The success of alternative food initiatives indicates increasing interest in changing the way food is produced, processed, and sold. Ecolabels such as organic and Fair Trade have entered the mainstream marketplace, and other voluntary identifiers on products are emerging to address criteria not included in these successful initiatives. Little is known about consumer interests in these criteria, however. To anticipate the direction of food-system changes, as well as assist food producers to meet consumer demands, we conducted a national mail survey to assess preferences for criteria that go "beyond" (or could complement) organic and Fair Trade. We utilized a forced-choice paired-comparisons question format to rank five possibilities (humane, local, living wage, small-scale, U.S. grown) that might feasibly be implemented by food producers. Local was the most popular choice, although humane also received a high level of support. Multilevel logistic regression indicated that local was preferred by rural residents, and that humane was preferred by frequent organic consumers and high-income households. Survey respondents also chose product labels more frequently than other potential sources of information about their food. Preferences for local and humane ecolabel criteria should be placed in perspective, as consumers expressed much higher levels of interest in the more individualized concerns of safety and nutrition. The results suggest, however, that consumers are interested in a food system that addresses broader political and ethical values, which has implications for production, marketing, and movement building for sustainable food systems.


(402) 472-1634 ABSTRACT. The goal of this research is to support the development of a biofuel power unit industry in Nebraska to increase the use of agricultural resources, crops and the resulting biofuels that are produced in the region. Two Nebraska companies developed commercially available technologies to utilize denatured ethanol and other biofuels in industrial power-units. The successful validation and demonstration of these technologies will support adaptation in water pumping and electrical generation plant applications. It will also document exhaust emissions and compare operating cost with traditional engines and fuels. These technologies could reduce peak load electrical energy demand resulting from electrical powered irrigation pumping stations, improved emissions compared to petroleum power irrigation pumping stations or peak load electrical generating stations, and may reduce production costs for irrigated farming operations.


The past decade has witnessed a drastic change in the design of high-speed serial links. While Silicon fabrication technology has produced smaller, faster transistors, transmission line interconnects between chips and through backplanes have not substantially improved and have a practical bandwidth of around 3GHz. As serial link speeds increase, new techniques must be introduced to overcome the bandwidth limitation and maintain digital signal integrity. This thesis studies timing issues pertaining to bandwidth-limited interconnects. Jitter is defined as the timing uncertainty at a threshold used to detect the digital signal. Reliable digital communication requires minimizing jitter. The analysis and modeling presented here focuses on two types of deterministic jitter. First, dispersion of the digital signal in a bandwidth-limited channel creates data-dependent jitter. Our analysis links data sequences to unique timing deviations through the channel response and is shown for general linear time-invariant systems. A Markov model is constructed to study the impact of jitter on the operation of the serial link and provide insight in circuit performance. Second, an analysis of bounded-uncorrected jitter resulting from crosstalk induced in parallel serial links is presented. Timing equalization is introduced to improve the signal integrity of high-speed links. The analysis of deterministic jitter leads to novel techniques for compensating the timing ambiguity in the received data. Data-dependent jitter equalization is discussed at both the receiver, where it complements the operation of clock and data recovery circuits, and as a phase pre-emphasis technique. Crosstalk-induced, bounded-uncorrected jitter can also be compensated. By detecting electromagnetic modes between neighboring serial links, a transmitter or receiver anticipates the timing deviation that has occurred along the transmission line. Finally, we discuss a new circuit technique for submillimeter integrated circuits. Demands of wireless communication and the high speed of Silicon Germanium transistors provide opportunities for unique radio architectures for submillimeter integrated circuits. Scalable, fully-integrated phased arrays control a radiated beam pattern electronically through tiling multiple chips. Coupled-oscillator arrays are used for the first time to subharmonically injection-lock across a chip or between multiple chips to provide phase coherence across an array.


Economists have long neglected study of an important contractual decision, a firm's choice of legal form. Enterprise form shapes the relations among a firm's owners as well as many features of a firm's interactions with the rest of the economy. Using unusual firm-level data on Spain 1886-1936, we estimate nested logit models of the determinants of enterprise form choice. In 1919, Spain introduced a new enterprise form that compromised between partnerships and corporations, and displaced larger partnerships and smaller corporations. This Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada was especially important for small and median-sized enterprises whose owners were not related.


This paper is an inquiry into an action research process in which staff from a combined vocational and academic upper secondary school philosophized "The Dialogos Way" together, as part of ongoing curriculum reforms in Norway. Some teachers were also trained in facilitating such dialogs with their students. Since sustainable development is one of three interdisciplinary topics now supposed to run through all subjects at all educational levels, our chosen action inquiry research question in this paper reads as follows: How can training teachers in philosophizing the Dialogos Way promote attitudes and skills required for dialogic learning-and-teaching, and how can this form of learning-and-teaching support education for sustainable development? Using teachers' and students' meta-reflection notes as data, the authors find that the Dialogos approach offers a fruitful way of integrating sustainable development issues in the curriculum.


Recognising that climate change poses one of the world's greatest challenges, this new CEPS Task Force report identifies priority areas for coherent EU domestic policies in the short, medium and long term. It gives a first indication of what would be implied in concrete terms for the EU to meet its target of limiting the future global average temperature increase to 2°C above its pre-industrial level. The focus is on policy coherence, cost-effective mitigation options in the short and medium-term and the interaction of such options with international negotiations in the 'post-2012 framework'. Towards that end, the report frames key elements of a rational and credible EU strategy for 'beyond Kyoto'.


Challenging issues confront emergency physicians routinely when performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Ethical issues surrounding resuscitation may include issues of futility, withholding or withdrawing interventions, advance directives, family presence, practising procedures on the newly dead, palliative care, and communication. Principles of bioethics can be valuable in assessing and debating ethical dilemmas. In many cases where curative care is not possible or is not desired, the goal of medical care at the end of life is to provide comfort to the patient and family, rather than initiating technological interventions that are unlikely to benefit the patient.


The explosive demand of broadband services nowadays requires data communication systems to have intensive capacity which subsequently increases the need for higher data rate as well. Although implementation of multiple wavelengths channels can be used (e.g. 4 × 25.8 Gb/s for 100 Gb/s connection) for such desired system, it usually leads to cost increment issue which is caused by employment of multiple optical components. Therefore, implementation of advanced modulation format using a single wavelength channel has become a preference to increase spectral efficiency by increasing the data rate for a given transmission system bandwidth. Conventional advanced modulation format however, involves a degree of complexity and costly transmission system. Hence, carrierless amplitude phase (CAP) modulation format has emerged as a promising advanced modulation format candidate due to spectral efficiency improvement ability with reduction of optical transceiver complexity and cost. The intriguing properties of CAP modulation format are reviewed as an attractive prospect in optical transmission system applications.


T cell clones obtained from a human volunteer immunized with Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites specifically recognized the native circumsporozoite (CS) antigen expressed on P. falciparum sporozoites, as well as bacteria- and yeast-derived recombinant falciparum CS proteins. The response of these CD4+ CD8- cells was species-specific, since the clones did not proliferate or secrete gamma interferon when challenged with sporozoites or recombinant CS proteins of other human, simian, or rodent malarias. The epitope recognized by the sporozoite-specific human T cell clones mapped to the 5' repeat region of the CS protein and was contained in the NANPNVDPNANP sequence.


In this work we investigate two crucial dimensions of firms' structure and dynamics, that is profitability and productivity performance. The empirical distributions and the associated persistence over time are explored through a set of parametric and non parametric exercises performed on an large panel of Italian firms active in both Manufacturing and Services during the period 1998-2003. The main contribution resides in the use of an index of financial risk which allows us to document that not obvious interactions are in place among economic performances, financial conditions and availability of external credit. We also offer an initial understanding about how profitability and productivity relate with a third dimension of performance, that is firm growth. We find that, independently from the particular sector of activity and from financial conditions, there seems to be little market pressure and little behavioral inclination for the more efficient and more profitable firms to grow faster. JEL codes: C14, D21, D24, L25, G30


Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined in children as a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) greater than 25 mmHg at rest or 30 mmHg during physical activity, with increased pulmonary artery capillary wedge pressure and an increased pulmonary vascular resistance greater than 3 Wood units × M2. it is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the group of thalassemia, if no treatment leads to right ventricular heart failure and death. The development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is assumed to be the result of many multifactorial pathogenic mechanisms including chronic hemolysis, iron overload, hypercoagulability, and erythrocyte dysfunction as a result of splenectomy, inflammation and nitric oxide (NO) depletion. PAH symptoms are non-specific, their signs consist of right ventricular lift, an accentuated pulmonary component of the second heart sound, a (gallop rhythm) right ventricular third heart sound, and parasternal heave meaning a hypertrophied right ventricle. The diagnosis of PAH requires a clinical suspicion based on symptoms and physical examination. Echocardiography is frequently used to screen for PAH, monitor progression over time and allow identification of patients for whom diagnostic right heart catheterization (RHC) is warranted and its treatment includes hemoglobinopathy specific treatment and PAH specific therapy.


