A novel antibiotic combination of the oral cephalosporin ceftibuten (CTB) and the β-lactamase inhibitor clavulanate (CLA) is currently in development for urinary tract infections, including those caused by extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms. This study aimed to identify the pharmacodynamic index and magnitude of this index for CLA, when combined with a fixed CTB exposure (∼59% free time above the CTB-CLA MIC) against ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (CTB-CLA MICs of 0.25/0.125 to 1/0.5 μg/ml) using the in vitro chemostat model. ABSTRACT A novel antibiotic combination of the oral cephalosporin ceftibuten (CTB) and the β-lactamase inhibitor clavulanate (CLA) is currently in development for urinary tract infections, including those caused by extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms. This study aimed to identify the pharmacodynamic index and magnitude of this index for CLA, when combined with a fixed CTB exposure (∼59% free time above the CTB-CLA MIC) against ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (CTB-CLA MICs of 0.25/0.125 to 1/0.5 μg/ml) using the in vitro chemostat model. Dose fractionation studies identified the time that free CLA concentrations remained above a threshold concentration (fT>threshold) to be the best pharmacodynamic index (R2 = 0.85) compared with the free area under the curve (AUC)/threshold ratio (R2 = 0.62) and free maximum concentration/threshold ratio (R2 = 0.37). For E. coli isolates, stasis and 1-log10 CFU reductions were achieved at 30.9 and 47.9% fT>CTB concentrations of the 2:1 CTB-CLA MIC (fT>MIC here), respectively. For K. pneumoniae isolates, stasis and 1-log10 CFU reductions were achieved at 51.9 and 92.0% fT>MIC, respectively. These data inform exposure requirements for CLA combined with CTB for optimizing pharmacodynamics against Enterobacteriaceae and should be useful in designing dosage regimens for this combination antibiotic.


Contents: Preface Introduction: orientalism and its relation to music and musical representation. Part I The Musical Stage: An introduction to British opera and musical stage works in the long 19th century Sexualising the other An angel/demon dualism. Part II Works of Fiction: Rider Haggard and His Milieu: Literature and orientalism: contextualizing Rider Haggard 'The "lady of the night" hath a sweet voice, and she will not sing in vain': Haggard's women - sexuality, music and the other Haggard's constructions of African masculinity: otherness, violence and music '[T]hat unknown man's singing has stirred you deeply': E.M. Hull's The Sheik - an exploration of orientalized gender. Part III Visual culture: Hearing art: an introduction Visually realizing the fictions of H. Rider Haggard 'High art' and the musical 'orient' Staging the photographic 'orient' Conclusion Bibliography Index.


We propose a query learning algorithm for an extension of weighted finite automata (WFAs), named symbolic weighted finite automata (SWFAs), which can handle strings over infinite alphabets more efficiently. Based on the idea of symbolic finite automata, SWFAs generalize WFAs by allowing transitions to be functions from a possibly infinite alphabet to weights. Our algorithm can learn SWFAs if functions in transitions are also learnable by queries. We also investigate minimization and equivalence checking for SWFAs.


A personal journey leads a celebrated critic to discover "knights of the medium," contemporary artists who battle the aesthetic meaninglessness of the post-medium condition. In Under Blue Cup, Rosalind Krauss explores the relation of aesthetic mediums to memory-her own memory having been severely tested by a ruptured aneurysm that temporarily washed away much of her short-term memory. (The title, Under Blue Cup, comes from the legend on a flash card she used as a mnemonic tool during cognitive therapy.) Krauss emphasizes the medium as a form of remembering; contemporary artists in what she terms the "post-medium" condition reject that scaffolding. Krauss explains the historical emergence of the post-medium condition and describes alternatives to its aesthetic meaninglessness, examining works by "knights of the medium"-contemporary artists who extend the life of the specific medium. These artists-including Ed Ruscha, William Kentridge, Sophie Calle, Harun Farocki, Christian Marclay, and James Coleman-reinstate the recursive rules of a modernist medium by inventing what Krauss terms new technical supports, battling the aesthetic meaninglessness of the post-medium condition. The "technical support" is an underlying ground for aesthetic practice that supports the work of art as canvas supported oil paint. The technical support for Ruscha's fascination with gas stations and parking lots is the automobile; for Kentridge, the animated film; for Calle, photojournalism; for Coleman, a modification of PowerPoint; for Marclay, synchronous sound. Their work, Krauss argues, recuperates more than a century of modernist practice. The work of the post-medium condition-conceptual art, installation, and relational aesthetics-advances the idea that the "white cube" of the museum or gallery wall is over. Krauss argues that the technical support extends the life of the white cube, restoring autonomy and specificity to the work of art.


How has housing played a role in incorporating immigrants into English society? Inspired by a small demonstration project in Sheffield, Twice the Terrace, which aimed to convert two small bye-law houses into a single larger house appropriate for a large and traditional Pakistani family, the paper traces the history of this house type using the concept of living-in-space to explore not only the social practices of families living inside them, but also the way they affect relationships outside the property itself. Using Keith's concept of racialization as being equally about how specific ethnic groups re-invent themselves over time and how urban space provides a stage on which the performance of re-invention simultaneously alters the urban object itself, the paper traces the history of the demonstration project as it emerged from a localised struggle to prevent the demolition of the area within which it was located (Keith, 2005). The paper concludes that while houses play important roles in incorporating immigrants into English society, it is not the same role everywhere at all times. Both localisation and temporisation are important processes in grasping the wider role of racialization in urban change.


Robust production of type I interferon (IFN) by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) occurs in response to Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) activation by unmethylated CpG dinucleotides present in bacterial and viral DNA. Previous work using different CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) revealed that CpG-A ODN but not CpG-B ODN robustly induce IFN-α production in pDCs. Although CpG-B ODN do not efficiently induce IFN-α, they are capable of highly inducing IFN-β. However, it is currently unclear what factors mediate CpG-B ODN induction of IFN-β in human pDCs. Using nuclear translocation, siRNA and proximity ligation assays, we demonstrate a requirement for both IRF-5 and NF-κB p50 in the induction of IFN-β and IL-6 by CpG-B ODN in human pDCs. The finding that CpG-B ODN activation of IRF-5 leads to IFN-β production in human pDCs may have clinical importance as IRF-5 has recently been identified as a major risk locus in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease largely driven by aberrant type I IFN production by pDCs. Overall, this study provides new insights into the transcriptional regulation of IFN-β and IL-6 induced by CpG-B ODN in human pDCs and identifies a clinically important link between IRF-5 and IFN-β.


We estimated the proportion of seropositivity for infection with Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas' disease) in a sample of the rural population of the Province of Nasca, Department of Ica, southwestern Peru. Although Triatoma infestans, the only vector species identified in the Department of Ica, is often found in domestic environments, data of the extent of human infection with T. cruzi are scant. This study comprised 446 houses, known to be infested with triatomines, distributed in 19 rural localities. While visiting those houses we collected filter paper bloodspots from 864 occupants (of both sexes, aged one year or over). By means of the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), we detected anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies in samples from 178 individuals (20.6%). Seropositivity was significantly more frequent in females (23.8%) than in males (17.5%). Among the 410 individuals in the 1- to 10-year-old age group (47.5% of the population sample), 85 (20.7%) were found seropositive, which is indicative of an early acquisition of the infection. Within this group no significant differences in seropositivity were associated with sex.


This immunocytochemical study examined the morphology of a remarkable type of highly thorned unipolar calretinin immunopositive non-pyramidal neuron in superficial layer 1 of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in three juvenile macaque monkeys. Calretinin thorn cells had oval somata and possessed a single highly branched fan-like dendritic arbor which ramified parallel with the pia in layer 1. The immunolabelled dendrites possessed many characteristic spiny thorn-like processes. Labelled somata also gave rise to extensive varicose axonal arbors organised tangentially within layer 1. The morphology of calretinin thorn cells was different from Cajal-Retzius and other layer 1 neurons described previously.
Correlated light- and electron microscopy was used to ultrastructurally examine 45 axonal varicosities from identified calretinin thorn cells. These calretinin immunolabelled boutons established asymmetrical synapses with the shafts (32%) and spines (68%) of unlabelled layer 1 profiles. The dendrites of calretinin thorn cells were innervated by unlabelled symmetric and asymmetric synaptic junctions. The somata of calretinin thorn cells were infrequently innervated by calretinin immunopositive asymmetrical junctions.
These data provide evidence for the morphology and synaptic connectivity of a defined type of layer 1 calretinin neuron in PFC of juvenile monkeys - such cells may have strategic structural and functional roles in cortical development.


Hermetic wafer-level encapsulation of atmosphere sensitive Micro-Electric-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices is vital to achieve a high yield, a high performance and a long operating lifetime. An interesting and gradually more employed packaging technique is flux-less wafer-level copper-tin (Cu-Sn) solid-liquid interdiffusion (SLID) bonding. The process is being employed for several next generation high performance infrared bolometers. The hermeticity and the reliability of the bond are studied through the key parameters: probability for void percolation, conversion into intermetallic compounds and residual stress using both characterization and modelling. Characterization using Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and optical microscopy showed different defects in the Cu-Sn bond in case of non-optimized process settings. Defects observed are incomplete conversion into the targeted intermetallic Cu3Sn and voiding. Incomplete conversion influences the thermo-mechanical and environmental robustness of the bond negatively due to less favourable material properties of the intermediately formed Cu6Sn5 in comparison to the targeted Cu3Sn. Voiding may result in lower thermo-mechanical robustness of the bond and loss of hermeticity. The probability for percolation through voiding is calculated. The reliability of the Cu-Sn bond is also studied using a Finite Element Model (FEM). The calculated residual stress in the Cu-Sn bond caused by volumetric shrinkage during formation of the IMCs is significant and should be taken into account during design to avoid a negative influence on the reliability of the bond.


