Abstract Introduction: This prospective pilot evaluates a free-to-client, live-in support person (LISP) for community palliative care. People who needed additional support to be at home rather than in hospital/hospice were included. A LISP from 0900 Monday to 1600 Friday was offered to palliative clients for an initial 2-week placement. Patients and Methods: Over 24 months, a sequential cohort was evaluated. Hospital admissions avoided and discharges facilitated, costs and potential uptake rates were gathered. Caregivers provided feedback 3 months after the placement. Results: The LISP had 49 long-term placements with 44 clients saving 409 bed days. Median placement was short (5 days; range, 2–33 days). Only 8 clients used the LISP around-the-clock. Net potential savings (allowing for caregiver costs) were AU$11,379 annually. Qualitatively, caregivers appreciated the re-assurance offered. Discussion: This pilot study supports the need for a randomised controlled trial to evaluate further the role of the free-to-client, LISP for community palliative care. Evaluating new models of service delivery for patients and caregivers is imperative in palliative care. The LISP improves choices for people in a cost-neutral way if existing services can be substituted.


The authors present results of a comparative analysis of rainfall data from several ground-based instruments. The instruments include two vertically pointing Doppler radars, S-band and X-band, an optical disdrometer, and a tipping-bucket rain gauge. All instruments were collocated at the Iowa City Municipal Airport in Iowa City, Iowa, for a period of several months. The authors used the rainfall data derived from the four instruments to first study the temporal variability and scaling characteristics of rainfall and subsequently assess the instrumental effects on these derived properties. The results revealed obvious correspondence between the ground and remote sensors, which indicates the significance of the instrumental effect on the derived properties.


In this paper we explain how the local tomography approach to tomographic problems can be extended to a wide range of situations including limited data problems, attenuated transforms, and generalized radon transforms. Numerical examples illustrate the use of local tomography applied to complete and limited data problems. Our analytic results are obtained through the use of microlocal analysis.


Vulvo-Vaginal Candidiasis is common gynecological disorder. Clinical trials are designed to evaluate the effect of medical intervention with allopathic and herbal medicine to treat vulvo-vaginal candidiasis. The toxicity index and the safety profile of test drug were assessed on animals' model. Toxicity study of polyherbal formulation was done in order to consider it safe before use. In acute toxicity study, a single dose of 2000 mg/kg was given to Swiss Albino mice and in sub-acute toxicity study three different doses were given to Wistar rats. Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials was conducted. Inclusion and exclusion criteria and informed consent from the patients were to be monitored. In acute toxicity study no morbidity and mortality noticed on single administration of dose 2000mg/kg/day. In sub -acute toxicity study no significant changes were observed in consumption of food and water, body weight, hematological parameters, Liver function test, renal function parameters and lipid profile. The statistical analysis showed C. albican was eradicated in 59 participants (78%) out of 75 participants by the use of Candicure (Test drug) and in 56 participants (74%) out of 75 participants by the use of Fluconazole therapy (Control drug). Chi-square test was applied and p-value was calculated 0.3101 which is greater than 0.05 showed that Candicure therapy and Fluconazole therapy is equally significant in eradication of C. albican. The acute and sub-acute toxicity study of polyherbal formulation on experimental animals is safe at a dose of 2000mg/kg/day. The clinical findings of randomized controlled trial revealed that the effect was almost comparable to control drug in eradicating the micro-organism.


This article reports the results of the palynological analysis obtained from one of the archaeological profiles exposed at Cueva del Medio, a Paleoindian site located at the southern tip of South America (Ultima Esperanza, Chile). The earliest occupation is located over a sand layer which follows the natural slope of the sedimentological matrix of the cave. The findings of this level are significant, as they demonstrate a clear Paleoindian context, linking humans with extinct fauna. Based on the palynological analysis and previous results obtained in the region, the environmental setting of Cueva del Medio is described. Paleoindian occupations of the cave, estimated to date from approximately 11 - 10 kya, may have taken place at about the time of initial, albeit ephemeral, Nothofagus expansion. Climate becoming more mesic was evidently transitory, and possibly favored some development of arboreal communities. Summer drought for a time afterward, in turn, was less favorable to the spread of trees, as inferred by the successive prevalence of steppe.


Posted Workers between Work Casualisation and the Precarisation of Migration The article examines the transformations of work, labour casualisation, and the precarisation of migration, deepening the links between these phenomena and the social consequences of their intertwining, such as the double precarity affecting migrant workers, and examining the significance of contemporary migration policies which pave the way for a wider spreading of precarity and which anticipate corresponding labour laws. The article – which considers the European context – focuses on posting of workers as an example of the convergence of the aforementioned processes, and an empirical space for social research in which to test new forms of precarity and stratification, and the transformation of migration policies increasingly focused on the concepts of temporariness and circularity.


We propose a novel bonding process using Ag metallo-organic nanoparticles, of which the average particle size is around 11 nm. In this paper, Al, Ti, Ni, Cu, Ag and Au disc joints were made using the Ag metallo-organic nanoparticles in order to investigate the bondability of the various metals. These joints are evaluated based on measurement of the shear strength, and the observation of the fracture surfaces and the cross-sectional microstructures. The shear strength of the various metal joints increased in the following order: Al, Ti, Ni, Cu, Ag and Au. This corresponds to the order of the standard-free energy value of the oxide formation for each metal. In particular, while the strengths of the Cu, Ag and Au joints, in which the oxides can be reduced by carbon, were the same level, those of the Al and Ti joints, of which the oxides were more stable than carbon oxides, were extremely low. This result suggests that the carbon atoms or organic elements generated by the decomposition of the organic shell of the Ag metallo-organic nanoparticles may play a role in deoxidizing the oxide film on the metal surface. This can promote chemical bonding between the Ag nanoparticles and metals at low temperatures.


ABSTRACT While attracting international students is the declared objective of many countries of the global North, the regulation of movements of this migrant group does not escape the tensions that characterise policymaking on migration. This paper compares the evolution of student migration policies in three major European destinations – France, Spain and the UK – since the late 1990s. The aim is to evaluate whether policies in this area have converged or not, and the factors behind their evolution. Our findings suggest that despite common forces encouraging convergence, country-specific factors, such as countries' migration history and the political force in power, seem crucial in explaining important differences in actual policies across the three countries.


An instrument-landing system glide-path has been developed which produces a straight-line path originating directly from the touchdown region on the runway. This system makes use of five flush-mounted runway antennas which are mounted directly in the runway, thus eliminating the ground-reflected signals which are presently used to form the path. As a result, the effects of terrain irregularities in the approach region are minimized. Additional benefits realized in flush-mounting the glide-path system are the elimination of parallax problems encountered by flight close in, and the elimination of hazards of antenna supporting masts and buildings near the runway. Potential use of the glide-path at low elevations is enhanced by the paralleling of the path limits during the last 600 feet of the flight path. The path limits cease to converge and maintain a constant value which provides tolerance especially necessary for pilot-controlled flights, while still maintaining sufficient margin of safety. This new glide-path system is completely compatible with the present airborne equipment, and only a minor addition to the transmatter need be made. Automatic servo monitoring is provided for maximum stability in addition to conventional fail-safe monitoring.


Laundry detergent compositions containing a detergent surfactant, a detergent builder, and from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid or salts thereof are disclosed. These compositions provide enhanced removal of organic stains, such as food and beverage stains.


Wildlife harvesting has a long history in Australia, including obvious examples of overexploitation. Not surprisingly, there is scepticism that commercial harvesting can be undertaken sustainably. Kangaroo harvesting has been challenged regularly at Administrative Appeals Tribunals and elsewhere over the past three decades. Initially, the concern from conservation groups was sustainability of the harvest. This has been addressed through regular, direct monitoring that now spans > 30 years and a conservative harvest regime with a low risk of overharvest in the face of uncertainty. Opposition to the harvest now continues from animal rights groups whose concerns have shifted from overall harvest sustainability to side effects such as animal welfare, and changes to community structure, genetic composition and population age structure. Many of these concerns are speculative and difficult to address, requiring expensive data.

One concern is that older females are the more successful breeders and teach their daughters optimal habitat and diet selection. The lack of older animals in a harvested population may reduce the fitness of the remaining individuals; implying population viability would also be compromised. This argument can be countered by the persistence of populations under harvesting without any obvious impairment to reproduction. Nevertheless, an interesting question is how age influences reproductive output. In this study, data collected from a number of red kangaroo populations across eastern Australia indicate that the breeding success of older females is up to 7-20% higher than that of younger females. This effect is smaller than that of body condition and the environment, which can increase breeding success by up to 30% and 60% respectively. Average age of mature females in a population may be reduced from 9 to 6 years old, resulting in a potential reduction in breeding success of 3-4%. This appears to be offset in harvested populations by improved condition of females from a reduction in kangaroo density.

There is an important recommendation for management. The best insurance policy against overharvest and unwanted side effects is not research, which could be never-ending. Rather, it is a harvest strategy that includes safeguards against uncertainty such as harvest reserves, conservative quotas and regular monitoring. Research is still important in fine tuning that strategy and is most usefully incorporated as adaptive management where it can address the key questions on how populations respond to harvesting.


