The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of polymorphisms in genes encoding glutathione S -transferases (GSTs), phase II isoenzymes involved in cellular detoxification, on risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fifteen eligible studies were identified: 14 evaluated GSTM1; 13, GSTT1; three, GSTP1; and one each evaluated GSTM2, GSTM3, GSTA1, GSTA4, GSTO1, and GSTO2, respectively. All were case-control studies performed in populations with high (Asian, African) and medium (European) HCC incidence rates. Random-effects meta-analyses suggested a small excess risk of HCC with GSTT1 null (odds ratio (OR) 1⁄4 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99, 1.44) and possibly GSTM1 null (OR 1⁄4 1.16, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.53) genotypes. Cumulative meta-analyses demonstrated that both pooled estimators generally trended toward a small excess risk with publication of more recent studies. Results for GSTP1 A313G suggested no excess risk (OR1⁄4 0.75, 95% CI: 0.50, 1.15). A number of potentially interesting gene-gene and gene-environment interactions were reported, but these were too few and inconsistent to allow meta-analysis. The overall results suggest that there may be a small excess risk of HCC in individuals with GSTT1 null and possibly also with GSTM1 null genotypes. However, given the relatively limited total number of subjects examined and observed between-study heterogeneity, chance could not be excluded.


Abstract During the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras, regional tectonic processes, eustatic variations and the volume and distribution of non-carbonate sediment controlled the progressive expansion and rapid reduction of the accommodation space available for the deposition of carbonate sequences, in the area that is now the Mediterranean and Middle East. We present a simplified super-regional tectonostratigraphic history of this area from earliest Triassic time to the present day, to demonstrate the influence of these large-scale processes on the evolution of major Tethyan Mesozoic and Cenozoic carbonate sequences. The time period is divided into 11 tectonostratigraphic phases (TSP) two of which (1 and 11) are incomplete. Each TSP commenced with major changes in basin architecture in response to regional tectonic processes. Subsequent pulses of transgression and regression generated sequence stratigraphic hierarchies. These stratigraphic hierarchies reflect the interaction between regional and local tectonics, eustatic variations, carbonate growth processes, climate and non-carbonate sediment supply. A map is presented of a major second-order transgressive sequence (TST) within each TSP to illustrate the maximum extent of marine onlap. These maps also include the main plate configurations; active regional tectonic features and the resultant time averaged carbonate gross depositional systems that developed during the transgression. The sequence of maps illustrate that the volume of available accommodation space during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras reached a maximum during the Late Cretaceous and has been progressively reduced during the Cenozoic Era to the present day minimum.


Life‐cycle inventory (LCI) is a fundamental phase in the quantification of the environmental performance of products. However, when it comes to the LCI of a multi‐product system, discussions about the choice of the appropriate methodology to allocate environmental impacts still continue. A further system subdivision and the implementation of a mechanism allowing environmental burdens to be tracked would help to improve model accuracy. This study focuses on the LCI modeling of a lignocellulosic biorefinery producing ethanol, lignin oligomers, and electricity, and demonstrates the application of the matrix‐based approach for detailed system subdivision and environmental burden tracking. Forty scenarios utilizing process‐specific allocation methods were tested to account for the global warming potential of outputs. The main findings of the paper are: (i) the importance of specific allocation methods applied to combined heat and power plants that stress the key role of internal energy supply in carrying environmental burdens; (ii) a negligible effect of allocation methods applied to wastewater treatment facilities; (iii) the inconsistency of results obtained via two allocation methods, one based on the total mass and the second based on the dry mass allocation, which raises questions about the validity of water accounting in the allocation procedure of related products; (iv) the role of upstream greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in lignin‐derived outputs, which emphasizes the importance of a proper allocation methodology to be applied to this residue; and (v) an important role of the biomass pretreatment and lignin solvolysis processes in the accumulation of emissions, which highlights the importance of decreasing the amount of solids and methanol content in the processes discussed here. © 2021 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.


A garbage‐processing technology has been developed that sterilizes and separates inorganic and organic components of municipal solid waste. A study was initiated to evaluate the uncomposted organic by‐product of this process as a soil amendment for establishing native prairie grasses on disturbed Army training lands. The waste was incorporated into a silt loam soil at Fort Campbell Military Reservation in the central United States. The waste material was applied at rates of 0, 4.5, 9, 18, and 36 Mg ha−1 and seeded with native prairie grasses to assess its effects on vegetation for two growing seasons, with an additional unseeded control treatment for comparison to natural recovery. Treatments receiving the highest rate of application had significantly more native grass basal cover and percent composition than the controls. Plant phosphorus accumulation increased significantly with increasing pulp application. Soil phosphorus and lead concentrations increased in the top 10 cm of the highest application rates where pulp was mixed in the soil. Because minimal environmental effects were detected and the pulp improved perennial grass establishment and nutrition at the 36 Mg ha−1 rate, land application should be considered a viable and beneficial alternative to current waste‐management practices.


SUMMARY: We have studied the effect of distamycin A on the synthesis of inducible enzymes in Escherichia coli strain K12. Distamycin A did not inhibit the growth of E. coli K12 when the micro-organism already contained constitutive or inducible enzymes for the metabolism of sugars. The growth of E. coli was prevented when distamycin A was present during the enzymic induction. Distamycin A inhibited the formation of inducible β-galactosidase; the activity of the antibiotic was directly related to its concentration, but independent of the concentration of the inducer. Thus it does not seem that distamycin A causes a decrease of the concentration of inducer. The enzyme synthesized in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of distamycin A showed the same kinetic behaviour as β-galacto-sidase induced under normal conditions.


Background A few studies have used direct measurements of cerebral spinal fluid pressure (CSFP) using either lumbar punctures or pressure transducers to evaluate CSFP elevations as a potential etiology in patients with spontaneous CSF leaks. Limitations of these techniques include positional variation, inadequate duration of measurement, and insufficient analysis of waveforms. We propose a novel technique for more accurate measurement of CSFP in patients with spontaneous CSF leaks. Methods Patients with spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea had a lumbar catheter placed for 24-hour CSFP recording before and 72 hours after their endoscopic surgical repair. Heart rate, electrocardiogram, respirations, and oxygen saturation are recorded in addition to CSFP. Mean CSFP as well as the pulse waveform amplitude were calculated. Results Twelve patients with spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea underwent continuous CSFP monitoring. Seven patients had elevations in their CSFP of >25 cm H2O for at least 4% of their recording time during their continuous monitoring. Nine patients had significant oxygen desaturations associated with elevated CSFP. Pulse waveform amplitudes could average 20 cm H2O over several minutes in patients with mean CSFP of <10 cm H2O. Conclusion Perioperative CSFP monitoring provides continuous data including mean and transient elevations in CSFP that can be correlated to other measurements such as oxygen saturation. This data may more accurately identify those CSF leak patients with elevated CSFP as well as correlate these elevations to prognostic clinical information that may improve treatment and outcome after their surgical repair.


Holistic spirituality has often been characterized by academic literature as belonging to the private sphere, articulated through the market and anchored in the growth of narcissistic individualism. However, recent empirical evidence and theoretical developments suggest a more complex picture. Drawing on the analysis and comparison of two empirical cases—the organization of collective meditations in public spaces and the teaching of yoga in prisons by holistic volunteers —we explore the rise of social engagement initiatives, aiming to transform society through the promotion and use of holistic techniques. Our main conclusions revolve around four main issues (a) the move of holistic spirituality from the private to the public sphere and the increasing public resonance with (and acceptance of) the contemporary holistic milieu, (b) the emergence of an holistic imaginary of social change anchored in ethics of reciprocity and responsibility, (c) the role of the body as a central locus of resistance and social transformation and (d) the articulation of new forms of individualism that enable to make self-realization compatible with social and political commitment.


Anthropogenic impacts are increasingly affecting the world's oceans. Networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) provide an option for increasing the ecological and economic benefits often provided by single MPAs. It is vital to empirically assess the effects of MPA networks and to prioritize the monitoring data necessary to explain those effects. We summarize the types of MPA networks based on their intended management outcomes and illustrate a framework for evaluating whether a connectivity network is providing an outcome greater than the sum of individual MPA effects. We use an analysis of an MPA network in Hawai'i to compare networked MPAs to non-networked MPAs to demonstrate results consistent with a network effect. We assert that planning processes for MPA networks should identify their intended outcomes while also employing coupled field monitoring-simulation modeling approaches, a powerful way to prioritize the most relevant monitoring data for empirically assessing MPA network performance.


A group of Early Neolithic features probably relating to the cooking of food was excavated. Several of these features contained considerable amounts of carbonised botanical remains, providing a broader insight into the landscape where these features were found. Analysis of the remains suggests that there has been a short phase of occupation, radiocarbon dated to 3780-3650 cal BC.


Portfolios have been used in teacher education in different formats, in a variety of ways and for different purposes. Portfolios can be used as evaluation tools, to illustrate good teaching, to demonstrate progress, to integrate collection of work, to share work, and to support reflection and professional growth. In this paper we demonstrate through a review of the literature how portfolios have been used in teacher education and we discuss how hypermedia portfolios have been gaining popularity among teacher educators due to their potential to overcome the limitations of the traditional paper portfolio: failure to capture dynamic and complex processes of teaching and learning, danger of a portfolio becoming a mere exhibition, photocopying and storage problems. We argue that portfolio development, hypermedia authoring, and the Webbased forum combined has the potential to provide a powerful learning tool for prospective teachers. We propose a model of Web-based portfolio in service of supporting reflecting thinking and learning to teach at the elementary school. This model includes two main components: (a) three versions of a personal, evidence-based philosophy about teaching and learning developed and revised over a semester, and (b) a collection of evidence consisted of course assignments.


