The context of this research is located in the realm of multiculturalism and multilingualism as characteristics of modern Europe. Addressing this issue, Peter Hans Nelde affirms that "Language planning and language policy have thus become established in the cultural planning of the EU members in such a way that they are now even recognized by outsiders" (Nelde, 2007: 60). According to my interpretation of his words, the language planning policy of the EU members has to take into account basically also the second generation immigrants who return to their parents' homeland, which is the realm of this research among bilinguals in Portugal. By addressing the question of bilingualism in the training of Conference Interpreting, it is meant to approach multilingualism in the context of the European institutions as potential working places for our students and trainees in their future professional field, that is, interpreting. According to Joanne Winter and Anne Pauwels, "the second generation are seen as threats or challenges to language maintenance as well as potential transformers for bi/multilingualism and linguistic diversity" (W inter & Pauwels, 2007: 180). I will tackle the problematic from another point of view: the contribution that the second generation can use in the market place after having been trained in higher education as bilinguals is fundamental, at least in the field of conference interpreting. The methodology applied to this research is inspired by the experience of briefly interpreting at the European Parliament, in the late eighties, in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, by the experience of training interpreters for approximately ten years and from the analysis of specialised literature on the subject. The necessary conclusions of this study range from the notion that bilingualism is not a guarantee that an interpreter is a better one only because she is a bilingual to the


. A hot working and its effect on the microstructure and tensile properties of Ti-45Al-9 (Nb, W, B, Y) alloy ingot on industrial scale were investigated. The results showed that the alloy has good workability in anα+γphase region. An ingot on industrial scale was successfully extruded followed by multi-step canned forging. The initial microstructure of the alloy is fine full lamellar (FL) microstructure. After hot working a sound pancake exhibiting a fine grain duplex (DP) microstructure with grain size about 20μm was obtained. The as-forged alloy has more balanced tensile properties than the small heats with similar composition and microstructure at both room and high temperatures.


Behavior of a group of rats was observed visually and tape recorded continuously from day 19 till the end of 25-d hypomagnetic experiments. Results were statistically processed with the help of Statistica 6.0, time series spectral analysis, and cosinor analysis. The 25-d HM exposure was shown to suppress food-motivated behavior in the mornings on the background of step-up in serotoninergic processes in the brain, and exaggerate the intraspecific violent conduct at night. The hypogeomagnetic environment impacted diurnal system adaptability to the seasonal light period drifting and produced exo- and endogenous desynchronosis.


Introduction The Hamilton group in Pennsylvania, as in New York, is divisible into four formations: the Moscow, the Ludlowville, the Skaneateles, and the Marcellus. These are partially subdivisible. In studying the group, Cooper's published data on the New York Hamilton 3 have been used extensively, supplemented by the senior author's notes made while visiting the region of Hamilton, New York, with Dr. Cooper during the summer of 1932. Dr. Cooper must be credited for much of the information necessary in starting the detailed studies in Pennsylvania. The authors take this opportunity of expressing their appreciation of his exposition of the New York sequence, which has greatly assisted their studies. Reports by Prosser,4 Cleland,5 Grabau,6 Goldring,7 Clarke,8 and others have also proved particularly applicable. The junior author worked two field seasons in Perry County in the preparation of his dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor . . .


Abstract Recent developments in the biography of Josquin des Prez have focused new attention on the motet Ave Maria …… virgo serena . In 1974, Thomas Noblitt showed that watermark evidence assigned a copy of the piece in Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Mus. ms. 3154 to 1476; the dating appeared unassailable philologically, and the style of the music tied it to a repertory created at the court of Milan in a period when Josquin supposedly worked there. But with the discovery by Lora Matthews and Paul Merkley that Josquin had no connection with Milan until 1484, a potential conflict between style, date, and perhaps authorship has emerged. Reexamination of the motet and its transmission affirms both the Milanese character of the music and Josquin9s authorship; a more intensive investigation of the relationship between script and paper in Munich 3154, however, shows that the Ave Maria represents a previously unrecognized phase in the work of its copyist, datable to 1485 or an adjacent year. Even against this revised background, Munich 3154 remains the earliest securely datable source for any music of Josquin, and the Ave Maria seems in all likelihood the earliest composition of his that we can identify.


Human single-chain Fv directed against fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) have been shown to block proliferation of RT112 bladder carcinoma cells in vitro. Here, we examined the ability of the recombinant gelonin toxin (rGel) to enhance this inhibitory effect in vitro and in vivo on the bladder cancer cell line RT112 and the corresponding xenografts. Immunotoxins were genetically engineered by fusing FGFR3-specific Fv fragments (3C) to the NH2 terminus of rGel and expressed as a soluble protein in Escherichia coli. The 3C/rGel fusion construct showed an IC50 of 200 nmol/L against log-phase RT112 cells compared with 1,500 nmol/L for free rGel. Immunofluorescence studies showed that the 3C/rGel construct internalized rapidly into the cytoplasm of RT112 cells within 1 h of exposure. The mechanism of immunotoxin-induced cell death was found to be mediated by apoptosis. RT112 tumor xenografts in severe combined immunodeficient mice treated with 50 mg/kg 3C/rGel exhibited considerable growth delay relative to control tumors and a significant reduction of 55% to 70% in mean tumor size. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that tumors from mice treated with 3C/rGel displayed considerable apoptotic damage compared with control groups. Subcellular location of FGFR3 in immunotoxin-treated tumors indicated a translocation of FGFR3 to the nuclear membrane in contrast to tumors from saline-treated controls. These results show that FGFR3-driven immunotoxins may be an effective therapeutic agent against human bladder and other tumor types overexpressing FGFR3. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(4):862–73]


The authors conducted an anonymous survey of 220 Nebraska family and general practitioners' attitudes and practice recommendations for infant feeding. Most practitioners' attitudes reflect published American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines regarding using commercial formula for bottle-feeding babies rather than evaporated milk-based formulations. Ninety-two per cent agreed with recommendations relating to the need for fluoride supplementation when fluoride was unavailable in the water supply and 93% agreed that whole cow's milk was inappropriate in the infant's first year. Another 68% felt similarly about evaporated milk formulas. However, 32% of board certified and 53% of nonboard certified physicians continue to believe that early solid foods will reduce night waking. In 80% of the cases, practice recommendations disagreed with AAP guidelines by prescribing vitamin supplements for bottle-feeding babies receiving proprietary infant formulas. Additionally, two-thirds of the practitioners recommended unnecessary water complements and 62% suggested formula supplementation for breastfeeding babies. Solid foods and whole cow's milk for both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding babies often were recommended earlier than the second half of the first year.


Rapid urbanization and economic development inevitably lead to light pollution, which has become a universal environmental issue. In order to reveal the spatiotemporal patterns and evolvement rules of light pollution in China, images from 1992 to 2012 were selected from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) and systematically corrected to ensure consistency. Furthermore, we employed a linear regression trend method and nighttime light index method to demonstrate China's light pollution characteristics across national, regional, and provincial scales, respectively. We found that: (1) China's light pollution expanded significantly in provincial capital cities over the past 21 years and hot-spots of light pollution were located in the eastern coastal region. The Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei regions have formed light pollution stretch areas; (2) China's light pollution was mainly focused in areas of north China (NC) and east China (EC), which, together, accounted for over 50% of the light pollution for the whole country. The fastest growth of light pollution was observed in northwest China (NWC), followed by southwest China (SWC). The growth rates of east China (EC), central China (CC), and northeast China (NEC) were stable, while those of north China (NC) and south China (SC) declined; (3) Light pollution at the provincial scale was mainly located in the Shandong, Guangdong, and Hebei provinces, whereas the fastest growth of light pollution was in Tibet and Hainan. However, light pollution levels in the developed provinces (Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai, and Tianjin) were higher than those of the undeveloped provinces. Similarly, the light pollution heterogeneities of Taiwan, Beijing, and Shanghai were higher than those of undeveloped western provinces.


The role of the curator has changed and is likely to change in the future. Current issues of postmodernism have affected their authority and status, by calling on new voices and narratives. Criticisms continue to be levelled at curators for failing to change communication through display and to maintain subject-based expertise, while new technology constantly increases both the demand for and the supply of information. A survey of curatorial jobs in the Museums Journal confirms that the level of skills and knowledge required of curators has decreased. These changes will continue, as in the future curators will be affected by changes in technology, new computerised applications and competition for funding.


A fast and effective approach to obtain information regarding software development problems is to search them to find similar solved problems or post questions on community question answering (CQA) websites. Solving coding problems in a short time is important, so these CQAs have a considerable impact on the software development process. However, if developers do not get their expected answers, the websites will not be useful, and software development time will increase. Stack Overflow is the most popular CQA concerning programming problems. According to its rules, the only sign that shows a question poser has achieved the desired answer is the user's acceptance. In this paper, we investigate unresolved questions, without accepted answers, on Stack Overflow. The number of unresolved questions is increasing. As of August 2019, 47% of Stack Overflow questions were unresolved. In this study, we analyze the effectiveness of various features, including some novel features, to resolve a question. We do not use the features that contain information not present at the time of asking a question, such as answers. To evaluate our features, we deploy several predictive models trained on the features of 18 million questions to predict whether a question will get an accepted answer or not. The results of this study show a significant relationship between our proposed features and getting accepted answers. Finally, we introduce an online tool that predicts whether a question will get an accepted answer or not. Currently, Stack Overflow's users do not receive any feedback on their questions before asking them, so they could carelessly ask unclear, unreadable, or inappropriately tagged questions. By using this tool, they can modify their questions and tags to check the different results of the tool and deliberately improve their questions to get accepted answers.


