Sequences at the 5' and 3' ends of the rubella virus (RV) genomic RNA can potentially form stable stem-loop (SL) structures that are postulated to be involved in virus replication. We have analyzed the function of these putative SL structures in RNA translation by constructing chimeric chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) RNAs, flanked either by both 5'- and 3'-terminal sequence domains from the RV genome or several deletion derivatives of the same sequences. After in vitro transcription of chimeric RNAs, the translational efficiencies of these RNAs were compared by the rabbit reticulocyte lysate translation system. For in vivo translation studies, the level of CAT activity was measured for chimeric RV/CAT RNAs expressed in transfected cells by the adenovirus major late promoter. Both in vivo and in vitro translation activities of the chimeric RNAs revealed that the presence of 5' and 3' SL sequences of RV RNA, in correct (+) orientation and context [5'(+)SL and 3'(+)SL, respectively] was necessary for efficient translation of chimeric RV/CAT RNAs. The presence of the RV 5'(+)SL sequence had the primary enhancing effect on translation. To identify host proteins which interact with the 5'(+)SL which may be involved in RV RNA translation, RNA gel-shift and UV cross-linking assays were employed. Two host proteins 59 and 52 kDa in size, present in cytosolic extracts from both uninfected and RV-infected cells, specifically interacted with the RV 5'(+)SL RNA. Direct binding comparisons between wild-type and mutant 5'(+)SL RNAs demonstrated that sequences in and around the bulge region of the terminal stem domain of this structure constituted a protein binding determinant. Human serum, qualified for anti-Ro/SS-A antigen specificity, immunoprecipitated 59- and 52-kDa protein-RNA complexes containing the RV 5'(+)SL RNA. However, poly- and monoclonal antisera raised against the recombinant 60- and 52-kDa Ro proteins failed to precipitate complexes containing the 5'(+)SL RNA. The identity of the proteins binding this RV cis-acting element remains to be determined; however, their role in RV translation is discussed.


The study was conducted in forested areas of pure Oriental Spruce (Picea orientalis) that were grown naturally, have the same age, and not treated in the normal canopy. The 40 sample areas (162 soil samples total) in Ormanustu, Macka, Trabzon were selected within the scope of this research and the sample areas were selected from the same aspect (northern aspect group), at two altitude levels (1550-1850 m and 18502050 m), and two different parent materials (andesite and granite). The soil samples obtained from the field were analyzed in the laboratory. The relationship between the stand age and maximum height were used for the determination of the site index for the sample areas. The pure Oriental Spruce stands, in connection with, the altitude climate zones and parent materials, were evaluated. According to the results, it can be stated that the values belonging to the site index, sand (%), clay (%), fine particle, loss on ignition, Ca++, and CEC (cation-exchange capacity) do show differences in regards to the parent materials (p<0.001). The Site index values of the Oriental Spruce indexes also differ in relation to the altitude climate levels (p<0.001). The results of the variance analysis indicated that the altitude of the climate levels affected the values belonging to the sand, clay, available water capacity, loss on ignition, Ca++, CEC, and available P2O5 among the soil characteristics (p<0.001 and p<0.05). Moreover, the correlation between altitude and site index was found to be meaningful and significant (p<0.01).


Background : The population is increasingly lighter pigmented moving in a northward direction in Europe until reaching the Arctic Circle, where the Samis (Lapps) are clearly more pigmented. Methods : In 1966–1970, we investigated a total of 689 subjects in the villages of Sevettijärvi and Nellim, including persons with mixed Sami and Finnish heritage; of these, 487 (242 males, 245 females) had both parents classified as Skolt Sami. For estimation of the colour of the iris and hair, international scales were used. For translucency of the iris, pigmentation of the fundus was estimated in 3 different shades. The length and type of eyelashes were classified into 3 categories. To our knowledge, a simultaneous study of the pigmentation of eyebrows, eyelashes and eye fundus at different ages has not previously been published. Results : The age differences of iris colour were highly significant. Iris colour in children varied markedly, and they generally had lighter colours than later in life. Age and sex effects on the translucency of irises were found. Male irises were more translucent. Fundus pigmentation was scanty in the youngest age groups, with full pigmentation being reached at 20 years. Among young individuals hair colour darkens with increasing age. Eyebrow colour was slightly lighter for both sexes in the youngest age groups that in older cohorts. Women had longer eyelashes than males. Conclusions : The main factor of the lighter skin is a higher ability to synthesize vitamin D, providing superior protection against rickets. The Skolt Samis are more pigmented than other Nordic people. In earlier times they had problems with rickets but our studies did not show any essential symptoms of rickets today. Visual acuity among Skolt Samis was good. They had lower prevalence of myopia compared to Finns. The stronger pigmentation of Skolt Samis is probably due to their origin from darker Eastern populations. Since our investigations were made, the Skolt Samis have been to a great part mixed with neighbouring populations and scattered throughout Finland. Even their old language is nowadays used mainly for traditional purposes. Therefore similar studies could not be performed anymore.


Deafness encompasses a series of etiologically heterogeneous disorders with mutations in more than 400 independent genes. However, several studies indicate that a large proportion of both syndromic and nonsyndromic forms of deafness in the racially diverse Indian and Pakistani populations are caused by defects in just a few genes. In these countries, there is a strong cultural preference for consanguineous marriage and an associated relatively high prevalence of genetic disorders. The current Indian population is approximately 1.2 billion and it is estimated that 30,000 infants are born with congenital sensorineural hearing loss (HL) each year. The estimated rate of profound bilateral HL is 1.6 per 1000 in Pakistan and 70% of this HL arises in consanguineous families. Knowledge of the genetic cause of deafness within a distinct population is important for accurate genetic counseling and early diagnosis for timely intervention and treatment options. Many sources and technologies are now available for the testing of hearing efficiency. Population-based screening has been proposed as one of the major strategies for translating genetic and genomic advances into population health gains. This review of the genetics of deafness in Indian and Pakistani populations deals with the major causes of deafness in these countries and prospectives for reducing the incidence of inherited deafness.


This case study explores how six second-generation Japanese American youth recalled learning about cultural diversity at their high schools, particularly information that was intended to represent their identities as ethnic and racial minorities. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how the participants made sense of curricular content that did not represent their experiences accurately or completely. Site documents including course documents and syllabi were also analyzed. The findings suggest that (a) Asian/Americans have largely been excluded from definitions of diversity and multiculturalism and (b) when White teachers included lessons intended to teach about Asian/Americans, the content generally reinforced Orientalist stereotypes, particularly colonizing images of the cultural exoticism-pathology binary and/or racial sameness. The implications section details practical strategies for K-12 teachers to include more balanced information about Asian/American experiences in the curricula.


Tutor: So, essay writing...
Student: Yeah, how do you do that?

This paper sheds light on what happens behind the closed door of the academic writing tutorial.
Whilst there has been some empirical research on classroom interaction and dyadic tutorials, there has been little examination of the talk that occurs between tutor and student in one-to-one academic writing tutorials. The paper will present the findings of a study that used conversation analysis (CA) to examine the talk of individual academic writing tutorials at a small college-based Higher Education (HE) campus, where many students have vocational backgrounds. Undergraduate students with vocational qualifications often have less experience with academic writing than their peers who study A-levels (Parry, 2012). However, college-based HE students also share many of the characteristics and challenges of 'non-traditional' HE students (Caldwell and Cattermole, 2015).

The study aimed to understand how tutorials are organised, how identities are established and how learning is developed. Data from 17 tutorials carried out with students from a range of courses and years were analysed using CA (Drew & Heritage, 1992). The analysis revealed a number of strategies employed to negotiate goals between tutor and student, and how talk is used to achieve neutrality, correction and repair. Within this context, there is a paucity of research offering guidance for tutors to develop these strategies in the one-to-one tutorial. These findings will therefore fill this gap by providing a resource for practitioners to interrogate and reflect on good practice for conducting academic writing tutorials.

Caldwell, E. and Cattermole, C. (2015) Student perceptions of barriers to networking with employers. Higher Education Skills and Work Based Learning, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 287-298.
Drew, P. & Heritage, J. (1992) Talk at work: Interaction in institutional settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Parry, G. (2012) Higher education in further education colleges, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 118-122.


A number of library based parallel and sequential network simulators have been designed. The paper describes a library, called GloMoSim (Global Mobile system Simulator), for parallel simulation of wireless networks. GloMoSim has been designed to be extensible and composable: the communication protocol stack for wireless networks is divided into a set of layers, each with its own API. Models of protocols at one layer interact with those at a lower (or higher) layer only via these APIs. The modular implementation enables consistent comparison of multiple protocols at a given layer. The parallel implementation of GloMoSim can be executed using a variety of conservative synchronization protocols, which include the null message and conditional event algorithms. The paper describes the GloMoSim library, addresses a number of issues relevant to its parallelization, and presents a set of experimental results on the IBM 9076 SP, a distributed memory multicomputer. These experiments use models constructed from the library modules.


The long-standing approach of using probability samples in social science research has come under pressure through eroding survey response rates, advanced methodology, and easier access to large amounts of data. These factors, along with an increased awareness of the pitfalls of the nonequivalent comparison group design for the estimation of causal effects, have moved the attention of applied researchers away from issues of sampling and toward issues of identification. This article discusses the usability of samples with unknown selection probabilities for various research questions. In doing so, we review assumptions necessary for descriptive and causal inference and discuss research strategies developed to overcome sampling limitations.