As growing numbers of transgender people — including students, parents, and educators — become visible within schools, so comes with this the requirement that schools ensure their full inclusion. This article suggests that school counsellors and psychologists have an important role to play in supporting transgender people within schools. As an initial scoping of this suggestion, the article reports on findings from two Australian surveys: one focused on cisgender parents of transgender children, and one focused on cisgender school counsellors and psychologists in regard to their capacity for working with transgender people. The findings suggest that while the parent sample had largely negative experiences with school counsellors, the professional sample reported a high level of confidence in working with transgender people, although differences in gender and religiosity impacted upon school counsellors' and psychologists' acceptance of transgender people, and clinical knowledge for working with transgender people. The article concludes by advocating for ongoing training for school counsellors and psychologists in regard to working with transgender people, in addition to outlining the role that school counsellors and psychologists can play in facilitating a whole of school approach to transgender issues.


With the proliferation of service and emotional support animals fulfilling multiple forms of assistance or comfort, "considerable confusion over the meaning of individual terms used to designate the function and role of service animals, assistance animals, therapy animals, and emotional support animals" is understandable. This is further exacerbated by the terms used by differing agencies, organizations, and innumerable statutes that are meant to ensure the right and privilege of the use of these animals. It is no wonder that public perception would be affected. The affectation of public perception is most evident in the determination of the service animal over an emotional support animal or therapy animal in relation to psychiatric disorders.

Where a service animal is trained to provide specific support for conditions such as, but not limited to panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder ("PTSD"), and obsessive-compulsive disorder ("OCD") by "carry[ing] out specific tasks to help an individual cope with his/her [sic] disability," an emotional support animal provides the same sort of assistance but is not required to have specific training. Is this a distinction without a true difference? Public perception would say yes, whereas to enjoy the protections afforded under the ADA the answer would be no. Thus, "[t]hese differences may make it difficult for landlords, business owners, and employers to distinguish between the types of assistance animals."

Due to the myriad of rules, policies, and guidelines relating to the identification and acceptance of service and emotional support animals, it is not surprising that places of public accommodation, private entities, and commercial facilities may run afoul of the ADA. To avoid situations of peacocks and potbelly pigs on airplanes or gerbils at the dinner table, Congress should amend the ADA and set forth a standardized training, registration, and identification process that is otherwise lacking.


cdc18+ of Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a periodically expressed gene that is required for entry into S phase and for the coordination of S phase with mitosis. cdc18+ is related to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene CDC6, which has also been implicated in the control of DNA replication. We have identified a new Sch. pombe gene, orp1+, that encodes an 80-kDa protein with amino acid sequence motifs conserved in the Cdc18 and Cdc6 proteins. Genetic analysis indicates that orp1+ is essential for viability. Germinating spores lacking the orp1+ gene are capable of undergoing one or more rounds of DNA replication but fail to progress further, arresting as long cells with a variety of deranged nuclear structures. Unlike cdc18+, orp1+ is expressed constitutively during the cell cycle. cdc18+, CDC6, and orp1+ belong to a family of related genes that also includes the gene ORC1, which encodes a subunit of the origin recognition complex (ORC) of S. cerevisiae. The products of this gene family share a 250-amino acid domain that is highly conserved in evolution and contains several characteristic motifs, including a consensus purine nucleotide-binding motif. Among the members of this gene family, orp1+ is most closely related to S. cerevisiae ORC1. Thus, the protein encoded by orp1+ may represent a component of an Sch. pombe ORC. The orp1+ gene is also closely related to an uncharacterized putative human homologue. It is likely that the members of the cdc18/CDC6 family play key roles in the regulation of DNA replication during the cell cycle of diverse species from archaebacteria to man.


As the size of publicly available codebases has grown dramatically in recent years, so has the interest in developing programming tools that solve software tasks by learning from these codebases. Yet, the problem of learning from programs has turned out to be harder than expected and thus, up to now, there has been little progress in terms of practical tools that benefit from the availability of these massive datasets. This dissertation focuses on addressing this problem: we present new techniques that learn probabilistic models from large datasets of programs as well as new tools based on these probabilistic models which improve software development. The thesis presents three new software systems (JSNice, Slang and DeepSyn) that learn from large datasets of programs and provide likely solutions to previously unsolved programming tasks including deobfuscation, static type prediction for dynamic languages, and code synthesis. All three of these systems were trained on thousands of open source projects and answer real-world queries in seconds and with high precision. One of these systems, JSNice, was publicly released and is already widely used in the JavaScript community. An important ingredient of the thesis is leveraging static analysis techniques to extract semantic representations of programs and building powerful probabilistic models over these semantics (e.g., conditional random fields). Working at the semantic level also allows us to enforce important constraints on the predictions (e.g. typechecking). The net result is that our tools make predictions with better precision than approaches whose models are learned directly over program syntax. Finally, the dissertation presents a new framework for addressing the problem of program synthesis with noise. Using this framework, we show how to construct programming-by-example (PBE) engines that handle incorrect examples, and introduce a new learning approach based on approximate empirical risk minimization. Based on the framework, we developed a new code synthesis system (DeepSyn) which generalizes prior work and provides state-of-the-art precision.


THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF NON-FAILING AND FAILING HUMAN MYOCARDIUM Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that manifests when there are structural and functional impairments to the heart that reduces the ability of the ventricles to fill or eject blood. The syndrome affects ~6 million Americans and is responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths annually. At the core of the syndrome are dysfunctional sarcomeres, the machinery that drives cardiac contraction and relaxation. By assessing the mechanical properties of human cardiac tissue, the information provided in this dissertation will provide data that demonstrates how sarcomeric dysfunction contributes to heart failure in the left and right ventricles. Additionally, these data will supply information on how probable therapeutics impact the mechanical properties of the heart and the clinical implications. Thus, the overall objective of this project is to assess the mechanical properties of failing and nonfailing human myocardium while concomitantly studying the molecular mechanisms contributing to heart failure and work towards therapy. Mechanical experiments were performed with human cardiac samples obtained from patients who were receiving heart transplants and from organ donors who did not have a history of heart failure. Cardiac samples were homogenized and chemically permeabilized (pores in the membrane). Multicellular preparations from failing and non-failing hearts were attached between a force transducer and a motor to determine the mechanical properties. In the first study, we compared the mechanical properties of cardiac samples from the right and left ventricles of non-failing and failing hearts, as well as determined the relative phosphorylation levels of specific sarcomeric proteins. The results show that in non-failing hearts, calcium sensitivity was higher in the left ventricle, and in failing hearts, calcium sensitivity was higher in the right ventricle. The shift in the pattern of the calcium sensitivity data from non-failing samples to failing samples underpin a statistical interaction between heart failure status and the ventricles of the heart for calcium sensitivity. This interaction suggests that heart failure is altering the sensitivity of the myofilament to Ca differently in the right ventricle. The mechanical data also demonstrated that heart failure significantly reduced isometric force and maximum power in both ventricles. Biochemical assays suggest that the cause of the interaction observed in the calcium sensitivity data is driven by the phosphorylation profile of sarcomeric proteins. We then determined the effects of two small molecules (omecamtiv mecarbil and para-Nitroblebbistatin) on the mechanical properties of human myocardium. The results of those studies demonstrate that omecamtiv mecarbil increases calcium sensitivity and slows the rate of force development in a dose-dependent manner without altering maximum isometric force. Conversely, para-Nitroblebbistatin reduced isometric force, power, and calcium sensitivity without changing shortening velocity or the rate of force development. Lastly, we measured the effects of engineered troponins on the mechanical function of failing tissue. The results show that troponin C and troponin I designed to either increase or decrease calcium sensitivity can significantly increase or decrease calcium sensitivity without altering maximum force, shortening velocity or the rate of tension development. The findings reported in this dissertation have revealed novel mechanical data from non-failing and failing human cardiac tissue. These data present three significant results. First, the right vs. left ventricular comparison data shows that heart failure in humans reduces maximum force and power in both ventricles equally while altering myofilament calcium sensitivity of the left and right ventricles in different ways. The change in calcium sensitivity may reflect ventricle specific post-translational modifications of sarcomeric proteins. Second, the use of myosin modulators revealed that molecules like omecamtiv mecarbil and para-Nitroblebbistatin that directly target myosin function can modify calcium sensitivity and the rate of force development in human cardiac tissue. Third, the engineered troponin study showed that engineered troponins C and I can alter myofilament calcium sensitivity without affecting myosin kinetics. Clinically, the results of the small molecules and engineered protein studies suggest that small molecules and engineered proteins could potentially serve as therapy for patients suffering from heart disease.


2516. Cyclic permutation of digits. The m ethod for testing w hether a given num ber is divisible by p or not, where p is any factor of (10r 1) can be had from Note 1920 (Math. Gazette, Ju ly , 1946). In this Note a special property of numbers having nr digits which are divisible by p is given : I f a num ber N , having nr digits, is divisible by p 9 where p is any factor of ( 1 0 r 1 ), then any num ber w ith the same digits cyclically perm uted will also be divisible by p. We shall show th a t the result holds for one cyclic perm utation. Let N = ax . 10n r " 1 + a 2 . 10w r ~ 2 + ... + anr__x . 10 + anr,


Systemic sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disease with a prevalence of 40 per 100,000 people and which mostly affects young adults. It is characterized by non-caseous granulomatous changes of interstitial tissue, predominantly in the lungs. Extrapulmonal sarcoidosis has been described in every organ, but is present only in 1-5% with pancreatic involvement. Furthermore, sarcoidosis leading to a symptomatic mass in the pancreas is extremely rare and must then be differentiated in particular from cancer and pancreatitis. For therapy, it is crucial to find the right diagnosis before planning an operation--otherwise overtreatment by surgery may be an unwanted consecution.


