The politics of coalition--the very heart of the political process in most European countries--can be analyzed either theoretically or empirically. "Multiparty Government" reconciles these approaches. It gives students of European politics access to the insights of contemporary theory while applying it to an analysis of real-world coalition politics.Michael Laver and Norman Schofield examine five basic themes: the identity and motivation of the actors in the coalition game; the eventual membership of the coalitions they form; their durability; the payoffs that are shared out by coalition members; and the impact of constitutional bargaining, behavioral, and historical constraints on the process of coalition bargaining. They illustrate their discussion of theory with a range of detailed case studies."Multiparty Government" offers an accessible approach that bridges the gap between the "European politics" and "game theory" traditions of political science, and puts the systematic study of the politics of coalition on the broader political science map."Laver and Schofield's book is at the same time accessible, pithy, down-to-earth, insightful, and yes, even captivating. In its scope and quality, it has no rival in the literature of party coalitions . . . all students of political parties or legislative behavior should allow themselves the privilege of being educated and entertained by Laver and Schofield's fine book." --"American Political Science Review"Michael Laver is Professor of Political Science and Sociology, University College, Galway. His books include "Playing Politics"; "Private Desires, Political Action: An Invitation to the Politics of Rational Choice"; "The Crime Game"; and "Social Choice and Public Policy." Norman Schofield is Professor and Director, Center in Political Economy, Washington University. He is the author of "Statistics: Theory & Practice in the Social Sciences"; "Mathematical Methods in Economics"; and "Social Choice and Democracy."


Proline is often found as a turn inducer in peptide or protein domains. Exploitation of its restricted conformational freedom led to the development of the d‐Pro‐l‐Pro (corresponding to (R)‐Pro–(S)‐Pro) segment as a "templating" unit, frequently used in the design of β‐hairpin peptidomimetics, in which conformational stability is, however, inherently linked to the cis–trans isomerization of the prolyl amide bonds. In this context, the stereoelectronic properties of the CF3 group can aid in conformational control. Herein, the impact of α‐trifluoromethylated proline analogues is examined for the design of enhanced β‐turn inducers. A theoretical conformational study permitted the dipeptide (R)‐Pro–(R)‐TfmOxa (TfmOxa: 2‐trifluoromethyloxazolidine‐2‐carboxylic acid) to be selected as a template with an increased trans–cis rotational energy barrier. NMR spectroscopic analysis of the Ac‐(R)‐Pro–(R)‐TfmOxa–(S)‐Val‐OtBu β‐turn model, obtained through an original synthetic pathway, validated the prevalence of a major trans–trans conformer and indicated the presence of an internal hydrogen bond. Altogether, it was shown that the (R)‐Pro–(R)‐TfmOxa template fulfilled all crucial β‐turn‐inducer criteria.


PURPOSE
Sorsby fundus dystrophy (SFD) is a rare, late-onset macular dystrophy caused by mutations in the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP3) gene. The known mutations introduce potentially unpaired cysteine residues in the C terminus of the protein and result in the formation of higher-molecular-weight protein complexes of as yet unknown composition and functional consequences in the pathologic course of SFD. To facilitate in vivo investigation of mutant TIMP3, the authors generated a knock-in mouse carrying a disease-related Ser156Cys mutation in the orthologous murine Timp3 gene.

METHODS
Site-directed mutagenesis and homologous recombination in embryonic stem (ES) cells was used to generate mutant ES cells carrying the Timp3(S156C) allele. Chimeric animals were obtained, of which two displayed germline transmission of the mutated allele. Molecular genetic, biochemical, electron microscopic, and electrodiagnostic techniques were used for characterization.

RESULTS
At 8 months of age, knock-in mice showed abnormalities in the inner aspect of Bruch's membrane and in the organization of the adjacent basal microvilli of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Changes resembling those in the mutant animals were also present to some extent in normal littermates, but only at an advanced age of 30 months. Long-term electrodiagnostic recordings indicated normal retinal function throughout life. The biochemical characteristics of the mutant protein appear similar in humans and knock-in mice, suggesting common molecular pathways in the two species. The localization of the mutant protein in the eye is normal, although there is evidence of increased Timp3 levels in Bruch's membrane of mutant animals.

CONCLUSIONS
The knock-in mice display early features of age-related changes in Bruch's membrane and the RPE that may represent the primary clinical manifestations of SFD. In addition, our immunolabeling studies and biochemical data support a model proposing that site-specific excess rather than absence or deficiency of functional Timp3 may be the primary consequence of the known Timp3 mutations.


Polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal (PDFLC) films are composite materials of a ferroelectric liquid crystal dispersed in the form of micron-sized droplets in a polymer matrix. In this study PDFLC films with a novel ferroelectric mixture were prepared by a polymerization-induced phase separation technique. The uniform orientation of the ferroelectric liquid crystal droplets was obtained by shearing during the phase separation process. The electro-optic characteristics of the films were analysed. Experimental results on response times, contrast ratio and spontaneous polarization were presented. Since these films exhibit high electro-optic quality, they have the potential of use in a wide range of display devices.


The minimum-variance fixed-interval smoother is a state-space realization of the Wiener solution generalized for time-varying problems. It involves forward and adjoint Wiener-Hopf factor inverses in which the gains are obtained by solving a Riccati equation. This technical note introduces a continuous-time H∞ smoother having the structure of the minimum-variance version, in which the gains are obtained by solving a Riccati equation that possesses an indefinite quadratic term. It is shown that the smoother exhibits an increase in mean-square-error, the error is bounded, and the upper error bound is greater than that for the H∞ filter.


The conventional bus propagation process has two main shortcomings: one is bus bunching, the other is extra energy consumption by idling at signalized intersection and unexpected speed variation along the route. To overcome these problems simultaneously, an extended bus propagation model and an anti-bunching control are proposed. To extend the time-based bus propagation model, we employ finite state machine and intelligent driver model to establish a spatial-temporal based bus propagation model accounting for bus dynamic motion and passenger swapping behavior between bunching buses. To mitigate bus bunching and improve bus fuel economy in a cyber-traffic environment, an anticipated average speed planning is employed to improve headway regularity and reduce the chance of encountering red light, and then model predictive control accounting for state and control constraints is used to generate a smooth speed trajectory for connected bus to follow the commands given by anticipated average speed planning, which will in turn ensure that all the connected buses traverse signalized intersection and approach downstream stop in ecological driving behaviors. Numerical simulations show that the proposed model can imitate passenger swapping behavior when bus bunching occurs, and the anti-bunching control is suitable to mitigate bus bunching and guide connected bus to traverse signalized intersection and reach downstream stop with fewer delays.


In today's digital world, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology enabled scaling of bulk mono-crystalline silicon (100) based electronics has resulted in their higher performance but with increased dynamic and off-state power consumption. Such trade-off has caused excessive heat generation which eventually drains the charge of battery in portable devices. The traditional solution utilizing off-chip fans and heat sinks used for heat management make the whole system bulky and less mobile. Here we show, an enhanced cooling phenomenon in ultra-thin (>10 μm) mono-crystalline (100) silicon (detached from bulk substrate) by utilizing deterministic pattern of porous network of vertical "through silicon" micro-air channels that offer remarkable heat and weight management for ultra-mobile electronics, in a cost effective way with 20× reduction in substrate weight and a 12% lower maximum temperature at sustained loads. We also show the effectiveness of this event in functional MOS field effect tra...


Understanding the process of consumers' buying decisions is not intuitively obvious from the way it appears. Before we come up with any acceptable account of the process, we should learn more about consumers' traits as well as the characteristics of the goods or services they intend to purchase. The goal of this study is to establish the alignment of consumers' buying decisions with information choice and determine why consumers may or may not make buying decisions compatible with reviewer comments. To explain the reality of multiple consumer equilibria, the paper draws on the four information choice theories: inattentiveness, rational inattention, information markets, and costly precision. Based on the theories, this paper considers why consumers may arrive at different buying decisions through their choice and processing of signals from consumer product reviews though the reviews are identical and considering that, in general, higher product ratings are associated with higher sales. Overall, this paper contributes to a better understanding of why consumers arrive at different buying decisions from the same pool of online consumer product reviews.


The peel test has been widely used for the mechanical measurement of the adhesion phenomenon. However the proportion of the energy input dissipated plastically within the adherend is a major concern in analyzing peel test data. This paper presents an analytical approach to predict the adherend plastic dissipation in the peel test for metal-to-metal adhesive joints, thereby allowing the fracture energy to be extracted from the test data using an energy balance approach. Expressions are developed for the deflection of an elastic-plastic beam on an elastic foundation, which is then combined with known solutions for the deformation of an elastic-plastic strip under large displacement. The model takes into account both the adhesive and adherend compliance effects on the plastic dissipation. Numerical predictions of the model are presented to gain insight into the effects of adherend properties and peel angle on plastic dissipation in the peel test. It is demonstrated that experimental results with various adherend properties and peel angles are consistent with the predictions of the model. An important conclusion is that for typical structural adhesives, the effects of plastic dissipation may be kept small by using a relatively low yield strength alloy with a thickness much smaller than the critical thickness at which the plastic dissipation effect is a maximum. The extraction of the fracture energy from the test data is also discussed with regard to the mixed-mode nature of the peel test.