A significant amount of research has examined what motivates people living in fire-prone areas to mitigate their wildfire risk (i.e. engage in activities that reduce vulnerability and the effects of a wildfire on an individual's property). However, drawing overarching conclusions from this research is difficult because of the myriad of ways researchers have measured and analysed wildfire risk mitigation. Although recommendations exist for measuring risk-mitigation activities, no research to date has based these recommendations on an examination of how different operationalisations influence subsequent interpretations of homeowner preparedness. We addressed this gap by examining how the effects of demographics and contextual factors on preparedness differ across different ways of counting the amount of vegetation management completed. We also examined how different statistical approaches influence the results. We found that measuring vegetation management as the sum of activities completed is problematic and can obfuscate important relationships. For example, age is positively related to the proportion of applicable activities completed, but not the total number. We recommend assessing which items are applicable to respondents and constructing proportional measures rather than sums. We also recommend that, given the need for maintenance of vegetation, researchers use non-binary measures that allow respondents to indicate how much work they have undertaken towards each activity.


Aromatic extracts and hydrocracking processes are integrated in order to optimize the hydrocracking unit design and / or performance. Aromatic-lean fraction then was treated separately, reducing the severity of the hydrocracking operation and / or catalytic reactor volume requirements-rich and aromatics.


Introduction: There is limited knowledge about how individual experiences of harm from others' drinking are influenced by heavy episodic drinking (HED) at the country level. The present study aimed to assess (1) the association between the country-level prevalence of HED and the risk of experiencing harm from others' drinking-related aggression and (2) if HED at the country level modifies the association between consumption of alcohol per capita (APC) and such harm. Methods: Outcome data from 32,576 participants from 19 European countries stem from the RARHA SEAS study. Self-reported harm from others' drinking included having been verbally abused, harmed physically, or having serious arguments. Data on country-level drinking patterns were derived from the World Health Organization. Associations between country-level prevalence of monthly HED and experiences of aggression (at least 1 of 3 studied harms) were derived through multilevel models – adjusted for country-level age structure and by including the respondent's own HED patterns as a mediator. Results: A 1% increase in the prevalence of monthly HED was associated with 5% higher odds (odds ratio [OR] 1.05) of experiencing others' alcohol-related aggression among men, and 6% (OR 1.06) among women. The results suggest that the association between APC and harm was stronger in countries with high prevalences of HED, but the modifying effect could not be confirmed. Discussion/Conclusion: Harm from others' drinking-related aggression depends not only on individual factors but is also influenced by the drinking patterns of the population. However, the country-level prevalence of HED only explains a small part of the variance of this type of harm.


Private landowners manage over 75% of the land in the United States. More than 90% of each state's area in the Midwest and Great Plains is owned privately (Powell 2012). Thus, the decisions made on private lands may serve as major sources of change in farmed landscapes and ecosystems. Federal conservation programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), can substantially affect landscapes. In 2013, 2% of the surface area of Nebraska and 4.5% of Iowa was protected through enrollment in CRP (USDA 2014a). However, natural resource planners who work to conserve soil, water, and wildlife on private lands are faced with the complex task of finding willing landowners to enroll in the portfolio of federal conservation programs. A variety of factors motivate landowner decisions (Quinn and Burbach 2008), but economic considerations are usually a clear driver (Cary and Wilkinson 1997). High prices paid for commodities have recently competed with conservation interests (Powell 2012). For example, acres enrolled in CRP declined by 18% during 2007 to 2013 in the United States. Four midwestern states—Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri—saw an average decline of acres in CRP of 12%. Four states in the northern Great Plains—Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota—had…


The chapter investigates the role of domestic courts in the management of foreign relations (FRs). Combining insights from the ongoing trend towards the 'administrativisation' of the jurisdictional function and the theoretical approach of Global Administrative Law (GAL), it explores whether and to what extent domestic judicial bodies "administer" FRs, establish coordination relationships and potentially develop a 'common language', even in such highly politicized field. In particular, the GAL approach brings out the role of global regulators of courts in a domain where their influence is often underestimated. With a varying degree of awareness, courts contribute to determine States' FRs, and this role in contemporary constitutional systems has become structural. Indeed, a GAL approach, in highlighting such role, may strengthen the self-awareness and responsiveness of courts. However, a survey on the judicial practice in this field suggests that the intervention of judicial bodies may lead to greater disorder, conflict and de-stabilization, thus – and paradoxically – frustrating the purposes of ordering the structures of global governance underlying the GAL project. Section II briefly recalls the main features of FRL (II.A) and GAL (II.B), mapping the analytical bases of the chapter, their conceptual assumptions, and the main challenges they face. Based on an a systematic survey, section III outlines a tentative taxonomy of the forms that the judicial practice takes in developing an embryonic 'global administrative law of foreign relations'. In particular, sub section III.A focuses on the 'review norms', while sub-section III.B focuses on the 'interaction norms'. Section IV concludes, summarizes the core claims and highlights, from a more normative perspective, the potential risks of the administrativisation of FRs, which may also cast doubts on the general value of GAL as a normative endeavor.


Post-silicon validation is one of the most important parts of the microprocessor prototype chip lifecycle. It is the last chance for debug engineers to detect defects and bugs that escaped pre-silicon verification, before the chip is released to the market. Effective solutions are required to harness the peak performance of the hardware prototype and evaluate whether the microprocessor chip is fully compliant with the instruction set and other specifications. We perform a comprehensive experimental study on a state-of-the-art microarchitecture to assess and identify the most difficult bugs in address translation caching arrays (multi-level TLBs and MMU Caches), and explain why these bugs persist across generations. We also categorize them into distinct bug scenarios. We then propose a novel methodology for generating random self-checking stimuli programs, which expose and detect such bug scenarios. Our experimental results show that the proposed method can detect difficult bugs that are likely to be missed by traditional post-silicon validation techniques.


Global modelling and validation is required to master the design of systems made of heterogeneous components. These systems are now omnipresent in our life, and they may be found in several domains such as communications (ex. mobile terminals, optical switches), health (e.g. cardiac stimulators, cochlear implants), transportation (ex. automotive and aeronautical), etc. The main difficulties for their design are modelling and validation of the interactions between different components (hardware, software, analogue, RF, optical and micro-mechanical). Global Specification and Validation of Embedded Systems offers a deep understanding of concepts and practices behind the composition of heterogeneous components. After the analysis of existing computation and execution models used for the specification and validation of different sub-systems, the book introduces a systematic approach to build an execution model for systems composed of heterogeneous components. Mixed continuous/discrete and hardware/software systems will be used to illustrate these concepts. The benefit of reading this book is to give a clear vision on the theory and practice of specification and validation of complex modern systems. The examples give to the designers solutions applicable in their daily practice.


Abstract
 Two new Early Ordovician crinoids have been discovered in Gondwanan rocks of northwest Argentina. Ramseyocrinus argentinus n. sp., among the most complete for the genus, aids in reconstructing key morphology. Ramseyocrinus is unorthodox with just four radials forming the entire cup, these articulating to five arms above and a tetrameric stem below. Evidence is presented radials comprise A, B, D, and E ray elements (C absent) with B and D radials adjoining to form a compound facet for the C arm. Thus the cup entirely lacks posterior plating; an elongate anal sac projects from the CD tegmen region alongside the C arm. Cup synapomorphies closely link Ramseyocrinus and the Middle Ordovician Tetragonocrinus; inclusion of this clade within disparids is tenuous. Quechuacrinus ticsa n. gen. and sp., increases the paleogeographic range of reteocrinid camerates, previously documented only from Laurentia. This taxon expresses synapomorphies characterizing the Late Ordovician Reteocrinus, demonstrating the antiquity of this morphotype.


A great deal of attention is currently being paid to the discussion of the reform of global agricultural trade. In this paper, the effects of the revised Harbinson paper (March 2003) are analysed with an extensively extended GTAP model. With the help of a base run, projections are implemented in the form of economic developments as well as already enacted EU policy reforms and measures (Agenda 2000, Mid-Term Review, EU enlargement, EBA agreement) from 1997 to 2014. The base run is compared with a scenario simulating the Doha Round of the WTO based on the revised draft of the Harbinson proposal. The difference between the base run and the model scenario provides information on the effects on EU trade and budget. The revised Harbinson paper leads to a particularly negative development in the trade balances and production quantities for the agricultural and food sectors of the EU-27, which are supported with high import duties, export subsidies and direct payments. Significant effects could be seen particularly in the cases processed food, beef, fruits and vegetables, other cereals and oils and fats. A decomposition of the total effects of the implementation of the Harbinson paper provides detailed insights in the effects resulting from the changes in the complex protection structure of the CAP. The implementation of the Doha Round of the WTO negotiations leads to a reduction in expenses for agricultural market policy of the CAP, caused especially by the production related reduction in direct payments and the complete dismantling of export subsidies.


Motion Estimation (ME) is the most computationally intensive and most power consuming part of video compression and video enhancement systems. In this paper, we propose a novel dynamic power estimation technique for ME hardware. We estimated the power consumption of a full search ME hardware implementation on a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA using several existing high and low level dynamic power estimation techniques and our technique. Gate-level timing simulation based power estimation of full search ME hardware for an average frame using Xilinx XPower tool takes 6 - 18 hours in a state-of-the-art PC, whereas estimating the power consumption of the same ME hardware for the same frame takes a few seconds using our technique. The average and maximum difference between the power consumptions estimated by our technique and the power consumptions estimated by XPower tool for four different video sequences are 3% and 13% respectively.


