ABSTRACT Background: The field of addiction studies (AS) has grown in the last several decades. However, little is known about the structure and conditions of current academic programs. Only two studies have examined AS programs in the U.S., and both were conducted almost 15 years ago. The current study was designed to identify AS programs existing in the U.S. universities. Methods: We conducted an Internet search to identify university-based programs according to defined key words. The university program websites were then subjected to content analysis. Results: A total of 333 U.S. universities were identified that offered 392 different academic programs in AS of which 302 were degree programs. Out of these, 161 (53%) programs were offered at the associate degree level, 48 (15,9%) at the bachelor's level, 55 (18.2%) at the master's level, and 5 (1.6%) at the doctorate level. The largest number of programs was in California. Two states in the U.S. had no identifiable programs. Only one university located in the state of New York offered comprehensive academic programs across the educational spectrum. Many of the academic programs offered certificates. The most common phrases used in program titles were "substance abuse", "addiction studies/counseling", and "chemical dependency". Conclusions: There is a wide range of academic AS programs in the U.S., although their focus is mostly on clinical training rather than on research or drug policy. Future surveys such as this one would benefit from greater attention to issues related to certification, licensing, and academic curricula.


The prevalence and distribution of sesamoid and accessory bones in the hands is quite variable between different populations and ethnic groups. However, there are no published data on their distribution in Mediterranean populations. Studies on the validity of radiographic assessment for the presence of these bones are also lacking. A retrospective review of 442 radiographs of adult patients was performed in order to assess the incidence of sesamoid and accessory bones in the hands of a Mediterranean population. Additionally, two independent observers reviewed 174 radiographs and used the Kappa parameter in order to assess the validity of radiographic interpretation of radiographs for the presence of those bones. There was an incidence of 99.5% sesamoid bones (n = 440) in the 1st metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, 42.3% in the 2nd MCP joint (n = 187), and 41.1% (n = 182) in the 5th MCP joint. The incidence in the 1st interphalangeal joints was 26.2% (n = 116). The incidence of sesamoid bones in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th metacarpophalangeal joints in a Mediterranean population was found to be similar to that of Arab and Caucasian populations, whereas their prevalence in the 1st interphalageal joint coincided more with Arab populations. Interobserver reliability of the interpretation of radiographs for the presence of sesamoid bones in the hand was good (Kappa > 0.68) in all locations, except for the 1st MCP joint. Further research is warranted to further elucidate the genetic and/or environmental reasons for the differences between those populations. Clin. Anat. 24:183–187, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This research investigates the delay sensitivity of discrete-time consensus among agents which communicate over a scale-free network with hubs. In this paper, a novel hierarchical consensus algorithm, based on the idea of virtual communication graph degree reduction, is proposed. As a result, a significant consensus speed gain is obtained which provides a potential time margin for applying cyber-physical techniques that cause systematic input delay. This approach provides robustness and resiliency in case of any communication topology disturbance during cyber- physical attacks or plug-and-play events. The feasibility of plug- and-play, which has the potential to increase the input delay, is presented based on the gained margin as a sample scenario. The algorithm application in the coordination of distributed photovoltaic resources of several nano-grids communicating over a scale-free network, is assessed via simulation as well.


A technique of end-to-side venous anastomosis evolved during canine experiments at St. Luke's Hospital Laboratory seems to have advantages over the present technique. The first advantage of this technique is the reduced incidence of inadvertent suturing of the posterior suture line to the anterior suture line. In the past this has been achieved by placing traction sutures 1 (p95) or using nerve hooks 2 to separate the walls while suturing. Present techniques employ either a longitudinal incision 3 or excision of an elipse of the side wall. 1(p93) Upon completion of the anastomosis, there will be either a longitudinal slit or an oval opening at the suture line. The oval opening is said to have an advantage in maintaining patency. The technique described produces an adequate lumen by a different method. In this instance, anastomosis of the renal vein to the common iliac vein is described, but the method is


Embedded processors like Intel's XScale use dynamic branch prediction to improve performance. Due to the presence of context switches, the accuracy of these predictors is reduced because they end up storing prediction histories for several processes. We show that the loss in accuracy can be significant and depends on predictor type and size. Several new schemes are proposed to save and restore the predictor state, on context switches in order to improve prediction accuracy. The schemes differ in the amount of information they save and vary in their accuracy improvement. It is shown that even for a small 128 entry skew predictor, 2-6% improvement in prediction rate can be achieved (for an average context interval of 100K instructions) for different embedded applications while saving and restoring a minimal amount of state information (less than 32bits) on a context switch.


The notion of agriculture's Multifunctionality (MF) emerged in the 1980s. It then followed two trajectories since the 1990s: a conflicting period linked to its use in the international trade negotiations on the one hand, a spreading in terms of meaning, use and geographically on the other hand. Specific meanings appeared in connection with policy making, at national or international levels, or through the involvement of new disciplines. Yet, very few authors discuss the implication of the chosen meaning on their findings. To explore and take advantage of using this word and to deliver it from its controversial use in international trade negotiations, it is absolutely necessary to clearly understand the differences in the epistemological and ideological foundations behind different conceptions of MF. Highlighting the historical conditions in which the word emerged and was used, is an important but not sufficient pathway to interpret the diversity of meanings and uses and to make the word a meaningful, robust and operational concept for addressing Sustainable Development (SD) and designing adequate policies.


Industry allocation preferences of equity fund managers are examined to identify how style investing from industry-dimensions influence fund performance and flows. Using Australian equity fund data, we show that the level of Industry Activeness, Industry Rotation and Industry Rotation Sensitivity, which are three market-relative industry allocation metrices, significantly affect both the performance and flows of retail and wholesale equity funds. These findings illustrate the significance of industry allocations in the role of style investing.


As wind power continues to grow at great speed, the significance of wind power's effect on the grid also increases. In addition, even conservative estimates show that wind power will continue to grow rapidly. Thus, to responsibly plan ahead for the integration of wind power into a grid that was designed only with schedulable sources in mind, careful studies must be undertaken. The procedures of grid integration studies for wind power are highly contentious and are consequently getting significant attention. However, the crux of studies, the data upon which they are based, has often only been a secondary consideration. This paper will introduce some concepts about the wind power data itself that are important to consider when initiating a wind integration study.


Between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries in Spain, a large number of parodic works were produced that featured depictions of humourous, satirical, and comical saints. The Laughter of the Saints examines this rich carnivalesque tradition of parodied holy men and women and traces their influence to the anti-heroes and picaresque roots of early modern novels such as Don Quixote. The first full-length treatment of the ways in which Spanish writers imitated religious depictions of saints' lives for comic purposes, Ryan D. Giles' erudite study explores the inversion of oaths, invocations, pious legends, and liturgical devotions. Analyzing a variety of texts from Libro de buen amor, to later works such as the Celestina, Carajicomedia, Lozana andaluza, and Lazarillo de Tormes, Giles not only sheds light on Golden Age Spanish literature, but also on the origins of the comic novel. A well-argued and convincing work, The Laughter of the Saints reveals the uproarious results of the collision of official and unofficial methods of storytelling.


The master thesis presents an analysis of the research literature about radiofrequency identification (RFID). It consists of a theoretical part and a practical part. The theoretical part explains the technology behind RFID and shows the existing application spectrum of this diverse and prominent technology. It also discusses the norms and standards in this area. Furthermore the theoretical part contains a short introduction into scientometrics which is the basis for the following analysis. The practical part represents the analysis, which was conducted with the bibliometric visualisation software Bibliometric Technology Monitoring (BibTechMon). With this software knowledge inherent in the analysed data can be discovered. BibTechMon was developed at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) which was also a cooperation partner of this master thesis. For this analysis 8,994 bibliographic records have been analysed. The data was retrieved from "Web of Science". In the main part of the thesis the research fronts of RFID technology are identified and on this basis future application domains are derived.


This study assessed the effect of varying the degree of inquiry in laboratory practicals in an Institute of Technology Level 7 module in chemical instrumentation. A range of laboratory instruction styles were assessed for their suitability for use in Level 7 chemical instrumentation laboratory practicals and comparative studies of these styles from the literature were reviewed. An action research framework was adopted, which collected data from students and staff in the Institute as well as looking at course, departmental and institutional documentation. Action research changes were implemented to increase the degree of inquiry in chemical instrumentation laboratory practicals. A range of research instruments were used to plan, monitor and observe the effects of these action research changes. The findings from these research instruments showed that increasing the degree of inquiry in laboratory practicals from the level of structured investigation to unstructured investigation was welcomed by students and that incorporating pre-lab and post-lab exercises as part of the transition to a higher degree of inquiry was specifically identified as leading to improved student understanding of laboratory practicals. Using an action research framework resulted in improvements to the running of the chemical instrumentation laboratory practicals while also causing the researcher to alter his own behaviour in laboratory practicals to aid student learning.


Nonlinear diffusion filtering can be improved if viewed as Bayesian Gaussian process regression. We relate the covariance functions of the diffusion process outcome to the spatial diffusion operator and show how Bayesian evidence criterion can he utilized to determine the parameters of the nonlinear diffusivity and the optimal diffusion stopping time. Computational example is given where the nonlinear diffusion filtering outperforms typical Gaussian process regression.


