Abstract. Observational estimates of Kelvin wave momentum fluxes in the tropical lower stratosphere remain challenging. Here we extend a method based on linear wave theory to estimate daily time series of these momentum fluxes from high-resolution radiosonde data. Daily time series are produced for sounding sites operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and from the recent Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign. Our momentum flux estimates are found to be robust to different data sources and processing and in quantitative agreement with estimates from prior studies. Testing the sensitivity to vertical resolution, our estimated momentum fluxes are found to be most sensitive to vertical resolution greater than 1 km, largely due to overestimation of the vertical wavelength. Climatological analysis is performed over a selected 11-year span of data from DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) radiosonde sites. Analyses of this 11-year span of data reveal the expected seasonal cycle of momentum flux maxima in boreal winter and minima in boreal summer, and variability associated with the quasi-biennial oscillation of maxima during easterly phase and minima during westerly phase. Comparison between periods with active convection that is either strongly or weakly associated with the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) suggests that the MJO provides a nontrivial increase in the lowermost stratospheric momentum fluxes.


There has been a significant amount of research investigating the design task of concept analysis, and much research on reconfigurable system design. Despite previous efforts, further research is still needed that explores how concept analysis should best be conducted for reconfigurable systems. Because reconfigurable systems have multiple configurations and different performance levels, additional information is required to understand each concept, making the design selection process more demanding. Desirable functions, concepts for each phase, and concepts for transition methods between configurations all need to be evaluated. In this paper, the fundamental challenges of reconfigurable system analysis are identified. A framework is then developed to evaluate the many options a designer may face when performing the concept analysis phase of reconfigurable system design, identifying the influence of reconfigurable systems on the process. A mini unmanned aerial vehicle case study is used to demonstrate how the framework is applied, and how existing concept analysis tools can be adapted to account for additional criteria. The paper concludes with a review of the contributions of this work and identifies areas of future work.© 2012 ASME


A model of competitive pressure groups is proposed for explaining public provision of agricultural extension services and tested against county data from four midwestern U.S. states. The allocation of extension staff time is explained by variables representing the average wealth position and membership size of farm and nonfarm pressure groups. Also, farmers' schooling is shown to have a large negative relationship to the provision of county agricultural extension services, which suggests that they are substitutes.


This study investigated the inhibitory effect of eight natural flavonoids in Chinese herb Scutellariae Radix on huamn cytochrome P450 1 A(CYP1 A), a key cancer chemo-preventive target. In this study, phenacetin was used as a probe substrate for CYP1 A, while human liver microsomes and recombinant human CYP1 A enzymes were used as enzyme sources. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to monitor the formation rates of acetaminophen, the O-deethylated metabolite of phenacetin. The dose-dependent inhibition curves were depicted based on the changes of the formation rates of acetaminophen, while the IC_(50) were determined. Inhibition kinetic analyses and docking simulations were used to investigate the inhibition modes and mechanism of wogonin(the most potent CYP1 A inhibitor in this herb), while the inhibition constants(K_i) of wogonin against both CYP1 A1 and CYP1 A2 were determined. Among all tested flavonoids, wogonin, 7-methoxyflavanone and oroxylin A displayed a strong inhibitory effect on CYP1 A(IC_(50)<1 μmol·L~(-1)), baicalein exhibited a moderate inhibitory effect on CYP1 A(IC_(50) between 1-10 μmol·L~(-1)), and baicalin, scutellarein and wogonoside displayed a very weak inhibitory effect on CYP1 A(IC_(50) between 10-25 μmol·L~(-1)), but scutellarin displayed a negligible inhibitory effect on CYP1 A(IC_(50)>100 μmol·L~(-1)). Further investigations demonstrated that wogonin had a weak inhibitory effect on other human CYP enzymes, suggesting that it could be used as a lead compound for the development of specific inhibitors of CYP1 A. Furthermore, the inhibition kinetic analyses clearly demonstrated that wogonin could strongly inhibit phenacetin O-deethylation in both CYP1 A1 and CYP1 A2 in a competitive manner, with K_i values at 0.118 and 0.262 μmol·L~(-1), respectively. Molecular docking demonstrated that wogonin could strongly interact with CYP1 A1 and CYP1 A2 via hydrophobic and π-π interactions, as well as Ser120 and Ser116 in CYP1 A1 via hydrogen-bonding. In conclusion, this study found that some flavonoids in Scutellariae Radix displayed a strong inhibitory effect on CYP1 A, while wogonin is the most potent CYP1 A inhibitor with a relatively high selectivity towards CYP1 A over other human CYPs.


Regurgitant jet dimensions imaged by color Doppler flow mapping have been used to evaluate the severity of valvular insufficiency in clinical studies. To study the effect of pressure and volume within the receiving chamber on the magnitude of spatial distribution of regurgitant jets assessed by color Doppler techniques, we designed a simple constant-flow model in which a jet was driven through a known orifice (1.5 mm2) into a compliant receiving chamber by a steady-flow pump. A distal tube at the outflow closed the system and maintained the volume of the chamber constant during pump operation. We varied flow rate from 60 to 270 ml/min into elastic balloons with different static compliances of 1, 2, 4.5, and 9 ml/mm Hg (pressures of 57, 28, 18, and 8 mm Hg, respectively); the balloons served as receiving chambers at the constant volume of 150 ml. We also evaluated the effect of different volumes of a receiving chamber (110, 130, and 150 ml and pressures of 5, 15, and 24 mm Hg) with a static compliance of 2 ml/mm Hg over the same range of flow rates. For each of the different balloons, jet area correlated linearly with the jet velocity across the orifice (r=0.98, 0.99, 0.98, and 0.97) and also with flow rate (r=0.97, 0.99, 0.98, and 0.99). At the same flow rate and volume of receiving chamber, however, the jet area imaged by color Doppler decreased as the pressure in the receiving chamber increased, although receiving-chamber volume was constant. In the balloon with static compliance of 2 mlfmm Hg and constant flow rate, the absolute color Doppler jet area decreased as both volume and pressure of the receiving chamber increased. Our results suggest that in a pulsatile system the pressure-volume relationship inside the receiving chamber may be a major determinant of regurgitant jet area as imaged by color Doppler. Even in a chamber with constant static compliance, changes in volume and pressure within the receiving chamber can result in significant changes in jet area independent of changes in driving pressure and regurgitant volume. (Circulation 1991;83:605-613)


This paper presents a novel statistical singing voice conversion (SVC) technique with direct waveform modification based on the spectrum differential that can convert voice timbre of a source singer into that of a target singer without using a vocoder to generate converted singing voice waveforms. SVC makes it possible to convert singing voice characteristics of an arbitrary source singer into those of an arbitrary target singer. However, speech quality of the converted singing voice is significantly degraded compared to that of a natural singing voice due to various factors, such as analysis and modeling errors in the vocoderbased framework. To alleviate this degradation, we propose a statistical conversion process that directly modifies the signal in the waveform domain by estimating the difference in the spectra of the source and target singers' singing voices. The differential spectral feature is directly estimated using a differential Gaussian mixture model (GMM) that is analytically derived from the traditional GMM used as a conversion model in the conventional SVC. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method makes it possible to significantly improve speech quality in the converted singing voice while preserving the conversion accuracy of singer identity compared to the conventional SVC. Index Terms: singing voice, statistical voice conversion, vocoder, Gaussian mixture model, differential spectral compensation


In this work, we consider the computer security and privacy practices and needs of recently resettled refugees in the United States. We ask: How do refugees use and rely on technology as they settle in the US? What computer security and privacy practices do they have, and what barriers do they face that may put them at risk? And how are their computer security mental models and practices shaped by the advice they receive? We study these questions through in-depth qualitative interviews with case managers and teachers who work with refugees at a local NGO, as well as through focus groups with refugees themselves. We find that refugees must rely heavily on technology (e.g., email) as they attempt to establish their lives and find jobs; that they also rely heavily on their case managers and teachers for help with those technologies; and that these pressures can push security practices into the background or make common security "best practices" infeasible. At the same time, we identify fundamental challenges to computer security and privacy for refugees, including barriers due to limited technical expertise, language skills, and cultural knowledge–for example, we find that scams as a threat are a new concept for many of the refugees we studied, and that many common security practices (e.g., password creation techniques and security questions) rely on US cultural knowledge. From these and other findings, we distill recommendations for the computer security community to better serve the computer security and privacy needs and constraints of refugees, a potentially vulnerable population that has not been previously studied in this context.


Technology is a source of risk. Technology is a risk not only because it often has unintended consequences, but also because accelerating technological change creates compound risks resulting from multiple interacting technologies. More importantly, a fast changing technological environment introduces additional risk because of the numerous social, economic, and political opportunities it creates, and because of the threats it facilitates. In a competitive world, taking advantage of these new opportunities, and protecting against emerging threats are constant battles not only for individuals, but also for businesses and governments. These risks are most pronounced in global communication, military, and banking systems, but no social institution is immune. Reduction of these risks should be a major concern for all social institutions. The undesirable consequences need to be dealt with before, not after they occur. There are numerous risk-reduction technologies that can be deployed to minimize risk while still maintaining the efficiencies created by efficiency-raising technologies.


