OBJECTIVES
To (1) describe vascular distribution in the grossly intact canine cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) using immunohistochemical techniques specific to 2 components of blood vessels (factor VIII for endothelial cells, laminin for basement membrane); and (2) compare the vascularity in different areas of interest (craniomedial versus caudolateral bands; core versus epiligamentous regions; and proximal versus middle versus distal portions) in the intact normal canine CCL.

STUDY DESIGN
In vitro study.

ANIMALS
Large, mature dogs (n=7) of breeds prone to CCL disease that were euthanatized for nonorthopedic conditions.

METHODS
Intact CCL were collected from fresh canine cadavers free from stifle pathology. CCL tissue was processed for immunohistochemistry and stained for factor VIII and laminin. Vascular density was determined by histomorphometric analysis.

RESULTS
Specific vascular staining was sparsely identified throughout the CCL; however, the proximal portion of the CCL appears to have a greater number of vessels than the middle or distal portion of the ligament.

CONCLUSIONS
The CCL is a hypovascular tissue and its vascular distribution is not homogeneous.


Certified organic blueberry area in the USA grew nearly ten-fold from 2003 to 2011. In 2015, there were an estimated 283 ha of certified organic blueberry in Oregon. New transitional and organic blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) fields continue to be planted in this region by small and diversified organic farmers at a rapid rate. In 2015, a survey was developed to conduct on-site in-person interviews with certified and transitional organic growers in Oregon. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected including pre-planting practices and soil amendments, management systems, cultivars and area grown, soil pH and fertility programs, pruning, irrigation, pest management, average yields, harvesting and postharvest practices, sales, and marketing. Different farm sizes and business structures were included in the 28 interviews conducted. Although the diversity of farms varied, the majority of operations were small farms of 8 ha or less total certified organic land and a total blueberry area less than 2 ha. 71% of the farmers interviewed had diverse organic production systems including crops other than blueberry. Blueberry production systems were diverse among farms including: 14% using drip irrigation, 61% overhead and 25% a combination of both; slightly less than half were grown on flat ground; 70% had fields with plants at least 10 years old; and all pruned at least some part of their fields annually. Soil and tissue testing, use of pre-plant soil amendments, nitrogen and other fertility management practices varied widely among growers. The most important pest problems noted were weeds, spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), mummy berry (Monilina vaccinii-corymbosi) and Blueberry shock virus (BlShV). Other important pests included birds, rodents and deer. Growers described a wide variety of harvest methods and marketing outlets for their blueberry fruit with the vast majority of them producing for fresh direct consumer sales or for fresh wholesale or retail buyers.


Environmental protection and sustainability have a complex relationship with finances and financial institutions. Financial institutions such as banks, pension funds and insurance companies, are increasingly seen as of vital importance for reaching environmental and sustainability goals. Initially, and at least till the early 1990s, the availability of finances and the functioning of financial institutions were considered to contribute significantly to unsustainable practices. Through their investment and loan practices, banks and other financial institutions were seen as major drivers behind economic growth and as such major contributors to natural resource depletion and environmental pollution. From the 1990s onwards, the sustainability perspective of financial institutions and the availability of finance has diversified. On the waves of ecological modernization (Spaargaren and Mol 1992) financial institutions were also considered as potentially major institutions, actors and instruments in greening investments, industrial development, and infrastructures. And lifting restrictions on finance was no longer one-to-one related to increasing pollution and resource extraction, but also to greening technological development and capitalization of green transitions (e.g. Scholtens 2006; Perez 2008; Yuxiang and Chen 2011, 95-97; UNEP 2014). Also, there was more and more recognition that public finance alone would never be able to free the finances needed to turn economies and societies green, as major investments will be needed in industrial transformations, new infrastructure, retro-fitting existing buildings, zero-carbon development and the like (Shen et al. 2013). This more positive role of financial institutions for the sustainability agenda started to gain prominence in the scholarly literature in the early 1990s, first especially with respect to international institutions such as the World Bank and its International Financial Corporation, other regional development banks, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (Perez 2008). These financial institutions decided - under considerable pressure from NGOs and some states - to integrate ecological considerations and later even conditionality into mainstream lending policies and practices. Following these development banks and international financial institutions, private banks also, starting with the larger ones from OECD countries with international operations, began to subject lending to some form of voluntary environmental regulation. The UNEP Finance Initiative, established in the 1990s, was the first to try to provide a global normative framework for the incorporation of environmental considerations into the business practices of public and private financial institutions. During all these initiatives and related debates it became clear that there were still many teething troubles and conflicting goals, which come along with sustainability roles for finance. The ambivalences of finance, financial instruments and financial institutions for the sustainability agenda made the design and implementation of the former three of key importance, and thus subject of research and politics.


We investigate the possibility of using ALA-derived PpIX fluorescence spectroscopy for the detection of epithelial hyperkeratosis (EH) or epithelial dysplasia (ED) lesions in oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) patients that could not be found by autofluorescence spectroscopy. Twenty percent of ALA solution gel was applied onto oral neoplasia and surrounding normal tissue [normal oral mucosa (NOM)] for 90 min. Fluorescence emission spectra were measured under 410 nm excitation. Generally, the most intense fluorescence emission peaks occurred at 460 and 630 nm. The ratios of the area under red peak (630+/-10 nm) to the area under blue peak (460+/-10 nm), denoted as RB, were calculated. We found that OSF mucosa has the lowest RB value, followed by NOM, EH on OSF, and ED on OSF. An ANOVA test showed significant differences between OSF, NOM, EH on OSF, and ED on OSF (p<0.05). However, measurements of autofluorescence (i.e., before ALA application) show no significant differences between OSF, NOM, EH on OSF, and ED on OSF (ANOVA test, p>0.05). These results indicate that ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence spectroscopy could be used to identify the premalignant lesions on oral fibrotic mucosa, which could not be found by autofluorescence.


Enhanced transport of oxygen in a Millipore filter containing a solution of hemoglobin can be accounted for by the diffusion of free oxygen as well as of hemoglobin-bound oxygen. A model shows that, at oxygen tensions at which the hemoglobin is fully saturated in a portion of the membrane, the enhanced transport is due to a steeper gradient for free oxygen, whereas in the rest of the membrane an "(oxy)hemoglobin shuttle" operates. A similar model may be useful for explaining facilitated diffusion in other systems.


Ribosomes are the macromolecular machines at the heart of protein synthesis; however, their function can be modulated by a variety of additional protein factors that directly interact with them. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of human Ebp1 (p48 isoform) bound to the human 80S ribosome at 3.3 Å resolution. Ebp1 binds in the vicinity of the peptide exit tunnel on the 80S ribosome, and this binding is enhanced upon puromycin-mediated translational inhibition. The association of Ebp1 with the 80S ribosome centers around its interaction with ribosomal proteins eL19 and uL23 and the 28S rRNA. Further analysis of the Ebp1-ribosome complex suggests that Ebp1 can rotate around its insert domain, which may enable it to assume a wide range of conformations while maintaining its interaction with the ribosome. Structurally, Ebp1 shares homology with the methionine aminopeptidase 2 family of enzymes; therefore, this inherent flexibility may also be conserved.


Istanbul Modern presents a new exhibition addressing the relationship between art, nature and technology: Paradise Lost (25 March to 24 July 2011). The exhibition consists of digital media and video works. Included in the show are 21 artists and a joint project who take into consideration subjects related to nature and examine the impact of industry and technology on the environment. Ergin Cavusoglu mostly produces video and sound installations set in urban spaces where the private and the public intersect. These areas, which he defines as 'liminal spaces' function as boundaries between people and their surroundings. Cavusoglu's contribution to 'Paradise Lost' is the video installation, Poised in the Infinite Ocean that is accompanied by a reading by William Langewiesche from his book, The Outlaw Sea (2004), about the anarchy at sea and merchant shipping. This particular section about a storm at sea takes place where the video was shot: in the Bay of Biscay, between France and Spain. The characters in the story are sailors who, having no alternative, spend their lives at sea and lead a routine life of work and rest in the 'iron house' where they live. Poised in the Infinite Ocean shows a castle on the shore, sky and sea, and a lighthouse and town, shot during a storm. The narration complements the images without being descriptive. The sailors pursue their destiny under the influence of natural forces they cannot control, while their only lodestar and salvation is the light that flashes in the dark. The eerie, melancholic, seductive images presented in triptych, portray instincts such as the search for shelter, control, and orientation, through the powerful use of imagery.


What is identity and how is it constructed? How and why are Basque transnational identities maintained in populations of their diaspora – now in more than twenty countries? Combining theories from sociology, political science, history, and anthropology, we will investigate the specifics of Basque migrations, cultural representations, diasporic politics, and ethnonationalism. This work analyzes the Basque Autonomous Government's international relations with various Basque communities abroad and compares them with other similar homeland–ethnic diaspora groups' relations. This unique course aims to explore Basque diaspora studies by comparing ethnonationalism, transnationalism, and identity maintenance in numerous host countries that have significant Basque immigrant populations. We will evaluate the historical, political, economic, and psychological dimensions of migration and the creation of ethnic institutions in the host countries. Readers will examine Basque cultural construction and maintenance and the effects of gender, generation, geography, and globalization on Basque communities outside of Euskal Herria.


