The main aspects of this study, were the design, construction and performance of a freeze concentrator. The design process consists of three main parts: a vertical tube heat exchanger, an auger to scrape the ice formed and a
refrigeration unit to bring the temperature to below freezing. Basically, the freeze concentration process used involves ice formation from a juice solution at the surface of a vertical tube heat exchanger. The ice will be scraped by a rotating auger, which pushes it out through a window and collected in a reservoir. This results in a product of higher solute concentration than its concentration in the feed. The potential application of the freeze concentrator was experimented using sugar solutions at three different feed concentrations i.e. 7.5%, 10.3% and 12% brix, as well as pineapple juice at 11.4% brix. The freezing point depression for the solutions were respectively -l.O7°C, -l.15°C, -1.49°C and -1.49°C. The feed flow rates used for the solutions were respectively 0.65 Vmin, 0.5 Vmin, 0.43 Vmin and 0.45 Vmin. Using these process parameters, the total mass of ice after 180 min is 1.75kg for a feed of 7.5% brix and 1.46kg for a feed of 12% brix. From theoretical analysis, the expected total mass of ice produced is 2.6kg for the 7.5% brix and 1.97kg for the 12% brix solution. Therefore, the performance efficiency for the
freeze concentrator is around 67% of theory for all three sugar solutions. Base on the heat balance analysis, the overall thermal performance of this freeze concentration process for the three different feed concentrations shows that about 80010 of the refrigeration load is loss. If these losses were not considered, about 87% of the cooling energy transferred is for sensible heat removal and 13% for ice formation.


This report describes how the choice of kernel affects a non-parametric density estimation. Methods for accurate localisation of peaks in the estimated densities are developed for Gaussian and cos kernels. The accuracy and robustness of the peak localisation methods are studied with respect to noise, number of samples, and interference between peaks. Although the peak localisation is formulated in the framework of non-parametric density estimation, the results are also applicable to associative learning with localised responses.


During contract negotiations with startups, venture capitalists (VCs) can receive preferred stock with additional cash flow rights to yield a higher return than the common stock return. The common share price is currently used to calculate payoffs to limited partners (LPs), but incorporating contract terms can considerably change the payoff distribution. Realized proceeds to LPs reveal that VCs exercise all available cash flow rights. Such choices are most financially significant when startups have relatively low acquisition prices, which is also the most frequent outcome. Consequently, the current post-money valuation method is an overvaluation of the true price of all outstanding securities. Key Findings ▪ After constructing a novel dataset of realized proceeds to LPs, the author found that VCs exercise all the preferred stock cash flow rights available to them in their contracts. ▪ VCs invest relatively the same amount of money into startups that become failures, small acquisitions, large acquisitions, or IPOs. Because they are not able to accurately predict a startup's exit outcome, the cash flow rights accumulate into a significant amount for a fund. ▪ The post-money valuation calculation assumes common stock, and it is an overvaluation of the startup's true value that considers all outstanding securities.


In this paper a new approach for moving objects detection in video surveillance systems is proposed. It is based on iLBP (intensity local binary patterns) descriptor that combines the classic LBP (local binary patterns) and the multiple regressive pseudospectra model. The iLBP descriptor itself is considered together with computational algorithm that is based on the sign image representation. We show that motion analysis methods based on iLBP allow uniformly detecting objects that move with different speed or even stop for a short while along with unattended objects. We also show that proposed model is comparable to the most popular modern background models, but is significantly faster.


This article contributes to research that seeks to understand experiences of teenage motherhood. Specifically, it focuses on the stigma attached to teenage pregnancy and parenting. Negative stereotypes continue to dominate understandings of teenage pregnancy. Despite research to the contrary, teenage mothering is popularly linked to welfare dependency, promiscuity and irresponsibility. As a result, young mothers report experiences of stigma and discrimination. This paper builds on evidence of such experiences by using first-hand qualitative accounts of young parents to attempt to understand how young mothers cope with a stigmatising identity. Drawing on the work of Erving Goffman (1963,1967,1969), this paper describes how young mothers monitor the presentation of self in order to deflect judgment and blame. The evidence demonstrates that stigma is still an important and influential part of the experience of young motherhood.


Calcium (Ca2+) is a widely used second messenger in eukaryotes. Spatially-restricted and temporary variations in the concentration of Ca2+ in the cytosol or the nucleus mediate various physiological responses. This is the case of the pathways that control innate immunity or symbiosis in plants. In the first case, a cytosolic Ca2+ burst occurs upon pathogen perception and is required for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). A plasma membrane-localised channel is predicted to mediate this signal, but so far has not been identified. In the second, the Ca2+ oscillations required for establishment of rhizobial and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses occur in the nucleus. In Medicago truncatula, these are mediated by the potassium-permeable channel DOES NOT MAKE INFECTIONS 1 (DMI1) and the cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGC) 15a/b/c. These genes are conserved in non-symbiotic species, which suggests additional roles for nuclear Ca2+ signalling.
In this work, I screened a collection of Ca2+ channel mutants for ROS production upon perception of flg22, the immunogenic peptide of bacterial flagellin and an activator of innate immunity. This led to the identification of a triple mutant in the glutamate receptor-like family, glr3.1glr3.3aglr3.6a, which had a decreased ROS production and reduced induction of the defence gene NHL10, upon treatment with flg22.
Furthermore, using a Ca2+ sensor that allows distinction between nuclear and cytosolic Ca2+, I showed that nuclear Ca2+ oscillations, dependent on AtDMI1 and AtCNGC15, occur during normal root growth in Arabidopsis. dmi1 and cngc15 mutants had defects in root development, due to perturbations in endogenous auxin levels. For the first time, nuclear Ca2+ oscillations were linked to auxin-mediated signalling and a key developmental process in a non-symbiotic species.
This thesis highlights the dynamic complexity of Ca2+ signalling and the impact that understanding the mechanisms of Ca2+ influx can have in defence and development.
Keywords: Calcium, influx, CNGC, GLR, DMI1, defence, root development, auxin.


Recent studies have reported equivalent outcomes of arthroscopic and open shoulder stabilization. However, surgical strategy for shoulder instability is a challenging and controversial problem for surgeons that have to treat collision sport athletes. In fact, only few studies support the arthroscopic surgery for this group of patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of arthroscopic stabilization in a homogenous population of professional young athletes practicing in high-level collision sport. We treated 22 consecutive professional rugby players, with a mean age of 23.6 years, affected by traumatic anterior shoulder instability. All patients underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair with bone suture-anchors. Exclusion criteria were: failed previous shoulder surgery, atraumatic, multidirectional or posterior instability, bone defects greater than 20% of the anterior-inferior glenoid, engaging Hill-Sachs, rotator cuff tears, capsular-ligament avulsion on the humeral side (HAGL). Patients were evaluated according to Constant score, Rowe score and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for discomfort and handicap. The mean follow-up was 40.7 months (range, 6 to 87 months). All patients except one were able to return at the same previous sports level at 5 to 6 months postoperatively. Re-dislocation occurred in 3 players for high impact trauma during competition or training. Our results confirm that, also in the collision sport patients, anatomic arthroscopic Bankart repair is a good option for the treatment of traumatic anterior instability without associated lesions. .


The antigen-presenting role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I molecules in the activation of appropriately restricted T cells is well documented. Now growing evidence indicates that MHC Class I molecules can, in addition, exert a regulatory effect and influence the resulting immune responses. In this report we show that a monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against a conserved region of the human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-A, -B, and -C was able to inhibit proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced by the superantigen, Staphylococcus enterotoxin A. While anti-HLA inhibition was associated with a decrease in IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression, the addition of exogenous IL-2 did not restore the proliferative response in the presence of anti-HLA mAb. The inhibition of DNA synthesis was also associated with a decrease in the expression of the early activation marker CD69. These results suggest a critical role for HLA Class I molecules in the early events of human lymphocyte activation and proliferation as well as in their expression of the IL-2R.


The dependence of the refractive index of Bi12GeO20 on pressure (0.001 to 14 kbar) and temperature (20 to 330°C) is reported at different wavelengths between 0.5 and 0.7 μm. We have analyzed our data in terms of Kettler, Sellmeier–Drude, and Lorentz–Lorenz dispersion formulas; however, in close parallel with the results of our study of the ORD, it is found that even with these data no unique choice can be made among the various models such that all the data would be described by it. In order to make this choice, all of the data obtained from both the refractive and ORD studies were then considered. It is then found that a Sellmeier–Drude formula describes our data on n(λ) and the Agranovich-type formula is favored, though not overwhelmingly, for the ORD data of Bi12GeO20.


Objective: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism influence the circulating and cellular levels of ACE and has been shown to be a risk factor in a number of diseases including IgA nephropathy. We have investigated the association of ACE gene I/D polymorphism with the clinical presentation of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in Kuwaiti children. Materials and methods: The genotypes for ACE gene I/D polymorphism were determined in 102 subjects (54 INS cases and 48 healthy controls) using a PCR method. Results: The distribution of DD, ID and II genotypes was 70%, 20% and 10% in INS cases compared with 52%, 46% and 2% in the controls. The mean age of onset of the disease was significantly lower in the INS cases with DD genotype (37 months) compared with cases with II genotype (65 months, p < 0.05). The clinical manifestation of the disease was considerably severe in cases with DD genotypes compared with cases having ID and II genotypes. The INS cases with DD genotype also showed a significantly higher incidence of steroid sensitivity and steroid dependence. Seventy-three per cent of the INS cases with minimal change lesion had a DD genotype. Also 70% of the cases which needed cytotoxic drugs had DD genotype. Conclusion: Our data suggest an association of the D-allele of the ACE gene I/D polymorphism with the clinical manifestation of INS in Kuwaiti Arab children.


