The specific features of responses of the sympathoadrenal system during its activation by graded exercise (E), including that along with anaprilin induced blockade of beta-adrenoceptors, were determined from the urinary excretion of norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and dioxyphenylalanine in 54 healthy males and 22 patients with postinfarction cardiosclerosis concurrent with Functional Class I-II angina pectoris on effort. E caused hyperreactivity of the sympathoadrenal system, as appeared as significantly greater increases in the levels of catecholamines and their precursors in the patients than in the healthy persons. A single anaprilin dose of 40 mg abolished the responsiveness to exercise and improved its tolerance. The revealed features of sympathoadrenal responsiveness to exercise with and without anaprilin suggest that the patients with coronary heart disease have sympathoadrenal dysfunction, which shows one of the possible mechanisms responsible for the cardioprotective effect of beta-adrenoblockers in this disease.


Studies of computers and education have failed to account for the relevance and importance of tacit assumptions and unquestioned expectations that underlie educational technology practices. A major premise of this dissertation is that it is these taken-for-granted interpretations of technology that most significantly influence how technology is used in the sphere of education. It is thus analytically useful to examine technology use in education by investigating the assumptions on which currently pervasive educational technology practices are built. I employ the concept of "mental models" to study current educational technology practices. An examination of the literature revealed key elements of the prevailing mental model of technology in education, which I call the mental model of computers as information technology and multimedia machines. In this mental model, computer technology is viewed as a means to provide students and teachers with Internet connectivity and access to extensive, up-to-date information. The computer's multimedia authoring capacity can then be utilized to synthesize the wealth of information culled from Internet sources into presentations with integrated text, graphics, sound, and video. I investigated how this mental model organizes thinking about technology use and education within a large-scale initiative to implement one-to-one computing in public schools, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). The MLTI study highlights the pervasive influence and inherent inertia of an entrenched mental model. When users of technology draw upon a wellestablished and widely-shared mental model to drive their actions around technology, they will likely develop the tendency to view the particular mental model as the way technology is supposed to be used. Their technology experience and pattern of use, guided by the existing mental model, in turn reinforce the community's established mental model of technology use, institutionalizing a set of technology practices and routines. An entrenched mental model can have pervasive influence in limiting individual and collective capacities to pursue possibilities outside of the established approach, or to recognize the need for such pursuit. This was observed during the first years of the MLTI, and is happening on a larger scale in the education system as more and more computers become available in classrooms. Seymour Papert, Thesis Advisor Professor of Education and Media Technology MIT Media Laboratory EXAMINING PERVASIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS: A MENTAL MODELS APPROACH


Antenatal glucocorticoids, exogenous surfactant, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilation are commonly provided to preterm infants to enhance respiratory function after birth. It is unclear how these treatments interact to improve the transition to air-breathing at birth. We investigated the relative contribution of antenatal betamethasone, prophylactic surfactant, and PEEP (3 cmH2O) on functional residual capacity (FRC) and dynamic lung compliance (CDL) in preterm (28 day GA) rabbit kittens at birth. Kittens were delivered by cesarean section and mechanically ventilated. FRC was calculated from X-ray images, and CDL was measured using plethysmography. Without betamethasone, PEEP increased FRC recruitment and CDL Surfactant did not further increase FRC, but significantly increased CDL Betamethasone abolished the benefit of PEEP on FRC, but surfactant counteracted this effect of betamethasone. These findings indicate that low PEEP levels are insufficient to establish FRC at birth following betamethasone treatment. However, surfactant reversed the effect of betamethasone and when combined, these two treatments enhanced FRC recruitment irrespective of PEEP level.


IMPORTANCE
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are not recommended within 40 days of myocardial infarction (MI); thus, ICD implantation might not be considered during the post-MI care transition.

OBJECTIVE
To examine ICD implantation rates and associated mortality among older MI patients with low ejection fraction (EF).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Retrospective observational study of Medicare beneficiaries with an EF of 35% or less after MI, treated at 441 US hospitals between 2007 and 2010, excluding patients with prior ICD implantation. Follow-up data were available through December 2010.

EXPOSURES
ICD implantation within 1 year of MI vs no ICD implantation within 1 year of MI.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Patient characteristics associated with receiving an ICD within 1 year after discharge and 2-year mortality associated with ICD implantation.

RESULTS
Among 10,318 MI patients with EF of 35%or lower, the cumulative 1-year ICD implantation rate was 8.1% (95%CI, 7.6%-8.7%). Patients with ICD implantation were more likely to have prior coronary artery bypass graft procedures, higher peak troponin levels, in-hospital cardiogenic shock, and cardiology follow-up within 2 weeks after discharge relative to patients who did not receive an ICD within 1 year. Implantation of ICD was associated with lower 2-year mortality (15.3 events per 100 patient-years [128 deaths in 838 patient-years] vs 26.4 events per 100 patient-years [3033 deaths in 11 479 patient-years]; adjusted HR, 0.64; 95%CI, 0.53-0.78). [table: see text]

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this large registry study of older patients who experienced MI from 2007-2010, fewer than 1 in 10 eligible patients with low EF received an ICD within 1 year after MI, although ICD implantation was associated with lower risk-adjusted mortality at 2 years. Additional research is needed to determine evidence-based approaches to increase ICD implantation among eligible patients.


While the liver, specifically hepatocytes, are widely accepted as the main source for hepatitis C virus (HCV) production, the role of the liver/hepatocytes in the clearance of circulating HCV remains largely unknown. Here we evaluated the function of the liver/hepatocytes in clearing virus from the circulation by investigating viral clearance during liver transplantation and from culture medium in vitro. Frequent HCV kinetic data during liver transplantation were recorded from 5 individuals throughout the anhepatic (AH) phase and for 4 hours after reperfusion (RP), along with recordings of fluid balances. Using mathematical modeling, the serum viral clearance rate, c, was estimated. Analogously, we monitored the clearance rate of HCV at 37C from culture medium in vitro in the absence and presence of chronically infected Huh7 human hepatoma cells. During the AH phase, in 3 transplant cases viral levels remained at pre-AH levels, while in the other 2 cases HCV declined (half-life, t1/2~1h). Immediately post-RP, virus declined in a biphasic manner in Cases 1-4 consisting of an extremely rapid (median t1/2=5min) decline followed by a slower decline (HCV t1/2=67min). In Case 5, HCV remained at the same level post-RP as at the end of AH. Declines in virus level were not explained by adjusting for dilution from IV fluid and blood products. Consistent with what was observed in the majority of patients in the anhepatic phase, the t1/2 of HCV in cell culture was much longer in the absence of chronically HCV-infected Huh7 cells. Therefore, kinetic and modeling results from both in vivo liver transplantation cases and in vitro cell culture studies suggest that the liver plays a major role in clearing HCV from the circulation.


Spurious mountain-wave features have been reported as false alarms of light-or-stronger numerical weather prediction (NWP)-based cruise level turbulence forecasts especially over the western mountainous region of North America. To reduce this problem, a hybrid sigma–pressure vertical coordinate system was implemented in NOAA's operational Rapid Refresh model, version 4 (RAPv4), which has been running in parallel with the conventional terrain-following coordinate system of RAP version 3 (RAPv3). Direct comparison of vertical velocity |w| fields from the RAPv4 and RAPv3 models shows that the new RAPv4 model significantly reduces small-scale spurious vertical velocities induced by the conventional terrain-following coordinate system in the RAPv3. For aircraft-scale turbulence forecasts, |w| and |w|/Richardson number (|w|/Ri) derived from both the RAPv4 and RAPv3 models are converted into energy dissipation rate (EDR) estimates. Then, those EDR-scaled indices are evaluated using more than 1.2 million in situ EDR turbulence reports from commercial aircraft for 4 months (September–December 2017). Scores of the area under receiver operating characteristic curves for the |w|- and |w|/Ri-based EDR forecasts from the RAPv4 are 0.69 and 0.83, which is statistically significantly improved over the RAPv3 of 0.63 and 0.77, respectively. The new RAPv4 became operational on 12 July 2018 and provides better guidance for operational turbulence forecasting over North America.


The effect of several adamantane derivatives on the activity of virion-associated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of fowl plague virus (FPV) and influenza B virus was studied in vitro. Some of the derivatives inhibited the activity of the polymerase by 60 per cent. A correlation was established between the previously demonstrated capacity of these inhibitors to suppress orthomyxovirus reproduction in vivo and their ability to reduce the activity of virion-associated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in vitro.


Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II belongs to a subtype of bone marrow failure syndrome, which is characterized by monolineage involvement and typical morphologic abnormalities in erythroid precursor cells resulting in different degrees of hyporegenerative anemia. Moreover, reticulocytosis, which is not corresponding to the degree of anemia, with jaundice and splenomegaly are major diagnostic criteria. Causative gene is located at SEC23B. Although stroke among children is rare, it can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Herein we present a 3-year-old male with congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II who presented with stroke-like symptoms, and was diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia.


Phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages in cases of separate and combined injections of killed bacterial vaccines and prospidin has been studied in the work. As a result of researches conducted, it has been found out that the injection of vaccines together with prospidin makes it possible to reduce an inhibiting effect of prospidin on phagocytic activity of monocyte-macrophagal cells; first of all it concerns their digestive activity. Thus, the immunodepressing effect of antiblastome drugs may be reduced with the help of injection of killed bacterial vaccines which stimulate nonspecific factors of organism protection, including antineoplastic ones.