Glucosinolates (GSL) are bioactive compounds found in cruciferous vegetables that have been shown to have chemopreventive benefits for human health. The objective of this study was to determine whether foliar application of jasmonic acid (JA) increases glucosinolate accumulation and yield in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Capitata group). Field studies were conducted in 2004 and 2005 with a green ('Quisto') and red ('Ruby Perfection') cabbage cultivar. Foliar JA application rates were 0.1 mM, 0.2 mM, and split application of 0.2 mM JA with surfactant, surfactant control, and water control. Yield of both cabbage cultivars was not changed by JA application in both years of the study. In both years, 'Ruby Perfection' had significantly higher glucosinolate concentrations than 'Quisto' with sinigrin being the predominant glucosinolate in both varieties. JA application consistently increased sinigrin, gluconapin, and glucoiberin concentrations across cultivars and years of the study. JA application also increased progoitrin and total GSL concentrations, but the effect was inconsistent between years and cultivars. In most cases, a split application of 0.2mM JA resulted in the highest GSL accumulation. GSL accumulation was significantly higher in 2005 than 2004 for both cultivars. Climatic data suggest that annual differences in temperature may have influenced the variability in glucosinolate concentration in cabbage.


BACKGROUND
Community-based health interventions have been implemented as a key strategy for achieving improved health outcomes in Ghana. Effectiveness, however, largely depends on the successful implementation of patient-public engagement (PPE). Although several PPE studies have been conducted in Ghana, little research has been done to understand the specific role of PPE in the context of implementing community-based health programmes. This paper, therefore, examines the extent of PPE implementation in three selected community-based health programmes (Community-based Health Planning and Service [CHPS], Community-based Maternal and Child Health and Buruli Ulcer) to understand their specific effects on health outcomes.

METHODS
Three focus groups, involving 26 participants, were held in three districts of the Ashanti region of Ghana. Participants were mainly health service users involving community health committee members/volunteers, residents and health professionals. They were invited to participate based on their roles in the design and implementation of the programmes. Participants focused on each of Rifkin's spider-gram components. Data were transcribed and analysed descriptively using NVIVO 12 Plus.

RESULTS
PPE implementation was found to be extensive across the three programmes in specific areas such as organisation and resource mobilisation. PPE was more restricted in relation to community needs assessment, leadership and management, particularly for the CHPS and Buruli Ulcer programmes.

CONCLUSION
Findings suggest that benefits from community-based health interventions are likely to be greater if PPE can be widely implemented across all dimensions of the spider-gram framework.


The purpose of this project is to examine the effects of implementing a tiered skill acquisition model (TSAM) to new graduate nursing orientation within the orthopedic specialty. Historically, new graduates experience challenges in transitioning from their academic roles to practicing professionals. Correlatively the national turnover rate for new graduates is disproportionally high in their first year of employment. Conventional orientation models have proven to be outdated and do not utilize institutional resources adequately, leaving new nurses feeling illprepared to enter their roles. Over a 9-month period, a total of 14 new graduates entering the orthopedic specialty were tracked through their planned 10-week orientation timeline and assessed post-orientation completion for comfort level and job satisfaction via an emailed survey. Secondary outcome metrics for TSAM implementation over this timeframe include preceptor feedback regarding orientee performance, increases in the diversity and number of patient experiences, lower instances of staff turnover, and cost savings. Results show that TSAM has a positive effect on the comfort, competency, and positive socialization for all orientees under this redesign. Simultaneously, the model provides a significant increase in patient interactions due to the increased productivity throughout early tiers. Higher rates of staff retention, along with the secondary cost-avoidance benefits, offer evidence of TSAM's success.


Aim
Libraries are increasingly expected to demonstrate their value to parent organisations as well as an ability to be flexible and adaptable in a rapidly changing environment. A change in organisational structure provided the catalyst for student IT support services to be delivered from the Research and Learning Support (RLS) directorate within the Information Services department at the University of Western Australia (UWA). RLS had previously provided more traditional library services and the need for a flexible, adaptive and productive approach to learning and development as described by Senge (1990) led to the learning organisation method for the delivery of this new service model.

Method
The authors chose to devise a service implementation method that utilised the development of both people and the organisation. This included engagement with all levels of staff prior to the new service commencing and throughout the implementation; the development and delivery of a training programme and mentoring. Opportunities within and outside the programme for practice and reflection were embedded and included peer to peer learning across two different organisational units.
Outcome
The integration of student IT support into traditional library inquiry services was an ambitious goal. While the new service model is still in its first year, the integrated approach has provided staff with a much broader skill set and increased interaction with clients. It sets the libraries and their people up as the experts in student IT support on campus and meets the University's strategic aim of an enhanced student experience. Although the method was devised for this particular organisational change, it could be applied to other areas of need particularly as the learning organisation approach has become a more integrated part of the organisational culture.


The requirement for the serine/threonine protein kinase ATM in coordinating the cellular response to DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation has been studied extensively. Many of the anti-tumor chemotherapeutics in clinical use today cause DNA double strand breaks; however, few have been evaluated for their ability to modulate ATM-mediated pathways. We have investigated the requirement for ATM in the cellular response to doxorubicin, a topoisomerase II-stabilizing drug. Using several ATM-proficient and ATM-deficient cell lines, we have observed ATM-dependent nuclear accumulation of p53 and ATM-dependent phosphorylation of p53 on seven serine residues. This was accompanied by an increased binding of p53 to its cognate binding site, suggesting transcriptional competency of p53 to activate its downstream effectors. Treatment of cells with doxorubicin led to the phosphorylation of histone H2AX on serine 139 with dependence on ATM for the initial response. Doxorubicin treatment also stimulated ATM autophosphorylation on serine 1981 and the ATM-dependent phosphorylation of numerous effectors in the ATM-signaling pathway, including Nbs1 (Ser343), SMC1 (Ser957), Chk1 (Ser317 and Ser345), and Chk2 (Ser33/35 and Thr68). Although generally classified as a topoisomerase II-stabilizing drug that induces DNA double strand breaks, doxorubicin can intercalate DNA and generate reactive oxygen species. Pretreatment of cells with the superoxide scavenger ascorbic acid had no effect on the doxorubicin-induced phosphorylation and accumulation of p53. In contrast, preincubation of cells with the hydroxyl radical scavenger, N-acetylcysteine, significantly attenuated the doxorubicin-mediated phosphorylation and accumulation of p53, p53-DNA binding, and the phosphorylation of H2AX, Nbs1, SMC1, Chk1, and Chk2, suggesting that hydroxyl radicals contribute to the doxorubicin-induced activation of ATM-dependent pathways.


Structural refinement, lattice micro-strain and spontaneous strain analyses have been carried out on selected members of the La(Fe1−xRux)AsO system using high-resolution neutron and synchrotron powder diffraction data. The obtained results indicate that the character of the tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition changes from first order for x = 0.10, possibly to tricritical for x = 0.20, up to second order for x = 0.30; for x ≥ 0.40 symmetry breaking is suppressed, even though a notable increase of the lattice micro-strain develops at low temperature. By combining structural findings with previous muon spin rotation data, a phase diagram of the La(Fe1−xRux)AsO system has been drawn. Long-range ordered magnetism occurs within the orthorhombic phase (x ≤ 0.30), whereas short-range magnetism appears to be confined within the lattice strained region of the tetragonal phase up to x < 0.60. Direct comparison between the magnetic and structural properties indicates that the magnetic transition is always associated with structural symmetry breaking, although confined to a local scale at high Ru contents.


This article demonstrates how challenging the current migration is for the local level in Germany. As highlighted in the article, the integration of refugees mainly takes place at the local level, in the municipalities. The municipalities are responsible for a wide range of services, which include the implementation of the Residence Act, granting of social benefits, provision of health care services, accommodation, organization of integration and German language courses, provision of early childhood and school education, as well as support for labor market integration. The municipalities exercise considerable discretion as to how they operate these services and in effect, even though it is technically within the federal level's jurisdiction, municipalities have some political influence regarding the right of residence. However, the degree of involvement among German municipalities varies and the role they play in integration often depends on the history of migration within their borders, past development of migrant communities, their own financial situation and infrastructure, as well as how the public engages with the issue. Thus, the political action (or non-action) of the municipalities will be decisive in the long-term integration process of refugees.


In his book Cube, David Morrow Guthrie discusses the role of abstraction or representation as the typical means of generating design in an architectural studio. For him, these constructs remove the maker from the immediacy and intimacy of the built architectural work. In addition, when these representations are made primarily by using Building Information Modeling or Computer Aided Drafting software, students have a tendency to have a constrained process in developing their design projects because of the limited ways in which they interact with the software. These projects often have narrow scope and conceptual basis and, at worst, are only designed as the software or the student's understanding of the software will allow. To combat this trend, the studio environment needs to be re-invigorated through the implementation of alternate strategies that allow the students to engage in the design process more intimately. As a response to these thoughts, one strategy for stimulating the architectural studio is the introduction of full-scale building materials as a primary medium for the generation of conceptual design. This approach forces the student to engage in the more intimate process of 'critical making' and provides a disconnect from digital representation and a focus on the realities of the built world. A study of select studio work from a recent course reflects the integration of these practices and their impact on the design process of the participating students.


In multiple-cue probabilistic inference, people choose between alternatives based on several cues, each of which is differentially associated with an alternative's overall value. Various strategies have been proposed for probabilistic inference. These include heuristics, simple strategies that ignore part of the available information to make decisions more quickly and with less effort. Heuristic models seek to explain the sequence of cognitive events that occur as people make decisions. Validating these models involves evaluating their predictions concerning both outcomes and process measures. In this study, we gathered verbal protocols from participants as they performed multiple-cue probabilistic inference. We find converging evidence across decisions, search behavior, and verbal reports that many participants use a simplifying heuristic, take-the-best. These results provide novel evidence for take-the-best as a process model of human decision behavior in multiple-cue probabilistic inference.


