Recent studies have shown that micro-computed tomography (µCT) must be considered one of the most suitable techniques for the non-invasive, three-dimensional (3D) visualization of metazoan hard parts. In addition, µCT can also be used to visualize soft part anatomy non-destructively and in 3D. In order to achieve soft tissue contrast using µCT based on X-ray attenuation, fixed specimens must be immersed in staining solutions that include heavy metals such as silver (Ag), molybdenum (Mo), osmium (Os), lead (Pb), or tungsten (W). However, while contrast-enhancement has been successfully applied to specimens pertaining to various higher metazoan taxa, echinoderms have thus far not been analyzed using this approach. In order to demonstrate that this group of marine invertebrates is suitable for contrast-enhanced µCT as well, the present study provides results from an application of this technique to representative species from all five extant higher echinoderm taxa. To achieve soft part contrast, freshly fixed and museum specimens were immersed in an ethanol solution containing phosphotungstic acid and then scanned using a high-resolution desktop µCT system. The acquired datasets show that the combined visualization of echinoderm soft and hard parts can be readily accomplished using contrast-enhanced µCT in all extant echinoderm taxa. The results are compared with µCT data obtained using unstained specimens, with conventional histological sections, and with data previously acquired using magnetic resonance imaging, a technique known to provide excellent soft tissue contrast despite certain limitations. The suitability for 3D visualization and modeling of datasets gathered using contrast-enhanced µCT is illustrated and applications of this novel approach in echinoderm research are discussed.


Marketing channel plays a key role for the success of an enterprise in gaining competitive edge, markets demanding agility and quick market responsiveness which represent complex phenomena in global competition. To discover the behavior and mechanism of organization, nowadays, more and more people have paid attention to the complexity theory such as self-organization, dissipative structure theory, synergetic theory, etc. The paper introduces the concept of self-organization theories and marketing channel firstly. Then enlightened by the systematical methodology, the paper puts forward the concept of sustainable development of organization on the basis of analyzing the characteristics of self-organization marketing channel. A thorough analysis of the mechanism of marketing channel sustainable development has been made accordingly. Finally, the paper adopts the marketing channel of TCL Group as an example, indicating that the success of TCL Group is mostly due to its effective and efficient self-organized marketing channel.


A new prospective cohort study (the Nightingale Study) among nurses in the Netherlands was initiated in collaboration with the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS, Utrecht University) and the nationwide register of healthcare professionals (BIG-register of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, The Hague). Exposure to light-at-night has been suggested as a contributing cause of breast cancer (IARC classification "probable human carcinogen, 2A"). Since shift- and night-time work is prevalent and increasing in modern societies, this exposure may contribute to the continuing elevation in breast cancer risk and may be of public health concern. This study will provide insight into, among others, the potential association between occupational exposures (eg, shift work, electromagnetic fields) and the risk of cancer and other diseases, and on potential biological mechanisms. The total projected study population is 50 000 women. Through the BIG-register, women with a nurse diploma and who are younger than 60 years, will be asked to complete a (web-based or paper) questionnaire, sign an informed consent, and donate toenails for DNA analyses (eg, clock genes). In the spring of 2011, a pilot study (N=800) will be conducted of which the results will be presented. Specific attention will be directed to potential shift-work related selection.


The performance of portfolios of a fixed-rate asset and a risky asset of major companies in a South African market index the FTSE/JSE with strategies which rebalances fixed proportions of wealth in every rebalancing period is analysed in a long term. Recent findings in portfolio management theory by Dempster, Evstigneev and Schenk-Hoppé (2010, 2008, 2007, 2003) and by Browne (1988) note optimality of fixed-mix portfolios which assert fast exponential growth in stationary markets. A quantitative analysis is performed to analyse quantifiable measures in order to optimize the application of self-financing constant rebalanced portfolio strategies that contribute to the financial engineered prospects suggested by Dempster et al. (2010) for fixed-mix portfolios. The comparative performance of fixed-mix portfolios with a proxy strategy and without proxy strategy relative to a buy and hold strategy shows the superiority of fixed-mix portfolios in generic market conditions. The research extends the utilization of constant rebalanced self-financing portfolio investment strategies by assessing the market price of risk under the mean-variance model of Markowitz (1952). Effective implementation tactics of the strategy are examined by focusing on the market risk and the financial risk. The frequent reversals and trending of stochastic asset prices in the financial market are analysed to adjust the market price of risk by considering tradable financial securities to determine the financial proxy of de-trending. The proxy hypothesis which evaluates the stationary financial condition in a fixed-mix portfolio is validated by an option-based myopic strategy using a lookback straddle option. A myopic strategy is a strategy which considers a single period ahead, Fabozzi, Forcardi and Kolm (2006). The realised growth under a financial proxy is found to have a linear strategic asset allocation with a low degree of concavity relative to a buy and hold performance in the market risk of self-financing portfolio strategies.


A depression running across the outer Milne Ice Shelf was hypothesized to overlie a basal channel incised by outflow from the Milne Fiord epishelf lake, a thick layer of freshwater impounded in the fiord by the ice shelf. Ice thickness mapping using ice-penetrating radar revealed the presence of a channel with incision heights of 39 to 45 m (70-80% of mean ice shelf thickness), basal widths of 57-86 m, and mean sidewall slopes of ~40° upward from horizontal. Profiles of salinity, temperature and current speed with depth showed there was a fast flowing jet of epishelf lake water in the channel, with velocities up to 60 cm s-1, confirming the channel is a drainage outlet for the epishelf lake. The presence of the channel represents a significant structural weakness along which future breakup of the ice shelf is likely to occur.


Small ruminants farming is a traditional activity mostly practiced by local populations in developing countries since several centuries. Nowadays, due to many biotic and climatic factors, it faces various problems which damage smallholders' income especially those related to gastrointestinal parasites. In opposite to the chemical drugs use in controlling those parasites, medicinal plants have been investigated with fewer side effects on both the meat quality and the environment. This current study aimed at reviewing Haemonchus contortus prevalence in small ruminants across the world and present medicinal plants that have been investigated in the last decades. H. contortus is identified as the most significant nematode parasite in small ruminants due to its high prevalence reported by many studies. Its presence in small ruminants results in a loss of feed absorption and disturbance of nutrient metabolism, which lead to poor performance and significant economic loss in the herds, especially in rural areas of developing countries. For the past decades, its control was mainly based on the use of chemical anthelmintics; whose use has been limited due to several factors like the irrational and misuse. Recently, the use of medicinal plants has been identified as alternatives methods of its control with conclusive results. Parts of plants or the whole plants of several plant species were reported to be relevant to control H. contortus infection in small ruminants such as: Bridelia ferruginea, Mitragyna inermis, Combretum glutinosum, Hagenia abyssinica, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Leucaena leucocephala, Phytolacca icosandra, Eucalyptus staigeriana, Carica papaya, Newbouldia laevis and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides.

 Key words: Economic losses, gastrointestinal nematodes, chemical anthelmintics, medicinal plants, poor performance.


Background: In 2014 the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health integrated pay-for-performance into setting hospital reimbursement tiers, to provide hospitalization service coverage for the majority of the Lebanese population. This policy was intended to improve effectiveness by decreasing unnecessary hospitalizations, and improve fairness by including risk-adjustment in setting hospital performance scores. Methods: We applied a systematic approach to assess the impact of the new policy on hospital performance. The main impact measure was a national casemix index, calculated across 2011-2016 using medical discharge and surgical procedure codes. A single-group interrupted time series analysis model with Newey ordinary least squares regression was estimated, including adjustment for seasonality, and stratified by case type. Code-level analysis was used to attribute and explain changes in casemix index due to specific diagnoses and procedures. Results: Our final model included 1,353,025 cases across 146 hospitals with a post-intervention lag-time of two months and seasonality adjustment. Among medical cases the intervention resulted in a positive casemix index trend of 0.11% per month (coefficient 0.002, CI 0.001-0.003), and a level increase of 2.25% (coefficient 0.022, CI 0.005-0.039). Trend changes were attributed to decreased cases of diarrhea and gastroenteritis, abdominal and pelvic pain, essential hypertension and fever of unknown origin. A shift from medium to short-stay cases for specific diagnoses was also detected. Level changes were attributed to improved coding practices, particularly for breast cancer, leukemia and chemotherapy. No impact on surgical casemix index was found. Conclusions: The 2014 policy resulted in increased healthcare effectiveness, by increasing the casemix index of hospitals contracted by the Ministry. This increase was mainly attributed to decreased unnecessary hospitalizations and was accompanied by improved medical discharge coding practices. Integration of pay-for-performance within a healthcare system may contribute to improving effectiveness. Effective hospital regulation can be achieved through systematic collection and analysis of routine data.


Construction and development of a source development station are in progress at UVSOR-III, a 750 MeV electron storage ring. It is equipped with an optical klystron type undulator system, a mode lock Ti:Sa Laser system, a dedicated beam-line for visible-VUV radiation and a parasitic beam-line for THz radiation. New light port to extract edge radiation was constructed recently. An optical cavity for a resonator free electron laser is currently being reconstructed. Some experiments such as coherent THz radiation, coherent harmonic radiation, laser Compton Scattering gamma-rays and optical vortices are in progress.


Identication of latent variables that govern a problem and the relationships among them given measurements in the observed world are important for causal discovery. This identication can be made by analyzing constraints imposed by the latents in the measurements. We introduce the concept of pairwise cluster comparison PCC to identify causal relationships from clusters and a two-stage algorithm, called LPCC, that learns a latent variable model (LVM) using PCC. First, LPCC learns the exogenous and the collider latents, as well as their observed descendants, by utilizing pairwise comparisons between clusters in the measurement space that may explain latent causes. Second, LPCC learns the non-collider endogenous latents and their children by splitting these latents from their previously learned latent ancestors. LPCC is not limited to linear or latent-tree models and does not make assumptions about the distribution. Using simulated and real-world datasets, we show that LPCC improves accuracy with the sample size, can learn large LVMs, and is accurate in learning compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.