Abstract. We studied factors associated with survival, sex ratio, and seasonality of the tachinid fly Lespesia archippivora parasitizing monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). A total of 424 L. archippivora flies were collected from 124 parasitized monarch larvae in 2016 and 2017. The majority of flies emerged during the monarch's 5th larval instar. Both fly survival and brood size were higher for those emerging during the 5th instar relative to flies emerging during the 4th instar or pupal stage. Brood size ranged from 1 to 10 flies, and the proportion of each brood that successfully pupated to emerge as adults increased with brood size. Adults emerging from larger broods were lighter and smaller, which likely impacts subsequent fecundity and survival. Overall sex ratio was skewed towards males, with 222 male and 129 female adults identified. L. archippivora were recovered from monarchs both early in the season and at the end of the season, with a gap from mid-June to mid-July; a pattern consistent with a bivoltine life cycle.


The development of 5G wireless communications is targeted to increase the data rate compared to the 4G. Considering the operation frequency under 6 GHz that has been used in many applications, the operating frequencies above 6 GHz will be the most potential frequency to be used in 5G wireless communication technologies. One potential operating frequency above 6 GHz is 15 GHz. The benefits of using frequency 15 GHz for 5G wireless communications are low rain and air attenuations. Moreover, the 15 GHz wireless technology has less complexity than other higher frequencies, such as 28 GHz and 60 GHz. This paper designs two microstrip antennas using a 1×2 array of rectangular patch with U-Slot, which is then arranged as MIMO two element system. The U-slot is added to improve bandwidth of the antenna, while the 1×2 array improves gain more than 9 dB. The MIMO two-element antenna decreases fading effect caused by channel and increases data rate. The designed antenna has 1 GHz bandwidth from 14.4 to 15.4 GHz, with the minimum return loss of -18.69 dB, and the minimum VSWR of 1.26. The isolation coefficient is -32 dB in the frequency range. As for polarization, the axial ratio is 51.07 dB at -900, and the gain is 9.20 dBi with unidirectional radiation pattern.


In this paper, the analysis of Land sat images and plant ecological assessment were used to determine the land use change, plant diversity and the main plant community patterns in most environmentally disturbed areas of northern Togo. Floristic data in the survey areas were collected using transect and sampling methods which were both based on Braun Blanquet phytosociology concept. Several numerical processes were then retained to analyze the floristic data such as Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA), Hierarchical Clustering and Indicator Value (INDIVAL). The first two analyses were to define the plant groupings while the third was to name the plant communities found. The logical technique of RGB-NDVI suggested by Sader and Winne as an essential tool for land use assessment was applied to remote sensed data covering three time periods (1987, 2000 and 2007). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was then applied to both images after atmospheric correction before stacking them to obtain a RGB_NDVI composite image. Finally an unsupervised classification followed by post-classification process was applied to the RGB_NDVI image. All the results from these analyses show that seven plant groupings can be found in this area which mostly represents the physiognomy of shrubby savanna. The most frequent, abundant and typical plant species to Sudanian area are Terminalia laxiflora, Crotalaria graminicola, Vitellaria paradoxa. Great mutations in land use change are well perceptible after analysis. In overall the harvest of plant resources was higher between 1987 and 2000 while the regrowth of biomass was limited and unequal. The areas characterized with biomass clean and or regrowth is well represented in term of superficies, which denote the level of anthropogenous disturbance factors prevailing in this zone. However, there are certain zones where changes have not happened yet such as a few dimensions in riparian forests, though according to the field observations these riparian forests and their neighboring wooded vegetation are very disturbed. The rivers, pounds, barren lands and the scattered villages are also considered as no change areas.


70 million people are affected by epilepsy which is the most common chronic neurological disorder worldwide. About 70% of patients can expect an effective seizure control with medication. The realization of an implantable device capable of detecting impending seizures, warning patients and rendering some kind of treatment would be of great benefit. In this contribution, a brief history of epilepsy and an introduction to terminology and symptoms are given followed by a short summary of current research going on in the field of seizure prediction. Afterwards, an introduction to Cellular Nonlinear Networks (CNN , a paradigm for high speed computation) is given and finally a presentation of 4 different CNN based approaches to epileptic seizure prediction will convey a vision of the methods possibly used one day on an implantable seizure warning device.


: The bactericidal effect of water from the Indian and Pacific oceans and Caspian and White seas on Escherichia coli was studied. It is shown that a decrease in the viability of E. coli cells is accompanied by the appearance and active multiplication of small bacteria of a vibrioid form. Two strains of such bacteria were isolated from a suspension of E. coli in seawater and purified from membranes of the substrate organism by the method of centrifugation in a Ficoll gradient. The marine bacteria of vibrioid form are very similar to the bacterial parasite Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus in fatty acid composition and characteristic cycle of development.


C–H stretches of the fundamental ions CH+ and 13CH+, which have long been searched for, have been observed for the first time in the laboratory. The state-dependent attachment of He atoms to these ions at cryogenic temperatures has been exploited to obtain high-resolution rovibrational data. In addition, the lowest rotational transitions of CH+, 13CH+ and CD+ have been revisited and their rest frequency values have improved substantially.


A great variety of new and artificial materials have been created during the last decades, such as metamaterials, various composites and many others. To analyze and determine the characteristics of such materials advanced mathematical methods are applied. This work is devoted to the developing the technique for reconstruction of electromagnetic parameters of multi-sectional anisotropic diaphragms in a waveguide of rectangular cross section. To solve this inverse problem we make use of the method of rotation applied for anisotropic materials and reconstruct the quantities to be determined, including the diaphragm positions, from the values of the transmission coefficient measured at different frequencies. The efficiency and accuracy of computations are validated in the course of analytical-numerical solution to the inverse problem. The developed techniques and obtained results can be implemented in practical measurements when anisotropic materials and media with unknown properties are investigated with the aid of commonly used waveguide devices and analyzers.


Background Physical activity, healthy body weight, smoking, and alcohol consumption are each related to mortality, physical and cognitive function, and mental health but their combined long-term effect is unknown. We examined the individual and combined influence of these risk factors on mortality and subjective and measured function in middle-aged adults followed for 18 years. Methods Data were from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a biennial, longitudinal, nationally representative survey of older adults. 11,597 participants aged 51 to 61 were followed from study enrolment for an 18-year period. A health behaviour score was calculated with one point for each behaviour: moderate physical activity three times per week; BMI 20 to 25; alcohol consumption less than 7 drinks/week; non-smoking. Outcomes were all-cause mortality, problems with activities of daily living (ADLs), lung function, grip strength, walk speed, measured cognitive function, and depressive symptoms. Adjusted logistic and linear regression models were used to examine the relationships between health behaviours and outcomes separately by gender. Results For all outcomes except grip strength there was a dose-response relationship between healthy behaviour score and outcomes. For example, in men with four healthy behaviours and no baseline ADL problems, at 18-year follow-up 78.4% had no ADL problems, 6.6% had ADL problems, and 15.0% had died. In men with no healthy behaviours and no ADL problems at baseline, at follow-up 35.1% had no ADL problems, 8.8% had ADL problems, and 56.1% had died. Results in women were comparable but ADL differences were more marked. Number of healthy behaviours was related to follow-up cognitive function, mental health, walk speed, and lung function but not grip strength. Results were robust to adjustment for socioeconomic status (SES: measures of health, income, and level of education) and in analyses stratified by SES similar differences were found in relation to healthy behaviours within strata. Conclusion Simple differences in lifestyle behaviours in middle age are associated with major differences in mortality, functioning and health risks as people progress into old age. Effective health promotion in these age groups could bring substantial health benefits for individuals across SES groups.


We propose a framework for estimation and inference when the model may be misspecified. We rely on a local asymptotic approach where the degree of misspecification is indexed by the sample size. We construct estimators whose mean squared error is minimax in a neighborhood of the reference model, based on one‐step adjustments. In addition, we provide confidence intervals that contain the true parameter under local misspecification. As a tool to interpret the degree of misspecification, we map it to the local power of a specification test of the reference model. Our approach allows for systematic sensitivity analysis when the parameter of interest may be partially or irregularly identified. As illustrations, we study three applications: an empirical analysis of the impact of conditional cash transfers in Mexico where misspecification stems from the presence of stigma effects of the program, a cross‐sectional binary choice model where the error distribution is misspecified, and a dynamic panel data binary choice model where the number of time periods is small and the distribution of individual effects is misspecified.


CITED2 (Cbp/p300‐interacting transactivator, with Glu/Asp‐rich carboxy‐terminal domain, 2) is a member of the CITED family and is involved in various cellular functions during development and differentiation. Mounting evidence suggests the importance of CITED in the progression of human malignancies, but the significance of CITED2 protein has not yet been examined in breast carcinoma. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the clinical significance and the biological functions of CITED2 in breast carcinoma by immunohistochemistry and in vitro study. CITED2 immunoreactivity was detected in breast carcinoma tissues, and it was significantly higher compared to those in morphologically normal mammary glands. CITED2 immunoreactivity was significantly associated with stage, pathological T factor, lymph node metastasis, histological grade, HER2 and Ki‐67, and inversely correlated with estrogen receptor. Moreover, the immunohistochemical CITED2 status was significantly associated with increased incidence of recurrence and breast cancer‐specific death of the breast cancer patients, and multivariate analyses demonstrated CITED2 status as an independent worse prognostic factor for disease‐free and breast cancer‐specific survival. Subsequent in vitro experiments showed that CITED2 expression significantly increased proliferation activity and migration property in MCF‐7and S KBR‐3 breast carcinoma cells. Moreover, CITED2 caused chemoresistance to epirubicin and 5‐fluorouracil, but not paclitaxel, in these cells, and it inhibited p53 accumulation after 5‐fluorouracil treatment in MCF‐7 cells. These results suggest that CITED2 plays important roles in the progression and chemoresistance of breast carcinoma and that CITED2 status is a potent prognostic factor in breast cancer patients.


