Muscular K uptake depends on skeletal muscle Na-K-ATPase concentration and activity. Reduced K uptake is observed in vitro in K-depleted rats. We evaluated skeletal muscle K clearance capacity in vivo in rats K depleted for 14 days. [(3)H]ouabain binding, alpha(1) and alpha(2) Na-K-ATPase isoform abundance, and K, Na, and Mg content were measured in skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscle K, Na, and Mg and plasma K were measured in relation to intravenous KCl infusion that continued until animals died, i.e., maximum KCl dose was administered. In soleus, extensor digitorum longus (EDL), and gastrocnemius muscles K depletion significantly reduced K content by 18%, 15%, and 19%, [(3)H]ouabain binding by 36%, 41%, and 68%, and alpha(2) isoform abundance by 34%, 44%, and 70%, respectively. No significant change was observed in alpha(1) isoform abundance. In EDL and gastrocnemius muscles K depletion significantly increased Na (48% and 59%) and Mg (10% and 17%) content, but only tendencies to increase were observed in soleus muscle. K-depleted rats tolerated up to a fourfold higher KCl dose. This was associated with a reduced rate of increase in plasma K and increases in soleus, EDL, and gastrocnemius muscle K of 56%, 42%, and 41%, respectively, but only tendencies to increase in controls. However, whereas K uptake was highest in K-depleted animals, the K uptake rate was highest in controls. In vivo K depletion is associated with markedly increased K tolerance and K clearance despite significantly reduced skeletal muscle Na-K-ATPase concentration. The concern of an increased risk for K intoxication during K repletion seems unwarranted.


The reproductive pattern of the female rusty bat, Pipistrellus rusticus, was investigated by means of a histological examination of the ovarian follicles as well as early embryonic development. Bats were collected from two localities in Limpopo Province. Female rusty bats are seasonal monestrous breeders, initiating copulation in mid-autumn (April), storing sperm until the time of ovulation in late winter (August), and giving birth to twins in late spring (November). The period April until mid-August was characterized by sperm storage and increased follicular development. During mid-August the females ovulated and excess sperm were discarded. Females released between three and five ova, while a maximum of two embryos implanted successfully. Only a single embryo implanted per uterine horn. Embryo movement through the Fallopian tubes appeared to be a rapid process. Redundant embryos were resorbed before implantation. The period from the end of August until mid-November was marked by pregnancy. Females invariably carried twins (one foetus in each uterine horn). Large-scale follicle atresion, and very low levels of follicle development, characterized the period end of August until March. High incidences of polyovular follicles were recorded for all months of the year. No obvious form of reproductive asymmetry was recorded in the rusty bat.


We present a generative model that efficiently mines transliteration pairs in a consistent fashion in three different settings: unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised transliteration mining. The model interpolates two sub-models, one for the generation of transliteration pairs and one for the generation of non-transliteration pairs (i.e., noise). The model is trained on noisy unlabeled data using the EM algorithm. During training the transliteration sub-model learns to generate transliteration pairs and the fixed non-transliteration model generates the noise pairs. After training, the unlabeled data is disambiguated based on the posterior probabilities of the two sub-models. We evaluate our transliteration mining system on data from a transliteration mining shared task and on parallel corpora. For three out of four language pairs, our system outperforms all semi-supervised and supervised systems that participated in the NEWS 2010 shared task. On word pairs extracted from parallel corpora with fewer than 2% transliteration pairs, our system achieves up to 86.7% F-measure with 77.9% precision and 97.8% recall.


Home vegetable gardening has numerous documented benefits, including savings on the family food bill. How can a gardener calculate cost savings from a garden? Which vegetables cost more to grow in the garden and which cost less? This 10-page fact sheet written by Kevin Athearn, Hannah Wooten, Liz Felter, Catherine G. Campbell, Jessica M. Ryals, Matthew C. Lollar, Juanita Popenoe, Lorna Bravo, LuAnn Duncan, Christa Court, and Wendy Wilber and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department helps home gardeners estimate the costs and cost savings from vegetable gardening


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to review the development of the socially sustainable supply chain management field.

Design/methodology/approach
The 112 most cited papers in the field until 2017 are analysed using a state-of-the-art structured literature review model borrowed from the accounting field.

Findings
This study highlights the increasing number of publications across the years, the diversity of journals and the type of authors addressing the topic. It reveals that qualitative studies focused on large companies in the garment, food and electronics sectors and on private regulations capture most of the attention, with Asia, Europe and North America being the most scrutinised locations. Drivers and barriers for socially sustainable supply chain management are summarised, clustered and confronted. This study also evaluates how the sustainability and corporate social responsibility concepts are used in the above field and analyses the existing definitions of social sustainability.

Research limitations/implications
This study incites researchers to broaden their studies to diverse sectors and locations, addressing different levels of supply chains with quantitative techniques and clearer conceptual foundations.

Practical implications
This study incites practitioners to further contribute to this scholars-dominated research field, offering their practical insights and perspectives.

Originality/value
This study offers original insights and critiques of the literature, highlighting its gaps and proposing new research avenues for the future.


Abstract:  The National Research Council recommended Adaptive Total Maximum Daily Load implementation with the recognition that the predictive uncertainty of water quality models can be high. Quantifying predictive uncertainty provides important information for model selection and decision‐making. We review five methods that have been used with water quality models to evaluate model parameter and predictive uncertainty. These methods (1) Regionalized Sensitivity Analysis, (2) Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation, (3) Bayesian Monte Carlo, (4) Importance Sampling, and (5) Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) are based on similar concepts; their development over time was facilitated by the increasing availability of fast, cheap computers. Using a Streeter‐Phelps model as an example we show that, applied consistently, these methods give compatible results. Thus, all of these methods can, in principle, provide useful sets of parameter values that can be used to evaluate model predictive uncertainty, though, in practice, some are quickly limited by the "curse of dimensionality" or may have difficulty evaluating irregularly shaped parameter spaces. Adaptive implementation invites model updating, as new data become available reflecting water‐body responses to pollutant load reductions, and a Bayesian approach using MCMC is particularly handy for that task.


Niche construction theory provides a framework to analyze the environmental effects of changing pastoral practices. In Europe, domesticated herd animals facilitated the expansion of farming by extending the spatial framework of early farming communities, produced milk for caloric security of pioneering farmers, and were partners in coevolutionary relationships that resulted in changes in the human genome and the spread of diseases. Domestic herd animal management practices, however, were not uniform during the Neolithic, and variations in livestock management, use, and environment affected the degree of extensive and intensive human niche construction among early farmers. This paper explores the biological and cultural effects of pastoralism for the establishment of new agricultural niches by examining biological and ecological underpinnings of both domesticated animals and their management strategies. It is suggested that strategies varied in their niche outcomes and ecological legacies, highlighting the roles domestic herd animals played as mechanisms of niche construction for the spread of agriculture. These pastoral effects had implications for the environmental legacies experienced by subsequent human generations, and results provide a fresh avenue of investigation for researchers working on the ecologies of agropastoral societies through time and space.


Three-dimensional data are useful for various applications such as visualization for planning, simulation for training and environmental studies, presentations, decision making and many more.

The existing methods of texturing 3-D city models use conventional vertical imagery and libraries of generic textures which are sufficient for some applications of 3-D models like training simulation, gaming, and telecommunication planning. However, the needs for photo-realistic, modelling of the complete details, and geometrically accurate 3-D models are growing rapidly in several fields, especially in engineering and cultural heritage documentation. Photorealism and better details can be achieved through using terrestrial imagery but it is a very time-consuming process particularly in large modelling projects. It is possible to improve efficiency by image capture from a moving ground based vehicle but this requires an extra process in the work flow if the initial modelling has been undertaken by aerial photogrammetric processes.

Pictometry imagery has been used for visual inspection especially in life-saving situations due to the fact that the Pictometry aerial imagery contains oblique (angled) images which provide better view and greater detail. The more conventional method of collecting aerial images with for example the UltraCamD, can also provide excellent views of roof tops and some of the building facades when located away from the nadir on the images.

This research explored the geometry of the Pictometry images (vertical and oblique) and the possibility of using this imagery in 3-D modelling to produce photo-realistic and accurate models. In addition, merging terrestrial imagery with Pictometry imagery to get more ground level details has been investigated in this research.
All work has been carried out using the available software packages at the Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG) and using data provided by Blom Aerofilms Ltd.

The results of the aerial triangulation of different Pictometry blocks showed that high quality image measurements have been achieved for all the image blocks. The use of indirect georeferencing produced good quality coordination of ground points. The use of in-flight control has produced good results with additional parameters which mitigate any effects of systematic errors. Good quality AT results have been achieved using minimum ground control which reduces a lot of field work and hence time and money.

Extraction of 3D geometry for all buildings in the study area has been performed using both vertical Pictometry imagery and UltraCamD imagery. The polygons extracted from the UltraCamD images have been used as a bench mark (BM) to check the accuracy of polygons extracted from Pictometry.

Planimetric and height comparisons of the extracted features from Pictometry system with the BM results have been performed. The results showed that the Pictometry imagery produced good results especially in plan components taking into consideration the differences in the resolution, GSD, and the flying height between the two camera systems.

The results of automatically texturing the models have shown that using the vertical blocks (UltraCamD or Pictometry) produced very good roof textures but on the other hand produced less quality facades. The use of the Pictometry oblique block in texturing has produced very good facades but in some instances not such good quality roof textures.

