This book brings together research on democratization processes and constitutional justice by examining the role of three generations of European constitutional courts in the transitions to democracy that took place in Europe in the twentieth century. Using a comparative perspective, the author examines how the constitutional courts during that period managed to ensure an initial full implementation of the constitutional provisions, thus contributing – together with other actors and factors – to the positive outcome of the democratization processes. European Constitutional Courts and Transitions to Democracy provides a better understanding of the relationship between transitions to democracy and constitutionalism from the perspective of constitutional courts.


Results of 115 aorto-femoral bypasses through mini-laparotomy (ML-group) are compared with the results of 117 similar operations through standard laparotomy (SL-group). The patients of both group were similar by main characteristics, but the concomitant diseases (coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases) were seen more often in ML-group. It is demonstrated that there were no significance differences between two groups in number and structure of postoperative complications. Less surgical trauma, short rehabilitation period, small risk of postoperative complications and lethality are the advantages of mini-laparotomic surgery.


Using the complex source-point method, we deduce simple approximate formulae for the six rectangular components of the electromagnetic field of a Gaussian beam. It is shown that in the standing-wave pattern formed by two oppositely directed Gaussian beams, nodal surfaces exist on which the tangential component of the electric field vector is zero. These surfaces can be regarded as defining mirror shapes for an open resonator supporting this Gaussian standing-wave pattern. These mirror shapes are nearly, but not exactly, spherical. The resonant frequencies for the fundamental transverse mode of such a resonator have been found as a function of the geometry and the axial mode number. Using a simple perturbation method the resonant frequency of an open resonator with spherical mirrors has been found. The result, though approximate is accurate to within (kw0)–6 in contrast to the commonly quoted result, which is only accurate to within (kw0)–4, where k is the phase coefficient for TEM waves in free space and w0 is the scale radius of the Gaussian beam at the beam waist.


The facies distribution in the Tatra Eocene conforms well the Ami model. The similarities are demonstrated by faunal content and petrographic composition. The relation between the size and shape of nummulite and discocycline tests and energy of depositional environment has been confirmed. The interpretation of the vertical sequence of nummulite faunas according to the Ami model. modifies the stratigraphic evaluations of the index forms of the hemeras I, II and III of F. Bieda. The species Nummulites brongniarti , N. perforatus and N. millecaput lived simultaneously and their consecutive appearance in the sections reflects the lateral, transgressive facies migration.


The insecticide susceptibility status of Background: Anopheles funestus, one of the main malaria vectors in the Afrotropical regions, remains under-studied due to the difficulty of working with this mosquito species. Collecting their larvae in natural breeding sites, rearing and maintaining them in normal laboratory conditions have been a difficult task. Forced-egg laying technique has been a very good tool to generate eggs from adult mosquitoes collected from the wild but rearing these eggs to obtain satisfying portion as adults has always been the problem. In this study, we optimized the development of mosquito species larvae under standard laboratory conditions for desired production of adult mosquitoes that can be useful for insecticide susceptibility tests. A forced-egg laying technique was used to obtain eggs from Methods: gravid female collected from Kpome locality in Benin. Anopheles funestus Eggs were reared in three different water samples (water from the borehole, and two mineral water namely FIFA and Possotômè) and larvae were fed with TetraMin baby fish food. The physico-chemical parameters of the waters were investigated prior to use for egg incubation (introduction of eggs' batches into water). In contrast to mineral water that had no contamination, the Results: borehole water source was contaminated with lead (2.5mg/L) and nitrate (118.8mg/L). Egg hatching rates ranged as 91.9 ± 4.4%, 89.1 ± 2.5% and 87.9 ± 2.6% in FIFA, Possotômè and borehole water respectively. High emergence of larvae to adult mosquitoes was recorded as in FIFA (74.3%) and Possotômè (79.5%) water. No adult mosquito was obtained from larvae reared in borehole water. This study gave insight on the water sources that could be Conclusions: good for rearing to mass produce in the laboratory. More An. funestus analysis with other local mineral water sources in our environments could 1,2 1,2 2


Purpose Youth baseball frequently results in repetitive strain injuries. Quantitative ultrasound allows real-time imaging with the ability to identify acute markers of tendon change. The study objective was to determine acute quantitative ultrasound changes in the long head of the biceps and infraspinatus tendons of the throwing and nonthrowing shoulders during a pitching performance. We hypothesized the tendons of the pitching arm would exhibit an increased width and decreased echogenicity after pitching and that tendons of the nonpitching arm would not demonstrate such changes. Methods Fifty youth baseball players, ages 9–14 yr, engaged in a simulated pitching performance that consisted of 50 pitches. Subjects underwent serial quantitative ultrasound imaging of the infraspinatus and the long head of the biceps before pitching and after 25 and 50 pitches were thrown. Results Testing of the change in tendon width revealed the infraspinatus (0.21 mm) and long head of the biceps tendons (0.18 mm) in the throwing shoulder had statistically significant increases (P = 0.03) in tendon width as an acute response to throwing 50 pitches, without such changes in the nonthrowing shoulder (P > 0.05). No tendon width change was found at 25 pitches in either arm or tendon (P > 0.05). No associated changes in echogenicity were found at any time point (P > 0.05). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that pitching acutely increases tendon width in two biomechanically important tendons of the shoulder as early as the 50 pitch mark. This change could be a normal physiological response or a potential warning sign of future pathology and requires further study.


This study investigated the association between leptin, body composition and physical
fitness in black adolescents from two selected schools in Ikageng, in the North West
Province of South Africa. Baseline measurements were obtained from 124 boys and
148 girls between the ages of 13 and 20 years, which participated in the bigger
PLAY- longitudinal study (Physical Activity in the Young). Body composition was
assessed through SSK (sum of 6 skinfolds), BMI (body mass index) and body fat
percentage (BOD POD). Physical fitness was measured with the 20 meters shuttle
run and indirect V0 2 -max values were calculated using Internet software.
Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. Partial correlations were used
to determine the relationships between various variables. From the results it is clear
the SSK showed a strong positive correlation in both genders with leptin – even a
stronger correlation in boys (r = 0.8420). In girls BMI and leptin correlated the
highest (r = 0.7489). Body fat percentage had the weakest correlation with leptin in
both genders, although it was still significant. Indirect V0 2 -max values and leptin
showed a significant negative correlation in both genders. This correlation was
stronger in boys (r = -0.314) than in girls (r = -0.235). Keywords : Leptin; South Africa; Body composition; Ethnicity; Physical fitness;
Body fat; Gender. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 29 (2) 2007: pp. 109-120


ABSTRACT Paleokarst developed in sulfate deposits is common, and it is usually formed along the contact with the overlying permeable rocks or it is due to near-surface dissolution of bedded evaporites. In the Lower Werra Anhydrite (Zechstein) of northern Poland the paleokarst cavities are usually filled by bluish semitransparent anhydrite and more rarely by celestite, polyhalite, halite, and carbonate. In small cavities (a few centimeters across), a rim of rod-like anhydrite crystals arranged in narrow bundles occurs, and the inner part of the cavity is filled with a mosaic aggregate of short prismatic crystals of anhydrite and celestite as well as coarse irregular anhydrite. Celestite crystals and fan-shaped aggregates as well as spherulites of anhydrite are rare. In bigger cavities (some ten centimeters across), multiple zones of fibrous anhydrite are arranged in different directions in the middle part of the cavity fill. The innermost parts of large karst cavities remain hollow in some cases, with the cavity walls encrusted by coarse, well-developed crystals of anhydrite and celestite. The karst cavities in the Lower Werra Anhydrite developed in the subsurface by dissolution of CaSO4 strata in halite-rich intervals due to gypsum dehydration water. During gypsum dehydration, dissolution of that halite would have increased the sodium chloride content of the solution and thus the solubility of calcium sulfate. Dissolved calcium sulfate was removed from a leaching zone by diffusion and/or downward flow in interstitial space, and the minerals in karst cavities precipitated from the same solutions as those solutions became oversaturated because of decreases in NaCl concentration over time. This study suggests that karst in sulfate deposits can develop in the subsurface and without uplift and/or near-surface conditions.


Introduction: An aerobic, Mn(III)-oxidizing, Gram-negative, motile bacterium (strain GSL-010T) was isolated from deep waters of the St Lawrence Estuary (Canada) and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Results: Cells were mostly curved, motile rods (1.75 – 2.2 x 0.5 – 0.7 μm) with growth observed at 10 – 37 oC (optimum at 30 oC), pH 5 – 10 (optimum at 7.0 – 7.5) and with 0 – 3% (w/v) NaCl (optimum at 0.5%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed strain GSL-010T as a member of the genus Pseudomonas, most closely related to the type strains of Pseudomonas plecoglossicida (98.9%) and Pseudomonas japonica (98.6%). The major cellular fatty acids of strain GSL-010T are a combination of C16:1 ω7c and/or iso-C15:1 2-OH, C16:0 and C18:1 ω7c. The G+C mol content of the chromosomal DNA is 59.7%. The DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain GSL-010T and P. plecoglossicida (32.0%) and P. japonica (34.4%) confirm the assignment of the bacterium to a new species. Conclusion: On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization and physiological and biochemical characterization, strain GSL-010T is clearly a unique bacterium and since it was isolated from the waters of the St. Lawrence estuary, the name Pseudomonas laurentiana sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GSL-010T (=JCM 32154T =NBRC 113027T =KCTC 62392T).


