An increasing number of drugs are recognized to induce distinctive patterns of infiltrative lung disease (ILD), ranging from benign infiltrates to life-threatening adult respiratory distress syndromes. In addition to drugs, biomolecules such as proteins and cytokines, and medicinal plants are also capable of inducing respiratory disease, some being severe and/or irreversible. For several reasons it is difficult to estimate the exact frequency of drug-induced infiltrative lung disease (DI-ILD). The risk for DI-ILD and the clinical patterns vary depending on a variety of host and drug factors. Although establishing the diagnosis is often difficult, systematic evaluation of the possible role of almost any kind of drugs in ILD is warranted, as stopping a drug may favourably influence prognosis. However, prognosis depends on the drug and the type of DI-ILD. Corticosteroids may suppress the inflammatory reaction, but for many drugs, proof of the effect of corticosteroids is lacking. Advances in prevention and prediction are needed. A user-friendly database of respiratory adverse drug reactions was made available on the web, to provide quick information in this area.


BACKGROUND
Pregabalin is an inhibitor of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and can be abused, especially by polydrug abuser adults. Drug abuse is one of the many risky behaviors that can be seen during adolescence. Here, three adolescents with pregabalin abuse were described.

CASE
These adolescents abused pregabalin to cope with their depressive and anxiety symptoms, become tranquilized, boost other drug effects, and reduce withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, the risk factors should be assessed while pregabalin is prescribed to adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS
The cases were reported in order to increase awareness concerning the abuse risk of pregabalin among adolescents.


Economic 'unfreedom', in the form of extreme poverty, renders individuals prey to the violation of other kinds of freedoms. Historically, colonial activities by the West openly disrupted the rights of the impoverished in the rest of the world. In this paper I argue that subjectification and State overcoding has operated in a manner that has directly affected the discursive and non-discursive spaces within which rights operate, regulated by specific hierarchical arrangements of power via a State apparatus. What is ultimately experienced is a 'thin equality' and an 'emaciated democracy'. As rights have been propagated as the codified consequence of social struggles in sub-Saharan countries, so too have bio-political and technocratic regulations intensified, resulting in brutal exploitation through unregulated markets particularly in the so-called developing world, resembling indentured labour and voluntary servitude. Ultimately, the asymmetry of power breeds a silent brutality – disparities of power generally prevent the sharing of various prospects. Free development and State overcoding, through extra-political means, may constitute an efficacious problem-solving practice that offers a way out of the bind.


Increasing the thermal conductivity of typically insulating polymers, such as nylon 6,6, opens new markets. A thermally conductive resin can be used for heat-sink applications. This research focused on performing compounding runs followed by injection molding and thermal conductivity testing of carbon filled nylon 6,6 and polycarbonate based resins. The three carbon fillers investigated included an electrically conductive carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and a milled pitch-based carbon fiber. For each polymer, conductive resins were produced and tested that contained varying amounts of these single carbon fillers. In addition, combinations of fillers were investigated by conducting a full 23 factorial design and a complete replicate in each polymer. The objective of this article was to determine the effects and interactions of each filler on the thermal conductivity properties of the conductive resins. From the through-plane thermal conductivity results, it was determined that for both nylon 6,6 and polycarbonate based resins, synthetic graphite particles caused the largest increase in composite thermal conductivity, followed by carbon fibers. The combination of synthetic graphite particles and carbon fiber had the third most important effect on composite thermal conductivity. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 112–122, 2003


Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), a family of cytochrome P450 epoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid, are believed to have an autocrine or paracrine role in the regulation of neurons or neuroendocrine cells. The effects of 14,15-EET on ionic currents were investigated in rat pituitary GH3 cells. In the whole-cell configuration, 14,15-EET (3 mM) reversibly increased the amplitude of the Ca 21 -activated K 1 current (IK(Ca)). The 14,15-EET-induced increase in IK(Ca) was unaffected in the presence of 10 mM thyrotropin-releasing hormone externally or 10 mM inositol trisphosphate in the recording pipette. In cells preincubated with pertussis toxin or herbimycin A, the 14,15-EET-induced increase in IK(Ca) was also not changed. In the inside-out configuration, 14,15-EET applied intracellularly did not change single-channel conductance, but did increase the opening probability of large-conductance Ca 21 -activated K 1 (BKCa) channels. 14,15-EET (3 mM) shifted the activation curve of BKCa channels to less positive membrane potential by approximately 15 mV. The change in the kinetic behavior of BKCa channels caused by 14,15-EET is explained by a lengthening of open and a shortening of closed times. 14,15-EET increased the activity of BKCa channels in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 value of 1 mM. However, 14,15-EET did not affect the Ca 21 sensitivity of BKCa channels. The present study indicates that 14,15-EET is an opener of BKCa channels in GH3 cells and that the stimulatory effect of 14,15-EET on these channels may, at least in part, contribute to the underlying cellular mechanisms by which EETs affect neuronal or neuroendocrine function. BIOCHEM PHARMACOL 60;2:251-262, 2000. © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.


Abstract Siliceous-sulphate rock coatings were observed at Zhenzhu Spring, an acid sulphate hot spring in the Tengchong volcanic field, China. These rock coatings are mainly formed of gypsum and amorphous silica. Some alum-(K), voltaite, α-quartz and muscovite were also found. Four different laminae are developed in the rock coatings: gypsum layer, tight siliceous layer, tabular siliceous layer and siliceous debris layer. The gypsum layer is located at the top of the rock coatings, while other siliceous layers appear below the gypsum layer. Geochemical modelling of the fluids was performed to identify the mechanisms responsible for the formation of gypsum and amorphous silica. The results indicated that the occurrence of gypsum is related to the acid-fog deposition and amorphous silica mainly originates from spring water. Fog deposition provided the rock coatings with abundant SO42− and Ca, and the subsequent complete evaporation of the condensed fluids produced gypsum. Seasonal climate change (especially variation in rainfall) determines the fluctuations of capillary action and dissolution. Rainfall events in the wet season led to periods of non-precipitating gypsum and promoted the capillary rise of the spring water. Slightly diluted capillary water (a small amount of rainwater) covered the rock coatings, formed a tight siliceous layer on the rock-coating surface and/or filled the pores among the gypsum crystals forming many tabular siliceous aggregates. Heavy rainfall (high dilution), however, resulted in non-precipitating amorphous silica and accelerated the gypsum dissolution, leaving tabular pores around tabular siliceous aggregates and forming a tabular siliceous layer.


The transcription factor SOX9 is a member of the SRY-related high-mobility-group box (SOX) superfamily of genes. In mammals, Sox9 plays important roles in many developmental processes including craniofacial, skeletal and heart morphogenesis, retinal and brain development, and gonad differentiation. Human mutations in SOX9 or the SOX9 promoter result in campomelic dysplasia, a severe genetic disorder, which disrupts skeletal, craniofacial, cardiac, neural and reproductive development. Due to the duplication of the teleost fish genome, zebrafish (Danio rerio) have two Sox9 genes: sox9a and sox9b. Loss of sox9b in zebrafish results in loss of function phenotypes that are similar to those observed in humans and mice. In order to generate a transgenic sox9b:EGFP reporter line, we cloned a 2450 bp fragment of the sox9b promoter and fused it to an EGFP reporter. Consistent with reported sox9b expression and function, we observed sox9b:EGFP in the developing heart, skeletal and craniofacial structures, brain, retina, and ovaries. Our resulting transgenic line is a useful tool for identifying and studying sox9b function in development and visualizing a number of zebrafish organs and tissues in which sox9b is normally expressed.


The facile preparation of amphiphilic network coatings having a hydrophobic dimethacryloxy-functionalized perfluoropolyether (PFPE-DMA; M w = 1500 g mol−1) crosslinked with hydrophilic monomethacryloxy functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) macromonomers (PEG-MA; M w = 300, 475, 1100 g mol−1), intended as non-toxic high-performance marine coatings exhibiting antifouling characteristics is demonstrated. The PFPE-DMA was found to be miscible with the PEG-MA. Photo-cured blends of these materials containing 10 wt% of PEG-MA oligomers did not swell significantly in water. PFPE-DMA crosslinked with the highest molecular weight PEG oligomer (ie PEG1100) deterred settlement (attachment) of algal cells and cypris larvae of barnacles compared to a PFPE control coating. Dynamic mechanical analysis of these networks revealed a flexible material. Preferential segregation of the PEG segments at the polymer/air interface resulted in enhanced antifouling performance. The cured amphiphilic PFPE/PEG films showed decreased advancing and receding contact angles with increasing PEG chain length. In particular, the PFPE/PEG1100 network had a much lower advancing contact angle than static contact angle, suggesting that the PEG1100 segments diffuse to the polymer/water interface quickly. The preferential interfacial aggregation of the larger PEG segments enables the coating surface to have a substantially enhanced resistance to settlement of spores of the green seaweed Ulva, cells of the diatom Navicula and cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite as well as low adhesion of sporelings (young plants) of Ulva, adhesion being lower than to a polydimethyl elastomer, Silastic T2.


