Telematic technology implies important new discoveries not only for the access and circulation of documents, but also for their organization: the contents of Web pages are expressed through marking languages, like html and xml, in which titles, texts, links, images, etc., are labelled with special markers; a structure so defined can therefore be reproduced in various ways, adapting its presentation to different reading tools, from the windows of normal screens to sound interfaces, braille, integrated with other equipment, etc. This necessity for flexibility must be borne in mind when creating the documents, avoiding filling them with presentation details that suffer from the habits connected with paper documents.The AIB-WEB site resolves to be, in this sense, not only a vehicle of information relative to the Association and the world of libraries, but an experiment of organization of the contents and method of work which really are "of librarians", applying to the WWW techniques and concepts that are typical of the profession. If in fact the Network is often compared to a global library, then what could be more suitable than traditional library techniques for controlling access to its contents.The first premise for the efficiency of the global library, as is the case with every library, is its accessibility, both from a practical as well as a technical viewpoint: the availability of sophisticated software that diverges from the standards of the W3 Consortium, makes it very easy to risk transforming the special effects destined to attract attention into objective hindrances to the transmission of the contents. The reference has a network equivalent in the various tools that direct the reader during his navigation within a site. The choice of hypertext links with external sites, in the same way as the traditional policy of acquisitions, should avail of conscious and coherent planning and selection criteria, and of adequate maintenance and update resources. The indexing of the Web pages, by the authors themselves, presupposes a proper use of the title markers and of the metadata that can be combined with the pages. The choice of URL addresses shows strong similarities with the placing of the books on the shelves, being at once both arbitrary but also exploitable for creating useful arrangements. Obsolete information and previous versions of the pages raise questions of conservation: their filing in local copies or even in the network require prudent management of the operations. Promotion of the available information resources can take place through the most varied channels, among which those of the "just in case" type are best suited to the logic of the Web. Finally, the organization of the work and of the information flows from the various subjects, including through the integration of the Web with electronic mail, is crucial for avoiding ambiguity and for making the information service truly effective.


This research is intended to know the effect of product and service quality to customer satisfaction and loyalty on Marshof bottled water product (AMDK). This research use quantitative research through explanatory research because data obtained from the number then the number will be analyzed. Data sources in this research is primary data obtained through a questionnaire and secondary data included from the articles, journals, and books. The population this research are AMDK Customer on Marshof CV. Tirta Alam Raya. The sample taken from a customer who ever buy, consume, and repurchase AMDK Marshof. The data was collected by distributing 140 questionnaires to AMDK Marshof consumers. The results of hypothesis testing using AMOS 22 software, found results that there are five accepted hypothesis. Based on these results, it can be concluded that quality product and service influence to consumer satisfaction also loyalty. The results showed that in the variable of product quality, reliability indicator which represented by dimension of product seal strength has the lowest average, therefore CV. Tirta Alam Raya needs to improve the product quality of seals to get a good quality product image. The service quality variable also needs to be improved in the dimension of service alertness and handling of consumer complaints in order to get consumer satisfaction and loyalty.


Background Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects nearly half of individuals with diabetes and leads to increased fall risk. Evidence addressing fall risk assessment for these individuals is lacking. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify which of 4 functional mobility fall risk assessment tools best discriminates, in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, between recurrent "fallers" and those who are not recurrent fallers. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting The study was conducted in a medical research university setting. Participants The participants were a convenience sample of 36 individuals between 40 and 65 years of age with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Measurements Fall history was assessed retrospectively and was the criterion standard. Fall risk was assessed using the Functional Reach Test, the Timed "Up & Go" Test, the Berg Balance Scale, and the Dynamic Gait Index. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and overall diagnostic accuracy were calculated for each fall risk assessment tool. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to estimate modified cutoff scores for each fall risk assessment tool; indexes then were recalculated. Results Ten of the 36 participants were classified as recurrent fallers. When traditional cutoff scores were used, the Dynamic Gait Index and Functional Reach Test demonstrated the highest sensitivity at only 30%; the Dynamic Gait Index also demonstrated the highest overall diagnostic accuracy. When modified cutoff scores were used, all tools demonstrated improved sensitivity (80% or 90%). Overall diagnostic accuracy improved for all tests except the Functional Reach Test; the Timed "Up & Go" Test demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy at 88.9%. Limitations The small sample size and retrospective fall history assessment were limitations of the study. Conclusions Modified cutoff scores improved diagnostic accuracy for 3 of 4 fall risk assessment tools when testing people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.


The solubility data of 2,4-dinitrotoluent (2,4-DNT) in mixed solvents of water and nitric acid with nitric acid mass fraction vary from 0.1 to 0.5 were determined at 283.15-323.15K by the equilibrium method. It indicates that the solubility increases with the increase of temperature and decreases with the decrease of mass fraction of nitric acid. The experimental data were correlated with λ-h equation, Apelblat equation and C.L.Yaws equation, average relative deviations of which between the calculated values and the experimental values of 25 data points in 5 systems were 3.666%, 2.737% and 3.121% respectively. The results show that three equations could well correlate the solubility data of 2,4-DNT in above electrolyte systems and the accuracy of the correlation can satisfy the engineering requirement.


Background In addition to the processes structuring free-living communities, host-associated microbial communities (i.e., microbiotas) are directly or indirectly shaped by the host. Therefore, microbiota data have a hierarchical structure where samples are nested under one or several variables representing host-specific features. In addition, microbiota data are often collected across multiple levels of biological organization. Current statistical methods do not accommodate this hierarchical data structure, and therefore cannot explicitly account for the effects of host-specific features on structuring the microbiota. Methods We introduce a unifying model-based framework developed specifically for analyzing host-microbiota data spanning multiple levels of biological organization. While we chose to discern among the effects of host species identity, host phylogeny, and host traits in structuring the microbiota, the presented framework can straightforwardly accommodate any recorded data that includes host-specific features. Other key components of our modeling framework are the powerful yet familiar outputs: (i) model-based ordination to visualize the main patterns in the data, co-occurrence networks to visualize microbe-to-microbe associations, and (iii) variance partitioning to asses the explanatory power of the included host-specific features and how influential these are in structuring the microbiota. Results The developed framework was applied to published data on marine sponge-microbiota. We found that a series of host traits that are likely phylogenetically conserved underpinned differences in both abundance and species richness among sites. When controlling for these differences, microbiota composition among sites was confounded by numerous site and host-specific features. At the host level, host traits always emerged as the prominent host-specific feature structuring the microbiota. Conclusions The proposed framework can readily be applied to a wide range of microbiota systems spanning multiple levels of biological organization, allowing researchers to systematically tease apart the relative importance of recorded and/or measured host-specific features in structuring the microbiota. The study of free-living species communities have significantly benefited from the increase in model-based approaches. We believe that it is time for research on host-microbiota to leverage the strengths of a unifying model-based framework.


For thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) host–guest systems used in organic light-emitting diodes, understanding of the transient photoluminescence (PL) measurements is crucial for accurate determination of the photophysical rates of the emitter. Here, we study how the PL is affected by triplet-exciton deconfinement from the guest to the host molecules. This deconfinement can complicate the analysis of the PL decay and potentially lead to a loss of efficiency. From an analytical model, we find that the transient PL intensity remains bi-exponential in the presence of exciton deconfinement for the case of fast triplet diffusion, albeit with a longer decay time of the delayed component. Deconfinement might, therefore, not always be recognizable from a single transient PL measurement. The role of deconfinement depends on the energetic disorder, the guest concentration, and the energy difference Δ E T between triplet-exciton energies on the host and guest molecules and is effectively suppressed for Δ E T > 0.2 eV. We find from analytical modeling and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations that the decay can become non-bi-exponential and even show a distinct third decay step. The shape of the decay curves depends on the characteristic times for guest–host transfer and host diffusion, relative to the prompt and delayed decay times of the TADF emitter. A comparison with available experimental data is included, finding qualitative agreement with dedicated deconfinement studies and indicating the influence of other processes for the often observed power-law decay at long time scales.


We examine the 24 μm to X-ray color of 157 X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) as a function of X-ray obscuration and optical classification in the Chandra Deep Field-South. The sample consists of the Chandra hard-band detections with 2-8 keV flux above 10-15 ergs s-1 cm-2. A deep 24 μm mosaic obtained with Spitzer provides mid-infrared fluxes for the sample. Since obscured AGNs locally have higher 24 μm/2-8 keV flux ratios than unobscured AGNs, and since X-ray background models predict a large population of obscured AGNs, we expect to find many X-ray-hard, IR-bright AGNs. Instead, we find that the 24 μm to X-ray flux ratio does not depend on X-ray hardness in the full sample, nor does it differ between narrow- and broad-line AGNs. We identify five nearly Compton-thick AGNs and find they have similar 24 μm to X-ray flux ratios compared to the full sample. We consider AGNs in the narrow redshift spikes at z ∼ 0.7; for these AGNs, there is some evidence that the flux ratio increases with X-ray hardness. The redshift slice also shows an odd trend that is also prominent in the full sample: a group of X-ray-hard AGNs with very low 24 μm to X-ray flux ratios.


