This book explores the way in which a group of parents of pre-school children construct the meaning of motherhood and fatherhood and cope with discourses that hold conflicting rules and value systems. Being a working parent today in Sweden entails moving between various domains. It involves integrating these domains, in order to create a reasonably satisfactory daily life for oneself and one's family members. Fieldwork at a multinational company, interviews with parents in two-earner families, and observations at a pre-school and at a child-health centre have been conducted over a period of two years. By combining interviews and observations at work and at home the author has explored the relationship between work and family life. The study shows that in contemporary Sweden there is a regeneration of conventional concepts of motherhood and fatherhood while at the same time these concepts are undergoing a redefinition. The discourses at the investigated workplace predominantly regenerate the conventional concepts. At the workplace, motherhood is associated with absenteeism and part-time work. Therefore, women encounter other expectations than men, which also gives them opportunities different from those of men. Modem parenting entails the work of co-ordinating and integrating clashing values, and this is reflected in both mothers' and fathers' stories. Cultural constructs from discourses at the workplace, the pre-school and the child-health centre exist parallel with each other. The informants' jobs, together with their own wishes and efforts to care well for their children, govern the mothers' and the fathers' daily lives. Particularly mothers are found to develop a skill in balancing between the different domains with their conflicting demands.


The Cole Royal Commission enquiry into the building and construction (abbreviated to 'construction') sector recommended controversial workplace-relation reforms for that sector. The recommended changes are likely to be enshrined in legislation within the year. The Commission drew on analyses of industrial disputes that focused, in the main, on quite recent experience. This paper attempts to give a broader historical perspective on disputes in that sector by considering the pattern of disputes for the entire post-World War II period. Accordingly, data on disputes and employees during the entire period are gathered from Australian Bureau of Statistics current and archived sources. These data are classified according to sector (construction versus non-construction) and analysed. It is found that the strike rate has, on average, been greater in the construction sector than in the non-construction sector. However, there have been periods during which disputes in the construction sector have been relatively low. The most recent period was during the period of the Accord (1983-96), during which the strike rate in the construction sector fell relatively strongly. The analysis of this relatively broad historical period draws attention, among other things, to the possibility that the sort of strategies employed during the Accord years – strategies of cooperation and consensus building – may provide a more effective means of bringing industrial peace to the workplace relations scene of the construction sector than policies that are relatively confrontational.


Background Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) due to thyroid dysgenesis is a frequent congenital endocrine disorder for which the molecular mechanisms remain unresolved in the far majority of cases. This situation reflects in part our still limited knowledge about the mechanisms involved in the early steps of thyroid specification from the endoderm, in particular the extrinsic signaling cues that regulate foregut endoderm patterning. In this study, we used small molecules and genetic zebrafish models to characterize the role of various signaling pathways in thyroid specification. Methods We treated zebrafish embryos during different developmental periods with small molecule compounds known to modulate the activity of Wnt signaling pathway and observed effects in thyroid, endoderm and cardiovascular development using whole mount in situ hybridization and transgenic fluorescent reporter models. We used an antisense morpholino to create a zebrafish acardiac model. For thyroid rescue experiments, BMP pathway induction in zebrafish embryos was obtained by using heatshock inducible transgenic lines. Results Interestingly, combined analyses of thyroid and cardiovascular development revealed that overactivation of Wnt signaling during early development leads to impaired thyroid specification concurrent with severe defects in the cardiac specification. When using a model of morpholino-induced blockage of cardiomyocyte differentiation, a similar correlation was observed, suggesting that defective signaling between cardiac mesoderm and endodermal thyroid precursors contributes to thyroid specification impairment. Rescue experiments through transient overactivation of BMP signaling could partially restore thyroid specification in models with defective cardiac development. Conclusion Collectively, our results indicate that BMP signaling is critically required for thyroid cell specification and identify cardiac mesoderm as a likely source of BMP signals.


While many research studies on political knowledge investigate how motivation can influence learning, the theoretical process of influence is yet to be mapped out. There are identifiable gaps in the existing literature, such as the conceptualization of motives, relationships between different motives, and their impacts on news seeking and learning outcomes. The author describes a process of learning comprised of distinct steps from exposure to knowledge, with each step viewed as a behavioral decision determined by the individual-level factors opportunity, ability, and motivation. Findings in the literature on knowledge gaps, uses and gratifications, and the information processing approach to learning are all brought to bear in developing an organized theory of motivational effects. A model that traces the influence of motivations on each step of the learning process is proposed. Such a model allows for a systematic examination of the many direct and indirect effects that motivations have on learning of political information from the news. Implications for Philippine communication research in the area of political learning from the news are discussed.


Pervasive and sustained coral diseases contribute to the systemic degradation of reef ecosystems, however, to date an understanding of the physicochemical controls on a coral disease event is still largely lacking. Water circulation and residence times and submarine groundwater discharge all determine the degree to which reef organisms are exposed to the variable chemistry of overlying waters; understanding these physical controls is thus necessary to interpret spatial patterns in coral health. The recent discovery of coral Black Band Disease at Mākua Reef on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi prompted an investigation into the physicochemical drivers and geomorphic controls of reef water circulation, and the temporally variable nutrient fluxes derived from submarine groundwater discharge. Results reveal localized stagnant water parcels at Mākua Reef where groundwater-derived high nutrient loading and low salinities act in concert as stressors to coralline health – and where Black Band Disease was uniquely identified. The observed high nutrient levels during low tide conditions are likely associated with nearby upstream cesspools and drain fields. Information obtained using such a multidisciplinary approach has direct value for successful management of coastal aquifers and the health and sustainability of adjacent nearshore coral reef ecosystems.


Summary The response of the antioxidant system to salt stress was studied in leaves of seedlings of four Turkish melon (Cucumis melo L.) varieties 'Besni', 'Yuva', 'Midyat' and 'Semame' and three melon cultivars 'Ananas', 'Galia C8' and 'Galia F1'. The anti-oxidant capability of plants was determined by measuring ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities together with levels of the anti-oxidant, ascorbic acid (AA). Salt treatment increased APX activities in stress-tolerant 'Galia C8' and 'Galia F1' and in moderately tolerant 'Besni', 'Midyat' and 'Semame'. These increases were greater in salt-tolerant cultivars. On the other hand, salt treatment did not cause a significant increase in APX activity in the salt-sensitive cvs. 'Yuva' and 'Ananas'. GR activity increased in all varieties and cultivars grown under saline conditions compared to control plants. Increases in GR activities were higher in salt-tolerant and moderately-tolerant varieties than in salt-sensitive ones. Likewise, AA contents increased with salt treatment in all varieties and cultivars except the salt-sensitive 'Ananas'. The data indicate that melon seedlings respond to salt-induced oxidative stress by increasing both their enzymatic and non-enzymatic anti-oxidant defense systems. These increases were most clear in the salt-tolerant cultivars.


Purpose:The aim of the study was to assess hypertensive patients' self‐care agency and any correlation with the patient's lifestyle changes and the nurse's degree of patient centeredness after counseling training. Data sources:Nurses in the intervention group (IG; n = 19) working at nurse‐led clinics at health centers were trained in patient centeredness (motivational interviewing) and the stages of change model and included 137 patients. Nurses in the control group (CG; n = 14) included 51 patients. The Exercise of Self‐Care Agency (ESCA) instrument was used. There was a significant difference from baseline to the 2‐year follow‐up in the ESCA score (IG, p = .0001). An increase in ESCA score was correlated with an increased level of physical activity after 2 years (IG, p = .0001; CG, p = .040). Conclusions:The counseling training gave an increase in the patients' self‐care agency scores, which was significantly correlated with increased physical activity. Implications for practice:In clinical practice it is important for nurses to be patient centered in their counseling to affect patients' self‐care agency in a positive direction.


20 The present investigation examined whether perfectionism might predict whether an athlete would 21 suffer from the 'yips' (a long-term movement disorder consisting of involuntary movements that 22 affects the execution of motor skills). A sample of 'yips'-affected individuals from golf, cricket, and 23 darts as well as a sport-matched sample of non 'yips'-affected athletes completed the shortened 24 version of Frost, Marten, Lahart, and Rosenblate's (1990) multidimensional perfectionism scale 25 (FMPS). Results revealed that three aspects of perfectionism (personal standards, organization, and 26 concern over mistakes) were associated with a greater likelihood of suffering from the 'yips', 27 indicating that 'yips' sufferers had an unhealthy perfectionism profile. The results highlight 28 perfectionism as a possible antecedent of the 'yips' experience within sport. 29


Optimization problems under uncertain conditions abound in many real-life applications. While solution approaches for probabilistic constraints are often developed in case the uncertainties can be assumed to follow a certain probability distribution, robust approaches are usually applied in case solutions are sought that are feasible for all realizations of uncertainties within some predefined uncertainty set. As many applications contain different types of uncertainties that require robust as well as probabilistic treatments, we introduce a class of joint probabilistic/robust constraints. Focusing on complex uncertain gas network optimization problems, we show the relevance of this class of problems for the task of maximizing free booked capacities in an algebraic model for a stationary gas network. We furthermore present approaches for finding their solution. Finally, we study the problem of controlling a transient system that is governed by the wave equation. The task consists in determining controls such that a certain robustness measure remains below some given upper bound with high probability.


