This thesis studies the relationships between systematic risk, financial indicators and the financial crisis from the perspective of international airlines. The thesis uses the CAPM beta of airline stock as the proxy for airline systematic risk and explores its relationships with six financial indicators and the financial crisis which broke out in the second half of 2008. The findings of 28 international airlines over the period of 1997 to 2002 and 2007 to 2012 indicate that (1) airline systematic risk is negatively related to profitability and positively related to size, and these relationships hold over time periods, (2) the negative relationship between airline systematic risk and operational efficiency exists while it changes the sign over recent time periods, (3) airline systematic risk positively responds to financial leverage while its significance is influenced by samples used, (4) the positive relationship between airline systematic risk and liquidity is only significant over the first period, (5) no findings suggest airline systematic risk is related to growth. Moreover, the relationship between airline systematic risk and the financial crisis is not straight-forward because of lacking clear-cut judgment of the financial crisis year for airlines. Moreover, this thesis also tries panel data methods and finds both the same and different results compared with the model without panel data methods.


In our recent article ("Production of Mesons by X-Rays," by Edwin M. McMillan, Jack M. Peterson, and R. Stephen White," Science, December 2), the second sentence in the last paragraph on page 581 contains a typographical error. When a negative π–meson is made by a photon striking a neutron, the products are π– and p+, not π– and π+. Also, near the center of page 580, in the third paragraph "π=mesons" was incorrectly printed for "π–mesons."


Manufacturing companies are under pressure to find ways to customize their products quickly, and a new approach to an old idea holonics might provide the answer. A holon is a self-organizing unit that can communicate with other holons and make decisions autonomously. A holon both comprises subordinate parts and constitutes part of a larger system. Scientists interested in the holon's autonomous, cooperative, and self-configuring characteristics are researching ways to create distributed systems that can change manufacturing processes on the fly, manage systems robustly, and handle unpredictable processing requests and inputs.


3-4-(2-Fluoro-α-methyl-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-acetyloxy)-3-methoxyphenyl]-2-propenoic acid 4-nitrooxy butyl ester (NCX-2216), a nitric oxide (NO)-releasing derivative of the cyclooxygenase-1-preferring nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) flurbiprofen, dramatically reduced both β-amyloid (Aβ) loads and Congo red staining in doubly transgenic (Tg) amyloid precursor protein plus presenilin-1 mice when administered at 375 ppm in diet between 7 and 12 months of age. This reduction was associated with a dramatic increase in the number of microglia expressing major histocompatibility complex-II antigen, a marker for microglial activation. In contrast, ibuprofen at 375 ppm in diet caused modest reductions in Aβ load but not Congo red staining, suggesting that the effects of this nonselective NSAID were restricted primarily to nonfibrillar deposits. We detected no effects of the cyclooxygenase-2-selective NSAID celecoxib at 175 ppm on amyloid deposition. In short-term studies of 12-month-old Tg mice, we found that the microglia-activating properties of NCX-2216 (7.5 mg · kg−1 · d−1, s.c.) were present after 2 weeks of treatment. Microglia were not activated by NCX-2216 in non-Tg mice lacking Aβ deposits, nor were microglia activated in Tg animals by flurbiprofen (5 mg · kg−1 · d−1) alone. These data are consistent with the argument that activated microglia can clear Aβ deposits. We conclude that the NO-generating component of NCX-2216 confers biological actions that go beyond those of typical NSAIDs. In conclusion, NCX-2216 is more efficacious than ibuprofen or celecoxib in clearing Aβ deposits from the brains of Tg mice, implying potential benefit in the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia.


In this article, we present a new user authentication technique for touchscreen-based smartphone users that augments pseudo touch pressure as an extra security measure to the conventional digit-lock technique. The new technique enhances security by offering more unique password combinations than the most popular ones, by making each password specific to its owner, and by reducing the threat of smudge attacks. A study comparing the new technique with the digit-lock technique showed that overall it is slower and more error-prone, but performs substantially better in short term. Also, most users felt more secure using it and wanted to use it dominantly on their smartphones. A second study confirmed that it does enhance security by making it relatively more resistant to smudge attacks and less vulnerable to situations where attackers are already in possession of users' passwords.


Introduction: Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue, since it generates adverse results for physical and mental health. Objective: To correlate nutritional status and levels of self-esteem and physical performance in schoolchildren aged between 8 and 10. Materials and methods: 236 students participated, 117 male and 119 female, aged between 8 and 10, from two public schools in the municipality of Temuco. Weight, height, body mass index, mass/fat percentage, waist contour, physical condition, hours of physical exercise per week and self-esteem were evaluated. Results: Overnutrition was documented in 43.6% of the students; children classified as obese (19%) presented higher levels of fat mass and waist contour (p<0.001), and also had a lower physical performance (p<0.05). The hours of physical exercise per week and the level of self-esteem were lower in obese school children, although this figure was not significant (p≥0.05). Conclusions: Obesity in school-aged children reveals alterations associated with physical performance, fat mass and negative trends on self-esteem. Despite developing at an early stage, the consequences associated with this condition can already be seen.


pretation of laboratory results confined to the elderly would have been regarded with incredulity. Not only had there been little or no work done on establishing the normal reference range but there was no general recognition that values for the elderly might be different from the normal adult range. Moreover, there would have been suspicion that detailed investigation of the elderly was either inappropriate or a waste of time; but times they are a-changing. Successful treatment of the elderly is now commonplace and it is understood that some test results which are abnormal in a young adult do not indicate disease in an 80 year old. How far to investigate a particular patient's abnormal result is an everyday clinical problem. A better feel for the importance of laboratory testing can only help decision making and Professor Rochman's guidance is welcome. It is aimed at clinicians and is clearly written but in striving to be comprehensive (haematology is covered as well as biochemistry) there is not the necessary depth which a geriatrician might hope for in a specialist monograph. Recommended as a useful read for doctors in training.


We introduce an automatic agent that, through linguistic communications with a human, can check constraints for object layouts as well as learn new constraints. This is applied to a surgical instrument preparation task, where the system interacts with an expert to learn both general instrument arrangement regulations and special layouts customized to a particular doctor. When supervising a non-expert human preparing the tools for a surgery, the system can provide suggestions by giving verbal feedback about how to improve the setup while simultaneously highlighting corresponding objects through a graphical interface


The bioactivity of a glass ionomer luting cement (Ketac®-cem, ESPE, Germany), which was modified by Bioglass® (PerioGlas® Synthetic Bone Graft Particulate, US Biomaterials) in different bioglass/powder weight ratios, and the biocompatibility of the produced mixtures were evaluated in this study using different cell lines. The incorporation of Bioglass® in the cement structure resulted in the formation of sparsely located biological apatite aggregations. However, although Bioglass® incorporation seemed to enhance cell proliferation, the materials became eventually brittle and highly soluble depending on Bioglass® amount.


A neural implicit outputs a number indicating whether the given query point in space is inside, outside, or on a surface. Many prior works have focused on latentencoded neural implicits, where a latent vector encoding of a specific shape is also fed as input. While affording latent-space interpolation, this comes at the cost of reconstruction accuracy for any single shape. Training a specific network for each 3D shape, a weight-encoded neural implicit may forgo the latent vector and focus reconstruction accuracy on the details of a single shape. While previously considered as an intermediary representation for 3D scanning tasks or as a toy-problem leading up to latent-encoding tasks, weight-encoded neural implicits have not yet been taken seriously as a 3D shape representation. In this paper, we establish that weight-encoded neural implicits meet the criteria of a first-class 3D shape representation. We introduce a suite of technical contributions to improve reconstruction accuracy, convergence, and robustness when learning the signed distance field induced by a polygonal mesh — the de facto standard representation. Viewed as a lossy compression, our conversion outperforms standard techniques from geometry processing. Compared to previous latentand weight-encoded neural implicits we demonstrate superior robustness, scalability, and performance.


Currently, many monetary and fiscal policy measures are aimed at preventing the financial market meltdown that started in the US subprime sector and has spread world wide as a great recession. Although some slow recovery appears to be on the horizon, it is worthwhile exploring the fragility and potentially destabilizing feedbacks of advanced macroeconomies in the context of Keynesian macro models. Fragilities and destabilizing feedback mechanisms are known to be potential features of all markets– the product markets, the labor market, and the financial markets. In this paper we in particular focus on the financial market. We use a Tobin-like macroeconomic portfolio approach, and the interaction of heterogeneous agents on the financial market to characterize the potential for financial market instability. Though the study of the latter has been undertaken in many partial models, we focus here on the interconnectness of all three markets. Furthermore, we study the potential that labor market, fiscal and monetary policies have to stabilize unstable macroeconomies. Besides other stabilizing policies we in particular propose a countercyclical monetary policy that sells assets in the boom and purchases assets in recessions. Modern stability analysis is brought to bear to demonstrate the stabilizing effects of those suggested policies.


A mathematical equation that predicts the maintenance dose needed to achieve a desired steady-state plasma concentration (Css) for first-order drugs from a single plasma concentration drawn after a single dose was tested for valproic acid. Six healthy volunteers received a single oral 500-mg dose of valproic acid and plasma concentrations were determined at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 24, and 32 hours. Each subject then received 750 mg of valproic acid daily in three divided doses for four days and a Css was determined. The equation was rearranged to predict the Css of valproic acid from plasma concentrations drawn at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 hours after the single dose of valproic acid, using individually determined and mean terminal rate constant (k) values. The predicted Css were then compared with the actual Css. There was no difference in the predicted and actual Css using plasma concentrations collected at 6, 8, or 10 hours regardless of the derivation of the k values. The four-hour concentration predicted a lower Css if the mean (rather than the individual) k values were used. The one- and two-hour concentrations were not accurate predictors. While a 6-, 8-, or 10-hour plasma concentration would be adequate for predicting the Css, the 10-hour concentration had the least difference between the predicted and actual values. The time and cost of titrating valproic acid to a desired Css may be decreased by using this mathematical equation to predict the necessary maintenance dose.


