Chemical techniques for the determination of cell wall constituents and cell contents have been developed which provide relatively quick, convenient methods for predicting the digestibility of forage samples. These purely chemical laboratory methods may not be as reliable as in vivo or in vitro techniques for forage quality evaluations but they do not require the maintenance of digestion stalls or fistulated animals. There is a needfor a better understanding of the relationships between chemical determinations and the actual feed value of forage samples. The specific objective of this paper was to investigate the relationship between in vitro dry matter digestibility and chemical analyses of cell walls and cell contents for evaluating the digestibility of autumn-saved forage grass samples. Forage samples of 'KY-31' tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and 'Potomac' orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), collected from two field experiments were used for these quality evaluations. These field experiments were designed to measure the influence of nitrogen fertilization and soil temperature on cell wall constituents and in vitro dry matter digestibility of previously unharvested fall accumulated growth sampled at early, medium and late fall dates. Samples were analyzed for neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose, hemicelouse, lignin and silica. In vitro digestable dry (IVDMD) matter was also determined for each forage sample. Fiber, lignin, and silica contents of autumn-saved forage samples were all highly correlated with IVDMD, and equations were developed to predict IVDMD from these chemical constituents. The following summative equation is proposed for the calculation of IVDMD: IVDMD = 0.98 (100 − NDF) + NDF(91.1 − 1.43 (LIG + SIL) / ADF)


The linking problem is a special case of a general problem none of us In this commentary, we focus on the linking problem Ambridge, Pine, and Lieven identify. In-stead of taking a stance on the issue of universal grammar itself, we adopt an epistemological and methodological perspective on language acquisition research. We argue that the problem, linking the input to preexisting representations, constitutes just a small part of a larger methodological problem, namely how to link the input a learner receives, through a set of learning mechanisms and possibly innate representations, to the behavior the learner is producing, whether in sponta-neous production or in laboratory experiments. Currently, none of the existing proposals provide an evaluated, or even a testable, account of the full process, that is, an input-output model of lin- guistic ontogeny. Although the focus on phenomena in isolation, probably an effect of the preva-lence of the experimental method, allows the researcher some degree of control, it also distracts from the understanding of how the different mechanisms behave and interact. Our proposed solu- tion is a more holistic approach to the problem in which the learning mechanisms and their interaction are made fully explicit , and in which the predicted behavior of the learner is (more) globally evaluated. Computational modeling provides exactly the tools appropriate for this task, thereby furthering more precise and testable theories of the learning mechanisms involved.*


The amyloid cascade hypothesis suggests that amyloid precursor protein (APP) proteolytic processing is a key event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The enzymes beta-site APP cleaving enzyme (BACE) and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10) play an important role in APP proteolysis. We measured by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction their mRNA levels in hippocampal and cerebellar sections from 13 AD and 12 control brains. BACE mRNA amounts were similar in patients and controls. In contrast, ADAM10 mRNA levels were twofold higher in AD samples, but without relationship to the severity of anatomical damage. The data do not support the hypothesis that alteration of BACE and ADAM10 expression are associated with development of late stages of AD.


Three species of the genus Cryptochetum Rondani, 1875 from China are described and figured as new to science: C. euthyiproboscise sp. nov., C. glochidiatusum sp. nov., and C. longilingum sp. nov. An identification key to the known species of Cryptochetum from China is presented. The type specimens of the new species are deposited in the Henan Agricultural University.


This paper proposes a rigorous technique to evaluate the architectural design of an information system and illustrates this technique by applying it to the JSIMS architecture. This technique represents an information system problem as a graph of necessary decisions and the information flows needed to support those decisions. It represents the architectural design as a graph of data interfaces, knowledge stores, decision makers and communications. Rules of information flow mapping the problem model onto the architectural model clearly show what decisions and information flows the design does and does not support. These design strengths and weaknesses emphasize where design improvements can reduce technical, cost and schedule risks. Architecture's ability to address the problem of composing simulation exercises was evaluated. This evaluation indicates that the JSIMS architecture can support exercise composition but cannot provide the functionality needed to achieve the staffing reduction targets for JSIMS.


Enabled by modern languages and retargetable compilers, software development is in a virtual "Cambrian explosion" driven by a critical mass of powerfully parameterized libraries; but hardware development practices lag far behind. We hypothesize that existing hardware construction languages (HCLs) and novel hardware compiler frameworks (HCFs) can put hardware development on a similar evolutionary path by enabling new hardware libraries to be independent of underlying process technologies including FPGA mappings. We support this claim by (1) evaluating the degree with which Chisel, an existing HCL, can support powerfully parameterized libraries, and (2) introducing the concept and implementation of an HCF that uses an open-source hardware intermediate representation, FIRRTL (Flexible Intermediate Representation for RTL), to transform target-independent RTL into technology-specific RTL. Finally, we evaluate many hardware compiler transformations, including simplifying transformations, analyses, optimizations, instrumentations, and specializations, which demonstrate the power of a combined HCL and HCF approach.


ABSTRACT Sarcocystis neurona is a member of the coccidia, a clade of single-celled parasites of medical and veterinary importance including Eimeria, Sarcocystis, Neospora, and Toxoplasma. Unlike Eimeria, a single-host enteric pathogen, Sarcocystis, Neospora, and Toxoplasma are two-host parasites that infect and produce infectious tissue cysts in a wide range of intermediate hosts. As a genus, Sarcocystis is one of the most successful protozoan parasites; all vertebrates, including birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals are hosts to at least one Sarcocystis species. Here we sequenced Sarcocystis neurona, the causal agent of fatal equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. The S. neurona genome is 127 Mbp, more than twice the size of other sequenced coccidian genomes. Comparative analyses identified conservation of the invasion machinery among the coccidia. However, many dense-granule and rhoptry kinase genes, responsible for altering host effector pathways in Toxoplasma and Neospora, are absent from S. neurona. Further, S. neurona has a divergent repertoire of SRS proteins, previously implicated in tissue cyst formation in Toxoplasma. Systems-based analyses identified a series of metabolic innovations, including the ability to exploit alternative sources of energy. Finally, we present an S. neurona model detailing conserved molecular innovations that promote the transition from a purely enteric lifestyle (Eimeria) to a heteroxenous parasite capable of infecting a wide range of intermediate hosts. IMPORTANCE Sarcocystis neurona is a member of the coccidia, a clade of single-celled apicomplexan parasites responsible for major economic and health care burdens worldwide. A cousin of Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium, Theileria, and Eimeria, Sarcocystis is one of the most successful parasite genera; it is capable of infecting all vertebrates (fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals—including humans). The past decade has witnessed an increasing number of human outbreaks of clinical significance associated with acute sarcocystosis. Among Sarcocystis species, S. neurona has a wide host range and causes fatal encephalitis in horses, marine mammals, and several other mammals. To provide insights into the transition from a purely enteric parasite (e.g., Eimeria) to one that forms tissue cysts (Toxoplasma), we present the first genome sequence of S. neurona. Comparisons with other coccidian genomes highlight the molecular innovations that drive its distinct life cycle strategies. Sarcocystis neurona is a member of the coccidia, a clade of single-celled apicomplexan parasites responsible for major economic and health care burdens worldwide. A cousin of Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium, Theileria, and Eimeria, Sarcocystis is one of the most successful parasite genera; it is capable of infecting all vertebrates (fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals—including humans). The past decade has witnessed an increasing number of human outbreaks of clinical significance associated with acute sarcocystosis. Among Sarcocystis species, S. neurona has a wide host range and causes fatal encephalitis in horses, marine mammals, and several other mammals. To provide insights into the transition from a purely enteric parasite (e.g., Eimeria) to one that forms tissue cysts (Toxoplasma), we present the first genome sequence of S. neurona. Comparisons with other coccidian genomes highlight the molecular innovations that drive its distinct life cycle strategies.


HERRICK House is a year-round convalescent institution for the care and rehabilitation of children recuperating from rheumatic fever. The program at Herrick House differs from that of other institutions in that mobilization is begun as soon as there is clinical and laboratory evidence that the rheumatic process is quiescent. The classic method, as opposed to this, is one of long bed rest, wheelchair, and activity-restricted convalescence. There are a number of problems arising incident to the rehabilitation of the rheumatic patient which are different from those arising in other illnesses. There is no exact method by which the activity or quiescence of the disease may be determined. The possibility of recurrences, as in no other disease, is a sword of Damocles that threatens the physician as well as the rheumatic fever patient. The protracted period of hospitalization necessary for the treatment inevitably results in marked anxiety for the child and


The geometry and electrical properties of a neurone determine how synaptic inputs and endogenously generated currents are integrated and transformed into the signals it transmits to other cells. The dependence of neuronal integration upon dendritic geometry has been studied extensively over the last three decades, both by experimentalists and by theoreticians. We review some of the general principles that have emerged from this work, and summarize recent studies that serve to illustrate these principles. The discussion is organized around the analysis of neuronal structure at three different levels. At the 'macroscopic' level, we show how the dendritic branching structure of an identified interneurone in the cricket cercal afferent system determines the directional sensitivity within its receptive field. At the 'microscopic' level, we illustrate the dependence of synaptic efficacy upon dendritic length, and demonstrate a very surprising result: that the extension (or 'growth') of a dendrite out beyond the point of a synaptic contact can increase the efficacy of that synapse. At the 'ultrastructural' level, we show how the structural and electrical properties of dendritic spines might have profound effects upon synaptic integration.