Hierarchical autoregressive (AR) models can describe many complex physical processes. Unfortunately, online adaptation in these models under non-stationary conditions remains a challenge. In this paper, we track states and parameters in a hierarchical AR filter by means of variational message passing (VMP) in a factor graph. We derive VMP update rules for an "AR node" that can be re-used at various hierarchical levels and supports automated message passing-based inference for states and parameters. The proposed method is experimentally validated for a 2-level hierarchical AR model.


Abstract. This analysis seeks to understand the socioeconomic correlates of the poverty U-turn across time periods and geographic scales. Demographic and economic factors affecting pov- erty and its change from 1980-2010 are analyzed using spatial regressions across block-groups, census tracts, and counties in the North Central Region – West. Meso-level aggregations tend to undercount poor persons and places. Demographic effects on poverty are stable across geographic scale and time, but economic effects vary considerably. Single-headed families, high school non-completers, minorities, and college students are associated with higher local poverty. Industrial and agricultural employment is associated with better poverty outcomes in 1980, but in 2000 it results in worse outcomes or no effect. Lower-skilled services employ- ment in 2000 is linked to higher poverty, but it has no effect in 1980. Higher-skilled services jobs has no effect on poverty in 2000 but a beneficial effect in 1980. Results suggest the poverty U-turn is only partially driven by economic restructuring in the region.


This paper presents an advanced single stage-to-orbit (SSTO) design concept based on our understanding of Russian AJAX technologies. The concept brings together a unique set of subsystem components to enhance the performance of an advanced combined cycle engine powered SSTO design concept. A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator-accelerator energy bypass system is used to maintain subsonic flow in the engine combustion chamber. And, an electromagnetic drag reduction system is used to reduce wave and base drag during ascent and reentry. The performance of the advanced highly reusable SSTO is compared to a reference advanced air-breathing rocketbased combined cycle ejector ram-scramjet powered SSTO design concept. The results indicate an approximate 15% performance increase compared to the reference design.


V Sagittae shows quasi-periodic optical high (soft X-ray-off) and low (soft X-ray-on) states with the total period of ~300 days. A binary model is presented to explain orbital light curves for both the high and low states, as well as the transition mechanism between them. The binary model consists of a white dwarf (WD), a disk around the WD, and a lobe-filling main-sequence companion. In the optical low state, the mass-transfer rate to the WD is small and the size of the disk is as small as its Roche lobe size. In the optical high state, the mass-transfer rate to the WD exceeds the critical rate of ~1 × 10-6 M☉ yr-1 and the WD blows an optically thick, massive wind. Surface layers of the disk are blown in the wind, and the disk surface extends to the companion or over. As a result, optical luminosity of the disk increases by a magnitude because of its large irradiation effect. The massive wind completely obscures soft X-rays. This corresponds to the optical high/soft X-ray off state. The transition between optical high and low states is driven by an attenuation of the mass transfer from the secondary. During the optical high state, the wind from the WD hits the companion and strips off its surface layer. The mass transfer from the companion gradually reduces and stops. As the mass supply stops, the WD wind weakens and eventually stops. The disk shrinks to a Roche lobe size, and the optical magnitude drops. This phase corresponds to the optical low/soft X-ray on state. Then a rapid mass transfer resumes. The mass of the WD envelope increases and blows a wind again. This cycle is repeated like a limit cycle. During this intermittent wind phase, the WD can grow in mass at the critical rate and eventually reach the Chandrasekhar mass limit. This process is called "accretion wind evolution," which is a key evolutionary process in a recently developed evolutionary scenario of Type Ia supernovae. This evolutionary process was first confirmed in the LMC supersoft X-ray source RX J0513.9-6951, although it commonly occurs in the supersoft X-ray sources when the mass-transfer rate exceeds the critical rate. Thus, V Sge is the second example of accretion wind evolution.


BACKGROUND
Bipolar disorder (BD) has substantial morbidity and incompletely understood neurobiological underpinnings.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate brain chemistry in medication-free individuals with BD.

DESIGN
Two-dimensional proton echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (PEPSI) (32 x 32, 1-cm(3) voxel matrix) acquired axially through the cingulate gyrus was used to quantify regional brain chemistry.

SETTING
The Center for Anxiety and Depression at the University of Washington in Seattle and the Bipolar Research Programs at McLean Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

PARTICIPANTS
Thirty-two medication-free outpatients with a diagnosis of BD type I (BDI) or BD type II (BDII), predominantly in a depressed or mixed-mood state, were compared with 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Tissue type (white and gray) and regional analyses were performed to evaluate distribution of lactate; glutamate, glutamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (Glx); creatine and phosphocreatine (Cre); choline-containing compounds (Cho); N-acetyl aspartate; and myo-inositol. Chemical relationships for diagnosis and mood state were evaluated.

RESULTS
Patients with BD exhibited elevated gray matter lactate (P =.005) and Glx (P =.007) levels; other gray and white matter chemical measures were not significantly different between diagnostic groups. Isolated regional chemical alterations were found. An inverse correlation between 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores and white matter Cre levels was observed for BD patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Gray matter lactate and Glx elevations in medication-free BD patients suggest a shift in energy redox state from oxidative phosphorylation toward glycolysis. The possibility of mitochondrial alterations underlying these findings is discussed and may provide a theoretical framework for future targeted treatment interventions.


OBJECTIVE
To report baseline no-show rates in the hospital-employed otolaryngology practice setting and to identify factors that may affect clinic show rates that are targets for potential improvement.

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective chart review.

METHODS
Electronic medical records from October 2012 through July 2014 of a hospital-employed otolaryngology practice were reviewed. Patients were classified by insurance type: commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and self-pay. Clinic visits were classified as new patient, follow-up, or postoperative. No-show rates were tabulated for each type of clinic visit and compared. Factors to improve no-show rates are discussed.

RESULTS
There was an overall no-show rate of 8.3% for 5817 scheduled clinic visits. Among visit types, follow-up visits had the highest no-show rates. Among insurance types, Medicaid had the highest no-show rates. New patient Medicaid patients, follow-up Medicaid patients, and follow-up commercial insurance patients had the highest rate of no-shows among visit/insurance type combinations. Persistent reminders are a key factor in improving rate of clinic visit adherence.

CONCLUSION
A previously unreported baseline no-show rate was established for hospital-employed otolaryngology clinics. The utilization of repeated, live-person reminders to mitigate the impact of clinic no-show rates needs to be further investigated.


How are the problems associated with different psychoactive substances, illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco described? How is the nature of the "problem" shaped by research evidence, media coverage, cultural mores and social, economic and political considerations? To what extent does policy reflect a consistent approach to different psychoactive substances? What objectives do policies on drugs, alcohol and tobacco pursue? Do the structures in place support the co-ordination and/or integration of these policies?

The issue of psychoactive substance policies (and beyond) is currently at the forefront of policy making in a number of countries, including those participating in this study, together with the issue of how such a policy may be implemented in a coherent manner. Continuing the work carried out in two previous publications, "From a policy on illegal drugs to a policy on psychoactive substances" (2008) and "Towards an integrated policy on psychoactive substances: a theoretical and empirical analysis" (2010), this work attempts to put into perspective the salient points of what mey be termed a coherent policy on psychoactive substances and beyond. It proposes six indicators, around which the concept of coherency is articulated: conceptualisation, policy context, legislative and regulatory framework, strategic framework, responses/interventions, and structures and resources.

The results of this study may be a surprise to some in the field, and tie in with broader efforts by the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in the sphere of policy coherence for development.


Controller design of a STATCOM-based voltage compensator requires a valid analytical model of the system. If phasor algebra is used for modeling, it is difficult to accurately describe the STATCOM behavior during compensation of subcycle transients in the PCC voltage. In this paper, a small-signal model of the system, with a distribution line, is derived. Predictions based on frequency-domain analysis are made, which are validated by experimental results. This model, therefore, can be used for controller design where subcycle voltage transients are to be compensated. It is shown that the voltage controller, so designed, can accomplish voltage sag mitigation. A discussion on the design of DC bus voltage controller-and experimental results showing its performance-is also included.


In surgical skin planing steel wire brushes have been largely replaced by the less hazardous diamond chip burs or "fraises" and serrated steel wheels. In addition to acne pits and wrinkling, multiple actinic (senile) keratoses are an important indication for planing. Planing provides a nonscarring method for the treatment of existing keratoses, as well as a prophylaxis against skin cancer by replacing the sun-damaged, precancerous epidermis with new epidermal cells derived from the cutaneous adnexa (pilosebaceous and sweat gland units). There are clinical landmarks indicating the depth of planing which can serve as a guide to the operator and can be correlated with microscopic findings. The results of experiments on the comparative effects of refrigerants on animal and human skin indicate that human facial skin can tolerate considerable freezing with ethyl chloride or dichlorotetrafluoroethane (Freon 114) but that mixtures containing large proportions of the much colder dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon 12) may be undesirable. Refreezing an area of the skin in order to perform a more adequate planing is not considered hazardous.THE REGENERATION OF THE SKIN FOLLOWING PLANING HAS THREE COMPONENTS: Epidermal, adnexal and dermal. The cells of the epidermis and the adnexa are equipotential. A knowledge of the anatomy of the acne pit enables the operator to decide which pits can be benefited by planing and which should be excised before planing. The successful treatment of acne pits of the face by planing in patients having keloids elsewhere on the body is reported.