The successful combining of vertical and oblique Pictometry images provided an excellent opportunity to produce an efficient method of high quality urban model texturing. The integration of terrestrial images of building facades (whose texture needs enhancement) with the combined aerial imagery block has been successfully and automatically performed. The results are much better than the results obtained by manual texturing which not only depends upon the experience and skill of the operator but is also time consuming and laborious


Background: Systematic disease is a risk factor in periodontal disease. In contrast, severe generalize periodontal disease may also contribute to the development of certain systemic diseases and has and adverse affect in controlling the systemic disease. The majority of systemic diseases manifest in the oral cavity, one of which is systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)., anautoimmune chronic systemic diseases. To date, the etiology of Lupus Erythematosus is still not clear, but the prognosis can become good if the adequate theraphy is given. SLE have a fairly high incidence, but the dangers of this disease is still not widely understood by the public. Purpose : To demonstrate how to manage the oral manifestations of SLE, as it must be done carefully so that patients ca get appropriate treatment to be successful, and the patients with oral manifestations similar to SLE can have a more thorough axamination. Cases : Two patients with SLE and symptoms of easy bleeding gums, frequent stomatitis, dry mouth, and mobile teeth. In both cases, there is gingival hyperemia, edema, pockets of 3-6 mm (case 1) and 3-4 mm (case 2). Prior to dental treatment, both patients are consulted to an internist. Treatment : Periodontal initial treatment such as DHE, scaling, and tooth restorations. Gradual scaling done in multiple visits, followed by gingival curettage. Conclusion : A good periodontal treatment can reduce gingival inflammation, and relatively improve oral hygiene, so it can be expected to increase body immunity.


The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), is causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Older age and presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity significantly increases the risk for hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients. In this Perspective, informed by the studies on SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), and the current literature on SARS-CoV-2, we discuss potential mechanisms by which diabetes modulates the host-viral interactions and host-immune responses. We hope to highlight gaps in knowledge that require further studies pertinent to COVID-19 in patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity.


P.T. Anderson's latest film, There Will Be Blood, represents both a culmination and a crisis within his career-long investigation of the limits of paternity and the solace of surrogacy. By pressing that ongoing antagonism to a kind of absurd extreme in Daniel Day Lewis' performance, this paper argues that Anderson undoes it and leaves his future possible direction unclear. Further, by battening on the corpus of Upton Sinclair's 1926 novel, Anderson introduces a political unconscious that his rigorous reduction to a family drama cannot fully contain or defuse.


Existing translation quality assessment (TQA) metrics have a few major drawbacks: they are often subjective, their scope is limited to the sentence level, and they do not take the translation situation into account. Though suitable for a general assessment, they lack the granularity needed to compare different methods of translation and their respective translation problems. In an attempt to solve these issues, a two-step TQA-approach is presented, based on the dichotomy between adequacy and acceptability. The proposed categorization allows for easy customization and user-defined error weights, which makes it suitable for different types of translation assessment, analysis and comparison. In the first part of the paper, the approach is explained. In the second part of the paper, the approach is tested in a pilot study designed to compare human translation with post-editing for the translation of general texts (newspaper articles). Inter-annotator results are presented for the translation quality assessment task as well as general findings on the productivity and quality differences between postediting and human translation of student translators.


This is part of a series entitled Postgraduate Medical Science which is based on specialist training courses at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London. The seriesis aimedat biomedicaland clinicalscientists and hopes to provide a reliable introduction to the theory and technicalaspects of each topic. This volume aims to introduce the essential tech niques for studying the molecular biology of brain disease. In the first part of the book basic methods are described. These include how to set up a brain bank, RNA isolation and analysis, PCR, in situ hy bridisation, histochemistry, immunocytochemistry and autoradiography.In the second part, the applications of these techniques are illustrated with reference to recentwork on the molecularbiology of human prion diseases and the cerebral amyloidoses, including Alzheimer'sdisease. There are also chapterson intra cerebra!transplantation,methods of construction of transgemcanimals and image analysis in quantitative neuropathology. This is a highly practicalbook aimed very much at biomedicaland clinical scientistswho wish to develop expertise in these areas. As such it should prove extremely valuable. The chapters are clearly written and in most cases the rationale behind the various techniques is clearly described. It is unlikely to have a wide appeal to psychiatrists,but any of you who are thinking of embarking on a career in biological psychiatrywould be well advised to read it.


The transcription factor Pitx2 is required for the morphogenesis of anterior structures such as the eye, teeth, and anterior pituitary. We investigated the functional properties of Pitx2 missense mutants previously reported in Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, using reporter genes under the control of pituitary target gene [human (h)PRL, hGH, hPit-1] promoters transfected in nonpituitary and pituitary cell lines. The five mutants appeared to be transcriptionally defective despite conserved DNA-binding in CV1 cells. In addition, one mutation, R91P, almost completely blocked the wt-Pitx2-induced activation of the target promoters, prevented the Pitx2/Pit-1 synergistic activation of the hPRL promoter, and was able to counteract the Pitx1-driven transactivation effects. The dominant negative properties of this mutant were further established in cells endogenously expressing Pitx2 because transfection of R91P in GH4C1 somatolactotroph cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of basal activities of the pituitary promoters. These results, which show that Pitx2 mutants are defective in activating pituitary target genes, confirm the critical role of this homeodomain factor in the differentiated functions of the pituitary somatolactotroph cells. Furthermore, these results might form the basis for future experiments because dominant negative forms of Pitx2 such as R91P might provide instructive tools to further delineate the detailed mechanisms mediating Pitx2 functions in cell proliferation and differentiation.


Background Acenocoumarol interacts with widely-used drugs. In many cases, the result is an increase in the International Normalised Ratio (INR) which can have a significant clinical effect on patients. Purpose To determine the frequency of concomitant prescription of acenocoumarol and levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, fluconazole, amiodarone and clarithromycin in hospitalised patients. To quantify the increase of INR and determine the management of over-anticoagulation. Materials and methods Prospective observational study (15 May - 15 June 2013) in a university hospital with 1070 beds. Hospitalised patients in chronic treatment with acenocoumarol were included. Age, sex, interacting drugs, acenocoumarol use, initial INR and INR 24 h after starting interacting drugs were recorded. INR values over 3.5 in atrial fibrillation (AF) and dilated cardiomyopathy and over 3 in other labelled uses were considered as supratherapeutic. The pharmacist informed physicians about interactions through the Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE). Pharmacist contacted doctors by phone if the INR increased. Results 61 patients (78 ± 9.8 years) were included (30 male). Acenocoumarol indications were AF (86.9%), heart valve (8.2%) and post infarction (4.9%). We recorded 63 interactions and INR was classified as supratherapeutic in 28.6% of the prescriptions (18). See Table 1. Abstract DI-084 Table 1 Interacting drugs Interactions detected,% (n) Patients with increased INR,% (n) Levofloxacin 58.7% (37) 27.0% (10) Ciprofloxacin 7.9% (5) 60.0% (3) Amiodarone 26.9% (17) 23.6% (4) Fluconazole 1.6% (1) 100% (1) Clarithromycin 4.8% (3) 0.0% (0) All the increased INRs were observed in patients suffering from AF except for two (heart valve and post infarction). The mean increment was 2.3 (0.5–5.6). Physicians contacted about prescribing acenocoumarol in 7 patients (38.8%) with increased INR, reduced the dose in 1 (5.5%) and prescribed vitamin K in 2 (11.1%). Conclusions The frequency of interactions is high. Levofloxacin was responsible for most cases of over-anticoagulation. Patients management consisted of discontinuing acenocoumarol, reducing its dose or administrating vitamin K. No conflict of interest.


: We argue that job performance appraisal is an agency problem with asymmetric transfer values: an employee is paid in proportion to the rating received from his line manager, who only partially internalizes the resultant payroll cost. This asymmetry in rating valuations is based on evidence that managers are not fully accountable for payroll expense, with the degree of unaccountability increasing in firm size. We develop a nested agency model of economic organization of a firm with unaccountable managers, which in equilibrium obtains the firm-size wage effects - the large-firm wage premium and inverse relationship between firm size and wage dispersion. Abstract We argue that job performance appraisal is an agency problem between a manager and his employees featuring asymmetric transfer values: Ratings given by the manager are money equivalent for the employees but only partially so for the manager. The asymmetry assumption is based on evidence that managers are not held fully accountable for payroll expense incurred, which, we argue, stems from the misalignment of managerial compensation with the pro(cid:133)ts of the (cid:133)rm. Other evidence also shows that the problem of managerial unaccountability is more aggravated in larger (cid:133)rms. In this paper, we develop a nested agency model of economic organization of a (cid:133)rm with unaccountable managers, which in equilibrium obtains the (cid:133)rm-size wage e⁄ects(cid:151) the large-(cid:133)rm wage premium and inverse relationship between (cid:133)rm size and wage dispersion. We also relate and explain the compression of ratings phenomenon from literature on organizational psychology.


ABSTRACT Assemblages of diminutive brachiopods may result from any one or any combination of the following factors: (1) actual dwarfing due to physiological retardation of growth, (2) accumulations of immature specimens of normally larger species and adults of smaller species due to segregation by moving water, and (3) accumulation of immature specimens because of environmental factors tending to produce subnormal fife-span or exceptionally high mortality of the younger shells. Interpretation in any given instance is a matter of determining from the shells themselves, from careful comparison with recognizably normal assemblages of near homotaxial equivalence, and from the physical and chemical nature of the entombing sediments which factor or combination of factors is the more logical. The pal oecological significance of assemblages of diminutive brachiopods as such is thus indirect. They merely bring attention to a situation the interpretation of which depends on a variety of physical, chemical, and biological considerations. The brachiopod faunas of the "Tully pyrite," the "Clinton hematite," the Glen Park and Salem limestones, and the Windsor series are briefly discussed. The fact emerges that more data are needed on the ecology of recent brachiopods and on assemblages of diminutive fossils and their entombing sediments.


