We have studied the fracture behavior of coating layer when low and high alloying galvannealed (GA) steels are subject to forming process. To understand better powdering features in the coating layer of the steel sheets, we carried out V-bending test and a series of finite element analysis which simulates damage characteristics in the coating layer. Results showed that the powdering behavior in the coating is significantly affected by the soundness and volume fraction of phases in the coating layer. The hardness variation of coating layers attributed to different phases leads to different deformation behavior of the coating layer itself.


Blake evidently read parts of The Botanic Garden by Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles, and certainly helped to illustrate it. The most striking verbal and pictorial responses in Blake are found in the Songs, The Book of Thel, and other early works, but if we count faint echoes of Darwin's peculiar hybrid of natural science and poetry, his influence can be detected even in late projects, like Jerusalem. In Blake's distinctive appropriative procedure, images were often derived from verbal sources and vice versa, as in the title page of Thel, in which he draws on Darwin's Ovid-based account of the apparent sexual destruction of Anemone, the windflower, by Zephyr, the west wind.


Obtaining accurate values for body segment parameters (BSPs) is fundamental in many biomechanical studies, particularly for gait analysis. Convex hulling, where the smallest-possible convex object that surrounds a set of points is calculated, has been suggested as an effective and time-efficient method to estimate these parameters in extinct animals, where soft tissues are rarely preserved. We investigated the effectiveness of convex hull BSP estimation in a range of extant mammals, to inform the potential future usage of this technique with extinct taxa. Computed tomography scans of both the skeleton and skin of every species investigated were virtually segmented. BSPs (the mass, position of the centre of mass and inertial tensors of each segment) were calculated from the resultant soft tissue segments, while the bone segments were used as the basis for convex hull reconstructions. We performed phylogenetic generalized least squares and ordinary least squares regressions to compare the BSPs calculated from soft tissue segments with those estimated using convex hulls, finding consistent predictive relationships for each body segment. The resultant regression equations can, therefore, be used with confidence in future volumetric reconstruction and biomechanical analyses of mammals, in both extinct and extant species where such data may not be available.


The legal granting of temporary and permanent protective orders prohibits a perpetrator from engaging in contact with the victim. Although protective orders reduce risk of re-abuse, very little research has explored factors that predict the likelihood that a victim is granted a protective order. Thus, we conducted an archival analysis on data previously collected from a Protection Order Assistance Office in a midwestern region of the United States, testing the influence of victim and perpetrator race on protective order allocations. Specifically, we coded data gathered from 490 petitioners (i.e., victims) seeking a protective order against a perpetrator of intimate partner violence, stalking, or sexual offending. Analyses revealed that racial minority victims were significantly less likely to receive a temporary protective order compared to White victims – effects that were exacerbated when the perpetrator was White (versus racial minority). These results are in line with existing research and theory regarding aversive racism. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed.


Summary
The anomalous viroid-like RNA associated with cadang-cadang disease of coconut palms (ccRNA-1) has been cleaved by treatment with the single-strand specific nuclease S1, polyadenylated and used as a template for the oligo(dT) primed synthesis of complementary DNA (cDNA) by the avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase.
The efficiency of synthesis was low, with only 3 to 4.5 ng of cDNA synthesized from 2 µg of RNA. Most of the cDNA was in the 4S size class. A R0t½ value of 1 × 10-3 mol. s/l was obtained when this cDNA was hybridized with ccRNA-1, consistent with ccRNA-1 representing a unique species of mol. wt. approx. 100000. The maximum hybridization value obtained with ccRNA-1 was approx. 50%; the S1 nuclease resistance of the cDNA after self-annealing was approx. 7%. The melting behaviour of the homologous hybrids provided evidence for the specificity of base-pairing with no evidence of mismatching.
The cDNA has been shown to be a specific probe for cadang-cadang associated RNA. It has been used to demonstrate that ccRNA-1 and ccRNA-2 have common nucleotide sequences, that ccRNA-1 is uniquely associated with diseased and not healthy palms and that it has no significant homology with high mol. wt. RNA or DNA from diseased palms. The value of the cDNA as a diagnostic probe for ccRNA-1 in crude nucleic acid extracts has been demonstrated.


Strategies of repression vary widely between extrajudicial and judicial extremes, from unrestrained acts of violence to highly routinized legal procedures. While the former have received a great deal of scholarly attention, judicial methods remain relatively understudied. When and why do rulers repress their rivals in court? The author argues that autocrats use a judicial strategy of repression when confronting challengers from within the ruling elite. Unlike regime outsiders, who pose a common, external threat to mobilize against, insiders present a more divisive target. When autocrats confront the latter, a judicial strategy legitimizes punishment, deters future rivals, and generates shared beliefs regarding incumbent strength and challenger weakness. Using original data on political prisoners in postcolonial sub-Saharan Africa, the author finds that autocrats were significantly more likely to use a judicial strategy against insiders and an extrajudicial strategy against outsiders. A case study of Kenya traces the logic of the theory, showing how intraregime conflict made courts a valuable instrument of state repression. The findings demonstrate how courts can play a central role in autocratic survival.


Purpose Human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) serves as a bio scavenger to counteract organophosphate poisoning. It is also a potential drug candidate in several therapeutic fields. Therefore, in the present study, we constructed a new dual-promoter plasmid consisting of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) promoters and transfected that into HEK-293 cells using Lipofectamine to enhance the BChE secretion. Methods The new dual-promoter construction (pBudCE dual BChE) including two copies of the BChE gene was designed and transfected into cells by liposomal structures. The cloned plasmids were evaluated by enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis analysis. Experimental groups were categorized into the cells transfected by pBudCE dual BChE (treatment), pCMV (positive control) vectors, and nontransfected cells (negative control). BChE gene expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR and the enzyme activity was assessed using modified Ellman's method. The freeze-thaw process was carried out for analyzing the stability of the pBudCE dual BChE vector. Results Validation examination of the cloned plasmids confirmed the successful cloning process. The gene expression level and Ellman's method value in pBudCE dual BChE was higher than the other groups. CMV promoter has also increased the enzyme activity, although the difference was not significant compared with the control group. Interestingly, freeze-thaw cycles followed by several passages did not affect the enzyme activity. Conclusion The designed construction with CMV and EF-1α promoters could increase BChE gene expression and the activity of the BChE enzyme in HEK-293 cell line. Large-scale production of BChE enzyme can be achieved by using dual-promoter plasmid construction compared to a single-promoter vector to be used in clinical trials.


Lithium ion batteries have revolutionized portable electronics and have the potential to electrify the transportation sector. Lithium-rich cathode materials with the composition xLi2MnO3·(1−x)Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3)O2 have received considerable attention as candidates for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs). Cathodes made from these materials display high capacity (>200 mAhg−1) and good cycling stability, offering twice the energy density of currently available intercalation materials. Unfortunately, their performance is plagued by voltage fade due to a layered-spinel phase transformation. Herein, using spray pyrolysis, we show that certain inexpensive trace level (≤1%) dopants can help in mitigating voltage fade, when the material is cycled between 2.0–4.6 V. The dopants lead to greater capacity loss than what would be expected from a capacity that is strictly based on a change in the transitional-metal oxidation state. The results imply that a portion of the capacity of these materials comes from reversible oxygen chemistry. These findings could put a different perspective on fade mechanism prevention.


To the Editor.— We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the letter of Summerly and Giles from the North Staffordshire Hospital Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, England. We thank them for their data. We did not address ourselves to the problem of folic acid absorption in our study. It dealt exclusively with other biochemical determinations of malabsorption, and these did not indicate a significant degree of steatorrhea. We still feel that we are not seeing a significant degree of steatorrhea in our population. We have received oral communication with others interested in the field that supports our findings. The main impact of our communication was the fact that there are absolutely no morphologic abnormalities of the small intestinal mucosa in patients with any degree of psoriasis, mild or severe. We concur with Summerly and Giles that ongoing studies of this sort might clarify the conflicts presented. It is of interest that in


Quinolines have become important compounds because of their variety of applications in medicinal, synthetic organic chemistry as well as in the field of industrial chemistry. In recent years there are greater societal expectations that chemists should produce greener and more sustainable chemical processes. This review article gives information about the green and clean syntheses using alternative reaction methods for the synthesis of quinoline derivatives. The article includes synthesis by microwave, using clay or some other catalyst which could be recycled and reused, one-pot reaction, solvent-free reaction conditions, using ionic liquids, ultrasound promoted synthesis and photocatalytic synthesis (UV radiation).


This volume presents papers from the International Workshop on Indo-European Syntax held at the University of Georgia in Athens,Georgia in May 2009. The workshop was a cooperative effort between the Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages (PROIEL) project at the University of Oslo and the University of Georgia. The papers in the volume study the interaction between syntax and discourse structure in various old Indo-European languages, in most cases with an explicitly contrastive focus.


