The dissertation is a collection of 3 articles. The first estimates two types of models to investigate the role played by family background and individual characteristics in keeping children at school up to the end of secondary education. The first is a censored ordered probit model. It accounts for right-censoring of the schooling level of children enrolled at school at the time of survey. The second is a sequential model. It accounts for the "educational selectivity" and for the fact that, some family background characteristics or individual characteristics may affect the likelihood to reach one level of education but not others. Our striking findings arise from the results of the sequential model: (1) household's head education reveals some threshold effect, university education is needed to enhance the probability to complete secondary education; (2) parental wealth has no effect on the probability to start primary education. However, it increases the probability to complete secondary education. Chapter 2, co-written with Bertrand Verheyden, examines the determinants of schooling in developing countries with a special emphasis on birth order effects. We present a theoretical model accounting for the dynamics of birth order and its interaction with credit constraints. We show that since elder children are the only source of additional income when constraints get tighter in poor families, they work more than their younger siblings and end up with lower levels of education. This discrimination is not at work among wealthier families. Controlling for household fixed effects, gender and age, our results confirm that earlier-born children's education levels are relatively lower in poor households, and not in richer ones. These results are robust to various measures of birth order and household wealth. Chapter 3, examines whether gender gap in current enrolment rates prevails both among "regular" and "irregular" schooling children. Children who started primary school at age 6 and advanced one grade each year succeeded the first national standardized exam (CEP) at the age of 12. Regular children are those who, by the age of 12 have succeeded the CEP exam. Irregular children are the rest. We investigate the gender gap in schooling empirically. Our empirical framework allows the gender effect on the likelihood to be enrolled to be different for regular and irregular children. It also accounts for selection into the two groups. Results show no male-female difference among regular children. Among irregular children however, females are more likely to stay out of schools. We therefore suggest that, independently of the source of the gender gap, it seems to be at work mostly among irregular children.


Abstract. At the global scale, inland waters are a significant source of atmospheric
carbon (C), particularly in the tropics. The active pipe concept predicts
that C emissions from streams, lakes and rivers are largely fuelled by
terrestrial ecosystems. The traditionally recognized C transfer mechanisms
from terrestrial to aquatic systems are surface runoff and groundwater
drainage. We present here a series of arguments that support the idea that
land flooding is an additional significant process that fuels inland waters
with C at the global scale. Whether the majority of CO2 emitted by
rivers comes from floodable land (approximately 10 % of the continents) or
from well-drained land is a fundamental question that impacts our capacity
to predict how these C fluxes might change in the future. Using classical
concepts in ecology, we propose, as a necessary step forward, an update of
the active pipe concept that differentiates floodable land from drained
land. Contrarily to well-drained land, many wetlands (in particular riparian
and littoral wetlands) combine strong hydrological connectivity with inland
waters, high productivity assimilating CO2 from the atmosphere, direct
transfer of litter and exudation products to water and waterlogged soils, a
generally dominant allocation of ecosystem respiration (ER) below the water
surface and a slow gas-exchange rate at the water–air interface. These
properties force plants to pump atmospheric C to wetland waters and, when
hydrology is favourable, to inland waters as organic C and dissolved
CO2. This wetland CO2 pump may contribute disproportionately to
CO2 emissions from inland waters, particularly in the tropics where
80 % of the global CO2 emissions to the atmosphere occur. In future
studies, more care must be taken in the way that vertical and horizontal C
fluxes are conceptualized along watersheds, and 2-D models that adequately
account for the hydrological export of all C species are necessary. In
flooded ecosystems, significant effort should be dedicated to quantifying
the components of primary production and respiration by the submerged and
emerged part of the ecosystem community and to using these metabolic rates in
coupled hydrological–biogeochemical models. The construction of a global
typology of wetlands that includes productivity, gas fluxes and hydrological
connectivity with inland waters also appears necessary to adequately
integrate continental C fluxes at the global scale.


Quality of life in adulthood is determined by the quality of life of the embryo. Nutrition determines the quality of embryo life. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of unbalance nourishment on memory in the mouse. This research is an experimental study using mice as experimental animals.  Twenty-four mice were divided into four groups. Group 1 was given standard nourish (Feed 1), Group 2 was given high carbohydrate (Feed 2), Group 3 was given high protein (Feed 3), Group 4 was given a high fat (Feed 4) from weaning to pregnancy. Parameters measured were a memory with new objects recognition (NOR) methods. The result was mice with unbalance nourishment had memory decrease between after and before treatment. This can be explained by the calorie content of each feed. Feed 2 contains the smallest calories (2.89 Kcal). This means that the nutritional components are not sufficient as well as the calorie needs. Further research is unbalanced nourishment in the first generation will be passed on to the next generation.


In this paper, some new results are given for the common random solution for a class of random operator equations which generalize several results in [4], [5] and [6] in Banach space. On the other hand, Altman's inequality is also extending into the type of the determinant form. And comparing some solution for several examples, main results are theorem 2.3, theorem 3.3-3.4, theorem 4.1 and theorem 4.3.


Objective: Diagnosis of primary and metastatic lung neuroendocrine carcinoma (LNC) is challenging with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) since the morphologic features of LNC and lymphoid lesions overlap. Flow cytometry (FC) is commonly utilized for lymphoid lesions; however, FC with cluster differentiation (CD) 56 and cytokeratin antibodies can also be used for the diagnosis of neuroendocrine neoplasia. Our studies compared the role of FC to immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the diagnosis of LNC from cytological specimens. Materials and Methods: Cases of LNC with both cytology and FC were identified in our pathology databases from 2008 until June 2012. IHC and FC results were compared in these cases. Results: Fifteen of 17 cases had immunohistochemical studies from cell block including cytokeratin (11/11, 100%), thyroid transcription factor-1 (6/8, 75%), synaptophysin (12/14, 86%), chromogranin (4/13, 31%) and CD 56 (10/11, 91%). Of all 17 cases, 13 cases had FC performed with antibodies for CD 56, cytokeratin (Cam5.2) and CD 45. Twelve of the 13 cases were positive for CD 56 (12/13, 92%), which was similar to the IHC results (10/11, 91%). Eleven cases were positive for cytokeratin by IHC and 10 were positive (10/12, 83%) for cytokeratin by FC. One case in our study which was CD 56+/Cam5.2+/CD 45 − was diagnosed as carcinoid tumor by final morphology. Conclusions: Our results suggest that FC utilizing antibodies for CD 56/cytokeratin/CD 45 is a reliable alternative method for detecting LNC from FNA specimens when IHC fails or becomes unavailable. However, the morphology is still necessary for the diagnosis since the FC panel is not wholly specific for the subtypes of LNC.


Magneto-Electric FET (MEFET) is a recently developed post-CMOS FET, which offers intriguing characteristics for high-speed and low-power design in both logic and memory applications. In this article, we present MeF-RAM, a non-volatile cache memory design based on 2-Transistor-1-MEFET (2T1M) memory bit-cell with separate read and write paths. We show that with proper co-design across MEFET device, memory cell circuit, and array architecture, MeF-RAM is a promising candidate for fast non-volatile memory (NVM). To evaluate its cache performance in the memory system, we, for the first time, build a device-to-architecture cross-layer evaluation framework to quantitatively analyze and benchmark the MeF-RAM design with other memory technologies, including both volatile memory (i.e., SRAM, eDRAM) and other popular non-volatile emerging memory (i.e., ReRAM, STT-MRAM, and SOT-MRAM). The experiment results for the PARSEC benchmark suite indicate that, as an L2 cache memory, MeF-RAM reduces Energy Area Latency (EAT) product on average by ~98% and ~70% compared with typical 6T-SRAM and 2T1R SOT-MRAM counterparts, respectively.


A granddaughter design was used to locate quantitative trait loci determining conformation and functional traits in dairy cattle. In this granddaughter design, consisting of 20 Holstein Friesian grandsires and 833 sons, genotypes were determined for 277 microsatellite markers covering the whole genome. Breeding values for 27 traits, regarding conformation (18), fertility (2), birth (4), workability (2), and udder health (1), were evaluated in an across-family analysis using multimarker regression. Significance thresholds were determined using a permutation test. The across-family analysis suggested the presence of 61 quantitative trait loci when 27 (i.e., one for each trait) were expected by chance. The test statistic exceeded the genomewise significance threshold for the following traits and chromosomes: chest width on chromosome 2; gestation length on chromosome 4; stature, body capacity, and size on chromosome 5; dairy character on chromosome 6; angularity on chromosome 12; fore udder attachment on chromosome 13; and fore udder attachment and front teat placement on chromosome 19. The quantitative trait loci for size traits on chromosomes 2, 5, and 6 may also have an effect on calving ease. The quantitative trait loci for udder traits on chromosomes 13 and 19 may also affect somatic cell score and mastitis resistance. If there are no negative effects on other economically important traits, marker assisted selection using markers associated with these quantitative trait loci can be applied.


Summary. This paper investigates height and weight differences between the two Koreas by comparing national anthropometric data published by the South Korean Research Institute of Standard and Science with United Nations survey data collected inside North Korea in 2002. For socioeconomic reasons, pre-school children raised in the developing country of North Korea are up to 13 cm shorter and up to 7 kg lighter than children who were brought up in South Korea – an OECD member. North Korean women were also found to weigh up to 9 kg less than their Southern counterparts.