Objective: To evaluate the aetiological factors of hoarseness. Methods: This is a prospective, non- randomized and longitudinal study conducted from 1st august 2011 to 1st august 2012 in department of otorhinolaryngology of Kathmandu university Hospital, Dhulikhel, Nepal. All the patients with history of hoarseness underwent clinical examination, routine as well as special investigation to find the diagnosis. The final results were analyzed by simple manual analysis with frequency and percentage using Microsoft Excel software 2007. Results: There were total 280 patients included in the study. Among them the age groups of 21 – 30 years and 31 – 40 years were mainly suffer from hoarseness. Similarly, among 280 patients 200 (71.45%) were males whereas 80 (28.6%) were females with male to female ratio of 2.5:1.. The most common cause as per the distribution was acid peptic laryngitis with frequency of 37.8% whereas tuberculosis of larynx, papillary carcinoma of thyroid and papilloma of vocal cord accounts for only 0.4% each. Conclusion: There was etiological variation in hoarseness ranging from simple laryngitis to malignancies. So it is important not to ignore the hoarseness and precise history, examination and investigations should be done. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v19i1.11877 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2013; 19(1): 14-17


Summary 1. Habitat structure is a major determinant of bird species diversity. One process by which habitat structure is altered is livestock grazing, the most extensive land use across most continents. While the impacts of grazing on vegetation have received much attention, the effects on avifauna are less well known. 2. Predictions of the impact of grazing on Australian woodland and riparian bird assemblages were formulated. We used available information on the vegetation strata utilized by each species for foraging and the strata most affected by grazing. 3. We compared predictions based on foraging height preferences with differences in bird density in grassy eucalypt woodland and riparian habitats subject to three levels of grazing. We found that foraging height preference was a good predictor of species' susceptibility to grazing. Birds exhibited both monotonic and non-monotonic responses to grazing, with the majority of bird species declining with increasing grazing pressure. 4. Synthesis and applications . Existing information on foraging behaviour can be used to make predictions of the impact of any threat on birds where that threat alters habitat structure. While the approach is simple, it is a point of departure for more complex predictive models, and avoids the circularity of post hoc interpretation of impact data. This approach can be used to guide management decisions where landscapes are in a state of transition and species conservation is a priority.


This paper presents a computational framework to extract salient patterns, called vortex structures, from 3D turbulent fluid flows. These structures can be characterized as regions of dominating rotational motion in the velocity fields and intensity concentrations in the corresponding vorticity fields. A pointwise linear representation is employed to approximate the kinematics of the flow field, and the fluid motion is classified according to motion analysis or topological patterns. The regions of vortex structures are identified as those dominated by rotational motion or those of focus-type singularity. The 2D vortices, as a special case of 3D vortices, are detected by searching for regions of vorticity concentrations.


A method of detecting and identifying the total symmetry of an n-variable Boolean function F with the use of decimal combinational tables is presented. Instead of using maps, charts or truth tables, with permutations and complementations of variables, this method uses a table which gives for each minterm mi (that makes F=1) the number of adjacencies w1 ranging from 0 to n. The detection of the variables of symmetry is based on finding out from the table a pair of minterms m* and its is complement m* (or pairs of similar minterms) that among all minterms appearing in F (or in F) are distinguished by having w1 equalling n or 0. The parameter w1 is the total number of other minterms appearing in F (or in F) that differ from any function minterms, e.g. m by one complementation of literal, and is easily determined from the table of combinations. The minterms m and m* are likely contenders to define the literals of symmetry and merit further investigation. The identification of F as a totally symmetric function is completed if and when a set of a-numbers is determined from the combinational table. The paper describes the construction of the combinational table and illustrates the method with example.


Text-image cross-modal retrieval is a challenging task in the field of language and vision. Most previous approaches independently embed images and sentences into a joint embedding space and compare their similarities. However, previous approaches rarely explore the interactions between images and sentences before calculating similarities in the joint space. Intuitively, when matching between images and sentences, human beings would alternatively attend to regions in images and words in sentences, and select the most salient information considering the interaction between both modalities. In this paper, we propose Cross-modal Adaptive Message Passing (CAMP), which adaptively controls the information flow for message passing across modalities. Our approach not only takes comprehensive and fine-grained cross-modal interactions into account, but also properly handles negative pairs and irrelevant information with an adaptive gating scheme. Moreover, instead of conventional joint embedding approaches for text-image matching, we infer the matching score based on the fused features, and propose a hardest negative binary cross-entropy loss for training. Results on COCO and Flickr30k significantly surpass state-of-the-art methods, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach.


The word 'euthanasia' has been used with a variety of meanings, all of which refer to one precise action: the killing of a suffering person. A moral evaluation of such an act can lead us either to condemn it a priori, shutting the door upon any argument, or to allow further discussion. But the issue must be discussed, starting with an analysis of the meaning of the word and then examining both whether it is justifiable or not in palliative care, and whether it is acceptable within a general medical context. This paper supports the assumption that a correct and clear-cut analysis of the word euthanasia and of the act to which the word refers can be carried out only through a debate which separates the various levels of reasoning (medical, ethical, religious, political, legal) and keeps them distinct from one another.


Background and Purpose: Although, the outstanding scientific contributions of Iranians in the post-Islamic decades are clear to every body, but because the scientific resources are written in Arabic language at the time, separation of Iranians and Arabs share in the growth and development of traditional Islamic medicine would not be possible without research. Teherfore the general purpose of the research is to review Iranian scientists'contribution in authorship of Arabic manuscripts of Islamic medicine available in National Library and Archives of Islamic Republic of Iran. Material and methods: The research method was documentary and descriptive, and the research population consisted of 4000 Arabic manuscripts. The manuscripts list has been made using Arabic manuscripts catalog available in National Library and Archives of Islamic Republic of Iran, editions 7-19. Manuscripts checklist of Islamic medicine in Arabic language including title, author, authorship date, subject, and writing date. Some major biographical books were used to prove the Iranian nationality of authors and scientists. Data analysis was done using SPSS and Excel softwares. Results: From among 4000 studied manuscripts, the subject of 186 titles were Islamic medicine. From these titles 109 titles were authored by Iranian scientists, 50 titles by nonIranian, and 27 titles by the authors that their nationality was unknown. The maximum percent (37/6) of Arabic manuscripts of Islamic medicine written by Iranian scientists was written until 6th century. Conclusion: The research findings show more contribution of Iranian authors in Arabic manuscripts than non-Iranian ones. In other words, Iranian scientists have possessed remarkable role in developing manuscripts and improving Islamic medicine in Islamic civilization era.


Two camptothecin-resistant cell lines, CPT30 and KB100, were established and characterized previously in our laboratory. Because enhanced sensitivity to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) and decreased expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) protein were observed in these lines, we hypothesized that MGMT may be a determinant of cytotoxicity associated with camptothecin-derived DNA topoisomerase I inhibitors (CPTs). We used the Tet-On system to induce expression of MGMT in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and RNA interference to knock down MGMT expression in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma HONE-1 cells in order to identify any correlations between MGMT expression and CPTs cytotoxicity. CHO-derived Tet-On-inducible cells (S12+) showed MGMT overexpression and statistically significant more resistance to BCNU, camptothecin, 7-ethyl-10-hydrocamptothecin (SN38), and topotecan than parental CHO cells (p < 0.05), but there was less resistance to CPTs than to BCNU. Knockdown of MGMT expression with small interfering RNA in HONE-1 cells conferred increased sensitivity to BCNU and CPTs compared with mock control. Furthermore, alteration of MGMT expression coincides with CPT-induced cell death and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. There were no differences in protein levels and catalytic activity of topoisomerase I between MGMT-proficient and MGMT-deficient cells from the Tet-On-inducible and small interfering RNA (siRNA) systems. Resistance to CPTs coincided with decreased amounts of protein-linked DNA breaks generated by CPTs in MGMT-proficient cells and vice versa in MGMT-deficient cells. Our data indicate that MGMT can modulate cytotoxicity of CPT-derived topoisomerase I inhibitors.


We present visible-light and ultraviolet (UV) observations of the supernova PTF 12glz. The SN was discovered and monitored in the near-UV and R bands as part of a joint GALEX and Palomar Transient Factory campaign. It is among the most energetic SNe IIn observed to date (≈1051 erg). If the radiated energy mainly came from the thermalization of the shock kinetic energy, we show that PTF 12glz was surrounded by ∼1 M⊙ of circumstellar material (CSM) prior to its explosive death. PTF 12glz shows a puzzling peculiarity: at early times, while the freely expanding ejecta are presumably masked by the optically thick CSM, the radius of the blackbody that best fits the observations grows at ≈7000 km s−1. Such a velocity is characteristic of fast moving ejecta rather than optically thick CSM. This phase of radial expansion takes place before any spectroscopic signature of expanding ejecta appears in the spectrum and while both the spectroscopic data and the bolometric luminosity seem to indicate that the CSM is optically thick. We propose a geometrical solution to this puzzle, involving an aspherical structure of the CSM around PTF 12glz. By modeling radiative diffusion through a slab of CSM, we show that an aspherical geometry of the CSM can result in a growing effective radius. This simple model also allows us to recover the decreasing blackbody temperature of PTF 12glz. SLAB-Diffusion, the code we wrote to model the radiative diffusion of photons through a slab of CSM and evaluate the observed radius and temperature, is made available online.


