Mandatory binding arbitration clauses require that all disputes be submitted to binding arbitration, rather than being settled within the traditional court system. Such clauses are often found within consumer and employment contracts. Over the years, these clauses have become extremely controversial across America. Those opposed to these clauses believe that they trample on an individual's right to go to court. However, those in favor of these clauses argue that binding arbitration is more efficient and affordable. In 2010, Congress enacted the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which prohibited defense contractors from requiring their employees to submit to binding arbitration in pursuing claims such as rape, assault, wrongful imprisonment, harassment, and discrimination. Because this Act was limited to employees of defense contractors, select members of Congress introduced the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 to ban all binding arbitration clauses in the context of employee, consumer, and civil rights disputes. This comment supports the enactment of the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 to ensure American citizens' constitutional rights are protected. I. INTRODUCTION Arbitration is a method of dispute resolution (1) that has been utilized for hundreds of years. (2) Over the years, the use of arbitration has drastically changed. (3) Since 1998, the United States Supreme Court has issued opinions that have greatly expanded corporations' use of mandatory binding arbitration clauses. (4) These clauses are commonly placed in contracts by corporations as a condition of employment or a condition of purchasing a product or service. (5) In 2009, America took notice when Jamie Leigh Jones came forward to describe her experience with a corporation's mandatory binding arbitration clause. (6) After four years of struggle between Jones and her former employer, KBR, the Southern District of Texas allowed Jones to bypass the mandatory binding arbitration clause and litigate several of her claims. (7) During this litigation, Senator A1 Franken proposed a provision in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, (8) which has become known as the Jamie Leigh Jones Amendment. (9) Upon the passing of this amendment, defense contractors can no longer impose mandatory binding arbitration in cases of rape, assault, wrongful imprisonment, harassment, and discrimination, (10) Subsequently, on May 12, 2011, Senators AI Franken and Richard Blumenthal, and U.S. Representative Hank Johnson introduced the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011. (11) The passage of this Act would ban any predispute arbitration clauses that are in employment, consumer, or civil rights contracts. (12) In order to ensure that American citizens' rights are not infringed upon, Congress must pass this Act. (13) This comment begins by explaining the history and development of arbitration. (14) It then goes on to provide background information on the Federal Arbitration Act as well as five significant United States Supreme Court cases, which have greatly expanded the use of binding arbitration in employment and consumer contracts. (15) Further, this comment provides discussion about Jamie Leigh Jones's fight against mandatory binding arbitration clauses. (16) It then provides an overview of the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011, including the Act's main purpose. (17) This comment then compares and contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory binding arbitration clauses. (18) Finally, this comment calls for the enactment of the Arbitration Fairness Act to ensure the protection of all American citizens against large, powerful corporations. (19) II. BACKGROUND A. THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ARBITRATION Alternative dispute resolution provides individuals with various opportunities and procedures to resolve disputes without the utilization of the public courts, (20) Arbitration is a "method of dispute resolution in which the parties submit a dispute to an impartial [person or] persons who have been selected by the parties for a final and binding decision. …


The vernacular name 'fluorescent Pseudomonas group 97-514' was coined for a group of 43 strains isolated from two French natural mineral waters. All these strains were gram-negative, rod-shaped and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. They produced fluorescent pigment (pyoverdin) on King B medium, catalase and cytochrome oxidase. They were capable of respiratory but not fermentative metabolism. They were not able to accumulate poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate and possessed an arginine dihydrolase system. DNA-DNA relatedness studies (S1 nuclease method) showed that the 43 strains of 'fluorescent Pseudomonas group 97-514' formed a genetically homogeneous group (DNA-DNA relatedness ranged from 70 to 100%). A total of 76 strains representing well-known or partially characterized species of the genus Pseudomonas sensu stricto had 7-56% DNA hybridization with strain CFML 97-514T. The highest DNA binding values were found with Pseudomonas veronii CIP 104663T (52%), Pseudomonas rhodesiae CIP 104664T (56%), Pseudomonas marginalis ATCC 10844T (56%), Pseudomonas gessardii CIP 105469T (53%) and Pseudomonas cedrella CIP 105541T (52%). Their unrelatedness was confirmed by deltaTm values greater than 7 degrees C. On the basis of the results of phenotypic and DNA-DNA hybridization studies, a novel Pseudomonas species, Pseudomonas grimontii sp. nov., is proposed for the 43 strains of 'fluorescent Pseudomonas group 97-514'. The type strain is strain CFML 97-514T (= CIP 106645T = ATCC BAA-140T). The G+C content of the DNA of the type strain was 58 mol%. A comparison of the complete 16S rRNA gene sequence of the type strain CFML 97-514T and the sequence of other strains of the genus Pseudomonas revealed that the novel species fell within the 'Pseudomonas fluorescens intrageneric cluster'. Members of P. grimontii grew at 4 degrees C but not at 41 degrees C. They were able to use D-xylose, alpha-L-rhamnose, alpha-aminobutyrate, meso-erythritol and itaconate as sole sources of carbon and energy and formed levan from sucrose. Strains do not possess lecithinase or Tween esterase activities. The clinical significance of P. grimontii is unknown.


We present a novel method for automatic breast radiology report generation from image data. We formalize this problem as learning to map a set of diverse image measurements to a set of discrete semantic descriptor values that represent the standard radiology lexicon. We use a structured learning framework to model individual semantic descriptors and their relationships. The parameters of the learned model are efficiently learned based on a training set of images using the structured support vector machine (SVM). The output report for a new image is generated in the form of a set of radiological lexicon descriptors. If the proposed method is used in a computer aided diagnosis (CAD) system, radiologists should be able to easily understand the diagnosis decision of the system since the system output is the standard radiological lexicon used to make a diagnosis. We applied the method to breast imaging modalities, sonography, and mammography. Our experiments indicate that our method generalizes better than competing approaches. Although the proposed method is tested for breast imaging report generation, it should be useful in general doctors' practice, wherein there is a predefined set of medical descriptors to be acquired by a doctor during image investigation.


The preparation of negative electrodes for nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries using a La0.7Mg0.3Al0.3Mn0.4Co0.5Ni3.8 alloy in the as-cast state has been carried out. The alloy was mechanically crushed (<44 m) and a battery was manufactured with this material. The mean discharge capacity achieved using this method was 384 mAh/g. Another two batteries were prepared using a hydrogen powdered La0.7Mg0.3Al0.3Mn0.4Co0.5Ni3.8 alloy at low and high pressures (2-10 bar). It has been shown that hydrogen powdering facilitates the activation of the negative electrode for Ni-MH batteries. This study also included the characterization of the hydrogenated and crushed powders. These materials were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).


This volume contains the proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Quantum Physics and Logic (QPL 2017), which was held July 3-7, 2017 at the LUX Cinema Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and was hosted by Radboud University. QPL is a conference that brings together researchers working on mathematical foundations of quantum physics, quantum computing, and related areas, with a focus on structural perspectives and the use of logical tools, ordered algebraic and category-theoretic structures, formal languages, semantical methods, and other computer science techniques applied to the study of physical behaviour in general. This conference also welcomes work that applies structures and methods inspired by quantum theory to other fields (including computer science).


This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the LigaSure vessel sealing system (LVSS) when used for esophagectomy. We compared 56 consecutive patients (32 male and 24 female, mean age: 56.64+/-12.61 years), who had undergone Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma between January 2005 and May 2009. Among them, from January 2005 to April 2007, 27 patients (group 1) were operated on with the conventional clamp-and-tie technique, whereas from April 2007 to May 2009, 29 patients (group 2) underwent total esophagectomy for esophageal cancer with the LVSS. Both groups were compared for operation duration, amount of intraoperative bleeding, postoperative hospitalization time, and intraoperative complications. In the evaluation of the patients, the two groups had similar distributions of age and gender. The duration of operation (349.44+/-46.82 min vs. 288.27+/-60.09 min, P<0.05) and the amount of intraoperative bleeding (414.82+/-137.04 ml vs. 217.41+/-111.78 ml, P<0.05) were significantly lower in LVSS group than in the conventional method group. There were no differences for hospitalization time and intraoperative complications between the groups. LVSS significantly shortens operation duration and decreases the amount of intraoperative bleeding compared with the conventional methods, but does not provide advantages for hospitalization time and/or intraoperative complications. We believe LVSS is an effective and reliable method for esophagus surgery.


This article examines the Duchas project, a collaboration between the National Folklore Collection (NFC) in University College Dublin (UCD) and Fiontar in Dublin City University, which aims to create a digital online version of the Collection. The current phase of the project is being funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs and by UCD although an initial pilot project was funded entirely by the Department. That pilot phase saw the digitization of four counties from the Schools' Collection. The current project phase will continue to focus on digitizing the Schools' Collection and on improving and adding to the functionality of the website.
The article looks briefly at the history of the Schools' Collection, a vast collection of folklore collected by primary school pupils in the late 1930s. It contains material from all over the country and the extent of the scheme has led to it becoming the best known of the NFC's various collections, with the majority of visitors to the NFC in UCD drawn there by the involvement of family or friends in the project. It is for this reason that it was chosen as a priority for digitization.
There follows a detailed description of the various stages of the digitization process and of the resources that have been created to enable this. The final section details the process of digitally cataloguing the Schools' Collection material and notes some of the challenges that this involves as well as opportunities to add value to the material such as by linking it to other authoritative digital resources such as the Placenames Database of Ireland.
The Duchas project is placed in context of the gradual opening up of the NFC over the years from a resource for approved scholars only to a publically accessible archive in UCD. This online iteration will make the material more accessible still, particularly to those located outside of Ireland, as well as adding value through additional cataloguing and search functionality.


