BACKGROUND
Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may require surgery, which may result in higher risk of infertility. Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal anal pouch anastomosis (IPAA) may increase infertility, but the degree to which IPAA affects infertility remains unclear, and the impact of other surgical interventions on infertility is unknown.

OBJECTIVES
Primary objective• To determine the effects of surgical interventions for IBD on female infertility.Secondary objectives• To evaluate the impact of surgical interventions on the need for assisted reproductive technology (ART), time to pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, mode of delivery (spontaneous vaginal, instrumental vaginal, or Caesarean section), infant requirement for resuscitation and neonatal intensive care, low and very low birth weight, small for gestational age, antenatal and postpartum hemorrhage, retained placenta, postpartum depression, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension/preeclampsia.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and the Cochrane IBD Group Specialized Register from inception to September 27, 2018, to identify relevant studies. We also searched references of relevant articles, conference abstracts, grey literature, and trials registers.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included observational studies that compared women of reproductive age (≥ 12 years of age) who underwent surgery to women with IBD who had a different type of surgery or no surgery (i.e. treated medically). We also included studies comparing women before and after surgery. Any type of IBD-related surgery was permitted. Infertility was defined as an inability to become pregnant following 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Infertility at 6, 18, and 24 months was included as a secondary outcome. We excluded studies that included women without IBD and those comparing women with IBD to women without IBD..

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently screened studies and extracted data. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess bias and GRADE to assess the overall certainty of evidence. We calculated the pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using random-effects models. When individual studies reported odds ratios (ORs) and did not provide raw numbers, we pooled ORs instead.

MAIN RESULTS
We identified 16 observational studies for inclusion. Ten studies were included in meta-analyses, of which nine compared women with and without a previous IBD-related surgery and the other compared women with open and laparoscopic IPAA. Of the ten studies included in meta-analyses, four evaluated infertility, one evaluated ART, and seven reported on pregnancy-related outcomes. Seven studies in which women were compared before and after colectomy and/or IPAA were summarized qualitatively, of which five included a comparison of infertility, three included the use of ART, and three included other pregnancy-related outcomes. One study included a comparison of women with and without IPAA, as well as before and after IPAA, and was therefore included in both the meta-analysis and the qualitative summary. All studies were at high risk of bias for at least two domains.We are very uncertain of the effect of IBD surgery on infertility at 12 months (RR 5.45, 95% CI 0.41 to 72.57; 114 participants; 2 studies) and at 24 months (RR 3.59, 95% CI 1.32 to 9.73; 190 participants; 1 study). Infertility was lower in women who received laparoscopic surgery compared to open restorative proctocolectomy at 12 months (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.27; 37 participants; 1 study).We are very uncertain of the effect of IBD surgery on pregnancy-related outcomes, including miscarriage (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.60; 776 pregnancies; 5 studies), use of ART (RR 25.09, 95% CI 1.56 to 403.76; 106 participants; 1 study), delivery via Caesarean section (RR 2.23, 95% CI 1.00 to 4.95; 20 pregnancies; 1 study), stillbirth (RR 1.96, 95% CI 0.42 to 9.18; 246 pregnancies; 3 studies), preterm birth (RR 1.91, 95% CI 0.67 to 5.48; 194 pregnancies; 3 studies), low birth weight (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.08 to 4.83), and small for gestational age (RR 2.54, 95% CI 0.80 to 8.01; 65 pregnancies; 1 study).Studies comparing infertility before and after IBD-related surgery reported numerically higher rates of infertility at six months (before: 1/5, 20.0%; after: 9/15, 60.0%; 1 study), at 12 months (before: 68/327, 20.8%; after: 239/377, 63.4%; 5 studies), and at 24 months (before: 14/89, 15.7%; after: 115/164, 70.1%; 2 studies); use of ART (before: 5.3% to 42.2%; after: 30.3% to 34.3%; proportions varied across studies due to differences in which women were identified as at risk of using ART); and delivery via Caesarean section (before: 8/73, 11.0%; after: 36/75, 48.0%; 2 studies). In addition, women had a longer time to conception after surgery (two to five months; 2 studies) than before surgery (5 to 16 months; 2 studies). The proportions of women experiencing miscarriage (before: 19/123, 15.4%; after: 21/134, 15.7%; 3 studies) and stillbirth (before: 2/38, 5.3%; after: 3/80: 3.8%; 2 studies) were similar before and after surgery. Fewer women experienced gestational diabetes after surgery (before: 3/37, 8.1%; after: 0/37; 1 study), and the risk of preeclampsia was similar before and after surgery (before: 2/37, 5.4%; after: 0/37; 1 study). We are very uncertain of the effects of IBD-related surgery on these outcomes due to poor quality evidence, including confounding bias due to increased age of women after surgery.We rated evidence for all outcomes and comparisons as very low quality due to the observational nature of the data, inclusion of small studies with imprecise estimates, and high risk of bias among included studies.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The effect of surgical therapy for IBD on female infertility is uncertain. It is also uncertain if there are any differences in infertility among those undergoing open versus laparoscopic procedures. Previous surgery was associated with higher risk of miscarriage, use of ART, Caesarean section delivery, and giving birth to a low birth weight infant, but was not associated with risk of stillbirth, preterm delivery, or delivery of a small for gestational age infant. These findings are based on very low-quality evidence. As a result, definitive conclusions cannot be made, and future well-designed studies are needed to fully understand the impact of surgery on infertility and pregnancy outcomes.


Educational literature was reviewed from elementary through college levels including nursing programs. Findings are inconclusive regarding effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on learning and attitude, and limited research is available regarding learning effectiveness of CAI with group instruction, especially large-group instruction. Research findings relative to interactive video instruction (IVI) also are limited, although findings reveal a generally positive attitude toward IVI as an instructional strategy. Finally, limited findings suggest that group instruction is more time efficient without a loss of cognitive achievement. Therefore, if group instruction is at least as effective as individual instruction, implications for cost-containment exist. In summary, further research is needed regarding the effectiveness of CAI and IVI on learning and attitude using individual, small-group, and large-group instruction.


This thesis is an exploration of how the use of temporary agency work in French car plants
modifies the experience and mechanisms of labour control in the labour process. Over the last
decade, car manufacturers in France have made extensive use of this form of employment,
despite regulations which restrict the use of agency labour to exceptional circumstances. Legal
challenges aimed at reclassifying temporary agency contracts into permanent employment
contracts have revealed that some agency workers have accumulated many years of
employment as an agency worker with user-company. The presence of significant proportions of
agency workers on assembly lines for long periods of time has implications for the labourcapital
relation on the shopfloor. Precarious working conditions for low-skilled workers are
assumed to affect the capacity of workers to negotiate relations on the shop-floor. The thesis
employs a conceptual framework based upon Burawoy's (1985) theory of production politics to
examine the specific way in which the triadic relationship between the temporary agency
worker, temporary employment agency and user-organisation modifies the factory regime
within which temporary agency workers labour. Starting from an analysis of the macro- and
meso-level development of the post-war French state and of the key economic sectors that
constitute the "politics of production", the thesis focuses on the PSA Peugeot-Citroen plant in
Aulnay-sous-Bois as a case study, and combines interview data with other qualitative (textual)
data. The research finds that temporary agency workers in the car sector respond to their
employment situation in a more complex way than studies of coercion and consent in the labour
process suggest. Employment insecurity and the "duality of control" which flows from the
triadic relationship upon which the temporary agency contract rests gives rise to a factory
regime more conducive to compliance/coercion than consent. However, the "traces of consent"
identified by the research illustrate the complex nature of hegemony and despotism in the labour
process. Drawing on the findings of the empirical data in the context of France, the thesis
develops the concept of hegemonic despotism by examining how hegemonic despotism is
expressed across a variety of employment contexts. The thesis identifies a tension between
adverse conditions of employment and hegemonic practices, such as the formal adhesion to
"soft" models of HRM, alongside the recasting of norms of employment to fit the requirements
of contemporary capital accumulation.


This fascinating and highly relevant book facilitates discussion on the difficult technical, legal and economic issues with respect to innovation, competition and welfare raised, through the span of more than a decade, by the US and EC Microsoft antitrust cases. It assesses their impact on the evolution of European and US laws on competition and intellectual property in the IT sector and beyond.


Countries hosting large numbers of refugees often face immense challenges in providing sufficient economic opportunities, and access to basic services. Competition over limited resources can lead to tension and conflict between host and refugee populations. Increases in social tensions have typically been associated with limited social cohesion and inclusion. Jordan is a case in point: with a population of 7.6 million, the country was hosting more than 650,000 Syrian refugees in 2016, most of whom lived in urban areas. To this end, this article explores perceptions of social cohesion among youth (age 18-35) as well as short-term changes over the past two years. Using novel data from an online survey, the article presents evidence of a modest decrease in overall social cohesion in Jordan. At the same time however, young people want to be actors of change and have a clear desire for more civic participation in their communities. Frequently mentioned barriers are a lack of public spaces and limited knowledge regarding possibilities to more actively engage. The results further point to opportunities to strengthen social cohesion between host and refugee youth by supporting joint programs by age and interest, as identities of young people are less driven by nationality, ethnicity or religion, and primarily by age group and interest. While quite encouraging, these findings underscore the importance of further monitoring changes in social cohesion over time.


