The last crisis had a strong impact in Spanish economy. As a consequence, and underrecommendation of the EU, the successive Governments since 2008 till the end of 2014 have passed"emergency legislation" that affected social rights and Social Security System, introducing amendmentsand "cuts" on them. Contrary to what occurred in other countries (that have made Finance Acts, thebudget, or even Parliamentary Acts the fundamental ways to conduct such reforms) in Spain, the RoyalDecree-Law (RDL), a "legislative" type text (serving as an Act of Parliament) has prevailed. The reforms,amendments and "cuts" (in some cases) caused by the crisis have highlighted the weakness of the theoryof supra-legal character of the Spanish Constitution (whose writing would be compulsory for the publicauthorities, and even for the Parliament). The main amendments and "cuts" have focused on fight againstfraud in Social Security, unemployment benefits (contributive and non contributive levels), the revaluationor increase of pensions ("Sustainability factor in the pension System" formula has been passed byAct), retirement agreements with workers affected by redundancy plans (economic dismissal), age ofretirement (that will get 67 progressively in the next years), early retirement and partial retirement, thetax burden which affects the contribution base in the general scheme (Regimen General); the techniqueused for rising this consist of including in the quoted base concepts (monetary, benefits in kind) that weretraditionally excluded from taxation. It is true that during these years 2008 to 2014 protective measuresfor the unemployed and to promote self-employment have been passed by the Spanish Governments andParliament, but they cannot dodge the fact that the social rights have been seriously affected. Keywords: social rights, Social Security System, unemployment benefits, age of retirement, "cuts"


The liver is the primary organ of insulin clearance; thus, hyperinsulinism in peripheral blood may result from diminished insulin degradation rather than hypersecution. Proinsulin is cleaved in the pancreatic β-cell to insulin and C-peptide, which are released into the circulation in equimolar quantities. Unlike insulin, C-peptide is not degraded by liver, and in liver disease the peripheral C-peptide concentration is a better index of insulin secretion than is peripheral insulin concentration. Fasting plasma insulin concentration was raised in 21 cirrhotic patients (0.13 ± 0.02 vs. 0.06 ± 0.01 nmol per liter) despite normal fasting blood glucose concentrations. C-peptide concentrations and, therefore, insulin secretion did not differ from controls', and the C-peptide:insulin ratio was decreased in cirrhotic subjects (4.0 ± 0.5 vs 7.0 ± 1.1). After oral glucose, hyperinsulinemic cirrhotic subjects had similar C-peptide concentrations to those of cirrhotics with a normal insulin response in whom glucose values were similar. Hyperinsulinism (both fasting and after glucose) appears to result from diminished insulin degradation, therefore. To distinguish the roles of liver damage and of portal-systemic shunting, similar studies were performed in patients with ostensibly normal liver function but long-standing portal venous block. Despite mild hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinism was not found in these subjects, either fasting or after oral glucose. The fasting C-peptide:insulin ratio was normal, and only after stimulation of insulin secretion by glucose was a mild impairment of insulin degradation seen. The hyperinsulinism of hepatic cirrhosis is due to impaired insulin degradation; this is more likely to result from liver damage per se than from portal-systemic shunting.


A router design for torus networks that significantly reduces message latency over traditional wormhole routers is presented in this paper. This new router implements virtual cut-through switching and fully-adaptive minimal routing. Packet deadlock is avoided by providing escape ways governed by Bubble flow control, a mechanism that guarantees enough free buffer space in the network to allow continuous packet movement. Both deterministic and adaptive Bubble routers have been designed in VLSI using VHDL synthesis tools. Adopting a fair quantitative comparison, we demonstrate that Bubble routers exhibit a reduction in base latency values over 40% with respect to the corresponding wormhole routers, without any penalty in network throughput. With much lower VLSI costs than adaptive wormhole routers, the adaptive Bubble router is even faster than deterministic wormhole routers based on virtual channels.


Study Design: Biomechanical study. Objective: Recently, a posterior concave periapical distraction device for fusionless scoliosis correction was introduced. The goal of this study was to quantify the effect of the periapical distraction device on spinal range of motion (ROM) in comparison with traditional rigid pedicle screw-rod instrumentation. Methods: Using a spinal motion simulator, 6 human spines were loaded with 4 N m and 6 porcine spines with 2 N m to induce flexion-extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR). ROM was measured in 3 conditions: untreated, periapical distraction device, and rigid pedicle screw-rod instrumentation. Results: The periapical distraction device caused a significant (P < .05) decrease in ROM of FE (human, −40.0% and porcine, −55.9%) and LB (human, −18.2% and porcine, −17.9%) as compared to the untreated spine, while ROM of AR remained unaffected. In comparison, rigid instrumentation caused a significantly (P < .05) larger decrease in ROM of FE (human, −80.9% and porcine, −94.0%), LB (human, −75.0% and porcine, −92.2%), and AR (human, −71.3% and porcine, −86.9%). Conclusions: Although no destructive forces were applied, no device failures were observed. Spinal ROM was significantly less constrained by the periapical distraction device compared to rigid pedicle screw-rod instrumentation. Therefore, provided that scoliosis correction is achieved, a more physiological spinal motion is expected after scoliosis correction with the posterior concave periapical distraction device.


Background and aims: Nowadays, routine invasive techniques to diagnose the causes of exudative pleural effusion are going to be replaced by new noninvasive methods such as biomarkers which with the same diagnostic accuracy can confirm malignant situations at least in a group of cases who do not need more invasive means. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical and case-control study, the calprotectin concentrations in pleural fluid was evaluated in 90 patients with exudative pleural effusion, and compared among two groups Including 34 patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and 56 patients with benign pleural effusion (BPE). All patients underwent examination and the necessary laboratory tests were done and Closed pleural biopsy was performed if necessary. Collected Data were analyzed by SPSS-21statistical software and chi-square, t-test, ANOVA and logistic regression analysis. Results: Calprotectin concentration was (107.72±10.59) in patients with malignant causes and (114.42±23.95) in others. Calprotectin concentration was (122.34±27.03) in patient with TB. The results showed that this difference was statistically significant (p=0.05) and calprotectin rate, is lower in the malignant pleural effusion. Especially, when the results were compared with patients with TB, this difference was more prominent (p=0.01). Conclusion: According to higher levels of calprotectin in tuberculous pleural effusions, maybe we can achieve important results in differentiating between malignant and non-malignant pleural exudate, without the need for invasive procedures, by putting together the clinical symptoms, the calprotectin concentration in pleural fluid and pleural fluid cytology results.


The main goal of any electrocardiogram (ECG) compression algorithm is to reduce the bit rate while keeping the signal distortion at a clinically acceptable level. Percentage root mean square difference (PRD), the commonly used figure of merit, does not directly reveal whether the clinically significant ECG waveform information is preserved or not. We present the results of a study of ECG compression using an upper bound on the PRD. This bound is based on the initial performance of the algorithm and could be specified by the clinician after correlating the quality of the compressed versions of the ECG and the resulting PRD.


The rapid changes of environment have a considerable effect on the real estate prices. The consequences of urban constructions (like new tramways or metro stations, new bridges or industrial areas) are durable and difficult to measure. The estimation of these environmental transformations is important as it has a strong effect on the local real estate market. The methodologies aimed to solve this problem are based on the construction of sector house price indices that help to evaluate and in some cases, even to foresee the possible changes of the real estate situation in each sector. The construction of indices focuses on measuring the evolution of effective real estate values in time basing on an assumption that we possess information on the representation samples for all the transactions concerned. There exist different methodologies for the construction of price indices in real estate: some of them are based on the price of transactions, others present expert evaluations or quotas of real estate societies. The objective of our research is to present an original methodology for house price indice construction in real estate based on the repeat sales model. We intend to show that the introduction of time dependency into this model allows creating annual sector indices susceptible to price differences provoked by major environmental changes.


We propose to demonstrate QuestPro, a prototype interactive system aimed at allowing non-expert users to specify SPARQL queries. Notably, QuestPro makes an extensive use of provenance in deriving the SPARQL queries, in two ways. First, we ask users to provide example output nodes
 along with explanations
 that are then treated as the provenance of the underlying query, guiding the system's search for a fitting query. We have designed an intuitive interface through which users can gradually build their explanations while understanding the connections between the different objects. The system then generates a set of candidate queries and uses provenance to explain each candidate, prompting user feedback to choose between them. We will demonstrate the usability of QuestPro using an ontology of academic publications, engaging the audience in the interactive process while explaining the under-the-hood model and algorithms.


We study the investment of organized crime in the legal economy. By using the shock induced on the Italian credit market by the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis, we document how provinces with a high organized crime presence have been impacted less by the crisis in terms of the establishment of new enterprises than provinces with a lower criminal infiltration. We provide evidence that the lower impact of the crisis is consistent with the presence of investments by organized crime in the legal economy. We corroborate this interpretation by comparing our results with the characterization made by the judicial authority of such investments and ruling out possible alternative explanations.


CONTEXT
The clinical reaction time (RTclin) test has been recommended as a valid test for assessing concussion and determining recovery of reaction time function following concussion. However, it is unknown whether repeat assessment, as is used in postconcussion testing, is affected by learning or practice phenomena.

OBJECTIVE
To determine if a practice or learning effect is present with serial administration of the RTclin test.

DESIGN
Randomized control trial.

SETTING
University athletic training clinics.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 112 healthy collegiate athletes (age = 19.46 [1.34] y).

