INTRODUCTION
The topographical modifications may vary from millimeter wide grooves to nano size structures. Recently growing nano technology is rapidly advancing surface engineering in implant dentistry. This advancement has resulted in difference in surface properties including the morphology, chemistry, crystal structure and mechanical properties of the implant.

AIM
To evaluate the anticandidal effect of titanium, zirconium and aluminium nanoparticles against C. albicans at 24 hours, 72 hours and one week time interval.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
According to ISO/TR 11175:1993, the samples were prepared with the dimension of 20mm diameter and 1mm thickness in grade IV titanium. A total of 40 samples were made and the samples were divided into four groups. The samples without coating were Group-A (control), samples coated with titanium nano particles were Group-B, samples coated with zirconium nano particles were Group-C and samples coated with aluminium nano particles were Group-D. The samples were cleaned by sonicating in acetone and subsequently in water three times for 15 min. Then they were treated with TiO2, ZrO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles. The discs were sterilized under uv radiation and placed in SDA for C.albicans. The colonies were counted in 24, 72 hours and one week intervals.

RESULTS
The values were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD Test. Significance p-value was < .001, which showed that significant difference in C.F.U among the groups in titanium coated samples at 24 hours, 72 hours and one week time intervals.

CONCLUSION
TiO2 nanoparticles coated titanium plates showed significant anticandidal effect compared to ZrO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles at 24, 72 hours and one week time interval.


Abstract. Ultrafast Bessel beams are ideal sources for high aspect ratio submicron structuring applications because of their nondiffracting nature and higher stability in nonlinear propagation. We report here on the interaction of ultrafast Bessel beams at various laser energies and pulse durations with transparent materials (fused silica) and define their impact on photoinscription regimes, i.e., formation of positive and negative refractive index structures. The laser pulse duration was observed to be key in deciding the type of the structures via excitation efficiency. To understand the relevant mechanisms for forming these different structures, the free carrier behavior as a function of laser pulse duration and energy was studied by capturing instantaneous excitation profiles using time-resolved microscopy. Time-resolved imaging and simulation studies reveal that low carrier densities are generated for ultrashort pulses, leading to soft positive index alterations via presumably nonthermally induced structural transitions involving defects. On the other hand, the high free carrier density generation in the case of longer pulse durations leads to hydrodynamic expansion, resulting in high aspect ratio submicron-size wide voids. Delayed ionization, carrier defocusing, and lower nonlinear effects are responsible for the confinement of energy, resulting in efficient energy deposition on-axis.


A main interest among strategists has focused on the character of an economically efficient corporate strategy. This article examines the concept of an economically efficient corporate strategy and outlines an explanation for the superior performance of related diversifiers. This article is based on a study of the combined effects of R&D activity and industry specialization on economic performance. The study involves 361 New York and American Stock Exchange companies during 1980-1985. The analysis centers on two questions: What are the effects of the level of R&D activity and industry specialization on abnormal returns? What are the effects of the level of R&D and industry specialization on systematic risk? The results suggest that increased R&D and reduced industry specialization are critical factors underlying superior economic performance.


This article discusses the synchronic status and diachronic development of will be -ing and shall be -ing (as in I'll be leaving at noon).2 Although available since at least Middle English, the constructions did not establish a significant foothold in standard English until the twentieth century. Both types are also more prevalent in British English (BrE) than American English (AmE). We argue that in present-day usage will/shall be -ing are aspectually underspecified: instances that clearly construe a situation as future-in-progress are in the minority. Similarly, although volition-neutrality has been identified as a key feature of will/shall be -ing, it is important to take account of other, generally richer meanings and associations, notably 'future-as-matter-of-course' (Leech 2004), 'already-decided future' (Huddleston & Pullum et al. 2002) and non-agentivity. Like volition-neutrality, these characteristics appear to be relevant not only in contemporary use, but also in their historical expansion. We show that the construction has evolved from progressive aspect towards more subjectivised evidential meaning. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21


Communicating the advantages of the whole wood material, including visual impressions, is increasingly important. The computer can be a useful tool in this effort. The overall aim of this study was to find out whether there was an experienced difference between wood seen physically and the picture of it on a computer screen. This was done by creating a situation like a memory game wherein the respondents first studied a physical picture (photograph) and then chose among similar pictures (12 variations and one original) on a computer screen. The variations were composed from properties found in earlier qualitative studies. The properties were Shadow, Light, Scale, Contrast, Saturation and Gleam, and they were varied in a plus and a minus level (more shadow/less shadow). After a contest, six variations were compared with the original in a side-by-side comparison.The results indicate that Contrast is the most important property when visualizing wood, both for good and bad visualization. Shadows seem to be the least critical property. The study also supports the hypothesis of smart exaggeration, with only 2 top votes for the Original picture. People seem to need more than just physically correctly recaptured wood to experience wood on a computer screen as true wood.


Collaborative problem solving in classrooms may be influenced by the social status of the members of problem-solving groups. One mechanism by which it may occur is the politeness of the members' criticisms of one other. During group problem solving, high-status students may be perceived as strong leaders, but their high status could interfere with group problem solving by biasing other students' evaluations of the correctness of their actions during the problem-solving task. Similarly, polite students may be judged weak leaders, but politeness may facilitate group problem solving. These hypotheses were tested in a study of 80 high school students who were videotaped while attempting to solve a difficult algebra problem in groups during class. The students also completed questionnaires about their social status before the task and, after the task, about who they saw as leaders in their groups. Four dimensions of status were analyzed: academic, peer friendship, gender, and ethnicity. The results suggest a conflict between a task focus and a social relationship focus in classroom activities and the possible value of politeness as a measure of group social interaction


This research aims to study the role of emotions in political conflict inThailand during the years 2006-2019. Researchers have applied the theory of affect as an analytical tool, using political expression through social network named Facebook as a case study. This research is a documentary research by exploring related articles and research. Together with observing groups or Facebook pages that discuss, exchange ideas on social, political and public issues to analyze affective practice in online society. The study found the emotions that play an important role in Thai politic through online social networks are emotions of hate that related to popular nationalism. This emotion has created "us", "them" and "the others" that lead to an important foundation of conflict and create a political of hate (or hate politic) until today.


The classical half line Robin problem for the heat equation may be solved via a spatial Fourier transform method. In this work, we study the problem in which the static Robin condition $bq(0,t)+q_x(0,t)=0$ is replaced with a dynamic Robin condition; $b=b(t)$ is allowed to vary in time. We present a solution representation, and justify its validity, via an extension of the Fokas transform method. We show how to reduce the problem to a variable coefficient fractional linear ordinary differential equation for the Dirichlet boundary value. We implement the fractional Frobenius method to solve this equation, and justify that the error in the approximate solution of the original problem converges appropriately. We also demonstrate an argument for existence and unicity of solutions to the original dynamic Robin problem for the heat equation. Finally, we extend these results to linear evolution equations of arbitrary spatial order on the half line, with arbitrary linear dynamic boundary conditions.


Until the 1970's most office buildings in Czech Republic were not equipped with mechanical cooling (air-conditioning). Due to increasing requirements for thermal comfort and warmer summers, nowadays mechanical cooling is often applied to such buildings however without caring for energy consumption. This paper discusses options for incorporating low energy cooling technologies when retrofitting office buildings in central Europe. Climate analysis, design recommendations and role of computer simulation of building and system in the design process are presented. Applicability of night ventilation, evaporative cooling, and cooled ceiling panels, which can provide optimal thermal comfort in a conditioned space in relation to low energy consumption, will be analyzed. The slab cooling using existing slab heating system is stressed in the paper.


Formation of the earliest forms of chronic brain ischemia veterans of modern wars accompanied by an increase in the systemic circulation of the population of T lymphocytes and monocytes, reflecting the activation of central mechanisms lymphopoiesis. In step vascular encephalopathy is an increase in circulating pool of T lymphocytes expressing the activation markers early positive reflecting readiness cells to IL-2 dependent proliferation. When progessirovanii chronic brain ischemia decreased levels of circulating T-regulatory cells, which may reflect a violation of self-tolerance in relation to brain antigens.


this paper, a novel method for high-level specification and validation of SoC designs using UML is proposed. UML is introduced as a formal model of specification for SoC design. The consistency and completeness of the specification is validated based on the formal UML model. The implementation is validated by a systematic derivation of test scenarios and specification based coverage metrics from the UML model. The method has been applied to the design of a new media-processing chip for mobile devices. The application of the method shows that it is not only effective for finding logical errors in the implementation, but also eliminates errors due to inconsistency and incompleteness of the specification.


Abstract Fossil megaspore floras from the Late Cretaceous of North America have been studied extensively, but primarily from the Western Interior Basin. Two new megaspore floras are described from eastern North America along the Gulf Coastal Plain. Cumulatively, 10 genera and 16 species of megaspores are recognized from Allon, Georgia and along Upatoi Creek, Georgia (both late Santonian in age, ∼84 Ma). Megaspores identified have affinities to both heterosporous lycopsids, e.g., Erlansonisporites, Minerisporites, and Paxillitriletes, and to heterosporous ferns, e.g., Ariadnaesporites, and Molaspora. Lycopsid megaspores are more diverse than fern megaspores in the Allon and the Upatoi Creek floras. Two new species—Erlansonisporites confundus n. sp. and Erlansonisporites potens n. sp.—are proposed.