Besides habitat fragmentation, the introduction of invasive species is considered to be one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Due to increased global trade, habitat degradation and climate change the number of species introductions has increased spectacularly during the last decades. This has led to changes in structure and functioning of ecosystems worldwide.
In this study, the impact and spread of alien macroinvertebrates in surface waters in Flanders was investigated. To this end, a large database consisting of biological and physical-chemical data was used, which was collected by the Flemish Environment Agency and supplemented with own sampling campaigns. An integrated approach was aimed for, where the results from laboratory studies, long-term field data analysis and data-driven modelling were combined in order to gain insight in the ecology of alien macroinvertebrate species and the drivers that cause changes in macroinvertebrate community composition.
A detailed study on the distribution of alien macroinvertebrates in Flanders revealed that in total, 65 alien macroinvertebrates are established of which 40 are regularly encountered in fresh and slightly brackish inland waters. Most alien taxa belonged to the crustaceans and molluscs originating from North America and the Ponto-Caspian region. Many alien species were first discovered in the east of Flanders from where they started the colonisation of the central and western parts of Flanders. Changes in the macroinvertebrate composition were discovered during the last two decades as a result of changing environmental conditions and the introduction of alien species.
When analysing the factors that favoured the establishment and spread of alien macroinvertebrates it was found that shipping, hydro-morphological and physical-chemical factors were detrimental for the success of alien macroinvertebrates. Canals, harbours and the polder waters were hot spots for alien species introductions. Small streams were less invaded by alien macroinvertebrates probably because of a higher biotic resistance and the lack of proper vectors. Case studies of different aquatic ecosystems helped understanding the different factors contributing to successful invasions.
The case study on the harbour of Ghent indicated that previously degraded ecosystems are favourable for the early establishment by alien macroinvertebrates. With improving chemical water quality due to the installation of wastewater treatment plants and a stricter environmental legislation not only indigenous, but also alien macroinvertebrates colonised the harbour of Ghent. In the polder waters the indigenous brackish water species decreased in abundance, whereas the American amphipod Gammarus tiginus quickly took in a dominant position after its establishment. These observed changes are probably caused by a decrease in salinity which coincided with an increase of freshwater asselids and the euryhaline species G. tigrinus. It was not only the introduction of the invasive amphipod, but the combination with changing environmental conditions that caused the changes in macroinvertebrate composition. The case study on the Belgian coastal harbours confirmed earlier findings that brackish waters are characterised by a low natural species diversity and a relatively high number of alien species. The harbour of Zeebrugge, which received most international ships, had the highest diversity of alien macroinvertebrates and was also characterised by a high site specific biocontamination index.
The knowledge gathered during the case studies was used when making predictions on the future distribution of alien macrocrustaceans in Flanders. Based on data-driven classification and regressions trees it was found that alien macrocrustaceans prefer large rivers and canals with a good chemical water quality and that with increasing conductivity the abundance and species richness of alien macrocrustaceans increases in the brackish water environment. When incorporating the improvements in water quality, it was found that the number of alien species (alien species diversity) will increase in the future, but that the fraction of alien species (alien species abundance) will remain stable.
In the last step, an integrated model coupling a habitat suitability model, a water quality model and a migration model was developed to predict the future distribution of a highly invasive alien amphipod species, Dikerogammarus villosus. It was found that D. villosus will invade more large watercourses in Flanders during the next fifteen years as a result of decreases in COD, nitrogen and phosphorous loads and an increase in oxygen concentration. It was calculated that D. villosus spreads with an average speed of five km per year and that given the relatively small size of Flanders, migration speed will not limit its maximal dispersal. The here developed model could be applied as an efficient tool by decision makers to perform risk analysis for (potential) invasive macroinvertebrate species to determine the future distribution range as this could help to reduce the number of species introductions and the impact they have on ecosystem functioning.
Besides performing risk assessment several management measures, such as ballast water control, regulations regarding the trade of aquatic alien species and further insight in invaded ecosystems are necessary to reduce the further spread and minimise the impact of invasive alien species.


An inhibitory, "dominant-negative," form of the calcineurin catalytic (A) subunit was prepared, which lacks the calmodulin-binding domain, autoinhibitory domain and most of its catalytic core but possesses the regulatory (B) subunit binding domain. When tested for its ability to block calcineurin-dependent signaling in Jurkat cells, expression of this "B-subunit knock-out" (BKO) construct suppressed reporter gene activity driven by NF-AT, the pivotal promoter element for interleukin (IL)-2 gene induction. Immunoprecipitation of epitope-labeled BKO demonstrated for the formation of a tight complex with endogenous B subunit in Jurkat cells, consistent with an inhibitory mechanism that involves the sequestration of the B subunit. Furthermore, the sharply reduced NF-AT activity produced by co-transfecting BKO could be "rescued" by overexpression of transfected B subunit, suggesting that depletion of this subunit was responsible for the inhibition. These data suggest the potential utility of agents that disrupt calcineurin-mediated signal transduction pathways by blocking formation of the catalytically active dimer of calcineurin A and B subunits.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the prevalence of missing data in the medical registers held by the physicians of Bamako's community health centres, and identify physicians' characteristics associated with the prevalence.

METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional and exploratory study was conducted between January and February 2011. The study population consisted of doctors, and data from their medical consultations. The sample was selected using three-stage sampling. Data were collected through closed-ended questionnaire and record counting. Data analysis was descriptive and analytic.

RESULTS
The study involved 32 doctors and data from 3072 medical consultations. Physicians were predominantly male (87.5%). The prevalence of missing data ranged from 0.1% to 95.4% and was higher for diagnoses (15.5%), treatments (17.3%) and observations (95.4%). Missing diagnoses were determined by the number of years in the position, and the number of years of service. Missing treatments were determined by data management training, the number of years in the position and the number of years of service.

CONCLUSION
The extent of missing diagnoses, missing treatments and missing observations raise doubts on the quality of health information, effectiveness of health decisions and effectiveness of health interventions.


The OCC (Ortony, Clore, & Collins, 1988) model has established itself as the standard model for emotion synthesis. A large number of studies employed the OCC model to generate emotions for their embodied characters. Many developers of such characters believe that the OCC model will be all they ever need to equip their character with emotions. This paper points out what the OCC model is able to do for an embodied emotional character and what it does not. Missing features include a history function, a personality designer and the interaction of the emotional categories.


Abstract: In Spain, the established fire control policy states that all fires must be controlled and put out as soon as possible. Though budgets have not restricted operations until recently, we still experience large fires and we often face multiple-fire situations. Furthermore, fire conditions are expected to worsen in the future and budgets are expected to drop. To optimize the deployment of firefighting resources, we must gain insights into the factors affecting how it is conducted. We analyzed the national data base of historical fire records in Spain for patterns of deployment of fire suppression resources for large fires. We used artificial neural networks to model the relationships between the daily fire load, fire duration, fire type, fire size and response time, and the personnel and terrestrial and aerial units deployed for each fire in the period 1998-2008. Most of the models highlighted the positive correlation of burned area and fire duration with the number of resources assigned to each fire and some highlighted the negative influence of daily fire load. We found evidence suggesting that firefighting resources in Spain may already be under duress in their compliance with Spain's current full suppression policy.


Sleep disorder breathing (SDB) is a group of diseases common in the elderly population which are strongly associated with development of cardiovascular comorbidities including stroke, heart failure, hypertension and atrial fibrillation. Age-related anatomical and functional changes in upper airways are partially responsible for increasing prevalence of SBD in the elderly. Full-night polysomnogram remains the gold standard in diagnostic workup; symptoms assessment using validated scoring system such as Epworth Sleepiness Scale may underestimate the severity of disease in the elderly population. Therapeutic approach for SDB depends on symptoms and disease severity in addition to the presence of cardiovascular or metabolic disorders. CPAP and NIV treatment in the elderly with associated OSA and cardiovascular disease improves quality of life and may reduce incidence of future cardiovascular events.


ABSTRACT Because the shallow isolated carbonate banks on the northern Nicaragua Rise, the Nicaragua/Honduras and southern Jamaica carbonate shelves, and many other modern carbonate banks worldwide, are covered by an average of 20 to 30 m of water and by a thin blanket of coarse carbonate sediments, other carbonate sedimentologists have considered these banks good examples of "incipiently drowned", or even "drowned" carbonate banks. However, based on recent research on the northern Nicaragua Rise, we can demonstrate that these banks currently are healthy producers of large volumes of periplatform sediments (fine aragonite and magnesian calcite), which are exported almost entirely to the deep surrounding slopes. These sediments, which were deposited during the past 9000-10,000 years, form peripl tform wedges on the middle and upper slopes, which are seen clearly on 3.5 kHz seismic profiles. Radiocarbon ages of the wedge surface sediment range between 230 and 610 YBP and provide clear evidence for the contemporaneous production of sediments on the shallow bank and shelf and their instantaneous export to the upper slopes. For the last 5000 years, sedimentation rates ranged from 2000 mm/ky off Pedro Bank to 1300 mm/ky off Jamaica. These rates are somewhat lower than, but of the same order of, magnitude as sedimentation rates on the western (leeward) slopes of Great Bahama Bank. Deposition of the metastable carbonate sediments discussed in this paper occurred as soon as sea level rose to flood the bank and shelf which flank Walton Basin, following the last glacial lowstand. They com rise a wedge-shaped package of transgressive and highstand sediments on the upper and middle slopes of Pedro Bank and the southern Jamaica shelf.