Down syndrome (DS) has the highest prevalence of any chromosomal abnormality identified in newborns. DS children have specific eating and swallowing difficulties such as poor tongue control, mouth opening, swallowing food without chewing, and both facial and occlusal abnormalities. DS children are also at high risk of aspiration, and swallowing food without chewing is considered to be a factor associated with increased risk of aspiration and eating problems. This study aimed to identify factors preventing the acquisition of masticatory function in DS children. The subjects were 75 outpatient DS children (44 males, age range 12 to 36 month-old, mean age 33.0 ± 7.0 month-old; 31 females, age 12 to 36 month-old, mean age 20.8 ± 8.0 month-old), who had not yet acquired masticatory function, out of 319 who visited the clinic between October 2012 and October 2017. The information necessary for assessment was retrospectively extracted from the medical records of the subjects. The items examined included age, birth weight, nutritional intake, picky eating, tactile hyperesthesia, cognitive development assessed by Ohta stage, gross motor function, occlusal condition by Hellman's dental age, and tongue thrust/lip closure/mastication while eating. The relationships between the acquisition of masticatory function and these items were investigated after one year of rehabilitation. The revealed age, low birth weight, picky eating, and gross motor function to be relevant factors. Among these, gross motor function was found to be the factor most strongly associated with acquisition of masticatory function.


Next Generation EO/IR focal plane arrays using nanostructure materials are being developed for a variety of Defense Applications including Unattended Ground Sensor Applications. Several different nanomaterials are being evaluated for these applications. These include ZnO nanowires that have demonstrated large signal to noise ratio as a wide band gap nanostructure material in the UV band. Similarly, the work is under way using Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) for a high speed detector and focal plane array as bolometer for IR bands of interest, which can be implemented for the unattended ground sensor applications. In this paper, we will discuss the sensor design and model predicting performance of an EO/IR focal plane array that can cover the UV to IR bands of interest. The model can provide a robust means for comparing performance of the EO/IR FPA's and Sensors that can operate in the UV, Visible-NIR (0.4-1.8μ), SWIR (2.0-2.5μ), MWIR (3-5μ), and LWIR bands (8-14μ). This model can be used as a tool for predicting performance of nanostructure arrays under development. We will also discuss our results on growth and characterization of ZnO nanowires and CNT's for the next generation sensor applications. Several approaches for compact energy harvesting using nanostructures will be discussed.


Femtocell has been considered as an important technology to increase the cellular system capacity by bringing the base station closer to the user and shrinking the cell dimension. Basically, femtocell networks are deployed in indoor environment such as an office. Thus, femtocell placement problems are one of the important issues in planning the wireless networks, since the manual planning processes are not efficient. In this paper, the solution of femtocell placement problem in an indoor environment is solved by bat algorithm. Selecting the best position of the femtocell is the main objective so the capacity can be maximized. In a 100 trial study, the SNR can be optimized up to 34.89 dB. In conclusion, the bat algorithm is able to improve the SNR efficiently and effectively.


The irregular deep chronic wound is a grand challenge to be healed due to multiple factors including slow angiogenesis that causing regenerated tissue failure. The narrow gap of deep wounds could hinder and slow down normal wound healing. Thus, the current study aimed to develop a polymerised genipin-crosslinked gelatin (gelipin) hydrogel (GNP_GH) as a potential biodegradable filler for the abovementioned limitations. Briefly, GNP_GH bioscaffolds have been developed successfully within three-minute polymerisation at room temperature (22–24 °C). The physicochemical and biocompatibility of GNP_GH bioscaffolds were respectively evaluated. Amongst GNP_GH groups, the 0.1%GNP_GH10% displayed the highest injectability (97.3 ± 0.6%). Meanwhile, the 0.5%GNP_GH15% degraded within more than two weeks with optimum swelling capacity (108.83 ± 15.7%) and higher mechanical strength (22.6 ± 3.9 kPa) than non-crosslinked gelatin hydrogel 15% (NC_GH15%). Furthermore, 0.1%GNP_GH15% offered higher porosity (>80%) and lower wettability (48.7 ± 0.3) than NC_GH15%. Surface and cross-section SEM photographs displayed an interconnected porous structure for all GNP_GH groups. The EDX spectra and maps represented no major changes after GNP modification. Moreover, no toxicity effect of GNP_GH against dermal fibroblasts was shown during the biocompatibility test. In conclusion, the abovementioned findings indicated that gelipin has excellent physicochemical properties and acceptable biocompatibility as an acellular rapid treatment for future use in irregular deep cutaneous wounds.


Abstract. Over a 3-yr period, from 2006 to 2009, frequent scattered sunlight DOAS measurements were conducted at Mt. Etna at a distance of around 6 km downwind from the summit craters. During the same period and in addition to these measurements, volcanic observations were made by regularly visiting various parts of Mt. Etna. Here, results from these measurements and observations are presented and their relation is discussed. The focus of the investigation is the bromine monoxide/sulphur dioxide (BrO / SO2) ratio, and its variability in relation to volcanic processes. That the halogen/sulphur ratio can serve as a precursor or indicator for the onset of eruptive activity was already proposed by earlier works (e.g. Noguchi and Kamiya 1963; Menyailov, 1975; Pennisi and Cloarec, 1998; Aiuppa et al., 2002). However, there is still a limited understanding today because of the complexity with which halogens are released, depending on magma composition and degassing conditions. Our understanding of these processes is far from complete, for example of the rate and mechanism of bubble nucleation, growth and ascent in silicate melts (Carroll and Holloway, 1994), the halogen vapour-melt partitioning and the volatile diffusivity in the melt (Aiuppa et al., 2009). With this study we aim to add one more piece to the puzzle of what halogen/sulphur ratios might tell about volcanic activities. Our data set shows an increase of the BrO / SO2 ratio several weeks prior to an eruption, followed by a decline before and during the initial phase of eruptive activities. Towards the end of activity or shortly thereafter, the ratio increases to baseline values again and remains more or less constant during quiet phases. To explain the observed evolution of the BrO / SO2 ratio, a first empirical model is proposed. This model suggests that bromine, unlike chlorine and fluorine, is less soluble in the magmatic melt than sulphur. By using the DOAS method to determine SO2, we actually observe most of the emitted sulphur of Mt.~Etna. Regarding bromine, however, we are aware that by determining only the bromine monoxide (BrO) radical we might just observe a small or even a variable fraction of the total emitted bromine, which is most probable originally in the form of HBr. Therefore, we present first studies to justify the assumption that, despite the disadvantage just mentioned, the BrO / SO2 ratio can nevertheless serve as a new parameter to indicate the state of a volcano, when measurements are conducted under certain, but rather convenient, conditions.


Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are one of the principal threats to freshwater biodiversity. Exclusion barriers are increasingly being used as a management strategy to control the spread of AIS. However, exclusion barriers can also impact native organisms and their effectiveness is likely to be context dependent. We conducted a quantitative literature review to evaluate the use of barriers to control animal AIS in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. The quantitative aspect of the review was supplemented by case studies that describe some of the challenges, successes, and opportunities for the use of the use of AIS exclusion barriers globally. Barriers have been used since the 1950s to control the spread of AIS, but effort has been increasing since 2005 (80% of studies) and an increasingly diverse range of AIS taxa are now targeted in a wide range of habitat types. The global use of AIS barriers has been concentrated in North America (74% of studies), Australasia (11%), and Europe (10%). Physical barriers (e.g., weirs, exclusion screens, and velocity barriers) have been most widely used (47%), followed by electric (27%) and chemical barriers (12%). Fish were the most targeted taxa (86%), followed by crustaceans (10%), molluscs (3%) and amphibians (1%). Most studies have been moderately successful in limiting the passage of AIS, with 86% of the barriers tested deterring >70% of individuals. However, only 25% of studies evaluated barrier impacts on native species, and development of selective passage is still in its infancy. Most studies have been too short (47% < 1 year, 87% < 5 years) to detect ecological impacts or have failed to use robust before-after-control-impact (BACI) study designs (only 5%). Hence, more effective monitoring is required to assess the long-term effectiveness of exclusion barriers as an AIS management tool. Our global case studies highlight the pressing need for AIS control in many ecoregions, and exclusion barriers have the potential to become an effective tool in some situations. However, the design and operation of exclusion barriers must be refined to deliver selective passage of native fauna, and exclusion barriers should only be used sparingly as part of a wider integrated management strategy.


AIMS
We present here the first-in-man case report of a patient with a significant residual "intra-clip" jet treated by the implantation of an AMPLATZER Vascular Plug II.

METHODS AND RESULTS
A 64-year-old gentleman came to our attention for mitral regurgitation (MR) recurrence four years after transcatheter mitral repair with MitraClip. After the implantation of two further MitraClips, residual intra-clip MR was present, without room for a further clip. An AMPLATZER Vascular Plug II was successfully deployed between the two clips. Final echocardiography showed residual mild MR, without any sign of mitral stenosis.

CONCLUSIONS
This case demonstrates the feasibility of the implantation of an AMPLATZER Vascular Plug between two MitraClips to treat significant residual "intra-clip" MR, when the implantation of an adjunctive clip is not feasible. This approach may represent an effective therapeutic solution in case of a significant residual intra-clip jet.


Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) has been successfully used in clinical and experimental settings to evaluate bone perfusion but unanswered questions regarding its capabilities and limitations still remain. This study was undertaken to determine absorption of He–Ne laser light (632.8 nm) and maximum depth for flow assessment (threshold thickness) under optimal conditions in bone. Light transmittance in bovine bone samples of femora and tibia was measured after each step of grinding and depth of penetration calculated. The threshold thickness was obtained by placing the same samples in a flow chamber where a solution of 2% latex circulated beneath; flow was detected by a laser Doppler probe resting on top of the sample. The results showed a significantly higher depth of penetration for trabecular than for cortical bone. A regression analysis showed a high correlation between the inorganic fraction of the bone and the depth of penetration. The maximum depth at which the laser Doppler probe can evaluate flow in bone conditions was found to be 2.9 ± 0.2 mm in cortical bone, 3.5 ± 0.3 mm in bone covered by 1 mm cartilage and 3.5 ± 0.2 mm in trabecular bone. The study showed the limitations of LDF in bone and their correlations to various bone properties.


