This work presents a methodology for the design and manufacture of propellers oriented to the experimental verification of theoretical results based on the combined model. The design process begins by using algorithms in Matlab which output data contain the coordinates of the points that define the blade airfoils, in this case the NACA 6512 airfoil was used. The modeling for the propeller blade was made in NX7, through the imported files in Matlab and with the help of surfaces. Later, the hub and the clamps were also modeled. Finally, NX 7 also made possible to create post-processed files to the required machine. It is possible to find the block of numbers with G & M codes about the type of driver on the machine. The file extension is .ptp. These files made possible to manufacture the blade, and the hub of the propeller. Keywords—Airfoil, CAM, manufacturing, mathematical algorithm, numeric control, propeller design, simulation. NOMENCLATURE Tangential speed increase in the actuator disk b′ Speed increase a′ Lift Coefficient L C Drag Coefficient D C Chord c Magnitude of the relative wind 0 V Speed of the propeller revolutions per second n Step angle θ Speed Angle φ Induced angle ε Angle of attack α Coefficient operation or factor of progress J Speed-induced a Speed-induced b Blade width σ Position along the chord x Half thickness y Radius r D. Almazo is an student of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Sepi Esime Zacatenco of IPN, Mexico City, Mexico (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). M.Toledo, PhD., is a researcher with the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Sepi Esime Zacatenco of IPN, Mexico City, Mexico (email: firstname.lastname@example.com). C. Rodríguez, PhD., is a researcher with the Mechanical Engineering Department of the UANL, Monterrey City, Mexico (e-mail: email@example.com). Maximum camber m Location of maximum camber p Tip twist tm Root twist tM Efficiency η


Salmonella infection is common, but pleural involvement has rarely been reported. Only seven cases of Salmonella enteritidis pleural empyema have been reported; all had an associated preexisting underlying immunosuppresion or malignancy. We report the case of an apparently healthy man who developed S. enteritidis empyema. On further follow-up and surveillance, he eventually presented with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and a contralateral recurrent chylothorax. The latter was successfully controlled with radiolabeled rituximab, which has never been described for the above purpose in literature before.


Pie charts were first published in 1801 by William Playfair and have caused some controversy since. Despite the suggestions of many experts against their use, several empirical studies have shown that pie charts are at least as good as alternatives. From Brinton to Few on one side and Eells to Kosara on the other, there appears to have been a hundred-year war waged on the humble pie. In this paper a set of experiments are reported that compare the performance of pie charts and horizontal bar charts with various visual cues. Amazon's Mechanical Turk service was employed to perform the tasks of estimating segments in various part-to-whole charts. The results lead to recommendations for data visualization professionals in developing dashboards.


New Zealand top executives are seldom explored, and this paper examines the role of work-life balance (WLB) on top executives' turnover intentions, with job burnout mediating this relationship. It is expected that top executives with strong WLB will be aided with stronger wellbeing (lower burnout) and stronger work behaviours (lower turnover). Beyond these relationships, knowledge sharing culture (KSC) is included as a moderator and combined, a moderated mediation model is tested. Using data from 126 New Zealand top executives, we find that WLB negatively related to emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and turnover intentions, with cynicism fully mediating the influence of WLB on turnover intentions. A significant moderated mediation effect is found, which indicates that the indirect effect of WLB on turnover intentions through cynicism did vary, with the indirect effect diminishing as KSC becomes stronger. At levels above 0.2SD of KSC, WLB no longer has a significant effect on turnover. The findings add new insights into understanding turnover intentions in New Zealand, especially around boundary conditions of KSC, and highlight the complexity of executive talent retention.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the landscape of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) and strength development in professional football (soccer) academies in the UK. To achieve this, we interviewed 16 participants, whose primary responsibility was the physical development of youth players from a variety of Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) categorised academies. Following abductive analysis, we identified that whilst all participants acknowledged the importance of FMS and strength development for young football players, there was variance across EPPP categories relating to: (a) the time dedicated to developing FMS and strength; (b) the number, level of qualification, and utilisation of staff; and (c) the integration of the evidence informed practice into programme design and delivery. Although the key foci of academy strength and conditioning programmes generally prioritised injury reduction, performance improvement, and building a physical base for future development, the methods used to achieve these outcomes were varied. Finally, participants reported how relationships between support staff and technical coaching staff had a direct impact on the implementation of FMS and strength programmes. We have provided rich insights into a range of factors that may facilitate or hinder FMS and strength development within youth football players and thus helped to advance understanding of the practical implications of focusing on these key skills within athlete development programmes.


Corrosion behavior of hard zinc, Zn-5% Al (Galfan), and Zn-55% Al alloy (Zincalume or Galvalume) coated steels was studied using cyclic voltammetry and potential scan/hold technique in the presence of 0.10-0.90 mol L -1 NaCl over a pH range of 2 to 12. Influence of chloride concentration and electrolyte pH on pitting potential values of the above three types of specimens were examined. On the basis of the electrochemical, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and chemical equilibria data obtained from hard zinc, a pitting corrosion mechanism involving a series of processes from anion competitive adsorption to penetration to nucleation and growth was proposed.


Background: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CYP2C9, VKORC1, CYP2C19, ABCB1, CYP2D6 and SLCO1B1 genes polymorphisms among residents of the Volga region (Chuvash and Mari) and northern Caucasus (Kabardins and Ossetians). Materials & methods: The study involved 845 apparently healthy volunteers of both sexes of the four different ethnic groups living in the Russian Federation: 238 from the Chuvash ethnic group, 206 Mari, 157 Kabardins and 244 Ossetians. Results: Significant differences were identified in allele frequency of CYP2C9, VKORC1, CYP2C19, ABCB1, CYP2D6 and SLCO1B1 genes polymorphisms between the Chuvash and Kabardins, Chuvash and Ossetians, Mari and Kabardians, Mari and Ossetians.


BACKGROUND
Work in commercial fishing is physically demanding and hazardous, but unlike merchant seamen, fishermen are not required to hold a certificate of medical fitness.

AIMS
To investigate the case for regulatory medical standards for commercial fishermen and to identify priorities for the prevention and management of occupational injuries at sea.

METHODS
We surveyed a convenience sample of fishermen at three major fishing ports in South West England using a standardized interview-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS
Interviews were completed by 210 (68%) of 307 fishermen approached. Over their careers, 56 subjects (27%) had been returned to shore as an emergency for medical reasons, a rate of 14.6 (95% confidence interval 11.5-18.2) per 1000 man-years. Most emergency evacuations were for acute injuries, and only five were for illness. A few participants suffered from chronic disease that would call into question their fitness to go to sea. Fifty-five fishermen had suffered injuries in the past 12 months, including 12 that had caused loss of more than 3 days from work. Subjects had self-stitched 4 of 15 reported hand lacerations, while others had been bound with 'gaffer' tape.

CONCLUSIONS
Prevention of hand lacerations should be a high priority, with first-aid training and equipment for fishing crews to improve their care when prevention fails. No firm conclusions can be drawn about the value of regular medical screening for commercial fishermen, but such screening should be considered a lower priority than accident prevention.


The most important part in a Book of Criminal Law (Penal Code) is a prison, because the prison contains rules about the size and implementation of the criminal. The position of life imprisonment in the national criminal justice system is still considered relevant as a means of crime prevention, it can be seen from the number of offenses punishable with life imprisonment. However, life imprisonment is considered contrary to the penal system. This study aims to investigate the implementation of life imprisonment, weaknesses, and the solution in the future. The approach used in the study is a non-doctrinal legal research with socio-legal research types (Juridical Sociological).The results of research studies show that life imprisonment is contrary to prison system, and life imprisonment become an obstacle to fostering convicts back into society. Bill Criminal Code of September 2019 can be used as a solution to life imprisonment change in the future. Presented advice, in order to be disseminated to the application of the criminal purpose of the Criminal Code of Prison adopted in the future, so that the public and experts no longer make the criminal as a form of retaliation.Keywords: Reconstruction; Crime; Prison; Life Imprisonment; System; Corrections.


For incomplete sentences, different structural descriptions with different levels of prediction are possible. Two existing dependency parsers have been modified to generate sequences of output hypotheses in an incremental manner. The parsing results can be characterized with respect to different criteria like the amount of predicted information, its quality, monotonicity, delay, inclusiveness and connectedness.
We propose an evaluation scheme able to capture these properties and apply it to the parsers in different configurations.


