In 1997, after the death of Princess Diana, the British popular press declared that Britain was having a "collective nervous breakdown". This paper considers whether it is possible to assert that a collective mental state could exist, such that it could have a "breakdown" (to use a non-technical term). In reality, the concept of the collective mental state has a long history, but it also has a well-known critique called Methodological Individualism, where thoughts and actions can only be attributed to individuals. If the concept of the collective mental state is valid, then it is possible to argue that the normal functioning of a group, community, or whole society, that is, a collectivity, can be disrupted by contagion, and that it can be said to be disordered. Some of the common large-scale disorders that have been recognised are depression, fear, aggression, desensitization and acceptance of genocide. Thus, the concept of the collective mental state can provide a valuable transdisciplinary vehicle for the investigation of some of the great issues confronting humankind.


Abstract Increasing vehicle automation presents challenges as drivers of highly automated vehicles become more disengaged from the primary driving task. However, even with fully automated driving, there will still be activities that require interfaces for vehicle-passenger interactions. Windshield displays are a technology with a promising potential for automated driving, as they are able to provide large content areas supporting drivers in non-driving related activities. However, it is still unknown how potential drivers or passengers would use these displays. This work addresses user preferences for windshield displays in automated driving. Participants of a user study (N=63N=63) were presented two levels of automation (conditional and full), and could freely choose preferred positions, content types, as well as size, transparency levels and importance levels of content windows using a simulated "ideal" windshield display. We visualized the results in form of heatmap data which show that user preferences differ with respect to the level of automation, age, gender, or environment aspects. These insights can help designers of interiors and in-vehicle applications to provide a rich user experience in highly automated vehicles.


Elmo1 and Elmo2 are highly homologous cytoplasmic adaptor proteins that interact with Dock family guanine nucleotide exchange factors to promote activation of the small GTPase Rac. In T lymphocytes, Dock2 is essential for CCR7- and CXCR4-dependent Rac activation and chemotaxis, but the role of Elmo proteins in regulating Dock2 function in primary T cells is not known. In this article, we show that endogenous Elmo1, but not Elmo2, interacts constitutively with Dock2 in mouse and human primary T cells. CD4 + T cells from Elmo1 2 / 2 mice were profoundly impaired in polarization, Rac activation, and chemotaxis in response to CCR7 and CXCR4 stimulation. Transfection of full-length Elmo1, but not Elmo2 or a Dock2-binding mutant of Elmo1, rescued defective migration of Elmo1 2 / 2 T cells. Interestingly, Dock2 protein levels were reduced by 4-fold in Elmo1 2 / 2 lymphocytes despite normal levels of Dock2 mRNA. Dock2 polyubiquitination was increased in Elmo1 2 / 2 T cells, and treatment with proteasome inhibitors partially restored Dock2 levels in Elmo1 2 / 2 T cells. Finally, we show that Dock2 is directly ubiquitinated in CD4 + T cells and that Elmo1 expression in heterologous cells inhibits ubiquitination of Dock2. Taken together, these findings reveal a previously unknown, nonredundant role for Elmo1 in controlling Dock2 levels and Dock2-dependent T cell migration in primary lymphocytes. Inhibition of Dock2 has therapeutic potential as a means to control recruitment of pathogenic lymphocytes in diseased tissues. This work provides valuable insights into the molecular regulation of Dock2 by Elmo1 that can be used to design improved inhibitors that target the Elmo-Dock-Rac


The amount of sensors publishing data on the Web is increasing as a result of the online availability of Sensor Web platforms that provide support for this task. With such increase in sensor data publication, new challenges arise for the identification, discovery and access to this data. Following the set of best practices to publish and link structured data on the web proposed by the Linked Data community, in this paper we introduce the concept of Linked Stream Data, a way in which the Linked Data principles can be applied to stream data and be part of the Web of Linked Data.


The purpose of this paper is to inform the contemporary policy debate on promoting trade among developing countries (South–South trade) by analyzing trade patterns of developing Asian economies from a comparative global perspective. The paper begins with a stage-setting historical overview of the policy debate on South–South trade. It then examines trends and patterns of South–South trade in Asian economies, with emphasis on the implications of the growing importance of global production sharing and the rise of the People's Republic of China, followed by an econometric analysis of the determinants of South–South trade flows within the standard gravity modeling framework. As far as developing Asian countries are concerned, there is no evidence to suggest that growth of their trade with the Southern trading partners has lagged behind what we would expect in terms of the standard determinants of trade potential. The findings also suggest that South–South trade is largely complementary to, rather than competing with, South–North trade.


Robert Mugabe's ZANU (PF) party has dominated Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 and came to power with an avowedly revolutionary and Marxist-Leninist ethos and world-view. But Zimbabwe's position on the world stage and in Africa has been profoundly affected by practical political, economic, and international considerations at variance with the region's ideology. The author illustrates these tensions and the failure to restructure internal and international economic relationships--neither acknowledged nor explained for the electorate--and draws striking parallels with other emergent states in the developing world.


This paper looks at the relevance of archiving to legal education; especially in the area of case laws, differentiation of issues in a case, legal precedents and critiquing skills. It addresses the method of imparting legal knowledge which teaches law without including the indigenous background surrounding issues and principles of law; for a proper connection between the past and the present. It shows that legal education can never be complete if there is no recourse to indigenous historical background that connects legal precedents, using it to explain and differentiate legal principles; thereby portraying the essence of Archives as evidential by-products that provides precedents that could show when an issue in the past has re occurred; and thus provide information on legal steps to follow in the present. This, in effect, show that archives has the prospects of providing a new paradigm to legal education in the area of legal precedence, review of laws, foreknowledge of effects of laws and societal norms. Thereby producing a well educated lawyer who is able to handle confidently issues in any case and challenge extant laws based on its effect on the indigenous society. This paper shows how the principles of provenance, original order, access and appraisal of information could be applied in Nigerian legal education.

 Key words: Archives, Law archives, Nigerian Law Library, legal records, legal services, legal education and legal precedent.


Video productions commonly start with a script, especially for talking head videos that feature a speaker narrating to the camera. When the source materials come from a written document – such as a web tutorial, it takes iterations to refine content from a text article to a spoken dialogue, while considering visual compositions in each scene. We propose Doc2Video, a video prototyping approach that converts a document to interactive scripting with a preview of synthetic talking head videos. Our pipeline decomposes a source document into a series of scenes, each automatically creating a synthesized video of a virtual instructor. Designed for a specific domain – programming cookbooks, we apply visual elements from the source document, such as a keyword, a code snippet or a screenshot, in suitable layouts. Users edit narration sentences, break or combine sections, and modify visuals to prototype a video in our Editing UI. We evaluated our pipeline with public programming cookbooks. Feedback from professional creators shows that our method provided a reasonable starting point to engage them in interactive scripting for a narrated instructional video.


For the past three years, we have been running an experiment in web-based interaction with an autonomous indoor mobile robot. The robot, Xavier, can accept commands to travel to different offices in our building, broadcasting camera images as it travels. The experiment, which was originally designed to test a new navigation algorithm, has proven very successful, with over 30,000 requests received and 210 kilometers travelled, to date. This article describes the autonomous robot system, the web-based interfaces, and how they communicate with the robot. It highlights lessons learned during this experiment in web-based robotics and includes recommendations for putting future mobile robots on the web.


INTRODUCTION
We evaluated ocular outcomes in a 14-d head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest (BR) study designed to simulate the effects of microgravity on the human body.

METHODS
Healthy subjects were selected using NASA standard screening procedures. Standardized NASA BR conditions were implemented (e.g., strict sleep-wake cycle, standardized diet, 24-hour-a-day BR, continuous video monitoring). Subjects maintained a 6° HDT position for 14 consecutive days. Weekly ophthalmological examinations were performed in the sitting (pre/post-BR) and HDT (in-bed phase) positions. Equivalency tests with optimal-alpha techniques evaluated pre/post-BR differences in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure (IOP), Spectral-domain OCT retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), optic disc and macular parameters.

RESULTS
16 subjects (12 men and 4 women) were enrolled. Nearly all ocular outcomes were within our predefined clinically relevant thresholds following HDTBR, except near BCVA (pre/post-BR mean difference: -0.06 logMAR), spherical equivalent (-0.30 D), Tonopen XL IOP (+3.03 mmHg) and Spectralis OCT average (+1.14 μm), temporal-inferior (+1.58 μm) and nasal-inferior RNFLT (+3.48 μm). Modified Amsler grid, red dot test, confrontational visual field, and color vision were within normal limits throughout. No changes were detected on stereoscopic color fundus photography.

DISCUSSION
A few functional and structural changes were detected after 14-d HDTBR, notably an improved BCVA possibly due to learning effect and RNFL thickening without signs of optic disc edema. In general, 6° HDTBR determined a small nonprogressive IOP elevation, which returned to baseline levels post-BR. Further studies with different BR duration and/or tilt angle are warranted to investigate microgravity-induced ophthalmological changes.


An enrichment cloning method was evaluated for the isolation of microsatellite loci from eastern white pine and the resulting markers were examined for polymorphisms. A 200-fold enrichment was achieved for highly abundant (AC), repeats, but for much less abundant (ACAG), repeats an enrichment of only 20-fold was obtained. Using a single set of PCR conditions, 19 microsatellite loci were identified from 77 primer pairs evaluated. Genotyping of 16 (AC), loci in 16 unrelated white pines from the north-central United States revealed an average of 5.4 alleles per locus and an average observed heterozygosity of 0.515. Five loci were scored among megagametophytes from a single pine to obtain a haploid genotype of the segregating female meiotic products. All loci segregated according to Mendelian expectations and linkage was established for two of the loci. It was concluded that (AC), loci are highly variable in this species and that SSR (simple.sequence repeat) markers can be efficiently developed for genome mapping and population genetics studies.