In the first part of this article, Communities of Practice are conceptually positioned as a very important and successful element of corporate Knowledge Management. By utilizing IT platforms they enable a direct connection of knowledge workers and the transfer and reuse of tacit expertise to geographically remote business problems. Although current Community Software provides its members with many sophisticated features, facilitators or moderators still lack functionalities to monitor, evaluate and communicate the development of their expert networks. After discussing the requirements of this special target group, this contribution concentrates on electronic discussions and proposes a software system for automatically analyzing the structure and value of Knowledge Communities by extracting available electronic data about their communication network. This includes the entities employee, topic, and document and their many relationships. Insightful structural visualizations based on theories of Network Analysis are introduced. They can be accessed and manipulated in a Management Cockpit to improve the transparency in communities.


Note: The original hardbound and the original electronic copy of this thesis comprises a creative component in the form of a novel Lives We Leave Behind (LWLB), which Penguin Books (NZ) published in 2012 and Editions PRISMA (France) as Des Vies Derrière Soi in 2013, a connecting essay outlining the genesis for LWLB and clarifying my connections to nursing and to the First World War, and a critical component in the form of a research project that focuses on the memoirs of nurses who served in Egypt and/or France during the conflict. These original copies are deposited in the Permanent Restricted Archive. However, because this electronic version contains only the essay and the research project, and not the creative component, it is available through the Open Research Archive.  This version of the multi-genre and multi-voiced thesis comprises a reflective essay and a research project that examines the emotional legacies of the First World War for nurses and volunteers who attempted to make meaning of their experiences through the writing of memoirs. The essay situates me as author and researcher. The research project uses a narrative framework, as interpreted within the field of cultural history, to study the significance of physical, emotional and narrative proximity to trauma for the memoirists.   A Seven-stage Memoir Analysis Framework offers a visual representation of the findings which emerged in four areas: authorial intention and publishing trends, thematic content and cultural shifts, writing approaches and storytelling devices, and links between relationships and resilience. There were two main writing styles. Memoirists with publication as their main goal, and who released their memoirs during the war, adopted a dramatic, upbeat style that contained victorious tales which emulated the prevailing publishing trends and mirrored the preferences of the reading public. These memoirists ordered events, drew heavily on their imaginative abilities and rarely ruminated on their experiences. In contrast, the memoirists who published during the 'war book boom' of the late 20s through to the late 30s, and contributed to 'literature of crisis', adopted a more reflective writing approach and wrote of loss and disillusionment, key themes in a cultural shift that took place in post-war society. The primary aim of these memoirists was to honour the work of nursing.  Making meaning of experience occurred most successfully in the post-war memoirs. Memoirists used four strategies: ordering events, writing reflectively, forming connections, and drawing on storytelling devices. Memoirists from both groups ordered events and all but one drew on storytelling devices to entice readers into their narratives. However, apart from the aforementioned exception, only the post-war memoirists reflected on their physical, emotional and narrative proximity to trauma and considered the overall impact on their wellbeing. Each memoirist in this group kept her emotions under control in the workplace but in private spaces spoke with friends about fear, sorrow, anxiety and despair. Memoirists who lost a loved one or were separated from a close companion frequently developed painful physical ailments, which amplified their emotional distress. Those who formed meaningful relationships and empathetic emotional connections with patients, friends and colleagues enhanced their functional resilience and better managed the relentless rhythms of work, worry and weariness. Those who remained hopeful about the future were more likely to display markers of existential resilience after the war.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Capitated contracting of health providers has created substantial change in health‐care markets. This article assesses how capitation affects the roles and relationships of healthcare organizations. In‐depth case studies were conducted of eight major hospital‐led integrated health networks/systems and two large integrated medi‐cal groups. Types of capitated contracts employed, contract support capabilities developed, relationships among providers in the support services, and lessons learned about capitation were explored. The experiences of these organizations provide valuable guidance for health executives as they develop or refine capitated contracting strategies.


We experimentally demonstrate an all-optical tunable delay line based on slow and fast light using soliton collision in an optical fiber. By varying the amplitude, wavelength, and number of the control soliton pulses, we accomplish both distortion-less slow and fast light generation and achieve the consecutive temporal shift up to 7.3ps for a 4.1ps-width pulse, which corresponds to the maximum delay-to-pulse-width ratio of 1.8.


This text describes late-1990s understanding of map generalisation in the context of paper maps and GIS. Its particular value should be in helping to further automate and measure the process of map generalisation.; The research has concentrated on quantifying generalisation effects and on analysing how these effects of generalisation locked into the maps were measured. Elsa Joao's book covers the background to the problems of map generlasation; the methodology developed by the author to investigate the consequences of the map generalisation; a detailed description of results, and a conclusion that draws together consequences for the broader applications to GIS.


The production and trade of cowpea (Vigna Uniculata), called "blackeyed peas" in the US, are a growing business for farmers and merchants serving the rapidly expanding urban areas of West and Central Africa. Cowpea fits the needs of the urban poor. It is an inexpensive source of protein that does not require refrigeration. A better understanding of consumer preferences for cowpea is essential to market development. The main objective of the study was to determine the cowpea grain quality characteristics that command a price premium or provoke a discount in Ghanaian, Malian and Nigerian markets. Specifically, the study looked at the impact of the grain size, texture, color, eye color, and bruchid-damaged grains on cowpea market prices. The data for the study were collected from six markets in Ghana; four markets were in the capital city of Accra and two markets in Kumasi. In Mali, two markets were surveyed, Marche de Sabalibougou and Marche Medine. In Nigeria three markets were surveyed, Iddo in Lagos; Monday, in Maiduguri; and Dawanau in Kano. Hedonic pricing methods provide a statistical estimate of premiums and discounts. The results of the study indicated that cowpea consumers in Ghana, Mali and Nigeria are willing to pay a premium for large cowpea grains. Cowpea consumers discount grains with storage damage from the very first bruchid hole. The impact of price on other cowpea quality characteristics such as skin color and texture, and eye color varies locally. Implications for development of the cowpea value chain include: 1) breeders and cowpea production researchers should identify cost-effective ways to increase cowpea grain size because larger grain size is almost universally preferred, and 2) entomologists and storage experts should develop and transfer improved storage technologies to reduce damage discounts, and 3) serving local markets requires a portfolio of grain skin color, eye color and skin texture combinations.


Results from two popular models for the complex permittivity of liquid water were compared, as applied to radiative transfer computations in the 5-250 GHz range. Substantial differences were found in situations with cloud temperatures below 0/spl deg/C. Simulations of cloud liquid water retrievals from satellite and ground-based instruments demonstrated that uncertainties in the models at low temperatures can lead to large retrieval errors.


Current climate warming has a disproportionally large impact on Arctic glaciers and ice caps. In this thesis, I examined stratigraphic changes observed in the top ~15 m of two Arctic ice caps: one located at Svalbard (Lomonosovfonna) and the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago (Penny). The objective was to find out if and how the increasing regional temperatures have impacted the stratigraphy and densification rates of these ice caps, and particularly since the 1990s when Arctic warming accelerated. This was accomplished by analyzing and comparing recent (2000s) and earlier (1990s) ice-core density and stratigraphic measurements from these two ice caps, and also regional temperature data from Svalbard and the eastern Canadian Arctic over the period 1995-2013. Data over the amount and thickness of ice layers in the ice cores are also used and compared with the density development. A decrease in elevation for the formation of infiltration ice layers at Lomonsovfonna is concluded as well as a strong increase in temperature where the winter temperatures increase the most. In the ice cores it s also seen that each core has certain spatial variability when it comes to the distribution of infiltration ice.


The distribution and elimination kinetics of alfentanil, a new short-acting analgesic, were studied in five surgical patients. Its behavior, following a bolus injection of 120 μg/ml, was compatible with a three-compartment open-model distribution. The disappearance of the drug from plasma was rapid (t½π = 3.5 ± 1.3 minutes, t½α = 16.8 ± 6.4 minutes) with 96.4% of the drug eliminated from plasma in 1 hour, indicating extensive transfer to the remote peripheral compartment. This was followed by a slower elimination phase with a t½β of 94 ± 38 minutes. Total volume of distribution was 1.03 ± 0.50 L/kg. Total plasma clearance was 456 ± 155 ml/min. The short analgesic effect of this drug might be attributed to the rapid displacement of the drug from the central and intermediate compartments to the remote peripheral compartment. Approximately 25% of the injected dose was present in the remote peripheral compartment 30 to 60 minutes after alfentanil administration. As the return of drug from this peripheral to the central compartment is slower than the elimination rate of the drug, it could be the rate-limiting step in the elimination of alfentanil from the body.


Most hydro-electric schemes change the seasonal variation of river discharge. As a result of this the temperature in lakes downstream of a hydro-electric plant will be changed. The numerical model described in this paper has been developed to calculate the change in the vertical temperature distribution. The model has been applied to two Norwegian lakes.


The crystal structure of an ATP-dependent DNA ligase from bacteriophage T7 revealed that the protein comprised two structural domains. In order to investigate the biochemical activities of these domains, we have overexpressed them separately and purified them to homogeneity. The larger N-terminal domain retains adenylation and ligase activities, though both at a reduced level. The adenylation activity of the large domain is stimulated by the presence of the smaller domain, suggesting that a conformational change is required for adenylation in the full length protein. The DNA binding properties of the two fragments have also been studied. The larger domain is able to band shift both single and double-stranded DNA, while the smaller fragment is only able to bind to double-stranded DNA. These data suggest that the specificity of DNA ligases for nick sites in DNA is produced by a combination of these different DNA binding activities in the intact enzyme.


