- Training the engineering students to integrate in the labor market, nowadays, when, from one hand we are caught by the accelerating pace of change, and from other hand the technological innovations taking up more and more in our personal and professional life, indicates more prospective competencies, and the necessity to continue the educational reforms perceives increasingly. Prospective competences represent the anticipation of the meaning and pace of changes, creation of a possible environment (planning, innovation), articulation of perennial values based on these transformations and, above all, the development of the human by cultivating his/her humanity, dignity and responsibility (directing the human to a planned future). The necessity of developing prospective competences among the engineering students depends also on the way in which the graduate integrates into the labor market. The way he/she succeed to adjust to accelerated requirements of the changes, innovations, as well as to cause changes, innovations determine the quality of university education, as well as the educational policy of the Republic of Moldova. The quality of university education, as well as the educational policy of the Republic of Moldova, is determined by the way it manages to adapt to the accelerated requirements of changes, innovations, but also to provoke changes. Thus, the focus on university programs, curricula, on developing prospective competences, would emphasize the orientation of policy of university education to the needs of present as well as of the future.


Abstract Illumination of H9c2 rat heart cells in the presence of Rose Bengal resulted in dose-dependent cell killing (assessed by trypan blue staining) and modification of ionic currents flowing through the heart cell membrane. Inhibitors of voltage-gated ionic currents were shown to have little effect on cell killing. Ionic current measurements were used to assess the increase in leak conductance of these cells, which has been suggested to be a causal factor in killing of other cell types (1). Inhibitors of voltage-gated ionic currents, including the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (100 μM) and the calcium channel blocker lanthanum (10 μM) were shown to have little effect on cell killing. The potassium channel inhibitor tetraethylammonium (20 mM) inhibited cell killing, but the effect is viewed as being caused by an inhibition of leak current. The time course of block of voltage-activated ionic currents during illumination, in the presence of Rose Bengal, was rapid compared with that for induction of leak current and for cell killing. These observations are consistent with a role for leak current in photosensitized killing of cardiac cells. They are interpreted with respect to calcium influx through the leak current pathway as a trigger for the cellular response.


Epidemiology has investigated the relationship between health status and different social and economic factors ever since the field emerged. Studies have consistently shown that the population's health status bears a strong social gradient, invariably unfavorable to the less privileged groups. Increasing interest in understanding and characterizing health inequalities has broadened the discussion in the recent literature on appropriate concepts and methodological procedures for measuring differences in health status according to socioeconomic level. This study presents a critical assessment of health inequality indicators, focusing on the following: the redistribution principle and its application to health status; the influence of income inequality; epidemiological and statistical approaches to the problem; and evaluation of health system performance in reducing health inequalities. As an example, inequalities in the neonatal mortality rate are analyzed in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2000, according to the mother's level of schooling, reviewing the minimum requisites for defining an adequate health inequality indicator.


The use of extreme freeform illumination conditions and multi patterning processes used to generate sub 40nm images can result in significant intra-field overlay errors. When levels with differing illumination conditions are aligned to each other, these intra-field distortions can result in overlay errors which are uncorrectable using normal linear feedback corrections. We use a double exposure method, previously described by Minghetti [1] et al. to isolate and measure intra-field overlay distortions caused by tool lens signatures and different illumination conditions. A full field test reticle is used to create a dual level expose pattern. The same pattern is exposed twice, but with two different illumination conditions. The first exposure is done with a standard reference illumination. The second exposure is the target illumination condition. The test reticle has overlay target pairs that are measurable when the 2nd exposure is offset in the Y direction by the designed amount. This allows for a high density, 13x13, intra-field overlay measurement to be collected and modeled to determine 2nd and 3rd order intra-field terms. Since the resulting illumination and scanner lens specific intra field corrections are independent of field size, the sub-recipes can be applied to any product exposure independent of field size, which use the same illumination conditions as the test exposures. When the method is applied to all exposure levels in a product build cycle, the overlay errors contributed by the reference illumination condition cancel out. The remaining errors are due exclusively to the impact of the illumination condition on that scanner lens. Actual results correlated well with the model with more than 80% of the predicted overlay improvement being achieved.


Aim: The histomorphological changes in the corpora cavernosa following priapism remains an interesting observation due to its pathological and reproductive implications. We investigated the attenuating effect of testosterone and vitamin C on the corpora cavernosa induced fibrosis in priapism of rats. Methods: Twenty-five Sprague – Dawley male rats were randomly allocated into 5 groups of rats each Group 1 served as the control. Group 2 had only priapism. Group 3 was induced with priapism and then treated with vitamin C. Group 4 was induced with priapism and then treated with testosterone. Group 5 was induced with priapism but were treated with both vitamin C and testosterone. Priapism was induced for one week followed by 6 hours' post priapism administration of testosterone and vitamin C. Results: Results showed fibrotic corpora cavernosa in all groups except the control group. Sperm parameters indicated oligospermia and reduced sperm motility especially in group 2 and 3 when compared with the control group. Conclusion: The results indicated that testosterone and vitamin C ameliorated priapism-induced ischemia – reperfusion injury at different time intervals in rats.

 Key words: Priapism, Corpora cavernosa, Infertility, Testosterone, Vitamin C.


This note focuses on the core findings, and recommendations of the 1998 status report on poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), prepared for the Special Program for Assistance for Africa (SPA), a thematic examination of the linkages between gender, growth, and poverty reduction in SSA. Primarily focused on agriculture, and the rural sector, the report argues that one of the factors constraining growth, and poverty in SSA is gender inequality in the access to, and control of a diverse range of assets. The note reviews the determinants of growth, and the interdependence of the market, and household economies, where much of women's productive work is unrecorded, (in Kenya, about sixty percent of female activities are unaccounted for, compared with only twenty four percent of male activities). Furthermore, micro-level analyses portray a consistent picture of gender-based asset inequality, pointing at patterns of disadvantage faced by women, in accessing the basic assets, and resources required for a full participation in SSA's growth potential. In education, although girls have made rapid strides in completing primary education, lowering the gender gap, differentials persist due to social, and cultural factors; and, in health, an enormous gender differential in the region's sexual, and reproductive burden of disease, is observed, as measured by deaths, and disability-adjusted life years. Recommendations include women's budget initiatives, sustained investments in education/health, and, raising the visibility of domestic work in national statistics.


This book endeavors to fill a lacuna in the literature on early twentieth-century kabbalah, namely the lack of a comprehensive account of the traditional kabbalah in Jerusalem from 1896 to 1948.


Utilization of phasor measurements units (PMUs) in wide area monitoring and control systems (WAMS), has a large potential for increased situational awareness in power system operation, especially regarding system stability surveillance. Applications utilizing PMU measurements, however, are still in their early stage. A measurement interface (MI) based on PMU measurements was developed as part of this thesis, as an example of a possible network information system (NIS) for control room purposes. Its main objective was to display the measured voltage and current phasors, as well as other significant power system parameters that could be derived, so that the current state of the system was accurately visualized, and its voltage stability could be assessed. The laboratory power system set-up consisted of a single generator, supplying a single load, and was subjected to increasing load power demand, and varying system impedance. A simulation model of the laboratory power system, was developed to validate the MI calculations. The theoretical basis of the voltage-power characteristic estimation, and VSI\down{SCC} voltage stability indicator, were proved incorrect for the power system set-up utilized in the experiments. The indicators might perform better in a high-voltage grid, with low resistance, and less dynamic load power factors, but this should be investigated further. During the laboratory experiments, it was discovered that only measuring a single phase in each measurement location, introduces deviations in the calculations, when applied to power systems that are not perfectly symmetrical. When implemented in an actual power grid, the PMUs should measure all three phases at each node, to increase the accuracy of the MI. The phasor diagram behaved correctly when based on both simulated and measured phasors, and provided a highly intuitive and accurate visualization of the current state of the system. This may significantly increase the situational awareness for the grid operator, and it might even prove useful for educational purposes, because of its natural ability to visualize the current state of the system. The trend curves visualizing phasor magnitudes, phasor angles, system frequencies, calculated powers, and impedances, will be great assets in every network information system, and provide valuable information to the grid operator. They are important parameters, since pattern recognition of these can 1) predict impending faults, 2) govern the supply-demand scheduling, 3) analyse primary frequency, or 4) validate power system models off-line. All of the parameters and displays developed in this thesis, except the voltage stability indicators and the voltage-power characteristic estimation, have been validated for power system operation, both during increasing load power demand, and varying system impedance. Even though the ISI voltage stability indicator was not tested close to its limit during real-time operation, it performed well on the simulated voltage and current phasors, and should therefore be included among the successful parameters. The developed network information system based on PMU measurements are sufficiently accurate, greatly improves the situational awareness delivered by the SCADA systems today, and provides invaluable information for the grid operators, regarding the real-time power system operation. The MI can be considered as proof of the WAMS concept, and should be investigated and developed even further in the future.


