In Sweden, as in many other countries, the education of high-school physics teachers istypically carried out in three different environments; the education department, thephysics department and school itself during teaching practice. Trainee physics teachersare in the process of building their professional identity as they move between thesethree environments. Although much has been written about teacher professional identity(see overview in Beijaard, Meijer, & Verloop, 2004) little is known about how encounterswith the potentially disparate notions of "what counts" in these three environments feedinto trainee physics teachers' professional identity work.In this paper we investigate the discourse models (Gee, 2005) that can be found in thethree environments and the potential effects these may have on the professional identitynarratives that trainee physics teachers can invoke. Here, our theoretical frameworkdraws from the ideas of Sfard and Pruzak (2005) who suggest that teacher identities maybe defined as collections of stories. In the words of Watson (2006: 510) "peopleconstruct narratives and narratives construct people, and our identities emerge throughthese processes". For the purposes of this paper, then, we take professional identity asconsisting of the set of narratives trainee teachers collect about what it means to be aphysics teacher. Such narratives will not only be told and retold but also lived in thepractice of teaching (Connelly & Clandinin, 1999).Our research questions are as follows:1. What is signalled as valued (and not valued) by members of the three environmentsphysics teachers meet during their training (school, education department, physicsdepartment)?2. What discourse models can be identified from these value statements?3. What is the potential effect of these discourse models on the narratives traineephysics teachers can tell about themselves as professionals?We carried out semi-structured interviews with instructors from the three environments.Our analysis involved iterative coding of the interview transcripts (Bogdan & Biklen,1992) to construct discourse models. We identify a number of competing discoursemodels and discuss the ways in which these models can be seen to be at work, dictatingwhich narratives are available and disallowed in the three environments. We illustrate ourfindings by relating the narratives of the informants themselves in the interviews to theavailable discourse models we found.The study illustrates the problematic identity work needed to construct professionalphysics teacher identities from a disparate set of available narratives.


: Large dams and their social consequences have been subject to extensive debate in recent decades. In India, the National River Linking Project (NRLP), which is the world's largest water project in the making and involves the construction of several dams, has been at the centre of this debate. The 168 ‐ billion ‐ dollar project is designed to connect the majority of Indian rivers to a gigantic water grid. Historical ‐ ly, large scale water infrastructure in the subcontinent has been discursively linked to imaginaries of development and national progress, as underlined by Nehru's famous quote proclaiming large dams as 'the temples of modern India'. However, these imaginaries clash with the experiences of those affected by the construction of dams: not only are the displaced communities among the most marginalized in Indian society, but they also benefit the least and suffer the most from such pro ‐ jects. This article begins by exploring the degree to which such imaginaries contin ‐ ue to be prominent in contemporary political discourse, by undertaking an analysis of the media coverage received by the Polavaram Project, i.e. the first project im ‐ plemented under the NRLP scheme. Secondly, it contrasts the findings with the experiences of those being subject to displacement due to the implementation of the project. This second part relies on data gathered during ethnographic field ‐ work, notably the qualitative interviews conducted by the author across the neigh ‐ bouring Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh in areas af ‐ fected by the Polavaram project. The paper argues that imaginaries of develop ‐ ment continue to be integral to the contemporary discourse on large dam pro ‐ jects—with painful consequences for displaced communities.


Abstract Background: Around the globe, education policy borrowing remains pervasive and prevalent. The strategies, interventions and innovations of education systems that perform well, in international assessments, are enthusiastically borrowed and copied in the anticipation of similar educational performance and outcomes. Purpose: This purpose of the article is to highlight some of the implications and consequences of policy borrowing by comparing the preparation and development programmes for school leaders in various education systems. The article explores the way in which the leadership programmes and models are being adopted and developed by different countries. Sources of evidence: The article draws upon findings from a contemporary, comparative study of leadership preparation and development across seven different education systems (Seven System Leadership Study). This large-scale, mixed-methods, comparative research study is collecting quantitative and qualitative data about the nature and impact of leadership development and preparation programmes in seven different education systems. Main argument: The findings from the study reinforce how leadership preparation and development programmes are increasingly becoming standardised as a result of education systems borrowing and adapting from each other. This article also argues that in the contemporary policy discourse, important cultural and contextual influences that significantly affect subsequent implementation and outcomes are increasingly being side-lined and ignored. Conclusions: This article highlights some of the limitations and unintended consequences of educational policy borrowing. It concludes that adopting some of the design features of effective interventions rather than simply borrowing policies or strategies, in part or in their entirety from very different contexts, may be a more productive way forward.


In order to evaluate ontology matching algorithms it is necessary to confront them with test ontologies and to compare the results with some reference. The most prominent comparison criteria are precision and recall originating from information retrieval. Precision and recall are thought of as some degree of correction and completeness of results. However, when the objects to compare are semantically defined, like ontologies and alignments, it can happen that a fully correct alignment has low precision. This is due to the restricted set-theoretic foundation of these measures. Drawing on previous syntactic generalizations of precision and recall, semantically justified measures that satisfy maximal precision and maximal recall for correct and complete alignments is proposed. These new measures are compatible with classical precision and recall and can be computed.


The biochemistry and molecular properties o f the widely-used horseradish peroxidase (HRP) are reviewed. The applications of HRP in diagnostics, sensors and waste treatment are also surveyed.

The research aims were to stabilise HRP by chemical modification to ascertain the characteristics of stabilised derivatives and to explore the capabilities of these derivatives in waste treatment applications. Assay methods for HRP activity were compared and thermoinactivation experiments were undertaken using a variety of conditions in order to devise workable, reproducible protocols for routine use. Systematic chemical modification of the available reactive HRP amino residues (Arg, Tyr and Lys) were performed. Arginine and tyrosine modified derivatives yielded little gain in stability Modification of lysine residues with cyclic anhydrides of aromatic carboxylic acids was undertaken. Of the compounds used, only phthalic anhydride yielded a thermally stabilised HRP (PA HRP). The overall stability characteristics of this derivative were investigated fully together with previously reported crosslinked HRP modifications. The tolerances of these two derivatives towards heat, organic solvents, hydrogen peroxide, pH and denaturants was enhanced. Both were immobilised on adipic acid dihydrazide-agarose (AADH-A). The stabilities of the immobilised, modified HRPs were compared with the modified-only counterparts. Unfolding of native and both modified HRPs were investigated using urea, guanidine chloride (GnCl), EDTA and heat. Unfolding over time was monitored using fluorescence and binding of the hydrophobic probe Nile Red. Results of the two methods agreed closely.

Attempts were made to fragment the HRP polypeptide so as to
demonstrate the presence of crosslinks and, possibly, to identify the modified Lys residues. Unfortunately these experiments proved inconclusive. It was shown that recombinant HRP which, lacks the carbohydrate moiety, could withstand a chemical modification and be stabilised in a similar manner to the plant HRP.

A kinetic investigation of the HRP forms took place. Binding of the inhibitor BHA was found to be slightly less in the case of PA HRP. The pre-steady state and steady state kinetics of the HRPs using a variety of substrates were found to be in close agreement with each other. The significance of these results is discussed.

The use of both modified HRPs in waste treatment was explored. Modified HRP was as effective as native in the precipitation of phenols at 37 °C. Modified HRPs were more effective than the native at higher temperature where the native is inactivated. In the bleaching of dyes, modified HRPs were as effective as the native.

Thus, a new stabilised chemically modified form of HRP (PA HRP) has been described and the capabilities of this and the EG HRP in two distinct types of wastewater treatment have been characterised.


Mountain glaciers are expected to be the greatest contributor to sea level rise over the next century. Glaciers provide a good indicator of global climate and how to monitor their change is an increasingly important issue for climate science and for sea level rise forecasts. However, there has been little direct measurement of glacier volume change in New Zealand. This study explores the use of remotely sensed data for measuring glacier volume change from 1965 to 2006. Digital photogrammetric methods were used to extract topographic data of the Tasman Glacier from aerial photography and ASTER imagery for the years 1965, 1986, 2002 and 2006. SRTM C band data from 2000 were also analysed. Data were compared to an existing digital elvation model produced from the New Zealand Digital Topographic Database to test for their reliability. Using regression analysis, the data were filtered and points representing rock were used to correct points on the glacier ice for vertical bias. The quality of the data extracted from the aerial photography was good on rock and debris covered ice, but poor on snow. The data extracted from ASTER was much more reliable on snow in the upper glacier than the aerial photography, but was very poor in the lower debris covered region of the glacier. While the quality of the SRTM data is very high, there is a second order distortion present in the data that is evident over elevation differences. However, the overall mean difference of the SRTM rock from TOPODATA is close to zero. An overall trend could be seen in the data between dates. However, the 2006 ASTER data proved unreliable on the debris covered section of the glacier. Total volume change is therefore calculated for the period between 1965 and 2002. The data show a loss of 3.4 km3 or 0.092 km3 per year, an estimated 6% of the total ice in New Zealand. This is compared to estimates using the annual end of summer snowline survey between 1977 and 2005 of 1.78 km3, or 0.064km3 per year. The spatial resolution of ASTER makes high temporal resolution monitoring of volume change unlikely for the New Zealand glaciers. The infrequency of aerial photography, the high cost and vast time involved in extracting good quality elevation data from aerial photography makes it impractical for monitoring glacier volume change remotely. However, SRTM and other radar sensors may provide a better solution, as the data do not rely heavily on user processing.