This study investigated the associations among depression, relationship quality, and demand/withdraw and demand/submit behavior in couples' conflict interactions. Two 10-min conflict interactions were coded for each couple (N = 97) using Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB; Benjamin, 1979a, 1987, 2000a). Depression was assessed categorically (via the presence of depressive disorders) and dimensionally (via symptom reports). Results revealed that relationship quality was negatively associated with demanding behavior, as well as receiving submissive or withdrawing behavior from one's partner. Relationship quality was positively associated with withdrawal. Demanding behavior was positively associated with women's depression symptoms but negatively associated with men's depression symptoms. Sequential analysis revealed couples' behavior was highly stable across time. Initiation of demand/withdraw and demand/submit sequences were negatively associated with partners' relationship adjustment. Female demand/male withdraw was positively associated with men's depression diagnosis. Results underscore the importance of sequential analysis when investigating associations among depression, relationship quality, and couples' interpersonal behavior.


Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and body size vary with abiotic factors in millipedes. Seasonality was associated with body size and SSD in the forest millipede genus Centrobolus to test for seasonality and a correlation between SSD and daylight hours throughout the year. There was a significant negative correlation between SSD and daylight hours throughout the year (r=0.46, Z score=2.17, n=22, p=0.02). C. albitarsus has the highest SSD (2.89 female-biased) and occurs in the month with low hours of sunlight throughout the year (2690.72 hours) whereas SSD was second-lowest in C. promontorius (0.69 male-biased) which occurred in very high (3087.04 hours) hours of sunlight throughout the year. SSD correlated with year-round sunlight hours differently to year-round sunlight hours with the highest sunlight hours per month (z=0.75, p<0.01). In these polygynandrous reproductive systems, larger females with a higher SSD occur with lower hours of sunlight throughout the year which differs from SSD covariance with the highest number of hours of sunlight per month. This study emphasizes the seasonality of these millipedes.


Background and Aims: Decubitus ulcer (DU) is one of the commonly observed health problems among home care patients. As well as deteriorating social, physical, and psychological conditions of the patients, it is a cause of severe economic loss due to long-term bed occupancy and high care costs. This study aimed to examine the factors which affect the development of decubitus ulcer among home care patients and provide extensive data to the literature. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted with on home care patients aged over 40 years old who were registered at Etimesgut Ankara Sehit Sait Erturk State Hospital. Following the face-to-face interviews with the patients at home, the scores of Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Daily Life Activities (DLA), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were recorded. Development of DU was monitored through routine examinations in the home care patients. It was encountered how SGA, MNA, DLA and GDS functioned in predicting the development of DU using logistic regression during effort and also how status of equipment and presence of comorbid diseases affected its development. Results: It was determined that malnutrition affected development of DU by decreasing mobility while the presence of psychological problems increased the risk for development. Furthermore, number of comorbid diseases and status of health equipment used by the patients were found effective in the development of DU. Conclusion: It is obvious that decreased inability of independent mobility in DLA increase the risk for malnutrition and consequently two assessments show a negative impact on psychology of the patient.


The interaction between Cu/Sn-Ag and Sn-Ag/Ni interfacial reactions has been studied during isothermal aging at 150°C for up to 1000h using a Cu/Sn-3.5Ag/ENIG sandwich solder joint. A typical scallop-type Cu-Sn intermetallic compound (IMC) layer formed at the upper Sn-Ag/Cu interface after reflowing. On the other hand, a (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 IMC layer was observed at the Sn-Ag/ENIG interface. The Cu in the (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 IMC layer formed on the Ni side has to be contributed from the dissolution of the opposite Cu metal pad or Cu-Sn IMC layer. When the dissolved Cu arrived at the interface of the Ni pad, the (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 IMC layer formed on the Ni interface, preventing the Ni pad from reacting with the solder. Although a long isothermal aging treatment at 150°C was performed, any Ni was not detected in the Cu-Sn IMC layer formed on the Cu side. Compared to the single Sn-Ag/ENIG solder joint, the formation of the (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 IMC layer of the Cu/Sn-Ag/ENIG sandwich joint retarded effectively the consumption of the Ni from the electroless Ni-P layer.


In this thesis, I examine earnings management issues in the UK context. The thesis consists of three essays.The first chapter investigates whether managers base their trade-off decisions among real earnings management, accruals-based earnings management, and classification shifting, on the costs, constraints and timing of each strategy in the UK. The empirical evidence suggests that some, but not all, costs and constraints play a role in managers? trade-off decisions. Further, contrasting between firms that are most likely to have manipulated earnings and firms that are not likely to have manipulated earnings, I find no difference in the relation of constraints towards all earnings management forms. This indicates that cost and constraints do not capture entirely what they are designed to, in the first place. Finally, I document evidence that is consistent with managers using real and accruals-based earnings management as substitutes but fail to find evidence that classification shifting acts as a substitute.The second essay studies the effect of income smoothing via accruals-based and real earnings management on the relationship between current stock returns, current earnings and future earnings. I measure income smoothing as the contemporaneous correlation between changes in earnings management proxies and pre-managed income. Using a sample of non-financial publicly listed firms in the UK, I show that both accruals-based and real income smoothing measures are associated with significantly positive share price anticipation of earnings. These results are robust to different stock returns specifications, income smoothing measure calculations, abnormal accruals models and accumulation periods of stock returns.In the third and final essay, I investigate the impact of the level of accruals-based and real earnings management on measures of the amount of performance commentary in annual reports for a large sample of UK public firms. I use automated textual analysis to construct disclosure scores based on the amount of performance and causal commentary. The results suggest that firms with higher levels of earnings management have lower levels of disclosure of performance and causal commentary. The presence of bad news for the firm (missed analyst forecast, underperformance or earnings decline) affects the relationship between disclosure and accruals-based earnings management but not the relationship between disclosure and real earnings management.


In this work, we present progress towards devices fabrication using all semiconducting nanotubes as the starting material. Individual nanotubes are known to have intrinsic mobility of more than 10,000 cm 2 /V-s but using a network of nanotubes will decrease this mobility because of tube-tube screening effect and junction resistance. Here we are using solution-based deposition of purified 99% semiconducting single-walled nanotubes as the channel in field effect transistors. DC analysis of devices' characterization shows a high mobility, more than 50 cm 2 /Vs, and good on/off ratio in the range of more than 10 3 and 10 4 . A critical issue is the ink formulation and dependence of electronic properties on the nanotube density after deposition. In addition, the channel length also plays an important role in controlling both mobility and on/off ratio.


Renal Artery stenosis is one of the major causes of curable renovascular hypertension. An early investigation of renal artery stenosis helps in the management of renovascular hypertension by alternative, less-invasive methods such as drug treatments, thereby reducing the risk involved in the surgery. Therefore an early investigation of renal artery stenosis has been always an attractive goal for the physicians. The renal artery stenosis affects the blood velocity profile in the renal artery. These profiles can be investigated by quantitative Doppler Ultrasound measurements obtained by flow experimentations and can be used as a tool for the identification of renal artery stenosis. In the present study, the velocity profiles produced in anatomically realistic renal artery wall-less flow phantoms were investigated by physiological flow experimentations. The renal artery flow phantoms mimic renal vasculature anatomically and acoustically as well as representing symmetrical (30%, 50% and 70%) and asymmetrical (25%, 35% and 45%) stenosis conditions. A physiological flow of velocity between 2 40 cms-' was produced in each renal artery flow phantom. The blood mimicking fluid (BMF) velocity was determined at regular axial and radial intervals of lmm, using Siemens Antares Ultrasound system with a broadband curvilinear transducer (C5-2). The physiological velocity profiles in each phantom were investigated. By studying the characteristics of the physiological velocity profiles in the anatomically realistic renal flow phantoms, a greater understanding of renal flow behavior in the normal and diseased conditions can be obtained. These flow characteristics can serve as a basis for identification and quantification of the degree of stenosis. The flow characteristics in the investigated velocity profiles may lead to earlier detection of renal artery stenosis using noninvasive ultrasonic methods. Subcutaneous fat is a well documented limitation of renal imaging. Recent studies have indicated that the subcutaneous fat introduces an error in the maximum velocity estimation and thereby in the quantification of degree of stenosis. In the present thesis, the effect of a fat mimicking layer on: a) physiological velocity profiles and b) the shape and profile of Spectral Doppler velocity waveforms was studied. The knowledge of how the subcutaneous fat affects the physiological waveforms and thereby the clinical diagnosis is important while using the physiological flow waveforms and the physiological velocity profiles as a criteria for identification of renal artery stenosis.


A new CFAR detector based on Grubbs statistic called G-CFAR detector is proposed and its detection architecture is given.in this paper. Also the values of the threshold in different confidence level are given. The G-CFAR is evaluated through Monte-Carlo simulation in various environments. In homogeneous background, the performance of G-CFAR shows a little worse than that of CA-CFAR. In multiple targets background, the G-CFAR performs robustly, especially when the interfering targets are not confined to a single half of the reference window, the G-CFAR keeps good performance, while the VI-CFAR can not detect the targets effectively .


We use semi-analytic models and cosmological merger trees to provide the initial conditions for multimerger numerical hydrodynamic simulations, and exploit these simulations to explore the effect of galaxy interaction and merging on star formation (SF). We compute numerical realizations of 12 merger trees from z = 1.5 to 0. We include the effects of the large hot gaseous halo around all galaxies, following recent observations and predictions of galaxy formation models. We find that including the hot gaseous halo has a number of important effects. First, as expected, the star formation rate on long time-scales is increased due to cooling of the hot halo and refuelling of the cold gas reservoir. Secondly, we find that interactions do not always increase the SF in the long term. This is partially due to the orbiting galaxies transferring gravitational energy to the hot gaseous haloes and raising their temperature. Finally, we find that the relative size of the starburst, when including the hot halo, is much smaller than previous studies showed. Our simulations also show that the order and timing of interactions are important for the evolution of a galaxy. When multiple galaxies interact at the same time, the SF enhancement is less than when galaxies interact in series. All these effects show the importance of including hot gas and cosmologically motivated merger trees in galaxy evolution models.