In this paper, innovative design of printing-like effect digital jacquard fabric based on layered-combination design mode is introduced with proper design illustrations. Directly borrowed from layered design method of digital image and corresponding color theory, the innovative design method theoretically can be divided into colorless mode and colorful mode two parts. Following design method of full-color compound structure invented specially for layered-combination design mode, several colorless single-layer structures can be combined to form a full-color compound structure, which enables digital jacquard fabric to express printing-like effect with mega-level mixed colors. The results of study provided the possibility of opening creative horizon and aesthetical dimension for jacquard fabric design.


I. THE FIRST SKETCHThe fashion industry thrives because of the consuming public's desire to be affiliated with appealing brands. Some of these coveted brands are best identified by particular colors-for example, Tiffany & Co.'s blue, Hermes's orange, and Christian Louboutin's red. Others are internationally known for specific designs that incorporate color-such as Missoni's vibrant patterns. While these colors may be well-recognized symbols of specific brands, and thus deserving of trademark protection, designers rely on a broad and unrestricted array of colors in order to continue conjuring up the latest trends for each new season. Due to these often-competing interests inherent to the industry, fashion designers seeking protection for their single-color trademarks or their identifying use of colors in a design encounter significant challenges.The Supreme Court, echoing Congress's intent to define trademark broadly, denied a per se exclusion to the protection of single-color trademarks,1 but perhaps the fashion industry's fundamental dependence on color renders the protection of single-color marks particularly problematic. This is the issue at the heart of the recent Christian Louboutin, S.A. v. Yves Saint Laurent America, Inc. litigation, in which the Second Circuit held that designer Christian Louboutin's "Red Sole Mark" constitutes a valid trademark, but only when the red on the sole is in contrast to the remainder of the shoe.2 This partial victory for the plaintiff-designer leaves in its wake unresolved questions about single-color fashion marks and the potential for increased intellectual property protection for the fashion industry in general.For better or for worse, fashion designers and manufacturers are limited in their menu of intellectual property options. Professor Susan Scafidi, advocating for heightened intellectual property protection for fashion design, highlights the ever-increasing challenges faced by the industry.3 Advancements in technology and global economic shifts, which facilitate increased production of high-quality counterfeit goods, should be met with increased protection for designers.4 Permitting protection of fashion marks through a more flexible trademark analysis is a small step toward remedying the dearth of intellectual property protection.This Note argues that single-color marks and related product designs that identify fashion brands should be granted trademark or trade dress protection, despite serving simultaneous aesthetic and source-identifying functions. Part II outlines the basic requirements of trademark and trade dress law (distinctiveness and nonfunctionality), and details the current protection afforded to color marks and fashion-product features. Part III looks at the recent Louboutin decisions from the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit, and then analyzes the possibility of protecting single-color fashion marks, such as Louboutin's Red Sole Mark. Such analysis involves a review of the arguments and policies supporting such protection, as well as the doctrine of functionality that dangerously cuts against it. Part IV offers a solution that seeks to sufficiently preserve fashion's necessary foundations of creativity and free competition while still incentivizing the creation of successful marks such as Louboutin's Red Sole Mark. Limiting the scope of the trademark is essential to this solution and to the survival of a single-color mark in the face of the functionality doctrine. Lastly, the solution includes a relaxed aesthetic functionality framework, one that properly balances a mark's aesthetic appeal and source-identifying functions.II. WHAT'S "IN": A LOOK AT CURRENT TRADEMARK LAWFashion is indisputably a "big business";5 estimated annual revenues for the industry total $350 billion domestically and $862 billion worldwide.6 These numbers reveal that most consumers interact with the industry on an almost daily basis. …


ABSTRACT Graptolites occur primarily in limestones in the Ordovician succession in the Marathon region. Study of thin sections of these limestones reveals that most of them were lime muds; however, oolitic and bioclastic limestones also bear graptolites. Integration of the thin section study of the several rock types occurring in the Ordovician sequence with analysis of the associated sedimentary features enables recognition of four major environments. During the Early Ordovician mud was accumulating in the region. Local sectors of it were frequently exposed for brief periods; also, for a short time, small patch reefs flourished. In the early part of the Middle Ordovician strong currents swept the area and calcium carbonate oolites and aggregates formed. Aligned biserial graptolites and the direction of dip of the cross-laminae indicate that the last current to pass over the region came from the southwest. Then a tidal mud flat developed during the latter part of the Middle Ordovician. It was occasionally swept by currents bearing pel gic organisms. Aligned biserial graptolites again indicate that the direction from which the current came was southwest. Finally during latest Middle Ordovician and all of the Late Ordovician the region was predominantly accumulating lime mud under reducing conditions.


A novel experimental method involving an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with a towed hydrophone array has been developed to measure the single path interaction from the surface, bottom and volume of the shallow water waveguide. The system is designed to operate from the low (/spl sim/100 Hz) to the mid frequencies (/spl les/10 kHz) with a directional source. The effects of surface, volume, and bottom scattering on the coherency of direct and direct-reflected signals are difficult to measure and a mobile directional receiver provides an adaptive capability. For example, the quantification of the role micro-bubble layers near the surface and in surface ship wakes plays on the coherency and scattering of sound could be measured with this device. In addition, an AUV with a hydrophone array can be easily and rapidly deployed and because of its mobility can provide area wide characterization. However, AUV radiated noise measurements indicated vehicle noise would limit the ability of hull-mounted or interior hydrophone arrays and thus suggested the use of a low noise towed array. The AUV discussed here is the Remus vehicle, a tested as well as a readily-available tow platform for a small low drag array. To demonstrate the ability of Remus to act as a low noise tow vehicle, radiated noise measurements were made on the vehicle at Dodge Pond acoustic test facility. The vehicle was rotated on a shaft at a depth of 8 meters and calibrated noise levels measured at 13 meters distance. At the maximum rpm of the AUV, the 1/3/sup rd/ octave noise level, when converted to source level by the calibrated transmission factor, was 130 dB re 1/spl mu/Pa at 1 m. This would represent the radiated noise source level for a vehicle moving at 3 knots. A small-diameter (2.8 cm O.D.) fluid-filled hydrophone array has been developed with 6 channels spaced evenly at 0.75 meters, each channel having a receiving sensitivity of -174 dB re 1/spl mu/Pa/V from 100 Hz to 10 kHz. The recording system consisted of three commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) battery powered mini-disc recorders with a 20 kHz band pass, sampling frequency of 44 kHz and a 16 bit analog to digital converter providing storage capability of 90 minutes of raw data. The prototype system was deployed in a "proof-of-concept" test at the Dodge Pond test facility. The vehicle was programmed to navigate along paths that provided straight courses as well as several turns to determine the operational characteristics of the system. Results on capabilities of the vehicle with the towed system are presented including vehicle and array noise, beamforming, and element localization.


The recent development of high power DClDC converters (more commonly know as Chopper Rectifiers) allows customers the option to keep older rectifier transformers and refurbished systems if reconfiguring or installing new cell line loads. Normally, new cell line impedances would require the replacement of transformerlrectifier equipment. This paper is intended to describe how one can change the output operating range of existing equipment as well as increasing it's output power rating with the use of chopper output sections. It will also discuss means of increasing output power without increasing existing transformer losses.


This study investigated satellite cells and their related molecular events adapted to light moderate endurance training in the white gastrocnemius muscle of the rat. The white gastrocnemius muscle of male Sprague-Dawley rats that had been trained for 4 weeks and 8 weeks, with control rats being analysed alongside them, was selected for analysis (n=3 per group). The training protocol consisted of treadmill running at 20 m · min -1 for 30 min on a 0% grade, for 3 days · week -1 . Immunohistochemical staining coupled with image analysis was used for quantification. To provide deeper insight into the cell layer, 40 sections per rat, corresponding to 120 values per group, were obtained as a mean value for statistical comparison. The results indicated that at week 4, training effects increased the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) content and c-met positive satellite cell numbers. At week 8, the training effect was attenuated for VEGF and c-met satellite cell numbers, but it increased in the muscle fibre area. Additionally, c-met positive satellite cell numbers correlated with VEGF content (r = 0.79, p<0.05). In conclusion, this study suggests that light moderate endurance training could stimulate satellite cell activation that might be related to VEGF signalling. Additionally, the satellite cells activated by moderate endurance training might contribute to slight growth in myocytes.


Network security has become more important to personal computer users, organizations, and the military. With the advent of the internet, security became a major concern and the history of security allows a better understanding of the emergence of security technology. The internet structure itself allowed for many security threats to occur. The architecture of the internet, when modified can reduce the possible attacks that can be sent across the network. Knowing the attack methods, allows for the appropriate security to emerge. Many businesses secure themselves from the internet by means of firewalls and encryption mechanisms. The businesses create an "intranet" to remain connected to the internet but secured from possible threats. The entire field of network security is vast and in an evolutionary stage. The range of study encompasses a brief history dating back to internet's beginnings and the current development in network security. In order to understand the research being performed today, background knowledge of the internet, its vulnerabilities, attack methods through the internet, and security technology is important and therefore they are reviewed. Keywords: Mitigation, Cryptography, Network, Security


Vitiligo is a depigmentation disorder which occurs irrespective of parts of the body. Loss of melanin a pigment present in the body which occurs due to various factors including stress factors, hormonal, chemical factors, and genetics have been associated with the cause of the disorder. Many treatment methods are available for vitiligo, but no treatment produces complete repigmentation. Appearance of widespread patches on the body of the patients causes psychological distress. Most of the treatment methods utilize ultraviolet (UV) rays combinational strategy. Increased exposure of UV rays causes many side effects which include itching, burning sensation and xerosis.. It is not the affected area alone is exposed also the adjoining parts. The use of herbal medicines and other combination treatment can help to subside the progression of disease. In this review, we made an attempt to study the different methods of treatment, its mechanism and alternative methods for vitiligo.