Bar-pressing (Experiment I) or key-pressing (Experiments II and III) responses of monkeys were reinforced according to a fixed-interval schedule of negative reinforcement: the first response after a fixed interval of time terminated regularly spaced shocks for a fixed time designated as the reinforcement period. During extinction, shocks continued during the reinforcement period. That there were two types of responding generated by shock alone was indicated by (1) the level of responding maintained during extinction relative to conditions without shock, (2) the stability of two between-shock response patterns across reinforcement and extinction conditions, and (3) the development of these two between-shock patterns without a history of reinforcement. Subjects developed either a pre-shock or a post-shock response pattern when only the bar was available. However, when both a bite tube, an operandum requiring an aggressive topography, and a recessed key, an operandum that did not require an aggressive topography, were provided, the post-shock pattern was observed in tube biting and the pre-shock pattern was observed in key pressing. Removal of the bite tube produced post-shock key responding similar to that observed when only the bar was available. The displacement of post-shock, aggression-motivated responding confirmed the confounding effect of shock-generated responding in negative reinforcement procedures, and suggests that the use of concurrent response alternatives would reduce such confounding.


Protocol for Agrobacterium‐mediated genetic transformation using hypocotyl and cotyledonary leaf with petiole from two local varieties of Brassica juncea was established by optimizing various factors influencing transformation. GUS histochemical assay revealed that the cotyledonary leaf with petiole and hypocotyl explants had positive interaction with the Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 containing the binary plasmid pBI121 which has marker genes like, GUS and nptII. Maximum transformation was obtained with bacterial suspension having an optical density of 0.8 at 600 nm, 30 min of incubation and 72 hours of co‐cultivation. The transient and stable integration of the marker genes were confirmed through histochemical GUS assay, as well as PCR analysis. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 26(1): 55-65, 2016 (June)


The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been mutating since it was first sequenced in early January 2020. The genetic variants have developed into a few distinct clusters with different properties. Since the United States (US) has the highest number of viral infected patients globally, it is essential to understand the US SARS-CoV-2. Using genotyping, sequence-alignment, time-evolution, k-means clustering, protein-folding stability, algebraic topology, and network theory, we reveal that the US SARS-CoV-2 has four substrains and five top US SARS-CoV-2 mutations were first detected in China (2 cases), Singapore (2 cases), and the United Kingdom (1 case). The next three top US SARS-CoV-2 mutations were first detected in the US. These eight top mutations belong to two disconnected groups. The first group consisting of 5 concurrent mutations is prevailing, while the other group with three concurrent mutations gradually fades out. Our analysis suggests that female immune systems are more active than those of males in responding to SARS-CoV-2 infections. We identify that one of the top mutations, 27964C>T-(S24L) on ORF8, has an unusually strong gender dependence. Based on the analysis of all mutations on the spike protein, we further uncover that three of four US SASR-CoV-2 substrains become more infectious. Our study calls for effective viral control and containing strategies in the US.


HundrED and Supercell believe that fostering Visual Art skills can be just as important as numeracy and literacy. Furthermore, we also believe that Visual Arts can be integrated into all learning in schools and developed in a diversity of ways. To this end, the purpose of this project is to shine a spotlight, and make globally visible, leading education innovations from around the world doing exceptional work on developing the skill of Visual Arts for all students, teachers, and leaders in schools today.


Introduction: Application of preperitoneal mesh method in the treatment of inguinal hernia can be regarded as one of the successful methods in this regard. However, the impact of mesh fixation or nonfixation on the recurrence of hernia and the incidence of its complications have not been thoroughly investigated.The present study aimed at comparing the effect of mesh fixation and nonfixation on transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) laparoscopy for inguinal hernia repair. Materials and Methods: In this study, eighty patients with inguinal hernia underwent TAPP laparoscopy with mesh fixation (n = 41) and nonfixation (n = 39). Mesh was fixed using a suture in Group A and nonfixed in Group B. Then, the duration of operation, length of in-hospital stay, complications and recurrence of hernia, and pain severity 1 day after the surgery, during discharge, at the 1st and 2nd weeks, and at 1 and 6 months after the surgery were compared between the two groups. Results: The length of in-hospital stay and return to work in Group B was statistically significantly lower than that of Group A (P < 0.05). Neuralgia and urinary retention were statistically significantly higher in Group A as compared with Group B (P < 0.05). There were no and 5.1% hernial recurrence in Group A and Group B, respectively (P > 0.05). The level of pain was generally higher in Group A and was statistically significant 1 and 2 weeks after the surgery (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Mesh nonfixation causes less postoperative complications and pain in patients undergoing TAPP repair; however, in long-term follow-up, the level of chronic pain following the application of mesh fixation and non-fixation methods is not different.


Embedded systems have been present in our daily lives for some time, but trends clearly show a rise in inter-connectivity in such devices. This presents promising new applications and possibilities, but also opens up a lot attack surface. Our goal in this thesis is to find out how you can develop such interconnected embedded systems in a way that guarantees the three major components of information security: Confidentialy, Integrity and Availability. The main focus of security is networked security. In this thesis, a dual approach is taken: investigate the development process of building secure systems, and perform such an implementation. The artifacts produced as byproducts, the software itself, deployment instructions and lessons learned are all presented. It is shown that the process used helps businesses find a somewhat deterministic approach to security, have a higher level of confidence, helps justify the costs that security work entails and helps in seeing security as a business decision. Embedded systems were also shown to present unforeseen obstacles, such as how the lack of a motherboard battery clashes with X.509. In the end, a discussion is made about how far the system can guarantee information security, what problems still exist and what could be done to mitigate them.


The vegetation cover plays a fundamental role in protecting the soil from erosive processes. Many researchers have developed investigations for the calculation of the RUSLE C Factor, with the use of operating bands in the near infrared. With the current advances in Geospatial Technologies, there are a good number of RGB airborne sensors in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UVA). The objective of this chapter is to evaluate some RGB indexes, proposed in the literature, for the protection of the soil from erosive processes by vegetation cover, in a region with a high agricultural vocation. The methodology consisted of capturing RGB images in an area of the Ecuadorian coastal region and calculating in thematic indices, within the visible one, which offer the possibility of quickly differentiating vegetation from other types of coverage on the ground. The evaluation allowed to define which indexes present the best results and adaptation to the type of crop or plant mass mapped, and to propose their use for zoning of risk of erosion under the agro-ecological conditions of the study area.


ESnet provides authentication services and trust federation support for SciDAC projects, collaboratories, and other distributed computing applications. The ESnet ATF team operates the DOEGrids Certificate Authority, available to all DOE Office of Science programs, plus several custom CAs, including one for the National Fusion Collaboratory and one for NERSC. The secure hardware and software environment developed to support CAs is suitable for supporting additional custom authentication and authorization applications that your program might require. Seamless, secure interoperation across organizational and international boundaries is vital to collaborative science. We are fostering the development of international PKI federations by founding the TAGPMA, the American regional PMA, and the worldwide IGTF Policy Management Authority (PMA), as well as participating in European and Asian regional PMAs. We are investigating and prototyping distributed authentication technology that will allow us to support the "roaming scientist" (distributed wireless via eduroam), as well as more secure authentication methods (one-time password tokens).


The biodiversity of Cu Lao Cham Biosphere Reserve (Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province) has been faced with some passive impacts, one of which is invasion/expansion of alien species. In 2017, according to the data of GISD, CABI and the Inter-ministerial Circular No.27/2013/TTLT-BTNMT-BNNPTNT, based on filed survey conducted in May, 19 alien plant and 3 alien animal species were recorded in the biosphere reserve. Among them, 13 plant species were identified as invaders, of which details were assessed in this study; among those invader plants, 3 species were ranked at medium risk and the 10 others were ranked at low risk. All of the medium risk-invasive plant species have been appeared on the islands but one of them - siam weed ( Chromolaena odorata ) were not identified as impacting to the mainland of the biosphere reserve. Likewise, all of the alien animal species have been not recognized as the invasive species. In general, the impact of alien species found in the Cu Lao Cham was assessed as "Low Risk". The impact status of invasive species in the Hoi An mainland part is more serious than the situation in the islands. Base on the results, we suggest that, five species, beggar-ticks ( Bidens pilosa ), coast morning glory ( Ipomoea cairica ) Bay Biscayne creeping-oxeye ( Sphagneticola trilobata ), Blue porterweed ( Stachytarpheta jamaicensis ) and billygoat-weed ( Ageratum conyzoides ) should be added in the invasive appendix of the national invasive species list while three other species as vilfa stellata ( Cynodon dactylon ), guava ( Psidium guava ) and rose myrtle ( Rhodomyrtus tomentosa ) should be listed in the potential appendix of that list. It is necessary to conduct some survey to obtain solution to control invasive species as soon as possible to protect the biodiversity of this study area . Citation: Vu Anh Tai, Uong Dinh Khanh, Luu The Anh, Le Thi Thu Hien, 2017. The status of invasive plants and animals in Cu Lao Cham biosphere reserve, Quang Nam province, Vietnam. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 39(4): 434-450. DOI:  10.15625/0866-7160/v39n4.10082 . *Corresponding author: email@example.com Received 15 June 2017 , accepted 12 December 2017


