deep space navigation is an evolving technology which must constantly meet new challenges. During the 1960's, Mark-I navigation, involving ground-based radio tracking and flight path control, was adequate to meet the needs of various lunar, Venus, and Mars missions. During the 1970's, Mark-II navigation, involving a combination of ground-based radio and onboard optical measurements, but still utilizing ground-based control, will be adequate for such missions as Viking 1975, Mariner Jupiter Saturn 1977, Pioneer Venus 1978, Mariner Jupiter Uranus 1979, and even a "standoff" asteroid or cometary-nucleus flyby. In the 1980's and beyond, however, reaction time becomes more important for many of the advanced missions under consideration by NASA. Examples include precision asteroid/comet flybys and rendezvous, probe delivery, outer planet satellite tours, landers, rovers, sample returners, and other mission options. It is thus necessary to develop Mark-Ill navigation, which can use onboard computation and control to avoid both round-trip-light-time and certain earth-based delays in data processing and decision making during time-critical mission phases.

In order to prepare for the era of autonomous navigation, this paper first examines existing techniques for spacecraft navigation by describing the basic elements of the Mark-I and II navigation technologies. The remainder of the paper deals with identification of criteria which necessitate onboard navigation, and with promising solutions now under consideration. An attractive solution possibility is proposed which utilizes narrow-angle optics, a charge-coupled device area-array image sensor, a small advanced onboard flight computer, and a simplified set of software algorithms. Onboard commands would be derived and sent to the appropriate spacecraft attitude control, propulsion, and science platform pointing subsystems. The proposed autonomous navigation system does not address all mission options, but focuses primarily on precision approach trajectory control and adaptive science instrument pointing for asteroid, cometary, and outer planet satellite missions. Excluded mission options include landing, surface roving, and docking of artificial craft.


OBJECTIVE
To develop a birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), and postnatal-weight gain retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) prediction model in a cohort of infants meeting current screening guidelines.

METHODS
Multivariate logistic regression was applied retrospectively to data from infants born with BW less than 1501 g or GA of 30 weeks or less at a single Philadelphia hospital between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2009. In the model, BW, GA, and daily weight gain rate were used repeatedly each week to predict risk of Early Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity type 1 or 2 ROP. If risk was above a cut-point level, examinations would be indicated.

RESULTS
Of 524 infants, 20 (4%) had type 1 ROP and received laser treatment; 28 (5%) had type 2 ROP. The model (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia [CHOP]) accurately predicted all infants with type 1 ROP; missed 1 infant with type 2 ROP, who did not require laser treatment; and would have reduced the number of infants requiring examinations by 49%. Raising the cut point to miss one type 1 ROP case would have reduced the need for examinations by 79%. Using daily weight measurements to calculate weight gain rate resulted in slightly higher examination reduction than weekly measurements.

CONCLUSIONS
The BW-GA-weight gain CHOP ROP model demonstrated accurate ROP risk assessment and a large reduction in the number of ROP examinations compared with current screening guidelines. As a simple logistic equation, it can be calculated by hand or represented as a nomogram for easy clinical use. However, larger studies are needed to achieve a highly precise estimate of sensitivity prior to clinical application.


The corrosion of concrete for offshore structures is generally caused by the penetration of chloride ion deriving from the salts in seawater. Up to now, lots of researches have been done concerning the corrosion of concrete by seawater and durability of concrete. However, the investigation for corrosion of reinforced concrete structure by seawater are relatively rare, because of the needs for long term tests (at least 3 to 5 years usually). The structures sited in the intertidal zone always accompany severer deterioration by seawater. Under such environmental conditions, frequent wetting and drying will aggravate the effect of sulfate attack, while the crystallization of sea salts in the concrete on evaporation may also contribute to expansive forces. For these reasons above, the purpose of this paper is to study the corrosion of reinforced concrete structure in the intertidal zone by a accelerated method presented. The critical variables considered in this research include the temperature and concentration of seawater. During the experimental period (1 year), the specimens were cured in wetting and drying situation (for each circle, submerged by seawater for 24 hours and then drying at 70°C for the following 24 hours), and this repeatedly cyclic procedures is to accelerate the corrosion of reinforced concrete structure by seawater. According to the experimental results, the increased concentration and temperature of seawater would accelerate deterioration of concrete obviously. The duration of testing could be shortened about 75% by using the sweater with 10 times the concentration. As the curing temperature increased, the corresponding strength concrete at earlier age would increase, and which could reduce the corrosion of reinforced concrete.


Background & Hypothesis: We hypothesize that whole-body PET imaging with 62Cu-ETS and readily implemented tracer kinetic models, can enable absolute quantification of regional perfusion (mL•min-1•g-1) in a fashion that is reproducible; readily standardized across institutions; and logistically suitable for clinical implementation.
Experimental Design: Thirty-five paired 62Cu-ETS and H215O studies were performed in six Göttingen minipigs to validate the use of image-derived input functions. H215O estimates of tissue perfusion served as a reference standard for comparison with 62Cu-ETS. To demonstrate quantitative whole-body perfusion imaging in humans, paired 62Cu-ETS and H215O studies were performed in 14 renal cell carcinoma patients both prior to and following sunitinib therapy.
Results: The pig studies showed a strong correlation between regional blood flow estimates made with 62Cu-ETS and H215O, using image-derived input functions with tracer kinetic model-based corrections for 62Cu-ETS decomposition in blood (slope=0.932, R2=0.746). High quality voxel-wise 62Cu-ETS perfusion and blood volume parametric images demonstrated a strong correlation with H215O across all tissues within the imaging field-of-view. Using a same-day test-retest design, which was then repeated across two weeks, the animal study demonstrated good test-retest variability (TRV) for 62Cu-ETS and H215O with TRV of 6.3% ± 5.40% and 5.0% ± 4.77%, respectively. These findings strongly support application of the modeling methods to the human data, which is currently in progress.
Conclusion & Potential Impact: Whole-body imaging to non-invasively quantify regional perfusion holds promising potential for clinical implementation, using 62Cu-ETS PET coupled with tracer kinetic models that rely solely on the acquired imaging data.


OBJECTIVES. Patient expectancy has been regarded as an important predictor of psychotherapy outcome, for more than half a century. In recent years, some evidence has emerged indicating that the therapeutic alliance may mediate the association between expectancy and outcome. DESIGN. In this dismantling, randomized clinical study, 100 out-patients who sought psychotherapy due to depression, anxiety, and personality disorders, were assigned to 1 year of dynamic psychotherapy with and without transference interpretation. METHODS. Patients' pre-treatment target expectancies and global expectancy were measured in this clinical trial. Tests of mediation were performed with two patient-rated and one therapist-rated measure of the therapeutic alliance, using regression analyses. Six putative moderators of the mediational paths were explored. RESULTS. Global Optimism was significantly associated with two clinician-rated outcome measures - the Psychodynamic Functioning Scales and Global Assessment of Functioning. Both patient ratings, but not the therapist rating of alliance mediated the association between global expectancy and clinician-rated outcome. None of the putative moderators had a significant effect. CONCLUSION. The results, together with previous findings, indicate that the expectancy-alliance-outcome mediational chain is a general phenomenon, not limited to subgroups of patients or modes of treatment.


A single edge notch tension, SE(T), specimen was used to measure the dynamic fracture toughness and the crack arrest toughness of a tough HSLA steel in the ductile-brittle transition region. The SE(T) specimen was considerably smaller (W = 152 mm) than wide-plate specimens that have been typically used in other crack arrest tests. A thermal gradient was applied across the ligament of the specimen to facilitate a brittle crack initiation in the low temperature region of the specimen. The cleavage crack propagated into warmer and, consequently, tougher material which led to crack arrest. Transient, three-dimensional, finite element analyses of the tests were performed to determine the dynamic fracture and crack arrest toughness of the steel. The analyses employed both linear elastic and visco-plastic constitutive models. Dynamic strain measurements recorded during the run-arrest event were used to determine the crack tip position as a function of time during the event. This information was used as a boundary condition for the analysis. The measured strains were compared with strains predicted by the finite element analysis to validate the model. The dynamic response of the specimen, the effect of crack speed on the driving force, and the evolution of crack tip plasticity during the run-arrest event are discussed.


We present low-temperature magneto-photoluminescence experiments which demonstrate the brightening of dark excitons by an in-plane magnetic field B applied to monolayers of different semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides. For WSe2 and WS2 monolayers, the dark exciton emission is observed at  ∼50 meV below the bright exciton peak and displays a characteristic doublet structure whose intensity grows with B2, while no magnetic field induced emission peaks appear for MoSe2 monolayer. Our experiments also show that the MoS2 monolayer has a dark exciton ground state with a dark-bright exciton splitting energy of  ∼100 meV.


Our world is on the eve of drastic changes and transformations. The future of the architectural profession depends on how clearly the professional society can formulate the actual state of architecture. A great number of constructions are being built, and cities acquire a brand new image. At the same time, the situation in architecture and town planning is critical. Contemporary architecture has become a sort of branch of the industrial design with its semantic potential minimized to purity, convenience and economical efficiency. The dream of avant gardists of the early XXth century has come true. The old has been almost completely destroyed. The society fails to understand the sense of architecture of the past, including the XXth century. Such situation leads to unconscious barbarism towards historical heritage.


