Objective Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common disorder of the school-age population. ADHD is familial and genetic studies estimate heritability at 80–90%. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the genetic type and alleles for RELNgene (rs736707, rs2229864, rs362746, rs362726, rs362691, rs1062831, rs607755, and rs2072403) in Korean children with ADHD. Methods The sample consisted of 180 ADHD children and 159 control children. We diagnosed ADHD according to DSM-IV. ADHD symptoms were evaluated with Conners' Parent Rating Scales and Dupaul Parent ADHD Rating Scales. Blood samples were taken from the 339 subjects, DNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes, and PCR was performed for RELN Polymorphism. Alleles and genotype frequencies were compared using the chi-square test. We compared the allele and genotype frequencies of RELN gene polymorphism in the ADHD and control groups. Results This study showed that there was a significant correlation among the frequencies of the rs736707 (OR=1.40, 95% CI=1.03–1.90, p=0.031) of alleles of RELN, but the final conclusions are not definite. Conclusion Follow up studies with larger patient or pure subgroups are expected. These results suggested that RELN might be related to ADHD symptoms.


INTRODUCTION
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can induce early or late post-traumatic seizures (PTS). While PTS incidence is low, prophylaxis is used despite a lack of consensus on agent or duration. Levetiracetam (LEV) for early PTS prophylaxis is preferred due to its safety and efficacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate LEV for early PTS prophylaxis.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
A single-center, retrospective chart review of TBI patients ≥18 years who received LEV for early PTS prophylaxis between August 2018-July 2019. The primary outcome was LEV duration. Secondary outcomes were incidence of seizure, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS).

RESULTS
Of the 137 included, mean age was 59 ± 20 years and 69.3% were male. The mean admission GCS was 13 ± 4 and 77.4% had mild TBI. Median LEV duration was 7 (IQR 4-10) days and 13.9% met recommended 7-day duration. Those prescribed LEV >7 days had more than twice the median LEV duration than those prescribed ≤7 days [10.25 (8.5-15.5) vs 4 (1.5-4.5) days, p < 0.0001]. Electroencephalography-confirmed PTS occurred in 2.2%, with an early PTS incidence of 0.73%. Median ICU and hospital LOS were 2 (IQR 1-7) and 7 (IQR 3-16) days, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of PTS was low as most patients in our study had mild or moderate TBI. Early PTS prophylaxis with LEV for 7 days is appropriate, although the majority of patients did not meet the recommended duration. Efforts to standardize and implement PTS prophylaxis protocols are needed.


By 2004 Spanish subnational governments are allowed to participate in some formal meetings of the Council of the European Union as well as in its working groups. For proponents of the multi-level governance approach, a regional presence in the Council provides evidence in support of enhanced subnational participation in EU policy making. For intergovernmentalists, on the contrary, the Spanish case demonstrates that central government still maintains a crucial gatekeeper position since it formally regulates the main aspects of subnational participation. By presenting the results of a case study on the formal participation of the Spanish regions in the Council, the paper agrees that, even in a context of Europeanization, the central state still ultimately retains some veto powers. Nevertheless, the article takes issue with the argument that subnational participation is mainly formal and lacks substantive value. The article provides evidence, on the contrary, that the definition of the joint common position reinforces intrastate relations in EU policy making with a positive net effect for subnational governments.


Sharp-crested weir and side-channel weirs can be considered among the control and flow-measuring structures which are greatly applicable in channels, dam spillways and other hydraulic structures. Discharge coefficient in these two types of weirs is affected by the structural geometry and the hydraulics of the flow. Suspended load is one of the main factors which may affect the hydraulics of the flow and consequently modify the flow discharge coefficient. Using different geometrical and hydraulic conditions, the discharge coefficient relation in sharp-crested and side channel weirs for the case of suspended load can be extracted. Flow3D numerical model is capable of precisely simulation the flow containing suspended and bed load in the main channel. The discharge coefficient equation is deduced and presented based on the Froude number, by numerical iterations. The numerical results reveal that the discharge coefficient in the two cases of clear water and the flow containing suspended load are totally different. At the same hydraulic load, the discharge coefficient in the case of existing suspended load is greater than the case of clear water; In addition, the discharge coefficient is reduced by increasing the Froude number in all cases with different load concentrations.


: Purpose: This paper positions market sensing, supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability as a coherent cluster of dynamic supply chain capabilities. The purpose of the paper is to understand how dynamic supply chain capabilities interrelate and their effect on supply chain ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a survey of Pakistani manufacturing firms, a theoretically-derived model was tested in a structural equation model. Findings: The results of the study show that a market-sensing capability is an antecedent of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability. Furthermore, supply chain agility, directly, and supply chain adaptability, indirectly, affect supply chain ambidexterity. Supply chain agility therefore mediates the relationship between supply chain adaptability and supply chain ambidexterity . Originality/value : The contribution of this study lies in: (1) identifying dynamic capability clusters relevant for achieving supply chain ambidexterity;(2) evaluating performance implications of dynamic capabilities in the supply chain, specifically supply chain agility and adaptability; and (3) proposing a unique measurement of supply chain ambidexterity in the light supply chain theory, and empirically evaluating the relationship between dynamic capabilities and supply chain ambidexterity.


In many environments only a tiny subset of all states yield high reward. In these cases, few of the interactions with the environment provide a relevant learning signal. Hence, we may want to preferentially train on those high-reward states and the probable trajectories leading to them. To this end, we advocate for the use of a backtracking model that predicts the preceding states that terminate at a given high-reward state. We can train a model which, starting from a high value state (or one that is estimated to have high value), predicts and sample for which the (state, action)-tuples may have led to that high value state. These traces of (state, action) pairs, which we refer to as Recall Traces, sampled from this backtracking model starting from a high value state, are informative as they terminate in good states, and hence we can use these traces to improve a policy. We provide a variational interpretation for this idea and a practical algorithm in which the backtracking model samples from an approximate posterior distribution over trajectories which lead to large rewards. Our method improves the sample efficiency of both on- and off-policy RL algorithms across several environments and tasks.


Attention defines our mental ability to select and respond to stimuli, internal or external, on the basis of behavioural goals in the presence of competing, behaviourally irrelevant, stimuli. The frontal and parietal cortices are generally agreed to be involved with attentional processing, in what is termed the 'fronto-parietal' network. The left parietal cortex has been seen as the site for temporal attentional processing, whereas the right parietal cortex has been seen as the site for spatial attentional processing. There is much debate about when the modulation of the primary visual cortex occurs, whether it is modulated in the feedforward sweep of processing or modulated by feedback projections from extrastriate and higher cortical areas. MEG and psychophysical measurements were used to look at spatially selective covert attention. Dual-task and cue-based paradigms were used. It was found that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), in particular the SPL and IPL, was the main site of activation during these experiments, and that the left parietal lobe was activated more strongly than the right parietal lobe throughout. The levels of activation in both parietal and occipital areas were modulated in accordance with attentional demands. It is likely that spatially selective covert attention is dominated by the left parietal lobe, and that this takes the form of the proposed sensory-perceptual lateralization within the parietal lobes. Another form of lateralization is proposed, termed the motor-processing lateralization, the side of dominance being determined by handedness, being reversed in left- relative to right-handers. In terms of the modulation of the primary visual cortex, it was found that it is unlikely that V1 is modulated initially; rather the modulation takes the form of feedback from higher extrastriate and parietal areas. This fits with the idea of preattentive visual processing, a commonly accepted idea which, in itself, prevents the concept of initial modulation of V1.


Abstract Background: Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) is expressed in atherosclerotic lesions and was recently implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular pathologies. Statins are known to exert stabilizing effects on atherosclerotic plaque. The aims of our study were (1) to investigate the association of serum NGAL and metalloproteinase (MMP)-9/NGAL complex with the vulnerability of the atherosclerotic plaque, and (2) to reveal the effects of statin treatment on circulating NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL levels in patients with carotid artery stenosis. Methods: We examined the levels of NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL in blood samples from 136 patients with carotid artery stenosis by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: Patients with vulnerable plaques, as determined by ultrasound (plaques with decreased echogenicity) and histological analysis (type VI according to the classification of American Heart Association [AHA]), displayed the highest levels of NGAL (both p<0.0001) and MMP-9/NGAL complex (p=0.0004 and p=0.004, respectively). Moreover, patients with symptomatic carotid atherosclerosis had significantly higher NGAL levels compared to asymptomatic patients (p=0.0007). The statin-treated group (n=108) demonstrated lower NGAL (73.9 vs. 128.0 μg/L, p<0.0001) and MMP-9/NGAL (28.9 vs. 40.6 μg/L, p=0.046) as compared to the non-statin group (n=28). Furthermore, in multivariate regression analysis NGAL, but not MMP-9/NGAL levels, were independently associated with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. In addition, statin treatment was independently associated with lower NGAL levels. Conclusions: Circulating NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL are associated with plaque vulnerability in patients with carotid artery stenosis. Statin treatment could contribute to plaque stabilization by reducing circulating NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL levels.