As mobile and wearable health technologies have evolved, constant monitoring of bio-signals from patients has become important for accurate diagnosis using mobile and remote health services. As the need for constant monitoring of bio-signals increases, the amount of bio-signal data also increases, therefore an efficient compression method for specific bio-signals should be developed. In contrast to other types of signals, bio-signals contain important diagnostic information that should not be removed during compression. An effective compression algorithm for phonocardiogram (PCG) signals that contain important diagnostic information (murmur) is proposed. In this algorithm, the murmur is first estimated, then an adaptive thresholding scheme is applied in the wavelet domain to the normal portions and the murmur portions of PCGs depending on the murmur estimates during compression. Although other conventional compression methods result in substantial loss of murmur information, the proposed method is able to keep most of the murmur information in compressed PCGs.


While the chemical signals guiding neuronal migration and axon elongation have been extensively studied, the influence of mechanical cues on these processes remains poorly studied in vivo. Here, we investigate how mechanical forces exerted by surrounding tissues steer neuronal movements and axon extension during the morphogenesis of the olfactory placode in zebrafish. We mainly focus on the mechanical contribution of the adjacent eye tissue, which develops underneath the placode through extensive evagination and invagination movements. Using quantitative analysis of cell movements and biomechanical manipulations, we show that the developing eye exerts lateral traction forces on the olfactory placode through extracellular matrix, mediating proper morphogenetic movements and axon extension within the placode. Our data shed new light on the key participation of intertissue mechanical interactions in the sculpting of neuronal circuits.


Adverse drug reactions still pose an important clinical problem. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is an enzyme that regulates 5-FU quantities available for anabolic processes and hence affects its pharmacokinetics, toxicity and efficacy. There are several studies describing a hereditary (pharmacogenetic) disorder in which individuals with absent or significantly reduced DPD activity may even develop a life-threatening toxicity following exposure to 5-FU. The most common mutation is known as the DPYD*2A or as the splice-site mutation (IVS14 + 1G A) leading to creation of a dysfunctional protein. An objective behind the study was to ascertain existence of the IVS14 + 1G A mutation among the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our research has undeniably attested to existence of one heterozygote for the DPYD gene mutation, i.e. one heterozygote for IVS14 + 1 G > A, DPYD*2A mutation.


Background: With the increasing rates of GDM and variations in screening guidelines, this study sought to investigate the relationship between GDM and LGA across the U.S.
 Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study using National Vital Statistics data (2012-2018) . We included singleton, non-anomalous births with gestational age of 23-42 weeks and excluded women with pre-existing diabetes. The states were divided into four regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) . Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression models were used.
 Results: In the cohort of 24,938,357 births, 14.5% were in Northeast, 21.7% in Midwest, 39.2% in South and 24.6% in West. Midwest had higher prevalence of GDM (6.4%) as well as LGA (10.9%, Figure 1) . After adjusting for maternal race, age, education, BMI, prenatal care, smoking status, hypertension, and year of delivery, risk of LGA is highest in women from South with GDM (aOR=1.16, 95%CI:1.14-1.18) as compared to women from West with GDM.
 Conclusions: Further studies are needed to determine factors associated with rising rates of LGA.

 M.L.Hernandez-zepeda: None. B.Garg: None. A.M.Valent: None.


Through photographs and detailed case histories, Unni Wikan explores the strict segregation of women, the wearing of the "burqa" mask, the elaborate nuptial rituals, and the graceful quality of Oman's social relations. "Wikan does provide insights into the real position of these secluded and segregated women. . . . All this is interesting and valuable."-Ahdaf Soueif, "Times Literary Supplement" "The book is detailed, insightful, and . . . engrossing. Anyone interested in the day-to-day triumphs and sorrows of women who live 'behind the veil' will want to read this account."-"Arab Book World" "Wikan, a fine ethnographer, has an eye for everything that is distinctive about the culture and . . . builds up a wholly convincing picture. Above all, there is a sustained attempt to penetrate the inner lives of these strangely serene people."-Frank H. Stewart, "Wilson Quarterly" "This book will certainly be of interest to all scholars concerned with sexual identity in the Islamic world."-Henry Munson, "American Anthropologist"


We report 72 non-diabetic patients with obliterant atherosclerosis, stadium II, (intermittent claudication). The medium age of these patients was 62 +/- 4.5 years old. They were randomly included into four groups. Three were treated with Ozone: one of them by endovenous way, other intramuscular way, and the last one by rectal way; meanwhile, in the fourth group the patients were submitted to conventional medical treatment (control group). In the three ozone-groups there weren't differences when they were compared between then. But there was a significant improvement in comparison with the control group. The claudication distance in the treadmill increased to the 2.5 km/hour. Ankle/arm pressure rates hadn't significant differences, this corroborates the ozone action on the microcirculation. The least uncomfortable, the more harmless and the more economic way was the rectal way.


On May 5, 1967, U.S. National Security Adviser Walter W. Rostow briefed President Lyndon B. Johnson that Peru had contracted to buy twelve Mirage 5 supersonic fighter jets from France, "despite our repeated
 warnings of the consequences." The first planes were delivered a year later, prompting the United States to withhold development loans from Peru as directed by the Conte-Long Amendment to the 1968 Foreign
 Assistance Appropriations Bill. Peru was the first Latin American country (with the exception of Cuba) to equip its air force with supersonic combat aircraft, and its decision spurred a dramatic qualitative
 and financial escalation in regional arms procurement, thereby defeating Washington9s effort to control the latter. The CIA qualified the "Mirage affair" as the "most serious issue" in U.S.-Peruvian
 relations at the time. The event demonstrated the growing desire of Peru and other Latin American countries to loosen the ties that bound them to Washington and exemplified France9s drive to depolarize
 world politics during the Cold War. Demanded by the Peruvian military establishment, the Mirage deal also announced the golpe of October 1968 that ended the presidency of Fernando Belauunde
 Terry and ushered in the reformist military dictatorship of Juan Velasco Alvarado. In addition, it complicated relations between the White House, Congress, and the press in the antagonistic context of the
 Vietnam War. Finally, it further illustrated the diplomatic and economic stakes of military aircraft sales, as well as the appeal of the airplane as a symbol of national sovereignty and modernity.


Abstract STUDY QUESTION After controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and IUI, is it clinically feasible to recover in vivo conceived and matured human blastocysts by uterine lavage from fertile women for preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) and compare their PGT-A and Gardner scale morphology scores with paired blastocysts from IVF control cycles? SUMMARY ANSWER In a consecutive series of 134 COS cycles using gonadotrophin stimulation followed by IUI, uterine lavage recovered 136 embryos in 42% (56/134) of study cycles, with comparable in vivo and in vitro euploidy rates but better morphology in in vivo embryos. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY In vivo developed embryos studied in animal models possess different characteristics compared to in vitro developed embryos of similar species. Such comparative studies between in vivo and in vitro human embryos have not been reported owing to lack of a reliable method to recover human embryos. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We performed a single-site, prospective controlled trial in women (n = 81) to evaluate the safety, efficacy and feasibility of a novel uterine lavage catheter and fluid recovery device. All lavages were performed in a private facility with a specialized fertility unit, from August 2017 to June 2018. Subjects were followed for 30 days post-lavage to monitor for clinical outcomes and delayed complications. In 20 lavage subjects, a single IVF cycle (control group) with the same ovarian stimulation protocol was performed for a comparison of in vivo to in vitro blastocysts. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTINGS, METHODS Women were stimulated with gonadotrophins for COS. The ovulation trigger was given when there were at least two dominant follicles ≥18 mm, followed by IUI of sperm. Uterine lavage occurred 4–6 days after the IUI. A subset of 20 women had a lavage cycle procedure followed by an IVF cycle (control IVF group). Recovered embryos were characterized morphologically, underwent trophectoderm (TE) biopsy, vitrified and stored in liquid nitrogen. Biopsies were analyzed using the next-generation sequencing technique. After lavage, GnRH antagonist injections were administered to induce menstruation. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE A total of 134 lavage cycles were performed in 81 women. Uterine lavage recovered 136 embryos in 56 (42%) cycles. At the time of cryopreservation, there were 40 (30%) multi-cell embryos and 96 (70%) blastocysts. Blastocysts were of good quality, with 74% (70/95) being Gardener grade 3BB or higher grade. Lavage blastocysts had significantly higher morphology scores than the control IVF embryos as determined by chi-square analysis (P < 0.05). This is the first study to recover in vivo derived human blastocysts following ovarian stimulation for embryo genetic characterization. Recovered blastocysts showed rates of chromosome euploidy similar to the rates found in the control IVF embryos. In 11 cycles (8.2%), detectable levels of hCG were present 13 days after IUI, which regressed spontaneously in two cases and declined after an endometrial curettage in two cases. Persistent hCG levels were resolved after methotrexate in three cases and four cases received both curettage and methotrexate. LIMITATIONS, REASON FOR CAUTION The first objective was to evaluate the feasibility of uterine lavage following ovarian stimulation to recover blastocysts for analysis, and that goal was achieved. However, the uterine lavage system was not completely optimized in our earlier experience to levels that were achieved late in the clinical study and will be expected in clinical service. The frequency of chromosome abnormalities of in vivo and IVF control embryos was similar, but this was a small-size study. However, compared to larger historical datasets of in vitro embryos, the in vivo genetic results are within the range of high-quality in vitro embryos. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Uterine lavage offers a nonsurgical, minimally invasive strategy for recovery of embryos from fertile women who do not want or need IVF and who desire PGT, fertility preservation of embryos or reciprocal IVF for lesbian couples. From a research and potential clinical perspective, this technique provides a novel platform for the use of in vivo conceived human embryos as the ultimate benchmark standard for future and current ART methods. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Previvo Genetics, Inc., is the sole sponsor for the Punta Mita, Mexico, clinical study. S.M. performs consulting for CooperGenomics. J.E.B. and S.A.C. are co-inventors on issued patents and patents owned by Previvo and ownshares of Previvo. S.N. is a co-author on a non-provisional patent application owned by Previvo and holds stock options in Previvo. S.T.N. and M.J.A. report consulting fees from Previvo. S.T.N., S.M., M.V.S., M.J.A., C.N. and J.E.B. are members of the Previvo Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and hold stock options in Previvo. J.E.B and S. M are members of the Previvo Board of Directors. A.N. and K.C. are employees of Previvo Genetics. L.V.M, T.M.M, J.L.R and S. S have no conflicts to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) Trial Registration Number and Name: Punta Mita Study TD-2104: Clinical Trials NCT03426007.