In any investigation in optometry involving more that two treatment or patient groups, an investigator should be using ANOVA to analyse the results assuming that the data conform reasonably well to the assumptions of the analysis. Ideally, specific null hypotheses should be built into the experiment from the start so that the treatments variation can be partitioned to test these effects directly. If 'post-hoc' tests are used, then an experimenter should examine the degree of protection offered by the test against the possibilities of making either a type 1 or a type 2 error. All experimenters should be aware of the complexity of ANOVA. The present article describes only one common form of the analysis, viz., that which applies to a single classification of the treatments in a randomised design. There are many different forms of the analysis each of which is appropriate to the analysis of a specific experimental design. The uses of some of the most common forms of ANOVA in optometry have been described in a further article. If in any doubt, an investigator should consult a statistician with experience of the analysis of experiments in optometry since once embarked upon an experiment with an unsuitable design, there may be little that a statistician can do to help.


The paper describes the results of a numerical study using Galerkin's finite element method on an infinitely wide slider bearing. The analysis is based upon the generalized Reynolds equation with the assumption that the pressure gradient in the lubricating film is negligible in the axial direction. Detailed results for bearing characteristics including pressure, load capacity, frictional force, frictional coefficient as a function of film thickness ratio (aspect ratio), and velocity of slider show that these parameters have a strong influence on the bearing behavior. Specifically, it has been shown that friction coefficient and frictional force increases with lower aspect ratios. Also, higher load carrying and maximum pressure is obtained with increased speed of the slider Point wise comparison of the results obtained using the Finite Element Method and that obtained with second order Finite Difference marching Method using base parameters show that the latter simulation has a maximum point wise error of 0.46% in comparison to 0.32% for Finite Element simulation. It has been shown that the Finite Element Method produces more accurate results. The results are in tabular and graphical forms.


Abstract Motives and risk factors associated with problematic engagement in online sexual activities (OSAs) have been poorly explored. The current study aimed to examine motives, gender, history of childhood maltreatment, and adult attachment types as possible risk factors associated with problematic OSAs. Two hundred eighty-four responders took part in an online survey. A significant part of the sample admitted experiencing distress and having adverse consequences on their work or school performance because of their OSAs. Having a history of greater childhood maltreatment was associated with a higher tendency to adopt mood regulation, anonymous fantasizing, socializing/seeking intimacy, and sexual pleasure motives for OSAs. Participants with more problematic OSAs tended to adopt more frequently mood regulation, anonymous fantasizing, socializing/seeking intimacy, and sexual pleasure motives for their engagement compared with participants with less problematic OSAs. Multiple regression analyses indicated that problematic OSAs were mostly predicted by sexual pleasure motives among female participants and by mood regulation motives among male participants. Avoidant adult attachment type explained problematic OSAs among female users only. The findings of this study lend support for using motives checklist as a part of a problematic OSAs assessment.


Both in the periphery and in the central nervous system, alpha-adrenoceptors can be subdivided into alpha 1-types. alpha 1-Receptors are sensitive to low concentrations of the agonists phenylephrine and methoxamine, and of the antagonists corynanthine and prazosin. alpha 1-Receptors are sensitive to low concentrations of the agonists clonidine and tramazoline, and of the antagonists yohimbine and rauwolscine. Although it has been shown recently that some smooth muscle tissues contain postsynaptic, contraction-mediating alpha 2-adrenoceptors, the smooth muscle of rabbit aorta and pulmonary artery possesses only alpha 1-receptors. In rabbit portal vein, practically all of the effect of exogenous agonists is mediated by alpha 1-receptors. On the other hand, prazosin resistance and rauwolscine sensitivity of the contractile response to transmural sympathetic nerve stimulation indicates that released noradrenaline may act on a small population of postsynaptic alpha 2-receptors as well.


This study investigated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular density, and apoptosis in fetal rat adrenal glands with hyperthyroidism in late gestation. Twelve mature female Wistar albino rats with the same biological and physiological features were used for this study. Rats were divided into two groups: control and hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism was induced by daily subcutaneous injections of L-thyroxine (250 µg/kg) before pregnancy for 21 days and during pregnancy. Rats in the control and hyperthyroidism groups were caged according to the number of male rats. Zero day of pregnancy (Day 0) was indicated when the animals were observed to have microscopic sperm in vaginal smears. Pregnant rats were sacrificed on the 20th day of pregnancy; blood from each animal was collected to determine the concentrations of maternal adrenocorticotropic hormone and thyroxine. Rat fetuses were then quickly removed from the uterus, and the adrenal glands of the fetuses were dissected. VEGF expression, vascular density, and apoptosis were analyzed in fetal rat adrenal glands. Maternal serum levels of the ACTH and free thyroxine were significantly higher in the hyperthyroidism group than in the control group. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of VEGF positive cells and vessel density significantly increased in the hyperthyroidism rat fetal adrenal group compared with the control group. Hyperthyroidism did not change the fetal and placental weights and the number of fetuses. This study demonstrates that hyperthyroidism may have an effect on the development of rat adrenal glands mediated by VEGF expression, angiogenesis, and apoptosis.


: The magnitude of the smoking problem is overwhelming. The annual mortality and expense are staggering. The task of changing this apocalyptic problem seems impossible. The solution, however, is not remote: It begins with each physician and with each individual patient who smokes. A consistent attitude of nonacceptance of the smoking habit with recommendations and support for discontinuation can make a significant impact on the problem. Extension of this attitude into community affairs and regional and national politics will result in increased public awareness and eventually in the majority rejecting this costly habit.


The innate immune system provides the first line of defence against infection. Through a limited number of germline-encoded receptors called pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), innate cells recognize and are activated by highly conserved structures expressed by large group of microorganisms called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). PRRs are involved either in recognition (scavenger receptors, C-type lectins) or in cell activation (Toll-like receptors or TLR, helicases and NOD molecules). TLRs play a pivotal role in cell activation in response to PAMPs. TLR are type I transmembrane proteins characterized by an intracellular Toll/IL 1 receptor homology domain that are expressed by innate immune cells (dendritic cells, macrophages, NK cells), cells of the adaptive immunity (T and B lymphocytes) and non immune cells (epithelial and endothelial cells, fibroblasts). In all the cell types analyzed, TLR agonists, alone or in combination with costimulatory molecules, induce cell activation. The crucial role played by TLR in immune cell activation has been detailed in dendritic cells. A TLR-dependent activation of dendritic cells is required to induce their maturation and migration to regional lymph nodes and to activate naïve T cells. The ability of different cell types to respond to TLR agonists is related to the pattern of expression of the TLRs and its regulation as well as their intracellular localization. Recent studies suggest that the nature of the endocytic and signaling receptors engaged by PAMPs may determine the nature of the immune response generated against the microbial molecules, highlighting the role of TLRs as molecular interfaces between innate and adaptive immunity. In this review are summarized the main biological properties of the TLR molecules.


Offshore wind farms offer an important source of renewable energy worldwide. The noise created during their construction and operation, however, has the capacity to adversely affect the underwater environment. Consequently, a reliable, robust and accurate means of predicting and assessing the environmental effects of noise at an early stage is of key importance in providing an iterative process in the engineering towards an optimum design for the construction, which reduces environmental effects to a minimum or acceptable level while not unreasonably constraining the project or influencing its cost-benefit. It has been found that a key part of this process is to use appropriate and objective criteria for the principal effects of noise (hearing damage and avoidance), to estimate the degree of effect using these and a suitable predictive model, and to consider the biological consequences of this prediction with a view to determining if it is acceptable, and changing the engineering design if not. This paper investigates state of knowledge for assessment of underwater noise impacts on marine fauna and the ways this is used by offshore wind developers to minimise the risk to the environment.


OBJECTIVE Because of concerns about the declining autopsy rate, an attempt was made to evaluate the contributions from the postmortem examination in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS We carried out a retrospective comparison analysis between clinical and pathological diagnosis of 56 consecutive autopsies performed on children who died in the PICU during the period 1983-1995. RESULTS The autopsy rate was 60%. Autopsy provided valuable clinical information in 50% of the cases. There were major diagnostic errors in three patients (5%), that if detected before death would probably have improved survival. Another 14 cases (25%) showed missed clinical diagnoses related to the basic illness and the cause of death, whose premortem diagnosis would not have prolonged survival. There were no diagnostic discrepancies in 28 cases (50%). The most unexpected findings revealed by the autopsies were iatrogenics (10 cases), metabolic diseases (4 cases), congenital immunodeficiency syndromes (4 cases) and pulmonary opportunistic infections (3 cases). Eight of these diseases were genetic. An age < 12 months or and ICU stay < 24 hours were not predicting factors of a higher incidence of major diagnostic errors. CONCLUSIONS The value of the autopsy as quality assurance and to detect iatrogenics and occult genetic diseases is unquestionable. New strategies have to be designed to increase the rate of autopsies.


The effect of emotional stress on both carboxypeptidase N and angiotensin converting enzyme activities in the blood serum of stable and predisposed rat was studied. It was found that activities of both enzymes in serum of stable rat was higher as compared with those predisposed to emotional stress. During emotional stress a decrease of both enzymes activities was observed. Both enzymes activities in rats with different degrees of tolerance to emotional stress were changed differently.


In several multi agent control problems, the convergence properties and speed of the system depend on the algebraic connectivity of the graph. We discuss a particular event-triggered consensus scenario, and show that the availability of an estimate of the algebraic connectivity could be used for adapting the behavior of the average consensus algorithm. We present a novel distributed algorithm for estimating the algebraic connectivity, that relies on the distributed computation of the powers of matrices. We provide proofs of convergence, convergence rate, and upper and lower bounds at each iteration of the estimated algebraic connectivity.