Nb-NiTi and Nb-CoTi eutectic alloys were directionally solidified in an optical floating zone furnace. Rod-type eutectic structures with Nb rods aligned parallel to the growth direction are obtained for Nb-41Ni-40Ti grown at relatively slow growth rates below 1.0mm/h, while lamellar-type eutectic structures are obtained for Nb-35Co-34Ti grown at the same condition. The hydrogen permeability for the Nb-41Ni-40Ti DS alloy with Nb rods perpendicular to the membrane surface is 2.60×10-8mol H2 m-1 Pa-1/2 at 673K, which is about 2.5 times higher than that of as-cast sample. No hydrogen embrittlement is observed between 573 and 673K, indicating that the Nb-NiTi rod-type eutectic structure effectively suppresses the hydrogen embrittlement of Nb during hydrogen permeation.


Introduction: Gradual alteration of thyroid function occurs during different trimesters of gestation.
Objective: To observe thyroid function status in normal pregnancy.
Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka from July 2016 to June 2017. The study was approved by Institutional Ethical Committee. Total 120 female subjects, age ranged from 20 to 35 years were included in this study, among them 90 were healthy pregnant women and 30 were nonpregnant women. Serum TSH, FT4 & FT3 levels were measured. The statistical analysis was done by ANOVA test and Bonferroni test.
Results: In this study, mean serum TSH level was lower in 1st & 2nd trimester and higher in 3rd trimester than that of nonpregnant group. Again it was gradually higher from 1st to 3rd trimesters of gestation and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05, p<0.001, p<0.01) in between the groups. Mean serum FT4 & FT3 levels were higher in 1st trimester and lower in 2nd & 3rd trimesters of gestation than that of nonpregnant group. Again, both these levels were gradually lower from 1st to 3rd trimesters of gestation and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001, p<0.001, p_0.01) in between the groups.
Conclusion: Gradual alterations of thyroid function status were observed during pregnancy. Serum TSH level was gradually higher and both serum FT4 & FT3 levels were gradually lower from 1st to 3rd trimesters of gestation.
Medicine Today 2022 Vol.34(1): 47-50


Emergence of Spatial Metaphor in Children Tania Henetz Stanford University Daniel Casasanto Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Abstract: Adults associate the abstract domain of emotional valence with the relatively concrete domain of space: good is up and bad is down. But where does this association come from? One potential source is linguistic experience; we talk about being in high spirits or feeling down in the dumps. Another potential source is perceptuo-motor experience; we stand upright when were happy, and slouch when were sad. Here we studied 5- to 10-year-old children to investigate the roles of linguistic and bodily experience in the formation of mental metaphors. Corpus analyses showed that children rarely use spatial language to communicate valence. Yet, children demonstrated strong space- valence mappings in a series of diagram tasks (e.g., when asked to place positively- or negatively-valenced items along a vertical axis, they consistently placed positive items up and negative items down). Results suggest that mental metaphors from space to valence may originate in perceptuo-motor experience.


Anthropogenic landscape alteration and climate change can have multi-scale and inter-related effects on ecological systems. Such changes to the environment can disrupt the connection between habitat quality and the cues that species use to identify quality habitat, which can result in an ecological trap. Ecological traps are typically difficult to identify without fine-scale information on individual survival and fitness, but this information is rarely available over large temporal and spatial scales. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States and Canada has undergone extensive changes in the latter half of the 20th century due to advancements in agricultural technologies, water management practices, and climate change. Historically, the PPR has been a highly productive area for breeding waterfowl. While the overall trends for dabbling ducks in the PPR have exhibited increasing abundances since the late 1980s, some species, such as the northern pintail, have been declining in abundance. We used a long-term data set of pintail counts across the PPR to separate count data into a demographic process and a habitat selection process using a hierarchical model. The hierarchical model provided an alternative way of identifying ecological traps in the absence of individual survival and fitness. Our model also allowed us to account for the indirect pathways by which climate and agriculture impact pintail through their additional contribution to wetland availability, which is a primary driver of pintail demography and habitat selection. Decoupling these processes allowed us to identify an ecological trap related to increasing cropland land cover, in which pintail selected for cropland over alternative nesting habitat, likely due to the similarities with productive native mixed-grass prairie. However, large proportions of cropland within a region resulted in fewer pintail the following year, likely due to nest failures from predation and agricultural practices. In addition, we identified several regions in Canada where this ecological trap is contributing significantly to mismatches between habitat selection and demographic processes.


Mixture models are often used to compactly represent samples from heterogeneous sources. However, in real world, the samples generally contain an unknown fraction of outliers and the sources generate different or unbalanced numbers of observations. Such unbalanced and contaminated samples may, for instance, be obtained by high density data sensors such as imaging devices. Estimation of unbalanced mixture models from samples with outliers requires robust estimation methods. In this paper, we propose a novel robust mixture estimator incorporating trimming of the outliers based on component-wise confidence level ordering of observations. The proposed method is validated and compared to the state-of-the-art FAST-TLE method on two data sets, one consisting of synthetic samples with a varying fraction of outliers and a varying balance between mixture weights, while the other data set contained structural magnetic resonance images of the brain with tumors of varying volumes. The results on both data sets clearly indicate that the proposed method is capable to robustly estimate unbalanced mixtures over a broad range of outlier fractions. As such, it is applicable to real-world samples, in which the outlier fraction cannot be estimated in advance.


Transpeptidase sortase catalyzes the covalent anchoring of surface proteins to the cell wall in Gram-positive bacteria. Sortase A (SrtA) of Staphylococcus aureus is a prototype enzyme and considered a bona fide drug target because several substrate proteins are virulence-related and implicated in pathogenesis. Besides, SrtA also works as a versatile tool in protein engineering. Surface proteins destined for cell wall anchoring contain a LPXTG sequence located in their C-terminus which serves as a substrate recognition motif for SrtA. Recent studies have implicated substrate-induced conformational dynamics in SrtA. In the present work, we have explored the roles of invariant Leu and Pro residues of the substrate in modulating the enzyme dynamics with a view to understand the selection process of a catalytically competent substrate. Overall results of molecular dynamics simulations and experiments carried out with noncanonical substrates and site-directed mutagenesis reveal that the kinked conformation due to Pro in LPXTG is obligatory for productive binding but does not per se control the enzyme dynamics. The Leu residue of the substrate appears to play the crucial role of an anchor to the beta6-beta7 loop directing the conformational transition of the enzyme from an "open" to a "closed" state subsequent to which the Pro residue facilitates the consummation of binding through predominant engagement of the loop and catalytic motif residues in hydrophobic interactions. Collectively, our study provides insights about specificity, tolerance, and conformational sorting of substrate by SrtA. These results have important implications in designing newer substrates and inhibitors for this multifaceted enzyme.


A method utilizing paper microfluidics coupled with gold nanoparticles and two anticocaine aptamers has been developed to detect seized cocaine samples. The ready‐to‐use format involves the use of a paper strip that produces a color change resulting from the salt‐induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles producing a visible color change indicating the presence of the drug. This format is specific for the detection of cocaine. The visual LOD for the method was 2.5 μg and the camera based LOD was 2.36 μg. The operation of the device is easy and rapid, and does not require extensive training or instrumentation. All of the materials utilized in the device are safe and environmental friendly. This device should prove a useful tool for the screening of forensic samples.


This paper investigates the computational complexity of binary sequences as measured by the rapidity of their generation by multitape Turing machines. A "translational" method which escapes some of the limitations of earlier approaches leads to a refinement of the established hierarchy. The previous complexity classes are shown to possess certain translational properties. An related hierarchy of complexity classes of monotonic functions is examined


Both pulsatile (AC) and continuous (DC) electrical fields have been reported to increase growth or healing or otherwise modify the structure of various tissues, including nerves, bones and skin. Systematic application of these techniques in both animal research and clinical treatment has been hampered by the limitations of currently available technology. We describe a new modular approach in which one or more wireless, microminiature, programmable current generators can be injected or implanted in a wide range of sites. Each device has its own address and can be powered and commanded via an external RF field to produce 10, 100 or 500 /spl mu/A DC and/or pulse trains of 0.2-30 mA at 4-512 /spl mu/s duration. The implants are 2 mm in diameter and 16 mm long. They are made from hermetically sealed, biocompatible materials, so they can be used indefinitely or left in situ after treatment is complete.