This article documents the existence of numerous football-related war memorials throughout the former Yugoslavia. Utilizing photographic evidence of these monuments, plaques and other methods of memorialization, it illuminates the ways in which those involved in the game have written the deeds of their fallen members into the historical record, often harnessing these sacrifices in the service of a variety of political causes in the process. These commemorative gestures include socialist patriotic memorials erected in the aftermath of the Second World War Partisan victory, as well as monuments and murals created in honour of football supporters who went into battle as paramilitaries and members of incipient national armies during the dissolution wars of the 1990s. It is argued that the deeds of the fallen have been elevated, and at times manipulated, while the creativity of the latest wave of football remembrance is arguably heavily influenced by the traditional epic poetry and mythologized histories of the region. The fact that these disparate memorials have survived from various historical periods means that the region's built environment offers problematic and conflicting accounts of Yugoslav football's violent past. Memorials which honour impossibly pure socialist heroes coexist awkwardly alongside those dedicated to supporters who gave their lives in pursuit of ethnically exclusive states. In the case of one desecrated monument, these distinct periods are somewhat paradoxically remembered by the same symbolic object.


Non-invasive pharmacological management of patients with cancer related pain has resulted in pain control in 90–95% of the patients. Thus, 5–10% of patients still experience inadequate pain control despite aggressive combined pharmacological therapy. Moreover, patients may not tolerate an aggressive program of titration of medications and fail this approach because of side effects. In these patients interventional techniques have been very useful. This article discusses the alternative therapies, as well as the pitfalls in implementing these therapies, to achieve the highest possible success while minimizing potential complications and side effects.


Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients develop various extracolonic lesions, among which functional adrenocortical neoplasms are infrequent. A 44-year-old woman was hospitalized because of pseudo-Meigs' syndrome, caused by bilateral ovarian metastases from an advanced ascending colon cancer due to FAP of intermediate type. Furthermore, bilateral adrenocortical adenomas were detected, and functional analyses showed a hormonal secretion pattern consistent with Cushing's syndrome. She underwent a right hemicolectomy with extirpation of bilateral ovaries. At 10 months post-operative with no detectable metastatic lesions, the residual colorectum and the larger, left adrenal gland were resected, and the hormonal hypersecretion was normalized. Direct sequencing of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene revealed a nonsense germline mutation at codon 1577 and an additional nonsense somatic mutation at codon 554 in cancer tissues. Biallelic APC inactivation due to loss of the normal allele was evident in the adrenocortical adenoma. There were no hypermethylated CpG islands detected in APC promoter regions. Immunostaining for beta-catenin revealed diffuse cytoplasmic expression in resected tissues including adrenocortical adenoma. Biallelic APC inactivation may play a role in developing cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenoma in FAP patients. It is noteworthy that biallelic APC inactivation was caused in different ways in different tumors from the same individual.


This paper describes how the College of Engineering at Boise State University utilized a National Science Foundation S-STEM award from 2011 to 2016 to support transfer students in their path toward graduation. The need for this support was a result of both Boise State University College of Engineering's transition from a 2-year pre-engineering program to the establishment of Bachelors of Science in Engineering Degree programs in 1997 as well as the establishment of the College of Western Idaho as a regional community college in 2007. Both of these factors led to an increase in the numbers of incoming engineering students transferring from other institutions of higher education to complete their degree. These students were generally ineligible for most Boise State University scholarship programs which are mainly aimed toward students entering college directly from high school. In this paper we describe how our program connected transfer students with university staff, faculty and resources. To date, this program has a 100% retention rate, with the exception of one student on an official leave of absence, and a projected 100% graduation rate with 91% of the students already graduated. In addition, approximately 22% of scholarship graduates are pursuing graduate degrees.


To make health promotion campaigns more effective, the motivation of the people to whom they are directed is required, what can be achieved by gamification through electronic devices. There are no known experiences in Spanish that address the promotion of health from a generalist perspective and not only focused on very specific issues. For this reason Healthy Jeart is created. It is an app for smartphones and tablets, aimed at a population between 8 and 16 years old, whose objective is the promotion of healthy habits on a physical, social and psychological level. Its content has been designed by professors from the universities of Huelva and Seville (Spain). The thematic areas that comprise it are: physical exercise, nutrition, physical well-being, psychological well-being, affective-sexual relationships, use of new technologies and toxic substances and addictions. In 2018 it achieved a certification granted by the Agency of Sanitary Quality of Andalusia as a healthy app.


Methadone maintenance patients who maintained on a high daily dose were divided into good performers and poor performers based on whether they demonstrated persistent use of heroin, non-prescription diazepam, and/or excessive alcohol consumption. Mean methadone plasma levels 24 hours after an oral dose of 80 mg were found to be 410.4 ng/ml in good performers compared to 101.8 ng/ml in poor performers (P less than .05). Seven of nine (77.8%) poor compared to two of 15 (13.3%) good performers had 24-hour methadone plasma levels under 50 ng/ml (P less than .01). High dose methadone patients who show evidence of persistent drug or alcohol abuse should have their 24-hour methadone plasma level determined to help assess whether the patient should receive more methadone or find an alternative treatment.


We present a new quasi-affine reconstruction of a scene and its application to camera self-calibration. We refer to this reconstruction as QUARCH (QUasi-Affine Reconstruction with respect to Camera centers and the Hodographs of horopters). A QUARCH can be obtained by solving a semidefinite programming problem when, (i) the images have been captured by a moving camera with constant intrinsic parameters, and (ii) a vague knowledge of the relative orientation (under or over 120 ◦ ) between camera pairs is available. The resulting reconstruction comes close enough to an affine one allowing thus an easy up-grade of the QUARCH to its affine and metric counter-parts. We also present a constrained Levenberg-Marquardt method for nonlinear optimization subject to Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) constraints so as to ensure that the QUARCH LMIs are satisfied during optimization. Experiments with synthetic and real data show the benefits of QUARCH in reliably obtaining a metric reconstruction.


BACKGROUND
The effect of innovative multilayer packaging materials versus a standard one on biscuit quality was studied during accelerated storage at 25, 35, 45 °C and 50% relative humidity for 92 days. Three different packaging materials were used: metalized orientated polypropylene (OPP)/paper (control); metalized poly-lactic acid (PLA)/paper; metalized OPP with ethylene vinyl acetate pro-oxidant additive (EVA-POA)/paper. EVA-POA additive is used to make the plastic layer biodegradable. Various quality sample parameters (moisture, water activity (aw ), texture, peroxide value (PV), hexanal) were analysed during storage. Rate constants (k) and activation energies (Ea ) of hydration reactions and hexanal formation were calculated.

RESULTS
No remarkable differences in the evolution of primary and secondary lipid oxidation were observed among differently packed biscuits during storage. All samples maintained PV levels between 4 and 14 meq O2 kg(-1) oil. The product in flexible packaging with PLA reached the highest moisture and aw levels, but they did not significantly and adversely affect the other quality characteristics.

CONCLUSION
The obtained results demonstrate that the new tested packaging materials were suitable for commercial biscuit storage, having similar performance and preservation effects on the overall product quality to those of the standard one. Furthermore, these results could make a contribution to the food industry, encouraging the use of packaging materials with a negligible environmental impact as an alternative to petroleum-based ones.


To compare the chronic effect of several dialytic techniques (bicarbonate dialysis, BHD; acetate free biofiltration, AFB; hemodiafiltration, HDF; paired filtration dialysis, PFD) on atherosclerosis and antioxidant activity, three different indices were created. The first (atherosclerotic index = AI) is formed using the sum of three plasma substances: MDA, Hcy, and Cys (malondialdehyde, homocysteine, cysteine). The second (antioxidant activity index = AOAI) is the sum of five erythrocyte (E) parameters: E-GSH, GPx, CAT, SOD, GR (E-glutathione, E-glutathione peroxidase, E-catalase, E-superoxide dismutase, E-glutathione reductase). The third (defense index = DI) is derived from the previous two: (AOAI - AI). The indices were so expressed as AI in mmol/L, AOAI in U/g hemoglobin (Hb), and DI in arbitrary units. These indices were calculated in 20 controls and 51 chronic HD patients (26 female, 25 male) before, during, and after the first session of the week. HD patients were divided according to their dialytic technique: BHD, n = 35; AFB, n = 5 patients; HDF, n = 7 patients; or PFD = 4 patients. All patients had been treated with a given technique for at least 12 months, before entering the study. As expected, HD patients had AI values higher than controls, both before and after the session, with a mean value of 541 (before) and 331 (after), whereas controls had a mean value of 205. The AOAI was lower than controls, both before and after the session, the mean value being 1,122 (before) and 1,582 (after), that of controls being 2,424. In all cases, PFD gave the best "acute" results; at the end of a PFD session, near normal values of AI, AOAI, and DI (defensive index = AOAI - AI) were obtained.


The ever-growing human population and the changing food habits of the expanding middle class in emerging economies with more and more advanced technological needs, along with foreseeable changes in climate (global warming) due to intensified human activity may exacerbate the occurrence and magnitude of droughts all over the world. Both this generation and future generations are left vulnerable to droughts that could have serious global consequences. Droughts are already an integral part of global climate variability, but their impact can be mitigated significantly by proactive risk management planning and preparedness emphasizing increase in water supplies with appropriate reduction in demands, strengthening regulatory framework, education, emergency responses and community rehabilitation services. Sustainable mitigation initiatives are needed to protect life and manage risks and damages to property, agriculture, industries, ecological biodiversity and natural resources. Forensic applications can help in many ways, for example, to understand interaction between components of hydrologic cycle, to determine their origin and history, in land use classification, to locate recharge areas, and in the management of water quality, as well as to determine the time of release, to identify the sources of pollution and dominant ongoing biochemical reactions, to resolve disputes, and to synthesize missing historic data that are so critical in the planning for worst droughts. Weather forecasting capabilities can reduce uncertainties and help in drought preparedness and mitigation strategies. This article reviews global weather pattern and interactions as well as coupled ocean-land-atmosphere phenomenon (El Niño Southern Oscillation and/or La Niña [ENSO] ENSO) causing interannual global climate variability, drought preparedness planning and policies, and mitigation strategies to conserve water, enhance water use efficiencies, to promote sustainable socioeconomic development, and to preserve values of natural resources. Potential applications of classic and emerging forensic fingerprinting techniques and materials to enhance and harness diverse sources of water and address growing water needs now and in the future are also discussed. Finally, an innovative sustainable drought management strategy is proposed.