This study examine d the importance of Academic library as it enhances lecturers' and students' research productivities in the university community. The main instrument used in collecting data for this study was the questionnaire. From the target population of about 300 lecturers and 15000 students, simple random sampling technique was used to sample 180 respondents. Descriptive statistic involving the use of percentage was used to analyze the re search questions while chi-square statistic was employed to test the research hypotheses in the study at 0.05 level of significance. The study shows that students often use library resources more than lecturers. However, the majority of the respondents af firmed that the present level of books, journals and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities are grossly inadequate which discourage research efforts. Arising from the findings, recommendations on how to improve the University library for effective research activities were made. Key Words : Academic, Library, Utilization, Research, Lecturers, Students, Nigeria.


What does it mean to apply mathematics? Why is mathematics considered as essential to
natural sciences? Why do scientists consider the applicability of mathematics as something
mysterious? The applicability of mathematics is mysterious and unexplainable only if we
subscribe to a particular view of mathematics, namely, mathematics as a logical, axiomatic
and formal system, which deals only with a platonic world and not our real one. In contrast,
there are enough reasons to believe that mathematics is a fertile lived-language, sharing many
characteristics with other verbal languages. Thus, to understand the applicability of
mathematics, we need to first understand the applicability of languages, for example, the
'applicability' of English. The paper discusses some common characteristics in applying
English and mathematics and offers a particular model to explain why mathematics seems to
be so effectively applicable in science.


The antimicrobial effects of silver ions and silver chloride nanoparticles have been well established while the efficacy of microcrystalline silver chloride has been less studied. Certex-AM, a microcrystalline silver chloride product produced by Cerion, Rochester, NY, was tested for its antimicrobial properties as a possible replacement for traditional biocidal techniques used in water cooling towers. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compound was determined using a microtiter broth assay. The compound was found to have inhibitory effects on bacterial growth for all tested organisms at concentrations greater than 9 ppm. Additional testing simulating a water cooling system showed the effectiveness of reducing an established wild population at concentrations of 10 ppm of the microcrystalline silver chloride. Certex-AM was found to be a promising replacement for traditional biocides as well as for other applications. Introduction of effective antimicrobial compounds such as this could reduce the pathogenic risk to humans associated with water cooling towers.


Objective: Considering that mitochondria may be drug targets and some characteristics of drug–mitochondria interactions may still be misjudged because of the difficulty in foreseeing and understanding all possible implications of the complex pathophysiology of mitochondria, our study aimed to investigate the effect of escitalopram on the activity of enzymes of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Methods: Animals received daily administration of escitalopram dissolved in saline [10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (IP)] at 1.0 ml/kg volume for 14 days. Control rats received an equivalent volume of saline, 1.0 ml/kg (IP), for the same treatment period. Twelve hours after last injection, rats were killed by decapitation and brain areas were rapidly isolated. The samples were homogenised and the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, some enzymes of Krebs cycle (citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase) and creatine kinase were measured. Results: We verified that chronic administration of escitalopram decreased the activities of complexes I and II–III in cerebellum, hippocampus, striatum and posterior cortex whereas prefrontal cortex was not affected. Complex II activity was decreased only in striatum without affecting prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and posterior cortex. However, chronic administration of escitalopram did not affect complex IV and enzymes of Krebs cycle activities as well as creatine kinase. Conclusion: In this study we showed a decrease in the activities of complexes I and II–III in most of the brain structures analysed and complex II activity was decreased only in striatum. However, it remains to be determined if mitochondrial dysfunction is rather a causal or a consequential event of abnormal signalling.


Rapid adapting type-I (RA-I) receptor is one type of mechanoreceptors in the human skin. They are believed to be responsible for the detection of stimuli that produce minute skin motion (flutter, slip, microgeometric surface features). The neurophysiological experiments in the paper [J.R. Phillips et al. J. Neurophysiol., Vol. 46, pp. 1192–1203, 1981] raise a question about why the RA-I afferent (innervated into RA-I receptor) fails to represents the stimulus with the width less than 3 mm and why their response is anisotropy. It is unclear whether the skin's mechanics or the specific afferent branching of mechanoreceptors themselves are accounted for these phenomena. The present work seeks an interpretation of the neurophysiological phenomena, using a biomechanical finite-element (FE) model with a transduction sub-layer and synthetic sub-model for afferent current. The predicted afferent current matched well with the neural recordings in previous reports. This result suggests a major role of afferent branching in regard to the neurophysiological phenomena.


Purpose The objective of the study was to develop a method to predict the rate of drug binding to fat for drugs with different physicochemical properties, when biorelevant fed state gastric media are used in in vitro dissolution tests. Investigation of a possible correlation between the drug binding rate to the lipid part of the fed state gastric media with the physicochemical properties of the model compounds and the presence of positive or negative food effect observed in vivo was also performed. Methods For each drug studied, 30 mL of concentrations equal to their aqueous solubility in Fed State Simulated Gastric Fluid [prepared with 0% fat milk (FeSSGF 0%) with pH adjusted to 5] were placed outside dialysis tubing cellulose membrane of average flat width 25 mm and MWCO 12- 14 KDa (Sigma, UK) in a 50 mL centrifuge tube. Anhydrous milk fat, commercially purchased, after being heated at 37 °C, was placed inside the membrane (8 cm length) in quantities equivalent to 5%, 8%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 33% w/v fat concentrations in FeSSGF for nifedipine (10 μg/ mL) and to 5%, 15% and 25% w/v for danazol (1 μg/ mL), atorvastatin calcium (2.6 μg/ mL), ketoconazole (2.7 μg/ mL) and propafenone HCl (200 μg/ mL). Anhydrous milk fat has a similar fatty acid profile with milk and in this study, it was used as a surrogate of the lipid part of FeSSGF. The experiments were performed in a 37 °C incubator room under constant stirring (300 rpm). 0.5 mL samples were taken at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 6, 8, 24 (nifedipine) and 48 hours (all other drugs). Proteins were precipitated after addition of 2 parts of methanol at 1 part of FeSSGF and the samples were vortexed (30 sec), centrifuged (8000 rpm, 15 min, 4 °C), filtered and analysed with HPLC-UV. All experiments were performed in triplicate. The drug binding rate for all drugs was expressed as a decrease in drug concentration from the donor compartment and in case of nifedipine, the rate of binding (k) was also expressed as a function of % fat content (SigmaPlot®). Results Drug binding to fat was proven to be an extremely slow process. Using nifedipine as a starting model compound, a predictive model was developed so as to access the relationship between medium fat content and drug binding process and predict the binding rate to the fat, even at low fat concentrations. The binding process followed a first order kinetics pattern in all drugs during the selected sampling period except for propafenone HCl, the binding rate of which was too low to be determined. The study with nifedipine revealed that the drug binding rate was proportional to the % fat content with the binding rate vs % drug bound relationship following a hyperbolic model [k = 0.1195 × % fat content/ (10.4086 + % fat content)]. Using the equation derived from the predictive model developed, the k value of nifedipine's binding to 1.8% fat content of FeSSGF was 0.018 h-1. With the exception of nifedipine, an amount equivalent to less than 15% of the initial drug concentration was bound to the fat in the first 8 hours, even at a 25% w/v fat concentration medium. The k values at 25% w/v fat, were 0.0881, 0.0165, 0.0136, 0.0123 and 0.0013 h-1 for nifedipine, danazol, ketoconazole, atorvastatin calcium and propafenone HCl respectively. Compared to nifedipine, all other drugs tested had higher log P values but were bound to fat multiple times more slowly. Interestingly, drug binding rate was not correlated to logP, logD, aqueous solubility or food effect. Even though propafenone HCl, which was bound to the fat much slower than the other drugs, had significantly lower log D (pH= 5) value (0.68), no clear trend was observed between log D and the rate of binding. Conclusion Drug binding to fat is a very slow process which followed a first order kinetics pattern for all model drugs chosen. Binding rate was proportional to the fat content in the medium, following a hyperbolic model. The binding rate did not seem to have a direct correlation either with drug lipophilicity or with food effect observed in in vivo studies.