E-healthcare platforms start to integrate medical services across online and offline channels, where providers can perform online consultations, schedule patients' offline visits, synchronize relevant medical records, and finally, answer online inquiries regarding follow-up and recovery anytime and anywhere within one operations management function (i.e., online-offline service integration). In this study, we seek to quantify the effects of online-offline service integration on the e-healthcare providers' demand and reputational outcomes, noting that it is not altogether clear how the service integration function will affect the providers who adopt such a function in e-healthcare platforms. Leveraging a quasi-natural experiment on an e-healthcare platform, we conducted difference-in-differences analyses in tandem with a variety of matching strategies, including propensity score matching and look-ahead propensity score matching. Further, we explored the moderating roles of provider-specific characteristics. Our results reveal a set of robust and interesting findings: i) e-healthcare providers, on average, experience increases in online demand and decreases in offline demand post online-offline service integration; ii) the service integration function also improves the professional reputation of participating providers; iii) the impact of channel integration on the outcomes are weaker for providers with lower (vs. higher) professional titles; and iv) the providers who specialize in treating chronic (vs. acute) diseases experience greater increases in online demand and reputational outcomes, yet insignificant changes in offline demand. This work contributes to related prior literatures on healthcare operations management, e-healthcare, and online-offline channel integration, offering design implications for the service operations of e-healthcare platforms.


It is easier to discover why people died in the past than how healthy they were during their lives. However, in both Europe and North America, much evidence survives about the health of young males from the medical examination of recruits to the armed forces. The paper discusses the possibility of generalizing from one such source, that of British volunteer recruits, to the health of the male working class. It concludes that the source is not seriously biassed and that, after some statistical correction, the data suggest a gradual improvement in the nutritional status, measured by average height, of the British working class.This finding contradicts much contemporary opinion that the British were physically deteriorating in the late nineteenth century.


The Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) data and the dietary intake surveys conducted by Federal agencies supply key data for monitoring Americans' food and nutrient consumption. The LAFA data, compiled by USDA, Economic Research Service, provide estimates of the annual loss-adjusted availability for more than 200 food commodities dating back to 1970. The data are for the Nation as a whole but are not broken down by demographics or food source (grocery store, school, restaurant, fast food, community food programs, etc.). The dietary intake surveys—conducted by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics—give detailed data on food and beverage intakes by demographics and food source. In this study, ERS researchers convert food and beverages reported in dietary intake surveys into commodities as reported in the LAFA data, use the converted data to estimate commodity consumption patterns, and then apply the estimated patterns to disaggregate the LAFA data for 1994-2008 by household income, age, gender, adult education, and race/ethnicity. More recent LAFA data are available, but we use the 1994-2008 LAFA data because the database to convert foods into commodities is currently available for 1994-2008 only.


Electrical signaling is a fast mode of communication for cells within an organism. We are concerned here with the formulation and analysis of mathematical models that are used to describe this important class of physiological processes. These models generally take the form of partial differential equations that are descendants of those introduced by Hodgkin and Huxley to describe the propagation of an action potential along the squid giant axon. We review that work here and then go on to describe more recent variations on the Hodgkin‐Huxley theme, including the three‐dimensional bidomain (and monodomain) equations for cardiac electrophysiology, multiscale models for the heart that take cellular structure into account near the action potential wavefront, and finally a more detailed reformulation of electrophysiology in terms of electrodiffusion. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Mycoplasmas are the smallest and simplest self-replicating prokaryotes,
lacking a cell wall and are bound by a single membrane-the plasma
membrane. Moreover, mycoplasmas are consequential and chronic
pathogens of humans and animals that rely on adhesion to host tissue for
colonisation and infections. In other word biofilm formation is correlated
with infections and because of this, the biofilm formation of Mycoplasma
species has been investigated and characterised in this project.

The viability of biofilm formation was assessed and quantified using
crystal violet assay over 20-day incubation period. It was noticed that
some mycoplasma isolates were capable of forming biofilms more readily
than others, which in turn revealed a striking variability in the ability'of
Mycoplasmas species to form biofilms.

Mycoplasma biofilms and planktonic cells were exposed to environmental
stresses, including heat and desiccation to determine their resistance to
these stresses. The experiment revealed that mycoplasma biofilms were
more resistance to stresses than their planktonic counterparts.

The architecture of mycoplasma biofilms was analysed using the
combination of two visualisation techniques; CLSM and SEM to determine
growth dynamics as well as quantify the biofilm volume over time. The
experiment showed that the volume of biofilm become greater when the
biofilm gets older.

The metabolic patterns of Mycoplasma fermentans and Mycoplasma
pneumoniae biofilm cells was investigated and comparing them with their
planktonic counterparts in order to characterise the metabolomic changes
between planktonic and biofilm cells and thus observe how far their
metabolic activities are different.


Scientific literature about electioneering generally focuses on its historical evolution. The synchronic plurality of electoral practices is largely ignored, thus the fact that a campaign encompasses in reality diverse forms of electoral mobilizations is not well perceived. The article introduces a configurational analysis to explain differences among electoral campaigns as well as their unequal integration within national politics. Based on the British case and on fieldwork focusing on Labour and Conservative candidates, the article aims at understanding how they structure electoral mobilizations. Campaign styles vary according to the characteristics of the candidates, but depend also on the nature of the competition and the degree of integration to the central political game. Finally, by taking into account the trajectories of candidates as well as their personal or professional experiences, the configurational approach is a useful tool to understand how campaigns are effectively set up.


Density fractionation along with ultrasonic dispersion is widely applied in soil science to obtain distinct fractions of soil organic matter. Density cut-off and dispersion energy are crucial parameters to yield fractions closely corresponding to their conceptual definitions. Our literature review revealed methodological discrepancies in the utilization of density-fractionation schemes. Strikingly, reasons for the selection of specific density or dispersion energy were rarely explained. Thus, it is not known how results of different approaches relate to each other. We therefore recommend testing and reporting effects of fractionation parameters on chemical and physical properties of fractions, to achieve agreement and coherence on parameters to be used and facilitate comparability in future studies.


Arctic sea ice is an important component of the global climate system and due to feedback effects the Arctic ice cover is changing rapidly. Predictive mathematical models are of paramount importance for accurate estimates of the future ice trajectory. However, the sea ice components of Global Climate Models (GCMs) vary significantly in their prediction of the future state of Arctic sea ice and have generally underestimated the rate of decline in minimum sea ice extent seen over the past thirty years. One of the contributing factors to this variability is the sensitivity of the sea ice to model physical parameters. A new sea ice model that has the potential to improve sea ice predictions incorporates an anisotropic elastic-decohesive rheology and dynamics solved using the material-point method (MPM), which combines Lagrangian particles for advection with a background grid for gradient computations. We evaluate the variability of the Los Alamos National Laboratory CICE code and the MPM sea ice code for a single year simulation of the Arctic basin using consistent ocean and atmospheric forcing. Sensitivities of ice volume, ice area, ice extent, root mean square (RMS) ice speed, central Arctic ice thickness, and central Arctic ice speed with respect to ten different dynamic and thermodynamic parameters are evaluated both individually and in combination using the Design Analysis Kit for Optimization and Terascale Applications (DAKOTA). We find similar responses for the two codes and some interesting seasonal variability in the strength of the parameters on the solution.


Landfill gas (LFG) emissions are an important environmental concern in the Philippines due to the existence of several uncontrolled dump sites. LFG mostly results from the anaerobic decomposition of the biodegradable fraction, i.e. kitchen and yard wastes, in municipal solid wastes (MSW) that are disposed of in these disposal sites. This investigation was conducted to estimate the amount of LFG production and the amount of power that could be generated from the Upper Dagong dump site in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. This dump site started operating in 1996 and is expected to have a life span of up to 25 years. The Philippine Landfill Gas Model v.1 was used to estimate the rate of LFG generation. Model results show that the rate of LFG generation from MSW plateaued at around 2.4 Mm 3 for 5 years from 2005, one year after the highest waste acceptance at the site, until 2008. The years 2004 and 2005 showed a decrease in waste acceptance rates at the dump site, but increased by around 17% in the following years. Methane generation rates could be seen to rise again from 2009 to reach its projected second peak in 2022. The power that could have been obtained from the MSW in the dump site, with 39% LFG recovery, was estimated to be around 2.1 GWh in 2015. This provides a potential for power generation at the Upper Dagong dumpsite. Aside from generating energy, the utilization of the LFG will also create a source of revenue from the sale of certified emission reductions under the Clean Development Mechanism.


: Reductions in caries prevalence and a greater understanding of the caries process have meant that a more conservative, non-invasive approach to the treatment of early enamel lesions is possible. As the progression of approximal enamel lesions is generally slow, lesions that do not radiographically penetrate to the amelodentinal junction can be considered to have a good chance of being treated non-invasively. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that softened enamel surfaces can be rehardened and that fluoride applications enhance this remineralisation. For those accessible approximal lesions showing evidence of discrete disruption of the enamel surface an impregnation with resin may be effective. Although this type of approach to the management of the early carious lesion may not be equally successful in all patients, it will in many instances avoid the sequelae of recurrent decay, compromised gingival health, and inevitable failure associated with conventional approximal restorations.