We report a high rate Li-rich layered manganese nickel cobalt (MNC) oxide cathode material of the composition 0.5Li2MnO3$0.5LiMn0.5Ni0.35Co0.15O2, termed Li-rich MNC cathode material, with discharge capacities of 200, 250, and 290 mA h g 1 at C, C/4 and C/20 rates, respectively, for Li-ion batteries. This high rate discharge performance combined with little capacity fade during long term cycling is unprecedented for this class of lithium ion (Li-ion) cathode materials. The exceptional electrochemistry of the Li-rich MNC in Li-ion cells is attributed to its open porous morphology and high electronic conductivity. The structure of the material investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) combined with electrochemical data revealed that the porous morphology was effective in allowing electrolyte penetration through the particle grains in tandem with its high electronic conductivity to provide high Li transport for high rate discharge. Extended cycling behavior and structural phase transition of the new material were further examined through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), XRD, XAS and HRTEM. The new Li-rich MNC cathode material could provide the next generation Li-ion batteries with specific energy exceeding 400 W h kg 1 or energy density over 1000 W h l .


MnO2 nanoflakes/cellulose nanofibre aerogel (MCNF) has been fabricated via the methods of redox reaction and ultrasonication. The SEM and TEM images demonstrate that the core–shell structure of ultrathin MCNF, possessing a 3D structure, was successfully obtained via ultrasonic control. Nitrogen adsorption analysis shows that the MCNF composites have a larger specific surface area compared with that of CNF, due to the inserted CNF inhibiting the aggregation of MnO2. The desalination capacity was evaluated by an adsorptive experiment, involving several ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and sea water) in aqueous solution. MCNF exhibited excellent desalination behaviour towards ions in sea water, depending on both the strength of the efficient positive ionic charge and ionic radius. More interestingly, the regenerated MCNF after initial HCl and subsequent KOH treatment could be repeatedly used after ten adsorption/desorption cycles without obvious degradation of the performance. Moreover, with high desalination efficiency and reusability, and ease of separation, the aerogel is a candidate for desalination in practical applications.


We prove that if X ⊂ Pr is any 2-regular scheme (in the sense of Castelnuovo-Mumford) then X is small. This means that if L is a linear space and Y := L ∩ X is finite, then Y is linearly independent in the sense that the dimension of the linear span of Y is deg Y − 1. The converse is true and well-known for finite schemes, but false in general. The main result of this paper is that the converse, "small implies 2-regular", is also true for reduced schemes (algebraic sets). This is proven by means of a delicate geometric analysis, leading to a complete classification: we show that the components of a small algebraic set are varieties of minimal degree, meeting in a particularly simple way. From the classification one can show that if X ⊂ Pr is 2-regular, then so is Xred, and so also is the projection of X from any point of X. Our results extend the Del Pezzo-Bertini classification of varieties of minimal degree, the characterization of these as the varieties of regularity 2 by Eisenbud-Goto, and the construction of 2-regular square-free monomial ideals by Fröberg. 0. Introduction Throughout this paper we will work with projective schemes X ⊂ Pr over an algebraically closed field k. The (Castelnuovo-Mumford) regularity of X ⊂ Pr is a basic homological measure of the complexity of X and its embedding in Pr that gives a bound for the degrees of the generators of the defining ideal IX of X and for many other invariants. The only schemes of regularity 1 are the linear spaces; but no classification is known for projective schemes of regularity 2. In this paper we prove a structure theorem for reduced 2-regular schemes, showing that their irreducible components are varieties of minimal degree and characterizing how these components can meet. We also show that the reduced structure on any 2-regular scheme is 2-regular, and thus we obtain a complete description of the reduced structures on 2-regular schemes. (Since a high Veronese re-embedding of any zero-dimensional scheme is 2-regular, one cannot hope to characterize the isomorphism types of all 2-regular nonreduced schemes.) Before stating our results we review some basic notions. For any subscheme X ⊂ Pr we write span(X) for the smallest linear subspace of Pr containing X. Recall that every variety (≡ reduced irreducible scheme) X ⊂ Pr satisfies the condition deg (X) ≥ 1 + codim (X, span(X)) (*) Manuscript received November 10, 2004. American Journal of Mathematics 128 (2006), 0–00.


To the Editor: I read with interest the recent article by Baker regarding the value of normalizing resident evaluation scores to eliminate individual faculty evaluator bias. Without unduly undermining the importance of this study, I have concern about the statistical handling of Likert scores. Likert scores were used to create individual faculty member mean scores, faculty score standard deviations, and average resident scores when more than one core competency section was included. The central issue is that Likert scales involve ordinal data, or categories falling in a hierarchy. Because the numbers in a Likert scale represent verbal statements of rank order (e.g., 5 distinctly above peer level), summarizing such ordinal data with a mean value is inappropriate by strict statistical methodology. Moreover, the intervals between data points on a Likert scale are not necessarily equal or even certain. To put this in the context of the study, consider this example from the relative performance designation used in the study: a score of "4" is "somewhat above peer level" and a score of "5" is "distinctly above peer level"; however, an average score of "4.5" cannot be said to represent "somewhat-above-peerlevel-and-a-half." Similarly, on the absolute/anchored competency designation, the difference between a score of "5" (performed in a fully independent manner) and a score of "6" (able to serve as a consultant to other physicians) is not necessarily equivalent to the difference between a score of "2" (needed moderate assistance) and a score of "3" (needed only minimal assistance). It is difficult to determine what, if any, limitation was imposed on the study as a result of this violation of statistical propriety. Nevertheless, although a purist may pine for cleaner data and analysis, this distraction can be mitigated by considering what Stevens wrote in 1946: "for this 'illegal' statisticizing there can be invoked a kind of pragmatic sanction: In numerous instances it leads to fruitful results." I look forward to future contributions from Baker. When I was a fellow his efforts sparked my interest in resident education and continue to do so now.


In this dissertation, the equations of motion with nine generalized coordinates of a bicycle are developed. For constraints, rolling-without-slipping contact condition between wheels and ground is considered. For each wheel, two holonomic and two non-holonomic constraints are introduced in a set of differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). The dynamics model is validated by verifying the constraints, by comparison with a benchmark model, as well as with experiment results.
The mathematic equations are then used to implement a simulation routine. To solve the DAEs of motion and ensure numerical accuracy in simulation of the bicycle system, computational methods for constraint handling are discussed and compared, including two methods to establish the underlying ODEs from the DAEs (coordinate reduction and embedding methods), and three numerical stabilization methods (Baumgarte, post-stabilization and sliding-mode-control post-stabilization).
The path-following control is decoupled in two steps. First, the roll-angle-tracking controller is studied to control the bicycle following a reference command by applying steering torque while ensuring the roll stability with consideration of several approaches, including PID, fuzzy logic, pole placement and sliding mode.
In the second step, the path-tracking controller is developed to generate appropriate roll-angle reference for the roll-angle-tracking controller in order to control the bicycle following a pre-defined path, by using fuzzy logic controllers. The effectiveness of the control schemes is proven by simulations with the developed mathematic model. Performance of the control schemes are evaluated in different conditions, including error information, path preview, constant speed, varying speed, and external disturbance.


Fairness has become an important topic in machine learning. Generally, most literature on fairness assumes that the sensitive information, such as gender or race, is present in the training set, and uses this information to mitigate bias. However, due to practical concerns like privacy and regulation, applications of these methods are restricted. Also, although much of the literature studies supervised learning, in many real-world scenarios, we want to utilize the large unlabelled dataset to improve the model's accuracy. Can we improve fair classification without sensitive information and without labels? To tackle the problem, in this paper, we propose a novel reweighing-based contrastive learning method. The goal of our method is to learn a generally fair representation without observing sensitive attributes. Our method assigns weights to training samples per iteration based on their gradient directions relative to the validation samples such that the average top-k validation loss is minimized. Compared with past fairness methods without demographics, our method is built on fully unsupervised training data and requires only a small labelled validation set. We provide rigorous theoretical proof of the convergence of our model. Experimental results show that our proposed method achieves better or comparable performance than state-of-the-art methods on three datasets in terms of accuracy and several fairness metrics.


administration (5-10s) did not produce this effect. So consistent is this finding that one of us (W.D.M.) uses it as an additional confirmatory test of the correct placement of the intravenous cannula in the rat. These animals were all healthy and had received no drugs for premedication. We can, therefore, exclude underlying pathology or interaction with pharmacological agents (other than isoflurane). We agree with Davis and Hall that a likely explanation for this phenomenon is a direct action of propofol or its metabolites (or in our study an interaction with isoflurane).