Abstract : Polyurethane-based aircraft coating degradation was examined using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform spectroscopy (DRIFTs). Two sample sets were aged in an autoclave; each containing four samples. Sample set A contained two as-cured samples and two samples treated to a level of visual degradation. Sample set B contained one sample left as-cured and three samples of differing degradation. DRIFTs spectra were collected on sample set B and singular value decomposition (SVD) was used to reveal trends between the degradation levels. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was then applied to the SVD coefficients to determine the most accurate spectral band for classification of unknown degradation. The 1220-850 cm-1 band proved to be the most accurate at discerning between degradation levels with 98.3% accuracy. The approach was then applied to sample set A using one each of the as-cured and degraded samples as unknown degradation levels. The prediction accuracy of LDA was 100% for the as-cured sample, but only 28% for the visibly degraded sample in the fingerprint region. When the misclassification cost was adjusted, the accuracy


Classical biological control can be used to decrease the density of invasive species to below an acceptable ecological and economic threshold. Natural enemies specific to the invasive species are selected from its native range and released into the invaded range. This approach has drawbacks, despite the performance of specificity tests to ensure its safety, because the fundamental host range defined under controlled conditions does not represent the actual host range in natura, and these tests omit indirect interactions within community. We focus on Sonchus oleraceus (Asteraceae), a weed species originating from Western Palearctic that is invasive worldwide and notably in Australia. We explore how analyses of interaction network within its native range can be used to 1) inventory herbivores associated to the target plant, 2) characterize their ecological host ranges, and 3) guide the selection of candidate biocontrol agents considering interactions with species from higher trophic levels. Arthropods were collected from plant community sympatric to S. oleraceus, in three bioclimatic regions, and interactions were inferred by a combination of molecular and morphological approaches. The networks reconstructed were structured in several trophic levels from basal species (diversified plant community), to intermediate and top species (herbivorous arthropods and their natural enemies). The subnetwork centered on S. oleraceus related interactions contained 116 taxa and 213 interactions. We identified 47 herbivores feeding on S. oleraceus, 15 of which were specific to the target species (i.e. Generality value equal to 1). Some discrepancies with respect to published findings or conventional specificity tests suggested possible insufficient sampling effort for the recording of interactions or the existence of cryptic species. Among potential candidate agents, 6 exhibited interactions with natural enemies. Synthesis and applications: Adopting a network approach as prerequisite step of the CBC program can provide a rapid screening of potential agents to be tested in priority. Once ecological host range defined, we suggest that priority should be given to agent predated by a minimum species, and, when they exist, to an agent that possesses enemies from the most distant taxonomical group from those occurring in the range of introduction.


Over more than two millennia, the world's leading religious traditions have provided the guidance in questions of when war can be justified, and of what methods and targets are permissible in war. Linking deep historical analysis to contemporary issues, this volume provides valuable insight, and even prompts us to rethink our understanding of the role and influence of religion in the state politics. The book exposes the norms of war in Hinduism, in Theravada Buddhism, in Japanese religion, in Judaism, in Roman Catholic Christianity, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, in Protestant Christianity, in Shia Islam and in Sunni Islam, and discusses norms of war in cross-religious perspective.


Although there is substantial evidence that glutamate mimics the effects of light on the mammalian circadian clock in vitro, it has been reported that microinjection of glutamate into the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SCN) region in vivo does not result in a pattern of phase shifts that mimic those caused by light pulses. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that microinjection of NMDA into the SCN would induce light-like phase shifts of the circadian clock through activation of the NMDA receptor. Hamsters housed in constant darkness received microinjections of NMDA through guide cannulas aimed at the SCN region at various times throughout the circadian cycle. Wheel running was monitored as a measure of circadian phase. Microinjection of NMDA resulted in circadian phase shifts, the size and direction of which were dependent on the time of injection. The resulting phase–response curve closely resembled that of light. The circadian response showed a clear dose-dependence at circadian time (CT) 13.5 but not at CT19. Both phase delays and advances induced by NMDA were blocked by coinjection of the NMDA antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphopentanoic acid but were slightly attenuated by the non-NMDA antagonist 6-nitro-7-sulfamoylbenzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione disodium. The ability of NMDA to induce phase shifts was not altered by coinjection with tetrodotoxin. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that activation of NMDA receptors is a critical step in the transmission of photic information to the SCN.


People are becoming increasingly reliant on computing devices and are trusting increasingly important data to persistent storage. These systems should protect this data from failure and ensure that it is available anytime, from anywhere. Unfortunately, traditional mechanisms for ensuring high availability suffer from the complexity of maintaining consistent, distributed replicas of data. This paper describes Mammoth, a novel file system that uses a loosely-connected set of nodes to replicate data and maintain consistency. The key idea of Mammoth is that files and directories are stored as histories of immutable versions and that all meta-data is stored in append-only change logs. Users specify availability policies for their files and the system uses these policies to replicate certain, but not necessarily all, versions to remote nodes to protect them from a variety of failures. Because file data is immutable, it can be freely replicated without complicating the file's consistency. File and directory meta-data is replicated using an optimistic policy that allows partitioned nodes to read and write whatever file versions are currently accessible. When network partitions heal, inconsistent meta-data is reconciled by merging the metadata updates made in each partition; conflicting updates manifest as branches in the file's or directory's history and can thus can be further resolved by higher-level software or users. We describe our design and the implementation and performance of an early prototype.


This work presents the catalogue of optical spectral properties for all X-ray selected SPIDERS active galactic nuclei (AGN) up to SDSS DR14. SPIDERS (SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources) is an SDSS-IV programme that is currently conducting optical spectroscopy of the counterparts to the X-ray selected sources detected in the ROSAT all-sky survey and the XMM-Newton slew survey in the footprint of the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS). The SPIDERS DR14 sample is the largest sample of X-ray selected AGN with optical spectroscopic follow-up to date. The catalogue presented here is based on a clean sample of 7344 2RXS (z¯ = 0.5) and 1157 XMM-Newton slew survey (z¯ = 0.4) type 1 AGN with spectroscopic coverage of the Hβ and/or MgII emission lines. Visual inspection results for each object in this sample are available from a combination of literature sources and the SPIDERS group, which provide both reliable redshifts and source classifications. The spectral regions around the Hβ and MgII emission lines have been fit in order to measure both line and continuum properties, estimate bolometric luminosities, and provide black hole mass estimates using the single-epoch (or photoionisation) method. The use of both Hβ and MgII allows black hole masses to be estimated up to z ≃ 2.5. A comparison is made between the spectral properties and black hole mass estimates derived from Hβ and MgII using the subsample of objects which have coverage of both lines in their spectrum. These results have been made publicly available as an SDSS-IV DR14 value added catalogue.


Ultrasonic sector-scan images can delineate the entire circumference of the canine left ventricle in vitro. This study was undertaken to (1) assess the accuracy of sector scanning for estimating canine left ventricular volume in vitro compared to volume estimates by M-mode echo in the same hearts and (2) determine the optimal techniques for estimating left ventricular volume with sector scanning. 16 volumes (1 volume from 8 hearts and 2 volumes from 4 hearts) were estimated by obtaining sector-scan images from orthogonal long-axis, short-axis and apical views. The sector-scan volumes were calculated by single and biplane area-length methods, as well as biplane Simpson's rule methods, and compared to measured left ventricular volumes. M-mode echo volumes were calculated by cubing the mid-ventricular minor-axis diameter. Sector-scan views containing a long-axis dimension plus the short-axis dimension of the left ventricle had a high correlation with true left ventricular volume while sector-scan views not containing a long-axis view showed only a fair correlation with volume. M-mode echo produced a poor estimate of the true left ventricular volume. It is concluded that (1) sector scanning can provide highly accurate in vitro volume estimates of canine left ventricles which is superior to estimates derived by M-mode echocardiographic methods and (2) the optimal sector-scan views for estimating left ventricular volume are those that make the fewest assumptions about left ventricular geometry and have the greatest amount of dimensional information.


Although legal scholars have disagreed about whether juries should be allowed to award punitive damages and about how judges should instruct them, the debate has included little discussion of jurors' cognitive capabilities. In this Article, Professors Sunstein, Kahneman, and Schkade respond to this gap by offering an experimental study. The study seeks to separate the tasks that a jury is suited to perform from those that a jury can accomplish only with great inconsistency. In personal injury cases, the study shows, jurors' normative judgments about outrageousness and appropriate punishment are relatively uniform, at least when measured on a bounded numerical scale (0 to 6). Indeed, these normative judgments are uniform across race, age, education, wealth, and gender When subjects map their judgments onto an unbounded dollar scale, however outcomes become erratic and unpredictable. Drawing on these results, the authors question the current legal approaches to the regulation of punitive damages. They then analyze various reform proposals designed to overcome erratic awards, including damage caps, compensatory judgement "multipliers," and conversion formulas that translate either jury judgments on bounded numerical scabs or jury arrangement of comparison cases into punitive damage awards. Finally the authors discuss the implications of the study for many other issues of law: including contingent valuation and compensatory damages in such areas as pain and suffering, libel, sexual harassment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Language: en


Private and public investments in early childhood education have expanded significantly in recent years. Despite this heightened investment, we have little empirical evidence on whether children today enter school with different skills than they did in the late nineties. Using two large, nationally representative data sets, this article documents how students entering kindergarten in 2010 compare to those who entered in 1998 in terms of their teacher-reported math, literacy, and behavioral skills. Our results indicate that students in the more recent cohort entered kindergarten with stronger math and literacy skills. Results for behavioral outcomes were mixed. Increases in academic skills over this period were particularly pronounced among Black children. Implications for policy are discussed.


Metaphors are the cognitive lenses we use to make sense of all situations. Intimately interconnected with the way we think, metaphors are fundamental in shaping reality. Building on work about metaphors in organizational life, this paper examines the language of information systems users in 16 different organizations. The results confirm the existence of six main metaphors (journey, war, game, organism, society, and machine) and adds three metaphors that also emerged from the language of IS users (family, zoo, and jungle). Dramatistic analysis was used to reveal that seven of these principal metaphors are found in commonly used systems development methodologies. For example, the systems development life cycle draws upon the "game" metaphor, and structured methodologies and CASE tools are akin to the "machine" metaphor. Analysts who are aware of the existence of these metaphors (both in the user organization and within the methodologies themselves) will begin to see the systems development process in an entirely different light. Caution must be undertaken, however, when using this approach. First, analysts should lead the systems development process by selecting a methodology to match user metaphors, not the other way around. Second, analysts must see, rather than suppress, the paradoxical richness of metaphors. Third, analysts should not limit the number of metaphors because it limits the usefulness of this approach. Fourth, analysts should be adequately trained in a variety of systems development methodologies. Finally, analysts should use metaphorical analysis in conjunction with other approaches. Using the recommendations and findings for guidance, analysts can begin to develop the power of metaphorical analysis to better understand and communicate with users during the development process.