: Trisomy of chromosome 12 is one of the commonest cytogenetic abnormalities in the karyotype in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It is associated with atypical morphology of lymphocytes, progressing disease and poor survival. A high incidence abnormality in the B-cell CLL is deletion of chromosome 13 (13q14) detected by using modern diagnostic methods such as southern blot hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization. It occurs in 51% of the CLL patients and in as much as 70% in mantle-cell lymphoma. The deletion of 13q14.3 affects a locus telomeric to the RB1 gene (retinoblastoma gene) and the marker D13S25 which bear relation to a candidate tumour suppressor gene. Also common are the chromosome 14 abnormalities which are expressed as the translocation t(11;14)(q13;q32) and which correlate with a high leukocytes count, adverse response to cytostatic therapy and increased risk of prolymphocytic proliferation. The oncogene BCL-1 is activated in this translocation. Deletions of the long arm of chromosome 18 (18q21)(q32;q13.1) activate the BCL-2 oncogene, while the translocation t(14;19)(q32;q13.1) activates the BCL-3 oncogene. Essential role in the pathogenesis of CLL is played by the aberrations in chromosome 17 and the p53 mutations (17p13.1). The gene p53 is defined as a tumour suppressor gene; mutations of this gene leads to a CLL characterized with rapid progression, aggressive course, poor prognosis and low survival. The deletions in chromosome 7 are associated with the multidrug resistance gene which causes resistance to doxorubicin, vinblastine and colchicine. All these abnormalities are characteristic of the B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In the T-cell leukemia characteristic deletions are 11q22-q23, a.14q23.1, as well as the inversion inv(14)(11q32) and some rarer aberrations.


We discuss static, cylindrically symmetric vacuum solutions of hybrid metric-Palatini gravity (HMPG), a recently proposed theory that has been shown to successfully pass the local observational tests and produce a certain progress in cosmology. We use HMPG in its well-known scalar-tensor representation. The latter coincides with general relativity containing, as a source of gravity, a conformally coupled scalar field ϕ and a self-interaction potential V(ϕ). The ϕ field can be canonical or phantom, and, accordingly, the theory splits into canonical and phantom sectors. We seek solitonic (stringlike) vacuum solutions of HMPG, that is, completely regular solutions with Minkowski metric far from the symmetry axis, with a possible angular deficit. A transition of the theory to the Einstein conformal frame is used as a tool, and many of the results apply to the general Bergmann-Wagoner-Nordtvedt class of scalar-tensor theories as well as f(R) theories of gravity. One of these results is a one-to-one correspondence between stringlike solutions in the Einstein and Jordan frames if the conformal factor that connects them is everywhere regular. An algorithm for the construction of stringlike solutions in HMPG and scalar-tensor theories is suggested, and some examples of such solutions are obtained and discussed.


This article explores the spatio-temporal structure of infectious diseases in modern Japan, using measles mortality data from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Three aspects of the epidemiology of measles are discussed: the synchronization of epidemic waves, seasonality, and age at infection. These epidemiological analyses are connected to, respectively, regional integration, governmental policy on primary school education, and the number of young children in families. In addition, based on the fact that measles did not become endemic in early modern Edo (Tokyo), this article corrects epidemiologists' misunderstanding about the threshold of endemicity and argues that the critical population size varied substantially according to the societal factors of a given community. In so doing, this article suggests that historians can use measles data as a new biometric index for studying human health and socio-economic conditions in societies of the past. I


Production waste reduction during production resettings is critical in the industry as it is the key point of flexibility increase. One way to improve production waste is to assign setup tasks efficiently to operators. This article describes a possible model of this problem adapted to a real-life application. This model is based on an unrelated parallel machines problem that takes into consideration the skills of the operators and the production line structure. The nature of the data and some industrial constraints help us simplifying this problem into an assignment problem. As often in the industry, the objective is to maximise production. Because most production lines are complex series parallel lines, it is often possible to maintain production even if not all machines are running. This particularity makes the criterion hard to express as it depends on the line structure. In this article we describe three heuristics to solve this problem: a hill climbing algorithm, a genetic algorithm and a memetic algorithm that combines the advantages of the two previous algorithms. The neighbourhood used for these algorithms is based on multiple exchanges of tasks between operators.


INTRODUCTION: Multidisciplinary Attendance Protocols are attempts for attainment of the best aesthetic and functional results in the treatment of the patients with cleft lip and palate. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to realize a comparative analysis of the outcomes found in the first and second years after the institution of the multidisciplinary attendance protocol. METHODS: Prospective study, 102 patients with cleft lip and palate were ope-rated in a 12 months period, submitted to a treatment following a pre-determined protocol. The outcomes were analyzed e compared with those results found in 2008. RESULTS: The number of patients assisted and procedures increased 13%. Eight surgical categories were related, palate repair (35.18%) was the most utilized one, followed by lip repair (unilateral and bilateral), keeping the same distribution pattern. Secondary procedures had persisted with high rates (approximately 30%), however the number of complications decreased (no fistulae). CONCLUSION: The standardization of the treatment demonstrated improvement in the found results, even in short period of time. However, systematic analysis of the following years will be realized with intention to get better parameters for the ideal treatment.


The biomechanical behavior of dog's duodenum and jejunum were studied and a formulation of the stress-strain relation is presented in this paper,The results obtained indicated that the exponential coefficient α and the incremental duodenum of the elastic modulus are both larger than those of the jejunum.It means that the duodenum is more deformabel than the jejunum.The experimental results of this work provide basal data for kinematics study of a robotic endoscope.


: Sinonasal polyposis sometimes can masquerade malignant pathology of the paranasal sinuses and nose. We report the case of a 60 years old male diagnosed initially as solitary polyp and operated by endoscopic surgery with intrasurgical biopsy because a suspect of malignancy. The result was epidermoid carcinoma from left maxillary sinus that was confirmed after the definitive anatomopathologic exam. After Caldwell-Luc and complete removal of the tumoration, the patient evolutioned satisfactory being free of illness by clinical and radiological explorations after 1 year follow-up.


Malaysia takes great pride in being a melting pot of different cultures, races and religions, co-existing under the purportedly "moderate Islamic nation" model. Yet, populations remain divided along racial and religious lines. Race and religion are not only politically
salient; they are also jealously guarded to protect inter-ethnic sensitivities. Nevertheless, the vibrant development of human rights awareness and advocacy introduced an additional element into the dynamics of pluralism in Malaysia. Human rights have become standard
talking points even amongst those in the vanguard of cultural, political, and religious conservatism.
In Malaysia, cases invoking the right to religious freedom in the past decade have garnered widespread attention and caused considerable public uproar in the Muslim-majority
nation. They involve (though not limited to) apostasy, child conversions, and persecution against non-mainstream religious doctrines. These cases raise pertinent questions about the parameters of religious freedom for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially when pitted against particular religious rules, societal norms, as well as the bigger idea of collective social responsibility and national stability.
This paper offers a critical insight into the fundamental right to religious freedom in Malaysia. It examines several controversial cases which tackle the essential question of
whether the Malaysian conception and practice of religious freedom is consistent with international human rights standards and entrenched constitutional rights. This paper
demonstrates that while religious freedom is constitutionally guaranteed in Malaysia, there are other significant political, legal, and social dimensions to its exercise. It is hoped that this piece will prompt further discourses in drawing an acceptable idea of religious
freedom informed by universal views of human rights, whilst maintaining aspects of common cultural values.


The influence of time-varying ground effect (e.g., induced by ship deck motion) or even of static, in
clined ground planes (e.g., hillsides) on the flow field and on the rotor inflow in hover is not yet understood. Therefore, experiments and CFD simulations were performed to study the flow field below a two-bladed 0.8 m-diameter rotor in hover over a parallel and a 15 degree inclined ground plane at a height of one rotor radius above the ground plane pivot point. Particle image velocimetry measurements were used to measure the rotor wake, and CFD simulations were correlated to the experimental results. To investigate the flow field, instantaneous, phase-averaged, and time-averaged data were used. The flow field was found to be sensitive to the ground plane inclination angle. It was found that the inclined ground plane reduced the unsteadiness in the flow field. The phase-averaged experimental results were predicted well by the numerical simulation. The computations captured the flow phenomenology well, but underestimated the influence of the inclined ground plane on the rotor inflow.


Effectiveness of plasmapheresis in a combined treatment of 46 patients with chronic cholestatic hepatitis and 30 with primary biliary cirrhosis of the liver was studied. Gratifying therapeutic results from plasmapheresis were achieved in 62 patients (81.5%). Time-related clinical manifestations of the illness, biochemical and immunological indices in the early post-plasmapheresis period were different in the groups studied. The mechanisms of therapeutic effect of plasmapheresis in patients with chronic cholestatic diseases of the liver were found to be chiefly due to its immunocorrective action, elimination of toxic products, returning to normal of rheological parameters of blood.