Biological control is the beneficial application of natural enemies such as
pathogens, predators and parasites in managing pests and their damage.
Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) have a crucial role in natural ecosystems and are
being developed as alternative control agents for insect pests. Both Beauvaria
bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae have been proven to be effective biological
control agents against a range of pests and are commercially produced. Advantages
of using EPF for biological pest control include their degree of specificity, absence
of effects on mammals, reduced probability of insects developing resistance and they
may persist for long periods in some environments which could provide long term
control effects. Disadvantages include that it takes EPF longer to kill insects than
their chemical counterparts, application needs to be timed for high relative humidity
and low pest numbers, and efficacy varies among different insect species.
If a combination of treatments resulted in a synergistic interaction then the
efficacy of these biopesticides would be increased. A number of laboratory and field
studies have used combinations of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) and EPF
against insect pests with resulting interactions ranging from antagonistic to
synergistic. In the case of synergism resulting from combined applications it is
suggested that EPF may make the host more susceptible through suppressing its
immune system. To understand how this putative synergistic interaction between
control agents could occur mechanistically, the effect of EPF supernatant was tested
on the immune response of the forestry pest, Hylobius abietis, to screen for species
with immunomodulating properties. The potential of the commonly used model
organism, the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, as a model for the study of the
immune response of H. abietis to pathogens was also explored.
Hylobius abietis, the large pine weevil, is a major pest of reforestation in Europe.
It is estimated that H. abietis costs the forestry industry approximately €140
million/year. Current control measures rely heavily on the synthetic chemical
cypermethrin. However, due to concerns over its environmental impact cypermethrin
is being phased out across Europe. Therefore there is an interest in the use of
entomopathogens as biological control agents in integrated pest management. Thus
one objective of this work was to assess the efficacy of EPF, EPN and EPF-EPN
combinations for H. abietis suppression in the field in order to ultimately determine
if the treatments used exert synergistic control over H. abietis.
The effect of EPF supernatant on the immune response of insects was assessed
through a number of bioassays that investigated the effect of EPF on haemocyte
densities and yeast proliferation in the insect haemocoel, as well as testing whether
pre-treatment with EPF increases larval susceptibility to subsequent pathogens. The
effect of EPF supernatant on the humoral immune response was investigated by
subjecting larval haemolymph to label free quantitative (LFQ) proteomic analysis.
To enable proteomic investigations into the effects of EPF on the immune response
of H. abietis and to compensate for the lack of genomic information for H. abietis; a
de novo transcriptome study of H. abietis larvae was performed with Beijing
Genomics Institute (BGI, Hong Kong).
Bioassays indicated that M. anisopliae, B. bassiana and Beauveria caledonica,
demonstrated immunomodulating effects on H. abietis larvae, while M. anisopliae
and B. caledonica modulated the immune response of G. mellonella making the
insect more susceptible to subsequent pathogens. LFQ analysis on larval
haemolymph showed that in response to EPF supernatant both insect species
displayed altered abundance of proteins involved in antimicrobial defence, the
prophenoloxidase cascade, detoxification and detection and sensing. These patterns
of alteration may be integral to the modulation of the host immune response by EPF.
A major difference observed between the proteomic profiles of H. abietis and G.
mellonella haemolymph was that H. abietis injected with B. caledonica supernatant
had a major alteration in metabolic proteins involved in cellulose cleavage, reflective
of its wood based diet. It was concluded G. mellonella may have an application as a
model for looking for secondary metabolites or natural products that display
immunomodulating properties so that EPF isolates could be screened for production
of these products. However G. mellonella are not a substitute for the target pest for
proteomic analysis. Moreover laboratory bioassays with either G. mellonella or H.
abietis are not predictive of whether synergy will occur in the field as there are many
more factors involved than just the ability of EPF to modulate the immune response.
To investigate the ability of EPF and EPN to suppress H. abietis populations in
the field, three field studies were carried out over three consecutive years.
Treatments were applied to tree stumps harbouring H. abietis developmental stages.
The efficacy of EPF and EPN was investigated alone and in combination through
emergence trapping and destructive sampling. Three EPF strains were utilised in
these field studies, commercial strains of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana and a strain
of B. caledonica native to Ireland. Two EPN species were utilised in these field
studies, Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis downesi, the latter is native to
Ireland. In this work EPN were found to offer superior control over H. abietis in the
field than EPF, with all treatments that caused significant reduction in adult
emergence being EPN alone or EPN in combination with EPF. Ultimately EPF are
not suited to control of H. abietis using this strategy. Synergy between EPF-EPN was
not achieved in any of the three field studies with all combinations tested giving
additive results.
The final aim of this work was to investigate if the little-studied native fungus B.
caledonica produces immunomodulating compounds active against H. abietis.
Identification, large scale production and structural determination of an abundant
secreted natural product of B. caledonica was carried out using High Performance
Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
spectroscopy, and the metabolite of interest was found to be oosporein. Subsequently
assessment of the potential insecticidal, anti-feedant and immunomodulating effects
of oosporein was carried out. Oosporein was identified as an abundant metabolite in
B. caledonica supernatant that displayed immunomodulating properties in H. abietis
larvae as well as being a feeding stimulant to H. abietis adults.
The work presented throughout this thesis offers the first report of the effect of
EPF on the cellular and humoral immune system of H. abietis. It presents a critical
assessment of G. mellonella as a model organism for immune studies of H. abietis. It
highlights that EPN are a superior biocontrol agent for the control of H. abietis in the
context of the current approach used. However the native B. caledonica isolate tested
throughout this thesis presents an interesting avenue for future research into the
utilisation of EPF as biocontrol agents in a wider sense than researched in this work.


For constructing a tri-dimensional model from range images, they must be registered, i.e., it must be put together into the same coordinate system. There are good algorithms available to perform this, but only after the range images have been brought into positions that are close to the true ones with respect to an arbitrarily chosen reference system. These initial estimates are often provided manually. This paper deals with a technique to compute them automatically. We present a way to determine parameter values that are necessary to control the control flow of a simplified mesh based crude registration, which is characterized by two novel features: drastic data reduction and an expressive shape descriptor.


It is now widely accepted that software projects utilizing the Web (e-projects) face many of the same problems and risks experienced with more traditional software projects, only to a greater degree. Further, their characteristics of rapid development cycles combined with high frequency of software releases and adaptations make many of the traditional tools and techniques for modeling defects unsuitable. This article proposes a simple model to explain and quantify the interaction between generic defect injection and removal processes in e-projects. The model is based upon long standing and highly regarded work from the field of quantitative ecological population modeling. This basic modeling approach is then subsequently tailored to fit the software production process within an e-project context.


Background Health related youth respite camps traditionally target the youth with an illness or disability (cancer, diabetes, Downs syndrome etc), providing support, guidance and disease based education. However, little published evaluation data exists on effect of camps that serve youth with a parental or other family illness. Living in a family with chronic or acute illness impacts the child well-being, stress levels and isolation from youth not tasked with dealing with an ill family member. This paper provides evaluation data on one unique camp in North America, targeting children and youth who have a family member with Huntington's disease (HD). The North American HD Youth Summer Camp was designed to provide young people ages 15–23 a break from home life and an opportunity to gain peer and professional support around HD issues and HD education. Through a mix of activities and educational sessions, the camp offers young people the opportunity to build coping skills, peer relations, support and HD education. Campers must have a parent/family member with Huntington's disease, live in the US or Canada, and complete an application. A total of 55 applications were received and all offered admission. 45 campers were accepted. All gender, races, and ethnicities were eligible for inclusion in attending the camp. Aims To describe the impact of the first North American camp on several measures of youth well-being in youths who have a family member affected by HD. Specific research questions addressed: 1) Do youth report an increase in knowledge about HD and support in dealing with HD; 2) Are resilience, self-esteem, and life satisfaction increased as a function of attending the camp? Methods The camp evaluation consisted of a survey administered at four time points, 6-weeks baseline, pre camp, post camp and 6-weeks post, assessing differences in self-esteem, social support, resilience, health related quality of life, and HD issues. Results/outcome At total of 35 campers completed the pre-camp survey (23 = female, 12 = male), range from 14 to 23, with average age 18. Campers are predominately white (N = 33) and from the US (N = 29). Campers describe isolation from friends (N = 24), felling less "normal" than other kids (N = 22), having not enough information about testing (N = 25), or relationships and HD (N = 13). Only four had any contact with an HD organisation (HDYO, HDSA or HSC). Female participants increased their self-esteem score significantly from baseline to post-camp by 0.28 (SE = 0.08, p = 0.013), and overall camp participants' life satisfaction score changed significantly throughout the study (p < 0.001). Results show an overall significant increase in social support across time for all participants (p = 0.019). Conclusions Findings from the study suggest youth affected by HD are an isolated group, in need of not only HD specific information, but also support around issues of self-esteem and well-being. These results highlight the stated goals of the camp, to provide support and education, while underscoring the need for the provision of HD youth focused programming.


Companies are becoming more interested in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) because of requirements about low volume production, short product life, availability of the new products for the market in a short time and flexibility of design and production management. A flexible manufacturing system is a set of computer-numerically controlled machine tools connected by an automatic material handling system and controlled by a central computer system. In this study, a goal programming model is developed for flexible manufacturing systems that consists of several machines and work parts and has an automatic material handling system. Every work part has different routes for which alternative machines can be used for part production. This model is tested for problems with different sizes. Multiple-criteria programming approach is used to consider the distance factor between machines in loading and routing problems in FMS.