Enzootic calcinosis was diagnosed in 16 cows, which originated from 6 dairy farms located in the Unterengadin valley in Switzerland between 1,402 and 1,650 metres above sea level. During the winter, the cows were fed haylage, which contained up to 50 per cent golden oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens), and hay and grain. The first symptoms of enzootic calcinosis were noted in March 1998, when some of the cows developed locomotor abnormalities. Additional cases were diagnosed during the following three months. The most important clinical findings were decreased milk production, weight loss, frequent recumbency, difficulty in rising, kneeling while rising and feeding, stilted gait, arched back, shifting weight from one foot to another and reluctance to remain standing after being roused. Of the 16 cows, 5 had elevated concentrations of serum calcium and 10 had decreased concentrations of serum magnesium. All cows had normal or decreased concentrations of serum phosphorus, because the feeding of haylage containing golden oat-grass had been discontinued two months previously. In all of the cows, the most important postmortem findings were severe calcification of the aorta, iliac artery, brachiocephalic trunk and pulmonary artery.


Nanostructure engineering is important in the development of metal-based catalysts to improve material utilization efficiency and catalytic activity. Among the available nanoscale architectures, mesoporous structures have raised much attention due to their large surface area and their highly accessible inner sites for guest species, suitable for a wide range of applications. Gold (Au)-based materials are promising catalysts thanks to their stability, nontoxicity, and good resistance to poisoning effects. Modifying the composition by introducing inexpensive metals to prepare multicomponent Au-based catalysts is an effective route to both reduce the cost and improve the catalytic activity. Herein, a polymeric micelle assembly approach to synthesize mesoporous AuCuNi ternary alloy films by electrochemical deposition is reported. This simple method involves the co-electrodeposition process of Au, Cu, and Ni precursors at fixed applied potential in the presence of polymeric micelles acting as a sacrificial template. The compositional ratio can be easily adjusted to optimize the catalytic performance of the mesoporous AuCuNi films, which show promising results for glucose oxidation and methanol oxidation reactions. It is believed that mesoporous AuCuNi films can be desirable to satisfy the needs for the next generation of multifunctional catalyst.


The first papers on mobile commerce were offered to the Bled conference commencing in 2000. Initially, they were not received with enthusiasm; the reviewers were rather sceptical as to the research methods used and the visions of a global m-commerce offered. Nevertheless, the first panel sessions were overcrowded and the eBled organizers quickly recognized a new and exciting movement taking shape. The rest is – as the saying goes – history. There are around 6 billion mobile phone users in the world but the mobile services in actual use are – besides voice calls and SMS – rather few (at least in comparison to the hype around smart phones). Based on our experience from annual series of consumer studies we argue that there are fundamental misunderstandings in relation to both the mobile service concept and the basis for building user value. By following the development of mobile technology over a 10 year interval we have found out – much to our surprise that not much has changed in the actual use of mobile services despite the fact that we have had about three generations of mobile phones during these 10 years. We have summarized insight from panels run at the eBled conferences and from a number of papers presented at the conference and worked out a description of the development of mobile commerce and mobile services.


Communication is the lifeblood of any organisation. The need for effective internal communication systems is particularly crucial when organisations, such as schools, are operating in a turbulent environment of rapid and sustained change. Schools must be innovative to be able to respond and adapt to the challenges presented by such changes. It is now increasingly evident that those organisations which promote good internal communication reap positive dividends in meeting these challenges. However, there is a need for hard data on the nature, structure, flow and practice of communication to ensure that the most effective systems are put in place and are working to the optimal level. To achieve this a method of investigation, the communication audit, has been developed which allows for a thorough‐going analysis of internal organisational communication. Explores the principal tools utilised in the implementation of a communication audit, and discusses the benefits which this approach offers to school management teams.


Abstract : We establish general conditions for the asymptotic validity of sequential stopping rules to achieve fixed-volume confidence sets for simulation estimators of vector-valued parameters. The asymptotic validity occurs as the prescribed volume of the confidences set approaches zero. There are two requirements: a functional central limit theorem for the estimation process and strong consistency (with-probability-one convergence) for the variance or scaling matrix estimator. Applications are given for: sample means of i.i.d. random variables and random vectors, nonlinear functions of such sample means, jackknifing, Kiefer-Wolfowitz and Robbins-Monro stochastic approximation, and both regenerative and non-regenerative steady-state simulation. Keywords: Stochastic simulation, Variance estimators.


Aim and objective: To elaborate the current stand on K-wire usage in orthopedic clinical practice. Background: K-wire is a commonly used implant, and is an inevitable instrument in orthopedic practice. Even with the rampant usage of this implant for centuries, the literature stating the basic details, principles of use, current clinical indications, complications encountered and techniques to avoid the same is not many. In this review article, we have taken into consideration the essential details, techniques, various clinical scenarios and extended indications for which a K-wire can be used. We believe that this article will comprehensively enlighten all the perspectives of K-wire usage, yet unmentioned and highlighted so far in any available literature. Review results: K-wire has been introduced into orthopedic practice more than 100 years ago. This is the oldest implant that has stood the test of time in the management of many fractures of both upper and lower limbs. The indications for which the K-wire was invented has changed completely and current indications are totally diverse. With recent developments of newer technologies to stabilize fractures or reconstructive procedures with the newer implants, K-wire still has an important role in the management of fractures. This flexible implant has an immense role in minimally invasive surgical management. Conclusion: A gap exists in the literature on the techniques and procedures employed using K-wires, which warrants more research. This article serves to enlighten the current rationale of the use of K-wires in orthopedic practice and its future perspectives. Clinical significance: Considering the cost of healthcare, this implant satisfies cost-effective management with good functional outcomes in fixation of a certain peripheral skeleton and pediatric fractures with the least complication rate. K-wire has many advantages like ease of application, minimally invasive, easy availability on the shelves of operating rooms, in any nook and corner of the world, and the versatility of its use in difficult scenarios.


PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW
Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common cause of breathlessness indicative of advanced disease. Treatment approaches focus on relief of breathlessness and optimizing quality of life. A number of recent, high-impact publications give further insight into the advantages of different treatment options. This article provides a summary of the most up-to-date evidence in this area.

RECENT FINDINGS
Recent publications have demonstrated comparable pleurodesis outcomes of talc slurry to talc poudrage and explore strategies to combine the advantages of indwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) with a chemical pleurodesis. A daily IPC drainage regime improves the chances of pleurodesis success and early IPC removal in patients without significant trapped lung.

SUMMARY
MPE is a diverse condition, with no one strategy representing the 'best' approach for all. Management decisions should be made in conjunction with the patient, taking their views and preferences into consideration.


Abstract It is shown by means of four examples that the demarcation between law and morals has become problematical. The study of more recent developments in ethics and in law indicates that in both fields the relevance of discourse and consent has grown. Though both law and morals aim at agreement their degree of dependance on it differs. The definition of law and morals suggested in this article is based on this view. Legitimate law consists of norms, which besides fulfilling other conditions have attained a certain degree of consent. On the other hand one can only talk of social morals when a very high degree of consent has been reached. The consequences of this definition are explained by means of the examples presented at the beginning.


Drug repositioning is an important area of biomedical research. The drug repositioning studies have shifted to computational approaches. Large-scale perturbation databases, such as the Connectivity Map and the Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures, contain a number of chemical-induced gene expression profiles and provide great opportunities for computational biology and drug repositioning. One reason is that the profiles provided by the Connectivity Map and the Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures databases show an overall view of biological mechanism in drugs, diseases and genes. In this article, we provide a review of the two databases and their recent applications in drug repositioning.


Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars are being used as an alternative to steel bars to overcome the corrosion problem. Design criteria and methods have to be reinterpreted for its different properties, and several countries have already established corresponding design codes. The method for predicting crack widths of concrete beams with FRP bars provided in ACI440 is based on the method for that with steel bars. Similarly, a modified method based on GB50010 is proposed in this paper to estimate crack widths of concrete beams with FRP bars. Furthermore, the new method together with ACI440 and GB50010 ones are verified by nine test beams in three existing experiments and most of them show a good agreement with the experimental data. Simultaneously, the new method also proves precise and accurate with the same level as the ACI440 one and indicates its potential to estimate crack width in Chinese concrete code system.


Contemporary moral philosophy has different approaches to provide justice and equality to groups that are traditionally discriminated on the grounds of gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, etc. On the other hand, functionally diverse (disabled) people have had a parallel approach to their discrimination, excluded from mainstream diversities. Including functional diversity and the diversity model in modern recognition and redistribution theories, as another human diversity, provides an extended ethical approach: diversity ethics. This general framework also includes other fundamental ideas for equality such as human fragility, social domination logics, self-respect and auto-recognition. Diversity ethics provides sound foundations to defend justice and equality for all human diversities and an alternative to other approaches that broaden the moral community, excluding some humans, like Peter Singer's ethics.


The aim of this project was to modify transmission models previously developed to describe HIV transmission in Ireland through more precise estimates of parameters delineating sexual and needle sharing behaviour and AIDS related mortality, with a view to examining the extent of spread from IVDUs to the general heterosexual population. To provide predictions on HIV transmission and AIDS cases up to the year 2010 and to examine the sensitivity of the predictions to changes in the key parameters under different assumptions on intervention strategies.