Abstract : The commercial sealift industry is breaking free of the constraints of traditional hull designs that characterize present vessels. Several alternative designs are being developed to fulfill the need for high speed, heavy payload capable, long distance transportation. One such design, FASTSHIP is thought to be capable of speeds of 45 knots, carrying 8000 long tons, over 5000 nautical miles. This paper uses a combination of spreadsheet based linear programming (LP) and genetic algorithms (GA) to find the best mix of a military application of FASTSHIP's capabilities in strategic sealift. Using data and requirements from past Mobility Requirements Studies (MRS), the Excel based Sealift Optimization Model finds a minimum Net Present Value (NPV) cost mix of sealift ships needed to meet given requirements of cargo and containers within a specified time period subject to several constraints. Various acquisition methods are explored in the determination of cost to include buy, lease, and joint commercial use. Analysis of the model output validates that the current sealift mix is sufficient, however FASTSHIP may provide added capability to meet increased requirements at a cost with a commercial joint venture offering the least cost solution, especially if the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) is allowed to decrease.


The resource‐based view (RBV) and the dynamic‐capabilities approach (DCA) have emerged as two important frameworks in strategic management that seek to explain why firms are different. In recent years operations management scholars have sought to integrate both RBV and DCA within the field's epistemological orientation to provide normative frameworks for practising managers. This paper argues that the structure of resources and capabilities are such that they present impediments to normative prescriptions. Using ideas from complex systems it argues that any framework for thinking about resource accumulation and capability development must take account of uncertainty and knowledge imperfections in the system. The paper contends that the real options framework is an appropriate heuristic for managing the process of capability development and a case study of a manufacturing operation is used to illustrate our ideas.


This paper considers the problem of relative motion control for spacecraft formation flying (SFF). Using terminal sliding mode technique, a relative position/velocity tracking control based on the nonlinear model is developed. The presented controller enables rapid formation reconfiguration with feasible fuel cost and strong robustness in the presence of uncertain but bounded disturbances. A nonlinear model with J2 disturbance and bounded uncertainties is used for dynamic simulation.


Introduction: Dutch ICUs have been enrolled in network organisations since the Quality Standard of 2016. In networks, intensivists have to cooperate to provide a high quality of care for all patients in their network. Trust is essential to cooperate effectively in a network. It is unknown what the degree of trust is in Dutch ICU networks. Methods: A survey was composed using the questionnaire by Cummings, measuring the experience of trust, and the questionnaire by Currall, measuring the willingness to show behaviour that is consistent with trust. Two overall questions concerning the feeling of being part of the network and the overall level of trust were added. All questions were answered on a 7-point Likert scale. Network managers passed the questionnaire to intensivists in the network. Results: The overall level of trust showed a mean of 5.5 (SD 1.2), similar to the mean of the Cummings questionnaire (5.3; SD 0.9). Academic intensivists had a significantly higher level of trust than intensivists from other hospitals (5.9 vs 5.0 and 5.3; p=0.009). The questions covering `surveillance', which measures the need for control, scored lowest with 3.8 (SD 1.3). Intensivists feel the need to make formal agreements and they experience a relatively intense need to control these agreements. Conclusion: Intensivists experience a reasonable level of trust within their network. However, intensivists feel the need to make formal agreements and they experience a relatively intense need to control these agreements. This suggests that the actual trust is conditional. Academic intensivists showed the highest level of trust.


Background/Objectives: Existing models of Technology Transfer have limited horizon and are either Qualitative or Quantitative in nature. A model framework is developed which is structured, linked with organizational goal, incorporates both concepts and has a wider scope. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The research methodology used in this study is a combination of literature review and key informant interviews. The literature review includes both published as well as unpublished sources of literature. In case of key informant interviews, informal telephonic discussions have been carried out with the key executives of the organizations (industry, university, research institutions and government officials) who are actively engaged in technology identification, technology sourcing and technology transfer. Findings: It is evident from the study that initial technology transfer started with the passive role of transferee and gradually they started taking the leading role in the whole technology transfer process. At the beginning, technology transfer concept was almost limited to search and transfer, gradually it started focusing on transfer plan and implementation of technology transfer and in most recent time, focus is on effectiveness of technology transfer and creating spirit of innovation. But again each one of the existing models has a limited horizon and applicability. These existing models are too specific in nature whereas the practicing managers are in need of a comprehensive integrated model. The analysis of the limitations of the existing models has proved the necessity for development of an integrated model which is structured, aims to fulfill the aspiration of the organization, closely links with organizational goal and objectives, considers the barriers and issues in technology transfer process and takes care of both Qualitative and Quantitative parameters of technology transfer. Applications/Improvements: This proposed integrated model will help the practicing managers to take proactive approach and control of forthcoming issues of technology transfer, monitor the progress as well and create spirit of innovation


Abstract This paper investigates the mechanisms of knowledge production of twenty-first century robotics-inspired morphology. How robotics influences investigations into the structure, development, and change of organic forms? Which definition of form is presupposed by this new approach to the study of form? I answer these questions by investigating how robots are used to understand and generate new questions about the locomotion of extinct animals in the first case study and in high-performance fishes in the second case study. After having illustrated the landscape of twentieth-century morphology, I will reflect on the definition of form adopted in twenty-first century robotics-inspired morphology as well as on the differences between this approach to the study of form and the so-called nature-inspired disciplines, such as bionics or biomimetics. In the conclusion, I suggest that we are now in a material turn in morphology, characterized by the coexistence of the robotic, the virtual, and the real, which enables an understanding of how the structures and dynamics of shapes change over time.


In some applied areas of psychology—particularly engineering psychology, human factors psychology, and related areas—a common underlying assumption is that it is inevitable that people will seize upon useful new technologies and exploit them with dispatch, though some have suggested more complex points of view (Davis, 1993). In turn, useful technologies transform human societies (Woolgar, 2009). It is easy to provide examples that confirm this assumption. Furthermore, it is difficult to list counterexamples, which serves to further fix the assumption in the minds of those researchers who are at the intersection of humans and technology.

There is a good reason why it is difficult to list counterexamples. Consider that for us to agree that a technology is useful at the larger level of the whole society (rather than just specialized uses that have little impact on the larger society), that technology needs to be demonstrated to have been used at a societal level or else there is no way for us to know that it is, in fact, useful at that level. Obviously, if the technology has been used successfully—again, this is a prerequisite for us to know that it is useful—it would seem to be a tautology that the technology has been used successfully! Is there a way out of the tautology? Is there a way to test, independently, whether a technology is useful and whether it has been used?

A consideration of history suggests a possible way out. An advantage of studying the history of different cultures is that they can serve as naturally occurring "control" conditions for each other. For example, historians credit two technological innovations with being responsible for much of the history of Western Civilization. One of these is the popularization of the stirrup in the medieval centuries in Europe, which significantly altered mounted warfare by greatly reducing the likelihood of a rider falling off of his horse while fighting, increasing the force and variety with which mounted riders could strike blows, increasing the efficacy of shock tactics, and others. Some authorities have even gone so far as to credit the stirrup with being largely responsible for the advent of feudalism (e.g., White, 1962):

"Few inventions have been so simple as the stirrup, but few have had so catalytic an influence on history. The requirements of the new mode of warfare which it made possible found expression in a new form of western European society dominated by an aristocracy of warriors endowed with land so that they might fight in a new and highly specialized way" (p. 38).

Another example is the popularization of guns and gunpowder during the late middle age and renaissance in Europe. The military uses and effects on history are too well known to necessitate further elaboration here. There can be little doubt that the stirrup and gunpowder both had an enormous influence on the history of Western Civilization.

Thus far, the stirrup and gunpowder seem to be excellent examples of humans exploiting advances in technology. But the picture changes substantially if we switch our focus to the history of China, whose societies failed to exploit these technologies at a level commensurate with European exploitation. The historian, Dreyer (2002), both acknowledged the importance of the stirrup and gunpowder in Europe while denying equal importance in China:

"China's long history of technological progress provides scant comfort for theories that see certain kinds of social and political change as the inevitable result of specific technologies. Neither the stirrup nor gunpowder had the dramatic consequences in China claimed for them in Europe" (pp. 28–29).

It is important to be clear that Dreyer was not claiming that the Chinese did not have the stirrup or gunpowder because they did, and earlier than the Europeans had them. Nor was Dreyer claiming that the Chinese made no use whatsoever of these technologies. Rather, Dreyer's point is that the technologies did not have the transformative effects that historians have pointed to in the history of Western Civilization. There are many arguments that can be made to explain this difference between West and East, but for my purpose, the mere historical fact of the difference between West and East is sufficient.

So how do the examples of the stirrup and gunpowder enable researchers to circumvent the foregoing tautology? The answer is that both technologies were proven to be extremely useful and exploitable in the West. Nevertheless, their effects on society in the East were greatly attenuated. What happened in the West gives independent evidence of the potential utility of the technologies whereas their relative lack of use in the East demonstrates that it is not the case that people will necessarily rush to use technologies that are new and useful. Put another way, the stirrup and gunpowder provide two devastating examples from history that contradict the typical assumption made by applied researchers at the intersection of psychology and technology that the advent of new and useful technologies inevitably leads to their widespread exploitation and associated societal transformations (Davis, 1993).