BACKGROUND
Successful communication is necessary in health-care environments. Yet the presence of noise in hospitals, operating rooms, and dental offices may have a deleterious effect on health-care personnel and patients understanding messages accurately. The presence of a surgical mask and hearing loss may further affect speech perception.

PURPOSE
To evaluate whether a surgical mask had an effect on speech understanding for listeners with normal hearing and hearing impairment when speech stimuli were administered in the presence or absence of dental office noise.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Participants were assigned to one of two groups based on hearing sensitivity in this quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study.

STUDY SAMPLE
A total of 31 adults participated in this study (1 talker, 15 listeners with normal hearing, and 15 with hearing impairment). The normal hearing group had thresholds of 25 dB HL or better at the octave frequencies from 250 through 8000 Hz while the hearing loss group had varying degrees and configurations of hearing loss with thresholds equal to or poorer than 25 dB HL for the same octave frequencies.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Selected lists from the Connected Speech Test (CST) were digitally recorded with and without a surgical mask present and then presented to the listeners in four conditions: without a mask in quiet, without a mask in noise, with a mask in quiet, and with a mask in noise.

RESULTS
A significant difference was found in the spectral analyses of the speech stimuli with and without the mask. The presence of a surgical mask, however, did not have a detrimental effect on speech understanding in either the normal-hearing or hearing-impaired groups. The dental office noise did have a significant effect on speech understanding for both groups.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the presence of a surgical mask did not negatively affect speech understanding. However, the presence of noise did have a deleterious effect on speech perception and warrants further attention in health-care environments.


The construction sector differs from other industries as a result of its extraordinary attributes. Besides,every infrastructure project comprises diverse professionals and firms that meet up to accomplishexplicit undertaking within a specified period. Leadership could increase productivity in constructionproject delivery, where competence, success, and additional work is expected to be part of the result.This research sought to assess the leadership styles of Ghanaian Construction Project Managers- CPMsin comparison with those of their expatriate (foreign construction project managers) counterparts bymeans of Fielder's Least Preferred Co- manager worker (LPC) scale. Twenty (20) Ghanaian CPMs aswell as twenty (20) expatriate CPMs were selected, but in total, thirty (31) CPMs participated in thisstudy. Findings from the research indicated that, the Ghanaian CPM were found to be relationshiporientedthan their foreign counterparts. The foreign CPM were found to be more socio-independent.Further findings on the actual leadership style of the CPMs showed no major leadership style withinthe construction space in Ghana, although the participative and directive styles were increasinglycommon. The result implies that though the leadership style of both respondents is different, thedifference is not significant.


The last several years have seen the consolidation of high-throughput proteomics initiatives to identify and characterize protein interactions and macromolecular complexes in model organisms. In particular, more that 10,000 high-confidence protein-protein interactions have been described between the roughly 6,000 proteins encoded in the budding yeast genome (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). However, unfortunately, high-resolution three-dimensional structures are only available for less than one hundred of these interacting pairs. Here, we expand this structural information on yeast protein interactions by running the first-ever high-throughput docking experiment with some of the best state-of-the-art methodologies, according to our benchmarks. To increase the coverage of the interaction space, we also explore the possibility of using homology models of varying quality in the docking experiments, instead of experimental structures, and assess how it would affect the global performance of the methods. In total, we have applied the docking procedure to 217 experimental structures and 1,023 homology models, providing putative structural models for over 3,000 protein-protein interactions in the yeast interactome. Finally, we analyze in detail the structural models obtained for the interaction between SAM1-anthranilate synthase complex and the MET30-RNA polymerase III to illustrate how our predictions can be straightforwardly used by the scientific community. The results of our experiment will be integrated into the general 3D-Repertoire pipeline, a European initiative to solve the structures of as many as possible protein complexes in yeast at the best possible resolution. All docking results are available at http://gatealoy.pcb.ub.es/HT_docking/.


The Post-HEVC is the emerging video coding standard beyond the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. It is more complex in transformation and prediction steps but it offers the opportunity of 3D and 360° videos coding and compression. This paper presents different statistical analyzes of Post-HEVC encoded videos especially analysis on 1D and 2D transformation types and analysis on intra and inter prediction types of some test videos for different classes and resolutions. Analyzes are carried out at the decoder level where the coding decision has already been taken by the encoder. Results show that the choice of transformation (type and size) and the prediction type (intra or inter) depends on the nature of video: motion and texture. This work can be considered as a milestone for proposing intelligent algorithms based on video characteristics to perform fast decision in the Post-HEVC encoding process.


We introduce a systematic approach for the resummation of perturbative series which involves large logarithms not only due to large invariant mass ratios but large rapidities as well. A series of this form can appear in a variety of gauge theory observables. The formalism is utilized to calculate the jet broadening event shape in a systematic fashion to next-to-leading logarithmic order. An operator definition of the factorized cross section as well as a closed form of the next-to-leading-log cross section are presented. The result agrees with the data to within errors.


In April 2019, the U.K. released a white paper about Online Harms. The White Paper proposes to take Internet censorship to a new height, essentially unmatched by any other Western democracy. It's a sign of how comprehensive censorship has moved beyond repressive regimes to become trendy even in leading republican democracies.

To redress a wide range of anti-social online activity, the White Paper seeks to tightly circumscribe user-generated content — so tightly that only a small number Internet giants will be able to profitably publish user-generated content. Other Internet publishers will be pushed towards licensing professional content and cover those costs by charging subscriber fees to consumers. Thus, the White Paper will produce a reconfigured Internet 3.0 that will resemble the cable TV industry, not the current Internet we know and love.

This essay addresses three main points. It first deconstructs the some of the "facts" the White Paper uses to justify its censorious ideas. Then it highlights some of the proposals' worst policy aspects. The essay concludes by explaining how the White Paper will reshape the Internet and kill off most user-generated content.


Understanding how hillslope topography modulates ecosystem dynamics across topoclimatic gradients is critical for predicting future climate change impacts on vegetation function. We examined the influence of hillslope topography on ecosystem productivity, structure, and photosynthetic activity across a range of water and energy availability using three independent methods in a forested watershed (Montana, USA): 308 tree cores; light detection and ranging quantification of stem density, basal area, foliar biomass, and total biomass; and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI; 1984–2012). Multiple linear regression analysis across three conifer species revealed significant increases in measured basal area increment growth rates (from 56 to 2,058 mm2/yr) with increasing values of the topographic wetness index and decreases in the climatic water deficit. At the watershed scale, we observed strong gradients in total biomass (e.g., 52 to 75 Mg/ha), which increased from ridgelines to convergent hollows. The most predominant topographic organization of forest biomass occurred along locations of climatically driven water limitations. Similarly, an analysis of growing season EVI indicated enhanced photosynthetic activity and a prolonged growing season in convergent hillslope positions. Collectively, these analyses confirm that within water‐limited landscapes, meter‐scale differences in topographic position can mediate the effects of the local energy balance and contribute to large differences in local hydrometeorological processes that are a necessary consideration for quantifying spatial patterns of ecosystem productivity. Further, they suggest that local topography and its topology with regional climate may become increasingly important for understanding spatial patterns of ecosystem productivity, mortality, and resilience as regional climates become more arid.


To save nature, environmental activists in Taiwan and Japan are willing to change their behavior and society itself, challenging "harmony" in their communities. This paper explores the tension between globally relevant environmental activism and localized cultural traditions. A wide-encompassing understanding of environmental activism is proposed, based on a tentative typology of different positions regarding environmental sustainability. This paper follows some environmental activists' journey to moral protest, through semistructured interviews and participatory observation conducted between 2015 and 2019. It then discusses the results in light of some traditions of thought in Taiwan and Japan. Interviewees often tell about an event in their life that triggered a moral shock and exacerbated their feeling of urgency. Activists' sense of purpose motivates them to navigate psychological and social obstacles such as social disapproval and exclusion. They also tend to build a "community of activism" through social media to support each other and develop


The design of a scalable optical local area network formultiprocessing systems is described. Each workstation has aparallel-fiber-ribbon optical link to a centralized complementarymetal-oxide silicon (CMOS) switch core, implemented on a singlecompact printed circuit board (PCB). When the Motorola Optobusfiber technology is used, each workstation has a data bandwidth of 6.4Gbits/s to the core. A centralized switch core interconnecting 32workstations supports a 204-Gbit/s aggregate data bandwidth. Theswitch core is based on a conventional broadcast-and-selectarchitecture, implemented with parallel CMOS integrated circuits(IC's). The switch core scales well; by incorporation of theCMOS optoelectronic IC's with optical input-output, the electricalcore can be reduced to a single-chip optoelectronic IC with terabitcapacities. A prototype of an optoelectronic switch core has been fabricated and is described. The appeal of the architectureincludes its reliance on commercially available parallel-fibertechnology, its reliance on the well-developed markets of local areanetworks and networks of workstations, and its smooth scalability from the electrical to optical domains as technology matures.


This study explores the mechanism of pore creation in cellular membranes by MccE92 bacterial proteins. The results of this study are then compared with the mechanism of alpha-synuclein (aS)-based pore formation in mammalian cells, and its role in Parkinson's disease.