Abstract Several different methodologies have previously been employed in the tracking of glacier terminus change, though a systematic comparison of these has not been undertaken. The frequent application of single methods to multiple glaciers over large geographical areas such as Greenland, raises the question of whether individual methodologies are robust. In this study we evaluate three existing methodologies that have been widely used to track terminus change (the centre-line, bow and box methods) against a full range of idealized glaciological scenarios and six examples of real glaciers. We also evaluate two new methodologies that aim to reduce measurement error compared with the existing methodologies. The first is a modification to the box method that can account for termini retreating through fjords that change orientation (termed the curvilinear box method), while the second determines the average terminus position relative to the glacier centre line using an inverse distance weighting extrapolation (termed the extrapolated centre-line method). No single method tested achieved complete accuracy for all scenarios, though the extrapolated centre-line method was able to successfully account for variable fjord orientation, width and terminus geometry with the least error.


Abstract Fine roots (<2 mm) are very dynamic and play a key role in forest ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling and accumulation. We reviewed root biomass data of three main European tree species European beech, (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), in order to identify the differences between species, and within and between vegetation zones, and to show the relationships between root biomass and the climatic, site and stand factors. The collected literature consisted of data from 36 beech, 71 spruce and 43 pine stands. The mean fine root biomass of beech was 389 g m−2, and that of spruce and pine 297 g m−2 and 277 g m−2, respectively. Data from pine stands supported the hypothesis that root biomass is higher in the temperate than in the boreal zone. The results indicated that the root biomass of deciduous trees is higher than that of conifers. The correlations between root biomass and site fertility characteristics seemed to be species specific. There was no correlation between soil acidity and root biomass. Beech fine root biomass decreased with stand age whereas pine root biomass increased with stand age. Fine root biomass at tree level correlated better than stand level root biomass with stand characteristics. The results showed that there exists a strong relationship between the fine root biomass and the above-ground biomass.


In this field experiment, students were randomly assigned to virtual proctoring or to traditional on-campus examination to evaluate the effect, nature, and timing of implementation barriers for online proctoring in higher education. Virtual proctoring technology is credited to increase the accessibility of exams by enabling students to participate in exams at any time and place. The results show that the uptake in the traditional examination setting in this study was six times higher due to technical hurdles that students experienced with the virtual proctoring software. When alleviating these implementation barriers by offering all students the chance to participate in an unproctored retake, students initially assigned to virtual proctoring still showed a significantly lower uptake rate. Students disengagement could not be related student characteristics, such as performance levels and motivation.


This work investigates the single electron tunneling (SET) technology-based computation of basic addition related arithmetic functions, e.g., addition and multiplication, via a novel computation paradigm, which we refer to as electron counting arithmetic, that is based on controlling the transport of discrete quantities of electrons within the SET circuit. First, assuming that the number of controllable electrons within the system is unrestricted, we prove that the addition of two n-bit operands can be computed with a depth-2 network composed out of 3n+1 circuit elements and that the multiplication of two n-bit operands can be computed with a depth-3 network composed out of 4n-1 circuit elements. Second, assuming that the number of controllable electrons cannot be higher than a given constant r determined by practical limitations, we prove that the addition of two n-bit operands can be computed with a depth-(n/r+3) network composed out of 3n+1+n/r circuit elements. Under the same restriction, we suggest methods to reduce the addition network depth in the order of logn/r and to perform n-bit multiplication in an O(logn/r) delay. Finally, we propose SET-based implementations for a set of basic electron counting building blocks and implement a number of circuits operating under the electron counting paradigm as follows: 4-bit digital to analog converter, 5-bit analog to digital converter, 4-bit adder, and 3-bit multiplier. All proposed implementations are verified by means of simulation.


CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF)-mediated stable topologically associating domains (TADs) play a critical role in constraining interactions of DNA elements that are located in neighboring TADs. CTCF plays an important role in regulating the spatial and temporal expression of HOX genes that control embryonic development, body patterning, hematopoiesis, and leukemogenesis. However, it remains largely unknown whether and how HOX loci associated CTCF boundaries regulate chromatin organization and HOX gene expression. In the current protocol, a specific sgRNA pooled library targeting all CTCF binding sites in the HOXA/B/C/D loci has been generated to examine the effects of disrupting CTCF-associated chromatin boundaries on TAD formation and HOX gene expression. Through CRISPR-Cas9 genetic screening, the CTCF binding site located between HOXA7/HOXA9 genes (CBS7/9) has been identified as a critical regulator of oncogenic chromatin domain, as well as being important for maintaining ectopic HOX gene expression patterns in MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Thus, this sgRNA library screening approach provides novel insights into CTCF mediated genome organization in specific gene loci and also provides a basis for the functional characterization of the annotated genetic regulatory elements, both coding and noncoding, during normal biological processes in the post-human genome project era.


In the past decades our knowledge of breast cancer has been rapidly evolving yet the basic paradigm of diagnosis and treatment of cancer has not. In cancer diagnosis, presentation of breast cancer can be a palpable lump or a suspicious mass on screening imaging, namely a mammogram. However, malignancy will be ascertained by tissue biopsy if needed. Biopsy is the gold standard breast cancer diagnostic test. Biopsy sampling is invasive, painful and costly. In addition, when the interpretation of current imaging modalities is not concordant with pathology results the biopsies may have to be repeated. Microendoscopy autofluorescence (AM) is a method of acquiring images directly from the tissues that contain fluorescent susceptible molecules (fluorophore). Studies of endoscopy in colon and esophagus showed that AM imaging is capable to recognize malignancy and can be utilized to discriminate between normal tissue and tumor. Additionally, it has been shown that, AM was able to differentiate cancer versus normal cells when a microendoscope was inserted into a breast duct. The main purpose of this study is to investigate if the same contrast exists if AM applied interstitially into the ex-vivo mastectomy breast tissues. This is a feasibility study to explore if interstitial AM has the potential to be coupled with breast cancer imaging diagnostics to provide better discrimination of the characteristics of the target tissue inside. The success in this approach could significantly reduce the number of required tissue biopsies to confirm the diagnosis.


A study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts investigated whether the nutrition situation in Central America and Mexico would be improved by professional training in applied, operationally oriented nutrition. The results reported here are based on interviews conducted with nutrition professionals in the United States and abroad and a survey of graduates of US graduate programmes. The respondents agreed that appropriate training of nutrition professionals could improve the nutrition situation of the region, recognizing that social and economic factors are critical determinants of nutrition. This field was seen as a social science discipline. The name "public nutrition" is proposed for the field. Critical elements of training include reaching a critical mass of persons at multiple levels; obtaining institutional commitment to allow newly trained professionals the resources and responsibility to apply what they have learned in their jobs; building in follow-up through networking, information exchange, and reunions of participants and faculty; and combining the skills and knowledge of public nutrition with a strong disciplinary base in a recognized field. The substance of the training programme would consist of applied research skills; communication and advocacy skills; programme management and administration; nutrition science; nutrition programmes and policies; social science concepts of economic and political economy; and fieldwork, internships, or practical. The usefulness of each of these fields is assessed by employed graduates of US programmes. Effective professionals also need personal qualities of leadership, dedication, motivation, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Immediate returns to short-term training of front-line programme managers should not result in ignoring the long-term benefit of higher-level professional education of senior administrators, policy makers, and researchers needed to advance the field of nutrition.


This paper is the first work to propose a network to predict a structured uncertainty distribution for a synthesized image. Previous approaches have been mostly limited to predicting diagonal covariance matrices [15]. Our novel model learns to predict a full Gaussian covariance matrix for each reconstruction, which permits efficient sampling and likelihood evaluation. We demonstrate that our model can accurately reconstruct ground truth correlated residual distributions for synthetic datasets and generate plausible high frequency samples for real face images. We also illustrate the use of these predicted covariances for structure preserving image denoising.


We discuss the high energy neutrino emission from gamma-ray bursts resulting from the earliest generation (``population III'') stars forming in the Universe, whose core collapses into a black hole. These gamma-ray bursts are expected to produce a highly relativistic, magnetically dominated jet, where protons can be accelerated to ultrahigh energies. These interact with the photons produced by the jet, leading to ultrahigh energy photomeson neutrinos as well as secondary leptons and photons. The photon luminosity and the shock properties, and thus the neutrino spectrum, depend on the mass of the black holes as well as on the density of the surrounding external gas. We calculate the individual source neutrino spectral fluxes and the expected diffuse neutrino flux for various source parameters and evolution scenarios. Both the individual and diffuse signals appear detectable in the 1--300 PeV range with current and planned neutrino detectors such as IceCube and ARIANNA, provided the black hole mass is in excess of 30--100 solar masses. This provides a possible test for the debated mass of the progenitor stellar objects, as well as a probe for the early cosmological environment and the formation rate of the earliest structures.