Children on farms are at increased risk of injury. In Australia, children under 15 years consistently represent ~15% of all farm-related fatalities. This study aimed to develop parent and child surveys to gain a greater understanding of children's (5–14 years) exposure to occupational risk on farms by exploring their exposure to farm hazards, risk-taking behavior, their use and attitudes toward safety measures, and experience of farm-related injury. As farming communities are heterogeneous, a modified Delphi method was undertaken to ensure input from a diverse group. Seventeen experts participated in a three round process—the first two rounds required rating of proposed survey questions in an online questionnaire and the final round was an online discussion. Consensus was defined as 75% agreement or higher. This process resulted in 155 parent questions and 124 child questions reaching consensus to include. The modified Delphi method developed surveys that provide insight into the behaviors and attitudes of children (individuals) and their parents on farms (family) and will assist in informing how community, organizations and policy frameworks can improve child safety on farms. It will assist in identifying and understanding common farming exposures/behaviors of children and their parents to inform the development of targeted and culturally appropriate injury prevention strategies. As farming groups are heterogeneous, these survey scan be used on varying farming cohorts to identify their unique farming hazards and challenges. Child farm-related injuries are a problem globally and must be addressed; children are dependent on adults and communities to create safe environments for them.


Volume two of Monographs of the Aguateca Archaeological Project First Phase, Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan, general editors. This archaeological report centers on findings at Aguateca, a unique site in the Petexbatun region of the southern Mayan lowlands that was unexpectedly attacked in AD 810. The subsequent rapid abandonment and burning of many of the elite and non-elite residences at the site provide archaeologists with an encapsulated record of domestic and political activities on the last day of occupation. The in situ artifact assemblages from use and storage structures enable the study of specific activities and allow them to be addressed in depth owing to precise spatial patterning of the assemblages, which differ significantly from those of gradually abandoned sites."Elite Craft Producers, Artists, and Warriors at Aguateca" uses the excavation data from twelve structures and various use areas to investigate artistic and craft production activities by elite men and women and warriors in Classic Maya society. Specifically, Aoyama focuses on detailed use-wear analysis of stone tools by employing high-power microscopy to address production, warfare, and the domestic and ritual lives of the Maya. He provides descriptions and discussion of over ten thousand lithic artifacts from the Aguateca site, which was a center of both utilitarian and luxury goods.Based on this research, Aoyama proposes that Classic Maya elite men and women artists and craft producers played multiple social and economic roles, such as scribes and warriors, as well as having administrative, diplomatic, ritualistic, and domestic duties. This view implies a more flexible and integrated system of Classic Maya elite participation in craft production than is usually proposed."


TRIZ can be considered as specific problem solving approaches. It uses among others concepts like problem and systems. This paper is a trial to describe with general tools of system and problem modelling how model of problem and model of system evolves through ARIZ process or at least through some of it steps. The purpose of this article is to show that problem solving, and particularly, problem formulation can be described as building a system which state evolves during the process.


247 American children between 6 and 10 years of age (126 girls and 121 boys) completed Implicit Association Tests and explicit self-report measures assessing the association of: (a) me with male (gender identity), (b) male with math (math–gender stereotype) and (c) me with math (math self-concept). Two findings emerged. First, as early as second grade, the children demonstrated the American cultural stereotype that math is for boys on both implicit and explicit measures. Second, elementary-school boys identified with math more strongly than did girls on both implicit and self-report measures. The findings suggest that the math–gender stereotype is acquired early and influences emerging math self-concepts prior to ages at which there are actual differences in math achievement.


The points stimulated by output pulse of the electroacupuncture instrument are fixed, and this stimulation model makes Deqi sense of the distal point unable to reach the affected parts, only limiting around the point for most patients, so the therapeutic effects are influenced to a certain extent. From design, usage and other aspects, it is described that joint the output conducting wires to the acupuncture needles from the distal point to the proximal point in turn. When the output ports of the electroacupuncture instrument export the pulse wave one port by one port, the sense of Deqi of the patient propagates towards the affected area one point by one point. Finally, the sense of Deqi of the patient propagates and reaches to the affected area. The along-meridian treatment instrument overcomes the shortcomings of the existing electroacupuncture instrument, and obviously increases therapeutic effects.


Rapid technological transformations have created immense pressure on governments, schools, and other educational institutions to integrate technology into education. But, little is known about what is needed for technology projects to be integrated successfully into Latin American schools. Learning from the Pioneers is an investigation into the best practices of the Red TELAR-iEARN that enables us to identify the key factors that helped certain schools to be successful despite the challenges of being in poor neighbourhoods and in areas far from the urban centers. The results include recommendations on the factors that should be considered in future educational technology projects. One conclusion is that teachers have a decisive role to play in bridging the digital divide.


Detailed studies of microsomal cytochromes from mung-bean radicles showed the presence of cytochrome P-420, particularly in dark-grown seedlings, accompanied by smaller quantities of cytochrome P-450. Similar proportions of cytochrome P-420 to cytochrome P-450 were found spectrophotometrically in vivo with whole radicles and hypocotyls. Assayed in vitro, maximum concentrations of both cytochromes were attained after 4 days of growth, before undergoing rapid degradation. Illumination of seedlings stabilized cytochrome P-450 and decreased the amount of cytochrome P-420. Three b cytochromes were present in the microsomal fraction, namely cytochromes b-562.5 (Em + 105 +/- 23 mV), b-560.5 (Em + 49 +/- 13 mV) and b5 (Em - 45 +/- 14 mV), all at pH 7.0. Of the b cytochromes, cytochrome b5 alone undergoes a rapid degradation after day 4, Changes in cytochrome b concentrations were confined to the microsomal fraction: mitochondrial b cytochrome concentrations were unaltered with age. Protohaem degradation (of exogenous methaemalbumin) was detected in microsomal fractions of mung beans. The rates of degradation were highest in extracts of young tissue and declined after day 4. The degradation mechanism and products did not resemble those of mammalian haem oxygenase.


cloud management infrastructures S. Berger S. Garion Y. Moatti D. Naor D. Pendarakis A. Shulman-Peleg J. R. Rao E. Valdez Y. Weinsberg In this paper, we address the problem of protecting cloud infrastructures and customer workloads via smart auditing and logging, satisfying regulatory and compliance requirements. We observe that traditional approaches of logging and auditing events in cloud-scale infrastructures will not be effective without taking into account other controls. We introduce the concept of Cloud Security Intelligence (CSI), a new systematic approach for collecting, aggregating, correlating, and analyzing data from management, control, and data planes of cloud infrastructures, using a closed-loop architecture. Our approach cross-correlates control and data plane events, automatically deriving rules for monitoring and audits. Specifically, it sets dynamic rules concerning what and how to audit, adapting the logging accordingly, while comparing the data access patterns and configurations with the desired privileges and specifications. We have implemented CSI on two OpenStack-based systems: a closed loop network protection scheme and a cloud storage audit and risk analysis scheme for monitoring data access. In order to make cloud security approaches effective and scalable, we suggest that it is essential to use an intelligent approach such as correlating cloud logic from multiple cloud layers and components-e.g., IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) or PaaS (Platform as a Service)-providing workload context that is maintained by cloud management systems, and using analytics on historical logs.


The Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas (GEM-UT) has been engaged in a large scale effort to develop the power electronics and control systems required to demonstrate a multi-megawatt, full control, SCR based rectifier/inverter and high power SCR closing switch. The ultimate objective of this development effort is to provide high efficiency switching for self-excitation of air core single phase rotating machines and to control the delivery of energy to the final loads. The self-excitation process is initiated by a seed current capacitor followed by active rectification of the compulsator AC output into the field coil. Upon reaching full open circuit voltage, the main closing switch is used to initiate current into the rail gun load. After termination of the gun current pulse, stored field coil energy is returned to the rotor via source commutated, full wave inversion. This paper presents the theory of operation for the complete rectification and inversion cycle, SCR selection criteria, overall design strategy and all available test data. The test results include the testing of individual devices, multiple series/parallel modules, and full system testing if available. >


Seasonal population is not taken into account in waste management policies and regional differences in waste generation per capita are magnified. Here I analyze the differences among the Catalan counties (North-eastern Spain) and I compare the results if seasonal population is added or not to the resident people. Waste generation per capita in tourist areas is overestimated and actually the differences among the counties are lower than those indicated in the official data. Only reliable data will allow determining the reasons of differences in waste generation per capita and stablishing more precise objectives in waste management policies. There is a positive correlation between municipal waste generation per capita and the services sector's contribution to GDP, a negative correlation with the percentage of population over 64 and no correlation with income per capita. Finally, taking into account territorial factors, the lowest waste generation per capita corresponds to counties with very low population densities located in inland Catalonia.  Key words: Municipal waste management, seasonal population, determinants of waste generation per capita, Catalonia


Analysis of data from clinical cohorts, and more recently from human pancreatic tissue, indicates that reduced prohormone processing is an early and persistent finding in type 1 diabetes. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge regarding alterations in islet prohormone expression and processing in type 1 diabetes and consider the clinical impact of these findings. Lingering questions, including pathologic etiologies and consequences of altered prohormone expression and secretion in type 1 diabetes, and the natural history of circulating prohormone production in health and disease, are considered. Finally, key next steps required to move forward in this area are outlined, including longitudinal testing of relevant clinical populations, studies that probe the genetics of altered prohormone processing, the need for combined functional and histologic testing of human pancreatic tissues, continued interrogation of the intersection between prohormone processing and autoimmunity, and optimal approaches for analysis. Successful resolution of these questions may offer the potential to use altered prohormone processing as a biomarker to inform therapeutic strategies aimed at personalized intervention during the natural history of type 1 diabetes and as a pathogenic anchor for identification of potential disease-specific endotypes.