OBJECTIVES: MicroRNAs are endogenous, non-coding small RNAs and they play important roles in plant regulatory pathways, development, stress tolerance and growth. With the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies, the microRNA identification studies by computational methods have been increased and have become effective. In this study, we predicted microRNA repertoires from 13 medicinal plants by using their transcriptome atlas.
MATERIALS -METHODS: The transcriptome sequences of 13 medicinal plants were retrieved and the miRNA identification was conducted based on homology conservation method. Phylogenetic tree was constructed to show the level of similarity /dissimilarity between 13 medicinal plants (Atropa belladonna, Camptotheca acuminate, Cannabis sativa, Digitalis purpurea, Dioscorea villosa, Echinacea purpurea, Ginkgo biloba, Hoodia gordonii, Hypericum perforatum , Panax quinquefolius , Rauvolfia serpentina, Rosmarinus officinalis , Valeriana officinalis ) by Minitab statistical software. The transcriptome of Arabidopsis thaliana organism was used as a model organism. Target annotations of predicted putative microRNAs were performed by psRNA target and Blast2Go software.
RESULTS: As a total number, 168 putative miRNAs were identified. The highest number of microRNAs were found in Camptotheca acuminate (28 miRNA families) transcriptome whereas Atropa belladonna had the lowest amount of putative miRNAs (three miRNA families) in its transcriptome. Digitalis purpurea and Rosmarinus officinalis showed the highest similarities. Targets of putative miRNAs in biological processes and molecular functions revealed us different profiles in different organisms.
CONCLUSIONS: Since medicinal plants have some important therapeutic properties, these findings might help to elucidate metabolic and regulatory pathways in medicinal plants to use them efficiently in biotechnological and pharmacological applications.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Here, we describe a genome-wide association study of chemically induced lung tumorigenesis on 593 mice from 21 inbred strains using 115,904 genotyped and 1,952,918 imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using a genetic background-controlled genome search, we identified a novel lung tumor susceptibility gene Las2 (Lung adenoma susceptibility 2) on distal chromosome 18. Las2 showed strong association with resistance to tumor induction (rs30245983; P = 1.87 x 10(-9)) as well as epistatic interactions (P = 1.71 x 10(-3)) with the pulmonary adenoma susceptibility 1 locus, a major locus affecting mouse lung tumor development (rs13459098, P = 5.64 x 10(-27)). Sequencing analysis revealed four nonsynonymous SNPs and two insertions/deletions in the susceptible allele of Las2, resulting in the loss of tumor suppressor activities in both cell colony formation and nude mouse tumorigenicity assays. Deletion of LAS2 was observed in approximately 40% of human lung adenocarcinomas, implying that loss of function of LAS2 may be a key step for lung tumorigenesis.


This paper presents the comparison of two nonlinear model-based control strategies for autonomous cars. A control oriented model of vehicle based on a bicycle model is used. The two control strategies use a model reference approach. Using this approach, the error dynamics model is developed. Both controllers receive as input the longitudinal, lateral and orientation errors generating as control outputs the steering angle and the velocity of the vehicle. The first control approach is based on a non-linear control law that is designed by means of the Lyapunov direct approach. The second approach is based on a sliding mode-control that defines a set of sliding surfaces over which the error trajectories will converge. The main advantage of the sliding-control technique is the robustness against non-linearities and parametric uncertainties in the model. However, the main drawback of first order sliding mode is the chattering, so it has been implemented a high order sliding mode control. To test and compare the proposed control strategies, different path following scenarios are used in simulation.


We are busy celebrating 500 years of reformation and one of the basic convictions of the reformers was that we know to (W)whom we belong. During the student uprisings that we experienced in 2015 and 2016, it became clear that the notion of 'belonging' was deeply contested. Students still experience that black people are socially, economically and psychologically abused by the white systems, including university campuses.In empirical research conducted in 2016 with colleagues from five other faculties, these feelings and experiences of exclusion, of not belonging and of injustice among theology students and even some lecturers, were confirmed. This led to the basic research question focused on the subject field for which I am responsible at the Faculty of Theology: how do we work together as lecturers and students to help create such spaces of human dignity in the training of students who are busy preparing for ministry practice in a postcolonial African context in which they experience belonging? This article endeavours to provide an answer to this question.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The empirical part of the research was conducted by colleagues from five different faculties including Arts and Science, Engineering, Law, Education and Theology. In that sense, the research was not only intradisciplinary but also interdisciplinary.


The opportunities offered by clinical governance are explored by a chief nurse and director of quality and a senior nurse (R&D) working in an inner-city NHS trust at a time of considerable change and uncertainty. The paper offers an insight into each of our perspectives on clinical governance-the latest concept behind recent health reforms in the UK-and contributes to the debate on the subject by suggesting the adoption of a strategic approach to encourage nursing research that is more related to practice. First, clinical governance is defined, following which its component elements-clinical effectiveness, education and training, quality monitoring and cost control in healthcare-are explored in relation to the general concept of clinical governance. Examples of key initiatives, based on our recent experience at this NHS trust, are provided to examine how the various strands of the clinical governance framework (such as risk management) have the potential to benefit patients by their focus on improving the standard of healthcare being provided. Questions are then raised about the place of nursing research within the wider NHS R&D agenda. We suggest that the adoption of clinical governance will offer a unique opportunity for nursing leaders, researchers and practice developers to work together to help shape the future culture of healthcare, particularly at the point of clinical delivery. If such an opportunity is to be maximised, a number of fundamental issues must be addressed with urgency. These include ensuring that successful initiatives are identified and implemented to demonstrate the contribution that nursing research can make to tangible healthcare improvements.


The success of an ocular prosthesis depends largely on the correct orientation of the iris disk. Various methods have been put forth to achieve this. This article emphasizes one such simplified method, wherein a customized scale has been used to orient the iris disk mediolaterally, superoinferiorly, and anteroposteriorly in an ocular prosthesis. A scleral wax pattern was fabricated. The customized scale was used to measure the dimension and orientation of the natural iris. These measurements were then transferred to the scleral wax pattern with the customized scale. An iris disk was fabricated using black crayon on the scleral wax pattern according to the measurements. The scleral wax pattern, including the iris disk, was then placed in the eye socket to verify its dimension and orientation. A prefabricated iris disk was modified according to the measured dimensions and transferred to the final scleral wax pattern. The transfer of these dimensions to the definitive prosthesis was achieved successfully, ultimately improving the patient's social and psychological well being.


This study investigated the functional specialisation characteristics of brain in multiple right-hand dominant subjects pertaining to the activation of the cerebral motor cortices evoked by unilateral finger tapping, especially in primary motor (M1) and supplementary motor (SMA) areas. This multiple-subject study used unilateral (UNIright and UNIleft) selfpaced tapping of hand fingers to activate the M1 and SMA. Brain activation characteristics were analysed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Activation for UNIright and UNIleft showed the involvement of contralateral and ipsilateral M1 and SMA. A larger activation area but with a lower percentage of signal change (PSC) were observed in the left M1 due to the control on UNIright (4164 voxels at a = 0.001, PSC = 1.650) as compared to the right M1 due to the control on UNIleft (2012 voxels at a = 0.001, PSC = 2.377). This is due to the influence of the tapping rate effects which is greater than what could be produced by the average effects of the dominant and sub-dominant hands. The significantly higher PSC value observed in the right M1 (p < 0.05) is due to a higher control demand used by the brain in coordinating the tapping of the sub-dominant fingers. The findings obtained from this study showed strong evidence of the existence of brain functional specialisation and could be used as baseline references in determining the most probable motor pathways in a sample of subjects.


BACKGROUND
A Mediterranean diet has been shown to protect against coronary heart disease (CHD). Adherence to a Mediterranean diet can be assessed using a Mediterranean diet score. The primary aim of this pilot study was to examine whether CHD patients in a Northern European population would adopt and maintain a Mediterranean diet, with a secondary aim of comparing the effectiveness of different methodologies aimed at improving compliance.

METHODS
Sixty-one patients with a diagnosis of CHD were randomised to one of three groups: either to receive conventional dietetic advice for CHD or advice to implement a Mediterranean-style diet using either behavioural counselling or nutritional counselling. Patients received a follow-up assessment at 6 months (adoption) and a subset of patients was followed up at 12 months (maintenance). The primary outcome measure was the between-group difference in the mean change in Mediterranean diet score (MDS).

RESULTS
The change in MDS was not significantly different between groups. However, all three groups reported a significant within-group increase in MDS (P < 0.01) at 6 and 12 months follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
All three groups made dietary changes towards a Mediterranean diet, but behavioural counselling did not have significant additional benefit over nutritional counselling in initiating and maintaining dietary change, and neither method offering specific Mediterranean diet advice had any significant benefit in terms of improvement in MDS over conventional dietetic practice.


To discuss optical properties of water body in Xiaojiang river backwater area after the early impounding stage of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the correlations between visible light attenuation coefficients (Kd(PAR)) and Secchi Disc transparency (SD), total particulate matters (TPM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and chlorophyll-a (Chla) were investigated, and spatiotemporal variations of Kd(PAR) and its influencing factors were analyzed. In the study area, there are no significant spatial variations of Kd(PAR), but the seasonal changes are obvious, with the highest value in winter and the lowest value in summer. Statistics analysis suggests that there are strong correlations between Kd(PAR) and SD, TPM, TIM, the value of R2 are 0.7791, 0.7285, and 0.7637, respectively. The relationship between Kd(PAR) and DOC is less significant(R2=0.1289). However, the correlation between Kd(PAR) and Chla was weak (R2=0.006). Further study shows that, the impact of total particulate matters on the optical properties of water body is as a result of both seasonal impoundment of the TGR and particular hydrological condition of Xiaojiang river basin.


Devonian conodonts and ammonoids occurring in association in the Ouidane Chebbi section of the eastern Tafilalt (Anti-Atlas, Morocco) are described and analysed in terms of stratigraphy. The excellently exposed sequence spans the entire Devonian; it includes open-marine carbonates and shales deposited outside the tropical realm. Except for its Middle Devonian part, the Ouidane Chebbi section is not condensed. Although the sequence was only sampled in a preliminary fashion, most of it lithological units have been dated with some precision. The study is an attempt to enhance the precision in the correlation between the Devonian conodont and ammonoid sequences. Graphic correlation method was used for estimating the precise position of the zonal and stage boundaries for the Middle and Upper Devonian intervals. The stratigraphy of the Lower Devonian at Ouidane Chebbi is still poorly defined. The Eifelian/Givetian boundary is well constrained, especially by both conodonts and ammonoids. It occurs within the uppermost part of the Kacak Event-Level, a characteristic shale horizon that begins in the ensensis Zone and ranges into the hemiansatus Zone. Biostratigraphic indications from conodonts show that the top of the Pharciceras limestone unit is located within the norrisi Zone and the Givetian/Frasnian boundary should be placed within the characteristic black styliolinites level of the Frasne Event. The onset of the Kellwasser facies falls within the Zone 12 ( winchelli Zone) of the Frasnian and it extends into the rhomboidea Zone. The combined evidence from ammonoid and trilobite data suggests that the marine deposition persisted at Ouidane Chebbi at least up to the time of the Upper praesulcata Zone.