This thesis argues that bioethics emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s not as a novel way to engage new technological or social ethical questions of life (bios), but rather as a late, post-Enlightenment secular phenomenon. In particular, bioethics seeks to adopt a methodology of theorizing on morality that is prominent in modern science, and this is a strategy that I contest by following Wittgenstein's critique of scientific theorizing. Wittgenstein's later exercises with language present a critical and clarifying way to identify the immanent and self-referential schema of principlism in bioethics. Additionally, I show how Wittgenstein's approach to philosophy as a skillful and therapeutic activity rather than a cognitive content is informative for bioethics. Hence, I suggest that in pre-modern, traditional eras—or even in many contemporary non-Western global sectors—bioethics largely would be indistinct from religious and theological dogma and practices. I argue that the modern mind prioritizes material causality, leading to a moral techne that divides spirit from matter, vios from bios. Within such a schema, nature—and especially the medicalized human body—is managed, produced, and constructed. Furthermore, I argue that Wittgenstein gestures towards an ancient transcendent way beyond the modern division of vios and bios, and that a full vision of seeing life may be glimpsed through an apophatic epistemology that guides one towards an understanding of ethics itself as a form of apophatic and embodied knowledge.


Inhibition of hemolysis by plasma has been studied in systems containing saponin, digitonin, and sodium lauryl sulfate, using the methods developed for the study of the kinetics of progressive reactions. The results are that the progressive nature of the hemolytic reaction in saponin systems becomes less when the inhibitor is added, that the addition of inhibitor to digitonin systems has no effect on the final result although the velocity of the progressive reaction is reduced, and that the effect of plasma in lauryl sulfate systems is intermediate between the effects in saponin systems and digitonin systems. A simple explanation is that the lysin is very strongly fixed, to form an internal phase, to the cell surfaces in digitonin systems, less strongly in laurate systems, and still less strongly in saponin systems. To answer the question as to whether, in a system in which some of the lysin forms as internal phase, the addition of an inhibitor results in a redistribution of the lysin between the internal phase and the bulk phase, sodium lauryl sulfate-S35 and sodium cetyl sulfate-S35 were prepared, and their distribution between the internal phase and the bulk phase was measured before and after the addition of plasma, the lysins being added to the cells either before or after the addition of the inhibitor. The results show that there is a large uptake of these lysins at the red cell surfaces when they are added first, and that the subsequent addition of plasma greatly reduces the quantity of lysin held in the internal phase. Further, if the inhibitor is added first and the lysin subsequently, the internal lysin phase is very incompletely formed. Serum albumin, used in place of plasma, gives essentially similar results.


The introduction to this special issue addresses the production of intimacy in the labour of research. It explores the sensory, emotional and affective relations which form an integral, if often invisible, part of the process through which researchers engage with, produce, understand and translate `research'. The article argues that these processes inform the making of knowledge, shape power relations and enable or constrain the practical negotiation of ethical problems. These issues are not, however, often foregrounded in debates on methods or methodology and are frequently erased from researchers' own accounts of their work. The article explores some of the possible reasons for this, which include institutional and cultural conventions of academic practice, the historical legacies with which disciplines often struggle, and the difficult issues and decisions that individual researchers face as they try to negotiate the relations between scholarly research and personal relationships across time, and between scholarly research and, for example, creativity, fiction, or sensationalism. The article concludes with a review of the main themes in the special issue, focusing in particular on the ways in which the contributors use the concept of intimacy to challenge the boundaries between creativity and analysis; spatial and temporal proximity and distance; freedom and censorship; subjects and objects.


The excess risk of diabetic complications in African Americans may be due to poor glycemic control arising from suboptimal use and/or quality of diabetes-related health care. However, little is known about racial differences in these factors, particularly in urban populations. We conducted a cross-sectional study using medical claims and encounter data on 1,106 adults with diabetes aged > or =30 years who were members of an urban managed care organization in capitated health plans. We examined health care and routine hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) testing in a biracial cohort for 12 months. We then followed individuals for an additional 12 months, using a retrospective cohort design, to determine how this health care predicted subsequent emergency room visits. On average, compared with their white counterparts, African Americans had fewer primary care visits (85% vs. 91% with four or more visits) and fewer HbA(1c) tests (56% vs. 68% with two or more HbA(1c) tests) (all P < 0.05). Likewise, in the subset who underwent one or more HbA(1c) measurement (n = 855), African Americans displayed poorer glycemic control (HbA(1c) 9.1 +/- 2.9%) than whites (8.5 +/- 2.2%; P = 0.001). In multivariate analyses, racial differences in visit frequency and HbA(1c) testing were attenuated by adjustment for age, sex, and type of capitated plan and did not remain statistically significant. The relationship of health care to subsequent emergency room visits differed by race; in African Americans, fewer primary care visits and HbA(1c) tests predicted greater risk of emergency room visits. Even in a capitated, managed care setting, urban African Americans with diabetes are less likely than their white counterparts to undergo routine primary care visits and laboratory testing and are more likely to have suboptimal glycemic control. Differences in age, sex, and insurance type seemed to explain some of the disparities. Future research should determine the individual contributions of physician, patient, and system factors to the racial disparities in health care.


Single crystalline ZnO thin films have been deposited on epi-GaN/sapphire (0001) substrates by the metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) method. The structural and optical properties of the ZnO films were investigated in detail. The film prepared at 600°C was epitaxial single crystalline with the wurtzite structure of pure ZnO and a single orientation of (0002) direction. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the interface area, and a clear orientation relationship of ZnO (0001) || GaN (0001) and ZnO [] || GaN [] was obtained. The average transmittance for the samples in the visible range was over 75%.


Etching temperature and time are important parameters in the etching of SiC single crystals in molten KOH for defect studies. However, comparison of results of different research groups is difficult because of the way temperature measurements are being carried out. Until now the temperature of the melt has been measured indirectly with a temperature sensor placed outside the melt on the outer walls of the crucible of the etching furnace, resulting in varying etching conditions for varying setup designs. In this paper we developed an etching furnace with the capability of measuring the absolute temperature in-situ directly in the KOH melt. A new thermoelement, resistant to hot molten KOH was developed. Temperature profile measurements of the molten KOH were carried out and a calibration curve of the furnace was obtained. Based on our temperature measurements, we found that etching at 530 °C for 5 minutes was optimal for defect characterisation, both for defect statistics and for distinguishing between the etch pit morphologies. At 550 °C the etch pits become too large, overlap each other and the etching is no longer defect selective.


Objective: The current investigation was pointed at developing and progressively validating novel, simple, responsive and stable RP-HPLC method for the measurement of active pharmaceutical ingredients of Capecitabine and Docetaxel.
Methods: A simple, selective, validated and well-defined stability that shows gradient RP-HPLC methodology for the quantitative determination of Capecitabine and Docetaxel. The chromatographic strategy utilized Inertsil ODS column of dimensions 250x4.6 mm, 5 micron, using isocratic elution with a mobile phase of acetonitrile and water (50:50). A flow rate of 1 ml/min and a detector wavelength of 220 nm utilizing the PDA detector were given in the instrumental settings. Using the impurity-spiked solution, the chromatographic approach was streamlined. Validation of the proposed method was carried out according to an international conference on harmonization (ICH) guidelines.
Results: LOD and LOQ for the two active ingredients and their impurities were established with respect to test concentration. The calibration charts plotted were linear with a regression coefficient of R2>0.999, means the linearity was within the limit. Recovery, specificity, linearity, accuracy, robustness, ruggedness were determined as a part of method validation and the results were found to be within the acceptable range.
Conclusion: The proposed method to be fast, simple, feasible and affordable in assay condition. During stability tests, it can be used for routine analysis of production samples and to verify the quality of drug samples during stability studies.


There are now 1 million industrial robots toiling around the world, and Japan is where they¿re the thickest on the ground. It has 295 of these electromechanical marvels for every 10 000 manufacturing workers¿a robot density almost 10 times the world average and nearly twice that of Singapore (169), South Korea (164), and Germany (163).


Improving quality and standards of living of the urban environment has always been a challenge for urban planners. The modern perception of urban planning is directed towards promoting pedestrian movement in the urban space. Thus, understanding how this is generated and functions in relation to the urban layouts as well as predicting the effects of pedestrian movement with regards to the location of the various land uses are key elements for sustainable urban planning. This paper intends to interpret the characteristics of open urban space to create, through more holistic approaches, a methodological framework for decisionmaking analysis towards sustainable urban planning. In a first approximation, this framework consists of space syntax theory that can effectively study the configuration characteristics of urban space. A further step is to incorporate the role of land uses in the pedestrian movement patterns. Land uses tend to increase pedestrian flows in the local area beyond what their syntactic location and properties within the spatial system of the larger area may suggest. The purpose is to test a dynamic tool that can be used to formulate a sustainable urban strategy as well as propose solutions and interventions that improve the structure and quality of the urban system. The case of study is Athens Municipality.