We realized the selective-area lateral epitaxial overgrowth of SiC on a 6H-SiC (0001) seed crystal by controlling the supersaturation in sublimation growth. For crystal growth from the vapor phase, the nucleation and growth rate of SiC crystals are critically dependent on supersaturation. Non-uniformity of the supersaturation over the 6H-SiC seed surface was effectively controlled by modulating the thermal profile through forming a predefined pattern of different thermal conductivity distributions on the backside of the seed. Localized nucleation and growth due to high supersaturation started at the lower temperature regions corresponding to higher thermal conductivity on the backside of the seed, subsequently followed by the lateral growth of 6H-SiC from the sidewalls of the preferential growth regions to the higher temperature regions corresponding to lower thermal conductivity. It was found that the piling up of dislocation etch pits repeats the arrangement and boundaries of the predefined pattern, and the free lateral growth was accompanied by a sharp decrease in the density of threading dislocation. This may be a promising technique for obtaining high-quality SiC crystals with low threading dislocation density.


We derive a linear operator, based on transport theory, for imaging fluorophore concentrations. The elements of the weight matrix of the resulting system are calculated from results of Monte Carlo simulations. Experimental data were collected by irradiating a cylindrical phantom containing two fluorophore-filled balloons with laser light. The reconstruction results show that good quality images can be obtained with both embedded objects accurately located.


This article presents a 3rd Order 1-bit ΔΣ modulator optimized for applications requiring high effective resolution and linearity within the 20-kHz band. Furthermore, this work also describes architectural approaches for designing modulators with different order, oversampling rate, and number of quantization bits. Such approaches can be leveraged in a variety of applications in digital signal processing for data communications, filters, motor controllers, data acquisition, high-fidelity audio, DACs, and others operating in baseband. The 3rd Order modulator was implemented in standard 180nm CMOS; experimental measurements show a SNDR=126dB equivalent to 20-bits of effective resolution with a total harmonic distortion THD=0.03%. The circuit is able to operate in low-voltage conditions from 0.55 to 1.8 Volts.


We investigated intergenerational educational and occupational mobility in a sample of 2,594 adult offspring and 2,530 of their parents. Participants completed assessments of general cognitive ability and five noncognitive factors related to social achievement; 88% were also genotyped, allowing computation of educational-attainment polygenic scores. Most offspring were socially mobile. Offspring who scored at least 1 standard deviation higher than their parents on both cognitive and noncognitive measures rarely moved down and frequently moved up. Polygenic scores were also associated with social mobility. Inheritance of a favorable subset of parent alleles was associated with moving up, and inheritance of an unfavorable subset was associated with moving down. Parents' education did not moderate the association of offspring's skill with mobility, suggesting that low-skilled offspring from advantaged homes were not protected from downward mobility. These data suggest that cognitive and noncognitive skills as well as genetic factors contribute to the reordering of social standing that takes place across generations.


Biographical information, bibliography, and selected links to materials relating to concert pianist and FSU professor Edward Kilenyi (1910-2000) and his family.


Background Earlier observations have indicated that repolarization-delaying agents may, under certain circumstances, have the propensity to induce polymorphous ventricular tachyarrhythmias (PVTs) (i.e., torsade de pointes). We have studied whether the potassium channel opener pinacidil and two of its pyridylcyanoguanidine analogues (P1075 and P1188) have any antiarrhythmic effects on clofilium-induced PVTs and triggered responses in rabbits in vivo and in vitro. Methods and Result. Anesthetized rabbits were pretreated with propranolol (2μmol/kg i.v.) and subsequently given a concomitant intravenous infusion of clofilium (63 nmol/kg/min for maximally 15 minutes) and the et,-agonist methoxamine (70 nmol/kg/min). In vehicle-pretreated rabbits (n = 19), clofilium invariably induced PVTs, which closely resembled torsade de pointes and were preceded by a marked prolongation of the QTU interval (27±2.4, p < 0.001). In a separate group of seven rabbits in which monophasic action potentials were recorded from the left ventricular endocardium, the tachyarrhythmia was preceded by deflections consistent with early afterdepolarizations (EADs) of the plateau repolarization phase of the monophasic action potentials. Intravenous administration of the pyridylcyanoguanidines in doses reducing mean arterial blood pressure by 25 or 50 mm Hg, respectively, was associated with a dose-dependent attenuation in the occurrence of clofilium-induced PVTs. In the pinacidil-pretreated rabbits (0.41μmol/kg or 1.86 μmol/kg i.v.), the occurrence of PVTs was reduced from seven of seven rabbits to five of six and to three of seven rabbits (p = 0.035 versus vehicle-pretreated controls), respectively. In rabbits pretreated with the low dose of P1075 (0.01μmol/kg i.v.), PVT occurrence was reduced from six of six rabbits to two of six rabbits (p = 0.030), whereas in six rabbits given the high dose of P1075 (0.13μmol/kg), no PVTs appeared (p = 0.001). When the sulfonylurea glibenclamide (10μmol/kg i.v.) was administered to rabbits before P1075 (0.13μmol/kg) was infused, clofilium induced PVTs in five of six rabbits (not significantly different from the incidence in the vehicle-pretreated rabbits). Pretreatment with P1188 (4.36 μmol/kg or 11.88μmol/kg i.v.) caused a reduction in the occurrence of PVT from six of six rabbits to five of six and to none of six rabbits (p = 0.001), respectively. In the six animals pretreated with the high dose of P1188 in which no clofilium-induced arrhythmias were elicited, glibenclamide (20μmol/kg i.v.) was injected after the entire dose of clofilium had been administered. In these rabbits, premature ventricular systoles and PVTs appeared within a few minutes in five and four of the animals, respectively. In contrast to the pyridylcyanoguanidines, diltiazem pretreatment (0.9 μmol/kg i.v., decreasing arterial pressure by 50 mm Hg) did not attenuate PVT occurrence (five of six rabbits). Acute administration of P1075 (0.13 μmol/kg) during recurrent attacks of PVTs abruptly regularized the rhythm in 12 of 13 animals and diminished EADs observed in monophasic action potentials recorded from the left ventricular endocardium. In in vitro experiments, action potentials were simultaneously recorded from rabbit Purkinje fibers and ventricular muscle cells. Clofilium markedly prolonged action potential duration in Purkinje fibers but not in ventricular muscle cells, and eventually, bradycardia-dependent EADs and triggered activity were elicited. P1075 completely abolished EADs and triggered activity in all (six of six) experiments. Glibenclamide antagonized the suppressive effect of P1075; hence, EADs and triggered responses reappeared and resembled those present before P1075. Conclusions These results suggest that ATP-sensitive potassium channel activation can suppress rhythm abnormalities related to delayed repolarization and EADs and may provide a novel and useful intervention in the clinical occurrence of the acquired long QT syndrome.


BACKGROUND
The acetylated inclusions containing TDP-43 are found in the spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, suggesting that aberrant TDP-43 acetylation and resulting disruption of RNA binding are linked to onset and progression of TDP-43 proteinopathy.

METHODS
Here, the consequences of TDP-43 acetylation at Lys145 within the RRM1 domain and Lys192 within the RRM2 domain were studied using experimentally verifiable molecular models, in which lysine residues (K) were substituted with glutamine (Q) as an acetylation mimic (K→Q) and with arginine (R) as a non-mimic (K→R) mutant. We used a series of computer simulations to characterize the impact of lysine acetylation on TDP-43 function and TDP-43 association with target RNA.

RESULTS
Using snapshots collected from the MD simulation trajectories, the cross-correlation and principal component analyses (PCA) were applied to shed light on the dynamic discrepancy among the ten studied systems and to discern TDP-43 subdomains that exhibit conformational plasticity in response to acetylation mimic and non-mimic mutations. Moreover, we also investigated the global network parameter, betweenness, to model communication pathways and identify a network of critical mediating nodes involved in long-range signaling. These nodes describe the functionally significant TDP-43 residues involved in TDP-43 regulation.

CONCLUSION
The identification of the critical nodes and optimal path mediating the dynamical network communication could offer new strategies to manipulate TDP-43 function. Disrupting a specific network communication could represent a rational approach to the design of drugs with improved potency and selectivity.


Dedication To my mother and first piano teacher, Daisy Elizabeth Liles Parr v Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge the kind assistance of my treatise committee, Dr. guidance throughout the project. I also thank Janet Lanier for her assistance with the music examples and my husband, Paul Scanlin, for his constant support and encouragement vi Our inability to reconstruct what Ludwig van Beethoven must have sounded like as a pianist is one of the more vexing questions of music history. Unreliable sources and his short performing career, in addition to a lack of virtuoso public pieces, have contributed to this situation. However, we can approach the question of how Beethoven played the piano by examining four relatively neglected chamber works: the two Cello Sonatas, op. 5, the Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments, op. 16, and the Horn Sonata, op. 17. These scores were chosen because we know that Beethoven wrote them for himself to perform, and we know that he did, in fact, perform them. The presumption is that any music Beethoven wrote for himself to play in concert would have been written to highlight the strengths of his playing. This study seeks to add to our knowledge of Beethoven's technique by focusing on the piano part in these chamber music scores. Chapter One examines the observations of those who heard Beethoven play and how some witnesses actually created barriers to knowledge, contributing more to myth than to understanding. The main portion of this document, Chapters Two through Four, vii explores the individual works with regard to their explication of Beethoven as a pianist through the use of the scores as authority. Chapter Two will focus on piano technique in the op. 5 Sonatas and the significance of Beethoven's performance of the Sonatas in Berlin with the cellist Jean-Louis Duport. Chapter Three explores op. 16 with a continued discussion of technique and consideration of improvisation, pedaling, and the interaction of the piano with winds. Chapter Four's treatment of op. 17 emphasizes its placement in a transitional period which began around 1801. A gradual shift from virtuoso performer to an almost exclusive focus on composition was underway. While it is not possible to say with absolute certainty how Beethoven played, this study attempts to elucidate the major characteristics of his playing, getting us perhaps closer to how he may have sounded. INTRODUCTION The topic of this treatise may be reduced to …


Making technology accessible is a complex and difficult problem, involving many individuals and groups. When a particular technology presents a barrier to an individual, who is at fault? Often blame is assigned to an individual technology developer, content developer, or educational entity, though doing so is often an oversimplification of the problem. In actuality, a variety of players, individually and through relationships with one another, play critical roles in making technology accessible. Players include consumers, technology developers (including developers of assistive technology, operating systems, software applications, user agents, and authoring tools), standards organizations, K-12 and postsecondary schools, employers, advocates and legislators. This article provides an overview of the current state of technology accessibility by examining the roles of each of these players and their interdependencies.