The Internet is a hugely vast, intriguing world, difficult to penetrate in depth, rich with dissimulations, full of useful but also evil things, that is continuously changing. Cyberbullying represents a palpable risk, especially for the online generation who is constantly connected and uses the internet to socialize. The first step for the prevention of cyberbullying is the acquisition of knowledge of what cyberbullying is and how it occurs within a specific context. This is no easy task, since cyberbullying is a complex and creeping new phenomenon, so much so that researcher's opinions are often divided as to its definition, and there is a lack of agreement on many aspects concerning it. This article presents and comments on some cyberbullying preventing strategies and tips, and is devoted to educators engaged in cyberbullying prevention.


Contributors Preface 1. The social mind: introduction and overview Joseph P. Forgas, Kipling D. Williams and Ladd Wheeler Part I. The Social Mind: Basic Issues and Processes: 2. Dimensions of the social mind: size, asymmetries, congruence and sex differences in thought systems focused on self or other persons William J. McGuire and Claire V. Mcguire 3. Affect and the 'social mind': affective influences on strategic interpersonal behaviours Joseph P. Forgas 4. Motivating cognitive change: the self-standards model of dissonance Joel Cooper 5. The motivational and cognitive dynamics of day-to-day social life John B. Nezlek Part II. The Social Mind of Individuals: The Role of the Self and Individual Differences: 6. The social self: the quest for identity and the motivational primacy of the individual self Constantine Sedikides and Lowell Gaertner 7. Cognitive and motivational processes in self-presentation Dianne M. Tice and Jon Faber 8. Self-esteem and interpersonal strategies Astrid Schutz 9. The social mind of the narcissist: cognitive and motivational aspects of interpersonal self-construction Frederick Rhodewalt 10. Uncertainty orientation and the social mind: individual differences in the interpersonal context Richard M. Sorrentino, Gordon Hodson and Gunter L. Huber Part III. The Social Mind in Personal Relationships and Interpersonal Behaviours: 11. Perceiving, feeling and wanting: experiencing prior relationships in present-day interpersonal relations Susan M. Andersen and Kathy R. Berenson 12. Ideal standards in close relationships Garth J. O. Fletcher and Jeffry A. Simpson 13. Victims and perpetrators provide discrepant accounts: motivated cognitive distortions about interpersonal transgressions Roy F. Baumeister and Kathleen Catanese 14. Inside the social mind of the ostraciser Kipling D. Williams, Ladd Wheeler and Joel A. R. Harvey Part IV. The Social Mind of Groups: Group Representations and Group Behaviour: 15. Self-categorisation and subjective uncertainty resolution: cognitive and motivational facets of social identity and group membership Michael A. Hogg 16. Motivation gains in performance groups: aspects and prospects Norbert L. Kerr 17. The social influence of automatic responding: controlling the uncontrollable Pascal Huguet, Marie P. Galvaing, Florence Dumas and Jean-M. Monteil 18. Directed social influence William D. Crano 19. Cognitive and social motivation in group decision making Martin F. Kaplan and Henk Wilke Author index Subject index.


Obraztsov, Viktor V., Gerald G. Neslund, Elisabeth S. Kornbrust, Stephen F. Flaim, and Catherine M. Woods. In vitro cellular effects of perfluorochemicals correlate with their lipid solubility. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 278: L1018–L1024, 2000.—Preclinical studies comparing perflubron partial liquid ventilation with conventional mechanical ventilation have indicated that perflubron partial liquid ventilation may exert some anti-inflammatory effects. To assess whether these effects were related to the lipid solubility properties of perflubron rather than to nonspecific biophysical properties of the perfluorocarbon (PFC) liquid phase, we studied the effects of PFCs with varying lipid solubilities on the platelet aggregation response to various procoagulants and the erythrocyte hemolytic response to osmotic stress. In both cases, the degree of the response was directly related to the lipid solubility of the PFC. All the perflubron content of erythrocytes was found to be associated with the membrane compartment. The time to reach a maximum effect on hemolysis with perflubron was relatively slow (2–4 h), which paralleled the time for perflubron to accumulate in erythrocyte membranes. The rate and extent of perflubron partitioning into lecithin liposomes were similar to those of erythrocyte membranes, supporting the hypothesis that perflubron was partitioning into the lipid component of the membranes. Thus some of the potential modulatory effects of perflubron on excessive inflammatory responses that occur during acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome may be influenced in part by the extent of PFC partitioning into the lipid bilayers of cellular membranes.


AIM: To study prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) including gall-bladder dysfunction (GBD) in coronary patients after acute coronary event (ACE) and effects of early physical exercise (PE) of moderate intensity in coronary patients with GBD on efficacy of outpatient rehabilitation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A two-stage trial was conducted. Stage 1: 237 coronary patients responded to questionnaire detecting incidence of GIS including GBD 8 weeks after ACE. Stage 2: 85 coronary patients with verified GBD were examined for efficacy of rehabilitation. Of them, 43 patients entered PE group while 42 patients entered a control group. The latter received standard therapy without PE. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by clinical, device and biochemical findings at baseline and 12 months later. RESULTS: Of 237 coronary patients 217 (91.7%) patients 2 months after ACE had symptoms of coronary insufficiency, 192 (81.3%) had GIS, 78.9% had GBD. Patients from PE group significantly improved exercise tolerance (bicycle exercise test reached 79.3 +/- 15 and 121.3 +/- 14.5 bt (p < 0.05), respectively. These patients demonstrated improvement of gall-bladder contraction, a decrease in the level of total cholesterol from 6.12 +/- 0.4 to 4.7 +/- 0.2 mmol/l (p < 0.05), of LDLP cholesterol from 3.85 +/- 0.21 to 2.86 +/- 0.32 mmol/l (p < 0.05), thioldisulphide coefficient from 13 +/- 0.3 to 2.7 +/- 0.4 (p < 0.01). The intergroup analysis 12 months after the study revealed significant differences in favor of the PE group. A weekly number of anginal attacks reduced from 5.1 +/- 1.5 to 1.3 +/- 1.4 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The exercise program is rather effective and can be practiced outpatiently in coronary patients after ACE associated with GBD. It can be also used for secondary prophylaxis of cholestasis in coronary patients with biliary problems.


Understanding how to predict the fatigue lifetimes of bulk-metallic glass (BMG) materials is crucially important for their selection as structural alloys. In our paper, the nature of likely fatigue mechanisms for BMGs is revealed. Fatigue cracks, arising from machining/polishing damage, were experimentally observed to initiate from shear bands near defects. At the crack tip, a plastic-zone creation is observed through the formation of many shear bands, and the fatigue crack is found to propagate along these shear bands. The size of the plastic zone can be characterized by fracture-mechanics quantities, and each fatigue cycle is seen to produce a fine striation instead of a single coarse one. We propose a shear-band mechanism to explain the characteristics of the observed fatigue cracking. Numerical computations, based on linear-elastic-fracture mechanics, yield reasonably good agreement with experiments. Our findings are significant to predict the fatigue lifetimes of these materials.


We propose both adder and multiplier circuits for bit-stream signal processing customized for tri-level sigma-delta modulated signals. These architectures are the 2-bit extensions from the existing 1-bit bit-stream adders and multipliers, and are shown to offer better signal-to-noise performance. Field-programmable gate array implementations then confirm their efficacy.


AbstractStrengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis is an effective strategic planning tool for the development of strategy formulation, but its main weakness is being incapable of quantitatively determining the weights and effects of alternative strategic criteria. Some studies' use of SWOT with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) would enable decision-makers to obtain-through pairwise comparisons-a relative priority of each criterion, so that the results from quantitative measures could overcome SWOT's central shortcoming. However, these studies neglect critical relationships or dependencies among SWOT factors. In this study, I propose a quantitative SWOT that rests on fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) methodology, includes possible dependencies among SWOT factors and permits the elimination of decision-makers' uncertain and vague preferences. To this end, I chose the Taiwan biotech pharmaceutical industry as an illustrative example. This study demonstrates and validates that such...


This paper introduces a new public benchmark dataset of solar image data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission. This is the first release, which contains over 15,000 images and nearly 24,000 solar events, spanning the first six months of 2012. It combines region-based event labels from six automated detection modules, ten pre-computed image parameters for each cell over a grid-based segmentation of the full resolution images, and a lower resolution version of the images for further analysis and visualization. Together, these components serve as a standardized, ready-to-use, solar image dataset for general image processing research, without requiring the necessary background knowledge to properly prepare it. We present here the fundamental dataset creation details and outline future improvements and opportunities as data collection continues for the coming years.


A series of zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (Zr-based MOFs) (UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2, UiO-66-OH, UiO-66-(OH)2 and UiO-67) with different surface charge properties and geometric dimensions were tested to decrease the concentration of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in aqueous solutions. Based on the experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, UiO-67 showed the highest adsorption capacity of all Zr-based MOFs studied herein. The π–π interaction/stacking, hydrogen bonding and Lewis acid–base interactions were the main cause for the removal of GO by negatively charged UiO-66-OH and UiO-66-(OH)2. Electrostatic attractions governed the association between GO and positively charged Zr-based MOFs (UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2 and UiO-67) via heteroaggregation. All adsorption and desorption isotherms of GO on UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2 or UiO-67 followed the linear model, and the obvious intercept (27–51 mg g−1) between adsorption–desorption isotherms disclosed that the GO adsorption over these MOFs was irreversible. This irreversible phenomenon was associated with a type of specific sheet–particle configuration, in which the particles of Zr-based MOFs were wrapped by GO nanosheets to form multilayered GO–MOF heteroaggregates with high geometric stability. The DFT calculations showed that the most stable adsorption structures were the geometries with the para-site of the linked ligand. Given the low-cost and simple preparation of Zr-based MOFs, it is clear that Zr-based MOFs could potentially act as coagulants for the efficient elimination of GO from aqueous solutions. This experimental evidence provides valuable information for the understanding of the interaction between GO and coagulants, and the potential fate, toxicity and migration of GO under natural conditions in aquatic environments, as well as in soils and sediments.