Introduction Gastro-oesophageal reflux occurs twice as much during transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations (TLOSRs) in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) compared to healthy volunteers (HVs). Our aim was to assess whether the localisation of the postprandial acid pocket and its interaction with a hiatal hernia (HH) play a role in the occurrence of acidic reflux during TLOSRs. Methods Ten HVs and 22 patients with GORD (12 with HH<3 cm (s-HH), 10 with HH$3 cm (l-HH)) were studied. The squamocolumnar junction and diaphragmatic impression were marked with a radioactively labelled clip. To visualise the acid pocket, 99m Tc-pertechnetate was injected intravenously and images were acquired up to 2 h postprandial. Concurrently, combined manometry/impedance and fourchannel pH-metry were performed, with pH pull-through at multiple time-points. Results The rate of TLOSRs and the per cent associated with reflux was comparable between all groups. However, acidic reflux was significantly increased in patients, especially in patients with l-HH. Acid pocket length was significantly enlarged in patients. Moreover, immediately before a TLOSR, the acid pocket was more frequently located within the hiatus or above the diaphragm in patients with GORD (s-HH, 54%; l-HH, 77%) compared to HVs (22% of TLOSRs). Acidic reflux was significantly increased when the acid pocket was located above the diaphragm in all groups compared to a sub-diaphragmatic localisation. Conclusion The position of the acid pocket is largely determined by the presence of a HH. Entrapment of the pocket above the diaphragm, especially in patients with l-HH, is a major risk factor underlying the increased occurrence of acidic reflux during a TLOSR in patients


This is a case report of stiff-person syndrome (SPS) with episodes of paroxysmal autonomic dysfunction. A 67-year-old female with hypothyroidism, anxiety and hypertension presented with shortness of breath and diaphoresis for 1 day. The patient had been bedbound for several years due to muscle rigidity. She had two episodes of paroxysmal autonomic dysfunction treated with Ativan which resolved. Her anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody became abnormally high at > 250. She was treated with IVIG 30 g daily for 5 days as an inpatient and was discharged on 3 monthly IVIG treatment 1 g/kg × 2 days. This case report describes SPS with paroxysmal autonomic dysfunction. J Med Cases. 2016;7(10):426-428 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2619w


Purpose Colorectal cancer is a common cancer in Indonesia, yet it has been understudied. We conduct a genome-wide association study focused on evaluation and discovery of colorectal cancer risk factors in Indonesians. Methods We administered detailed questionnaires and collecting blood samples from 162 colorectal cancer cases throughout Makassar, Indonesia. We also established a control set of 193 healthy individuals frequency matched by age, sex, and ethnicity. A genome-wide association analysis was performed on 84 cases and 89 controls passing quality control. We evaluated known colorectal cancer genetic variants using logistic regression and established a genome-wide polygenic risk model using a Bayesian variable selection technique. Results We replicate associations for rs9497673, rs6936461 and rs7758229 on chromosome 6; rs11255841 on chromosome 10; and rs4779584, rs11632715, and rs73376930 on chromosome 15. Polygenic modeling identified 10 SNP associated with colorectal cancer risk. Conclusions This work helps characterize the relationship between variants in the SCL22A3, SCG5, GREM1, and STXBP5-AS1 genes and colorectal cancer in a diverse Indonesian population. With further biobanking and international research collaborations, variants specific to colorectal cancer risk in Indonesians will be identified.


Decoding a Reed-Solomon code can be modeled by a bilinear system which can be solved by Gröbner basis techniques. We will show that in this particular case, these techniques are much more efficient than for generic bilinear systems with the same number of unknowns and equations (where these techniques have exponential complexity). Here we show that they are able to solve the problem in polynomial time up to the Sudan radius. Moreover, beyond this radius these techniques recover automatically polynomial identities that are at the heart of improvements of the power decoding approach for reaching the Johnson decoding radius. They also allow to derive new polynomial identities that can be used to derive new algebraic decoding algorithms for Reed-Solomon codes. We provide numerical evidence that this sometimes allows to correct efficiently slightly more errors than the Johnson radius. Note A full version containing the proofs is accessible on arxiv at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.02544


This paper presents the design and analysis of an electro-mechanical flywheel energy storage system to enhance rural electrification in sub-Saharan Africa. The system consists of a flywheel rotor, an electrical machine, control system, bearings, and a containment structure. With the exception of the power electronics and magnets, local materials were used for the manufacture of the flywheel system. The flywheel rotor is made from glass fiber epoxy composite, designed using novel shape profiles and utilizes a stress based solution by introducing a central hole for shaft inclusion. The system was accelerated to 6000 r/min storing up to 227 kJ. Numerical stress analyses were performed during the design stage to ensure that the maximum tensile strength is not exceeded. A lumped parameter thermal model is used to estimate the temperature distribution to ensure safe operating conditions of the flywheel system and environment. A life cycle cost analysis performed found that by integrating a flywheel system into a Solar Home System implies a cost savings of 35% per kilo watt hour when compared with lead-acid batteries.


Cervical discitis, though rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis of torticollis, neck pain and neurodevelopmental regression in motor skills in children and infants. Magnetic resonance imaging is the diagnostic method of choice. Treatment should be conservative with antibiotics only. The aim of this study was to describe the 10-year experience of a tertiary pediatric medical center with cervical discitis.


Abstract. A methodology to analyze the impact of climate change on rainfall extremes with a high temporal resolution is presented. It is based on a rainfall stochastic simulator which consists of a point process model for the daily scale (Neymann-Scott Rectangular Pulse Model) and a nested disaggregation scheme for the 10-min rainfall scale (Multiplicative Random Cascade Model). Climate change signals are included as Factors of Change applied to key statistics (first–third order moments, correlation and intermittency) as simulated with ten GCM-RCM model chains of the ENSEMBLES Project. The stochastic simulator was calibrated with data from 22 meteorological stations in Switzerland, and used to analyze rainfall extremes from 30-yr long realizations for the current climate and two future climate periods (mid-Century and end-of-Century). The stochastic simulator reproduces first and higher-order statistics of precipitation very well for temporal scales from 10-min to 24-hr, including annual maxima for a range of return periods relevant for urban hydrology. The internal climate variability (stochasticity) in rainfall extremes can be directly quantified using simulations, and is very high. Despite the imposed climate change signals, the distributions of annual maxima for the current and future climates largely overlap in most climate model chains. There are relatively few cases where the mean future extremes lie outside of the 10–90 % uncertainty bounds of the current climate, and in fact both increases and decreases are found in simulations. The rainfall stochastic simulator can be improved in the future by including the relation between extreme rainfall intensity and air temperature in the parametrisation. We conclude that the climate change signal generated by climate models has a low signal-to-noise ratio in rainfall extremes at high resolutions at the station level and predictions of change are therefore highly uncertain. At the same time, accounting for current climate variability in rainfall extremes for urban hydrologic design is vital because it may already cover a large part of the uncertainty connected with expected climate change in the future.


Methodological advancement within more-than-human geography lags behind its theorization. As an intervention into the promise of visual methods for enlivening more-than-human geographies, I describe working with a photographic practice for exploring geographies of encounter between humans, the animals they care for, and wild animals. This is presented through discussing a collaborative project employing photovoice to explore wildlife conservation politics in a landscape where both humans and animals have the capacity to kill, and be killed, by one another. Through engaging with photographs and text produced over the course of six months by six individuals living in close proximity to Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, India, I explore entangled relations between humans and animals and the production of more-than-human hierarchies. I consider the potential of a visual method for practicing more-than-human geographies as an exploration of affective encounters. This paper contributes to on-going discussions and debates on decolonizing more-than-human geographies. More specifically, I suggest photovoice as one means by which more-than-human geographies can remain critically engaged with and speak out against enactments of injustice and violent legacies of colonialism that reach across species divides.


The use of photonic material is applied to millimeter waves, microwaves and planar antenna frequencies. The phased array formed by microstrip antennas is analyzed using the full wave Transverse Transmission Line (TTL) method. For the microstrip patch resonator a set of equations that represents the electromagnetic fields in the x and z directions as function of the fields in the y direction are obtained applying the TTL method. The PBG (Photonic Band Gap) structure is analyzed using the homogenization theory, where the objective is obtain the equivalent permittivity of structure. Numerical results of the radiation pattern for some phase excitation in a phased array are shown. Key-Words:TTL Method, Phased array, PBG, Microstrip.


Managing Information Security is becoming more challenging in today's business because people are both a cause of information security incidents as well as a key part of the protection from them. As the impact of organizational culture (OC) on employees is significant, many researchers have called for the creation of information security culture (ISC) in organizations to influence the actions and behaviour of employees towards better organizational information security. Although researchers have called for the creation of ISC to be embedded in organizations, nonetheless, literature suggests that little past research examining the relationship between the nature of OC and ISC. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between the nature of OC and ISC and argues that organizations that have a medium to high security risk profile need to embed the ISC to influence employee actions and behaviours in relation to information security practices. In addition, this paper also introduces a framework to assist organizations in determining the extent to which the desired ISC is embedded into OC.


The paper substantiates the expediency of developing short supply chains at the local level. The focus of this paper is to determine opportunities for developing rural territories in Ukraine on the basis of the development of short supply chains in terms of ensuring social, economic and environmental sustainability. It is established that such an approach provides stability of development of rural territory, in particular, it promotes: social interaction (trust, justice, solidarity and common values between consumers and producers), community development (just relationships, pride, social cohesion and community affiliation, strengthening local culture and identity), health and well-being of the population (healthy diet); access to healthy food, health improvement), which ensures social sustainability of the system; rural development and economic recovery (increase of workplaces, tourism development, increase of local incomes, development of small and medium-sized farms), achievement of economic benefits to farms (reduction of overheads, fixed margin and premium for quality, increase of competitiveness and economic viability, sustainable use resources), which ensures economic stability of the system; reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions (reducing transport and storage time; using alternative technologies; maximizing manual labor; reducing the use of plastic packaging; reducing food losses); sustainability of agro-systems (promoting agro-biodiversity; using local varieties; highlighting ecological and organic production), which ensures the ecological stability of the system.