The use of endosseous dental implants represents one of the most rapidly expanding areas of dentistry. This article attempts to summarize the current understanding of factors affecting dental implant success. The need continues for further fundamental studies to provide a base for future improvements in the design and use of dental implants.


The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that pediatricians take the lead in banning cigarette smoking in all pediatric health care facilities. This study investigated the use of "nonsmoking" policies and their planned revisions, problems in enforcement, and any history of challenges to restrictive or lenient policies. The surveys were mailed to 329 hospitals affiliated with pediatric training programs as the institutions most likely to attempt to comply with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Representatives from 199 (60%) of the programs responded. The programs had a range of 12 to 350 pediatric beds in children's hospitals (27%), pediatric wards (69%), or general hospitals (4%). Only nine hospitals were "smoke-free," ie, having no designated indoor area for smoking. Another 35 had "restrictive" policies allowing smoking in only a single site or two preselected sites. Pediatric hospitals or wards were no more likely to have smoke-free policies than general hospitals. Existence of smoke-free or restrictive policies was unrelated to any other factor examined. Smoke-free and restrictive policies were more likely to be rigorously enforced but not more likely to engender formal challenges. Although almost all policies had been recently or are being revised, pediatric hospitals and wards remain remiss in controlling childhood smoke exposure.


HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) is receiving much attention from both industry and academia as it has become the de facto approach to stream media content over the Internet. Recently, we proposed a streaming architecture called SDNDASH [1] to address HAS scalability issues including video instability, quality of experience (QoE) unfairness, and network resource underutilization, while maximizing per player QoE. While SDNDASH was a significant step forward, there were three unresolved limitations: 1) it did not scale well when the number of HAS players increased; 2) it generated communication overhead; and 3) it did not address client heterogeneity. These limitations could result in suboptimal decisions that led to viewer dissatisfaction. To that effect, we propose an enhanced intelligent streaming architecture, called SDNHAS, which leverages software defined networking (SDN) capabilities of assisting HAS players in making better adaptation decisions. This architecture accommodates large-scale deployments through a cluster-based mechanism, reduces communication overhead between the HAS players and SDN core, and allocates the network resources effectively in the presence of short- and long-term changes in the network.


As the cost of computer memory continues to decline faster than that of processors, it may be realistic to effectively apply pattern recognition methodology to security evaluation of an electric power system. Efficient implementation techniques are developed to achieve assessment in real time with a modest level of memory requirement. The basic idea is to recognize the unknown security of a particular system state operation from stored knowledge about similar operating patterns. Two efficient data structures are proposed here for its implementation. First, a distributed memory device, an associative memory is developed for recognition. This particular memory is found to be capable of parallel pattern matching along with reduced computer storage. Second, for an efficient implementation of the memory structure, these associative memories are configured in a hierarchical structure which not only expands storage capacity but also utilizes the speed of tree search. This structure provides a basis of an error-free, rapid, and memory-saving recognition algorithm.


Tropical Dairy Farming is a manual designed for use by dairy production advisors working in tropical areas, especially in South-East Asia. It aims to increase the productivity of small holder dairy farmers in the humid tropics by improving the feeding management of their livestock. It shows how to provide dairy cows with cost-effective feeds that match small holder farming systems and discusses the major obstacles to improving feeding management in the humid tropics.

The author shows the benefits and drawbacks of various feed components and the calculation of balanced diets based mainly on forages combined with some supplementary feeding. Diseases and problems associated with unbalanced diets are also covered, as well as important information on growing and conserving quality forages as silage.

The book draws on examples from a variety of countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, East Timor and the Philippines.


I will describe a minimal supersymmetric SU(5) model, in which the adjoint multiplet breaks spontaneously both gauge and supersymmetry. This inevitably leads to intermediate scales, which in turn increase the GUT scale. The dimension 6 proton decay is thus suppressed, while soft terms coming from supergravity typically dominate.


Many structured convex minimization problems can be modeled by the search of a zero of the sum of two monotone operators. Operator splitting methods have been designed to decompose and regularize at the same time these kind of models. We review here these models and the classical splitting methods. We focus on the numerical sensitivity of these algorithms with respect to the scaling parameters that drive the regularizing terms, in order to accelerate convergence rates for different classes of models.


I worked as a clinical nurse specialist in stroke rehabilitation and had a sub arachnoid haemorrhage in Feb 2013 which left me with cognitive deficits. I made up a psychological programme and made this into a recovery app to help others like me; have had over 100 downloads and loads of feedback. There are different stages of recovery, everyone is different and goes at their own pace, it's an ongoing journey. I have designed a self- recovery stand alone app for people living with chronic fatigue syndrome in the community setting starting with stroke. Everyone goes on their journey at a different pace.  The app will act as a tool to help the person on their journey of self- recovery.  Cognitive nerve energy (brain)causes ongoing fatigue. If a person does not take control of their fatigue they will go around in a fog and a haze for the rest of their lives and not achieve their full potential of recovery. I  have identified early warning stages of fatigue (6 in total) which lead to chronic fatigue syndrome (recovery hours/days). The person assess how they feel from a drop down list of symptoms,  from this they can work out what warning stage they are at, acts as a baseline. From this they can plan their day. If they have an appointment at say 3pm they can work back ways to conserve energy so they can achieve the maximum amount of energy for this time. I'm using energy as a commodity.  Over time an individual profile can be built up to help the person work out ways to conserve energy for the different warning stages and live a better quality of life. This is done in a form of a rest diary, advice on what each stage is, examples of why person is at that stage and how to manage same. There is also a daily planner and people can plan for the whole day rather than just their alert times, leads to a better quality of life, planning, organsing their own recovery and care. The person is able to manage their day and take control of their life. Planned pathway of care. This stand alone app is at the development stage.


Inspired by Rick Grush's emulation theory, we reinterpreted a series of our neuroimaging experiments which were intended to examine the representations of complex movement, modality-specific imagery, and supramodal imagery. The emulation theory can explain motor and cognitive activities observed in cortical motor areas, through the speculation that caudal areas relate to motor-specific imagery and rostral areas embrace an emulator for amodal imagery.


Mixed emulsifters consisting of a nonionic (PVP) or cationic potymer (JR-400) and ionic surfactant (anionic sodium dodecylsulphate, SDS and cationic dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, DTAB) have been found to produce greater stabilizing effects than single polymer or surfactant taken separately as emulsitiers. Greater emulsion stability of such systems is ensured by the presence of a protective layer formed by the polymer and charged species resulting from polymer/surfactant interaction. This result is of significant practical importance. The combination of surfactant and polymers improved the desired properties of the products because addition of a polymer enhances the adsorption of surfactants to a surface.


Between 1971 and 1977, 40 patients with orbital hypertelorism were operated on by the craniofacial team in Toronto. Results have improved as a result of this experience. Tomography in two planes has revealed four types of medial orbital wall deformity. Cephalographs proved inadequate to understand this three-dimensional problem. Mobilization of the orbits and their correct realignment, with removal of the precise amount of interorbital bone, are only preliminary steps in producing good results. Different techniques for reattachment of the medial canthal ligament, correct orientation of the lateral canthus, changes in methods of nasal excision, and the elimination of other facial or eyelid scars are helping to produce more normal looking patients. Simultaneous major intraoral procedures have been the greatest source of complications. Limitation of this surgery to one team has given sufficient experience to enable a diminution in morbidity and a halving in blood loss and time taken for the operation.


Abstract Suicide remains a problem of public health importance worldwide. Cognizant of the emerging links between social media use and suicide, social media platforms, such as Facebook, have developed automated algorithms to detect suicidal behavior. While seemingly a well-intentioned adjunct to public health, there are several ethical and legal concerns to this approach. For example, the role of consent to use individual data in this manner has only been given cursory attention. Social media users may not even be aware that their social media posts, movements, and Internet searches are being analyzed by non-health professionals, who have the decision-making ability to involve law enforcement upon suspicion of potential self-harm. Failure to obtain such consent presents privacy risks and can lead to exposure and wider potential harms. We argue that Facebook's practices in this area should be subject to well-established protocols. 1 These should resemble those utilized in the field of human subjects research, which upholds standardized, agreed-upon, and well-recognized ethical practices based on generations of precedent. Prior to collecting sensitive data from social media users, an ethical review process should be carried out. The fiduciary framework seems to resonate with the emergent roles and obligations of social media platforms to accept more responsibility for the content being shared.


Trust, altruism and reciprocity are attracting growing attention from scholars. Interest began with psychological experiments showing that people often are altruistic, trust others, and reciprocate the benevolence of others far more than economic models of "rational" human selfishness predict. These findings inspired social scientists to discover what factors promote or hinder cooperation. Legal scholars have employed this learning to determine how the law does or could facilitate or discourage cooperation in many contexts, including business transactions and the workplace. The influence of race on cooperation has been studied in specific areas, but so far no one has considered how the new learning might improve race relations and racial equality. This article makes an initial effort to do so. Trust in others is essential to human interaction, especially in dealings too complex for the parties' rights and duties to be detailed in writing. Trust grows when each side's contribution is reciprocated by the other's, but not if reciprocity is withheld, and trust shrinks rapidly if one party abuses the other's trust by acting opportunistically. People often eschew gain and help the needy, but altruism also dwindles if the recipients do not seem truly needy, or do not try to help themselves, or if others who could help refuse to do so and "free ride" on those who are altruistic. The dearth of racial trust in America is dramatically manifested in the separation so often chosen by both blacks and whites. Distrust blocks cooperation and altruism between the races and obstructs efforts to solve virtually every social problem. Part I of this article reviews the learning about trust, altruism and reciprocity. Part II applies this knowledge to better understand racial division and inequality in America and why many policies and positions do not ameliorate these ills and indeed may exacerbate them. Part III discusses our goals in race relations. Part IV prescribes principles to foster interracial trust. Part V proposes some specific steps to reduce racial inequality while building trust.