Background and Aim : Milk and dairy products provide more than 50% of the calcium requirement in the daily diet of Iranians. In order to promote adolescents' health and prevent the devastating effects of osteoporosis in adulthood, appropriate action should be taken to increase milk consumption among adolescents. The objective of this study was to increase milk and dairy products consumption among eighth-grade girl-pupils in Kamyaran City, Iran through designing and implementing an educational program based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Materials and Methods : This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in 2014, including a total of 168 eighth-grade girl-pupils from two (out of six) schools, one as the intervention and the other as the control group, selected randomly by cluster sampling. The intervention group received education in 4 sessions, the educational tools being a pamphlet and a poster. Data were collected on the TPB constructs, food intake (by 24-hour dietary recall), and frequency of milk and dairy product intakes during the previous 3 days. All the participants completed the questionnaires at the beginning and 3 months after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the SPSS-18 software, the statistical tests being chi-square, independent-t and paired t-tests. Results : The intervention brought about statistically significant increases in the mean scores of behavior intention, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (p<0/001). In addition, an increase was observed in the frequency of milk and dairy product intake, which was 0.36 units per day initially (p<0/001). Conclusion : Considering the effectiveness and low cost of this intervention, expanding this program can potentially lead to a rise in milk and dairy products consumption among the pupils.


This paper presents methods to improve performance of the power supply system in a NASA deep space explorer. In the stirling engine driven reciprocating brushless DC (BLDC) generator, the accurate position information of the prime mover is important to diagnose the performance of the engine and prevent the distortion of the output power. Because sensors to detect the position are fragile and unreliable, and conventional sensorless technique has a drawback in the low speed region, a novel sensorless position detection technique for the prime mover has been proposed and verified. Another major issue of the generator for the spacecraft is power density maximization. The mass of the power system is important to the mass of the satellite. Therefore, the components of the spacecraft should be lightweight. Conventional rectification methods cannot achieve the maximum power possible because of non-optimal current waveforms. The optimal current waveform for maximizing power density and minimizing machine size and weight in a nonsinusoidal power supply system has been derived, incorporated in a control system, and verified by simulation work.


Throughput and latency are critical parameters in multiprocessor interconnection networks. These parameters are governed by the combination of routing node and interconnect performance. Recent years have seen several new interconnect technologies reach the stage of maturity where they may be applied in practical systems. One such technology is free-space optical interconnect. The problems of wiring density, low data-rates and limited integrated circuit (IC) pin-out are neatly side-stepped by the use of optical interconnect. In order to make practical use of optical interconnects, packet routing node data rates must increase by an order of magnitude or more. At the same time, latency cannot be sacrificed as it is critical to the performance of multi-processor systems. One possible avenue to meeting the required performance is to re-examine the hardware cost of packet router architectures and attempt to improve them. The research presented in this thesis attempts to do exactly that. The result of this research is a packet router architecture known as the Cellular Router. The router allows massive throughput, while maintaining low latency. The architecture is designed to minimise silicon area and maximise achievable clock rate in any given fabrication process. The router is scalable, in the sense that area requirements increase linearly along one axis in proportion to increased throughput. This thesis describes a novel packet router architecture. It is a compact, power efficient, scalable design that is capable of exceptionally high throughput. The Cellular Router allows the benefits of free-space optical interconnects to be effectively utilised in multi-processor systems.


Several topics are dealt with in discussing the reactions of molecular oxygen, but a common goal is pursued in each: to try to understand the reactions in terms of the fundamental properties of the oxygen molecule, and of the other reactants. The paper first describes the electronic structure of oxygen and of two low-lying electronically excited states. Concern with the low-lying electronically excited states is no longer the sole property of spectroscopists; recently, evidence has been presented for the participation of such activated molecules in chemical reactions. The chemistry of oxygen is dominated by the fact that the molecule in the ground state has two unpaired electrons, whereas the products of oxidation in many important reactions have zero spin. In its reactions with transition metal ions the restrictions imposed by the spin state of the oxygen molecule are easily circumvented. A number of reactions of oxygen with metal ions have been studied in considerable detail; conclusions on basic aspects of the reaction mechanism are outlined. Among the most interesting reactions of oxygen are those in which it is reversibly absorbed by reducing agents. Reversible absorption to form a peroxide in the bound state is possible; some of the conditions which must be fulfilled by a reducing system to qualify as storing oxygen in this way are reasonably well understood and are here enunciated. Little has been done on the formation of oxygen from water; some factors involved in this process are discussed.


In this article, the authors propose to conduct a pertinent analysis of the use of mathematical models in relation to optimal effort taxation. The effort taxation must be a balance between allocative efficiency and distribution. It is a question of determining the optimal tax level for three conditions. The theory is that the shift to a fixed amount, a single share, is not feasible for wage compensation, being important to note that this condition is one that must be considered. The mathematical model proposed by the authors regarding optimal taxation of multi-condition effort is relevant and suggestive for the analysis. It is well known that, in order to increase tax revenue, they must inevitably be based on the unobservable variant, which is the potential gain or, most importantly, on the individual productivity of labor. Solving a problem of this sensibility, such as the optimal taxation of multi-state effort, needs to be analyzed and conditioned by the establishment of a mathematical-econometric model that highlights both the aspects of a minimum expectation threshold or a situation that depends on the economic outcome. The authors consider the existing variants and establish variants based on a mathematical model that is analyzed to best answer the problem of the adverse selection ie the balance between allocation efficiency and distribution. We analyze the optimization problem from Lagrange's function and associated multiplier, highlighting the mathematical functions that can be used. Further, the authors consider the case of adverse selection based on asymmetric information. For the objective function and budget constraint, the authors consider that they need to add incentive restrictions, especially when they are taxed on income. By analyzing this hypothesis in depth, the authors propose and demonstrate a mathematical function that best suits these adjustment needs and solve the adverse selection. The way in which the authors suggest and demonstrate the implementation condition that is equivalent to the assertion that the plurality of admissible solutions is unclear gives a solution perspective applicable in most cases. The authors propose, by synthesizing, conditions (sentences) that demonstrate that the model used is one that must be considered and can be successfully used in optimal taxation of the multi-state effort. In the explanatory approach, it is also appreciated that the combination of the Kuhn-Tucker multipliers of the two constructions can determine the Lagrange function. This feature built by all Kuhn-Tucker multipliers is strictly positive and the level of effort is optimal given by a series of equalities that imply a final aspect of its use.


Long-term constitutive secretion of insulin by implantation of ex vivo transfected cells such as fibroblasts or myoblasts or in situ by intramuscular injection of naked plasmid DNA provides a potential approach to gene therapy for diabetes mellitus. A mechanism for regulating insulin secretion will be necessary to realize the therapeutic potential of this approach. A second obstacle is the inability of non-endocrine host cells to fully process proinsulin. Therefore, alteration of the wild-type cDNA will be necessary to achieve processing of proinsulin by endogenous endoproteases within these cells. The cDNAs for beta-galactosidase (beta), human wild-type proinsulin (hppI1) and a mutated construct (hppI4), in which the dibasic PC2 and PC3 cleavage sites had been altered to form furin cleavage sites, were sub-cloned into four vectors (pCR3, pVR1012, pIRES, pTRE), including a tetracycline responsive plasmid (pTRE) that requires co-transfection with another plasmid encoding a transactivator (pTet-off) for transgene expression. Transient transfection of the COS-7 fibroblast cell line with these constructs was performed using DEAE-dextran and liposomes. Analysis of vector efficiencies revealed that pTRE/pTet-off>pIRES>pCR3>pVR1012. Further analysis demonstrated total pro/insulin secretion of 2.33 ng/10(6) cells/24 h with > or =25% processed to insulin in hppI-1.pTRE/pTet-off-transfected cells compared with 0.39 ng/10(6) cells/24 h and >70% processing in hppI-4.pTRE/pTet-off-transfected cells. In co-transfection studies with pTRE-hppI1/pTet-off and pTRE-hppI4/pTet-off constructs, pro/insulin secretion was inhibited to 65-66% and 36-38% of control (100%) in the presence of 0.01 and 0.1 microg/ml tetracycline respectively over a 24-h incubation period. Furthermore, reversal of tetracycline inhibition was demonstrated for pTRE-hppI1/pTet-off- and pTRE-hppI4/pTet-off-transfected cells. After a 48-h incubation with 1.0 microg/ml tetracycline, total pro/insulin levels were 10 and 14% compared with untreated cells respectively. On tetracycline removal, total proinsulin levels increased and were equivalent to untreated groups 72 h later. In conclusion, regulation of fully processed human insulin secretion has been achieved in a transiently transfected non-endocrine cell line.


Many large organisations tend to focus on their external communication in order to project a positive image to potential clients. However the role of internal communication with employees has often been overlooked, although it remains one of the most important areas of organisational communication. This article focuses on specific findings of the Master's dissertation, Supervisory Communication and its Effect on Employee Satisfaction at the Central University of Technology, Welkom Campus. The research results that employees' views about their own organisation impact on how external clients view that particular organisation. The research found that in order for employees to become advocates of their own organisation, supervisors of different operational units should develop and manage their internal communication activities in a way that motivates and stimulates employee enthusiasm for meeting organisational goals. Once employees are satisfied with the state of supervisory communication in their respective units, they should be able to identify with their organisation and endeavour to attain organisational goals.