Previous studies have demonstrated regional variation in mortality rates, this reducing for younger but not older individuals. However, it has not been clear from such studies whether or not the overall findings can or cannot be attributed to particular regions that may have abnormal patterns of change over time. We analyse mortality rates by region using data from the census years from 1931 until 1991 for adults. Age period cohort models, based on the local 'curvatures', are used to describe the changes in the rates. We also use estimable contrasts to compare the later periods with the earlier periods and to compare pre- and post-war cohorts. There is strong evidence that the changes in the mortality rates are associated with non-linear period and cohort effects. There is no evidence that these curvatures vary over regions. There is evidence that the curvatures are not the same among men and women. Among women there is evidence that there is a change in trend in the periods from 1961 to 1991 compared with the trend in the earlier periods from 1931 to 1951, such that the reduction in the mortality rates with time are slowing down for women. Among men who had higher mortality rates, there is not so much evidence of a slowing down of the reduction. Post-war cohorts of women from 1941 onwards are enjoying a reduction in mortality compared with the cohorts from 1901 to 31, while among men there is no evidence of a change in mortality trends among younger cohorts. Changes in the mortality rates over regions have come about from different long-term temporal trends in the regions rather than abrupt changes taking place at different times in different regions. The general convergence of mortality rates over regions over time with a consequent reduction in regional variance is masked by two regions, Scotland and East Anglia. These regions appear to differ from the regions as a whole in the relationship of mortality to age at a given period and in the reduction of mortality over time (drift), Scotland having a higher mortality, especially at younger ages, and lower downward trend, and East Anglia vice versa.


In order to identify incipient rolling bearing pitting fault characteristics, an autocorrelation based multi-structure elements difference morphological filter and empirical mode decomposition method of fault diagnosis is presented in this paper. Through the experiment of rolling bearing inner and outer ring pitting failure, the fault vibration frequency is extracted to verify the feasibility of this method. The superiority of this method is verified by comparing with the empirical mode decomposition method with autocorrelation based multi-structure element mixed morphological filter and without filter. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.24.6.22471


In 20 years the authors have met with 115 cases of meconium peritonitis (MP). The high incidence in China is shown. In all cases there were intraabdominal calcifications. There were no cases of fibrocystic disease. The authors classify 3 types: 1. Neonatal obstructive type 41 cases. 2. Free perforation with: Free pneumoperitoneum 15 cases. Localized pneumoperitoneum 23 cases. 3. No signs or symptoms, with potential intestinal obstruction 23 cases. The series shows a low incidence of atresia. The authors suggest necrotizing enterocolitis as a cause because of the high incidence of stenosis. Three prenatally diagnosed cases are discussed. All had hydramnios and fetal abdominal calcifications. Two of these were confirmed after birth. The mortality is high (42.6%). Abdominal x-ray in all cases with polyhydramnios may lead to a positive diagnosis of MP.


This study investigated the roles of the executive functions of inhibition and switching, and of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory capacities, in insight and non-insight tasks. A total of 18 insight tasks, 10 non-insight tasks, and measures of individual differences in working memory capacities, switching, and inhibition were administered to 120 participants. Performance on insight problems was not linked with executive functions of inhibition or switching but was linked positively to measures of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory capacities. Non-insight task performance was positively linked to the executive function of switching (but not to inhibition) and to verbal and visuo-spatial working memory capacities. These patterns regarding executive functions were maintained when the insight and non-insight composites were split into verbal and spatial insight and non-insight composite scores. The results are discussed in relation to dual processing accounts of thinking.


Current research with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) involves the dynamic modeling and control of the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission, a. Solar-Terrestrial Probe mission to study Earth's magnetosphere. Four observer-based attitude and nutrition controllers are designed and evaluated to determine the most effective feedback control system as it applies to MMS. Also, a dynamic analysis of each of the four identical satellites' two Axial Double Probe (ADP) booms is performed to provide an understanding of flexible boom dynamics. The Finite Element method is used in evaluating boom modes of vibration for confirmation of NASA GSFC theoretical analysis and use in flexible model development. The dynamic transient and modal extraction technique are investigated for vibration analysis of constrained and unconstrained bodies. A fully flexible boom and rigid spacecraft model is also developed for vibrational analysis under steady-state rotation and thruster loads. Results indicate, however, the need for future research in numerical analysis of propagating systems through finite element methods and in the stability of the observer-based control system. Linear and nonlinear observers are developed through simulations to estimate satellite attitude and angular body rates without the use of rate sensors. Control systems are then developed assuming perfect state measurements. Euler angles are used to describe satellite attitude in this research. Finally, linear and nonlinear (Sliding Mode Control) techniques are implemented in conjunction with the nonlinear observers to complete the observer-based control system. The results of this research show that, of the methods analyzed, both the Extended Kalman Filter and Sliding Mode Observer implemented with Sliding Mode Control yield the most satisfactory performance. These observer-based control systems both meet NASA design requirements while reducing thruster control effort and reducing the effects of measurement noise and spacecraft uncertainties/disturbances. More simulations, however, are needed to verify performance of the proposed observer-based control system over all possible ranges of operation.


Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that provide essential metabolic functions and represent the major bioenergetic hub of eukaryotic cells. Mitochondrial dysfunctions are implicated in numerous diseases. Therefore, maintenance of a healthy pool of mitochondria is required for cellular function and survival. Mitochondrial quality control is achieved through several mechanisms that act at different levels: proteases and chaperones, the Ubiquitin-Proteasome-System (UPS) and mitophagy. Multiple mitophagy-involved programs operate independently or undergo crosstalk, and require modulated receptor activities at the outer membranes of mitochondria. In mammals, different mitophagy effectors have been characterized such as the receptors NIX, BNIP3, FUNDC1, BCL2L13, cardiolipin and the PINK1/Parkin pathway. Here we discuss the different molecular mechanisms of these mitophagy involved pathways.


This paper considers the nonlinear fractional knapsack problem and demonstrates how its solution can be effectively applied to two resource allocation problems dealing with the World Wide Web. The novel solution involves a "team" of deterministic learning automata (LA). The first real-life problem relates to resource allocation in web monitoring so as to "optimize" information discovery when the polling capacity is constrained. The disadvantages of the currently reported solutions are explained in this paper. The second problem concerns allocating limited sampling resources in a "real-time" manner with the purpose of estimating multiple binomial proportions. This is the scenario encountered when the user has to evaluate multiple web sites by accessing a limited number of web pages, and the proportions of interest are the fraction of each web site that is successfully validated by an HTML validator. Using the general LA paradigm to tackle both of the real-life problems, the proposed scheme improves a current solution in an online manner through a series of informed guesses that move toward the optimal solution. At the heart of the scheme, a team of deterministic LA performs a controlled random walk on a discretized solution space. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate that the discretization resolution determines the precision of the scheme, and that for a given precision, the current solution (to both problems) is consistently improved until a nearly optimal solution is found-even for switching environments. Thus, the scheme, while being novel to the entire field of LA, also efficiently handles a class of resource allocation problems previously not addressed in the literature


Bayesian network (BN) is an efficient graphical method that uses directed acyclic graphs (DAG) to provide information about a set of data. BNs consist of nodes and arcs (or edges) where nodes represent variables and arcs represent relations and influences between nodes. Interest in organic food has been increasing in the world during the last decade. The same trend is also valid in Turkey. Although there are numerous studies that deal with customer perception of organic food and customer characteristics, none of them used BNs. Thus, this study, which shows a new application area of BNs, aims to reveal the perception and characteristics of organic food buyers. In this work, a survey is designed and applied in seven different organic bazaars in Turkey. Afterwards, BNs are constructed with the data gathered from 611 organic food consumers. The findings match with the previous studies as factors such as health, environmental factors, food availability, product price, consumers' income and trust to organization are found to influence consumers effectively.


This is the first study to investigate the vasculoangiogenic effects of cilostazol on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 71 patients (37 received 200 mg/d cilostazol and 34 received placebo for 12 weeks). Use of cilostazol, but not placebo, significantly increased circulating EPC (kinase insert domain receptor+CD34+) counts (percentage changes: 149.0% [67.9%-497.8%] vs 71.9% [−31.8% to 236.5%], P = .024) and improved triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P = .002 and P = .003, respectively). Plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A165 and FMD significantly increased (72.5% [32.9%-120.4%] vs −5.8% [−46.0% to 57.6%], P = .001; 232.8% ± 83.1% vs −46.9% ± 21.5%, P = .003, respectively) in cilostazol-treated patients. Changes in the plasma triglyceride levels significantly inversely correlated with the changes in the VEGF-A165 levels and FMD. Cilostazol significantly enhanced the mobilization of EPCs and improved endothelium-dependent function by modifying some metabolic and angiogenic markers in patients at high risk of CVD.


In Postmodernity, Ethics and the Novel Andrew Gibson sets out to demonstrate that postmodern theory has actually made possible an ethical discourse around fiction. Each chapter elaborates and discusses a particular aspect of Levinas' thought and raises questions for that thought and its bearing on the novel. It also contains detailed analyses of particular texts. Part of the book's originality is its concentration on a range of modernist and postmodern novels which have seldom if ever served as the basis for a larger ethical theory of fiction. Postmodernity, Ethics and the Novel discusses among others the writings of Joseph Conrad, Henry James, Jane Austen, Samuel Beckett, Marcel Proust and Salman Rushdie.


PURPOSE. α-Crystallin, a ubiquitous molecular chaperone, is found in high concentrations in the lens. Its structure and precise mechanism of action, however, are unknown. The purpose of these experiments was to further the understanding of the chaperone function of α-crystallin.

METHODS. X-ray- and neutron-solution-scattering studies were used to measure the radius of gyration of bovine lens α-crystallin when complexed with its target protein β-crystallin in both normal and heavy-water-based solutions. Spectrophotometry was used as a chaperone assay.