Negative and positive conflict communication predicts long-term relationship satisfaction. However, some studies show harmful effects and others show beneficial effects of negative conflict communication on long-term relationship satisfaction. One reason for the heterogeneous results might be that most studies focused on aggregated behaviors across a conflict interaction but neglected the temporal dynamics within such an interaction. This study examined whether individual initial levels and temporal trajectories of negative and positive communications predict long-term relationship satisfaction, and whether self-efficacy beliefs about clarity of other's feelings (CoF) alter initial levels and temporal trajectories of negative and positive communications. Negative and positive communications were measured based on sequentially coded conflict discussions of 365 couples; self-efficacy beliefs about CoF and relationship satisfaction were measured by self-report questionnaires at baseline and at four annual follow-up assessments. Results revealed that women's initial positive communication predicted higher intercepts of both partners' relationship satisfaction, and stronger decreases in women's negative communication predicted a higher intercept of relationship satisfaction in women. Additionally, less steep decreases in women's trajectories of negative communication predicted greater maintenance in women's relationship satisfaction over time. Additionally, men's self-efficacy beliefs about CoF predicted decreases in men's negative communication, increases in women's negative communication, and higher initial levels of women's positive communication. The current study highlights the relevance of dynamic aspects of partners' communication behaviors.


This Bachelor Degree Project report is based on the development of a tool for making chocolate chips from chocolate bars carried out in cooperation with LeKUe, manufacturer company of kitchen tools specialized in silicone and plastic products.The aim is to develop a kitchen tool that breaks chocolate bars in small fragments, as currently there are no utensils that can efficiently solve this task. This tool is oriented to be used at home.The design process includes a pre-study, a concept development and final design chapters. The pre-study consists of the following parts: an evaluation of existing tools, tool testing, early idea generation and selection, chocolate bar dimension study, identification of potential consumers, study of human factors, manufacturing process selection, materials selection and requirement specifications. The concept development section is based on mechanism and aesthetics development. The last chapter presents the final design, which is the result from the combination of findings inferred in the previous parts.A final and manufacturable product by an industrial method will be defined as result. In the results, a CAD model, photorealistic renderings and a final prototype are included.


Recent advancements in molecular biology and biochemistry allow for a new field of bioengineering known as synthetic biology. Using biological parts discovered in the last thirty years and mathematical models grounded in physical principles, synthetic biology seeks to create biological systems with user-defined be haviors. The major focus of research in this emerging field is the characterization of genetic regulation and the abstraction of biological systems to clearly defined logic circuits. With the abstraction of individual DNA sequences to known biological functions, synthetic biologists seek to create a standard list of interchange able biological parts as the foundation of this emerging field. Through genetic manipulation, these parts are expected to be useful for programming biological machines that process information, synthesize chemicals, and fabricate complex biomaterials that improve our quality of life.


We present new constraints on the ratio of black hole (BH) mass to total galaxy stellar mass at 0.3 < z < 0.9 for a sample of 32 type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the XMM-COSMOS survey covering the range MBH ∼ 107.2 − 8.7 M☉. Virial MBH estimates based on Hβ are available from the COSMOS Magellan/IMACS survey. We use high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging to decompose the light of each type-1 AGN and host galaxy, and employ a specially built mass-to-light ratio to estimate the stellar masses (M*). The MBH–M* ratio shows a zero offset with respect to the local relation for galactic bulge masses, and we also find no evolution in the mass ratio MBH/M*∝(1 + z)0.02 ± 0.34 up to z ∼ 0.9. Interestingly, at the high-MBH end there is a positive offset from the z = 0 relation, which can be fully explained by a mass function bias with a cosmic scatter of σμ = 0.3, reaffirming that the intrinsic distribution is consistent with zero evolution. From our results we conclude that since z ∼ 0.9 no substantial addition of stellar mass is required: the decline in star formation rates and merger activity at z < 1 support this scenario. Nevertheless, given that a significant fraction of these galaxies show a disk component, their bulges are indeed undermassive. This is a direct indication that for the last 7 Gyr the only essential mechanism required for these galaxies to obey the z = 0 relation is a redistribution of stellar mass to the bulge, likely driven by secular processes, i.e., internal instabilities and minor merging.


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This paper describes construction, development and testing of a low cost PV module characteristics analyzer. A computer-based, fully automatic characteristic analyzer has been designed and developed using locally available components. The system is capable of acquiring current and voltage of PV module by varying the operating point to draw the IV curve and to analyze the module characteristics. In this system, a Pico ADC-16 has been used to convert the analog data into digital. The module current and voltage is changed by using a transistor active load. The operating point of the active load has been changed by the analog output of a DAC and the DAC is driven by a digital counter. A driver program has been developed for the system using C language. Finally, the system was assembled and the characteristics of some PV modules of different power capacity have been studied. It is found that, the system is capable of finding characteristics of PV modules up to the capacity of 75Watt. Dhaka Univ. J. Sci. 61(1): 65-70, 2013 (January) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujs.v61i1.15098


Previous studies have documented the effect of information and communications technology (ICT) on farmers' market participation. We employ a triple†hurdle model to examine the effect of internet and phones on Peruvian smallholder farmers' market participation, marketplace choice, and volume decisions using household†level data from the IV National Agricultural Census of Peru in 2012. Double matching at the district†and household†levels is implemented to address potential selection bias. Results indicate a positive direct effect of internet and phones on farmers' market participation and volume decisions on the national market. Those with ICT access are more likely to sell on the foreign market than those without ICT access. The marginal effects suggest that internet access tends to have larger impacts on volume decisions than phones. In addition to direct effects, we find that internet access has significant and positive spillover effects on market participation and volume decisions in the national market. Without implementing matching procedures, the magnitude of the ICT effect tends to be smaller. Results provide empirical support for policies and social programmes that promote ICT especially internet usage in rural Peru to improve smallholder farmers' marketing performance.


In the course of our survey of the outer halo of the Andromeda galaxy we have discovered a remote, possible satellite of that system at a projected 162 kpc (11.7°) radius. The fairly elongated (0.31 ± 0.09 ellipticity) dwarf can be fit with a King profile of 1.07 kpc (d/784 kpc) limiting radius, where the satellite distance, d, is estimated at ~630-850 kpc from the tip of the red giant branch. The newfound galaxy, "Andromeda XIV" ("And XIV"), distinguishes itself from other Local Group galaxies by its extreme dynamics; Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy reveals it to have a large heliocentric radial velocity (-481 km s-1), or -206 km s-1 velocity relative to M31. Even at its projected radius And XIV already is at the M31 escape velocity based on the latest M31 mass models. If And XIV is bound to M31, then recent models with reduced M31 virial masses need revision upward. If not bound to M31, then And XIV is just now falling into the Local Group for the first time and represents a dwarf galaxy that formed and spent almost its entire life in isolation.


Five exotic sweetpotato [(Ipomoea batatas (L.)] clones (TIS 8266, TIS 86/0350, TIS 84/0320, TIS 3017, and Sauti) and three locally collected clones (Local Red, Dugbadza, and Cape Coast) were selected from several accessions and evaluated in four agro-ecological zones in Ghana in order to recommend suitable genotypes for release to farmers. The agro-ecologies were coastal savannah, deciduous forest, forest-savannah transition, and guinea savannah with mean annual rainfall of 800 mm, 1500 mm, 1300 mm, and 1100 mm, respectively. Harvesting was done four months after planting (MAP). In the coastal savannah, the best four clones were TIS 86/0350, TIS 3017, TIS 8266, and TIS 84/0320 with mean tuber yields ranging from 10.6 to 12.9 t ha-1. In the forest zone, the best four (TIS 8266, TIS 84/0320, TIS 3017 and Dugbadza) produced yields ranging from 18.9 to 24.4 t ha-1. In the Forest-Savannah transition, the best four were TIS 8266, TIS 3017, Sauti, and Local Red with mean tuber yields between 12.0 and 14.9 t ha-1. In the guinea savannah, the best performing clones were TIS 86/0350, Dugbadza, TIS 84/0320, and TIS 8266 with mean yields ranging from 16.9 to 18.5 t ha-1. Clone TIS 8266 was among the top four clones in all agro-ecologies.


Abstract. Pluvial or flash floods generated by heavy precipitation events cause high economic damages and loss of life worldwide. As discharge observations from such extreme occurrences are rare especially on the scale of small catchments or even hillslopes, data from artificial sprinkling experiments offer valuable information on runoff generation processes, overland and subsurface flow rates and response times. We conducted 132 large-scale sprinkling experiments on natural hillslopes at 23 sites with different soil types and geology on pastures and arable lands within the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany. The experiments were realized between 2016 and 2017. Simulated rainfall events of varying durations were based on a) the site-specific 100-year return periods of rainfall with different durations and b) the maximum rainfall intensity observed locally. The 100 m2 experimental area was divided into three individual plots and overland and subsurface flow, soil moisture and water level dynamics in the temporarily saturated soil zone were measured at 1-minute resolution. Furthermore, soil characteristics were described in detail for each site. The data was carefully processed and corrected for measurement errors and combined to a consistent and easy to use database. The experiments revealed a large variability of possible runoff responses to similar rainfall characteristics. In general, agricultural fields produced more overland flow than grassland. The latter generated hardly any runoff during the first simulated 100-year event on initially dry soils. The dataset provides valuable information on runoff generation variability from natural hillslopes and may be used for the development and evaluation of hydrological models, especially those considering physical processes governing runoff generation during extreme precipitation events. The dataset presented in this paper is freely available from the FreiDok plus data repository (https://doi.org/10.6094/UNIFR/149650, Ries et al., 2019).