Plant community composition is affected by a wide array of soil organisms with diverse feeding modes and functions. Former studies dealt with the high diversity and complexity of soil communities by focusing on particular functional groups in isolation, by grouping soil organisms into body size classes or by using whole communities from different origins. Our approach was to investigate both the individual and the interaction effects of highly abundant soil organisms (microorganisms, nematodes and earthworms) to evaluate their impacts on grassland plant communities. Earthworms increased total plant community biomass by stimulating root growth. Nematodes reduced the biomass of grasses, but this effect was alleviated by the presence of earthworms. Non-leguminous forb biomass increased in the presence of nematodes, probably due to an alleviation of the competitive strength of grasses by nematodes. Microorganisms reduced the diversity and evenness of the plant community, but only in the absence of earthworms. Legume biomass was not affected by soil organisms, but Lotus corniculatus flowered earlier in the presence of microorganisms and the number of flowers decreased in the presence of nematodes. The results indicate that earthworms have a profound impact on the structure of grassland plant communities by counterbalancing the negative effects of plant-feeding nematodes on grasses and by conserving the evenness of the plant community. We propose that interacting effects of functionally dissimilar soil organisms on plant community performance have to be taken into account in future studies, since individual effects of soil organism groups may cancel out each other in functionally diverse soil communities.


Abstract Primary intraosseous meningioma (PIM) is a rare subtype of primary extradural meningiomas. These rare ectopic meningiomas have been usually reported in the frontotemporal regions of the calvarium, orbits, and anterior cranial fossa. We report a case with bilateral tumors located in frontoparietal regions of calvarium. Our initial diagnosis was fibrous dysplasia but the lesions were seen to expand under follow-up. One was resected and the histopathological diagnosis was PIM. This is the second reported case of multiple PIM.


A key obstacle to wider application of the new microprocessors is the need to program in assembly language with fairly cumbersome instruction sets. We propose a new technique which will make it easy for applications-oriented non-programmers to generate efficient microcomputer programs without any need to learn assembly language. The user merely specifies an analog-computer-like block diagram whose intuitively meaningful block-operators specify standard mathematical operations (addition, multiplication, integration, etc.) and input/output operations (e.g., analog/digital conversion, switching, sensing). These standard operations are implemented as subroutines in the microcomputer read-only memory (ROM). An interactive editor/translator program running on a small minicomputer translates block-diagram specifications into a simple address table and loads it into the microcomputer memory (RAM, PROM, or ROM). This address table represents the block-diagram operation sequence and specifies successive jumps to the correct standard subroutines in ROM and data fetching/storing operations in the random-access memory.


Many steroid hormones such as estrogen (E2) bind to their receptors for the regulation of biological processes. Pregnenolone (P5) is the precursor form of almost all steroid hormones and is often used to treat skin disorders and neurological complications. However, the mechanism and physiological function of P5 in reproductive organs are not well established. In this study, we investigated the effects of P5 on activation and expression of E2 receptor (ER) in the uteri and ovaries. To study the mechanism of P5 directly, Ishikawa cells were transfected with E2 response element (ERE)‐luciferase plasmid and isoforms of ER. ERE‐luciferase activity induced by P5 was similar to that induced by E2, and P5 showed high activity for ERβ without any relevance to P5‐metabolizing hormones such as progesterone (P4) and E2. In an animal study, immature female rats treated with P5 showed upregulation of ERα and downregulation of ERβ in the uteri, which is the main organ expressing ERα. In ERβ‐expressing organ ovaries, estrogen receptor 1, estrogen receptor 2, and P4 receptor were all downregulated by P5 and E2. Also, a decrease of ovarian cell proliferation and viability was observed in response to P5 relative to the control, suggesting that P5 may be a candidate for antiproliferative hormone of ovarian cancer. These findings suggest that P5 stimulates ERE promoter by ERβ‐mediated signaling in the uteri and ovaries. Activation of ERβ by P5 may help in understanding the mechanism of ER‐related female reproductive diseases such as endometriosis and ovarian cancer.


Does humility predict generous motives and behaviors? Although earlier studies have suggested a positive connection, it has remained unclear whether another trait might better account for the humility/generosity link. Three studies examined associations between a self-report measure of humility, related traits, and generosity. In Study 1 (197 adults in a community sample), humility predicted greater generosity on two behavioral measures: Charitable donations and mailing back an extra survey. In Study 2 (286 undergraduates), humility predicted giving more money to an anonymous future participant. In Study 3 (217 undergraduates), humility was associated with greater self-reported motives to be kind to others, including benefactors, close others, strangers, and enemies. Across all three studies, the role of humility was not better explained by the Big Five, self-esteem, entitlement, religiosity, gratitude, or social desirability. These studies complement prior work by demonstrating that the link between humility and generosity is both consistent and robust.


Cansiglio is a limestone plateau located on the border between the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeastern Italy. The eastern area is characterized by a thick succession of Cretaceous peritidal carbonates, while the central western part is characterized by slope breccia deposits. Even thoughPian Cansiglio is an important karst system, its hydrogeology is poorly known. Three important springs that form the Livenza River are located at its southeastern border and are thought to represent the majority of karst aquifer discharge, but no experimental data are available in the literature. Gruppo Speleologico Ferrarese explored an 800 m deep cave (Abisso Col de la Rizza) on Pian Cansiglio, whichprovided the opportunity to conduct tracer tests. Fluorescent dyes were injected in September 2008 in Abisso Col de la Rizza (uranine) and in Bus della Genziana (tinopal CBS-X). Over a period of three months, local cavers conducted an intense sampling programme, whichincluded collecting water samples, charcoal bags and cotton lints. Automated samplers were used for highfrequency monitoring at two of the springs. Tinopal was not detected, so the connection between Bus della Genziana and the springs was not demonstrated. The connection between Abisso Col de la Rizza and two of the springs was demonstrated by uranine. A mean velocity of 248 m/day results from the tracer concentration peaks; intense rainfall events increased the flow velocities four to five times. Different hypotheses are considered in order to explain the low mass recovery rate (32-40% of the injected mass). The uranine tracer test demonstrated that Pian Cansiglio aquifer contributes to the two Livenza springs; it also opens a question about the third spring, whichprobably originates from the Mount Cavallo area (another limestone massif close to Pian Cansiglio). The rapid response to rainfall recharge suggests a vulnerability of the spring system, further supporting the importance of conducting a detailed hydrogeological study.


In recent years, a number of functional inequalities have been derived for Poisson random measures, with a wide range of applications. In this paper, we prove that such inequalities can be extended to the setting of marked temporal point processes, under mild assumptions on their Papangelou conditional intensity. First, we derive a Poincaré inequality. Second, we prove two transportation cost inequalities. The first one refers to functionals of marked point processes with a Papangelou conditional intensity and is new even in the setting of Poisson random measures. The second one refers to the law of marked temporal point processes with a Papangelou conditional intensity, and extends a related inequality which is known to hold on a general Poisson space. Finally, we provide a variational representation of the Laplace transform of functionals of marked point processes with a Papangelou conditional intensity. The proofs make use of an extension of the Clark-Ocone formula to marked temporal point processes. Our results are shown to apply to classes of renewal, nonlinear Hawkes and Cox point processes.


A model of the fiber-optic hydrophone sensor is suggested. Hydrophone construction comprises a malleable core made of a polymeric material with regulated elastic properties to which the optical fiber is wound. The built-in module of Comsol Multiphysics Acoustic Solid Interaction is used in the simulation; it evaluates the impact of the acoustic field of different frequencies and amplitudes on the value of the sensor surface deformation. The proposed model gives the possibility for simulating the hydrophone in various environments; materials and dimensions of sensor are selected at the design stage to ensure the required performance: frequency response and sensitivity of fiber optic hydrophone. Correctness of the model construction was verified by results comparison of the computer simulation and experimental study in the acoustic pool. The prototype was represented as the phase interferometric fiber-optic hydrophone on the Bragg gratings. The sensing element is formed as a cylindrical core round which the optical fiber is wound. Core characteristics are: the material attenuation (damping) 0.1, Young's modulus of the core 6 MPa, Poisson's ratio 0.49. The prototype was tested in the experimental pool, which design makes it possible to carry out measurements at frequencies above 3 kHz in the absence of reflections of the acoustic signal. The impact assessment of the acoustic field is carried out by means of an approved piezoelectric hydrophone: the amplitude of the acoustic field of a plane wave is 0.5 and 1 Pa, frequencies of the acoustic impact are 3000 8000 Hz. According to the findings fabricated prototype sensitivity was equal to 0.1 rad / Pa at the frequency of 3 kHz. Studies have shown that the sensitivity of the simulated fiber optic hydrophone will decrease with increasing frequency of hydroacoustic exposure. At 8 kHz frequency the sensitivity is decreased to 0.01 rad / Pa. Prototype testing results have confirmed the adequacy of the computer model that makes it possible to recommend the proposed model for the development and study of fiber optic hydrophones.


Abstract This article investigates the effects of using diesel-biodiesel blends on compression ignition engine performance characteristics. Combustion stability observed from in-cylinder pressure related parameters, biodiesel composition, and the fuel properties of the blends are used to analyze the variations of the characteristics. Making biodiesel from hazelnut oil is done by esterification and then experiments are conducted with the neat diesel and diesel-biodiesel blends in a four stroke naturally aspirated direct injection diesel engine. Volumetric blending ratios of biodiesel with no. 1 diesel were set at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100. It has been found that, in general, the hazel nut oil-based biodiesels behave comparably to the diesel fuel in terms of engine performance characteristics. There is no significant brake torque and power reduction, and there is a slight increase in brake specific fuel consumption when the engine is operated with diesel-biodiesel blends. The engine effective efficiency shows improvements as compared to that of the diesel fuel operating under similar conditions, especially at low blending ratios of biodiesel. The engine performance characteristics and exhaust emissions improve remarkably at B20 operations and identifying the mechanism for biodiesel blending effects is attempted.