A possible counter to my argument might be that the stirrup and gunpowder were useful in the West and not in the East, and for that reason were adopted in the former but not in the latter area. However, the historical record indicates otherwise. The Mongols went through China like a hot knife through butter under their great leader Genghis Khan, and they were aided greatly by the fact that they had stirrups (De Hartog, 1989). In large part it was the stirrup that enabled them to conquer China and eventually establish the Yuan dynasty. This is strong evidence that stirrups were important in the East, or at least would have been if people had recognized the possibilities, but the historical fact of the matter is that they were way behind the West in exploiting the technology.

The same is true of gunpowder. Although the East was far behind the West in developing the potentialities of the technology, once they saw it, they did adopt it (Lococo, 2002). During the transition period, some of the Chinese hired Western cannon experts, and thereby had an important advantage against Chinese who did not do that. So the potential importance of gunpowder eventually became obvious even in the East, particularly during the Qing dynasty (Lococo, 2002).

In summary, stirrups and gunpowder would have been extremely important in the East, as well as in the West, if only the people in the East had seen (and developed) the possible ways to exploit the technologies as people in the West did. But the historical fact is that they did not. This is not because these ways of exploiting the technologies were unimportant in the East, relative to the West, but rather because people just did not see them. Possibly, this is because of cultural prejudices. In China, many saw no reason to change the eternal "Kingdom of Heaven" and in Japan, the Samurai resisted the switch to gunnery (Perrin, 1979; Dreyer, 2002). Thus, we see that societies do not always adopt useful technologies. This is not necessarily due to the technologies being potentially more important in one culture than in another, but rather that cultures themselves can blind people to possibilities as well as make people aware of possibilities.

In conclusion, the examples of the stirrup and gunpowder show that it is a fallacy to automatically assume that useful new technologies will be exploited in a timely fashion. They also illustrate the value of psychologists looking beyond the psychology literature, which is biased in a Western direction, to consider what has been discovered by researchers in other social sciences, such as history.


Abstract The main goal of this study is to forecast total electricity and hydroelectricity energy generation using historical electricity energy production data in order to determine the future level of electricity and hydroelectricity energy generation in Turkey. For this purpose, Turkey's electricity energy sector was reviewed during the period of 1940–2005. The total electricity and hydroelectricity energy generation were then modelled using historical energy generation data as years with regression analysis. Additionally, the portion that hydroelectric energy generation of Turkey has within total electricity energy production and probable meeting capacity of Turkey's hydroelectric potential of its future total demand was determined. According to the results, it is deduced that hydropower energy will have portion of 13.6% within the total electricity energy generation in 2030. In addition, it is concluded that the whole of Turkey's technical and economical hydroelectric energy potential that is equal 129.9 billion kWh will be used in the year of 2102 if the current trend continues.


In this study, a decision-support system was developed for providing environmental managers with an integrated way for concisely analyzing and visualizing the subsurface contamination problem as well as a means for evaluating alternative remediation technologies. It integrated contaminant-transport modeling, risk assessment, and remediation-system design within a general framework. The developed system was applied to a site in western Canada that is contaminated by petroleum products. A three-dimensional multiphase multicomponent model was established, which provided a basis for further risk assessment. Several approaches based on different environmental guidelines were used to analyze risks due to the site contamination. The results suggested the urgency of taking remediation actions. Six remedial alternatives for cleaning up the site were recommended. Decisions could then be made based on a series of analyses and comparisons among the given alternatives.


OBJECTIVES
To analyse the opinions and attitudes reported by medical specialists regarding online health information and their interference in the doctor-patient relationship.

METHODS
A cross-sectional study developed between 2016 and 2017 in Recife-Pernambuco-Brazil, which used a questionnaire in person in a population of 183 specialists from the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira. The results were analysed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Obtained approval of the Ethics Committee under the voucher number 121004/2016.

RESULTS
In the opinion of 85.2% of physicians, online health information has both positive and negative impacts on the physician-patient relationship. Faced with a questioning patient who claims to have researched information on the internet, 98.9% of the physicians said they would try to explain the reasons for their diagnosis and treatment. 59% already had a patient who modified the treatment recommended after seeing health information on the Internet. 73.8% agreed that online health information has positive effects for the general public, but 89.1% feel that most patients do not know which online health information is reliable.

CONCLUSION
The physicians surveyed view online health information in a positive way, but realize that it is necessary to be cautious as to their repercussions on the treatment of patients. There is concern about the accuracy of online health information, and it is incumbent upon the physician and health institutions to instruct patients about the sources of quality and that they are able to understand, as its known the patients have an active voice through the guarantee of the ethical principle of autonomy.


Combining first‐principles calculations with synchrotron‐based X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the surface chemical reactivity of VSe2 single crystals toward oxygen, water, and air is assessed. It is found that the pristine, undefected surface is inert toward oxygen and water adsorption. The presence of Se defects drastically changes the surface reactivity. Specifically, water adsorption at room temperature is dissociative and mainly localized at Se vacancies. In contrast, surface oxidation is achieved only after long‐term air exposure (1 month). These results are crucial to assess the surface stability in ambient environment in the prospect of VSe2‐based applications.


In this work, the MgZnAl-LDH/Zeolite Y and (MgZnAl-LDH+MgFe2O4)@SiO2 composites based on layered double hydroxide (LDH) were synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. The efficiency of the samples was assessed for simultaneous removal of cationic and anionic dyes from the solution. In this work, methylene blue and methyl orange as cationic and anionic dyes were used. The performance of prepared composites was also compared with their components. The results demonstrated that the Zeolite Y sample could only remove the methylene blue dye from the solution. The MgFe2O4 sample is not able to remove any of the anionic and cationic dyes. The simultaneous removal of the methylene blue and methyl orange dyes is observed by the MgZnAl-LDH sample. The MgZnAl-LDH/Zeolite Y and (MgZnAl-LDH+MgFe2O4)@SiO2 composites revealed similar performance to the MgZnAl-LDH. Moreover, the MgZnAl-LDH@SiO2 composite showed lower efficiency compared with that of the MgZnAl-LDH. In addition, different kinetic models including, the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and particle diffusion models were examined for the simultaneous removal of dyes. The kinetic data revealed the adsorption process could be well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The methylene blue dye removal by (MgZnAl-LDH+MgFe2O4)@SiO2 sample occurred by the adsorption on the surface and intra-particle diffusion.


ABSTRACT The Internet of Things (IoT) allows collecting vast amounts of health-relevant data such as daily activity, body weight (BW), and blood pressure (BP) automatically. The use of IoT devices to monitor diabetic patients has been studied, but could not evaluate IoT-dependent effects because health data were not measured in control groups. This multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel group study will compare the impact of intensive health guidance using IoT and conventional medical guidance on glucose control. It will be conducted in outpatients with type 2 diabetes for a period of 6 months. IoT devices to measure amount of daily activity, BW, and BP will be provided to IoT group patients. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) will provide appropriate feedback according to the data. Non-IoT control, patients will be given measurement devices that do not have a feedback function. The primary outcome is glycated hemoglobin at 6 months. The study has already enrolled 101 patients, 50 in the IoT group and 51 in the non-IoT group, at the two participating outpatient clinics. The baseline characteristics of two groups did not differ, except for triglycerides. This will be the first randomized, controlled study to evaluate IoT-dependent effects of intensive feedback from HCPs. The results will validate a new method of health-data collection and provision of feedback suitable for diabetes support with increased effectiveness and low cost.


We have studied the radio and far-infrared (FIR) emission from 114 galaxies in the seven nearest clusters (<100 Mpc) with prominent X-ray emission to investigate the impact of the cluster environment on the star formation and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in the member galaxies. The X-ray selection criterion is adopted to focus on the most massive and dynamically relaxed clusters. A large majority of cluster galaxies show an excess in radio emission over that predicted from the radio-FIR correlation, the fraction of sources with radio excess increases toward cluster cores, and the radial gradient in the FIR/radio flux ratio is a result of radio enhancement. Of the radio-excess sources, 70% are early-type galaxies, and the same fraction host an AGN. The galaxy density drops by a factor of 10 from the composite cluster center out to 1.5 Mpc, yet galaxies show no change in FIR properties over this region and show no indication of mass segregation. We have examined in detail the physical mechanisms that might impact the FIR and radio emission of cluster galaxies. While collisional heating of dust may be important for galaxies in cluster centers, it appears to have a negligible effect on the observed FIR emission for our sample galaxies. The correlations between radio and FIR luminosity and radius could be explained by magnetic compression from thermal intracluster medium pressure. We also find that simple delayed harassment cannot fully account for the observed radio, FIR, and mid-IR properties of cluster galaxies.