This new theory explains physical phenomena according to the dictates of intuition historically recognized (determinism of their laws, absolute character of instants, lack of speed limit...) and assuming all verified achievements of classical and quantum theories, while replacing the principles considered erroneous with new ones, which allow to derive all fields of force from a single (gravelectric) potential, generated by matter each of whose (elementary) particles consists of two semiparticles (antiparticles one another), endowed with charges of types (gravon or lectron) and values (positive or negative) opposite each other, associated with senses of translation (dextrorse or sinistrorse, each own of one of both transor components of any rotor, in the postulated geometry of space) also contrary each other, and in mutually determined solidary states. Some particular achievements of this theory are: – New concepts (all defined mathematically, denoted some with neologisms) of: (physical point) medium; spatial (global character) geometry; medial (local character) geometry; particle; semiparticle (or semiparticular component of particle: gravon or lectron); particle charge; semiparticle charge; semiparticle transorial sense; semiparticle density field (scalar of charge, rectorial of current); fundamental field (scalar of medium density, rectorial of physical point velocity); gravelectric potential (scalar, rectorial); total (gravonic or lectronic) density field (of charge, of current); gravonic (time advanced) and lectronic (time retarded) components of the gravelectric potencial; semiparticle (transorial) current; semiparticle (scalar) coenergy and (rotorial) coimpulse; semiparticular (gravonic and lectronic) momenta (scalar energies, rotorial impulses) of particle; semiparticle comass and particle mass; semiparticle coinertia and particle inertia; particle own (rotorial) velocity and primary and secondary components of its own; active and passive charges of a body…. – New quite intuitive postulates interrelating: medial geometry and propagation of gravelectric waves; fundamental field (relative to a space-time reference system) and gravelectric potential (absolute, nonrelative to space-time reference system); continuity condition of fundamental field and Lorentz condition of gravelectric potential; medial geometry and gravelectric potential; type of charge (lectronic, gravonic) and temporal sense (normal, antinormal) of wave generation; transorial senses of both antiparticles; impulse, inertia and velocity primary component of particle; semiparticle densities (of charge and of current) and semiparticle (quantum) wave function…. – Unquestionable explanations of: tridimensional appearance of physical space; existence of (elementary) particles, of two semiparticle charge types and of two transorial senses (of spin); result of Michelson-Morley experiment; bending of light rays by gravitational fields; slowing down of wave frequencies when generated in gravitational fields; origin of terrestrial electric and magnetic field; non-detection (by ordinary means) of photons with velocity appreciably higher than usual constant…. – Natural explanations of: greater accuracy of relativistic quantum theory –errors of the first are offset each other better than those of the second– than of classical theory (providing some feasible experiments for the failure of relativistic predictions); apparent lack of effectiveness of the electric (gravelectric much stronger than ordinary gravitational) fields on conventional neutral corpuscles (with the same number of protons as electrons, but with gravonic net charge); similarity –both are essentially equivalent– of Newton's and Coulomb's force laws; quasi-cyclical evolution of ordinary matter universe…. – Intuitive models of stable corpuscle structures, corresponding to proton, neutron, neutrinos, atomic nuclei…, that allow to explain and control their disintegration processes.


We introduce the topic of dynamical breaking of the electroweak symmetry and its link to unparticle physics and cosmology. The knowledge of the phase diagram of strongly coupled theories plays a fundamental role when trying to construct viable extensions of the standard model (SM). Therefore we present the state-of-the-art of the phase diagram for SU , Sp and SO gauge theories with fermionic matter transforming according to arbitrary representations of the underlying gauge group. We summarize several analytic methods used recently to acquire information about these gauge theories. We also provide new results for the phase diagram of the generalized Bars-Yankielowicz and Georgi-Glashow chiral gauge theories. These theories have been used for constructing grand unified models and have been the template for models of extended technicolor interactions. To gain information on the phase diagram of chiral gauge theories we will introduce a novel all orders beta function for chiral gauge theories. This permits the first unified study of all nonsupersymmetric gauge theories with fermionic matter representation both chiral and non-chiral. To the best of our knowledge the phase diagram of these complex models appears here for the first time. We will introduce recent extensions of the SM featuring minimal conformal gauge theories known as minimal walking models. Finally we will discuss the electroweak phase transition at nonzero temperature for models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking.


Although commonly described on social media by autistic people, there is little recognition of autistic burnout in the academic literature. Anecdotally, autistic burnout is described as a debilitating condition that severely impacts functioning, is linked to suicidal ideation and is driven by the stress of masking and living in an unaccommodating neurotypical world. We sought to define autistic burnout using the Grounded Delphi method. Autistic adults, experts by the lived experience of autistic burnout (n = 23), co-produced and agreed to a definition intended for clinicians and the autistic and autism communities. A thick description and conceptual framework were developed from the open-ended round 1 survey, with a high majority of agreement reached in the round 3 survey. Autistic burnout was defined as a highly debilitating condition characterised by exhaustion, withdrawal, executive function problems and generally reduced functioning, with increased manifestation of autistic traits – and distinct from depression and non-autistic burnout. Further work is needed to differentiate autistic burnout from other conditions and to build clinician understanding of the accompanying complexity to be considered in treatment planning. Lay abstract Autistic burnout has been commonly described in social media by autistic people. There is little mention of autistic burnout in the academic literature. Only one recent study has used interviews and reviews of social media descriptions to try to understand autistic burnout. Anecdotally, autistic burnout is a very debilitating condition that reduced people's daily living skills and can lead to suicide attempts. It is suggested that autistic burnout is caused by the stress of masking and living in an unaccommodating neurotypical world. We wanted to create a definition of autistic burnout that could be used by clinicians and the autism community. We used the Grounded Delphi method, which allowed autistic voice to lead the study. Autistic adults who had experienced autistic burnout were considered as experts on the topic, in the co-production of this definition. The definition describes autistic burnout as a condition involving exhaustion, withdrawal, problems with thinking, reduced daily living skills and increases in the manifestation of autistic traits. It is important for future research that there is a specific description of the condition. In practice, it is important for clinicians to be aware that autistic burnout is different from depression. Psychological treatments for depression potentially could make autistic burnout worse. Further awareness of autistic burnout is needed, as well as further research to prove this condition is separate from depression, chronic fatigue and non-autistic burnout.


Flexible electret nanogenerators that can convert mechanical energy into electricity have received intensive attention in recent years. However, drawbacks of low outputs and impedance mismatch with traditional electronics limit their extensive applications. In this work, we propose a novel method to enhance outputs by optimizing device structure of a compact multilayer flexible nanogenerator (CMFN). Meanwhile, load resistance corresponding to maximum output power can be reduced to alleviate impedance mismatching. By pressing a 4 × 4 cm2 CMFN with a height of 2 mm, peak output current was reached at ∼3 mA, which was large enough to power a wireless remote system with an effective emitting distance of 30 cm. This study successfully demonstrates a simple and efficient strategy to fabricate flexible electrostatic nanogenerators with outstanding output properties, and promotes progress of self-powered electronics.


Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is a medicinal herb belonging to Asteraceae family. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of trifluralin on the induction of polyploidy in chamomile. Two independent full factorial experiments on seedlings and 2-leaf stage apical buds were performed. Following morphological, biochemical and cytogenetic analysis, chromosome numbers of 18 and 36 were detected for diploid and tetraploid types, respectively. Morphological and biochemical examinations revealed that an increase in the number of full chromosome set results in a reduction in stomata number per unit area as well as an increase in stomata size, chloroplast number, and chlorophyll content. Induction of ploidy level increments also reduced plant height and increased the number of lateral branches, leaf size, and diameters of stems, flowers and receptacles. It is concluded that a concentration of 22.5 μM trifluralin in both methods is optimum for the production of tetraploid chamomile with the highest rate of polyploidy induction and the lowest percentage of abnormality.


Background and Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the mandible anatomy with age and gender in panoramic radiography of patients. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-sectional study, 322 panoramic radiography of patients at the age of 25-55 years old were evaluated. The patients were devided in three groups of 25-34, 35-44, 45-55 years old and the radiomorphometric indexes in panoramic radiography of the patients were measured. The collecting data were analyzed using independent two-sample t-test, one-way anova and multiple linear regression using SPSS statistical software (version 18). Results: The average of radiomorphometric indexes don't show a meaningfull statistical defference between different age groups. The average of all angles higher in females than that of males and other measured indexes were higher in males than females. Also, the mandibular foramen moved forward with the increase of age. Conclusion: Based on the result of this study which was done on limited numbers, it can be concluded that the measured radiomorphometric indexes in this study didn't have a high accuracy to predict Age and Gender.


lThe liver regulates both glycaemia and triglyceridaemia. Hyperglycaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia are both characteristic of (pre)diabetes. Recent observations on the specialised role of DGAT2 (diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2) in catalysing the de novo synthesis of triacylglycerols from newly synthesized fatty acids and nascent diacylglycerols identifies this enzyme as the link between the two. This places DGAT2 at the centre of carbohydrate-induced hypertriglyceridaemia and hepatic steatosis. This function is complemented, but not substituted for, by the ability of DGAT1 to rescue partial glycerides from complete hydrolysis. In peripheral tissues not normally considered to be lipogenic, synthesis of triacylglycerols may largely bypass DGAT2 except in hyperglycaemic/hyperinsulinaemic conditions, when induction of de novo fatty acid synthesis in these tissues may contribute towards increased triacylglycerol secretion (intestine) or insulin resistance (adipose tissue, and cardiac and skeletal muscle).