A modelling approach was developed to identify the most likely composition of life- cycle phenotypes and mortality rates for Calanoides acutus found within the Scotia Sea. A stage- and age-structured model was parameterised with independent measurements of early copepodite stage duration, growth rate during the productive period and mortality and weight loss during the over- wintering period. Four possible life-phenotypes were simulated, varying according to whether (1) they spent their first winter as a CIV or CV stage, and (2) they persisted for between one and sev- eral years. The mortality rate coefficient during the epipelagic period was allowed to vary between 0.01 and 0.1 d -1 . Model runs determined the effect of all possible combinations of these variables on the abundance of the late copepodite stages, and predictions were compared to a comprehensive empirical data set, encompassing observations made over the last 60 yr. Best fits were achieved when 70% of the Scotia Sea population overwintered as a CV stage and 30% as CIV, with the majority of individuals reaching adulthood in their first year (after 1 overwintering period). During the epipelagic period, the population experienced mortality rate coefficients close to 0.06 d -1 . This high rate makes it unlikely that the earliest recruits survive to the end of the productive season. Predation was respon- sible for over 80% of mortality during winter. Starvation, which made up the remainder, mostly affected individuals that were spawned late in the season. The total rate of overwintering mortality was less than 0.007 d -1 . Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that model predictions were robust and identified the most likely causes of interannual and spatial variation in the observed data sets.


A viable solution to the ever-demanding weight-saving target in aerospace industry is the replacement of conventional engineering alloys with composite materials in primary structures. A major concern to the effective use of composite laminates is the substantial reduction in the compressive strength when the contact force has exceeded the delamination threshold load (DTL). This paper focuses on the study of the contact behavior of composite laminates under quasi-static indentation (QSI) forces. The effect of damage initiation and growth on contact behavior has been investigated via detailed assessment of the relation between the indentation force and the dent depth. Different phases corresponding to undamaged, local damage, global damage, and final failure of the laminate have been identified. A modification to the classical Hertz contact law has been proposed to account for the matrix material resistance to plastic deformation.


With the multiplication of various functional projections, syntactic structures became very complex entities. Approaches like Cartography (e.g. Cinque and Rizzi 2008) went one step further than most other approaches, proposing that each sentence comprises of a number of universal, strictly ordered functional projections. In the noun phrase, the strictly ordered functional projections are said to be responsible not only for the relative order of numerals, demonstratives and nouns (cf. Cinque 2005), but also for the universal order of various types of adjectives (cf. Hetzron 1978; Sproat and Shih 1991; Cinque 1994; Scott 2002, etc.). Cinque and Rizzi (2008) discuss possible origins of the many hierarchies of functional projections and suggest that they might derive from general cognition. If cognition and its restrictions are behind the hierarchy of functional projections, then the order of projections hosting adjectives should be reflected in various non-linguistic cognitive processes. We designed several experiments to test this hypothesis. Our experiments did not confirm our hypothesis; but as we have also identified problems in the design of our experiments, our results do not warrant a clear rejection
of the hypothesis either.


: All the patients who underwent implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter can have three types of complications: those coming from the own patient, mechanical complications and other aleatory ones. J. L. C. A., a 13-year-old boy with secondary neurogenic bladder, received the implantation of a model AUS 800 artificial urinary sphincter for urinary incontinence. After 15 months without problems, he was admitted in our hospital with pump erosion in the scrotum. He was operated on and the pump system was preserved. No plain roentgenograms were made neither before nor after surgical procedure. However, the balloon pressure reservoir was not seen in a control pielogram performed before his discharge from the hospital. Three months later the entire device should be removed because of infection. In the operation a cut off tube was found. A new artificial urinary sphincter was reimplanted and the cuff was placed around the bulbous urethra one year later. Retrospective analysis of this case can help to review the possible complications and their management.


It has been proposed that if we could configure individual personnel with micro-video cameras and wireless communications such that they could transmit a video stream of what they were seeing to a remote observer, this would be an enormous improvement in reconnaissanc e and battlefield command and control. We looked ahead, based on current video and wireless communications technologies and trends to what we can expect to have available in terms of streaming video quality of service (QOS) and we used those predictions to conduct an experiment to determine if this assertion of improvement is true. Participants viewed a digital video with a data rate associated with a given transmission technology. They were asked to maintain their orientation by tracking the position of the camera on a paper floor plan diagram. They were also asked to identify a number of objects and place them in the correct room on the floor plan. The results show that participants found all conditions except the live walkthrough control condition to be extremely difficult with poor performance on both the spatial orientation task and the object identification task. Bandwidth does affect error as increased data rate improves performance. Rapid head rotations seem to be the largest contributor to disorientation, especially with low data rate video. Our results suggest that simply supplying video feedback to a remote observer may be useless at best or possibly damaging at worst. What is needed is not necessarily more bandwidth, but better interfaces and tools to help observers to remain oriented such that they can extract what is needed from the video stream.


The purposes of this study were to explore the self-rated and objectively measured quality of life of people with early-stage dementia and to describe their personal experiences and reactions to the negative public view of dementia. Information was collected from 23 participants who lived in a mid-western United States metropolitan area. Self-ratings were collected by semi-structured and structured interviews, and the objective measures were the Quality of Life Index (QLI) and the Single Item Quality of Life Scale (SIQLS). It was found that 21 of the participants perceived their current QOL as 'good' or better, and that the mean scores for the QLI and the SIQLS were 22.8 and 7.3 respectively. Triangulation of the subjective and objective data established their congruence. The QLI scores suggested that people with early-stage dementia often perceived their current life as good and that the participants were as satisfied with their life as the general population. Their accounts also revealed that many had experienced stigma and that this appreciably affected their psychosocial wellbeing. The findings of this study provide new insights into the ways in which health-care professionals and the general public can and should view and treat people with dementia.


The purpose of this study is to determine the dynamic character coefficient of journal bearing with the consideration of bearing load direction and oil groove. Based on numerical differential method, the oil film pressure distribution on journal bearing is obtained with the point-by-point relaxation iteration method. Then, the dynamic characters are calculated by numerical integral algorithm.The calculation program is developed for the dynamic characteristics of journal bearing. The computation method provides a useful guide for the numerical simulation of rotary parts.


The news media plays an essential role in society, but surveys indicate that the public views the media as biased. This paper presents a theory of media bias that originates with private information obtained by journalists through their investigations and persists despite profit-maximizing news organizations and rivalry from other news organizations. Bias has two effects on the demand for news. First, rational individuals are more skeptical of potentially biased news and thus rely less on it in their decision-making. Second, bias makes certain stories more likely than others. This paper presents a supply-side theory in which bias originates with journalists who have career interests and are willing to sacrifice current wages for future opportunities. News organizations can control bias by restricting the discretion allowed to journalists, but granting discretion and tolerating bias can increase profits. The skepticism of individuals reduces demand and leads the news organization to set a lower price for its publication the greater is the bias it tolerates. Lower quality news thus commands a lower price. Bias is not driven from the market by a rival news organization nor by a news organization with an opposing bias. Moreover, bias can be greater with competition than with a monopoly news organization. If individuals collectively choose regulation in place of their individual decision-making, bias increases the expected stringency of regulation. PERSISTENT MEDIA BIAS David P. Baron Stanford University


Developing effective tools for predicting absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion properties and toxicity (ADME/T) of new chemical entities in the early stage of drug design is one of the most important tasks in drug discovery and development today. As one of these attempts, support vector machines (SVM) has recently been exploited for the prediction of ADME/T related properties. However, two problems in SVM modeling, i.e. feature selection and parameters setting, are still far from solved. The two problems have been shown to be crucial to the efficiency and accuracy of SVM classification. In particular, the feature selection and optimal SVM parameters setting influence each other, which indicates that they should be dealt with simultaneously. In this account, we present an integrated practical solution, in which genetic-based algorithm (GA) is used for feature selection and grid search (GS) method for parameters optimization. hERG ion-channel inhibitor classification models of ADME/T related properties has been built for assessing and testing the proposed GA-GS-SVM. We generated 6 different models that are 3 different single models and 3 different ensemble models using training set - 1891 compounds and validated with external test set - 175 compounds. We compared single model with ensemble model to solve data imbalance problems. It was able to improve accuracy of prediction to use ensemble model.