Since during the last few years, industrial robots systems had been wider introduced in smalland medium sized enterprises (SMEs) than traditionally, inexpensive and immediate support for the systems has to be provided.The purpose of this project is to investigate applicability of cognitive communication in industrial robot systems as an aid to provide the support. In the systems based on cognitive communication, particular emphasis is placed on utilizing human cognitive processes — the mental processes by which humans acquire and comprehend information about surrounding everyday world as well as gain knowledge and make decisions. The communication is,therefore, the most natural method to provide a robotic operator with large amount of tele-presence data that is expected to occur in remote assistance of industrial robot systems.The investigation is subdivided into following main sections:1. Applications of Industrial Robot Systems – an introductory literature study about present-day robotic solutions and challenges encountered in specific applications is presented.2. Fundamental Assumptions of the System – for the purposes of the project the local and remote industrial robot systems together with all their subcomponents are defined.3. Information as Meaningful Data – the information that are needed in remote operation of industrial robot systems are gathered and categorized.4. Data Acquisition – an introductory literature study about present-day sensory solutions that appear to be applicable in the system is presented. Subsequently an investigation is performed to determine how previously categorized robotic information can be acquired by means of the sensors.5. Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Interface – human perceptual and mental processes are discussed. Hence in subsequent part the description of human-machine interface that is applied in the system can be defined with regard to both psychological and technical aspects.6. Experimental Investigation – the description of system that was developed in order to practically investigate application of cognitive communication in industrial robot systemsis presented. Subsequently, with an aid of the system experiments are undertaken to investigate capabilities of cognitive vision and auditory communication with remote operator.The results from the experimental investigation confirm that application of cognitive communication is an adequate solution to provide the support to industrial robot systems.Furthermore, the capabilities of cognitive communication appear to be much greater than it was previously expected. Most likely it can be successfully applied in any multi-variable system requiring human supervisory.


OBJECTIVES Several studies have found a significant association between the presence of earlobe crease (ELC) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Brachial-ankle Pulse Wave Velocity (baPWV) is a non-invasive and useful measure of arterial stiffness predicting cardiovascular events and mortality. However, few studies have reported the relationship between ELC and baPWV as a new measure of arterial stiffness. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ELC is related to baPWV in non-diabetic, non-hypertensive, and apparently healthy Korean adults. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 573 non-hypertensive, non-diabetic Korean adults aged 20-80 yr. Subjects were stratified into three groups according to gender and menopausal status. baPWV was measured by an automatic waveform analyser. The association between ELC and baPWV was assessed by multiple linear regression analysis after adjusting for conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors including age, gender, blood pressure, lipid profile, and smoking status etc. RESULTS The overall frequency of ELC was 19.02% and the subjects with ELC showed significantly higher mean baPWV (p<0.0001). Multiple linear regression of subjects revealed that the presence of ELC was independently associated with baPWV (male, p<0.0001; premenopausal female p=0.0162; postmenopausal female p=0.0208). CONCLUSION ELC had a significant correlation with baPWV, independently controlling for other classical cardiovascular risk factors in adults aged 20 yr or older. ELC is an important surrogate marker of increased arterial stiffness as measured by baPWV in Korean adults.


The opening of several new railways during the last few years has greatly increased the opportunities for studying the geology of the Bagshot district. The railway-cuttings, however, are rapidly becoming overgrown or obscured by fallen materials, and I think that a description of some of the sections may interest the Society. In compiling these notes I have been greatly assisted by Mr. Herries; and the lists of fossils are from our joint collection. The Lower Bay shot beds, 100 to 150 feet thick, consist of yellow and white siliceous and micaceous sand, without green grains, with beds of greyish sandy clay, often laminated, and with more or less distinct vegetable impressions. On the western borders of Bagshot Heath the base of these beds is marked by (a) Coarse, often ferruginous sand, occasionally laminated with nearly white clay and sometimes with pieces of wood. (b) Irregular and extensive masses of rolled flint pebbles. (c) Dark-coloured stiff clay, named Ramsdell clay by the Geological Survey. The railway-cuttings at Goldsworthy Hill, at Ascot, and at Wellington College afford good type sections in the lower part of these beds, and show that the above subdivisions, though varying in thickness, are very persistent. The Goldsworthy-Hill section was described by Prof. Prest.wich in 1847 (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. iii. p. 382). The subdivision C in the above table is there represented by a "coarse greenish sand with a few flint pebbles" two feet thick ; the subdivision D by Prestwich's bed 2, foliated clays eleven feet; E


In this dissertation the pyrolytic conversion of biomass into chemicals and fuels was investigated from the analytical point of view. The study was focused on the liquid (bio-oil) and solid (char) fractions obtainable from biomass pyrolysis.
The drawbacks of Py-GC-MS described so far were partially solved by coupling different analytical configurations (Py-GC-MS, Py-GC-MIP-AED and off-line Py-SPE and Py-SPME-GC-MS with derivatization procedures).
The application of different techniques allowed a satisfactory comparative analysis of pyrolysis products of different biomass and a high throughput screening on effect of 33 catalysts on biomass pyrolysis. As the results of the screening showed, the most interesting catalysts were those containing copper (able to reduce the high molecular weight fraction of bio-oil without large yield decrease) and H-ZSM-5 (able to entirely convert the bio-oil into "gasoline like" aromatic products).
In order to establish the noxious compounds content of the liquid product, a clean-up step was included in the Py-SPE procedure. This allowed to investigate pollutants (PAHs) generation from pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of biomass. In fact, bio-oil from non-catalytic pyrolysis of biomass showed a moderate PAHs content, while the use of H-ZSM-5 catalyst for bio-oil up-grading determined an astonishing high production of PAHs (if compared to what observed in alkanes cracking), indicating an important concern in the substitution fossil fuel with bio-oil derived from biomass. Moreover, the analytical procedures developed in this thesis were directly applied for the detailed study of the most useful process scheme and up-grading route to chemical intermediates (anhydrosugars), transportation fuels or commodity chemicals (aromatic hydrocarbons). In the applied study, poplar and microalgae biomass were investigated and overall GHGs balance of pyrolysis of agricultural residues in Ravenna province was performed. A special attention was put on the comparison of the effect of bio-char different use (fuel or as soil conditioner) on the soil health and GHGs emissions.


The role of farm dependency and size on rural economic growth is examined with data from 2,240 nonmetropolitan U.S. counties for the period 1990–1995. A simple neoclassical model of regional economic growth is set forth with a central question relating to the role of agriculture on rural economic convergence. Traditional neoclassical theory predicts that poor rural areas should grow proportionally faster than rich areas. As interpreted in the academic literature and popular press, a preponderance of small family farms should enhance growth. Results suggest that a higher level of local dependence on production agriculture could lower growth rates.


Using the basic moment equations (number density, flow density, and energy density) for singly ionized argon and for electrons, a simple diffusion equation (essentially one proposed by Lieberman and Lichtenberg, 1994) is adopted (by comparison with experiment), together with an integrated power balance equation. The effects of scaling magnetic field and radius are then discussed first for simple cylinders, for which there are known analytic diffusion solutions. For specific cases having the more complicated geometry of two abutting coaxial cylinders with considerably different radii, the numerical results are well approximated and delimited by considering only the wider cylinder for low magnetic field, and at high magnetic field, where end effects dominate, using the total length and the smallest diameter of the system.


Why do lower courts treat Supreme Court precedents favorably or unfavorably? To address this question, we formulate a theoretical framework based on current principal-agent models of the judiciary. We use the framework to structure an empirical analysis of a random sample of 500 Supreme Court cases, yielding over 10,000 subsequent treatments in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. When the contemporary Supreme Court is ideologically estranged from the enacting Supreme Court, lower courts treat precedent much more harshly. Controlling for the ideological distance between the enacting and contemporary Supreme Courts, the preferences of the contemporary lower court itself are unrelated to its behavior. Hence, hierarchical control appears strong and effective. At the same time, however, a lower court's previous treatments of precedent strongly influence its later treatments. The results have important implications for understanding legal change and suggest new directions for judicial principal-agency theory.


Poly- and oligo(ethylene glycol)s are known to suppress the adsorption of biological material on surfaces. In this thesis is shown that when using these chains in either monolayers or polymeric architectures, fouling (undesired growth of biological material on surfaces) could be significantly reduced. First the synthesis of oligo(propylene glycol)s (OPG) is reported. Hybrids of oligo(ethylene glycol)s and oligo(propylene glycol)s were also prepared. The conformational properties of two (chiral) OEG/PG hybrids are assessed with 1H-NMR, spectral simulations and ab initio calculations. Monolayers of alkyl end-functionalised oligo(ethylene glycol)/oligo(propylene glycol) hybrids on either Si(100) (CAMs) or Au(111) SAMs were used as model surfaces to gain insight into the protein resistivity mechanism of the OEG chains. All monolayers were characterised by IR, static contact angle measurements, ellipsometry and protein resistivity studies. The CAMs did not show the same level of protein resistivity as comparable monolayers on Au (111). The SAMs on Au (111) neither adsorb fibrinogen or lysozyme. This is tentatively attributed to differences in intermolecular packing density of the respective monolayers, which for the CAMs is dependant on the preparation procedure. The packing density of CAMs is decisively lower than that of the corresponding SAMs. For the SAMs also a effect of chirality is observed. The synthesis of typical oligo(ethylene glycol) functionalised copolymethacrylates is then presented. Both random and block copolymers were synthesised, using free radical polymerisation techniques. The block copolymers were obtained by making use of the reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerisation method using cumyl dithiobenzoate. The copolymers were characterised using of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and IR spectroscopy. The assembly behaviour of a block copolymer in aqueous solution was investigated using a fluorescence probe technique, light scattering and cryo-TEM experiments. After deposition of the random and block copolymers on either hydrophilic or hydrophobic Si (100) surfaces, their surface topology and morphology was studied using tapping-mode AFM. Biofilm formation on the copolymers was studied by following the growth of bacteria and diatoms and the production of (EPS) in time using CLSM. The results demonstrated that the coatings suppress deposition of the amount of biological material by almost 60%. Especially the block copolymer was found to possess the best antifouling properties; as a consequence of its assembly behaviour. It is concluded that the random and block copolymers of proper composition represent viable binder materials for the preparation of new benign anti-fouling coating systems. The adhesive properties of some typical oligo(ethylene glycol) containing polymethacrylates on a commercial primer (SigmaPrime) deposited on a steel substrate were evaluated for their use in long-term antifouling studies. It was found that the random copolymers adhered well to the SigmaPrime. The block copolymer gave a free-standing film during exposure to water. The ultimate test, application of our polymer materials on a ship's hull, is still a future prospect, but the concept proved to be valuable as an alternative for the banned tributyl tin containing coating.