RESULTS. The radius of gyration of α-crystallin on its own and when mixed with β-crystallin was 69 ± 1 A at 35°C and increased with the temperature. In contrast to H2O-buffered solutions, the radius of gyration did not increase significantly in D2O-buffered solutions up to 55°C, and at 70°C was, on average, some 15 to 20 A smaller.

CONCLUSIONS. Bovine lens α-crystallin in solution can be modeled as a fenestrated spherical shell of diameter 169 A. At physiological temperatures, a weak interaction between α- and β-crystallin occurs, and β-crystallin is located in the fenestrations. Deuterium substitution indicates that the superaggregation process is controlled by hydrogen bonding. However, the chaperone process and superaggregation appear not to be linked.


A few problems are persistent in e-commerce and the parcel delivery industry. The biggest problem is that delivery men aren't able to deliver 25% of the parcels they bring each day because customers are not at home at the time of delivery. The delivery companies in the Netherlands are trying to improve the efficiency of parcel deliveries. One of their solutions is offering delivery options for free, such as choosing a delivery time and date. However, only 15% of webshops offers the delivery options to their customers.
Research shows that one of the biggest reasons for this is that webshop owners are not aware of the advantages of delivery options: 80% of webshops shows a measurable improvement in sales after implementing delivery options in their webshop. Usually, webshop owners spend more their time on managing orders and not necessarily improving their website.
Also, research shows that the offered delivery options are hard to implement in webshops for many webshop owners.
Furthermore, managing orders becomes increasingly complex for some webshops if customers choose delivery options, because many webshops enter the data of customers manually into a system that creates a delivery label.
This report describes a proposal for a company or service called PP. PP ensures that more webshops use the offered delivery options. This will give more customers access to delivery options so customers can pick a delivery date and time when they know they will be at home. This in turn will improve the efficiency of parcel delivery.
A lot of webshops want cheap parcel deliveries. PP asks the existing delivery companies for bulk discount and combines the parcels of its clients, the webshops. This way, webshops are able to get more discount on their parcels compared to asking for discount with the delivery company directly. Webshops have to use a PP check-out in exchange for these cheap parcel deliveries. The lay-out of the check-out is completely adjustable, only the logo of PP will show.
Because of this check-out, customers just need one account for all the webshops that use PP. Research shows that they want this. Also, customers are always able to pick a delivery location, date or time in the check-out. The advantages of this check-out are that customers don't have to enter their data on every webshop and they have control over the delivery of their parcel. Webshops that don't want to use the discount of PP can still use the check-out.
This check-out is linked to order management software or the software that webshops use to simplify managing orders. With this software, webshops spend 80% less time on managing orders.
Besides this, PP will offer customers an interface in which they can see an overview of their orders and deliveries (on a website or mobile application). The status of the delivery of their parcel will be shown automatically and customers can choose if, and how, they want to be notified of the progress of the delivery, such as via SMS or e-mail.
Furthermore, this reports describes a recommendation for the delivery companies: ensure accurate parcel tracking and ensure the possibility for customers to alter the delivery of their parcel before the first delivery attempt. Competitors from the United Kingdom show this is possible. When the Dutch delivery companies make this possible too, PP will ensure that clients van use their PP account and app to adjust the delivery of their parcels in one overview.


Powertrain electrification continues to be a growing trend in vehicular applications. Electric powertrains have numerous advantages over traditional mechanical and hydraulic powertrains but there are still important challenges to overcome for long-term commercial success. This research presents a technological assessment of present and future developments of powertrain electrification in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). The challenges and opportunities of NRMM electrification are described in detail. The trends and drivers related to technological development such as regulations, policies and market development are analyzed, and technology enablers are highlighted. Future scenarios are formulated based on the prevailing trends and drivers, development of key components, scientific literature and status of the non-road mobile machinery industry. Some recommendations are also given in relation to the development of hybrid and electric powertrains for NRMM. The key findings of this research indicate that the electrification of NRMM is slowly started and the progress is demonstrated by hybridization of some specific, successful mobile machines. In short-term, high component and technology development costs remain the main barrier for higher adoption of electric and hybrid powertrains. In the long-term scenario, many NRMM can operate autonomously and powertrain electrification has become mainstream technology.


Contents: Kaarle Nordenstreng: Preface: Toward a Better World - Robert A. White: Keeping the Public Sphere(s) Public - Brenda Dervin/Peter Shields: Talking Communicatively About Mass Communication in Communication Theories: Beyond Multiplicity, Toward Communicating - Denis McQuail: Social Scientific Theory of Communication Encounters Normativity: A Personal Memoir - Janet Wasko: Understanding the Critical Political Economy of the Media - Peter Golding/Karen Williamson: Power, Inequality, and Citizenship: The Enduring Importance of the Political Economy of Communications - Roger Bromley: Cultural Studies: Dialogue, Continuity, and Change - Michael Real/David Black: A Mutually Radicalizing Relationship: Communication Theory and Cultural Studies in the United States - Jesus Martin-Barbero: Thinking Communication in Latin America - Joseph Oladejo Faniran: Toward a Theory of African Communication - Keval J. Kumar: Theorizing About Communication in India: Sadharanikaran, Rasa, and Other Traditions in Rhetoric and Aesthetics - Thomas Tufte: Voice, Citizenship, and Civic Action: Challenges to Participatory Communication - Stewart M. Hoover: Media, Culture, and the Imagination of Religion - Pradip N. Thomas: Theorizing Development, Communication, and Social Change - Cees J. Hamelink: Human Rights and Communication: Reflections on a Challenging Relationship - Ruth Teer-Tomaselli/Keyan G. Tomaselli: Struggle, Vatican II, and Development Communication Practice - Paul A. Soukup, SJ: Media Ecology - Theodore L. Glasser/Isabel Awad: Journalism, Multiculturalism, and the Struggle for Solidarity - Clifford G. Christians: Media Ethics in Transnational, Gender Inclusive, and Multicultural Terms.


AIM
We examined the prevalence of hypertensive response to exercise in a group of healthy young male athletes and evaluate the relationship between this exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise and left ventricular mass.

METHODS
We studied 37 healthy male athletes (18 soccer players, 12 mountain climbers and 7 canoeists) at a similar level of physical conditioning at the time of the study. The age ranged from 16 to 37 (mean +/- SD: 25.9 +/- 6 yrs.). They underwent basal measurements of heart rate and blood pressure, maximum cycle ergometry in the erect position (increasing 50 W each 3 minutes until exhaustion) and basal echocardiography-Doppler. The statistical analysis was performed using a non-paired Student-t-test.

RESULTS
A hypertensive response to exercise was observed in 8 of the 37 athletes (21.6%). In these 8 athletes the mean left ventricular mass index was 204.88 +/- 63.22 g/m2 estimated by echocardiography, whereas the mean in athletes without exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise was 143.29 +/- 27.51 g/m2 (p < 0.0001). All the athletes with hypertensive response to exercise showed left ventricular hypertrophy, being severe in 75% of them. Of the athletes without hypertensive response to exercise, 44.9% did not exhibit left ventricular hypertrophy. A left ventricular mass index of > or = 190 g/m2 was observed in 50% of athletes with exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise, versus only 6.8% of athletes without it.

CONCLUSIONS
A fairly high prevalence of hypertensive response to exercise was observed in our series of healthy young male athletes. The athletes with exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise exhibited a significantly greater left ventricular mass than athletes without it. According to current general knowledge, this group of healthy athletes with hypertensive response to exercise could be prone to develop future chronic high blood pressure at rest and non-physiologic left ventricular hypertrophy. Thus, ergometry may be a useful test to prospectively identify a group of individuals at increased risk for developing essential arterial hypertension, potentially allowing early intervention before hypertension may contribute to cardiovascular risk.


Porous macro-granules of nanostructured apatite with Ca ions partially cosubstituted with Mg and Sr ions in different ratios (SrMgHAs), were synthesized at 37°C and compared with Mg and/or Sr free apatites (MgHAs and HA). Strontium improved the Mg substitution extent in the apatite and the chemical-physical and thermal stability of the resulting cosubstituted apatite. Porous macro-granules of 400-600 micron with selected composition were tested for the ionic release in synthetic body fluid and the data were related with the results of preliminary cell investigation in vitro. As compared to the corresponding Sr-free granulate, the SrMgHA could be exploited to prolong the beneficial Mg release during the bone regeneration process. In addition the contemporary in situ supply of Sr, an antiosteoporotic and anticarie ion, could influence the quality of new hard tissues. The ionic multirelease created a more favorable environment for human osteoblasts, demonstrated by a proliferative effect for each dose tested in the range 0.1-10 mg/mL.


Poor neonatal outcomes after shoulder dystocia have been associated with inappropriate management. Until there are significant developments in the prediction and subsequent prevention of shoulder dystocia, improving shoulder dystocia management through practical training may be the most effective method of reducing the associated morbidity and mortality. Four hundred fifty simulated shoulder dystocia scenarios, managed by 95 midwives and 45 doctors from six U.K. hospitals during the course of 1 year, were video recorded during a study of obstetric emergency training. Analysis of recorded data revealed that, before training, 57% were unable to deliver the baby, almost two thirds failed to call for pediatric support, and 1 in 27 used fundal pressure. Recurring difficulties in management were observed: poor communication, inability to gain internal access, confusion over internal maneuvers, and the application of excessive traction. Significant improvements in management were observed after training and persisted up to 1 year after training. The lessons learned from this study can inform and improve future training and management. This article describes difficulties encountered by the participants and discusses how training may be focused to address these problems.