Standard handsheets of bleached bagasse and hardwood pulps were prepared with calcium carbonate filler loading by conventional method and by in-situ precipitation. The handsheets were printed with an IGT printability tester. The effect of filler loading by in-situ precipitation on ink transfer, print density, and print-through was studied. For a given amount of ink on the printing disk or on the paper, the print density was greater and the print-through was less for in-situ precipitation of filler when compared with the conventional filler loading.


MnAlC nanoparticles were synthesized by plasma arc-discharge method. Heat treatment of these nanoparticles at temperature from 400 to 600 °C resulted in the formation of the ferromagnetic τ-phase. Most of the nanoparticles had nearly spherical shape, smooth surface and core/shell structure. The shells of the nanoparticles mainly consisted of Al2O3 and a small amount of Mn oxides. Though the saturation magnetization of MnAlC nanoparticles was lower than that of bulk samples due to the effect of nonmagnetic phases (β, γ2 and Mn3AlC) and the oxide shell, the highest coercivity, up to 5.6 kOe in the MnAlC magnets, was achieved when annealed at 500 °C for 30 min.


Tuberculosis (TB) is currently a major health problem, in particular in developing countries and in HIV positive people. Tubercular spondylodiscitis is the most common type of skeletal TB, more frequent in children than adults. It is rarely reported in developed countries.We describe a 3 years-old Italian girl who referred to our hospital with back pain and walking deficiency; she had a very good outcome with anti-tubercular treatment and orthopedic follow-up.Early recognition and treatment of this tubercular complication are very important due to its possible complications: bone destruction, spinal deformity, neurologic and orthopedic complications.


This paper gives a description of Yoruba pointing behavior, especially pointing as it relates to people in interaction contexts. First, it is shown that pointing is regulated by socio-cultural factors. Secondly, it is shown that non-manual points such as lip points are complex points which use the gaze as the primary pointer; other head-area gestures 'switch on' the deictic function of the gaze to pinpoint the specific referent in the discourse space. This paper also describes a form of pointing, termed 'eye-click', in which the eyes have both the function of gazing and 'switching on' the deictic vector of gaze. Thirdly, some pointing practices in sub-Saharan Africa are examined and compared.


Disclosed are an apparatus, method, and computer readable medium configured for performing a background erase in a memory device. Included is the act of receiving at least one erase command and at least one erasable block address for the memory device. Also included is the act of asserting a background-process-busy flag after receiving the at least one erase command and the at least one erasable block address. At least one block in the memory associated with the at least one erasable block address is erased, wherein the erasing occurs at a time delay after receiving the at least one erase command if a background enable flag is asserted. Finally, the background-process-busy flag is negated after the erasing is complete.


Shapero's four factor model for the motivation of entrepreneurship formed the theoretical backbone of a study among 178 knowledge intensive companies, all spin-off of the University of Twente. Each of the companies completed a questionnaire that amongst others contained 12 items with respect to the Shapero construct. Factor analysis revealed that the factors as such were not to be identified as such, but fitted into a concept proposed by Tesfaye. He theorised that there are three types of opportunities: (a) opportunity - resource compatibility, (b) opportunity - market compatibility, and (c) opportunity - person compatibility. Our questionnaire operationalises for a large part this theoretical concept. It is concluded that more research is needed to construct a valid questionnaire to measure "opportunity" as a motivator for entrepreneurship.


An adaptive inverse compensator design method was proposed for a class of nonlinear systems with input ummodeled dynamics based on RBF neural networks. The compensator was designed using two neural networks, one to estimate the input unmodeled dynamics and another to provide adaptive inverse compensation to the input unmodeled dynamics. The method relaxes some rigorous demands to unmodeled dynamics such as relative degree zero, satisfying the small gain assumption and so on. The controller was designed using backstepping control techniques. Lyapunov theory was used to derive the tuning laws for the weight vectors of the neural networks and proved that the close-loop system is gradually stable. The proposed method is applied to design the missile control systems with input unmodeled dynamics in pitch channel. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control method


This paper describes part of a project to develop a systematic approach to knowledge extraction from on-line respirometric measurements in support of wastewater treatment plant control and operation. The paper deals with the following issues: (1) test of the implementation of an automatic set-up consisting of a continuous laboratory respirometer integrated in a mobile trailer with sampling and dosing equipment, and data-acquisition and communication system; (2) assessment of activated sludge/sewage characteristics from sludge respirograms by model parameter estimation; (3) comparison of the parameter estimates with regular plant data and information obtained from supplementary wastewater respirograms. The paper describes the equipment and some of its measuring results from a period of one week at a large-scale wastewater treatment plant. The measurements were evaluated in terms of the common activated sludge modelling practice. The automatic set-up allowed reliable measurements during at least one week. The data were used to calibrate two different version of the model, and independent parameter estimates were obtained.


With an ever increasing amount of data available on the web, fast similarity search has become the critical component for large-scale information retrieval systems. One solution is semantic hashing which designs binary codes to accelerate similarity search. Recently, deep learning has been successfully applied to the semantic hashing problem and produces high-quality compact binary codes compared to traditional methods. However, most state-of-the-art semantic hashing approaches require large amounts of hand-labeled training data which are often expensive and time consuming to collect. The cost of getting labeled data is the key bottleneck in deploying these hashing methods. Motivated by the recent success in machine learning that makes use of weak supervision, we employ unsupervised ranking methods such as BM25 to extract weak signals from training data. We further introduce two deep generative semantic hashing models to leverage weak signals for text hashing. The experimental results on four public datasets show that our models can generate high-quality binary codes without using hand-labeled training data and significantly outperform the competitive unsupervised semantic hashing baselines.


The effects of two polymers, cationic guar (CP-14) and anionic polyacrylamide (PAM), and two water qualities on dry cohesive strength of three soils were studied. The soils were Fallbrook sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed, thermic, Typic Haploxeralf), Bosanko sandy clay loam (fine, montmorillonitic, thermic, Chromic Pelloxererts), and Hanford loamy sand (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, thermic, Typic Xerorthents). The two polymers were applied with synthesized Friant-Kern Canal or well water typical of the San Joaquin Valley of California (EC 0.05 and 0.7 dS m⁻¹, respectively). The soil was used either directly (nonpretreated) or pretreated by spraying the waters containing polymers to create concentrations of 0, 25, 50 and 100 mg polymer per kg soil and then air-drying the soil. Soil briquets and soil cores of pretreated soil were saturated with untreated water and nonpretreated soil was saturated with waters containing polymer concentrations of 0, 5, 25, 50 and 100 mg L⁻¹. The saturated soil was drained, dried at 60 °C for 48 h and then the dry cohesive strength was measured by modulus of rupture (MR) of soil briquets and tensile strength (S) of soil cores. The rupture stress (RS) required for crushing three group sizes (2–4, 4–5.66 and 5.66–8 mm) of artificially prepared soil aggregates using the various solutions was also measured. Both polymers were effective in ameliorating soil hardness, but PAM was more effective than CP-14 in either water. The degree to which MR, S and R decreased with polymer applications was dependent upon the soil type, water quality, polymer concentration and method of polymer application. Pretreated Bosanko soil showed higher MR values in canal water than in well water for both polymers. Fallbrook soil showed the same trend as Bosanko soil with CP-14 and opposite results with PAM. Higher values of MR were obtained in nonpretreated soil than in pretreated soil for Bosanko soil in both canal and well water. In general, differences in MR between pretreated and nonpretreated Fallbrook soil were not great. Reasonable agreement was found between measured MR and RS of the three soils and predicted results based on flocculation and polymer adsorption on montmorillonite.


[1] We analyze 16-month data of 13 major halocarbons measured at a southern China coastal site in the greater Pearl River Delta (PRD). A total of 188 canister air samples were collected from August 2001 to December 2002. Overall inspection indicated that CH2Cl2 ,C 2Cl4, and C2HCl3 had similar temporal variations while CFC-11, CFC-12, and CFC-113 showed the same emission patterns during the sampling period. Diurnal variations of halocarbons presented different patterns during ozone episode days, mainly related to emission strength, atmospheric dispersion, and photochemical lifetimes. For further statistics and source appointment, Lagrangian backward particle release simulations were conducted to help understand the potential source regions of all samples and classify them into different categories, including local Hong Kong, inner PRD, continental China, and marineairmasses.WiththeexceptionofHCFC-142b,themixingratiosofallhalocarbonsin marine air were significantly lower than those in urban and regional air (p < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was found between urban Hong Kong and inner PRD regional air, reflecting the dominant impact of the greater PRD regional air on the halocarbon levels. Thehalocarbonlevelsinthisregionweresignificantlyinfluencedbyanthropogenicsources, causing the halocarbon mixing ratios in South China Sea air to be higher than the corresponding background levels, as measured by global surface networks and by airborne missions such as Transport and Chemical Evolution Over the Pacific. Interspecies correlation analysis suggests that CHCl3 is mainly used as a solvent in Hong Kong but mostly as a feedstock for HCFC-22 in the inner PRD. Furthermore, CH3Cl is often used as a refrigerant and emitted from biomass/biofuel burning in the inner PRD. A positive matrix factorization receptor model was applied to the classified halocarbon samples in the greater PRD for source profiles and apportionments. Seven major sources were identified and quantified. Emissions from solvent use were the most significant source of halocarbons (71 ± 9%), while refrigeration was the second largest contributor (18 ± 2%). By further lookingatsamplesfromtheinnerPRDandfromurbanHongKongseparately,wefoundthat more solvent was used in the dry cleaning industry in Hong Kong, whereas the contribution of cleaning solvent in the electronic industry was higher in the inner PRD. Besides the two common sources of solvent use and refrigeration, the contributions of biomass/biofuel burning and feedstock in chemical manufacturing was remarkable in the inner PRD but negligible in Hong Kong. These findings are of help to effectively control and phase out the emissions of halocarbons in the greater PRD region of southern China.


