the conditions experienced by their offspring are not perfectly reliable. Our results show that plastic strategies are likely to be superior to fixed strategies in a stochastically varying environment when the environmental cues are at least moderately reliable, with the threshold depending on plasticity costs and the difference of resources available to mothers. Plasticity is more likely to occur if resource availability is not too different between environments. For any given scenario, plasticity in offspring size is favoured if offspring survival varies greatly between environmental states. Whenever plastic strategies are optimal, the occurring switches performed by mothers between small and large offspring are predicted to be substantial, as small adjustments are unlikely to reap fitness benefits great enough to overcome the costs of plasticity.


Whereas positive communication is generally seen as an appealing phenomenon of interaction, it remains under-researched from the theoretical point of view. The topic warrants special attention because in today's Russian world negativity prevails, which is due to opposing political views, incompatible values in public discourse. The paper aims at the study of the constituent characteristics, structural components and basic mechanisms of positive communication. The analysis of the dictionary definitions of the term positive and its combinability in the National Corpus of the Russian Language, the British National Corpus, the Corpus of Contemporary American English allows to describe positive communication as an interaction based on positive attitude, aimed at mutual understanding and satisfying for all the parties involved. Positive communication is constructive, effective, supportive and coloured with good emotions; these characteristics can be regarded as its constituent features. The universal components of positive communication include: positive intentionality, initiative, adaptation to the interlocutor, empathic listening and social support. On the other hand, assertiveness is culturally specific: it is regarded as part and parcel of positive communication in the US, but is not seen as desirable in Russia and a number of other countries. The research will be continued in order to further identify the characteristics of positive communication, trace and test the validity of the theoretical claims and predictions on the basis of real-life situations.


At 26 weeks gestation, weekly intra-amniotic injections of levothyroxine were started at a dose of 10 ug/kg of estimated fetal weight/day. At the time of the sixth intra-amniotic injection, the levothyroxine dose was increased to 15 ug/kg of estimated fetal weight/day because the goiter did not regress as quickly as anticipated and the hormone levels were still outside of the normal range. A total of eleven intra-amniotic injections were performed, with the last injection given at 37 weeks gestation. Amniocentesis performed at the time of the seventh injection showed normalization of fetal thyroid function. The fetal goiter decreased progressively in size following fetal treatment. The patient presented in active labor after spontaneous rupture of membranes at 38 weeks and delivered a female infant with no evidence of airway obstruction. There was a small palpable goiter with obvious redundant skin overlying the gland. Thyroid function tests performed on the first day of life showed the neonate to be euthyroid. The neonate was discharged on the 2nd day of life with a levothyroxine dose of 35 μg per day.


In economic literature and especially in international economy literature, Feldstein and Hori Oka puzzle (briefly: F-H puzzle) has special consideration. According to F-H puzzle, in countries which have high international capital mobility, there is a positive but weak meaningful statically correlation between investment rate and domestic saving rate. We investigate threshold impact of saving rate on investment rate in selected developed and developing countries during 1995-2012 due to experiment F-H puzzle. We used Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) Model in order to study F-H puzzle in these countries. The results of linear relationship test strongly confirm nonlinear relationship between variables of the paper. According to the estimate results, threshold limit of saving calculated (for developed countries: 17.8 and for developing countries: 32) and slope parameter (Transfer Rate) also accounted (for developed countries: 0.1 and for developing countries: 10.3). In developed and developing countries saving rate has positive and meaningful statically effect on investment growth in both regimes. However in developing countries saving rate has less [positive and meaningful statically] effect on investment growth than developed countries. Paper results reject F-H puzzle in both developed and developing countries.


To asses the relationship between body mass index and net weight gain during pregnancy with birth weight and the risks of low birth weight, small for date and prematurity 9613 records from Sardá's Perinatal Database between 1994-1995 were reviewed. Exclusion criteria were fetal death, twin pregnancy, congenital malformations, lack of prenatal visits and lack of preconceptional weight and height. 9.6% of mothers and 15% of adolescents presented with low preconceptional BMI (median: 24.8 +/- 4.3 kg/m2); in contrast, 28% were overweight and obese. Net weight gain (median 9.25 +/- 4.9 kg) accounted for 16% of previous weight and was higher with lower BMI (p = 0.001). Birth weight (median 3375 +/- 467 g) decreased with lower BMI (p = 0.001) and the risks of low birth weight (p < 0.05), small for date (p < 0.05), and prematurity (p = 0.05) was independently associated with BMI, and increased (p < 0.001) when lower the net weight gain was. The best predictors for low birth weight, small for date and prematurity risks were low preconceptional weight (40-51 kg) (adjusted OR 1.72; [95%CI 1.48-1.95], 2.12 [1.82-2.41] and 1.46 [1.12-1.79] respectively). Net weight gain and several predictive variables did not explain more than 10.8% of the variability of birth weight. Preconceptional weight should have important implications for the design of future nutritional strategies at a poblational level, especially for adolescents.