Hypertension is one of the most common clinical conditions encountered by the physicians. There are wide ranges of medications available for treatment of hypertension, in which Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs) are the one of the most commonly prescribing drug. The first generation antihypertensive drug nifedipine was introduced in 1960s; due to its rapid vasodilatory action it enhances the sympathetic tone. The second and the third generation drugs showed the reduction of sympathetic reflex by its slow-releasing action. Amlodipine which was introduced as the third generation, exhibits longer half-life and most potent antihypertensive agent as compared to the previous generation agents. Ankle edema is one of the most frequent adverse effects of amlodipine often leading to noncompliance and discontinuation of an effective antihypertensive drug. Cilnidipine is a fourth generation calcium channel blocker with unique features, which inhibits both sympathetic N-type and vascular L-type Ca2+ channels. Interestingly, Cilnidipine shows complete resolution of amlodipine induced pedal edema in clinical practice. Therefore, this strategy may provide a new approach for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This review article is aiming to explain the calcium channel blocker - associated edema and resolution of edema through the use of L and N-type of calcium channel blockers. CCBs are potential antihypertensive agents but the main drawback of this group of drug is it produces pedal edema which decreases the compliance. The main cause for CCB-induced edema increased capillary hydrostatic pressure by arteriolar dilation. The new L and N-type of CCB cause pre and post capillary dilatation which normalizes the hydrostatic pressure, which resolves the edema.


This paper reviews empirical evidence on the micro-level consequences of family planning programs in middle- and low-income countries. In doing so, it focuses on fertility outcomes (the number and timing of births), women's health and socio-economic outcomes (mortality, human capital, and labor force participation), and children's health and socio-economic outcomes throughout the life cycle. Although effect sizes are heterogeneous, long-term studies imply that in practice, family planning programs may only explain a modest share of fertility decline in real-world settings (explaining 4-20% of fertility decline among studies finding significant effects). Family planning programs may also have quantitatively modest - but practically meaningful - effects on the socio-economic welfare of individuals and families.


Introduction Two recent concurrent and contrasting cases of dural sinus malformation (DSM), followed at serial time points in utero by ultrasound and MR at the Boston Children's Hospital Advanced Fetal Care Center (AFCC), illuminate the range of complex decision-making challenges faced by parents and consulting clinicians, and led us to study all such cases presenting to our institution over the past five years. Materials and methods We reviewed serial imaging (MR and US) findings, including calibre and contents of the dural sac, presence or absence of feeding arteries, brain parenchymal signal, and ventricular and extraaxial spaces, as well as clinical outcome, for all 9 cases of DSM referred to the Boston Children's AFCC over the past five years. All cases of vein of Galen malformation, pial arteriovenous fistula, fetal pial vein thrombosis without sinus dilatation, and other pathologies were excluded. We additionally reviewed other published cases. Results One of the two index cases showed no visible arterial inflow, an enlarged superior sagittal sinus (SSS)/torcular complex containing a small core of solid thrombus surrounded by stagnant blood, and a clear change in the dynamics of growth of the DSM, with development of a small focal brain parenchymal abnormality. The second case may represent the first middle meningeal arteries-to-SSS dural AVF visualised in detail in utero, and is contrasted with a morphologically homologous case of DSM diagnosed with acute neurologic presentation at age 6 months, and managed with endovascular intervention. Review of the 9 cases of in utero DSM consultations tracked by fetal ultrasound and MR at the AFCC over the past 5 years, and a review of other published cases, allowed us to develop a model of the pathogenesis of DSM. Prognosis seems to depend on the relationship of the gestational age to the particular temporal dynamics of the individual lesion. Conclusion DSM may be diagnosed in utero at various stages of its pathogenesis – with a patent arteriovenous flow, or with a growing stagnant venous pouch. Detailed serial imaging demonstrates that differing temporal dynamics across cases may determine the natural history. Given the wide range of potential neurological outcomes, from normal development to severe disability, decision making in this context is often fraught with tension. Construction of rational individual management schema depends upon detailed assessment of each case. Abstract E-066 Figure 1 Disclosures D. Orbach: None. A. Storey: None. D. Morash: None. J. Estroff: None. E. Smith: None. C. Trenor: None. H. Olson: None.


Traditionally, household behavior is derived from the maximization of a unique utility function. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach, in which the household is modeled as a two-member collectivity taking Pareto-efficient decisions. The consequences of this assumption are analyzed in a three-good model, in which only total consumption and each member's labor supply are observable. If the agents are assumed egoistic (i.e., they are only concerned with their own leisure and consumption), it is possible to derive falsifiable conditions upon household labor supplies from both a parametric and nonparametric viewpoint. If, alternatively, agents are altruistic, restrictions obtain in the nonparametric context; useful interpretation stems from the comparison with the characterization of aggregate demand for a private-good economy.


Absti-uct- A low noise charge sensitive amplifier that does not require a feedback resistor nor an additional reset device has recently been proposed and successfully tested in several spectroscopy systems. The discharge of the leakage and signal current from the detector is performed continuously through the forward-biased gate to channel junction of the input JFET or, in general, through a diode shunting the preamplifier input. Up to now this forward-biased FET charge amplifier (FBFA) has been used only with detectors having currents limited to a few tens of PA. Recent applications of the FBFA for larger area detectors operating at room temperature with leakage current up to few nA reveals that the original feedback configuration of the FBFA is no longer stable and can show low frequency oscillations. In this work the double feedback loop of the FBFA and its stability is analyzed in detail, and a solution to the mentioned problem is found. The acceptable limit of the input current value in the original configuration of the amplifier is analytically determined, and a new configuration of the singularities of the loop gain, which guarantees stability of the FBFA response at higher input current, is proposed. Experimental tests are presented that show the critical condition of the original FBFA configuration and verify the feasibly of the new proposed solution.


1 In this research, the spatial distribution of electrical conductivity and pH of springs, ghanats and the base flow concentration places on the streams of central and south-west and central parts of the Hamedan-Bahar plain were evaluated. using different geostatistical methods such as Kriging, Minimum Curvature, Inverse Distance, Natural Neighbor, Local Polynomial and Radial Basis Functions, 108 water samples of different sites of the plain's hydrographical network were sampled during July 2005 and EC and pH values were measured for each sample. The performance criteria for evaluating the used methods were Root Mean Square Error and General Standard Deviation along with the Cross Validation method. The results showed that Local Polynomial and Inverse Distance were the best methods to estimate EC and pH, respectively. Radial Basis Functions were also found as the most unsuitable method for estimating EC and pH.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the evidence that three marketed gene expression-based assays improve prognostic accuracy, treatment choice, and health outcomes in women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

REVIEW METHODS
We evaluated the evidence for three gene expression assays on the market; Oncotype DX, MammaPrint and the Breast Cancer Profiling (BCP or H/I ratio) test, and for gene expression signatures underlying the assays. We sought evidence on: analytic performance of tests, clinical validity (i.e., prognostic accuracy and discrimination), clinical utility (i.e., prediction of treatment benefit), harms, impact on clinical decision making and health care costs.

RESULTS
Few papers were found on the analytic validity of the Oncotype DX and MammaPrint tests, but these showed reasonable within-laboratory replicability. Pre-analytic issues related to sample storage and preparation may play a larger role than within-laboratory variation. For clinical validity, studies differed according to whether they examined the actual test that is currently being offered to patients or the underlying gene signature. Almost all of the Oncotype DX evidence was for the marketed test, the strongest validation study being from one arm of a randomized controlled trial (NSABP-14) with a clinically homogeneous population. This study showed that the test, added in a clinically meaningful manner to standard prognostic indices. The MammaPrint signature and test itself was examined in studies with clinically heterogeneous populations (e.g., mix of ER positivity and tamoxifen treatment) and showed a clinically relevant separation of patients into risk categories, but it was not clear exactly how many predictions would be shifted across decision thresholds if this were used in combination with traditional indices. The BCP test itself was examined in one study, and the signature was tested in a variety of formulations in several studies. One randomized controlled trial provided high quality retrospective evidence of the clinical utility of Oncotype DX to predict chemotherapy treatment benefit, but evidence for clinical utility was not found for MammaPrint or the H/I ratio. Three decision analyses examined the cost-effectiveness of breast cancer gene expression assays, and overall were inconclusive.

CONCLUSIONS
Oncotype DX is furthest along the validation pathway, with strong retrospective evidence that it predicts distant spread and chemotherapy benefit to a clinically relevant extent over standard predictors, in a well-defined clinical subgroup with clear treatment implications. The evidence for clinical implications of using MammaPrint was not as clear as with Oncotype DX, and the ability to predict chemotherapy benefit does not yet exist. The H/I ratio test requires further validation. For all tests, the relationship of predicted to observed risk in different populations still needs further study, as does their incremental contribution, optimal implementation, and relevance to patients on current therapies.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the mechanical characteristics of a novel angle-stable interlocking nail (NAS-ILN) and compare them to those of a locking compression plate (LCP) by using a gap-fracture model.

STUDY DESIGN
Experimental study.

SAMPLE POPULATION
Synthetic bone models.

METHODS
Synthetic bone models simulating a 50 mm diaphyseal comminuted canine tibial fracture were treated with either a novel angle-stable interlocking nail (NAS-ILN) or a locking compression plate (LCP). Maximal axial deformation and load to failure in compression and 4-point bending, as well as maximal angular deformation, slack, and torque to failure in torsion, were statistically compared (P < .05).

RESULTS
In compression, the maximal axial deformation was lower for NAS-ILN (0.11 mm ± 0.03) than for LCP (1.10 mm ± 0.22) (P < .0001). The ultimate load to failure was higher for NAS-ILN (803.58 N ± 29.52) than for LCP (328.40 N ± 11.01) (P < .0001). In torsion, the maximal angular deformation did not differ between NAS-ILN (22.79° ± 1.48) and LCP (24.36° ± 1.45) (P = .09). The ultimate torque to failure was higher for NAS-ILN (22.45 Nm ± 0.24) than for LCP (19.10 Nm ± 1.36) (P = .001). No slack was observed with NAS-ILN. In 4-point bending, the maximal axial deformation was lower for NAS-ILN (3.19 mm ± 0.49) than for LCP (4.17 mm ± 0.34) (P = .003). The ultimate bending moment was higher for NAS-ILN (25.73 Nm, IQR [23.54-26.86] Nm) than for LCP (16.29 Nm, IQR [15.66-16.47] Nm) (P = .002).