Introduction: This retrospective study investigated the clinical value of post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in female Chinese breast cancer patients aged 35 years or younger with positive axillary lymph nodes after mastectomy. Methods: We performed an analysis of clinical pathological data from 221 female Chinese breast cancer patients aged 35 years or younger treated between 1998 and 2007. Patients were diagnosed with positive axillary lymph nodes and underwent mastectomy. PMRT was delivered to 92 patients. Results: The median follow-up was 61 months. The 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were 84.1%, 65.2%, 61.4%, and 77.2%, respectively. Univariate survival analysis ( P = 0.003) and multivariate analysis ( P  0.001) both suggested that PMRT is an independent prognostic factor of LRFS. PMRT positively affected LRFS ( P = 0.003), but had no significant impact on DMFS ( P = 0.429), DFS ( P = 0.146), and OS ( P = 0.750). PMRT improved LRFS ( P = 0.001), DFS ( P = 0.017), and OS ( P = 0.042) in patients with four or more positive nodes, but no survival benefit was observed in patients with one to three positive nodes ( P  0.05). Conclusion: PMRT can improve survival in breast cancer patients aged 35 years or younger with four or more positive nodes but not in those with one to three


In earlier work, an electronic microarray device was used to carry out a bottom-up approach for the directed self-assembly of higher order 3D structures from biotin/streptavidin, DNA and enzyme derivatized nanoparticles. Structures with up to fifty layers of alternating biotin and streptavidin, DNA and enzyme nanoparticles were fabricated using a 400 site CMOS microarray system with 50 micron electrode structures. In this process, reconfigurable electric fields produced by the microarray were used to rapidly transport, concentrate and accelerate the binding of 40 and/or 200nm nanometer bioderivatized nanoparticles to selected sites on the microarray. The nanoparticle layering process takes less than one minute per layer. The nanoparticle addressing/binding process was monitored by changes in fluorescence intensity as each nanoparticle layer was deposited. The final multilayered 3-D structures were about two microns in thickness and 50 microns in diameter. In order to make nanoparticle layered materials with macroscopic x-y dimensions (centimeter sizes), a large scale (4") silicon wafer based electronic array device has now been designed and fabricated. The overall goal is to use the large scale device to produce final lift-off photovoltaic/battery prototype materials composed of layered nanoparticles and conductive polymers.


This research has been conducted to approach second-order shear deformation theory (SSDT) to analysis vibration characteristics of Functionally Graded Plates (FGP's). Material properties in FGP's were assumed to be temperature dependent and graded along the thickness using a simple power law distribution in term of the volume fractions of the constituents. FGP was subjected to a linear and nonlinear temperature rise. The energy method was chosen to derive the equilibrium equations. The solution was based on the Fourier series that satisfy the simply supported boundary condition (Navier's method). Numerical results indicated the effect of material composition, plate geometry, and temperature fields on the vibration characteristics and mode shapes. The results revealed that, the temperature field and volume fraction distribution had significant effect on the vibration of FGPs. It was observed the second order theory was very close to the other shear deformation theorem as reported in the literature.


OBJECTIVE--To compare the outcome of pregnancy in women with and without renal scarring after childhood urinary infections with that in unmatched controls. DESIGN--Retrospective study of pregnancies in women prospectively followed up from their first recognised urinary infection. SETTING--Tertiary referral centre in Gothenburg. SUBJECTS--111 Women attending an outpatient clinic for women with urinary infection during 1975-83, of whom 41 (65 pregnancies) were studied (19 women with renal scarring (32), 22 without scarring (33)), and 65 controls (65) randomly selected and matched for parity, age, smoking habits, and date of delivery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Urinary infections and complications in pregnancy. RESULTS--The incidence of bacteriuria during first pregnancies was significantly greater in women with (9, 47%) and without (6, 27%) renal scarring after childhood urinary infection than in controls (1, 2%) (p less than 0.001, 0.01 respectively). Symptomatic infections were seen only among women with a history of urinary infection: four women with renal scarring (three of whom had vesicoureteric reflux) developed pyelonephritis and three cystitis, and one woman without scarring developed pyelonephritis. Mean blood pressure was higher among women with severe renal scarring than controls (4/11 v 3/44; p less than 0.05) before and during pregnancy. There was no significant difference in the incidence of pre-eclampsia, operative delivery, prematurity, or birth weight. CONCLUSIONS--Women with a history of previous urinary infections had a high incidence of bacteriuria during pregnancy, and those with renal scarring and persistent reflux were prone to develop acute pyelonephritis. The risk of serious complications in pregnancy, however, was not increased in women with severe renal scarring, possibly owing to their continuous clinical supervision.


The purpose of statistical quality control (SQC)2 in the clinical laboratory is to assure that reported patient results are fit for their intended use, not only when a measurement procedure is operating in its stable incontrol state, but also when out-of-control conditions occur. The value of quality-control principles and practices in the laboratory has been well recognized and appreciated for many decades. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI; then known as the NCCLS) published its first approved guideline on statistical quality-control principles and definitions for quantitative measurement procedures in 1991 (1). The fourth edition of the guideline appeared last year (2).

For many years SQC design primarily involved choosing how many quality control (QC) samples to measure and what QC rules to apply to the QC results. This approach originated in an era when batch testing was common. QC samples were placed in the batch along with patient specimens. The QC sample results were used to decide if the patient results in the batch were acceptable. The goal was for the QC rule to have a low probability of rejection when the batch was in control (probability of false rejection, Pfr) and a high probability of rejection when the batch was out-of-control (probability of error detection, Ped) (3).

When continuous-production analyzers became prevalent in the laboratory, a new QC planning question arose: When should QC samples be measured? In batch testing, the answer was to measure QC samples with each batch. However, with continuous-production analyzers a link between QC results and patient results within a batch no longer exists. Instead, QC results simply reflect the current state of the measurement procedure at the time they are measured. Unfortunately, the traditional QC performance measures, …


Fabry disease, an X‐linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism, results from mutations in the α‐galactosidase A gene at Xq22.1. Studies of the mutations in unrelated Fabry families have identified a variety of lesions indicating the molecular genetic heterogeneity underlying the disease. Forty‐nine different mutations have been described including five partial gene deletions, one partial gene duplication, nine small deletions and insertions, three splice junction consensus site alterations, and 31 coding region single base substitutions. Most mutations resulted in the classical disease phenotype; however, five missense mutations were detected in atypical hemizygotes who were asymptomatic or had symptoms confined to the heart, including N215S, which was described in three unrelated atypical males. Most mutations were confined to a single pedigree with the exception of N215S, R227Q, R227X, R342Q, and R342X, which were each found in several unrelated families. Five of the 14 coding region CpG dinucleotides were sites of point mutations including the CpGs in codons 227 and 342, which were each mutated in both orientations. The identification of the mutation in a given Fabry family permits precise prenatal diagnosis and heterozygote detection of other family members with this X‐linked recessive disease. Studies of additional Fabry families will provide information on the nature and frequency of the mutations causing this disease as well as potential insights into the structure/ function relationships of this lysosomal hydrolase. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The kinetics of accumulation and depuration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) in green mussel Perna viridis has never been investigated under field
conditions. In this study, green mussels were used to assess the spatial distribution of
PAH pollution along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and to determine PAHs
uptake and release kinetics in this species under field conditions. In addition, the
effect of sex and exposure duration on the uptake and release kinetics of these
contaminants were investigated. Overall more than 1500 individual mussels were
collected, soft tissues were homogenized, extracted, cleaned up, fractionated and
concentration of 17 individual PAH compounds were analysed using Gas
Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Among the eleven stations sampled
in 1997 and 1998 along the Straits of Malacca, mussels from Pasir Puteh (01˚ 26.05'
N and 103˚ 55.94' E) had the highest (2855-3450 nglg lipid weight) and from Pasir
Panjang (02˚ 24.96' N and 101˚ 56.54' E) the lowest (278-366 ng/g lipid weight)
levels of PAHs. As a result, Pasir Puteh was selected as the "hot-spot" and Pasir Panjang as the "clean site" to further conduct the kinetics experiments. The PAH
levels in mussels from Malaysian coastlines in comparison with the polluted areas
worldwide were found to be relatively low. At the end of both uptake and release
experiments (28 and 36 days, respectively), PAH levels in transplanted and back transplanted
mussels were not significantly different (p>0.05) from those found in
natives (controls in Pasir Puteh and Pasir Panjang, respectively). It was found that
sex did not make a significant difference (p>0.05) in the uptake and release rates.
Similarly, duration of exposure did not significantly affect the release rates.
However, significant differences (p<0.05) were found both in uptake and release
rates when target PAHs were divided into three, four and five to seven-ring
compounds. In general, rapid rates of uptake and release of relatively less lipophilic
PAHs were observed, indicating that the primary mechanism of bioaccumulation of
these lipophilic pollutants in Perna viridis complies with the concept of lipid-water
partitioning equilibrium. The biological half-life of individual PAHs ranged from 7
to 29 days. This study illustrated that green mussels are a useful tool in monitoring of
PAHs. However, due to relatively rapid rates of uptake and release of these
compounds, to get an average level of PAHs over a long period, "time-bulking"
should be considered for future biomonitoring programmes using this species.


