The cholesterol-dependent cytolyslns (CDCs) are a group of toxins produced by several genera of Gram-positive bacteria, that bind to and form large oligomeric pores in target cell membranes that contain cholesterol. In addition to cell lysis, a great number of other biological functions have been described for many members of the group, including induction of cytokine release and complement activation. Some of the CDCs have been shown to be critical virulence factors of their producing organisms and immunisation with a number of the CDCs has been shown to be protective against disease caused by those producing organisms. The CDCs are also being used in a diverse array of applications that utilise their pore-forming and toxic properties, including anti-cancer therapy, anti-viral therapy and cell biology. Pneumolysin (PLY) is a member of the CDCs produced by S. pneumoniae and is an important virulence factor and vaccine candidate. A deletion mutant of PLY, Delta6PLY, has been described (Kirkham et al., 2006b), and this mutant is capable of cell binding but incapable of pore formation. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) tagged forms of PLY and Delta6PLY were produced and the tagged toxins had similar haemolytic and cytotoxic effects to the parent toxins. Toxin binding to host cells was visualised by epifluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. Binding of the tagged toxins to erythrocytes could also be measured by flow cytometry and an increase in the quantity of bound toxin could be detected in a dose-dependent manner over a large range of toxin concentrations. Rod-like structures were observed on membranes treated with Delta6eGFPPLY and these were further studied by SEM. These rod-like structures may be responsible for the strong aggregation effect observed upon Delta6PLY treatment of erythrocytes. Intermedilysin (ILY) is a member of the CDCs produced by S. intermedius. It is unique within the group in that it exhibits human-specific cytolysis and initial studies suggested that this is due to binding of a different cellular receptor to other toxins of the family and that this receptor was a protein (Nagamune et al, 1996). eGFP-tagged forms of ILY and Delta6ILY were produced to allow tracking of the localisation of ILY and for use in development of a quantitative binding assay. It was confirmed that these proteins could be easily visualised by fluorescence microscopy and that binding could be detected by flow cytometry. A two-hybrid screen was also used to screen for proteins from a human brain cDNA library that were capable of interaction with ILY in order to identify candidate protein receptors for ILY, however no likely receptor candidates were identified. In order to determine which region is responsible for the human specificity of intermedilysin, a bank of chimeras between ILY and PLY was created. The chimeric toxins were expressed and purified and the specificity of the mutants was determined by haemolytic assay on human and rabbit erythrocytes. The specificity of the chimeric toxin was determined by the origin of the C-terminal 53/56 residues, indicating that the latter part of domain 4 is responsible for the human specificity of intermedilysin. To further resolve the region involved in human specificity or cholesterol-binding, a series of small substitution mutants was created. These revealed that the promiscuous cell binding activity of the other CDCs was conferred by residues in the undecapeptide loop as this property could be transferred to ILY by introduction of the typical undecapeptide sequence. Surface-plasmon resonance analysis of substitutions of PLY was used to detect any mutants possessing reduced binding affinity. However, problems with aggregation of purified proteins prevented quantitative data from being collected. Anthrolysin O (ALO) is a toxin produced by Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. It is a member of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) group of toxins, many of which are potential vaccine candidates that protect against their producing organisms. Pore formation by ALO was studied by transmission electron microscopy and pores were found to be consistent with those formed by other members of this toxin family. A novel genetic toxoid of anthrolysin O, Delta6mAL0, was constructed and characterised and was able to bind to cells but was incapable of pore- formation or haemolysis. The capacity of the haemolytic and non-haemolytic forms of ALO to protect against challenge with the toxin or B. anthracis was determined. Immunisation with both active and non-haemolytic forms of ALO elicited protection against lethal i.v. challenge with ALO but neither was protective against B. anthracis in a murine i.p. challenge model. Immunisation with another CDC, pneumolysin, did not confer cross-protection against challenge with ALO. Histopathological investigation following lethal i.v. challenge with ALO revealed acute pathology in the lungs with occlusion of alveolar vessels by fibrin deposits.


BACKGROUND
Desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF) is an aggressive (myo)fibroblastic neoplasm with an infiltrative growth pattern and a tendency for local recurrence. It is rarely seen at the foot. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze clinical presentation, therapy, and outcomes in a consecutive series of four patients with DF at the foot.

METHODS
From 1994 to 2014, four patients had been surgically treated. The resection margin was marginal or even intralesional in all. One patient already had local recurrence at first presentation. The end point was either local recurrence or progression of residual disease.

RESULTS
The mean patient age was 27 years. In one patient, marginal excision healed the disease. In another patient, local recurrence after marginal resection necessitated distal phalanx amputation. Two other patients showed stable disease after either adjuvant radiotherapy or treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and tamoxifen.

CONCLUSIONS
If surgery is necessary, operative margins are less important than keeping function for the patient. Radiotherapy might be an option to avoid major amputation. The role of adjuvant radiotherapy is controversially discussed. A watchful wait-and-see policy seems to be justified by the published data but may be difficult for DF at the foot.


Summary form only given, as follows. In this talk, Dr. Hwang will present two approaches to scalable parallel computing: The first approach is based on scaling STAP benchmarks on Cray T3D, IBM SP2, and Intel Paragon. STAP was originally developed by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory for real-time signal processing. The benchmark suite was recently parallelized and tested on several available MPPs (massively parallel processors). The second approach is to develop an SSI (Single-System-Image) cluster of UNIX workstations and SMP servers for distributed multimedia and Intranet applications. The talk will evaluate scalable multiprocessors and network-based cluster architectures. Specific R/D topics to be covered include the following: - STAP benchmark evaluation of T3D, SP2, Paragon, and Power Challenge/XL - Architectural - Hardware and software support for SSI in a cluster of workstations and servers. - Distributed cluster computing in multimedia and Intranet applications. assessment of recent advances in CC-NUMA and Clusters. Scalable parallel computer platforms provide not only an incremental growth path, but also performance scaling and enhanced availability. These features are very much desired in today's business and scientific applications. Dr. Hwang will share the research findings and benchmarking experiences from his research groups at USC and HKU. He will also comment on the research, development, and application trends in parallel and cluster computing.


31P n.m.r. analysis of control and diabetic hearts perfused for 1 h with a glucose buffer showed constant and normal levels of phosphocreatine and ATP. Supplementing the buffer with 0.5, 1.2 or 2.0 mM-palmitic acid had little or no effect on high-energy-phosphate levels in control hearts. In contrast, increases in palmitate concentration produced significant decreases in ATP in diabetic hearts, despite normal and constant levels of phosphocreatine. This 31P n.m.r. study suggests a defect in phosphocreatine metabolism in the perfused diabetic heart that might be related to creatine kinase kinetics.


INTRODUCTION I. THE HISTORY OF JUDICIAL REVIEW OF NONECONOMIC COMPENSATORY DAMAGES AWARDS A. The Origins of Judicial Review of Damages Awards for Excessiveness in the English Courts B. English Decisions Recognize the Conceptual Differences Between Reviewing Economic and Noneconomic Damages C. American Courts Adopt "Passion or Prejudice" or "Shock the Conscience" Approaches to Judicial Review D. To Compare or Not to Compare Awards in Other Cases E. Compensatory Damages and the Seventh Amendment II. THE INADEQUACY OF TRADITIONAL PROCEDURES FOR AWARDING NONECONOMIC COMPENSATORY DAMAGES AND REVIEWING VERDICTS A. Jurors Receive Inadequate Guidance or Evidence to Enable Them to Render an Informed Verdict B. Judicial Review of Awards of Noneconomic Compensatory Damages for Excessiveness Generally Lacks Principle or Predictability III. THE SUPREME COURT'S PUNITIVE DAMAGES JURISPRUDENCE A. Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Haslip: The Court's First Procedural Due Process Evaluation of Punitive Damages 1. The Majority Upholds Common-Law Punitive Damages Procedures 2. Justice O'Connor's Dissent B. TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp.: A Plurality Recognizes a Substantive Due Process Prohibition of Grossly Excessive Punitive Damages 1. The Plurality Upholds the Verdict Under Substantive and Procedural Due Process Standards 2. Justice O'Connor's Dissent C. Honda Motor Co. v. Oberg: Procedural Due Process Mandates Judicial Review of the Amount of Punitive Damages Awards for Excessiveness D. BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore: The Court Provides Substantive Due Process "Guideposts" to Determine Excessiveness E. Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.: The Court Requires De Novo Appellate Review of Excessiveness Analysis F. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Campbell: The Court Suggests a Constitutional Limiting Ratio of Nine-To-One IV. DUE PROCESS REQUIRES MEANINGFUL GUIDANCE TO JURIES AND MEANINGFUL JUDICIAL REVIEW OF NONECONOMIC COMPENSATORY DAMAGES AWARDS A. Trial Courts Should Inform Jurors of a Range of Noneconomic Compensatory Damages Awards in Factually Comparable Cases B. Trial Courts Should Exercise a Two-Tiered Review of Noneconomic Compensatory Damages Awards for Excessiveness C. Appellate Courts Should Exercise a Two-Tiered Review of Trial Court Rulings Regarding Excessiveness CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION Punitive damages and noneconomic compensatory damages (1) share much in common. In the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, such damages were largely undifferentiated and, in some respects, interchangeable, with punitive damages serving in part as an avenue of recovery for types of intangible harms not yet expressly recognized as compensable. Unlike economic damages, which have long been subject to relatively robust judicial scrutiny, judges traditionally have left determination of punitive and noneconomic compensatory damages almost exclusively to juries, subject only to review under such amorphous standards as abuse of discretion, passion or prejudice, or "shocks the conscience." Since 1991, however, the Supreme Court of the United States has decided a line of cases interpreting the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (2) as imposing limits, both substantive and procedural, on awards of punitive damages. Primarily in response to a concern that traditional modes of review were increasingly failing to reign in "runaway" punitive damages awards, the Court has dramatically increased the scope of judicial involvement in reviewing punitive damages awards for excessiveness. The Court's decision in State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. …


In clinical practice, in order to design and implement a specific therapeutic plan, as well as communicating an appropriate prognosis, the doctor needs to establish a precise diagnosis of the condition. Sometimes all one needs is a clinical impression. More often, however, the definition of an accurate diagnosis will mandate the interpretation of specific diagnostic tests as well. The rational use of diagnostic tests in cardiology--whether laboratorial or imaging--should be based on three factors: 1) validity of results of studies on the test; 2) diagnostic properties of the test; and 3) applicability of the test in the clinical setting. The rational use and the correct interpretation of diagnostic tests are based on these three factors. In a previous article we presented the basic principles concerning the validity of the results from the study that defined the specific test, and what level of evidence that constitutes. In this article we present the diagnostic properties of tests (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios, odds). Finally, in a forthcoming paper we will discuss the applicability of the test in clinical cardiological practice.