The participial phrase [inline-graphic 01] in Mal 2:12 has been a crux interpretum since the earliest versions of the Hebrew Bible. A comprehensive search reveals that at least ten distinct interpretations have been proposed for the obscure phrase by translators and commentators. Retroversion of ancient versions to a different Hebrew Vorlage, conjectural emendation, or various etymological and philological considerations of the homonymic verbs [inline-graphic 02] and [inline-graphic 03] (some on the basis of cognate languages) do not yield a clear understanding of how to interpret the obscure phrase. This article therefore proposes a different methodological approach. By comparing the construction [inline-graphic 04] + [inline-graphic 05] + two coordinated participles/nouns (often displaying alliteration and/or assonance) with other biblical texts, some progress is possible on discerning the meaning of this difficult phrase, even if an exact rendering remains beyond our grasp. Having established that the phrase is most likely a grammatical hendiadys, which constitutes an idiom for "offspring"—one's own "kith and kin"—this article engages with a recent proposal for an inner-biblical allusion to Genesis 38, and the sons of Judah, [inline-graphic 06] and [inline-graphic 07].


The generation of conventional energy sources are contributing to around 65 % of installed capacity in India to fulfill the electricity demand. The limited conventional sources have motivated the researchers to find the electricity generation opportunities through non-conventional sources. The installed generation capacity through renewable sources in India is about 130 GW. With development of renewable systems for electricity generation, smart-grid comes into existence. Standalone and grid connected microgrids are going to be the future of electrical energy. One of the problems associated with the microgrid is the unreliability of power generation, when connected to small capacity renewable sources. Authors have proposed PV-battery-hydro based microgrid to improve the consistency of power supply. The technique is implemented in the MATLAB environment and the results are presented in this paper.


The software engineering community has proposed numerous approaches for making software self-adaptive. These approaches take inspiration from machine learning and control theory, constructing software that monitors and modifies its own behavior to meet goals. Control theory, in particular, has received considerable attention as it represents a general methodology for creating adaptive systems. Control-theoretical software implementations, however, tend to be ad hoc. While such solutions often work in practice, it is difficult to understand and reason about the desired properties and behavior of the resulting adaptive software and its controller. This paper discusses a control design process for software systems which enables automatic analysis and synthesis of a controller that is guaranteed to have the desired properties and behavior. The paper documents the process and illustrates its use in an example that walks through all necessary steps for self-adaptive controller synthesis.


Urban areas in Indonesia have the same characteristics with urban areas in developing countries. Some characteristics such as: (1) decreased of the function of nature with the reduced the number of natural green space or vegetation, (2) accumulation of roofed buildings in the area close to transportation access, industry and market, (3) the location of housing in the dangerous zone as close to the terminal, along the river side, along the railway lines, and the final waste disposal sites. The linkage between poverty index values with the physical morphology and vegetation of an area can be identified by the use of technology and remote sensing (RS). The accuracy of the analysis of poor housing with RS technology relies on the image quality of Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite and the completeness of the dataset Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Geo-spatial technologies are integrated as RS, GIS, and Global Positioning System (GPS) can contribute interactively in the assessment, understanding and mapping to solve the complex problem of residential in Indonesia.


Organophosphate-resistant and -susceptible strains of Culex quinquefasciatus (mosquito) have been compared on the basis of their esterase activities. The homozygous resistant strain (Dar) shows two highly active esterases after starch-gel electrophoresis, of Rm 0.2 and 0.4, which are absent from susceptible strains (Apo, Mon), and which previous selection studies have shown to be inseparable from organophosphate resistance. After SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and silver staining of total C. quinquefasciatus proteins, a 62 kDa band is observed in strain Dar at high concentrations, and in susceptible strains in trace amounts. After Western blotting, this 62 kDa protein is recognized by antisera raised against the two esterases eluted from starch gels. After chromatofocusing of Dar proteins, the 62 kDa protein is seen to be associated with esterase activity, and of a similar pI to that observed for esterases after isoelectric focusing. Post-translational modification is not required for recognition of the 62 kDa putative esterase, since the protein is immunoprecipitated by the anti-esterase serum from products of translation of Dar mRNA in vitro.


In this study, a minimally invasive assessment using bone strain generated potential (SGP) was developed to examine the amount of osseointegration (OI) at bone-implant interface. SGP is generated by interstitial fluid flow in porous bone structure. Four experimental white New Zealand rabbits underwent pure titanium implant insertion surgery to tibia after amputation. After surgery, two animals were kept in small cages with minimal movement (Group 1). In contrast, the other rabbits were kept in a large cage that was large enough for jumping and walking (Group 2). At the end of the 5 weeks, all experimental animals were euthanized and the amputated tibia-implants were harvested. Then, a quasi-static force was applied to a bone site near the bone-implant interface for each tibia-implant specimen. Also, SGPs were measured near the interface using needle or probe electrodes. After the measurements, digital radiographs were taken to check the amount of OI for the interfaces. Full OI was observed for animals in Group 1. However, incomplete OI was found for animals in Group 2. Also, significant difference was found for mean SGP values between Group 1 and 2. The results could imply that SGP could be used as a minimally invasive assessment method to check the OI at the bone-implant interface.


To obtain the simulated eddy current testing (ECT) signals of steam generator (SG) in nuclear power plant (NPP), nodal-based finite element (FE) analysis with magnetic vector potential (MVP) is usually used. To perform the numerical analysis, we derive the governing equation in terms of MVP and electric scalar potential (ESP) from Maxwell's equations. To insure the uniqueness of solution, gauge condition has to be considered. In eddy current problems, Coulomb gauge condition (CGC) is usually used. In 2-D or 3-D axis-symmetric analysis, CGC is included during formulation and ESP is eliminated using some special assumption. Because CGC is not used during the formulation in 3-D analysis, we have to include artificially. And because of the heavy computation cost for 3-D analysis modified magnetic vector potential (MMVP) is used by elimination ESP. In this paper, effects of artificial treatment of CGC and elimination of ESP on ECT signal are investigated in order to help for obtaining accurate numerical simulation results.


A study was conducted on microfluidic mixers for the medical applications of screening alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and wound transport phenomena. A micromixer utilizes a microfluidic channel to mix feed streams, such as elastase and substrate or fibrinogen and thrombin. There are several micromixer designs, the simplest being a zig-zag channel. The research focuses on exploring how the design of microfluidic channel affects the mixing, using experimental and simulation approaches. A microfluidic mixer must be constructed to conduct microfluidics experiments, and a simulation is built using software as a precursory step to experimentation. The simulations were constructed and calculated using ComSol® . After building the initial mixer channel, the particular physics and conditions were applied in order to produce a concentration profile. The steps to manufacture a micromixer include: designing the zig-zag template, preparing a PDMS gel, submerging the template in PDMS, curing PDMS, dissolving the template, then running microfluidic experiments. Inconsistencies were found in the produced PDMS gels for each trial. Some gels were solid and firm, while others remained viscous. Also, the ABS templates were not easily dissolved with acetone. The simulations yielded results about the relationship between geometry, diffusion coefficient, degree of mixing, and residence time. To further the research, the procedure must be refined to produce gels that are consistent for each trial. Some recommendations include: finding the ideal ratio of elastomer to curing agent, finding the ideal oven temperature and heating time, finalizing a micromixer geometry, and finding the solubility of ABS in concentrated acetone.


Fish disease diagnosis is a complicated process and requires high level of expertise, an expert system for fish disease diagnosis is considered as an effective tool to help fish farmers. However, many farmers have no computers and are not able to access the Internet. Telephone and mobile uses increase rapidly, so, the provision of call centre service appears as a sound alternative support channel for farmer to acquire counseling and support. This paper presents a research attempt to develop and evaluate a call center oriented Hybrid disease diagnosis & consulting system (H-Vet) in aquaculture in China. This paper looks at why H-Vet is needed and what are the advantages and difficulties in the developing and using such a system. A machine learning approach is adopted, which helps to acquire knowledge when enhancing expert systems with the user information collected through call center. This paper also proposes a fuzzy Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) framework for acquiring knowledge from individual expert and aggregating knowledge into workgroup knowledge by H-Vet in the situation of difficult disease diagnosis. The system's architecture and components are described.


Men's genital responses tend to be gender-specific, such that they show significantly greater arousal to their preferred gender compared to their nonpreferred gender, whereas the genital responses of androphilic women (i.e., sexually attracted to men) tend to be similar to stimuli depicting women or men (gender-nonspecific). Gender-specificity of arousal has been previously studied using short stimuli (approximately 90-second videos or audio-narratives) with genital responses assessed using vaginal photoplethysmography (VPP) in women and penile plethysmography (PPG) in men. One limitation to using these measures of genital response is that they use different scales (mV change in VPP and mm change in PPG), making it difficult to draw direct gender comparisons. In the current thesis, I examined gender-specificity of sexual arousal in women and men by measuring genital responses using thermography, which assesses similar physiological processes (i.e., temperature change associated with genital vasocongestion) in women and men. Specifically, I evaluated whether the gender-specificity of men's and women's genital temperature was similar to that observed for genital responses concurrently assessed using VPP (women) or PPG (men). I presented gynephilic men (i.e., sexually attracted to women; n = 27) and androphilic women (n = 28) with 10-minute audiovisual stimuli depicting men masturbating, women masturbating, and a nonsexual nature film. Participants reported feelings of sexual arousal before, during, and after each film, and genital responses were concurrently assessed using thermography and VPP or PPG. For all dependent variables, men exhibited gender-specific sexual arousal and women exhibited gender-nonspecific sexual arousal. These findings demonstrate that the gender difference in gender-specificity of sexual arousal persists beyond early sexual responding, including longer stimuli and relatively slow changes in genital temperature. Limitations and implications are discussed.