Owing to increase in parametric variations with technology scaling, accurate estimation of bit-cell failure probability in nano-scale static random access memory (SRAM) has become an extremely challenging task. In this study, the authors propose a method to detect the SRAM bit-cell failure, named 'critical point sampling'. Using this technique, read and hold failure probability of an SRAM bit-cell can be efficiently estimated in a simulation-based way. Simulation results show that our estimation method provides high accuracy, while being ∼50× faster in computational speed compared to transient Monte-Carlo simulation. The method can be applied to optimise SRAM design for better yield and contributes significantly in reducing the overall design time.


Previously, an initial electric field change (IEC) was found occurring before initial breakdown (IB) pulses by sensors within the reversal distance of 36 lightning flashes [Marshall et al. 2014]. The E-change for a CG flashes was positive within reversal distance, and the E-change for an IC flashes was negative. With this data in mind, an IEC is best defined as occurring from zero slope to gradual increase in E-change at the beginning of a lightning flash, and it ends with the first IB pulse. The purpose of this thesis is to extend said findings to further understand the characteristics of IECs as well as look at instances of unique IECs not categorized as either intracloud (IC) or cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes.
In order to find the IECs, electric field change (E-change) sensors were spread across east central Florida in the summers of 2010 and 2011. The 2nd generation Lightning Detection And Ranging system (LDAR2) was used for location data of the IECs by locating impulsive lightning events [Murphy et al. 2008]. Vertical point dipole moments were also calculated for IECs with LDAR2 locations in order to normalize the E-change data for IECs at different distances from sensors.
A total of 55 lightning flashes with IECs were recorded (14 CG flashes, 38 IC flashes, and 3 two-start flashes). 43 of the 57 flashes in the August 1, 2010, storm were analyzed in this study (the 3 two-start flashes had 2 IECs). 10 flashes from August 1,
were previously analyzed for IECs by Marshall et al. [2014]. All 13 flashes from the August 17, 2010, were analyzed for IECs (6 from Marshall et al. [2014]). Only 1 out of 92 flashes (combined with Marshall et al. [2014]) was found without an IEC by a sensor within the reversal distance. This could be because the flash was located near the reversal distance or because the IEC had a very strong initiation. The two-start flashes had higher altitudes, longer durations, and greater point dipole moments than other IECs.


BACKGROUND
The primary hypothesis of this article is that a team approach in creating a protocolized laboratory monitoring schedule for home parenteral nutrition (PN) patients improves patient safety by decreasing the occurrence of nutrition deficiencies and is cost-effective.

METHODS
In this prospective cohort study of home PN patients, each patient followed an established protocol of laboratory monitoring and weekly review by an interdisciplinary team of dietitians, nurses, and physicians. Data collected included anthropometric measurements, laboratory results, deviations from laboratory protocols, laboratory charges, PN shortage information, and means of ameliorating such shortages. Cost-effectiveness analysis was only performed for nonmicronutrient laboratory tests.

RESULTS
Fifteen children (male, n = 6) with a median age of 59 months (range, 19-216) were included in this study. Primary diagnoses included short bowel syndrome (47%) and intestinal pseudo-obstruction (40%). Patients received PN mixtures from 6 different infusion companies and experienced 60 different shortages in the PN formulation requiring adjustments or substitutions (mean, 4 shortages per patient). All patients had appropriate growth and complete micronutrient monitoring. No patient experienced any clinical symptoms due to shortages. The median number of laboratory draws/patient per month was 2.9 preprotocol compared with 1.14 postprotocol (P = .003). The median per patient per month charges were $2014 (interquartile range [IQR], 1471-2780) preprotocol compared with $792 (IQR, 435-1140) postprotocol (P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS
A structured team approach to laboratory monitoring of home PN patients can simplify PN management, significantly decrease monthly laboratory costs, and lead to fewer laboratory draws while improving micronutrient monitoring and preventing deficiencies.


Sex Hormones not only regulate reproductive function, but they also play a prominent role in the biology and physiology of several organs/tissues and in the pathophysiology of several diseases. During the last two decades, the information on the mechanisms of action of sex hormones, such as estrogens and androgens, has rapidly evolved from the conventional nuclear receptor dependent mechanisms to include additional non-nuclear, non-genomic and receptor-independent mechanisms. This highlights the need to update the current knowledge on sex hormones and their mode of action. Increasing evidence that exogenous/epigenetic factors can influence sex hormone production and action highlights the need to update our knowledge on the mechanisms involved. This book provides a systematic and updated overview of the male/female sex-hormones and their impact in the biology and physiology of various organs. Additionally, the book discusses their positive and negative association with the pathophysiology of various diseases (e.g. osteoporosis, cardiovascular-disease, hypogonadism, reproduction, cancer) and their therapeutic potential.


This paper discusses how one business school developed speed networking events in order to prepare students for introduction into the workplace while serving as a demonstration of how they engage their students with the business community.  The benefits of hosting a Speed Networking event are numerous.  Stakeholders who gain from these events include students, potential employers, alumni and those who wish to demonstrate business school impact and engagement.  In addition to providing guidance in planning and executing the event, the paper provides details regarding how to recruit students, recruit professionals and best promote, create, and execute an experiential learning Speed Networking event.


provisions of section 216 of the Act, but the classification endorsed on the immigrant visa does not so indicate, the endorsement shall be corrected and the alien shall be admitted as a lawful permanent resident on a conditional basis, if otherwise admissible. Conversely, if the alien is not subject to the provisions of section 216 of the Act, but the visa classification endorsed on the immigrant visa indicates that the alien is subject thereto (e.g., if the second anniversary of the marriage upon which the immigrant visa is based occurred after the issuance of the visa and prior to the alien's application for admission) the endorsement on the visa shall be corrected and the alien shall be admitted as a lawful permanent resident without conditions, if otherwise admissible. (c) Expired conditional permanent resident status. The lawful permanent resident alien status of a conditional resident automatically terminates if the conditional basis of such status is not removed by the Service through approval of a Form I–751, Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence or, in the case of an alien entrepreneur (as defined in section 216A(f)(1) of the Act), Form I–829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions. Therefore, an alien who is seeking admission as a returning resident subsequent to the second anniversary of the date on which conditional residence was obtained (except as provided in § 1211.1(b)(1) of this chapter) and whose conditional basis of such residence has not been removed pursuant to section 216(c) or 216A(c) of the Act, whichever is applicable, shall be placed under removal proceedings. However, in a case where conditional residence was based on a marriage, removal proceedings may be terminated and the alien may be admitted as a returning resident if the required Form I–751 is filed jointly, or by the alien alone (if appropriate), and approved by the Service. In the case of an alien entrepreneur, removal proceedings may be terminated and the alien admitted as a returning resident if the required Form I–829 is filed by the alien entrepreneur and approved by the Service.


Regulatory T lymphocytes (T-regs) may be involved in suppressing the host's immunity, which is important for viral clearance, and may therefore contribute to persistent viral infection. However, nothing is known regarding the situation of porcine T-regs during persistent infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). This study, which used flow cytometry and real-time PCR, determined that the frequencies of CD4+CD25+ T-cells and porcine Forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (FoxP3) mRNA levels in peripheral blood significantly increased during PRRSV persistence, indicating that CD4+CD25+ T-regs might play an important role in PRRSV persistent infection. This study contributes to a better understanding of the immunological basis of PRRSV persistence.


It has been shown that megasonics can accelerate strip processes such as doped and plasma treated photoresist [1]. However, applied megasonic energy can also damage sensitive semiconductor devices. It was shown that adding a solvent such as IPA or lowering the temperature helps to control cavitation in semi-aqueous fluids [2]. Sonochemical reactions have been observed in various industries, however, there are no published observations in semiconductor cleaning. Ions may form in megasonic driven bubble collapse impacted by the characteristics of a gas or liquid that enters the bubble from the bulk liquid. Lower ionization potential gases or liquids may form ions earlier in the bubble collapse, so as to use up some of the total available energy through sonochemical reactions and possibly reducing the cavitations implosive energy. Here, tests are conducted to vary the liquid and gas type based on ionization potential to look into the impact this would have on cleaning and damage. It is shown that lower ionization or liquid additives lower the device damage.


Default Initial skill, read ODD for more info. The purpose of the model presented by Salau is to study the 'player profit vs. club benefit' dilemma present in professional soccer organizations, in truth, it is present in
most of the sports industry. This social dilemma is present on two intertwined levels, the managerial front and the base level of players. This model also seeks to locate any factor(s) that may lead to the long run stability or instability of team structure and change in frequency of transfer bids.


Empirical social science often relies on data that are not observed in the field, but are transformed into quantitative variables by expert researchers who analyze and interpret qualitative raw sources. While generally considered the most valid way to produce data, this expert-driven process is inherently difficult to replicate or to assess on grounds of reliability. Using crowd-sourcing to distribute text for reading and interpretation by massive numbers of nonexperts, we generate results comparable to those using experts to read and interpret the same texts, but do so far more quickly and flexibly. Crucially, the data we collect can be reproduced and extended transparently, making crowd-sourced datasets intrinsically reproducible. This focuses researchers' attention on the fundamental scientific objective of specifying reliable and replicable methods for collecting the data needed, rather than on the content of any particular dataset. We also show that our approach works straightforwardly with different types of political text, written in different languages. While findings reported here concern text analysis, they have far-reaching implications for expert-generated data in the social sciences.