Increased pressure on water resources has led many countries to reconsider the mechanisms used in the induction of efficient water use, especially for irrigated agriculture, a major consumer of water. Establishing the correct price of water is one of the mechanisms for more efficient allocation of water. This paper aims to analyze the economic, social and essenenvironmental impacts of water price policies. The methodology used is the linear programming, applied to the Irrigated Valley Caxito, in Bengo Province, 45 kilometers from Luanda, which has the river Dande as its source. Three scenarios concerning water price policies were tested: simple volumetric rate, variable volumetric rate and flat rate per surface. The main findings show that from the point of view of the efficient use of water in agriculture, the best results are obtained with variable volumetric rate; from the social point of view, the simple volumetric rate has the best results; the volume variable rate method proved to be the most penalizing, quickly reducing the area of most water consuming cultures, being the method in which the environmental objectives would be more readily achieved. Either methods bring negative aspects in relation to the reduction of total gross margin.


Reproductive isolation can evolve readily when genotypes containing incompatible alleles are connected by chains of fit intermediates. Experimental crosses show that such Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) are often complex (involving alleles at three or more loci) and asymmetrical (such that reciprocal introgressions have very different effects on fitness). One possible explanation is that asymmetrical and complex DMIs are 'easier to evolve', because they block fewer of the possible evolutionary paths between the parental genotypes. To assess this argument, we model evolutionary divergence in allopatry and calculate the delays to divergence caused by DMIs of different kinds. We find that the number of paths is sometimes, though not always, a reliable predictor of the time to divergence. In particular, we find limited support for the idea that symmetrical DMIs take longer to evolve, but this applies largely to two‐locus symmetrical DMIs (which leave no path of fit intermediates). Symmetrical complex DMIs can also delay divergence, but only in a limited region of parameter space. In most other cases, the presence and form of DMIs have little influence on times to divergence, and so we argue that ease of evolution is unlikely to be important in explaining the experimental data.


We are interested in an estimate of the usual residents in the Netherlands. Capture-recapture estimation with three registers enables us to estimate the size of the total population, of which the usual residents are a part. However, usual residence cannot be used as a covariate because it is not available in one of the registers. We approach this as a missing data problem. There are different methods available to handle missing data. In this manuscript we use Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm and Predictive Mean Matching (PMM). The EM algorithm is often used in categorical data analysis, but PMM has the advantage of flexibility in the choice for a specific part of the observed data used for the imputation of the missing data. Four scenarios have been identified where the missing data are completed via either the EM algorithm or PMM imputation, resulting in different population size estimates for usual residence. It was found that the different scenarios lead to different population size estimates. Even small changes in the completed data lead to different population size estimates. In this study PMM imputation performs best according flexibility and it is theoretically better motivated.


Wage-Earners who Become Self-Employed: The Impact of Income and wages Does the relation between actual and expected income affect the decision to become self-employed? Wage-earners who receive an actual income that is different from the expected, both lower and higher, are more likely to become self-employed than wage-earners who receive an actual income close to the expected. Self-employed individuals who received a higher income than expected are more successful than other self-employed. Happiness and Health: Well-Being among the Self-EmployedIs well-being greater among the self-employed than among wage-earners? Indicators of well-being are: job satisfaction, life satisfaction, whether the job is stressful, whether the job is mentally straining, mental health problems, and poor general health. Conditional fixed effects logit models are estimated to control for selection. Self-employment increases both job and life satisfaction and it decreases the probability of finding the job mentally straining. Self-Employed Immigrants in Sweden: Are They as Successful as Natives?Do self-employed immigrants have lower incomes than self-employed natives? Income regressions are estimated using both OLS and quantile regressions. Immigrants receive significantly lower incomes than natives when controlling for individual characteristics and industry. The income differential is larger for non-Western immigrants than for Western immigrants. Quantile regressions show that the native-immigrant income gap is smaller at the top than at the bottom of the income distribution.Determinants of Exits from Self-EmploymentWhich groups are most likely to exit self-employment? Are there differences between groups regarding destination after self-employment? Young entrepreneurs, highly educated and self-employed who are also wage-earners are more likely to exit to paid employment. Women and non-Western immigrants are more likely to exit self-employment and become unemployed.


Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by dis-turbed cardiac functions due to imbalance between oxygen supply and demand. Atheroscle-rosis is the hallmark of CAD, occurring by deposition of yellow fibro fatty plaques known as atheroma which contains cholesterol, lipid and lipophages along with uric acid crystals. Ele-vated uric acid levels have been found to be associated with increased platelet aggregability and its activation thereby increasing the risk of coronary thrombosis. Hence, the present study was planned to explore the role of uric acid in causation of CAD and whether it act as an independent risk factor or in combination with other parameters. Present study included 50 CAD patients and equal number of age and sex matched control healthy volunteers. The study revealed a significant increase of serum uric acid levels in CAD patients as compared to healthy controls (p<0.001). Other studied biochemical profiles include serum Total Cho-lesterol (T-C), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) and High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), Very Low Density Cholesterol (VLDL-C) and Triacylglycerols (Tgs). T-C and LDL-C were found to be significantly elevated whereas HDL-C levels were ob-served to be significantly lower in CAD patients than controls. There were no significant changes in the levels of VLDL-C and serum triglycerides in patients in comparison to nor-mal individuals. It was concluded that elevation in serum urate levels could be one of the possible risk factor responsible for CAD in conjunction with other risk factors.


The paper is concerned with the results and effectivity of rehabilitation of 219 schizophrenic patients with unfavourable variants of development, who worked for 1--3 years in shops of an enterprise, intended for promoting the rehabilitative treatment and employment of mental patients. with the use of special rating scales, the efficacy of rehabilitation attained in therapeutic-occupational shops (TOS) and in industrial shops. The study demonstrated that the results of rehabilitation in conditions of a shop are significantly higher than the corresponding indices in conditions of TOS.


Sixteen healthy male volunteers had 30 mg of cocaine HCI solution or normal saline placebo impregnated in cotton-covered applicators administered intranasally on different days in a double-blind procedure. Ischemic tourniquet pain was significantly less after cocaine than it was in pretreatment control. It was also significantly less than after administration of a placebo. Responses to questionnaires concerning subjective drug effects, mood, and alertness revealed little change in psychological status associated with either cocaine or placebo. Thus, the reported decrease in pain was probably not caused by a change in affect or by altered consciousness. These results indicate that, in addition to its known properties as a local anesthetic, cocaine when applied intranasally exerts an analgesic effect.


To the Editor.— Why did the death by starvation of a tiny male infant afflicted with Down's syndrome and a defective esophagus so stir the soul of a nation? Why, too, have extensive national television, print media, and court attention been devoted to the question, "What are the basic human rights today of those born with physical or mental blemish?" Why also has the US Government through the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Baby Doe rule warned institutions, parents, and/or physicians, who might believe a defective child better dead than treated with available ameliorative and life-saving treatment? No prince or princess the piteous, now dead, baby boy Doe of Bloomington, Ind, and baby girl Doe, still clinging to life in a New York hospital, but beggars yes. They call out to each of us for compassionate concern and consideration of the great issues embodied in their tiny beings. The


The substructure inhomogeneity of rolled Ti-48%Ni-2%Fe single crystals was studied by the X-ray method of Generalized Pole Figures. Under rolling of single crystals, along with texture formation, the nonuniform substructure develops. It is conditioned by inhomogeneous reorientation of the crystalline lattice and local differences in predominant plastic deformation mechanisms. The distribution of residual deformation effects is controlled by the orientation of separate regions relative to texture maxima. Rolled single crystals prove to be divided into subcomponents with close orientations and opposite signs of elastic microstrains.


A facile method has been developed to synthesis hierarchical nickel oxide with spherical particle morphologies, high surface area of 234 m2/g and narrow pore distribution at 3.25 nm by controlled thermal decomposition of the nickel nitrate hydroxide precursors. The as-obtained products were well characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM (HRTEM), SAED, FTIR and N2 adsorption-desorption measurement. It was shown that the hierarchical NiO microsphere with the diameter about 2.0 μm is composed of hexagonal nanoparticles with mesoporous structure. The prepared mesoporous materials were used as an adsorbent to remove the Congo red pollutant contained in the waste water, and they exhibited more favorable adsorptive properties than the mesoporous alumina powders with same surface area due to its special structural features.


