Background: In this study, we investigate the in vitro and in vivo chondrogenic capacity of a novel photopolymerizable cartilage mimetic hydrogel, enhanced with extracellular matrix analogs, for cartilage regeneration. Purpose: To (1) determine whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) embedded in a novel cartilage mimetic hydrogel support in vitro chondrogenesis, (2) demonstrate that the proposed hydrogel can be delivered in situ in a critical chondral defect in a rabbit model, and (3) determine whether the hydrogel with or without MSCs supports in vivo chondrogenesis in a critical chondral defect. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Rabbit bone marrow–derived MSCs were isolated, expanded, encapsulated in the hydrogel, and cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium for 9 weeks. Compressive modulus was evaluated at day 1 and at weeks 3, 6, and 9. Chondrogenic differentiation was investigated via quantitative polymerase reaction, safranin-O staining, and immunofluorescence. In vivo, a 3 mm–wide × 2-mm-deep chondral defect was created bilaterally on the knee trochlea of 10 rabbits. Each animal had 1 defect randomly assigned to be treated with hydrogel with or without MSCs, and the contralateral knee was left untreated. Hence, each rabbit served as its own matched control. Three groups were established: group A, hydrogel (n = 5); group B, hydrogel with MSCs (n = 5); and group C, control (n = 10). Repair tissue was evaluated at 6 months after intervention. Results: In vitro, chondrogenesis and the degradable behavior of the hydrogel by MSCs were confirmed. In vivo, the hydrogel could be delivered intraoperatively in a sterile manner. Overall, the hydrogel group had the highest scores on the modified O'Driscoll scoring system (group A, 17.4 ± 4.7; group B, 13 ± 3; group C, 16.7 ± 2.9) (P = .11) and showed higher safranin-O staining (group A, 49.4% ± 20%; group B, 25.8% ± 16.4%; group C, 36.9% ± 25.2%) (P = .27), although significance was not detected for either parameter. Conclusion: This study provides the first evidence of the ability to photopolymerize this novel hydrogel in situ and assess its ability to provide chondrogenic cues for cartilage repair in a small animal model. In vitro chondrogenesis was evident when MSCs were encapsulated in the hydrogel. Clinical Relevance: Cartilage mimetic hydrogel may offer a tissue engineering approach for the treatment of osteochondral lesions.


In a context of short-term cooperation, enterprises with complementary skills are dynamically interconnected according to their needs. To deal with requirements in a such cooperation, we present in this paper CoopFlow that aims at providing a useful artifact for preservation of the privacy of workflows partners, pre-established workflows and pre-established workflow management systems. CoopFlow consists of three steps: workflow abstraction and advertisement, workflow matching and interconnection, and workflow cooperation. To preserve the privacy of partners, the first step of the approach includes an abstraction procedure allowing a partial visibility of the partners' workflows. The second step consists of interconnecting existing workflows of partners with complementary skills attributing to a matching procedure that allows checking both behaviors and business semantics of partners' workflows. Finally, the last step of CoopFlow consists of controlling the inter-enterprise workflows cooperation allowing cooperation partners to integrate the existing workflows and to check whenever they can cooperate and change their partners, which frequently leads to support spontaneous, dynamic and short-term cooperation. With this intention, we developed a platform that manages inter-operability by integrating pre-established workflow management systems. The proof of concept is provided by integrating three heterogeneous and open workflow management systems to the CoopFlow platform.


Against the special requirements of realistic in the intelligent virtual environment, this paper takes full account of the impact of personality on behavior, and proposes a "plan-TO-action" converter based on Gaussian probability distribution function and the FSM (Finite State Machine). The converter's work is to evaluate the parameters such as time and place in the planning process, combined with the IVA's personality, to produce the final action. The converter is applied in prototype system for smart home.


The effect of nonlinearity on behaviour of rectangular concrete tanks partially filled with water is studied. The nonlinearity in the numerical modeling of the surface liquid sloshing performance and hydrodynamic pressure initiates from unknown boundary conditions of contained liquid volume. The nonlinear simulations are performed for Time-History seismic analysis using the finite element software ABAQUS/CAE. The nonlinear results are compared with linear analytical solutions and ACI 350.3-06 code. A Paramedic study is conducted to investigate the effect of tank plan dimension, frequency content of different seismic ground motions, nature of earthquake movements, and interaction of bi-directional component of earthquake on the maximum sloshing height of liquid. The results reveal that the nonlinearity is more significant in shallow tanks. Moreover, nonlinear hydrodynamic pressure distribution has no important difference with linear calculated pressure except for the surface sloshing pressure acting on the top of tanks. The linear ratio of depth of liquid to tank plan dimension used in ACI 350.3-06 formulation is found to be less accurate for calculating the maximum sloshing height of liquid.


Public acceptance of offshore wind development projects is critical to successfully advancing and accelerating the US energy transition. A newly developed geo-data engagement platform has been designed to help operators and regulators manage the rapidly growing volumes of complex geo-data needed to plan, design, and construct offshore wind farms; this same platform can also be used to build public consensus for mutually beneficial outcomes of the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit.
 The web-based platform was developed through a pilot project to help project owners, operators, their contractors, and regulatory agencies increase collaboration and streamline decision-making. Providing a single source for information, the platform integrates public datasets and historical project data with real-time field data, making it possible to track the ongoing site characterization effort while continually evolving the ground model.
 The ability to access a singular, authoritative source for project geo-data successfully increased collaboration and efficiency among project owners and their teams. Specifically, it supported and tightened critical project timeline decisions, such as adjusting the survey approach during early acquisition, delivering preliminary access to acquired survey data and geotechnical parameters, and integrating final interpreted geophysical data and geotechnical parameters into a ground model. The platform was also used to support the operator's Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submission to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), enabling interactive geo-data engagement with government stakeholders, streamlining review, and encouraging feedback on future assessment approaches.
 There is significant potential to further improve project outcomes by expanding access to public stakeholder groups. From a public perspective, understanding the proposed outcomes and participating in qualifying discussions can be challenging, as access to information and opportunities to engage with decision-makers is limited. In addition, interdependencies and complex feedback loops influence perspectives that can't be fully understood without a systems thinking approach. This approach involves introducing innovative technology in a larger interconnected organization to kickstart a pressing social challenge. In this case, unifying all stakeholders—including the public—across a collaborative geo-data engagement platform that provides users access to non-proprietary information from the earliest stages mutually benefits the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit (Elkington):- Social value (People) – A shared geo-data platform can enable meaningful engagement by balancing effective advocacy and inquiry. Citizen perspective stimulates awareness, acceptance, and alternatives with a shared sense of direction.- Environmental value (Planet) – The geo-data acquired in support of a wind farm can also serve as a range of measures to aid habitat preservation, mitigation, and restoration activities. Digital information-sharing platforms enable citizen science approaches to the targeted protection of marine natural capital.- Economic value (Profit) – Transparent, efficient, and collaborative data sharing via the web-based geo-data platform enables collective decision-making, which expedites project milestones, reduces permitting risk and operational costs, and thus makes energy more affordable to consumers.
 As the global offshore wind market expands, solutions that support 1) the evolving project and geo-data life cycle, 2) multiple internal and external stakeholders, and 3) engagement towards mutually beneficial outcomes are vital to advancing the energy transition.
 This is one paper in a collaborative series that demonstrates the value of an integrated geoscience approach considering regulatory requirements and project design essentials.


With the rapid growth of collected data and the variety of its content, the need for efficient integration at a Big Data level becomes crucial. Semantic technologies, as a means of integration and coordination of heterogeneous systems, may help big data to manage terminology and relationships to link various data from different data sources. However, and due to the difficulty of integration and analytics of some datasets with high-precision, automated processes cannot reach a high level of accuracy without the human cognitive ability. Crowdsourcing platforms have the potential to integrate (entity matching, entity resolution) and analyze (sentiment analysis, image recognition) heterogeneous data sources when in some cases these integration tasks may prove to be problematic for computers. In this survey, we explore and compare empirical research studies that rely on merging semantic and crowdsourcing technologies. And, in the light of this comparison, we propose a high-level integration workflow, which shows how merging these technologies can enhance the big data integration process and tackle the data analysis challenges.


Objectives: To document causes, course of acute care, and outcomes in a large sample of children and adolescents (N=24,021) hospitalized for traumatic brain injury. Special focus is given to patterns of referral to rehabilitation and educational services at the time of discharge from acute care. Design: Descriptive statistics applied to a multicenter data collection on pediatric trauma. Setting: Seventy-six pediatric trauma centers or children's hospitals in the United States that reported to the National Pediatric Trauma Registry between October 1988 and April 1996. Data Set: Demographics, cause of injury, time and place of occurrence, severity of injury, utilization of resources during acute care, in hospital death rate, functional limitations, discharge disposition, and discharge recommendation for children who sustained a traumatic brain injury associated or not with injury to other body region. Results: Two thirds of the children were male and 77.8% were one to 14 years of age. Injuries occurred mostly between noon and midnight (67.7%) and on the road (50.0%) or at home (32.0%). Nearly all injuries (90%) were unintentional, most children (63.6%) sustained injuries to other body regions, and the anatomical severity of the injuries was ten times higher than in children without traumatic brain injury. Over A0% of the children were in the intensive care unit, 20% had one or more surgical intervention, the average length of stay was six days, the median two days. The in hospital death rate was 6.1% and 22.2% of the children developed functional limitations from the injury. At the time of discharge from acute care, most children returned home. In the group with four to nine limitations, half of the children were discharged to a rehabilitation facility. Of the children with functional limitations who returned home, physical therapy was recommended In 23.7% of the cases, occupational therapy in 13.2% of the cases, and speech therapy in 10.1% of the cases. Of those of school age discharged home with functional limitations, 1.8% were referred to special education. Conclusion: The majority of children with traumatic brain injury and functional limitations due to the injury return home at time of discharge from acute care with limited referral to potentially beneficial services. To correct these deficiencies, more research is needed to identify nonmedical factors affecting referrals.