To assess the possible biological significance of the observations that women with cervical cancer tend to be younger at first intercourse than control women, data from 1823 women were analyzed for the relationship between age at 1st intercourse and number of sex partners. Women who were younger at first intercourse had more sex partners than did women who were older at first intercourse. The interdependence of age at first intercourse and number of sex partners does not exlude the possibility that intercourse at an early age represents a biologically significant event in which the neoplastic process is initiated. However, it is equally possible that younger women at first intercourse may have multiple sex partners and be at greater risk of coming in contact with a putative oncogenic agent later in life. In addition, sera from patients with herpesvirus infections were assayed for cross-reacting and type-specific antibodies. Approximately 80% of the total antibody activity was to the cross-reacting antigen and only 20% was to the type-specific antigens in the sera of patients infected with either type 1 or type 2 virus. Among patients infected with both types of virus, less antibody activity to the type-specific antigens and more antibody activity to the cross-reacting antigens were found. These observations are discussed with respect to case-control seroepidemiological studies.


Abstract Persons with disabilities have historically been subjected to egregious human rights violations. Yet despite well-documented and widespread harms, one billion persons with disabilities remain largely neglected by the international laws, legal processes, and institutions that seek to redress those violations, including crimes against humanity (CAH). This Article argues for the propriety of prosecuting egregious and systemic human rights violations against persons with disabilities as a CAH, and, in addition, asserts the necessity of ensuring the accessibility of international criminal processes to those individuals. The UN Security Council's recent acknowledgement of the enhanced risk that persons with disabilities experience during armed conflict, the growing evidence of widespread human rights violations against them, and an ongoing effort to forge a UN convention on the prevention and punishment of CAH make these arguments especially timely.


Advances in psychiatric genetics have begun to reveal the complex biological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders. Rare but penetrant copy number variants
offer particularly direct mechanistic clues. The deletion at 15q11.2(BP1-BP2) has a 13% penetrance for developmental delay, congenital malformation, autism or
schizophrenia. Reduced dosage of CYFIP1, one of four genes within this deletion, has emerged as a likely contributor to cognitive dysfunction seen in 15q11.2(BP1-
BP2) deletion patients. However, the route from CYFIP1 haploinsufficiency to impaired behaviour has not been fully mapped.
While synaptic deficits have been identified in mice haploinsufficient for Cyfip1 (Cyfip1+/-), circuit-level phenotypes have not been investigated. Using multi-site
chronic electrode implants I recorded local field potential data simultaneously from prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens in a novel Cyfip1+/- rat model during a behavioural task and during sleep.
Cyfip1+/- rats show normal performance accuracy on a discrete-trial alternation T maze task, but require more trials to achieve criterion during training. Task-
dependent hippocampal-prefrontal network coordination remains intact in well-trained Cyfip1+/- rats, although theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling within dorsal hippocampus is reduced compared to WTs. While circadian patterns and sleep architecture appear normal, hippocampal non-REM ripples are diminished in
Cyfip1+/- rats compared to WTs, and preliminary data from the related Fmr1 (Fragile X Mental retardation 1) knockout rat also show aberrant ripples.
Disrupted interactions are seen in the cortico-hippocampal-accumbal network, most prominently during approach to sucrose reward locations. Altered N-methyl-D-
aspartate receptor signalling is implicated, as Cyfip1+/- rats show an exaggerated response to acute ketamine injection in the form of an enhanced surge in high
frequency oscillations in nucleus accumbens and prelimbic cortex.
Overall, abnormal behaviour- and ketamine-dependent network dynamics in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of Cyfip1+/- rats are reminiscent of some features of neuropsychiatric disorders, and lend weight to causal roles for CYFIP1 haploinsufficiency in predisposing patients to cognitive dysfunction.


Purpose: Radiation therapy continues to be an important therapeutic strategy for providing definitive local/regional control of human cancer. However, oncogenes that harbor driver mutations and/or amplifications can compromise therapeutic efficacy. Thus, there is a need for novel approaches that enhance the DNA damage produced by ionizing radiation. Experimental Design: A forward chemical genetic approach coupled with cell-based phenotypic screening of several tumor cell lines was used to identify a novel chemical entity (NCE) that functioned as a radiation sensitizer. Proteomics, comet assays, confocal microscopy, and immunoblotting were used to identify the biological target. Results: The screening process identified a 5-((N-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-methylene)pyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)trione as an NCE that radiosensitized cancer cells expressing amplified and/or mutated RAS, ErbB, PIK3CA, and/or BRAF oncogenes. Affinity-based solid-phase resin capture followed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry identified the chaperone nucleophosmin (NPM) as the NCE target. SiRNA suppression of NPM abrogated radiosensitization by the NCE. Confocal microscopy showed that the NCE inhibited NPM shuttling to radiation-induced DNA damage repair foci, and the analysis of comet assays indicated a diminished rate of DNA double-strand break repair. Conclusion: These data support the hypothesis that inhibition of DNA repair due to inhibition of NPM shuttling increases the efficacy of DNA-damaging therapeutic strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 17(20); 6490–9. ©2011 AACR.


A tumor microenvironment chip reveals how platelets may fuel cancer metastasis and chemoresistance and unravels a new treatment. Platelets extravasate from the circulation into tumor microenvironment, enable metastasis, and confer resistance to chemotherapy in several cancers. Therefore, arresting tumor-platelet cross-talk with effective and atoxic antiplatelet agents in combination with anticancer drugs may serve as an effective cancer treatment strategy. To test this concept, we create an ovarian tumor microenvironment chip (OTME-Chip) that consists of a platelet-perfused tumor microenvironment and which recapitulates platelet extravasation and its consequences. By including gene-edited tumors and RNA sequencing, this organ-on-chip revealed that platelets and tumors interact through glycoprotein VI (GPVI) and tumor galectin-3 under shear. Last, as proof of principle of a clinical trial, we showed that a GPVI inhibitor, Revacept, impairs metastatic potential and improves chemotherapy. Since GPVI is an antithrombotic target that does not impair hemostasis, it represents a safe cancer therapeutic. We propose that OTME-Chip could be deployed to study other vascular and hematological targets in cancer.