Among the different subsets of dendritic cells (DC) described in humans and mice, epidermal Langerhans cells and dermal DCs represent the only DC populations resident in normal skin. In this study we describe a population of CD4+CD3− plasmacytoid DC (pDC)-like cells that accumulate in the dermis and spleens of mice topically treated with imiquimod, a low m.w. immune response modifier with potent antiviral and antitumor activities. These CD4+CD3− cells coexpress GR-1, B220, MHC class II, and, to a lesser extent, CD11c and display the phenotypic features of pDCs described in lymphoid organs. The accumulation of pDC-like cells after imiquimod treatment was detected not only in normal skin, but also in intradermally induced melanomas. Imiquimod treatment leads either to complete regression or to a significant reduction of the tumors. The number of pDCs correlates well with the clinical response of the tumors to the drug, suggesting that the antitumor effects of imiquimod could be mediated at least in part by the recruitment of pDC-like cells to the skin. Therefore, strategies aimed at activating and directing these cells into neoplastic tissues may be a promising and novel approach for the immunotherapy of various types of cancer.


An intervention activity commensurate with specific organizational goals, directed to short-term change efforts to alter employee perceptions about their satisfaction, about such work activitiesas communication, and about opportunities to make job-related innovations was implemented for emergency room personnel in a large West Coast metropolitan hospital. When evaluated, using a research design which reduced validity threats in interpreting results, perceptions about some aspects of work were found to be more susceptible to change through short interventions than were others.


In clinical anaesthesia, galanthamine hydrobromide (Nivalin), an alkaloid of galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop) is used to reverse the neuromuscular blocking effect of curare-type muscle relaxants. A comparative study of the inhibition by galanthamine of acetylcholinesterase (AChE; PH 7,2; substrate; acetylthiocholine) and of pseudocholinesterase (ChE; ph 7,7; substrate: butyrylthiocholine) was carried out by means of a colorimetric assay technique at 25 degrees C. AChE (pI50 = 5.5; Ki = 5.2 X 10(-8) M) has an approximately 100-fold higher affinity to galanthamine than has ChE (pI50 = 3.7; Ki = 2.9 X 10(-6) M). The kinetic analysis of the inhibition which is instantaneously reversible upon dilution revealed a pure competitive mechanism of action for both enzymes. Supported by a calculation of the change in free binding energy (AChE: delta F = 9.9 kcal X mole-1; ChE: delta F = -7.6 kcal X mole-1), galanthamine is thought to decrease the rate of hydrolysis by a reversible binding to the anionic site of the active centre ("prosthetic inhibitor") thus impairing the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex.


Axillary dissection in breast cancer is performed to stage the tumor and to obtain regional tumour control. It is associated with some morbidity. Recently mention was made of post-axillary dissection pain of the arm following damage to one or more of the intercostobrachial nerves. In the University Hospital of Utrecht a radical axillary dissection is routinely performed for breast cancer with transection of the sensory intercostobrachial nerve(s). To evaluate the inherent morbidity of this operation, we interviewed and examined 71 women (75 axillae) who had undergone an axillary dissection for carcinoma of the breast between January 1987 and January 1990. In almost all cases a sensory deficit was present in the axilla and/or arm. In 23 patients (26 sides; 35%) there was pain in the arm, always in the innervation area of the intercostobrachial nerves. One-third of these cases had a NRS score of 5 or higher, indicating moderate to severe pain. Seroma and lymphedema were found in 21 patients. In 6 shoulders abduction was reduced to 90 degrees. The several complaints were non-invalidating to 48 patients, slightly invalidating to 13 and moderately invalidating to 10 patients. At present, histological examination of the axillary nodes is still the best way to detect metastases, and it has implications for adjuvant therapies. The results of this study indicate that routinely sacrificing the intercostobrachial nerves during axillary dissection may result in annoying sensory changes and that efforts should be made to preserve one or two of these nerves during the operation.


Rationale Suicide is a major public health concern and Northern Ireland (NI) has the highest rate of both self-harm and suicide in the UK and Ireland. In order to target prevention strategies effectively it is vital to understand who is most at risk. Those who present with self-harm offer a prime opportunity for intervention. The aim of this study is to examine the risk factors for completed suicide following presentation with self-harm. Data The Northern Ireland Registry of Self-Harm (NIRSH) collects information on all self-harm and suicide ideation presentations to all Emergency Departments in NI. NIRSH data for the four years 2012–2015 was linked to centralised electronic data relating to primary care, social services and prescribed medication and mortality records. Methods Initial analyses describing the profile of those who present with self-harm was followed by logistic regression to quantify the likelihood of mortality with adjustment for factors associated with mental ill health and suicide risk. Results The cohort consisted of all 1,483,435 individuals born or resident in NI from 1st January 1970 until 31st December 2015 (maximum age in 2015, 45 years). During the follow-up period, 11,371 (0.8%) individuals presented with self-harm and 1,719 (0.1%) died by suicide. Rates of self-harm were equivalent for males and females with highest rates observed in the 18–24 years age group, and more common in deprived than affluent areas (OR=3.34, 95%CI 3.12, 3.57). Rates of self-harm was highest among those who were (or ever had been) in the care of social services (OR=12.06, 95%CI 11.26, 12.93). Most individuals self-harm via self-poisoning with psychotropic medications (70.9%), followed by self-injury with a sharp object (21.6%). Although only 142 (1.3%) of those who presented with self-harm went on to die by suicide, in the unadjusted model those who self-harmed were almost 12 times more likely to die by suicide compared to those who did not present with self-harm (OR=11.79, 95%CI 9.92,14.01). Suicide was more likely in individuals who self-harmed with more violent methods such as strangulation or drowning. After full adjustment for gender, age, social services care, area of residence and deprivation individuals who self-harm are still 7 times more likely to die by suicide (OR=7.05, 95%CI 5.88,8.45). Further analysis is underway to explore which particular traits and characteristics of those who self-harm are most associated with risk of suicide using cox regression in order in inform intervention targeting.


As recording area density increases, magnetic recording is approaching near contact regime. Disk deformations, both tangential and circumferential, affect magnetic head flight height (FH) significantly at this FH range, and it becomes increasingly important to magnetic reading and writing performances. Variation in manufacturing process, mechanical tolerance as well as design itself can affect disk deformation greatly. In this presentation, we present a few disk pack design improvements to minimize disk coning and disk crown. The designs are able to achieve consistent disk deformation even under significant manufacturing tolerances.© 2013 ASME


Transient natural convection is numerically investigated in an enclosure using variable thermal conductivity, viscosity, and the thermal expansion coefficient of Al2O3-water nanofluid. The study has been conducted for a wide range of Rayleigh numbers (103≤ Ra ≤ 106), concentrations of nanoparticles (0% ≤ ϕ ≤ 7%), the enclosure aspect ratio (AR =1), and temperature differences between the cold and hot walls (∆T= 30). Transient parameters such as development time and time-average Nusselt number along the cold wall are also presented as a non-dimensional form. Increasing the Rayleigh number shortens the non-dimensional time of the initializing stage. By increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the flow development time shows different behaviors for various Rayleigh numbers. The non-dimensional development time decreases by enhancing the concentration of nanoparticles.


Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana. The local communities on the South African side, the Khomani San (Bushmen) and Mier living adjacent to the park have land rights inside and outside the park. The path from a history of land dispossession to being land owners has created conservation challenges manifested through heightened inter- and intra-community conflicts. The contestations for land and tourism development opportunities in and outside the park have drawn in powerful institutions such as the governments, South African National Parks, private safari companies, local interest groups and NGOs against relatively powerless local communities. This has consequently attracted national and international interest since it may result in further marginalization of the communities who lack the power to negotiate resource access. Moreover, the social and political system of the San is romanticized while little is reported about the Mier, who are an integral part of the park management system. To make these issues more accessible to a growing audience of interested parties and to better understand present conservation and development challenges and opportunities, this paper synthesizes information on the pre- and post-land restitution history of the park and the adjacent communities.


Insulin secretion plays a central role in glucose homeostasis under normal physiological conditions as well as in disease. Current approaches to study insulin granule exocytosis either use electrophysiology or microscopy coupled to the expression of fluorescent reporters. However most of these techniques have been optimized for clonal cell lines or require dissociating pancreatic islets. In contrast, the method presented here allows for real time visualization of insulin granule exocytosis in intact pancreatic islets. In this protocol, we first describe the viral infection of isolated pancreatic islets with adenovirus that encodes a pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein (GFP), pHluorin, coupled to neuropeptide Y (NPY). Second, we describe the confocal imaging of islets five days after viral infection and how to monitor the insulin granule secretion. Briefly, the infected islets are placed on a coverslip on an imaging chamber and imaged under an upright laser-scanning confocal microscope while being continuously perfused with extracellular solution containing various stimuli. Confocal images spanning 50 µm of the islet are acquired as time-lapse recordings using a fast-resonant scanner. The fusion of insulin granules with the plasma membrane can be followed over time. This procedure also allows for testing a battery of stimuli in a single experiment, is compatible with both mouse and human islets, and can be combined with various dyes for functional imaging (e.g., membrane potential or cytosolic calcium dyes).