Medical-care expenditures have been rising rapidly, accounting for over 17 percent of GDP in 2012. In this study, we assess the sources of the rising medical-care expenditures in the commercial sector. We employ a novel framework for decomposing expenditure growth into four components at the disease level: service price growth, service utilization growth, treated disease prevalence growth, and demographic shift. The decomposition shows that growth in prices and treated prevalence are the primary drivers of medical-care expenditure growth over the 2003 to 2007 period. There was no growth in service utilization at the aggregate level over this period. Price and utilization growth were especially large for the treatment of malignant neoplasms. For many conditions, treated prevalence has shifted towards preventive treatment and away from treatment for late-stage illnesses.


The publication of this book comes at a time when hostilities between the Philippine armed forces and the MILF in Mindanao are relatively scaled down as more civil and non-belligerent ways are considered in the attempt to bring to an end a conflict that has caused instability and disorder in many parts of the islands in the past 5 decades or so. Dr. Tanggol covers five major topics in this book. These are Regional Autonomy in the Philippines; Theory and Practice of Federalism; Federalism, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict; Federalism in Switzerland; and Federalism in the Philippines: Status and Prospects.


Within the field of Sino-Tibetan frontier studies, there is very little indepth scholarly discussion about commerce, trade, and the people who facilitated these activities across the Sino-Tibetan border; studies in English are particularly sparse. This article aims to contribute to a wider and deeper understanding of the nature of trade on the Sino-Tibetan frontier and the role of women as facilitators by looking at some of the actual "dealmakers." In the border town of Dartsedo—the "Shanghai of Tibet"—guozhuang (trading houses, Tib. achak khapa) not only evolved into convenient spaces for travelers to come to rest, but also were spaces of flux. It was in these trading houses that traditional notions of gender, class, and hierarchy were called into question and played out in unexpected ways. Women came to dominate the guozhuang because the work was likened to managing a household and therefore viewed as a lower-status occupation. This notion was reinforced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Chinese values and customs were introduced into the local society through frequent intermarriages between Han and Tibetan inhabitants in Dartsedo.


Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to be a major challenge for public health authorities worldwide. While potential causes such as obesity, physical inactivity, and dietary patterns have been proposed to explain the growing epidemic, there may also be unidentified environmental determinants. An emerging field of research is starting to examine the association of infectious and environmental pathogens with diabetes. In particular, the potential of these pathogens to cause low-grade inflammation that facilitates the risk and development of T2DM. An understudied pathogen of potential interest is the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). There is limited clinical evidence supporting the association between chronic T. gondii infection and the development of many disorders, including T2DM, in both animals and humans. This review (1) addresses the existing knowledge of the role of T. gondii in the inflammation process leading to T2DM, (2) examines the current studies describing the relationship between T. gondii and T2DM, and (3) makes recommendations for future studies to determine the role of T. gondii in the pathogenesis of T2DM. We believe that T. gondii may be an important target for T2DM intervention, and propose a new field of study, "toxoplasmic type 2 diabetes."


The liver may be a central immunologic organ with a high exposure to current antigens and endotoxins from the gut microbiota, notably enriched for innate immune cells (macrophages, innate liquid body substance cells, mucosalassociated invariant T (MAIT) cells). The liver may be a member of the system having immune cells for the most part in Associate in Nursing activated state. Its principal tasks square measure the reassurance of the peripheral immune tolerance of the organism with the assistance of the haemopoetic cells and reworking and reworking.


We studied the factors that determine supply, demand and elasticity of consumption of fish in the world, EU and Serbia. The annual fish supply in the world is 145 million tons with a rate increase of 1.9%. World production per capita is 21.3 kg and the consumption is 17.2 kg. Production in the EU amounts to 12 million tons of fish and participates in the world`s production with 8.3%. Consumption per capita has stagnated at 22 kg. Fish production in Serbia is 12.5 thousand tons and records an increase rate of 20%. Production per capita is 1.7 kg, and the consumption is 5.7 kg. The income elasticity of consumption of fish in the EU is inelastic and is 0.423, and -0.311 in price. In Serbia, income elasticity of fish consumption is 0.549, and -0.402 in price. The elasticity of fish consumption compared to the prices of pork and chicken meat is positive, low and shows that these meat are substitutes. Regression parameters show that an increase in income causes a greater demand for fish, and increase in prices of fish has influenced decreased demand.


one of the most important functions of the american society of Colon and Rectal surgeons (asCRs) is to provide continuing education for its members and other interested physicians. it has done this over the years through presentations at its annual convention. however, the surgeon's own personal effort is the factor in the successful accomplishment of continuing self-education. this can best be done through daily practice, consultation with colleagues, attendance at hospital and medical school staff meetings, and by a systematic study of the current literature. as a further aid to the surgeon's self-education, asCRs offers a syllabus, designed as a study vehicle preparatory to taking the self-assessment examination. syllabus Viii has been completed by the asCRs self-assessment Committee and is the basis for the self-assessment examination. Educational Objectives. this self-assessment program is designed to provide surgeons with in-depth and up-to-date knowledge relative to surgery of the colon and rectum. at the conclusion of this CaRseP program, the physician should be able to:


Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition in persons over 65 years of age. In the United States alone, there is a 30% prevalence rate in the community and greater than 50% prevalence in nursing homes.1 Even though prevalence increases with age, UI is never normal and it remains treatable regardless of age.


A six-port system has been developed and applied to the precision measurement of power and complex reflection coefficient in WR-15 (50-75 GHz) waveguide. The system is automated except for frequency and switching control for the signal source. This system provides a time saving factor of at least five as compared to a tuned reflectometer with little if any degradation in accuracy.


Education plays a very significant role in molding individuals that will become assets of the society. The various subjects offered in the schools are contributory for their holistic development. Thus, in any case, it may be reflected through poor performance. This study aimed to find out the level of performance in History and problems they have encountered in learning of the BSEd students of UNP especially on cognitive and affective skills along political, socioeconomic and cultural components. It was anchored on Ausubel's Cognitive theory and Schema theory. Descriptive design was employed, and data were gathered through a teacher-made test and interview guide. The results revealed that the performance of the students along the three components is satisfactory. It was disclosed that they poorly perform on socioeconomic component and along knowledge and comprehension. Further, problems met along instruction like poor teaching methods, inefficient and ineffective teachers are primary reasons as to why they poorly performed in History. Based on the findings, students in History would tend to perform well if topics included in the test are well discussed, and teaching is well-planned, thus making it interesting. It is then recommended that History instruction and test construction should be carefully planned leading to the development of higher level thinking skills. Keywords - History, performance, political, economic, socio-cultural, cognitive, affective level, descriptive design, Philippines


Starting in the fall of 1997, the World Bank Institute organized a learning program on Intergovernmental Roles in the Delivery of Education Services in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Bulgaria and Albania joined in 1998. The program aimed to help build analytical capacity to understand the ways that existing and future intergovernmental arrangements infringe on the effectiveness of service delivery in the education sector. Country teams prepared country assessments of intergovernmental arrangements in the education sector. Each country report reviewed the roles being played by different actors in the system, analyzed the main contradictions emerging from those roles, and developed a set of proposals directed to resolving those contradictions. These reports provided basis for a program of group learning under which the teams from different countries exchanged views and learned from each other through a series of workshops and seminars. The overview in this book introduces the concept of institutions and the methodology of institutional analysis used in the program, It also discusses the group learning approach used. It also presents a preliminary assessment of substantive lessons regarding the implications of service delivery. The following country chapters provide a systematic and updated view of where the different countries involved are in terms of reforming the governance structure in their education systems.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the common neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, it affects the elderly and associates with the movement disorder. The hallmarks of PD are progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and the appearance of Lewy bodies in the affected neurons. At present, the etiology of PD is not well understood and may reflect the interactions of environmental and genetic factors. The main hurdle in studying PD pathogenesis is the inaccessibility to the brain tissues from PD patients. Recent advances in cellular reprogramming now allow an alternative approach for investigating PD. PD patients' dermal fibroblasts can be converted to the pluripotent state, and further differentiated to the disease relevant cell type, dopaminergic neurons. Such PD affected neurons in culture represent a promising departure point for exploring the pathogenic factors of PD.
Here, we have generated disease specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from 3 individual idiopathic PD patients and 2 healthy persons' fibroblast. We applied a single lentiviral vector (hSTEMCCA-loxP) encoding OCT4, KLF4, SOX2, and c-MYC, and subsequently were able to generate the transgene-free hiPSCs using Cre-loxP recombination. The genomic constitutions of PD-hiPSCs were found identical to their parental fibroblasts by DNA fingerprinting. The characteristics of PD-hiPSCs resembled human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) displaying the expression of pluripotency marker genes, and the capability of differentiating into the three germ layers. Neural precursors were derived from PD-hiPSCs, and then examined by transcriptome analysis. Our results revealed some differentially expressed genes involved in axon guidance and neuron differentiation. Among those candidates, FGF20 was down regulated in PD patients. By Directed differentiation of floor-plate (FP) derived midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons from hiPSCs, large population of specific midbrain dopaminergic neurons could be achieved. We exposed these control and PD specific hiPSCs derived mDA neurons to mitochondrial stress. PD-hiPSC derived mDA neurons were susceptible to CCCP treatments. Interestingly, FGF20 was able to counteract these cellular stresses. FGF20, therefore, might hold the capacity for dopaminergic neuroprotection.