Children who live in children's homes often suffer from psychological and social problems as well as poor living conditions. As a result, evidence suggests that this can badly affect their social life and integration into a wider social network when they leave the children's home. A choice of right profession can help these children to integrate not only into the job market but also into the society. The necessary information provided at the right time will help to guarantee that decisions made by children will be the most suitable for themselves. The aim of this work is to find out about the possibilities of informing young people from children's homes about employment prospects. The survey was carried out in the Alytus Children's Home using the method of individual half-structured interview. Eight young people aged between 15 and 18 and 2 childcare workers participated in the survey. The survey reveals that young people do not tend to value the information which could help them to find out about their future job requirements and career prospects. The results also suggest that children's homes are not able to use all available services for informing young people about employment prospects because of the lack of human resources. There is clear evidence that the children's home needs a person or a group of people who could initiate a system of informing young people about professions and continue it when children leave the children's home.


The pharmaceutical industry has undergone a severe economic crunch in antibiotic discovery research due to evolving bacterial resistance along with enor-mous time and money that gets consumed in de novo drug design and discovery strategies. Nevertheless, drug repurposing has evolved as an economically safer and excellent alternative strategy to identify approved drugs for new therapeutic indications. Virtual high throughput screening (vHTS) and phenotype-based high throughput screening (HTS) of approved molecules play a crucial role in identifying, developing, and repurposing old drug molecules into anti-infective agents either alone or in synergistic combination with antibiotic therapy. This chapter briefly explains the process of drug repurposing/repositioning in comparison to de novo methods utilizing vHTS and HTS technologies along with 'omics- and poly-pharmacology-based drug repurposing strategies in the identification and development of anti-microbial agents. This chapter also gives an insightful survey of the intellectual property landscape on drug repurposing. Further, the challenges and applications of drug repurposing strategies in the discovery of anti-infective drugs are exemplified. The future perspectives of drug repurposing in the context of anti-infective agents are also discussed.


The circulation of groundwater and solutes in a closed basin in western Utah (Pilot Valley) is studied to gain insight into the climatic processes driving flow in this desert environment. The study area is located within the Great Basin portion of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province, a region which is hydrologically closed with no outlet except to the atmosphere. The distinctive topography of steep mountains adjacent to flat playas has a major influence on the climatic and hydrologic patterns of the region. A scaling relationship is found for the distribution of elevation in Pilot Valley, suggesting that the mountain slopes are self-similar. This relationship is used to approximate the spatial distribution of orographic precipitation and recharge for groundwater model input. On the playa, or discharge zone, high evaporation rates produce concentrated brine solutions which lead to large horizontal and vertical density gradients in underlying groundwater. Numerical experiments demonstrate the existence of a free convection cell and recirculation of solutes under the playa and towards the basin margin. It is shown that the motion of the salt nose which forms is a result of a balance between the buoyancy velocity of the evaporating brines on the playa and recharge from the mountain range. A Rayleigh number for solutes is defined for basin scale hydroclimatic parameters. The simulated flow pattern is consistent with field observations in Pilot Valley and elsewhere, in that both fresh and brackish springs emerge along the margin of the playa. The concept of recirculation may also account for the apparent "loss" of salts in closed lakes as a subsurface storage mechanism.


Abstract In this article, I analyze patterns of reflexes of Ā-movement found within and across languages: reflexes may occur in all or none of the clauses of the dependency, in the clause where the dependency terminates, or solely in clauses where it does not terminate. I argue that the variation can best be captured by the variable timing of Agree and two subtypes of internal Merge (final vs. intermediate movement steps) triggered by a single head: early movement feeds Agree and gives rise to a reflex; late movement has the opposite effect. Since the subtypes of movement can apply at different points relative to Agree, reflexes may occur only in some clauses of the dependency.


We study equality in fuzzy clustering algorithms where an equality constraint is added to the existing model. Equality is being used in various areas, such as districting (either zonal or political), industries (distribution companies). We focus on wireless sensor networks problem. Existing protocols do not pay too much attention to the cluster head selection step and equality of workload of the clusters. These two issues have significant e ect on the consumption of energy in a network where increasing lifetime of network is critical. A solution approach based on the Lagrangean relaxation is developed. The proposed algorithm is compared with the popular LEACH protocol. Results show that in the same simulated environment, our algorithm works better.


