Environmental Engel curves (EECs) plot the relationship between households' incomes and the pollution embodied in the goods and services they consume. They provide a basis for estimating the degree to which observed environmental improvements, which come in part from changing consumption patterns, can be attributed to income growth. We calculate a set of annual EECs for the United States from 1984 to 2002, revealing three clear results. First, EECs are upward sloping: richer households are indirectly responsible for more pollution. Second, EECs are convex, with income elasticities of less than one. Third, EECs have been shifting down over time: at every level of income households are responsible for decreasing amounts of pollution. We show that even without changes to production techniques, the pollution necessary to produce the goods and services American households consume would have declined 5 to 8 percent, despite a 13 percent increase in real household incomes. Most of this improvement is attributable to households consuming a less pollution-intensive mix of goods, driven about equally by two factors: household income growth represented by movement along convex EECs; and economy-wide changes represented by downward shifts in EECs.


Marc H. Hollender, MD, is a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who holds a professorship in the Department of Psychiatry of the State University of New York in Syracuse. He has had an extensive experience in the practice of psychoanalysis and psychiatry and the teaching of psychiatric residents. His experience began in Chicago, where psychiatric training has been predominantly psychoanalytically oriented, and it is obvious from this text, that psychoanalysis is basic to the training of psychiatrists in Syracuse. Without the principles of psychodynamics which psychoanalysis has discovered, modern psychotherapy would not exist. The most intensive and extensive psychotherapy is psychoanalysis itself. But most of the psychotherapy practiced in the United States, whether individual or group, brief or prolonged, by single therapists or multiple therapists, intramural, milieu or community, applies the knowledge of the human mind revealed by psychoanalysis. It would seem then that psychotherapists should first learn


Lanthanide oxide was added into the common Watt bath to make a thick nickel on the Ni-P-B coating on the quartz optical fiber surface by response surface method. The experiment showed the optimum concentrations of NiSO4•6H2O, CH3(CH2)11OSO3Na and La2O3 as well as current density were separately 220g/L, 0.08g/L, 0.9g/L and 1.0 A/m2 under which the deposition rate reached 24.2μm/h. The established model had an agreement with the experimental values and can be used to predict the deposition rate within the experimental range. The experiment also showed that the deposition rate, structure and other physical properties of the Ni coating prepared with addition of La2O3(0.9g/L) were greatly improved compared with the sample prepared without addition of La2O3 under same conditions.


Certainly the general practitioner of the future has a proper part to play in an integrated maternity service, accepting with all other participants, including the consultant, a proper measure of responsibility for the aspect of the service that he is best trained and qualified to undertake. An awareness of individual responsibility and limitation should remove completely any thought of "loss of face." Further education of the patient seems to me to be a necessary part of the responsibility of us all.-I am, etc.,


DNA sequence design is the basic and important step for DNA computing. Good codeword could avoid some error may possibly occurred in practical computing. Therefore, much work has focused on designing the DNA sequences to make the molecular computation more reliable. In this paper, a new hierarchy evolutionary searching algorithm is proposed to obtain good DNA encoding sequences, this approach is based on combinatorial constraints which affect the molecular reaction process, and can provide some reliable and effective encoding sequences for controllable DNA computing.


Abstract The world's oceans and coasts are awash in a sea of politics. The marine environment is increasingly busy, changing, and a site of degradation, marginalization, injustice, contestation and conflict over declining resources and occupied spaces at local to global scales. Themes of political ecology, such as power and politics, narratives and knowledge, scale and history, environmental justice and equity, are thus salient issues to understand in ocean and coastal governance and management. This subject review examines research on these themes of political ecology in the ocean and coastal environment and reflects on how the insights gained might be applied to governance and management. Political ecology provides important insights into: the influence of power in ocean management and governance processes; the manner in which narratives, knowledge, and scale are used to legitimize and shape policies and management efforts; the effects of historical trajectories on present circumstances, options, and practices; and the nature of inequities and environmental injustices that can occur in the marine environment. Moreover, ocean and coastal researchers, practitioners, and decision makers ought to engage with the political processes and injustices occurring in the ocean. Moving from critical insights to constructive engagements will ensure that political ecology helps to plant seeds of hope in the Anthropocene ocean.


The effect of temperature increase and more specifically its upper and low level correlates on soil microbial biomass, activity and N-cycle variables was studied in a Mediterranean shrubland. Experimental manipulation succeeded in establishing three treatments which, in comparison with the monthly ambient temperature, displayed an increase in mean monthly temperature by 2.1, 4.9 and 7.4 C respectively. Also the upper limit temperature values (Tmax), but not the low limit counterparts (Tmin), differed significantly among the three treatments. Tmax changes seemed to affect directly only the microbial biomass, while it exerted an indirect effect on the majority of the other soil variables. With increased Tmax the values of the estimated soil microbial variables (microbial biomass and activity) increased, while other soil chemical variables, such as the inorganic forms of N, were found reducing. Organic N was the only variable remaining independent from changing Tmax at any treatment. The results of this paper indicate that the level of Tmax increase could be crucial for the structure of the microbial community. A Tmax increase up to 7 C induced by climate change could favour the dominance of the soil bacterial populations, while larger increases could be in favour of the fungal populations.


The availability of donor material is a worldwide problem. The potential solutions of allografts and xenografts suffer from the severe disadvantage of a potential immunological response. Autografts could circumvent these disadvantages but the associated limited quantity and donor site morbidity limits their use. A promising alternative to donor material is tissue engineering.
For musculoskeletal tissue engineering a scaffold provides an environment for cells to form tissue. A scaffold provides temporary mechanical stability for the tissue to develop and has the ability to influence cell behavior and subsequently tissue formation. The effect of biophysical loading on cell differentiation and tissue formation in an imaged 3D scaffold was predicted with Finite Element Analysis. Initially, cells experience 2D strains as they are attached to the scaffold surface and it was shown that 2D strains are significantly lower than 3D strains, commonly used in literature. In-silico experiments of several scaffold designs showed significant effects on the stress and strain distribution during biophysical loading. Through the scaffold design, regions for specific tissue formation could be appointed. In-vitro experiments with a scaffold made of a shape memory polymer, which possessed a one-time intrinsic mechanical stimulus, showed the feasibility of culturing cells on such a scaffold and already showed an effect on cell orientation.
Besides sustaining biophysical loading, the scaffold also initially replaces the local tissue function upon implantation. In (osteo)chondral sites the friction coefficient of the tissue is an important parameter. Common used biomaterials and scaffold designs were tested biologically and tribologically for replacing (osteo)chondral defects. The scaffold design had a significant influence as the loading was not supported in some designs or reduced the friction coefficient in other designs. The chemical structure and bulk stiffness influenced cell behavior as well. Changing the molecular weight of a biomaterial, the bulk stiffness of the scaffold changed correspondingly, while the chemical structure remained the same. Decreasing the molecular weight resulted in a lower stiffness and a stronger tendency of hypertrophic chondrogenic differentiation.
The scaffold design and biophysical loading have a significant influence on cell behavior and can be tailored to control stem cell activity and tissue regeneration.


Two different analysis techniques for mapping ionospheric total electron content (TEC) are compared. The first technique approximates the ionospheric electron concentration as a thin shell at a fixed altitude. In this case, slant TEC observations are converted into vertical TEC values using a mapping function and interpolated across a grid. Other slant TEC values are then calculated from the vertical TEC grid using another mapping function. The second technique applies an advanced tomographic algorithm to invert the slant TEC observations into a time‐evolving three‐dimensional grid of electron concentration. Either slant or vertical TEC can then be extracted from the electron concentration images without the need for a mapping function. Results based on both simulated and experimental data are presented. The results indicate that the inversion offers improvements over a thin shell in the mapping of TEC at middle latitudes.


We examine the minimum entropy coupling problem, where one must find the minimum entropy variable that has a given set of distributions S = {p1,…,pm} as its marginals. Although this problem is NP-Hard, previous works have proposed algorithms with varying approximation guarantees. In this paper, we show that the greedy coupling algorithm of [Kocaoglu et al., AAAI'17] is always within log2(e) (≈ 1.44) bits of the minimum entropy coupling. In doing so, we show that the entropy of the greedy coupling is upper-bounded by H(⋀S) + log2(e). This improves the previously best known approximation guarantee of 2 bits within the optimal [Li, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory '21]. Moreover, we show our analysis is tight by constructing sets of distributions where the entropy of the minimum entropy coupling can be arbitrarily close to H(⋀S) + log2(e). Additionally, we examine a special class of instances where the greedy coupling algorithm is exactly optimal.