Rehabilitation of brownfields in urban areas is a major challenge for the sustainable development of cities. Management and conversion of these sites, imposed by regulation, however, require the development of tools for environmental risk assessment and health and sustainable remediation techniques. This thesis focused on the establishment of multidisciplinary tools for the sustainable management of polluted site, with the particular case of rehabilitation recycling of lead batteries with a mainly historical lead pollution and other inorganic pollutants (Cd, Sb, As, Cu and Zn), currently defined as Metal Trace Elements (MTE). While trying to answer questions of applied research, this work has sought to investigate the mechanisms involved in the soil-plant pollutants to strengthen the consideration of the overall quality of soil management for industrial sites. In addition to the tools and procedures conventionally used to assess, control and reduce environmental and health risks caused by polluted soils; measures of bioavailability (plants and humans) and ecotoxicity (different bioassays: inhibition of the mobility of Daphnia magna, Microtox® and induction of bioluminescent bacteria and microbiology) have been developed with the aim to refine the classification of contaminated soils in terms of dangerousness. Moreover, green manure plants (borage, phacelia and mustard), commonly used in agriculture or by gardeners because they improve the bio-physico-chemical properties of soils with a root system and a large production of root exudates were tested for re-functionalization of polluted soils. Finally, the mechanisms involved in the fate of pollutants in the rhizosphere and their microorganisms in the plant were studied. The main results provide some answers and ways of improving the management of soils contaminated by metals and metalloids. (1) First, the size separation for soil fractions allows a significant reduction in tonnages of contaminated material and therefore costs for the landfill excavated soil with a gain result in terms of ecological footprint. (2) Then, calculation for the differents polluted soil samples of eco-scores based on the results of ecotoxicity tests can discriminate more accurately compared to physicochemical parameters required by the regulations. Differences in sensitivity were observed depending on the nature of the bioassay, the origin of the sample, physico-chemical properties and total concentrations of pollutants. (3) Unlike phacelia, borage and mustard improve soil respiration, ecotoxicity and reduce theamount of bioaccessible and total lead in soil, respectively by phytostabilisation and storage in roots (Pb, Sb) or phytoextraction and storage in aerial parts. Further, these plants could be field tested for use in phytoremediation of brownfields and gardens moderately polluted. Depending on the nature of the metal, the type of soil and plant, compartmentalization and speciation of the pollutant differ, and in conjunction with agronomic characteristics of soil and rhizosphere microbial activity. Molecular screening and meta-analysis of microbial genomics have enabled highlight differences in bacterial communities studied by species and growing conditions.


This research is an exploration of how customer engagement, through the possibility of choosing the structural elements of a Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) campaign, could influence a) CRM success, in terms of coverage, customization and reduced consumer skepticism and b) to cultivate positive Word-of-Mouth (WOM) persuasion behavior. A conceptual framework is developed which comprises three main components. These are (1) choice of cause, (2) choice of cause proximity and (3) choice of donation type.
The empirical stage of the study applied a case study methodology and was developed through a cross-sectional study of twenty key informants, Cypriot customers of the retail banking industry in Cyprus. The qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews and were compared and contrasted with the initial conceptual framework and the relevant literature.
The emergent patterns within this analysis showed that both three components of the framework positively affected CRM success in terms of coverage, customization, reduced skepticism and positive WOM persuasion behavior. However, the results also showed that in some cases, choice of cause type and choice of cause proximity could create feelings of guilt to the customers, and the solution in avoiding such feelings was to provide the customers with the ability to choose multiple cause types or to change their cause proximity choice over time.
Also, in terms of the underlying mechanisms that trigger consumers to choose the various structural elements of the CRM campaign, the results showed evidence of the existence of fit between the cause type and the donation type, a type of fit that its introduced for the first time in the CRM literature. Finally, this study 1) links, for the first time, procedural justice theory with reduced consumer skepticism and perceived transparency for the CRM campaign and 2) uncovers various consumers' attitudes as regards to the type of donation. In conclusion, this dissertation discusses the contributions to the CRM field and the implications for both academics and practitioners.


The aims of this study are to compare quantitative and qualitative differences for noun/verb retrieval across language-impaired groups, examine naming errors with reference to psycholinguistic models of word processing, and shed light on the nature of the naming deficit as well as determine relevant group commonalities and differences. This includes an attempt to establish whether error types differentiate language-impaired children from adults, to determine effects of psycholinguistic variables on naming accuracies, and to link the results to genetic mechanisms and/or neural circuitry in the brain. A total of 89 (language-)impaired participants took part in this report: 24 adults with acquired aphasia, 20 adults with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, 31 adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and 14 children with specific language impairment. The results of simultaneous multiple regression analyses for the errors in verb naming compared to the psycholinguistic variables for all language-impaired groups are reported and discussed in relation to models of lexical processing. This discussion will lead to considerations of genetic and/or neurobiological underpinnings: Presence of the noun–verb dissociation in focal and non-focal brain impairment make localization theories redundant, but support for wider neural network involvement. The patterns reported cannot be reduced to any one level of language processing, suggesting multiple interactions at different levels (e.g., receptive vs. expressive language abilities). Semantic-conceptual properties constrain syntactic properties with implications for phonological word form retrieval. Competition needs to be resolved at both conceptual and phonological levels of representation. Moreover, this study may provide a cross-pathological baseline that can be probed further with respect to recent suggestions concerning a reconsideration of open- vs. closed-class items, according to which verbs may actually fall into the latter rather than the standardly received former class.


Many receptors for endocytosis recycle into and out of cells through early endosomes. We now find in dendritic cells that the DEC-205 multilectin receptor targets late endosomes or lysosomes rich in major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) products, whereas the homologous macrophage mannose receptor (MMR), as expected, is found in more peripheral endosomes. To analyze this finding, the cytosolic tails of DEC-205 and MMR were fused to the external domain of the CD16 Fcγ receptor and studied in stable L cell transfectants. The two cytosolic domains each mediated rapid uptake of human immunoglobulin (Ig)G followed by recycling of intact CD16 to the cell surface. However, the DEC-205 tail recycled the CD16 through MHC II–positive late endosomal/lysosomal vacuoles and also mediated a 100-fold increase in antigen presentation. The mechanism of late endosomal targeting, which occurred in the absence of human IgG, involved two functional regions: a membrane-proximal region with a coated pit sequence for uptake, and a distal region with an EDE triad for the unusual deeper targeting. Therefore, the DEC-205 cytosolic domain mediates a new pathway of receptor-mediated endocytosis that entails efficient recycling through late endosomes and a greatly enhanced efficiency of antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells.


Abstract [Ru(COD)Cl2]n /CuCl2.2H2O/LiCl catalytic system was found highly active in ionic liquid medium for aldehyde olefination reaction in term of yield and selectivity. Aromatic aldehydes with more electron-donating groups on the phenyl ring gave higher yield than those with electron withdrawing groups. Reduced reaction time as well as 5 times recycling of catalytic system reflects the importance of this modified process.


This paper explores the relation between retail banks' branch-based processes and financial performance. There are 11 processes included in this study, which represent the bulk of the activities performed in a typical retail branch (e.g., opening checking accounts). The first finding of this study is that the financial performance of banks that perform better across these processes tend to be better than that of other banks. In addition to the variation in process performance across banks, there is also substantial variation across processes within banks. That is, banks that performed well in one process often performed quite badly in another. We present an analytical model that shows that improvement in process variation can be more important than improvement in aggregate process performance when dealing with certain customer segments. Empirical evidence from the Wharton Financial Institution Center Retail Banking Study of bank holding companies in the United States provides support.


The commercially valuable Hawaiian black coral Antipathes grandis Verrill, 1928 is redescribed based on reexamination of the holotype from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum and field collections of 34 specimens from depths of 27–127 m. The first scanning electron micrographs of A. grandis skeletal spines are provided, along with a series of in situ colour photographs and morphometric measurements of spines and polyps. Three colour morphotypes were collected in the field (red, pale red, and white), none of which could be differentiated based on morphological or genetic characters (two mitochondrial and two nuclear markers). In situ observations are used in conjunction with morphological and genetic characters to distinguish among the commercially valuable Hawaiian black coral species A. grandis and A. griggi Opresko, 2009. A. grandis is differentiated from A. griggi by its finer and more irregular branching, smaller and more closely-spaced polyps, and conical spines that are smaller and not characterised by bifurcations towards their apex. Morphologically, the species most closely resembling A. grandis is A. caribbeana Opresko, 1996 from the Caribbean. Among analysed congenerics, DNA sequences of A. grandis were likewise most similar to those of A. caribbeana for three of the four molecular markers used in this study. A combination of low genetic variability, incomplete taxonomic sampling, and unexpected similarity between A. caribbeana and the unbranched whip coral Stichopathes cf. occidentalis (Gray, 1860), hindered our ability to determine the sister relationship of A. grandis. However, in no phylogenetic reconstruction did A. grandis group sister to its sympatric congener A. griggi.


Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Delayed PPH has received less attention compared to early PPH because the incidence rate of delayed PPH is relatively lower than that of early PPH. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical manifestations, angiographic findings, and effectiveness of selective transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for delayed PPH. Patients and Methods: Selective TAE was performed on 37 women (mean age: 32.1 years, range: 24 40) with delayed PPH between March 2006 and October 2016. Delayed PPH was defined as continuous hemorrhage from the female genital tract 24 hours to 6 weeks after delivery. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for patient characteristics, the time interval between delivery and TAE, angiographic findings, embolized artery, embolic materials, technical and clinical success rate, and complications. Results: Delayed bleeding developed at a median 11.6 days (range: 2 34 days) after cesarean section (n = 19) and vaginal delivery (n = 18). On angiography, diffuse hypervascularity was detected in 24 patients, pseudoaneurysm in 11, active extravasation in 1, and arteriovenous malformation in 1. Arteries subjected to TAE included bilateral uterine arteries (UAs) (n = 29), bilateral UAs and unilateral ovarian artery (OA) (n = 4), bilateral UAs and bilateral OAs (n = 1), bilateral UAs and cervicovaginal branch (n = 1), unilateral OA (n = 1), and internal pudendal artery (n = 1). Embolic materials were Gelfoam (n = 30), Gelfoam and coil (n = 3), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (n = 2), and PVA and coil (n = 2). There were no procedure-related major complications. Technical success was obtained in all patients (100%), and clinical success was obtained in 34 patients (91.9%) Conclusion: Selective TAE in patients with delayed PPH is a useful treatment with high technical and clinical success.