Lymphangiomatosis, a rare diseases of controversial origin, occurs in individuals of any age, regardless of gender, but is predominantly seen in younger individuals. It often presents with thoracic involvement, although, the bones, spleen and liver can also be affected. Histologically, the pulmonar involvement includes proliferation, complex anastomoses and secondary dilatation of the lymphatic vessels. Clinically, the presentation is variable. Although radiographic findings can be suggestive of the disease, the final diagnosis is made histologically. We report two cases of lymphangiomatosis, both in females: one was oligosymptomatic and is being treated for the disease; the other had a more progressive form, was diagnosed quite late and ultimately died of the disease.


Background: Adolescents are an important part of the community in Indonesia. Adolescentstendtohaveseveralproblems,particularlyin healthcare.Thereis aneed for improvements in medical care in order for teenagers to receive better health and psychological treatments. Comprehensive healthy teenage health services (In Bahasa: Pelayanan Remaja Sehat Milik Nasyiatul Aisyiyah /PASHMINA) appears as a solution for this adolescent's problem.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze the motivation of adolescents and their satisfaction from the comprehensive teenage health service.
Methods: This was a descriptive quantitative study. The subjects were 100 and 137 adolescents involved in PASHMINA. The data of their satisfaction was collected by using a questionnaire based on the theory of the SERVQUAL method. Results: This study suggested that adolescents have high motivation (93.43%) and moderate motivation (6.57%). In regards to their satisfaction, the result is divided into five dimensions: tangibles (74% - very satisfied), reliability (63% - very satisfied), responsiveness (80% - very satisfied), assurance (82% - very satisfied) and empathy (84%-verysatisfied).
Conclusion: Adolescents are satisfied withPASHMINA'sservices and have a high motivation to use them.ThegovernmentandNasyiatulAisyiyahshould cooperates in order to ensure that those can be done in a huge area of Indonesia.


The interlayer dielectric (ILD) chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process was characterized using frictional forces, material removal rates, thermal measurements, and theory. Experiments were performed on a novel 200 mm tribometer in which friction force was acquired in two directions, giving a complete resolution of the force vector in the CMP process. A thermal study of the pad surface was conducted using an infrared video camera to simultaneously measure temperature changes. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood model with a reaction temperature based on a flash heating hypothesis was applied to the experimental data to evaluate the chemical and mechanical contributions during ILD CMP. The results obtained from the 200 mm tribometer were compared to those from a 100 mm tribometer. Results showed that the scale-up of the ILD process from 100 to 200 mm caused a transition from a mechanically limited regime, in which it was still possible to detect thermal effects, to a higher degree of mechanical limitation where it was no longer nossible to detect thermal effects.


Purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate toxicity, response, and changes in oxygenation (pO2) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) treated with concurrent taxol, hyperthermia (HT), and radiation therapy (RT) followed by mastectomy. Experimental Design: Eighteen patients with LABC were enrolled from October 1995 through February 1999. Treatment consisted of taxol (175 mg/m2) given every 3 weeks for three cycles. Radiation therapy included the breast and regional nodes with a dose of 50 Gy, followed by a boost to 60–65 Gy for those not undergoing surgery. Mastectomy was performed for patients deemed resectable after this neoadjuvant program. HT was administered twice per week. Oxygenation was measured before the first HT treatment and 24 h after the first HT treatment. Results: Fifteen of 18 patients responded, 6 with a clinical complete response, 9 with a partial clinical response, and 3 nonresponders. Thirteen underwent mastectomy with 3 pathological complete responses. Tumor hypoxia was present in 8 of 13 patients (pO2 = 4.7 ± 1.2 mmHg). Five patients had well-oxygenated tumors (pO2 = 27.6 ± 7.8 mmHg). Patients with well-oxygenated tumors before treatment as well as those with significant reoxygenation had a favorable clinical response. Tumor reoxygenation appeared to be temperature dependent and associated with the lower thermal doses. Conclusions: This novel therapeutic program resulted in a high response rate in patients with LABC. Hyperthermia may offer a strategy for improving tumor reoxygenation with consequent treatment response. However, the effect of hyperthermia on tumor reoxygenation appears to depend on thermal dose and requires additional investigation.


Purpose: The current pandemic crisis caused by Covid-19 significantly impacted the processes of European integration. The European Union decided to act within and beyond existing competences and instruments to support the efforts of its Member States, along with regional and local authorities, in the fight against Covid-19. Our study sheds light on the instruments and solutions proposed within the framework of the cohesion and budget policy to tackle the problems related to Covid-19 in Europe. The analysis focuses on two strands: 1) EU assistance offered through cohesion policy (CP) instruments toward above areas; 2) the future evolution of EU budget, and therefore integration shifts, provoked by the Covid-19 crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The study analyzes statistical data with regard to the use of instruments of the Cohesion Policy under the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the amendments introduced to legal acts and decision-making processes that refer to the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021–2027. Findings: We notice a strong shift of priorities regarding environment transformation, digitalization, and health protection, reflected in the MFF. The coordinative role of European institutions and the redirection of different financial instruments to health care follows the neofunctionalist paradigm and represents a spillover effect resulting from integration. The crisis analyzed from the institutional perspective is seen as a chance to reform the decision-making process, while on the other hand, as a threat to the inclusive integration of all Member States. Originality and value: The paper is an original contribution on the overall use of both financial and legislative instruments in the times of unprecedented health and economic crisis caused by Covid-19 in the European Union. The text can be a valuable insight for both researchers and practitioners in the field of broadly understood European studies.


Theoretical studies of predator-prey population dynamics have increasingly centered on the role of space and the movement of organisms. Yet, empirical studies have been slow to follow suit. Herein, we quantified the long-range movement of a checkered beetle, Thanasimus dubius, which is an important predator of a pernicious forest pest, the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis. Adult checkered beetles were marked and released at five sites and subsequently recaptured at traps baited with pine and pine beetle semiochemicals and located at distances up to 2 km away from the release point. While the pattern of recaptures-with-distance at each site provided a modest fit to a simple random-diffusion model, there was a consistent discrepancy between observed and expected recaptures: a higher than expected proportion of beetles were recaptured at the more distant traps. To account for this deviation, we developed a model of diffusion that allowed for simple heterogeneity in the population of marked beetles; i.e., a slow and fast moving form of the checkered beetle. This model provided a significantly better fit to the data and formed the basis for our estimates of intra-forest movement. We estimated that on average, one half of the checkered beetles dispersed at least 1.25 km, one third dispersed > 2 km, and 5% dispersed > 5 km. The source of the heterogeneous dispersal rates were partially due to differences in beetle size: smaller beetles (for both males and females) were more likely to be recaptured away from the release site than larger beetles. The southern pine beetle (prey for the checkered beetle) exhibited no significant heterogeneity in dispersal ability and provided a very good fit to the simple diffusion model. The only difference in dispersal between these two species was that checkered beetles were undergoing greater long-distance dispersal than the pine beetles (the radius containing 95% of the dispersing individuals was 5.1 km for the checkered beetle and 2.3 km for the pine beetle). Data on the movement of these two species is used to evaluate a general model of spatial pattern formation in a homogeneous environment, and the potential of the checkered beetle as a biological control agent for the southern pine beetle.


Focusing on the case of deverbal gradable adjectives such as acquainted, we show that the selective behavior of degree modifiers such as very and well provides an important prove on the semantic typology of adjectives. Specifically, we demonstrate that the distribution of degree modifiers is closely tied to the scalar structure of the adjectives they modify, and that scale structure also determines one of the core semantic properties of gradable adjectives: the nature of the «standard values» according to which sentences involving adjectival predications are judged to be true. In addition, we show that in the case of deverbal gradable adjectives, scalar structure can be inferred from the aspectual properties of the source verbs, providing a basis for predicting which degree modifiers will be acceptable with which participles.