This paper studies the importance of firm-level price markup dynamics for business cycle fluctuations. The first part of the paper uses state-of-the-art IO techniques to measure the behavior of markups over the business cycle at the firm level. I find that markups are countercyclical with an average elasticity of -0.9 with respect to real GDP, in line with the earlier industry-level evidence. Importantly, I find substantial heterogeneity in markup cyclicality across firms, with small firms having significantly more countercyclical markups than large firms. In the second part of the paper, I develop a general equilibrium model that matches these empirical findings and explore its implications for business cycle dynamics. In particular, I embed customer capital (due to deep habits as in Ravn, Schmitt-Grohe, and Uribe 2006) into a standard Hopenhayn (1992) model of firm dynamics with entry and exit. A key feature of the model is that a firm's decision about markups becomes dynamic {firms accumulate customer capital in the periods of fast growth by charging low markups, and choose to exploit it by charging high markups in the downturns. In particular, during recessions, the endogenous higher exit probability for smaller firms implies that they place lower weight on future profits, leading them to charge higher markups. This mechanism serves to endogenously increase the dispersion of firm sales and employment in recessions, a property that is consistent with the data. I further show that the resulting input misallocation amplifies both the volatility and persistence of the exogenous productivity shocks driving the business cycle.


We investigated the crystal structures and the spin injection signals of Si/Mg/MgO/Co2FeAl0.5Si0.5 (CFAS) junctions deposited by molecule beam epitaxy. The (001)-orientation and the structural ordering of CFAS thin films changed by heating deposition of CFAS and the insertion of Mg layer into Si/MgO interface. Spin injection signals observed at 10K for the junctions by 3 terminals Hanle measurements. The maximum voltage change, ¦VMAX, was increased by heating deposition of CFAS and the insertion of Mg layer. It is supposed that the enhancement of spin polarization by the improvement of structural ordering of CFAS or coherent tunneling by (001)-oriented MgO barrier caused the increment of ¦VMAX. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2013139]


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to compare the two-year clinical performance of three restorative systems in posterior restorations, which included a low-shrinkage composite and both etch-and-rinse and self-etch adhesive strategies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
After signing an informed consent, 25 patients received three Class I (occlusal) or Class II restorations performed with one of three restorative systems: Filtek Silorane Restorative System, Adper Scotchbond 1 XT (a two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive) with Filtek Z250, and Adper Scotchbond SE (a two-step self-etch adhesive) with Filtek Z250. All materials were applied following the manufacturer's instructions. Two blind observers evaluated the restorations at three different moments (baseline; and after one and two years) according to the US Public Health Service modified criteria. Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare the behavior of the restorative systems, while Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were applied to analyze the intra-system data (p<0.05).

RESULTS
The three restorative systems showed a statistically similar clinical performance at two years. Intra-system comparisons between baseline and two years showed declining marginal adaptation scores in the restorations placed with all systems. In addition, marginal staining and surface roughness scores were lower after two years for the restorations placed with Adper Scotchbond SE + Filtek Z250.

CONCLUSIONS
Although the clinical performance of Filtek Silorane was considered acceptable after two years, no advantage of the silorane-based resin over the methacrylate-based composite was found. Teeth restored with Adper Scotchbond SE showed a tendency for marginal staining, which may compromise the final color of the restorations.


This paper presents a weather-insensitive optical free-space communication (OFSC) method supporting optical packet channels. It operates optical fiber amplifiers (OFAs) used as boosters in gain-saturation regions. When the propagation loss gets too high, it decreases the average packet rate, or the average packet length, or both, to increase the optical power level launched into the free space. As a demonstration, 8 /spl times/ 10 Gigabit-Ethernet (GbE) channels were transmitted over a terrestrial distance of 2.4 km. One gain-saturated free-space optical repeater is used at the halfway.


Objective: Xanthotoxin (XAT) is a linear furanocoumarin mainly extracted from the plants Ammi majus L. XAT has been reported the apoptosis of tumor cells, anti-convulsant, neuroprotective effect, antioxidative activity, and vasorelaxant effects. This study aimed to investigate the vascular protective effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of XAT. Methods: XAT's activity was studied in rat thoracic aortas, isolated with aortic rings, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Results: XAT induced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in a concentration-dependent manner in the isolated rat thoracic aortas. Removal of endothelium or pretreatment of aortic rings with L-NAME, 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]-quinoxalin-1-one, and wortmannin significantly inhibited XAT-induced relaxation. In addition, treatment with thapsigargin, 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate, Gd3+, and 4-aminopyridine markedly attenuated the XAT-induced vasorelaxation. XAT increased nitric oxide production and Akt- endothelial NOS (eNOS) phosphorylation in HUVECs. Moreover, XAT attenuated the expression of TNF-α-induced cell adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and E-selectin. However, this effect was attenuated by the eNOS inhibitors L-NAME and asymmetric dimethylarginine. Conclusions: This study suggests that XAT induces vasorelaxation through the Akt-eNOS-cGMP pathway by activating the KV channel and inhibiting the L-type Ca2+ channel. Furthermore, XAT exerts an inhibitory effect on vascular inflammation, which is correlated with the observed vascular protective effects.


The incidence of spina bifida (SB) is known to differ among regions. Very little has been reported about the relationship between the incidence of SB and ethnic patterns of origin in Zambia except for the general impression that it is prevalent. The aim of the study was to establish the ethnic pattern of origin of children with SB in Zambia. It was a retrospective cross sectional study. Using a checklist, data was collected from clinical files of children with SB from the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and Beit Cure Hospital (BCH) from 2001-2010. Descriptive statistical analysis was done in SPSS version 17. A total of 253 children with SB were identified of whom 88 (35%) of them originally came from the Southern Province of the country while the lowest province was the North-Western Province with 7 (3%). Further, a total of 77 (30%) children were referred from the Southern Province of the country and the lowest province that was represented was the North-Western Province with 5 (2%). Observed is the evidence that SB is very prevalent in the Southern Province of the country. With the presence of Uranium in the Southern Province of Zambia, a serious study ought to be done to investigate the possible link of the pollutant with the prevalence of SB in the region. It is essential that the government looks seriously at Uranium Mines being operated in the Province.


Possible stable structures of various 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) complexes, [Ni(bpy)(3)](2+), [Co(bpy)(3)](2+), [Fe(bpy)(3)](2+) and Fe(phen)(2)(NCS)(2), were optimized for different spin states of the metals, and the spectra computed for every form were compared with the experimental IR spectra of the compounds. It is demonstrated that the changes in spin states of the metals influence both geometry and vibrational spectra of the complexes. Spectral changes are predicted not only in the low frequency range, corresponding to metal-ligand vibrations, but also in the mid-IR range, where ligand vibrations are active. Detailed computational analysis in combination with the corresponding spectroscopic experiment shows that the spectral changes are of a similar character for complexes with the same ligands independent on the central metal and can be used as spectroscopic markers of the electronic state of the latter. Found spectral markers have been validated at a number of complexes of Fe(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II) and Cu(II) with bpy and phen ligands.


Background: The effects of midodrine on chronic hypotension in hemodialysis (HD) patients have not been well investigated. Methods: We evaluated midodrine's effect on autonomic function and hemodynamics in 12 HD patients who had chronic systolic blood pressure less than 100 mm Hg. Midodrine (5.0 mg) twice a day was given for 4 weeks. Another 12 age‐ and sex‐matched HD patients with normotension were selected as a control group. Autonomic function tests included the heart‐rate responses to the Valsalva maneuver and 30:15 ratio as well as supine and standing blood pressure (BP) and sustained hand‐grip test. Hemodynamic changes included 24‐hour blood pressure, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance (TPR), and plasma renin and aldosterone concentrations. Results: Compared with the control subjects, HD patients with chronic hypotension had more severe autonomic dysfunction and significantly lower TPR. After 4 weeks of midodrine therapy, sympathetic function (orthostatic and hand‐grip tests) improved in conjunction with significant increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) (79.5±4.9 to 85.0±5.1 mm Hg, P<0.05) and TPR (768±37 versus 1097±72 dyne/sec/cm−5, P<0.01) despite no significant change in Valsalva ratio, 30:15 ratio, and cardiac output. MAP changes were positively correlated with TPR changes (r=0.82, P<0.001). Supine plasma renin activity was significantly increased. In addition, MAP during HD was also significantly increased during midodrine therapy. Conclusions: Midodrine improves chronic hypotension in HD patients by modulating autonomic function and its direct effects on peripheral vessels.