The opening plenary session at the 2017 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, which focused on ensuring healthy youth development, highlighted the need to include young people as partners in research and evaluation. In doing so, the conference participants joined the voices of a growing group of social work scholars committed to youth participation and engagement, who have also highlighted the importance of youth voice in the development of prevention strategies and programming that are aligned with the lived experience of young people. Presenting four unique social work efforts designed to harness the power of youth voice, this article shines a spotlight on the role of social work research and practice in harnessing the power of youth participation in efforts of promote healthy youth development. This article concludes by illustrating the benefits of youth engagement for young people, communities, and researchers.


Extension of storage time of platelet (PLT) concentrates may result in an increased risk of bacteremia, directly via transfusion of contaminated products or indirectly via transfusion‐related immunomodulation. We aimed to quantify the association of storage time of PLT concentrates and all‐cause bacteremia in hematologic patients.


In this study, the water absorption rate of wood impregnated with silicone-based chemicals was predicted by an artificial neural network (ANN). For this purpose, spruce (Picea orientalis L.) and beech (Fagus orientalis L.) wood samples impregnated with five commercial silicone-based chemicals were tested. Wood specimens were impregnated with these chemicals in concentrations of 10% and 50%, and the water absorption rates of samples at different times (2, 4, 8, 24, 48, 72, 168 and 336 hours) were calculated. These results were then modeled by an ANN. Wood species, silicone-based chemical, concentration and time in water were used as the input variables, and water absorption rate as the output variable. The results show that an ANN can be used successfully for predicting the water absorption rate of wood impregnated with silicone-based chemicals.


Modern network interfaces demand highly intelligent traffic management in addition to the basic requirement of wire speed packet forwarding. Several vendors are releasing network processors in order to handle these demands. Network workloads can be classified into data plane and control plane workloads, however most network processors are optimized for data plane. Also, existing benchmark suites for network processors primarily contain data plane workloads, which perform packet processing for a forwarding function. We present a set of benchmarks, called NpBench, targeted towards control plane (e.g., traffic management, quality of service, etc.) as well as data plane workloads. The characteristics of NpBench workloads, such as instruction mix, parallelism, cache behavior and required processing capability per packet, are presented and compared with CommBench, an existing network processor benchmark suite [T. Wolf et. al., (2000)]. We also discuss the architectural characteristics of the benchmarks having control plane functions, their implications to designing network processors and the significance of instruction level parallelism (ILP) in network processors.


Among alternative asset classes available to investors, private equity is one of the largest and is growing in popularity. As private equity fund managers build their knowledge portfolio, they recognize that they may have creative options for leveraging their proprietary databases and sector expertise. Some are turning to the crossover fund, an innovative blend of private and public equity investing that maximizes the use of in-depth sector knowledge from the private equity side, and strategic investing opportunities available in the public markets.


The stability of the gravity-driven flow of a viscous film coating the inside of a tube with a porous wall is studied theoretically. We used Darcy's law to describe the motion of fluids in a porous medium. The Beaver-Joseph condition is used to describe the discontinuity of velocity at the porous-fluid interface. We derived an evolution equation for the film thickness using a long-wave approximation. The effect of velocity slip at the porous wall is identified by a parameter β. We examine the effect of β on the temporal stability, the absolute-convective instability (AI-CI), and the nonlinear evolution of the interface deformation. The results of the temporal stability reveal that the effect of velocity slip at the porous wall is destabilizing. The parameter β plays an important role in determining the AI-CI behavior and the nonlinear evolution of the interface. The presence of the porous wall promotes the absolute instability and the formation of the plug in the tube.


The aim of this study was to explore health visitors' perceptions about the provision of a locally facilitated teenage mothers' support group. A phenomenological approach was used and data were collected from a sample of six health visitors via semi-structured interviews. Six themes were identified: accessibility; support; knowledge and skills; group dynamics; relationships; and openness. Four subthemes were identified: barriers to accessing young mothers' support groups; normalising access to young mothers' support groups; support from the health visitor; and peer support from attending young mothers' groups. Drawing on the concept of social support theory, the findings suggest that health visitors believe there is a need for teenage mothers' support groups, and that these should be normalised within communities and be accessible. In addition, health visitors should facilitate these groups due to their professional education, knowledge and the relationships they have with young mothers.


The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has evolved rapidly with unprecedented treatment benefits being obtained for cancer patients, including improved patient survival. However, over half of the patients experience immune related adverse events (irAEs) or toxicities, which can be fatal, affect the quality of life of patients and potentially cause treatment interruption or cessation. Complications from these toxicities can also cause long term irreversible organ damage and other chronic health conditions. Toxicities can occur in various organ systems, with common observations in the skin, rheumatologic, gastrointestinal, hepatic, endocrine system and the lungs. These are not only challenging to manage but also difficult to detect during the early stages of treatment. Currently, no biomarker exists to predict which patients are likely to develop toxicities from ICI therapy and efforts to identify robust biomarkers are ongoing. B cells and antibodies against autologous antigens (autoantibodies) have shown promise and are emerging as markers to predict the development of irAEs in cancer patients. In this review, we discuss the interplay between ICIs and toxicities in cancer patients, insights into the underlying mechanisms of irAEs, and the involvement of the humoral immune response, particularly by B cells and autoantibodies in irAE development. We also provide an appraisal of the progress, key empirical results and advances in B cell and autoantibody research as biomarkers for predicting irAEs. We conclude the review by outlining the challenges and steps required for their potential clinical application in the future.


This article investigates the use of natural law in biolaw from the specific perspective of an attorney practising before the European Court of Human Rights. Starting from an exploration of the question of who is a human and thereby to be protected under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), particular emphasis is placed on the right to life under Art. 2(1) ECHR. It is shown that natural law can – and should – impact the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights and that concrete consequences follow from this approach, most notably the requirement to ensure that every human being, including the unborn, is actively protected as concerns the right to life.


Ecologists often want to determine whether there is a difference between the assemblage occupying one habitat, and that in another. While a number of studies have compared a variety of the multivariate techniques used in community ecology, few have considered the ability of different inferential multivariate techniques to detect differences among ecological assemblages. Those that have considered differences among various techniques have focused on model properties, giving little attention to the comparative power of such techniques when applied to ecological datasets. The primary aim of this study was to determine under what conditions different multivariate tests for difference succeed in detecting differences among ecological assemblages, and which conditions do they fail. The focus in this study was on the power of the various tests for difference between assemblages represented by raw species abundance counts, for small to moderate sample sizes. A possible explanation for the limited knowledge about the appropriateness of different tests for difference is the lack of a statistical framework for comparing multivariate tests. One of the problems in the power analysis of tests for comparing ecological assemblages arises from the difficulties in generating the ecologically realistic replicate datasets needed for such a comparison. The number of ways samples may differ in ecological assemblages datasets presents further complications. For example, a multivariate test might be powerful in detecting one type of ecological difference while being relatively insensitive to another type. There are a number of types of ecological difference that studies of ecological assemblages may address. These include: (1) species richness, the number of species occurring in each assemblage; (2) total abundance, the number of individuals (irrespective of species) that occur in each assemblage; (3) species composition, the actual species observed and their relative abundance; (4) the distribution of individuals of a species (or all individuals) across within-assemblage sites; and (5) the distribution of individuals among species. Two simulation methods capable of generating realistic multi- assemblage datasets portraying different levels and types of ecological difference among component assemblages are presented here. This study demonstrates that the empirically calibrated coenocline simulation method is capable of generating realistic artificial ecological datasets portraying simultaneous species richness, total abundance and compositional differences among assemblages. The resampling simulation method, another empirical method, was shown to be able to generate artificial multi- assemblage datasets where assemblages vary compositionally, while other types of ecological difference are held constant. This study compared five multivariate techniques used to tests for difference among ecological assemblages: (1) Parametric MANOVA; (2) CAP, a randomization-based canonical ordination test for difference; and (3) ANOSIM; (4) MRPP; and (5) NP-MANOVA, three variants of Mantel's randomization-based multivariate tests for difference. In the ecological conditions encompassed in this study, CAP was shown to be the most powerful test for compositional difference among assemblages, and ANOSIM, MRPP and NP-MANOVA were more powerful when other types of ecological difference (such as species richness and total abundance differences) were also present. There was little difference in the power of ANOSIM, MRPP and NP-MANOVA under any situation. Parametric MANOVA exhibited very low power in all of the situations encompassed in the power analysis.
Another factor shown to affect the power of a multivariate test for difference is the dissimilarity coefficient on which a test is based, whether this dissimilarity forms an implicit part of the test, or is left to the choice of the researcher (for tests that allows such a choice of dissimilarity coefficient). In this study the power of the four randomization tests (CAP, ANOSIM, MRPP and NP- MANOVA), which allow a choice of dissimilarity coefficient, were compared for the Bray-Curtis, Chi-Square and Euclidean dissimilarity coefficients. Both the Bray-Curtis and the Chi-square dissimilarity coefficients resulted in the most powerful tests, with the more powerful of the two varying with the test for difference under consideration, and/or the type of between assemblage-difference (compositional or general) contained in the dataset. For example, MRPP used in conjunction with the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity coefficient was the most powerful for detecting general differences among assemblages (the type of between-assemblage variation contained in coenocline-generated assemblages), whereas the same test using the Chi- square dissimilarity was more powerful when differences among assemblages were purely compositional (as in resampling simulations). The Euclidean dissimilarity measure almost always resulted in the least power, and never the most power, when used in conjunction with the multivariate tests for difference in realistic ecological assemblage data as represented by raw abundance counts. CAP was shown to be the least sensitive to dissimilarity coefficient choice. The current study has shown a number of the strengths and weaknesses of the tests considered. However, the wide range of ecological situations, and the complexities underlying ecological assemblages, means a lot more work needs to be done before there is a clearer understanding of the relationship between ecological data and appropriateness of multivariate tests. The protocols developed in this study provide a framework for assessing the ability of different multivariate tests for difference and other multivariate techniques used in the analysis of ecological assemblage data.