Machine translation systems often incorporate modeling assumptions motivated by properties of the language pairs they initially target. When such systems are applied to language families with considerably different properties, translation quality can deteriorate. Phrase-based machine translation systems, for instance, are ill-equipped to handle the challenges caused by relaxed word order constraints and productive word formation processes in morphologically rich languages. In this thesis, we ask what role the properties of languages, as studied in the field of linguistic typology, play in how well machine translation systems perform. We focus in particular on word order and morphology, and show that typological differences in these areas can be bridged by making certain linguistic phenomena overt to the translation system. Understanding and exploiting typological differences between languages enables improvements to the typological robustness of translation systems without significantly changing the assumptions of the underlying translation models. In the area of word order, we examine the influence of word order freedom on preordering, a popular technique to model word order in phrase-based machine translation, and propose a method to improve its typological robustness. For morphological complexity, we show that reducing the dissimilarity between the source and target language improves phrase-based machine translation for typologically diverse language pairs. Finally, we show that besides helping to bridge the performance gaps between typologically diverse languages, linguistic typology can also serve as a source of knowledge to guide reordering models and to facilitate universal reordering models applicable to multiple target languages.


Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are quiescent cells with self-renewal capacity and the ability to generate all mature blood cells. HSCs normally reside in specialized niches in the bone marrow that help maintain their quiescence and long-term repopulating activity. There is emerging evidence that certain cytokines induced during inflammation have significant effects on HSCs in the bone marrow. Type I and II interferons, tumor necrosis factor, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) directly stimulate HSC proliferation and differentiation, thereby increasing the short-term output of mature effector leukocytes. However, chronic inflammatory cytokine signaling can lead to HSC exhaustion and may contribute the development of hematopoietic malignancies. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as G-CSF can also indirectly affect HSCs by altering the bone marrow microenvironment, disrupting the stem cell niche, and leading to HSC mobilization into the blood. Herein, we review our current understanding of the effects of inflammatory mediators on HSCs, and we discuss the potential clinical implications of these findings with respect to bone marrow failure and leukemogenesis.


Abstract Dumortierite occurs as small nodules or thin layers along horizontal fractures in the altered volcanic rocks of the Milyang clay deposit, southeastern Korea. Textural evidence shows that dumortierite is associated with pyrophyllite, suggesting that the silica activity increased with decreasing B and Al activities during the hydrothermal alteration. Dumortierite chemistry shows a slight excess of Al, possibly due to common occurrence of Al-rich minerals in the clay deposit. The structural formula of dumortierite is recalculated as Al6.93(Fe0.03Mg0.07)B(Si2.99Al0.01)O18. An absorption peak at 1387 cm−1 in the IR spectrum indicates that B is present in three-fold coordinated sites. The 29Si MAS NMR spectrum has two peaks at −90.9 and −95.5 ppm, showing that Si in dumortierite is located in two different crystallographic sites and is linked to four octahedral Al atoms. The 27Al MAS NMR spectrum shows only one asymmetrical peak near 0 ppm, suggesting that there is no substitution of Al for Si. The 11B MAS NMR spectrum at 17.5 ppm shows a typical second order quadrupole pattern represented by the three-fold coordinated B. The 11B chemical shifts indicate that all of the B occupies such sites, indicating that the B sites are axially symmetric or nearly so in a very well defined site.


In this thesis, novel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog generalized time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators are designed, analysed, evaluated and implemented that are suitable for high performance data conversion for a broad-spectrum of applications. These generalized time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators can perform noise-shaping for any centre frequency from DC to Nyquist. The proposed topologies are well-suited for Butterworth, Chebyshev, inverse-Chebyshev and elliptical filters, where designers have the flexibility of specifying the centre frequency, bandwidth as well as the passband and stopband attenuation parameters. The application of the time-interleaving approach, in combination with these bandpass loop-filters, not only overcomes the limitations that are associated with conventional and mid-band resonator-based bandpass sigma-delta modulators, but also offers an elegant means to increase the conversion bandwidth, thereby relaxing the need to use faster or higher-order sigma-delta modulators.

A step-by-step design technique has been developed for the design of time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators. Using this technique, an assortment of lower- and higher-order single- and multi-path generalized A/D variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators were designed, evaluated and compared in terms of their signal-to-noise ratios, hardware complexity, stability, tonality and sensitivity for ideal and non-ideal topologies. Extensive behavioural-level simulations verified that one of the proposed topologies not only used fewer
coefficients but also exhibited greater robustness to non-idealties.

Furthermore, second-, fourth- and sixth-order single- and multi-path digital variable bandpass digital sigma-delta modulators are designed using this technique. The mathematical modelling and evaluation of tones caused by the finite wordlengths of these digital multi-path sigmadelta modulators, when excited by sinusoidal input signals, are also derived from first principles and verified using simulation and experimental results. The fourth-order digital variable-band sigma-delta modulator topologies are implemented in VHDL and synthesized on Xilinx® SpartanTM-3 Development Kit using fixed-point arithmetic. Circuit outputs were taken via RS232 connection provided on the FPGA board and evaluated using MATLAB routines developed by the author. These routines included the decimation process as well. The experiments undertaken by the author further validated the design methodology presented in the work.

In addition, a novel tunable and reconfigurable second-order variable bandpass sigma-delta modulator has been designed and evaluated at the behavioural-level. This topology offers a flexible set of choices for designers and can operate either in single- or dual-mode enabling multi-band implementations on a single digital variable bandpass sigma-delta modulator.

This work is also supported by a novel user-friendly design and evaluation tool that has been developed in MATLAB/Simulink that can speed-up the design, evaluation and comparison of analog and digital single-stage and time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators. This tool enables the user to specify the conversion type, topology, loop-filter type, path number and oversampling ratio.


In this paper, NiCoCrAlY coating was deposited by cold spraying with helium gas under the temperature of 500°C and pressure of 2.6 MPa. The microstructure of the coating was characterized through surface morphology and cross-sectional microstructure by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results showed that the coating is deposited through intensive plastic deformation of the spray particles by high-speed impact, and no oxygen phenomena discovered in the cold spray process. We also detected the micro-hardness using the Digital Vickers Microhardness Tester. Result revealed that a compact texture and high micro-hardness NiCoCrAlY coating can be obtained by cold spray.


Grafting of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) produced by Comamonas testosteroni onto carboxymethylchitosan (CMCH) using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator was carried out under nitrogen atmosphere in aqueous medium. The grafting composition was 2 g CMCH, 0.2M CAN, and 0.5 g mcl-PHA. The reaction was carried out at 40°C ± 1°C for 4.5 h, and reaction product was extracted by acetone precipitation. The CMCH-g-mcl-PHA copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The data obtained showed successful grafting of mcl-PHA onto CMCH polymer. TGA results indicated that the graft was stable up to 380°C, and the solubility studies revealed a high % grafting efficiency. Biodegradation studies of the graft in terms of microbial growth, extracellular protein concentration, and % weight loss in the graft were carried out for 30 days using a bacterial isolate Burkholderia cepacia 202 and a fungal isolate Aspergillus fumigatus 202. 93% weight loss of the graft was obtained in case of A. fumigatus 202, whereas B. cepacia 202 showed 76% loss in weight of the graft. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008


AUTHoRS' REPLY,-Doctors specialising in accident and emergency work are justifiably frustrated at seeing patients die from hypovolaemia through lack of immediately available operative surgical expertise. Attempts at chest compression, intravenous infusion, and drug therapy are hopelessly ineffective in cases of cardiac arrest from trauma. Our claim was intended as a counsel of perfection, though both ofus have practical experience ofthe techniques stated (not, we confess, with any remarkable success). But with training and experience immediate thoracotomy and internal cardiac compression can, we know, be successful. Indeed Champion has reported a 37% rate for restoration of blood pressure in 81 cases of trauma presenting tothe Washington Hospital Center without vital signs.' Such results can be obtained only by improving the immediate resuscitative service in the emergency department. With the widespread knowledge ofconventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation, internal cardiac massage has become an underused technique. It remains a valuable manoeuvre in appropriate circumstances. The recently published standards and guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiac care ofthe American Heart Association list the following among the indications for open chest/heart compression: cardiac arrest associated with penetrating chest trauma, cardiac tamponade, crushed chest injury when the chest cannot be stabilised laterally, cardiac arrest secondary to ruptured aortic aneurysm when cardiopulmonary bypass is immediately available, and cardiac arrest secondary to severe hypothermia.2 We agree that the procedure of cross clamping the aorta is controversial and may be dangerous in unskilled hands. Perhaps a more useful means of gaining control of major bleeding might be direct manual pressure applied to the vessel. However correct, our statement may have been too forceful. If it highlights deficiencies in the organisation and delivery of trauma care and encourages managers ofaccident units to review their services for the immediate salvage of the critically injured then we do not regret its publication.