Digital technology appears to be an integral part of everyday life: at homes, workplaces, during leisure time; mediating interactions, demanding attention and engagement. In the age of cloud computing, social media, and ubiquitous mobile devices, it is easy to think that everyone appreciates its supposedly liberating effects. The question arises, whether it is possible to remain detached from what the digital technology has to offer, or is resistance futile? How do people cope with its unanticipated and sometimes involuntary use? The aim of the study was to create an engaged, first-hand, context dependent account of people's experiences with non-discretionary use of digital technology. In this scenario, people are required to change their everyday practices in order to accommodate use of digital devices. This paper aims to advocate benefits of methodological bricolage, where the researcher tailors tasks, tools, and approaches to understand the subject at hand. The investigation relied upon qualitative methods of data gathering, which enabled open and involved exploration, as well as interpretive methods to make sense of gathered information.


Fe2O3 and carbon nanofiber (Fe2O3@CNFs) composite anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) were fabricated by electrospinning and electrodeposition of naturally abundant, environmentally friendly, and cost effective materials to provide a simple route for modulating the morphology of the anodes and their performance. These anodes offer the advantage of being self-supporting to avoid increased mass of the electrodes from the binder, carbon black and the current collector, so the performance is reported on the basis of the full mass of the electrode (0.5–0.8 mg cm−2). Anodes consisting of nanofibers with a flat morphology without nanoscale roughness exhibit a superior cyclic stability (692 mA h g−1 in the 2nd cycle vs. 518 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.05 A g−1) compared with an anode with nanoscale roughness, where the capacity faded by 36.6% under the same conditions. The improvement in the cyclic performance for the flat morphology was attributed to the formation of a stable solid–electrolyte interface layer on the smooth sample combined with the enhanced contact between Fe2O3 and the CNFs, which inhibited degradation from the volume change of Fe2O3 during the successive charge and discharge. The Fe2O3@CNFs with flat morphology also exhibit reasonable performance (232 mA h g−1) at a high current density of 2.5 A g−1. These studies provide insights about how morphology impacts performance, namely the flat morphology at the nanoscale can stabilize the interfaces between the electrolyte and electrode composed of carbon and high performance active materials to promote long cycle life.


Development of a new class of drugs designed to selectively inhibit the inducible cyclooxygenase isoenzyme, COX-2, was initially prescribed for individuals diagnosed with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Although these inflammatory disorders are more typically related to the joints of the knee, ankle, or hand, the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) plays a special role due to its involvement in our normal day-to-day activities of eating and communicating. The TMJ, unlike most of the other joints, contains some unique morphological characteristics that support various inflammatory disorders. An overview of these characteristics and the prospective use of the COX-2 inhibitors for temporomandibular joint inflammation are presented.


An interdisciplinary introduction to postevolutionary performance artist Stelarc and aspects of some human-technology hybrid tropes in which he works: Obsolete Body Suspensions with hooks in the skin; an expanding, beeping, Stomach Sculpture, which he ingested and filmed; the "Ping Body" event during which his limbs (arm, leg) were controlled with electric stimulation by an Internet audience, while simultaneously Stelarc controlled a prosthetic robotic "Third Hand" with repurposed muscles in his abdomen and leg; and a tissue-culture installment under the skin of his forearm—his Third Ear—which is meant to contain a microphone and relay audio to an online audience. The article reviews critical contexts such as cyberpunk literature, biological and data networks, embodiment, scientific practices, electric body manipulation, and aesthetic and interpretive concerns. It closes with an account of the author's personal encounter with Stelarc at a dinner party, and the role of emotions, such as fear, in postevolution.


Have you ever thought you were going mad? Ever questioned your sanity? Hated yourself so much that you wanted to end it all? Felt your life crippled by panic? Lost control over your own mind? This ground-breaking book addresses many people's unspoken concerns about mental illness, and the associated stigma. It questions the mainstream arguments, instead placing consciousness, thoughts, emotions and experiences as the creators of psychological distress and dis-ease states. The authors demystify the psychiatric labels, presenting them as understandable responses that are experienced as a result of traumatic or difficult life situations. Their case studies, drawn from their clinical experience, vividly describe the journey into madness, clearly documenting what happens and what doesn't in states such as schizophrenia, mania, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and panic attacks. Their aim is to make madness understandable and inseparable from the experience of being human. This vital view firmly puts the lifeforce and soul back into the healing process where it belongs.


Heat engines, such as internal combustion engines, have significant adverse effects on the environment due to their heat and harmful emissions. In addition, they are dependent on energy from fossil resources, which are depleting rapidly and they are not being properly utilized due to the relatively low efficiency of heat engines usually expressed by Carnot's efficiency. The low temperature direct conversion process, in which hydrogen is chemically oxidized, is one of the best alternatives to heat engines. In this process, the heat emitted to the surroundings, or in driving the reaction, is kept to a minimum. This method would meet the pressing need of humanity to find power generation and utilization techniques that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment than conventional power generation methods. This will also help to conserve energy resources, and at the same time, protect the environment by reducing the amount of harmful emissions, and thermal loading i.e. greenhouse effects. In fact, the fuel cell technology can overcome these difficulties and pave the way for utilizing different sources of energy. This paper investigates the possibility of utilizing fuel cell technologies in Dubai public transportation and in particular the rail systems. This matter is critical for Dubai since it is one of the fastest growing cities. Recently Dubai has launched the Clean Energy Strategy, which aims to make Dubai a global centre of clean energy and green economy. The utilization of fuel cell technology is very important for Dubai since it has the potential to increase energy efficiency of the transportation sector, increase energy security, improve environmental quality, and position Dubai as a leading city in advanced rail transportation.


Maternal diet during pregnancy influences the later life reproductive potential of female offspring. We investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the depletion of ovarian follicular reserve in young adult females following exposure to obesogenic diet in early life. Furthermore, we explore the interaction between adverse maternal diet and post‐weaning diet in generating reduced ovarian reserve. Female mice were exposed to either maternal obesogenic (high fat/high sugar) or maternal control diet in utero and during lactation, then weaned onto either obesogenic or control diet. At 12 wk of age, the offspring ovarian reserve was depleted following exposure to maternal obesogenic diet (P < 0.05), but not postweaning obesogenic diet. Maternal obesogenic diet was associated with increased mitochondrial DNA biogenesis (copy number P < 0.05; transcription factor A, mitochondrial expression P < 0.05), increased mitochondrial antioxidant defenses [manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) P < 0.05; copper/zinc superoxide dismutase P < 0.05; glutathione peroxidase 4 P < 0.01] and increased lipoxygenase expression (arachidonate 12‐lipoxygenase P < 0.05; arachidonate 15‐lipoxygenase P < 0.05) in the ovary. There was also significantly increased expression of the transcriptional regulator NF‐kB (P < 0.05). There was no effect of postweaning diet on any measured ovarian parameters. Maternal diet thus plays a central role in determining follicular reserve in adult female offspring. Our observations suggest that lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis are the key intracellular pathways involved in programming of ovarian reserve.—Aiken, C. E., Tarry‐Adkins, J. L., Penfold, N. C., Dearden, L., Ozanne, S. E. Decreased ovarian reserve, dysregulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, and increased lipid peroxidation in female mouse offspring exposed to an obesogenic maternal diet. FASEB J. 30, 1548–1556 (2016). www.fasebj.org


This study analyzed the pressure and force required to cut an object with a standard kitchen knife and two adaptive knives. Occupational therapists recommend adaptive utensils such as kitchen knives. The appropriate tool or adaptive device reduces joint force and pressure and helps keep joints properly aligned to reduce pain during daily activities for individuals with arthritis. This research seeks to add to the body of knowledge to support the use of adapted equipment. Methods: Thirty-three participants were included in this study. Data were collected using a hand sensor and software made by Novel Pliance-X. This tool was found to be reliable and valid (Lai & Li-Tsang, 2009). Results: Researchers found that the DuoGlide offset slicer knife required significantly less pressure to cut as compared to a standard kitchen knife and a knife with a handle at 90 ̊. The DuoGlide also required significantly less force to cut with than knife with a handle at 90 ̊. The knife with a handle at 90 ̊ required significantly more pressure and force to cut with than the standard knife and the DuoGlide. The majority of participants reported that they preferred the DuoGlide compared to the other two knives. Conclusion: These results do not support the literature in tool design that tools with perpendicular handles to the push pull direction require less pressure and force to use than tools with straight handles (Seo, Armstrong, & Young, 2010). Overall, this research indicates that the DuoGlide offset slicer knife requires the least pressure and force and may be recommended to individuals with arthritis. HAND PRESSURE AND FORCE


Working with several mechanisms of critical local tissue damage, formulae are analytically derived that describe normal tissue complication probabilities (ntcps) for series-type radiotherapy complications arising in heterogeneous patient populations. Using the formulae, values are calculated for deltaD50(10)-the increase in dose leading to a 50% series-type complication rate (D50) when irradiated organ volume is reduced tenfold. From the structure of the ntcp formulae derived, it follows that dose-levels leading to clinically relevant serious complication rates (less than 5%) will change less with irradiated volume than will D50. Calculated values of deltaD50(10) for the heterogeneous series model are low-generally less than 6 Gy; such values are much lower than those calculated for the non-heterogeneous series model (27-37 Gy). These results suggest that if the dose-limiting toxicity of a radiotherapy treatment is a series-type complication with a local damage mechanism similar to any of those studied in this work, then even very substantial improvements in technique-leading to large reductions in highly dosed normal tissue volumes-would be unlikely to allow a useful degree of escalation of the dose delivered to the tumour, unless highly dosed normal tissue volumes can be reduced below the length-scale of a functional subunit.