The paper describes the necessity to consider the role of private rule making and the increasing importance of national regulatory agencies, in the process of European legal integration. It then focuses on the legislative design and process implementation of EPL. Its departing assumption is that EPL is and will remain a multilevel system where national implementation of European legislation generates intentional and unintentional spillover effects to be 'governed' through horizontal devices. The author underlines that the current legislative and judicial trend towards total harmonization is the wrong response to normative differentiation occurring in the process of national implementation. He analyses in particular the areas of unfair contract terms and commercial practices, providing examples of divergent implementation which can not be tackled only at legislative level, claiming that governance is a better response. He examines traditional modes of governance and then considers the applicability of new modes of governance to EPL. He makes several reform proposals; most of them do not require legislative intervention. At the legislative level, given that the competences are organised around policy areas while private law, following the national traditions, is conceptually organised around institutions, he proposes different ways to improve coordination at the Commission level, concerning legislative draft. Legislative drafting can also be improved by considering the different impacts of new legal categories in national legal systems, especially the general clauses. At the implementation level he emphasizes the role of judicial governance and the lack of coordination among national judiciaries proposing the establishment of a permanent judicial conference specialised in EPL to be coordinated with TFI and ECJ. He then proposes the institution of committees operating according to subjects ( contract, property, tort) that would cut across directorates competences and would analyse the impact of European legislation on private law national systems. Finally he proposes the use of OMC, adequately redefined to evaluate the policy effects of implementation especially when it involves national regulatory agencies.


SUMMARY Bioregionalism claims that interaction between the biophysical and human components of a region generates place-based environmental and social understanding and concern, which lead to locally shared power and responsibility in cooperative land management and governance. The Man and the Biosphere Programme's Seville Strategy calls for local community participation in a multi-stakeholder ecosystem-based approach to conservation, but it is unclear if tenets of bioregionalism play a role in its implementation. Bookmark Biosphere Reserve (BBR) in Australia has substantially succeeded in scientific research and monitoring, conservation, environmental education and sustainable land-use initiatives. Aspects of bioregionalism (for example recognition of the region's unique identity, local community sense of responsibility, integration of local knowledge, presence of motivated local leaders and cooperative community-based management through a network of groups) have contributed to success. Other crucial factors were funding, technical and scientific information and support from government agencies, leadership from members of state and federal government and from private philanthropic foundations, community capacity-building for sustainable land management and availability of volunteers from outside the region. Nevertheless, conflict arose in relation to governance, originating from the recognized difficulties of reconciling a diversity of allegiances, motivations, management styles and personalities, and resulted in division of BBR into two, one section being managed largely through the private sector and community volunteers, the other (renamed Riverland Biosphere Reserve) coordinated by a committee with more diverse affiliations. Bioregionalism can play a role in biosphere reserves but motivations and resources of external public and private organizations are also vital. Avoiding weaknesses of bioregional approaches requires greater attention to social aspects of environmental management. Governance structures and processes need to be inclusive, flexible and equitable in decision making and access to funds. They should support both agency and community-initiated activities and include conflict resolution mechanisms.


Zircons from a keratophyre associated with the Tayvallich Volcanics in the Dalradian rocks of the SW Scottish Highlands have been dated by U-Pb methods, yielding an age of 595 ± 4 Ma. This age indicates that most or all of the Dalradian is Precambrian in age, and that Dalradian sedimentation may have lasted for about 200 million years. The age also constrains the time interval between cessation of Dalradian sedimentation and subsequent crustal thickening and regional metamorphism during the Grampian Orogeny. Sm-Nd isotopic data for the Tayvallich Volcanins and related metadolerite sills yield initial ºNd values of +2 to +4, which are thought to reffect the effects of melting of lithospheric mantle.


We investigate a peculiar feature of a simple model of collisions between point particles known as inelastic collapse. The model assumes that all particles move in one dimension at a constant velocity between collisions, and that an important ratio of velocities called the coefficient of restitution is constant for each collisions. With these assumptions, we show that it is possible for systems of particles in one dimension to collide infinitely often. We find the conditions on the initial velocities and the coefficient of restitution for inelastic collapse to occur analytically for systems with fixed collision orders and test them using Mathematica simulations. Document Type Thesis Distinguished Thesis Yes Degree Name Bachelor of Arts (BA) Department or Program Physics First Advisor Nathan W. Mueggenburg Second Advisor Michael M. Kash Third Advisor R. Scott Schappe Fourth Advisor R. Scott Schappe


Urban ecologists have extended the bounds of this field to incorporate both the effects of human activities on ecological processes (e.g., humans as generators of disturbances), and the ways in which the structures, functions, and processes of urban ecosystems, and human alterations to them, in turn alter people's behavior. This feedback loop from the perspective of urban ecologists offers a natural connection to economic models for human behavior. At their core, housing markets reveal price signals that communicate to developers the tradeoffs consumers are willing to make for the private characteristics of homes and the attributes of the neighborhoods where they are located. These signals together with local land use rules guide the location of development. The characteristics of this development in turn influence the functioning and evolution of urban ecosystems. This paper describes markets as coordination mechanisms and conveyors of information from a complex adaptive systems perspective. It also discusses the way in which physical and biological processes, infrastructural boundaries, and the institutional equivalent of "barbed wire" all simultaneously act to shape the transmission of ecosystem services over the landscape. These processes alter the spatial distribution of housing prices in ways that are both continuous and discrete.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.


Systems for immersive videoconferencing utilizing LHRDs face the problem of generating large amounts of data. A solution to reduce this data is essential to realize such systems. We present different possible approaches to do this and give an overview where these are applicable. This provides the reader with a first guide for design decisions when implementing such systems.


In this study, water absorption and drying properties of knitted fabrics produced by 100 % polyester staple fibers (PET) yarn, blend of 80 % PET, 20 % super absorbent fibers (SAF) yarn and covered 80—20 % PET-SAF blend yarn, which the surface of the 80—20 % PET-SAF blend yarn has been covered by a monofilament polyester were experimentally examined. The effect of SAF, covering yarn, washing and drying treatment and dry cleaning treatment on the water absorption of the fabrics was analyzed. It was seen that knitted fabric with 80—20 % PET-SAF blend yarn and covered blend yarn always had higher water absorption value and longer drying time than knitted fabric with 100 % PET. However, knitted fabric with covered blend yarn had less water absorption than the fabric with blend yarn. Water absorption values of fabrics did not change too much during repeated water absorption tests. The absorption properties of the fabrics containing SAF decreased dramatically after washing and drying treatment. However, after repeated dry cleaning treatment, there was still considerably high water absorption capacity on the fabric containing SAF with regard to the fabric with 100 % PET.


Synopsis Heavy minerals from the Old Red Sandstone in the eastern part of the Midland Valley of Scotland include haematite (grouped with limonite and goethite), ilmenite (with leucoxene), amphiboles, pyroxenes, garnet, staurolite, epidotes, apatite, rutile, tourmaline, zircon and monazite. Although individual sources and transport paths cannot be recognized, the distribution of stable minerals demonstrates the presence of groups of streams draining particular families of source rocks. The three older formations of the Lower Old Red Sandstone have insufficient outcrop to reveal any general picture, but the Arbuthnott, Garvock and Strathmore Groups have a number of well defined centres of distribution related to sources both north of the Highland line and, probably, to the east of the present coastline. One of these centres lay in the vicinity of Stonehaven and others to the west, notably near Blairgowrie. There is insufficient evidence to reach general conclusions on the Upper Old Red Sandstone.


We present the findings of a pilot-study that analysed the role of haptic feedback in a musical context. To examine the role of haptics in Digital Musical Instrument (DMI) design an experiment was formulated to measure the users' perception of device usability across four separate feedback stages: fully haptic (force and tactile combined), constant force only, vibrotactile only, and no feedback. The study was piloted over extended periods with the intention of exploring the application and integration of DMIs in real-world musical contexts. Applying a music orientated analysis of this type enabled the investigative process to not only take place over a comprehensive period, but allowed for the exploration of DMI integration in everyday compositional practices. As with any investigation that involves creativity, it was important that the participants did not feel rushed or restricted. That is, they were given sufficient time to explore and assess the different feedback types without constraint. This provided an accurate and representational set of qualitative data for validating the participants' experience with the different feedback types they were presented with.


Far-field somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) after median nerve stimulation were recorded from scalp- (Fz), epidural- (ED) and intravascular electrodes (basilar artery [Bas]) to study the nature of the controversial N18a component of the widespread N18 potential. In healthy volunteers frequently an N18a potential was recorded at Fz. Simultaneous Fz and ED recordings at the pontomesencephalic junction as well as Bas-recordings at the caudal basilar artery showed N18a components identical in latency and shape. With intravascular recordings the shapes differed between the top of the basilar artery and the caudal artery recordings. These findings support the existence of a separate N18a potential. The generator of the N18a is likely to be localized within the upper brainstem.