Background LPGN is the prototypic immune-complex (IC) mediated disease. The current dogma that IC deposition with complement (C') activation inevitably leads to renal damage is neither sufficient nor comprehensive to account for the pathogenesis of LPGN. Our genetic studies support the thesis that acute GN (aGN) with IC deposition with C' activation and cell infiltration and mesangial proliferation is a distinct phenotype from chronic GN (cGN) that is characterised by glomerulosclerosis, tubular dilatation and interstitial fibrosis with severe proteinuria and premature mortality. Furthermore, circulating ANA and anti-dsDNA Abs are not required for LPGN. Materials and methods Female mice of NZM2328 and its intra-chromosomal recombinant congenic line NZM2328.Lc1R27 (R27) were used. Anti-GBM induced GN was used as a model for IC mediated LPGN. Immunofluorescence was used to identify cell populations that made cytokines and complement components. Results R27 developed aGN and mild proteinuria without progression to cGN, end stage renal failure and early mortality. The kidneys of aged R27 had IC deposition and cellular infiltration, not distinguishable from that of aGN in NZM2328. Multiple approaches showed that the lack of progression from aGN to cGN in R27 was due to podocyte resistance to IC-mediated damage, a phenotype controlled by the allelic Cgnz1 gene. With a novel method to study intra-glomerular cytokine production, NZM podocytes were shown to be the major cell population that makes IL-1β in cGN, infiltrating CD11b+ macrophages make TNFα and the mesangial cells make IL-6. R27 mice do not show this compartmentalization of cytokine production. Preliminary data showed that the podocytes in Class III and IV lupus GN make IL-1β. Podocytes at the early and late cGN were shown to make C1q and C3. The expression of these complement components is less evident in R27 kidneys. C1q and C3 were present in some podocytes in biopsies of class III and IV lupus nephritis. Urinary podocytes making C1q were detected by us in of four patients with LPGN but not in normal individuals. Conclusions Our studies of lupus GN in both mouse and in man have provided significant information and insight regarding the role of podocytes as targets and as responders to IC mediated injuries. Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of LPGN should be revisited with focus on the local factors that may be of paramount importance. In addition to enhance our basic knowledge of podocyte biology, our results may provide novel targets for intervention and new urinary biomarkers to monitor therapeutic responses.


Tris-egg yolk-based diluents provide adequate cryoprotection for the sperm of most species. This study was conducted to compare the ability of Tris-glucose extender containing 2 different concentrations of egg yolk to maintain sperm motility and acrosome integrity of canine spermatozoa during 72 h of preservation. For this purpose, a total of 20 ejaculates from 4 clinically healthy dogs (2 Spanish Greyhound, 1 German Pointer, and 1 Crossbreed) were collected by digital manipulation. The sperm-rich fraction of each ejaculate was divided into 2 aliquots. Then, they were diluted in Tris-based extender and centrifuged at 700g for 8 min. Sperm pellets were resuspended in either Tris buffer added to 20% (EY20) or 10% centrifuged egg yolk (EY10) and cooled to 5°C over 72 h. The effects of these extenders on motility and acrosome integrity were assessed objectively using a computer-aided semen analyzer (Sperm Class Analyzer, Microptic SL, Spain) and Spermac® staining, respectively. Each cooled-rewarmed semen sample was evaluated after 24, 48, and 72 h of preservation. Sperm motion parameters shown by computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) are progressively motile (PMS) and motile spermatozoa (MS), curvilinear velocity (CLV), average path velocity (APV), progressive speed (SLV), and lateral head displacement (LHD). Data were statistically analysed by ANOVA. Dependent variables expressed as percentages were arsine-transformed before analysis. Differences between mean values were evaluated by the Duncan method. Data were presented as mean ± SEM. Differences were considered significant when P < 0.05. Analyses were performed using the statistical package SPSS 12.0. A total of 98 172 motile sperm trajectories were analyzed by CASA: 52 259 in EY20 and 45 913 in EY10. After 24, 48, and 72 h of preservation, MS and PMS were statistically higher (P < 0.01) in EY20. No significant differences were found for LHD using either extender over a 72-h period. No significant differences were observed for CLV using either extender during the first 2 days. At Day 3, CLV data were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in EY20. Similarly, from Day 2, APV was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in EY20. After 24 h of preservation, SLV was statistically higher (P < 0.001) in EY10, whereas the opposite tendency was found at Day 3. No significant differences were observed for SLV using either extender after 48 h of preservation. During the first 2 days, acrosome integrity was statistically higher (P < 0.001) in EY20. At hour 72, higher acrosome integrity (P < 0.001) was observed in EY10. In conclusion, we have observed that the EY20 extender provided higher motility after 72 h of chilled preservation; however, the acrosome membrane integrity was better preserved in EY10.


BACKGROUND
Neurosteroids dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) are involved in many important brain functions, including neuronal plasticity and survival, cognition and behavior, demonstrating preventive and therapeutic potential in different neuro-psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of the article was to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature on the involvement of DHEA and DHEAS in Alzheimer's disease.

METHOD
PubMed and MEDLINE databases were searched for relevant literature. The articles were selected considering their titles and abstracts. In the selected full texts, lists of references were searched manually for additional articles.

RESULTS
We performed a systematic review of the studies investigating the role of DHEA and DHEAS in various in vitro and animal models, as well as in patients with Alzheimer's disease, and provided a comprehensive discussion on their potential preventive and therapeutic applications.

CONCLUSION
Despite mixed results, the findings of various preclinical studies are generally supportive of the involvement of DHEA and DHEAS in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease, showing some promise for potential benefits of these neurosteroids in the prevention and treatment. However, so far small clinical trials brought little evidence to support their therapy in AD. Therefore, large-scale human studies are needed to elucidate the specific effects of DHEA and DHEAS and their mechanisms of action, prior to their applications in clinical practice.


Pelvic avulsion injuries occur in both the skeletally immature and adult patient populations. Avulsion injuries are most common in the adolescent age group and usually present as an avulsion of the unfused apophysis at the level of tendon attachment resulting from violent muscular contraction during an athletic endeavor. Acute apophyseal avulsion injuries are usually easily detected and adequately imaged with radiographs, but occasionally advanced imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography is required to detect and fully delineate the extent of injury. Chronic injuries can mimic a more aggressive lesion, but familiarity with the location of various tendon attachment sites on the osseous pelvis can help avoid this pitfall. Traumatic avulsion injuries can also occur in the skeletally mature pelvis; however, in the adult, the presence of a pelvic avulsion fracture in the absence of trauma should be considered a pathological lesion until proven otherwise. This article discusses the clinical and imaging findings of apophyseal avulsion injuries in the adolescent athlete, followed by a discussion of specific pelvis avulsion injuries that occur in the adult population.


The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of metal coatings at the surfaces of diamonds impregnated in metal bond matrices. Diamonds with or without coatings were incorporated into same bond matrix to form two metal-diamond composites in order to reveal the effects of coatings. Diamonds with same coatings were applied to three bond matrices to check the influences of matrix properties on the effects of coatings. The transverse rupture strength (TRS) of the composites was measured to ssess their mechanical behavior. Circular sawing was also conducted to reveal the contribution of coatings to diamond retention. SEM was used to analyze the fractured surfaces of the composites. For same bond matrix, the coatings at diamonds were found to increase the TRS of the composites. However, it is difficult to compare the effects of coatings in different bond systems.


Atmospheric deposition of nitrogenous compounds to ombrotrophic peatlands (i.e., those that have peat layers higher than their surroundings and receive nutrients and minerals exclusively by precipitation) has the potential to significantly alter ecosystem functioning. This study utilized the acetylene inhibition technique to estimate the relative importance of denitrification in nitrogen removal from a primarily ombrotrophic peatland, in an attempt to estimate the threat of increased nitrogen loadings to these areas. Estimates of mean rates of denitrification ranged from -2.76 to 84.0 ng N(2)O-N cm(-3) h(-1) (equivalent to -150 to 4800 microg N(2)O-N m(-2) h(-1)) using an ex situ core technique and from -8.30 to 5.98 microg N(2)O-N m(-2) h(-1) using an in situ chamber technique. Core rates may have been elevated over natural field levels due to effects of disturbance on substrate availability, and chamber rates may have been low due to diffusional constraints on acetylene and N(2)O. Net nitrification was also measured in an attempt to evaluate this process as a source of nitrate for denitrifiers. The low rates of net nitrification measured, in combination with the low rates of in situ denitrification and the very low amounts of free nitrate measured in this peatland, suggests that inorganic N turnover in this wetland is low. Results showed that nitrate was a limiting factor for denitrification in this peatland, with mean rates from nitrate-amended cores ranging from 13.1 to 260 ng N(2)O-N cm(-3) h(-1), and it is expected that increases in nitrogen loadings will increase denitrification rates in this ecosystem.


This study reports on a doctoral investigation (Van Staden, 2010) to identify and explain relationships between some major learner- and school-level factors associated with successful reading in Grade 5. South African classrooms are characterised by large variation, with linguistically and socio-economically heterogeneous groups of learners. However, there is a paucity of theoretical frameworks that could explain reading effectiveness in a developing context. For purposes of this study, the South African Grade 5 data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 were analysed. Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) was applied to determine the effect of a number of explanatory variables at learner- and school-level on reading achievement as outcome variable, while controlling for language. In the absence of a reading effectiveness framework, Creemers' Comprehensive Model of Educational Effectiveness was used as theoretical point of departure. The framework left the differences in reading scores largely unexplained and could not capture the South African PIRLS 2006 data adequately. The study concludes with reflections on whether Creemers' model could guide an analysis to explain reading performance and on what further modifications to the model might be required to suit a developing South African context more adequately.