Abstract Background We evaluated the orexin receptor antagonist filorexant (MK-6096) for treatment augmentation in patients with major depressive disorder. Methods We conducted a 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase II, proof-of-concept study. Patients with major depressive disorder (partial responders to ongoing antidepressant therapy) were randomized 1:1 to once-daily oral filorexant 10 mg or matching placebo. Results Due to enrollment challenges, the study was terminated early, resulting in insufficient statistical power to detect a prespecified treatment difference; of 326 patients planned, 129 (40%) were randomized and 128 took treatment. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary endpoint of change from baseline to week 6 in Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score; the estimated treatment difference for filorexant-placebo was -0.7 (with negative values favoring filorexant) (P=.679). The most common adverse events were somnolence and suicidal ideation. Conclusions The interpretation of the results is limited by the enrollment, which was less than originally planned, but the available data do not suggest efficacy of orexin receptor antagonism with filorexant for the treatment of depression. (Clinical Trial Registry: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01554176)


Leaves of Ricinus communis L. show strong nyctinastic movements as well as diurnal variations of growth activity, combined with prominent basipetal gradients of relative growth rate. A novel technique, using digital image sequence processing, is able to resolve such spatio-temporal patterns of leaf growth with high resolution. In this paper we analyse the impact of prevention of nyctinastic movements, and the potential of tensile forces to overcome the retarding effects. Tensile forces affected leaf expansion and tissue expansibility in a dose-response relation. In a comparison with freely-growing leaves, an appropriate, optimal tensile force was identified that rebuilt the natural diurnal course of leaf expansion. With this tensile force, undisturbed patterns of temporal and spatial growth distribution as well as undisturbed concentrations of major cations, amino acids or soluble sugars were observed. However, diurnal fluctuations in starch content of almost fully-grown leaves were affected by the treatment and could not be compensated by tensile forces. This effect might point to a connection between diurnal growth variations of the leaf vein, biomechanical forces that synchronize growth within the vein, and metabolism of carbohydrates as growth substrates of the vein. We therefore hypothesize that interveinal tensions, which are produced during nyctinastic leaf movements, are (i) required for undisturbed leaf growth and (ii) can be simulated by application of adequate tensile forces.


ROC analysis is the most used method for analyzing the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative data in biomedical research. ROC analysis generates a curve describing the frequencies of true positive and false positive results for different degrees of the analyzed variable. However, in many publications devoted to the application of quantitative diagnostic methods, this analysis is not carried out: researchers report only analysis of statistical significance for the groups difference. In meta-analyses, the estimated parameter is the effect size expressed through standardized mean difference. The article describes the approach, which allows performing ROC analysis using cumulative normal distribution functions for studied and controlling groups. The proposed approach can be used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative variables on the base of one of the sets of descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation, or median and quartiles) or the value of standardized mean difference. Examples of application of the proposed approach on model data, on data from literature sources, as well as on the authors' own observations are given as an example of assessment of diagnostic accuracy of quantitative variables analyzed in the microcirculation studies in various diseases. The results presented in the article can be used by medical and biological specialists to assess the diagnostic accuracy of various quantitative variables without access to primary data.


A thrust of the study is to compare different design principles for advanced creation of full-fashioned weaving. According to the present integrated design mode, three technical elements of weaving design have been identified in the course of creation, i.e. mixed yarns, integrated structures, and integrated patterns. The design process is the key to successful integrated design, including allocation of materials of warp and weft, different interlacing locations that suitable for clothing structures, and the method of patterning in the current CAD digital processing. The entire design mode is different from the previous laminar woven textile designs. Experiments have shown that, with the shapeable materials, the fine silk yarns are perfect to weave and mould the three dimensional dress for women. Besides, rich and novel textures can be embellished inherently on the surfaces of the full-fashion woven clothing. The expanded creative dimensions of woven textiles contributed an added value to silk products produced by current machines. Meanwhile the new features of Seamless Woven Fashion (SWF) further widened the creative scope of fashion design. The study has contributed to the future research and development of advanced woven textiles as the end products.


The major thrust of this study was to assess the academic appreciation of the students of College of Teacher Education (CTE) and formulate college-based activities (CBA) to boost their appreciation of the college's academic practices. It also sought to answer the relationship between the college academic standard and the respondent's cognitive development, skill development and motivation. Project proposals were prepared by the researchers to further enhance the appreciation of the students on the practices of CTE, specifically in conducting researches. The study used the descriptive method research in order to determine the level of appreciation of the selected CTE students in Batangas State University. Questionnaire was the main data gathering instrument used. Frequency, weighted mean, and percentage were used as the statistical tools. Findings revealed that Demonstration Teaching is the most appreciated academic practice by the CTE students. The CTE students agreed that the college's academic standard affects cognitive development, skills development and motivation. There is a significant difference among students' assessment when group according to year level. A high expectation of professors is the major problem affecting the academic performance of the CTE students. From the foregoing findings, it was recommended that the proposed project plan may be tried out for validation and evaluation. Also, Colleges, universities and other schools may provide adequate academic practices that will supplement and develop students' academic performance. A parallel study may be undertaken for further evaluation of the awareness concerning laws designed for differently abled persons.


Formal models of cultural evolution analyze how cognitive processes combine with social interaction to generate the distributions and dynamics of 'representations.' Recently, cognitive anthropologists have criticized such models. They make three points: mental representations are non-discrete, cultural transmission is highly inaccurate, and mental representations are not replicated, but rather are 'reconstructed' through an inferential process that is strongly affected by cognitive 'attractors.' They argue that it follows from these three claims that: 1) models that assume replication or replicators are inappropriate, 2) selective cultural learning cannot account for stable traditions, and 3) selective cultural learning cannot generate cumulative adaptation. Here we use three formal models to show that even if the premises of this critique are correct, the deductions that have been drawn from them are false. In the first model, we assume continuously varying representations under the influence of weak selective transmission and strong attractors. We show that if the attractors are sufficiently strong relative to selective forces, the continuous representation model reduces to the standard discrete-trait replicator model, and the weak selective component determines the final equilibrium of the system. In the second model, we assume inaccurate replication and discrete traits. We show that very low fidelity replication of representations at the individual level does not preclude accurate replication at the population level, and therefore, accurate individual-level replication of representations is not necessary for either cultural inertia or cumulative cultural adaptation. In the third model, we derive plausible conditions for cumulative adaptive evolution, assuming continuous cultural representations, incomplete transmission and substantial inferential transformations.


We present a model with heterogeneous firms, in which credit constraints may give rise to self-fulfilling, sunspot-driven business cycle fluctuations. We derive optimal incentive-compatible loan contracts, under which a firm's borrowing capacity is constrained by expected equity value. Interactions between debt and equity value made possible by credit constraints generate a credit externality, which leads to procyclical total factor productivity (TFP) and, with sufficiently high cost of financial intermediation, to equilibrium indeterminacy. At the aggregate level, the credit externality is observationally equivalent to production externality. Aggregate dynamics in our model with credit constraints and constant returns technology at the firm level are isomorphic to those in an aggregate economy with increasing returns, such as that studied by Benhabib and Farmer (1994).


Needle-shaped cytoplasmic liver cell inclusions are considered to represent a feature typical of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). Histological sections of 849 liver biopsies were stained with ferricyanide reduction reaction for demonstration of the inclusions. They were detected in 18 cases, and in all of them the diagnosis PCT was clinically and/or biochemically confirmed. In our group of patients, PCT was associated with alcoholic liver disease in three cases, with chronic hepatitis C in three cases and with hepatocellular carcinoma in two cases. In the liver with hepatocellular carcinoma, the inclusions were present only in non-neoplastic liver tissue, not in the tumourous tissue. No inclusions were found in the liver tissue of patients without clinical signs of PCT.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate whether weight gain between deliveries is associated with an increased risk of hypertensive disorders in a subsequent pregnancy.

METHODS
This is a case-control study of women who had two live singleton births of at least 24 weeks of gestation at a single maternity hospital from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2015, with no hypertensive disorder documented in the index pregnancy. Maternal weight gain between deliveries was measured as the change in body mass index (BMI) at delivery. Women who were diagnosed with any hypertensive disorder in the subsequent pregnancy were compared with those who experienced no hypertensive disorder in the subsequent pregnancy using χ statistics for categorical variables and t tests for continuous variables. Logistic regression was used to determine whether weight gain remained independently associated with hypertensive disorders after adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS
Of 1,033 women, 188 (18.2%) were diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder in the subsequent pregnancy. Of these, 166 (88.3%) had a hypertensive disorder specific to pregnancy (gestational hypertension; preeclampsia; superimposed preeclampsia; or hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome), and 22 (11.7%) had chronic hypertension only. Greater weight gain between deliveries was significantly associated with a higher frequency of hypertensive disorders, which remained significant for a BMI increase of at least 2 kg/m in multivariable analyses (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.76, 95% CI 1.14-2.74 for 2 to less than 4 kg/m, adjusted OR 3.19, 95% CI 1.86-5.47 for 4 kg/m or more). Conversely, weight loss of 2 kg/m or more was associated with a decreased risk of a hypertensive disorder (adjusted OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.21-0.81).

CONCLUSION
Among women with no hypertensive disorder noted in an index pregnancy, an increase in BMI of at least 2 kg/m between deliveries was independently associated with an increased risk of a hypertensive disorder in a subsequent pregnancy.


In various applications of RFID systems a reader should reliably get the ID of the tags that are within a bounded proximity region, termed the interrogation zone. This gives rise to two types of errors 1) False Negative Detections (FNDs), when tags within the intended interrogation zone cannot be read and 2) False Positive Detections (FPDs), when tags outside the zone can be read. The detuning effect experienced from the object a tag is attached to exacerbates the occurrence of FND. Solving FNDs by increasing the reader power increase the probability of FPDs for tags outside the zone. Hence, the design of an interrogation zone poses a trade-off between readability inside versus outside the desired zone. We present a novel method to reduce the probability of FNDs and FPDs, and practically equalize the achievable range for tags experiencing detuning. We propose to impose intentional interference on the communication between reader and tag. The expected effects of the proposed method are evaluated using experimental measurements. The results are positive, showing a sharp edge of the interrogation zone, and a strong equalization of the range of tuned and detuned tags. Hence it is concluded that by imposing interference enables design of well-defined interrogation zones for passive RFID systems.