Objective: To compare the sensitivity and specificity of platform posturography with other vestibular tests for patients with peripheral vestibular deficits (PVD), Meniere's disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and central nervous system-vestibular impairment (CNS). Data Sources: A computed search was conducted using theIndex Medicusdatabase (1966-1994) andCurrent Contents Science Editions. Study Selection: Studies were selected for analysis if the article addressed the sensitivity and/or specificity of platform posturography, compared posturography with another objective test of vestibular function, identified the basis for abnormal test results, and reported the data with sufficient detail to calculate an effect size from a 2×2 contingency table. Data Extraction: A count of the normal and abnormal test results for posturography and the criterion standard were retrieved from each article, analyzed using a x2statistic, and converted to an effect size. A positive effect size indicated that posturography identified abnormalities in patients who had normal tests on the criterion standard. Data Synthesis: Sensitivity and specificity of posturography were about 50%. The overall effect size was small (0.13) but positive. The diagnostic category had a significant influence on the predictive value of abnormal results (73% for Meniere's disease and BPPV, compared with 41% for PVD, and 44% for mixed CNS and PVD (F2,12=5.26, P=.02) and on the magnitude of the effect size (0.41 for mixed CNS and PVD compared with 0.22 for Meniere's disease and BPPV, and −0.10 for PVD (F2,12=13.95,P=.001). Conclusions: Platform posturography provides a measurable supplement to the standard vestibular examination. The enhancement was most notable when the target population included patients with CNS deficits. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;122:150-156)


Neutron reflectometry data and modeling support the existence of a relatively thick, continuous phase of water stemming from within an antifouling monoethylene glycol silane adlayer prepared on oxidized silicon wafers. In contrast, this physically distinct (from bulk) interphase is much thinner and only interfacial in nature for the less effective adlayer lacking internal ether oxygen atoms. These results provide further insight into the link between antifouling and surface hydration.


One of the questions related to the emerging technology for Carbon Geological Storage concerns the risk of CO2 migration beyond the geological storage formation. In the event of leakage toward the surface, the CO2 might affect resources in neighbouring formations (geothermal or mineral resources, groundwater) or even represent a hazard for human activities at the surface or in the subsurface. In view of the preservation of the groundwater resources mainly for human consumption, this project studies the potential hydrogeochemical impacts of CO2 leakage on fresh groundwater quality. One of the objectives is to characterize the bio-geochemical mechanisms that may impair the quality of fresh groundwater resources in case of CO2 leakage. To reach the above mentioned objectives, this project proposes a field experiment to characterize in situ the mechanisms having an impact on water quality and the CO2-water-rock interactions and also to improve the monitoring methodology by controlled CO2 leakage in shallow aquifer. The tests ran on an experimental site in the chalk formation of the Paris Basin. The site is equipped with an appropriate instrumentation and previously characterized (8 piezometers, 25 m deep and 4 piezairs 11 m deep). The injection test was preceded by 6 months of monitoring in order to characterize hydrodynamics and geochemical baselines of the site (groundwater, vadose and soil). Leakage into groundwater is simulated via the injection of a small quantity of food quality CO2 (~20 kg dissolved in 10 m3 of water) in the injection well at a depth of about 20 m. A plume of dissolved CO2 is formed and moves downward according to the direction of groundwater flow and probably by degassing in part to the surface. During the injection test, hydrochemical monitoring of the aquifer is done in situ and by sampling. The parameters monitored in the groundwater are the piezometric head, temperature, pH and electrical conductivity. Analysis on water samples provide chemical elements (major, minor and trace metals), dissolved gases, microbiological diversity and isotopes (13C). The evolution of the composition of the groundwater in terms of major elements, trace elements and isotope signatures is interpreted in terms of geochemical mechanisms, and the water-rock-CO2 interactions are characterised. Modification of the chemical composition of the water in the aquifer due to CO2 injection is assessed in term of groundwater quality i.e. metal element release and the possibility of exceeding references and quality of water for human consumption. One outcome of the CIPRES project will be to highlight mechanisms that can impact groundwater quality when a CO2 leakage occurs and to propose recommendations to prevent or/and eliminate negative effects and any risks to the environment and human health. This project is partially funded by the French Research Agency (ANR).


In this paper we describe ICARUS, an adaptive architecture for intelligent physical agents. We contrast the frameworkýs assumptions with those of earlier architectures, taking examples from an in-city driving task to illustrate our points. Key differences include primacy of perception and action over problem solving, separate memories for categories and skills, a hierarchical organization on both memories, strong correspondence between long-term and short-term structures, and cumulative learning of skill hierarchies. We support claims for ICARUSý generality by reporting our experience with driving and three other domains. In closing, we discuss limitations of the current architecture and propose extensions that would remedy them.


Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is becoming a widespread diagnostic tool available to cardiologists to image different cardiovascular diseases. Among the main applications CMR has proven to be useful in the evaluation of patients with coronary artery disease. Particularly important seems the evaluation of coronary artery disease patients with left ventricular dysfunction. As a matter of fact CMR can identify myocardial viability by using different methods. CMR can accurately measure diastolic wall thickness and demonstrate a contractile reserve in segments with wall motion abnormalities when coupled to low-dose dobutamine infusion. In both applications CMR has proven to be superior to other diagnostic tools that use the same target of viability. By using gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) administration it has recently been shown that CMR can accurately detect myocardial viability. In fact, irreversibly damaged myocardial segments show a delayed hyperenhancement compared to normal segments. Due to its excellent spatial resolution one of the most important information that CMR offers in this application is the transmural extent of necrosis/viability that no other method can offer. The available data suggest that Gd-DTPA CMR could be superior to any other currently used methods in the identification of both stunning and hibernation.


A great deal of research is focused on formation of a data warehouse. This is an important area of research as it could save many computation cycles and thus allow accurate information provided to the right people at the right time. Two considerations when forming a data warehouse are data cleansing (including entity resolution) and with schema integration (including record linkage). Uncleansed and fragmented data requires time to decipher and may lead to increased costs for an organization, so data cleansing and schema integration can save a great many (human) computation cycles and can lead to higher organizational efficiency. In this study we survey the literature for the methodologies proposed or developed for entity resolution and record linkage. This survey provides a foundation for solving many problems in data warehousing. For instance, little or no research has been directed at the problem of maintenance of cleansed and linked relations.


One of the defining characteristics of inland fisheries is that they are closely impacted by other essential human activities that rely on the same fresh or brackish water ecosystems, such as hydroelectricity generation and irrigated agriculture. Starting with the premise that an understanding of fisheries' interactions with these external sectors is in itself critical for achieving sustainability of the fisheries, this paper explores the topic of intersectoral governance and outlines an approach to analyzing the intricate and often challenging sector relationships. By drawing on examples of inland fisheries from around the world, the paper proposes four broad discursive mechanisms that can structure the study of the intersectoral dynamics, i.e., system characterization, valuation, power relations, and vertical policy interaction. A synthesis model then demonstrates their interwoven nature, revealing the way each mechanism influences one another as together they shape overall outcomes. It is apparent that analyses often need to be combined to advance more rigorous (and transdisciplinary) science and also inform appropriate courses for the governance of inland fisheries. Given the typically marginal position of fisheries in inland water-use discussions, we call for a more systematic understanding of intersectoral interactions to enhance the sector's resilience within the wider society and subsequently contribute to integrated governance of waterbodies.


The management and remediation of contaminated sites are strongly dependent on the diagnosis process during the site characterization program. A Conceptual Site Model (CSM) elaborated by use of high-resolution site characterization (HRSC) tools allows for a detailed diagnosis of geo-environmental issues. The piezocone (CPTu) test is a high-resolution tool that allows several specific sensors to be attached, such as the resistivity module. This hybrid device is called the resistivity piezocone (RCPTu). A simulated geo-environmental site characterization program was performed on a Brazilian erosion site using several tools (direct-push soil samplers, hollow stem auger and RCPTu) to develop the CSM for a site similar to the Brazilian conditions. The aim was to elaborate a detailed stratigraphical profile and verify the applicability of this tool at the studied site. It was noted that the RCPTu data interpretation was consistent with the data from traditional methods, with much more details. Better results were achieved when decision-making occurred on site. It was concluded that the RCPTu is a very useful tool in elaborating a suitable hydrogeological conceptual site model, even for Brazilian conditions, especially in an approach that prioritizes high-resolution geo-environmental characterization.