This article documents the 12-month default rate of global structured securities rated by Standard and Poor's during the period between January 1995 and June 2004. It provides overall default rates and descriptive statistics, such as volatility and correlation coefficients, default rate sensitivity (beta), and default rates by different rating categories and sectors. The results show that the global structured default rate has declined in recent months and that the speculative-grade default rate has accounted for a significant percentage of the structured finance default rate. These empirical results provide evidence for overall improvement in the rating performance of global structured finance securities in recent years. The study also compares the default rates of corporate and structured securities; documents the lifetime-to-date default rates by original ratings; and finally analyzes vintage default rates in terms of years since origination of global structured securities.


In recent years, model-driven approaches and processes have established themselves as pragmatic and feasible solutions with tangible advantages. Transformations play a central role in any model-driven solution and, as interest in textual modelling grows, providing concepts and tools for supporting a high-level and declarative specification of bidirectional model-to-text transformations becomes a vital area of research. Our paper identifies important areas and scenarios for model-to-text transformations that are not or only partially supported by currently existing solutions. Based on the requirements of a real-world case study, we introduce a new concept that has been inspired by a successful bidirectional model-to-model transformation approach: Triple Graph Grammars.


The soil wetness condition is a useful indicator of inundation hazard in floodplains, such as the Poyang Lake floodplain. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) passive microwave data were used to monitor water-saturated soil and open water areas of the Poyang Lake floodplain from 2001 to 2008, capturing the inundation patterns of this area in space and time. The polarization difference brightness temperature (PDBT) at 37 GHz is sensitive to the water extension even under dense vegetation. The zero-order radiative transfer model was simplified to retrieve the vertical–horizontal (V–H)-polarized effective emissivity difference from the PDBT at 37 GHz. Vegetation fractional area and vegetation transmission function were derived from NDVI to represent the vegetation attenuation. This effective emissivity difference has a quasi-linear relationship with the fractional area of water-saturated soil and standing water, no matter the frequency. Using the multifrequency-polarization surface emission (Qp) model and the Dobson model of the soil–water mixture, the two segments of this relationship were combined into a quasi-linear model. Comparing the retrieved water-saturated soil and standing water area of Poyang Lake with the lake area obtained from the MODIS and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image at higher spatial resolution, the calculations show a good fit with the MODIS and SAR data, with R2 = 0.7664 and relative RMSE = 17.74%. The cross-correlation analysis shows that the Poyang Lake extension fluctuates with a 5-day time lag with the upstream land area of water-saturated soil and standing water. Since the closure of the Three Gorges Dam, this relationship is more evident.


Large international consortia examining the genomic architecture of the epilepsies focus on large diagnostic subgroupings such as "all focal epilepsy" and "all genetic generalized epilepsy". In addition, phenotypic data are generally entered into these large discovery databases in a unidirectional manner at one point in time only. However, there are many smaller phenotypic subgroupings in epilepsy, many of which may have unique genomic risk factors. Such a subgrouping or "microphenotype" may be defined as an uncommon or rare phenotype that is well recognized by epileptologists and the epilepsy community, and which may or may not be formally recognized within the International League Against Epilepsy classification system. Here we examine the genetic structure of a number of such microphenotypes and report in particular on two interesting clinical phenotypes, Jeavons syndrome and pediatric status epilepticus. Although no single gene reached exome‐wide statistical significance to be associated with any of the diagnostic categories, we observe enrichment of rare damaging variants in established epilepsy genes among Landau–Kleffner patients (GRIN2A) and pediatric status epilepticus patients (MECP2, SCN1A, SCN2A, SCN8A).


Background Few studies have examined occupational risk factors for kidney disease. Oil-based metalworking fluids contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are suspected causes of end-stage renal disease. This study analysed a cohort of autoworkers, with special attention to healthy worker survivor bias. Methods Workers who remain employed accumulate more occupational exposure and also experience adverse outcomes later than workers who leave work for health-related reasons. This can result in underestimates of the harmful effects of exposure if proper methods are not used to adjust for time-varying confounding. G-estimation of an accelerated failure time model overcomes this problem. A cohort of workers in three General Motors plants in Michigan (USA) was followed for end-stage renal disease from 1973, when the state's registry for dialysis patients is considered complete, through 2009. Exposure was lagged by 15 years, because end-stage renal disease develops over time and because exposure data were not available after 1994. The analysis adjusted for sex, race, age, calendar time, plant, employment status, intermittent time off work, and previous exposures to both oil- and water-based metalworking fluids. Confidence intervals were computed using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles from 500 bootstrap samples. Results Exposed workers were estimated to have reached end-stage renal disease an average of 2.0 years earlier (95% CI: −0.3, 5.1) than they would have if they had not been exposed to straight metalworking fluids. Conclusions Oil-based metalworking fluids appear to speed the development of end-stage renal disease. Further analyses using models that estimate relative risk (rather than time to event among those who fail) should supplement these results, with continued attention to time-varying confounding affected by prior exposure.


When using fluorescent microscopy to study cellular dynamics, trade-offs typically have to be made between light exposure and quality of recorded image to balance phototoxicity and image signal-to-noise ratio. Image denoising is an important tool for retrieving information from dim live cell images. Recently, deep learning based image denoising is becoming the leading method because of its promising denoising performance, achieved by leveraging available prior knowledge about the noise model and samples at hand. We demonstrate that incorporating temporal information in the model can further improve the results. However, the practical application of this method has seen challenges because of the requirement of large, task-specific training datasets. In this work, addressed this challenge by combining self-supervised learning with transfer learning, which eliminated the demand of task-matched training data while maintaining denoising performance. We demonstrate its application in fluorescent imaging of different subcellular structures.


This study demonstrates the analysis and findings of the field research undertaken in Japan in May 1988 on a small sample of Japanese firms with UK subsidiaries. The study examined the factors behind the marketing strengths of Japanese parent companies and the effects on their relationships with their UK subsidiaries. The research indicates that the Japanese companies saw their successes in the specific qualities and thoroughness of their management and labour, with a strong focus to committing resources to marketing, product innovation and R&D. The findings of the research with recommendations are presented.


Abstract The strain aging behaviour of intercritically annealed low carbon steel with different martensite morphologies has been investigated. Aging experiments after 4% prestrain were carried out at 180°C for different times ranging from 10 to 160 min. It was found that the variation in bake hardening response ΔY, lower yield stress and ultimate tensile stress with aging time describes a similar trend for all three microstructural variants, but the absolute values of bake hardening response, lower yield stress and ultimate tensile stress are higher for the microstructure containing fibrous, more uniformly distributed martensite. The aging response of fibrous martensite was also found to be slower, and the fibrous martensite morphology provided the best combination of strength and ductility as desired for dual phase steels.


The paper offers a perspective on taste which tries to overcome what is now the hegemonic view within the social sciences and which conceives of taste as social distinction or differentiation. It ultimately aims to show the limits of a detached and ascetic reading of taste wherein objects loose their specificity and merely become an excuse for the reproduction of standardized forms of social distinction. To do so it concentrates on the case of wine, focussing on the way the amateur develops his or her relationship with this historically and culturally rich drink. If some amateurs use blind tasting in order to ensure their taste is the only result of the wine expression emptied of any social influence, most of them do not try to disentangle the experience of wine drinking from its «social context», nor to control the experience itself in order to provide appreciation by detachment from the object. On the contrary, the «context» provides them a lot of resources to arrange specifically each various drinking opportunity. Other amateurs engage their subjectivity in the experience of wine drinking by forms of self-government which entail self-reflexivity and a thematization of their own amateurship. At the end, wine loving appears as a reflexive and equipped activity which admits many formats selectively grounded on the object, the drinker and collectives. Trying to escape both critical indifference and objective difference, the paper argues that sociologists have much to learn on taste from the forms of knowledge and activity displayed by the amateur.


The material on which the present report is principally based, was collected by Dr. J. H. STOCK, Zoological Museum of the University, Amsterdam, in Piscadera Bay, Curacao, in 1958 and 1959, and kindly placed at my disposal some time ago. In the course of my study of this highly interesting material it became necessary to redescribe some of C. B. WILSON'S fragmentarily known species of Bomolochidae. A re-inspection of some of WILSON'S types has been made possible thanks to the generous co-operation of Dr. THOMAS E. BOWMAN, Associate Curator, Divison of Marine Invertebrates, and Dr. ROGER F. CRESSEY, Associate Curator, Division of Crustacea, both of the Smithsonian Institution (United States National Museum), Washington, U.S.A. The bulk of the Piscadera Bay material, including all the types, is now in the collections of the Zoological Museum of the University, Amsterdam; some paratypes and duplicates are preserved in the collections of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Raamsteeg, Leiden. All the hosts have been identified by Dr. M. BOESEMAN, Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden.