Hospital sinks in the UK have recently been under scrutiny as possible reservoirs for Gram-negative bacteria, especially carbapenem resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). These strains have been found in intensive care wards across the country and can re-enter the clinical environment, representing a risk to vulnerable patients.
 Two sink waste traps known to be colonized with CRE were collected from a hospital and fitted to a vertical-draining and rear-draining handwash sink installed within a laboratory model sink system. Sinks were automatically flushed four times a day and, as per usual in the model, TSB was provided once daily to maintain microbial populations. Gram-negative bacteria were regularly monitored using selective culture, MALDI-TOF and antibiotic disk diffusion. The short-term effect of adding simulated IV fluids (5% glucose or 0.9% NaCl) and the impact of sink design on Gram-negative proliferation were investigated.
Communities included Enterobacter asburiae; Klebsiella oxytoca; Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Citrobacter freundii, among others, including CRE. The addition of simulated IV fluids did not induce Gram-negative bacterial proliferation in the time frame of the experiment. Differences were observed in the fluctuation of Gram-negative levels after flushing between the different sink designs. Gram-negative numbers in vertical-draining sinks decreased immediately after the tap was flushed and subsequently increased between flushes. However, in rear-draining sinks, little fluctuation was observed.
Hospital sink waste traps can harbour Gram-negative bacteria resistant to antibiotics. In our experimental conditions, the type of sink was the determining factor in the magnitude of fluctuation in Gram-negative populations while simulated IV fluids had little effect.


The selected aspects of design methodology of a telemetric system for monitoring civil engineering constructions-using fiber-optic strain sensors-are considered. A particular attention is paid to the design decisions concerning the choice of a method for sensor calibration and measurand reconstruction, resulting requirements for computing power and their consequence on the distribution of data processing in the considered telemetric system. The results of this study may be applied for designing a specific telemetric system with fiber-optic sensors of strain.


This paper presents a detailed space‐time analysis of rainfall rate using two dense networks of rain gauges covering two microscale areas of some 100 km2 each and located in two distinct climatic areas in the United Kingdom and Spain. The study has been carried out with the main objective of addressing dynamic fade mitigation techniques and scatter interference problems in terrestrial and satellite communication systems. The two databases, using a total of 49 and 23 rain gauges, respectively, are described, and the continuous interpolated field used for the subsequent analyses is explained in detail. The suitability of the networks in terms of density, correlation distance, and fractal dimension are briefly addressed. A to‐scale comparison grid of the networks is also given. It has been found that when the maximum intensity reached during a rain event surpasses a certain threshold, different for each of the two areas, rainfall rates exhibit a spatial structure in the form of closed contours of thresholds referred to as cells. In statistical terms, the most probable diameter found is about 3.5 km, and distributions are presented. They are similar for the two sites but not so for the maxima reached inside the cells. Using cross‐correlation techniques, displacement and velocities are analyzed in detail. Cells "zigzag" around a dominant trend because of the global cloud movements (driven by winds at heights of about 700 hPa). Local topography strongly affects local behavior. Analytical approximations to the experimental statistical distributions and selected histograms of the results are presented.


For the past several years an increasing number of reports concerning the occurrence of megaloblastic anemia and folic acid deficiency in association with chronic hemolytic anemia have appeared in the literature. The comments regarding this combination have differed widely. Opinions have ranged from a common occurrence and a definite relationship in the pathogenesis of aplastic crises on the one hand to a rare occurrence and no definite relationship on the other hand. In addition, little mention has been made regarding its occurrence in children. During a six-month period of investigation of folate levels in various hematological conditions, we had the opportunity to study serum folate levels, urinary formiminoglutamic acid excretion (FIGLU), and marrow aspirations in 24 patients with chronic hemolytic anemias. Although this was not a prospective study, we believe that the report of our findings aids in understanding some of the questions relative to folic acid deficiency in chronic


Objective: Problem of drug abuse in our country is serious and growing one. The thrust of this study was on identifying core internal and external factors that led to the phenomenon of drug abuse in the study population.
 Design: Descriptive, cross sectional.study.
 Place and duration of study: The study was undertaken from June to July 2003 at three Drug Abuse Treatment Centres (DATCs), two in the public and one in private sector. The public sector centres were stationed at Lady Reading Hospital & Khyber Teaching Hospital, whereas the private centres located at Hayatabad in Peshawar (Pakistan).
 Subjects & Methods: It was a descriptive cross sectional study, interviewing 150 respondents, about characteristics of drug users, recruited on convenient sampling method.
 Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistical analysis.
 Results: In this study, the highest percentage of drug abusers was found within age group of 21-30 years. Female Drug Abuser if any was not found admitted during the study period. Therefore male gender members emerged as exclusive respondents. Urban-rural ratio was equal. 50.6 % respondents were married. Employment status was 88%. Laborers were among the highest users (28.6%). Amazingly among literates the abuse was higher (62.6 %). Friends were the main introducers to drug abuse (62.6%) thus re-establishing peer pressure as a major factor for drug abuse. Heroin was the common drug for abuse (80%). 64% claimed self support in purchasing drugs. They usually first started using drugs in 11-20 years age group.
 Conclusion: Study explored current trends and risk factors related to drug abuse which can be prevented if tackled prudently.