To improve the oxygen and water vapor barrier properties of ethylene vinyl alcohol, EVOH/EFG nanocomposite films under high humidity conditions, we successfully prepared highly exfoliated graphite (EFG) containing a monolayer or a few layers of graphene via rapid heating treatment and ultrasonication as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), elemental analysis (EA), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis. Six different EVOH/EFG nanocomposite films containing as-prepared EFG were prepared via a solvent blend method and their physical and barrier properties at different relative humidities were investigated as a function of EFG content. Depending on the EFG content, oxygen transmission rate (OTR) decreased from 3.7 to 0.1 cc/m2/day at dry condition, and the difference in OTR between dry condition and humid condition decreased from 6.5 to 2.3 cc/m2/day. Barrier properties of the EVOH/EFG nanocomposite films were strongly dependent on their chemical structure and morphology. Crystallinity, tortuous path length, and hydrophobicity of EVOH/EFG nanocomposite films were enhanced by the addition of EFG. However, the thermal stability and glass transition temperature of the nanocomposite films were not improved by incorporation of EFG due to the weak interaction between EVOH and EFG. To maximize the performance of EVOH/EFG nanocomposite films, the compatibility of the polymer matrix and fillers needs to be improved. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:644–654, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers


The concern of this paper lies with empowerment of middle managers in a community health trust. It considers the impact of traditional structures and cultures upon the level of decision which middle managers are empowered to make. The conclusion reached is one which suggests that the level of discretion available to middle managers was one of making task‐orientated decisions rather than decisions about strategic change. However, even this was compromised by financial constraints and by "best practices" imposed by the personnel function.


This paper was conceived as an extension of the contribution by Kopp (1981) in developing an approach to efficiency measure that synthesizes. Farrell efficiency measure and the frontier production function. The extension is in the aspect of providing a measure for comparing productive efficiency differential between two groups of firms existing in the same competitive industry. To test the efficiency differential, we proposed the Mann-Whitney Test Statistic. As an illustration of the proposed measure, we used data from three Malaysian agricultural processing industries, that is, rice milling, rubber remilling and oilpalm processing. In the exercise, we estimated and test the technical efficiency differential between private and public firms in each industry and found that in rice milling and rubber remilling, private firms are technically more efficiency than their public counterpart. In oilpalm processing, the two groups of firms are equally efficient (or equally inefficient).


We compared the effects of norepinephrine (NOR; n = 11) and the nonselective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nomega-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; n = 11) on hepatic blood flow (Q liv), O2 exchange, and energy metabolism over 24 h of hyperdynamic, normotensive porcine endotoxic shock. Endotoxin (ETX; n = 8) caused a continuous fall in mean arterial pressure (MAP) despite a sustained 50% increase in cardiac output (Q) achieved by adequate fluid resuscitation. NOR maintained MAP at preshock levels owing to a further rise in Q, while the comparable hemodynamic stabilization during L-NMMA infusion resulted from systemic vasoconstriction, increasing the systemic vascular resistance (SVR) about 30% from shock level after 6 h of treatment concomitant with a reduction in Q to preshock values. Whereas NOR also increased Q liv and, hence, hepatic O2 delivery (hDO2), but did not affect hepatic O2 uptake (hVO2), L-NMMA influenced neither Q liv nor hDO2 and hVO2. Mean capillary hemoglobin O2 saturation (HbScO2) on the liver surface as well as HbScO2 frequency distributions, which mirror microcirculatory O2 availability, remained unchanged as well. Neither treatment influenced the ETX-induced derangements of cellular energy metabolism reflected by the progressive decrease in hepatic lactate uptake rate and increased hepatic venous lactate/pyruvate ratios. ETX nearly doubled the endogenous glucose production (EGP) rate, which was further increased with NOR, whereas L-NMMA nearly restored EGP to preshock levels. Nevertheless, despite the different mechanisms in maintaining blood pressure neither treatment influenced ETX-induced liver dysfunction.


This study is to develop a teaching medium on history using Powtoon Based Audiovisual media applied by Macromedia Flash 8 for Senior High School students and using material in the Battle of Bandung (March 23, 1946). The method used was the development research method (Research Development), the selected design was the Hannafin and Peck development model . The steps of development wer (1) Needs Analysis, (2) Stage Design, and (3) stages of development and implementation (Arini, 2014). Validity and media of learning assessed by three expert teams, materials expert, design expert or plan learning device, and media experts. 4.32 validity of the material was in category of very valid, 4.00 designs included in the category valid, and 3.70 the media were included in the category valid. Development research has been done by tried out on IPS2 XI grade in SMA 13 Palembang, the potential effects of media use can be seen from students' achievment. Overall, the means of pretest was 48.7 to the unfavorable category and then the means of postest was 84.7 in favor categories. there was 35.6% increasing and gain scores was 0.69, 0.69 > 0.7 so it wasincluded in the medium category. These results indicate that the use of audiovisual media Powtoon Based on the subjects of history have been successfully applied as seen from the potential effects of the students' learning achievement. Keywords : Powtoon Audiovisual Media Based, Macromedia Flash 8 , Research Development , Hannafin and Peck , and Potential Effect


This volume is the latest in a continuing series on contemporary ophthalmic subjects. Four chapters are concerned with retinoblastoma, the morphology of the corneal endothelium, the non-visual control of ocular movements, and the reaction of the retina to intensive light. The discussion on retinoblastoma by Bedford reviews current ideas on the natural history and management of these tumours, and the author concludes with a summary of his recommended therapeutic regime for different types of presentation. The remaining three articles are in German, one sadly without an English summary. Schierh6lter and Honegger present some of their work on corneal endothelium under physiological conditions and after mechanical damage, and the morphological changes occurring in regenerating endothelial cells are described in detail with excellent illustrations. The physiology of the non-visual control of eye movements is discussed by Komer with a presentation of experimental data on saccadic movements in human subjects and optokinetic responses in animals. Finally, Wallow and his co-workers describe the effects of intense light from argon and helium lasers and the xenon arc photocoagulator on the retinae of experimental animals. The ophthalmoscopic and histological threshold doses are correlated, and an attempt is made to relate tissue damage to loss of function. Using this information *certain safety thresholds are suggested for man for intense light in the visible spectrum. The four articles are fully representative of the high standards set by the editors in this series of volumes. But once again this policy of multilingual presentations that characterizes Advances in Ophthalmology must be criticized. The average English ophthalmologist does not have a working knowledge of technical German and therefore only one of the four articles in this volume will be informative, and at a cost of over £20 that is a high price to pay even in these inflationary times. T. J. FFYTCHE


INTRODUCTION
This project set out to audit our compliance with the 3-hour bundles of care for surgical sepsis and to interrogate how compliance or non-compliance impacts on the outcome of surgical sepsis in our institution.

METHODS
All emergency surgical patients over the age of fifteen years were reviewed. All patients who fulfilled the ACCP/SCCM criteria for sepsis or septic shock, with a documented surgical source of infection, were identified for review.

RESULTS
A total of 677 septic patients with a documented surgical source of sepsis were included. Of the 677 patients, 53% (360/677) had intra-abdominal sepsis, 17% (116/677) had diabetic-related limb sepsis and the remaining 30% (201) had soft tissue infections. A total of 585 operative procedures were performed. Compliance with all components of the 3-hour bundle metrics was achieved in 379/677 patients (56%), and not achieved in 298/677 patients (44%). The only significant difference between the compliant and the non-compliant groups was respiratory rate greater than 22 breaths/minute (131 vs 71, p = 0.002) in the compliant cohort. Amongst the compliant cohort 77/379 patients (20%) required admission to ICU, whilst 41/298 patients (14%) in the non-compliant cohort required admission to ICU. This difference was statistically different (p = 0.026). There was no difference in the median length of hospital stay (6 days) between the two groups. Fifty-five patients in the compliant cohort died (15%), whilst 31 (10%) of the patients in the non-compliant cohort died. This difference was not statistically different (p = 0.111).

CONCLUSION
Compliance with the SCC 3-hour bundle did not seem to improve mortality outcomes in our setting. This observation cannot be adequately explained with our current data and further work looking at management of surgical sepsis in our setting is required. Time to surgical source control is probably the single most important determinant of outcome in patients with surgical sepsis and other aspects of the care bundle are of secondary importance.


The increasing popularity of computing devices with short-range wireless offers new communication service opportunities. These devices are small and may be mobile or embedded in almost any type of object imaginable, including cars, tools, appliances, clothing and various consumer goods. The majority of them can store data and transmit it when a wireless, or wired, transmitting medium is available. The mobility of the individuals carrying such short-range wireless devices is important because varying distances creates connection opportunities and disconnections. It is likely that successful forwarding algorithms will be based, at least in part, on the patterns of mobility that are seen in real settings. For this reason, studying human mobility in different environments for extended periods of time is essential. Thus we need to use measurements from realistic settings to drive the development and evaluation of appropriate forwarding algorithms. Recently, several significant efforts have been made to collect data reflecting human mobility. However, these traces are from specific scenarios and their validity is difficult to generalize.