The aim of this essay is to carry out a study of the Swedish sculptor, Ida Matton (1863-1940), who lived and worked most of her adult life in Paris and who has hitherto been unexplored by art historians. It has taken its material from two main sources: previously unexamined material from the Ida Matton archive at Uppsala university library and Matton's own sculptures in Gavle. In addition, the essay has also taken into account relevant secondary material regarding the Parisian art field at the turn of the last century. The study focuses on two main points: firstly, the position that Ida Matton created for herself in Paris and the cultural context she moved in, secondly the strategies she used to make herself known in the Swedish art field. Questions that have been raised in the first part are for example: What educational opportunities did a woman sculptor have in Paris? What artistic tendencies were supported by the private art schools that Matton attended and how did they affect her artistic development? What was the general attitude to women sculptors and what sculptors was Matton influenced by? What did her social room and her social network look like? As regards the Swedish art field the main points for discussion have been how Matton was met by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Konstnarsforbundet and other agents within the field, as well as by art critics in Swedish newspapers and magazines. Special attention has also been given to the role of Matton's family and friends in her personal and artistic life. Building on modern gender studies and, to some extent, Bourdieu's art-sociological perspectives, this essay argues that Ida Matton had a strong position within the Parisian art field; she won 'mentions honorables' at the French Salon and a Prix de sculpture for one of her sculptures. She was respected and esteemed in the Swedish colony in Paris, but her artistic, social and cultural capital was of very little significance in Sweden. The study proposes that there are three main reasons for this. Firstly, women artists in general had difficulties in being accepted and acknowledged in the male-dominated domain. Secondly, already established male artists possessed the consecrating power and they were reluctant to allow women into the field, in particular if they had been educated and lived abroad. It is shown that Matton tried various strategies to be recognized but that she was marginalized by the Swedish male establishment. Thirdly, the essay demonstrates that Ida Matton worked within an art tradition, the French salon sculpture, which was downgraded by the Swedish art establishment, but stayed alive and was appreciated by the French public much longer. The French salon sculpture has continued to be looked down upon over the years and thereby Ida Matton, an artist well schooled in this tradition, has been overlooked and forgotten. As this essay is the first to explore Ida Matton's archive from an academic point of view, it will hopefully provide a new perspective on Matton's art and contribute to her being written into art history in her own right


Amantadine and rimantadine are anti-influenza A drugs that target the M2 protein, located within the viral envelope. Over the last century, the circulating human Influenza A viruses in the UK have included H1N1, H2N2 and H3N2 antigenic subtypes. The main aim of this study was to analyse the national archive of influenza A viruses for amantadine susceptibility as there is limited data on natural resistance over the entire period of circulation of influenza A viruses. Over 2300 influenza A viruses were screened from a period representing all influenza seasons and antigenic variants over the last 40 years in the UK. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses determined the frequency of amantadine-resistance. Enzyme- linked immunoassay and plaque reduction assay determined resistance to be 2.4% and 2.1% for H3N2 and MINI viruses, respectively. No evidence of amantadine-resistance was found in the limited number of H2N2 viruses screened. Amino acid mutations within the M2 protein transmembrane domain were found in 22/48 of resistant viruses. Serine to asparagine substitutions at amino acid position 31 were most frequent, conferring resistance in 9/22 viruses. A large group of phenotypically resistant viruses did not contain any M2 transmembrane mutations; no other mutations within the matrix genes could be attributed to the resistance. The occurrence of resistance over time was sporadic and often occurred in clusters. Some of the clusters were traced to outbreaks of influenza where amantadine had been used to limit the spread of disease. The emergence of natural resistance within the population was low and did not persist through influenza seasons. Analysis of the M gene sequence indicated that the two matrix gene products. M1 and M2, evolved independently of each other. M2 evolved at a faster rate of nucleotide and amino acid change than M1.

Twelve influenza A H3N2 viruses were isolated from a persistent infection of an immunocompromised host. An amantadine-resistant virus population emerged following a short course of amantadine treatment and was maintained for eighteen months in the absence of drug pressure. Virus isolates were mixtures of amantadine-sensitive and -resistant variants, which varied over time. Mutations within the haemagglutinin (HA) molecule suggested that the viral population had undergone antigenic drift over the study period. There was no detectable immune response within the host, therefore the drift, or evolution of these viruses had occurred without the selection pressure of a competent immune system. Fixed mutations within antigenically important regions of the HA molecule were found to affect receptor-binding properties of the viruses. The HA molecule had an increased rate of evolution compared to field virus strains that circulated over the same period as the persistent infection. The emergence and progression of amantadine-resistance and viral evolution within the normal and immunocompromised host will be discussed.


Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate changes on the surfaces of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), silicone, and polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) intraocular lenses (IOL) that had been implanted in the anterior chambers of the right eyes of 15 dogs. Five dogs received PMMA IOL; 5 dogs received silicone IOL; and 5 dogs received HEMA IOL. Twenty-eight days after surgery, the IOL were removed and processed for scanning electron microscopy. Nonimplanted IOL of each type were processed identically for comparison. Implanted PMMA IOL had significantly more debris and macrophages on their surfaces than did silicone IOL or HEMA IOL. Silicone IOL had significantly less fibrin deposition than did PMMA or HEMA IOL. Silicone IOL had surface defects attributable to handling by surgical instruments. Implanted HEMA IOL had multiple pits that appeared to be caused by biodegradation.


Moisture transmission behaviour of clothing plays an important role in determining thermophysiological clothing comfort. Prediction of moisture transmission properties of textile materials is very useful to characterize the clothing comfort and it also helps to design the fabric as per the specific requirements. Prediction of moisture transmission behaviour of textile material is highly complex due to the interactive effects of various fibre, yarn and fabric parameters. The present book deals with the theoretical and experimental work to establish the relationship between different fibre and yarn parameters with vapour and liquid moisture transmission characteristics of woven fabrics. Work has been carried out to understand the effect of different fibre and yarn parameters and their interactive effects on vapour as well as liquid moisture transmission properties of fabric. Based on the understanding from the experimental analysis, various influencing parameters of yarn and fabric have been included in the development of the theoretical models to predict the vertical wicking behaviour of yarn and fabrics.


In this paper we present an implemented solution for post-editing dictionaries within the Lexonomy dictionary writing system interconnected with the Sketch Engine corpus management system. We follow up on the work on automatic dictionary drafting ("One-Click Dictionary") and assume a dictionary draft to be post-edited, or an existing (edited) dictionary to be extended are in place. We cover focus on features that enable lexicographers to obtain relevant corpus evidence or corpus-driven analysis in a user-friendly way from within the environment of the dictionary writing system and thus speed up their workflow. We exemplify the usage scenario in an ongoing project on Danish-English-Korean bilingual dictionary.


Usually, the NICS values at 1.0 A above the center serve as the NICS probe to estimate the aromaticity of planar or nearly planar π-conjugated molecules. How does one judge the aromaticity of hoop-shaped π-conjugated molecules? In this work, [6]8cyclacene and [16]trannulene are used as representative molecules to further study the aromaticity from a new research perspective by using the NICS values scan in three-dimensional space methodology. A huge difference of aromaticity has been observed in three-dimensional space through the method. The main ring current of [6]8cyclacene has been located on the stacked [16]trannulene, the distance of which is 0.8 A to the edge. The main ring current of [16]trannulene has been located on the center cross-section, the distance of which is 1.4 A to the edge. This demonstrates that the detailed NICS values scan method is more reasonable to describe the aromaticity than a single NICS value. The method is not only helpful in understanding the internal magnetic field structure of hoop-shaped π-conjugated molecules but also of other planar or spherical aromatic structures. In addition to this, the methodology successfully helps us to clearly understand the aromaticity of any point in three-dimensional space and confirm the main ring current position inside a molecule.


We present a novel framework for inferring 3D carpal bone kinematics and bone shapes from a single view fluoroscopic sequence. A hybrid statistical model representing both the kinematics and shape variation of the carpal bones is built, based on a number of 3D CT data sets obtained from different subjects at different poses. Given a fluoroscopic sequence, the wrist pose, carpal bone kinematics and bone shapes are estimated iteratively by matching the statistical model with the 2D images. A specially designed cost function enables smoothed parameter estimation across frames. We have evaluated the proposed method on both simulated data and real fluoroscopic sequences. It was found that the relative positions between carpal bones can be accurately estimated, which is potentially useful for detection of conditions such as scapholunate dissociation.


In the area of dental treatment for crown and dental implants, ceramics restoration is becoming popular due to both aesthetic needs and release of metallic allergy. However, for the restoration of defected tooth, ceramics materials with higher reliability than that of conventional glass or alumina have been required, thus raising expectations for zirconia ceramics. Since residual stress play a significant role in the reliability of dental implants, in this paper, a non-destructive assessment of residual stress is presented for a zirconia-substrate/VINTAGE ZR T-Glass system using confocal fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy.


A P - and S -wave velocity model of the post-Paleozoic sediments has been developed across the Upper Mississippi Embayment between the latitudes of 35¼°N and 35½°N. The model was constructed by P -wave soundings and reversed SH -wave refraction/reflection profiles acquired at 5-km intervals along the corridor. The results from these data were integrated with previously acquired P - and SH -wave velocity estimates, P -wave CDP reflection profiles, P -wave sonic logs, travel-time differences between earthquake-generated S and Sp waves, and top-of-bedrock elevation from nearby drillholes. A three-layered S -wave velocity model is proposed from this data set. The uppermost layer, which is not discussed in this paper (see Street et al. , 2001), varies from a few tens of meters thick near the edges of the embayment to as much as 190 m thick near the center of the study area; the S -wave velocities of these unlithified to poorly lithified sediments are highly variable (typically ranging between 150 and 600 m/s) and site-dependent. The second layer in the S -wave velocity model extends from the base of the near-surface layer to the acoustical top of the Cretaceous sediments, which is, ∼650 m below sea level near the center of the study area. The lateral S -wave velocity variance of this layer is defined in three segments: Near the western edge of the study area in northeastern Arkansas the velocity varies between 650 and 700 m/s; the central study area ranges between 795 and 840 m/s; and near the eastern edge of the study area in western Tennessee it ranges between 500 and 550 m/s. The S -wave velocities of the third layer, the Cretaceous section, vary between 725 and 775 m/s at the edges of the study area but between 1,010 and 1,060 m/s near the center.