BACKGROUND
The Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative aims to reduce incident HIV infections by 90% over a span of 10 years. The intensity of interventions needed to achieve this for local epidemics is unclear.

OBJECTIVE
To estimate the effect of HIV interventions at the city level.

DESIGN
A compartmental model of city-level HIV transmission stratified by age, race, sex, and HIV risk factor was developed and calibrated.

SETTING
32 priority metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).

PATIENTS
Simulated populations in each MSA.

INTERVENTION
Combinations of HIV testing and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage among those at risk for HIV, plus viral suppression in persons with diagnosed HIV infection.

MEASUREMENTS
The primary outcome was the projected reduction in incident cases from 2020 to 2030.

RESULTS
Absent intervention, HIV incidence was projected to decrease by 19% across all 32 MSAs. Modest increases in testing (1.25-fold per year), PrEP coverage (5 percentage points), and viral suppression (10 percentage points) across the population could achieve reductions of 34% to 67% by 2030. Twenty-five percent PrEP coverage, testing twice a year on average, and 90% viral suppression among young Black and Hispanic men who have sex with men (MSM) achieved similar reductions (13% to 68%). Including all MSM and persons who inject drugs could reduce incidence by 48% to 90%. Thirteen of 32 MSAs could achieve greater than 90% reductions in HIV incidence with large-scale interventions that include heterosexuals. A web application with location-specific results is publicly available (www.jheem.org).

LIMITATION
The COVID-19 pandemic was not represented.

CONCLUSION
Large reductions in HIV incidence are achievable with substantial investment, but the EHE goals will be difficult to achieve in most locations. An interactive model that can help policymakers maximize the effect in their local environments is presented.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE
National Institutes of Health.


Lead (Pb) is a widespread and nondegradable environmental pollutant and affects several organs through oxidative mechanisms. This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant protective effect of glycine betaine (GB) against Pb-induced renal and hepatic injury. Male albino rats (n = 45) were divided into three groups: G1 untreated control, G2 Pb-acetate (50 mg/kg/day), and G3 Pb-acetate (50 mg/kg/day) plus GB (250 mg/kg/day) administered for 6 weeks. For G3, Pb-acetate was administered first and followed by GB at least 4 h after. Pb-acetate treatment (G2) resulted in a significant decrease in renal function, including elevated creatinine and urea levels by 17.4% and 23.7%, respectively, and nonsignificant changes in serum uric acid levels. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphates (ALP) activities were significantly increased with Pb treatment by 37.6%, 59.3%, and 55.1%, respectively. Lipid peroxidation level was significantly increased by 7.8 times after 6 weeks of Pb-acetate treatment. The level of reduced glutathione (GSH-R) significantly declined after Pb-acetate treatment. Pb-acetate treatment also reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) by 74.1%, 85.0%, and 40.8%, respectively. Treatment of Pb-intoxicated rats with GB resulted in a significant reduction in creatinine, urea, ALT, AST, and lipid peroxidation, as well as a significant increase in the level of GSH-R and in the activities of ALP, SOD, GST, and GSH-PX. The molecular interaction between GB and GSH-PX indicated that the activation of GSH-PX in Pb-intoxicated rats was not the result of GB binding to the catalytic site of GSH-PX. The affinity of GB to bind to the catalytic site of GSH-PX is lower than that of H2O2. Thus, GB significantly mitigates Pb-induced renal and liver injury through the activation of antioxidant enzymes and the prevention of Pb-induced oxidative damage in the kidney and liver.


On the request of the Ministry of Culture and Public Information, of the Republic of Serbia, the Director of the National Library of Serbia has exposed his point of view regarding the actual status and perspectives of the Yugoslav Institute for Bibliography and Information (YUBIN). The text is divided in three fully informative sets. The first part presents the summary of the detected situation, across all important aspects, including the overview of the controversial history, current activities, the method of work and financing of YUBIN. The second part shows the summary of the essential changes in the context, expecting to establish, at the beginning of 2003, a completely new environment. The changes are: constitution of the Union/Central Electronic Catalogue, the disappearance of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, new regulations for Book Department, radical reconstitution of the National Library of Serbia, as the Main Institution of library activities in Serbia. The third part exposes proposals for deliberation of the new Status, with the elaboration of four possible issues for the right solution. The first option represents the legalization of the detected state. The second exposes the re-assignment of existing functions between YUBIN and NLS. And the third option comprises the alternative re-assignment of existing functions, and the forth presents the institutional transformation of YUBIN into an organizational unit of the National Library of Serbia. In the conclusion is the proposal to the Ministry of Culture, to choose one of the proposed issues, having in mind the common interest and all the relevant elements, indispensable for the realization of the chosen solution, and to pledge for the consensus of all actors. In the supplement, again on the request of the Ministry of Culture, the additional information is given, with elements of legal matters for the proposition of the solution from the forth option, the institutional transformation of YUBIN into an organizational and functional unit of the National Library of Serbia.


The financial services industry, which has ballooned from an 8 to 40% share of all after tax corporate profits created in the American economy over the past 50 years, is undergoing an evolutionary shift. Following a period of sustained growth in assets and power, significant advancements in technology, algorithms and information availability are revising the ways in which long-term investors interact with, and invest in, the capitalist system. We call this new paradigm of long-term investing 'Organic Finance', and it refers to a more professional and engaged community of asset owners that are increasingly focused on rooting their investment activities in the real economy. Specifically, Organic Finance asks that asset owners develop the capacity to understand the ingredients and incentives in the financial products they consume, which ensures that the financial derivation inherent in financial products does not negatively distort the risk and return profile of the underlying assets. This paper builds upon the large body of work on risk factors, which highlights the need for investors to clearly understand the underlying risk premia they wish to be exposed to and choose assets accordingly. More specifically, this paper highlights how a missing 'organic finance factor', which refers to the distortion/clarity with which a financial product represents the underlying economy, can also drive performance and thus deserves to be included in the factor toolkit. Indeed, we argue that factors apply as much to products as they do to underlying assets. To illustrate, we offer a case study of a newly formed passive investable stock index that uses a 'systems approach' to analyze and classify the constituents based on their functional characteristics.


In order to improve the bioactivity of calcium phosphate bioceramics, biphasic HA/β-TCP (BCP) bioceramics were prepared by the microwave sintering and the microwave plasma sintering. Bone-like apatite formation of the resulting samples was investigated in simulated body fluid (SBF). The samples were also implanted in dorsal muscles of healthy dogs for 1.5and 3 months. All samples after taking out were examined by histological observation. Bone formation in different sintering ways and temperatures was investigated in details. Better osteoinductivity was found in samples sintered by the microwave and microwave plasma instead of the conventional furnace, as well as by lower temperature (1050 oC) instead of higher temperature (1150 oC). It accounts for that the increase in degradability of materials sintered by microwave and microwave plasma or lower temperature leads to the better of bone-like apatite formation and bone formation due to fine grains and lower crystallinity.


: Owing to the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Global Mercury Partnership, policies and regulations on mercury management in advanced countries were intensified by a mercury phaseout program in the mercury control strategy. In developing countries, the legislative or regulatory frameworks on mercury emissions are not established specifically, but mercury management is designed to prevent the emission of mercury. Nevertheless, the scenarios from global mercury observation system reported that mercury emissions from selected anthropogenic sources could be estimated to decrease by about 50% by 2020. Advanced control technologies, which can be classified as hardware and software, can be applied to reduce mercury emission from anthropogenic sources. Among hardware technologies, pretreatment technology may be more important than recovery technology and treatment technology to reduce the mobility and toxicity of the materials containing mercury. Software technologies such as educational programs, monitoring systems, material flow analysis for mercury and mercury compounds, and life-cycle analysis to reduce mercury emissions are important to raise awareness of the significance of emission reduction. Finally, future trends of mercury control technologies and monitoring systems are discussed, along with the change in technical guidelines for the mercury emission control, both locally and globally.


A semi-quantitative study of willow bark dye adsorption on two different cellulose materials using biomordants was carried out. The studied celluloses were microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) AaltoCell and regenerated Ioncell-F (IC) fibres. The dye was a hot water extract of willow bark and the adsorption to cellulose was carried out using carboxylic acid-containing biomordants, namely, oxalic acid, citric acid and tannic acid. Alum was employed as the reference mordant. A semi-quantitative estimation of the dye uptake was conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode array detector and also by visual inspection, as well as an evaluation of the coloration using CIELab parameters. The mechanism of the dye adsorption on the cellulose surfaces was studied via Fourier Transform–infrared spectroscopy. According to the results, MCC had a higher affinity for polyphenolic dye than the regenerated cellulose Abstract A semi-quantitative study of willow bark dye adsorption on two different cellulose materials using biomordants was carried out. The studied celluloses were microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) AaltoCell and regenerated Ioncell-F (IC) fibres. The dye was a hot water extract of willow bark and the adsorption to cellulose was carried out using carboxylic acid-containing biomordants, namely, oxalic acid, citric acid and tannic acid. Alum was employed as the reference mordant. A semi-quantitative estimation of the dye uptake was conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode array detector and also by visual inspection, as well as an evaluation of the coloration using CIELab parameters. The mechanism of the dye adsorption on the cellulose surfaces was studied via Fourier Transform–infrared spectroscopy. According to the results, MCC had a higher affinity for polyphenolic dye than the regenerated cellulose fibres. Dye uptake on MCC was 50%-80% and 44%-57% on IC. For MCC, the biomordants improved the dye uptake more effectively than the control mordant, alum, whereas for IC the biomordants were less effective than alum.