INTRODUCTION
Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is a rare disorder involving the lumen of the trachea-bronchial tree and characterized by multiple sub-mucosal osseous and cartilaginous nodules in the trachea and bronchus, sparing the posterior wall. We here report two cases of patients with tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica and review the relevant literature briefly.

CASE PRESENTATION
Case 1 was a 64-year-old woman with a history of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who presented with frequent non-productive cough for 2 years. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed signs consistent with COPD and evident irregular narrowing of the tracheal and both main bronchial lumen caused by calcific foci. Fibre optic bronchoscope (FOB) was performed and showed dozens of sub-mucosal nodules protruding into the lumen of lower half of the trachea and both main bronchi. Histopathological exam demonstrated sub-mucosal ossification and cartilage in the sample. Her follow-up has been uneventful for 3 years. Case 2 was a 37-year-old man presented with hoarseness, exertional dyspnea, and intermittent dry cough for about 3 years. Chest CT scans showed irregular nodules around the entire circumference of the trachea extending from sub-glottic region to lower trachea. FOB showed glottic stenosis and diffused sub-mucosal calcified nodules protruding from the antero-lateral portion of the trachea in the subglottic region. Over the following 12 months, his disease is stable.

CONCLUSIONS
TO is a rare, benign disease with slow progression, clinicians should be aware of TO and should consider it in patients with chronic cough, recurrent respiratory infection and evolving exertional dyspnea.


Thirteen week old Atlantic salmon Salmo salar fry and 15 wk old brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis with average weights of 0.19 and 0.17 g, respectively, were bath challenged with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), serotype Sp, NI strain. The virus had been isolated from a clinical outbreak of infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in Atlantic salmon parr. Cell culture supernatant after a first passage of virus was used as the infective material. Approximately 400 fry of each species were divided into 2 parallel tanks with challenged fish and 2 parallel tanks with non-challenged fish. At 69 d after challenge, cumulative mortalities of Atlantic salmon were 76 and 82 % for the challenged groups and 6 and 15% for the non-challenged groups. The corresponding values for brook trout were 42 and 4 3 % for the challenged groups and 8 and 10% for the non-challenged groups. The onset of mortality in challenged Atlantic salmon was delayed compared with the onset in brook trout. IPNV was reisolated from the fry of all challenged groups. Histological examination of sampled moribund fish showed hepatic degeneration or necrosis and exocrine pancreatic necrosis in fry from all challenged groups. The presence of IPNV in the lesions was demonstrated immunohistochemically. Virological, histological and immunohistochemical examinations of fry sampled prior to challenge and of non-challenged fry gave negative results. This study represents, to our knowledge, the first report of an experimental induction of clinical IPN in Atlantic salmon fry. K E Y WORDS: Infectious pancreatic necrosis . Atlantic salmon . Brook trout


Sera from 353 cats with naturally occurring feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection were collected in Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, and Seattle between 1968 and 1988. These sera were retrospectively assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Fifty-one (14.4%) of the FeLV-positive sera had antibodies to FIV, indicating dual oncovirus and lentivirus infections. FIV infections were confirmed by Western blot analysis, antibodies against the 15 and 27 kDa proteins being used as definitive markers. FIV infection was diagnosed in one cat sampled in 1968 and in eight other cats sampled before 1975 in New York City. Illnesses exhibited by coinfected cats were similar to those of cats infected with FeLV only. Two unrelated cats with multicentric fibrosarcomas were found to be simultaneously infected with FIV, FeLV, and feline sarcoma virus. FIV was less contagious than FeLV in 73 cats residing in an exposure household between 1977 and 1980 as determined by evaluation of sera collected sequentially. In this household, 15 resident cats became FeLV infected whereas no cats contracted FIV infection. Comparison of serologic results from 53 cats with leukemia/lymphoma and matched controls confirmed a strong correlation between FeLV viremia and leukemia/lymphoma. A significant correlation between FIV infection and lymphoproliferative malignancies was also found independent of FeLV infection.


The importance of presenting medical images in an intuitive and usable manner during a procedure is essential. However, most medical visualization interfaces, particularly those designed for minimally-invasive surgery, suffer from a number of issues as a consequence of disregarding the human perceptual, cognitive, and motor system's limitations. This matter is even more prominent when human visual system is overlooked during the design cycle. One example is the visualization of the neuro-vascular structures in MR angiography (MRA) images. This study investigates perceptual performance in the usability of a display to visualize blood vessels in MRA volumes using a contour enhancement technique. Our results show that when contours are enhanced, our participants, in general, can perform faster with higher level of accuracy when judging the connectivity of different vessels. One clinical outcome of such perceptual enhancement is improvement of spatial reasoning needed for planning complex neuro-vascular operations such as treating Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs). The success of an AVM intervention greatly depends on fully understanding the anatomy of vascular structures. However, poor visualization of pre-operative MRA images makes the planning of such a treatment quite challenging.


Abstract Lessons Learned. The maximum tolerated dose of the combination of linsitinib and irinotecan is linsitinib 450 mg daily on days 1–3 every 7 days and irinotecan 125 mg/m2 days 1 and 8 of a 21‐day cycle. The adverse effects associated with the combination are not significantly increased beyond what is expected of each drug as a single agent. Multiple negative trials of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor inhibitors performed in unselected patient populations led to the early discontinuation of linistinib development and this trial. Earlier integration of assessment of potential predictive biomarkers into clinical trials, as was planned in this study, is vital to the development of targeted therapies in oncology. Background. This phase I dose‐escalation study was designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the combination of irinotecan and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) inhibitor linsitinib in patients with advanced cancer refractory to standard therapy. Methods. Dose escalation in three specified dose levels was performed according to a standard 3 + 3 design. Dose levels were as follows: (a) linsitinib 400 mg and irinotecan 100 mg/m2, (b) linsitinib 450 mg and irinotecan 100 mg/m2, and (c) linsitinib 450 mg and irinotecan 125 mg/m2. Linisitinib was administered once daily on days 1–3, 8–10, and 15–17, and irinotecan on days 1 and 8. Assessment of a candidate predictive biomarker was planned in all patients, with further evaluation in an expansion cohort of advanced colorectal cancer. Results. A total of 17 patients were treated, with 1 patient in both cohort 2 and 3 experiencing dose‐limiting toxicity. Linsitinib 450 mg and irinotecan 125 mg/m2 was the maximum tolerated dose. Sixteen (94%) patients experienced at least one treatment‐related adverse event. Neutropenia was the only grade >3 toxicity (4%). No significant hyperglycemia or QT interval prolongation was noted. No objective responses were observed; 47% (n = 8) had stable disease with median duration of 5.25 months. Conclusion. Although the combination was determined safe, the study was halted due to termination of linsitinib development, and biomarker testing was not performed.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the presence and magnitude of--and change in--socioeconomic and health inequalities between and within Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa--the countries known as BRICS--between 1990 and 2010.

METHODS
Comparable data on socioeconomic and health indicators, at both country and primary subnational levels, were obtained from publicly available sources. Health inequalities between and within countries were identified and summarized by using standard gap and gradient metrics.

FINDINGS
Four of the BRICS countries showed increases in both income level and income inequality between 1990 and 2010. The exception was Brazil, where income inequality decreased over the same period. Between-country inequalities in level of education and access to sanitation remained mostly unchanged but the largest between-country difference in mean life expectancy increased, from 9 years in 1990 to 20 years in 2010. Throughout the study period, there was disproportionality in the burden of disease between BRICS. However, the national infant mortality rate fell substantially over the study period in all five countries. In Brazil and China, the magnitude of subnational income-related inequalities in infant mortality, both absolute and relative, also decreased substantially.

CONCLUSION
Despite the economic prosperity and general improvements in health seen since 1990, profound inequalities in health persist both within and between BRICS. However, the substantial reductions observed--within Brazil and China--in the inequalities in income-related levels of infant mortality are encouraging.


Physical design in VLSI circuits is getting more complex with increase in circuit complexity. The major troublesome job in physical design is the difficulties encountered in routing. In physical design of digital circuits optimization of area is more important unlike in analog circuits where performance is given more priority. In the process of optimization of area in digital circuits routing in higher blocks can get more sophisticated. Standard cells are used as leaf cells in designing of higher digital blocks where the height of the standard cells has to be optimum. Therefore it is necessary to carefully design the standard cells and also create an environment for easy creation of bigger blocks using these leaf cells with simple routing at the top level. In this paper, a standard cell library is created where the height of the cells is optimized and also there are well defined space defined for systematic routing. Using these cells bigger digital blocks is created which demonstrates that routing can be made simple at the top level. In VLSI front end design parameters like gain, bandwidth, voltage swing etc are considered as major constraints [8]. In case of physical design of VLSI circuit's area, pin placement, routing, power planning and the shape of the layouts are the design constraints. In this paper, rectangular shapes for the leaf cells are created and the area of every standard cell is optimized. This helps in creation of digital circuits where one can access the created library and use the leaf cells as instance hence saving the design time. Routing is simplified by defining tracks on which metals will be routed. Tracks are designed such that any two metals can be routed on horizontal tracks placed one below other without the need to check of DRC rules. This is ensured by predefining the tracks and placing them at minimum DRC space defined by the technology used. All the digital circuits are implemented using cmos technology and the pmos and nmos devices widths are selected such that they are both of equal strength. This also ensures equal rise and fall time. All circuits are simulated using spectre tool and physical designs are verified for DRC and LVS.