Reworking the ballet: Refiguring the body and 'Swan Lake' illuminates the choreographic praxis, context and politics of reworkings of classic ballets. Dance reworkings can be seen as unruly acts framed within the status quo of the canon and are positioned as examples of canonical counter-discourse. Deconstructing the canon through processes of demythologisation and the strategies of intertextuality, reworkings have the potential to resist the nostalgic and the authoritative frame of the canon. Revealing gaps and omissions, elucidating assumptions and privileges, and exposing gender and ethnic specificities, these dances evoke difference and diversity, and bring the partial and the provisional to the fore. Through close readings and using feminist / postfeminist and postcolonial perspectives particular attention is given to the revision of gender within these dances. Gender is shown to be especially fictive within reworkings due to the explicit reappropriation, and reinscription, of the body within these dances. The ways in which three radical reworkings of Swan Lake by Susan Foster, Shakti and myself refigure the female body and the erotic forms the main focus of the thesis. These dance makers rework the already highly gendered body of the ballerina - reclaiming the body and the erotic as a force for women, such that they have the potential to enjoy the power and pleasure of their own sexuality without recourse to dominant orthodoxies. Reworkings assert the simultaneous habitation of multiple and overlapping formulations. As hybrid, intertextual works these dances activate, at the very least, a bi-directional gaze - simultaneously challenging and evoking their source texts. Through this 'double gesture' these dances have the potential to reconfigure their source texts, and the bodies therein, in such a manner as to operate beyond binary oppositions of canon/counter-canon.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline how refugees' transnational networks and online relationships facilitated through social media provide access to timely and trusted translated information in disaster settings.

Design/methodology/approach
The study is a digital ethnography of resettled refugees' practices of transnational care and support through social media that took place over 12 months. It involved conducting 50 semi-structured interviews and collecting 472 online social media diaries with 15 participants. Data analysis was conducted through constructivist grounded theory.

Findings
Transnational networks are increasingly part of refugees' everyday lives that illustrate how social media platforms can provide forms of transnational care and access to trusted translated communications during times of crisis. The paper discusses the possibilities and cautions of such support.

Research limitations/implications
The small number of participants limits the ability to make generalised claims about refugees and transnational possibilities for reducing disaster risk. However, the reality that social media effectively provide a bridge between "here" and "there" signals the importance of incorporating these considerations as a form of transnational disaster risk reduction.

Practical implications
The project highlights from policy and practice standpoints, how transnational networks and social media can be used to improve disaster communications and translation. This focus is achieved through examining the usability, accessibility and affordability of digital communication technologies for forced migrants.

Originality/value
Few studies focus on refugees and disaster risk reduction. This is particularly the case as it relates to the roles of transnational networks, which have increasing everyday interactions in countries that provide refugee resettlement programmes.


We present the first algorithms for computing all placements of (frictionless) point fingers that put a polygonal part in form closure and all placements of point fingers that achieve second-order immobility of a polygonal part. Our algorithms run in O(n2+∈ +K) and O(n2 log2 n + K) time in the case of form closure and second-order immobility, respectively, where n is the number of vertices of the polygon, K is the description size of the resulting set of finger placements, and ∈ is an arbitrarily small constant. The basis of our algorithm is a translation of the problem into geometric searching problems, which are solved using efficient data structures. Our results can be extended to the problem of computing all placements of a line and two points that put a polygonal part in form closure. The resulting algorithm runs in O(n2 log2 n + K) time, where K is again the description size of the output.


This paper is an overview of our previous works [1-15]. A "micro-meso-process theory" [1, 3, 7] for quantitative analyses of the critical conditions of fatigue source evolution in metals and metallic parts has been established under comprehensive considerations of the processes occurring in individual weak grains (called as "micro-processes") and the cooperative processes occurring in their surrounding grains (called as "meso-processes"), as well as the macro-scopical features of the fatigue behaviour. All these processes have stochastic and harmonizing characters, then it is concluded, that the most important process for fatigue source evolution is the formation of "cyclic meso-yielding zones" (CMYZs) under the cyclic loading, in which dislocation motions occur during loading not only within some weak grains, but also within rather many grains surrounding them and, whereafter, during unloading or reverse loading, back motions of dislocations can occur along intersected slip plans in individual weak grains. The critical condition for fatigue source evolution is that the CMYZs get over some critical sizes and the apparent fatigue limit of metal or metallic part is a stress / load needed for formation of such critical CMYZs at the position of weakest link. According to this consideration, a concept of surface / internal fatigue limit of metal is put forward [5, 6, 11, 12]; furthermore, the relationships of internal fatigue limit of metals to their small strain flow stress [8] are established and the procedures for prediction of the apparent fatigue limits of un- and surface-hardened smooth/notched specimens are proposed [9-15].


This research consisted of a literature review and field study which investigated woodland management for birds within lowland broadleaved woodlands in Britain. The research considered the effect of woodland management (silvicultural intervention and control of deer browsing) on vegetation structure, and the relationships between vegetation structure and woodland birds. Based on habitat–bird relationships, a classification of six woodland stand structures (A–F) related to their value to birds, and a framework to help understand and manage woodland development to deliver these structures were created. The field study, which was conducted in England and Wales, showed that woodlands are predominantly mature or late thicket stands, with low structural heterogeneity (type E – closed canopy, few strata), and silvicultural interventions are primarily mid to late rotational thinning. Such interventions lead to a uniform stand structure and reduced stem and understorey density. High deer browsing pressure also reduces understorey density. Study results showed these vegetation structures to be less favourable to the target bird species who were instead found to be associating with the structures predicted from the literature as being favourable. This suggests that vegetation structures for birds can be described, and if provided, bird populations could be enhanced. The frequently occurring woodland structure type E is of least value to woodland birds. Woodland managers are encouraged to move type E stands towards other types to help meet bird conservation objectives. A. Broome, R. J. Fuller, P. E. Bellamy, M. P. Eichhorn, R. M. A. Gill, R. Harmer, G. Kerr and G. M. Siriwardena June 2017 Implications of lowland broadleaved woodland management for the conservation of target bird species


The paper deals with the propagation of a vertically polarized ground-wave over an inhomogeneous spherical earth. On the basis of approximate boundary conditions and a specially chosen auxiliary function in Green's theorem, the integral equation for the attenuation function is derived. A general method of solving this integral equation by numerical techniques for paths composed of a number of homogeneous sections is discussed. It is proved that the result is in agreement with the reciprocity theorem.The actual field is shown to be the superposition of the fields generated by the primary source and by secondary sources distributed along the path. It is demonstrated that the distributed secondary sources may be approximately replaced by a number of suitably chosen equivalent secondary sources. An approximate method of calculation based on this property is introduced. The method is discussed in some detail in two cases: when the paths may be regarded plane and when they extend into the diffraction zone. The proposed method makes possible a simple and rapid calculation of field strength in many practical cases. It may be used for any phase characteristic of the complex permittivity of the soil.The paper confirms the important conclusion that placing the transmitting or receiving antenna over a well-conducting soil may considerably improve the reception. It is shown further that the electrical properties of the earth in the neighbourhood of the transmitter also have an influence on the phase of the field.


We study credit ratings on subprime and Alt-A mortgage-backed securities (MBS) deals issued between 2001 and 2007, the period leading up to the subprime crisis. The fraction of highly-rated securities in each deal is decreasing in mortgage credit risk (measured either ex-ante or ex-post), suggesting ratings contain useful information for investors. However, we also find evidence of significant time-variation in risk-adjusted credit ratings, including a progressive decline in standards around the MBS market peak between the start of 2005 and mid-2007. Conditional on initial ratings, we observe underperformance (high mortgage defaults and losses, and large rating downgrades) amongst deals with observably higher-risk mortgages based on a simple ex-ante model, and deals with a high fraction of opaque low-documentation loans. These findings hold over the entire sample period, not just for deal cohorts most affected by the crisis.


We compute the ghost spectral function in Yang-Mills theory by solving the corresponding DysonSchwinger equation for a given input gluon spectral function. The results encompass both scaling and decoupling solutions for the gluon propagator input. The resulting ghost spectral function displays a particle peak at vanishing momentum and a negative scattering spectrum, whose infrared and ultraviolet tails are obtained analytically. The ghost dressing function is computed in the entire complex plane, and its salient features are identified and discussed.