Rapid sequential taps delivered first to one location and then to another on the skin create the somatosensory illusion that the tapping is occurring at intermediate locations between the actual stimulus sites, as if a small rabbit were hopping along the skin from the first site to the second (called the "cutaneous rabbit"). Previous behavioral studies have attributed this illusion to the early unimodal somatosensory body map. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study recently confirmed the association of the illusion with somatotopic activity in the primary somatosensory cortex. Thus, the cutaneous rabbit illusion has been confined to one's own body. In the present paper, however, we show that the cutaneous rabbit can "hop out of the body" onto an external object held by the subject. We delivered rapid sequential taps to the left and right index fingers. When the subjects held a stick such that it was laid across the tips of their index fingers and received the taps via the stick, they reported sensing the illusory taps in the space between the actual stimulus locations (i.e., along the stick). This suggests that the cutaneous rabbit effect involves not only the intrinsic somatotopic representation but also the representation of the extended body schema that results from body–object interactions.


Dihydrogen phosphate anions are found to spontaneously associate into anti-electrostatic oligomers via hydrogen bonding interactions at millimolar concentrations in DMSO. Diffusion NMR measurements supported formation of these oligomers, which can be bound by photoswitchable anion receptors to form large bridged assemblies of approximately three times the volume of the unbound receptor. Photoisomerization of the oligomer-bound receptor causes a decrease in diffusion coefficient of up to 16%, corresponding to a 70% increase in effective volume. This new approach to external control of diffusion opens prospects in controlling molecular transport.


The introduction of the Act on Quality, Complaints and Disputes in Health care (WKKGZ) on 1 January 2016, brings changes for physicians in the Netherlands. Even though not all the implications of the Act are yet known, it is clear that the new provisions on quality entail a substantial increase in the administrative workload. With respect to the right of complaint a great deal will change for physicians and other care providers. Independent complaints committees are no longer mandatory. They are to be replaced by dispute settlement authorities that are able to make binding decisions with the possibility of awarding damages for patient claims. The legal position of physicians is not satisfactorily regulated in a well-balanced way in all areas, and deserves further attention.


Abstract Objective: To synthesize evidence of the effectiveness of socio-ecological resilience rehabilitation programs on returning to work (RTW), self-efficacy, and stress mitigation following traumatic physical injuries. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Proquest, Cinahl, Web of Science, Clinical Trials Database, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro tool. Study selection: Randomized interventions aimed at promoting resilience. Data extraction: Twenty one studies were reviewed (11,904 participants). Data from 19 studies of high methodological quality were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. Mean differences for continuous outcomes and risk ratios for binary outcomes were calculated. Data synthesis: Resilience rehabilitation programs significantly increased the likelihood of ever RTW (OR 2.09, 95% CI 0.99–4.44, p = 0.05), decreased the number of days taken to return to work (mean difference –7.80, 95% CI –13.16 to –2.45, p ≤ 0.001), and increased total self-efficacy scores (mean difference 5.19, 95% CI 3.12–7.26, p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses found that favorable return to work outcomes resulted from programs involving workplace support (p < 0.001) and for people with musculoskeletal or orthopedic injuries (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Compared to rehabilitation programs providing standard care following injuries, programs aimed at developing resilience could improve reemployment outcomes and self-efficacy. Implications for rehabilitation Individual resilience may be an important factor promoting functional recovery after traumatic injury. Resilience rehabilitation programs are effective in enabling patients' return to work and increasing their self efficacy. In particular, programs involving the workplace are important components for enabling optimal work participation outcomes.


Waste is an integral part of our lives and over the years environmental awareness has increased. Ever since joining the European Union in 2004, Malta has been trying hard to conform to European standards as requested by legislation. Improvements have been registered in several sectors; however the management of waste pharmaceuticals has not yet been given the right importance. Inappropriate disposal of pharmaceutical waste is resulting in serious repercussions on all living organisms and the environment. Various studies demonstrate serious adverse effects that will result if immediate action is not taken to properly manage pharmaceutical waste. This dissertation draws findings of a scientific study on the current pharmaceutical waste management practices in pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, community pharmacies and households in Malta; with the latter two also compared to practices in Bonn, Germany. A guidance plan for the interdisciplinary management of consumers' pharmaceutical waste is proposed.


Continuous and progressive technological changes based on scientific-technical revolution have become common under modern globalization processes. They gradually destroy the traditional distinction between low and high-tech sectors and shift the general vector of development of the country from static, temporary comparative advantages to innovation-based dynamic competitive advantage. In other words, innovation is becoming a significant resource that determines a competitive advantage of a country and is essential for achieving efficient and rapid improvement of welfare of a society. What is business innovation? How does innovationinfluence business development and its management in the country? In modern global business management success can't be achieved without application and proper management of up-to-date technologies. As a result, in recent years, scientists have paid special interest to the importance of technology and scientific and technological progress in business development.


: The craniofacial structure in 44 pairs of like-sexed twins discordant for cleft of the lip and/or palate was investigated using lateral cephalometric radiographs. While only a slight rotation of the mandible was evident in the twins having cleft lip, more extensive rotation of the mandible was found in the twins discordant for unilateral cleft lip and palate. Larger, though generally non-significant, changes were recorded for the twins affected with bilateral cleft lip and palate. In the twins discordant for cleft palate only, statistically significant differences were found for maxillary length, mandibular corpus length, cranial base flexure (Ar-S-Na), horizontal and vertical positioning of the posterior maxilla, mandibular plane angle, and gonial angle. Although the effect of sex on the within twin differences was not statistically significant, the effects of age, zygosity, and cleft type were. It is suggested that there is an increasing degree of dysmorphism, with increasing severity of clefting from cleft lip only to bilateral cleft lip palate.


Global policy commitments to refugee protection are shaped by ever-growing pressures, from displacements triggered by conflicts, extremism and climate crisis to domestic fear-based politics. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments were increasingly embracing exclusionary policies, defying the rights of asylum-seekers and refugees stalled in protracted camp settlements. While such policies contrast starkly with core principles espoused in the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Global Compact on Refugees, restrictions on refugees intensified further during the pandemic. This article discusses struggles shaped by these trajectories, drawing on policy analysis and experiences articulated in Tongogara Refugee Camp in Zimbabwe, where displaced people have recently endured impacts of climate disasters along with greater constraints on mobility and the hardening of international borders. We highlight divergences between colonial policy orientations and African philosophies such as Ubuntu that prioritize communal values and humanity towards others. Analysing concerns around encampment and barriers both to resettlement and local integration, we stress that the talents, contributions and fundamental rights of refugees should not be ignored by policy makers, who also need to be attentive to the social and ecological challenges experienced in refugee spaces. Exploring constraints of the various 'durable solutions', we draw attention to how uncertainties facing displaced people need to be critically approached as multi-scalar policy matters, beckoning attention to insufficiently met commitments linked with the Global Compact on Refugees, ways of mobilizing resistance to contemporary colonial bordering and support for refugee-led initiatives. © 2022 The Authors. Global Policy published by Durham University and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.


This publication complements the landmark BBC series "My Life in Verse", making our official tie-in anthology available as a paperback. It includes poetry from Yeats, Tennyson, Blake, Larkin, E.E. Cummings, Don Paterson, Roald Dahl, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more. Within the anthology are poems chosen by actress Sheila Hancock exploring human relationships, most poignantly the death of her husband John Thaw; comic Robert Webb has selected the modern verse that inspires him; musician Cerys Matthews celebrates the rich verse of Wales, Ireland and Scotland; and, writer Malorie Blackman chooses the rich variety of multicultural poetry that has spoken to her.


Environment and sustainability are key issues for the policy maker. A policy should be first designed and realistically inserted in his proper context (regional, national, european) in order to be correctly assessed. After that, suitable models need to be choose consistently with the policy context and with the evaluation purpose, to make easier the policy maker task. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly to propose a Statistical Information System (SIS) approach in order to correctly write the policy and verify its internal and external consistency, secondly to conceive model building with an evaluation purpose and not only with an analytical one. It means that the model could be able to produce indicators useful to monitoring the policy other then macro indicators whose function is to verify its long term sustainability. We apply these concepts to a specific regional environmental policy - the premium/penalty system conceived to implement the separate collection in waste management. The SIS approach allows us to verify the quality of disposable information, to complete and eventually integrate them with ad hoc surveys, in order to build the environmental extended Social Accounting Matrix, the ESAM. Our modeling, evaluation oriented, aims at verify the policy effects in the long term, i.e. looking at structural change concerning all institutional sectors (households, firms and government).


We previously reported in a retrospective study that CEA-based RT-PCR was useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with node-negative colorectal cancer. RT-PCR is well established for laboratory use, but many issues remain to be resolved prior to its clinical application. In addition to the false positive rate of RT-PCR, we addressed several issues, including the timing of lymph node sampling, stability of RNA after surgery, and reproducibility of results. After appropriate modification, including development of a tissue sampling kit, a multi-institutional clinical study was commenced prospectively from November 2001, and 100 patients were enrolled for examination of micrometastasis. RNA was stable in lymph nodes for up to 3 h after surgical resection. This range of sampling time was acceptable to the surgeons. RNA was well preserved in RNA later at -20 degrees C for 3 weeks. Dilutions of MKN45 and LoVo cells served as positive controls for conventional PCR since these controls were found to be highly stable and ensured reproducibility. Moreover, simultaneous use of quantitative PCR (Light Cycler) ensured double confirmation of the results. Our clinical study showed that the quality of RNA was excellent or good in most samples (98 of 100; 98%). Twenty-four of 98 (24.5%) cases were judged to be micrometastasis-positive. In conclusion, the current translational research study established a clinically feasible RT-PCR system for micrometastasis. Our system could potentially be useful as a clinical tool.