INTERVENTIONS
The control group completed the RTclin test on days 1 and 60. The experimental group completed the RTclin test on days 1, 2, 3, 7, and 60.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Reaction time as measured with the RTclin test.

RESULTS
The difference in RTclin test performance from day 1 to day 60 was not significant (mean change = -2.77 [14.46] ms, P = .42, 95% confidence intervals, -6.40 to 0.862) between groups. The experimental group experienced significant improvement (λ = 0.784, F4,49 = 3.365, P = .02, η2 = .216, power = 0.81) with acute repeat testing. However, post hoc analysis did not reveal a significant difference between scores during the 5 test periods.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest serial administration of the RTclin test does not produce a practice or learning effect. Clinicians, however, should be cautious as the results do provide evidence patients may demonstrate improved scores when testing occurs on repetitive days after initial exposure to the test.


Considerable degradation has been observed in negatively-biased, framed a-Si:H thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules fabricated with earlier generation fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO/sub 2/:F) transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layers on superstrate glass. These modules were tested under high-voltage (HV) bias in a hot and humid climate and leakage currents (LC) from module frames to ground were monitored. Modules negatively-biased at -600 V, -300 V and -150 V showed clear signs of delamination after 8, 15 and 27 months respectively. The adhesional strength was completely lost in the damaged area. An a-Si:H cell in the degraded region delaminated entirely from the superstrate glass and transferred itself on to the bottom glass/EVA surface, then cracked and curled. LC values from support to ground in new, unframed laminates fabricated with an improved SnO/sub 2/:F TCO layer were /spl sim/100 times lower under a -600 V bias in the same hot and humid environment.


What happens to politics when the subject cannot be located precisely, in time and space, and thus rationalized and individuated? How might collective and diffuse mechanisms of political voice and engagement contribute to a better understanding of life in the margins of modern geographies? This article advances the argument that rumors might provide us with an important exemplar of discursive imaginaries that at once interrupt and reconfigure politics. Borrowing from the work of Veena Das, it explores "the perlocutionary force of rumors" among displaced communities in urban and rural areas of South America. I argue that rumors are a medium of communication particularly suited for refugees and displaced communities and also a fundamental mechanism for coping with social trauma and of reconfiguring the terms of presence/absence under which these groups live.


By means of the intracellular recording technique, the effect of aureofuscin (20 micrograms/ml, oversaturation solution) on the ACh release from motor nerve terminals and on muscle cell membrane potential were investigated in phrenic nerve diaphragm preparations of the mice. The results showed that (a) aureofuscin reduced the resting membrane potential of the muscle cell slightly; (b) the frequency of miniature end-plate potentials and the mean quantal content of end-plate potentials increased at first and then recovered approximately to the control level; (c) the depolarization produced by aureofuscin in the muscle cell membrane was reversible and the aureofuscin-invoked facilitation in miniature end-plate potential discharges was Ca(2+)-dependent; and (d) aureofuscin did not block neuromuscular transmission.


Introduction Exercise tolerance is an important factor regarding quality of life. The maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is a good indicator of pulmonary, cardiovascular and muscular functional integration during exercise. Oxygen uptake (VO2) kinetics is a reliable determinant of sports performance, in terms of oxygen (O2) transport adjustment, muscular metabolism during exercise, and exercise intensity. The time constant (τ) and the amplitude of the VO2 response (ΔVO2) are parameters of the VO2 kinetics, and allow the determination of the O2 deficit, calculated as τ × Δ VO2. For a given work rate in the moderate intensity domain, τ is lowest in subjects with the highest VO2 max. Methods To determine the effect of different training backgrounds on VO2 kinetics parameters, six endurance-trained (T) and six sedentary (S) healthy males, aged 30–53 years, were recruited to perform 3-bouts of constant-work-rate (CWR) exercise in moderate intensity domain, in a treadmill ergometer. The selected work rate for each subject was previously determined from a maximal incremental stress test in a treadmill ergometer with gas-exchange analysis, as 10% below their individual first ventilatory threshold (VT1), also known as anaerobic threshold. Level of fitness and body composition were also determined. Results VO2 max was higher in T than in S (median T 60, 90 vs. S 42, 45 mL Kg-1 min-1, p=0.002). Body weight was lower in T than in S (median T 72.6 vs. S 77.15 Kg, p = 0.015), and muscle mass percentage was higher (median T 62% vs. S, 47%, p=0.009). During the CWR exercise, VO2 rest was not different between groups (median T, 5.75 vs. S, 5.07 mL Kg-1 min-1, p = 0.132), and work rate selected for each subject was higher in T than in S (median T 174 vs. S 101 Watt, p = 0.002), as was ΔVO2 (median T 32.63 vs. S 24.75 mL Kg-1 min-1, p=0.002). The time constant was not significantly different between groups (median T, 31.75 vs. S, 37.00 seconds, p = 0.240) nor was the O2 cost (median T, 0.20 vs. S 0.22 mL Kg-1.min-1, p = 0.485), or the O2 deficit (median T 17.30 vs. S 14.46 mL Kg-1, p = 0.132). Abstract P-92 Figure 1 O2 deficit and τ in trained and sedentary subjects Abstract P-92 Figure 2 Representation of O2 deficit in one trained and one sedentary subject Discussion Given that trained individuals performed CWR exercise at higher work rates and attained greater ΔVO2 than those in the sedentary group, and that τ was not significantly different between groups, we were also expecting differences in the O2 deficit. However, at this normalized exercise intensity, the O2 deficit was not significantly different between groups. This is due to bigger τ values in the sedentary group, that despite not being significantly different, once multiplied by the ΔVO2, elicited similar O2 deficit. Conclusion Our data suggests that individuals with different aerobic capacities, performing normalized CWR exercise, develop similar O2 deficit


The objective of this senior project is to prepare a phase I flight test program for a homebuilt Zenith CH 701 kit aircraft. The CH 701 is a small, short takeoff and landing experimental aircraft. A team including several Cal Poly students helped to construct the airframe and avionics of a 701 during the 2011-2012 academic year. The flight test program is necessary for obtaining unrestricted FAA flight certification for the completed aircraft. A set of test flight cards were created to aid in meeting the 25 to 40 hours of required phase I flight testing. These cards include specific instructions for each test as well as notes intended to help the pilot complete the test program safely. The test program outlined by the completed test cards will allow the CH 701 to safely and successfully advance to unrestricted phase II flight testing.


This thesis reports on an action research project undertaken to explore the role of the Clinical Nurse leader (CNL) in a District Health Board (DHB) in New Zealand. The CNL role has evolved against a backdrop of significant reforms that took place in the country in the 1990s. These reforms altered how public health services were funded, organised and delivered. Nursing leadership positions at both executive and clinical level were challenged in the reforms, as health services were expected to function using a market model. Not surprisingly, this clashed with the humanism of nursing. The action research project involved seven CNLs researching with the principal investigator to explore the role and establish how support afforded the role could be further improved. The research had two phases: Phase One involved each CNL being interviewed one-on-one and Phase Two involved a series of 10 action research meetings and related activities. The findings of the interviews consisted of 24 themes that related to the role of the CNL, the attributes of the CNL, the skills and knowledge requirements of the CNL, and the experience of being a CNL. These themes were presented by the principal researcher at the second action research meeting as the starting point for the group to decide its agenda. After three meetings, the group chose to focus on two themes: the conflict experienced between the leadership and management aspects of the role; and professional development afforded the role. The group identified what was important, agreeing the role was one of leadership and management as well as patient care. Plans for role development for themselves and for the advancement of new CNLs were also created. The project provides an important contribution to our understanding of the work of the CNL. Not only did it produce outcomes related to role, support and scope but it also shed light on the importance of the relationship between the role and its context of the DHB. The culture of business and the profession of nursing and a shared understanding of responsibilities as a way forward were recommended.


Absorption of elemental iron from three single-daily-dose prenatal multivitamin/multimineral supplements was compared in bioavailability studies of subjects under fasting and postprandial conditions. Each of the supplements (Stuartnatal 1 + 1, Stuart Prenatal, and Materna 1.60) contained 60 or 65 mg of iron. The subjects, teenagers in the second trimester of pregnancy, were assigned to the fasting or postprandial conditions at intervals of three to seven days. For the postprandial condition, subjects took the supplement after eating a standardized meal that had been designed to provide a minimal amount of iron and no caffeine (which inhibits iron absorption); blood was drawn at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 8 hours. Bioavailability studies showed that all three supplements provided adequate levels (at least 3.5 mg) of absorbed iron when taken postprandially. The highest quantity of net iron transport as well as the most rapid intestinal transport in either condition was yielded by Stuartnatal 1 + 1 taken in the fasting state. In the postprandial condition, Materna 1.60 demonstrated the fastest transport time and highest net iron transport; when given to a subject in the fasting condition, however, this supplement provided less than the recommended 3.5 mg of absorbed iron. These results suggest that iron absorption is influenced by supplement formulation as well as the presence or absence of food. Considering variations in compliance when iron is to be taken on an empty stomach as well as variable absorption in the fasting state, the most reliable supplementation would appear to be achieved by instructing pregnant women to take multivitamin/multimineral supplements at mealtime.