This study aimed to explore the views of health visitors and school nurses with regard to their role in oral health promotion and their understanding of the issues surrounding the delivery of effective oral health promotion in their daily practice. A focus group was conducted with school nurses (n=6) and health visitors (n=3) who had recently completed the Evidence-Based Public Health core module as part of their higher degree specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) programme of study in 2014. A 12-item focus group interview schedule was devised in which face and content validity were established. A thematic analysis was then undertaken in which themes and subthemes were identified. Although health visitors and school nurses are best placed to take the lead on oral health promotion in children and young people, several barriers were identified, which prevented them from performing this role effectively and confidently. A recommendation is made for more training, focused on behaviour change princi...


The most useful and objective classification for alpine glacial deposits, as well as for many other Quaternary deposits, appears to be one based on parameters which vary with age as a result of postdepositional modifications. In areas and units for which radiometrically datable materials are rare, age information is gained primarily from these postdepositional modifications by what are here called relative-dating (RD) methods. In order for alpine glacial deposits to be subdivided and formally named, sufficient field data for consistent recognition and mapping need to be collected. These data include measurements of age-dependent parameters such as soil properties, rock-weathering characteristics, and landform changes. Subdivision and naming of glacial deposits should be no more detailed than the resolution of the RD methods, which generally decreases with time. Only when deposits have been objectively characterized by these relative-dating methods can correlations with deposits in other areas or with other types of records be substantiated.


The effects of the 2003 European heat wave have highlighted the need for society to prepare itself for and cope more effectively with heat waves. This is particularly important in the context of predicted climate change and the likelihood of more frequent extreme climate events; to date, heat as a natural hazard has been largely ignored. In order to develop better coping strategies, this report explores the factors that shape the social impacts of heat waves, and sets out a programme of research to address the considerable knowledge gaps in this area. Heat waves, or periods of anomalous warmth, do not affect everyone; it is the vulnerable individuals or sectors of society who will most experience their effects. The main factors of
vulnerability are being elderly, living alone, having a pre-existing disease, being immobile or suffering from mental illness and being economically disadvantaged. The synergistic effects of such factors may prove fatal for some. Heat waves have discernible impacts on society including a rise in mortality, an increased strain on infrastructure (power, water and transport) and a possible rise in social disturbance. Wider impacts may include effects on the retail industry, ecosystem services and tourism. Adapting to more frequent heat waves should include soft engineering options and, where possible, avoid the widespread use of air conditioning which could prove unsustainable in energy terms. Strategies for coping with heat include changing the way in which urban areas are developed or re-developed, and setting up heat watch warning systems based around weather and seasonal climate forecasting and intervention strategies. Although heat waves have discernible effects on society, much remains unknown about their wider social impacts, diffuse health issues and how to manage them.


AbstractHannes Sundkvist: Uppror. En begreppshistorisk undersokning av ordet uppror och dess uppkomst i Sverige mellan aren 1525 och 1543, Uppsala universitet: Institutionen for ide- och lardomshistoria, C-uppsats, Varterminen, 2013. The following thesis is a conceptual historical study of the Swedish word uppror (rebellion) between the years 1525 and 1543. During this period, there occured five conflicts that in modern time have been named as rebellions. In my study I problematize the concept of rebellions and show that it is not possible to apply a contemporary definition to conflicts that erupted in the early 16th centrury. My purpose is to display how the word actually was defined during the time of the five conflicts. These conflicts are important because they coincident with the oldest known source of the word rebellion from 1521. The first conflict that in our days has been named as a rebellion occured in 1525 and the last in 1543 (during the 16th century).To fulfill my purpose, I have studied three actors that used the word rebellion between 1525–1543 and analysed their use of the concept. These actors were King Gustav I, the reformatory friendly bishop Olaus Petri and two catholic bishops from Vastergotland; Magnus Haraldsson and Ture Jonsson. My study is based on how they used the word over time to see if it consisted of a continuous pattern.My study of the notion rebellion shows that it in the beginning had weak features, which later came to be reinforced during a conflict in 1529. Hence the characteristics that I found during the 1520s continued to figure until the end of my study in 1543. The result displays the notion's definition during the 16th century as following: Rebellion was a directed threatful action that originated in conflicts that disputed the question of who followed the one true God, it could also emerge due to infringement of law.


History tells us that the union of plastics and musical instruments is one fraught with both technical difficulties and human prejudice in the form of value judgements. For some seasoned guitarists, the idea of creating a guitar made not from wood but from plastics is at worst sacrilege and at best a promise of a very poor product experience. Nonetheless, guitar manufacturers have for decades searched for credible and tonally comparable synthetic replacements for wood. This paper communicates the challenges that were faced in designing, from scratch, a credible and pleasurable acoustic guitar made almost entirely from plastics. The work builds upon the practical element of a PhD project, which now forms the basis of the branded business and R&D venture Cool Acoustics, owned wholly by Loughborough University. The paper contrasts the sensorial information conveyed by wood and plastics and places the findings in the context of acoustic guitar design. The Cool Acoustics guitar project is then presented and its execution discussed, particularly in relation to the development of the first finalised prototype instruments exhibited at the Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2002. Tactical materials selection and finishing, along with effective form creation and branding, were used to redress the recurring inclination of industry and public alike to dismiss plastic musical instruments on emotional grounds. The findings of informal feedback sessions are used to gauge success against the stated aims of 'designing in credibility' and 'designing out prejudice'.


In this paper, we investigate two- and one-dimensional honeycomb structures of boron antimony (BSb) using a first-principles plane wave method within the density functional theory. BSb with a two-dimensional honeycomb structure is a semiconductor with a 0.336 eV band gap. The vacancy defects, such as B, Sb, B + Sb divacancy, and B + Sb antisite disorder affect the electronic and magnetic properties of the 2D BSb sheet. All the structures with vacancies have nonmagnetic metallic characters, while the system with antisite disorder has a semiconducting band structure. We also examine bare and hydrogen-passivated quasi-one-dimensional armchair BSb nanoribbons. The effects of ribbon width (n) on an armchair BSb nanoribbon and hydrogen passivation on both B and Sb edge atoms are considered. The band gaps of bare and H passivated A-Nr-BSb oscillate with increasing ribbon width; this property is important for quantum dots. For ribbon width n = 12, the bare A-Nr-BSb is a nonmagnetic semiconductor with a 0.280 eV indirect band gap, but it becomes a nonmagnetic metal when B edge atoms are passivated with hydrogen. When Sb atoms are passivated with hydrogen, a ferromagnetic half-metallic ground state is observed with 2.09μB magnetic moment. When both B and Sb edges are passivated with hydrogen, a direct gap semiconductor is obtained with 0.490 eV band gap with disappearance of the bands of edge atoms.


Although, soil properties of tropical rainforest in Southeast Asia have been characterized by several researchers, limited information exists on soil characteristics due to conversion of natural forest into various land use types such as oil palm plantation, rubber plantation, forest plantation and secondary forest. A study was conducted to characterize the soil properties under various land use types of logged-over forest (LF), rehabilitation forest (RF), oil palm (OP) and rubber plantation (RP) at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. Soil profiles were dug up to 100 cm depth and 50 cm width and were followed by soil sampling according to soil horizon. Soil morphology was determined in the field while soil physico-chemical properties were determined in the laboratory using standard soil analysis. The soils at RF, LF, OP and RP were derived from sandstone intercalated with shale which gives silty loam and sandy clay loam texture. The soils are acidic to weakly acidic with pH increases with depth. The Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and Total Carbon (TC) of soils tend to decrease with depth and it seems to be higher under OP and RP as compared to RF and LF. The Alo, Ald, Feo and Fed increased with depth in all of the profiles. The values of Point Zero of Salt Effect (PZSE) and σp are low in all sites with dominated by kaolin minerals and sesquioxide properties indicating that the soils are highly weathered and low soil fertility status.

 Key words: Forest rehabilitation, logged-over forest, oil palm and rubber plantation, charge characteristic.


In the science and technology policy literature that emerged in the early 1980s it was held, while public support for science is appropriate, public support for technology development represents an unproductive use of public resources. The perspective that emerges in my recent book, Technology, Growth and Development: An Induced Innovation Perspective (Oxford, 2002) is quite different. Government has played an important role in technology development and transfer in almost every US industry that has become competitive on a global scale.


The K-subspaces (KSS) method is a generalization of the K-means method for subspace clustering. In this work, we present local convergence analysis and a recovery guarantee for KSS, assuming data are generated by the semi-random union of subspaces model, where $N$ points are randomly sampled from $K \ge 2$ overlapping subspaces. We show that if the initial assignment of the KSS method lies within a neighborhood of a true clustering, it converges at a superlinear rate and finds the correct clustering within $\Theta(\log\log N)$ iterations with high probability. Moreover, we propose a thresholding inner-product based spectral method for initialization and prove that it produces a point in this neighborhood. We also present numerical results of the studied method to support our theoretical developments.


Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder that impairs social, academic, and occupational functioning in children, adolescents and adults. In South Africa, youth prevalence of ADHD is estimated as 10%. It is therefore necessary to further investigate methods that objectively diagnose, treat, and manage the disorder. The aim of the study was to develop a novel method that could be used as an aid to provide screening for ADHD. The study comprised of a beta-testing phase that included 30 children (19 non-ADHD and 11 ADHD) between the ages of 5 and 16 years old. The strategy was to use a tablet-based game that gathered real-time user data during game-play. This data was then used to train a linear binary support vector machine (SVM). The objective of the SVM was to differentiate between an ADHD individual versus a non-ADHD individual. A feature set was extracted from the gathered data and sequential forward selection (SFS) was performed to select the most significant features. The test set accuracy of 85.7% and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) accuracy of 83.5% were achieved. Overall, the classification accuracy of the trained SVM was 86.5%. Finally, the sensitivity of the model was 75% and this was seen as a moderate result. Since the sample size was fairly small, the results of the classifier were only seen as suggestive rather than conclusive. Therefore, the performance of the classifier was indicative that a quantitative tool could indeed be developed to perform screening for ADHD.


We consider the problem of assessing prediction for count time series based on either the Poisson distribution or the negative binomial distribution. By a suitable parametrization we employ both distributions with the same mean. We regress the mean on its past values and the values of the response and after obtaining consistent estimators of the regression parameters, regardless of the response distribution, we employ different criteria to study the prediction problem. We show by simulation and data examples that scoring rules and diagnostic graphs that have been proposed for independent but not identically distributed data can be adapted in the setting of count dependent data.


Important policy issues arise from the high and growing number of people claiming disability benefits for reasons of incapacity for work in OECD countries. Economic conditions play an important part in explaining both the stock of disability benefit claimants and inflows to and outflows from that stock. Employing a variety of cross-country and country-specific household panel data sets, as well as administrative data, we find strong evidence that local variations in unemployment have an important explanatory role for disability benefit receipt, with higher total enrolments, lower outflows from rolls and, often, higher inflows into disability rolls in regions and periods of above-average unemployment. In understanding the nature of the cyclical fluctuations and trends in disability it is important to distinguish between work disability and health disability. The former is likely to be influenced by economic conditions and welfare programmes while the latter evolves in a slower fashion with medical technology and demographic changes. There is little evidence of health disability being related to the business cycle, so cyclical variations are driven by work disability. The rise in unemployment due to the current global economic crisis is expected to increase the number of disability insurance claimants.


The current COVID-19 pandemic highlights the utility of contact tracing, when combined with case isolation and social distancing, as an important tool for mitigating the spread of a disease [1]. Contact tracing provides a mechanism of identifying individuals with a high likelihood of previous exposure to a contagious disease, allowing additional precautions to be put in place to prevent continued transmission. Here we consider a cryptographic approach to contact tracing based on secure two-party computation (2PC). We begin by considering the problem of comparing a set of location histories held by two parties to determine whether they have come within some threshold distance while at the same time maintaining the privacy of the location histories. We propose a solution to this problem using pre-shared keys, adapted from an equality testing protocol due to Ishai et al [2]. We discuss how this protocol can be used to maintain privacy within practical contact tracing scenarios, including both app-based approaches and approaches which leverage location history held by telecoms and internet service providers. We examine the efficiency of this approach and show that existing infrastructure is sufficient to support anonymised contact tracing at a national level.


Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children. The T cell response plays a critical role in facilitating clearance of an acute RSV infection, and memory T cell responses are vital for protection against secondary RSV exposures. Tissue-resident memory (TRM) T cells have been identified as a subset of memory T cells that reside in nonlymphoid tissues and are critical for providing long-term immunity. There is currently limited information regarding the establishment and longevity of TRM T cell responses elicited following an acute RSV infection as well as their role in protection against repeated RSV infections. In this study, we examined the magnitude, phenotype, and protective capacity of TRM CD4 and CD8 T cells in the lungs of BALB/c mice following an acute RSV infection. TRM CD4 and CD8 T cells were established within the lungs and waned by 149 d following RSV infection. To determine the protective capacity of TRMs, FTY720 administration was used to prevent trafficking of peripheral memory T cells into the lungs prior to challenge of RSV-immune mice, with a recombinant influenza virus expressing either an RSV-derived CD4 or CD8 T cell epitope. We observed enhanced viral clearance in RSV-immune mice, suggesting that TRM CD8 T cells can contribute to protection against a secondary RSV infection. Given the protective capacity of TRMs, future RSV vaccine candidates should focus on the generation of these cell populations within the lung to induce effective immunity against RSV infection.


In the United States, older adults have become the fastest growing segment of the population and are expected to double in number to 70 million by 2030. As a whole, older adults have different health care needs than younger patients, and some of these needs should be met by pharmacists. Clinical pharmacy practice affecting older adults occurs in a variety of settings, including community, ambulatory care, primary care, hospital, assisted living, nursing home, home health care, hospice, and Alzheimer's disease units. Although specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology is not required for pharmacists to care for older adults, it is extremely helpful. Pharmacy education related to the care of older adults has improved slightly in the past several years but will need to increase even more to provide all pharmacists with the basic skills and knowledge to care for this unique group of patients. In addition, pharmacotherapy research targeting older adults needs to increase. Although it can be challenging, funding for this type of research is available. Patient and political advocacy is also important to support this growing population.


The present review is the summary of an expert workshop that took place in Vence (France) in 2007 on the role of distal airways in asthma. The evidence showing inflammation and remodelling in distal airways, and their possible involvement in asthma control and natural history, was reviewed. The usefulness and limitations of various techniques used for assessing distal airways were also evaluated, including pulmonary function tests and imaging. Finally, the available data studying the benefit of treatment better targeting distal airways in asthma was examined. It was concluded that both proximal and distal airways were involved in asthma and that distal airways were the major determinant of airflow obstruction. Inflammation in distal airways appeared more intense in severe and uncontrolled asthma. Distal airways were poorly attained by conventional aerosol of asthma medications owing to their granulometry, being composed of 3–5 μm particles. Both proximal and distal airways might be targeted either by delivering medications systemically or by aerosol of extra-fine particles. Extra-fine aerosols of long-acting β-agonists, inhaled corticosteroids or inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β-agonist combinations have been shown in short-term studies to be not inferior to non-extra-fine aerosols of comparators. However, available studies have not yet demonstrated that extra-fine inhaled medications offer increased benefit compared with usual aerosols in asthmatic patients.


As Austrian playwright Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872) stated himself, his early masterpiece  The Golden Fleece  (1820) is structured by a basic cultural dualism between Greeks and Colchians. In order to express the gap between these two ethnic groups, his play uses two different metrical schemes: the canonical blank verse, coming from G. E. Lessing and Weimar Classicism, put in the mouth of Greek characters, and free verse for expressing the 'barbarism' of non-Greek, i. e., Colchian characters. Grillparzer thus manages to make perceivable for the spectator the linguistic otherness of the characters of the play without using any foreign tongue. This article illustrates the nature and functioning of this culturally and ethnically determined dramatic language, investigating those passages where the question of identity is directly linked to the verse meter. Yet the initial dualism often yields to more complex, hybrid forms of language, in cases where a given character's identity is blurred. Accordingly, the article discusses the possibilities and limits of that specific kind of simulated multilingualism, and inquires about its meaning in the context of 1820s Vienna and the multicultural and multilingual Habsburg Empire.


Based on a follow-up mail survey conducted in 2009, we found that structured, one-time workshops can influence and impact participant behavior change. Survey results suggest that brief workshops, staffed by key resource personnel, can have a powerful influence on participant behavior change and fill an important gap in rural drinking water protection. As a result of these educational workshops, we have learned that single-session workshops with supporting materials can encourage: (1) Testing of drinking water wells, (2) Contacting resource experts for more information and assistance, and (3) Sharing management information with other private well owners.


Evidence suggests that superconducting, orthorhombic YBa2Cu3O6+x+ (x ≳ 0.5) is always produced by oxidation of the oxygen-deficient, tetragonal form (x ≲ 0.5) of this phase (commonly referred to as 123). A synthetic route whereby solution-derived, carbon-free precursors are decomposed at 650� to 700�C in inert atmosphere to yield tetragonal 123 is now available. Appropriate precursors include hydrated oxides derived from the hydrolysis of organometallic solutions and aqueous solution-derived hyponitrites. Subsequent oxidation of the tetragonal phase at 400�C results in submicrometer particles of orthorhombic 123. Superconductivity (Tc onset ≈87 K) has been confirmed in these materials by both Meissner effect and specific-heat measurements.


BackgroundMost prior physiological studies of the endothelium of intact saphenous veins have used organ chambers to assay abluminal release of vasoactive factors that affect smooth muscle contraction and relaxation. However, intraluminal release of vasoactive factors may have important implications in saphenous vein bypass graft patency. Methods and ResultsTo study the basal and stimulated intraluminal release of endothelium-dependent relaxing factor (EDRF), 5-cm segments of human saphenous veins were cannulated and perfused in vitro with physiological salt solution. Vasoactive properties of the effluent were bioassayed on canine coronary artery smooth muscle. Effluent from saphenous veins produced vasodilation of 4.0±1.8% (±SEM) (n=26) under basal conditions and 36.1±6.7% when stimulated with calcium ionophore, A23187 (n= 19, P<.05). Fourteen of the 26 vein segments showed no basal release of EDRF. Vasodilation produced by the effluent could be eliminated by mechanically removing the endothelium or by treatment with NG-monomethyl-Larginine or NG-nitro-L-arginine, two competitive inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis from L-arginine. Vasodilation was not influenced by indomethacin. ConclusionsPrevious studies of EDRF from human saphenous veins were performed in organ chambers, which could detect only extraluminal EDRF release. This is the first demonstration of intraluminal release of EDRF from human saphenous veins. The variable and relatively poor basal release of EDRF into the lumen may account for early thrombogenicity of vein grafts and may contribute to late atherosclerosis.