Essential data of relevance to HIV transmission were acquired (through the cooperation of the Department of Health, the AIDS Resource Centre, the Drug Treatment Centre, the Ana Liffey Drug Project, and St James's Hospital, Dublin) and analysed. The parameters obtained from the descriptive and survival analyses were used in a refined deterministic model of HIV transmission which was solved numerically. An attempt at a solution using perturbation methods was undertaken.

Results provided a plausible range of projected new HIV infections and AIDS cases up to the year 2010. The model projects that if present behaviour continues, approximately 1009 new infections may be expected in Dublin by the year 2000, and 1496 new infections by 2010. Small changes in the values of key parameters induce significant changes in projected trends, particularly in the longer term. However all projections point to the fact that
•Non-IVDU women are particularly susceptible to HIV infection
•Early introduction of behaviour change makes a significant difference to the growth of the epidemic
•Expanding the Drug Treatment System could help to significantly reduce the spread of HIV
•Central collation of data is essential if rational implementation of intervention plans is to be achieved


Antimicrobial resistance worsens the prognosis in patients with chronic diseases. Patients on hemodialysis have infection rates that exceed those reported in other types of patients. Colonization has been suggested as a risk factor for the development of infections. However, the majority of the studies that have evaluated this association have methodological limitations that have called into question the validity of the results; such as the lack of use of molecular methods to confirm that the colonizing species are the same as that which causes infection, the measurement of exposure only at the beginning of the study, the absence of follow-up, the evaluation of bacteremia as the only important outcome and the focus only on Staphylococcus aureus, without including other resistant bacteria of clinical importance such as multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. This lead to the need to use molecular epidemiology methods for refine the association between colonization and infection in endemic countries like Colombia, where the high rates of antimicrobial resistance demand accurate prevention strategies in susceptible patients.


Epidemiological evidence suggests that people suffering from post‐traumatic stress disorder have a higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. The underlying mechanisms, however, remained thus far unexplored. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Agís‐Balboa et al ( ) show that the actin‐associated protein Formin 2 is reduced in both conditions and that its downregulation in mice accelerates Alzheimer‐related pathophysiology via aberrant epigenetic and transcriptional changes. Treating mice with a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) delayed Alzheimer‐related pathologies, lending experimental support to ongoing clinical trials with HDACis against traumatic memories and Alzheimer's disease.


In this work, synthesis of microwave amplifier is put forward as a constrained vector optimization problem whose components are to meet the specific gain value constrained by the minimum noise over the available bandwidth. Nondominated solutions are acquired using the nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm‐II as a fast nondominated genetic sorting algorithm wherefore these synthesis objectives generally conflict with each other. Then, the Pareto frontiers are obtained using these trade‐off solution sets between the performance characterization of the device results in the triplet of gain GT, noise F, and input VSWR Vi and its source (ZS) and load (ZL). It can be concluded that the Pareto‐optimal synthesis procedure provides microwave amplifier with optimum performance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:1079–1084, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26724


In this article we report on the development of time-resolved digital interferometric visualization technique integrated with short duration (1 ms) hypersonic shock tunnel. Dynamics of the Mach 6 flow field around 40° blunt cone model is visualized using a combination of cw laser, Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a very high-speed digital camera. Digital interferograms with time resolution of 139 μs were recorded during 1 ms test time of our HST4 facility. Measured time-resolved evolution of shock structure around the model is compared with Schlieren technique and CFD simulation results to validate the proposed technique. Infinite fringe interferograms are evaluated using active contour technique and Fourier transform fringe analysis to extract density data of the hypersonic flow field around the model. Estimated time-resolved density data show the variation in the density within shock layer.


In this paper, the exact solutions of PZT coupled electric impedance and structure mechanical impedance were derived with the investigation of the dynamic interaction between the PZT and the host structure. In the frequency range of 0.1-120 kHz, numerical simulation of the PZT coupled electric impedance was performed using MATLAB code. Experimental investigations were conducted with a PZT excitation and electric impedance measurement system developed by our laboratory in the frequency ranges of 30-55 kHz and 80-100 kHz. The profile and resonant frequencies of predicted and measured impedance frequency spectra were in close agreement and the largest deviation is 0.402%.


Background: For the reconstruction of Cone-Beam CT volumes, the exact position of each projection is needed; however, in some situations, this information is missing. Purpose: The development of a self-calibration algorithm for arbitrary CBCT trajectories that does not need initial positions. Methods: Projections are simulated in a spherical grid around the center of rotation. Through using feature detection and matching, an acquired projection is compared to each simulated image in this grid. The position with the most matched features was used as a starting point for a fine calibration with a state-of-the-art algorithm. Evaluation: This approach is compared with the calibration of nearly correct starting positions when using FORCASTER and CMA-ES minimization with a normalized gradient information (NGI) objective function. The comparison metrics were the normalized root mean squared error, structural similarity index, and the dice coefficient, which were evaluated on the segmentation of a metal object. Results: The parameter estimation for a regular Cone-Beam CT with a 496 projection took 1:26 h with the following metric values: NRMSE = 0.0669; SSIM = 0.992; NGI = 0.75; and Dice = 0.96. FORCASTER with parameter estimation took 3:28 h with the following metrics: NRMSE = 0.0190; SSIM = 0.999; NGI = 0.92; and Dice = 0.99. CMA-ES with parameter estimation took 5:39 h with the following metrics: NRMSE = 0.0037; SSIM = 1.0; NGI = 0.98; and Dice = 1.0. Conclusions: The proposed algorithm can determine the parameters of the projection orientations for arbitrary trajectories with enough accuracy to reconstruct a 3D volume with low errors.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the anterior chamber approach and energy levels for endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECPC) and assess ECPC-induced tissue damage in phakic eyes of bovine cadavers.

SAMPLE
12 bovine cadaver eyes.

PROCEDURES
Angle of reach was measured in 6 eyes following placement of a curved endoscopic probe through multiple corneal incisions. In another 6 eyes, each ocular quadrant underwent ECPC at 1 of 3 energy levels (0.75, 0.90, and 1.05 J) or remained untreated. Visible effects on tissues (whitening and contraction of ciliary processes) were scored (scale of 0 [no effects] to 6 [severe effects]), and severity and extent of histologic damage to the pigmented and nonpigmented ciliary epithelium and fibromuscular stroma were each scored (scale of 0 [no effect] to 3 [severe effect]) and summed for each quadrant. Overall mean scores for 6 quadrants/treatment were calculated.

RESULTS
Mean ± SD combined angle of reach was 148 ± 24° (range, 123 ± 23° [ventromedial] to 174 ± 11° [dorsolateral]). At the 0.75-, 0.90-, and 1.05-J levels, mean visible tissue effect scores were 3.12 ± 0.47, 3.86 ± 0.35, and 4.68 ± 0.58, respectively; mean histologic damage scores were 4.79 ± 1.38 (mild damage), 6.82 ± 1.47 (moderate damage), and 9.37 ± 1.42 (severe damage), respectively. Occasional popping noises (venting of vaporized interstitial water) were heard at the 1.05-J level.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Multiple incisions were necessary to facilitate 360° ECPC treatment in bovine eyes. For ECPC in vivo, the 0.75- and 0.90-J energy levels had the potential to effectively treat the ciliary epithelium.


Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the perceived impact of some factors on the resources allocation processes of the Nigerian universities and to suggest a framework that will help practitioners and academics to understand and improve such processes. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted the interpretive qualitative approach aimed at an 'in-depth' understanding of the resource allocation experiences of key university personnel and their perceived impact of the contextual factors affecting such processes. The analysis of individual narratives from each university established the conditions and factors impacting the resources allocation processes within each institution. Findings – The resources allocation process issues in the Nigerian universities may be categorised into people (core and peripheral units' challenge, and politics and power); process (resources allocation processes); and resources (critical financial shortage and resources dependence response). The study also provides insight that resourcing efficiency in Nigerian universities appears strongly constrained by the rivalry among the resource managers. The efficient resources allocation process (ERAP) model is proposed to resolve the identified resourcing deficiencies. Research limitations/implications – The research is not focused to provide generalizable observations but 'in-depth' perceived factors and their impact on the resources allocation processes in Nigerian universities. The study is limited to the internal resources allocation issues within the universities and excludes the external funding factors. The resource managers' responses to the identified factors may affect their internal resourcing efficiency. Further research using more empirical samples is required to obtain more widespread results and the implications for all universities. Originality/value – This study contributes a fresh literature framework to resources allocation processes focusing at 'people', 'process' and 'resources'. Also a middle range theory triangulation is developed in relation to better understanding of resourcing process management. The study will be of interest to university managers and policy makers.


Twelve school-age children with language-learning disabilities (LLD) participated in a study comparing the effects of two reading feedback strategies for improving their oral and written language performance. Children were matched for age, disability, gender, and general reading performance. Participants were assigned to one of three study groups, Treatment 1 (T1), Treatment 2 (T2), or Control (C). Children were pre- and posttested on standardized tests of reading and oral vocabulary. T1 and T2 participated in 6 weeks of reading intervention. T1 used traditional decoding-based feedback strategies, and T2 used meaning-based feedback strategies, termed Communicative Reading Strategies (CRS). Significant differences across groups were found for reading comprehension, oral reading, and expressive vocabulary measures. Pairwise comparisons indicated that T2 performed significantly better than T1 and C on reading comprehension at posttest. Though not reaching levels of significance, T2 made greater gains than T1 and C on oral reading and expressive vocabulary measures. Results are discussed with implications for using CRS (T2) with school-age poor readers.