Subjective perceptions of outcome interdependence play a critical role in conflict situations. People who subscribe to different beliefs about outcome interdependence in conflict essentially play different games, with different sets of rules. Because they think they are playing different games, they experience conflict differently, behave differently, and obtain different outcomes for themselves and their counterparts. In our research, we investigated how different perceptions of outcome interdependence relate to individuals' worldviews, motivational goals, conflict behavior, and social relations. We found that a small set of recurring patterns captures how most people think about their outcome interdependence in conflict. These subjective perceptions of outcome interdependence—that is, conflict templates—predicted conflict behavior (e.g., unethical negotiation behavior), social relations (e.g., workplace conflict and ostracism), and sociopolitical attitudes (e.g., national identification, right-wing authoritarianism) in various conflicts. Our research also shows that these perceptions can be altered by manipulating the accessibility of different motivational goals. Knowing people's conflict templates aids in predicting the course and outcomes of their interactions and provides a simple yet powerful tool for effective conflict management.


Objective: To determine whether surgical opioid prescriptions are associated with increased risk of opioid initiation by operative patients' spouses. Summary of Background Data: Adverse effects of surgical opioids on operative patients have been well described. Whether risks of surgical opioids extend to operative patients' family members is unknown. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of opioid-naïve, married patients undergoing 1 of 11 common surgeries from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2017. The adjusted association between surgical opioid prescriptions and opioid initiation by the operative patient's spouse in the 6-months after surgery was assessed. Secondary analyses assessed how this association varied with postoperative time. Results: There were 318,022 patients (mean ± standard deviation age 48.8 ±9.3 years; 49.5% women). Among the 50,833 (16.0%) patients that did not fill a surgical opioid prescription, 2152 (4.2%) had spouses who filled an opioid prescription within 6-months of their surgery. In comparison, among the 267,189 (84.0%) patients who filled a surgical opioid prescription, 15,026 (5.6%) had spouses who filled opioid prescriptions within 6-months of their surgery [unadjusted P < 0.001; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31–1.43, P < 0.001]. Associated risks were only mildly elevated in postoperative month 1 (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00–1.23, P = 0.04) before increasing to a peak in postoperative month 3 (aOR 1.57,95% CI 1.391.76, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Surgical opioid prescriptions were associated with increased risk of opioid initiation by spouses of operative patients, suggesting that risks associated with surgical opioids may extend beyond the surgical patient. These findings may highlight the importance of preoperative counseling on safe opioid use, storage, and disposal for both patients and their partners.


The purpose of the thesis is to assess the level of strategic planning that farm managers utilize within their business and determine if it is a factor of performance. Through the use of an interview questionnaire, combined with current financial data, the study was conducted on an established client base from a banking institution. All of the participants are actively involved in primary production agriculture in Ontario, Canada. Significant variation identified through the development of a planning index, confirmed that manager's use planning in their farm businesses. The primary goal of determining the relationship between planning and farm profits, measured through Net Income, is positive. Further to this, farmers seek profit maximization and efficiency through planning. Factors affecting planning most notably include the manager's age—indicating the role of experience in influencing planning—and the number of people involved in the operation. The results of this research provide input into increasing bankers' understanding of how farmers plan and how to help them make stronger connections between their production planning effort and their financial planning efforts.


Mounting experiments on longitudinal surveys adds a further dimension to the value of randomised experiments (designed to maximise internal validity) mounted on probability surveys (to maximise external validity): for example, repeated measurement over time can be used to test effects on inherently longitudinal outcomes, or to test inherently longitudinal treatments. The unique value of experimentation in longitudinal surveys is, however, matched by unique challenges in design and implementation. We summarise key methodological features and challenges based on experiences with the Understanding Society Innovation Panel, a probability-based household panel with annual interviews that exists solely for experimentation and methodological development.


OBJECTIVE
To develop and test indicators of the quality of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

DESIGN
Retrospective medical record review.

SETTING
All acute care hospitals in Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

PATIENTS
All hospitalizations for Medicare patients discharged with a principal diagnosis of AMI between June 1, 1992, and February 28, 1993, were identified (N = 16,869).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Percentage of patients receiving appropriate interventions as defined by 11 quality-of-care indicators derived from clinical practice guidelines that were modified and updated in consultation with a national group of physicians and other health care professionals.

RESULTS
We abstracted data from 16,124 (96%) of the hospitalizations, representing 14,108 primary hospitalizations and 2016 hospitalizations resulting from transfers. Potential exclusions to the use of standard treatments in AMI care were common with 90% and 70% of patients having potential exclusions for thrombolytics and beta-blockers, respectively. In cohorts of "ideal candidates" for specific interventions, 83% received aspirin, 69% received thrombolytics, and 70% received heparin during the initial hospitalization; 77% received aspirin and 45% received beta-blockers at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS
These data demonstrate that many Medicare patients may not be ideal candidates for standard AMI therapies, but these treatments are underused, even in the absence of discernible contraindications. Hospitals and physicians who apply these quality indicators to their practices are likely to find opportunities for improvement.


Abstract. Wind plant wake impacts can be estimated with a number of simulation methodologies, each with its own fidelity and sensitivity to model inputs. In turbine-free mesoscale simulations, hub-height wind speeds can significantly vary with the choice of a planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme. However, the sensitivity of wind plant wakes to a PBL scheme has not been explored because, until now, wake parameterizations were only compatible with one PBL scheme. We couple the Fitch wind farm parameterization with the new NCAR 3DPBL scheme and compare the resulting wakes to those simulated with a widely used PBL scheme. First, we simulate a wind plant in a pseudo-steady state under idealized stable, neutral, and unstable conditions with two PBL schemes: MYNN and the NCAR 3DPBL. For these idealized scenarios, MYNN consistently predicts internal wakes that are 0.25–1.5 m s−1 stronger than internal 3DPBL wakes. However, because MYNN predicts stronger inflow winds than the 3DPBL, MYNN predicts average capacity factors that are as large as 13 percentage points higher than with the 3DPBL, depending on the stability. To extend this sensitivity study, we conduct a month-long case study with both PBL schemes centered on the Vineyard Wind 1 lease area in the mid-Atlantic United States. Under stable and unstable conditions averaged across the month, MYNN again predicts stronger internal waking—by about 0.25 m s−1. However, again due to stronger plant inflow wind speeds in MYNN, the 3DPBL generates 4.7 %–7.8 % less power than MYNN in August 2020, depending on the turbine build-out scenario. Differences between PBL schemes can be even larger for individual instances in time. These simulations suggest that PBL schemes represent a meaningful source of modeled wind resource uncertainty; therefore, we recommend incorporating PBL variability into future wind plant planning sensitivity studies as well as wind forecasting studies.


The neural crest is a transient tissue of the vertebrate embryo that gives rise to most primary sensory neurons and pigment cells in the adult organism, among other cell types and tissues. Many neural crest cells are pluripotent in the sense that their progeny can generate more than one phenotype. The presence of pluripotent neural crest cell-derived cells at sites of terminal differentiation suggests that location-specific cues from the embryonic environment, such as growth factors, are involved in directing their survival, proliferation, and cell type specification. We have therefore examined the influences of one pertinent growth factor, stem cell factor (SCF), on neural crest cell development by in vitro colony assay in a serum-free culture medium. SCF showed three major effects. (1) SCF is trophic for early neural crest cells, that is, either pluripotent cells and/or their more mature progeny. This effect occurs only if SCF is present throughout the culture period, and it is not observed when a neurotrophin is present in addition to SCF. (2) More colonies contain sensory neuron precursors in the presence of SCF. This effect is neutralized by NGF and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), but not by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). (3) The combination of SCF and any neurotrophin tested (NGF, BDNF, NT-3) is trophic for melanogenic cells, whereas SCF alone does not detectably affect melanogenesis. This suggests either that both types of factor are required for melanotrophic action or that melanogenic cells become dependent on neurotrophins after exposure to SCF. Our observation that SCF is required during the first half of the culture period only, and NGF during the second half only, indicates the latter possibility. Whereas coat color changes in the mouse mutants W (c-kit defect) and Steel (SCF defect) and several in vivo and in vitro studies by other investigators have shown previously that SCF is melanotrophic, they also indicated the requirement of an additional factor, or factors, in melanogenesis. Our data suggest that SCF affects neural crest cell development at multiple levels and that survival of melanogenic cells is mediated by a combination of SCF and a neurotropin, rather than by SCF alone.


The thesis analyzes monetary and labor policies under different market frictions. In the first part several versions of a microfounded dynamic general equilibrium model with monopolistic competitors in the product and/or labor market are derived and simulated. First of all, the monetary persistence of a pure price staggering economy is compared to a pure wage staggering economy under different labor market structures (by means of a newly proposed persistence measure) and interactions are explored. Secondly, the thesis simulates the effects of real wage rigidities in a disinflation experiment non-linearly. Thereby, caveats of the conventionally used log-linearization are shown. The second part of the thesis develops a dynamic microfounded labor market framework with insider wage bargaining, labor turnovers costs and tax distortions. The calibrated model is used in order to analyze different labor market policies. The addressed questions include the labor market development in East Germany after unification, the existence of unemployment traps, their influence on labor market persistence and policy effectiveness, and the optimal targeting of employment subsidies in terms of their employment, equity and welfare implications.