Background: Stress is a physical or psychic reaction to the demands that cause tension and disrupt has a high enough stress level. This study aims to determine the level of nurse stress in Psychiatric Hospital Prof.Dr.Muhammad Ildrem North Sumatera Province.
Methods: This research method is descriptive research us cross-sectional design and sampling technique used in this research is accidental sampling. Sampling using the solving formula with 60 samples. This research is done in a Psychiatric Hospital Prof.Dr.Muhammad Ildrem North Sumatera Province. Measuring too to determine the nurse's stress level using the questionnaire.
Results: Based on the results of the research stress level is light stress as many as 53 people (88,3%). The mildest stress was found in respondents with age between 33 people (55,0%). The mildest stress was found in respondents with age between 36 – 40 years as many as 29 people (48,3%). Mild stress is encountered in many respondents with a D3 level of education as much as 38 people (63,3%). Mild stress is often found in respondents who work with the duration of work between stress 11 – 15 years as many as 27 people (45,0%).
Conclusion: Based on this research it is concluded that the most stress level on nurses in psychiatric prof. Dr. Muhammad Ildrem North Sumatera Province is 53 people (88,3%).


The present research aimed at exploring the mental health issues of women prisoners in a Karachi jail. The data was collected using the convenience sampling method. A total of 16 women between the age ranges of 21 years to 60 years were interviewed for the research. A detailed clinical interview and a Mental State Examination were used to assess the mental health issues of the inmates. The following research questions were postulated for further exploration in order to firstly find out what are the types of mental health issues prevalent in women prisoners and secondly, to discover if there is a relationship between the type of crime committed and the nature of mental health symptoms present in women prisoners. The results show that the women prisoners had a total of 12 different symptoms. Out of these, the highest ranking symptoms were those of insomnia at 19%, aggression at 17%, tension defined as a subjective feeling of stress and worry at 16% and psychosomatic complaints at 14%. Symptom clusters show that neurosis is far more prevalent than psychotic conditions. The typology may thus be broadly categorized into three distinct groups of neurosis related to depression and its related features, borderline tendencies, and anxiety features. The results also indicate a link between this categorization and the type of crime committed. Other variables analysed included age and marital status. This research has implications for the designing of structured group interventions in the jail setting. Special programs should be made to address the unique psychological needs and issues of the women prisoners.


Selective laser sintering (SLS) of Si3N4 and Al2O3 powders were investigated in this work. Copolymer was synthesized through monomer MMA and BMA. Infrared spectrum was employed to characterize the as-synthesized copolymer. Results show that the main compositions of the copolymer are PMMA and PBMA. The binders were prepared by mixing the copolymer and the inorganic NH4H2PO4 with certain ratio. Binders were used to coat the Si3N4 and Al2O3 powders by spray drying. The coated powders were sintered successfully by SLS to make cubic part and rotor part.


This Essay is a response to Professor Richard Fallon's article, "If Roe Were Overruled: Abortion and the Constitution in a Post-Roe World." In that article, Professor Fallon argues that if the Supreme Court were to overrule Roe v. Wade, courts might well remain in the "abortion-umpiring business." This Essay proposes a refinement on that analysis. It argues that in a post-Roe world courts would not necessarily subject questions involving abortion to the same kind of constitutional analysis in which the Court has engaged in Roe and its progeny, that is, balancing a state's interest in protecting life against a pregnant woman's interest in choosing to terminate a pregnancy. Though questions of state power to regulate abortion might well implicate the legitimacy of state interests to regulate abortion in certain ways, questions of federal power to regulate abortion might more implicate structural constitutional concerns that transcend the perceived worth of particular regulatory outcomes. Thus, whether post-Roe the Court would remain involved in resolving the legitimacy of governmental interests in regulating abortion may depend on what kind of federal or state regulation emerged in a post-Roe world.


A new correlation-based transition model has been developed, which is based strictly on local variables. As a result, the transition model is compatible with modern CFD approaches such as unstructured grids and massive parallel execution. The model is based on two transport equations, one for intermittency and one for the transition onset criteria in terms of momentum thickness Reynolds number. The proposed transport equations do not attempt to model the physics of the transition process (unlike e.g. turbulence models), but form a framework for the implementation of correlation-based models into general-purpose CFD methods. Part I (this part) of this paper gives a detailed description of the mathematical formulation of the model and some of the basic test cases used for model validation, including a 2-D turbine blade. Part II of the paper details a significant number of test cases that have been used to validate the transition model for turbomachinery and aerodynamic applications. The authors believe that the current formulation is a significant step forward in engineering transition modeling, as it allows the combination of correlation-based transition models with general purpose CFD codes.© 2004 ASME


A novel dual-feed planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) suitable for wireless diversity/MIMO applications is presented. By exploiting the pattern diversity, successful provision of two isolated feeding ports using one common radiating plate has been achieved. The main technique introduced is to etch the ground plane under the radiating plate to reduce the mutual coupling between the two ports. It is found that the envelope cross-correlation is less than 0.02 and the ratio of the mean effective gain between the two ports is close to unity. Thus, this new PIFA antenna can provide a better solution than two separate antennas for diversity and MIMO applications by saving space and cost. Simulated and measured results verify the conclusion.


Lung adenocarcinoma has replaced squamous cell lung carcinoma as the most frequent histological subtype in lung cancers. However, genetic factors that affect cancer susceptibility are much less understood in adenocarcinoma than in squamous cell carcinoma. In this study, polymorphisms in five genes involved in the metabolism of carcinogens or in the repair of damaged DNA in lung cells, NQO1-Pro187Ser, GSTT1-positive/null, GSTM1-positive/null, CYP1A1-Ile462Val, and OGG1Ser326Cys, were examined for association with lung adenocarcinoma risk in a case-control study of 198 patients and 152 control subjects. The NQO1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms were associated with lung adenocarcinoma risk with adjusted odds ratio of 2.15 for the NQO1-Pro/Pro genotype versus the Ser/Ser genotype and adjusted odds ratio of 1.61 for the GSTT1-null genotype versus the positive genotype, respectively. Furthermore, individuals with the combined genotype of NQO1-Pro/Pro and GSTT1-null showed greater risk compared with those of NQO1-Ser/Ser and GSTT1positive. In contrast, significant association was not observed for the GSTM1, CYP1A1, and OGG1 polymorphisms with lung adenocarcinoma risk, although several studies have shown their implication in the risk for squamous cell lung carcinoma. The result indicates that the NQO1-Pro/Pro and GSTT1-null genotypes are risk factors for lung adenocarcinoma development, and that the genetic factors for susceptibility to adenocarcinoma are different from those to squamous cell carcinoma. The enhanced risk of the NQO1-Pro/Pro genotype combined with the GSTT1-null genotype was more evident in smokers than in nonsmokers. Therefore, carcinogens in tobacco smoke, which are activated by NQO1 and detoxified by GSTT1, could have a role in lung adenocarcinoma development.


Context: Challenges on community clinical placements for students from various medical streams has been reported over time. Physiotherapy students are exposed to community clinical placements during graduation course as part of training. This study was conducted to investigate the attitude of Physiotherapy students towards community clinical placements. Aims: To investigate attitude of Physiotherapy students towards community clinical placements. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 181 Physiotherapy students (103 final years and 78 interns) from three different Universities in Mumbai using purposive sampling. Materials and Methods: A validated questionnaire was designed to gather information on attitude and perception towards community clinical placements. Statistical analysis used: Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 16. Results: Sixty-eight percentage of students reported keen interest in community clinical placements in which 78% were motivated by their past experiences in community services. Eighty percent of them reported that community clinical placements play a significant role in Physiotherapy education and training. The obstacles faced during community clinical placements were lack of interest in Physiotherapy among community members (80%), unavailability of local resources (57%), difficulty in communication in local language (48%), and unhygienic environment (33%). Conclusions: Physiotherapy students reported positive attitude towards community clinical placements as a part of curriculum and were keen in community services. However, lack of awareness about Physiotherapy among community pose barriers to this exposure.


In this paper we examine a small arts organization – NZTrio – and its capacity to operate successfully as a cooperative, without having a designated leader. The Trio has developed highly attuned collaborative skills which enrich notions of relational leadership. We explore the history of the Trio noting the egalitarian ethos that pervades everything they undertake and the ethic of care that underpins their work together. Conversations at administrative and artistic levels are open, with ideas being held non-judgmentally. This translates into rehearsals that rely on small, nuanced gestures that inform relational leadership through an aesthetic lens.


Background : It has a lot of content and benefits and is a baby's first need, making exclusive breastfeeding the best source of nutrition for babies. Breast milk is a liquid secretion from the mother's breast glands, while exclusive breastfeeding is breastfeeding for 6 months without any addition. Exclusive breastfeeding has many benefits for babies apart from being a fulfillment of nutrition, brain intelligence Exclusive breastfeeding also contains natural antibodies in babies so that babies are not susceptible to disease or interference from outside. The purpose of this study was to describe the mother's knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding in clinic pratama bertha mabar hilir medan deli.Method : to describe the knowledge of mothers about exclusive breastfeeding at the Clinic Pratama Bertha Mabar Hilir Medan Deli in 2022. The sample in this all mothers who had babies aged 0-6 months as many as 30 respondents at clinic pratama bertha mabar hilir medan deli tahun 2022. The sampling technique is total sampling where the number of samples is the same as the population studied as many as 30 respondents. The research instrument used a questionnaire which was processed in the form of SPSS. The results of the study showed that the most knowledgeable respondents were good knowledge as many as 22 respondents (73.3%), with less knowledge 2 respondents (6.7%) while those with sufficient knowledge were 6 respondents (6). Conclusion: Good knowledge is a good thing and with good knowledge in their knowledge of breastfeeding, hopefully the application will also occur and mothers will spend more/always taking time to breastfeed their babies so that babies also get the benefits of breastfeeding.