Purpose: This cross-sectional study examined potential differences in reported past-year leisure time, occupational, total (leisure plus occupational), vigorous and usual household physical activity among 737 women who self-identified as lesbian (n = 405) or heterosexual (n = 332), were 35-55 years of age (Mean = 45.2 ± 5.5), reported their race as either Black (n = 80, 11%) or White (n = 657, 89%), and were recruited for participation in the Epidemiologic STudy of HEalth Risk in women (ESTHER) project at the University of Pittsburgh, PA. Potential differences in predictors of past-year leisure time physical activity between the groups were also examined. Methods: Physical activity was assessed through verbal interview using the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire (MAQ) and a composite questionnaire for usual household physical activity. Physical activity, sociodemographic, behavioral and lifestyle variables were compared by sexual orientation using median, Chi-Square and independent t-tests. Predictors of past-year leisure time physical activity were determined using multivariate step-wise logistic regression. Results: The groups did not differ by age, race, education, income, employment, or marital or partner status. More heterosexuals (49%) reported children age <18 yrs living in the household compared to lesbians (15%) (p <.001). Body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking and alcohol use were higher among lesbians (p <.05). There were no differences in reported time (hrs/wk) spent in past-year leisure time, occupational, total, or vigorous physical activity. Usual household physical activity (hrs/wk) was higher among heterosexuals than among lesbians (20.8 vs. 15.7 hrs/wk)(p< .001). Predictors of past-year leisure time physical activity included BMI for both groups. Additional predictors for lesbians were smoking status, educational attainment, and current committed marital or partner relationship status. Conclusions: Although time (hrs/wk) spent in past-year leisure time, occupational, vigorous and total physical activity were not different between lesbians and heterosexual women, time spent in usual household physical activity was higher among heterosexuals. Lesbians had four predictors of past-year leisure time physical activity while heterosexuals had only one. Therefore, although many aspects of physical activity are similar between lesbians and heterosexuals, some differences in physical activity exist among women based upon sexual orientation.


This thesis presents a series of scientific studies exploring the initiation of various chemical reactions with reactive oxygen species (ROS), mainly singlet oxygen. These studies have revealed new mechanistic insights in environmental, industrial and biological systems, have described the associated set of reactions, have illustrated the detection of new radicals i.e., environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFR), and have provided a new insight explaining the spontaneous fire in coal mines. Comprehensive experimental and quantum-mechanical calculations afforded the investigation of oxidation reactions of singlet oxygen with wastewater organic contaminants, for example, the photodegradation of Phenol and Aniline in water. Detailed experimental studies on modelled surrogates, i.e., Anisole, resolved the fundamentals of thermal interaction of coal with iron oxide Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Along the same line of interest, enhancing the combustion efficiency of fuel constitutes a mainstream strategy in the pursuit of meeting the ever-increasing energy demand. Therefore, this thesis also provides a comprehensive mechanistic and thermo-kinetic accounts underpinning the reaction of fuel surrogates, namely Toluene, with singlet oxygen in the internal combustion (IC) engines. Finally, this work extends insights into biological systems, mapping the Alloxan-Glutathione redox cycle to expose the formation of ROS, species that eventually cause necrosis of the pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells and prompt the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).

The methodology involve customised LED-photoreactors, thermal packed-bed reactor, and various reaction product-monitoring systems, e.g., Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to quantitate the ignition temperatures of fuel surrogates, in-situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to elucidate the formation of environmentally-persistent free radicals (EPFR) as well as intermediate radical species, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) to monitor the chemisorption of organic substrates on the nanoparticles, X-ray diffraction for particles characterisation, as well as broad-scan UV-Vis spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify and quantify the intermediate and product species in solutions.

Results obtained in this thesis elucidate, for the very first time, the formation of para-semibenzoquinone anion (PSBQ) supporting the reaction pathway leading to the formation of para-benzoquinone during the reaction of phenol (and aniline) with singlet oxygen. These results have practical application to quantify the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. Investigations regarding combustion applications shows that the presence of singlet oxygen considerably lowers the activation energy of the initiation channels of aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., in IC engines), resulting in an energetically improved combustion process, the relative reactivity of singlet oxygen, based on the reaction rate constants, follows the order of OH > H > CH3 > 1O2 > HO2 > 3O2. Furthermore, the chemisorption of anisole on α-Fe2O3 surfaces has been elucidated to follow a direct dissociation of the O–CH3 (and OCH2–H), leading to the formation of surface-bound phenoxy radicals and gaseous species at temperatures as low as 25 °C. This insight applies to free-radical chain reactions that induce spontaneous fires of coal, as low-ranked coal comprises ferric oxide nanoparticles, and equally, to coexistence of aromatic fuels with thermodynamically reactive Fe2O3 surface, e.g., in fly ash, at the cooled-down tail of combustion stacks. Results from alloxan-glutathione redox cycle clarified, for the first time, the direct synchronised generation of dialuric acid radical (DA˙) and glutathione radical (GS˙), assigning the nature of the mysterious "compound 305" to the DA˙- GS˙ complex. These results explain the alloxan-induced diabetes on precise molecular bases.

This thesis provides new perspectives on opportunities in understanding the influence of ROS, mainly singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide (O2−) in germane chemical reactions. Such attempts will advance the existing ROS-related technologies, and improve the fundamental theories in supports of environmental management and application decisions.


Purpose: We developed and validated a fetal trisomy detection method for use as a noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT) including a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified bioinformatics pipeline on a cloud-based computing system using both Illumina and Life Technology sequencing platforms for 221 Korean clinical samples. We determined the necessary proportions of the fetal fraction in the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sample for NIPT of trisomies 13, 18, and 21 through a limit of quantification (LOQ) test. Materials and Methods: Next-generation sequencing libraries from 221 clinical samples and three positive controls were generated using Illumina and Life Technology chemistries. Sequencing results were uploaded to a cloud and mapped on the human reference genome (GRCh37/hg19) using bioinformatics tools. Based on Z-scores calculated by normalization of the mapped read counts, final aneuploidy reports were automatically generated for fetal aneuploidy determination. Results: We identified in total 29 aneuploid samples, and additional analytical methods performed to confirm the results showed that one of these was a false-positive. The LOQ test showed that the proportion of fetal fraction in the cfDNA sample would affect the interpretation of the aneuploidy results. Conclusion: Noninvasive chromosome examination (NICE), a CLIA-certified NIPT with a cloud-based bioinformatics platform, showed unambiguous success in fetus aneuploidy detection.


The formal governance structure is more complex in trade unions than in many other organizations. Trade union researchers have drawn attention to the tensions between union administrative and representative systems and the fact that control in unions is bi-directional from leaders to members (through formal control systems), and from members to leaders (through democratic structures). This study has shown that the utilization of market orientation methods has the capacity to strengthen the administrative system without interfering with or being hindered by the representative system. The findings related to market orientation methods presented in this thesis are not of such a character that they can be deemed to be specific for trade unions. Therefore, as a general rule, market orientation methods need no trade union-specific adaptation to be utilized. The setting for this study is Sif, a major industrial white-collar trade union in Sweden. The change process of Sif described in the thesis suggests an increased degree of market orientation. The study has focused on two specific tools/techniques; The Sif Barometer - an annual membership satisfaction survey, and The Design Dialogue Methodology – an internally developed group interview method. These methods have contributed to an enhanced level of market orientation. Propositions for better contributions to strategic positioning and service innovation are presented in terms of design principles. An identified problem is that the potential for double-loop learning has been limited in the organization. Some propositions for enhancing double-loop learning are set out: Knowledge enhances learning: the utilization of market information requires knowledge among managers and employees about the instruments used to ensure accurate interpretations and utilization of the results acquired. Knowledge thus has a role in breaking down the barriers preventing accurate utilization of market information. Task alignment is a viable strategy for the creation of learning micro-climates: Learning through the change of work behaviors is the core element of a task alignment strategy. Task alignment is a strategy targeting learning capabilities in the organization that is not only an approach for solving problems in the long term, but also an immediate response to tangible business problems. Action research may contribute to double-loop learning: The action research method has inherent change properties connected to its "learning by change" approach. Actors should consider the discrepancies between espoused theories and theories-in-use: Various political behaviors hampering double-loop learning have been traced. A broad level of participation and involvement of managers and employees during the development or adaptation of the market orientation instrument can enable open and trustful discussions for enhancing double-loop learning.


ABSTRACT This chapter is to be used as companion text with the companion chapter, an illustrated catalogue of Paleozoic radiolarian genera found in this volume, and serves the purpose of giving the reader explanation for any taxonomic operations undertaken during the course of constructing the catalogue. These operations refer to the status of the genera as valid, junior synonym, homonym, nomen nudum, nomen dubium, or not Radiolaria. We also include diagnoses and/or descriptions in the original language published, English translations where needed, and locality and age information for the type material.


Many Christian tertiary educators share a passion to see holistic transformation in students' lives. This qualitative study grew out of the desire to explore whether students who are not Christ-followers, but who apply to study within an overtly Christian context, experience such change. It investigated why they chose to apply, their initial expectations, the positives and challenges of their lived experiences, and selfperceptions of any holistic change. While geographical proximity appeared to be the strongest motivator, many did experience holistic change during their time of study. The most daunting challenge appeared to be the biblical critique required in assignment and class work, the time required for that, and the stress involved. My hope is that this study might add to our understanding, and highlight ways in which educators can work more fruitfully with students who do not share our Christian faith. This article is available in International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/icctej/vol9/iss2/2


Self-supervised learning (SSL) learns high-quality representations from large pools of unlabeled training data. As datasets grow larger, it becomes crucial to identify the examples that contribute the most to learning such representations. This enables efficient SSL by reducing the volume of data required. Nevertheless, quantifying the value of examples for SSL has remained an open question. In this work, we address this problem for the first time, by proving that examples that contribute the most to contrastive SSL are those that have the most similar augmentations to other examples, in expectation. We provide rigorous guarantees for the generalization performance of contrastive learning on such subsets. Through extensive experiments, we show that we can safely exclude 20% of examples from CIFAR100 and 40% from STL10 and TinyImageNet, without affecting downstream task performance. In general, subsets selected by our method outperform random subsets by over 3% across these datasets. Interestingly, we also discover the subsets that contribute the most to contrastive learning are those that contribute the least to supervised learning.