Rhinoplasty is the most challenging facial aesthetic surgical procedure according to many plastic surgeons. Nasal bone osteotomies, especially lateral osteotomies, have a complicated history. If lateral osteotomy is not stable after osteotomy during intraoperative period, stabilization is attempted with internal and external nasal splints but it is not possible to be confident about the stabilization since it is not fully fixed and cannot be observed directly. The authors presented the technique stabilization of the lateral osteotomy inferior tip with cerclage wire, if there is a stabilization problem or step-off deformity after lateral osteotomy.


Objectives: To evaluate the outcome of conservative treatment of heel pain and assess the relationship between heel pain and the longitudinal arch of the foot.
Methods: A total of 101 symptomatic heels of 80 patients (62 females and 18 males, mean age 48 years) were treated according to a standard conservative protocol. Of the patient group, 59 patients had unilateral and 21 patients had bilateral involvement. Diagnoses of symptomatic feet included subcalcaneal pain syndrome (n=55), plantar fasciitis (n=21), painful heel pad (n=10) and entrapment of the first branch of the lateral nerve (n=2). Treatment consisted of losing weight in over-weight patients, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, soft type viscoelastic foot inserts or UCBL type orthosis, soft-soled shoe with a firm heel counter, and, when necessary, local injections. Response to treatment was evaluated using visual analogue scale. Patients were followed-up for a mean duration of 13.6 months (range 6-30 months).
Results: Heel pain completely resolved in 61 patients (76.25%), 13 patients had mild discomfort, and six patients (7.5%) had no change in their symptoms. There were calcaneal spurs in 50 symptomatic heels (49.5%); this being 23% in the control group. Radiographic measurements of the medial longitudinal arch showed no significant difference between the patients and controls; however, thickening of the heel pad in the former group was greater.
Conclusion: Wearing soft-soled shoes and/or foot inserts or orthosis proved useful in obtaining rapid pain relief. Obesity, painful heel pad and entrapment of the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve had adverse influence on the outcome of the treatment.


Inspired by blood vessel's unique layered and wrinkled morphology for sensing and controlling vascular resistance, here we report a double-layered, highly stretchable, and thermo-/NIR-responsive PNIPAM/clay/MXene hydrogel@thermoplastic elastomer (PCMH@TPE) hybrid microtube with a self-wrinkling surface. The stimuli-induced dynamic wrinkling, excellent elastic recovery, and channel size responsiveness render the microtube with ultrahigh hydraulic pressure sensitivity in response to tensile strain, compression, temperature and remote NIR light, as well as easy flow regulation. We demonstrate that a new elastomer/hydrogel hybrid strategy is opened for smart tubular structures with surface wrinkling that may inspire new research in mimicking the fascinating functions of blood vessels in the monitoring and feedback regulation of everchanging flow pressure.


In this paper a new robust load frequency controller for two area interconnected power system is presented to quench the deviations in frequency and tie line power due to different load disturbances. The Genetic algorithm (GA) controller designed here consists of two crisp inputs namely deviation of frequency and the other is derivative of frequency deviation. The Genetic algorithm controller output is the control input to each area. In practical systems, the conventional PI type controllers are applied for Load Frequency Control. In order to improve the performance of the LFC system, Genetic Algorithm (GA) approach is used to optimize the conventional controller gains and bias factors and a robust decentralized controller using Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) is proposed to solve the Load Frequency Control (LFC) problem in a restructured power system that operates under deregulation based on bilateral policy scheme. In each control area of this dynamical model, the effects of the possible contracts are treated as a set of new input signals. To validate the effectiveness of all the methods, the simulation has been performed using different controllers and compared. The simulation results substantiate the robustness and high performance of QFT controller.


A government audit in 2009 revealed a third of commercial banks in Nigeria were critically insolvent. The Central Bank bailed them out and sanctioned their CEOs. Using survey data on individual perceptions and financial behavior, I exploit variation in baseline market shares and consumer attitudes to estimate effects of this regulatory shock on saving behavior. Exposure to insolvent banks increased bank use for people reportedly interested in financial matters. Bank use declined in places with high initial concern about bank stability, particularly among people uninterested in financial matters. These results suggest financial information crucially affects consumer perceptions following a crisis. JEL: D83, G21, O16


Ankle arthritis can be a painful and debilitating condition for many patients. In contrast to hip and knee arthritis, most cases of cases of symptomatic ankle arthritis are post-traumatic in nature. The anatomy, biomechanics and cell biology of the ankle differ from the hip and knee, and this has been postulated to account for the differing rates of post-traumatic vs. primary osteoarthritis in these joints. Non-operative treatment of ankle arthritis relies on antiinflammatory medication, intra-articular injections, and bracing. Patients with end-stage ankle arthritis who fail to respond to non-operative treatments benefit from ankle arthrodesis or total ankle replacement procedures. Journal of Arthritis Jo urn al of Aritis


The enactment of Law number 6 of 2014 concerning Villages, villages are given the mandate to take care of governance and the implementation of development in the village. The amount of funding provided by the central government to the village to manage all the potential that exists in the village in order to improve the economy and community welfare, the implementation of village financial management must be based on the principle of transparency, accountability, participation, order and budget discipline. To create clean, transparent, accountable, effective and efficient village financial governance, the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) and the Directorate General of Village Government Ministry of Home Affairs collaborate to make an application called the Village Financial System (Siskeudes) for village financial management. This aims to help village governments be more independent in managing village finances effectively and efficiently, as well as increasing transparency in village financial accountability. The factors that influence village financial management such as leadership, human resources, commitment and communication.


Studies of completed suicide by history of military service have produced inconsistent findings; no representative population-based study has compared the risk of nonfatal suicidal behavior among veterans with risk among nonveterans. The objective of this study was to examine whether male veterans of the U.S. military are at heightened risk of suicidal ideation, compared with males who never served in the U.S. military. A total of 17,641 adult men completed the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Subjects provided information about history of ever having served in the U.S. armed forces, past suicidal ideation, alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, measures of psychological distress, and sociodemographic data. Overall, men who had ever served in the armed forces were no more likely than men who had never served to report having seriously considered suicide over the prior 12 months. Military status was not differentially associated with other known suicide risk factors assessed by NSDUH, including psychiatric disorders. Our findings suggest that evidence-based suicide prevention strategies applicable to the general population should be employed to reduce suicide risk among the veteran population as well.


Three-dimensional sound's effectiveness in virtual reality (VR) environments has been widely studied. However, due to the big differences between VR and augmented reality (AR) systems in registration, calibration, perceptual difference of immersiveness, navigation, and localization, it is important to develop new approaches to seamlessly register virtual 3-D sound in AR environments and conduct studies on 3-D sound's effectiveness in AR context. In this paper, we design two experimental AR environments to study the effectiveness of 3-D sound both quantitatively and qualitatively. Two different tracking methods are applied to retrieve the 3-D position of virtual sound sources in each experiment. We examine the impacts of 3-D sound on improving depth perception and shortening task completion time. We also investigate its impacts on immersive and realistic perception, different spatial objects identification, and subjective feeling of "human presence and collaboration". Our studies show that applying 3-D sound is an effective way to complement visual AR environments. It helps depth perception and task performance, and facilitates collaborations between users. Moreover, it enables a more realistic environment and more immersive feeling of being inside the AR environment by both visual and auditory means. In order to make full use of the intensity cues provided by 3-D sound, a process to scale the intensity difference of 3-D sound at different depths is designed to cater small AR environments. The user study results show that the scaled 3-D sound significantly increases the accuracy of depth judgments and shortens the searching task completion time. This method provides a necessary foundation for implementing 3-D sound in small AR environments. Our user study results also show that this process does not degrade the intuitiveness and realism of an augmented audio reality environment


A new open--source software tool, called GLAM BioLith--RT (Glacier Lakes Assisted Melting Biological Lithological Radiative Transfer), has been developed for modeling of Radiative Transfer (RT) in water bodies containing suspended lithic particles , phytoplankton, dissolved salts, and colored dissolved organic matter. Although our objective is an application to glacial lakes of High Mountain Asia, the model has potential application for the study of seawater, organic-rich lakes, rivers, etc. The tool is built on a solid foundation of an existing published open-source code called WASI, which has been reviewed and augmented with new capabilities, notably the addition of a suspended lithic particle grain size parameterization. GLAM BioLith-RT operates in both a forward modeling and inverse modeling mode. The forward mode is specifically designed to compute the reflectance spectra of glacier lakes from inherent optical water properties. Conversely, in the inverse mode, measured spectral reflectance is employed with other inputs to derive best fitting water component properties (e.g., suspended particles concentration). The inverse modeling includes Bayesian Optimization of the output which is a significant advance over the existing software. We have tested the code for sensitivity to noise, and uncertainties in input parameters. The model succeeds in nearly reproducing the hyperspectral reflectance of some glacial lakes in Nepal as observed by the EO-1 Hyperion hyperspectral imager. The inverse modeling approach, when supported up by validated forward modeling, offers a means for remote sensing characterization of suspended sediment load in glacial lakes and rivers and hence, use of suspended sediment as a proxy for glacial activity; and many other potential applications in other thematic areas.


A yes/no question fragment (YNQF) is an incomplete sentence that is nonetheless interpreted as a full yes/ no question. I argue that those YNQF are derived from an underlying syntactic structure through a process of deletion. First, I shall adduce evidence for the claim that ellipsis is involved by looking at connectivity effects (Merchant 2004), such as case-matching, binding and control. Next, I will consider the nature of the process of deletion in these fragments. I claim that the deletion in question is phonological in nature. Evidence comes from cases of nonconstituent deletion and contrasts between Dutch and English YNQFs.