After encountering recurrent flow stasis in continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration (CAVH) clinical systems, a combined experimental and theoretical investigation was undertaken of hydraulic operational behavior of extracorporeal systems operated with blood of high hematocrit. Theoretical analyses were developed for selected modalities of extracorporeal blood purification. These modalities include hemofiltration, volume-controlled hemofiltration, CAVH, and volume-controlled CAVH. These analyses have revealed that steady state hydraulic operation may not always be possible when the venous return blood hematocrit becomes elevated. For all modalities, except volume-controlled hemofiltration, one would expect to encounter a departure from steady state operation at a critical hematocrit specific to that system. One would typically not expect to encounter this operational instability phenomenon, unless venous hematocrit was greater than 50. When operational instability is encountered, progressive hemoconcentration of blood and elevation of hemofilter blood pressure occur despite no further perturbation of the system. For modalities in which blood is pumped, the pressure rises until such time as mechanical integrity of the circuit is breached. For the arteriovenous modalities, the pressure rises, and blood flow and uhrafiltration ultimately cease. Laboratory experiments were performed to validate this theory. Blood was perfused through hemofilters of high hydraulic permeability. The ultrafiltrate pressure was varied stepwise from a positive pressure sufficient to prevent net uhrafiltration (or backfiltration) to approximately – 50 mm Hg. Examination of hemofilter pressures and uhrafiltration rates in twenty-four experiments showed a return to steady state operation after most perturbations in ultrafiltrate pressure. In eleven of these experiments (only those in which the venous hematocrit was greater than 47), a subsequent small perturbation in ultrafiltrate pressure was followed by a large upward pressure excursion in the pre-and posthemofilter pressures such that the experiment had to be terminated to avoid disruption of tubing or membrane. No clotting occurred, and the experiments were repeatable with the same or different hemofilters. The experimental results are in reasonably good agreement with the theoretical analysis for pumped uhrafiltration. Hematocrit values at which this operational instability occurs can be predicted based on the shape of the apparent viscosity versus hematocrit curve and system design parameters, in particular hemofilter hydraulic permeability and venous catheter diameter. These hematocrit values may define an upper limit of postfilter hematocrit at which some blood purification systems can operate.


An overall summary of the Institute of Technology IRT Saint Exupery MDA-MDO project (Multi-Disciplinary Analysis - Multidisciplinary Design Optimization) is presented. The aim of the project is to develop efficient capabilities (methods, tools and a software platform) to enable industrial deployment of MDO methods in industry. At IRT Saint Exupery, industrial and academic partners collaborate in a single place to the development of MDO methodologies; the advantage provided by this mixed organization is to directly benefit from both advanced methods at the cutting edge of research and deep knowledge of industrial needs and constraints. This paper presents the three main goals of the project: the elaboration of innovative MDO methodologies and formulations (also referred to as architectures in the literature 1) adapted to the resolution of industrial aircraft optimization design problems, the development of a MDO platform featuring scalable MDO capabilities for transfer to industry and the achievement of a simulation-based optimization of an aircraft engine pylon with industrial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) tools.


In 1999 and 2000, the Rhode Island Supreme Court handed down two opinions holding that the doctrine of separation of powers was not part of the state constitution. Rather, said the court, Rhode Island government was "a quintessential system of parliamentary supremacy". The decisions had been prompted by the legislature's assuming increasing control of state regulatory agencies. The principal technique was having agencies controlled by a board or commission whose members - in some instances, a majority - were appointed by the legislature. Good government groups launched a campaign to amend the state constitution to incorporate the doctrine of separation of powers. Many considered this a fool's errand. The state constitution could not be amended without the consent of the legislature, and few believed voters would become aroused over an abstract principle of political science. But that is exactly what happened, and the voters ratified the constitutional amendment at the polls in 2004. The Rhode Island experience is significant because it represents the most extreme rejection of separation of powers in American history. What happened in Rhode Island, why it happened, and how the public reacted tells us much about what separation of powers means, both consequentially and in terms of public belief. This article argues that one of the things the Rhode Island experience tells us is that separation of powers is at the core of American ideology - that, in the eyes of the people, it is not an optional feature of government but as fundamental as the vote or representative government.


United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) has investigated the Frequency-Modulated-Carrier-Wave (FMCW) technique for fiber optic displacement sensors and fiber optic multiplexed networks. There is especial interest in multiplexing techniques such as frequency-division, wavelength-division, and time-division for aerospace and industrial sensing applications. UTRC has looked at a number of these techniques for multiplexing fiber-optic sensors for engine control applications. In particular, UTRC has concentrated on coherent techniques because of the inherent sensitivity and robustness of these methods. In previous work, the FMCW technique was investigated using different lasers in a discrete optic Michelson interfeyometer, in which laser frequency chirp and coherence properties were studied. In an interferometric system, direct modulation of the laser diode with a linear ramp generates an output beat frequency. This beat frequency is proportional to the optical path length difference of the interferometer. Various schemes fo5 multiplexing fiber sensors using the FMCW technique have been suggested. The emphasis has been on increasing the sensor count through understanding the coherence and optical power requirements of the system; and minimizing the effect of cross terms by implementing various architectures and imposing restrictions on the information frequency band to be measured. This paper compares two approaches to the FMCW technique in which the effects of cross terms on the system performance is minimized by taking advantage of laser coherence properties and system design. A fiber-optic linear bus network consisting of three reflective sensors was constructed. The paper presents experimental results and analysis of the FMCW multiplexed system performance.


The high proportion of long-term nonprogressors among chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients suggests the existence of a regulatory network that restrains the proliferation of tumor B cells. The identification of molecular determinants composing such network is hence fundamental for our understanding of CLL pathogenesis. Based on our previous finding establishing a deficiency in the signaling adaptor p66Shc in CLL cells, we undertook to identify unique phenotypic traits caused by this defect. Here we show that a lack of p66Shc shapes the transcriptional profile of CLL cells and leads to an upregulation of the surface receptor ILT3, the immunoglobulin-like transcript 3 that is normally found on myeloid cells. The ectopic expression of ILT3 in CLL was a distinctive feature of neoplastic B cells and hematopoietic stem cells, thus identifying ILT3 as a selective marker of malignancy in CLL and the first example of phenotypic continuity between mature CLL cells and their progenitors in the bone marrow. ILT3 expression in CLL was found to be driven by Deltex1, a suppressor of antigen receptor signaling in lymphocytes. Triggering of ILT3 inhibited the activation of Akt kinase upon B-cell receptor (BCR) stimulation. This effect was achieved through the dynamic coalescence of ILT3, BCRs, and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate 5-phosphatase 1 into inhibitory clusters at the cell surface. Collectively, our findings identify ILT3 as a signature molecule of p66Shc deficiency in CLL and indicate that ILT3 may functionally contribute to a regulatory network controlling tumor progression by suppressing the Akt pathway.


Fat digestion in humans and some mammals such as dogs requires the successive intervention of two lipases: gastric lipase, which is stable and active despite the highly acidic stomach environment, followed by the classical pancreatic lipase secreted into the duodenum. We previously solved the structure of recombinant human gastric lipase (HGL) at 3.0-Å resolution in its closed form; this was the first structure to be described within the mammalian acid lipase family. Here we report on the open structure of the recombinant dog gastric lipase (r-DGL) at 2.7-Å resolution in complex with the undecyl-butyl (C11Y4) phosphonate inhibitor. HGL and r-DGL show 85.7% amino acid sequence identity, which makes it relevant to compare the forms from two different species. The open r-DGL structure confirms the previous description of the HGL catalytic triad (Ser153, His353, and Asp324) with the catalytic serine buried and an oxyanion hole (NH groups of Gln154 and Leu67). In r-DGL, the binding of the C11Y4 phosphonate inhibitor induces part of the cap domain, the lid, to roll over the enzyme surface and to expose a catalytic crevice measuring ∼20 × 20 × 7 Å3. The C11Y4 phosphonate fits into this crevice, and a molecule of β-octyl glucoside fills up the crevice. The C11Y4 phosphonate inhibitor and the detergent molecule suggest a possible binding mode for the natural substrates, the triglyceride molecules.


CYP3A29 is the most important key enzyme for drug metabolism in pig's liver. Research of the characters of CYP3A29 mRNA expression in Chinese experimental miniature pig's livers is significant for evaluating it whether suitable for experimental model for drug metabolism mediated by human CYP3A4 enzyme. In this study, the levels of CYP3A29 mRNA expression in livers of Bama miniature pigs, Guizhou miniature pigs and Rongchang pigs were studied by TaqMan-mediated quantitative RT-PCR. Results indicated that the CYP3A29 mRNA expression levels in livers of these species were close to literatures of human. Levels of CYP3A29 mRNA expression were similar among livers of Bama miniature pigs, Guizhou miniature pigs and Rongchang pigs, but interindividual variations were quite large. It was suggested that Bama miniature pigs and Guizhou miniature pigs were both feasible for experimental animal model for evaluating drug metabolism in some degree.