The histology of the different stages of gonadal development (appearance of PGC, edification of gonad primordium, organization of an undifferentiated gonad, testicular or ovarian development) has been studied in fingerlings and juveniles of sea-bass in fish-culture conditions. Sex differentiation with a caudo-cranial gradient was direct and more in accordance with length than with age. Ovarian and testicular differentiation occurred in fish 11 to 23 months old and from 90 to 187 mm SL. Testis ova were frequently observed.


Animals have accompanied humans for thousands of years, with a strong bond forged between humans and other species. Our relationships with animals can take different forms. On one hand, animals can serve instrumental purposes: We currently use animals for clothing, for testing a range of human products, for gaining basic insights into human biology and behavior, and as food. On the other hand, human–animal relations are social. The clearest example is the practice of pet keeping, with people attributing a special status to their companion animals. We review the current state of research on human–animal relations by focusing particularly on companion animals and on the psychological mechanisms involved in this special relationship. Our aim is to highlight key findings from human–animal relations research that also have implications for different scientific disciplines.


A new method was developed for the determination of 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol (7-HC) in dog plasma by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. 7-HC extracted with organic solvent from plasma was purified with Bond Elut 2OH and converted to a sensitive fluorescent derivative containing double coumarin groups at the C-3 and C-7 positions of the steroid nucleus with 7-methoxycoumarin-3-carbonyl azide. After removal of the excess reagent with Bond Elut NH2, the 7-HC derivative was separated by reverse-phase HPLC method. The detection limit of the authentic 7-HC-3,7-coumarin derivative was 4 pg (S/N = 5), approximately four times less than that of the 7-HC-3-anthroyl derivative yielded by reaction of 7-HC with 1-anthroylcyanide. The newly developed method was used to investigate the effects of consecutive oral administrations of cholestyramine (CA) on 7-HC levels in dog plasma. The plasma 7-HC levels of the CA-treated group were two times greater than those of the control group.


When spraying plant protection products (PPP) the used amount per spraying is generally based on a pre set dose. Most often fields with variations in crop development are treated uniformly while spraying some patches in these fields would have been sufficient. In order to deal with the variations in crop development and site-specific variations in a field, a sensor-based spray technology was developed; SensiSpray. The system consists of sensors to detect crop variation and a spray system to automatically change spray volume. Electronics and software were developed to use the output signal of the sensor NTech GreenSeeker to adapt spray volume. For the variation of spray volume (50-550 L ha-1) Lechler VarioSelect nozzle bodies were used fitted with four different low-drift venturi flat fan nozzles. Spray deposition measurements were performed to test the sprayer accuracy in adapting spray volume based on the reflection signal per section, using a fluorescent dye (Brilliant Sulpho Flavine) added to the spray liquid. By moving diagonally over stripes of grassland, varying in greenness, longitudinal accuracy and lateral variation in spray deposition was quantified. The system showed to be able to adapt spray volume within 1-2 m in the direction travelled. In the 2007-2009 seasons different potato fields were sprayed and a general use reduction in PPP for potato haulm killing was c. 50%, maintaining efficacy.


As one of the most severe environmental stresses, freezing stress can determine native flora in nature and severely reduce crop production. Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain the damage induced by freezing-thawing cycle, and oxidative stress caused by uncontrollable production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) are partially contributed to causing the injury. Plants in temperate regions have evolved a unique but effective metabolism of protecting themselves called cold acclimation. Cold-acclimating plants undergo a complex but orchestrated metabolic process to increase cold hardness triggered by exposure to low temperature and shortened photoperiod and achieve the maximum freezing tolerance by a concerted regulation and expression of a number of cold responsive genes. A complicated enzymatic system have been evolved in plants to scavenge the ROS to protect themselves from oxidative stress, therefore, cold-acclimating plants are expected to increase the de novo synthesis of the genes of antioxidant genes. Indeed, many antioxidant genes increase the expression levels in response to low temperature. Furthermore, the higher expression of many antioxidant enzymes are positively correlated to inducing higher tolerance levels against freezing. All the information summarized here can be applied for developing crop and horticultural plants to have more freezing tolerance for higher production with better quality. There have been extensive studies on the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the gene regulation, however, more researches will be required in near future to elucidate the most effective antioxidant enzymes to induce highest freezing tolerance in a crop plant in a transformation process or a breeding program.


Fabric detection has an outstanding importance in inspection of fabric quality and defects. It works on principle of spectral estimation technique vision. it gets bonded to locate defected regions accurately. This project represented a most accepted method for patterned fabric defect detection and classification using spectral estimation technique and rough set theory. To extract the Regular pattern from the image of the patterned fabric, here use of Estimating Signal Parameter via Rotational Invariance Technique (ESPRIT) is done. In this technique the defected region i.e. the shape and location of the flawed areas are detected by comparing the pattern image and the source image also the rough set classifier is trained and tested to detect the types of defects in the patterned fabric image. Practically it is observed that this method can successfully be used to analyze & find the defects in patterned fabrics with nearly 96% success rate. This method is result oriented and better improving than previous method.


In a team-based multiagent system, the ability to construct a model of an opponent team's joint behavior can be useful for determining an agent's expected distribution over future world states, and thus can inform its planning of future actions. This paper presents an approach to team opponent modeling in the context of the RoboCup simulation coach competition. Specifically, it introduces an autonomous coach agent capable of analyzing past games of the current opponent, advising its own team how to play against this opponent, and identifying patterns or weaknesses on the part of the opponent. Our approach is fully implemented and tested within the RoboCup soccer server, and was the champion of the RoboCup 2005 simulation coach competition.


The use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is increasing worldwide and brings a revolution in education. The application of MOOCs has technological but also pedagogical implications. MOOCs are usually driven by short video lessons, automatic correction exercises, and the technological platforms can implement gamification or learning analytics techniques. However, much more analysis is required about the success or failure of these initiatives in order to know if this new MOOCs paradigm is appropriate for different learning situations. This work aims at analyzing and reporting whether the introduction of MOOCs technology was good or not in a case study with the Khan Academy platform at our university with students in a remedial Physics course in engineering education. Results show that students improved their grades significantly when using MOOCs technology, student satisfaction was high regarding the experience and for most of the different provided features, and there were good levels of interaction with the platform (e.g., number of completed videos or proficient exercises), and also the activity distribution for the different topics and types of activities was appropriate. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 25:15–25, 2017; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21774


Introduction: The liver cirrhosis (LC) is located among the leading causes of death in Cuba, one of its complications, the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) account for the death of these patients leading to an increase of the clinical interest by the diagnostic features and of treatment. Methods: An analytical, prospective and descriptive study was conducted in 203 patients presenting with LC in the Institute of Gastroenterology from 2005 to 2007. Sample included 105 men and 98 women aged 56,4 as average most of viral cause and in different stages of disease progression. The clinical characteristics and treatment criteria were assessed at diagnosis using descriptive statistical methods and the survival analysis was made using the Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: The presentation frequency of HCC was of 15.5 %, the more frequent cause associated with the chronic infection by hepatitis C prevailing in both sexes and in advanced ages. The was predominance of nodular lesions unique greater than 2 cm in the right liver lobule in the 77.7 % of the cases, associated with a portal hypertension. The 1 year survival was less than 45 %. Conclusions: The diagnosis of disease was made in stages where the alternatives of treatment and cure were scarces. The surveillance of HCC in patients presenting with LC is insufficient. The survival could to improve with an early diagnosis and the application of appropriate therapeutic options.


Oxytocin has been implicated in parent–infant attachment and social recognition. With respect to emotion recognition memory, both memory-enhancing and impairing effects have been observed, suggesting an influence of individual factors. We assessed the effects of oxytocin on memory for infant cues, and whether these effects are moderated by self-reported childhood emotional maltreatment. Nulliparous females (N = 102) participated in a randomized, double-blind, between-subjects study with intranasal oxytocin or placebo administration. Participants' memory was tested using the Baby Social Reward Task, where participants were asked to select the happier infant from a pair of two infants based on the information that they received about the infants' mood in the previous phase. Participants reporting more childhood emotional maltreatment were less accurate in this task after inhaling oxytocin. Our findings add to a growing body of literature showing that the effects of intranasal oxytocin on memory and social behavior are moderated by adverse early life experiences.


We used vitrinite refl ectance and mixedlayered clay minerals to investigate levels of diagenesis of the Oligocene-Miocene basin developed on the nappes of the Alpine orogen exposed in the Peloritani Mountains (NE Sicily). Paleothermal indicators were integrated with stratigraphic and structural analyses and published apatite fi ssion-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He ages to defi ne the late evolutionary stages of the Peloritani Mountains. This multimethod approach allowed us to reconstruct the paleogeothermal gradient of the basin in Oligocene-Miocene times, to constrain its burial evolution, and discriminate between areas where it has been affected by sedimentary and/or tectonic load. In the southern area of the basin, organic and inorganic thermal parameters increase as function of depth, suggesting that their evolution was ruled by sedimentary burial. They record a decrease in paleogeothermal gradient values marking the evolution of the basin from a forearc to a thrust-top setting during the convergence-collision process between the Calabria-Peloritani Arc and the African plate. On the other hand, in the northern edge of the basin, vitrinite refl ectance values (0.46%‐0.58%) indicate that the thermal evolution of this area was controlled by tectonic burial related to late Langhian‐early Serravallian out-of-sequence thrust tec tonics. The tectonic overburden has been totally removed by extensional tectonics and/or erosion since the late Miocene. The short time span at maximum temperature (<2 m.y.) elapsing between thrust stack emplacement and the beginning of tectonic overburden removal has allowed only vitrinite refl ectance and thermochronological indicators to record this compressive reactivation.