BACKGROUND
The 'Hello my name is …' campaign emphasises the importance of compassionate care and focuses on health professionals introducing themselves to patients. Research has found that using names is key to providing individuals with a sense of belonging and can be vital in ensuring patient safety.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the student experience of having 'Hello my name is …' printed on student uniforms and implement this campaign in practice.

DESIGN
A case study was used to capture the experiences of 40 multiprofessional healthcare students in practice. Participants were asked to complete a reflective diary during their first week in practice and attend a focus group with 4-8 other students.

SETTING
A higher education institution in the north east of England with students from adult, child and learning disability nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and midwifery programmes, in a variety of clinical placements throughout the region.

FINDINGS
The implementation of the campaign and logo branding on the uniforms of students resulted in an increase in the number of times students were addressed by their name in practice. Participants reported that the study helped them to quickly develop a sense of belonging when on placement, and aided them in delivering compassionate care. Occasions when patient safety was improved were also reported.

CONCLUSION
The use of names is a key feature in human relationships and the delivery of compassionate care, and the authors advocate use of the 'Hello my name is …' campaign for all health professionals.


The paper presents a survey of Polish malacostracan fauna. In two tables the distribution of freshwater and Baltic species is presented according to the regionalization of the country used in "Catalogus Faunae Poloniae". Figures present some interesting distributions of freshwater malacostracan taxa. Own studies as well as the review of ample literature aimed at the preparation of the successive issues of "Catalogus Faunae Poloniae" allowed to present this survey of 121 malacostracan taxa, viz., Bathynellacea - 1 species, Mysidacea - 9, Amphipoda - 50, Isopoda - 47, Tanaidacea - 1, Cumacea - 1, Euphausiacea - 1, Decapoda - 11. In inland waters 31 species and subspecies do occur (Batynellacea - 1, Mysidacea - 1, Amphipoda - 22, Isopoda - 2, Decapoda - 5). In brackish waters of the Baltic Sea and its lagoons- 54 species (Mysidacea - 8, Amphipoda - 24, Isopoda - 12, Tanaidacea - 1, Cumacea - 1, Euphausiacea - 1, Decapoda - 8). Bi-environmental species are Asellus aquaticus and Eriocheir sinensis. The land malacostracan fauna of Poland includes 4 amphipod and 34 isopod (oniscoid) taxa. The Polish malacostracan fauna is composed mainly of species that have invaded this region of Europe in the postglacial period, but the oldest, preglacial elements are subterranean amphipods (niphargids, Crangonyx) and Bathynella natans, occurring only in southern Poland. The earliest postglacial invaders of the Baltic and/or the northern lakes were glacial relict species like the Mysis relicta group, Pallasiola quadrispinosa, Monoporeia affinis and Saduria entomon. The Southern Baltic malacostracan fauna is dominated by Boreal and Arctic/(Subarctic)-boreal elements but one third of this fauna is Mediterranean-boreal or Lusitanian-boreal in origin. Inland waters were probably settled next by Gammarus lacustris, G. pulex, Synurella ambulans, Asellus aquaticus and Astacus astacus, then by later incomers, like Gammarus balcanicus. Canal constructions in the XVIIIth century helped the immigration of Ponto-Caspian elements: Corophium curvispinum and Echinogammarus ischnus. Intentionally introduced to Polish waters are Astacus leptodactylus, Orconectes limosus and Pacifastacus leniusculus; unintentionally brought along were Eriocheir sinensis and Rhithropanopeus harrisii tridentatus, as well as Talitroides alluaudi and Trichorhina tomentosa to some greenhouses.


At the time of her visit to Marienwerder in 1400, Ona (d. 1418), the wife of Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania, was given two books about the life of the Blessed Dorothea of Montau (1347–1394); this information was preserved in the documents of Dorothea's canonization process. This is, in effect, the first mention of book ownership by a woman in the GDL. Based on the documents of Dorothea's canonization and other sources, the article aims to discuss what books, and in what circumstances, Grand Duchess Ona received and how this reflects her personality. The article looks at the Prussian mystic Dorothea of Montau, her spirituality and her cult, whose echoes reached Lithuania; it discusses the books written by Dorothea's confessor, the hagiographer Johannes of Marienwerder (finished in 1399 or 1400), which make the repertoire of "dorotheana". The article analyses Ona's visit to Marienwerder, the event mentioned by 13 witnesses in Dorothea's canonization case in their answer to the question (No. 146) about Dorothea's fama sanctitatis. The present research has shown that, at the turn of the 14th century, Grand Duchess Ona found herself in the midst of the novel, speedily growing cult of Dorothea of Montau. It found a place in Ona's heart and became upheld by other members of Lithuania's ruling elite. A tale about the life of the woman renowned for her sanctity, heard from the theologian Johannes himself, encouraged Ona's interest in the book describing the life and piety of Dorothea, a representative of the new women's spirituality. This "life" of the yet-uncanonized saint, Dorothea from Montau, may be considered one of the first hagiographic pieces of the vita type, functioning in the GDL. Both the pilgrimage of the Duchess Ona and the books given to her are a testimony to her worship of saints, practiced in various forms and characteristic of the Middle Ages, as well as to her interest in the lives of saints.


1Pharmacy Department, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME, USA; 2Pharmacy Department, Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital, Pittsfield, ME, USA Background: Standardized DKA treatment could result in better overall safety and efficacy outcomes. The primary objective of this study is to validate the efficacy of an adapted nursedriven DKA protocol compared to a physician-driven DKA protocol across the continuum of three hospital settings: the University of Colorado upon which the physician-driven protocol is based, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (NLEMMC), and Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital (NLSVH). The secondary objective is to assess the safety of the adapted nurse-driven DKA protocol adapted at NLEMMC and NLSVH through determining the incidence of hypoglycemia and anion gap reopening. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective, IRB-approved, multi-center study that included: patients 18 years or older who were treated with the DKA protocol at NLEMMC or NLSVH, and admitted to the emergency department between July 2015 and October 2020 with a primary diagnosis of DKA and an elevated anion gap greater than or equal to 13 mEq/L. Results: A total of 90 patients from NLEMMC and 64 patients from NLSVH were included and compared to 111 patients from the University of Colorado who were included in the post protocol implementation group. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary outcome, time to anion gap closure, between the original University of Colorado study (10.3 hours) and the NLEMMC (10.9 hours, p = 0.420) and NLSVH (8.8 hours, p = 0.115) results presented in this study. Conclusion: The standardized nurse-driven DKA treatment protocol at NLEMMC and NLSVH showed no statistical difference in time to anion gap closure compared to the University of Colorado study upon which it was based. This finding is particularly relevant to hospitals such as NLEMMC and NLSVH that lack provider resources and teams of endocrinologists required for the physician-driven DKA protocol.


Introduction: In developed nations like the United States of America, genetic counselors help patients understand the health implications of genetic information. However, in developing countries, overwhelming patient volumes and a lack of genetic providers has hindered the progression of genetics as part of patient evaluation. The goal of the present study is to implement genetic education in locations where practicing genetic counselors are unavailable to aid the physician in patient management. This pilot study focuses on ophthalmic genetics in nine eye clinics throughout India that requested such an intervention as part of a national research group in 2011.

Methods: The project consisted of two phases: education and implementation. The educational phase involved the creation and dissemination of an online training course designed for paramedical and health professionals. The course focused on the basics of genetics, communication of genetic concepts, and how to construct a three-generation pedigree. Pre- and post-test assessments were used to assess efficacy. A field trip to India to conduct in-person course review workshops was completed. The implementation phase allowed participants to integrate skills from the course into clinical practice for 6 months. After the implementation period, a second, non-interventional field trip to India allowed for clinical observations of patient pathway, content of interaction, and clinical supervision. Site supervisors were asked for feedback and to disclose any adverse events (defined as any negative event as a direct result of provision of genetic education) that occurred during the implementation period.

Results: Nine clinics in India completed the project. Average pre- and post-test score differences were statistically significant (p<0.05) in all modules. While all 9 centers have used genetic education with consistency, with pedigree-taking being the most widely implemented practice, 7 of 9 have sustained its use. Clinical observations revealed that all participants can construct three-generation pedigrees and zero adverse events were reported.

Conclusion: This pilot project is significant to public health because demonstrates an effective method of teaching the study population basic aspects of clinical genetics and that safe implementation of these skills with perceived benefit is realistic. Sustained implementation depends on a distinct patient pathway with defined responsibilities.


The progression of corrosion in polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin film electrode is explored as the electrode undergoes high-current density anodic treatments with organic compounds. Micro-Raman spectroscopy and spectral mapping indicate that anodic corrosion is initiated by the conversion of sp3 diamond to amorphous sp2 carbon at the surface, which are then removed after longer anodic treatment. Polarized Raman analysis reveals that corrosion-induced changes on the surface are specific to (100)-grain facets and (111)-grain edges. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements suggest that carbonyl groups consequently form on these specific sites and act as an intermediate toward the etching of the surface. This process exposes and subsequently removes the subsurface boron atoms, thus reducing the doping density. The observed crystal grain orientation dependence of the corrosion process provides new insights toward a better understanding of degradation in BDD electrodes.