The main goal of this paper is to find whether or not blind equalization can be used in EDGE (enhanced data rate for GSM evolution) systems in the perspective of increasing the data rate. An EDGE system uses 8-PSK modulation as well as the binary GMSK modulation defined for GSM. The main problem is that GMSK modulation is nonlinear, but most blind equalization techniques are derived for linear modulation. Linear approximation of the real GMSK signal has to be performed in order to apply blind equalization. It is of interest to determine if the input sequence resulting from linearisation and the derotation in the receiver is white, which is a key assumption in many blind equalization algorithms. We show that the whiteness property is preserved. We make a comparison among three blind algorithms: two fractionally spaced and one based on baud-rate HOS. The simulation results indicate that blind equalization performs well and the algorithms have potential as a feasible solution to channel tracking in EDGE systems.


The effect of in-situ precipitating particles on the grain size of Al-Ti-treated and untreated Hadfield steel cast in a pilot scale environment was studied. Hadfield steel was melted in an induction furnace and cast in Y-Block samples. Light Optical Microscopy (LOM) and the intercept method were utilized for the grain size measurements. Additionally, Thermo-Calc Software TCFE7 Steels/Fe-alloys database version 7 was used for thermodynamic equilibrium calculations of the mole fraction of particles. The planar disregistry values between the austenite and the precipitating particles were calculated. It was observed that increasing oxide content in samples with low Ti(CN) content resulted in a finer microstructure, while increasing the Ti(CN) content under similar oxide content levels led to a coarser microstructure. The potency of each type of particle to nucleate austenitic grains was determined. Spinel (MnAl2O4, MgAl2O4) particles were characterized as the most potent, followed by olivine (Mn2SiO4), corundum (Al2O3, TiO2), and finally Ti(CN), the least potent particle.


27 It remains unclear why sustained elevations of plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP), a potent vasoconstrictor and fluid retaining hormone, do not generally result in hypertension. Related to this, there have been 4 general observations: 1) AVP is elevated in many forms of human and experimental hypertension, including Dahl S rats; 2) AVP can stimulate nitric oxide synthases (NOS) and nitric oxide (NO) production in the renal medulla of normal rats; 3) AVP stimulated NO production can buffer AVP induced reductions of medullary blood flow; 4) partial reduction of medullary NOS activity (via medullary L-NAME infusion) unmasks chronic hypertensive effects of small elevations of plasma AVP (Hypertension. 2000; 35:740-745). In the present study, we hypothesize that Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DS) have reduced capacity to synthesize medullary NO which sensitizes them to the hypertensive effects of small elevations of circulating AVP. DS and Brown Norway (BN) rats with implanted arterial and venous catheters were fed a 0.4% salt diet and infused continuously for 14 days with a chronic "subpressor" dose of AVP (2 ng/kg/min). Conscious mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured 2 hours daily with rats maintained in their home cages. MAP in DS rats increased during day1 of AVP infusion from a control level of 127 ± 0.9 mmHg to an average of 147 ± 1.6 mmHg after 14 days. MAP did not return to control values even within three days following the end of AVP infusion. BN rats showed no changes of MAP during 14 days of AVP infusion (90.4 ± 0.6 mmHg and 92.3 ± 0.4 mmHg). Northern blot analysis of renal tissue from vehicle (saline) infused rats demonstrated that NOS I and NOS III mRNA expression was significantly less in DS rats in the renal outer medulla compared to BN rats. We conclude that small, normally subpressor elevations of plasma AVP can produce chronic hypertension in DS rats, a phenomenon probably related to reduced renal medullary NO synthesis.


The high electron peak and saturation velocity and a large breakdown field attributes of GaN combined with its good thermal conductivity and stability make it a suitable material for electrical devices intended for high power applications. The wide band gap of GaN leads to low intrinsic carrier concentration enabling a more precise control of free carrier concentration over a wide range of temperatures. In this paper we present AIGaN/GaN double heterostructure channel MODFET exhibiting record dc performance at room and elevated temperatures.


Dollar spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F.T. Bennett) is a common fungal disease of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Hudson). Field experiments were conducted to quantify the effects of leaf surface moisture displacement, N fertilization, and collecting or leaving clippings on severity of dollar spot. Tests were conducted on A. palustris cv. Penncross maintained at 0.6 cm (putting green height) and on turf containing A. palustris cv. Penncross and annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) maintained at 1.1 cm (fairway height). Six mowing treatments, four of which displaced morning leaf surface moisture and three of which collected clippings, were imposed on turf fertilized with 0, 36.6, and 73.2 kg N ha -1 in 1992 and 1993. Significant reductions of dollar spot after morning mowing or poling treatments, or both, were recorded on turf at both heights of cut and in both years. Maximum reductions of disease due to mowing treatments across all N levels were 81% on fairway turf in 1992 and 53% on putting green turf in 1992. Collecting or leaving clippings did not consistently affect the severity of dollar spot. The effects of N fertilization were significant at various levels in both tests and in both years. Maximum disease reductions comparing 0 and 73.2 kg N ha -1 were 57% on putting green turf in 1992 and 44% on fairway turf in 1993. There were no consistent interactions in the severity of dollar spot among mowing treatments and N levels.


The fully programmable valve array (FPVA) is a general-purpose programmable flow-based microfluidic platform, akin to the VLSI field-programmable gate array (FPGA). FPVAs are dynamically reconfigurable and, hence, are suitable in a broad spectrum of applications involving immunoassays and cell analysis. Since these applications are safety critical, addressing security concerns is vital for the success and adoption of FPVAs. This study evaluates the security of FPVA biochips. We show that FPVAs are vulnerable to malicious operations similar to digital and flow-based microfluidic biochips. FPVAs are further prone to new classes of attacks—tunneling and deliberate aging. This study establishes security metrics and describes possible attacks on real-life bioassays. Furthermore, we study the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to detect and classify attacks based on the golden and real-time biochip state. In order to boost the classifier's performance, we propose a smart checkpointing mechanism. Experimental results are presented to showcase: 1) best-fit ML model classifier; 2) performance of different tradeoffs in checkpointing; and 3) effectiveness of the proposed smart checkpointing scheme.


Complex potentials have been used in the past to simulate dissipative processes, but the normal form of a simple constant term of the form τ / h i serves only to trap/detrap particles and does not properly introduce a process which relaxes a dynamic operator/variable [1]. We have treated a general non-Hermitian Hamiltonian operator, and have developed a modified time-dependent solution of the density matrix equation of motion. An energy-dependent phase-breaking process maintains the wave function while destroying the coherence which leads to the scar itself. In this paper, we discuss the general behavior of these complex potentials, their application to the ballistic quantum dots, and implications for trajectories and histories in the dots. The present formalism will allow the simulation of quantum transport through interfacial regions, rather than having to match boundary conditions, and this is facilitated by a proper inclusion of discontinuities at the interfaces. One can now develop a proper transport theory by using moments of the density matrix, which are valid even in the areas of strong dissipation.


Employee motivation and citizenship behaviours have become important issues in human resource development (HRD). This study examines the relationship between employee motivation, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviours (OCB). The objectives of this research have two folds: (1) to show to what extent does employees' motivation in the Egyptian governmental sector can affect OCB. (2) To investigate the mediation role of employees' engagement in the employee motivation -citizenship behaviours relationship. This study was applied at Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) where a sample consists of 300 employees working in (MOCA) were chosen based on their participation in the "future leaders program (FLP)" implemented by the ministry as part of Egyptian strategy 2030. The participants of the FLP were chosen by the ministry based on two criteria: having postgraduates' qualification and aged between 30 and 45. A mixed design that combining both qualitative and quantitative methods was applied through questionnaires, in-depth interviews and PLA (Participatory Rapid Approach) using focus groups. A statistical SPSS used to test the hypothesized relationships regression, correlation, Hierarchal multiple regression analysis was used. The study' results revealed that OCB can be developed throughout the application of extrinsic motivation more than intrinsic motivation among employees in the MOCA. The mediation role of employees' engagement was supported. The study recommended that Ministry should increase the engagement task for highly qualified employees in clear structure tasks.


Finding semantic orientation and intensity of sentiment phrases and words is a subst antial task of opinion mining. The problem is to give a score to each sentiment phrase, so that different expressions of opinions in different platforms, like social networks, can be processed. There have been several attempts to do this task, and this paper aims to score each sentiment phrase based on its occurrence in reviews with different overall ratings. The idea is that if a sentime nt phrase occurs more in 5-starred reviews than in 3-starred ones, it should be more positive and more intense. The results support this idea. Each sentiment phrase in the corpus is given a score based on a weighted average of their frequency in reviews with different ratings. When a sentiment phrase gets a high score, it means it is more likely to be positive and more likely to be intense. And if a sentiment phrase gets a low score, it means that it is negative. This score sets the threshold of negativity and positivity. The high precision and recall for this feature shows its significance in classifying positive and negative sentiment phrases.


Immune tolerance by regulatory T cells (TReg) requires continuous interactions with dendritic cells (DCs) to screen the organism for potentially harmful self-antigen presentation. Ultimately, this interaction keeps effector T cells (TEff) with auto-reactive properties in check as the contact with DCs, TReg and cognate antigen induces anergy, a state of non-responsiveness. The efficient collaboration of these three immune cell types therefore dictates the delicate balance between immunity and tolerance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the chemokine CCL22 as a mediator of DC-TReg interactions. Based on previous observations of CCL22-dependent migration of CCR4+ TReg and CCL22 production by DCs, we hypothesized that CCL22 recruits TReg to DCs and increases their interaction frequency. Therefore, I investigated DC-TReg interactions in vitro and in vivo. In addition, I studied the influence of innate and adaptive immune stimulation on CCL22 and CCR4 expression.