The possible contribution of other compounds to the development of boar taint in fat samples with low concentrations of skatole and androstenone and classified as tainted was evaluated by GC-MS in the SCAN mode. Skatole and androstenone were determined by normal phase HPLC and GC-MS, respectively. For the identification of other compounds fat samples were purified with a gel filtration column and the second fraction was saponified at room temperature with KOH/3 N MeOH. 4-Phenyl-3-buten-2-one was the main compound identified in the fat samples, and its identification was corroborated by comparison with a standard solution obtained from a commercial source and by HPLC. The sensorial analysis of 4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one showed its possible contribution to boar taint. The possible contribution of phenol derivatives and short-chain fatty acids was also evaluated. Keywords: Boar taint; skatole; androstenone; 4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one


An activating JAK2V617F mutation has been found in ∼50% patients with myelofibrosis (MF). Inactivating mutations in histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) also have been observed in patients with MF. Interestingly, inactivating EZH2 mutations are often associated with JAK2V617F mutation in MF, although their contributions in the pathogenesis of MF remain elusive. To determine the effects of concomitant loss of EZH2 and JAK2V617F mutation in hematopoiesis, we generated Ezh2-deficient Jak2V617F-expressing mice. Whereas expression of Jak2V617F alone induced a polycythemia vera-like disease, concomitant loss of Ezh2 significantly reduced the red blood cell and hematocrit parameters but increased the platelet counts in Jak2V617F knock-in mice. Flow cytometric analysis showed impairment of erythroid differentiation and expansion of megakaryocytic precursors in Ezh2-deficient Jak2V617F mice. Moreover, loss of Ezh2 enhanced the repopulation capacity of Jak2V617F-expressing hematopoietic stem cells. Histopathologic analysis revealed extensive fibrosis in the bone marrow (BM) and spleen of Ezh2-deleted Jak2V617F mice. Transplantation of BM from Ezh2-deleted Jak2V617F mice into wild-type animals resulted in even faster progression to MF. Gene expression profiling and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequence analysis revealed that S100a8, S100a9, Ifi27l2a, and Hmga2 were transcriptionally derepressed, and the H3K27me3 levels in these gene promoters were significantly reduced on Ezh2 deletion in hematopoietic progenitors of Jak2V617F mice. Furthermore, overexpression of S100a8, S100a9, Ifi27l2a, or Hmga2 significantly increased megakaryocytic colonies in the BM of Jak2V617F mice, indicating a role for these Ezh2 target genes in altered megakaryopoiesis involved in MF. Overall, our results suggest that loss of Ezh2 cooperates with Jak2V617F in the development of MF in Jak2V617F-expressing mice.


The aim of this study was to see the effectiveness of aeration in decreased levels of iron (Fe) in water wells before and after the aeration process using multiple tray aerator methods. The use of multiple tray aeration is expected to reduce the levels of iron (Fe) in water wells. This research is an experiment with 30 samples of good water that had higher levels of iron (Fe), which do not qualify as water obtained by non-random sampling in Gowa Regency. To find out the effectiveness decreased levels of iron (Fe) before and after aeration performed with SPSS statistical testing. The results obtained show the rate of decline in levels of iron (Fe) average about 2.21 mg/L with an average percentage of 68.01% decline. Value levels of iron (Fe) on average after aeration obtained at 1.12 mg/L. Although it has seen a decline the effective look at the results showed significant before and after the aeration is done but not yet clean water requirements with value levels of iron (Fe) up to 1.00. In contrast to the results of another study that the results of decreased levels of iron (Fe) obtained only around 0.20 mg/L or simply a decline of about 10%. The difference in the results achieved by the research conducted in the laboratory with a reduction of circulating air in the rooms was not big. To achieve the levels of iron (Fe) to fit the requirements it is necessary to further processing after aeration. Aeration method with multiple tray aerator can reduce levels of iron (Fe) in water wells. significantly but the results are not yet qualified to clean water


ABSTRACT A study of the mineral composition of the sand fraction (2 to 0.062 mm) of 115 surface samples from the Gulf of Maine--Georges Bank area has defined eight provinces based mainly on heavy mineral composition. Sediments in three provinces, off the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Merrimack Rivers, are of recent origin. The remaining five provinces are composed of relict sediments of which three are of glacial origin. Sediments of Georges Bank are reworked from the Coastal Plain, either derived from rocks underlying the bank or from the Gulf of Maine, in which instance they have been transported to the bank by glaciers. Fine-grained sediments have been winnowed from Georges Bank and transported into the Gulf of Maine where they have mixed with the glacial sediments of that area. Mineral composition throughout the area of study is controlled mainly by the source, though reworking has resulted in some modification. This modification is most pronounced in the high energy areas of Georges Bank and off Cape Cod, where more resistant heavy minerals predominate. The sediments in these areas are also better sorted and have lower feldspar-quartz ratios than the sediments in the low energy areas of the Gulf of Maine. Reworking of sediments on the ridge areas in the Gulf of Maine was anticipated, but not definitively observed. This may be due to the small number of examined samples or lack of sufficient time for these sediments to come to equilibrium with their environment.


STUDY OBJECTIVE: To identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and to explore the contribution of these to the evaluation of public health issues. DESIGN: Hand searching of the journal by both authors with independent assessment of topics of the reports and of their relevance to the Cochrane Collaboration. Agreement was assessed using kappa scores. SETTING: All papers and letters published in the journal from the first issue to the end of 1994. SUBJECTS: Reports that might be RCTs were collected and classified into seven categories: definitely/probably/possibly RCTs or quasi-RCTs; or none of these. MAIN RESULTS: Eighty two definite RCTs were identified and a further 23 were probably/possibly RCTs or quasi-RCTs. Most reports dealt with health education, drug treatments, or "other" health service interventions. Both authors failed to identify a number of trials on hand searching. CONCLUSIONS: The journal has published many trials of importance to the development of evidence-based public health policy. Hand searching may need to be done independently by more than one person.


In this article the authors share how they use global literature picturebooks with pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade children in the context of A Curriculum That is International to develop the children's intercultural understandings. The picturebooks, shared through read alouds, individual and partner reading, and browsing, is focused particularly on children's personal identities as cultural beings and their identifying issues for which they take action to make the world a better place. In addition, the illustrations are discussed to develop the children's understandings of creating meaning through art. The authors argue that by through experiences with global literature children develop richer understandings of themselves as complex cultural beings and a perception of themselves as capable problem-solvers who identify issues and take action to solve them.


This group of papers made methodological analysis on 190 master degree papers published in 2004 by two institutions of sport sciences and physical education in 4 aspects: research topic identification,experiment,questionnaire investigation and writing standardization.The result indicated the following.In terms of research topic identification,there were 10 misunderstandings in 6 aspects:Among 57 papers using experiment as a major method,27 of them showed obvious misuse in methodology such as variable definition errors.Another 16 papers(28.07%) need to improve their methods and avoid some problems.As far as questionnaire investigation concerned,51 out of 91 papers(56.04%) suffered from obvious misuse in three aspects.As for the writing standardization,no one among 190 papers completely satisfied the requests of scientific paper writing.It is suggested that the above misuse of methodology indicated the deep crisis in sport science research from one aspect.It is proposed that graduate programs in sport sciences should pay close attention to the education of basic theories and methodology and the substantial improvement in logic thinking and writing ability are badly and urgently needed.


Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is a difficult-to-treat otitis media characterized by eosinophilic accumulation in the middle ear mucosa and effusion. It is resistant to conventional treatments and strongly associated with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). The aim of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of biologics drugs in the control of EOM. This is a retrospective no-profit real-life observational study, involving patients affected by refractory EOM and in treatment with different biologics for concomitant severe eosinophilic asthma or severe uncontrolled CRSwNP (Dupilumab: n = 5; Omalizumab: n = 1; Mepolizumab: n = 1; Benralizumab: n = 1). We analyzed data at baseline and at the 6-month follow-up, including specific nasal and otological parameters. We observed an improvement of all nasal outcomes, including NPS, SNOT-22, VAS, and smell function. Regarding specific otological parameters, we observed a significant reduction in the mean value of COMOT-15 score and of Otitis Severity Score at 6-month follow-up compared to baseline (p < 0.05). Finally, we observed an improvement in terms of air conduction hearing levels during the treatment. Our results demonstrated that anti type-2 inflammatory pathway biologics can be effective in improving symptoms control and in reducing the severity of eosinophilic otitis media when treating coexisting type-2 diseases, such as asthma and or CRSwNP.


Two synaptonemal complexes (SCs) were present in the pachytene nuclei of Ascaris megalocephala. The SC was tripartite and comprised of two lateral elements (25 nm) with a striated central element (25 nm) and a central region of 65 nm. Spherical recombination nodules were observed to be associated only with the central element, although they are non-existent in the related A. lumbricoides var. suum (Goldstein, 1977). The SCs were attached to the nuclear envelope at only one end, while the other end was free in the nucleoplasm. This lack of bouquet formation of the chromosomes is consistent with all other nematodes studied. Morphologically distinct sex chromosomes were not observed, which differs from the presence of five Y-chromosomes present in A. lumbricoides var. suum (Goldstein and Moens, 1976). Centrioles (0.2 microm wide) reproduced by budding off the parental centriole. The centrioles consisted of nine singlet microtubules connected by an electron-dense proteinaceous ring. This structure is consistent with centrioles described in other nematodes, yet distinctly different from the centriole structure observed in most organisms in which it consists of nine triplet microtubules without any connecting ring. Multiple synaptonemal complexes, or polycomplexes, are found in A. megalocephala and A. lumbriocoides var. suum. They appear as stacked SC and are present inside the nucleus during zygotene and in the cytoplasm at pachytene.