Today, at the low end of the communication protocols we find the inter-integrated circuit (I2C) and the serial peripheral interface (SPI) protocols. Both protocols are well suited for communications between integrated circuits for slow communication with on-board peripherals. The two protocols coexist in modern digital electronics systems, and they probably will continue to compete in the future, as both I2C and SPI are actually quite complementary for this kind of communication.


Asymmetric organocatalytic Mannich reaction of α-azido ketones and N-Boc protected isatin-derived ketimines were investigated for the first time. Examination of both 2-adamantyl and 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)aniline substituted quinine-based squaramides afforded chiral Mannich bases with two contiguous stereogenic centers in high yields (up to 97%) and stereoselectivity (up to dr = 24 : 1 syn : anti and 96% ee). Azido and masked amino functionalities of the potent heterocycle precursor adducts were utilized in representative examples.


In 2012 Andrews and Merca gave a new expansion for partial sums of Euler's pentagonal number series and expressed \[\sum_{j=0}^{k-1}(-1)^j(p(n-j(3j+1)/2)-p(n-j(3j+5)/2-1))=(-1)^{k-1}M_k(n)\] where $M_k(n)$ is the number of partitions of $n$ where $k$ is the least integer that does not occur as a part and there are more parts greater than $k$ than there are less than $k$. We will show that $M_k(n)=C_k(n)$ where $C_k(n)$ is the number of partition pairs $(S, U)$ where $S$ is a partition with parts greater than $k$, $U$ is a partition with $k-1$ distinct parts all of which are greater than the smallest part in $S$, and the sum of the parts in $S \cup U$ is $n$. We use partition pairs to determine what is counted by three similar expressions involving linear combinations of pentagonal numbers. Most of the results will be presented analytically and combinatorially.


Time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering (TR-WAXS) is an emerging experimental technique used to track chemical reactions and conformational transitions of proteins in real time. Thanks to increased time resolution of the method, anisotropic TR-WAXS patterns were recently reported, which contain more structural information than isotropic patterns. So far, however, no method has been available to compute anisotropic WAXS patterns of biomolecules, thus limiting the structural interpretation. Here, we present a method to compute anisotropic TR-WAXS patterns from molecular dynamics simulations. The calculations accurately account for scattering of the hydration layer and for thermal fluctuations. For many photo-excitable proteins, given a low intensity of the excitation laser, the anisotropic pattern is described by two independent components: (i) an isotropic component, corresponding to common isotropic WAXS experiments and (ii) an anisotropic component depending on the orientation of the excitation dipole of the solute. We present a set of relations for the calculation of these two components from experimental scattering patterns. Notably, the isotropic component is not obtained by a uniform azimuthal average on the detector. The calculations are illustrated and validated by computing anisotropic WAXS patterns of a spheroidal protein model and of photoactive yellow protein. Effects due to saturated excitation at high intensities of the excitation laser are discussed, including opportunities to extract additional structural information by modulating the laser intensity.


In order to obtain the influences of cutting edge radius on cutting deformation in high-speed machining Ti6Al4V, cutting temperature, equivalent stress distribution, the chip morphology and cutting deformation coefficient were analyzed in this paper. The results indicated that cutting edge changed the plastic flow of materials around tool tip and the actual tool rake angle, the tool-workpiece and tool-chip contact in cutting process which causes a greater impact on physical and mechanical performance in the given cutting conditions. When the cutting edge radius reached to 0.04mm,the cutting temperature and the equivalent stress existed mutations, which causes the mutation of chips. There was a chip thinning effect with the increase of the cutting edge radius. As the cutting edge radius increased, chip thickness and shear angle decreased, cutting deformation coefficient increased.


In 1909, I presented before this Section a report based on a study of the records of 300 cases occurring in my personal services, in which resection or conservation of an ovary had been done. Since that time a large number of secondary operations have been necessary for the relief of symptoms caused by the retained or the resected ovary. These explorations have given me a wider insight into the living pathology of the ovary or the part of the ovary which was retained in the effort at conservation. While I am still convinced that the importance of the ovary to the woman cannot be overestimated (not only is it the primary and all important organ in the reproductive cycle, but it regulates and controls the perfect attainment of development, growth and function in the individual woman, and its retention is essential to sex perpetuation), yet I must conclude from


IMPORTANCE
Despite pathophysiological links between endothelin-1 and pulmonary vascular remodeling, to our knowledge, the association between plasma endothelin-1 levels and pulmonary hypertension has not been studied in the general population. Also, whether endothelin-1 can predict future heart failure and mortality, outcomes that are associated with pulmonary hypertension, in a population cohort is unclear.

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether elevated plasma endothelin-1 levels are associated with pulmonary hypertension, mortality, and heart failure.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Data from the Jackson Heart Study, a longitudinal, prospective observational cohort study of heart disease in African American individuals from Jackson, Mississippi, were analyzed. The community population sample was limited to participants with detectable tricuspid regurgitation on echocardiography. The study participants included self-identified African American individuals with plasma endothelin-1 levels and tricuspid regurgitation on echocardiogram (n = 3223) at the time of first examination (2000-2004). The analysis of the data began on April 14, 2014, and was completed on February 23, 2016.

EXPOSURE
Log-transformed plasma endothelin-1 level.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Cross-sectional analysis: presence of pulmonary hypertension (defined as an elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure >40 mm Hg on echocardiogram). Longitudinal outcomes were all-cause mortality (median follow-up, 7.75 years) and heart failure admissions (median follow-up, 5.32 years).

RESULTS
Of the 3223 participants enrolled in the study, 1051 were men (32.6%). Mean (SD) endothelin-1 levels were 1.36 (0.64) pg/mL; 217 of 3223 cohort members (6.7%) had pulmonary hypertension. After adjusting for potential confounders, log-transformed endothelin-1 levels were associated with increased odds of pulmonary hypertension (adjusted odds ratio per log increment in endothelin-1, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.16-2.37). Log-transformed endothelin-1 levels were associated with mortality (adjusted hazard ratio per log increment in endothelin-1, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.27-2.25; median follow-up, 7.75 years) and heart failure (adjusted hazard ratio per log increment in endothelin-1, 1.57, 95% CI, 1.05-2.37; median follow-up, 5.32 years) in the study cohort. Phenotyping by pulmonary hypertension and endothelin-1 level showed mortality decreasing in order from subgroup with pulmonary hypertension and high endothelin-1 (high endothelin-1: ≥1.7 pg/mL; upper quartile); pulmonary hypertension and low endothelin-1 <1.7 pg/mL; lower 3 quartiles); no pulmonary hypertension and high endothelin-1; and no pulmonary hypertension and low endothelin-1 (log-rank χ2 = 77.16; P < .01 ).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Elevated plasma endothelin-1 levels, especially associated with an elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure on echocardiogram, may identify an at-risk population that could be evaluated for targeted prevention and management strategies in future studies.


DOI: 10.22044/jme.2020.9916.1919 In this work, three types of natural clays including kaolinite, montmorillonite, and illite with different molecular structures, as adsorbents, are selected for the removal of methylene blue dye, and their performance is investigated. Also the optimization and the analysis of the dye adsorption mechanism are performed using the response surface methodology, molecular modeling, and experimental studies. The response surface optimization results demonstrate that the parameters affecting on the dye adsorption process are somewhat similar in all the three types of clays, and any difference in the impacts of the different parameters involved depends on the different structures of these three types of clays. The results of the experimental studies show that all the three clays follow the Temkin isotherm, and the comparison of the clay adsorption capacity is illite (3.28) > kaolinite (4.15) > montmorillonite (4.5) L/g. On the other hand, the results obtained from the laboratory studies and the response surface optimization were obtained using molecular modeling with the Gaussian and Chem-Office softwares. The results of these achievements confirm that the number of acceptor hydrogen bonds around the clays influence the adsorption capacity of methylene blue. Based on the results obtained, most adsorption capacities of clays are related to illite > kaolinite > montmorillonite that have 24, 18, and 16 acceptor hydrogens, respectively. The assessment of the adsorption mechanism process by the different methods confirms the dominance of the physical adsorption process and a minor effect of the chemical adsorption. Keywords


Food crop production in Sierra Leone is dominated by rice. It is cultivated by almost all small-scale farmers and consumed in all Sierra Leonean households irrespective of income levels. This underscores the importance attached to rice as a major staple crop. Sierra Leone is a rice deficit nation. Available statistics indicate that between 1970 and 2000, the country was self-sufficient in rice production only in 1975. Between 1979 and 2000, annual domestic paddy production fell from 504,000 to 200,000 Mt. During the same period, the volume of imported rice to fill domestic production shortfalls increased from 30% to 60% of total rice consumption. The 1991-2002 civil war and associated insecurity throughout the rural areas resulted in a dramatic fall in production throughout the 1990s. Since the cessation of armed hostilities in 2002, the recovery of rice production in Sierra Leone has been impressive although self-sufficiency remains elusive. A peculiar feature of food availability in Sierra Leone (especially in rural communities) is its seasonality. Typically, there is widespread food scarcity in farming communities between the months of July and September each year. This seasonal food shortage is commonly referred to as the "hunger season." A plethora of explanations exist for the occurrence of the hunger season. The most frequently cited include insufficient supplies in store due to poor harvest; a lack of skills in storage; and crop loss due to inefficient processing/preservation techniques. This paper argues that apart from the production related explanations (such as insufficient supplies in store due to poor harvest; a lack of skills in storage; and crop loss due to inefficient processing/preservation techniques), several socio-cultural factors need to be considered in accounting for food insecurity in Sierra Leone. Keywords: Socio-cultural, food insecurity, food production, Sierra Leone DOI : 10.7176/DCS/9-10-07 Publication date :October 31 st 2019