Introduction: Ethnobotany and ethnomedicine maintain and study the cultural and natural heritage as a part of people identity. At the same time, they return the subsequent knowledge as well-being and sustainability into societies. Objective: Evaluate, to characterize the utilitarian values of the flora in Holguin, Cuba, and to search the conservation status of these plants. Methods: Theoretical methods were used in order to analyze, determine the antecedents and processing the information. Empirical methods allowed the review and analysis of documentary and non-documentary sources. To search for articles, were queried the Scopus (www.scopus.com), ISI Web of Knowledge (www. isiknowledge.com) and Scirus (www.scirus. org) databases. Results: Strictly ethnobotanical studies in this area are scarce and most of investigations have not been published in specialized journals. Ethnobotanical characterization has not been seen as a discipline with techniques and specific aims. However, this research revealed 564 species used for various purposes, 344 of them as medicinal. The Ministerio de Salud Publica de Cuba (Cuban Public Health Ministry: Minsap) approved for their use in pharmacies 41 of the found species. Some plants declared as medicinal are also toxic or poisonous (6 %). The most representative botanical families are Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae. Plants are also used as ornamentals (26 %), apiculture (24 %) and timber (23 %). Of the plants found, 184 are threatened, 49 are invasive, from which 39 are medicinal. Conclusions: Ethnobotanical and ethnomedical studies require multidisciplinary teams of biologists, doctors, social workers and project managers. There are constraints in socializing effectiveness of the research projects results. Designing applicable results, spreading and socializing, allows the reflection towards social responsibility to generate useful social and commercial outcomes. In this sense, ethnobotany is not the exception. Keywords: ethnomedicine; medicinal plants; well-being; sustainability.


Angelman syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe learning difficulties, epilepsy, and a typical behavioral phenotype. The diagnostic criteria state that 20–80% of individuals have decreased sleep need and abnormal sleep-wake cycles. A wide variety of sleep problems have been reported, including reduced total sleep time, frequent night awakenings and nocturnal enuresis. Most previous reports have used sleep questionnaires to assess the frequency of various sleep disorders. Most patients studied have been children or adolescents and only one previous study has used complex sleep studies (polysomnography). We report three adult sisters with Angelman's syndrome who have been assessed with sleep diaries, actigraphy and, in one case, overnight polysomnography. Despite sleep diaries showing prolonged sleep with a mean of 9 h a night with few nocturnal arousals, the actigraphy in all three patients showed increased sleep fragmentation and in one the polysomnography was strikingly abnormal, with a greatly reduced total sleep time and very frequent, predominantly obstructive sleep apneas fragmenting night sleep (desaturation index 63.3 of total sleep time). Despite over 10 h in bed, she had only 69.5 min of actual sleep. There was no evidence of a circadian rhythm disorder. This is the first report of polysomnography in an adult with Angelman syndrome and it highlights the need to look for the presence of sleep apnea in this group, which may be an under-recognized cause of nocturnal sleep disturbance.


Author(s): August-Schmidt, Elizabeth Melissa | Advisor(s): D'Antonio, Carla M. | Abstract: Nitrogen (N) fixing trees are commonly used to promote forest restoration in disturbed areas because they can quickly recreate forest canopy structure. That structure in turn is hypothesized to attract animal seed dispersers and create enough shade to reduce undesirable species (particularly grasses). Yet N-fixers tend to increase soil N availability, which could facilitate the spread of nitrophilous invasive species. This dissertation evaluates the long-term consequences for understory community composition of establishing three N-fixing tree species (Acacia koa, Sophora chrysophylla, and Morella faya) after exotic grass-fueled fire in the seasonally dry subtropical woodland in Hawaii. To understand the restoration potential of these species, I compared discrete single-species stands of N-fixing trees in burned areas to both an intact native woodland and burned, open sites with no tree cover. Although N-fixing species are often assumed to be ecologically similar, trait variation among N-fixing trees in this system was strong enough to differentiate understory communities among stands of the three N-fixer species. To understand the mechanisms driving differences in understory composition among site types, particularly among N-fixing trees, I characterized the abiotic environment created by these species in terms of light and N availability, both of which were important drivers of understory community composition. High light and N availability were associated with greater exotic species cover and unique exotic species. Surprisingly, N availability was highest and N cycled fastest beneath the relatively slow-growing S. chrysophylla despite having much lower litter-N inputs than the faster-growing A. koa and M. faya. In this study, fast N-cycling was associated with high specific leaf area, high foliar N content and low foliar lignin:N. These traits are consistent with fast leaf economic spectrum traits in the general ecological literature, but this approach has not previously been applied to distinguish among N-fixing trees. Native Hawaiian dry forest understory recovery, particularly that of woody species, was limited throughout the burned area regardless of canopy cover. To determine what limits native shrub recovery, I sampled the seed bank and recorded natural seedling germination. I also planted native seedlings into the understory of all site types and either removed or left intact the invasive grass grasses present in the understory. I found that native shrubs were limited by both seed availability and competition with exotic grasses. Although outplant survival did not vary by N-fixer species identity, differences in the mechanisms by which each N-fixing species limited native seedling survival likely play a role in understory community assembly long-term. When restoration occurs in the context of secondary succession, prioritizing the creation of forest structure using N-fixing trees, particularly open-canopied fast-cycling species, such as S. chrysophylla, could make full community recovery more difficult by promoting rather than suppressing exotic grasses.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the formation of metallic minerals and the abundance of gold (Au) and their associations, petrographic analysis and analysis of the Atomic Absorbtion spectrophotometry (AAS). Writing method used is to combin e field data, and results of laboratory analysis and secondary data . Petrographic analyzes conducted to determine the genesis/formation of minerals of gold and associated metals. Based on the results of petrographic analysis, indicate that gold mineralization and its association contained in Sangon area, Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta, resulting in propylitic-type alteration. And based on the analysis of Atomic Absorbtion spectrophotometry (AAS), shows that the content/Au metallic mineral levels contai n / lowest levels compared to other metal mineral associations. Au content of only 1.274 ppm or 0.0001274%. Key words: genesis, the abundance of gold (Au) and their associations , petrographic analysis and analysis of the Atomic Absorbtion spectrophotometry (AAS).


One of the sectors which contributes importantly to the development of Vietnam economy is fishery industry. However, during recent year, it has been witnessed many difficulties on managing the performance of the fishery supply chain operations as a whole. In this paper, a framework for supply chain risk management (SCRM) is proposed. Initially, all the activities are mapped by using Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. Next, the risk ranking is analyzed in House of Risk. Furthermore, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) is used to identify inter-relationships among supply chain risks and to visualize the risks according to their levels. For illustration, the model has been tested in several case studies with fishery companies in Can Tho, Mekong Delta. This study identifies 22 risk events and 20 risk agents through the supply chain. Also, the risk priority could be used for further House of Risk with proactive actions in future studies.


This article addresses the various insurance issues relating to lawyer mobility. Part I of this article introduces the topic by noting the heightened rate of lawyers making lateral moves and how insurance coverage has responded to an increasingly mobile legal labor force. Part II provides a brief historical perspective on insurer reaction to lateral hire claims. Part III analyzes specific policy provisions related to lateral hires for both the prior firm and the new firm. Part IV discusses how a firm and a lateral lawyer should study and address risks before consummating the move. Part V examines the problems related to sorting risks and adjusting claims. The conclusion, in Part VI, reasserts the importance of carefully considering professional liability insurance implications of lateral transitions before the move is finalized.


We investigate the relation between the performance and characteristics of 1,118 domestic, actively managed institutional equity mutual funds. We find evidence in a univariate analysis that expense ratio class is an important determinant of performance, and the results are significant in a multivariate setting using only Miller's active alpha as a performance metric. The regression results show that larger institutional equity funds and those with greater cash holdings tend to perform better. We obtain mixed results involving the role of turnover, beta, and dividend yield as related to performance. Our evidence also shows that expense ratios and fund asset size are characteristics distinguishing the performance between institutional funds and retail funds. Finally, for both institutional funds and retail funds, a positive relation exists between a higher percentage of cash held and better fund performance.


This article describes an innovative method for regulating populations of blood-sucking Diptera that parasitize cows. This relates to the field of agriculture, namely to the means of protecting farm animals from insect bites, and can be used to protect farm animals from ectoparasites during the period of their grazing. To produce these products, the polymer was treated with an impregnating solution containing pyrethroid (2-26% by weight of the untreated polymer product), an inhibitor of arthropod detoxification enzyme systems (0.5-20.0%), a lubricant (0.1-3.0%) and an aliphatic ketone (5-90%). The method was simple in execution, and the insecticidal acaricidal polymer products obtained according to the method had a long shelf life of at least seven months. The products were resistant to environmental influences and did not lead to environmental pollution with excess active substances.