CONCLUSION
The NAS-ILN showed greater stiffness in compression and 4-point bending, and a greater resistance to failure in compression, torsion, and 4-point bending, than LCP.

CLINICAL IMPACT
Based on these results, NAS-ILNs could be considered as alternative implants for the stabilization of comminuted fractures.


Abstract The first four diurnal surface pressure harmonics have been analysed over major portions of two Martian annual cycles (Mars years) at the two Viking lander sites. The diurnal harmonies of surface wind have also been analysed at one of the sites. Since the atmospheric tides have previously been shown to provide a good indication of Martian global dust storms, these results provide a basis for comparing dust storm activity in the two years. Two global dust storms occurred during the first year. During the second year, there was only one major storm, and it closely followed the pattern of the first storm of the first year. A significant feature of the results is the brief, but nearly complete. vanishing of the diurnal pressure tide at the onset of one of the global dust storms. It is proposed that this may have been due to interference between the normal westward-propagating diurnal tide and a topographically forced eastward propagating tide, and that the latter may have helped initiate the global s...


Abstract Background. Despite the potential importance of worksite physical activity interventions, reviews suggest there is currently a lack of clarity regarding their effectiveness. Aim. This meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of worksite interventions designed to promote physical activity and investigate whether (1) interventions explicitly designed based on theory are more effective, and (2) inclusion of specific behaviour change techniques (BCTs) improves effectiveness. Methods. Worksite interventions with a primary aim of increasing physical activity were systematically reviewed. Designs were experimental or quasi-experimental and outcome measures were objective or validated self-report. Interventions were coded based on the extent to which theory/predictors were used to select/develop intervention techniques. A standardised theory-linked taxonomy of 26 BCTs was also used to code interventions. Effects of explicit use of theory, individual techniques and number of BCTs used were assessed using meta-analysis and meta-regression. Results. Twenty-six studies reporting 27 evaluations were included in the meta-analysis and a random effects model produced an overall effect size (d) of 0.21 (95% CI 0.17–0.26). Subgroup analysis indicated that interventions using theory more explicitly were more effective, producing an effect size of 0.34 (95% CI 0.23–0.45; I 2=0%). No significant differences in effect sizes were found between studies that had used individual BCTs and those that had not, and studies that used more techniques were not more effective. Conclusion. Overall, worksite physical activity interventions were effective, but only produced small sized effects on physical activity. Theory-based interventions were more effective.


Nowadays the Bolivian energy-mix is misbalanced due to the primary production of energy, which is focused in gaseous hydrocarbons, whereas the consumption is intensive in liquid hydrocarbons. At the same time the Bolivian electric system is mainly thermo, while the country present high hydro potential. In this framework this document makes reference to the trending evolution of the Bolivian energy-mix and proposes a mitigation scenarios based on the a) reduction of liquid hydrocarbons consumption; b) and introduction of renewable energies an energy efficiency measures in the electric system. Methodologically, the construction of such scenarios is developed by a bottom-up simulation for the time span 2007-2025. We based our estimations on previous results we obtained in the project Renewable Energies Generation in South America (REGSA), founded by the European Union.


A simplified robust fixed-complexity sphere decoder (SRFSD) is proposed in this paper. SRFSD reduces the complexity of robust fixed complexity sphere decoder (RFSD) by choosing a detection order minimizing the upper bound of the power of the interference in single expansion (SE) stage. Theoretical proof is given to support the feasibility of SRFSD. Simulation results show that SRFSD retains the robustness of RFSD, and sharply reduces the complexity of RFSD with little sacrifice in bit error rate (BER) performance.


The transport properties of double quantum dot (DQD) in parallel are theoretically examined. This system simulates a mesoscopic ring with an embedded quantum dot, so‐called Aharonov–Bohm (AB) interferometer, by enlarging the line width in one of the quantum dots. We find that: 1) the Coulomb peak shows an asymmetric shape of Fano resonance when the DQD is coupled to external leads with single conduction channel; 2) the peak becomes more symmetric for the leads with multiple channels; and 3) the resonant shape is characterized by a single parameter which is determined by the structure of the leads. Our theory may explain the experimental results on the transport through the AB interferometer; an asymmetric Fano resonance was observed by one group while a symmetric Breit–Wigner resonance was observed by the other groups.


Intermodulation products (IMPs) generated by nonlinearly operated devices may cause severe problems and interference in the bandwidth of interest. This is especially true when odd order intermodulations are considered. In this case, the products fall in the same service frequency zone that has generated them. However, in some cases, even order intermodulations are produced, which do not fall in the same zone, but occupy by chance the second, adjacent, harmonic zone, generally devoted to a different service, thus compromising its performance. This paper extends an algorithm that can compute the position of even and odd order IMPs in a fast and computationally efficient way, thus allowing both the optimisation of the shape of the spectrum and the evaluation of the nonlinear effects.


Evidence has accumulated to suggest that the hippocampus is impaired by aging processes. Hippocampal EEG was examined in 3- to 50-month-old rabbits before they were classically conditioned in the trace paradigm. Hippocampal EEG was recorded from electrodes implanted proximal to the pyramidal layer of CA1. There were no age differences in hippocampal EEG frequency over the age range of 3-50 months. Animals were subsequently trained in a trace classical conditioning paradigm, and there were large age differences in acquisition and retention. Results suggest that rabbits as young as 2.5 years old show behavioral deficits in conditioning, but hippocampal EEG frequency was not correlated with the age differences in behavior.


Being a deacon broadens the senses to God at work in the larger world. A deacon, as a minister of Word and Service, makes the connection between the faith community and the larger world more intentional. This connection helps listen, learn, share, and tell stories of God's work and promises. It also helps tell the stories of the world's needs, inviting the people of God to participate and respond, and to thank them for doing so. In other words, a deacon helps the faith community live and grow in its identity as stewards of God's love.


To determine the ultrastructural and biochemical bases for flagellar adhesiveness in the mating reaction in Chlamydomonas, gametic and vegetative flagella and flagellar membranes were studied by use of electron microscope and electrophoretic procedures. Negative staining with uranyl acetate revealed no differences in gametic and vegetative flagellar surfaces; both had flagellar membranes, flagellar sheaths, and similar numbers and distributions of mastigonemes. Freezecleave procedures suggested that there may be a greater density of intramembranous particles on the B faces of gametic flagellar membranes than on the B faces of vegetative flagellar membranes. Gamone, the adhesive material that gametes release into their medium, was demonstrated, on the basis of ultrastructural and biochemical analyses, to be composed of flagellar surface components, i.e., membrane vesicles and mastigonemes. Comparison of vegetative (nonadhesive) and gametic (adhesive) "gamones" by use of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed both preparations to be composed of membrane, mastigoneme, and some microtubule proteins, as well as several unidentified protein and carbohydrate-staining components. However, there was an additional protein of approximately 70,000 mol wt in gametic gamone which was not present in vegetative gamone. When gametic gamone was separated into a membrane and a mastigoneme fraction on CSCl gradients, only the membrane fraction had isoagglutinating activity; the mastigoneme fraction was inactive, suggesting that mastigonemes are not involved in adhesion.


The aim of this thesis is to address the question of love's possibility as it is explored in a selection of literature from the disciplines of philosophy, psychoanalysis and poetry. The works of nine authors, selected from these disciplines, provide an overview of the question in these particular realms, and also in the three historical dimensions of romanticism, modernism and postmodernism. The works of Nietzsche, Buber and Ricoeur provide the philosophical exploration; psychoanalysis is represented by Freud, Lacan and Žižek; and the poetic contribution focuses on the works of Wordsworth, Eliot and Kennelly. The inter-disciplinary nature of the thesis is based on the assertion of an interconnection between the three disciplines, and that this interconnection enables a unique and insightful exploration of the question of love's possibility. Thus, the question is explored from diverse view-points, and also from different time-frames; convergences and divergences are noted and discussed, and conclusions are drawn from the ensuing findings. The question has been chosen because, it is argued, it is a fundamental inquiry in any attempted understanding of the human condition, and is thus a foundational link between the disciplines under review. It is a question which provokes investigation and exploration of concepts which are integral to human being and human life, and, it is argued, such investigation and exploration is enhanced by the integrative nature of the research and analysis which is undertaken in the study.


Objective: we explore migrant-native differentials in the uptake of formal and informal childcare and whether this is induced by lower demand for childcare versus differential access to (in)formal childcare compared to natives.
Background: The rise in female labour market participation in recent decades has challenged parents to negotiate work and family responsibilities and organise childcare. Belgium is among the European countries with the highest availability of formal childcare, but maternal employment and uptake of childcare are substantially lower in migrant populations.
Methods: Combining linked microdata from the 1991 and 2001 censuses with contextual data on childcare availability at the municipality level, we use multinomial logit models to study childcare use and type of childcare arrangement among parents having a young child in 2001. As access to childcare and maternal employment are mutually endogenous, we use estimated employment opportunities.
Results: We find considerable migrant-native differentials in childcare use, as well as substantial differences between first and second generation migrants. Second generation mothers of Turkish, Moroccan and Eastern-European background are less likely than natives to use childcare, and more likely to rely on informal arrangements if childcare is used. Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and differential availability of (in)formal childcare largely accounts for differences in childcare use, but Turkish and Moroccan women remain less likely to use care and first generation Turkish mothers remain more likely to use informal care as opposed to formal childcare.
Conclusions: While differences in socio-demographic characteristics, labour market opportunities and availability of (in)formal care provide a partial explanation, partial migrant-native differentials in childcare use persist for specific groups, suggesting that other factors inhibit the uptake of formal childcare.