The basic constitutive equations of theory of mixtures obtained for a mixture of two linear elastic solids can be used as an alternative way to describe the mechanical behavior of binary composite materials. Determining the load ratios carried by each constituent solid of a binary composite is one of challenges of this theory. In this study, the results of directly calculating the ratios of external load carried by each constituent solid for the case of perfectly bonded interface between binary mixture constituents are discussed. Thus, the effects of loading type and volume fraction of the constituent solids to the load ratios carried by each constituent solid are investigated by using three different loading cases and three different volume fractions. Finally, displacement, stress and diffusive force results of two constituent solids using the calculated load ratios are given.


A newly formed mandibular condylar cartilage at 9 weeks of gestation (37mm crown rump length) was analyzed immunohistochemically. The cells in newly formed cartilage and condensed mesenchymal cells posterior to the cartilage showed alkaline phosphatase immunoreactivity, confirming the mandibular condylar cartilage in human is also derived from periosteum-like tissue, as demonstrated in rodents. The newly formed condylar cartilage simultaneously expresses immunoreactivity for collagen types I and II, aggrecan, versican, and tenascin-C as well as hyaluronan staining but not for collagen type X. Thus newly-formed condylar cartilage has fibrocartilaginous characteristics, but the characteristic that rapidly differentiated into hypertrophic chondrocytes, which is recognized in rodent secondary cartilage, is not conspicuous in human.


The incidence of bacterial species and their susceptibilities to ceftriaxone and other beta-lactams from patients with community-acquired infections were evaluated in a multicenter study over a 4-month period. A total of 5,768 bacterial isolates were classified according to whether the patient had been previously hospitalized or had received antibiotic treatment. The most relevant findings were the presence of 33.8% penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates, 25% beta-lactamase-producing Haemophilus influenzae isolates, and 36.4% amoxicillin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates. All of these bacteria were fully susceptible to ceftriaxone. Nosocomial multiply-resistant bacteria, and particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus, were found, as expected, at a higher frequency among previously hospitalized patients. However, such bacteria may be present in the community; their incidence is high in particular clinical settings, and such bacteria should be considered when one is choosing a first-line therapy for the treatment of severe infections.


International and multidisciplinary in scope, Identity is intended to provide a forum for identity theorists and researchers around the globe to share their ideas and findings regarding the problems and prospects of human self-definition. The unifying thread of these articles is identity in its various manifestations throughout the life course. The operating assumption is that people in many parts of the world are struggling with aspects of their identities and that many of these problems transcend national, political, and cultural boundaries-taking on global proportions. In addition to a focus on substantive theoretical and empirical analyses, the journal also welcomes policy discussions, program recommendations, and evaluation studies. We especially want to provide a forum in which theoretical analyses find practical applications in dealing with these global problems. Submissions are invited from all fields and from the full range of methodologies. In these respects, the journal provides multiple bridges, across nations and disciplines, as well as between theory and research, and subjectivist and objectivist epistemologies. Our intention is to provide a nonpartisan forum within which researchers from the various areas concerned with identity can communicate their findings and stay apprised of the findings of other researchers, especially among those who use different technical languages.


The present study reports the effect of Emblica officinalis (EO) derived tannins on humoral immune responses and their protective efficacy against Eimeria infection in chickens. Tannins were extracted from EO and characterized by HPLC. EO derived tannins (EOT) and commercial tannins (CT) were orally administered in broiler chicks in graded doses for three consecutive days, that is, 5th-7th days of age. On day 14 after administration of tannins, humoral immune response was detected against sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) by haemagglutination assay. Protective efficacy of tannins was measured against coccidial infection, induced by Eimeria species. Results revealed higher geomean titers against SRBCs in chickens administered with EOT as compared to those administered with CT and control group. Mean oocysts per gram of droppings were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in EOT administered chickens as compared to control group. Lesion scoring also showed the lowest caecal and intestinal lesion score of mild to moderate intensity in chickens administered with EOT. Further, significantly higher (P < 0.05) daily body weight gains and antibody titers were detected in EOT administered chickens as compared to those of CT administered and control groups. EOT showed the immunostimulatory properties in broilers and their administration in chickens boost the protective immunity against coccidiosis.


Breast cancer prognosis and response to endocrine therapy strongly depends on the expression of the estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR, respectively). Although much is known about ERα gene (ESR1) regulation after hormonal stimulation, how it is regulated in hormone-free condition is not fully understood. We used ER-/PR-positive breast cancer cells to investigate the role of PR in ESR1 regulation in the absence of hormones. We show that PR binds to the low-methylated ESR1 promoter and maintains both gene expression and DNA methylation of the ESR1 locus in hormone-deprived breast cancer cells. Depletion of PR reduces ESR1 expression, with a concomitant increase in gene promoter methylation. The high amount of methylation in the ESR1 promoter of PR-depleted cells persists after the stable re-expression of PR and inhibits PR binding to this genomic region. As a consequence, the rescue of PR expression in PR-depleted cells is insufficient to restore ESR1 expression. Consistently, DNA methylation impedes PR binding to consensus progesterone responsive elements. These findings contribute to understanding the complex crosstalk between PR and ER and suggest that the analysis of ESR1 promoter methylation in breast cancer cells can help to design more appropriate targeted therapies for breast cancer patients.


Owing to the excellent biocompatibility and corrosion-resistance of titanium and bioactivity of hydroxyapatite, the titanium/hydroxyapatite composite material combining their advantages is a highlight with bright prospects in medical clinics. In the present paper, the microarc oxidation (MAO) was performed on commercial pure titanium at first. Furthermore, the hydrothermal treatment (HT)was given with media of deionized water at 200°C for 4h in an autoclave. The surface morphology of the samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the detailed composition was analyzed with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) was employed to characterize the crystal structure of composite. The results indicate that the titania film contains the Ca and P elements on titanium substrate after MAO, which converts into the hydroxyapatite crystals via hydrothermal treatment. The smaller size and amount of hydroxyapatite crystals are found when lower voltage is presented. But there are converse phenomena with higher voltage, especially, the differences can be neglected above 400V. It is shown that the micro-hole and hollow surface of titania film can induce the hydroxyapatite nucleation and growth as two different forming ways. The hydroxyapatite has a preference of forming in hollow surface with lower voltage, however, the presences of the micro-hole and hollow surface of titania film are occurring for higher voltage. The hydroxyapatite forming in micro-hole shows needle-like crystal and high bonding strength with surrounding titania film because of the mechanical restrict force from micro-hole wall. Also it is noted that hydroxyapatite crystals incline to precipitate on the film surface with high Ca and P concentrations after the hydrothermal treatment.


Slip as one of the obstacles that affect the smooth hauling of Acacia wood Mangium. This study aimed to determine the use of auxiliary tools and do not use auxiliary tools on the occurrence of slip on a dirt road transportation acacia mangium and its influence on the productivity of hauling, cost of production and damage to the soil. Methods research is design and make auxiliary tools, test, measurement and analysis of data in the form of slip calculation, productivity, cost of production and damage of soil. The results showed that the use of auxiliary tools from the holster wheel of iron chain crosses can minimize slip, increasing the productivity of timber transportation, minimize production costs and damage to the soil.


Abstract The development of rhizobial inoculants with increased resistance to abiotic stress is critical to mitigating the challenges related to climate change. This study aims at developing a soybean stress-tolerant Bradyrhizobium inoculant to be used under the mixed stress conditions of acidity, high temperature, and drought. Six isolates of Bradyrhizobium with high symbiotic performance on soybean were tested to determine their growth or survival abilities under in vitro conditions. The representative stress-tolerant Bradyrhizobium isolates 184, 188, and 194 were selected to test their ability to promote soybean growth under stress conditions compared to the type strain Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110. The plant experiment indicated that isolate 194 performed better in symbiosis with soybean than other Bradyrhizobium strains under stress conditions. Based on the stress tolerance index, soybeans inoculated with isolate 194 showed a high growth performance and significantly better nodulation competition ability than USDA110 under several stress conditions. Interestingly, supplementation of sucrose in the culture medium significantly enhances the survival of the isolate and leads to improved plant biomass under various stress conditions. Analysis of the intra-cellular sugars of isolate 194 supplemented with sucrose showed the accumulation of compatible solutes, such as trehalose and glycerol, that may act as osmoprotectants. This study indicates that inoculation of stress-tolerant Bradyrhizobium together with sucrose supplementation in a medium could enhance bacterial survival and symbiosis efficiency under stress conditions. Although it can be applied for inoculant production, this strategy requires validation of its performance in field conditions before adopting this technology.


Temporal correlations arising in Monte Carlo criticality codes have focused the attention of both developers and practitioners for a long time. Those correlations affects the evaluation of tallies of loosely coupled systems, where the system's typical size is very large compared to the diffusion/absorption length scale of the neutrons. These time correlations are closely related to spatial correlations, both variables being linked by the transport equation. Therefore this paper addresses the question of diagnosing spatial correlations in Monte Carlo criticality simulations. In that aim, we will propose a spatial correlation function well suited to Monte Carlo simulations, and show its use while simulating a fuel pin-cell. The results will be discussed, modeled and interpreted using the tools of branching processes of statistical mechanics. A mechanism called "neutron clustering", affecting simulations, will be discussed in this frame.