Background: In human behavior study, by peering directly into the brain and assessing distinct patterns, evoked neurons and neuron spike can be more understandable by taking advantages of accurate brain analysis. Objectives: We investigated the role of Event Related Potentials (ERPs) in pre-comprehension processing of consumers to marketing logos.. Materials & Methods: In the framework of an experimental design, twenty-six right-handed volunteers (13 men, 13 women) participated in 2013 in the University of Tabriz. An individual task with a presentation of familiar vs. unfamiliar logos was designed. Stimuli were displayed on a monitor controlled by a PC using the Mitsar® stimulus presentation system PsyTask. Statistical analyses of ERPs data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Our results showed, when subjects were dealing with familiar logos, higher peak amplitude for the N1 component in right hemisphere of the brain can be observed. These variations on averages of early components of ERPs in occipital lobe can be referred to the pre-perceptual brain activities. Conclusion: Investigating early components of ERP can be utilized further as an effective factor in prediction of the consumers 'preference particularly in neuromarketing field.


Introduction: Since obesity and overweight have dramatically increased in recent years, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of hypoxia on responses of PYY3-36 and the appetite to interval exercise among overweight individuals. Materials and Methods: Eight healthy male subjects (age, 22.14±2.11 yrs; height,175.28±7.69 cm; weight, 87.03±5.95 kg; BMI, 28.4±1.5 kg/m2) voluntarily participated in the study and performed an exercise protocols (cycling) in noromxic and hypoxic conditions on two separate sessions (Counterbalance) with a one week interval. Interval exercise included 5 repetitions of 4-min activity at 85%of HRmax, followed by 2min active restat 50% of HRmax. The environmental and training conditions were kept constant in two sessions, with the exception that the interval exercise was performed with 15% reduction in oxygen partial pressure in a hypoxic trial. Blood samples were taken before and after exercise (10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 minutes) and were analyzed for measuring the PYY3-36 using the ELISA technique. Results: Environmental conditions did not induce significant effect on PYY3-36 responses to interval exercise (P=0.1), though, exercise increased the PYY3-36, especially in normoxic conditions. In addition, although there was a reduction in the appetite following the two trials, environmental conditions had no significant effect on appetite (p=0.872). Conclusion: Interval exercises increase circulating levels of PYY3-36 and reduce appetite, irrespective of the environmental conditions (normoxia or hypoxia) in which the exercise is performed.


Hierarchically nanostructured, coral-like carbons with uniform spherical ∼50 nm pores and <2 nm wall micropores as well as their non-coral-like, microporous counterparts are loaded with Rh- and Co-porphyrins. Taking advantage of the pore networks with high uniformity and controllability, the performances of these composites in electrochemical CO oxidation (by loading Rh porphyrin) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs, by loading Co porphyrin) are compared in a systematic manner to precisely elucidate the pore morphology–performance relationship. The porphyrin-loaded coral-like carbons show significantly higher CO oxidation and ORR currents than their microporous counterparts, with performance improvements attributable to high porphyrin loading (up to 35 μmol g−1) and dispersity ensured by the presence of ∼50 nm pores. The improvement is more distinct for the coral-like carbon with higher pore connectivity (with ca. 15 nm neck) in CO oxidation, while this tendency is somewhat limited in the ORR. Even superior performance to commercial carbon blacks with the same porphyrin loading results, generating ∼2 (CO oxidation, at E = 0.3 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode) and ∼3–6 times (the ORR, at E = 0.4 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode) higher currents, which is considered indicative of favorable mass-transfer kinetics for the coral-like carbons. The hybrids exhibiting excellent performances are considered to be promising Pt-free electrodes in various electrochemical devices (e.g., fuel cells), while, based on the comparisons, insights into the future design directions of carbon nanoarchitectures for metalloporphyrin-loaded electrodes with further improved performance are provided.


Early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer may account for the current improvement in the mortality of breast cancer. However, achieving a complete 'cure' is the holy grail of cancer medicine and, in many cases, cancer patients still succumb to their ultimate fate. There is therefore a need to devise innovative therapies to overcome this problem. To this end, many emerging therapies utilizing the immune system to eradicate the residues of disease have been described in the preclinical and clinical arenas. However, there is very little work examining the impact of immunotherapy on the existing natural immunity. The relationship between antitumor immunity, in the form of immunotherapy (either passive or active), and current strategies of treatment also needs to be explored. If we are to improve the success of cancer treatment, we must understand how current therapies interact with the immune system and with the emerging immunotherapies. For breast-cancer treatment to be successful, therapeutics should be tailored towards antitumor immunity; they should also avoid tumor-specific tolerance. The sources of information used to prepare this paper were obtained through published work on Pubmed/Medline and materials published on the US/UK governmental agencies' websites.


Researchers interested in estimating productivity can choose from an array of methodologies, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Methods differ by the assumptions they rely on and imply very different calculations. I compare five widely used techniques: (a) index numbers, (b) data envelopment analysis, and three parametric methods, (c) instrumental variables estimation, (d) stochastic frontiers, and (e) semi-parametric estimation. I compare the estimates directly and evaluate three productivity debates using a panel of manufacturing plants in Colombia. The different methods generate surprisingly similar results. Correlations between alternative productivity estimates are invariably high. All methods confirm that exporters are more productive on average and that only a small portion of the productivity advantage is due to scale economies. Productivity growth is correlated more strongly with export status, frequent investments in capital equipment, and employment of managers than with the use of imported inputs or foreign ownership. On the debate whether aggregate productivity growth is driven by plant-level changes or output share relocation, all methods point to the the importance of plant-level changes, in contrast to results from the U.S.


Women judged to be at high risk of delivering low-birth-weight infants were assigned to one of three supplements--high-protein beverage, low-protein beverage, or a vitamin-mineral preparation--to determine: (a) The acceptability of a liquid dietary supplement to pregnant women. (b) The effect of the dietary supplement on diets normally eaten by pregnant women. Acceptance of the high-protein beverage by the women in this study was low. Fifty per cent of the dropouts indicated a dislike for the beverage because of either poor flavor or an inability to tolerate it. The women generally consumed "adequate" diets, although there were variations. Increases in intakes of calories and protein in Group 1 were statistically significant, suggesting the high-protein beverage served as a supplement for both calories and protein; that is, these nutrients were added to the women's existing intake. For the low-protein beverage women (Group 2), statistics revealed the beverage was used as a substitute.


Cost utility analysis is a method of cost-effectiveness analysis which provides results in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). This method is progressively largely used for medical technology assessment. It permits cost-effectiveness comparisons between medical interventions. The cost per QALY of cochlear implant was determined in 30 adult patients suffering from acquired profound deafness. This study indicates that this technology provides significant improvements and is quite cost-effective. However, as far as profound deafness is concerned, the reliability of QALY needs to be improved.


Compared with the dry external skin surface, the inner mucosa of the foreskin has less keratinization (deposition of fibrous protein), a higher density of target cells for HIV infection (Langerhans cells), and is more susceptible to HIV infection than other penile tissue in laboratory studies [2]. The foreskin may also have greater susceptibility to traumatic epithelial disruptions (tears) during intercourse, providing a portal of entry for pathogens, including HIV [3]. In addition, the microenvironment in the preputial sac between the unretracted foreskin and the glans penis may be conducive to viral survival [1]. Finally, the higher rates of sexually transmitted genital ulcerative disease, such as syphilis, observed in uncircumcised men may also increase susceptibility to HIV infection [4].


Abstract Although the field of taphonomy has existed for >70 years, the majority of work has focused on siliciclastic settings at the expense of pure carbonates. The large variety of carbonate sediment types, together with the growing recognition that carbonate platforms are composed of facies mosaics that shift laterally in time and are frequently superimposed in the rock record, raises the question of whether quantitative paleoecological studies focused on the fossil record in carbonate environments are subject to significant biases with successive vertical facies changes. This study combines live-dead and surface-subsurface analyses on communities of benthic foraminifera from four localities around San Salvador Island, Bahamas, that represent a spectrum of energy settings, bioturbation intensity, and local anthropogenic impact, in order to test the fidelity with which community data are translated from life to death assemblage on the surface, and from death assemblage to the subsurface (i.e., subfossil record) in these different facies. Although the live-dead data are inconclusive, surface-subsurface analyses demonstrate that regardless of ambient water energy or local intensity of bioturbation, community indices of dominance, evenness, diversity, and equitability are translated with equivalent and minimal modification into subsurface sediments. In addition, surface-subsurface analyses at one site suggest that surface-subsurface agreement may be lower in sites affected by recent anthropogenic impact. Overall, the results of this study represent strong taphonomic vindication for quantitative paleoecological studies spanning facies changes in the carbonate fossil record.


A novel bending machine has been designed and tested. It enables flexible electronics to be subjected to repeated bending with constant radius and tension. In-situ electrical characterization can give accurate analysis of lifetime distributions if sufficiently many samples are ran to failure, allowing reliability prediction models to be developed. Four sets of test samples with different combinations of substrate, routing, interconnect technology and components were examined. A poor level of reliability was observed when using anisotropic conductive paste to form interconnects, whereas a significantly higher level of reliability was observed when using a bismuth-tin solder paste. The assembly of larger components resulted in shortened time to failure, whereas increasing the bending radius prolonged the observed lifetimes.


A method is presented by which the wave wake generated by a ship may be repeatedly calculated very rapidly. The method is based on linear thin-ship theory, using the idea of elemental tent functions as building blocks to represent the hull, which have previously been applied in the context of resistance minimization. This approach allows much of the calculation to be carried out in advance, with the results stored in a database. Issues of convergence, accuracy, and storage strategy are discussed. In order to demonstrate the application of the approach to preliminary design optimization, an illustrative study is carried out in which hull forms for monohull and catamaran vessels are optimized in the sense of minimizing the maximal wave height along a series of longitudinal cuts. The effect of the transverse location of the cuts on the resulting hull forms is found to be quite substantial, especially for the catamarans; the performance of the vessels optimized to reduce wave height at one transverse location may be quite suboptimal at another location, illustrating the difficulty of choosing an appropriate specification for low-wash vessels.