Economically significant and geologically complex veined Cu-Co-Au mineralization was recently discovered at Carlow Castle in the Pilbara region of northwestern Western Australia. The inferred resource estimate for Carlow Castle as of March 2019 is 7.7 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.06 g/t Au, 0.51% Cu, and 0.08% Co, making it one of Australia's most significant known Cu-Co-Au deposits. Here we provide the first account and scientific analysis of Carlow Castle. This analysis suggests that it is a hydrothermal Cu-Co-Au deposit, with mineralization hosted in sulfide-rich quartz-carbonate veins. The ore is hosted in veins that occur within a pervasively chloritized shear zone through the regionally significant Regal thrust. At Carlow Castle the shear zone associated with this thrust occurs within the Ruth Well Formation, an Archean mafic volcano-sedimentary sequence. Within the mineralized veins the dominant ore minerals are pyrite (FeS2), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), chalcocite (Cu2S), cobaltite (CoAsS), and electrum (Au,Ag). The genesis of the Carlow Castle deposit is still under investigation; however, the origin of the Cu-Co-Au mineralization is most likely related to the migration of metalliferous fluids along the Regal thrust. Based on Carlow Castle's stratigraphic position within the Pilbara craton and the craton's relative stability since the Archean, an Archean age of mineralization is most likely. The distinct Cu-Co-Au enrichment at Carlow Castle makes it unique among Archean ore deposits generally, as the majority of Cu-Co deposits are of maximum Proterozoic age. Therefore, understanding the genesis of the Carlow Castle deposit has important implications for understanding the unique processes through which Cu-Co-Au mineralization outside of basin-hosted ore deposits may be formed, particularly in Archean terranes.


In this article, we identify why, despite competition, falling prices, and expanding output in telecommunications and media, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will survive indefinitely and may expand its jurisdiction. A prominent theory after the deregulatory Telecommunications Act of 1996 was that the FCC would survive simply as a modest economic regulator of "bottlenecks." While it is still too early to dismiss this theory completely, it failed to foresee some important changes in the FCC's regulatory philosophy and strategy. Namely, the FCC and its defenders in recent years have successfully shifted the FCC from a mostly economic regulator to a mostly social regulator — a shift that is consistent with public choice theory. We also identify a resilient (if incoherent) theory of law — quasi–common carriage — that will keep the agency and its constituencies quite active going forward. This change in regulatory philosophy, which evolved over decades but became prominent in recent years as common carriage withered in the face of deregulatory pressures, will ensure agency survival for the foreseeable future.


In order to evaluate the damage of molten salt mixtures in waste incineration environments, the alloy 625 was exposed to a molten KCl-ZnCl2 mixture at 650 °C for 200 hours. The corrosion process was monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). After exposure the corrosion products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and SEM. Two different electrochemical impedance models were found to describe the electrochemical processes. In the early stages of corrosion the alloy developed a protective Cr2O3 scale which turned into a porous spinel oxide scale after 100 hours.


The science–practice gap in the treatment of mental health is most pronounced in community settings, where clients with the highest needs often receive their care. Implementation science and community-based participatory research strategies aim to effectively address this gap by establishing partnerships that focus on scientifically rigorous, as well as clinically and socially relevant, research. Despite significant benefits, the community-based participatory research implementation framework has a unique set of challenges. The current article describes evidence-supported implementation strategies that were deployed to address various barriers to the implementation and long-term sustainability of an innovative cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT) life skills program identified during a feasibility trial. Through the committed work of an established partnership between a community-based nonprofit organization and researchers, barriers and the strategies for mitigating these obstacles were jointly identified. Specific challenges included fidelity (variability in staff's CBT competency and delivery), sustainability, and the cost of guideline implementation (data collection, time, and resources) of the CBT curriculum. We also provide details on the partnership's solutions to these major obstacles, including the development of an intensive 3-month training and coaching phase. The results of this rigorous training suggest improvement in staff's overall CBT competency and fidelity, increased participant engagement in the CBT curriculum, and enhanced data-collection procedures; yet, sustainability difficulties remained. General recommendations for long-term community research partnerships include early organizational buy-in; comprehensive needs assessments, including the organization's research building capacity; and sustained training and coaching models.


Only recently has imprisonment become a central feature of both civil and criminal immigration law enforcement. Apart from harms to individuals and communities arising from other types of immigration enforcement, such as removal, imprisonment comes with its own severe consequences, and yet it is relatively ignored. This Article is the first to define a new prison population as those imprisoned as a result of suspected or actual immigration law violations, whether civil or criminal, a population that now numbers more than half a million individuals a year. It is also the first to systematically map the many entryways into immigration imprisonment across every level of government and involving civil and criminal law enforcement tools.Examining the population as a whole provides crucial insights as to how we arrived at this state of mass immigration imprisonment. While political motivations — parallel to those that fueled the rapid expansion of criminal mass incarceration — may have started the trend, this Article demonstrates that key legal and policy choices explain how imprisonment has become an entrenched feature of immigration law enforcement. In fact, legislators and immigration officials have locked themselves into this choice, as there are now literally billions of dollars, tens of thousands of prison beds, and innumerable third parties invested in maintaining and expanding the use of immigration imprisonment. Using the literature on path dependence and legal legitimacy, this Article explains the phenomenon of immigration imprisonment as a single category that spans all levels of government. Rather than continue further along this path, the Article concludes by suggesting that policymakers should seek a future reflective of immigration law enforcement's past when imprisonment was the exception rather than the norm.


We have used the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a cDNA library prepared from normal human epidermal keratinocytes and identified protein partners for human papilloma virus (HPV) E6 proteins. A clone that encoded Gps2 interacted with E6 proteins from HPVs of high and low oncogenic risk. The specificity of these reactions was verified and the regions of E6 that were required for interaction were mapped. Steady-state and pulse-chase analyses of cells cotransfected with DNAs expressing E6 from either HPV6 or HPV18 and Gps2 demonstrated that the E6 proteins induced the degradation of Gps2 in vivo but not in vitro. Gps2 exhibited transcriptional activation activity, and high-risk E6 suppressed this activity.


Fructose-enriched diets cause salt-sensitive hypertension. Proximal tubules (PTs) reabsorb 70% of the water and salt filtered through the glomerulus. Angiotensin II (Ang II) regulates this process. Normally, dietary salt reduces Ang II allowing the kidney to excrete more salt, thereby preventing hypertension. We hypothesized that fructose-enriched diets enhance the ability of low concentrations of Ang II to stimulate PT transport. We measured the effects of a low concentration of Ang II (10−12 mol/L) on transport-related oxygen consumption (QO2), and Na/K-ATPase and Na/H-exchange (NHE) activities and expression in PTs from rats consuming tap water (Control) or 20% fructose (FRUC). In FRUC-treated PTs, Ang II increased QO2 by 14.9 ± 1.3 nmol/mg/min (p < 0.01) but had no effect in Controls. FRUC elevated NHE3 expression by 19 ± 3% (p < 0.004) but not Na/K-ATPase expression. Ang II stimulated NHE activity in FRUC PT (Δ + 0.7 ± 0.1 Arbitrary Fluorescent units (AFU)/s, p < 0.01) but not in Controls. Na/K-ATPase activity was not affected. The PKC inhibitor Gö6976 blocked the ability of FRUC to augment the actions of Ang II. FRUC did not alter the inhibitory effect of dopamine on NHE activity. We conclude that dietary fructose increases the ability of low concentrations of Ang II to stimulate PT Na reabsorption via effects on NHE.


This Article examines the unification of the rules for wills and revocable trusts in the federal estate tax arena. The author asserts that true unification in the area of federal estate tax apportionment will be achieved only when American law places the revocable trust device, the functional equivalent of a will, on par with wills in terms of a decedent's ability to change default apportionment rules. While virtually all states have adopted the principle of apportionment; American law has a long way to go if revocable trusts are to be placed on an equal footing with wills. Traditionally, only wills could be used to change default rules on federal estate tax apportionment, and this continues to be the rule in many states. This Article also addresses Conflict of laws issues that further complicate the area of law, considering troublesome state law conflicts, particularly whether the law of the decedent's domicile should control on apportionment issues. The author goes on to consider various Internal Revenue Code provisions, giving special attention to the overarching question of whether these provisions conflict with state rules on apportionment. The Article concludes with the author's suggested unifying solutions to resolve the inappropriate disparities between wills and revocable trusts in the federal estate tax apportionment area.


The transition of plants and animals from sea to land required adaptation to a very different physical and chemical environment. In this paper, we focus on the consequences of the differences between the magnitude of the variability of ocean and atmospheric dynamics, with the ocean environment (in particular temperature and currents) being two to three orders of magnitude less variable than that on land. We suggest that greater insights on possible responses of marine vs. terrestrial systems to rapid climate change can be gained by considering that terrestrial vertebrates, invertebrates and plants have evolved from marine organisms that, pre-Cambrian, had early life history developmental stages as planktonic larvae. Marine larvae were/are adapted to the predictable and minimal range of temperature changes and regularities in ocean currents, as most organisms utilize the energy in these currents as an "auxiliary" source for predictable gamete and larvae dispersal. Post-Cambrian, on land, no such simple strategy was available; instead, most terrestrial organisms have evolved reproductive strategies and behaviours to eliminate, or at least minimize, the consequences of much larger atmospheric variability. Adapting our future use of these systems sensibly will require greater understanding of how the two regimes respond to rapid climate change.


The primary goal of diagnostic testing for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is to identify all patients who could benefit from anticoagulant therapy. Test results that identify patients as having a ≤2% risk of VTE in the next 3 months are judged to exclude deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). Clinical evaluation, with assessment of: (1) clinical pretest probability (CPTP) for VTE; (2) likelihood of important alternative diagnoses; and (3) the probable yield of D-dimer and various imaging tests, guide which tests should be performed. The combination of nonhigh CPTP and negative D-dimer testing excludes DVT or PE in one-third to a half of outpatients. Venous ultrasound of the proximal veins, with or without examination of the distal veins, is the primary imaging test for leg and upper-extremity DVT. If a previous test is not available for comparison, the positive predictive value of ultrasound is low in patients with previous DVT. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the primary imaging test for PE and often yields an alternative diagnosis when there is no PE. Ventilation-perfusion scanning is associated with less radiation exposure than CTPA and is preferred in younger patients, particularly during pregnancy. If DVT or PE cannot be "ruled-in" or "ruled-out" by initial diagnostic testing, patients can usually be managed safely by: (1) withholding anticoagulant therapy; and (2) doing serial ultrasound examinations to detect new or extending DVT.