Brief periods of unconscious thought (UT) have been shown to improve decision making compared with making an immediate decision (ID). We reveal a neural mechanism for UT in decision making using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants (N = 33) encoded information on a set of consumer products (e.g. 48 attributes describing four different cars), and we manipulated whether participants (i) consciously thought about this information (conscious thought), (ii) completed a difficult 2-back working memory task (UT) or (iii) made an immediate decision about the consumer products (ID) in a within-subjects blocked design. To differentiate UT neural activity from 2-back working memory neural activity, participants completed an independent 2-back task and this neural activity was subtracted from neural activity occurring during the UT 2-back task. Consistent with a neural reactivation account, we found that the same regions activated during the encoding of complex decision information (right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left intermediate visual cortex) continued to be activated during a subsequent 2-min UT period. Moreover, neural reactivation in these regions was predictive of subsequent behavioral decision-making performance after the UT period. These results provide initial evidence for post-encoding unconscious neural reactivation in facilitating decision making.


This paper is devoted to the modeling of finite deformations of elastic bodies under contact/impact conditions. In this kind of applications, it is well known that the total energy will be reduced versus time because of frictional effects. However, how to identify the dissipated energy in a quantitative way remains an open question. The aim of this work is to propose a numerical solution to this question. The proposed Bi-First algorithm combines the bi-potential method for contact modeling in dynamic cases and the first order algorithm for integration of the equation of motion. Numerical examples involve the impact of an elastic plate onto a rigid surface and the impact between two hyperelastic blocks and a rigid wall. The dissipated energy versus time will be plotted and the influence of friction coefficient on the dissipated energy will be discussed.


Objective: Recent evidence suggests the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior. Because schizophrenia patients usually have high suicide rates and numerous studies have suggested that BDNF may contribute to the psychopathology of schizophrenia, we hypothesized that the functional polymorphism of BDNF (Val66Met) was associated with suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia in a Chinese Han population. Method: This polymorphism was genotyped in 825 chronic schizophrenia patients with (n = 123) and without (n = 702) suicide attempts and 445 healthy controls without a history of suicide attempts using a case-control design. The schizophrenia symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Results: There were no significant differences in BDNF Val66Met genotype and allele distributions between the patients and healthy controls. However, we found the Val allele (p = .023) and the Val/Val genotypes (p = .058) to be associated with a history of suicide attempts. Moreover, some clinical characteristics, including age and cigarettes smoked each day, interacted with the BDNF gene variant and appeared to play an important role in suicide attempts among schizophrenia patients. Conclusions: The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism itself and its interaction with some clinical variables may influence suicide attempts among schizophrenia patients.


Objective: After unilateral adrenalectomy (uADX) in patients with a unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), the remaining contralateral adrenal gland is generally considered sufficient to support life. However, few studies have compared adrenal reserve function before and after uADX. Therefore, we closely evaluated adrenal cortisol secretory function before and after uADX in patients with unilateral APA. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with APA and underwent uADX for unilateral APA were initially included in this study. Patients with subclinical Cushing's syndrome (SCS) or Cushing's syndrome (CS) were excluded on suspicion of autonomous cortisol secretion. Fourteen patients were finally evaluated. Morning basal serum cortisol and plasma adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) levels were measured, and ACTH stimulation tests under 1-mg dexamethasone suppression (dex-ACTH test) were performed before and after uADX. Results: No patient developed clinical adrenal insufficiency. Basal cortisol levels were not significantly different before and after uADX. However, basal ACTH levels were significantly elevated after uADX. In addition, peak cortisol levels on the dex-ACTH test decreased in all patients after uADX. The peak cortisol level after uADX was 86.6 (81.4–92.4)% of the level before uADX.


OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and feasibility of a dual-hormone (DH) closed-loop system with insulin and a novel liquid stable glucagon formulation compared with an insulin-only closed-loop system and a predictive low glucose suspend (PLGS) system. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a 76-h, randomized, crossover, outpatient study, 23 participants with type 1 diabetes used three modes of the Oregon Artificial Pancreas system: 1) dual-hormone (DH) closed-loop control, 2) insulin-only single-hormone (SH) closed-loop control, and 3) PLGS system. The primary end point was percentage time in hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL) from the start of in-clinic aerobic exercise (45 min at 60% VO2max) to 4 h after. RESULTS DH reduced hypoglycemia compared with SH during and after exercise (DH 0.0% [interquartile range 0.0–4.2], SH 8.3% [0.0–12.5], P = 0.025). There was an increased time in hyperglycemia (>180 mg/dL) during and after exercise for DH versus SH (20.8% DH vs. 6.3% SH, P = 0.038). Mean glucose during the entire study duration was DH, 159.2; SH, 151.6; and PLGS, 163.6 mg/dL. Across the entire study duration, DH resulted in 7.5% more time in target range (70–180 mg/dL) compared with the PLGS system (71.0% vs. 63.4%, P = 0.044). For the entire study duration, DH had 28.2% time in hyperglycemia vs. 25.1% for SH (P = 0.044) and 34.7% for PLGS (P = 0.140). Four participants experienced nausea related to glucagon, leading three to withdraw from the study. CONCLUSIONS The glucagon formulation demonstrated feasibility in a closed-loop system. The DH system reduced hypoglycemia during and after exercise, with some increase in hyperglycemia.


In this paper ,the geostress field of a large area complicated in geological structures was inverted with the stress data of a few measured points by using FLAC3D numerical stimulation and regression analysis. Two types of models were built. One type is a big model without geological structures, which considered the influence of layer thickness, lithology, stratigraphic dip and ground surface fluctuation first, and then corrected the simulation results according to the measured data, and finally got the geostress field without regional structures by regression analysis. The other type is small regional structure models, which paid attention to the influence of depth, fault type and fault throw, or fold type and fold amplitude, and gained the influence range and coefficients of each geological structure to the geostress field. At last, the results of two types were integrated together, and the large area geostress field under complex geological condition was got. According to this method in allusion to a specific example, the principal stress isoline and vector horizontal projection of coal seam roof including three faults and one fold were obtained, which could analyze the stress magnitude and direction. The method above can solve the problem of how to use the stress data of a few measured points to gain a wide range geostress field under complex geological condition, which could also promote the study of geostress field inversion and have certain engineering application value.


Purpose: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a potential devastating complication of thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive role of MR perfusion biomarkers including increased microvascular permeability (K2) and decreased cerebral blood volume (CBV) in the infarction core to predict the risk of HT in a cohort of patients with AIS who received thrombolysis.

Methods: In this retrospective study, patients were included if they: had AIS, received thrombolysis, had pre-treatment MRI (including diffusion and perfusion) and had follow-up MRI for evaluation of HT within 7 days. MR perfusion data were processed employing a Bayesian probabilistic method. Using coregistered images, voxel-based K2 and rCBV values were obtained in the region of infarction (defined by ADC < 600 10–6 mm 2/s) and compared in patients with and without HT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the optimal parameter/s and threshold for predicting HT.

Results: Forty-eight patients met study criteria: mean (SD) age was 67.5 ± 15, median baseline NIHSS was 9 (IQR: 5-24) and mean infarct volume of 34 ± 18 ml (range 11-78 ml). Thirty percent of patients (14/48) had HT. The mean K2 value was significantly ( p< . 0001) higher in patients with HT (0.24 ± 0.17) versus patients without HT (0.08 ± 0.03). Mean rCBV was significantly ( p=0 .0001) lower in patients with HT (0.21 ± 0.02) compared to patients without HT (1.28 ± 0.66). ROC analysis showed a threshold and corresponding sensitivity/specificity of 0.104, 94%/84% for K2 and 0.38, 94/97% for rCBV. The combination of K2 and rCBV resulted in a higher discriminative power with an AUC of 0.97, sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 100%. In a multivariable logistic regression model that included NIHSS and infarct volume, the combined K2-rCBV classifier was an independent predictor of HT.

Conclusion: Combined increased permeability and decreased CBV derived from MR perfusion have improved sensitivity and specificity, compared to either measure alone, for prediction of HT following thrombolysis. A larger clinical study is required to validate our results in an independent cohort.


New Zealand-dollar denominated Overnight Indexed Swaps (OIS) have been traded for just over a decade. Characteristics unique to OIS make them an ideal financial market instrument with which to hedge against a change in the Reserve Bank's Official Cash Rate. Market participants tend to use OIS to hedge against short-term interest rate risk, or to speculate on the direction of monetary policy. As a result, the Reserve Bank uses OIS prices to gauge market expectations of future monetary policy decisions. Our analysis suggests that market-implied expectations are an unbiased predictor of the Official Cash Rate for all forecast horizons out to six months.


Obesity related health problems are a potentially significant cost to Fiji. The factors driving the trend towards increased obesity are analysed. The potential for reducing the rate of increase in obesity by influencing individual food choice decisions is evaluated and a policy framework is developed for considering this issue. The analysis points to some tentative policy recommendations for food policy in Fiji. The role of a systems perspective on the policy problem is highlighted and specific attention is focused on the role of a nutrient based food tax in a wider nutrition-health policy system.