Two-dimensional imaging of OH radicals in a premixed CH4/O2 flame by polarization spectroscopy is reported. Polarization spectroscopy was applied in a copropagating geometry with linearly polarized pump and probe beams. The images were measured with the laser frequency tuned to resonance with the Q1(9) A2Σ−X2Π(0, 0) transition of OH. The signal dependence on the crossing angle between the pump and probe beams was also studied. The possibilities for two-dimensional temperature mapping were demonstrated by measuring images at two different rotational lines and by extracting the temperature map from these measurements.


A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters degree in Business Administration (corporate management) of Mzumbe University


Low-power wireless networks provide IPv6 connectivity through 6LoWPAN, a set of standards to aggressively compress IPv6 packets over small maximum transfer unit (MTU) links such as 802.15.4.The entire purpose of IP was to interconnect different networks, but we find that different 6LoWPAN implementations fail to reliably communicate with one another. These failures are due to stacks implementing different subsets of the standard out of concern for code size. We argue that this failure stems from 6LoWPAN's design, not implementation, and is due to applying traditional Internet protocol design principles to low- power networks.We propose three design principles for Internet protocols on low-power networks, designed to prevent similar failures in the future. These principles are based around the importance of providing flexible tradeoffs between code size and energy efficiency. We apply these principles to 6LoWPAN and show that the modified protocol provides a wide range of implementation strategies while allowing implementations with different strategies to reliably communicate.


Focused ion beam and dual platform systems are versatile tools for nanoengineering and nanoscience applications. These systems complement conventional processing methods and can be used to prototype and modify a diverse range of nano-devices and sensors. This article discusses FIB nanofabrication and compares it with other fabrication techniques such as electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. Aspects such as the minimum feature size and side wall profiles are discussed and compared. In addition, the limitations and detrimental effects of FIB processes are discussed.


Independent samples of 261 women and 138 men in San José, Costa Rica, were screened for involvement in committed sexual relationships during the past year, but not with each other. Females reported on victimization by spousal aggression and males on perpetration. Family structure parameters were also assessed: (1) local density of female kin, (2) local density of male kin, (3) social support provided by local kin, (4) socioeconomic status of close kin, and (5) "culture of honor" (COH) revenge ideology. Previously documented effects of partner mate value on spousal abuse were crossculturally replicated, but the interactive effects of male kin density previously documented in Hermosillo, Sonora, did not predict family deterrence of spousal abuse in San José, Costa Rica. A recent cross-cultural survey had found that San José, Costa Rica, situated within a predominantly farming region, was relatively low in COH but that Hermosillo, Sonora, situated within a predominantly herding region, was relatively high in COH. Thus, individual convictions, such as a personal code of honor, may be ineffective outside of a supportive social context. Individuals with high COH, acting within a low-COH social context, were unable to project the influence they normally exert within a supportive, high-COH, social context.


The South African Judicial Service Commission (JSC), considered to be exemplary for its independence, plays a pivotal part in judicial appointments. Yet the Commission has long been marred by tensions that have lately erupted into a full-blown conflict between those who could here be referred to as the transformationists, on the one hand, and the liberals, on the other. The transformationists, who may generally be regarded as falling within the sphere of influence of the ruling elite under the African National Congress (ANC), are bent on pursuing the policy of transformation. Hence they insist that the composition of the bench must reflect the national population profile and on individual judges' pursuing the ruling party's ideological goals. The liberals reject this as a threat to judicial independence and the professional competence of the judiciary. On close analysis the clash is based on incompatible interpretations of judicial independence and impartiality. This article is a critique of these interpretations against the backdrop of an assessment of what these notions can reasonably be expected to achieve. It is argued that the liberals are harbouring unrealistic views about judiciaries, believing them to wield power which may even extend over matters of political significance, powers on a par with or even outweighing those of the political branches. However, on proper analysis it is clear that the judiciary is in fact, firstly, inherently weak and dependent on the support of the political branches; and, secondly, it is integrated into the ruling elite with whom they share the same ideological assumptions without any inclination to oppose them. Hence, the impartiality of the courts, when it comes to politically sensitive issues, is distinctively politically (regime) relative and ideologically conditioned. Ironically the transformationists have bought into the liberals' erroneous belief in the potency of the courts (in the above-mentioned sense) and they fear, without foundation, for the political risks the courts might be posing to the ruling elite. This fear is based on an exaggerated vision of the far-reaching consequences that they ascribe to judicial independence and impartiality, believing it to render the judiciary a formidable political force on a par with the political branches. The transformationists would therefore go to extreme lengths to secure an amenable judiciary. This is exemplified by their rather improper insistence that the best candidates need not be appointed, thus compromising even the (limited) independence and impartiality which courts, on a realistic assessment, should have. In doing this the transformationists show a serious lack of appreciation of the distinctive professional nature of the judiciary, whose independence, impartiality and effectiveness are rooted not in political might but in the exceptional professional competence of the incumbents on the bench, who should be drawn from the best candidates the legal professional can produce.


This book highlights the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health needs of children and adolescents in order to shed light on future practice and reform needed to better deal with the aftermath of such devastating events. The book identifies the conditions during any public health crisis that heighten the mental health needs of children and adolescents and suggests the reforms of mental health services needed to better meet the needs of children and youths during and following pandemics and other public health crises. Importance is placed not only on addressing the effects of COVID-19 but on anticipating and preparing for other public health disruptions to the lives of those who have not reached adulthood. Although mental health services in all settings are considered, special attention is given to the role of schools in providing for the mental health of children and adolescents and preparing for the mental health implications of future public health disruptions. The book will be of equal use to both students and researchers in the fields of mental health, well-being, and education as well as teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, and practitioners working in schools and communities to address students' mental health needs. It will help readers better understand how and why COVID-19 was a negative influence on students' mental health, and unpack how best to deal with the aftermath of the pandemic. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, James M. Kauffman and Jeanmarie Badar;individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.


Game theory has been an effective tool to generate solutions for decision making in fisheries involving multiple countries and fleets. Here, we use a coupled bio-economic model based on a Baltic Sea dynamic multispecies food web model called BALMAR and, we compare non-cooperative (NC) and cooperative game (Grand Coalition: GC) solutions. Applications of game theory based on a food web model under climate change have not been studied before and the present study aims to fill this gap in the literature. The study focuses on the effects of climate variability on the biological, harvest and economic output of the game models by examining two different climate scenarios, a first scenario characterized by low temperature and high salinity and a second scenario by high temperature and low salinity. Our results showed that in the first scenario sprat spawning stock biomass (SSB) and harvest dropped dramatically both in the NC and the GC cases whereas, herring and cod SSBs and harvests were higher compared to a base scenario keeping temperature and salinity at mean historical levels. In the second scenario, the sprat SSB and the harvest was higher for both GC and NC cases while the cod and the herring SSBs and harvests were lower. The total GC payoffs clearly outperformed the NC payoffs across all scenarios. Likewise, the first and second scenario GC payoffs for countries were higher except for Poland. The findings suggested the climate vulnerability of Baltic Sea multi-species fisheries and these results would support future decision-making processes of Baltic Sea fisheries.


Purpose
The objectives of this study were to: (i) evaluate endothelial function via fingertip reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) among heart failure (HF) patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), (ii) assess the effects of CRT on RH-PAT score, and (iii) investigate whether RH-PAT score can identify CRT response.

Methods
A total of 63 patients (61.8 ± 10.3 years; 50 males; left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction 24.3 ± 3.9%) with HF who received CRT were enrolled. Endothelial function via RH-PAT was assessed 1 day before and 6 months after CRT. Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ) was used to assess clinical improvements. CRT response was defined as a reduction in LV end-systolic volume ≥ 15% at 6 months.

Results
A RH-PAT score of < 1.7 signified a cut-off for endothelial dysfunction (ED). Baseline ED was observed among 43 (68.3%) patients and was more prevalent in responders (76.1% vs. 47.1%, p = 0.037). RH-PAT score improved 6 months after CRT (1.58 ± 0.35 vs. 1.71 ± 0.31, p = 0.012). A RH-PAT score of < 1.7 was a significant independent predictor of CRT response in multivariate logistic regression analysis (β = 1.275, OR = 3.512, 95% CI = 1.231-11.477, p = 0.032). The severity of ED was an independent predictor of LV reverse remodeling (β = -8.873, p = 0.015). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed moderate positive correlations between an improvement in RH-PAT (ΔRH-PAT) and LV reverse remodeling (r = 0.461, p = 0.001) and MLWHFQ score (r = 0.440, p = 0.001).

Conclusions
ED detected via RH-PAT could predict the response to CRT. The RH-PAT score increased 6 months after CRT and was correlated with echocardiographic and clinical improvements.


Functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) is common and may affect any part of the digestive tract from the esophagus to the rectum. Functional dyspepsia and the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are the most commonly recognized and until recently were considered distinct entities. In recent years, however, new observations and studies of the afferent nervous system have extended our concepts of both IBS and dyspepsia and suggest that these conditions may have common triggers and expression from similar pathophysiological processes.