This paper considers the analysis and synthesis of control systems subject to two types of disturbance signals: white signals and signals with bounded power. The resulting control problem involves minimizing a mixed /spl Hscr//sub 2/ and /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// norm of the system. It is shown that the controller shares a separation property similar to those of pure /spl Hscr//sub 2/ or /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// controllers. Necessary conditions and sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence of a solution to the mixed problem. Explicit state-space formulas are also given for the optimal controller. >


Purpose of reviewInflammatory myopathy (IIM) classification criteria have been the source of considerable debate. In the three decades since Bohan and Peter published their criteria which have long stood as the gold standard for diagnosis in clinical practice as well as inclusion into clinical trials, more sophisticated understanding of immunopathogenesis, histology, and specific autoantibody associations has broadened our understanding of these diseases. This editorial review examines the diverse approaches between different subspecialists in deriving appropriate IIM classification utilizing this updated knowledge. Recent findingsSeveral investigators have proposed improved IIM classification criteria. More recently, larger scale consensus efforts have been undertaken by various expert groups including the European Neuromuscular Centre (ENMC) and The International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group (IMACS). The intent is to refine the classification criteria utilizing our enhanced understanding which has matured since the original publication of Bohan and Peter's proposal in 1975. SummaryMany diagnostic/classification criteria have been proposed for different forms of IIM over the last three decades. The majority of these have been based on clinical impressions rather than rigorous data analyses or expert consensus and none has been fully tested for sensitivity or specificity using appropriately powered studies that take into account relevant disease confounders. Different sets of criteria proposed and adopted by different specialties hamper the ability to compare clinical studies and assess clinical trials' outcomes. Large, multicentered, multispecialty studies are required to develop improved IIM criteria.


This paper presents the design and experimental results of two coplanar quarter-wavelength microwave filters operating at a frequency of approximately 3 GHz. Coplanar designs are of particular interest because they are less sensitive to the thickness of the dielectric substrate than other transmission-line types such as a microstrip. One of the designs has a quasi-elliptic frequency response. In addition, the design also eliminates problems with unbalancing of the ground planes normally present in coplanar structures. Bond wires between the ground planes are not required. This paper describes in detail the structure of the resonators and how they are coupled together to form a filter.


We derive necessary and sufficient conditions which guarantee that a multiplying set of monomials generates exactly a Sylvester A-resultant for three bivariate polynomials with a given planar Newton polygon. We show that valid multiplying sets come in complementary pairs, and any two complementary pairs of multiplying sets can be used to index the rows and columns of a pure Bezoutian A-resultant for the same Newton polygon.The necessary and sufficient conditions include a set of Diophantine equations that can be solved to generate the multiplying sets and therefore the corresponding Sylvester $A$-resultants. Examples relevant to Geometric Modeling are provided, including a new family of hexagonal examples for which Sylvester formulas were not previously known. These examples not only flesh out the theory, but also demonstrate that none of the conditions are superfluous and that all the conditions are mutually independent. The proof of the main theorem makes use of tools from algebraic geometry, including sheaf cohomology on toric varieties and Weyman's resultant complex.


In this report tests are described in which the distribution of pressures over models of the wings of the PW-9 Airplane was investigated. The wing models were tested individually and in the biplane combination. The investigation was conducted in the atmospheric wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. It is concluded in this paper that the effect of biplane interference on the pressures on the wings is practically confined to the lower surface of the upper wing and the upper surface of the lower wing; that the overhanging portion of the upper wing is not greatly affected by the presence of the lower wing; and that a slight washing at the center section of the upper wing satisfactorily compensates for a reduced chord at this section (providing the airfoil section is not mutilated) and prevents a large reduction in the normal force over this portion of the wing.


Previously, we developed a method and a distributed platform for the re-engineering of applications by adding cooperation. The goal was to supply a way of communication based on the exchange of events, messages and shared data. Now, we propose to adapt this approach (method and platform) to distributed multimedia applications. These applications present the characteristic to be organized around the communication. So, we can consider them as composed of distributed components which have to collaborate. Since it is heavily interactive, such an application needs to adapt itself in real-time to the user and to the environment in which it runs. Our approach consists of breaking down the application into two levels: the first one reflects the users' point of view in terms of functionalities; and the second one reflects the way to achieve these functionalities in terms of quality of service. We propose to organize components into workgroups and subworkgroups corresponding to this two levels. The platform manages these groups and makes them evolve in real time. It also ensures the interoperability of components which cooperate in these groups.


ABSTRACT Quantitative control of mitochondria transfer between live cells is a promising approach for genetic manipulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) because single mitochondrion transfer to a mtDNA-less (ρ0) cell potentially leads to homoplasmy of mtDNA. In this paper, we describe a method for quantitative control of mitochondria transfer between live single cells. For this purpose, we fabricated novel microfluidic devices having cell paring structures with a 4.1, 5.6 or 10.0 μm-length microtunnel. When cells were fused through a microtunnel using the Sendai virus envelope-based method, a strictured cytoplasmic connection was achieved with a length corresponding to that of the microtunnel. Elongation of the cytoplasmic connection led to a decrease in mitochondria transfer to the fusion partner. Moreover, some cell pairs that fused through a 10.0 μm-length microtunnel showed single mitochondrion transfer. Fused cells were spontaneously disconnected from each other when they were recovered in a normal culture medium. These results suggest that our cell fusion method can perform quantitative control of mitochondria transfer that includes a single mitochondrion transfer. Summary: We developed a novel mitochondria transfer platform using a microfluidic device, and succeeded in single mitochondrion transfer between live single cells.


The present study investigated the effects of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) to improve the therapeutic efficacy in patients with orthopedic trauma (OT) and reduce post-operative infection and lower-limb deep venous thrombosis (DVT) through a retrospective analysis. A total of 76 patients with OT treated at our hospital were selected for observation. The patients were divided into the control group (CG; n=37) and the experimental group (EG; n=39) according to the treatment administered. For patients in the CG, routine dressing changes were applied. Patients in the EG underwent VSD treatment. The dressing change frequency, time between the first and second operation, hospital stay, treatment efficacy, wound healing time, interleukin-6 (IL-6) serum level, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) serum level, incidence of post-operative infection and incidence of lower-limb DVT were compared between the two groups. The dressing change frequency in the EG was less than that in the CG. The time between the first and second operation and hospital stay were shorter in the EG than in the CG (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the EG was 97.44%, which was higher than that in the CG (78.38%; P<0.05). The wound healing time in the EG was 1.72±0.73 weeks and shorter than that in the CG (2.23±0.85 weeks; P<0.05). With the progression of treatment, the serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels decreased in the two groups, but the levels in the EG were lower than those in the CG (P<0.05). The incidence of post-operative infection and lower-limb venous thrombosis in the EG were 7.69 and 0.00%, respectively, and lower than those in the CG (27.03 and 13.01%, respectively; P<0.05). In the treatment of OT, VSD may reduce the dressing change frequency, shorten the operation time and hospital stay, accelerate wound healing and reduce post-operative infection and lower-limb DVT. Thus, the VSD treatment method is worthy of promotion and implementation in clinic.


Abstract Some of the accomplishments made during the past decade toward the solution of atmospheric problems associated with aerospace vehicle design and operations are reviewed. Improved measurement systems, atmospheric models and data applications, and some current aerospace related atmospheric problems are discussed. A summary of the planned Space Shuttle and some of the atmospheric properties which will be of concern in the design and operation are given.


Curcumin, a yellow pigment obtained from turmeric (Curcumina longa), is a dietary polyphenol that has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The effect of curcumin against the development of pulmonary emphysema in animal models is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether curcumin is able to attenuate the development of pulmonary emphysema in mice. Nine-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with intratracheal porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) or exposed to mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) (60 min/day for 10 consecutive days or 5 days/wk for 12 wk) to induce pulmonary inflammation and emphysema. Curcumin (100 mg/kg) or vehicle was administrated daily by oral gavage 1 h and 24 h before intratracheal PPE treatment and daily thereafter throughout a 21-day period in PPE-exposed mice and 1 h before each CS exposure in CS-exposed mice. As a result, curcumin treatment significantly inhibited PPE-induced increase of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid at 6 h and on day 1 after PPE administration, with an increase in antioxidant gene expression at 6 h and significantly attenuated PPE-induced air space enlargement on day 21. It was also found that curcumin treatment significantly inhibited CS-induced increase of neutrophils and macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after 10 consecutive days of CS exposure and significantly attenuated CS-induced air space enlargement after 12 wk of CS exposure. In conclusion, oral curcumin administration attenuated PPE- and CS-induced pulmonary inflammation and emphysema in mice.