Wistar rats at 7 (mature), 16 (aging), and 22 (old) months of age spent 70 days in normal laboratory (Social), impoverished (Isolated) or dynamic Enrichment cages. The Enriched cage emphasized spatial re-arrangements of significant items, and the learning of new routes. Subsequently, Enriched rats at all ages entered a novel environment and escaped from a bright light with significantly shorter latencies than rats from either of the other environments. Mature, aging and some of the old Enriched rats also significantly outperformed their Isolated and Social counterparts in the radial maze. However old Enriched and Isolated animals showed significant variability in relation to the measure of the proportion reaching criterion on this task, and a significantly lower proportion than of old Social rats reached criterion. Enriched rats had a significantly higher survival rate than Social and Isolated animals. These findings are discussed in terms of learning efficiency and behaviors that conserve energy and thereby enhance survival.


With continuous growth in the number of information objects and the users that can access these objects, ensuring that access is compliant with company policies has become a big challenge. Role-based Access Control (RBAC) -- a policy-neutral access control model that serves as a bridge between academia and industry -- is probably the most suitable security model for commercial applications. Interestingly, role design determines RBAC's cost. When there are hundreds or thousands of users within an organization, with individual functions and responsibilities to be accurately reflected in terms of access permissions, only a well-defined role engineering process allows for significant savings of time and money while protecting data and systems. Among role engineering approaches, searching through access control systems to find de facto roles embedded in existing permissions is attracting increasing interest. The focus falls on role mining, which is applied data mining techniques to automate -- to the extent possible -- the role design task. This book explores existing role mining algorithms and offers insights into the automated role design approaches proposed in the literature. Alongside theory, this book acts as a practical guide for using role mining tools when implementing RBAC. Besides a comprehensive survey of role mining techniques deeply rooted in academic research, this book also provides a summary of the role-based approach, access control concepts and describes a typical role engineering process. Among the pioneering works on role mining, this book blends business elements with data mining theory, and thus further extends the applications of role mining into business practice. This makes it a useful guide for all academics, IT and business professionals.


Maximizing wind energy resources requires a detailed understanding of atmospheric flow behavior over complex topography. The objective of this research is to examine unstable flow behavior over a three-dimensional topographic model, representative of mesa terrain that is common in West Texas. The goal is to develop an understanding of how unstable atmospheric conditions caused by surface heating affect boundary layer flow patterns in the natural environment. This objective was accomplished by experimentally monitoring transient thermal behavior of narrow band liquid crystals over a scaled model. Photographic data was collected as the heated model was subjected to a cooler flow field. The transient isotherms result from cooling as the model is exposed to flow in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. Results suggest that flow patterns associated with unstable conditions can be explained by increased wind speeds on the lee side of a mesa followed by vigorous mixing causing increased cooling rates around the mesa sides. The results could be used to improve the accuracy of numerical atmospheric flow models, assess the feasibility of developing wind turbine sites, and increase the knowledge-base in order to advance wind energy forecasting techniques.© 2003 ASME


What is the nature of the industrial organization of the market for physician services? Is the market 'competitive?' Are there pareto-relevant market failures, such that there is room for welfare improving policies? Economists have devoted a great deal of attention to this market, but it remains relatively poorly understood. Some background on early studies of this market is presented. The nature of the product being bought and sold, and of demand, are then characterized, in order to establish the character of this market. The key features of this market are that the product being sold is a professional service, and the pervasive presence of insurance for consumers. A professional service is inherently heterogeneous, non-retradable, and subject to an asymmetry of information between buyers and sellers. These characteristics are what bestow market power on sellers, further strengthened by the fact that consumers face only a small fraction of the price of any service due to insurance. The implications of this for agency relationships between patients and physicians, and insurers (both private and public) and physicians are then discussed. Agency relationships within physician firms are also considered. Both theoretical and empirical modelling of contracting between insurers and physicians and of the joint agency problems between patient and physician and insurer and physician are recommended as areas for future research. Since failures in this market are seen to derive largely from the structure of information, the potential gains from government intervention may be sharply circumscribed.


Er2O3 films with good crystallinity have been achieved on an oxidized Si (111) surface by molecule beam epitaxy. The initial growth of Er2O3 films epitaxially grown on Si surfaces is investigated by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction. An interface layer was formed at the very beginning of the growth of Er2O3 film on Si, which is supposed to be attributed to the Er atom catalytic oxidation effect. The results obtained indicate that with the film growth process continued, oxygen deficient Er oxide captures oxygen from the interface layer which is formed inevitably at the initial growth of Er2O3 film and thus reduce and even remove the interface layer if the condition of O2 pressure is insufficient at a high substrate temperature such as 700°C in our case.


Aims and objectives are the pivotal tenets of any educational system and without them the educational methods and principles would not get anywhere. The purpose of the current study is the investigation and determination of the scientific and intellectuals aims of Akhavan-Al-Safa. The research method used in this paper is descriptive and analytical. To find an answer to this aim, the relevant papers, treatise, and books were studied. The results show that they considered for themselves an educational duty and a role much like that of the prophets; they had set their intellectual and scientific aims within the center of their activities for removing the superstitions and ambiguities from the religion and for correcting the community. Aims such as the finding and reviving of the talents, seeking knowledge, eclecticism and best selection, enlightenment and awareness and also free-thinking have been but some of the mediating aims of the afore-mentioned area in achieving the ultimate end and integrity. One of the practical outcomes left behind by them can be seen within the 51 papers covering all the knowledge of the time. Their comprehensiveness has been influenced by their intellectual origins and sources in the areas of theology and philosophy and the scientific and cultural conditions of that era. Keywords : Akhavan-Al-Safa, scientific objectives, intellectual objectives


In a prospective, randomized, double-masked study, primary open-angle glaucoma patients were treated twice daily with either betaxolol 0.5% or timolol 0.5%. Patients received a pretreatment baseline examination following a 2 week washout period; they were then examined after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Each examination included visual field measurements with an Octopus automated perimeter and intraocular pressure measurement. The visual fields of the betaxolol group showed on the average a pronounced tendency toward improvement (MD decrease of 2.05 dB); visual fields in the timolol group showed a slight tendency toward improvement (MD decrease of 1.56 dB). The difference between these 2 trends after 6 months was statistically not significant (p greater than or equal to 0.05, U-test). Both drugs lowered intraocular pressure, there was no significant difference between the two drugs (p greater than or equal to 0.05, U-test).


write a book giving a broad view of hysteria, since it is a condition lacking agreed definition and prone to idiosyncratic interpretation. As Professor Mersky points out, the relevant literature is spread from anthropology to psychophysiology via psychoanalysis and religion. Professor Mersky's short book on hysteria is therefore greatly to be welcomed as a succinct and reasonably comprehensive survey of a difficult and elusive subject. It will undoubtedly become a standard short text-book and be a welcome source of information for all interested in hysteria. The information is at postgraduate/specialist level but undergraduate students may find it useful in studying a topic often poorly taught. There is a good historical review, with an interesting emphasis on Kretschmer's work which is so often unfairly neglected. Other topics reviewed with plentiful reference to the primary literature include motivation, the relationship between hysteria and physical disease, epidemic hysteria, hysterical psychosis and individual psychodynamics. Useful appendices of reprinted key papers by, among others, Symonds and Kraepelin are included. With a subject such as hysteria it is always possible for a reviewer to see some part of the 'globule of mercury' that remains on the floor while some extraneous matter has been gathered in its place. Perhaps Professor Mersky, although considering the cross-cultural evidence, is too confined within a medical model and does not consider the normality of much that is labelled as hysteria. Perhaps, on an individual level, he considers more to be pathological and beyond the knowledge of the patient than is justified. These, however, are minor criticisms of an excellent book on a very difficult subject. Its publication is warmly to be welcomed.


Join UK based artist Susan Schuppli for a performance | lecture where she plays the part of Richard Nixon's secretary at the time of the Watergate scandal.

"Next to a man's wife, his secretary is the most important person in his career. She has to understand every detail of his job; to have unquestioning loyalty and absolute discretion. On every count Rose measures up. I'm a lucky man". — Richard Nixon, 1957

At some point during the evening of June 20 1972 a conversation between two men was secretly taped using cheap lavalier microphones and a tape recorder set to run at an irregular speed. The result was a tape of degraded sound quality produced under deficient recording conditions. Of the more than 3,700 hours of audio confiscated from the Oval Office, Tape 342 remains by far the most infamous. Not because of the shocking information it contains, but because of its absence: 18-1/2 minutes of missing audio. The tape-gap occurs during a rambling conversation between Nixon and White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman just three days after the break-in at Democratic National Committee Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel.

When news of the tape's potential tampering was made public, Nixon's personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods took responsibility for this breach in the historical record. Under cross-examination in a federal courtroom, she told a rather confused story of how she might have made "a terrible mistake" and been partially responsible for the glitch. Woods claimed that while she had been transcribing and typing the conversations of 20 June 1972, the telephone suddenly rang causing her to press the wrong pedal on her foot-controlled UHER tape recorder, which she was using for purposes of playback, resulting in the erasure. Forensic acoustic analysis would ultimately overturn her testimony.


One of the main features of the GTAP Data Base is a detailed sectoral classification of agricultural and food products. Twelve sectors within agriculture and eight sectors within the area of food, beverages, and tobacco are identified. This however creates a problem in data collection since not all countries' input-output (I-O) statistics provide such fine sectoral detail.