Accurately determining who wrote a manuscript has captivated scholars of literary history for centuries, as the true author can have important ramifications in religion, law, literary studies, philosophy, and education. A wide array of lexical, character, syntactic, semantic, and application-specific features have been proposed to represent a text so that authorship attribution can be established automatically. Although surface-level features have been tested extensively, few studies have systematically explored high-level features, in part due to limitations in the natural language processing techniques required to capture high-level features. However, high-level features, such as sentence structure, are used subconsciously by a writer and thus may be more consistent than surface-level features, such as word choice. In this article, we introduce a new high-level feature based on local syntactic dependencies that an author uses when referring to a named entity (in our case a person's name). The series of experiments in the contexts of movie reviews reveal how the amount of data in both the training and test sets influences predictive performance. Finally, we measure authorship consistency with respect to this new feature and show how consistency influences predictive performance. These results provide other researchers with a new model for how to evaluate new features and suggest that the local syntactic dependencies warrant further investigation.


The focus of this thesis is investigating of the magnetization dynamics in patterned
magnetic films by time-resolved Kerr microscopy (TR-MOKE). Therefore, various magnetic films and structures are studied using the developed TR-MOKE and inductive microwave magnetometry setup. The results of this thesis reveal new aspects of complicated magnetization dynamics in such magnetic systems. Also, it provides the knowledge of tailoring dynamic magnetic properties of modern magnetic structures.
Initially, the magneto-dynamic response of Landau-like magnetic domain configurations are examined and a method to separate the in- and out-of-plane Kerr signals is proposed. This method indicates a more elaborated model for fast magnetization processes in soft magnetic elements.
In addition, the direct observation of spin-wave generation and propagation from oscillating pinned magnetic structures is reported, and the fundamental properties of them are analyzed. Using this knowledge, an alternative way to generate and propagate spin waves that do not require any artificial structure (e.g., antenna or wave-guide) is proposed. Moreover, the results of experimental TR-MOKE imaging together with complementary micromagnetic simulations were used to design an experiment, where the spin waves are emitting from magnetic elements corners and edges. The frequencies of such spin waves shown to be tunable by the excitation frequency.
Finally, the dynamic magnetic response of weak antiferromagnetically
coupled and structured magnetic films are presented. The multilayer film dynamic
properties are compared to the single-layer film, and the impact of patterning
on magnetization dynamics is shown.


The present multicenter open investigation was designed to provide information on the adverse reaction rate, drug interaction, and survival in a group of 544 cardiac patients treated for 1 year with ibopamine either alone or in association with digitalis, diuretics, and other drugs. Some efficacy parameters were also considered. Heart failure was due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (21%), ischemic heart disease (32%), hypertensive heart disease (31%), and others (16%). Ibopamine was given alone to 39 patients; the others were given the drug in association with digitalis, diuretics, and vasodilators. One hundred forty patients did not complete the trial (25.7%). The most common causes of discontinuation were death (12.5%), noncompliance with the protocol (5%), and adverse events (3.9%). The clinical conditions and NYHA functional class improved in most patients. The cardiothoracic ratio decreased on average. The 1-year mortality rates associated with NYHA class II, III, and IV were 4.4, 13.8, and 37.2%, respectively. Survival tended to be shorter in a small group of 22 patients with hyponatremia, thus confirming some previous reports. Adverse experiences were mainly related to cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems; the symptoms were considered severe only in 1 of 544 patients enrolled. Ibopamine seems not to induce dangerous arrhythmias. Blood pressure and heart rate did not change over time during ibopamine treatment. Laboratory tests were not significantly affected; fluctuations observed in some tests were related to concomitant variations in the severity of the primary disease. No tolerance to ibopamine seems to be observed during this long-term therapeutic trial.


Distributed multimedia applications require a variety of communication services. These services and different application requirements have to be provided and supported within: (1) end-systems in an efficient and integrated manner, combining the precise specification of quality-of-service (QoS) requirements, application interfaces, multicast support, and security features and (2) the network. The Da CaPo++ system presented in this paper provides an efficient end-system middleware for multimedia applications, capable of handling various types of applications in a modular fashion. Application needs and communication demands are specified by values in terms of QoS attributes and functional properties, such as encryption requirements or multicast support. Da CaPo++ automatically configures suitable communication protocols, provides for an efficient runtime support, and offers an easy-to-use, object-oriented application programming interface. While its applicability to real-life applications was shown by prototype implementations, performance evaluations have been carried out yielding practical experiences and numerical results.


Thermophilic, aerobic bacteria of the genus Thermus were isolated from submarine alkaline hot springs in Iceland. Five submarine hot springs were sampled, and all had viable counts of Thermus spp. of about 103 CFU/ml. All submarine strains grew in the presence of NaCl at 3% or higher, but no strains from terrestrial hot springs would grow at concentrations higher than 1% NaCl. The growth rate of submarine Thermus strains was not stimulated by NaCl and was reduced at NaCl concentrations higher than 1%. The pattern of growth of these isolates on single carbon sources was similar to that of terrestrial isolates.


Objectives: Evaluate long-term rates of virological failure and treatment interruption for people living with HIV (PLWHIV) with viral suppression on first-line efavirenz + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate + emtricitabine/lamivudine (EFV + TDF + FTC/3TC), and compare these according to patient characteristics. Methods: PLWHIV enrolled in the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe cohort collaboration, who started first-line EFV + TDF + FTC/3TC at age at least 16 years and had viral suppression (<200 copies/ml) within 9 months were included. Rates of virological failure (≥200 copies/ml) and (complete) treatment interruption were estimated according to years since initial suppression. We used Poisson regression to examine associations of baseline characteristics with rates of virological failure or treatment interruption. Results: Among 19 527 eligible PLWHIV with median (interquartile range) follow-up 3.7 (2.0–5.6) years after initial viral suppression, the estimated rate of the combined incidence of virological failure or treatment interruption fell from 9.0/100 person-years in the first year to less than 4/100 person-years beyond 3 years from suppression; considering only those remaining on EFV + TDF + FTC/3TC, the combined rate dropped from 8.2/100 person-years in the first year to less than 3.5/100 person-years beyond 3 years. PLWHIV with injecting drug-related or heterosexual transmission were at higher risk of virological failure or treatment interruption, as were those of Black ethnicity. PLWHIV aged less than 35 years were at higher risk of virological failure and treatment interruption. Conclusion: PLWHIV starting first-line EFV + TDF + FTC/3TC had low rates of virological failure and treatment interruption up to 10 years from initial suppression. Demographic characteristics can be used to identify subpopulations with higher risks of these outcomes.


: The activities of two federal and regional tuberculosis sanatoriums for children and adolescents were analyzed. The clinical characteristics and the results of the examination and treatment were studied in 510 patients aged 12-17 years who had various manifestations of tuberculous infection. The beds in the sanatoriums were ascertained to occupy irrationally: the proportion of patients with local forms of tuberculosis there is not more than 30%. Guidelines for selection of children and adolescents with tuberculosis from risk groups and for detection of the disease were developed. A proposal was made to set up consultative and diagnostic centers at the sanatorium basis. The paper shows it possible and expedient to treat children and adolescents with new-onset local, non-destructive forms of tuberculosis under the conditions of a sanatorium.


Cerebral vasospasm is a serious complication of ruptured aneurysm. In order to avoid short- and long-term effects of cerebral vasospasm, and as there is no single or optimal treatment modality employed, we have instituted a protocol for the prevention and treatment of vasospasm in patients suffering aneurysmal sub-arachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We then reviewed the effectiveness of this protocol in reducing the mortality and morbidity rate in our institution. In this study we present a retrospective analysis of 52 cases. Between March 2004 and December 2008 52 patients were admitted to our service with aneurysmal SAH. All patients commenced nimodipine, magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) and triple H therapy. Patients with significant reduction in conscious level were intubated, ventilated and sedated. Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring was used for intubated patients. Sodium thiopental coma was induced for patients with refractory high ICP; angiography was performed for diagnosis and treatment. Balloon angioplasty was performed if considered necessary. Using this protocol, only 13 patients (25%) developed clinical vasospasm. Ten of them were given barbiturates to induce coma. Three patients underwent transluminal balloon angioplasty. Four out of 52 patients (7.7%) died from severe vasospasm, 3 patients (5.8%) became severely disabled, and 39 patients (75%) were discharged in a condition considered as either normal or near to their pre-hemorrhage status. Our results confirm that the aforementioned protocol for treatment of cerebral vasospasm is effective and can be used safely.


The aim of this paper is to bring together temporal and spatial notions into a different set of axiologic pairs, and to trace examples in which such a set of pairs might be illuminating in accounts of how environmental issues are perceived in various social science disciplines. The paper begins with a division of time into reified clock time (chronos) and timely kairos time, together with a spatial division between abstract space (chora) and concrete place (topos). To better comprehend these originally Greek spatial and temporal notions, some Aristotelian concepts of human action will also be used (i.e. theoria/episteme, poiesis/ techne and praxis/phronesis). These extended notions of human action, time and space/place are discussed in conjunction with aesthetics, ethics and environmental issues in the different organizational settings of science, mass media, business management and environmentalism.


Impulse purchasing behavior is a common activity with customers who buy goods without planning. This research aimed on analyzing factors that impact on the impulsive decision of buyer in supermarket. Based on an analysis of 391 samples collected from customers shopping in supermarkets and by applying the STATISTICA 10,the results showed that the three factors in the model significant positively affected on the decision of impulsive buyer, namely: Time available, Money available and shopping atmosphere. The other factors are Mood of customer, Store layout, Store staff, Store promotion and two moderate variables with insignificant in this research.


Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of contact events in professional rugby union matches and to assess their propensity to cause injury. Design: The study was a two-season (2003/2004 and 2005/2006) prospective cohort design. It included 645 professional rugby union players from 13 English Premiership rugby union clubs. The main outcome measures were: incidence of match contact events (events per game); incidence (injuries per 1000 player-hours and per 1000 contact events), risk (days lost per 1000 player-hours and per 1000 contact events) and diagnosis of injury; referee's decision. Risk factors were player–player contact, position on pitch and period of play. Results: Tackles (221.0 events/game) and rucks (142.5 events/game) were the most common events and mauls (13.6%) and scrums (12.6%) the most penalised. Tackles (701.6 days/1000 player-hours) were responsible for the greatest loss of time but scrums (213.2 days lost/1000 events) and collisions (199.8 days lost/1000 events) presented the highest risk per event. Conclusions: Tackles were the game event responsible for the highest number of injuries and the greatest loss of time in rugby union because they were by far the most common contact event. Collisions were 70% more likely to result in an injury than a tackle and scrums carried a 60% greater risk of injury than a tackle. The relative propensities for contact events to cause injury were rated as: lineout – very low; ruck – low; maul and tackle – average; collision and scrum – high.


The legends of the kratt or the treasure-bearer have existed in lively oral tradition in Estonian culture for a very long time. These myths and legends have traversed from the oral tradition to literary works, visual culture and music. All these texts on the kratt exist in the culture as metatexts which create the world of the kratt, where different cultural memories and interpretations are intertwined. This means that the kratt as a cultural text is also a multimedial text. Different media use different tools and this makes the interpretations more playful and interesting. Andrus Kivirähk's novel Rehepapp (The Old Barny, 2000) is the central literary work on the kratt in contemporary Estonian literature. Kivirähk combines the mythical kratt with the figure of Old Barny (rehepapp), who is the unofficial leader of the village and a cunning manor house barn-keeper. There are several cultural texts based on Kivirähk's novel, but the most important are the opera Rehepapp (2013) by Tauno Aints, libretto by Urmas Lennuk, and the film November (2016) by Rainer Sarnet. The 2015 production of the ballet Kratt (1943) by Eduard Tubin is more contemporary in its setting and represents everyday life in the modern factory. The article analyses how different multimedial texts about the kratt and Old Barny use and combine multimedia to create and convey the social meaning of the kratt, and how multimedia use audio-visual poetics to convey a greater number of emotions and aesthetic values in the cultural text. The film by Rainer Sarnet and the ballet by Eduard Tubin represent harmony with different poetics factors and the meanings of the cultural texts.


For an optimum therapy of malignant lymphomas in the ENT region an extensive analysis of the interrelations of exact histological classification, clinical manifestation and prognosis is desirable. We therefore classified, according to various criteria, 57 patients (34 male, 23 female) aged between 17 and 88, in whom the first diagnosis of a malignant lymphoma was established at our department between 1970 and April 1989. Histologically, in 52 cases (91%) this concerned a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), in the other 5 cases Hodgkin's disease (HL). According to the "Kiel classification", 60% of the NHL displayed a high degree of malignancy, 36% a low one, while 4% could not be exactly classified histologically. Clinically (Ann Arbor classification), 27 patients with NHL were at stage I (with 21 at stage IE), 16 patients at stage II (with 14 at stage II E), and 9 patients at stage IV. The first manifestation was often extranodular (9 patients tonsil, 8 parotid gland, 8 base of tongue, 7 nasopharynx). A cervical lymph node enlargement was the first sign in 12 patients only. Four patients with NHL additionally developed a second malignancy (squamous cell carcinoma) of another localization. The 5-year survival rate was 81% at stage I, but there were no meaningful differences between stage II (51%) and stage IV (40%). Our study demonstrated that malignant lymphomas of the head and neck are primarily NHL which frequently affect an extranodular organ as a first manifestation. Moreover, malignant lymphomas in the ENT region seem to have a relatively good survival prognosis even in an advanced stage.


Past theories about the circuitry that promotes integration of the whole cerebral cortex and thalamus during forebrain activities that underlie different states of consciousness have relied on the intralaminar nuclei as the sources of diffuse thalamocortical projections that could facilitate spread of activity across many cortical areas. Evidence is presented to show the presence of a matrix of superficially projecting cells extending throughout the whole thalamus that could form a substrate for diffusion of activity across the cortex. The superficially projecting cells in monkeys are distinguished by immunoreactivity for the calcium-binding protein calbindin. They are found in all thalamic nuclei and are increased in some nuclei. They not only project to superficial layers of the cortex but do so over wide areas, unconstrained by boundaries between areas. They are innervated by subcortical inputs that lack the topographic order and physiological precision of the principal sensory pathways. Superimposed on the matrix, but only in certain nuclei, is a core of cells characterized by immunoreactivity for another calcium-binding protein, parvalbumin. These project to middle layers of the cortex in an area-specific and topographically ordered manner. They are innervated by subcortical inputs that are typically precise in having a high degree of topographic order and readily identifiable physiological properties. The parvalbumin cells provide the sensory and other inputs to the cortex that are to be used as a basis for perception. The diffusely projecting calbindin cells can form a basis for the engagement of multiple cortical areas and thalamic nuclei, especially when recruited by corticothalamic connections. Diffusion of activity across multiple areas and thalamic nuclei is essential for the binding of all aspects of sensory experience into a single framework of consciousness.


The development of a novel chip-based multianalyte detection system with a cardiac theme is reported. This work follows the initial reports of "electronic taste chips" whereby multiple solution-phase analytes such as acids, bases, metal cations, and biological cofactors were detected and quantitated. The newly fashioned "cardiac chip" exploits a geometry that allows for isolation and entrapment of single polymeric spheres in micromachined pits while providing to each bead the rapid introduction of a series of reagents/washes through microfluidic structures. The combination of these miniaturized components fosters the completion of complex assays with short analysis times using small sample volumes. Optical signals derived from single beads are used to complete immunological tests that yield outstanding assay characteristics. The power and utility of this new methodology is demonstrated here for the simultaneous detection of the cardiac risk factors, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, in human serum samples. This demonstration represents the first important step toward the development of a useful cardiac chip that targets numerous risk factors concurrently and one that can be customized readily for specific clinical settings.


Abstract : This research characterizes, in the elastic range, a scarf joint with overply using digital image correlation photogrammetry and finite element modeling. Additionally, the effect of varying the overply's geometric profile is examined. Specimens are constructed from AS4/3501-6 prepreg with a [0/+/-45/90]2S layup. A fixture is used to achieve a consistent scarfed hole in each panel. The patch and adhesive (FM 300) are co-cured to the panels using positive pressure, which minimizes repair porosity. Three variations in the overply geometry are used: circular, rooftop-end, and tooth-end. The full strain field in each uni-axially loaded specimen is captured using digital image correlation photogrammetry (ARAMIS). These results validate an ABAQUS 3-D finite element model of a scarf patch with circular overply. Good correlation is evident in the longitudinal strain; strain sensitivity limits correlation in the transverse and shear directions. The finite element model is used to identify peak out-of-plane stresses in the repair joint. Significant normal stresses occur at edge of the overply and at the inner scarf diameter. Finally, the experimentally-measured strains of the 3 overply variations are examined. Variation in strain magnitude is insignificant; the strain gradient at the overply edge, however, is significantly lower on the profile with the tooth-edge.


The paper discusses how monetary and macroprudential policies can be distinguished, how appropriate goals for the two policies can be determined, whether the policies are best conducted separately or coordinately and by the same or different authorities, and how they can be coordinated when desired. The institutional frameworks in Canada, Sweden, and the UK are briefly compared. The Swedish example of monetary policy strongly "leaning against the wind" and the subsequent policy turnaround is summarized, as well as what estimates have been found of the costs and benefits of leaning against the wind.


Author(s): Ludington, William B | Advisor(s): Marshall, Wallace F | Abstract: Cells maintain organelles at precise size and orientation without a ruler or compass. In this dissertation I examine how these unintelligent, complex mixtures of molecules are able to correctly maintain the length of their cilia [or flagella] over a range of perturbing conditions. In other words, how do cells measure?I treat the problem at three different spatial scales using the flagella of the proven model organism for mammalian cilia, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Chlamydomonas cells possess a pair of ~12 micron flagella that they use for motility. The flagella are built and maintained from their distal tips by the active movement of precursor proteins to and from the cell body in the process known as intraflagellar transport (IFT). Using TIRF microscopy and computational methods, developed in Chapter 2, I found that the rate of IFT (amount of protein/second) sets the growth rate of the flagellum, as evidenced by higher IFT rate in lengthening flagella and lowered IFT rate in shortening flagella. Furthermore, the IFT rate is set by the amount of IFT material localized at the flagellar base in a length-dependent manner. Surprisingly, I found that the dynamics of IFT particle entry into the flagellum are consistent with the mathematics of an avalanching system (Chapter 3). From a whole cell systems perspective, it has been unclear whether cells have separate programs to directly shorten and lengthen their flagella or whether shortening and lengthening are part of an overall size control program. The main evidence for separate programs comes from experimental amputations of single flagella in normal biflagellate cells and in cells that abnormally possess extra flagella. I repeated these classical experiments in more controlled conditions using microfluidic cell trapping and laser amputation of flagella (Chapter 4). I found by mathematical modeling that an overall size control program fits the data exceptionally well. The results indicate that flagella self-assemble but ultimately size is controlled through the cytoplasmic availability of precursor proteins. This finding provides a general model for size control in dynamic organelles. Using the mathematical model, I developed an experimental protocol to compute the turnover rate of proteins incorporated into the axoneme, the structural part of the flagellum (Chapter 5). Finally, I derive quantitative versions of flagellar length control models and find evidence for a volumetric diffusion model, whereby organelle volume is sensed through a Ran-GTP gradient, such as is used to regulate nuclear import. This general model could apply to linear organelles like flagella as well as to spherical ones like the nucleus or non-uniformly shaped organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (Chapter 6).