The main topic of this thesis is arteriogenesis and the role circulating leukocytes play in this process of perfusion recovery. We have used clinically applicable inhibitors to increase leukocyte attraction and extravasation and discovered previously unknown factors which play a role in arteriogenesis. In chapter 2 we sought to further elucidate the systemic changes that occur in circulating leukocytes after arterial occlusion. We have shown that the total number of leukocytes did not change after arterial occlusion. However, leukocyte number within the different subsets changed dramatically and the emerging temporal patterns differed per leukocyte subset. In addition, the observed changes could be linked to the corresponding progenitor cells in the bone marrow. In chapter 3 we used the clinically available CD26 inhibitor Sitaglipin to improve perfusion recovery in atherosclerosis prone ApoE -/- mice. Daily doses of the CD26 inhibitor improved both short term (7 days) and long term (56 days) perfusion recovery. As previous pro-arteriogenic factors also proved to increase atherosclerosis we assessed plaque stability in ApoE -/- mice during CD26 inhibition. Plaque stability and plaque size were unaffected by CD26 inhibition indicating that CD26 inhibition might be a feasible therapeutic strategy to improve perfusion recovery in the clinic. In addition, recent results have shown that CD26 inhibition deters the progression of atherosclerosis in murine models[1,2]. To improve our understanding of the role that CD26 plays in human plaques we assessed CD26 content in chapter 4. We show that a higher CD26 content is correlated to a more atheromatous plaque in contrast to a more fibrous plaque. In addition, a higher CD26 content is related to a high number of macrophages, a larger lipid core and less smooth muscle cells. Our data indicates that CD26 is involved in the progression towards a more vulnerable plaque phenotype. However, based on our studies we cannot draw any conclusions on the mechanisms involved. In chapter 5 we explored the role of platelets in perfusion recovery. Platelet depleted mice were generated using a platelet depleting antibody. Platelet depleted mice show decreased perfusion recovery as well as reduced arterial remodeling. Macrophage numbers around growing collaterals were decreased and ex vivo models showed that leukocyte rolling was absent in blood from platelet depleted mice. Our results indicate that platelets are involved in the process of monocyte extravasation which is crucial for perfusion recovery. In chapter 6 we assessed differences in mRNA expression between leukocyte samples obtained at different time points after perfusion recovery. We assessed mRNA expression of CXCL10 which is a component of the TLR-pathway and found that its expression was down regulated. Using CXCL10 -/- mice we showed that mice lacking CXCL10 display a decrease in perfusion recovery when compared to WT mice. To elucidate the role of CXCL10 specifically in bone marrow derived cells we generated chimeric mice which lack CXCL10 in their bone marrow derived cells. These mice showed a similar decrease in perfusion recovery indicating that the expression of CXCL10 in leukocytes is of importance during perfusion recovery.


Many machine learning tasks such as clustering, classification, and dataset search benefit from embedding data points in a space where distances reflect notions of relative similarity as perceived by humans. A common way to construct such an embedding is to request triplet similarity queries to an oracle, comparing two objects with respect to a reference. This work generalizes triplet queries to tuple queries of arbitrary size that ask an oracle to rank multiple objects against a reference, and introduces an efficient and robust adaptive selection method called InfoTuple that uses a novel approach to mutual information maximization. We show that the performance of InfoTuple at various tuple sizes exceeds that of the state-of-the-art adaptive triplet selection method on synthetic tests and new human response datasets, and empirically demonstrate the significant gains in efficiency and query consistency achieved by querying larger tuples instead of triplets.


This article discusses perceptions and practices of friendship among the Mbororo (pastoral Fulbe) in northwest Cameroon. The concept of friendship is culturally and socially embedded, and the author highlights the flexible and multilayered character of friendship in Cameroon. While in Europe and the U.S. the voluntary and emotional connotations of friendship are stressed, for the Mbororo, it includes a significant economic component and may overlap with other relationships, such as kinship and patron-client relations. Furthermore, Mbororo women and men differ in their perspectives and practices of friendship. Finally, the author argues that interethnic friendships between Mbororo pastoralists and their farming neighbors are of an individual nature and that in the face of conflict, their integrative capacity


In this article, we consider a stochastic numerical simulator to assess the impact of some factors on a phenomenon. The simulator is seen as a black box with inputs and outputs. The quality of a simulation, hereafter referred to as fidelity, is assumed to be tunable by means of an additional input of the simulator (e.g., a mesh size parameter): high-fidelity simulations provide more accurate results, but are time-consuming. Using a limited computation-time budget, we want to estimate, for any value of the physical inputs, the probability that a certain scalar output of the simulator will exceed a given critical threshold at the highest fidelity level. The problem is addressed in a Bayesian framework, using a Gaussian process model of the multi-fidelity simulator. We consider a Bayesian estimator of the probability, together with an associated measure of uncertainty, and propose a new multi-fidelity sequential design strategy, called Maximum Speed of Uncertainty Reduction (MSUR), to select the value of physical inputs and the fidelity level of new simulations. The MSUR strategy is tested on an example.


The Nonlinear Shallow Water Equations (NSWE) provide a model for long wave behavior commonly used in tsunami modeling problems in which the scale associated with the surface wavelength is much greater than the ocean depth. This approximation allows for the derivation of the NSWE under the assumptions that the pressure is hydrostatic and the horizontal velocity components uniform along the water column. The present study uses current velocity data acquired by the Kilo Nalu Near‐Shore Reef Observatory Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) on the south shore of Oahu (21.288°N, 157.865°W) in the aftermath of the 2006 Kuril tsunami to assess the validity of the NSWE assumptions on the velocity components. ADCP measurements provide information on all three velocity components along the water column, allowing the calculation of terms discarded in the NSWE approximation, containing temporal or vertical derivatives. Comparison of the relative magnitude of terms retained and neglected in the NSWE reveals that in shallow waters (10 m) the size of discarded terms remains smaller, but approaches the order of magnitude of retained terms in the momentum equations. Not all terms present in the equations can be evaluated from the available data, so verification of the assumptions investigated here represents a necessary but not sufficient condition for the validity of the NSWE approximation to model tsunami waves in shallow coastal waters.


Africa is home to diverse and genetically unique ruminant livestock and wildlife species. The continent, however, faces huge food security challenges, partly due to low productivity of the livestock. As a centre of cattle domestication, Africa hosts genetically unique cattle, being products of generations of co-evolution with diverse people, each selecting for different attributes under different production systems and environments. Over millennia, this diversity of purpose has led to rich and unparalleled blends of indigenous and exotic cattle. Different parasites and pathogens, whose vigour has been buoyed by variable but generally favourable tropical conditions, have coevolved and served as critical drivers, making African cattle some of the world's most scientifically interesting and valuable populations. This diversity is being lost at an alarmingly rate, and insitu conservation will not significantly save it. These cattle can potentially provide adequate food and income to their keepers. First their genetic and phenotypic diversity should be understood, and then carefully tailored to specific production systems to improve their productivity. To realistically conserve these cattle, for which no conservation plans currently exist, available modern bio- and information technologies are needed to assemble and analyse complex sets of information on them. As the climate and pathogens all change, by smartly conserving (ex-situ) those at risk the genetic attributes critical for the world's future food security challenges would be saved. This paper discusses the diversity of the African cattle and the need for their system-wide characterisation in order to allow their keepers to cope with the changing system, and minimise the loss of these unique genotypes.


Abstract A number of reasons have led to a reappraisal of dose specification for nuclear medicine. These include an appreciation of non-uniformities in the distribution of radioactivity in the body, at all levels, for even the most common diagnostic and therapeutic agents; an increasing need to deal with the complexities of varying dose rates; the imperative to provide individual rather than standardised dose estimates as targeted radionuclide therapy becomes more sophisticated; as well as improvements in technology. This Report deals first with biological considerations that inform the rational use of radionuclide dosimetry. Radiobiological factors in the selection of radionuclides and tumour and normal-tissue dose-responses are discussed. Then, the MIRD (medical internal radiation dose) approach to nuclear medical dosimetry, a robust method that has proven its clinical utility, is described. Following on is an elaboration of non-uniform distributions of radioactivity and of varying dose rates. Lastly, the Report deals with techniques and procedures for measuring time variant activity distributions, image fusion, patient specific dose computations, smallscale dosimetry, and the comparison of calculated and measured doses.


High‐performance implementations of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations play an important role in the study of macromolecules. Recent advances in both hardware and simulation software have extended the accessible time scales significantly, but the more complex algorithms used in many codes today occasionally make it difficult to understand the program flow and data structures without at least some knowledge about the underlying ideas used to improve performance. In this review, we discuss some of the currently most important areas of algorithm improvement to accelerate MD, including floating‐point maths, techniques to accelerate nonbonded interactions, and methods to allow multiple or extended time steps. There is also a strong trend of increased parallelization on different levels, including both distributed memory domain decomposition, stream processing algorithms running, e.g., on graphics processing units hardware, and last but not least techniques to decouple simulations to enable massive parallelism on next‐generation supercomputers or distributed computing. We describe some of the impacts these algorithms are having in current performance, and also how we believe they can be combined in the future. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 93–108 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.3


Loss of soil particles from arable land to streams and lakes negatively affects water quality. When initiatives to mitigate soil erosion are insufficient or fail, constructed wetlands (CWs) could be a last buffer to mitigate pollution. The objectives in this study were to (i) determine the influence of aggregation on clay sedimentation in CWs and (ii) evaluate the prediction performance of two commonly used retention models, based on hydraulic load and particle sedimentation velocity. Retention was measured three ways, with (i) water flow proportional sampling systems in the inlet and in the outlet, (ii) sedimentation traps, and (iii) sedimentation plates. Surface area of the CWs was 0.03 to 0.07% of the watershed, which consisted of silty clay loam (18-33% clay). Some runoff episodes, usually at high runoff rates, accounted for a relatively high proportion of total sedimentation. Thus 80% of the particles were retained from less than 44% of the total runoff. Constructed wetland performance increased with increased hydraulic load or decreased detention time. The clay content in the CW sediment reflected the clay content in the arable soil. Actual CW sediment exceeded model estimates 2.5 to 8.2 times, depending on CW size and runoff. The probable reason for the prediction error is clay particles entering the CWs as aggregates. Constructed wetlands should be located in small streams to avoid break up of aggregates and a reduction in retention efficiency.