As the common materials of making cutting tool, the cemented carbide has been widelyused in all kinds of mechanical machining. Based on the manufacturing craft of the brazing welded cemented carbide cutting tools, according to the theory of engineering mechanics and fracture mechanics, the main factors are analyzed and studied which influence surface cracks of cutting tool from prefabricated stress σc, brazing stress σq, removable stress σw at heat preservation and extra stress σf several aspects in this paper. Then the author founded the math-mechanics model of forming the surface cracks and deduced the critical condition generated surface cracks in brazing welded cemented carbide cutting tools and puts forward several kinds of technology, crafts and methods restraining or minishing surface cracks of the cemented carbide cutting tools.


Anti-macrophage monoclonal antibody (Mab) D-11 was tested in surgical material and biopsies of non-epithelial tumors and tumor-like lesions from 181 patients in order to assess possibility of using this Mab for diagnosis of histiocytic tumors, malignant fibrous histiocytoma in particular. The study was performed in parallel on cryostat sections and smears by immuno-peroxidase method. It is established that D-11 reacts positively with both histiocytic tumors and tumors of other genesis this being a limiting factor in differential diagnosis of histiocytic tumors. However, taking into consideration 100% of positive results with histiocytic tumors only, this antibody can be used for exclusion of tumors studied from the group of histiocytomas in cases of negative reaction.


Shape is a fundamental morphological descriptor, significant in taxonomic research as well as in ecomorphology, one method of estimation being from digitally processed images. In the present study, were analysed shapes of  Q. petraea  crowns, pertaining to five different stem diameter classes, from three similar stands. Based on measurements on terrestrial digital vertical photos, crown size analysis was performed and correlations between crown and stem variables were tested. Linear regression equations between crown volumes and dbh, and crown volumes and stem volumes were derived, explaining more than half of data variability. Employment of elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA), a powerful analysis tool, permitted the extraction of the mean shape from crowns, characterized by high morphological variability. The extracted, most important, coefficients were used to reconstruct the average shape of the crowns, using Inverse Fourier Transform. A mean shape of the crown, corresponding to stand conditions in which competition is added as influential shaping factor, aside genetic program of the species, is described for each stem diameter class. Crown regions with highest shape variability, from the perspective of stage development of the trees, were determined. Accordingly, the main crown shape characteristics are: crown elongation, centroid position, asymmetry with regard to the main axis, lateral regions symmetrical and asymmetrical variations.


Background Depression following myocardial infarction (MI) independently increases risk for early cardiac morbidity and mortality. Studies suggest that somatic, but not cognitive, depressive symptoms are responsible for the increased risk. However, the effects of somatic depressive symptoms at follow-up, after sufficient time has elapsed to allow for physical recovery from the initial infarction, are not known. Our aim was to examine the relationship between cognitive and somatic depressive symptom dimensions at baseline and 12 months post-MI and subsequent mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. Method Patients were 2442 depressed and/or socially isolated men and women with acute MI included in the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) clinical trial. We used principal components analysis (PCA) of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) items to derive subscales measuring cognitive and somatic depressive symptom dimensions, and Cox regression with Bonferroni correction for multiple testing to examine the contribution of these dimensions to all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and first recurrent non-fatal MI. Results After adjusting for medical co-morbidity and Bonferroni correction, the somatic depressive symptom dimension assessed proximately following MI did not significantly predict any endpoints. At 12 months post-MI, however, this dimension independently predicted subsequent all-cause [hazard ratio (HR) 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–1.81] and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.17–2.18). No significant associations were found between the cognitive depressive symptom dimension and any endpoints after Bonferroni correction. Conclusions Somatic symptoms of depression at 12 months post-MI in patients at increased psychosocial risk predicted subsequent mortality. Psychosocial interventions aimed at improving cardiac prognosis may be enhanced by targeting somatic depressive symptoms, with particular attention to somatic symptom severity at 12 months post-MI.


The rebalancing rule applied to a multiasset class portfolio will have significant impact on both risk and return. All portfolios managed to a fixed-weight policy asset allocation using non-market-cap weights require periodic rebalancing because failure to rebalance drives realized asset weights further and further away from policy with the passage of time. The most common approach to rebalancing adopted by the registered investment advisor, broker/dealer, and bank trust department segments of the investment industry is fixed time (e.g., monthly or quarterly). This article demonstrates that frequent fixed-time rebalancing rules are the most harmful to both risk and return, serving to increase risk and to reduce return. Improvements can be made by rebalancing less frequently. Additional enhancements to both risk and return can be obtained by following rebalancing rules that reflect recent market behaviors (i.e., are path dependent).


The purpose of this study is to find out if the design of a course planned using language management systems, i. e. BlackBoard Learn, can improve the learning process and the effectiveness of a listening and speaking course investigating the perceptions of the learners. The study was conducted in the Listening and Speaking Course II during the second semester of the academic year 2019 at Koc University, Istanbul with 88 participants who started the academic year as false beginners. Despite their low proficiency level, the general expectation of the instructors and administration for learners is to pass the institutional proficiency exam within an academic year. Due to time constraints and pressure to help learners attain a higher proficiency level in a short time, the researchers decided to blend BlackBoardLearn into their course design to achieve "the optimal learning environment" as Marsh (2012) discussed. Based upon the research findings by Zhao (2003) that the use of technology alone may not produce the desired results, and the way it is used is more important, the researchers tried to design the course bearing in mind that factors such as "the delivery mode, task designs and materials, learners' expectations and preferences", (Alpala&Florez, 2011) may make a difference in the success of blending technology into language learning. Through the integration of online listening practice tasks and online speaking task submissions, the researchers tried to address the abovementioned issues in the course. In this way, they tried to create maximum exposure to the target language and promote self-paced learning, which also enhances student motivation and autonomy. In order to analyze this, the learners were given a questionnaire to find out about their perceptions regarding improvement in their listening and speaking skills. The findings were generally positive for both listening assignments and speaking tasks, yielding to important implications associated with online task designs.
Keywords: Blended Learning (BL), learning management systems, Blackboard Learn, listening and speaking skills, learner perceptions, course design


Purpose

– The 11th revision of the International Classification of diseases which sets global standards for defining, reporting and managing health conditions is under way. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) underpinning principle of clinical utility is currently poor for persons with Disorders of Intellectual Development (DID) and mental disorders. This impedes access to healthcare resources; services and social inclusion thereby further aggravating their vulnerability. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical overview and evidence informed recommendations within the context of an international collaborative programme, undertaken by the Faculty of Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors carried out: first, a systematic review (SR) of literature, using PRISMA guidelines regarding the reliability, validity and utility of the ICD-10/Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnostic criteria in people with DID (PWDID); second, a national and international consultation exercise with partners, stakeholders and experts; third, a multicentric survey of problem behaviours in PWDID; and finally, information dissemination/dialogues including presentations and workshops at key scientific events, consultation networking, data gathering and consensus building.

Findings

– The SR revealed a dearth of robust studies – most consisting of weak research methodologies. Significant difficulties were highlighted regarding the application of diagnostic criteria in the current classificatory systems – particularly in people with severe/moderate DID. Recommendations supported the introduction WHERE APPROPRIATE of modifications based on observed phenomena (signs) in PWDID in lieu of reported symptoms to facilitate DIAGNOSIS AND better access to healthcare and the community. Heterogeneity precluded quantitative pooling and meta-analysis. The consensus building exercise globally revealed that problem behaviours were the commonest reasons for referral to healthcare services with significant numbers without a diagnosed mental disorder being prescribed psychoactive medication.

Research limitations/implications

– The consensus gathering exercise WAS SELECTIVE AND did not cover all of the 194 member states of WHO due to resource and time constraints and this constitutes the main limitation of our study. Based on the SR and expert consensus, the authors submitted evidence informed pragmatic proposals to the WHO aimed at addressing the shortcomings of the ICD-10. The key recommendations focused on improving clinical utility within the context of epistemic iteration which would consolidate and strengthen the future evidence base. It was also recommended that self-injurious behaviour should form a standalone sub category in view of its relevance for healthcare services and resources which underpin clinical utility.

Practical implications

– The ICD-11 is a global, multidisciplinary and multilingual development for public health benefit with 70 per cent of the world's health expenditures assigned using this system for resource allocation. Currently mental disorders in PWDID can be misinterpreted, unrecognised and under reported resulting in barriers to access to treatment and healthcare resources. Conversely disorders may be over diagnosed when the inherent discrepancies between the chronological age and the developmental level of functioning are not considered. Conclusions and recommendations from this study will result in better diagnosis of mental disorders and healthcare resources in this population.

Social implications

– PWDID are a vulnerable sector of the population with an increased prevalence of mental health problems who are marginalised and discriminated by society. Early detection, treatment and management of these conditions will prevent further decompensation and stigmatisation.

Originality/value

– To the best of the authors knowledge this is the first comprehensive, large-scale study which evaluates the ICD classificatory system within the context of clinical utility for PWDID, including experts and stakeholders from both lower/middle- and high-income countries. The international consultation/consensus building process culminating in the formulation of evidence informed recommendations, aimed at improving the clinical utility of the ICD-11 for this population, has the potential to improve access to appropriate healthcare and treatment and consequent enhancement of their quality of life.