SUMMARY: Escherichia coli can be rendered competent for DNA uptake by exposure to a heat shock in the presence of divalent cations. We have studied the influence of variations of the incubation temperature in the competence regimen on the efficiency of competence induction, i.e. the efficiency of uptake of DNA into a DNAase resistant form. For cells grown at 37 °C DNA uptake occurs (1) during a heat shock from 0 °C to temperatures between 15 °C and 42 °C (optimal, 30 °C) and (2) after a heat shock from 0 °C to temperatures between 20 °C and 42 °C (optimal, 32 °C) and a subsequent cold shock to 0 °C. Under the latter conditions DNA uptake occurs during incubation of the transformation mixture at 0 °C after the heat shock. In both cases the efficiency of DNA uptake increases as the incubation temperature during the heat shock increases from about 18 °C to about 32 °C. When recipient cells are grown at 22 °C instead of at 37 °C, the temperature range at which competence induction occurs is shifted by 5 °C to lower temperatures. These results indicate that phase transitions of membrane lipids may play a critical role in induction of competence. When recipient cells are shocked from high temperature to low temperature, leakage of the periplasmic β-lactamase occurs; the degree of leakage and the efficiency of competence induction are affected similarly by the temperature range of the shock. This observation indicates that phase transition of membrane lipids causes damage to the outer membrane, and that this damage may be essential for induction of competence.


We use innovative experimental approaches to measure the extent of biogeochemical interaction driven by the input of terrestrial organic carbon to the coastal oceans. The evolution of organic carbon from continents to oceans is not well understood. Remineralization of this carbon plays an unknown but apparently important role in stimulating productivity. This process and associated phenomena also affect ocean color, turbidity, and elemental recycling. Our long range goal is to quantify these processes in space and time.


Thirty-six multiparous Holstein cows and 12 springing heifers were used in a 9 wk randomized design trial to determine the effect of feeding calcareous marine algae (Acid Buf, Celtic Sea, Ireland) from 3 wk prepartum through 6 wk postpartum on dry matter intake (DMI) , milk yield and composition, and blood and urine metabolites. Within parity, animals were assigned randomly to one of four treatments with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Prepartum diets were supplemented with 0 (CON) or 50 g/d calcareous marine algae (CMA) resulting in a DCAD of -3 and -5 meq/100g, respectively. Postpartum diets were supplemented with either 317 g/d sodium bicarbonate (NBC) or 100 g/d CMA to achieve a DCAD of 35 and 17 meq/100g, respectively. No differences (P = 0.6142) were observed in prepartum DMI which averaged 11.9 and 12.2 kg/d for CON and CMA, respectively. Postpartum DMI, milk yield, percentage of milk fat, protein, lactose, and SNF were not different (P > 0.10) among treatments and averaged 18.0, 38.1, 4.02, 2.71, 4.75, and 8.37; 19.8, 39.0, 3.96, 2.85, 4.74, and 8.38; 19.4, 37.3, 4.01, 2.71, 4.75, and 8.41; and 20.0 kg/d, 38.1 kg/d, 4.24%, 2.81%, 4.72%, and 8.37% for CON-NBC, CMA-NBC, CON-CMA, and CMA-CMA, respectively. Milk protein yield was higher (P = 0.0453) for cows fed CMA prepartum compared with CON; 1.09 and 1.02 kg/d, respectively. Interactions of prepartum treatment and wk were observed for yield of milk fat (P = 0.0222), energy-corrected milk (ECM, P = 0.0395) and 3.5% fat-corrected milk (FCM, P = 0.0290) because of higher yields for cows fed CMA during wk 2 and 6 compared with CON. An interaction of prepartum treatment and wk (P < 0.05) was also observed for milk efficiency (ECM/DMI, FCM/DMI) because of lower efficiencies for cows fed CMA during wk 1 and 4 compared with CON; however, efficiencies tended to reverse and were numerically higher for CMA compared with CON during wk 6. Serum Na concentrations were greater (P < 0.05) for cows fed CON prepartum or NBC postpartum compared with CMA. Postpartum urinary concentrations of Na exhibited an interaction among treatments (P = 0.0353) and were higher for CON-NBC and CMA-NBC compared with CON-CMA and CMA-CMA; 121.21, 105.43, 41.24 and 59.55 mmol/L, respectively. Similar interactions of treatments (P < 0.05) were also observed for serum urea N and creatinine postpartum. Postpartum urinary K concentrations were higher (P = 0.003) for cows fed CMA postpartum compared with NBC; 155.60 and 118.40 mmol/L, respectively. Results of this trial indicate that cows feeding CMA prepartum does not affect DMI or serum metabolites prepartum, but supported higher milk protein yields and increases in ECM and FCM postpartum. Efficiency of milk production was higher for CON during wk 1 and 4, but was not different afterwards. Performance and serum metabolite concentrations of cows fed CMA postpartum were comparable with that of cows fed NBC except for changes in serum and urinary concentration of Na related to dietary intake of Na.


The main focus of this thesis was to learn about the individual investor and their view of dividends. It set out to investigate whether private investors regard dividends as important (to themselves personally or as a signal of the company's performance) and also how dividends impact upon a company's value. The subject group is one which has been neglected by previous finance research as very little is known about their demographics and investing practices. Five major areas of dividend research were examined. These were: do investors believe that dividends affect the value of the share, how they prefer to obtain their income from shares, the reasons for dividend increases and decreases, whether dividend changes (increases and decreases) occur for different reasons and whether an age clientele effect exists. Most of these problems have been investigated previously by other researchers, but few have used individual investors to analyse these areas. A survey of 280 private investors tested these questions and concluded that private investors believe that dividends do affect the value of a share, dividends were perceived to be a safer form of income (but capital gains is preferred), that dividend increases and decreases occur because of different reasons (mostly related to profitability or liquidity) and that an age clientele does exist. Most significantly, this analysis revealed that investors behave in a way best described by Lintner's view of dividend policy, as they: prefer higher dividends to lower dividends, believe dividends are a safer form of income and believe that dividends affect the value of a share.


Abstract:While evidence suggests a durable relationship between redlining and population health, we currently lack an empirical account of how this historical act of racialized violence produced contemporary inequities. In this paper, we use a mediation framework to evaluate how redlining grades influenced later life expectancy and the degree to which contemporary racial disparities in life expectancy between Black working-class neighborhoods and White professional-class neighborhoods can be explained by past Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) mapping. Life expectancy gaps between differently graded tracts are driven by economic isolation and disparate property valuation which developed within these areas in subsequent decades. Still, only a small percent of a total disparity between contemporary Black and White neighborhoods is explained by HOLC grades. We discuss the role of HOLC maps in analyses of structural racism and health, positioning them as only one feature of a larger public–private project conflating race with financial risk. Policy implications include not only targeting resources to formerly redlined neighborhoods but also the larger project of dismantling racist theories of value that are deeply embedded in the political economy of place.


With Miradors, which bears the subtitle Essai photographique sur l'erosion (Photographic essay on erosion), Marik Boudreau has produced a synthesis of her work on abandoned sites and urban ruins. An attentive reading of the key words given by the artist shows the rigour and complexity of her project. Between the mountains of Andalusia and the cities of Brazil, she opposes points of view from on high to those gazing up from below, the nudity of stone and the urban accumulation. She is interested in the fundamental processes of erosion and stratification. Her commentary is philosophical, aesthetic, and political.


Specimens of the as-received stainless steel type 316, according to AISI standard, in form of sheet with 1.5 mm thickness were first spot welded and thenshot peened to obtain the influence of shot peening process on the residual stresses induced by spot welding process. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) method was used to measure the residual stresses. Also, a finite element method (FEM) was employed by ANSYS software version 11 to achieve the simulations for transient thermal analysis and residual stresses analysis in all cases. In addition, the temperature dependency of materials properties was used to assess its effects on the final residual stress results. A comparison showed a very good agreement between the experimental and the numerical results due to the total elimination of tensile residual stresses and creating the compressive type instead.


We studied the use of near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy as a potential method to estimate a posteriori the maximum temperatures reached (MTR) on burned soils. When soils are heated, the NIR spectra change in accordance with the MTR. Thus, after calibrating, these patterns of NIR could be used as a fingerprint to estimate the MTR in burned soils. Successful validations of the models relating NIR spectra with MTR were obtained in each of the five soils studied (local models), with r 2 values ranging from 97.47 to 98.56%. A global model constructed with samples from the five soils studied obtained a similar accuracy, suggesting the presence in soils of some NIR-detectable compounds with similar thermal sensitivity. The influence of the variability caused by the soil type and the duration of heating during model constructions is also evaluated and discussed. The use of NIR presents interesting advantages, such as low cost, low time consumption, minimal pretreatment of samples, no need for chemicals, and accuracy. The results indicate that the MTR could be estimated in burned soils with NIR, offering a new perspective on studies of wildfire effects on soils.