Farmers have to cope with both society and market pressures in their working practices, as well as with the enlargement of farms, off-farm opportunities and profound changes in the workforce. Expectations in terms of working duration and rhythms are increasingly expressed by farmers, meaning that working conditions and the efficiency of work organisation are critical issues nowadays. The bibliography shows that work organisation is mainly discussed by social scientists, but that livestock scientists make a significant contribution to the debate. Indeed, technical changes modify working calendars, priorities between tasks and interchangeability among workers; technical adaptations are levers to solving problems of work with equipment, buildings and the workforce. We present here French approaches to work organisation that take into account livestock management and its implications in work organisation. The 'Work Assessment' method represents the work organisation and evaluates work durations and time flexibility for farmers. The ATELAGE model describes and qualifies work organisation with its various regulations and time scales, integrating the other activities - economic or private - that farmers can carry on. Three principles underpin them: not all workers are interchangeable; tasks have different temporal characteristics (rhythms, postponement, etc.); and the year is a succession of work periods that differ in their daily form of organisation. We illustrate with concrete examples how these approaches contribute to helping and guiding farmers in their thoughts about change.


Volatility prediction, a central issue in financial econometrics, attracts increasing attention in the data science literature as advances in computational methods enable us to develop models with great forecasting precision. In this paper, we draw upon both strands of the literature and develop a novel two-component volatility model. The realized volatility is decomposed by a nonparametric filter into long- and short-run components, which are modeled by an artificial neural network and an ARMA process, respectively. We use intraday data on four major exchange rates and a Chinese stock index to construct daily realized volatility and perform out-of-sample evaluation of volatility forecasts generated by our model and well-established alternatives. Empirical results show that our model outperforms alternative models across all statistical metrics and over different forecasting horizons. Furthermore, volatility forecasts from our model offer economic gain to a mean-variance utility investor with higher portfolio returns and Sharpe ratio.


Electronic spectra of the S(1)←S(0) transition of dimers of protonated benzaldehyde (BZH(+)) with Ar and N(2) are recorded by resonance-enhanced photodissociation in a tandem mass spectrometer. The S(1) origins observed are shifted to higher frequency upon complexation with Ar (ΔS(1) = 300 cm(-1)) and N(2) (ΔS(1) = 628 cm(-1)). Ab initio calculations at the CC2/aug-cc-pVDZ level suggest an assignment to H-bonded dimers of L = Ar and N(2) binding to the cis isomer of O-protonated BZH(+), yielding values of ΔS(1) = 242 and 588 cm(-1) for cis-BZH(+)-L(H). Electronic ππ* excitation results in a substantial increase of the proton affinity of BZH(+), which in turn destabilizes the intermolecular H-bonds to the inert ligands by 35%. The drastic effects of electronic ππ* excitation on the geometric and electronic structure as well as the strength and anisotropy of the intermolecular potential (H-bonding and π-bonding) are investigated.


This PhD project has developed a new high temperature strain measurement system using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) in order to investigate spatially varying and time dependent deformation during high temperature creep tests of engineering materials. Several challenges associated with measuring creep deformation at elevated temperature have been overcome including the choice of specimen design, specimen oxidation, furnace temperature uniformity, image distortion caused by thermal currents and sufficient illumination. It is demonstrated that the system created can produce reliable measurement data over a period of several months with a spatial resolution of 0.6 mm for temperatures up to 650°C, but in principle higher resolution and temperatures should be achievable.

The research aim of this project, funded by EDF Energy (formerly British Energy), was to attempt to measure spatially varying creep deformation properties across thick and thin section weldments that operate at high temperatures in UK advanced gas cooled reactor power plant (AGR). The new measurement system is applied to examine the creep behaviour of a thick section multi-pass welded joint made from Type 316H austenitic stainless steel which was supplied by EDF Energy. Specifically the local creep deformation properties across the weldment in the parent material, heat affected zone (HAZ) and multipass weld layers are investigated in medium term creep tests (>2300 hours). This is achieved by cutting samples from three different locations of the thick section joint, that is from top, middle and bottom positions, and subjecting them to tensile and creep testing at a temperature of 545°C. Spatially resolved stress-strain (tensile) and strain-time (creep) results were obtained transversely across the whole section of the multi-pass weldment and across the thickness direction. The DIC in-situ measurements also provided strain information in the transverse to loading direction from which the reduction of area of the specimen and true stress and strain distribution were calculated. The weld metal showed faster creep rates than HAZ and parent materials and this is attributed to the observed introduction of substantial plastic strain in the parent material on initial loading. Locally the creep strain distribution in the weld metal appears to correlate with individual weld passes. The full-field measurement results allowed the development of creep deformation leading to ultimate rupture to be observed.

The high temperature tensile and creep results presented in this thesis demonstrate the capability of the new DIC based system created for full field measurements of displacement and strain at high temperature during creep tests enduring several thousand hours. The system opens a new horizon for studying deformation and rupture behaviour of complex structures at elevated temperature.


Abstract Background This study aimed to develop mortality-prediction models for patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods The training cohort were consecutive patients with COVID-19 in the First People's Hospital of Jiangxia District in Wuhan from January 7, 2020 to February 11, 2020. We selected baseline clinical and laboratory data through the stepwise Akaike information criterion and ensemble XGBoost model to build mortality-prediction models. We then validated these models by randomly collecting COVID-19 patients in the Infection department of Union Hospital in Wuhan from January 1, 2020, to February 20, 2020. Results 296 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in the training cohort, 19 of whom died during hospitalization and 277 were discharged from the hospital. The clinical model developed with age, history of hypertension and coronary heart disease showed AUC of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.95); threshold, -2.6551; sensitivity, 92.31%; specificity, 77.44% and negative predictive value (NPV), 99.34%. The laboratory model developed with age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2), neutrophil and lymphocyte count, D-dimer, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) had a significantly stronger discriminatory power than the clinical model (p=0.0157), with AUC of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.92-0.99); threshold, -2.998; sensitivity, 100.00%; specificity, 92.82% and NPV, 100.00%. In the subsequent validation cohort (N=44), the AUCs (95% CI) were 0.83 (0.68, 0.93) and 0.88 (0.75, 0.96) for clinical model and laboratory model, respectively. Conclusions We developed two predictive models for the in-hospital mortality of patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan and validated in patients from another center.


Objective: To compare the efficacy of cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation between monophasic damped sine waveform and rectilinear biphasic waveform shocks at a high initial energy level and with a conventional paddle position. Design: Prospective randomised study. Patients and setting: 227 patients admitted for cardioversion of atrial fibrillation to a tertiary referral centre. Results: 70% of 109 patients treated with an initial 200 J monophasic shock were cardioverted to sinus rhythm, compared with 80% of 118 patients treated with an initial 120 J biphasic shock (NS). After the second shock (360 J monophasic or 200 J biphasic), 90% of the patients were in sinus rhythm in both groups. The mean cumulative energy used for successful cardioversion was 306 J for monophasic shocks and 159 J for biphasic shocks (p < 0.001). Conclusions: A protocol using monophasic waveform shocks in a 200–360 J sequence has the same efficacy (90%) as a protocol using rectilinear biphasic waveform shocks in a 120–200 J sequence. This equal efficacy is achieved with a significantly lower mean delivered energy level using the rectilinear biphasic shock waveform. The potential advantage of lower energy delivery for cardioversion of atrial fibrillation needs further study.


OBJECTIVES
We obtained in-depth information from low-income parents and caregivers of young children about their knowledge and understanding of and practices related to the prevention and control of dental caries (tooth decay).

METHODS
In 2010, we conducted 4 focus groups in Maryland communities with low-income, English-speaking parents and caregivers who had at least 1 child aged 6 years or younger or who were pregnant. We developed a focus group guide based on findings of a previous statewide random telephone survey of adults with young children.

RESULTS
Most participants had limited understanding of and extensive misinformation about how to prevent dental caries. They were confused about the use of juice and its impact on their child's teeth and had limited understanding of the use of fluorides to prevent caries. Most did not drink tap water and did not give it to their children; rather, they used bottled water.

CONCLUSIONS
These results and those of the statewide telephone survey strongly suggest the need for educational interventions designed for those with limited levels of education.