Although for many years the presence of various ores of copper was known in this province, it is but recently that discoveries have been made of economic value. In the early French expeditions to Canada and Acadie (now Nova Scotia) were men similar to those styled by Sir Humphrey Gilbert "rare refiners of miners;" and their reports on the supposed mineral wealth of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton excited much interest in Paris, and formed one of the reasons that France struggled so strongly to retain her supremacy in British America. Lescharbot, writing in 1609, speaks of the native copper of the Bay of Fundy as being "very pure in the stone," and adds, "many goldsmiths have seen it in France, which do say that under the copper-mine there might be a golden mine, which is very probable." The stone he alludes to is the trap associated with the Triassic sandstones of the Bay of Fundy; copper is found scattered through it in small grains and lumps, but has not yet been found in workable quantity. Although this trap resembles that from the famous Lake-Superior copper-district, the zeolites and other minerals characteristic of the Nova-Scotia trap are wanting in the Lake-Superior trap; and on no ground, so far I am aware, can any equivalence of age be established. Passing over without notice the numerous unsuccessful attempts that have been made to open productive copper-mines in Upper and Lower Carboniferous strata, we find that the eastern part of the province gives


There are two alternative strategies that a designer may adopt and combine when faced with the retrofitting of a bridge: (a) the increase in the capacity or (b) the reduction in the actions of the structure. In this article, a new scheme, based on the second strategy, is proposed for the retrofit of existing multi-span simply supported (MSSS) bridges. The reduction in the actions of the bridge was mainly achieved by utilising an external restraining system consisting of I-shaped steel piles driven in the backfill soil and a slab that is the pile-cap of the piles. The restraining system was preliminarily designed and assessed in an existing MSSS bridge system, whose deck slab was made continuous. The existing and the retrofitted bridge were analysed by means of non-linear dynamic time history analysis and their response was compared in terms of serviceability and earthquake resistance performance. The study showed that the retrofitting scheme enhanced effectively the earthquake resistance of the existing bridge.


Abstract Research in developed countries has found that paternal involvement has positive and significant effects on early childhood development (ECD). Less is known, however, about the state of paternal involvement and its influence on ECD in rural China. Using data collected in Southern China that included 1,460 children aged 6–42 months and their fathers (as well as their primary caregivers), this study examines the association between paternal involvement and ECD. Although the results demonstrate that the average level of paternal involvement is low in rural China, paternal involvement is related to a significant increase in three domains of ECD (cognition, language, and social-emotional skills). Older children benefit significantly more than do younger children from paternal involvement in all domains of ECD. The results also show that, if the mother is the primary caregiver, the mother's higher educational level and the family's higher socioeconomic status are positively associated with paternal involvement.


1. The acid and alkaline phosphatase activity has been determined on a series of suspensions of white cells obtained from both man and the rabbit by several different methods.

2. A statistical analysis of the results shows that for both species the alkaline phosphatase of white cell suspensions is confined chiefly to the polymorphonuclear leukocyte and the acid phosphatase is chiefly in the lymphocyte, although the polymonphonuclear leukocyte contains lesser concentrations of this enzyme also.

3. Although this qualitative distribution was the same for both species studied, quantitatively the rabbit differed from man. The activity of the alkaline phosphatase of the rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocyte was eight times that of the corresponding human cell, while the activity of the acid phosphatase of the human lymphocyte was more than twice that of rabbit lymphocyte.


An aluminium alloy was sintered using a conventional press and sinter process, at various gas pressures, to observe the effect of sintering gas pressure on the densification rate. Compacts of aluminium alloy 2712 (Al-3.8Cu-1Mg-0.7Si-0.1Sn) were prepared from elemental powders and sintered in a horizontal tube furnace under nitrogen or argon at 590°C for up to 60 minutes, and air cooled. The gas flow was adjusted to achieve specific gas pressures in the furnace. It has been found that increasing the nitrogen pressure at the start of the isothermal holding stage to 160kPa increased the densification rate compared to standard atmospheric pressure sintering. Increasing the nitrogen pressure further, up to 600kPa, had no additional benefit. The densification rate was increased significantly by increasing the gas pressure to 600kPa during both heating and isothermal holding. Under argon the elevated pressure did not increase the densification rate. Results seem to suggest that the beneficial effect of the elevated pressure on the rate of densification is related to nitride formation.


The pseudouridine synthase (Ψ synthase) TruA catalyzes the conversion of uridine to pseudouridine at positions 38, 39, and/or 40 in the anticodon stem-loop (ASL) of tRNA. We have determined the crystal structure of TruA from Thermus thermophilus HB8 at 2.25 Å resolution. TruA and the other Ψ synthases have a completely conserved active site aspartate, which suggests that the members of this enzyme family share a common catalytic mechanism. The T. thermophilus TruA structure reveals the remarkably flexible structural features in the tRNA-binding cleft, which may be responsible for the primary tRNA interaction. In addition, the charged residues occupying the intermediate positions in the cleft may lead the tRNA to the active site for catalysis. Based on the TruB-tRNA complex structure, the T. thermophilus TruA structure reveals that the tRNA probably makes the melting base pairs move into the cleft, and suggests that a conformational change of the substrate tRNA is necessary to facilitate access to the active site aspartate residue, deep within the cleft.


Cellulosomes are large multicomponent cellulose‐degrading assemblies found on the surfaces of cellulolytic microorganisms. Often containing hundreds of components, the self‐assembly of cellulosomes is mediated by the ultra‐high‐affinity cohesin–dockerin interaction, which allows them to adopt the complex architectures necessary for degrading recalcitrant cellulose. Better understanding of how the cellulosome assembles and functions and what kinds of structures it adopts will further effort to develop industrial applications of cellulosome components, including their use in bioenergy production. Ruminococcus flavefaciens is a well‐studied anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of ruminants and other herbivores. Key to cellulosomal self‐assembly in this bacterium is the dockerin ScaADoc, found on the non‐catalytic structural subunit scaffoldin ScaA, which is responsible for assembling arrays of cellulose‐degrading enzymes. This work expands on previous efforts by conducting a series of binding studies on ScaADoc constructs that contain mutations in their cohesin recognition interface, in order to identify which residues play important roles in binding. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to gain insight into the structural basis for our findings. A specific residue pair in the first helix of ScaADoc, as well as a glutamate near the C‐terminus, was identified to be essential for cohesin binding. By advancing our understanding of the cohesin binding of ScaADoc, this study serves as a foundation for future work to more fully understand the structural basis of cellulosome assembly in R. flavefaciens. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The study of dusty plasmas is of significant practical use and scientific interest. A characteristic feature of dust grains in a plasma is that they are typic- ally smaller than the electron Debye distance, a property which we exploit using the technique of matched asymptotic expansions. We first consider the case of a spherical dust particle in a stationary plasma, employing the Allen-Boyd-Reynolds theory, which assumes cold, collisionless ions. We derive analytical expressions for the electric potential, the ion number density and ion velocity. This requires only one computation that is not specific to a single set of dust-plasma parameters, and sheds new light on the shielding distance of a dust grain. The extension of this calculation to the case of uniform ion streaming past the dust grain, a scenario of interest in many dusty plasmas, is less straightforward. For streaming below a certain threshold we again establish asymptotic solutions but above the streaming threshold there appears to be a fundamental change in the behaviour of the system.


Peer-to-peer networks providing QoS-enabled services are sensitive to hidden action situations, where the actions of a server peer are hidden from the peers who receive services from it. This is because server peers can choose to strategically minimize their effort, and client peers may be unable to distinguish between cases where the server exerted insufficient effort and cases where the server kept its advertised effort levels but the end-to-end conditions in the network were sufficiently adverse. We propose a principal-agent model for hidden action that gives server peers sufficient incentives to meet their advertised effort levels, without client peers having to decide for each transaction whether the outcome was due to server behavior or network conditions. This allows peers to draft contracts that provide incentives for truthful revelation of QoS capabilities, and to have predictable transaction quality. We then exemplify the model for the case of a mesh-based, pull-oriented streaming system with low delay requirements. For this case, we show how to estimate the model parameters a function of the prevailing network conditions, and how to enforce contract fulfillment through a reciprocative strategy.


For the rehabilitation of the degraded and abandoned land in the tropical area, it needs to define the various characteristics of remaining natural forests. This work was done to find out a physical hazard for root elongation of plant at Lambir Hills National Park, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, with special reference to soil hardness and soil texture. Furthermore, soil moisture and soil temperature were monitored at the hill ridge and at the valley to show their annual fluctuation. Soil physico-chemical properties at the hill ridge and the valley were also investigated. At the hill ridge, well-developed soils with a deep solum were found. Organic matter content was high only at the surface horizon (0-5 cm) where a root mat develops. Although soil moisture content fluctuated significantly, the soil was dry throughout the monitoring period. On the other hand, at the valley, soil moisture content was relatively stable even after the frequent rainfall. The small particles and nutrients at the valley have been brought by the continuous water and eroded particles supply from surroundings. Based on the topographical investigation, the study area was roughly divided into 3 categories: 1) Steep slope area : Soil and vegetation status may be often affected and modified by the land slide or soil erosion. Soil texture was sandy loam, loamy sand, or loam. Gravelly materials often appeared in the subsurface layer at the depth of 20-40 cm, which are hard for root to penetrate into. This layer can be regarded as the one with physical hazard against root penetration. 2) Gentle slope area : Soil and vegetation status are relatively stable for a long time. Soil texture was light clay or heavy clay. Transported clayey materials were accumulated to a depth below 20 cm, and/or the in-situ weathering in the deeper part could have occurred because of the relatively stable topography. 3) Ridge area : Although soil and vegetation status looks stable in view of topography, moisture condition much fluctuated. Soil texture was clay loam or sandy clay loam, which was the middle range between that of a steep slope area and a gentle slope area. The physical hazard in the soil might not be found, but the rates of root elongation and plant growth may be slow since the soil is prone to be dry.