We describe a piece of Baltic amber, about 50 million years old, which contains a group of 13 small cockroach nymphs. These specimens were documented with different methods to explore the advantages and limitations of certain imaging techniques: (1) light-based methods, such as stereo-macro photography, composite imaging under polarised light, combined with virtual surface reconstruction, and (2) X-ray micro-computed tomography, processed as volume renderings and surface reconstructions. All nymphs within the amber piece are of the same size and do not exhibit any noticeable morphological variance. Their developmental state and the way in which they are arranged indicate that these nymphs represent hatchlings. Dictyopterans (including Mantodea and Blattodea with Isoptera as ingroup) exhibit a wide range of different types of social and brood care behaviour. The evolution of this complex set of characters has been addressed repeatedly in extant-based approaches, yet deep-time aspects of this evolutionary process have rarely been addressed. The specimens described here could represent a case of a group of blattodean nymphs hatching from an ootheca, which would represent the first fossil record of such a process, or even possibly provide the first indirect evidence of social behaviour in fossil non-termite dictyopterans, indicating that it was already developed 50 million years ago.


In 2008 the City of Stockholm Traffic Administration conducted a series of full scale tests, with heat and smoke generation equivalent to that from a fire in a small car, in one of their urban tunnels with transverse ventilation. The primary goal of the tests was to verify how the ventilation system worked and also to provide an opportunity for the local fire brigade and consultants in this field to see what one could expect in a similar situation. A total of four different tests were carried out at two different locations in the tunnel. Methanol was chosen as fuel and the smoke was produced from smoke machines. The ventilation conditions were set according to a pre-set function to simulate both low and high traffic conditions and the fire ventilation was activated 10 minutes after ignition of the simulated car fire. The result of the tests illustrated a variety of phenomena where the external conditions and the general design of the tunnel had a significant impact on the air flow. These aspects determined the direction of airflow in the tunnel regardless of the pre-set ventilation settings. The ventilation settings for the different traffic cases had a significant impact on the stratification of smoke in the event of a fire.


Life on a global biosphere basis is substantiated in the form of organics and organisms, and defined as the intermediate forms (briefly expressed as CH2O) hovering between the reduced (CH4, methane) and (CO2, carbon dioxide) ends, different from the classical definition of life as a complex organization maintaining ordered structure and information. Both definitions consider sustenance of life meant as protection of life against chaos through an input of external energy. The CH2O-life connection is maintained as long as the supply of H and O lasts, which is in turn are provided by the splitting of the water molecule H2O. Water is split by electricity, as well-known from school-level experiments, and by solar radiation and geothermal heat on a global scale. In other words, the Sun's radiation and the Earth's heat as well as radioactivity split water to supply H and O for continued existence of life on the Earth. These photochemical, radiochemical and geothermal processes have influences on the evolution and current composition of the Earth's atmosphere, compared with those of Venus and Mars, and influences on the planetary climatology. This view of life may be applicable to the "search-for-life in space" and to sustainability assessment of astrobiological habitats.


In this paper, we report on the major accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator project. The Incubator project facilitates a company's transition from developing a solar cell or PV module prototype to pilot- and large-scale U.S. manufacturing. The project targets small businesses that have demonstrated proof-of-concept devices or processes in the laboratory. Their success supports U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu's SunShot Initiative, which seeks to achieve PV technologies that are cost-competitive without subsidies at large scale with fossil-based energy sources by the end of this decade. The Incubator Project has enhanced U.S. PV manufacturing capacity and created more than 1200 clean energy jobs, resulting in an increase in American economic competitiveness. The investment raised to date by these PV Incubator companies as a result of DOE's $ 59 million investment total nearly $ 1.3 billion.


A sustainable transportation future is one in which people eschew personal car ownership in favor of using automated vehicle (AV) based ridehailing services in a shared mode. However, the traveling public has historically shown a disinclination towards sharing rides and carpooling with strangers. In a future of AV-based ridehailing services, it will be necessary for people to embrace both AVs as well as true ridesharing to fully realize the benefits of automated and shared mobility technologies. This paper investigates the factors influencing the willingness to use AV-based ridehailing services in the future in a shared (with strangers) mode. This is done through the estimation of a comprehensive behavioral model system on a comprehensive survey data set that includes rich information about attitudes, perceptions, and preferences regarding the adoption of automated vehicles and shared mobility modes. Model results show that current ridehailing experiences strongly influence the likelihood of being willing to ride AV-based services in a shared mode. Campaigns that provide opportunities for individuals to experience such services firsthand would potentially go a long way in enabling a shared mobility future at scale. In addition, a number of attitudinal variables are found to strongly influence the adoption of future mobility services; these findings provide insights on likely early adopters of shared automated mobility services and the types of educational awareness campaigns that may effect change in the prospects for such services.


The goal of a carbon free H$_{2}$ economy using a photoelectrochemical cell to split water is a worthwhile endeavor to solve the looming energy crisis. Many scientists have taken up this cause and an abundance of studies exists characterizing, optimizing, and creating materials to integrate into a full artificial photosynthetic system. However, despite widespread attention, a viable industrial-scaled photoelectrochemical device has yet to emerge due to low efficiencies, slow kinetics, and high energetic barriers. To that end, going back to the fundamentals may be a necessary step to understand what is causing the bottleneck, particularly within the heterogeneous water oxidation catalysts. Herein, the surface electronic structure of transition metal-based semiconductors and their 3$d$ valence electrons that actively participate in the oxygen evolution process are investigated using a number of spectroscopic techniques in an effort to unravel the mechanism and uncover important material properties. I focus on three major properties: 1) photo-excited carrier dynamics affecting the excited state electronic structure, 2) ground state electronic structure including covalent and atomic parameters, and 3) surface state-mediated interfacial hole transport.First, the transient electronic structure of Co$_{3}$O$_{4}$, a promising water oxidation catalyst, is probed via transient absorption spectroscopy. With selective excitation of key optical transitions, both inter- and intravalence transitions involving the 3$d$ electrons, the kinetics and spectrum are investigated. A wide range of pump and probe wavelengths, spanning the ultraviolet to the visible to the near infrared, are employed. Despite this range of pump and probe energies, the carrier dynamics were largely unaffected. Additionally, the kinetics and spectra show a unique independence to fluence and sample morphology.The kinetics reveal a photo-excited carrier density that quickly thermalizes when excited across the charge transfer transitions and converts into $d-d$ excitations. The recombination from these localized midgap $d$ states occurs at a longer, nanosecond time scale.In addition to perturbing the system via photo-excitation, the electronic structure of Co$_{3}$O$_{4}$ was tuned using an applied potential in a technique called spectroelectrochemistry. Spectroelectrochemistry reinforced the results of the transient absorption spectroscopy and confirmed the identity of the midgap $d$ states through determination of the energetics of these 3$d$ states as well as assignment of whether electrons or holes induced the absorptions or bleaches observed within the transient spectrum.Taken together, the results suggest a special type of intrinsic hole trap center that is a potentially promising long-lived state for utilization in photo-activation. Further, since the photo-excited hole is efficiently localized at these 3$d$ sites, the most likely water oxidation reaction intermediate is an oxidized cobalt center, \emph{i.e.} a Co(IV)=O species.The second investigation probes the ground state 3$d$ electronic structure of active and non-active water oxidation catalysts using X-ray absorption spectroscopy to determine an electronic structure-activity relationship. A set of molecular, homogeneous cobalt polyoxometalates serves as model systems for extracting electronic structure parameters, such as metal valence state (\emph{i.e.} 2+ or 3+), metal coordination environment (\emph{i.e.} tetrahedral or octahedral environments), structural distortions and covalency between the metal and oxygen ligands, from cobalt L-edge spectra. No definitive structure-activity relationship could be established because X-ray absorption spectroscopy could not distinguish between the number of metal atoms within the molecular structure or the identity of the heteroatom surrounding the metal(s) and ligands. These properties are what defines the extent of catalytic activity and point to the importance of using more sensitive techniques such as resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. However, ligand field multiplet theory was able to simulate well the experimental Co L-edge spectra for the well-defined model systems and report the ligand field parameter 10Dq to within an accuracy of $\pm$1~eV and the strength of electron-electron interactions to within $\pm$5$\%$ of atomic values. These parameters were subsequently applied to characterize a lesser-defined heterogeneous sample, a Co$_{3}$O$_{4}$ thin film.Lastly, the final chapter addresses the surface structure dynamics under \emph{in situ} conditions, \emph{i.e.} during the influence of water, on GaN. GaN, a widely studied semiconductor for integration as a photoanode in the water oxidation reaction, possesses a unique surface chemistry and a mobility that is experimentally accessible. Using surface sensitive transient grating spectroscopy, a quantitative value for the hole mobilities of both an undoped and a n-doped GaN film were determined in air and at a semiconductor/electrolyte interface. It was found that interfacial carrier mobility is highly dependent on the surface intermediates. For n-doped GaN, a large density of dark surface states in the form of various adsorbed species exist that can localize holes and, further, allow the holes to hop from metal site to metal site along the surface, possibly assisted by proton-coupled electron transfer with the water molecules. This charge transfer pathway during dark equilibration between the semiconductor electrochemical potential and water oxidation potential more than doubles the interfacial hole diffusivity compared to its value in air. This was confirmed under both acidic and neutral conditions, 0.1~M HBr (pH = 2) and 0.1~M Na$_{2}$SO$_{4}$ (pH = 7). In contrast, the hole diffusivity of undoped GaN with no significant surface state density is unchanged with introduction of an electrolyte solution.The results suggest that charge transport and surface reactivity, which are generally treated independently, are connected phenomena.