This paper reports the electrochemical behaviour of supercapacitor carbon electrodes operating in different aqueous solutions modified by various redox-active species (hydroxybenzenes, bromine derivatives and iodide). Three dihydroxybenzenes with varying stereochemistry, i.e., -OH substitution, have been considered as electrolyte additives (0.38 mol L(-1)) in acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions. High capacitance values have been obtained, especially for the acidic and alkaline solutions containing 1,4-dihydroxybenzene (hydroquinone). Bromine derivatives of dihydroxybenzenes were also considered as the additive in alkaline solution for use as a supercapacitor electrolyte, and a significant increase in capacitance value was observed. The redox couple investigated next was an iodide/iodine system, where 2 mol L(-1) NaI aqueous electrolyte was utilized. In this case, the most promising faradaic contribution during capacitor operation was achieved. In particular, stable capacitance values from 300-400 F g(-1) have been confirmed by long-term galvanostatic cycling (over 100 000 cycles), cycling voltammetry and floating. The mechanism of pseudocapacitance phenomena was discussed and supported by electrochemical and physicochemical measurements, e.g., in situ Raman spectroscopy.


In recent decades, the world's scientific and professional literature has been increasingly interested in contextual factors at the school level that support the academic and psychosocial outcomes of schooling. One of the constructs that is considered to be the key to improving the overall development of students is school climate. Although the available empirical material abounds in evidence of the effects of school climate on the academic and psychosocial outcomes of education, this link continues to attract the attention of researchers.The aim of this paper is to systematically consider the connection between school climate and student behavioral problems. Upon having an insight into numerous studies dealing with the issue, one can notice the connection between different forms of externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems, along with the indicators of a negative school climate, such as: vaguely set rules of conduct, teachers who do not motivate nor monitor students' work and progress, lack of disciplinary measures, teaching without the use of modern forms and methods of work, inadequate reward for student achievements, negative classroom climate, bad relationships, poor cooperation with parents, etc.It is quite certain that the school environment, along with all its characteristics, climate and the way its is organized, directly or indirectly contributes to a specific manner of behaving. In addition to identifying school climate as a factor associated with various forms of externalized and internalized problems in student behavior, we must underscore its importance in reducing and preventing behavioral problems.


The following talk was prepared for a session on academic freedom and the special challenges in the sciences that was part of a discussion series organized by a concerned group of faculty with support from the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association in the Spring of 2002. The session was inspired by the particular experience of Dr. Nancy Olivieri at the Hospital for Sick Children as well as the general growth in the number of research linkages between corporations and academics. The set up, title, and reflection questions for the session catalyzed an unexpected shift in my thinking about the current state of university/industry links. Rather than focusing only on the problems inherent in these links, I turned my attention to the new discourse about these links, and how it is itself becoming part of these problems. The text of the presentation is reproduced below.


Most of the drinking games using cards were invented by literati and scholar-officials, and these were quite popular in the mid and late Ming periods. This article introduces these games, with classification, description and introduction to method of play. The cards used in these games in banquet gatherings of the literati mainly depict talented scholars, famous courtesans, beauties, historical figures, including those associated with drinking or money, and characters from poetry, drama and fiction. To fully appreciate these cards and to play, one had to be quite familiar with the textual allusions used by the literati. From the texts printed on individual cards, and those describing the background of these games, we get a glimpse of the social lives and values of literati and scholar-officials. Again, these card games were open to all who could read at least the instructions, and with the transmission of these games to those of a different class, we get an understanding of their genteel aspirations. From the culture and transmission of drinking cards in the Ming period, we see the cultured and the common joining in the appreciation of the refined.


The ground plane has always been the primary domain of public activities. However, cities developed under the Modernist influence demonstrate an "object-in-space" circumstance with proliferating sky-scrappers that fragment the city's ground surface into mid-block spaces and vaguely defined plazas. The demands of motorized-transportation and private enterprise further scatter spaces for pedestrian activities across the plan, section and stratified layers of the city (subterranean or/and elevated networks).The result is an inconsistent public realm that remains from being animated by public vitality.

Through the manipulation of the ground-plane, this thesis seeks to remedy such stratification. It posits that a thickening of the ground to create a three-dimensional spatial condition will amplify opportunities for social interaction within otherwise muted civic surfaces. Addressing the contemporary reality of the multiplied ground, this thesis advocates reactivating it as a thickened continuous public domain that dissolves the polarity between the built and social fabric of the city.


The aim of our study was to develop and test the efficiency of a short informative intervention meant to increase mothers' adherence to breastfeeding while investigating potential associations between several social-cognitive variables and breastfeeding behaviour. Enhancing the rates of breastfeeding continuation is currently considered a very important objective for health educators due to its extensively documented benefits for newborns' health (Giles et al., 2014). Self-report questionnaires were administered to 74 women both two-three months before giving birth and when the child was three-six months old. Only 70 women participated to both stages of our study, 35 of which participated in our intervention, while the other 35 were assigned to the control condition. Results showed that mothers' perceived breastfeeding self-efficacy, their intention to breastfeed, their social norms and their outcome expectancies regarding breastfeeding were all associated with breastfeeding their child at three-six months after giving birth. Moreover, the mothers who participated in our short informative intervention were more likely to continue their breastfeeding behaviour at three-six months after giving birth as compared to mothers in the control group. Our results are discussed in the light of their contribution to previous research in this field and of their applicability for field practice.


The evaluation of the Russian oil and gas companies' competitiveness in the foreign market under the tough market conditions is of particular importance as it is crucial to retain company's current position and market share. The article makes qualitative and quantitative evaluation of Russian companies in the global gas market. To analyze the competitiveness of the gas industry company in the foreign market, the authors used a dynamic method of evaluating competitiveness coupled with a SWOT analysis. The dynamic evaluation method offers an opportunity to identify the basic factors that influenced the level of competitiveness of the entity under study and, accordingly, determine the main reserves for increasing its competitiveness. Based on the study conducted, recommendations were made on the increase in competitiveness in the current situation of unstable demand and volatile energy prices. By analyzing the PJSC Gazprom level of competitiveness, as well as its external and internal environment, indicators were identified the regulation of which will lead to the progressive development of the organization and increase in its competitiveness. The practical relevance of the study lies in the possibility to use both the research outcome and the proposed methods in a development strategy for the gas industry company.


We examined partner notification among syphilitic pregnant women in Nairobi. At delivery, 377 women were found to be rapid plasma reagin (RPR) reactive. Data were available for 94% of the partners of women who were tested during pregnancy; over 67% of the partners had received syphilis treatment while 23% had not sought treatment mainly because they felt healthy. Six per cent of the women had not informed their partners as they feared blame and/or violence. Adverse pregnancy outcome was related to lack of partner treatment during pregnancy (7% versus 19%, odds ratio (OR) 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9- 10.0). Our data suggest that messages focusing on the health of the unborn child have a positive effect on partner notification and innovative and locally adapted strategies for partner notification need more attention.


Nucleic acids promote amyloid formation in diseases including Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, it remains unclear whether the close interactions between amyloid and nucleic acid allow nucleic acid secondary structure to play a role in modulating amyloid structure and function. Here we have used a simplified system of short basic peptides with alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acid residues to study nucleic acid - amyloid interactions. Employing biophysical techniques including X-ray fibre diffraction, circular dichroism spectroscopy and electron microscopy we show that the polymerized charges of nucleic acids concentrate and enhance the formation of amyloid from short basic peptides, many of which would not otherwise form fibres. In turn, the amyloid component binds nucleic acids and promotes their hybridisation at concentrations below their solution K d, as shown by time-resolved FRET studies. The self-reinforcing interactions between peptides and nucleic acids lead to the formation of amyloid nucleic acid (ANA) fibres whose properties are distinct from their component polymers. In addition to their importance in disease and potential in engineering, ANA fibres formed from prebiotically-produced peptides and nucleic acids may have played a role in early evolution, constituting the first entities subject to Darwinian evolution.