Herein, thermo-responsive liposomes (TLs) loaded with Asp (Asp/TLs) were produced by self-assembling DPPC, DSPE-PEG2000, and cholesterol. The preparation variables were optimized using the Box–Behnken design (BBD). The optimized Asp/TLs exhibited an average particle size of 114.05 ± 1.56 nm, PDI of 0.15 ± 0.015, zeta potential of −15.24 ± 0.65 mV, and entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 84.08 ± 2.75%. In addition, under physiological conditions, Asp/TLs showed spherical shape, outstanding stability and thermo-triggered the release of Asp at 38 °C, reaching the maximum Asp release at 40 °C. The MTT assay showed that the optimal Asp/TLs exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity upon exposure to mild hyperthermia (40 °C) against the invasive triple-negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) when compared to other preparations. The IC50 of Asp/TLs (40 °C) was estimated at 0.9 μg mL−1, while that of free Asp (40 °C) was 3.83 μg mL−1. As such, the optimal Asp/TLs were shown to increase the cytotoxic activity of Asp by 4-fold upon exposure to mild hyperthermia. The IC50 values of Asp and Asp/TLs without exposure to 40 °C were 6.6 μg mL−1 and 186 μg mL−1, respectively. This indicated that Asp was released only when placed at 40 °C. The apoptosis assay revealed that Asp/TLs (40 °C) caused a remarkable increase in the percentage of cell population among both the late apoptosis and necrosis quartiles, as well as a significant decline in the viable cell quartile (P ≤ 0.001) when compared to Asp (40 °C). Asp/TLs (40 °C) and Asp (40 °C) could stimulate the intrinsic apoptosis pathway by upregulating the apoptotic genes Bak and Bax, while downregulating the anti-apoptotic genes, BCL-xL and BCL-2. The free Asp (40 °C) increased the gene expression of Bak and Bax by 4.4- and 5.2-folds, while reducing the expression of BCL-xL and BCL-2 by 50% and 73%, respectively. The optimal Asp TLs (40 °C) manifested more potent effects as demonstrated by the upregulation of Bak, Bax, and P53 by 5.6-, 7.2-, and 1.3-folds, as well as the downregulation of BCL-xL and BCL-2 by 70% and 85%, respectively. As such, the optimal Asp TLs (40 °C) treatment displayed the most potent cytotoxic profile and induced both apoptosis and necrosis in MDA-MB-231.


Attacin is a 20 kDa antibacterial protein, originally isolated from the immune haemolymph of Hyalophora cecropia. It has been demonstrated previously that attacin causes increased permeability of the outer membrane of Escherichia coli and inhibition of outer-membrane protein synthesis at the transcriptional level. This is accompanied by inhibition of growth. Here, LPS is shown to serve as the receptor for attacin and evidence is presented that attacin does not need to enter the cell to exert its activity. The increase in outer-membrane permeability precedes any increase in inner-membrane permeability by at least one generation time (approximately 45 min), and the inhibiting effect of attacin on synthesis of outer-membrane proteins is detectable after only 10 min. It is also shown that attacin causes induction of several stress proteins and increased synthesis of LPS within, respectively, 25 and 60 min of treatment. Based on the results presented, it is proposed that attacin has the unique ability to specifically interfere with synthesis of outer-membrane proteins without entering the inner membrane or cytoplasm.


Abstract Discussions around declining trust in the US media can be vague about its effects. One classic answer comes from the persuasion literature, in which source credibility plays a key role. However, existing research almost universally takes credibility as a given. To overcome the potentially severe confounding that can result from this, we create a hypothetical news outlet and manipulate to what extent it is portrayed as credible. We then randomly assign subjects to read op-eds attributed to the source. Our credibility treatments are strong, increasing trust in our mock source until up to 10 days later. We find some evidence that the resulting higher perceived credibility boosts the persuasiveness of arguments about more partisan topics (but not for a less politicized issue). Though our findings are mixed, we argue that this experimental approach can fruitfully enhance our understanding of the interplay between source trust and opinion change over sustained periods.


There is a rapidly growing interest in inquiry learning and an emerging consensus among researchers that, particularly whensupported by technology, it can be a significant means for developing higher order thinking skills. Inquiry learning methodsalso offer learners meaningful and productive approaches to the development of their knowledge of the world, yet such methods can present significant challenges for teachers and students.

Orchestrating Inquiry Learning addresses the key challenge of how to resource and support processes of inquiry learning within and beyond the classroom. It argues
that technological support, when coupled with appropriate design of activities and management of the learning environment, can enable inquiry learning experiences that are engaging, authentic and personally relevant.

This edited collection brings together, for the first time, work on inquiry learning and orchestration of learning. Drawing upon a broad range of theoretical perspectives, this book examines:

• orchestration of inquiry learning and instruction;
• trajectories of inquiry learning;
• designing for inquiry learning;
• scripting personal inquiry;
• collaborative and collective inquiry learning;
• assessment of inquiry learning;
• inquiry learning in formal and semi-formal educational contexts.


Trade liberalisation and changes in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) have fashioned new dynamics in the pharmaceutical industry across the globe. Firms are forced to bring changes to their research, innovation, technology and marketing practices by a reconfiguration of their competencies and resources. The most common strategic concern that Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) has raised for Indian firms is the perceived need for R&D and technological strength. For firms that have given little attention to research and innovation in the past, this transition is very difficult. Indian firms have responded to these changes in novel and complex ways. Employing firm-level case studies, this paper examines the contemporary strategic approaches adopted by Indian leaders for integrating new knowledge and capabilities in order to develop innovation competencies for tomorrow. Using empirical evidence from firm-level investigations, this paper shows how Indian firms are evolving from reverse engineering outfits catering to domestic market to technologically advanced and sophisticated organisations capable of catering to diverse markets.


Methods and Material: PUBMED research for PLACENTA ACCRETA and ULTRASOUND or ULTRASONOGRAPHY/PRENATAL from 1965 to 2005. 113 articles were found. Ten had the inclusion criteria: a) series of antenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta b) high-risk population for placenta accreta c) histological or clinical confirmation of diagnosis One publication was included after cross-references. A cumulative analysis was performed and overall sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Results: In 7 prospective studies the sensitivity was 93% (82–100%), specificity 99% (73–100%), PPV 69% (45–100%), NPV 99.8% (92–100%), positive LHR 99.8 (92–100). In 4 retrospective studies the sensitivity was 49% (33–56%). Conclusion: Ultrasound findings (intraparenchymal vascular lakes, irregularity of the utero-vesicular interface, thinning of the anechogenic retroplacental space) are reliable for the detection of placenta accreta in a high-risk population. The measure of the myometrial thickness was not re-evaluated despite a very good sensitivity in one study. First-trimester diagnosis was recently described. Doppler or color US is a useful adjunct. MRI is useful if the placenta is inserted posteriorly and in extension work up. After discussion with the couple, our patient had laterofundal cesarian section at 36 weeks gestation followed by sub-total hysterectomy with the placenta in situ. Post-operative evolution was unremarkable.


Abstract Cytochemically detectable activity of endogenous β-galactosidase was found at pH 6.0 in Swiss 3T3 cells after long-term incubation in low serum or in the presence of heparin concentrations known to reversibly inhibit cell proliferation. A high percentage of β-galactosidase-positive cells were detected in U937 and HL60 cultures at the late stage of macrophage-like differentiation induced by TPA. Interestingly, a small number of β-galactosidase-positive cells were found even in the growing Swiss 3T3 cultures. These positive cells expressed morphological features similar to those of senescent cells. Thus, the activity of β-galactosidase at pH 6.0 cannot be considered an exclusive marker of senescent cells since it is expressed in other types of nonproliferating cells.


IIThe coral reefs of Honduras are of vital national and international importance,both ecologically and economically, but are threatened because of rapid economicand population growth.? During work on Utila between 1999 and 2000 (the ?Bay Islands 2000? project),Coral Cay Conservation developed a programme of surveys, training andconservation education aimed at assessing the status of local reefs and improvingenvironmental awareness amongst neighbouring communities.? This summary report provides an overview of the habitat mapping data collectedby the Bay Islands 2000 project.? CASA provided software, hardware and skills, on a charitable basis to ensure thatthe data collected by CCC could be developed into a GIS, not only for mappingthe status of the coral reefs of Honduras, but also to provide analysis of the aerialextent of these reefs.? Data were collected within individual ?study areas?, to facilitate analysis at a rangeof spatial scales, and utilised the CCC standard baseline survey technique for therapid assessment of the characteristics of reef communities. The surveys,therefore, utilised a series of transects, perpendicular to the reef.? Baseline transects discriminated nine benthic and six geomorpholgical classeswhich indicates Utila has a high habitat diversity. Habitat diversity is importantsince the number of habitat types has been shown to be a good representation ofspecies biodiversity.? The nine benthic classes that were distinguished were all relatively coral poorbecause of a suite of relatively long-term local and regional factors, exacerbatedby the combination of Hurricane Mitch and coral bleaching in 1995 and 1998.? Damselfish were the most abundant reef associated fish recorded during baselinetransect surveys. Commercially important fish were less abundant that wouldnormally be expected in unfished systems.? A recurring pattern in the baseline transect data was the greater abundance anddiversity of fish in coral rich classes. However, although the link between fishabundance and coral cover was clear, not all species were necessarily mostabundant in the most coral rich areas.? Invertebrates were generally uncommon, partly because of fishing pressure, andthe abundances of many invertebrate taxa were correlated with coral cover.? A habitat map is presented within this report as an indication of the distribution ofhabitat types around Utila.? Using the map, estimates of areal extents of each benthic class and habitat type areinstructive. For example, there is only approximately 27 km2 of reefal habitatsaround Utila. Furthermore, the area supporting the most coral rich benthic classesis only approximately 4 km2 (15%). These statistics both highlight the damagecaused by the bleaching event and Hurricane Mitch and other anthropogenicimpacts and the need to conserve remaining coral rich areas.? If further reserves were to be created, it would be important to try to protect arange of reef and habitat types. For this reason, it appears that the Turtle HarbourWildlife Refuge is well placed since this areas includes a wide range of habitattypes. However, placement of reserves in Utila should favour relatively coral richhabitats over sand dominated areas.? This study led to six recommendations:Summary Utila habitat mapping reportIII? One or more agencies should collect additional ground-truthing data fromaround Utila to facilitate both classification of currently ?Unknown? polygonsand an accuracy assessment of the map.? Establish an integrated GIS and associated meta-database for Utila, includingdata from the Bay Islands 2000 project.? Examine the potential of using data collected by the Bay Islands 2000 projectas the basis of national habitat classification scheme and subsequent nationalhabitat map.? Continue to aim to establish one or more additional multiple use marineprotected areas around Utila, with an integrated monitoring programme tomeasure their efficacy, and strengthen the enforcement of regulations in theTurtle Harbour Wildlife Sanctuary. Establish regulations, and enforce existinglegislation, to minimise the detrimental effects of coastal development on reefhealth.? Additional marine reserves in Utila should integrate factors such as thepreference of many fish species for coral rich habitats and the protection ofareas incorporating a range of habitat types, including mangroves and seagrassbeds, in order to allow for nursery areas, ontogenetic shifts and species thatrely on non-coral rich habitats. The corollary of the preference of fish speciesfor coral rich habitats is to protect coral cover within the reserves.? The reef on the south coast of Utila appears to be a good candidate forprotection because it is relatively sheltered from storm and hurricane damage.