In this thesis we contribute to this effort by studying human mobility in shopping malls. We ran a field trial to collect real-world Bluetooth contact data from shop employees and clerks in a shopping mall over six days. This data will allow the informed design of forwarding policies and algorithms for such settings and scenarios, and determine the effects of users' mobility patterns on the prevalence of networking opportunities.

Using this data set we have analysed human mobility and interaction patterns in this shopping mall environment. We present evidence of distinct classes of mobility in this situation and characterize them in terms of power law coefficients which approximate inter-contact time distributions. These results are quite different from previous studies in other environments.

We have developed a software tool which implements a mobility model for "structured" scenarios such as shopping malls, trade fairs, music festivals, stadiums and museums. In this thesis we define as structured environment, a scenario having definite and highly organised structure, where people are organised by characteristic patterns of relationship and mobility. We analysed the contact traces collected on the field to guide the design of this mobility model. We show that our synthetic mobility model produces inter-contact time and contact duration distributions which approximate well to those of the real traces. Our scenario generator also implements several random mobility models.

We compared our Shopping Mall mobility model to three other random mobility models by comparing the performances of two benchmark delay tolerant routing protocols, Epidemic and Prophet, when simulated with movement traces from each model. Thus, we demonstrate that the choice of a mobility model is a significant consideration when designing and evaluating delay-tolerant mobile ad-hoc network protocols.

Finally, we have also conducted an initial study to evaluate the effect of delivering messages in shopping mall environments by exclusively forwarding them to customers or sellers, each of which has distinctive mobility patterns.


This article looks at the perplexing encounter between territorial autonomies and international organizations by exploring the legal-institutional frameworks for accommodating Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Aland Islands within the Nordic Council/Nordic Council of Ministers (Norden) and the European Union (EU). In Norden an attempt has been made to translate the very core of autonomy, namely constitutionally protected legislative power, into a legal-institutional framework for multi-level governance. The small number of autonomies and the scope and scale of Norden allows for a one-size-fits-all solution. The encounter between autonomies and an international organization is not only more challenging in the case of the EU, it is also broader in scale and in scope. Despite the EU's individually and often densely regulated relationships with OCTs and sui generis arrangements, dependent territories remain to some extent uncharted territories in the context of the EU.


Calcitic nodules in the poorly indurated, quartzarenitic, Jordan Sandstone of northeast Iowa exhibit large areas of crystallographically continuous calcite and frequently have one or two hematitic shells surrounding an indurated core. Hematitic shells on nodules immediately subjacent to the soil horizon lack calcite cement suggesting its removal by acidic vadose solutions. Geochemical data for near-surface environments prompts interpretation of the origin of nodular calcitic and hematitic bodies in the Jordan Sandstone as follows: 1) partial cementation of the sandstone by calcite as "sand crystals" at selected loci; 2) solution of the distal projections of the calcitic "sand crystals" followed by; 3) episodic precipitation of hematitic shells at the pH-buffered interfaces of the nodules; 4) continued removal of calcite near the soil horizon and; 5) subsequent phases of hematite precipitation within previous hematite shells.


Purpose: To assess the change in utilization of personal and health care services following surgery for hip fracture in elderly patients rehabilitated in the community. Methods: A descriptive study of patients hospitalized in the orthopedic surgery ward for traumatic hip fracture. The first interview took place after surgery and included functional and medical data, and details on utilization of personal and health care services in the month prior to surgery. The second interview took place at home three months after discharge from the hospital and documented corresponding data for the last month. Results: The study included 91 elderly patients. The mean number of contacts with health care providers increased from 4.6/month before HF to 6.4/month during rehabilitation; in particular an increase in home visits by primary care nurses and physicians from 0.4 to 1.0 visit/month (p < 0.001). Personal care showed a greater increase from 32.5 to 95.0 weekly hours (p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses showed that the increase in primary care visits was associated with chronic co-morbidity and being single, while the increase in personal care was associated with medium dependence level and an ambulatory rehabilitation setting. Conclusions: During the rehabilitation period in the community there was an increase in non-rehabilitative services-medical and personal. Morbidity and functional data could predict the increase in use at time of discharge from hospital. Implications for Rehabilitation Fracture of hip is a common event in the elderly that necessitates surgical repair. Rehabilitation treatment after surgery for hip fracture aimed to return the patients to pre-event functional status and prevent the further development of disability. Rehabilitation treatment can be provided either in the hospital or in the community. During rehabilitation period there is an increase in use of primary care and personal services. Part of the increase can be predicted at time of hospitalization.


Context/purpose: Factors affecting the technology, and innovation levels of crude oil treatment's surface facilities, are numerous and extensive. Localization of surface facility as a high-tech Technology, which include oil and gas production and processing units, has always been one of the main issues, and technology management and innovation are essential priorities for these facilities. The purpose of this practical, heuristic, and quantitative research is to develop the studies and identify the current state of technology for crude oil treatment's surface facility technology level in Iran and compare it with its global one. Methodology: Considering the wide range of factors that are used in evaluating technological and innovative capabilities with uncertainty. This research is applied in terms of purpose. Using a survey method and collecting qualitative data through a questionnaire, has led to descriptive results. This study by referring to experts and specialists, these factors according to their importance and priority in different classes of classification and then with statistical analysis, the relationship and correlation of these factors have been examined. For this purpose, 44 experts in oil and gas industry have been used for replying the qualitative questionnaire, then the fuzzy system model has been used to investigate the uncertainty in their answers and Quantitative results. Findings: The results of this study show that the most influential factors in surface facilities such as technological and innovative factors and managerial potential and human resources, etc. are not at an acceptable level compared to developed countries. Conclusion: The analysis of uncertainty between opinions of experts and factors investigated also confirms that attention to innovation and technology capacity and Technology capability and human resources in the National Iranian Oil Company should be increased.


X-ray maps of the heavens, constructed from satellite data, indicate that the solar system is surrounded by a bubble of hot plasma emitting soft x-rays. But they don't reveal how extensive the bubble is because they contain no distance information. Now, Q. Daniel Wang of Northwestern University is beginning to add depth to x-ray images. At last month's American Astronomical Society meeting, he described a technique he calls "x-ray shadowing" that uses warm, dense clouds of neutral gas that happen to waft through our galactic neighborhood as a kind of cosmic range finder. His first results have rekindled a debate about the distribution of hot plasmas throughout the Milky Way.


Abstract: Multiple sclerosis is a heterogenous disease. Although several EMA-approved disease-modifying treatments including biopharmaceuticals are available, their efficacy is limited, and a certain percentage of patients are always nonresponsive. Drug efficacy monitoring is an important tool to identify these nonresponsive patients early on. Currently, detection of antidrug antibodies and quantification of biological activity are used as methods of efficacy monitoring for interferon beta and natalizumab therapies. For natalizumab and alemtuzumab treatments, drug level quantification could be an essential component of the overall disease management. Thus, utilization and development of strategies to determine treatment response are vital aspects of multiple sclerosis management given the tremendous clinical and economic promise of this tool.


Endoglin and activin receptor-like kinase 1 are specialized transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily receptors, primarily expressed in endothelial cells. Mutations in the corresponding ENG or ACVRL1 genes lead to hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT1 and HHT2 respectively). To discover proteins interacting with endoglin, ACVRL1 and TGF-β receptor type 2 and involved in TGF-β signaling, we applied LUMIER, a high-throughput mammalian interactome mapping technology. Using stringent criteria, we identified 181 novel unique and shared interactions with ACVRL1, TGF-β receptor type 2, and endoglin, defining potential novel important vascular networks. In particular, the regulatory subunit B-beta of the protein phosphatase PP2A (PPP2R2B) interacted with all three receptors. Interestingly, the PPP2R2B gene lies in an interval in linkage disequilibrium with HHT3, for which the gene remains unidentified. We show that PPP2R2B protein interacts with the ACVRL1/TGFBR2/endoglin complex and recruits PP2A to nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3). Endoglin overexpression in endothelial cells inhibits the association of PPP2R2B with NOS3, whereas endoglin-deficient cells show enhanced PP2A-NOS3 interaction and lower levels of endogenous NOS3 Serine 1177 phosphorylation. Our data suggest that endoglin regulates NOS3 activation status by regulating PPP2R2B access to NOS3, and that PPP2R2B might be the HHT3 gene. Furthermore, endoglin and ACVRL1 contribute to several novel networks, including TGF-β dependent and independent ones, critical for vascular function and potentially defective in HHT.


Are the baby boomers in Canada more or less healthy than previous generations? What are the implications of this for the national health care system? Baby Boomer Health Dynamic responds to the growing interest in the generation that makes up over one-third of the Canadian population - the largest segment of society - with the leading edge reaching their sixty-fifth birthday in 2011 and eighty-five by 2031. Focusing on four health behaviours that have been proven to be major risk factors for disease: smoking, unhealthy exercise, obesity, and heavy drinking - Andrew V. Wister researches the long-term implications of several key lifestyle-health conundrums, most notably the paradoxical relationship in the concurrent trends over the last two decades of increased exercise levels and a significant rise in obesity. This invariably leads to questions about the eating habits of North Americans, and in particular, the quantity and quality of fast-food and convenience-food consumption. Recent public declarations by a number of health organizations and institutes that we are experiencing an obesity crisis, and moreover, that obesity is the 'new tobacco' makes Baby Boomer Health Dynamics both timely and topical.