The Circumpolar Arctic Coastal Communities Observatory Network (CACCON) functions as the Arctic Regional Engagement Network for Future Earth Coasts. In partnership with other Arctic knowledge networks and programs, including the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) and Arctic-COAST, CACCON promotes consensus and collaboration to advance local knowledge availability and accessibility for adaptation planning and sustainable development in Arctic coastal communities and regions. Components of the CACCON agenda include: integrative analyses of sustainability challenges in Arctic coastal communities using co-developed situational and sustainability indicators; solutions-oriented research for actionable, proactive adaptation policies in Arctic coastal communities; sharing insights among existing community-based research and resilience programs; responding to community-based agendas and building resilience by growing local and regional knowledge co-production and dissemination capacity. These activities support the Global Coastal Futures initiative of Future Earth Coasts, rooted in the Future Earth principles of co-design and co-production of knowledge involving a broad cross-section of stakeholders and consensus-building on pathways for transformation to more sustainable strategies for enhanced present and future well-being on Arctic coasts.


Although both the role of multilingualism and methods for promoting it in foreign language education have been investigated by practitioners and researchers for many years, there are still unanswered questions in terms of best practices, curriculum development, policies and actions. Globalization and new technologies have brought renewed interest in and debating views on this educational alternative, and at the same time have led to the appearance of a new topic to focus on, namely the impact of new technologies. This area requires further exploration, especially due to the fact that online social networks, which represent the focus of this article, may play an important role in generating a multilingual context for education. The rising importance and availability of online social networks and their popularity among young people are undeniable facts. The use of the internet is becoming an ever more integral part of young people's lives and, as a result, they are involved in online communication with each other on an unprecedented scale. This may be used to improve education by using multilingualism to provide teachers and students with a tool to develop new language skills.
In this vein, this paper examines the issues involved, namely the potential role, opportunities and limits of e-learning in generating multilingualism context for improving foreign language learning and education. Special attention will be paid to methods that may grant efficient assessment of the effectiveness of using online platforms. Therefore, the article brings into discussion strategies teachers and students of foreign languages can apply to evaluate the impact of online multilingual communication via social networks on improving general communication skills in the target language.


Pandan(Pandanus Amaryllifolius Roxb.)is an erect green plant with the woody aerial roots and fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, blade-like leaves leaf.It is widely used as natural flavoring in South East Asian dishes.Pandan leaves are also used by many people as an odour repellent in their cars due to its nature as an insect repellent and its aromatic fragrance.The major compound contributing to its aromatic fragrance is 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP).The potential usage of the essential oil as a natural air freshener was studied. The effects of the extraction temperature and period on quantity and quality of extraction yield were also studied. Experimental parameters included the temperature and extraction period.In this study, essential oil was extracted from pandan leaves by using the Microwave Assisted-solvent Extraction method, followed removal of ethanol solvent by using Rotary Evaporator.The chemical compounds inside extract included 2AP were identified by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR),while the concentration of 2AP was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The concentration of 2AP for each parameter was determined by comparing the internal standard graph of trimehylpyridine (TMP) using GC-FID.The results shown that yield, volume of extracted essential and concentration of 2AP in essential oil increased with the extraction temperature before reaches the optimum point.Then,they decreased for higher temperature for extraction process due to decomposition of 2AP.On the other hand,the yield,volume of extracted essential oil and concentration of 2AP in essential oil decreased with increment of extraction period and then almost constant for longer period. This is because further exposure in high temperature for long period decomposed the heat sensitive compounds inside essential oil.Therefore, the extraction process at temperature 88oC and 30 minutes produced the highest yield of extract and concentration of 2AP respectively.After the optimum condition of extraction method was determined,high amount of pandan leaves extract was produced for further research. Beaker A with 25 ml sample and beaker B with 25 ml water was given to 6 rooms in Kolej Kediaman 4 for sensory evaluation. The 6 rooms were chosen random, but have almost same environment condition.There are 5 people in each room to evaluate 5 criteria which are correctness,persistence, smell,intensity and overall acceptance for one week.They also measured the volume of water and sample left in beaker in every single day.Based on the result,most panels gave high rating grade for persistence, correctness and smell. However, they gave low rating grade for overall acceptance and intensity due to low concentration of 2AP in essential oil.The recommendation is to increase the concentration of 2AP inside essential oil in order to have high performance. The essential oil of pandan leaves has high potential to be a natural air freshener in daily life.


Ion homeostasis is essential for cellular survival, and elevated concentrations of specific ions are used to start distinct forms of programmed cell death. However, investigating the influence of certain ions on cells in a controlled way has been hampered due to the tight regulation of ion import by cells. Here, it is shown that lipid‐coated iron‐based metal–organic framework nanoparticles are able to deliver and release high amounts of iron ions into cells. While high concentrations of iron often trigger ferroptosis, here, the released iron induces pyroptosis, a form of cell death involving the immune system. The iron release occurs only in slightly acidic extracellular environments restricting cell death to cells in acidic microenvironments and allowing for external control. The release mechanism is based on endocytosis facilitated by the lipid‐coating followed by degradation of the nanoparticle in the lysosome via cysteine‐mediated reduction, which is enhanced in slightly acidic extracellular environment. Thus, a new functionality of hybrid nanoparticles is demonstrated, which uses their nanoarchitecture to facilitate controlled ion delivery into cells. Based on the selectivity for acidic microenvironments, the described nanoparticles may also be used for immunotherapy: the nanoparticles may directly affect the primary tumor and the induced pyroptosis activates the immune system.


Background: NICE guidelines recommend cardiac resynchronisation therapy in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction (Ejection Fraction <35%) and broad QRS complexes. CRTD is recommended in NYHA 1 or 2 patients, CRTP or D in NYHA 3 and CRTP in NYHA class 4 patients. The commissioning arrangements in East Lancashire permit only CRTP but not ICD or CRTD devices to be implanted. All patients who undergo CRTP implantation in our centre is included in a local database. This allowed a unique cohort of patients to be assessed for improvement in left ventricular function beyond 35% and thereby beyond the NICE recommended guidelines for ICD/CRTD requirment. Methods 177 of the 202 consecutive patients who underwent CRTP implant and had pre and post implant echocardiograms between February 2012 and August 2017 were assessed. The duration of follow up was between 6 months to 5 years. Echocardiograms were done pre implant and at 4–8 months post implant. 25 patients who did not have an echo either died before the echo could be repeated (18 patients) or were waiting for the follow up echo appointment. Results 73% were male and the average age was 72 years.>80% were in NYHA class 3 with a significant proportion having had at least one admission in class 4 heart failure in the preceeding 12 months. 90 (50.8%) patients had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 87 non-ischaemic. 32 patients were in permanent AF. The implant success rate in the whole cohort of 202 patients was >97%. The complication rate at 1 year follow up of the whole cohort was 4.5% (6 A lead displacement, 1 LV lead displacement, 1 infection requiring extraction and 1 small pneumothorax). There were 32 deaths during this follow up period but only 5 due to progressive cardiac failure and 1 sudden cardiac death. 16 deaths were due to definite non-cardiac causes but a definite cause was unclear in 10 patients. 1 patient had a resuscitated cardiac arrest and underwent an upgrade to a CRTD device in another centre. The average ejection fraction (EF) was 31% pre-implant. 92% had EF of <35% with 48% having EF of <25%. The average EF improved post implant to 37%. More impressively 78.5% (139 patients) had an EF of >35% in the post implant echo. 22.5% (38 patients) had EF <35% post implantation but only 2.3% (4 patients) had EF persisting below 25%. Conclusion This unique data from a single centre performing solely CRTP implantation demonstrates impressive implant success rates and low complication rates despite annual volumes considered below current British Heart Rhythm Society guidelines. More impressively 4 of every 5 implanted patients (78.5%) had objective improvement in their ejection fraction to greater than 35% which would then no longer necessitate ICD requirement as per NICE recommendations.


SIR,-Your leading article on transient ischaemic attacks (15 February, p. 352) drew attention to this important manifestation of cerebrovaswular disease and gave a valuable account of the clinical picture and the appropriate investigations. However, the final paragraph on the management of patients oonsidered unsuitable for surgery was a little unrhelpful. This syndrome is thought to have an annual incidence of 183-5 per 100 0001 and is about a third as common as the "typical stroke." Accordingly, great efforts are being made 'to find drugs which will inihibit the formation of platelet aggregates, certainly one of the causes of recurrent emboli to the brain. Anticoaguilants appear to have little to offer: they require supervision and are potentially dangerous. Many dlrugs may alter platelet function and two groupsnamely, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and -the pyrimido-pyrimidine comnpoundshave been used clinically in patients with platelet thrombo-embolic disorders.2 Dipyridamole (Persantin) is probably the best known of the pyrimido-pyrinxidine derivatives. It has been shown to reduce thronlbosis and increase platelet oonsumption assciated with renal transplant rejection and cardiac valvular prostheses, though it does not appear effective in cerebrovascular di-sease.2 However, several of the non-steroidal anti-inflamtory drugs al-ter platelet function, and aspirin and sulphinpyrazone (Anturan) have both been shown to be of value clinically and therefore merit further oonsideration. Aspirin reduces the frequency of attacks of amaurosis fugax and in some studies has reduced the incidence of venous trombosis in susceptible patients.2 Sulphinpyrazone prolongs platelet survival and decreases platelet turnover in patients with prsthetic heart valves,2 inhibits dlotting in arterioveno,us Sh1unts,3 reduces thrombosis,4 and also reduces the frequency of transient ischaemic attacks5 and of amaurosis fugax.6 The time has surely come to assess these two drugs and perhaps others in the large group of patienfts who suffer from recurrent emboli to the cerebral circulation, bearing in mind their uncertain prognosis.7-I am, etc., M. J. KENDALL Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham 15