Distribution centers and warehouses are becoming more and more dependent on advanced computer technology to establish and maintain competitiveness in a global economy. Using computerized information management tools in evaluating customer service performance, in warehousing environments, is a necessary requirement for today's extremely demanding customer. Businesses view customer service as among the most important interfaces with the customer, and a prime means by which to penetrate, build, and maintain market share. Here, measurements of customer service performance are defined, discussed, and evaluated through a mathematical model and its graphical representation.


Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) are a powerful class of architectures for solving learning problems on graphs. While many variants of GNNs have been proposed in the literature and have achieved strong empirical performance, their theoretical properties are less well understood. In this work we study the convergence properties of the gradient descent algorithm when used to train GNNs. In particular, we consider the realizable setting where the data is generated from a network with unknown weights and our goal is to study conditions under which gradient descent on a GNN architecture can recover near optimal solutions. While such analysis has been performed in recent years for other architectures such as fully connected feed-forward networks, the message passing nature of the updates in a GNN poses a new challenge in understanding the nature of the gradient descent updates. We take a step towards overcoming this by proving that for the case of deep linear GNNs gradient descent provably recovers solutions up to error in O(log(1/ )) iterations, under natural assumptions on the data distribution. Furthermore, for the case of one-round GNNs with ReLU activations, we show that gradient descent provably recovers solutions up to error in O( 1 2 log( 1 )) iterations.


Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (50-100 nm) circulating in biofluids as intercellular signal transmitters. Although the potential of cancerous exosomes as tumor biomarkers is promising, sensitive and rapid detection of exosomes remains challenging. Herein, we combined the strengths of advanced aptamer technology, DNA-based nanostructure, and portable electrochemical devices to develop a nanotetrahedron (NTH)-assisted aptasensor for direct capture and detection of hepatocellular exosomes. The oriented immobilization of aptamers significantly improved the accessibility of an artificial nucleobase-containing aptamer to suspended exosomes, and the NTH-assisted aptasensor could detect exosomes with 100-fold higher sensitivity when compared to the single-stranded aptamer-functionalized aptasensor. The present study provides a proof-of-concept for sensitive and efficient quantification of tumor-derived exosomes. We thus expect the NTH-assisted electrochemical aptasensor to become a powerful tool for comprehensive exosome studies.


Art therapy is the intersection of creativity, psychological theory, and human experience. The relationship between creativity and psychotherapy allows for heightened expressions of the self, as well as provide an outlet for the psyche in ways that do not require words. The basic design of this project is leading three separate art therapy sessions over an online video conference, with three participants creating a collage of things they care most about while simultaneously engaging in conversation related to emotional and mental wellbeing. Each participant was required to take a pre-session and post-session survey that provided more context on their individual experiences in therapy throughout their lives, as well as on their experience within this project. Through anecdotal information obtained from the pre-session and post-session surveys, it can be suggested that art therapy is a powerful approach to psychotherapy.


Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht's short-lived project for a critical theory journal, Krise und Kritik, foundered in 1931 on the shoals of positivism. Since then, a series of anti-foundational challenges to traditional critical theory has fragmented the landscape of critical theory and, especially, critical praxis, leaving us disarmed today, in these unprecedented times. This essay offers a way forward by means of what it calls "counter-critical theory": a critical method that indexes the original impulse of critical theory, but liberates it from its foundation in order to allow for a more open-ended and permanent re-examination of how power circulates and recirculates throughout society. Counter-critical theory is a pure theory of illusions and calls for a strategic, ecumenical practice of political disobedience, accompanied by an unrelenting and resolute deployment of interpretation and resignification.


Summary Signaling networks downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases are among the most extensively studied biological networks. However, it remains unclear whether signaling networks depend on biological context. Signaling networks encode causal influences – and not just correlations – between network components. Here, using a causal framework and systematic time-course assays of signaling proteins, we investigate the context-specificity of signaling networks in a cell line system. We focus on a well-defined set of signaling proteins profiled in four breast cancer cell lines under eight stimulus conditions and inhibition of specific kinases. The data, spanning multiple pathways and comprising approximately 70,000 phosphoprotein and 260,000 protein measurements, provide a wealth of testable, context-specific hypotheses, several of which we validate in independent experiments. Furthermore, the data provide a resource for computational methods development, permitting empirical assessment of causal network learning in a complex, mammalian setting.


First-year university students (n = 185) completed an online questionnaire that allowed comparison of those who reported studying on-campus with those who reported studying fully-online. Independent sample t-tests compared the means of students in the two study modes on demographics, frequency of use of digital technology and metacognitive learning characteristics. Compared to students who studied on-campus, students who studied fully-online were older, more likely to be native English speakers and had lower expectations of academic achievement. Compared to students who studied fully-online, students who studied on-campus were more likely to use a computer to chat or tweet, had higher levels of extrinsic achievement motivation and expressed greater need for peer and teacher support for learning. Some differences between on-campus and fully-online students appear to be eroding; other differences persist. Implications for instructional practice are presented.


The dissemination of sustainability reporting and integrated reporting is a key trend in the development of accounting systems under the influence of the concept of sustainable development. This statement is fair not only for developed countries, but also for developing countries. On the example of Ghana and Ukraine, a comparative study of regulatory requirements and conceptual frameworks for the compilation of sustainability reporting and integrated reporting has been conducted; the dynamics, size of reporting companies, their sectoral affiliation and the standards used are researched. It was proved that the basis for the promotion sustainability reporting and integrated reporting in these countries are regulatory requirements, as well as increasing the perception of CSR, the transparency and accountability of business, the practices of stakeholder participation and assurance the reliability of reporting for stakeholders.


Hydrogeophysical study involving the use of Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) was carried out in part of the basement complex rocks of Ilorin, central Nigeria, with the aim of determining its geoelectric parameters and groundwater potential. A total of thirty (30) VES were carried out using Schlumberger electrode configuration, with half electrode separation (AB/2) varying from 1m to 100m. Information on the subsurface lithologies, overburden thickness and aquiferous layers were obtained from the different VES locations in the study area. From the quantitative interpretations of the data collected, using the method of curve matching with the Orellana-Mooney master curves and 1-D forward modeling with WinResist 1.0 version software, three to five lithologic units were identified in the study. These include: the topsoil, sandy/lateritic clay/laterite, the weathered basement, the fractured basement and the fresh bedrock which are predominantly of the 'KH' curve type (30%), followed by 'H' type (26.7%), other type curves include 'QH' (16.7%), 'HKH', 'HA' and 'A' (6.7% each) and KQ and KQH (3.3% each). The weathered layer and the fractured basement constitute the main aquifer units. The aquifers are of generally low resistivity values (mostly below 100 Ω-m). The depths to dry bedrock at the chosen VES locations vary from 2.7 to 62.7 m with a mean value of 13.02 m in the study area. The geoelectrical interpretations of data obtained in these areas have permitted the delineation of the study area into low and moderate groundwater potential zones. This study is expected to assist in future planning for groundwater resources.
Keywords: Hydrogeophysical, Basement Complex, Groundwater, Electrical Soundings, Weathered, Fractured


Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) can be mentioned among the popular approaches to develop a self-healing concrete. The production of dissolved inorganic carbon through microbial activity is the main precursor for MICP in concrete and it is limited by the bioavailability of the nutrients. When nutrients are added to the mortar as admixtures, their bioavailability becomes more significant for crack repair because nutrients disperse in the mortar and considerable fraction stays far from a single crack. Therefore, the determination of bioavailability of nutrients and its variation with the initial nutrient content and crack age is essential to optimize a recipe for bacteria-based self-healing concrete. This study presents the optimum nutrient content defined for nitrate-reduction-based self-healing bioconcrete. In the tests, calcium nitrate (CN) and calcium formate (CF) were combined with a CF:CN w/w ratio of 2.50. Mortar properties and bioavailability of nutrients were analysed at different nutrient doses. Moreover, the bioavailability of nutrients at different crack ages changing between 3 and 56 days was monitored. Finally, resuscitation, microbial activity and the MICP performance of nitrate reducing biogranules were tested at defined nutrient bioavailabilties. The optimum nutrient content was determined as 7.00% (CF 5.00% and CN 2.00%). The leaching rates of formate ions were twice the leaching rate of the nitrate ions at similar initial concentrations, which led to a bioavailable HCOO−/NO3-N ratio of 23 g/g in cracked mortar. Under optimum nutrient conditions, the CaCO3 precipitation yield of nitrate reducing biogranules was recorded as 1.5 g CaCO3/g HCOO− which corresponded to 68% C precipitation efficiency.