This study focused on an experiential graduate-level qualitative research course and a practical study to understand how family-friendliness is conceptualized at an international expatriate university in Kazakhstan. Student researchers worked collaboratively to reflect and engage in a research process including developing interview protocols, transcription, coding, and analysis. From this work, students developed research capacity and uncovered four key components to family friendliness, including: safety, financial support, infrastructure and facilities, and sense of community. These were re-analyzed through Clark's (2000) border theory resulting in two major themes: safe, simple life on campus (physical borders) and sense of support (psychological borders). This study provided three important outcomes: (1) engaging students within a graduate level course in creating and conducting a collaborative exploratory qualitative research study, (2) uncovering results about the importance of family-friendliness on campus for international parents/faculty, and (3) providing recommendations to develop family-friendliness to support recruitment and retention in higher education institutions. For students studying higher education leadership for future careers as administrators, academics, and researchers, understanding these experiences and results provide insights to develop equitable university environments.


What are the factors that shape domestic violence policy change and how are variable gendered meanings produced in these policies? How and when can feminists influence policy making? What conditions and policy mechanisms lead to progressive change and which ones block it or lead to reversal? The Gender Politics of Domestic Violence analyzes the emergence of gender equality sensitive domestic violence policy reforms in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Tracing policy developments in Eastern Europe from the beginning of 2000s, when domestic violence first emerged on policy agendas, until 2015, Andrea Krizsan and Conny Roggeband look into the contestation that takes place between women's movements, states and actors opposing gender equality to explain the differences in gender equality sensitive policy outputs across the region. They point to regionally specific patterns of feminist engagement with the state in which coalition-building between women's organizations and establishing alliances with different state actors were critical for achieving gendered policy progress. In addition, they demonstrate how discursive contexts shaped by democratization frames and opposition to gender equality, led to differences in the politicization of gender equality, making gender friendly reforms more feasible in some countries than others.


Tropical Cyclone Atsani occurred in late October 2020 and moved westward offshore south of Taiwan. During its offshore passage, the cyclone deflects northward as it closes to the southern end of Taiwan. A global model MPAS at a multi-resolution of 60-15-3-km is applied to explore the track responses of Atsani and identify the topographic effects of the Central Mountain Range (CMR) on the cyclone circulation and the associated track deflection. With a 3-km resolution targeted at the Taiwan area, the cyclone track deflection can be reasonably simulated, with more sensitivity to physics schemes and dynamic vortex initialization and less sensitivity to initial environmental perturbations. When the Taiwan terrain is removed, the cyclone indeed deflects more northward earlier, in particular for simulations with a stronger cyclone that tends to generate stronger east-west wind asymmetry in the absence of the terrain. Idealized simulations with a regional model WRF at 3-km resolution are also utilized to contrast the track deflection of different departing cyclones, similar to the real case. It was found that northward deflection will be induced near south of the CMR-like terrain for both stronger and weaker westbound cyclones departing at different latitudes south of the terrain. We have explained why a further northward track at earlier stages is induced in the absence of the terrain effects in regard to model initial states. In both real and idealized cases, the track deflection of the cyclone moving around the terrain is dominated by the wavenumber-one horizontal potential vorticity (PV) advection that is somewhat offset by both vertical PV advection and differential diabatic heating.


Buffering architectures and policies for their efficient management are one of the core ingredients of network architecture. However, despite strong incentives to experiment with and deploy new policies, opportunities for changing or automatically choosing anything beyond a few parameters in a predefined set of behaviors still remain very limited. We introduce a novel buffer management framework based on machine learning approaches which automatically adapts to traffic conditions changing over time and requires only limited knowledge from network operators about the dynamics and optimality of desired behaviors. We validate and compare various design options with a comprehensive evaluation study.


In this paper, we first identify several challenges in designing a joint channel assignment and routing (JCAR) protocol in heterogeneous multiradio multichannel multihop wireless networks (M3WNs) using commercial hardware [e.g., IEEE 802.11 Network Interface Card (NIC)]. We then propose a novel software solution, called Layer 2.5 JCAR, which resides between the MAC layer and routing layer. JCAR jointly coordinates the channel selection on each wireless interface and the route selection among interfaces based on the traffic information measured and exchanged among the two-hop neighbors. Since interference is one of the major factors that constrain the performance in a M3 WN, in this paper, we introduce an important channel cost metric (CCM) which actually reflects the interference cost and is defined as the sum of expected transmission time weighted by the channel utilization over all interfering channels (for each node). In CCM, both the interference and the diverse channel characteristics are taken into account. An expression for CCM is derived in terms of equivalent fraction of air time by explicitly taking the radio heterogeneity into consideration. Using CCM as one of the key performance measures, we propose a distributed algorithm (heuristic) that produces near-optimal JCAR solution. To evaluate the efficacy of our heuristics, we conduct extensive simulations using the network simulator NS2. To demonstrate implementation feasibility, we conducted various experiments for the proposed distributed JCAR algorithm on a multihop wireless network testbed with nine wireless nodes, each is equipped with single/multiple 802.11a/g cards. Both experimental and simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and implementation easiness of our proposed software solution


Objective: To determine whether there is a difference in the risk factors for ischemic stroke and for TIA. Background: TIA is associated with a high risk for ischemic stroke, but some have considered TIA as mild ischemic stroke. Prevention of disabling stroke is sufficient reason to label TIA as a precursor for stroke, but some risk factors may be more or less associated with TIA than with ischemic stroke, suggesting differences in mechanism. Methods: The medical records linkage system for the Rochester Epidemiology Project provided the means of identifying first episodes of TIA in the Rochester, MN population among those who had not had ischemic stroke. Control subjects were selected from an enumeration of the population through the medical records. The exposure to various risk factors was ascertained. The conditional likelihood approach to estimate the parameters of a multiple logistic model permitted estimation of the OR for TIA for each risk factor while adjusting for confounding variables. Results: The multivariable logistic regression model for TIA shows that the estimates of the ORs for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, persistent atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, and cigarette smoking are similar to the ORs for those variables in the ischemic stroke model. However, the OR for mitral valve disease in the TIA model is 0.4, suggesting that mitral valve disease is unlikely to be associated with cerebral ischemic episodes that are brief enough to be called TIA.


Urocortin is a 40-amino acid peptide belonging to the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family. In human reproductive tissues, urocortin expression has been previously demonstrated in the ovary, in the placenta and fetal membranes and in pregnant uterine tissues, while no data are available on the expression of the peptide in the nonpregnant uterus. In this study, urocortin expression was evaluated by both immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, in human uterine tissues and cells at different phases of the menstrual cycle. Urocortin was immunolocalized in endometrial epithelial and stromal cells, as well as in the myometrium, and in vascular smooth muscle cells. No differences between proliferative and secretory phase were observed. These results were confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of isolated endometrial epithelial and stromal cells, and myometrial specimens. These findings open new questions on the roles played by urocortin in the human uterus.


In response to elicitors in the oral secretions of caterpillars, plants produce and release volatile chemicals that attract predators and parasitoids of the caterpillar while it feeds. The most prevalent elicitors are fatty acid amides consisting of 18-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids coupled with l-glutamine. We demonstrate rapid CoA- and ATP-independent in vitro biosynthesis of the fatty acid amide elicitor, N-linolenoyl-l-glutamine, by microsomal fractions of several alimentary tissues in Manduca sexta. N-linolenoyl-l-glutamine is a structural analog of several other elicitors including volicitin, the first fatty acid amide elicitor identified in caterpillars. The enzyme(s) that catalyzed biosynthesis of N-linolenoyl-l-glutamine was localized within the integral membrane protein fraction extracted from microsomes by Triton X-114 detergent phase partitioning and had maximum activity at alkaline pH. We found no evidence suggesting microbial or tissue-independent biosynthesis of N-linolenoyl-l-glutamine in M. sexta. The in vitro biosynthesis of N-linolenoyl-l-glutamine by membrane-associated enzyme(s) in M. sexta represents direct evidence of fatty acid amide synthesis by caterpillar tissues.


The pseudohalide principle has been used extensively in nonmetal chemistry to predict the structure and stability of many molecular species. The 1,2,3,4-thiatriazole-5-thiolate anion, CS2N3(-), is of particular interest. In a short communication we have recently reported the topological study of some CS2N3(-)containing species reported by Crawford et al. Previous reports on these compounds showed that in covalent derivatives not only does the ring remain intact but also the site of attachment of the R group is most likely at the exocyclic sulfur atom in contrast to the previously suggested N-R connectivity. Therefore, the structure and bonding of derivatives of the CS2N3(-) moiety is clearly an important question. With that in our mind, we undertook a topological analysis, based on the AIM theory, to gain more insight into the bonding in covalent derivatives of the CS2N3(-) moiety, trying to find an explanation to the origin of the N-H and S-H connectivities. The question is which is the reason that makes all the covalent derivatives prefer the S-R connectivity while the hydracid has an N-H one.


This paper presents the effects of facial metallic pins on the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the head, when radiated by a microwave source placed in front of the face. A Specific Anthropomorphic Mannequin (SAM) is adapted for use with a DASY4 and a digitised SAM head is modelled using inhouse Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) code, enabling comparisons between measurements and simulations. A continuous wave (CW) half-wave dipole is placed in front of the face, representing a communications enabled personal data assistant mobile communications equipment (PDAMCE). Parametric studies have shown that metallic pins that are roughly half a wavelength long placed along the eyebrow, increase the 1g and 10g SARs at 900MHz by around five fold. A greater than five fold increase is seen at 1800MHz. Measurements show very good agreement with simulations.