The paper discusses the benefits of conceptualizing correspondence as an interpoetic medium. It presents an analysis of textual and visual ways of constructing the presence of the addressee and the sender in letters, and the disruption of constructing this presence caused by interrupting the writing process by a phone call. The paper indicates the fictionalizing role of the addressee and the sender as the condition for creating the "virtual reality" of a letter. It presents basic figures and topoi for acknowledging the presence in correspondence based on the collections of correspondence between: Wislawa Szymborska and Kornel Filipowicz, Maria Pawlikowka-Jasnorzewska and Stefan Jasnorzewski, Stanislaw Baranczak and Lech Dymarski, and Zofia and Kazimierz Moczarscy.


The task of the tümens of Jebe and Sübedei's raid to Europe (1221–1223) was not limited to reconnaissance only. This raid was part of Chinggis Khan's general expansion strategy involving establishing total control over the Kipchaks and conquering their steppe territories both in Asia and Europe. This strategic ambition had to be implemented by Prince Jochi, the ruler of the Western ulus of the Mongol Empire. Jochi was to bring his major forces to Europe and join the Jebe and Sübedei vanguard corps for the final defeat of the Kipchaks. Being allies and kin of the Kipchak rulers, the prince of Kiev and other southern Rus' princes provided military assistance to them. Thus, the counter-attack of the Mongols targeted Rus'. After the defeat of the Rus'–Kipchak coalition forces in the Battle of the Kalka River, the Mongols were able to cross the Dnieper and approach Kiev. However, Jochi's refusal to bring his major forces to support the Mongol vanguard brought to naught all the victories and achievements of generals Jebe and Sübedei. The initial goals of the Great Western Campaign of the Mongols (late 1236–1242) consisted in conquering Volga Bulgaria, the Kipchak/Polovets steppes, and the Hungarian kingdom. To a large extent, the defeat and destruction of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality occurred as part of the aftermath of the battle of Kolomna, where Kölgän, the youngest son of Chinggis Khan and one of the most honorable Mongol lords, was killed. The Mongol invasion was preceded by peace negotiations with the Mongols conducted by the most powerful Rus' princes, specifically Yury Vsevolodovich of Vladimir-Suzdal and Daniel Romanovich of Galicia-Volhynia. Following these negotiations, the princes did everything they could to avoid personal involvement in military action against the Mongols. The Mongols' stone artillery and wide use of flame liquids were critical weapons in the siege and assault of Rus' cities and towns. The defendants had no effective countermeasures against these dangerous weapons. A comparative analysis of various reports in Rus' chronicles about the date of the capture of Kiev by the Mongols with information from Hungarian sources shows that the most likely date is December 6, 1240. The proper names Uladmur and Uchogul Uladmur, given by the medieval Persian historian Rashīd al-Dīn in his account of the conquest of south Rus' by the Mongols, cannot be related to the historical toponyms of Galician-Volhynian Rus'. The Mongol name Uladmur was connected with the name of Prince Vladimir Riurikovich, who had occupied the Kievan throne not long before the attack of the Mongols against south Rus' and held peaceful negotiations with Prince Möngke. In Volhynia and Galicia the Mongols used a method that they had often used before. They forced the residents of the conquered cities to go outside the city walls and massacred them. They spared only the young men suitable for military service and took them into auxiliary troops (khashar), so that they should fight in the most dangerous areas of the battle.


In this article, I present a framework for understanding the impact of aging-related declines in cognitive resources on functioning. I make the assumption that aging is associated with an increase in the costs of cognitive engagement, as reflected in both the effort required to achieve a specific level of task performance and the associated depletion or fatigue effects. I further argue that these costs result in older adults being increasingly selective in the engagement of cognitive resources in response to these declines. This selectivity is reflected in (a) a reduction in the intrinsic motivation to engage in cognitively demanding activities, which, in part, accounts for general reductions in engagement in such activities, and (b) greater sensitivity to the self-related implications of a given task. Both processes are adaptive if viewed in terms of resource conservation, but the former may also be maladaptive to the extent that it results in older adults restricting participation in cognitively demanding activities that could ultimately benefit cognitive health. I review supportive research and make the general case for the importance of considering motivational factors in understanding aging effects on cognitive functioning.


The Tintina trench-northern Rocky Mountain trench (TT-NRMT) fault zone and the Fraser River-Straight Creek (FR-SC) fault zone are separate, en echelon, concentric, small-circle fault segments of a composite intracontinental transform fault zone more than 2500 km long that cuts diagonally across the Canadian Cordillera, from the outboard part of a tectonic collage of accreted foreign terranes in the south into the North American preaccretionary continental margin in the north. Most of the 450 km of right-hand slip on the TT-NRMT fault zone was transformed southward during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene into oblique convergence in the southern Canadian Rockies; the remainder, probably comprising less than 100 km, was transformed southwestward during early and middle Eocene time via a zone of distributed shear and east-west crustal stretching into right-hand slip on the en echelon FR-SC fault zone. These interpretations, based on regional systematic mapping of geologic structures, are in conflict with interpretations of paleomagnetic measurements that call for more than 1000 km of post-mid-Cretaceous, right-hand displacement along the general locus of the TT-NRMT fault zone, involving foreign terranes and the parts of North America to which they had been accreted. This paradox must be resolved.


Pancreatic beta-cells respond to increasing blood glucose concentrations by secreting the hormone insulin. The dysfunction of beta-cells leads to hyperglycemia and severe, life-threatening consequences. Understanding how the beta-cells operate under physiological conditions and what genetic and environmental factors might cause their dysfunction could lead to better treatment options for diabetic patients. The ability to measure calcium levels in beta-cells serves as an important indicator of beta-cell function, as the influx of calcium ions triggers insulin release. Here we describe a protocol for monitoring the glucose-stimulated calcium influx in zebrafish beta-cells by using GCaMP6s, a genetically encoded sensor of calcium. The method allows monitoring the intracellular calcium dynamics with single-cell resolution in ex vivo mounted islets. The glucose-responsiveness of beta-cells within the same islet can be captured simultaneously under different glucose concentrations, which suggests the presence of functional heterogeneity among zebrafish beta-cells. Furthermore, the technique provides high temporal and spatial resolution, which reveals the oscillatory nature of the calcium influx upon glucose stimulation. Our approach opens the doors to use the zebrafish as a model to investigate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to beta-cell function and dysfunction.


: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of student nurses towards the care of the elderly. Using King's Theory of Goal Attainment, this experimental study used a convenience sample of approximately 100 associate degree nursing students (ADN) from a nursing program in a southern state. Approval from the dean of the nursing department and IRB was obtained. Kogan's (1961) Attitude Toward Old People's Scale was used to measure students' attitudes before and after their clinical experiences. Student nurses were given the questionnaires during scheduled class time of each program before any lecture content and after content has been given to students.


One fifth of women in Britain reach the age of 45 without having children, yet psychological and developmental theories often begin with the assumption that all women become mothers. The aim of this study is to explore how the decade between 45 and 55 is experienced by women who have chosen non-motherhood. Ten voluntarily childfree women participated in semi-structured interviews, and the data produced were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results indicate that the childfree choice is influenced by a gravitation towards meaningful areas of life other than motherhood, as well as a rejection of its perceived drawbacks. For these participants the decision to be childfree is mainly felt to be finalized within the 30s such that the biological end of fertility is not experienced as an ending of choice. The present decade is one of gladness about being childfree and appreciation of the freedom it affords, though there is some curiosity and wistfulness regarding what has not been chosen. For the majority of the participants the childfree choice is accepted by others, but there were also some experiences of stigma. Management of this is primarily through the creation of diverse social circles in which childfreedom is more the 'norm'. Friendships are also viewed as important sources of support for a childfree future, which is itself perceived with some anxiety regarding old-age care.
Recommendations are made for the professions of psychotherapy and counselling which include the ability to openly explore oscillating desires and ambivalence without believing in a 'right' choice, normalizing childfreedom, and helping clients to navigate the social world and plan ahead. It is suggested that further research into this topic and into the male experience of being childfree is needed.


CONTEXT
Research on psychiatric disturbances in low-birth-weight (LBW) children (<or=2500 g), which has focused primarily on the extreme low end of the LBW distribution, has suggested an increased risk of attention, externalizing, and internalizing problems.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the long-term effects of LBW on psychiatric problems in socially disadvantaged children and in middle-class children.

DESIGN
A stratified random sample assessed at ages 6, 11, and 17 years.

SETTING
Random samples of LBW and normal-birth-weight children from newborn discharge lists (1983 through 1985) of 2 major hospitals in southeast Michigan, one serving an inner city and the other serving middle-class suburbs.

PARTICIPANTS
Cohort members with 1 or more assessments (n = 823).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Attention, internalizing, and externalizing problems rated by mothers and teachers (Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher's Report Form, respectively) at ages 6, 11, and 17 years, using standard cutoffs that identify children with disturbances above the normal range.