Background While short and long sleep duration and poor sleep quality have individually been linked to work disability and ill-health, their joint impact on functioning has received less attention. The aim was to examine the joint associations of sleep quantity and quality with physical, emotional, and social functioning, while considering the contribution of key potential confounders. Methods Data from the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Study, collected in 2013, were used (n=14557). Poor sleep quality (yes/no) was examined in combination with normal (6–8 hours), short (<6) or long (>8) sleep. Short form SF-12 questionnaire was used to examine functioning. Covariates included sociodemographic factors, social connexions (meeting with friends), health behaviours, obesity, pain, and mental and physical illnesses. Logistic regression analysis was used (odd ratios, OR and their 95% confidence intervals, 95% CI). Results After adjusting for sex and age, short, normal and long sleep duration in combination with poor quality were all associated with poorer physical, emotional and social functioning. The associations were relatively similar for physical and emotional functioning, and strongest for social functioning (OR 3.36, 95% CI 2.94–3.84 for normal sleep with poor sleep quality, OR 4.56, 95% CI 4.02–5.17 for short sleep with poor sleep quality and OR 7.83, CI 95% 6.09–10.09 for long sleep with poor sleep quality). Also people with good sleep quality but short or long sleep had poorer functioning, but the associations were weaker for all forms of functioning (ORs ranging 1.28–1.57 after adjusting for sex and age). Pain and comorbid illness attenuated all of the associations the most, while the contributions of the other covariates were relatively minor. However, the associations remained after full adjustments for people with poor sleep quality and short, normal or long sleep, and for people with good sleep quality but long sleep duration. Conclusion The results highlight that in particular poor sleep quality is likely to have the most severe consequences for daytime functioning in the general population, and that there is little difference between short and normal sleepers in the presence of poor quality sleep.


Abhidipta Mallik received his B.Tech. degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata, India, and M.Tech. degree in Mechatronics from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, West Bengal, India. He has one year and ten months of research experience at the CSIR-CMERI, India. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, where he is serving as a research assistant under an NSF-funded ITEST project.


Counting (identical) objects in images is a simple yet fundamental recognition task that requires exhaustive human effort. Automation of this task would reduce the human load significantly. In this paper, we propose a statistical method to automatically count objects in an image sequence by using higher-order local auto-correlation (HLAC) based image features and multiple regression analysis (MRA). This method is based on a simple computation, which enables fast and automatic object counting in real time. We propose several methods that have different preprocessing and image features and conduct comparative experiments of counting objects (ducks in this paper) in images captured by outdoor monitoring cameras. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed methods.


Following the passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) State Parties been under an obligation to give children the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them. Exercising this right can be particularly problematic when children are asked to express a view on which parent they wish to live with or the amount of time they should spend with a parent they do not live with (contact). This book applies the principles of genuine participation and ethical consultation, as developed by social scientists, to the analysis of the participation of children in over 200 private law contact disputes, raised in Scotland. Included is a quantitative analysis of the views children expressed, and the impact of those views on the outcome of the case, as well as an analysis of the welfare concerns underpinning resistance to contact. In particular, exposure to domestic abuse negatively impacted on a child's wish to have on-going contact with his or her non-resident parent but such views did not always impact on the contact outcome. The findings of this original research project are of relevance to any jurisdiction which has ratified the UNCRC.


Animals increase by orders of magnitude in their volume during development. Hence, even small differences in the growth rates between individuals could generate large differences in their adult body size. Yet, such volume divergence among individuals is usually not observed in nature. We combined theory and experiment to understand the mechanisms of body size uniformity. Using live imaging, we measured the volume growth of hundreds of individuals of C. elegans over the entire span of their postembryonic development. We find that C. elegans grows exponentially in volume with a coefficient of variation of the growth rate of ∼7%, but that individuals diverge much less in volume than expected from this heterogeneity. The mechanism counteracting size divergence does not involve size thresholds for developmental milestones. Instead, an inverse coupling of the growth rate and the duration of development produces a constant volume fold change per larval stage. The duration of larval stages of C. elegans is determined by the period of a developmental oscillator. Using mathematical modelling, we show that an anti-correlation between the growth rate and the oscillatory period emerges as an intrinsic property of a genetic oscillator. We propose that the robustness of body volume fold change is a hard-wired characteristic of the oscillatory circuit and does not require elaborate mechanisms of size control by cellular signalling. Indeed, the coupling of growth and development was unaltered by mutation of canonical pathways of growth control. This novel concept of size homeostasis may broadly apply to other multicellular systems controlled by genetic oscillators.


The rejection of the inheritance suit by the Panel of Judges that occurred in the Jombang Religious Court was because some of the plaintiffs had withdrawn their claims which caused a formal flawed suit (plurium litis consortium) that is, not all heirs participate as parties to the case. The purpose of this research is to find out the reasons why judges do not accept inheritance lawsuits and analyze them in terms of civil procedural procedural law for religious courts. This research is a qualitative research. The results of the ongoing research show that the basis used by the panel of judges is not appropriate because the core contained in the basis used by the panel of judges is different from the case in the Jombang Religious Court


Twelve cases of pyoderma gangrenosum is reported in light of the clinical data including the patients' gender, age, complications, laboratory examinations, treatment and outcome, in an attempt to explore the pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis of the disease.


AIMS
To investigate the effects and the mechanisms of action of Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) on the proliferation and metastasis of human osteosarcoma (OS) U2OS.

METHODS
U2OS cells were treated by different concentrations of DATS at different time points. Cell proliferations were measured by MTT assay. DATS induced cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM) with Annexin-V. Cell migration and invasion were detected by wound healing assay and transwell assay. The effects of DATS in U2OS cell growth and metastasis were also detected in a mouse OS xenograft model.