Research provides evidence about the high levels of anxiety and depression in myocardial infarction (MI). This is because patients with MI face both an acute lifethreatening illness and the potential for living with a major illness (Roebuck et al. 2001, Thornton 2001, Kim et al. 2000). Consequently, the patients' whole sense of meaning and purpose in life is at stake (Walton 1999, Burnard 1987, Simsen 1985). Research on spiritual coping and spiritual well being (SWB) in MI is still in its infancy. Therefore the aim of the study was to identify possible relationships between spiritual coping strategies (SCS) and anxiety, depression, SWB and personal characteristics of Maltese patients with MI, during hospitalisation and the first three months after discharge. The longitudinal descriptive correlational study recruited a homogenous systematic sample of seventy male (n=46) and female (n=24) patients with first MI, mean age of 61.9 years. The variables under investigation were assessed by the translated versions of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale (Zigmond and Snaith 1983), JAREL-----SWB scale (Hungelmann et al.1985) and Helpfulness of Spiritual Coping Strategies (HSCS) scale designed for the study. The rationale for the perceived helpfulness of SCS was explored by the semi-structured face to face interview. The theoretical framework which guided the study incorporated the Cognitive Theory of Stress and Coping (Lazarus and Folkman 1984) and the Idea of the Holy (Otto 1950). Analysis of the qualitative data was guided by Burnard (1991) analysis model. Additionally, analysis of the quantitative data utilized both parametric and nonparametric statistical tests in order to identify differences between means of subgroups of the personal characteristics and correlations between SCS and anxiety, depression and SWB across time. The findings revealed a constant decline of anxiety and depression across time which is inconsistent with published research. However, the return of anxiety and depression to normal limits by the third month is congruent with research. In contrast, scores of SWB and SCS increased on discharge and remained stable across time. The qualitative data revealed that SCS, SWB and the Maltese culture, which promotes family support in illness, may have contributed towards the relief of anxiety and depression. The quantitative data exhibited a negative, significant relationship between SCS and anxiety and depression on the sixth week after discharge. Additionally, positive significant relationships were identified between SCS and SWB across time. The findings suggest that SWB may be a precursor to the relief of anxiety and depression. The minimal significant differences in SCS between the subgroups of personal characteristics propose the possible impact of the event of MI on spiritual coping and negative mood states. However these speculations may only be confirmed by further research as recommended in the study. Hopefully, the new knowledge produced by the study will be applied to the clinical practice and nursing education to promote patient care.


In this study, alanine was shown to be the N-terminal amino acid of a basic protein of low molecular weight that was isolated from either human or guinea pig brain. Antibodies prepared against the guinea pig protein were labeled with either fluorescein or ferritin. Studies with the labeled antibodies showed that an immunohistochemically similar protein is found in the myelin sheaths of central and peripheral nervous tissues of chicken and frog and a variety of mammalian species. Loss of integrity of the myelin during processing was shown to enhance markedly the antigen-antibody reaction.


Phytohormones are central to plant growth and development. Despite the advancement in our knowledge of hormone signaling, downstream targets, and their interactions upon hormones action remain largely fragmented, especially at the protein and metabolite levels. With an aim to get new insight into the effects of two hormones, ethylene (ET) and abscisic acid (ABA), this study utilizes an integrated proteomics and metabolomics approach to investigate their individual and combined (ABA+ET) signaling in soybean leaves. Targeting low‐abundance proteins, our previously established protamine sulfate precipitation method was applied, followed by label‐free quantification of identified proteins. A total of 4129 unique protein groups including 1083 differentially modulated in one (individual) or other (combined) treatments were discerned. Functional annotation of the identified proteins showed an increased abundance of proteins related to the flavonoid and isoflavonoid biosynthesis and MAPK signaling pathway in response to ET treatment. HPLC analysis showed an accumulation of isoflavones (genistin, daidzein, and genistein) upon ET treatment, in agreement with the proteomics results. A metabolome analysis assigned 79 metabolites and further confirmed the accumulation of flavonoids and isoflavonoids in response to ET. A potential cross‐talk between ET and MAPK signaling, leading to the accumulation of flavonoids and isoflavonoids in soybean leaves is suggested.


A population of activated, immortalized, interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent, cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cells with potential antitumor activity. Natural killer cells ZRx101 are derived from NK-92 cells, having been modified to target tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) upregulated in certain types of cancer. The NK-92 cell line was originally isolated from a patient with large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia/lymphoma.


Prior to applying the digital signal processing techniques for identification of protein coding regions, mapping of DNA alphabet into numerical sequences is necessary. In this paper, the performance of existing DNA to numerical mapping techniques is analyzed at the nucleotide level for the identification of protein coding regions using tapered window based short-time discrete Fourier transform (ST-DFT) method applied to the GENSCAN test set. The results show better identification accuracy for Voss, z-curve and tetrahedron mapping technique as compared to other mapping techniques when tapered windows are used for ST-DFT method.


The use of locally applied cyclosporine was investigated in the retinal S-antigen-induced experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) model in Lewis rats. A 2% cyclosporine solution applied topically four times a day for 14 days effectively prevented the expression of EAU. This treatment, however, produced circulating cyclosporine levels in the therapeutic range. Lower concentrations of cyclosporine applied topically did not produce therapeutic levels and were not capable of reliably preventing disease. Intraocular levels of cyclosporine, measured by radioimmunoassay, were extremely low and outside the accepted therapeutic range. Intravitreal cyclosporine therapy appeared to protect eyes from EAU, without producing significant circulating cyclosporine levels. These findings show that, in its present form, cyclosporine in oil is not an efficacious topical therapy. Therefore, a local cyclosporine preparation with enhanced penetration into the globe may be a practical approach to therapy in the future.


Hummingbirds can support their high metabolic rates exclusively by oxidizing ingested sugars, which is unsurprising given their sugar-rich nectar diet and use of energetically expensive hovering flight. However, they cannot rely on dietary sugars as a fuel during fasting periods, such as during the night, at first light, or when undertaking long-distance migratory flights, and must instead rely exclusively on onboard lipids. This metabolic flexibility is remarkable both in that the birds can switch between exclusive use of each fuel type within minutes and in that de novo lipogenesis from dietary sugar precursors is the principle way in which fat stores are built, sometimes at exceptionally high rates, such as during the few days prior to a migratory flight. The hummingbird hepatopancreas is the principle location of de novo lipogenesis and likely plays a key role in fuel selection, fuel switching, and glucose homeostasis. Yet understanding how this tissue, and the whole organism, achieves and moderates high rates of energy turnover is hampered by a fundamental lack of information regarding how genes coding for relevant enzymes differ in their sequence, expression, and regulation in these unique animals. To address this knowledge gap, we generated a de novo transcriptome of the hummingbird liver using PacBio full-length cDNA sequencing (Iso-Seq), yielding a total of 8.6Gb of sequencing data, or 2.6M reads from 4 different size fractions. We analyzed data using the SMRTAnalysis v3.1 Iso-Seq pipeline, including classification of reads and clustering of isoforms (ICE) followed by error-correction (Arrow). With COGENT, we clustered different isoforms into gene families to generate de novo gene contigs. We performed orthology analysis to identify closely related sequences between our transcriptome and other avian and human gene sets. We also aligned our transcriptome against the Calypte anna genome where possible. Finally, we closely examined homology of critical lipid metabolic genes between our transcriptome data and avian and human genomes. We confirmed high levels of sequence divergence within hummingbird lipogenic enzymes, suggesting a high probability of adaptive divergent function in the hepatic lipogenic pathways. Our results have leveraged cutting-edge technology and a novel bioinformatics pipeline to provide a compelling first direct look at the transcriptome of this incredible organism.


A three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed to predict the growth and removal of inclusions during gas stirring in a multi-tuyere ladle. In the model, the efficiency of inclusions removal have been investigated under three different collision mechanisms of Brownian collision, turbulent collision and Stokes collision. Importance of the three approaches of wall adhesion, Stokes flotation and bubbles adhesion to remove inclusions has been analyzed. The results indicated that inclusions growth resulting from turbulent collision is most important and that effect of Stokes collision is remarkable as size of inclusions and difference in size of two particles increase, while inclusion growth resulting from Brown collision is negligible. Removal by Stokes flotation is main manner for large inclusions, while inclusion removal by wall adhesion is negligible. The smaller bubbles contribute the higher efficiency of inclusion removal.


: The treatment efficiency was compared to blood carbamazepine++ levels in patients with trigeminal neuralgia which were treated with the drug over a long period. The parameters displayed a good (r = 0.70) correlation that resulted in a tendency to increase treatment effect with carbamazepine++ plasma concentration increase. The treatment proved most efficient and side effect-free in a concentration range of 5 to 10 micrograms/ml. The data on blood carbamazepine++ concentrations may be helpful in designing a controlled course of treatment.


We establish several results regarding dividing and forking in NTP2 theories. We show that dividing is the same as array-dividing. Combining it with existence of strictly invariant sequences we deduce that forking satisfies the chain condition over extension bases (namely, the forking ideal is S1, in Hrushovski's terminology). Using it we prove an independence theorem over extension bases (which, in the case of simple theories, specializes to the ordinary independence theorem). As an application we show that Lascar strong type and compact strong type coincide over extension bases in an NTP2 theory. We also define the dividing order of a theory – a generalization of Poizat's fundamental order from stable theories – and give some equivalent characterizations under the assumption of NTP2. The last section is devoted to a refinement of the class of strong theories and its place in the classification hierarchy.


Cellular and humoral immune responses to soluble egg antigens (SEA) were studied in the course of Schistosoma mansoni infection in the hamster. No immune response to SEA could be detected before the parasite had started oviposition. The liver granuloma size reached a maximum 6 weeks after infection and decreased rapidly thereafter. The in vitro cell-mediated immune response to SEA (lymphocyte blast transformation) showed a maximum reaction 12 to 16 weeks after infection (depending on the infection rate) and also declined later. Parallel to the lowered reactivity of the lymphocytes to SEA in vitro, responsiveness to the nonspecific T-cell mitogen, phytohemagglutinin M, was also reduced in chronic infections. Humoral anti-SEA antibodies could be detected in increasing amounts up to 10 weeks after exposure.