Using femtosecond resolution X-ray solution scattering at a free electron laser we were able to directly observe metal–metal bond cleavage upon photolysis at 400 nm of Ru_3(CO)_12, a prototype for the photochemistry of transition metal carbonyls. This leads to the known single intermediate Ru_3(CO)_11(μ-CO)*, with a bridging ligand (μCO) and where the asterisk indicates an open Ru_3-ring. This loses a CO ligand on a picosecond time scale yielding a newly observed triple bridge intermediate, Ru_3(CO)_8(μ-CO)_3*. This loses another CO ligand to form the previously observed Ru_3(CO)_10, which returns to Ru_3(CO)_12 via the known single-bridge Ru_3(CO)_10(μ-CO). These results indicate that contrary to long standing hypotheses, metal–metal bond breakage is the only chemical reaction immediately following the photolysis of Ru_3(CO)_12 at 400 nm. Combined with previous picosecond resolution X-ray scattering data and time resolved infrared spectroscopy these results yield a new mechanism for the photolysis of Ru_3(CO)_12.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate the extent to which the report of awake bruxism is associated with psychological distress, and with the belief that oral behaviours put a strain on the masticatory system among TMD-pain patients.

METHODS
The study sample consisted of 1,830 adult patients with reported function-dependent TMD pain. Awake bruxism was assessed through six items of the Oral Behaviors Checklist. Psychological distress was assessed by means of somatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Causal attribution belief was measured with the question "Do you think these behaviours put a strain on your jaws, jaw muscles, and/or teeth?".

RESULTS
Mean age of all participants was 42.8 (+15.2) years, 78.2% being female. Controlled for sex, positive, yet weak, correlations were found between awake bruxism and somatic symptom severity (rs =0.258; P<0.001), depression (rs =0.272; P<0.001), and anxiety (rs =0.314; P<0.001): patients with the highest scores reported approximately twice as much awake bruxism compared to those with minimal scores. Controlled for age and sex, a positive, moderate correlation was found between awake bruxism and causal attribution belief (rs =0.538; P<0.001). Patients who believed that performing awake oral behaviours put 'very much' a strain on the masticatory system reported four times more awake bruxism than patients who did not believe that these behaviours are harmful.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results and relevant scientific literature, the theoretical background mechanisms of our findings are discussed in four scenarios that are either in favour of the use of self-report of awake bruxism being a representation of masticatory muscle activity awareness, or against it.


The chapter explores why teamwork and communication is a vital component of working with children and their families. Whilst at university and in placement the undergraduate early years student will spend a lot of time working with others therefore needs to develop effective teamwork skills and have the ability to communicate clearly. A variety of theorists and researchers have developed models and approaches that can support people in developing their skills, so that they are able to work efficiently within a team environment. Some of these include Tuckman's group formation and Forsyth's group dynamics, Belbin's team roles and Goleman's theory of emotional intelligence and these will be discussed in the chapter.


We investigated the influence of the physical characteristics of fat globules on the creaming properties of buffalo milk and on the fatty acid profile of the various fractions separated by natural creaming. A total of six bulk buffalo milk samples were taken from one individual farm in central Italy. An aliquot of each fresh raw milk sample underwent gravity separation and three fractions were separately collected: the bottom, middle, and top. The top and medium fractions showed a significantly (P<0.01) higher average diameter of the milk fat globules and a higher percentage of large globules. The top fraction was also made up of more densely packed globules as revealed by the higher (P<0.01) number of globules per ml. The smallest globules however tended to remain in emulsion, by virtue of the greater amount of membrane per unit volume, which makes them compatible with the aqueous phase. As a result the highest percentages of small globules were found in the bottom phase. The creaming capacity of buffalo milk was lower compared to cow milk. Despite the higher contribution of lipids in the top fraction, there were more fatty acids that are considered beneficial to human health, such as C18:0 (P<0.01), C18:2 cis9, 12; C18:2 cis9, t11 (rumenic acid) and C20:3 n6. In conclusion, natural creaming can act on the quality of the products by selecting globules with different diameters and nutritional quality, thus increasing the nutritional value of dairy products.


"The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria has been attributed to the use of antimicrobials in human medicine. The contributions of veterinary medicine and agriculture to antibiotic resistance are still being investigated."1
Hence, there is pressure on analytical scientists to detect and confirm the presence of antimicrobials in foods of animal origin. The aminoglycosides and macrolides are two families of antibiotics that are very similar in structure and have important applications in veterinary medicine. These antibiotics are widely used in the treatment of bacterial infections e.g. aminoglycosides for enteritis and mastisis and macrolides for enteric infections. They have also been used as feed additives for growth promoting. As a result, legislation has been laid down by the European commission in which member states must meet strict criteria for monitoring these residues.

This thesis was undertaken to develop a UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous analysis of the aminoglycoside and macrolide antibiotics. This is the first time that a combination method for the two classes of compound was developed. A Waters Acquity/ Premier XE system with a dual ESI/APCI probe allowed for optimisation of detection for each component within a single run. For all target compounds the optimum MS ionisation mode and conditions were determined experimentally. The chromatographic conditions were investigated in order to improve separation, reduce analytical run times and meet validation requirements as per Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. While the scope of this thesis did not allow for the method to be expanded to cover the many sample matrices/ species that are required by the EU it is hoped that this will be investigated in the future. This thesis did however contain a comprehensive literature review of the current techniques employed to analyse for these residues both qualitatively and quantitatively. Sample preparation was researched and an extraction experiment was carried out comparing various solid phase extraction columns and discussed in detail in chapter 2. This experiment looked at various extraction methods to minimise matrix effects and optimise recoveries. Finally, the novel method developed and optimised for the analysis of the macrolide and aminoglycoside antibiotics using UPLC-MS/MS is presented. This will be applied to the analysis of real samples in the Central Meat Control laboratory which is a National Reference Laboratory (NRL) and expanded to cover the many species required for e.g. bovine, ovine and porcine tissues.


In camouflage image foreground will be hidden in the background image. Camouflage images can be natural and artificial. Detection of such hidden objects becomes difficult for a machine vision system and takes much time to detect and recognize whereas it is not difficult for Human Perception. Detection process involves two phases; feature search that helps in grasping the characteristic entities of an image like colour, shape, texture, pattern etc., and conjunction search which is useful for recognition of clues from multiple features. The background of the camouflage image may be uniform or non-uniform characteristic entities. Different operations can be performed on characteristic entities to make the background disappear in order to detect the foreground image. In this paper, survey on DE camouflaging methods and framework is proposed to detect objects in camouflage environments. Under this framework, textural smoothing followed by statistical characteristics is used to detect the camouflaged objects that will show a better performance based on statistical features. De-camouflaging can be used in war field, where soldiers hide themselves from the enemies with the texture similar to that of their background and decamouflaging is used to reveal the camouflages in the background


In recent years, there have been a plethora of cases in which museums have had to release treasured pieces. New legal initiatives and developments increasingly make repatriation claims by source nations and other single or group 'original owners' possible, most recently in the area of illicitly-trafficked antiquities. Recent scholarship radically questions the genealogy and functions of the museum, and its relationship with the concepts of space, culture, and identity. In terms of space, there have been analyses that place the museum at the centre of disciplinary projects, 'civilizing rituals', architectural expressions of the diremptions in the genealogies and cultural histories of modernity. In terms of culture and identity, there have been similar deconstructions of the links between nation-building and housing art and artefacts. Museums are now searching for strategies to protect their collections from the loss of authority and status that attend repatriation claims in this climate of criticism. Yet, do museums collude in this loss of authority by joining in the 'propertization' of their collections? Embedded in the notion of modern museology is the primacy of the object. This, arguably, aids the legal and political initiatives that permit deaccessioning of objects, imposing external requirements on the retention or return of certain types of collections, and regulating the relationship between the collector and the museum.


Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a potent mitogen in many cell systems. In cultured rat granulosa cells, however, IGF-I is known to be an inducer of differentiation. The present study was conducted to identify the factor which determines the direction of IGF-I action: either DNA synthesis or LH receptor expression. When granulosa cells were incubated with IGF-I in the presence of various concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), DNA synthesis as assessed by [3H]thymidine incorporation was increased only in the presence of low doses of FSH. The stimulatory effect of FSH on DNA synthesis was observed in a very narrow range of FSH concentration between 2 and 10 ng/ml. At higher concentrations, FSH had little effect on DNA synthesis but instead induced expression of receptors for luteinizing hormone (LH), a marker of granulosa cell differentiation. At 5 ng/ml, FSH elicited maximal stimulation of DNA synthesis and simultaneously induced LH receptor expression to some extent. In these cells, DNA synthesis peaked at 36 h but expression of LH receptor occurred later than 36 h, peaking at 60 h. The ability of IGF-I to stimulate DNA synthesis was enhanced by the long term pretreatment with FSH: when FSH was added from the beginning and IGF-I was added after 36 h or later, ICE-I-mediated DNA synthesis was approximately twice as great, and was accompanied by a two-fold increase in the number of bromodeoxyuridine-labeled nuclei. Under these conditions, LH receptor expression was reduced to approximately 50%. Finally when cells were incubated for 12 h with or without FSH, washed extensively with the medium and then IGF-I was added, DNA synthesis was augmented only in FSH-primed cells. Forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, reproduced the effect of FSH. These results indicate that, in the presence of FSH, IGF-I has the ability to induce both DNA synthesis and differentiation and that FSH determines the action of IGF-I on promotion of either growth or differentiation. Furthermore, priming with FSH renders granulosa cells responsive to IGF-I in terms of DNA synthesis.


We present an interaction technique that integrates spatial sensing to an interactive 3D city model in order to support efficient localization of objects (esp. buildings) known or remembered in the real world. The technique offers a unified 3D interaction scheme for both visible and remote objects. In the egocentric view, sensor data from the mobile device (accelometer, gyroscope, GPS) is utilized to couple the viewport to user's movement similarly as in mobile AR. The technique offers easy shifting from the viewport-coupled mode to a top-down view where movement is POI-based. A field experiment compared it to an exocentric technique resembling the traditional pan-and-zoom in 2D mobile maps. The two techniques showed differential benefits for target acquisition performance.