RESULTS
Low-birth-weight children had modest excesses of externalizing and internalizing disturbances (adjusted odds ratios = 1.53 and 1.28, respectively) (P = .001 and .02, respectively). An increased risk of attention problems was associated with LBW only in the urban community (adjusted odds ratio = 2.78) (P = .001) and was greater among very LBW children (<or=1500 g) than heavier LBW children (1501-2500 g). In the suburban community, there was no increased risk for attention problems associated with LBW. Psychiatric outcomes of LBW did not vary across ages of assessments.

CONCLUSIONS
Effects of LBW on psychiatric disturbance appear to be stable through the period of school attendance. The differential effect of LBW on attention problems between the 2 communities suggests the possibility of interplay between prenatal adversity and social environment.


In recent years, channel-hopping-based medium access control protocols have been proposed to improve the capacity in a decentralized multichannel cognitive radio (CR) network without using extra control channels. Each CR user has to stochastically follow a default channel-hopping sequence in order to locate a channel and conduct its frame transmission. In this paper, theoretical analysis is conducted on the probability of channel availability and the average frame delay for primary users (PUs) by considering the impact caused by imperfect sensing of CR users and imperfect synchronization between the primary and CR networks. According to the proposed analytical model with realistic considerations, an optimal channel-hopping sequence (OCS) approach is designed for the CR users based on a dynamic programming technique. It is designed by exploiting the optimal load balance between channel availability and channel utilization within the delay constraints of PUs. By adopting the OCS approach, maximum aggregate throughput of CR users can be achieved while considering PU's quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. Moreover, in addition to the paired CR networks, the logical partition problem that occurs in generalized CR networks will also be addressed. This problem can severely degrade the aggregate throughput due to the decreased probability of connectivity between CR users, especially in a CR network with heavy traffic. Therefore, both wake-up successive contention (WSC) and wake-up counter-reset successive contention (WCSC) algorithms are proposed to increase the number of negotiations by both exploring the blind spot of imperfect sensing and amending the contention mechanisms between CR users. Compared to conventional channel-hopping sequences, numerical results illustrate that the proposed approaches can effectively maximize aggregate throughput for CR users under the QoS requirements of PUs.


This chapter investigates the determinants of inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Vietnamese economy and their connection to the rapid economic growth the country has experienced. Using the concepts drawn from the extant Ownership-Location-Internalization (OLI) paradigm and Institutional-Based View (IBV) literature, and adopting a quantitative research with the application of secondary data analysis, the study found seven significant locational factors determining FDI inflows into the Vietnamese economy, such as business freedom, market size, labor cost, trade freedom level, inflation rate, human capital, and the effectiveness of property rights. Political risk, monetary freedom, corruption, the country's WTO accession, and the global financial crisis are found to be irrelevant to the inbound investments in the modern economy. A macro-level account and the policy implications are suggested for the promotion of FDI inflows into Vietnam to ensure the country's continuous and sustainable economic development.


The focus of the 2003 Emory Law Journal Randolph Thrower Symposium was on the impact of competition on regulation. Judge Frank Easterbrook warns of the public expense incurred for private gains in regulation, and of the rate of judicial error in antitrust regulation. Fred McChesney traces the intellectual history of the battle for the soul of antitrust, and the regulatory competition among state, federal and international regulators to be the most restrictive and visible regulators of the field. George Benston traces the failures of regulation that led to Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley, blaming lawyers, accountants and regulators for a move from standards to rules. Barry Adler and Henry Butler examine Delaware's current prominence in Chapter 11 reorganization, and argue that no theory supports a prediction of permanent preeminence of the kind observed in corporate law. Jonathan Macy traces the internationalization of regulation, and describes three forces that create international uniformity in regulation, while Henry Manne imagines a corporate world without regulation.


Two borides FeB and Fe2B were found to form as separate layers at the interface between a 13% Cr steel and boron at 850-950 oC and reaction times up to 12 h. The chromium distribution within the boride layers is rather irregular. Its average content is 8 at. % in the FeB layer and 9 at. % in the Fe2B layer. Both layers are characterized by a pronounced texture. The strongest reflections are {002} and {020} for the orthorhombic FeB phase and {002} for the tetragonal Fe2B phase. Diffusional growth kinetics of boride layers are close to parabolic and can alternatively be described by a system of two non-linear differential equations, producing a good fit to the experimental data.


ABSTRACT Underachievement in the classroom is a problem which confronts educators and national initiatives such as America 2000. Little field research exists to evaluate the effectiveness of classroom interventions on improving academic performance of the underachiever. A field study was designed and implemented by school psychologists which focused on intervening with the underachieving student in the elemental)/ school classroom. The subjects for the study consisted of the fifth grade population (N=119) of one elementary school. Targeted underachievers were identified by six classroom teachers. School psychologists used a consultation model to train teachers in group (group contingencies, study skills, verbal reprimands, public posting) and individual (self-recording, behavior contracts, home-school notes) interventions for improving students' academic performance. The use of selected interventions was monitored by the school psychologists on a weekly basis. Evaluation of student progress was measured by process, single case, and group analyses. Two rating scales were developed for identification of the underachiever (one for parents and teachers, one student self-report form). At the conclusion of the study, positive changes were demonstrated in the underachieving students. Substantial increases were noted in the percent of science assignments turned in during baseline phase to the intervention phase. Single case and group data analyses indicated significant increases in academic achievement on adults' ratings of student achievement. Other data suggest general trends of improved performance for all targeted underachieving students. (NB)


Project Goals: The LLNL Bioenergy SFA seeks to support sustainable and predictable bioenergy crop production through a community systems biology understanding of microbial consortia that are closely associated with bioenergy-relevant crops. We focus on host-microbial interactions in algal ponds and perennial grasses, with the goal of understanding and predicting the system-scale consequences of these interactions for biomass productivity and robustness, the balance of resources, and the functionality of surrounding microbial communities. Our approach integrates 'omics measurements with quantitative isotope tracing, characterization of metabolites and biophysical factors, genome-enabled metabolic modeling, and trait-based representations of complex multitrophic biological communities, to characterize the microscale impacts of single cells on system scale processes.


The characteristics commonly attributed to central get -passives in the relevant literature include the possibility of taking an overtly expressed agent by -phrase, a dynamic meaning conveyed by the lexical verb, an animate and human referent who is at the same time responsible for the action expressed in the clause, and an adversative semantic implication of the past participle. This paper focuses on one of the abovementioned features: the semantic implication of get -passives, that is, whether the event described in the clause is beneficial or favorable for the subject ( get awarded , get elected , get promoted ), adversative or unfavorable for the subject ( get arrested , get killed , get shot ), or semantically neutral ( get printed , get sent , get written ). Data collected from a corpus-based analysis of the spoken British English component and other spoken ESL components of the International Corpus of English (ICE) will be deployed to argue against those claims which define the get -passive as a predominantly negative or adversative construction in Present-Day English.


The clpG gene coding for the CS31A subunit was localized on a 0.9-kb SphI fragment from the recombinant plasmid pAG315. This was established by testing the ability of subclones to hybridize with a 17-meric oligonucleotide probe obtained from N-terminal analysis of the CS31A subunit. The nucleotide sequence of the region coding for CS31A was determined. From primer extension analysis, two initiation translation start sites were detected. Two possible promoterlike sequences were identified; the ribosome binding site and the translation terminator are proposed. Inverted repeat sequences leading to the formation of possible hairpin structures of the transcripts were found on the 5' untranslated region of clpG. The deduced amino acid composition was in close agreement with the chemical amino acid composition and sequence match with the first 25 N-terminal amino acids from the published N-terminal sequence of the purified CS31A subunit. The clpG gene codes for a mature protein of 257 amino acids with a molecular size of 26,777 Da. An obvious homology was observed when the amino acid sequence of CS31A was compared with those of K88 and F41. This homology includes five different conserved sequences of up to 19 identical amino acids, which is associated with conserved proline. An extensive change in the CS31A region homologous to that identified to contain the K88 receptor binding site might be responsible for the functional divergence between CS31A and K88.


One of the outstanding open questions in space plasma physics is the heating problem in the solar corona and the solar wind. In-situ measurements, as well as MHD and kinetic simulations, suggest a relation between the turbulent nature of plasma and the onset of magnetic reconnection as a channel of energy dissipation, particle acceleration and a heating mechanism. It has also been proven that non-linear interactions between counter propagating Alfvén waves drives plasma towards a turbulent state. On the other hand, the interactions between particles and waves becomes stronger at scales near the ion(electron) gyroradious ρi (ρe ), and so turbulence can enhance conditions for reconnection and increase the number of reconnection sites. Therefore, there is a close link between turbulence and reconnection. We use fully kinetic particle in cell (PIC) simulations, able to resolve the kinetic phenomena, to study the onset of reconnection in a 3D simulation box with parameters similar to the solar wind under Alfvénic turbulence. We identify in our simulations characteristic features of reconnection sites as steep gradients of the magnetic field strength alongside with the formation of strong current sheets and inflow-outflow patterns of plasma particles near the diffusion regions. These results will be used to quantify the role reconnection in plasma turbulence.