We report a chemiluminescence (CL) method used for the determination of auramine O (AO), which was based on the cross-linked hollow carbon dots (HCDs)-enhanced ultra-weak CL reaction between H2O2 and Na2CO3. The effects of concentration and the mixing order of the reagents were studied. The CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of AO in the linear range from 1.0 × 10−7 mol L−1 to 1.0 × 10−5 mol L−1, and the detection limit was 3.5 × 10−8 mol L−1. This method was successfully applied to the evaluation of AO in Rhizoma coptidis and Pollen Typhae with recoveries from 95% to 105%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 3.1% for seven repeated measurements of 1.0 × 10−6 mol L−1 AO. Based on the kinetic curve, the CL spectra, fluorescence spectra, UV-vis spectra and free radicals experiments, a possible CL mechanism has been briefly proposed.


This paper presents the architecture of a router designed to efficiently support traffic generated by multimedia applications. The router is targeted for use in clusters and LANs rather than in WANs, the latter being served by communication substrates such as ATM. The distinguishing features of the proposed router architecture are the use of small fixed-size buffers, a large number of virtual channels, link-level virtual channel flow control, support for dynamic modification of connection bandwidth and priorities, and coordinated scheduling of connections across all output channels. The paper begins with a discussion of the design choices and architectural trade-offs made in the current MultiMedia Router (MMR) project. The performance evaluation section presents some preliminary results of the coordinated scheduling of constant bit rate (CBR) traffic streams.


From the Publisher:
This book helps users learn to use a variety of SPSS procedures to solve statistical problems and analyze the output. Its step-by-step, screen-by-screen approach explores every SPSS dialog box and window that SPSS users will encounter as they solve statistical problems. It is designed as a self-instructional guide so users can easily follow and learn SPSS while actually using the program. The author(s) provide a brief rationale and real-life examples for each statistical procedure addressed in the book. Presents an illustration of each procedure— followed with a thorough discussion and interpretation of the output generated using SPSS. Topics covered include: Retrieving and Saving SPSS Files; Data Entry and Definition; Importing and Merging Data Files; Frequency Analysis; Measures of Central Tendency and Variability; Selecting and Describing Subgroups; Recoding Variables; Computing New Variables; Reliability Analysis; Introduction to Hypothesis Testing; Crosstabulation of Variables; Displaying & Describing Relationships; T-Tests; One-Way and Factorial ANOVA; Paired-Samples T-Test; Within-Subjects and Mixed -Model ANOVA; and Bivariate and Multiple Regression. Intended as a supplemental self-instructional guide for those learning SPSS to solve statistical problems.


Determining the amount of coarse woody debris (CWD) in an urban forest is essential to developing management strategies to maintain ecosystem function while minimizing hazards to local residents. It is also an essential variable used for the assessment and monitoring of carbon dynamics and fire fuel loads in forests. Plots were established and CWD measured in Marshall Forest, an approximately 300 acre urban forest in Rome, GA, managed by the Nature Conservancy, to determine the amount and the spatial distribution of CWD. The volume of CWD is 863 ft3/ac and has a carbon content of 9.1 tons/ac and varies in its distribution throughout the forest. This area contains a large amount of debris that, while serving local wildlife, could pose a hazard for wildfire that could spread to adjacent neighborhoods. Forest managers should be aware of CWD levels and take steps to mitigate hazards.


Let $\gamma$ denote the imaginary parts of the nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta-function $\zeta(s)$. For sufficiently large $T$ and $\varepsilon>0$, Ivi\'c proved that $\sum_{T<\gamma\leq2T} \vert\zeta(\frac{1}{2}+i\gamma)\vert^2 <\!\!\!<_{\varepsilon} (T(\log T)^2\log\log T)^{3/2+\varepsilon},$ where the implicit constant depends only on $\varepsilon$.

In this paper, this result is improved by (i) replacing $\vert\zeta(\frac{1}{2}+i\gamma)\vert^2$ by $\max\vert\zeta(s)\vert^2$, where the maximum is taken over all $s=\sigma+it$ in the rectangle $\frac{1}{2}-A/\log T\leq\sigma\leq2,\, \vert t-\gamma\vert\leq B(\log\log T)/\log T$ with some fixed positive constants $A, B,$ and (ii) replacing the upper bound by $T(\log T)^2\log\log T$. The method of proof differs completely from Ivi\'c's approach.


BACKGROUND
The development of an accurate method for selection of high-quality embryos is essential to achieve high pregnancy rates with single embryo transfer in human IVF. The developmental competence of the oocyte is acquired during follicle maturation and strong communication also exists between the follicular cells (FCs) and the oocytes; thus oocyte developmental competence may be determined by markers expressed in the surrounding FCs.

METHODS
From consenting patients (n = 40), FCs were recovered on a per follicle basis by individual follicle puncture. Hybridization analyses using a custom-made complementary DNA microarray containing granulosa/cumulus expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from subtracted libraries and an Affymetrix GeneChip were performed to identify specific genes expressed in follicles leading to a pregnancy. The selected candidate genes were validated by quantitative-PCR (Q-PCR).

RESULTS
Subtractive libraries prepared from pooled samples representing pregnant versus non-pregnant patients produced 1694 ESTs. Hybridization data analysis discriminated 115 genes associated with competent follicles. Selected candidates were confirmed by Q-PCR: 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (P = 0.0078), Ferredoxin 1 (P = 0.0203), Serine (or cysteine) proteinase inhibitor clade E member 2 (P = 0.0499), Cytochrome P450 aromatase (P = 0.0359) and Cell division cycle 42 (P = 0.0396).

CONCLUSIONS
Microarray technologies are useful to mine the transcriptome of FCs expressed in follicles associated with competent oocytes and could be used to improve embryo selection with the objective of successful single embryo transfer.


We investigated the susceptibility of virulent and avirulent strains of Haemophilus ducreyi to the bactericidal activity of normal human serum and to phagocytosis and killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). Strains were defined as virulent if intradermal inoculation into a rabbit produced a typical necrotic lesion. Nonvirulent strains produced no cutaneous lesions in rabbits. Virulent strains were resistant to the complement-mediated lethal action of normal human and rabbit sera, whereas avirulent strains were susceptible (greater than 95% kill, 60 min). Virulent strains were relatively resistant to phagocytosis and killing by human PMNL, in contrast to the avirulent strains. In past studies polymyxin resistance has been correlated with virulence in H. ducreyi. In our studies, polymyxin resistance could not be correlated with virulence, since polymyxin-sensitive mutants obtained from polymyxin-resistant parent strains remained virulent for rabbits and resistant to bactericidal action of normal serum and phagocytosis and killing by human PMNL. Similarly, polymyxin-resistant mutants obtained from polymyxin-sensitive parent strains remained avirulent for rabbits and susceptible to bactericidal action of normal serum and PMNL. The acquisition of polymyxin resistance was accompanied by the loss of a 47,000-molecular-weight protein. The association of serum resistance and resistance to phagocytosis and killing by human PMNL with virulent strains, as defined by the rabbit intradermal test, suggests that these factors may mediate the pathogenicity of H. ducreyi.


Since 1973 the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified asbestos as a certain carcinogen, but today it is still used in several countries. To date, mesothelioma risk is certainly linked not only to occupational exposures but also to environmental exposures. The incidence and mortality are increasing worldwide, especially in developing countries where asbestos is still often used without adequate measures for worker safety. The epidemiological surveillance systems of related asbestos diseases are instruments of public health adopted internationally. The experience and the operating methodology of the Italian mesothelioma registry and the data produced from 1996 to 2015 highlight how in countries where the asbestos ban has been active for over 20 years the risk of asbestos remains present, especially in the construction sector as well as for the environmental exposures of the resident population near companies that used asbestos in their production cycle. Worldwide, it is necessary to introduce the ban on the extraction, processing, and marketing of asbestos as claimed by the international scientific community.


It is technically challenging to make a machine talk as naturally as a human so as to facilitate "frictionless" interactions between machine and human. We propose a trajectory tiling-based approach to high-quality speech rendering, where speech parameter trajectories, extracted from natural, processed, or synthesized speech, are used to guide the search for the best sequence of waveform "tiles" stored in a pre-recorded speech database. We test the proposed unified algorithm in both Text-To-Speech (TTS) synthesis and cross-lingual voice transformation applications. Experimental results show that the proposed trajectory tiling approach can render speech which is both natural and highly intelligible. The perceived high quality of rendered speech is also confirmed in both objective and subjective evaluations.


The emission spectrum of laser-produced cobalt plasma has been recorded photographically in the 8-15Å spectral range by means of a flat T1AP crystal spectrograph. based on isoelectronic regularities from known spectra of other ions, most of cobalt spectral lines are classified as belonging to the Na, Ne, F, O, N, C, B, Be, and Li I isoelectronic sequences.