Abstract The treatment of electroplating wastes is a serious worldwide problem, because of their high content of many different heavy metals. Chemical precipitation based treatment methods could be an important alternative for fractional selective separation of heavy metals if they are systematically developed by sequencing of pH, adjusting the added portions of precipitating agents, and selecting the optimum time period before removing the precipitate from the solution. In this study, for selective removal and recovery of Cd from real electroplating bath wastewater (containing high amounts of Cd, medium amounts of Zn, Cu, Fe and small amounts of Ni, Co, Mn), a precipitation based separation scheme was developed. The scheme comprised of three consecutive steps: 1) Acid treatment with nitric acid (HNO3). Cyano‐metal complexes were decomposed in acidification step and complete removal of iron was achieved. 2) Alkali precipitation by sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Large portion of Cd was recovered as pure Cd(OH)2. 3) As a polishing step sulfide precipitation by sodium sulfide (Na2S) was applied. pH was the critical parameter in sulfide precipitation. Addition of sodium sulfide in alkali pH range led to cadmium precipitation whereas copper was totally precipitated in acidic pH range. The sulfide precipitation step may be replaced by more environmentally friendly steps (e.g. polymer enhanced ultrafiltration) until the heavy metal concentrations were reduced down to suitable discharge limits.


The proposed benefits of laparoscopy for certain surgical procedures have been decreased postoperative pain and hospital stay balanced against the proposed deficits of increased costs. We have reviewed our data to evaluate factors associated with patient, procedure, and hospital charges for patients undergoing open versus laparoscopic adrenalectomy and splenectomy during the same time period. Eighty-seven patients underwent adrenalectomy (n = 47) or splenectomy (n = 40) from October 30, 1995 to June 6, 2001 and were retrospectively reviewed. Patient and operative factors were analyzed by intent to treat; the major endpoints were operating room (OR) time in minutes, blood loss in cm3, length of hospital stay in days, and charges broken down by anesthesia/operation [OR/recovery room (RR)] and total charges in dollars x 1000. Comparisons of means were analyzed by unpaired t test; data are presented as mean ± SEM, and significance is defined as P < 0.05. Median age of the group was 47 years (range 20–77). Forty-five patients underwent a laparoscopic approach of which two were converted to open (4%) as compared with 42 undergoing an open operation; one patient from each group was excluded from outcome analyses because of prolonged hospitalization (>3 weeks). Operative mortality of the whole group was one per cent. There were no differences between the groups with respect to age, gender, or comorbidity. The laparoscopic group had significantly longer operative times and OR/RR charges. However, the length of hospital stay and the total charges for the patient undergoing a laparoscopic approach were significantly less (P < 0.05). We conclude that a laparoscopic approach for adrenalectomy or splenectomy can be accomplished in approximately 95 per cent of patients selected for this procedure. Despite prolonged OR time and increased OR/RR charges the laparoscopic procedures resulted in significantly decreased length of hospital stay and overall patient charges. Laparoscopy is a safe and cost-effective approach and should be strongly considered in patients requiring adrenalectomy or splenectomy.


Article, see p 2357

It is now well established that observational studies seeking evidence that a risk factor causes a disease are susceptible to various biases. Among the most important are residual confounding, whereby unmeasured or imprecisely measured confounders prevent causal inferences being drawn from associations between any 2 parameters, and reverse causality. Although the former is typically acknowledged in reports of such studies, the latter concept appears to be less well understood and, therefore, is more often overlooked as a potential explanation for apparent, often unexpected, associations between risk factors and adverse outcomes.

With the potential for reverse causality in mind, Ravindrarajah and colleagues1 in this issue of Circulation , sought to determine whether the association of lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) values with higher mortality in observational studies in the elderly (>75–80 years of age) could be afflicted by this same phenomenon. They did so because recent trial data, in particular the SPRINT study (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial),2 demonstrated that lowering SBP to a target of 75 years of age, findings in almost complete contrast with such observational data. To test their hypotheses, the authors analyzed data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a primary care cohort collected in the United Kingdom that, importantly, includes serial measurements of many risk factors. Using this resource, they not only addressed the association between SBP and mortality, but they did so according to (1) frailty category and (2) antihypertensive treatment. They also asked whether SBP levels declined before death and, if so, how did this decline compare with the pattern of SBP in those who survived, and whether these patterns differed in those on or off blood pressure–lowering treatments.

The researchers were able to confirm that …


Blueberries are rich in a water-soluble class of pigments known as anthocyanins which are known antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent many diseases by stabilizing free radicals, but are prone to losses in food during storage. The goal of this study was to test the effect of freezing as a storage method on anthocyanin concentration and antioxidant activity over time. Blueberries from Canada and Argentina were frozen for up to 5 months and periodically tested for anthocyanin concentration and antioxidant activity. Anthocyanins were extracted using a mixture of methanol, acetic acid, and water, and evaporation under vacuum. They were separated using column chromatography. The concentration was determined by absorbance at 538 nm and the Beer-Lambert law, and antioxidant activity was measured using absorbance at 515 nm and DPPH free radical. Anthocyanin concentration ranged from 3.32 ± 0.40 mg/g in fresh berries to 8.89 ± 3.56 mg/g in berries frozen for 133 days. Concentration directly correlated with the antioxidant activity of anthocyanin on DPPH free radical in that 55.37 and 39.07% DPPH remained after 2 hours of antioxidant/DPPH reaction for the fresh and 133 day samples, respectively. Country of origin did not appear to impact anthocyanin concentration but did play a role in how the anthocyanin reacted with the free radical. Freezing appears to be an acceptable form of storing blueberries for up to 66 days (about 2 months) depending on ice crystal formation.


An objective method for establishing patient prioritization in the context of a radiotherapy waiting list is investigated. This is based on a utilitarian objective, being the greatest probability of local tumour control in the population of patients. A numerical simulation is developed and a clinical patient case-mix is used to determine the influence of the characteristics of the patient population on resulting optimal patient scheduling. With the utilitarian objective, large gains in tumour control probability (TCP) can be achieved for individuals or cohorts by prioritizing patients for that fraction of the patient population with relatively small sacrifices in TCP for a smaller fraction of the population. For a waiting list in steady state with five patients per day commencing treatment and leaving the list (and so with five patients per day entering the list), and a mean wait time of 35 days and a maximum of 90 days, optimized wait times ranged from a mean of one day for patients with tumour types with short effective doubling times to a mean of 66.9 days for prostate cancer patients. It is found that, when seeking the optimal daily order of patients on the waiting list in a constrained simulation, the relative rather than absolute value of TCP is the determinant of the resulting optimal waiting times. An increase in the mean waiting time mostly influences (increases) the optimal waiting times of patients with fast-growing tumours. The proportional representation of groups (separated by tumour type) in the patient population has an influence on the resulting distribution of optimal waiting times for patients in those groups, though has only a minor influence on the optimal mean waiting time for each group.


In many reinforcement learning tasks, the agent has to learn to interact with many objects of different types and generalize to unseen combinations and numbers of objects. Often a task is a composition of previously learned tasks (e.g. block stacking). These are examples of compositional generalization, in which we compose object-centric representations to solve complex tasks. Recent works have shown the benefits of object-factored representations and hierarchical abstractions for improving sample efficiency in these settings. On the other hand, these methods do not fully exploit the benefits of factorization in terms of object attributes. In this paper, we address this opportunity and introduce the Dynamic Attribute FacTored RL (DAFT-RL) framework. In DAFT-RL, we leverage object-centric representation learning to extract objects from visual inputs. We learn to classify them in classes and infer their latent parameters. For each class of object, we learn a class template graph that describes how the dynamics and reward of an object of this class factorize according to its attributes. We also learn an interaction pattern graph that describes how objects of different classes interact with each other at the attribute level. Through these graphs and a dynamic interaction graph that models the interactions between objects, we can learn a policy that can then be directly applied in a new environment by just estimating the interactions and latent parameters. We evaluate DAFT-RL in three benchmark datasets and show our framework outperforms the state-of-the-art in generalizing across unseen objects with varying attributes and latent parameters, as well as in the composition of previously learned tasks.


Isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (IDDVT) is a condition recently suggested to be a different entity to that of proximal disease. There is currently little evidence defining the clinical importance of detection and treatment. International guidelines vary regarding management advice.An observational cohort study, prospective service evaluation and pilot randomised controlled trial were performed within a United Kingdom ambulatory thrombosis service. This project aimed to describe the burden of disease and explore three poorly researched aspects of IDDVT assessment and management: whole-leg compression ultrasound (CUS) performed by non-physicians within an ambulatory framework as a principal diagnostic modality; clinical presentation data and risk profile in comparison to that of proximal disease; the feasibility of further interventional randomised research and the risk/benefit profile of therapeutic anticoagulation.Within this ambulatory cohort, IDDVT accounted for 49.7% of acute thrombosis and differed significantly to proximal disease regarding provocation and symptomatology at clinical presentation. A negative whole-leg CUS excluded deep vein thrombosis with an adverse event rate (diagnosis of symptomatic venous thromboembolism during the 3 month follow up period) of 0.47% (95% CI 0.08 to 2.62). Future interventional research was proved feasible within an ambulatory setting.The randomised controlled trial conducted within this project is the largest to date comparing therapeutic anticoagulation against conservative strategy for the management of acute IDDVT. Patients allocated to therapeutic anticoagulation had significantly less overall propagation of thrombus (Absolute risk reduction [ARR] 25.7%, 95% Confidence interval 5.9 to 44.3 p<0.01), less short-term symptomatic progression (ARR 16.7%, 95% CI 2.6 to 32.1 p=0.05) and a result trending towards significance for reduction in serious thromboembolic complications (ARR 11.4%, 95% CI -1.5 to 26.7 p=0.11).IDDVT is a condition of equal prevalence to proximal venous thrombosis, which varies significantly regarding risk profile and clinical presentation. Using a single whole leg CUS reported by a non-physician within an emergency department pathway is associated with a low adverse event rate. This contemporary data also suggests that therapeutic anticoagulation is beneficial for reduction of short-term complications in IDDVT. The risk of false positive diagnosis and excess anticoagulation remains.This data can inform and direct future design of adequately powered randomised studies, in order to attempt external validation of these findings.


The Euphrates River is one of the longest rivers in Iraq with five main tributaries along its course. But without any tributary inside Iraq. The river flows from eastern highlands of Turkey then through Syria and enters into the Iraqi territory from central western part and runs westwards to the central part of Iraq and then meets with the Tigris River in the southern part. The geology of the Euphrates River's basin is presented with emphasize on the Iraqi part. Besides, the stratigraphy of the basin, the tectonic style, main geomorphological features and minerals' resources are presented within the basin too. Wide range of rocks; age wise are exposed in the basin, with different economic potentials at different parts of the basin.
This study is a unique one, which deals with the geology of the Euphrates River's basin. It is conducted using the most relevant updated geological data.


A completely stepwise online pedipulation planning method is proposed. It is an analytical approach based on the general solution of the equation of motion of an approximate dynamical biped model whose mass is concentrated at the center of mass. A physically feasible referential trajectory with a constraint about the reaction force taken into account is planned only in one interval by relaxing the boundary condition, namely, by admitting a certain level of error between the desired and actually reached states, and discontinuity of zero-moment point at each end of the interval. It potentially creates responsive motions that require strong instantaneous acceleration. A semiautomatic continual pedipulation planning method is also presented. It generates a referential trajectory of the whole body only from the next desired foot placement. The validity of the proposed method is ensured through experiments with a small anthropomorphic robot.


With the development of network technology, the high-speed networks with 1Gbps, 10Gbps and even higher bandwidth have emerging. In the traditional IP networks, TCP protocol performs well, However, in fast long distance networks (FLDnet), TCP's slow start and its Additive Increase Multiplicative Decrease (AIMD) congestion control are too conservative to make full use of the abundant bandwidth resource. This paper mainly evaluates the TCP-based improved protocols in the Linux 2.6.18 kernel by establishing point-to-point and multipoint-to-point test beds. We compare the effect of RTT and packet loss rate to the transmission performance of the TCP-based protocols. We also evaluate the intra-protocol fairness, TCP-friendliness and inter-RTT fairness of these protocols. The results show that: HSTCP, HTCP, STCP, BIC TCP, and CUBIC TCP have relatively better transmission performance. When the number of the parallel flows is less than four, the protocols of TCP Reno, HSTCP, HTCP, and STCP have good intra-protocol fairness. TCP Reno, HSTCP, and HTCP have good TCP-friendliness and inter-RTT fairness, but the overall throughput is not high enough. The TCP-friendliness and inter-RTT fairness of STCP, BIC TCP and CUBIC TCP are not very good, but using these protocols can improve network transmission performance.


Studies of possible variables influencing development of posttraumatic stress (PTSD) are of great importance in the effort to enhance preventive and interventional methods in the aim to prevail this devastating condition. Despite the vast research in adults, little is still known of adolescents. Although research is scarce, attachment style has been identified to be an influencing factor in adults, and still research in adolescent is almost non-existent. To our knowledge, no prior study has been conducted, looking at the relationship between attachment style, exposure to a broad range of potentially traumatic events, and subsequent PTSD symptoms in a cross cultural perspective. This is the aim of the present study. Procedure: Data was collected from questionnaire surveys of 1283 adolescents (mean age 14.1 years). Measures: PTSD was measured with The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-Part IV (HTQ); and attachment style was studied using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS). Potentially traumatic events were examined using a broad event list of 19 events. Results: Contrary to what was expected, significant cross cultural differences were found in the distribution of securely, preoccupied, and dismissive attached. Around half of the Faroese population was securely attached, contrary to the Danish and Icelandic population, where the majority was dismissive attached. Cross cultural differences were also found in the distribution of attachment style among those adolescents with PTSD. The majority of the Danish adolescent population with PTSD was dismissive attached; the majority of the Faroese adolescent population with PTSD was securely attached, and in the Icelandic adolescents with PTSD were distributed somewhat even between the four attachment styles. Finally, cross cultural differences were identified in which potentially traumatic events had a significant contribution to the variation in PTSD. The results are discussed and clinical recommendations are presented.


Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa shot on the opening day of the 1981 Victorian hunting season were collected from Cullen's Lake, and Lakes Albacutya and Mokoan. Most birds were weighed, sexed and aged, and bill, wing, mid-toe and tarsal measurements taken. The presence of moult in major feather tracts was recorded, as was wear of primaries; gonads were removed and examined. All birds were adult, in non-breeding condition, and many showed body moult. Few birds were replacing primaries (though many had apparently new feathers) but missing and growing secondaries were more frequent as was the incidence of tail moult. The development of the red colouration of the base of the upper mandible of males was variable; whilst few bases were markedly bright, testes weights increased with intensity of the colouration. It is presumed that birds examined were shot on non-breeding habitat, having dispersed from drought-affected areas elsewhere. Since the species' status is not clear, the importance of further studies is emphasized since illegal shooting in drier periods may seriously affect population security.


A 72-year-old Japanese man treated with omeprazole for 11 years was admitted due to loss of consciousness and muscle weakness. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome-induced tachycardia was considered as the cause of syncope. His blood examination revealed rhabdomyolysis, hypokalaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hypocalcaemia, hyperlactacidaemia, hyperammonaemia and high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis. Hypomagnesaemia could be caused by magnesium malabsorption due to omeprazole use. Hypocalcaemia might be caused by the inhibitory effect of hypomagnesemia on the parathyroid gland hormone secretion. Hyperammonaemia might be caused by two reasons: (1) renal ammonium production induced by hypokalaemia; (2) inhibition of ammonium secretion by omeprazole. Both hypocalcaemia and hypokalaemia might cause chronic elevation of serum creatinine phosphokinase which ended up with rhabdomyolysis. Correction of serum electrolytes rapidly improved his muscle weakness. Discontinuation of omeprazole no longer caused these abnormalities. A physician should be aware of unexplained signs and symptoms of patients using proton-pump inhibitors to avoid life-threatening electrolyte and physiologic disturbances.


Abstract– We review the conditions under which explosive volcanism took place on early‐forming differentiated asteroids. The pressure‐dependent solubility of typical asteroid volatiles in melts implies that the gas driving explosive volcanism on asteroids less than approximately 100 km in diameter was probably present mainly as a free phase capable of accumulating into large gas bodies and, thus, causing slug flow in melts approaching the surface. In contrast, in asteroids larger than approximately 100 km the gas was probably present largely as a dispersion of small bubbles. We show that these gas distributions have implications for the size distribution of the pyroclastic droplets produced in explosive eruptions at the surface. All pyroclastic melt droplets are accelerated by the expanding gases, but their speeds lag the gas speed by a finite amount that is a function of the droplet size and density and the asteroid size and, hence, acceleration due to gravity. We compute pyroclast speeds and, by comparing them with escape velocities, we identify the critical pyroclast diameter on a given‐size asteroid that distinguishes droplets lost to space from droplets that return to the surface. Identification of asteroidal pyroclasts and measurements of their sizes could throw light on the amounts of gas driving eruptions.


Multi-core systems have become commonplace, however, theorem provers often do not take advantage of the additional computing resources in an interactive setting. This research explores automatically using these additional resources to lessen the delay between when users submit conjectures to the theorem prover and when they receive feedback from the prover that is useful in discovering how to successfully complete the proof of a particular theorem. This research contributes mechanisms that permit applicative programs to execute in parallel while simultaneously preparing these programs for verification by a semi-automatic reasoning system. It also contributes a parallel version of an automated theorem prover, with management of user interaction issues, such as output and how inherently single-threaded, user-level proof features can be configured for use with parallel computation. Finally, this dissertation investigates the types of proofs that are amenable to parallel execution. This investigation yields the result that almost all proof attempts that require a non-trivial amount of time can benefit from parallel execution. Proof attempts executed in parallel almost always provide the aforementioned feedback sooner than if they executed serially, and their execution time is often significantly reduced.