Powdered modified TiO2 materials are commonly used for photocatalysis. They are easily dispersed in solution but difficult to recycle. In addition, the low light transmission and lack of oxygen in solution also cause a decrease of the photocatalytic efficiency for practical applications. Here we prepare a low-density circular slice which can be suspended on the surface of an aqueous solution and can be used to enrich methylene blue easily. The body of the circular slice is a kind of biomass carbon derived from fungus while the surface of the circular slice is coated with Fe/N co-doped TiO2 nanotubes and a N-doped graphene composite. The advantages are that the circular slice cannot only be convenient to recycle, but also be easy to receive light and oxygen. According to the photocatalytic activity test, the floatable material consisting of Fe/N-TNTs/NG and fungus shows superb performance on the degradation of methylene blue under simulated solar irradiation, which makes it a promising photocatalytic material.


To achieve the long-term goal of machines being able to engage humans in conversation, our models should captivate the interest of their speaking partners. Communication grounded in images, whereby a dialogue is conducted based on a given photo, is a setup naturally appealing to humans (Hu et al., 2014). In this work we study large-scale architectures and datasets for this goal. We test a set of neural architectures using state-of-the-art image and text representations, considering various ways to fuse the components. To test such models, we collect a dataset of grounded human-human conversations, where speakers are asked to play roles given a provided emotional mood or style, as the use of such traits is also a key factor in engagingness (Guo et al., 2019). Our dataset, Image-Chat, consists of 202k dialogues over 202k images using 215 possible style traits. Automatic metrics and human evaluations of engagingness show the efficacy of our approach; in particular, we obtain state-of-the-art performance on the existing IGC task, and our best performing model is almost on par with humans on the Image-Chat test set (preferred 47.7% of the time).


A new method of the homology search between DNA sequences was suggested. This method may be used to find extensive and not strong homologies with point mutations and deletions. The computer time to compare sequences is less than dynamic program algorithms at least by four orders of magnitude. It makes possible to use the method for homology search all over the nucleotide bank by personal computers. Some results of homology search are presented.


We measure the three-phase oil relative permeability k(ro) by conducting unsteady-state drainage experiments in a 0.8 m water-wet sand pack. We find that when starting from capillary-trapped oil, k(ro) shows a strong dependence on both the flow of water and the water saturation and a weak dependence on oil saturation, contrary to most models. The observed flow coupling between water and oil is stronger in three-phase flow than two-phase flow, and cannot be observed in steady-state measurements. The results suggest that the oil is transported through moving gas-oil-water interfaces (form drag) or momentum transport across stationary interfaces (friction drag). We present a simple model of friction drag which compares favorably to the experimental data.


Roving surveys were conducted to assess the prevalence of Fusarium wilt of watermelon from major watermelon growing areas of Tamil Nadu, India during 2013-2014. The results revealed that sample collected from Veppur chekkadi village have registered the maximum disease incidence (40.21%) and least disease incidence was recorded in Lalapetti (8.0%) village. The pathogen was isolated from the infected roots and 15 Fusarium isolates were maintained and studied their cultural characteristics. Pathogenicity test were conducted to assess the pathogenic variation among the isolates under greenhouse condition. Among the 15 isolates, isolate FW11 recorded the maximum disease incidence of 81.66% and the isolate FW8 recorded the least incidence of Fusarium wilt recording 43.33%. Six different plant essential oils were tested against the test pathogen under in vitro condition. The results revealed that Pelargonium graveolens, Cymbopogan citratus and Cymbopogan martinii recorded the complete mycelial growth inhibition of F. oxysporum f.sp. niveum even at minimum concentration (0.02%). Whereas, Cymbopogan nardus and Eucalyptus globulus oils required complete mycelial growth inhibition of 0.04 and 0.06%, respectively.


In this work, a simple, efficient and multi objective Honey Bee Mating Optimization (HBMO) is presented for the performance characterization of a microwave transistor to deliver maximum power to the load with the required noise Freq. Thus all the possible compatible {Freq ≥ Fmin, Vout = 1, GTmax} triplets and the corresponding source ZS and load ZL = Z*out (ZS) terminations can be obtained in the device operation domain of (VDS, IDS and f) without working analytically for the nonlinear performance and stability equations. HBMO is a recently emerging meta‐heuristic algorithm that combines the powers of the simulated annealing and genetic algorithms. Here, a microwave transistor is chosen as a case study, effectiveness and efficiency of the HBMO are shown by comparing its performance to those of the standard meta‐heuristics Genetic and Particle Swarm algorithms and the mean cost results for 10 runs are found to be 0.22, 1.65 and 1.85, respectively, for the comparable execution times. Furthermore, all the numerical results are found to agree with their analytical counterparts obtained using the microwave, linear circuit and noise theories. The Feasible Design Target Space FDTS can be built by the cross relations among all the possible compatible {Freq ≥ Fmin, Vout = 1, GTmax} triplets together their terminations {ZS, ZL = Z*out (ZS)} covering all the possible amplifier designs where both noise figure and output power are at a premium. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


BACKGROUND
This study examined the interaction between restraint stress and ethanol drinking in mice that consume low and high amounts of ethanol.

METHODS
Two strains of mice (129SVEV and C57BL/6J) underwent 1 hour of restraint stress twice per day for 4 days in the presence of a CRF-1 receptor antagonist, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist or vehicle. Ethanol preference and consumption were assessed using a two bottle choice design. In another study, mice were implanted with pellets containing corticosterone; ethanol preference and consumption were assessed using a two bottle choice design.

RESULTS
Restraint stress significantly increased ethanol preference and consumption in 129SVEV mice but not in C57BL/6J mice. Then 129SVEV mice underwent the identical stress procedure; however, mice received either the CRF-1 receptor antagonist, R121919 (15 or 20 mg/kg, ip) or vehicle 30 minutes prior to stress. R121919 did not block the stress-induced change in ethanol preference despite causing a significant blunting in the HPA axis. Negative results were also obtained using the CRF-1 receptor antagonist, Antalarmin (20 mg/kg, ip). In another study, 129SVEV mice were administered either the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist Mifepristone (25, 50 or 100 mug/kg, ip) or vehicle under the same procedure. Mifepristone did not alter ethanol preference. Moreover, the three receptor antagonist did not alter nonstress ethanol consumption either. In the last study, both mouse strains underwent active or sham adrenalectomy, then pellets containing corticosterone or placebo were implanted and preference for ethanol versus water was tested. Corticosterone administration decreased ethanol consumption in a strain-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION
These data show the restraint model for stress can modestly increase ethanol consumption in 129SVEV mice but not in C57BL/6J mice. Pharmacologic manipulation of CRF and corticosterone did not blunt baseline or stress-induced change in ethanol preference nor did administration of corticosterone mimic the effects of restraint stress on ethanol consumption. These findings suggest the mechanism responsible for increasing ethanol consumption in this model is independent of the HPA axis and extra-hypothalamic CRF.


The plasma concentration of repaglinide is reported to increase greatly when given after repeated oral administration of itraconazole and gemfibrozil. The present study analyzed this interaction based on a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model incorporating inhibition of the hepatic uptake transporter and metabolic enzymes involved in repaglinide disposition. Firstly, the plasma concentration profiles of inhibitors (itraconazole, gemfibrozil, and gemfibrozil glucuronide) were reproduced by a PBPK model to obtain their pharmacokinetic parameters. The plasma concentration profiles of repaglinide were then analyzed by a PBPK model, together with those of the inhibitors, assuming a competitive inhibition of CYP3A4 by itraconazole, mechanism-based inhibition of CYP2C8 by gemfibrozil glucuronide, and inhibition of organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 by gemfibrozil and its glucuronide. The plasma concentration profiles of repaglinide were well reproduced by the PBPK model based on the above assumptions, and the optimized values for the inhibition constants (0.0676 nM for itraconazole against CYP3A4; 14.2 mM for gemfibrozil against OATP1B1; and 5.48 mM for gemfibrozil glucuronide against OATP1B1) and the fraction of repaglinide metabolized by CYP2C8 (0.801) were consistent with the reported values. The validity of the obtained parameters was further confirmed by sensitivity analyses and by reproducing the repaglinide concentration increase produced by concomitant gemfibrozil administration at various timings/doses. The present findings suggested that the reported concentration increase of repaglinide, suggestive of synergistic effects of the coadministered inhibitors, can be quantitatively explained by the simultaneous inhibition of the multiple clearance pathways of repaglinide.