Current challenges in vascular medicine (e.g., bypass grafting, stenting, and angioplasty.) have driven the field of vascular regenerative medicine. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are adult stem cells which may be a suitable cell source for vascular regenerative medicine applications. While it is well known that BMMSCs readily differentiate into musculoskeletal cells, recent studies have provided evidence for their differentiation into smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs). We and others have demonstrated the ability of the mechanical stimulus of cyclic stretch to drive BMMSC differentiation towards SMCs in vitro, but a rigorous, systematic analysis of other relevant forces is lacking. The working hypothesis that this work addressed is that mechanical stimuli relevant to the vasculature will guide BMMSC differentiation towards SMCs and ECs. To test this hypothesis, rat BMMSCs were exposed to physiologically relevant magnitudes and frequencies of a Mechanical Panel, which consisted of cyclic stretch, cyclic pressure, and shear stress, each applied in parallel to subcultures of BMMSCs. Quantitative changes in morphology, proliferation, and gene and protein expression were assessed to determine the differential effect of each stimulus in a dose- and frequency-dependant manner. Next, we investigated the importance of the duration of applied stimulation to BMMSC differentiation as well as tissue commitment (i.e., cell plasticity) following mechanical stimulation.Our results demonstrate that mechanical stimulation differentially altered BMMSC morphology, proliferation, and gene and protein expression towards the cardiovascular lineage while limiting expression for other lineages including bone, fat, and chondrocyte. This was particularly evident for cyclic stretch, which caused an elongated, spindle-shape and expression of the SMC proteins alpha-actin, calponin, and myosin heavy chain. Furthermore, we found that cyclic pressure and shear stress tended to increase endothelial gene expression when these stimuli are applied to confluent BMMSCs. While our findings as a whole tended to support our hypothesis, our data indicate that SMC protein expression is more readily increased by mechanical stimulation, and is highly variable, even without associated changes in gene expression. Future work employing systems biology approaches that take into consideration the resulting transcriptional and proteomic changes in BMMSCs from these mechanical stimuli will be necessary to more accurately identify how mechanical stimulation can be used as a tool for regenerative medicine.


The effects of drilling parameters and material properties are investigated on epoxy matrix syntactic foams reinforced with 20, 40, and 60 volume percent glass microballoon. The influences of cutting speed, feed, drill diameter, and filler content on drilling performance are studied based on the full factorial design of experiments using tungsten carbide twist drills. Based on experimental results, machinability aspects within the range of the chosen input parameters are predicted using response surface methodology-based models, which can guide industrial practitioners for choosing the appropriate process parameters. Microscopy is conducted on the drilled specimens to understand crack initiation and propagation mechanisms. The thrust force and specific cutting coefficient of syntactic foam are 40 % lower as compared to those of neat epoxy. The surface roughness of syntactic foams is higher than that of neat epoxy. The micrographs of drill bits show negligible tool wear. These results show the possibility of using syntactic foams in industrial applications in which the drilling of material is required for reasons such as joining using bolts.


We report the crystallization of silicon thin films using a continuous wave (CW) infrared semiconductor laser with the assistance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) as a photoabsorption layer. A beam of a 940-nm-wavelength CW semiconductor laser was irradiated to samples of 400-nm-thick DLC/50-nm-thick Si/glass with a laser power density of 7.4–24.7 kW/cm2. The beam was scanned on the samples at a speed of 15–100 cm/s. The DLC layer was heated to a temperature above the melting point of silicon by effective absorption of laser light. Thus, the underlying 50-nm-thick silicon films were crystallized by the heat defused from DLC. It was found that the threshold energy density for the crystallization of silicon films decreased as the laser power density increased. The maximum crystallinity factors estimated from Raman scattering spectral data of silicon films were 1 and 0.78 for laser power densities of 24.7 and 7.8 kW/cm2, respectively. Electron backscattering diffraction pattern (EBSD) measurements revealed that crystalline grains were randomly oriented with an average size of 3 µm.


Tracheal intubation in critically ill patients is a high-risk procedure. The risk of complications increases with repeated or prolonged attempts, making expedient first attempt success the goal for airway management in these patients. Patient-related factors often make visualization of the airway and placement of the tracheal tube difficult. Physiologic derangements reduce the patient's tolerance for repeated or prolonged attempts at laryngoscopy and, as a result, hypoxaemia and haemodynamic deterioration are common complications. Operator-related factors such as experience, device selection, and pharmacologic choices affect the odds of a successful intubation on the first attempt. This review will discuss the 'difficult airway' in critically ill patients and highlight recent advances in airway management that have been shown to improve first attempt success and decrease adverse events associated with the intubation of critically ill patients.


In the last years, there have been a huge increase in the number of research contributions that use games and video-games as an application domain for testing different artificial intelligence algorithms. Some of these problems can be represented as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP), and heuristics algorithms (such as ant colony optimisation) can be used due to the complexity of the modelled problems. This paper presents a comparative study of the performance of a novel ACO model for CSP-based board games. In this work, two different oblivion rate meta-heuristics for controlling the number of pheromones created in the model have been created. Experimental results reveal that both meta-heuristics reduce considerably the number of pheromones produced in the system without affecting the quality of the solutions in terms of average optimality.


Vol. 204, No. 13, December 17, 2007. Pages [3054–3055][1].

Please note that the story inaccurately attributed the observation of dendritic cells in the lung and liver to Poulin et al. This discovery was in fact made by Bursch et al. The html and pdf versions have been corrected.

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Red coralline algae are projected to be sensitive to ocean acidification, particularly in polar oceans. As important ecosystem engineers, their potential sensitivity has broad implications, and understanding their carbon acquisition mechanisms is necessary for making reliable predictions. Therefore, we investigated the localized carbonate chemistry at the surface of Arctic coralline algae using microsensors. We report for the first time carbonate ion concentration and pH measurements ([CO32-]) at and above the algal surface in the microenvironment. We show that surface pH and [CO32-] are higher than the bulk seawater in the light, and even after hours of darkness. We further show that three species of Arctic coralline algae have efficient carbon concentrating mechanisms including direct bicarbonate uptake and indirect bicarbonate use via a carbonic anhydrase enzyme. Our results suggest that Arctic corallines have strong biological control over their surface chemistry, where active calcification occurs, and that net dissolution in the dark does not occur. We suggest that the elevated pH and [CO32-] in the dark could be explained by a high rate of light independent carbon fixation that reduces respiratory CO2 release. This mechanism could provide a potential adaptation to ocean acidification in Arctic coralline algae, which has important implications for future Arctic marine ecosystems.


Software systems are not purely technical objects. They are designed, constructed and used by people. Therefore, software design process is not purely a technical task, but a socio-technical process embedded within organizational and social structures. These social structures influence and govern their work behavior and final work products such as program source code and documentation. This paper discusses the organizational, social and psychological aspects of software design; and formulates the context, aims, principles, and techniques of socio-technical software analysis. An illustrative case study demonstrates the application of the socio-technical software analysis method for estimating the extent of code sharing within programmer groups using the proposed Social information sharing metric.


Adversarial training (AT) formulated as the minimax optimization problem can effectively enhance the model's robustness against adversarial attacks. The existing AT methods mainly focused on manipulating the inner maximization for generating quality adversarial variants or manipulating the outer minimization for designing effective learning objectives. However, empirical results of AT always exhibit the robustness at odds with accuracy and the existence of the cross-over mixture problem, which motivates us to study some label randomness for benefiting the AT. First, we thoroughly investigate noisy labels (NLs) injection into AT's inner maximization and outer minimization, respectively and obtain the observations on when NL injection benefits AT. Second, based on the observations, we propose a simple but effective method -- NoiLIn that randomly injects NLs into training data at each training epoch and dynamically increases the NL injection rate once robust overfitting occurs. Empirically, NoiLIn can significantly mitigate the AT's undesirable issue of robust overfitting and even further improve the generalization of the state-of-the-art AT methods. Philosophically, NoiLIn sheds light on a new perspective of learning with NLs: NLs should not always be deemed detrimental, and even in the absence of NLs in the training set, we may consider injecting them deliberately. Codes are available in https://github.com/zjfheart/NoiLIn.


Psychotherapy is an effective treatment for a variety of mental illnesses. Despite this evidence, the average Canadian does not have access to psychotherapy because Medicare does not generally cover the costs. However, Canadians attending post-secondary education can generally access psychotherapy at no direct cost. Currently, there is limited Canadian research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy provided at university counselling centres (UCCs). The present study examined the effectiveness of individual counselling provided at a Toronto university counselling centre and the preliminary results are presented. Participants experienced a statistically significant decrease in mental health-related symptoms as measured by the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (OQ-45), overall current symptom severity, and severity of symptom interference in daily life from pre- to post-counselling. Current medication, supplement, and vitamin use and family social support were not significant predictors of OQ-45 score changes. Participants also gave general feedback indication that counselling was effective and beneficial.


Plant mitogen-activated protein kinases represented by tobacco WIPK (wounding-induced protein kinase) and its orthologs in other species are unique in their regulation at transcriptional level in response to stress and pathogen infection. We previously demonstrated that transcriptional activation of WIPK is essential for induced WIPK activity, and activation of salicylic acid-induced protein kinase (SIPK) by the constitutively active NtMEK2(DD) is sufficient to induce WIPK gene expression. Here, we report that the effect of SIPK on WIPK gene expression is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Using a combination of pharmacological and gain-of-function transgenic approaches, we studied the relationship among SIPK activation, WIPK gene activation in response to fungal cryptogein, light-dependent ROS generation in chloroplasts, and ROS generated via NADPH oxidase. In the conditional gain-of-function GVG-NtMEK2(DD) transgenic tobacco, induction of WIPK expression is dependent on the ROS generation in chloroplasts. Consistently, methyl viologen, an inducer of ROS generation in chloroplasts, highly activated WIPK expression. In addition to chloroplast-originated ROS, H(2)O(2) generated from the cell-surface NADPH oxidase could also activate WIPK gene expression, and inhibition of cryptogein-induced ROS generation also abolished WIPK gene activation. Our data demonstrate that WIPK gene activation is mediated by ROS, which provides a mechanism by which ROS influence cellular signalling processes in plant stress/defence response.