The intrinsic tropism towards brain malignancies renders stem cells as promising carriers of therapeutic agents against malignant tumors. The delivery of therapeutic stem cells via the intranasal route is a recently discovered alternative strategy, with strong potential for clinical translation, due to its non-invasive nature compared to intracranial implantation or delivery via systemic routes. The lack of blood brain barrier further strengthens the therapeutic potential of stem cells undergoing intranasal brain entry. This article summarizes the essential techniques utilized in our studies and outlines the basic principles of intranasal strategy for stem cell delivery using a mouse model of intracranial glioma xenografts. We demonstrate the optimized procedures that generate consistent and reproducible results with specific predetermined experimental parameters and offer guidelines for streamlined work flow that ensure efficient execution and reliable experimental outcome. The article is designed to serve as a baseline for further experimental customization based on hypothesis, stem cell types, or tumor specifics.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether TNF inhibitors (TNFi) are associated with increased risk of solid cancer in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

METHODS
From the Nordic clinical rheumatology registers (CRR) here: SRQ/ARTIS (Sweden), DANBIO (Denmark), NOR-DMARD (Norway), ROB-FIN (Finland) and ICEBIO (Iceland) we identified PsA patients who started a first TNFi 2001-2017 (n = 9655). We identified patients with PsA not treated with biologics from (i) the CRR (n = 14 809) and (ii) the national patient registers (PR, n = 31 350). By linkage to the national cancer registers, we collected information on incident solid cancer overall and for eight cancer types. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI of cancer (per country and pooled) in TNFi-exposed vs biologics-naïve, adjusting for age, sex, calendar period, comorbidities and disease activity. We also assessed standardized incidence ratios (SIR) in TNFi-exposed PsA vs the general population (GP).

RESULTS
We identified 296 solid cancers among the TNFi-exposed PsA patients (55 850 person-years); the pooled adjusted HR for solid cancer overall was 1.0 (0.9-1.2) for TNFi-exposed vs biologics-naïve PsA from the CRR, and 0.8 (0.7-1.0) vs biologics-naïve PsA from the PRs. There were no significantly increased risks for any of the cancer types under study. The pooled SIR of solid cancer overall in TNFi treated PsA vs GP was 1.0 (0.9-1.1).

CONCLUSION
In this large cohort study from five Nordic countries, we found no increased risk of solid cancer in TNFi-treated PsA patients, neither for solid cancer overall nor for eight common cancer types.


. We describe a minor format change for representing a symmetric band matrix AB using the same array space specified by LAPACK. In LAPACK, band codes operating on the lower part of a symmetric matrix reference matrix element ( i, j ) as AB 1+ i − j,j . The format change we propose allows LAPACK band codes to reference the ( i, j ) element as AB i,j . Doing this yields lower band codes that use standard matrix terminology so that they become clearer and hence easier to un-derstand. As a second contribution, we simplify the LAPACK Cholesky Band Factorization routine pbtrf by reducing from six to three the number of subroutine calls one needs to invoke during a right-looking block factorization step. Our new routines perform exactly the same number of floating-point arithmetic operations as the current LAPACK routine pb- trf . Almost always they deliver higher performance. The experimental results show that this is especially true on SMP platforms where parallelism is obtained via the use level-3 multi-threaded BLAS. We only consider the lower triangular case of the factorization here; the upper triangular case is currently under investigation.


A general method is reported for the stereoselective preparation of highly functionalized allylic thioethers. This protocol is based on a Pd-catalyzed thiolation of modular vinyl cyclic carbonate substrates and features high (Z)-selectivity, good yields, minimal waste, ample product scope, and operational simplicity. A one-pot strategy was used for the stereoselective formation of pharma-relevant allylic sulfones derived from their in situ prepared thioether precursors.


This study aimed at describing demographic information of the deceased resulting from hanging by means of different methods of suicide. In this cross-sectional study, the file of suicide cases referred to the Central Legal Medicine Organization was investigated retrospectively. Of 1681 suicide cases, the highest suicide mode was hanging by 993 cases (57.4%) and intoxication by 674 cases (39%). The mean age of hanging was 36.22±15.76 and for other suicide methods it was 32.61±13.70 (P=0.000). Hanging was higher in males. Female victims used other methods like intoxication (P=0.000). The most common seasons for hanging were spring and winter. Toxicological analysis in cases of hanging was positive with opioid alkaloids in 95 cases (9/9%) and methamphetamine in 68 cases (7%). Intoxication with aluminum phosphide was in 35.8% of cases. Most of the cases (68.3%) were self-employed victims. A total of 534 (63%) cases were married. There was a statistically significant difference between hanging and other suicide modes concerning age, gender, occupation, marital status, and drug abuse history (P<0.001). The frequency of hanging was higher in males, marrieds, self-employed, unemployed and drug abusers. Students were victims of intoxication. Self-employed victims, unemployed victims and drug abusers were exposed to successful attempts more than others. Screening plans can be helpful in preventing suicide by prioritizing the people at risk.


Big Data Analytics is a crucial component of the Big Data paradigm and deals with the extraction of knowledge from the enormous amount of data. As the number of Big Data related methods, tools, frameworks, and solutions is growing, there is a need to systematize the knowledge about the domain. Moreover, as this domain is rapidly involving, it is difficult to keep up to date with its latest and most efficient technologies; and this is thereby especially challenging for countries which have so far suffered from a lack of infrastructure in Big Data. In this article, we report on the deployment of a strategy we design, fostering the knowledge and awareness around the challenges of Big Data analytics in the West Balkan region. In particular, we describe how we joined forces across multiple European institutions in order to design bespoke actions (from, e.g. classes, to student exchanges) to be applied in Serbia and the West Balkan region over several years.


We investigated the effects of difluoromethylornithine, an inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and selenium supplementation on tumor formation induced by the carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in Sprague-Dawley rats. A biochemical link between polyamine biosynthesis and selenium metabolism to its cancer preventative form has been suggested by the common requirement of S-adenosylmethionine. One-hundred and twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into experimental (n = 80) and control (n = 40) groups. Experimental animals received DMH 20 mg/kg s.c. for 20 weeks. Animals were fed either a regular diet (selenium content 0.2 p.p.m.) or a high selenium diet (5 p.p.m.) with or without 0.2% DFMO in the drinking water. At death, week 30, animal weights within experimental or control groups were not different between the four diet treatment groups. Tumor number and incidence in the proximal colon was not affected by DFMO treatment, selenium supplementation or the combined treatment. In contrast, in the distal colon, 19 tumors developed in the DFMO treated group, 22 tumors in the high selenium group and only 12 tumors in the combined high selenium/DFMO treatment group compared to 32 tumors in the regular diet group. Similarly, tumor incidence was decreased by DFMO and selenium supplementation and their effects were additive. In control animals, ODC activity was decreased by DFMO treatment and selenium supplementation in the distal colon and liver, but not the proximal colon. ODC activity of tumor tissue was greater than normal colon tissue from diet paired animals for proximal and distal colon, except for distal colonic tumors in the high selenium/DFMO treatment group. Polyamine content, however, did not correlate with ODC activity in normal or neoplastic tissue. In general, S-adenosylmethionine levels from normal colon and liver tissue were unaffected by diet treatment. Selenium supplementation in combination with DFMO treatment selectively inhibited distal colon tumor formation in rats fed a fiber-free diet.


Senile plaques, the extracellular deposit of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides, are one of the neuropathological hallmarks found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. The current method of brain imaging of amyloid plaques based on positron emission tomography (PET) is expensive and invasive with low spatial resolution. Thus, the development of sensitive and nonradiative amyloid-β (Aβ)-specific contrast agents is highly important and beneficial to achieve early AD detection, monitor the disease progression, and evaluate the effectiveness of potential AD drugs. Here a neuroprotective dual-modal nanoprobe developed by integrating highly Aβ-specific and turn-on fluorescence cyanine sensors with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as an effective near-infrared imaging (NIRI)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent for imaging of Aβ species in vivo is reported. This Aβ-specific probe is found not only nontoxic and noninvasive, but also highly blood brain barrier permeable. It also shows a potent neuroprotective effect against Aβ-induced toxicities. This nanoprobe is successfully applied for in vivo fluorescence imaging with high sensitivity and selectivity to Aβ species, and MRI with high spatial resolution in an APP/PS1 transgenic mice model. Its potential as a powerful in vivo dual-modal imaging tool for early detection and diagnosis of AD in humans is affirmed.


During the latest decades the number of papers on stellar chemical abundances has increased dramatically. This is basically reflecting the very great achievements in telescopeand spectrometer-construction technology. The analysis of the resulting stellar spectra, however, is still not up to the standard that is offered by the observational methods. Recent significant advances in the analysis methods (i.e., in constructing model atmospheres and model spectra to compare with the observed ones) is reviewed with the emphasis on the application to abundance analysis of late-type stars. It is found that the very considerable progress that have been made beyond mixing-length convection and LTE is a major break-through for physically consistent modeling. Still, however, further steps must be taken, in particular for the cooler stars, before the situation is fully satisifactory.


In landing gear, an important mechanical component for high responsible applications, wear and corrosion control is currently accomplished by chrome plating or hard anodising. However, some problems are associated with these operations. Experimental results have also shown that chrome-plated specimens have fatigue strength lower than those of uncoated parts, attributed to high residual tensile stress and microcracks density contained into the coating. Under fatigue conditions these microcracks propagate and will cross the interface coating-substrate and penetrate base metal without impediment. Shot peening is a surface process used to improve fatigue strength of metal components due to compressive residual stresses induced in the surface layers of the material, making the nucleation and propagation of fatigue cracks difficult. This investigation is concerned with analysis of the shot peening influence on the rotating bending fatigue strength of hard chromium electroplated AISI 4340 steel. Specimens were submitted to shot peening treatment with steel and ceramic shots and, in both cases, experimental results show increase in the fatigue life of AISI 4340 steel hard chromium electroplated, up to level of base metal without chromium. Peening using ceramic shot resulted in lower scatter in rotating bending fatigue data than steel shots.