Communities of organisms form as a result of both interspecific and abiotic interactions within local habitat patches and dispersal among patches in a region. Local processes are expected to play a dominant role when dispersal occurs much more often than extinction. We 5 performed two field experiments to examine rates and mechanisms of dispersal in freshwater pond zooplankton communities. First, we tested the effect of distance from a source on the rate of colonization of artificial habitat by placing wading pools at 5, 10, 30 and 60 m from two natural fishless ponds and observing the succession of zooplankton. Seventy-eight percent of the species in the source ponds that were capable of living in the pools colonized at least once during 10 the experiment. A new species was found in the pools on average once every four days, suggesting that colonization events occur on the order of days to weeks for many species. Colonization rates declined further from the source at one pond but not the other, and the effect of distance was relatively weak at both ponds. This suggests that many species disperse broadly over short distances. The second experiment tested the role of animal vectors for zooplankton 15 dispersal by restricting access to the pools. Eight treatments were imposed that excluded potential animal vectors along a body size gradient from large mammals to small insects. While the treatments affected zooplankton colonization, many species invaded even when all animals larger than 1 mm were excluded. Animal vectors may therefore be less important for dispersal than wind. Our results suggest that zooplankton are highly effective dispersers over short 20 distances, and can disperse via several mechanisms. Local interactions should therefore play a dominant role in structuring these communities at small regional scales.


The interaction of the individual in history and politics has posed major theoretical questions of historical analysis for the past two centuries: is social destiny shaped by forces beyond the power of the individual, or can the future be mastered by collective effort under the outstanding leadership of heroic men and women? In this classic study, a major philosopher and social theorist of the twentieth century offers a searching examination of the conditions under which individuals make choices that significantly alter the course of historical events and presents a scathing critique of various forms of social determinism that deny the individual freedom of action or a decisive role in history. The myth of the hero as the savior of the tribe or nation, as Hook notes, is older than written history. Until the ninteenth century, the hero functioned not merely as a cult figure but as a principle of historical explanation, a key to the rise and fall of countries and even of cultures. The exaggerations and omissions of this point of view produced an equally simplistic reaction with the formulation of determinist historiographies in which physical, racial, social, and economic forces replaced individuals as the dynamic factors in the development of events. Hook singles out orthodox Marxism as the most all-encompassing determinist system and subjects the historical thinking of Engels, Plekhanov, and Trotsky to sharp and meticulous scrutiny. Using the Russian Revolution as a test case, Hook observes that while the February 1917 Revolution was an inevitable development, the October revolution was, according to the best historical evidence, contingent upon the personality and actions of Lenin. In his 1978 reconsideration of the subject of heroism, appearing new to this edition, Hook defines a middle ground between the extremes of voluntarism and determinism that explains why the presence of strong personalities are decisive under certain conditions while under others key actors would appear to be almost interchangeable. He points us toward an understanding of a fascinating problem in history and raises essential questions about the role of "great" men and women in a democracy. "The Hero in History "will be of interest to intellectual historians, philosophers, political scientists, and sociologists.


Various possibilities for collecting volunteer-provided geographical information in geodesy make it possible to engage volunteers for different purposes. In this paper, a study of the willingness of volunteers to report changes on topographic maps based on an online survey is presented. The survey was answered by 653 Slovenian respondents who use various online or classic topographic maps in their free time or at work and are willing to report their knowledge of changes in space or errors in maps to the map-updating institution. The survey's main finding is that 56% of respondents would use any online application to report changes on maps, 38% of respondents would prefer to report changes via email, and only 4% of respondents would prefer to report changes by phone. We also analysed the potential use of different functionalities of a web application for collecting changes and found that the most important functionalities for volunteers are those that give the most in-depth feedback (i.e., that a contribution has been submitted, that it is being verified, that it has been considered, that it has been deleted). The willingness of potential volunteers to use the various proposed functionalities also frequently depends on their current involvement with social networking sites or in volunteer associations and on their age group.


In human society, people encounter various deontic conflicts every day. Deontic decisions are those that include moral, ethical, and normative aspects. Here, the concern is with deontic conflicts: decisions where all the alternatives lead to the violation of some norms. People think critically about these kinds of decisions. But, just 'what' they think about is not always clear. People use certain estimating factors/criteria to balance the tradeoffs when they encounter deontic conflicts. It is unclear what subjective factors people use to make a deontic decision. An elicitation approach called the Open Factor Conjoint System is proposed, which applies an online elicitation methodology which is a combination of two well-know research methodologies: repertory grid and conjoint analysis. This new methodology is extended to be a web based application. It seeks to elicit additional relevant (subjective) factors from people, which affect deontic decisions. The relative importance and utility values are used for the development of a decision model to predict people's decisions.Fundamentally, this methodology was developed and intended to be applicable for a wide range of elicitation applications with minimal experimenter bias. Comparing with the traditional method, this online survey method reduces the limitation of time and space in data collection and this methodology can be applied in many fields. Two possible applications were addressed: robotic vehicles and the choice of medical treatment. In addition, this method can be applied to many research related disciplines in cross-cultural research due to its online ability with global capacity.


The purpose of this Brief Communications section is to present important research results of more limited scope than regular articles appearing in Physics of Fluids A. Submission of material of a peripheral or cursory nature is strongly discouraged. Brief Communications cannot exceed three printed pages in length, including space allowed for title, figures, tables, references, and an abstract limited to about 100 words.


This page is part of the Bosworth/Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, now in the public domain, as maintained online by the Linguistics Research Center.


Limited data is available regarding lung cancer in Chinese young adults. This study was aimed to determine the characteristics, survival, and prognostic factors of young lung cancer patients in China. We reviewed demographic and clinical data, and survival information of 420 young patients (20–45 years old) diagnosed with lung cancer in two Chinese hospitals between 2000 and 2013. The results showed that lung cancer occurred more frequently (70%) and affected more males than females (43.8% vs 26.7%) in patients older than 36; whereas, more females were affected under age 35 (16.7% vs 12.8%). Most patients had adenocarcinoma (67.6%) and stage IV disease (72.4%) at presentation. The median survival of all young patients with lung cancer was 44 months (95% CI: 39–49), of which patients with stage I–IIIA disease had a longer survival than those with stage IIIB/IV disease (101 vs 22 months, p < 0.001). No significant difference in survival was found in patients having different histological subtypes or genders. Multivariate analysis revealed that high exposure risk occupations, smoking, family history of lung cancer were risk factors of young lung cancer patients. This study provides an overview of the clinical characteristics, patterns and prognostic factors of young patients with lung cancer in China.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Ear surgery requires magnified imaging of anatomical structures from its beginning to achieve safe and successful surgical outcomes. The historical evolution of magnification in otology has developed from monocular to binocular, and to three-dimensional and even to digital in modern times. Current technological advancements pursue high-quality visualization for the best surgical outcomes but also ergonomic for surgeons. Here, we evaluated the usability of such new technology in common otological surgeries like cochlear implantation and stapedectomy for the first time in patients. A three-dimensional camera mounted to a robot arm has hands-free control by goggles worn by the surgeon on a head mount. The camera at a distance of the patients but can also be draped in a sterile way that it forms a barrier tent between patient and surgical personnel in the theatre. The main reason to evaluate the feasibility of this new exoscope was driven by COVID-19 obligate measures for elective surgery such as hearing restoration. This new technology can be considered an important advantage for the surgeons working in microsurgery to perform their elective operations without aerosolization of the drill rinsing water possibly containing contaminated tissue. From a subjective point of view, the image quality is equivalent to conventional microscopes to provide safe otologic surgery.