This paper is concerned with the analysis of the performance of a zero-crossing type of frequency discriminator when the input signal is a narrow-band Gaussian random process. The sensitivity and the amount of ripple in the output voltage of such a discriminator are found in terms of the autocorrelation function of the input signal. The tracking error and the output frequency jitter of a closed-loop frequency tracker utilizing this discriminator are then found. The predicted jitter of the tracker frequency for this discriminator compares well with the theoretically achievable value found by previous authors. The analysis technique is sufficiently general so that it can be adapted to other types of zero-crossing discriminators.


Despite our instinctive understanding of the importance of "identity," archaeologists and bioarchaeologists continue to struggle to rigorously investigate this complex phenomenon. Here, we present a contextualized multiscalar bioarchaeological approach to studying identities in the past—individual and group, mutable and immutable—through the mortuary record. We argue that, while many scholars have moved beyond the single-focus study, archaeological individuals themselves are still neglected. A contextualized bioarchaeological approach brings together a variety of methods to investigate aspects of individual and group identities, provides a means of accessing biological facets of identity, and allows for more nuanced understanding of the complexities of social identities. We illustrate the utility of our model with a case study using archaeological, bioarchaeological, and biogeochemical data from northern Chile, stressing both the fixed and the dynamic aspects of different identities. We focus on the tumultuous transition between the Middle Horizon (AD 500–1100) and Late Intermediate Period (AD 1100–1400) in northern Chile's San Pedro de Atacama oases and the neighboring upper Loa River Valley. Our research demonstrates a shift toward homogenizing representations of social identities as well as biological aspects of identities as societies began reformulating their social groups following the end of the complex and cosmopolitan Middle Horizon.


A row-column beamformation algorithm is presented, which yields the output from the conventional delay-and-sum algorithm while reducing the number of operations by order of magnitude. The proposed method uses that in a row-column synthetic aperture sequence, the low-resolution volumes (LRV) have approximately constant image values along the elevation axis. It is, thus, possible to reconstruct the entire LRV from a single cross-section by modeling the positions with constant image values. As such, the proposed method consists of two stages. The first stage beamforms a low-resolution image per emission using the conventional approach. The second stage reconstructs the LRVs with one interpolation per voxel. Lastly, a high-resolution volume (HRV) is obtained by summing the LRVs across all emissions. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on measured data acquired using a 6 MHz 128+128 Vermon row-column probe and a Verasonics Vantage system. The proposed method beamformed a $100 \times 100 \times 200$ HRV consisting of 48 LRVs at a volume rate of 38 Hz. This was 9.23 times faster than a published GPU implementation of the conventional approach and real-time volumetric beamformation was achieved with a pulse repetition frequency of up to 1805 Hz. The output from the conventional and proposed beamformer was visually indistinguishable, and their point spread function's width heccurate interpolation requiright at −6 dB and −20 dB deviated less than 0.5%. This demonstrates that the number of operations of the conventional row-column beamformer can be significantly reduced with a negligible impact on image quality.


The lifetime of the Kingdom of Poland – a state connected with the Russian Empire by a union – has not been unequivocally assessed in Polish historiography. On the one hand, the Kingdom had its own army, administration and a very liberal constitution, and had quickly achieved economic prosperity. On the other hand, within a few years of its creation, there occurred the fi rst violations of the Constitution and the persecutions of those who opposed these infringements. A significant event was the revolt of the Cadets of 29 November 1830, which turned into a uprising, today referred to as the November Uprising. This article is the analysis of the legal aspects of the Polish-Russian union created in 1815. It is then compared with the Union of Lublin and the drafts of planned unions between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries. The circumstances which led to the creation of the Kingdom of Poland and its union with the Russian Empire, as well as the earlier attempts to create one state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire, as well as the principles of a union of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania are presented. The principles upon which these unions were to be based are subsequently compared and analysed. A particular emphasis has been placed on the issues related to the international legal status of the Kingdom of Poland. In this context questions such as: the treaty-making power and jus legationis have also been asked. Another important issue discussed in the paper is also the role of the king in matters concerning foreign policy and a possible role of Russia in these matters. The results of this analysis allow to formulate a more objective assessment of the period of the Kingdom of Poland, focusing on its legal status and position, and in particular on the relation with the Russian Empire.


ABSTRACT The synthesis of poly(N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-core-polyethyleneglycol-shell (PDEAEM-core-PEG-shell) nanogels was achieved by using a "surfactant-free" emulsion polymerization with the aid of commercially available polyethyleneglycol methyl ether methacrylates (PEGMAs) as polymerizable stabilizers. By adjusting the synthetic parameters like the choice of initiator, cross-linker, PEGMA:DEAEM ratio, and molecular weight of PEGMA, a series of core-shell nanogels varying in size (50–350 nm), PDEAEM content, and pH/temperature responsive behavior were obtained in reactions taking only 60 min. The nanogels were used as nanoreactors for the preparation of gold nanoparticles. The PEGylated nanogels have a great potential to be used for diagnosis and therapy.


Necator americanusandAncylostoma duodenaleare the two most important species of human hookworm, and occur in sympatry over much of their distribution. The specific diagnosis of hookworm infections is central to control. Diagnosis currently relies on the detection of hookworm eggs in human faeces and/or the specific identification of larvae by «copro-culture» combined with microscopic examination. However, the eggs of the two species are morphologically indistinguishable, and the procedure of copro-culture is tedious and time-consuming to carry out. To work toward overcominng these limitations, a molecular approach utilizing genetic markers in the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was established. The ITS-1 sequences of both hookworm species were determined, and specific oligonucleotide primers designed to regions of major sequence difference between the species were evaluated in polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using a range of control samples, the primers allowed the specific amplification of as little as 10 pg DNA ofA. duodenaleorN. americanus.The findings indicate clearly the potential for specific PCR to confirm the identity of eggs from faeces and larvae from the environment or host tissues. This should have important implications for studying fundamental aspects relating to anthelmintic efficacy and the epidemiology of hookworms.


Background Comparing findings from separate trials is necessary to choose among treatment options, however differences among study cohorts may impede these comparisons. Purpose As a case study, to examine the overlap of study cohorts in two large randomized controlled clinical trials that assess interventions to reduce risk of major cardiovascular disease events in adults with type 2 diabetes in order to explore the feasibility of cross-trial comparisons Methods The Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) and The Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trials enrolled 5145 and 10,251 adults with type 2 diabetes, respectively. Look AHEAD assesses the efficacy of an intensive lifestyle intervention designed to produce weight loss; ACCORD tests pharmacological therapies for control of glycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Incidence of major cardiovascular disease events is the primary outcome for both trials. A sample was constructed to include participants from each trial who appeared to meet eligibility criteria and be appropriate candidates for the other trial's interventions. Demographic characteristics, health status, and outcomes of members and nonmembers of this constructed sample were compared. Results Nearly 80% of Look AHEAD participants were projected to be ineligible for ACCORD; ineligibility was primarily due to better glycemic control or no early history of cardiovascular disease. Approximately 30% of ACCORD participants were projected to be ineligible for Look AHEAD, often for reasons linked to poorer health. The characteristics of participants projected to be jointly eligible for both trials continued to reflect differences between trials according to factors likely linked to retention, adherence, and study outcomes. Limitations Accurate ascertainment of cross-trial eligibility was hampered by differences between protocols. Conclusions Despite several similarities, the Look AHEAD and ACCORD cohorts represent distinct populations. Even within the subsets of participants who appear to be eligible and appropriate candidates for trials of both modes of intervention, differences remained. Direct comparisons of results from separate trials of lifestyle and pharmacologic interventions are compromised by marked differences in enrolled cohorts. Clinical Trials 2009; 6: 416—429. http://ctj.sagepub.com


There is a hidden reserve for improving the efficiency of supply chains at inventory management. The aim of this research is to develop a special approach for optimisation of such systems with regard to the time value of money (TVM) according to the scheme of simple interest, and to modify the EOQ formula respectively. It is caused by the fact that in such models profits are not used to increase the total annual supply, and the interest rate for the calculation of the TVM should reflect the effectiveness of cash flow of supply chain itself. A new formula considering the TVM for EOQ is found. The analytical assessment of the interest rate, which characterises the supply chain efficiency and is applied in calculations with the use of the generalised EOQ formula, is given. The developed method allows to receive additional synergy effect the increase in profitability of a working capital.


Introduction: UTI is the most common bacterial infection worldwide with women in reproductive age group being 30 times more likely to suffer from it than men due to short urethra and proximity of uretheral opening with anal canal. Escherichia coli is the most common organism responsible for UTI and there has been an increase in incidence of community acquired UTI caused by ESBL producing E. coli. This study was planned to see the sensitivity of amikacin in urinary isolates so it can be considered as a treatment option in ESBL producing organisms, reserving high-end drugs like carbapenems. Materials and Methods: The retrospective study was carried out between January 2017 to August 2017 with 1025 patients of suspected UTI being screened for growth of bacteria in their urine samples and their sensitivity to antibiotics. Both males and females were included in the study, ages ranging from 0 year to >80 yrs. Urine samples were inoculated on Blood agar and MacConkey agar. All positive cultures were tested for antibiotic susceptibility testing by Kirby bauer disc diffusion technique. Results: Out of total 1025 samples, growth was detected in 171 (16.7%) samples. Out of these 121 (70.8%) were females, and 50 (29.2%) were males. Maximum number of males are seen in age group 21-30yrs i.e. 13 (26%) followed by 41 to 50yrs i.e. 12 (24%). Also, maximum number of females are seen in age group 21-30yrs i.e. 41 (33.9%) followed by 21 (17.4%) patients in age group 41-50yrs. Most common microbial agent isolated was Esch.coli (97/171), followed by Klebsiella spp. (25/171). The important finding of the study was the sensitivity pattern of amikacin which was found to be sensitive in 61% of the isolates which is quite significant and we can use amikacin rather than high end antibiotics like carbapenems in these cases of UTI which will prevent emergence of resistance against them. Conclusion: Our finding i.e. Amikacin being highly sensitive to urinary pathogens reflects upon the facts that in sensitive cases, Amikacin can be used for ESBL producing uropathogens instead of costly high end antibiotics like Carbapenams.