This paper applies the tools of computation information geometry [3] – in particular, high dimensional extended multinomial families as proxies for the 'space of all distributions' – in the inferentially demanding area of statistical mixture modelling. A range of resultant benefits are noted.


Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are one of the fastest growing technologies in wireless communication. Many routing algorithms have been proposed and developed to find and maintain routes between two mobile nodes. The most well known reactive routing algorithms, such as Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) and Ad hoc On demand Distance Vector (AODV), use a so-called Expanding Ring Search (ERS) technique in the route discovery process to find a valid route. However, in ERS, each time a source node fails to find the destination node, the source node needs to broadcast a Route Request (RREQ) packet and start the flooding procedure over again. Moreover, the ERS cannot stop the propagation of the RREQ packet until the pre defined Time-To-Live (TTL) value of ERS has expired (i.e when the TTL value reaches to zero). Finally, ERS does not consider any movements of the nodes. In this thesis, energy-time efficient routing algorithms are investigated for the route discovery process. Two efficient routing algorithms are developed, namely Blocking Expanding Ring Search (BERS) and Mobility Based Blocking Expanding Ring Search (MBERS). The BERS is proposed to reduce some energy waste in ERS during route discovery process. The MBERS is proposed to take into consideration of node movements, and was developed to save energy and time by controlling the transmission range, and the use of the maximum lifetime of the route. The performance of the two proposed routing algorithms are evaluated using both mathematical and simulation methods. The results show that the two proposed algorithms are more efficient than the ERS in terms of saving energy and time. The contributions of the thesis can be summarized as follows:

1. The tradeoff between the energy efficiency and time delay is discussed and two models, namely the Cost Model and Trade Model, are proposed to quantify the combined effect of energy-time efficiency.
2. The route discovery algorithm "BERS" is proposed to decrease energy consumption by reducing the number of packets sent over the network. The performance evaluations of the ERS and BERS are provided in terms of energy consumption, time delay, and energy-time efficiency. An analysis is performed between the Dual Tier Chase (DTC) algorithm and BERS as an initial attempt.
3. The route discovery algorithm "MBERS" is proposed to take into consideration the node movements and the selection of a maximum lifetime of the route which were not considered in BERS. The performance evaluations of the BERS and the MBERS algorithms are provided in terms of energy consumption, time delay, and energy-time efficiency.


1. As a consequence of large-scale decreases in the ground water table in western parts of the lower Rhine area, Germany, several Alnus glutinosa fens have undergone distinct changes in species composition and show signs of intensive peat mineralization. 2. The chemistry of peat and the distribution patterns of vegetation were studied in an affected fen of 6.6 ha. Ground water level, pH of the peat, exchangeable cations, total nitrogen, organic carbon contents and herb layer composition were assessed at each intersection of a rectangular 25 × 25 m grid. The evaluation of individual grid values was performed with a geographical information system (GIS). Isolines and overlays for selected data sets were used to assess extent and direction of change. 3. The peat of the drained areas showed decreased nitrogen, organic carbon, calcium and magnesium contents and low pH values. In contrast, bulk density and exchangeable aluminium increased in the mineralized peat. Though more than 800 g m −2 of nitrogen was still found in the upper 10 cm in the wet areas, nitrogen stores diminished to about half this amount in drained peat. The decline in pH values and in calcium and magnesium contents was mainly attributed to H + production related to nitrogen mineralization. 4. The evaluation of overlays for selected variables showed a strong relation between the decrease in ground water level and declining cover of Carex acutiformis as well as peat acidification. Increases in exchangeable aluminium were also closely related to peat acidification. 5. The investigation showed that spatial evaluation of ecological data can be useful for assessment of man-induced ecosystem changes


Places of large potentials of sustainable energy production and places of energy consumption are often very different and separated by large distances across the globe. This paper first discusses potentials of solar technology in terms of global availability using PV technology and actual energy production. Solar energy is widely under-used and one way to reduce this is to improve production in low-energy places with high demand: large cities. According to this option, about 40% of the electricity consumption in the built environment could be produced by solar PV systems. To reach this goal appropriate solar PV energy conversion devices and energy storage systems are needed. This paper discusses conditions in the built environment and functional and design qualities enabling an increased diffusion of the technologies. In a comparative analysis of PV technologies, the criteria taken into account encompass efficiency of the type of solar cell and commercial availability. Special attention is paid to the design features of different PV systems, like flexibility, colour and transparency that might help in their utilization as integrated in building material and ornaments in modern architecture. The same procedure is followed for electricity storage devices. The preliminary conclusion is that at present the freedom of design is largest for a combination of crystalline silicon PV cells and Li-ion batteries. Implications for urban policy will be discussed.


The problem of harmonic wave diffraction by tunnels in an infinite poroelastic saturated soil obeying Biot's theory is studied numerically under conditions of plane strain and the effect of poroelasticity on the response is assessed through some parametric studies. The method is based on the theory of Mei and Foda, which considers the total field to be approximated by the superposition of an elastodynamic problem with modified elastic constants and mass density for the whole domain and a diffusion problem for the pore fluid pressure confined to a boundary layer at free boundaries. Both problems are solved numerically by the boundary element method (BEM) in the frequency domain. Results dealing with the response of a circular tunnel with and without an elastic concrete liner in an infinite poroelastic medium to incident harmonic P waves are provided and com-pared against analytical ones as well as to those corresponding to linear elastic soil behavior.


It is established, that in rat organism nitrites and nitrates can be restored in nitrogen oxide due to nitrate and nitrite reductase activity of xanthine oxidase system. The rat thymocytes were shown in the experiment in vitro to have nitrate reductase activity, which was activated by hypoxanthine and inhibited by allopurinol. As a result of thymocytes apoptosis, provoked by papaverine, there is an essential increase of nitrate reductase activity of xanthine oxidase. The comparative research of thymocytes destruction character under the action of sodium nitroprusside (NP), N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), NaNO2 and NaNO3 has been revealed, that their cytotoxicity, is dose-dependent and it decreases in order of these compounds mentioning. Synergism is revealed at the action on thymocytes of NP combined with sodium nitrite. These data as the results of investigation of EPR-spectrometry as well as use of thymocytes, containing a trap--complex of diethyldithiocarbamate-iron (DETK-Fe), allow to assume, that cytotoxic effect of NP is caused by the action of liberated from it. Cytotoxic action of nitrate is connected with reducibility to nitrite which influences on the cells independently, and nitrite action doesn't depend on its transformation to NO. The death of thymocytes caused by N-nitrosodimethylamine is not a result of its denitrozation.


In the present study, the relationship between the fluctuation of indium (In) composition and wavelength change involved in internal quantum efficiency of InGaN based LEDs has been investigated. The In composition of commercial InGaN based LEDs with and without annealing at 900 oC has been analyzed by using atom probe tomography (APT). The results revealed that the decrease in In composition caused by annealing at 900 oC for 30 min. exhibited the wavelength change (approximately 6.13 nm blueshift) in the photoluminescence (PL). Wavelength change in the PL of InGaN based LEDs will be discussed in terms of the composition and distribution of In in InGaN/GaN.


Layer-exchange crystallization of Ge using a group-V element has been investigated to develop a low-temperature (<500 °C) formation technique of n-type tensile-strained crystalline Ge on insulator. Here, the Sb of a group-V element is employed as a catalyst. Annealing (450 °C) of a-Ge (100 nm)/Sb (100 nm) bi-layer stacked structures generates layer-exchange crystallization. Namely, Ge and Sb layers exchange their positions, and Ge layers are crystallized on insulator substrates. However, Ge evaporation occurs during annealing, and a high concentration of Sb (∼20%) remains at the Ge/insulator interface. To solve these problems, the thickness reduction of Sb films and introduction of a-Ge thin under-layers are examined. By annealing (450 °C) a-Ge (100 nm)/Sb (50 nm)/a-Ge (5 nm) tri-layer structures, layer-exchange crystallization of Ge layers on insulator without Ge evaporation or Sb residue has been achieved. This enables formation of n-type tensile-strained (∼0.3%) Ge layers (free electron concentration: ∼5 × 1017 cm−3). Moreover, crystal orientation control of grown Ge films through the introduction of the diffusion barrier is examined. These results demonstrate the possibility of layer-exchange crystallization induced by a group-V element to realize functional thin-film devices for advanced electronics and photonics.


An increasing body of evidence associates low vitamin D levels with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting the possibility of a gene-environment interaction for this environmental factor in MS pathogenesis. Moreover, it has been shown that vitamin D downregulates major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II expression in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. We here report about the impact of a dietary vitamin D supplementation on EAE in the rat strains having functionally relevant allelic variations in the CIITA (Mhc2ta) gene, a master regulator of MHC class II expression. Full length myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-EAE was induced in DA.PVGav1-Vra4 congenic rats harboring the Vra4 locus from PVG strain in the EAE- susceptible DA background, and compared to the parental strains. The congenic rats fed with either vitamin D supplemented, deprived or regular diet developed an intermediate clinical EAE phenotype, in contrast to DA and PVG strains. Immunopathological studies revealed vitamin D dose-dependent effect on demyelination and inflammatory infiltration of the central nervous system (CNS), expression of MHC class II and CIITA, as well as downregulation of a range of pro-inflammatory genes. Taken together, our findings demonstrate an impact of vitamin D on the target tissue pathology and peripheral immune response during EAE in DA.PVGav1-Vra4 congenic strain. Thereby, our data provide evidence of a modulatory effect of vitamin D in context of genetic variances in the Vra4 locus/Mhc2ta gene in MS-like neuroinflammation, with potential relevance for the human demyelinating disease.


