Objectives: This study is in the descriptive design and has been planned to determine social media use characteristics of school of health students in professional organizations. Study Design: The data were collected from 461 participants studying at a school of health in March 2016. The questionnaire form, prepared by the author and in comformance with literature, was used in collecting the data. Results: It was determined that 42.1% of the participants spent 3-4 hours on the Internet in a day. 77.4% of the participant students used social media for the purpose of research. 23% of them became members of a professional group through social media. Conclusion: The vast majority of students spend much time on social media. Social media use is high for a professional subject. In order to emphasize the importance of professional organization, it is recommended that seminars on efficient use of social media be organized at high schools or universities where education and training are provided on health. Additionally, the importance of social media use and being members of professional communities through social media should be emphasized in the curricula of vocational lessonsincluding deontology and interpersonal relations.


Abstract. Historical and recent material of Bacidia akompsa (basionym: Biatora akompsa) was studied to determine the taxonomic position of this crustose lichen, prompted by the appearance of the provisional name "Lecanactis akompsa (Tuck.) ined." in multiple online lichen databases and checklists. Initial morphological assessment of verified material confirmed B. akompsa as a member of Arthoniales but distinct from Lecanactis by having epruinose ascomata with a thin exciple open below the hymenium; a pale, K/I+ violet to deep blue hypothecium; and ascospores with a gelatinous sheath. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of specimens recently collected near the type locality revealed B. akompsa to be nested within the genus Pentagenella in Opegraphaceae. The same placement was found using phenotype-based phylogenetic binning with 37 morphological, anatomical and chemical characters. The new combination Pentagenella akompsa is proposed and the species represents the first North American member of this genus, otherwise known only from Chile and Peru. Therefore, our results reveal the genus Pentagenella to have a remarkably disjunct distribution between North and South America. Several specimens previously labeled as Bacidia, Biatora, or Lecanactis akompsa were found to be misidentifications, narrowing the range of P. akompsa to coastal California, where it is found on two coastal conifer species that are (like P. akompsa itself) narrowly endemic and of conservation concern.


This double-blind, multicentre study was performed at nine centres on a total of 171 patients who presented with fever (> 38.5 degrees C) and signs of acute pyelonephritis. All were initially treated with intravenous cefuroxime. After 2-3 d, when the fever had subsided and urinary culture had revealed growth of Gram-negative bacteria ( > 10(7) colony-forming units per litre), treatment was changed to oral administration of ceftibuten 200 mg b.i.d. or norfloxacin 400 mg b.i.d. for 10 d. The patients were followed for signs of bacterial or clinical relapse 7-14 d after the end of treatment. The initial clinical and bacteriological cure was excellent in both groups, but there were significantly fewer bacterial relapses after oral treatment with norfloxacin than with ceftibuten in acute febrile pyelonephritis initially treated with intravenous cefuroxime. The causal strain was eradicated in 75% of patients (73% of males, 76% of females) in the ceftibuten group and in 89% of patients (94% of males, 85% of females) in the norfloxacin group. The relative frequency of eradication was 0.84 (p < 0.05; 95%, confidence interval 0.74-0.97). Adverse events were reported by 47% of the patients in the ceftibuten group and by 38% in the norfloxacin group. This difference was not significant, but diarrhoea or loose stools occurred more frequently in the ceftibuten group.


OBJECTIVE
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. However, effective therapeutics for ccRCC are lacking. Novel biomarkers could provide critical information when determining prognoses for patients with ccRCC. In this study, we sought to determine if the expression of receptor tyrosine kinase (TEK) could be a potential novel prognostic biomarker for ccRCC. TEK, originally identified as an endothelial cell-specific receptor, plays an important role in the modulation of vasculogenesis and remodeling. Altered TEK expression has been observed in tumor tissues (e.g., oral squamous cell carcinomas, leukemia) and breast, gastric and thyroid cancers. However, the role of TEK in ccRCC remains unknown.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Differential TEK expression between non-metastatic (stage M0) and metastatic (stage M1) ccRCC patient cohorts was determined from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Furthermore, TEK expression was assessed as a prognostic factor using the time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) of Uno's C-index, the AUC value of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) at 5 years, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS
A Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that the downregulation of TEK expression was associated with a poor prognosis for patients with ccRCC with good discrimination (p<0.0001 and p=0.0044 for the TGCA and ICGC cohorts, respectively). Analyses of C-indices and receiver operating characteristic AUC values further support this discriminative ability. Moreover, multivariate analyses showed the prognostic significance of TEK expression levels (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Although additional clinical investigations will be needed, our results suggest that TEK is a potential biomarker for ccRCC.


Techniques for reconstructing geographical history along a phylogeny can answer many interesting question about the geographical origins of species. Bayesian models based on the assumption that taxa move through a diffusion process have found many applications. However, these methods rely on diffusion processes on a plane, and do not take the spherical nature of our planet in account. This makes it hard to perform analysis that cover the whole world, or do not take in account the distortions caused by projections like the Mercator projection. In this paper, we introduce a Bayesian phylogeographical method based on diffusion on a sphere. When the area where taxa are sampled from is small, a sphere can be approximated by a plane and the model results in the same inferences as with models using diffusion on a plane. For taxa samples from the whole world, we obtain substantial differences. We present an efficient algorithm for performing inference in an Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, and show applications to small and large samples areas. Availability: The method is implemented in the GEO_SPHERE package in BEAST 2, which is open source licensed under LGPL.


Psychiattic casualties of war and mental illnesses in veterans have been officially recorded since the First World War. These psychological problems have affected the Austtalian military and devastated some veterans' lives. This thesis examines the psychological effects of the Second World War and the Indonesian Confrontation on Australian veterans and their femilies. Oral history testimonies reveal that the social consequences of war are remarkably similar for some ex- service personnel, despite the conflicts they served in. The symptoms of mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, social isolation, addiction and nightmares, not only severely debilitate some mentally ill veterans' home, working and social lives, they also have a profound and lasting effect on these veterans' families. The case studies' experiences are set within a historical and cultural context. Archival and clinical material is used to ttace the extent of psychological problems in service personnel, the perceived causes of these problems, and the policies and tteatment methods used by mental illness experts and the Austtalian governments. Much of this history has been dominated by the predisposition doctrine: mental illnesses were attributed to the individual, rather than the war experience. This docttine, along with the psychological effects of war, continues to leave its legacy on contemporary veterans and their femilies.


This paper presents the results of an investigation in which the fuel/air mixing process in a single slot within the radial swirler of a dry low emission (DLE) combustion system is explored using air/air mixing. Experimental studies have been carried out on an atmospheric test facility in which the test domain is a large-scale representation of a swirler slot from a Siemens proprietary DLE combustion system. Hot air with a temperature of 300 °C is supplied to the slot, while the injected fuel gas is simulated using air jets with temperatures of about 25 °C. Temperature has been used as a scalar to measure the mixing of the jets with the cross-flow. The mixture temperatures were measured using thermocouples while Pitot probes were used to obtain local velocity measurements. The experimental data have been used to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) mixing model. Numerical simulations were carried out using CFD software ansys-cfx. Due to the complex three-dimensional flow structure inside the swirler slot, different Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence models were tested. The shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model was observed to give best agreement with the experimental data. The momentum flux ratio between the main air flow and the injected fuel jet, and the aerodynamics inside the slot were both identified by this study as major factors in determining the mixing characteristics. It has been shown that mixing in the swirler can be significantly improved by exploiting the aerodynamic characteristics of the flow inside the slot. The validated CFD model provides a tool which will be used in future studies to explore fuel/air mixing at engine conditions.


Despite often minute concentrations in vivo, d-amino acid containing peptides (DAACPs) are crucial to many life processes. Standard proteomics protocols fail to detect them as d/l substitutions do not affect the peptide parent and fragment masses. The differences in fragment yields are often limited, obstructing the investigations of important but low abundance epimers in isomeric mixtures. Separation of d/l-peptides using ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) was impeded by small collision cross section differences (commonly ∼1%). Here, broad baseline separation of DAACPs with up to ∼30 residues employing trapped IMS with resolving power up to ∼340, followed by time-of-flight mass spectrometry is demonstrated. The d/l-pairs coeluting in one charge state were resolved in another, and epimers merged as protonated species were resolved upon metalation, effectively turning the charge state and cationization mode into extra separation dimensions. Linear quantification down to 0.25% proved the utility of high resolution IMS-MS for real samples with large interisomeric dynamic range. Very close relative mobilities found for DAACP pairs using traveling-wave IMS (TWIMS) with different ion sources and faster IMS separations showed the transferability of results across IMS platforms. Fragmentation of epimers can enhance their identification and further improve detection and quantification limits, and we demonstrate the advantages of online mobility separated collision-induced dissociation (CID) followed by high resolution mass spectrometry (TIMS-CID-MS) for epimer analysis.


Exposure to ultraviolet radiation results in increased levels of intradermal cis‐urocanic acid (cUCA) and alters cutaneous immunity by interfering with processing and presentation of antigen by Langerhans cells. Reports on effects of systemic immunotoxicity with 30 day cUCA exposure in laboratory rodents include thymic atrophy, thymic hypocellularity and decreased T‐cell–mediated immunity; however, immune effects of single exposure or 5 day cUCA administration, which may better mimic human exposures, are poorly defined. The present study initially evaluated immune effects of single, 5 day, and 4 week cUCA exposure in C57BL/6N mice. Single administration of intradermal cUCA resulted in decreased splenocyte phagocytosis that persisted for 30 days after cUCA exposure. Five day consecutive cUCA exposure decreased numbers of phenotypically mature CD4+CD8− and CD4−CD8+ (single positive) thymocytes, increased CD4+CD8+ (double positive) immature thymocytes and increased splenocyte proliferation. Prolonged cUCA exposure (4 weeks) caused profound thymic hypocellularity and splenic hypercellularity and increased splenic macrophage chemiluminescence. Because of this apparent sensitivity of C57BL/6N mice to cUCA, thymic hypocellularity was compared between C57BL/6N and C3H/HeN mice dosed with cUCA, and was found to be more pronounced in the C57BL/6N strain. These results are an extension of previous conclusions on immune modulation caused by cUCA in the spleen and thymus. Further, the observed variation in sensitivity between the mouse strains is consistent with known genetic susceptibility of these strains to the immunomodulatory effects of exposure to sunlight.