Artificial neural networks (ANNs) with back-propagation algorithm are performed for predicting the stage of Tigris River in Qurna city, Basrah, south of Iraq. This model was adopted to investigate the applicability of ANNs as an effective tool to simulate the river stage for short term. By using the neural network toolbox in Matlab R2007b, three models are constructed as the first experiment. Multilayer percpetron with one hidden layer is used in the architecture of network. The best model is selected according to the trial and error procedure based on three common statistic coefficients (coefficient of correlation, root mean square error, and coefficient of efficiency). The best model from first experiment is used to predict the stage river for one, two, and three days ahead as the second experiment. Results indicated the ANNs with back-propagation algorithm are a powerful technique to predict the short term stage of Tigris River.


Objective The goal of this study is to compare the overall quality of film mammograms taken according to the Korean standards with the American College of Radiology (ACR) standard for clinical image evaluation and to identify means of improving mammography quality in Korea. Materials and Methods Four hundred and sixty eight sets of film mammograms were evaluated with respect to the Korean and ACR standards for clinical image evaluation. The pass and failure rates of mammograms were compared by medical facility types. Average scores in each category of the two standards were evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to identify an optimal Korean standard pass mark by taking the ACR standard as the reference standard. Results 93.6% (438/468) of mammograms passed the Korean standard, whereas only 80.1% (375/468) passed the ACR standard (p < 0.001). Non-radiologic private clinics had the lowest pass rate (88.1%: Korean standard, 71.8%: ACR standard) and the lowest total score (76.0) by the Korean standard. Average scores of positioning were lowest (19.3/29 by the Korean standard and 3.7/5 by the ACR standard). A cutoff score of 77.0 for the Korean standard was found to correspond to a pass level when the ACR standard was applied. Conclusion We suggest that tighter regulations, such as, raising the Korean pass mark, subtracting more for severe deficiencies, or considering a very low scores in even a single category as failure, are needed to improve the quality of mammography in Korea.


The topography of vacuum-deposited aluminum films with different morphologies has been characterized by the angular distribution of the intensity of the diffusely scattered light. The results of these measurements are compared with morphological data obtained by the stylus technique and the SEM. It is shown that light scattering is a suitable technique for the characterization of such surfaces. The scattering spectrum is a fingerprint of the surface, and quantitative data can be obtained.


The study analyzed associations between actual weight status and weight perceptions with personal resources, physical and psychological health, as well as physical performance among adolescents (N = 5,518; age: 11-17 years). Analyses are based on data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). Self-report measures, parental reports, as well as objective test data were considered. Results indicate that weight perceptions, rather than actual weight status, were associated with personal resources, health, and perceived physical performance. Comparing groups, we found that adolescents who felt they had "just the right weight" achieved more favourable results than those who perceived themselves as "too fat", regardless of their actual weight status. However, actual physical performance was predicted better by actual weight status. Furthermore, weight perceptions were found to mediate the link between actual weight status and all the assessed outcomes (personal resources, health, and physical performance). With respect to self-reports, the mediational effect was consistently stronger for girls, whereas the reverse was true regarding physical performance. Parental reports were not moderated by sex. Findings provide further evidence that among overweight adolescents there are subgroups that differ significantly with regard to risks and resources. Implications for practice are discussed.


This dissertation develops and analyses the use of vibration signature as a method to detect damage in composite structures. A glass fibre pultrusion square hollow section member was used in this analysis.

The member was subjected to a forced oscillation produced by a shaker. The response of the system was gathered by an accelerometer at several data acquisition points along the length of the member. The force and acceleration data obtained was then post processed to create fast Fourier transformations and frequency response functions. This process was completed for the undamaged section and several damaged scenarios. The frequency response functions of each of these scenarios at each node were then cross-referenced with the relating undamaged data using a finite difference approach. This finite difference approach produced damage index values for each node at every damage level tested. This provided an indication of the position of any potential damages. The damage indexes at each level for a known damage were then used to create an arbitrary scale that could be used to determine the extent of damage sustained.

This method was completed with inherent issues pertinent to interpolation, a small data sample frequency and initial delamination of the composite. However, despite these issues the vibration damage detection technique did correctly identify damages and damage levels when a node was directly damaged. Detection of damages between data acquisition nodes was less successful.

Through further code optimisation and an increase in computing power this method may provide results accurate enough to be used in engineering endeavours. It is intended that this method be used to detect damages in structures used in low safety factor situations such as in the aerospace industry. It may be used to alert maintenance to particular points of interest and alert operators of anomalous damages before catastrophic failure occurs.


Non metallic materials like polyurethane has been successfully used for bone reconstruction in general and specifically in craniofacial and in mandible surgeries as an implantable material. However, any polymer alone cannot be universally successful as a medical device or structural implant because the eventual lack of well defined porous geometry, inherent interconnected porosity, the non dispensable need for a combined mechanical behavior with biological interaction and manufacturing feasibility. In this work, a bioactive material composite with high mechanical strength was designed using a castor oil polyurethane (PU) structure with a functional gradient having a dense core and a porous bioactive surface. The models and replicas for the implants were processed with Rapid Prototyping (RP) techniques and their application (case studies) were fulfilled according to the SUS (Brazilian Health Service) with the support of Santa Tereza Hospital, Petropolis, RJ.


Abstract : The purpose of this informal test is to analyze Air Force Document Type Definitions (DTDs) for Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) syntax, using several commercial and public domain SGML parsers, prior to placing them in the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Asset Source for Software Engineering Technology (ASSET) repository.


A simple and efficient technique is proposed for the calculation of expected unserved energy (EUE) in generating systems. The technique is new in that it uses a mean capacity outage table, which eliminates the need for construction of a negative margin table. This concept allows both LOLE (loss of load expectation) and EUE to be calculated with little more computational effort than is needed to calculate LOLE alone. The proposed method allows for efficient inclusion of intermittent energy sources and of unit planned outages. The method is applied to the IEEE reliability test system and an EPRI reduced synthetic system. >


Although the problem of wax deposition in multiphase transportation pipelines have been addressed and some related wax deposition models have been developed in recent years, the complex wax deposition paths derived from the potential variety of flow regimes in multiphase flow have not been well understood. This study presented a method for characterizing wax crystals aggregation behavior and developed a model for describing wax deposition path in oil/water two-phase flows. The impact of the emulsified water droplets on wax crystals aggregation in shearing flows was quantified using polarized light microscopy and image analysis method. The role of the emulsified water droplets in the wax deposition path reaching the upper side and lower side of pipeline wall was discussed by solving the developed model which involves the possible inclination angle of multiphase transportation pipeline. The availability of the mechanistic model was validated by the data and knowledge in the existing literature. The results indicated that wax crystals morphologies and structures tended to be regular with the enhancement of shearing effect, and their aggregation behavior were restrained. The circular degree and particle size of wax crystals showed a characteristic that it firstly increased and then decreased with the accumulation of emulsified water droplets in shearing flow, and this transition appeared to the phase inversion point of the oil/water two-phase. The velocity for wax crystals depositing to pipeline wall decreased and the time for wax crystals depositing to pipeline wall extended with the existence of emulsified water droplets. The wax deposition path became more complex in multiphase transportation, and such effect became remarkable when the dispersity of oil/water two-phase enhanced. Accordingly, the intractable wax deposition of waxy crude oil in cold environment transportation would be mitigated to some extent. This study contributes to comprehending the distinction of wax deposition mechanism in single-phase and multiphase transportation of waxy crude oil, and the proposed method and model are valuable for further predicting wax deposition in waxy crude oil emulsions pipelines. The findings in this study also point out an approach to conducting cost-effective flow assurance operations in crude oil production and transportation.