Tea sector of Sri Lanka earns US$ 1.6 billion net foreign exchange annually while caring over one million direct and indirect employments and 2.5 million dependents. Controlling of problematic weeds is important to maintain steady and quality crop levels in commercial tea. Real effectiveness of plant killer chemicals (weedicides) in commercial tea is questionable against the emergence of various unintended and unforeseen detrimental side effects on the eco-systems, human health and tea bushes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social benefits of Herbicide Free Integrated Weed Management (HFIWM) over chemical weeding in the commercial tea industry. A commercial scale trial on HFIWM was conducted in Hapuhastenne Estate, where natural regeneration of vegetation was allowed to form a ground cover, ceasing the usage of weedicides completely, whilst selective periodic removal of harmful weeds grown in the experimental tea area. These results were compared against the control plots of non-HFIWM tea area in the garden. Analysis showed an improvement in overall performance of tea bushes in the long run with HFIWM, enhancing the product quality and soil environment. Moreover HFIWM approach exhibits many direct and indirect benefits over chemical weeding in commercial tea in the lines of crop productivity, cost of inputs, public health, environment and the socio-economic factors. HFIWM approach was therefore, found economically, socially and environmentally more desirable. The study reveals HFIWM approach could be a sound solution to mitigate many of the constraints faced by the present day commercial tea industry in Sri Lanka.


Recent studies of fund manager performance find evidence of outperformance. However limited research exists as to whether such outperformance is because of privately collected information, or merely expedient interpretation of publicly released information. In this study, we examine the trade sequences of active Australian equity fund managers around earnings announcements to provide insights into the source of fund managers' superior information. We document an increased occurrence of buy-sell trade sequences around good-news earnings announcements. The evidence is consistent with fund managers having both private information about forthcoming good-news earnings announcements and being 'short-term profiteers'. We find no evidence that fund managers have private information about forthcoming bad-news earnings announcements. However, we do find an increase in the frequency of fund managers not trading before bad-news earnings announcements only to subsequently sell during announcements.


Objective: To examine the effect of Protemp4:chitosan:nanodiamond bioactive containing modified materials and compare the protective activity of the propolis (Brazilian) and copaiba oil as bio-active additives to compare with N-acetyl cysteine in vitro . Materials and Methods: The bioactive modified temporary materials were prepared by dispersion of the corresponding component with the addition of commercially available temporary restorative material (Protemp 4). The surface morphology (SEM) of the freshly prepared temporization restorative materials. The physicochemical properties such flexural and compressive strength for the bio-active modified materials have been measured and are reported. The effect of the bioactive addition to the commercially available temporary materials and nanodiamond modified variants of bioactive modified temporization materials such as Protemp 4 swelling capacity, free radical quenching ability of the material as well as release of bio-active of copaiba oil and Propolis (Brazilian) were evaluated. Results: The SEM images were obtained to characterize the microstructure of the freeze-dried gels. The surface of the modified and of the Protemp 4 materials is structurally consistent and the collapse of the surface pores may be due to artifacts (freeze-drying process). Antioxidant capacity of the Propolis (Brazilian) and Copaiba Oil have been compared in the investigation and are showed superior properties in their ability to quench the excessive free radical formation in the well calibrated BSA solubility system. The additional benefits of using Propolis (Brazilian) and Copaiba Oil lies in the well documented effects of bioactives on altering the surface of the temporary restoration by a deposition of bio-active resin of propolis or copaiba oil and therefore possibly as a barrier to Candida species and also prevents formation of the biofilm. Mean fracture strengths of the four provisional materials ranged from 75 to 160 MPa. The value for Protemp 4 material was measure to be 110±12 MPa, which is well within manufacture specification. Mean compressive strengths ranged from 180 to 300 MPa. The value for Protemp 4 material was measure to be 230±15 MPa, which is well within manufacture specification. Bioactive cumulative release profile of bioactives from copaiba and Propolis (Brazilian) containing Protemp 4 modified materials samples were investigated and quantified in PBS and pH 4. The correlation between the force and work of adhesion in all modified materials and is noticeable in all the modified Protemp 4 variants. Conclusion: The materials were tested using effective in-vitro development of "dual function temporary restorative materials. We quantified the effects of functional designer biomaterials on the dentin bioadhesion, measure compressive and flexural strength of the bio-active nano diamond containing materials in comparison to the commercially available Protemp 4 temporary material. Within the limitations of the study design chitosan: nanodiamond based additives are suitable materials for functional temporary restorative applications in vitro . Cytotoxicity data is currently being evaluated in our laboratory.


PURPOSE To evaluate the early and midterm outcomes after stent-graft implantation for dissection in the descending thoracic aorta. METHODS Sixteen custom-made endovascular stent-grafts were implanted in 15 patients (10 men; mean age 55.9 +/- 13.7 years, range 32-82) with descending thoracic aortic dissection. Indications for stent-graft implantation were persistent symptoms unresponsive to medical treatment or progressive enlargement of the false lumen. Clinical and imaging surveillance with computed tomography was performed within 1 month of the procedure and at 3 to 6-month intervals in follow-up. RESULTS Endovascular stent-graft implantation at the target site was successful in 14 (93%) patients; 1 device migrated, leaving the false lumen open to flow in the failed case. One (7%) patient who was treated emergently for rupture died suddenly 2 days after the procedure. Over an average follow-up of 31.5 +/- 23.8 months, 1 (7%) patient died and 2 (14%) patients underwent surgical treatment due to recurrent dissection. The remaining 10 patients showed complete thrombosis of the false lumen; in 3, the false lumen completely resolved. CONCLUSIONS Endovascular stent-graft implantation in descending thoracic aortic dissection is a feasible, safe, and effective treatment modality. However, further studies are necessary in a greater number of patients to determine if wider application of this minimally invasive procedure is justified.


The aim of this work was to identify the circulation weather types associated with flood events that occurred in Catalonia (Northeastern Spain) during the period 1900–2010. To achieve this objective, 261 extraordinary and catastrophic flood and flash flood events that were recorded during this period were characterized and classified based on impact data. A preliminary analysis of maximum precipitation and discharge was conducted in order to have some quantitative hydrometeorological indicators associated with these kinds of events. The objective classification developed by Jenkinson and Collison, which is based on differences in synoptic patterns according to surface pressure, was implemented. Once the weather regimes for each flood event had been established, a statistical and comparative analysis was performed that allowed us to determine which synoptic patterns were more frequently associated with the different flood types, their differences and their similarities. The results show that most synoptic situations were pure cyclonic structures, in both extraordinary and catastrophic events, although they were more frequent in the latter. Catastrophic floods generally had a synoptic origin enhanced by certain mesoscale factors, while extraordinary floods were usually associated with local flash floods that occurred primarily in summer and early autumn, highlighting the undetermined types that were not reflected at a synoptic scale. As the Mediterranean basin is a region where floods cause serious socio‐economic impacts, this work will help improve prevention measures and provide information for policymakers, mainly for land‐use planning and early warning systems.


Background Characteristics of lung function impairment in bronchiectasis is not fully understood. Objectives To determine the factors associated with lung function impairment and to compare changes in spirometry during bronchiectasis exacerbation and convalescence (1 week following 14-day antibiotic therapy). Methods We recruited 142 patients with steady-state bronchiectasis, of whom 44 with acute exacerbations in the follow-up were included in subgroup analyses. Baseline measurements consisted of chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), sputum volume, purulence and bacteriology, spirometry and diffusing capacity. Spirometry, but not diffusing capacity, was examined during acute exacerbations and convalescence. Results In the final multivariate models, having bronchiectasis symptoms for 10 years or greater (OR = 4.75, 95%CI: 1.46–15.43, P = 0.01), sputum culture positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (OR = 4.93, 95%CI: 1.52–15.94, P<0.01) and HRCT total score being 12 or greater (OR = 7.77, 95%CI: 3.21–18.79, P<0.01) were the major variables associated with FEV1 being 50%pred or less; and the only variable associated with reduced DLCO was 4 or more bronchiectatic lobes (OR = 5.91, 95%CI: 2.20–17.23, P<0.01). Overall differences in FVC and FEV1 during exacerbations and convalescence were significant (P<0.05), whereas changes in other spirometric parameters were less notable. This applied even when stratified by the magnitude of FEV1 and DLCO reduction at baseline. Conclusion Significant lung function impairment should raise alert of chest HRCT abnormality and sputum culture positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in patients with predominantly mild to moderate steady-state bronchiectasis. Acute exacerbations elicited reductions in FVC and FEV1. Changes of other spirometric parameters were less significant during exacerbations. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01761214


Highway pavement maintenance is very expensive not only in terms of costs to the responsible agencies, but also in terms of disruptive delays to users. Construction and maintenance activities on two-lane, two-way highways often require the closure of one travel lane. Longer work zones and the longer cycle times associated with such zones tend to increase the user delay costs. Maintenance work can be performed more efficiently, i.e., with fewer repeated setups, in longer zones. A mathematical model is developed to optimize the work zone length and traffic control on two-lane, two-way highways where one lane at a time is closed. The objective is to minimize the total cost, including the agency cost and user delay cost. Unbalanced traffic flows in both directions are considered. The optimized variables (e.g., work zone length and cycle time) and the sensitivity results generated from a numerical example are presented in this study.