With the proliferation of Web services specifications, the question of which of the multiplicity of technologies to adopt arises. While sometimes the decision can be based purely on matching requirements to protocol capabilities, a harder consideration is whether the chosen specifications will enable wide interoperability with other systems, or lead to an architectural dead-end. We present a risk assessment of several contemporary WS-* protocols, enabling architects and developers to make sane choices for service interoperability.


Performance of a He-3 counter and a B-10 loaded liquid scintillator EJ309B5 has been studied in terms of neutron detection efficiency. The measurements were carried out in a mixed field of neutron and gamma radiation from an intense (~106 neutrons/s/47t) 252Cf source. The response of both detectors to background and high intensity gamma radiation (~100 μSv/h at a detector) from a 60Co source has been measured to establish background count rate and gamma rays cut-off point, respectively. A method to compare the performance of various neutron detectors for border monitoring was proposed. The analysis showed that the properties of a He-3 counter are significantly better than that of EJ309B5. However, it has been pointed out how to improve the performance of a liquid scintillator in order to fulfill standards for neutron detection at borders.


Whale-watching is one of the fastest-growing sectors of wildlife tourism in the world. The waters off Sri Lanka have been identified as important habitats for Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus); a species listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Coastal destinations of Mirissa in the south-west, Trincomalee in the north-east and Kalpitiya on the west coast have emerged as popular places for whale watching, especially among foreigners. However, unregulated boat-based tourism and related visitor disturbance on cetacean populations inhabiting these waters has now become a serious concern. Social media at present is playing an important role as major information sources for travelers. Amidst the social-media websites that contain travel-related content, TripAdvisor is considered to be the most popular as it provides a social interaction platform for travelers to share their experiences about a visit to a certain destination. These reviews serve as reliable and unbiased information for contemporary travel researchers. As such, this study attempted to explore the positive and negative attributes of the whale watching industry in Mirissa, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Content-analysis of a total of 131 reviews posted in TripAdvisor during the period from 01st January 2015 to 31st December 2016 found five positive attributes and four negative attributes associated with the whale watching industry in Mirissa. Probability of encountering good numbers of whales, quality of the services offered by boat operators, crew performance, tour organization, and the efforts taken by relevant stakeholders to conserve whales were the positive attributes revealed by the analysis. The negative attributes associated with whale-watching industry included the discrepancies in prices, duration of the tour, distance maintained during whale watching (boats getting too close to whales), and number of passengers per vessel (overcrowding).Visitors were moderately concerned on the size and quality of the vessels. It was revealed that 10 out of 11 attributes highlighted by the visitors are tour-operator related aspects, and this calls for an overall improvement of the tour operator standards in the whale-watching industry. Impetus for sustainable marine reserve management to assure better visitor experiences are further discussed. Keywords: Indian ocean, Marine mammals, Sri Lanka, Ecotourism, Whale watching, Cetaceans


CHEMSEA, Chemical Munitions Search and Assessment, is a flagship project of the Baltic Sea Region Program and is partly financed by the European Union. The main focus of the project is to locate the dumped chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and sample the surrounding environment to assess the possible threat. The project lasts from the fall 2011 until 2014. CHEMSEA is a transnational collaboration including project partners and associated organizations, including governmental agencies and international organizations.

Ocean waters are in a constant flux, making the study of effect of CWAs on fish and other marine biota a challenging task. For the evaluation of the risks of dumped CWAs, triphenylarsine (TPA), sulphur mustard (H), Adamsite (DM) and Clark I (DA) are thought to pose the highest realistic risk to marine biota. The exact effects of these chemicals are not known and no information is available for the detoxification rates of CWAs in fish tissues or other marine organism, such as mussels.

During CHEMSEA project, cod and mussels were chosen for chemical analysis. Cod was sampled from different sites of Baltic Sea, covering official and suspected dumpsites as well as reference sites in the western and eastern Baltic Sea. Mussels were studied both in situ caging experiments and in vivo exposure experiments. For in situ experiment, cages were deployed at two different depths at two selected hotspot sites and one reference site in the Bornholm dumping area. Based on hydrographical data, the cages were placed at 35 m and 65 m depths at all stations. The poor oxygen conditions prevailing in the main CW dumping area made caging closer to the sea bottom unfeasible. In vivo experiment, mussels were exposed to mixtures of the arsenic-containing CWAs DA, DM and the tear gas α-chloroacetophenone. The main aim was to evaluate biological responses in mussels induced by CWA mixtures at environmentally relevant concentrations.

For chemical analysis, cod urine, bile and muscle tissues were chosen in addition to the whole blue mussels from caging experiments and exposure studies. Sulphur mustard hydrolyses quickly into thiodiglycol (TDG) in aqueous environment. TDG was analysed from cod urine and bile and also from whole mussels. TDG could also be in its oxidised form as thiodiglycol sulfoxide so it was reduced to TDG at the beginning of sample preparation. Analyses were performed using combined gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) and the TDG was detected as its heptafluorobutyrylimidazole (HBFI) derivative. DM, DA and TPA were analysed as their oxidation products using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) from cod muscle and mussel samples. The sample preparation for these analyses is laborious and contains homogenization, multiple extractions and filtration.

TDG was detected from notable amount of fish urine samples as background level and from few samples as higher level. For arsenic-containing compounds, only oxidized TPA was found from one fish muscle sample. Nothing was detected from caged mussels. However, high concentrations of oxidized DM and DA were measured from exposed mussels. Detailed results and conclusions will be discussed.


Purpose
Despite its popularity, business process management (BPM) is not unequivocally defined, but obtains different forms with varying specifications. This paper presents a critical overview of BPM, as it appears within four dominant management paradigms: total quality management, standardized management systems, business process reengineering and Six Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to explore BPM specifications and compare the BPM implementation potential under each paradigm.

Design/methodology/approach
This is based on the analysis of a large number of highly cited scholarly publications. In order to identify the nature of BPM within each paradigm, a common framework for comparison is first established and then, for each paradigm, BPM is analyzed according to the main parameters of this framework.

Findings
Many differences among various BPM forms are paradigm driven. So, the approach adopted by each paradigm (i.e. individual-process or systemic approach) affects the scope and role of BPM. The principles of each paradigm directly affect the attributes assigned to BPM. Despite of important differences, the structure of BPM within all paradigms conforms to the stages of the classical BPM lifecycle. However, each paradigm assigns different weights to each stage and also displays different levels of BPM implementability.

Originality/value
The paper presents a first systematic comparison of BPM specifications for the dominant management paradigms primarily deployed. It thus explains why many attributes originating from the paradigms have crept into the general BPM specifications. This work can be considered as a step toward defining the core attributes of a paradigm-independent BPM model, thus enhancing its application scope as an invaluable management tool.


Abstract As a rule, listening is easier in first (L1) than second languages (L2); difficult L2 listening can challenge even highly proficient users. We here examine one particular listening function, adaptation to novel talkers, in such a high-proficiency population: Dutch emigrants to Australia, predominantly using English outside the family, but all also retaining L1 proficiency. Using lexically-guided perceptual learning (Norris, McQueen & Cutler, 2003), we investigated these listeners' adaptation to an ambiguous speech sound, in parallel experiments in both their L1 and their L2. A control study established that perceptual learning outcomes were unaffected by the procedural measures required for this double comparison. The emigrants showed equivalent proficiency in tests in both languages, robust perceptual adaptation in their L2, English, but no adaptation in L1. We propose that adaptation to novel talkers is a language-specific skill requiring regular novel practice; a limited set of known (family) interlocutors cannot meet this requirement.


Visual odometry (VO) is one of the most challenging techniques in computer vision for autonomous vehicle/vessels. In VO, the camera pose that also represents the robot pose in ego-motion is estimated analyzing the features and pixels extracted from the camera images. Different VO techniques mainly provide different trade-offs among the resources that are being considered for odometry, such as camera resolution, computation/communication capacity, power/energy consumption, and accuracy. In this paper, a hybrid technique is proposed for camera pose estimation by combining odometry based on triangulation using the long-term period of direct-based odometry and the short-term period of inverse depth mapping. Experimental results based on the EuRoC data set shows that the proposed technique significantly outperforms the traditional direct-based pose estimation method for Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV), keeping its potential negative effect on performance negligible.


The conflict between the Ife and Modakeke appears to be a protracted and seemingly intractable intra-ethnic conflict that has continued to pit two groups of the same ethnic background against one another. This study, therefore examined the role of traditional institution in managing Ife-Modakeke conflict. The study found that the major causes of the conflict between Ife and Modakeke group include land issues, Ife-East Local Government, debate over Modakeke's sovereignty, boundary disagreement etc. This study discovered that one of the shortcomings of the past methods of managing the Ife-Modakeke conflict is inability of bringing succour to the minds of those who records losses during the war. The role of traditional institutions in managing the conflict includes several committees comprising of chiefs of both towns inaugurated whereby chiefs of both towns meet at intervals to discuss the peace and progress of the towns and conclusions are reached on salient issues. Conflict is indeed an inevitable aspect of human interaction. There is the need to learn to manage them and deal with them in a way that prevents escalation and destruction, and to arrive at new, innovative, and creative ideas to resolve them. Keyword: Traditional Institutions, Ife-Modakeke, Conflict Management


Second language acquisition (SLA) researchers, language teachers and teacher trainers aim to develop an approach through which languages are effectively taught in the classroom. This paper provides an overview of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) including its definition, advantages and disadvantages as well as some criticisms made against it. It aims to investigate L2 Arabic teachers' attitude towards CLT at King Abdulaziz University. The current data were assembled via teachers' questionnaire. It was found out that in spite of revealing the agreements in the majority of the statements which infers a positive attitude towards CLT, the participants stated that CLT is not suitable and preferable. Several explanations were provided to justify this statement. The provided explanations led to assume that the unsuitability and the dispreference of CLT are built on practical constraints which could be overcome.