Data on vitamin D insufficiency as a cause of inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in HIV-infected individuals are conflicting. We examined the relationships between levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and biomarkers of inflammation and metabolism in stored blood samples from a prospective trial of vitamin D repletion. Blood samples from HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with HIV-1 RNA < 200 copies/ml enrolled in a prospective study were analyzed for 25(OH)D levels, a broad panel of cytokines, highly sensitive C-reactive protein, D-dimer, adiponectin, leptin, and insulin. Correlations between markers and 25(OH)D levels were determined. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used to compare markers between individuals 25(OH)D insufficient and sufficient at baseline and before and after repletion among those who were insufficient and repleted to ‡ 30 ng/ml after 12 weeks. Of 106 subjects with stored plasma [66 with 25(OH)D < 30 ng/ml and 40 ‡ 30 ng/ml], the median age was 50, the CD4 count was 515 cells/mm 3 , 94% were male, and the median baseline 25(OH)D was 27 ng/ml. Higher 25(OH)D levels were associated with lower tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- a ( r = - 0.20, p = 0.04) and higher adiponectin levels ( r = 0.30, p = 0.002). Following successful repletion to 25(OH)D ‡ 30 ng/ml there were no significant changes in inflammatory or metabolic parameters. Our study found associations between low 25(OH)D levels and TNF- a and adiponectin. Repletion did not result in changes in markers of inflammation or metabolism. These data support continued study of the relationship between vitamin D, inflammation, and metabolism in treated HIV infection.


Chromosomal variation is an important tool in genetic analysis. The objectives of the present study were to determine the mutagenic potential of lead (Pb) on the meiotic cells of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) and to determine the maximum concentration of lead nitrate that induces maximum genetic variability in grass pea. The different concentrations of lead nitrate used were 25, 50, 100, 200, and 300 ppm. The percentage of abnormalities increased with the lead nitrate concentration. Different types of chromosomal abnormalities were observed, such as condensed bivalents, secondary association, laggards, bridges, cytomixis, stickiness, etc.


In this presentation, an efficient sample preparation process utilizing an ion concentration polarization (ICP) phenomenon would be introduced, especially the simultaneous operation of separation and preconcentration and detailed dynamics of the preconcentrated analytes. ICP is traditional electrochemical ion transportation process and appears as a steep concentration gradient near nanoporous membrane under dc bias [1, 2, 3]. The major function of ICP is an active ion control by an external electric field so that it is significantly useful to study the new ion transportation through nanoporous junction (or membrane) and develop novel engineering applications [4, 5, 6].

Here, we would like to introduce a device as shown in Figure 1 performing selective preconcentration and online collection of charged molecules with different physicochemical properties based on ICP. The device allows subsequent processes of the highly preconcentrated and separated molecules on-chip or off-chip in a single solution. The molecules were highly preconcentrated at each equilibrium position balanced between electroosmotic drag force and electrophoretic force. By the repeated chamber geometry, the ion depletion zone was stabilized and the plugs were well-defined. For subsequent on-chip or off-chip application, pneumatic micro-valve system was integrated. The successive operation of selective preconcentration and valve operation would recover target molecules at the preconcentration factor more than 30 as shown in Figure 2.

Furthermore, we investigated the detailed spatiotemporal dynamics of preconcentrated analytes for multiple analyte mixture. In the case of single-analyte preconcentration, there were two distinct regimes: staking and propagating regime as shown in Figure 3. Meanwhile, the equilibrium position of the plug was shifted in the case of multiple analyte preconcentration due to electrokinetic intermolecular interactions. A critical mobility was extracted for determining the types of preconcentration and it was confirmed both by experiment and numerical simulations as shown in Figure 4.

These results would play a key role in enhancing accuracy of practical ICP applications through elucidating comprehensive preconcentration mechanisms which are critical in analytical systems such as diagnostics, biology researches, and point of care systems.


Many New Zealand homes suffer from cold, damp and mould-ridden homes during the winter which can cause respiratory health problems. This can be due to poor insulation and ventilation and is made worse when residents cannot afford heating. The main aim of this paper is to modify an existing dehumidifier which can remove moisture, heat the home and reduce the mould and bacteria. To achieve that we combined the properties of a dehumidifier with ultraviolet germicidal lights (UV), which have been proven to effectively destroy the DNA of mould and bacteria. The result shows that the device reduced the mould growth and did increase the room temperature. This due to the fact that the dehumidifier captured 2 litters of water over 24 hours of testing. This shows that the device did improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in the room.


We address the numerical solution of linear systems arising from the hybrid discretizations of second-order elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs). Such discretizations hinge on a hybrid set of degrees of freedom (DoFs), respectively defined in cells and faces, which naturally gives rise to a global hybrid system of linear equations. Assuming that the cell unknowns are only locally coupled, they can be efficiently eliminated from the system, leaving only face unknowns in the resulting Schur complement, also called statically condensed matrix. We propose in this work an algebraic multigrid (AMG) preconditioner specifically targeting condensed systems corresponding to lowest order discretizations (piecewise constant). Like traditional AMG methods, we retrieve geometric information on the coupling of the DoFs from algebraic data. However, as the condensed matrix only gives information on the faces, we use the uncondensed version to reconstruct the connectivity graph between elements and faces. An aggregation-based coarsening strategy mimicking a geometric coarsening or semi-coarsening can then be set up to build coarse levels. Numerical experiments are performed on diffusion problems discretized by the Hybrid High-Order (HHO) method at the lowest order. Our approach uses a K-cycle to precondition an outer flexible Krylov method. The results demonstrate similar performances, in most cases, compared to a standard AMG method, and a notable improvement on anisotropic problems with Cartesian meshes.


This paper reviews the impact of the global financial crisis on financial system reform in China. Scholars and practitioners have critically questioned the efficiencies of the Anglo- American principal-agent model of corporate governance which promotes shareholder-value
maximisation. Should China continue to follow the U.K.-U.S. path in relation to financial reform? This conceptual paper provides an insightful review of the corporate governance
literature, regulatory reports and news articles from the financial press. After examining the
fundamental limitations of the laissez-faire philosophy that underpins the neo-liberal model
of capitalism, the paper considers the risks in opening up China's financial markets and
relaxing monetary and fiscal policies. The paper outlines a critique of shareholder-capitalism in relation to the German team-production model of corporate governance, promoting a
"social market economy" styled capitalism. Through such analysis, the paper explores numerous implications for China to consider in terms of developing a new and sustainable
corporate governance model. China needs to follow its own financial reform through understanding its particular economy. The global financial crisis might help China rethink the nature of corporate governance, identify its weakness and assess the current reform agenda.


We have obtained a polyclonal antibody that recognizes a major polypeptide component of chicken mitotic chromosome scaffolds. This polypeptide migrates in SDS PAGE with Mr 170,000. Indirect immunofluorescence and subcellular fractionation experiments confirm that it is present in both mitotic chromosomes and interphase nuclei. Two lines of evidence suggest that this protein is DNA topoisomerase II, an abundant nuclear enzyme that controls DNA topological states: anti-scaffold antibody inhibits the strand-passing activity of DNA topoisomerase II; and both anti-scaffold antibody and an independent antibody raised against purified bovine topoisomerase II recognize identical partial proteolysis fragments of the 170,000-mol-wt scaffold protein in immunoblots. Our results suggest that topoisomerase II may be an enzyme that is also a structural protein of interphase nuclei and mitotic chromosomes.


The loss of suppressor T‐cell function results in an abundant production of autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As a cause of this suppressor T‐cell defect, anti‐T‐cell antibody seems to be of prime importance. On the other hand. anti‐T‐cell antibodies can be detected in various other autoimmune diseases, but their functional characteristics have not been determined. In the present study, the functional characteristics of anti‐T‐cell antibody from a selected subgroup of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) were compared with those from patients with SLE. Anti‐T‐cell antibody from the patients with SLE reacted with a T8 subset, resulting in a suppressor defect, whereas anti‐T‐cell antibody from the UC patients reacted primarily with a T4 subset. Functionally, SLE T cells failed to proliferate in response to concanavalin A. whereas UC− T cells from UC patients failed to proliferate in response to phytohaemagglutinin. In the Ig synthesis system, both SLE− and UC− T cells increased Ig production of B cells. Since UC+ T cells did not contribute to the generation of Con‐A‐inducible suppressor activity, we believe that serum from the selected subgroup of patients with UC reacted with the inducer T‐cell subset.


Microsoft Office Basics is the essential guide for all those who want to get to grips with the basics of Microsoft Office. Written in a clear and accessible way it starts by covering everything from the basics of the traditional features of each of the programs and goes on to give practical tips on how to start projects in Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook. You will learn how to make the most of these programs and learn tips and tricks to help create the perfect spreadsheets and presentations.


Historically the inter-flood period has been disregarded from investigations as it was deemed that the stability of non cohesive beds could only be altered by above threshold flows capable of sediment transport. However, this is at odds with more recent 'stress history' data which provides unequivocal evidence that entrainment thresholds can be delayed to higher shear stresses after being subjected to longer periods of sub threshold flows. The magnitude of this effect appears related to the surface grain size distribution and relative grain size effects, whilst the specific mechanics associated to generating a more resistant bed under sub-threshold flows are merely speculated upon. The aim of the present thesis is therefore to provide a comprehensive and quantitative data set on stress history that specifically address comparative grade effects and provides a detailed mechanistic understanding of the processes responsible for generating a more resistant bed configuration under sub threshold flows.