This study examines the impact of a competency based progression approach to the training of apprentice electricians in Victoria. An expert panel report on Australian apprenticeship reform, (McDowell et al., 2011) recommended a move away from time served to competency based progression and completion. These recommendations were intended to improve apprentice completion rates, and included an increased focus on foundation skills, a mentoring arrangement, and competency based progression for the apprentice. E-Oz Energy Skills Australia is the energy sectors' industry skills council. This organisation was charged with the development and implementation of a competency based progression pilot project to implement the recommended apprenticeship reforms in the electrical trade. The research examines the pilot project from the apprentice perspective, using a small group of apprentice electricians participating in the project in Victoria. The research found there were four main factors which affected the apprentices' progression. These factors include the apprentices' motivation to complete their qualification, their entry level of literacy and numeracy skills, their maturity in taking responsibility for their own learning, which leads to an ability to progress in a blended learning environment, and the level of support or mentoring they require and are able to access. The research found the apprentices were motivated to successfully complete their qualification at their own pace, but a lack of flexibility within the Registered Training Organisations meant they were unable to progress based on their developing level of competency. Apprentices within the research criticised the blended learning resources developed for the pilot as not being up to the quality standard they expected. Furthermore, the mentoring provided by the project was generally insufficient to allow relationships to be formed; therefore the usefulness of the mentoring was limited. However the pilot project provided an excellent assessment of the apprentices' literacy and numeracy skills on entry, and was useful to assist them to achieve and maintaining the required level of these skills. Results from the research indicate that although the concept of competency based progression is based on skill rather than time, time is still an important factor in the training of apprentices. The research also identified a lack of social learning when a blended learning model is introduced, leading to a lack of peer mentoring support. This area will require further research.


In Mexico, fuel consumption costs are almost a half of the total operational costs in passenger road transportation companies so that even small improvements in this matter can positively affect their profit. This work presents the results of applying a continuous improvement project in the fuel efficiency department for one of the main bus fleets of an important transportation company in the region. We describe the application of the PDCA methodology. During the "Plan" step, we also rely on relevant literature to justify the strategies proposed. Among these strategies are: a new measurement & control system of fuel efficiency, the improvement of the value stream in the maintenance department, a system to increase the fuel energy efficiency using additives, and a new incentive program for drivers. Results on the implemented strategies and estimations for the ones still on progress show that the company will be able to increase up to 3.8% the fuel efficiency of the fleet under study.


The PBMR is the first High Temperature Reactor being designed for commercial power generation in South Africa. It makes use of spherical fuel elements, containing coated uranium oxide particles encapsulated in a graphite matrix. The spent fuel generated from the reactor is stored in a storage system before final disposal. Such storage systems are called interim storage facilities, and normally make use of small transportable containers. The PBMR design makes use of bulk storage containers, capable of holding more than half a million spent fuel spheres. This is a unique concept for nuclear spent fuel storage. Also, most nuclear reactors make use of an intermediate cooling pool before the fuel is transferred to the storage facility. For the PBMR, the spent fuel is discharged directly into the interim storage facility, thus eliminating the intermediate cooling pool. All interim storage facilities have to comply with five basic requirements, namely: fuel subcriticality; decay heat removal; radioactive material containment; fuel integrity protection; and radiation protection of the workers and the public. The solution for each requirement depends upon the type of fuel, as well as the philosophical criteria of the reactor design. For the PBMR, it involves a storage life of 80 years, passive cooling and bulk storage tanks. In addition to the basic requirements, the PBMR storage facility should also be able to store used fuel during reactor maintenance, and to transfer it back to the reactor or to another storage tank when required. During the four years of the development of the storage system, the design has undergone several changes. These changes were brought on by changes of the reactor design, and also due to developments and improvements on immature areas. The result is an integrated solution, retaining virtually none of the original concept, but still complying with all requirements. The containment design solution is a vertically suspended ASME VIII pressure vessel (or storage tank) with a loading point and an unloading device. All radioactive material is captured inside the pressure boundary, and the tank is completely sealed off when not in use. New devices were developed to systematically load the tank, and to remove the spheres from the tank. Scale tests were done to verify the performance of the new devices and to ensure proper sphere flow inside the tank. Sub-criticality of the fuel volume is achieved by adding hollow tubes to the inside of the storage tank, thereby creating a sub-critical geometry. Bum-up credit is also taken for the fuel at 20% below the average core bum-up. The fuel is therefore passively safe even if the full contents of the reactor is transferred into a storage tank. In order to ensure that the tank lasts for 80 years in a cost-effective manner, the tanks are cooled in a closed loop system. The closed loop air is continuously dried to a very low relative humidity, which minimises corrosion on even normal carbon steel. Corrosion tests have been performed to investigate the effect of radiolysis products that may build up in the closed loop. These tests are still under way. The decay heat is removed from the fuel spheres by means of air convection around the tank surface. The tubes inside the tank also allow air to pass through, creating a very strong chimney effect. A new method was developed to calculate the fuel temperatures for a given cooling flow. The technique makes use of FEA and analytical equations. Solutions are obtained at a fraction of the time it takes to perform a full CFD analysis, and within 5% compared to CFD results. Full-scale tests are planned to measure and verify the heat transfer properties of the cooling tubes in order to boost the credibility of the FEA and CFD analyses. The storage tank design is integrated into a storage unit, which performs all the nuclear functions. The storage unit can operate in four different cooling modes, namely closed loop active cooling; open loop passive cooling; open loop active cooling and closed loop conditioning. There is an automatic fallback from the active cooling mode to a passive cooling mode. The active cooling is thus only needed to prevent excessive corrosion of the tanks. A scale model has been built to demonstrate the passive cooling ability of a storage unit, and the results agree well with CFD analyses. Also, a new method was developed to calculate the passive cooling characteristics using pipe network simulation software. This method is significantly faster than CFD analyses, and allows one to easily incorporate fan characteristics and to perform sensitivity studies. Twelve storage units make up the Sphere Storage System of the PBMR. An intricate sphere pipe system allows one to transfer fuel spheres from the reactor to any tank, from any tank back to the reactor or to another tank, or to a decommissioning cask. All maintenance intensive components are placed at accessible areas, thus protecting the workers from the radiation coming from the tanks. Measures are incorporated to detect any contamination leakage, and also to enable the IAEA to verify the nuclear inventory of the storage system. The Sphere Storage System is a fully integrated, yet modular design that complies with all nuclear and process requirements. It presents a unique solution to the inten'm fuel storage of the PBMR, and is believed to be a cost-effective solution for 80 years of storage. Some future tests and developments are required to finalise immature areas, but overall, the system is sufficiently engineered such that detail design can continue.


The article presents an economic analysis of the life cycle of rail buses. As this analysis part, the costs incurred by the user in the exploitation phase of a rail bus were assessed. The cost estimate was based on the author's own method of forecasting the exploitation costs of a technical object (e.g. means of transport, equipment, machinery), which takes into account the variability of the costs incurred over time. The article also provides the implementation of the aforementioned method, verifying its practical application when estimating the exploitation costs of technical objects. Experimental verification aimed at assessing the usability of the cost forecasting method is the purpose of this article. The verification was carried out for eight single mode X type rail buses produced by the same manufacturer. The experimental verification of the method used to estimate exploitation costs in the life cycle of objects consisted in: 1. Conducting reliability analysis of the exploitation objects in order to obtain data of technical and economic nature; 2. Entering data into the method and calculating cost forecasts; 3. Assessing correctness of the results. The degree of accuracy of the exploitation cost forecast was measured using ex post relative forecast error. The compatibility analysis of the forecast cost values with the actual ones showed their high compatibility, as evidenced by the level of the estimated relative errors (the average error was 4.9%). Therefore, it can be concluded that the prognostic value of the method is relatively high.


Among the important components of the decorative art of any people is the technology of making images. One of the forms of this technology is the basic technique (from Turk Baysa – "imprint"), which is one of the forms of realization of the imitation style. Using various forms (including – Baysa-technology) masters of different cultures and peoples sought in their creations imitating / copying works of more complex technology and, accordingly, more expensive. In fact, we are talking about imitation (de facto – about fakes) of affordable means of expensive samples. The review of the development of the Baysa-technique in the art of the Western Balts made it possible to make the ceremonial and status character of the items made in I thousand. AD the base method. KEY WORDS: art of the Balts, Baysa-technique. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/rh.v22i0.1625


Raw material availability has been shown to be a major factor affecting the material culture of Oldowan tool users. Studies of artefact provenance often focus on site-specific raw material availability. Here, we use data from primary and secondary sources of raw material to develop a model of basin-scale stone availability in the eastern Turkana Basin, during the KBS and Okote Members of the Koobi Fora Formation. ED-XRF was used as a method of characterizing raw material sources and artefacts using trace elements. This model is applied to the site of FxJj 50 to investigate transport and discard patterns.


A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm is applied to study the electro-magnetic reflection of conduction plane covered with inhomogeneous time-varying plasma, homo-geneous plasma and inhomogeneous plasma. The collision frequency of plasma is a function ofelectron density and plasma temperature. The number density profile follows a parabolic func-tion. A discussion on the effect of various plasma parameters on the reflection coefficient is pre-sented. Under the one-dimensional case, transient electromagnetic propagation through variousplasmas has been obtained, and the reflection coefficients of EM wave through various plasmasare calculated under different conditions. The results illustrate that a plasma cloaking system cansuccessfully absorb the incident EM wave.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to determine whether the conventionally used enhancement threshold of 10 HU for assessing tumor viability in treated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions is valid.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
To distinguish pseudoenhancement from enhancement in a tumor, we used an in vivo model: The attenuation of 54 hepatic cysts during the unenhanced and portal venous phases of MDCT, similar to what may be observed in HCC with central necrosis, was used to determine the threshold for pseudoenhancement. To validate this model, we compared the attenuation value of liver parenchyma in this cohort with that of 22 HCCs during the late arterial phase of enhancement. We tested the effect of this pseudoenhancement on quantifying necrosis in HCC compared with the conventionally used threshold of 10 HU.