The basic laws of radiometry are generalized to fields generated by a two-dimensional stationary source of any state of coherence. Important in this analysis is the concept of the generalized radiance function, introduced by Walther in 1968. The concepts of generalized radiant emittance and of generalized radiant intensity are introduced and it is shown how all these quantities may be expressed in terms of coherence functions of the source. Both the generalized radiance of Walther and the generalized radiant emittance may take on negative values, indicating that these quantities have, in general, a less-direct physical meaning than have the corresponding quantities of traditional radiometry (which presumably represents the incoherent limit of the present theory). The generalized radiant intensity is, however, always found to be non-negative and, just as in the incoherent limit, represents the angular distribution of the energy flux in the far zone.


Practice Problem: The practice problem for the medical-surgical unit is a high rate of falls associated with toileting activities, despite universal fall precautions for all patients. The current fall rate is an average rate of 4 falls per 1,000 patient days. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: Among adult patients in the inpatient medical-surgical unit (P), what is the effect of adding a toileting care plan (I) to the current practice of universal fall precautions (C) to reduce the severity and incidence of falls (O) within an 8-week period (T)? Evidence: Nine high-quality articles supported a toileting care plan encompassing patient-centered fall interventions could decrease falls and falls with injuries. Interventions: Staff education on risk for patient falls, individualized risk assessments for falls, individualized toileting care plan, and effective handoff communication to all bedside staff about risks for falls. Outcome: The desired reduction in the rate of falls was not achieved during the intervention period; however, the project highlighted organizational challenges related to coordination of change, staffing, and unit participation. Further increased knowledge and utilization of the Morse fall risk assessment tool, resource allotment for fall reduction programming, and reprioritization for organization review of skills related to toileting plans was achieved. Conclusion: Clinical significance was achieved with this EBP project, even without the overall goal achievement of a reduction in fall rates on the pilot unit. The project highlighted the need for organizational readiness for change, effective strategy for concurrent priorities, and agility for unanticipated confounders, such as significant staffing concerns.


Introduction In Québec, non-traumatic musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) represent 35% of workers' compensation injuries and illnesses. From 1995 to 2002, the number of compensated MSD cases declined but duration of work absence for these disorders increased. In this study we sought to analyse gender differences in duration of non-traumatic MSD work absence in two more recent data sources. Methods We used data from the Québec 2007–2008 Survey on Working and Employment Conditions and Occupational Health and Safety to estimate the gender-specific 12-month prevalence and work absence duration for non-traumatic WMSD. We used 2005–07 & 2010–12 Quebec workers' compensation data to measure trends in the annual (1) mean number of compensated cases of non-traumatic MSD work absence, (2) mean and median duration of MSD work absence, and (3) proportion of absences of >90 days among those with a compensated MSD work absence. Results The survey data estimated that 260,000 workers had a work absence of at least one day for a non-traumatic WMSD. The mean work absence duration was 19.9 days for women, 14.7 days for men. A significantly higher proportion of women than men had work absences > 90 days (10% vs 3.5%). From 2005–07 to 2010–12, the annual mean number of compensated cases of non-traumatic MSD decreased for both genders (men: 19,700 to 13,800; women: 11,500 to 8,900), but the duration of work absence increased and was significantly higher in women than men, respectively increasing from 76.9 to 79.2 and 66.4 to 72.5 days. Among those absent, the proportion with work absences > 90 days was greater for women than men (2010–2012: 21.7% vs. 17.8%). Discussion Identifying the determinants of gender differences in duration of WMSD work absence could guide appropriate gender-sensitive disability prevention and return-to-work strategies, improve workers' quality of life and decrease the huge economic burden of work disability.


The notion of the negative $q$-binomial was recently introduced by Fu, Reiner, Stanton and Thiem. Mirroring the negative $q$-binomial, we show the classical $q$ -Stirling numbers of the second kind can be expressed as a pair of statistics on a subset of restricted growth words. The resulting expressions are polynomials in $q$ and $(1+q)$. We extend this enumerative result via a decomposition of the Stirling poset, as well as a homological version of Stembridge's $q=-1$ phenomenon. A parallel enumerative, poset theoretic and homological study for the $q$-Stirling numbers of the first kind is done beginning with de Medicis and Leroux's rook placement formulation. Letting $t=1+q$ we give a bijective combinatorial argument a la Viennot showing the $(q; t)$-Stirling numbers of the first and second kind are orthogonal.


It has long been assumed that religion is in decline in the West: however it continues to have an important yet contested role in individual lives and in society at large. Furthermore half a century or so in which religion and belief were barely talked about in public has resulted in a pressing lack of religious literacy, leaving many ill-equipped to engage with religion and belief when they encounter them in daily life – in relationships, law, media, the professions, business and politics, among others. This valuable book is the first to bring together theory and policy with analysis and expertise on practices in key areas of the public realm to explore what religious literacy is, why it is needed and what might be done about it. It makes the case for a public realm which is well equipped to engage with the plurality and pervasiveness of religion and belief, whatever the individual's own stance. It is aimed at academics, policy-makers and practitioners interested in the policy and practice implications of the continuing presence of religion and belief in the public sphere. - See more at: https://policypress.co.uk/religious-literacy-in-policy-and-practice#sthash.WEyx64Xg.dpuf


Background Childhood constipation is prevalent and negatively affects quality of life. Although psychological stress and family environment have been identified as risk factors, few epidemiological studies have examined this issue. We aimed to clarify associations of psychological stress and family environment with childhood constipation in a large-scale epidemiological study. Methods In total, 7,998 children aged 9–10 years from the Toyama Birth Cohort Study completed questionnaires. Constipation was defined as bowel movements "less frequently than once every 2 days". Children's lifestyles, including food frequency, psychological stress, family environment, frequency of irritability, unwillingness to attend school, and frequency of interaction with their parents, were analyzed via multivariate logistic regression analysis. Parental employment status and presence at dinner were also examined. Results In total, 312 children (3.9%) experienced constipation. Girls were more likely to experience constipation than boys (5.1% vs 2.8%). In addition, constipation was significantly associated with girl (odds ratio [OR] 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.55–2.51), physical inactivity (OR 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01–1.95), overweight (OR 0.58; 95% CI, 0.40–0.85), infrequent fruit (OR 1.94; 95% CI, 1.42–2.66) and vegetable (OR 1.46; 95% CI, 1.03–2.05) consumption, frequent irritability (OR 1.76; 95% CI, 1.24–2.50), unwillingness to attend school (OR 1.66; 95% CI, 1.13–2.43), and infrequent interaction with parents (OR 1.48; 95% CI, 1.06–2.07). Children whose parents were absent at dinner were more likely to experience constipation compared to those whose parents were present at dinner; however, this differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion Psychological stress and infrequent interaction with parents were as strongly associated with childhood constipation as conventional risk factors. Psychological stress and family environment should be more prioritized in caring childhood constipation.


The collective rationality hypothesis initiated by Chiappori (1988a) and applied by Seaton (1997, 2001) for a two-person household is used to distinguish the organizational behaviour of firms. Firms produce satisfaction to groups as traditional managerial and early behavioural theories of the firm of Williamson, Baumol and Marris suggest, as well as more modern principle agent models. Under certain conditions, intra-firm bargaining leads to a Pareto optimal outcome. What makes this work an important contribution is that it identifies a set of nonvacuous testable restrictions to empirically detect if firm-level data satisfy Pareto optimal behaviour for the main decision makers in the organization.


Clinical Image: The case presented here was a 25-year-old man consulted our hospital with a tension-type headache. He had been having this problem for about one year. Also, he had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood, and he was using methylphenidate - immediate release (MPH-IR) daily regularly. Firstly, we stopped the methylphenidate-IR for one month because of its side effects. However, his tension-type headache continued. Secondly, we referred the patient to MRI scanning. MRI of the brain revealed an arachnoid cyst, measuring 10.4 cm by 9.2 cm by 6.3 cm, with massive pressure effect on the right cerebral hemisphere (Figure 1). Lastly, etodolac has been prescribed to prevent headaches. One month later patients had no troubles with headaches. In summary, large arachnoid cist might be a cause of ADHD in childhood because of its mass effect on prefrontal cortex and can cause tension-type headaches with any other neurological complication.


From mouse pre-implantation and early post-implantation embryos, stem cells at different pluripotent states can be captured in in vitro culture. For example, naive embryonic stem cells (ESC) are derived from inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst, while primed epiblast stem cells (EpiSC) are captured from the post-implantation embryo epiblast. Though both ESCs and EpiSCs are pluripotent stem cells, they have distinct characters in terms of pluripotent gene expression profile, epigenetic status, metabolic pathways, growth factor requirement, and in female, the X chromosome inactivation status (1). On the other hand, these two pluripotent states are interchangeable, once switching the culture condition of ESCs to that for EpiSCs, naive ESCs convert to EpiSCs. The efficiency of converting EpiSCs to ESCs, however, is much low, which usually requires over-expressing pluripotency-associated genes such as Nanog , Klf4 , Esrrb , Tfcp2l1 and Nr5a2 (2-6). Similar to somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells, converting EpiSCs to ESCs is an epigenome-resetting process. Characterizing these epigenetic barriers represents an important approach to further improve reprogramming efficiency (7).


IFNγ receptor (IFNγR) deficient mice and IL-4 deficient mice were infected with blood-stage Plasmodium chabaudi AS in order to analyse the role of Th1 (IFNγ) and Th2 (IL-4)-associated cytokines in the development of protective immunity to the parasite. A high mortality rate and failure to reduce the primary parasitaemia to subpatent levels was observed in the IFNγR deficient mice. IL-4 deficient mice controlled a primary P. chabaudi AS infection in a similar manner to control mice and no mortality was observed. IFNγR deficient mice had a reduction in parasite-specific IgG and a significantly increased level of total IgE compared to control mice. There was no reduction in the level of parasite-specific IgG in IL-4 deficient mice. Cytological analysis of the cells present in the spleen and liver during the primary parasitaemia revealed a reduction in the numbers of lymphocytes, monocytes and polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in the liver at the peak of parasitaemia in both IFNγR deficient mice and IL-4 deficient mice compared to control mice. Adoptive transfer studies demonstrated that cells isolated from the liver at day 11 post-infection could confer some protective immunity to P. chabaudi AS infection.