Electroencephalography is a widespread method to record brain signals with the use of electrodes located on the surface of the head. This method of recording the brain activity has become popular because it is relatively cheap, compact, and does not require implanting the electrodes directly into the brain. The article is devoted to a problem of recognition of motor imagery by electroencephalogram signals. The nature of such signals is complex. Characteristics of electroencephalograms are individual for every person, also depending on their age and mental state, as well as the presence of noise and interference. The multitude of these parameters should be taken into account when analyzing encephalograms. Artificial neural networks are a good tool for solving this class of problems. Their application allows combining the tasks of extracting, selecting and classifying features in one signal processing unit. Electroencephalograms are time signals and we note that Gramian Angular Fields and Markov Transition Field transforms are used to represent time series in the form of images. The article shows the possibility of using the Gramian Angular Fields and Markov Transition Field transformations of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal for motor imagery recognition using examples of imaginary movements with the right and left hand, also studying the effect of the resolution of Gramian Angular Fields and Markov Transition Field images on the classification accuracy. The best classification accuracy of the EEG signal into the motion and state-of-rest classes is about 99%. In future, the research results can be applied in constructing the brain-computer interface.


NGC 6334 I showed evidence of episodic accretion event observed as flares in multiple maser species (water, methanol and hydroxyl) and a brightening of the dust continuum emission in millimetre wavelength. Our multi-epoch water maser observations overlapped with this episodic event. Evidence of compact outflows and turbulent gas motion can me seen in the region. MM1 (a dominant millimetre source in the region) recently excited 6.7 GHz methanol masers, and the gas motion around it trace the earliest activities associated formation of the driving source(s) in the region.


The effects of tungsten doping in La2Mo2–yWyO9 (y =0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.4) samples were studied using dielectric relaxation measurements. The results indicate that the solubility of W6+ in La2Mo2O9 sample is about 25mol%, W6+ can suppress the α/β phase transition in the La2Mo2O9. Additional to the low-temperature relaxation peak Pd associated with oxygen ion diffusion, a new dielectric loss peak Ph associated with a phase transition from the static disordered state to the dynamic disordered state of oxygen ion distribution was observed around 740 K. The conductivity of La2Mo1.9W0.1O9 sample is higher than that of the pure La2Mo2O9, and then decrease with the increasing of the tungsten doping in La2Mo2–yWyO9 (y = 0.5, 1.0) samples in the whole measurement temperature.


A basic principle of physics is the freedom to locally choose any unit system when describing physical quantities. Its implementation amounts to treating Weyl invariance as a fundamental symmetry of all physical theories. In this thesis, we study the consequences of this "unit invariance" principle and find that it is a unifying one. Unit invariance is achieved by introducing a gauge field called the scale, designed to measure how unit systems vary from point to point. In fact, by a uniform and simple Weyl invariant coupling of scale and matter fields, we unify massless, massive, and partially massless excitations. As a consequence, masses now dictate the response of physical quantities to changes of scale. This response is calibrated by certain "tractor Weyl weights". Reality of these weights yield Breitenlohner-Freedman stability bounds in anti de Sitter spaces. Another valuable outcome of our approach is a general mechanism for constructing conformally invariant theories. In particular, we provide direct derivations of the novel Weyl invariant Deser--Nepomechie vector and spin three-half theories as well as new higher spin generalizations thereof. To construct these theories, a "tractor calculus" coming from conformal geometry is employed, which keeps manifest Weyl invariance at all stages. In fact, our approach replaces the usual Riemannian geometry description of physics with a conformal geometry one. Within the same framework, we also give a description of fermionic and interacting supersymmetric theories which again unifies massless and massive excitations.


Characterising the asphaltene and carboxylic acid (naphthenic acid) content of crude oil is important for petroleum production, transport, storage and environmental science. This is because, the proportion of asphaltene and the concentration of acidic compounds in petroleum can be used to characterise viscosity (e.g. producibility), refining potential (e.g. its value) and chemical recalcitrance and thus behaviour as a contaminant. Here we present an assay for determining the proportion of asphaltene and total acid number (TAN) of petroleum. The method utilises a microfluidic component called an H-cell and produces an asphaltene-free fraction, either hydrocarbon or methanol-soluble, that can be forwarded for further advanced analysis and used to determine asphaltene content and TAN value. The H-cell method depends on a diffusion-based separation that is only practical when a sample is manipulated at a microscale and thus is fundamentally different to previous methods for assaying these parameters that utilise solubility- or chromatography-based methods. Comparisons of asphaltene and TAN measurements derived from the H-cell based assay have very high correlations with the ASTM D4124 and ASTM D974-97 methods. Therefore rapid and simultaneous determination of asphaltene content and TAN value can be achieved by an H-cell based format. While this format is suited to miniaturisation and point of need analysis, the main benefit of the H-cell method might be its capacity to provide new analytical windows.


Today, centralised collection of national migration statistics allows a comprehensive analysis of migration patterns. The IPUMS database, for example, delivers a broad selection of migration surveys of 45 countries from 1960 to 2011. In total a massive sample of more than 350 million individuals and their migration behaviour can be assembled. However, such a large sample poses an ultimate obstacle to 'traditional' parametric statistical methods. Machine learning techniques, such as cart decision tree models, on the other hand, make it possible to reduce complexity and help to identify individual and contextual  characteristics related to individual migration. Initial findings monitor 'brain drain' phenomena on an international scale and suggest that migration could be driven climate change.


ABSTRACT Unacceptable inequity in health status between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians remains despite much work in the area. The imperative for graduating health professionals capable and ready to work with urban and rural Indigenous communities has led to a focus on curriculum development, but less focus has thus far been applied to academic staff capability to deliver the content. We surveyed academic staff at a large multi-campus Australian university on their practices and attitudes towards teaching Indigenous content in health professional programs. Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic staff were surveyed online about whether Indigenous content was included in the curricula they taught; whether they felt confident and capable of delivering curricula related to Indigenous issues; what challenges they found in including Indigenous content; and what, if any, supports and resources they felt were needed. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said that they included Indigenous content in their curricula, but 43% said that they did not access Indigenous resources; 60% reported feeling awkward, unsure or avoided teaching Indigenous content; most (74%) were comfortable teaching discipline-specific content to Indigenous students but only 26% felt comfortable teaching Indigenous content to Indigenous students. The findings reflect a level of discomfort experienced by some academic staff when teaching Indigenous content in health professional degrees. Reasons for this include being worried they would make mistakes, not knowing what to teach and finding it 'too hard'. We suggest that three levels of action are required within universities to address this discomfort in academic staff: (i) provide a rationale ('why' teach Indigenous content); (ii) develop a plan ('where' and 'what' Indigenous content to teach) and (iii) develop capability in academic staff regarding 'how' to teach Indigenous content.


BACKGROUND
To determine whether an imbalanced interaction between proapototic and antiapoptotic signals may account for the loss of the normal cell growth control in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the expression of some apoptosis-regulating genes (bcl-2, bax, c-myc, fas) was investigated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
BPH specimens were obtained from 20 patients who underwent trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or adenomectomy. Gene expression was studied by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and its correlation with age and serum PSA level was also investigated.

RESULTS
Genes were found to be differentially expressed in BPH tissues. In particular, the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2, which was found in 18/20 samples, gave the weakest signal (p < 0.05 - p < 0.001, Wilcoxon's signed rank test), whereas the cell cycle regulator c-myc was detected in all the specimens and was the most highly expressed (p < 0.001). A positive relationship between the expression of bcl-2 and that of the two proapoptotic genes bax and fas was observed (p < 0.05, Spearman's rank correlation test), as well as between c-myc and fas levels (p < 0.005). Moreover, bax expression positively correlated with age and PSA (p < 0.02), which have also been shown to directly correlate (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
The higher expression of the oncogene c-myc suggests the activation of mitogenic signals within hyperplastic prostate tissue which a relatively high expression of the proapoptotic genes bax and fas fails to counterbalance.


"Atlas of Thoracic Surgical Techniques", a title in the "Surgical Techniques Atlas Series" edited by Drs. Townsend and Evers, presents state-of-the-art updates on the full range of thoracic surgical procedures performed today. Dr. Joseph B. Zwischenberger, along with esteemed international contributors, offers you expert advice on a variety of thoracic techniques, including lung-volume reduction surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and laparoscopic approaches to many procedures to help you expand your repertoire and hone your clinical skills. Color illustrations enhance the detailed instructions, and Expert Consult functionality gives you easy access to the full text online.


Abstract Articles are now being disseminated throughout the world that highlight the way in which teachers feel and experience the profession.The present study investigated the virtues necessary to be a good teacher and how much the participants perceive that these characteristics describe them as professionals. For this, the mixed research method was used, in order to contemplate quantitative and qualitative aspects of the investigated phenomena. A total of 214 Brazilian university professors participated in this study, who answered a questionnaire formed by sociodemographic questions and two open questions about the virtues of the good teacher. The textual analysis was performed from the IRAMUTEQ software and graphically represented by similarity analysis. According to the results obtained, the virtues most valued in the teaching exercise were knowledge, temperance, justice and humanity. These results help to think about the skills and competences required in academic life, as well as the evaluation of teaching practices.