A restriction fragment length polymorphism study was undertaken to determine the extent and location of heterogeneity within spaP encoding the Mr 185,000 cell surface protein P1 (antigen I/II) of Streptococcus mutans serotype c isolates. The gene was found to be highly conserved except for a central variable (V) region predicted to encode less than 150 amino acids. Sequence analysis identified two V-region variants. These differences were independent of the geographic source of the isolates. Southern analysis using synthetic oligonucleotide probes indicated that nonretention of P1 (I/II) by some isolates is not due to a deletion of the 3'-terminal DNA necessary to encode an intact carboxy terminus.


The remarkable optomagnetic properties of the rare-earths (RE) make RE-based materials ideal for biomedical applications, including diagnostic (e.g., imaging, nanothermometry) and therapeutic (e.g., drug delivery, photodynamic therapy) approaches. This is due the unique electronic properties of the f-elements allowing for upconversion and near-infrared emission under near-infrared excitation as well as high magnetic moments.
 Yet, challenges remain; low emission intensity and efficiency of small nanoparticles (NPs), and reliable, fast synthesis routes. As material chemists, we tackle these challenges with new designs of RE-NPs by chemically controlled synthesis, application-oriented surface chemistry, and understanding of structure-property-relationships. Sodium rare-earth fluorides (NaREF4) are our favorite materials, and we developed a fast and reliable microwave-assisted synthesis approach allowing crystalline phase and size control in the sub 15nm realm. Such control is crucial for the understanding of fundamental structure-property relationships and to optimize their optical and magnetic properties, when aiming for the design of next-generation optical probes or contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. For instance, NaGdF4 NPs are gaining interest as alternative MRI contrast agent, while co-doping with RE3+ ions renders them excellent candidates for photoluminescent optical probes. The hexagonal crystalline phase of NaGdF4 is known as the more efficient host material for upconversion emission, yet interestingly, it was found that its cubic counterpart shows superior performance as MRI contrast agent. Having a fast and reliable synthesis route towards NaREF4 NPs on hand, we now explore various nanoparticle architectures and compositions with the goal to optimize their optomagnetic properties, ultimately resulting in the design of biocompatible multimodal bioprobes.
 This presentation will shed light on recent results and remaining challenges in the field of RE-based nanostructures with respect to their microwave-assisted synthesis as well as structural and optomagnetic properties, seeking biomedical application, while also touching on hyperspectral imaging as an emerging analytical tool offering spatio-spectral information about RE-based materials.


We used polymorphic microsatellite markers to look for recombination during parthenogenetic oogenesis between the X chromosomes of aphids of the tribe Macrosiphini. We examined the X chromosome because it comprises approximately 25 % of the genome and previous cytological observations of chromosome pairing and nucleolar organizer (NOR) heteromorphism suggest recombination, although the same is not true for autosomes. A total of 564 parthenogenetic females of Myzus clones with three distinct reproductive modes (cyclical parthenogenesis, obligate parthenogenesis and obligate parthenogenesis with male production) were genotyped at three informative X-linked loci. Also, parthenogenetically produced males from clones encompassing the full range of male-producing reproductive strategies were genotyped. These included 391 Myzus persicae males that were genotyped at three X-linked loci and 538 males from Sitobion clones that were genotyped at five informative X-linked loci. Our results show no departure from clonality in parthenogenetic generations of aphids of the tribe Macrosiphini: no recombinant genotypes were observed in parthenogenetically produced males or females.


Reverse time migration with [Formula: see text] compensation ([Formula: see text]-RTM) is an effective approach to enhance the resolution of seismic images because it retrieves the amplitude loss and phase distortion induced by the viscosity of media. According to the crosscorrelation imaging condition, [Formula: see text]-RTM requires compensation for the amplitude loss in the propagation paths of source and receiver wavefields, which can be realized by solving an amplitude-boosted wave equation. However, the amplitude-boosted simulations suffer from numerical instability due to the amplification of high-frequency noise. We have developed a robust stabilization strategy for [Formula: see text]-RTM by incorporating a time-variant filter into the amplitude-boosted wavefield extrapolation step. We modify the Fourier spectrum of the operator that controls the amplitude compensation to be time variant, and we add to the spectrum a stabilization factor. Doing so, we integrate the time-variant filter into the viscoacoustic wave propagator implicitly, and we avoid any explicit filtering operation in [Formula: see text]-RTM. We verify the robustness of this stabilized [Formula: see text]-RTM with two synthetic data examples. We also apply this technique to a field data set to demonstrate the imaging improvements compared to an acoustic RTM and a more traditional [Formula: see text]-RTM method.


The sintering behaviour of several ceramics prepared using a previously selected mixture of incinerated paper mill sludge and glass cullet which was blended with 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt% of some natural clayey materials has been studied. Three natural commercial product were used: a red clay, a yellow clay and a kaolin. Mixtures were blended by wet attrition milling, dried, sieved, pressed into specimens and then fired for 1 h at temperatures ranging from 1040 to 1140 °C. The resulting materials were characterized by water absorption, shrinkage and crystallographic composition. It was observed that materials containing kaolin display the best overall behaviour independently of the quantity of kaolin introduced. Conversely the optimal sintering temperature, and consequently the best properties of materials prepared using red or yellow clay was found above 1080 °C and depends of their specific composition being affected by the amount of clay added.


Abstract An increasing number of studies revealed that microRNA-22 as a biomarker may play a significant role in the cancer patients' prognosis, but the accurate prognosis value of microRNA-22 remains somewhat controversial. Thus, we comprehensively searched the database and performed this study to explicate the accurate value of microRNA-22 in the cancer patients' prognosis. This meta-analysis revealed that elevated expression of microRNA-22 correlated with good overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS)/recurrence-free survival (RFS) in cancers, while no significant association was found in metastasis-free survival (MFS)/distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Through the subgroup analysis for OS and DFS/PFS/RFS, we found that elevated expression of miR-22 significantly correlated with good prognosis in most subgroups, while it predicted a worse prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma subgroup. And besides that, elevated expression of miR-22 was negatively correlated with TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and recurrence, while no significant association was found between microRNA-22 expression and T stage, tumor differentiation, and lymphatic invasion. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that elevated expression of microRNA-22 predicted a good OS and DFS/PFS/RFS in cancer patients; meanwhile, its high expression also means earlier TNM stage, and lower likelihoods of lymph node metastasis, of distant metastasis and of recurrence. If we regularly monitor miR-22 expression in cancer patients, it might be useful for us to predict cancer prognosis in future clinical applications.


Image enhancement is aimed to improve image quality by maximizing the information content in the input image. In this article a PSO based hue preserving color image enhancement technique is proposed. The process is as follows. Image enhancement is considered as an optimization problem and particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to solve it. The quality of the intensity image is improved by a parameterized transformation function, in which parameters are optimized by PSO based on an objective function. The intensity transformation function uses local and global information of the input image and the objective function considers the entropy and edge information to measure the image quality. The enhanced color image is then obtained by scaling, which sometimes leads to gamut problem for few pixels. Rescaling is done to the saturation component to remove the gamut problem. The algorithm is tested on several color images and results are compared with two other popular color image enhancement techniques like hue-preserving color image enhancement without gamut problem (HPCIE) and a genetic algorithm based approach to color image enhancement (GACIE). Visual analysis, detail and background variance of the resultant images are reported. It has been found that the proposed method produces better results compared to other two methods.


The use of private security in crime prevention and law enforcement activities has grown to a point where security personnel outnumber police by more than two-to-one. This paper examines the size and scope of the security industry both locally and internationally. Using ABS census data, it provides a detailed and up-to-date picture of the security industry and makes key comparisons with police.Findings show that in Australia in 2006, there were 52,768 personnel employed full-time in the security industry, compared with 44,898 police. A decade previously, police had outnumbered security. When comparing the characteristics of security to police personnel, both industries have similar ratios of male to female employees (approximately 76% to 24% respectively), however security personnel frequently occupy an older age demographic than police, while police are more highly educated and paid. Although available data indicates there are over 5,000 security and investigative businesses registered in Australia, and over 110,000 licenses issued mainly to individuals, five companies make up nearly half of the security industry market share.As the sector is expected to continue to grow, especially with the increase in electronic surveillance and monitoring and cash-in-transit, the paper argues for more precise data on the size and dimensions of the industry that can inform efforts to develop nationally consistent standards and licensing regimes.


Ceramics based on nanosized plasma chemistry Si3N4 powder compositions s (30-100 nm) is processed by activated pressureless sintering, hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing. Microstructure characterization of the obtained materials by means o light and scanning microscopy revealed no correlation between microstructure and the bulk consolidation method . Average grain size in all cases was 200-500 nm. Comparative characterization of the physical and mechanical behavior of the analyzed samples showed the following results: relative density - over 99 %, flexural strength – over 700 MPa, Vickers hardness - 16-17GPa, fracture toughness – 6.5-7.4 MPa·m1/2. The activated pressureless sintered samples demonstrated physical and mechanical behavior comparable to the samples consolidated by other methods. Activated pressureless sintering of nanosized plasma chemistry Si3N4 powders led to considerable economic advantages in processing Si3N4 spherical rotation bodies for hybrid roller bearings and cutting tools. Silicon nitride (Si3N4)-based structural ceramics is widely studied and used for over half a century due to its unique properties: low density, combined with high strength and wear-resistance, high decomposition temperature, high oxidation resistance, low friction coefficient and high resistance to chemical corrosion[1].


