In this experimental study, melting behavior of paraffin in a storage unit of the horizontal shell-and-tube type is investigated. In order to enhance melting rate, a conducting fin is attached to the bottom of the inner tube. At first, the tube without a fin is tested. Then, the tubes with fin of four different heights (h=10, 20, 30 and 40 mm) are examined. Experiments are conducted at constant values of the inlet temperature and the inlet mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid (HTF). As phase change material (PCM), paraffin (solidification range of 56−58 C) is used. For each case tested, transient variations of the temperature at some specific radial points inside the phase change material (PCM) are obtained. For the case without a fin, natural convection recirculation is shown to be weak in the lower half region of the annulus when compared to that in the upper half region. Results show that attaching a conducting fin to the bottom of the inner tube intensifies the recirculation of liquid PCM in the lower half and, in follows, enhances the melting rate about 72.8% for the fin height of 40 mm when compared to without fin (h=0 mm)


The basic remelting and cladding tests with laminar plasma technology on metals have been conducted in order to demonstrate the possibility of the technology applied in material surface modification. The experimental results show that the properties of the modified layers of the cast iron surface can be improved notably by the remelting treatment and those of the stainless steel by the cladding treatment. The related results are also verified by microscopic studies such as scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations, energy dispersive spectra (EDS) analysis and the Vickers hardness measurements of the surface modified layers.


SUMMARY This paper presents the design, analysis, and experimental validation of a miniature modular inchworm robot (MMIR). Inchworm robots are capable of maneuvering in confined spaces due to their small size, a desirable characteristic for surveillance, exploration and search and rescue operations. This paper presents two generations of the MMIR (Version 1—V1 and Version 2—V2) that utilize anisotropic friction skin and an undulatory rectilinear gait to produce locomotion. This paper highlights design improvements and a multi-body dynamics approach to model and simulate the system. The MMIR V2 incorporates a slider-crank four-bar mechanism and a relative body revolute joint to produce high-frequency relative translation and rotation to increase forward velocity and enable turning capabilities. Friction analysis and locomotion experiments were conducted to assess the systems performance on various surfaces, validate the dynamic model and simulation results, and measure the maximum forward velocity. The MMIR V1 and V2 were able to achieve maximum forward velocities of 12.7 mm/s and 137.9 mm/s, respectively. These results are compared to reported results of similar robots published in the literature.


Refraction is the main cause of geometric distortions in the case of two media photogrammetry. However, this effect cannot be compensated and corrected by a suitable camera calibration procedure (Georgopoulos and Agrafiotis, 2012). In addition, according to the literature (Lavest et al. 2000), when the camera is underwater, the effective focal length is approximately equal to that in the air multiplied by the refractive index of water. This ratio depends on the composition of the water (salinity, temperature, etc.) and usually ranges from 1.10 to 1.34. It seems, that in two media photogrammetry, the 1.33 factor used for clean water in underwater cases does not apply and the most probable relation of the effective camera constant to the one in air is depending of the percentages of air and water within the total camera-to-object distance. This paper examines this relation in detail, verifies it and develops it through the application of calibration methods using different test fields. In addition the current methodologies for underwater and two-media calibration are mentioned and the problem of two-media calibration is described and analysed.


Astrocytes are the most common glial cells in the brain with fine processes and endfeet that intimately contact both neuronal synapses and the cerebral vasculature. They play an important role in mediating neurovascular coupling (NVC) via several astrocytic Ca2+‐dependent signalling pathways such as K+ release through BK channels, and the production and release of arachidonic acid metabolites. They are also involved in maintaining the resting tone of the cerebral vessels by releasing ATP and COX‐1 derivatives. Evidence also supports a role for astrocytes in maintaining blood pressure‐dependent change in cerebrovascular tone, and perhaps also in blood vessel‐to‐neuron signalling as posited by the 'hemo‐neural hypothesis'. Thus, astrocytes are emerging as new stars in preserving the intricate balance between the high energy demand of active neurons and the supply of oxygen and nutrients from the blood by maintaining both resting blood flow and activity‐evoked changes therein. Following neuropathology, astrocytes become reactive and many of their key signalling mechanisms are altered, including those involved in NVC. Furthermore, as they can respond to changes in vascular pressure, cardiovascular diseases might exert previously unknown effects on the central nervous system by altering astrocyte function. This review discusses the role of astrocytes in neurovascular signalling in both physiology and pathology, and the impact of these findings on understanding BOLD‐fMRI signals.


OBJECTIVE
To illustrate, through a case study format, a successful type 2 diabetes disease management program.

SUMMARY
Intermountain Health Care (IHC) has implemented an evidence-based, integrated approach to the management of type 2 diabetes that includes multiple interventions: (1) a regularly updated treatment algorithm; (2) a comprehensive data registry to rapidly identify patients with type 2 diabetes; (3) a system of regular patient reminders for laboratory and other relevant testing, such as eye and foot examinations; (4) patient education that fosters an understanding of the benefits of antidiabetic medications and the need for consistent treatment; (5) pharmacist and nurse involvement to facilitate physician appointments when needed, track medication use, ensure consistent compliance, and answer questions; and (6) physician performance reports that provide an opportunity for rapid peer-to-peer outcomes comparisons. The implementation of this program has yielded a substantial increase in the number of patients within the system identified with type 2 diabetes and an increase in the percentage of patients with improved glycemic control based on HbA1c, as well as an unexpected benefit--an increase in the number of patients with improved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

CONCLUSION
An integrated, evidence-based disease management program, such as the one developed by IHC, can improve type 2 diabetes outcomes in the managed care setting and, perhaps, reduce long-term costs.


In response to societal demands, the Dutch government implemented policy measures to reduce the use of fossil energy in greenhouse horticulture. A survey study was conducted to analyse behavioural aspects of horticultural growers to see 1) if they know about the policy measures and know what they mean for their own firm; 2) if they are willing to behave accordingly, and 3) whether we can explain different behavioural responses to the policy measures. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 95 specialised greenhouse firms and the interview data was combined with existing firm records on technical and economic results, energy-saving investments and energy use. A cluster analysis was executed to reveal differences between growers with respect to the policy measures. Five clusters were identified that could be distinguished by the gap between their current energy use and the required energy-use level as determined by the policy measures. Perception, attitude and behaviour with respect to energy saving varied considerably among the different clusters. Limited knowledge of policy measures appeared to be no explanatory factor: firms that have to make large adjustments to comply with policy measures were quite well aware of the policy measures. Either a `wait-and-see? strategy or a strict focus on consumer demands has kept them from changing their energy-related behaviour so far. Fine tuning policy measures taking into account the different perceptions and attitudes per cluster offers possibilities to effectively change growers? behaviour.


Hawking is a trade activity mostly carried out on the street or roadside and usually an option for the poor since it requires minimal capital, use of own labour. It is mainly undertaken for basic survival. Decline in growth in industrial sector, contracting civil sector, economic recession and the institution of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) among other factors have promoted the growth of hawking trade. In 2003, it contributed [3 per cent to Kenyas' GOP and 'is still growing. The sector is though faced with numerous challenges in its operations such as conflicts and confrontations with the authorities, lack of recognition, eviction, unfavorable policies and regulatory frameworks, pavement use conflicts with pedestrians and formal businesses, lack of services and infrastructure among others. Previous efforts to manage and relocate the hawkers havenot been successful as the hawkers have returned back to the streets. The study aimed to find-out the nature of hawking trade, identify challenges and opportunities of practicing hawking, to examine policies, participatory and regulatory framework and finally develop recommendations for integrating hawking in the CBD of Nairobi city. The methodology used was triangulation and involved use of various research methods both quantitative and qualitative. Random sampling and purposive methods were used. The main findings were that existing policies have been punitive to hawking activities despite its importance in employment creation among the urban majorities. The preference to hawk in the city is to maximize sales and transport hubs, major transport arteries and terminals attract the most hawkers. Membership to hawker's organizations is relatively similar to these not, mainly due to their structural and financial weaknesses, poor leadership among other. Advanced recommendations include: policy review to reflect present needs through consultative efforts with all stakeholders. A forum for stakeholders has been proposed, integration of the hawkers in the governance of the Authorities activities that affect them, mere research into the sector to expand existing knowledge and more recognition of the sector with the subsequent support of the hawking organizations.


The availability of multidisciplinary and high-resolution data is a fundamental requirement to understand the physics of earthquakes and faulting. We present the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory (TABOO), a research infrastructure devoted to studying preparatory processes, slow and fast deformation along a fault system located in the upper Tiber Valley (northern Apennines), dominated by a 60 km long low-angle normal fault (Alto Tiberina, ATF) active since the Quaternary. TABOO consists of 50 permanent seismic stations covering an area of 120 × 120 km 2 . The surface seismic stations are equipped with 3-components seismometers, one third of them hosting accelerometers. We instrumented three shallow (250 m) boreholes with seismometers, creating a 3-dimensional antenna for studying micro-earthquakes sources (detection threshold is M L 0.5) and detecting transient signals. 24 of these sites are equipped with continuous geodetic GPS, forming two transects across the fault system. Geochemical and electromagnetic stations have been also deployed in the study area. In 36 months TABOO recorded 19,422 events with M L ≤ 3.8 corresponding to 23.36e-04 events per day per squared kilometres; one of the highest seismicity rate value observed in Italy. Seismicity distribution images the geometry of the ATF and its antithetic/synthetic structures located in the hanging-wall. TABOO can allow us to understand the seismogenic potential of the ATF and therefore contribute to the seismic hazard assessment of the area. The collected information on the geometry and deformation style of the fault will be used to elaborate ground shaking scenarios adopting diverse slip distributions and rupture directivity models.