Agricultural science education is a male-intensive field. However, in recent years the role of women has expanded. Only 3.9% of agricultural science teachers in Texas are female, ranking well below the national average of 9.7%. The 357 male and 29 female teachers surveyed in Areas III, VII, and X in South Texas made judgements about teaching and leadership competencies. Males were ranked higher in agricultural mechanics, animal science and SAE programs project supervision. Females ranked higher in horticulture.


Abstract. There are millions of aerial photographs from the period of the Second Wold War available in the Allied archives, obtained by aerial photo reconnaissance, covering most of today's European countries. They are spanning the time from 1938 until the end of the war and even beyond. Photo reconnaissance provided intelligence information for the Allied headquarters and accompanied the bombing offensive against the German homeland and the occupied territories. One of the initial principal targets in Bohemia were the synthetized fuel works STW AG (Sudetenlandische Treibstoffwerke AG) in Zaluzi (formerly Maltheuren) near Most (formerly Bruck), Czech Republic. The STW AG synthetized fuel plant was not only subject to bombing raids, but a subject to quite intensive photo reconnaissance, too - long before the start of the bombing campaign. With a multi-temporal analysis of the available imagery from international archives we will demonstrate the factory build-up during 1942 and 1943, the effects of the bombing raids in 1944 and the struggle to keep the plant working in the last year of the war. Furthermore we would like to show the impact the bombings have today, in form of potential unexploded ordnance in the adjacent area of the open cast mines.


There have been important advances by archeologists and numismatists in recent decades in the study of the beginnings of coinage in Ionia, Lydia, and Greece before the fifth century B.C. This paper provides a model of the birth of coinage that brings these advances into a broad analysis of the subject-matter. It pulls together many factors that are often treated separately. In addition, the model yields one important new result. Contrary to popular assumption, early coinage was not highly profitable. The Lydian government and the Greek city-states provided an extremely wide array of denominations of coins in a single precious metal at considerable cost. Their willingness to bear this cost must have reflected a political strategy of promoting coinage. Such a political strategy would also be easy to explain. As a large payer and recipient of money in the form of precious metals, the government had much to gain from the spread of coinage in order to economize on transaction costs in its own affairs.


Terminals are an integral part of transmission pipelines that can operate in different modes. The two most common modes are single injection and single delivery. Because pressure waves generated after accidental valve closures, pump trips, or others can travel many miles in a few seconds, it is a current practice to simulate the whole mainline to the next pump station, upstream or downstream, due to the lack of a standard method to identify boundaries.
 This paper proposes a method to define the minimum modeling boundary. This boundary is especially useful when the available data is limited, when multiple suppliers / pipeline owners are connected to a terminal, when advanced simulation software or powerful computers are not available, or when the goal is to avoid unnecessary, complex labor-intensive simulations.
 The technique consists of identifying a boundary located far enough in the mainline so that pressure waves do not interfere with the development of pressure surges after transient events in the facility piping or in a segment of a pipeline that has the weakest pipe.
 This straightforward method is supported by concepts published by well-known authorities in the transient hydraulics field and tested with available pipeline simulation software.
 After reading this paper, the reader will be able to answer these questions:
 • How much data do I need?
 • How many permutations?
 • What info is critical for this method?
 • Where is the boundary?
 • What causes a wrong selection?
 In summary, the hydraulic engineer will be able to shorten the current boundary to small fractions: up to 1/25 in the case of injection facilities and up to 2/25 in the case of delivery facilities. As well, readers will confirm that the hydraulic conditions in the mainlines beyond these boundaries don't have any effect on the facilities' piping due to transient events such as accidental valve closures or pumps trips, the most common initiators of large pressure surges.


This paper presents an innovative solution for estimating the proximate parameters of coal beds from the well-logs. To implement the solution, the C# programming language was used. The data from four exploratory boreholes was used in a case study to express the method and determine its accuracy. Then two boreholes were selected as the reference, namely the boreholes with available well-logging results and the proximate analysis data. The values of three well-logs were selected to be implemented in a system of equations that was solved, and the effect of each well-log on the estimated values of the proximate parameter was expressed as a coefficient called the effect factor. The coefficients were incorporated in an empirical relationship between the parameter and the three well-logs. To calculate the coefficients used for the most accurate estimation, a total of 22960 systems of equations were defined and solved for every three logs. As there was the possibility of 560 combinations for selecting three logs from all the available 16 logs, the three equation-three variable systems were solved more than 12 million times. The programming methods were utilized to achieve the final results. The results of each system were tested for deviation of the estimated values of volatile matter, ash, and moisture, and the coefficients of the lowest deviation were accepted to be applied in the relation. Implementing this method for estimating the volatile matter resulted in an average deviation of 10.5%. The corresponding estimated values of the ash and moisture contents were 22% and 14%, respectively.


Progressive heterotopic ossification (HO) is a rare disease of genetic inheritance. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an identified debilitating subcategory in which anomalous ossification usually begins in childhood. Congenital big toe anomalies and specific patterns of progression of ossification confirm the classic disease. Adult onset disease is extremely rare. The mechanism of disease progression is still unclear, and there is no consensus on the treatment modalities. We report a 47-year-old man with adult-onset progressive HO around the bilateral pelvic and shoulder girdles and thoracolumbar spine, which suggested a variant form of FOP. Although surgical excision is considered counterproductive in FOP, our patient showed improvement in his shoulder movement following surgery. Other management strategies, including surgery around the hips, indomethacin prophylaxis, irradiation and bisphosphonate therapy, did not improve his range of movement or disease progression.


We investigated the effect of chronic administration of morphine on noxious stimulus-induced antinociception (NSIA) produced by intraplantar capsaicin injection. In the untreated (naı̈ve) rat, we previously found that NSIA depends on activation of dopamine, nicotinic acetylcholine, and μ- and δ-opioid receptors in nucleus accumbens. Rats chronically implanted with subcutaneous morphine pellets demonstrated tolerance to the antinociceptive effects of acute systemic morphine administration but did not show cross-tolerance to NSIA. Morphine pretreatment, however, significantly reduced NSIA dependence on intra-accumbens opioid receptors but not on dopamine or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. As observed in naı̈ve rats, intra-accumbens microinjection of either the dopamine receptor antagonist flupentixol or the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine blocked NSIA in rats tolerant to the antinociceptive effects of morphine, but, in contrast to naı̈ve rats, intra-accumbens microinjection of either the μ-receptor antagonist Cys2,Tyr3,Orn5,Pen7amide or the δ-receptor antagonist naltrindole failed to block NSIA. These findings suggest that although NSIA is dependent on nucleus accumbens opioid receptors in the naı̈ve state, this dependence disappears in rats tolerant to the antinociceptive effects of morphine, which may account for the lack of NSIA cross-tolerance. In separate experiments, intra-accumbens extracellular dopamine levels were measured using microdialysis. Dopamine levels increased after either capsaicin or systemic morphine administration in naı̈ve rats but only after capsaicin administration in morphine pretreated rats. Thus, intra-accumbens dopamine release paralleled antinociceptive responses in naı̈ve and morphine pretreated rats.


The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight, is a key cotton (Gossypium spp.) pest, managed primarily by application of insecticides according to nominal thresholds. Efforts to reduce reliance on insecticide-based tactics will require a more astute understanding of the physiological ecology of L. hesperus than is currently available. A key biological parameter that may be manipulated through cultural or genetic means is reproduction. Estimates of L. hesperus oviposition are commonly obtained by visual inspection, but the accuracy of those estimates has been questioned. Because the eggs swell during development, we hypothesized that delaying counts of eggs to permit some development might improve sampling accuracy. Estimates of L. hesperus egg numbers were obtained immediately after oviposition and again at three days after oviposition, and counts at both times were regressed with total eggs determined by the sum of either hatched eggs or the number of nymphs, and unhatched eggs. Sampler experience was a major factor influencing fidelity of egg counts with total eggs, but a single repetition of the experiment accompanied by knowledge of the results was sufficient to optimize sampler effectiveness. Regressions relating total eggs to counts, whether the counts were taken immediately after oviposition or after three days, were significant. However, compared with counts of newly-laid eggs, the regression relating egg counts at three days with total eggs was more stable and showed better agreement. These results can be used to maximize statistical power and minimize sampling errors in future examinations of L. hesperus oviposition.


Mixtures of clays are often used in the manufacture of bricks. In industrial practice, it is desirable to be able to predict, in an expeditious way, what the effects of a change in raw materials or the proportions thereof might be in the various processing steps towards the final product. When the property of interest is basically determined by the combination of raw materials, an optimisation methodology specific to the design of mixture experiments can be successfully used. In the present study, fired bending strength and linear firing shrinkage were selected as the properties to model. Ten formulations of three different clays were selected and used in the experiments design. Those formulations were wet processed, uniaxially pressed, and then fired at 1000 °C for 2 h.. From the experimental results, regression models were calculated, relating each technological property with the proportions of raw materials. The regression models were then used simultaneously to define which combination of those three raw materials was most adequate to produce, under constant processing conditions, a brick with specified properties.