A method is presented for designing optimal holographic optical elements. The method is based on an analytic ray-tracing procedure that uses the minimization of the mean-squared difference of the propagation vector components, between the actual output wave fronts and the desired output wave fronts. The minimization yields integral equations for the grating vector components that can be solved analytically, in some cases without any approximation. This leads to a well-behaved grating function that defines a holographic optical element.


To sin by silence, when we should protest,Makes cowards out of men.— Ella Wheeler WilcoxProtest is culturally entwined in historical and juro-political realities and is a fundamental element of the exercise of individual and collective rights. As our title notes, while there are currently many 'protests in progress' around the world, there is also a great deal of 'progress in protest' in terms of what protests look like, their scale and number, how they are formed and conducted, their goals, how they can be studied, as well as the varying responses formed in relation to protest. The etymology of protest associates two important dynamics pertaining to the topic. Firstly, a protest is something that is put forward, forth, or toward the front (from the Latin pro); essentially, it is in one manner or another, made publically. Secondly, it suggests that a person or persons have beared witness (testis) and instead of remaining silent, have made a declaration or assertion (testari). In other words, someone has made public their disapproval or objection. The nine articles that comprise this issue of M/C Journal on 'protest' reminds us of these salient elements of protest. Each, in their own way, highlight the importance of not remaining silent when faced with an injustice or in order to promote social change. As Bill McKibben (7) outlines in his foreword to an excellent collection of protest documents, 'voices of protest ... are often precisely what propels human civilisation forward and allows it to become unstuck'. However, not all forms of contemporary protest shares ideological or progressive aims. Here, we might consider the emergence of contentious formations such as the alt-right and antifa, what is considered 'fake' or 'real', and ongoing conflicts between notions of individual and collective rights and state sovereignty.This modest but insightful collection demonstrates the broad scope of this field of inquiry. This issue explores the intersections among social justice, identity and communications technology, as well as the convergences and divergences in the form, function and substance of protest. Through an analysis of protest's relationship to media, the author's highlight the possibilities of protest to effect social change. The issue begins with Lakota screenwriter and activist Floris White Bull's (Floris Ptesáŋ Huŋká) discussion of the documentary AWAKE, a Dream from Standing Rock (2017) and the #NODAPL protest. The film, split into three parts, takes a poignant and quite personal look at the native-led peaceful resistance at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota in 2016. This protest involved tens of thousands of activists from all over the world who opposed the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) which was to transport fracked oil directly underneath the Missouri River and through sovereign Lakota land (see Image 1). However, the events at Standing Rock were not a single-issue protest and brought activists together over a range of interrelated issues including environmental protection, human rights, water security, community health and Native American sovereignty. The Water Protectors were also forced to contest racist and disparaging media representations. As such, Standing Rock remains a site of cultural exchange and learning. These protests are not historical, but instead, are an ongoing struggle. The film AWAKE is important as testimony to the injustices at Standing Rock. A short description of the film is first provided in order to provide some additional context to perspectives addressed in the film. From there, White Bull has been invited to respond to questions posed by the editors regarding the Standing Rock Protests and documentary films such as AWAKE. As an Indigenous person fighting for justice, White Bull reminds readers that '[t]he path forward is the same as it has always been – holding on to our goals, values and dignity with resilience'.Image 1: Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters, 2016. Photo credit: Indigenous Environmental Network.Cat Pausé and Sandra Grey use an example of fat shaming to investigate how media impacts body politics and determines who is enfranchised to voice public dissent. Media becomes a mechanism for policing and governing bodily norms and gendered identities. As well as outlining a brief history of feminist body activism, the authors draw on personal experience and interview material with activists to reflect on fat embodiment and politics. Also informed by intersectional approaches, their work alerts us to the diverse vectors by which injustice and oppression fall on some bodies differently as well as the diverse bodies assembled in any crowd.Greg Watson suggests that "[c]ontemporary societies are increasingly becoming sites in which it is more difficult for people to respectfully negotiate disagreements about human diversity". Drawing on his experiences organising Human Libraries throughout Australia, Watson argues these spaces create opportunities for engaging with difference. In this sense Human Libraries can be considered sites which protest the micropublics' "codes of civility" which produce everyday marginalisations of difference.Micropolitics and creative forms of protest are also central to Ella Cutler, Jacqueline Gothe, and Alexandra Crosby's article. The author's consider three design projects which seek to facilitate ethical communication with diverse communities. Drawing on Guy Julier's tactics for activist design, each project demonstrates the value of slowing down in order to pay attention to experience. In this way, research through design offers a reflexive means for engaging social change.Research practices are also central to making visible community resistance. Anthony McCosker and Timothy Graham consider the role of social networking in urban protests through the campaign to save the iconic Melbourne music venue The Palace (see Image 2). Their article considers the value of social media data and analytics in relation to the court proceedings and trial processes. Given the centrality of social media to activist campaigns their reflections provide a timely evaluation of how data publics are constituted and their ongoing legacy.Image 2: Melbourne's Palace Theatre before demolition. Photo Credit: Melbourne Heritage Action.For Marcelina Piotrowski pleasure is central to understanding data production and protest. She draws on a Deleuze and Guattarian framework in order to consider protests against oil pipelines in British Columbia. Importantly, through this theoretical framework of 'data desires', pleasure is not something owned by the individual subject but rather holds the potential to construct generative social collectivities. This is traced through three different practices: deliberation in online forums; citizen science and social media campaigns. This has important implications for understanding environmental issues and our own enfolding within them. Nadine Kozak takes a look at how Online Service Providers (OSPs) have historically used internet 'blackouts' in order to protest United States government regulations. Kozak points to protests against the Communications Decency Act (1996) which sought to regulate online pornographic material and the Stop Online Piracy Act (2011) which proposed increased federal government power to take action against online copyright infringement. Recently, the United States Congress recently passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), which hold OSPs liable for third-party content including advertising for prostitution. However, despite condemnation from the Department of Justice and trafficking victims, OSPs did not utilise blackouts as a means to protest these new measures. Kozak concludes that the decision to whether or not to utilise blackout protests is dependent on the interests of technology companies and large OSPs.  It is evident that most especially since Donald Trump popularised the term, 'fake news' has taken a centre stage in discussions concerning media. In fact, the lines between what is fake and what is official have become blurred. Most recently, QAnon proponents have been attending Trump rallies and speeches giving further visibility to various conspiracy narratives stemming from online message boards (see Image 3). Marc Tuters, Emilija Jokubauskaitė, and Daniel Bach establishe a clear timeline of events in order to trace the origins of '#Pizzagate'; a 2016 conspiracy theory that falsely claimed that several U.S. restaurants and high-ranking officials of the Democratic Party were connected with human trafficking and an alleged child-sex ring. The authors investigate the affordances of 4chan to unpack how the site's anonymity, rapid temporality and user collectivisation were instrumental in creating 'bullshit'; a usage which the authors suggest is a  "technical term for persuasive speech unconcerned with veracity". This provides an understanding of how alt-right communities are assembled and motivated in a post-truth society. Image 3: QAnon proponents at Trump rally in Tampa, 31 July 2018. Photo credit: Kirby Wilson, Tampa Bay Times.Finally, Colin Salter analyses protests for animal rights as a lens to critique notions of national identity and belonging. Protests on whaling in the Southern Ocean (see Image 4) and live export trade from Australia continue to be highly contested political issues. Salter reflects on the ABC's 2011 exposé into Australian live animal exports to Indonesia and the 2014 hearings at the International Court of Justice into Japanese whaling. Salter then traces the common elements between animal rights campaigns in order to demonstrate the manner in which the physical bodies of animals, their treatment, and the debate surrounding that treatment become sites for mapping cultural identity, nationhood, and sovereignty. Here, Salter suggests that such inquiry is useful for promoting broader


The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure or reduction in support services for family carers, resulting in increased social isolation and stress for this population. The current scoping review aimed to identify the impact of COVID-19 upon carers and support provided for them during the pandemic. Four online databases (CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO and PubMed) were systematically searched on 16th December 2020 and updated on 16th July 2021 for articles written in English and published after January 2020, focused on the carer and the impact of COVID-19. Google scholar and reference lists of relevant papers were checked, and key authors were contacted for further relevant information. The database searches identified 976 citations, which resulted in 670 unique articles following the removal of duplicates. Title and abstract screening identified 63 articles for full-text review, 11 of which were subsequently excluded, leaving 52 articles which were subject to inductive thematic analysis. Four key themes were identified. Whilst a number of issues were identified that were exacerbated by the pandemic, others directly resulting from it were revealed. Few studies discussed support measures for carers and only one trial evaluated an intervention. This review identifies the impact of COVID-19 on carers, but there is a dearth of evidence to inform appropriate tailored support. Governments need to identify carers as a priority group in social care reform and commission co-produced, evidence and experience informed pathways to reinstate support services, potentially modelled on pandemic plans following the example currently being considered for the paid healthcare workforce.