One of the biggest challenges in evolutionary computation concerns the selection and configuration of a best-suitable heuristic for a given problem. While in the past both of these problems have primarily been addressed by building on experts' experience, the last decade has witnessed a significant shift towards automated decision making, which capitalizes on techniques proposed in the machine learning literature. A key success factor in automated algorithm selection and configuration are good training sets, whose performance data can be leveraged to build accurate performance prediction models. With the long-term goal to build landscape-aware parameter control mechanisms for iterative optimization heuristics, we consider in this discussion paper the question how well the 24 functions from the BBOB test bed cover the characteristics of (hyper-)parameter tuning problems. To this end, we perform a preliminary landscape analysis of two hyper-parameter selection problems, and compare their feature values with those of the BBOB functions. While we do see a good fit for one of the tuning problems, our findings also indicate that some parameter tuning problems might not be very well represented by the BBOB functions. This raises the question if one can nevertheless deduce reliable performance-prediction models for hyper-parameter tuning problems from the BBOB test bed, or whether for this specific target the BBOB benchmark should be adjusted, by adding or replacing some of its functions. Independently of the aspect of training automated algorithm selection and configuration techniques, hyper-parameter tuning problems offer a plethora of problems which might be worthwhile to study in the context of benchmarking iterative optimization heuristics.


Gender Biasness is one of the most important topics in the field of human resource management especially in the categories of under developed countries and least developed countries of South East Asia like Pakistan where most of the professions are dominated by males. In these countries females are treated as home manager and their role is to support their spouse through taking responsibilities home and child care etc. On the other hand females are constantly ignoring these myths as they are found to be keenly interested in interest is having profound professional careers. In fact research also highlighted that there is a considerable increase in the number of female workforce during last decade but it has been also highlighted that most of the times females are opting those professions which are coherent with their attitudes and personalities like education and they have least acceptance in male dominated professions. Moreover their representation on top level positions is also in far and few between as there are several factors which are hindering in their way of career excellence. Thus there is a systematic need of investigation regarding those factors which are creating hindrance in the female career paths. Hence the aim of this research is to figure out those factors which are creating hindrance for female careers in the context of Pakistan and through combining literature and different research constructs a comprehensive research model has been develop to compare barriers associated with female careers with respect to different industries do to determine the impact of these barriers for each industry. Hence it is legitimate to believe that this research is pervasive in nature and will help managers in devising organizational policies more effectively. Therefore for the statistical part second order CFA and Path Analysis has been indulged for validating the research model and through the of structural equation modeling so to predict the impact of different constructs e.g. familial, cultural and organizational on female careers operating in higher education, banking, construction and production sector of Karachi. Thus through this research theory building might be enhanced in the context of Asian and under developed countries and researchers might able to perform optimized level of research in the betterment of society.


The endosperm, a result of double fertilization in flowering plants, is a triploid tissue whose genetic composition is more complex than diploid tissue. We present a new maximum-likelihood-based statistical method for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying endosperm traits in an autogamous plant. Genetic mapping of quantitative endosperm traits is qualitatively different from traits for other plant organs because the endosperm displays complicated trisomic inheritance and represents a younger generation than its mother plant. Our endosperm mapping method is based on two different experimental designs: (1) a one-stage design in which marker information is derived from the maternal genome and (2) a two-stage hierarchical design in which marker information is derived from both the maternal and offspring genomes (embryos). Under the one-stage design, the position and additive effect of a putative QTL can be well estimated, but the estimates of the dominant and epistatic effects are upward biased and imprecise. The two-stage hierarchical design, which extracts more genetic information from the material, typically improves the accuracy and precision of the dominant and epistatic effects for an endosperm trait. We discuss the effects on the estimation of QTL parameters of different sampling strategies under the two-stage hierarchical design. Our method will be broadly useful in mapping endosperm traits for many agriculturally important crop plants and also make it possible to study the genetic significance of double fertilization in the evolution of higher plants.


From abstract: The Santa Monica Mountains lie only a few miles northwest of the city of Los Angeles and comprise one of the prominent structural features that adjoin the Los Angeles Basin, one of the most prolific oil-producing districts of California. Even
though the eastern part of these mountains may yield no oil, information concerning the rock types, structural character,
and detailed geologic history of this area should be of value to petroleum geologists. The area described in this report, which lies between Topanga Canyon on the west and the Los Angeles River on the east, presents a section of varied rock types including coarsely crystalline plutonic rocks, basic and acidic intrusive and pyroclastic rocks, metamorphic slate and schist, and a wide assortment of sedimentary rocks.


A new leadership theory is suggested and pertains to the general topic of power whereby mid-level organizational leaders resist organizational change for the purpose of retaining their position of power in the organization. The purposeful resistance theory relates to the power dimension of leader role behavior in the context of the organizational setting. The topic is especially salient given the frequency of organizational change events within the contemporary business environment.


A full-wave analysis of shielded coplanar waveguide (CPW) two-port discontinuities based on the solution of an appropriate surface integral equation in the space domain is presented. Frequency-dependent scattering parameters for open-end and short-end CPW stubs are computed using this method. The numerically derived results are compared with measurements performed in the frequency range 5-25 GHz and show very good agreement. From the scattering parameters, lumped-element equivalent circuits have been derived to model the discontinuities. The inductors and capacitors of these models have been represented by closed-form equations, as functions of the stub length, to compute the circuit element values for these discontinuities. >


Forecasting the future time series values from the past values plays important role in daily life. There are some techniques support for time series analysis such as statistics, Neural Network (NN), Fuzzy Logic (FL) and fusion NN and FL. However, there is lack of easy, free and visual tools for users to analysis time series data. In this paper we try to use Java program language to implement of Fuzzy Logic system using table lookup scheme to predict time series data. The results of our experiments show that our tool can give a high accuracy of prediction results. Since program is written in Java language so it can run across hardware and software platform and easily embed into website for user run through Internet.


The electrical properties of polycrystalline soft ferrites, namely Cu-Zn system are considerably changed by doping controlled amounts of Lithium and Calcium salts. The room temperature resistivity is found to exceed 1000 MΩ an at 45% relative humidity. Variation of resistivity with percentage relative humidity is found to be linear in the range above 60% RH and is of the type P = P 0 - MRH. M being a slope of the curve which is humidity sensitivity. In the range 45 to 60% RH, log p Vs % RH exhibits linear relation and is governed by the nature P = P 0 e-krh. K being humidity sensitivity. The statistical tools are employed for the analysis of the curves and all the parameters are tested giving best results. The response time in the disc form, for both negative and positive step is of the order of 6 to 7 seconds for 5% change while it is of the order of 7 to 8 minutes for -ve step and one minute for +ve step for 45% to 85% change in RH. The material does not exhibit any aging effect. In the entire range of humidity, the pellets do not become watery. Basically, ferrites are temperature sensitive and therefore, humidity and temperature sensing both can be done in a single device, because there is no any effect of humidity on the magnetic properties of these materials.


We continue our presentation of mathematically rigorous results about the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick mean field spin glass model. Here we establish some properties of the distribution of overlaps between real replicas. They are in full agreement with the Parisi accepted picture of spontaneous replica symmetry breaking. As a byproduct, we show that the self-averaging of the Edwards-Anderson fluctuating order parameter, with respect to the external quenched noise, implies that the overlap distribution is given by the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick replica symmetric Ansatz. This extends previous results of Pastur and Scherbina. Finally, we show how to generalize our results to realistic short range spin glass models.


We present a hydrogel-driven focus-tunable liquid microlens array on a curvilinear surface with much faster response time than previously reported. Water-oil interfaces pinned at polymer apertures serve as microlenses. Thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel incorporating glycidyl-methacrylate-functionalized graphene oxide is employed to provide faster actuation for focal length tuning. Thermoelectric modules based on Peltier effect were implemented to enhance the heat transfer to and dissipation from the hydrogel actuators. The average response time improves to 5 s, and the focal length ranges from 7 to 120 mm. Simulations were performed to characterize the thermal behavior of the microlens array during actuation. The microlens array is also demonstrated with an ability to be remotely controlled by infrared light.


Abstract Zinc-Induced Arsenite Tolerance in Mice, Kreppel, H., M Liu, J., Liu, Y., Reiciil, F. X., And Klaassen, C. D. (1994). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 23, 32-37. The mechanism of tolerance to arsenic toxicity is not known. Recently it has been shown that arsenic induces metallothionein (MT), which is a sulfhydryl-rich metal-binding protein that decreases the toxicity of a number of metals. The present studies were designed to examine the role of MT in arsenic toxicity. Zinc (Zn) pretreatment (1000 μmol/kg, sc) markedly increased hepatic MT (150-fold over controls), and also protected against the lethal effects of arsenite (130 μmol/kg, sc). However, no correlation was found between the ability of various known MT inducers (Zn, Cd, arsenite monomethylarsenite, α-bederin or oleanolic acid) to increase hepatic MT and to protect against arsenic lethality in mice. Tn examine the mechanism of Zn protection against arsenic toxicity, the subcellular distribution of arsenite in liver, kidney, and small intestine was determined 2 hr after arsenite injection. Zn pretreatment did not markedly alter the amount of arsenic-73 in the cytosol or the various cellular organelles (nuclei, mitochondria, microsomes) in liver, kidney, or small intestine. There was also very little arsenic-73 bound to MT in the cytosol of the Zn-pretreated mice, as determined by G-75 gel-filtration chromatography. In mice pretreated with Zn (1000 μmol/kg, sc) and subsequently injected with arsenite-73 (115 μmol/kg, sc), the arsenic-73 content in blood, heart, lung, kidneys, spleen, muscle, and skill was lower than in controls, indicating increased arsenic elimination in Zn-pretreated mice. In conclusion, Zn pretreatment protects mice against arsenite toxicity, but the mechanism of tolerance does not appear to be induction of MT.