As the consumer market for odor products grows, companies producing healthcare products are beginning to pay more attention to the emotional aspect of an odor product in order to differentiate their products from competitors. In the following research, the affective effect of odor product was investigated while focusing on relaxation and working contexts using orange and pine scents, since these are typical odors in current domestic market. Two empirical studies were carried out. First, in experiment I, 18 subjects, all of whom were university students, spent 20 minutes sitting comfortably on a sofa while electrocardiogram assessments were made. After a five-minute break, in experiment II, the same subjects were provided with both arithmetic and geometric questions and their electroencephalogram readings was recorded from eight channels. All subjects participated in three sessions - no odor, an orange scent, and then a pine scent - with a minimum time interval of 24 hours. The results show that in the context of a pine scent, both the activation ratio of subjects' parasympathetic system and those of the Sensory Motor Rhythm waves and Mid Beta waves were at the highest peak. Therefore, the pine scent helped the subjects to feel more comfortable and more focused at the same time. In other words, it gave them a state of meditated attention. In addition, it was found that the right brain was activated twice the intensity when the subjects worked through the geometric questions, whereas both sides of the brain were activated in equal magnitude during the process of arithmetic tasks. This replicates previous studies of the functional aspect of the right brain - being responsible for spatial and creative thinking.


Numerous investigations have been carried out on many geomagnetic phenomena with a view of understanding the ionosphere. Solar Quiet (Sq) is caused by electric currents induced in the Earth by the external source. We studied the variations of Sq over the various seasons Winter (November, December, January and February), Summer (May, June, July, August), Autumn (September, October) and Spring (March, April), using data from 64 geomagnetic stations for the year 1996 across the globe. The seasonal variations were studied across various latitudes and longitudes. Results show that Sq(H) exhibits transient variations with varying amplitude according to seasons of the year.


The certification of fresh produce producers in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) has become a common requirement by wholesale and retail buyers. The Food Safety Modernization Act has provisions for the adoption of traceability systems by farms with fresh produce. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides guidance for GAPs, but some requirements within these documents, such as traceability, are changing rapidly. Several traceability systems are currently being used by produce producers, and range from professional systems to farmer created systems. This study focuses on two; FoodLogiQ® and farmer created traceability. A focus group composed of various produce farming operations has been tasked to shed light on the challenges produce producers face in implementing traceability systems. Implementation of a sophisticated, professional system requires a large monetary commitment from the producer. The following figures are estimates producers provided specifically for this study. Initial costs using a FoodLogiQ® system is priced at $5,000-$7,500, and requires additional software such as FAMOUS to handle the operations accounting needs at a cost of $40,000- $50,000. Yearly subscription/maintenance fees of $1,200-$8,500 will also be necessary costs for the producer. Survey questions addressed to the focus group aimed at evaluating two main areas; cost of adoption and managerial time with adoption. Results show a distinct difference between small producers (gross sales of $100,000 per year) and large producers (gross sales of $500,000 or greater per year). Small operations feel the burden of adoption with the initial technology costs (e.g. field scanner, label printer, software). Larger operations noted that the heaviest burden of implementation comes in the added cost of personnel. Participants were asked to place a value on survey questions using a 1-3 scale with 1 being no additional cost, 2 minimal additional cost, and 3 significant additional cost. As a result, producers indicated a field scanner (2.3), printing case labels (2.5), and additional office personnel (2.5) as the most costly. Participants were asked to evaluate how implementing a traceability system will affect their management time. Average response yielded between minimal additional time and significant additional time (2.7). The results of the study will provide guidance to producers, farm organizations and policy makers on the costs and potential structural changes occurring as a result of GAPs adoption.


Learning is not a solitary task and neitheris teaching. We need to keep ourknowledge and skills updated and are dependenton knowing where to find the latestnews and ideas in our subject area.Teachers have always networked with colleaguesin the same department or institution,but seldom on a national or internationalscale, this is on the other side verynatural for researchers, to work internationallyand collaborative. Today's socialnetworking tools make networking on aglobal scale an invaluable resource for allteachers. Building a Personal LearningNetwork (PLN) with a wide range of contactsfrom all over the world, provides asource of news, support, inspiration anddiscussion that is an invaluable and integralpart of professional development.The workshop at NGL14 aimed to introducethe concepts of PLN and communityof practice (CoP) to teachers who have notyet developed an extensive professionalnet-based network. During the workshopparticipants worked collaboratively ingroups to discover relevant tools and networksto join and benefit from. The mediumof the workshop was net-based collaborativeworkspaces where links and notesfrom the session can be shared and whichare available for all participants long afterthe workshop is over. The workshop allowedparticipants to examine a representativeselection of the numerous online toolsavailable for networking, sharing and collaboration.


1. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by phorbol esters or diacylglycerols has been shown to modulate a number of ionic currents carried by Ca2+, K+ and Cl‐. Recently, it has been demonstrated that PKC may be activated by cis‐fatty acids in the absence of either phospholipid or Ca2+. We wished to determine if this new class of PKC‐activating compound would also modulate ionic currents. To this end we applied the whole‐cell voltage‐clamp technique to N1E‐115 neuroblastoma cells. 2. Analysis of families of currents evoked under voltage clamp by depolarizing steps from a holding potential of ‐85 mV during external application of 5 microM‐oleate (a cis‐fatty acid) showed a 36% reduction of the peak inward current with no shift in either the peak or the reversal potential of the current‐voltage relation and no alteration of outward current. 3. External application of the cis‐fatty acids oleate, linoleate and linolenate reversibly attenuated voltage‐dependent Na+ current with approximate half‐maximal dose values of 2, 3, and 10 microM respectively. Oleate was approximately 2 times more potent when applied internally (ED50 = 1 microM). Externally applied elaidate (a trans‐isomer of oleate) and stearate (a saturated fatty acid) which do not activate PKC, had no effect. Since cis‐fatty acids are known to fluidize membranes, as well as to activate PKC, we sought to dissociate these functions by applying compounds that fluidize membranes but do not activate PKC: methyloleate and lysophosphatidylcholine. Neither compound affected Na+ current when applied externally at concentrations of 1‐50 microM. 4. In contrast to cis‐fatty acids, three classical PKC activators, phorbol‐12.13‐dibutyrate (PDB), phorbol‐12.13‐diacetate (PDA), and 1.2‐oleoylacetylglycerol (OAG) were found to have no effect on the voltage‐dependent Na+ current when applied externally at 10 nM‐1 microM (phorbol esters) or 1‐150 microM (OAG) for incubation periods up to 1 h. 5. External application of the PKC inhibitors polymyxin B, H‐7, sphingosine and staurosporine blocked the attenuation of the Na+ current by cis‐fatty acid in a dose‐dependent manner, with maximal inhibition occurring at doses of 50, 10, 200 and 0.1 microM, respectively. The cyclic nucleotide‐dependent protein kinase inhibitor H‐8 was much less effective in blocking the cis‐fatty acid effect. Polymyxin B and staurosporine were more potent when applied internally. 6. Chronic (24 h) exposure to 1 microM phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate (TPA) was employed to down‐regulate PKC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Two groups of peripheral cold receptors are distinguished: the superficial (subepidermal) receptors stimulate behavioral responses of thermoregulation whereas the vegetative responses of thermoregulation are induced by the activity of cold receptors located in more profound layers of the body coat--in cutaneous and subcutaneous vessels, especially in subcutaneous veins, if the temperature of the venous blood is lowering.


Small caliber interior ballistic performance can be altered in countless ways. Primer composition, propellant composition and quantity, as well as the interaction between the two play a critical role in determining a cartridge's performance. This study will focus on the interaction between the primer products and the ignition of the propellant of a 7.62- mm cartridge. To accomplish this a flash tube will be employed to alter the ignition characteristics of the propellant. By employing a flash tube the primer products will be directed into the case at a more forward location in the propellant bed thus altering the ignition and subsequent burning characterization of the propellant. Various length and diameter flash tube configurations will be explored to characterize how the ignition of the propellant influences the interior ballistics of the cartridge.


A great transformation is under way in international relations. The influence of non-state actors is rising, and the focus of intergovernmental coordination is shifting from border measures, such as tariffs, to a myriad of policies that traditionally have been the sole province of national decision making, such as food safety standards. This transformation is most evident where international cooperation has been most successful: international trade, in particular the efforts within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to manage non-tariff barriers to trade. In many cases it has proved extremely difficult for nations to comply with WTO strictures on non-tariff policies because these policies are embedded within an array of political supporters and institutions that democratic governments find difficult (and politically costly) to unravel. We focus on these "problem cases"—where the goal of liberalizing trade conflicts with popular consumer preferences—and suggest that these pose a threat to the legal integrity and political sustainability of the WTO. Ironically, cases marked by relatively low economic stakes may pose the greatest threats because these cases are less likely to be linked to other important benefits of international cooperation, and thus governments are less likely to seek an intergovernmental solution to avert non-compliance in such situations. We suggest that formal remedies to this problem are unlikely to be successful; rather, restraint by key states is likely to be the most effective way for the world trading community to learn to avoid and abate these problem cases before they overwhelm the world trading system.