Abstract The first fly fossil discovered from the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fish Bed in Australia is described and illustrated. Based on a single, well preserved wing, Calosargus (Calosargus) talbragarensis new species is assigned to the extinct brachyceran family Archisargidae. Wing morphology suggests a relationship between this extinct family and Stratiomyidae. The Archisargidae have so far only been found in China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Calosargus Mostovski, 1997 currently comprises seven species from the Callovian (late Middle Jurassic) of China and three species from the Oxfordian (early Upper Jurassic) of Kazakhstan. This oldest brachyceran fossil from Australia and first record of the Archisargidae in the southern hemisphere presents evidence that higher flies were present in this region in the Jurassic, when this group is thought to have commenced its diversification.


As a variety of quantum computing models and platforms become available, methods for assessing and comparing the performance of these devices are of increasing interest and importance. Despite being built of the same fundamental computational unit, radically different approaches have emerged for characterizing the performance of qubits in gate-based and quantum annealing computers, limiting and complicating consistent cross-platform comparisons. To fill this gap, this work proposes a single-qubit protocol (Q-RBPN) for measuring some basic performance characteristics of individual qubits in both models of quantum computation. The proposed protocol scales to large quantum computers with thousands of qubits and provides insights into the distribution of qubit properties within a particular hardware device and across families of devices. The efficacy of the Q-RBPN protocol is demonstrated through the analysis of more than 300 gate-based qubits spanning eighteen machines and 2000 annealing-based qubits from one machine, revealing some unexpected differences in qubit performance. Overall, the proposed Q-RBPN protocol provides a new platform-agnostic tool for assessing the performance of a wide range of emerging quantum computing devices.


In humans, intracranial pressure (ICP) is not only influenced by pathology, but also by orientation in space and body movements. Therefore, it is proposed to measure ICP dynamics and body acceleration simultaneously. An algorithm for acceleration analysis was developed to monitor orientation in space and allow more accurate examination of ICP dynamics during quiet periods.


We demonstrate a method for efficiently rendering the audio generated by graphical scenes with a large number of sounding objects. This is achieved by using modal synthesis for rigid bodies and rendering only those modes that we judge to be audible to a user observing the scene. We show how excitations of modes can be estimated and inaudible modes eliminated based on the masking characteristics of the human ear. We describe a novel technique for generating contact events by performing closed-form particle simulation and collision detection with the aid of programmable graphics hardware. The effectiveness of our system is shown in the context of suitably complex simulations.


The relation between multilingual learning and cognition through (linguistic) giftedness has not been studied yet in third language acquisition, multilingualism or cognition studies. Even though 'giftedness' appears to be enigmatic and advantageous in a number of areas, in the field of language learning it is not clear whether multilingual learning or giftedness fulfils the triggering role in a number of cognitive skills. For that purpose, the present study observed the possible cognitive advantages of multilingual learning on metalinguistic awareness (Jessner 2006), working memory (Baddeley & Hitch 1974; Robinson 2002; 2012) and first language lexicon size of a number of children from regular and gifted education programmes in a Dynamic Model of Multilingualism perspective (Herdina & Jessner 2002). The study was analyzed with the multiple linear regression model based on the scores gathered from the data of working memory and vocabulary sub-tests of the Turkish adaptation version (Savaşır & Şahin 1995) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised, and metalinguistic awareness test (Pinto et al. 1999) of a number of mono-, bi- and multilingual participants from various schools. The results not only provided positive correlations between multilingual learning and metalinguistic awareness, working memory and first language lexicon size but also contributed to the identification and reconceptualization of linguistic giftedness.


How has water been perceived in different societies and across different eras of world history? How have these changing conceptions informed and influenced our ideas about society and ourselves? In "The Idea of Water" leading international scholars explore the rich record of our ideas, from the beliefs of early societies to the latest scientific views on the nature of this unique substance. Ranging across all aspects - scientific, cultural and religious - this important work both challenges conventional interpretations and understanding of water in nature and represents one of the first attempts to provide a history of our changing conceptions of the role and significance of water in human society.


The aim of this study was to check if the expression of CD44v4 in epithelial cells of the colorectal cancer correlates with the pTN stage and the histopathological grade of malig-nancy-G. Samples of tumour tissue (TT), as well as those of healthy tissue (HT) and of tumour adjacent tissue (TAT) were obtained from 25 patients. An evaluation of the expression of CD44v4 was performed in a flow cytometer. The mean value of the percentage of epithelial cells with co-expression of CD44v4 was lower in pT2 stage than that in pT3 only in HT. The expression of CD44v4 in epithelial cells was higher in cases without lymph node metastases only in TAT. The expression of CD44v4 in epithelial cells was higher in G2 than in G3 degree only in TAT as well.. According to the obtained results, it is difficult to state if CD44v4 can influence the progress of colorectal cancer.


Chronic inflammatory bowel disease is diagnosed and monitored by the combination of colonoscopy and small bowel enteroklysis. Magnetic resonance imaging has become the gold standard for the imaging of perirectal and pelvic fistulas. With the advent of ultrafast MRI small and large bowel imaging has become highly attractive and is being advocated more and more in the diagnostic work up of inflammatory bowel disease. Imaging protocols include fast T1-weighted gradient echo and T2-weighted TSE sequences and oral or rectal bowel distension. Furthermore, dedicated imaging protocols are based on breath-hold imaging under pharmacological bowel paralysis and gastrointestinal MR contrast agents (Hydro-MRI). High diagnostic accuracy can be achieved in Crohn's disease with special reference to the pattern of disease, depth of inflammation, mesenteric reaction, sinus tract depiction and formation of abscess. In ulcerative colitis, the mucosa-related inflammation causes significantly less bowel wall thickening compared to Crohn's disease. Therefore with MRI, the extent of inflammatory changes is always underestimated compared to colonoscopy. According to our experience in more than 200 patients as well as the results in other centers, Hydro-MRI possesses the potential to replace enteroklysis in the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory bowel disease and most of the follow-up colonoscopies in Crohn's disease. Further technical improvements in 3D imaging will allow interactive postprocessing of the MR data.


A micro-flow system comprised of a fused-silica capillary and chemiluminescence detection was developed, in which a wide-bore hydrodynamic chromatography mode was first introduced into the system. The micro-flow system was run with a gravity method or pump flow method for feeding a carrier solution into the capillary. Oxalate–hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescence reaction was adopted as a detection technique. Fluorescent compound (fluorescein isothiocyanate; FITC) and FluoSphere fluorescent polymer particles with particle diameters of 0.02 μm and 1.0 μm were used as model samples in the present system. FITC and FluoSpheres (0.02 μm) with diffusion indexes greater than ca. 1 were delivered into the capillary with average linear velocities under laminar flow conditions, which led to a Gaussian peak on the chemiluminescence profile. On the other hand, FluoSpheres (1.0 μm) with a diffusion index of ca. 0.1 were delivered with the approximately maximum linear velocity and formed a non-Gaussian peak. The mixtures, FITC and FluoSpheres (1.0 μm) as well as FluoSpheres (0.02 μm) and FluoSpheres (1.0 μm), reflected the individual diffusion indexes, indicating two main peaks on the chemiluminescence profiles. An unexpected small Gaussian peak observed with the FluoSpheres (1.0 μm) sample was also observed.


Proposals for the inclusion of permanently submersed materials in soil taxonomic systems have periodically been put forth since some time in the mid 1800s. The proposals were largely conceptual in nature, relying more on subjective reasoning rather than analytical and field data. Advances in computer and global positioning technology, and the continuing development of the discipline of pedology provided the opportunity to examine shallow water estuarine sediments within a pedological framework. Morphological and analytical data from 85 1.5- to 2.0-m profiles from Sinepuxent Bay, Maryland, indicate that the four pedogenic processes of additions, losses, transformations, and transfers outlined in the generalized theory of soil genesis are active in a subaqueous environment. The evidence of pedogenic processes includes the addition of biogenic calcium carbonate (shells), organic fragments, and organic matter; the loss of organic matter and surficial material; the transfer of oxygen through diffusion and bioturbation processes; and the transformation of humic substances and sulfur (sulfidization). The change in the concept of estuarine substrates from sediment to soil has significant ramifications for pedologists, ecologists, estuarine researchers, and government agencies involved in soil resource inventory and estuarine restoration programs. Application of these concepts could help further our understanding of the relationships between subaqueous soil distribution and submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV); clam, scallop, and oyster habitat; and dredge sites with potential acid-sulfate weathering. This work resulted in a change to the definition of soil in Soil Taxonomy to include subaqueous soils that are capable of or presently support rooted SAV.


The etiology of osteoarthritis (OA) is multifactorial, with no effective disease-modifying-drugs. L-theanine has been reported to inhibit inflammatory responses in some diseases and this study aimed to investigate the effect of L-theanine on Interleukin-1(IL-1)β-stimulated chondrocytes, and in an injury-induced OA rat model. Primary chondrocytes were stimulated by IL-1β (10 ng/mL) for 24 h and then co-cultured with L-theanine for 24 h. The effects of L-theanine on IL-1β-stimulated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and hydrolytic enzyme were analyzed using Western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. An immunofluorescence assay was used to detect nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) phosphorylation. OA was induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) surgery in rats and celecoxib was used as a positive control. OA severity was measured using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) grading system to describe histological changes. The results showed that L-theanine decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and nitric oxide (NO), both in vivo and in vitro. L-theanine treatment inhibited IL-1β-induced upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3 and MMP-13, as well as inhibited NF-κB p65 activation. In vivo animal model showed that L-theanine administration (200 mg/kg) significantly alleviated OA lesions and decreased OARSI score. Our data indicated that L-theanine decreased inflammatory cytokines and protected extracellular matrix degradation through inhibition of the NF-κB pathway, and L-theanine may be considered a promising therapeutic strategy in OA prevention.