The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. is one of the most dangerous pests of maize. Though weather, mostly air temperature and humidity, demonstrate their important influence on distribution, population level and development terms of the European corn borer, the accuracy of forecasting models remains rather low to predict pest population dynamics. The aim of our work consists in the comparison of meteorological data with the demographic indicators characterizing long-term population fluctuations in the European corn borer to identify the most significant meteorological criteria for the forecast of pest population dynamics. Observations of insect population dynamics conducted during 1994-2018 on maize fields in vicinity of village Botanika (Gulkevichi District, Krasnodar Area; 45°12 ′ 51 ″ N and 40°47 ′ 41 ″ E) during 1994-2018, and data obtained in 2018 were only used for verification of the dependence established on data array for 1994-2017. We estimated density of insect population at all stages of life cycle from egg to adult. The meteorological information was obtained from the Otrado-Kuban meteorological station located in the center of the territory of the test field location. Mortality for the different periods of insect development (eggs, I-II and III-V instar larvae, pupae, adults) was estimated as K = log N 1  log N 2 , where N 1 and N 2 are density of insects for the corresponding periods. Mortality for generation was cal- culates as K = log N o  log N f , where N o and N f is density of eggs and egg-laying females of the current generation. The breeding index per generation was calculated as I = N t+1 /N t , where N t and N t+1 is density of eggs for the current (t) and the following (t + 1) generation, respectively. Two generations of the European corn borer annually develop in Krasnodar area, and size of population during the first generation usually grows, while those in second generation decreases. The demo- graphic characteristics of insect statistically significant correlate with meteorological factors only during time interval from the third decade of May to the first decade of June when the peak of egg oviposition and mass hatching of I instar larvae of the first pest generation usually occur. Egg mortality shows the closest negative correlation with air temperatures and positive correlation with mois- ture (water drops and vapor). No association of demographic indicators with meteorological factors during oviposition and hatching of second-generation larvae was found probably due to formation of high and dense maize crops with a microclimate favorable for insect development. Thus, the data obtained demonstrate that the last decade of May — the first decade of June is the only critical peri- od during the European corn borer development in the region. Based on the findings, we drown a 3D linear contour diagram of the European corn borer first generation egg mortality as dependent on mean daily air temperature and relative atmospheric humidity during the last decade of May. This dependence is of interest in terms of an improved model for short-term forecast of pest population dynamics in Krasnodar Area.


Limited data suggests that morbid obesity (Body Mass Index- BMI > 35 kg/m2) increases complications after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and after heart transplantation (HTx). We comprehensively compared LVAD and heart transplantation (HTx) outcomes in patients with and without morbid obesity.


BACKGROUND:
 Washington State (WA) has legislated an emergency pre-hospital stroke triage system, with 3 levels of self-identified stroke centers. Our objective is to describe the new system using an existing cohort of pre-hospital patients and to extrapolate our findings to all of WA.

 METHODS:
 The cohort consisted of a population-based sample of patients whom emergency medical service (EMS) personnel treated over a 30-month period. All patients whose Seattle Fire Department records suggested a possible pre-hospital stroke diagnosis had hospital records reviewed for final diagnosis: TIA, ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), or "not a stroke." These patients were also classified according to the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time last normal) stroke screen. The WA pre-hospital stroke triage tool divides patients into 4 groups: FAST-, FAST+/>6h (arrived at hospital > 6 or unknown hours after last known normal), FAST+/>3.5-6h (arrived in window for intra-arterial (IA) therapies) and FAST+/<=3.5h (arrived in window for IV tPA).

 RESULTS:
 The cohort included 1,682 possible stroke patients, mean age 76 years, 60% women. We applied the stroke triage tool to our cohort with results shown in the
 Table
 . Assuming similar stroke presentations and given the population of WA is ∼11 times that of Seattle, we estimate that ∼2500 patients/yr would be triaged as possible IV tPA candidates; ∼450 patients/yr would be triaged as possible IA candidates with possibly longer transport to a Level 1 stroke center. There was significant heterogeneity in final diagnoses by triage tool categorization (
 Table
 , P < 0.0005). The triage tool identified combined IV or IA candidates with a sensitivity of 90% (95% CI 83-94%), specificity 91% (90-93%) and C statistic of .90 (.88-.93). Of the 10% of IV or IA candidates missed, 81% had initial NIHSSs < 3.

 CONCLUSION:
 These are the first estimates of how the WA pre-hospital stroke triage tool will parse patients. Discrimination of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for time dependent interventions was excellent; the low NIHSS scores in 81% of those missed suggests an even higher clinically relevant sensitivity. A small proportion (2.4%) of the possible stroke patients presenting to EMS will meet criteria for transport to Level 1 stroke centers, suggesting the additional burden on EMS should be minimal.


Knowledge of vertical distribution of the soil water content in the root zone W plays a key role in the optimization of irrigation and, hence, for water saving. Therefore, in this study, synergistic use of the frequency modulated continuous-wave P-band (λ = 68 cm) scatterometer (SC) and the gamma-ray radiometer (GR) for the range of 50–3000 keV, both low in sensitivity to soil surface roughness and vegetation, was proposed. This combination allowed the determination of W at the three depth ranges: 0–5, 0–30, and 5–30 cm. This considerably specified the vertical distribution of W. Both instruments were developed as an integrated remote-sensing system that was installed onboard a light aircraft and tested on an irrigated agricultural region of the Negev desert, Israel. For processing and analysing the results, analytical models for both reflection coefficient ( ) and intensity of the natural gamma radiation ( ) were developed for various types of soils and vertical distributions of W. Using these models, the problem of the inverse retrieval of W was solved, and the depth of sampling z was evaluated. SC allowed the measurement of average W for the depth of 0.5–5.0 cm depending on W and dW/dz at the soil surface. For GR, the sampling depth varied from 20 to 30 cm depending on the mean value of W in the top soil layer. Field experiments showed that W retrieved by the developed system was in good agreement (r2 ≥ 0.9) with ground measurements, thus indicating sufficient accuracy of both instruments.


Laboratory spectra of the first overtone band (2.1480 micrometers, 4655.4 reciprocal centimeters) of solid nitrogen show additional structure at 2.1618 micrometers (4625.8 reciprocal centimeters) over a limited temperature range. The spectrum of Neptune's satellite Triton shows the nitrogen overtone band as well as the temperature-sensitive component. The temperature dependence of this band may be used in conjunction with ground-based observations of Triton as an independent means of determining the temperature of surface deposits of nitrogen ice. The surface temperature of Triton is found to be 38.0+2.0–1.0 K, in agreement with previous temperature estimates and measurements. There is no spectral evidenceforthe presence of α-nitrogen on Triton's surface, indicating thatthere is less than 10 percent carbon monoxide in solid solution with the nitrogen on the surface.


This volume brings together the main contributions to the 20th congress of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament (IOSOT) held in Helsinki, Finland in August, 2010, focusing on archaeology, textual history, Deuteronomistic texts, and Wisdom and apocalypticism.


The research based on the various organization's transformation phenomena which was done by Pertamina. Organization's transformation was change effort which has drastic and sudden attitude and directed to three organizational factors. They were : (a) Organization structure in whole ; (b) management process ; and (c) organization's culture. The reason Pertamina doing
transformation were liberalization era and competition in gas and the change of organization, orientation, organization identity and organization culture. The rapid technology development pursued Pertamina to fit with the technology. Transformation of PT Pertamina (Persero) UP V
Balikpapan was changing all aspect in Pertamina. That was by changing pertamina status, law based, domestic gas industry, orientation, authority of mining, relation with production sharing contract, objectives, destination, activity, and fulfilling domestic needs of gas. In relation with that, the organization used internal media to inform the organization's transformation in order to make the employee realize that in Pertamina has exixted a transformation.
Internal Media is an essential needs in organization's life, through media, the employee could get information about several organization information which aimed to create an arranged condition and creating loyality between employee and organization. There hoped that media blow which was containing directed messages could reach the reader (employee). According to above background, there could be made a problem statement : is there any influenced between internal media blow to the employee consideration in organization's transformation. If there is, how much the influence between internal media blow to the employee consciousness to the organization transformation.
The research object was the employee of PT Pertamina (Persero) UP V Balikpapan in Human Resources Department, Financial, and Engineering who has read the internal media amount 140, while the samples 104 respondents which considered by Taro Yamane equation and taken with
Stratified Random Sampling. The data collection technique was observation, questionnaire and documentation. Research method used was quantitative approach with survey basic research, the research took samples from population and used questionnaire as data collection tool. The questionnaire was tested its validity and reliability by using product moment correlation.
The result stated that F count 58.335 and F table 3.934 in significance 5% rate means that there was a significant influence between internal media blow and employee consciousness to organization's transformation and coefficient correlation 0.603 which showed the relation in
strong category. So that the theoretical hypothesis (H1) stated could be accepted and theoretical hypothesis (H0) was rejected. It means that there were influence of internal media blow to the employee consciousness in organization's transformation and has relation in strong category.
Beside, to find out how much the level of internal media blow influence to the employee consciousness to organization's transformation could be seen from determination coefficient which showed 0.364 value. The value showed that dependent variable influenced 36.4% by
independent variable. The influenced was in strong positive relation, while 64.6% influenced by another variable which haven't discussed in this research.


The Ontario Cancer Treatment Practice Guidelines Initiative was established in 1993 to develop clinical practice guidelines for cancer treatment in Ontario, Canada. First, an organizational structure, consisting of a coordinating committee, a methods resource group, and disease site groups, was put in place. Central to the development of guidelines are the 10 provincial site groups, which use a methodologic framework, the practice guidelines development cycle, to formulate the guidelines. When a preliminary evidence-based recommendation is developed by a site group, it is sent out to a sample of community practitioners for input and is modified based on their feedback. The final product is the practice guideline. Further research is required to determine optimal dissemination strategies and evaluate the impact of these guidelines.


Establishing grasslands has important implications for wildlife, especially in areas his- torically rich in grasslands that have since been converted to row crop agriculture. Most grasslands established under farm conservation programs have replaced annual crops with perennial cover that provides year-round resources for wildlife. This change in land use has had a huge influence on grassland bird populations; little is known about its impacts on other terrestrial wildlife species. Wild- life response to grassland establishment is a multi-scale phenomenon dependent upon vegetation structure and composition within the planting, practice-level factors such as size and shape of the field, and its landscape context, as well as temporal factors such as season and succession. Grass - land succession makes management a critical issue. Decisions on how frequently to manage a field depend on many factors, including the location (especially latitude) of the site, the phenology at the site in the particular year, the breeding-bird community associated with the site, and weather and soil conditions. The benefits for a particular species of any management scenario will depend, in part, on the management of surrounding sites, and may benefit additional species but exclude others. Thus, the benefits of grassland establishment and management are location- and species-specific.