B‐Cell receptor‐associated protein 31 (BAP31) regulates the export of secreted membrane proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the downstream secretory pathway. Previously, we generated a monoclonal antibody 297‐D4 against the surface molecule on undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Here, we found that 297‐D4 antigen was localized to pluripotent hESCs and downregulated during early differentiation of hESCs and identified that the antigen target of 297‐D4 was BAP31 on the hESC‐surface. To investigate the functional role of BAP31 in hESCs, BAP31 expression was knocked down by small interfering RNA. BAP31 depletion impaired hESC self‐renewal and pluripotency and drove hESC differentiation into multicell lineages. BAP31 depletion hindered hESC proliferation by arresting cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and inducing caspase‐independent cell death. Interestingly, BAP31 depletion reduced hESC adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM). Analysis of cell surface molecules showed decreased expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in BAP31‐depleted hESCs, while ectopic expression of BAP31 elevated the expression of EpCAM. EpCAM depletion also reduced hESC adhesion to ECM, arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and induced cell death, producing similar effects to those of BAP31 depletion. BAP31 and EpCAM were physically associated and colocalized at the ER and cell surface. Both BAP31 and EpCAM depletion decreased cyclin D1 and E expression and suppressed PI3K/Akt signaling, suggesting that BAP31 regulates hESC stemness and survival via control of EpCAM expression. These findings provide, for the first time, mechanistic insights into how BAP31 regulates hESC stemness and survival via control of EpCAM expression. Stem Cells 2014;32:2626–2641


Abstract This paper examines the corporate identity concept and presents an empirical test of a corporate identity model in the context of the higher education sector. The various components of corporate identity are investigated and the results are presented in diagrammatic form in the proposed and updated corporate identity taxonomy. A qualitative exploratory approach was taken, comprising in-depth interviews with key informants involved in the implementation of corporate identity at a major UK university. The taxonomy illustrates communication, design, culture, behaviour, structure, industry and strategy as the main components of corporate identity. The study also demonstrates how and where issues of corporate identity are discussed within an organisation and how the results of these discussions are fed into management structure. As with any such exploratory case study, there are limits to the generalisability of the findings. Further research is required to ascertain whether the findings of this study also apply in other settings. The results will be helpful to communication professionals who deal with an organisation's corporate identity, branding and communication and who aim to enhance the consistency of messages both written and visual within their organisation.


In Information Systems and related disciplines there are numerous ways how coordination in organizations is defined and conceptualized. We argue that these disciplines and theories need to reach out to each other to develop an integrated understanding of coordination. In this paper we present a coordination framework that helps to analyze and improve coordination of distributed work from such an integrative perspective. In the framework we distinguish 4 main coordination choices for employees at the group level (concerning composition, commitment, contact and content) and 4 related coordination choices for managers at the organizational level (concerning competence, cohesiveness, connection and context). These dimensions enable us to explain why ICT both enhance and complicate coordination of distributed work. Our hypothesis is that ICT has a positive impact on the dimensions of composition and contact and a negative impact on the dimensions of commitment and content. We argue that the success or failure of ICT supported coordination largely depends on how employees and managers apply and use ICT. Consequently a neutral but critical attitude towards ICT support is needed. The validity and usefulness of the framework are shown by reflecting on its appliance in an action research study at the Amsterdam Police Force. We conclude that the coordination framework enables better understanding of coordination problems and improvements and supports a critical discussion of ICT opportunities and ICT threats. Further research will focus on the possibilities of integrating existing coordination theories and on the question how to determine when ICT benefits outweigh ICT costs.


Problem solving is one of the main challenges that needs to be mastered in engineering learning. This study aimed at looking whether cognitive, affective and conative elements play role in the process of mastering problem solving skills in engineering learning. Cognitive, affective and conative refer to the 'Trilogy of Mind' concept. Educational innovation from 1980-2016 shows that elements proposed in the 'Trilogy of Mind' capable in improving academic achievement. Previous studies conducted among engineering students in polytechnics Malaysia show the importance of cognitive, affective and conative elements in mastering problem solving in learning. This study continued in the process of looking whether cognitive, affective and conative can enhance the engineering learning. Strategy (cognitive), attitude (affective) and initiative (conative) are elements that are found to be able to improve academic achievement through the mastery of problem solving. An in-depth study is referring to the process of looking the relationship between strategy and attitude, initiative and attitude as well as the strategy and initiative. This study uses a survey design with a quantitative approach. The sampling method used is a simple random technique. A total of 100 engineering students from polytechnics were involved in this study. The data is analysed based on inferential statistic. The results showed that planned strategy in problems solving can be influenced by students' attitudes. Besides that, student attitude contributes to student initiative level. Strategy is also associated with initiative in mastering problem solving.


In the present work, using nanosized rare earth oxide CeO2 as filler and acetonitrile as organic solvent, a novel solid-state composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) films (PEO)10LiClO4-x wt.%CeO2 (x=0,2,6,9,12,15) was prepared by solution-casting technique. The effect of CeO2 filler concentration on morphology and electrical characteristics of CPE films has been investigated and analyzed. The AC impedance measurements show that the ionic conductivity of CPE can be efficiently enhanced by adding appropriate CeO2. The highest room temperature (25OC) ionic conductivity of 1.71×10-5S•cm-1 is achieved with the CeO2 content of 9 wt.%. With the CeO2 content continues to increase, CPE ionic conductivity begin to decline. This is because appropriate CeO2 can disorder the chain structure and effectively inhibit the crystallization of PEO, which expands the amorphous region required for the lithium-ion transport.


Abstract This review aims to present cellulose as a versatile resource for the production of a variety of materials, other than pulp and paper. These products include fibers, nonwovens, films, composites, and novel derivatized materials. This article will briefly introduce the structure of cellulose and some common cellulose derivatives, as well as the formation of cellulosic materials in the micro- and nanoscale range. The challenge with dissolution of cellulose will be discussed and both derivatizing and nonderivatizing solvents for cellulose will be described. The focus of the article is the critical discussion of different shaping processes to obtain a variety of cellulose products, from commercially available viscose fibers to advanced and functionalized materials still at the research level.


Anti-gay marriage amendments proliferate, and current welfare legislation includes coercive marriage promotion programs. This article argues that government sponsorship and promotion of the traditional institution of heterosexual marriage-based family are antithetical to the liberal democratic values that most Americans would claim are foundational principles of their society: liberty and individuality. I suggest that, in order to make the social and legal institution of family consistent with professed public values, it should be transformed from the traditional structure into a new structure that is (1) flexible and customizable, and (2) eligible for direct public support for its role in social reproduction.


Eight samples of basaltic-to-rhyolitic calc-alkalic lavas erupted from the Rabaul caldera on the island of New Britain have Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratios ranging from 0.7035 to 0.7040 and averaging 0.7038. The mean strontium-isotope ratio is in the middle of an extremely limited range of values for other calc-alkalic island-arc lavas of the western and southwestern circum-Pacific region. The constancy of Sr 87 /Sr 86 in the Rabaul lavas is compatible with derivation of the andesitic and more silicic members of the series by fractional crystallization of a basaltic magma. However, the strontium-isotope data do not preclude different degrees of partial melting of an isotopically uniform source in the mantle as a possible mechanism for producing the compositional variety of lavas at Rabaul.


OBJECTIVE To establish plantar and digital dermatoglyphic patterns. DESIGN Cross sectional study of randomly selected Black Malawian subjects. SETTING Able-bodied indigenous Black subjects were recruited from secondary schools and the College of Medicine in Blantyre city. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Dankmeijer's index (DI) and the pattern intensity (PII) indices were determined and the variability of ridge patterns were counted and classified. MATERIALS AND METHODS Bilateral plantar and digital prints of the sole of selected subjects were recorded, studied and classified. RESULTS Arches were the most predominant ridge pattern found on the digits. Whorls were absent on all digits, a feature which appears to be peculiar to Malawians. Loops were also absent on the small digit but present on the big toe. These were significantly greater in males than females (p < 0.05). The PII was higher in males than females while, DI was higher in females than in males. These indices were significantly different from similar values obtained from previous studies of two ethnic groups in Nigeria (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION This study has provided the normal dermatoglyphic patterns of Malawian subjects and also highlighted that digital patterns are more specific in differentiating tribes and population groups.


Cooperative communication fully leverages the broadcast nature of the wireless channel and spatial diversity, thereby achieving tremendous improvements in system capacity and delay. A cross-layer implementation approach has been pursued in this demonstration, in order to confirm the viability and efficacy of cooperation at the MAC layer, in conjunction with the routing layer, in multi-hop ad-hoc networks. In the cooperative MAC protocol [1], a station would use a neighboring helper station for MAC layer forwarding, if the two-hop relaying yields to a better performance than a direct single-hop transmission. In this cross layer scheme, the DSDV routing protocol [2] defines a multihop path from the source to the destination, while the cooperative MAC scheme, eventually selects two hop forwarding for each routing layer hop, in order to boost the performance of the routing protocol. The Cooperative MAC scheme has been implemented in the MadWiFi [3] driver, while the DSDV routing protocol has been implemented in the Click modular router [4]. In the demo, a video clip is streamed from a server to a remote client, where the received video is played out in real time. The basic route is discovered by the DSDV routing protocol that runs on every station. The underlying MAC implementation would dynamically alternate between IEEE 802.11g and the cooperative MAC protocol, for each route hop. In the multi-hop, ad-hoc network, the cooperative cross-layer scheme delivers a smooth user experience while the video playout over the legacy IEEE 802.11g has noticeable freezes and frequent distortions. The demo verifies the extensibility of the cooperative MAC protocol into multi-hop ad-hoc networks, where in conjunction with the routing protocol, can achieve superior performance, compared to the legacy IEEE 802.11g.


PURPOSE
Breast cancer penetrance estimates in BRCA1 mutation carriers have varied from 40% to 85%; this heterogeneity has been attributed to variations in risk among different study populations. No study has taken oophorectomy status into account in estimating penetrance. Because prophylactic oophorectomy reduces breast cancer risk by approximately 50%, we hypothesized that population differences in oophorectomy prevalence might significantly influence breast cancer penetrance estimates.

METHODS
Females from multiple-case breast/ovarian cancer families that segregate deleterious BRCA1 mutations were observed prospectively for breast cancer incidence and oophorectomy.