This paper presents the design, implementation and testing of a single-phase distance relaying scheme for 25 kV 50 Hz AC traction system using a Texas instruments TMS320C50 digital signal processor (DSP). The three-phase system with substations, track section with rectifier-fed DC locomotives and a detailed traction load are modeled using power system block set (PSB)/SIMULINK software package. The model has been used to study the effect of loading and fault conditions in 25 kV AC traction. The relay characteristic proposed is a combination of two quadrilaterals in the X-R plane in which resistance and reactance reaches are independently controllable. The algorithms, hardware and software are also briefly described.


OBJECTIVE
People with fibromyalgia (FM) often have low insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and a suboptimal growth hormone (GH) response to acute exercise. As previous work had demonstrated a normalization of the acute GH response to exercise with the use of pyridostigmine (PYD), we tested the hypothesis that 6 months of PYD therapy plus supervised exercise would increase IGF-I levels.

METHODS
Subjects with primary FM were randomized into 4 groups: (1) PYD/exercise; (2) PYD/diet recall; (3) placebo/exercise; and (4) placebo/diet recall. The dosing of PYD was 60 mg tid for 6 months. Resting IGF-I levels were measured at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. In addition the acute GH response to exercise at VO2 max was measured at baseline and after treatment.

RESULTS
A total of 165 FM subjects (mean age 49.5 yrs, 5 male) were entered and 154 (93.3%) completed the study. Six months of therapy (PYD plus exercise or exercise alone) failed to improve the IGF-I levels. The use of PYD 1 hour prior to exercise improved the acute GH response (4.54 ng/dl) compared to placebo (1.74 ng/dl) (p = 0.001) at the end of the 6-month trial. The acute GH response to exercise at baseline did not correlate with IGF-I, age, depression, medications, estrogen status, or obesity.

CONCLUSION
A combination of triweekly supervised exercise plus the daily use of PYD for 6 months failed to increase IGF-I levels in patients with FM, despite the confirmation that PYD normalizes the acute GH response to strenuous aerobic exercise.


Background: The objective of this study was to conduct a clinical session meeting in the virtual world of Second Life to improve the oral presentation skills of radiology residents and to assess the perception of the attendees. Methods: A clinical session meeting (10 two-hour sessions over four weeks), where participants presented their own clinical sessions, followed by a turn of interventions by the attendees, was designed and carried out. Attendees were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: Twenty-eight radiology residents attended the meeting, and 23 (81.2%) completed the evaluation questionnaire; 95.7–100% of them agreed that the virtual environment was attractive and suitable for holding the meeting and that the content was appropriate for their training as residents. They rated with ≥8.9 points (from 1 to 10) different aspects of the experience, highlighting the role of teachers (9.7 ± 0.6) and the usefulness of their training (9.4 ± 0.9). Conclusions: Second Life can be used effectively to train oral communication skills in public, in an environment perceived as attractive and suitable for learning, through an experience described by the attendees as interesting and useful, highlighting the advantages of social contact with their peers.


Research on bias in peer review examines scholarly communication and funding processes to assess the epistemic and social legitimacy of the mechanisms by which knowledge communities vet and self-regulate their work. Despite vocal concerns, a closer look at the empirical and methodological limitations of research on bias raises questions about the existence and extent of many hypothesized forms of bias. In addition, the notion of bias is predicated on an implicit ideal that, once articulated, raises questions about the normative implications of research on bias in peer review. This review provides a brief description of the function, history, and scope of peer review; articulates and critiques the conception of bias unifying research on bias in peer review; characterizes and examines the empirical, methodological, and normative claims of bias in peer review research; and assesses possible alternatives to the status quo. We close by identifying ways to expand conceptions and studies of bias to contend with the complexity of social interactions among actors involved directly and indirectly in peer review. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The launch of the Hinode satellite has allowed for seeing-free observations at high-resolution and high-cadence making it well suited to study the dynamics of quiescent prominences. In recent years it has become clear that quiescent prominences support small-amplitude transverse oscillations, however, sample sizes are usually too small for general conclusions to be drawn. We remedy this by providing a statistical study of transverse oscillations in vertical prominence threads. Over a 4 hr period of observations it was possible to measure the properties of 3436 waves, finding periods from 50 to 6000 s with typical velocity amplitudes ranging between 0.2 and 23 km s−1. The large number of observed waves allows the determination of the frequency dependence of the wave properties and derivation of the velocity power spectrum for the transverse waves. For frequencies less than 7 mHz, the frequency dependence of the velocity power is consistent with the velocity power spectra generated from observations of the horizontal motions of magnetic elements in the photosphere, suggesting that the prominence transverse waves are driven by photospheric motions. However, at higher frequencies the two distributions significantly diverge, with relatively more power found at higher frequencies in the prominence oscillations. These results highlight that waves over a large frequency range are ubiquitous in prominences, and that a significant amount of the wave energy is found at higher frequency.


Introduction Proximal femoral (hip) fracture is common, serious and costly. Rehabilitation may improve functional recovery but evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are lacking. An enhanced rehabilitation intervention was previously developed and a feasibility study tested the methods used for this randomised controlled trial (RCT). The objectives are to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the enhanced rehabilitation programme following surgical repair of proximal femoral fracture in older people compared with usual care. Methods and analysis Protocol for phase III, parallel-group, two-armed, superiority, pragmatic RCT with 1:1 allocation ratio; allocation sequence by minimisation programme with a built-in random element; secure web-based allocation concealment. The two treatments will be usual care (control) and usual care plus an enhanced rehabilitation programme (intervention). The enhanced rehabilitation will consist of a patient-held information workbook, goal setting diary and up to six additional therapy sessions. Outcome assessment and statistical analysis will be performed blind; patient and carer participants will be unblinded. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, 17 and 52 weeks' follow-up. Primary outcome at 52 weeks will be the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living scale. Secondary outcomes will measure anxiety and depression, health utility, cognitive status, hip pain intensity, falls self-efficacy, fear of falling, grip strength and physical function. Carer strain, anxiety and depression will be measured in carers. All safety events will be recorded, and serious adverse events will be assessed to determine whether they are related to the intervention and expected. Concurrent economic evaluation will be a cost-utility analysis from a health service and personal social care perspective. An embedded process evaluation will determine the mechanisms and processes that explain the implementation and impacts of the enhanced rehabilitation programme. Ethics and dissemination National Health Service research ethics approval reference 18/NE/0300. Results will be disseminated by peer-reviewed publication. Trial registration number ISRCTN28376407; Pre-results registered on 23 November 2018.


The ongoing changes in society and in the workplace setting have lead to a new major challenge: health problems caused by sedentary lifestyle. With our background and experience of more than 30 years in the field of workplace health promotion, and with a focus on health related physical activity and well-being, we were able to achieve excellent results in the area of physical health, not only in small companies, but in large international companies such as Dynamit Nobel, Ruhrkohle and Siemens. Some of the noteworthy results are a reduction of 50% in spinal depression during an 8-h work shift as a result of a change in the daily routine such as standing up when using the phone – which does not conflict with breaks or work-time (Eckey et al, 1987), and an improvement of aerobic capacity of 15–20% within 12 weeks by individuals with sedentary lifestyles as a result of walking 20 floors a day (Lagerstrøm/Froboese 1997). At the same time we also identified a growing challenge, caused by the general lack of physical activity in our society. This has led us to develop new strategies and concepts, with a strong focus on the laws of nature, such as the stimulus and economising principles, and a focus on people whose primary motive of staying physically active is not necessarily sports or fitness-training (Lagerstrøm 2010). This 'Active Lifestyle Concept' therefore concentrates on establishing a concept where the company's responsibility is to establish activities and programmes that lead to an individual self-concept and long-term effects concerning a healthy and active lifestyle. The quality management includes structure, process and result management. In order to base the recommendations and programmes on individuality, we use questionnaires, screening and test protocols, which are easy, safe and reproducible. To avoid negative experiences, which is very important to people with sedentary lifestyles, we focus on basic activities, movement and skills, try to avoid overstress in the programme as well as at the workplace, and build up a process and stabilise a good psychosomatic balance in the long term. To achieve this, we also apply the principles of the Norwegian 'Friluftsliv' (not sports-related, nature based, outdoor activities and behaviour). Besides the special workplace activities, we also have a great focus on activities of daily living and leisure time activities, which can lead to an active lifestyle without sports and fitness-training (Lagerstrøm 2010).