Continental margin systems are important contributors to global nutrient and carbon budgets. Effort is needed to quantify this contribution and how it will be modified under changing patterns of climate and land use. Coupled models will be used to provide projections of future states of continental margin systems. Thus, it is appropriate to consider the limitations that impede the development of realistic models. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of modeling carbon cycling on continental margins as well as the processes and issues that provide the next challenges to such models. Our overview is done within the context of a coupled circulation-biogeochemical model developed for the northeastern North American continental shelf region. Particular choices of forcing and initial fields and process parameterizations are used to illustrate the consequences for simulated distributions, as revealed by comparisons to observations using quantitative statistical metrics.


Despite being generally distributed and common on Cuba, Hispaniola, and in south Florida, species of Pyrgus Hubner (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), commonly known as checkered skippers, are very poorly known from The Bahamas. Previous records indicated the presence only of Pyrgus oileus (Linnaeus, 1767), just from Great Inagua Island, although its status on that island remains unclear. Herein we document P. oileus for the first time from Grand Bahama Island, suggesting an independent dispersal of this species to the northern Bahamas from south Florida. Furthermore, we document Pyrgus albescens Plotz, 1884 from Grand Bahama and Abaco islands, representing the first Caribbean records for this rapidly dispersing species. We suggest that both P. oileus and P. albescens arrived on Grand Bahama sometime between 2010 and 2014, most likely from south Florida, and that P. albescens has subsequently dispersed to Abaco. Careful study of Pyrgus species in The Bahamas is needed to document future colonization events.


Biased attention is assumed to play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of depression and depressive symptoms. In this paper, we used data from a categorization task and an associated model to assess the attentional bias of people with varying levels of depressive symptoms. Attentional bias was operationalized as the parameter estimate in a prototype model of categorization. For estimation, we used a Bayesian hierarchical mixture approach. We expected to find a positive correlation between depressive symptoms and an AB for negative material and a negative correlation between depressive symptoms and a bias toward positive material. Despite good model fit, Bayesian regression analyses revealed weak or moderate evidence in favor of the null model assuming no association between attentional preferences and depressive symptoms, both for negative and positive material.


Background and Purpose— We performed a pilot project to assess the need for and feasibility of a church-based stroke risk reduction intervention in a predominantly Mexican American community. Methods— Participants were recruited after each mass on a single weekend from 2 Catholic churches in Corpus Christi, Texas. Questionnaires about personal stroke risk factors and interest in program participation were completed, and blood pressure screening was performed. Results— A total of 150 individuals participated (63% Mexican American, median age 62). A substantial majority (84%) were interested in being part of a long-term church-based health education project. Blood pressure was >139/89 mm Hg in 50 of 78 (64%) of individuals with a self-reported history of hypertension, and in 17 of 69 (25%) of individuals without known hypertension, with no ethnic differences in blood pressure. Mexican Americans were younger, had a higher BMI, and were more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Conclusions— There is substantial burden of stroke risk factors in these predominantly Mexican American church communities. Church-based health interventions may be a way to reduce stroke in this at-risk population.


In this paper, we describe the Lithium Natural Language Processing (NLP) system - a resource-constrained, high-throughput and language-agnostic system for information extraction from noisy user generated text on social media. Lithium NLP extracts a rich set of information including entities, topics, hashtags and sentiment from text. We discuss several real world applications of the system currently incorporated in Lithium products. We also compare our system with existing commercial and academic NLP systems in terms of performance, information extracted and languages supported. We show that Lithium NLP is at par with and in some cases, outperforms state-of-the-art commercial NLP systems.


Previous research efforts have shown that pretenuring can potentially reduce the copying cost by creating long lived objects into the mature memory regions directly. To date, researchers often employ profiling and static analysis to accurately select the objects that should be pretenured. However, little research efforts have been spent on dynamic approaches for pretenuring objects. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that dynamically predicts object lifespan to assist with pretenuring selection. The proposed scheme performs dynamic pretenuring selection based on a feedback mechanism that records lifespan of objects from each class during garbage collection invocations. This information is then used to pretenure objects in subsequent allocation requests. We experiment with two approaches, jumpstart feedback and continuous feedback, to collect tenuring information. The experimental results of selected benchmark programs show that our schemes can improve the garbage collection time of IBM's Jikes RVM by up to 37%, and improve the overall execution time by up to 28%.


Examining the legal foundations of the war on terror, this book investigates the loss of the civil liberties of American citizens and legal immigrants. In a detailed look at bills such as the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, the USA Patriot Act, and the Homeland Security Act, and executive orders, it provides a comprehensive picture of the war on terror and explores the claimed victories by the Bush administration. Chronicling the major battles with Muslim charities, immigrants, lawyers, and "enemy combatants," this expose reveals how the values and freedoms of all Americans are at risk or have already been destroyed. Also surveyed is the growing grassroots dissent by groups such as the ACLU and the resistance movement against the policies and major figures of the Bush administration.


The Fertile Crescent is the centre of domestication of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ) and also the place of origin of its pathogens. Agrosystems provide different environments to natural eco-systems, thus imposing different types of selection on pathogens. Here, the genetic structure and in vitro temperature growth response of the chickpea pathogen Didymella rabiei from domesticated chickpea (59 isolates from Turkey and 31 from Israel) and wild Cicer spp. (three isolates from Turkish C. pinnatifidum and 35 from Israeli C. judaicum ) were studied. Six sequence-tagged microsatellite site (STMS) primer pairs were used to determine the genetic structure of the 128 D. rabiei isolates. Turkish isolates exhibited the highest genetic diversity (H = 0 Æ 69). Turkish and Israeli D. rabiei from domesticated chickpea were genetically closer to each other than isolates from the wild Cicer spp. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 54% of the genetic variation resided between isolates from wild and domesticated origins. EF1- a sequences distinguished between D. rabiei isolates from domesticated and wild Cicer spp. by four polymorphic sites. Nevertheless, a certain degree of mixing between isolates from wild and domesticated origin was demonstrated using the Bayesian algorithm as well as with principal coordinates analysis. Isolates sampled from domesticated chickpea from both countries were better adapted to temperatures typical of Levantine spring and had a signif-icantly larger colony area at 25 (cid:2) C than at 15 (cid:2) C (typical Levantine winter temperature). These observations were in accor-dance to the heritability values of the temperature growth response.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
In this study, the aim was to understand health care personnel's expectations and experiences of participating in an intervention aimed at the implementation of three assessment scales for fall injuries, malnutrition and pressure ulcers, and the performance of preventive measures in these areas over the period of 18 months.

BACKGROUND
Fall injuries, malnutrition and pressure ulcers among older people are challenging issues for caregivers at different levels in the health care system.

DESIGN
A descriptive design with a qualitative approach was used to follow health care personnel before, during and after implementation of a care prevention intervention.

METHODS
Twelve health care personnel with different professions at the hospital, primary care and municipal care levels participated in a preventive care introduction. Seminars were held at four occasions, with assignments to be completed between seminars. Lectures and group discussions were performed, and three risk assessment scales were introduced. The participants were interviewed before, during and after the introduction. Manifest and latent content analysis were used.

RESULTS
The main results are presented in the theme 'Patient needs are visualised through a gradually developed shared understanding' and in five categories. The work approach of performing three risk assessments simultaneously was perceived as positive and central to ensuring quality of care; it was not, however, perceived as unproblematic.

CONCLUSION
The participants as well as health care team members showed a positive attitude towards and described the advantages of being given opportunities for shared understanding to improve patient safety and to provide structure for the provision of good care.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
The managerial approach of listening to and acting on issues stressed by health care personnel is important to ensure ongoing and future improvement initiatives.


It has been frequently observed, in both economics and psychology, that individuals tend to conform to the choices of other individuals with whom they identify. Can such conformity be consistent with self interested behaviour? To address this question we use the framework of games with incomplete information. For a given game we first put a lower bound on * so that there exists a Nash *-equilibrium in pure strategies consistent with conformity. We also introduce a new concept of conformity that allows players to conform and yet perform different actions. This is achieved by the endogeneous assignment of roles to players and by allowing actions to be conditional on roles. We conclude by relating our research to some experimental literature.


A decomposition space (also called unital 2-Segal space) is a simplicial object satisfying an exactness condition weaker than the Segal condition: just as the Segal condition expresses (up to homotopy) composition, the new condition expresses decomposition. It is a general framework for incidence (co)algebras. In the present contribution, after establishing a formula for the section coefficients, we survey a large supply of examples, emphasising the notion's firm roots in classical combinatorics. The first batch of examples, similar to binomial posets, serves to illustrate two key points: (1) the incidence algebra in question is realised directly from a decomposition space, without a reduction step, and reductions are often given by CULF functors; (2) at the objective level, the convolution algebra is a monoidal structure of species. Specifically, we encounter the usual Cauchy product of species, the shuffle product of L-species, the Dirichlet product of arithmetic species, the Joyal-Street external product of q-species and the Morrison `Cauchy' product of q-species, and in each case a power series representation results from taking cardinality. The external product of q-species exemplifies the fact that Waldhausen's S-construction on an abelian category is a decomposition space, yielding Hall algebras. The next class of examples includes Schmitt's chromatic Hopf algebra, the Fa\`a di Bruno bialgebra, the Butcher-Connes-Kreimer Hopf algebra of trees and several variations from operad theory. Similar structures on posets and directed graphs exemplify a general construction of decomposition spaces from directed restriction species. We finish by computing the M\


Transition metal complex of Ni(II) with mefloquine hydrochloride (antimalaria drug) was synthesized using a template method. Chemical analysis including conductivity measurements and spectroscopic studies were used to propose the geometry and mode of binding of the ligand to metal ion. From analytical data, the stoichiometry of the complex has been found to be 1:1. Infrared spectral data also suggest that the ligand (mefloquine hydrochloride) behaves as a tridentate ligand with N:N:O donor sequence towards the metal ion. The complex generally showed octahedral coordinate geometry. Molar conductance of 10-2 mol dm-3 methanol solution of the complex indicated non-electrolytic nature of metal complex. It also revealed that the ligand anions were covalently bonded to the complex. In vivoevaluation of antimalarial studies of the metal complex shows greater activities when compared to the free ligand. Mefloquine and its metal complex increased significantly (p < 0.05) serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and significantly reduced these enzymes in the liver and kidney when compared to the control. This revealed that both mefloquine and its metal complex might show toxicity particularly on the liver and kidney with the metal complex group being mild.