RESULTS
A time- and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect of DATS was observed in U2OS cells. FCM with PI staining and Annexin-V -FITC indicated that DATS induces apoptosis and a G0/G1 cell cycle arrest of U2OS cells at all concentrations from 25 μmol/l to 100 μmol/l. DATS also inhibits the migration and invasion of U2OS cells. Western blot showed that the expression levels of p-AKT, p-GSK3β, Bcl-2, Vimentin and β-catenin were decreased, while the expression levels of Bad, Bax and E-cadherin were significantly increased in DATS treated U2OS cells. Analysis using a mouse xenograft model indicated that xenografts of DATS treatment group had a significant decrease in tumor volume and weight compared to the control group. Lung metastasis models in mice demonstrated that treatment of DATS inhibits lung metastasis of OS in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS
These data suggested that DATS inhibits OS development and progression through the regulation of PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathways, accompanied by downregulation of Bcl-2, Vimentin and β-catenin, as well as upregulation of Bad, Bax and E-cadherin. Therefore, our data demonstrated that DATS exerted its anticancer effects by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. These results provide evidence for the use of the natural product DATS either alone or in combination with standard therapy for OS.


In January 2013, the NCSU Libraries opened the James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University. Telling the story of the new library was crowdsourced through an Instagram-based project called My #HuntLibrary. Developed collaboratively by our Digital Library Initiatives, Communications, and Special Collections departments, My #HuntLibrary is both a user engagement tool and a digital preservation effort. Photographs tagged #HuntLibrary are included in a collection that is displayed in multiple interactive, responsive views, ranging from four inches to twenty feet. The entire collection of digital images will be preserved in our digital archives.

In May 2013, the My #HuntLibrary code was released as an open-source Rails Engine called "lentil" in order to simplify the creation of similar projects. lentil is a framework for applications that harvest image metadata from Instagram, provides moderation, browsing, voting, and sharing tools, and harvests image files and submits donor agreements in preparation of ingest into external repositories. A lentil-based application can be quickly customized and deployed to any Rails-capable web server (including Heroku) as a complete crowdsourced photographic documentation project.

lentil serves as a platform for investigating questions related to library approaches to user engagement, the preservation of social media, large-scale interface design, and including new participants in digital archival materials creation and selection processes. This presentation will present insights based on user interviews, application usage data, image contributions, social media feedback, voting (community curation) trends, and experience integrating these materials into existing digital collections systems.


Abstract Whilst many investigators concede that traumatic brain injury (TBI) without loss of consciousness (LOC) can occur, the number of times that this phenomena is reported in the literature is small. This case report presents an instance of TBI without LOC as supported by the observation of slowed processing speed, anosmia and a marked post-traumatic dysexecutive syndrome featuring moderately severe disinhibition. The case is discussed with a view to determining the mechanics of the blow necessary to both damage the cerebral substance yet maintain consciousness intact.


ABSTRACT In air-breathing vertebrates at high altitude, fine-tuned adjustments in hemoglobin (Hb)–O2 affinity provide an energetically efficient means of mitigating the effects of arterial hypoxemia. However, it is not always clear whether an increased or decreased Hb–O2 affinity should be expected to improve tissue O2 delivery under different degrees of hypoxia, due to the inherent trade-off between arterial O2 loading and peripheral O2 unloading. Theoretical results indicate that the optimal Hb–O2 affinity varies as a non-linear function of environmental O2 availability, and the threshold elevation at which an increased Hb–O2 affinity becomes advantageous depends on the magnitude of diffusion limitation (the extent to which O2 equilibration at the blood–gas interface is limited by the kinetics of O2 exchange). This body of theory provides a framework for interpreting the possible adaptive significance of evolved changes in Hb–O2 affinity in vertebrates that have colonized high-altitude environments. To evaluate the evidence for an empirical generalization and to test theoretical predictions, I synthesized comparative data in a phylogenetic framework to assess the strength of the relationship between Hb–O2 affinity and native elevation in mammals and birds. Evidence for a general trend in mammals is equivocal, but there is a remarkably strong positive relationship between Hb–O2 affinity and native elevation in birds. Evolved changes in Hb function in high-altitude birds provide one of the most compelling examples of convergent biochemical adaptation in vertebrates. Summary: Evolved changes in hemoglobin–oxygen affinity in high-altitude birds and mammals provide striking examples of convergent biochemical adaptation.


A number of plant pathogenic and symbiotic microbes produce specialized cellular structures that invade host cells where they remain enveloped by host‐derived membranes. The mechanisms underlying the biogenesis and functions of host–microbe interfaces are poorly understood. Here, we show that plant late endocytic trafficking is diverted toward the extrahaustorial membrane (EHM); a host–pathogen interface that develops in plant cells invaded by Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans. A late endosome and tonoplast marker protein Rab7 GTPase RabG3c, but not a tonoplast‐localized sucrose transporter, is recruited to the EHM, suggesting specific rerouting of vacuole‐targeted late endosomes to a host–pathogen interface. We revealed the dynamic nature of this process by showing that, upon activation, a cell surface immune receptor traffics toward the haustorial interface. Our work provides insight into the biogenesis of the EHM and reveals dynamic processes that recruit membrane compartments and immune receptors to this host–pathogen interface.


Markets for managing natural resources have existed for many decades and have gradually made their way into the mix of discourses on water policy. However, there are not many established water markets functioning worldwide and little understanding about how and why water markets emerge as allocating institutions. In order to understand the dynamics of the evolution of water markets, the experiences of selected cases with relatively mature water market systems were analyzed, namely: the Murray–Darling Basin in Australia; the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and the transfers between the Palo Verde and Metropolitan Water Districts in the USA; and Spain. We found that formal markets emerged in water scarcity situations where water rights already existed and were sometimes exchanged informally. Water markets have not always moved to reduce transaction costs, as some of those costs were necessary to achieve societal goals beyond economic efficiency. There is a significant difference between the idea of water markets as proposed by economic theory and actual practice in the water sector. As institutions, markets are humanly devised rules embedded in a social and political context and do not always lead to efficient or effective solutions for the management of resources.