This research paper presents the principals' practices in delegating responsibility to teachers in public secondary schools in Kenya. A random sample of 20 secondary schools was used where 120 teachers filled questionnaires, and 20 principals from the selected schools were interviwed. Both the questionnaire and interview guide were designed based on six research questions. The data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. The study revealed that responsibilities related to financial decisions were not delegated. Teachers needed to consult before making any decisions on delegated responsibilities. There was little preparation of teachers for delegated responsibility; had limited opportunity to attend seminars and staff development programmes; little support was given to them, and had little or no guidance from the principals. Lack of finances, inadequate training, understaffing, and lack of cooperation among the teachers constrained the process of delegation. It is suggested, among other recommendations, that schools should be adequately financed and staffed, while motivation and staff development programmes need to enhancement in order toimprove the effectiveness of the delegation process.


The deformation behavior and the microstructure evolution in a 304-type austenitic stainless steel were studied in multiple forging tests at temperature of 700°C. The flow stresses increased to its maximum value with straining to about 1 and, then, slightly decreased resulting in a steady state deformation behavior at strains above 3. The structural changes were characterized by the development of a spatial net of deformation subboundaries, the misorientations of which increased to the values typical of conventional grain boundaries. The number of ultrafine grains increased with straining, leading to development of submicrocrystalline structure. The fraction of submicrocrystalline structure composed of ultrafine grains with an average size of about 300 nm exceeded 0.7 after straining to 2.


Processing issues of cryomilled WC-VC-Co nanopowders were investigated. A powder mixture of WC-9.8Co-0.8VC-xC was milled at -50°C in liquid nitrogen, using WC-Co balls. The particle sizes of the powders, in the form of agglomerates, were reduced to 18 nm and 13 nm for WC and Co, respectively by this process. The roles of some of the processing parameters such as compacting pressure, reduction of powders, and temperatures for the heating schedule were evaluated at a sintering temperature of 1450°C. The use of CIP resulted in a more uniform microstructure and enhanced mechanical properties: hardness (13-14 GPa) and K IC (12-15 MPam 1/2 ). The findings herein suggest that carbon control and the use of a proper compaction technique were key factors in the successful production of nano-sized WC-Co alloys with no detectable η phase.


In this paper, we aim to determine a snapshot of previously unstudied ionospheric variations which were recorded in a two-week interval before and after a large earthquake of M 7.6 occurred on 17 August, 1999, in the Marmara region of Turkey. We detected ionospheric perturbations before the earthquake occurred using Global Positioning System (GPS) data received from the Marmara Continuous GPS Network (MAGNET). Pre-seismic ionospheric total electron content (TEC) anomalies were observed three days before the earthquake at sets of stations near the earthquake location, while post-seismic traveling ionospheric disturbances could not be detected. The ionospheric variability had a negative sign with an enhancement of about 8–10 TECU (1 TECU = 1016 electrons/m2) relative to the non-distributed state of the ionosphere. The results show that this method will be a useful addition to the already-available continuous monitoring techniques in the region.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To determine female physicians' and nurses' practices and attitudes toward breast self-examination (BSE).

DESIGN
Descriptive, cross-sectional.

SETTING
Two large, bed-capacity university hospitals and 11 smaller, bed-capacity public hospitals.

SAMPLE
201 female nurses and 149 female physicians who work day shift on medical and surgical wards.

METHODS
Data were collected on a questionnaire form that was prepared based on information in the literature. The questionnaire had three sections: sociodemographic characteristics, health characteristics, and attitudes and practices related to BSE. Data were analyzed using t tests and chi-square tests.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Attitudes and practices related to BSE, clinical breast examination, and mammography.

FINDINGS
Almost all of the female physicians and nurses knew how to conduct BSE but did not prioritize practicing it.

CONCLUSIONS
Female physicians and nurses in Istanbul, Turkey, did not take enough care in the proper timing of BSE (i.e., day 5 to day 7 after menstruation with the first day of menstruation being day 1) despite their knowledge about it.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Female physicians and nurses need to improve their knowledge and sensitivity concerning breast cancer and BSE if they are to improve and maintain their own well-being as well as carry out their professional roles.


Summary The movement and migration pattern of the 'Near Threatened' Sooty Falcon Falco concolor is poorly known. Sooty Falcons breed on the islands of the Arabian Gulf after arriving from their non-breeding areas that are mainly in Madagascar. In the first satellite tracking of the species we fitted a 9.5 g Argos solar powered transmitter on an adult breeding Sooty Falcon off the western coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The bird successfully undertook autumn migration to Madagascar, a known wintering area for the species. We document the Sooty Falcon's autumn migration route and stop-over sites. The adult Sooty Falcon initiated its migration at night and with tailwinds, and travelled mainly during daytime hours for 13 days over an inland route of more than 5,656 km. The three stop-over sites in East Africa were characterised by moderate to sparse shrub cover associated with potential sources of water. We discuss the migration pattern of the tracked bird in relation to importance of non-breeding areas for Sooty Falcons and recent declines in numbers in their breeding range.


Except for segmental parenchymal atrophies, partial nephrectomy is more and more often indicated when treating isolated small renal tumours. During the last few years this technique has been increasingly accepted for the excision of tumours less than 4 centimetres. In order to diminish the operative morbidity, the laparoscopic approach has been proposed. During the last decade, laparoscopic partial nephrectomy "has come to maturity" and this technique is now well standardized. Knowledge and operative skills are required for both trans-peritoneal and extra-peritoneal route. Extra-peritoneal approach is more suitable for posterior lesions or at the level of the lower pole while the trans-peritoneal route is preferred in case of tumours near the renal hilum or on the anterior surface. Different methods offering temporary arrest of renal perfusion have been elaborated. There is a clear tendency for renal parenchyma sectioning without the use of any kind of thermal energy. This allows a better identification of renal lesions. Sectioned collecting system, blood vessels and renal parenchyma are systematically sutured. Despite its complexity, this technique has become reproducible and reliable in specialized laparoscopic centres.


The invasive treatment modalities available for BPH can be divided into interstitial therapy without removal of tissue (e.g. stents), and those involving delayed tissue ablation (thermal/coagulation procedures, e.g. laser ablation, microwave thermo-ablation, high-intensity ultrasound). The latter procedures (coagulation) more often permit a non-bloody intervention, the sphincter usually remains uninjured, and retrograde ejaculation is less frequent. A third group of options is interventional treatment with immediate ablation of tissue (vaporization, resection), which is more invasive and associated with a higher risk of complications than the two first-mentioned groups. An advantage of these options is the avoidance of a longer-term catheterization with its associated risks. Help is provided for deciding which procedure should be used in which patient.


BACKGROUND
Biodegradable subacromial balloon spacers (SBSs) have become increasingly used for the treatment of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears given their theorized clinical benefits; however, the relationship between biomechanical functions of the balloon spacer and clinical benefits remains unclear.

PURPOSE
To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled laboratory studies investigating the use of SBSs for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.

STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS
PubMed, OVID/Medline, and Cochrane databases were queried in July 2022 for biomechanical data pertaining to SBS implantation in cadaveric models of irreparable rotator cuff tears. Random-effects meta-analysis of continuous outcomes using the DerSimonian-Laird method was performed to estimate pooled-treatment effect sizes between the irreparable rotator cuff tear state and the state in which an SBS was implanted. Data reported variably or in formats not amenable to analysis were presented descriptively.

RESULTS
Five studies involving 44 cadaveric specimens were included. At 0° of shoulder abduction, SBS implantation resulted in a mean inferior humeral head translation of 4.80 mm (95% CI, 3.20-6.40; P < .001) relative to the irreparable rotator cuff tear state. This decreased to 4.39 mm and 4.35 mm at 30° and 60° of abduction, respectively. At 0° of abduction, implantation of an SBS was associated with a 5.01-mm (95% CI, 3.56-6.46, P < .001) anterior translation of the glenohumeral center of contact pressure relative to the irreparable tear state. This translation changed to 5.11 mm and 5.49 mm at 30° and 60° of abduction. In 2 studies, SBS implantation restored the glenohumeral contact pressure to that of the intact state and significantly reduced subacromial pressure distribution over a rotator cuff repair state. In 1 study, a high balloon fill volume (40 mL) resulted in a significant 10.3 ± 1.4-mm more anterior humeral head position relative to the intact cuff state.

CONCLUSION
SBS implantation in cadaveric models of irreparable rotator cuff tears results in significant improvements in humeral head position at 0°, 30°, and 60° of shoulder abduction. Balloon spacers may also improve glenohumeral and subacromial contact pressures, although insufficient evidence currently exists to corroborate these findings. High balloon fill volumes (40 mL) may confer supraphysiologic anteroinferior translation of the humeral head.


This paper explores the role of revenge within the Mummy movie genre and explores the ways in which undead monstrous avengers from the East, again and again, seek to wreak a terrible vengeance upon western explorers for what they perceive as aggressive and transgressive acts of colonialism, tomb robbing and desecration. Central to Universal's Mummy movies of the thirties and forties and Hammer studio's Mummy films of the fifties and sixties are clashes between archaeologists who believe in the right to dig up the dead in other lands, and living mummies and high priests who consider themselves to be punishing sacrilegious invaders. The quest for revenge by those who feel violated in these films raises the interesting question as to whether those who suffer as a result of 'the mummy's curse' ultimately deserve their fate or not. Does the victim deserve his/her fate as a former victimizer. Rather than clashes between the civilized and the primitive, the tales of vengeance so central to the Mummy genre originate from diametrically opposed philosophies that prioritize either respect for science or respect for religion. Both Western archaeologist and Eastern avenger in these films are driven by a sense of higher purpose from which neither party will deviate leading to a relentless cycle of crime and retribution.