Discoveries of oil and gas fields under severe conditions of temperature (above 150°C) or pressure (in excess of 50 MPa) have been made in various regions of the world. In the North Sea, production is scheduled from deep reservoirs at 190°C and 110 MPa. This brings with it important challenges for predicting the properties of reservoir fluids, both from an experimental and a theoretical standpoint. In order to perform fluid studies for these reservoir conditions, IFP has developed a specific mercury-free high pressure apparatus with sapphire windows, a phase sampling device and viscosity determination by the capillary tube method. Its application is illustrated here using examples of real fluids and model mixtures. This equipment was first used to measure volumetric properties for gases. It has been shown that very high compressibility factors can be found with HP-HT gas condensates. This has a strong influence on recovery factors during primary depletion. In order to predict more accurately the volumetric properties of mixtures under these conditions, we propose to use a conventional equation of state, such as Peng-Robinson, with two improvements :- a modified temperature-dependent volume translation method, calibrated for high pressure density data; the method is simple, more accurate than other volume translation methods and fully consistent with lumping procedures;- a quadratic mixing rule on the covolume. Specific phase behavior can also be found. At low temperatures, wax crystallization can occur from a fluid which is a gas condensate at reservoir temperature. This feature is due to the simultaneous presence of abundant methane and heavy paraffins. A study of model fluids in a sapphire cell has allowed us to identify the possible types of phase diagrams. Although generally not considered to be an important parameter, gas viscosity may have some importance in the production of HP-HT accumulations, because of high flow rates. Viscosity models exhibit significant uncertainties because of large viscosity contrasts between the individual components of the reservoir fluid. In order to test and improve prediction methods, we started the acquisition of viscosity data under representative conditions. Special care was taken in the implementation of the capillary tube method, so that low viscosities (down to 0. 02 mPa. s) could be measured with high accuracy at pressures up to 120 MPa on simple systems, such as methane, n-pentane, nitrogen, and nitrogen-pentane mixtures. As a result, it was possible to evaluate mixing rules for viscosity predictions.


The joint probabilities of potential outcomes are fundamental components of causal inference in the sense that (i) if they are identifiable, then the causal risk is also identifiable, but not vise versa (Pearl, 2009; Tian and Pearl, 2000) and (ii) they enable us to evaluate the probabilistic aspects of "necessity", "sufficiency", and "necessity and sufficiency", which are important concepts of successful explanation (Watson, et al., 2020). However, because they are not identifiable without any assumptions, various assumptions have been utilized to evaluate the joint probabilities of potential outcomes, e.g., the assumption of monotonicity (Pearl, 2009; Tian and Pearl, 2000), the independence between potential outcomes (Robins and Richardson, 2011), the condition of gain equality (Li and Pearl, 2019), and the specific functional relationships between cause and effect (Pearl, 2009). Unlike existing identification conditions, in order to evaluate the joint probabilities of potential outcomes without such assumptions, this paper proposes two types of novel identification conditions using covariate information. In addition, when the joint probabilities of potential outcomes are identifiable through the proposed conditions, the estimation problem of the joint probabilities of potential outcomes reduces to that of singular models and thus they can not be evaluated by standard statistical estimation methods. To solve the problem, this paper proposes a new statistical estimation method based on the augmented Lagrangian method and shows the asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators. Given space constraints, the proofs, the details on the statistical estimation method, some numerical experiments, and the case study are provided in the supplementary material.


In a novel approach to formulation, the flash descriptive profiling technique Napping-Ultra Flash Profile (Napping-UFP) was used to characterize a wide range of commercial caramel corn products. The objectives were to identify product categories, develop model systems based on product categories, and correlate analytical parameters with sensory terms generated through the Napping-UFP exercise. In one 2 h session, 12 panelists participated in 4 Napping-UFP exercises, describing and grouping, on a 43×56 cm paper sheet, 12 commercial caramel corn samples by degree of similarity, globally and in terms of aroma-by-mouth, texture, and taste. The coordinates of each sample's placement on the paper sheet and descriptive terms generated by the panelists were used to conduct Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) and hierarchical clustering of the samples. Strong trends in the clustering of samples across the 4 Napping-UFP exercises resulted in the determination of 3 overarching types of commercial caramel corn: "small-scale dark" (typified by burnt, rich caramel corn), "large-scale light" (typified by light and buttery caramel corn), and "large-scale dark" (typified by sweet and molasses-like caramel corn). Representative samples that best exemplified the properties of each category were used as guides in the formulation of 3 model systems that represent the spread of commercial caramel corn products. Analytical testing of the commercial products, including aw measurement, moisture content determination, and thermal characterization via differential scanning calorimetry, were conducted and results related to sensory descriptors using Spearman's correlation.


Climatic frost indicators, including the dates of the last spring frost (LSF), the dates of the first fall frost (FFF), and the length of the frost‐free season (FFSL), are critical factors in anthropogenic and natural ecosystem management and can be directly calculated from daily minimum temperatures. Daily minimum temperature from the Applied Climate Information System was used to determine long‐term trends of frost indicators across the U.S. Southern Great Plains. The results demonstrated statistically significant trends of earlier LSF in eastern Kansas, western and eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas from 1950 to 2017. However, significantly later FFF trends and longer FFSL trends were mainly identified in eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas. Overall, the region was characterized by the trends toward earlier LSF, later FFF, and longer FFSL from 1950 to 2017. In addition, the choice of time period in the climatic time series played an important role in LSF, FFF, and FFSL trends. Furthermore, the results from the correlation analysis of LSF and FFF with multiple climate indices indicated that the increasing trends in the spring Arctic Oscillation (AO) were consistent with the earlier onset of spring in Kansas and Texas, and the fall Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) was positively correlated with the later FFF dates in Kansas.


: The fractions of unique (Cot less than 405), moderately (Cot=0.13--405) and highly reiterated (Cot less than 0--0.13) sequences were isolated from DNA of wheat seeds and 3 day old seedlings, and GC content, amount of 5-methylcytosine and its distribution among various pyrimidine isostichs in the fractions isolated were studied. Different in Cot value DNA fractions from seeds or from seedlings are similar in GC content and in all other characteristics studied. Seed DNA differs from DNA of seedlings in the content of pyrimidine isostichs from the respective fractions of reiterated sequences. Pronounced differences in the amount of pyridmidine clusters with various base composition in the corresponding fractions of DNA from seeds and seedlings were found. These differences in the frequencies of respective pyrimidine clusters from DNA of seeds and seedlings may be considered as being a result of changes in the molecular population of wheat DNA on germination. The seed and seedling DNA differ significantly in the 5-methylcytosine content in the respective pyrimidine isostichs isolated from unique sequences. In the seedling DNA some other nucleotide sequences are to be methylated as compared to DNA of dormat seeds. Thus, on germination some changes occur in DNA methylation as well as in the genome organization.


Micro-grid is a new concept gained significant attentions due to the increasing distributed energy sources. Several micro-grid test beds in the forms of either hardware or software simulation have been developed around the world. In Taiwan, one 20KVA 3W3Ø micro-grid test bed has been conducted in National Tsing Hua University (NTHU). This micro-grid consists of various fundamental power system components, including two synchronous generators (SG), one fixed speed induction generator (FSIG), and one doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG). In this paper, simulation results of the NTHU micro-grid system in distributed real-time simulation platform OPAL-RT are reported. Dynamical modeling of various distributed generations (DG) will be studied. Control strategies for DGs are verified through simulations on two different scenarios: (1) transition from the grid-connected mode to the islanding mode, and (2) load variation in the islanding mode.


Developing new perennial pasture legumes for low-P soils is a priority for Australian Mediterranean agro-ecosystems, where soil P availability is naturally low. As legumes tend to require higher P inputs than non-legumes, the ability of these plants to fix N2 under varying soil P levels must be determined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of soil P supply on plant N status and nodule formation in 11 perennial legumes, including some novel pasture species. We investigated the effect of applying soil P, ranging from 0 to 384 μg P/g dry soil, on plant N status and nodulation in a glasshouse. Without exogenous P supply, shoot N concentration and N : P ratio were higher than at 6 μg P/g soil. Shoot N concentration and N : P ratio then changed little with further increase in P supply. There was a close positive correlation between the number of nodules and shoot P concentration in 7 of the 11 species. Total nodule dry weight and the percentage of plant dry weight that consisted of nodules increased when P supply increased from 6 to 48 μg P/g. Without exogenous P addition, N : P ratios partitioned into a two-group distribution, with species having a N : P ratio of either >70 or <50 g/g. We suggest that plants with a high N : P ratio may take up N from the soil constitutively, while those with a low N : P ratio may regulate their N uptake in relation to internal P concentration. The flexibility of the novel pasture legumes in this study to adjust their leaf N concentrations under different levels of soil P supplements other published evidence of good growth and high P uptake and P-use efficiency under low soil P supply and suggests their potential as pasture plants in low-P soils in Australian Mediterranean agro-ecosystems warrants further attention.


We have improved a radioimmunoassay for arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) by using Sep-Pak C18 cartridges to extract AVP and ANP from acidified plasma. The analytes are co-eluted by use of a mobile phase consisting of 1,2-dimethoxyethane and 40 g/L aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (95/5, by vol). After rapid evaporation of the solvents, AVP and ANP are assayed by a nonequilibrium radioimmunoassay method in which commercially available antibodies and radiolabeled antigens are used. The bound fractions are separated from the free by use of polyethylene glycol with human gamma globulin and rabbit anti-human IgG as the second antibody. This results in very low nonspecific binding: 0.44% for the ANP assay, 0.70% for AVP. The minimum detectable amount of ANP is 0.39 pg per tube; for AVP, it is 0.13 pg per tube. Compared with other published methods, this method is substantially more reliable, economical, and easily established in a clinical chemistry laboratory.