The term 'exposome' emerged in an attempt to address the under appreciation of exposure sciences in the elucidation of the role of environmental stressors in many common chronic diseases. To respond to this concept, there is a need for a new way to analyze the environment-human health relationships. The use of GIS (Geographic Information System) as a platform for data storage, statistical analysis, and spatial interpolation remains an dramatic cornerstone to link data from different sources and supports databases to describe the global source-effect chain. GIS is a promising tool to analyze health data and putative covariates, such as environmental, exposure, or socio-economic factors. The objective of the PLAINE project is to develop a GIS-based platform combining environment and health information to map environmental disparities and detect vulnerable populations. This platform should permit the ongoing systematic collection, integration, and analysis of data regarding emission sources, environmental contamination, exposure to environmental hazards, population and health. To achieve this objective, combining exposure assessment and spatial data is a fundamental prerequisite that imply to first overcome different scientific limitations such as the linkage of the several databases to describe the global source-effect chain, the feasibility to integrate these data to the platform at a fine scale and the construction of interest variables and indicators by the development of spatial analysis and geostatistic tools combined to an exposure model


Rainfall probability data from five meteorological stations in the peninsula of Baja California were analized. A simple method for characterizing geographical regions with a high interannual variability in the rainfall is proposed in this paper. The results agree with previous descriptions but also add valuable information in terms of gradients of climatic unpredictability.


In peer-to-peer file sharing systems, file replication technology is widely used to reduce hot spots and improve file query efficiency. Most current file replication methods replicate files in all nodes or two end points on a client-server query path. However, these methods either have low effectiveness or come at a cost of high overhead. File replication in server side enhances replica hit rate, hence, lookup efficiency but produces overloaded nodes and cannot significantly reduce query path length. File replication in client side could greatly reduce query path length, but cannot guarantee high replica hit rate to fully utilize replicas. Though replication along query path solves these problems, it comes at a high cost of overhead due to more replicas and produces underutilized replicas. This paper presents an Efficient and Adaptive Decentralized (EAD) file replication algorithm that achieves high query efficiency and high replica utilization at a significantly low cost. EAD enhances the utilization of file replicas by selecting query traffic hubs and frequent requesters as replica nodes, and dynamically adapting to nonuniform and time-varying file popularity and node interest. Unlike current methods, EAD creates and deletes replicas in a decentralized self-adaptive manner while guarantees high replica utilization. Theoretical analysis shows the high performance of EAD. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of EAD in comparison with other approaches in both static and dynamic environments. It dramatically reduces the overhead of file replication, and yields significant improvements on the efficiency and effectiveness of file replication in terms of query efficiency, replica hit rate, and overloaded nodes reduction.


Abstract Lead, zinc and arsenic mobilization/attenuation processes during interactions between smelter slag and water show differences depending on the origin of the slag. The studied samples, waste from ore and car-battery processing, were submitted to long-term (365 days) batch leaching at two different initial pH values. The leachate analyses were input to the EQ3NR speciation-solubility code to speciate the solutions and determine the degree of saturation with respect to different phases, and a mineralogical investigation was made of the newly formed phases. An 'oxidizing' scenario can be proposed for slag waste disposal, considering that cerussite (PbCO3) at pH >6 becomes a major solubility-controlling phase for Pb, and newly formed hydrous ferric oxides (HFO - common secondary phases under oxidizing conditions) efficiently adsorb As. No efficient scavenging mechanism was found for Zn, which was progressively leached from the slag and in particular from the ore-processing slag. Quenched glass-rich slag from old car-battery processing was found to release significant amounts of Pb, especially in acidic environments. Neither slag would therefore be suitable for recycling for civil engineering purposes. Conversely, extremely low releases of Pb, Zn and As were observed for recent car-battery processing slag, which could therefore be considered for road construction.


Recent information implicates the stimulation of T cells by Staphylococcus aureus antigens and exotoxins as a likely factor in provoking the inflammatory response in atopic dermatitis. S. aureus secrets exotoxins called superantigens, which stimulate a large proportion of T cells. In addition, protein A, a component of the cell wall of S. aureus, is a potent B cell mitogen. This understanding provides a rationale for attempting to reduce the staphylococcal skin colonization of patients with severe atopic dermatitis and correlates with the clinical observation in a number of situations of marked improvement in atopic dermatitis following antibiotic treatment.


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major worldwide health problem due to its high prevalence and mortality rate. microRNA has been reported playing an important role in a variety of cancers including colorectal cancer. miR-203a3p has been found up-regulated in CRC tissues compare with the adjacent normal tissues. But, how miR-203a-3p regulates CRC development remains to be elucidated. In this study, gain and loss-of-function assays showed that miR-203a-3p promotes colorectal cancer cell proliferation, colony formation and migration and invasion by targeting PDE4D. And miR-203a-3p/β-catenin/Cyclin D1/c-Myc signaling pathway is involved in the CRC. In summary, this study highlights an onco-miRNA role for miR-203a-3p by regulating PDE4D in CRC and suggests that miR-203a-3p may be a novel molecular therapeutic target for CRC.


Conventional body fluid identification methods are typically presumptive tests. These tests have a large number of false positives and because of this they are not confirmatory.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) profiling was developed as a body fluid identification method as it was determined that mRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Unfortunately,
given mRNA's size (~200-300 nucleotides), using this technique may not be ideal for compromised or degraded samples often encountered in forensic casework1.
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small, non-protein coding RNA molecules approximately 22 nucleotides in length. The first miRNA was discovered by Rosalind Lee et al. in 1993, whilst
studying the lin-14 gene in C. elegans development2.
miRNAs are believed to control gene expression involved in metastasis, proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation3. A large number of cellular pathways are affected by the
regulatory function of miRNAs; the most notable of these pathways control oncogenic and developmental processes. It has also been found that miRNA processing defects can
enhance tumorigenesis4.
Many people argue that there is no need to test for the presence of a specific body fluid as the analysis of any DNA present can confirm a body fluid is present. This is true, DNA
won't be present if a biological material isn't present, but the confirmation of the body fluid could prove crucial in the investigation of a case. There is a need to identify skin
alongside other body fluids within forensic investigations, especially sexual offences. For example, it is not currently possible to distinguish between vaginal material and skin cells
from, for example, fingernail scrapings. Thus, in order to develop a technique that is capable of doing so, it is necessary to be able to identify skin cells.
The aim of this project was to determine whether skin, saliva and vaginal material (VM) could be correctly differentiated from one another using microRNA analysis.


Ceramic foams containing MoSi2 were prepared by a self-blowing process of poly-silsesquioxane with MoSi2 as filler. Ceramic foams prepared by polymer pyrolysis were composed of MoSi2 and silicon oxycarbide glass matrix. Densities, pore sizes and mechanical properties of ceramic foams were depended on the filler content and heating rate for curing of polymer. Depending on the foaming condition, ceramic foams with a density of 1.2∼0.4 and a compressive strength of 3∼30 MPa were obtained.


Abstract Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a disease of cattle and domestic buffaloes caused by Capripoxvirus which can lead to significant economic losses. Until several years ago it was limited to Africa and the Middle East, but recently it was reported in Turkey (2013), Greece (2015), and in 2016 it spread to Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. The aim of this study was to determine the microscopic lesions in the skin of naturally infected animals, highlight their features and compare them to the findings of other authors. Gross lesions in the skin of cattle infected with Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) were manifested in the form of skin nodules which were round, raised, clearly circumscribed, firm and randomly distributed in the whole skin including the vulva and udder. Histopathological lesions included degeneration of epithelial cells, hyperkeratosis, spongiosis, and acanthosis present in 85.88%, 81.18%, 84.71%, and 80.0% of samples, respectively. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were noted in keratinocytes of the stratum spinosum in 56.47% of samples, and in hair follicle cells and sebaceous glands epithelial cells in 45.88% of samples. Cutaneous lesions were in the form of inflammatory infiltrate present in the dermis and subcutis in 97.65% of samples. Since there are only a few literature data in this field, this study expands the knowledge relating to morphological alterations in LSD. Based on the characteristic microscopic lesions described in the present study, histopathology should be considered as a very useful method for the diagnosis of LSD.