Finding non-invasive skin depigmenting agentsrepresent an important goal of cosmetic research and industry. It is now admited that Tyrosinase inhibitor substances could be the most efficient molecules in this field because Tyrosinase is the key enzyme in the melanogenesis process. In the pathology of macular skin hyperpigmentations it can mention aesthetic problems such as: melasma gravidarum, pigmentation of aged skin, photosensibilisation, hepatic disfunctions and post-inflammatory residual pigmentation. The aim of the study was to find out if the Lavandula essential oil has depigmenting properties on human skin, having as theoretical premise its tyrosinase-blocking effect, previously reported in literature for some plant species. By using gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer (GC/MS), a pharmaceutical cream preparation, a protocol of exploration on volunteers (including criteria) and a mexameter, we have highlighted the composition of a sample of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil (LEO) and its depigmenting effect on skin melanic macula. The results highlightes that the main compounds identified were linalool (26.783%), terpinen-4-ol (22.143%) and 3carene(21.668%), Terpinen-4-ol is represented as the possible active compound in tyrosinase inhibition. Our dermocosmetic assay shows that the depigmenting effect of Lavandula angustifolia oil is effective after 2 months of daily topical treatement, when the melanine average value (measured by the mexameter) decreases more than a third from the innitial value. The study remarks that Lavandula angustifolia essential oil (LEO) in daily cutaneous pharmaceutical form application, during two month, reduces the intensity of spot skin melanin, exprimed through mexametric values.


We discuss the coherent states for PT-/non-PT-symmetric and non-Hermitian generalized Morse potentials obtained by using path integral formalism over the holomorphic coordinates. We transform the action of generalized Morse potentials into two harmonic oscillators with a new parametric time to establish the parametric time coherent states. We calculate the energy eigenvalues and the corresponding wave functions in parabolic coordinates.


Clinical trials have reported the beneficial effects of platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists and low-molecular-weight heparins in patients presenting with unstable angina or non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. In an overview of all trials comparing GP IIb/IIIa antagonists with control treatment (i.e., heparin or placebo on a background of aspirin therapy), the incidence of death/myocardial infarction at 30 days was reduced by 11%, from 13% to 11.7% (p = 0.008).Overall, the trials of low-molecular-weight heparin have shown a non-significant 10% reduction in the incidence of death/myocardial infarction at 30 days (4.8% versus 5.5% with unfractionated heparin; p = 0.2). There has been no evidence of heterogeneity (p = 0.1) in these trials. In contrast to the examination of all the low-molecular-weight heparins, when the results of the two trials of enoxaparin were combined, there was an 18% reduction in death/myocardial infarction at 43 days (7.1% versus 8.6%; p = 0.02). Given the differing mechanisms of action of GP IIb/IIIa antagonists and low-molecular-weight heparins, and these encouraging trial results, the use of both agents was tested in a small pilot study of patients randomized to receive tirofiban plus either unfractionated heparin or enoxaparin. There was a trend for greater inhibition of platelet aggregation and shorter bleeding times in those who had received tirofiban plus enoxaparin. These data support the theoretical potential of this combination for the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes, but prospective randomized trials will need to be conducted to assess efficacy and safety.


Shionogi Carcinoma 115 (SC 115) cells are a cloned cell line derived from androgen‐dependent mouse mammary tumor. They can grow in serum‐free culture if a physiological level of androgen is present in the medium, but can not proliferate in culture without testosterone. In the present study, the mechanism of cell death in SC 115 cells after androgen withdrawal was examined . Based upon the temporal sequence of DNA fragmentation, morphologic changes and loss of cell viability, androgen withdrawal induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) of SC 115 cells in serum‐free culture. Northern blot analysis was used to identify a series of genes whose expression per cell is enhanced during the recruitment of cells from a nonproliferative (i.e. G0) state into G1 (i.e., cyclins Dl and C), from G1 into the S phase of the cell cycle (i.e., cdk2), and during the programmed cell death pathway (i.e. testosterone repressed prostatic message‐2 (TRPM‐2), transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and glucose regulated 78 kilodalton protein (GRP‐78)). Expression of TRPM‐2, TGF‐β1, GRP‐78, and calmodulin genes increases, but that of cyclins C and Dl, and cdk2 genes decreases during programmed cell death of SC 115 cells. These results demonstrate that androgen‐dependent SC 115 cells undergo programmed cell death induced by androgen withdrawal, and that this death does not require proliferation or progression into Gi of the proliferative cell cycle. SC 115 cells should be a good model for investigating programmed death of hormone‐dependent cancer.


We study the photo-detachment interference patterns of a hydrogen negative ion in the magnetic field near different dielectric surfaces with a semi-classical open orbit theory. We give a clear physical picture describing the photo-detachment of H− in this case. The electron flux distributions are calculated at various dielectric surfaces with unchanged magnetic field strength. It is found that the electron flux distributions of H− are very different in a magnetic field near different dielectric surfaces, namely the dielectric surface has a great influence on the photo-detachment interference pattern of the negative ion. Therefore, the interference pattern in the detached-electron flux distribution can be controlled by changing the dielectric constant. We hope that our studies may guide the future experimental research in photo-detachment microscopy.


The dominant viewpoint on Jovian decametric S-burst emission neglects the time delay of the radiation, although its base theory of electron cyclotron maser instability allows a significant decreasing of X-mode group velocity near the cutoff frequency at the bottom of source region. We searched for effects of the frequency-related delay of radiation in broadband Jovian radio storms consisting of periodic S-bursts (S-burst trains) at 16 to 30 MHz. It was found that up to 1% of bursts in a train are of distorted meandering shape in dynamic spectrum, where the emission from one radio source was observed at several frequencies simultaneously. It is difficult to explain such spectra in terms of radio waves beaming or causality without significant frequency-related delay of radio emission. We found experimentally that the frequency drift rate of middle lines of such events coincides with the drift rate of disturbances in common S-bursts. This indicates a general distortion of the dynamic spectrum of S-bursts. As a result, the correlation method for the measurement of the spectral distortion is proposed. Using this method, we found the approximation coefficients for the distortion in 32 spectra of 8 Io-B storms. The corrected spectra formally show that S-burst trains do not move mainly outward from Jupiter, as it is usually assumed, but fly in the opposite direction. Our simulation confirms that the dispersion is capable in principle to reproduce the found spectral distortion. Hence, the dispersion-like phenomena in Jovian S-bursts deserve discussion because they have no satisfactory explanations in terms of traditional approach.


Mutations in PKD2 are responsible for approximately 15% of the autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cases. This gene encodes polycystin-2, a calcium-permeable cation channel whose C-terminal intracytosolic tail (PC2t) plays an important role in its interaction with a number of different proteins. In the present study, we have comprehensively evaluated the macromolecular assembly of PC2t homooligomer using a series of biophysical and biochemical analyses. Our studies, based on a new delimitation of PC2t, have revealed that it is capable of assembling as a homotetramer independently of any other portion of the molecule. Our data support this tetrameric arrangement in the presence and absence of calcium. Molecular dynamics simulations performed with a modified all-atoms structure-based model supported the PC2t tetrameric assembly, as well as how different populations are disposed in solution. The simulations demonstrated, indeed, that the best-scored structures are the ones compatible with a fourfold oligomeric state. These findings clarify the structural properties of PC2t domain and strongly support a homotetramer assembly of PC2.


An extracellular pectinolytic enzyme produced by Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens isolated from the bovine rumen was studied. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 8.0 to 8.5 and was stimulated by Ca2+ and inhibited by EDTA. The products of pectinolysis had an absorption peak at 235 nm and reacted with thiobarbituric acid, indicating a lyase type of action. The enzyme cleaved the substrates terminally from the reducing end; action on poly- and oligogalacturonates resulted in the formation of an unsaturated trigalacturonate. The enzyme was classified as an exopectate lyase (EC 184.108.40.206). A pectinesterase was also produced by B. fibrisolvens but polygalacturonase was not detected.


As CDMA systems reach capacity, infrastructure providers are extending them by offering multicarrier capability. The capacity of an n-carrier CDMA system should be at least n times the capacity of a single-carrier system. We estimate the additional capacity that can be achieved by using carrier assignment disciplines. We produce the estimates from the CDMA System Static Simulator by preprocessing the simulator inputs and post-processing its outputs. The estimates are of capacities of multicarrier systems using simple carrier assignment disciplines, and of wideband CDMA systems. The latter estimates constitute an upper bound on the capacity of a multicarrier system with any carrier assignment discipline.


Seventeenth-century Frenchman Jean de La Fontaine happily plundered Aesop and other classical writers as a source for his witty, elegant fables, as well as inventing a number of his own. Seeking to expose the weaknesses of human nature, he offered vivid perspectives on greed and flattery, envy and avarice, love and friendship, old age and death. The sixty fables collected here - from 'The Crow and the Fox' and 'The Cock and the Pearl' to 'The Grasshopper and the Ant' and 'The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse' - are illustrated with more than a hundred drawings by R. de La Neziere which which charmingly capture La Fontaine's unforgettable cast of animal personalities.