Paraphrase detection can be seen as the task of aligning sentences that convey the same information but yet are written in different forms. Such resources are important to automatically learn text-to-text rewriting rules. In this paper, we present a new metric for unsupervised detection of paraphrases and apply it in the context of clustering of paraphrases. An exhaustive evaluation is conducted over a set of standard paraphrase corpora and real-world web news stories (WNS) corpora. The results are promising as they outperform state-of-the-art measures developed for similar tasks.


Notions of home and unhomeliness have long been discussed by scholars in relation to Australian poetry, but little scholarly work has explored how contemporary Australian poets interrogate the relationship between renting and constructions of home. As the great Australian dream of homeownership becomes increasingly inaccessible and the availability of public housing declines, a larger proportion of the population privately rent their houses in a lightly regulated and highly competitive rental market (Morris et al 2021: 72). Poetry has long been used to record and preserve the affective dimensions of home, and in this paper I examine a series of poems concerned with finding rental properties, moving in and out of them, and with attempts to create a sense of home in houses that always already belong to others. I discuss the work of three poets whose recent collections grapple with notions of home, stability and security in relation to rented houses: Zenobia Frost's After the Demolition (2019), Omar Sakr's These Wild Houses (2017), and Fiona Wright's Domestic Interior (2017). I argue that in these collections, houses are sites characterised by anxiety, instability, and erasure, rather than stable and secure archives of personal identity and domestic ritual.


GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2) is a nuclear transcription factor that plays a critical role in tumorigen- esis. High levels of GATA2 expression are correlated with poor survival outcomes in many types of cancer. However, the expression and prognostic significance of GATA2 in colorectal cancer remain unknown. In this study, GATA2 protein expression was examined using immunohisto- chemistry in 307 colorectal cancer tissues, and its associ- ation with clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed. The expression of GATA2 was found to be significantly higher in colorectal cancer tissues than in matched adjacent noncancerous tissues (60.3 vs. 9.0 %, P \ 0.0001). The expression of GATA2 was significantly correlated with tumor location (P = 0.005), histological type (P = 0.019), and recurrence (P = 0.009). Kaplan- Meier survival analysis demonstrated that patients with high levels of GATA2 expression had worse disease-free survival outcomes than those with low levels of GATA2 expression (P = 0.016). Univariate analysis showed high levels of GATA2 expression to be significantly associated with shorter periods of disease-free survival (HR 2.196; 95 % CI 1.142-4.226; P = 0.018). Multivariate analysis showed GATA2 expression to be an independent prog- nostic factor for patients with colorectal cancer (HR 1.952; 95 % CI 1.010-3.775; P = 0.047). These findings suggest that high levels of GATA2 expression may be a useful indicator of disease recurrence after curative colorectal cancer treatment.


A computational method and the necessary wind-speed data are presented in this paper for quantifying in a probabilistic framework the load-following, operating-reserve and unloadable-generation requirements for a utility with one or more spatially dispersed wind-turbine clusters. Results of this method are valid for random atmospheric conditions, excluding significant atmospheric events such as storm fronts. An example illustrating the proposed method is included.


on colony land were developed much more rapidly than on non-colony land; and while the single-tax corporation owns only twenty per cent of the land, it contains over sixty per cent of the assessed valuation in the town of Fairhope. The principle that the economic rent of land belongs to the community has been preserved, although the authors are frank to point out shortcomings in implementation. While the colony began with the single tax idea as central, there were admixtures of socialism for many years. These non-Georgist features have been gradually eliminated, thus contributing to what the Alyeas call the "maturity" of the experiment.—MULFOBD Q. SIBLEY, University of Minnesota.


: After a short review of the theory of the forces acting in the human hip joint we develope a new model for the calculation of the forces R acting on the head of the supporting femur, of their direction phi and of the maximal pressure of the femoral head. The new concept is the determination of a fixed point A, the attachement of the resultant muscle force M at the pelvis, and the insertion T of this muscle force at the trochanter. After determination of this points in a single standard radiography of the pelvis and hips, the model calculate the resultant force R at the hip joint. The pressure in the articulation is calculated also by the same proceeding. The influence of the choice of the point A is discussed.


Abstract Fiber filled injection-molded plastic parts contain complex fiber orientation patterns. This fiber orientation state affects material properties, including both elastic modulus and strength, and the calculation of shrinkage and warpage. Several models are available for predicting fiber orientation, which are based on the theory of Folgar and Tucker [1]. A particular simplification of these models, here called the quasi-planar (QP) approximation, was introduced by Gupta and Wang [2]. Here we develop a substantially improved version of that model, which we call the optimized quasi-planar (OQP) approximation. The OQP approximation is formed by optimizing the QP approximation against a more general fiber orientation model. Details of the current and improved models are discussed, and the typical behavior of the old and new models is explored. In addition, simulations are performed using C-MOLD, a commercial software package that implements the QP approximation, to determine the final fiber orientation state in an end-gated strip. The resulting fiber orientation data is then used to predict the elastic modulus as a function of position, and both predictions are compared to available experimental data for fiber orientation and elastic modulus. The results show that the OQP approximation improves the fiber orientation prediction and the subsequent elastic modulus prediction compared to the QP model, though the OQP approximation is still less accurate than the full three-dimensional model.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
A small placebo-controlled trial reported the efficacy of mercaptopurine therapy for children newly diagnosed with Crohn's disease, yet little is known about the efficacy of early thiopurine therapy in adults.

METHODS
We performed a prospective double-blind trial of adult patients with a recent (<8 weeks) diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Patients were randomly assigned to groups given azathioprine (2.5 mg · kg(-1) · day(-1), n = 68) or placebo (n = 63) at 31 hospitals from February 2006 to September 2009. Corticosteroids but no other concomitant medications were allowed for control of disease activity. The primary measure of efficacy was sustained corticosteroid-free remission.

RESULTS
After 76 weeks of treatment, 30 patients treated with azathioprine (44.1%) and 23 given placebo (36.5%) were in sustained corticosteroid-free remission (difference of 7.6%; 95% confidence interval, -9.2 to 24.4%; P = .48). The rates of relapse (defined as Crohn's Disease Activity Index score >175) and corticosteroid requirements were similar between groups. A post hoc analysis of relapse, defined as a Crohn's Disease Activity Index score >220, showed lower relapse rates in the azathioprine group than in the placebo group (11.8% vs 30.2%; P = .01). Serious adverse events occurred in 14 patients in the azathioprine group (20.6%) and 7 in the placebo group (11.1%) (P = .16). A larger percentage of patients in the azathioprine group had adverse events that led to study drug discontinuation (20.6%) than in the placebo group (6.35%) (P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS
In a study of adults with Crohn's disease, early azathioprine therapy was no more effective than placebo to achieve sustained corticosteroid-free remission but was more effective in preventing moderate to severe relapse in a post hoc analysis. EudraCT 2005-001186-34.


GPcog is a screening tool for dementia in the aged. It consists of nine cognitive items and six items assessing the daily living instrumental activities by an informal carer. This study was aimed to assess the reliability of the French version of the GPcog in a psychogeriatric population. Two hundred and eighty inpatients from a short-term psychogeriatric ward, with or without dementia, were examined. Scores on GPcog, MMSE and on a five-word memory test for screening dementia were compared to the final diagnosis of dementia. The mean age of subjects was 77.8+/-7.0 years for males (n=116), and of 80.3+/-6.6 years for females (n=164). One hundred eighty two patients had dementia, mainly of Alzheimer's type, and 98 had psychiatric disorders but were non demented. GPcog sensitivity for the diagnosis of dementia was 96%, specificity 62%, positive predictive value 83% and negative predictive value 90%. GPcog is an accurate and well-accepted instrument for dementia screening in primary care. French results were similar to those obtained with the English version. It can be easily used by non-specialized carers.


Gas-liquid membrane contactors frequently suffer from wetting of the microporous membrane. Stabilization layers at the liquid side of the membrane potentially prevent this wetting. We applied such stabilized membranes to the separation of olefins and paraffins using AgNO3 solutions as absorption liquid. The stabilization material requires permeation of olefins at minimum counter transport of water. Appropriate selection of the top layer material is crucial in this application. This report describes the selection of potential top layer materials. Dense films of the selected materials were prepared and used to determine ethylene and ethane permeabilities, to perform pervaporation experiments with water and a 3.5M solution of silver nitrate in water, and to determine the swelling behavior of the dense films in water and in a 3.5M silver nitrate solution. Based on the characterization experiments, ethylene propylenediene terpolymer is the most appropriate candidate with the highest potential for application in a gas-liquid membrane contactor for the separation of paraffins and olefins. It has a relatively high olefin permeability (46.4 Barrer) and a corresponding low water vapor permeability and low swelling tendency in a 3.5M silver nitrate solution (1490 Barrer and 0.14 wt %, respectively)