In this issue of Neurology®, Klovegard et al.1 examine epilepsy mortality using a wide-angle lens, looking beyond sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) to other direct and indirect causes of epilepsy-related deaths. They found that most deaths in children and adults <50 years old were directly or indirectly related to epilepsy. Thus, epilepsy may be the leading cause of lost potential years of life among neurologic disorders. This population-based study of all Danish children and young adults provides critical insights and raises concerns about the limits of our knowledge.


You are on a surgical firm, when a call comes through from a local general practitioner regarding one of his patients whom he is sending urgently to the emergency department by ambulance. The patient is a 43 year old woman, who presented this morning with sudden onset of severe abdominal pain. The pain is diffuse, constant in nature, and associated with nausea and vomiting. Initially, the patient had diarrhoea, but has now developed complete constipation. On examination she has pyrexia, tachycardia, and a rigid abdomen. The white cell count and inflammatory markers are raised. When the patient was 3 months old she had an operation for intussusception. Fifteen years ago she had a similar episode and at laparotomy, bowel obstruction secondary to adhesions was diagnosed--approximately 20 cm of small bowel was removed. She has been fit and healthy since. When you meet the woman in the emergency …


The first episode of psychosis is a challenging time for both patients and those who care for them. Although literature on treatment is plentiful, literature on how to best support caregivers is more scarce. This review was undertaken to better understand the caregiver experience, determine which interventions most effectively alleviate their burden and examine which other factors may affect outcomes.


We introduce our approach to the nominative linkage of records of Qing officials who were included in the China Government Employee Datasets-Qing (CGED-Q) Jinshenlu (JSL) and Examination Records (ER). We constructed these datasets by transcription of quarterly rosters of civil and military officials produced by the government and by commercial presses, and records of examination degree holders. We assess each of the primary attributes available in the original sources in terms of their usefulness for disambiguation, focusing on their diversity and potential for inconsistent recording. For officials who were not affiliated with the Eight Banners, these primary attributes include surname, given name, and province and county of origin. For the small subset of officials who were affiliated with the Bannermen, we assess the available data separately. We also assess secondary attributes available in the data that may be useful for adjudicating candidate matches. We then describe the approach that we developed that addresses the issues we identified with the primary and secondary attributes. The issues we have identified and the approach that we have developed will be of interest to researchers engaged in similar efforts to construct and link datasets based on elite males in historical China.


In order to perform a continuous cold rolling of steel sheets, hot rolled coils need to be attached to each other in order to get an endless sheet. This process can be achieved by laser key-hole welding as well. The structure and mechanical properties (e.g. hardness) of the welded joint without added metal, as well its heat affected zone differs significantly from the base metal. During our laboratory experiments the aptitude of cold rolling of joints and their environment, as well as the change in the features of materials was analyzed. During the rolling phases the hardness of the joint is higher than the ground structure, the strip thickness is modified depending on the difference of the hardness during the passes. According to our findings, the significant difference in measured hardness profile and texture structure prior to cold rolling and during cold rolling is minimized due to a recrystallisation annealing treatment following the cold rolling procedure. It is obvious that the normalization before cold rolling has advantageous effect to the properties of the welded joint. Elongation of the normalized samples is bigger than elongation of the non normalized samples.


On the one hand, the challenge of meeting various security requirements in the mobile and wireless environment is difficult, compared to the fixed and wired environment, because of the very nature of radio communications. On the other hand, wireless networks such as GSM, PCS and CDMA, which are predominantly circuit-switched voice networks, have been shielded from the vulnerabilities that exist in the Internet. With the introduction of the IP multimedia subsystems (IMS) solutions, data, voice and video is accessible using UMTS and CDMA2000 networks via the Internet. The current mobile equipment has the capability to work with multiple radio interfaces using heterogeneous radio access networks. Mobile subscribers have also become truly mobile since they are not constrained by mobile equipment, networks and applications. However, information between individuals has to be protected. Therefore, there exist always the notion of private and public communications. In the mobile and wireless environment, the challenge is private communications between peers over non private domains. This paper describes schemes offering secure communications between mobile nodes using virtual private networking technologies based on IP security (IPSec). In addition, mobility management is done using mobile IP along with route-optimization techniques. This paper also describes how latencies suffered by real-time traffic when traversing IPSec and mobile IP tunnels can be reduced so that real-time delay constraints can be meet.


1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130041, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130041, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Dermatology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130041, People's Republic of China Background: SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine), also known as osteonectin, BM-40, and 43 K protein, is a matricellular protein associated with various tumor progressions. The aim of this research was to investigate the prognostic value of SPARC in endometrial carcinoma (EC) and its function in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Methods: From both mRNA and protein levels, SPARC expression in normal endometrial tissue and EC tissue, normal endometrial cells and 4 EC cell lines (KLE, HEC-1A, HEC-1B, Ishikawa) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or immunocytochemistry (ICC), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. RNA interference mediated by lentivirus was performed to get the stable SPARC down-expressing cells. The functional analysis techniques in vitro and in vivo were used to detect the effects of SPARC knockdown on EC cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. Results: The expressions of SPARC in EC tissues and cells were much lower than those in normal endometrial cells and tissues; meanwhile, its low expression was closely related to the malignant clinicopathological characteristics of EC. SPARC knockdown could inhibit apoptosis, promote the process of EMT and improve the proliferation and invasion capacities of EC cells in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: The low expression of SPARC was detected in EC tissues and cells, which was positively correlated with the poor prognosis of EC patients. SPARC acted as a tumor suppressor gene that hindered EC progression, which proposed a new therapeutic strategy for EC treatment.


This study examines how socio-economic characteristics of households, local conditions, and public programmes are associated with the probability that a farm household in rural Malawi is food insecure. The statistical analysis uses nationally representative data for 8350 randomly-selected households interviewed during 2004/05 for the second Malawi Integrated Household Survey. Regressions are estimated separately for households in the north, centre, and south of Malawi to account for spatial heterogeneity. Results of a multilevel logit model reveal that households are less likely to be food insecure if they have larger cultivated land per capita, receive agricultural field assistance, reside in a community with an agricultural cooperative and relatively high annual rainfall, and are headed by an individual with a high school degree. Factors that positively correlate with household food insecurity are price of maize, price of fertiliser, number of household members, and distance to markets. Implications of these findings for policy are discussed.


We address two difficulties in establishing an accurate system for image matching. First, image matching relies on the descriptor for feature extraction, but the optimal descriptor often varies from image to image, or even patch to patch. Second, conventional matching approaches carry out geometric checking on a small set of correspondence candidates due to the concern of efficiency. It may result in restricted performance in recall. We aim at tackling the two issues by integrating adaptive descriptor selection and progressive candidate enrichment into image matching. We consider that the two integrated components are complementary: The high-quality matching yielded by adaptively selected descriptors helps in exploring more plausible candidates, while the enriched candidate set serves as a better reference for descriptor selection. It motivates us to formulate image matching as a joint optimization problem, in which adaptive descriptor selection and progressive correspondence enrichment are alternately conducted. Our approach is comprehensively evaluated and compared with the state-of-the-art approaches on two benchmarks. The promising results manifest its effectiveness.


Potential violent criminals will often need to go through a sequence of preparatory steps before they can execute their plans. During this escalation process police have the opportunity to evaluate the threat posed by such people through what they know, observe and learn from intelligence reports about their activities. In this paper we customise a three-level Bayesian hierarchical model to describe this process. This is able to propagate both routine and unexpected evidence in real time. We discuss how to set up such a model so that it calibrates to domain expert judgments. The model illustrations include a hypothetical example based on a potential vehicle based terrorist attack.


Background Gestational hypertensive diseases (GHD) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. However, the association between gestational medical diseases and familial history of CVD has not been investigated to date. In the present study, we examined the association between familial history of CVD and GHD or GDM via reliable questionnaires in a large cohort of registered nurses. Methods The Korean Nurses' Survey was conducted through a web-based computer-assisted self-interview, which was developed through consultation with cardiologists, gynecologists, and statisticians. We enrolled a total of 9,989 female registered nurses who reliably answered the questionnaires including family history of premature CVD (FHpCVD), hypertension (FHH), and diabetes mellitus (FHDM) based on their medical knowledge. Either multivariable logistic regression analysis or generalized estimation equation was used to clarify the effect of positive family histories on GHD and GDM in subjects or at each repeated pregnancy in an individual. Results In this survey, 3,695 subjects had at least 1 pregnancy and 8,783 cumulative pregnancies. Among them, 247 interviewees (6.3%) experienced GHD and 120 (3.1%) experienced GDM. In a multivariable analysis adjusted for age, obstetric, and gynecologic variables, age at the first pregnancy over 35 years (adjusted OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.02–2.43) and FHpCVD (adjusted OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.16–2.22) were risk factors for GHD in individuals, whereas FHH was not. FHDM and history of infertility therapy were risk factors for GDM in individuals (adjusted OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.86–3.86; 1.84, 95% CI 1.05–3.23, respectively). In any repeated pregnancies in an individual, age at the current pregnancy and at the first pregnancy, and FHpCVD were risk factors for GHD, while age at the current pregnancy, history of infertility therapy, and FHDM were risk factors for GDM. Conclusions The FHpCVD and FHDM are significantly associated with GHD and GDM, respectively. Meticulous family histories should be obtained, and women with family histories of these conditions should be carefully monitored during pregnancy.