This chapter analyses the conduct and constitutional implications of the United Kingdom's proposed withdrawal from the European Union. The chapter begins by examining the legal basis, conduct, and result of the withdrawal referendum. The chapter then assesses the High Court and Supreme Court decisions in the first of the two Miller judgments. It continues with a discussion on the extreme positions of 'hard brexit' and 'soft brexit' and the assesses the significance of the results of the unexpected 2017 general election. The chapter goes on to examine the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and the subsequent fall of the May government and its replacement by an administration led by Boris Johnson. In the final part of the chapter the Miller (No 2) and Cherry litigation and its political aftermath are discussed in full, with a particular focus laid on the controversial way in which the Supreme Court deployed the notion of 'justiciability' in its judgment in Miller (No 2).


Background: Outcomes of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) vary from full recovery to death. Few studies have been performed examining epidemiologic and medical risk factors associated with high mortality in CVT. In this study, we examined the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to determine the epidemiologic and medical risk factors associated with increased mortality from CVT. Materials and Methods: Using the NIS from 2001 to 2008, patients who suffered from CVT were identified using the ICD-9 codes 437.6 (nonpyogenic thrombosis of intracranial venous sinus), 325 (phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of intracranial venous sinuses) and 671.5 (peripartum phlebitis and thrombosis, cerebral venous thrombosis, thrombosis of intracranial venous sinus). We analyzed the associations of demographic factors, risk factors, comorbidities, complications of CVT, and therapeutic interventions with in-hospital mortality. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine which variables were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Results: 11,400 patients were hospitalized with CVT between 2001 and 2008. Two-hundred and thirty-two (2.0%) suffered in-hospital mortality. Patients 15–49 years old had the lowest mortality rate (1.5%) compared with 2.8% for patients aged 50–64 (p < 0.001) and 6.1% for patients ≥65 years old (p < 0.001). The most common condition associated with CVT was pregnancy/puerperium (24.6%), and these women had a low mortality rate (0.4%). On multivariate analysis, the comorbidity most strongly associated with increased risk of mortality was sepsis (mortality rate 15.6%, OR = 7.5, 95% CI = 4.79–11.53, p < 0.001). Malignancy, underlying autoimmune disease and substance abuse were also independently associated with mortality, but with lower mortality rates (<5%). Complications associated with increased risk of mortality included paralysis (8.0%, OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 3.17–6.96, p < 0.001), intracranial hemorrhage (8.7%, OR = 5.4, 95% CI = 4.38–7.96, p < 0.001), and hydrocephalus (15.0%, OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 5.54–15.11, p = 0.004). Demographic variables associated with decreased mortality on multivariate analysis were male gender (2.1%, OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.43–0.87, p = 0.006) and Asian/Pacific Islander race (OR = 0.00, 95% CI = 0–0.27, p < 001). Conclusions: CVT is associated with a low in-hospital mortality rate. Amongst patients suffering CVT, male gender and Asian/Pacific Islander race were independently associated with lower odds of in-hospital mortality when compared to their female and white counterparts, respectively. Septic patients with CVT have the greatest risk of in-hospital mortality. Hydrocephalus, intracranial hemorrhage, and motor deficits are also associated with higher risk of death. Our results build on previous evidence that serves to define a group of patients with CVT at high risk of early death.


Glycolipids with TLR4 agonistic properties can serve either as therapeutic agents or as vaccine adjuvants by stimulating the development of proinflammatory responses. Translating them to the clinical setting is hampered by synthetic difficulties, the lack of stability in biological media, and/or a suboptimal profile of balanced immune mediator secretion. Here, we show that replacement of the sugar fragment by an sp2-iminosugar moiety in a prototypic TLR4 agonist, CCL-34, yields iminoglycolipid analogues that retain or improve their biological activity in vitro and in vivo and can be accessed through scalable protocols with total stereoselectivity. Their adjuvant potential is manifested in their ability to induce the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, prime the maturation of dendritic cells, and promote the proliferation of CD8+ T cells, pertaining to a Th1-biased profile. Additionally, their therapeutic potential for the treatment of asthma, a Th2-dominated inflammatory pathology, has been confirmed in an ovalbumin-induced airway hyperreactivity mouse model.


Drawing on cultural studies, especially Hall's theory of encoding and decoding of texts (1973), this study examines how a sample of the audience of Dawson's Creek, a Warner Brothers' Television show, interpret and relate to the show and whether they incorporate these meanings in their lives. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with females aged 15to 21-years-old to discern the reality of representations on the show of teenage life and how these participants engage with the show. Findings suggest the show enables its viewers to identify with the portrayal of the teenage experience, especially when examining the show's characters. Limitations of the study include the diversity of the sample used. Future research suggestions include an examination of how the show's messages are encoded by the show's creative team. In addition, future research should include a more in-depth examination into how Dawson's Creek has changed the nature of teenage television.


The development of efficient and cost-effective catalytic electrodes is of great importance to electrolysis. Herein, a strategy of fabricating practical catalytic electrodes by depositing conductive catalysts on inexpensive and easily accessible insulating substrates of paper, textiles and sponge has been realized and well developed. These electrodes are found to be highly active toward overall water splitting. As a distinctive example, the Ni–P–B/paper electrode affords 50 mA cm−2 at overpotentials of only 76 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction and 263 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction, and can survive at large current density of 1000 mA cm−2 for over 240 h without apparent performance degradation in 1.0 M KOH. A two-electrode cell constructed by this paper electrode, which is only 1/5 the weight of a traditional metal electrode, delivered 50 mA cm−2 water-splitting current at a cell voltage of only 1.661 V, rivalling the integrated state-of-the-art Pt–C/Ni and IrO2/Ni electrode. Moreover, a functional Ni–P–B/paper ring electrode with in situ separation function has been constructed, enabling simultaneous generation, separation and collection of hydrogen and oxygen. This discovery may enable a large extension toward practical catalytic electrodes that are also active, cheap, light, flexible, earth-abundant and recyclable.


In this work we study loss functions for learning and evaluating probability distributions over large discrete domains. Unlike classification or regression where a wide variety of loss functions are used, in the distribution learning and density estimation literature, very few losses outside the dominant $log\ loss$ are applied. We aim to understand this fact, taking an axiomatic approach to the design of loss functions for learning distributions. We start by proposing a set of desirable criteria that any good loss function should satisfy. Intuitively, these criteria require that the loss function faithfully evaluates a candidate distribution, both in expectation and when estimated on a few samples. Interestingly, we observe that \emph{no loss function} possesses all of these criteria. However, one can circumvent this issue by introducing a natural restriction on the set of candidate distributions. Specifically, we require that candidates are $calibrated$ with respect to the target distribution, i.e., they may contain less information than the target but otherwise do not significantly distort the truth. We show that, after restricting to this set of distributions, the log loss, along with a large variety of other losses satisfy the desired criteria. These results pave the way for future investigations of distribution learning that look beyond the log loss, choosing a loss function based on application or domain need.


We studied composition, structure, and growth parameters of amorphous diamond-like carbon (DLC) and carbon nitride (CNx) films deposited by pulsed laser deposition in vacuum and in nitrogen atmosphere. The composition (0⩽N/C⩽0.4), the structural and the electronic properties of the deposited carbon and carbon nitride films were investigated for different laser fluences (1–12 J/cm2). Electron energy loss spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy indicated an increase in sp3-bonded carbon sites in the DLC films and an increase in N-sp3 C bonded sites in the CNx films with increasing deposition laser fluence. Raman spectroscopy also showed the presence of a small amount of C≡N bonds in the CNx films. Furthermore, we observed that keeping the nitrogen pressure constant (P=100 mTorr) the increase in the deposition laser fluence is reflected by an increase in the nitrogen content in the films. All the results have been discussed in the framework of different theoretical models.


Publisher: FedOA Press (Federico II University Press).
Series: UrbsHistoriaeImago. Storia e immagine dei territori, dei centri urbani e delle architetture.
Pages: 224.
Language: Italian; English
NBN: http://nbn.depositolegale.it/urn:nbn:it:unina-22024
Abstract: An examination of the literature sources, of the archival documents, of the iconographic and cartographic repertoire to reconstruct the key moments of the fascinating architectural and artistic history of one of the most famous monuments of our city. The Basilica of San Giovanni Maggiore is now the result of often ominous and even criminal events, or of some imprudent interventions, that the recent renovations have been able to remedy only partially. Nevertheless, thanks to the constant care and to the appropriate use by the Engineers Order of Naples, it has been lately given back to the city: not only as an important place of worship, but also as a cultural center and a social gathering site, placed in such a significant area of the historic center of Naples, UNESCO World Heritage since 1995. The architectural and artistic analysis of the Basilica has been preceded by a description of urban history in late Antiquity and in the early Middle Ages; it had its fulcrum in the hill of Monterone, now largo of San Giovanni Maggiore, with an irregular and tortuous web, preserved up to us. This work proposes in the second part an updated summary analysis of existing artistic works in the Basilica, as well as those placed in some other locations in order to be preserved or restored.