Background Intestinal parasitosis is a major concern for public health, especially in children from middle and low-income populations of tropical and subtropical areas. In this study, we explored the environmental and socio-demographic characteristics of immigrants in Doha Qatar, that might explain the persistence of the parasites that they harbor.Methodology This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,486 newly arrived expatriates and those who visited Qatar previously during the period 2012-2014. Through questionnaires and census data, we characterised the socio-demographics conditions at an individual, family and neighborhood levels.Results Combined protozoan infections were significantly associated with immigrants arriving in Doha for the first time. In univariate loglinear statistical models fitted in phase 1 of the analysis significant associations were observed between the prevalence of combined protozoan infections and personal and familial factors that included religion, the level of education of subjects, both parents' educational levels and their jobs, and number of siblings. Furthermore, environmental effects on the prevalence of protozoan infections included the country of origin; the floor of the house, toilet type, household content index, provision of household water, arable farming background showed a strong association with protozoan infections as well. However in phase 2, multifactorial binary logistic generalized linear models focusing only on the significant effects identified in phase 1, showed that only five factors retained significance (age class, floor of house, household contents index, father's education, and number of siblings). The only factors that had a significant effect on the prevalence of helminth infections were the subjects age class and the mother's educational level.Conclusion The prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites among immigrants to Qatar is clearly multifactorial in origin, determined by key familial relationships of subjects and also the environment in which the subjects lived prior to their arrival in Qatar. Moreover our results suggest that screening protocols for applicants for visas/work permits need to be revised giving more careful attention to the intestinal protozoan infections that potential immigrants may harbor.


Rolling force model is the core of all the mathematical models of plate for rolling process, but the accuracy of traditional rolling force model is not high enough in application, so in this study the rolling force model of plate is researched and improved. The effects of different physical conditions on resistance of deformation are decoupled, and the formula acquired is practical. While the composition, Nb is used to calculate residual strain. At the same time, the self-learning method, which is based on the thickness layer is applied. The on-line application results show that the predictive error between force model calculated and measured can be controlled at less than 9% and 80% of the passes can be controlled within 5%.


Telemetry systems designed to support the current needs of mission-critical applications often have stringent real-time requirements. These systems must guarantee a maximum worst-case processing and response time when incoming data is received. These real-time tolerances continue to tighten as data rates increase. At the same time, end user requirements for COTS pricing efficiencies have forced many telemetry systems to now run on desktop operating systems like Windows or Unix. While these desktop operating systems offer advanced user interface capabilities, they cannot meet the realtime requirements of the many mission-critical telemetry applications. Furthermore, attempts to enhance desktop operating systems to support real-time constraints have met with only limited success. This paper presents a telemetry system architecture that offers real-time guarantees while at the same time extensively leveraging inexpensive COTS hardware and software components. This is accomplished by partitioning the telemetry system onto two processors. The first processor is a NetAcquire subsystem running a real-time operating system (RTOS). The second processor runs a desktop operating system running the user interface. The two processors are connected together with a high-speed Ethernet IP internetwork. This architecture affords an improvement of two orders of magnitude over the real-time performance of a standalone desktop operating system.


It is well known that Alloy 690 is highly resistant against primary water stress corrosion cracking (SCC), yet not completely immune. Cold work, which is known to accelerate SCC crack growth rates (CGRs), has been shown to occasionally enhance the CGR in Alloy 690 base metal to alarmingly high levels. While Alloy 690 is not typically used in a heavily cold worked condition, effective plastic strains of comparable level have been estimated in Alloy 690 heat affected zone (HAZ). Much recent work on Alloy 690 has been focused on build up data in order to clarify whether or not these high CGRs are of concern for operating power plants.How cold work affects SCC CGR is still unclear. Based on trends in experimental data, some factors are believed to increase CGRs. The clearest trend is that of crack orientation. Aligning the plane and direction of crack growth with those of cold deformation generally yields a much higher CGR than other orientations. Inhomogeneous microstructure due to banding, fractured second phase particles and grain boundary voids also seem to enhance crack growth. The presence of these factors does however not guarantee high CGRs, and the lack of them does not guarantee low CGRs.


The ability to improve meat quality and production efficiency in cattle is limited by an inability to enhance marbling and simultaneously limit undesirable adipose tissue accretion. The objective of this study was to examine expression of regulatory genes in subcutaneous (SCF) adipose tissue of heifers in response to increasing days on feed (DOF) and finishing strategy. Crossbred heifers (n = 24) were allotted as follows: Group 1 = 0 d, Group 2 = 99 d on winter annual ryegrass (grass; Lolium multiflorum Lam.), Group 3 = 218 g on grass, Group 4 = 99 d on grass followed by 119 d on grain. Adipose tissue samples were collected at time of harvest and frozen. Carcass characteristics were measured 24 h postharvest. As expected, HCW (P < 0.0001), ribeye area (REA; P < 0.0002), backfat (BF; P < 0.0001), KPH (P < 0.0001), and marbling score (P < 0.0009) increased with DOF though frame score was not different (P < 0.95). Average daily gain decreased with DOF (P < 0.0001). Yield grade increased (P < 0.0014) but cook loss percentage decreased (P < 0.001) with DOF without changes in 24-h pH (P < 0.31). Interestingly, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) was decreased with DOF (P < 0.0089). Meanwhile, BF (P < 0.01) and KPH (P < 0.05) were greater, whereas marbling values trended greater in grain versus grass-finished heifers. Neither ADG (P < 0.89), HCW (P < 0.26), frame score (P < 0.85), nor REA (P < 0.38) were different between these groups. Grain finishing increased yield grade (P < 0.001) but did not affect 24-h pH (P < 0.88), cook loss percentage (P < 0.98), or WBS (P < 0.44) compared with grass-finished heifers. The expression of PPARγ, bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2), and SMAD family member 1 (SMAD1) mRNA was upregulated in response to DOF and grain finishing, whereas sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), sonic hedgehog (SHH), chicken ovalbumin protein transcription factor 1 (COUP-TF1), chicken ovalbumin protein transcription factor 2 (COUP-TF2), and preadipocyte factor-1 (PREF-1) mRNA was decreased in response to DOF and grain finishing. These changes were associated with increased expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA. In summary, increasing DOF was associated with improved meat quality whereas gene expression studies suggest several novel genes are associated with subcutaneous adipose tissue development in growing and finishing cattle.


At the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Graz laparoscopy in the obese women was modified. The pneumoperitoneum is introduced by placing the Verres needle through the pouch of Douglas. An umbilical incision through the fascia is made which admits the index finger of the left hand. Under control by the finger and elevation of the wound with clips the introduction of the trocar becomes safe. The technique is described in detail. The advantages and possible complications of this method are discussed and the first 25 cases reviewed.


In this article, we provide an overview of the global landscape of index-tracking sustainable funds, looking at trends in asset growth, asset flows, and product development. We focus on the two regions where these funds have seen the greatest adoption, Europe and the United States. We also examine the broad range of approaches that aim to address various sustainability and investment objectives.


2,2′:6′,2′′‐Terpyridine (tpy) and its derivatives represent highly versatile ligands for the complexation of transition metal ions. Today, such complexes are employed in a highly diverse fashion – including inter alia materials science, opto‐electronics, pharmacy or catalysis. Concerning the latter one, a vast development has led to new or improved applications in both "conventional" organic chemistry (i. e., catalysis of functional‐group interconversions, CH‐activation or cross‐coupling reactions) as well as energy‐related applications (e. g., CO2 reduction, artificial photosynthesis, dye degradation). In this respect, not only homogeneous catalysts (i. e., molecular complexes) but also heterogeneous and recyclable ones have moved to the focus of interest. These heterogeneous structures include 1D metallopolymers, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), organic‐inorganic hybrids and bio‐inspired catalysts. We gave a first overview on this topic already in 2011; in here, the methods and implementations established within the last decade as well as relevant contributions from earlier works are presented and discussed.


Background and aims Patient perspectives in lupus are poorly understood; better understanding by manufacturers and regulatory agencies is necessary for patient-focused drug development. This study's aims were to obtain the patient view of symptom impact and unmet need among those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including those with skin manifestations. Methods The study population consisted of consenting, adult members of an English-language, lupus-focused social media community. A 23-item on-line questionnaire including an embedded consent form was deployed. Both structured response category and open-ended questions were included to allow for emerging concepts. An Institutional Review Board reviewed this study and gave an 'exempt' determination. Results Respondents (n=569) were majority female (97%), aged 40–59 (66%) and using medications consistent with SLE (e.g., 69% hydroxychloroquine). Fatigue was the most frequently-reported (90%) symptom of great impact, followed by joint pain (74%) and other pain (57%). In open-ended responses, the most frequently-mentioned theme was impact on normal/daily life activities (Figure 1). Abstract 162 Figure 1 Among those reporting ever having skin symptoms (n=404), light sensitivity was the most frequently-reported skin symptom of great impact (66%). This varied when comparing African Americans (n=77) and whites (n=245), where hair loss (56%) and light sensitivity (68%) were most frequent, respectively. In open-ended responses about how skin symptoms affect life, activity limitations due to sun/light/heat sensitivity were the most frequently-mentioned themes (Figure 2). Abstract 162 Figure 2 Finally, considering novel treatment preferences, desire for pain/fatigue relief were most commonly cited (about one-third each). Conclusions This large, non-clinical study suggests several outcomes of meaningful importance to SLE patients, including those with skin symptoms.