This thesis is divided into two parts. The first part concerns the study of the ambitwistor string and the scattering equations, while the second concerns the interplay of the symmetries of the asymptotic null boundary of Minkowski space, called I , and scattering amplitudes. The first part begins with a review of the CHY formulas for scattering amplitudes, the scattering equations and the ambitwistor string including its pure spinor version. Next are the results of this thesis concerning these topics, they are: generalizing the ambitwistor model to higher genus surfaces; calculating the one-loop NS-NS scattering amplitudes and studying their modular and factorization properties; deriving the one-loop scattering equations and analyzing their factorization; showing that, in the case of the four graviton amplitude, the ambitwistor amplitude gives the expected kinematical prefactor; matching this amplitude to the field theory expectation in a particular kinematical regime; solving the one loop scattering equations in this kinematical regime; a conjecture for the IR behaviour of the one-loop ambitwistor integrand; computing the four graviton, two-loop amplitude using pure spinors; showing that this two-loop amplitude has the correct kinematical prefactor and factorizes as expected for a field theory amplitude; generalizing the ambitwistor string to curved backgrounds; obtaining the field equations for type II supergravity as anomaly cancellation on the worldsheet; generalizing the scattering equations for curved backgrounds. The second part begins with a review of the definition of the null asymptotic boundary of four dimensional Minkowski space, its symmetry algebra, and their relation to soft particles in the S-matrix. Next are the results of this thesis concerning these topics, they are: constructing two models consisting of maps from a worldsheet to I , one containing the spectrum of N = 8 supergravity, and the other the spectrum of N = 4 super YangMills; showing how certain correlators in these theories calculate the tree-level S-matrix of N = 8 sugra and N = 4 sYM respectively; defining worldsheet charges which encode the action of the appropriate asymptotic symmetry algebra and showing that their Wardidentities recover the soft graviton, and soft gluon factors; defining worldsheet charges for


It is well established that chronic pain impairs cognition, particularly memory, attention and mental flexibility. Overlaps have been found between the brain regions involved in pain modulation and cognition, including in particular the prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, which are involved in executive function, attention and memory. However, whether cognitive function may predict chronic pain has not been investigated. We addressed this question in surgical patients, because such patients can be followed prospectively and may have no pain before surgery. In this prospective longitudinal study, we investigated the links between executive function, visual memory and attention, as assessed by clinical measurements and the development of chronic pain, its severity and neuropathic symptoms (based on the 'Douleur Neuropathique 4' questionnaire), 6 and 12 months after surgery (total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis or breast surgery for cancer). Neuropsychological tests included the Trail-Making Test A and B, and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure copy and immediate recall, which assess cognitive flexibility, visuospatial processing and visual memory. Anxiety, depression and coping strategies were also evaluated. In total, we investigated 189 patients before surgery: 96% were re-evaluated at 6 months, and 88% at 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression (stepwise selection) for the total group of patients indicated that the presence of clinical meaningful pain at 6 and 12 months (pain intensity ≥ 3/10) was predicted by poorer cognitive performance in the Trail Making Test B (P = 0.0009 and 0.02 for pain at 6 and 12 months, respectively), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure copy (P = 0.015 and 0.006 for pain at 6 and 12 months, respectively) and recall (P = 0.016 for pain at 12 months), independently of affective variables. Linear regression analyses indicated that impaired scores on these tests predicted pain intensity (P < 0.01) and neuropathic symptoms in patients with pain (P < 0.05), although the strength of the association was less robust for neuropathic symptoms. These results were not affected by the type of surgery or presurgical pain, similar findings being obtained specifically for patients who initially had no pain. In conclusion, these findings support, for the first time, the notion that premorbid limited cognitive flexibility and memory capacities may be linked to the mechanisms of pain chronicity and probably also to its neuropathic quality. This may imply that patients with deficits in executive functioning or memory because of cerebral conditions have a greater risk of pain chronicity after a painful event.


During the Napoleonic wars there were tens of thousands of French prisoners of war (POWs) in Britain. Whether out on parole or held in prisons or on prison hulks, theatre was a common feature of their experiences. This article compares and contrasts the on-board theatricals that POWs performed on the hulks, in the purpose-built theatre at Portchester Castle and those put on by officers held on parole in towns across the country. In so doing, it explores the extent to which theatre was perceived by the prisoners as a particularly French response to difficult circumstances and as a conduit for reinforcing their national identity as well as creating a temporary sense of community with 'the enemy', that is to say British guards and civilians watching performances.


China's economics education started at the beginning of the 20th century, when China was learning from the Western civilization, and accordingly economics curriculum system was introduced as well. As the communist government was established in 1949, economics education in China was interrupted, started to follow a conventional Marxism, and almost acted as ideological education approach and as a tool to economic plan. The fundamental economic reform from 1980s brought modern economics back to China, and from 1990s, economists who were educated in Europe and the USA introduced Western Economics, of which majority are neoliberalism, to China's Universities, and the popular economics textbooks and curriculum prevailed in China as well. This made the existing socialism economics education struggling in the research evaluation and classroom, although the Communist Party still is giving strong support to Marxism. The 2005 debate between Marxist and Neoliberalism actually reflected two monism tried to lead whole China's economics education. A hidden issue behind the learning from the West is that China's economists are keeping pursuing an approach based on China's reality, which in particular has been reinforced by the recent impressive economic success. Generally, China's economists have a common sense of that China did not follow a single economic theory to lead its reform and development, and believe that China's success can contribute to economics, although none tells what is a China's idiosyncratic economics. Hence, an unknown monism might be emerging in China, but pluralism may act as a channel for understanding Chinese economy, and accordingly be the essential parts of China's idiosyncrasy economics, which will be a new monism.


Abomasal ulceration occurs commonly in suckling calves, and the cause for the high prevalence of abomasal ulceration is unknown. We hypothesized that diet may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of abomasal ulceration. Six male dairy calves with an abomasal body cannula suckled fresh Holstein cow's milk, all milk-protein milk replacer, or combined milk- and soy-protein milk replacer twice daily at 12% of body weight/d. Abomasal luminal pH was measured every second for 24 hours by using a miniature glass pH electrode. Mean 24-hour abomasal luminal pH for all milk-protein milk replacer (3.22) and combined milk- and soy-protein milk replacer (3.27) were similar but significantly (P < .05) higher than that for cow's milk (2.77; standard error = 0.08). Both milk-replacer formulations failed to clot after the addition of chymosin, whereas cow's milk clotted within 2 minutes. The in vitro titration curve of cow's milk and all milk-protein milk replacer were similar, but different to that of combined milk- and soy-protein milk replacer. The osmolalities of all milk-protein milk replacer (375 mOsm/kg) and combined milk- and soy-protein milk replacer (410 mOsm/kg) were greater than that of cow's milk (278 mOsm/kg). The slightly lower mean abomasal luminal pH in calves suckling cow's milk, compared to milk replacer, was probably due to clotting of cow's milk, with extrusion of low pH whey, and a slower rate of abomasal emptying caused by the hyperosmolality of milk replacer. Examination of our results suggests that suckling cow's milk may increase the prevalence of abomasal ulceration by decreasing mean luminal pH, although this remains to be determined.


The assembly defect of a mutant outer membrane protein, OmpF315, can be corrected by suppressor mutations that lower lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels and indirectly elevate phospholipid levels. One such assembly suppressor mutation, asmB1, is an allele of lpxC (envA) whose product catalyses the first rate‐limiting step in the lipid A (LPS) biosynthesis pathway. Besides reducing LPS levels, asmB1 confers sensitivity to MacConkey medium. A mutation, sabA1, that reverses the MacConkey sensitivity phenotype of asmB1 maps within fabZ (whose product is needed for phospholipid synthesis from a precursor) is also required for lipid A synthesis. In addition to reversing MacConkey sensitivity, the sabA1 mutation reverses the OmpF315 assembly suppression phenotype of asmB1. These results show that OmpF315 assembly suppression by asmB1, which is achieved by lowering LPS levels, can be averted by a subsequent aberration in phospholipid synthesis at a point where the biosynthetic pathways for these two lipid molecules split. OmpF315 assembly suppression can also be achieved in an asmB+ background where FabZ expression is increased. The data obtained in this study provide genetic evidence that elevated phospholipid levels and/or phospholipid to LPS ratios are necessary for assembly suppression.


Neural-network-based machine learning is emerging as a powerful tool for obtaining phase diagrams when traditional regression schemes using local equilibrium order parameters are not available, as in many-body localized (MBL) or topological phases. Nevertheless, instances of machine learning offering new insights have been rare up to now. Here we show that a single feed-forward neural network can decode the defining structures of two distinct MBL phases and a thermalizing phase, using entanglement spectra obtained from individual eigenstates. For this, we introduce a simplicial geometry-based method for extracting multipartite phase boundaries. We find that this method outperforms conventional metrics for identifying MBL phase transitions, revealing a sharper phase boundary and shedding new insight on the topology of the phase diagram. Furthermore, the phase diagram we acquire from a single disorder configuration confirms that the machine-learning-based approach we establish here can enable speedy exploration of large phase spaces that can assist with the discovery of new MBL phases. To our knowledge, this Letter represents the first example of a standard machine learning approach revealing new information on phase transitions.