Abstract News camera operators are among the first responders to crises, emergencies, and other human suffering. This study is an attempt in the literature to explore trauma exposure and coping in news camera operators who are likely to experience primary and secondary traumatization simultaneously. Qualitative data from 20 news camera operators were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two superordinate themes emerged: (a) physical and psychological impact and (b) strategies of coping. The results highlight challenges associated with the work of news camera operators. Mental health support and training for this group of media professionals are strongly recommended at the undergraduate and/or organizational levels.


The enhanced role of human actions brings new escalating conservation challenges and emerging diseases, which pressure impaired long-term survival of threatened free-ranging and captive wildlife species, while having hazardous effects on ecosystems and public health. Veterinarians have not only a broad education in comparative medicine (not a single-species focus) but also are also highly trained in recognizing, diagnosing and understanding disease impact on public health as well as on individuals, populations and whole ecosystems. Their skills and expertise turns them into valuable key players in planning, implementing and effectively assisting both in-situ and ex-situ conservation projects. In parks and zoological gardens, major goals have now won priority: the conservation of worldwide fauna and flora and the protection of animal welfare. Today, animal welfare can be scientifically assessed to determine the quality of life of individuals, in which behavioral assessment and behavioral enrichment are fundamental tools.


A simple and effective method to extend the characteristic basis function pattern (CBFP) method to multiple frequencies is presented. Transformation matrices are generated from simulated basis functions at each frequency of interest. By computing model coefficients, by means of a singular value decomposition (SVD) to enhance accuracy over a wide bandwidth, using a few directional measurements of any given pattern at a single frequency, linear algebra is applied to extract expansion coefficients at any other frequency within the model's range by utilising the transformation matrices. For cases where a large number of basis functions is required, k-sparse approximation of the expansion coefficients is used to improve accuracy. The full radiation pattern at all frequencies is then recovered from a single frequency measurement using the extracted expansion coefficients. Simulation results show a maximum pattern recovery error below -40 dB across a bandwidth ratio of up to 10 : 1.


ABSTRACT Recent research suggests at least half of community college faculty who are teaching part-time would rather have a full-time appointment (Cashwell, 2009; Kramer, Gloeckner, & Jacoby, 2014). Little is known, however, about what distinguishes those voluntarily teaching part-time from those preferring a full-time faculty position. This inquiry draws from person-job fit theory to investigate adjunct faculty members' abilities and qualifications, as well as their needs from the job itself (Edwards, 1994). Participants were 1,245 adjunct faculty teaching in 10 community colleges during the spring 2016 term. Two thirds of the participants were at least somewhat interested in becoming full-time faculty at a postsecondary institution, with 47% expressing strong, immediate interest in such a position. An ordered logistic regression model indicated that several dimensions of qualifications, job experiences, and socio-demographics predicted employment preference. Part-time faculty with higher levels of recent teaching experience in the community college setting were more likely to express a strong desire for a full-time position, as were adjuncts who utilized more job-related resources. Those who viewed the recognition and rewards given for adjunct job performance as adequate tended to be content in a part-time role. In terms of demographic characteristics, involuntarily part-time faculty were more likely to indicate economic need and self-identify as African American or Hispanic. The findings illustrate how careful attention to the distinctive backgrounds, experiences, and attitudes of part-time faculty subgroups may help college and university administrators more intentionally design policies and programs to better meet the needs of their increasingly diverse constituents.


Usually, glass fibers in concrete permit the increase of the flexural strength. But the fibers in contact with cement are quickly degraded by alkali reactions due to the presence of portlandite. This article presents the results of investigations carried out to study the influence of curing conditions on the durability of alkali-resistant glass fibers in a cement matrix. Test results showed that alkali resistant fibers treated with zirconium oxide, present the same degradation phenomenon. The used cement nature has a large influence on the protection of the fibers. In addition, the degradation is weakened when silica fumes are added, owing to the pozzolanic effect that decreases the portlandite quantity. In spite of those different ameliorations, the use of such materials in humid environment is proving to be risky. The used techniques to study those phenomena are SEM equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDX) to observe the attack microstructures of the fibers and X-ray diffraction to quantify the portlandite and other phase development.


British Journal of Midwifery • November 2014 • Vol 22, No 11 The mental health profile has been raised in recent months, and about time. In 2010/11 over 1.25 million adults accessed NHS services for severe or enduring mental health problems (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2014). The death of actor, Robin Williams in August this year highlighted that mental illness does not discriminate. It affects young and old, rich and poor, men and women. It has been reported that up to 20% of women experience mental health problems in the perinatal period (Bauer et al, 2014). Of these, only 40% are diagnosed and 3% experience permanent recovery. According to a report commissioned by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA), the long-term effects of substandard mental health care for pregnant women are costing the UK more than £8 billion a year. A fifth of this is attributed to the NHS and social services, the rest to society through factors such as loss of earnings and the economic effect of suicide (Bauer et al, 2014). The MMHA report estimated that it would only cost £337 million a year to bring maternal mental health care up to recommended levels around the country. Dr Alain Gregoire, Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Perinatal Psychiatry and Chair of MMHA believes that 'increasing spread of excellent mental health work by midwives needs to be supported and informed by local specialist services throughout the UK.' In 40% of England and Scotland, 70% of Wales and 80% of Northern Ireland there are no specialist perinatal mental health service at all (Bauer et al, 2014). Fewer than 15% of the UK have comprehensive provision. Despite England and Scotland faring sightly better, of the 211 clinical commissioning groups, only 3% have formal strategies in place for perinatal mental health. This is not acceptable. Dr Alain Gregoire presented at the International Marce Society Scientific biennial conference in Swansea (p820) where he spoke of the disparity between mental and physical maternity services in the UK. He also discussed the opportunity that the promotion of perinatal mental health provided for equity, and investment in health and social care systems. I believe that in order to bridge this gap in care provision, we need to start with education. In last month's issue of BJM, Patricia Jarrett (2014) explored the attitudes of student midwives of caring for women with mental health problems in the East end of London. Although this was a small study and we cannot generalise to the whole population, the results suggests there are gaps in the knowledge and practice of soon-to-be-qualified midwives towards women with additional emotional and psychological needs during the perinatal period. Worryingly, the research found that 'students use cultural and illness stereotypes in their identification and provision of care of women with perinatal mental health problems. Students were often critical of evidence-based practice or neglected to use evidence in their care of women with mental health problems' (Jarrett, 2014: 723–4). For local specialist services to exist throughout the UK, it is imperative that every midwife receives adequate training to understand the complexity and sensitivity of perinatal mental health issues. This will go some way to help women receive the best possible individualised and holistic maternity care. BJM


Subjects for this study were graduate students enrolled in inferential statistics classes at a midwestern university. The study was conducted to determine the importance of spatial ability, attitudes toward mathematics, mathematical background, masculinity-femininity of interest pattern, attitudes toward feminist issues, student sex, and verbal and mathematical ability as predictors of achievement in applied statistics courses for male and female students. Regression analyses were performed comparing full versus restricted models. The amount of variance in statistics achievement accounted for in the full model which included all the previously mentioned sets of predictor variables was .60. The most important predictor variable set was attitudes toward feminist issues (reduction in R2 = .1861). Sex-related differences were found on all variable sets except verbal and mathematical ability.


Cyanobacteria are a highly diverse group in relation to form, function, and habitat. Current cyanobacterial systematics relies on the observation of minor and plastic morphological characters. Accurate and reliable delineation of toxic and bloom-forming strains of cyanobacteria has not been possible by traditional methods. We have designed general primers to the phycocyanin operon (cpc gene) and developed a PCR which allows the amplification of a region of this gene, including a variable intergenic spacer sequence. Because of the specificity of this PCR for cyanobacterial isolates, the assay is appropriate for the rapid and reliable identification of strains in freshwater samples. Successive restriction endonuclease digestion of this amplification product, with a total of nine enzymes, yielded many identifying DNA profiles specific to the various taxonomic levels of cyanobacteria. The restriction enzyme profiles for MspI, RsaI, and TaqI were conserved for strains within each of the eight genera (40 strains) studied and clearly discriminated among these genera. Intrageneric delineation of strains was revealed by the enzymes AluI, CfoI, and HaeIII for members of the genus Microcystis, while strains of genus Anabaena were differentiated by the digestion patterns provided by AluI, CfoI, and ScrFI. Phenetic and cladistic analyses of the data were used to infer the genetic relatedness and evolution of toxic and bloom-forming cyanobacteria.


In all of the video coding standards like H.26X and MPEG-X, much of the compression comes from motion compensated prediction (MCP). Translational motion vectors (MVs) poorly model complex motion and thus coders using polynomial or affine MVs have been proposed in the past. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel affine predictor stage which can be easily incorporated into current codecs greatly increasing MCP quality. If used passively to generate the final prediction, gains of up to 0.7 and 1.6 dB were easily realized for ldquomobilerdquo and ldquoflower gardenrdquo video sequences, respectively. In addition, when the translational MVs are refined, gains of up to 0.98 and 1.88 dB for ldquomobilerdquo and ldquoflower gardenrdquo video sequences were respectively realized.


This paper investigates the defects that exist in the blocking probability and the cost of establishing light-tree in the multicast routing algorithm with sparse splitting capability constraint based on the Virtual Source (VS). It proposes a new multicast routing algorithm N_VSBA (New Virtual Source Based Algorithm). By introducing the minimum interference routing algorithm in the path calculation among the VS nodes, this new algorithm solves the problem of blocking caused by establishing the light-tree through a pre-computed path when two VS nodes concentrate. This algorithm also solves the problem of VS-based algorithm's not being able to utilize the TaC (Tap and Continue) capability of indecomposable optical nodes by introduction of MPH (Minimum Path-cost Heuristic) algorithm into the process of adding light-tree into indecomposable nodes. Simulation results show that the new algorithm has improvements of different degrees in aspects of blocking probability, average number of wavelength links and average maximum number of wavelength.