It is recognised that involving children and young
people directly in research is essential to gain
their perspective and opinions. Issues faced by
qualitative researchers interacting with children and
young people can involve, power in the researcherparticipant relationship, balancing the role of the
practitioner-researcher, obtaining free and informed
consent/assent and protection of confidentiality
(Mishna et al 200�). It is therefore important that
researchers provide sufficient information to ensure
that children and young people understand the
purpose of the research, what they are being asked
to do, what they can expect and that they are not
obligated to participate (Mahon et al 1996), issues
such as who will be present during the interview,
the role of the researcher and how to withdraw
from involvement must also be discussed. It is well
documented that it is important to discuss ethical
issues prior to commencing an interview and this
is especially vital in research involving children and
young people. Little practical guidance is offered
in the literature to help discussion of issues such
as confidentiality and researcher roles. It was felt
from personal experience conducting a current
research project that although it was easy to tell
children and young people about these issues – a
discussion did not naturally ensue and often it was
questioned what level of understanding they had
of these concepts. An exercise was designed called
'ground rules' which contains cards, pictures and
definitions of terms such as consent and confidentiality, which could be altered to be developmentally appropriate for different age groups. This will
have been trialled with over 10 children and young
people in the course of a research study. The presentation will include discussion of the pertinent
ethical issues relevant to children and young
people and reflection and feedback from use of
this exercise in practice.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Liangmen" (ST 21) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) on gastrointestinal motility and expression of ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) mRNA in diabetic gastroparesis (diabetic gastroparesis, DGP) rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of diabetic gastroparesis.

METHODS
Sixty SD rats were randomly and equally divided into normal control, model, EA acupoint, EA non-acupoint, medication (metoclopramide) groups (n = 12 rat/group). The DGP model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg, 2%) and raised by high-sugar and high-fat fodder irregularly for 8 weeks. EA was applied to "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Liangmen" (ST 21) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6), and non-acupoints (about 5 mm lateral to the 3 acupoints, respectively). Those rats of the medication group were given with metoclopramide (1 mL/100 g). The blood sugar level was measured by glucometer, and the urine sugar level measured by Tes-Tape [urine glucose test paper]. The intestinal propulsion rate (IPR) was identified as ratio of the phenolsulfonphthalein promoting distance and the total length of the small intestine, and the gastric emptying rate (GER) was assessed by gavage of a liquid test meal (1.5 mL) containing a nonabsorbable marker (0. 5 mg/mL of phenol red in 5% glucose solution) and identification after being sacrificed 72 h after modeling. The expression levels of ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA of gastric antrum tissue were examined by Quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS
In comparison with the normal control group, the blood sugar and urine sugar levels of the model group was significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.01), while the GER and IPR and the expression level of ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA in the gastric antrum were significantly decreased in the model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Following EA stimulation of acupoint, the blood sugar and urine sugar levels were obviously down-regulated (P < 0.05), both GER and IPR, and ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA expression levels in the EA-acupoint group were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). No significant changes were found in both blood sugar and urine sugar levels, in both GER and IPR, and ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA expression levels of both EA non-acupoint and medication groups after the intervention (P > 0.05). The GER and IPR were significantly higher in the EA acupoint group than in the EA non-acupoint group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
EA stimulation of ST 36, ST 21 and SP 6 can promote the gastrointestinal motility of DGP rats, which may be closely associated with its effects in up-regulating the expression level of ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA in gastric antrum.


Conceptual metaphors play a vital role in our ability to think in abstract terms like knowledge. Metaphors structure and give meaning to the concept of knowledge. They hide and highlight certain characteristics. The choice of metaphor when reasoning about knowledge is therefore of vital importance for knowledge management (KM). This paper explores the possibility of introducing new knowledge metaphors to the field of KM. Based on a 'wish list' of characteristics of knowledge they want to highlight, the authors choose to explore the Knowledge as a Journey metaphor as a new metaphor for knowledge. This results in new insights regarding knowledge sharing, acquisition, retention, and innovation.


Respiratory (Lung and head and neck) cancers contribute highly to the burden of cancer-related deaths. Taxanes are microtubule-targeting agents used to treat a variety of human cancers. Paclitaxel and Docetaxel represent the most prominent members of the taxane family, demonstrating significant activity mainly as part of complex chemotherapeutic regimens. Mitotic spindle formation and spindle checkpoint are critical for the maintenance of cell division and chromosome segregation. Many of mitotic spindle associated members, including AURKA, AURKB, AURKC, CKAP5, DLGAP5, KIF11, TPX2, TUBB, TUBB3, and TTK are implicated in several malignancies including lung cancer due to their frequent deregulation and may be associated with response to taxanes based therapy in NSCLC.
The aims of this project were to
1) Explore the association between the expression profiles of ten genes listed above and clinicopathological characteristics in human non-small cell lung carcinoma and
2) Investigate the potential of some of these genes to predict response to taxane involving regimens in lung and head and neck cancerous cells.
qPCR-based RNA gene expression profiles of 132 non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and 44 adjacent normal tissues were generated and Cox proportional hazard regression was used to examine associations. Associations between mitotic spindle gene expression and resistance to both taxanes were established in 23 cancer cell lines of respiratory tract origin. AURKA mRNA expression (Hazard Ratio (HR)= 1.81; 95%CI 1.16-2.84, P= 0.009) was the only molecular independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Poor prognosis of those patients with high AURKA expression suggests they may benefit from combined therapy with AURKA inhibitors. Furthermore, in LUDLU1, SKLU1 and SK-MES1 cell lines, shRNA driven AURKA down-regulation sensitized cells to docetaxel. Inhibition of Aurora A kinase activity using the selective inhibitor alisertib augmented docetaxel efficiency in the above mentioned cell lines.
AURKB overexpression in NSCLC cell lines strongly correlated with resistance to both docetaxel (p=0.0016) and paclitaxel (p=0.0096). Conversely, AURKB knock down derivatives of two cell lines consistently showed a dose-dependent association between AURKB mRNA expression and resistance to paclitaxel. Inhibition of Aurora B activity by barasertib also demonstrated a strong dose-dependent efficiency in triggering paclitaxel resistance in all the cell lines tested.
This study clearly demonstrated that AURKA mRNA over-expression could prognosticate the clinical outcome in NSCLC patients suggesting that patients bearing tumours with high AURKA expression may benefit from combined use of AURKA inhibitors. The present study has also clearly uncovered a role for AURKB in the response of NSCLC cells to paclitaxel and provided unique evidence for a dose-dependent association. Given the large extent of AURKB deregulation in NSCLC, these findings suggest that assessing the levels of AURKB protein in surgical samples could become a determinant in the clinical decision tree for managing patients and have potential for development as a predictive biomarker.


Th e aim of the present study is to analyse the events and results of the elections to bodies of regional self-governments in Slovakia in November 2017. Th e elections were held under the conditions of the amended legislation after the abolition of the two-tier election system of the presidents of the regions. Th e study analyses the process of forming pre-election coalitions and the mobilisation of voters. Th e research is based primarily on offi cial election results as well as political party documents and information published in the media. Although the strongest body of the ruling coalition, Direction – Social Democracy Party, obtained the highest number of seats, there was a marked drop in voter participation. Th is is a continuation of a trend in evidence in the parliamentary elections in 2016. Th e regional elections of 2017 signalled, in contrast, the consolidation of the right-wing opposition (SaS, OĽaNO, and KDH), whose agenda contains elements of anti-European and anti-party populism


Resourcesat-1 satellite with its unique capability of simultaneous acquisition of multispectral images at different spatial resolutions (AWiFS, LISS-III and LISS-IV MX / Mono) has immense potential for crop inventory. The present study was carried for selection of suitable LISS-IV MX band for data fusion and its evaluation for delineation different crops in a multi-cropped area. Image fusion techniques namely intensity hue saturation (IHS), principal component analysis (PCA), brovey, high pass filter (HPF) and wavelet methods were used for merging LISS-III and LISS-IV Mono data. The merged products were evaluated visually and through universal image quality index, ERGAS and classification accuracy. The study revealed that red band of LISS-IV MX data was found to be optimal band for merging with LISS-III data in terms of maintaining both spectral and spatial information and thus, closely matching with multispectral LISS-IVMX data. Among the five data fusion techniques, wavelet method was found to be superior in retaining image quality and higher classification accuracy compared to commonly used methods of IHS, PCA and Brovey. The study indicated that LISS-IV data in mono mode with wider swath of 70 km could be exploited in place of 24km LISS-IVMX data by selection of appropriate fusion techniques by acquiring monochromatic data in the red band.


OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and celiac disease association and to verify the existence of celiac disease symptoms, as well as the occurrence of other autoimmune diseases among the patients, their first-degree relatives and the possible influences of celiac disease in diabetes control. METHODS: It was done a cross-sectional study with 195 patients that answered a questionnaire about gastrointestinal symptoms and the occurrence of autoimmune diseases in their first-degree relatives. IgA was measured and antiendomysial antibody (EMA) was screened. The patients with positive EMA were submitted to intestinal biopsy. Those with celiac disease confirmed by biopsy (case group) were paired with DM1 patients without celiac disease (control group) according to age on diabetes diagnosis, diabetes duration and gender. RESULTS: EMA was positive in nine patients. In seven of them the biopsy has confirmed celiac disease (4.0%). Comparing the cases with controls, the gastrointestinal symptoms were significantly more frequent in the first group, but there was no difference between the groups regarding to the occurrence of autoimmune disease among the first-degree relatives and regarding to the control of diabetes (z weight, z height, insulin dose, HbA1c). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence found was 4.0%. This sample of celiac patients showed a predominance of gastrointestinal symptoms, although the celiac disease did not influence the diabetes control.