BACKGROUND
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a new strain (SARS-CoV-2) erupted in 2019. Nowadays, it is a great threat that claims uncountable lives worldwide. There is no specific chemotherapeutics developed yet to combat COVID-19. Therefore, scientists have been devoted in the quest of the medicine that can cure COVID- 19.

OBJECTIVE
Existing antivirals such as ASC09/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir with or without umifenovir in combination with antimalarial chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine have been repurposed to fight the current coronavirus epidemic. But exact biochemical mechanisms of these drugs towards COVID-19 have not been discovered to date.

METHOD
In-silico molecular docking can predict the mode of binding to sort out the existing chemotherapeutics having a potential affinity towards inhibition of the COVID-19 target. An attempt has been made in the present work to carry out docking analyses of 34 drugs including antivirals and antimalarials to explain explicitly the mode of interactions of these ligands towards the COVID-19protease target.

RESULTS
13 compounds having good binding affinity have been predicted towards protease binding inhibition of COVID-19.

CONCLUSION
Our in silico docking results have been confirmed by current reports from clinical settings through the citation of suitable experimental in vitro data available in the published literature.


According to studies of self-reported academic dishonesty conducted over time, cheating among college students has been on the increase since at least the 1940's. This is especially true for engineering students who are now among the most likely to cheat compared to other disciplines. This paper will present a synopsis of the literature on academic dishonesty. In addition, the results of a pilot study on cheating among engineering students conducted at a small mid-western private engineering school are described. Engineering students in an introductory engineering materials course were asked to complete a survey on their perceptions of cheating; therefore, all results are selfreported. The goal of the pilot study is to establish student attitudes about what does and what does not constitute cheating and the frequency of student cheating. In addition, the pilot study was intended to help the researchers identify best practices for conducting a more complete research project. The overall objective of the research is to establish useable approaches for faculty to curtail the pressure to cheat which engineering students may feel.


In a double-blind trial involving 99 patients, equi-analgesic doses of tilidine and pethidine (100 mg of each i.m.) were compared as to their effectiveness in laparoscopies, gastroscopies, esophagoscopies and liver needle biopsies. The two substances produced equally analgesic effects both during and after the various procedures, with the exception of the liver biopsies, in which tilidine was shown to be significantly more effective than pethidine. Whereas no sedation was noted in connection with tilidine medication, pethidine produced a marked, undesirable sleepiness in 12% of the cases observed. Due to the high analgesic efficacy and tolerance of tilidine found in both this and numerous other clinical trials and to its particular advantages over pethidine and other opiates (no respiratory depression, no effect on intestinal motility) tilidine can be recommended for premedication in gastrointestinal endoscopies and liver needle biopsies. Tilidine (Valoron) is not subject to the restrictions imposed by the West German narcotics laws.


Responsive polymer-based materials (or smart materials) have found numerous uses over the years due to their ease of synthesis and various responsivities/functionalities. Of them, stimuli-responsive hydrogel particles (microgels) have generated a lot of interest, and have been used for a number of applications, most importantly for this submission is their use as components of photonic materials. In this review, we highlight a few key examples of the use of stimuli-responsive materials for sensing applications, with a particular focus on our work with microgel-based etalons.


In this article the authors consider the peculiarities of punctuation in net texts of different-structured languages. One of the main characteristics of punctuation mode in net texts of the Tatar, Russian and English languages are emotive and expressive means of punctuation. In the course of linguistic analysis the author comes to the conclusion that in net texts of the languages under study punctuation marks acquire new functional potential, which is reflected in the transmission of emotions and feelings of the Internet mediated communication participants into the written speech.


Virtualization is a method of using computer technology in such a way that any one individual user is able to access many other devices remotely. In other words, it allows one computer to control many others or one operating system accessing multiple computers in order to analyse their databases. It can also be used in a way that there is no need for multiple servers, thus reducing the numbers needed by any one organisation. This will also allow the use of many different applications and software with less hardware. Applications are able to run faster and there will be increased availability with more users being able to use each piece of hardware as well as access to software licenses, which under normal circumstances can be expensive. The main attraction of virtualization is that access to a virtual desktop can be global as well as local by remote access with the ever expanding use of Broadband services, giving high speed internet access. There is also evidence to show that virtualization is growing in all areas, most importantly education, business and commerce.

Sharing many different services via the Cloud is increasing popular for both communication and data storage and that its capabilities may expand even further (Cafaro et al, 2010). As virtualization increases, surely that is the way education should evolve also. Therefore should the education system now be using virtualization to provide Knowledge as a Service? These are questions, which will be addressed by this thesis together with showing that virtualization would be more cost effective to run and be more flexible and faster; ensuring that both academic students and staff are working with up to date technology and resources. Finally by using theoretical models of program development for virtualization this thesis will demonstrate that introducing a virtual desktop would be accepted by users though there are some issues that would need addressing prior to any significant deployment in a higher education setting.


OBJECTIVE: To describe the occurrence of extravasation in two patients receiving low-dose dopamine infusions. CASE SUMMARY: Intravenous dopamine was infused peripherally (in the antecubital fossa) to two patients in the cardiac intensive care unit in an attempt to enhance renal blood perfusion and urine output. Dopamine extravasation occurred in both patients while the low dose (<3 μg/kg/min) was infused. Significant local tissue injury was observed in both patients. DISCUSSION: Dopamine infusion can cause tissue ischemia or necrosis secondary to vasospasm and extravasation. Most of the case reports in the literature have occurred when relatively high doses of dopamine were infused. Only one reported extravasation-induced injury with low-dose dopamine. Although low-dose dopamine has a vasodilatory effect in selected tissues, high concentrations achieved locally as a result of extravasation can still cause severe vasoconstriction and ischemic tissue injury. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose dopamine therapy should be administered with similar precautions as high-dose dopamine. A central intravenous access should be placed for dopamine infusion whenever possible. If this approach is not feasible, dopamine should be infused only peripherally through a long intravenous catheter into a large vein. A 5-cm angiocatheter that is 20 gauge or larger is recommended for peripheral dopamine infusion in our institution. The infusion site should be inspected frequently for early detection of extravasation, and changed to a central or a peripherally inserted central catheter as soon as possible, especially in patients at high risk for extravasation.


The risk of infrastructure rms is driven by unique factors that cannot be well described by standard asset class factor models. We thus create a seven-factor model based on infrastructure-specic risk exposure, i.e., market risk, cash ow volatility, leverage, investment growth, term risk, default risk, and regulatory risk. We empirically test our model on a large dataset of U.S. infrastructure stocks in dierent subsectors (utility, telecommunication, and transportation) and over a long period of time (1980 to 2011). The new factor model is able to capture the variation of infrastructure returns better than the Fama/French three-factor or the Carhart four-factor models. Thus, our model helps to better determine the cost of capital of infrastructure rms, something that is increasingly relevant in light of the growing need for privately nanced infrastructure projects.


Six new flame-retardant poly(ester-imide)s (9a-f) with high inherent viscosity and containing phosphine oxide moieties in the main chain were synthesized from the polycondensation reaction of N,N-(3,3-diphenylphenyl phosphine oxide) bistrimellitimide diacid chloride (7) with 6 aromatic diols (8a-f) by 2 different methods:--solution and microwave-assisted polycondensation. The results showed that compared to solution polycondensation, the microwave-assisted polycondensation reaction using a domestic microwave oven proceeded rapidly and was completed within about 9-12 min. All of the obtained polymers were fully characterized by means of elemental analysis, viscosity measurement, solubility testing, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Thermal properties and flame retardant behavior of the PEIs (9a-f) were investigated by using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA and DTG) and the limited oxygen index (LOI). Data obtained by thermal analysis (TGA and DTG) revealed that these poly(ester-imide)s had good thermal stability. Furthermore, high char yields in TGA and good LOI values indicated that incorporating phosphine oxide moieties in the polymer backbone markedly improved their flame retardancy. These polymers can be potentially utilized in flame retardant thermoplastic materials.


We report the changes with lattice isotope of the energies of the zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) and some of the local vibrational modes (LVMs) of commonly encountered radiation-damage centers in silicon. On changing from natSi to 30Si, ZPLs of the different centers shift by +0.8 to +1.8 meV. The carbon-oxygen "C" center is taken as the primary example. For this center, the measured changes in the frequencies of the LVMs in the electronic ground state of the center agree closely with the results of density functional theory (DFT). We suggest that the LVM frequencies in the excited state can be obtained from DFT calculations of the positive charge state. The effect on the ZPL is broken into three parts. The dependence of the ZPL on the isotopically induced change in the LVMs and in the lattice volume is shown to be small compared to the effects of the electron-phonon coupling to the continuum of lattice modes. This dominant effect can be found, in principle, from the temperature dependence of the energy of the ZPL, but data can only be measured over too small a temperature range. We suggest that an estimate of the isotope effects can be derived by rescaling the appropriate data for the indirect energy gap. This simple empirical approach reproduces the measured isotope shifts of the ZPLs of the "C" and "P" centers within ,10%, of the "I" and "T" centers within ,30%, and within a factor of 2 for the "G" center.