A series of cobalt(II) (silyl)amides, pyrrolates and aminopyridinates were synthesized. Inspired by the dimeric bis(trimethylsilylamido)cobalt(II) complex ([Co(TMSA)2]2), facile salt metathesis employing the ligand 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1,2,5-azadisilolidinyl (TMADS) yielded its congener [Co(TMADS)2]2. Novel, heteroleptic Lewis adducts of the former resulted in unusual three- to four-fold coordination geometry around the metal center. Similarily, the salt [Co(TMADS)3Li(DAD)2] was isolated which demonstrates an ion separated Co(II) anion with silylamide ligation and Li+ counter cation. Transpyrrolylation using [Co(TMSA)2]2 was established for the synthesis of bis[N,N'-2-(dimethylaminomethyl)pyrrolyl]cobalt(II), and bis(N-2-(tert-butyliminomethyl)pyrrolyl)cobalt(II). Treatment of CoCl2 with two equivalents of lithiated N,N-dimethyl(N'-tert-butyl)ethane-1-amino-2-amide and N,N-dimethyl(N'-trimethylsilyl)ethane-1-amino-2-amide resulted in the respective Co(II) amido-amines. Reaction of CoCl2 with lithium 4-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)pyridine-2-amide yielded the first binuclear, homoleptic Co(II) aminopyridinate complex with a distorted trigonal bipyramidal coordination environment (τ5 = 0.533) for one central Co(II) ion and a weakly distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry (τ4 = 0.845) for the other. All of the new compounds were thoroughly characterized in terms of composition and structure. Finally, the key thermal characteristics of volatility and thermal stability were assessed using a combination of thermogravimetric analysis and complementary bulk sublimation experiments.


We have previously reported that levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the erythrocyte membrane and of ceruloplasmin, a copper-transport antioxidant protein, in the serum are lower in children with autism than in control subjects. In the present study, we report that (a) copper oxidizes and reduces the levels of membrane PE and (b) copper-mediated oxidation of PE is higher in lymphoblasts from autistic subjects than from control subjects. The effect of copper was examined on the oxidation of liposomes composed of brain lipids from mice and also on the lymphoblasts from autism and control subjects. Among the various metal cations (copper, iron, calcium, cadmium and zinc), only copper was found to oxidize and decrease the levels of PE. The metal cations did not affect the levels of other phospholipids. The action of copper on PE oxidation was time-dependent and concentration-dependent. No difference was observed between copper-mediated oxidation of diacyl-PE and alkenyl-PE (plasmalogen), suggesting that plasmalogenic and non-plasmalogenic PE are equally oxidized by copper. Together, these studies suggest that ceruloplasmin and copper may contribute to oxidative stress and to reduced levels of membrane PE in autism.


Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in cancer are expensive, slow, and often preclude other exploratory investigations that might be valuable. Two types of RCTs should not be conducted. When the results of exploratory studies are so dramatically different from all prior experience, RCTs should be done to improve upon the new finding but not to allocate some patients to inferior control arms to see enough contemporaneous failures to "prove" the superiority. The other preclusion are RCTs that aim for so small or unimportant a likely benefit that the outcome will not be worth the effort. A study not worth doing is not worth doing well. RCTs in cancer are best used to establish moderate differences, suggested by exploratory trials, that have a real chance of advancing the field. If the entry criteria and end points are sufficiently explicit, e.g., biopsy proof of cancer and death, observer bias will not be a major factor.


Date Presented 04/04/19
 This study describes the initial efficacy results of the Israeli version of Lifestyle Redesign©, aimed to promote healthy aging and prevent functional deterioration. In a pilot study (N=9), an improvement was found in participation, quality of life, and depressive symptoms. The qualitative data shed light on the active ingredients of this group OT intervention. An ongoing study is aiming to assess the maintenance of these results after three months and to compare them to a matched control group.
 Primary Author and Speaker: Talia Maeir
 Additional Authors and Speakers: Yafit Gilboa
 Contributing Authors: Aviva Beit-Yosef, Tamar Wechsler, Yael Safra


A novel design methodology for test pattern generation in BIST is presented. Here, faults and errors in the generator itself are detected. Two different design methodologies are presented. The first one guarantees all single fault/error detection and the second methodology is capable of detecting multiple faults and errors. Furthermore the proposed LFSRs do not have additional hardware overhead. Also, importantly, the test patterns generated have the potential to achieve superior fault coverage.


Two experiments were performed to study cross infections from chickens to ducks and vice versa. For each experiment the source birds (chickens or ducks) were infected with Pasteurella multocida strain 10322 T . The infected birds were then mixed with sentinel indigenous ducks or chickens, respectively, six hours after inoculation. To monitor cross transmission, oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were taken from the sentinel birds daily, for culture on blood agar and other media, for two weeks. The cultured bacterial isolates were characterized for P. multocida through biochemical and other tests. For chickens to duck transmission study a few ducks (40%) picked the bacteria on the first day, number of infected birds increasing with time and the birds had high infection rate (60%) by day 14 post-infection. In the duck to chicken transmission study, most chickens (80%) were infected by the first day and maintained infection up to the twelfth day (60%) but appeared to clear the infection thereafter. These results showed that it was possible to transmit P. multocida from indigenous chickens to ducks and vice versa. The duck may be a better carrier of P. multocida under scavenging system than chickens. This contact cross transmission may be playing a role in the maintenance of the bacterium at the village level. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 29 2005: pp. 104-106


Abstract Assumptions used in field reliability data analysis may be seldom made explicit or questioned in practice, yet these assumptions affect how engineering managers develop metrics for use in long-term support contracts. To address this issue, this article describes a procedure to avoid the pitfalls in employing the results of field data analysis for repairable items. The procedure is implemented with the aid of a simplified example based on a real case study in defense avionics and is streamlined so that the computations can be replicated in other applications.


We demonstrated methods for collecting gaseous samples and aerosolized particles into microfluidic channels. Gas-liquid interfaces created by surface tension permit analytes to transfer from the environment into a microfluidic channel. In one structure of our design, hydrophobic-hydrophilic boundaries created a channel of liquid confined by gas-liquid interfaces in which analytes were collected. In another structure, circular air pillars within microfluidic channels were created by surface tension forces for analytes collection. A multileveled structure could be formed by the air pillar design with a simple process, enabling it to collect and separate multiple analytes at a time. Both structures were tested with ammonia as a gaseous sample and Kool-Aid as aerosolized particles. The sample acquisition capabilities of the devices were demonstrated by extensive testing with gaseous NH3, using Nessler's reagent as the collecting fluidic stream, and with aerosolized Kool-Aid particles, using deionized (DI) water as the collecting fluidic stream. Increasing the exposed fluidic surface area to the environment effectively increased collection efficiency of the devices. This was confirmed by a resistance study between different sets of designs of both structures. Real-time analysis potential was also demonstrated through measurement of DI water resistance by collecting varying concentrations of gaseous NH3.


In Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker, Riddley enters 'the woom of Cambry', the epicentre of the nuclear blast that reduced England to a neolithic state over two thousand years earlier. Walking through the crypt of the devastated cathedral, he experiences a numinous revelation of the power that was at once the apex of civilization's achievement and the architect of its destruction. Riddley struggles to articulate the sense of annihilation, of absence, he feels: 'Some times theres mor in the emty paper nor there is when you get the writing down on it. You try and word the big things and they tern ther backs on you' (Hoban 2002, 161). Riddley finds it difficult to come to terms with the nuclear holocaust that constitutes his primitive society's point of origin. But his problem is also that of narrative: faced with the empty space that lies at the centre of this apocalypse, Riddley finds that the blank page expresses the totality of the annihilation better than any words could. Riddley's experience illustrates the extent to which nuclear holocaust resists representation, defies narrative structure and eludes the very words with which we write.


We investigate theoretically the nonlocal conductance through a superconducting wire in tunnel contact with normal and ferromagnetic leads. In the presence of an in-plane magnetic field, the superconducting density of states is spin split, and the current injected from the normal lead is spin polarized. A nonlocal conductance that is antisymmetric with the applied voltage can be measured with a ferromagnetic lead. It persists for a distance between the contacts that is larger than both the charge-imbalance relaxation length and the normal-state spin relaxation length. We determine its amplitude by considering two extreme models of weak and strong internal equilibration of the superconducting quasiparticles due to electron-electron interactions. We find that the nonlocal signal, which was measured in recent experiments and discussed as a spin-imbalance effect, can be interpreted alternatively as the signature of a thermoelectric effect.


The purpose of this study was to assess the socio-cultural and political effects of the continuation of native selection from the perspective of higher education administrators and experts, including experts from the headquarters of higher education, university assistants and educational and student-cultural departments, including universities affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Ministry of Health and Medical Education. This research is a survey research and its statistical community includes experts in educational affairs that 79 of them were selected through purposeful sampling and were evaluated using a questionnaire. Validity of the questionnaire by content method (CVR) and its reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha test. To analyze the data, quantitative data analysis software (SPSS) and variance analysis and mean difference between two groups have been used. In this regard, the findings of this research in the descriptive dimension showed that among the total number of respondents (79), about 34% agree with the policy of indigenization, and 66% oppose this policy or method. Respondents who worked in the Ministry of Science, responsible or expert positions, did not agree with non-nominal policies. Also, 43% of the respondents at the universities of the Ministry of Science are opposed to the natively selection of students and 59% of the faculty members of the medical universities agree native selection of students. In order to ensure the realities of these ratios, a chi-square test was conducted between the two variables of native selection of students and organizational affiliation, which confirmed the value of this test (43.13) at 95% confidence level. The most important suggestions of this research are: The importance of diversifying the tribes and multicultural campuses of the universities, the exclusion of indigenous peoples from the provincial, regional and polar states and the application of indigenous choices and fairer distribution of deprived areas.