Birth order and socio demographic characteristics play a substantial role in individual life because the family is the first social system to which an individual is exposed. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of birth order and socio demographic characteristics on anxiety and depression among adolescents. Design: descriptive correlational design was utilized. Setting: The study was conducted at two secondary schools at El-Batanoon, Shebin EL-Kom Menoufiya Governorate. Sample: convenience sample of all available adolescents from the two mentioned schools. Tools of data collection: (1) A semi - structured interview schedule to assess sociodemographic data, (2) Beck depression scale to assess depressive symptoms and (3) Taylor anxiety scale to assess anxiety. Results: The results revealed that twenty three percent of the study adolescents have severe anxiety while a slightly more than half (53.25%) have mild depression. There is positively significance correlation coefficient between anxiety and depression. There is significant relation between socio demographic characteristics of study adolescents and both anxiety and depression. There is no statistically significant relation between adolescents' birth order and their level of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is no relation between birth order and both anxiety and depressive symptoms while there is significant relation between socio demographic characteristics and both anxiety and depression among adolescents. Recommendation: An educational program for adolescents at schools should be provided to increase their awareness about the needs and problems of adolescents and how to satisfy their needs and adapt with their problems.


A large number of chemicals in our environment and in day-to-day life are not adequately tested for toxicity. Currently used toxicity tests have limitations such as, (a) in-vitro cell based assays depend on costly and specialized animal cell lines, (b) most assays are growth dependent and require chemicals, media and inventory for aseptic conditions and growth of cells (biosafety cabinets, CO2 incubators, etc.), (c) in-vivo assays require laboratory animals leading to additional financial burden and ethical issues. In order to encourage even the smalltime manufacturers of harmful chemicals to test their products, preferably in-house, there is a need to develop rapid, reliable and low-cost cytotoxicity assay. In the present work, metabolically active primary cells from a potential target organ (liver) were obtained by macerating liver tissue taken from a local chicken/mutton shop. Interestingly, tissue preserved at 2-8 0 C for up to 48 hr could be used in the assay. After adjusting cell density (OD576= 0.5), cells were exposed to different test compounds such as textile dyes, festival color and other chemicals for up to 3 hr under ambient conditions. Cells were kept in plain DMEM medium (without fetal calf serum) to maintain controlled conditions for the cells. After incubation, viability of cells was determined by dye exclusion test using Trypan Blue. The assay was standardized by varying different factors viz. concentration of test chemicals, exposure time, etc., one at a time while keeping other parameters constant. Test compounds were classified as highly toxic if the LC50 values were below 2µg/ml, toxic if the LC50 values were between 2-10µg/ml, low toxic for LC50 values between 10-50µg/ml and non-toxic for LC50 values above 50µg/ml. It was found that viability of cells exposed to festival color and orange2 was similar to that of the control (84.7%) and LC50 values for these chemicals were more than 50µg/ml (non-toxic). On the other hand, lead acetate and mercuric chloride, which are well known for toxicity, could be classified as highly toxic (LC50 values <2µg/ml) with viability reduced to almost non-detectable levels. The statistical significance of these observations was evaluated by applying the student t-test. The proposed liver cell-based assay could be potentially useful for high throughput screening of samples and development of a toxicological database for risk assessment and protection of public. It must be highlighted that inclusion of different animal organs which are usually thrown away (not consumed) might be useful in toxicity studies; especially for studying mechanism of toxicity. In addition to less time duration, the proposed assay will result in reduced numbers of animals for confirmatory in-vivo tests.


Abstract Recent policy developments in English Higher Education have resulted in employability placed in the spotlight, whereby the success of universities will be measured based on graduate employment. This represents the latest focus placed on employability in the sector, as universities are increasingly expected to provide employment-ready graduates to meet the demands of a global economy. In response universities have invested considerable energy into initiatives and services to enhance the employability outcomes of graduates. However, institutions have largely been UK-centric on their focus, with limited attention paid to the employability needs of international students. In this paper, we report the outcomes of a study centred on the largest group of non-EU domiciled international students in the UK, those from Mainland China. Drawing on survey data we examine Mainland Chinese students' attitudes to their employability and the support they engage with through their UK University. We pay specific attention to the opportunities presented through the 'international' nature of the HE experience, and consider how these are utilised by both the students, and their institutions, to develop their future employability. We conclude by proposing recommendations for universities and institutions to enhance the support offered to this often overlooked, but significant group of students.


Aim. Height is an important determinant of augmentation index (AI) that anticipates cardiovascular prognosis. There is a scanty of the data whether short height predicts survival in patients with end-stage renal diseases, a high risk population. Methods. Fifty two hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy receiving hemodialysis and 52 patients with nondiabetic nephropathy were enrolled. In addition to AI estimated with radial artery tonometry, classical cardiovascular risk factors were considered. Patients were followed for 2 years to assess cardiovascular prognosis. Results. Cox hazards regression revealed that both smoking and shortness in height independently contributed to total mortality and indicated that smoking as well as the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy predicted cardiovascular mortality. Our findings implicated that high AI, the presence of diabetes, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significant contributors to cardiovascular events. Conclusions. Our findings provide new evidence that shortness in height independently contributes to total mortality in hemodialysis patients.


In a previous paper [quant-ph/0207017] I gave an elementary proof, starting from stated assumptions of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, that identical spin-zero particles must be bosons. Since then it has been suggested that my proof assumed its conclusion, and that it is based on a theory "quite different from standard physics." [quant-ph/0304088] I show here that those two statements are incorrect.


BACKGROUND
Cloacal exstrophy is a rare, complex defect of the entire pelvis and its contents that occurs during embryogenesis and is associated with severe phallic inadequacy or phallic absence in genetic males. For about 25 years, neonatal assignment to female sex has been advocated for affected males to overcome the issue of phallic inadequacy, but data on outcome remain sparse.

METHODS
We assessed all 16 genetic males in our cloacal-exstrophy clinic at the ages of 5 to 16 years. Fourteen underwent neonatal assignment to female sex socially, legally, and surgically; the parents of the remaining two refused to do so. Detailed questionnaires extensively evaluated the development of sexual role and identity, as defined by the subjects' persistent declarations of their sex.

RESULTS
Eight of the 14 subjects assigned to female sex declared themselves male during the course of this study, whereas the 2 raised as males remained male. Subjects could be grouped according to their stated sexual identity. Five subjects were living as females; three were living with unclear sexual identity, although two of the three had declared themselves male; and eight were living as males, six of whom had reassigned themselves to male sex. All 16 subjects had moderate-to-marked interests and attitudes that were considered typical of males. Follow-up ranged from 34 to 98 months.

CONCLUSIONS
Routine neonatal assignment of genetic males to female sex because of severe phallic inadequacy can result in unpredictable sexual identification. Clinical interventions in such children should be reexamined in the light of these findings.


It is well-known that deep neural networks (DNNs) are susceptible to adversarial attacks, exposing a severe fragility of deep learning systems. As the result, adversarial training (AT) method, by incorporating adversarial examples during training, represents a natural and effective approach to strengthen the robustness of a DNN-based classifier. However, most AT-based methods, notably PGD-AT and TRADES, typically seek a pointwise adversary that generates the worst-case adversarial example by independently perturbing each data sample, as a way to"probe"the vulnerability of the classifier. Arguably, there are unexplored benefits in considering such adversarial effects from an entire distribution. To this end, this paper presents a unified framework that connects Wasserstein distributional robustness with current state-of-the-art AT methods. We introduce a new Wasserstein cost function and a new series of risk functions, with which we show that standard AT methods are special cases of their counterparts in our framework. This connection leads to an intuitive relaxation and generalization of existing AT methods and facilitates the development of a new family of distributional robustness AT-based algorithms. Extensive experiments show that our distributional robustness AT algorithms robustify further their standard AT counterparts in various settings.


Hemangiomas involving the postcricoid region of the hypopharynx are rare. This report reviews our experience with 4 cases of postcricoid hemangioma, including a set of twin siblings. All patients underwent panendoscopy. All patients were managed nonsurgically. Three patients did well with dietary modification. One patient, with multiple medical problems, remains partially dependent on her gastrostomy tube. To our knowledge this report represents the largest series in the literature and the first to describe similar lesions in twin siblings. This report highlights the importance of a complete fiberoptic office examination of children who present with symptoms of dysphagia or aspiration. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:1420-1422


Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) in smooth muscle by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and dephosphorylation by myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) are subject to modulatory cascades that influence the sensitivity of RLC phosphorylation and hence contraction to intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). We designed a CaM-sensor MLCK containing smooth muscle MLCK fused to two fluorescent proteins linked by the MLCK CaM-binding sequence to measure kinase activation in vivo and expressed it specifically in mouse smooth muscle. In phasic bladder muscle, there was greater RLC phosphorylation and force relative to MLCK activation and [Ca(2+)](i) with carbachol (CCh) compared with KCl treatment, consistent with agonist-dependent inhibition of MLCP. The dependence of force on MLCK activity was nonlinear such that at higher concentrations of CCh, force increased with no change in the net 20% activation of MLCK. A significant but smaller amount of MLCK activation was found during the sustained contractile phase. MLCP inhibition may occur through RhoA/Rho-kinase and/or PKC with phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase targeting subunit-1 (MYPT1) and PKC-potentiated phosphatase inhibitor (CPI-17), respectively. CCh treatment, but not KCl, resulted in MYPT1 and CPI-17 phosphorylation. Both Y27632 (Rho-kinase inhibitor) and calphostin C (PKC inhibitor) reduced CCh-dependent force, RLC phosphorylation, and phosphorylation of MYPT1 (Thr694) without changing MLCK activation. Calphostin C, but not Y27632, also reduced CCh-induced phosphorylation of CPI-17. CCh concentration responses showed that phosphorylation of CPI-17 was more sensitive than MYPT1. Thus the onset of agonist-induced contraction in phasic smooth muscle results from the rapid and coordinated activation of MLCK with hierarchical inhibition of MLCP by CPI-17 and MYPT1 phosphorylation.