This chapter provides an overview on molecular strategies for prevention of sexually transmitted viral disease. The chapter focuses on the perceived need, basic research challenges, and scientific grounds for confidence in the development of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) microbicides with emphasis on viral/pathogen synergies and mucosal factors of susceptibility. Synergistic mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of "amplified transmission" are discussed in the chapter. Mathematical modeling predicts that even a partial protection would substantially relieve the burden of the HIV pandemic. Nevertheless, because of the viral diversity and the complexity and redundancy of the viral mucosal penetration routes, it is unlikely that a single microbicide or multiple microbicides inhibiting acquisition via a single target would prove to be fully efficient. The major mechanisms of action targeted by microbicides, so far, are degrading or neutralizing the virus before it reaches its target cells, blocking the viral entry and intercellular passage, as well as attacking the intra-cellular steps of the viral cycle, mainly the reverse transcription and viral integration processes. The mechanism of action of the antiretroviral drugs nucleoside and non-nucleoside RT inhibitors (NRTIs and NNRTIs) is discussed in detail. The development of prevention strategies and tools to encompass the global diversity of HIV-1, to be holistically compatible with the wide range of age and multicultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, is a colossal international undertaking that has mobilized scientists, advocates, philanthropists, and policy makers around the world.


ventricular function, we have been unimpressed with the benefits of such diuretics as frusemide. In babies with pulmonary hypertension (raised RPEP/RVET ratio) tolazoline may be helpful though its action is unpredictable. We reserve tolazoline for cases where arterial oxygen tension cannot be kept above 40 mmHg by other methods, which include mechanical ventilation.4 We disagree with Chiswick and Sims in their suggestion ofadoption of the term 'maladaptation syndrome' (lo and behold another new name!) even if they try to determine aetiology without 'resort to echocardiography'. We believe that M-mode echocardiography has helped to clarify aetiology and prognosis of many of the respiratory syndromes ofthe newborn.5 We reiterate the advice in the last sentence of our paper that these infants should be cared for in neonatal intensive care units where close monitoring and mechanical ventilation are available. References


The objective of this study was to assess the value and determinants of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in stable patients on regular hemodialysis (HD). Pre-dialysis and post-dialysis ESR was measured in a group of stable adult patients on regular HD and the results were compared. The results were also correlated with the patients' demographic and laboratory data. Only stable patents were included in the study. Patients with evidence of current infection, active inflammatory processor malignancy and severe anemia were excluded. We recruited 161 patients in the study of whom 44.1% were males, 53.4% had diabetes mellitus and 40.4% had an episode of sepsis previously. Only 15.5% of the patients had less than one year of dialysis and 54.3% were over the age of 60 years. The mean post-dialysis ESR was significantly higher than the pre-dialysis ESR (55.6 ± 30.4 and 49.8 ± 28.5, respectively; P = 0.003). Pre-dialysis, 79.5% of the patients had raised ESR. ESR was significantly correlated with C-reactive protein, serum ferritin, plasma albumin and fibrinogen (P <0.05). Patient factors (age, gender, duration of dialysis, previous renal transplantation, type of dialysis access and sepsis or thrombosis of dialysis access site) and blood laboratory parameters (hemoglobin, serum creatinine and serum parathormone) had no statistically significant correlation with ESR ( P ≥ 0.05). Post-dialysis the ESR was raised in most of the stable patients on regular HD and was significantly higher than the pre-dialysis ESR (by, on average, 5.8 mm/h). ESR had variable correlation with different blood factors.


Given that depression is common in the black community in Birmingham,3 it is hardly reassuring that this diagnosis is not felt to be relevant in the hospital. The political implications of this diagnosis have been queried for over a decade, not least in this journal.4 We are grateful to Drs John Merrill and John Owen (30 April, p 1260) for their data on overdose rates among the Afro-Caribbean population aged over 35 years. ROLAND LITTLEWOOD MAURICE LIPSEDGE


Previous studies suggest that writing helps reading development inChinese in both first and second language settings by enabling higher-quality orthographic representation of the characters. This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of reading, animation, and writing in developing foreign language learners' orthographic knowledge of Chinese and found that, for learners with existing orthographic knowledge, thethreelearningconditionsfacilitatedcharacterlearningindifferentways:Writingand animation both led to better form recognition, while reading produced superior meaning and sound recalls. In addition, the effect of animation in meaning recall was also better thanwriting.Indeveloping theskillofreproducingcharacters frommemory,writingwas superior. Implications for the teaching and learning of Chinese characters are offered.


Abstract Background The elderly population in India is expected to increase to 319 million by 2050. Managing critically ill elderly patients in intensive care units (ICUs) is a difficult task. Proper planning and development of healthcare infrastructure are of prime importance to face this challenge. Objectives To study the clinical profile and outcomes of elderly patients admitted to the medical ICUs. Materials and methods A time-bound, prospective observational study on elderly patients admitted to medical ICUs for more than 48 hours was conducted from March 2019 to September 2020. The demographic, biochemical, hematologic, and microbiological data on antibiotic susceptibility patterns on various organisms and procalcitonin (PCT) reports were collected. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score was calculated. Various treatment modalities, such as mechanical ventilation, inotropes, hemodialysis, antibiotics, culture report in sepsis patients, and length of ICU stay were collected. Results The age of the patients and the length of their ICU stay were not significantly associated with outcomes. Sepsis and APACHE II scores are significantly associated with outcomes. Receipt of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support, and hemodialysis are significantly associated with mortality (p < 0.001). Conclusion The patients' ages were not significantly associated with outcomes. The most common cause of death among elderly patients was found to be sepsis, followed by pneumonia. In elderly ICU patients, gram-negative organisms are the most common causative agents in bloodstream infections. The APACHE II score, sepsis, receipt of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support, and hemodialysis are significantly associated with mortality. How to cite this article Prabhudev P, Ramamoorthi K, Acharya RV. A Clinical and Demographic Profile of Elderly (>65 Years) in the Medical Intensive Care Units of a Tertiary Care Center. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(3):166–175.


Abstract. The heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 on the surface of deliquescent aerosol leads to HNO3 formation and acts as a major sink of NOx in the atmosphere during night-time. The reaction constant of this heterogeneous hydrolysis is determined by temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), aerosol particle composition, and the surface area concentration (S). However, these parameters were not comprehensively considered in the parameterization of the heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 in previous mass-based 3-D aerosol modelling studies. In this investigation, we propose a sophisticated parameterization (NewN2O5) of N2O5 heterogeneous hydrolysis with respect to T, RH, aerosol particle compositions, and S based on laboratory experiments. We evaluated closure between NewN2O5 and a state-of-the-art parameterization based on a sectional aerosol treatment. The comparison showed a good linear relationship (R =  0.91) between these two parameterizations. NewN2O5 was incorporated into a 3-D fully online coupled model, COSMO–MUSCAT, with the mass-based aerosol treatment. As a case study, we used the data from the HOPE Melpitz campaign (10–25 September 2013) to validate model performance. Here, we investigated the improvement of nitrate prediction over western and central Europe. The modelled particulate nitrate mass concentrations ([NO3−]) were validated by filter measurements over Germany (Neuglobsow, Schmucke, Zingst, and Melpitz). The modelled [NO3−] was significantly overestimated for this period by a factor of 5–19, with the corrected NH3 emissions (reduced by 50 %) and the original parameterization of N2O5 heterogeneous hydrolysis. The NewN2O5 significantly reduces the overestimation of [NO3−] by  ∼  35 %. Particularly, the overestimation factor was reduced to approximately 1.4 in our case study (12, 17–18 and 25 September 2013) when [NO3−] was dominated by local chemical formations. In our case, the suppression of organic coating was negligible over western and central Europe, with an influence on [NO3−] of less than 2 % on average and 20 % at the most significant moment. To obtain a significant impact of the organic coating effect, N2O5, SOA, and NH3 need to be present when RH is high and T is low. However, those conditions were rarely fulfilled simultaneously over western and central Europe. Hence, the organic coating effect on the reaction probability of N2O5 may not be as significant as expected over western and central Europe.


A rigorous method-of-moments (MoM) analysis is used to model wide-band scattering from general three-dimensional perfectly conducting objects buried in a lossy layered medium. The authors focus on ordnance buried in a half space (soil). The time-domain fields scattered from a tilted antitank mine are examined in detail as a function of polarization and observation position.


The interaction of a laser-induced plasma with isotropic turbulence is studied using numerical simulations. The simulations use air as the working fluid and assume local thermodynamic equilibrium. The numerical method is fully spectral and uses a shock-capturing scheme in a corrector step. A model problem involving the effect of energy deposition on an isolated vortex is studied as a first step towards plasma/turbulence interaction. Turbulent Reynolds number Reλ = 30 and fluctuation Mach numbers Mt = 0.001 and 0.3 are considered. A tear-drop-shaped shock wave is observed to propagate into the background, and progressively become spherical in time. The turbulence experiences strong compression due to the shock wave and strong expansion in the core. This behaviour is spatially inhomogeneous and non-stationary in time. Statistics are computed as functions of radial distance from the plasma axis and angular distance across the surface of the shock wave. For Mt = 0.001, the shock wave propagates on a much faster time scale compared to the turbulence evolution. At Mt of 0.3, the time scale of the shock wave is comparable to that of the background. For both cases the mean flow is classified into shock formation, shock propagation and subsequent collapse of the plasma core, and the effect of turbulence on each of these phases is studied in detail. The effect of mean vorticity production on the turbulent vorticity field is also discussed. Turbulent kinetic energy budgets are presented to explain the mechanism underlying the transfer of energy between the mean flow and background turbulence.


Gender as constructed by culture in our African context, has the potential of influencing the level of self- esteem of a child, and particularly a girl-child or a school girl for that matter. In turn, this will (negatively) affect the way she performs in school work. In view of this, the study sets out to assess the relationship between the gender of orphans and self-esteem among secondary school students in Kirinyaga and Nyeri Counties, Kenya, as a build-up to the above hypothesis. In this research, the total number of students was 58,492.Out of this 426 were sampled. This study was theoretically guided by Rogers' self theory. In turn, Rogers (1902-1987), in his contribution to psychology, contended that every person can achieve his or her goals, wishes and desires in life if self actualization took place. The study adopted a survey, which utilized casual comparative research design. The data was collected using questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The major finding in this study was that Self-esteem was found to be influenced by gender of orphans and the self-esteem in turn influenced the aspiration of education level as well as jobs. The study recommends that the socialization by the society should not be gender discriminative that is all children should be treated the same way.