In this study a two-step strategy was adopted to cultivate Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-rich aerobic granular sludge in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with a synthetic wastewater. In the first step both oxygen and ammonia were initially limited, in order to enhance the PHB-storage ability of sludge. In the second step granular sludge was cultivated to get a high PHB volumetric productivity. The PHB content of sludge increased to 43.1±2.0% in the first step. During the sludge granulation, the PHB content was constant at 40±4.6%. With the granulation, the settling ability of the PHB-rich sludge continuously improved, as evidenced by a decreased sludge volume index. The matured PHB-rich granular sludge presented a buff color and regular morphology with elliptical and flat shape.


Economic activity is inherently variable and monitoring it is a major challenge, especially in regional economies where resources are fewer and activity is more variable. Using a recent study of the Riverland region, the authors set out the information available, its limitations and means by which it may be extended. It is argued that monitoring must respond to specific needs and extend to information beyond the scope of the merely economic. It is not simply a matter of tracking commonly used economic variables but of understanding specific economic challenges and using that understanding to target economic and social information.


The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has led many countries to impose unprecedented lockdown measures in order to slow down the outbreak. Questions on whether governments have acted promptly enough, and whether lockdown measures can be lifted soon have since been central in public discourse. Data-driven models that predict COVID-19 fatalities under different lockdown policy scenarios are essential for addressing these questions and informing governments on future policy directions. To this end, this paper develops a Bayesian model for predicting the effects of COVID-19 lockdown policies in a global context -- we treat each country as a distinct data point, and exploit variations of policies across countries to learn country-specific policy effects. Our model utilizes a two-layer Gaussian process (GP) prior -- the lower layer uses a compartmental SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, Recovered) model as a prior mean function with "country-and-policy-specific" parameters that capture fatality curves under "counterfactual" policies within each country, whereas the upper layer is shared across all countries, and learns lower-layer SEIR parameters as a function of a country's features and its policy indicators. Our model combines the solid mechanistic foundations of SEIR models (Bayesian priors) with the flexible data-driven modeling and gradient-based optimization routines of machine learning (Bayesian posteriors) -- i.e., the entire model is trained end-to-end via stochastic variational inference. We compare the projections of COVID-19 fatalities by our model with other models listed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and provide scenario analyses for various lockdown and reopening strategies highlighting their impact on COVID-19 fatalities.


Purpose: Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy(SBRT) has been used increasingly for the management of spinal lesions. This study was performed to investigate the effect of respiratory motion on the dose distributions of spine SBRT patients. Method: 4D CT and treatment planning data for thoracic spinal lesions (T5 and T8) in two linac‐based SBRT patients was studied retrospectively. Bony structures of the spine were visually inspected in all 10 phases of the 4D CTimages and there was no spinal motion observed. Tumors were contoured by radiationoncologists on the 50% phase of the 4D CTimages, which corresponded to end exhalation. A single‐fraction dose of 20Gy and 14Gy was prescribed to CTV20 (gross tumor) and CTV14 (contiguous marrow cavity) respectively. Intensity modulated treatment plans were constructed on the 50% 4DCT phase and copied to all other phases of the 4D data set for comparative dose calculations. The DVHs of CTV20, CTV14, and the spinal cord were compared between actual dose, which is the sum of dose from all phases, and planned dose, which was done on 50% phase of 4D CTimages.Results: The impacts of chest wall and diaphragm motion on the dose distribution were analyzed. Treatment plans that incorporated all respiratory phases resulted in improved CTV20 coverage less than 2% but the maximum dose within spinal cord was increased 3∼4%. Conclusion: Respiratory motion has a modest impact on the dose distribution of spine SBRTtreatments including a 3–4% increase in cord dose. Motion control methods should be considered to reduce the uncertainties of dose delivery when motion amplitude is large.


The second United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2) includes the goal to: "End hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition" by 2030. While such an ambitious goal will clearly involve a wide range of policies and actors, this policy brief focuses on the role of trade policies in affecting food and nutrition security. Extensive and frequently contentious, debate swirls about whether trade in agricultural products is beneficial or detrimental for food security, particularly in developing countries (Diaz-Bonilla 2015). Food self-sufficiency proponents argue that global trade in food products can hurt smaller and poor producers in developing countries by exposing them to increased price volatility and competition (Edelman et al. 2014). For those on the pro-trade side, trade in food products is an important channel for improving consumers' access to food, and agricultural exports are an importance source of income for many small farmers worldwide. This brief first examines the relationship between trade and food security. It then turns to how specific agricultural trade policies can impact food security and hunger.


This article is the third in a series of reports called Pilot Source Study 2015. In 2010, when the U.S. Congress considered dramatic changes to airline pilot qualifications, researchers from the ''Pilot Source Study 2010'' sampled pilots from six regional airlines to investigate how pilots' backgrounds affected their performance in airline training. In 2012, when the FAA proposed rulemaking to http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/2159-6670.1151 implement Public Law 111-216, the ''Pilot Source Study 2012'' researchers repeated the study with a new sample of pilots from seven different regional airlines. Data from these two studies were combined into a Pre-Law dataset. On August 1, 2013, the mandates of PL 111-216 became effective, ushering in the Post-Law era. The Pilot Source Study 2015 consists of three articles that cover the 19 U.S. regional airlines operating under 14 CFR Part 121. This report (Article 3) compares pilots' training outcomes between Pre-Law and PostLaw to determine whether their backgrounds had a stronger or weaker influence on Post-Law outcomes. Background variables were segmented into: (a) educational backgrounds, which occur early when pilots obtain their certificates and (b) experience backgrounds, which occur later when pilots accumulate flight time before applying to a regional airline. When comparing the Pre-Law and Post-Law data, educational backgrounds generally had less effect on airline training outcomes. Experience backgrounds also generally had less effect on airline training outcomes, with these exceptions: (a) previous airline and corporate experience had a more positive effect on extra training events, and (b) previous corporate experience had a more positive effect on completions. In conclusion, the congressionally mandated gap between earning pilot certificates and beginning airline training has reduced the positive effects of pilots' educational and experience backgrounds.


This paper discusses and illustrates the method of regression calibration. This is a straightforward technique for fitting models with additive measurement error. We present this discussion in terms of generalized linear models (GLMs) following the notation defined in Hardin and Carroll (2003). Discussion will include specified measurement error, measurement error estimated by replicate error-prone proxies, and measurement error estimated by instrumental variables. The discussion focuses on software developed as part of a small business innovation research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).


Background: Antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) minimizes deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) duration during arch surgery in infants, which may impact the outcomes of the repair. We aimed to evaluate the effect of adding antegrade cerebral perfusion to deep hypothermic circulatory arrest on DHCA duration and operative outcomes of different aortic arch operations in infants.
Methods: We retrospectively collected data from infants (<20 weeks old) who underwent aortic arch reconstruction (Norwood operation, arch reconstruction for the hypoplastic arch and interrupted aortic arch) using DHCA alone (n=88) or combined with ACP (n=26). We excluded patients who had concomitant procedures and those with preoperative neurological disability.
Results: There was no difference between groups as regards the age, gender, and the operation performed (p= 0.64; 0.87 and 0.50; respectively). Among the 114 patients, 11 (9.6%) had operative mortality, and 14 (12.3%) had cerebral infarction diagnosed with CT scanning. Adding ACP to DHCA significantly reduced DHCA duration from 50.7 ± 10.6 minutes to 22.4 ± 6.2 minutes (p<0.001) and lowered the mortality (11 vs. 0; p=0.066) and cerebral infarction (13 vs. 1; p=0.18). No statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of ischemic time (p=0.63) or hospital stay duration (p=0.47).
Conclusion: Using ACP appears to reduce the DHCA duration and was associated with better survival and neurological outcomes of aortic arch surgery in infants. A study with longer follow-up to evaluate the long-term neurological sequelae is recommended.


We show that the zeta function for the dynamics generated by the map z z2 + c, c < − 2, can be estimated in terms of the dimension of the corresponding Julia set. That implies a geometric upper bound on the number of its zeros, which are interpreted as resonances for this dynamical systems. The method of proof of the upper bound is used to construct a code for counting the number of zeros of the zeta function. The numerical results support the conjecture that the upper bound in terms of the dimension of the Julia set is optimal.


ABSTRACT Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, and the most prevalent in adulthood. Despite high prevalence, anxiety disorders are under-diagnosed and under-treated, particularly among racial/ethnic minority populations who are underserved while continuously facing multiple psychosocial stressors. Anxiety disorders can be highly impairing and can interfere with normal development, posing a threat to critical transitions in life such as the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Young adulthood is a crucial stage for intervention, as the brain is still developing, and attaining specific developmental milestones during this stage is essential to adequately navigate adult life. There is a lack of developmentally tailored, evidence-based, and culturally sensitive services for racial/ethnic minority young adults with anxiety disorders. This paper shares the experience of the Youth Anxiety Center Washington Heights Program (YAC-WH), a patient and culturally centered program developed for minority young adults in New York City experiencing anxiety disorders. We reference prior studies supporting the relevance of focusing on young adulthood, the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy as an evidence-based treatment in community settings, and the critical role of cultural competence. In addition, we delineate four types of barriers to treatment (developmental, clinical, ethnic background, psychosocial), commonly found in our patient population and describe the strategies utilized to overcome them. Our description demonstrates the feasibility of providing developmentally informed, evidence-based and culturally centered treatment to underserved racial/ethnic minority young adults.


This paper presents a method to reduce area and timing overhead due to the implementation of standard single symbol correcting codes to provide multilevel (ML) flash memories with error correction ability. In particular the proposed method is based on the manipulation of the parity check matrix which defines a code, which allows us to minimize the matrix weight and the maximum row weight. Furthermore, we show that a minimal increase in the redundancy, with respect to the standard case, allows a further considerable reduction of the impact on the memory access time, as well as on the area overhead due to the error correction circuitry.