Measurements of litter production, and the surface litter pool were made over a 1 year period in a tropical transitional forest near Sinop,Mato Grosso Brazil with the aim of quantifying the seasonal variation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the litter and the annual contribution of nutrients to the soil. Average annual litterfall (+95% confidence interval (CI)) was 8.20 ton ha-1 year-1 and forest floor litter mass was 58.63 ton ha-1. Nitrogen and phosphorus in the forest floor litter mass was highest during the dry and dry-wet season, being 38% higher than in the wet and wet-dry season. Seasonal variation in the litter and concentration of nutrients was explained by seasonal variations in the climate, for example in the precipition and soil humidity. Average annual nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the forest floor mass were 17.24 ton ha-1 and 16.46 ton ha-1, respectively. The more significant forest floor mass fraction for returning soil nutrients was the leaves. The concentration of nutrients was higher in the soil superficial layer (at depths between 0-5cm) than at depths between 30-70 cm, approximately 83% and 93% for total nitrogen and available phosphorus, respectively.


Soft-error immunity of a 256 kbit DRAM against quasi-heavy ion irradiation has been evaluated using He single ion microprobe at Waseda University. The technique for hitting micron size area with arbitrary number of He ions enables us to simulate the space environment under irradiation of heavy ions with higher LET than that of /spl alpha/-particles. From the maps of error-sensitive sites obtained by irradiating various number of-He ions, the threshold LET of soft-errors, effect of diffused charges on the soft-error cross section, and susceptibility to multi-bit errors have been estimated. The results of measuring single-ion induced noise charges at the PN junction which is considered as equivalent to the storage node of the DRAM have been presented and the origins which determine the soft-error immunity under irradiation with various LET have been discussed.


The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROP-ICS) mission was selected by NASA as part of the Earth VentureInstrument (EVI-3) program and is now in development with planned launch readiness in late 2019. TROPICS comprises a constellation of six CubeSats in three low-Earth low-inclination orbital planes. Each CubeSat will host a high performance radiometer to provide temperature profiles using seven channels near the 118.75 GHz oxygen absorption line, water vapor profiles using three channels near the 183 GHz water vapor absorption line, imagery in a single channel near 90 GHz for precipitation measurements (when combined with higher resolution water vapor channels), and a single channel at 205 GHz that is more sensitive to precipitation-sized ice particles. Expected NEDTs range from approximately 0.5 to 1.0 K for an 8.333 msec integration time. Spatial resolution at nadir ranges from approximately 15 km for the G-band channels to 30 km for the W-band channels.


This paper describes the conflation of non-linear and linear narratives in digital media using examples from the interactive documentary The Shoebox that is built around three 360 degree panoramic virtual reality scenes. In The Shoebox users can play each of the three VR scenes as a scripted linear sequence or they can interactively navigate from one scene to another or to additional media. This interactive architecture is to be further extended to include an additional layer. When the user clicks an icon or a node and accesses a fragment of media, for example: video fragments; still photographs; animated stills; or audio clips, the selected fragment descends to a timeline within the field of view. As each icon is clicked these fragments build along the timeline and after a number of segments have been acquired the timeline itself can be played as a linear sequence. The construction of this additional layer of sequential, temporal narrative, obtained through non-linear interactive actions, plays the content of the story in the traditionally, cinematic way.


Women who carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) gene mutations have up to an 88% lifetime risk of breast cancer and up to a 65% lifetime risk of ovarian cancer. Strategies to address these risks include cancer screening and risk-reducing surgery (i.e., mastectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy). We conducted a grounded theory study with 22 BRCA1/2 mutation-carrier women to understand how women make decisions about these risk-reducing strategies. Preserving the self was the overarching decision-making process evident in the participants' descriptions. This process was shaped by contextual conditions including the characteristics of health services, the nature of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk-reduction decisions, gendered roles, and the women's perceived proximity to cancer. The women engaged in five decision-making styles, and these were characterized by the use of specific decision-making approaches. These findings provide theoretical insights that could inform the provision of decisional support to BRCA1/2 carriers.


Radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation has shown promise as a technique for treating inoperable solid tumors involving the liver, kidney, adrenal gland, and lung. However, like all other imaging-guided interventional procedures, RF ablation involves some element of risk. Varying degrees of complications can be expected, depending on factors such as the organ site and the aggressiveness of the procedure. General complications of RF ablation may be related to either imaging-guided electrode placement (eg, bleeding, infection, tumor seeding, pneumothorax) or thermal therapy (eg, nontarget thermal damage, grounding pad burns). Liver and renal-adrenal ablation may be associated with organ-specific complications. A fundamental understanding of RF ablation principles, along with adequate operator training and experience and familiarity with both thermal ablation and the broad spectrum of postablation complications, are necessary to maximize the safety and efficacy of this procedure. The standard of care for decreasing the morbidity of complications consists of prevention (including careful patient selection), early detection, and prompt, appropriate treatment.


As the European Union sets out an ambitious agenda in its Central Asian strategy, its support for education may be used to raise awareness of Europe and help states create national cadres capable of sustaining the desired dialogue. A number of universities in Kyrgyzstan have already introduced European studies into their curricula. While it is far too early to take stock, some preliminary impressions can already be discussed.


Consider van Fraassen's ( 1981) Judy Benjamin (JB) problem. Judy is dropped in an area that is divided vertically in Blue (B) and Red (R) and horizontally in Headquarters (Q) and Second Company (S). These divisions define four quadrants, as in Figure 1 (roman script headings). Judy initially believes that there is an equal chance of being in each quadrant. She is then told by a fully reliable source that if she is in R, then there is a chance of q > 0.50 that she is in Q. Now ask yourself: what should Judy's credence be that she is in B on the basis of this information? I am interested here in the limiting case of this problem in which q = 1. Let us call this limiting case the JB′ problem.


We analyse the anisotropic clustering of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) CMASS Data Release 11 (DR11) sample, which consists of 690 827 galaxies in the redshift range 0.43 < z < 0.7 and has a sky coverage of 8498 deg^2. We perform our analysis in Fourier space using a power spectrum estimator suggested by Yamamoto et al. We measure the multipole power spectra in a self-consistent manner for the first time in the sense that we provide a proper way to treat the survey window function and the integral constraint, without the commonly used assumption of an isotropic power spectrum and without the need to split the survey into subregions. The main cosmological signals exploited in our analysis are the baryon acoustic oscillations and the signal of redshift space distortions, both of which are distorted by the Alcock–Paczynski effect. Together, these signals allow us to constrain the distance ratio D_V(z_eff)/r_s(z_d) = 13.89 ± 0.18, the Alcock–Paczynski parameter F_AP(z_eff) = 0.679 ± 0.031 and the growth rate of structure f (z_eff)σ_8(z_eff) = 0.419 ± 0.044 at the effective redshift z_eff = 0.57. We emphasize that our constraints are robust against possible systematic uncertainties. In order to ensure this, we perform a detailed systematics study against CMASS mock galaxy catalogues and N-body simulations. We find that such systematics will lead to 3.1 per cent uncertainty for fσ_8 if we limit our fitting range to k = 0.01–0.20 h Mpc^−1, where the statistical uncertainty is expected to be three times larger. We did not find significant systematic uncertainties for D_V/r_s or F_AP. Combining our data set with Planck to test General Relativity (GR) through the simple γ-parametrization, where the growth rate is given by $f(z) = \Omega ^{\gamma }_{\rm m}(z)$, reveals a ∼2σ tension between the data and the prediction by GR. The tension between our result and GR can be traced back to a tension in the clustering amplitude σ_8 between CMASS and Planck.


Millimeter wave imaging techniques can provide high spatial-resolution images of various composites. Lens antennas may be incorporated into the imaging system to provide a small incident beam footprint. Another approach may involve the use of horn antennas, which if operating in their near-fields, images with reasonably high spatial-resolutions may also be obtained. This paper gives a comparison between such near-field and focused far-field imaging of the Space Shuttle Spray on Foam Insulation (SOFI) used in its external fuel tank at millimeter wave frequencies. Small horn antennas and lens antennas with relatively long depth of focus were used in this investigation.