RESULTS
Values of enhancing HCC tissue on arterial phase MDCT (mean, 121.3 HU) were comparable with normal liver parenchyma on venous phase MDCT (117.3 HU) (p = 0.27). The threshold of 17.1 HU was the best threshold for the detection of pseudoenhancement in cysts (99% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, and 98% specificity). When this threshold was used instead of the conventional threshold of 10 HU, the mean necrosis proportion of treated HCC increased from 34.0% to 42.6% and the mean viable tumor proportion decreased from 66.0% to 57.4%. The quantification of viable HCC tissue based on 10 HU and the quantification of viable HCC tissue based on 17.1 HU were found to be significantly different (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
The threshold of 17.1 HU may be the appropriate cutoff for nonenhancement in a necrotic HCC. Use of this threshold may potentially affect how response to therapy is quantified and categorized.


The flexural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) members strengthened with postpoured Ultra High Toughness Cementitious Composites (UHTCC) was investigated in this paper. The flexural behavior, failure mode and crack propagation during loading process of composite specimens were studied, and their structural behavior was also compared to that of original members. The experimental results showed that post-poured UHTCC materials enhanced flexural bearing capacity and toughness of existing concrete members. And introducing UHTCC material into strengthening enabled the composite specimens sustain the loading at a larger deflection without failure. It also revealed that post-poured UHTCC layer dispersed larger cracks in upper concrete into multiple tightly-spaced fine cracks, which prolonged the appearance of harm surface cracks and improved the durability of existing structures.


Magnesium is one of important materials light weight, which is used world widely, especially in the field of the automotive, sport, electronic and biomedical. Application of material magnesium and its alloy in the field of biomedical based on the magnesium characteristics which look very much like the nature of biocompatibility of bones in the body. Application material magnesium is also many developed by means of implanting in the body to replace the bone. Magnesium alloy have some advantages as like good strength-to-weight ratio, good biocompatible, good thermal conductivity and resistant to corrosion. However, magnesium known as flammable material, especially during the machining process at high cutting speed. The objective of paper is to optimize machining process and to maintain the chip is not burning. In this research, the point angle, lubricant and drilling parameter were analyzed to know their influence on the value of surface roughness, cylindricity and perpendicularity. On this research analysis support be done by using a Taguchi Method L18 consisting of 3 factors with 3 levels and 1 factors with 2 levels. The experimental results show that surface roughness is influenced by the significant contributions from the point angle 18.9 % and lubricant 14.5 %, where the point angle is 65 with lubricant of synthetic oil. The nose radius of cutting tool tend to increase the force when cutting process. The drilling process effected on cylindricity of hole, mainly by point angle of 45, however, especially if there is an interactions between the feeding of 0,2 mm/rev and synthetic lubricant. The value of perpendicularity of magnesium AZ31 in the drilling process however also carried out similar procedures are very much influenced by the cutting parameter of feeding that produces the significance of p = 0,044, while the strongest significance will be happened if there were an interaction between feeding of 0,1 mm/rev and synthetic lubricant to p = 0,041.


The most effective router and switch simulator for hands-on CCENT skills enhancement. 130 labs7 different lab topologiesMore than 1,500 hands-on tasksFour different types of labs CCENT 640-822 Network Simulator, Second Editionhelps you develop and improve hands-on configuration and troubleshooting skills without the investment in expensive lab hardware. This state-of-the-art, interactive simulation software enables you to practice your networking skills with 130 structured labs designed to help you learn by doing, which is the most effective method of learning. The labs are divided into four different types: skill builder labs which help you practice short, focused configuration tasks, complex configuration scenarios, which present realistic multi-layered configuration tasks, challenging troubleshooting scenarios, which provide you with an opportunity to test your problem identification and resolution skills, and subnetting exercises, which help you improve the speed and accuracy of your subnetting calculations. Experience realistic network device response as you work through each of the labs, which include detailed instructions, topology diagrams, hints, and full solutions. Unlike other simulators on the market, the lab scenarios included in the CCENT 640-822 Network Simulator, Second Editionare far more complex, challenging you to learn how to perform realistic network configuration and troubleshooting tasks. CCENT 640-822 Network Simulator is available only as a download, and is a subset of the CCNA 640-802 Network Simulator, covering all the ICND1 topics. This Second Edition includes 32 new subnetting exercise labs. This unique network simulation software helps you master the hands-on skills needed to succeed on the CCNA exam. Topics covered include: Router and switch navigation and administration LAN switching IP addressing SubnettingRouting WANs VLANs IP routing protocols Troubleshooting Minimum system requirements: 500 MHz 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended) 500 MB hard drive space 32-bit true color monitor (1024x768 resolution) Microsoft Windows XP Professional with SP2, Microsoft Vista, Microsoft Windows 7, or Mac OS X Version 10.4.11, 10.5, 10.6, or 10.7 Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.5.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0


The question addressed in this dissertation is situated at the intersection of sound studies, media and technology research, and sensory ethnography of everyday practice: namely, how does attending to sound using a portable smart device allow people access to understanding and experiencing everyday life. Leveraging the history of recording and mediated listening, this work updates traditional models of communication technology by exploring the dynamics of mediated sensory experience in the context of a specific technological practice: using mobile smart devices. Adopting listening with technology as a unique perspective from which to problematize everyday experience, the study investigates the way in which technology mediates and frames understandings of urban everyday life. Based on a small case study involving two groups of four participants the dissertation presents the results and discussion of eight sonic auto-ethnographies of listening with technology. The methodological approach for the study borrows from ethnographies of everyday practice, as well as from past sonic ethnography projects that involve listening, soundwalking and audio recording. A multimodal analysis is applied to the interpretation of participant-produced media artefacts, serving as a foundation for identifying points of convergence among representations of urban sound, approaches to listening with technology and narratives about everyday life. The analysis discusses three outcomes: the relationship between participants' existing media use and the types of media artefacts created as part of the study; a typology of documentary approaches to the mediated representation of everyday experience; and a set of specific perceptual practices discussed in relation to listening as a form of mediated soundscape competence. Albeit preliminary work, this research suggests that there is a definite relationship between habitual media and technology use and approaches to documentation of everyday experience using smart devices; further, as perceptual processes such as listening become augmented by technological capabilities, including recording, photography and decibel measurements, mediation can be seen as a cultural process inseparable from perception. In sum, this work suggests that the sensory documenting or mediated curating of everyday life using mobile smart technology is a cultural practice nascent within the paradigm of new media participation.


Intervehicle communication gives vehicles opportunities to exchange packets within limited transmission ranges and self-organize with ad hoc manner into VANETs (vehicular ad hoc networks). However, due to shared spectrum and present collisions' resolution mechanism which reject new admissions when wireless medium is busy, communications between vehicles have experienced severe throughput degradation and been restrained for concurrent transmissions. In this paper, a PCM (proximity-based concurrent transmission MAC) protocol has been proposed to permit concurrent access in shared channel for improving goodput in VANETs. By introducing game theory to the concurrent transmission opportunities determination process, PCM could provide extra access chances between active nodes or vehicles based on our defined proximity. To make PCM practical, we further give a detailed implementation method on NS2 to evaluate its performance. Numerical results show that PCM is not only feasible and reasonable in theory, but also has great improvement on average transmission delay, delivery ratio, and throughput performance in test.


Criminal sanctions for individual offenders and leniency policies each have emerged as significant features of the cartel enforcement discourse globally in the last ten to fifteen years. However, the relationship between them and the implications of their combination remain largely unexplored. This article examines both the instrumental and normative dimensions of the relationship. It concludes that, on the current evidence, the case for criminalization on the grounds of enhancing leniency effectiveness is weak and that a leniency policy may undermine the normative function and force of the criminal law. The clear overarching implication of these conclusions is that the cartel criminalization-leniency combination is to be approached with considerable caution.


Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measures the frequency spectrum of an electrochemical interface to resist an alternating current. This method allows label-free and noninvasive studies on interfacial adsorption and molecular interactions and has applications in biosensing and drug screening. Although powerful, traditional EIS lacks spatial resolution or imaging capability, hindering the study of heterogeneous electrochemical processes on electrodes. We have recently developed a plasmonics-based electrochemical impedance technique to image local electrochemical impedance with a submicron spatial resolution and a submillisecond temporal resolution. In this review, we provide a systematic description of the theory, instrumentation, and data analysis of this technique. To illustrate its present and future applications, we further describe several selected samples analyzed with this method, including protein microarrays, two-dimensional materials, and single cells. We conclude by summarizing the technique's unique features and discussing the remaining challenges and new directions of its application.


Presentation at ISSA Conference 2016 (International Sport Sociology Association): "Based on predominantly qualitative research, socio-critical sports sociologists from various (western) countries have in the past argued convincingly that heteronormativity and homophobia form early influences in organised competitive sport. In contrast, recent research indicates that homophobia is decreasing even in traditional male team sports such as football, and that acceptance of homosexuality is growing. However, research into the acceptance of homosexuality in the Netherlands shows that male teenagers who participate in sports are less tolerant than older participants. In this presentation, the main question treated is how young male participants in team sports experience forms of homonegativity and heteronormativity. To answer the research question, ethnographic research was conducted among young male participants in team sports. The results of this study shows that team sports in which young males and young adults take part can no longer be characterised as absolutely homophobic. At the same time, the findings show that homosexuality in these teams is still hardly a natural given, and that the acceptance is often fragile and conditional. Although the dominant forms of interaction may not be explicitly homonegative (any longer), they are still often hetero- and gender-normative."