Rationale: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) allow derivation of pluripotent progenitors from somatic sources. Originally, iPS were induced by a stemness-related gene set that included the c-MYC oncogene. Objective: Here, we determined from embryo to adult the cardiogenic proficiency of iPS programmed without c-MYC, a cardiogenicity-associated transcription factor. Methods and Results: Transgenic expression of 3 human stemness factors SOX2, OCT4, and KLF4 here reset murine fibroblasts to the pluripotent ground state. Transduction without c-MYC reversed cellular ultrastructure into a primitive archetype and induced stem cell markers generating 3-germ layers, all qualifiers of acquired pluripotency. Three-factor induced iPS (3F-iPS) clones reproducibly demonstrated cardiac differentiation properties characterized by vigorous beating activity of embryoid bodies and robust expression of cardiac Mef2c, α-actinin, connexin43, MLC2a, and troponin I. In vitro isolated iPS-derived cardiomyocytes demonstrated functional excitation-contraction coupling. Chimerism with 3F-iPS derived by morula-stage diploid aggregation was sustained during prenatal heart organogenesis and contributed in vivo to normal cardiac structure and overall performance in adult tumor-free offspring. Conclusions: Thus, 3F-iPS bioengineered without c-MYC achieve highest stringency criteria for bona fide cardiogenesis enabling reprogrammed fibroblasts to yield de novo heart tissue compatible with native counterpart throughout embryological development and into adulthood.


OBJECTIVE: To explore gender-related differentials of HIV prevalence in Limpopo Province, South Africa. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, data collected by the Rural AIDS and Development Action Research (RADAR) Program for the purpose of a controlled community trial in Limpopo Province. The study population consisted of 798 young men and 992 young women aged 14 to 25 years old. Subjects were tested for the presence of HIV antibodies and answered structured questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to examine risk factors related to gender differentials of HIV prevalence. RESULTS: The prevalence of HIV infection was 5.8% in men and 12.4% in women. Women often had older partners, while men had much younger partners or partners of a similar age. Men with primary education and reporting as students showed a reduced risk of HIV infection whereas unemployed women showed an increased risk of HIV infection. Sexual debut at the age of ≤ 16 was associated with increased risk of HIV infection among both sexes. A significantly higher HIV prevalence was found in women with more than four lifetime sexual partners, young women having an age difference of three to 9.9 years from their sexual partners, women having non-spousal sexual partners of 22 to 26 years of age, and women reporting no regular financial support. Frequency of sex of six to 20 times was a marker of increased risk of HIV among men. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of HIV infection was higher in young women than in men. The increased risk of HIV infection in women might be explained by social and behavioural factors that lead young women to select older partners, and is perhaps also a result of the biological susceptibility of women to HIV infection.


The sentinel lymph node biopsy is a standard treatment for patients with breast cancer and clinically negative axilla lymph node. The presence of an extra-axillary and intra-axillary (IM) sentinel lymph node (SLN) occurs in up to 2.6% of cases. In the presence of a metastatic IM SLN, axillary positivity may occur in up to 81% of cases. Due to the limited number of cases reported, there is no standard treatment for the association of metastatic SLN IM and non-metastatic axillary SLN . We add here two cases to the literature, one of them with metastatic disease in the axilla. The use of a nomogram demonstrated that the risk of axillary metastasis was less than 10% and the addition of these cases to the literature showed that in this situation the rate of axillary metastasis is 6.25%. We discuss the pros and cons of further axillary dissection in this situation.


The relationship between antisocial personality (ASP) disorder and drug and alcohol disorders was examined using data from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) gathered on a sample of 1,149 male prison inmates. The results of a linear canonical discriminant function analysis indicate differences among those with a DIS/ASP diagnosis that are related to the presence or absence of an accompanying substance abuse diagnosis: whites are more likely than nonwhites to receive the ASP diagnosis with a substance abuse diagnosis, and substance abuse appears to magnify ASP symptomatology. Diagnostic and clinical implications of findings are discussed.


Immune-based therapy has emerged as a paradigm shift in cancer therapy with dramatic responses observed in previously incurable disease. Cancer vaccines are being developed to disrupt tumor-associated tolerance and activate and selectively expand tumor-specific lymphocytes within the native effector cell repertoire while maintaining immune-regulatory protection against autoimmunity. Although individual antigen approaches result in immune response with a suggestion of clinical effect in some settings, broader efficacy may be dependent on presentation of multiple antigens that capture clonal diversity presented in the context of functionally potent antigen-presenting cells. The use of whole cell-based strategies such as dendritic cell/tumor fusions have yielded provocative results in single-arm studies and are currently being explored in multicenter randomized trials. The posttransplant setting is a potentially promising platform for vaccination due to cytoreduction and relative depletion of inhibitory accessory cells fostering greater immune responsiveness. Integration of these efforts with other immunotherapeutic strategies and agents that target the tumor microenvironment is being studied in an effort to generate durable immunologic responses with clinically meaningful impact on disease.


The process of cellular reprogramming is believed to be able to "turn back the developmental clock" by allowing somatic cells to acquire a state that is normally associated only with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) (1). Indeed, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be obtained from aged individuals and still show the key properties of ESCs, including self-renewal, elongated telomeres, and round-shaped mitochondria with underdeveloped cristae (2). However, it remained to be determined whether reprogramming to pluripotency could actually erase aging-associated signatures and thus represent a rejuvenation route. A new paper by Mitalipov and colleagues (3) now clearly demonstrates that iPSCs not only do not erase the signs of aging but, due to their clonal origin, may even reveal aging-related defects in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that were not detectable in the whole parental tissues.


We model and simulate dielectrophoresis of microscale particles using the finite element method. A soft sphere system molecular dynamics model is presented, which solves a set of equations for the motion of every particle. The model couples most of the significant forces, i.e. the dielectrophoresis (DEP) forces, the particle-particle electrostatic forces, particle-particle interfacial repulsive forces, particle-wall repulsive forces and the hydrodynamic forces in Stokes flow. Since the system of equations is stiff, an implicit scheme is used. To obtain the particle trajectories, a constant time-step is applied. We present some numerical tests computing hydrodynamic force, electrostatic force and DEP force using our model, including simulated trapping of particles in a micro channel by dielectrophoresis. The results are in agreement with the theories and the experimental observations.


There are several variants of ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) : classical A-T with marked radiation sensitivity; classical A-T with intermediate levels of radiation sensitivity; mild A-T with intermediate levels of radiation sensitivity; A-T without telangiectasia; A-T without oculomotor apraxia; and A-T with microcephaly. These disorders are probably caused by different allelic mutations, because affected sibs resemble the index patients, and because there is an association of certain haplo- types of 11 q22-23 with specific phenotypes. The Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome, with its lack of ataxia, seems on clinical grounds to be a different disorder. Although A-T is almost always inherited as an autosomal recessive, there are some unusual features; an unexpectedly low parental consanguinity rate, an incidence in sibs that is <0-25, and occurrence of disease in many different races and in the offspring of mixed race unions. Moreover, looking at haplotypes from 63 UK patients, there is a remarkably low incidence of homozygosity. An autosomal recessive condition that is deficient in parental consanguinity, and in homozygosity for the region around the gene, can be explained by J. H. Edwards' hyopothesis that homozygosity for alleles at a neighbouring locus are lethal early in embryogenesis. Other possible mechanisms to explain the unusual genetic features are discussed.


Black women readers have innovated various literacies—oral, textual, visual, and digital—as a way to validate their lived experiences, bond with one another, and lobby for their personal and collective agency. During the 18th century, black women made use of both vernacular and print cultures as strategies of survival and emancipation. Throughout the 19th century, they used reading for racial uplift in institutions such as the black press, the black women's club movement, and literary societies. Moreover, they documented these acts of reading in cultural artifacts such as scrapbooks, which gave them the ability to manipulate print culture in deeply personal and political ways. Throughout these endeavors, black women readers deployed various literacies—reading both "aright" as well as "rogue"—to assert their agency in the era of print. In the 20th century, black women's reading became even more professionalized in the role of editor, a position that facilitated the circulation and promotion of black women's writing; this effort became even more urgent toward the end of the century when black feminists formed consciousness-raising groups and established new academic disciplines that depended on the recovery, anthologizing, and reading of black women's writing. At the same time, from the postwar era through the end of the century, black women readers emerged as a significant reading demographic, courted by publishers who recognized them as a profitable consumer base. Into the 21st century, black women readers have turned to online and digital spaces in which to continue the tradition of reading for liberation and unity. In this way, the act of reading has also provided for black women a way to negotiate their relationships to American culture, each other, as well as themselves.


Based on the non-Fourier law and thermo-elastic theory, the non-Fourier expressions of the temperature field and the thermal stress field of metal material under multi-pulse laser irradiation were deduced. Taken stainless metal and two pulse width (ω=4ps,4fs) as an example, The effects that distributions and variations of transient temperature and thermal stress are influenced by laser pulse width are studied. The results show that the magnitude and frequency of transient temperature and thermal stress are seriously affected by the laser pulse width. More narrower the laser pulse width, faster and higher the local temperature rise; as well as the thermal stresses.


Burr model is especially suitable for the life-testing of the products that age with time. Trimmed samples are widely utilized in several areas of statistical practice, especially when some sample values at either or both extremes might have been adulterated. In this article, the problem of estimating the parameter of Burr distribution type II based on trimmed samples under informative and uninformative has been addressed. The problem discussed using Bayesian approach to estimate the shape parameter of Burr type II distribution. Elicitation of hyperparameter through prior predictive approach has also been discussed. Posterior predictive distributions along with posterior predictive intervals and credible intervals have also been derived under different priors. A comparison has been made using the Monte Carlo simulation. A real life data example has also been discussed.