We consider invasion percolation on Galton-Watson trees. On almost every Galton-Watson tree, the invasion cluster almost surely contains only one infinite path. This means that for almost every Galton-Watson tree, invasion percolation induces a probability measure on infinite paths from the root. We show that under certain conditions of the progeny distribution, this measure is absolutely continuous with respect to the limit uniform measure. This confirms that invasion percolation, an efficient self-tuning algorithm, may be used to sample approximately from the limit uniform distribution. Additionally, we analyze the forward maximal weights along the backbone of the invasion cluster and prove a limit law for the process.


Geophysical surveying methods have expanded to address the issues associated with assessing near-surface conditions of oil fields and detection and imaging of sinkholes. Continual high demand for mineral resources to meet the growing need for energy and water have impacted the environment in many visible and not so visible ways. Resource extraction from the Earth usually results in ground subsidence and/or cavities. Over time, subsurface cavities may increase in size due to dissolution or erosion and could migrate upward to the surface.


Multi-modality data are widely used in clinical applications, such as tumor detection and brain disease diagnosis. Different modalities can usually provide complementary information, which commonly leads to improved performance. However, some modalities are commonly missing for some subjects due to various technical and practical reasons. As a result, multi-modality data are usually incomplete, raising the multi-modality missing data completion problem. In this work, we formulate the problem as a conditional image generation task and propose an encoder-decoder deep neural network to tackle this problem. Specifically, the model takes the existing modality as input and generates the missing modality. By employing an auxiliary adversarial loss, our model is able to generate high-quality missing modality images. At the same time, we propose to incorporate the available category information of subjects in training to enable the model to generate more informative images. We evaluate our method on the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative~(ADNI) database, where positron emission tomography~(PET) modalities are missing. Experimental results show that the trained network can generate high-quality PET modalities based on existing magnetic resonance imaging~(MRI) modalities, and provide complementary information to improve the detection and tracking of the Alzheimer's disease. Our results also show that the proposed methods generate higher quality images than baseline methods as measured by various image quality statistics.


Shakespeare's The Tempest (1610-1611) is one of the controversial plays regarding whether to be placed in the purview of colonialism or anti-colonialism. The bard sketches two antithetical characters in the course of the play, Prospero and Caliban, who form the two extremes of the self against the other dichotomy. This study aims at proving Shakespeare's proclaimed presuppositions at the realm of colonialism through his attempt to deconstruct the dichotomic discourse of colonialism via these two characters. The study also explains how the play starts with structuring two binary-oppositional spheres to lead readers eventually to question the very purpose of colonialism, which dehumanizes the colonized people. The data used in this study are generated through both primary and secondary sources of data collection, (i.e. the paly and other studies that give input to the discourse of the study). The paper moreover, focuses on Abdul R. JanMohamad's concept of Manicheanism allegory to examine the backdrop of postcolonial view of self/other dichotomy. A critical discourse narrative technique is employed in the discussion section of the study based on the deconstruction apparatus, such as binary opposition, Manicheanism allegory and symbolism. The study also refers to Shakespeare's symbolism of Prospero as a character who can be perceived as Columbus himself, and consequently as the representative of the colonial enterprise. At the end of the play, therefore, the language of Prospero becomes noticeably less hegemonic, as he realizes that the individuals on the island should be emancipated from his dominance. In this way, Prospero becomes the mouthpiece of Shakespeare himself, who conveys counter-colonial beliefs, such as the confusion of the biological and the cultural, and the colonizers' claim of their superiority, over the colonized; and thus, their right to dominate.


In this paper, a series of statistical studies were conducted on creep crack growth behavior of Grade 9Cr-1Mo steel for next generation reactor. Creep crack growth tests were performed on pre-cracked compact tension (CT) specimens under the applied load ranges from 3800 to 5000N at the identical temperature condition of 600oC. The creep crack growth behavior has been analyzed statistically using the empirical equation between crack growth rate da/dt and C* parameter, namely da/dt=B(C*)q. First, the determination methods of B and q obtained from experiments were investigated by the least square fitting method and the mean value method. The probability distribution functions of B and q have been investigated using the normal, log-normal and Weibull distribution. The constant B and q are followed well 2-parameter Weibull. Second, the creep crack growth rate data were generated by Monte-Carlo simulation method assuming the 2-parameter Weibull in B and q parameters. The probability distribution of creep crack growth rate for arbitrary C* parameter values seems to follow well Weibull distribution.


The present article, with an assay content, reflects about the importance of the research on the development of the tourismologist`s formation processes from whom it is expected his/her role in the job market to be proactive and also creative interventions in the reality. In this direction a paused pedagogy research is proposed through the comprehension of the epistemologies and methodologies complications existing in the production of the scientific knowledge and in the interface which these dimensions establish with the language. To prepare the researcher it is necessary the tourismologist be able to identify relationships between the epistemologies presuppositions adopted and the investigation`s object as well as its methodological choices. At the same time, it is allowed to understand how his/her intuition as the scientific text`s enunciator happens together with the social representations built and the ones that are build in the scientific enunciation as well as the rhetorical games that are put inside the social-linguistic science contract.


The therapeutic mechanisms of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) may depend on antidromic activation of cortex via the hyperdirect pathway. However, hyperdirect pathway neurons cannot reliably follow high-stimulation frequencies, and the spike failure rate appears to correlate with symptom relief as a function of stimulation frequency. We hypothesized that antidromic spike failure contributes to the cortical desynchronization caused by DBS. We measured in vivo evoked cortical activity in female Sprague Dawley rats and developed a computational model of cortical activation from STN DBS. We modeled stochastic antidromic spike failure to determine how spike failure affected the desynchronization of pathophysiological oscillatory activity in cortex. We found that high-frequency STN DBS desynchronized pathologic oscillations via the masking of intrinsic spiking through a combination of spike collision, refractoriness, and synaptic depletion. Antidromic spike failure shaped the parabolic relationship between DBS frequency and cortical desynchronization, with maximum desynchronization at ∼130 Hz. These findings reveal that antidromic spike failure plays a critical role in mediating the dependency of symptom relief on stimulation frequency. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a highly effective neuromodulation therapy, yet it remains uncertain why conventionally used stimulation frequencies (e.g., ∼130 Hz) are optimal. In this study, we demonstrate a potential explanation for the stimulation frequency dependency of DBS through a combination of in vivo experimental measurements and computational modeling. We show that high-frequency stimulation can desynchronize pathologic firing patterns in populations of neurons by inducing an informational lesion. However, sporadic spike failure at these high frequencies limits the efficacy of the informational lesion, yielding a parabolic profile with optimal effects at ∼130 Hz. This work provides a potential explanation for the therapeutic mechanism of DBS, and highlights the importance of considering spike failure in mechanistic models of DBS.


BACKGROUND
In 2008, the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi (the capital of the United Arab Emirates) introduced HPV vaccine free of charge for high school girls entering grade 11, becoming the first state in the Middle East to do so. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of school nurses in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi about HPV infection and the vaccine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A quantitative study was designed and conducted from June to August 2012 in Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Data were collected through direct face to face interviews. from one hundred and twenty five nurses.

RESULTS
Knowledge of HPV infection and HPV vaccine was almost universal among the school nurses (97%). The majority of the participants (71%) thought that the HPV vaccine was good. Cultural unacceptability (45%) and lack of women's concern about their own health (21%) were rated as the top barriers for the successful introduction of the vaccine in the UAE. More than half of the sampled nurses (58%) have either given this vaccine to school girls or taken it themselves. The majority (95%) did not come across any side effects from the vaccine. The level of qualification and the place of work did not significantly affect the correct knowledge of HPV infection or cervical cancer prevention methods.

CONCLUSIONS
The knowledge and attitude of the sampled school nurses in Abu Dhabi State about HPV infection and vaccine is very good in both the public and private sectors. However, a knowledge gap in cervical cancer screening methods was identified.


Granulocytic sarcoma is a rare tumor composed of immature granulocytic cells that is usually associated with acute myelogenous leukemia. Intraparenchymal cranial localization without skull, meningeal, or bone marrow invasion is extremely rare. The mechanisms of intraparenchymal cranial localization of GS remains unknown, as only 10 cases with cerebellar granulocytic sarcoma have been previously reported. Herein, we report a four year old boy with cerebellar localization of granulocytic sarcoma.


The HiCIBaS (High-Contrast Imaging Balloon System) project aims at launching a balloon borne telescope up to 36km to test high contrast imaging equipment and algorithms. The payload consists of a off the shelf 14-inch telescope with a custom-built Alt-Az mount. This telescope provides lights to two sensors, a pyramidal low order wave front sensor, and a coronagraphic wavefront sensor. Since the payload will reach its cruise altitude at about midnight mission, two target stars have been designated for observations, Capella as the night target, and Polaris as the early morning target. Data will be collected mainly on the magnitude of atmospheric and gondola's turbulences, the luminosity of the background. The whole system is already built and ready to ship to Timmins for the launch in mid-August 2018.


This paper mainly studies the principle and key technology of acoustic emission signal wavelet denoising method, and conducted a comparative analysis on three kinds of wavelet denoising algorithm, while the wavelet function, threshold method in the three types of denoising comparison experiment, make analysis and reconstruction of lifting small wave denoising algorithm, using least square method, wavelet denoising combining lifting wavelet transform of acoustic emission signal denoising algorithm, extract the correct acoustic emission signal, determine the leakage frequency and signal characteristics of the signal, and the application in the heater leakage fault detection.