Ocular signs and symptoms provide clinical clues to many of the more common metabolic and nutritional disorders seen in older adults. Diabetes mellitus can affect all parts of the eye and orbit. Complications include refractive visual loss, macular edema, retinopathy, increased risk of fungal infection, and diplopia. In patients with gout, urate crystals may precipitate in the eye and cause conjunctivitis, uveitis, or scleritis. Other problems are seen with Wilson's disease, hyperlipidemia, and albinism. Nutritional disorders usually arise from malabsorption, gastrointestinal surgery, and alcohol abuse. Deficiencies in vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B12, and C may be manifest in the eye.


Abstract In this paper, the problem of determination of the legal personality of indigenous people as a subject of international law is considered. Hence, the problem articulated above leads to the issue related to aspects of practical realization and protection of rights and freedoms of indigenous people enshrined in international legal instruments, which is revealed. The confusion of the term "indigenous people" with that of "national minorities" can be avoided by the subjects of international law. However, one cannot find a solution to this problem without envisaging written rules on the concept of ingenious people in one obligatory, for contracting parties, an international legal instrument. Thereafter, the concept of indigenous people must be unified and, consequently, used by all international legal community. The relevance of this study is due to the need to determine the legal status of indigenous peoples in Ukrainian law. Ukraine has recently acceded to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which defines the need to implement these provisions in national legislation and ensure the practical implementation of the rights and freedoms enshrined for indigenous peoples. To date, the Constitution of Ukraine makes a distinction between the categories of national minorities and indigenous peoples, but there is no specialized comprehensive law that would determine the legal status of indigenous peoples in Ukraine, in the presence of such a law on national minorities. Thus there is a need to determine the concept of indigenous peoples in Ukrainian legislation.


Two new species, Neotobrilus nicsmolae n. sp. and Chronogaster carolinensis n. sp. are described from a small, acidic, temperate, natural lake in North Carolina. N. nicsmolae n. sp. comes close to three members of the genus reported from North America, N. filipjevi, N. longus, and N. hopei. However, N. nicsmolae is unique with in the genus in having a combination of characters: size smaller than 1,700 μm, shorter outer labial and cephalic setae, tail shorter than 250 μm, last ventromedian supplement close (about 5 μm) to cloacal opening, spicule length of 61 to 85 μm, flagelloid sperm, and possession of subterminal setae. Assessment of relationships among clades within the Triplonchida using DNA sequences of the D2D3 expansion segment of the LSU rDNA showed that the family Trichodoridae and the genus Tripyla were recovered as monophyletic. The genus Tobrilus was recovered as monophyletic in the neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood trees, but that was not so in the maximum-parsimony tree. The separation among genera of the Trichodoridae, i.e., Trichodorus and Paratrichodorus, was not clear-cut in all phylograms. Chronogaster carolinensis n. sp. in having one ventral mucro with no spine and vacuolated lateral glandular bodies comes close to C. typica and C. ethiopica but differs from all hitherto known species in a combination of characteristics: in having long cephalic setae, long stoma, crystalloid bodies, vacuolated lateral glandular bodies, and a tail terminus with blunt ventral mucro, and its lack of lateral line.


In this reported work, the free axial vibration response of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with arbitrary boundary conditions is studied based on the non-local elasticity theory. Using Fourier sine series together with Stokes'transformation, the general frequency determinant of CNTs is obtained. The main advantage of this method is its capability of dealing with rigid or restrained boundary conditions. Comparisons between the results of the presented method and previous works in the literature have been performed. Good agreement is obtained when enough terms are included in the Fourier series expansion. The effects of spring parameters on the vibration frequencies are discussed in detail. The proposed analytical method can be utilised for dynamic analyses of nanorods (CNTs) with arbitrary boundary conditions.


Introduction: Ovarian cancer is one of the common malignancies within women and the fifth cause of cancer death in women all over the world. Recent developments in Genomics and Proteomics technologies have led to the identification of unknown candidate markers for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has recently been supported to monitor the recurrence or the progression of epithelial ovarian cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the expression of HE4 in women suffering from ovarian cancer. Methods: In this study, 20 paraffin-embedded tissue samples from women with ovarian cancer and 10 normal samples were collected from Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran. After removing paraffin, RNA extraction was performed with RNAPlus solution. cDNA was synthesized through reverse transcription by MMULV enzyme. Gene expression was measured by Relative Real time PCR method. Glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase gene (GAPDH) was used as an internal control. Results: The HE4 was expressed in normal and cancerous tissues, though its expression was observed more in tumor tissues (4.083) than noncancerous tissues. The study results also revealed that the expression level of HE4 increased with the advancement of the disease . Conclusion: According to the results, it can be concluded that HE4 expression levels greatly increases in tumor samples. Therefore, HE4 gene expression measurements can serve as a valuable prognostic factor for early detection and treatment management of the disease .


This paper provides a formal analysis of a powerful mapping technique known as scatter decomposition,. Scatter decomposition divides an irregular computational domain into a large number of equal sized pieces, and distributes them modularly among processors. We use a probabilistic model of workload in 2--: .__ one dimension to formally explain why, and when scatter decomposition works. O__r first result is that if correlation in workload is a convex function of distance, then scattering a more finely decomposed domain yields a lower average processor workload variance. Our second result shows that if the workload process is stationary Gaussian and the correlation function decreases linearly in distance until becoming zero and then remains zero, scattering a more finely decomposed domain yields a lower expected maximum processor workload. Finally we show that if the correlation function deer eases linearly across the entire domain, then among all mappings that assign an equal number of domain pieces to each processor, scatter decomposition minimizes the average processor workload variance. The dependence of these results on the assumption of decreasing correlation is illustrated with situations where a coarser granularity actually achieves better load balance. *This research was supported in part by NASA contracts NASI-18107 and NAS1-18605, and NSF Grant ASC 8819373. tSupported in part by NASA contracts NAS1-18107 and NAS1-18605, the Office of Naval Research under contract No. N00014-86-K-0310, and NSF gra_nt DCR 8106181.


ABSTRACT While certain antibodies directed against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope have the potential to suppress virus replication in vitro, the impact of neutralizing antibodies in vivo remains unclear. In a recent proof-of-concept study, the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies 2G12, 4E10, and 2F5 exhibited inhibitory activities in vivo, as exemplified by a delay of the viral rebound following the interruption of antiretroviral therapy. Unexpectedly, the antiviral effect seen was most prominently due to 2G12 activity. To further investigate whether differential HIV-inhibitory activity was due to different pharmacokinetic properties of the antibodies, we performed a formal pharmacokinetic analysis with 14 patients. Repeated infusions at high dose levels were well tolerated by the patients and did not elicit an endogenous immune response against the monoclonal antibodies. The pharmacokinetic parameters of all three antibodies correlated with each other. Mean estimates were 0.047, 0.035, and 0.044 liter/kg for the central volume of distribution of 2G12, 4E10, and 2F5, respectively, and 0.0018, 0.0058, and 0.0077 liter/kg · day for the systemic clearance of 2G12, 4E10, and 2F5, respectively. Monoclonal antibody 2G12 had a significantly longer elimination half-life (21.8 ± 7.2 days [P < 0.0001]) than monoclonal antibodies 4E10 (5.5 ± 2.2 days) and 2F5 (4.3 ± 1.1 days). The comprehensive pharmacokinetic data from this long-term multiple-dose phase II study were coherent with those from previous short-term phase I studies, as assessed by compartmental and noncompartmental techniques. The anti-HIV type 1 antibodies studied showed distribution and elimination kinetics similar to those seen for other human-like antibodies. Further studies examining tissue concentrations to explain the differential in vivo activity of the anti-gp120 antibody compared with those of the two anti-gp41 antibodies are warranted.


The effect of local rigid rotations of the LiNbO3 structure on the optical response has been theoretically explored and compared to experimental data obtained after irradiation with F (20–22 MeV), O (20 MeV) and Mg (39 MeV) ions. The calculations account for the main trends of the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices measured after the initial stage of irradiation, namely, decrease in birrefringence and approximate invariance of the average refractive index. Moreover, experimental data are quantitatively consistent with a distribution function exp [ − θ/θ0] for the rotation angle with respect to the trigonal (Z-axis) and isotropic azimuthal angle ϕ. The corresponding θ0 angle is in the range 4.6–7.0° depending on ion and energy (stopping power). The model also predicts a significant reduction in second-harmonic generation (SHG) yield with fluence, comparable although somewhat lower than found by experiment.


Since the United States Supreme Court's decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White (2002), candidate running for state judicial offices have been free to engage in position-taking during their campaigns. This has led to a general concern that the floodgates have been opened for negative campaigning paid for by "special interests" – a practice many begrudgingly accept for legislative and executive races, but is considered by many observers to be inappropriate for those seeking a position as judge. Using data compiled by the Wisconsin Advertising Project and the Wesleyan Media Project, we conduct a content analysis of judicial campaign ads over the last decade. We investigate what issues candidates focus on in their ads, what factors lead to negative advertising, and how often judicial candidates try to remain "above the fray" by not invoking political language or positions in their ads. This research provides insight not only into the dynamics of judicial campaign advertising, but how those dynamics differ from those in races for other offices.