Pyroclast flows constitute the main potential hazard on both St Kitts and Montserrat. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the last major series of eruptions on St Kitts occurred about 2000 years ago, although a more recent phase of activity (1620 ± 50 years B.P.) produced the pyroclast surge and blast deposits of the Steel Dust 'Series'. On Montserrat the last major eruptive episode occurred about 19000 years ago and there is rather uncertain evidence for a small near-historic eruption. Pyroclast flow material tends to have a basaltic andesite composition on St Kitts and that of a more siliceous andesite on Montserrat. At Mt Misery, St Kitts, the present configuration of the summit region has exercised considerable control over the distribution of pyroclast flows and the western side of the volcano remains the most vulnerable to future activity of this kind. The summit morphology of the Soufriere Hills, Montserrat is more complex and appears to have changed during relatively recent times, making the preferred pathway down the eastern slopes over the less populated side of the island. Pyroclast falls, regarded as a negligible hazard on Montserrat, may attain a critical destructive thickness of c. 50 cm once every few thousand years on St Kitts. Lava flows, which may be considered unimportant on Montserrat, are also likely to be a minor and very infrequent hazard on St Kitts.


ABSTRACT 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is an important cellular metabolic intermediate that has broad agricultural and medical applications. Previously, attempts have been made to synthesize ALA by multiple enzymes in cell free systems. Here we report the development of a semi-permeable system for ALA production using stable enzymes. Glucose, sodium polyphosphate, ATP, tRNA, glutamate and NADPH were used as substrates for ALA synthesis by a total of nine enzymes: adenylate kinase, polyphosphate kinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphogluconolactonase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glutamyl-tRNA synthetase and glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase from E. coli, hexokinase from yeast, as well as glutamyl-tRNA reductase and its stimulator protein glutamyl-tRNA reductase binding protein (GBP) from Arabidopsis in a semi-permeable system. After reaction for 48 h, the glutamate conversion reached about 95%. This semi-permeable system facilitated the reuse of enzymes, and was helpful for the separation and purification of the product. The ALA production could be further improved by process optimization and enzyme engineering. Abbreviations: PPK: polyphosphate kinase; ADK: adenylate kinase; ALA: 5-Aminolevulinic acid; HK: hexokinase; ZWF: glucose-6-phosphatedehydrogenase; PGL: phosphogluconolactonase; GND: 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase; GTS: glutamyl-tRNA synthetase; GTR: glutamyl-tRNA reductase; GBP: GTR binding protein; GSAAT: glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase. Graphical Abstract The multi-enzyme reactions for 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthesis through the C5 pathway.


Home gardens are subsistence crop production systems that significantly contribute to the socio-ecological resilience of peasant communities reducing vulnerability and ensuring food security. Because of their small size, they are neglected repositories of biological diversity. This paper describes the agrobiodiversity and management of home gardens in about 79 households in three marginal upland villages of Inopacan, Leyte. Semi-structured interviews and actual home garden visits were done to collect data. Results show that home gardens studied had high species diversity and exhibited a multilayered structure. A total of 171 species in 74 families and 146 genera were documented. The composites (Asteraceae) had the most number of genera and species followed by the orchids (Orchidaceae), legumes (Fabaceae) and aroids (Araceae). More than 70% of the species were exotics which were mostly ornamental plants. Erect herbs were the most common, followed by trees, shrubs, herbaceous vines and epiphytes. Majority of the species were ornamentals followed by fruit trees, medicinal plants, vegetables and spice plants, grown primarily for home use (62%)rather than as source of income. Established and managed by family members who provide free labor, the gardens mostly utilized cost–free planting materials and with no fertilizer or pesticide application.


The elastic properties of bone tissue determine the biomechanical behavior of bone at the organ level. It is now widely accepted that the nanoscale structure of bone plays an important role to determine the elastic properties at the tissue level. Hence, in addition to the mineral density, the structure and organization of the mineral nanoparticles and of the collagen microfibrils appear as potential key factors governing the elasticity. Many studies exist on the role of the organization of collagen microfibril and mineral nanocrystals in strongly remodeled bone. However, there is no direct experimental proof to support the theoretical calculations. Here, we provide such evidence through a novel approach combining several high resolution imaging techniques: scanning acoustic microscopy, quantitative scanning small-Angle X-ray scattering imaging and synchrotron radiation computed microtomography. We find that the periodic modulations of elasticity across osteonal bone are essentially determined by the orientation of the mineral nanoparticles and to a lesser extent only by the particle size and density. Based on the strong correlation between the orientation of the mineral nanoparticles and the collagen molecules, we conclude that the microfibril orientation is the main determinant of the observed undulations of microelastic properties in regions of constant mineralization in osteonal lamellar bone. This multimodal approach could be applied to a much broader range of fibrous biological materials for the purpose of biomimetic technologies.


This document contains the research for the BSc Thesis that focusses on one of the features of Building Information Modelling (BIM), structural analysis, which is the determination of the effects of loads on physical structures and their components. The purpose of this research is to identify possible trajectories for the incorporation of the structural analysis in the BIM process, to develop a middleware that interacts between the architectural and structural design disciplines, and to recommend a practical solution for the client to adapt their workflow towards a more integrative structural design that can ensure improvements in efficiency of the design. The main questions of this research are; which technique can be adopted by the client for the better integration of structural analysis in their BIM process and workflow and how can this be integrated.
The research consists of two phases. The first phase is the preparation phase which is intended to gather background information about the subject. Therefore, a literature review containing state-of-the-art knowledge about this subject is presented, where the possibilities and difficulties that are present concerning structural analysis in BIM are investigated. Furthermore, this research contains interviews with employees at the company to investigate the current situation of the BIM workflow and to discuss this. The aim of this is to develop sufficient background knowledge for developing a strong argumentation to support the recommendations. Based on literature and interviews, a few trajectories for the integration of structural analysis are introduced, along with a new concept that entails an improvement on the information exchange between the different disciplines during a building project. The second phase is the production phase in which new knowledge is generated. New tools are developed to support the new concept. These tools have been verified by testing it on different projects and validated by giving a workshop to the employees and starting a conversation about the tools.
The method presented encompasses a concept that aims to improve the process of revisions by creating a new middleware to store data. The middleware contains information that is specifically associated with the construction. The concept contains two processes. One process is used to extract data from a BIM model to a spreadsheet that is used for structural analysis purposes and the other process involves the modification of elements within a spreadsheet.


The successful utilization of an array of silicon on insulator complementary metal oxide semiconductor (SOICMOS) micro thermal shear stress sensors for flow measurements at macro-scale is demonstrated. The sensors use CMOS aluminum metallization as the sensing material and are embedded in low thermal conductivity silicon oxide membranes. They have been fabricated using a commercial 1 mum SOI-CMOS process and a post-CMOS DRIE back etch. The sensors with two different sizes were evaluated. The small sensors (18.5 times 18.5 mum2 sensing area on 266 times 266 mum2 oxide membrane) have an ultra low power (100degC temperature rise at 6 mW) and a small time constant of only 5.46 mus which corresponds to a cut-off frequency of 122 kHz. The large sensors (130 times 130 mum2 sensing area on 500 times 500 mum2 membrane) have a time constant of 9.82 mus (cut-off frequency of 67.9 kHz). The sensorspsila performance has proven to be robust under transonic and supersonic flow conditions. Also, they have successfully identified laminar, separated, transitional and turbulent boundary layers in a low speed flow.


Background Undergraduate full patient simulation (FPS) is commonplace. FPS course evaluations show that clinical knowledge and skills are improved. But what do the students really take away from the experience? Methodology Final year medical, nursing and midwifery students participated in an interprofessional FPS course. A phenomenological approach1 and analysis2 explored 'meaning' and transfer of learning into their clinical practice. The ontological shift is one of the resulting themes. Outcomes The students described a change in the way they observed and participated in their clinical placements post the FPS experience. Student GK explores these issues: GK Because I had a really good experience and I learnt from it, I went back to the ward, and I was remembering, actually, do you know what? Yes, I can see, that's why I was looking at the nurses, I was looking at the F1, and the nursing interaction as well. And we had a deteriorating patient, and the other F1s, the other student wasn't there. And I offered to help, obviously, and I saw how it worked. I saw how the nurses worked, and I thought it was really good. I guess you don't realise it until you've been put into that situation. Key changes described include: Observing the doctors role differently Observing the interaction between healthcare professionals Using other healthcare professionals as a learning resource Increased confidence to participate in clinical activities Conclusions An ontological shift can be deemed to have occurred when the subject starts thinking about an 'entity' in a new way and categorises it differently. The students describe new ways (for them) of observing practice and behaviours in the clinical arena and re-conceptualise clinical problems, thereby seeing the clinical world in a new light – an ontological shift. References Moustakas C. Phenomenological research methods. London: Sage Publications, 1994 Creswell, JW. Qualitative inquiry and research design; choosing among five approaches. London: Sage Publications, 2007