 Key words: Transition metal, antimicrobial, antimalarial drug, complexation, toxicological studies.


In this paper, we present DSAM, a data stream application manager. DSAM supports the deployment of global queries to distributed and heterogeneous sensor nodes and Stream Processing Systems (SPSs). We provide a graph-based global query language DSAM-AQL. The Abstract Query Language (AQL) is a declarative streamoriented query language that abstracts from topology and distribution of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the heterogeneity of their nodes. Query processing and distribution is supported by a central catalog that manages all stream schemas, nodes, (initial) topology, SPSs, queries, performance characteristics of both network connections and nodes, and expressiveness of nodes' supported query languages and query definitions. DSAM supports query partitioning, query mapping, deployment, and monitoring of distributed data stream applications. We focus on DSAM's infrastructure and the procedures of deployment of global queries.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relative absence of a theoretical underpinning to modern neoliberalism. Tracing the history of the term, it becomes clear that modern economics has only a tenuous relationship to the type of economics the term "neoliberalism" originally described. Furthermore, modern neoliberalism appears to be strengthened by the crisis it creates. Particular qualities of the orthodoxy make it at the same time both vague and omnipresent, allowing it to operate to exacerbate a pattern of crisis, resulting in profound socio-political consequences, such as the election of Donald Trump and in the rise of populist movements generally.

Design/methodology/approach
Critical analysis rejects the premise that prevailing knowledge is ultimately true, but rather seeks to trace the basis of knowledge to structural inequalities at significant junctions in history. The premise of interpretative research is that social phenomena have mutually impacting relationships with social contexts and human activities. Using a critical interpretive research methodology, this paper contends that there are critical social and theoretical issues which have contributed to the resilience of modern neoliberalism, even where it has manifest crisis. Furthermore, unique qualities of the orthodoxy have operated to oppress and manipulate social processes that would challenge or curtail its reach.

Findings
This paper contends that, first, modern neoliberalism has an inverted relationship to crisis in that it is ultimately able to leverage the crisis it creates to its advantage. Second, this is partly a result of the theoretical ambiguity associated with the orthodoxy, and finally, the rise of the populist right in various political forums and contexts is connected in some way to the failure of the left and to respond effectively to it.

Research limitations/implications
The subject of the paper helps to explain and analyse the way that the neoliberal orthodoxy is able to leverage crisis to its advantage, and why, therefore, it continues to thrive even though it creates economic upheaval, environmental destruction, social and cultural division and increased inequality. After economic crisis, the orthodoxy presents not as the cause of it, but rather the appropriate policy response to it. The failure of the left to effectively challenge the neoliberal policy programme post-crisis is argued to be an important link in a causal chain which connects neoliberalism to the rise of the populist right.

Practical implications
This paper brings emphasis to the ways in which modern economics has subverted the constraints of a theoretical foundation, and ultimately has become a policy practice that exacerbates inequality and leverages crises that it has created to its advantage. It also highlights the linkages between economic crisis, the persistence of the neoliberal paradigm and the rise of right-wing populism in recent years.

Originality/value
The paper combines descriptive and normative accounts of the origins and evolution of neoliberalism as it has been accounted for by major economists and scholars, adding to this the understanding that in breeching from theoretical foundations, the policy programme has become vague and malleable, which curtails the possibility for the left to respond to it effectively, and contributes to the rise of the populist right in various contexts.


Volume XXX of this award-winning publication examines texts in relationship to the institutions that shaped early modern culture - the printing industry, the market-place of both texts and fashions, theatrical companies - as well as manuscript circulation, authorship, and issues relating to the family and paternity. In essays that range across the terrain of early modern culture, the contributors use a wide variety of methodologies to explore their interests and tackle fundamental questions. Renaissance Drama, an annual publication, is devoted to drama as a central feature of Renaissance culture. Displaying an interdisciplinary orientation, the essays in each volume explore the Renaissance dramatic traditions in relation to their precursors and successors and examine the impact of new forms of interpretation on the study of Renaissance plays.


For enslaved and newly freed African Americans, attaining freedom and citizenship without health for themselves and their families would have been an empty victory. Even before emancipation, African Americans recognized that control of their bodies was a critical battleground in their struggle for autonomy, and they devised strategies to retain at least some of that control. In "Doctoring Freedom," Gretchen Long tells the stories of African Americans who fought for access to both medical care and medical education, showing the important relationship between medical practice and political identity. Working closely with antebellum medical journals, planters' diaries, agricultural publications, letters from wounded African American soldiers, WPA narratives, and military and Freedmen's Bureau reports, Long traces African Americans' political acts to secure medical care: their organizing mutual-aid societies, their petitions to the federal government, and, as a last resort, their founding of their own medical schools, hospitals, and professional organizations. She also illuminates work of the earliest generation of black physicians, whose adult lives spanned both slavery and freedom. For African Americans, Long argues, claiming rights as both patients and practitioners was a political and highly charged act in both slavery and emancipation.


Abstract The purpose of this Study is to: Compare the effective-ness of Medicine, Physiotherapy and their combination in the management of Piriformis Syndrome (PS). Methodology:   This interventional study was conduc-ted at the Department of Physiotherapy and Orthope-dics Unit I, King Edward Medical University/ Mayo Hospital Lahore. A total number of 50 people were taken in this study. The subjects were divided into 3 groups. In the first group 14 subjects were included, in the second group 20 subjects were included and the third group 16 subjects were taken. Group I: In this group patients were taken with using medicine only Gondal M.J.I. 1 Physiotherapist, Mayo Hospital, Lahore Iqbal M.A. 2 Physiotherapist, Govt. Shahdara Hospital, Lahore Nasir R.H. 3 Physiotherapist, Riphah International University, Lahore Tabassum R. 4 Physiotherapist Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore Rasul A. 5 M. Phil, Scholar Punjab University, Lahore and was taken from OPD department unit I, Mayo Hospital Lahore. Group II: In this group those pati-ents were included who were already taking medicine and were also referred to get Physiotherapy treatment. Group III: In this group those patients were included who were taking only Physiotherapy treatment. These were taken from Physiotherapy Department, Mayo Hospital Lahore. Informed consent was taken from the patients or attendants. Patients included in the group who were taking only medicine were interviewed by direct and indirect method and were followed after every week about their conditions by phone or email, and were requested for reassessment after every two months up to six months. Results:   The mean age of all patients was 46.26 ± 8.25 years. In this study flexion before the treatment and when measured at different intervals after the start of the treatment, it was different for all the treatment options which were used for patients and in the treat-ment group in which patient was given medical and physiotherapy flexion was quite improved as compa-red to other treatment groups. i.e. (p-value = 0.001). Lateral rotation before the treatment and when measu-red at different intervals after the start of the treatment it was different for all the treatment options which were used for patients and in treatment group in which patient was given medical and physiotherapy was quite improved as compared to other treatment groups. i.e. (p-value = 0.002). When patients were tested for Piri-formis. The pain level of patients in group II was sig-nificantly improved on (VAS). On follow-up it was seen that the patients with combined treatment groups were recovered significantly as compared to other gro-ups. Conclusions:   Based on the results of statistical data analysis, it is concluded that the prognosis of the dise-ase is best in the group of patients whom both the phy-sical and medical treatment were given, rather than the other two groups whom only physical or only medical treatment was given. It justifies the hypothesis of this study report that "The combination of Physiotherapy and Medicine is a better management for the treatment of Piriformis Syndrome". Key words: Piriformis Syndrome, Physical Therapy.


Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine 2009, 15:403–407 Purpose of review Seasonal variations in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, mainly characterized by a winter peak, have been consistently reported. Some evidence now also exists on potential seasonal variations in the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Of interest, seasonal variability in the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and fatal and nonfatal pulmonary embolism appears to differ; however, the results of available studies are not unequivocal. This review will briefly summarize current evidence in this area. Recent findings Recent studies indicate a seasonal variability in the incidence of VTE, with a pattern that is independent of sex, age, type of event, or underlying risk factors. Usually, these studies found a higher VTE incidence during the winter months and a lower incidence in the summer months. The exact mechanism of this variability is not completely understood, but it may be at least in part explained by changes in coagulation factor levels. Summary Confirmation of these findings and a better understanding of underlying mechanisms could help physicians to identify patients or periods with increased risk of VTE in order to further improve current prophylactic strategies.