I showed that DC-TReg interactions were significantly more frequent in vitro and in vivo for DCs that secreted CCL22 compared to DCs that did not secrete CCL22. In vivo, I studied dynamic interactions in peripheral lymph nodes by intravital microscopy and observed longer antigen-dependent DC-TReg contact times for DCs that secreted CCL22. These results suggest that the homeostatic production of CCL22 by DCs serves as a signal to recruit TReg to support continuous immune tolerance during the steady state.

Studying the influence of the innate immune system on the CCL22-CCR4 axis, I observed a decrease of CCR4 expression by TReg after stimulation with TLR and RLR ligands. In contrast, adaptive immune responses in the form of cognate-antigen DC-TEff interactions led to strong and rapid induction of CCR4 expression by TReg and further to CCL22 production by DCs. This strong induction following cognate-antigen interaction with TEff might represent a mechanism of immune surveillance, as more TReg will be recruited to the DCs that interact with TEff.

These new mechanistic insights advance our comprehension of TReg function and may help to make use of their enormous potential in clinical applications for autoimmune diseases, for cancer and beyond.


This study aimed to demonstrate the clinical and therapeutic features of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in children and adolescents in Morocco, an intermediate risk area. Sixty-eight newly diagnosed undifferentiated NPC patients younger than 19 years old treated at the National Institute of Oncology Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco, between 2010 and 2016. Patients had a median age of 16 years (range 8-19), with a sex ratio of 2.2. The mean time to presentation was 5.9 months. The main presenting symptom was cervical lymphadenopathy in 77% of cases. Patients with stages I, II, III, and IVa accounted respectively for 1.5%, 10.3%, 44.1%, and 39.7%. Three patients had bone metastases at the time of diagnosis. Forty-four patients received induction chemotherapy before concurrent chemo radiation, 23 patients received concurrent chemo radiotherapy alone with weekly cisplatin, and one patient underwent exclusive radiotherapy. After a mean follow-up of 38 months (range: 14.5 to 65), loco-regional control (LRC) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were 94.1% and 76.5%, respectively. The 5and 10year overall survival (OS) was 87% and 80.1%, respectively. The 5and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 75.3% and 66%, respectively. At the end of follow-up period, 13 patients (19.1%) were lost to follow-up. Seven patients (10.3%) had died, and 48 patients (70.6%) were alive and without disease. Most common late complications were xerostomia, hearing loss, skin fibrosis, trismus and dental caries. In spite of the majority of children and adolescents with NPC diagnosed at the advanced stage, treatment combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy achieves an excellent local control rate. A higher interval time between symptom onset and consultation (> 6 months), and T stage (T3, T4) were the most relevant prognostic factors in this study.


With this editorial, we introduce the latest issue (i.e., Volume 14, Issue 2) of the International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches and provide an overview of its main themes.


While the expectations for social work practitioners to do research have increased, their involvement is still limited. We know little about what factors influence involvement in research. The present study proposes a theoretical model that hypothesizes research training and institutional support for research as the exogenous variables, research self-efficacy as an intervening variable, and research activity as the endogenous variable. The study tests the model using data collected from a random sample of social workers. To a large degree the data support the model. Research self-efficacy has a significant effect on research activity. It is also an important mediating variable for the effect of institutional support on research activity. Although institutional support for research has no direct effect, it has an indirect effect via self-efficacy on research activity. However, research training has no effect on research activity and self-efficacy in research. The implications of these findings are discussed.


[1] A new version of a landscape evolution model that includes the evolution of an ice cap at a 103 to 105 year timescale and its associated erosion patterns is presented and applied to the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Modeling of the ice cap evolution is performed on a higher-resolution grid (i.e., ∼100 m) than previously (Braun et al., 1998). It predicts which parts of the landscape are, and have been, affected by glacial erosion. The model results highlight the complexity of the erosion patterns induced by ice caps and glaciers. Glacial erosion in a tectonically active area is, as suggested by the model, not uniform across the mountain range. Furthermore, high rock uplift rates, heavy precipitation, and climatic oscillations constantly interact. The feedback mechanisms are such that they render the landform very dynamic and transient. However, under conditions of reduced rock uplift rate and precipitation, the landform becomes more stable at the timescale of the glacial cycle. Finally, the modeling results favor a tectonic model in the Southern Alps in which the maximum rock uplift is offset from the Alpine Fault.


Abstract Trace elements are essential micronutrients for the human body. In this study, we evaluated the alterations in copper, chromium, manganese, selenium, magnesium, zinc, iron, arsenic, boron, and silicon levels in children with cyanotic and acyanotic CHD who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Participants were divided into the following three groups: patients acyanotic CHDs (n=34), patients with cyanotic CHDs (n=30), and healthy controls (n=30). Blood samples were collected before the surgery and 1 hour after the sternum was closed. Serum trace elements were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer-ICAP 6000. The baseline serum arsenic, manganese, and zinc levels of both patient groups were lower compared with controls, but there was no significant difference between baseline serum trace element levels of cyanotic and acyanotic patients. In both the patient groups, there was a significant decrease in postoperative serum arsenic, boron, copper, and zinc levels, and a significant increase in postoperative serum iron and magnesium levels. Silicon levels increased in cyanotic patients. Alterations in trace element levels were in the same direction in cyanotic and acyanotic patients. Copper, zinc, and manganase replacement may be needed after on-pump cardiac surgery.


This book examines the protection against refoulement under the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention against Torture. It provides a comprehensive and comparative analysis of the non-refoulement case-law of both the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Committee against Torture.


There is a growing realization that the nonlinear nature of the equation of state has a deep impact on the global ocean circulation; however, the understanding of the global effects of these nonlinearities remains elusive. This is partly because of the complicated formulation of the seawater equation of state making it difficult to handle in theoretical studies. In this paper, a hierarchy of polynomial equations of state of increasing complexity, optimal in a least squares sense, is presented. These different simplified equations of state are then used to simulate the ocean circulation in a global 2°-resolution configuration. Comparisons between simulated ocean circulations confirm that nonlinear effects are of major importance, in particular influencing the circulation through determination of the static stability below the mixed layer, thus controlling rates of exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean interior. It is found that a simple polynomial equation of state, with a quadratic term in temperature (for cabbeling), a temperature–pressure product term (for thermobaricity), and a linear term in salinity, that is, only four tuning parameters, is enough to simulate a reasonably realistic global circulation. The best simulation is obtained when the simplified equation of state is forced to have an accurate thermal expansion coefficient near the freezing point, highlighting the importance of polar regions for the global stratification. It is argued that this simplified equation of state will be of great value for theoretical studies and pedagogical purposes.


SUMMARY Samples of rumen fluid were removed from pairs of sheep on four grass-hay-based diets 7 h after feeding. Micro-organisms were sedimented by centrifugation and the cell-free supernatant was treated with perchloric acid (PCA) to precipitate protein. The remaining fluid was analysed for peptides by several methods to determine how much peptide escaped degradation. Ammonia interfered with analysis by amino group reagents, especially ninhydrin. In this respect, o-phthalaldehyde and trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid were more specific and more useful than ninhydrin. Use of all these reagents showed that significant quantities of amino groups (equivalent to up to 153 mg amino acid N/1 of rumen fluid) were released by hydrolysis of the PCA extract with 6 M-HCI for 24 h. However, fluorescamine analysis indicated that the peptide content of the unhydrolysed PCA extract was < 3 mg N/1. The true amino acid content of different extracts was resolved by chromatographic amino acid analysis: the sum of individual amino acid concentrations in acid-hydrolysed PCA extracts of extracellular rumen fluid ranged from 7·8 to 14·5 mg N/1. Thus most of the free amino N released by hydrolysis of the PCA extract was not from amino acids, and most of the amino acids that were released were originally present in a form that did not react with fluorescamine. Although none of the methods gave a reliable estimate of peptide concentrations, amino acid analysis provided an upper limit. It was therefore concluded that peptide concentrations in extracellular rumen fluid are much lower than indicated by previous ninhydrin estimations, and that little dietary peptide escapes degradation for a prolonged period in the rumen.


3DOF nonlinear braking dynamic model considering tire-road adhesion characteristics was established, and non-dimensional equations were gained from the above mathematic models by using braking torque coefficient, front and rear axle equivalent inertia coefficients and braking force distribution coefficient. Based on the numerical calculation in Matlab-Simulink software, the effect of key factors, (including vehicle mass and vehicle gravity center position variation, frontal and rear braking force distribution coefficient, and frontal and rear axle inertial variation caused by driven mode) on vehicle braking performance, such as braking distance and wheel lockup status, was investigated and summarized. Several 3D visualizations of the simulation results show that variation of vehicle center of gravity, vehicle mass, braking moment distribution, wheel equivalent inertia due to driveline, can cause quite complex effect. It can be assumed that the gained results in this study can help to improve vehicle braking performance and enhance braking stability.