Dental Press J Orthod. 2018 Jan-Feb;23(1):18-21 1 How to cite: Chang C, Almeida MR, Pithon M, Ursi W. An interview with Chris Chang. Dental Press J Orthod. 2018 Jan-Feb;23(1):18-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-6709.23.1.018-021.int Submitted: January 03, 2018 Revised and accepted: January 11, 2018 Orthodontics has undergone a profound transformation since the skeletal anchorage became part of treatment plans. More specifically, orthodontic mini-implants presented by Kanomi in 1997 allowed us to achieve encouraging results when the anchorage subject is taken into account. Over the last decade, we have seen a revolution in the way we were accustomed to using the mini-screws allocated primarily in inter-radicular areas, that is, between the roots to reinforce anchorage during orthodontic mechanics. The revolution came just as a Taiwanese researcher showed the world how we could use the screws in an absolutely innovative and sophisticated way by installing them in areas previously unknown to most orthodontists: in extra-alveolar regions. Thus, the extra-alveolar mini-implants inserted in the regions of the infrazigomatic crest, mandibular ramus and buccal shelf appeared, allowing free dental movement along the maxillary and mandibular arches, since the screws are in areas outside the line of root action. With great honor I present to you in this interview one of the creators and "father" of this sophisticated system of anchorage using extra-alveolar screws, Dr Chris Chang. He has definitely modified the way we think today in the resolution of orthodontic problems in a rational and simple way, where the phrase "It is easy, believe me!" had never been so true as he presented. Orthodontics will never be the same after the introduction of this type of skeletal anchorage. I received with great satisfaction the mission to coordinate this interview with Prof Chang, which I had the privilege of knowing five years ago with his indispensable help in the elaboration of the first article1 published in Brazil on the subject of screws in buccal shelf to treat skeletal Class III malocclusion. Dr Chris Chang is one of the most expressive names in world Orthodontics, currently dividing his professional time in his private practice (Beethoven) where he attends to his patients and teaches several courses. Personal time he enjoys with his family, his dear wife and his two daughters, and their hobbies, which are golf and classic music. I hope that readers can take advantage of this interview granted to our beloved Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. Marcio R. Almeida – interview coordinator


There is limited information on the developmental aspects of esophageal motor function in humans. Length of the esophageal body and its sphincters increases progressively after birth. The UES is well developed at birth, and except for a slight pressure increase during the first year, there is little evidence of functional maturation postnatally. Within the esophageal body, the sucking and swallowing patterns mature within a few days in term infants, whereas this maturation takes longer in premature infants. In the LES, pressures may be low at birth but thereafter rise above adult levels until 6 months of age, to slowly decrease to adult levels by 1 to 3 yr of age. Maturation of the LES reflects at least an increase in bulk, although neural maturation and maturation of muscle responsiveness require further assessment in humans. The relationship of LES dysfunction to gastroesophageal reflux in infants is still not elucidated. The relationship of gastroesophageal reflex to pulmonary problems is similarly uncertain.


This study is aimed at investigating the deformation characteristics and mechanisms of wood and its deformation characteristics using long distance microscope and CCD-camera. The structures of actual wood can be treated as micro cell structure and layer one. Several deformation characteristics were obtained in compression process. Characteristics of the deformation were investigated experimentally. The following results were obtained for the deformation of wood. (1) The deformation modes of cell structures and the locations where deformation is generated were clarified. (2) The characteristics of the compression of layered structures were clarified. (3) The deformation of wood was largely affected by structural features such as the grain, distribution of tree rings, and compression direction. The results obtained are useful in carrying out effective compaction of wood.


The low-temperature joining technique of silver sintering is being actively pursued in the power electronics industry as a lead-free die-attach solution for packaging power devices and modules. However, one of the concerns of this technique is the migration of silver at a high temperature. Recently, we have reported our findings of the migration of a low-temperature sintered nanosilver in dry air at a temperature over 250°1C. In this paper, we report our results of the effect of oxygen partial pressure on the migration kinetics of the sintered nanosilver at 400°C under an electrical field strength of 50 V/mm. The range of the oxygen partial pressure tested was between <; 0.01 and 0.40 atm. The silver migration kinetics were monitored by measuring the leakage current across a metal-finger pattern, which allowed the determination of the "lifetime," or the onset time for significant leakage current developed across the two electrodes. With decreasing oxygen partial pressure, the lifetime increases exponentially. Our results suggest that the concern for silver migration in a high-temperature application of sintered silver die attach can be effectively remedied through packaging to keep oxygen away from the silver joints.


: 12 adult onchocerciasis patients from the rain forest zone of Nigeria were treated with furazolidone in divided daily doses ranging from 5--15 mg per kg body weight for 7--21 days to a maximum total dose of 6.3 g. The drug showed neither micro- nor macrofilaricidal activity against Onchocerca volvulus.


This paper argues that there are powerful similarities between cognitive development in children and scientific theory change. These similarities are best explained by postulating an underlying abstract set of rules and representations that underwrite both types of cognitive abilities. In fact, science may be successful largely because it exploits powerful and flexible cognitive devices that were designed by evolution to facilitate learning in young children. Both science and cognitive development involve abstract, coherent systems of entities and rules, theories. In both cases, theories provide predictions, explanations, and interpretations. In both, theories change in characteristic ways in response to counterevidence. These ideas are illustrated by an account of children's developing understanding of the mind.


The distinctive quality of the new social structure is that information becomes the only factor of production. In today's organizations, public administrators are directly responsible for applying information to administrative processes. In addition to his managerial responsibilities, a knowledge based organization requires every employee to take responsibility for achieving efficiency. This has increased the importance of information systems in the decision-making process. Information systems consist of computer and communication technology, data base management and model management and include activity processing system, management information system, decision support systems, senior management information system, expert systems and office automation systems. Information systems in the health sector aim at the management and provision of preventive and curative health services. The use of information systems in healthcare has the benefits of increasing service quality, shortening treatment processes, maximizing efficiency of the time, labour and medical devices. The use of information systems for clinical decision making and reducing medical errors in the healthcare industry dates back to the 1960s. Clinical information systems involve processing, storing and re-accessing information that supports patient care in a hospital. Clinical information systems are systems that are directly or indirectly related to patient care. These systems include electronic health/patient records, clinical decision support systems, nurse information systems, patient tracking systems, tele-medicine, case mix and smart card applications. Diagnosis-treatment systems are information-based systems used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It consists of laboratory information systems, picture archiving and communication system, pharmacy information system, radiology information system, nuclear medicine information system. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of health information system applications in Turkey. The first part of the study focuses on the concept of information systems and the types of information systems in organization structures. In the second part, clinical information systems and applications for diagnosis-treatment systems in Turkey are examined. Finally, the study evaluates applications in the health sector qualitatively from the new organizational structure, which is formed by information systems.


Utterances that include rationale clauses and means clauses display a variety of features that affect their interpretation, as well as the subsequent discourse. Of particular importance its the information that is conveyed about agents' beliefs and intentions with respect to the actions they talk about or perform. Hence, for a language interpretation system to handle these utterances, it must identify the relevant features of each construction and draw appropriate inferences about the agents' mental states with respect to the actions and action relations that are involved. This paper describes an interpretation model that satisfies this need by providing a set of interpretation rules and showing how these rules allow for the derivation of the appropriate set of beliefs and intentions associated with each construction.


This paper seek to examined the environmental consequences of volumetric traffic flow with respect the relationship between traffic flow concentration and concentration (Mg/L) of pollutants and accident rate in Calabar. The volumetric traffic count was done at three peak-hour periods in each day for nine days for two weeks at ten (10) strategic positions in the study area. The collection of air samples were done with the aid of absorption filters from 20 sample status within Calabar metropolis. However, the absorption filters were exposed between 6:30am and 7:15pm each day for nine days in the mouth of April, 2010. The readings were analyzed in the laboratory and comparism was carry out with tolerance units for Ambient air pollutants. Findings revealed that, Air pollutant such as carbon dioxide (C02) nitrogen oxides (N0) Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Carbon monoxide (C0) and particulate concentrations were above threshold level. With this result of analyses, it shows that there is a positive relationship between air pollutants concentration and volumetric traffic flow in the area. Therefore, proper environment management is needed to prevent severe thread on the human ecosystem in Calabar metropolis.


Laparoscopic surgery gained a lot of field in human and veterinary medicine, replacing successfully many invasive surgical techniques. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a reality and units must convert from open to endoscopic technique. To this end we have used the pig, whose biliary anatomy resembles the human, as a laboratory in vivo training model. This aspect has led to imagining and establishing cholecystectomy techniques in pigs that were subsequently applied to humans. We conducted the current study to address the need for a systematic investigation of anaesthetic and analgesic protocols in Landrace pigs. The goal of this study was to evaluate a partial intravenous anaesthetic (PIVA) protocol for Landrace pigs that yielded sufficient sedation for peripheral vascular catheterization, analgesia and miorelaxation for laparoscopic techniques and would have minimal cardiovascular effects while being safe for the patient. The study was carried out during several training session for surgeons on laparoscopic techniques. Sixteen pigs (weight between 15 and 30 kg, with a mean weight of 21 kg) were anaesthetized for the procedures. Pigs were randomly allocated to one of the following groups: MFK group (receiving midazolam 0.2 mg/kg/h, fentanyl 10μg/kg/h and ketamine 10μg/kg/min) or KL group (receiving ketamine 10 μg/kg/min and lidocaine 30μg/kg/min). Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and saturation of oxygen were monitored throughout the anaesthesia and recorded every 5 minutes using a vital signs monitor. Muscle relaxation was appreciated using a subjective scale. Midazolam-fentanyl-ketamine provided better analgesia and muscle relaxation, with minimal cardio-vascular effects compared to the KL protocol. Both protocols can be used in swine and ensure stable cardiovascular parameters during general anaesthesia in this species.


Examining the actions taken during a teaching experiment can provide insight into practices applicable to the use of mathematics technology to assist adult learners. A case study in the form of a teaching experiment was conducted with a small number of subjects to allow for detailed examination of the influence of technology on student thinking. This report examines the type of questions offered by the interviewer during the experiment's sessions and the associated choices made by the study's subjects. Indications are that with higher-level prompts in the form of both requests for observation and requests for justification, the tool in use can become a means by which new understanding is internalized.