RESULTS
Within this cohort, 33 cases of breast cancer developed in 98 women with deleterious BRCA1 mutations during follow-up, yielding an estimated cumulative lifetime breast cancer risk of 80%. This estimate increased to 94% when the study participants were censored at the time of oophorectomy. Six of the 33 mutation-positive women who underwent oophorectomy during follow-up developed breast cancer, compared with 27 of 65 mutation carriers with intact ovaries (hazard ratio = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.97). Estimates of absolute breast cancer risk demonstrated that the protective effect of oophorectomy was strongest among women who were premenopausal at the time of surgery. When surgical status was ignored, the strong protective effect of oophorectomy, coupled with the high prevalence of the procedure in these families, led to a significantly lower estimate of the breast cancer penetrance in BRCA1 mutation carriers.

CONCLUSION
Differing rates of oophorectomy likely represent an underappreciated basis for a portion of the heterogeneity in estimated breast cancer penetrance described in BRCA mutation carriers, particularly mutation carriers from extensively affected, multiple-case families.


An S/X dual-band dual-polarised shared aperture microstrip array with fractional frequency ratio (FR=1:3.5) is presented. A hybrid feed is adopted in this phased array to improve the isolation. Measured results agree well with the simulation, exhibiting a |S11|≤15 dB bandwidth of 10% in both bands. Good polarisation-isolation and radiation pattern are also confirmed.


The coastal lakes are rich sources of biostratigraphic information that is very useful in palaeoecological reconstructions of climate changes and human impact on the natural vegetation. This information is of great importance for the archaeological descriptions of submerged praehistorical settlements found in the northern Bulgarian Black sea area. There are 4 archaeological sites in this area that have been palynologically studied for the last 30 years: the Durankulak Lake, the Shabla-Ezeretz Lake system, the Lake Bolata, as well as the Varna-Beloslav Lake system. Because of the lack of AMS radiocarbon dates for these sites, it was not possible to correlate adequately all palaeoenvironmental results with the available archaeological chronology. Aimed to receive additional information on the Holocene vegetation dynamics and lake level changes, as well as on the anthropogenic impact during the Late Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age, the high-resolution spore-pollen analysis of AMS dated laminated sediments from a new Core 3 – Varna Lake was combined with analyses of dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, and other non-pollen palynomorphs. The location of the core is close to several sites of submerged praehistorical settlements and the Varna Late Eneolithic (Chalcolithic) Necropolis, which is famous with the oldest hand-made gold treasure in the Worlds, and permits the palaeoenvironmental correlations of obtained results with available archaeological and geochronological data. The core is 995 cm long, but its palynologically investigated length is 870 cm. It contains dark grey clay and laminated sediments (varves). Seven samples of sediments were submitted for radiocarbon dating to the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) Facility of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The dates have been calibrated using the program CALIB version 6.1.0 of using the IntCal09 curve. An Age Model for the sedimentation rate was created by the newest version 1.17.16. of the TILIA software.


At high redshift, the cosmic web is widely expected to have a significant impact on the morphologies, dynamics, and star formation rates of the galaxies embedded within it, underscoring the need for a comprehensive study of the properties of such a filamentary network. With this goal in mind, we perform an analysis of high-z gas and dark matter (DM) filaments around a Milky Way-like progenitor simulated with the ramses adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code from cosmic scales (∼1 Mpc) down to the virial radius of its DM halo host (∼20 kpc at z = 4). Radial density profiles of both gas and DM filaments are found to have the same functional form, namely a plummer-like profile modified to take into account the wall within which these filaments are embedded. Measurements of the typical filament core radius r0 from the simulation are consistent with that of isothermal cylinders in hydrostatic equilibrium. Such an analytic model also predicts a redshift evolution for the core radius of filaments in fair agreement with the measured value for DM [r0∝ (1 + z)−3.18 ± 0.28]. Gas filament cores grow as [r0∝ (1 + z)−2.72 ± 0.26]. In both gas and DM, temperature and vorticity sharply drop at the edge of filaments, providing an excellent way to constrain the outer filament radius. When feedback is included, the gas temperature and vorticity fields are strongly perturbed, hindering such a measurement in the vicinity of the galaxy. However, the core radius of the filaments as measured from the gas density field is largely unaffected by feedback; and the median central density is only reduced by about 20 per cent.


The nicotinic system plays an important role in cognitive control and is implicated in several neuropsychiatric conditions. However, the contributions of genetic variability in this system to individuals' cognitive control abilities are poorly understood and the brain processes that mediate such genetic contributions remain largely unidentified. In this first large-scale neuroimaging genetics study of the human nicotinic receptor system (two cohorts, males and females, fMRI total N = 1586, behavioral total N = 3650), we investigated a common polymorphism of the high-affinity nicotinic receptor α4β2 (rs1044396 on the CHRNA4 gene) previously implicated in behavioral and nicotine-related studies (albeit with inconsistent major/minor allele impacts). Based on our prior neuroimaging findings, we expected this polymorphism to affect neural activity in the cingulo-opercular (CO) network involved in core cognitive control processes including maintenance of alertness. Consistent across the cohorts, all cortical areas of the CO network showed higher activity in heterozygotes compared with both types of homozygotes during cognitive engagement. This inverted U-shaped relation reflects an overdominant effect; that is, allelic interaction (cumulative evidence p = 1.33 * 10−5). Furthermore, heterozygotes performed more accurately in behavioral tasks that primarily depend on sustained alertness. No effects were observed for haplotypes of the surrounding CHRNA4 region, supporting a true overdominant effect at rs1044396. As a possible mechanism, we observed that this polymorphism is an expression quantitative trait locus modulating CHRNA4 expression levels. This is the first report of overdominance in the nicotinic system. These findings connect CHRNA4 genotype, CO network activation, and sustained alertness, providing insights into how genetics shapes individuals' cognitive control abilities. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The nicotinic acetylcholine system plays a central role in neuromodulatory regulation of cognitive control processes and is dysregulated in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite this functional importance, no large-scale neuroimaging genetics studies have targeted the contributions of genetic variability in this system to human brain activity. Here, we show the impact of a common polymorphism of the high-affinity nicotinic receptor α4β2 that is consistent across brain activity and behavior in two large human cohorts. We report a hitherto unknown overdominant effect (allelic interaction) at this locus, where the heterozygotes show higher activity in the cingulo-opercular network underlying alertness maintenance and higher behavioral alertness performance than both homozygous groups. This gene–brain–behavior relationship informs about the biological basis of interindividual differences in cognitive control.


BACKGROUND
The dose-response relationship between cancers and protracted low-dose rate exposure to ionising radiation is still uncertain. This study aims to estimate quantified relationships between low-dose radiation exposures and site-specific solid cancers among Chinese medical X-ray workers.

METHODS
This cohort study included 27 011 individuals who were employed at major hospitals in 24 provinces in China from 1950 to 1980 and had been exposed to X-ray equipment, and a control group of 25 782 physicians who were not exposed to X-ray equipment. Person-years of follow-up were calculated from the year of employment to the date of the first diagnosis of cancer or the end of follow-up, whichever occurred first. All cancers were obtained from medical records during 1950-1995. This study used Poisson regression models to estimate the excess relative risk (ERR) and excess absolute risk (EAR) for incidence of site-specific solid cancers associated with cumulative dose.

RESULTS
1643 solid cancers were developed, the most common being lung, liver and stomach cancer. Among X-ray workers, the average cumulative colon dose was 0.084 Gy. We found a positive relationship between cumulative organ-specific dose and liver (ERR/Gy=1.48; 95% CI 0.40 to 2.83), oesophagus (ERR/Gy=18.1; 95% CI 6.25 to 39.1), thyroid (ERR/Gy=2.96; 95% CI 0.44 to 8.18) and non-melanoma skin cancers (ERR/Gy=7.96; 95% CI 2.13 to 23.12). We found no significant relationship between cumulative organ-specific doses and other cancers. Moreover, the results showed a statistically significant EAR for liver, stomach, breast cancer (female), thyroid and non-melanoma skin cancers.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings provided more useful insights into the risks of site-specific cancers from protracted low-dose rate exposure to ionising radiation.


Changing rule and activity status of biological activity of activated sludge in SBR process were studied by the determination of TTC-ETS activity. The results indicate that TTC-ETS activity can reflect effectively the biochemical reaction course of SBR process. Biological activity of organic matter biodegradation, nitrification and denitrification course in SBR process is reduced in order. Operational conditions cannot influence the changing rule of TTC-ETS activity, but the time of the appearance of break points marking different reaction course in profile and the average biological activity are influenced.


Pipeline networks dominate the oil and gas midstream sector, and although the safest means of transportation for oil and gas products, they are susceptible to failures. These failures are due to manufacturing defects, environmental effects, material degradation, or third party interference through sabotage and vandalism. Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions are promising to address these by monitoring and predicting failures. However, some challenges remain in the deployment of industrial IoT-based solutions, as the reliability, the robustness, the maintainability, the scalability, the energy consumption, etc. This paper is therefore aimed at highlighting potential solutions for detection and mitigation of pipeline failures while addressing the robustness, the cost and scalability issues of such approach efficiently across the network infrastructure, data and service layers.


Mammals are thought to have a type of dosage compensation not so far known in any other animal group: however many X chromosomes are present, only one remains genetically active in somatic cells. Considerable evidence for this idea exists, in spite of criticism; the greatest difficulty is presented by the abnormalities in human individuals with X chromosome aberrations. Possible explanations for these abnormalities include: wrong X chromosome dosage in early development before X inactivation, reversal of inactivation, partial inactivation of both X chromosomes, activity of the X while in the condensed inactive state, and the presence of a homologous non-inactivated region of the human X and Y. In female germ cells X inactivation apparently does not occur, but the situation in male germ cells is less clear. The Y chromosome is probably also inactive in somatic cells of adults, but again its function in germ cells is not yet clear. Some species have a presumed doubly inactive X chromosome region, as well as the singly active one. The origins and functions of this region are unknown; it may have a role in female germ cells.