Immersion of stainless-steel (SS) samples of type X4Cr13 in ethanol solutions of stearic acid, with and without addition of α-tocopherol, resulted in a modified surface with hydrophobic and corrosion resistance characteristics. We observed a double effect: a hydrophobic and corrosion-resistant surface of SS type X4Cr13 in a solution of 3.0% (wt.) NaCl at 25ºC. The corrosion properties of bare and modified surfaces of stainless steel were tested by polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.0% (wt.) NaCl solution at 25°C. To observe the morphology and microstructures of sample surfaces, a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used after the electrochemical measurements. The results obtained from potentiodynamic polarisation measurements show that the inhibition effectiveness of X4Cr13 reached ≈ 68% in cases when surfaces were modified in stearic acid alone (EIS measurements ≈ 82%), while the values increased to more than 99.0% (for both methods) with addition of α-tocopherol (E307). Modification of the surface using an immersion method in an ethanol solution of stearic acid, especially with addition of α-tocopherol, appears to be a promising treatment for improving the corrosion resistance of stainless steel (SS) X4Cr13.


From the moment Tim Collins's speech to his men in Iraq was made public, he became more than an army colonel. He spoke to a world that was confused, at best, as to the motives for war, and gave some explanation - at last - for the need for this war and gave counsel on how it should be approached. Full of drama, thought and humour, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT describes in graphic and thrilling detail not only Tim Collins's time in Iraq in the lead up to war and during the war itself, but looks back on a life's experience in the army. He talks for the first time about the accusations of war crimes levelled against him and reveals the truth about US behaviour during the conflict. A snap shot of history, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT is an absorbing tale that will stand the test of time and is a moving lesson in the humanity that lies behind a country at war.


O GODDESS! hear these tuneless numbers, wrung By sweet enforcement and remembrance dear, And pardon that thy secrets should be sung Even into thine own soft-conched ear: Surely I dream'd to-day, or did I see The winged Psyche with awaken'd eyes? I wander'd in a forest thoughtlessly, And, on the sudden, fainting with surprise, Saw two fair creatures, couched side by side In deepest grass, beneath the whisp'ring roof Of leaves and trembled blossoms, where there ran A brooklet, scarce espied: 'Mid hush'd, cool-rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed, Blue, silver-white, and budded Tyrian They lay calm-breathing on the bedded grass; Their arms embraced, and their pinions too; Their lips touch'd not, but had not bade adieu, As if disjoined by soft-handed slumber, And ready still past kisses to outnumber At tender eye-dawn of aurorean love: The winged boy I knew; But who wast thou, O happy, happy dove? His Psyche true!


The genus Trichinella has a worldwide distribution, infecting people, domestic animals, and wildlife. It includes 13 genotypes, which are geographically delimited; Trichinella is transmitted to people through the ingestion of undercooked meat. Historically, it has been associated with pigs, but most Trichinella species affect wildlife, and cases of trichinellosis due to the consumption of game meat have been emerging. Therefore, it is important to monitor the sources of transmission to domestic animals and humans. The objective of this work was to analyze reports of Trichinella spp. in wild/feral animals around the world to identify the needs of future research in the epidemiology of the sylvatic cycle. A search of studies published until 2021 was conducted using Web of Science and SciELO. In the Palearctic, the most commonly studied hosts were wild boars and red foxes, and hosts with the highest prevalence rates were polar bears and martens. In the Nearctic, red foxes and black bears were the most frequently studied hosts, and the highest prevalence was found for wolverines and brown bears. In the Neotropics, positive reports were only identified in 2 countries, with wild boars being the most commonly studied species, and armadillos featuring the highest prevalence. In the Afrotropics, Trichinella limits its presence to Sub-Saharan Africa, where lions are the most studied hosts, and spotted hyenas have the highest prevalence. In the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones, information on wildlife is scarce; the Norwegian rat is the most frequently studied host, and the Tasmanian devil has the highest prevalence of infection. In the last decade, research on world wildlife has increased which is associated with more frequent trichinellosis outbreaks caused by the consumption of wild meat. The results suggest the need to increase research in developing countries, particularly where more diverse sources of meat are available for human consumption. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Botrocetin (venom coagglutinin) induces binding of von Willebrand factor (vWF) to platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb), resulting in platelet agglutination. A mechanism whereby botrocetin causes vWF to change to an active platelet-agglutinating form is proposed. Incubation of native vWF with botrocetin yielded an increasingly active vWF with slower migration in two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis but with no apparent change in vWF multimer pattern. The "activated" vWF eluted mainly in the void volume (Vo) (Bio-Gel A-15m column chromatography). Botrocetin eluted in the included volume (Vi). Vo peaks appeared to contain a vWF-botrocetin complex, based on bioassays and immunoassays. 125I-Botrocetin mixed with vWF eluted in two peaks: in the Vo, coincident with active vWF, and in the Vi. With von Willebrand disease (vWD) plasma lacking vWF, 125I-Botrocetin eluted in the Vi only. It did not bind to platelets without vWF. In aggregometric studies, antibodies (Ab) against botrocetin, vWF, and GPIb prevented botrocetin-induced platelet agglutination and caused dissolution of preformed platelet agglutinates. Immunostaining of aggregates with antibotrocetin Ab revealed a positive reaction. Botrocetin appears to act in a two-step manner, first binding with vWF to form a complex, which then binds to GPIb to cause agglutination. All three components, vWF, botrocetin, and GPIb, appear to be required for maintenance of stable platelet agglutinates.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine leadership behaviors associated with lean healthcare (LH) implementation and how they develop throughout the change process.Design/methodology/approachAfter a systematic literature review of 107 peer-reviewed articles on lean leaders' behaviors, the authors undertook a one-year mixed-methods study of 12 leaders within a Brazilian public hospital undergoing LH implementation. Multivariate data analysis techniques were employed.FindingsThe literature review showed some convergence between effective lean leader behaviors in both manufacturing and healthcare work settings, implying that lean leaders' behaviors are generalizable to other contexts than manufacturing. The empirical findings suggest that LH implementation needs leaders to demonstrate a set of task-oriented behaviors, especially if short-term results are mandatory. More mature lean leaders should also continue developing their relations-oriented behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the contingency theory assumes that contexts influence (lean) practices adoption, leadership behaviors may not be bound to the work context. The finding resembles the augmentation effect of leadership whereby more mature lean leaders adopt both task- and relations-oriented behaviors.Originality/valueLongitudinal studies in this field are scarce, regardless of the industrial setting. Many manufacturing and healthcare organizations crave for knowledge about lean leader behaviors throughout the lean implementation journey in order to enhance the effectiveness of their often-struggling lean initiatives. The insights derived from this study could help organizations to adjust their expectations as well as identify behavioral gaps and needs in terms of soft skills development among their leaders.


A combination discharge, obtained by superimposing a low-voltage ac arc with condensed high-voltage discharges, has been investigated with respect to its applicability in spectrochemical analysis of metals. The stability of this combination discharge is comparable to that of a spark discharge and it is considerably more intense than the spark discharge alone. The vaporization of the electrode material can be controlled to some extent independently of excitation. There are indications that this may contribute to an understanding of the influence of extraneous elements.


This Essay, included in Temple Law Review's symposium issue on Caremark, assesses the influence of "Caremark duties." Under Caremark, directors have duties to monitor their corporations for wrongdoing. Caremark has been extremely influential; firms spend considerable amounts of time and money "complying" with what are now called Caremark duties. But liability for breach of Caremark duties is exceedingly unlikely, and, in almost all cases, is completely avoidable with only minimal effort, far less than is typically expended. This Essay considers how Caremark can be both influential and legally toothless—that is, how it operates as "soft law." As soft law, Caremark can have a considerable penumbra beyond what law requires, encompassing other aspects of corporate good citizenship. I argue here that the Caremark penumbra, together with other forces promoting greater attention to societal interests, is bringing about a considerable convergence between profit maximization and corporate social responsibility, broadly construed.


Divergent word usages reflect differences among people. In this paper, we present a novel angle for studying word usage divergence — word interpretations. We propose an approach that quantifies semantic differences in interpretations among different groups of people. The effectiveness of our approach is validated by quantitative evaluations. Experiment results indicate that divergences in word interpretations exist. We further apply the approach to two well studied types of differences between people — gender and region. The detected words with divergent interpretations reveal the unique features of specific groups of people. For gender, we discover that certain different interests, social attitudes, and characters between males and females are reflected in their divergent interpretations of many words. For region, we find that specific interpretations of certain words reveal the geographical and cultural features of different regions.


The ideal neural stimulatory information transducer must be able to activate individual neural fibers within a fascicular bundle, for example in a sensory or motor nerve. In a local approach using microelectrodes it is sufficient to apply current pulses to one neural node in order to reach the stimulatory threshold of the so-called activating functions. To this end, a multielectrode array in silicon technology is being inserted into a fascicle. It is one out of several possible approaches using silicon technology. This report focuses on the sensitivity and selectivity of such a neuro-electronic interface, using monopolar cathodic stimulation pulses at one or two electrodes. A test for selectivity has been developed, using refractory properties. One conclusion is that beyond an electrode separation of 250- mu m, selectivity becomes maximal.<<ETX>>