To address this problem, the I-O data contributors for some countries undertook the agricultural and food disaggregation themselves. Table 8.A.1 lists the 22 countries/regions for which I-O tables are available at the full GTAP 8 sectoral classifications for food and agriculture and 87 regions that require this disaggregation1. For the remaining countries/regions, the disaggregation was undertaken centrally. To support this centralized disaggregation process, the present author created a new multi-country agriculture and food products dataset. This chapter documents that dataset.

The agricultural and food products dataset consists of two components. The first component consists of information on the quantities produced, imported, and exported, plus information on producer prices for a broad set of agricultural commodities for a variety of countries. This information is then used to determine the value of production and trade, at producer prices, for as many GTAP agricultural and food commodities as possible. The second component uses the above information, along with I-O tables supplied for earlier GTAP data releases to develop an initial I-O table focused on the GTAP agricultural and food commodities for each country/region listed in table 8.A.1 that lack this detail. These initial I-O tables are then used as the starting point for the centralized disaggregation process.


Neurons that control wakefulness release both stimulating and inhibiting signals to prevent hyperactivity. Neurons from the tuberomammilary nucleus (TMN) project throughout the brain to control wakefulness and signal through a nonsynaptic mechanism called volume release, which activates extrasynaptic receptors, instead of through synaptic transmission. These neurons synthesize and release histamine from varicosities along the axons. These neurons also contain γ-amino butyric acid (GABA), and Yu et al. found that they also contain the transporter vgat, which is necessary to import GABA into vesicles for release, suggesting that histaminergic TMN neurons cotransmit histaminergic and GABAergic signals. To demonstrate that GABA release by the TMN was functionally important, the authors generated mice in which vgat was knocked down or genetically depleted in TMN neurons. These vgat-deficient mice were hyperactive, moving greater distances and moving faster than did control animals. The vgat-deficient mice also slept less and maintained a hyperactive state after sleep deprivation. Optogenetic activation of TMN neurons in slice preparations from mice engineered to express channel rhodopsin in the histaminergic TMN neurons in the context of the control mice or the vgat-deficient mice showed that stimulation of these neurons produced a slowly developing increase in the holding current, consistent with that of tonic activation of extrasynaptic ionotropic GABA receptors, and that this current was absent in preparations from the vgat-deficient mice. The tonic GABA current was present when interneuron activity or histamine receptors were blocked pharmacologically, indicating a direct effect of released GABA rather than an effect mediated by altered neural circuit activity. The presence of a GABAA receptor antagonist blocked the tonic GABA current. Optogenetic stimulation increased the frequency of spontaneous postsynaptic currents in the neocortex in a manner dependent on histamine receptors, but independent of vgat. Thus, wakefulness is controlled by neurons that release both an excitatory signal (histamine) and an inhibitory signal (GABA) to maintain the appropriate state of arousal and sleep-wake balance. X. Yu, Z. Ye, C. M. Houston, A. Y. Zecharia, Y. Ma, Z. Zhang, D. S. Uygun, S. Parker, A. L. Vyssotski, R. Yustos, N. P. Franks, S. G. Brickley, W. Wisden, Wakefulness is governed by GABA and histamine cotransmission. Neuron 87, 164–178 (2015). [PubMed]


In recent years, global warming and resource exhaustion problems require the manufacturers to minimize substances of environmental concern and industrial wastes and adopt measures for expedited recycling. As a result, making effective use of wastes to try for further energy conservation and high quality products is an important assignment in the heat treatment and surface hardening treatment fields as well. This study has investigated the effectiveness of waste melamine resin in solid nitriding of JIS SUS304 austenitic stainless steel plate. After heating the stainless plate in waste melamine resin fragments and cooling in air, the surface was analyzed. It was found that a nitrided layer had formed on the surface of the plate, and the nitriding potential of waste melamine was shown to be high. It is therefore likely that this method can be effectively applied to the development of economically advantageous high-performance materials and value-added products.


: Hyperprolactinemia is a frequent finding in infertile women with amenorrhea. Bromocriptine is the drug of choice for treatment of hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea. This dopamine agonist is very effective in normalizing raised prolactin levels. Ovulatory menstrual cycles and fertility are then rapidly restored. Bromocriptine therapy represents a major advance in the treatment of anovulatory infertility. Prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas are common causes of hyperprolactinemia. Neither surgery nor irradiation reliably provides the definitive cure that had been hoped for in patients with prolactin-secreting pituitary tumours. Experience with medical treatment has revealed that induction of ovulation with bromocriptine is remarkably safe both in patients with microtumours and those with macrotumours without suprasellar extension. In the future, it is possible that even the larger macrotumours with suprasellar can be safely managed by medical therapy with bromocriptine. During pregnancy, pituitary tumour complications may arise in women with prolactinomas. However, data accumulated during recent years have shown that induction of ovulation and pregnancy by bromocriptine is remarkably safe in women with both micro- and macroprolactinomas. The risk of permanent sequelae due to rapid tumour enlargement during pregnancy is exceedingly small in properly investigated and carefully supervised women with prolactinomas. Bromocriptine is clearly a must for every infertility clinic. The value of bromocriptine in the treatment of normoprolactinemic amenorrhea, polycystic ovarian disease, luteal insufficiency and ovulatory infertility is not yet proven. However, bromocriptine is extremely effective in normalizing hyperprolactinemia and undoubtedly the drug of choice for treatment of female infertility due to hypersecretion of prolactin.


A multi-channel far-infrared laser-based POlarimeter-INTerferometer (POINT) system utilizing the three-wave technique has been implemented for fully diagnosing the internal magnetic field in the EAST tokamak. Double-pass, horizontal, radially-viewing chords access the plasma via an equatorial port. The laser source consists of three CW formic acid (HCOOH) FIR lasers at nominal wavelength 432.5 μm which are optically pumped by independent infrared CO2 lasers. Output power is more than 30 mW of per cavity. Novel molybdenum retro-reflectors, can with withstand baking temperature up to 350°C and discharge duration more than 1000 s, are mounted in the inside wall for the double-pass optical arrangement. A Digital Phase Detector with 250 kHz bandwidth, which provide real-time Faraday rotation angle and density phase shift output for plasma control, have been developed for the POINT system. Reliability of both polarimetric and interferometric measurement are obtained in 22 s long pulse H mode discharge and 8 s NBI H mode discharge, indicating the POINT system works for any heating scheme on EAST so far. The electron line-integrated density resolution of POINT is less than 1 × 1016 m−2 (< 1°), and the Faraday rotation angle rms phase noise is < 0.1°. With the high temporal (∼ 1 μsec) and phase resolution (< 0.1°), perturbations associated with the sawtooth cycle and MHD activity have been observed. The current profile, density profile and safety factor (q) profile are reconstructed by using EFIT code from the external magnetic and the validation POINT data. Realtime EFIT with Faraday angle and density phase shift constraints will be implemented in the plasma control system in the future.


Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR) was used to detect blood stains based on signature protein absorption in the mid-IR region, where intensity changes in the spectrum can be related to blood concentration. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was applied for multivariate calibrations of IR spectra of blood dilutions on four types of fabric (acrylic, nylon, polyester, and cotton). Gap derivatives (GDs) were applied as a preprocessing technique to optimize the performance of calibration models. We report a much improved IR detection limit (DL) for blood on cotton (2700× in dilution factor units) and the first IR DL reported for blood on nylon (250×). Due to sample heterogeneity caused by fabric hydrophobicity, acrylic fabric produced variable ATR FT-IR spectra that caused poor DLs in concentration units compared to previous work. Polyester showed a similar problem at low blood concentrations that lead to a relatively poor DL as well. However, the increased surface sensitivity and decreased penetration depth of ATR FT-IR make it an excellent choice for detection of small quantities of blood on the front surface of all fabrics tested (0.0010 µg for cotton, 0.0077 µg for nylon, 0.011 µg for acrylic, and 0.0066 µg for polyester).


Planar piecewise isometries with convex polygonal atoms that are
piecewise irrational rotations can naturally generate a packing of
phase space given by periodic cells that are discs. We show that
such packings cannot contain certain subpackings of Apollonian
packings, namely those belonging to a family of Arbelos
subpackings. We do this by showing that the unit complex numbers
giving the directions of tangency within such an isometric-generated
packing lie in a finitely generated subgroup of the circle group,
whereas this is not the case for the Arbelos subpackings. In the
opposite direction, we show that, given an arbitrary disc packing of
a polygonal region, there is a piecewise isometry whose regular
cells approximate the given packing to any specified precision.


A review is given of theoretical and experimental investigations of the propagation of powerful ultrasonic beams in high-viscosity liquids. Calculations are reported of the conditions for the observation of spatial and temporal self-compression of a wave packet as a result of sound-induced heating of a liquid. An account is given of theoretical predictions and of quantitative agreement of these predictions with experimental results on the effects of self-focusing of ultrasonic beams and of sound-induced transparency of viscous liquids. More than tenfold increase in the peak intensity of an ultrasonic pulse in the focal region, of dimensions of the order of three or four wavelengths, has been achieved under optimal conditions. Physical and biological applications of the observed effects of controlled self-action of ultrasonic waves in the bulk of a viscous liquid are discussed.


Alumina/zirconia nano-composite coating was fabricated by plasma spraying using agglomerated feedstock from fine powders of about 100 nm. The coating was consisted of fine γ-alumina and zirconia crystals with size of several nano meter and some amorphous boundary layers. The amorphous phase was crystallized and disappeared after heat treatment at 930°C. However, the crystallite size was kept under 50 nm even after 1500°C-100hr heating, so the alumina-zirconia nano-composite showed good thermal stability against the grain growth.