Understanding mechanisms of cellular survival in the adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron is important in identifying targets for disease intervention and treatment in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). I have used DRG neurons to study signal transduction mechanisms involved in adult DRG neurotrophin-independent survival and response to stressful stimuli to understand mechanisms of neuroprotection and to enhance cellular survival after insult so that other processes, such as regeneration, can occur. -- Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons become less dependent upon neurotrophins for their survival as they mature. In Chapter 2 we show that adult DRG sensory neuronal cultures are able to survive for at least two weeks in culture in the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF). The use of pharmacological inhibitors of cellular signalling pathways confirmed the importance of the phosphoinositide kinase-3 (PI 3-K) and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways in this neurotrophin-independent neuronal survival. -- Chapter 3 shows concurrent studies investigating the role of stress-activated signalling pathways and the small heat shock protein, Hsp27, in protecting PC 12 cells from heat shock (HS) and NGF withdrawal-induced apoptosis. PC 12 cells and a stable cell line overexpressing Hsp27 (HSPC cells) were subjected to a physiological heat stress. Hsp27 associated with Akt and p38MAPK after stress and HS resulted in rapid activation of Akt followed by p38MAP kinase signalling, with phosphorylation and intracellular translocation of Hsp27 also detectable. Hsp27 protected NGF-differentiated PC12 cells against NGF-withdrawal treatment and phosphorylation of Akt was maintained in both the heat-shocked and NGF-withdrawal treated HSPC cells compared to the parental cells. -- Our studies of Hsp27 in PC 12 cells formed the basis for the experimental work outlined in Chapters 4 and 5. We investigated the possibility that Hsp27 may contribute to adult DRG neurotrophin-independent survival. Unlike adult DRG neurons in vitro, neonatal DRG neurons require NGF for survival; withdrawal of NGF results in apoptosis of a majority of neonatal neurons. Constitutive Hsp27 expression was higher in adult DRG neurons compared to neonates. After HS, Akt activation and upregulation of Hsp27 expression occurs in both adult and neonatal neurons. Increasing endogenous Hsp27 by HS in neonatal neurons was able to inhibit NGF withdrawal-induced apoptosis. Hsp27 siRNA treatment of adult neurons effected a decreased expression of Hsp27, which correlated with increased apoptosis. Hsp27 siRNA also blocked the HS-induced rescue of neonatal neurons after NGF withdrawal. These results indicate that physiologically induced upregulation of Hsp27 is sufficient to provide some degree of neuronal protection. This induction appears to be regulated by transcriptional activation of HSF-1 as shown by HSF-1 nuclear translocation and EMSA analyses of HSF-1 binding to nuclear protein. -- These results provide further evidence that adult DRG neuronal survival depends on multiple factors; one of significant importance is Hsp27. My studies show that this protein and its interactions with other signalling intermediates play important roles in neuronal survival. Further assessment of Hsp27's protein interactions and regulation will hopefully contribute to elucidating factors important for adult DRG neurotrophin-independent neuronal survival.


Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the major treatment modalities that are used in breast cancer treatment, and depending on the chest-wall anatomy, RT fields have to be cus-tomized. Techniques used in planning have been evolving since last two decades from two dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D), while intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and even proton therapy have been an option in daily approach. In addition, technological hardware and software advances in delivery and planning systems, total treatment duration of breast RT have been shortened in last decades along with recent hypofractionated radiotherapy schemes or emerging partial-breast irradiation protocols. The other attractive approach—acceler- ated partial breast irradiation (APBI) could be a reasonable option for highly selected subpopulation of early-stage breast cancer patients out of a clinical trial. Long-term follow-up results have emerged heart and coronary sparing with maximum safety and efficacy. The most important advance could be named as cardiac sparing—deep breath- hold approach—in all the modern technique improvement. Although most advanced techniques in management of breast cancer have not been verified to increase survival, we suggest recommending resource stratified advanced in order to provide best technical and clinical care in this long-term survivor candidates.


: The LPO contents and SOD activity were measured in blood serum of 110 elderly patients with head and neck carcinomas. The results showed that the LPO contents and SOD activity between the patients and control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) and the LPO contents between the metastatic group and non-metastatic group (P < 0.01) were significantly different. The LPO contents ascended (P < 0.01) by the 5th day and descended (P < 0.01) by the 14th day after operation. The relation between the occurrence and metastasis of the carcinoma and the LPO contents and SOD activity in blood serum was discussed.


1. Within the past 2 decades, the annual number of lung transplants, especially double-lung transplants, has steadily increased every year and exceeded 1,400 in the last 2 years. 2. Overall 1-, 5-, and 10-year graft survival rates for double-lung transplant recipients were 79.5%, 50.6%, and 30.4% respectively; those for left-lung transplant recipients were 76.0%, 41.8%, and 17.1%; and for right-lung transplant recipients were 78.3%, 44.8%, and 19.2%. 3. The improvement in long-term graft survival in the most recent transplant era was mainly due to improved one-year survival, more precisely, due to the increased early outcome within the first 2-3 months after transplantation. 4. A negative association between HLA mismatch and graft survival is statistically significant in both double and left-lung transplants. 5. Female COPD and ATD single-lung recipients had high long-term graft survival when they received right-lung transplants. While for male single-lung recipients, CF patients had better graft survival when they received left lung transplants; but PPH patients had higher graft survival when receiving right-lung transplants. This association between recipient gender and/or different original diseases and graft survival requires further investigation.


Background and Purpose—This review will focus on the emerging principles of neural repair after stroke, and on the overlap between cellular mechanisms of neural repair in stroke and clinical principles of recovery and rehabilitation. Summary of Review—Stroke induces axonal sprouting and neurogenesis. Axonal sprouting occurs in tissue adjacent to the stroke and its connected cortical areas, and from sites that are contralateral to the infarct. Neurogenesis produces newly born immature neurons in peri-infarct striatum and cortex. Stimulation of both axonal sprouting and neurogenesis is associated with improved recovery in animal models of stroke. A unique cellular environment in the poststroke brain supports neural repair: an association of angiogenic and remodeling blood vessels with newly born immature neurons in a neurovasclar niche. Controversies in the field of neural repair after stroke persist, and relate to the locations of axonal sprouting in animal models of stroke and how these correlate to patterns of human remapping and recovery, and to the different models of stroke used in studies of neurogenesis. Conclusions—On a cellular level, the phenomenology of neural repair after stroke has been defined and unique regenerative environments in the poststroke brain identified. As the field moves toward specific studies of causal mechanisms in poststroke repair, it will need to maintain a perspective of the animal models suited to the study of neural repair after stroke as they relate to the patterns of recovery in humans in this disease. (Stroke. 2008;39:1380-1388.)


Abstract Brain imaging studies indicate that chronic cocaine users display altered functional connectivity between prefrontal cortical, thalamic, striatal, and limbic regions; however, the use of cross-sectional designs in these studies precludes measuring baseline brain activity prior to cocaine use. Animal studies can circumvent this limitation by comparing functional connectivity between baseline and various time points after chronic cocaine use. In the present study, adult male Long–Evans rats were trained to self-administer cocaine intravenously for 6 h sessions daily over 14 consecutive days. Two additional groups serving as controls underwent sucrose self-administration or exposure to the test chambers alone. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted before self-administration and after 1 and 14 d of abstinence (1d and 14d Abs). After 1d Abs from cocaine, there were increased clustering coefficients in brain areas involved in reward seeking, learning, memory, and autonomic and affective processing, including amygdala, hypothalamus, striatum, hippocampus, and thalamus. Similar changes in clustering coefficient after 1d Abs from sucrose were evident in predominantly thalamic brain regions. Notably, there were no changes in strength of functional connectivity at 1 or 14 d after either cocaine or sucrose self-administration. The results suggest that cocaine and sucrose can change the arrangement of functional connectivity of brain regions involved in cognition and emotion, but that these changes dissipate across the early stages of abstinence. The study also emphasizes the importance of including baseline measures in longitudinal functional neuroimaging designs seeking to assess functional connectivity in the context of substance use.


Developmental dyslexia is a specific learning condition characterized by severe and persistent difficulties in written word recognition, decoding and spelling that may impair both text reading fluency and text reading comprehension. Despite this, some adults with dyslexia successfully complete their university studies even though graduating from university involves intensive exposure to long and complex texts. This study examined the cognitive skills underlying both text reading comprehension and text reading fluency (TRF) in a sample of 54 university students with dyslexia and 63 university students without dyslexia, based on a set of tests adapted for an adult population, including listening comprehension, word reading, pseudoword reading (i.e., decoding), phonemic awareness, spelling, visual span, reading span, vocabulary, non-verbal reasoning, and general knowledge. The contribution of these skills to text reading fluency and text reading comprehension was examined using stepwise multiplicative linear regression analyses. As far as TRF is concerned, a regression model including word reading, pseudoword reading and spelling best fits the data, while a regression model including listening comprehension, general knowledge and vocabulary best fits the data obtained for text reading comprehension. Overall, these results are discussed in the light of the current literature on adults with dyslexia and both text reading fluency and text reading comprehension.


Using numerical simulations, we systematically investigated the transmission properties of coupled-cavity waveguides (CCWs) formed in two-dimensional photonic-crystal dielectric slabs with a triangular array of air holes. We place emphasis on achieving a quasi-flat impurity band in such CCWs, which is important for the perfect transmission of ultrashort optical pulses. We show that the quasi-flat impurity band can be obtained by controlling the ratio of the air-hole radius to the lattice constant in the triangular lattice. As an example, we demonstrate the perfect transmission of a 500-fs-wide optical pulse through a CCW with a quasi-flat impurity band, indicating the possibility of application to high-speed all-optical communication systems with a maximum bit rate of approximately terabits per second.