This article is an intervention in current trends of thinking about competition and gender in essentialist and stereotypical ways. Such thinking has produced numerous comparative studies measuring competitiveness of women and men; 'proving' men as competitive and women as non-competitive. Based on experiments and written questionnaires, these studies reduce gender to perceived biological sex and treat competition as a 'self-evident', static and easily measurable phenomenon. To contribute new understandings and learning, we surface five fallacies of this comparative research, explaining why the approach is misleading, inequitable and socially harmful. Drawing upon gender as a social construction and women leaders' narratives, we offer a blueprint for democratising knowledge production. We write differently, choosing not to provide a 'balanced' view of the field and construct competition as a processual, complex and contextually specific phenomenon with underlying gender dynamics, rather than a discrete, observable and fixed in time event. The article provides learning: for leaders and managers to resist automatic categorisation on the basis of perceived biological sex; for management educators to challenge the ways that leadership and management are traditionally taught; and, for executive coaches to support changes in practice, by embracing complexity of the contemporary contexts in which leaders operate.


The consideration of wireless acceleration sensors is highly promising for cost-effective output-only system identification in the context of operational modal analysis (OMA) of large-scale civil structures as they alleviate the need for wiring. However, practical monitoring implementations for OMA using wireless units suffer a number of drawbacks related to wireless transmission of densely sampled acceleration time-series including the energy self-sustainability of the sensing nodes. In this work, two recently proposed approaches for output-only modal identification addressing the above issues through balancing monitoring accuracy with data transmission costs are comparatively studied and numerically assessed using field recorded acceleration datasets from two different structures: (i) an operating on-shore wind turbine, (ii) an open to traffic highway bridge. One approach utilizes non-uniform-in-time deterministic multi-coset sampling at sub-Nyquist rates to capture structural response acceleration time-series under ambient excitation assuming stationary signal conditions. In this approach, a power spectrum blind sampling technique is used to estimate the response acceleration power spectral density matrix from the low-rate sampled measurements and is coupled with the Frequency Domain Decomposition method of OMA. The other is a spectro-temporal compressive sensing approach which recovers response acceleration signals through time-series reconstruction in the time domain from sub-Nyquist non-uniform-in-time randomly sampled measurements. Prior knowledge of signal structure in the spectral domain is exploited through smart on-sensor operations and sensor/server communication. The benefits and limitations of the considered approaches are discussed and demonstrated by processing the field recorded datasets for different levels of signal compression and by estimating battery lifetime gains at a single sensor achieved by reduced data transmission. It is concluded that the two approaches are readily applicable in OMA of large-scale structures and can be used complementarily depending on the requirements of any particular acceleration monitoring campaign: time-series extraction for further interrogation vs. solely modal properties estimation.


Objective: To investigate whether serum leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein (LRG) levels are elevated in patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and determine their correlation with disease activity parameters. Method: We enrolled 39 patients with AOSD, 47 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 39 controls. Forty-five serum samples from the patients with AOSD were assayed for LRG using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Comprehensive AOSD activity was determined by a modified Pouchot score. Results: Serum LRG levels were significantly elevated in patients with AOSD (128.8 ± 40.8 ng/mL) compared to those in patients with RA and in controls (33.9 ± 15.2 ng/mL, p < 0.001 and 22.4 ± 6.1 ng/mL, p < 0.001, respectively). Patients with active AOSD had significantly higher LRG levels than those with inactive disease (141.4 ± 31.3 ng/mL vs. 79.8 ± 37.1 ng/mL, p = 0.002). Serum LRG levels were positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP; γ = 0.387, p = 0.015), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; γ = 0.370, p = 0.026), ferritin (γ = 0.687, p < 0.001) levels, and the modified Pouchot score (γ = 0.756, p < 0.001). Serum LRG levels decreased significantly after treatment in all six patients with active AOSD who had follow-up evaluations (p = 0.007). The best cut-off value for LRG to distinguish AOSD from RA was 67.9 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 92.3% and a specificity of 97.9%. Conclusions: Serum LRG levels were increased in patients with AOSD and correlated well with disease activity measures. LRG may be a useful biomarker for distinguishing AOSD from RA and for monitoring the disease activity of AOSD.


The main subject of my papers has been the phylum Tardigrada, with particular emphasis on the Antarctic fauna. While this is one of the 'lesser known phyla' the group forms an important element of Antarctic non-marine ecosystems. My work has centred on four interrelated themes: i) taxonomy, predominantly Tardigrada and with an Antarctic bias though including wider global species and high taxon groupings (I have also worked on other taxa such as Fungi-imperfecti and freshwater invertebrates); ii) biodiversity of tardigrades, particularly Antarctic habitats; iii) data-based studies based on the terrestrial Tardigrada and Antarctic freshwater crustaceans; and iv) biogeographic analysis of these databases. The thesis presented consists of papers published in major, peer-reviewed journals, along with book chapters published and in press. Several of my papers have been cited 10-30 times according to the ISI Web of Science citation system. Highlights of my work include being the first to publish a paper on the global terrestrial biogeography of a phylum and showing the extant limno-terrestrial tardigrade fauna reflect the early tectonic break-up of the Laurasia, West and East Gondwana super continents between 65 and 135 million years ago.


Effective sustainable forest management for broad areas needs consistent country-wide forest inventory data. A stand-level inventory is appropriate as a minimum unit for local and regional forest management. South Korea currently produces a forest type map that contains only four categorical parameters. Stand height is a crucial forest attribute for understanding forest ecosystems that is currently missing and should be included in future forest type maps. Estimation of forest stand height is challenging in South Korea because stands exist in small and irregular patches on highly rugged terrain. In this study, we proposed stand height estimation models suitable for rugged terrain with highly mixed tree species. An arithmetic mean height was used as a target variable. Plot-level height estimation models were first developed using 20 descriptive statistics from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and three machine learning approaches—support vector regression (SVR), modified regression trees (RT) and random forest (RF). Two schemes (i.e., central plot-based (Scheme 1) and stand-based (Scheme 2)) for expanding from the plot level to the stand level were then investigated. The results showed varied performance metrics (i.e., coefficient of determination, root mean square error, and mean bias) by model for forest height estimation at the plot level. There was no statistically significant difference among the three mean plot height models (i.e., SVR, RT and RF) in terms of estimated heights and bias (p-values > 0.05). The stand-level validation based on all tree measurements for three selected stands produced varied results by scheme and machine learning used. It implies that additional reference data should be used for a more thorough stand-level validation to identify statistically robust approaches in the future. Nonetheless, the research findings from this study can be used as a guide for estimating stand heights for forests in rugged terrain and with complex composition of tree species.


During the 1980s, and particularly during the past year, controversy has arisen over the propriety of the not-for-profit hospital's tax-exempt status. In addressing the issue, policy analysts and activists have focused attention on the comparative efficiency and effectiveness of not-for-profit and for-profit hospitals' provision of social benefit, variously conceived and quantified. We review the results of current research carried out within that focus and suggest that the findings are inconclusive and the focus misplaced. A more profitable avenue of inquiry would be to explore the extent to which the dominance of tax-subsidized not-for-profit hospitals is a societally preferred means of achieving the provision of a level of access to quality care that otherwise would require a large direct government subsidy.


We present and discuss in a comprehensive, deductive, and simplified manner, issues of nonradiative transitions involvement in fluorescence of ions embedded in dielectric solid matrices. The semiclassical approach is favored over a full quantum description, and empiric quantities are introduced from the start. One issue is nonradiative single-phonon transitions when the energy gap between the adjacent electronic ion states is smaller than the cutoff matrix phonon energy. Another issue is transitions in a complex energy scheme, where some visible and near-visible transitions are radiative and others are nonradiative. A refined Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg recipe for calculation of the stimulated emission spectrum on the basis of measurable absorption and fluorescence emission spectra is worked out. The last issue is multiphonon nonradiative transitions occurring when the energy gap between adjacent electronic ion states is larger than the cutoff matrix phonon energy. Transition probabilities were calculated on the basis of anharmonicity of the effective potential supporting the internal atomic basis vibrations. An expression in a closed form is obtained, similar to the empiric "energy gap" law, however, with parameters related to specific host material properties and the actual transition in the ion. Comparison to existing experimental evidence is presented and discussed in detail.


This paper presents an object-oriented platform developed for teaching finite element pre-processor programming and design. The main techniques that can be learned with this tool are computer graphics programming, object-oriented analysis and design, data structures for CAD, data file interchange formats, automatic mesh generation and parametrization techniques. The platform structure is presented and its main characteristics are emphasized. This open platform has its code freely disposable on the Internet.


Background and objectives: The effectiveness of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been verified by large multi-centre studies, but non-response phenomenon occurs in 30% of patients according to the indications of CRT recently. This study was designed to evaluate the factors that affect the effects of CRT, summarize CRT response score to predict clinical effects. Methods: From December 2001 to August 2009, 110 patients with chronical heart failure were enrolled in this study. The patients underwent a clinical examination, 12-lead electrocardiography, echocardiographic evaluations before implantation. Patients were divided into control and response group which was defined as a decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter of � 15% at 6 months after operation. The follow-up duration was 12 months. The clinical endpoint considered was cardiovascular death and hospitalization due to heart failure. Results: CRT-P/D devices were successfully implanted in 107 patients. Of the patients, 61.3% showed a response to CRT. Multiple logistic regression identified an independent association between duration of heart failure, ischaemic cardiomyopathy, DQRS, septal-toposterior wall motion delay (SPWMD), and effects of CRT. Four score was assigned to duration of heart failure � 5.0 years, ischaemic cardiomyopathy, DQRS ,26.8 ms, SPWMD ,167.6 ms. Patients would have adverse reverse remodelling and 12-month event-free survival with the increasing in CRT response score (0 – 4 points). Conclusions: Cardiac resynchronization therapy response score could predict reverse remodelling and 12-month event-free survival effectively after CRT implantation.