China has been experiencing rapid economic growth over the past few decades.
Accompanied by the nation's modernization and urbanization, an overwhelmingly large
number of rural habitants out-migrate to urban areas for work and better earnings. However,
due to China's local household registration system(Hukou), children of migrants are not
entitled to free schooling provisions in these urban destinations. As a consequence, millions
of school-agedrural children have to be 'left behind' by their migrating parent(s) in their
homeplace. They are called – the 'left-behind children'. This study investigates the future
educational aspirations of Chinese 'left-behind children' and explores the educational impact
of 'left-behind-ness'. It adoptsthe qualitative case study approach and uses ethnography as
the primary research technique to capture factors that impact on aspirations, and to
understand and explain why educational aspirations are different among these young people
who share many similar social characteristics. Fieldwork was conducted in a nine-year
comprehensive school in a rural region in southwest China, with data mainly being obtained
from 17 'left-behind children'. Findings indicate that whilst undeniably educational
aspirations are embedded in left-behind children's distinctly disadvantaged social background,
aspirations are determined by these young people's own evaluation of whether attending
university is 'rational', and are shaped by their individual family and school experience,
relationship with adults and peers, perceived sense of self, as well as their personal and varied
understandings of the social world they are living in. By focusing on the individuals and their
experiences, this study suggests that being 'left behind' is experienced individually and it is
these individual experiences that have influenced attitudes and aspirations differently among
Chinese 'left-behind children'. This study not only extends understanding of Chinese leftbehind
children's educational experiences, but also provides new knowledge regarding Chinese left-behind children's educational aspirations with a contribution to the integration of
theoryas well as the broadening of theoretical applications by transferring Western theories to
an Eastern context.


Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) displays unparalleled gene transfer efficacy to cells with high coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR) expression. Unfortunately, cells isolated from clinical human cancers, both ovarian and other types, express highly variable and often low levels of CAR. Fortunately, native Ad5 tropism can be modified to circumvent CAR deficiency and to enhance infectivity. Ad5/3luc1 incorporates the serotype 3 fiber knob and binds to a receptor distinct from CAR, while the fiber of Ad5lucRGD is modified with an RGD-4C motif, allowing CAR-independent binding to integrins. We studied the liver tropism and blood clearance of these viruses after intravenous (i.v.) injection, and biodistribution after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection to tumor-bearing mice. To estimate efficacy, we assessed gene transfer to purified human primary ovarian cancer cells, and in a mouse model of ovarian cancer. Ad5/3luc1 achieved improved gene transfer over Ad5lucRGD, and both infectivity-enhanced viruses were superior to the isogenic control with an unmodified Ad5 capsid. In the presence of malignant ascites, gene transfer was improved with both Ad5/3luc1 and Ad5lucRGD. Thus, retargeting to the Ad3 receptor enhances gene transfer to clinically relevant ovarian cancer substrates, while the mouse toxicity and biodistribution profile of both fiber-modified Ad vectors is comparable to Ad5.


Abstract Treat-to-target strategies have changed the approach to management of many chronic conditions, with improvements in patient outcomes. The key to success of treat to target is the availability of validated treatment endpoints, which have been difficult to derive for SLE, a condition notorious for its heterogeneity. This review will focus on the development and validation of the definitions of remission in SLE framework and the lupus low disease activity state. Lupus low disease activity state is more attainable than remission, with a stepwise concentric relationship between the target states indicating increasing stringency. Both lupus low disease activity state and definitions of remission in SLE remission have been proven to be associated with reduction in disease flares, reduced risk of accrual of irreversible end organ damage, and improvement in patient reported outcomes. These endpoints have therefore provided the key for the development of a treat-to-target approach in clinical practice in SLE and for the design of future clinical trials.


The analytical study was carried out mainly on the basis of a cabinet study of the available information, collection and processing of information (including from public and other accessible sources, including public registers) about the potential and opportunities for the development of rural tourism in the territory of the local action group (LAG) Tutrakan and Slivo Pole and analyzing documentary sources on the topic. It is not subject to a pre-set framework and method but depends entirely on the nature of the documents available. This study / study uses the so-called. secondary analysis of empirical data and content analysis (content analysis) of the open documents that were used in the study. As part of the study, a database was created with territory characteristics relating to the potential and opportunities for rural tourism development.The methods of analysis used are mainly dictated by the information available. In support of the study, the municipalities of Tutrakan and Slivo Pole provided information on accommodation, the number of nights spent and more. Useful information.Valorisation and preservation of the natural and cultural-historical heritage in the territory, aimed at engaging the local population in initiatives for raising awareness and conducting events for the study, preservation and promotion of the cultural-historical and natural heritage and making it an attractive attraction source and the prosperity of the territory.Indirectly, the aim is to build partnerships between business, the civil sector and the municipality, in the development of initiatives, in support of tourism development. The restoration and maintenance of churches and temples, as well as investments to improve tourist infrastructure, attractions and facilities for visitors, will also contribute to the achievement of this goal.


The title compound was synthesized by a reactive salt reaction at 773 K over a period of 5 d. It has a one-dimensional chain structure consisting of K+ cations and one-dimensional [Ag2Sn2Se6]2− anions. The chain is constructed by edge-sharing bitetrahedral [Sn2Se6] units connected in a 1:2 ratio via linear Ag+ ions.


To safely plan and execute MPD Influx Control operations, the limits of the primary barrier envelope must be communicated and understood. These safe operating limits have historically been represented with an MPD Operations Matrix. More recently, the development of the Influx Management Envelope (IME) has provided a means of communicating the primary barrier limits with improved accuracy and clarity. However, the generation of the IME currently requires performing a series of complex well control simulations with specialist engineering support. Because drilling operations are dynamic in nature, a practical method to generate the IME boundaries at the wellsite is required so that changes to mud weight, flowrate, surface and bottom hole circulating temperatures, trajectory, and bit depth can be accounted for, and the IME kept up to date.
 This paper describes the development of a novel tool to quickly and automatically generate IMEs at the wellsite without the need for sophisticated modelling software and specialist personnel. The single bubble derivation that was originally presented by Culen et al was analysed further to obtain a more accurate and explicit relationship rather than an implicit one, which forms the basis for the calculations. The IME can be updated based on any well parameter changes, which allows field engineers to maintain an up to date and accurate IME throughout MPD operations.


This paper takes up the currently topical issue of derived environment effects (DEE) that is mainly to be found in the Optimality Theory (OT) literature (Ito & Mester 1996, Burzio 1998, Łubowicz 2002, McCarthy 2003) but see also Kiparsky (1993) and Inkelas (1998). The discussion involves revisiting an old problem highlighted in Kiparsky 1973's definition of opacity given in (1).

(1) Opacity (Kiparsky 1973:79) A rule (A -> B / C__D) is opaque to the extent that there are surafce representations of the form: (i) A in the environment C__D (apparent underapplication, counterfeeding opacity) (ii) B in the environment other that C__D (apparent overapplication, counterbleeding opacity)

Thus in 1(i) a rule fails to occur despite its conditions being met and in 1(ii) the effects of a rule are seen in environments where its conditions are not met. DEE are in this sense a case of 1(i), particularly; restricting phonological rules to applying only in derived environments while non-derived environments display the effects of 1(i). Morphologically derived environmnets involve phonological rules applying at morphological junctures or boundaries, while phonologically derived environments revolve around a segment that is in no such morphological environment. Such apparent mismatches were easily accounted for in earlier phonological approaches that took recourse to rule ordering by, for example, utilising the Strict Cycle Condition as in Kiparsky (1982). Unfortunately, since the advent of OT, all derivational approaches have been branded as endorsing rule ordering, (irrespective of the last couple of decades of research) and therefore as able to handle DEE. This paper aims to show that DEE are a problem for all phonological approaches that do not employ rule ordering whether they are derivational or not, and proposes a possible way of tackling DEE in Government Phonology, a derivational non-rule ordering framework. The paper presents in section 2 the gist of the proposal that is then applied to phonologically derived environmnets in section 3. Morphologically derived environments (section 4) are seen to, on the one hand, utilise the basic principle that phonologically DEE do, but to also, on the other hand, require a solution that is sensitive to their morphologically complex nature. I offer some concluding remarks in Section 5.