This paper presents an algorithm based on wavelet transform to hide three secret colored or gray-scale images with different sizes in one colored cover image. The algorithm takes level1 wavelet transformation for the cover image and level2 wavelet transformation for the coefficients resultant from level1. The algorithm begins to divide and transpose the secret images into multiple sub bands, then imbedding them into the coefficient parts resulting from level2. The embedding depends upon a variable threshold which begins with a very small value. Here the algorithm ensures the embedding of all the pixels values of the sub band, if it is not, the operation will be repeated with a larger threshold value until all the pixels are embedded. Also the pixel's value will not be embedded directly, the difference between the cover and the secret pixel value will be embedded instead of it after some manipulation (mathematical operations). All of these factors (divide and transpose the secret images, the variable threshold for each sub band and changes on the embedded pixels) increase the robustness and quality of the algorithm. The resultant stego image and the extracted secret images are very close to the original one with high PSNR, high Correlation, low Normal Absolute Error and low Maximum Difference.


1 page, 1 table.-- Contributed to: Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science or the Agricultural Research Forum (Belfast, UK, 12-14 April, 2010).


The environmental advantages of the extraction, destruction and possible utilisation of landfill gas (LFG) have been well documented, and South Africa is in an advantageous position in terms of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) provisions of the Kyoto Protocol, an initiative of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In addition to the environmental benefits associated with a significant reduction of landfill emissions, the sale of such quantifiable units, called "Emissions Reductions" (ERs), can provide a sustainable source of funding that can be channelled back into waste management initiatives. The potential use of the gas as a renewable energy source for power generation, coupled with the revenue derived from the sale of the electricity is an added bonus.


This article introduces a transaction cost economic framework for interpreting the roles consumers play in social networking services ("SNSs"). It explains why the exchange between consumers and SNSs is not simple and discrete, but rather a continuous transaction with atypical attributes. These exchanges are difficult for consumers to understand and come with costs that are significant and unanticipated. Under current structures of governance, there is no exit for consumers who wish to leave an SNS. In other contexts, similar transactions are bounded by tailored consumer protections. This article explains the need for tailored consumer protection in the SNS context. Specifically, we argue that a consumer right to rescind enrollment in an SNS, triggering a deletion of and ability to export information shared with the service, is appropriate given the skewed aspects of personal information transactions.


A novel model-based dynamic distributed state estimator is proposed using sensor networks. The estimator consists of a filtering step – which uses a weighted combination of information provided by the sensors – and a model-based predictor of the system's state. The filtering weights and the model-based prediction parameters jointly minimize – at each time-step – the bias and the variance of the prediction error in a Pareto optimization framework. The simultaneous distributed design of the filtering weights and of the model-based prediction parameters is considered, differently from what is normally done in the literature. It is assumed that the weights of the filtering step are in general unequal for the different state components, unlike existing consensus-based approaches. The state, the measurements, and the noise components are allowed to be individually correlated, but no probability distribution knowledge is assumed for the noise variables. Each sensor can measure only a subset of the state variables. The convergence properties of the mean and of the variance of the prediction error are demonstrated, and they hold both for the global and the local estimation errors at any network node. Simulation results illustrate the performance of the proposed method, obtaining better results than state of the art distributed estimation approaches.


Photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass is an optical Na–Al–Zn–K–O–F–Br silicate glass doped with Ag, Ce, Sb, and Sn that undergoes photo-thermo-induced volume crystallization of nanosized NaF responsible for localized refractive index changes. PTR glass has found numerous commercial applications, but the intricate mechanism of photo-thermo crystallization is far from being understood. In this paper, we demonstrate that, additional to crystalline phase precipitation, liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), i.e. amorphous droplets embedded in the matrix glass, appears concurrently over a wide range of temperatures. The immiscibility temperature is 925°C. The droplet phase is richer in SiO2, rendering the alkali-rich remaining matrix glass a lower glass transition temperature and a higher electrical conductivity than the original glass. The droplet's surface does not catalyze NaF nucleation. Although the effects of LLPS on optical properties of PTR glass are still to be explored, it could contribute to unwanted scattering losses and/or uncontrolled refractive index change. The substantial change in the original glass composition resulting from LLPS should play an important role on NaF crystallization kinetics, and therefore must be considered for an overall understanding of the crystallization mechanism underpinning the refractive index change in PTR glass.


Deuterated boyleite ZnSO4⋅4D2O, was synthesized and the atomic structure, including D positions, was successfully refined in a combined histogram neutron diffraction refinement. The cell dimensions for boyleite are a = 5.9144(2), b = 13.5665(4), c = 7.8924(2) Å, and β = 90.668(2)° with space group P21/n and Z = 4. The atomic structure including D positions of the isostructural mineral ilesite, MnSO4⋅4D2O, was refined and the cell dimensions are a = 5.9753(1), b = 13.8186(3), c = 8.0461(1) Å, and β = 90.826(2)°. Deuterated bianchite ZnSO4⋅6D2O was synthesized and the atomic structure, including D positions, was successfully refined with a unit cell of a = 9.969(1), b = 7. 2441(7), c = 24.249(3) Å, and β = 98.488(5)° in space group C2/c and Z = 8. A comparison of the hydrogen bonding in MSO4⋅4D2O with that in MSO4⋅6D2O shows that bifurcated hydrogen bonds are common in the tetrahydrate sulfates but nonexistent in the hexahydrate structures. This is a result of the packing constraints of the rings of the sulfate and metal-containing octahedra in the tetrahydrates. In the hexahydrate sulfates there is no direct linkage between the sulfate and metal-containing octahedra and hydrogen bonds are optimized without packing constraints, and no bifurcated hydrogen bonds are observed.


Dynamic reconfiguration is possible on both fine-grain and coarse-grain architectures. One of the used methodology used consists in the use of multi-context architectures. Unfortunately, the multiple contexts bring power and area overhead. This paper introduces the Dynamic Unifier and reConfigurable blocK (DUCK) concept, a new structure to perform efficiently dynamic reconfiguration on both custom designed fine-grain and coarse grain architectures. The DUCK allows to separate the configuration path and the configuration registers which facilitates simultaneous configuration and computing steps. The reconfiguration process is presented in detail, and synthesis results are given for different structures. Our solution is finally validated with the implementation of a WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) receiver on a multi-context embedded FPGA and on the dynamically reconfigurable processor DART. This implementation demonstrates the interest and the efficiency of the use of dynamic reconfiguration and the proposed flexible structure.


As business environment face many challenges employer branding became an important part of long term strategy. It is expected that companies will try manage the awareness and perceptions of current and potential employees, and related. Companies try to develop their image as an employer of choice the one who employee wants to work for and associate with. Many researchers emphasise that such approach should allow to recruit and retain the best workforce. Thus the company should use various channels and tools to demonstrate attractiveness and benefits to prospective employees'. It should show the uniqueness of the firm and distinguish from competitors and draw employees to that company. Employer branding is very often divided into external branding and internal branding. Internal employer branding is concentrates on creating a friendly work atmosphere, building opportunities for development and growth for employees inside the organization. On the other hand external employer branding focus on building company image that increase candidates' and market awareness of the brand(company) and the advantages of working for it.. This paper will look at which external employer branding tools are mostly used by energy sector companies' listed at Warsaw Stock Exchange. It will also investigate similarities and differences within this sector. The content analysis reveals that in energy sector companies use similar external employer branding tools to attract talents such as social media, job fairs, companies websites. However the collaboration with universities still use old fashion approach of mainly guest lectures. More interactive approaches such as brand ambassadors, on Campus designates events or open days are still rather rare practise


Question: What is the impact of the presence of Rhinanthus minor on forb abundance in newly established swards? Location: Wetherby, West Yorkshire, UK (53°55' N, 1°22' W). Method: A standard meadow mix containing six forbs and six grasses was sown on an ex-arable field and immediately over-sown using a randomised plot design with three densities of Rhinanthus minor (0, 600, and 1000 seeds per m 2 ). Above-ground biomass was analysed over a period of three years, while detailed assessments of sward composition were performed during the first two years. Results: Values of grass biomass were reduced in the presence of Rhinanthus, especially at the higher sowing density. The ratio of grass:forb biomass was also lower in association with Rhinanthus, but only at the higher sowing density. The presence of Rhinanthus had no effect on species number or diversity, which decreased between years regardless of treatment. Conclusions: Although not tested in a multi-site experiment, the benefit of introducing Rhinanthus into newly established swards to promote forb abundance was determined. The efficacy of Rhinanthus presence is likely to depend on whether species not susceptible to the effects of parasitism are present.


The genera Catabacter (family Catabacteraceae) and Christensenella (family Christensenellaceae) are close relatives within the phylum Firmicutes. Members of these genera are strictly anaerobic, non-spore forming, short straight rods with diverse phenotypes. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes suggest that Catabacter splits Christensenella into a polyphyletic clade. In an effort to ensure that family/genus names represent monophyletic clades, we performed a whole-genome based analysis of the genomes available for the cultured representatives of these genera: four species of Christensenella and two strains of Catabacter hongkongensis. A concatenated alignment of 135 shared protein sequences indicates that C. hongkongensis is indeed nested within the Christensenella clade. Based on their evolutionary relationship, we propose the transfer of Catabacter hongkongensis to the new genus as Christensenella hongkongensis comb.nov.