In this work, we focus on investigating the Quickbird and Landsat-8 datasets for mapping hydrothermal and gossans alterations in reconnaissance porphyry copper mineralization in the Babbiduyeh area. This area is situated in the Central Iranian Volcano-sedimentary Complex, where large copper deposits like Sarcheshmeh as well as numerous occurrences of copper exist. The alteration zones are discriminated by implementation of band ratio and principal component analysis on the Quickbird and Landsat-8 datasets. The image processing results are evaluated by field surveys, X-ray diffraction (XRD), microscopic thin section, and spectroscopic studies of field samples as well as the 1:100000 Sarduiyeh and 1:5000 Babbiduyeh geological maps. In addition, the spectral characterizations of the samples are analyzed by visual inspection, and the PIMAView, SAMS, and ViewSpecpro software programs. The combined spectroscopic measurements, XRD analyses, and petrographic studies revealed mineral assemblages typical of the phyllic, phyllic-supergen, propylitic, argillic, and gossan alterations. The results obtained from image processing and analysis of field samples illustrated examples of effects of iron oxides and hydroxides on the surface of phyllic and argillic alterations. Hence, it can be concluded that the areas discriminated in Quickbird as gossans correspond to the phyllic and argillic alteration areas.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of anemia among First Nations children of northwestern Ontario.

DESIGN
Retrospective review of all hemoglobin determinations between 1990 and 1992 in the Sioux Lookout Zone.

SETTING
The Sioux Lookout Zone Hospital, a secondary care referral hospital for 28 remote First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, affiliated with the University of Toronto's Sioux Lookout Program.

PARTICIPANTS
All First Nations children age 3 to 60 months who had produced venipuncture or fingerprick blood samples between 1990 and 1992 (614 children had a total of 1223 hemoglobin determinations).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Prevalence of anemia by age, sex, geographical location, and diagnosis. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin value less than 110g/L.

RESULTS
Prevalence of anemia peaked in the age range of 6 to 24 months with prevalence rates of 51.7% to 79.3%. Conditions most commonly associated with anemia were respiratory tract infections. Children living in communities in the western part of the Sioux Lookout Zone were 1.64 times more likely to have anemia (95% confidence interval 1.15, 2.35) than children in the other communities.

CONCLUSIONS
Anemia appears to be a serious public health problem among preschool children in the Sioux Lookout Zone.


Buildings are found to be both, one of the biggest consumer of energy and producer of greenhouse gases. It has become a global issue. According to the National Institute of Building Sciences(USA), buildings generate 35 percent of the carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49 percent of the sulphur dioxide, and 25 percent of the nitrogen oxide found in the air. Since buildings are accountable for this scenario, it has imposed an immediate requirement to not only think of, but implement sustainability in every new construction instantly. This will render us a sustained environment and a healthy ecosystem. Green Buildings are buildings that subscribe to the principle of conscientious handling of natural resources, which means causing as little environmental interference as possible, using environment friendly materials, requires low operational energy, utilizes renewable sources of energy to fulfil its requirements, follows high-quality and longevity as a guideline for construction and last but not least, must be economically viable. Albeit the problem is common in developing nations. The paper focuses on green design as a vital transformation of contemporary architecture practiced in developing nations. It endeavours to present some environmental and physical design approaches for green buildings in promptly developing countries chiefly India. In this regard, the study presents hands on analysis of basics and principles of green architecture, theories and viewpoints outlined in the field and also the analysis of efficacious cases of environment friendly buildings in India.


In the field of open-cage fullerenes, there was a lack of a universal standard that could correlate and quantify the orifice size of open-cage fullerenes. One cannot compare the relative orifice size by simple comparison of the number of atoms that composes the orifice. We present a general term for easy estimation of relative orifice size by defining an index for open-cage fullerenes. We estimated the corresponding effective areas A(area) for orifices of open-cage fullerenes by matching calculated activation energies Ea(calcd) for hydrogen release from open-cage fullerenes (B3LYP/6-31G**//B3LYP/3-21G) to the computed energies required for a hydrogen molecule passing through a cyclo[n]carbon ring. Then we define an index K(orifice) based on experimental hydrogen release rate, where K(orifice) = ln k/k degrees (k is rate constant of hydrogen-release rate of any open-cage fullerenes taken for comparison at 160 degrees C; k degrees is the hydrogen release rate from H2@4a taken as the standard compound). We synthesized several open-cage fullerenes and studied kinetics of a set of H2-encapsulated open-cage fullerenes to evaluate their K values. A correlation of the index K(orifice) with the effective areas A(area) showed a good linear fit (r2 = 0.972) that demonstrated a good interplay between experiment and theory. This allows one to estimate K(orifice) index and/or relative rate k of hydrogen release through computing activation energy Ea(calcd) for a designed open-cage fullerene.


The slow convergence speed and the lack of effective constraint handling strategies are the major concerns when applying genetic algorithms (Gas) to constrained optimization problem. An improved genetic algorithm was proposed by dividing population into three parts: optimal subpopulation, elitists subpopulation and spare subpopulation. We applied genetic algorithm on three subpopulations with different evolutionary strategies. Isolation of optimal subpopulation was to improve convergence speed. Population diversity was kept by spare subpopulation setting and aperiodically decreasing of the size of optimal subpopulation. Gene segregation was carried out by crossover operation between optimal subpopulation and spare subpopulation. Combination of penalty function method and the strategy of elitists preservation by setting elitists subpopulation was used to constraint handling. Some numerical tests have been made and the results show that the algorithm is effective.


The research suggests that solution-focused cognitive–behavioral (SFCB) coaching can enhance performance, reduce stress, and help build resilience. Thus, SFCB coaching may be a useful methodology for enhancing both performance and well-being while also serving as a preventative mechanism that can reduce the probability of stress-related fatigue and burnout. This article outlines the key cognitive and behavioral mechanisms of SFCB coaching and discusses their utility in this regard. Although SFCB coaching has great potential, coaches, consultants, and organizations also need a guiding framework to help orient and direct the coaching process. The "Performance/Well-Being Matrix" consists of 2 orthogonal dimensions: (a) performance (high/low) and (b) well-being (high/low); it is presented as a simple framework that can help coaches, consultants, and organizations assess individuals and organizations and help orient them toward the quadrant of high performance and high well-being—the space of sustainable high performance. This may prove to be a useful way to help address workplace stress and move toward creating sustainable high-performing and flourishing organizational cultures.


The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a physicallybased model allowing the statistical simulations of oxide leakage currents in MOS transistors and Floating Gate memories. This model computes the leakage current through defects randomly generated in the oxide, in case accounting for the formation of percolation paths. Furthermore, a calculation procedure has been developed to calculate the threshold voltage of FG memories from the simulated oxide leakage current in some reliability conditions, thus allowing to investigate their actual Flash data retention issues and their future trends. To this regard, it will be shown how this simulation model can be used to investigate threshold voltage shift occurring in retention conditions in FG memories after both Program/Erase cycles, i.e. electrical stress and radiation exposure.


This paper presents a Genetic Algorithm Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis (GA-FDEA) model that caters for optimal selecting of economic indicators for the measurement of relative productivity and performance of financial institutions. Imprecise or uncertain data of financial institutions due to varying monetary policies and market risk were retrieved from Nigeria Stock Exchange Commission and evaluated. It was observed that GA-FDEA provides better results than the conventional DEA. The findings provide economic barometers for ascertaining the viability of these institutions toward bringing the expected growth of these institutions and the nation at large.


This paper reports a simulation study comparing and evaluating the performance of different linguistic phylogeny reconstruction methods on model datasets for which the true trees are known. UPGMA performed least well, then (in ascending order) neighbor joining, the method of Gray & Atkinson and finally maximum parsimony. Weighting characters greatly improves the accuracy of maximum parsimony and maximum compatibility if the characters with high weights exhibit low homoplasy.


Two dinuclear dysprosium single-molecule magnets (SMMs) with a nearly identical core structure, namely [Dy2(DMOP)2(DBM)4(CHCl3)4] (1) and [Dy2(DMOP)2(DBM)4(C2H4Cl2)2] (2) (DMOP = 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, DBM = dibenzoylmethane), and their Y(III) (3) and Gd(III) (4) analogues were structurally and magnetically characterized. Despite the fact the phenoxyl of DMOP can only transfer weak exchange coupling and the local coordination environment around the individual Dy(III) ion is in a low geometrical symmetry, their joint contribution ultimately leads to significant zero-field slow magnetic relaxation behaviours. It is interesting to note that the effective energy barrier (Ueff) of the magnetization reversal was nearly doubly improved by only deliberately replacing or losing the lattice solvents while maintaining the Dy2 core structure. Ab initio calculations confirmed that changing the lattice solvents induced the intramolecular coupling change and impacted the dynamic magnetic relaxations. The significant enhancement of an SMM's performance depending on the lattice solvents indicated that it is possible to improve an SMM's properties by tuning the guest molecules.