This study was carried out to investigate cognitive constructs that could contribute to year five pupils' algebraic thinking and to reveal the web of connection between these constructs. In this study, proposed cognitive constructs are number sense, operation sense, symbol sense and pattern sense. The dependent variable was year five pupils' algebraic thinking. This study applied descriptive research method to for data collection and analysis.
Seven hundred and twenty year five pupils from a district of Malacca took part in this study. The samples comprised both female and male pupils from rural and urban schools. Data were collected using two instruments, assessment of number, operation, symbol and pattern senses (ANOSPS) and algebraic thinking diagnosis assessment (ATDA). ANOSPS comprised 15 multiple choice mathematical questions, while ATDA comprised 17 short answer mathematical questions.
The data were analysed using structural equation model (SEM) to derive a model which could predict year five pupils' algebraic thinking. Hence, researcher adopted partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) method to carry out the evaluation process. Four direct effect relationships were hypothesized from independent variables to dependent variables. Moderating effect of gender and location were also tested. A two-stage approach was employed which involved the evaluation of measurement model followed by an evaluation of the structural model. Findings of this study revealed that number sense, operation sense, symbol sense and pattern sense significantly influence year five pupils' algebraic thinking. This indicated the proposed independent variables play crucial role in the development of algebraic thinking in primary school. The findings also indicated there is no difference in algebraic thinking performance between female and male year five pupils. However, the algebraic thinking performance of urban school of year five pupils was better than rural school year five pupils. In addition, this study also revealed, symbol sense and pattern sense play mediator role between independent variables and year five pupils' algebraic thinking.
Lastly, the findings showed, gender doesn't moderate all of the hypothesized four direct relationships. Location does moderate two of the hypothesized direct relationships. The direct effect size of operation sense on rural school year five pupils' algebraic thinking is significantly higher than the urban school year five pupils. Followed by this, the direct effect size of symbol sense on rural school year five pupils' algebraic thinking is also significantly higher than the urban school year five pupils.
Findings of this study provided evidence that number sense, operation sense, symbol sense and pattern sense are important constructs in the development of algebraic thinking in primary school level. It also provided an awareness on what is algebraic thinking in primary school level and how the number sense, operation sense, symbol sense and pattern sense are intervened together. Algebraic thinking of primary school pupils can be enhanced by appropriate healthy classroom discussions while teaching arithmetic. Making sense of numbers, underlying properties of arithmetic, generalisation, and conceptual meaning of equal sign should be given more priority compared to getting a correct solution


Introduction: Walking is one of the most fundamental activities of daily living in humans, when the hip joints transfer power between the lower extremities and the pelvis. Hip osteoarthritis (OA) will more or less influence this function and is increasing in an ageing population. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a common treatment for patients diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis when non-surgical treatments have failed. Optical tracking systems (OTS) based on cameras and force plates mounted in the floor have been used since the 1960s. The technique includes attachment of reflective markers with double-adhesive tape to the skin of the patient. Marker positions are recorded when the patient walks through a calibrated measurement volume. Material and methods: In Study I, hip joint movements were measured with two different dynamic motion analysis systems, an optical tracking system and roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) in 16 patients with THA. In Study II, three patient groups were examined to study if the reproducibility of measured values differs depending on whether the hip joint is normal, has developed OA or has been replaced with a THA. The aim of Study III was to investigate the gait in 22 patients operated bilaterally with two different types of stems at the same occasion. In Study IV, 62 patients operated with a Madreporic Lord hip prosthesis between 1979 and 1986 were followed for an average period of 26 years. In Study V, gait analysis was performed using two different motion analysis systems, one based on an optical tracking system and one based on accelerometers. Forty-nine THA patients were simultaneously evaluated with both methods. Results: During active hip motions soft-tissue displacements caused an underestimation of the true skeletal motion (Study I). In Study II the hip motions in patients with OA showed inferior repeatability between different investigators compared with THA patients and healthy controls. The gait pattern in the THA patients had not returned to normal one to two years after the operation. Study III showed no differences in speed, step length and frequency, or regarding kinematics or kinetics between short and conventional stems. Although both hip joints were operated during one-stage bilateral THA, there was still a difference between gait patterns two years after surgery compared with controls. In Study IV, the follow-up showed an average HHS of 81 (SD 14) and a pain score of 41 (SD 5), despite that more than half of the patients had undergone a revision of the acetabular cup. Some hips, but not all showed pronounced loss of bone mineral density around the stem. In Study V the accelerometer system measured movements of the pelvis and knee joint that did not differ from the optical system. However, significantly smaller flexion-extension was recorded. Conclusion: This dissertation shows that the deviation from skeletal movements measured using OTS is smallest when measuring hip flexion-extension in patients with THA. OTS is able to distinguish patients with hip osteoarthritis and patients with THA from a healthy control group while walking. The walking ability of patients with THA was still affected at least two years after surgery. A long-term follow-up of patients with an uncemented hip prosthesis revealed good function, despite that the acetabular component had been replaced in almost 50% of cases. The accelerometer-based motion analysis system that was examined had good validity when measuring pelvis and knee movements in the sagittal plane, but underestimated hip joint flexion and extension.


Fixed-dose combination drugs are not indicated for initial therapy of edema or hypertension. Edema or hypertension requires therapy titrated to the individual patient. If the fixed combination represents the dosage so determined, its use may be more convenient in patient management. The treatment of hypertension and edema is not static but must be reevaluated as conditions in each patient warrant.


This article highlights the present lacuna in the study of politics and political culture in the Scottish Highlands between the battles of Culloden and Waterloo. It argues that this neglect is symptomatic of the contentious historiography that surrounds the Highland Clearances. Yet politics remained a crucial factor shaping landlord attitudes to improvements and their estates in general. Moreover, in contrast to their well-known failure to manage the region's economic and social development, Highland landlords exhibited a sophisticated understanding of how British politics had been reconfigured by the emergence of the British 'fiscal-military' state. The region's elites constructed a distinctive and effective political strategy that sought to place the Highlands in a mutually supportive relationship with the British state. Scottish Highland political culture thus offers a useful corrective to recent debates on the 'fiscal-military' state that stress either the centre's overwhelming power or the ability of local elites to resist that power. Although the Highlands is remembered primarily for its hostile relationship with the political centre, the region in fact constituted a prime example of the process of mutual accommodation that underpinned the domestic authority of the eighteenth-century British state.


Abstract During Vladimir Putin's third presidential term, the Russian government and media's rhetorical embrace of illiberalism, patriotism, and chauvinism was accompanied and partly facilitated by the invocation of historical precedent and "correct" historical understanding. Politicians stressed the importance of a shared historical memory to Russian national identity, rendering the interpretation of history a question of patriotism. The government and state-supportive media then used "patriotic" historical memories to legitimize government policies. Through framing analysis of three significant episodes—namely, the Ukraine Crisis, imposition of sanctions, and Russian intervention in Syria—I outline how the government and state-supportive media conflated these events with supposed historical precedents. This conflation made "patriotic" (or government-approved) history an everyday topic of discussion, but it also confused supporting government policy with celebrating historical triumph (or condemning historical tragedy). In this way, the government co-opted the emotional power of the history they invoked for the purposes of legitimizing their policies. This was compounded by the government and state-supportive media using and citing images and descriptions of ordinary people performing their patriotism in a manner that simultaneously demonstrated awareness of Russian history and support for the government.


Abstract. Disturbance of the uranium-lead isotopic system in a metamict Ceylon zircon has been produced in a 2 molal NaCI solution at 500�C and 1000 bars fluid pressure. Loss of radiogenic lead to the extent of 61 percent in 13 days was the most significant effect. The experimental results support the episodic rather than continuous lead-loss interpretation of natural zircon systems utilized in geochronology.


Purpose: IL6 promotes tumor growth and signal transduction via both its membrane-bound (CD126) and soluble receptors (sCD126). We aimed to study whether the levels of CD126 expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemic (CLL) cells can predict in vitro and in vivo treatment response. Experimental Design: The levels of membrane-bound CD126 expression were determined on freshly isolated CLL B cells (n = 58) using flow cytometry. These CLL cells were treated with chlorambucil or fludarabine with or without anti-CD126 antibody tocilizumab for 24 hours and IL6-mediated STAT3 transcriptional activity and cell-cycle alteration were evaluated. Results: CD126 surface expression was found in all cases and positively correlated with the levels of in vivo constitutive STAT3 activity. The levels of CD126 expression were significantly and positively correlated with the resistance of CLL cells to in vitro treatment with chlorambucil or fludarabine and poor in vivo treatment response of CLL patients. Blocking IL6 signaling with the anti-CD126 antibody, tocilizumab, had profound effects on STAT3-mediated survival and growth signals: decreased Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL, favoring an apoptotic profile; and decreased p27 with increased cyclin E and CDK2 expression, leading to cell-cycle shift from G0–G1. These tocilizumab-mediated changes induced chemosensitization in resistant CLL cells, with the greatest effect seen in cells with higher CD126 expression (P < 0.001). Conclusions: CLL cells with higher CD126 expression are more resistant to treatment in vivo and in vitro via IL6–CD126–STAT3 axis. Blocking CD126 using tocilizumab sensitizes CLL cells to chemotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 22(10); 2462–9. ©2015 AACR.