Aim and objective: Ponseti method is a well-established treatment method for clubfeet. It has been suggested that pooling of data for unilateral and bilateral idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus (ICTEV) is not appropriate. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome and their correlation in bilateral clubfeet. Materials and methods: Thirty infants (19M:11F) with bilateral ICTEV underwent the Ponseti method of treatment. Pirani scores and X-rays were recorded at the first visit (pre-treatment) and at the end of 12 months (post-treatment). Radiological angles were measured on anteroposterior (AP) and lateral (Lat) views of the foot and ankle. Results: The mean age was 6.7 ± 3.4 weeks (range 1–11 weeks). The mean initial Pirani score was 4.28 ± 1.1 (left) and 4.23 ± 1.09 (right). Successful outcomes were observed in 27/30 (90%) and 28/30 (93%) of the left and right foot, respectively. The mean number of casts required for left and right were (5.3 ± 1.1) and (4.9 ± 1.0), respectively. Achilles tendon (TA) tenotomy was performed in 76% (left) and 73% (right) feet. The postprocedure Pirani scores significantly correlated with talocalcaneal angle on AP (TCAP) and lateral views (TCL) on left ( r AP = 0.63, r Lat = 0.76) and right feet ( r AP = 0.65, r Lat = 0.73) ( p < 0.01). Talocalcaneal index (TCI) has been significantly correlated with postprocedure Pirani score in left ( r = 0.77) and right ( r = 0.64) feet ( p < 0.01). Tibiocalcaneal lateral angle (TiCL) has been significantly correlated with postprocedure Pirani score in the left feet ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: Bilateral ICTEV can be treated successfully by the Ponseti method in infants. There was a good correlation between clinical scores and radiological parameters.


The radiosensitizing effect of various guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia Miers, Menispermaceae) extracts, i.e., pretreatment with 10 µg/ml of methanol (Met), aqueous (Aqu) or methylene chloride (Mch) extracts, was studied in the HeLa cells exposed to 0, 0.5, 1, 2, or 3Gy of ? -radiation. The irradiation of cells resulted in a dose-dependent decline in the clonogenicity of cells expressed as reduction in cell survival. Treatment of HeLa cells with Met, Aqu or Mch extract before exposure to different doses of ? -radiation resulted in a significant decline in the cell survival when compared with the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) + irradiation group. The highest loss in the clonogenicity was observed in Mch + irradiation group, where the cell survival was lower than doxorubicin (Dox) + irradiation group. Conversely, the frequency of micronuclei increased in a dose-dependent manner in all the groups and a significant elevation in micronuclei frequency was observed in Met + irradiation, Aqu + irradiation, Mch + irradiation and Dox + irradiation groups relative to the PBS + irradiation group. The dose enhancement factor for micronuclei-induction varied between 1.4 to 1.97, depending on the type of extract and dose of irradiation. The dose response for all the groups was linear quadratic. The biological response was determined by plotting the surviving fraction of cells versus micronuclei frequency, respectively, for all the groups. The correlation between cell survival and micronuclei-induction was found to be linear quadratic for all the groups. In spite of a good correlation between micronuclei frequency and cell survival, the frequency of micronuclei was lower in Mch + irradiation group than in the other two groups (i.e., Met and Aqu), owing to the greater cell kill as evidenced by the higher decline in the cell survival in this group when compared to the other groups. However, the statistical difference among all guduchi extracts pretreated groups was not significant. The present study demonstrates that all the guduchi extracts were able to enhance the effect of radiation significantly. However, the most effective extract was Mch, where the reduction in the surviving fraction of cells was higher than either Aqu + irradiation, Met + irradiation or Dox + irradiation group.


X‐ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) is a useful means of characterizing cosmochemical samples such as meteorites or robotically returned samples. However, there are occasional concerns that the use of μCT may be detrimental to the organic components of a chondrite. Small organic compounds such as amino acids comprise up to ~10% of the total solvent extractable carbon in CM carbonaceous chondrites. We irradiated three samples of the Murchison CM carbonaceous chondrite under conditions akin to and harsher than those typically used during typical benchtop X‐ray μCT imaging experiments to determine if detectable changes in the amino acid abundance and distribution relative to a nonexposed Murchison control sample occurred. After subjecting three meteorite samples to ionizing radiation dosages between ~300 Gray (Gy) and 3 kGy with bremstrahlung X‐rays, we analyzed the amino acid content of each sample. Within sampling and analytical errors, we cannot discern differences in the amino acid abundances and amino acid enantiomeric ratios when comparing the control samples (nonexposed Murchison) and the irradiated samples. We conclude that a polychromatic X‐ray μCT experiment does not alter the abundances of amino acids to a degree greater than how well those abundances are measured with our techniques and therefore any damage to amino acids is minimal.


Background: The family planning clinic of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, obtains its clients from the postnatal clinic, the general outpatient department, specialist clinics, and referrals from the primary, secondary, and private health centers in the state. Aim: To evaluate subdermal implants use in Abakaliki, Nigeria, for acceptance rate, efficacy, and complications. Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study that was carried out in the family planning unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria, between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013. The records of the clients from the family planning clinic and their case files from the medical record units were studied. Sociodemographic characteristics, side effects, discontinuation, and reasons for discontinuation were extracted and fed into the computer using Epi Info program (2008) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta USA version 3.5.1 and analyzed. Results: Of 1737 contraceptive acceptors, 554 clients accepted subdermal implants giving a rate of 31.9%. The mean (standard deviation) for age and parity was 32.9 (5.2) years and 4.9 (2.2) years, respectively. Sixty-nine clients discontinued the method giving a discontinuation rate of 69/554 (12.5%) over the 5-year period. The most common reason for discontinuation was the desire to get pregnant 47/69 (68.1%). Seventeen clients out of 554 (3.1%) had side effects or complications. Menstrual disturbances were the most common side effect. Conclusion: Subdermal implants are very effective and safe with high acceptance and continuation rate in Abakaliki.


This article provides a brief survey of the history of transaction cost analysis (TCA), from its humble beginnings on the compliance/marketing front to its modern-day de rigeur usage on the trading desk. Despite becoming an essential part of the execution process, by and large TCA tools have still not been able to realize their potential as they have not been fully integrated into the investment process. The next step in the evolution of TCA is to look at the investment process and execution process more holistically, connecting them rather than allowing them to co-exist, divorced from one another. Accordingly, we propose an integrated framework for achieving consistency in alpha capture. Three of the seven steps in the proposed process actually occur even before the pre-trade estimate is calculated, a place where many TCA tools and providers start today, ignoring the necessity of gaining a true understanding of the investment style, portfolio manager's motivations and trading environment in order to maximize alpha capture.


This paper measures the external health cost due to emissions from different sources in the Stockholm area using the Impact pathway approach. The estimated health impact is the result of detailed dispersion modelling with high spatial resolution. We make separate calculations for the impact that occur within the Stockholm area, the surrounding region and the rest of Europe. The pollutants considered are combustion and secondary particulate matter (PM) from the burning of fuels and also road wear (non-exhaust PM) that makes a large contribution to measured concentrations of PM locally in Stockholm. We also investigate the influence of assumptions made regarding the exposure-response functions used in these calculations since PM of different origin are expected to have different health impacts. According to the results road traffic makes important contributions to the external health cost both on a local and a regional scale compared to other sources. This is in part due to emissions being released in close proximity to where people live but also because of the amount of pollutants emitted. Although non-exhaust PM makes a large contribution to local population exposure within Stockholm the external health cost is relatively small which is due to other health impact being relevant for this emission source. Residential heating also makes an important contribution to exposure and external health cost on a local scale while power plants have a large influence regionally.


: The paper presents the results of examination of 152 patients with generalized and multiorgan lesions, mainly involving the vertebral column. The tuberculous process is defined in 64.4% of the patients as a generalized one by virtually simultaneously involving several organs and primarily the spine and respiratory organs and in 35.6% as a multiorgan one when symptoms of tuberculous spondylitis or tuberculosis of other organs rather than the lung appear some period (3 years or more) after organ involvement. Recommendations are given for pre- and postoperative treatment. All the patients with a preserved pathological process in the lung underwent operations on the spine in early periods (1-3 months) after admission to hospital.


Multioperations are primitives of parallel computation for which processors perform a reduction, e.g. addition, on values provided by multiple threads into a single value in a constant number of steps. Algorithmically, multioperations can speed up execution by a logarithmic factor over their single operation counterparts. In this paper, we propose an architectural technique for realizing multioperations in thick control flow processors. Thick control flows (TCF) are computational constructs that simplify parallel programming by bundling a number of homogeneous threads following the same control path into universalized vector-like entities. The elements of TCFs are called fibers to distinguish them from ordinary threads having their own individual control. Processors designed for executing TCFs feature a unique frontend-backend structure to provide low-latency processing of TCF-common computations and high-throughput execution of data parallel fibers. Our proposal relies on step caches and equally sized multioperation scratchpads, while on the memory side, we make use of active memory modules. The idea is to compute partial results in backend units to reduce the traffic to the referred shared memory location. The final result is then computed in the active memory unit of the target memory module. According to the evaluation made with our TCF-aware processor equipped with multioperation scratchpads and active memory units, it indeed executes certain N data element-algorithms log N times faster than the baseline processor. The cost of the implementation is preliminarily evaluated.