The present study adopted a social-cognitive perspective to explore the stability of mental toughness. Specifically, the purpose of this study was two-fold: (a)to explore possible fluctuations in mental toughness across situations; and (b) to identify the cognitions, affect, and behaviors associated with perceived mental toughness and mental weakness. Participants were tennis players (n=12) based full time in an elite performance academy and were aged between 14 and 20 years (Mage = 29 16.5; SD = 2.66). Players were interviewed and transcribed interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Three researchers searched for themes across the interview data and reached consensus on the coding of raw data and subsequent categorization of data into themes. Players identified a variety of competition (e.g., opponents, pressure) and training (e.g., consistency, intensity) related situations requiring mental toughness. Findings indicated that players could be mentally tough in some situations but mentally weak in other situations suggesting that mental toughness can fluctuate. In addition, players identified different cognitions, affect, and behaviors when they perceived mental toughness and mental weakness. Regarding coping strategies, findings confirm the important role of confidence in mental toughness and should remain central to interventions designed to build mental toughness. To conclude, it is anticipated that findings generated can be used as a platform to develop context-rich mental toughness training interventions.


Objectives : Although integrative Korean medical treatments have been suggested to be effective for treating Bell`s palsy, the effect of Korean medical treatment according to when treatment was started is unknown in the clinical field. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the results of treating Bell`s palsy according to different starting points of integrative Korean medical treatments. Methods : We screened patients who visited the Facial Palsy Center at Kyung Hee University Hospital for Korean and Western combined medical treatment from March 2011 to February 2016. A total of 821 out of 2086 patients were studied, including their basic characteristics and results of an electromyography. Patients who started Korean medical treatment within 3days of onset were placed in group A, within 9 days of onset in group B, and patients who started treatment after 10 days of onset were placed in group C. We tried to compare the level of facial nerve damage by electromyography between groups. Results : The patients in group C had the highest axonal loss rates in all branches(frontal, oculi, nasal, oris). The post hoc analyses revealed the difference of axonal loss rates between group A and B was not statistically significant. Only group C showed statistically higher axonal loss rates in all branches. Conclusion : The study results showed that the patients who had delayed Korean medical treatments had a higher level of facial nerve damage by electromyography. According to the results of this study, early application of integrative Korean medical treatment is suggested.


followed by spina bifida (17%), ventriculomegaly (13%), hydrocephaly (11%), agenesis of corpus callosum (7%), Dandy–Walker malformation (7%), micro-/macrocephaly (5%), anencephaly (3%) and holoprosencephaly (2%). A total of 31% of pregnancies were terminated, and 5% ended in late spontaneous abortion or intrauterine death. A total of 64% of pregnancies (126/198) resulted in live birth. 8 children died postnatally, 118 are alive. Long-term followup (6 months to 9 years) was available in 77 infants. Psychomotor development was normal or slightly disabled for 56% of children, mostly with mild or isolated lesions. Conclusions: The study covers a large study group and describes a long follow-up period. The prognosis for surviving children depends on their specific anomaly. Overcoming the limitations of scant and controversial data leads to a better counselling of the parents about the likely outcome.


Abstract In this paper we adjudicate between competing claims of persisting segregation and rapid integration by analyzing trends in residential dissimilarity and spatial isolation for African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians living in 287 consistently defined metropolitan areas from 1970 to 2010. On average, Black segregation and isolation have fallen steadily but still remain very high in many areas, particularly those areas historically characterized by hypersegregation. In contrast, Hispanic segregation has increased slightly but Hispanic isolation has risen substantially owing to rapid population growth. Asian segregation has changed little and remains moderate, and although Asian isolation has increased it remains at low levels compared with other groups. Whites remain quite isolated from all three minority groups in metropolitan America, despite rising diversity and some shifts toward integration from the minority viewpoint. Multivariate analyses reveal that minority segregation and spatial isolation are actively produced in some areas by restrictive density zoning regimes, large and/or rising minority percentages, lagging minority socioeconomic status, and active expressions of anti-Black and anti-Latino sentiment, especially in large metropolitan areas. Areas displaying these characteristics are either integrating very slowly (in the case of Blacks) or becoming more segregated (in the case of Hispanics), whereas those lacking these attributes are clearly moving toward integration, often quite rapidly.


Mosques, as a place for Muslim prayers and other social activities to be performed, are built to worship the Almighty Allah at all times, aside from providing an environment that responses to the needs of devotees, as well as educating the future generation by the Quranic verses and the Prophet's teachings. Deriving from the Holy Quran and the Prophet, purity is compulsory at all times for Muslims, and it has many denotations that are applicable during prayers and during the day. Muslims are required to pray five times a day, in which ablution has to be performed prior to praying. The ablution room is always integrated in all mosques designs as it is an unseparated element. As such, this paper looks into the hygienic consideration of the ablution space; it discusses prior statements and some Islamic perceptions pertaining to the design of the ablution space, as well as the cleanliness of space and person. Several researches have been analyzed to seek better understanding regarding the relationship between space cleanliness and Muslims in the design of mosques. The results from the discussion reveal that purity is required for internal and external cleanliness, in which the facilities of ablution space in mosques have to be specific so as to avoid any type of intervention for other various usages. The paper is an effort to generate better hygiene space in future designs of mosques with focus on the ablution space, as well as to respond to the Islamic teaching for ablution and purity.


In this paper a new family of scroll grid attractors is presented. These families are classified into three called 1D-, 2D- and 3D-grid scroll attractors depending on the location of the equilibrium points in state space. The scrolls generated from 1D-, 2D- and 3D-grid scroll attractors are located around the equilibrium points on a line, on a plane or in 3D, respectively. Due to the generalization of the nonlinear characteristics, it is possible to increase the number of scrolls in all state variable directions. A number of strange attractors from the scroll grid attractor families are presented. They have been experimentally verified using current feedback opamps. Also Lur'e representations are given for the scroll grid attractor families.


Direct electrochemical synthesis of ammonia is proposed as a means of reducing the carbon footprint of the fertiliser industry, as well as providing new opportunities for carbon-free liquid energy storage. We review the current status of research into materials for electrochemical ammonia synthesis and evaluate the reported rates and efficiencies in terms of recent US Department of Energy targets. Surprisingly, development of electrocatalysts has only recently received much attention, and despite a number of promising rates, the target values remain distant. A number of theoretical studies suggest a range of candidate materials yet to be explored.


Abstract Understanding the relationship between the annual reproductive success and changes in environment is important for appropriate waterfowl management. We developed predictive models of American black duck (Anas rubripes) production rates as a function of biotic (black duck and mallard [A. platyrhynchos] abundance) and abiotic factors (spring precipitation and temperature) across predefined breeding areas, from 1990 to 2001. We used male age ratios in the fall population, estimated from wing samples of harvested black ducks corrected for differential vulnerability via band-recoveries, as the index to annual reproduction. Information criteria suggested that a model containing predictors for density-dependence, competition with mallards, spring precipitation, and temperature and stratum-specific coefficients was the best model of black duck production rates. However, coefficients of this model were highly imprecise, leading to relatively poor predictive ability, possibly due to multicollinearity among predictors and the relatively short time span of analysis. We fit several models that included only black duck and mallard abundance as predictors; of these, models with constant slopes and stratum-specific intercepts performed best. Model-averaged parameter estimates supported inverse relationships between black duck and mallard abundance and age ratios, with stronger relative effects for black duck density-dependence. Both effects have implications for adaptive harvest management, in that harvest potential for black ducks may differ greatly depending on combinations of number of each species and the relative belief in alternative hypotheses about the impacts of mallards. Much variability in age ratios remained unexplained by our models, some possibly due to the lack of habitat explanatory variables but also apparently due to random factors. Model improvement could be achieved by incorporating recent developments in the modeling of random effects, especially via Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. More research is also needed to incorporate recently acquired habitat predictors into predictive modeling for black ducks and other ducks breeding in eastern North America. These results provide critical input for models of adaptive harvest management, currently under consideration as an approach for developing an international (Canada–U.S.) harvest strategy for black ducks.


In this study, organic geochemical characteristics and depositional environ- ment of the Tertiary-aged oil shale deposits in Northwest Anatolia have been examined. Oil shales in all the studied areas are typically characterized by high hydrogen index and low oxygen index values. Beypazari, Himmetoglu, Golpazari and Bahcecik oil shales contain only Type I kerogen. Seyitomer and Hatildag shales contain dominantly Type I and minor amounts of Type II kerogen. Gas chromatography of Beypazari and Seyitomer oil shales shows only C17 and C18 n-alkanes but no other n-alkanes. Gas chromatography of Himmetoglu, Hatildag, Golpazari and Bahcecik oil shales shows a bimodal distribution dominated by low-number n-alkanes. Pristan/Phytan (Pr/Ph) ratios of the shales suggest an anoxic depositional environment for Beypazari, Seyitomer and Hatildag and a suboxic environment for Himmetoglu, Golpazari and Bahcecik oil shales. Tmax values indicate that oil shales are immature. In addition to gas chromatograms, the biomarker parameters measured using m/z 217 and m/z 191 mass chromatograms indicate that the oil shales contain immature organic matter. Gammacerane, a typical biomarker for saline depositional environment, has been determined in all the oil shales. When other biomarker parameters are taken into account, it is apparent that all the shale samples have been deposited in a saline environment. In general, the data obtained by geochemical analyses indicate a lacustrine depositional environment for all of the shale samples in the studied areas.