This study perused the correlation between IFRS adoption and earnings quality of listed firms in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana. The study used secondary data collected from sixteen non-financial listed firms over pre-adoption periods of IFRS and immediate post-adoption periods of IFRS.The study used logistic regression to examine the impact of pre-and-post adoption of IFRS's on earnings quality. The results showed that firms managed to manipulate earnings toward a positive target more frequently in the pre-IFRS adoption period than the post-adoption period, and firms recognized large losses more frequently in the post-IFRS adoption period when they occurred as compared to the pre-IFRS adoption period. The study reinforces that adoption of IFRS prevents manipulation of earnings, limits possible flexibilities and accounting choices, and provide clearer rules that signal high quality accounting information and transparency.


COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibits wide inter-individual clinical variability, from silent infection to severe disease and death. The identification of high-risk patients is a continuing challenge in routine care. We aimed to identify factors that influence clinical worsening. We analyzed 52 cell populations, 71 analytes, and RNA-seq gene expression in the blood of severe patients from the French COVID-19 study upon hospitalization (n = 61). COVID-19 patients showed severe abnormalities of 27 cell populations relative to healthy donors (HDs). Forty-two cytokines, neutrophil chemo-attractants, and inflammatory components were elevated in COVID-19 patients. Supervised gene expression analyses showed differential expression of genes for neutrophil activation, interferon signaling, T- and B-cell receptors, EIF2 signaling, and ICOS-ICOSL pathways in COVID-19 patients. Unsupervised analysis confirmed the prominent role of neutrophil activation, with a high abundance of CD177, a specific neutrophil activation marker. CD177 was the most highly differentially-expressed gene contributing to the clustering of severe patients and its abundance correlated with CD177 protein serum levels. CD177 levels were higher in COVID-19 patients from both the French and confirmatory Swiss cohort (n = 203) than in HDs (P< 0.01) and in ICU than non-ICU patients (P< 0.001), correlating with the time to symptoms onset (P = 0.002). Longitudinal measurements showed sustained levels of serum CD177 to discriminate between patients with the worst prognosis, leading to death, and those who recovered (P = 0.01). These results highlight neutrophil activation as a hallmark of severe disease and CD177 assessment as a reliable prognostic marker for routine care.


Precast, prestressed concrete adjacent box girders are widely used in short- and medium-span bridges. Rapid construction and low construction cost are the main attractions of this system. Also, the continuous flat soffit and relatively high span-to-depth ratio make this system aesthetically pleasing. However, reflective cracking and leakage have been reported along the longitudinal joints between adjacent box girders in a number of bridges. The cracking and leakage are mainly due to inadequate design and detailing of the transverse connection between adjacent box girders, which eventually leads to excessive differential displacement and rotation of adjacent box girders. The reflective cracking and leakage allow chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcing steel and prestressing strand and premature deterioration of the bridge superstructure. This paper presents a review of the various practices in the transverse design and detailing of adjacent-box-girder bridges. The basis for calculating the transverse post-tensioning force according to PCI's Precast Prestressed Concrete Bridge Design Manual is discussed. Design charts and equations were developed for various combinations of span length, bridge width, skew angle, and girder depth using the latest loading from AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specification. These aids may be viewed as an update to the information in section 8.9 of the PCI bridge design manual, which was based on an earlier version of the AASHTO standard specifications.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the effects of oral administration of a combination of chloral hydrate (CH) 25 mg/kg, hydroxyzine (H) 1 mg/kg, and meperidine (M) 1 mg/kg to midazolam 0.65 mg/kg using 50% nitrous oxide (N2O) on behavioral and physiological parameters of young children sedated for dental procedures. Factors associated with sedation effectiveness were identified, including age, preoperative behavior, and type of procedure.

METHODS
Records of 116 sedation sessions of 66 healthy, uncooperative children ages 24 to 60 months at The University of Iowa Centers for Disabilities and Development were reviewed. Patients received 1 of the 2 regimens. Intraoperative behavior was rated using a dichotomous scale. Physiological variables including heart rate and oxygen saturation were recorded at baseline and at 10-minute intervals of the session. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 9.

RESULTS
Overall, 81 % of sessions were rated successful. Sedation sessions using CH+H+M combination had significantly higher success rate (P<.01, odds ratio=3.38, 95% confidence interval= 1.06 to 7.15) compared to sessions with midazolam. Sedation success was not associated with age, preoperative behavior, or type of dental procedure performed. Physiological variables were within the normal range for both regimens, although midazolam regimen recorded higher heart rates.

CONCLUSIONS
CH+H+M combination using 25 mg/kg CH resulted in significantly more effective sedation sessions compared to midazolam. Both regimens used 50% N2O and were found to be safe.


The SRL vs. ERL theory has shown that the combination of levels of student self-regulation and regulation from the teaching context produces linear effects on achievement emotions and coping strategies. However, a similar effect on stress factors and symptoms of university students has not yet been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to test this prediction. It was hypothesized that the level of student self-regulation (low/medium/high), in interaction with the level of external regulation from teaching (low/medium/high), would also produce a linear effect on stress factors and symptoms of university students. A total of 527 undergraduate students completed validated questionnaires about self-regulation, regulatory teaching, stress factors, and symptoms. Using an ex post facto design by selection, ANOVAs and MANOVAs (3 × 3; 5 × 1; 5 × 2) were carried out. The results confirmed that the level of self-regulation and the level of regulatory teaching jointly determined the level of stress factors and symptoms of university students. Once again, a five-level heuristic of possible combinations was configured to jointly determine university students' level of academic stress. We concluded that the combination of different levels of student regulation and regulation from the teaching process jointly determines university students' level of academic stress. The implications for university students' emotional health, stress prevention, and well-being are established.


Mathematical studies of solute transport in porous media have often utilized "equivalent" models of the transport process to remove undesired variability in the transport coefficients at the space and time scales of direct interest. Both deterministic and stochastic approaches in this genre produce an "effective" convection- dispersion equation with time-dependent coefficients. This type of equation in one spatial dimension is investigated mathematically in the present paper. A closed-form solution of the solute transport equation is derived for a semi- infinite spatial domain with arbitrary initial and boundary flux conditions. It is shown that the solution reduces to well-known results for special forms of the time-dependent coefficients. In general, however, a Volterra integral equation of the second kind must be solved to evaluate the analytical solution of the transport equation. We present a stable and convergent numerical scheme, utilizing a trapezoidal quadrature rule, for the solution of the Volterra equation. The method of solution developed should be applicable to a broad variety of solute transport problems, including particularly those in heterogeneous porous media.


Cultured human KB cells which developed resistance to in creasing concentrations of methotrexate showed increased lev els of dihydrofolate reducA-ase (DHFR) as demonstrated by an immunobridge staining technique. Peripheral blast cells from a leukemic patient were examined for DHFR content during several courses of methotrexate ther apy. The number of cells which demonstrated high levels of DHFR increased at the end of treatment. The content in each individual cell was heterogeneous, based on varied intensity of staining in each cell. This immunostaining technique, which utilizes an antibody to DHFR, may have the potential to be a useful tool in the clinic for predicting a patient's possible response to methotrexate therapy.


Although the overall rate of infertility among American women of reproductive age remained fairly constant between 1965 and 1976, the percentage of young black women who were infertile increased very sharply. In 1976, 18% of black women of reproductive age were infertile, whereas only 9% of white women of the same age were infertile. With use of national data bases, the relationships between sexual activity, complications of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory disease, use of contraception, and infertility were examined. Available evidence shows a strong association between sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility trends. Our projections indicate that sexually transmitted diseases operating through pelvic infections account for much of the race differential in infertility as well as for one-half to one-third of the increase. In 1976 5-8% of 20-29-year-old black women were estimated to suffer infertility attributable to sexually transmitted diseases. Among white women the estimated incidence of infertility caused by sexually transmitted diseases was 0.7-1%.


Ali Mohammadzadeh, Grand Valley State University ALI R. MOHAMMADZADEH is currently assistant professor of Engineering at School of Engineering at Grand Valley State University. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology And his M.S. and Ph.D. both in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. His research area of interest is fluid-structure interaction.


Bank stress tests are a major form of regulatory oversight. Banks respond to the toughness of the tests by changing their lending behavior. Regulators care about bank lending; therefore, banks' reactions to the tests affect the tests' design and create a feedback loop. We demonstrate that stress tests may be (1) soft, in order to encourage lending in the future, or (2) tough, in order to deter excessive risk-taking in the future. There may be multiple equilibria due to strategic complementarity. Regulators may strategically delay stress tests. We also analyze bottom-up stress tests and banking supervision exams.


ABSTRACT This paper analyses the recent protests by mainly Muslim parents against the use of LGBTQ+-friendly story books in a primary school in Birmingham, England, the associated court case, and the broader issues it highlights about the contradictory and complex relationships between liberalism, faith, and democracy. I discuss the case itself, tensions around Relationships and Sex Education, and the wider social and political context for the protest, considering both the position of 'Muslims' in the UK's civic and political society, and how dominant discourses within liberalism responds to 'others' in this present temporal moment. I conclude by briefly considering the potential of deliberative democracy and agonism as approaches to address emotive value clashes, and to emphasise the importance of primary schools as places of shared investments, where families and teachers might move towards developing mutual understandings.