Crop models are highly useful for simulating crop and soil processes in response to variations in climate and crop management. However, well estimated crop genetic coefficients are required. So the purpose of this study is to calibrate and evaluate the performance of CERES-wheat model and to simulate the climate change impacts on phonological stages and grain yield of bread wheat (Tay and Senkegna varieties) in the study area. Observed climate data from National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia from 1983 to 2015 and future climate from Climate Research Programme's Fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) database across 20 Global Circulation Models for Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP4.5 and 8.5) emission scenarios in the time horizon of early-term (2010-2039), mid-century (2040-2069) and end-century (2070-2100) were used. Crop and soil data were obtained from Adet Agricultural Research Center. Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) crop model was employed. There was strong agreement between the simulated and observed values with R2 being 96, 79 and 79% for days to anthesis, grain yield and days to maturity, respectively for Tay wheat variety while 75% for days to anthesis, 92% for grain yield, and 75% for days to maturity of Senkegna bread wheat variety. On the other hand, during model validation, the goodness of fits (R2) was 86% for anthesis day, 70% for grain yield and 96% for physiological maturity days of Tay wheat variety. Similarly for Senkegna bread wheat variety, R2 was 89, 82 and 75% for anthesis day, grain yield, and physiological maturity days, respectively. The yield of both bread wheat varieties showed increase except in 2080s under RCP4.5 relative to the baseline. However, days to flowering and to maturity showed decreased in each time slice under both RCPs.

 Key words: Calibration, validation, crop model, wheat, Ethiopia, East Africa.


Nrf2 is a transcription factor which controls induction of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, and, therefore, plays an essential role in protection against chemical carcinogens. Here, we reported that expression of Nrf2 and its dependent genes was affected by age and became compromised in aged mouse livers. Detail analysis revealed that age‐dependent Nrf2 expression was regulated primarily at transcriptional level. Accordingly, we cloned and characterized the promoter region of mouse Nrf2 gene. We identified multiple Sp1 binding sites and confirmed their binding activity by gel‐shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. We also showed that the identified Sp1 sites were functional since knockdown of Sp1 expression impaired Nrf2 promoter activity as well as expression of Nrf2‐dependent genes. We then compared Sp1 expression and its binding activity to Nrf2 promoter in young and aged mouse liver tissues. While no significant change in Sp1 expression was found, Sp1 binding activity was severely impaired in aged tissues. Given that Sp1‐binding sites are GC rich elements, we analyzed their methylation status in Nrf2 promoter, and found that Sp1 sites were highly methylated in aged tissues. In support of the role of methylation, treatment of a mouse hepatoma cell line with demethylase inhibitors indeed reduced Sp1 binding to Nrf2 promoter. We also cloned and analyzed human Nrf2 promoter. Multiple Sp1 binding sites were identified and shown to be equally functional as in mouse Nrf2 promoter. Thus, we propose that age‐dependent expression of Nrf2 and its downstream genes is regulated by methylation. A strategy that targets methylation would help to restore Nrf2‐mediated protection against oxidative stress or chemical carcinogens in aged tissues. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):A41.


The main process medium in the reprocessing industry is highly oxidizing nitric acid ranging from dilute to concentrated solutions containing fission products and from room temperature to boiling conditions. Corrosion resistance of materials chosen for reprocessing plants is of prime importance for uninterrupted operation. Surface modification and coatings can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of materials. A number of surface modification and coating development works such as double oxide coating on Ti for reconditioning (DOCTOR); mixed oxide coated Ti anodes (MOCTAs); nanostructured Ti, TiO2, TiN, and ZrN; bulk metallic glasses (BMGs); and superhydrophobic (SHB) coatings for corrosion protection are being pursued in our laboratory. Nanostructured coatings developed on Ti-like DOCTOR and MOCTAs showed improved corrosion resistance and longer life. Nanostructured Ti, TiO2, and ZrN coatings deposited on type 304L stainless steel (SS) by magnetron sputtering technique and Zr-based bulk metallic Zr59Ti3Cu20Al10Ni8 alloy deposited on type 304L SS by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique showed improved corrosion resistance in nitric acid. SHB coating on 9Cr-1Mo and Ti lead to improved corrosion resistance and biofouling resistance of Ti. The surface modification and coating development carried out in our laboratory for corrosion protection in reprocessing plants are briefly highlighted.


A finite difference method is presented to predict tool and chip temperature fields in continuous machining and time varying milling processes. Continuous machining operations like orthogonal cutting are studied by modeling the heat transfer between the tool and chip at the contact zone. The shear energy created in the primary zone, the friction energy produced at the rake face - chip contact zone and the heat balance between the moving chip and stationary tool are considered. The temperature distribution is solved using finite difference method. Later, the model is extended to milling where the cutting is interrupted and the chip thickness varies with time. The time varying chip is digitized into small elements with differential cutter rotation angles. The temperature field in each differential element is modeled as a first order dynamic system, whose time constant is identified based on the thermal properties of the tool and work material, and the initial temperature at the previous chip segment. The transient temperature variation is evaluated by recursively solving the first order heat transfer problem at successive chip elements. The proposed model combines the steady-state temperature prediction in continuous machining with transient temperature evaluation in interrupted cutting operations where the chip and the process change in a discontinuous manner. The mathematical models and simulation results are in satisfactory agreement with experimental temperature measurements reported in the literature.


Typical proposed 1000 kV single circuit of cup-shaped and compact tower, double-circuit on the same tower AC transmission lines electromagnetic environment problems were analyzed in this paper. Successive images method was applied to calculate conductor surface voltage gradient and power frequency electric field intensity (EFI) at the level of 1 m above ground surface. Corona loss (CL), radio interference (RI) and audible noise (AN) were calculated and the values of typical altitude above sea level were given and discussed. Calculation and discussion results show that three typical tower lines can satisfy electromagnetic environment control criteria by selecting suitable line parameters. Although there is no measured data in this paper, this can be a reference to the former research work of China UHV AC transmission line design. More suitable CL, RI, AN predicting methods and control criteria in China are needed to be discussed and determined by considering the future demonstration line operating experience and live line measured data, as well as the testing results of UHV AC test base station.


This paper studies the threat degree of shot goal in different locations for the football game players and maps out the dangerous zone of the goal. Under certain conditions, for the same quality players shooting at any point on the field, we mainly study the goal threat degree and define the threat degree as the successful goal probability. This paper studies the hazardous area problem in both cases with goalkeepers and without goalkeepers in football door, establishes a one-dimensional normal model and two-dimensional normal distribution model using football rules and carries through model simulation and analysis with MATLAB software. Studies have shown that the successful shot goal position on the pitch of the players is normally distributed. The shot path of any point on the pitch of the players is decomposed into horizontal and vertical direction. The angle alpha and beta are introduced to build two one-dimensional normal distribution models. In the defense case with a goalkeeper, we further study the playersÂ' shot threat degree and dangerous zone to re-establish the two-dimensional normal distribution model of the alpha and beta.


As users continue offloading more control and responsibility to the computer, coordinating the asynchronous interactions between the user and computer is becoming increasingly important. Without proper coordination, an application attempting to gain the user's attention risks interrupting the user in the midst of performing another task. To justify why an application should avoid interrupting the user whenever possible, we designed an experiment measuring the disruptive effect of an interruption on a user's task performance. The experiment utilized six Web-based task categories and two categories of interruption tasks. The results of the experiment demonstrate that: (i) a user performs slower on an interrupted task than a non-interrupted task, (ii) the disruptive effect of an interruption differs as a function of the task category, and (iii) different interruption tasks cause similar disruptive effects on task performance. These results empirically validate the need to better coordinate user interactions among applications that are competing for the user's attention.


Small samples of Chinese fir/TiO2 composites were prepared by sol-gel method and MWLPD (microwave assistant liquid phase deposition) method for the first time. The surface of samples were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the microstructure and Ti distribution of samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Results show that Ti is not only distributed on the composites surface, but also go into the inside wood. The composites surfaces are covered with pure TiO2. Activities of composites are increased considerably for the oxygen content and number of oxygen containing groups on there surfaces are increased considerably.


Thermoelectric devices are one of the promising energy harvesting technologies, because of their ability to convert heat (temperature gradient) to electricity by the Seebeck effect. Furthermore, thermoelectric devices can be used for cooling or heating by the inverse effect (Peltier effect). Since this conversion process is clean, with no emission of greenhouse gases during the process, this technology is attractive for recovering waste heat in automobiles or industries into usable electricity. However, the conversion efficiency of such devices is rather low due to fundamental materials limitations manifested through the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT). Thus, there is high demand on finding materials with high ZT or strategies to improve ZT of materials.In this thesis, I discuss the basics of thermoelectrics and how to improve ZT of materials, including present-day strategies. Based on these ideas, I propose a new class of materials for thermoelectric applications: transition-metal nitrides, mainly ScN, CrN and their solid solutions. Here, I employed both experimental and theoretical methods to synthesize and study their thermoelectric properties. My study envisages ways for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit of ScN and possible new materials for thermoelectric applications.The results of my studies show that ScN is a promising thermoelectric material since it exhibits high thermoelectric power factor 2.5x10-3 Wm-1K-2 at 800 K, due to low metallic-like electrical resistivity while retained relatively large Seebeck coefficient. My studies on thermal conductivity of ScN also suggest a possibility to control thermal conductivity by tailoring the microstructure of ScN thin films. Furthermore, my theoretical studies on effects of impurities and stoichiometry on the electronic structure of ScN suggest the possibly to improve ScN ZT by stoichiometry tuning and doping. For CrN and Cr1-xScxN solid solution thin films, the results show that the power factor of CrN (8x10-4 Wm-1K-2 at 770 K) can be retained for the solid solution Cr0.92Sc0.08N. Finally, density functional theory was used to enable a systematic predictionbased strategy for optimizing ScN thermoelectric properties via phase stability of solid solutions. Sc1-xGdxN and Sc1-xLuxN are stabilized as disordered solid solutions, while in the Sc-Nb-N and Sc-Ta-N systems, the inherently layered ternary structures ScNbN2 and ScTaN2 are stable.