Latin American The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America: From Conquest to Revolution and Beyond. By John Frederick Schwaller. (New York: New York University Press. 2011. Pp. x, 319. $35.00. ISBN 978-0-814-74003-3.) John Frederick Schwaller has taken on a most monumental task in writing the history of the Catholic Church in Latin America from the late 1400s to the present. This overview of an enormous topic provides the necessary information on Iberian religions, including the Jewish and Muslim faiths, and the history of Portuguese and Spanish exploration of Africa as background to the "discovery" of the Western Hemisphere and the Treaty of Tordesillas, which dates to the start of international law. Then, the author leads readers through the intellectual debates over sovereignty and property rights, "just war," and whether or not the native peoples were human and capable of becoming Christians. He rightly notes that despite the many missionaries in Mexico and Peru, many native peoples remained uncontacted and uninitiated for many years. His discussion of church finance, the Bourbon initiatives of the eighteenth century, and the Enlightenment's impact end his discussion of the colonial era. After Schwaller's discussion of independence, his narrative summarizes the checkered history of the Church. The section on how governments negotiated or not with the Holy See and how agreements could potentially affect everyday life is followed by a fascinating few pages on the role of family politics in Chile, through which one large patrilineage controlled both church and state. The nineteenth century also saw popular religion and uprisings gaining prominence in Brazil; the rise of the "Protestant ethic," especially in Central America; and the conservative First Vatican Council in 1869-71. Regarding the twentieth century, he retells the history of the Church against a background of revolution in Mexico; "la violencia" in Colombia; and the rise of fascism, socialism, the populists, the Marxists, and Catholic-based trade unions. Throughout, the Church was viewed by many as a stabilizing influence. However, the Church was not a homogeneous institution. It included groups that ranged from those against the reforms of the Second Vatican Council who supported a Tridentine church to progressive liberationists and Catholic socialists. Furthermore, he notes the increasing challenges to the once near-monopoly of spirituality exercised by the Catholic hierarchy, citing popular religion, like Candomble in Brazil, secularization, and Protestant and Evangelical inroads. …


Our research contributes to the understanding of the contents of teacher students' "apprenticeship of observation" (Lortie, 1975), thus, teacher students private and inner beliefs about appropriate teachers' behavior. Specifically, we describe teacher students' private models of dealing with disruptive behavior in the classroom and embed this issue in a larger context concerning Classroom Management (CM) in Teacher Education. Therefore, our research questions are concerned with teacher students' private beliefs and exploring methods of teaching CM. We investigate two questions in specific: 1) What are the contents of teacher student's beliefs about solving a discipline problem at school between a teacher and a student? 2) Do they reflect critically on these beliefs after a CM seminar? We conducted a study with a projective procedure in order to investigate our research questions and obtained data at two points of time (T1, T2). At the beginning of a seminar about CM, teacher students (T1; N = 62) completed an unfinished story that described a conflict between a teacher and a disturbing student. Mental models about how to behave as a teacher and how to interact with a disturbing student are explored by means of content analysis. A second set of data was obtained after the seminar (T2; N = 51). The teacher students were requested to combine the original end of the story with contents they had learned in the seminar about CM. At T1, we found many approaches that were not appropriate and possibly emerged from teacher students' apprenticeship of observation. Results of T2 showed clearly that teacher students were able to adopt some theories, but were surprisingly uncritical towards the story. The results are discussed by focusing on the teaching of CM as one central task of Teacher Education.


A50 Clinical trials of new cancer drugs should ideally include measurements of parameters such as molecular target expression, pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior, and pharmacodynamic (PD) endpoints that can be linked to measures of clinical effect. Appropriate PK/PD biomarkers facilitate proof-of-concept demonstrations for target modulation; enhance the rational selection of an optimal drug dose and schedule, guide combination treatments and may explain or predict clinical outcomes.
 Non-invasive assessment of treatment-induced tumour cell death is desirable both for accurate management of patients and for detailed characterisation of different treatment modalities.
 Here we describe Cytokeratin 18 (CK18) as a suitable blood borne biomarker for non-invasive determination of apoptosis and necrosis of epithelial cells during breast and prostate cancer treatment.
 Cytokeratin 18 is cleaved by caspases during apoptosis, and preclinical and clinical studies have shown that caspase-cleaved CK18 fragments are released from apoptotic cells into the extracellular compartment/blood circulation, where they accumulate with a favourable biological half-life.
 In contrast to other biomarkers used to assess tissue damage during cancer treatment, caspase-cleaved CK18 is generated only during apoptosis and only by epithelium-derived cells, whereas the detection of increased levels of predominant uncleaved CK18 in patient serum samples is thought to be caused by necrotic tumor cell death.
 Data will be presented that the non-invasive quantification of CK18 and caspase-cleaved CK18 (M30-antigen) biomarkers by ELISA can be useful to monitor individual patient response to therapy in early clinical studies.
 References:
 Cytokeratin-18 is a useful serum biomarker for early determination of response of breast carcinomas to chemotherapy. Olofsson MH, et al., Clin Cancer Res. (2007) 13:3198-206.
 Docetaxel induces apoptosis in hormone refractory prostate carcinomas during multiple treatment cycles. Kramer G, et al., Br J Cancer. (2006) 94:1592-8.
 Validation of pharmacodynamic assays to evaluate the clinical efficacy of an antisense compound (AEG 35156) targeted to the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein XIAP. Cummings J, et al. Br J Cancer. (2005) 92:532-8.
 A novel assay for discovery and characterization of pro-apoptotic drugs and for monitoring apoptosis in patient sera. Apoptosis. Biven K, et al., (2003) 8:263-8.


To estimate the delay and area of a VLSI circuit before its
implementation demands a cost and delay model which
should be simple enough to allow a quick and therefore
cost-effective paper and pencil analysis. However, common
VLSI models are either to complicated resulting in
long simulation times or do not consider wire-delays, neglecting
their importance in sub-micron and nanotechnologies.
Paul and Seidel introduced such a technologyindependent
model in 1998 [Paul, Wolfgang J.; Seidel,
Peter-Michael: On the Complexity of Booth Recoding,
1998]. Based on this model, we will introduce a new VLSI
cost and delay model. It consists of two parts – a basic
technology-independent part based on reasonable enhancements
of the Paul and Seidel model and a technology-
specific part, where a specific technology can be
implied to get the effective circuit cost and delay. We analyze
the accuracy by comparing the cost and performance
of synthesized adder circuits with the results derived from
the model. The comparison reveals that the model closely
matches the cost and delay of the standard-cell and freely
placeable element-based implementations in the majority
of the tested circuits. Therefore, it could enhance existing
conventional VLSI models while retaining their simplicity.


We consider the medium access control (MAC) protocol design for nodes in a wireless LAN that use a wide-azimuth switched beam smart antenna system comprised of a multiple beam antenna array. The one-hop performance of carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) as well as slotted aloha for such a system is presented analytically and through simulation. The problem of synchronization of multiple beams in CSMA is investigated in our analysis. Our results show that, under heavy offered load conditions, CSMA is a good choice with nodes that have multiple-beam smart antennas, despite the performance loss due to the beam synchronization, providing a stable throughput that approaches unity and is invariant to fluctuations in the offered load. Slotted Aloha, on the other hand, is capable of higher peak throughput in a narrow range of offered loads as more switched beams are employed, but performance drastically reduces beyond optimum offered loads. We also introduce a method, expanded receive rule (ERR), whereby the tight synchronization among different beams of a receiver node in CSMA is relaxed, which is observed to provide better throughput. Finally, we also present performance results for a 4-way-handshake-type carrier sense mechanism using multiple beam antennas.


We demonstrate a temperature-insensitive waveguide sensor based on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The sensor consists of a ring resonator and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). A free spectral range of the sensing ring is designed to be slightly different from that of the MZI; hence, the Vernier effect can be employed to improve sensitivity. By optimizing structural parameters of the MZI, the envelope peak position of a cascaded transmission spectrum can be immune to the temperature variation, and only dependent on analyte change in the sensing area. The experimental results show that bulk refractive index (RI) sensitivity of the proposed sensor is 3552 nm/RI unit, while its temperature sensitivity is less than 4 pm/K, which is two orders of magnitude smaller than the conventional cascaded sensor structure without temperature compensation. The proposed temperature-insensitive waveguide sensor does not need polymer cladding or extra thermal stabilization, making it more robust in practical applications.


Several state-of-the-art video deblurring methods are based on a strong assumption that the captured scenes are static. These methods fail to deblur blurry videos in dynamic scenes. We propose a video deblurring method to deal with general blurs inherent in dynamic scenes, contrary to other methods. To handle locally varying and general blurs caused by various sources, such as camera shake, moving objects, and depth variation in a scene, we approximate pixel-wise kernel with bidirectional optical flows. Therefore, we propose a single energy model that simultaneously estimates optical flows and latent frames to solve our deblurring problem. We also provide a framework and efficient solvers to optimize the energy model. By minimizing the proposed energy function, we achieve significant improvements in removing blurs and estimating accurate optical flows in blurry frames. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method in real and challenging videos that state-of-the-art methods fail in either deblurring or optical flow estimation.