Calcineurin (Cn), a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent Ser/Thr protein phosphatase, is an important participant in signaling pathways that activate T cells. It is the target of the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506. These drugs bind proteins known as cyclophilin (Cyp) and FK506-binding protein, respectively, and the drug–protein complexes in turn inhibit Cn. We report the crystal structure of a Cyp/CsA/Cn ternary complex, determined to a resolution of 3.1 Å. Residues 3–9 of CsA, particularly N-methyl leucines 4 and 6, and Trp-121 of Cyp form a composite surface for interaction with Cn. The hydrophobic interface buries two hydrogen bonds. The structure accounts clearly for the effects of mutations in Cn on CsA-resistance and for the way modifications of CsA alter immunosuppressive activity.


This study focuses on the secondary droplets ejected during splashing at different impact angles. We consider the
theory of Riboux & Gordillo [1], which attributes the generation of secondary droplets to a lift force that acts on the
spreading lamella, and propose a new approach to handle the oblique impact. This approach is based on previous
studies on the lamella formed by impinging jets, where the impacting flow is distributed in the azimuthal direction.
To validate the proposed method, we used a flywheel experiment and captured the secondary droplets that are
ejected at Weber number larger than 4500 at three different impact angles. In our experimental setup, the droplets
were formed by a droplet generator and then let to fall freely due to gravity until impacting the substrate, which
was mounted on a flywheel. The small and fast secondary droplets were captured using a shadowgraph technique
together with a high-resolution camera and Nd:YAG laser with diffuser optics. The experimental results showed an
acceptable agreement with the prediction made by our method in all studied cases. We demonstrate that the shape
and droplet size distribution are affected by the impact angle, while the velocity of the ejected droplets remains
constant in the azimuthal direction.


: Applications of volcano mud, that is characterized by antiinflammatory and regenerating effects, have been effectively used in multiple-modality therapy of patients with papular-pustulous and indurative acne.


This paper presents an examination of augmented reality (AR) as a rising form of interactive narrative that combines computer-generated elements with reality, fictional with non-fictional objects, in the same immersive experience. Based on contemporary theory in narratology, we propose to view this blending of reality worlds as a metalepsis, a transgression of reality and fiction boundaries, and argue that authors could benefit from using existing conventions of narration to emphasize the transgressed boundaries, as is done in other media. Our contribution is three-fold, first we analyze the inherent connection between narrative, immersion, interactivity, fictionality and AR using narrative theory, and second we comparatively survey actual works in AR narratives from the past 15 years based on these elements from the theory. Lastly, we postulate a future for AR narratives through the perspective of the advancing technologies of both interactive narratives and AR.


Summary In cultures of mouse or chick embryo cells several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (salicylates, Ibufenac, phenylbutazone, Indomethacin, flufenamic and mefenamic acids, CI-583, and chloroquine) inhibit the multiplication of various viruses (encephalomyocarditis, Sindbis, influenza A2, Newcastle disease, herpes simplex and vaccinia). Two factors were critical for the virus inhibitory action of these drugs: the concentration of serum and the pH of the medium. The antiviral effect of these drugs seems to be due mainly to limitation of intracellular synthesis. However, salicylates and anthranilates also inhibit the adsorption and/or penetration of encephalomyocarditis virus into mouse cells. The antiviral potency shows some correlation with other biochemical, cellular and clinical activities of these drugs.


Purpose: Xerostomia is a symptom of reduced oral functioning and can cause dysphagia and worsen dental disease. This study sought to investigate the actual status of xerostomia in head and neck tumor patients and the beneficial effects of maxillofacial prosthesis use on xerostomia. Materials and Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey on xerostomia and measured resting salivary flow rate and oral mucosa moisture levels in 26 patients who had been treated for head and neck tumor. Results: After treatment, 16 of the 26 patients (62%) reported experiencing dry mouth. Moreover, 12 patients (46%) reported a tendency for dry mouth compared with before tumor treatment, indicating they perceived worsening of xerostomia after treatment. Mean resting salivary flow rate measured by the cotton roll method was 0.183 ± 0.178 g over 30 seconds. Resting salivary flow rate was significantly lower in patients who reported always having dry mouth than in those who did not report experiencing dry mouth. Patients who had been treated for mandibular/lingual tumors had a significantly lower resting salivary flow rate than those who had been treated for maxillary tumors. Mean moisture content in the oral mucosa measured with an oral moisture checker was 27.6 ± 1.6. Those who reported always having dry mouth had significantly lower oral mucosa moisture content than those who reported having dry mouth sometimes/a little. Five patients reported that wearing a maxillofacial prosthesis alleviated dry mouth. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the maxillofacial prosthesis use can improve xerostomia after head and neck tumor treatment. (Int J Maxillofac Prosthetics 2021;4:9-17)


In industry and academia, designers and engineers use prototyping at various stages in the design process to evaluate progress, archive process, assess viability, and communicate mental models to a team. Cognitive processes not only play a huge role during the design process, but also have causal relationships with various prototyping strategies. However, these causal relationships are not well understood in the design field. This paper presents a review of design-field literature related to cognitive processes, prototyping strategies, and modeling processes to identify literature consensus, consolidate experimental results, and expose gaps in the literature. After analysis of the literature, Fixation, Team Cognition, Iterative Prototyping, and Rapid Prototyping are the most well researched areas, especially when compared to their effects on cognitive processes. Sunk Cost, Requirement Relaxation, and Expertise are areas that could be better understood. The relationships between relevant cognitive processes, prototyping strategies, and modeling processes are consolidated into a data visualization that invites researchers and novices alike to explore the field of design in a fresh way that could spark new research endeavors or provoke interest in the field. This literature review and analysis reveals trends in design research through a novel approach with an emphasis on cognition, as well as provides a consolidated cannon of work that gives a sense of what has already been done on these topics and what is still left to explore.


A self-supporting sandwich panel façade system under fire is studied. First, a thermomechanical FE model, which comprises the complete façade system, and incorporates material degradation and geometrical nonlinear behaviour except for the insulation material and connections, is loaded by a fire temperature curve. Eurocode design rules then predict the screw connections of a sandwich panel will fail in shear. Secondly, an existing programme, FDS-2-Abaqus, is extended to allow its two-way coupled analyses, in which CFD fire simulations are updated for changes in the thermomechanical FE model, to be applicable to the façade system. Again, these simulations show the shear failure of the screws. Parameter studies show differences in system behaviour for improved screw properties; a fuel-controlled vs. ventilation-controlled fire; and different panel thicknesses. Interestingly, as thermal bowing of the panel retards screw failure, and thicker sandwich panels bow less than thinner panels, thicker façade panels will decrease failure time. This and other insights obtained, and the predicted failure of two tiny but critical screws within 80 s, as compared to 150 min lasting sandwich panels in standard fire tests, stresses the need to study complete systems under realistic fires, rather than to study individual components in standard fire tests. Future research will focus on detailed FE models of the connections; full-scale fire experiments; CFD temperature measurement points at the façade outside; detailed modelling of the insulation; and the effects of high temperature creep.


Low-birth-weight infants requiring total parenteral nutrition receive inadequate intakes of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) due to poor solubility of available mineral salts. To optimize Ca/P delivery, we tested the effects on in vitro solubility of mineral salt:calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) versus calcium gluconate and K2HPO4 (CG + P); Ca:P ratios of 1:1 (at 12.5 and 25 mmol/L of Ca and P) and 2:1 (25:12.5 mmol/L); amino acid (AA) formulation: Aminosyn (A), Aminosyn-PF (A-PF), TrophAmine (T) or Vaminolac (V); and AA concentration (25 versus 8.3 g/L). Parenteral nutrition solutions contained 10% dextrose and vitamins and minerals typical of a neonatal prescription. Solutions were sampled at preparation, after 24 h in the neonatal unit (25 degrees C), and from before and after a 0.22-micron filter in extension tubing through which solutions were pumped at 5 ml/h within an incubator at 37 degrees C. Samples were analyzed for Ca and pH, and precipitation by spectrophotometry at 600 nm and light microscopy at x 100 magnification. The Ca concentration was unaffected by filtration. While spectrophotometry detected only gross precipitation, with light microscopy crystal formation was evident with 25 mmol/L of Ca and P as CG + P in A and T at 25 g of AA/L and in A, V, T, and A-PF at 8.3 g of AA/L. Precipitation did not occur with CaGP or CG + P at 12.5 mmol/L of Ca and P. Under in vitro conditions mimicking the neonatal unit, CaGP versus CG + P resulted in greater mineral solubility even at low AA concentrations.


Myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 (MYD88) is a critical universal adapter that transduces signaling from the Toll-like receptors and interleukin receptors to downstream NF-kB. MYD88L265P (leucine changed to proline at position 265) is a gain-of-function mutation occurred frequently in B-cell malignancies such as Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Here we show that an E3 ligase RING finger protein family 138 (RNF138) catalyzed K63-linked non-proteolytic polyubiquitination of MYD88L265P, resulting in enhanced recruitment of interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinases and elevated NF-kB activation. However, RNF138 had little effect on wild-type MYD88 (MYD88WT). With either RNF138 knockdown or mutation on MYD88 ubiquitination sites, MYD88L265P was unable to constitutively activate NF-kB. A20, a negative regulator of NF-kB signaling, mediated K48-linked polyubiquitination of RNF138 for proteasomal degradation. Depletion of A20 further augmented MYD88L265P-mediated NF-kB activation and lymphoma growth. Furthermore, A20 expression was negatively correlated with RNF138 expression and NF-kB activation in lymphomas with MYD88L265P and in those without. Strikingly, RNF138 expression was positively correlated with NF-kB activation in lymphomas with MYD88L265P, but not in those without MYD88L265P. Collectively, our study reveals a novel mutation-specific biochemical reaction that drive B-cell oncogenesis, providing a therapeutic opportunity for targeting oncogenic MYD88L265P, while sparing MYD88WT that is critical to innate immunity.


BACKGROUND
Individuals whose copies of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene exist on the same chromosome are considered silent carriers for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Conventional screening for SMA only determines SMN1 copy number without any information regarding how those copies are arranged. A single nucleotide variant (SNV) rs143838139 is highly linked with the silent carrier genotype, so testing for this SNV can more accurately assess risk to a patient of having an affected child.

METHODS
Using a custom-designed SNV-specific Taqman genotyping assay, we determined and validated a model for silent-carrier detection in the laboratory.

RESULTS
An initial cohort of 21 pilot specimens demonstrated results that were 100% concordant with a reference laboratory method; this cohort was utilized to define the reportable range. An additional 177 specimens were utilized for a broader evaluation of clinical validity and reproducibility. Allelic-discrimination analysis demonstrated tight clustering of genotype groupings and excellent reproducibility, with a coefficient of variation for all genotypes ranging from 1% to 4%.

CONCLUSION
The custom-developed Taqman SNV genotyping assay we tested provides a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective method for routine SMA silent-carrier screening and considerably improves detection rates of residual risk for SMA carriers.


The TMO (Time-triggered Message-triggered Object) scheme was formulated as a major extension of the conventional object structuring schemes with the idealistic goal of facilitating general-form design and timeliness-guaranteed design of complex real-time application systems. Recently, as a new scheme for realizing TMO-structured distributed and parallel computer systems that are capable of both hardware and software fault tolerance, we have formulated and demonstrated the PSTR (Primary-Shadow TMO Replication) scheme. An important new extension of the PSTR scheme discussed in this paper is an integration of the PSTR scheme and a network surveillance (NS) scheme. This extension results in a significant improvement in the fault coverage and recovery time bound achieved. The NS scheme adopted is a recently-developed scheme that is effective in a wide range of point-to-point networks, and it is called the SNS (Supervisor-based Network Surveillance) scheme. The integration of the PSTR scheme and the SNS scheme is called the PSTR/SNS scheme. The recovery time bound of the PSTR/SNS scheme is analyzed on the basis of an implementation model that can be easily adapted to various commercial operating system kernels.


We present experimental Raman optical activity (ROA) spectra of enantio-enriched single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Enantiomeric samples of (6,5) SWCNTs were prepared using nonlinear density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU). Upon excitation at 2.33 eV, remarkably strong G-band signals are obtained due to strong resonance enhancement with the E22(S) transition of (6,5) SWCNTs. Enhancement allows measuring the vibrational optical activity (VOA) at unusually low concentrations. The obtained results are in good agreement with the single-excited-state theory (SES). To our knowledge, these are the first experimental VOA spectra of SWCNTs.


We have isolated two cDNA clones encoding spinach (Spinacia oleracea) stromal and thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes [Ishikawa, Sakai, Yoshimura, Takeda and Shigeoka (1996) FEBS Lett. 384, 289-293]. The gene (ApxII) encoding both chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes was isolated and the organization of the gene was determined. Alignment between the cDNAs and the gene for chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes indicates that both enzymes arise from a common pre-mRNA by alternative splicing of two 3'-terminal exons. Genomic Southern-blot analysis supported this finding. The gene spanned nearly 8.5 kbp and contained 13 exons split by 12 introns. The penultimate exon 12 (residues 7376-7530) for the stromal ascorbate peroxidase mRNA consisted of one codon for Asp365 before the TAA termination codon, and the entire 3'-untranslated region, including a potential polyadenylation signal (AATAAA). The final exon 13 (residues 7545-7756) for the thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase mRNA consisted of the corresponding coding sequence of the hydrophobic C-terminal region, the TGA termination codon and the entire 3'-untranslated region, including a potential polyadenylation signal (AATATA). Both exons were interrupted by a 14 bp non-coding sequence. Northern-blot and reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that the transcripts for stromal and thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase are present in spinach leaves.


The pathways used in the transport of retroviral genomes to the nucleus are poorly identified. Analyzing the intracellular localization of incoming foamy viruses, we have found that the Gag antigens and the viral genome accumulate in a distinct perinuclear domain identified as the centrosome. Colchicine treatment completely abolished pericentriolar targeting of human foamy virus (HFV) proteins, suggesting a role for microtubules in the transport of the incoming viral proteins to the centrioles. Finally, we demonstrate that, similarly to human immunodeficiency virus DNA, HFV DNA can enter the nucleus of G1/S-phase-arrested cells, although no viral gene expression can be observed. Recent observations have demonstrated that foamy viruses have several features not shared by other retroviruses. The intracellular route of the incoming Gag antigens may constitute a new specificity of this class of viruses.


Experimentation was carried out to evaluate holograms for use in training and as job aids. Holograms were compared against line drawings and photographs as methods of presenting visual information needed to accomplish a number of tasks. The dependent variables were assembly speed and assembly errors with people unstressed, assembly speed and assembly errors with people stressed, the percentage of discovered errors in assemblies, the number of correct assemblies misidentified as erroneous, and information extraction. Holograms generally were as good as or better visual aids than either photographs or line drawings. The use of holograms tends to reduce errors rather than speed assembly time in the assembly tasks used in these experiments. They also enhance the discovery of errors when the subject is attempting to locate assembly errors in a construction. The results of this experimentation suggest that serious consideration should be given to the use of holography in the development of job aids and in training. Besides these advantages for job aids, other advantages we found are that when page formated information is stored in man-readable holograms they are still useable when scratched or damaged even when similarly damaged microfilm is unuseable. Holography can also be used to store man and machine readable data simultaneously. Such storage would provide simplified backup in the event of machine failure, and it would permit the development of compatible machine and manual systems for job aid applications.


Four fundamental issues serve to establish the identity of the field of marketing, distinguish it from other fields and disciplines, and compel further research inquiry. These issues ask (1) How do customers and consumers really behave? (2) How do markets function and evolve? (3) How do firms relate to their markets? and (4) What are the contributions of marketing to organizational performance and societal welfare? These issues also serve as the organizing framework for this special issue Although the questions posed by these fundamental issues are durable, new answers will need to be sought to accommodate the following trends and disruptions that are shaping the direction of marketing: (1) the connected knowledge economy; (2) globalizing, converging, and consolidating industries; (3) fragmenting and frictionless markets; (4) empowered customers and consumers; and (5) adaptive organizations. These new directions challenge academic marketing to provide meaningful measures, inferences, and calibration; understand functional interfaces; and rethink the role of theory.


1. An epizootic disease of ferrets with a very high case fatality rate is described. 2. By the use of suitable material the natural disease can be transmitted experimentally. 3. The primary causative agent of the disease is a filterable virus. 4. Secondary invasion by bacteria of the respiratory tract of infected animals frequently occurs. The most important secondary invader is hemolytic streptococcus. 5. There seems to be no immunological relationship between the virus of the ferret disease and the viruses of canine distemper and of human influenza. 6. Histologically the disease is characterized by cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusion bodies in epithelial cells of many organs. 7. These inclusion bodies are indistinguishable from those occurring in canine distemper.


Pakistan has a vast industrial base which contributes a large portion in economic growth and employs a large population directly and indirectly. The purpose of this research is to examine the shocks of natural gas prices on the industries that use extensive amount of natural gas in their production as raw material and heating source. The industries taken under study are cement, cotton cloth, cotton yarn, glass, nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, paper and board, sheet iron and synthetic fiber and billet iron. Vector Auto regression (VAR) is applied to check the shocks using monthly data from January 2012 to September 2017, collected from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Impulse response function (IRF), Variance Decomposition and Granger Causality test were executed from VAR estimates to examine gas price shocks on industrial production level in short and long run. Results reveal that gas prices have shocks in short run on all major industries but in long run they seems to stabilize and the effect is minimized. The idea of the study is original and findings help investors, policymakers and regulatory authorities as lots of researches have been undertaken on oil prices shocks and industrial production, while none of research has been conducted on gas prices shocks and industrial production.


In this paper, the kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the self-assembly quantum rings (QRs) based on the substrate engineering, which is related to the eventual shape of the formed quantum ring, are implemented. According to the simulation results, the availability of the QR with tunable size and the formation of smooth shape on the ideal flat substrate are checked. Through designing the substrate engineering, i.e., changing the depth, the separation and the ratio between the radius and the height of the embedded inclusions, the position and size of QR can be controlled and eventually the growth strategy of optimizing the self-assembly QRs is accomplished.