The increasing diversity of Internet application requirements has spurred recent interest in transport protocols with flexible transmission controls. In window-based congestion control schemes, increase rules determine how to probe available bandwidth, whereas decrease rules determine how to back off when losses due to congestion are detected. The control rules are parameterized so as to ensure that the resulting protocol is TCP-friendly in terms of the relationship between throughput and loss rate. This paper presents a comprehensive study of a new spectrum of window-based congestion controls, which are TCP-friendly as well as TCP-compatible under RED. Our controls utilize history information in their control rules. By doing so, they improve the transient behavior, compared to recently proposed slowly responsive congestion controls such as general additive-increase and multiplicative-decrease (AIMD) and binomial controls. Our controls can achieve better tradeoffs among smoothness, aggressiveness, and responsiveness, and they can achieve faster convergence. We demonstrate analytically and through extensive ns simulations the steady-state and transient behavior of several instances of this new spectrum.


This paper gives an overview of a transaction level modeling (TLM) design flow for the hardware architecture exploration with SystemC. TLM is widely used for hardware-software codesign, since the objective of TLM is the system exploration in the early stage of the design with fast but accurate simulation with abstracted transaction between modules in system. In this paper, we exploit the concept of TLM for the hardware architecture exploration. SystemC description methodology for TLM is described and the hardware architecture exploration of IEEE 802.11n PHY receiver is presented.


BACKGROUND
It is not clear which fixation of total knee arthroplasty obtains the best clinical, functional and radiographic results in people with osteoarthritis and other non-traumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the benefits and harms of cemented, cementless and hybrid knee prostheses fixation techniques in participants with primary osteoarthritis (osteoarthritis following trauma was not included) and other non-traumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched CENTRAL (2011, issue 10), MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, Current Controlled Trials, LILACS, The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SPORTDiscus, Health Technology Assessment Database and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, all from implementation to October 2011, along with handsearches of high-yield journals and reference lists of articles. No language restrictions were applied.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating cemented, cementless and hybrid fixation. Participants included patients that were 18 years or older with osteoarthritis and other non-traumatic diseases who were undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Three authors independently selected the eligible trials, assessed the trial quality, risk of bias and extracted data. Researchers were contacted to obtain missing information.

MAIN RESULTS
Five RCTs and 297 participants were included in this review. Using meta-analysis on roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) we observed that cemented fixation of the tibial components demonstrated smaller displacement in relation to cementless fixation (with and without hydroxyapatite) after a follow-up of two years (maximum total point-motion, N = 167, two RCTs, mean difference (MD) = 0.52 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31 to 0.74). However, the risk of future aseptic loosening with uncemented fixation was approximately half that of cemented fixation according to the arthroplasty instability classification (moderate quality as assessed by GRADE) inferred from RSA (N = 216, three RCTs, risk ratio (RR) = 0.47, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.92) with a 16% absolute risk difference between groups. The number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) to prevent future aseptic loosening was 7 (95% CI 5 to 44). There was a low risk of bias for RSA among the studies included. It was not possible to perform meta-analysis on patient-important outcomes, such as the survival rate of the implant (any change of a component), patient global assessments, functional measures, pain, health-related quality of life measures and adverse events. Almost all included studies recorded functional measures of Knee Society and Hospital for Special Surgery knee scores, but the authors of each study found no significant difference between the groups.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There was a smaller displacement of the cemented tibial component in relation to the cementless fixation in studies with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis participants who underwent primary total knee prosthesis with a follow-up of two years; however, the cemented fixation presented a greater risk of future aseptic loosening than cementless fixation.


A conventional boxing glove and a prototype pneumatic glove were each fitted to a mechanical fist and dropped 253 times from a height of 3 metres on to a force plate covered by an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) mat. Impact dynamics were measured and modelled. From the outset, peak impact force and peak rate of force development (loading rate) were lower for the pneumatic glove. For both gloves, these variables displayed upward drift during the drop series, but the drift was smaller for the pneumatic glove. Consequently, the magnitude of the protective effect provided by the pneumatic glove increased with the number of impacts. For the conventional glove, change in peak force showed a close inverse relationship to force plate contact time (R2 > 0.96) and the time from first contact of the glove with the force plate to attainment of peak force (R2 = 0.85). These relationships were much weaker for the pneumatic glove (R2 = 0.09 and 0.59 respectively), suggesting the possibility of a more complex impact damping mechanism. Following the 253 drops of the pneumatic glove, the EVA mat covering the force plate was replaced, and another 10 drops then performed. Peak force readings were immediately reduced to an extent suggesting that 26% - 34% of the increase that had occurred over the 253 drops was attributable to impact-induced change in mat properties. This has implications for future experimental designs. Overall, the findings provided further evidence of the potential of pneumatic gloves to enable safer boxing.


The annual variations in physicochemical parameters, algal abundance and odorous compounds in the Xionghe Reservoir were investigated, in order to identify the possible odorous compounds and their origins. From May 2007 to April 2008, the algal composition, cell number and earthy-musty odorous compounds both in the water and in the flesh of fish at Sites A, B and C were determined monthly. The physicochemical parameters such as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved oxygen ( DO), pH, transparency, water temperature and chlorophyll a (chl a) were simultaneously determined. A statistical correlation was noted between the chl a and water temperature: 0.678 (P < 0.05) for Site A, 0.831 (P < 0.01) for Site B and 0.659 ( P, 0.05) for Site C. Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB)-in the reservoir were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We observed that a large amount of Anabaena circinalis bloomed in surface water during the off-flavour episodes. In July 2007, we detected the highest concentration of geosmin (2.7 mu g/L in the water, 0.27 mu g/kg in the silver carp and 0.10 mu g/kg in the crucian carp), while no 2-MIB was detected, which indicated that geosmin was mainly responsible for the off-flavour episodes in summer.


Background Clinical simulation is still a relatively new teaching concept (within the last 15 years) the Nursing and Midwifery Council (N.M.C.) recommend that up to 300 hours be embedded into the undergraduate nursing curriculum in the UK This recommendation is seen to partially address the need to guarantee specific clinical experience for the student. The use of moulage (applying casualty make up for training purposes) within clinical simulation is comparatively non-existent, although its use adds another layer to the authenticity of the simulation session. Method The students learning experience within a simulated session can increase by introducing moulage. While it had previously been used in other modules, moulage was introduced into a module on wound care. Feedback was collected from 71 students via questionnaires over an eighteen month period. This research set out to establish if students felt that moulage impacted on the authenticity of their simulation experience. Conclusion Findings indicated that the students were overwhelmingly positive about the use of moulage within the module. Feedback highlighted that students felt their experience within the simulation sessions had been heightened due to the use of realistic authentic wounds. This addition has given the learner a three dimensional experience, critically the learner is able to assess the simulated wound rather than look at photographs. It was determined the use of moulage in wound care modules would continue and be introduced into the pre-registration and post registration nursing program, as well as Operating Department Practitioner practical teaching sessions. References Hyde E. A critical evaluation of student radiographers' experience of the transition from the classroom to their first clinical placement. Radiography. 2015;21(3):P242–247. Mcgaghie WC, Siddall VL, Mazmanian PE, et al. Lessons for continuing medical education from simulation research in undergraduate and graduate medical education: effectiveness of continuing medical education. American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-based Educational Guidelines. Chest. 2009;135(3 Suppl):62S–68S.


Melastoma malabathricum L. is an essential herb that has been traditionally used to treat several ailments such as diarrhea, dysentery, wound, and stomachache. This plant is common across tropical Indo-Pacific archipelagos distributed in various geographical locations of Indonesia. In this study, an effective, accurate, and efficient highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to diode array detectors was developed to evaluate the effect of geographical variations on secondary metabolites of M. malabathricum samples through establishing a fingerprint profile, identification of variations of chromatogram peaks, and determination of anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity. Fingerprinting analysis of the extracts was analyzed using chemometric tools including unsupervised data analysis: principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). PCA values were identified as principal component 1 (PC1) and principal component 2 with 41.229% and 19.208%, respectively. Anti-MRSA activity of all samples showed significant inhibition against MRSA bacteria. The results indicate the significance of considering geographic distribution during field-collection efforts since they demonstrate regional metabolic variations in secondary metabolites of M. malabathricum L., as illustrated by HPLC and their anti-MRSA activity. The results also confirm the utility of this approach as a comprehensive evaluation of metabolic variations based on their different geographical locations and pharmacological effects.


Threads are essential to Java programming, but learning to use them effectively is a nontrivial task. This new edition of the classic Java Threads shows you how to take full advantage of Java's threading facilities and brings you up-to-date with the watershed changes in Java 2 Standard Edition version 5.0 (J2SE 5.0). It provides a thorough, step-by-step approach to threads programming. Java's threading system is simple relative to other threading systems. In earlier versions of Java, this simplicity came with tradeoffs: some of the advanced features in other threading systems were not available in Java. J2SE 5.0 changes all that: it provides a large number of new thread-related classes that make the task of writing multithreaded programs that much easier. You'll learn where to use threads to increase efficiency, how to use them effectively, and how to avoid common mistakes. This book discusses problems like deadlock, race conditions, and starvation in detail, helping you to write code without hidden bugs. Java Threads, Third Edition, has been thoroughly expanded and revised. It incorporates the concurrency utilities from java.util.concurrent throughout. New chapters cover thread performance, using threads with Swing, threads and Collection classes, thread pools, and threads and I/O (traditional, new, and interrupted). Developers who cannot yet deploy J2SE 5.0 can use thread utilities provided in the Appendix to achieve similar functionality with earlier versions of Java. Topics include: Lock starvation and deadlock detectionAtomic classes and minimal synchronization (J2SE 5.0)Interaction of Java threads with Swing, I/O, and Collection classesProgrammatically controlled locks and condition variables (J2SE 5.0)Thread performance and securityThread pools (J2SE 5.0)Thread groupsPlatform-specific thread schedulingTask schedulers (J2SE 5.0)Parallelizing loops for multiprocessor machines In short, this new edition of Java Threads covers everything you need to know about threads, from the simplest animation program to the most complex applications. If you plan to do any serious work in Java, you will find this book invaluable. Scott Oaks is a senior software engineer for the Java Performance Engineering group at Sun Microsystems and the author of four books in the O'Reilly Java series. Formerly a senior systems engineer at Sun Microsystems, Henry Wong is an independent consultant working on various Java related projects.