Spherical image object detection emerges in many applications from virtual reality to robotics and automatic driving, while many existing detectors use $l_{n}$ -norms loss for regression of spherical bounding boxes. There are two intrinsic flaws for $l_{n}$ -norms loss, i.e., independent optimization of parameters and inconsistency between metric (dominated by IoU) and loss. These problems are common in planar image detection but more significant in spherical image detection. Solution for these problems has been extensively discussed in planar image detection by using IoU loss and related variants. However, these solutions cannot be migrated to spherical image object detection due to the undifferentiable of the Spherical IoU (SphIoU). In this paper, we design a simple but effective regression loss based on Gaussian Label Distribution Learning (GLDL) for spherical image object detection. Besides, we observe that the scale of the object in a spherical image varies greatly. The huge differences among objects from different categories make the sample selection strategy based on SphIoU challenging. Therefore, we propose GLDL-ATSS as a better training sample selection strategy for objects of the spherical image, which can alleviate the drawback of IoU threshold-based strategy of scale-sample imbalance. Extensive results on various two datasets with different baseline detectors show the effectiveness of our approach.


Paradental cysts (PDCs) are odontogenic cysts having inflammatory origin contributing to 3%–5% of all odontogenic cysts. They arise either on the buccal, distal, or mesial aspects of partially erupted mandibular third molars. It has been previously known by various terms such as collateral inflammatory cyst, inflammatory lateral periodontal cyst, or mandibular infected buccal cyst. PDC is most commonly associated with recurrent history of pericoronitis and is attached to the cementoenamel junction and coronal third of the roots. While there is little doubt that it develops as a response to chronic inflammatory stimulus triggering proliferation of the crevicular and/or odontogenic epithelium, considerably same as other inflammatory odontogenic cysts, the exact histogenesis remains unclear. The PDC is commonly misinterpreted when it is associated with atypical characteristics clinically and radiographically, in turn causing diagnostic problems, leading to misdiagnosis as other inflammatory cysts including the dentigerous cyst of inflammatory origin. In this present case series, two cases with a history of pericoronitis are discussed showing overlapping clinical, radiographic, and histological features with other odontogenic cysts creating diagnostic dilemma. A combined correlation of all relevant findings helped to attain a final diagnosis of PDC.


Spin-off as a form of financial restructuring has been examined in the US and the UK but not in other markets. This is a first study outside those markets. The evidence from a sample of 85 spin-off cases in Malaysia reveals that both the parent and the spin-off company stocks gain significant positive abnormal returns: parent firms earn smaller value while the spin-off firm gains substantially, much greater than is documented in other markets. Examining the factors correlated with the size of the spin-off effect, we find the abnormal returns are positively correlated with market capitalization and negatively correlated with age. The larger is the company or the newer is the company the greater is the magnitude of the positive abnormal returns.


This thesis is concerned with the computer industry of "automatic identification." Central to automatic identification is the use of barcodes and related technologies, including wireless computer networks and Radio Frequency Data Terminals (RFDTs) RFDTs are hand held computers incorporating a screen, barcode scanner, and radio transceiver. Programming of these devices is bespoke to each customer, hence this thesis' subject: producing a toolkit for economical development of RFDT software. The work reported in this thesis was developed in a joint project between Castle Auto I D. Solutions', a barcode systems integration company, and the University of Durham. This was enabled by a TCS Programme (^2), which places a university employee within the company for "technology transfer." The thesis begins with a study of the relevant hardware and technology in the automatic identification industry. The common software components of data collection systems are then identified, and a "toolkit" of reusable software components is proposed, implemented, and refined. Particular attention is paid to code re-use. In refining the toolkit, several commercial applications are developed and deployed into industry. The final case study is a commercially successful 802.1 1b wireless site survey system, developed using the toolkit.


The exponential growing demand of mobile Internet data traffic requires a rethinking of current infrastructures and calls for innovative approaches that provide online-streaming of content to interested subscribed mobile users. We introduce a mobile system called HyCloud for device-to-device content distribution. HyCloud delivers the content from a cloud backend, and it can reduce the total amount of data transferred through the cellular network by exploiting the similarity of interests among multiple mobile users. Our preliminary real-life experiment with video streaming with a simple content scheduler shows that the system can save in average 24% (and up to 38%) of data downloaded by the cellular connection.


Platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) occurs as homodimers or heterodimers of related polypeptide chains PDGF‐BB, ‐AA, and ‐AB. There are two receptors that bind PDGF, termed alpha and beta. The beta receptor recognizes PDGF B chain and is dimerized in response to PDGF BB. The alpha receptor recognizes PDGF B as well as A chains and can be dimerized by the three dimeric forms of PDGF AA, AB, and BB. To characterize PDGF receptor signaling mechanisms and biologic activities in human mesangial cells (MC), we explored the effects of the three PDGF isoforms on DNA synthesis, phospholipase C activation, and PDGF protooncogene induction. PDGF‐BB homodimer and AB heterodimer induced a marked increase in DNA synthesis, activation of phsopholipase C, and autoinduction of PDGF A and B chain mRNAs, whereas PDGF‐AA homodimer was without effect. The lack of response to PDGF AA could be accounted for by down regulation of the PDGF‐alpha receptor since preincubation of MC with suramin restored PDGF AA‐induced DNA synthesis. Ligand binding studies demonstrate specific binding of labeled PDGF BB and AB and to a lower extent PDGF AA isoforms to mesangial cells. These results are consistent with predominant expression of PDGF beta receptor in MC, which is linked to phospholipase‐C activation. The potent biologic effects of PDGF‐AB heterodimer in cells that express very few alpha receptors and do not respond to PDGF AA are somewhat inconsistent with the currently accepted model of PDGF receptor interaction and suggest the presence of additional mechanisms for PDGF isoform binding and activation. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Art and design students today face a wide range of writing tasks – from reflective and self-promotional pieces to reviews, essays and dissertations. This book is an answer to art and design students and staff, disheartened by negative past experiences, who say that they loathe writing, and encourages different approaches to writing – integrating it into studio practice, and promoting the notion of 'warm up' preparations.

This practical volume, written for tutors and students, nurtures writing's creative role in the process of art and design. It uses short exercises and creative writing techniques combined with the energy and liveliness of the workshop situation to help with academic issues in writing assignments.


Whilst the reader is reminded of the hazards of hyperverrtltatlon, emphasis is laid on the advisability of maintaining "normal" alveolar ventilation, by assisting the respirations whenever necessary. However, it is wisely pointed out that whatever the position of the vaporizer, the output of halothane to the patient should be reduced before the respirations are assisted. This is because, with assisted respirations, the actual uptake of halothane by the patient will be increased. This sudden increase in halothane uptake, if unchecked. can therefore present a state of unanticipated depth and consequent alarm for the anresthetist. Although supporting the virtues of the calibrated, out-ofcircle "Fluotec" vaporizer, one cannot help feeling that more emphasis could have been placed on the importance of the actual take up of halothane in millilitres per hour. This can be important, and with high-spill techniques can be very difficult to assess, even with percentage calibrated vaporizers.


Melt granulation of producing core granules was conducted using Pressure Swing Granulation (PSG) technique to produce spherical shape, narrow size distribution of granules, high granule strength and good content uniformity. Core granule of lactosepoly- ethylene glycol (PEG) with mass ratio of 85 wt%:15 wt% was produced in this study. Two-stage core granules was conducted by supplying hot fluidizing air for 120 minutes at 80 °C which was higher than PEG melting point. As a comparison, the core granules from first stage of PSG were heated in an oven at same temperature and duration. Lactose granules were also produced to represent granules without binder and heating treatment. Next, binderless granulation of mefenamic acid particles was conducted to produce spherical shape, narrow size distribution of granules, high granule strength and good content uniformity by using Pressure Swing Granulation (PSG) technique. Also to investigate compaction behavior of granulated mefenamic acid (MA) into tablet and study the characteristic of MA tablet. Two types of granules namely lactose-mefenamic acid and lactose-PEG-mefenamic acid with mass ratio of 30:70 and 25:5:70 were produced in this study respectively. The later type of granules is heated for 80 °C above the PEG melting point. All granules are uniform, spherical and narrow size distribution whereby the granules size is less than 500 |im. The tensile strength of two-stage core granules is higher than settled-bed core granules due to densification effect during fluidization. The tensile strength of the lactose-PEG-MA is higher than tensile strength of lactose-MA due to heating process. The content of lactose in two-stage core granules is similar to the feed mixture before introduced to granulation process. The drug contents in both types of granules were uniform and almost similar to the drug content introduced before granulation which was 70%. Then, mefenamic tablet were formed by using compression of tableting machine. The prepared tablets then were characterized by using dissolution testing, tensile strength, weight variation and also uniformity. As a result, with the different compression forces, the dissolution rate is high for the samples and gives a percent drug release more than 80 % after 60 minutes. Besides, the hardness and strength of tablet is high and sufficient to withstand to the pharmaceutical process. The weight variation of the tablet product is smaller and the uniformity is high showed that the flow property of the MA is increased.