Converging evidence indicates that aberrant aggregation of mutant Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (mutSOD1) is strongly implicated in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). MutSOD1 forms high molecular weight oligomers, which disappear under reducing conditions, both in neural tissues of FALS transgenic mice and in transfected cultured cells, indicating a role for aberrant intermolecular disulfide cross-linking in the oligomerization and aggregation process. To study the contribution of specific cysteines in the mechanism of aggregation, we mutated human SOD1 in each of its four cysteine residues and, using a cell transfection assay, analyzed the solubility and aggregation of those SOD1s. Our results suggest that the formation of mutSOD1 aggregates are the consequence of covalent disulfide cross-linking and non-covalent interactions. In particular, we found that the removal of Cys-111 strongly reduces the ability of a range of different FALS-associated mutSOD1s to form aggregates and impair cell viability in cultured NSC-34 cells. Moreover, the removal of Cys-111 impairs the ability of mutSOD1s to form disulfide cross-linking. Treatments that deplete the cellular pool of GSH exacerbate mutSOD1s insolubility, whereas an overload of intracellular GSH or overexpression of glutaredoxin-1, which specifically catalyzes the reduction of protein-SSG-mixed disulfides, significantly rescues mutSOD1s solubility. These data are consistent with the view that the redox environment influences the oligomerization/aggregation pathway of mutSOD1 and point to Cys-111 as a key mediator of this process.


The goal of person search is to localize and match query persons from scene images. For high efficiency, one-step methods have been developed to jointly handle the pedestrian detection and identification sub-tasks using a single network. There are two major challenges in the current one-step approaches. One is the mutual interference between the optimization objectives of multiple sub-tasks. The other is the sub-optimal identification feature learning caused by small batch size when end-to-end training. To overcome these problems, we propose a decoupled and memory-reinforced network (DMRNet). Specifically, to reconcile the conflicts of multiple objectives, we simplify the standard tightly coupled pipelines and establish a deeply decoupled multi-task learning framework. Further, we build a memory-reinforced mechanism to boost the identification feature learning. By queuing the identification features of recently accessed instances into a memory bank, the mechanism augments the similarity pair construction for pairwise metric learning. For better encoding consistency of the stored features, a slow-moving average of the network is applied for extracting these features. In this way, the dual networks reinforce each other and converge to robust solution states. Experimentally, the proposed method obtains 93.2% and 46.9% mAP on CUHK-SYSU and PRW datasets, which exceeds all the existing one-step methods.


Municipal waste consist of a variety of items that are everyday discarded by the population. They are usually collected by municipalities and include waste generated by households, commercial activities (local shops) and public buildings. The composition of municipal waste varies greatly from place to place, being mostly related to levels and patterns of consumption, rates of urbanization, lifestyles, and local or national waste management practices. Each year, a huge amount of resources is consumed in the EU, and according to that, also a huge amount of waste is produced. The environmental problems derived from the management and processing of these waste streams are well known, and include impacts on land, water and air. The situation in remote areas is even worst. Difficult access when climatic conditions are adverse, remoteness of centralized municipal treatment systems or dispersion of the population, are all factors that make remote areas a real municipal waste treatment challenge. Furthermore, the scope of the problem increases significantly because the total lack of awareness of the existing risks in this area together with the poor implementation of advanced culture on waste minimization and recycling responsibly. The aim of this work is to analyze the existing situation in remote areas in reference to the production of municipal waste and evaluate the efficiency of different management alternatives. Ideas for improving waste management in remote areas include, for example: the implementation of self-management systems for the organic fraction; establish door-to-door collection models; promote small-scale treatment facilities or adjust the rates of waste generation thereof. Keywords—Door to door collection, islands, isolated areas, municipal waste, remote areas, rural communities.


Obtaining microbial genomes with the highest accuracy and contiguity is extremely important when exploring the functional impact of genetic and epigenetic variants on a genome-wide scale. A comprehensive view of the bacterial genome, including genes, regulatory regions, IS elements, phage integration sites, and base modifications is vital to understanding key traits such as antibiotic resistance, virulence, and metabolism. SMRT Sequencing provides complete genomes, often assembled into a single contig.


Ion–molecule reactions between ionized carbonyl compounds or ionized enols with t-butyl nitrite allow a clear-cut distinction to be made between both these isomeric structures. The most relevant difference between the observed reactions is the formal substitution of a hydrogen atom by nitric oxide in the enol ions. Collisional activation experiments on the product ions are interpreted in terms of α-nitroso carbonyl structures. However, a quantum chemical investigation at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory shows that ionized α-nitroso carbonyl and vinyl nitrite structures may isomerize provided they contain ca 60 kJ mol−1 of internal energy. It is, therefore, possible that both structures are generated in the substitution reaction.


A new procedure based on constructing orthonormal tensor basis using the form-invariant expressions which can easily be extended to any tensor of rank n. A new decomposition, which is not in literature, of the stress tensor is presented. An innovational general form and more explicit physical property of the symmetric fourth rank elastic tensors is presented. The new method allows to measure the stiffness and piezoelectricity in the elastic fiber reinforced composite and piezoelectric ceramic materials, respecively, using a proposed norm concept on the crystal scale. This method will allow to investigate the effects of fiber orientaion, number of plies, material properties of matrix and fibers, and degree of anisotropy on the stiffness of the structure. The results are compared with those available in the literature for semiconductor compounds, piezoelectric ceramics and fiber reinforced composite materials.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


Debates on the postwar "transition" are symbolically linked to the year 1945, but in many cases they had already started in 1943–4 and lasted until 1948. A general feeling of rupture with the past dominated throughout East Central Europe. Symbolic geographical references underwent important change, stressing some sort of synthesis between East and West. The experience of the Holocaust resulted in reflections on the responsibility of the region's societies for the genocide. The debates of the immediate postwar period were also concerned with the relationship of democracy and socialism, the nationalization of communism, the conflict of neo-Romantic, neoclassicist, and modernist aesthetic sensitivities, and the clash between a strict adherence to Moscow and dissenting options. The noncommunist thought of the period ranged from social democratic and Christian democratic streams to various versions of nationalism. In turn, the armed anti-communist resistance rarely went beyond devising a mobilizing rhetoric, the most important exception being the Ukrainian underground, which produced relatively developed theoretical reflection.


This article addresses one of the foremost, yet mostly unrecognized barriers to the development of effective compliance and ethics programs in organizations: the existing legal system. While much has been made of government efforts to promote and recognize compliance and ethics programs, almost no attention has been given to an undercurrent in the legal system that has thwarted organizational self-policing, and that threatens to undermine the policy basis for promoting effective compliance and ethics programs. The article begins with a brief overview of the history of the field of compliance and ethics and the policy reasons for its development. It then reviews the policy conflicts between the existing legal system and the application of compliance and ethics. It surveys weaknesses in current approaches to implementing compliance and ethics programs that undercut the effectiveness of such programs. In the conclusion it discusses how to balance the conflicting policies, ending with proposed legislation to resolve the conflict.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to determine differences in articulation and nasality with obturation over time in children with a palatal fistula.

DESIGN
Articulation and nasality were measured with the fistula open, immediately after obturation, and 4 to 7 weeks postobturation. SETTING, PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 15 patients with a palatal fistula secondary to a repaired cleft palate who were seen through the Orofacial Program, Utah Department of Health, ranging in age from 4 years 6 months to 13 years 1 month.

INTERVENTIONS
Acrylic palatal obturators were designed to provide coverage specific to the unique shape and location of each child's fistula. Obturators were cemented to molar teeth using wire clasps for control of usage.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Measurements consisted of listener judgments of hypernasality, hyponasality, and nasal emissions; instrumental ratings of nasalance using the Nasometer 6200-2; and performance on a standardized articulation test.

RESULTS
Significant improvement occurred only on nasal emission measures from the preobturation condition to immediate postobturation. However, significant improvement was found in articulation, listener judgments of hypernasality, nasal emissions, and Nasometric Nasal Sentence mean scores from the preobturation condition to 4 to 7 weeks postobturation and from the immediate postobturation condition to 4 to 7 weeks postobturation. No significant differences were found between conditions for listener judgments of hyponasality and Nasometric Zoo and Rainbow Passage scores. Obturation of the palatal fistula over a 4- to 7-week period resulted in no adverse effect on articulation ability, perceptual ratings of nasality, or instrumental ratings of nasalance.

CONCLUSIONS
Clinical management of patients with a palatal fistula can be enhanced with treatment using obturation over time. For subjects who continue to exhibit hypernasality immediately postobturation, sustained obturation is advocated prior to consideration of surgical intervention for treatment of a palatal fistula and/or velopharyngeal dysfunction.


In this work, we propose an efficient method of reducing the computational effort of variational calculation with a Hylleraas-like trial wavefunction. The method consists of introducing integral transforms for the terms as rk12 exp (−λr12) which provide the calculation of the expectation value of energy and the relevant matrix elements to be done analytically over single-electron coordinates instead of Hylleraas coordinates. We have used this method to calculate the ground state energy of a two-electron system in a spherical dot and a disk-like quantum dot separately. Under parabolic confinement potential and within effective mass approximation size and shape effects of quantum dots on the ground state energy of two electrons have been investigated. The calculation shows that our results even with a small number of basis states are in good agreement with previous theoretical results.


The immediate opening of the country to the world, accompanied by a deep political, economic and social crisis were the main factors that stimulated the first flows of international migration in Albania after the fall of communism. Initially the emigration and the remittances were a solution to the chaotic situation in which the country found itself. But after a few years the immigration phenomenon is considered as a negative phenomenon. It was evaluated negatively because those leaving were young people of working age, qualified people and the demographic composition of a country is an element that affects economic development. Today, the countries are thinking about how to take advantage of this inevitable reality brought about by free movement and globalization.Investors of the diaspora are particularly important for developing countrys such as Albania, where foreign investors refuse to invest due to inadequate economic structure, political instability, inadequate infrastructure, etc. Diaspora investors invest because in addition to the profit motive they are inspired by social and emotional factors to invest in their home country. Diaspora investments may also be less vulnerable to capital flight in a time of crisis. For more the diaspora investors play a crucial role in overcoming the isolation of poor countries from the flows of global trade. The purpose of this analysis is to study the contribution of the Albanian diaspora to the development of the economy. Analyzing the role of the diaspora, their involvement in national issues, policies and mechanisms undertaken by the Albanian government for their withdrawal we can evaluate that the Albanian diaspora represents a great opportunity, still little exploited.