This dissertation uses data from an original online survey including a diverse sample of individuals across different sexual and gender identities, who have given birth to at least one child successfully conceived using ART (N=114). I use a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques to examine parents' experience undergoing fertility treatment as well as conception disclosure. My research has two overall research objectives: first, to explore and analyze variations in the experience of fertility treatment process based on sexual identity; second, to examine differences in attitudes towards conception disclosure as well as disclosure importance and behaviors based on sexual identity. I engage mostly a conflict, feminist and medical consumerism frameworks to discuss individual experience and behavior within the medical encounter for fertility treatment. I also use symbolic interactionism and communication privacy management theory frameworks to gain insight on conception disclosure processes. My findings highlight that some individuals felt the process of ART was depersonalized, regimented, and homogenized, which left them feeling disempowered and disaffected. These participants responded in multiple ways by empowering themselves through research about different options, approaches, and techniques; they questioned physician expertise; demanded inclusion in determining treatment plans; and at times, decided to discontinue their service relationships. The discontinuation of service is an important form of resistance for fertility patients who felt marginalized during the process or minimized to their biological and reproductive capacity. In this way, my research shows that fertility treatment is not exempt from medical consumerist behaviors. Individuals are agentic medical consumers who act as medical associates during the process of fertility treatment. Participants' retelling of their experiences provides counter narratives to the patient-as-passive-recipient model of healthcare and responds to some feminist concerns. The overall experience during the treatment process did not differ based on sexual identity, however sexual minority persons had some unique experiences stemming from heteronormative structures. My data also show that parents were more inclined to disclose to family, close friends and physicians but practiced more restraint when sharing with other persons. When it comes to conception disclosure to the child, among other reasons, parents felt it was important to demonstrate to the child they were wanted and to transfer aspects of the child medical history. They also thought disclosure was necessary to fight shame. In this dissertation, I argue that individuals make decisions about conception disclosure in response to social norms. More specifically, I make the claim that parents are engaged in subversive disclosure to disrupt dominant opinions about assisted reproduction as unnatural and children conceived through ART as "synthetic" or different. Thus, my research recognizes that individuals are embedded in social systems that ultimately influence their decisions concerning disclosure. I observed nuanced differences based on sexual identity; which lead me to argue that heterosexual identified persons were more likely to restrict conception disclosure in comparison to sexual minority persons. Based on conception disclosure timing strategies I categorize persons as intentional early initiators or opportunistic seguers. I also grouped participates into two categories based on their conversational approach to disclosure: those who are straight talkers and those engaged in creative dialogue. Still conception disclosure can be overwhelming, leading some parents to create their own patchwork, hybrid approach. Sexual minority parents' disclosure practice differed from heterosexual identified persons in one key way; specifically, sexual minority persons constructed the content to emphasize different family structures and the way families are created. FAMILIES DESIGNED THROUGH ART: EXPLORING EMBODIED EXPERIENCE AND CONCEPTION DISCLOSURE BASED ON SEXUAL IDENTITY by Natalee M. Simpson B.Sc. University of the West Indies Mona, 2002 M.Sc. University of the West Indies Mona, 2005 M.A. Syracuse University, 2011


Objective. TO evaluate whether a hybrid electronic screening algorithm using a total joint replacement (TJR) registry, electronic surgical site infection (SSI) screening, and electronic health record (EHR) review of SSI is sensitive and specific for SSI detection and reduces chart review volume for SSI surveillance. Design. Validation study. Setting. A large health maintenance organization (HMO) with 8.6 million members. Methods. Using codes for infection, wound complications, cellullitis, procedures related to infections, and surgeon-reported complications from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, we screened each TJR procedure performed in our HMO between January 2006 and December 2008 for possible infections. Flagged charts were reviewed by clinical-content experts to confirm SSIs. SSIs identified by the electronic screening algorithm were compared with SSIs identified by the traditional indirect surveillance methodology currently employed in our HMO. Positive predictive values (PPVs), negative predictive values (NPVs), and specificity and sensitivity values were calculated. Absolute reduction of chart review volume was evaluated. Results. The algorithm identified 4,001 possible SSIs (9.5%) for the 42,173 procedures performed for our TJR patient population. A total of 440 case patients (1.04%) had SSIs (PPV, 11.0%; NPV, 100.0%). The sensitivity and specificity of the overall algorithm were 97.8% and 91.5%, respectively. Conclusion. An electronic screening algorithm combined with an electronic health record review of flagged cases can be used as a valid source for TJR SSI surveillance. The algorithm successfully reduced the volume of chart review for surveillance by 90.5%.


Recent years have seen a massive increase in the use of digital technologies for recording and analyzing audio spoken language data. This has, without doubt, enabled new approaches and wider access to the analysis of spoken language data across disciplines, especially within linguistics. The benefits of these technologies are widely acknowledged by researchers. However, researchers have paid less attention to the difficulties of keeping track of these digital recordings and to their maintenance and management. That is, the long-term preservation of these materials is not straightforward, and, if not properly cared for, digital recordings may be easier to lose or lose access to than their analog counterparts (Bird and Simons 2003). A consideration of the best methods of organization and preservation for these digital resources leads in turn to a fuller understanding of the great possibilities that current technologies enable in terms of the ways that we present, interact with, and analyze audio-based language data (cf. Kendall 2008). This paper discusses two related projects, the Sociolinguistic Archive and Analysis Project (SLAAP) and the Online Speech/Corpora Archive and Analysis Resource (OSCAAR), to exemplify some of the benefits of developing web interfaces to spoken language data collections.


Abstract : This dissertation explores the benefits of combined control moment gyroscope (CMG) and reaction wheel array (RWA) actuation for agile spacecraft. Agile spacecraft are capable of slewing to multiple targets in minimum time. CMGs provide the largest torque capability of current momentum exchange actuation devices but also introduce singularity events in operation. RWAs produce less torque capability than CMGs but can achieve greater pointing accuracy. In this research, a combined RWA and CMG (RWCMG) system is evaluated using analytical simulations and hardware experiments. A closed-loop control scheme is developed which takes advantage of the strengths of each actuator set.The CMGs perform slews for a representative target field. Borrowing from variable-speed CMG theory, a system of switching between CMG and RWA actuation allows the RWA to assume control of the spacecraft when desired pointing tolerance is met for a given target. During collection, the CMG gimbals may travel along null motion trajectories towardpreferred angles to prepare for the next slew. Preferred gimbal angles are pre-computed off-line using optimization techniques or set based on look-up tables. Logic is developed to ensure CMG gimbal angles travel the shortest path to the preferred values. The proportional-integral-derivative, quaternion feedback, and nonlinear Lyapunov-based controllers are assessed for the RWCMG system. Extended and unscented Kalman filter techniques are explored for improved accuracy in analytical simulation. Results of RWCMG hardware experiments show improvements in slew capability, pointing accuracy, and singularity avoidance compared to traditional CMG-only systems.


Tourism yield is currently one of the most contemporary fields of tourism research. This paper is a contribution to the ongoing Tourism Yield Norway project conducted at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management. Data has been obtained of financial performances of businesses within the hospitality and tourism industry in one of Norway's most tourism-wise developed region – Rogaland. This paper set out to test part of one of three dimensions (economic, environmental and socio-cultural) of tourism yield on the corporate level – the financial yield. Basic statistical analysis of the companies' economic performances – both according to region (26 municipalities) and according to their type of business (including hotels, restaurants, retail, tour operator, entertainment activities, sport related tourism, etc.) – was performed with the outcome of a solid set of statistics indicating the financial yield of tourism in the Rogaland region and its current trends creating a foundation for future forecasting of financial performance of the sector. The findings indicate that there is no correlation between average pay and the location (urban or rural) in the region. The location is also not significant in determining a company's financial performance. Furthermore, the study suggests that increases in average net income are positively correlated with increases of both number of employees and increases in average pay. Finally, the company's size (based on number of employees) and the type of business are both significant in determining a company's financial performance (net income).


We examine the high-powered financial incentives for bureaucrats. We digitize the financial disclosures of elite bureaucrats from India and combine this novel data with web-scraped career histories to estimate the private returns to public servants after bureaucratic reassignments. Employing a difference-in-differences event study approach, we find that the annual growth rate is 10% higher for the value of assets and 4.4% higher for the number of assets after a bureaucrat is transferred to an important ministry with the power to make influential policies. Exploring the underlying mechanism, we document that the results are consistent with an explanation based on the rent-seeking behaviours of bureaucrats. The increase in assets is higher after reassignment to important ministries that are more prone to corruption and is higher in more corruption-prone states. Bureaucrats working in their home states accumulate more immovable assets after the bureaucratic transfers. Previous experience in important ministries continues to contribute to the asset accumulation of bureaucrats. These findings add new insights to the conventional view on the incentives in bureaucracies by showing that bureaucrats may also face high-powered incentives in the form of private returns.


MOTIVATION
Tandem repeats (TRs) are associated with human disease, play a role in evolution and are important in regulatory processes. Despite their importance, locating and characterizing these patterns within anonymous DNA sequences remains a challenge. In part, the difficulty is due to imperfect conservation of patterns and complex pattern structures. We study recognition algorithms for two complex pattern structures: variable length tandem repeats (VLTRs) and multi-period tandem repeats (MPTRs).