This book was nurtured by the belief that the new dynamics of today's and tomorrow's aging has not yet been treated well in the gerontology literature. Several questions drove the choice of substance for the book: What kind of new dynamics of aging deserves consideration? What kinds of theories and fields are at the core of treating such a new dynamics? And what kind of empirical evidence should be considered? The master hypothesis on which the book is based maintains that the new dynamics of old age is best observed in a range of everyday aging contexts that have been undergoing major change since the second half of the 20th century. In particular, five areas of new and persistent dynamics are treated in depth: the social environment, with a focus on cohort effects in social relations and the consideration of family relations and elders as care redelivers; the home environment, with emphasis on housing and quality of life, relocation and urban aging issues; the outdoor environment, with consideration of out-of-home activity patterns, car-driving behaviour and the leisure world of aging; the technological environment, with treatments of the role of the Internet and the potential of technology for aging outcomes and; and the societal environment with a focus on global aging, the new politics of old age and older persons as market consumers. The book's main purpose is to provide the scholarly gerontology community with a comprehensive and critical discussion of these new trends related to old age. The book will be of interest for the scholarly community of gerontology in a variety of disciplines; sociology, psychology, demography, epidemiology, humanities, social policy and geriatrics; students in gerontology education and in the disciplines named above who have an interest in aging issues (graduate level); professionals in practical and applied fields related to aging such as community and urban planners, health and care providers and policymakers; people involved in senior citizens' organizations and those in industry who wish to serve older people with new products.


Cytologic examination of scrapings from the uterine cervix was carried out in 498 patients in whom moderate or severe dysplasia of the squamous epithelium or suspicion for cancer were established in the course of gynecologic screening. The said pathology was diagnosed in 0.63% of screeneses. Cytologic follow-up of 57 cases of severe dysplasia established that, in patients over 40 years of age, it tended to progress to Ca in situ. This tendency was registered within 6-36 months and continued after a second biopsy. Severe dysplasia did not recur in the 20-40 year-old group. The extent of cervical biopsy (excision or conization) in severe dysplasia should be considered versus patients' age.


Micro Porosity Sintered wick is made from metal injection molding processes, which provides a wick density with micro scale. It can keep more than 53% working fluid inside the wick structure, and presents good pumping ability on working fluid transmission by fine infiltrated effect. Capillary pumping ability is the important factor in heat pipe design, and those general applications on wick structure are manufactured with groove type or screen type. Gravity affects capillary of these two types more than a sintered wick structure does, and mass heat transfer through vaporized working fluid determines the thermal performance of a vapor chamber. First of all, high density of porous wick supports high transmission ability of working fluid. The wick porosity is sintered in micro scale, which limits the bubble size while working fluid vaporizing on vapor section. Maximum heat transfer capacity increases dramatically as thermal resistance of wick decreases. This study on permeability design of wick structure is 0.5-0.7, especially permeability (R)=0.5 can have the best performance, and its heat conductivity is 20 times to a heat pipe with diameter (Phi)=10 mm. Test data of this vapor chamber shows thermal performance increases over 33 %.


Meshless method has advantages in analyzing the deformation around a crack. However, the effectiveness of such method is influenced by the treatment of local support domain which is a base for an appropriate selection of field nodes in the construction of shape functions. In the current practice, the methods to determine support domain have some drawbacks. It is therefore beneficial to develop a more flexible technique for determining the support domain in crack simulation. This paper presents such a technique which could be used in both regularly and irregularly distributed nodes. Numerical examples show that the technique produces accurate results in these two situations. Moreover, the new technique can be integrated with different types of meshless methods to provide an effective way in handling arbitrary nodal distribution to meet the needs of solutions to problems with complex geometric boundaries.


This is a big book but, because it is so nmportant, for almost the first time in many years of reviewing I wish a book were even bigger. With one large gap, to be mentioned later, it is a wide-ranging, searching, and satisfying work that will extend the depth and breadth of every reader's knowledge. It should quickly become an indispensible companion volume for all paediatricians who continue to take learning (and teaching) seriously. The theme is "the essential distinguishing characteristic of the medicine of childhood: its concern with growth and development." Not so long ago, on a vastly smaller scale, I tried myself to incorporalte this theme, and to sketch a chronology of age and iMlnss, in a small ibook written for undergraduates; so I well appreciate the complexities of their task and how admirably the two editors and their team have tackled it. The book brings together from many sources information on nature and nurture, on climacterics, on a few snecial topics, but predominantly and in generous detail on the growth and development of individual systems, organs, and tissues "as a background to paediatric practice." Clinical applications are indeed liberally emphasized but the information and perspective will prove of undoubted value to research workers too. Only a Gargantua could in one sitting savour the whole tempting pie but, in a series of random samplings, wherever I put in my thumb I pulled out a plum. One editor on brain vulnerability and the other on pharmacology of the rapid growth period, sections on oncology, osteomyelitis, adipose tissue: from these and many more come erudition, enrichment, and enjoyment. The sections are of greatly varying length and equally varying style, but for the most part mad easily and clearly. A minor criticism refers to the index, which could do the text greater justice. In a bcok in which chronology is so important the absence from the index of the word "age," with all the informative links and cross references to development and disease, is surprising. And though I found "critical temperature" I could not find "critial periods," which must deserve a whole bold chapter as well as bold lettering in the index. The book is dedica:ed to four James Sp2nce meldalists, no fewer than three of thnm inte-nsely concerned with non-physical aspects of growth and development; accordingly the dearth of contributions on emotional and intellectual and social topics is all the more to be regretted. Some piquant pages on physical dwarfing due to emotional disturbances, a sensitive and thoughtful philosophic-historical essay on "Self," as seen through Winincott's eyes, and a good section on linguistics make one realize all the more how much is missing As part of mv *tribute to their stimulating and creative work may I suggest that the two ediitors should not await a second edition; I hone they will already be embarking on an addendum, 2 volume devoted to the non-physical aspects of growth and development. I suspect they will already have found a shortage of appropriate material with which to lay "scientific foundations"; but, having achieved a laree part of the task so convincingly, they will place paediatrics still further in their debt bv attempting the remainder. JOHN APLEY


Recent mechanical models for cloth simulation have evolved toward accurate representation of elastic stiffness based on continuum mechanics, converging to formulations that are largely analogous to fast finite element methods. In the context of tensile deformations, these formulations usually involve the linearization of tensors, so as to express linear elasticity in a simple way. However, this approach needs significant adaptations and approximations for dealing with the nonlinearities resulting from large cloth deformations. Toward our objective of accurately simulating the nonlinear properties of cloth, we show that this linearization can indeed be avoided and replaced by adapted strain-stress laws that precisely describe the nonlinear behavior of the material. This leads to highly streamlined computations that are particularly efficient for simulating the nonlinear anisotropic tensile elasticity of highly deformable surfaces. We demonstrate the efficiency of this method with examples related to accurate garment simulation from experimental tensile curves measured on actual materials.


The programme of the Research Unit of the Fusion Association Euratom Risø National Laboratory covers work in fusion plasma physics and in fusion technology. The fusion plasma physics group has activities within development of laser diagnostics for fusion plasmas and studies of nonlinear dynamical processes related to turbulence and turbulent transport in the edge region of magnetised fusion plasmas. The activities in technology cover investigations of radiation damage of fusion reactor materials. These activities contribute to the Next Step, the Long-term and the Underlying Fusion Technology programme. A summary is presented of the results obtained in the Research Unit during 2000. ISBN 87-550-2917-5 ISBN 87-550-2918-3 (Internet) ISSN 0106-2840 Print: Pitney Bowes Management Services Danmark A/S, 2001


Butt-joint specimens of Q235B low-strength steel were treated by TIG dressing and ultrasonic peening combined method. The paper presents comparative fatigue test for welded specimens in the as-welded condition and specimens treated by TIG dressing, ultrasonic peening treatment (UPT) and the combined method. When the ratio of stress R=0.1, contrasted with the specimens in as welded condition, the fatigue strength of the specimens treated by TIG dressing is increased by 36%. The fatigue strength of the specimens treated by the combined method and UPT are almost the same, which are increased by 57% and 56% respectively. In the high stress level, weld toe treated by the combined method has smaller stress concentration factor than that of UPT, resulting in less release of residual compressive stress. So it's more effective to improve the fatigue life by the combined method. While in the low stress level, the residual compressive stress of weld toe treated by the combined method and UPT are nearly the same. Besides, the effect of stress concentration factor is smaller, thus the fatigue life of the two methods have little difference.