Objective: The efficacy of oral administration of Melissa officinalis essential oil (MOEO) on hyperalgesia was investigated using the formalin test in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Animals were divided into control, MOEO-treated control (0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 mg/day), diabetic and MOEO-treated diabetic (0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 mg/day) groups. Nociceptive testing was performed on male adult Wistar rats 4 weeks after the onset of hyperglycemia. At the end of the experiment, all rats were weighed and plasma glucose measurements were performed. Results: Diabetes was associated with significant hyperalgesia during both phases of the formalin test. MOEO (0.04 mg/day) completely reversed hyperalgesia in diabetic rats, while MOEO (0.02 and 0.04 mg/day) caused less intensive nociceptive behaviors during both phases of the test in control rats. MOEO at both high doses restored euglycemia and reduced the body weight of treated diabetic animals compared to untreated diabetic animals. The 0.01-mg dose of MOEO did not alter pain responses in the control or diabetic groups compared to their respective controls. Conclusions: This study shows that chronic administration of MOEO displays efficacy in an experimental model of diabetic hyperalgesia. MOEO may therefore show promise as a treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy.


Differential mechanisms allow the designers of robotic and prosthetic grippers and hands to create devices that require a minimal number of motors in order to grasp a plethora of everyday life objects, leading to light-weight, compact, and low-cost implementations. The working principle of differential mechanisms is simple. They allow the distribution of the forces exerted by a single actuator to multiple outputs (e.g., fingers). This reduction in the number of motors leads to underactuation, which is the use of fewer motors than the available degrees of freedom. But differentials need also to be power-efficient, compact, adaptive, and lightweight. Most of the existing solutions lack at least one of these attributes. In this paper, we focus on the design, modeling, and development of a compact, adaptive, series elastic differential. The proposed mechanism consists of four elastic elements connected in series with the four output attachments. The compression of the elastic elements during grasping allows the gripper or hand to conform to the object's shape. The efficiency of the differential mechanism is experimentally validated using two different types of experiments, measuring: i) the maximum achievable tension load at the outputs, and ii) the maximum achievable compliance of a single output when all other outputs are blocked. The proposed differential has been employed for the development of a gripper and its efficiency has been assessed by executing grasping tasks with several everyday life objects. The device can be easily replicated using additive manufacturing and off-the-shelf materials and is disseminated in an open-source manner.


Santa Ana Winds (SAWs) are an integral feature of the regional climate of Southern California/Northern Baja California region, but their climate‐scale behavior is poorly understood. In the present work, we identify SAWs in mesoscale dynamical downscaling of a global reanalysis from 1948 to 2012. Model winds are validated with anemometer observations. SAWs exhibit an organized pattern with strongest easterly winds on westward facing downwind slopes and muted magnitudes at sea and over desert lowlands. We construct hourly local and regional SAW indices and analyze elements of their behavior on daily, annual, and multidecadal timescales. SAWs occurrences peak in winter, but some of the strongest winds have occurred in fall. Finally, we observe that SAW intensity is influenced by prominent large‐scale low‐frequency modes of climate variability rooted in the tropical and north Pacific ocean‐atmosphere system.


As part of an effort to be a world leader in international efforts in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, the UK Government has set itself ambitious targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80% relative to 1990 levels by 2050. To meet this target, there is a strong emphasis in reducing carbon emissions from the domestic sector through the reduction of energy consumption in UK households by improving the energy efficiency of the housing stock, and the behaviours of the occupants. The Department of Energy and Climate Change have indicated that Local Authorities in England are potentially to work in partnership with businesses and community organizations to facilitate delivery; and as a promoter of domestic energy efficiency policies. Consultation with 11 Local Authorities across England confirmed that they are lacking a reliable mechanism that can detect areas within their administrative boundaries that are most in need of intervention to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock. For the year 2008 the regression models demonstrate that geographical variations in the size of the house, median household income, and air temperature account for 64% of the variation in English domestic gas consumption, and that variations in the size of the house, median household income, and proportion of households connected to the national gas grid account for 73% of the variation in domestic electricity consumption. The predicted values from these regression models serve as benchmarks of domestic gas and electricity consumption in England having accounted for household income, house size, house type, tenure, and climatic differences and could be used to identify areas within Local Authorities with higher than expected energy consumption for energy efficiency interventions. These results contribute to the wider academic debate over how best to achieve the overall aims of household CO2 reductions by moving beyond a purely technical or behavioural-based approach to reducing domestic energy consumption.


The purpose of the study is to build a relaxation system which can control a user's body condition, changing the operation mode and intensity of the massage seat according to the user's current condition. Heart rate is an index of human conditions which can be easily measured, and it has chaotic dynamics. We show relations between the intensity of the massage operation and two indices which express chaotic properties such as correlation dimension and Lyapunov exponent. These data are indispensable for building a feedback loop between the relaxation system and a user.


Abstract Background and Objectives To determine how the wellbeing of carers of people with dementia is understood and measured in contemporary health research. Research Design and Methods A systematic review of reviews was designed, registered with PROSPERO, and then conducted. This focused on systematic reviews of research literature published from 2010 onwards; with the wellbeing of carers of people with dementia being a primary focus. N = 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. Quality appraisal was conducted using the AMSTAR tool (2015). A narrative synthesis was conducted to explore how wellbeing is currently being understood and measured. Results Contemporary health research most frequently conceptualizes wellbeing in the context of a loss–deficit model. Current healthcare research has not kept pace with wider discussions surrounding wellbeing which have become both more complex and more sophisticated. Relying on the loss–deficit model limits current research in understanding and measuring the lived experience of carers of people with dementia. There remains need for a clear and consistent measurement of wellbeing. Discussion and Implications Without clear consensus, health professionals must be careful when using the term "wellbeing". To help inform healthcare policy and practice, we offer a starting point for a richer concept of wellbeing in the context of dementia that is multi-faceted to include positive dimensions of caregiving in addition to recognized aspects of burden. Standardized and robust measurements are needed to enhance research and there may be benefit from developing a more mixed, blended approach to measurement.


Single-cell micro-Raman spectroscopy has the potential to become a powerful, new cytometric approach for discriminating between cell types and identifying subpopulations of cells based on differences in the intrinsic, molecular content of the cells. Despite the considerable progress in demonstrating many biomedical applications of single-cell Raman spectroscopy, an unresolved issue with this method is the inconsistent manner in which the technique has been applied experimentally to acquire spectra from a cell, which can potentially lead to irreproducible and inconsistent results from study to study. Specifically, the problem pertains to the validity of using micro-Raman spectroscopy to sample an arbitrary fraction of the cell volume and to claim that the resulting spectrum represents the entire cell volume. In this study, we investigate the effect of sample size (i.e. the number of Raman spectra acquired from distinct locations in a cell) on the ability to generate a Raman spectrum that accurately describes the total molecular content of the cell. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a minimum sample size of Raman spectra acquired from a cell can be used in place of a full hyperspectral Raman image to achieve the same degree of discrimination between different cell populations. Lymphocytes exposed to the chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, at different concentrations and exposure times are used as a model biological system in this study. This work demonstrates the importance of adequate spectral sampling and presents an approach for determining the minimum sample size needed to reproduce a Raman spectrum of a whole cell, which are expected to impact future single-cell Raman spectroscopy studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The sequence of the 16S rRNA molecule has become accepted as a systematic fingerprint allowing the evolutionary history of an organism and its phylogenetic status at various taxonomic levels to be characterised. Collection of sequence data and their comparison under explicitly defined and widely, though tentatively, accepted algorithms provides much insight into the relationships between organisms.

In the study of microbiology, classical taxonomy has been hindered by a paucity of morphological distinction between bacteria. With the acceptance of molecular systematics, many bacteria and groups of bacteria are now being reorganised into a system that reflects both their histories and their relationships, and is consequently more stable than heretofore.

This thesis deals with the classification of three bacteria on the basis of their 16S rRNA sequences.

* Paracoccus halodenitrifi cans Various chemotaxonomic and molecular data suggest that this species is generically misplaced. 16S rDNA sequence data place the type species, P. denitrificans, in the a-subclass of the Proteobacteria. 16S rDNA sequence analysis undertaken in this work places P. halodenitrifi cans within the family Halomonadaceae in the g-subclass of the Proteobacteria.

* Enterococcus seriolicida A bacterial strain isolated from a Tasmanian salmon farm bears strong resemblance to E. seriolicida (ATCC 49156T = YT-3). In 1993, workers in Spain suggested that E. seriolicida and Lactococcus garvieae are synonymous by 16S rRNA sequence identity, though no sequence data for the former was published. Analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence of E. seriolicida in this work assigns the species to the genus Lactococcus. The sequence of E. seriolicida differs from the published 16S rRNA sequence of L. garvieae in only seven positions. These differences and their significance are discussed.

* Aeromonas salmonicida A bacterial strain isolated on a northern Tasmanian fish farm from a skin lesion of the greenback flounder Rhombosolea tapirina was presumed an endemic atypical subspecies of the salmonid pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida. Clarification is necessary for an accurate assessment of its significance for the fishing industry. 16S rRNA sequence of this organism shows 100% identity with that of the species Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. masoucida and achromo genes, despite phenotypic differences between the bacteria. The genus Aeromonas has an unusually high degree of sequence similarity among the 16S rRNA genes of its members. This may make taxonomic clarification by this criterion dubious.