Detection of lubricant starvation in ball bearings is essential to maximize their lifetime. The lack of lubrication introduces impulses in the vibration signal related to fundamental train and ball spin frequencies. The phenomenon is attributed to the lack of a damping to dissipate the impacts of the balls when entering to the load zone together with the gap increase between bearing components, previously filled by lubricant. This work presents an experimental vibration analysis to study the effect of preload as a mean to decrease the extra clearance in dry conditions and eliminate the source of impulses that characterize lubrication starvation. Furthermore comparison between RMS, Crest Factor and Kurtosis reveals that an increase in preload indeed reduces the signal impulsivity and kurtosis proves to be an effective method to detect lubricant starvation. Finally, the application of fast-kurtogram algorithm is used as a pre-processing method to improve the performance of kurtosis in detecting of lubrication starvation.


: Fosfomycin sodium (FOM-Na) was studied both fundamentally and clinically in the field of obstetrics and gynecology with following results. It showed good transference into the uterine tissues when given intravenously. The peak concentrations achieved in the uterine tissues following intravenous administration of 2 g of FOM-Na were 26.56 to 53.48 micrograms/g when given as one shot injection and 20.16 to 39.47 micrograms/g as drip infusion. In the serum of vein and uterine artery, peak concentrations of 163.6 to 143.40 micrograms/ml and 120 to 113.12 micrograms/ml were reached following one shot injection and drip infusion, respectively. In general, FOM-Na concentrations in the uterine tissues showed similar changes as those observed for serum concentrations. Clinically, FOM-Na was used in the treatment of 17 cases of obstetrical and gynecological infections at 2 g per dose twice daily as intravenous drip infusions. In all of these cases, good clinical efficacy was obtained. No side effects were observed.


The aim of the present investigation was to study the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a sample of delinquent adolescents of both genders and to compare the prevalence between genders. A total of 116 adolescents (99 males and 17 females) aged 12 to 19 on parole in the State of Rio de Janeiro were interviewed using the screening interview based on the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime (KSADS-PL). Data were collected between May 2002 and January 2003. Of 373 male and 58 female adolescents present in May 2002 in the largest institution that gives assistance to adolescents on parole in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 119 subjects were assessed (three of them refused to participate). Their average age was 16.5 years with no difference between genders. The screening interview was positive for psychopathology for most of the sample, with the frequencies of the suggested more prevalent psychiatric disorders being 54% for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 77% for conduct disorder, 41% for oppositional defiant disorder, 57% for anxiety disorder 57, 60% for depressive disorder 60, 63% for illicit drug abuse, and 58% for regular alcohol use. Internalizing disorders (depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and phobias) were more prevalent in the female subsample. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of illicit drug abuse between genders. There were more male than female adolescents on parole and failure to comply with the sentence was significantly more frequent in females. The high prevalence of psychopathology suggested by this study indicates the need for psychiatric treatment as part of the prevention of juvenile delinquency or as part of the sentence. However, treatment had never been available for 93% of the sample in this study.


We investigated neuronal self-defense mechanisms in a murine model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the transgenic hSOD1G93A, during both the asymptomatic and symptomatic stages. This is an experimental model of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with severe chromatolysis. As a compensatory response to translation inhibition, chromatolytic neurons tended to reorganize the protein synthesis machinery at the perinuclear region, preferentially at nuclear infolding domains enriched in nuclear pores. This organization could facilitate nucleo-cytoplasmic traffic of RNAs and proteins at translation sites. By electron microscopy analysis, we observed that the active euchromatin pattern and the reticulated nucleolar configuration of control motor neurons were preserved in ALS chromatolytic neurons. Moreover the 5′-fluorouridine (5′-FU) transcription assay, at the ultrastructural level, revealed high incorporation of the RNA precursor 5′-FU into nascent RNA. Immunogold particles of 5′-FU incorporation were distributed throughout the euchromatin and on the dense fibrillar component of the nucleolus in both control and ALS motor neurons. The high rate of rRNA transcription in ALS motor neurons could maintain ribosome biogenesis under conditions of severe dysfunction of proteostasis. Collectively, the perinuclear reorganization of protein synthesis machinery, the predominant euchromatin architecture, and the active nucleolar transcription could represent compensatory mechanisms in ALS motor neurons in response to the disturbance of ER proteostasis. In this scenario, epigenetic activation of chromatin and nucleolar transcription could have important therapeutic implications for neuroprotection in ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although histone deacetylase inhibitors are currently used as therapeutic agents, we raise the untapped potential of the nucleolar transcription of ribosomal genes as an exciting new target for the therapy of some neurodegenerative diseases.


It is difficult to execute the polishing process for swords surface. This study provides a design of sword-form electrode and a new area finishing process using an ultrasonic energy transmitted into the electrolyte to assist the process of electrochemical finishing on the surface of nickel chromium steels beyond traditional polishing process of sword surface instead of the conventional hand or machines surface finishing. The surface of the sword is electrochemically finished by different types of feeding electrodes as a finishing operation. In the experiment, four types of electrode were used with continuous direct current and axial electrode feed applied. The controlled factors included the chemical composition and concentration of the electrolyte, die material, initial gap width, and flow rate of electrolyte. The experimental parameters were current rating, feed rate of electrode, frequency and power level of ultrasonics, and electrode geometry. The higher current rating with ultrasonic assistance can avoid the difficulty of dregs discharge, thus reducing the finishing time. For the design of electrodes, an electrode of arc-end shape with small end radius and small wedge angle provides larger discharge space and better finishing effect. The electrode of round-pin shape with semicircular end is associated with higher current density and provides more opening discharge space and performs best. A low-cost and effective finishing process of the sword surface is presented. It is a great contribution that the ultrasonic-aided electrochemical finishing after sword finish just needs quite a shorter time than manual or machine polishing to make the surface of swords smooth and bright.


Background: Women's empowerment may play a role in shaping attitudes towards female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) practices. We aimed to investigate how empowerment may affect women's intention to perpetuate FGM/C and the practice of FGM/C on their daughters in African countries. Materials and methods: We used data from Demographic and Health Surveys carried out from 2010 to 2018. The countries included in our study were Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d´Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Togo. This study included 77,191 women aged 15–49 years with at least one daughter between zero and 14 years of age. The proportion of women who reported having at least one daughter who had undergone FGM/C as well as the mother's opinion towards FGM/C continuation were stratified by empowerment levels in three different domains (decision-making, attitude to violence, and social independence) for each country. We also performed double stratification to investigate how the interaction between both indicators would affect daughter's FGM/C. Results: The prevalence of women who had at least one daughter who had undergone FGM/C was consistently higher among low empowered women. Tanzania, Benin, and Togo were exceptions for which no differences in having at least one daughter subjected to FGM/C was found for any of the three domains of women's empowerment. In most countries, the double stratification pointed to a lower proportion of daughters' FGM/C among women who reported being opposed to the continuation of FGM/C and had a high empowerment level while a higher proportion was observed among women who reported being in favor of the continuation of FGM/C and had a low empowerment level. This pattern was particularly evident for the social independence domain of empowerment. In a few countries, however, a higher empowerment level coupled to a favorable opinion towards FGM/C was related to a higher proportion of daughters' FGM/C. Conclusion: Women's empowerment and opinion towards FGM/C seems to be important factors related to the practice of FGM/C in daughters. Strategies to improve women's empowerment combined with shifts in the wider norms that support FGM/C may be important for achieving significant reductions in the practice.


Clostridium perfringens, a Gram-positive and spore-forming anaerobe, is a significant pathogen of both humans and domestic animals. Among the many toxins produced by this bacterium, the C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is one of the principal contributors to C. perfringens human disease via its role in both foodborne and non-foodborne gastrointestinal illness. Produced in massive quantities during sporulation in the intestine, CPE begins its action by binding to host cells and forming an SDS-sensitive small complex. At physiologic conditions, CPE then associates with additional proteins to form large SDS-resistant complexes in the plasma membrane, the formation of which coincide with membrane permeability alterations of the cell. The two species of large complex have been reported to have molecular masses of ~155 and ~200 kDa, and recent compositional analysis of the complexes has shown that the former complex contains both CPE and claudin, while the latter contains CPE, claudin, and occludin. Prior structure-function analysis of CPE has defined regions at the N- and C-termini involved with cytotoxic and binding activities of the toxin, respectively. Despite the important findings contributed from previous studies of CPE, several significant questions remain regarding the molecular aspects of CPE's mechanism of action. In this thesis dissertation, research is presented aimed to answer three specific structure-function and mechanistic questions about CPE action. Site-directed mutagenesis enabled the identification of two residues in the N-terminal cytotoxicity region of CPE that were crucial for the formation of the CPE large complexes, and likely function in oligomerization of the toxin. In addition, a novel pre-pore step was defined by deletion mutagenesis of a 25 amino acid region of CPE proposed to be involved in membrane insertion. Lastly, CPE was determined to have hexameric stoichiometry in both of the large complexes, prompting a reevaluation of their molecular masses. Several new insights into CPE activity have been gained by the work presented here within, and models for the molecular mechanism of action and structure-function relationships of CPE are updated.