The combinatorial expression of transcription factors frequently marks cellular identity in the nervous system, yet how these factors interact to determine specific neuronal phenotypes is not well understood. Sensory neurons of the trigeminal ganglion (TG) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) coexpress the homeodomain transcription factors Brn3a and Islet1, and past work has revealed partially overlapping programs of gene expression downstream of these factors. Here we examine sensory development in Brn3a/Islet1 double knock-out (DKO) mice. Sensory neurogenesis and the formation of the TG and DRG occur in DKO embryos, but the DRG are dorsally displaced, and the peripheral projections of the ganglia are markedly disturbed. Sensory neurons in DKO embryos show a profound loss of all early markers of sensory subtypes, including the Ntrk neurotrophin receptors, and the runt-family transcription factors Runx1 and Runx3. Examination of global gene expression in the E12.5 DRG of single and double mutant embryos shows that Brn3a and Islet1 are together required for nearly all aspects of sensory-specific gene expression, including several newly identified sensory markers. On a majority of targets, Brn3a and Islet1 exhibit negative epistasis, in which the effects of the individual knock-out alleles are less than additive in the DKO. Smaller subsets of targets exhibit positive epistasis, or are regulated exclusively by one factor. Brn3a/Islet1 double mutants also fail to developmentally repress neurogenic bHLH genes, and in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation shows that Islet1 binds to a known Brn3a-regulated enhancer in the neurod4 gene, suggesting a mechanism of interaction between these genes.


The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of entrepreneurial initiative on the development of innovation activity of country enterprises. The theory of entrepreneurship by clarifying the essence of entrepreneurial initiative got further elaboration in the article. The methodical approach to the analysis and evaluation of the entrepreneurial initiative and its impact on the innovation activity of the enterprises, the results of which are the basis for further development of proposals to stimulate entrepreneurial initiative and development of their innovation activity is suggested. The estimation of innovation activity of 1758 enterprises of Ukraine by calculating the integral indicator of innovation activity revealed its low level for innovation active enterprises. The method of one-dimensional linear regression has determined that an increase in the number of business structures per 10 thousand people of the country's population at a rate of 1.0 causes an increase in the indicator of innovation activity by 0.172.  It is proved in the article that development of infrastructure of entrepreneurial environment and creation of centers for entrepreneurship development act as an important mechanism of increasing innovation activity of enterprises of the country.


CANINE monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is an important canine disease with a worldwide distribution. The clinical presentation can be acute, subclinical or chronic, and there may be a multitude of clinical manifestations (Neer 1998, Neer and others 2002, Cohn 2003, Harrus and Waner 2011). This report describes a case of severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) in a dog infected with Ehrlichia canis , which completely resolved after treatment.

A seven-year-old, neutered female Yorkshire terrier, weighing 5.5 kg, was presented to the Cardiology Service of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Milan with a one-month history of syncope and a one-week history of anorexia and abdominal distension. The dog was housed indoors, its vaccination programme was up to date and it received monthly heartworm-prevention treatment during the warm season. Every August, the dog spent a month in a tick-endemic area (the island of Sardinia, Italy).

On physical examination, the dog showed generalised weakness, dyspnoea, pale mucous membranes, prolonged capillary refill time, jugular distension and pulse, a weak femoral pulse, generalised moderate lymph node enlargement, right systolic heart murmur (grade 3/6), abnormal lung sounds and marked abdominal distension. Body temperature was 38.6°C. These findings were consistent with right-sided congestive heart failure (RCHF) and poor peripheral perfusion.

Complete blood count (CBC) and biochemistry showed a mild normocytic normochromic anaemia, leucocytosis with marked lymphocytosis, moderate thrombocytopenia, severe hyperproteinaemia, hyperglobulinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia and increased plasma C-reactive protein (Table 1). Serum protein electrophoresis showed a narrow peak in the gammaglobulin region suggesting an oligo- or monoclonal gammopathy. Cytological evaluation of aspirates from peripheral lymph nodes showed a prevalent population of small lymphoid cells with signs of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. Cytological examination of a bone marrow aspirate showed mild hypoplasia of erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages and an increased percentage of small lymphocytes (about 20 per cent of total …


Customer satisfaction is a key dimension driving business outcomes and performance of processes in service and product organizations. Measuring customer satisfaction is typically based on self-declared or interview based questionnaires where users or consumers are asked to express opinions on statements, or satisfaction scales, mapping out various interactions with the service provider or product supplier. The topic has gained importance in recent years with researchers proposing new models and methods for designing, implementing, and analyzing customer satisfaction surveys. The paper builds on material presented in a recent edited book entitled Modern Analysis of Customer Satisfaction Surveys (Kenett and Salini, 2011). The book provides a comprehensive exposition of a variety of models that have all been applied to the same data set by leading experts. These models generate a variety of management insights. Combining models opens up opportunities for further research and applications. Specifically, we suggest that an integrated analysis, aggregating several approaches to survey data analysis, may prove effective in increasing the information quality derived from of a customer satisfaction survey.


One of the main aspects in urban design is to choose the appropriate location for the dominant buildings because of its effect on the image ability, legibility and way finding in addition to the aesthetic aspect. Administration building of University has an important symbolic value through its main function and responsibility that includes managing of all components of the campus. The relationship between visual organization properties of administration building of University and the building location represents phenomena that lacks adequate research endeavors, despite its importance in organizing Campus site. So there is a need for a clear and precise vision of this relationship. Four universities were selected as case studies, include designed university as Baghdad University, and accumulatively grown universities as Mosul University, Cairo University and Kufa University. Visual analysis and space syntax approach were applied to determine and compare the visual attributes of administration buildings of Universities using relevant softwares. The study outcome showed some similar and different indicators among universities.


People living with serious mental illness are often poor and financially vulnerable, but little is known about their experiences of using financial services. Using data from qualitative interviews with 31 clients of a public mental health center, this article explores the use of financial services, including bank accounts, prepaid cards, bill payment methods, saving, and borrowing, by people who have serious mental illness and are poor. We find that financial services do not work well for them, they are frustrated with the associated fees, they struggle to save money (in part due to a lack of effective savings products), and they experience significant rates of arrears and debt. Understanding the use of financial services by this population has implications for developing mechanisms of support, intervention, and regulatory and policy change that will enable them to be more financially healthy, while maximizing their autonomy.


A growing literature has focussed attention on 'expressive' rather than 'instrumental' behaviour in political settings particularly voting A common criticism of the expressive idea is that its myriad possibilities make it rather ad hoc and lacking in both predictive and normative bite. We agree that no single clear definition of expressive behaviour has emerged to date, and no detailed foundations of specific expressive motivations have been provided, so that there are rather few specific implications drawn from the analysis of expressive behaviour. In response, we provide a foundational discussion and definition of expressive behaviour that accounts for a range of factors. We also discuss the content of expressive choice distinguishing between moral, social and emotional cases, and relate this more general account to the specific theories of expressive choice in the literature. Finally, we discuss the normative and institutional implications of expressive behaviour.


We report a search for the flavor-changing neutral-current decay of the top quark t{yields}Zq (q=u, c) in pp collisions at {radical}(s)=1.96 TeV using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 fb{sup -1} collected by the CDF II detector. This decay is strongly suppressed in the standard model and an observation of a signal at the Fermilab Tevatron would be an indication of physics beyond the standard model. Using Z+{>=}4 jet final state candidate events, with and without an identified bottom quark jet, we obtain an upper limit of B(t{yields}Zq)<3.7% at 95% C.L.


This pa per suggests a simple method based on Chebyshev approximation at Chebyshev nodes to approximate partial differential equations. The methodology simply consists in determining the value function by using a set of nodes and basis functions. We provide two examples. Pricing an European option and determining the best policy for chatting down a machinery. The suggested method is flexible, easy to program and efficient. It is also applicable in other fields, providing efficient solutions to complex systems of partial differential equations. JEL Classification: C63, G12


Abstract Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic virus classified as category A priority pathogen. Rift Valley fever (RVF) has been poorly investigated in Nigeria with the infection among Nigerians last reported in 1996. Two hundred (200) febrile subjects with symptoms of malaria attending local hospitals in Ilorin, Nigeria were investigated for malaria, malaria positive subjects were investigated for the presence of RVF. Malaria screening was done using CarestartTM malaria HRP2(pf), while RVF antibodies were tested for using anti-RVF IgM ELISA. Molecular identification of the viral genome was carried out using RNA extraction (QIAGEN) and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Of the 200 subjects tested for malaria infection, 93 (46.5%) were positive, while 20 (21.5%) of the 93 subjects were seropositive for RVF. RVF virus genome was found in 5 (25%) of the 20 positive subjects. The high prevalence of RVF among malaria positive subjects show that there is a risk of a RVF outbreak if its prevalence remains unchecked.


This article serves to introduce the May 2004 issue of MRS Bulletin on Construction Materials: From Innovation to Conservation. By volume, building materials are by far the most widely used type of materials. The most common construction materials—concrete and wood—are paradigms of complex and hierarchical materials, with a microstructure extending quasi-continuously down to the nanoscale. In the past, most improvements have been obtained by modifying the microstructure at the largest scales, for instance, by reducing the macroporosity. Recent advances in our understanding of the interactions and microstructure development show that the major levers for improvement from now on will rely on surface and colloid science and the science of complex materials, often at the nanoscale. This can lead to remarkable properties, such as self-compaction and ultrahigh strength, and even new functionality, such as self-cleaning through photocatalysis. Construction materials face a wide range of challenges today, many of which are linked to the need for more sustainable development: reducing the consumption of raw materials, reducing the energy used in processing, and increasing service life. In many parts of the world, there is also an increasing need to repair, rehabilitate, and conserve old buildings. The articles in this issue touch on these challenges as well as the advances being made in construction materials through materials research.