These investigations have developed an effective hydrometallurgical method to recover high-purity lead metal and elemental sulfur from simulated galena synthetic mixures eliminating sulfur gases and lead emissions, in contrast to the current high-temperature smelting technology.
 The method consists of different operations: oxidative leaching with production of solution with residue containing elemental sulfur., electrowinning by the solution with metal production.
 The obtained results determined the optimal parameters for possible processing of natural domestic galena ores.


The phase equilibria in the system Ag–Pd–Se were studied by the evacuated-silica glass tube method at 350, 430, and 530 °C. In the system we synthesized four ternary phases: Ag2Pd3Se4 (chrisstanleyite) and the new phases AgPd3Se, (Ag,Pd)22Se6, and Ag6Pd74Se20. The AgPd3Se phase forms a Ag1− x Pd3+ x Se ( x = 0–0.15) solid-solution series. The (Ag,Pd)22Se6 phase forms a (Ag11± x Pd11± x )22Se6 (0.2 ≥ x ≥ 3.9) solid-solution series, the solubility of Ag decreasing with increasing temperature. Palladseite (Pd17Se15) forms a limited solid solution and dissolves up to 7 wt.% Ag, and the phase Pd9Se2 dissolves up to 3 wt.% Ag. The Ag2Pd3Se4 phase, an analogue of the mineral chrisstanleyite, forms stable associations with naumannite (Ag2Se) and veerbekite (PdSe2); it also coexists with palladseite (dissolving 7 wt.% Ag). The phase is stable up to 430 oC. Phase relations determined the mineral assemblages that can be expected to occur in nature. Ternary AgPd3Se and (Ag,Pd)22Se6 phases and the binary PdSe, Pd7Se4, and Pd34Se11 phases can be expected in associations with the mineral palladseite, among other selenides. Finding these phases in nature is highly probable in telethermal selenide veins and unconformity-related uranium deposits, at conditions of high Se/S fugacity ratio, an oxidizing environment, and Se-rich fluids, forming at low temperatures. The Ag6Pd74Se20 phase forms stable associations with AgPd3Se and Pd7Se2. It also coexists with Pd4Se and Pd9Se2. The Ag6Pd74Se20 phase is stable above 430 oC. Under natural conditions the Ag6Pd74Se20 and Pd9Se2 phases can be expected to occur in less traditional environments than are usual for selenides, forming at higher temperatures (above 430 oC).


Here are some practical perspectives on momentum investing in stocks internationally. Momentum is generally more profitable on the long side than on the short side, making it accessible to a broad range of institutional capital, and both price and earnings momentum profits are significant globally. Earnings momentum internationally is distinct from price momentum; using price and earnings momentum in conjunction produces greater economic profits. Momentum profits co–move more weakly across markets than market indexes. Interestingly, while market correlations are much higher in down markets than in up markets, momentum correlations are low under both market conditions. There is no appreciable difference in momentum strategy profitability in up and down markets, which means timing is less important to momentum traders. Finally, momentum strategies are not riskless? there are often periods of several months when they have netted low or negative returns. The findings altogether suggest that momentum is useful in international portfolio management, but it should be implemented very thoughtfully.


Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.a member of the family Scrophulariaceae has been used in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine for over 3000 year s. This herbal remedy is also known as, Brahmi. The n ame Brahmi is derived from the word "Brama" the mythical "creator" in the Hindu panthem. It was used as a brain toxic to enhance memory developed, learning, and concentration, and to provide relief to patients with anxiety or epileptic d isorders. The plant has also been used as a cardiac toxic, digestive aid and to improve respiratory function in cases of bronchoconstriction.


Background and purpose: Family physician program was implemented in Iran since 2005. The referral system is considered to be highly important in this program. But failure in appropriate implementation of referral system is a core problem of rural family medicine program in Iran. This study investigated the viewpoints of family physicians regarding referral system in 2012. Materials and methods: This qualitative research was conducted using a conventional content analysis. Purposive sampling was done and continued until data saturation. Semi-structure interviews were carried out with 26 respondents who had at least one year experience as family physician. Results: Main problems were categorized as four main themes including: the role of service providers at higher levels, the role of patients, and role of executive authorities. These themes were associated with sub-themes including lack of feedback, reverse referral, patients' lack of knowledge about the program, lack of patients' trust in family physicians, patients who insist on receiving higher level services, and inappropriate implementation of instructions. Conclusion: Failure in referral system in family physician program is believed to be associated either with ministry of health as the main policy-maker or the Iran Health Insurance Organization. Therefore, the policies should be reviewed or the implementation of the program should be done with more strict supervision.


Vincent Réquillart, INRA This brief series was developed in preparation for the Foresight Breakout Session of the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD 2012) and the Global Foresight Hub1. The briefs were written to communicate to a wider audience, such as policy makers, civil society organizations, researchers, and funders. The briefs were classified into three categories: Future Studies, Regional Update, and Visioning. Future Studies


Background Malaria has been one of the commonest diseases during farming season which affects farmers' health resulting in a reduction in the number of days spent on the farm. Due to this, farmers are regularly trying to avert a malaria attack through preventive measures. Motivated by this argument, this study sought to determine the effects of malaria averting expenditure on labour productivity of maize farmers in Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District in the Northern Region of Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional primary data was collected from 194 maize farmers. Both descriptive and quantitative data analysis approaches were employed. Conditional Mixed Process was used to estimate the effects of malaria preventive expenditure on maize labour productivity. Results The study revealed that maize farmers incurred an average expenditure of GHc284.6 to prevent malaria. The result shows that factors that affect maize farmers' malaria preventive expenditure include off-farm income, household size, presence of bushes around houses, presence of pregnant women and number of household members in school. Meanwhile, quantity of fertilizer, seed, weedicides, farming experience, age, ownership of motor bike and averting expenditure are significant determinants of maize labour productivity. The study revealed that farmers who spend more amount of money to avert malaria attack are more labour productive. Conclusions Therefore, this study recommends that Ministry of Health and Ministry of Food and Agriculture should collaborate and integrate health extension service on malaria in agricultural extension to educate farmers on the need to avert malaria. Farmers should be educated on malaria preventive strategies such as clearing of bushes around houses, draining of stagnant water, sleeping in treated mosquito nets among others.


Modern Web solutions resemble desktop applications, enabling sophisticated user interactions, client-side processing, asynchronous communications, and multimedia. A pure HTTP/HTML architecture fails to support these required capabilities in several respects. The "network as platform computing" idea, strengthened by Web 2.0's emergence, has accentuated HTML/HTTP's limits. This is the reason why many developers are switching to novel technologies, known under the collective name of rich Internet applications (RIAs). RIAs combine the Web's lightweight distribution architecture with desktop applications' interface interactivity and computation power, and the resulting combination improves all the elements of a Web application (data, business logic, communication, and presentation). This special issue briefly introduces the main characteristics and benefits of RIAs and highlights the research challenges in their development. The issue features two articles that address some of these open problems. One focuses on language and architecture issues, whereas the other deals with the methodological principles at the base of a model-driven approach to RIA development. Despite these efforts, the research community must continue investigating to propose novel methods and tools to make their development more systematic and efficient.


Background Integrative medicine is a form of medicine that combines practices and treatments from alternative medicine with conventional medicine. The diagnosis in integrative medicine involves the clinical diagnosis based on modern medicine and syndrome pattern diagnosis. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are the systematized collection of patients health information stored in a digital format that can be shared across different health care settings. Although syndrome and sign information or relative information can be extracted from the EMR and content texts can be mapped to computability vectors using natural language processing techniques, application of artificial intelligence techniques to support physicians in medical practices remains a major challenge. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate model-based reasoning (MBR) algorithms for the clinical diagnosis in integrative medicine based on EMRs and natural language processing. We also estimated the associations among the factors of sample size, number of syndrome pattern type, and diagnosis in modern medicine using the MBR algorithms. Methods A total of 14,075 medical records of clinical cases were extracted from the EMRs as the development data set, and an external test data set consisting of 1000 medical records of clinical cases was extracted from independent EMRs. MBR methods based on word embedding, machine learning, and deep learning algorithms were developed for the automatic diagnosis of syndrome pattern in integrative medicine. MBR algorithms combining rule-based reasoning (RBR) were also developed. A standard evaluation metrics consisting of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score was used for the performance estimation of the methods. The association analyses were conducted on the sample size, number of syndrome pattern type, and diagnosis of lung diseases with the best algorithms. Results The Word2Vec convolutional neural network (CNN) MBR algorithms showed high performance (accuracy of 0.9586 in the test data set) in the syndrome pattern diagnosis of lung diseases. The Word2Vec CNN MBR combined with RBR also showed high performance (accuracy of 0.9229 in the test data set). The diagnosis of lung diseases could enhance the performance of the Word2Vec CNN MBR algorithms. Each group sample size and syndrome pattern type affected the performance of these algorithms. Conclusions The MBR methods based on Word2Vec and CNN showed high performance in the syndrome pattern diagnosis of lung diseases in integrative medicine. The parameters of each group's sample size, syndrome pattern type, and diagnosis of lung diseases were associated with the performance of the methods. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03274908; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03274908


In this research, the relationship between globalisation and poverty and income inequality is determined. A whole new globalisation index has been constructed based on data covering a large sample of 65 developing countries. The index is based on the globalisation index proposed by A.T. Kearney / Foreign Policy Magazine. The index is composed of four sub-indices, namely: economic integration, personal contacts, technological connections and political engagement. Results from cross-sectional regression analysis show that there is a significant relationship between globalisation and poverty and income inequality. Globalisation leads to poverty reduction and it reduces income inequality. The relationship between globalisation and poverty remains significant when controlled for regional heterogeneity. A non-linear analysis shows that poverty has diminishing returns to benefits from globalisation.