Interoperability in healthcare is a requirement for effective communication between entities, to ensure timely access to up-to-date patient information and medical knowledge, and thus consistent patient care. This thesis fo-cuses on the development of an interoperability solution for health by em-ploying design science research methods to arrive at a final solution. First, background topics including Health Informatics standards and formats are covered, which leads to three major Health Informatics standards being used throughout the remainder of this work – HL7 for messaging, open EHR for patient records, and SNOMED CT as a standard terminology to facilitate clarity of information, and to discourage ambiguity between communicating entities. Ontology mapping methods between these standards designed to pro-mote interoperability by using the standards in conjunction with each other are then presented, leading to a solution for semantic interoperability. A technical interoperability solution is required for sending these se-mantically interoperable messages, which leads to the development of a framework which uses a tuple-space paradigm to share messages. This framework is shown to have some scalability issues, which leads to the final solution – a scalable interoperability framework based on the Enterprise Service Bus methodology of enterprise integration which provides a real-world answer to communication in healthcare.


The increased need for people and organizations to continue collaborating whilst changing physical location and crossing organizational boundaries has resulted in a wave of new supporting technologies, and generated interest in tackling some of the difficult research issues arsing in such a context. The latter was the subject of the Third IEEE International Workshop on Distributed and Mobile Collaboration (DMC) at WETICE 2005, summirized here. The DMC Workshop included 10 full papers on topics grouped into four areas: Web-based collaboration, Formal description and consistency checking of collaborative processes, Models and architectures for collaborative services, and P2P collaborative infrastructures. The discussions at the workshop outlined several important issues regarding the field of distributed collaborative applications.


Traditionally, Vitamin D has been associated primarily with bone health, while further investigations revealed that a sufficient amount is important for many organ functions. Data of 314 individuals were obtained from Erbil governorate public and private hospitals from patients admitted to there for testing their level of Vitamin D and other tests according to their doctor's prescription. The variable related to their lifestyle, metabolic syndrome, and hematology evaluations were obtained. The body mass index , number of sleeping hours, number of hours spent with electronic devices, serum lipid level anemia-related tests were measured. The results showed that serum 25(OH) Vitamin D levels in studied individuals were related to hyperlipidemia serum cholesterol measures. The level of Vitamin B12 and Iron status were lower in the Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) individuals. Mean platelet volume was higher in vitamin-deficient patients which induces the risk of cardiovascular (CV) diseases. This finding suggests the relation between VDD and metabolic syndrome, CV, and anemia-related measurement.


Three bioactive glasses belonging to the system SiO2-CaO- Na2O-P2O5 elaborated by conventional melt-quenching techniques were doped with silver, copper and copper + zinc. They were characterized using the usual physical methods. Human osteoblast cells Saos-2 and human endothelial cells EAhy926 were used for viability assays and to assess the metallic ions, self toxicity. Human monocyte cells THP-1 were used to measure interleukins IL1β and IL6 release. Glass chemical structures did not vary much on introduction of metal ions. A layer of hydroxyapatite was observed on every glass after 30 days of SBF immersion. A proliferative action was seen on Saos-2 after 24 h of incubation, EAhy926 growth was not affected. For both cell lines, a moderate cytotoxicity was found after 72 h. Dose-dependent toxic effects of Ag, Cu and Zn ions were observed on Saos-2 and EAhy926 cells. Measured CD50 of silver against these two cell lines were 8 to 20 fold lower than copper and zinc's. Except undoped control glass, all doped glasses tested showed anti-inflammatory properties by preventing IL1β and IL6 excretion by differentiated THP-1. In conclusion, strictly monitored adjunction of metal ions to bioglasses ensures good anti-inflammatory properties without altering their biocompatibility.


This work is involved with the short-time asymptotics of diffusion semigroups in a general setting. A generalization of Fang's version of Varadhan's formula is proven for general Dirichlet spaces that are local and conservative. The intrinsic metric appearing in the formula is characterized by pointwise distance for canonical Dirichlet spaces on loop groups.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Psychiatric patients are one of the special groups requiring attention as they are often neglected. Oral health is an major determinant of general health for psychiatric patients and may have a low priority in the context of mental illness. The present study was conducted to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of institutionalized psychiatric patients of Davangere.

METHODS
220 psychiatric patients admitted in two general hospitals of Davangere during the period of one year were included in the study. The oral health status was evaluated with respect to caries, oral hygiene, and periodontal status.

RESULTS
Of the 180 examined with the response rate of 81.8%. 58.3% were males, mean age was 36.7 years, 57.8% had < 1 year of mental illness with a mean of 2.2 years, and 90% were self-sufficient. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the mean DMFT (0.92) increased with age, duration of mental illness, and irregularity of oral hygiene habits (P<0.001). Mean OHI-S score was 3.3 and multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the mean OHI-S score increased with age (P<0.001). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the CPI score increased with age, duration of mental illness, and degree of helplessness (P<0.001).

INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION
The findings of this study demonstrates low caries prevalence, poor oral hygiene, and extensive unmet needs for dental treatment.


Satellite RNA variant-Q associated with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a highly structured single-stranded RNA molecule of 336 nucleotides in length. Satellite RNA is an important subviral pathogen in agriculture because it modulates symptom expression in CMV-infected plants. In the agricultural industry, CMV is economically very important since it exhibits a broad host range comprising over 1200 plant species world-wide. Although satellite RNA has no sequence homology with CMV genome, satellite RNA replication is thought to occur entirely in the cytoplasm and is exclusively dependent upon CMV replicase. Chapter 1 of this dissertation describes an Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system that allows the expression of individual viral and satellite RNA uncoupled from the virus replication in vivo, and by utilizing this system we demonstrate that CMV coat protein expressed independently of replication can enhance the accumulation of an individual CMV RNA. Virions formed by the CMV coat protein in the absence of virus replication encapsidates some host RNAs, and the satellite RNA can accumulate to a detectable level in the absence of the helper CMV. Chapter 2 describes a novel finding that satRNA expressed in the absence of its helper CMV is amplified by the host. By using immunostaining with antibody against double strand RNA, and confocal microscopy to identify the subcellular distribution of double stranded satellite RNA in situ, we have found that in the absence of the helper virus, satRNA can amplify in the nucleus. Furthermore, sequence analysis of satRNA oligomers formed in the absence of CMV replication showed that the junction between two monomeric forms have a unique heptanucleotide sequence GGGAAAA, which is not present in the junction of satRNA oligomers formed in the presence of CMV. Finally in chapter 3, by using agroinfiltration system, we demonstrate that the negative-sense strand of satellite RNA is not amplified by the host cell because it is not recruited into the nucleus. However, consistent with the previously published results, the negative-sense satellite RNA is replicated by the helper CMV but only to a low-level. These novel findings will place the viroids, hepatitis delta virus and satellite RNAs in a closer relationship with each other in terms of their replication mechanisms. Implications of these findings are discussed in Conclusion chapter of this dissertation.


This paper demonstrates an opinion indicator (OI) generation system, named Crowd View, with which traders can refer to the fine-grained opinions, beyond the market sentiment (bullish/bearish), from crowd investors when trading financial instruments. We collect the real-time textual information from Twitter, and convert it into five kinds of OIs, including the support price level, resistance price level, price target, buy-side cost, and sell-side cost. The OIs for all component stocks in Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJI) are provided, and shown with the real-time stock price for comparison and analysis. The information embedding in the OIs and the application scenarios are introduced.


Despite extensive investigation, biological treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain largely undeveloped. The lack of satisfactory models has frequently led to inadequate phase II studies and to small and inconclusive phase III trials. Nonuniformity of trials has prevented clearer conclusions from being reached by meta-analysis. In general, immunotherapy has failed to fulfill expectations for clinical usefulness. The benefit with this approach, if any, seems to be marginal, but it is not clear whether this is a result of lack of activity or faulty clinical testing. The future of biological agents in cancer treatment lies in ongoing advances in molecular biology, for example in making tumors more immunogenic. Another avenue of further clinical research includes novel forms of therapy with monoclonal antibodies. Adequate models for testing and appropriate clinical trial settings could clarify the role of biological agents in NSCLC.


The flow conditions in a parallel plate "bioreactor" have been modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and characterized experimentally using a computer controlled flow regulation apparatus and associated flow visualization techniques. The conditions required to induce flow characteristics appropriate for standard in-vitro cell processes on flat substrates have been identified from a consideration of data from previous studies. The effects of changing the surface topography of the substrate on which the cells are grown has been investigated by forming specific micrometer scale features via hot embossing on polymeric plates. The effect that various features have on the flow that occurs at the boundary layer adjacent to the surface in the parallel plate chamber has been determined. The results for studies undertaken in a parallel plate chamber operating under computer control are presented here. Flow characteristics have been determined using feedback from the sensors within the system and validated by direct flow visualization using fluorescent beads and modeled using a CFD routine. The system exhibits well developed laminar flow and is capable of delivering surface shear stresses up to 2.4 Pa on a planar surface. As such, it is suitable for evaluating in-vitro cell processes. The effects that the features produced by hot embossing of a poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) surface have been tested in the flow chamber and their influence on shear stress observed.


Poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene)-Co2+ was characterized using infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA), N2-physisorption and polarography. Thermal analysis suggests sufficient thermal stability of the polymer support, under reaction conditions. From polarography measurements, the Co2+ content on polymer-supported catalysts is estimated and it was proved that no significant leaching occurred during the activity tests. At the molecular level, FTIR of P4VP-DVB-Co2+ reveals that the pyridine nitrogen lone pair coordinates to the metal center in the polymeric complex. The obtained P4VP-DVB-Co2+ catalysts performed interesting catalytic activity in reaction of the cyclohexane oxidation with air, indicating that increasing Co2+ content lowers the initiation temperature and raises the decomposition of cyclohexylhydroperoxide.