Using a range of grain size distributions, a series of flume based experiments assess two main aspects of the stress history process. Firstly the effects of grain size distribution on the relationship between stress history duration and entrainment threshold is quantified. This is split into two sets of experiments based on the duration of the applied sub threshold antecedent flow, prescribed as 50% of the critical shear stress ( ) of the median grain size (D50). The antecedent durations of first set of experiment ranged from 0 to 60 minutes, whilst the antecedent duration of the second set of experiments ranged from 0 to 960 minutes. To ascertain the effect of the antecedent period on critical entrainment threshold and transported bedload, each experiment is concluded with a stability test composed of incrementally increased flow discharges until critical threshold conditions were reached. Secondly, aspect of stress history investigated uses high resolution laser scanning to assess bed topography and particle repositioning in order to ascertain the granular mechanics underpinning the stability process. The bed is scanned before and after the application of the applied antecedent flow with changes to bed surface structure described using Digital Elevation Models (DEM's), statistical analysis and 1D and 2D semi-variograms to analyse scaling behaviour.

In all experiments, increasing the antecedent flow duration significantly increases river bed stability in that the critical shear stress increases by up to 25% where uniform beds are more responsive to antecedency than bimodal beds. Laser based analysis reveals that vertical settlement, localised changes to bed roughness, pockets of more pronounced development of hiding effects, and particle repositioning are all mechanisms by which the bed reorganises under an applied sub threshold flow. However, the different bed grain size distributions cause significant differences in the importance of each mechanism in determining the magnitude of stress history induced bed stability.


We present a method of using fault displacement-distance profiles to distinguish fault-bend, shear fault-bend, and fault-propagation folds, and use these insights to guide balanced and retrodeformable interpretations of these structures. We first describe the displacement profiles associated with different end-member fault-related folding models, then provide examples of structures that are consistent with these model-based predictions. Natural examples are imaged in high-resolution two- and three dimensional seismic reflection data sets from the Niger Delta, Sichuan Basin, Sierras Pampeanas, and Cascadia to record variations in displacement with distance updip along faults (termed displacement-distance profiles). Fault-bend folds exhibit constant displacement along fault segments and changes in displacement associated with bends in faults, shear fault-bend folds demonstrate an increase in displacement through the shearing interval, and fault-propagation folds exhibit decreasing displacement toward the fault tip. More complex structures are then investigated using this method, demonstrating that displacement-distance profiles can be used to provide insight into structures that involve multiple fault-related folding processes or have changed kinematic behavior over time. These interpretations are supported by comparison with the kinematics inferred from the geometry of growth strata overlying these structures. Collectively, these analyses illustrate that the displacement-distance approach can provide valuable insights into the styles of fault-related folding.


The goal of this work was to investigate the numeral karyotypic variability in different sublines (MT, M2). These sublines are formed spontaneously from the main cell line (M) and have modal number of chromosomes 9 and 10, MSVK (main structural variant karyotype)--3 + 3 + 1 + 2 and 3 + 4 + 2 + 1. There are general regulations which were originally got for the line M. In particular: 1) nonrandom character of cell distribution according to the number of chromosomal deviations from MSVK; 2) specific character of deviations of each chromosome from MSVK; 3) presence of significant connections between separate chromosomes by simultaneous, mainly single directed numeral deviations. These three lines (M, MT, M2) were compared and some differences were found: 1) different frequencies of deviations from MSVK; 2) the same chromosomes have tendency to different numeral deviation; 3) the specificity of some significant connections between separate chromosomes by simultaneous numeral deviations. These results lead us to a conclusion that the balance of numerical karyotypic structure in cell populations depends on the regulations connected with the character of deviations according to the number of chromosomes from MSVK which has the largest selected advantage. Each line has its own specific limits of karyotypic variability.


Spectroscopy‐based imaging techniques can provide useful biochemical information about tissue samples. Here, we employ Raman and Fourier transform infrared (IR) imaging to characterize composition and constitution of atherosclerotic plaques of rabbits, fed with a high cholesterol diet. The results were compared with conventional light microscopy after staining with hematoxylin eosin, and elastica van Gieson. The spectral unmixing algorithm vertex component analysis was applied for data analysis and image reconstruction. IR microscopy allowed for differentiation between lipids and proteins in plaques of full aortic cross sections. Raman microscopy further discriminated cholesterol esters, cholesterol and triglycerides. FTIR and Raman images were recorded at a resolution near 20 micrometer per pixel for a large field of view. High resolution Raman images at 1 micrometer per pixel revealed structural details at selected regions of interest. The intima‐media and the lipid‐protein ratio were determined in five specimens for quantitation. These results correlate well with histopathology. The described method is a promising tool for easy and fast molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


There are controversies about the relation between the peripheral lymphocyte levels and response to neoadjuvant therapy. While some authors have reported that a positive correlation between peripheral lymphocyte levels and tumor response, others have suggested the opposite. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the possible relations between the changes in circulating lymphocyte counts due to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and intratumoral lymphocytic response (ILR) and tumor regression grade (TRG) in locally advanced rectal cancers. Lymphocyte levels before, during and after CRT as well as before surgery and pathologic findings including ILRs and TRGs were recorded. Lymphocyte levels before CRT were accepted as absolute values. After the changes in the lymphocyte levels during and after CRT and before the surgery were recorded as ratios to the absolute values, the relation between the changes in lymphocyte levels, ILR and TRG were studied by using Pearson and Spearman correlation tests. There was a positive correlation between changes in peripheral lymphocytic levels after neoadjuvant CRT and ILRs. However, there were no other correlations between changes in lymphocytic levels and TRGs and ILRs. The changes in the peripheral lymphocyte counts after CRT may be predictive for ILR. Further studies may provide more information about the relation between peripheral lymphocytes and TILs and tumor response to neoadjuvant CRT.


Copy of an original photograph taken by the studio of William James Harding, Wanganui.
Other - This is a copy, made by the Alexander Turnbull Library, of a discarded 10x12 negative
Source of descriptive information - Negative register and inscriptions on negative
Quantity: 1 b&w copy negative(s).
Physical Description: Film negative


A negative impedance converter (NIC) has been combined with a wireless power transfer (WPT) system to maximize the system efficiency based on non-foster theory. The NIC is composed of transistor, voltage divider, capacitor, and inductor for impedance matching, and resonant circuit operating at 6.78 MHz. The desired negative impedance can be controlled by tunable impedance in the NIC. In this paper, the loss of the transmitting coil is reduced to $0.1~\Omega $ , yielding a quality factor of 7,050, which is 19.1 times higher than that of the conventional coil. The WPT system with the NIC provides high power transfer efficiency (PTE) at various transmission distances. The experimental results are improved from 64% to 96% and from 5% to 55% at the transmission distances of 50 and 200 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the PTE is enhanced from 38% to 87% and from 2% to 38% at the diagonal misalignment distance of 0 and 150 mm, respectively, at a transmission distance of 100 mm. The proposed technology for increasing the receiving power in the receiving coil with a higher PTE can be utilized for numerous applications in the industrial, scientific, and medical band, with a restricted radio frequency power on the transmitter side.


Two-coordinate coinage metal complexes have emerged as promising emitters for highly efficient organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). However, achieving efficient long-wavelength electroluminescence emission from these complexes remains as a daunting challenge. To address this challenge, molecular design strategies aimed at bolstering the photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ) of Au(I) complex emitters in low-energy emission regions are investigated. By varying amido ligands, a series of two-coordinate Au(I) complexes is developed that exhibit photoluminescence peak wavelengths over a broad range of 533-750 nm. These complexes, in particular, maintain Φ values up to 10% even in the near-infrared emission region, overcoming the constraints imposed by an energy gap. Quantum chemical calculations and photophysical analyses reveal the action of radiative control, which serves to overcome the energy gap law, becomes more pronounced as the overlap between hole and electron distributions (Sr (r)) in the excited state increases. It is further elucidated that Sr (r) increases with the distance between the hole-distribution centroid and the nitrogen atom in an amido ligand. Finally, multilayer OLEDs involving the Au(I) complex emitters exhibit performances beyond the borderline of the electroluminescence wavelength-external quantum efficiency space set by previous devices of coinage metal complexes.


Widowhood is a state of losing a spouse through death and has been on the increase in Kenya and all over the world. A spouse's death may affect the widowed persons' social well-being, as they go through the various stages of bereavement. They may become withdrawn and isolated which may affect their self-esteem. There may be adverse effects of widowhood that are social since the widowed persons may rate themselves low after the death of the spouse whom they shared life with. In Meru community, no research has been done on the social effects of widowhood yet widowhood is a common phenomenon in the community. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the social effects by comparing widowed men and women in Meru County Kenya. A literature gap exists in Kenya on self-esteem of widowed men and women thus motivating the authors to come up with such a study. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine self-esteem as a social effect of widowhood by comparing widowed men and women in Meru County Kenya. Ex post facto's causal-comparative research design was considered appropriate for the study because of comparison of groups. Samples of 384 widowed persons (192 widows and 192 widowers) in four Districts were purposively selected making a total of 384 respondents. Data was collected by use of questionnaires which were administered to widowed persons and two Focus Group Discussions for widowed persons were held in each of the four selected Districts; one for the widowers and another for widows. Data analysis was done by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics included t-test which was used to establish whether differences in self-esteem as a social effect existed between widowed men and women. Descriptive statistics that included frequencies, means and percentages were also used. The findings revealed variations in the widowed persons' self-esteem as a social effect of widowhood where widows showed lower self-esteem than widowers. From the findings, it is evident that absence of either of the spouse negatively affects the self- value of the living spouse especially widows. Counselling programmes of widowed persons in the country are needed to assist and empower them especially widows who are not allowed to remarry. It is therefore recommended that the Ministry of gender, religious organisations, service providers and other stakeholders should use such programmes to address social needs of widowed persons. Finally, the findings will assist the widowed men and women to cope better socially with their state of widowhood as they attach meaning in life and bring up their families single handedly.