The 10th edition of The Lighting Fixtures market in China offers an accurate and in-deep analysis of the lighting fixtures industry in China, providing data and trends 2011-2016. From one hand, the report analyses the main trends affecting the market over the last five years, considering the production, the consumption, the imports and the exports of lighting fixtures in the country. On the other hand, it offers an analysis of the supply structure and the competitive system, an overview of the distribution system and the main players operating in the market. International Trade: Lighting fixtures exports and imports are considered, broken down by country and by geographical area of destination/origin (total lighting, only lighting fixtures, only lighting components). The time frame considered is 2011-2016. Supply Structure: The lighting fixtures market is divided in four main segments: residential-consumer; commercial; industrial; outdoor. Within them, the market is further broken down by types of product and application, by light sources (incandescence, fluorescence, gas discharge, LEDs, OLED, fiber optics), and by the place of production. A financial analysis, on a sample of selected number of companies operating in the market, includes profitability ratios and their turnover per employee is also included. Data on consumer/residential lighting are broken down by style (traditional, modern, design) and by product type (floor, table, wall and ceiling lamps, embedded lighting, chandeliers and suspensions), while data on commercial lighting are broken down by kind of product (downlights/recessed, tubes/tracks/systems, floor and table lighting for commercial spaces, wall washers, LED panels, linear lighting and strips, chandeliers and suspensions for commercial spaces, projectors/spotlights) and application (hospitality, office, retail, art and museums, entertainment, schools, airports and other big infrastructures). Industrial lighting consists of lighting for industrial sites, healthcare lighting, weather resistant and explosion-proof lighting, emergency lighting, marine lighting. Outdoor lighting includes residential outdoor lighting, lighting for urban landscape, lighting for streets and major roads, area/campus lighting, lighting for tunnels and galleries, Christmas and special events lighting. Distribution Channels: The analysis of the distribution system is organized by the following channels: Contract/Builders; Lighting Specialists; Wholesalers; Lifestyle stores (Furniture stores/chains and department Stores); DIY stores; E-commerce. A selection of leading e-commerce players, architectural offices and lighting designers operating in China is also included. Competitive System: Finally, the report offers an analysis of the leading local and foreign players present on the Chinese market and in each segment considered; through sales data, market shares and short profiles. An address list of more than 300 local and foreign lighting fixtures manufacturer active in China is included.


The first monostatic microwave intrusion detection sensor with range cutoff was introduced in 1984. This range cutoff circuit as used in the Model 375 and 385 has proven very effective in preventing nuisance alarms beyond a user-defined range. The Intrepid Digital Transceiver introduced in this paper builds upon this proven technology with the addition of a unique digital signal processing routine that measures range to the intruder. Intrepid Digital Transceiver alternately transmits pulses at two discrete frequencies within K-Band. When an intruder enters the detection zone, the Doppler response at each frequency is digitally recorded. The difference between the two frequencies is controlled so that the phase angle between the two Doppler responses can be used to determine the unambiguous range to the target. As a byproduct of the process targets approaching the transceiver can be distinguished from those moving away from the transceiver. Range information is used to enhance the signal processing. The amount of signal integration is increased with range in proportion to the width of the detection pattern so as to optimize the signal to noise ratio (SNR).


A Rb/Sr isochron age determination on intrusive granite and monzonite from the Iveland-Evje area gave an age of 1038 + 43 m.y. Biotite from the granite dated by the K/Ar method gave an age of 845 ± 60 m.y. These values are very similar to other age determinations on intrusive rocks from Southern Norway. The initial Sr87/Sr86 ratio of the granite and monzonite is very low: 0.7048 ± 0.0003. The rocks must be genetically related to the Iveland-Evje pegmatites, which are among the latest intrusions within the Sveconorwegian igneous period.


To provide an example of ancient deposits across a sand-beach shoreline for comparison with both Recent and other ancient deposits, a cross-sectional model was constructed from surface exposures across the Upper Cretaceous Gallup shoreline in the Ship Rock area of northwestern New Mexico. Tile model shows lower Gallup regressive-beach sandstone overlain unconformably by upper Gallup transgressive offshore-bar sandstones. Landward, the beach sandstone interfingers with coal-swamp deposits or is truncated and overlain by dune standstone. Seaward, the beach sandstone grades through shoreface sandstone into a transition that gives way to offshore siltstone and mudstone. Offshore siltstone and mudstone overlie and in part grade laterally into offshore-bar sandstone, which has no contiguous landward equivalents and transgresses all beach and related facies. Within their particular stratigraphic frameworks, sedimentary structures, supported by lithologic and paleontologic data, identify both the beach and the offshore-bar sandstones as well as their related facies. Both the beaches and the offshore bars consist of imbricate patterns of parallel beds. Beds in the backshore beach consist of cross laminae that dip either in diverse directions or landward and that compose laminasets, which are swale fillings; cross laminae in the foreshore beach dip uniformly seaward at low angles. Beds of shoreface sandstone are either churned by burrowing organisms or composed of large-scale truncated wave-ripple laminae. in the transition between shoreface and offshore siltstone and mudstone, beds of mudstone interfinger with bells of sandstone and siltstone, which show small-scale truncated wave-ripple laminae and churned structure. Siltstone and mudstone beds alternate in offshore rocks, and the siltstones contain both current-ripple and truncated wave-ripple laminae, except where burrowing organisms have destroyed the laminae. Most beds of offshore-bar sandstone are churned, but some show high-angle cross laminae that dip parallel with the length of the bar and approximately parallel with the distant shoreline. Burrowing organisms have completely churned the muddy sandstone beds of the offshore-bar transition.


As heterogeneous wireless networks are deployed and users need more flexible mobility services, there has been a lot of research work about interworking mechanism between widely deployed 3G network and rapidly boarded WLAN. On the other side, WiBro is newly commercialized in Korea as the next generation wireless network. WiBro is based on IEEE 802.16e and it is expected to provide enough mobility and higher data rate. So the study of the integration between WiBro and cdma 2000 will give better results compared with the existing work of the integration between WLAN and cdma 2000. In order to provide the seamless service across heterogeneous wireless networks, an efficient handoff procedure is essentially required. In this paper, we propose an efficient L2 handoff scheme between cdma 2000 and WiBro networks. The proposed L2 handoff scheme takes an advantage over the existing L3 handoff scheme because it does not require the L3 procedure for the mobility. Through extensive computer simulations with OPNET, the efficiency of the proposed scheme has been validated.


Makannikova, M. V., Lapshakova, L. A., & Belmach, N. V. (2019). Cultivation of agricultural crops with irrigation in Amur region. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 25(2), 337–344 The following article examines the importance of rice and oats cultivation in the light of current food balance in Russia. One of the problems of their low yield that the authors consider is climatic conditions in the region. They go on to prove the importance of research which is related to the need of developing effective water regimes for the cultivation of grain crops while observing current principles of water conservation and environmental safety requirements of production. Experimental studies that were conducted during the research period have proved the regularity of formation of production process and yield of adapted rice and oats varieties and their dependence on the irrigation and mineral nutrition regimes. The authors have proved that it is possible to obtain the yield of oats at the level of 5.4 t/ha under the irrigation regime of 80% of minimum moisture capacity (MMC) and the dose of mineral fertilizers of N45P45K45.


Case report We present the case of a 42 yr old female, diagnosed with HIV in 1992, presenting on a failing PI and integrase inhibitor based antiretroviral (ARV) regimen. She was intolerant to ritonavir, had significant drug resistance and poor adherence, but achieved virological suppression using the novel combination of Stribild™ [elvitegravir (EVG)/cobicistat/tenofovir (TDF)/emtricitabine (FTC)] and darunavir (DRV). She had been on multiple ARV combinations since 1994, including NRTI mono-therapy. Medication intolerance, non-adherence and stopping ARVs against advice, had led to HIV drug resistance. Her regimen comprised raltegravir (RAL), DRV, RTV and TDF. Due to her intolerance to RTV, she took this sporadically. This resulted in viral rebound from <40 c/ml to 5,483 c/ml. Cumulative resistance assays demonstrated NRTI, NNRTI and protease inhibitor mutations. Her virus was X4 tropic, but remained sensitive to integrase inhibitors. To combat this issue a novel approach using Stribild™ with DRV 1200 mg OD was started, taking into account the patient's resistance profile and RTV intolerance. Due to minimal pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of this combination, and the potential for suboptimal and/or altered PK of cobisistat, EVG and DRV, therapeutic drug monitoring was utilised. Adherence was monitored using MEMs CAP™, which showed excellent adherence. Trough drug concentrations at 23 hrs post-dose were 2692 ng/ml for DRV and 1,155 ng/ml for EVG. Subsequently, she achieved rapid virological suppression, asymptomatically. Discussion/conclusion Issues of drug intolerance and resistance can be a therapeutic dilemma. We present the first case study using the regimen of Stribild™/DRV, utilising cobi to enhance DRV concentrations. This well tolerated salvage regimen may be an option for some individuals.


In this paper, I use variations in the gestational ages of pregnant woman and the number of adults to estimate the effect of household composition and the timing of birth on household consumption. Based on the empirical results, I find a significant relationship between growth in the number of adults in the household and consumption growth. I also find a negative relationship between the number of adults and consumption per capita. Gestational age and it's interaction with number of adult have a significant effect on labor income. Despite this finding, gestational age does not have a significant effect on labor related income and consumption. This linkage among consumption, household composition, and labor supply is a candidate explanation for the excess sensitivity of consumption growth to income which has been reported in the permanent income hypothesis/life-cycle literature. I argue that number of adults drives both consumption and labor supply thereby resulting in a relationship between consumption growth and income growth.


We examine the validity of Hertz's linear elastic theory for central collisions of spheres using a viscoelastic model. This model explains why Hertz's theory is accurate in predicting the collision time and maximum contact area even when 40% of the kinetic energy is lost due to viscous dissipation. The main reason is that both the collision time and maximum contact area have a very weak dependence on the impact velocity. Moreover, we show that colliding objects exhibit an apparent size-dependent yield strength, which results from larger objects dissipating less energy at a given impact velocity.