Introduction: Macrolide antibiotics maybe effective in the treatment of post transplant bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) due to their antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of azithromycin therapy in children with postinfectious BO (PIBO). Methods: The medical files of the PIBO patients followed at three different centres were retrospectively evaluated. Pulmonary function tests (PFT), physical examination findings and symptoms of patients were recorded at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th and 12th months. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) results of all patients and spirometry results of 13 patients (who could cooperate with the procedure) were obtained. Results: The medical files of 19 PIBO patients (mean age:109±59 months, 21% female) were evaulated. Eight patients received azithromycin for six months. Those eight patients were compared to 11 patients who did not receive azithromycin. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, z-score of weight, symptoms and PFT. When the IOS and spirometry results were compared, there was a significant difference only in terms of R20 and X20 results at the second month (p=0.012 and 0.012) and R15% and R20% and FEV1 results (p=0.033, 0.033 and 0.042) at the forth month in the azithromycin group. Conclusion: Although the small number of patients is a limitation, there was no difference in the PFT results of the PIBO patients who received azithromycin at the end of six months.


This report reviews the available evidence on the economic value of intermediate vocational qualifications, looking at the private wage returns (and briefly the improved likelihood of being in employment) associated with such qualifications. The question that the review would like to answer is: 'what is the economic value of acquiring intermediate vocational qualifications to a particular individual, on average? That is, by how much will his or her wages increase following the acquisition of such a qualification?' This value could differ, according to whether the new qualification acquired is the individual's new highest qualification and so takes them to a higher level of attainment than they had previously reached, or whether the individual already held qualifications at the same level or even at a higher level than the new qualification acquired. The review will therefore distinguish between such situations. This is particularly important when considering vocational qualifications, since they can often be acquired at a level at or below individuals' existing highest academic qualification.


Background and purpuse:
 Prognosis of cardioembolic stroke is poor In comparison with non-cardiogenic cerebral infarction. Impact of heart disease for non-cardiogenic cerebral infarction is not well known. We investigated the effects of heart disease for the prognosis of acute non-cardiogenic cerebral infarction.

 Methods:
 We retrospectively examined medical records of patients with acute ischemic stroke until April 2009 from March 2013, who was admitted in stroke care unit of our hospital. Stroke subtype were divided using the TOAST classification, cardioembolic stroke were excluded. Patients suffering from heart disease, such as ischemic heart disease, valvular disease, and congestive heart failure were classified in heart disease group. Other patients were in non-heart disease group. The two groups were compared in age, sex, clinical types of stroke based on TOAST, NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) at admission, modified Rankin scale (mRS) at discharge, risk factors for arteriosclerosis; hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking and obesity.Multivariate analysis for poor prognosis; mRS>5 at discharge, were underwent.

 Results:
 Of the 1106 acute ischemic stroke patients, 799 patients were non-cardiogenic stroke. Significant difference were showed between heart disease group (n=182) and non-heart disease group (n=617) in age (74.5 v.s. 68.7, p<0.0001), history of stroke (33.5% v.s. 24.2%, p=0.01), hypertension (87.9% v.s. 74.6%, p<0.0001), smoking (19.2% v.s. 31.3%, p=0.001), NIHSS at admission (6.4 v.s. 5.2, p=0.001), and mRS at discharge (2.5 v.s. 1.8, p<0.0001). Factors independently associated with poor outcome were NIHSS at admission (p<0.0001, 95% CI 1.03-1.10) and heart disease (p=0.04, 95% CI 1.01-2.07).

 Conclusions:
 Heart disease had a negative impact on prognosis of non-cardiogenic stroke. Further study is required strict control of heart disease may improve the prognosis.


During her lifetime, Audre Lorde (1934-1992), author of the landmark Cancer Journals, created a mythic identity for herself that retains its vitality to this day. Drawing from the private archives of the poet's estate and numerous interviews, Alexis De Veaux demystifies Lorde's iconic status, charting her conservative childhood in Harlem; her early marriage to a white, gay man with whom she had two children; her emergence as an outspoken black feminist lesbian; and her canonization as a seminal poet of American literature.


Conceptual discussions of leisure have often had spiritual overtones or linked leisure with spirituality. The links between the two concepts are becoming widely recognized and discussed in a wide range of leisure studies areas: therapeutic recreation, camping, recreational land management, outdoor recreation, tourism, and community recreation. Increasingly empirical research is being conducted on this relationship. Christians respond in a variety of ways to the increased social scientific interest in the relationship between leisure and spirituality: for some Christian spirituality is the only true spirituality; some compartmentalize or dichotomize spirituality; some believe nonChristians experience spirituality; some believe that spirituality reaches its fullest potential in relationship with God; and some see spirituality as a complex process. Positively, the renewed interest in spirituality may be seen as recognition of spiritual need and an opportunity for introducing Christian spirituality and the Christian spiritual tradition of leisure. However there are also areas of concern. First, there is a need to expand the "interiority" of contemporary discussions of leisure and spirituality and to emphasize transcendence. Second, contemporary discussions of leisure and spirituality often focus on the inner self with little discussion of relationships with others or of community. Third, there is a need to go beyond spiritual experience to spiritual well-being. Fourth, as the majority of theoretical reflection and empirical investigation on leisure and spirituality has focused on nature-based recreation and spirituality, more emphasis needs to be placed on all forms of leisure in all settings. Fifth, as the vast majority of studies on leisure and spirituality have been small scale qualitative studies, the adoption of various methods of studying and understanding the relationship between leisure and spirituality needs to be encouraged. Sixth, there is a need within the leisure studies field to make connections with the 20 centuries of Christian spirituality.


Objective To identify a suitable dosing regimen of the CD22-targeted monoclonal antibody epratuzumab in adults with moderately to severely active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods A phase IIb, multicentre, randomised controlled study (NCT00624351) was conducted with 227 patients (37–39 per arm) receiving either: placebo, epratuzumab 200 mg cumulative dose (cd) (100 mg every other week (EOW)), 800 mg cd (400 mg EOW), 2400 mg cd (600 mg weekly), 2400 mg cd (1200 mg EOW), or 3600 mg cd (1800 mg EOW). The primary endpoint (not powered for significance) was the week 12 responder rate measured using a novel composite endpoint, the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG)-based Combined Lupus Assessment (BICLA). Results Proportion of responders was higher in all epratuzumab groups than with placebo (overall treatment effect test p=0.148). Exploratory pairwise analysis demonstrated clinical improvement in patients receiving a cd of 2400 mg epratuzumab (OR for 600 mg weekly vs placebo: 3.2 (95% CI 1.1 to 8.8), nominal p=0.03; OR for 1200 mg EOW vs placebo: 2.6 (0.9 to 7.1), nominal p=0.07). Post-hoc comparison of all 2400 mg cd patients versus placebo found an overall treatment effect (OR=2.9 (1.2 to 7.1), nominal p=0.02). Incidence of adverse events (AEs), serious AEs and infusion reactions was similar between epratuzumab and placebo groups, without decreases in immunoglobulin levels and only partial reduction in B-cell levels. Conclusions Treatment with epratuzumab 2400 mg cd was well tolerated in patients with moderately to severely active SLE, and associated with improvements in disease activity. Phase III studies are ongoing.


We examined the acute impact of both low- and high-glycemic index (GI) breakfasts on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) compared to breakfast omission. Ten healthy men (age 24 ± 1 yrs) performed three trials in a randomized crossover order; omission, Low- (GI = 40), and High-GI (GI = 71) breakfast conditions. Middle cerebral artery velocity (transcranial Doppler ultrasonography) and arterial pressure (finger photoplethysmography) were continuously measured for 5-mins prior to and 120-mins following breakfast consumption, to determine dCA using transfer function analysis. After these measurements of dCA, venous blood samples for the assessment of plasma BDNF were obtained. Moreover, blood glucose was measured before breakfast and every 30 mins thereafter. The area under the curve of 2-hours post-prandial blood glucose in the High-GI trial was higher than Low-GI trial (P < 0.01). The GI of the breakfast did not affect BDNF. In addition, both very low- (VLF) and low-frequencies (LF) transfer function phase or gains were not changed during the omission trial. In contrast, LF gain (High-GI P < 0.05) and normalized gain (Low-GI P < 0.05) were decreased by both GI trials, while a decrease in VLF phase was observed in only the High-GI trial (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that breakfast consumption augmented dCA in the LF range, but High-GI breakfast attenuated CBF regulation against slow change (i.e., the VLF range) in arterial pressure. Thus, we propose that breakfast and glycemic control may be an important strategy to optimize cerebrovascular health.


In the paper the effective method of SAR image enhancement is presented. A strong scatterer produces sidelobes in range and cross-range dimension forming characteristic cross-shaped pattern centred on dominant scatterer. The presence of these sidelobes decreases the overall image quality and can mask weak scatterers close to the strong one. The proposed method is based on adaptive removal of modelled strong scatterer echoes from raw radar data. After removal the raw radar signal is reprocessed, and strong scatterers are then added to the final image. The method has been tested both using simulated and recorded data, showing its great potential. (5 pages)


Improvements in understanding the process of remineralization have resulted in a reappraisal of repair of damaged tooth structure and call into question the principles of cavity preparation of GV Black and his principle of "extension for prevention." From this reappraisal has emerged the idea of minimally invasive dentistry (MID). The goal of MID is to remove as little of the sound tooth structure during the restoration phase as possible. This goal is in our reach in part because of availability of products that promote mineralization and of dental excavation instruments, like the dental laser, that can be managed to remove only damaged tooth structure. It is critical that the leaders of the dental enterprise endorse MID. Delay could allow new products to move from the dental profession to other health care providers. For example, a caries vaccine will soon enter the market place. Will dentists expand the scope of their practices to include the application of this vaccine, or will they ignore this new product and allow the new technology to enter the scope of practice of other health providers?