The paper presents the results of an investigation on inlet air cooling systems based on cool thermal storage, applied to combined cycle power plants. Such systems provide a significant increase of electric energy production in the peak hours; the charge of the cool thermal storage is performed instead during the night time. The inlet air cooling system also allows the plant to reduce power output dependence on ambient conditions. A 127 MW combined cycle power plant operating in the Italian scenario is the object of this investigation. Two different technologies for cool thermal storage have been considered: ice harvester and stratified chilled water. To evaluate the performance of the combined cycle under different operating conditions, inlet cooling systems have been simulated with an in-house developed computational code. An economical analysis has been then performed. Different plant location sites have been considered, with the purpose to weigh up the influence of climatic conditions. Finally, a parametric analysis has been carried out in order to investigate how a variation of the thermal storage size affects the combined cycle performances and the investment profitability. It was found that both cool thermal storage technologies considered perform similarly in terms of gross extra production of energy. Despite this, the ice harvester shows higher parasitic load due to chillers consumptions. Warmer climates of the plant site resulted in a greater increase in the amount of operational hours than power output augmentation; investment profitability is different as well. Results of parametric analysis showed how important the size of inlet cooling storage may be for economical results.


The identification of true rises in disease incidence, in conjunction with other population trends, may provide useful insights into disease pathogenesis, especially with regard to environmental influences. By contrast, trends in disease prevalence are invaluable for organising current healthcare provision and also for planning future service design. For the general paediatrician, the rising incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be noted along with the general increase in incidence of complex immune diseases such as asthma and type 1 diabetes. Although IBD, comprising Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis, can develop at any age, a significant proportion of patients are diagnosed in childhood. CD occurs anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, notably with more extensive involvement at diagnosis in children when compared with adult-onset CD.1 Similarly, in ulcerative colitis, extensive or pancolonic involvement is more common in early-onset disease.1 Besides the acute medical complications faced in childhood, the burden of chronic IBD has further serious consequences for linear growth, education, future employment and psychosocial well-being.

Although there is currently a large body of evidence with regard to paediatric-onset IBD (PIBD) incidence worldwide, a significant proportion lacks data on trends over time.2 This issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood presents new and unique Irish PIBD data, evaluating incidence rates in the decade since the turn of the millennium. To place this research in context, it is important to consider historical data from the UK and Ireland. Within the UK, Scotland has a long history of PIBD …


Background: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is used for critically ill patients requiring hemodynamic support but has been shown to induce an inflammatory response syndrome potentially leading to severe complications and poor outcome. Monocytes are comprised of different subsets and play a central role in the innate immune system. The unique small binding proteins, Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein "F7" and single chain variable fragment "MAN-1," specifically detect the activated conformation of the leukocyte integrin Mac-1 enabling the highly sensitive detection of monocyte activation status. The aim of this study was to characterize monocyte function and heterogeneity and their association with outcome in VA-ECMO patients. Methods: VA-ECMO patients were recruited from the ICUs of the University Hospital in Freiburg, Germany. Blood was sampled on day 0 and day 3 after VA-ECMO placement, after VA-ECMO explantation and from healthy controls. Monocyte subset distribution, baseline activation and stimulability were analyzed by flow cytometry using the unique small binding proteins F7 and MAN-1 and the conventional activation markers CD163, CD86, CD69, and CX3CR1. Furthermore, expression of monocyte activation markers in survivors and non-survivors on day 0 was compared. Simple logistic regression was conducted to determine the association of monocyte activation markers with mortality. Results: Twenty two patients on VA-ECMO and 15 healthy controls were recruited. Eleven patients survived until discharge from the ICU. Compared to controls, baseline monocyte activation was significantly increased, whereas stimulability was decreased. The percentage of classical monocytes increased after explantation, while the percentage of intermediate monocytes decreased. Total, classical, and intermediate monocyte counts were significantly elevated compared to controls. On day 0, baseline binding of F7 was significantly lower in non-survivors than survivors. The area under the ROC curve associated with mortality on day 0 was 0.802 (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Distribution of monocyte subsets changes during VA-ECMO and absolute classical and intermediate monocyte counts are significantly elevated compared to controls. Monocytes from VA-ECMO patients showed signs of dysfunction. Monocyte dysfunction, as determined by the unique tool F7, could be valuable for predicting mortality in patients receiving VA-ECMO and may be used as a novel biomarker guiding early clinical decision making in the future.


Population genetic studies on white sea bream Diplodus sargus have revealed different patterns in the subdivision of populations in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the stability of observed allele frequencies over time remains poorly tested. The aim of this study was to show that the genetic structure of D. sargus could significantly change over time by analysing temporal varia- tions in allozymes. In order to determine temporal variation in the genetic structure of 5 natural D. sargus populations in the SW Mediterranean, we screened 14 allozyme loci. Our main finding was the significant genotypic differentiation among cohorts (year-classes) in the Guardamar (FST = 0.012; p < 0.001) and Cape of Palos (FST = 0.008; p < 0.001) populations. The differentiation observed in the present study when considering pair-wise comparisons between cohorts is similar to that of all popu- lations throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Our results suggest that microgeographical variations, also known as 'chaotic genetic patchiness', could occur in D. sargus populations from the SW Mediterranean. The recruitment of genetically variable cohorts at 1 site each year may account for these variations. We also discussed alternative explanations for this genetic pattern. This study con- firms the importance of understanding the ecology, behaviour and environment of fish populations when investigating population genetic structure. Our results also highlight the importance of incor- porating temporal samples when conducting population structure studies.


In order to develop new generation brazed Diamond grinding wheels, the joining experiments of Diamond super abrasive grains and medium carbon steel using the powder mixture of Ni-Cr alloy as active brazing alloy are carried out via laser in an argon atmosphere. The relevant characteristics of the special powder mixture, the microstructure of the interfacial region, which are both the key factors for determining the joining strength among the Diamond grains, the filler layer and the steel substrate, are investigated extensively by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS), as well X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The formation mechanism of carbide layers was discussed. All the results indicate that high strength bonding between diamond grits and the steel substrate has been successfully realized because the chromium in the Ni-based alloy segregated preferentially to the surface of the diamond to form a chromium-rich reaction product Cr3C2, and the bond between the alloy and the Diamond was established through the reaction product.


We propose a new measure of political risk faced by individual US-firms based on textual analysis of earnings conference call transcripts: the share of the conversation between management and analysts that is devoted to political topics. Our measure correlates significantly with firm-level stock return volatility, even after controlling for firm and time fixed effects. We find that increases in idiosyncratic political risk are associated with decreases in investment and hiring, and that the dispersion of idiosyncratic political risk tends to increase significantly in times of high aggregate political risk. About two thirds of the variation in political risk is idiosyncratic in the sense that it is neither captured by firm or time fixed effects, nor by heterogeneous exposure of individual firms to aggregate political risk. Further decomposing our measure by political topic, we find that discussion of risk associated with corporate regulation and health care is associated with the largest decreases in investment. We also find that firms actively manage political risk through lobbying: firms that devote more time to discussing the risk associated with a given political topic tend to increase lobbying expenses on that topic that quarter. These effects are most pronounced for large firms and firms headquartered in states that are associated with higher levels of political corruption. JEL classification: D80, E22, G18, G38, H32, L50


The case of a 19-year old patient suffering of transient metamorphopsia restricted to familiar faces and familiar objects is reported. This clinical sign resulted from a small right occipitotemporal haemorrhage due to a sub-cortical metastasis. The patient claimed that faces are distorted and look more pleasant. There were neither visual field defects nor visual agnosia. MRI revealed a small high signal area in the right fusiform gyrus. The structural and functional aspects of the metamorphopsia are documented and discussed in relation to aperceptive prosopagnosia. More specifically, it is suggested that facial metamorphopsia and aperceptive prosopagnosia express the same underlying disorder differing only in terms of severity.


Diabetes mellitus (DM), an epidemic non-communicable disease, is associated with macro- and micro-vascular complications which may result in sudden cardiac death at a young age. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-I) emerged as a new therapeutic option for managing DM with cardiovascular complications as well as diabetic patients with multiple risk factors. Three drugs in this class significantly reduced cardiovascular mortality and heart failure events, in both type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic patients with a reduced ejection fraction, to prevent heart failure-related hospitalisation. Evidence of kidney protection was another major advantage provided in more than one study. We reviewed recent SGLT2-I related literature and discuss the benefits beyond the cardiac system.


The sense of smell plays an important role in regulating the behavior of Asian elephants but until now, no behavioral test to systematically assess the olfactory capabilities of this species existed. Using a voluntary, food-rewarded two-alternative operant conditioning procedure, three female Asian elephants were successfully taught to discriminate between rewarded and unrewarded odors and also succeeded in intramodal stimulus transfer tasks in which either the rewarded odor, or the unrewarded odor, or both odors were exchanged simultaneously for new odors. The animals readily mastered the initial task within only 120 stimulus contacts, demonstrating rapid olfactory learning and performing at least as good as rodents and dogs and even better than other species, including nonhuman primates, tested in similar studies before. When presented with pairs of structurally related odorants, the discrimination performance of the elephants decreased with increasing structural similarity of the odorants, but the animals still significantly discriminated between aliphatic acetic esters even when they only differed by one carbon chain length. The elephants also demonstrated an excellent long-term odor memory and successfully remembered the reward value of previously learned odor stimuli after two, four, eight and even 16 weeks of recess in testing. The paradigm developed and applied in the present study proved to be useful to assess the olfactory capabilities in Asian elephants.