Collective learning has been advocated to be at the source for innovation, particularly as serendipity seems historically to have been the driving force not only behind innovation, but also behind scientific discovery and artistic creation. Informal learning is well known to represent the most significant learning effects in humans, far better than its complement: formal learning with predefined objectives. We have designed an approach—ViewpointS—based on a digital medium—the ViewpointS Web Application—that enables and enhances the processes for sharing knowledge within a group and is equipped with metrics aimed at assessing collective and informal learning. In this article, we introduce by giving a brief state of the art about collective and informal learning, then outline our approach and medium, and finally, present and exploit a real-life experiment aimed at evaluating the ViewpointS approach and metrics.


Gaucher disease is a prevalent lysosomal storage disease characterized by a deficiency in the activity of lysosomal acid β-glucosidase (glucocerebrosidase, GCase, EC 220.127.116.11). One of the most prevalent disease-causing mutations in humans is a L444P missense mutation in the GCase protein, which results in its disrupted folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and impaired post-ER trafficking. To determine whether the post-ER trafficking of this severely malfolded protein can be restored, we expressed the mutant L444P GCase as a recombinant protein in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Bright Yellow 2 [BY2]) cells, in which the GCase variant was equipped with a plant signal peptide to allow for secretion upon rescued trafficking out of the ER. The recombinant L444P mutant GCase was retained in the plant endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Kifunensine and Eeyarestatin I, both inhibitors of ER-associated degradation (ERAD), and the proteostasis regulators, celastrol and MG-132, increased the steady-state levels of the mutant protein inside the plant cells and further promoted the post-ER trafficking of L444P GCase, as indicated by endoglycosidase-H sensitivity- and secretion- analyses. Transcript profiling of genes encoding ER-molecular chaperones, ER stress responsive proteins, and cytoplasmic heat shock response proteins, revealed insignificant or only very modest changes in response to the ERAD inhibitors and proteostasis regulators. An exception was the marked response to celastrol which reduced the steady-state levels of cytoplasmic HSP90 transcripts and protein. As HSP90 participates in the targeting of misfolded proteins to the proteasome pathway, its down-modulation in response to celastrol may partly account for the mechanism of improved homeostasis of L444P GCase mediated by this triterpene.


The silage, sugar cane is a tool that can be used to meet the deficiency of food in the dry year and the addition of microbial silage additives can improve the fermentation and consequently, its food value. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the fresh sugar cane utilization or preserved as silage, with or without microbial addictive, as well as verify the influence of burning sugar cane used in diet crossbred dairy cows on intake and digestibility nutrients, production, milk composition. The animals were divided in a 5x5 latin square to evaluate the effects of fresh cane and four types of cane silage; cane without Lactobacillus buchneri (SCSI); cane with L.buchneri (SCCI); burned cane without L. buchneri (SCQSI); burned cane with L. buchneri (SCQCI). The fresh cane promotes higher dry matter intake and non-fibrous carbohydrates compared with silages. The burning of sugar cane and conservation as silage, with or without microbial additive does not alter the intake and digestibility of nutrients from animals. The use of cane ensilage without bacterial addictive provides lower milk production and crude protein when compared with the other treatments. It is recommended the use of fresh cane for providing animal better performance.


Abstract Objectives: This study was designed to provide further insights into the effects of dyslipidemia (Dys-y) and use of statins (St-y) on cognitive functions and mood in older people. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-nine subjects aged ≥ 65 years were screened for cognitive dysfunction using mini mental state examination (MMSE). The geriatric depression scale (GDS) was used to detect depression. Interview questionnaires surveyed activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL), as well as other functional disabilities. The presence of neutral lipids (NLs) in cytoplasm of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was determined with the Oil red O (ORO) staining. Results: There was no significant difference in MMSE and GDS scores between normal (Dys-n) and Dys-y. However, when Dys-y subjects were divided into St-y and non-statin users (St-n), significant differences emerged in the scores of MMSE and GDS: St-y had lower MMSE and higher GDS than St-n. Multiple correspondence analysis and logistic regression provided further evidence that elderly St-y were much more likely to suffer of cognitive impairment and depression than St-n. Another interesting finding was that the intensity of NL-PBMCs measured by ORO staining was greater in subjects with altered MMSE compared with cognitively normal subjects. In addition St-y had higher ORO score than St-n. Discussion: This is an observational study and cannot, therefore, prove a causal relationship between St-y in the elderly and a higher cognitive decline, nevertheless it provides substantial indications that caution should be exercised in the provision of statins in elderly subjects to avoid accelerated memory loss.


Water diffusion in polymers can often be approximated by a Fickian description, but a 2- phase model was proposed some years ago by Carter and Kibler (C&K), often referred to as "Langmuirtype" diffusion, by analogy with the Langmuir theory of adsorption. The two phases in question correspond to "mobile" and "bound" diffusant molecules. In this study, we have considered water uptake in an epoxy resin (an adhesive), employing gravimetry. A good, overall, empirical agreement with the C&K mathematical description of total mass increase with time has been obtained. In many applications of the C&K theory when used to quantify diffusion of water in polymers, only total water uptake is considered as a datum. However, a simple mathematical treatment of the theory enables the separate mobile and bound contributions to be isolated. These supplementary data have been used to try to get a better understanding of the meaning of the terms "mobile" and "bound" phases. Deuterium NMR analysis has been employed to study the mobility of the absorbed water. Decomposition of spectra has permitted us to assign two signals to the fractions of "mobile" and "bound" water. Analysis of peak evolution and a comparison with gravimetric data lead us to suggest that the "mobile" phase corresponds to diffusing molecules, whereas the "bound" phase corresponds to "clusters".


The importance of the spiritual dimension in the lives of people living in conditions of poverty and social exclusion and the often-critical role of faith-based organisations has gained increasing relevance in development research and practice. A growing line of research focuses on how to integrate the faith dimension into the evaluation of social programmes and on quantifying the effects of faith. The objective of this article is to propose a framework for integrating a spiritual dimension into the design and practice of impact evaluation by using the concept of integral human development (IHD). Integral human development emerged within the Catholic social tradition, but is not specific to it. It is a perspective on human development that integrates the material and spiritual, recognises the interdependence between humans and their environment or territory and demands change at both the individual and collective levels. This framework is then applied to the design of an impact evaluation of a faith-based programme that accompanies people with drug and alcohol addictions in Argentina. The article highlights the following characteristics of an integral impact evaluation: the interaction between multiple well-being dimensions; the use of knowledge and methods of analysis from multiple disciplines; the importance of understanding the diverse pathways to improvements in well-being; the assessment of the spiritual dimension through changes in one's relationships with oneself, others and the environment; and the importance of assessing personal change within the context of social and community transformation.


Le Corbusier' s (1887-1965) adoption of Frederick Winslow Taylor's Scientific Management in 1918 was a pivotal moment in Modem architecture. Taylorism promised social stability through the rationalization of the factory, increased profits and workers' wages. The adaptation of Tayloristic standardization and modularity formed the aesthetic basis of Le Corbusier's architecture of the 1920s. Taylorism endowed his architecture and urbanism with a greater social mission, justifying an eli tist, technocratic and authoritarian ideology in the socially conservative tradition of the French political Right. The thesis examines the development of Taylorism in France as a component of dirigisme during and after World War I. The planned economy was a critical tool of the technocratic state and advocated by the authoritarian and traditionalist Action Fran9aise. Viewing Le Corbusier in this model, the thesis traces the formation of his political ideology through his early education and career. The maisons en serie projects, new systems of construction employing the Tayloristic principles of standardization and modularity, were critical to the formulation of Le Corbusier' s Purist aesthetic during the 1920s, and are examined in the villas at Weissenhof, Stuttgart (1927) and the Villa Savoye, Poissy (1928). Social organization is examined in the Contemporary City for Three Million (1922) and Plan Voisin (1925). The Workers' City at Pessac (1924) is studied as a synthesis of the Le Corbusier ' s architecture and urbanism. The principles of Taylorism adopted by Le Corbusier established him as a leader in the Modem movement, fulfilling his aspirations as a messianic figure. Through the rationalization of construction and planning systems, Le Corbusier's legacy profoundly shaped architecture in the twentieth century.


There is growing concern about the high level of HIV infection among young people in South Africa. The aim of the study is to examine the HIV protective strategies used by college students with specific emphasis on variations by race group. The data for the study come from a self-administrated survey that was conducted with 3 000 college students in Durban in order to understand the strategies they use to protect themselves against the risk of HIV infection. Overall, students perceived a far greater risk of pregnancy than HIV infection. The results show that abstinence is the most common protective factor among Indian and White students. Among African students, there is great concern about HIV but abstinence is less common. Among sexually active men and women, the majority report having more than one sexual partner (with the exception of Indian females). Female students among all groups were more likely than male students to report that they were faithful to their partners. In Africans the contrast is stark: 25% for women versus 6% for men. Condoms are the most commonly used method by students but are not used in every sexual encounter. Consistent condom use was highest among Indian males (46%) and lowest among White females (13.7%). More effort needs to be directed at promoting correct and consistent condom use in order to avoid the negative consequences associated with unprotected sexual intercourse including unwanted pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.