The challenge we address is to create autonomous, inductively learning agents that exploit and modify a knowledge base. Our general approach, embodied in a continuing research program (joint with Stuart Russell), is declarative bias, i.e., to use declarative knowledge to constrain the hypothesis space in inductive learning. In previous work, we have shown that many kinds of declarative bias can be relatively efficiently represented and derived from background knowledge. We begin by observing that the default, i.e., revisable, flavor of beliefs is crucial in applications, especially for competence to improve incrementally and for information to be acquired through communication, language, and sensory perception in integrated agents. We argue that much of learning in humans consists of "learning in the small" and is nothing more nor less than acquiring new plausible premise beliefs. Thus representation of defaults and plausible knowledge should be a central question for researchers aiming to design sophisticated learning agents that exploit a knowledge base. We show that such applications pose several representational requirements that are unfamiliar to most in the machine learning community, and whose combination has not been previously addressed by the knowledge representation community. These include: prioritization-type precedence between defaults; updating with new defaults, not just new for-sure beliefs; explicit reasoning about adoption of defaults and precedence between defaults; and integration of defaults with probabilistic and statistical beliefs. We show how, for the first time, to achieve all of these requiremetats, at least partially, in one declarative formal


Chemists use one set of orbitals when comparing to a structural formula, hybridized AOs or NBOs for example, and another for reasoning in terms of frontier orbitals, MOs usually. Chemical arguments can frequently be made in terms of energy and/or electron density without the consideration of orbitals at all. All orbital representations, orthogonal or not, within a given function space are related by linear transformation. Chemical arguments based on orbitals are really energy or electron density arguments; orbitals are linked to these observables through the use of operators. The Valency Interaction Formula, VIF, offers a system of chemical reasoning based on the invariance of observables from one orbital representation to another. VIF pictures have been defined as one-electron density and Hamiltonian operators. These pictures are classified in a chemically meaningful way by use of linear transformations applied to them in the form of two pictorial rules and the invariance of the number of doubly, singly, and unoccupied orbitals or bonding, nonbonding, and antibonding orbitals under these transformations. The compatibility of the VIF method with the bond pair – lone pair language of Lewis is demonstrated. Different electron lone pair representations are related by the pictorial rules and have stability understood in terms of Walsh's rules. Symmetries of conjugated ring systems are related to their electronic state by simple mathematical formulas. Description of lone pairs in conjugated systems is based on the strength and sign of orbital interactions around the ring. Simple models for bonding in copper clusters are tested, and the bonding of O2 to Fe(II) in hemoglobin is described. Arguments made are supported by HF, B3LYP, and MP2 computations.


For laterally loaded piles in sand with diameters up to 6 m, e.g. monopiles used as foundations for offshore wind turbines, there is no approved design procedure. The p–y curve method, given in offshore design regulations, is usually employed for the design of monopiles. However, this method was developed for slender piles with diameters much less than 6 m and it is based on a limited number of tests. The aim of the present work is to extend the p–y curve method to large-diameter non-slender piles by considering the effects of the pile diameter on the soil response. The main focus is the initial stiffness of the p–y curves. The evaluation is based on experimental work as well as three-dimensional numerical analyses in the commercial programme FLAC 3D .


The resource-based view (RBV) presents itself as a more comprehensive theory than the neoclassical theory in order to explain value creation in the capitalist system. RBV emphasizes the role of strategic resources to the company. A theme hardly touched on by RBV is the role played by risk and uncertainly. The theory adopts the standpoint that the stock of strategic resources is important in the determination of the level of profitability of the company. The aim of this work is to present an alternative concept for risk based on the concept of resource. The work is divided into four sections: in the first we present two methodologies to deal with risk in RBV: the perspective of discounted cash flow and the perspective of real options. In the second we present an alternative risk concept (including the means of measuring it), which takes into account the level (sum) of resources essential to the company, as well as the volatility of this level (we will apply the concept including a measure of risk for a sector where the innovative activity is essential). In the third we present a model based on behavioral finance for the behavior of the manager toward risk. Finally, the Conclusion, in the fourth section.


We report the detection of sub millimetre radiation from the planetary nebula NGC 7027. The measured flux at 370 μm is in excess of that expected from extrapolating the free–free emission of the H II region and the dust emission seen at 100 μm. This excess is interpreted as arising in a cold (∼ 20 K) dust halo surrounding the planetary nebula. We compare the 370-μm dust optical depth with the gas column densities and optical extinction to NGC 7027. The dust grains responsible for the submillimetre halo emission are similar to those found elsewhere in the interstellar medium, both in the ratio of the visual extinction efficiency to the absorption efficiency at 370 μm and in the abundance relative to the gas. The mass of dust required to produce the 370-μm excess is consistent with the halo mass of ≳ 5M ⊙ deduced by Knapp et al. (1982). This supports their conclusion that the masses of some stars which evolve into white dwarfs rather than supernovae are at least ∼6.5M ⊙ . This is consistent with the suggestion of Weidemann & Koester (1983) that white-dwarf progenitors can have masses up to ∼8M ⊙ .


Background: Chemoradiation is one of the treatments of cervical carcinoma. Cisplatin is the most often used chemotherapy drugs. It has a nephrotoxic effect. Radiation on pelvic area can cause narrowing ureter that yields to impairment of renal function.
Objective: To find out the effect of chemoradiation in cervical carcinoma patients with renal function, as shown from the differences of urea and creatinine levels before and after chemoradiation.
Methods: This was quasi-experimental study with time series design. Data used were taken from medical records of patients with cervical carcinoma in RSUP dr. Kariadi Semarang, consisted of laboratory results of urea and creatinine levels before chemoradiation, after chemoradiation I, II, and III. Data were analysis
using Friedman and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test.
Result: The mean urea levels of 28 patients in this study prior to chemoradiation, after I, II, III, and IV measurements were 24.18 mg/dL, 25.6 mg/dL, 23.36 mg/dL,
and 21.25 mg/dL, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean creatinine levels were 0.82 mg/dL, 0.89 mg/dL, 0.87 mg/dL, and 0.82 mg/dL. Friedman test found significant
differnces in levels of urea (p=0.013) and no significant differences in creatinine levels (p=0.353). In the Wilcoxon test of urea and creatinine levels obtained no significant differences between before and after chemoradiation I (p=0.386 and p=0.124), chemoradiation II (p=0.715 and p=0.156), and chemoradiation III (p=0.053 and p=0.509).
Conclusion: There were no significant difference between urea and creatinine levels before and after I, II, and III chemoradiation. Thus, chemoradiation with cisplatin had no effect (safe) on renal function.
Keywords: cervical carcinoma, chemoradiation, cisplatin, ureum, creatinine


Significant departures from the canonical (cloverleaf) secondary structure of transfer (t)RNAs can be found among the mitochondrial (m)tRNAs of higher metazoans; these mtRNAs thus pose a challenge to the concept of an invariant, L-shaped tertiary conformation for all tRNAs. For bovine mtRNASer(AGY), which lacks the entire "dihydrouridine" (dhU) arm, two distinct tertiary models have been proposed: the first model preserves the L-shaped conformation at the expense of overall size; the second model preserves the absolute distance between the 3' terminus and the anticodon loop, while allowing the acceptor-anticodon interstem angle to vary. We have tested the central predictions of these two models by performing a series of transient electric birefringence measurements on bovine mtRNASer(AGY) constructs in which the aminoacyl-acceptor and anticodon stems were each extended by approximately 70 bp. This mtRNA species is particularly amenable to analysis, since the native bovine (heart) mtRNA is completely unmodified outside of the anticodon loop. For magnesium ion concentrations above 1 mM, the interstem angle for the extended mtRNA, 120(+/-5) degrees, is approximately 50% larger than the corresponding angle for yeast tRNAPhe (70-80 degrees) under the same ionic conditions. Furthermore, the interstem angles of the two tRNAs exhibit strikingly different responses to the addition of magnesium ions: the interstem angle for yeast tRNAPhe is reduced by nearly 50 % upon addition of 2 mM magnesium ions, whereas the angle for mtRNASer(AGY) increases by about 10%. Our data thus support a central prediction of the second model; namely, that truncated mtRNAs will possess more open interstem angles. In addition, we demonstrate that birefringence amplitude data can be used to provide model-independent estimates for the interstem angles.


AIM OF INVESTIGATION
To specify etiopathogenetical characteristics of the disease in case of "high" and "low" gastric ulcers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
96 patients with relapse of gastric ulcer disease (GUD) were examined, median age 41 +/- 3.1 years, 71.9% of male patients, 28.1% of female patients. The first group included 58 patients with "high" ulcer, the second included 38 patients with pyloroantral ulcer. All patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and 24-hour intragastric pH-metry prior to the prescription of antisecretory therapy. The results of the examination were compared with data of 100 healthy subjects.

RESULTS
Intragastric acidity in case of "high" ulcers, by value of fundal and antral pH and its circadian dynamics, was comparable to that of the healthy people. By the frequency of duodenogastral reflux (DGR) close to normal the total duration was significantly higher because of considerable increase of portion of long and high refluxes. High acidity in corpus and antral region, absence of the normal daily variations, significant increase of night acidity, decrease of DGR frequency and duration were noted by "low" gastric ulcers.

CONCLUSIONS
In case of "high" localization of gastric ulcer normal acidity production and unusual high and enduring duodenogastral refluxes are revealed more often; combination of high hyperacidity and pronounced depression of duodenogastral reflux are seen in case of pyloroantral ulcer.