The Educational Environment (EE) has an extremely important role in effective student learning. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated and widely tool to assess the EE in health and particularly in dental professional education programs.

 This study aimed to compare male and female dental students' perception regarding DREEM inventory of EE in Jazan University. A cross-sectional questionnaire included questions on demographic information and the DREEM of EEs.

 DREEM was used to gather information from our BDS students' program about the environment in our institution. The data were selected from 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th year students. Data from 330 participants were distributed manually. Other factors such as type of graduated school, level of education, student's GPA, and monthly income of family were assessed. All the data were analyzed.

 286 (86%) of the students completed and returned the DREEM questionnaires. There was no statistically significant difference between genders with respect to mean scores of perceptions of learning. Also, there was a significant difference in terms of educational level, but no significant differences were observed in the DREEM subscales. The average overall DREEM score of the study subjects indicated a positive learning perception of 130.8 for males and 130.2 for females. The subscale for both genders involved students' perception of learning as 32.1, the students' perception of teaching as 29.1, while the students' academic self-perception was 21.7. The students' self-perception of atmosphere was 30.0 while students' social self-perception accounted for 17.5.

 Both gender students recorded positive values of the learning environment. Further, a qualitative investigation is recommended to be done on every single course to evaluate the changes and make necessary alterations.


Recent turmoil in the global financial system has impacted severely on the banking sector with many banks suffering large losses and necessitating the need to raise additional capital privately or through their respective national governments. In our study we investigate the impact of structural reforms performed throughout the European Union (EU) accession process on competition and contestability of banking systems in Romania. The literature of the measurement of competition can be divided into two major approaches: structural and non-structural. The structural approach to the assessment of competition embraces the "Structure-Conduct-Performance Hypothesis" (SCP) and the "Efficient Structure Hypothesis" (ESH). The structural approach, as the name suggests, assesses bank competition by examining measures of market structure such as concentration ratios (the share of assets held by the top 3 or 5 institutions) or indices (e.g., the Herfindhal-Hirschman index) and supposes that higher concentration in the banking market causes less competitive bank conduct and leads to higher bank profitability. The SCP model is originally developed by Bain (1956). The second approach, ESH, developed by Demsetz (1973) and Peltzmann (1977) suggests that the superior performance of the market leaders determines the market structure, implying that higher efficiency produces both higher concentration and greater profitability. The non-structural indicators of competition are mainly based on the measures of monopoly power developed by Lerner (1934). The Lerner Index suggests the mark-up of price over marginal cost. An alternative non-structural indicator of the degree of market competition is the Panzar and Rosse (1987) Hstatistic. The H-statistic measures the extent to which changes in banking costs are reflected in changes in banking revenues. In order to examine the level of competition and market power of banks in Romania for period 2003 – 2009, we estimate the non-structural indicators and compare it with the structural indicators of competition. In particular, we measure competition using Lerner index and the H-statistic, indicators what are estimated using bank-level data and are compared with a standard market structure measure of concentration like HHI and CR5. There are no other studies that measure both structural and non-structural competition indicators for Romanian banking sector. Also, our assessment contains a period of seven years including the begging of the implications of the present international financial crises on Romanian banking sector. The structural indicators show continuous increase of competition in the Romanian banking system. Lerner index and H statistic demonstrate that Romanian banking system is characterized by monopolistic competition and relatively competitive practices. Personnel cost, operational cost and financial cost are statistically significant at conventional levels, which imply good fit of the revenue equations. The results also demonstrate that excess fixed assets do not generate abnormal revenue.


While metabolomics has tremendous potential for diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target discovery, its utility may be diminished by the variability that occurs due to environmental exposures including diet and the influences of the human circadian rhythm. For successful translation of metabolomics findings into the clinical setting, it is necessary to exhaustively define the sources of metabolome variation. To address these issues and to measure the variability of urinary and plasma metabolomes throughout the day, we have undertaken a comprehensive inpatient study in which we have performed non- targeted metabolomics analysis of blood and urine in 26 volunteers (13 healthy subjects with no known disease and 13 healthy subjects with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease not taking medication). These individuals were evaluated in a clinical research facility on two separate occasions, over three days, while on a standardized, weight-based diet. Subjects provided pre- and post-prandial blood and urine samples at the same time of day, and all samples were analyzed by ''fast lane'' LC-MS-based global metabolomics. The largest source of variability in blood and urine metabolomes was attributable to technical issues such as sample preparation and analysis, and less variability was due to biological variables, meals, and time of day. Higher metabolome variability was observed after the morning as compared to the evening meal, yet day-to-day variability was minimal and urine metabolome variability was greater than that of blood. Thus we suggest that blood and urine are suitable biofluids for metabolomics studies, though nontargeted mass spectrometry alone may not offer sufficient precision to reveal subtle changes in the metabolome. Additional targeted analyses may be needed to support the data from nontargeted mass spectrometric analyses. In light of these findings, future metabolomics studies should consider these sources of variability to allow for appropriate metabolomics testing and reliable clinical translation of metabolomics data.


As a result of considerable oversupply of green coffee on the international market, world coffee prices dropped to their lowest levels in 30 years giving rise to the most severe crisis experienced by the coffee sector. In many countries, coffee prices did not cover the average cost of production causing widespread financial and social hardships among producers. Economic losses and the lack of viable income alternatives forced many farmers to abandon their coffee plantations and migrate to urban areas in search of employment. Overall, the effects of the crisis pose serious threats to the prospects for sustainable rural development. In the face of this situation, policymakers and development practitioners have shown their willingness to assist farmers in improving their production performance and thus their ability to cope with the crisis. To avoid wasting scarce resources, policy actions must be carefully tailored to the needs of farmers. On this account, the paper presents a diligent investigation of the factors that determine farmers' technical efficiency in coffee production. As inefficiency in production results in a failure to maximize profits at the farm level, increases in productive efficiency enhance the competitiveness of coffee production and could help farmers to confront the adverse economic conditions caused by the coffee crisis. An empirical evaluation of the factors determining efficiency is critical to identify the constraints faced by farmers in the specific situation and to derive adequate policy measures. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 216 households that were randomly chosen from within two of the main coffee regions in Costa Rica. A standardized questionnaire was administered to households to collect data on coffee production as well as on the socio-economic characteristics of household members. The information collected partly includes recall data covering the production periods 2003/04 and 2002/03. Given its favorable natural conditions, Costa Rica has a competitive advantage with respect to the production of high-quality coffee. In the face of the crisis, the country has put emphasis on exploring that potential, motivating farmers to adjust their production to the requirements of specialty markets. The specialty segment, including high-quality and sustainable coffee, has been attributed major importance in providing farmers with a sustainable alternative to conventional coffee markets. The household sample used for the empirical analysis includes both farmers producing in the specialty segment as well as in the conventional segment. In order to analyze farmers' production performance, a stochastic frontier model is estimated and the effects of a range of farm-specific variables on technical efficiency are determined simultaneously. Given that farmers in the sample use different sets of technologies, two different production frontiers are estimated for farmers cultivating conventional and specialty coffee, respectively. As these sub-samples are unlikely to represent unbiased representations of the population, the ignorance of self-selection bias will produce inconsistent estimates. Following Heckman (1979) and Lee (1978), an inverse Milli's ratio is included in the models to control for self-selection bias. The inverse Milli's ratio is derived from a pooled probit model, which is used to estimate the probability that a farmer chooses to grow specialty coffee. Whereas previous studies have estimated technical efficiency separately for two sub-samples of farmers using different production technologies, the present work explicitly controls for the selection bias that can result from splitting the original sample and that has been neglected in former studies. The probit model indicates that the probability of participation in the specialty segment increases with the farmer's experience in coffee cultivation, education and access to specialized extension service as well as with the size of the farmland. Furthermore, membership in a coffee cooperative has a positive impact on participation. The inverse Milli's ratio that is then included in the stochastic frontier analysis proves to be significant indicating that self-selection is present. Average output of specialty coffee farmers is larger than it would be if all farmers were cultivating specialty coffee. Likewise, average output of conventional farmers is smaller than it would be if all farmers were using the respective technology. This underscores the need for taking possible selectivity bias into account. Controlling for selection bias, the two frontier models identify several factors that determine efficiency levels of farmers. In both models, the effect of other income-generating activities on efficiency is positive, which is likely to be a result of better access to liquidity and information of those farmers who have additional income sources. In the case of specialty farmers, efficiency increases if farmers keep book of their activities and expenditures. Furthermore, efficiency decreases with farm size. This might be interpreted as an advantage of small-scale farms in the cultivation of specialty coffee, although it has to be kept in mind that overall, smaller farmers are less likely to participate in specialty coffee cultivation. In the case of conventional farmers, model results reveal that membership in cooperatives significantly contributes to the achievement of technical efficiency at the farm level. The results of the empirical analysis stress the importance of actively involving small-scale farmers, who are otherwise easily excluded from new market developments. The study suggests that once they are able to overcome the barriers that prevent their participation, small-scale farmers can successfully compete in the specialty segment. Further policy recommendations derived from the empirical results include the provision of extension services, the support of coffee cooperatives, and the diversification of the rural economy.