Even though, we all want to use the information that is available to us in an optimal way when we make decisions, we are not always able to do so. This is particularly true for intuitive unaided decisions and therefore the set of six papers in this special issue section investigate some of these shortcomings and gives us some hints as how to overcome them. Decisions concern the future but in many contexts what will happen in the future is not certain and different outcomes could follow a decision. Hence, many decisions have to be taken under risk and uncertainty, which is the main theme of the papers of this section. Because, the uncertainty of the future is often described by probabilities of different outcomes and consequences of a decision, the papers in this section have studied different aspects of probability from a psychological process perspective. The section covers the following. (1) A critical realist perspective on decisions involving risk and uncertainty, (2) format dependent probabilities and additivity neglect,(3) information acquisition patterns in risky choice framing, (4) biased judgments of asset cumulation and investment decisions, (5) the confidence-frequency effect: a heuristic explanation, and (6) belief in others' trustworthiness and trusting behavior.


Background Long chain acyl‐CoA synthetases (ACSL) catalyze long‐chain fatty acids (FA) conversion to acyl‐CoAs. Temporal ACSL1 inactivation in mouse hearts (Acsl1H−/−) impaired FA oxidation and dramatically increased glucose uptake, glucose oxidation, and mTOR activation, resulting in cardiac hypertrophy. We used unbiased metabolomics and gene expression analyses to elucidate the cardiac cellular response to increased glucose use in a genetic model of inactivated FA oxidation. Methods and Results Metabolomics analysis identified 60 metabolites altered in Acsl1H−/− hearts, including 6 related to glucose metabolism and 11 to cysteine and glutathione pathways. Concurrently, global cardiac transcriptional analysis revealed differential expression of 568 genes in Acsl1H−/− hearts, a subset of which we hypothesized were targets of mTOR; subsequently, we measured the transcriptional response of several genes after chronic mTOR inhibition via rapamycin treatment during the period in which cardiac hypertrophy develops. Hearts from Acsl1H−/− mice increased expression of several Hif1α‐responsive glycolytic genes regulated by mTOR; additionally, expression of Scl7a5, Gsta1/2, Gdf15, and amino acid‐responsive genes, Fgf21, Asns, Trib3, Mthfd2, were strikingly increased by mTOR activation. Conclusions The switch from FA to glucose use causes mTOR‐dependent alterations in cardiac metabolism. We identified cardiac mTOR‐regulated genes not previously identified in other cellular models, suggesting heart‐specific mTOR signaling. Increased glucose use also changed glutathione‐related pathways and compensation by mTOR. The hypertrophy, oxidative stress, and metabolic changes that occur within the heart when glucose supplants FA as a major energy source suggest that substrate switching to glucose is not entirely benign.


Application of a mathematical modelling of thermal plasma processes is effectively during development and optimization of electric power equipment as well as electro technological equipment. In the field of electric power industry such devices are: circuit breakers (simulation of arc extinction in the arc chamber); multi-chamber arresters for lightning protection of overhead power lines (simulation of arc discharge in a chamber of the arrester), and others. In the field of electro technological equipment such devices are: DC (and AC) arc plasma torches for air-plasma spraying of coating, metal welding and cutting; ICP (inductively coupled) plasma torches for nanomaterials production, fine powder treatment, plasma-chemical technologies and others. The article describes the main stages of the development of mathematical models: a study of the features of the physical process that allows us to formulate the basic assumptions of the model (stationary or non-stationary process, 2D or 3D geometry, laminar or turbulent flows and others); construction of the computational domain and of the mesh; setting the boundary conditions. Examples of results of calculations are shown. Recommendations on the use of specialized software are presented.


We study the chance-constrained bin packing problem, with an application to hospital operating room planning. The bin packing problem allocates items of random size that follow a discrete distribution to a set of bins with limited capacity, while minimizing the total cost. The bin capacity constraints are satisfied with a given probability. We investigate a big-M and a 0-1 bilinear formulation of this problem. We analyze the bilinear structure of the formulation and use the lifting techniques to identify cover, clique and projection inequalities to strengthen the formulation. We show that in certain cases these inequalities are facet defining for a bi-linear knapsack constraint that arises in the reformulation. An extensive computational study is conducted for the operating room planning problem that minimizes the number of open operating rooms. The computational tests are performed using problems generated based on real data from a hospital. A lower bound improvement heuristic is combined with the cuts proposed in this paper in a branch-and-cut framework. The computations illustrate that the techniques developed in this paper can significantly improve the performance of the branch-and-cut method. Problems with up to 1,000 scenarios are solved to optimality in less than an hour. A safe-approximation based on conditional value at risk (CVaR) is also solved. The computations show that the CVaR approximation typically leaves a gap of one operating room (e.g., six instead of five) to satisfy the chance constraint.


Heme, an iron-bound cyclic tetrapyrrole, is an essential nutrient for virtually all living organisms, by serving as a prosthetic group in hemoproteins that are involved in many cellular activities, such as diatomic gas transport and detection, mitochondrial respiration, and detoxification in peroxisome. Microbial pathogens can acquire heme by de novo synthesis and incorporation of exogenous heme or heme biosynthetic intermediates1,2. Intracellular pathogenic microbes switch their heme resources by adapting the fluctuation of heme availability during the change of their replicative environment through infections2. Here, we show that the Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, encodes an active de novo heme biosynthetic pathway for heme supply. Genetical and chemical manipulation of this pathway revealed that T. gondii essentially requires its de novo heme production for its intracellular growth and pathogenesis. Revisit of tetrapyrrole synthesis inhibitors used in weed control identified oxadiazon as an inhibitor of Toxoplasma growth. Two derivatives synthesized in this study showed improved efficacies by 15- to 25-fold compared to oxadiazon, providing evidence that the interference in the de novo heme production in Toxoplasma is a potential therapeutic strategy to control infection. Additionally, due to its tractable genetics, T. gondii has been used as a model for studying the biology of apicomplexan parasites3. Thus, our study can serve as a model to help understand heme metabolism in other pathogenic apicomplexans.


Human presence in space has uncovered several health concerns related to the space environment that need to be addressed for future space missions. The hostile space environment includes radiation and microgravity that cause various pathophysiological effects. Among them are conditions related to the cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system shows a dysfunctional and deconditioning state, similar to ageing on Earth, once exposed to the space environment. As we aim for longer space missions to the Moon, Mars, and thus into deep space, better understanding, monitoring, and development of countermeasures for these accelerated ageing processes are necessary. Biomarkers and their integration into biosensors therefore become important tools to understand the underlying mechanisms, develop countermeasures and monitor accelerated cardiovascular ageing. In this review, we will provide a brief overview of the space environment and its effects on the human cardiovascular system. We list the known potential cardiovascular ageing biomarkers relevant to space along with our current knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular ageing. We also explore in more details about the various biosensors used, their specifications, and how lab-on-a-chip systems are crucial to the development of these biosensors for tracking cardiovascular ageing during upcoming space missions.


THE DISCUSSANTS began the round table with a few general comments concerning various phases of development of the female. At birth and for the first week or more of life, the effects of maternal hormones on the newborn infant may be evidenced by hypertrophy of the breasts, prominence of the genitalia with nonpurulent vaginal secretion and occasional uterine bleeding. Throughout the remainder of infancy, until late childhood, there are no changes in the genitalia, and the mucosa of the vagina remains shrunken, producing little or no secretion. From the period of late childhood to early adolescence—that phase extending from the first menstrual period until the onset of ovulation—secondary sex characteristics develop and the vaginal mucosa undergoes cornification, becomes succulent and produces an increased quantity of secretion. Late adolescence is defined as that phase from the first ovulation to full maturity. The phases of adolescence are never clearly demarcated.
 Certain pathologic conditions commonly seen in female children were then described. The relative incidence of these conditions as seen in a special clinic reflects their incidence in a general pediatric practice.
 Nonspecific Vulvovaginitis
 The majority of children (75%) are referred to the gynecologic clinic because of vulvovaginitis. Of these, 75% are found to have nonspecific vulvovaginitis. Etiologic agents and their relative incidence in the remainder of patients are: monilia, 15%; foreign body, 5%; and infections due to trichomonas, gonococcus and pinworms, 5%. Children under 10 years of age are most commonly affected. Those found to have vulvovaginitis due to fungi have usually given a history of recent antibiotic therapy.


Microbial symbioses are interesting in their own right and also serve as exemplary models to help biologists to understand two important symbioses in the evolutionary past of eukaryotic cells: the origins of chloroplasts and mitochondria. Most, if not all, microbial symbioses have a chemical basis: compounds produced by one partner are useful for the other. But symbioses can also entail the transfer of genes from one partner to the other, which in some cases cements two cells into a bipartite, co-evolving unit. Here, we discuss some microbial symbioses in which progress is being made in uncovering the nature of symbiotic interactions: anaerobic methane-oxidizing consortia, marine worms that possess endosymbionts instead of a digestive tract, amino acid-producing endosymbionts of aphids, prokaryotic endosymbionts living within a prokaryotic host within mealybugs, endosymbionts of an insect vector of human disease and a photosynthetic sea slug that steals chloroplasts from algae. In the case of chloroplasts and mitochondria, examples of recent and ancient gene transfer to the chromosomes of their host cell illustrate the process of genetic merger in the wake of organelle origins.