INTRODUCTION Academic dishonesty is regarded as unfair and unethical by most academicians and those students who do not engage in it. In the short term, academicians can be frustrated and honest students can legitimately feel that they are at a disadvantage as a result of academic dishonesty. Academicians are concerned with the problem of academic dishonesty and the rate at which it is increasing (Park, 2003; Pullin et al., 2000; Williams & Hosek, 2003). Brown and McInerney (2008) found that there were significant differences between 1999 and 2006 for seven of the 16 unethical behaviors examined in their study. All seven differences were increases, with a mean increase of 19.2%. Furthermore, business students are consistently ranked as students most likely to cheat, possibly due to the adoption of a "bottom line" mentality that the ends (better grades) justifies the means (cheating) (Riley, 2004). Choong and Brown (2007) state that this phenomenon is just one component of a broader, "culture of cheating," that includes not only students but also school administrators and teachers who have inflated students' test scores and have manipulated statistical data. Moreover, this culture extends from dishonest practices by businesspersons and politicians to inaccurate and misleading reporting by members of the media. Academic dishonesty or cheating may be described as "a conscious effort to use proscribed data and/or resources on exams or written work submitted for academic credit" (Sierra & Hyman, 2008, p. 51). Similarly, academic dishonesty or cheating has been defined as behavior that breaches, "the submission of work for assessment that has been produced legitimately by the student who will be awarded the grade, and which demonstrates the student's knowledge and understanding of the context or processes being assessed" (Lambert et al., 2003, p. 98). Alternatively, it "refers to any instance in which a student claims credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation" (Becker et al., 2006, p. 37). Anitsal et al. (2009) identified two types of academic dishonesty, active and passive, and state that research has been largely focused on active academic dishonesty, which includes behaviors to raise one's own grade. Passive academic dishonesty includes behaviors to assist another student (Finn & Frone, 2004). Anitsal et al. (2009) concluded that both constructs are of equal importance in the intention to cheat. Academic dishonesty involves deceptively violating rules in order to gain something of value and personal advantage (Bloodgood et al., 2008). It has been characterized as a type of fraud (Becker et al., 2006). This issue is critical for universities as it seems to mirror the growing concerns of ethical problems in the business community (Chapman et al., 2004; Kidwell et al., 2003). If professors hope to improve the ethical behavior of students as future business people, they need to first address the ethical behavior that occurs in their classroom, i.e., academic dishonesty. "What kind of expectation for ethical behavior is communicated when professors ignore cheating?" (Copeland, 2005, p. 43). PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Many colleges and universities have incorporated ethics courses and/or courses with an ethics component into the business school curriculum. The ethics material usually focuses on ethical issues in the marketplace, often in the form of case studies. The rationale of this effort is to improve the ethical behavior of business students before they graduate and enter the workforce. Given that students' ethics in the classroom impacts their ethics as business professionals (Brown & Choong, 2005; Klein et al., 2007), it is vital that business professors gain a clearer understanding of these issues so they can better address the problem. This study focuses on essentially two important questions that are targeted toward business schools that incorporate ethics in their programs: Can business ethics be taught (Sims, 2002)? …


This book discusses the problems and challenges in the interdisciplinary research field of self-adaptive software systems. Modern society is increasingly filled with software-intensive systems, which are required to operate in more and more dynamic and uncertain environments. These systems must monitor and control their environment while adapting to meet the requirements at runtime. This book provides promising approaches and research methods in software engineering, system engineering, and related fields to address the challenges in engineering the next-generation adaptive software systems. The contents of the book range from design and engineering principles (Chap. 1) to control–theoretic solutions (Chap. 2) and bidirectional transformations (Chap. 3), which can be seen as promising ways to implement the functional requirements of self-adaptive systems. Important quality requirements are also dealt with by these approaches: parallel adaptation for performance (Chap. 4), self-adaptive authorization infrastructure for security (Chap. 5), and self-adaptive risk assessment for self-protection (Chap. 6). Finally, Chap. 7 provides a concrete self-adaptive robotics operating system as a testbed for self-adaptive systems. The book grew out of a series of the Shonan Meetings on this ambitious topic held in 2012, 2013, and 2015. The authors were active participants in the meetings and have brought in interesting points of view. After several years of reflection, they now have been able to crystalize the ideas contained herein and collaboratively pave the way for solving some aspects of the research problems. As a result, the book stands as a milestone to initiate further progress in this promising interdisciplinary research field.


Sir .—In the March 1989 issue of AJDC Berezin et al 1 stated that "colonoscopy is the most effective means of establishing a definitive diagnosis" of milk intolerance of infancy. They implied a diagnosis protocol for hematochezia consisting of colonoscopy with multiple biopsy procedures, treatment with protein hydrolysate formula, and repeated colonoscopy in 2 weeks. They cautioned that "histologic findings may be similar in other disease states [but] rapid resolution and reappearance of colonic abnormalities after withdrawal and rechallenge... clearly establish a clinical diagnosis of protein intolerance." This would require four colonoscopies and at least two biopsies. The cost of a colonoscopsy is about $500, and a biopsy with pathologic diagnosis adds up to $700. Using the protocol implied by Berezin et al, this would cost the patient between $1200 and $4800. This cost does not include office visits to a specialist, laboratory evaluations, or incidental costs due to time


Complex rotary systems (CRS) are widely used in energetic, chemical industry. Their reliability is one of the main tasks of plant engineering, because costs of mainte-nance and production loses are really significant. Vibrodiagnostics of such systems is one of the main tools applied for the evaluation of machines condi-tion. However complexity of those systems, probability of various defects condition that reliable determination of sources of vibrations is not always achievable. Therefore additional mean for defects determination may be applied – numerical modelling of systems dynamical condition. This article presents data of experimental and numerical research of a CRS, where the phenomenon of rubbing occurs and subharmonic vibrations are generated. Modelling of such realistic system is also a highly compli-cated problem, therefore improvement of numerical model, based on experimental data is needed.


Objectives
As nutrition programs become increasingly integrated and multi-sectoral, effectively implementing evidence-based interventions at scale, and measuring their impact becomes complex. Given this complexity, a framework and analytical method linking multi-sectoral planning, coordination and implementation processes at core program level with their ultimate nutrition impact is a critical tool for understanding what works and why under real world conditions.This study aims to propose a method for adapting an implementation science approach to define and assess effectiveness in the specific context of large, donor-funded, integrated health and nutrition programs.

Methods
Applying 3 key nutrition implementation frameworks across 5 large-scale integrated programs (SPRING, FANTA, SAFANSI, MCSP and the USAID Advancing Nutrition), we define measures and compare models for effectiveness in complex projects. As part of this effort, we map activities that ensure effectiveness measures are captured when integrating, co-locating, or combining nutrition-sensitive and -specific interventions.

Results
Effectiveness in such programs is defined at both the core or planning/strategy level, and at the field level where implementation occurs. Effectiveness at the planning/strategy level is assessed by outcomes like contribution to global learning, new methods, and tools, co-location of skills and services, collaboration, coordination, communication, and sustainability. Effectiveness also entails more conventional program effectiveness measures, such as nutrition outcomes, influenced by the enabling environment factors such as systems, capacities, and policies.

Conclusions
The framework and analytical assessment method in this study identifies process milestones and links them to measurable outcomes at the core program level alongside conventional nutrition effectiveness measures, highlighting factors in the enabling environment critical for delivery of outcomes in integrated programs. Considering the scale and uniqueness of such programs as investments in multi-sectoral nutrition-sensitive and -specific interventions, adopting an effectiveness model that links strategy with activity level measures will allow for an unprecedented understanding of key factors for success.

Funding Sources
Funded by the USAID Advancing Nutrition.


The dynamics of collinear collisions of F with D2(n 1 a=0) have been studied using standard quasiclassical trajectory and classical S‐matrix (semiclassical) techniques for collision energies ranging from 0.65 to 5.50 kcal mole−1 in the center‐of‐mass system. The results are compared to previous quantum mechanical calculations on the same potential energy surface. At most only three transitions (NR 0→0, R 0→3, and R 0→4) are ``classically allowed'' at any energy studied. Of these, the only transition for which the ``uniform semiclassical'' and quasiclassical results are significantly different is R 0→4. The predicted energy dependence of this transition is discussed in terms of recent experimental determinations of the relative rates of R 0→4 and R 0→3. The ``classically forbidden'' R 0→2 transition is predicted (using the complex‐valued trajectory method) to have a probability which exhibits distinct oscillations as a function of collision energy.


Humans appear to show an innate tendency to imitate, and this may provide one of the foundations of social communication. Several studies have been carried out in social and cognitive science in order to understand how imitation works, which parts of the brain are involved, and what the role of imitation might be in social behaviour. Previous brain imaging and neuropsychological studies
report data that favour a dual process account of imitation, according to which actions are imitated
through different mechanisms on the basis of whether they are meaningful and familiar (MF actions) or meaningless/unfamiliar (ML actions). However many questions remain to be clarified – such as which brain areas mediate these different actions. In addition to the distinction between MF and ML gestures, there is considerable interest in the production of different types of known gestures – particularly between actions involving tools (i.e. transitive actions) and those subserving communicative (intransitive) gestures, and in how the production of these gestures relates to the processes involved in recognizing the gestures as input. This thesis reports a neuropsychological examination of the functional and neural bases of imitation using converging data from behavioural
studies with different patient groups (stroke patients, patients with Parkinson's Disease, PD) and structural brain imaging (particularly using voxel-based morphometric [VBM] analyses) to examine lesion-symptom relations.

The first empirical chapter (Chapter 2) describes a neuropsychological study on the recognition and production of MF actions and the imitation of ML gestures, in patients with unilateral left or rightside brain damage (respectively: LBD and RBD patients). At a group level, LBD patient were worse in imitation than RBD patients only when novel transitive actions had to be reproduced, when both LBD and RBD differed from healthy participants, while intransitive gestures were generally easier to be executed. Also both transitive and intransitive action imitation tasks were correlated to action recognition. At a single subject level, however, there was evidence for some dissociated symptoms, suggesting that at least partially different mechanisms mediate the imitation of transitive and intransitive gestures and gesture production as opposed to recognition.