The increased presence of chemical contaminants in the environment is an undeniable concern to human health and ecosystems. Historically, by relying heavily upon costly and laborious animal-based toxicity assays, the field of toxicology has often neglected examinations of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity for the majority of compounds - information that, if available, would strengthen risk assessment analyses. With its unique genetic tools and a high degree of conservation with more complex organisms, the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an appealing organism in which to conduct functional inquiries into the modes of chemical toxicity. In this series of studies, the yeast deletion mutant collection was screened to identify strains exhibiting altered growth in the presence of various environmental contaminants. This technique, known as functional profiling or functional genomics, yielded (1) novel insights into chemical toxicity; (2) pathways and mechanisms deserving of further study; and (3) candidate human toxicant susceptibility or resistance genes.Functional profiling determined the toxic mechanism of the dieldrin organochlorinated pesticide in yeast. Exposure to dieldrin has been linked to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, endocrine disruption, and cancer, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity behind these effects remain largely unknown. A functional genomics approach in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated that dieldrin altered leucine availability. This model was supported by multiple lines of congruent evidence: (1) mutants defective in amino acid signaling or transport were sensitive to dieldrin, which was reversed by the addition of exogenous leucine; (2) dieldrin sensitivity of wild-type or mutant strains was dependent upon leucine concentration in the media; (3) overexpression of proteins that increased intracellular leucine conferred resistance to dieldrin; (4) leucine uptake was inhibited in the presence of dieldrin; and (5) dieldrin induced the amino acid starvation response. Additionally, it was shown that appropriate negative regulation of the Ras/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway, along with an intact pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, was required for dieldrin tolerance. A model connecting leucine uptake, Ras/PKA signaling, and pyruvate dehydrogenase was hypothesized. Many yeast dieldrin tolerance genes described have orthologs that may modulate dieldrin toxicity in humans.Yeast functional profiling was also conducted with toxaphene, an environmentally persistent mixture of chlorinated terpenes previously utilized as an insecticide. Toxaphene exposure has been previously associated with various cancers and diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for these toxic effects have not been well established. In this section, a functional approach in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated that toxaphene affected yeast mutants defective in (1) processes associated with transcription elongation and (2) nutrient utilization. Synergistic growth defects were observed upon exposure to both toxaphene and the known transcription elongation inhibitor mycophenolic acid (MPA). However, unlike MPA, toxaphene did not deplete nucleotides and additionally had no detectable effect on transcription elongation. It was concluded that toxaphene likely affects a process closely associated with transcription elongation, such as mRNA processing, mRNA nuclear export, or transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair. Future studies are required to pinpoint the exact mechanism, and again, many of the yeast genes identified in this chapter have human homologs, warranting further investigations into the potentially conserved mechanisms of toxaphene toxicity.A functional screen was devised to identify yeast cellular processes and pathways affected by dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a solvent frequently utilized in toxicological and pharmaceutical investigations. As such, it is important to establish the cellular and molecular targets of DMSO in order to differentiate its intrinsic effects from those elicited by a compound of interest. A genome-wide functional screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified deletion mutants exhibiting sensitivity to 1% DMSO, a concentration standard to yeast chemical profiling studies. Mutants defective in Golgi/ER transport were found to be sensitive to DMSO, including those lacking components of the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex. Moreover, strains deleted for members of the SWR1 histone exchange complex were hypersensitive to DMSO, with additional chromatin remodeling mutants displaying a range of growth defects. DNA repair genes were also identified as important for DMSO tolerance. Finally, it was demonstrated that overexpression of histone H2A.Z, which replaces chromatin-associated histone H2A in a SWR1-catalyzed reaction, conferred resistance to DMSO. Once again, many yeast DMSO tolerance genes described have homologs in more complex organisms, and the data provided is applicable to future investigations into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of DMSO toxicity.Finally, a framework for semi-automated functional yeast screening of toxicants is described. Pool growths, chemical exposures, and DNA extraction of barcodes described above were conducted manually, which limited throughput. Additionally, identification of mutants with altered growth in a toxicant required hybridizations to costly microarrays. To transition to a more high-throughput environment, a liquid handler was utilized in conjunction with purpose-built software to perform five and fifteen generations screens of the homozygous diploid yeast deletion collection with various emerging environmental contaminants. Genomic DNA was extracted from the pools with robotics, and the barcodes uniquely identifying each deletion strain were amplified by PCR using primers indexed for sequencing on Illumina machinery. Future studies are needed to analyze the sequencing results and identify strains significantly sensitive or resistant to each of the compounds.


Over-the-counter and prescription medications are routinely present at detectable levels in surface and groundwater bodies. The presence of these emerging contaminants has raised both environmental and public health concerns, particularly when the water is used for drinking either directly or with additional treatment. However, the frequency of occurrence, range of concentrations, and potential human health risks are not well understood, especially for groundwater supplies. Private wells are often not tested for contaminants regulated by drinking water standards and are even less frequently tested for emerging contaminants. By partnering with the Pennsylvania Master Well Owner Network, water samples were collected from 26 households with private wells in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River basin in central Pennsylvania in winter 2017. All samples were analyzed for six pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, ampicillin, naproxen, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim) and one over-the-counter stimulant (caffeine). At least one compound was detected at each site. Ofloxacin and naproxen were the most and least frequently detected compounds, respectively. Concentrations from the groundwater wells were higher than those of nearby surface water samples. However, risk calculations revealed that none of the concentrations measured in groundwater samples posed significant human health risk. A simple, physicochemical-based modeling approach was used to predict pharmaceutical transport from septic absorption field to groundwater and further elucidate variations in detection frequencies. Findings indicate that although septic tanks may act as contaminant sources for groundwater wells, the human health impacts from trace-level pharmaceuticals that may be present are likely minimal.


It is shown that the elements G of a large class of causal input-output maps can be uniformly approximated arbitrarily well using a certain structure if and only if G is uniformly continuous. For the case considered the system inputs and outputs are defined on a finite interval [O,t/sub f/]. Our approximating structure involves certain functions that can be chosen in different ways. For the special case in which these functions are taken to be certain polynomial functions, the input-output map of our structure is a generalized Volterra series.


Vietnam: An epic tragedy 1945-1975, by Max Hastings. London: William Collins. 2018. 722 pages. ISBN 978-0-00-813298-9WHEN SAIGON fell, 44 years ago on 30 April 1975, a number of journalists, photographers and cameramen were there to witness the final humiliation of the United States. Journalist John Pilger and cameraman Neil Davis, both Australians, were there to see the North Vietnamese Army take the city, as was New Zealander Peter Arnett, among others. Pilger's slim volume about those events, The Last Day, is a classic. Davis survived Saigon, but filmed his own death while covering an attempted coup in Bangkok in 1987.


Congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) is a rare heterogeneous disease found in the oriental population, especially the occidental type of CMD. We report a case of a one-year-old infant who presented with early onset hypotonia, muscular weakness, delayed motor development and normal intelligence. A muscle biopsy revealed dystrophic muscle fibers. A high creatine kinase (CK) level, mostly of the MM type, was also noted. Further study of brain images showed hyperintense lesions in the white matter area. The patient showed the clinical and laboratory findings characteristic of CMD, more likely to be of the occidental type. Further genetic or histopathologic studies, especially merosin investigation, are suggested for improved classification and prognosis prediction.


The hypothesis was tested that the strength of cross-manual effects of voluntary amplitude modulations in bimanual tasks increases when less preparation time is available during the execution of a sequence of movements. By means of the continuation procedure, various period durations (600, 800, 1200, and 1800 msec) of movement sequences were imposed. Subjects performed bimanual periodic arm movements on two digitizers: constant-amplitude movements (short or long) with the one hand, and movements of constant short or constant long amplitudes and movements of alternating short and long amplitudes with the other hand. Period-duration-dependent modulations of the amplitude were observed in movements of instructed constant amplitudes when the other hand performed alternating-amplitude movements, but not when the other hand performed constant-amplitude movements. Not only physical performance, but also the imaginary production of alternating-amplitude movements resulted in period-duration-dependent cross-manual...


Northern NGOs have come under critical scrutiny since the 1990s, often with negative conclusions as organisations which had supported radical social change in the 1970s and 1980s have since turned themselves into a professionalised and bureaucratic aid sector. The article focuses on the Northern NGOs that purport to fund progressive social change and which encourage beneficiaries to question market and political power, and on the NGOs to which they channel funds in Latin America. After examining various types of critique, the article asks whether it is not only dangerous in practice to fund social change but also misguided in principle, or whether there remain ways to use resources to enhance the capacity of local change agents to make the choices that they deem appropriate. It concludes that much depends on the theory and practice of social change that underpin the resource transfer, particularly in relation to the transformation of power (as opposed to 'empowerment'), to social activism, and to the robustness of efforts within NGOs to resist or modify bureaucratic imperatives from back-donors.


Every country has weed species whose presence conflicts in some way with human management objectives and needs. Resources for research and control are limited, so priority should be given to species that are the biggest problem. The prioritization system described in this article was designed to assess objectively research and control priorities of invasive alien plants at a national scale in South Africa. The evaluation consists of seventeen criteria, grouped into five modules, that assess invasiveness, spatial characteristics, potential impact, potential for control, and conflicts of interest for each plant species under consideration. Total prioritization scores, calculated from criterion and module scores, were used to assess a species' priority. Prioritization scores were calculated by combining independent assessments provided by several experts, thus increasing the reliability of the rankings. The total confidence score, a separate index, indicates the reliability and availability of data used to make an assessment. Candidate species for evaluation were identified and assessed by several experts using the prioritization system. The final ranking was made by combining two separate indices, the total prioritization score and the total confidence score. This approach integrates the plant's perceived priority with an index of data reliability. Of the 61 species assessed, those with the highest ranks (Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata
and Opuntia ficus-indica) had high prioritization and high confidence scores, and are thus of most concern. Those species with the lowest ranks, for example, Harrisia martinii, Opuntia spinuliferal/ig and Opuntia exaltata, had low prioritization scores and high confidence scores, and thus are of least concern. Our approach to ranking weeds offers several advantages over existing systems because it is designed for multiple assessors based on the Delphi decision-making technique, the criteria contribute equally to the total score, and the system can accommodate incomplete data on a species. Although the choice of criteria may be criticized and the system has certain limitations, it appears to have delivered credible results.