"Cracker Culture" is a provocative study of social life in the Old South that probes the origin of cultural differences between the South and the North throughout American history. Among Scotch-Irish settlers the term Cracker initially designated a person who boasted, but in American usage the word has come to designate poor whites. McWhiney uses the term to define culture rather than to signify an economic condition. Although all poor whites were Crackers, not all Crackers were poor whites; both, however, were Southerners.The author insists that Southerners and Northerners were never alike. American colonists who settled south and west of Pennsylvania during the 17th and 18th centuries were mainly from the Celtic fringe of the British Isles. The culture that these people retained in the New World accounts in considerable measure for the difference between them and the Yankees of New England, most of whom originated in the lowlands of the southeastern half of the island of Britain. From their solid base in the southern backcountry, Celts and their Cracker descendants swept westward throughout the antebellum period until they had established themselves and their practices across the Old South. Basic among those practices that determined their traditional folkways, values, norms, and attitudes was the herding of livestock on the open range, in contrast to the mixed agriculture that was the norm both in southeastern Britain and in New England. The Celts brought to the Old South leisurely ways that fostered idleness and gaiety. Like their Celtic ancestors, Southerners were characteristically violent; they scorned pacifism; they considered fights and duels honorable and consistently ignored laws designed to control their actions. In addition, family and kinship were much more important in Celtic Britain and the antebellum South than in England and the Northern United States. Fundamental differences between Southerners and Northerners shaped the course of antebellum American history; their conflict in the 1860s was not so much brother against brother as culture against culture."


There has been so much controversy about the inclusion of a sub-plot in Shakespeare's play King Lear. Some critics think that having a secondary story, woven within the main story, is a defect and lessens the dramatic effect of the main plot in particulars, and the whole story in general, while others believe that it is an advantage and it enhances the dramatic effect of the main story. To come up with a clear idea and to answer the research question, which is, whether Shakespeare should have included a sub-plot in his tragedy, and in order to account for this intuition, and to substantiate the assumption that the sub-plot adversely affects the main plot, the drama's form and structure have been thoroughly analyzed and critiqued through analyzing and examining the plot of the play. The research concluded that including a secondary story within the main story is an advantage, and that the two plots (the Lear story and the Gloucester story) greatly resemble each other, in so far as in both cases an infatuated father proves to be blind towards his good-hearted and well-meaning child, Lear in the case of the main plot, and Gloucester in the case of the sub-plot, while the unnatural child, whom he prefers, causes the ruin of all his father's happiness. The paper also concluded that the two stories support each other, and that the sub-plot enhances the main plot's tragic or dramatic effect rather than weakens it.


The objective of this work was to study the structure and the totality of injuries associated with the fatal combined traumas in the children of different age based on the materials of forensic medical examination of children's corpses (115 original observations and 188 archived cases). The children died as a results of road traffic accidents or a fall from the height. It was shown that the structure of the combined trauma strongly depends on the children's age. Head injuries prevailed in the children under the age of 3 years whereas the frequency of this trauma decreased with age. On the contrary, the number of injuries to the chest, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities increased with the age of the children. Moreover, the age was an important factor influencing the extent of all injuries and the severity of combined traumas. These parameters increased with increasing age.


Abstract To broaden the knowledge about the chemical changes at the cell wall level of differently modified tropical hardwoods, heat-treated and N-methylol melamine (NMM)-treated samples of koto (Pterygota macrocarpa) and limba (Terminalia superba) were prepared. UV microspectrophotometry (UMSP) was applied at 278 and 240 nm as specific wavelengths to analyze chemical alterations of the samples caused by heat and NMM treatment, respectively. The absorbance of koto exceeded that of limba before and after treatment, potentially due to the higher extractive content of the former. Regardless of the wood species, the absorbance of the samples increased with increasing intensity of the NMM treatment. Additionally, the absorbance of lignin within the spectrum of 230–350 nm was altered due to the NMM treatment. The functionality of applying specific wavelengths for the analysis of different modification methods of wood was proven. However, the comparison with literature did not show differences in the absorbance, which could be assigned to the characteristics of tropical hardwoods.


In a survey of 15 large and moderate sized travel agencies, in response to the questions, "What disease protection is required for Bali, Java and Papua New Guinea T', and "Do I need to take protection against malaria?", two stated that anti-malarials were required, one referred the inquiry elsewhere, two stated that it was optional, and ten stated that it was definitely not required. It concerns me that such misleading advice may be remembered by the traveller and result in a laissez faire attitude toward prophylaxis. It is possible to suggest that agents be recommended toward referral of clients to a more appropriate authority and against making dogmatic statements on health matters? 112 Barnard Street, JOHN S. Fox. North Adelaide, SA 5006.


Abstract Aims Coronary flow reserve (CFR) is an integrated measure of the entire coronary vasculature, and is a powerful prognostic marker in coronary artery disease (CAD). The extent to which coronary revascularization can improve CFR is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on CFR in patients with stable CAD. Methods and results In a prospective, multicentre observational study, CFR was measured by 15O-water positron emission tomography as the ratio of stress to rest myocardial blood flow at baseline and 6 months after optimal medical therapy (OMT) alone, PCI, or CABG. Changes in the SYNTAX and Leaman scores were angiographically evaluated as indicators of completeness of revascularization. Follow-up was completed by 75 (25 OMT alone, 28 PCI, and 22 CABG) out of 82 patients. The median SYNTAX and Leaman scores, and baseline CFR were 14.5 [interquartile range (IQR): 8–24.5], 5.5 (IQR: 2.5–12.5), and 1.94 (IQR: 1.67–2.66), respectively. Baseline CFR was negatively correlated with the SYNTAX (ρ = −0.40, P < 0.001) and Leaman scores (ρ = −0.33, P = 0.004). Overall, only CABG was associated with a significant increase in CFR [1.67 (IQR: 1.14–1.96) vs. 1.98 (IQR: 1.60–2.39), P < 0.001]. Among patients with CFR <2.0 (n = 41), CFR significantly increased in the PCI [1.70 (IQR: 1.42–1.79) vs. 2.21 (IQR: 1.78–2.49), P = 0.002, P < 0.001 for interaction between time and CFR] and CABG groups [1.28 (IQR: 1.13–1.80) vs. 1.86 (IQR: 1.57–2.22), P < 0.001]. The reduction in SYNTAX or Leaman scores after PCI or CABG was independently associated with the percent increase in CFR after adjusting for baseline characteristics (P = 0.012 and P = 0.011, respectively). Conclusion Coronary revascularization ameliorated reduced CFR in patients with obstructive CAD. The degree of improvement in angiographic CAD burden by revascularization was correlated with magnitude of improvement in CFR.


Rating systems for assessing the environmental impact of buildings are technical instruments that aim to evaluate the environmental impact of buildings and construction projects. In some cases, these rating systems can also cover urban-scale projects, community projects, and infrastructures. These schemes are designed to assist project management in making the projects more sustainable by providing frameworks with precise criteria for assessing the various aspects of a building's environmental impact. Given the growing interest in sustainable development worldwide, many rating systems for assessing the environmental impact of buildings have been established in recent years, each one with its peculiarities and fields of applicability. The present work is motivated by an interest in emphasizing such differences to better understand these rating systems and extract the main implications to building design. It also attempts to summarize in a user-friendly form the vast and fragmented assortment of information that is available today. The analysis focuses on the six main rating systems: the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM), the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE), the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB), the Haute Qualite Environnementale (HQETM), the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and the Sustainable Building Tool (SBTool).


Many studies on agricultural robots and on robot components such as manipulators, visual sensors, end-effectors and traveling devices have been performed to solve problems when robots work in fields or in greenhouses. In addition, productivity should also be considered in the agricultural production system in the case that the cultivation method and plant training system are changed so that the robot can work without trouble. In this study, a tomato harvesting robot is described as a example of an agricultural robot. First, the basic mechanism of the robot and the details of the robot components are developed based on the physical properties of the tomato plant and on the environmental conditions. Secondly, a cherry tomato harvesting end-effector is also developed so that the robot can harvest not only normal size tomatoes but also cherry tomatoes by changing the end-effector to make it a multi-purpose robot. Lastly, horticultural methods such as suitable cultivation methods and plant training methods for...


In this study, we investigate the transition zone discontinuities beneath the northwestern Deccan volcanic province of India through analysis of ∼1000 high-quality receiver functions abstracted from three-component teleseismic waveforms from 428 earthquakes recorded by six broadband stations in the northwestern Deccan volcanic province. Our analysis reveals that the P 410 s and P 660 s time lags are delayed by ∼1 s relative to those predicted by the IASP91 model. A largely unperturbed mantle transition zone, revealed by the transition zone time lag ( t P660s – t P410s ) of 23.83 s, implies that the observed delays are primarily associated with reduced shear velocities in the upper mantle above the 410 km discontinuity. The velocity reduction is likely to be associated with lithospheric thinning coupled with compositional and reduced thermal variations in the shallow upper mantle. Our results contrast with the normal shield-like velocity structure imaged beneath the south-central Deccan volcanic province in an earlier receiver function study. For comparison, a revised composite receiver function plot for the south-central Deccan volcanic province was constructed by employing identical receiver function processing techniques on an updated high-quality data set of 1400 receiver functions from 11 stations, which reaffirms, with better precision, the earlier results. We propose that the relative differences in the lithospheric thicknesses beneath the northwestern and south-central parts of the Deccan volcanic province possibly governed the melting and flow patterns of the upwelling mantle material, resulting in the contrasting seismic signatures. The lithospheric architecture of the northwestern Deccan volcanic province, coupled with the reactivation of preexisting rift systems, appears to have facilitated the eruption of the Deccan basalts, for which source signatures are still retained in the upper mantle.