Relations and quocientes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immunoglobulins G (IGG) and serum (S) IGG were studied in 50 patients with chronic headache, normal neurological examination and normal electroencephalogram. CSF was normal as to: pressure, cytology, total proteins, protein fractions and immunoglobulins (IGG, IGA and IGM) contents. In all cases the CSF sample studied was collected from cisterna magna. The relations and quocients studied were: CSF IGG/CSF TOTAL PROTEIN, CSF IGG/CSF ALBUMIN, CSF IGG/CSF PRE ALBUMIN+ALBU-MIN, (CSF IGG/S IGG) / (CSF ALBUMIN/S ALBUMIN) and (CSF IGG/S IGG) / (CSF PRE ALBUMIN+ALBUMIN) / (S ALBUMIN). It was found that the best index to appraise the behavior of IGG is: (CSF IGG/S IGG) / (CSF PRE ALBUMIN-f ALBUMIN/S ALBUMIN) that shows an average of 0.56 and a standard deviation of 0.32 in the material studied.


Due to distance, geography, rural culture and smaller populations it is not possible for urban service models to be effectively transferred to rural districts. A review of the literature shows that these characteristics must be considered when developing a rural service. Comparison of the results of a needs survey with information available from the CRISP database of the Cooma Mental Health Team and population data, confirms the impact of distance on service provision and accessibility, and the importance of small rural hospitals to extension of services across distances. Depression emerged as the predominant presenting problem identified by staff and clients. Consistent differences in the results between male and female clients suggest differing needs. The survey also supports evidence in the literature that staff and clients differ on their view of presenting problems and the importance of different services. Results showed that clients considered counselling and information were the most important services, and also rated them lower in terms of satisfaction. The business hours availability of the mental health service was rated the poorest of all aspects of the service.


Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an independent risk factor for osteoporosis. Although bone mineral density (BMD) testing is routinely performed in patients with RA, the optimal interval between BMD tests remains undetermined. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the transition time to osteoporosis in RA patients with normal BMD and in those with osteopenia at baseline, and to estimate the optimal BMD testing interval. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 548 consecutive RA patients at a single tertiary hospital who underwent BMD testing on two or more occasions during October 1994 and December 2011. Patients were sorted into 5 groups; normal baseline BMD (T score, -1.00 or higher), mild osteopenia (T score, -1.01 to -1.49), moderate osteopenia (T score, -1.50 to -1.99), severe osteopenia (T score, -2.00 to -2.49) or osteoporosis (T score -2.50 or lower). The transition time to osteoporosis was defined as the estimated time for 10% of patients to make the transition to osteoporosis from normal BMD or from each subgroup of osteopenia. Risk factors for osteoporosis on initial BMD test were also assessed. Results Patients were mostly women (96.4%) and the mean age was 55.6 ± 10.6 years. The mean follow-up duration of RA was 8.8 ± 4.3 years. At initial visit, 9.1% of patients had a past history of steroid use for diseases other than RA. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 330 of 531 patients (62.1%) and anti-CCP antibodies in 138 of 206 patients (67%). The mean duration between the initial visit and the first BMD screening was 32.7 ± 40.2 months and the prevalence of osteoporosis was 31.7% at screening (95% confidence interval (CI) 27.6 to 36.1). Estimated transition time to osteoporosis was 72 months (95% CI 36 to 90) for patients with normal BMD, 62 months (95% CI 28 to 126) for patients with mild osteopenia, 34 months (95% CI 16 to 60) for patients with moderate osteopenia, and 17 months (95% CI 10 to 21) for patients with severe osteopenia. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for osteoporosis at initial BMD testing was high for older age (OR 1.066, 95% CI 1.029 to 1.105, p < 0.0001), past steroid use (OR 2.033, 95% CI 1.174 to 3.520, p = 0.0159), and current steroid use (OR 3.987, 95% CI 2.092 to 7.597, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Our data indicate that osteoporosis would develop in less than 10% of RA patients within 6 years for patients with normal bone density, 5 years for patients with mild osteopenia, 2.5 years for patient with moderate osteopenia, and 1 year for patients with advanced osteopenia at baseline. Therefore, the interval for rescreening BMD testing should be adjusted based on the initial BMD result in patients with RA. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Demand for fresh fruit is steadily increasing in big cities of Northwestern Ethiopia. As a result, fruits are transported from nearby as well as long distance sources to urban centers such as Bahir Dar. The type of fruit crops available in the market and number of fruit retailers are increasing from time to time. However, the key challenge facing the sector is loss across the supply chain. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to analyze fruit marketing practices, document causes and extent of postharvest losses in Bahir Dar fruit market. The study was conducted in June 2016 using semi structured questionnaire. Thirty-one fruit retailers were randomly selected and interviewed to obtain information on their socio-economic characteristics, fruit marketing practices and postharvest losses. Data analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Results revealed that, 77.4% fruit retailers are less than 31 years old, 67.8% attended above primary school education, and 83.9% have less than six years fruit trading experience. Therefore, fruit retailers are young and educated but have very limited fruit trading experience. Of the seven fruit crops commonly sold in Bahir Dar market; mango, banana and avocado were the most prevalent. The average shelf life of fruits in retailers' hand is only 3 to 4 days and about 20% of the fruits purchased by retailers lost before reaching to consumers mainly due to inappropriate handling and lack of proper storage facility. Therefore, multifaceted interventions such as capacity development, improved fruit production and harvesting practice, and proper storage and transportation facilities establishment are required to reduce postharvest loss and extend fruit shelf-life.

 Key words: Postharvest loss, fruits, shelf life, storage, Bahir Dar, nutrition security.


This books helps employees working with IBM mainframe systems to significantly increase their productivity. The reader learns how to use ISPF professionally. The author gives many useful hints and tips based on his extensive experience working with ISPF. All major commands are demonstrated by tested examples in their mode of action. The book can be used both as a teaching help and as a practical guide to daily work.


In this paper, we describe a novel multifocal projection concept that applies conventional video projectors and camera feedback. Multiple projectors with differently adjusted focal planes, but overlapping image areas are used. They can be either differently positioned in the environment or can be integrated into a single projection unit. The defocus created on an arbitrary surface is estimated automatically for each projector pixel. If this is known, a final image with minimal defocus can be composed in real-time from individual pixel contributions of all projectors. Our technique is independent of the surfaces' geometry, color and texture, the environment light, as well as of the projectors' position, orientation, luminance, and chrominance.


A case of Horner's syndrome (HS) following lumbar epidural block during labor is described. 10 min after injection of the local anaesthetic the symptoms and signs of HS were recognized. They spontaneously disappeared 60 min later. It is concluded, that HS seems to be a benign complication of epidural anaesthesia which may, however, present the first sign or symptom of an extensive block of serious consequence. Pregnant women in labor receiving epidural block, seem to be predisposed to HS.


Kenya confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 12 March 2020. Like many governments across the world, the Kenyan government implemented various measures aimed at slowing down local spread of the virus and cushioning the population against the negative economic effects of the pandemic and the associated policy restrictions. International organisations and researchers postulated that the measures would negatively affect economic activities and livelihoods, with undesirable implications for poverty and food insecurity. Particularly vulnerable would be populations in developing countries such as Kenya, where many people depend on food systems for their livelihoods, and the majority of those are smallholder farmers who often have low economic power. The objective of this rapid assessment was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the food system and the sub-set of the population largely dependent on agriculture in Kenya to inform actions that can assure protection of rural livelihoods and continued access to adequate and affordable food of acceptable quality to the population. This report presents results of that rapid assessment.


Nonprofit organizations make significant contributions to individuals, organizations, communities, the environment, and societies, but many do not survive in the long run. This study is important to business leaders in for-profit and nonprofit organizations who want to implement strategies for the long-term survival of their business, improve business performance, and effect positive social change. Grounded in Penrose's theory of growth, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore strategies leaders used to grow and expand a nonprofit business in the midwestern region of the United States. The participants comprised 5 nonprofit leaders with recorded success at growing and expanding their business. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and document reviews involving the governance system, programs, strategies, operations, partners, and budget. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged: strategic planning cycle, effective fundraising planning and strategy, resource and financial assessment, and team development and positive working conditions. A key recommendation includes that nonprofit leaders seeking growth and expansion engage in effective strategic planning. The implications for positive social change include the potential for leaders of nonprofit organizations to provide growth and expansion strategies to increase their organizations' capacity for positively transforming communities by maintaining or improving available opportunities and services.


Dynamic analysis, finite element analysis and fatigue life analysis of transmission gear of Self-Propelled Gun is achieved in this paper according to the theory of multi-body dynamics, finite element and cumulative fatigue damage, and the well-known software Pro/E, ADAMS, PATRAN and FE-Fatigue are integrated in the research. The virtual prototyping model of self-propelled gun's transmission box is built by ADAMS software. The dynamic load spectrum of transmission gear is achieved by virtual driving of Self-Propelled Gun. The finite element model of the gear is built by using PATRAN software, after defining reasonable boundary conditions, material and element properties, according to the load and the fatigue failure criterion of the gear, the stress-strain state of gear on load is studied. The dynamic load spectrum and the stress-strain state of the gear are considered as basic input data, the fatigue life of the gear is calculated by using FE-fatigue software. The road haul of gear without fault is predicted when the self-propelled gun drives on the second-class load surface at low speed. This method offers a new idea to the fatigue life prediction. It can predict fatigue life without experiments, and save cost and time. It has the great significance to the optimization design of the self-propelled gun.