The aim of the paper is a contextual analysis of universities in the Netherlands: an analysis of the key issues
and external developments, and how they affect the academic organization, the organization of academic work and the characteristics and preferences of scientists. Subsequently, we will discuss effects of these
developments on the HRM system and policy (and in specific the management of talent or excellence). We
will use multiple theoretical frameworks and perspectives grounded in organizational theory to describe Dutch
universities and their context: structural frame, professional frame, cultural frame and political frame. Most
literature discusses one aspect of the academic organization: education or research aspect, HRM aspect,
financial aspect et cetera. Seldom the different aspects have been presented as one integrated entity. We want to show that using multiple frames or lenses will lead to an integrated, enriched and more balanced view of a situation.


Metal-oxide based Electrochemical Random-Access Memory (MO-ECRAM) has shown unique potential as a nonvolatile element for analog in-memory computation of deep learning tasks. Using a specially designed interdigitated device geometry, we investigate transient effects of MO-ECRAM and correlate them with programming speed, read speed and read-after write speed. Programming speed is shown to exponentially increase with programming voltage. Read speed reached the ns range, while read-after-write delay can be limited by decay of write transients in the studied devices. Two mechanisms of channel modulation were found; a prompt field effect and a field-induced memory effect. The charge control of the prompt effect was vastly greater than that of the memory effect. So to reduce and mitigate transient impact, we discuss both device improvements, and learning algorithm engineering strategies.


OBJECTIVE To assess the validity of diagnostic tools available at the primary care setting [medical history (MH), I-PSS questionnaire, digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) evaluation] for the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). SUBJECTS AND METHODS 363 patients with suspected prostatic disease referred to urology outpatient clinics were included. For every subject initial BPH diagnosis was collected at each of the following sequential procedures: 1) MH; 2) I-PSS; 3) DRE; and 4) PSA. Each of these diagnostic decisions were compared to a final diagnosis (gold standard) reached after the addition of urinary sediment analysis, ultrasonographic assessment of residual volume and prostatic volume, and peak urinary flow measurement. A descriptive analysis was undertaken: validity and concordance between each diagnostic step and the gold standard was calculated. RESULTS Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of diagnosis based on MH+I-PSS+DRE+PSA with respect to the gold standard were 91%, 65%, 95% and 50%, respectively. The percentage of agreement and kappa index between both diagnostic strategies were 87.9% and 0.5, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Concordance between BPH initial diagnosis based on MH+I-PSS+DRE+PSA and diagnosis based on a full range of tests was high, thus allowing recommending the use of this group of initial diagnostic procedures, which are available to the primary care physician, not only as a first diagnostic step in patients with suspected BPH, but also as a valid strategy to prevent unnecessary delay in its initial management and to facilitate appropriate referral from primary to specialized care.


BACKGROUND
In a population originally classified for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, we compared the health outcomes after retrospectively reclassifying with the European Society of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology (ESC/ACC) AMI definition, using the peak cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations. The health outcomes were based on the WHO definition and occurred in an era that preceded the use of cardiac troponin biomarkers.

METHODS
For 448 patients who presented to the emergency department with symptoms suggestive of cardiac ischemia in 1996, we obtained data for all-cause mortality and recurrent AMI for up to 1 year after the initial presentation. We performed retrospective analysis of the patients' frozen plasma samples to measure cTnI (AccuTnI, Beckman Coulter).

RESULTS
At 30, 120, and 360 days, the risk for AMI/death in patients positive for AMI by only the ESC/ACC criteria was significantly lower than the risk in patients positive by both ESC/ACC and WHO criteria, and significantly higher than in patients negative according to both criteria. In a separate analysis, patients with a peak cTnI>0.10 microg/L were at greater risk for AMI/death than patients with cTnI concentrations of 0.04-0.10 microg/L. Patients negative by both definitions or with peak cTnI concentrations<0.04 microg/L had the highest event-free survival rates (92% and 94%, respectively) at 1 year.

CONCLUSION
In a troponin-naïve population, patients classified as positive for AMI by only the ESC/ACC criteria have a prognosis that appears to be intermediate between those classified positive by both the WHO and ESC/ACC definitions and those who meet neither criteria.


A record of glaciation during late Proterozoic time is preserved in a number of localities extending from the Sheeprock Mountains, Utah, to Pocatello, Idaho, and from the Park City area 40 km east of Salt Lake City to the Deep Creek Range along the Utah-Nevada line. Over much of this area, the glacial deposits and associated rocks thicken westward and form the basal part of a miogeoclinal wedge that accumulated near the late Proterozoic and early Paleozoic continental margin. In the east, such deposits are thin and rest on Archean basement or rocks of Proterozoic Y age; in the west, they are part of thicker sequences in which deposition apparently continued without significant interruption from late Proterozoic into Cambrian time. In many places, the original continuity between the western and eastern parts of the depositional wedge has been obscured by thrusting of Cretaceous and early Tertiary age that carried the thick basinal sequences eastward over those deposited on the continental platform. Recent mapping of Fremont Island in Great Salt Lake, the Wasatch Range between Ogden and Brigham City, and the Sheeprock Mountains shows that glacial episodes represented either by diamictite or by dropstones enclosed in finegrained laminated beds are separated by as much as 1,000 m of non-glacial deposits, including black slate, alternating graywacke and siltstone, quartzite, and conglomerate. Using reasonable sedimentation rates for such deposits and by comparison with modern analogues, we infer that two episodes of glaciation, each probably consisting of multiple advances and retreats, were separated by a non-glacial interval of a few hundred thousand to a few million years' duration. Correlation of the allochthonous, miogeoclinal glacial deposits with the single glacial unit present in autochthonous and parautochthonous platform sites is uncertain, but our interpretation of sedimentary facies and paleogeography suggests that only the younger of the two episodes recorded in the allochthon is represented by the diamictites of the autochthon.


In this study, we analyze model inversion attacks with only two assumptions: feature vectors of user data are known, and a black-box API for inference is provided. On the one hand, limitations of existing studies are addressed by opting for a more practical setting. Experiments have been conducted on state-of-the-art models in person re-identification, and two attack scenarios (i.e., recognizing auxiliary attributes and reconstructing user data) are investigated. Results show that an adversary could successfully infer sensitive information even under severe constraints. On the other hand, it is advisable to encrypt feature vectors, especially for a machine learning model in production. As an alternative to traditional encryption methods such as AES, a simple yet effective method termed ShuffleBits is presented. More specifically, the binary sequence of each floating-point number gets shuffled. Deployed using the one-time pad scheme, it serves as a plug-and-play module that is applicable to any neural network, and the resulting model directly outputs deep features in encrypted form. Source code is publicly available at https://github.com/nixingyang/ShuffleBits.


Measurements of ambient oxygen concentrations were made in 22 commercial flights (707 and DC-9 aircraft) starting at an altitude of 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) with two oxygen analyzers, one calibrated at sea level (158.8 torr) and a second for Denver's altitude. Peak "pressurized cabin" altitudes ranged between 6,050 and 8,450 feet when "cruising altitudes" varied between 29,000 and 37,000 feet. In the former analyzer, the lowest oxygen concentrations noted were about 15.2% (15.5 torr), while in the latter, they were 17.6% (133.7 torr). The possible dangers of temporary hypoxia to patients with cardiac, pulmonary, and hematologic diseases, while flying under these circumstances, are discussed. Language: en


Introduction A new low-dose X-ray device, called EOS, has been introduced for determining lower-limb alignment in 2D and 3D. Reliability has not yet been assessed when using EOS on lower limbs containing a knee prosthesis. Therefore purpose of this study was to determine intraobserver and interobserver reliability of EOS 2D and 3D knee prosthesis alignment measurements after revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). Methods Forty anteroposterior and lateral images of 37 rTKA patients were included. Two observers independently performed measurements on these images twice. Varus/valgus angles were measured in 2D (VV2D) and 3D (VV3D). Intraclass correlation coefficients and the Bland and Altman method were used to determine reliability. T-tests were used to test potential differences. Results Intraobserver and interobserver reliability were excellent for VV2D and VV3D. No significant difference or bias between the first and second measurements or the two observers was found. A significant mean and absolute difference of respectively 1.00° and 1.61° existed between 2D and 3D measurements. Conclusions EOS provides reliable varus/valgus measurements in 2D and 3D for the alignment of the knee joint with a knee prosthesis. However, significant differences exist between varus/valgus measurements in 2D and 3D.


Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol galactoside labeled with 3H in the indole and 14C in the galactose moieties was applied to kernels of 5 day old germinating seedlings of Zea mays. Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol galactoside was not transported into either the shoot or root tissue as the intact molecule but was instead hydrolyzed to yield [3H]indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol and [3H]indole-3-acetic acid which were then transported to the shoot with little radioactivity going to the root. With certain assumption concerning the equilibration of applied [3H]indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol-[U-14C]galactose with the endogenous pool, it may be concluded that indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol galactoside in the endosperm supplies about 2 picomoles per plant per hour of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol and 1 picomole per plant per hour of indole-3-acetic acid to the shoot and thus is comparable to indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol as a source of indole-acetic acid for the shoot. Quantitative estimates of the amount of galactose in the kernels suggest that [3H]indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol-[14C]galactose is hydrolyzed after the compound leaves the endosperm but before it reaches the shoot. In addition, [3H]indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol-[14C]galactose supplies appreciable amounts of 14C to the shoot and both 14C and 3H to an uncharacterized insoluble fraction of the endosperm.