Original title: Emancipatiemonitor 2016

For many years, women's lower education level appeared to offer a logical explanation for their weaker position on the labour market. However, girls are performing well in education: in fact, women aged up to 45 years are actually more highly educated than their male peers. Does this mean that young women today more often have jobs, attain more senior positions and earn more than young men? And does it mean that fathers rather than mothers are reducing their working hours in order to look after the children?

You will find the answers to these questions in this Emancipation Monitor 2016. Like earlier editions, this ninth edition brings together the most recent statistics in a wide range of fields related to emancipation. The position of women on the labour market is a key aspect of this; the labour participation rate of women and men is compared in this report, as are their working hours, their progression to senior positions and their income from employment. The Monitor also looks at how women and men combine their work with care tasks. It also explores the school achievements of boys and girls. Finally, the Emancipation Monitor 2016 presents information on safety and health and compares the Netherlands against the European benchmark.

The Emancipation Monitor is a joint publication by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) and Statistics Netherlands (CBS), at the request of the Emancipation Department of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This ninth edition shows that there is greater equality between women and men in a number areas, but that the emancipation process is proceeding more slowly than was anticipated in the early years of Dutch emancipation policy.

Wil Portegijs (SCP) works in the Care, Emancipation and Time Use research sector at SCP. As well as the Emancipation Monitor, she carries out research on women's working hours and economic independence.

Marion van den Brakel (CBS) works in the Labour, Income and Life Situation sector at Statistics Netherlands, where she carries out research on the CBS income statistics. Her work focuses on emancipation, and specifically economic independence.


Most of the component optimizations of trucks are limited to the individual component because of the complex coupling relations between components. Focusing on such difficult optimal problem, the conception of static modal stiffness was introduced and static modal stiffness sensitivity was defined. The method for computing static modal stiffness sensitivities was also developed. The proposed method was applied to the static modal stiffness sensitivities analysis of the frame of the truck under full vehicle environment. In the computations, a three dimension finite element model for full vehicle was established and the frame was divided into 13 superelements. The static modal stiffness sensitivities obtained can be used to improve the frame design.


Life expectancy is projected to increase significantly in the coming years. This fact has pushed the need for designing new and more pervasive healthcare systems. In this field, distributed and networked embedded systems, such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), are the most suitable technology to achieve continuous monitoring of aged people for their own safety, without affecting their daily activities. This paper proposes recent advancements in this field by introducing WSN4QoL, a Marie Curie project which involves academic and industrial partners from three EU countries. The project aims to propose new WSN-based technologies to meet the specific requirements of pervasive healthcare applications. In particular, in this paper, a Network Coding (NC) mechanism and a distributed localization solution are presented. They have been implemented on WSN testbeds to achieve efficiency in the communications and to enable indoor people tracking. Preliminary results in a real environment show good system performance that meet our expectations.


Abstract Purpose:Purpose: This study aimed to assess the determinants of hypertension and its association with familiar factors among patients attending a specialist hospital in Nigeria. Methods:Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 350 patients recruited from the general outpatient clinic of the hospital with computer-generated simple random sampling techniques. Data were analysed by SPSS version 23. Correlation analysis and chi-square tests were used to determine the association of relevant variables. Poisson regression was used to assess the predictors of the number of days of physical activities per week. Linear regression and logistic regressions were done to determine the determinants of hypertension. Results:Results: Three hundred and fifty respondents were interviewed and the mean age of the respondents was 44.59(SD+_15.84) years. After adjusting for other variables, the predictors of the number of days of physical activities per week were the level of education and age. Subjects who were 34 years or less were about 1.4 times more likely to do physical activities than the subjects who were 55 years and above (OR=0.725; 95%CI= 0.600– 0.875). For every 1 unit increase in the degree of salt intake, there was a statistically significant increase in diastolic blood pressure by about 1.189 units (95% C.I equals 0.011 to 2.390, p-value= 0.006). In addition to salt intake, other predictors of diastolic blood pressure were family history, marital status, and family setting. Those who belonged to polygamous settings were about 1.9 times more likely to develop hypertension than those who belonged to monogamous settings (OR=1.878; 95%CI=1.138-3.10). After adjusting for other variables, the predictors of systolic blood pressure were family history, family settings, and marital status. Those with positive family history were about 2.6 times more likely to have systolic hypertension than those without (OR=0.387; 95%CI= 0.150 – 0.999). Conclusion:Conclusion: The determinants of hypertension in this study were marital status, family setting, family history of hypertension


Abstract: We live in an economy based on knowledge where the socialization that takes place through relation networks is the key in the construction of this knowledge. The aim of this research is to explore the state of the art of Knowledge Management in teams inside organizations and in conjunction with the theory of Social Capital. To achieve the proposed aim, a systematic review of literature, using thirty three articles – thirty with empirical research and three theoretical articles – was carried out. The academic contribution is the understanding of the operation of Social Capital and Knowledge Management in teams that make use of agile methods in carrying out work. The technical contributions for team and project managers are presented through consolidation of factors that were identified or supported by the research as influencing performance, learning, and improvement of processes, among others.


Due to the similarities between Gauss's and Ampere's laws, students can present cognitive interference when learning these laws in the introductory physics course. This study aims to analyze the interference patterns that emerge in students' answers when solving problems that involve Gauss's and Ampere's laws and related concepts (e.g., electric flux and magnetic circulation). We conducted a study of 322 engineering students attending a private Mexican university. We applied two open-ended questionnaires with questions that prompted using Gauss's and Ampere's laws. We analyzed students' answers to identify whether they presented some word or element of an equation from the opposite context and coded them into coding families. We analyzed the consistency of interference by counting the times each student presented some interference in general and by coding family. The results indicated that the interferences related to the shape of the Gaussian surface or Amperian trajectory and field-related concepts are shared among contexts. However, the interference related to the source of the field (charge or current) is predominant in magnetism. In contrast, the interference related to using elements from the opposite context in an equation predominates in electricity. In other words, students referred to currents as charges and wrote equations that contained B (for magnetic field) or other similar elements in Gauss's law. The general consistency analysis revealed that around half the students presented at least one interference in both contexts. We recommend that the interference between electricity and magnetism in Gauss's and Ampere's laws must not be overlooked. This study's findings can guide introductory and intermediate electricity and magnetism instructors to address this interference phenomenon.


Between 1941 and 1945, as the U.S. military machine sent millions of Americans--and American culture--around the world, several thousand African Americans spent time in Australia. Armed with little knowledge of Australian racial values and practices, black Americans encoutered a nation whose long-standing commitment to the principle of "White Australia" appeared to rest comfortably with the segregative policies commonly associated with the American South. Nonetheless, while African Americans <did< encounter racism and discrimination--practices often encouraged by the white Americans who were also stationed in Australia during the war--there is compelling evidence that their experiences were not always negative. Indeed, for many black Americans, Australians' apparent open-mindedness and racial views of white Britons and others with whom African Americans came into contact during the war. Making use of U.S. Army censors' reports and paying attention to black Americans' views of their experiences in Australia, this article not only casts light on an aspect of American-Australian relations that has hitherto received scant scholarly attention and reveals something about the African American experience, but also offers insights into race relations within the U.S. armed forces.


Following a successful launch at 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earth's orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar sy


The problem of design of a square-wave electromagnetic flowmeter may be simplified by the use of a mechanical chopper as the gating device. Such an instrument has been assembled using commercial components costing less than $1000. A commercial 400-cycle chopper amplifier, Offner model 190, was modified to perform the sampling. Carrier signal was provided by Tektronix 162 and 161 generators. Proper synchronization with the chopper is obtained by use of the 161 delay control. Magnet assemblies were made of ferrite toroidal cores and platinum electrodes, cast in epoxy resin and powered directly by a Heathkit 70-watt amplifier. Using a carrier frequency of 400 cps, good frequency response, stability, and signal-to-noise levels were attained. Calibration curves are linear for forward and backward flow. Sensitivity was sufficient to record blood flow levels of 1 ml per minute.


The rise of precision medicine represents a challenge for pathology, which must now more closely link research and diagnostic and collaborate on new bases with other specialties. Our paper is based on the study of four French cancer centers invested in developing precision medicine. Molecular biology is particularly threatening for pathologists in settings where medical oncologists and biologists believe that the discipline is capable of presiding over if not altogether replacing morphology as the principal basis for diagnosis. However, we will show that the organizational arrangements for circulating tumor specimens and producing diagnoses, as well as the place occupied by pathologists in these arrangements, have varied from place to place and over time. These configurations are the result of preexisting arrangements and local negotiations among professionals, where the aim is rather to include and coordinate specialties within the production line rather than exclude them from the jurisdictional remit.


Controlling the self-assembly of highly luminescent conjugated polymers is essential for preparing various optoelectronic devices. In this study, a polyisoprene-b-polystyrene-b-poly(3-hexylthiophene) (PI-PS-P3HT) triblock copolymer was synthesized and readily self-assembled into network-like morphologies via dewetting at the air–water interface. Interestingly, the monolayer thick film displayed high photoluminescence (PL) as a result of successfully transferring the amorphous conjugated P3HT chains in the PI-PS-P3HT triblock copolymer from the solution state to the solid state. A model was proposed to illustrate the supramolecular organization of the PI-PS-P3HT monolayer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of a hydrophobic conjugated block copolymer at the air–water interface, from which the conjugated polymer-based monolayer with highly efficient PL formed by dewetting was achieved.