Augmented reality (AR) is the combination of real and computer-based images and scenes to bring about a unified and improved view of the world. This study assesses the benefits of augmented reality technology (ART) to the construction industry so that productivity in construction can be enhanced. A survey of construction professionals involved in the built environment was carried out in Lagos State, Nigeria. Architects, Project managers, Engineers, Quantity surveyors, and Builders were engaged in the survey, and they were sent a well-structured questionnaire. Convenience sampling techniques were adopted in choosing these professionals. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. According to the findings, the five most important benefits of ART are improved team collaboration and communication; enhanced repairs, rehabilitation, and maintenance; improved communication / real-time information retrieval; accurate automated measurement; and low-cost virtual training in operating heavy construction equipment. The results showed that there nine (9) out of fifteen (15) benefits had no significant difference in terms of the opinions of professionals, while the other six (6) had a significant difference. A post-hoc test revealed that there is a significant difference in opinions between the Architects and Quantity surveyors or between Quantity surveyors and Project managers on the benefits of AR while there is no significant difference for other professionals. The study concluded that AR improves collaboration and communication between workers on construction sites. It is therefore recommended that the Nigerian construction industry should create awareness programmes and platforms to inform its current and upcoming professionals on the benefits of using AR in the industry.


In this paper, I study the degree of market integration between US corporate bonds and stocks of the corresponding issuing firms, accounting for their characteristics. I find that short-selling constraints are essential restrictions to optimal Sharpe ratio portfolios that yield admissible portfolio positions and implied pricing errors within quoted bid-ask spreads. My empirical evidence suggests that markets are more integrated for larger firms, with more liquid corporate bonds and stocks. Similarly, firms that are more leveraged, have a higher asset growth and profitability feature a greater extent of integration between their debt and equity securities.


The development of mature B lymphoid cells involves a highly orchestrated regulation of stage- and lineage-specific genes. In this study, we report an analysis of the human surrogate L chain VpreB promoter. The promoter has an overall homology of 56% to the mouse counterpart and displays a preB cell-restricted activity in transient transfections in cell lines. The promoter harbors three independent binding sites for early B cell factor (EBF) as defined by EMSA and supershift experiments. These sites were important for the full function of the promoter in a preB cell line, and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicate that EBF interacts with the promoter in vivo. In addition to this, ectopic expression of EBF induces the activity of a reporter gene under control of the VpreB promoter in epithelioid HeLa cells, an effect augmented by coexpression of the basic-helix-loop helix transcription factor E47. The ability to interact directly with E47 was shared by the promoters controlling the human mb-1 and B29 genes. These data indicate that the human VpreB promoter is a direct target for activation by EBF and E47 and that functional collaboration between these proteins may be of great importance in human B cell development. The Journal of Immunology, 2002, 168: 5130–5138.


Fragile X associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects individuals with premutation alleles of the fragile X mental retardation ( FMR1 ) gene. The clinical features of FXTAS include intention tremor, ataxia, parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction and cognitive impairment.1 Such symptoms are accompanied by characteristic MRI focal areas of increased T2 signal in the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP).1

In this report, we describe two female patients with FXTAS who were initially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and treated accordingly but who also met diagnostic criteria for FXTAS. Their clinical features and MRI appearance are compared with other female FXTAS cases previously reported without a diagnosis of MS. A recent report of a female who died of MS and who also had FXTAS inclusions suggests that these two disorders can occur together.2

### Patient No 1

Case 1 is a 48-year-old female premutation carrier with a history of MS which began at the age of 33 years. Initially, her handwriting quality declined, and she subsequently became ataxic. A combination of weakness, clumsiness and ataxia forced her to use a wheelchair beginning in her late thirties. During that same period, she was diagnosed with MS following a CSF study which showed elevated IgG (9.8 mg/dl; reference range 0.5–6.1 mg/dl) without oligoclonal bands or myelin basic protein. Her course was consistent with relapsing–remitting MS with early secondary progression, and she was treated …


The pentapeptide, Thr-Ala-Cys-His-Asp, has been synthesised by use of S-diphenylmethyl-protected cysteine. The catalytic activity towards p-nitrophenyl acetate was comparable with those of cysteine hydrochloride and glutathione, but did not depend on the presence of the thiol group. The hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate by the pentapeptide obeyed Michaelis–Menten kinetics and it was further shown that an acetyl peptide intermediate was formed by reaction with the imidazole group of the histidine residue. However, the pentapeptide was only a slightly better catalyst than imidazole itself. It would appear therefore that for concerted action between groups, much greater orientational constraint is needed than is obtained by placing amino-acid residues adjacent to each other in a peptide chain.


The goal of quality assessment (QA) research is to design algorithms that can automatically assess the quality of images in a perceptually consistent manner. Image QA algorithms generally interpret image quality as fidelity or similarity with a "reference" or "perfect" image in some perceptual space. In order to improve the assessment accuracy of white noise, Gauss blur, JPEG2000 compression and other distorted images, this paper puts forward an image quality assessment method based on phase congruency and gradient magnitude. The experimental results show that the image quality assessment method has a higher accuracy than traditional method and it can accurately reflect the image visual perception of the human eye. In this paper, we propose an image information measure that quantifies the information that is present in the reference image and how much of this reference information can be extracted from the distorted image.


Because of the emergence of technologies that allow more flexible interconnections, we propose to divide Interorganizational Information Systems (IOSs) adoption into two decision processes: electronic data exchanges adoption and technological choices. Indeed they are sequentially and in extreme case simultaneously related but independent since electronic data exchanges decision rarely imposes a technological choice. In this context, the research aims at distinguishing factors influencing the decision for a company to adopt electronic data exchanges with its partners and factors influencing the decision to adopt technologies supporting these electronic data exchanges. We investigate product information exchanges in the French consumer goods and retail industry through external catalogue, internal catalogue and Extranets. Analysis of 25 case studies allows us to conclude that it is relevant to distinguish these two decisions and the factors influencing each one.


The hepatitis B virus-encoded HBx protein coactivates transcription of viral and cellular genes, and it is believed to play an important role in hepatitis B virus-related liver cancer. HBx has been shown to alter the coordinated balance between proliferation and programmed cell death, being able to either induce or block apoptosis. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the HBx is a potent caspase 3 inhibitor. Rat fibroblasts (REV2) and hepatoma cells (Hep) synthesizing the HBx protein were resistant to various apoptotic stimuli such as growth factor depletion, tumor necrosis factor α, or anti-Fas antibodies administration. In these cells, HBx prevented DNA fragmentation and cell death in the absence of de novo protein synthesis, with a similar efficiency as the competitive caspase 3 substrates inhibitors VAD-FMK and DEVD-FMK. Protein extracts obtained from the HBx positive cells contained a very low caspase activity, and addition of anti-HBx antibody restored the endogenous caspase activity. To obtain a functional map of the anti-caspase activity of HBx, various cell lines were established that synthesized either N-terminally or C-terminally truncated HBx molecules. These gene dissection experiments revealed that the regions required for the anti-caspase activity overlap with the two known transactivation domains of HBx.


I read this manuscript with great interest. Although field-based monitoring of DC resistivity has been around for several years, recent instrument developments have resulted in this being now widely available. Several manufacturers now offer the capability for relatively long-term monitoring of DC resistivity. However, the monitoring of induced polarization (IP) presents new challenges, and when one considers spectral IP (SIP) then many additional problems emerge. Accurate measurement of SIP in a controlled laboratory setting is not trivial. To translate this to the field and consider measurements over a period of time is immensely challenging. Several researchers have argued that there could be useful information captured in a measure of electrical polarization that can help improve our understanding of subsurface processes and properties. We still do not fully understand many of the controls of electrical polarization in geo materials but as we improve knowledge of such controls there will be, no doubt, a demand for SIP monitoring solutions. It is, therefore, good to see that the authors have taken steps to develop such a system and document their initial findings. An SIP measurement is easy to make. An accurate SIP measurement is not. Without a clear understanding of some of the issues that researchers need to consider (as outlined in this manuscript) there is a danger that unreliable measurements are obtained, and inaccurate interpretations made.


Background: This study aims to map the coverage of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) outreach clinics in New South Wales (NSW) over a 5-year period [2012–2016]. It also aims to determine the extent of engagement in outreach work among NSW and ACT-based ENT surgeons over this period.
 Methods: Online and telephone survey of ENT surgeons practising in NSW and ACT conducted between December 2016 and May 2017. The survey was designed to identify the location, frequency and the number of ENT surgeons providing outreach services in NSW. A secondary outcome of the survey was the current and future rates of participation in outreach projects by NSW and ACT-based ENT surgeons.
 Results: Eighteen surgeons provided at least one ENT outreach service in NSW between 2012 and 2016. The average yearly commitment was 5.5 days (SD 4.2 days). Eighteen distinct towns in NSW received an outreach service. In the majority of cases, a visiting surgeon provided outreach services to the same town for at least three consecutive years. Surgeons who obtained their Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) after 2005 had the highest interest in future participation.
 Conclusions: Approximately 1 in 5 NSW and ACT-based ENT surgeons perform outreach activities. The data suggests that many remote and rural towns within NSW are not receiving outreach services. Better coordination of services and a commitment to regular and well-constructed outreach programs could redress this imbalance. The expressed intention to become involved in future outreach programs, particularly among the younger surgeons, needs to be encouraged and supported for this to be realised.