In the summer of 1873, a 31-year-old Hutterite minister, Paul Tschetter, accompanied by his uncle Lohrentz, joined a delegation of ten Russian Mennonites, on a well-known four-month exploratory journey to North America. A Russian government edict (ukase), announced by Tsar Alexander I in 1870, threatened to strip away many of the political, educational and religious rights that Mennonites and Hutterites had enjoyed for almost 100 years. Particularly alarming was the retraction of agreements granting the Anabaptists (along with other German-speaking colonists and some Russian religious dissenters) exemption from military service. The Mennonites and Hutterites were also to lose full control of village and colony schools and some local government offices. In response to this new policy, the Hutterite men had come west to investigate the possibility of resettlement for thousands of Anabaptists living in the Russian Empire. Paul Tschetter was born in 1842 at Blumenort village in the Molotschna Colony, the same year that the entire population of about 400 Hutterites relocated to the Molotschna region from their previous residence (Raditschewa) northeast of Kiev. The Hutterites were given considerable organizational and financial assistance from Johann Cornies, the Mennonite chair of the Agricultural Improvement Society. (1) Tschetter spent most of his growing up years in the village of Hutterthal, established a few miles south of the Molotschna Colony in 1843. Here he attended school and worked on the family farm. At age 18 Tschetter married Maria Waltner and six years later (in 1866) was ordained to the Hutterite ministry. He held this position during a difficult and contentious period in Hutterite history, when a number of members resurrected a communal way of life in adherence to historic traditions that had been given up in 1821. (2) From 1868 to 1874 Tschetter served as minister at the noncommunal Hutterite church at the Neu Hutterthal village. He was chosen to represent both communal and noncommunal Hutterites in the 1873 exploration due to recognized leadership capabilities as well as an adventurous willingness to make the excursion. During this important journey Tschetter and the other Anabaptist delegates, accompanied by Mennonite publisher John F. Funk and Northern Pacific Railroad personnel, looked at undeveloped land between Nebraska and Manitoba (some of the delegates also visited Kansas and Ontario), traveling by land, rail and steamboat. Along the way the group analyzed land prices, settlement patterns, and water and feed sources, as well as access to markets. In general, Tschetter was pleased with what he saw, especially in the Red River valley in what is now northeastern North Dakota. He loved the "rich black soil" in the Pembina area and the fact that there was forested land nearby. (3) Tschetter was concerned, however, that the United States government had not confirmed exemption from military service. For this reason, in August 1873 he, along with his uncle, Lohrentz Tschetter, and a Volhynian Mennonite minister named Tobias Unruh, secured a personal audience with President Ulysses S. Grant, before their return to Russia. (4) Throughout his travels in 1873 Tschetter maintained a diary recording details of all aspects of his journey. (5) The diary also gives a clear indication of how Tschetter viewed "the world" and is an important window into the late-nineteenth-century Hutterian mind. Tschetter complains often, for example, about frivolous behavior. On one occasion, after seeing large groups of men and women dancing at a Hamburg eating establishment, he wrote that they should "rather be praying than dancing." (6) In the eastern United States, Tschetter was dismayed when he met Mennonites and Amish who grew and smoked tobacco. Many also owned guns and a few played musical instruments. (7) The Hutterites were opposed to these practices. Paul Tschetter's handwritten journal is divided into three small booklets. …


Objective To estimate and compare influenza attack rates (AR) in the United States (US) using different approaches to adjust for reporting biases in participatory syndromic surveillance data. Introduction Because the dynamics and severity of influenza in the US vary each season, yearly estimates of disease burden in the population are essential to evaluate interventions and allocate resources. The CDC uses data from a national health-care based surveillance system and mathematical models to estimate the overall burden of disease in the general population. Over the past decade, crowd-sourced syndromic surveillance systems have emerged as a digital data source that collects health-related information in near real-time. These systems complement traditional surveillance systems by capturing individuals who do not seek medical care and allowing for a longitudinal view of illness burden. However, because not all participants report every week and participants are more likely to report when ill, the number of weekly reports is temporally and spatially inconsistent and the estimates of disease burden and incidence may be biased. In this study, we use data from Flu Near You (FNY), a participatory surveillance system based in the US and Canada 1 , to estimate and compare Influenza-like Illness (ILI) ARs using different approaches to adjust for reporting biases in participatory surveillance data. Methods This analysis uses FNY data from the 2015-16 influenza season. Four different approaches of bias adjustment were assessed. The first approach includes all FNY participants, defined as users and household members, who submitted at least one symptom report, whereas the second approach only includes FNY participants who submitted at least 10 symptom reports. The third approach includes all FNY participants who submitted at least one symptom report, but drops the first symptom report for all participants. For the first three approaches, all missing reports were assumed to be non-ILI when estimating attack rates. Finally, the fourth approach includes FNY participants who submitted at least 10 symptom reports and uses multiple imputation to account for missing reports. Age-stratified and overall estimates of ILI ARs were calculated for each of the four approaches to bias adjustment by dividing the sum of the weekly incident cases of ILI, defined as the first report of fever with cough and/or sore throat, by the population at risk at the beginning of the period. Results During the 2016-2017 influenza season, FNY received an average of 10,723 unique symptom reports per week from 46,390 registered users and their household members. For FNY, the youngest age group assessed, 5-17, had the largest ILI AR, and the ILI ARs decreased as the age group increased for all approaches. Overall, the approach that drops all first reports had the smallest ARs, whereas the approach that selects a cohort of users who submit at least 10 reports during the season and imputes the missing reports had the largest ARs. Although the influenza ARs estimated by the CDC were less than the ILI ARs estimated using FNY data for all age-groups, a similar pattern was observed across age groups, except for the 50-64 age group, which had the largest influenza AR. Conclusions As expected, the ARs estimated using FNY data were greater than the CDC's influenza ARs because FNY estimates ARs of ILI and does not adjust for the probability of reporting ILI when experiencing non-flu illness. The approach of dropping the first report had the smallest ARs because during the 2015-16 influenza season the weekly percent of ILI cases that were first time reports ranged from 18-59%. This approach was developed to adjust for the potential correlation between symptom presence and willingness to join the platform. However, important information about the dynamics of disease may be lost when using this approach. The multiple imputation method was used only for individuals who submitted at least 10 reports to maintain a missing data rate below 30%. The imputation model also assumed that data were missing at random, which may not be appropriate in this case, because approximately 30% of FNY users have reported that they are more likely to report when ill. As shown in Table 1, the AR estimate depends on the bias adjustment approach. Simulation-based studies should be performed to further evaluate these methods. References 1. Smolinski MS, Crawley AW, Baltrusaitis K, Chunara R, Olsen JM, Wojcik O, et al. Flu Near You: Crowdsourced Symptom Reporting Spanning 2 Influenza Seasons. Am J Public Health. 2015 2. Rolfes MA, Foppa IM, Garg S, Flannery B, Brammer L, Singleton JA, et al. Estimated Influenza Illnesses, Medical Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Averted by Vaccination in the United States. 2016 Dec 9 [2017 Sept 25]; https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/2015-16.htm


Perinatal brain injury (PBI) leads to neurological disabilities throughout life, from motor deficits, cognitive limitations to severe cerebral palsy. Yet, perinatal brain damage has limited therapeutic outcomes. Besides, the immature brain of premature children is at increased risk of hypoxic/ischemic (HI) injury, with males being more susceptible to it and less responsive to protective/therapeutical interventions. Here, we model in male and female C57BL/6 mice, the impact of neonatal HI and the protective effects of neonatal handling (NH), an early life tactile and proprioceptive sensory stimulation. From postnatal day 1 (PND1, modeling pre-term) to PND21 randomized litters received either NH or left undisturbed. HI brain damage occurred by permanent left carotid occlusion followed by hypoxia at PND7 (modeling full-term) in half of the animals. The behavioral and functional screening of the pups at weaning (PND23) and their long-term outcomes (adulthood, PND70) were evaluated in a longitudinal study, as follows: somatic development (weight), sensorimotor functions (reflexes, rods and hanger tests), exploration [activity (ACT) and open-field (OF) test], emotional and anxiety-like behaviors [corner, open-field and dark-light box (DLB) tests], learning and memory [T-maze (TM) and Morris Water-Maze (MWM)]. HI induced similar brain damage in both sexes but affected motor development, sensorimotor functions, induced hyperactivity at weaning, and anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive deficits at adulthood, in a sex- and age-dependent manner. Thus, during ontogeny, HI affected equilibrium especially in females and prehensility in males, but only reflexes at adulthood. Hyperactivity of HI males was normalized at adulthood. HI increased neophobia and other anxiety-like behaviors in males but emotionality in females. Both sexes showed worse short/long-term learning, but memory was more affected in males. Striking neuroprotective effects of NH were found, with significantly lower injury scores, mostly in HI males. At the functional level, NH reversed the impaired reflex responses and improved memory performances in hippocampal-dependent spatial-learning tasks, especially in males. Finally, neuropathological correlates referred to atrophy, neuronal densities and cellularity in the affected areas [hippocampal-CA, caudate/putamen, thalamus, neocortex and corpus callosum (CC)] point out distinct neuronal substrates underlying the sex- and age- functional impacts of these risk/protection interventions on sensorimotor, behavioral and cognitive outcomes from ontogeny to adulthood.


Several studies have highlighted the significant role of families in end-of-life care. Carers' well-being may depend on how they experience the care and support provided to their loved ones. This study was conducted to investigate family caregivers' assessment of specialized end-of-life care in a sample of 119 close family members in Iceland. The response rate was 58.8% (n = 70). Furthermore, the aim was to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Icelandic version of Family Assessment of Treatment at the End of Life (FATE). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the data. Results indicate that good communication and understanding of all parties concerned are the foundation for family caregivers' satisfaction with end-of-life care. Participants were generally satisfied with the care provided, whereas some important aspects of care were rated as excellent. Evaluation of management of symptoms reported in this study should be given specific attention in future studies considering its unsatisfactory outcomes. Nurses need to be aware of the impact that physical suffering of the patient might have on the family caregivers. The Icelandic version of the Family Assessment of Treatment at the End of Life instrument is a psychometrically sound instrument useful for measuring caregivers' satisfaction with service provided at the end of life, although modifications would improve the instrument for use on this population.


The 2004 enlargement negotiations smoothly tackled the European Common Fisheries Policy. The reason is mainly to be found in the geographical transformation of ocean governance. The provisions regulating 'who should fish what and where', underwent a substantial change by means of temporal derogations. On the one hand the equal access principle eroded, as fishing in waters within 12 miles off the baselines - where most commercial fish stock are situated - became reserved towards the nationals of the coastal State. On the other hand the competence to adopt conservation measures has followed this geographical appropriation of fishing grounds, as the exclusive Community competence in this field is pushed out beyond the coastal waters. A return to the original provisions seems utopian, as evidenced again by the outcome of the 2004 enlargement negotiations. This paper analyses the process which led towards the re-nationalisation of EU maritime waters.