1. 5054 adult beetles of 144 species were collected in a total of 696 1-m collecting trays by knockdown insecticide fogging of 36 different oak trees in closed canopy woodland at Richmond Park, U.K., with three of the trees sampled on each of 12 dates, at 2to 3-week intervals, between April and October 1984. 2. In late spring (April/May), more individuals and species of beetles were collected in trays close to the trunks of trees than in trays more distant from the trunk. The reverse was the case in late September/October. Neither pattern prevailed in the intervening months. 3. Individual species exhibited a variety of patterns, with some species more abundant near the trunk, e.g. Leiopus nebulosus (L.), Strophosoma melanogrammum (Forster), Cylindronotus laevioctostriatus (Goeze), and Dromius agilis (Fabricius), and some less abundant near the trunk, e.g. Curculio pyrrhoceras (Marsham) and Rhynchaenus signifer (Creutzer). For Adalia decempunctata (L.), this preference changed with season. The observed species preferences for parts of a tree crown near or distant from the main trunk are discussed with reference to their known biologies. 4. No pronounced pattern of preference for northor south-facing aspects of trees in closed canopy woodland was observed, however populations of some species exhibited patterns of within-tree distribution that correlate with compass angle; for one species, the ladybird Adalia decempunctata, this distribution changed with season and between colour morphs.


There is a need to reach viable design for initiatives in mobile learning and researchers are faced with a magnitude of factors to consider. The work to identify and access stakeholders and acknowledge their requirement is a difficult task. Most mobile learning initiatives often follow an evolutionary development process where the system is constructed, evaluated, and refined in increments. During this process, the stakeholders and their needs might change, so even if there was an initial understanding, it might not be correct after one or more increments. In this paper we studied three initiatives with a focus on how they dealt with stakeholders during the development process and finds that the three initiatives deal with stakeholders in an on-demand fashion. New groups of stakeholders are considered when needed, and this leads to a development process that is a mix between sequential and evolutionary, which results in inflexible system solutions. In order to improve on this, stakeholders need to be regarded in a more inclusive fashion, where they are considered as part of the entire development process.


Leonardo da Vinci's powerful approach of linking kinesiology and anatomy, and translating them into kinematics and structure is a model for future lines of research. This application of Leonardo's approach has lead to the development of a new kinematic architecture that is being used to meet NASA's requirements for a robotic surrogate to aid astronauts in space station construction, maintenance and expansion. Various commercial applications are envisaged for the robotic surrogate.


Triazolam 0.25 mg, diazepam 10 mg and placebo were compared in a randomized double‐blind trial of oral premedication in 90 patients undergoing minor gynaecological surgery. Both triazolam and diazepam produced a significant sedative effect as measured by patient serf assessment linear analogue scales but only diazepam was more anxiolytic than placebo. Psychomotor performance assessed by the letter‐search test at 3 and 6 hours after awakening showed a decrement in performance in patients receiving triazolam at 3 hours compared with the two other groups. Triazolam was shown to have a pronounced amnesic effect and whilst it might be used for premedication, its lack of anxiolysis coupled with a significant impairment of psychomotor performance at 3 hours after awakening, render the drug unsuitable for premedication in the short stay patient.


This unit provides essential knowledge for correctly using any flow cytometer to ensure that data collected are accurate and reliable. Two levels of system alignment are described: routine alignment checks and complete alignment, both of which can be applied to a variety of instrument configurations.


Background: Despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines for managing allergic rhinitis in primary care, management of the condition in the United Kingdom (UK) remains sub-optimal. Its high prevalence and negative effects on quality of life, school performance, productivity and co-morbid respiratory conditions (in particular, asthma), and high health and societal costs, make this a priority for developing novel models of care. Recent Australian research demonstrated the potential of a community pharmacy-based ' goal-focused ' intervention to help people with intermittent allergic rhinitis to self-manage their condition better, reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life. In this pilot study we will assess the transferability of the goal-focused intervention to a UK context, the suitability of the intervention materials, procedures and outcome measures and collect data to inform a future definitive UK randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods/Design: A pilot cluster RCT with associated preliminary economic analysis and embedded qualitative evaluation. The pilot trial will take place in two Scottish Health Board areas: Grampian and Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Twelve community pharmacies will be randomly assigned to intervention or usual care group. Each will recruit 12 customers seeking advice or treatment for intermittent allergic rhinitis. Pharmacy staff in intervention pharmacies will support recruited customers in developing strategies for setting and achieving goals that aim to avoid/minimize triggers for, and eliminate/minimize symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Customers recruited in non-intervention pharmacies will receive usual care. The co-primary outcome measures, selected to inform a sample size calculation for a future RCT, are: community pharmacy and customer recruitment and completion rates; and effect size of change in the validated mini-Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire between baseline, one-week and six-weeks post-intervention. Secondary outcome measures relate to changes in symptom severity, productivity, medication adherence and self-efficacy. Quantitative data about accrual, retention and economic measures, and qualitative data about participants ' experiences during the trial will be collected to inform the future RCT. Discussion: This work will lay the foundations for a definitive RCT of a community pharmacy-based ' goal-focused ' self-management intervention for people with intermittent allergic rhinitis. Results of the pilot trial are expected to be available in April 2013.


This paper introduces a proposal to extend the heuristic called "particle swarm optimization" (PSO) to deal with multiobjective optimization problems. Our approach uses the concept of Pareto dominance to determine the flight direction of a particle and it maintains previously found nondominated vectors in a global repository that is later used by other particles to guide their own flight. The approach is validated using several standard test functions from the specialized literature. Our results indicate that our approach is highly competitive with current evolutionary multiobjective optimization techniques.


Regulator of G protein signaling 2 (RGS2) controls signaling by receptors coupled to the Gq/11 class heterotrimeric G proteins. RGS2 deficiency causes several phenotypes in mice and occurs in several diseases, including hypertension in which a proteolytically unstable RGS2 mutant has been reported. However, the mechanisms and functions of RGS2 proteolysis remain poorly understood. Here we addressed these questions by identifying degradation signals in RGS2, and studying dynamic regulation of Gq/11-evoked Ca2+ signaling and vascular contraction. We identified a novel bipartite degradation signal in the N-terminal domain of RGS2. Mutations disrupting this signal blunted proteolytic degradation downstream of E3 ubiquitin ligase binding to RGS2. Analysis of RGS2 mutants proteolyzed at various rates and the effects of proteasome inhibition indicated that proteolytic degradation controls agonist efficacy by setting RGS2 protein expression levels, and affecting the rate at which cells regain agonist responsiveness as synthesis of RGS2 stops. Analyzing contraction of mesenteric resistance arteries supported the biological relevance of this mechanism. Because RGS2 mRNA expression often is strikingly and transiently up-regulated and then down-regulated upon cell stimulation, our findings indicate that proteolytic degradation tightly couples RGS2 transcription, protein levels, and function. Together these mechanisms provide tight temporal control of Gq/11-coupled receptor signaling in the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems.


Objective: Regional vascularized flaps, such as the pericranial and temporoparietal fascia flaps, are currently used for reconstruction of skull base defects after endoscopic endonasal surgery whenever local vascularized flaps, such as the nasoseptal flap, are not available. Two different transposition pathways, infratemporal transpterygoid and subfrontal, have been proposed for regional flaps. The objective of this study was to describe and assess the feasibility of the transposition of a vascularized pedicled flap from the occipital galeopericranium via the prevertebral space corridor into the nasopharynx. Methods: Ten heads were injected with colored silicone. An endoscopic endonasal anterior craniofacial resection and panclival approach were performed in each specimen. The occipital flap was harvested using a previously described technique. The prevertebral corridor, extending from the neck to the nasopharynx, was dissected superficial to the paraspinal muscles. Computed tomography-based image guidance was used to assess the relationship between the corridor and adjacent neurovascular structures. Length of the corridor and pedicle and area of the donor flap were measured. Results: The flap was harvested and successfully transposed into the nasopharynx using the proposed corridor in all studied specimens (10 heads, 20 sides). All flaps provided complete coverage of the skull base defects. The average length of the pedicle was 70.5 (SD, 6.5) mm, and the average length and width of the flap were 99.9 (SD, 14.6) mm and 59.3 (SD, 10.9) mm, respectively. The average length of the prevertebral corridor was 49.7 (SD, 4.8) mm. Conclusions: The occipital flap has favorable anatomic characteristics for use in skull base reconstruction. Transposition of the flap via the prevertebral corridor is a suitable option for vascularized reconstruction of expanded endonasal skull base defects when other local or regional flaps are not available. Additional clinical studies are necessary to define its role in endoscopic endonasal surgery.


In e-commerce, loyal customers are considered extremely valuable. The high cost of
attracting new customers on the Internet and the relative difficulty in retaining them make
customer loyalty an essential asset for many banks. Since online transactions involve
many uncertainties for the customer and most of the Internet banking offers the same
product as the other competitor, it is crucial for banks to recognize the key factor that can
tie their existing customer become a loyal customer an change the web surfers into
purchaser. Despite of increasing usage of Internet Shopping and banking, the literature
only portray little effort of empirical research has addressed the role of quality Internet
websites design and customer online trust in forming consumers' intentions to revisits or
repurchase particular products or at particular banks within the context of customer
relationship management. This empirical study was performed to measure relative
importance of two different factor that is most cited as a critical success factor for ecommerce
environment; usable website design and trust elements on the website. The
study specifically focuses on Maybank2u.com users and sample for the study was drawn
among academician and students of three different faculties in UiTM Shah Alam. The
results of the empirical analysis confirmed that the trust of the user increases when the
user perceived that the website was usable and that there was a consequent increase in the
degree of website loyalty.