Nowadays, the drinking water shortage is increasing, mainly due to rapid population growth, climate change, wasteful overuse of water, and pollution. Under the current circumstances, a quarter of the world's population will not have access to good quality drinking water. Thus, another solution must be adopted in areas with insufficient freshwater. One possible line is the desalination of seawater, one of the most practical solutions to solve the problem of drinking water shortage along the oil availability shore and continues to expand globally. Water produced may also be utilized for irrigation, reducing a region's reliance on imports, contributing to the local economy, and improving food supplies. However, this process is not a consequences-free procedure; it may cause several environmental and human health problems.The three most applied desalination technologies are reverse osmosis (RO), multi-stage flash distillation (MSF), and multi-effect distillation (MED). In this study, the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) of drinking water produced from seawater using these three technologies with fossil and renewable energy sources were investigated based on two methods: life cycle assessment (LCA) using SimaPro life cycle analysis software and carbon footprints. As a result, RO technology has significantly lower CO2 emissions than thermal technologies. The RO combined renewable energy is the most environmentally friendly; provides outstanding benefits in terms of human health and ecosystem quality. This technology may still evolve in the future to produce longer-lasting, cheaper membranes, and the energy requirements of this process are lower with applying modern energy recovery systems.


Th is article off ers a history of pluralism as a term in scholarly discourse.
It presents the existing research on the question and off ers a contribution
on the basis of an inclusive approach that is not limited to one discipline
(philosophy or political science) or to one linguistic area. In particular, it
references the rich German debate and the important French intellectual
developments. Moreover, it considers not only the proponents but also the
adversaries of pluralism. Th ere are two recurring elements in the debates
on political pluralism. One is the existence, even among the critics of pluralism,
of a recognition of plurality at some level. Th e other is the advocacy,
even by authors who strongly emphasize confl ict and dissent, of some necessary
unity.


Existing literature widely asserts the increasing prevalence of consumer-minded students, often presenting consumerism and learning as opposed. The purpose of the study is to better understand the relationship between consumer and learner orientations and explore aspects of a liberal arts education affecting each. To this end, the study employed a mixed methods embedded sequential design. A survey—utilizing both quantitative learner and consumer scales along with qualitative open-ended items—was administered to students. A subsequent focus group further clarified and explored survey results. Quantitative data revealed students identify more strongly as learners than consumers but still identify positively as consumers. Furthermore, a correlation revealed a weak inverse relationship between the two factors. In the qualitative data, students spoke of learning and consumerism as strongly opposed, thus challenging the quantitative findings. Students identified community, professors, and faith as most impactful to forming learner identities. Parents, society, and high tuition strongly influenced consumer orientations. Together, the qualitative and quantitative data revealed the inherent complexity in the relationship between consumerism and learning. Therefore, the importance of appropriately acknowledging both learning and consumerism when communicating with students serves as the basis for implications discussed.


Jean-Francois Lyotard's inquiry into the logic of obligation, culminating in his discussion of ethical phrases in "Le Differend", is deeply indebted to Emmanuel Levinas's reading of that logic and his articulation of a radically new modality of ethics. Both thinkers deploy a strategy of argumentation and a rhetoric of phrases whose performative contradictions are deliberate and affirmed. Levinas is one of the major figures in the twentieth century European philosophical tradition to have produced a substantive reconfiguration of ethics based upon the idea of an asymmetrical human relation rather than upon mutual obligation. The resulting ethics, outlined in texts such as "Totality and Infinity" and "Otherwise than Being, or Beyond Essence", is one of hyperbolic responsibility beyond norms and duty and outside formal rules and pragmatics. In this paper I will analyse Lyotard's arguments concerning the logic of absolute obligation – the 'phrases of pure prescription' - through a detailed reading of his relatively unknown essay on Levinas entitled "Levinas's Logic". Lyotard's short commentary demonstrates considerable interpretative insight and originality in its attempt to identify the different levels of language and meta-language operative, but often unstated, in Levinas's texts. However, as Lyotard himself recognises, such analysis risks doing considerable violence to Levinas by betraying the ethical signification of his thematization. His careful analysis of Levinas's rhetorical strategy of deliberate logical contradiction represents a sophisticated response to Jacques Derrida's early influential commentary 'Violence and Metaphysics'. Derrida's commentary is marked by its critical claims regarding Levinas's efforts to articulate a philosophical ethics in a purified rhetoric beyond the speculative reach of the Hegelian dialectic. As I demonstrate in this paper, central to Lyotard's own interpretative efforts is an urgent recovery of Levinas's ethics from such an allegedly reductive reading.


The progression of heart failure is related to cardiac remodelling, which represents the sequence of events at the molecular, cellular and interstitial levels, leading to changes in the size, mass, geometry and function of the heart. Cardiac remodelling involves both adaptive and maladaptive phases of development. At the initial stage, it represents an adaptive response to maintain cardiac output, whereas in the late stage, it results in the occurrence of heart failure. Oxidative stress appears to be the main factor that induces transition of cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure as a consequence of alterations in signal transduction, dysfunction of the sarcolemma and sarcoplasmic reticulum, impairment of calcium handling, increases in cardiac fibrosis and progressive loss of cardiomyocytes. Elements that play a fundamental role at the initial stages of cardiac remodelling and are associated with cardiac hypertrophy include neurohormonal activation, represented by the elevation of angiotensin II and norepinephrine levels. On the other hand, prolonged neurohormonal activation, as well as inflammatory signalling due to increased levels of tumour necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β, may be involved in the late stages of cardiac remodelling associated with heart failure. In its initial stages, cardiac remodelling appears to serve as an adaptive mechanism, whereas in its late stages this process is associated with molecular and cellular defects leading to the development of heart failure.


The Tiffany and Toni fields lie at the western margin of the South Viking Graben in the Northern North Sea in UK Block 16/17. The reservoirs are composed of coarse clastic sediments of the Upper Jurassic Brae Formation, which were deposited by turbidity currents and debris flows in a submarine fan setting. The Brae Formation accumulated adjacent to the graben margin fault scarp and abuts pre-Jurassic rocks of the Fladen Ground Spur to the west. The Kimmeridge Clay Formation provides both the source of hydrocarbons and the seal for the reservoir.


The modelling of an anisotropic alnico magnet for the purpose of field computation involves assigning a value for the material's permeability in the transverse direction. This is generally based upon the preferred direction properties, being all that are easily available. By analyzing the rotation of intrinsic magnetization due to the self demagnetizing field, it is shown that the common assumptions relating the transverse to the preferred direction are not accurate. Transverse magnetization characteristics are needed, and these are given for Alnico 5, 5-7, and 8 magnets, yielding appropriate permeability values.


Sr2+ substitutes for Ca2+ in methacholine (MCH)-evoked sweat secretion in isolated simian eccrine sweat glands, but four to eight times greater concentrations of Sr2+ were required to achieve the same effect as did a given Ca2+ concentration. In Ca2+-free Sr2+ medium the anticholinergic effect of atropine was reduced by about four orders of magnitude. In the Sr2+ medium, spontaneous sweat secretion (SSS) was also observed in the absence of any pharmacological stimuli. SSS occurs slowly, reaching a plateau after 30 min incubation. The maximal SSS is a saturation function of Sr2+ concentration reaching a maximum at 8 mM. Sr2+-induced SSS was inhibitable by removal of Sr2+, low bath temperature (10-14 degrees C), ouabain (5 X 10(-6) M), and D 600 (10(-3) M). Ca2+ was found to inhibit Sr2+-induced SSS, but a Schild plot for the Ca2+ and Sr2+ dose relationship failed to show a slope of unity. The data suggest that Sr2+-induced SSS represents actual secretory processes, which are triggered by Sr2+ leaking into the cell through as yet undefined membrane channels.


The spectrum of exponentially weighted covariance matrices is studied here. We first give a formal way of obtaining the spectrum using annealed approximation frequently used in Statistical Mechanics. Using the method developed by Bai and Silverstein we obtain the result rigorously. This spectrum matches with the spectrum obtained by annealed approximation. We also show some simulation results to see how well they match with the obtained expression.


The Fokker-Planck equation is solved with electron cyclotron resonance heating in a magnetic mirror with a fixed electrostatic potential on a loss-cone boundary and ECR heating. A self-consistent calculation of the plasma concentration justifies the fact that the degree of ionization of the ECR plasma is about 10%. The high values of the total electron energy (15-30 eV) are achieved. The electron concentration and the EVDF anisotropy degree are the nonmonotonic functions of the applied MW electric field. The basis for such dependencies is discussed. A linear perturbation analysis of the Vlasov equation together with with Maxwell's equations is briefly reviewed. The criteria for the start of unstable whistler oscillation growth are proposed. Using the simulated distribution function, the regimes where the unstable oscillations should to be taken into account are considered. >


Crohn's disease is not usually included among the causes of ascites. Although cases of Crohn's disease presenting as ascites have occasionally been described, the appearance of ascites during follow-up, with no relationship with other complications of the disease, such as thrombosis of the suprahepatic veins, has not been previously described. We present the case of a 36-year-old female patient with Crohn's disease who presented ascites during evolution. Evacuative paracenteses were required. No causes apart from Crohn's disease were found. Ascites followed a parallel course to acute episodes of this disease.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Winter-flowering plants outside the tropics may experience a shortage of pollinator service, given that insect activity is largely limited by low temperature. Birds can be alternative pollinators for these plants, but experimental evidence for the pollination role of birds in winter-flowering plants is scarce.