Context: Total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) is a popular mode of hysterectomy in the recent times. One of the principal steps is vaginal cuff closure, with many variations in surgical technique and materials. Intracorporeal suturing and knot-tying are crucial steps and are considered to be the most technically difficult skills. To overcome these challenges and learning curve, various measures have been emerging. One among them is the introduction of barbed suture, a new class of suture material. Aim: To evaluate whether the use of barbed suture for vaginal cuff closure during TLH reduced the surgical difficulty and suturing time when compared to polyglactin 910 suture. Materials and methods: This randomized comparative study included 100 patients divided into two groups of 50 each, who underwent TLH with vault closure using either barbed sutures or polyglactin 910. Demographic details, indication for surgery, intraoperative complications, mean suturing time, surgeon difficulty, and average hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Statistical analysis: Student t test for continuous variables and Fischer exact test for categorical variables. p values ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Use of barbed suture has significantly reduced the suturing time for vaginal vault closure (5.39 vs 6.9 minutes, p value < 0.0001) as well as the technical difficulty in laparoscopic suturing ( p value < 0.0001) when compared to that with polyglactin 910. Conclusion: The introduction of barbed sutures for vault closure during TLH not just reduces the suturing time but is also technically less demanding, making it a potential asset in laparoscopic hysterectomies.


A metagenomic study was performed on 498 female and 40 male Aedes albopictus mosquitos collected in August and September 2019 in Ticino, a region in southern Switzerland, to address the question regarding the risk of the local transmission of zoonotic viruses. A total of 13 viruses from seven different virus families and several unclassified viral taxa were identified. Reads of insect-specific flaviviruses were present in all pools, and a complete genome of aedes flavivirus was assembled and phylogenetically analysed. The most abundant virus was Wenzhou sobemo-like virus, assembled from 1.3 × 105 to 3.6 × 106 reads in each pool. In a pool of male mosquitos, a complete genome of aedes Iflavi-like virus was detected and phylogenetically analysed. Most importantly, genomes of human pathogenic viruses were not found. This is the first study to determine the virome of Ae. albopictus from Switzerland and forms a baseline for future longitudinal investigations concerning the potential role of Ae. albopictus as a vector of clinically relevant viruses.


BACKGROUND
Thoracostomy tube (TT) placement constitutes primary treatment for traumatic hemopneumothorax. Practice patterns vary widely, and criteria for management and removal remain poorly defined. In this cohort study, we examined the impact of implementation of a practice guideline (PG) on improving management efficiency of thoracostomy tube.

METHODS
We developed a PG aimed at standardizing the management of TTs in critically ill patients admitted to a Level I trauma center. During the 9-month period before (Pre-PG) and 3 months after (Post-PG) implementation, practice parameters including prophylactic antibiotics, duration of TT therapy, preremoval chest radiographs with associated charges, and complications were evaluated. Differences between groups were assessed by Mann-Whitney rank sum and chi(2) with Yates correction.

RESULTS
There were 61 patients, 14 in the Pre-PG group and 47 in the Post-PG group. The groups were matched in age and Injury Severity Scores. The Post-PG cohort averaged 3 fewer days of TT therapy. After implementation of the PG, 21 patients did not have preremoval chest radiography, representing a $3000 reduction in radiology fees. Complication rates (retained pneumothorax, hemothorax, and empyema) were not different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION
Implementation of a thoracostomy tube practice guideline was associated with improved management efficiency in trauma patients.


This study examines the preparation of ultra-thin polypyrrole nanosheets decorated with Ag nanoparticles (Ag-UTPNSs) and their application in the enzyme-less detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirmed that Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited onto the surface of the UTPNSs. The increase of the H2O2 reduction current peak to 120 A in the presence of the Ag-UTPNS/glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as compared to the UTPNS/GCE indicates that the sensitivity of the electrode to H2O2 is significant. This observation can be explained by the larger surface area of the UTPNSs, which can increase the interactions between the polymer and the AgNO3 solution during the mperometric ydrogen peroxide deposition of the Ag NPs, and by the small size of the deposited Ag NPs, which can produce a surface area of Ag that is suitable for the reaction with H2O2. The amperometric responses show that the limit of detection, the limit of quantification (S/N = 3) and the sensitivity are estimated to be 0.57 M, 1.93 M and 4.477 A mM−1, respectively, for the linear segment. The results of the reproducibility experiments show that the use of Ag-UTPNS/GCE is feasible for the quantitative detection of certain concentration ranges of H2O2.


Hybrid foam structures of metal and carbon are extensively used for electrochemical applications. However, their fabrication involves solution- or vacuum-processing, which damages the metal backbones or increases the fabrication time and cost. Herein, we report a tunable method for the scalable fabrication of core–shell metal–carbon hybrid foams using structure-guided combustion waves (SGCWs) and their application for the synthesis of core–shell Ni–MnO2 hybrid foams as binder-free supercapacitor electrodes. SGCWs passing through the hybrids of nickel foams and chemical fuels, prepared by a wet impregnation method, enabled the direct fabrication of carbon coatings on the surfaces of the inner nickel backbones and yielded core–shell Ni@C. The incompletely combusted carbonaceous fuels in a few seconds, which were formed in the narrowly confined foam structures reaching 430 °C, acted as amorphous carbon coatings, while the total amount and uniformity of the carbon content could be controlled by the number of times SGCWs were applied. The developed carbon coatings were used as templates for MnO2 shells to synthesize core–shell Ni@MnO2 hybrid foams as binder-free supercapacitor electrodes. The core–shell Ni@MnO2 foams fabricated by applying SGCWs three times exhibited a high specific capacitance of up to 660 F g−1 and stable capacitance retention (∼95.4% over more than 10 000 cycles) because of their lower serial resistance and optimal diffusion during the redox reaction. This tunable fabrication method using SGCWs in a vacuum-free, open-air environment enables the synthesis of scalable carbon coatings on metal- or ceramic-based foams for electrochemical applications.


3D printing technologies have advanced significantly in recent years allowing for additive manufacturing of new structured materials, expanding the range, function, and capabilities of manufactured components. In this work, flexible capacitors were produced using additive manufacturing and compared to commercially available capacitance sensors in strain testing. The sensors utilize thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) printed using fused filament fabrication methods as a dielectric substrate and a combination of flexible inks for production of the conductive surface. Flexible inks were printed using syringe based deposition methods on a custom designed printer using the TPU substrate. Results demonstrated successful capacitor production with capacitance values ranging from 2–70 pF depending on geometry, material, and printing conditions. The 3D printed flexible capacitors were characterized over a frequency range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz and compared to commercial roll-to-roll produced capacitors. Strain testing was conducted from 0–50% strain using a mechanical testing machine for the range of sensors and final capacitance post strain was measured to calculate deviation from original capacitance values. The sensors exhibited a relatively linear increase in capacitance when strained and returned to a resting position upon release of strain with minimal hysteresis effects, demonstrating their utility as 3D printed sensors.


The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of ethics and social responsibility on employees' affective commitment in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).,This is a quantitative research. The authors employ multistage sampling technique, non-probability and judgmental sampling method. Data were collected through questionnaire survey to measure the respondents' perceptions of the ethics and social responsibility, as well as internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. The data obtained were analyzed through variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM), i.e., partial least square SEM.,The findings reveal that perceived role of ethics and social responsibility (PRESOR) and internal CSR are positively related to employees' affective commitment. Job satisfaction is found to be mediating the relationship between PRESOR and affective commitment. The result also showed that internal CSR practices mediate the relationship between PRESOR and affective commitment.,There are few limitations in the present research. First, present research merely investigates the practices of ethics and social responsibility by SMEs and did not perform a comparison with larger organizations. Second, the use of non-probability sampling method is unable to generalize results for the entire population. Future research could address the shortcoming of present research in order to further contribute to the academic and business world.,The findings provide insights to entrepreneurs and SMEs on the manifestation of ethics and social responsibility in enhancing employees' affective commitment. In turn, it reduces employees' turnover intention and enhances SMEs sustainability to strive in the competitive environment.,These findings highlight the positive chain effects of enterprises in discharging their moral obligation as well as their social responsibility. The enterprises are benefited from the good reputation which may act as a magnet to attract talent-employees and also sustaining their enterprises through employees' retention.,This research paper contributes to current knowledge by painting a better picture on the importance of ethics and social responsibility and internal CSR from the employees' perception. As to date, employees' perception of ethics and social responsibility and internal CSR practices are still under-investigated. Moreover, past research often focuses the impact of ethics and social responsibility in the larger corporation but scant research is conducted in the smaller organization such as SMEs.


Louis Kahn' National Assembly building in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is regarded by many as his greatest masterpiece and one of the wonders of modern architecture.The octagonal main Parliament building is framed by eight hostel blocks--all built in local red brick, lawns and an artificial lake symbolizing the significance of water in Bangladesh.The striking simplicity of the exterior, consisting of only concrete and bands of inlaid marble, is broken up by a variety of recessed geometric shapes which create hollow spaces to allow for sunlight and air to circulate the entire building complex. Grischa Ruschendorf's stunning architectural photos, some depicting so far unseen areas, invite you to explore the rarely visited building, and how this timeless masterpiece has stood the test of time."