Background In 2008, the Japanese government implemented a program of health lifestyle interventions to reduce health care expenditure. This study evaluated whether these interventions decreased health care expenditures. Methods The study enrolled 99 participants insured by Japanese National Health Insurance, who, in our previous study conducted in 2004, were allocated by random sampling into an intervention group (50 participants) and a control group (49 participants). In the intervention group, we used a health support method that facilitated the attainment of goals established by each participant. The control group received instruction in exercise, as well as health support using publically available media. Although 3 participants in the intervention group and 9 participants in the control group did not participate in a follow-up health examination 1 year after the intervention, the health care expenditures of all initial participants were assessed. Expenditures before and after the intervention were compared within and between groups. Data on health care expenditures were obtained from inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, and dental health insurance claims. Results After the intervention, the pharmacy and dental expenditures were significantly higher in the intervention group, while the pharmacy expenditure was significantly higher in the control group. However, there was no significant difference in any medical expenditure item between the intervention and control groups before or after the intervention. Conclusions No significant differences were observed in short-term medical expenses for any medical expenditure item after a lifestyle intervention.


Organic-inorganic coatings based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-silica and PMMA-cerium oxide hybrids provide effective and active corrosion protection of metallic surfaces. For both hybrid materials, the covalent conjugation of inorganic silica or ceria nanodomains with the PMMA matrix, provided by molecular coupling agents, leads to homogenous and highly cross-linked nanocomposites, which act in the form of coatings as an efficient diffusion barrier. The addition of lithium salts (500–2000 ppm) into PMMA-silica hybrid and optimized ceria fraction in PMMA-cerium oxide coatings results in active corrosion inhibition by the self-healing effect. Results of electrochemical assays of aluminum- and steel-coated samples, performed in a 3.5% NaCl solution, show an excellent corrosion resistance (impedance modulus up to 100 G Ω cm 2 ) and durability (up to 350 days) of the 10- μ m-thick passive barrier layer. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies evidenced the self-healing ability of coatings induced by lithium/cerium ion leaching toward corrosion spots or artificial scratches, which are restored by a protective layer of precipitated phases. Results presented in this book chapter evidence the active role of lithium and cerium species in improving the hybrid structure and providing through self-healing a significantly extended service life of metallic components.


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In Hungarian, focussed elements occur in certain syntactic positions. Because of this limitation, prominence marking by means of prosody is less salient than in languages where focus can be expressed by accent shift without changes in word order. In this study, we examined Hungarian utterances that were identical in their segmental structure, but differed with regard to their semantic and pragmatic interpretations. Our aim was to see to what extent prosodic prominence marking is used, and which pitch accent patterns can occur in different sentence positions in this language. We found that (1) deaccentuation of content words was relatively seldom, (2) accented words were often preceded by a break, (3) the number of accent distribution patterns was limited, as was the number of (4) pitch accent types
in utterance-initial and -final position: initially, late peaks dominated, whereas in final position most accent tones were falling ones. We argue that these uniform patterns are probably due to neutralisation processes.


An ever-increasing amount of social media content requires advanced AI-based computer programs capable of extracting useful information. Specifically, the extraction of health-related content from social media is useful for the development of diverse types of applications including disease spread, mortality rate prediction, and finding the impact of diverse types of drugs on diverse types of diseases. Language models are competent in extracting the syntactic and semantics of text. However, they face a hard time extracting similar patterns from social media texts. The primary reason for this shortfall lies in the non-standardized writing style commonly employed by social media users. Following the need for an optimal language model competent in extracting useful patterns from social media text, the key goal of this paper is to train language models in such a way that they learn to derive generalized patterns. The key goal is achieved through the incorporation of random weighted perturbation and contrastive learning strategies. On top of a unique training strategy, a meta predictor is proposed that reaps the benefits of 5 different language models for discriminating posts of social media text into non-health and health-related classes. Comprehensive experimentation across 3 public benchmark datasets reveals that the proposed training strategy improves the performance of the language models up to 3.87%, in terms of F1-score, as compared to their performance with traditional training. Furthermore, the proposed meta predictor outperforms existing health mention classification predictors across all 3 benchmark datasets.


The structure and connectivity of cultured neuronal networks can be controlled by using micropatterned surfaces. Here, we demonstrate that the direction of signal propagation can be precisely controlled at a single-cell resolution by growing primary neurons on micropatterns. To achieve this, we first examined the process by which axons develop and how synapses form in micropatterned primary neurons using immunocytochemistry. By aligning asymmetric micropatterns with a marginal gap, it was possible to pattern primary neurons with a directed polarization axis at the single-cell level. We then examined how synapses develop on micropatterned hippocampal neurons. Three types of micropatterns with different numbers of short paths for dendrite growth were compared. A normal development in synapse density was observed when micropatterns with three or more short paths were used. Finally, we performed double patch clamp recordings on micropatterned neurons to confirm that these synapses are indeed functional, and that the neuronal signal is transmitted unidirectionally in the intended orientation. This work provides a practical guideline for patterning single neurons to design functional neuronal networks in vitro with the direction of signal propagation being controlled.


Background and Purpose: Patient selection is important to determine the best candidates for endovascular stroke therapy. In application of a hyperacute magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol for patient selection, we have shown decreased utilization with improved outcomes. A cost analysis comparing the pre- and post-MRI protocol time periods was performed to determine if the previous findings translated into cost opportunities. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively identified individuals considered for endovascular stroke therapy from January 2008 to August 2012 who were ≤8 h from stroke symptoms onset. Patients prior to April 30, 2010 were selected based on results of the computed tomography/computed tomography angiography alone (pre-hyperacute), whereas patients after April 30, 2010 were selected based on results of MRI (post-hyperacute MRI). Demographic, outcome, and financial information was collected. Log-transformed average daily direct costs were regressed on time period. The regression model included demographic and clinical covariates as potential confounders. Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data. Results: We identified 267 patients in our database (88 patients in pre-hyperacute MRI period, 179 in hyperacute MRI protocol period). Patient length of stay was not significantly different in the hyperacute MRI protocol period as compared to the pre-hyperacute MRI period (10.6 vs. 9.9 days, p < 0.42). The median of average daily direct costs was reduced by 24.5% (95% confidence interval 14.1-33.7%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Use of the hyperacute MRI protocol translated into reduced costs, in addition to reduced utilization and better outcomes. MRI selection of patients is an effective strategy, both for patients and hospital systems.


Introduction
Simultaneous mechanical ventilation of several patients with a single ventilator might reduce the deficit of these devices for the care of patients with acute respiratory failure due to Covid-19.

Objective
To communicate the results of a mechanical ventilation exercise with a ventilator in a lung simulator, and simultaneously in two and four.

Results
No statistically significant differences were observed between programmed, recorded and measured positive end-expiratory pressure, mean airway pressure and peak pressure, except when simultaneously ventilating four lung simulators.

Conclusions
Simultaneous mechanical ventilation should be implemented by medical personnel with experience in the procedure, be restricted to two patients and carried out in the intensive care unit.


Many nuclear power plants were situated next to the ocean to have ready access to huge volumes of water, and sometimes they were built on land that was not very high above mean sea level. These characteristics may cause problems if ocean levels rise the one or two meters that most climatologists project as a result of climate change. The core of the problem resides in nuclear power's dependence on two things: water and off-site power. Operating and safely shutting down a nuclear power plant require large supplies of cooling water, as well as the power to operate the control panels and the pumps that circulate the water. The Fukushima Daiichi accident happened after the facility lost its connection to the electrical grid and floodwaters caused the backup diesel generators to fail. While an earthquake caused the tsunami that led to the situation, a severe storm coupled with rising sea levels could have the same end result, especially in low-lying areas suffering from increased erosion caused by climate change. Off-site power losses, or "station blackouts," have long been a commonly recognized risk at nuclear power plants. Backup systems have worked in the past, but dramatically rising sea levels, more frequent and intense storms, and the associated erosion that goes with them could make backup electrical systems problematic. To complicate the situation, the same storm and flood that affects a given power plant also interferes with the plant's communication and transportation networks, hampering the ability of personnel to respond to any crisis at the facility. At a minimum, climate change and the resulting rise in sea level will lead to concerns about the safety and cost of nuclear power plant operation and construction.