Many systems have been developed in the past few years to assist researchers in the discovery of knowledge published as English text, for example in the PubMed database. At the same time, higher level collective knowledge is often published using a graphical notation representing all the entities in a pathway and their interactions. We believe that these pathway visualizations could serve as an effective user interface for knowledge discovery if they can be linked to the text in publications. Since the graphical elements in a Pathway are of a very different nature than their corresponding descriptions in English text, we developed a prototype system called PathText. The goal of PathText is to serve as a bridge between these two different representations. In this paper, we first describe the overall architecture and the interfaces of the PathText system, and then provide some details about the core Text Mining components.


[1] During a magnetic storm of 18 April 2002, quasi-periodic variations of the low-energy electron flux were observed by the LANL satellites at geosynchronous orbit; this phenomenon has been called the "sawtooth event." During this event, on the ground, magnetic bays and Pi 2 pulsations took place corresponding to each enhancement of the particle flux, and they had features typical to usual substorms. However, unlike typical substorms, the ACE satellite observed no apparent northward turnings of the IMF corresponding to the sawtooth event. In this study, we used ground magnetic data from middle- and low-latitude stations which are distributed widely in the longitudinal direction, selected from the CPMN (Circum-Pan Pacific Magnetometer Network) and INTERMAGNET stations and compared the magnetic variations during the sawtooth event with that of the typical substorm (Lester et al., 1984). We found that the local time distribution of the polarization axis of the Pi 2 pulsations show a good agreement with that for a typical substorm, except that the local time width of the expected current wedge was 12 hours. On the other hand, the H component is predominant in the amplitude of the magnetic bay on the ground; the distribution of the H component also suggests a 12-hour-wide current wedge, which did not develop much in time. From these features, it is suggested that a current wedge was formed during this sawtooth event, and it generated the Pi 2 pulsations on the ground. However, the local time width of the current wedges is much wider than typical substorms, and its uniqueness causes the ground features different from typical substorm-associated magnetic variations on the ground.


Background: E-health may expand access to effective behavioral interventions for women living with HIV (WLH), and others living with a highly stigmatized medical condition. Introduction: Theory may help us to understand e-health program uptake. This mixed methods study examined theoretical applications of the Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM) to predict willingness to take part in an e-health videoconferencing group program (i.e., participants interacting with each other in real time via videoconferencing) among a group of WLH. Materials and Methods: Women were recruited from HIV/ AIDS clinics in an urban area of the southeastern United States. Each participant completed a structured interview. Data were analyzed using a parallel convergent mixed methods design. Results: Participants ( N = 91) had a mean age of 43 years and were primarily African American (66%). Despite limited experience with videoconferencing (14.3%), many (71%) reported willingness to attend an intervention via video group for WLH. Qualitative analysis revealed that the constructs of the TRAM (Innovativeness, Optimism, Discomfort, Insecurity, Perceived Usefulness, or Perceived Ease-of-Use) were evident; however, additional mediating factors specific to WLH emerged, including group readiness and HIV-related privacy concerns. Discussion: Group readiness and privacy concerns may be important considerations when applying the TRAM to technology-based group programs for highly stigmatized populations, including WLH. Conclusions: Existing theoretical frameworks may be useful in understanding the willingness of people to take part in group-based e-health interventions, but may need to be modified to account for the role of stigma in e-health program uptake.


A new and sensitive analytical method for the indirect determination of histamine in fish samples, dairy products, and alcoholic beverages by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was developed. The method was based on the complex formation of histamine with Fe(III) and 2′,4′,5′,7′-tetrabromofluorescein (eosin) at pH 4.5, and then extraction into the micellar phase of polyethylene glycol dodecyl ether (Brij 35). In this study, an ultrasonic assisted cloud point extraction (UA-CPE) procedure was used for the separation/pre-concentration of histamine from the related sample matrices. The optimal conditions were established and a good pre-concentration was achieved using 25 μmol L−1 Fe(III), 5 μmol L−1 eosin, 10 mmol L−1 Brij 35, 0.7% (w/v) Na2SO4, pH 4.5 citrate buffer, equilibrium temperature of 45 °C, incubation time of 20 min and ultrasonication at 40 kHz and 300 W. At optimal conditions, a detection limit of 0.25 μg L−1 with a sensitivity improvement of 143-fold in the linear working range of 0.8–170 μg L−1 was obtained. The proposed method was evaluated for the analysis of some food samples and received a good recovery with the standard addition assay. In addition, the validity of the method was tested by intra-day and inter-day precision studies and recovery experiments, obtaining satisfactory results. To the best of our knowledge, this method was also the first study for indirect determination of histamine in the selected samples using UA-CPE coupled to FAAS.


Mark Allen Peterson, Connected in Cairo: Growing up Cosmopolitan in the Modern Middle East. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011. 263 pp.Connected in Cairo is an ethnography primarily focused upon the socio-economic elites of Egypt, specifically those whom Mark Allen Peterson identifies as investing in a prestigious form of cosmopolitanism as part of their attempt to justify, bolster, and defend their privileges in Egyptian society. Peterson cites a classroom interaction with his students at the American University in Cairo (AUC), which itself is one of the markers of elite prestige par excellence in Egypt, as a starting point for his thinking. The AUC students vehemently rejected the idea that rural villagers could be modern, arguing instead for a Jamesonian concept of modernity founded upon a combination of educational access and conspicuous consumption of various forms-what Peterson glosses as style (5-6). Peterson does not accept this claim of modernity at face value, but carefully and thoroughly deconstructs the blunt class difference marked by the students' understanding of their own modernity. Indeed, later in the book, he concludes that much of the elite modernity of which the students are so proud is less a matter of educational achievement and judicious acquisition than a birthright, reinforced and recapitulated, rather than created anew by their designer clothing, facility in several languages, and knowledge of foreign films.The introductory chapter is largely an unspooling of Peterson's analytical framework and methodology that flows from the anecdote mentioned above. In large measure, Peterson concentrates his ethnographic efforts on the children and adolescents of these upper classes in order to illuminate how these attitudes toward modernity develop and embed themselves in people's identity constructions. He balances this ethnographic trend by interviewing a number of these children's parents and teachers, who must contend with youthful fashions and desires that may not only conflict with a family's means to afford such things, but may also threaten the larger worldview of modernity, authenticity, and local identity in which the adults are deeply invested.The second and third chapters of Peterson's ethnography focus on children-that is, upon pre-teenaged children who represent the target market for a variety of toys and snack foods. Adult ethnographic interviewees appear in these chapters as well, but as counterpoints to their children or students. The second chapter deals primarily with children's magazines, including, but not limited to what English speakers might call comic books. Peterson examines the consumption patterns of these magazines, which may be composed in Arabic and conceived for an Arabophone-and implicitly Muslim-readership, translated from other languages into Arabic, and thereby repurposed for an Egyptian readership, or purchased in their original foreign language, particularly English. In his analysis, Peterson argues that the locally created magazines, which often carry religious or secular moral lessons that reflect a sense of Arab-Islamic identity, are of so little interest to the children of upper-class families that one can distinguish the class backgrounds of Cairene children simply by marking which comic books and magazines they choose to buy. The corollary to this observation, which also supports Peterson's assertion, is that the more prestigious "foreign" comic books are generally far too expensive for the household budgets of the Egyptian middle classes. Beyond these material facts, Peterson observes that the kinds of narratives that tend to draw the attention of children in each class category also tend to reinforce a differential sense of global citizenship: while the middle classes consume children's magazines that emphasize Egyptianness, Arabness, and, to a lesser degree, Muslimness, the upper classes consume magazines that emphasize a broader (and elite) cosmopolitan identity, one that begins to cultivate the reader's sense of connection to a complex of consumer desires tied to the West. …


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ABSTRACT Mount Cameroon is a priority area for global biodiversity conservation, considering its high species richness and endemism across many taxa. As of yet, its Chiroptera fauna is still poorly known. Thus this paper aims to provide an updated checklist of the Chiroptera fauna of Mount Cameroon based on our own field data, previously published data and data from museum collections. Details on published references and conservation statuses are also provided for each species. During our field surveys (2016-2018), 613 individuals and 21 species were recorded. Among them three species are new to the area: Mops (Xiphonycteris) nanulus J. A. Allen, 1917, Mops (Xiphonycteris) thersites (Thomas, 1903) and Glauconycteris egeria Thomas, 1913. These new records bring the number of known bat species in the Mount Cameroon area to 38, belonging to seven families. This includes Pteropodidae Gray, 1821 (eleven species), Hipposideridae Gray, 1821 (six species), Rhinolophidae Gray, 1825 (three species), Miniopteridae Dobson, 1875 (three species), Vespertilionidae Gray, 1821 (seven species), Nycteridae Van der Hoeven, 1855 (five species) and Molossidae Gervais, 1856 (three species). We also observe that 23.7% of bats in the area are frugivorous (nine species), 71.1% are insectivorous (27 species) and 5.3% are nectarivorous (two species). Moreover, because of the increasing rate of deforestation in the area caused by slash-and-burn shifting cultivation and expansion of agro-industrial plantations, knowledge of the regional chiropteran fauna is imperative, especially as this information can provide a base for the development of future management and conservation strategies.


when certain parameters in the problem tend to limiting values (for example, when the sample size increases indefinitely, the intensity of the noise ap proaches zero, etc.) To address the problem of asymptotically optimal estimators consider the following important case. Let X 1, X 2, ..., X n be independent observations with the joint probability density !(x, O) (with respect to the Lebesgue measure on the real line) which depends on the unknown patameter o e 9 c R1. It is required to derive the best (asymptotically) estimator 0: ( X b ..., X n) of the parameter O. The first question which arises in connection with this problem is how to compare different estimators or, equivalently, how to assess their quality, in terms of the mean square deviation from the parameter or perhaps in some other way. The presently accepted approach to this problem, resulting from A. Wald's contributions, is as follows: introduce a nonnegative function w(0l> ( ), Ob Oe 9 (the loss function) and given two estimators Of and O! n 2 2 the estimator for which the expected loss (risk) Eown(Oj, 0), j = 1 or 2, is smallest is called the better with respect to Wn at point 0 (here EoO is the expectation evaluated under the assumption that the true value of the parameter is 0). Obviously, such a method of comparison is not without its defects."