In this paper, we study tame Galois coverings of semistable models that arise from torsion points on elliptic curves. These coverings induce Galois morphisms of intersection graphs and we express the decomposition groups of the edges in terms of the reduction type of the elliptic curve. To that end, we first define the reduction type of an elliptic curve $E/K(C)$ on a subgraph of the intersection graph $\Sigma(\mathcal{C})$ of a strongly semistable model $\mathcal{C}$. In particular, we define the notions of good and multiplicative reduction on subgraphs of the intersection graph of $\Sigma(\mathcal{C})$. After this, we show that if an elliptic curve has good reduction on an edge and $\mathrm{char}(k)\nmid{N}$, then the $N$-torsion extension is unramified above that edge, as in the codimension one case. Furthermore, we prove a combinatorial version of a theorem by Serre on transvections for elliptic curves with a non-integral $j$-invariant. Our version states that the Galois representation $\rho_{\ell}:G\rightarrow{\mathrm{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{F}_{\ell})}$ of an elliptic curve with multiplicative reduction at an edge $e$ contains a transvection $\sigma\in{I_{e'/e}}$ for prime numbers $\ell$ that do not divide the slope of the normalized Laplacian of the $j$-invariant.


Abstract Corruption is a problem in countries around the world. Nevertheless, corruption exists in these countries in many different ways including causes, forms, degrees and consequences. Subsequently, an effective effort to curb corruption needs to accommodate multiple socio-political contexts that may be factors in the problem of corruption, especially in transitional democracies where the situation is typically more complex. Studies on corruption in transitional democracies —and more broadly in the developing world— have increased since the last two decades following the end of the Cold War. This increased attention is partly driven by awareness among experts across disciplines that corruption potentially hampers economic development, reduces the quality of public services, and distorts democratic values in general. In most developing countries, corruption undermines and jeopardises the democratic transition processes that are taking place. Recent studies generally have recognised the importance of understanding the social context of corruption and try explicitly to pinpoint the social situations that make corruption more likely to occur in transitional democracies. As well, such studies offered recommendations that suited specific social dynamics of the countries. Many of the studies generally consider that CSOs carry out a significant —if not central— position in the struggle against corruption; for two reasons: (1) Civil society leaders have become leading actors in terminating authoritarian regime, so they could continue their role in consolidating democracy, including combatting corruption; and (2) CSOs need to step forward in fighting corruption because of the failure of the state in dealing with the problem. Keywords: corruption, democracy, civil society


This paper presents the major steps used in the fabrication of the 26 RF Cavities required for the PEP-II B-factory. Several unique applications of conventional processes have been developed and successfully implemented: electron beam welding (EBW), with minimal porosity, of .75 inch (19 mm) copper cross-sections; extensive 5-axis milling of water channels; electroplating of .37 inch (10 mm) thick OFE copper; tuning of the cavity by profiling beam noses prior to final joining with the cavity body; and machining of the cavity interior, are described here.


During translocations of black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis Linnaeus) in Kenya, we studied the relationships between the rhinoceros and biting flies. In trapping experiments, rhinoceros waste products (urine or dung) were substituted for known attractants such as cow urine, l-octen-3-ol or acetone. Catches of Glossina pallidipes Austen, Glossina longipennis Corti, Stomoxys spp., and Haematopota spp. were not affected by these substitutions. NG2G and Vavoua traps sited near captive animals caught similar numbers and kinds of flies as traps set without animals. Any minor attractive properties of rhinoceros odours were probably due to the presence of known attractants such as 4-cresol and 3-n-propylphenol, which were confirmed to be present through gas chromatography—mass spectroscopy. In feeding trials with laboratory-reared tsetse, Glossina brevipalpis Newstead and Glossina morsitans centralis Machado fed well on immobilized animals, whereas G. longipennis fed reluctantly. Catches of G. brevipalpis were doubled in one trapping experiment when rhinoceros urine was used as odour bait. Philoliche spp., Haematopota spp. and other Tabanidae fed on captive rhinoceroses. Many species of Stomoxyinae were associated with rhinoceroses. Of these, the most frequent association was with Rhinomusca dutoiti Zumpt, a species found previously only in South Africa. Rhinomusca dutoiti was found in two highland rhinoceros sanctuaries, Nairobi National Park and Solio Ranch Game Reserve.


SUMMARY: Iraqi Children suffered injuries during 1991 Gulf war. This was followed by suffering for 13 years from the effect of economic sanctions. The 2003 military invasion and occupation by coalition forces added more death and injuries. We wanted to know how frequent physical injuries were to Iraqi children, and how inflicted and what the consequences were. Mothers who were admitted with their children to the Children Welfare Hospital, Baghdad, in the period July 1–December 31, 2004, were interviewed about violence to their children, relatives, and neighbours that they had witnessed. Of the 218 mothers interviewed, 50 witnessed injuries (23%); 28 of those who witnessed injuries were from the city of Baghdad and 22 from towns in the central part of the country. Twenty two injuries were by gunshots, 14 by aerial attack or tank bombs, and others were due to explosions. Head injuries were the most common. Twenty of the injured children recovered with no disability, two lost fingers, two got blind, two were limping, and one had persistent backache. In conclusion, Iraqi Children were commonly victims of violence during invasion and occupation of Iraq. There seems to be inadequate protection for children during the years 2003–2004.


The invasion of weeds into relatively weed-free agricultural fields has not been studied extensively. Understanding the relative invasiveness of weeds into different tillage systems should enhance our understanding of weed community dynamics. Research was conducted at the Indian Head Experimental Farm in Saskatchewan from 1987 1998. The field was used for breeder seed production for approximately 20 years before experiment initiation and was relatively weed-free. Three rotations, differing in cropping intensity and crop competitiveness, were present in each of zero, minimum, and conventional tillage. Weed sampling occurred in all 132 cropped plots each year in mid-July and weeds were counted by species in 20 quadrats per plot. Mean weed density and percentage of quadrats containing weeds were calculated, plotted and related to climate data. In general, zero tillage was weedier in wet springs regardless of fall conditions while conventional tillage was weedier when a dry spring was preceded by dry fall conditions. Minimum tillage was weedier when a dry spring was preceded by wet fall conditions i.e. conditions between those favouring zero and conventional tillage. In general, weediness increased considerably in wet years following dry periods. Differences in moisture availability for seedling recruitment may explain these results. Weediness increased considerably in wet years following dry periods, possibly as a result of increased moisture availability and seedbank expansion during dry years.


Introdution: One of the most important signs of general health is oral health. Many systemic diseases have oral manifestations that could be appeared in the oral cavity at first. Therefore, considering the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment of oral lesions. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of oral lesions in the patients admitted to Yazd ShahidSadoughi Hospital.
Methods: In this cross sectional study, 443 hospitalized patients were clinically evaluated for oral mucosal lesions. All of the abnormal variations in oral mucosa in these patients, demographic data, type & location of oral lesion, existence of denture & smoking were documented. Data were analyzed by SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL; Version 19 was analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher exact tests.
Results: Oral lesions were observed in 37.7% of patients. The most common type of lesion was related to red and white lesions, which was seen in 19.1% of patients.  Palate was the common location for red and white lesions. Most of vesiculobollous lesions were observed in the hard palate and tongue. The lesions rate increased with aging. Among the lesions, only pigmented lesions were significantly higher in males.
Conclusion: Regarding the high prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in admitted patients, the importance of more attention to oral cavity for timely diagnosis and referral in the routine examination is emphasized.


A meshfree radial point interpolation method for free vibration analysis of laminated composite plates is presented in this paper. The idea approach bases on integrating a layerwise theory with the RPIM shape function constructed by the modified Gaussian function. In the layerwise theory, proposed by Ferreira A.J.M. [1] in 2005, the displacement field is assumed first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) with independent rotations in each layer, and imposed displacement continuity at contact position of the layers interfaces. Hereby, that easily improves the accuracy of transverse shear stresses and the using of shear correction factors is not required. The high performances of present method are considered by investigating characteristic properties of laminated composite through numerical examples. The obtained results are discussed and compared with other previous solutions in the literature.


Abstract The title "physical education" (PE) is the traditional taxonomy used to represent the education discipline. Health and physical education (HPE) is regarded to be an all-encompassing health-dimensional title that has been recently embraced by various education systems around the world. Hence, it can be argued that PE and HPE are often used interchangeably by educationalists, portraying a similar meaning and understanding. This can be regarded as internationally confusing, as historically PE and HPE have represented different and at times paradoxical discourses and ideologies. Amongst the ambiguity of which title to use, PE or HPE, new terms of branding such as "physical literacy" and "health literacy" have re/emerged. The purpose of this interpretivist study is to identify if associated terms used for the original PE label are a help or hindrance to practitioners? Participants were asked an open-ended question relating to PE nomenclatures. The data gathered were analysed and findings confirmed that practitioner confusion does exist. It is suggested that children are first and foremost "physically educated"; therefore a strong, clear and comprehensive grounding in quality PE is essential for teachers and students.


We report a new spectral multiple image fusion analysis based on the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and a specific spectral filtering method. In order to decrease the size of the multiplexed file, we suggest a procedure of compression which is based on an adapted spectral quantization. Each frequency is encoded with an optimized number of bits according its importance and its position in the DC domain. This fusion and compression scheme constitutes a first level of encryption. A supplementary level of encryption is realized by making use of biometric information. We consider several implementations of this analysis by experimenting with sequences of gray scale images. To quantify the performance of our method we calculate the MSE (mean squared error) and the PSNR (peak signal to noise ratio). Our results consistently improve performances compared to the well-known JPEG image compression standard and provide a viable solution for simultaneous compression and encryption of multiple images.