: Storage and coding of anatomic pathology data usually is accomplished by expensive main frame systems. The authors of this article have developed a microcomputer based program package for autopsy pathology which stores patient demographic data, provisional or final anatomic diagnoses, and coded diagnoses obtained from an on-line Systematized Nomenclature of Pathology (SNOP) code lexicon. The system includes limited text editor functions as well as rapid data retrieval with the generation of final reports. Data files containing SNOP codes and diagnoses are searched easily by a variety of parameters, making data retrieval of autopsy material simple and efficient.


With the emergence of mobile computing and communication, low power device design and implementation have got a significant role to play in VLSI circuit design. Conventional silicon (bulk CMOS) technology couldn't overcome the fundamental physical limitations belonging to sub-micro or nanometer region which leads to alternative device technology like Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) technology. In a fully-depleted FDSOI structure the electrostatic coupling of channel with source/drain and substrate through the buried layer (BL) is reduced. This allows in turn to reduce the minimal channel length of transistors or to relax the requirements on Si film thickness. A generalized compact threshold voltage model for SOI-MOSFET is developed by solving 2-D Poisson's equation in the channel region and analytical expressions are also developed for the same. The performance of the device is evaluated after incorporating the short channel effects. It is observed that in SOI, presence of the oxide layer resists the short channel effects and reduces device anomalies such as substrate leakage by a great factor than bulk-MOS. The threshold voltage and current drive make SOI the ultimate candidate for low power application. Thus SOI-MOSFET technology could very well be the solution for further ultra scale integration of devices and improvised performance.


Abstract:A shipping agency or shipping agent is the designated person or agency held responsible for handling shipments and cargo, and the general interests of its customers, at ports and harbors worldwide, on behalf of ship owners, managers, and charterers. Shipping agents will usually take care of all the regular routine tasks of a shipping company quickly and efficiently. They ensure that essential supplies, crew transfers, customs documentation, and waste declarations are all arranged with the port authorities without delay and often provide the shipping company with updates and reports on activities at the destination port so that shipping companies have real-time information while goods are in transit. Due to these reasons, selection of the ship agencies becomes an indispensable part of maritime transportation. Managing a ship agency requires interconnected and labor-intensive processes for any kind of shipping operations, which results in a complicated mission. This study presents the most important ship agency selection criteria, according to the determined criteria in the literature, by employing fuzzy AHP technique, one of the most common fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods.


We explain why directly changing the prior can be a surprisingly ineffective mechanism for incorporating inductive biases into VAEs, and introduce a simple and effective alternative approach: Intermediary Latent Space VAEs(InteL-VAEs). InteL-VAEs use an intermediary set of latent variables to control the stochasticity of the encoding process, before mapping these in turn to the latent representation using a parametric function that encapsulates our desired inductive bias(es). This allows us to impose properties like sparsity or clustering on learned representations, and incorporate human knowledge into the generative model. Whereas changing the prior only indirectly encourages behavior through regularizing the encoder, InteL-VAEs are able to directly enforce desired characteristics. Moreover, they bypass the computation and encoder design issues caused by non-Gaussian priors, while allowing for additional flexibility through training of the parametric mapping function. We show that these advantages, in turn, lead to both better generative models and better representations being learned.


This report summarises research carried out in 2011n12 to quantify the effects of roadside barriers and clear zones on mitigation of run-off-road crash numbers and crash severity for New Zealand road and roadside characteristics through statistical and computer simulation modelling. The purpose of the research was to provide practitioners with information that would allow them to make safe, more appropriate and cost-effective treatments for specific conditions. The statistical modelling included extending an existing crash risk model to cover the available parameters relating to barriers and clear zones, eg offset from the road and barrier type. Limited computer simulation modelling of run-off-road scenarios on selected straight and corner road sections was used to confirm and supplement the findings of the statistical modelling. The key finding was that the roadside condition, whether comprising clear zones of varying widths, or different barrier types, had an impact on the crash rate that was statistically significant. However, the results of both the statistical analysis and the computer simulation modelling showed that while the lateral distance offset to the nearest hazard or barrier was important, the type of hazard that was encountered at the far side of this offset distance was also important in determining the crash rate.


Heat exchangers are equipment that transfers heat from one medium to another. An air cooled heat exchanger, or ACHE, is simply a pressure vessel which cools a circulating fluid within finned tubes by forcing ambient air over the exterior of the tubes. In cross flow exchangers, the hot and cold fluids move perpendicular to each other. Some actual heat exchangers are a mixture of cross flow and counter flow (Known as Counter to Cross Flow Heat Exchangers) due to design features. The proper design, operation and maintenance of heat exchangers will make the process energy efficient and minimize energy losses. Heat exchanger performance can deteriorate with time, off design operations and other interferences such as fouling, scaling etc. It is necessary to assess periodically the heat exchanger performance in order to maintain them at a high efficiency level. This section comprises certain proven techniques of monitoring the performance of heat exchangers, coolers and condensers from observed operating data of the equipment. A major problem constantly faced by heat exchanger designers is to predict accurately the performance of a given heat exchanger or a system of heat exchangers for a given set of service conditions. The problem is complicated by the fact that uncertainties exist in most of the design parameters and in the design procedures themselves. The design parameters that are used in the basic thermal design calculations of a heat exchanger include process parameters, heat-transfer coefficients, tube dimensions (e.g., tube diameter, wall thickness), thermal conductivity of the tube material, and thermo physical properties of the fluids. Nominal or mean values of these parameters are used in the design calculations. However, uncertainties in these parameters prevent us from predicting the exact performance of the unit. The effect of the uncertainties is mostly in the performance degradation in service. Hence, there is an imperative need to consider all the uncertainties and to critically evaluate them and correctly predict the thermal performance of a heat exchanger. This is particularly true for critical applications. In thermal design of heat exchangers there are presently many stages in which assumptions in mathematical solution of the design problem are being made. Accumulation of these assumptions (e.g. use of mean values) may introduce variations in design as large as the uncertainties introduced in heat-transfer and flow friction correlations. The designer needs to understand where these inaccuracies may arise, and strive to eliminate as many sources of error as possible by choosing design configurations that avoid such problems at source. Heat Exchanger Thermal Design Problem referred to as the rating and sizing problems. KEYWORD:Thermal Design, Counter to cross flow heat exchanger, thermal design problems, uncertainties in design.


Consider a seller seeking a selling mechanism to maximize the worst-case revenue obtained from a buyer whose valuation distribution lies in a certain ambiguity set. For a generic convex ambiguity set, we show via the minimax theorem that strong duality holds between the problem of finding the optimal robust mechanism and a minimax pricing problem where the adversary first chooses a worst-case distribution and then the seller decides the best posted price mechanism. This implies that the extra value of optimizing over more sophisticated mechanisms exactly amounts to the value of eliminating distributional ambiguity under a posted price mechanism. The duality result also connects prior literature that separately studies the primal (robust mechanism design) and problems related to the dual (e.g., robust pricing, buyer-optimal pricing and personalized pricing). We further provide a geometric approach to analytically solving the minimax pricing problem (as well as the robust pricing problem) for several important ambiguity sets such as the ones with mean and various dispersion measures, and with the Wasserstein metric. The solutions are then used to construct the optimal robust mechanism and to compare with the solutions to the robust pricing problem. Uniqueness of the worst-case distribution can also be established for some cases.


Colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have recently emerged as versatile photonic sources. Their processing and luminescent properties are challenged by the lability of their surfaces, i.e., the interface of the NC core and the ligand shell. On the example of CsPbBr3 NCs, we model the nanocrystal surface structure and its effect on the emergence of trap states using density functional theory. We rationalize the typical observation of a degraded luminescence upon aging or the luminescence recovery upon postsynthesis surface treatments. The conclusions are corroborated by the elemental analysis. We then propose a strategy for healing the surface trap states and for improving the colloidal stability by the combined treatment with didodecyldimethylammonium bromide and lead bromide and validate this approach experimentally. This simple procedure results in robust colloids, which are highly pure and exhibit high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 95–98%, retained even after three to four rounds of washing.


A study was carried out to investigate the effect of governing metal thickness (GMT) on weld quality and strength of resistance spot welded (RSW) AA5754 aluminium. Quasi-static joint strengths were evaluated for 27 different joint stack-ups in three test geometries: lap-shear, coachpeel and cross-tension; whilst micro examination was conducted on some of the samples to assess weld quality. The results derived from over 1000 samples show the importance of GMT and its various effects: the GMT has a significant effect on welding quality and joint strength by controlling the attainable weld diameter, regardless of stack-ups; depending on loading conditions, its effect may differ.


Using two Canadian data sets, the authors explore the role of union coverage in displaced workers' wage losses. While only 32% of the workers had unionized jobs prior to displacement, the wage loss suffered by these workers represented about 80% of the wages lost by all displaced workers in both samples. Losing union status was associated with large losses whether or not a worker switched industries after displacement. Extrapolating the results to the United States, the authors estimate that one-third to one-half of U.S. displaced workers' wage losses may be due purely to the loss of union coverage.