Rimarikiamide A is a linear diterpenoid marine natural product featuring an unusual taurine structural moiety. Rimarikiamide A was isolated from the sea sponge Latrunculia brevis found in the Rimariki Islands in northern New Zealand, and was shown to elicit low μM cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells. Unfortunately, only 400 μg of rimarikiamide A was isolated from 700 g of sea sponge, making the characterisation of the two chiral centres impossible by spectroscopic means. To explore the full potential of rimarikiamide A as a therapeutic agent, the molecule must be synthesised in a stereoselective manner or from a starting material of known stereochemistry, fully characterised, and tested for biological activity. A Barbier coupling of two terpene units is required early in the proposed synthesis of Rimarikiamide A, and previous attempts have failed to generate the desired linear product. In this work, the suitability of a titanium-mediated Barbier coupling was investigated, and proved successful for the generation of the desired linear product.


Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the population of CKD patients with concurrent HF continues to grow. The accurate diagnosis of HF is challenging in patients with CKD in part due to a lack of validated imaging and biomarkers specifically in this population. The pathophysiology between the heart and the kidneys is complex and bidirectional. Patients with CKD have greater prevalence of traditional HF risk factors as well as unique kidney-specific risk factors including malnutrition, acid-base alterations, uraemic toxins, bone mineral changes, anemia and myocardial stunning. These risk factors also contribute to the decline of kidney function seen in patients with subclinical and clinical HF. More targeted HF therapies may improve outcomes in patients with kidney disease as current HF therapies are underutilised in this population. Further work is also needed to develop novel HF therapies for the CKD population.


This paper analyses the optimal stabilization policy when growth is driven by learning by doing. If benefits of learning by doing are not fully internalized, the optimal policy is to tax labor during expansions and to subsidize it during recessions. The long-term impact of this policy depends critically on initial conditions: If stabilization starts during an expansion, it has a positive effect on long-term production. When stabilization starts during a recession, its long-term effect is negative. The paper makes a methodological contribution in its analytical derivation of the optimal policy along the transition path as well as in the steady state.


Recent studies have assessed the influence of different types of gradients (e.g.altitudinal,latitudinal and temporal, among others) on the structure and function of community-level plant-pollinator webs. Although the importance of humidity as a major driver of species-richness gradients worldwide has been stressed by recent reviews, no studies have been specifically designed to address the influence of precipitation gradients on pollination webs. In the present paper we describe for the first time the turnover of species of plants and their associated flower visitors between eight communities located along a steep precipitation gradient in north-west Patagonia,Argentina. Our results show that: (i) there is a high spatial turnover of plant communities and their associated pollinators; (ii) this turnover is strongly related to precipitation changes across the region; and (iii) the turnover rate is similar for plants and pollinators. Our results support the view that the precipitation gradient is a significant factor associated with the regional turnover of plants and their pollinators in the temperate forests of southern South America.


Context. OJ287 is a quasar with a quasi-periodic optical light curve, with the periodicity observed for over 120 years. This has lead to a binary black hole model as a common explanation of the quasar. The radio jet of OJ287 has been observed for a shorter time of about 30 years. It has a complicated structure that varies dramatically in a few years time scale. Aims. Here we propose that this structure arises from a helical jet being observed from a small and varying viewing angle. The viewing angle variation is taken to be in tune with the binary orbital motion. Methods. We calculate the effect of the secondary black hole on the inner edge of the accretion disk of the primary using particle simulations. We presume that the axis of the helix is perpendicular to the disk. We then follow the jet motion on its helical path and project the jet to the sky plane. This projection is compared with observations both at mm waves and cm waves. Results. We find that this model reproduces the observations well if the changes in the axis of the conical helix propagate outwards with a relativistic speed of about 0.85c. In particular, this model explains at the same time the long-term optical brightness variations as varying Doppler beaming in a component close to the core, i.e. at parsec scale in real linear distance, while the mm and cm radio jet observations are explained as being due to jet wobble at much larger (100 parsec scale) distances from the core.


The principal objective of the research project Wolverines in a Changing World was to gain better insights into the role wolverines have in ecosystem dynamics, their adaptation to ecosystem change, and its implications for sustainable management of the natural environment. The aim of this thesis, within these settings, was to investigate wolverine foraging strategies in a multiple-use landscape, especially in higher alpine habitat where livestock are grazed without human supervision or protection and in the boreal forest where wolverines co-exist with other intra-guild species. This aim was addressed by focusing on the following research questions.1. Which analytical method is most appropriate to analyze wolverine diet? [Paper I]2. Do wolverines shift their food habit in areas where they co-exist with wolves? [Paper II]3. Which foraging strategies do wolverines employ within a predator guild? [Paper III]4. Is the large carnivore guild differentiated in habitat tolerances and distribution, and what effect does this have on the potential for regional zoning of large carnivores? [Paper IV]5. Can spatio-temporal variation in lamb depredation rates be explained by local wolverine density and/or predator removal programs, and are certain demographic classes of wolverines responsible for the increased depredation rate during the latter portion of the grazing season? [Paper V]


Optimizing the input covariance matrix of a multiple-antenna transmit system with partial channelstructure feedback is an important issue to fully exploit the channel capacity. Efficient design of the optimal input covariance matrix, however, remains unavailable although its eigenvector structure was clearly revealed in a recent publication. In this paper, we obtain an explicit derivative function forming a solid basis for optimizing the optimal input covariance matrix. This new derivative expression enables us to further develop an efficient iterative algorithm for determining the optimal eigenvalues. The technique is illustrated through numerical examples.


Stem cell based tissue engineering is viewed as a promising approach for orthopaedic reparative medicine and the application of microfluidic techniques for isolation and characterisation of individual skeletal stem cells is considered a potential source of cells for regenerative medicine. The studies described in this thesis aim to develop original techniques for isolation and characterisation of mesenchymal stem cells and to examine their possible uses in skeletal tissue engineering. These studies developed novel microfluidic technology using dielectrophoretic ring traps and sorting gates for isolation and recovery of specific cells according to immunofluorescent intensity. To date, the devices outlined in this work are limited by the small number of cells that can be isolated, but are capable of recovering established and primary cell populations with 100% purity for specific markers such as STRO-1, while also displaying potential for on-chip analysis and culture due to the ability to precisely control the device's microenvironment. This study has also investigated 28 day organotypic culture of 3D fetal femur-derived cell pellets at an air-liquid interface. It was demonstrated that addition of serum, ascorbate, dexamethasone and BMP-2 resulted in mimicry of in vivo femur development, while addition of ascorbate and TGF- phenotype, thus offering potential models for both cartilage and early bone development. Analysis of pellets demonstrated that significant pellet diameter at day 1 (greater than 0.8mm) is crucial for maintaining reproducible results in osteogenic and chondrogenic conditions. Furthermore, addition of BMP-2 to fetal femur-derived cells cultured in chemically defined media induced formation of a novel cobblestone cell morphology. Characterisation of the cobblestone cells demonstrated a primitive adipogenic phenotype as indicated by the lack of endothelial and haematopoietic marker expression including CD146, TIE2, CD34, and CD105 and upregulation of mesenchymal differ lipid. Overall these studies have offered a novel approach to stem cell isolation for characterisation and have furthered the knowledge of fetal femur-derived cell and their potential as an alternative cell source for skeletal tissue engineering


The Electroaerosoltherapy (EAT) has got a world-wide diffusion especially in diseases of the respiratory system. The unipolary negatively charged aerosols are very steady and penetrate deeply into the respiratory tract. The ciliary activity is stimulated, the mucus liquified and the bronchial spasms relaxed. The author use a table-apparatus (Barthel-Küster System), which allows the simultaneous therapy, and a combination from an Ionogenerator with a portable aerosol generator (air ion transmitter needle into the aerosol mask). The EAT has no noxious secondaries effects.


ABSTRACT:Nine councils of government in the Chicago region exemplify a new institutional arrangement in regional governance. Formed partially from the need of mayors and managers to consult on issues specific to their subregions and from the federal requirement for local consultation on transportation issues, the councils of government have become articulate advocates for suburban and regional, rather than urban or rural, policy agendas. They exemplify a new form of functional regionalism that emphasizes cooperation and collaboration in transportation planning, solid waste management, regulatory standardization, and intergovernmental agreement. The research examines the historical development, functional responsibilities, and subregional economic development agendas of nine councils of government in the six-county northeastern Illinois region and suggests explanations for their emergence and effectiveness.