The fatalities of pedestrian account for about 40.0% of all fatalities in Korea 2005. In pedestrian involved accident, the most important data to inspect accident is throw distance of pedestrian. The throw distance of pedestrian can be influenced by many variables, such as vehicular frontal shape, vehicular impact speed, the offset of impact point, the height of pedestrian, and road conditions. The trajectory of pedestrian after collision can be influenced by vehicular frontal shape classified into sedan type, box type, SUV type and van type. Many studies have been done about pedestrian accident for simple factors. But study about pedestrian accident by box type vehicle was not performed, and the influence of multiple factors such as the offset of impact point was neglected. In this paper, a series of pedestrian kinetic simulation were conducted to inspect relationship between throw distance and multiple factors with PC-CRASH, a kinetic analysis program for a traffic accident for van type. Based on the simulation results, multivariate regression was conduct, and regression equation was presented.


For many products, platforms enable sellers to transact with buyers. We show that the competitive conditions among sellers shape the market structure in platform industries. If product market competition is tough, sellers avoid competitors by joining different platforms. This allows platforms to sustain high fees and explains why, for example, in some online markets, several homogeneous platforms segment the market. Instead, if product market competition is soft, agglomeration on a single platform emerges, and platforms fight for the dominant position. These insights give rise to novel predictions. For instance, market concentration and fees are negatively correlated in platform industries, which inverts the standard logic of competition.


The results of an existing one-dimensional diagnostic model that calculates the fugacity of CO 2 (fCO 2 ) in the surface layer of the southern ocean were compared with in situ observations from different ocean sectors and seasons. Our model is based on the translation of monthly variations of constraints fields into surface water fCO 2 variations, and was used to assess the CO 2 uptake of the southern ocean. In situ observations are useful to verify the model results and were here applied to improve the estimation of the CO 2 uptake of the southern ocean south of 50 S. The model reproduces the fCO 2 distribution in both Pacific and Indian sectors of the southern ocean satisfactorily, the mean deviation being only 5 μatm. This diserepancy requires only a minor modification of the CO 2 uptake calculated by the model for that area. By contrast, the model strongly underestimates the fCO 2 levels in carly spring and early winter in the Weddell gyre. This indicates that the CO 2 uptake by the Atlantic sector of the southern ocean as calculated by the model, amounting to 0.47 GtC yr -1 . should be reduced, possibly by about half of this value. The reason for this mismatch lies in the use of climatological physical constraints by the model, that do not sufficiently well describe reality. Partly, the mismatch is also caused by a difference of seasonal stage between the model which reflects climatological conditions and the real ocean which is affected by interannual variability. Based on this study it is concluded that the CO 2 uptake of the southern ocean south of 50 S is likely to lie somewhere between 0.6 and 0.7 GtC yr -1 for the 1990s, which is a high value compared to estimates from other investigations.


Competitions such as the MiniZinc Challenges or the SAT competitions have been very useful sources for comparing performance of different solving approaches and for advancing the state-of-the-arts of the fields. Traditional competition setting often focuses on producing a ranking between solvers based on their average performance across a wide range of benchmark problems and instances. While this is a sensible way to assess the relative performance of solvers, such ranking does not necessarily reflect the full potential of a solver, especially when we want to utilise a portfolio of solvers instead of a single one for solving a new problem. In this paper, I will describe a portfolio-based analysis method which can give complementary insights into the performance of participating solvers in a competition. The method is demonstrated on the results of the MiniZinc Challenges and new insights gained from the portfolio viewpoint are presented. 2012 ACM Subject Classification Theory of computation → Design and analysis of algorithms


Wellington is located on a fault line which will inevitably, one day be impacted by a big earthquake. Due to where this fault line geographically sits, the central city and southern suburbs may be cut off from the rest of the region, effectively making these areas an 'island'. This issue has absorbed a lot of attention, in particular at a large scale by many different fields: civil engineering, architecture, infrastructure planning & design, policymaking.  Due to heightened awareness, and evolved school of practice, contemporary landscape architects deal with post-disaster design – Christchurch, NZ has seen this. A number of landscape architects work with nature, following increased application of ecological urbanism, and natural systems thinking, most notably at larger scales.  To create parks that are designed to flood, or implement projects to protect shorelines. A form of resilience less often considered is how design for the small scale - people's 1:1 relationship with their immediate context in exterior space - can be influential in forming a resilient response to the catastrophe of a major earthquake. This thesis intends to provide a response to address the shift of scales, as a paradigm for preparation and recovery.  After a large-scale earthquake, state and civic policies and agencies may or subsequentially not go into action. The most important thinking and acting will be what happens in the minds, and the immediate needs, of each and every person; and how they act communally. This is considered in general social terms in state and civic education programmes of civil defence, for example, but much less considered in how the physical design of the actual spaces we inhabit day-to-day can educate us to be mentally prepared to help each other survive a catastrophe. Specifically, the identification of design of typologies can provide these educative functions.  Typology inherently a physical form or manipulation of a generic and substantial prototype applicable in contexts is something that exists in the mind. Working with the physical and social appearance and experience of typologies can also/will change people's minds.  Socially, and economically driven, the community-building power of community gardening is well-proven and documented, and a noticeably large part of contemporary landscape architecture. The designs of this thesis will focus on community gardening specifically to form typologies of resilience preparation and response to disaster. The foundation will remain at the small scale of the local community. The specific question this thesis poses: Can we design local typologies in landscape architecture to integrate community gardens, with public space by preparing for and acting as recovery from a disaster?


The most basic building material for construction of houses is the conventional brick. The rapid growth in today's construction industry has obliged the civil engineers in searching for more efficient and durable alternatives far beyond the limitations of the conventional brick production. A number of studies had taken serious steps in manufacturing bricks from several of waste materials. However, the traditional mean of bricks production which has brought hazardous impacts to the context has not yet been changed or replaced by more efficient and sustainable one. This paper aims to compile this state of the art work of manufacturing bricks in the past and the current trend in the bricks industry with respect to the raw materials, ways of manufacturing and the outcomings. Moreover, the hazardous impacts of the conventional brick manufacturing will be wholly covered as well as the attempts of the previous researches in treating the problem properly.


Knowledge represents a critical resource in the modern enterprise. But it is dynamic and distributed unevenly. Capitalizing on this dynamic resource for enterprise performance depends upon its rapid and reliable flows across people, organizations, locations, and times of application. From a technological perspective, this points immediately to the design of information systems to enhance knowledge flows. The problem is, the design of information systems to enhance knowledge flows requires new understanding. The research described in this paper concentrates on understanding the dynamics of knowledge phenomenologically and on developing and applying techniques for modeling and visualizing dynamic knowledge flows and stocks. We draw key, theoretical concepts from multiple literatures, and we build upon integrative modeling work that composes a parsimonious, multidimensional, analytical framework for representing and visualizing dynamic knowledge. We then conduct field research to learn how this theoretical framework may be used to model knowledge flows in practice. By focusing this empirical work on an extreme organization and processes that involve and rely upon tacit knowledge, we illustrate how dynamic knowledge patterns can inform design in new ways. New chunks of kernel theory deriving from this fieldwork are articulated in terms of a propositional model, which provides a basis for the development of testable design theory hypotheses.


Paper industry is facing today the challenges of being simultaneously flexible towards customers, efficient in the use of capital intensive assets, and ecologically sustainable both when using resources and utilities and with respect to waste handling. However, the production lines are not flexible enough to meet today's requirements because of some complex dynamics and rigid operational practices. The benefit of applying modelling and simulation techniques in pulp and papermaking manufacturing processes will favour a better understanding of the mechanism involved in the processes and their control loops. This will allow papermakers to find solutions for currently pending problems in the paper industry, such as fast grade changes, improvement of paper quality, optimising the wet end chemistry, enhancing runnability and reducing emissions by improving process design, process monitoring and decision support during operation. Due to the importance of the topic at European level, a COST Action has been initiated for promoting the development and application of modelling and simulation techniques in pulp and paper manufacturing processes. In this paper, a review of the state-of-the-art on modelling and simulation in the pulp and paper industry is presented, alongwith further research needs.


Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder, affecting about 5% of the general population. Here we present the current largest genome-wide association study of hypothyroidism, in 3,736 cases and 35,546 controls. Hypothyroidism was assessed via web-based questionnaires. We identify five genome-wide significant associations, three of which are well known to be involved in a large spectrum of autoimmune diseases: rs6679677 near PTPN22, rs3184504 in SH2B3, and rs2517532 in the HLA class I region (-values , , and , respectively). We also report associations with rs4915077 near VAV3 (-value ) and rs925489 near FOXE1 (-value ). VAV3 is involved in immune function, and FOXE1 and PTPN22 have previously been associated with hypothyroidism. Although the HLA class I region and SH2B3 have previously been linked with a number of autoimmune diseases, this is the first report of their association with thyroid disease. The VAV3 association is also novel. We also show suggestive evidence of association for hypothyroidism with a SNP in the HLA class II region (independent of the other HLA association) as well as SNPs in CAPZB, PDE8B, and CTLA4. CAPZB and PDE8B have been linked to TSH levels and CTLA4 to a variety of autoimmune diseases. These results suggest heterogeneity in the genetic etiology of hypothyroidism, implicating genes involved in both autoimmune disorders and thyroid function. Using a genetic risk profile score based on the top association from each of the five genome-wide significant regions in our study, the relative risk between the highest and lowest deciles of genetic risk is 2.0.