Modern-day microprocessors consist of over one billion integrated circuits on silicon chips as small as a human fingernail. Normal operation of this circuitry produces an enormous amount of heat on a very small footprint. Dissipating this heat is a very challenging task, perhaps the largest roadblock to continued increases in computing technology. Microchannel heat sinks utilizing either single-phase flow or phase-change are an effective means of cooling stacked 3-D microelectronics. A roadblock to practical implementation of microchannels is the presence of flow instabilities. The asymmetric saw-toothed microchannel heat sink is proposed to address this issue. Deep reactive-ion etching is used to produce channels comprised of asymmetric sawtoothed structures that alter the local flow structure within the microchannel. All experiments are conducted using the dielectric fluid, FC-72. Each microchannel array has a footprint of 1 cm × 1 cm, comprised of thirty-four channels etched into a silicon wafer. A series of thin film serpentine copper heaters is fabricated on the other side of the silicon wafer to provide a uniform heat flux boundary condition. Experimental information is presented for a range of mass fluxes from 381 to 1777 kg/m2s, and inlet subcooling from 5°C to 20°C. Parameters presented and analyzed includes boiling curves, onset of boiling (ONB), averaged two-phase heat transfer coefficient.Copyright © 2016 by ASME


Most hospital wards in the United Kingdom have a special tea set called the "bereavement china" or "bad news china." It is strictly reserved for patients and families who have lost a loved one or received a devastating diagnosis. The physician breaks the bad news, the patients and relatives cry, then someone is assigned to make tea, with the murmured aside: "use the special tea set." The logic behind this does not stand up to scrutiny; after hearing the worst news of your life, is your subsequent heartache alleviated one whit by the serving of tea in a nicely patterned china cup and slightly fancy teapot? Probably not, but it is something we do. It makes us feel better.

Breaking bad news is actually a 2-way process. The doctor is always affected somewhat by the encounter, although often in subtle and hidden ways. The "breaker" must enter a shared emotional space with the "breakee," which can feel discomforting and exhausting. Even the thickest-skinned physician often feels an unpleasant flicker of anguish as they watch someone's life fall apart. The heterogenous group of physical reactions is varied and difficult to prepare for. Some patients explode outward, sobbing and keening; some seem to physically diminish in front of you, collapsing in on themselves and becoming suddenly small and frail. Some move textbook-like through the Kubler-Ross model of grief; others merely become dazed and monosyllabic, their unseeing eyes focused on something horrible in the future. Most of us will have faced an actor in our medical school examinations, our clumsy attempts at delivering a cancer or HIV diagnosis prompting a prolonged and rehearsed emotional reaction, while we squirmed with the awkwardness of it all. Perhaps, we should be awarding the top marks to the student who decides to boil the kettle and hunts down some teabags.

These precarious psychosocial situations are part of what I call "edge-work"; the physician is working right on the edge between life and death, and it forms the very soul and center of our profession. Geriatricians, palliative care workers, oncologists, and many others are familiar with edge-work in their daily work, whereas other specialists, such as those working with acute medical admissions (like myself) undertake edge-work on a less frequent basis. One might suppose that our colleagues, the obstetricians, are edge-workers too, working at the very limits of life: albeit from the other end. It is on the edge, however, when our patients need us the most.

We have a responsibility to our patients even after they expire; dealing sensitively with the patient's relatives is part of that responsibility. I try to inculcate this in my medical students, although the average student's interest in a patient understandably dwindles rapidly after the patient dies. Sometimes, I ask them to assist the nurse in preparing the body to be transferred to the morgue, with the half-serious words: "The laying out of the dead is an ancient and sacred duty in nearly every culture in the history of mankind and is often the responsibility of the wise woman of the tribe," to much eye rolling from the students (and nurse). The intent behind these words, however, is to encourage them to see that even after death, the patient is not gone: They have a small physical presence and a massive nonphysical presence in the memories and relationships with the ones they leave behind, who now need our help.

I work in the emergency department, and my colleagues sometimes ask me why I always volunteer to be the one to "break it to the family." My answer is because it is important that it be done well. It sounds paradoxical, but there are good ways and bad ways to hear terrible information, and if you have ever witnessed it done badly—aloof, underexplanatory, overexplanatory—you feel an unwavering desire to ensure you never see it again. I volunteer for the unpleasant task because I know I can do right. I don't think my method is very different from most other physicians: a small warning shot ("As you know, your father was desperately unwell when he arrived in hospital"); the nasty truth delivered simply and sympathetically ("Despite our efforts, he passed away; I am very sorry"); and a small physical gesture—my hand briefly on theirs, or a brush of their elbow. The ensuing conversations are often tricky to navigate; the patient may want answers but not be able to process the information. The family may ask things the physician simply does not know.

So, I don't mind being responsible for searching out the bereavement china and serving the hot tea. The ward kitchen provides a small quiet sanctuary, and the few minutes waiting for the water to boil and tea to brew affords me the chance to take a few deep breaths, reorganize my thoughts, and deal with my own feelings and reactions. When you break bad news to people, you take something precious from them: their loved one, their future, their hope. The grieving heart is not a rational one, and they may unconsciously resent you for taking away their comfort and their happiness. You may be a sudden stimulus for all the anger and pain stored up quietly inside them hitherto. You may become the villain of the piece through no fault of your own. You must be prepared for all this and accept it without indignation or quarrel. This is a seemingly impossible task, but in a world where we can resuscitate the dead with external defibrillation and perform life-saving organ transplantation, physicians are quite used to the impossible; we see it all the time.

It is certainly a bleak business, but an immensely important one. People deserve to have their hearts broken and worlds turned upside down in a calm, sensitive, and professional manner. Edge-work doesn't look very dramatic or exciting; we are not wielding scalpels, administering medication, or pumping someone's chest. Edge-work, however, may be some of the most life-changing work we do; we will be burned into our listeners' memory for rest of their lives.


ANTARES is currently the largest operating neutrino telescope in the Northern Hemisphere, mainly sensitive to TeV neutrinos. Its main goal is the detection of high energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources, which would provide important insights about the processes powering their engines and would help understand the origin of high energy cosmic rays.
To identify unambiguously such sources, ANTARES has developped several online and offline programs to reveal possible time and/or space correlations of neutrino candidates with other cosmic messengers : photons (mainly X-rays and GeV/TeV gamma-rays through the search from Gamma-ray bursts or GeV-flaring blazars, but also in the optical domain through alert and follow-up programs), cosmic rays and gravitational wave bursts detected by the Virgo/LIGO interferometers. Some of the most relevant results of these multi-messenger analyses will be presented in this contribution.


Thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) declines with aging, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we show that the expression of Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1), a critical DNA/RNA binding protein, decreased in the BAT of aged mice due to the reduction of microbial metabolite butyrate. Genetic ablation of YB-1 in the BAT accelerated diet-induced obesity and BAT thermogenic dysfunction. In contrast, overexpression of YB-1 in the BAT of aged mice was sufficient to promote BAT thermogenesis, thus alleviating diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Interestingly, YB-1 had no direct effect on adipose UCP1 expression. Instead, YB-1 promoted axon guidance of BAT via regulating the expression of Slit2, thus potentiating sympathetic innervation and thermogenesis. Moreover, we have identified that a natural compound Sciadopitysin, which promotes YB-1 protein stability and nuclear translocation, alleviated BAT aging and metabolic disorders. Together, we reveal a novel fat-sympathetic nerve unit in regulating BAT senescence and provide a promising strategy against age-related metabolic disorders.


Electrosurgery has been used in dentistry for several decades, but the technique is not widely practiced. This article briefly explains the principles of electrosurgery and attempts to clear up some misunderstandings about the healing of electrosurgical wounds. Clinical application of electrosurgery for the management of some common oral conditions is also described.


ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: There are growing concerns regarding inequities in health, with poverty being an important determinant of health, as well as a product of health status. Within the People's Republic of China (P.R. China), disparities in socio-economic position are apparent, with the rural-urban gap of particular concern. Our aim was to compare direct and proxy methods of estimating household wealth in a rural and a peri-urban setting of Hunan province, P.R. China. METHODS: We collected data on ownership of household durable assets, housing characteristics and utility and sanitation variables in two village-wide surveys in Hunan province. We employed principal components analysis (PCA) and principal axis factoring (PAF) to generate household asset-based proxy wealth indices. Households were grouped into quartiles, from 'most wealthy' to 'most poor'. We compared the estimated household wealth for each approach. Asset-based proxy wealth indices were compared to those based on self-reported average annual income and savings at the household level. RESULTS: Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed that PCA and PAF yielded similar results, indicating that either approach may be used for estimating household wealth. Both indices were significantly associated with self-reported average annual income and combined income and savings, but not with savings alone, in both settings investigated. However, low correlation coefficients between the proxy and direct measures of wealth indicated that they are not complementary. We found wide disparities in ownership of household durable assets, and utility and sanitation variables, within and between settings. CONCLUSION: PCA and PAF yielded almost identical results and generated robust proxy wealth indices and categories. Pooled data from the rural and peri-urban settings highlighted structural differences in wealth, most likely a result of localised urbanization and modernization. Further research is needed to improve RESULTS: Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed that PCA and PAF yielded similar results, indicating that either approach may be used for estimating household wealth. Both indices were significantly associated with self-reported average annual income and combined income and savings, but not with savings alone, in both settings investigated. However, low correlation coefficients between the proxy and direct measures of wealth indicated that they are not complementary. We found wide disparities in ownership of household durable assets, and utility and sanitation variables, within and between settings. CONCLUSION: PCA and PAF yielded almost identical results and generated robust proxy wealth indices and categories. Pooled data from the rural and peri-urban settings highlighted structural differences in wealth, most likely a result of localised urbanization and modernization. Further research is needed to improve measurements of wealth in low-income and transitional country contexts


Objective. We performed a systematic review of the literature to describe current knowledge of cardiovascular (CV) risk prediction algorithms in rheumatic diseases. Methods. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central databases was performed. The search was restricted to original publications in English, had to include clinical CV events as study outcomes, assess the predictive properties of at least 1 CV risk prediction algorithm, and include patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or psoriasis. By design, only cohort studies that followed participants for CV events were selected. Results. Eleven of 146 identified manuscripts were included. Studies evaluated the predictive performance of the Framingham Risk Score, QRISK2, Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), Reynolds Risk Score, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE), Expanded Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Score for Rheumatoid Arthritis (ERS-RA), and the Italian Progetto CUORE score. Approaches to improve predictive performance of general risk algorithms in patients with RA included the use of multipliers, biomarkers, disease-specific variables, or a combination of these to modify or develop an algorithm. In both SLE and PsA patients, multipliers were applied to general risk algorithms. In studies of RA and SLE patients, efforts to include nontraditional risk factors, disease-related variables, multipliers, and biomarkers largely failed to substantially improve risk estimates. Conclusion. Our study confirmed that general risk algorithms mostly underestimate and at times overestimate CV risk in rheumatic patients. We did not find studies that evaluated models for psoriasis or AS, which further demonstrates a need for research in these populations.


Due to the raising complexity in distributed embedded systems, a single designer will not be able to plan and organize the communication for such systems. Therefore, it will get more and more important to relieve the designer in that task. Our idea is a communication system that is capable to organize itself to satisfy predefined properties. In this paper, we want to solve the problem of establishing fair bandwidth sharing on priority-based buses by using simple local rules on the distributed system to avoid a single point of failure and cope with online system changes. Based on a game theoretical analysis, a multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed that establishes fair bandwidth distribution. The main idea is to penalize nodes that claim too much bandwidth by the other nodes. We experimentally evaluated the algorithm with different parameter settings. The algorithm showed to converge to a fair solution in any experiment. This means the system is able to completely self-organize without global information for our assumptions. In addition, we could figure out that we can configure a trade-off between convergence speed and computation effort. We hope this is a small first step towards totally self-organizing real-time systems.


BACKGROUND
Antioxidants are multifaceted molecules playing a crucial role in several cellular functions. There is by now a well-established knowledge about their involvement in numerous processes associated with aging, including vascular damage, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. An emerging area of application has been lately identified for these compounds in relation to the recent findings indicating their ability to affect biofilm formation by some microbial pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

METHODS
A structured search of bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed research literature was performed using a focused review question. The quality of retrieved papers was appraised using standard tools.

RESULTS
One hundred sixty five papers extracted from pubmed database and published in the last fifteen years were included in this review focused on the assessment of the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of antioxidant compounds, including vitamins, flavonoids, non-flavonoid polyphenols, and antioxidant polymers. Mechanisms of action of some important antioxidant compounds, especially for vitamin C and phenolic acids, were identified.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this review confirm the potential benefits of the use of natural antioxidants as antimicrobial/antibiofilm compounds. Generally, gram-positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive to antioxidants than gram-negatives. Antioxidant polymeric systems have been also developed mainly derived from functionalization of polysaccharides with antioxidant molecules. The application of such systems in clinics may permit to overcome some issues related to the systemic delivery of antioxidants, such as poor absorption, loss of bioactivity, and limited half-life. However, investigations focused on the study of antibiofilm activity of antioxidant polymers are still very limited in number and therefore they are strongly encouraged in order to lay the foundations for application of antioxidant polymers in treatment of biofilm-based infections.


Activating point mutations of the BRAF gene have been recently described in a variety of human tumors. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, we reported a novel mechanism of activation of this gene via paracentric inversion of chromosome 7q. The fusion protein, AKAP9-BRAF, contains the intact kinase domain and lacks the autoinhibitory N-terminal portion of BRAF. It exhibited constitutive activation of BRAF kinase and was transforming for NIH3T3 cells. This finding represents the first demonstration of RAF activation by chromosomal rearrangement in human tumors. AKAP9-BRAF was more common in radiation-induced thyroid tumors, whereas point mutations of BRAF predominated in sporadic tumors of the same type, demonstrating the association between environmental factors and specific mechanisms of BRAF activation.


The present study aimed to investigate the role of connectivity disruptions in two fiber pathways, the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and the frontal aslant tract (FAT), in developmental dyslexia and determine the relationship between the connectivity of these pathways and behavioral performance in children with dyslexia. A total of 26 French children with dyslexia and 31 age-matched control children were included. Spherical deconvolution tractography was used to reconstruct the two fiber pathways. Hindrance-modulated oriented anisotropy (HMOA) was used to measure the connectivity of each fiber pathway in both hemispheres. The boys with dyslexia showed reduced HMOA in the UF compared to control boys, but this difference was not observed in girls. Furthermore, HMOA of the UF correlated with individual differences in the visual attention span in participants with dyslexia. All significant results found in HMOA of the UF were verified in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the UF using standard diffusion imaging model. This study suggests a differential sex effect on the connectivity disruption in the UF in developmental dyslexia. It also indicates that the UF may play an essential role in the visual attention span deficit in developmental dyslexia. Significance Statement This study presents the first account of connectivity disruption in the uncinate fasciculus in developmental dyslexia. In particular, this connectivity disruption only appears in boys with dyslexia but not in girls with dyslexia. We also show that the connectivity of the uncinate fasciculus accounts for individual differences in the visual attention span in children with dyslexia, expanding the current understanding of the function of the uncinate fasciculus.


ZrO2 buffer layer and SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) thin films were deposited on the P-type Si(111) substrates by the R.F. magnetron-sputtering method. We studied the effect of the post-annealing of the ZrO2 buffer layer on the MFIS structure. We could conclude that the elements of Zr, Sr, Bi, and Ta etc. were diffused by the post-annealing, and according to the process with and without the post-annealing of the ZrO2 layer, the diffusion amount of Sr, Bi, Ta elements shows slight difference through the glow discharge spectrometer (GDS) analysis. From the results of the XPS analysis, we can confirm that a small amount of SiO2 and metallic Zr exist at the interface, and ZrO2 exists as the amorphous state with the weak binding energy before the post-annealing process. Contrarily, after the post-annealing of the ZrO2/Si structure, SiO2 and metallic Zr are observed at the wide range, but the bonding state of ZrO2 is strengthened.


This paper uses novel measures of individual differences that produce new insights about student inputs into the (higher) education production function. The inputs examined are lecture attendance and additional study-hours. The data were collected through a web-survey that the authors designed. The analysis includes novel measures of individual differences including willingness to take risks, consideration of future consequences and non-cognitive ability traits. Besides age, gender and year of study, the main determinants of lecture attendance and additional study-hours are attitude to risk, future-orientation and conscientiousness. In addition, future-orientation, and in particular conscientiousness, determine lecture attendance to a greater extent than they determine additional study. Finally, we show that family income and financial transfers (from both parents and the state) do not determine any educational input. This study suggests that non-cognitive abilities may be more important than financial constraints in the determination of inputs related to educational production functions.


Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness is a key component of globally accepted safe motherhood programs that can reduce the number of women dying from the obstetrical complication.Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out to assess the knowledge and practice regarding birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) among antenatal mothers attending obstetric and gynecological Department of National Medical College and Teaching Hospital (NMCTH), Birgunj, Parsa, Nepal. Total 60 antenatal mothers were selected using non probability purposive sampling technique. The obtained data was analyzed by descriptive analysis- frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics by using Karl Pearson's coefficient correlation and Chi-square.Results: The findings of the study revealed that 63.33% of antenatal mothers were in the age group 20-24 years, 53.33% were hindu by religion, 85% from rural area, less than half 43.33% were illiterate, most of them 91.66% were housewife, majority of their husbands occupation was service 71.67%, about 36.67% of them had been one time pregnant and majority of antenatal mothers 66.67% had received information regarding BPACR from health personnel. The study identified only 50% of the antenatal mothers had moderate knowledge and 83.33% had poor practice of preparation for birth and its complication.Conclusions: Thus the study concluded that antenatal mothers had inadequate knowledge and poor practices and these are not associated with any socio-demography components except knowledge is found associated with occupation. Med Phoenix. Vol. 3, Issue. 1, 2018, Page: 16-20


BACKGROUND
Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation in the CpG islands of genes occur at a high rate. In this study, we measured the methylation level of the promoter region of the FOXF1 gene as a new blood biomarker for the detection of colorectal cancer in the early stages.