Resources that Librarians can take back to their campuses to provide staff development. Resources can be remixed or used "as is"


A four-tiered approach to understanding motorised recreation in natural and protected areas is introduced, using examples of motor events from Australia to demonstrate each conceptual level. The aim is to increase understanding of motorsport and motorised recreation phenomena that impact natural and, in particular, protected areas and other users of the natural environment. An illustrative study approach shows the interrelatedness of multi-level motorised recreation and its governance, from local community motor clubs and amateur motor racing competition through to international hallmark motor racing events and how their sociocultural significance influences protected area management. The illustrative examples show user groups engaged in governance and policy issues of motorised recreation in natural and protected areas. These groups include both motor clubs involved with environmental management of natural and protected areas, as well as professional and community groups opposed to motorised recreation in protected areas. An agenda for further research is identified, including policy and governance of motorsport, large-scale events and protected area management and impacts of motorised recreation and events on the environment and the community including those who access the natural environment for more contemplative and quiet leisure pursuits.


This guide is designed to 1) connect students in H103 and H104 with relevant library resources and 2) provide information about searching for and evaluating information.


The massive weight loss often resulted in an excess of loose skin mainly in the abdomen, upper arms, thighs, chest, back, and laterally on the back. Consequently, most patients sought for a solution, provided by the plastic surgery through the body-contouring surgery. Abdominoplasty, arm lift, tight lift, breast lift, and liposuction are all body contouring procedures that aim to reshape the patients' body. Furthermore, body-contouring surgery can improve the patients' physical discomfort in daily life, also helping in the maintenance of normal BMI (body mass index) in formerly obese patients, thus having a positive aesthetic and psychosocial outcome. A key component of body contouring after massive weight loss is managing patient expectations. Understanding the risks of body contouring's procedures is important for patient counseling and the informed consent process. The goal of this study was to perform a literature review concerning the indication, surgical technique, outcomes and complications of body-contouring surgery.


The renaissance of neural architecture search (NAS) has seen classical methods such as genetic algorithms (GA) and genetic programming (GP) being exploited for convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. While recent work have achieved promising performance on visual perception tasks, the direct encoding scheme of both GA and GP has functional complexity deficiency and does not scale well on large architectures like CNN. To address this, we present a new generative encoding scheme—symbolic linear generative encoding (SLGE)—simple, yet a powerful scheme which embeds local graph transformations in chromosomes of linear fixed-length string to develop CNN architectures of variant shapes and sizes via an evolutionary process of gene expression programming. In experiments, the effectiveness of SLGE is shown in discovering architectures that improve the performance of the state-of-the-art handcrafted CNN architectures on CIFAR-10 and CFAR-100 image classification tasks; and achieves a competitive classification error rate with the existing NAS methods using fewer GPU resources.


Abstract. The New England Orogen, eastern Australia, was established as an outboard extension of the Lachlan Orogen through the migration of magmatism into forearc basin and accretionary prism sediments. Widespread S-type granitic rocks of the Hillgrove and Bundarra supersuites represent the first pulse of magmatism, followed by I- and A-types typical of circum-Pacific extensional accretionary orogens. Associated with the former are a number of small tholeiite–gabbroic to intermediate bodies of the Bakers Creek Suite, which sample the heat source for production of granitic magmas and are potential tectonic markers indicating why magmatism moved into the forearc and accretionary complexes rather than rifting the old Lachlan Orogen arc. The Bakers Creek Suite gabbros capture an early ( ∼  305 Ma) forearc basalt-like component with low Th ∕ Nb and with high Y ∕ Zr and Ba ∕ La, recording melting in the mantle wedge with little involvement of a slab flux and indicating forearc rifting. Subsequently, arc–back-arc like gabbroic magmas (305–304 Ma) were emplaced, followed by compositionally diverse magmatism leading up to the main S-type granitic intrusion ( ∼  290 Ma). This trend in magmatic evolution implicates forearc and other mantle wedge melts in the heating and melting of fertile accretion complex sediments and relatively long ( ∼  10 Myr) timescales for such melting.


Extracellular proteoglycans present on cell surface molecules and components of the extracellular matrix can regulate the effect of secreted factors on developmental processes by altering their stability, transport, and interaction with receptors. Studies in Drosophila have revealed that loss of a gene encoding a heparan sulfate (HS)-synthesizing enzyme called tout velu (ttv) impairs the distribution and signaling activity by the Hedgehog (Hh) growth factor and morphogen. Bornemann et al. report that lack of HS synthesis in flies also affects two other major signaling pathways that control patterning and development--Wingless (Wg) and Decapentaplegic (DPP), arguing against a specific role for ttv in Hh signaling. Loss of either ttv or another gene that encodes a HS copolymerase called sister of tout velu (sotv) compromised signaling of all three signaling pathways in the wing imaginal disk. HS levels, protein levels and gradients of Hh, Wg, and DPP, as well as expression of target genes, decreased in the wing cells of either mutant larvae. Although Hh protein abundance was reduced in the posterior compartment of wing imaginal discs, Hh transcription levels were unaltered, indicating that lack of Hh signaling in mutants could be due in part to decreased Hh protein stability. It has been thought that heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) enhance targeting of Hh to lipid rafts for subsequent transport from cell to cell. The authors propose that HSPGs could also stabilize Hh molecules by either direct binding or indirectly, by reducing activity of extracellular proteases. Both ttv and sotv have human homologs, which suggests that the mechanism of HS biosynthesis in fruit fly and vertebrates is conserved. D. J. Bornemann, J. E. Duncan, W. Staatz, S. Selleck, R. Warrior, Abrogation of heparan sulfate synthesis in Drosophila disrupts the Wingless, Hedgehog, and Decapentaplegic signaling pathways. Development 131, 1927-1938 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Amoebic liver abscess (ALA) is the most common inflammatory space occupying lesion of the liver in human. It is considered the third leading cause of death among the parasitic diseases, surpassed only by malaria and schistosomiasis. It has a highly variable presentation causing diagnostic difficulties. ALA if untreated, its complications could lead to high morbidity and mortality. We present a 1 year old child with abdominal pain and distension, persistent fever and weight loss. The abdomen was distended with tenderness on the epigastric and right hypochondrial regions. Hematological and biochemical profile were normal. Abdominal CT showed hepatomegaly, with a huge hypodense mass within the liver with enhancement of the liver parenchymal on contrast injection. There was breach of the hepatic capsule with localized intraperitoneal collection. A diagnosis of pyogenic liver abscess was made. Attempt to aspirate under US guide was unsuccessful. Patient underwent surgery and 500 ml of pus was drained.


A prototype, double-DSPs controlled power conditioning system (PCS) for super-conducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), is used for experimental research in dynamic simulation test of power system. The function of SMES is to improve the dynamic performance of a single-machine infinite bus for power system. The experimental results show that the energy transfer of SMES is done almost immediately depending on the system requirement, and SMES is able to restore system stability for short circuit. The control algorithms for the SMES are simple and implementation has required very a little hardware.


The behaviour of arginyl-tRNA synthetase (EC 188.8.131.52) in the presence of the arginine biosynthetic precursors, argininosuccinate, ornithine and citrulline, was studied in several Escherichia coli K12 strains and in E. coli W. The results of kinetic measurements with partially purified extracts indicate that the arginyl-tRNA synthetase of E. coli is not inhibited by the arginine precursors. The apparent affinity constant Km for arginine of the K12 enzyme is about 3.4 muM in the absence and in the presence of these precursors, whereas the W enzyme an apparently slightly lowered Km and a decreased [14C]arginyl-tRNA equilibrium level in the presence of argininosuccinate. This however was shown to be due to isotopic dilution of [14C]arginine by non-radioactive amino acid formed from argininosuccinate by argininosuccinate lyase (EC 184.108.40.206) contaminating the synthetase preparation. This finding emphasizes the necessity of using pure arginyl-tRNA synthetase in order to study the possible regulatory involvement of this enzyme in the control of the arginine regulon in vitro.


Sedum species are the most commonly used plants to vegetate green roofs because of their tolerance to extreme conditions. Despite the easier and faster establishment of sedums by plugs or mats, the direct spreading of cuttings is still an interesting cost-effective installation method, especially for large-scale roofs. To improve cutting establishment in the difficult conditions of the Venetian plain during summer, a three-way experimental design was set up on June 5, 2015. Rooted and un-rooted cuttings of five Sedum species (Sedum acre, S. album, S. reflexum, S. sexangulare and S. spurium) were compared with and without ground cover with non-woven fabric (fabric) in the first four weeks after cutting spreading (WAS). Cuttings survival and plant growth was evaluated over 20 weeks: 4 WAS (at fabric removal), after 12 and 20 WAS. Plant growth was measured by means of growth index, and shoot and root dry weights. After 4 WAS sedum cuttings were negatively affected by covering with fabric as only 68.5% of cuttings had survived compared to 98.5% of the uncovered control. Shoot and root dry weights were also negatively affected by fabric cover. At the end of the study both the fabric cover and Sedum species affected plant survival. Uncovered treatment exhibited better survival compared to the fabric cover (71.5 vs. 60.5%) while S. spurium and S. sexangulare had only 50% survival compared to the over 80% survival for S. acre. The sedum cuttings of the fabric cover treatment recovered over time, providing similar growth as the uncovered treatment at the end of the experiment. Sedum spurium had the highest growth index, shoot and root dry weights and S. album growth was also good. Pre-rooted cuttings did not affect survival but favored aerial growth of S. spurium and S. reflexum.