The study assessed the existing land resources, management practices and resource utilization of the Central Philippines State University reservation in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. It is a descriptive research that employed line-plot method for vegetation analysis; point counts, transect walk, cruising method, and mist netting for faunal assessment; secondary data analysis for processing of geospatial information and socio-economic profiles; and, interviews and focused group discussions for sourcing data on land management practices and resource utilization. Significant findings showed that the institution has a very vast area of 4,653 hectares land reservation. but the biological and physical resources therein are under threat because of the presence of settlers who compete for and misuse the land. As a developing institution, the university is expected to need more land area for expansion of physical plant facilities and enterprise development. It is therefore apparent that the university must efficiently use and manage the valuable resources granted by the government in order to become a self-sustaining institution that consistently provides quality instruction, research, extension and production and fosters growth and sustainable development within an ecologically balanced environment and an empowered community in the reservation.


The clinical presentation of a monoarticular, red, hot, and swollen joint has many possible diagnoses, including septic arthritis, which is 1 of the most devastating. The morbidity associated with this pathologic process involves permanent joint damage and the potential for progression to systemic illness and, even, mortality. The common risk factors for joint sepsis include a history of rheumatoid arthritis, previous joint surgery, joint prosthesis, intravenous drug abuse, alcoholism, diabetes, previous intra-articular steroid use, and cutaneous ulceration. The diagnosis is primarily determined from the culture results after arthrocentesis and correlation with direct visualization, imaging, and various serologies, including synovial analysis. In the present report, a case of an insidious presentation of subtalar joint septic arthritis and its association with a unique patient presentation concomitant with primary immunodeficiency and culture-proven Myocplasma hominis infection is discussed. Septic arthritis has a predilection for the lower extremities and typically is isolated to the hip or knee, with less common involvement of the ankle or metatarsophalangeal joints. Owing to the uncommon nature of primary immunodeficiency disorders and the paucity of studies discussing their association with septic arthridites, we aimed to raise awareness of subtalar joint septic arthritis and to provide a brief overview of the pathogenesis as it presented in a 33-year-old male with X-linked hypogammaglobulinemia/agammaglobulinema.


Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a new automated continuous temperature monitoring system in detecting temperature excursions and describe the challenges of implementing such a system.
Design: This study is an observational before-and-after audit comparing temperature excursions detected in the three months before and three months after the implementation of the new monitoring system at Eastern Health. Inclusion criteria consisted of all medicine and vaccine storage facilities monitored by the new automated temperature monitoring system. Four sites not connected to the new monitoring system were excluded.
Setting: Eastern Health is a large tertiary metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia. It operates from 21 locations including seven teaching hospitals, with medicines and vaccines stored in 124 refrigerators, 6 freezers and 101 ambient room temperature storage locations.
Main outcome measures: An analysis of post-implementation data identified a potential association between refrigerator brands and temperature excursion rate.
Results: There was a large increase in the number of temperature excursions detected post-implementation of the new automated monitoring system. 28746, 24 and 8966 temperature excursions were detected post-implementation compared to 344, 0 and 0 pre-implementation in refrigerators, freezers and ambient locations, respectively. The majority of temperature excursions detected in medicine and vaccine fridges were below +2°C (98.4%). One brand of refrigerators was linked to 27231 (94.7%) excursions (p<0.001).
Conclusions: The new temperature monitoring system detects higher number of excursions which provides better visibility of performance, identifies areas of non-compliance, and guides and evaluates solutions. This study recommends that freezers and ambient storage locations are monitored as robustly as refrigerators, temperature monitoring devices are placed in close proximity to pharmaceuticals, and that healthcare organisations avoid purchasing unreliable medicine and vaccine refrigerators. Finally, this study suggests the development of a National Medicine Storage Guideline.


A task-specific optimal simultaneous kinematic, dynamic and control design approach is proposed for high-performance computer-controlled machines, such as robots. This mechatronics design approach is based on the trajectory pattern method and a fundamentally new design philosophy that such machines, in general, and ultrahigh-performance machines, in particular, must only be designed to perform a class or classes of motions effectively. In the proposed approach, given the structure of the manipulator, its kinematic, dynamic, and control parameters are optimized simultaneously with the parameters that describe a selected trajectory pattern with which the desired class(es) of task(s) can best be performed. In one example, a weighted sum of the norms of the higher harmonics appearing in the actuating torques and the integral of the position and velocity tracking errors are used to form the optimality criterion. The selected optimality criterion should yield a system that is optimally designed to accurately follow the specified trajectory at high speed. Other objective functions can be readily formulated to synthesize systems for optimal performance. Based on the developed design methodology, a two-degrees-of-freedom robot manipulator with a closed-loop chain is optimally designed and constructed for point-to-point motions. The preliminary results of experiments indicate that the robot can, in fact, execute point-to-point motions rapidly and with minimal residual vibration. The potentials of the developed method and its implementation for generally defined motion patterns are discussed.


Background . The incidence of colon cancer over the past decade has been growing markedly in the Russian Federation, with about 50 % cases detected at stagesIII–IV of the disease, when a clear clinical picture of the disease appears. In this regard, the search for new methods for early diagnosis of RTK is undoubtedly relevant. Objective . To determine the standard composition of the aerobic parietal colon microbiota and the level of cytokines (chemokines and growth factors) in patients with cancer of the left half of the colon and to assess the possibility of using these data in the diagnosis of the tumor process. Materials and methods . Blood tests were performed on the day of the study using two test systems (BioLegend): multiplex kit for determining growth factors, chemokine multiplex kit. The composition of the intestinal microbiota was determined in colon biopsy specimens by the bacteriological method using the standard test systems StaphyTest, StreptoTest, and EnteroTest. Results . There is an increase in the number of Clostridiumspp. and a decrease in Bifidobacteriumspp., E. coli in the colon during the transformation of a healthy person's mucosa into a malignant tumor (p < 0.05); a clear tendency was revealed for both an increase (EGF, HGF, M-CSF, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB, IP-10) and a decrease (MCP-1, RANTES) of the level of chemokines and growth factors under colon cancer conditions. In addition to general quantitative changes in the intestinal microbiota, the level of the investigated substances, a statistically significant dependence was established on the sex, age of the patient, as well as the degree of differentiation and form of tumor growth. Conclusion . It was established that changes in the quantitative composition of the intestinal microbiota, the level of some biologically active substances that occur precisely in the conditions of colon cancer, can be interconnected and interdependent, and also serve as an additional diagnostic marker in the detection of a malignant tumor.


Transradial arterial access (TRA) has been employed for transcatheter coronary procedures for more than 25 years, with numerous studies demonstrating improved patient safety as compared with transfemoral arterial access. However, TRA remains underused by the interventional radiology and vascular surgery communities. Advantages of TRA over transfemoral arterial access include easier accomplishment of postprocedure hemostasis, decreased risk of hemorrhagic complications, shorter patient recovery leading to immediate ambulation and decreased procedure-related costs, and increased patient satisfaction. In particular, TRA may be advantageous in the population of patients with obesity. The primary patient selection factor to consider before attempting TRA is whether the patient has adequate collateral perfusion to the hand; this is assessed using the Barbeau test. Limitations of TRA may include operator unfamiliarity or learning curve and unavailability of adequate length catheters. The most common complication, although still rare, is localized access site hematoma, which is often asymptomatic. Radial artery occlusion is rare and rarely symptomatic owing to collateral perfusion to the hand. Theoretical increased risk of cerebral embolism during TRA may be minimized by preferentially accessing the left wrist during below-diaphragm procedures, which limits transcatheter manipulation of the aortic arch. Transulnar artery access is under investigation for use in patients who cannot undergo TRA. Providing patients the option of TRA can lead to improved outcomes, potentially increasing safety and patient satisfaction while decreasing procedure costs.


1 hgwinner@.erl.ornithol.mpg.de Abstract European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) mix fresh herbs, preferably species rich in volatile compounds, into their dry nest material. By investigating air samples from starling nest boxes, we found that nestlings and their parasites encounter volatile compounds such as sabinene, myrcene, limonene, phelandrene and ocimene, some of them with medicinal properties. We compared mite load and nestling condition in experimental nests with and without herbs. Herbs had no effect on the quantity of nest-dwelling ectoparasites, but a significantly inhibiting effect on bacterial growth in late nests. There was also a tendency for mosquitoes to visit nests containing herbs less often than nests without herbs. Chicks that fledged from herb nests with higher body mass had more red blood cells and differed in some immunological parameters from controls. Herb chicks also had more basophil leucocytes, but fewer lymphocytes than nestlings from nests without herbs. More yearlings from herb nests were identified and showed interest in nest boxes in their first year as adults. The better condition of herb chicks may have been due to plant compounds that stimulate elements of the immune system to help nestlings cope better with harmful impacts from parasites and other stressors. Apart from their effects on parasites and nestlings, volatile compounds in herbs that are carried into the nests by males may also play a role in mate attraction.


Sarah Anne Kuczynski, "Acquisitive Liaisons: Collecting and Alternative Valuing in Harold Frederic's The Damnation of Theron Ware" (pp. 82–109)
 This essay reads Harold Frederic's The Damnation of Theron Ware (1896) as an attempt to reimagine human relationships amid the unsettling of traditional, effortful methods for establishing personal value amid the socioeconomic stratification of Gilded Age America. Foregrounding the novel's imbrication within late-nineteenth-century America's "collecting mania," this study contends that the relationship that forms between the Octavius elite and the title character closely resembles that between collector and recent acquisition. The idea that Theron is treated as an object by Celia and her friends might appear to lend support to the prevailing reading of the novel as a tale about a naive young minister who is used and abused by the worldly figures he idolizes. However, I offer a contrarian challenge to this dominant interpretation by demonstrating that Theron, in fact, consistently pursues objecthood and the fate of acquisition over the course of the novel—not in a masochistic sense but because, as this essay argues, within the Gilded Age social world of The Damnation of Theron Ware, the life of a prized possession has the potential to be a fulfilling one. Theron may talk of his grand plans for renovating his character but in reality he seizes every opportunity to retreat to a space where passivity is encouraged, where personal value is assigned rather than earned or enacted.