We study numerically a model of soft polydisperse and non-aligning self-propelled particles interacting through elastic repulsion, which was recently shown to exhibit active phase separation in two dimensions in the absence of any attractive interaction or breaking of the orientational symmetry. We construct a phase diagram in terms of activity and packing fraction and identify three distinct regimes: a homogeneous liquid with anomalous cluster size distribution, a phase-separated state both at high and at low density, and a frozen phase. We provide a physical interpretation of the various regimes and develop scaling arguments for the boundaries separating them.


Density functional theoretical modelling was performed to design and screen suitable macrocyclic crown ether functionalized resins for the isotopic enrichment of gadolinium. Theoretical calculations predict the complexation stability order of Gd3+ ion as follows: di-cylohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) > dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) > benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5), which was experimentally verified. The calculated isotopic separation factor value was shown to be the highest for DB18C6. From the theoretical analysis of both the stability and isotopic separation factor, DB18C6 is predicted to be the most promising candidate for isotopic separation of gadolinium. Hence, DB18C6 was functionalized with chloromethylated polystyrene (CMPS) resin. Subsequently, CMPS-grafted DB18C6 resin was synthesized and characterized. Furthermore, isotopic enrichment of gadolinium was carried out by performing column chromatographic experiments using CMPS-DB18C6 resin. The absorption capacity of the novel CMPS-DB18C6 resin for gadolinium was found to be 1 mg g−1. The separation coefficient, e × 103, was found to be 6.3, 8.9, 3.4, and 9.7 for Gd-155/158, Gd-156/158, Gd-157/158, and Gd-155/160 isotopic pairs, respectively, and thus hold promise for future isotopic enrichment technology.


The interview was recorded in Namibia,on March 10, 1999.The Interviewer was Jean Krasno.
As one of the lead activists for Namibian Independence, Dr. Mose Penaani Tjitendero became a member of the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) Central Committee in 1981. When Namibia won independence on 21 March 1990, he became the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia and held that position until his retirement 2004.

Heavily involved with his home country's road to independence, Dr. Tjitendero was involved in the preparation for Security Council Resolution 435, which ultimately led to Namibia's independence, and the setup of the United Nations Institute for Namibia, a training institute for middle-level public administrators. Dr. Tjitendero discusses these experiences in this interview, conducted on 10 March 1999, while he was still serving as Speaker. He shares his thoughts about the first elections, apartheid in Namibia and the role that the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) played in independence.


Insomnia was a problem of Covid-19 patients often moaned because the physical and psychological condition of patients are weak. This study aims to analyze the association between respondent's characteristics, social factors, and medication adherence with insomnia when Covid-19 survivor become isolated patients. This study used a descriptive and analytical cross-sec-tional design. The study was conducted in August 2021. The population of this study was all Covid-19 survivors. The sample of this study was part of Covid-19 survivors with a total number of 191. Data were collected by an online questionnaire via google form and analyzed by chi-square test. Almost all respondents (83.77%) were female, and most of the respondents (73.30%) worked as health workers. The age mean of the respondents was 31.51 (SD 8.82, min=18, max=60). Insomnia was experienced by almost half of the respondents (41.36%). There was no association between sex (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 0.89-4.17; p =0.113), type of work (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.58-2.11; p =0.868), medication adherence (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.05-4.56; p =0.644), and motivation ( p =0.269) with insomnia. There was an association between optimism ( p =0.043) and discrimination (OR=4.19, 95% CI 1.86-9.43, p =0.001) with insomnia. Insomnia was experienced by almost half of isolated patients in inpatient rooms of Indonesian health care facilities. Factors associated with insomnia were optimism and discrimination. Treatment for Covid-19 patients should pay attention to their physical care and give psychological care.


As water and wastewater rates increase faster than the rate of inflation, more and more buildings in the multi-family housing sector are converting to systems where each multi-family dwelling unit pays for water and wastewater directly instead of including these charges as part of the rent. The National Multiple Family Submetering and Allocation Billing Program Study evaluated the merits of separate billing programs including the potential water savings, costs and benefits from various perspectives, and the accompanying administrative and regulatory issues. It was found that the practice of installing individual water meters (submetering) on multi-family apartment units and billing based on actual consumption results in water savings of 15%. Water billing practices based on allocation methods (commonly known as Ratio Utility Billing Systems or RUBS) did not effect any water savings. The study was motivated by the water industry's interest in capturing potential water savings by multi-family residents where there is currently no pricing signal to encourage efficient use.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to evaluate the association between functional capacity and left ventricular (LV) mechanics in the patients with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes.

METHODS
The present cross-sectional study included 80 controls and 70 uncomplicated diabetic patients. These participants underwent laboratory analysis, comprehensive echocardiographic examination and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

RESULTS
Global longitudinal (-21.6 ± 2.8 vs. -18.4 ± 2.3%, P < 0.001) and circumferential (-22.0 ± 2.9 vs. -19.5 ± 2.6%, P < 0.001) strains were significantly reduced in diabetic participants. The same was found for longitudinal and circumferential endocardial, mid-myocardial and epicardial strains. Peak oxygen uptake (27.0 ± 4.3 vs. 20.7 ± 4.0 ml/kg/min, P < 0.001) and oxygen pulse (14.1 ± 3.0 vs. 11.6 ± 3.2 ml/beat, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the diabetic group, while ventilation/carbon dioxide slope was significantly higher in these patients. In the whole study population glycosylated hemoglobin, as well as LV endocardial longitudinal and circumferential strains were independently of other clinical and echocardiographic parameters of LV structure, systolic and diastolic function associated with peak oxygen consumption and oxygen pulse.