Respiratory morbidity in the first two years of life, including recurrent symptoms and frequent hospitalizations, is a common problem in very preterm and very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. We conducted a retrospective cohort study aiming to describe the respiratory morbidity at 2 years of corrected age for very preterm and VLBW infants and to identify potential risk factors for its development in a Portuguese based population born in a tertiary referral center between 2009 and 2011. Data were collected from patient's clinical files and using a standardized questionnaire-based clinical interview for parents. A total 59 children were included. Thirteen (22.0%) had recurrent respiratory symptoms and 12 (20.3%) were using chronic respiratory medication. Health care utilization for respiratory causes was frequent (57.6%), particularly emergency department attendance (50.8%). Twenty seven (45.8%) had additional outpatient visits for respiratory causes and hospital admission was necessary for 8 (13.6%) patients. Factors associated with increased recurrent respiratory symptoms included maternal hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, umbilical artery flow disturbances, being small for gestational age, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular hemorrhage and a weight percentile below 3 at 6, 12 and 24 months of corrected age. Premature rupture of membranes was negatively associated with respiratory morbidity. Respiratory morbidity at 2 years of age is a common problem in very preterm and VLBW children from our population. Several perinatal and developmental risk factors were identified for respiratory morbidity. Further studies are needed to clarify the importance of these factors, as they can lead to changes in healthcare guidelines.


Complex sheep breeding objectives and the inclusion of more traits in genetic evaluation requires more accurate genetic parameters. There are few estimates of genetic correlations, especially between the major sheep production trait groups and they are generally variable with large standard errors. This study examines the sensitivity of response to multi-trait index selection for a range of genetic correlations between major traits (growth, wool, carcass, reproduction and worm resistance) under 3 breeding objectives (fine wool, dual-purpose wool/meat and meat) relevant to Australian sheep enterprises. Factor analysis identified the major factors explaining the underlying variability in the matrix of base genetic correlations for each breeding objective. Monte Carlo simulation studied the effect of changes in the genetic correlations under 3 index scenarios with the genetic and environmental variance–covariance matrices sampled independently from a Wishart distribution. The sensitivity of responses to selection over the range of correlations varied with the breeding objective. Selection responses were sensitive under all objectives for the range of correlations for reproduction with wool traits and in at least some objectives for reproduction with growth, worm resistance and carcass muscling. Selection responses in the fine wool objective were highly sensitive to the correlation between growth and fibre diameter. The results provide a logical basis for setting priorities for studies to obtain more accurate estimates of genetic correlations among sheep production traits.


Bruchid beetles cause high losses of stored legumes in the tropics. Chemical control is inappropriate for the small scale farmer and the use of alternative measures should be encouraged. Different biological methods of control such as cultural, physical, varietal, biological, biorational and genetic control are reviewed. Cultural control techniques such as timely and frequent harvesting, legumes planted away from granaries, crop hygiene and storage in pods, are within the technical and financial means of the small scale farmer. The use of inert substances, vegetable oils and repellent plants may be cheap and effective if properly managed. The use of controlled atmosphere, vacuum, heating, cooling and sterilizing, requires relatively advanced techniques. Growth regulators and pheromones are currently not available for control. Varieties resistant to bruchids have been identified, but incorporation of resistance into suitable varieties has proven to be difficult. Biological control of bruchids should receive more attention in particular research on the introduction and conservation of natural enemies. To effectively implement control measures at farmer's level socio-economic and cultural aspects should be taken into account. Proven appropriate techniques should be combined in an overall integrated pest management strategy.


Objectives
Excess caloric intake is linked to weight gain, obesity and related diseases including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Obesity incidence has been on the rise, with almost 2 of 3 people being overweight or obese in the US. In 2018, the US federal government passed a law mandating the labeling of calories on all menu items across chain restaurants, as a strategy to support informed consumer choice and reduce caloric intake. Yet, potential health and economic impacts of this policy remain unclear.

Methods
We used a validated microsimulation model (CVD-PREDICT) to estimate reductions in CVD events, diabetes cases, gains in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, and cost-effectiveness of two policy scenarios: (1) implementation of the federal menu calorie labelling (menu calorie label), and (2) further accounting for corresponding industry reformulation (menu calorie label + reformulation). The model utilized nationally representative demographic and dietary data from NHANES 2009-2016; policy effects on consumer intake and BMI-disease effects from published meta-analyses; and policy effects on industry reformulation, policy costs (policy administration, industry compliance and reformulation) and health-related costs (formal and informal healthcare costs, productivity costs) from established sources. We conservatively modeled change in calories to change in weight using an established dynamic weight-change model. Findings were evaluated over 10 years and lifetime from a healthcare and societal perspective. Costs were inflated to constant 2018 USD, and costs and QALYs were discounted at 3% annually. We performed probabilistic analyses and a range of one-way sensitivity and subgroup analyses to assess the robustness of our findings.

Results
Sample statistics were shown (Table). American adults (35+) consume ∼21% calorie from restaurants (Figure) that would be reduced by 2% due to this law at the population level. Government administration costs were estimated at 11.6$M, industry compliance costs at 652$M, and industry reformulation costs at 9.2$B. Findings for all other analyses will be presented at the meeting.

Conclusions
These findings will provide much needed evidence on the health and economic impacts of the US menu calorie labeling law.

Funding Sources
NIH, AHA.

Supporting Tables Images and/or Graphs


Abstract Objective To evaluate the relation between diagnosis of covid-19 with SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 (also known as variant of concern 202012/01) and the risk of hospital admission compared with diagnosis with wild-type SARS-CoV-2 variants. Design Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting Community based SARS-CoV-2 testing in England, individually linked with hospital admission data. Participants 839 278 patients with laboratory confirmed covid-19, of whom 36 233 had been admitted to hospital within 14 days, tested between 23 November 2020 and 31 January 2021 and analysed at a laboratory with an available TaqPath assay that enables assessment of S-gene target failure (SGTF), a proxy test for the B.1.1.7 variant. Patient data were stratified by age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, region of residence, and date of positive test. Main outcome measures Hospital admission between one and 14 days after the first positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Results 27 710 (4.7%) of 592 409 patients with SGTF variants and 8523 (3.5%) of 246 869 patients without SGTF variants had been admitted to hospital within one to 14 days. The stratum adjusted hazard ratio of hospital admission was 1.52 (95% confidence interval 1.47 to 1.57) for patients with covid-19 infected with SGTF variants, compared with those infected with non-SGTF variants. The effect was modified by age (P<0.001), with hazard ratios of 0.93-1.21 in patients younger than 20 years with versus without SGTF variants, 1.29 in those aged 20-29, and 1.45-1.65 in those aged ≥30 years. The adjusted absolute risk of hospital admission within 14 days was 4.7% (95% confidence interval 4.6% to 4.7%) for patients with SGTF variants and 3.5% (3.4% to 3.5%) for those with non-SGTF variants. Conclusions The results suggest that the risk of hospital admission is higher for people infected with the B.1.1.7 variant compared with wild-type SARS-CoV-2, likely reflecting a more severe disease. The higher severity may be specific to adults older than 30 years.


The current study examined how a perceived neighborhood environment was associated with older adults' walking activity and the experience of positive affect. Study sample comprised 10,700 older adults, aged 65+, sampled from the Health and Retirement Study 2014-2015 in the United States. Results indicated that neighborhood social cohesion was significantly predicting older adults' walking and positive affect. It was also revealed that walking engagement significantly contributed to the measure of positive affect. However, perceived neighborhood physical disorder did not account for additional variance in walking and positive affect. Final structural model involved three latent factors-neighborhood social cohesion, walking, and positive affect-and the goodness-of-fit indices of the model indicated an acceptable fit to the sample data. Public health and physical activity intervention in the context of neighborhood environment should facilitate social integration and informal social support that the neighborhood creates.


Professor Cesare Pinelli's "Constitutional Reasoning and Political Deliberation" raises several crucial questions about the respective modalities and qualities of decision-making processes in courts and legislatures. As I cannot do justice to all the very pressing questions Pinelli's paper raises and to all the topics he addresses, I will endeavor to comment upon some points, which, in my opinion, deserve closer examination. I would like to emphasize three related aspects of constitutional scholarship and try to advocate very tentatively the exploration of new perspectives. All of my contributions to this debate can be gathered under the banner of a broad notion of "empiricism," as they all try in several of their own ways to get "back to earth" and focus on the concrete practices of legal actors. My aim is not to press for the substitution of legal sociology for legal and political philosophy, but, thanks to Pinelli's contribution, to suggest that some elementary empirical facts should be taken into account in philosophical reflection. 1 First, it seems that less general idealism and more scrutiny of our political societies is necessary to address the topic of constitutional reasoning. Second, the question of "rights" in legal discourse and legal reasoning should be addressed with the full awareness of how much this term is fraught with ambiguities. The study of these ambiguities may be very promising to elucidate some features of the "ideology" of our contemporary constitutional systems. Third, one should realize how much insisting on the specificities of courts to deal advantageously with fundamental social matters could prove misleading, and eventually self-defeating.