Sustainable development is acquiring high attendance in higher education. In fact, one of the targets for the Sustainable Development Goals announced by the United Nations in September 2015 aims to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, thorough education on sustainable development. The current study focuses on the evaluation of individual works based on the sustainable development suggested to students in a subject of the Master's of Thermal Engineering at the University of Vigo. In addition, a sustainable holistic rubric is presented, which was used to analyze the ability of the students to incorporate sustainability principles in their work. The rubric was based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the associated targets of the United Nations, more specifically on the Goals 7, 8, 12, and 13. A total of 10 works were evaluated. As a general conclusion, it was found that the students generally do not consider or consider to a lower extent the economic criteria opposite to the environmental, technical, and social dimensions. The environmental sub-criterion were applied to a greater extent in the development of the works. However, the technical and social dimensions were included to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of work developed.


COML 001 Approaches to Genre This is a topics course. Please see COML website for current semester's description: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/Complit/ Some dare to build the struts and rafters of a Jerusalem to come, some turn their heads away from the writing on the wall, and some dance as the palaces burn. We mean to investigate each, and to articulate our own responses to the end that comes again and again. Although no artist, author, or prophet thatwe study was able to shake their sense of the final, the course itself will not have one. But it will address those figures in depth. They include: Margaret Atwood, Stanley Kubrick, Sigmund Freud, John of Patmos, William Blake, Ovid, Lars Von Trier, Octavia Butler, William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, Boccaccio, Mary Shelley, Karl Marx, Mohammed, Donna Haraway, Frank Kermode, Cormac McCarthy, and Norman O.Brown. One-term course offered either term Activity: Seminar 1 Course Unit Notes: Communication within the Curriculum. This is a topics course. This seminar engages questions of literary genre, including its function as a mediating presence for thinking about audience, literary history, and the marketplace. The theme of the seminar will change with the instructor. Customarily this course will be affiliated with Communication within the Curriculum (CWIC), and so will have a speaking and presentation component to it.


A cosmetic product is any substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, with te purpose exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance, and/or correcting body odours, and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition.
Definitions are important as they draw a legal line between cosmetics and drugs, they determine the labelling requirements and other product standards, as well as describe the types of claims manufacturers can make for their products.
Cosmetic products play an essential role in everyone's life. Each day 450 million Europeans use soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving cream, aftershave, cleanser, perfume, make-up and a host of other products. Cosmetic products can help enhance well-being and improve personal self-esteem.
The cosmetics industry is continuously  innovating and improving products for Europe's consumers, ranging from sun creams to toothpastes that prevent dental decay. Thanks to industry's commitment to the safety and well-being of their customers,  citizens have access to safe effective cosmetics that they can trust.


†4 Congestion remains one of the main obstacles to the Quality of Service (QoS) on the Internet. We think that a good solution to Internet congestion should optimally combine congestion signaling from network and source reaction, with the following as its main goals: minimum losses and delays, maximum network utilization, fairness among flows, and last but not least, scalability of the solution. The solution should not significantly increase the complexity of router operations. In this paper, we present a new traffic management scheme based on an enhanced Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) mechanism. Our Multilevel ECN (MECN) conveys more accurate feedback information about the network congestion status than the current ECN. We have designed a TCP source reaction that takes advantage of the extra information provided about congestion. Therefore, MECN responds better to congestion by allowing the system to reach the stability point faster, which results in better network performance. We use control theoretical tools verified by ns2 simulations to show that MECN can outperform up to twenty times in term of throughput the de facto standard RED/ECN.


Among men treated with prostatectomy or radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer, the state of an increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level is known as biochemical recurrence (BCR). BCR can be predictive of the development of subsequent distant metastases and ultimately death, but BCR often predates other signs of clinical progression by several years. Although patients may be concerned about their rising PSA levels, physicians attempting to address patient anxiety must inform them that BCR is not typically associated with imminent death from disease, and that the natural history of biochemical progression may be prolonged. Misinterpretation of the significance of early changes in PSA may cause patients to receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) prematurely, especially in settings where the disease is unlikely to impact survival. In addition, knowledge of the morbidities associated with ADT (hot flashes, impotence, sarcopenia, metabolic syndrome, bone loss, and increased risk of vascular disease) has accelerated the search for alternative treatment options for these patients. Clinical trials investigating when and how to best use and supplement hormonal therapies in this patient population are under way, as are trials of novel nonhormonal targeted agents, immunotherapies, natural products, and other pharmaceuticals that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other indications. This review will summarize the acceptable standards of care for the management of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, and will also outline some novel experimental approaches for the treatment of this disease state.


This chapter introduces a new micro-payment scheme that is able to apply to multi-party for mobile commerce, which allows a mobile user to pay every party involved in providing services. The micro-payment, which refers to low-value financial transactions ranging from several cents to a few dollars, is an important technique in mcommerce. Our scheme is based on the hash function and without any additional communication and expensive public key cryptography in order to achieve good efficiency and low transaction costs. In the scheme, the mobile user releases an ongoing stream of low-valued micro-payment tokens into the network in exchange for the requested services. The scheme that is put forward satisfies the requirements for security, anonymity, efficiency and lightweight. IntroductIon


Retrofit barriers can be used to replace highway barriers damaged by vehicular collisions. The purpose of TxDOT Research Project 0-4823 is to develop retrofit designs of current TxDOT highway barriers using mechanical anchors. The retrofit designs should meet the TxDOT performance criteria for retrofit barriers as well as NCHRP Report 350 requirements. Investigators for this project developed an impact pendulum test setup to represent a surrogate vehicle for Test Level 3 of NCHRP Report 350. They also developed retrofit designs for T203 and T501 barriers using mechanical anchors. Using the impact pendulum, tests were conducted on stand-alone cast-in-place and retrofit T203 and T501 barrier specimens. A quasi-static test was also conducted on the retrofit T203 barrier design. These designs met TxDOT performance criteria and NCHRP Report 350 requirements for Test Level-3. Finite element models of the cast-in-place and retrofit T203 and T501 barrier specimens were developed using LS-DYNA, and they were validated using the pendulum impact tests. Using those models, vehicular crash simulations were conducted to NCHRP Report 350 Test Level-3 and Test Level-4 standards to predict the performance and robustness of the retrofit T203 and T501 barrier designs when subjected to large impact forces. The retrofit barriers with mechanical anchors, while slightly inferior in performance to the cast-in-place barriers, did meet AASHTO and TxDOT requirements for new construction and are suitable for implementation by TxDOT.


Hybrid lipids (HL) are phospholipids with one saturated chain and one unsaturated chain. HL are hypothesized to act as linactants (i.e., 2D surfactants) in cell membranes, reducing line tension and creating nanoscopic lipid domains. Here we compare three hybrid lipids of different chain unsaturation (16:0-18:1PC (POPC), 16:0-18:2PC (PLPC), and 16:0-20:4PC (PAPC)) in their abilities to alter the composition, line tension, order, and compactness of lipid domains. We found that the liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) lipid domains in PAPC/di18:0PC(DSPC)/cholesterol and PLPC/DSPC/cholesterol mixtures are micrometer-sized, and only the POPC/DSPC/cholesterol system has nanoscopic domains. The results indicate that some HLs with polyunsaturated chains are not linactants, and the monounsaturated POPC displays both properties of weak linactants and "Ld-phase" lipids such as di18:1PC (DOPC). The obtained phase boundaries from giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV) show that both POPC and PLPC partition well in the Lo phases. Our MD simulations reveal that these hybrid lipids decrease the order and compactness of Lo domains. Thus, hybrid lipids distinguish themselves from other lipid groups in this combined "partitioning and loosening" ability, which could explain why the Lo domains of GUVs, which often do not contain HL, are more compact than the raft domains in cell membranes. Our line tension measurement and Monte Carlo simulation both show that even the monounsaturated POPC is a weak linactant with only modest ability to occupy domain boundaries and reduce line tension. A more important property of HLs is that they can reduce physical property differences of Lo and Ld bulk domains, which also reduces line tension at domain boundaries.


A version of the nonparametric bootstrap, which resamples the entire subjects from original data, called the case bootstrap, has been increasingly used for estimating uncertainty of parameters in mixed‐effects models. It is usually applied to obtain more robust estimates of the parameters and more realistic confidence intervals (CIs). Alternative bootstrap methods, such as residual bootstrap and parametric bootstrap that resample both random effects and residuals, have been proposed to better take into account the hierarchical structure of multi‐level and longitudinal data. However, few studies have been performed to compare these different approaches. In this study, we used simulation to evaluate bootstrap methods proposed for linear mixed‐effect models. We also compared the results obtained by maximum likelihood (ML) and restricted maximum likelihood (REML). Our simulation studies evidenced the good performance of the case bootstrap as well as the bootstraps of both random effects and residuals. On the other hand, the bootstrap methods that resample only the residuals and the bootstraps combining case and residuals performed poorly. REML and ML provided similar bootstrap estimates of uncertainty, but there was slightly more bias and poorer coverage rate for variance parameters with ML in the sparse design. We applied the proposed methods to a real dataset from a study investigating the natural evolution of Parkinson's disease and were able to confirm that the methods provide plausible estimates of uncertainty. Given that most real‐life datasets tend to exhibit heterogeneity in sampling schedules, the residual bootstraps would be expected to perform better than the case bootstrap. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.