Abstract The contribution of food, nutrition and physical activity to inequalities in health across Europe is largely unexplored. This paper summarizes cross sectional survey data on food patterns and nutrient intakes, and briefer data on physical activity, by various indicators of socio-economic status for countries across Europe. Factors are examined which underlie the outcome data seen. These include structural and material conditions and circumstances which contribute to excluding sociodemographic groups from participating in mainstream patterns of living. Trends in social and economic conditions, and their implications for nutritional and physical wellbeing are briefly outlined.


Psoriasis is resemblance to the Kitibha Kushta in Ayurvedic perspective and has a significant impact on a patient's quality of life. Kitibha is one of the common dermatological health issue found in Sri Lanka and the study has been focused to evaluate the efficacy of two herbal formulae in the management of Kitibha disease.  Fifty four years old male patient presented with Mandala (Erytromatous Plaque), Ruksha in the affected skin (Roughness of the skin), kandu (Itching), Twak Vidarana (scaling) along with Daha (burning Sensation) all over the body since 9 months, attended to the OPD in the Department of Kayachikitsa, National Ayurveda Hospital, Borella, Sri Lanka. The patient has been treated with Manibhadra Churna 10 mg morning and evening for consecutive 7days as internal medicine. At the end of the seventh day; Gandhakadi Taila has been applied as an external treatments for the lesions twice a day while Panchatikta Ghrita has been administrated 5 ml orally two times per day for  three weeks.  The visual Analog scale (VAS) has been adopted for the assessment of the efficacy of treatment regime. It was observed that end of the study period; clinical features of Kandu (Itching) Daha (Burning sensation) and Rakta Srava/ Rakta Pitika (Pin point bleeding) was reduced completely and 75% relief was showed in Vivarnatha (Discoloration of skin), Kina (dry scaling), Rukshata (Roughness) and Vruththan Vrudhimanthi (Elevation of the patches) accordingly. In view of the above it can be concluded that treatment protocol is effective in the management of kitibha Roga in Ayurveda perspective.


Hypotension occurring in the initial phase of resuscitation is significantly associated with increased mortality following brain injury, even when episodes are relatively short. A large amount of data exists in health care systems providing information on the major health indicators of patients in hospitals. It is believed that if enough of these data could be drawn together and analysed in a systematic way, then a system could be built that will trigger an alarm predicting the onset of a hypotensive event. In the paper the mathematical information algorithm based on the concept of the rank of a sequence is presented. For the analysis of hypotension physiology an application of a new algebraic method is proposed for real world time series analysis. Numerical experiments with a hypotension crisis prevention using arterial blood pressure time series are used to illustrate the potential of the proposed method. The algorithm for finding ranks of a sequence of the ECG parameters is presented in the paper in order to show complexity profiles. Experimental results show that presented in this paper method also can be used together with other hypotension prediction methods. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eie.22.2.13454


Sulfated zirconia hydroxide shaping by extrusion is studied based on elucidating the impact of zeta-potential and rheological characteristics on physical and chemical properties of technical catalysts. Zeta potential measurements of sulfated zirconium hydroxide prior and after poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) additions were made. Rheological curves of sulfated zirconium hydroxide suspensions with different amounts of PVA were recorded at different zeta-potential values. The addition of PVA nonlinearly decreased shear yield stress. Experimental data were quantified with the Krieger–Dougherty equation. The influence of a boehmite-type binder on the zeta-potential confirmed that the surface properties of the particles to a large extent are determined by the presence of binder. The pore structure of shaped catalysts was unaffected by rheological parameters when zeta-potential is close enough to zero. At the same time deviations of the zeta potential from the zero-value afforded more uniform pore size distribution.


There is increasing interest in the "sociology of translation", agents of translation, and the agency of translators in Translation Studies. But more research is needed on actual people involved in the production, distribution, and reception of translation, and factors affecting these inter-relations. In this article, my interest is in agency in the translation and production of James Morier's picaresque novel, The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan (1824) into Persian. Drawing on Persia's politics, society and culture of the 19th century, I contextualize both the English and the Persian texts and show how Mirza Habib Isfahani, the translator, intervened in the text in order to exercise his exilic agency. The translator's interventions in the text show that for him the ethics of political progress was more important than the ethics of fidelity to foreign text. The article also examines the agency of other translation agents: the English Major in charge of the editing and publication of the Persian translation in Calcutta; and a Persian dissident and copyist whose tragic death transformed his posthumous agency from a cross-border copyist to a misidentified translator for more than 50 years.


Cloud computing has been a cost-efficient paradigm for deploying various applications in datacenters in recent years. Therefore, efficient provisioning for virtual data center (VDC) requests from different service providers (SPs) over physical data centers plays a vital role in improving the quality of service (QoS) and reducing the operational cost of SPs. Therefore, a significant attention has been paid for the VDC provisioning problem. However, few approaches have been proposed for the problem of reliable VDC embedding across multiple data centers, as most of them only consider the problem of VDC mapping within a single data center. In this paper, we study the problem of QoS-aware VDC provisioning across multiple data centers, such that the total bandwidth consumption in the inter-data center backbone network is minimized while satisfying the reliability requirement of each VDC request. We formulate this problem as a mathematical optimization problem by using integer linear programming (ILP) and propose an efficient heuristic algorithm called reliable VDC embedding (RVDCE) algorithm to solve this NP-hard problem. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs better in terms of blocking ratio, CPU resource consumption, and bandwidth consumption of backbone network than the existing solution. In addition, this paper has also incorporated integrated security to minimize security vulnerabilities seen in other similar approaches. Apart from demonstrating how to resolve security challenges in our VDC proposal, cost calculations have been implemented to demonstrate the robustness, resiliency, validity, and effectiveness of the VDC provisioning solution for cloud computing.


The indoor experimental study was on a large common species of filamentous green algae in the North Lake beach of Chongming Island - bristles algae liquid produced by algae growth during the photodegradation of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) spectral characteristics change. Absorption coefficient a (355) in the degradation experiment was reduced 27.44% , however , in the control experiment , a (355) was only 1.61% lower. In the photodegradation process of degradation experiments and control experiments, the values of M and S were increased to the different extent and the increased value of the former was higher than the latter. By using three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (EEMS), the detected peak value of protein-and humic fluorescence in control experiments was little changed, while significantly increased in the degradation experiments. By the analysis of parallel factor model (PARAFAC) combined with three-dimensional fluorescence excitation - emission matrix data (EEMS), the three-component CDOM: C1, C2, C3, respectively were relative to humic fluorescence peaks A, C, and protein-like fluorescence B. In the degradation experiments, small changes were in the components of C1, however the components of C2, C3 compared with those in the control group were increased by nearly 2 times. All results showed that the photodegradation process of bristles algae liquid can cause changes of the CDOM in the structure and content, easier to produce small molecules and weak aromatic CDOM.


This minireview's primary focus is to review recent studies from my research program on the development of one-pot, two-step processes for the synthesis of di- and tri-block polymers. In all of these prepared polymeric materials at least one component is a polycarbonate derived from the copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides. Synthetic methodology for the preparation of polycarbonate diols of well-defined molecular weights with narrow polydispersities are presented using (salen)CoX/onium salt catalyst systems. These polyols were subsequently utilized in the synthesis of di-and tri-block polylactide/polycarbonate or polyphosphoester/polycarbonate polymers employing organocatalysts. In addition, the introduction of these polyols to a second epoxide/CO2 copolymerization process provided block polycarbonate materials. Of particular interest, the first or second epoxide monomer incorporated into the copolymer can possess vinyl groups for postpolymerization modification by thiol–ene chemistry. These degradable polymeric materials have significant potential for use in biomedical applications.


Information and communications technologies (ICTs) have transformed the lives of many people around the world, yet billions remain unconnected. While many initiatives attempt to "connect the unconnected," initiatives focused on access and skills-development alone will still fall short. Based on the authors' experience with the SolarSPELL initiative, this study aims to propose using the concept of socio-technical awareness as a step forward in conceptualizing a more accurate picture of capabilities necessary to enable people to make meaningful use of the internet.,This paper uses an integrative literature review for the ideas related to the digital divide, digital inclusion and digital literacies, as well as the applied work of the authors in the SolarSPELL initiative, to develop the concept of socio-technical awareness, which is presented as a method for understanding empowered, meaningful internet use.,The argument is made that access, skills- and literacy-development are necessary but insufficient conditions for meaningful ICTs use. Accordingly, a third concept, socio-technical awareness, is introduced, and the case is made for including this concept in both application and measurement of meaningful use of ICTs.,The design of digital inclusion initiatives should focus on increasing socio-technical awareness to empower users to make meaningful use of digital technologies.,Taking a step further than most assessments of the digital divide or digital inclusion, this study proposes that to achieve meaningful internet use, people need access, requisite skills development and socio-technical awareness, to be able to make informed, empowered decisions about ICT use.