Objective To determine the effectiveness of a web-based self-management programme for people with type 2 diabetes in improving glycaemic control and reducing diabetes-related distress. Methods and design Individually randomised two-arm controlled trial. Setting 21 general practices in England. Participants Adults aged 18 or over with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes registered with participating general practices. Intervention and comparator Usual care plus either Healthy Living for People with Diabetes (HeLP-Diabetes), an interactive, theoretically informed, web-based self-management programme or a simple, text-based website containing basic information only. Outcomes and data collection Joint primary outcomes were glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and diabetes-related distress, measured by the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale, collected at 3 and 12 months after randomisation, with 12 months the primary outcome point. Research nurses, blind to allocation collected clinical data; participants completed self-report questionnaires online. Analysis The analysis compared groups as randomised (intention to treat) using a linear mixed effects model, adjusted for baseline data with multiple imputation of missing values. Results Of the 374 participants randomised between September 2013 and December 2014, 185 were allocated to the intervention and 189 to the control. Final (12 month) follow-up data for HbA1c were available for 318 (85%) and for PAID 337 (90%) of participants. Of these, 291 (78%) and 321 (86%) responses were recorded within the predefined window of 10–14 months. Participants in the intervention group had lower HbA1c than those in the control (mean difference −0.24%; 95% CI −0.44 to −0.049; p=0.014). There was no significant overall difference between groups in the mean PAID score (p=0.21), but prespecified subgroup analysis of participants who had been more recently diagnosed with diabetes showed a beneficial impact of the intervention in this group (p = 0.004). There were no reported harms. Conclusions Access to HeLP-Diabetes improved glycaemic control over 12 months. Trial registration number ISRCTN02123133.


Abstract Emotions are now widely accepted as important elements of qualitative research, in studies of individuals and communities. However, collective emotional status—what a community feels about a given situation or proposition—can be challenging to assess. In this study, we examined the validity and acceptability of a new mixed methods survey tool, primarily qualitative, to address this challenge—the Assessment of Collective Emotional Status (ACES). The tool begins with an adjustable set of questions about emotion, to draw respondents' attention to their own feelings. These are followed by an emotional self-assessment, in which respondents select and prioritize five emotional responses to a standardized stimulus, drawing from a new taxonomy of emotion words. In this study, the stimulus was a proposition that gun violence should be approached as a public health problem. We tested the tool in an international survey of public health professionals, mostly in the US and Europe (n=160). Qualitative and quantitative data were collected on knowledge and importance of emotion, adequacy of the taxonomy, emotional responses to the stimulus, and use of the tool. Scores were high for knowledge and importance of emotion. Perceived adequacy of the taxonomy was also high, especially with Black and Hispanic respondents, signifying good construct validity. The total weighted frequency of emotions in response to the stimulus was highest for encouraged (92.2%), open (78.8%), hope (77.2%) and interest (77.2%). Qualitative data yielded six themes—on knowledge of emotion, the taxonomy, responses to the stimulus, and use of the tool, which many respondents found easy and interesting to use. This study demonstrates the prima facie validity and acceptability of the ACES with an educated adult population.


For sewage pump that various foreign substance is flowed into, anti-clogging performance is a factor as important as pump efficiency in order to avoid clogging trouble by foreign substance. Many investigations about pump inner flow and pump efficiency estimation have been carried out conventionally in order to realize coexistence with anti-clogging performance and pump performance. And these results have been reflected in construction of the running water section design method. As a index of anti-clogging performance, "impeller passage diameter" which is diameter of spherical solid that can pass through the pump is used widely. And there are various type of the sewage pump which have large impeller passage diameter. However real cause of clog is not a solid, and it is fibrous material such as towel and clothes, vinyl and paper diaper. In most case these material accumulate in the pump, so that clog is occurred. In this study, for the purpose of quantification of anti-clogging performance against fibrous materials, the factor that affect to clogging of pump was investigated by pump model test using a string. The test is done based on Taguchi method. In this test, type of the pump model, diameter of the string, material of the string, length of the string and flow rate are selected for the factor, and the effect that they have on the clogging of the pump was investigated. As a result of this test, it was made clear that length of the string has a strong influence on the clogging of the pump. And from the result of this test, evaluation method of anti-clogging performance of the pump against fibrous material by using string was considered. According to the result of above test based on Taguchi method, it was assumed that quantification of anti-clogging performance against fibrous materials is possible by flowing plural strings into the pump and calculating the probability of passing. Plurality sewage pumps of different types were evaluated based on this assumption. And It was confirmed that it is possible to compare anti clogging performance of the pump against fibrous materials quantitatively. And the specification of the string was selected according to the result of the test based on Taguchi method. By this method, one of the evaluation method on anti-clogging performance against fibrous materials was established.


In this paper, application of coordinate measuring machine(CMM) in reverse engineering(RE) of product was introduced. Reverse engineering had become a viable method to create a digital model of an existing physical part and to duplicate it. The reverse engineering process involves measuring an object,reconstructing its point cloud as a digital model and rapidly machining it. Application of obtaining point cloud using CMM was presented in reconstructing the digital model of a shoes tree. Rapid duplicate of a severely worn cam of textile machinery was realized by contact measuring profile points using CMM. Reconstructing the digital model and locally modifying the computer model in computer aided design (CAD) software. Finally, numerical control program was finished in computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software. Automatic measurement close freeform curve function of CMM decreased the workload of picking up data of cam profile. Experimental results showed using CMM can greatly save time and alleviate intension of labour.


Background
Portal vein (PV) interposition can induce various PV-related complications, making more reliable techniques necessary. The present study describes the development of a modified patch venoplasty technique, combining the native PV wall and a vein homograft conduit, called modified patch-conduit venoplasty (MPCV).

Methods
The surgical technique for MPCV was optimized by simulation and applied to seven pediatric patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for biliary atresia combined with PV hypoplasia.

Results
The simulation study revealed that inserting the whole-length native PV wall as a longitudinal rectangular patch was more effective in preventing PV conduit stenosis than the conventional technique using triangular partial insertion. These findings were used to develop the MPCV technique, in which the native PV wall was converted into a long rectangular patch, acting as a backbone for PV reconstruction. A longitudinal incision on the vein conduit converted the cylindrical vein into a large vein patch. The wall of the native PV was fully preserved as the posterior wall of the PV conduit, thus preventing longitudinal redundancy and unwanted rotation of the reconstructed PV. This technique was applied to seven patients with biliary atresia undergoing living-donor and deceased-donor split LT. None of these patients has experienced PV complications for up to 12 months after transplantation.

Conclusions
This newly devised MCPV technique can replace conventional PV interposition. MCPV may be a surgical option for reliable PV reconstruction using fresh or cryopreserved vein homografts during pediatric LT.


It is well known that the spin Hall effect of light (SHEL) can be easily observed via weak measurement by the dark strip resulted from the splitting of different polarization components. We find that the SHEL of partially coherent beam (PCB) also has similar phenomenon. However, the existence of the dark strip in the SHEL of PCB can not be properly justified by considering the beam as a statistical assemble of coherent speckles. Also, the dark strip of PCB is not purely dark. By analyzing the autocorrelation of the central dark strip part of the SHEL of PCB, we show that SHEL of PCB is essentially the direct result of overlapping coherent speckles' SHEL. Then we further prove our conclusion by adjusting the converging level and the incident angle of the beam. Finally, we develop a qualitative theory by taking the intensity distribution of PCB into account, to fully clarify the SHEL of PCB. The feasibility of our theory to Goos-H\"anchen (GH) scenario is also demonstrated.


Unwrapped phase inversion with a strong damping was developed to solve the phase wrapping problem in frequency-domain waveform inversion. In this study, we apply the unwrapped phase inversion to band-limited real land data, for which the available minimum frequency is quite high. An important issue of the data is a strong ambiguity of source-ignition time (or source shift) shown in a seismogram. A source-estimation approach does not fully address the issue of source shift, since the velocity model and the source wavelet are updated simultaneously and interact with each other. We suggest a source-independent unwrapped phase inversion approach instead of relying on source-estimation from this land data. In the sourceindependent approach, the phase of the modeled data converges not to the exact phase value of the observed data, but to the relative phase value (or the trend of phases); thus it has the potential to solve the ambiguity of source-ignition time in a seismogram and work better than the sourceestimation approach. Numerical examples show the validation of the source-independent unwrapped phase inversion, especially for land field data having an ambiguity in the source-ignition time.


It was shown that binding of the cation Eu3+ to myosin subfragment I (SI) results in fluorescence with a maximum at 595 nm which is increased as EuCl3 concentration rises. The ATPase activity of SI is simultaneously enhanced. An addition of bivalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) causes quenching of fluorescence of the bound Eu3+ by 8-12%, which corresponds to Eu3+-ATPase inhibition by Mg2+. At low (down to 0.1 mM) concentrations of Eu3+ no fluorescence quenching by Mg2+ or Ca2+ takes place; under these conditions Mg2+ activate ATPase of SI in the presence of Eu3+. Eu3+ activate SI ATPase in the presence of low (down to 0.1 mM) concentrations of Ca2+, but exerts an inhibition action at high concentrations of Ca2+. NaCl does not affect the fluorescence intensity of bound Eu3+ but considerably inhibits the ATPase activity of SI in the presence of EuCl3. An existence of a bivalent cation binding site in the vicinity if the SI active center is postulated. Eu3+ whose ionic radius is close to that of Ca2+ interacts with protein surface and occupies this site as well, thus determining the activation of SI ATPase and can be replaced from it by Ca2+ and Mg2+, but not by Na+. Hence bivalent and monovalent cations are bound at different sites. The data obtained provide another proof in favour of a hypothesis suggesting that the regulation of myosin ATPase activity by bivalent and monovalent cations can be mediated by binding of these cations to the protein.


Bladder cancer is the sixth most common malignancy in the United States and 70% of cases are non-muscle invasive at the time of diagnosis. Effective treatment is crucial to prevent progression, which occurs in about 30% of patients. The American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines recommend treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and chemotherapy. However, ongoing shortages and high rates of BCG unresponsiveness creates a major need for novel therapies. In this narrative review, we discuss the evolving landscape of therapeutic options for NMIBC. Pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 antibody, was the first systemic therapy to be FDA-approved for BCG-unresponsive, high-risk disease. Promising new agents under investigation include various other checkpoint inhibitors and adenovirus-based therapies including CG0070 and nadofaragene firadenovec (rAd-IFNa/Syn3). Finally, new mechanisms of drug delivery are under investigation, including delivery with the GemRIS (TAR-200) device and delivery of intravesical chemotherapy at higher temperatures. With the promise of novel therapies on the horizon, we can expect the role of urologists in the management of NMIBC to evolve and expand.


Established theories of the multinational enterprise (MNE) were created for a different, less globally competitive world. Today's MNEs are moving toward the stateless ideal type known as a metanational. Because considerable central authority remains, we call the emerging model the meta-MNE and use the dynamic capabilities framework to analyze this phenomenon. Strong dynamic capabilities, including asset orchestration, are necessary both for the very existence of the meta-MNE and for sustaining its competitive advantage. We draw contrasts between the meta-MNE and the traditional, home-centric MNE. We consider the ways in which nations still matter and the policy implications of the emergence of the meta-MNE. We also discuss recent developments in China that have greatly shaped the environment facing existing and future meta-MNEs.


Abstract Objective Mothers with insecure attachment styles may have increased difficulty establishing secure attachment with their infant and may experience emotion regulation difficulties in the postpartum period. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of emotion dysregulation (ED) on the relationship between maternal insecure attachment style and self‐reported attachment to infant in women admitted to a mother‐baby unit. Methods At admission, women completed self‐report questionnaires measuring attachment style, ED, postnatal attachment and postnatal depression (PND) symptoms. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and mediation analyses (PROCESS macro) were conducted. Results Insecure maternal attachment style was found to predict postnatal attachment through ED. When PND symptoms were accounted for, this model was no longer significant, and instead a serial mediation found that ED predicted PND, which was in turn associated with reduced postnatal attachment quality. Conclusions This study provides preliminary support for continued research into maternal ED as a predictor of adverse maternal and infant outcomes postnatally. Individuals with attachment insecurity experiencing emotion regulation difficulties may be at an increased risk of developing PND and in turn experiencing adverse mother‐infant attachment outcomes. This has clinical implications for the screening, assessment and treatment of women experiencing mental health or attachment related concerns postnatally.


We link farmland values to climatic, soil, and socioeconomic variables for U.S. counties east of the 100th meridian, the historical boundary of agriculture not primarily dependent on irrigation. Degree days, a nonlinear transformation of the climatic variables suggested by agronomic experiments as more relevant to crop yield, gives an improved fit and increased robustness. Estimated coefficients are consistent with the experimental results. The model is employed to estimate the potential impacts on farmland values for a range of recent warming scenarios. The predictions are very robust, and more than 75 of the counties in our sample show a statistically significant effect, ranging from moderate gains to large losses, with losses in the aggregate that can become quite large under scenarios involving sustained heavy use of fossil fuels.


Intended for energy managers, electrical engineers, building managers, lighting designers, consultants, and other electrical professionals, this book provides a practical description of major lighting controls types and how to apply them. It's a comprehensive step-by-step educational tour of lighting automation technology and its practical design and application, with useful discussion about the purpose and benefits of lighting controls, emphasizing the achieving of relevant energy savings, as well as support of occupant visual needs and preferences. The book shows readers how to take advantage of the many benefits of today's sophisticated controls, including expanded energy saving opportunities, and increased flexibility, reliability and interoperability.


Making Architecture PoliticallyWith the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of Eastern European communism, the emergence of Third Way politics, and the subsequent rise of neo-liberalism, society became post-political. Discourses and practices of architecture not only suffered, but also enhanced this culture of de-politicization. The problem today is clearly not to make political architecture – neoliberal architecture is everywhere today –, but to make architecture politically. Now that the current economic crisis acts as late capitalism's moment of truth architects should develop new visions, and help create projects that activate emancipation, surpassing the failure of neoliberalism. What we look for is a new beginning, an optimism - not another pessimism - of the architect as public intellectual that engages the optimism of the will and opens doors towards new social practices.Architecture cannot, of course, conduct parliamentary politics. Spatial constellations can deliver no advice on how to vote or convey messages about social and political problems, but architecture is political precisely because of the distance it takes from these functions. Architecture is political in the way in which, as a space-time sensorium, it organizes being together or apart, and the way it defines outside or inside. Architecture is political also in the manner in which it makes the many controversies of reality visible by means of its own spatial and aesthetic syntax, and can enacts new spatial and aesthetic formations of sociability from within. What we need in order to make room for the civil in our society is, according to Ariella Azoulay, "the capacity known as political imagination, that is to say, the ability to imagine a political state of being that deviates significantly from the prevailing state of affairs" What kind of political imagination – rethinking the political – can the practice and theory of architecture mobilize when it makes architecture politically is the focus of the UMA Spring lecture series of 2013.The lecture series was organized by Roemer van Toorn in collaboration with Peter Kjaer, Oren Lieberman, Albert o Altes Arlandis, and Cecilia Andersson.


Consumers make purchases based on certain choices. These options include product attributes and attribute level. Meatball has attributes such as texture, price, and taste. These attributes affect the consumer buying process . The aim  of this study was to determine the utility values for all attributes and attribute level of meatballs that have been selected by consumers. This research is  a qualitative and quantitative research conducted in Bangkalan Regency. Respondents of this study consisted of 60 people. The results of this research  revealed that the value of the utility for the level of preference of texture was soft texture with a utility value of  0.058, meatballs price at Rp 500.00 with utility value of 0.006, and the selected flavor attributes are taste spicy sauce with  utility value of 0.36. Attributes to contribute to consumer's decision to buy meatballs were flavor at 63.321 % , texture at 20.114 % and meatball price at 16.565 % contribution


Throughout almost the entire history of democracy—from pre-Socratic Greece up to the second half of the twentieth century—its champions faced little difficulty in identifying its enemies. Critics of democracy consistently lined up to attack it on ideological and philosophical grounds. The litany of complaints was familiar: Democracy is an ignorant, unreliable, unstable form of rule; putting power in the hands of the people entrusts decision-making to those who are incapable of making the right decisions, either because of their natural incapacity or because social arrangements have denuded them of their ability to know what they are doing; democratic politicians pander to the masses, and the masses reward them for it; democracies choose short-term gratification over long-term solutions and eventually pay the price. These charges were invariably accompanied by the promise of something better, the assumption being that almost any alternative regime would be an improvement on the inadequacies of democracy.


Very little is known about factors influencing the migration of highly activated T-lymphocytes. One such lymphocyte population is the IL-2 expanded population of T cells infiltrating tumors. These tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) can cause tumor regression in patients with metastatic cancer and in murine tumor models when given in adoptive transfer. In patients with melanoma, these TIL have been shown to migrate to sites of tumor and this may be a critical factor in their antitumor activity. In this study, a 48-well microchemotaxis chamber and a 5 microns pore nitrocellulose filter membrane system was utilized to study the motility of murine TIL. A chemotactic response was observed to supernatants from freshly explanted, autologous, and nonautologous tumor cultured for 24 h. Serially passaged autologous and nonautologous tumors also produced supernatants with chemotactic activity. Supernatants from single cell suspensions of normal tissues prepared and cultured identically did not elicit chemotaxis. Chemotactic activity for TIL was not removed by dialysis (2000 MW exclusion limit), its activity was undiminished by heat treatment at 60 degrees C for up to 60 min, and it was trypsin sensitive. Tumor supernatants were also chemotactic for two IL-2-dependent specifically alloreactive CTL lines (CTL-TIM and OE-4), but not two helper T cell lines (D-10 and D-1.5) or normal resting lymphocytes. This is the first demonstration of a chemotactic effect on IL-2-dependent, activated T cells. Characterization and purification of factors from tumor responsible for this directed migration are in progress.


Observations in experimental murine myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) show mast cells degranulate, thus enhancing injury as well as producing immunomodulatory IL-10. Here we report that, compared with biopsy specimens from control patients, renal biopsy specimens from 44 patients with acute AAV had more mast cells in the interstitium, which correlated with the severity of tubulointerstitial injury. Furthermore, most of the mast cells were degranulated and spindle-shaped in patients with acute AAV, indicating an activated phenotype. We hypothesized that the mast cell stabilizer disodium cromoglycate would attenuate mast cell degranulation without affecting IL-10 production. We induced anti-MPO GN by immunizing mice with MPO and a low dose of anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody. When administered before or after induction of MPO autoimmunity in these mice, disodium cromoglycate attenuated mast cell degranulation, development of autoimmunity, and development of GN, without diminishing IL-10 production. In contrast, administration of disodium cromoglycate to mast cell-deficient mice had no effect on the development of MPO autoimmunity or GN. MPO-specific CD4(+) effector T cell proliferation was enhanced by co-culture with mast cells, but in the presence of disodium cromoglycate, proliferation was inhibited and IL-10 production was enhanced. These results indicate that disodium cromoglycate blocks injurious mast cell degranulation specifically without affecting the immunomodulatory role of these cells. Thus as a therapeutic, disodium cromoglycate may substantially enhance the regulatory role of mast cells in MPO-AAV.