After reviewing the history of coronary surgery the author describes the different grafts used in coronary artery bypass grafting and its results. They vary with coronary anatomy, left ventricle function, age, arterial hypertension, diabetes, etc. The rationale of the different surgical approaches are discussed, emphasizing the advantages of a close medical-surgical cooperation.


This full research paper presents a study exploring first year computing students' study behavior and the effects of educational design. Some research has indicated that the relationship between students' study behavior and their academic performance is as strong as the relationship to more common predictors such as past performance and test scores. However, knowledge about students' study behavior, how behavior develops and is influenced by program and course design, and consequently, the effect various design parameters have on learning is limited. This paper presents a model describing computing students' study behavior and how these are affected by the educational design. Through a mixed-method approach, a population of computing students was followed through their first year. Results from in-depth interviews with students throughout their first year found that the educational structure and organization of a study program conditions the students' study behavior. In order to further investigate these tendencies, two surveys (N=215) were conducted within the whole first-year student population at the beginning and end of the year. A significant difference found was in the use of surface and deep strategies at the beginning and end for the first year, indicating that students shift from deep to surface learning during the year. Even if students initially seek a deep content-driven approach to learning, the structure of the education and other organizational factors may be the cause of a more surface and task-focused approach towards the end of the first year. Students' study behavior is constrained by the educational design, which furthermore may lead to different learning outcomes than desired. Researching and developing learning goals, course content, lectures and assignments is one way to improve computing education; however, this research suggests that taking a comprehensive and integrated approach to educational design might also lead to improvements.


Ondansetron is the first of a new class of drugs, selective serotonin receptor antagonist (5 hydroxy tryptamine type 3) used as an anti emetic associated with cancer chemotherapy. Its Orally Disintegrating Tablet has been developed for patients who find swallowing difficult by freeze dried technology by RP Scherer Corporation and Scherer DDS. The aim of this study was to design a new orally disintegrating tablet that has high hardness and a fast disintegration rate using conventional tablet technology. Ondansetron ODT was prepared by using traditional technology like direct compression and wet granulation technique. As blend exhibited poor flow in direct compression process, so wet granulation process was finalized. Bitter taste of Ondansetron has been masked by use of sweetener like aspartame and peppermint flavor. Quick disintegration has been achieved by use of surfactant in the granulating solvent and superdisintegrant like crospovidone in both intra and extragranular part. Design space has been created by use of different concentrations of both binders as well as disintegrant with the help of DOE and a robust formulation has been made. In vitro release profile of both formulations prepared by freeze drying and wet granulation is matching. Formulation prepared by wet granulation process has been found acceptable to volunteers in term of taste, mouth feel and convenience of administration.


Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided tissue acquisition (EUS‐TA) currently plays a central role in the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Although fine‐needle aspiration has been the gold standard, novel biopsy needles for fine‐needle biopsy (FNB) were developed to overcome its limitations, which include low tumor cellularity and the inability to retain cellular architecture. Following recent improvements in FNB needles, the pathological diagnosis has shifted from cytology to histology and now to genetic diagnosis. Genetic analysis using EUS‐TA samples began with a search for the presence of K‐ras mutations. However, the introduction of next‐generation sequencers has dramatically changed genetic analysis and led to the gradual elucidation of the mechanism of PDAC, enabling personalized medicine by performing multiple gene analyses simultaneously. Comprehensive genomic profiling is currently applied in the clinical setting and there is an increasing need for gene analysis using EUS‐TA samples. Although target genome sequencing is feasible even with cytological specimens, it can be difficult to proceed with full genetic analysis including whole‐exome sequence or whole‐genome sequence if the samples are too small. Genetic analysis will become highly important in determining indications for personalized medicine such as poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, the endosonographer must always take gene analysis into consideration when collecting samples for diagnosis and further improvement of the puncture technique and needle development are anticipated in the future.


Hydroxyapatite (HAP) and 58S Bioactive Glasses (BG) coatings are successfully synthesized by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) on Ti6Al4V alloy subjected to Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT). This process uses steel balls impacts on the Ti6Al4V surface to improve its mechanical properties. However when the Ti6Al4V substrate is treated by SMAT the industrial plasma spray technique is not efficient to obtain adherent HAP coatings. This problem is mainly related to the modifications of the Ti6Al4V surface topography due to the SMAT process. Therefore, in this work we demonstrate that EPD offers an efficient solution to solve this technical problem. Indeed we obtain a homogeneous and adherent HAP coating on the SMATed Ti6Al4V surface from a suspension of nanoparticles in ethanol. Moreover EPD is successfully employed to produce a 58S BG coating on the SMATed Ti6Al4V surface. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) associated to Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDXS) reveals that the coatings obtained by EPD are adherent and compact without alteration of their chemical composition.


Background:  The reported incidence of refeeding syndrome is highly variable due to the heterogeneity of its definition, the electrolyte reference ranges used, patient populations investigated and the treatment protocols implemented (Marik & Bedigian, 1996; Fan et al., 2004). Recent guidelines have been published by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence on the identification and management of patients at risk of refeeding syndrome (NICE, 2006). The aim of this prospective observational study was to determine the incidence of refeeding syndrome in hospital patients referred for artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) via the enteral or parenteral route, where national practice guidelines exist to prevent its occurrence.

Methods:  Data was collected as part of a larger, ongoing study at a London hospital. All patients referred to the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics for ANH had their feeding regimen and their risk of refeeding syndrome determined based upon the clinical decision of their dietitian and local guidelines. An independent researcher screened patients for inclusion into the study and then categorised their risk of refeeding syndrome based upon criteria from national guidelines (NICE, 2006). Patient characteristics, diet history, anthropometry, feed prescription and baseline serum phosphate, potassium and magnesium were recorded. Electrolytes were recorded every 3 days, up to 15 days, to determine clinical signs consistent with refeeding syndrome. Patients 'at risk' of refeeding syndrome were compared with those categorised as 'not at risk'. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 15 and included descriptive statistics, McNemar's test and independent t-tests for continuous data. Ethical approval was obtained from the appropriate committee.

Results:  Of the 24 patients recruited, only three (13%) were judged to be 'at-risk' of refeeding syndrome by the patient's dietitian, compared with 18 (75%) who were identified as 'at-risk' based upon criteria from national guidelines (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in energy prescription (P = 0.836), energy delivery on the first day of feeding (P = 0.814) or serum electrolyte concentrations at any time point during feeding, when comparing patients identified as 'at-risk' or 'not at-risk' by national guidelines. Refeeding syndrome was not observed.

Discussion:  Adherence to the NICE guidelines (2006) for preventing refeeding syndrome was variable in these patients. However, patients identified as being 'at-risk' according to these guidelines did not develop refeeding syndrome, despite frequently receiving energy prescriptions in excess of the recommendations.

Conclusions:  Patients who were categorised as 'at risk' of refeeding syndrome according to national guidelines did not always go on to develop the syndrome. The role of dietetic assessment of risk of refeeding syndrome warrants further investigation.

References  Fan, C., Ren, J., Wang, X. & Li, J. (2004) Refeeding syndrome in patients with gastrointestinal fistula. Nutrition 20, 346–350.

Marik, P.E. & Bedigian, M.K. (1996) Refeeding hypophosphatemia in critically ill patients in an intensive care unit. Arch. Surg. 131, 1043–1047.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence/National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care, February 2006. Nutrition support in adults. Oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition. London: National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care.


We present a general and flexible Bayesian approach using uncertainty multipliers to simultaneously analyze the input and parameter uncertainty of a groundwater flow model with consideration of the heteroscedasticity of the groundwater level error. Groundwater recharge and groundwater abstraction multipliers are introduced to quantify the uncertainty of the spatially distributed input data of the groundwater model in addition to parameter uncertainty. The heteroscedasticity of the groundwater level error is also considered in our Bayesian approach by incorporating a new heteroscedastic error model. The proposed methodology is applied in an overexploited aquifer in Bangladesh where groundwater abstraction and recharge data are highly uncertain. The results of the study confirm that consideration of recharge and abstraction uncertainty through the use of recharge and abstraction multipliers is feasible even in a fully distributed physically based groundwater flow model. Heteroscedasticity is present in the groundwater level error and has an effect on the model predictions and parameter distributions. The input uncertainty affects the model predictions and parameter distributions and it is the dominant source of uncertainty in the groundwater flow prediction. Additionally, the approach described also provides a new way to optimize the spatially distributed recharge and abstraction data along with the parameter values under uncertain input conditions. We conclude that considering model input uncertainty along with parameter uncertainty and heteroscedasticity of the groundwater level error is important for obtaining realistic model predictions and a correct estimation of the uncertainty bounds.