Compensation claims totalling at least £10m ($16m) are expected to follow the General Medical Council's finding last week that two surgeons from Bristol Royal Infirmary, James Wisheart and Janardan Dhasmana, disregarded warnings that their death rates were unacceptably high and continued to operate on babies and toddlers with heart defects.

Writs on behalf of children who died or were brain damaged and their parents are expected to follow the ruling in what was dubbed "the medical scandal of the century" by Stephen Bolsin, the anaesthetist, who exposed it. At least 20 writs have already been issued in cases where children have died.

Laurence Vick, of the Exeter law firm Tozers, said: "By sitting on the problem for so long and for failure to call a halt to these operations before they were finally forced to act in 1995, the trust has exposed itself to the risk of numerous claims. It may find itself liable for all adverse outcomes after a certain date irrespective of the need to prove negligence by a surgeon or support team in those operations."

The GMC …


Consumer goods giant Unilever says it will begin to voluntarily disclose the fragrance ingredients in its individual home and personal care products down to 0.01% of the products' formulations. It will also disclose the scent that each fragrance ingredient contributes. The lists will be available on Unilever's website by 2018. In addition, the company will label fragrance allergens on the packages of its personal care products in the U.S. Generally, fragrance formulas are considered trade secrets and are not part of ingredient disclosure rules. The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that tracks ingredients in personal care and cleaning products, applauded the move. EWG says the new policy is a game changer, and it expects other major companies to follow suit.


Certain transport effects are known to be sensitive to the type of scattering responsible for resistance, so that the relaxation-time approximation becomes inadequate. It is argued that small-angle scattering, such as is caused by low-temperature phonons and extended defects, may be as effective as isotropic scattering if the disturbance of the distribution function by the applied field varies abruptly over the Fermi surface. Any scattering process between points differing greatly in their disturbed distribution, however close together in k-space, creates entropy and is an effective collision. A number of examples are discussed in qualitative terms from this viewpoint, especially the size-effect and various magnetoresistance phenomena in which the Fermi surface topology and the magnetic field together create the required conditions for abrupt variations. In the second section, several special models are analysed in detail: (1) The free-electron gas acted on by a spatially periodic electric field; the conductivity is found to differ by at most 20% between conditions of isotropic and small-angle scattering, in spite of considerable effects of the scattering function on the form of the disturbed distribution. (2) Transverse magnetoresistance in a model metal whose Fermi surface resembles that of copper, etc., in generating alternate belts of electron and hole orbits. Scattering between the belts delays saturation of the resistance, which in very strong fields may rise to a much higher value than for isotropic scattering. If open orbits are present, however, the non-saturating quadratic increase with field is diminished by small-angle scattering. (3) Transverse magnetoresistance in a model metal with a nearly free electron Fermi surface just overlapping the first Brillouin zone (e. g. Al, Mg, Zn). Small-angle scattering between zones produces effects similar to those in (2), though the analysis is quite different. In the third section, some of the scanty published data on Cu, In and Al are discussed briefly to indicate that the puzzles they present may be resolved if small-angle scattering (or equivalent effects due to mosaic structure) dominates the behaviour of ultra-pure samples. But there is need for more experiment before anything can be said for certain.


GEOLOGY
The oldest minerals on Earth—a few dating as much as 4.4 billion years ago—are igneous zircons that have been eroded and incorporated into comparatively younger 3.8-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks. Several studies have examined the geochemistry of these zircons and inferred conditions on early Earth and the composition of its early crust. Initial results based on the zircon oxygen isotopic compositions and trace element chemistry have implied that liquid water was abundant and that some magmas were cool and water-rich.

Two related studies provide expanded data and additional constraints. Harrison et al. examined the titanium content of zircons, which can be related to the crystallization temperature and thus the water and silica content of a magma. Through a comparative study of zircons in younger granites, they argue that the overall distribution of data in the very old zircons is most consistent with derivation from magmas that formed by remelting of water-rich crust. Trail et al. examined the oxygen isotope compositions and confirmed that several grains have high 18O/16O ratios, implying derivation of the host magma from water-altered crust or sediments. Together the data imply that early Earth had a vigorous rock cycle involving water, erosion, and burial and heating of sediments, like that operating today. — BH

Geology 35 , 635 (2007); Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 8 , 10.1029/2006GC001449 (2007).


Using computer simulation to analyze large-scale discrete event systems requires repeated executions with various scenarios or parameters. Such repeated executions can induce significant redundancy in event processing when the modification from a prior scenario to a new scenario is relatively minor, and when the altered scenario influences only a small part of the simulation. For example, in a city-scale traffic simulation, an altered scenario of blocking one junction may only affect a small part of the city for considerable length of time. However, traditional simulation approaches would still repeat the simulation for the whole city even when the changes are minor. In this article, we propose a new redundancy reduction technique for large-scale discrete event simulations, called exact-differential simulation, which simulates only the altered portions of scenarios and their influences in repeated executions while still achieving the same results as the re-execution of entire simulations. This article presents the main concepts of the exact-differential simulation, the design of its algorithm, and an approach to build an exact-differential simulation middleware that supports multiple applications of discrete event simulation. We also evaluate our approach by using two case studies, PHOLD benchmark and a traffic simulation of Tokyo.


This paper introduces the (by now, classical) notion of an arithmetical extension. Let M and N be two relational systems (structures) such that N is an extension of M. Let K be the set of sentences which are formulated in the Lower Predicate Calculus (with identity) in terms of extralogical symbols for given relations and all individuals of M, and which are true in M. Then N is said to be an arithmetical (or, elementary) extension of M if the sentences of K hold also in N, i.e., if N, like M, is a model of K (for the specified denotation of the symbols of K). The relation of arithmetical extension is reflexive and transitive. More generally, as shown in the paper under review, if $ is a non-empty set of relational systems such that for any two elements M x and M 2 of <D either Mi is an arithmetical extension of M 2 or M 2 is an arithmetical extension of Mi then the union of <X> (in the sense of Model Theory) is an arithmetical extension of each element of <t>. The paper sufficient, sufficient,


The article presents the author's theory of consciousness. The proposed theory allows describing unexplained yet psychological phenomenology. Ideal (psychic) and material (physical) is viewed as attributes of the substance-process of activity. Human is the subject of not one activity, but of the integral system of activities. Thus, individual consciousness is the attribute of individual system of activities and personal history of activities of the person. The difference between a system and a history of every man causes differences of consciousness (ideal attribute of system of activities) and corporeality (material attribute). Group differences of the systems of activities cause, accordingly, cultural, ethnic, regional, professional and other group differences of attributes of activity (of consciousness and corporeality). We change reality with our activity, i.e. reality is partly dependent on our activity. Thus, "objective reality, which is independent of our consciousness" and our acts, is non-existent, and taking into account consistency and interconnectedness of the Universe, this redefines the issue of responsibility of the subject of the conscious process. Various states of consciousness of man gather in one integral self-consciousness with the help of his continuous and developing system of activities. New states of consciousness (and new knowledge) are born not from the consciousness itself, but from the development of one's activity. Joint activity causes joint consciousness (ideal attribute of joint activity) and joint corporeality (instrumentality material attribute). Inclusion of various subjects in common activity causes transpersonality (in its limit - noospherity) of consciousness. The unexplained yet by science, but stated parapsychological phenomenology is possible to study with the schemes of structures of individual and joint activity as processes and products of these activities, as results of processes of transpersonality and continuity (skandhas) of activities.


Abstract Jacob, P., Bogdanova, T. I., Buglova, E., Chepurniy, M., Demidchik, Y., Gavrilin, Y., Kenigsberg, J., Meckbach, R., Schotola, C., Shinkarev, S., Tronko, M. D., Ulanovsky, A., Vavilov, S. and Walsh, L. Thyroid Cancer Risk in Areas of Ukraine and Belarus Affected by the Chernobyl Accident. Radiat. Res. 165, 1–8 (2006). The purpose of the present study was to analyze the thyroid cancer incidence risk after the Chernobyl accident and its degree of dependence on time and age. Data were analyzed for 1034 settlements in Ukraine and Belarus, in which more than 10 measurements of the 131I content in human thyroids had been performed in May/June 1986. Thyroid doses due to the Chernobyl accident were assessed for the birth years 1968– 1985 and related to thyroid cancers that were surgically removed during the period 1990–2001. The central estimate for the linear coefficient of the EAR dose response was 2.66 (95% CI: 2.19; 3.13) cases per 104 PY-Gy; for the quadratic coefficient, it was −0.145 (95% CI: −0.171; −0.119) cases per 104 PY-Gy2. The EAR was found to be higher for females than for males by a factor of 1.4. It decreased with age at exposure and increased with age attained. The central estimate for the linear coefficient of the ERR dose response was 18.9 (95% CI: 11.1; 26.7) Gy−1; for the quadratic coefficient, it was −1.03 (95% CI: −1.46; −0.60) Gy−2. The ERR was found to be smaller for females than for males by a factor of 3.8 and decreased strongly with age at exposure. Both EAR and ERR were higher in the Belarusian settlements than in the Ukrainian settlements. In contrast to ERR, EAR increases with time after exposure. At the end of the observation period, excess risk estimates were found to be close to those observed in a major pooled analysis of seven studies of childhood thyroid cancer after external exposures.