This paper presents a novel feature descriptor for multiview human action recognition. This descriptor employs the region-based features extracted from the human silhouette. To achieve this, the human silhouette is divided into regions in a radial fashion with the interval of a certain degree, and then region-based geometrical and Hu-moments features are obtained from each radial bin to articulate the feature descriptor. A multiclass support vector machine classifier is used for action classification. The proposed approach is quite simple and achieves state-of-the-art results without compromising the efficiency of the recognition process. Our contribution is two-fold. Firstly, our approach achieves high recognition accuracy with simple silhouette-based representation. Secondly, the average testing time for our approach is 34 frames per second, which is much higher than the existing methods and shows its suitability for real-time applications. The extensive experiments on a well-known multiview IXMAS (INRIA Xmas Motion Acquisition Sequences) dataset confirmed the superior performance of our method as compared to similar state-of-the-art methods.


The use of gateways to integrate heterogeneous networks is investigated. The goal is to extend the unified environments across network boundaries transparently so that services provided by one environment are available to other networks. This approach is most effective if the connected networks have incompatible environments which provide similar services. Intelligent gateways have the advantages of low cost, modularity, resource sharing across the networks and minimal modification to the existing systems. The basic concept of an intelligent gateway is introduced. A case study in which an intelligent gateway supports a network file system between a SUN network and a PC network is presented to demonstrate the basic ideas.<<ETX>>


Huseyin Ozdemir, Jesper Wissendorf Hansen, and Emma Tyler provide an example of mapping of oil-water contacts where pre-stack AVO inversion to rock physics parameters provided improved delineation whilst post stack inversion procedures including elastic inversion gave inconclusive results.

A Paleocene field was discovered in year 2000 in the Danish North Sea on the flank of a salt dome. The field was further appraised by a sidetrack discovery well and two subsequent vertical wells through years 2000 and 2001. Full logging suites were acquired in all wells including shear sonic data. VSP data were acquired in the three vertical wells.
The wells were positioned using a 3D seismic data set, which was not specifically processed for Paleocene targets and no AVO processing was performed. Hence it was decided to re-process the data for AVO analysis and as part of this to perform forward modelling and fluid substitution in order to calibrate the seismic anomalies to the results of the forward modelled well data and use the results as an exploration/appraisal tool. The main exploration and development challenge is to find a seismic attribute that can differentiate between hydrocarbon and water zones.
Conventional and pre-stack AVA inversion analysis was also made for lithological and pore fluid determinations. The latter analysis resulted in reservoir rock properties such as Poisson's ratio (m), hl and l. h and are the Lame constants and l is the density. Other combined and weighted attributes have been computed for more accurate pore fill identification. This paper is based on our EAGE presentation (Ozdemir, Hansen, and Robinson/Tyler, 2003), which also includes a brief discussion of pre-stack inversion to acoustic impedance (AI), shear impedance (SI), and density using full Aki-Richards equations (Aki and Richards, 1980; Stewart 1990; Fatti, Smith, Vail, Strauss and Levitt, 1994; Larsen, Margrave, and Lu, 1999). This inversion methodology was first introduced by Ozdemir, Ronen, Olofsson, Goodway, and Young (2001) for the joint inversion of multicomponent seismic p-wave and converted wave data.


Objective: To compare the effect of treatment with either oral ferrous sulphate or intravenous iron sucrose (IVIS) on hematological parameters of women with iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy. Methods: This prospective randomized study was interventional, conducted from January 2016 to January 2017 in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Sree Narayana Institute of Medical sciences. Pregnant women Singleton pregnancy, Hb < 11 gm in 1st and 3rd trimester Hb < 10gm in 2nd trimester, with hemoglobin level 7-10.9 g/dL ferritin levels less than < 13 microgram/L and peripheral smear hypochromic microcytic anemia were enrolled into intravenous iron and oral iron groups. After detailed history and examination, laboratory investigations performed were hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), serum ferritin and peripheral smear. The dose for IVIS dose is calculated by ganzoni equation. Total iron deficit (mg) = body weight (kg) × [Target Hb (g/L)-actual Hb (g/L)] × 0.24 + depot iron (mg). A maximum IVIS is given as 200 mg in 100 ml normal saline as infusion over 15 to 30 minutes The remaining doses were given on alternate days. Infusions were given as outpatient basis in labor room with facilities for acute emergency care. Oral iron group received ferrous sulphate supplementation. Results: Target hemoglobin of 11 g/dL was attained by 66 %. Hemoglobin done just prior to delivery showed no statistically significant difference (p value = 0.080) [OI group 11.83 (+11.98) g/dL vs. IVIS group 16.19 (+ 11.35) g/dL]. There was significant increase in serum ferritin levels with IVIS infusion There was no significant difference in antepartum or postpartum hemorrhage, infection, preterm labor, between the two groups. Conclusion: The study concludes that oral iron increases hemoglobin comparably with IVIS. The replenishment of iron stores was good with IVIS compared with oral ferrous sulphate.


ABSTRACT: A business holding appreciated assets is worth less to its owner if it is held in a C corporation than the fair market value of the assets. This fact arises from the double tax imposed on C corporations. One naive solution to this issue is for the shareholder to structure the sale of the business as a sale of stock in the corporation. What is often overlooked with this suggestion, however, is that the buyer will demand a discount in the price of the business if the deal is structured as a purchase of stock as opposed to a direct purchase of the assets. This economic reality is driven by the fact that the buyer forgoes the future tax savings from the step-up in basis in the appreciated assets of the target corporation in a stock acquisition. To illustrate this economic reality, this case study requires students to determine the present value of the future forgone tax savings to the buyer and to use that information along with the tax consequences to the seller to negotiate a compromise final purc...


Language provides an important source of information to predict human personality. However, most studies that have predicted personality traits using computational linguistic methods have focused on lexicon-based information. We investigate to what extent the performance of lexicon-based and grammarbased methods compare when predicting personality traits. We analyzed a corpus of student essays and their personality traits using two lexicon-based approaches, one top-down (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC)), one bottom-up (topic models) and one grammar-driven approach (Biber model), as well as combinations of these models. Results showed that the performance of the models and their combinations demonstrated similar performance, showing that lexicon-based topdown models and bottom-up models do not differ, and neither do lexicon-based models and grammar-based models. Moreover, combination of models did not improve performance. These findings suggest that predicting personality traits from text remains difficult, but that the performance from lexiconbased and grammar-based models are on par.


A joint Brunel-Southampton Universities' research team has developed digital strain gauges based on a metallic triple-beam resonator structure with thick-film piezoelectric sensor elements. The resonator, an oscillating structure vibrating at resonance, is designed such that its resonant frequency is a function of the measurand. The resonator substrate was fabricated by a double-sided photochemical etching technique and the thick-film piezoelectric elements were deposited by a standard screen-printing process. The new metallic digital strain gauges can be used on stiff structures, have high overload capacities, low power consumption, frequency output for digital processing, and offer prospects for wireless-batteryless operation. The device can be easily mass-produced at low cost for use in a wide range of measuring systems, e.g. load cells, weighing machines, torque transducers and pressure sensors.


Studies a two-legged kneed walking robot with point feet. At any given moment, only one foot is in contact with the ground, and the switching is instantaneous. The robot can be considered as a simplified model of human walking. The periodic torque histories applied to each link are a priori prescribed for a motion and are not changed by any feedback interference. Nevertheless the robot is capable of naturally recovering from perturbations, returning to standard gait-a property that we call open-loop stable. We formulate the problem of open-loop stabilization as an optimal control problem. Design parameters and periodic torque inputs that lead to a stable configuration are computed using a two-level optimization procedure. We believe that this is the first demonstration of the ability to create stable actuated open-loop gaits of bipedal walking robots.


Shariah Governance is an essential characteristic that differentiates Islamic financial institutions from Conventional financial institutions. The study's purpose is to explore the effect of corporate governance attributes and Shariah board attributes on the long term and short-term credit rating of Islamic banks in Pakistan. The study develops six different models based on corporate board characteristics, Shariah board attributes and credit ratings, and collected data from annual reports of Pakistani Islamic banks for the period 2013- 2019. This study used Long term credit rating scale used by Grassa (2016) and, Ashbaugh-Skaife, Collins, and LaFond (2006), and developed a Short term credit rating scale. The study applied descriptive statistics, correlations and ordered logit regression. The results confirmed that corporate governance and Shariah governance attributes are significantly associated with the long term and short-term credit ratings of Islamic banks. The study concludes that credit rating agencies in Pakistan i.e. PACRA and JC-VIS, and other international credit rating agencies including Fitch, Moody and Standard & Poor's must consider Shariah governance attributes as key determinants while assigning long term and short term credit ratings to Islamic banks.