Over 200 television channels in China broadcast news with signed language interpreting, making this one of the most visible forms of public accessibility for Deaf citizens. However, previous surveys have reported that most viewers have difficulty understanding the sign language interpreter. This experimental study examines how well a group of 49 Deaf individuals do, comparing their level of comprehension with that of twenty hearing viewers whose medium of access to program content is spoken Mandarin. All participants completed simple comprehension questions, in written form, after viewing twenty short news clips. These were shown once to the hearing viewers, and twice to Deaf viewers so as to compensate for any intrinsic difficulty related to the limited visual clarity of televised signed language interpreting. Results show that, even with interpretation, the Deaf viewers do not benefit equally from the news clips. Analysis of the interpretations suggests that the interpreters' lack of Chinese Sign Language fluency might have contributed to the Deaf viewers' lesser comprehension. In addition to insufficient training, the high pressure the interpreters experience in relation to interpreting in media settings might have a negative effect on the quality of their interpretation.


others. The story of the blind man of Bethsaida falls in a different section from the Caesarea Philippi story, with which it is usually thought to belong; the penultimate section does not end with a healing; and the final section (from 141) does not fit at all convincingly. Nevertheless the pattern suggested is worth serious consideration, especially in the earlier part of the gospel. It is not a commentary, but it may well help students to see the wood for the trees. J. A. ZIESLER


Short-stay MSO (Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics) hospitalization activities in public and private hospitals providing public services are funded through charges for the services provided (T2A in French). Coding must be well matched to the severity of the patient's condition, to ensure that appropriate funding is provided to the hospital. We propose the use of an autocompletion process and multidimensional matrix, to help physicians to improve the expression of information and to optimize clinical coding. With this approach, physicians without knowledge of the encoding rules begin from a rough concept, which is gradually refined through semantic proximity and uses information on the associated codes stemming of optimized knowledge bases of diagnosis code.


The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is a hub for respiratory chemoregulation in the mammal brainstem that integrates chemosensory information from peripheral sites and central relays. Chemosensitive neurons of the RTN express specific genetic and molecular determinants, which have been used to identify RTN precise location within the brainstem of rodents and nonhuman primates. Based on a comparative approach, we hypothesized that among mammals, neurons exhibiting the same specific molecular and genetic signature would have the same function. The co‐expression of preprogalanin (PPGAL) and SLC17A6 (VGluT2) mRNAs with duplex in situ hybridization has been studied in formalin fixed paraffin‐embedded postmortem human brainstems. Two specimens were processed and analyzed in line with RTN descriptions in adult rats and macaques. Double‐labeled PPGAL+/SLC17A6+ neurons were only identified in the parafacial region of the brainstem. These neurons were found surrounding the nucleus of the facial nerve, located ventrally to the nucleus VII on caudal sections, and slightly more dorsally on rostral sections. The expression of neuromedin B (NMB) mRNA as a single marker of chemosensitive RTN neurons has not been confirmed in humans. The location of the RTN in human adults is provided. This should help to develop investigation tools combining anatomic high‐resolution imaging and respiratory functional investigations to explore the pathogenic role of the RTN in congenital or acquired neurodegenerative diseases.


This research is based on the various criticism models to the government; start from cartoon, novel, wayang story to talk show program includes "Republik Mimpi" and so on, either in the form of printing or electronic mass media. Since, Soeharto fall down from his position as the president of Indonesia for 32 years, and than replaced by his vice president of B.J. Habibie. Since then, any criticism addressed to the government is delivered independently to public, there is no any intimidation and no suppression on the critics, even if it is press. Everybody is free to criticize the government, in any forms of criticism. There is no mass media censorship as that happened in the period of Soeharto. Now, press is free from any suppression, but it still under the certain rules that is responsible press freedom. It means that press is free according to the established rule in the valid Press Regulations. Therefore, researcher is interested to analyze newspaper as a criticism media to the government through article containing wayang stories written by Ki Slamet Gundono in Jawa Pos Daily Newspaper in May 2008 edition.
Purpose of this research is to know the meaning (symbol) of criticism in Ki Slamet Gundono's article through newspaper as the criticism media to the government in Wayang Lindur Column of Jawa Pos daily newspaper on May 2008 edition.
Through this research, researcher uses qualitative-interpretative research basic, because the researcher wants to analyze and to interpret each paragraph and sentences containing criticism in Ki Slamet Gundono's article in Wayang Lindur Column of Jawa Pos, where his writing contains criticism to government in the form of wayang stories. This research type is media text analysis in the form of semiotics analysis using Roland Barthes model. This research analyses two titles.
From the research result, it can be concluded that newspaper as a criticism media to the government can be used as an instrument to criticize the government over its injustice in treating the poor people. Researcher proves that those articles containing fiery stricture and sarcasm to the government if the governance system in Indonesia is not run appropriately, because any government that leads Indonesia never care about poor people destiny that make poor people are getting buried in uncertainty condition, such as fuel markup in Indonesia which do not counterbalanced by the increasing labors' wages or salary. Therefore, any occurrence in Indonesia is presented in wayang story using an instrument or media in the form of newspaper to criticize the government, because mass media especially newspaper is very effective in expressing feelings or rebellion over government's injustice to its society.


Abstract This paper presents an inverse problem in heat conduction, namely the determination of thicknesses of three materials of known heat capacities and thermal conductivities inside a rod of given length subjected to periodic heat flows from measurements of temperatures at both ends. The unknowns are, therefore, the positions of the two interior frontiers between the three materials. Classically, they can be obtained by minimizing the least-squares, non-linear criterion, between the measured and calculated temperatures. Nevertheless, we show that the global minimum providing the solution is close to three local minima that act as traps for a descent algorithm. After providing theoretical justification of the complex temperature method, a method based in this case on the periodicity of boundary fluxes, we suggest a new criterion allowing the global characterization or not of an a priori local minimizer to be tested. It is a criterion of topological nature based on the identification of a singularity.


The RODAM study has established a link between peripheral insulin resistance and varying fasting blood glucose levels among Ghanaian populations. However, associations of oxidative stress and inflammation with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and obesity is yet to be assessed in this population.

 This study determined the association of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in T2DM and obesity among Ghanaian migrants in Europe and non-migrants in Ghana.

 Socio-demographic and anthropometric variables were collected from 5350 participants of 25-70 years and stratified into migrant Ghanaians (n= 2921), urban (n=1411) and rural Ghanaians (n=1018). C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Uric Acid (UA) and ferritin were quantified and associations drawn between these markers and the metabolic disorders using logistic regression.

 Overall mean ages (years) were highest for migrant Ghanaians [46.59, 95%CI (46.24, 46.93)] compared to rural [46.49 (45.72, 47.26)] and urban [45.24 (44.65, 45.83)]. CRP was associated with obesity and T2DM respectively in urban [OR=1.531, 95%CI (1.407, 1.666): OR=1.354, 95% CI (1.195, 1.535)] and migrant Ghanaians [OR=1.552, 95% CI (1.449, 1.662): OR=1.405, 95%CI (1.234, 1.600)]. Similarly, ferritin was positively associated (p<0.05) with T2DM in migrant [OR=1.312, 95% CI (1.058, 1.626)], urban [OR=1.972, 95% CI (1.510, 2.575)] and rural Ghanaians [OR=1.240, 95%CI (1.020, 1.507)].

 CRP and ferritin are associated with T2DM in Ghanaian populations at varying magnitudes. Moreover, indulgence in lifestyles that elevate inflammation and oxidative stress has the potential to increase risk of T2DM and obesity among Ghanaian populations.


Still no effective drug treatment available

Now that drug treatment for acute myocardial infarction has been largely sorted out, the world of vascular medicine has moved on to acute stroke. Given that stroke is the third commonest cause of death in the West and the most important cause of adult disability,1 it is surprising that no treatment exists that has been conclusively shown to reduce the risk of death or disability. Despite a massive worldwide effort to rectify this, early results are disappointing.

In the West most (85%) strokes result from cerebral infarction after arterial occlusion. Ischaemia induces activation of the glutamate-calcium cascade and cytodestructive enzymes, the release of free radicals, and ultimately cell death.2 Surrounding the core of dead neural tissue lies a penumbra of neurones that may survive or die, which has become the focus of pharmacological activity.

The main classes of agents include thrombolytics (to accelerate reperfusion), anticoagulants and antithrombotics (to prevent further occlusion), vasodilators (to increase cerebral blood flow), antileucocytic drugs (to prevent inflammation), glutamate antagonists, calcium antagonists, and free radical scavengers. Anticoagulants, antithrombotics, and antileucocytic drugs may also reduce the early risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, which are important complications of stroke.

Two sets of events have occurred recently that considerably advance our knowledge …


Aiming at the problem of gross error in datasets of form tolerance pneumatic measurement, which have the characteristics of small sample and non-statistical distribution, a new fuzzy assessment based method for detecting and rejecting the gross error is proposed. The detecting principle and its procedure are elaborated, and some correlative problems, including the valuation of fuzzy optimal factor and calculation of fuzzy available interval are also discussed in detail. Using an actual dataset in pneumatic measurement of form tolerance to calculate, the results demonstrate the effectiveness and consistency of the proposed method and it can be used to detect and reject the gross error of the measurement sequence in a rapid, simple and reliable way by comparison with the traditional methods based on statistical theory. And it is well suited for detecting gross error in various measurement processes with the measured datasets of small sample and non-statistical distribution.