METHODS
The methylation level of the promoter region of the FOXF1 gene was measured in the plasma samples of 50 colorectal cancer patients and 50 normal individuals. DNA was extracted after exposure to sodium bisulfite by the MethyLight polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The percentage of promoter region was measured in all samples, and statistical analysis was done using SPSS v24 software.

RESULTS
The average promoter region between the plasma samples of colorectal cancer patients and healthy individuals had a significant difference (P < 0.001). The average promoter region of the FOXF1 gene in tumor plasma samples was 7.1 and in the control samples was 0.48. The sensitivity and specificity of the sample plasma levels were 78% and 89.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSION
The promoter region value of the FOXF1 gene in plasma samples using the MethyLight PCR method had high sensitivity and specificity as a non-invasive method for colorectal cancer diagnosis. This research is the first report that has been presented regarding the investigation of FOXF1 gene methylation in plasma samples in colorectal cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more studies with larger size samples to evaluate the efficiency of the gene under investigation.


The creation of ion transport barriers by externally induced sheared E × B flows is investigated with the global, full-f and flux-driven gyrokinetic code GYSELA. A gyrokinetic source of vorticity is designed and proves to be efficient in polarizing the plasma. Induced sheared electric fields develop in the turbulent core and are accompanied by the creation of a transport barrier. The barrier and the sheared flow relax quasi-periodically because of zonal flow activity and a destabilizing temperature anisotropy induced by the vorticity source. A new cyclic mechanism leading to the relaxation of transport barriers in tokamaks is discovered.


Thirty symptomatic patients with retained gastric antrum proved pathologically and/or by isotopic visualization were studied and treated from 1968 to 1983. The latent periods from the antral exclusion to the occurrence of anastomotic ulcers after a subtotal gastrectomy with Billroth's type II reconstruction varied from a few days to 19 years, with an average of 2.8 years. Fasting serum gastrin levels were normal in 14 of 21 patients and were intermittently high in some patients. The basal to maximal acid-output ratio was greater than 0.6 in 69% of the patients; primary cimetidine treatment was effective in three of five patients. Thirty-five operations on 27 patients were divided into six groups; all of these 27 patients eventually underwent resection of retained gastric antrum. We concluded that resection remains the best treatment for anastomotic ulcer related to retained gastric antrum. Additional truncal vagotomy did not provide additional benefit to these patients. Furthermore, cimetidine can be useful to control the symptoms for preoperative preparation or definitive treatment in high-risk patients.


Mesoporous Ti–SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared
under alkaline conditions in the presence of a surfactant and were subsequently
converted into a hierarchical micro-/macroporous TS-1 zeolite with large
crystal size using steam assisted crystallization. In this procedure, the
precursor nanoparticles were used both as macroporous hard template and as Si
and Ti sources. The secondary macroporosity is a reminiscence of the
nanoparticles which undergo dissolution and recrystallization upon steaming. The
obtained catalyst has structural properties comparable to benchmark TS-1. We
show that the successful conversion of the amorphous material into a fully
crystalline catalyst stands for its excellent catalytic performance in aqueous
media. Besides, the combination of large crystal size with a hierarchical pore
structure ensures easy catalyst handling and processing without compromising on
the catalytic activity.


There is increasing empirical evidence that creative destruction, driven by experimentation and the adoption of new products and processes when investment is sunk, is a core mechanism of development. Obstacles to this process are likely to be obstacles to the progress in standards of living. Generically, underdeveloped and politicized institutions are a major impediment to a well-functioning creative destruction process, and result in sluggish creation, technological sclerosis,' and spurious reallocation. Those ills reflect the macroeconomic consequences of contracting failures in the presence of sunk investments. Recurrent crises are another major obstacle to creative destruction. The common inference that increased liquidations during crises result in increased restructuring is unwarranted. Indications are, to the contrary, that crises freeze the restructuring process and that this is associated with the tight financial-market conditions that follow. This productivity cost of recessions adds to the traditional costs of resource under-utilization.


The aim of this paper is to survey some known results about mapping class group quotients by powers of Dehn twists, related to their finite dimensional representations and to state some open questions. One can construct finite quotients of them, out of representations with Zariski dense images into semisimple Lie groups. We show that, in genus 2, the Fibonacci TQFT representation is actually a specialization of the Jones representation. Eventually, we explain a method of Long and Moody which provides large families of mapping class group representations.


Shetland is a place of wild, unforgiving landscapes, supernatural beliefs and a soundscape barely altered over time. The film explores storytelling and social imagination in Shetland. The folklore tale, Da Hillsook Wedeen, has a timeless quality: unfolding from historical trauma forward through generations of women's voices. What does it mean to be a woman left on the shore?


Health (NSDUH) and the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program provide information on alcohol and drug use by individuals who have recently been arrested. The studies differ in their target populations (civilian, noninstitutionalized individuals vs. arrestees in 39 sites recently booked into jails) and data collection methods. This study uses 2003 ADAM and 2002–2008 NSDUH data for adult males living in the 39 ADAM sites who reported a past year arrest and 2002–2008 Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data to examine how well NSDUH covers the arrestee population and to compare estimates of drug and alcohol use and substance abuse or dependence. In general, ADAM estimates of rates of self-reported drug use were higher. The magnitude of these differences cannot be accounted for by undercoverage in NSDUH. Other possible reasons for these differences and their implications for interpreting NSDUH and ADAM data are discussed. Arrestee Substance Use: Comparison of Estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program


We used the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM, version 4.0) to estimate net primary production (NPP) in China for contemporary climate and NPP responses to elevated CO2 and climate changes projected by three atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs): Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), Geophysical Fluid Dynamic Laboratory (GFDL) and Oregon State University (OSU). For contemporary climate at 312.5 ppmv CO2, TEM estimates that China has an annual NPP of 3,653 TgC yr (10 gC yr). Temperate broadleaf evergreen forest is the most productive biome and accounts for the largest portion of annual NPP in China. The spatial pattern of NPP is closely correlated to the spatial distributions of precipitation and temperature. Annual NPP of China is sensitive to changes in CO2 and climate. At the continental scale, annual NPP of China increases by 6.0% (219 TgC yr) for elevated CO2 only (519 ppmv CO2). For climate change with no change in CO2, the response of annual NPP ranges from a decrease of 1.5% (54.8 TgC yr) for the GISS climate to an increase of 8.4% (306.9 TgC yr) for the GFDL-q climate. For climate change at 519 ppmv CO2, annual NPP of China increases substantially, ranging from 18.7% (683 TgC yr) for the GISS climate to 23.3% (851 TgC yr) for the GFDL-q climate. Spatially, the responses of annual NPP to changes in climate and CO2 vary considerably within a GCM climate. Differences among the three GCM climates used in the study cause large differences in the geographical distribution of NPP responses to projected climate changes. The interaction between elevated CO2 and climate change plays an important role in the overall response of NPP to climate change at 519 ppmv CO2. Submitted to: Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (published in China) Author responsible for correspondence: Dr. Xiangming Xiao, The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, Tel: (508)289-7498, Fax: (508)457-1548, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


Portals and Portlets are emerging technologies and gaining lot of popularity. Portals are gaining attention among programmers due to their ease in development, richness in functionality, customization of interface and pluggable architecture. With this popularity today there are many open source Portal Frameworks available and list of these open source frameworks is all the time increasing. It is important to evaluate all these Portal Frameworks in an effective manner, based on core functionality i.e. their compliance with JSR 168 Portal API and optional features available to the programmers i.e. IDE plug-ins, utility packages, monitoring tools etc. We have selected a small number of Portal Frameworks based on their popularity and our experience of using them to evaluate their core and optional functionalities. This paper will outline our findings and current trends in the feature rich Portal Frameworks. Paper will explain our criteria for rating different Platforms and then will discuss each selected Platform. In the last section we have Inter-Platform WSRP compliance test results.


ABSTRACT Microwave radar amplitude within a snowpack can be strongly influenced by spatial variability of internal layer boundaries. We quantify the impact of spatial averaging of snow stratigraphy and physical snowpack properties on surface scattering from near-nadir frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar at 12–18 GHz. Relative permittivity, density, grain size and stratigraphic boundaries were measured in-situ at high resolution along the length of a 9 m snow trench. An optimal range of horizontal averaging (4–6 m) was identified to attribute variations in surface scattering at layer boundaries to dielectric contrasts estimated from centimetre-scale measurements of snowpack stratigraphy and bulk layer properties. Single vertical profiles of snowpack properties seldom captured the complex local variability influencing near-nadir radar surface scattering. We discuss implications of scaling in-situ measurements for snow radiative transfer modelling and evaluation of airborne microwave remote sensing of snow.