PURPOSE
Increased PGE2 production by the iris and ciliary body regulate intraocular pressure (IOP) in vivo. Various cholinergic and adrenergic compounds are traditionally used as antiglaucoma drugs, and their effect on IOP reduction is antagonised by cyclooxygenase inhibitors, indicating a role for eicosanoids in their hypotensive activity. One of the most potent antiglaucoma drugs, PG2 alpha (Latanoprost), reduces IOP by increasing uveoscleral outflow and also increases PGE2 production by the iris and ciliary body in vivo. We investigated whether cholinergic and adrenergic antiglaucoma drugs induce the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in vitro by: 1) the iris-ciliary body (ICB) of rabbits and, 2) irises of glaucoma patients.

METHODS
Pilocarpine 2%, epinephrine 1% and echothiophate iodide 0.125% were applied topically to both eyes of Albino rabbits. Control groups were treated with the corresponding vehicles, or untreated completely. Human iris specimens were obtained from nine untreated cataract eyes, and five eyes under antiglaucoma medication undergoing surgery. PGE2 were determined by a radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS
PGE2 production by the ICB of treated rabbits in vitro was twice that of vehicle-treated or untreated rabbit eyes (p< 0.001, for either group). In vitro PGE2 production by treated glaucoma patients irises was three times higher (p<0.001) than in cataract control patients.

CONCLUSIONS
The study found an increase in in vitro production of PGE2 by the irises of eyes treated with cholinergic and adrenergic antiglaucoma medications. This suggests a role for endogenous PG production in the hypotensive effect of both classes of drug. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2003; 13: 18-23).


Behavioural treatment techniques were used for eliminating self-injurious behaviours of two mentally retarded patients. During treatment, each self-injurious response resulted in punishment followed by a timeout period and then differential reinforcement of other behaviours incompatible with self-injury. This procedure was effective in rapidly eliminating self-injury.


'La gloria della famiglia Salviati'. The Salviati family and their art patronage during the reign of the Medici grand dukes. During the fifteenth and sixteenth century the Salviati family was one of many patrician families that shaped the city of Florence and its surroundings. The Salviati were also actively displaying their wealth, by initiating expensive and conspicuous projects: artists painted large fresco-cycles in their palazzi, decorated their villa's and chapels, and designed their gardens. Moreover, members of the Salviati family assembled substantial art collections, and all these antiquities, sculptures, paintings, and other precious objects were on display in their houses. Many of the projects and art works they commissioned reflected and signalled the political, economical, and social developments in Florence during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Furthermore, these commissions expressed, directly or indirectly, the relationship of the Salviati with the Medici family. In almost all cases, the Salviati strove to present themselves as the Medici's equals, even while they became more and more dependent on the Medici court.


Introduction Patient height is an important anthropometric measurement essential for nutritional assessment and screening. Often a subjective patient-reported height is used and is not objectively measured and recorded. The aim of this audit is to determine the accuracy of patient-reported height and height recorded in patient notes and whether inaccurate reporting impacts on body mass index (BMI) category and nutritional screening. Method The height of patients on the Hepatology ward at a University Hospital on a single day was measured by a Dietitian using an electronic stadiometer. Patient-reported height and height recorded in patient notes were also collected. Results A total of 27 patients were included, 52% female, mean age 64 (range 23–87). Height was recorded in the clinical notes for 15 (56%) patients. In all cases patient reported height was recorded in the notes as height was not objectively measured for any patient. 16 (59%) patients were able to stand to have height measured. It was not possible to measure height for 11 (41%) patients as they were unable to get out of bed due to poor mobility. Of the 16 patients who had height measured: 1 (6%) reported the same height as measured height; 12 (75%) reported their height as greater than measured height (range: 1–5 cm; mean: 3 cm); and 3 (19%) reported height as less than measured height (range: 1–2 cm; mean: 1.3 cm). The difference in measured height and reported height altered BMI by 0.2–2.1 kg/m2 (mean: 0.86 kg/m2) and changed BMI category according to the World Health Organisation categorisation in 4 (25%) patients, including incorrectly categorising one patient as overweight instead of a healthy weight. Conclusion This audit identifies the disparity between patient-reported and measured height with 75% of patients over-reporting and 19% under-reporting height. Furthermore, clinical staff may be faced with the challenge of estimating height in patients who are unable to stand. Inaccurate measurement of height may result in inappropriate nutritional advice or mask the risk of malnutrition and prevent the implementation of nutrition support. It is essential that all hospital wards have access to a stadiometer and height is accurately measured and recorded for all patients. As a result of this audit the ward stadiometer has been placed in an area easily accessible to patients and nursing staff. Results of the audit have been disseminated to ward staff and training has been provided to accurately measure and record height and estimate height by measuring ulna length for patients unable to stand. A re-audit is planned for 3 months following this training. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Since 1997 Harry Potter has captivated wizards and Muggles alike. A large part of the series' appeal is Rowling's language and ability to create a world that completely immerses readers into the depths of their imagination through the use of neologisms. Though some words are borrowed many of Rowling's neologisms are her own creation and each word has meaning and consequence to Harry and his story. In this thesis I examine the effect and importance of the "magical" words the neologisms in the Harry Potter series how both Harry and the reader encounter these words and how they affect the overall experience for both Harry and the reader.


Amino acids play an important role in the N nutrition of developing soybean [ (L.) Merr.] seeds. Factors affecting cotyledonary amino acid uptake within those seeds are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of altered soybean cotyledon water relations on in vitro asparagine uptake by those cotyledons. Two experimental plant introduction (PI) lines with genotypic differences in seed growth rate and final seed weight were grown in the field. They were PI 416.845 (heavy seeded), and PI 361.058 (light seeded). Cotyledons were sampled at 32 days after anthesis for the light seeded line, and 32 and 45 days after anthesis for the heavy seeded line. Cultivar Evans was used for the studies involving plants grown in the growth chamber. Cotyledons were incubated in uptake buffer solutions containing 10 mmol kg C-asparagine and adjusted to various water potential levels with mannitol (a slowly penetrating osmoticum) or ethylene glycol (a rapidly penetrating osmoticum). Solution water potential levels were approximately 0, −0.5, −1.0, −1.5, and −2.0 MPa. The rate of asparagine uptake for the heavy seeded genotype was greater than that for the light seeded genotype. Uptake was greater at −0.5 and −1.0 MPa than at 0 and −2.0 MPa in the experiments using plants grown in the growth chamber. In the study using field-grown plants, asparagine uptake was similar in mannitol solutions of 0, −0.5, and −1.0 MPa, but declined in mannitol solutions of −1.5 and −2.0 MPa. Results for ethylene glycol as osmoticum were similar at 32 days after anthesis although reductions of uptake at −1.5 and −2.0 MPa were not as great. Our results indicate that asparagine uptake by excised cotyledons is influenced by the water potential components of their cells, specifically the cell turgor.


The Broadway musical is an excellent prism for viewing the narrative of American life – as it is, has been, and perhaps should be. In the first part of the twentieth century, musicals viewed life through rose-colored glasses; musicals were equivalent to musical comedy. Starting in the 1940s, the mood of musicals darkened. One indication of the new, serious tone was that characters in musicals died in the course of the show. This essay examines several questions relating to death in the Broadway musical, such as who dies, when in the course of the drama the death occurs, and how the death is marked musically. It concludes with a look at musicals involving the deaths of historical characters and at AIDS-related musicals, works whose assumptions and ideals are very far from those of the musical comedies of the early twentieth century.


What is striking about recent research on residential care is not only its national bias and its tendency to neglect regional variations in 'texture', but also its preoccupation with contemporary issues and its lack of historical context. The notion of contingency, that is, the idea that things might have evolved differently, often seems to be missing. Moreover, most of the literature appears to be one-dimensional, downplaying the diversity, complexity and ambiguity of real developments. It often lacks an awareness of the power of precedents in shaping society's attitudes to residential care and the practical responses to this problem. This is particularly important because, as this article tries to demonstrate, the present situation of residential care reflects the cumulative impact of traditions and cultural norms, of past decisions and commitments.


The evolution of thin layers of viscous fluid with compact support is considered in a case where the driving forces are gravity and surface tension gradients (which we initially take to be locally constant). In particular, we examine cases where the contact line may initially advance, but then halts at a finite time. Although this phenomenon of halting contact lines is well known, it appears that there was previously little analytical insight into how this occurs. The approach taken here is to seek self-similar solutions local to both the contact line and the halting time. The analysis is split into two parts, namely, before and after the halting time. By invoking continuity across t = 0 (the halting time) it is possible to give a complete asymptotic description of both the advancing and halting processes. It is further shown that the analysis may be extended to encompass various cases where the surface tension gradient is not constant at the contact line. Finally, details are given of some numerical experiments that act as plausibility tests for the results that have been obtained.


What can social sciences do with machine learning, and what can the latter do to them? A contribution to the emerging debate on the role of machine learning for the social sciences, this article offers an introduction to this class of statistical techniques. It details its premises, logic, and the challenges it faces. This is done by comparing machine learning to more classical approaches to quantification – most notably parametric regression – both at a general level and in practice. The article is thus an intervention in the contentious debates about the role and possible consequences of adopting statistical learning in science. We claim that the revolution announced by many and feared by others will not happen any time soon, at least not in the terms that both proponents and critics of the technique have spelled out. The growing use of machine learning is not so much ushering in a radically new quantitative era as it is fostering an increased competition between the newly termed classic method and the learning approach. This, in turn, results in more uncertainty with respect to quantified results. Surprisingly enough, this may be good news for knowledge overall.