For many years it has been generally recognized that pyloric stenosis exerts an unfavorable influence on the healing of chronic duodenal and gastric ulcers. Sippy 1 was persuaded that this unfavorable effect could not be accounted for simply by malnutrition resulting from the vomiting induced by obstruction at the pylorus. In 1914 Friedman and Hamburger 2 provided experimental evidence in support of this view. They demonstrated that the injection of 0.5 to 1 cc of a 5% solution of silver nitrate beneath the mucous membrane of the stomach or duodenum would produce localized necrosis of the mucosa and a sharply punched out acute ulcer. If nothing further was done, these acute lesions healed in two to three weeks, an observation that we have repeatedly confirmed. However, if partial pyloric obstruction was produced by placing a heavy silk ligature around the pylorus of dogs, such acute lesions in the stomach produced


Organically bound oxygen is one of the most abundant elements in coal, yet the amount and quality of data concerning its abudance, mode of occurrence, and processing behavior is relatively lean. The rectification of this problem will require the development of appropriate methods of oxygen determination, which have been lacking in the past. The stature of coal science today demands a technique for organic oxygen determination other than the outdated and error-prone oxygen-by-difference calculation. This investigation addresses this need and intends to develop methods suitable not only for total organic oxygen determination but also for determination of oxygen functionality. The methods and techniques developed will then be applied to practical needs in characterizing the oxygen geochemistry of coal and the evaluation of coal drying on liquefaction behavior.


This study explored the influence of the 'proximity' (defined as an attack on homeland soil) of a terrorist attack upon the perceptions of international travel risk. Opportunity samples of US (n=39) and UK (n=59) citizens responded to a questionnaire that sought their opinions on international travel risk and the perceived safety of a set of vacation destinations. The study found that while 'proximity' to a terrorist attack may increase the general negative perceptions of the safety of international travel, when purpose of travel is for a vacation the influence of 'proximity' weakens. International vacation travel may therefore be particularly susceptible to the influences of a terrorist attack, wherever the attack occurs. Differences in perceptions of three vacation destinations (France, Spain and UK) between the US and UK respondents indicate that variables other than proximity to attacks influence perceptions of the safety of vacation destinations. Past experience of a destination and media coverage of the aftermath of terrorist acts may better explain some of the recorded differences surrounding the three vacation destinations.


Deep neural networks (DNNs) have recently been widely adopted in various applications, and such success is largely due to a combination of algorithmic breakthroughs, computation resource improvements, and access to a large amount of data. However, the large-scale data collections required for deep learning often contain sensitive information, therefore raising many privacy concerns. Prior research has shown several successful attacks in inferring sensitive training data information, such as model inversion, membership inference, and generative adversarial networks (GAN) based leakage attacks against collaborative deep learning. In this paper, to enable learning efficiency as well as to generate data with privacy guarantees and high utility, we propose a differentially private autoencoder-based generative model (DP-AuGM) and a differentially private variational autoencoder-based generative model (DP-VaeGM). We evaluate the robustness of two proposed models. We show that DP-AuGM can effectively defend against the model inversion, membership inference, and GAN-based attacks. We also show that DP-VaeGM is robust against the membership inference attack. We conjecture that the key to defend against the model inversion and GAN-based attacks is not due to differential privacy but the perturbation of training data. Finally, we demonstrate that both DP-AuGM and DP-VaeGM can be easily integrated with real-world machine learning applications, such as machine learning as a service and federated learning, which are otherwise threatened by the membership inference attack and the GAN-based attack, respectively.


The effects of removal of the posterior lobe of the pituitary on plasma concentrations of PRL, LH, and FSH were examined under the following conditions: on each morning of the 4-day estrous cycle, 2 weeks after ovariectomy, and 2 h after the administration of a LHRH inhibitory analog on estrus. Blood was collected from a femoral artery immediately before and during the 3 h after posterior pituitary lobectomy or sham lobectomy. Significant elevations of both PRL and LH were seen after removal of the posterior pituitary on estrus and diestrus day 1, while no change was seen in the plasma concentration of either hormone after posterior pituitary removal on diestrus day 2. On proestrus, posterior lobectomy resulted in an elevation of LH only. The posterior lobectomy-induced PRL elevations were rapid and of short duration, while those of LH were delayed and prolonged. No alteration in plasma FSH concentrations was seen after posterior pituitary lobectomy performed on any day of the estrous cycle. In contrast to the hormonal elevations observed after lobectomy during the cycle, no change in plasma PRL, LH, or FSH was seen after posterior lobectomy in ovariectomized rats. The administration of a LHRH inhibitory analog 2 h before posterior lobectomy completely abolished the lobectomy-induced rise of LH normally seen on estrus. The data suggest that the posterior pituitary participates in the regulation of PRL and LH, but not FSH, release during the estrous cycle. Given that the posterior lobectomy-induced elevations of plasma PRL and LH were evident only on certain days of the cycle and were absent in ovariectomized rats, it is likely that posterior pituitary inhibition of PRL and LH release is expressed only in the presence of specific ovarian hormonal profiles. In addition, the posterior lobectomy-induced rise in plasma LH appears to be dependent on the presence of LHRH, but it remains to be determined whether a posterior pituitary substance(s) alters hypothalamic release of or anterior pituitary responsiveness to LHRH.


It is often taken for granted that women who sell sex are vulnerable, that welfare services can and should alleviate this vulnerability, and as such, being defined as 'vulnerable' can be beneficial and associated with special rights that would otherwise be inaccessible. At the same time, ongoing debates have demonstrated that establishing individuals and groups as vulnerable tends to mask structural factors in inequality and has negative consequences, among them an idea that the path to 'non-vulnerability' lies in changing the 'afflicted' individuals or groups, not in structures or in addressing unequal access to resources. In this article, we take this as a starting point and discuss challenges for the welfare state in meeting the varied and often complex needs of sex sellers. Based on qualitative research with service providers in specialised social and health services in Norway, we examine access and barriers to services among female sex sellers as well as how vulnerability is understood and shapes what services are available. An important feature of modern prostitution in Norway, as in the rest of Western Europe, is that sex sellers are predominantly migrants with varying migration status and corresponding rights to services. This has influenced the options available to address prostitution as a phenomenon within the welfare state and measures that have previously been helpful for domestic women in prostitution are not easily replicated for the current target population. A starting point in a theoretical understanding that considers vulnerability to be a human predicament (rather than the exception to the rule or a deficit in individuals or groups) allows for a discussion that highlights the centrality of structural conditions rather than a need for change in the individual. In order to understand the limitations of the welfare state in addressing modern prostitution as such, it is highly relevant to look at the structural origin of vulnerabilities that may look individual.


In this study, we examine in detail the effect of spatially dependent viscosity on wall-bounded flow. For this purpose, direct numerical simulations (DNS) are performed considering a channel flow with a viscosity change along the streamwise direction. The DNS were performed using nek5000, a computational fluid dynamics code developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The channel is divided into three different regions: in the first one, the flow is at a constant Reynolds number of Re = 5000; in the second region, the Reynolds number is imposed to linearly increase as viscosity decreases through a ramp; and finally, in the third region, the flow is again at a constant Reynolds number, this time at Re = 10,000. Since the temperature field is not evaluated, the proposed setup is a simplification of a heated channel. Nevertheless, the outcomes of this study may be valuable for future works considering variable-viscosity effects, especially for cooling and heating applications. Four test cases with different ramp inclinations were analyzed. The results from this study were compared with a correlation available in the literature for the friction Reynolds number as a function of the Reynolds number. We observe that in all cases the ramp does not cause an immediate change in the characteristics of turbulent structures, and a delay is in fact observed in both wall shear and friction. Finally, in order to characterize and understand these effects, streaks from the viscous region and turbulence statistics for the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget terms are analyzed.


Natural resource indicators are used by catchment management organisations as targets for land use management. However, the nature of the trade-off function between natural resource management (NRM) outcomes and whole-farm profit is ill-defined, and varies between regions and according to the particular NRM indicator considered. Defining this function will assist catchment management organisations and farmers to evaluate the achievability of particular targets, and help determine the size of economic incentives required to offset any expected loss in farm profit associated with meeting targets. We addressed this issue by modelling representative farm businesses in two mixed farming regions (southern New South Wales and the central wheatbelt of Western Australia). The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) and GRAZPLAN farming systems models were linked and used to generate values of four NRM indicators (water leakage, nitrate leaching, groundcover and soil organic carbon change) for a wide range of crop–pasture rotations. The NRM indicator values were then incorporated into the Model of an Integrated Dryland System (MIDAS) whole-farm economic model to define the relationship with farm profit and farm cropping percentage. For some circumstances and indicators, the resulting trade-off functions were relatively flat; a wide range of enterprise mixes can lead to the same NRM outcomes but significant gains in the indicators may not be possible using current rotation options. For others, significant improvements could be achieved but at a substantial loss in whole-farm profit (through the selection of less profitable rotations). There were also examples where simultaneous gains in indicators and farm profit were possible. This analysis demonstrates an approach by which biophysical simulation models of the farming system can be linked to linear-programming representations of farming enterprises, and provides a method for deriving relationships between NRM targets and economic performance.


Urticaria is a complex inflammatory disease, with often unidentified causes and incompletely elucidated etiopathogenic mechanisms. The purpose of the paper is to determine the serum profile of adenosine deaminases (total ADA, ADA-1, ADA-2), endogenous mediators possibly involved in the persistence and resolution of spontaneous urticaria. Based on the enzymatic activities determined in 84 patients with spontaneous acute urticaria, 60 patients with spontaneous chronic urticaria and 64 healthy volunteers, it was found that: two ADA-1 and ADA-2 isoenzymes were detected in the human serum, based on which the two types of urticaria can be differentiated. The authors acknowledge that modulation of adenosine deaminase activity could influence urticaria resolution.