With the unpredicted increment of power density in Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, an effective cooling technique like micro-cooling method is required to ensure temperature of the device not exceeds or near to the allowable temperature for semiconductor component (Allowable temperature < 358.15 K). Microchannel heat sink is one of the best candidate among micro-cooling method which can meet a cooling demand for current electronic devices. The temperature of a substrate of microchannel heat sink is very important because the substrate directly attaches to the electronic components. By increasing a mass flowrate in a conventional microchannel heat sink (straight channel design) in order to reduce the substrate temperature is not an effective method because it reduces the effective energy consumption. So in this paper, Rib-groove microchannel heat sink design is proposed in order to the minimize the substrate temperature with effective energy consumption. In the present study, the effect of triangular groove geometry parameter was analysed numerically for the Re number ranging between 100 to 800. The result showed that, Rib-groove microchannel heat sink (TC-RR MCHS) with triangular cavities pitch location of 140 μm (CV3) obtained the lowest average substrate temperature, T b,ave for all Re number. Besides that, the TC-RR MCHS with CV3 design only required 1.82 mW of pumping power while the straight microchannel heat sink (CR MCHS) required 14.94 mW of pumping power in order to achieve the lowest average substrate temperature in the CR MCHS. Means that, the proposed design saved the energy consumption up to 87.8%.


Endocytosis is a conserved cellular process in which nutrients, lipids, and receptors are internalized and transported to early endosomes, where they are sorted and either channeled to degradative pathways or recycled to the plasma membrane. MICAL-L1 and EHD1 are important regulatory proteins that control key endocytic transport steps. However, the precise mechanisms by which they mediate transport, and particularly the mode by which they connect to motor proteins, have remained enigmatic. Here we have identified the collapsin response mediator protein-2 (Crmp2) as an interaction partner of MICAL-L1 in non-neuronal cells. Crmp2 interacts with tubulin dimers and kinesin and negatively regulates dynein-based transport in neuronal cells, but its expression and function in non-neuronal cells have remained poorly characterized. Upon Crmp2 depletion, we observed dramatic relocalization of internalized transferrin (Tf) from peripheral vesicles to the endocytic recycling compartment (ERC), similar to the effect of depleting either MICAL-L1 or EHD1. Moreover, Tf relocalization to the ERC could be inhibited by interfering with microtubule polymerization, consistent with a role for uncoupled motor protein-based transport upon depletion of Crmp2, MICAL-L1, or EHD1. Finally, transfection of dynamitin, a component of the dynactin complex whose overexpression inhibits dynein activity, prevented the relocalization of internalized Tf to the ERC upon depletion of Crmp2, MICAL-L1, or EHD1. These data provide the first trafficking regulatory role for Crmp2 in non-neuronal cells and support a model in which Crmp2 is an important endocytic regulatory protein that links MICAL-L1·EHD1-based vesicular transport to dynein motors.


The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the fracture resistance of a temporary three-unit fixed dental prosthesis (FDP) made of a new polymeric material obtained by an additive technique (3DPP) using a computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system, comparing the prosthesis to the respective outcomes of temporary polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) FDPs obtained by a subtractive technique (milling). Methods: Three-unit FDPs were 3D printed using a polymeric material (n = 20) or milled using polymethylmethacrylate (n = 20). After thermocycling at 5000 cycles at extreme temperatures of 5 °C and 55 °C in distilled water, each specimen was subjected to a compression test on a universal testing machine at a rate of 0.5 mm/min until failure occurred, recording the value in newtons (N). Results: There were statistically significant differences (p-value < 0.005) between the PMMA material (2104.7 N; SD = 178.97 N) and 3DPP (1000.8 N; SD = 196.4 N). Conclusions: The fracture resistance of the PDFs manufactured from milled PMMA showed higher values for fracture resistance. However, the resistance of the 3DPP showed acceptable values under mechanical load; this notable advance in the resistance of printed materials consolidates them as an important alternative to use in interim indirect restorations.


Frequency domain fluorescence measurement using two diode lasers with amplitude modulation in the kHz range yields a signal component at the sum frequency. This intermodulation phenomenon was observed in an aqueous solution of haematoporphyrin (HP) and could be related to triplet state population kinetics. This indirect measurement technique may allow triplet decay time measurement during photodynamic therapy (PDT) enabling monitoring of the type II phototoxic damage rate.


PURPOSE
This study aimed to examine how speech while sign (simultaneous communication [SimCom]) affects the spoken language of bimodal bilingual teachers and how individual differences in sign-language vocabulary knowledge, SimCom teaching experience, and the ability to perform speech under dual-task conditions explain the variability in SimCom performance.

METHOD
Forty experienced teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students participated in a story narration task under different conditions. Speech rate, lexical richness, and syntactic complexity were measured and compared across speech-only versus SimCom conditions. Furthermore, participants' score on a sign-language vocabulary test, their self-reported SimCom teaching experience, and their performance in a dual-task condition were taken as predictors of SimCom narration performance.

RESULTS
The findings revealed slower speech rate, lower lexical richness, and lower syntactic complexity in the SimCom condition compared with the speech-only condition. Sign-language vocabulary score and SimCom teaching experience explained speech rate and lexical richness. Participant's ability to speak under a dual-task condition did not modulate performance.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings may suggest that the production of the less dominant (sign) language during SimCom entails inhibition of the dominant (spoken) language relative to the speech-only condition. At the same time, the findings are also compatible with the suggestion that SimCom serves as a unique complex communication unit that cannot be reduced to the combination of two languages.


Simple Summary Up to 50% of patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma develop brain metastases during the course of their disease. The prognosis of melanoma patients is heavily affected by the presence of brain metastases. Unfortunately, there is a lack of data on prognostic factors for these patients. Many of these patients are treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, the aim of our study was to identify prognostic factors in melanoma patients with brain metastases treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In a population of 1278 advanced melanoma patients, we found that serum lactate dehydrogenase levels were the strongest clinical parameter associated with survival. This information is useful for both doctors and patients to provide more insight into patients' prognoses. Abstract The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced melanoma that develop brain metastases (BM) remains unpredictable. In this study, we aimed to identify prognostic factors in patients with melanoma BM who are treated with ICIs. Data from advanced melanoma patients with BM treated with ICIs in any line between 2013 and 2020 were obtained from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. Patients were included from the time of the treatment of BM with ICIs. Survival tree analysis was performed with clinicopathological parameters as potential classifiers and overall survival (OS) as the response variable. In total, 1278 patients were included. Most patients were treated with ipilimumab–nivolumab combination therapy (45%). The survival tree analysis resulted in 31 subgroups. The median OS ranged from 2.7 months to 35.7 months. The strongest clinical parameter associated with survival in advanced melanoma patients with BM was the serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. Patients with elevated LDH levels and symptomatic BM had the worst prognosis. The clinicopathological classifiers identified in this study can contribute to optimizing clinical studies and can aid doctors in giving an indication of the patients' survival based on their baseline and disease characteristics.


Do residents of mining communities face health-wealth trade-offs? We conduct the first extensive investigation assessing this question using micro-data from communities near about 800 mineral mines in 44 developing countries. Mining communities enjoy a substantial mediumterm rise in asset wealth (0.3σ), but experience a nine percentage point increase in anemia among adult women, and a five percentage point increase in the prevalence of stunting in young children. Both of these health impacts have previously been linked to metal toxicity and in particular, exposure to high levels of environmental lead. Benefits and costs are strongly concentrated in the immediate vicinity (≤ 5km) of the nearest mine. We find no systematic evidence of general ill health, and we observe health impacts only near mines of a type where lead pollution is to be expected. Identification is based on a mine-level and mother-level panel, and in the cross-section, on group effects. A novel instrumental variable serves as a crosssectional robustness check. To make plausible that the observed health impacts are due to pollution, we develop difference-in-difference tests based on the known association of certain mine types with lead pollution, and based on the pathophysiology of lead toxicity. Our results represent the first comprehensive assessment of the local welfare impacts of mining in developing countries, and add to the evidence suggesting that communities near industrial centers in developing countries face information or cost constraints that limit their choice sets.


Dental caries is a multi factorial disease including diet, microorganisms, oral hygiene, life style, education, income and consumption of water, varying degree of fluoride concentration in drinking water has beneficial effect on dental caries up to the extent of 60%-70%, on the other hand the excessive uninterrupted intake of fluoride for longer duration can have deleterious effect on teeth and bones which causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. In the present study the collected data was retrieved, presented and were amenable to statistical analysis for the prevalence of dental caries and dental fluorosis and their relation at varying degree of fluoride concentration in drinking water. It was observed that number of children affected with dental caries decreases with the increase in concentration of level of fluoride in drinking water and the number of children affected with dental Fluorosis increases with the increase in level of concentration of fluoride in drinking water. The results of the study indicated that both dental caries and dental fluorosis excited together irrespective of levels of fluoride concentration in drinking water.


This chapter examines the impact of globalization on the nation state. It analyses the case for and against the globalization thesis, focusing on the extent to which global economic integration might restrict the parameters of domestic political autonomy. The chapter first distinguishes between the politics of globalization and the globalization of politics before discussing the principal mechanisms in and through which globalization is seen to impact upon the nation state, along with the empirical evidence that might either substantiate or question the existence of such mechanism. It then considers the complex and sometimes paradoxical relationship between globalization, democracy, and the nation state, with emphasis on both the impact of globalization on states and the state's impact on globalization.