Background: Experimental studies have shown that exposure to food advertising on television can affect children's food preferences, choices and consumption in the short-term. However, little is known about the role of habitual television viewing (and therefore food advert exposure) and its potential relationship with brand awareness, brand requests, food preferences and weight status in children. The published research examining the UK television food advertising landscape also has a number of limitations that restrict its usefulness in assessing the potential influence of such food promotion on children's diets. The current thesis used innovative methodologies to examine hypotheses arising from these issues in 6-13 year old children and on the UK television channels most popular with this age group. Key Findings: Effects of acute, experimental food advertising exposure (Chapter 3): Relative to toy advertisement exposure, food advertising exposure increased all children's selection of branded and non-branded fat and carbohydrate items from food preference measures. No weight status differences in food preferences or response to advertising were found. Preferences for branded food items were particularly enhanced in high TV viewing children following food adverts suggesting that these children may have an increased susceptibility to these messages. However, all children were better able to recognise food adverts than toy adverts. Effects of habitual food advertising exposure (Chapters 3-5): Food preference differences between high and low TV viewers were evident in the absence of experimental television food advertising exposure in Chapters 4 and 5. All children were better able to correctly identify product names from brand character stimuli than vice versa. Higher habitual advertising exposure did not confer a greater ability to recognise food advertisements (Chapter 3) nor identify brand characters or products. Children with greater brand awareness did not display greater self-reported preferences for branded food items. The extent of food advertising on UK television (Chapter 6): Food advertising on television varied across channels, channel types, broadcast platforms, viewing times and recording periods (months of the year). The foods advertised on the channels most popular with young people were predominantly unhealthy items, even during periods when large numbers of children are watching, with promotions for healthy foods comprising less than a fifth of all food advertisements. The nature of food advertising on UK television (Chapter 6): Promotional characters (such as brand equity characters, licensed characters and celebrities) were often used to promote unhealthy foods to young people, although their use to promote healthier food items was greatest on dedicated children's channels. Food adverts aimed at children principally rely on 'fun' as a key attribute of both the advertising experience and the use/consumption of the product. Food brand websites were most likely to be promoted during food adverts aimed at teenagers or adults. Implications: This thesis increases understanding of the effects of habitual food advertising exposure on food preferences and food preference responses to acute, experimental food advertising, in addition to providing a comprehensive assessment of the television food advertising landscape in the UK following regulatory reform.


Contemporary research on congressional activism in American foreign policy indicates that individual members of Congress have become more assertive over time. If so, the motivations and interests of individual members of Congress are even more important for understanding American foreign policy. What factors motivate members of Congress as they take a more active role in foreign policy than ever before? Recent research suggests that partisanship has increased in importance over the past three decades. This paper examines Senate ratification votes on the Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963), Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (1968), Chemical Weapons Convention (1997) and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (1999) to gauge the relative importance of three determinants of congressional voting - partisanship, ideology, and electoral concerns - while also controlling for region, career background, and other variables. Examining treaties in both the Cold War and Post-Cold War eras, we find that our model becomes increasingly powerful in the post-Cold War treaties and, especially, that partisanship increases substantially from the Cold War treaty votes to the post-Cold War votes.


SUMMARY microRNAs (miRNAs) are approximately 22‐nucleotide noncoding RNA regulatory genes that are key players in cellular differentiation and homeostasis. They might also play important roles in shaping metazoan macroevolution. Previous studies have shown that miRNAs are continuously being added to metazoan genomes through time, and, once integrated into gene regulatory networks, show only rare mutations within the primary sequence of the mature gene product and are only rarely secondarily lost. However, because the conclusions from these studies were largely based on phylogenetic conservation of miRNAs between model systems like Drosophila and the taxon of interest, it was unclear if these trends would describe most miRNAs in most metazoan taxa. Here, we describe the shared complement of miRNAs among 18 animal species using a combination of 454 sequencing of small RNA libraries with genomic searches. We show that the evolutionary trends elucidated from the model systems are generally true for all miRNA families and metazoan taxa explored: the continuous addition of miRNA families with only rare substitutions to the mature sequence, and only rare instances of secondary loss. Despite this conservation, we document evolutionary stable shifts to the determination of position 1 of the mature sequence, a phenomenon we call seed shifting, as well as the ability to post‐transcriptionally edit the 5′ end of the mature read, changing the identity of the seed sequence and possibly the repertoire of downstream targets. Finally, we describe a novel type of miRNA in demosponges that, although shows a different pre‐miRNA structure, still shows remarkable conservation of the mature sequence in the two sponge species analyzed. We propose that miRNAs might be excellent phylogenetic markers, and suggest that the advent of morphological complexity might have its roots in miRNA innovation.


Morphogenetic processes demand the coordinated allocation of cells and tissues to their final destination in a spatio-temporal controlled way. Identifying how these morphogenetic movements are directed and implemented is essential for understanding morphogenesis. Topographical and scalar differences in adhesion and contractility within and between cells are essential, yet, the role that membrane remodeling may play remains less clear. To clarify how surface turnover and dynamics may modulate tissue arrangements we studied epiboly in the zebrafish. During epiboly the blastoderm expands as a result of an asymmetry of mechanical tension along the embryo surface. In this scenario, we found that the membrane removal by macropinocytosis of the external yolk cell syncytial layer (E-YSL) ahead of the blastoderm is key for epiboly progression In early zebrafish embryos, the activity of the GTPase Rab5ab was essential for endocytosis, and interference in its expression exclusively in the yolk cell resulted in the reduction of yolk cell actomyosin contractility, the disruption of cortical and internal yolk flows, a disequilibrium in force balance and as a result epiboly impairment. We conclude that regulated membrane remodeling is crucial for directing cell and tissue mechanics and coordinating morphogenetic movements during epiboly.


Ransomware is software that uses encryption to disable access to data until a ransom is paid and such attacks have increased steeply in recent times. The best current practice to minimize the impact of ransomware attacks include periodic backups and airgapped immutable copies. However, undetected attacks can corrupt data before backups, making backups unusable. Detecting ransomware attacks quickly and flagging the damaged content enables fast recovery and business continuity. We present some features of our ransomware attack detection algorithms prototyped and run on a sandboxed but realistic environment that successfully detected the live ransomware attacks from open source repositories.


We study the problem of Polyadic Prediction, where the input consists of an ordered tuple of objects, and the goal is to predict a measurement associated with them. Many tasks can be naturally framed as Polyadic Prediction problems. In drug discovery, for instance, it is important to estimate the treatment effect of a drug on various tissue-specific diseases, as it is expressed over the available genes. Thus, we essentially predict the expression value measurements for several (drug, gene, tissue) triads. To tackle Polyadic Prediction problems, we propose a general framework, called Polyadic Regression, predicting measurements associated with multiple objects. Our framework is inductive, in the sense of enabling predictions for new objects, unseen during training. Our model is expressive, exploring high-order, polyadic interactions in an efficient manner. An alternating Proximal Gradient Descent procedure is proposed to fit our model. We perform an extensive evaluation using real-world chemogenomics data, where we illustrate the superior performance of Polyadic Regression over the prior art. Our method achieves an increase of 0.06 and 0.1 in Spearman correlation between the predicted and the actual measurement vectors, for predicting missing polyadic data and predicting polyadic data for new drugs, respectively.


We present evidence against the standard assumptions that social preferences are stable and can be measured in a reliable, nonintrusive manner. We find evidence that measures of social preferences can affect subsequent behavior. Researchers often measure social preferences by posing dictator type allocation decisions. The social value orientation (SVO) is a particular sequence of dictator decisions. We vary the order in which the SVO and a larger stakes dictator game are presented. We also vary the form of the dictator game. In one study, we employ the standard dictator game, and in the other, we employ a nonstandard dictator game. With the standard dictator game, we find that prosocial subjects act even more prosocially when the SVO is administered first, whereas selfish subjects are unaffected by the order. With the nonstandard dictator game, we find evidence across all subjects that those who first receive the SVO are more generous in the dictator game but we do not find the effect among only the generous subjects. Across both dictator game forms, we find evidence that the subjects who are first given the SVO were more generous than subjects who are given the SVO last. We also find that this effect is stronger among the subjects with a perfectly consistent SVO measure. Although we cannot determine whether the order affects preferences or the measure of preferences, our results are incompatible with the assumptions that social preferences are stable and can be measured in a reliable, nonintrusive manner.


This paper studies the parameter estimation of one dimensional linear errors-in-variables(EV) models in the case that replicated observations are available in some experimental points.Asymptotic normality is established under mild conditions, and the parameters entering the asymptotic variance are consistently estimated to render the result useable in construction of large-sample confidence regions.


Despite a greater acknowledgement of the role that urbanisation plays in sustainable development, there are, however, persistent blind spots in the understanding of how urbanisation operates as a particular socio-spatial process of metabolising nature and social relations. This chapter examines the so-called 'urban transitions' faced by the global south today, by zooming into the processes of unequal peri-urbanisation that characterise many urban regions of the global south today. The central argument is that the emerging peri-urban geographies are increasingly being shaped under conditions of 'differential sustainability', that is by adjusting thresholds to meet the needs and wants of certain privileged social groups and territories at the expense of others. In this context, the alleged 'fuzzy regulation' of land and ecosystem services that often characterises peri-urbanisation processes can also be interpreted as a deliberate strategy that assists the economic liberalisation of urban expansion, pawning the sustainability of vital ecosystem services and reinforcing the invisibility of the peri-urban poor both as producers and rightful citizens. Drawing from a wide-range of contexts across the global south, the chapter adopts a political ecology perspective to explore how differential sustainability is being produced, reproduced and challenged, with what consequences and for whom.


We investigate the energy-level shift of a hydrogen atom in a two-dimensional optical microcavity, where there exists a Bose-Einstein condensation of photons. It is found that below the critical temperature T c , the energy-level shift of the bound electron is dependent on temperature, and it is a monotonically increasing function of the absolute temperature T . Especially, at the absolute zero temperature, the energy-level shift entirely comes from the Lamb shift, and the atom can be treated approximately, that is, in vacuum.