Crop yields exhibit known responses to droughts. However, quantifying crop drought vulnerability is often not straightforward, because components of vulnerability are not defined in a standardized and spatially comparable quantity in most cases and it must be defined on a fine spatial resolution. This study aims to develop a physical crop drought vulnerability index through linking the drought exposure index (DEI) with the crop sensitivity index (CSI) in sub-Saharan Africa. Two different DEIs were compared. One was derived from the cumulative distribution functions fitted to precipitation and the other from the difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. DEIs were calculated for one, three, six, nine, and twelve-month time scales. Similarly, CSI was calculated by fitting a cumulative distribution function to maize yield simulated using the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate model. Using a power function, curves were fitted to CSI and DEI relations resulting in different shapes explaining the severity of vulnerability. The results indicated that the highest correlation was found between CSI and DEI obtained from the difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration in one, three, and six-month time scales. Our findings show that southern African countries and some regions of the Sahelian strip are highly vulnerable to drought due to experiencing more water stress, whereas vulnerability in Central African countries pertains to temperature stresses. The proposed methodology provides complementary information on quantifying different degrees of vulnerabilities and the underlying reasons. The methodology can be applied to different regions and spatial scales.


Examining the intersection between sport and religious faith can be challenging for kinesiology professionals. Many in academics disregard religious statements and experience as meaningless, unscientific, and even dangerous. Others recognize religious experiences as valid forms of knowledge and opportunities to encounter the sacred. Each of these groups has different explanations of religious experience and the areas of life in which such experience can occur. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the legitimacy of and potential for religious experience in general, as well as Christian religious experience in sport and physical activity. After reviewing previous sport and other literature examining connections between sport and religion, this paper outlines historical and recent challenges to religious knowledge and experience as epistemologically meaningful. A contemporary argument for religious experience as warranted and meaningful is provided, and the final section introduces a Christian understanding of religious experience within physical activity and sport. Infusing physical activity with relevance and meaning derived from religious experience will help in achieving lofty outcomes such as lifelong fitness participation and adherence to exercise programs. Incorporating such a view of sport and physical activity can help make our subject matter relevant to people in a way that transcends content knowledge. One challenge to Christian kinesiology professionals is in presenting these religious opportunities in ways that are inclusive and supportive of other religious faiths.


Growth hormone regulates several other hormonal systems and vice versa. The present review focusses on the effect of GH administration in adults on selected hormonal systems. Growth hormone treatment has been linked to development of central hypothyroidism in hypopituitary children. We now know that GH enhances the extra-thyroidal conversion of T4 to T3. Lowering of T4 during GH treatment therefore reflects biochemical unmasking of subclinical central hypothyroidism. In normal adults GH administration does not affect the pituitarygonadal axis. There is, however, evidence to suggest that GH substitution in hypopituitary adults enhances peripheral actions of sex steroids (males) and stimulates gonadal function (females). Both increased, unchanged and reduced basal and ACTH stimulated glucocorticoid levels have been reported during GH treatment. Several groups have recorded reduced levels of cortisol binding globulin with unchanged free cortisol concentrations. Regular assessment of thyroid and glucocorticoid status during GH substitution in GH-deficient patients is recom-


Recent advances in molecular neurobiology include the development of transgenic mice that express genes encoding fluorescent proteins under neuron-specific promoters (XFP mice). These mice have been used in the field of developmental neurobiology, but use has expanded to include the study of peripheral-nerve axonal regeneration subsequent to crush or unrepaired transection injuries. This report presents a transgenic mouse, which differs from previously reported and commercially available mice, in that enhanced yellow fluorescent protein expression (EYFP) is driven by the human thy1 promoter (hThy1). Motor and sensory peripheral nerves in these mice appear a bright yellow-green under fluorescent microscopy. This study tracks nerve regeneration in live animals using a serial imaging system. It also introduces a novel model for examining the clinically relevant nerve-injury paradigms of tibial nerve transection repaired with primary neurorrhaphy or graft, and end-to-side neurorrhaphy. Live-animal serial nerve imaging is compared with wet-mount fluorescent microscopy and histomorphometry in the same nerve specimens. The use of transgenic mice that strongly express EYFP in their peripheral neurons, coupled with serial nerve imaging, provide an important methodology for studying the heterogeneous nature of axonal elongation following peripheral-nerve injuries.


New heat-flow data obtained in northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado show three regional trends: (1) A broad heat-flow anomaly associated with the southern Rocky Mountains contrasts with a narrow heat-flow anomaly between lat 35.5/sup 0/ and 34/sup 0/N, apparently associated only with the Rio Grande rift. (2) The high heat-flow anomaly apparently associated with the southern Rocky Mountains extends 200 to 300 km onto the Great Plains of northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. (3) Areas of extensive volcanic activity do not necessarily have high heat flow. In addition, measurements of crustal radioactivity in the vicinity of the Rio Grande rift suggest that the radioactive heat generation contributes uniformly to the surface heat flow. This implies that the heat-flow anomaly observed along the Rio Grande rift is caused by tectonic and volcanic sources and not by anomalously high crustal radioactivity.


: The managed care environment is forcing physicians to maximize the efficiency of the management of their practices. Physicians can no longer afford to delegate billing and office management to inexperienced or untrained personnel. All physician practices must ensure they have resources available to maximize revenue, control expenses, and avoid costly billing errors and omissions. Use of outside resources such as practice management firms and delegation of all billing and collections to professional medical billing companies are the best alternatives available to the physician.


Silver films were prepared on the glass substrate by electron-beam vapor deposition. The reflectivity of the Ag thin film was measured by a Perkin-Elmer Lambda spectrophotometer in the wavelength region of 450-680 nm. The experimental measurements of reflectivity were validated with the numerical results using the Essential Macleod software. The surface topology and microstructure of the film were examined by means of atomic force microscope (AFM). The effects of the thermal and humidity on the reflectivity of the Ag film were examined by the environmental test. Nanoindentation tests were employed to determine the hardness of the film. The measured hardness of the Ag thin film was found to depend on the penetration depth.


Using advance directives to preconsent to mental health treatment is a promising approach to contending with the quandary posed by patients suffering from severe mental health illness, particularly those in a prison setting. The implementation of advance directives represents unfamiliar territory because it focuses on the patient's ability to preconsent to treatment rather than the commonly interpreted prerefusal of treatment. The challenge of consenting in the prison system generates a set of unique problems. The environment in which the instrument is signed can impose significant pressures and therefore result in a viable legal challenge. The prison setting is the most coercive environment in which a patient can be treated, particularly when the patient is mentally ill. Mentally ill prisoners signing preconsent for treatment advance directives have an opportunity for unprecedented relief yet may also experience pressure to select treatments desirable to the prison staff.


Investigations are carried out at ISL to determine the experimental conditions required to accelerate a projectile in the mass range from 1.5 to 2kg up to a muzzle velocity of 3km/s while keeping the maximum acceleration below 40,000g. Therefore, two smooth-bore ram-accelerators denoted RAMAC 30-II and RAMAC 90, in caliber 30 and 90mm respectively, are being operated in the thermally choked propulsion mode. Different material configurations for the projectile afterbody have been investigated, while keeping an aluminum nose cone. Besides afterbodies made of aluminum or magnesium alloy only, a third configuration is presented relying on a short magnesium part fitted to the base of an aluminum afterbody. This configuration denoted as semi-combustible is designed so that magnesium particles are steadily injected and burnt-out within the combustion zone at the base, therefore providing an additional heat release and consequently a significantly greater forward thrust. Experimental results achieved in both 30 and 90mm along a 300-caliber-long ram-section and using up to three different gaseous mixtures are presented. To date, for a given semi-combustible projectile and an injection velocity into the ram-section of 1380m/s, a maximum muzzle velocity of 2380m/s has been achieved in RAMAC 30-II and 2180m/s in RAMAC 90, the initial projectile mass being 69g and 1608g respectively.


The solid polymer electrolyte films consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the host polymer, lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) and sodium triflate (NaCF3SO3) as dopant salts were prepared by the solution cast technique. The pure PAN film was prepared as a reference. The films were characterized using a.c. impedance spectroscopy. At room temperature, the highest conductivity for the sample from the (PAN+LiCF3SO3) system and the (PAN+NaCF3SO3) system is 3.04 x 10-4 Scm-1 and 7.13 x 10-4 Scm-1, respectively. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity for the highest conducting film from both systems follows the Arrhenius equation in the temperature range of 303 K to 353 K. The frequency dependence of ionic conductivity, , complex permittivity, *, and complex electrical modulus, M* were studied at different temperatures. The ionic conductivity and the dielectric behavior are described in terms of ion diffusion and polarization.


Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is part of the metabolic syndrome (MS) which is a clustering of risk factors that increase the incidence of cardiovascular events and diabetes mellitus (DM). The population aging process brings with it higher prevalence of MS. The prevalence of NAFLD has increased considerably, simultaneously with the expansion of MS, ranging from 15% to 25% in the general population. In Brazil, overweight plus obesity corresponds to 40% of the adult population and the prevalence found in the elderly age group reaches 81%. Thus, the carbohydrate intake has been identified as a key factor for the development of NAFLD. Objective: The purpose of this integrative review is to assess whether the sugar consumption by adults and elders may influence in the development and progression of NAFLD in individuals with or without metabolic syndrome. Materials and methods: The integrative review search was performed on PubMed database during September 2015. The selection criteria was adults and elderly people; sugar intake, such as, glucose or fructose; liver fat or NAFLD. Our major outcome was the hepatic profile because it is related to the sugar intake. We excluded review papers and studies with animals, as well as papers that were not related to our selection criteria. Results: The studies analyzed the sugar intake on hepatic de novo lipogenesis or NAFLD. Conclusion: We conclude in the most of the articles sugar intake and NAFLD have a positive correlation. However further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism that sugars intake, mainly fructose, leads to NAFLD, or aggravating it.