Rare species, with low population sizes, restricted ranges and specialized habitat requirements, are particularly vulnerable to extinction. A small population generally has a low genetic effective population size (Ne) and can be susceptible to genetic effects (i.e. genetic drift and inbreeding), resulting in the loss of population fitness and a reduced evolutionary potential to adapt to changes occurring in the environment. Species that have a restricted range generally have less ecological flexibility, resulting in highly specialized diet and habitat requirements, which, should these become compromised, can increase the risk of extinction.
In the marine environment, many fish species are currently threatened by one or more anthropogenic pressures, such as by-catch, overexploitation or habitat loss. Elasmobranchs, including sharks, rays and skates, are among some of the most threatened species, with slow growth, late maturity and relatively low fecundity preventing a fast recovery after population declines. Given that elasmobranch species are generally highly mobile, only a few examples exist of rare species that are range-restricted.
The endangered Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is a rare skate species that has only been recorded in two estuarine embayments, Bathurst Harbour (BH) and Macquarie Harbour (MH), on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Despite various diving and fishing surveys, this species has not been sighted in BH for 25 years, suggesting that it may now be restricted to MH. In MH, the small population (~3200 individuals) is threatened by a variety of anthropogenic pressures, including historical mining pollution and being caught as by-catch in gillnets. Presently, however, the main threat to the species is a change in environmental conditions (i.e. a decline in dissolved oxygen (DO) levels at depth) associated with the expansion of salmonid aquaculture farms operating in the harbour. Low DO has the potential to impact the preferred habitat and prey availability of the Maugean skate, which has a poor tolerance for low DO and a highly specialized diet of benthic prey. With little knowledge available on the evolutionary potential of the species, the aim of this study was to investigate the genetics and ecology of the population in MH, thereby assessing the risk of local, and likely global, extinction.
The first aim of this study was to use population genetics to investigate the genetic diversity, relatedness among individuals (i.e. inbreeding), population structure and effective population size (Ne) of the Maugean skate population in MH. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers showed that the population has very low genetic diversity (likely as a result of a recent historical founder event), a low Ne and could be experiencing restriction gene flow in the harbour. Although results suggest that the Maugean skate has likely existed with low genetic diversity for many generations, low diversity can lead to a reduced evolutionary potential. This decreases the ability of the species to adapt to current and future environmental changes, thereby increasing the risk of extinction.
Using an alternative genetic technique, this thesis trialed a method for detecting the presence of rare, marine elasmobranch species in the wild. Species-specific genetic primers and probes were designed to detect environmental DNA (eDNA) (i.e. DNA that is deposited in the environment through a variety of bodily processes, such as the shedding of skin) of the Maugean skate in MH by collecting water samples at depth (10 – 15m). Results confirmed that eDNA can be used as a tool for detecting rare, marine elasmobranch species from 1L of water collected in the wild. This technique can be used to monitor the presence of the Maugean skate in MH and to determine whether the species still occurs in BH. By confirming the entire distributional range of the species, effective conservation management strategies can be developed.
The second aim of the study was to investigate long-term specialized dietary requirements (trophic position and diet composition) of the species in MH using stable isotope analysis (SIA). Results showed that this species is a tertiary consumer occupying a relatively high trophic position in the food web, thereby increasing the susceptibility to changes occurring in prey availability at lower trophic levels. A full Bayesian mixing model confirmed previous stomach content analysis (SCA) findings of a highly specialized diet, consisting primarily of crustaceans. Importantly, with further investigation, SIA results showed evidence of an ontogenetic dietary shift with maturity, with smaller invertebrates (i.e. polychaetes) only being important for the diet of immature individuals and negligible for mature individuals. A decline in the abundance of smaller invertebrates could impact the foraging success and survival of immature Maugean skates, influencing overall recruitment success and population fitness of the species. Therefore, further reductions in the abundance of primary prey species may have significant implications for the foraging success and persistence of the species.
Overall, the results of this study have shown that the rare and restricted Maugean skate, with low evolutionary adaptive potential and specialized ecological requirements, has a high risk of extinction. Therefore, any additional anthropogenic threats, resulting in reduced population fitness, have the potential to increase the extinction risk of the population in MH. Given the apparent disappearance of individuals from BH, local extinction from MH could have devastating consequences for the species overall. Management agencies are urged to minimize future changes occurring in the benthic environment of MH and investigate genetic management options for the species. Importantly, future work should use the eDNA assay developed in this study in combination with other techniques (fishing and underwater surveys) to determine whether the species still exists in BH. Finally, it is strongly recommended that the conservation status of this species be reviewed in light of the results of this thesis.


Abstract Hannah Arendt argued that the American Revolution revealed for the first time that all regimes require a reference to an absolute, while the French Revolution revealed that not all absolutes are equal. The American Revolution took as its absolute the act of founding itself, upon which the authority of the constitution could be grounded. By contrast, the failure of the French Revolution to establish an authority stemmed from its reference to the transcendental absolute of the nation. Beginnings, for Arendt, are historically determining. How then are we to explain the present view of authority in Germany which takes as its absolute referent the Holocaust? And how does this inform our understanding of the relationship between absolutes and new foundations? We argue that the key to understanding the German case is found in the particular nature of postwar German memory politics and that authority is not statically related to positive foundations.


American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Steel Deck Institute (SDI), Steel Joist Institute (SJI), Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), National Science Foundation (NSF)


The present study is aimed at evaluating the mechanical properties of aluminium metal matrix composite (AMMC). An effort is made to enhance the mechanical properties like hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, % of elongation of AMMCs by reinforcing AA6061 matrix with Molybdinum di sulfide (MOS2) particles. AMMCs were made, AA6061 as matrix material and MOS2 as reinforcement material, through stir casting method. AMMCs with varying percentage by different wt. %, 1%, 2 %, 3%, 4%,5% MOS2 were fabricated. A systematic study of the matrix metal and AMMCs is done to evaluate the mechanical properties (hardness, yield strength and tensile strength) in as cast and heat treated condition. It was observed that in comparison to the matrix metal, the precipitation kinetic was accelerated by adding the MOS2 particles. It was noticed that, mechanical properties are increasing with the increase in wt. % of the reinforcement up to 4% MOS2 further addition there is a diminution in both the conditions (as cast and cold rolling followed by heat treatment condition). It was also thought-out that 4% MOS2 composite shows better mechanical (hardness, yield strength and tensile strength) properties and low % of elongation than all other compositions in both the conditions. Optical microscopy and Scanning electron micrographs were carried out to authenticate the mechanical properties of the matrix metal and AMMCs.


Analytical models for vias and traces are presented for simulation of multilayer interconnects at the package and printed circuit board levels. Vias are modeled using an analytical formulation for the parallel-plate impedance and capacitive elements, whereas the trace-via transitions are described by modal decomposition. It is shown that the models can be applied to efficiently simulate a wide range of structures. Different scenarios are analyzed including thru-hole and buried vias, power vias, and coupled traces routed into different layers. By virtue of the modal decomposition, the proposed method is general enough to handle structures with mixed reference planes. For the first time, these models have been validated against full-wave methods and measurements up to 40 GHz. An improvement on the computation speed of at least two orders of magnitude has been observed with respect to full-wave simulations.


ABSTRACT Preliminary ship design is an important part of the ship design and a reliable design tool is needed for this stage. The aim of this study was to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict main particulars of a chemical tanker at preliminary design stage. Deadweight and vessel speed were used as the input layer; and length overall, length between perpendiculars, breadth, draught and freeboard were used as the output layer. The back-propagation learning algorithm with two different variants was used in the network. After training the ANN, the average of mean absolute percentage error value was obtained 4.552%. It is also observed that the correlation coefficients obtained were 0.99921, 0.99775, 0.99537 and 0.9984 for training, validation, test and all data-sets, respectively. The results showed that initial main particulars of chemical tankers are determined within high accuracy levels as compared to the sample ship data.


The availability of different crop models and of a variety of techniques to evaluate their behaviour led to a change of paradigm in crop models use. Modellers are now looking beyond the idea of groups of users and developers grounded on a specific model, and international initiatives focusing on model improvement basing on intercomparison and knowledge sharing are recently catalysing the attention of the international community. Also, the analysis under environmental conditions of no adaptation by crops, such as the ones of climate change scenarios, demand for extension of crop models to account for extreme events, diseases and pests impact, difficult to implement into legacy code. The Crop Models Library (CropML) is a framework-independent MS .NET software component where different pure (e.g., WOFOST, CropSyst, WARM), hybrid and new modelling solutions for crop growth and development are implemented following a fine level of granularity, according to a high level software architecture. CropML can be extended by third parties and is distributed at no cost with a software development kit, including documentation of code and algorithms and sample applications. CropML provides modellers with an environment favouring the hybridization of models with parts from others, the evolution of existing approaches, and the possibility of analysing and easily comparing diverse modelling solutions. As an example, a new generation of SUCROS-type models has been developed and included in the component. Comparison of the standard and of the new version of the WOFOST model carried out using data from rice field experiments revealed an increase in accuracy and robustness with less than half of the parameters used by the standard version of the model. These results support the idea that high-level technology for models formalization can favour the development of the models themselves.


Museum collections of Japanese ceramics in Britain include numerous utensils for whipped tea (matcha) and steeped tea (sencha) gatherings along with diverse vessels for daily and special occasions collected from Meiji Japan. Who collected them and why, and how did these objects obtain value in Britain around the turn of the twentieth century and through the process of collecting? Tracing the international network of collecting this material through the Sir Augustus W. Franks (1826–1897) collection at the British Museum, London and the Hon. Henry Marsham (1845–1908) collection at the Maidstone Museum, Kent, this thesis explores the value making process for objects used for two types of tea in the 1860s–80s and the 1880s–1900s, respectively. Based on archival and collection surveys in Britain, Japan, and Europe, the values assigned to these teawares are identified as a collaborative product of negotiations of multiple contributors—objects, collectors, learned societies, mediators, institutions and audiences. Adopting Actor-Network theory, this research gives voice to objects and mediators who have been subordinated and ignored in the history of collecting. At the intersection of the development of museums in the U.K., and academic disciplines of the nineteenth century, modern tourism in Japan, and the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, the objects for tea collected by Franks and Marsham can now be recognized as the products of (inter)national, local, and personal heritage.


Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity is an important index for a variety of diseases. In this work, a "turn-on" assay is proposed based on controlling the inner filter effect (IFE) of MnO2 nanosheets (NSs) on sulfur nanodots (S-dots). The fluorescence of S-dots is effectively quenched by the MnO2 NSs, due to the wide overlap of the emission spectrum of S-dots and absorption spectrum of MnO2 NSs, together with the superior light absorption capability of MnO2 NSs. BChE can catalyze acetylthiocholine and produce thiocholine, which effectively decomposes the MnO2 NSs into Mn2+, resulting in the disappearance of the IFE and recovery of fluorescence of S-dots. Two-stage linear relationships between the ratio of fluorescence intensity and concentration of BChE are observed from 0.05 to 10 and from 10 to 500 U L-1. A limit of detection of 0.035 U L-1 is achieved, which is the best performance so far. The as-proposed assay is robust enough for practical detection in human serum, and it can avoid interference from its sister enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) and glutathione at the micromolar level. The presented results provide a clue for the functionalization of S-dots, and offer a powerful tool as an analytic technique for nanomedicine and environmental science.


In order to be achieve competitive advantage in the market it is not sufficient to attract new customers it is must concentrate on retaining existing customers implementing effective policies of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The customer satisfaction is largely depend on quality of service in the hotel industry. A management approach focused on customer satisfaction can improve customer loyalty, thus increasing the positive image of the tourist destination. Hence, exploring the customer satisfaction of hotel industry attributes in hotel selection is essential. Research on the topic of customer satisfaction, communication, transaction and distribution was the dimensions which translates into the consideration of whether or not customers will return to a hotel or advice it to other tourists, is pivotal to the success of the hospitality business. A quantitative analysis perform using Liket scale of star graded hotels in Sri Lanka. These type of International Journal of Science Arts and Commerce ISSN: 0249-5368 www.ijsac.net 2 standard questionnaire have used in the internet marketing research (Chailee, 2008). Descriptive statistics, inter-item correlation matrix and factor analysis were used to measure the quality of the data. Through the regression analysis of this case, evaluate the overall customer satisfaction of star hotels and multivariate data analysis was used to analysis the dimensionality customer satisfaction levels in star hotels. We conclude discussing the result and proposing improvement in customer satisfaction Management of the hotel.


We investigate Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) in monolayer WS2 both deposited on a SiO2/Si substrate or suspended using transmission electron microscopy grids. We find unusually large second order nonlinear susceptibility, with an estimated value of deff , 4.5 nm/V nearly three orders of magnitude larger than other common nonlinear crystals. In order to quantitatively characterize the nonlinear susceptibility of two-dimensional (2D) materials, we have developed a formalism to model SHG based on the Green's function with a 2D nonlinear sheet source. In addition, polarized SHG is demonstrated as a useful method to probe the structural symmetry and crystal orientation of 2D materials. To understand the large second order nonlinear susceptibility of monolayer WS2, density functional theory based calculation is performed. Our analysis suggests the origin of the large nonlinear susceptibility in resonance enhancement and a large joint density of states, and yields an estimate of the nonlinear susceptibility value deff 5 0.77 nm/V for monolayer WS2, which shows good order-of-magnitude agreement with the experimental result.


This paper proposes a novel standardized test for abnormal returns in long-horizon event studies that takes into account cross-sectional correlation, autocorrelation, and heteroskedasticity of stock returns. Extensive simulation analyses demonstrate improved size and power of testing relative to existing long-run test methodologies. Application to initial public offerings and seasoned equity offerings further demonstrates robustness to extreme return outliers inherent in these long-run studies.


In the past environmental management practices have been based on disparate analysis of the impacts of pollutants on selected components of ecosystems. However, holistic analysis of emission reduction strategies is necessary to justify that actions taken to protect the environment would not unduly punish economic growth or vice versa. When environmental management programs are implemented, it would be extremely difficult for the industry to attain the targeted emission reduction in a single year in order to eliminate impacts on ecosystems. It means that targets have to be established as increments or narrowing the gap between the desired level of atmospheric deposition and actual deposition. These targets should also be designed in a way that would balance the impacts on the economy with improvements in environmental quality. Environment Canada in partnership with other organizations has developed an Integrated Assessment Modeling Platform. This platform enables to identify an emission reduction strategy(ies) that is(are) able to attain the desired environmental protection at a minimum cost to the industry. In this study, an attempt is made to examine the impact on the industry when the level of protection provided to the aquatic ecosystems is implemented using environmental and environmental-economic goals as objectives using Canadian IAM platform. The modeling platform takes into account sources and receptor regions in North America. The results of the analysis indicated that reductions of at least 50% of depositions of SO2 would require complete removal of emissions from all sources. However, this is not compatible with the paradigm of balancing economy with the environment. Therefore, gradual reductions in emissions as well as depositions were found to be plausible strategy. When depositions are reduced by 80% and maximum emission reduction is set at 90%, the number of lakes with pH>6 as well as the presence of fish increased significantly compared to current level. These improvements in acidification in lakes are particularly visible for a strategy that incorporates both environmental and economic goals. Furthermore, optimization using only a single receptor at a time resulted in significantly higher reduction in emissions compared to optimization that incorporates all the twelve Canadian receptors in a single run. It implies that globally optimal emission reduction strategy (i.e., multi-receptor optimization) would not penalize the sources of emission compared to locally optimal emission reduction strategy (i.e., single receptor optimization). It is hoped that with this kind of analysis of feasible environmental targets can be put in place without jeopardizing the performance of the economy or industry while ensuring continual improvements in environmental health of ecosystems.


Creep characteristic is one of the most important mechanical characteristics of rock. It controls the stability of rock engineering. Under step load conditon, the shear creep test of argillaceous siltstone which was collected in dam foundation is performed by using the RMT150c rock and soil mechanics testing machine. The shear creep curves under different normal stresses show that the argillaceous siltstone is very significant in creep, which should be considered in the stability analysis of dam foundation. According to the analysis of experimental results, the long-term shear strength parameters are determined to provide reference for engineering survey and design.


Aim To assess the emergency response planning and prevention strategies for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) across a wide range of professional football clubs in England. Methods A written survey was sent to all professional clubs in the English football league, namely the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2. Outcomes included: (1) number of clubs performing cardiac screening and frequency of screening; (2) emergency planning and documentation; (3) automated external defibrillator (AED) training and availability; and (4) provision of emergency services at sporting venues. Results 79 clubs (86%) responded to the survey. 100% clubs participated in cardiac screening. All clubs had AEDs available on match days and during training sessions. 100% Premiership clubs provided AED training to designated staff. In contrast, 30% of lower division clubs with AEDs available did not provide formal training. Most clubs (n=66; 83%) reported the existence of an emergency action plan for SCA but formal documentation was variable. All clubs in the Premiership and League 1 provided an ambulance equipped for medical emergencies on match days compared with 75% of clubs in the Championship and 66% in League 2. Conclusions The majority of football clubs in England have satisfactory prevention strategies and emergency response planning in line with European recommendations. Additional improvements such as increasing awareness of European guidelines for emergency planning, AED training and mentorship with financial support to lower division clubs are necessary to further enhance cardiovascular safety of athletes and spectators and close the gap between the highest and lower divisions.


Induced seismicity at Nurek, Tadjik S.S.R., is occurring within the upper plate of the Ionakhsh thrust, which passes at depth directly beneath the reservoir. Within the immediate vicinity of the reservoir one can contrast two distinct areas, one seismic and the aseismic. Both consist of rocks that can be shown to have a highly anisotropic permeability due to alternating permeable and impermeable strata. Water flow is favored along bedding while essentially prohibited across bedding. However, because the two areas differ in structure, they also differ in their vertical component of permeability, as a direct result of the different attitudes of the bedding. In the aseismic area, vertical fluid flow is blocked by a syncline that cups the base of the reservoir. In the seismic area, a plunging anticline that crops out beneath the reservoir allows water to flow to depth in the high-permeability direction-along bedding. Because effective stress changes at depth are dependent on permeability characteristics, knowledge of subsurface permeability or permeability anisotropy can serve as a means by which to predict the distribution of induced seismic activity. Thus, while regional geologic studies may indicate the presence of lithologies that are conducive to the transmission of pore-water pressure, access ofmore » water to these units depends on the structural arrangement beneath the reservoir, on a very local scale.« less


As the scale of machine learning models increases, trends such as scaling laws anticipate consistent downstream improvements in predictive accuracy. However, these trends take the perspective of a single model-provider in isolation, while in reality providers often compete with each other for users. In this work, we demonstrate that competition can fundamentally alter the behavior of these scaling trends, even causing overall predictive accuracy across users to be non-monotonic or decreasing with scale. We define a model of competition for classification tasks, and use data representations as a lens for studying the impact of increases in scale. We find many settings where improving data representation quality (as measured by Bayes risk) decreases the overall predictive accuracy across users (i.e., social welfare) for a marketplace of competing model-providers. Our examples range from closed-form formulas in simple settings to simulations with pretrained representations on CIFAR-10. At a conceptual level, our work suggests that favorable scaling trends for individual model-providers need not translate to downstream improvements in social welfare in marketplaces with multiple model providers.