METHODS
Pollinator visitation to the loquat, Eriobotrya japonica (Rosaceae), was observed across the flowering season from November to January for two years in central China. Self- and cross-hand pollination was conducted in the field to investigate self-compatibility and pollen limitation. In addition, inflorescences were covered by bird cages and nylon mesh nets to exclude birds and all animal pollinators, respectively, to investigate the pollination role of birds in seed production.

RESULTS
Self-fertilization in the loquat yielded few seeds. In early winter insect visit frequency was relatively higher, while in late winter insect pollinators were absent and two passerine birds (Pycnonotus sinensis and Zosterops japonicus) became the major floral visitors. However, seed-set of open-pollinated flowers did not differ between early and late winter. Exclusion of bird visitation greatly reduced seed-set, indicating that passerine birds were important pollinators for the loquat in late winter. The whitish perigynous flowers reward passerines with relatively large volumes of dilute nectar. Our observation on the loquat and other Rosaceae species suggested that perigyny might be related to bird pollination but the association needs further study.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that floral traits and phenology would be favoured to attract bird pollinators in cold weather, in which insect activity is limited.


The kinetic properties of the constitutive double specific glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD(P)--GDH) and the inducible NADP-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP--GDH) of Chlorella pyrenoidosa Pringsheim 82T (thermophilic strain) in a deaminating reaction have been studied. NAD(P)-GDH behaves in a deamination as a Michaelis-Menten enzyme. NADP-GDH displays some lag-period before a steady-state phase. The duration of this lag depends on a substrate concentration. Besides that, an effect of all the substrates on a heat inactivation of both GDH and a product inhibition have been studied. All the substrates except the reduced co-factors protect effectively GDH from the heat inactivation, especially the thermolabille NADP-GDH. On the contrary, NAD(P)-H promote the heat inactivation of both GDH. The product inhibition analysis shows that the inducible NADP-GDH acts in vivo as a synthetic enzyme. In the previous paper (V. R. Shatilov et all., 1974, Dokl. Acad. Nauk USSR, 216,223) it was shown for the constitutive GDH that p-CMB strongly inhibited a desamination and slightly (if any) affect an amination. It this paper it is shown that action of p-CMB on the amination depends on the presence of NAD+ (not NADP+ or L-glutamate). p-CMB and NAD+ affect tha amination in a strongly sunergetic manner. Some suggestions about the intracellular localization of chlorella GDH are made.


We present X-ray, optical, near-infrared (IR), and radio observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) 110709B and 111215A, as well as optical and near-IR observations of their host galaxies. The combination of X-ray detections and deep optical/near-IR limits establish both bursts as "dark." Sub-arcsecond positions enabled by radio detections lead to robust host galaxy associations, with optical detections that indicate z ≲ 4 (110709B) and z ≈ 1.8–2.9 (111215A). We therefore conclude that both bursts are dark due to substantial rest-frame extinction. Using the radio and X-ray data for each burst we find that GRB 110709B requires mag and GRB 111215A requires mag (assuming z = 2). These are among the largest extinction values inferred for dark bursts to date. The two bursts also exhibit large neutral hydrogen column densities of NH, int ≳ 1022 cm−2 (z = 2) as inferred from their X-ray spectra, in agreement with the trend for dark GRBs. Moreover, the inferred values are in agreement with the Galactic AV–NH relation, unlike the bulk of the GRB population. Finally, we find that for both bursts the afterglow emission is best explained by a collimated outflow with a total beaming-corrected energy of Eγ + EK ≈ (7–9) × 1051 erg (z = 2) expanding into a wind medium with a high density,  M☉ yr−1 (n ≈ 100–350 cm−3 at ≈1017 cm). While the energy release is typical of long GRBs, the inferred density may be indicative of larger mass-loss rates for GRB progenitors in dusty (and hence metal rich) environments. This study establishes the critical role of radio observations in demonstrating the origin and properties of dark GRBs. Observations with the JVLA and ALMA will provide a sample with sub-arcsecond positions and robust host associations that will help to shed light on obscured star formation and the role of metallicity in GRB progenitors.


This paper presents quantitative planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging of nitric oxide (NO) in a transient-arc direct-current plasmatron igniter using premixed air/fuel mixtures. Quantitative measurements of NO are reported as a function of gas flow rate (20-50 standard cubic feet per hour), plasma power (100-900 mA, 150-750 W), and equivalence ratio (0.7-1.3). Images were corrected for temperature effects by using 2-D temperature field measurements obtained with infrared thermometry and calibrated by a more accurate multiline fitting technique. The signals were then quantified using an NO addition method and spectroscopic laser-induced fluorescence modeling of NO. NO PLIF images and single-point NO concentrations are presented for both plasma-discharge-only and methane/air plasma-enhanced combustion cases. NO formation occurs predominantly through N2(v) + O ¿ NO + N for the plasma-discharge-only case without combustion. The NO concentration for the plasma-enhanced combustion case (500-3500 ppm) was an order of magnitude less than the plasma-discharge-only case (8000-15 000 ppm) due to the reduction of plasma reactions by the methane. Experiments show the linear decay of NO from equivalence ratio 0.8-1.2 under the same flow condition and discharge current.


Andesitic magmas are the product of a complex interplay of processes including fractional crystallisation, crystal accumulation, magma mixing and crustal assimilation. Recent studies have suggested that andesitic rocks are in many cases a complex mixture of a crystal cargo and melts with more silicic compositions than andesite. In situ glass- and mineral-specific geochemical techniques are therefore key to unravelling the processes and timescales over which andesitic magmas are produced, assembled and transported to the surface. To this end, this thesis presents a detailed in situ glass- and mineral-specific study of six Holocene eruptions (Kaupokonui, Maketawa, Inglewood a and b, and Korito) at Mt Taranaki to investigate the petrogenetic processes responsible for producing these sub-plinian eruptions at this long-lived (130 000 yr) andesitic volcano. Mt Taranaki is an andesitic stratovolcano located on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island and as such it is distinct from the main subduction related volcanism. Crystal-specific major and trace element data were combined with textural analysis and quantitative modelling of intensive magmatic parameters and crystal residence times to identify distinct mineral populations and constrain the magmatic histories of the crystal populations. Least-squares mixing modelling of glass and phenocryst compositions demonstrates that the andesitic compositions of bulk rock Mt Taranaki eruptives results from mixing of a daciticrhyolitic melt and a complex crystal cargo (plagioclase, pyroxene, amphibole) that crystallised from multiple melts under a wide range of crustal conditions. Magma mixing of compositionally similar end members that mix efficiently also occurred beneath Mt Taranaki, and as such only produced prominent disequilibrium textures in a small proportion of the minerals in the crystal cargo. The chemistry of the earliest crystallising amphibole indicates crystallisation from an andesitic-dacitic melt at depths of ca. 20-25 km, within the lower crust. Magmas then ascended through the crust relatively slowly via a complex magmatic plumbing system. However, most of the crystal cargo formed by decompression-driven crystallisation at depth so 6-10 km, as is indicated by the dominance of oscillatory zoning and the equilibrium obtained between mineral rims and the host glasses. Taranaki magmas recharge on timescales of 1000-2000 yrs. The eruptions investigated here provide a snapshot of the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. The younger Kaupokonui and Maketawa eruptions (ca. 2890 - <1950 yr BP) are the least evolved magmas, record a stronger mixing signal in the crystal cargo, and are volumetrically smaller than the earlier Inglewood a and b and Korito eruptions (ca. 4150-3580 yr BP). The Kaupokonui and Maketawa eruptions may reflect arrival of a new pulse of magma from the lower crust, or that these are early eruptions within a recharge sequence, which have not had as much time to further differentiate and evolve as the earlier Inglewood a and b and Korito eruptions that represent the end of a magma recharge cycle. One of the six investigated eruptions was identified to come from Fantham's Peak on the basis of its distinctive glass and mineral chemistry and petrology. Glass trace element data indicate that this eurption's magmatic system was distinct from that of the other main vent Holocene eruptions investigated in this study. Crystal residence times were investigated using Fe-Mg interdiffusion in clinopyroxene and indicate that magma bodies stall in upper crustal storage chambers for timescales of a few months to years. The younger eruptions of the least evolved magmas with the strongest mixing signal return the shortest residence times, which may indicate that magma mixing events occurring a few months before eruption may have been the trigger for these eruptions at Mt Taranaki. Amphibole geospeedometry for these eruptives reveal rapid magma transport from depths of 6-10 km to the surface on timescales of < 1 week.


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Introduction Although several studies suggest that drinking water may help prevent obesity, no US studies have examined the effect of school drinking water provision and promotion on student beverage intake. We assessed the acceptability, feasibility, and outcomes of a school-based intervention to improve drinking water consumption among adolescents. Methods The 5-week program, conducted in a Los Angeles middle school in 2008, consisted of providing cold, filtered drinking water in cafeterias; distributing reusable water bottles to students and staff; conducting school promotional activities; and providing education. Self-reported consumption of water, nondiet soda, sports drinks, and 100% fruit juice was assessed by conducting surveys among students (n = 876), preintervention and at 1 week and 2 months postintervention, from the intervention school and the comparison school. Daily water (in gallons) distributed in the cafeteria during the intervention was recorded. Results After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and baseline intake of water at school, the odds of drinking water at school were higher for students at the intervention school than students at the comparison school. Students from the intervention school had higher adjusted odds of drinking water from fountains and from reusable water bottles at school than students from the comparison school. Intervention effects for other beverages were not significant. Conclusion Provision of filtered, chilled drinking water in school cafeterias coupled with promotion and education is associated with increased consumption of drinking water at school. A randomized controlled trial is necessary to assess the intervention's influence on students' consumption of water and sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as obesity-related outcomes.