Chapter 3 presents a first attempt to use VBM to evaluate the relations between brain lesions and the symptoms of apraxia, contrasting the imitation of meaningful (familiar) and meaningless (unfamiliar) transitive and intransitive actions in a consecutive series of brain damaged patients.
Chapters 4 and 5 describe two investigations where VBM was again used in a large-scale lesionsymptom analysis of deficits in i) the recognition and generation to command of MF actions and the imitation of ML actions, and ii) the generation to command of different types of learned action
(transitive or intransitive gestures). All three investigations using VBM revealed common and differential neural substrates involved in the execution of the tasks considered, and the data are compatible with a model which posits that different processes are involved in MF and ML action execution, as well as in action understanding. The results also suggest that the distinction between transitive and intransitive actions may be included in an action reproduction system. In the final empirical chapter (Chapter 6), I report a study on PD patients tested for imitation of transitive and intransitive MF and ML actions, also relating their performance to the neurological/peripheral symptoms of the disease. This study revealed that PD patients were impaired in imitation, and they also had different pattern of deficit for transitive and intransitive actions. The correlation with peripheral symptoms was not significant, though there were correlations with underlying cognitive processes likely to support action production. Chapter 7 summarizes the different results and links them back to functional and neural accounts of action recognition, production and imitation. The relations between action production and recognition and other cognitive processes are discussed, as
are methodological issues concerning lesion-symptom mapping.


Objective: The main objective of this research was to develop and evaluate a Web-based mobile application (app) known as ''Diario Diabetes'' on both a technical and user level, by means of which individuals with diabetes may monitor their illness easily at any time and in any place using any device that has Internet access. Methods: The technologies used to develop the app were HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL, all of which are an open source. Once the app was developed, it was evaluated on a technical level (by measuring loading times) and on a user level, through a survey. Results: Different loading times for the application were measured, with it being noted that under no circumstances does this exceed 2 s. Usability was evaluated by 150 users who initially used the application. A majority (71%) of users used a PC to access the app, 83% considered the app's design to be attractive, 67% considered the tasks to be very useful, and 67% found it very easy to use. Conclusions: Although applications exist for controlling diabetes both at mobile virtual shops or on a research level, our app may help to improve the administration of these types of patients and they are the ones who will ultimately opt for one or the other. According to the results obtained, we can state that all users would recommend the app's use to other users.


Background Nutrients have been proposed to be related to metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aims of this study were to identify dietary patterns that correlated with several nutrients using reduced rank regression (RRR) and to examine the association between extracted dietary patterns and prevalence of MetS in a Japanese population. Methods The study population comprised 1,092 Japanese men and women (35–69 years old) who had participated in the baseline survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study in Tokushima Prefecture. Dietary patterns were derived with RRR using 46 food items as predictors and six established nutrients (potassium, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, insoluble dietary fiber, and carotene) as response variables. Associations between extracted dietary patterns and MetS were then examined with logistic regression models. Results Among the six dietary patterns, dietary pattern 1 (DP1) explained the largest proportion (60.1%) of variance in the six nutrients. Therefore, only DP1 was selected for further analysis. DP1 was characterized by high intake frequency of vegetables, fruits, fish and small fish, natto (fermented soybeans), and deep-fried tofu. After adjustment for potential confounders, significant inverse associations were found between DP1 score and MetS (odds ratio [OR] for each quartile: 1.00, 0.58, 0.60, 0.52; Ptrend = 0.02); DP1 and high blood pressure (Ptrend = 0.0002); and DP1 and high blood glucose (Ptrend = 0.02). Conclusion A dietary pattern characterized by high intake of vegetables, fruits, fish and small fish, natto, and deep-fried tofu was associated with reduced prevalence of MetS in a Japanese population.


Abstract Background: Identifying objective changes following an auditory training program is central to the assessment of the program's efficacy. Purpose: This study aimed (1) to objectively determine the efficacy of a 12-week auditory processing training (APT) program in individuals with autism spectrum disorder using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) and (2) to identify the top central AEP predictors of the overall score on the Test of Auditory Processing Skills-3 (TAPS-3), the primary behavioral outcome measure of the APT program published in our earlier article. Research Design: A one-group pretraining, posttraining design was used. Study Sample: The sample included 15 children and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Participants underwent the APT program consisting of computerized dichotic training, one-on-one therapist-directed auditory training, and the use of remote microphone technology at home and in the classroom. Data Collection and Analysis: All participants underwent pre- and posttraining auditory brain stem responses (ABRs), complex auditory brain stem responses (cABRs), and auditory late responses (ALRs). Test results from ABRs and ALRs were grouped based on scores obtained in their dominant and nondominant ears. Paired t-tests were used to assess the efficacy of the training program, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to assess the relationship between ALRs and the TAPS-3 overall summed raw score reported in our earlier article. Results and Conclusions: When compared with pretraining results, posttraining results showed shorter ABR latencies and larger amplitudes. The cABRs showed decreased latencies of the frequency following waves, a reduction in pitch error, and enhancement of pitch strength and phase shift. ALR results indicated shorter latencies and larger amplitudes. Our earlier article showed that the TAPS-3 overall score was significantly higher after training. This study showed that the top three ALR predictors of TAPS-3 outcomes were P1 amplitude in the dominant ear, and N1 amplitude in the dominant and nondominant ears.


This study details the research of three organi zations from the perspectives of complexity science and communities of practice. We conducted in-depth interviews with key leaders from three organizations: an organization for nursing leaders, a spiritual and self-development practice of the Jewish faith called Mussar, and an urban cohousing community. Meaningful connections between the interviewees' stories and 12 comprehensive elements of complex adaptive entities are discussed. From these findings, a relevant similarity dealing with community, specifically communities of practice, emerges, and we subsequently identify key elements of communities of practice among the three entities. The paper con cludes with lessons from our research to date as well as recommendations for future research.


Ornamental fruit plants have a good potential for the development of innovative products for the floriculture segment, and the ornamental pineapple has attracted a strong interest in this segment. This study aimed at characterizing and selecting new ornamental pineapple hybrids for the production of cut flowers, with emphasis on stem sinuosity and a nearly black color for fruits. Twenty-three morphological descriptors were studied in 26 hybrids developed from six progenies, involving different botanical varieties. These descriptors are among those published by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture for protection of cultivars. The 26 hybrids evaluated fitted in different use categories: 5 for the production of cut flowers, 11 as potted plants, 6 for the production of mini fruits, 6 for foliage and 26 for landscaping. One hybrid with sinuous stems to produce cut flowers and 12 hybrids bearing nearly black fruits for ornamental use were selected as a novelty for the flower market.


Electrochemical amperometric transducers monitor the electric current through the electrochemical cell and measure, with high sensitivity, the concentration of biological or chemical species. The present study examined the physical phenomena of mass transfer in the vicinity of an electrochemical sensor operating in flow conditions using a theoretical model. A three-dimensional (3-D) geometry of the electrochemical cell with computational fluid dynamic simulations of time-dependent convection and diffusion are used. The study focused mainly on the contribution of the convection, while migration due to ion movement by the electric field and kinetics limitations due to enzyme activity have been neglected. The concentration of the electroactive species from a thin layer close to the electrode is calculated by numerical simulations. This calculated concentration has been compared with the concentration obtained from the electric current measured by an amperometric experimental system. Comparison between the simulations and experimental patterns shows good agreement. Only a short delay at the onset of the measured experimental concentration was observed, compared to the simulation data. The source for the small disagreements could be connected to the manual procedures of the incomplete bubble removal in the experimental setup and to the migration effect that was neglected in the model assumptions.


This article engages with the language used by urban developers when planning areas of a city and how it influences the way media and social actors come to represent place. Its theoretical approach proposes a language of urban development based on Markus and Cameron's (2002) language of buildings concept, which looks at the discourse used by architects and promoters in the construction of buildings. An analysis of interviews with developers and social actors of the inner city of Johannesburg as well as media articles portraying the area shows a correlation between the discourse used by all three bodies in terms of both the Western aspiration of an urban development model and the importance of safety and cleanliness to signify accessibility of place in Johannesburg.


This study focused on social networks and business performance among Igbo businessmen in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria through the exploratory research design. Social exchange, social network and social capital theories were employed as theoretical framework. Twenty-six in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and case studies were conducted with purposively selected respondents in four business locations in Ibadan. The results showed that among the factors that facilitated migration of the Igbo to Ibadan were their interest to learn a trade, their inability to attain higher education, and having a relative in Ibadan. The types of social networks available showed that social network was not location bound, as all the respondents belonged to town progressive unions and mutual benefits/cooperative associations. Social networks played vital roles in business performance, including social support, access to loan, business growth and expansion. The main challenges to maintaining adequate social network in business were distrust, envy, unbridled competition, dishonesty and inability to keep terms of agreement. The study concludes that social networks have positively influenced the business performance of migrant Igbo in Ibadan. There is need for the Igbo to strengthen their social networks through honesty, forthrightness, and transparency in all their dealings.