This is a treatment of the phenomenon of energy storage by melting in an enclosure where the heating is provided by an invading line of higher temperature. We show that the melting process consists of two phases: "invasion" thermal diffusion along the invading line, which is followed by "consolidation" as heat diffuses perpendicularly to the invading line. We report the duration of both phases and the evolution of the melt layer around the invading line during the two-dimensional and three-dimensional invasion. The amount of melted material increases in time according to a curve shaped as an S. Diffusion sweeps the territory faster as the complexity of the tree design increases meaning the S-curve of the history of the process becomes steeper.


The interaction of phonology and orthography in spoken word recognition was examined in experiments using lexical decision and shadowing tasks. The first syllable of primes and targets shared phonology (FERTILE‐FURNISH), orthography (BUGLE‐BUGGY), both (PICKLE‐PICTURE) or neither (PENGUIN‐FELLOW). In addition, the first syllable of the target could constitute a word (RATIFY) or a nonword (DERANGE). A standard lexicality effect was obtained in lexical decision (i.e., words were responded to faster than nonwords). Also, a first syllable lexicality effect was obtained in lexical decision and shadowing, replicating earlier work [E. A. Lyons and P. A. Luce, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 2372 (1993)]. For word targets, orthography facilitated response times relative to phonology and both phonology and orthography in shadowing and lexical decision. For nonword targets and nonword first syllables, phonology facilitated response times relative to orthography and both phonology and orthography. These results contrast with those obtained by Jakimik et al. [J. Mem. and Lang. 24, 165–178 (1985)] in which facilitation was obtained only for both phonology and orthography. The current results suggest that words and nonwords are differentially influenced by phonological and orthographic cues. [Work supported by NIH grant NS‐29286‐03.]


Although the use of balloon dilation for treatment of native and recurrent coarctation of the aorta (coA) has become widespread, the optimal balloon size and postdilation vessel wall changes remain undetermined. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging has emerged as a an important adjunct in the treatment and follow-up of patients with coronary artery and peripheral vascular lesions, and has been used for evaluation in a limited number of patients with CoA. We used a combination of balloon dilation/ultrasound imaging catheter in animals with experimentally-induced CoA. We used a combination balloon dilation/ultrasound imaging catheter in animals with experimentally-induced CoA . This technique provided real-time data regarding aortic wall morphology and luminal diameter during balloon angioplasty of the CoA. In humans, we used IVUS to study CoA before and after both transcatheter and surgical therapy. IVUS was more sensitive than angiography in the detection of intimal tears post-balloon dilation and in the evaluation of vessel wall changes and remodelling observed at follow-up after relief of CoA. IVUS may provide valuable information regarding vascular wall changes that predict aneurysm format ion, restenosis, or a successful result after balloon dilation.


Two discrete choice models relate the probability of choosing two water-saving irrigation technologies - —sprinkler and tailwater recovery pits- —to the underlying physical and economic attributes of the farming using a national cross section of farm level data. The results show that small farm size, high water or labor costs, and soils with low water-holding capacity increase the likelihood of adopting sprinkler irrigation. For gravity irrigators, large farms, high water costs, and solid with high water-holding capacity increase the probability of recirculating field runoff. In both models soil characteristics and, to a lesser extent, climate dominate the selection probabilities.


Nowadays the amount of textual information on the web is grown rapidly. The huge textual data needs more accurate classification algorithms. Sentiment analysis is a branch of text classification that is used to classify user opinions in case of market decisions, product evaluations or measuring consumer confidence. With the rise of the production rate of Persian text data in a commercial area, improvement of the efficiency of algorithms in Persian is a must. The structure of the Persian language such as word and sentence structures poses some challenges in this area. Deep learning algorithms are recently used in NLP and especially sentiment text classification for many dominant languages like Persian. The goal is to improve the performance of classification using deep learning issues. In this work, the authors proposed a hybrid method by a combination of structural correspondence learning (SCL) and convolutional neural network (CNN). The SCL method selects the most effective pivot features so the adaptation from one domain to similar ones cannot drop the efficiency drastically. The results showed that the proposed hybrid method that is learned from one domain can act efficiently in a similar domain. The result showed that applying a combination of SCL+CNN can improve the result of sentiment classification for two domains more than 10 percent.


Two years ago, DIW Berlin introduced "Familienarbeitszeit", which offers wage replacement for families in which both partners decide to take on reduced full-time employment (working hours amount¬ing to roughly 80 percent of a full-time job, henceforth referred to as "three-quarters employment"). This study investigates further developments of this model: Apart from a more generous wage replacement variant, the study examines a simplified variant with a lump sum benefit that serves as a sensible alternative, since it entails fewer administrative burdens and lower overall costs. The benefit's eligibility requirements are also flexibilized: Instead of having to adhere to a fixed working-time requirement (base model), any parent whose working hours fall within the "corridor" of 28 to 32 hours per week is entitled to the benefits (corridor model). The corridor model increases the number of eligible recipients, and thus utilization rises somewhat more than it does with the base model; however, a corridor model would also come with higher costs.


Primary malignant melanoma of the nose and paranasal sinus mucosa is a rare disease and seen in less than 1% among all melanomas. Malignant melanomas have 2 origins: cutaneous and mucosal. The mucosal form has a worse prognosis because of its aggressiveness compared with that of the cutaneous form. Mucosal melanomas often occur at a rate of 2% to 3% among all melanomas and are typically found in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Generally, it is more common in males and in those older than 50 years. In this study, 4 patients were observed at the Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine; 2 of them were a 64-year-old man and an 82-year-old woman who had a malignant melanoma originating from the nasal septal mucosa, 1 patient was a 72-year-old woman whose malignant melanoma originated from the inferior turbinate, and 1 patient was a 77-year-old woman with a sinonasally located melanoma. The conditions of these patients were discussed under the light of literature instructions.


ABSTRACT India's present development trajectory is at a crucial juncture with a requirement to meet the demands of a population of over 1.2 billion while ensuring environmental sustainability. The resulting economic growth over the past two decades has over-exploited finite natural resources and led to tremendous environmental degradation. Therefore, decoupling economic growth from resource consumption is crucial in the transformation towards a green economy. Building construction is one of the most resource-intensive sectors, as well as creating a high impact on the environment. This study analyzes existing mechanisms in India's building construction sector that attempt to decouple economic growth from resource use and environmental impacts. The key contributors for decoupling are analyzed. Recommendations for regulations, market incentives, transparency, data monitoring and capacity-building are provided for an array of policy initiatives targeted at political and financial decision-makers at the national, state and local levels for different buildings.


An approximate method for determining the convective cooling requirement in the laminar boundary-layer region of a body of revolution in high-speed flight was developed and applied to an example body. The cooling requirement for the example body was determined as a function of Mach number, altitude, size, and a surface-temperature parameter. The maximum value of Mach number considered was 3.0 and the altitudes considered were those within the lower constant-temperature region of the atmosphere (40,000 to 120,000 ft.). The extent of the laminar boundary layer was determined approximately at each condition as a function of the variables considered.


"One of the most important wheat breeding strategies under Mediterranean climate is to achieve genotypes that are potentially capable of producing desirable yield while encountering water limitation during their flowering stage. In order to identify traits effective on the yield and determine the best and most efficient drought tolerance indices for bread wheat in cold region of Ardabil, an experiment was conducted on 12 bread-wheat genotypes (treatment) based on complete randomized block design with three replications at experimental farm of Islamic Azad University, Ardabil Branch, in 2010. Examination of drought tolerance indices revealed that indices such as STI, GMP and MP were highly correlated with Yp and Ys, which were designated as the most efficient indices. Moreover, genotypes such as Tous and 4041 by producing the highest yield were the most tolerant genotypes. By analyzing to main components based on drought tolerance indices, the two main components accounted for 99.54% of the variations. Saratovskaya-29 was identified as the weakest genotype in the region both at stressed and normal conditions."


AIMS
We sought to assess the impact of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity on patient outcome in a collective with relevant mitral regurgitation undergoing MitraClip implantation..

METHODS AND RESULTS
From August 2010 to July 2013, 766 patients (age 75.3±8.5 years, 61% male, median EuroSCORE 24.3%±18.4) were prospectively enrolled in the TRAMI registry and stratified by echocardiography into no/mild, moderate and severe TR. Overall, the mean number of implanted MitraClips was higher in patients with severe TR but increasing TR severity was not associated with procedural success. In-hospital and one-year mortality as well as MACE and MACCE (death, myocardial infarction±stroke) rates were higher with increasing TR severity. Kaplan-Meier curves indicated a significant difference for mortality (p<0.0001), but not for rehospitalisation for heart failure. After multivariate Cox regression, severe TR proved to be a predictor for one-year mortality (HR 2.01, 95% CI: 1.25-3.26, p=0.004). Higher rates of severe bleeding were more frequent with increasing TR grades.

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with MitraClip implantation, increasing TR severity is associated with adverse outcome, higher bleeding rates and decreased survival rates.