This classroom intervention describes a nonverbal and behaviorally and cognitively challenged adolescent with autism who participates in a data-based, total immersion, augmentative communication intervention. Using a natural aided language approach and picture communication boards, the student was provided with intense visual-paired-with-verbal-language input in each activity and environment of his school day. Without training or prompting, the young man's picture language receptive and expressive vocabulary increased during the intervention. In addition, his positive behaviors increased. The increases in communication and positive behaviors dramatically altered the classroom staff's perception of the student, and as a result, his curriculum and IEP were made more complex, academic, and challenging.


Since very few contributions to the development of an unified memory orchestration framework for efficient management of both host and remote idle memory have been made, we present Valet, an efficient approach to orchestration of host and remote shared memory for improving performance of memory intensive workloads. The paper makes three original contributions. First, we redesign the data flow in the critical path by introducing a host-coordinated memory pool that works as a local cache to reduce the latency in the critical path of the host and remote memory orchestration. Second, Valet utilizes unused local memory across containers by managing local memory via Valet host-coordinated memory pool, which allows containers to dynamically expand and shrink their memory allocations according to the workload demands. Third, Valet provides an efficient remote memory reclaiming technique on remote peers, based on two optimizations: (1) an activity-based victim selection scheme to allow the least-active-block of data to be selected for serving the eviction requests and (2) a migration protocol to move the least-active-block of data to less-memory-pressured remote node. As a result, Valet can effectively reduce the performance impact and migration overhead on local nodes. Our extensive experiments on both NoSQL systems and Machine Learning (ML) workloads show that Valet outperforms existing representative remote paging systems by up to 282 × throughput improvement and up to 98% latency decrease over conventional OS swap facility for big data and ML workloads, and by up to 5.3 × throughput improvement and up to 80% latency decrease over the state-of-the-art remote paging systems. Valet is open sourced at https://github.com/git-disl/Valet.


In this work, the effect of stirring time on the solidifed microstructures and mechanical properties of semi-solid Sn-Bi slurry was investigated by the mechanical stirring method. The results indicated that a fine round granular solidifed structure of Sn-Bi semi-solid slurry was obtained at 142 and stirred for 8 min. Compared with the Sn-Bi alloy prepared conventional die casting, the mechamical properties of semi-solid Sn-Bi alloy was improved prominently. The percentage elongation of semi-solid Sn-Bi alloy was increased 67 % compared with that of the Sn-Bi alloy prepared conventional die casting.


In situ cathodic activation (ISCA) of V-incorporated NixSy nanowires supported on nickel foam (VS/NixSy/NF) can be realized in an alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) process, which provides not only clearly enhanced activity but also ultrahigh stability for HER. The ISCA process is continuous linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) on VS/NixSy/NF as a cathodic electrode with gradually enhanced HER activity. The activated VS/NixSy/NF (A-VS/NixSy/NF) demonstrates enhanced HER activity with an overpotential of 125 mV to drive 10 mA cm-2, which is much lower than that of other samples. It may be predicted that the ISCA-derived amorphous VOOH film covering on A-VS/NixSy/NF accelerates the HER process, and NiOOH may protect active sites from decaying, leading to excellent activity and structural stability. However, for single metal sulfides, the ISCA process of nickel or vanadium sulfides is not available, implying that the synergistic effect between Ni and V of VS/NixSy/NF may be the key to drive ISCA in alkaline HER. In addition, its ultra-high stability confirms that the stable active sites and nanostructures of A-VS/NixSy/NF are derived from ISCA. Therefore, the ISCA of V-incorporated transition metal sulfides in the alkaline HER process may be a facile and promising method to obtain efficient electrocatalysts.


Background and Purpose— Hyperacute assessment and management of patients with stroke, termed code stroke, is a time-sensitive and high-stakes clinical scenario. In the context of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the ability to deliver timely and efficacious care must be balanced with the risk of infectious exposure to the clinical team. Furthermore, rapid and effective stroke care remains paramount to achieve maximal functional recovery for those needing admission and to triage care appropriately for those who may be presenting with neurological symptoms but have an alternative diagnosis. Methods— Available resources, COVID-19-specific infection prevention and control recommendations, and expert consensus were used to identify clinical screening criteria for patients and provide the required nuanced considerations for the healthcare team, thereby modifying the conventional code stroke processes to achieve a protected designation. Results— A protected code stroke algorithm was developed. Features specific to prenotification and clinical status of the patient were used to define precode screening. These include primary infectious symptoms, clinical, and examination features. A focused framework was then developed with regard to a protected code stroke. We outline the specifics of personal protective equipment use and considerations thereof including aspects of crisis resource management impacting team role designation and human performance factors during a protected code stroke. Conclusions— We introduce the concept of a protected code stroke during a pandemic, as in the case of COVID-19, and provide a framework for key considerations including screening, personal protective equipment, and crisis resource management. These considerations and suggested algorithms can be utilized and adapted for local practice.


The firms' size distribution in the Italian Golden age has been described as a successful example of the adoption of the big business model which is characterized by large firms able to exploit the economies of scale of the modern technologies. Two main questions are present in literature: was it enough or could have been done better? Are the two decades homogeneous? The paper tries to answer to these questions observing a panel of a Core of firms, estimating their changing of size distribution and the tendency to upsize, by the Mover-Stayer model. The upsizing of firms emerges clearly, considering the distribution among the size classes in the years 1950, 1960 and 1970, the transition matrices and directional index which shows a rate of growth more than considerable and a strong tendency to upsizing of firms in every class. Moreover, the equilibrium distribution is characterized by a relevant increase of the frequencies in the last two classes. A slowdown of the growth of the size in the last years of the second decade appears too, but the remarkable shift of frequencies on the last two classes - both of the effective and equilibrium distribution- point anyway to a success story. The difference observed in the equilibrium configuration according to 1960-1970 decade, shows a stronger shift of frequencies on the right of the distribution and it seems to confirm the traditionally observed effect of a more selective industrial policy at sectorial level - in the second part of the Sixties - than to an early presence of the perverse effect of intrusive policy in management.


Main group multiple bonds have proven their ability to act as transition metal mimics in the last few decades. However, catalytic application of these species is still in its infancy. Herein we report the second neutral NHC-stabilised dialumene species by use of a supporting aryl ligand (3). Different to the trans-planar silyl-substituted dialumene (3Si), compound 3 features a trans-bent and twisted geometry. The differences between the two dialumenes are explored computationally (using B3LYP-D3/6-311G(d)) as well as experimentally. A high influence of the ligand's steric demand on the structural motif is revealed, giving rise to enhanced reactivity of 3 enabled by a higher flexibility in addition to different polarisation of the aluminium centres. As such, facile activation of dihydrogen is now achievable. The influence of ligand choice is further implicated in two different catalytic reactions; not only is the aryl-stabilised dialumene more catalytically active but the resulting product distributions also differ, thus indicating the likelihood of alternate mechanisms simply through a change of supporting ligand.


Time evolution of a "little bang" created in heavy ion collisions can be divided into two phases, the pre-equilibrium and hydrodynamic. At what moment the evolution becomes hydrodynamic and is there any universality in the hydrodynamic flow? To answer these questions we briefly discuss various versions of hydrodynamics and their applicability conditions. In particular, we elaborate on the idea of "universal" (all-order resumed) hydrodynamics and propose a simple new model for it. The model is motivated by results obtained recently via the AdS/CFT correspondence. Finally, charged hadron multiplicities in heavy ion collisions at the RHIC and LHC are discussed. At the freezout, the multiplicities can be related to total entropy produced in the collision. Assuming the universal hydrodynamics to hold, we calculate the entropy production in the hydro stage of the collision. We end up speculating about a connection between the multiplicity growth and the temperature dependence of the QGP viscosity.


In recent years many studies on cherries have revealed that they are rich sources of bioactive compounds, mainly due to their polyphenolic phytochemicals. In this work, by-products of the sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) used in the Óbidos liquor from Portugal, were evaluated by determination of their total phenolic and anthocyanins contents. The mix samples (leaves and stems) and pomace (skins with and without kernels) were extracted by maceration using two different extraction methods with different solvents: ethanol and methanol. Overall, significant differences were observed between all the extracts in relation to the solvent used and anthocyanin and phenol contents. Stem and leaf extracts showed a polyphenol concentration higher than those from pomace. For all samples the total phenolic and anthocyanin contents were higher in methanol extracts than in ethanol extracts showing that methanol was the best solvent. For the pomace extracts the samples without kernels (skin samples) gave the highest values for both parameters. The tested cherry stems and pomace could be regarded as a promising agro-industrial by-product, being a low-cost polyphenols source, with potential to be added in functional cosmetics formulations. Further studies will be conducted to address their potential use as an antioxidant ingredient.


Mineral spectroradiometry, both from airborne/spaceborne sensors and ground measurements, represents an alternative to conventional methods and an efficient way to characterize mines and assess the potential for acid mine drainage (AMD) discharge. High-altitude spectroradiometry (advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer [ASTER] satellite data) together with ground- and laboratory-based spectroradiometry (ASD Filedspec spectroradiometer) were employed in order to identify the locations of the most significant sources of AMD discharge at the Sokolov lignite open-pit mines, Czech Republic. As a result, a map with delineated low-pH zones was created and validated using the ground truth data.