The definition of a species on the basis of the sequence of its 16S rRNA molecule has ramifications beyond taxonomy. Synthetic oligonucleotide probes designed to complement specifically unique regions the 16S rRNA or rDNA can rapidly and accurately identify organisms for many purposes. The salmonid industry in Tasmania has been free of the major diseases responsible for devastating losses in overseas fisheries. However, two pathogenic bacteria have been isolated locally, Enterococcus seriolicida and a presumed endemic subspecies of Aeromonas salmonicida. Molecular probes directed against the rDNA of these organisms are required that will allow them to be identified rapidly, their occurrence investigated and their epidemiology traced efficiently should the need arise. A simple diagnostic assay, compatible with normal pathological laboratory routine, is necessary. Therefore these probes have been designed for use as primers in a PCR-based assay.


The standard formulas for sample size and power calculation, as implemented in the command sampsi, make use of a normal approximation to the t-distribution. When the sample sizes are small, this approximation is poor, resulting in overestimating power (or underestimating sample size). One particular situation in which this is likely to be important is the field of cluster randomized trials. Although the total number of individuals in a cluster randomized trial may be large, the number of clusters will often be small. We present a simulation study from the design of a cluster randomized crossover trial that motivated this work and a command to perform more accurate sample size and power calculations based on the noncentral t-distribution.


Metal-complex hydrides Li3AlH6 and V-doped Li3AlH6 nanoparticles were synthesized by solid reactions of LiH and LiAlH4 in the absence and in the presence of VCl3, respectively. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer- Emmett-Teller sorption, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis have been used to investigate the phase composition, microstructure and surface properties. Not only the nanocrystalline Li3AlH6, but also the coexisting catalyst with "valence-transfer" state can influence the dehydrogenation kinetics. The extension of the catalytic mechanism is attractive for reversible hydrogen storage of the alanate system.


El Salvador's civil war between the Salvadoran government and Marxist guerrillas erupted into full force in early 1981 and endured for eleven bloody years. Unwilling to tolerate an advance of Soviet and Cuban-backed communism in its geopolitical backyard, the US provided over six billion dollars in military and economic aid to the Salvadoran government. El Salvador was a deeply controversial issue in American society and divided Congress and the public into left and right. Relying on thousands of archival documents as well as interviews with participants on both sides of the war, The Salvador Option offers a thorough and fair-minded interpretation of the available evidence. If success is defined narrowly, there is little question that the Salvador Option achieved its Cold War strategic objectives of checking communism. Much more difficult, however, is to determine what human price this 'success' entailed - a toll suffered almost entirely by Salvadorans in this brutal civil war.


In the 1840s and 1850s the pioneers of the Estonian national movement, F. R.
Faehlmann and F. R. Kreutzwald, created an Olympus of Estonian gods: the
main god Taara or Uku, song god Vanemuine, divine smith Ilmarine, waters god
Ahti, the forgotten land of good fortune, Kungla, etc. Much was taken over from
the mythology of the Finns, much was the fruit of personal fantasy. It all resulted
from the desire to prove that the ancient Estonians had high culture before the
foreign conquest in the 13th c. In the 1860s and 1870s the new inspiring mythology
became popularized, greatly thanks to C.R. Jakobson, a radical national leader.
Poets used the names of mythological heroes in patriotic songs, poems and
dramas were written on mythological subjects, national societies were named
after mythological gods, etc. In the 1920s, when the national movement had
achieved its aims, the folklorists definitively demonstrated that the 19th c.
Estonian gods belonged to pseudomythology lacking any root in folk beliefs.
Although the society accepted the statement, many pseudomythological names
remained firmly rooted. The 19th c. mythology had had a significant role in the
formation of Estonian national identity. Today, when the social and cultural life
of Estonia has again become especially active, we can notice an analogical
interest in antiquity, though entirely different denominators are used.


Complex internal structure is characteristic of many high-sinuosity channel deposits. This is particularly true of meander-belts formed in lower delta plain or coastal plain settings, as demonstrated by an 'exhumed meander-belt' exposed for 3.5 km along the coast north of Scarborough, Yorkshire. Point bar, counterpoint bar, channel plug, floodplain lake and sheet flood deposits all contribute significantly to the internal architecture of the sandstone body. Units that are recognizably of point bar lateral-accretion origin, make up a little over 24% of the area of the 'exhumed meander-belt', counterpoint bar deposits over 1%. The bulk of the sandstone body is composed of channel plug and sheet flood sandstones and units whose origin is not easily recognizable due to partial preservation. The structure of the point bar and counterpoint bar deposits indicate that channels of a variety of types were responsible for the deposit. Although, in general the channels were small, mixed load and highly sinuous. The counterpoint bar deposits observed in the wave-cut platform vary in curvature, composition and structure. Counterpoint bars are sedimentary packages deposited on or near the outer bank of an alluvial channel meander. Four theoretical mechanisms for producing these deposits are suggested: (a) flow separation in a tight bend of a suspension load dominated river; (b) changing radius of curvature of a river bend; (c) local cut-bank embayment development during high stage flow filling at lower flow conditions and (d) complex meander loop development. Of these only two have been recognized in the 'exhumed meander-belt'.


Abstract Background: Apelin is a potent endogenous inotropic peptide with a major role in counteracting the aldosterone and angiotensin II and their negative effects on the cardiovascular system. The exact role of apelin in the patho-physiology of this disease is not well understood. We aimed to investigate the possible associations of apelin-13 with clinical and paraclinical characteristics in HF patients as well as studying its dynamics during the course of the heart failure. Method: We performed a prospective observational cohort single-center study. We compared the baseline serum levels of apelin-13 and NT-proBNP level in 53 heart failure patients (acute heart failure, chronic compensated heart failure and chronic decompensated heart failure). We divided the patients according to the apelin-13 level: above and below the median, and we analyzed the relationship between serum apelin-13 and the clinical, echocardiographic, electrocardiographic and biological parameters. Twenty patients were followed-up (after an average time interval of 9 months), investigating the same parameters. Results: The median of apelin-13 was 495pg/mL (IQR 276-845pg/mL). We found strong, negative correlation between the serum levels of apelin-13 and NT-proBNP (Spearman rho= −0.83, p<0.001). For the reassessed patients the median apelin level was significantly higher at follow-up (460 pg/mL, IQR 342-871 pg/mL) as compared with the baseline level (395 pg/mL, IQR 270-603 pg/mL), p=0.019, and maintained the negative correlation with NT-proBNP level (Spearman's rho −0.7, p<0.001. The Low Apelin-13 group have higher NT-proBNP levels and also contains all the patients in NYHA IV class heart failure, 71% of the acute HF patients, and 7 of 8 patients who died before follow-up. Conclusion: Apelin-13 was negatively correlated with NT-proBNP. The Low Apelin-13 group contained the majority of the patients with a negative outcome (death before follow-up), most of the patients who presented with acute HF and all the patients in NYHA IV class.


The central claim of this article is that post-truth requires a political and socio-economical perspective, rather than a moral or epistemological one. The article consists of two parts. The first part offers a critical examination of the dominant analyses of post-truth in terms of shifting standards of the origin and the evaluation of facts. Moreover, the claim that postmodernism is the cause of post-truth is examined and refuted. In the second part an alternative perspective is developed, centring around the notion of gatekeepers. Rather than linking post-truth to bullshit and postmodernism, it should be understood as a symptom of a contemporary shift in the gatekeepers of truth and knowledge. Knowledge and truth are always mediated in society through the hands of gatekeeping institutions such as journalism or science. Post-truth is a symptom of a broader transformation of the gatekeeping institutions of our current society. It therefore requires a political philosophy of these institutional shifts and the new risks they involve.


A simple phenomenological model with two coupled structural and ferroelectric order parameters is under consideration. The small-signal dielectric response, dielectric response to a strong electric field (hysteresis phenomena included), and the phase diagram in the presence of the bias field are analyzed in the framework of Landau theory. It is shown that for the set of properties studied one can single out six qualitatively different types of behavior of the model. It is also shown that, in the framework of a unified phenomenological scheme, this model can describe the gradual conversion of ferroelectric to antiferroelectric behavior. The application of the model to the description of real compounds with a sequence of phase transitions is discussed.


The ubiquitousness of social media has created a valuable and massive amount of data relating to real-live events which are being explored to investigate a wide range of phenomena including, disaster monitoring, health surveillance, user sentiments, etc. For events such as landslide, which mostly occur in remote and localized areas, social media provide an opportunity to expand landslide mapping beyond the current approach.

Traditional sources of landslide events are via media reports, scientific articles, or aerial photography, thus, limiting landslide mapping to only areas where such resources exist. This is followed by repeated in-situ measurements with equipment such as LIDAR to create a 3D geomorphological model of the landslide. At locations with poor accessibility or hazardous conditions, mobilizing personnel and equipment to the site is often impossible. The financial implication of repeated field operations also means landslide monitoring programs are prioritized. These deficiencies have hampered the generation of a robust landslide inventory which is the crucial tool for understanding past landslides and developing an effective system for managing future landslides.