Anderson & Green (2001) have recently shown that using an adaptation of the go-no go task, participants can voluntarily inhibit the retrieval of specific memories. We present three experiments in which we try to determine the degree of automaticity involved, and the role of the previous prime-target relation on the development of this inhibitory process. In the first two experiments we manipulated stimulus onset asynchrony at test (100 vs. 700), and the type of pre-experimental cue-target relatedness at study (no relation vs. preexisting). Additionally, we carried out an independent probe test in the three experiments. The results show that inhibitory control is only achieved strategically, it is directly linked to the trained stimulus, and it is obtained with episodically and associatively related pairs of stimuli. We discuss these results in terms of clinical and memory research data.


This paper presents a recently developed composite constructed in an attempt to improve damping properties by using ferroelectric inclusions in a constrained medium. Several samples of this new composite have been made and tests of their damping properties are presented here. Damping properties of materials are of great interest in many applications. The focus here is on the development of composites with ferroelastic components to develop a new class of materials having improved temperature-dependent damping properties. Typical damping materials, such as viscoelastic materials, have damping values that decrease with increasing temperature. The work presented here considers a material system consisting of fine particles of vanadium dioxide (VO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) incorporated into matrix materials (tin and polymer adhesives) to produce composite materials with improved damping properties. A number of mechanical damping tests have been conducted on the prepared composites at a frequency range of 0-2000 Hz and over a broad temperature range using piezoceramic exciters and miniature accelerometers. The mechanical vibration test results show that VO2 and ZnO give significantly higher damping values at ≈68° C (155° F) and 29° C (85° F). For example, ≈15 and 12% damping is achieved at the first and second resonance frequencies, respectively. This significant improvement on the damping of the composite materials may be because of the ferroelasticity and/or viscoelasticity at those particular temperatures. It has also been observed that etching of substrate surfaces improves the adhesion between composite materials and surfaces for better damping results. These composites offer high damping at elevated temperatures and hence may provide useful solutions to applications requiring increased damping.


The aim of this research was to study the physical and chemical performance of poplar wood treated by chemi-thermal modification. A thermal treatment was used to catalyze the effect of the methylolurea impregnated pre-treatment by curing the poplar wood at 160 °C under atmospheric conditions. The results showed that the thermal treatment played an important role in the chemical and mechanical performance. Such an approach not only can significantly reduce the hygroscopicity, but also can increase the bending strength and compressive strength parallel to grain. The positions of the XRD peaks did not change, which indicated that the structure of cellulose was not noticeably affected by the thermal treatment. The FT-IR analysis showed that the intensity of hydroxyl and carbonyl absorption peaks decreased significantly, which indicated that the NH-CH2-OH of methylolurea reacted with the wood carboxyl (C=O) and hydroxyl (-OH). The TGA showed that the thermal stability of treated wood improved. The SEM showed that the cell wall and vessels were filled with impregnated chemicals.


Teachers' daily life mostly revolves on two important field- home and work. Thus, establishing harmonious multiple roles significantly increases interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict to the teachers who simultaneously maintain personal and professional roles. Due to rise of COVID-19 pandemic, teachers nowadays are more pressured to maintain equilibrium between home and work roles. With the shift of working conditions, teachers have to balance the multiple roles due to work from home condition. Familywork conflict (FWC) and work-family conflicts (WFC) as well as teachers' work productivity (WP) were determined, their relationship and responses differences base on profile were also looked at. This correlational research applied a judgmental sampling, and considered online teachers as respondents. After the test-retest reliability, the researcher distributed the questionnaire via messenger using Google form. A Cronbach Alpha of 0.912 and KMO value 0.789 justify the instruments and sampling as reliable and adequate. It was then identified that teachers do experience WFC and FWC which signifies that there is a complicated multiple role functioning and interference. Indicators of WP illustrates that due to WFH set-up, some tasks were not met by teachers. The significant relationship between WFC and FWC to WP and differences WFC, FWC, and WP responses based on a profile were observed. It elicits in understanding teachers' condition in WFH set-up and productivity impact of it. Thus, results are helpful to spearhead programs and activities that may ease burnout and decision fatigue among teachers.


Engulfment of IgG-coated particles by neutrophils and macrophages is an essential component of the innate immune response. This process, known as phagocytosis, is triggered by clustering of FcγR at sites where leukocytes make contact with the opsonized particles. We found that phagocytosis is accompanied by a burst of fluid phase pinocytosis, which is largely restricted to the immediate vicinity of the phagosomal cup. FcγR-induced pinocytosis preceded and appeared to be independent of phagosomal sealing. Accordingly, fluid phase uptake was accentuated by actin depolymerization, which precludes phagocytosis. Stimulation of pinocytosis required phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and was eliminated when changes in the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration were prevented. Because stimulation of FcγR also induces secretion, which is similarly calcium and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase dependent, we studied the possible relationship between these events. Neutrophil fragments devoid of secretory granules (cytoplasts) were prepared by sedimentation through Ficoll gradients. Cytoplasts could perform FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, which was not accompanied by activation of pinocytosis. This observation suggests that granule exocytosis is required for stimulation of pinocytosis. Analysis of the cytosolic Ca2+ dependence of secretion and pinocytosis suggests that primary (lysosomal) granule exocytosis is the main determinant of pinocytosis during FcγR stimulation. Importantly, primary granules are secreted in a polarized fashion near forming phagosomes. Focal pinocytosis during particle engulfment may contribute to Ag processing and presentation and/or to retrieval of components of the secretory machinery. Alternatively, it may represent an early event in the remodeling of the phagosomal membrane, leading to phagosomal maturation.


These days, Phone cellular (HP) represent peripatetic communications mobile designed to water down communications, so that do not nowadays become life style trend which is progressively liked. But its existence nowadays do not is again considered to be one of the foreign communications media because can reach all walks of life, even rural society. Attend operator him in Indonesia get hilarious greeting of society requiring technological touch of communications. This matter is marked with sale of fast HP however do not flatten, for example in cloistered rural. On that account, emulation of wide open operator to develop its network to cloistered countryside like program development of telecommunications network or is Universal of Service Obligation (USO) representing a program development of telecommunications network in countryside not yet " kring", have been flamed by government at last September 2007 then by Information and Communication Departement in order to facilitating to access society information. So that from here seen to the number of amount of consumer of cellular in Countryside of Pakijangan District Of Wonorejo Sub-Province of Pasuruan, where its society characteristic have started open to innovation and adopt communications technology, namely HP from all age level, work and education. Related to phenomenon above, hence researcher feel to interest to know how exploiting of Hand Phone in rural society. This Research type is quantitative descriptive, and approach the used is approach of survey. Population in this research is society citizen owner of HP alone in Countryside of Pakijangan RT/Rw. 01/03 District of Wonorejo Pasuruan with amount of responder counted 64 people and intake of sampel by using totalizing sampling because amount of its population less than 100. Used technique data collecting by documentation and quisioner, is then analyzed by using tables of tables and distribution of is percentage of. From the result of this research we can conclude that the advantage of HP in Pakijangan village is a requirement to water down and proved communications memperlancar with acquirement of data equal to 62.5%. And in everyday association of them feel so-so in the case of confession of social environment which proved with data equal to 90.6%, pride 82.8% and self confidence when owning HP equal to 76.6% and also bring HP equal to 76.6%. As for level of budget which is allocation by each owner of HP in each month for the purchasing of pulsa is mean equal to 25.000 rupiahs-50.000 rupiahs, and most owner of HP have never provided budget to change HP accesoris because them more use it as a means of communications and non to be dressy or exhibit. Keyword : Pemanfaatan Hand Phone; Pedesaan Link terkait :  http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/301/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2009-fatimatuli-15030-PENDAHUL-N.pdf


This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of picture in storybook reading to increase kindness in children. This research involved 31 children aged 5-6 years; they were taken from the kindergarten in Bandung as the participants. The intervention was done by reading eight picture books in eight days. The kindness was measured using a measurement instrument created by the researcher, in the form of nine coloured cards that described the behaviour of kindness. The measurement was also done by seeing through the kindness tree and observation sheets that filled out by the teacher. The data analysis using the Wilcoxon Signed-rank test shows a significant difference in the average score of kindness (p<0,05) before and after picture storybook reading. Two weeks after the intervention, the improvement on all kindness behaviours with the post-test score is greater than pre-test score that still can be found. Observation through kindness tree and observational sheets shows the same result.


This article presents the adaptation of the visual elements and how the illustrations have been adapted to fit new cultural and social context. The Swedish original of Astrid Lindgren's book and the Polish translation will serve as the research material.
 In the current analysis of the graphic aspect of Astrid Lindgren's books published in Poland, Edwin Panofsky's iconological approach to the image is combined with Roland Barthes' semiotic approach. The application of these two methods enables an explanation to be formulated as to why the visual representation of certain elements of the Swedish cultural code disappeared in translation. The represented world in the original differs from the represented world in the translation, especially in the recreation of the Swedish village. In the Polish illustrations, the Swedish village setting has been placed higher up the social ladder than in the original illustrations, thereby avoiding a direct portrayal of village life, traditionally regarded as inferior in Polish culture. Polonization also happens in the purifying strategies adopted by the illustrators. Because of the reduction of illustrations representing children and adults engaged in agricultural work, as well as children in direct contact with nature or animals, the book's character has considerably altered through its adjustment to the Polish cultural code, mainly in the protagonists' outward appearance as inhabitants of the town.
 In the Polish illustrations, a folklorization also appears, through the introduction of folkoric elements from the region of southern Poland symbolizing the superior status of this culture over the peasant culture of other regions.
 In addition, the illustrations that accompany the translations are anachronistic in relation to the time setting of the plot as related in the text.