In food law scientific evidence occupies a central position. This study offers a legal insight into risk analysis and the precautionary principle, positioned in the EU as general principles applicable to all food safety measures, both national and EU. It develops a new method of looking at these principles as a comprehensive methodology for making food laws in the EU, embedded in the EU rules relating to the internal market, as well as the international trade regime established by the WTO. The research focuses on the crucial aspects of the risk analysis methodology. It redefines the precautionary principle in this context and clarified its scope of application. The level of regulatory autonomy allocated to EU and national decision-makers shows that the extent to which they can refer to non-scientific factors, such as consumer risk perceptions, local traditions or ethical considerations, is much more limited at national level than at EU level, which raises questions about the legitimacy of food safety governance in the EU.


In this paper, silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics by aligning α-Si3N4 whiskers were prepared via tape casting, hot-press sintering technique using Y2O3 and MgO as sintering additives. Aligned α-Si3N4 whiskers were realized by modifying the tape casting technique. After tape casting, Si3N4 tape with good flexibility and uniform pores can be obtained. Microstructures of the tape, green body and sintered sample were observed by SEM images. The results show α-Si3N4 whiskers in Si3N4 tape and green body were aligned preferentially along the tape casting direction. Si3N4 ceramics with aligned elongated grains are developed by hot-press sintering technique based on the reaction between Si3N4 and the sintering additives which lead to the liquid phase.


The goal of Communicative Language Teaching is to develop fluency in language use. It emerged for better interaction like native speakers. Significantly, using the CLT approach increases communicative competence which is more reliable in language teaching. CLT is a broad approach to teaching that resulted from a focus on communication as the organizing principle for teaching. It helps language teachers achieve maximum learning among the learners rather than focus on mastery of the grammatical system of the languages. Task Based Instruction focuses on classroom activities involving two or more learners using communication strategies and interactional skills.


: Resection of 2/3 mass of the pancreas preserving the ducts of the central portion is accompanied in dogs by certain changes in lymph nodes of the small intestine radix mesenterii. The operative trauma is followed by size decrease of the lymph nodes owing to degeneration and migration of lymphocytes. Absorbtion of decay products from the operative wound results in lymphocytic blasttransformation and proliferation. By the end of the first and beginning of the second month of the experiment, certain involution is noted in the lymph nodes. Further regeneration of the pancreatic stem and restoration of the lymph nodes structure develop nearly simultaneously.


The persistent environmental aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist and hepatotoxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) induces hepatic lipid accumulation (steatosis), inflammation (steatohepatitis) and fibrosis. Thousands of liver-expressed, nuclear-localized lncRNAs with regulatory potential have been identified; however, their roles in TCDD-induced hepatoxicity and liver disease are unknown. We analyzed single nucleus (sn)RNA-seq data from control and chronic TCDD-exposed mouse liver to determine liver cell-type specificity, zonation and differential expression profiles for thousands of IncRNAs. TCDD dysregulated >4,000 of these lncRNAs in one or more liver cell types, including 684 lncRNAs specifically dysregulated in liver non-parenchymal cells. Trajectory inference analysis revealed major disruption by TCDD of hepatocyte zonation, affecting >800 genes, including 121 IncRNAs, with strong enrichment for lipid metabolism genes. TCDD also dysregulated expression of >200 transcription factors, including 19 Nuclear Receptors, most notably in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. TCDD-induced changes in cell–cell communication patterns included marked decreases in EGF signaling from hepatocytes to non-parenchymal cells and increases in extracellular matrix-receptor interactions central to liver fibrosis. Gene regulatory networks constructed from the snRNA-seq data identified TCDD-exposed liver network-essential lncRNA regulators linked to functions such as fatty acid metabolic process, peroxisome and xenobiotic metabolic. Networks were validated by the striking enrichments that predicted regulatory IncRNAs showed for specific biological pathways. These findings highlight the power of snRNA-seq to discover functional roles for many xenobiotic-responsive lncRNAs in both hepatocytes and liver non-parenchymal cells and to elucidate novel aspects of foreign chemical-induced hepatotoxicity and liver disease, including dysregulation of intercellular communication within the liver lobule.


This paper investigates internationalization patterns in the language and type of social sciences and humanities publications in non-English speaking countries. This research aims to demonstrate that such patterns are related not only to discipline but also to each country's cultural and historic heritage. We used data from Flemish and Polish databases collected between 2009 and 2014. In Flanders, on the one hand, we found that changes in the use of languages and publication types were moderate and occurred gradually over several years. In Poland, on the other hand, we found significant shifts in the use of certain publication types, sometimes from year to year. Examining the social sciences and humanities literature both as a whole and broken down by discipline, we observed similar variability over time in the proportion of work published in English and in article form. However, we found remarkable differences between Flanders and Poland regarding the most commonly used languages and publication types. Overall, we found few similarities between Flemish and Polish social sciences and humanities publication patterns.


Indigenous fruits and vegetables are known to play major role in the nutritional livelihood of the Nigeria population especially in the rural areas where people cannot pay for meat, egg and milk. In the face of threats posed by climate change as exemplified by drastic changes in rainfall pattern, temperature, relative humidity, radiation, weeds-pests-diseases complex and general alterations in the trends of climatic elements, there is the need to discuss the future of the uncultivated but edible plant species which have served as basis of livelihood for the poor people over several years. Emerging evidence has shown that farmers in Nigeria are mostly illiterate and that they practise the cropping system inherited from their parents and are still caught up in the recent phenomenon of climate change. They are mostly not producing in large quantities and depend on rain for their crops. Most of the indigenous fruits and vegetables are still gathered from the wild and are not included in the research mandate of Nigerian agricultural research Institutes. In this era of climate change, it is important to discuss how these indigenous crops will not go into extinction since they are still good sources of food and possible sources of germplasm for crop improvement. The farmers therefore need to be educated on the importance of the crops and the danger of sending them into extinction in the wake of climatic change. This paper therefore discusses the diversity of indigenous fruits and vegetables in Southwest Nigeria by taking into account the available species, the density, the uses, the mode of exploitation and the role that extension education can play in bringing these crops into cultivation, especially in this era of climate change in order to prevent them from extinction.


As New Zealand's favoured satirical television show 7 Days reconstitutes the week's current affairs and offers up a valuable counter narrative to traditional news media through its remixing of the conventions of news and the panel quiz show. Whilst many academics have studied satirical television in the US and UK contexts very little attention has been paid to the collection of New Zealand television satire and local audiences' preference for satire over other local comedy forms. In comparing the three television systems several characteristics emerge as unique to 7 Days and New Zealand's satiric tradition; an affinity for self-deprecating humour, the targeting of hubris, and the assailing of tall poppy syndrome; the hailing and sustenance of public feeling, and thereby the nourishment of nationalism and a communal 'Kiwi' identity.  Television satire dealing in news and review is a well-established practice but is often referred to in academia and popular culture as simply a 'genre' when it rather operates as somewhere between a discourse and a genre. Television satire is born of a strong literary tradition but literary criticisms fail to adequately address the functions of contemporary satire; its affective powers, the limits of its uptake, and the ideological footing of its critiques. Examples from US and UK television are considered as precursors to New Zealand satire, and a close analysis of 7 Days reveals that it is not only the conventions of genre that limit satire's incarnations but also an unstable broadcasting history and an uncertain future.


On 9 October 2009, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission impacted a spent Centaur rocket into the permanently shadowed region (PSR) within Cabeus crater and detected water vapor and ice, as well as other volatiles, in the ejecta plume. The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), a far ultraviolet (FUV) imaging spectrograph on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), observed this plume as FUV emissions from the fluorescence of sunlight by molecular hydrogen (H2) and other constituents. Energetic charged particles, such as galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs), can dissociate the molecules in water ice to form H2. We examine how much H2can be formed by these types of particle radiation interacting with water ice sequestered in the regolith within PSRs, and we assess whether it can account for the H2 observed by LAMP. To estimate H2formation, we use the GCR and SEP radiation dose rates measured by the LRO Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER). The exposure time of the ice is calculated by considering meteoritic gardening and the penetration depth of the energetic particles. We find that GCRs and SEPs could convert at least 1–7% of the original water molecules into H2. Therefore, given the amount of water detected by LCROSS, such particle radiation‒induced dissociation of water ice could likely account for a significant percentage (10–100%) of the H2measured by LAMP.


Phage therapy is a century-old technique employing viruses (phages) to treat bacterial infections, and in the clinic it is often used in combination with antibiotics. Antibiotics, however, interfere with critical bacterial metabolic activities that can be required by phages. Explicit testing of antibiotic antagonism of phage infection activities, though, is not a common feature of phage therapy studies. Here we use optical density-based 'lysis-profile' assays to assess the impact of two antibiotics, colistin and ciprofloxacin, on the bactericidal, bacteriolytic, and new-virion-production activities of three Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages. Though phages and antibiotics in combination are more potent in killing P. aeruginosa than either acting alone, colistin nevertheless substantially interferes with phage bacteriolytic and virion-production activities even at its minimum inhibitory concentration (1× MIC). Ciprofloxacin, by contrast, has little anti-phage impact at 1× or 3× MIC. We corroborate these results with more traditional measures, particularly colony-forming units, plaque-forming units, and one-step growth experiments. Our results suggest that ciprofloxacin could be useful as a concurrent phage therapy co-treatment especially when phage replication is required for treatment success. Lysis-profile assays also appear to be useful, fast, and high-throughput means of assessing antibiotic antagonism of phage infection activities.


The present study is aimed to provide information on the abundance of natural foods needed by Mugil cephalus in the Elechi Creek. The natural food of M. cephalus in the Elechi Creek was studied from stomach contents of the fish. The stomach contents were analyzed using two methods; the frequency of occurrence and numerical methods. Plant materials, diatoms, algae and dinoflagellates constituted its main food. Plant materials were found to be the most preferable food where it occurred in 67.0% of the examined fish. Annelids, fish larva, fish parts, insect parts and crustaceans comprised the food of animal origin. Sand/mud and organic matter occurred in about 11.0 and 73.0% of the examined stomachs respectively. These results indicate that M. cephalus is omnivorous plant materials were the most abundant food items by numerical and occurrence methods in the gut of the fish species.