This article is excerpted from Marta Nelson, Perry Deess, and Charlotte Allen9s longer article of the same name published by the Vera Institute of Justice in 1999. The report is an account, issue by issue, of what the authors learned from participants about life in the first thirty days after getting out of prison or jail. Those first days and weeks appear to be critical, with arrest rates for released prisoners highest soon after release and declining over time. The study showed that the first month is not only a period of difficulties but also a period of opportunities to get people started on the path to employment, abstinence from drugs, good family relations, and crime-free living.


The paper will present a review of different solutions for transparent conducting electrodes on flexible substrates. The analysis of the present situation reveals a gap for low sheet resistance electrodes. Two new approaches to the problem will be presented. The first one is a novel technology for the deposition of zinc oxide on polyethylene terephtalate film. The intention for this process is the establishment of a low cost coating in a roll-to-roll machine. Silicon was used as the dopant material with a concentration varying in different samples between 1 and 4 %. The optimum parameters provided a transparent layer with a sheet resistance of 16 Ωsqu. Metal grids are a second promising approach for achieving low sheet resistance electrodes. The combination of these grids with transparent conducting oxides (TCO) will be presented. The TCO were deposited under vacuum in a roll-to-roll coating machine. The grids were applied by aerosol jet printing and subsequent tempering of the film.


After breast cancer, long term follow up is provided with a view to early detection of locoregional relapse, detection and amelioration of side effects of therapy and provision of psychosocial support to those requiring it. There is pressure within the United Kingdom from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to reduce the amount of follow up provided after breast cancer. There is reluctance on the part of clinicians to adopt the NICE guidelines as they are perceived to be based on limited evidence. At the same time, guidelines in other countries continue to advocate long term follow up, sometimes for life.

The evidence base for follow up is explored in the first section of this thesis. In chapter one, a systematic review of the literature is undertaken to establish what evidence exists from randomised controlled trials. The randomised controlled trial is the gold standard for comparing one intervention with another, and any evidence for the benefit of routine clinic visits from randomised trials would be of particular value. Trials which have compared differing frequencies of traditional follow up visits or have compared traditional clinic visits with a novel alternative are included. The impact of these different strategies on relapse detection, survival and quality of life is investigated.

In chapters 2 and 3, the pattern and timing of potentially treatable locoregional relapse and the contribution of regular clinical examination to detection of such relapse is explored. This information would help to establish the value of routine clinics in terms of detecting relapse, and whether there was a time after diagnosis and treatment that risk of relapse was low enough to allow safe discharge. In chapter 2, retrospective analyses of two local cohorts is undertaken to explore this issue. A systematic review of the literature is presented in chapter 3 incorporating both the data presented in chapter 2 as well as any other evidence available from previously published retrospective analyses.

In section 2 of this thesis, the options for alternative follow up are explored. Very little work has been done to establish what women expect from follow up, either in terms of the amount of follow up they expect to receive or their perceptions of the purpose of follow up. In chapter 4, the results of a survey of a cohort of women undertaken prior to attending for their first review visit after completion of therapy is presented.

In the final chapter of this thesis, a prospective cohort study into the acceptability and feasibility of an alternative method of follow up is presented. In this study, an automated computer telephone system was used to deliver a well validated quality of life questionnaire to women in their own homes with the aim of remotely identifying women who were having significant problems with either psychosocial concerns or side effects of treatment and therefore identify those with ongoing problems who required to come back to clinic. In this way, those patients with no ongoing problems would be spared a potentially stressful clinic visit and the number of patients coming back to clinic would be reduced, allowing more time to attend to the needs of the few women brought back with concerns.

Summary of Results
The analysis in chapter 1 reveals that there are only 5 randomised trials of alternative follow methods, and only 2 trials differing frequencies of visits. None is of sufficient size to establish whether routine clinic visits are necessary for relapse detection or overall survival. All suggest that clinic visits have limited impact on quality of life, and may even be less valuable that some alternative methods of follow up for diagnosing anxiety and depression in these women.

Potentially treatable relapse occurs at a constant rate to ten years and beyond. Very few relapses are diagnosed by routine clinical examination, the majority being diagnosed by mammography or symptoms. Mammography is of increasing importance. Patients with clinically detected relapse do no better than those relapses detected in other ways, and there is some evidence that, for some types of relapse, they may do worse.

Chapter 4 reveals that most women expect some follow up, but their expectations are that follow up will be more frequent but for a shorter duration than is currently provided in our unit. When informed of the inefficiency of routine follow up in terms of relapse detection, most women still choose to come back to routine follow up, but a large number state that they would be happy not to come back to clinic.

An alternative method of follow up is shown to be acceptable to a large proportion of women, and valuable in detecting psychological concerns among women after treatment for breast cancer.

The implications of all the findings presented in this thesis for the planning of follow up care in the future are discussed.


In traditional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) system, Private Key could be stored in central database or store distributed in smart-card and delivered to the users. The Private Key is usually protected by passwords that are easily guessed or stolen and thus lead to the collapse of the whole system. Current trend for PKI system is based on physiological and behavioral characteristics of persons, known as biometrics. This approach can increase the security of Private Key because in theory, the biometric features could not be guessed or forged. However, this approach still reveals a gap that is the vulnerability of storage device of Private Key and biometrics data. Malefactors can attack directly to these storage devices and steal user identification information. In this paper, we propose a solution that uses Biometric Encryption Key (BEK) to encrypt Private Key and protect Private Key in a secure way for both of two these kind of information. We also present the BEK generation algorithm and the BioPKI system to support this solution and then we illustrate the experimental results.


Industrial design graduates can be true 'agents of change' in manufacturing industry and
nowhere is this potential more valuable than in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
where flexibility and speed of response are essential and which make up 94% of the UK economy.
However, little research exists which examines the people - the initiators of change - in the light
of emerging needs of SMEs in the UK. There is a huge potential amongst the SME sector to
capitalise on industrial design graduates but for a number of reasons their skills and values
are not fully exploited. With a growing higher education (HE) sector in design and related
studies and a growing industrial base of SMEs there is an important need for research which
would (i) help industrial design graduates secure employment in this significant element of
the UK economy; (ii) assist HE with curricula development relevant to the needs of SMEs and
(iii) help SMEs to harness the skills of industrial design graduates.
This nine month project, which began in January 1999, seeks to address these points via a
study of industrial design graduates employed by SMEs. 12 SMEs have been identified and
each has employed, for a minimum of two years, a graduate from the Industrial Design and
Technology BA/BSc programme offered by the Department of Design and Technology at
Loughborough University. Particularly important to the research is the existence, manifestation
and exploitation of 'competences'.


Abstract Globally, areas categorically known to be free of human visitation are rare, but still exist in Antarctica. Such areas may be among the most pristine locations remaining on Earth and, therefore, be valuable as baselines for future comparisons with localities impacted by human activities, and as sites preserved for scientific research using increasingly sophisticated future technologies. Nevertheless, unvisited areas are becoming increasingly rare as the human footprint expands in Antarctica. Therefore, an understanding of historical and contemporary levels of visitation at locations across Antarctica is essential to a) estimate likely cumulative environmental impact, b) identify regions that may have been impacted by non-native species introductions, and c) inform the future designation of protected areas under the Antarctic Treaty System. Currently, records of Antarctic tourist visits exist, but little detailed information is readily available on the spatial and temporal distribution of national governmental programme activities in Antarctica. Here we describe methods to fulfil this need. Using information within field reports and archive and science databases pertaining to the activities of the United Kingdom as an illustration, we describe the history and trends in its operational footprint in the Antarctic Peninsula since c. 1944. Based on this illustration, we suggest that these methodologies could be applied productively more generally.


Petrology and geochemistry of the basement metamorphic rocks from the Qinling Group in the Luonan, Ningshan and Changan County from Shanxi Province and Xichuan County from Henan Province of the Eastern Qinling Orogen indicate that the samples are mainly composed of metavolcanic rocks and metasedimentary rocks. LA ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating results suggest that three orthometamorphites were all formed in early Neoproterozoic (971~843Ma) and metasedimentary rock contains a number of Neoproterozoic detrital zircons. The depositional time of the sedimentary rock should be middle-late Neoproterozoic on the basis of the youngest age (859Ma) of concordant detrital zircons and early Paleozoic metamorphic age. Therefore, the Qinling Group probably is a complex consisting mainly of early Neoproterozoic igneous rocks and middle-late sedimentary rocks. The metamorphism of the Qinling Group occurred mainly in Caledonian period and locally in Yanshanian period, suggesting that the major orogeny in the northern Qinling area took place in early Paleozoic time. Geochemical characteristics also indicate that Neoproterozoic volcanic rocks in the Qinling Group formed in a volcanic arc tectonic setting and the sedimentary rock deposited on continental arc to active continental margin environment, suggesting the Qinling orogenic belt was a volcanic arc during early Neoproterozoic. The volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Qinling Group are very similar to those in the western Yangtze craton in the formation time and tectonic setting. Therefore, the Qinling Group distributing along southern margin of northern Qinling Orogen should belong to the Yangtze craton and it was an island arc in the northern margin of Yangtze craton.