RESULTS
We extend previous algorithmic research to a class of regular tandem repeats (RegTRs). We formally define RegTRs, as well as two important subclasses: VLTRs and MPTRs. We present algorithms for identification of TRs in these classes. Furthermore, our algorithms identify degenerate VLTRs and MPTRs: repeats containing substitutions, insertions and deletions. To illustrate our work, we present results of our analysis for two difficult regions in cattle and human data which reflect practical occurrences of these subclasses in GenBank sequence data. In addition, we show the applicability of our algorithmic techniques for identifying Alu sequences, gene clusters and other distant regions of similarity. We illustrate this with an example from yeast chromosome I.


Abstract A new genus and four new species of Phylini Carvalho, 1958, from Australia are described. Jiwarli, new genus, differs from other Phylini by the relatively large size and elongate ovoid shape, distinct coloration, and male genital characters. The four new species show a broad distribution in Australia and mostly occur on widespread plants. Jiwarli exmaculae, n. sp., was collected on the Asteraceae Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Jiwarli heliotropium, n. sp., on the Boraginaceae Heliotropium ammophilum, Jiwarli ptilotus, n. sp., on the Amaranthaceae Ptilotus obovatus, and Jiwarli solanum, n. sp., on the Solanaceae Solanum ellipticum, S. orbiculatum, and S. lasiophyllum.


The last year`s work has focused on several aspects of the fundamental chemistry and physics semiconductor/liquid junction behavior. These projects have been directed primarily towards GaAs/liquid contacts, because GaAs/liquid systems provide high energy conversion efficiencies and offer an opportunity to gain mechanistic understanding of the factors that are important to control in an efficient photoelectrochemical energy conversion system.


Context. Mars-crossing asteroids (MCs) are a dynamically unstable group between the main belt and the near-Earth populations. Characterising the physical properties of a large sample of MCs can help to understand the original sources of many near-Earth asteroids, some of which may produce meteorites on Earth. Aims. Our aim is to provide diameters and albedos of MCs with available WISE/NEOWISE data. Methods. We used the near-Earth asteroid thermal model to find the best-fitting values of equivalent diameter and, whenever possible, the infrared beaming parameter. With the diameter and tabulated asteroid absolute magnitudes we also computed the visible geometric albedos. Results. We determined the diameters and beaming parameters of 404 objects observed during the fully cryogenic phase of the WISE mission, most of which have not been published elsewhere. We also obtained 1572 diameters from data from the 3-Band and posterior non-cryogenic phases using a default value of beaming parameter. The average beaming parameter is 1.2 +/- 0.2 for objects smaller than 10 km, which constitute most of our sample. This is higher than the typical value of 1.0 found for the whole main belt and is possibly related to the fact that WISE is able to observe many more small objects at shorter heliocentric distances, i.e. at higher phase angles. We argue that this is a better default value for modelling Mars-crossing asteroids from the WISE/NEOWISE catalogue and discuss the effects of this choice on the diameter and albedo distributions. We find a double-peaked distribution for the visible geometric albedos, which is expected since this population is compositionally diverse and includes objects in the major spectral complexes. However, the distribution of beaming parameters is homogeneous for both low- and high-albedo objects.


Permian volcanic Chougrane-El Had the Bouhsoussene complex (central Morocco), manifested primarily by volcanic rocks rhyodacites nature and basalt intercalated in the clay-greso-conglomeratic permian deposits. These are rocks texture in general microlitic to porphyry. Basalts consists of a primary paragenesis formed of plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine and quartz and a secondary mineral assemblage consisting of muscovite, calcite, chlorite and quartz. The rhyodacites show primary paragenesis formed of plagioclase, pyroxene and quartz and a secondary mineral assemblage consisting of calcite and sericite. Petrographic characteristics of these rocks are comparable to those of the Permian volcanic complex Khenifra and Tiddas- Sebt Ait Ikkou (Central Morocco). Area Chougrane-El Had the Bouhsoussene created on intracontinentale tear in the Asturian phase (Michard, 1976) recorded three volcanic episodes, two major eruptive episode and a third in vein deposit mode.


All-optical multilayer perceptrons differ in various ways from the ideal neural network model. Examples are the use of non-ideal activation functions which are truncated, asymmetric, and have a non-standard gain, restriction of the network parameters to non-negative values, and the limited accuracy of the weights. In this paper, a backpropagation-based learning rule is presented that compensates for these non-idealities and enables the implementation of all-optical multilayer perceptrons where learning occurs under control of a computer. The good performance of this learning rule, even when using a small number of weight levels, is illustrated by a series of experiments including the non-idealities.


ABSTRACT This study evaluates the effectiveness of an experiential approach to teen pregnancy (TP) prevention called "Baby Think It Over," a computerized infant simulator, on adolescents' attitudes and behaviors regarding teen pregnancy and sexuality. Recently, a more realistic model called "Real Care Baby" was developed. The small amount of research on the effectiveness of the original program yielded mixed results. Participants were experimental (n=133) and comparison (n=116) groups of primarily white, middle class, suburban high school students. Multivariate analyses revealed no overall effect, but univariate, correlational, and narrative analyses suggested several positive outcomes. Theoretical implications for experiential approaches are discussed. Research and practice applications are emphasized. INTRODUCTION HISTORY AND GOALS OF BABY THINK IT OVER "Baby Think It Over" (BTIO) is a program designed to create a realistic experience of the responsibility and burden involved with infant care. The original model is a computerized baby that was engineered to simulate typical unpredictable infant behavior, primarily by crying at intervals and for durations that are unpredictable. When the baby cries, the student must hold a key in the baby's back until the crying ends. The program (created, manufactured, and sold by BTIO Educational Products, Inc., formerly Baby Think It Over, Inc., in Wisconsin) is continually increasing in popularity among educators. According to the company, the program is currently in use in all 50 states and internationally, and the simulators have been used by more than 1 million students. Schools are the most common place in which the program is used, although it is also used in other settings. The goal of the program is to create a lasting impression on both teen women and men of the personal sacrifice and challenges required of new parents. The idea for this program was born out of the flour sack- and egg-baby approaches to teen pregnancy prevention. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS Theoretically, there is reason to expect that an experiential approach to teenage pregnancy prevention would be effective. For example, according to the Optimistic Bias approach (Weinstein, 1980), when a person chooses to engage in a behavior known to entail risks, he/she tends to justify engaging in the behavior by underestimating the possibility of incurring negative effects. An experiential approach seems likely to have an effect because it provides a first-hand demonstration of reality that will lead teens to underestimate that reality to a lesser degree. The adolescent's typical perception, especially in early and middle adolescence, that negative outcomes are not likely to happen to him/her may be substantially reduced by experiential approaches. Cognitive development is a key theoretical consideration relevant to this experiential approach (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958,1969; Miller, 1993). Despite criticisms of some aspects of Piaget's theory, his foundations in the order of succession in knowledge acquisition prevail. Borrowing from biological models, Piaget proposed that knowledge and cognition also develop in similarly universal ways. Although some adolescents start to experiment with abstract and hypothetical reasoning skills, most still tend to be more concrete than abstract, especially during early and middle adolescence. Many do not yet systematically formulate hypotheses and test these out against reality. Thus, they may not systematically formulate and test hypotheses against reality with concepts like parenting, pregnancy (including the probabilities associated with conception), and child rearing, which are relatively abstract and intangible. Adolescents are less likely to identify with them if presented in traditional lecture formats in which visualization, perspective taking, and so on, are necessary. Cognitive limitations temporarily experienced by adolescents, namely adolescent egocentrism, are also likely to contribute to their less than perfect reasoning. …


Background— An elevated level of homocysteine (hyperhomocysteinemia) has been implicated as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Deficiency of dietary factors like vitamin B12, folate, and genetic variations can cause hyperhomocysteinemia. The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia in the Indian population is likely to be high because most Indians adhere to a vegetarian diet, deficient in vitamin B12. In the background of vitamin B12 deficiency, variations in genes involved in homocysteine metabolism might have a greater impact on homocysteine levels. Methods and Results— We genotyped 44 nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) from 11 genes involved in homocysteine metabolism and found only 14 to be polymorphic. These 14 nsSNPs were genotyped in 546 individuals recruited from a tertiary care center in New Delhi, India, and it was found that choline dehydrogenase (CHDH A119C) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR C677T) were significantly associated with plasma total homocysteine levels (P=0.009 and P=0.001, respectively). These 2 SNPs were further genotyped in 330 individuals recruited from the same center, and the association remained significant even after increasing the sample size. Furthermore, we found the possibility of a significant interaction between vegetarian diet and the 2 polymorphisms that could explain the variation of homocysteine levels. We also genotyped all the polymorphic nsSNPs in apparently healthy individuals recruited from 24 different subpopulations (based on their linguistic lineage) spread across the country to determine their basal frequencies. The frequencies of these SNPs varied significantly between linguistic groups. Conclusion— Vegetarian diet along with CHDH A119C and MTHFR C677T play an important role in modulating the homocysteine levels in Indian population.


There exist two approaches in the literature concerning the multinational firm's mode choice for foreign production between an owned subsidiary and a licensing contract. One approach considers environments where the firm is transferring primarily knowledge-based assets. An important assumption there is that the relevant knowledge is absorbed by the local manager or licensee over the course of time: knowledge is non-excludable. More recently, a number of influential papers have adopted a property-right view of the firm, assuming the application abroad of physical capital, the owner of which retains full and exclusive rights to the capital should a relationship break down. In this paper we combine both forms of capital assets in a single model. The model predicts that foreign direct investment (owned subsidiaries) is more likely than licensing when the ratio of knowledge capital to physical capital is high, or when market value is high relative to the book value of capital (high Tobin's-Q).