A perfect start is a key factor for project completion on time. The study examined the effects of delayed mobilization of resources during the initial phases of the project. This paper mainly highlights the identification and categorization of all delays during the initial construction phase and their root cause analysis with corrective/control measures for the Kuwait Oil Company oil and gas projects. A relatively good percentage of the delays identified during the project execution (Contract award to end of defects liability period) attributed to mobilization/preliminary activity delays. Data analysis demonstrated significant increase in average project delay during the last five years compared to the previous period. Contractors had delays/issues during the initial phase, which resulted in slippages and progressively increased, resulting in time and cost overrun. Delays/issues not mitigated on time during the initial phase had very high impact on project completion. Data analysis of the delays for the past five years was carried out using trend chart, scatter plot, process map, box plot, relative importance index and Pareto chart. Construction of any project inside the Gathering Centers involves complex management skills related to work force, materials, plant, machineries, new technologies etc. Delay affects completion of projects and compromises quality, schedule and budget of project deliverables. Works executed as per plan during the initial phase and start-up duration of the project construction activities resulted in minor slippages/delays in project completion. In addition, there was a good working environment between client and contractor resulting in better project execution and management. Mainly, the contractor was on the front foot in the execution of projects, which had minimum/no delays during the initial and construction period. Hence, having a perfect start during the initial construction phase shall have a positive influence on the project success. Our research paper studies each type of delay with some real example supported by statistic results and suggests mitigation measures. Detailed analysis carried out with all stakeholders based on impact and occurrence of delays to have a practical and effective outcome to mitigate the delays. The key to improvement is to have proper control measures and periodic evaluation/audit to ensure implementation of the mitigation measures. The focus of this research is to reduce the delays encountered during the initial construction phase of the project life cycle. Keywords—Construction activities delays, delay analysis for construction projects, mobilization delays, oil and gas projects delays.


Passive smoking is the involuntary inhalation of tobacco smoke by nonsmokers. The purpose of this study was to estimate the degree of passive smoking exposure sustained by smokers and nonsmokers in a nonventilated submarine through the measurement of end-expiratory carbon monoxide (EECO) levels. The initial and final EECO levels were compared for both smokers and nonsmokers. A simple linear regression equation was then used to compare the initial EECO levels in smokers (and their daily cigarette use) with the postsubmergence EECO levels in nonsmokers. Our results showed the postsubmergence EECO levels in the nonsmoking crew members approximated the initial EECO levels in crew members who smoked 21 cigarettes per day. Nonsmokers in a submerged submarine are exposed to significant levels of CO. Future studies are needed to determine the health consequences of this significantly increased level of exposure in nonsmokers.


Background & objectives: Evidence suggests that there is a prevalence of sedentary lifestyle in children and adolescents. To design and implement interventions for increasing physical activity in adolescents, it is necessary to determine factors influencing physical activity in this age group and prevent inactivity. Therefore, the present study aims to determine factors influencing physical activity in Bushehrian school girls based on health promotion model. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 410 girl students in first secondary schools in Bushehr were evaluated with cluster sampling. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: Demographic, questions related to health promotion model (perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, social support, and activity related affect) and International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). For data analysis, descriptive test, Chi-square , ANOVA and logit regression model were used. Results: The students in terms of physical activity were divided into three categories, 40.2% (n =165) of students were inactive, 40.5% (n=166) minimally active and 19.3 (n=79) HEPA active. physical activity status was not associated with personal factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), job and education. While the prior physical activity had a significant association with physical activity behavior (p<0.001). All health promotion model constructs had a significant association with physical activity. The results indicated that physical activity was predicted by perceived benefits (€=0.015, p=0.036), perceived family support (€=0.015, p=0.014) and prior physical activity (€=1.008, p=0.000). Conclusions: Family support is one of the most important factors for influencing physical activity, therefore motivating family members for student support and training benefits of physical activity in student especially in student without prior physical activity can be an effective step to promote physical activity in this group of people.


Objective: The authors reviewed available evidence on neonatal neuroimaging strategies for evaluating both very low birth weight preterm infants and encephalopathic term neonates. Imaging for the preterm neonate: Routine screening cranial ultrasonography (US) should be performed on all infants of <30 weeks' gestation once between 7 and 14 days of age and should be optimally repeated between 36 and 40 weeks' postmenstrual age. This strategy detects lesions such as intraventricular hemorrhage, which influences clinical care, and those such as periventricular leukomalacia and low-pressure ventriculomegaly, which provide information about long-term neurodevelopmental outcome. There is insufficient evidence for routine MRI of all very low birth weight preterm infants with abnormal results of cranial US. Imaging for the term infant: Noncontrast CT should be performed to detect hemorrhagic lesions in the encephalopathic term infant with a history of birth trauma, low hematocrit, or coagulopathy. If CT findings are inconclusive, MRI should be performed between days 2 and 8 to assess the location and extent of injury. The pattern of injury identified with conventional MRI may provide diagnostic and prognostic information for term infants with evidence of encephalopathy. In particular, basal ganglia and thalamic lesions detected by conventional MRI are associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcome. Diffusion-weighted imaging may allow earlier detection of these cerebral injuries. Recommendations: US plays an established role in the management of preterm neonates of <30 weeks' gestation. US also provides valuable prognostic information when the infant reaches 40 weeks' postmenstrual age. For encephalopathic term infants, early CT should be used to exclude hemorrhage; MRI should be performed later in the first postnatal week to establish the pattern of injury and predict neurologic outcome.


In vitro tests employing microdilution to evaluate fungal susceptibility to antifungal drugs are already standardized for fermentative yeasts. However, studies on the susceptibility of dimorphic fungi such as Paracoccidioides brasiliensis employing this method are scarce. The present work introduced some modifications into antifungal susceptibility testing from the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST), concerning broth medium and reading time, to determine minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of amphotericin B and itraconazole against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Yeast-like cells of P. brasiliensis (Pb18 strain) were tested for susceptibility to amphotericin B and itraconazole in RPMI 1640 medium, supplemented with 2% glucose and nitrogen source and incubated at 35°C. The MIC of amphotericin B and itraconazole against Pb18 were respectively 0.25 µg/mL and 0.002 µg/mL. The results of minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) showed that amphotericin B at 0.25 µg/mL or higher concentrations displayed fungicidal activity against Pb18 while itraconazole at least 0.002 µg/mL has a fungistatic effect on P. brasiliensis. In conclusion, our results showed that the method employed in the present study is reproducible and reliable for testing the susceptibility of P. brasiliensis to antifungal drugs.


Pyrithiamine-induced thiamine deficiency (PTD) in rats causes deficits on a wide variety of spatial-memory tasks. PTD-induced memory deficits are thought to result from damage in areas of the diencephalon that are selectively vulnerable to the metabolic disruption of thiamine deficiency. However, a high incidence of seizures during the late stages of PTD treatment complicates this interpretation, as these seizures may contribute to the neuropathological and behavioural outcome of PTD. The present experiment assessed spatial allocentric working-memory in recovered PTD rats. Two groups of rats received PTD treatment; one group received diazepam (5mg/kg) upon the first sign of overt seizures in order to attenuate them until treatment reversal (Group PTD+DZ), and the other group received no diazepam (Group PTD). Following recovery, the rats were trained on a delayed matching-to-place (DMTP) task in a water maze, and tested with retention delays of 4, 30, and 120 seconds. Both experimental groups displayed DMTP acquisition defecits, and PTD rats were subsequently impaired at all retention delays. By contrast, the PTD+DZ rats were impaired only at the 120-sec delay. Moreover, thalamic neuropathology was attenuated in the PTD+DZ rats. Although further studies will be needed to determine the mechanism by which diazepam exerts its protective effects in this model, the present study suggests that PTD-induced neuropathology and memory deficits can be attenuated by treatments that reduce seizure activity.


DNA methylation patterns and functions are variable across invertebrate taxa. In order to provide a better understanding of DNA methylation in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), we characterized the genome-wide DNA methylation profile in male gamete cells using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. RNA-Seq analysis was performed to examine the relationship between DNA methylation and transcript expression. Methylation status of over 7.6 million CpG dinucleotides was described with a majority of methylated regions occurring among intragenic regions. Overall, 15% of the CpG dinucleotides were determined to be methylated and the mitochondrial genome lacked DNA methylation. Integrative analysis of DNA methylation and RNA-Seq data revealed a positive association between methylation status, both in gene bodies and putative promoter regions, and expression. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the distribution of DNA methylation in the oyster male gamete tissue and suggests that DNA methylation is involved in gene regulatory activity.