The overarching goal of working through the CMGSMethod (Case Method with GuestSpeakers) in Sales Management courses is toprovide Marketing students with practical knowledge about how a sales managercan deal with a wide variety of possible professional scenarios. Even when thecase method itself is an excellent way to equip students for their prospectiveemployment, the potential of this method can be enhanced with innovativepedagogical tools. Firstly, eight sales managers were invited to the SalesManagement Course as guest speakers. Students were required to prepare forthese sessions, gathering information about the speaker's sector andidentifying areas of special interest. Each speaker shared their hands-onexperience and offered an overview of their field in a workshop, whileanswering the students' questions. These sessions increased the interaction ofstudents with sales professionals, who presented their insights into a careerin sales management. The learning experiences built through these workshopswere narrated by the students in the course blog. Secondly, students were askedto present a scientific paper with the aim of bridging the gap between highereducation and cutting-edge research. This article portrays the reasoning behindthe course as well as the different steps followed during the process. Thecourse finished with encouraging results, suggesting the desirability ofincorporating PL (participative learning) experiences into any marketingcourse.


Suicide has an important place in the history of sociology, because of Durkheim's famous study and the debates that have followed since it was published more than a century ago. The sociological study of suicide remains a powerful illustration of competing paradigms. The bold aim of this book is to make a new contribution to this classic sociological debate. The authors highlight the importance of qualitatively-driven, mixed methods sociological research on individual suicides, coining the term 'sociological autopsy' to describe their ESRC-funded study of 100 suicide case files. They illustrate how qualitative and quantitative data can be combined; and navigate the dual paradigms of objectivism and constructionism, examining what can be known about suicidal lives and also taking a critical stance on the knowledge itself. Substantive themes developed in the book include the gendered character of suicidal behaviour, the role of the life-course and the importance of social bonds, especially intimate relationships.


Peptide immunocorrector Imunofan was used as adjuvant to conventional treatment. A single intramuscular injection was given daily for 8-10 days (I ml of 0.005% solution). In patients with advanced and toxic diphtheria Imunofan reduced the occurrence of specific complications and lethality fell 4.1-4.8-fold. Imunofan is also recommended for patients with allergic reaction to diphtheria antitoxin.


The synthesis and characterization of 5-(chromen-4-one)-dipyrromethane (1), 5-(6-methyl-chromen-4-one)-dipyrromethane (2), 5-(6-isopropyl-chromen-4-one)-dipyrromethane (3) and the respective chromans, 7-[2-pyrrolo]-pyrrole[1,2-a]12H pyrrolino[2,3-b]chroman-4-one (4), 4-methyl-7-[2-pyrrolo]-pyrrole[1,2-a]12H pyrrolino[2,3-b]-chroman-4-one (5) and 4-isopropyl-7-[2-pyrrolo]-pyrrole[1,2-a]12H pyrrolino[2,3-b]-chroman-4-one (6) have been described. Chroman derivatives 4-6 have been used in the synthesis of highly stable, fluorescent, borondifluoride complexes (7-9). All the compounds have been fully characterised by various physicochemical techniques viz., elemental analyses, IR, HRMS, NMR ((1)H, (13)C), electronic absorption, emission (solution and solid state), electrochemical and thermal studies. Crystal structures of dipyrromethanes 1 and 2, chroman derivative 6 and boron complexes 7-9 have been determined by X-ray single crystal analyses. Structural studies revealed that the formation of 4-6 takes place by DDQ mediated C-N coupling. The higher stability of 4-6 relative to their respective dipyrrins has been supported by theoretical studies.


Background With the increasing adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems, documentation-related burdens have been increasing for health care providers. Recent estimates indicate that primary care providers spend about one-half of their workdays interacting with the EHR, of which about half is focused on clerical tasks. To reduce documentation burdens associated with the EHR, health care systems and physician practices are increasingly implementing medical scribes to assist providers with real-time documentation. Scribes are typically unlicensed paraprofessionals who assist health care providers by documenting notes electronically under the direction of a licensed practitioner or physician in real time. Despite the promise of scribes, few studies have investigated their effect on clinical encounters, particularly with regard to patient-provider communication. Objective The purpose of this quasi-experimental pilot study was to understand how scribes affect patient-physician communication in primary care clinical encounters. Methods We employed a convergent mixed methods design and included a sample of three physician-scribe pairs and 34 patients. Patients' clinical encounters were randomly assigned to a scribe or nonscribe group. We conducted patient surveys focused on perceptions of patient-provider communication and satisfaction with encounters, video recorded clinical encounters, and conducted physician interviews about their experiences with scribes. Results Overall, the survey results revealed that patients across both arms reported very high satisfaction of communication with their physician, their physician's use of the EHR, and their care, with very little variability. Video recording analysis supported patient survey data by demonstrating high measures of communication among physicians in both scribed and nonscribed encounters. Furthermore, video recordings revealed that the presence of scribes had very little effect on the clinical encounter. Conclusions From the patient's perspective, scribes are an acceptable addition to clinical encounters. Although they do not have much impact on patients' perceptions of satisfaction and their impact on the clinical encounter itself was minimal, their potential to reduce documentation-related burden on physicians is valuable. Physicians noted important issues related to scribes, including important considerations for implementing scribe programs, the role of scribes in patient interactions, how physicians work with scribes, characteristics of good scribes, and the role of scribes in physician workflow.


The
aim of the current study is to examine the extent to which equity in the
utilization of longterm care services has been achieved in the Republic of
Korea (hereafter Korea), based on the Aday—Andersen Access Framework that takes
into consideration a series of variables hypothesized as predictive of
utilization. The current study used cross-sectional survey data collected and
conducted by the Korea Labor Institute (KLI) between August 1 to December 22,
2006. The sample for this study was 5544 persons who are older than 60 years.
The study was extracted from a larger nationally representative cross-sectional
survey of 10,255 individuals. The stratified cluster sampling technique was
used to draw the survey respondents. A self-administered questionnaire was
used to collect the data from the sample. Descriptive and logistic regression
analysis was performed examining the relationship between the dependent
variable and the independent variables and the relative importance of
factors. The results indicate that a universal health insurance system has not
yielded a fully equitable distribution of services. The limitation of benefit
coverage as well as disparities in consumer cost-sharing and associated
patterns of utilization across plans high out-of-pocket payment can be a
barrier to health care utilization, which results in inequity and differential
long-term care utilization between sub-groups of older adults. Health policy
reforms in Korea must continue to concentrate on expanding insurance
coverage, reducing the inequities reflected in disparities in consumer
cost-sharing and associated patterns of utilization across plans, and
establishing a financially separate insurance system for poor older adults.
The behavioral responses of physicians to the method of reimbursement, and
the subsequent impact on overall rates of utilization and expenditures need to
be more fully understood. In addition, further research is needed to identify
the nonfinancial barriers that persist for certain demographic subgroups, i.e., those 70 and older, men, lacking
social network members, those who have four or more family members, and those
who have no schooling.


Andrey Platonov (1899-1951) is increasingly acknowledged as one of the greatest writers of the Soviet period. His linguistic virtuosity, philosophical rigour and political unorthodoxy combined to create some of the most compellingly absurb works of literautre in any language. Unsurprisingly, many of these remained unpublished in his lifetime, and indeed for many years thereafter. In this lively and original study, Philip Ross Bullock traces the development of feminine imagery in Platonov's prose, from the seemingly misogynist outrage of his early works to the tender reconciliation with domesticity in his final stories, and argues that gender is a crucial feature of the author's audacious utopian vision.


This research has a purpose to provide empirical evident about factors that affect firms status after IPO. The examined factors on this research are firm characteristics including financial ratio, industry structure, firm's sensitivity to macroeconomic variables, underwriter reputation and ownership structure. The samples consist of 84 firms which had positive net income, positive equity book value and still listed until 2002; 24 firms which had negative net income from 2000 through 2001 and still listed; 48 firms which had negative net income and negative equity book value from 2000 through 2001 and still listed; and 19 firms which delisted from 1999 through 2002. Moreover, it is chosen by purposive sampling. The statistic method used to test on the research hypothesis is multinomial logit regression. Indirect method and direct method technique is used to gain a model that has the highest classification power in determination firms status after IPO. The result show that direct method had a higher classification power rather than indirect method. This research also indicate that firm characteristic include financial ratio, industry structure, firm's sensitivity to macroeconomic variables, and underwriter reputation is a significant variables in determination firms status after IPO Keywords: financial distress, financial ratios, multinomial logit, macroeconomic variable


Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a debilitating genetic disorder of the red blood cells, leading to acute vaso-occlusive (VOC) events and chronic disease in multiple organs. In the liver, VOC events in the hepatic sinusoids can lead to fatal sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis (SCIC), which is estimated to occur in approximately 10% of the SCD population. Using contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), we have previously shown that microvascular liver perfusion (MVLP) at basal levels in SCD mice is significantly reduced compared with non-SCD control mice and that MVLP in SCD mice can be further reduced by hypoxia-induced VOC events. Additionally, treatment with the antisickling agent, 5-Hyroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), can prevent hypoxia-induced VOC reduction in MVLP in SCD mice. A prior study investigated a single time point (1 hour) posthypoxia; the duration and effect beyond 1 hour posthypoxia remained unknown. This investigation was performed to address the duration of the reduction in MVLP and the preventative effect of 5-HMF over a 24-hour period. Methods: Townes sickle cell mice (SCD), homozygous for hα:βs-globulin, approximately 7−9 weeks of age (n=15) were utilized in these studies. CEUS perfusion imaging (Vevo® 2100) was performed on a central cross-section of the liver at the renal artery. Contrast agent was administered as an intravenous bolus via tail vein to anesthetized mice (isoflurane with ~21% O2) and peak perfusion intensity [PPI] measured in linear arbitrary units [l.a.u.]), and data were analyzed with VisualSonics software. Repeated CEUS measurements were obtained on SCD mice at baseline (prehypoxia), 1, 4, and 24 hours posthypoxic exposure (hypoxic exposure: 60 minutes with approximately 5.5.% O2). 5-HMF at 200 mg/kg PO or vehicle was administered following baseline PPI measurement and approximately 30 minutes before start of hypoxia. Results:Following hypoxia-induced VOC,MVLP in vehicle-treated SCD was significantly reduced by approximately 25% from baseline levels at 1 and 4 hours posthypoxia, before returning to baseline levels at 24 hours posthypoxia (Table 1). In contrast, SCD mice administered 5-HMF at 200 mg/kg PO showed no reduction in MVLP at 1, 4, and 24 hours posthypoxia. Sickle cell counts were obtained on surrogate animals and data are still pending. *Significant reduction from baseline, P Summary: CEUS measured a reduction in MVLP in vehicle-treated SCD mice following hypoxia-induced VOC with a duration of at least 4 hours posthypoxia. By 24 hours posthypoxia, MVLP had returned to baseline (prehypoxia) levels. Prehypoxia treatment with the antisickling agent 5-HMF was able to prevent the hypoxia-induced VOC reduction in MVLP in SCD mice for the entire 24-hour period. These data suggest that prophylactic treatment with an antisickling agent prior to a VOC event may benefit SCD patients by maintaining organ perfusion. These results further validate CEUS as a noninvasive method to measure acute and chronic organ perfusion changes for evaluating new therapeutics for sickle cell-mediated VOC events and end-organ damage. Disclosures Abe:Bayer: Employment. Sim:Bayer: Employment. Alonso-Galicia:Bayer: Employment. Kauser:Bayer: Employment.


Many firms have more than one blockholder, but finance theory suggests that one blockholder should be sufficient to bestow all benefits on a firm that arise from concentrated ownership. This paper identifies a reason why more blockholders may arise endogenously. We consider a setting where multiple shareholders have endogenous conflicts of interest depending on the size of their stake. Such conflicts arise because larger shareholders tend to be less well diversified and would therefore prefer the firm to pursue more conservative investment policies. When the investment policy is determined by a shareholder vote, a single blockholder may be able to choose an investment policy that is far away from the dispersed shareholders' preferred policy. Anticipating this outcome reduces the price at which shares trade. A second blockholder (or more) can mitigate the conflict by shifting the voting outcome more towards the dispersed shareholders' preferred investment policy and this raises the share price. The paper derives conditions under which there are blockholder equilibria. The model shows how different ownership structures affect firm value and the degree of underpricing in an IPO.


OBJECTIVE
To discuss treatment options for tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS
A total of 108 patients with biopsy-proven tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma, treated between 1984 and 2000, were reviewed, including 82 men and 26 women, with ages ranging from 19 to 70 years. Treatments consisted of either radiotherapy and surgery reserved as salvage treatment (Salvage Surgery, 83 patients), or planned surgery with preoperative radiation (Planned Surgery, 25 patients). Radiotherapy was delivered primarily in a dosage of 60 - 70 Gy for Salvage Surgery patients and 40 - 50 Gy for Planned Surgery patients. Both salvage and planned surgeries were radical, with resection of the lateral oropharyngeal wall, segmental resection of the mandible and neck dissection. The pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps were used to repair surgical defects.

RESULTS
The percentages of radical surgery used in the Salvage Surgery and Planned Surgery groups were 24.1% (20/83) and 88.0% (22/25), respectively (P = 0.000). The local recurrence rates were 28.9% (24/83) and 20.0% (5/25) in the Salvage Surgery and Planned Surgery groups, respectively (P = 0.378). The neck recurrence rates were 9.6% (8/83) and 8.0% (2/25) in the Salvage Surgery and Planned Surgery groups respectively (P = 0.804). The 5-year survival rates were 59.3% and 55.3% in the Salvage Surgery and Planned Surgery groups, respectively (P = 0.7056).

CONCLUSIONS
Although the two treatments had a similar survival rate, Salvage Surgery avoided 60% commando operations compared with the Planned Surgery group, which benefits to recovery of oral functions. Primary radiotherapy is recommended as the treatment of choice for tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma. After radical radiotherapy, salvage surgery should be undertaken in the case of tumor remnants or recurrences.


The article discusses the image of Poland, the Poles, and Russia-Poland relations, presented by the Russian mass media in recent years. To analyze this image, the authors reviewed a number of publications that appeared in Russian publications in 2014–2018. At the same time, it was necessary to recall the historical causes of the Russian-Polish contradictions, from the early Middle Ages to the 20th century. The authors assess the relevance of the historical heritage for the modern politics of the two countries and make an attempt to determine the influence of the image of Poland created in the Russian media on the everyday consciousness of the Russian students. For this, a survey of first-year students of the St. Petersburg State Technological Institute was conducted. The survey results and comments are provided in this article.


BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics, patterns of recurrence and survival outcomes in patients with uterine carcinosarcomas treated in our institution.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Records of 26 patients diagnosed between 2007 and 2011 with uterine carcinosarcoma were retrospectively evaluated for demographic features, tumor characteristics, treatment regimens and patient outcomes in terms of DFS and OS RESULTS: Median age was 61 (range 43-78). 10 patients (38%) had stage I disease at diagnosis, 3 (12%) had stage II, 4 (15%) had stage III and 9 (35%) had stage IV. Sixteen patients (62%) received chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin for 6 cycles. One patient underwent radiotherapy. Median follow up was 17 months. Sixteen patients relapsed and 13 died during follow up. Considering recurrence, 5 out of 16 patients had lung metastases, one had brain metastases and 9 had only intraabdominal recurrence. The 3 year DFS was 37% and the 3 year OS was 30%.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data show that uterine carcinosarcomas tend to be at advanced stage at diagnosis and despite the use of chemotherapy, overall prognosis is poor. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment. More effective adjuvant strategies are needed to reduce relapse and death rates.


ABSTRACT The zonation of anaerobic methane-cycling Archaea in hydrothermal sediment of Guaymas Basin was studied by general primer pairs (mcrI, ME1/ME2, mcrIRD) targeting the alpha subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase gene (mcrA) and by new group-specific mcrA and 16S rRNA gene primer pairs. The mcrIRD primer pair outperformed the other general mcrA primer pairs in detection sensitivity and phylogenetic coverage. Methanotrophic ANME-1 Archaea were the only group detected with group-specific primers only. The detection of 14 mcrA lineages surpasses the diversity previously found in this location. Most phylotypes have high sequence similarities to hydrogenotrophs, methylotrophs, and anaerobic methanotrophs previously detected at Guaymas Basin or at hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and oil reservoirs worldwide. Additionally, five mcrA phylotypes belonging to newly defined lineages are detected. Two of these belong to deeply branching new orders, while the others are new species or genera of Methanopyraceae and Methermicoccaceae. Downcore diversity decreases from all groups detected in the upper 6 cm (∼2 to 40°C, sulfate measurable to 4 cm) to only two groups below 6 cm (>40°C). Despite the presence of hyperthermophilic genera (Methanopyrus, Methanocaldococcus) in cooler surface strata, no genes were detected below 10 cm (≥60°C). While mcrA-based and 16S rRNA gene-based community compositions are generally congruent, the deeply branching mcrA cannot be assigned to specific 16S rRNA gene lineages. Our study indicates that even among well-studied metabolic groups and in previously characterized model environments, major evolutionary branches are overlooked. Detecting these groups by improved molecular biological methods is a crucial first step toward understanding their roles in nature.


This article aims to provide useful insights into Romania's and Malta's electricity sector, and critically assess the extent to which their current state is conducive to European Union (EU) 'smart grid' objectives of energy decentralization and decarbonization. The article concludes that Malta has embraced reforms aimed at diversifying the energy sector, including the deployment of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, smart meters and smart grids, all of which are aimed at tackling climate change challenges. Romania, on the one hand, enjoys relative energy independence and security vis-a-vis its EU peers, but also other neighbouring countries, while, on the other, it remains one of the most energy-intensive and polluting EU Member States. At the same time, Romania's performance in relation to increasing the share of renewable energy sources in energy consumption and electricity production places it among the leaders at the regional and EU levels, particularly in terms of wind-generated power.


Both retailers and manufacturers see in-store out-of-stock events (OOS) as a major problem, but there is a lack of research about their frequency, the sales losses they generate, and their causes. We provide a twofold contribution: We describe a new sales-based measure of OOS computed on the basis of store-level scanner data, and we identify several of the main determinants of OOS. We also introduce a significant distinction between complete and partial OOS. In both types, the observed sales level is significantly below its expected value. Complete OOS occur when there are no sales at all; partial OOS takes place when sales, though abnormally low, are not zero. Our analysis of seven different data sets reveals that complete OOS are far less frequent than partial OOS. In addition, complete OOS are more frequent in stores with lower category sales and for stockkeeping units (SKUs) with lower market shares. In contrast, partial OOS are more frequent in stores with higher category sales and for SKUs with higher market shares. With regard to the impact of assortment size in the store, we find mixed results. Finally, we find that variables related to the segment to which an SKU belongs, the manufacturer, and the package format all have a significant impact on both partial and complete OOS.