Since the mid-1980s, tobacco companies have intensified market expansion strategies in several African countries. They have used music to target youths and children. They organised fashion shows to entice women into smoking. They offered kids free cigarettes on the streets and for a very long time undermined efforts by governments to put in place effective tobacco legislation. They actively participated in the smuggling of tobacco products into the continent. Worse still, tobacco companies persuaded some African governments to promote tobacco cultivation as a major source of foreign earnings. And in recent years, the tobacco industry has resorted to using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to massage its image and cover its tracks. British American Tobacco (BAT), which is the focus of this paper, had a virtual monopoly in parts of Africa, both in terms of tobacco manufacturing and sales of cigarettes. In eleven African countries BAT had more than a 90% share of the cigarette market. This paper examines some of the health, social and economic impacts of BAT's activities in Africa from 1985 to 2010 using Cameroon as a case study. The paper concludes that though the full effects of rising tobacco consumption (namely a steep rise in smoking-induced illness and premature death) was at the dawn of the 21 st century, Africa was already in the grip of a major tobacco epidemic. There is no doubt therefore that, BAT's heavy footprint on the African continent wreaked havoc on the economy, health and welfare of the people, thus partially contributing to the non-realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were designed to help the world's poorest people.


There has been extensive research conducted on the importance of corporate governance around the world. The research seems to demonstrate that, regardless of whether corporations are based in common law or civil code systems, their longevity and sustainability arise from good corporate governance. However, the evidence does not clearly demonstrate a correlation between a particular organisation's governance structure and practices and its share price. Around the world the question of board diversity is gaining in importance. The beginning of the debate in the 1960s centred on gender. While it is essential to conduct a debate on gender diversity, other aspects of diversity should also be considered. Race, culture and even age may have a direct impact on the performance of a board. Australian companies, particularly those listed on the ASX, have a poor record of instituting any type of diversity. The USA and European Union have a much wider range of policies to promote diversity on corporate boards. The key question is how best to regulate to promote diversity across gender, race, culture and age. The historical approach of regulating diversity by setting targets and requiring disclosure does not seem to have delivered substantial change. Is it the right time to impose mandatory requirements, or are there other alternative strategies? Without doubt change is required, but there will be opposition.


Free Space Optical (FSO) Communication uses light propagation in free space (air, outer space, and vacuum) to wirelessly transmit data for telecommunications and communication networking. FSO Communication is a key wireless and high-bandwidth technology for high speed large-capacity terrestrial and aerospace communications, which is often chosen as a complement or alternative to radio frequency communication. The propagating optical wave can be influenced negatively by random atmospheric changes such as wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, and pressure, thermal expansion, earthquakes, and high-rise buildings. This edited book covers the principles, challenges, methodologies, techniques, and applications of Free Space Optical Communication for an audience of engineers, researchers, scientists, designers, and advanced students.


Background: Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used to fix a tissue after death or removal from the body to prevent autolysis and putrefaction. Exposure to formaldehyde can occur as a result of occupation. Objective: To determine the effect of the formaldehyde on the throat and nasal flora of upper respiratory tract of rabbits and humans were examined in this study. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the College of Health Sciences (Mercyland campus) and Teaching Hospital of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo. Ten rabbits and 25 human subjects were used. Throat and nasal swabs were taken from these rabbits exposed to different concentrations of formaldehyde and human subjects exposed to formaldehyde as a result of occupational exposure and non exposed individuals. Bacterial count was done using Miles and Mistral method. Microbial culture was done using the traditional cultural techniques. Results: Culture yielded growth of different species of microorganisms, majority of which were bacterial species. Bacterial counts showed reductions both in normal flora of upper respiratory tract of rabbits and humans. The reduction in the normal flora of humans was found to be statistically significant. While reduction in the normal flora of rabbits was significant when compared between controls and those exposed to 10% formaldehyde, but were not significant between controls and those exposed to 100% formaldehyde. Conclusion: This study concluded that there was significant reduction in the normal flora of humans and rabbits exposed to formaldehyde compared to non-exposed humans and rabbits. Key words: Formalin, formaldehyde, normal flora, Upper respiratory tract


Magnesium alloys containing Mg 2 Si particles, as a promising low cost heat-resistant magnesium alloy for automobile engine applications, are attracting more and more attention of both material scientists and design engineers. Refinement of the Chinese script Mg 2 Si particle is a key for using this kind of alloy in sand casting or permanent mould casting. In the present work, a new type of heat-resistant magnesium alloy with low cost based on Mg-Al-Zn-Si was developed. The effect of Sb addition and mischmetal (MM, a mixture of rare-earth, RE elements) microaddition to a Mg-Al-Zn-Si alloy was investigated systematically from the viewpoints of microstructure, solidification process, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Microstructure observation revealed that Sb promoted the formation of fine polygonal type Mg 2 Si particles by providing the nucleation sites. Meanwhile, the grain sizes of modified Mg-Al-Zn-Si-Sb alloy are much finer than those of base alloy. Such improved microstructure brings about the significant improvement in tensile properties, toughness and creep resistance at elevated temperatures up to 200°C, which is superior to or comparable to AE42 alloy. Moreover, the corrosion resistance of the new alloy is improved significantly by the MM microaddition.


Non-linear analysis of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block masonry composite wall with reinforced concrete (RC) core columns has been conducted using finite element software ABAQUS. First, the numerical results from finite element analysis were verified with laboratory results of full-scale AAC masonry wall specimens. Effects of vertical stress on seismic performance were investigated. The analysis indicates that lateral load capacity of the wall is affected by the openings greatly and increased with the increase of vertical stress. The effect of vertical stress on the wall without openings is more obvious than that with openings.


Recently, questions about the extent of thinning, the sustainability of forest management practices, and the compatibility with other uses were raised by the media, agency personnel, and environmental groups. In response, University of California Cooperative Extension and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Natural Resources Management Department collaborated to address these issues. In March 2006, a questionnaire was mailed to landowners of properties greater than 100 acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey counties. A total of 2,786 questionnaires were mailed, with 450 completed and returned (16 percent). The respondents were highly educated, holding degrees in areas other than agriculture or natural resources. Most landowners earned degrees in biology, business, education, law, engineering, or medicine. Over 60 percent of respondents were opposed to any county ordinance. However, 71 percent of respondents said oaks are "important" for their aesthetic value, which indicates support for oak protection. Responding landowners feared the loss of private property rights, and felt that government should not interfere with management on private property. Nearly 73 percent of respondents to our survey make less than 25 percent of their income from their land. Landowners rated their knowledge of oak products marketing, laws and regulations (e.g., Forest Practices Act), forest health (e.g., Sudden Oak Death), and available consulting services as especially poor. A majority of landowners who responded to the survey did not know how to get more information on oak woodland management. The workshop presented on August 17, 2006, in San Luis Obispo, was designed to respond to issues and information needs identified by central coast landowners as well as to provide the latest scientific findings and policies regarding oak woodland management.


The processes of voltage distortion variations which are characterized by such electric power quality indices as harmonic voltages and voltage unbalance are random. The paper shows that in power networks with different types of loads these random processes are characterized by correlation functions of different types with different numerical values of their parameters. To obtain the necessary level of measurement accuracy, the sampling rate within the period of the power network voltage and the amount of the sample during measurement in each concrete case must be different. The research revealed that neglecting the random process features in the measurement of the levels of the above-mentioned electric power quality indices may sometimes reach tens of percent. In addition, errors of voltage harmonics measurement in high-voltage power networks appear due to the nonlinearity of the frequency response of the voltage transformers. These errors can be over ten percent also. The possible large values of the measurement errors, caused by the two factors mentioned above, show the expediency of smart meters which can automatically correct the measurement results.


The use of dimension stone was commonplace in turn of the century churches and St. George's in Shenandoah, PA, is an example of granite and limestone construction set in the anthracite belt of Eastern Pennsylvania. The structure's two towers, over 100 feet tall, have recently succumbed to age, the elements, and poor long-term repairs and maintenance that veiled shifting limestone and granite. Early detection did not occur due to the lack of periodic inspection following ASTM's Standard E 2270 "Standard Practice for Periodic Inspection of Building Facades for Unsafe Conditions," and the oldest Lithuanian Catholic Church in the United States has temporarily closed. Field observations have revealed a variety of failures. Limestone and the front entrance has outwardly displaced from the mass masonry brick backup nearly 1 in. at several locations. Granite masonry at the top of the towers has outwardly displaced 3/4 in. and has caused adjacent decorative limestone elements to displace up to 2 in. away from the wall. Spalled fragments of limestone of different sizes have fallen to the ground from varying heights at the rate of nearly one piece per month during recent years. A condition assessment examining the masonry deficiencies has been completed and the building now faces substantial repair options that may impact the building's operational viability.


Light and the circadian clock are two essential external and internal cues affecting seedling development. COLD-REGULATED GENE27 (COR27), which is regulated by cold temperatures and light signals, functions as a key regulator of the circadian clock. Here, we report that COR27 acts as a negative regulator of light signaling. COR27 physically interacts with the CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1)-SUPPRESSOR OF PHYTOCHROME A1 (SPA1) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex and undergoes COP1-mediated degradation via the 26S proteasome system in the dark. cor27 mutant seedlings exhibit shorter hypocotyls, while transgenic lines overexpressing COR27 show elongated hypocotyls in the light. In addition, light induces the accumulation of COR27. On one hand, accumulated COR27 interacts with ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5) to repress HY5 DNA binding activity. On the other hand, COR27 associates with the chromatin at the PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4) promoter region and upregulates PIF4 expression in a circadian clock-dependent manner. Together, our findings reveal a mechanistic framework whereby COR27 represses photomorphogenesis in the light and provide insights toward how light and the circadian clock synergistically control hypocotyl growth.