CONCLUSION
Our investigation showed that diabetes equally affected all LV myocardial layers. Endocardial LV longitudinal and circumferential strains, as well as glycosylated hemoglobin - main parameter of glucose regulation, were independently associated with functional capacity in the whole study population. These findings indicate that determination of LV strain and functional capacity could detect subclinical target organ damage and prevent development of further complications in uncomplicated diabetes mellitus patients.


In July 2011 a new African state was born, The Republic of South Sudan, after the region voted for separation from The Sudan. It has a rich diversity of natural resources and subcultures but, crippled by neglect and intermittent civil wars for half a century, remains poor in human resources and practically all physical (infra- and super-structural) aspects. Beyond the local vernacular, South Sudan has neither a tradition in physical planning nor one in urban architectural design. Architectural education started in the Sudan in 1957. Today there are 16 schools of architecture in the North and one in the South. A university now being planned in the town of Awiel in the new state faces many challenges since it is made to play several roles besides the normal educational ones. Our vision while setting up the university is to create an urbanising force in a rural or semi-urban region generating employment, changing lifestyles and raising aspirations. The university would attempt to introduce trends in urban planning and architectural design responsive to climate and culture. It would utilise renewable energy sources (which here is a necessity not a curiosity) and set an example in environmental protection and enrichment to be followed hopefully by other institutions. The project would also include dealing with seasonal sheet floods and harvesting water, utilising alternative building technologies for ancillary parts of the campus and treating and recycling sewage. In short, our objective is to apply relevant, affordable principles of eco-neighbourhood and healthy town design. Now that the project is at the conceptual planning stage, this paper hopes to generate some fruitful debate and get some expert advice to help our vision to materialise.


A project report Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the
requirements for a Degree of Master of Science in Construction
Management

 2010


Throughout modern business history, contract has been used as an organizational technology that holds counterparties in formal or legally binding agreements. The proliferation of contract prompted the emergence of professional contract managers who played an important but relatively peripheral role applying situations awareness to the practice of compliance and business relationship management. As more complex organizational forms emerge (outsourcing, supply chains and enterprise IS), contract has come to be seen as a standard coordination device whose foundational assumptions are taken for granted. In this study, we draw attention to two different ways of designing the organizational technology of contract: a process-oriented approach and a market-based valuation of contract. Both approaches promise to provide management information by offering a form of calculability but we argue distort organizational awareness. Our conclusion is that a more developed notion of organizational awareness is needed supported by an alternative conceptualization of contract as a technology or connectedness.


PURPOSE
To maximize rectum sparing in prostate radiotherapy, both the beam angles and fluence are optimized to be deliverable on a conventional C-arm linac equipped with robotic couch and gantry.

METHODS
12 retrospective low-risk prostate cancer patients previously treated by volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) were replanned by 4π radiotherapy. Forty Gy in 5 fractions were prescribed to cover 95% of the prostate PTV. To replan, 5×5 mm2 beamlets were precomputed using convolution/superposition. A column generation method was used to optimize beam orientations and fluence in an inter-leaved fashion. The candidate beam pool consisted of non-coplanar beams free from collision. The price, defined as the first order inner product, of each additional beam or beamlet was evaluated and the ones with highest price were kept. A total of 30 beams were selected for each patient. The planning target volume coverage, maximum doses (D1cc) to 1 cm3 the rectum and bladder were compared.

RESULTS
Both planning methods resulted in PTV coverage according to the prescription. For the centrally located prostate target, the 4pi planning method tends to selected beams confined to non-coplanar angles between ±30°. Nevertheless, compared with the VMAT plans using two full arcs, rectum D1cc was reduced from 30.2 Gy to 26.9 Gy (p=0.0005), the mean body dose was reduced from 2.07 Gy to 1.75 Gy (p=0.0001). The maximum bladder dose was not significantly changed.

CONCLUSION
By adding beams with moderate non-coplanar angles and allowing more intensity modulation at each beam orientation, superior prostate plan conformality was achieved compared against state of the planning method; the maximum rectum dose was reduced for more than 10% without compromising target coverage. While prostate SBRT was used as an example, we reasonably expect similar dosimetric improvements for conventionally fractionated prostate treatment. The study supports the development of prostate robotic radiotherapy.


Economic evaluation of health services may take many forms, depending on the range of costs and consequences included in the analysis and the methods employed to measure and value them. In order to clarify the sometimes confusing array of economic analyses for users and evaluations, an analytic overview of costs and consequences to be considered for inclusion in such evaluations is presented. This allows the techniques of cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost utility analysis to be differentiated. Two often neglected methodologic issues are also discussed. First, it is suggested that the significance of the analytic viewpoint for economic evaluations should not be underestimated. Second, it is recognized that economic evaluations that demonstrate cost savings from a program or policy change implicitly assume that resources can be removed from the health sector. In fact, this is seldom true, consequently strategies for incorporating this knowledge into evaluations are discussed.