Health Security Act - Title I: Health Security Benefits - Provides that every resident of the U.S. (and every non-resident citizen when in the U.S.) will be eligible for covered services. Permits reciprocal and buy-in agreements for groups or non-resident aliens, and in some cases benefits to U.S. residents when visiting in other countries. Entitles every eligible person to have payments made by the Health Security Board for covered services provided within the United States by a participating provider. Provides that all necessary professional services of physicians, wherever furnished are covered, including preventive care, with two restrictions: (1) specialist services are covered only when performed by a qualified specialist except in emergency situations, and generally only on referral from a primary physician; and (2) psychiatric services to an ambulatory patient are covered only for active preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic or rehabilitative service with respect to mental illness. Provides that comprehensive dental services (exclusive of most orthodontic services) are covered for children under age 15, with the covered age group increasing by two years each year until all those under age 25 are covered. Provides that: (1) inpatient and outpatient hospital services and services of a home health agency are covered without arbitrary limitation; and (2) pathology and radiology services are specifically included as parts of institutional services. Limits payment for skilled nursing home care to 120 days per spell of illness, except that this limit may be increased when the nursing home is owned or managed by a hospital and payment for care is made through the hospital budget. Limits the psychiatric hospital benefit to 45 consecutive days of active treatment during a spell of illness. Provides coverage for two categories of drug use: prescribed medicines administered to inpatients or outpatients within participating hospitals; or to enrollees of comprehensive health service


While elections are essential to a democracy, it is commonly believed that the desire to secure reelection causes legislators to engage in many undesirable activities. In this note, by comparing the behavior of U.S. representatives who have chosen to run for reelection with those representatives who have decided not to do so, we provide evidence of the precise activities induced by electoral concerns. We find that elections cause members to go back to the district more often, to employ more staff assistants, to attend to roll-call voting more fastidiously, and to be more legislatively active. While these activities are no doubt consistent with the wishes of most constituents, the desire for reelection also encourage members to introduce what is apparently frivolous legislation on topics of little familiarity to the member. Those members who are not running for reelection, on the other hand, are more likely to have a successful and tightly focused legislative agenda.


The earliest use of computers in health care was in administration. Hospitals instituted computerized budgeting and financial planning; medical offices used programs specifically designed to their needs. In recent years, the cost of providing high quality services and patient satisfaction in hospitals has increased tremendously. Using information system in healthcare has become one of the best solutions for hospital management to decrease cost, increase patient satisfaction, to improve hospital processes and to provide high quality patient care. Beginning with the computerization of hospital administrative tasks in the 1960s, the role of digital technology in medical care and its delivery has expanded at an ever-increasing pace. There are many programs that automate and computerize functions in health care environment. Traditionally the application of computer technology in healthcare is divided into three categories. Clinical applications of computers include anything that has to do with direct patient care, such as diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. Special purpose applications include the use of computers in education and some aspects of pharmacy. Administrative applications include office management, scheduling and accounting tasks. Information technology has brought about a big revolution in the health care industry. AIM: The aim was to study the extent of IT usage in hospitals and to share our experiences in HIS implementation. OBJECTIVES: The study was conducted with the following objectives: 1. To know the extent of IT usage in a tertiary level teaching hospital currently. 2. To assess the benefits in adopting IT in hospital practice. 3. To share our experience in HIS implementation. 4. To offer suggestions based on the study. MATERIALS & METHODS: The study was conducted in a large tertiary level multi- specialty teaching hospital. The study design is retrospective in nature which includes, literature review, perusal of records and registers & informal interviews with the staff of the IT department at the hospital This paper shares the experience in implementing, upgraded Hospital Information System (HIS) software into an already existing computerized system. The implications of having adopted multiple software modules specific to different clinical and special purpose applications has been highlighted. In an era of rapid advances in science and technology, dependability on biomedical equipments and the software that they support has become inevitable for taking decisions in healthcare delivery. There is a need to consider information technology (IT) compatibility at the very beginning, which is at the time of buying these high-end equipments, else the implementation and functioning of IT in hospitals will be in piece meal. Some suggestions in having a comprehensive HIS has also been incorporated in the study. In conclusion the benefits of implementing IT in healthcare in terms of productivity, cost, effectiveness etc may never be realized if we are not open to the future needs. That is adapting an 'open system architecture' which can be sensitized to the ever changing information technology


College students think about and act differently with regards to power and consent in their relationships. The purpose of this study was to investigate how those attitudes and behaviors may relate to sexual assault and acquaintance rape. Power was examined at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and socio-cultural levels. In addition, two perspectives on power were studied: power as dominating others and power as a sense of personal empowerment or control. A scale to measure this distinction was created. Three theories on the relation among power, consent, and sexual assault/rape were examined: (1) consent may moderate a relation between power and sexual assault/rape, (2) power and consent may exert individual effects on sexual assault/rape, and (3) power alone may have the most significant effects on sexual assault/ rape. Generally, it was expected that participants who thought of power mainly as dominating others would be less concerned about consent in their relationships and more likely to report that they had or would sexually assault or rape. Two hundred seventy-six students (101 males, 175 females) provided information about their attitudes and behaviors involving power and consent, as well as information about sexual assault and rape proclivities and frequencies of self-reported sexual assault and rape perpetration and victimization. Results suggested that individual perspectives on power (the interpersonal level) may have the most relevance to sexual assault/rape behaviors. Participants whose thoughts and feelings about power were strongly oriented toward dominance but not toward personal empowerment were more likely to report having engaged in sexual assault/rape perpetration. Contrary to what was expected, consent did not appear to be related to either power or sexual assault/rape. Several theories for the lack of significance relating to consent and other forms of power are discussed. Findings suggest that more research should be done on the distinction between power as dominance and power as personal empowerment, particularly as this distinction pertains to sexual assault, acquaintance rape, and other forms of interpersonal violence.


Conventional loudspeaker membranes made of metal or synthetic material such as fabric, ceramics or plastics suffer from nonlinearities and cone breakup modes at fairly low audio frequencies. Due to their mass, inertia and limited mechanical stability the speaker membranes made of conventional materials cannot follow the high frequency excitation of the actuating voice-coil. Low sound velocity causes phase shift and sound pressure losses due to interference of adjacent parts of the membrane at audible frequencies. Therefore, loudspeaker engineers are searching for lightweight but extremely rigid materials to develop speaker membranes whose cone resonances are well above the audible range. With its extreme hardness, paired with low density and high velocity of sound, diamond is a highly promising candidate for such applications. We report on the realization of dome shaped CVD diamond membranes by deposition on curved silicon substrates. Domes with diameters between 20 and 65 mm and with a thickness ranging from 50 to 120 μm were prepared. After deposition, the substrate is dissolved and the rim of the diamond dome is cut by laser scribing. Free standing diamond membranes are mounted onto dynamic voice coils and integrated into tweeter and/or midrange driver chassis. Extended tests and optimisations led to loudspeaker systems that show a second and third harmonic distortion behaviour in the important frequency range between 3 to 10 kHz that is reduced by 40% in comparison to already excellent established values obtained with sapphire membranes. Cone resonance frequencies of CVD diamond membranes are increased by a factor of two, as predicted by simulations.


This volume presents a timely and comprehensive overview of biological networks at all organization levels in the spirit of the complex systems approach. It discusses the transversal issues and fundamental principles as well as the overall structure, dynamics, and modeling of a wide array of biological networks at the molecular, cellular, and population levels. Anchored in both empirical data and a strong theoretical background, the book therefore lends valuable credence to the complex systems approach.


A simulation project is much more than building a model and the skills required for success go well beyond knowing a particular simulation tool. A 30 year veteran discusses some important steps to enable project success and some cautions and tips to help avoid common traps. This content is similar to presentations given at previous WSC conferences.


Background: The anterior iliac crest is the most common site used for harvesting autologous bone graft. This can lead to acute and chronic iliac crest donor site pain leading to significant morbidity. Quadratus lumborum block is a newer advanced block which may help to alleviate this pain. This study aims to evaluate the effect of quadratus lumborum block on post operative analgesia in iliac crest bone graft patients. Subjects and Methods: A total of 60 patients aged between 18 yrs to 65 yrs were randomised into two equal groups. Group A received wound infiltration with local anesthesia. Group B received ultrasound guided quadratus lumborum block. Pain scores and opioid consumption were recorded in both groups. Results: Demographic profile was comparable in both the groups. The VAS score was significantly less in group B when compared to group A at 4th, 8th and 12th hrs (p <0.0001). The opioid consumption was 250.28±40.65 in group A and 100.57±25.48 group B. Conclusion: Ultrasound guided Quadratus lumborum block effectively reduces post operative pain in anterior iliac crest bone graft site when compared to local anesthetic wound infiltration.


At the time of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, the BBC's late-night political discussion program Newsnight was one of the few media political spheres within which representatives of the British government, opposition parties, the United Nations, and international non-governmental organizations could comment on British foreign policy. Since 1994 the British media have been charged with failing to report genocide; yet a focus on print media has created a void in understanding how BBC's Newsnight covered events. The present article analyzes Newsnight reporting between 6 April 1994 and 30 September 1994 and reveals that the BBC framed the genocide in a specific way until 31 July 1994. A comparative reading between the discourse of presenters, guests, and the news reports filed by journalists reveals that, despite a stack of media evidence that genocide was taking place, no representatives of the British government or opposition parties were interviewed on the role of the UK as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and signatory of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide from April to the end of July. Rather, a focus on the stateless "international community" and the failings of UN bureaucracy, the timing of debates, and the presenters' refusal to use the word "genocide" when guests and journalists did reveal that Newsnight failed to hold British politicians to account.