Nanoparticles present in the interior of YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films were successfully imaged for the first time by using an ultrasonic force microscope (UFM), which can also operate as a conventional atomic force microscope (AFM). Nanoparticles of Y2BaCuO5 and BaSnO3 were introduced into YBCO films using pulsed laser ablation to improve critical current density via enhanced flux pinning. The scanning speed and ultrasonic frequencies in the range of 300-500 kHz were optimized for each sample such that the nanometer sized particles on the surface as well as from the film interior can be imaged with good contrast and resolution. UFM and AFM scans taken of the same locations were compared to show the advantages of using UFM over AFM. We demonstrate that UFM can be used nondestructively to both characterize the interior nanoparticles introduced in YBCO films and provide high resolution images of the screw dislocation induced terraces present in the films.


Based on Biot saturated soil theory, steady state dynamic response of the system is studied in the frequency domain when the inner boundary of a fractional derivative viscoelastic type circular lined tunnel is under the axisymmetric load and fluid pressure respectively. On the basis of introducing a partial permeable boundary condition, the solutions of stress, displacement and pore pressure of the lining and saturated soil are obtained by the inner boundary of the lining and continuity conditions of the interface, besides, the stress-displacement constitutive behavior of the lining is described by fractional derivative viscoelastic constitutive model. The influence of physical parameter on the system response is investigated. It is shown that the order of fractional derivative model has a great influence on the system dynamic response, and it depends on material parameter of the lining when the inner boundary of lining is subjected to axisymmetric load. The permeability parameter of lining has significant effects on system response induced by fluid pressure.


Because of the potential for methodological reviews to improve practice, this article presents the results of a methodological review, and meta-analysis, of kindergarten through 12th grade computer science education evaluation reports published before March 2005. A search of major academic databases, the Internet, and a query to computer science education researchers resulted in 29 evaluation reports that met stringent criteria for inclusion. Those reports were coded in terms of their demographic characteristics, program characteristics, evaluation characteristics, and evaluation findings. It was found that most of the programs offered direct computer science instruction to North American high school students. Stakeholder attitudes, program enrollment, academic achievement in core courses, and achievement in computer science courses were the most frequently measured outcomes. Questionnaires, existing sources of data, standardized tests, and teacher- or researcher- made tests were the most frequently used types of measures. Based on eight programs that offered direct computer science instruction, the average increase on tests of computer science achievement over the course of the program was 1.10 standard deviations, or the statistical equivalent of 73 out of 100 program participants having shown improvement. Some of the main challenges for the evaluation of computer science education programs are the absence of standardized, reliable, and valid measures of K-12 computer science education and coming to understand the causal links between program activities, gender, and program outcomes.


The RODIN, and DEPLOY projects have laid solid foundations for further theoretical, and practical (methodological and tooling) advances with Event-B; we investigated code generation for embedded, multi-tasking systems. This work describes activities from a follow-on project, ADVANCE; where our interest is co-simulation of cyber-physical systems. We are working to better understand the issues arising in a development when modelling with Event-B, and animating with ProB, in tandem with a multi-simulation strategy. With multi-simulation we aim to simulate various features of the environment separately, in order to exercise the deployable code. This paper has two contributions, the first is the extension of the code generation work of DEPLOY, where we add the ability to generate code from Event-B state-machine diagrams. The second describes how we may use code, generated from state-machines, to simulate the environment, and simulate concurrently executing state-machines, in a single task. We show how we can instrument the code to guide the simulation, by controlling the relative rate that non-deterministic transitions are traversed in the simulation.


A site capable of strictly host- and cell type-specific recognition was identified in the preS1 domain of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) through the use of antipeptide antisera generated against the extreme N-terminal fragment of the large virus envelope protein. The crucial determinant of this binding site was mapped to amino acids 10-13. Although a synthetic analogue of the site was highly immunogenic, natural WHV envelope did not display the site activity unless it was modified by proteolysis or acidic pH treatment, indicating an internal location of the determinant in viral envelope. Synthetic peptides encompassing the sequence of this site bound woodchuck lymphoid cells and hepatocytes in a species-restricted manner which followed characteristics of a specific ligand-receptor interaction, although their ability to interact with lymphoid cells was considerably greater than that for hepatocytes. In WHV-infected animals, a natural antibody to the identified cryptic cell-binding site arose independently of that directed against epitopes of unmodified virus envelope and its appearance constituted the earliest immunovirological indicator of virus invasion. Our results demonstrated that the preS1 domain of the large WHV envelope protein is endowed with the species- and cell type-specific recognition site which is protected against antibody surveillance by the natural tertiary structure of the protein and we suggest that proteolytic cleavage is required to induce the binding activity.


Recovery from spinal cord injury is improved by blocking the receptors for Nogo and the opioid peptide nociceptin. Releasing the brakes on axonal regeneration Recovery of motor function after an injury that severs spinal cord tracts is limited by multiple inhibitors of axonal regeneration, such as the myelin-associated protein Nogo. Sekine et al. identified ORL1, a receptor for the opioid peptide nociceptin, as another inhibitor of axonal regeneration. ORL1 suppressed axonal regeneration by increasing the cell surface abundance of the Nogo receptor NgR1 and through NgR1-independent mechanisms. Recovery of locomotor function and axonal regeneration were improved in mice treated with an ORL1 antagonist after spinal cord injury, and these effects were accentuated in NgR1-deficient mice. Thus, combining ORL1 and NgR1 antagonists may yield greater improvements in locomotor function after spinal cord injury than has been possible with NgR1 antagonists alone. Axonal growth after traumatic spinal cord injury is limited by endogenous inhibitors, selective blockade of which promotes partial neurological recovery. The partial repair phenotypes suggest that compensatory pathways limit improvement. Gene expression profiles of mice deficient in Ngr1, which encodes a receptor for myelin-associated inhibitors of axonal regeneration such as Nogo, revealed that trauma increased the mRNA expression of ORL1, which encodes the receptor for the opioid-related peptide nociceptin. Endogenous and overexpressed ORL1 coimmunoprecipitated with immature NgR1 protein, and ORL1 enhanced the O-linked glycosylation and surface expression of NgR1 in HEK293T and Neuro2A cells and primary neurons. ORL1 overexpression inhibited cortical neuron axon regeneration independently of NgR1. Furthermore, regeneration was inhibited by an ORL1 agonist and enhanced by the ORL1 antagonist J113397 through a ROCK-dependent mechanism. Mice treated with J113397 after dorsal hemisection of the mid-thoracic spinal cord recovered greater locomotor function and exhibited lumbar raphespinal axon sprouting. These effects were further enhanced by combined Ngr1 deletion and ORL1 inhibition. Thus, ORL1 limits neural repair directly and indirectly by enhancing NgR1 maturation, and ORL1 antagonists enhance recovery from traumatic CNS injuries in wild-type and Ngr1 null mice.


For 30 years the Structural Laboratory of the Peru Japan Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and Disaster Mitigation (CISMID) from the Faculty of Civil Engineering (FIC) of the National University of Engineering (UNI) is been testing different types of structural system, mainly confined masonry walls. In that sense, large number of experiments have been conducted in confined masonry walls. Analytical model for capacity curve is presented for walls with different types of masonry units, such as industrial hollow bricks, solid handmade bricks and tubular bricks which are the most representative units in Metropolitan Lima and Callao. Tetra-linear models are calibrated with experimental results in order to provided generalized model in terms of sensitive parameters which determines the capacity curve for flexural shear failure mechanism, such as longitudinal and transversal steel ratio, slenderness ratio and axial load ratio where shear stress is observed in the cracking, yielding, maximum and ultimate points.


Ovarian cancer may be particularly challenging for women, both physically and psychologically, because of the advanced nature of the disease at the time of diagnosis, the side effects of the disease, the repetitive cycles of aggressive therapy, and the perceived loss of femininity from the removal of reproductive organs. In addition, women with this disease rarely have an opportunity for cure. Most will face the very real possibility of dying. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of women living with ovarian cancer. Eighteen women participated in interviews, in which they described their experiences living with the disease. Women reported the myriad day-to-day changes in their lives, the major challenges they had to face, and the sources to which they turned for support. Implications for the practice of oncology nurses involve assessment, an understanding of the profound impact that this illness has on both the woman and her family, and the need to access a variety of supportive care programs.


Human behavior has been considered as a key factor in road safety. Mostly drivers involve in risky behaviors that cause road safety issues. The identification and categorization of risky driver behavior factors is very important to solve road safety issues. This study aims to evaluate and rank the most significant driver behavior factors related to road safety using multi criteria decision making applications. Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) was designed based on Saaty scale by considering the important risky driver behavior factors related to road safety. Twenty experts of transportation engineering department having high driving experience were asked to fill the dynamic questionnaire survey. The analytic network process (ANP) was applied based on pairwise comparisons of driver responses to rank the risky driver behavior factors. Network model results were used to differentiate more significant and less significant risky driving behavior factors based on measured criteria on perceived road safety issues. The analysis results revealed that "driving without alcohol use" was the most significant factor and "obeying speed limits" was the least significant factor for road safety as compared to other factors. The high rank risky driver behavior factors should be more focused to solve road safety issues.