AIM
The purpose of this study was to investigate the gene expression levels of elastin and fibulin-5 according to differences between carotid plaque regions and to correlate it with clinical features of plaque destabilization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study included 44 endarterectomy specimens available from operated symptomatic carotid artery stenoses. The specimens were separated according to anatomic location: internal carotid artery (ICA), external carotid artery (ECA) and common carotid artery (CCA), and then stored in liquid nitrogen. The amounts of cDNA for elastin and fibulin-5 were determined by Quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR). Target gene copy numbers were normalized using hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT1) gene. The delta-delta CT method was applied for relative quantification.

RESULTS
Q-RT-PCR data showed that relative fibulin-5 gene expression was increased in ICA plaque regions when compared to CCA regions but not reaching significance (p=0.061). At the same time, no differences were observed in elastin mRNA level between different anatomic plaque regions (p>0.05). Moreover, elastin and fibulin-5 mRNA expression and clinical parameters were compared in ICA plaques versus CCA and ECA regions, respectively. Up-regulation of elastin and fibulin-5 mRNA levels in ICA were strongly correlated with family history of cardiovascular disease when compared to CCA (p<0.05). Up-regulation of fibulin-5 in ICA was significantly associated with diabetes, and elevated triglycerides and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) when compared to ECA (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The clinical significance is the differences between the proximal and distal regions of the lesion, associated with the ICA, CCA and ECA respectively, with increased fibulin-5 in the ICA region.


Abstract Background: The intestinal microbiota composition varies between healthy and diseased individuals for numerous diseases. Although any cause or effect relationship between the alterations in the gut microbiota and disease is not always clear, targeting the intestinal microbiota might offer new possibilities for prevention and/or treatment of disease. Objective: Here we review some examples of manipulating the intestinal microbiota by prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbial transplants. Results: Prebiotics are best known for their ability to increase the number of bifidobacteria. However, specific prebiotics could potentially also stimulate other species they can also stimulate other species associated with health, like Akkermansia muciniphila, Ruminococcus bromii, the Roseburia/Enterococcus rectale group, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Probiotics have beneficial health effects for different diseases and digestive symptoms. These effects can be due to the direct effect of the probiotic bacterium or its products itself, as well as effects of the probiotic on the resident microbiota. Probiotics can influence the microbiota composition as well as the activity of the resident microbiota. Fecal microbial transplants are a drastic intervention in the gut microbiota, aiming for total replacement of one microbiota by another. With numerous successful studies related to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile infection, the potential of fecal microbial transplants to treat other diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and metabolic and cardiovascular disorders is under investigation. Conclusions: Improved knowledge on the specific role of gut microbiota in prevention and treatment of disease will help more targeted manipulation of the intestinal microbiota. Further studies are necessary to see the (long term) effects for health of these interventions.


The Lichnerowicz conjecture asserts that all harmonic manifolds are either flat or locally symmetric spaces of rank 1. This conjecture has been proved by Z.I. Szabo for harmonic manifolds with compact universal cover. E. Damek and F. Ricci provided examples showing that in the noncompact case the conjecture is wrong. However, such manifolds do not admit a compact quotient. The classification of all noncompact harmonic spaces is still a very difficult open problem.
In this paper we provide a survey on recent results on noncompact simply connected harmonic manifolds, and we also prove many new results, both for general noncompact harmonic manifolds and for noncompact harmonic manifolds with purely exponential volume growth.


It is always useful to set bounds to a semantic field when attempting to discuss lexical transmission. Once our attention is phocused on the names of birds collected by Palmireno in his Vocabulario del Humanista (1569), the influence of Belon, Gesner and specially of Joan B. Agnes becomes evident. On the other hand, it is also evident that the Catalan lexicographer Pere Torra (17th century) used in a rather indiscriminate manner Palmireno's work while assimilating in his Dictionnary words which on the base of their formal and / or their semantic structure can not be considered as Catalan. Some of these words have been nevertheless accepted by 20th century lexicographers.


Premise of research. Winteraceae, a family within the Canellales, is composed of tropical trees and shrubs broadly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family is found today in eastern Australia, New Zealand, Malesia, Oceania, Madagascar, and the Neotropics across a range of dry to wet tropical to temperate climate regions. The fossil record of woods related to the Winteraceae in the Southern Hemisphere is limited to the Late Cretaceous of the Antarctic Peninsula. Here, we present a detailed anatomical description of the secondary xylem of a well-preserved trunk from the early Eocene Laguna del Hunco site, Huitrera Formation, Patagonia (Chubut Province, Argentina), that is referable to a new species of the genus Winteroxylon (Gottwald) Poole and Francis. Methodology. The wood is preserved as a siliceous permineralization; it was sectioned using standard petrographic techniques and observed under both light and scanning electron microscopy. The anatomy was compared with that of extant and fossil species of Winteraceae. Pivotal results. The diagnostic anatomical features of Winteraceae preserved in the fossil include an absence of growth rings, a lack of vessels, tracheids that are rectangular in cross section with circular bordered pits, diffuse axial parenchyma, rays showing two distinct size ranges (uniseriate-biseriate or multiseriate, 3–15 cells wide), and the presence of heterocellular rays containing sclerotic nests, cells with dark contents, and oil cells. The new fossil species most resembles extant genera within the Zygogynum s.l. clade from Australasian and Malesian rain forests; its anatomy is very similar to that of the extant genus Bubbia. The new Patagonian Winteraceae fossil wood is characterized by the presence of sclerotic nests and oil cells in the rays, which differ from those of previously described species of Winteroxylon. Conclusions. On the basis of the distinctive characters preserved, we erect Winteroxylon oleiferum sp. nov. The new fossil is the first reliable macrofossil record of Winteraceae from South America, supporting the abundant palynological record of the family from the continent, and it is the oldest record of the Zygogynum s.l. clade, adding to the long list of southern biogeographic connections between South America and Australasia via Antarctica during the warm early Cenozoic.


This paper is concerned with the asymptotical stability analysis for a class of switched uncertain descriptor systems with time-delay. The robustly asymptotical stability of this system is proven by making use of the generalized Lyapunov Stability theory, linear matrix inequality (LMI) tools and multiple Lyapunov function techniques. The conservation of result is greatly reduced by means of introducing the optimal weight matrix and avoiding vector matrix inequality in deducing procedure, in which there is no need of transformation and hypothesis for descriptor systems. The designed control law could surely make switched Descriptor Systems quickly approach the balanceable point. Experimentally, one numerical simulation verifies the effectiveness of this method.


In recent years nations - states in many parts of the world have been attempting
to improve the status of women in their society. An important element in
national policies is the improvement of women's access to wide range of jobs,
including those at a managerial level
However attitude towards the role of women as home makers and/or career
people vary from one society to another.
In Kilifi Gender disparity is appalling. The district is very poor ranked third
poorest in Kenya. Many social institutions seem to favour men .The elderly face
various problems in the community. Women suffer discrimination in terms of
access to capital, assets such as land and livestock. They shoulder the greater
part of household duties lndudlnq building and thatching houses and are often
victims of domestic violence.
Although school enrolment is generally appallingly for both boys and girls, the
latter have lesser opportunities in education. Most girls drop out of school at
primary level due to unplanned pregnancies or early pre arranged marriages. As
such post-primary enrolment for girls in the region is below 10% of eligible girls.
Customs and traditions of the community 'Giriama' retard development and discriminate against women.
The number of women managers is negligible and the few found in the area very
few are local; most of the others are from other parts of the country and have
only come to Kilifi to work. However, this study will focus on managers of both
formal and informal workforce.
The purpose of the study will be to investigate challenges women manager face
in managing a workforce in Kilifi. The proposed study will make use of survey
method.
The data will be collected using an interview schedule consisting of both closed
and open-ended items from 80 respondents and an observation checklist.
Quantitative and qualitative data collected will be analyzed using the statistical
package for social science (SPSS) .It will be subjected to both descriptive and
inferential statistics. Frequencies, means and percentages will be used to
describe, summaries and organize data. ANOVA and the t-test and the person
product moment correlation will be used to differentiate and relate data
respectively (Sproull, 1988, Mugenda & Mugenda, 1999).
The data will be summarized, analyzed and the result obtained will be used to
draw conclusions and make recommendations on the study.


Researchers in the United States have successfully used a gene editing technique in early stage human embryos to correct a mutation that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a report in Nature has confirmed.1

The embryos in the study were not allowed to develop for more than a few days and were never intended to be implanted into a womb. Further research is needed to establish the safety of the method before it can be adopted clinically. However, if the technique proves to be safe, it could potentially be used for other genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a common inherited condition affecting one in 500 people, and it is the most common cause of sudden death in otherwise healthy young athletes. In 40% of families with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy it is caused by a single copy of a mutant MYBPC3 gene.

The research team produced zygotes by fertilising healthy …


This article examines the copy of Paris Bordon's Consegna dell'anello al doge painted by Antonio Guardi for the nobleman Pietro Gradenigo (1695-1776). The painting will be compared with other copies made by Guardi for Giovanni Paolo and Giovanni Benedetto Giovanelli, for Marshall Schulenburg and the Savorgnan family, in order to emphasise Guardi's ability to translate masterpieces of other artists into his own language. It will also be highlighted how perfectly the Consegna dell'anello al doge fits into the collection of Gradenigo, who gathered in his palace paintings, sculptures and antiquities that documented the history of Venice and his family. This article looks into the possible contacts of Pietro Gradenigo with Antonio Guardi, starting from a newfound study of documents and the relationships of the nobleman with other scholars and Guardi's patrons.