Urea and its derivatives is an excellentNLOmaterialwhich can be grown as crystals from solutions. There were many unfavourable conditions which imposes a limitation on the size of the grown crystal. Urea or carbamide with chemical formula CO (NH2)2where themolecule has two—NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl (C=O) functional group. Urea serves an important role in the metabolismof nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in the urine of mammals. It is solid, colourless, and odorless and highly soluble in water and non-toxic by nature. Dissolved in water, it is neither acidic nor alkaline. The synthesis of this organic compound by FriedrichWohler in 1828 from an inorganic precursor was an important milestone in the development of organic chemistry, as it showed for the first time that a molecule found in living organisms could be synthesized in the lab without biological starting materials The terms urea and carbamide are also used for a class of chemical compounds sharing the same functional group RR'N—CO—NRR', namely a carbonyl group attached to two organic amine residues. The constituents were taken in suitable containers and optimal growth conditions were designed. Urea crystallization wasmooted at roomtemperature.After a prescribed amount of time whiskers get developed into small stick shaped crystals. Urea is also crystallized using the same solution growth technique. The crystals are analysed for their surface structural, optical and spectroscopic properties.


A complete signal processing strategy is presented to detect and precisely recognize tongue movement by monitoring changes in airflow that occur in the ear canal. Tongue movements within the human oral cavity create unique, subtle pressure signals in the ear that can be processed to produce command signals in response to that movement. The strategy developed for the human machine interface architecture includes energy-based signal detection and segmentation to extract ear pressure signals due to tongue movements, signal normalization to decrease the trial-to-trial variations in the signals, and pairwise cross-correlation signal averaging to obtain accurate estimates from ensembles of pressure signals. A new decision fusion classification algorithm is formulated to assign the pressure signals to their respective tongue-movement classes. The complete strategy of signal detection and segmentation, estimation, and classification is tested on 4 tongue movements of 4 subjects. Through extensive experiments, it is demonstrated that the ear pressure signals due to the tongue movements are distinct and that the 4 pressure signals can be classified with over 96% classification accuracies across the 4 subjects using the decision fusion classification algorithm


Often modern scientific investigations start by testing a very large number of hypotheses in an effort to comprehensively mine the data for possible discoveries. Multiplicity adjustment strategies are employed to ensure replicability of the results of this broad search. Furthermore, in many cases, discoveries are subject to a second round of selection, where researchers identify the rejected hypotheses that better represent distinct and interpretable findings for reporting and follow-up. For example, in genetic studies, one DNA variant is often chosen to represent a group of neighboring polymorphisms, all apparently associated to a trait of interest. Unfortunately the guarantees of false discovery rate (FDR) control that might be true for the initial set of findings do not translate to this subset, possibly leading to an inflation of FDR in the reported discoveries. To guarantee valid inference, we introduce Focused BH, a multiple testing procedure that allows the researcher to curate rejections by subsetting or prioritizing them according to pre-specified but possibly data-dependent rules (filters). Focused BH assures FDR control on the selected discoveries under a range of assumptions on the filter and the p-value dependency structure; simulations illustrate that this is obtained without substantial power loss and that the procedure is robust to violations of our theoretical assumptions.


We propose a modification to the TumbleBit protocol, the off-chain payment hub enabling anonymous transactions among users in the Bitcoin network. Specifically, we modify the first step of the protocol by making the tumbler node sending a P2SH transaction on the blockchain claiming that any user can redeem 1 Bitcoin by providing a SHA-2 preimage of a value chosen by the Tumbler. We remark that our modification enables Bob to transfer its Bitcoin to a third user, and argue that this modified TumbleBit protocol could find applications in permissioned blockchains, for example in the context of anonymous payments between different banks or fintech companies.


We present an object recognition system which leverages the additional sensing and calibration information available in a robotics setting together with large amounts of training data to build high fidelity object models for a dataset of textured household objects. We then demonstrate how these models can be used for highly accurate detection and pose estimation in an end-to-end robotic perception system incorporating simultaneous segmentation, object classification, and pose fitting. The system can handle occlusions, illumination changes, multiple objects, and multiple instances of the same object. The system placed first in the ICRA 2011 Solutions in Perception instance recognition challenge. We believe the presented paradigm of building rich 3D models at training time and including depth information at test time is a promising direction for practical robotic perception systems.


We study some implications of the presence of two new scalar weak doublets beyond the standard model which have zero vacuum expectation values and are charged under an extra Abelian gauge symmetry. The additional gauge sector does not couple directly to standard-model particles. We investigate specifically the effects of the scalars on oblique electroweak parameters and on the interactions of the 125 GeV Higgs boson, especially its decay modes h→γγ,γZ and trilinear self-coupling, all of which will be probed with improved precision in future Higgs measurements. Moreover, we explore how the new scalars may give rise to strongly first-order electroweak phase transition and also show its correlation with sizable modifications to the Higgs trilinear self-coupling.


The rapid progress of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics has been boosted by (i) design and synthesis of novel conjugated donor materials, (ii) control and optimization of device fabrication, and (iii) the development of new device architectures such as tandem and ternary solar cells. Computationally driven material design has attracted increasing interest to accelerate the search for optimal conjugated photovoltaic materials, and the exploration of chemical methodologies is highly desirable in pushing the efficiency further towards the theoretical limit. Based on the motif of donor–acceptor polymers, around 50 comparable polymers were constructed and investigated, derived from an easily accessible thiophene–quinoxaline alternating polymer donor showing power conversion efficiency up to 7%. We performed a systematic density functional theory (DFT) study on the heteroatom effects of combining fluorine, nitrogen and chalcogen substitutions onto the donor/acceptor units as well as the effect of extending π-conjugation in the donor moiety, in order to gain insight into how structural modifications to the conjugated backbone can affect the molecular structure and electronic properties of a conjugated polymer. It is found that the trends in the energy levels and band gaps of these polymers correlate well with their structural modifications. Finally, by examining the systematically evaluated data in the energy diagram, we proposed three important ways of energy level modulation, showing potential chemical methodologies that can be applicable to further modify and optimize existing polymer backbones. Especially such energy level modulation can be applied to meet the particular requirements of different device architectures (including tandem and ternary solar cells) on the donor components, such as a prominent photocurrent or photovoltage combined with a high efficiency, to further maximize the overall performance of organic photovoltaics. This will provide valuable guidance and chemical methodologies for a judicious material design of conjugated polymers for solar cell applications with desirable photovoltaic characteristics.


BACKGROUND
Birth asphyxia is a leading case of neonatal morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) attributed to asphyxia can be ameliorated with several remedies, although full recovery is currently not feasible. The aim of this trial on infants with HIE who are receiving melatonin therapy, is to assess the added effect of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) on the expression of S100-B, a marker of brain injury.

METHODS
This study is a randomized controlled trial on neonates with moderate HIE (Sarnat grade II). Infants were randomized into 2 groups; group1 who received MgSO4 and melatonin; and group 2 who received melatonin only. Serum concentrations of S100-B were measured at baseline, and at days 2 and 6 of therapy.

RESULTS
The study included 60 neonates of them 30 infants in group 1 and 30 infants in group 2. S100-B did not differ between groups 1 and 2 at enrollment (median = 13.5 vs 13.2, p = 0.381). However, group 1 had lower concentrations of S100-B at 2 days (median = 8 vs 12, p = 0.001) and at 6 days (median = 3 vs 10.5, p < 0.001), respectively. Compared to baseline, S100-B decreased in in group 2 at day 6 (13.2 vs 10.5, p = 0.011) but did not decrease at day 2 (13.2 vs 12, p = 0.478).

CONCLUSIONS
MgSO4 may have an added effect for the reduction in brain injury in infants with HIE who are receiving melatonin.


High concentrations of graphene oxide (GO), a nanoparticle substance with rapid manufacturing development, have the ability to penetrate the soil surface down to the mineral-rich subsurface layers. The destiny and distribution of such an unusual sort of nanomaterial in the environment must therefore be fully understood. However, the way the chemistry of solutions impacts GO nanoparticle adsorption on clay minerals is still unclear. Here, the adsorption of GO on clay minerals (e.g., bentonite and kaolinite) was tested under various chemical conditions (e.g., GO concentration, soil pH, and cation valence). Non-linear Langmuir and Freundlich models have been applied to describe the adsorption isotherm by comparing the amount of adsorbed GO nanoparticle to the concentration at the equilibrium of the solution. Our results showed fondness for GO in bentonite and kaolinite under similar conditions, but the GO nanoparticle adsorption with bentonite was superior to kaolinite, mainly due to its higher surface area and surface charge. We also found that increasing the ionic strength and decreasing the pH increased the adsorption of GO nanoparticles to bentonite and kaolinite, mainly due to the interaction between these clay minerals and GO nanoparticles' surface oxygen functional groups. Experimental data fit well to the non-linear pseudo-second-order kinetic model of Freundlich. The model of the Freundlich isotherm was more fitting at a lower pH and higher ionic strength in the bentonite soil while the lowest R2 value of the Freundlich model was recorded at a higher pH and lower ionic strength in the kaolinite soil. These results improve our understanding of GO behavior in soils by revealing environmental factors influencing GO nanoparticle movement and transmission towards groundwater.