Utilization of bamboo as wood substitute for bio-composite industry raw material is very important to support its sustainability due to the huge wood supply shortage for the industry. The objective of this research was to produce high quality of OSB made from mixing bamboo and to determine the effect of strand combination on the properties of OSB. In addition durability of OSB against termites attacks. This research was done of OSB with the core layer orientation perpendicular to the face and back layers. Nine strand combinations from three strand bamboo species Betung bamboo (B) (Dendrocalamus asper (Schult.f.) Backer ex Heyne) , Andong bamboo (A) Gigantochloa verticillata ( Willd.) Munro)) and Tali bamboo (T) (Gigantochloa apus (JA. and JH. Schultes) Kurz)). Were manufactured, namely BBB, BAB, BTB, AAA, ABA, ATA ,TTT, TBT, and TAT. Bonded with 5% of Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (MDI). The results of this research indicate that BAB, ABA, BBB board made from strand combination, produce the best OSB in terms of physical and mechanical properties, and fulfilled on JISA 5908: 2003 Standard. The results revealed that strand combination showed significant effect on board properties, density, MOR in parallel direction to the grain, screw holder power. The results of this study showed the feasibility of using of mixing bamboo species from planted forest for OSB manufacturing, it is important to qualify appropriate raw material supply for the board industry.


Energy (coal) chemical base refers to the industrial cluster which is mainly formed by coal, thermal power, coal chemical and building materials industries within a special region. The constructions of energy (coal) chemical bases promote the in situ conversion of coal resources, reducing water and material consumption as well as pollutant emissions. Through the material flow analysis, the input and output relationship within energy (coal) chemical-base was carried out in this article. And combined with case study, recommendations of key technologies to perfect the energy (coal) chemical-based industrial chain were proposed, so as to promote environmental protection.


Severe lung damage in COVID-19 is known to involve complex interactions between diverse populations of immune and stromal cells. In this study, we applied a spatial transcriptomics approach to better delineate the cells, pathways and genes responsible for promoting and perpetuating severe tissue pathology in COVID-19 pneumonitis. Guided by tissue histology and immunohistochemistry we performed a targeted sampling of dozens of regions representing a spectrum of diffuse alveolar damage from the post-mortem lung of three COVID-19 patients. Application of a combination of differential gene expression, weighted gene correlation network, pathway and spatial deconvolution analysis stratified the sampled regions into five distinct groups according to degree of alveolar damage, levels of cytotoxic inflammation and innate activation, epithelial reorganization, and fibrosis. Integrative network analysis of the identified groups revealed the presence of proliferating CD8 T and NK cells in severely damaged areas along with signatures of cytotoxicity, interferon signalling and high expression of immune cell chemoattractants (including CXCL9/10/11 and CCL2). Areas of milder damage were marked by innate immune signalling (including TLR response, IL-1, IL-6) together with signatures of antigen presentation, and fibrosis. Based on these data we present a cellular model of tissue damage in terminal COVID-19 that confirms previous observations and highlights novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention.


This study examined the relationships of nursing curricular program, burnout, and use of coping strategies among 150 randomly selected staff nurses from four hospitals. The instruments used were the frequency dimension of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981) and the Ways of Coping (Revised) (Folkman & Lazarus, 1985). Discriminant analysis demonstrated that (a) diploma graduates differed from associate-degree graduates in their greater experience of Emotional Exhaustion (p less than .05) and (b) baccalaureate-degree graduates differed from associate-degree graduates in their greater use of Planful Problem Solving and Confronting Coping (p less than .05). Recommendations include additional research to discover relevant factors for the greater experience of Emotional Exhaustion among diploma graduates. If related to perceptions of limited career mobility due to the lack of a baccalaureate degree, expansion of educational opportunities is indicated. Another recommendation is curricular incorporation of content on burnout and coping.


Data on air emissions from open-lot beef cattle () feedlots are limited. This research was conducted to determine fluxes of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM) from a commercial beef cattle feedlot in Kansas using the flux-gradient technique, a widely used micrometeorological method for air emissions from open sources. Vertical PM concentration profiles and micrometeorological parameters were measured at the feedlot using tapered element oscillating microbalance PM samplers and eddy covariance instrumentations (i.e., sonic anemometer and infrared hygrometer), respectively, from May 2010 through September 2011, representing feedlot conditions with air temperatures ranging from -24 to 39°C. Calculated hourly PM fluxes varied diurnally and seasonally, ranging up to 272 mg m h, with an overall median of 36 mg m h. For warm conditions (air temperature of 21 ± 10°C), the highest hourly PM fluxes (range 116-146 mg m h) were observed during the early evening period, from 2000 to 2100 h. For cold conditions (air temperature of -2 ± 8°C), the highest PM fluxes (range 14-27 mg m h) were observed in the afternoon, from 1100 to 1500 h. Changes in the hourly trend of PM fluxes coincided with changes in friction velocity, air temperature, sensible heat flux, and surface roughness. The PM emission was also affected by the pen surface water content, where a water content of at least 20% (wet basis) would be sufficient to effectively reduce PM emissions from pens by as much as 60%.


The study aims at focusing on the relationship between motivation, culture, and success in foreign language learning in globalizing world. Many studies have been done to examine the relationship between them. The studies showed that culture can play a motivating role in language learning success. Considering Gardner's instrumental and integrative motivation, a learner with a high degree of integrative motivation is likely to make more efforts to form bonds with people of the target culture. To conduct the survey 48 students of Ardestan Azad University were chosen. Some activities and techniques were taken to promote their multicultural competence. In the first session a brief explanation was given to the students along with some questionnaires regarding cultural issues to answer. During 16 weeks of the semester students were taught and monitored through class discussions, essay writings etc. The goal of the activities was to encourage and estimate their respect, tolerance and empathy to people of different cultures. In the last session a questionnaire designed by the researcher was used to collect data. It was composed of three sections: 1) 11 statements about cultural issues to be rated with a likert scale of agreement (based on the Bennett's intercultural communicative model). 2) 10 rating questions (considering Byram& Risager's multidimensional model of ICC). 3) 5 open questions about their belief and behavior to elaborate on. The results showed that respect for others, adaptation and integration with people of target culture were the highest rated among others. An unexpected result was that there was no significant relationship between students' lesson scores and their attitude toward foreign language culture. This can be justified by globalization process by which "people of the world are incorporated into a single world society, global society". Therefore learners who belong to a global English-speaking culture are ready to suspend disbelief about others and adopt new cultural aspects while respecting and maintaining their own culture.


This paper presents a new approach to identifying and eliminating mislabeled training instances for supervised learning. The goal of this approach is to improve classification accuracies produced by learning algorithms by improving the quality of the training data. Our approach uses a set of learning algorithms to create classifiers that serve as noise filters for the training data. We evaluate single algorithm, majority vote and consensus filters on five datasets that are prone to labeling errors. Our experiments illustrate that filtering significantly improves classification accuracy for noise levels up to 30%. An analytical and empirical evaluation of the precision of our approach shows that consensus filters are conservative at throwing away good data at the expense of retaining bad data and that majority filters are better at detecting bad data at the expense of throwing away good data. This suggests that for situations in which there is a paucity of data, consensus filters are preferable, whereas majority vote filters are preferable for situations with an abundance of data.


Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is an important cause of ischemic stroke throughout the world, accounting for ≈30% to 50% and 10% of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack in Asians and whites, respectively.1 Several imaging modalities, such as transcranial Doppler (TCD), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomographic angiography (CTA), and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), are used commonly in routine clinical practice to detect and assess ICAS, as well as in selection criteria of clinical trials.2–4 Although some of these imaging modalities yield flow information, such as TCD revealing velocity data or waveform turbulence and time-of-flight MRA (TOF-MRA) depicting arterial patterns based on blood flow, most attention has been drawn to the maximal percent stenosis of the arterial lumen. The focus on severity of stenosis has been reinforced because severe (70%–99%) atherosclerotic stenosis was demonstrated as an independent predictor for stroke recurrence in the territory of the stenotic artery, with the risk of ≈20% at 1 year, in the Warfarin versus Aspirin for Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) trial.5 However, those patients with a traditionally considered moderate (50%–69%) atherosclerotic stenosis were also at considerable risk of recurrent stroke, ≈10% at 1 year in the WASID study.5,6 In more recent studies, the role of percent stenosis in predicting subsequent stroke risk has been superseded by collateral flow and hemodynamics in the same patient cohort.7,8 Characterization of the atherosclerotic lesion is also represented poorly by percentage of stenosis measured at the narrowest vessel diameter alone. Beyond the maximal luminal stenosis, many other features may reflect the characteristics of ICAS, such as plaque morphology and components, which might also be promising markers in risk stratification of patients with symptomatic ICAS.9 However, from the view of intracranial stenosis, it could also be attributed to causes …


The main emphasis of this work concentrates on determining unemployment caused by mismatch in other words on the portion of the structural unemployment and on determining influence of regional mismatch on the entire employment. Therefore, vacancies and flows of unemployment and new employed are compared at a well-defined regional disaggregated level. The course of the research, firstly applies the existing theoretical models, by which the values for five different regional mismatch indicators for the selected group of countries are calculated. Secondly, a disaggregated empirical analysis of the matching function according to the regions in all selected countries is conducted. Modelling of matching function by region results from estimation of the transcendental logarithmic (translog) function form. The analysis proves that for the Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovakia a parallel existence of demand and supply surplus on the regional level points to the existence of mismatch in the labour market. It has also been confirmed that an increase in the mismatch indicator in the labour market leads to a decrease in the total employment.


Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to obtain numerical solutions to laryngeal flow between simulated vibrating vocal folds. The unsteady Navier–Stokes equations were solved with a finite volume method using a nonuniform staggered grid. Vocal fold motion was simulated by sinusoidal variation of the inferior and superior glottal widths. The straight glottal walls oscillated between converging and diverging shapes, and the input airflow was sinusoidally varied from zero to a maximum and back to zero. Control variables included frequency of oscillation, Reynolds number, minimum glottal diameter, and the phase difference between the inferior and superior sections of the glottis. Results will be reported for Reynolds numbers of 1000 to 2000 and for oscillation frequencies of 100 to 200 Hz. Results with preliminary simulations (for which the glottal entry was fixed) produced periodic velocity and pressure fields throughout the whole laryngeal duct, and dominant effects of the flow acceleration and conve...


Purpose Use of patient-reported outcomes assessments (PROs) can improve patient–provider communication and focus provider attention on current health issues. This analysis examines the association between suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and factors obtained through PROs among people with HIV (PWH) at 2 North American outpatient clinics. Patients and Methods Immediately before a clinic visit, PWH completed self-administered PROs. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from logistic regression models to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors (satisfaction with ART, difficulty meeting housing costs, depression, intimate partner violence, risk of malnutrition, smoking status, alcohol use, and substance use) associated with suboptimal adherence (defined as self-reporting <95% or <80% adherence). Multiple imputation was performed to account for missing data in the multivariate analyses. Results Of 1632 PWH, 1239 (76%) responded to the adherence assessment; of these, 268 (22%) and 106 (9%) reported <95% and <80% adherence, respectively. Of 1580 PWH who responded, 354 (22%) were dissatisfied with their HIV medication. Of responding PWH, 19% reported moderate-to-severe depression, 23% indicated they were at risk of malnutrition, 34% were current smokers, and 62% reported substance use in the past 3 months. Dissatisfaction with ART was significantly associated with <95% and <80% adherence in the unadjusted analysis (unadjusted OR [95% CI], 3.38 [2.51–4.56] and 4.26 [2.82–6.42], respectively) and adjusted analysis (adjusted OR [95% CI], 2.76 [1.91–4.00] and 3.28 [1.95–5.52], respectively); significance remained after multiple imputation. In adjusted analyses, no risk of malnutrition was significantly associated with reduced odds of <95% adherence after multiple imputation (adjusted OR [95% CI], 0.714 [0.511–0.997]); no other factors were associated with <95% or <80% adherence. Conclusion These results suggest that implementation of PROs evaluating treatment satisfaction may provide value to adherence management in routine HIV care.


Evaluation of palm kernel oil, cotton seed oil and olive oil as quenching media of 0.509Wt%C medium carbon steel was investigated. To compare the effectiveness of the oils, the samples were also quenched in water and SAE engine oil which are the commercial quenchants. The samples were quenched to room temperature in the quenching media (palm kernel oil, cotton seed oil and olive oil). The machined specimen of the steel was heated at 880 0 Cthen quenched in water, engine oil, palm kernel oil, cotton seed oil and olive oil. Tensile strength, hardness and impact energy were used to measure the quenching effectiveness of the various media. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the quenched samples were used to determine the quench severity of the oils.  The test of the mechanical properties shows that the hardness of steel quenched in water was (1740.54 HBN), while the hardness of steel quenched in palm kernel oil was (740.34 HBN) which was recorded as the least in all samples quenched. As-received sample absorbed the highest amount of energy (183.10J) before fracture while sample quenched in water absorbs the least energy (28.50J). The microstructure of the samples quenched in the oils under study revealed the formation of low proportions of martensite and in the case of olive oil, there was retained austenite. Hence, olive oil can be used where cooling severity less than that of water and SAE 40 engine oil is required for hardening of plain carbon steels. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i3.12


Electron-induced reaction of physisorbed meta-diiodobenzene (mDIB) on Cu(110) at 4.6 K was studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and molecular dynamics theory. Single-electron dissociation of the first C-I bond led to in-plane rotation of an iodophenyl (IPh) intermediate, whose motion could be treated as a "clock" of the reaction dynamics. Alternative reaction mechanisms, successive and concerted, were observed giving different product distributions. In the successive mechanism, two electrons successively broke single C-I bonds; the first C-I bond breaking yielded IPh that rotated directionally by three different angles, with the second C-I bond breaking giving chemisorbed I atoms (#2) at three preferred locations corresponding to the C-I bond alignments in the prior rotated IPh configurations. In the concerted mechanism a single electron broke two C-I bonds, giving two chemisorbed I atoms; significantly these were found at angles corresponding to the C-I bond direction for unrotated mDIB. Molecular dynamics accounted for the difference in reaction outcomes between the successive and the concerted mechanisms in terms of the time required for the IPh to rotate in-plane; in successive reaction the time delay between first and second C-I bond-breaking events allowed the IPh to rotate, whereas in concerted reaction the computed delay between excitation and reaction (∼1 ps) was too short for molecular rotation before the second C-I bond broke. The dependence of the extent of motion at a surface on the delay between first and second bond breaking suggested a novel means to "clock" sub-picosecond dynamics by imaging the products arising from varying time delays between impacting pairs of electrons.


This report details the methods used to create indices for monitoring economic performance in the Alaskan North Pacific Groundfish Fisheries published in the annual Economic Status of the Groundfish Fisheries off Alaska report. The intuition and interpretation of the indices is discussed followed by a review of the formal literature on the technical properties of indices and the methods for their construction. A decomposition of the Fisher Index is derived which relates sub-indices to a larger aggregate index. The derivations are extended to chained indices over time. A case study of the Gulf of Alaska shoreside groundfish fishery is used to show how the indices and supporting statistics can be graphically displayed to efficiently characterize significant amounts of data across different dimensions of economic markets.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether expert problem-solving strategies can be identified within a large number of student performances of complex medical diagnostic simulations.

METHODS
Self-organizing artificial neural networks were trained to categorize the performances of infectious disease subspecialists on six computer-based clinical diagnostic simulation that used the sequence of diagnostic tests requested as the input data. Six hundred seventy-six student solutions to these problems were presented to these trained neural networks to determine which, if any, of the student solutions represented those of the experts.

RESULTS
For each simulation, the expert performances clustered around one dominant output neurode, indicating that there were common problem-specific features associated with the experts' problem-solving performances. When the performances of students who also made correct problem diagnoses were tested on these expert-trained neural networks, 17% were classified as representing expert strategies, indicating that expert performance was a somewhat rare and inconsistent occurrence among the students.

CONCLUSIONS
The ability to identify a small number of expert-like strategies within a large body of student performances may provide an opportunity to study the dynamics of complex learning at both individual and population levels as well as the emergence of medical diagnostic expertise.


Recent advances in therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia have come primarily from the intensive laboratory study of patient's lymphoblasts. DNA-ploidy determination, the analysis of specific chromosomal translocations, and in vitro chemosensitivity studies now facilitate the stratification of risk groups and the prediction of treatment outcome. More is known about the heterogeneity of molecular defects involved in leukemogenesis, and this information is being exploited to devise sensitive tests for minimal residual disease. Conventional chemotherapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with adverse neuropsychological sequelae and second malignancies when intensive epipodophyllotoxin therapy is used. Treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains problematic. The development of alternative donor marrow sources will expand the role of bone marrow transplantation, which has provided better outcomes for a limited number of patients. We are still waiting to spawn novel therapeutic agents that are more effective and less toxic than present chemotherapy.


OBJECTIVES
Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is caused by derangement of physiological processes of tissue growth, shedding and regeneration. It is known that interplay between metalloproteinases (MMP's) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP's) may play a crucial role in its occurrence.

AIM
To define if expression of proMMP-2, MMP-2 and TIMP-1 in endometrium of women with AUB is dependent on steroid sex hormone concentration and histopathological picture.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Endometrial scraps were taken from 21 women with AUB and 19 controls. Samples were evaluated in light microscopy by a certified pathologist. Activity of proMMP-2 and MMP-2 proteins levels were evaluated by gelatin zymography and TIMP-1 by reversed zymography. The results has been correlated with serum estradiol and progesterone concentrations in linear regression model.

RESULTS
Expression: of proMMP-2 in endometrium of women with AUB is correlated with estradiol concentration and inversely correlated with progesterone levels. It was significantly higher in women with dysfunctional endometrium (p<0.001). Expression of MMP-2 was highest in women with endometrial polyps and longer bleeding (p<0.01), while expression of TIMP-1 was independent from hormone concentration.

CONCLUSION
Lack of correlation between proMMP-2 and MMP-2 levels suggest different pathway of their activation in AUB. ProMMP-2 is up regulated by estradiol and down regulated by progesterone while MMP-2 levels increase with the length of bleeding.