The gas-transporting properties of the haemolymph of Birgus latro L. were investigated in vitro . This terrestrial anomuran is restricted in distribution to the tropics, and on Christmas Island inhabits a highly stenothermal environment. The effect of temperature on haemocyanin oxygen-affinity was pronounced (TH = −39 kJ mol −1 ) and was considered to represent the absence of any specific adaptation to environmental temperature. The Bohr effect was large for a terrestrial decapod (φ = −0.60), although reduced at low pH. Changes in [Ca] had a significant effect on oxygen affinity of dialysed haemolymph (TlogP 50 /Tlog[Ca] = −0.39) whereas [Mg] had no effect. Increasing, [L-lactate] had a small effect on the oxygen affinity of dialysed haemolymph (TlogP 50 / Tlog[lactate] = −0.013) but not whole haemolymph. Dialysis increased oxygen affinity, suggesting the presence of a dialysable component that suppresses affinity. The effect of L-lactate was inhibited in whole haemolymph. The oxygen affinity of Birgus haemolymph was largely insensitive to effector substances, with the possible exception of Ca. In the case of lactate, at least, this was not due to a reduced sensitivity of the haemocyanin, a situation different from that in closely related species. Carbon dioxide transport was also affected by temperature. Birgus haemolymph showed a high nonbicarbonate buffer capacity (Tco 2 /TpH = - 16mmol −1 pH unit −1 ) which could be correlated with a high haemocyanin concentration. It is concluded that terrestrial anomuran decapods depend on mechanical adjustments of ventilation and perfusion, rather than employing direct modulation of haemocyaninfunction, to optimize oxygen delivery.


Abstract We introduce a notion of syntactical truth predicate (s.t.p.) for the second order arithmetic PA2. An s.t.p. is a set T of closed formulas such that: (i) T(t = u) if and only if the closed first order terms t and u are convertible, i.e., have the same value in the standard interpretation (ii) T(A → B) if and only if (T(A) ⇒ T(B)) (iii) T(∀xA) if and only if (T(A[x ← t]) for any closed first order term t) (iv) T(∀X A) if and only if (T(A[X ← ∆]) for any closed set definition ∆ = {x ∣ D(x)}). S.t.p.'s can be seen as a counterpart to Tarski's notion of (model-theoretical) validity and have main model properties. In particular, their existence is equivalent to the existence of an ω-model of PA2, this fact being provable in PA2 with arithmetical comprehension only.


Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, which is characterized by recurrent aphthous ulcers of the mouth and genitalia, uveitis with hypopyon, and a diffuse vasculitis that involves the arterial and venous systems. From January 1968 to July 1993, 66 of 844 patients with BD seen at the Hacettepe University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, experienced a vascular complication other than peripheral thrombophlebitis. The vascular complication in each case was identified based upon a combination of clinical data, digital subtraction angiography, CT, and ultrasonography findings. Six of these 66 (9.1%) had cavernous transformation of the portal vein. Five of these six had additional large vein involvement resulting in the Budd-Chiari syndrome with or without inferior vena caval obstruction. Based upon this experience, it can be concluded that portal vein thrombosis is not a rare complication of BD. When patients with BD are found to have or develop splenomegaly, portal vein thrombosis should be suspected and investigated. If hepatomegaly and ascites are detected, Budd-Chiari syndrome due to hepatic vein thrombosis should be suspected. Finally, if hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, and dependent edema of the lower body are present, thrombosis of the inferior vena cava should be suspected.


Dispersal is one of the most important factors determining the genetic structure of a population, but good data on dispersal distances are rare because it is difficult to observe a large sample of dispersal events. However, genetic data contain unbiased information about the average dispersal distances in species with a strong sex bias in their dispersal rates. By plotting the genetic similarity between members of the philopatric sex against some measure of the distance between them, the resulting regression line can be used for estimating how far dispersing individuals of the opposite sex have moved before settling. Dispersers showing low genetic similarity to members of the opposite sex will on average have originated from further away. Applying this method to a microsatellite dataset from lions (Panthera leo) shows that their average dispersal distance is 1.3 home ranges with a 95% confidence interval of 0.4–3.0 home ranges. These results are consistent with direct observations of dispersal from our study population and others. In this case, direct observations of dispersal distance were not detectably biased by a failure to detect long–range dispersal, which is thought to be a common problem in the estimation of dispersal distance.


BACKGROUND
Syphilis screening during pregnancy helps prevent congenital syphilis. The harms associated with false positive (FP) screens and whether screening leads to correct treatments has not been well determined.

METHODS
The population included mothers and infants from 75 056 pregnancies. Using laboratory-based criteria we classified initial positive syphilis screens as FP or true positive (TP) and calculated false discovery rates. For mothers and infants we determined treatments, clinical characteristics, and syphilis classifications.

RESULTS
There were 221 positive screens: 183 FP and 38 TP. The false discovery rate was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.88). False discovery rates were similar for traditional 0.83 [95% CI, 0.72-0.94] and reverse algorithms 0.83 (95% CI, 0.77-0.88), and for syphilis Immunoglobin (Ig) G 0.79 (95% CI, 0.71-0.86) and total 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.97) assays. FP screens led to treatment in 2 women and 1 infant. Two high-risk women were not rescreened at delivery and were diagnosed after hospital discharge; 1 infant developed congenital syphilis. Among 15 TP women with new syphilis, the diagnosis was before the late third trimester in 14 (93%). In one-half of these women, there was concern for reinfection, treatment failure, inadequate treatment or follow-up care, or late treatment, and their infants did not achieve an optimal syphilis classification.

CONCLUSIONS
Syphilis screening identifies maternal syphilis, but limitations include FP screens, which occasionally lead to unnecessary treatment, inconsistent risk-based rescreening, and among TP mothers failure to optimize care to prevent birth of infants at higher risk for congenital syphilis.


Shirley Jackson's writing often deals with the subject of marginalized characters and the theme of the scapegoat. Rene Girard argued that societies need the scapegoat in order to control violence and form a unity. This essay discusses the scapegoat mechanism in two of Jackson's most famous works, "The Lottery" and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and shows how the figure of the scapegoat functions differently in the two narratives. In "The Lottery" the process is laid bare by an omniscient narrator while in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, the narrator is a scapegoat as well as a creator of scapegoats. The essay also examines how the scapegoat mechanism turns the characters into either passive objects or active subjects.


This article examines workers' use of credit in the context of a developing country, Turkey, based on empirical material collected through questionnaires and interviews with workers in the metal sector. The results provide evidence of a link between workers' debt and the type of wage employment in two ways. First, I demonstrate that insecurity of employment and income is important in determining the increased tendency to borrow and increasing the vulnerability of workers to debt service problems. Second, I reveal that debt adds new dimensions to capital labour relations by functioning as a disciplining mechanism.


A smart grid introduces new opportunities and challenges to electric power grids especially at the distribution level. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and information portals enable customers to have access to real-time electricity pricing information, thus facilitating customer participation in demand response. The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of time-of-use (TOU) electricity rates on customer behaviors in a residential community. Research findings indicate that the TOU rate can be properly designed to reduce the peak demand even when PHEVs are present. This result is insensitive to seasons, PHEV penetration levels and PHEV charging strategies. It is expected that this paper can give policy makers, electric utilities and other relevant stakeholders an insight into the impacts of various TOU pricing schemes on distribution load shapes in a smart grid with PHEV penetration.


The fracture dislocation of the hip is a rare lesion described up to 4 to 17% of the cases and usually secondary to automobile accidents. Generally of poor prognosis and with already well documented complications such as avascular necrosis of the femoral head, osteoarthritis and heterotopic ossification. The iatrogenic fracture of the neck or head of the proximal femur is a complication even more rare and is not documented its incidence in the world literature. Having as probable causes the irreducibility of a dislocation of hip, more than one attempt of closed reduction, inadequate technique and some problems with the anesthesia and relaxation of the patient. We present the case of a young patient attended in the first eight hours after his accident with an iatrogenic fracture of the femoral head with follow up to 18 months and emphasizing the importance of making an anatomic open reduction and stable fixation in order to get favorable results.


The scanning electron microscope was used to investigate the morphological characteristics of the smeared layer on the walls of root canals that had been instrumented with K-type files and irrigated with a 5.25% solution of NaOCI. The smeared material was examined from two perspectives. First, the scanning electron microscope was used to "look down onto" the smeared layer covering the canal wall. Second, the smeared material was looked at trom the side or profile view. This was done by using the scanning electron microscope to scan the junction between the fractured dentinal tubules and the surface of the canal wall. The smeared material was found to consist of two confluent components; the smeared layer on the surface of the canal wall and the smeared material which had been packed into some of the dentinal tubules. The smeared layer on the canal wall was typically about 1to 2-/~m thick. The depth of the tubular packing varied from a few micrometers up to 40 #m.


The dynamics, structure, and thermotropic behavior of a new class of lipophilic [60]fullerene (C 60) derivatives, so-called lipo-fullerenes, have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance ( 2 H NMR), and X-ray scattering. The lipo-fullerene studied consists of six pairs of perdeuterated C18 alkyl chains as substituents of six covalently attached methylene groups in octahedral sites. The symmetry of this highly symmetrical hexamethanofullerene is Th. We find drastic changes of the molecular arrangement of the lipo-fullerenes induced by temperature. Heating the sample from 20 to 70 °C causes it to undergo two major structural transitions. At 55 °C we observe an exothermic transition from a low-temperature, hard sphere-like packing state of the molecules, with separation distances (6.1 nm) slightly above the maximum diameter of the molecules, to a condensed one. This latter state involves partial intercalation (interdigitation) of the alkyl chains belonging to adjacent molecules and is preceded by partial melting of the chains to accommodate sterically for the (exothermic) interdigitation. The latter allows denser packing with an average separation distance of 4.8 nm. At a temperature of 64 °C, an endothermic melting transition from the interdigitated to a viscous fluidlike state is observed, with an average separation distance of 2.8 nm. Cooling the sample from 70 °C causes a direct transition from the fluid into the low-temperature state with no interdigitation of the chains.