The response of the terrestrial carbon cycle to future changes in climate and atmospheric CO 2 is assessed by analysing simulation results for the 2006–2100 period made with the second generation Canadian Earth system model (CanESM2) for the RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate change scenarios. Our interest is in the extent to which global terrestrial carbon pools and sinks, in particular those of the Amazonian region, are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. CanESM2 results indicate that land remains an overall sink of atmospheric carbon for the 2006–2100 period. The net carbon uptake by land in response to changes in climate and atmospheric CO 2 is close to 20, 80 and 140 Pg C for the RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively. The latitudinal structure of future atmosphere–land CO 2 flux remains similar to that observed for the historical period with northern mid- to high-latitude regions gaining carbon from the atmosphere while the tropics remain either carbon neutral or a modest source of atmospheric carbon depending on scenario. These changes occur in conjunction with simulated precipitation and soil moisture increases over northern mid- and high-latitude land regions and precipitation and soil moisture decreases over the South American continent in all scenarios. Compared to other regions of the globe, which are either carbon sinks or near neutral, the Amazonian region is simulated to be a net source of carbon during the 21st century. Moreover, and unexpectedly, the rate of carbon loss to the atmosphere from the Amazonian region is largely independent of the differences between the three scenarios considered.


In preparing for the publication of the seven papers in the special supplement of Cambridge Archaeological Journal, we were concerned to find an outlet that could find a worldwide audience, as we believe that these papers have more than regional or period significance. That is a big claim. The case studies presented in the supplement are all of early Neolithic long barrows and long cairns of the fourth millennium cal. bc in southern England. Why should a study of the dating of constructions that held the remains of selected human dead, from a particular region of northwest Europe, at a particular point in the regional Neolithic sequence, have any wider importance? We offer two reasons. First, we are applying, perhaps for the first time to a group of monuments rather than to individual sites, a method for the interpretation of radiocarbon dates which enables much more precise estimates of chronology. Secondly, from this promise of far more robust and precise dating come many implications for the kinds of agents that we may wish to people our pasts, for the kinds of lives they lived, and for the histories that we can try to write about them. These are two developments, we suggest, which any archaeology needs to embrace.


Lipreading is the task of decoding text from the movement of a speaker's mouth. Traditional approaches separated the problem into two stages: designing or learning visual features, and prediction. More recent deep lipreading approaches are end-to-end trainable (Wand et al., 2016; Chung & Zisserman, 2016a). All existing works, however, perform only word classification, not sentence-level sequence prediction. Studies have shown that human lipreading performance increases for longer words (Easton & Basala, 1982), indicating the importance of features capturing temporal context in an ambiguous communication channel. Motivated by this observation, we present LipNet, a model that maps a variable-length sequence of video frames to text, making use of spatiotemporal convolutions, an LSTM recurrent network, and the connectionist temporal classification loss, trained entirely end-to-end. To the best of our knowledge, LipNet is the first lipreading model to operate at sentence-level, using a single end-to-end speaker-independent deep model to simultaneously learn spatiotemporal visual features and a sequence model. On the GRID corpus, LipNet achieves 93.4% accuracy, outperforming experienced human lipreaders and the previous 79.6% state-of-the-art accuracy.


Decentralized adaptive control design for a class of large-scale interconnected nonlinear systems with unknown interconnections is considered. The motivation behind this work is to develop decentralized control for a class of large-scale systems which do not satisfy the matching condition requirement. To this end, large-scale nonlinear systems transformable to the decentralized strict feedback form are considered. Coordinate-free geometric conditions under which any general interconnected nonlinear system can be transformed to this form are obtained. The interconnections are assumed to be bounded by polynomial-type nonlinearities. Global stability and asymptotic regulation are established using classical Lyapunov techniques. The controller is shown to maintain robustness for a wide class of systems obtained by perturbation in the dynamics of the original system. Furthermore, appending additional subsystems does not require controller redesign for the original subsystems. Finally, the scheme is extended to the model reference tracking problem when global uniform boundedness of the tracking error to a compact set is established.


: The role of sexuality has generally been overlooked in sociological and economic research, partly due to the lack of representative data. We present a new theory of sexuality as the underlying source of patriarchy in the Twenty-First century, drawing on nationally representative surveys, qualitative and case study evidence on sex differences in sexuality. Lerner's [1986] explanation for the creation of patriarchy is updated to identify sexuality rather than fertility as the driving force for male attempts to maintain male dominance in private and public life today, because recreational sexuality is now more important than reproductive sexuality. Sex surveys across the world carried out in 1990-2010 reveal a persistent sex differential in sexual interest and motivation, resulting in a sexual deficit among men. Strategic case studies of two sexual spot markets (internet dating and commercial sex) illuminate the continuing patriarchal ideological response today to women who exploit the male sexual deficit. The male sexual deficit helps explain the stigmatization of women selling sexual services and entertainments, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and rape – even in Western liberal democracies. The male sexual deficit is increased by women's access to higher education and independent incomes, leading some women to withdraw from sexual and marriage markets. For different reasons, patriarchal men and feminist women often deny the significance of sexuality in sexual politics debates.


This is a review-article which selectively reviews key concepts adopted in team performance evaluation literature.
This review intends to promote future innovative methods for objective quantification and analysis of team performance. The review summarizes methods, experimental frameworks, sensors for physiological and behavioral recordings, data processing to derive team level objective measures, in the light of team performance evaluation. Observing the advancements in sensor technologies and computation power, towards advancing team performance evaluation, this review summarizes some of the current multimodal based team research. Finally, the review provides suggestions on aspects that the future research focus to overcome some of existing limitations and drawbacks.


Background:  South Africa is faced with a significant challenge of securing the supply of electricity as well as reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The implementation of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) measures by energy consumers, especially businesses, is becoming increasingly important and a number of tax incentives have been introduced to promote EE and RE. Objective:  The objective of this preliminary study was to determine the role that the available tax incentives play in the decision making of South African businesses regarding investment in RE or EE projects. Aim:  To determine this role, the largest South African businesses were selected from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Top 40 Index. Method:  The study contained both empirical and non-empirical elements. A literature review was conducted to determine the role of tax incentives globally, while questionnaires were distributed to determine the role in South Africa. Results:  Findings highlighted that, while tax incentives do play a role in decision making, various other non-tax factors drive South African businesses' decisions to invest in EE and/or RE projects. These businesses do not perceive the available tax incentives as effective, nor do they regard them as sufficiently motivating for businesses to change their environmental behaviour. They also feel that the government should reduce the burden of complying with the requirements of Section 12L (the EE allowance). Conclusion:  Improving the available RE and EE tax incentives in South Africa might result in more businesses considering the implementation of RE or EE projects. It is therefore recommended that the available tax incentives are expanded and/or the qualifying criteria simplified.


Channelopathy as a new word in medical vocabulary describes those human diseases that results from defects in ion channel function. Ion channels as a pathway for the movement of ions across cell membranes play essential roles in the physiology and pathophysiology of all cells and it is therefore not very surprising that an ever increasing number of human diseases have been found to be caused by defective ion channel function that we may need to search for medicine to treat them. To understand this we need to know at least a basic understanding of the genetics, molecular structure, biophysical properties and physiological role of ion channels. Further more, ion channels play an important role in transmitting information in the nervous system. Na+ and K+ channels are involved in action potentials, and at nerve endings, channels selective for Na+, K+ and Ca++ ions are involved in action potentials and the release of neurotransmitters. Considering this point, venoms or poisons and toxins which are pure fractions isolated from each of them could be used as pharmacological tools to identify and study physiological role of ion channels, as well as introducing the different types or sub-type of ion channels activity in cell membranes. Nevertheless, they may play a medicinal role to treat different channel related diseases. In the past, biophysical and pharmacological studies of some of the post-synaptic receptors and ion channels have been aided by the use of potent and selective toxins, e.g. α-bungarotoxin to isolate and characterize the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ion channels complex. Similarly, tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin have been fundamental to the characterization of Na+ channels in neurons. Until fairly recently, however, characterization of neuronal K+ and Ca2+ channels has been restricted by a lack of suitable selective and high affinity probes. Characterization of these ion channels and ionic currents at nerve terminals is particularly important, because, by regulating the frequency and duration of action potentials, the K+ and Ca2+ channels can regulate nerve terminal excitability and transmitter release. Because Na+ channel-mediated action potentials are essential to the functioning of the nervous system, it is perhaps not surprising that many toxins exist, which act at the Na+ channel. In contrast to Na+ channels, many types of K+ channels exist in neurons. There are three main classes based on the kind of stimulus required to convert them from the closed to the open configuration. They include voltagedependent K+ channels, K+ channel regulated by intracellular "messengers" like Ca2+ and K+ channels which can be activated by neurotransmitters, e.g. serotonin or acetylcholine. Besides, we should never forget recent reports related to the effects of the bee venom on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis. The variety of venomous animals and their subtypes from snakes, scorpions, spiders in earth, and bees in air to puffer fish and sea anemonia in oceans, open a large research area to distinguish the effects of venom and toxins on human cell, which may help us to obtain a novel drug to treat different diseases related to channel functions.