Index
Preface            6
Luigi Vinci

Introduction     10

Chapter 1         15
Between sea and antique city
Alfredo Buccaro

Development of early medieval Naples
The Basilica in urban-historic context

Chapter 2                     41
The architecture
Alfredo Buccaro

The origins of the building and the ancient evidence
The Christian and early medieval basilica
Transformations of the church in the 1300s
Construction events in the 15th and 16th centuries
The great works of the 1600s and 1700s: the cupola by Dionisio Lazzari and new altar by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro
19th century interventions and recent restorations

Chapter 3                     115
The interiors and artworks
Raffaele Ruggiero

The left nave
The Chapel of the Confraternity of the Sixty-Six Priests
The Chapel of the Confraternity of "Whites of the Holy Sacrament"
The transept
The right nave and counter-facade
Other works originating from the Basilica
The Neapolitan marble calendar

 Bibliography               215


The focus of this qualitative multi-year case study is on preservice teachers' experiences related to the development of their literacy practices in teaching high school science, math, social studies and other content area courses during their final field placement in a teacher education program. Results indicate tangible indicators of overall growth in participants' developing pedagogical content knowledge as well differences in the depth of their learning. All participants willingly supported the idea of integrating literacy in content area courses, but their successes were somewhat uneven, and reflective of their evolving pedagogical content knowledge, as they attempted to make literacy practices a regular part of their teaching practices. Our findings should be of interest to teacher education programs and school districts in supporting pre-service and beginning teachers as they develop their practices as teachers of literacy in content areas.


Narcolepsy is a life-long, underrecognized sleep disorder that affects 0.02%–0.18% of the US and Western European populations. Genetic predisposition is suspected because of narcolepsy's strong association with HLA DQB1*06-02, and genome-wide association studies have identified polymorphisms in T-cell receptor loci. Narcolepsy pathophysiology is linked to loss of signaling by hypocretin-producing neurons; an autoimmune etiology possibly triggered by some environmental agent may precipitate hypocretin neuronal loss. Current treatment modalities alleviate the main symptoms of excessive daytime somnolence (EDS) and cataplexy and, to a lesser extent, reduce nocturnal sleep disruption, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Sodium oxybate (SXB), a sodium salt of γ hydroxybutyric acid, is a first-line agent for cataplexy and EDS and may help sleep disruption, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Various antidepressant medications including norepinephrine serotonin reuptake inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants are second-line agents for treating cataplexy. In addition to SXB, modafinil and armodafinil are first-line agents to treat EDS. Second-line agents for EDS are stimulants such as methylphenidate and extended-release amphetamines. Emerging therapies include non-hypocretin-based therapy, hypocretin-based treatments, and immunotherapy to prevent hypocretin neuronal death. Non-hypocretin-based novel treatments for narcolepsy include pitolisant (BF2.649, tiprolisant); JZP-110 (ADX-N05) for EDS in adults; JZP 13-005 for children; JZP-386, a deuterated sodium oxybate oral suspension; FT 218 an extended-release formulation of SXB; and JNJ-17216498, a new formulation of modafinil. Clinical trials are investigating efficacy and safety of SXB, modafinil, and armodafinil in children. γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) modulation with GABAA receptor agonists clarithromycin and flumazenil may help daytime somnolence. Other drugs investigated include GABAB agonists (baclofen), melanin-concentrating hormone antagonist, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone agonists. Hypocretin-based therapies include hypocretin peptide replacement administered either through an intracerebroventricular route or intranasal route. Hypocretin neuronal transplant and transforming stem cells into hypothalamic neurons are also discussed in this article. Immunotherapy to prevent hypocretin neuronal death is reviewed.


INTRODUCTION This paper gives the results of a detailed survey of the Paleozoic geology of the Whitehall quadrangle, New York-Vermont, west of the Taconic thrust. Reconnaissance work has been carried northward from this area through a large part of the adjoining Ticonderoga quadrangle. These are standard 15-minute quadrangles of the United States Geological Survey. The field work was done in the summers of 1935 and 1936.

This survey is the first attempt to use the divisions of the "Calciferous" formation, as established by Brainerd and Seely,[1][1] for more than a local area. It is entirely through the use of these divisions that the results given in this paper were obtained.

The author wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. C. A. Hartnagel, who suggested work in this area; to Professor C. M. Nevin, who supervised the writing of the report; to Dr. D. H. Newland, Dr. Rudolf Ruedemann, and Miss . . .

 [1]: #fn-1


The asymptotic distribution of the estimation error for the total least squares (TLS) version of ESPRIT is derived. The application to a uniform linear array is treated in some detail, and a generalization of ESPRIT to include row weighting is discussed. The Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) for the ESPRIT problem formulation is derived and found to coincide with the asymptotic variance of the TLS ESPRIT estimates through numerical examples. A comparison of this method to least squares ESPRIT, MUSIC, and Root-MUSIC as well as to the CRB for a calibrated array is also presented. TLS ESPRIT is found to be competitive with the other methods, and the performance is close to the calibrated CRB for many cases of practical interest. For highly correlated signals, however, the performance deviates significantly from the calibrated CRB. Simulations are included to illustrate the applicability of the theoretical results to a finite number of data. >


Quantitative strain rates at outcrop scale are very difficult to obtain, but they may be estimated from crystals with curved inclusion trails by calculating rotation rates from growth rates and corresponding deflections of the internal foliation. Garnet in a quartzose pelite at Passo del Sole in the central Swiss Alps is extraordinarily valuable for calculation of strain rates during Alpine orogenesis, because the unusual zoning patterns clearly define the kinetics of its nucleation and growth. Complex concentric zoning patterns can be correlated from one crystal to another in a hand sample, based on compositional and microstructural similarities; the ubiquity of these features demonstrates that all garnet crystals nucleated at nearly the same time. Compositional bands whose radial widths are proportional to crystal size provide evidence for growth governed by the kinetics of intergranular diffusion of locally sourced nutrients. Together, these constraints increase the reliability of estimates of rates of garnet growth, and the strain‐rate calculations that depend on them. To obtain growth rates, P–T conditions during garnet crystallization were modelled in a series of pseudosections, and compositional evolution was connected to rates of garnet growth by means of an independently determined heating rate. These growth rates, combined with measured amounts of curvature of inclusion trails, indicate that the time‐averaged strain rate at Passo del Sole during Alpine metamorphism was on the order of 10−14 s−1. Strain rates calculated using rotational v. non‐rotational models are similar in magnitude. The constraints on crystallization kinetics also allow direct calculation of strain rates during individual stages of garnet growth, revealing short‐term increases to values on the order of 10−13 s−1. These higher strain rates are correlated with the growth of concentric high‐Ca or high‐Mn zones in garnet, which implies that strain softening associated with the transient passage of fluids is responsible for acceleration of deformation during these intervals.


Reading Richard Schechner explores the theatre, theory, and academic leadership of a key figure in American theatre studies, engaging critically with Schechner's contributions, in order to assess their value for future theatre research. Chapter One considers how Schechner's theatre participated in social change and situates Schechner's analogy of theatre to ritual within an avant-garde theatrical tradition. Chapter Two models Schechner's career in terms of a singular performance project which moves from its early focus on theatre production, through performance theory, leading finally to his leadership of Performance Studies as an institutionally validated area. I examine the interplay between Schechner's theatre and his growing interest in anthropology, identifying the ways in which anthropological discourse supported his authority as a theatrical auteur. These chapters include case studies of his productions Dionysus in 69 and The Tooth of Crime. Chapter Three develops the relation between creative authorship and academic authority by introducing two key concepts. Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's concept of symbolic capital characterises the rewards for successful and authoritative authorship which, I argue, Schechner has pursued. Allegory articulates the historical relation between creative authorship and socially empowered authority. The logic of Schechner's performance paradigm is analysed as an allegorical structure, following Joel Fineman's definition. Chapter Four concentrates on the ways in which, over time, Schechner has repositioned theatre as subordinate to the broad spectrum he defines as performance. I give grounds for rejecting Schechnerian performance as a viable paradigm for theatre's study. Furthermore, I reinterpret it as an enterprising intermedia arts project aiming to disrupt the institution from within. To deauthorise Schechnerian performance in this way is also to reauthorise it, by returning its ostensibly objective structures to their origin in creative acts. To this end, I conclude by sketching a portrait of Richard Schechner as an author of avant-garde theatre and theory.


Text extraction in video documents, as an important research field of content-based information indexing and retrieval, has been developing rapidly since 1990s. This has led to much progress in text extraction, performance evaluation, and related applications. By reviewing the approaches proposed during the past five years, this paper introduces the progress made in this area and discusses promising directions for future research.


Blocking the elicited humoral immune response has proven useful in treating individuals with autoimmune disorders or those who are at risk of developing antibodies which might be pathologic, e.g., transplant patients. Unfortunately, humoral immunity has evaded efforts at ablation and those therapies aimed at ameliorating it have resulted in only partial success. In addition, some of the current anti-humoral therapies not only target B-cells but also cross-react with other elements of immune response, making these therapies nonspecific. Thus there is a need in the clinical arena for specific anti-humoral therapies. Here we report the impact of infusion of a chimeric monoclonal, an anti-CD20 IgG, on the primary humoral and memory response against a simple hapten (DNP) in a nonhuman primate model. Anti-CD20 IgG interfered with the elicited humoral response and with the memory response when administered prior to antigen exposure. Furthermore, we provide evidence that anti-CD20 blocks the humoral response by eliminating those B-cells capable of responding to the hapten.