''Corporate speak,'' the language of neoliberalism, has for so long been integrated into higher education institutions that many academics greet new terms wanly with the tedium of overkill; academic practice is scrutinized and regulated through terms such as performance indicators, benchmarking, service providers, and clients. As part of a discursive field where ideological shifts continue to apply marketized frames of reference as neoliberalism tightens its grip, new terms and phrases are commonplace.


Objective: To describe extreme maternal morbidity (EMM) in a high-complexity obstetrical clinic.Materials and methods: Descriptive epidemiological surveillance study based on the analysis of the results of the implementation of the EMM surveillance subsystem between June 2012 and June 2013 at Clinica Universitaria Colombia, a referral centre serving patients covered by a private health insurance company in Bogota (Colombia). The number of pregnant women presenting with extreme maternal morbidity during that time period was determined. Maternal age, the health condition leading to the report, the EMM criteria and the EMM quality indicators were evaluated. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed. The prevalence ratio of extreme maternal morbidity is presented.Results: The prevalence of extreme maternal mortality at the institution was found to be 11 for every 1,000 live births. Of the total number of events, 55% were related to pregnancy bleeds, followed by gestational hypertensive disorders (30%), complications of cardiac comorbidities (9%), and septic shock (6%). Of the 58% of patients who developed organ dysfunction, 52% required admission to the Intensive Care Unit; blood product transfusion was required in 61%, and additional surgery was required in 36%. The mortality ratio was 8%. The EMM/MM ratio was 11:1. The percentage of EMM cases with more than three criteria was 73%.Conclusion: Extreme maternal morbidit y is a frequent problem in this referral centre. Measurement is possible on the basis of passive and active surveillance of defining criteria. Additional information about these quality indicators at a national level is required for inter-institutional comparison.


Inverse protein folding is challenging due to its inherent one-to-many mapping characteristic, where numerous possible amino acid sequences can fold into a single, identical protein backbone. This task involves not only identifying viable sequences but also representing the sheer diversity of potential solutions. However, existing discriminative models, such as transformer-based auto-regressive models, struggle to encapsulate the diverse range of plausible solutions. In contrast, diffusion probabilistic models, as an emerging genre of generative approaches, offer the potential to generate a diverse set of sequence candidates for determined protein backbones. We propose a novel graph denoising diffusion model for inverse protein folding, where a given protein backbone guides the diffusion process on the corresponding amino acid residue types. The model infers the joint distribution of amino acids conditioned on the nodes' physiochemical properties and local environment. Moreover, we utilize amino acid replacement matrices for the diffusion forward process, encoding the biologically-meaningful prior knowledge of amino acids from their spatial and sequential neighbors as well as themselves, which reduces the sampling space of the generative process. Our model achieves state-of-the-art performance over a set of popular baseline methods in sequence recovery and exhibits great potential in generating diverse protein sequences for a determined protein backbone structure.


The most potential method of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to remove NOx from diesel engine emissions is very effective in NOx reduction with an efficiency up to 95%. However, the current SCRs have a limitation on operation temperature and a narrow operation temperature window. In this paper, the V-W based catalysts were used in the investigation to improve the low temperature performance of NOx conversion by doping Cu and Mn into V-W based catalyst. The temperature range studied was between 150 °C and 550 °C with an interval of 50 °C. The honeycomb catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method. The study also included characterization of catalysts by BET, XRD, TPD and XPS methods.It is found that NOx conversion performance of the V-W based catalyst increases with the increase of reaction temperature. After the metal Cu or Mn doped into the catalyst, it offers an improvement in the catalytic performance. Among all the catalysts studied, the mixed metal catalyst of Cu-Mn-V-W catalyst is found the most potential one, not only because of its higher NOx conversion rate at a low temperature, but also because of its wider operation temperature window.


A clear trend has been identified in relation to the interpretation of statutes from a strict or literal approach towards a more purposive approach. This has even been the case for revenue law which for some time has been considered as a penal statute. This trend is evident in other tax jurisdictions, both civilian and common law. After comparing and contrasting the various arguments for and against the purposive approach, it has been concluded that this observed change should not be welcomed in relation to the taxation legislation. Such an approach poses a serious threat to the separation of powers', as the judicial arm would be able to read words into the legislation as they see fit. Even worse, however, is the threat to human rights, that is, the ability of the taxpayers to protect what is rightfully their own.


The development of a bi-functional active and stable catalyst for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an important challenge in overall electrochemical water splitting. In this study, firstly, nickel nanocones (NNCs) were formed using electrochemical deposition, and then Ni-Co-Fe based mixed sulfide ultrathin nanosheets were obtained by directly depositing on the surface of the nanocones using the CV method. With a hierarchical structure of Ni-Fe-Co-S nanosheets, not only was a high active surface area created, but also the electron transfer and mass transfer were enhanced. This structure also led to the faster release of hydrogen bubbles from the surface. An overpotential value of 106 mV was required on the surface of this electrode to generate a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in the HER, whereas, for the OER, 207 mV overpotential was needed to generate a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Furthermore, this electrode required 1.54 V potential to generate a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in the total electrochemical water splitting. The resulting electrode also exhibited reasonable electrocatalytic stability, and after 10 hours of electrolysis in the overall water splitting reaction, the voltage change was negligible. This study introduces a simple, efficient, reasonable and cost-effective method of creating an effective catalyst for the overall water splitting process.


The Cretaceous Semail ophiolite (northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates) includes an intact thrust slice of Tethyan oceanic crust and upper mantle formed above a northeast-dipping subduction zone that was the site of initiation of obduction. The normal metamorphic sole of the Semail ophiolite comprises a highly condensed sequence of hornblende + plagioclase ± garnet amphibolites with small enclaves of garnet + clinopyroxene granulites immediately beneath the mantle sequence peridotites, tectonically underlain by a series of epidote amphibolite and greenschist facies lithologies in a highly deformed ductile shear zone. Peak metamorphic conditions of 770–900 °C and 11–15 kbar indicate metamorphism at depths far greater than can be accounted for by the preserved thickness of the ophiolite (∼15 km). In the mountains of northern Oman, the 1.2-km-thick Bani Hamid thrust sheet is composed of intensely folded granulite and amphibolite facies rocks within mantle sequence peridotites, exhumed by late-stage out-of-sequence thrusting along the Bani Hamid thrust. The Bani Hamid thrust slice includes two-pyroxene quartzites (± hornblende, cordierite, sapphirine), diopside + andradite garnet + wollastonite + scapolite marbles and calc-silicates and amphibolites (hornblende + plagioclase ± clinopyroxene ± biotite) with localized partial melting, intruded by hornblende pegmatites. The Bani Hamid granulites represent metamorphosed cherts and calcareous turbidites probably derived from the distal Haybi Complex and Oman Exotic limestones, which have an alkali basaltic substrate. Metamorphic modeling using the program THERMOCALC in the system NCKFMASHTO (Na 2 O-CaO-K 2 O-FeO-MgO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -H 2 O-TiO 2 -O) gives peak pressure-temperature conditions of 850 ± 60 °C and 6.3 ± 0.5 kbar, a pressure that is much lower than that of the metamorphic sole, suggesting a different origin. The 206 Pb/ 238 U zircon dates indicate that the gabbroic crust of the ophiolite formed by ridge magmatism from before 96.1 to 95.5 Ma. The 206 Pb/ 238 U zircon dates from the metamorphic sole range from 95.7 to 94.5 Ma, and suggest that metamorphism and melting was either synchronous with or slightly postdated ridge magmatism. The Bani Hamid granulites are younger; zircon and titanite U-Pb dates span ca. 94.5–89.8 Ma. Peraluminous granitic dikes intruding the mantle sequence peridotites are as young as 91.4 Ma and likely reflect localized partial melting of crustal material during the late stage of the obduction process. A minimum of 130 km shortening is recorded by restoration of the major folds within the Bani Hamid thrust sheet, and more than 30 km offset has occurred along the west-directed breaching out-of-sequence Bani Hamid thrust. These rocks may be representative of deep-level duplexes imaged on recent seismic sections across the mountains of northern Oman–United Arab Emirates.


The article explores how a National Institute of Health policy of racialization-as-inclusion in research informs the building of Asian DNA databases at Biopolis, an emerging biomedical hub in Singapore. Citing variability in DNA and populations in the Asian region, Singaporean biostatisticians challenge DeCode Genetics of Iceland as an exemplary model of genomic research. They claim that genetic traits among populations in Asia that are relatively new to medical genomics – and being gathered ' in the wild ' – gain value from being calculated and databased. The infrastructure deploys the ethnic heuristic in different registers. First, the network of ethnicity becomes a supple membrane coextensive with the network of genetic data points. Second, ethnicity is rendered an immutable mobile that circulates databases beyond tiny Singapore, making the infrastructure at once situated, flexible, and expansive. Third, the ethnic signifier carries affective value that enhances a sense of what is at stake in the building, mobilization and implications of such Asian databases. In short, the origami-like folding together of multiple, flowable, and perfomative data points shapes a unilateral topological space of biomedical ' Asia. '