Background and objective: Myocardial Infarction (MI) is a cardiovascular disease with a high morbidity and mortality rate. While MI is currently treated with pharmaceuticals, there is a need for new treatment options: compound Chinese medicines may have unique advantages for the treatment of MI. In this study, we used network pharmacology to explore the molecular mechanisms of action of Compound Longmaining (CLMN) decoction as a potential treatment approach.Methods: Chip data related to Myocardial Infarction were downloaded from the GEO database and genes from GSE48060 and GSE66360 chips were obtained by R language. The targets of active components of CLMN and myocardial infarction disease were predicted by network pharmacology. After intersection analysis, the core targets were obtained and functional enrichment analysis was carried out. CLMN biological activity was verified by molecular docking prior to establishing a mouse MI model to verify efficacy using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry.Results: KEGG pathway analysis showed that TNF, IL1B, PTGS2, VCAM1, and NFKBIA which mainly act on NF-kappa B pathway contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of CLMN. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that TNF-α and TRAF-2 expression levels in MI of CLMN-treated mice were decreased, while IkBα was increased (P < 0.05). HE staining showed CLMN reduced inflammation in mouse cardiomyocytes and decreased fibrosis.Conclusion: CLMN regulates the NF-kappa B signaling pathway and the expression of TNF, IL1B, PTGS2, VCAM1 and NFKBIA. Chemical analysis showed that CLMN active components such as Daidzein-4,7-diglucoside, rutin and puerarin may be responsible for the therapeutic effect of the decoction.


'You can't stop progress'; 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'; 'progress through technology'… 'Progress' is both the stuff of everyday conversation and the catchcry of ideologies. Historians, sociologists, authors, philosophers, politicians and advertisers engage with the term. Progress, at least in its determinist sense, seems neither stoppable nor a suitable candidate for interrogation. For some, progress is technology, or, technology is progress. Against such a background, much design and technology curriculum tries to 'keep up' with technological trends and innovations but can do so through little more than technical mimicry. This paper sets out to clarify a variety of understandings of the concept of progress and to use these to inform design and technology education. Thus, in looking at progress, it presents: • discussion of common and elaborated understandings of the term • a history of the concept (as it has distinct historical contexts) ‐ for example 'The Idea of Progress' and its roots in the Enlightenment and the 20th century erosion of faith in the notion • exploration of the relationships between progress and concepts such as technological determinism, technicism, optimism, pessimism, morals and happiness • political and ideological contexts of progress. In the light of the above, the paper shows the contestable nature of progress and that this need not be a reason for its exclusion from design and technology curriculum. It is argued that a rich and ethically defensible concept of progress has a legitimate place in a democratic curriculum and that holistic, rather than technocratic, design and technology can accommodate such a concept.


Mild steels were coated by hot-dipping in molten aluminum and aluminum-silicon baths at 700 °C for 180 seconds. Phase identification of the Fe-Al or Fe-Al-Si intermetallic compounds in the hot-dipped aluminide steel was carried out by using a combination of scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results showed that the aluminide layer of the hot-dipped aluminum steel possessed a thicker intermetallic layer than that of the hot-dipped aluminum-silicon steel which was composed of minor monoclinic FeAl3 and major orthorhombic Fe2Al5. The intermetallic layer of the hot-dipped aluminum-silicon steel was composed of not only the same FeAl3 and Fe2Al5 phases in the hot-dipped aluminum steel but also Fe-Al-Si intermetallic compounds of hexagonal Al7Fe2Si and tetragonal (Al,Si)5Fe3.


Purpose
Most of the studies in entrepreneurship depend on single-source rating methods to collect data on both predictors and criteria. The threat to effect sizes as a result of using single-source ratings is particularly relevant to psychology-based entrepreneurship research. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the prospects of applying 360-degree feedback to the field of entrepreneurship and to discuss a set of cases regarding how 360-degree feedback may boost effect sizes in entrepreneurship research.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative review of current literature was performed.

Findings
The review indicated that the effect sizes in psychology-based entrepreneurship research are mostly small and the use of single-source ratings is prevalent; some preliminary findings supported the utility of 360-degree feedback in entrepreneurship research; entrepreneurial orientation (EO) research may benefit from 360-degree feedback; and members of top management teams, employees from research and product development, sales agents, retail buying agents, store sales clerks, and consumers are all valid informants to provide ratings of EO.

Originality/value
The present study provided theoretical explanations and used empirical evidence to elucidate how 360-degree feedback may benefit the field of entrepreneurship. In addition, recommendations for future research using 360-degree feedback in entrepreneurship research were offered and discussed. A sample research study on EO using 360-degree feedback was delineated.


From the Publisher:
This book is a reasonably priced, unintimidating guide to the essentials of Microsoft Office. Organized and presented specifically for busy professionals who need to use the applications immediately, it guides you right to the information you need. All the most important tasks in each program are covered, using clear, step-by-step instructions, and illustrated with hundreds of helpful screenshots. Office XP promises a wealth of exciting new features, and Microsoft Office XP for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide lets you put them to work for you in a hurry.


The invention relates to a method, apparatus, imaging module and program for improving image quality in a digital image. The digital image according to the invention is captured with an imaging module including an imaging optics (101) and an image sensor (102), where the image is formed through the imaging optics (101) onto the light sensitive image sensor (102). According to embodiments of the present invention vignetting effect of the digital image captured with the imaging module (101, 102) is determined and compensated separately for at least two of the primary colour components of the imaging module (101, 102).


For more than 40 years the Texas Institute of Behavioral Research (IBR) has given special attention to assessment and evaluation of drug user populations, addiction treatment services and various cognitive and behavioral interventions. Emphasis has been on studies in real-world settings and the use of multivariate methodologies to address evaluation issues within the context of longitudinal natural designs. Historically, its program of addiction treatment research may be divided into three sequential epochs-the first era dealt mainly with client assessment and its role in treatment outcome and evaluation (1969-89), the second focused upon modeling the treatment process and the importance of conceptual frameworks (1989-2009) in explaining the relationships among treatment environment, client attributes, treatment process and outcome, and the third (and current) era has expanded into studying tactical deployment of innovations and implementation. Recent projects focus upon adapting and implementing innovations for improving early engagement in adolescent residential treatment settings and drug-dependent criminal justice populations. Related issues include the spread of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other infectious diseases, organizational and systems functioning, treatment costs and process related to implementation of evidence-based practices.


In the present work, pattern synthesis of linear arrays using APSO is presented. APSO algorithm is employed for the synthesis of uniformly spaced arrays of two classes using unequal phases with equal amplitudes and with unequal amplitudes. The main objective of this work is to minimize the sidelobe level with a constraint on beam width and to perform null steering for isotopic linear antenna arrays by controlling different parameters of the array elements. The results are compared with the patterns of uniform linear array. The sidelobe level is reduced for amplitude-phase synthesis when compared with phase only synthesis as the number of elements are increased in an array. The patterns are numerically computed for different number of elements.


In order to better comply to new requirements or quick adjustment with changing requirements, service composition is used in the way of exploiting the capability of available services. Service composition is one of the most benefits of SOA. Since emerging of RESTful web services, the needs for heterogeneous composition have been raised and brought up new challenges. On the other hand, service composition is a complex process. Therefore, to cope with all mentioned problems, a novel framework has been proposed in this paper. The aim of this framework is composing heterogeneous services semi automatically in a model driven fashion.


Thestudy presents the results of genetic analysis of selected morphological and physical stem characteristics determining lodging resistance in doubled haploid (DH) lines of spring barley produced from F1 hybrids of the six-rowed variety Klimek with the two-rowed variety Maresi. The DH lines, the initial forms, and F1 and F2 hybrids were tested in three-year field trials. Stem length, outside diameter and the thickness of stem walls were analyzed. Lodging rate was observed and stem material elasticity was examined using the ultrasound method. Analysis of variance was conducted for the obtained data and 6-rowed lines were compared with 2-rowed lines in terms of the investigated characteristics. Moreover, on the basis of DH lines and F1 and F2 hybrids, genetic parameters determining additive gene effects (d), dominance effects (h) and the effects of non-allelic interaction of loci in the homozygous (i) and heterozygous state (l) were estimated. For the investigated characteristics significant values of parameter (d) were found. Dominance effects turned out to be significant for stem length, stem tissue elasticity and lodging rate. Non-allelic interaction of homo- and heterozygous loci was significant for stem tissue elasticity and lodging rate. A comparison of 6-rowed and 2-rowed lines in terms of the investigated characteristics showed that 6-rowed forms exhibited smaller length and lower elasticity of stems, thinner stem walls and higher lodging rate than 2-rowed lines. It was also found that environmental factors (years) had an effect on both the mean values of the analyzed characteristics and on the difference between the 2- and 6-rowed barley lines.


Introduction. The current debate on internet addiction is driven by question of whether it constitutes a distinct mental disorder. Our analysis of excessive internet use in adolescents offers an evidence for the line of research that distinguishes between addiction to the internet in general and addiction to specific online applications (as online games, cybersex, etc.)

Method. We worked with the EU Kids Online II survey data representative for children aged 11 to 16 years in 25 European countries (N = 18,709). EIU was measured using five-items scale with one item for each of following criteria: salience, withdrawal, tolerance, conflict, and relapse. A set of regression models was used to assess the probabilities of various negative consequences for each EIU score.

Results. Surprisingly consistent pattern was identified across Europe when controlling for country differences with the score of 2.5 on EIU doubling the probability of misbehaviours, health and mental health problems, and negative online experiences.

Conclusion. Our results suggest that general internet addiction as measured by EIU scale occurs in children that suffer from much broader spectrum of both, online and offline, problems. Therefore, it might be better described as a symptom of behavioural problems rather than a separate psychological condition.