Bladder rupture occurs in only 1.6% of blunt abdominopelvic trauma cases. Although rare, bladder rupture can result in significant morbidity if undiagnosed or inappropriately managed. AUA Urotrauma Guidelines suggest that urethral catheter drainage is a standard of care for both extraperitoneal and intraperitoneal bladder rupture regardless of the need for surgical repair. However, no specific guidance is given regarding the length of catheterization. The present study seeks to summarize contemporary management of bladder trauma at our tertiary care center, assess the impact of length of catheterization on bladder injuries and complications, and develop a protocol for management of bladder injuries from time of injury to catheter removal. A retrospective review was performed on 34,413 blunt trauma cases to identify traumatic bladder ruptures over the past 10 years (January 2008–January 2018) at our tertiary care facility. Patient data were collected including age, gender, BMI, mechanism of injury, and type of injury. The primary treatment modality (surgical repair vs. catheter drainage only), length of catheterization, and post-injury complications were also assessed. Review of our institutional trauma database identified 44 patients with bladder trauma. Mean age was 41 years, mean BMI was 24.8 kg/m2, 95% were Caucasian, and 55% were female. Motor vehicle collision (MVC) was the most common mechanism, representing 45% of total injuries. Other mechanisms included falls (20%) and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents (13.6%). 31 patients had extraperitoneal injury, and 13 were intraperitoneal. Pelvic fractures were present in 93%, and 39% had additional solid organ injuries. Formal cystogram was performed in 59% on presentation, and mean time to cystogram was 4 hours. Gross hematuria was noted in 95% of cases. Operative management was performed for all intraperitoneal injuries and 35.5% of extraperitoneal cases. Bladder closure in operative cases was typically performed in 2 layers with absorbable suture in a running fashion. The intraperitoneal and extraperitoneal injuries managed operatively were compared, and length of catheterization (28 d vs. 22 d, p=0.46), time from injury to normal fluorocystogram (19.8 d vs. 20.7 d, p=0.80), and time from injury to repair (4.3 vs. 60.5 h, p=0.23) were not statistically different between cohorts. Patients whose catheter remained in place for greater than 14 days had prolonged time to initial cystogram (26.6 d vs. 11.5 d) compared with those whose foley catheter was removed within 14 days. The complication rate was 21% for catheters left more than 14 days while patients whose catheter remained less than 14 days experienced no complications. The present study provides a 10-year retrospective review characterizing the presentation, management, and follow-up of bladder trauma patients at our level 1 trauma center. Based on our findings, we have developed an institutional protocol which now includes recommendations regarding length of catheterization after traumatic bladder rupture. By providing specific guidelines for initial follow-up cystogram and foley removal, we hope to decrease patient morbidity from prolonged catheterization. Further study will seek to allow multidisciplinary trauma teams to standardize management, streamline care, and minimize complications for patients presenting with traumatic bladder injuries.


For non-uniform continuous bridge in actual projects, the theoretical analysis and field testing of the dynamic response under moving vehicle are carried out. Firstly, Euler-Lagrange equation is applied to derive the vibration equation of three-axle vehicle. Then one obtains the dynamic analysis model by using the finite element method and the vehicle-bridge interaction equation based on the displacement coordination relationship of the contact between wheels and bridge. Lastly, numerical solutions are presented according to the dynamic response of the bridge, compared with the real values. The results show that: the roadway roughness and vehicle speed strongly influence the impact factor.


Background: The use of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk to personalize systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment goals is a topic of increasing interest. Therefore, we studied whether coronary artery calcium (CAC) can further guide the allocation of anti-hypertensive treatment intensity. Methods: We included 3733 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) with SBP between 120 and 179 mm Hg. Within subgroups categorized by both SBP (120–139 mm Hg, 140–159 mm Hg, and 160–179 mm Hg) and estimated 10-year ASCVD risk (using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Assocation pooled-cohort equations), we compared multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for the composite outcome of incident ASCVD or heart failure after further stratifying by CAC (0, 1–100, or >100). We estimated 10-year number-needed-to-treat for an intensive SBP goal of 120 mm Hg by applying the treatment benefit recorded in meta-analyses to event rates within CAC strata. Results: The mean age was 65 years, and 642 composite events took place over a median of 10.2 years. In persons with SBP <160 mm Hg, CAC stratified risk for events. For example, among those with an ASCVD risk of <15% and who had an SBP of either 120 to 139 mm Hg or 140 to 159 mm Hg, respectively, we found increasing hazard ratios for events with CAC 1 to 100 (1.7 [95% confidence interval, 1.0–2.6] or 2.0 [1.1–3.8]) and CAC >100 (3.0 [1.8–5.0] or 5.7 [2.9–11.0]), all relative to CAC=0. There appeared to be no statistical association between CAC and events when SBP was 160 to 179 mm Hg, irrespective of ASCVD risk level. Estimated 10-year number-needed-to-treat for a SBP goal of 120mmHg varied substantially according to CAC levels when predicted ASCVD risk <15% and SBP <160mmHg (eg, 10-year number-needed-to-treat of 99 for CAC=0 and 24 for CAC>100, when SBP 120-139mm Hg). However, few participants with ASCVD risk <5% had elevated CAC. Furthermore, 10-year number-needed-to-treat estimates were consistently low and varied less among CAC strata when SBP was 160 to 179 mm Hg or when ASCVD risk was ≥15% at any SBP level. Conclusions: Combined CAC imaging and assessment of global ASCVD risk has the potential to guide personalized SBP goals (eg, choosing a traditional goal of 140 or a more intensive goal of 120 mm Hg), particularly among adults with an estimated ASCVD risk of 5% to 15% and prehypertension or mild hypertension.


For the purpose of producing high intensity, multiply charged metal ion beams, the dual hollow cathode ion source for metal ions (DUHOCAMIS) was derived from the hot cathode Penning ion source combined with the hollow cathode sputtering experiments in 2007. To investigate the behavior of this discharge geometry in a stronger magnetic bottle-shaped field, a new test bench for DUHOCAMIS with a high magnetic bottle-shaped field up to 0.6 T has been set up at the Peking University. The experiments with magnetic fields from 0.13 T to 0.52 T have indicated that the discharge behavior is very sensitive to the magnetic flux densities. The slope of discharge curves in a very wide range can be controlled by changing the magnetic field as well as regulated by adjusting the cathode heating power; the production of metallic ions would be much greater than gas ions with the increased magnetic flux density; and the magnetic field has a much higher influence on the DHCD mode than on the PIG mode.


Monroe was a well-known American world-wide educator in the first half of the 20th century. He came to China more than ten times to investigate Chinese education, deliver academic lectures, and conduct cultural exchanges from the 1920s to the 1940s. He made a great contribution to Sino-American cultural and educational exchanges in Modern China. However, for quite a long time, academic circles at home and abroad have paid little attention to this because of Dewey's dazzling work in the field of education. Based on a systematical investigation of all Monroe's previous visits to China, from the perspective of educational exchange between China and other countries, this article gives a relatively deep exploration into Monroe's work to expose the subtleness and depth of its historical truth. It examines the relationship between Monroe and overseas Chinese students, Monroe and Educational System in 1922, Monroe and the reform in Chinese primary and middle schools during the 1920s to the 1940s, Monroe and the China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture as well as the China Institute in America. It draws the conclusion that Monroe has exerted a profound influence on the educational development of China in modern times, and made a unique contribution to talent cultivation, educational reform, social transformation, and cultural and educational exchange.


This study seeks to facilitate the (re)generation of integral theory and integral education theory through exploring and enacting postconventional modalities emerging from worldviews and paradigms beyond modernity and formal thought. Its quest sits in service to humanity-within-biosphere, with particular reference to education. The format involves a collection of published papers (one co-authored) cohered through an extensive introduction, interleafs, and conclusion. A generative critique of Ken Wilber's integral theory is given, notably through a focused engagement with postformal thought. This leads to an ecology of academic fields being brought into play to help generate new types of integral thinking. Such exploration also helps develop postformal theory or postconventional poetics. In addition to postformal thought, fields include complexity theory, critical theory, ecosophy, futures studies, hermeneutics, poetics and poststructuralism. Each variously contributes to the postconventional ensemble which is cohered through creative transdisciplinarity: complexity theory supports an emergent research process and a partly decentralised format; critical theory emphasises the contrast between the modern-formal developmental level and that beyond; Guattari's ecosophy complexly integrates biospherical, social and conceptual domains; futures studies complements historical awareness regarding temporal contextualisation; hermeneutics foregrounds construct-awareness; poetics enables an enactment of the metaphor "text as music"; whilst poststructuralism precipitates a deterritorialisation and "dialecticisation" of integral theory in addition to a querying of certain textual conventions. Contexts of integral studies and integral education are addressed, both theoretically through Ernest Boyer's scholarship of integration, and historically through the identification of a Western genealogy including Classical, Hermetic, Neoplatonic, Renaissance, Humanist and Reconstructive Postmodern moments. Additionally, planetary consciousness is effected through Native American, Islamic and counter-hegemonic perspectives. Critiques include address of modernistic "economies of truth" including economism, technicism and atomism, Wilber's orientation toward Green thinking, Richard Slaughter's perspective on Causal Layered Analysis, and Wilberian integral education theory. Valorisations are given to "complexities of truth" including archetypes, "eco-logics," holarchies, "nanotextology," open systems, spiritual orientations, and vision-logic. Cross-level education is addressed in relation to content (knowledge, curricula), occasion (identities, pedagogy) and system; for each, a critical contrast is identified between approaches and interpretations following a modern atomistic template and those arising from more integrative sensibilities with respect to complexities of identity, peer relationalities and contextusalisations. The study contributes to numerous discourses including integral studies, postconventional studies, philosophy of education, critical education, ecology, futures studies, and transdisciplinarity entailing the meta-dialogue between art and science. Framed as an ethical "conceptual concerto," this creative academic artefact offers "passion for the possible."


Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems often incorporate a relevance feedback mechanism in which retrieval is adapted based on users identifying images as relevant or irrelevant. Such relevance decisions are often assumed to be category-based. However, forcing a user to decide upon category membership of an image, even when unfamiliar with a database and irrespective of context, is restrictive. An alternative is to obtain user feedback in the form of relative similarity judgments. The ability of a user to provide meaningful feedback depends on the interface that displays retrieved images and facilitates the feedback. Similarity-based 2D layouts provide context and can enable more efficient visual search. Motivated by these observations, this study describes and evaluates an interactive image browsing and retrieval approach based on relative similarity feedback obtained from 2D image layouts. It incorporates online maximal-margin learning to adapt the image similarity metric used to perform retrieval. A user starts a session by browsing a collection of images displayed in a 2D layout. He/she may choose a query image perceived to be similar to the envisioned target image. A set of images similar to the query are then returned. The user can then provide relational feedback and/or update the query image to obtain a new set of images. Algorithms for CBIR are often characterised empirically by simulating usage based on pre-defined, fixed category labels, deeming retrieved results as relevant if they share a category label with the query. In contrast, the purpose of the system in this study is to enable browsing and retrieval without predefined categories. Therefore evaluation is performed in a target-based setting by quantifying the efficiency with which target images are retrieved given initial queries.


In this paper, we propose an efficient fusion framework for brain magnetic resonance (MR) image classification using deep learning and handcrafted feature extraction methods; namely, histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) and local binary patterns (LBPs). The proposed framework aims to: (1) determine the optimal handcrafted features by Genetic Algorithm (GA) (2) discover the fully connected (FC) layers' features using fine-tuned convolutional neural network (CNN) (3) employ the canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and the discriminant correlation analysis (DCA) methods in feature-level fusion. Extensive experiments were conducted and the classification performance was demonstrated on three benchmark datasets; viz., RD-DB1, TCIA-IXI-DB2 and TWB-HM-DB3. Mean accuracy of 68.69%, 90.35% and 93.15% from CCA and 77.22%, 100.00% and 99.40% from DCA was achieved by the Support Vector Machines (SVM) sigmoid kernel classifier on RD-DB1, TCIA-IXI-DB2 and TWB-HM-DB3, respectively. The obtained results of the proposed framework outperform when compared with other state-of-the-art works.


Using Gaussian integral transform techniques borrowed from functional-integral field theory and the replica trick we derive a version of the coherent-potential approximation (CPA) suited for describing ($i$) the diffusive (hopping) motion of classical particles in a random environment and ($ii$) the vibrational properties of materials with spatially fluctuating elastic coefficients in topologically disordered materials. The effective medium in the present version of the CPA is not a lattice but a homogeneous and isotropic medium, representing an amorphous material on a mesoscopic scale. The transition from a frequency-independent to a frequency-dependent diffusivity (conductivity) is shown to correspond to the boson peak in the vibrational model. The anomalous regimes above the crossover are governed by a complex, frequency-dependent self energy. The boson peak is shown to be stronger for non-Gaussian disorder than for Gaussian disorder. We demonstrate that the low-frequency non-analyticity of the off-lattice version of the CPA leads to the correct long-time tails of the velocity autocorrelation function in the hopping problem and to low-frequency Rayleigh scattering in the wave problem. Furthermore we show that the present version of the CPA is capable to treat the percolative aspects of hopping transport adequately.


Both fully dispersed unpolarized and polarized chemiluminescence spectra from the Ba((3)P)+N(2)O reaction have been recorded under hyperthermal laser-ablated atomic beam-Maxwellian gas conditions at three specific average collision energies E(c) in the range of 4.82-7.47 eV. A comprehensive analysis of the whole data series suggests that the A (1)Sigma(+)-->X (1)Sigma(+) band system dominates the chemiluminescence. The polarization results revealed that the BaO(A (1)Sigma(+)) product rotational alignment is insensitive to its vibrational state upsilon(') at E(c)=4.82 eV but develops into an strong negative correlation between product rotational alignment and upsilon(') at 7.47 eV. The results are interpreted in terms of a direct mechanism involving a short-range, partial electron transfer from Ba((3)P) to N(2)O which is constrained by the duration of the collision, so that the reaction has a larger probability to occur when the collision time is larger than the time needed for N(2)O bending. The latter in turn determines that, at any given E(c), collinear reactive intermediates are preferentially involved when the highest velocity components of the corresponding collision energy distributions are sampled. Moreover, the data at 4.82 eV suggest that a potential barrier to reaction which favors charge transfer to bent N(2)O at chiefly coplanar geometries is operative for most of the reactive trajectories that sample the lowest velocity components. Such a barrier would arise from the relevant ionic-covalent curve crossings occurring in the repulsive region of the covalent potential Ba((3)P)cdots, three dots, centeredN(2)O((1)Sigma(+)); from this crossing the BaO(A (1)Sigma(+)) product may be reached through mixings in the exit channel with potential energy surfaces leading most likely to the spin-allowed b (3)Pi and a (3)Sigma(+) products. The variation with increasing E(c) of both the magnitude of the average BaO(A (1)Sigma(+)) rotational alignment and the BaO(A (1)Sigma(+)) rovibrational excitation, as obtained from spectral simulations of the unpolarized chemiluminescence spectra, consistently points to additional dynamic factors, most likely the development of induced repulsive energy release as the major responsible for the angular momentum and energy disposal at the two higher E(c) studied. The results of a simplified version of the direct interaction with product repulsion-distributed as in photodissociation model do not agree with the observed average product rotational alignments, showing that a more realistic potential energy surface model will be necessary to explain the present results.


Aim Humoral immunity and B cells are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of the systemic sclerosis (SSc). The production of free light chains (FLC) of immunoglobulins is abnormally high in several pathological autoimmune conditions and reflects B cell activation. Furthermore, FLCs demonstrated different biological activities including their capability to modulate the immune system, proteolytic activity and complement cascade activation. The aims of this study are to determine the FLC levels in patients with SSc compared with healthy controls (HC) and to study their possible association with organ involvement and disease characteristics. Methods Sixty-five patients with SSc and 20 HC were studied. Clinical and immunological inflammatory characteristics were assessed for all the patients with SSc. κ-FLC and λ-FLC, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and B cell activating factor levels were measured. Results The mean serum κ-FLC levels and FLC ratio were significantly higher in patients with SSc compared with HC, while the serum λ-FLC levels were comparable. The levels of FLC were comparable in patients with diffuse skin disease and limited skin involvement, while κ-FLC levels were increased in patients with restrictive lung (forced vital capacity (FVC) <80%) disease (26.4±7.4 mg/L) when compared with patients with FVC ≥80% (19.6±7.3 mg/L, P=0.009). In patients with SSc, the levels of serum κ-FLC level directly correlated with the IL-6 levels (R=0.3, P=0.001) and disease activity (R=0.4, P=0.003). Conclusions FLC levels are elevated in SSc and high levels are associated with lung involvement and with a higher degree of inflammation, supporting a possible role of B cell activation in the pathophysiology of the disease.


Many people seek individualised homeopathic treatment, however its use remains controversial. There have been suggestions that any improvement of the symptoms of those seeking individualised homeopathic treatment is solely down to the time and attention given to the patient by the homeopath.

This aim of this thesis is to explore the question "is homeopathic treatment involving a homeopathic consultation and a homeopathic remedy any different to spending time with an empathetic practitioner, in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome?"

This study involved a systematic review of homeopathic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome and a randomised controlled trial comparing individualised homeopathic treatment to supportive listening and usual care. The primary outcome measure was the change in irritable bowel symptom severity score at 26 weeks. Differences between the three arms were assessed using independent t-tests and ANCOVA.

A qualitative study nested within the randomised controlled trial involved qualitative interviews with a proportion of the participants in both the homeopathic treatment and supportive listening arms. This was to explore participants' experiences of the treatment they received, and what, if anything about the treatment they felt led to any improvements.

The systematic review of homeopathic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome identified two eligible RCTs, a meta-analysis of the results of these trials indicated a benefit of homeopathic treatment over placebo. However the results of this review should be viewed with caution as it is possible that there was a degree of bias associated with these two trials.

In the randomised controlled trial, no significant differences were found between homeopathic treatment and supportive listening, when using t-tests or ANCOVA to compare mean change in IBS-SSS between baseline and 26 weeks.

The qualitative interviews identified four different typologies that explained what patients believed to have led to changes in their general health and/or irritable bowel symptoms.


In recent years, lipid based nanostructures have increasingly been used as model membranes to study various complex biological processes. For better understanding of such phenomena, it is essential to gain as much information as possible for model lipid structures under physiological conditions. In this paper, we focus on one of such lipids--monoelaidin (ME)--for its polymorphic nanostructures under varying conditions of temperature and water content. In the recent contribution (Soft Matter, 2010, 6, 3191), we have reported the phase diagram of ME above 30 °C and compared with the phase behavior of other lipids including monoolein (MO), monovaccenin (MV), and monolinolein (ML). Remarkable phase behavior of ME, stabilizing three bicontinuous cubic phases, motivates its study at low temperatures. Current studies concentrate on the low-temperature (<30 °C) behavior of ME and subsequent reconstruction of its phase diagram over the entire temperature-water composition space (temperature, 0-76 °C; and water content, 0-70%). The polymorphs found for the monoelaidin-water system include three bicontinuous cubic phases, i.e., Ia3d, Pn3m, and Im3m, and lamellar phases which exhibit two crystalline (L(c1) and L(c0)), two gel (L(β) and L(β*)), and a fluid lamellar (L(α)) states. The fluid isotropic phase (L(2)) was observed only for lower hydrations (<20%), whereas hexagonal phase (H(2)) was not found under studied conditions. Nanostructural parameters of these phases as a function of temperature and water content are presented together with some molecular level calculations. This study might be crucial for perception of the lyotropic phase behavior as well as for designing nanostructural assemblies for potential applications.