This study demonstrates the application of social media analytics for the identification and modeling of landslides along the South West coast of the UK. From the analysis of over 100,000 tweets, 23 landslide events reported by Twitter users are identified. Five (5) of these events have not been previously reported. Also, drone videos obtained from Twitter and YouTube were processed using Structure from Motion-Multiview Stereo (SFM-MVS) photogrammetry techniques to create a 3D model of landslides at five (5) selected locations.

Analysis of the 3D model created at one of the locations shows that an estimated 1480 m3 of earth material was removed from the landslide due to the impact of Storm Dennis and Storm Ciara events of the 8th – 9th and 15th -16th of February 2020 respectively, while an estimated 295 m3 was retained at the base of the landslide, possibly an effect of the landslide control/stabilization installation.

The result from this study shows the potential of social media to expand landslide coverage in the UK and to provide a high-resolution 3D model at minimum cost. These data can be used to monitor landslide evolution and to assess their hazard.


ABSTRACT Despite the growing interest in public-sector Total Quality Management (TQM), little research has been done on the state level. This pilot project examines TQM in Florida state agencies by reviewing the evolution of quality initiatives; discussing the structure of the state's approach; analyzing the implementation of core quality elements; and concluding with reasons for the success or failure of department efforts. INTRODUCTION Until recently, many public-sector organizations showed little interest in the quality revolution affecting business.1 The monopolistic nature of government seemed to protect it from the problems that stimulated concern for quality in private enterprise. Indeed. some doubted the practicality of quality principles in the public service (Swiss, 1992; Durant and Wilson, 1993; Battle and Nayak, 1994; Shoop, 1991). This has begun to change due to the interest of senior leaders and serious financial problems (Brough, 1992; Carr and Littman, 1990). By the nineties, a majority of state governments as well as federal agencies had adopted TQM in at least some of their functions (Kravchuk and Leighton, 1993; Milakovich, 1992; Chen and Sawyers, 1994). Despite a number of obstacles that have been encountered in introducing and maintaining quality programs, this trend appears to be growing (Berman, West, and Milakovich, 1994). There is surprisingly little research, however, dealing with quality initiatives in the public sector. What has been done has focused either at a macro level (i.e., all jurisdictions as a whole, e.g., Berman, West, and Milakovich, 1994) or the micro level (ie., concentrating on a single program or department in one jurisdiction, (e.g., Bowman and French, 1992). In contrast, analyzing multiple agencies can combine the best features of macro and micro work by presenting both comparative and in-depth data on TQM implementation issues. This is especially useful since quality initiatives can be difficult and expensive (Katz, 1993; Gilbert, 1993). Accordingly, this pilot project included nine state agencies in Florida (Agriculture and Consumer Services, Insurance, Transportation, Labor and Employment Security, Revenue, Corrections, Environmental Protection, Education, and Health Care Administration) said to be most involved in quality efforts. The latter three were later ommitted because they had very limited programs. The data were collected in spring 1995, primarily through semi-structured, one-to-- three-hour, confidential interviews with officials (n= 10) involved in departmental quality initiatives. Pertinent internal agency documents and the minutes of the government section of the non-profit Tallahassee Quality Council were also consulted. TQM implementation is explored below by: reviewing the evolution of Florida's quality management system; discussing the structure of the state's quality initiative; analyzing organizational use of TQM core elements (strategic planning, open system approaches, continuous process control, training, teams, and empowerment); and concluding with the reasons for the success or failure of quality strategies. BACKGROUND As is true with most states (Berman, West, and Milakovich, 1991), Florida's interest in quality is a recent development. With the exception of the Department of Transportation (DOT), no agency had a comprehensive approach until the nineties (French, 1994). When Governor Chiles advocated civil service reform in 1991-1992, the Department of Administration was assigned to bring TQM to state government.2 The legislature called for quality principles to be developed in all agencies and gave authority to two departments to develop pilot projects. Finally, the state-sponsored Sterling Council was created to present awards to exemplary public and private organizations at its three-day annual showcase, workshop, and .pm1 conference. Despite these initial efforts, neither the legislator nor the governor seemed to recognize the complexity of the task. …


Cerium dioxide nanoparticles have many applications including use as a diesel fuel additive. Concerns over the increased use of engineered nanoparticles and the potential risks to the public have led many studies to investigate the health impacts after nanomaterial exposure. For CeO2 nanoparticles, some studies report oxidative stress leading to a loss of cell viability, where others report the opposite, observing protective effects against oxidative stress induced injury. Due to a lack of consensus over the precise physiological effects surrounding CeO2 exposure, we set out to investigate how these particles influence oxidative stress induced injury. To model the lung as a primary exposure location we used alveolar type II epithelial cells (A549) incubated with CeO2 nanoparticles, prior to an oxidative stress event using either H2O2 or Menadione. Nanoparticle exposure protected against oxidant-induced injury but this was not paralleled by a reduction in the oxidative stress markers such as protein carbonylation or expression of EGR1 and NQO1. Using gene expression profiling TGF-β signalling was identified as a candidate mechanism through which the CeO2 nanoparticles were having their protective effects. Using recombinant transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) we demonstrate protective effects on oxidant-induced injury paralleled by alterations in TGF-β pathway related gene expression similar to those observed with CeO2 nanoparticle addition. These results represent an important addition to our understanding of the biological effects of CeO2 nanoparticles and identify TGF-β signalling as a potential mechanistic regulator for their cyto-protective ability.


BACKGROUND
Plant-rich diets are associated with lower cardiometabolic risks and longer survival in the general population, but their association with mortality in cancer survivors is still unclear.

OBJECTIVES
We aimed to examine the associations of 3 postdiagnostic plant-based diet indices with all-cause mortality in omnivorous long-term colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors.

METHODS
Diet was assessed with FFQs at a median of 6 years after diagnosis in 1404 CRC survivors (56% male; median age, 69 years) in a Northern German prospective cohort study. An overall, a healthful plant-based, and an unhealthful plant-based diet index were derived by scoring intakes of animal foods reversely and intakes of healthy (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, oils, tea/coffee) and less healthy plant foods (refined grains, fruit juices, sugar-sweetened beverages, potatoes, sweets/desserts) positively or reversely, depending on the index. Vital status follow-up was conducted via population registries. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to estimate HRs for all-cause mortality according to plant-based diet adherence.

RESULTS
Within 7 years (median) after diet assessment, 204 deaths occurred. The overall plant-based diet index displayed a significant, inverse association with all-cause mortality (HR per 10-point increase in diet index, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.91). Although not statistically significant, higher healthful plant-based diet scores showed a strong tendency towards lower mortality (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67-1.01). The unhealthful plant-based diet index was associated with higher mortality, but lost statistical significance after multivariable adjustment (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.96-1.48). A subgroup analysis revealed that the tendency towards a positive association of the unhealthful plant-based diet with mortality was restricted to less physically active individuals (<95 metabolic equivalent of task hours/week).

CONCLUSIONS
An overall plant-based diet was inversely associated with all-cause mortality in long-term CRC survivors. However, more research is needed to further disentangle the impacts of different qualities of plant-based diets on cancer survivors' health.


The concept of sustainability is widely seen as fundamental to set up urban and territorial transformations. Sustainable development is a multidimensional and multi-perspective process that deals with the environmental, economic, and social dimensions, with the aim to find a balance among these. Despite this growing attention to sustainability the social perspective has been the less explored of these dimensions and only recently it is receiving consideration due the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim at creating sustainable and inclusive cities and communities. In the SDGs, specific attention is focused on the improvement of the quality of life of inhabitants through specific actions dedicated to the valorization of cultural resources, to the protection of the environment, and also to promote the involvement of the local communities in setting policies and programs. The final objective is defining projects based on the social needs shared by the communities. This paper aims at exploring the social sustainability related to urban regeneration processes with particular attention to social cohesion and community engagement. Six different urban regeneration strategies, developed for the regeneration of an urban area located in Northern Italy and based on social housing interventions, have been evaluated in accordance with their social impacts on the stakeholders involved. The paper proposes a multi-methodological approach based on the combination of the stakeholder analysis with the NAIADE (Novel Approach to Imprecise Assessment and Decision Environments) methodology, a particular type of Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation. The stakeholder analysis has been applied to identify the actors to involve in the evaluation, whereas the NAIADE methodology has been implemented for the selection of the most preferable strategy. This method allowed the assessment of the different strategies through the comparison and the mediation between the technical and the social rankings, thus considering the stakeholder preferences in the final evaluation. The final result is coherent with the initial purpose and it demonstrates that the inclusion of the stakeholder is fundamental for the achievement of a consensus solution.


ABSTRACT Objective To verify the presence of variants in HNF1B in a sample of the Brazilian population selected according to the presence of renal cysts associated with hyperglycemia. Subjects and methods We evaluated 28 unrelated patients with clinical suspicion of HNF1B mutation because of the concomitant presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) or prediabetes and renal cysts. Genotyping was accomplished using Sanger sequencing or multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). In positive cases, available relatives were recruited. Results We found two patients with HNF1B mutations. The first presented the variant p.Pro328Leufs*48(c.983delC) and had DM, renal cysts, and hypomagnesemia. The second presented a heterozygous whole gene deletion in HNF1B, DM, renal cysts, body and tail pancreatic agenesis, and hypomagnesemia; this alteration was also found in his two siblings and his father. Conclusion The recruitment of suspected cases of HNF1B gene mutations in Brazilians due to hyperglycemia and renal cysts presents two positive cases. Our cases contribute to the annotation of clinical and biochemical phenotypes of this rare form of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY).