Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren, they are dull of color, they are unpicturesque in shape. The valleys are unsightly deserts fringed with a feeble vegetation that has an expression about it of being sorrowful and despondent. The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee sleep in the midst of a vast stretch of hill and plain wherein the eye rests upon no pleasant tint, no striking object, no soft picture dreaming in a purple haze or mottled with the shadows of the clouds. Every outline is harsh, every feature is distinct, there is no perspective - distance works no enchantment here. It is a hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land. . . . Palestine is desolate and unlovely. And why should it be otherwise? Can the curse of the Deity beautify a land? Palestine is no more of this work-day world. It is sacred to poetry and tradition - it is dream-land.Mark twain in The Innocents Abroad1 of all narrative accounts about Palestine written by Western travellers in the nineteenth century, the harsh words of American writer Mark twain strike even the most disenchanted reader. Except for its spiritual dimension, Palestine appeared to him as a dull and characterless place, miles away from the magnificent sights he found in Damascus or Giza. Other visitors to the region, who felt quite disappointed by the evident decay of the ottoman province of Palestine, shared twain's view. Their memories are consistent in describing a place of poverty and backwardness, as if it had been frozen, or dismissed from history, after having accomplished its mission of giving birth to Jesus - almost a "curse," as twain puts it. Many of the early Western travellers to Palestine did not hesitate to trust their first impressions of the land, which were recorded in their diaries and journals.At the same time, as Rosovsky points out, visual artists followed a very different approach:Just like painters, photographers selected and "edited" the scenes they captured. The brush and lens portrayed things differently from the pen because writers could describe both the good and the bad in one book, while painters and photographers had but one shot at a scene, and depictions of dirt, poverty, or misery did not sell. 2Thus, a discrepancy emerges between the narrative and the visual accounts of the same subject: while literature might be expected to have a natural bent for imaginative departures from reality, in this context it turned out to be very focused on the present day and interested in the current conditions of the natural and social environment.On the other hand, while photography was acclaimed as an extraordinary tool for depicting reality as accurately as ever thanks to the precision of science and technology, in Palestine it often turned away from contemporary subjects in order to search for evidence of a timeless past of biblical memory.In the nineteenth century Palestine was indeed a neglected province of the ottoman Empire, but since Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798 and his subsequent campaign along the Palestinian cities of the coast - Gaza, Jaffa, Haifa and acre - the Holy land attracted more and more interest in the West. Because of its paramount significance for Christianity, but also for its crucial position on the route to Syria and India, Palestine became the target of several ventures, mainly led by French and British explorers. Inspired by a wave of enthusiasm for the exotic and the sacred - both abundant in the Holy land - many pioneer photographers crossed the Mediterranean Sea to capture images that the European public was eager to see.The first photographers heading eastwards to Palestine were Frenchmen Frederic Goupil-Fesquet, Horace Vernet, Girault de Parangey and Swiss-born Canadian Pierre Joly de lotbiniere. The year 1839, writes Howe, saw "Goupil-Fesquet anxiously peering at the silvered plate in his mercury vapor development chamber, hoping to see a miniature of Jerusalem appear. …


This study analyses the possible risk factors for the on-set of behavioural disorders and psychiatric disturbances in a group of 30 early-treated congenital hypothyroidism (CH) subjects (12 children and 18 adolescents) compared with a control group of 116 age-matched normal subjects (58 children and 58 adolescents). The study also allowed us to evaluate the possible age at onset of behavioural disorders. Both the sample's and the controls' behaviours were assessed using a specific diagnostic instrument: Achenbach's and Edelbrock's Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). A clinical structured interview, the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents--Revised (DICA-R) was also administered to 18 adolescents with early-treated CH, in order to determine the presence of psychopathological disturbances. In accordance with literature data, the children and adolescents with early-treated CH showed more behavioural problems than age-matched, normal controls. In the children, a statistically significant difference versus the controls emerged only in their higher delinquent behaviour score, while the adolescents gave, on the CBCL, significantly higher scores compared with controls in the withdrawal, anxiety/depression, thought problems, attention problems and aggressive behaviour scales. In the DICA-R, 44% of adolescents with early-treated CH showed symptoms of anxiety disorder, in particular, separation anxiety disorder with phobic components; 16% showed mood disorder and depression and 11% showed behavioural disorders with attention deficit.


very remote if the operation has been properly performed. In view of the numerous reports the Union has received recently concerning male sterilization it would appear that many surgeons do not realize that vasoligation should not be carried out under the National Health Service unless there is a medical indication for the operation. There is no distinction between men and women regarding sterilization under the N.H.S.; the operation can be carried out under the N.H.S. in either case if it is required to protect the physical or mental health of the patient.-I am, etc.,


A neutral triacylglycerol lipase activity that is separate and distinct from lipoprotein lipase (LPL) could be measured in homogenates of myocardial cells if protamine sulphate and high concentrations of albumin were included in the assay. This neutral lipase was predominantly particulate, with the highest relative specific activity in microsomal subcellular fractions. The induction of diabetes by the administration of streptozotocin to rats resulted in a decrease in LPL activity in myocyte homogenates and in particulate subcellular fractions, but the percentage of cellular LPL activity that was released during incubation of myocytes with heparin was normal. In contrast, neutral lipase activity was increased in diabetic myocyte homogenates and microsomal fractions. Acid triacylglycerol lipase activity was not changed in diabetic myocytes. The decrease in LPL in myocytes owing to diabetes may result in the decreased functional LPL activity at the capillary endothelium of the diabetic heart.


Ripening behavior of Bartlett' pears (Pyrus communis L.), with or without ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) treatment, was assessed at harvest, and after 2, 4, 6 and 12 weeks of cold storage at -1 °C. Fruit exhibited increasing rates of C 2 H 4 production and consequently faster ripening rates with increased length of cold storage. Ripening characteristics were influenced by storage duration, but to different degrees. The data indicate that the threshold C 2 H 4 concentration for softening may be lower than that for color change from green to yellow. Ethylene treatment for 24 h at harvest resulted in a rate of ripening equivalent to that following cold storage for 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the orchard location. Storage for 12 weeks significantly increased C 2 H 4 production upon transfer to ambient temperature, indicating that fruit were reaching the end of their storage life. 'Bartlett' pears may ripen to a firmness of 14 N (ready to eat) at 20 °C within 2.5 to 7 days depending upon the duration of prior cold storage.


The Intel CoreTM Duo processor is a new member of the Intel mobile processor product line. It is the first Intel mobile microarchitecture that uses CMP (Core Multi-Processor; i.e., multi cores on die) technology. Targeted to the market of general-purpose mobile systems, the Intel Core Duo core was built to achieve high performance, while consuming low power and fitting into different thermal envelopes. In order to achieve the required performance, a CMPbased microarchitecture was designed to achieve powerefficient architecture, each performance improvement was evaluated against the power cost, and only the power-efficient performance features were implemented. On top of that, special hardware mechanisms were added to better control the static and the dynamic power consumption. As a result, the Intel Core Duo processor provides higher performance in the same form factors without needing to increase the cooling capability.


STUDY OBJECTIVE
To determine the duration and recovery profile of maintenance doses of cisatracurium besylate following succinylcholine, and during propofol or isoflurane anesthesia.

DESIGN
Randomized, open-label study.

SETTING
Operating suite of a university-affiliated medical center.

PATIENTS
Forty ASA physical status I and II adult patients having elective surgery with general anesthesia lasting longer than 90 minutes.

INTERVENTIONS
Following a standardized induction sequence, a baseline electromyogram (EMG) was obtained. An intubating dose of intravenous (i.v.) succinylcholine 1.0 mg/kg was administered. Ventilation was maintained with a face mask until the first twitch (T1) of the evoked train-of-four (TOF) reached 10% of control when tracheal intubation was performed. Spontaneous recovery from neuromuscular blockade was allowed to occur until the first twitch returned to 25% of control. Patients then were randomized to receive cisatracurium as follows. Group 1: 0.025 mg/kg [0.5 x 95% effective dose (ED95)]; Group 2: 0.05 mg/kg (ED95); Group 3: 0.05 mg/kg (ED95); and Group 4: 0.1 mg/kg (2 x ED95). Anesthesia for Groups 1 and 2 were maintained with isoflurane 1% to 2%, 66% nitrous oxide (N2O) in oxygen (O2), and in Groups 3 and 4, anesthesia was maintained with propofol 80 to 160 micrograms/kg/min, 66% N2O in O2. The TOF-evoked EMG was recorded at 10-second intervals. The time for the evoked EMG to spontaneously return to 25%, 50%, and 75% of the original baseline was recorded.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
There were 10 patients in each of the four groups. The duration of action of cisatracurium 0.05 mg/kg (ED95) after an intubating dose of succinylcholine is 24.5 +/- 10 minutes and 21.3 +/- 9 minutes during anesthesia maintained with isoflurance and propofol, respectively. Doubling the dose of cisatracurium resulted in approximately twice the duration of action (40.2 +/- 7 min) during propofol anesthesia. Following a dose of cisatracurium 0.025 mg/kg (0.5 x ED95), the T1 of the EMG-evoked response did not decrease below 25% in 7 of 10 patients.

CONCLUSION
Following succinylcholine, the duration of action of a single dose of cisatracurium 0.05 mg/kg is 20 to 25 minutes during anesthesia maintained with propofol or isoflurane. The duration and recovery profile of cisatracurium is dose dependent during propofol and isoflurane anesthetics. Cisatracurium 0.025 mg/kg is an inadequate maintenance dose following recovery from succinylcholine and it fails to provide adequate surgical relaxation.


Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) mediate the exchange of materials between the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm, playing a key role in the separation of nucleic acids and proteins into their required compartments. The static structure of the NPC is relatively well defined by recent cryo EM and other studies. The functional roles of dynamic components in the pore of the NPC, phenylalanyl-glycyl (FG) repeat rich nucleoporins, is less clear because of our limited understanding of highly dynamic protein systems. These proteins form a restrained concentrate which interacts with and concentrates nuclear transport factors (NTRs) to provide facilitated nucleocytoplasmic transport of cargoes. Very rapid exchange among FG repeats and NTRs supports extremely fast facilitated transport, close to the rate of macromolecular diffusion in cytoplasm, while complexes without specific interactions are entropically excluded, though details on several aspects of the transport mechanism and FG repeat behaviors remain to be resolved. However, as discussed here, new technical approaches combined with more advanced modeling methods will likely provide an improved dynamic description of NPC transport, potentially at the atomic level in the near future. Such advances are likely to be of major benefit in comprehending the roles the malfunctioning NPC plays in cancer, aging, viral diseases, and neurodegeneration.


The formic acid oxidation on Pt/Ru nanoparticles in acid solution over the temperature range 298-333 K has been studied by thin-film rotating disk method (RDE). Transmission electron microscopy in combination with scanning tunneling microscopy was used to determine the size (4.3 ± 0.3 nm) and shape (cuboctahedral) of the particles. Kinetic analysis revealed that at elevated temperatures (313 K, 333 K) the reaction rate is much higher than at room temperature (295 K), indicating that formic acid oxidation on supported Pt/Ru catalyst is a highly activated process. Based on experimental kinetic parameters we propose that the HCOOH oxidation on the PtRu alloy most likely follows a dual pathway, but the branching ratio is still very high, i.e. Pt-like. The principal effect of opening the dehydration channel at steady-state (via the presence of Ru in the surface) is to lower the coverage of COads on Pt sites and permit the dehydrogenation path to increase in rate.


Chromatography on controlled pore glass was adapted for the separation of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) rubella antibodies from 0.3-ml samples of human serum. An extremely sharp separation of IgM from IgG antibodies could be obtained within 40 min. Nonspecific inhibitors were removed before chromatography by precipitation with high-molecular-weight dextran sulfate, and the titer of rubella antibodies in the different classes of immunoglobulins were assayed with a modified hemagglutination inhibition technique. The combination of these methods is recommended for routine tests. It permits an accurate diagnosis of recent rubella infection within a few hours.


Emerging evidence suggests that calcium and its regulating hormones, i.e. vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH), affect breast cancer risk. The associations between serum calcium levels and breast cancer risk, between serum calcium levels and known risk factors of breast cancer, and between serum calcium levels and breast cancer aggressiveness were examined within the Malmo Preventive Project, a population-based cohort comprising 10,902 women. Serum calcium, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and PTH-levels were furthermore examined in relation to breast cancer risk in a nested case-control study comprising 764 breast cancer cases within the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study. Serum calcium levels were positively associated with breast cancer risk in overweight/obese women. In premenopausal women, serum calcium was in one study negatively, and in one study positively, associated with breast cancer. Calcium was positively associated with breast cancer aggressiveness in overweight and/or premenopausal women. Premenopausal status and use of oral contraceptives and hormone-replacement therapy were negatively associated with serum calcium levels. BMI was significantly associated with serum calcium levels, with lean and overweight women having higher calcium levels than women with BMI between 20 and 25. There was a weak, statistically non-significant, inverse association between 25OHD-levels and breast cancer risk. There was no evidence for any relation between PTH-levels and breast cancer. It is concluded that serum calcium is positively associated with breast cancer risk and aggressiveness in overweight women. There may be a weak negative association between vitamin D and breast cancer risk, but this will have to be further examined. (Less)


Article II's apparent provision for a unitary executive is at odds with a mature understanding of what makes the separation of powers constitutionally valuable. From Montesquieu to Brandeis, jurists theorizing separation of powers have characterized its purpose as primarily to promote liberty and the rule of law. Two centuries of constitutional experience lets us now see more clearly that liberty and the rule of law are promoted by checks and balances that prevent individual actors, including the President, from conclusively determining the reach of their own powers. Dividing the executive may further promote the liberty and rule-of-law goals of the Constitution's existing checks and balances. This article, written for a symposium at Duke University School of Law entitled An Even More Perfect Union: Proposed Amendments to the Constitution, further develops and deepens the case made in existing scholarship for dividing the American national executive, and in particular for constitutionally securing the independence of the Attorney General.


Person search has drawn increasing attention due to its real-world applications and research significance. Person search aims to find a probe person in a gallery of scene images with a wide range of applications, such as criminals search, multicamera tracking, missing person search, etc. Early person search works focused on image-based person search, which uses person image as the search query. Text-based person search is another major person search category that uses free-form natural language as the search query. Person search is challenging, and corresponding solutions are diverse and complex. Therefore, systematic surveys on this topic are essential. This paper surveyed the recent works on image-based and text-based person search from the perspective of challenges and solutions. Specifically, we provide a brief analysis of highly influential person search methods considering the three significant challenges: the discriminative person features, the query-person gap, and the detection-identification inconsistency. We summarise and compare evaluation results. Finally, we discuss open issues and some promising future research directions.


Our Marvelous Bodies offers a unique perspective on the structure, function, and care of the major systems of the human body. Unlike other texts that use a strictly scientific approach, physiologist Gary F. Merrill relays medical facts alongside personal stories that help students relate to and apply the information.Readers learn the basics of feedback control systems, homeostasis, and physiological gradients. These principles apply to an understanding of the body's functioning under optimal, healthy conditions, and they provide insight into states of acute and chronic illness. Separate chapters are devoted to each of the body's systems in detail: nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, reproductive, and immune. Through a series of real-life examples, the book also shows the importance of maintaining careful medical records for health care professionals, scientists, and patients alike. This book is: written in an engaging and accessible style; ideal for undergraduate courses in human physiology and advanced students of health science; and, relays medical facts with personal stories.


This paper presents a discrepancy minimizing model to address the discrete optimization problem in hashing learning. The discrete optimization introduced by binary constraint is an NP-hard mixed integer programming problem. It is usually addressed by relaxing the binary variables into continuous variables to adapt to the gradient based learning of hashing functions, especially the training of deep neural networks. To deal with the objective discrepancy caused by relaxation, we transform the original binary optimization into differentiable optimization problem over hash functions through series expansion. This transformation decouples the binary constraint and the similarity preserving hashing function optimization. The transformed objective is optimized in a tractable alternating optimization framework with gradual discrepancy minimization. Extensive experimental results on three benchmark datasets validate the efficacy of the proposed discrepancy minimizing hashing.


With the rapid development of renewable energy, traditional power generation such as combined cycle set needs to start-up or change load quickly to balance the variability brought by renewable resources. In the combined cycle set, the start-up of steam turbine has a great influence on the whole set, and it's necessary to ensure safety, shorten the start-up time and reduce pollutant emissions. These optimization objectives are interrelated and have complex contradiction, which is the difficulty for multi-objective optimization. Costs function consisting of start-up costs, fatigue life damage costs, pollutant emissions costs and revenue gained from electricity is proposed to balance the contradiction more objectively. Finite Exhaustive Method combining thermal-structural finite element calculation and multi-objective optimization is proposed for multi-objective start-up process optimization, and its results are compared with those of minimum start-up time and minimum fatigue life damage optimization. It can automatically search for a unique global optimal solution for engineering practice, rather than solution sets obtained by Pareto Optimality, which is beneficial for application in different combined cycle steam turbines and start-up process. Multi-objective optimization scheduling shortens start-up time from 105 to 93 minutes, reduces maximum stress from 493MPa to 440MPa, and reduces costs function by 66.6%. The comparison with the multi-objective optimization results of the Response Surface Method proves the reliability and validity of this method. The practical inspection results prove that the optimal scheduling is safe and effective.


The surface impurity ground states of anisotropic semiconductors are studied by two different methods, namely the perturbative variational method and the principle of minimal sensitivity which were developed recently. The treatment is based on (i) a parabolic one-band model and (ii) an infinite-barrier model for electronic states. In spite of the simplicity of the methods, it is found that the calculated energies for Ge and Si are very close to the results obtained by the conventional variational method. The validity of the variational trial wavefunction used in previous calculations is also discussed. A new variational trial function is also proposed for the case of the anisotropic crystals.


It has been well established that serotonin (5-HT) plays an important role in the striatum. For example, during levodopa therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), the serotonergic projections from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) release dopamine as a false transmitter, and there are strong indications that this pulsatile release is connected to dyskinesias that reduce the effectiveness of the therapy. Here we present hypotheses about the functional role of 5-HT in the normal striatum and present computational studies showing the feasibility of these hypotheses. Dopaminergic projections to the striatum inhibit the medium spiny neurons (MSN) in the striatopalladal (indirect) pathway and excite MSNs in the striatonigral (direct) pathway. It has long been hypothesized that the effect of dopamine (DA) depletion caused by the loss of SNc cells in PD is to change the "balance" between the pathways to favor the indirect pathway. Originally, "balance" was understood to mean equal firing rates, but now it is understood that the level of DA affects the patterns of firing in the two pathways too. There are dense 5-HT projections to the striatum from the dorsal raphe nucleus and it is known that increased 5-HT in the striatum facilitates DA release from DA terminals. The direct pathway excites various cortical nuclei and some of these nuclei send inhibitory projections to the DRN. Our hypothesis is that this feedback circuit from the striatum to the cortex to the DRN to the striatum serves to stabilize the balance between the direct and indirect pathways, and this is confirmed by our model calculations. Our calculations also show that this circuit contributes to the stability of the dopamine concentration in the striatum as SNc cells die during Parkinson's disease progression (until late phase). There may be situations in which there are physiological reasons to "unbalance" the direct and indirect pathways, and we show that projections to the DRN from the cortex or other brain regions could accomplish this task.


Studies of wine tasters and patients with self-induced vomiting have revealed that 30-50% of individuals at high risk do not develop erosive lesions. The aim was to investigate this apparent individual susceptibility to enamel erosion. Two enamel specimens were made from each of 3 premolars from 8 persons (donors). Six acrylic mouth appliances were worn by 6 volunteers (carriers). One specimen from each donor was mounted on each appliance. The carriers wore the appliances for 9 days. The appliances were immersed in 0.01 M HCl for 3 min twice per day to imitate a vomiting/reflux situation. The enamel specimens were analysed by a white-light interferometer to measure enamel loss (in micrometres). The enamel loss varied significantly both between the donor teeth (p = 0.009) and the carriers (p = 0.004). The lesion in the specimen with the largest amount of enamel loss was 4 times as deep as in the specimen with the lowest. In 1 carrier, all specimens displayed enamel loss above the mean, including the specimen from the donor with the most resistant enamel. The variation in susceptibility to erosion among individuals appears to be influenced both by the sustainability of the enamel and by factors in the oral environment. This could explain the variation in prevalence and severity of dental erosions among patients exposed to similar acidic challenges. The results suggest that for certain individuals, only minimal acidic challenges may be sufficient to cause damage to the teeth, while others may never develop dental erosions despite extensive exposure to acid.


Soil water simulations on hydrological meso- or macroscale require parameters that describe the physical characteristics of the soil. At these scales, information regarding soil properties is mostly only available on very coarse spatial resolutions with texture based soil characterisations, where it is difficult to select representative soil hydraulic parameters. We improved the parameter estimation by introducing a new soil classification system, which is based on soil hydraulic behaviour in order to realistically reproduce the soil water interaction within meso-scaled hydrological models. The time series of soil water flux were simulated based on one million different parameterisations, which were then utilised for similarity analyses while applying the k-means clustering. The resulting classes show a different pattern when compared to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) texture based classes. Representative time series of water flux representative of the new classes were compared to time series of the USDA texture classification. The new classes show remarkably lower uncertainties. The bandwidth of the time series within a class is orders of magnitudes higher for the USDA system when compared to the new system. The evaluation of similarity of the simulated water flux time series within one and the same class were also clearly better for the new system.


Gold nanoparticles (nAu) are used in drug delivery systems allowing for targeted cellular distribution. The effects of increased use and release of nanoparticles into the environment are not well known. A species sensitivity distribution (SSD) allows for the ecotoxicological hazard assessment of a chemical based on single species toxicity tests. Aquatic toxicity needs to be related to particle characterization in order to understand the effects. The behaviour of nAu in the medium changed as the concentration increased. The toxic potential of ionic gold and nAu was expressed as a hazardous concentration where 5% of species will be harmed (HC5). The HC5 for nAu was much higher (42.78mg/L) compared to the ionic gold (2.44mg/L). The differences between the hazard potentials of nAu and ionic gold were attributed to the nAu not releasing any Au ions into solution during the exposures and following an aggregation theory response. Exposures to ionic gold on the other hand followed a clear dose dependent response based on the concentration of the ionic metal. Although SSDs present an indication of the relative hazard potential of nanoparticles, the true worth can only be achieved once other nanoparticle characteristics and their behavior in the environment are also considered.


Abstract This paper uses narrative accounts of private gardens in Britain from the Mass-Observation Archive (MO) to explore ideas of landscape, privacy and attachment that emerge from daily practices and routines in these ordinary domestic spaces. We argue for the domestic garden as a vernacular or ordinary landscape that displays tensions between the private and the public nature of home within ambivalent emotional responses. Extended personal narratives offer privileged access to a site of intense engagement and carefully guarded privacy, yet with varying levels of attachment. The garden is a space well described in Britain in its public form but less well known as a private, everyday landscape. In this way a cultural landscape study becomes a contemporary critical geography of an ordinary space.


The effect of direct current on the semi-solid isothermal heat-treated microstructure of ZA84 alloy is investigated. The results indicate that it is possible to produce ZA84 alloy with non-dendritic microstructure by semi-solid isothermal treatment. Furthermore, imposing direct current during the semi-solid isothermal treatment of ZA84 alloy can accelerate the non-dendritic structure evolution of the alloy. Under the experimental conditions of this work, higher the current density, quicker is the rate of non-dendritic structure evolution for the semi-solid isothermal heat-treated ZA84 alloy. Further investigations need to be considered in order to optimize the current density, isothermal temperature and holding time.


Religious diversity is a key topic in contemporary philosophy of religion. One way religious diversity has been of interest to philosophers is in the epistemological questions it gives rise to. In other words, religious diversity has been seen to pose a challenge for religious belief. In this study four approaches to dealing with this challenge are discussed. These approaches correspond to four well-known philosophers of religion, namely, Richard Swinburne, Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, and John Hick. The study is concluded by suggesting four factors which shape one's response to the challenge religious diversity poses to religious belief.


In this study, we proposed to use the nonparametric bootstrap procedure to construct the confidence interval for the mean correlation r corrected for Case IV range restriction in meta-analysis (i.e., ; Hunter, Schmidt, & Le, 2006). A comprehensive Monte Carlo study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the parametric confidence interval and 3 nonparametric bootstrap confidence intervals for r(c4). Of the 4 intervals, our results showed that the bootstrap bias-corrected and accelerated percentile interval (BCaI) yielded the most accurate results across different data situations. In addition, the mean-corrected correlation r(c4) was found to be more accurate than the uncorrected estimate. Implications of the mean-corrected correlation r(c4) and BCaI in organizational studies are also discussed.


Current methods for learning realistic and animatable 3D clothed avatars need either posed 3D scans or 2D images with carefully controlled user poses. In contrast, our goal is to learn an avatar from only 2D images of people in unconstrained poses. Given a set of images, our method estimates a detailed 3D surface from each image and then combines these into an animatable avatar. Implicit functions are well suited to the first task, as they can capture details like hair and clothes. Current methods, however, are not robust to varied human poses and often produce 3D surfaces with broken or disembodied limbs, missing details, or non-human shapes. The problem is that these methods use global feature encoders that are sensitive to global pose. To address this, we propose ICON ("Tmplicit Clothed humans Obtained from Normals"), which, instead, uses local features. ICON has two main modules, both of which exploit the SMPL(-X) body model. First, ICON infers detailed clothed-human normals (front/back) conditioned on the SMPL(-X) normals. Second, a visibility-aware implicit surface regressor produces an iso-surface of a human occupancy field. Importantly, at inference time, a feedback loop alternates between refining the SMPL(-X) mesh using the inferred clothed normals and then refining the normals. Given multiple reconstructed frames of a subject in varied poses, we use a modified version of SCANimate to produce an animatable avatar from them. Evaluation on the AGORA and CAPE datasets shows that ICON outperforms the state of the art in reconstruction, even with heavily limited training data. Additionally, it is much more robust to out-of-distribution samples, e.g., in-the-wild poses/images and out-of-frame cropping. ICON takes a step towards robust 3D clothed human reconstruction from in-the-wild images. This enables avatar creation directly from video with personalized pose-dependent cloth deformation. Models and code are available for research at https://icon.is.tue.mpg.de.


Abstract Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome is characterized by facial diplegia with an ophthalmoplegia comprising the Moebius sequence, Pierre Robin sequence with micrognathia, short stature, postnatal-onset microcephaly, hypotonia and muscular hypoplasia, extensive brainstem involvement, and pontine hypoplasia. We report a 38-week-gestation infant with features consistent with Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome but with phenotypical features that have not previously been described. The infant had severe hypoplasia of the pons and cerebellum, seizures, hypotonia, ophthalmoplegia, downslanting palpebral fissures, tongue hypoplasia, micrognathia, and facial diplegia. The karyotype was normal. Of note, there was a focal contour abnormality in the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, which necessitated tracheostomy on the third day of life to maintain the airway, and a well-circumscribed mass on both sides of the chest. These features have not been previously found to be associated with this syndrome, and the clinical significance is unknown. Case reports of rare disorders give significant information on the diagnosis, description, and evolving phenotype of rare syndromes.


Fifteen adults with moderately severe asthma underwent two sequential treatments, first with inhaled salbutamol, 200 micrograms q.i.d. for 2 weeks followed by a combination of salbutamol 200 micrograms and beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) 100 micrograms q.i.d. for the next 2 weeks. The response was evaluated by symptoms and additional drugs scores during the two treatments and spirometry before and after each treatment. The second phase of treatment resulted in a greater symptomatic improvement and a reduced need for additional drugs. A clinically significant improvement was observed in lung function after the combination treatment. However, as the comparison was limited to only 2 weeks, this duration of treatment was not adequate to correct the spirometric abnormalities. It was concluded that a combination of salbutamol and BDP was superior to salbutamol alone. Treatment with only bronchodilators results in a poor control of asthma and therefore, these should always be combined with inhaled steroids.


Parkinson's disease is one of the most insidious neurodegenerative diseases in developed countries. Today, human pluripotent stem cells are produced from embryonic or adult cells, multiplied, differentiated into neural cell lines and ultimately transplanted into disease animal models or patients. Nowadays, DOPAminergic neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells and human parthenogenetic cells are being clinically tested in China and Australia, respectively. More importantly, good manufacturing practices have been developed and the neurons obtained have been successfully tested in nonhuman primates by teams in Europe, USA and Japan. However, there is a need for translational clinical studies with small molecules tested in vitro, as well as testing of the the efficacy of additional therapies.


ML modules provide hierarchical namespace management, as well as fine-grained control over the propagation of type information, but they do not allow modules to be broken up into mutually recursive, separately compilable components. Mixin modules facilitate recursive linking of separately compiled components, but they are not hierarchically composable and typically do not support type abstraction. We synthesize the complementary advantages of these two mechanisms in a novel module system design we call MixML.
 A MixML module is like an ML structure in which some of the components are specified but not defined. In other words, it unifies the ML structure and signature languages into one. MixML seamlessly integrates hierarchical composition, translucent MLstyle data abstraction, and mixin-style recursive linking. Moreover, the design of MixML is clean and minimalist; it emphasizes how all the salient, semantically interesting features of the ML module system (as well as several proposed extensions to it) can be understood simply as stylized uses of a small set of orthogonal underlying constructs, with mixin composition playing a central role.


This paper assesses the real option values of farmland using data from Ohio, USA. The option value of delaying the sale of a farm property was measured using an emerging, relatively new theory namely, the theory of real options pricing. As opposed to standard corporate finance theory, this new theory incorporates both the uncertainty about the future net benefits of a selling decision and the irreversibility of this action taken. Results from this option value calculation show that the vast majority of real call option values calculated for this sample are greater than zero, suggesting that deferring the decision to sell farmland is optimal for most Ohio landowners. The study then seeks to associate the impacts of urban development on Ohio farm-real estate with some important real option-determining factors suggested by the literature. To set forth this association, these option-determining factors were independently regressed on some urbanization-related variables to find out the relation between these variables. Results from this econometric analysis indicate that urban influences along with some farm and non-farm variables thought to be correlated with the land's option value are all important factors affecting the value of the state's farmland.


The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will open the low‐frequency (0.1–100 mHz) part of the gravitational wave spectrum to direct observation. Of order 3600 galactic close binary white dwarfs will be individually resolvable in its all‐sky spectrum, of which a dozen systems are expected to be on the verge of merger, showing the effects of strong tidal heating and/or early onset of tidal mass transfer. Optical study of these systems would provide important insights into tidal dissipation mechanisms, and internal heating in merging white dwarfs that sets ignition conditions for potential type Ia super‐novae. Theoretical modeling and instrumentation programs are needed now to enable a campaign for optical identifications to exploit this opportunity.


Abstract. Heritage buildings are highly prone to long term damage from the microclimate, scourge and vandalism, which can result in damaged materials, structures, painting and cultural heritage items. This study will focus on finding the displacement of wood structural members through the use of a 3D laser scanner and the 4D concept of time. The results will compare the scans from different periods to find the difference (if any) in the structural member position. Wood structures usually consist of numerous wood members connected to form the structure. However, these members can be damaged in various ways such as physical mechanisms, chemical reactions, and biological corrosion. When damage to the wood structure occurs, the structural displacement can be affected, and if affected severely, can lead to a building collapse. Monitoring of the structural displacement is the best way to discover damage immediately and to preserve the heritage building. However, the Cultural Heritage Preservation Law in Taiwan prohibits the installation of monitoring instruments (e.g strain gauge, accelerometer) in historic structures (heritage buildings). Scanning the wood structure with 3D lasers is the most non-intrusive method and quickly achieves displacement through visualization. The displacement scan results can be compared with different periods and different members to analyze the severity of damage. Once the 3D scanner is installed, the whole building is scanned, and point clouds created to build the visual building model. The structural displacement can be checked via the building model and the differences are measured between each member to find the high risk damaged areas or members with large displacement. Early detection of structural damage is the most effective way means of preservation.


Despite improved antiretroviral treatments, people living with HIV (PLWH) continue to suffer from HIV-related fatigue and sleep disturbances. We first reviewed the definition, etiology, and research breakthroughs of HIV-related fatigue and sleep disturbances, then analyzed nurse-led symptom management studies to describe their efficacy and make recommendations for future symptom research. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Psych and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and Scopus to identify nurse-led studies on symptom management for PLWH in the past 20 years. A total of 13 experimental or quasi-experimental studies were identified. The types of interventions included exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, coaching, and symptom management manualized self-care activities. Currently, we cannot recommend with certainty any of the tested symptom management strategies to reduce fatigue or sleep disturbances. The current findings need to be confirmed and expanded to understand optimal dosing and sustainability.


User performance in virtual environments with degraded visual conditions due to low frame rates is an interesting area of inquiry. Visual content shown in a low frame rate simulation has the quality of the original image, but persists for an extended period until the next frame is displayed (so-called high persistence-HP). An alternative, called low persistence (LP), involves displaying the rendered frame for a single display frame and blanking the screen while waiting for the next frame to be generated. Previous research has evaluated the usefulness of the LP technique in low frame rate simulations during a static target acquisition task. To gain greater knowledge about the LP technique, we have conducted a user study to evaluate user performance and learning during a dynamic target acquisition task. The acquisition task was evaluated under a high frame rate, (60 fps) condition, a traditional low frame rate HP condition (10 fps), and the experimental low frame rate LP technique. The task involved the acquisition of targets moving along several different trajectories, modeled after a shotgun trap shooting task. The results of our study indicate the LP condition approaches high frame rate performance within certain classes of target trajectories. Interestingly we also see that learning is consistent across conditions, indicating that it may not always be necessary to train under a visually high frame rate system to learn a particular task. We discuss implications of using the LP technique to mitigate low frame rate issues as well as its potential usefulness for training in low frame rate virtual environments.


Thermoresponsive nanogels (NGs) with film-forming ability could have great potential in delivery system platforms with controlled and targeted release of drugs or proteins, such as in topical treatment. This platform offers the opportunity of combining both the high loading capacity of an NG dispersion and the delivery capability from a film, which could be previously obtained or directly formed onto the surface where the release is required. Therefore, this article investigates the synthesis of NGs based on poly(N-vinylcaprolactam), a thermoresponsive polymer, and poly(butyl acrylate), which promotes particle coalescence and cohesivity (i.e., film forming). The synthesized NGs have low cytotoxicity and are able to form flexible and smooth films, conserving the thermoresponsivity of the particulated system. The obtained films loaded with a model protein show delivery profiles responsive to temperature changes.


The complete amino acid sequence of antiviral protein from the seeds of pokeweed {Phytolacca americana) has been determined. This has been done by the sequence analysis of peptides derived by enzymatic digestion with trypsin, pepsin, and lysylendopeptidase, as well as by chemical cleavage with cyanogen bromide. The protein consists of 261 amino acid residues containing two disulfide bonds and has a calculated molecular mass of 29167 Da. The two disulfide bonds connect Cys-34 to Cys-258 and Cys-84 to Cys-105. Comparisonof this sequence with the sequence of the ricin A-chain shows that there are identical residues at 76 positions in the two molecules (30% identity), having an extended region of highly conserved sequence at positions 170-183 (IQMXSEAARFXYIE). In contrast, the internal regions at positions 77-119 and 141-169 and the C-terminal 15 amino acid residues are less homologous in the two proteins.


The nutritional status of preschool children in a rural El Salvadoran population was assessed quarterly for 1 year using height, weight and arm circumference measurements in order to define seasonal changes in malnutrition. Seasonal patterns in the incidence of reported malnutrition and diarrheal disease from the local clinic serving the study population and on the national level for EL Salvador were also assessed and were compared with field measurements. Results indicated a similar seasonal increase in both measured malnutrition and in the reported incidence of malnutrition and diarrheal disease occurring at the onset of the rainy season. The results confirm the existence and indicate the magnitude of seasonal changes in malnutrition and diarrheal disease in a preschool population.


Aims: This study was designed to evaluate the male reproductive toxicity that may accompany treatment of hypertension in Wistar rats with methanol extracts of whole fruit of Lagenaria breviflora Roberty or corm of Xanthosoma sagittifolium Schott.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at the Animal House of the Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology between November, 2016 and January, 2017.
Methodology: Antihypertensive study was carried out in 40 adult male Wistar rats equally and randomly distributed into 8 groups. First group was normotensive rats administered with distilled water, while hypertension was induced in groups 2-7 intraperitoneal administration of DOCA-salt twice weekly and daily inclusion of 1% sodium chloride in drinking water. Group 2 was hypertensive but untreated rats. Two hypertensive groups were administered with Lisinopril (5 mg/70 kg) or Hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg/70 kg). Two hypertensive groups were assigned to each extract and these rats were administered with the extracts at doses of 100 or 200 mg/kg body weight. The rats were treated per os for 5 weeks and sacrificed at the end of this period. The testes were harvested and semen samples were obtained from the left cauda epididymis. Semen analysis were carried out to determine sperm morphology and characteristics.
Results: Result showed 1 primary and 7 secondary sperm abnormality types were observed with a non-significant (p>0.05) increase in total abnormal sperm cells. Live/dead ratio and sperm volume were unchanged but, sperm motility and count were significantly (p<0.05) reduced.
Conclusion: It was inferred from the study that hypertension in itself induced infertility and also treatment of the medical condition with the extracts of L. breviflora or X. sagittifolium did not reverse the infertility. Therefore, caution should be exercised when treating hypertension with these medicinal plants, particularly in male animals used for breeding.


Aim: We measured carnitine levels in patients with carnitine including dialysis patients, and examined whether administration of L-carnitine improved muscle symptoms. Methods: We measured carnitine levels in 27 patients with liver cirrhosis who were receiving treatment in our hospital, and administered L-carnitine (600 mg - 1800 mg) to patients having muscle cramps for approximately one month and examined the presence/absence of the symptom. We measured carnitine concentration before and after dialysis, before dialysis after the administration to eight dialysis patients, before and after the administration to 19 nondialytic patients. Results: The total carnitine levels before the dialysis of dialysis patients were an average of 42.2 μmol/L and fell to 17.7 μmol/L after more dialysis, but it was increased to 155 μmol/L after the administration of L-carnitine. In the nondialytic patients, the total carnitine levels were significantly increased from 71.7 μmol/L to 101.7 μmol/L after the administration of L-carnitine (P = 0.038). For symptomatic patients, significant improvement of muscle clamps was observed in the L-carnitine administrated group when compared with the non-administrated group (P = 0.0002). Conclusions: Total carnitine levels were low even before dialysis in the dialysis patients with liver cirrhosis in particular and they further decreased after the dialysis. Administration of L-carnitine increased the total carnitine levels and improved the symptom. Based on these results, we conclude that L-carnitine is useful for carnitine deficiency in patients with liver cirrhosis.


The removal of nitrogen compounds from transportation fuel is proven to enhance the efficiency of desulfurization process, which aims to meet the rigorous regulations regarding zero-emissions. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were screened for this purpose using quantum chemical methods. Geometry optimization was performed for all involved species at Hartree-Fock level and 6-31G* basis set. Generation of cosmo files using Density Functional Theory and Triple zeta valence potential basis set was carried out at single point calculation. The cosmo files were used to obtain σ-profiles and σ-potentials for qualitative screening of ILs and DESs. (i) The screening of ILs revealed that cations with an aromatic ring have better capacity as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) than do non-aromatic cations, whereas the acetate anion appeared to have better affinity towards HBD than did ethylsulfate and methanesulfonate anions. The σ-profile and σ-potential analysis confirmed that there is an interaction between nitrogen compounds and cations via CH-π interaction along with between nitrogen compounds and anions via hydrogen bonding. Moreover, a detailed quantum chemical calculation was performed to investigate the interaction between ILs and nitrogen compounds at molecular level, in which optimized geometry was used to obtain the orbital energies, global scalar properties, interaction energies and partial charges. The calculations indicated that cations with an aromatic ring, that is, imidazolium and pyridinium, combined with either ethylsulfate or methanesulfonate anion have favorable interaction with nitrogen compounds in comparison to cations without an aromatic ring. (ii) The screening of DESs showed that the interaction between nitrogen compounds and DESs is based on hydrogen bonding. Altogether, 94 DESs were examined quantitatively by predicting the values of the activity coefficients at infinite dilution of nitrogen compounds and diesel in the DESs. These were then used to estimate selectivity, capacity and
iv
performance index at infinite dilution as the basis of the screening process taking into account the cation, anion and HBD choices as well as the salt:HBD molar ratio.
Based on the screening results, 22 ternary liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE) experiments were carried out at room temperature and atmospheric pressure to test three ILs – namely 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, 1-ethyl-3-methylpyridinium ethylsulfate, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate, and two DESs – namely tetrabutylammonium bromide/ethylene glycol (1:2) and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide/ethylene glycol (1:2). The aim was to remove non-basic and basic nitrogen compounds from n-hexadecane as a model diesel compound. NMR spectroscopy was used for the compositional analysis. Consistency tests were performed to ascertain the reliability of all experimental data. All ternary systems reported distribution ratios and selectivity values greater than unity with minimal cross-contamination between the extract and raffinate phases. The ternary LLE data were correlated with NRTL model and compared with COSMO-RS predictions, both of which were in excellent agreement with the experimental tie-lines. In conclusion, the quantum chemical screening of ILs and DESs explained the interaction between ILs/DESs and nitrogen compounds at molecular level, which facilitates solvent selection for the denitrogenation process. The ternary LLE experiments with the selected ILs and DESs confirmed that these solvents have high potential for industrial extractive denitrogenation.


Predicting the lifetime of a LED lighting system is important for the implementation of design specifications and comparative analysis of the financial competition of various illuminating systems. Most lifetime information published by LED manufacturers and standardization organizations is limited to certain temperature and current values. However, as a result of different working and ambient conditions throughout the whole operating period, significant differences in lifetimes can be observed. In this article, an advanced method of lifetime prediction is proposed considering the initial task areas and the statistical characteristics of the study values obtained in the accelerated fragmentation test. This study proposes a new method to predict the lifetime of COB LED using an artificial intelligence approach and LM-80 data. Accordingly, a database with 6000 hours of LM-80 data was created using the Neuro-Fuzzy (ANFIS) algorithm, and a highly accurate lifetime prediction method was developed. This method reveals an approximate similarity of 99.8506% with the benchmark lifetime. The proposed methodology may provide a useful guideline to lifetime predictions of LED-related products which can also be adapted to different operating conditions in a shorter time compared to conventional methods. At the same time, this method can be used in the life prediction of nanosensors and can be produced with the 3D technique.


Glucagonlike peptide I (GLP-I-(7–36)) is cleaved from proglucagon in ileal epithelial cells and increases in human plasma after nutrient ingestion. This peptide has been shown to stimulate insulin secretion in vitro and in vivo and thus potentially acts as an incretin. To characterize its action on islet cells, the release of insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin by rat pancreatic islet monolayer cultures at varying concentrations of GLP-I-(7–36) was measured. The interaction of GLP-I-(7–36) with nutrient substrates was assessed by adding amino acids and differing glucose concentrations to the cultures. Islet cell cultures (n = 5) were incubated for 1 h in medium containing 1.67 or 16.7 mM glucose or 1.67 mM glucose supplemented with amino acids and GLP-I-(7–36) at 10−13−10−7 M. Hormone release was compared with control cultures containing no GLP-I-(7–36); 1.67−16.7 mM glucose with and without GLP-I-(7–36) at 10−11 M; and 1.67, 3.3, 8.3, or 11.1 mM glucose alone or supplemented with amino acids, GLP-I-(7–36) 10−11 M, or both amino acids and GLP-I-(7–36). In medium with 1.67 or 16.7 mM glucose or 1.67 mM glucose and amino acids, GLP-I-(7–36) increased insulin secretion two- to threefold over control at concentrations of 10−9, 10−11, and 10−12 M, respectively. In medium with increasing concentrations of glucose, GLP-I-(7–36) at 10−11 M significantly increased insulin secretion at glucose concentrations ≥3.34 mM. Amino acids and GLP-I-(7–36) combined caused insulin secretion by the monolayer cultures at low glucose concentrations, whereas neither GLP-I-(7–36) nor amino acids alone were stimulatory. At higher glucose concentrations, amino acids and GLP-I-(7–36) together evoked greater insulin release than amino acids or GLP-I-(7–36) alone. With 16.7 mM glucose and GLP-I-(7–36) at 10−9 M, somatostatin release was increased by 40%. Glucagon release was not affected by any concentration of GLP-I-(7–36). Thus, the effect of GLP-I-(7–36) is enhanced in the presence of amino acids and glucose and, at putative physiological levels, is specific for pancreatic β-cells. We conclude that GLP-I-(7–36) is a potent insulinotropin that may be a physiological humoral modulator of nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion.


The role of glucocorticoids in the regulation of vitamin K-dependent carboxylase activity was investigated in fetal and adult lung. Glucocorticoid deficiency induced by adrenalectomy (ADX) stimulated adult lung growth and reduced carboxylation in a tissue-specific manner. Type II epithelial cells were enriched in carboxylase activity, where ADX-induced downregulation was retained in freshly isolated cells. Carboxylase activity in fetal type II cells was one-half that found in fetal fibroblasts isolated from the same lungs, and both populations increased activity with time in culture. Both carboxylase activity and formation of gamma-carboxyglutamate (Gla)-containing proteins were stimulated by dexamethasone (Dex) in fetal type II cells. Matrix Gla protein (MGP), a vitamin K-dependent protein known to be synthesized in type II cells, was also found in fetal fibroblasts, where its expression was stimulated by Dex. These combined results suggested an important role for glucocorticoids and MGP in the developing lung, where both epithelial and mesenchymal cells coordinate precise control of branching morphogenesis. We investigated MGP expression and its regulation by Dex in the fetal lung explant model. MGP mRNA and protein were increased in parallel with the formation of highly branched lungs, and this increase was stimulated twofold by Dex at each day of culture. Dex-treated explants were characterized by large, dilated, conducting airways and a peripheral rim of highly branched saccules compared with uniformly branched controls. We propose that glucocorticoids are important regulators of vitamin K function in the developing and adult lung.


Two studies aimed to examine cultural differences in social support provision, with or without solicitation, in Japan and the United States (US). In Study 1, we replicated a previous study with Japanese university students. We found that the Japanese participants did not provide social support when it was not solicited, as compared with when it was solicited. Furthermore, in Study 2, participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire regarding a hypothetical stressful situation experienced by a close other and to indicate their willingness to provide support. We confirmed our hypothesis that Japanese participants hesitate to provide unsolicited support to close others (such as family members or close friends), even when they recognize that the close others are in need, whereas the American participants do not hesitate to provide such support. Contrastingly, regarding solicited support, the Japanese and Americans were equally ready to provide support, as hypothesized. The cultural difference in social support resides in the provision of unsolicited support. These results suggest that differences in culturally appropriate responses to needy people are responsible for the difference in the provision of unsolicited vs. solicited social support.


Water repellency is a widespread phenomenon, but its effect on most physical soil properties is still unknown. The present study deals with the thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of wettable and water-repellent (hydrophobic) sandy and silty soils. Thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity were determined by heat pulse measurements. Heat pulse measurements were made on samples of eight soils (four pairs of wettable soil and the corresponding water-repellent counterpart). Water repellency either was caused by soil organic matter showing natural repellency or induced by chemical treatment of wettable soils with dichlorodimethylsilane (C 2 H 6 SiCl 2 ). Thermal conductivity was also predicted with the models of de Vries and of Campbell. Almost all measured conductivities were larger than those predicted by the de Vries model. For the wettable soils, most of the conductivities in the soil water saturation range between 0.20 and 0.75 differed by more than 0.5 W m -1 K -1 . The hydrophobic soils however, showed only in the range around a saturation degree of 0.20 to 0.50 values that deviated more than 0.5 W m -1 K -1 from the predictions. The Campbell model underestimated the conductivity at low saturation for wettable and hydrophobic soil, but overestimated it at high saturation for the wettable soil. Thermal conductivity for either dry or water-saturated soil was predicted satisfactorily by both models. It was found further that soil wettability had no systematic impact on heat capacity. It is concluded that soil thermal conductivity decreased as soil hydrophobicity increased, whereas the volumetric heat capacity was not affected by soil wettability.


This study presents the effects of date palm pollen grains-DPP (Phoenixdactylifera) and isolated flavonoids on the level of cholesterol, triglycerides-TG, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol LDL-C and very low-density lipoprotein VLDL in sera of 49 adult male rabbits divided randomly into seven groups (7 animals in each group), in which G1, G2 and G3 treated with (30,60 and 90) mg/kg/day of DPP respectively, while the G4, G5 and G6 were treated with(7.5,15 and 30) mg /kg/day of isolated flavonoids from DPP respectively compared with non-treated group C1 as control. The results indicate that the level of cholesterol significantly decreased in sera of G1, G2 and G3, and also in sera of rabbits in G4 and G5as compared with C1, while the level of TG show slightly reduced in sera of G1,G3 and significantly increased in G6as compared with C1. In the other hand our results indicate that the important effect to improve the level of HDL-C may be due to the action of flavonoids at dose 15mg/Kg of body weight with no important effect of DPP to the serum level of HDL-C, and also reduced the levels of LDL-C in all groups treated with DPP and flavonoids, with no important effect to the level of VLDL-Cin sera of all groups.Our results also indicate that DPP grains and flavonoids have anti atherosclerotic effects in high dose. From all the above results we can conclude that pollen grains of date palm and its isolated flavonoids have hypolipidemic and anti atherosclerotic effects.


The protein p62/Sequestosome 1 (p62) has been described as a selective autophagy receptor and independently as a platform for pro‐inflammatory and other intracellular signaling. How these seemingly disparate functional roles of p62 are coordinated has not been resolved. Here, we show that TAK1, a kinase involved in immune signaling, negatively regulates p62 action in autophagy. TAK1 reduces p62 localization to autophagosomes, dampening the autophagic degradation of both p62 and p62‐directed autophagy substrates. TAK1 also relocalizes p62 into dynamic cytoplasmic bodies, a phenomenon that accompanies the stabilization of TAK1 complex components. On the other hand, p62 facilitates the assembly and activation of TAK1 complexes, suggesting a connection between p62's signaling functions and p62 body formation. Thus, TAK1 governs p62 action, switching it from an autophagy receptor to a signaling platform. This ability of TAK1 to disable p62 as an autophagy receptor may allow certain autophagic substrates to accumulate when needed for cellular functions.


Social events comprise some of the most popular topics in social media. Automatically identifying planned social events and extracting structured information, such as event title, date, and location, would enable more effective index, display and search for social events. However, the informal and noisy nature of language used in social media can degrade the quality of event extraction, resulting in broken titles, incorrect or absent attributes - making the resulting event databases not suitable for realistic applications. Previous work mostly focused on event identification and categorization in Twitter. Yet, event title extraction, arguably one of the most useful and difficult tasks in this domain, has never been investigated. In this paper, we address the task of identifying and extracting structured information (titles, dates, locations) for planned social events, and introduce SEEFT, a social event extraction system, which uses social media content to discover events. To extract the event title and other attributes, SEEFT fuses the original social media content and the content of other Tweets and webpages. Experiments over multiple popular event types and more than a thousand of event instances show that SEEFT significantly outperforms the previous state-of-the-art system in event identification. Moreover, by fusing information from multiple sources, SEEFT is able to extract event titles with high accuracy, providing the foundation for practical applications such as event discovery, search, and recommendation.


Four trials and 822 cattle were used to evaluate the effects of certain dietary factors on initial feed intake in receiving cattle. Cattle offered water only the first 6 to 8 hours off the truck consumed more feed the first day (d) in the feedlot than those offered feed only (1.23 vs .78% of live weight (LWT), P < .05). Cattle offered a mixed corn silage/milo diet consumed more (P < .05) the first d and the first week in the feedlot than cattle offered chopped alfalfa hay (1.27 vs .93 and 1.61 vs 1.41% of LWT, respectively). Cattle offered diets containing 12.5% crude protein (CP) tended to consume more the first d than cattle offered diets containing 10.5% CP. Also, cattle tended to consume greater amounts of diets containing urea and cottonseed meal as supplemental protein than diets containing a corn gluten meal/blood meal mixture. In conclusion, cattle should be offered water and a ration containing a moderate nutrient density (greater than 10.5% CP) when first received at the feedlot.


Cooperative mechanisms of information transfer in molecular physico-biological systems are suggested. Expressions for probability of cooperative emission from interacting molecules having quite definite information about the character of distribution of molecules inside the system are derived. The suggested mechanisms of information transfer on the atomic-molecular level will possibly allow to understand better and to describe adequately many interesting phenomena considered by molecular biology and molecular psychobiology in particular. Appendix: Throbbing in cooperative luminescence for triads of molecules combined with each other by weak interaction.


Agriculture plays a vital role in the South African economy, as well as in the production of maize for food. Genetically modified maize is transformed to encode for crystalline (Cry) proteins found in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and is referred to as Bt maize. Ingestion of specific Cry proteins causes the death of target insects that cause harm to maize plants. Bt crops, along with herbicides such as glyphosate and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), are widely adopted as part of the South African farming regime that aims to increase crop yield and reduce costs of production. As chemical compounds used in agriculture often end up in water sources, their presence should be monitored. There are many such monitoring programmes worldwide, but not in South Africa. We screened surface water sources in a maize-dominated agricultural area in the North West Province in South Africa for the presence of Cry1Ab, glyphosate and 2,4-D using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Cry1Ab was not detected at any site; glyphosate was below the limit of detection at most of the sites but one sample had quantifiable traces of glyphosate; and 2,4-D was detected at all the sites. The concentrations of 2,4-D exceeded those for drinking water according to European guidelines, thus highlighting the need for regular monitoring of these compounds. Many people depend on untreated water resources, which may be contaminated by toxic agricultural chemicals. This report is the first on levels of these target compounds in South African water systems.


Noise and modulation response behavior in quantum dot semiconductor lasers under the influence the nonlinearity studied theoretically in this paper. The present rate equations model consists of five equations for the carriers density and one equation for photons density. The nonlinearity effect was added in two rate equations namely the photon density rate equation and the ground state rate equation. Two equationswere derived to calculate the noise and modulation response. Calculations in this paper focused on the effect of each of the nonlinear effect and carrier transport inside and outside quantum dots on the laserbehavior. The results indicate the weak effect of the nonlinearity on the behavior of the laser noise because of inability of the present formula to represent the nonlinear gain parameter. Also, results indicated the strong effect of the carriers relaxation from the wetting layer to the continuous state in comparison with other relaxation lifetimes in low energy states.


I review the current theoretical estimates of the CP-violating parameter ε ′ /ε , compare them to the experimental result and suggest a few guidelines in using the theoretical results.


For the majority of cultures around the world, religion permeates and informs everyday rituals of survival and hope. But religion also has served as the foundation for national differences, racial conflicts, class exploitation, and gender discrimination. Indeed, religious spirituality, having been transformed by contemporary economic and political events, remains both empowering and controversial. Religions/Globalizations examines the extent to which globalization and religion are inseparable terms, bound up with each other in a number of critical and mutually revealing ways.

As the contributors to this work suggest, a crucial component of globalization—the breakdown of familiar boundaries and power balances—may open a space in which religion can be deployed to help refabricate new communities. Examples of such deployments can be found in the workings of liberation theology in Latin America. In other cases, however, the operations of globalization have provided a space for strident religious nationalism and identity disputes to flourish. Is there in fact a dialectical tension between religion and globalization, a codependence and codeterminism? While religion can be seen as a globalizing force, it has also been transformed and even victimized by globalization.

A provocative assessment of a contemporary phenomenon with both cultural and political dimensions, Religions/Globalizations will interest not only scholars in religious studies but also those studying Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.

Contributors. David Batstone, Berit Bretthauer, Enrique Dussel, Dwight N. Hopkins, Mark Juergensmeyer, Lois Ann Lorentzen, Eduardo Mendieta, Vijaya Rettakudi Nagarajan, Kathryn Poethig, Lamin Sanneh, Linda E. Thomas


The first in-depth survey of Scotland's medieval church architecture covers buildings constructed between the early 12th century and the Reformation in 1560. From majestic cathedrals and abbeys to modest parish churches and chapels, Richard Fawcett places the architecture in context by considering the varied sources of ideas that underlay church designs. Over the centuries, Scottish patrons and their masons moved away from a close relationship with England to create a unique late medieval architectural synthesis that took ideas from a wide range of sources. The book concludes with an account of the impact of the Reformation on church construction and design.


There is a growing interest in social and urban computing to employ crowdsourcing as means to gather impressions of urban perception for indoor and outdoor environments. Previous studies have established that reliable estimates of urban perception can be obtained using online crowdsourcing systems, but implicitly assumed that the judgments provided by the crowd are not dependent on the background knowledge of the observer. In this paper, we investigate how the impressions of outdoor urban spaces judged by online crowd annotators, compare with the impressions elicited by the local inhabitants, along six physical and psychological labels. We focus our study in a developing city where understanding and characterization of these socio-urban perceptions is of societal importance. We found statistically significant differences between the two population groups. Locals perceived places to be more dangerous and dirty, when compared with online crowd workers; while online annotators judged places to be more interesting in comparison to locals. Our results highlight the importance of the degree of familiarity with urban spaces and background knowledge while rating urban perceptions, which is lacking in some of the existing work in urban computing.


Like other societies, the Malays enjoy stories which make them laugh. Numerous stories appear and are transmitted by word of mouth when people are gathered at leisure. They bring laughter and joy to teller and audience. The stories usually portray the characters' clumsiness, slow-wittedness, or cunning in their escapades. Up to the present, the subject matter of these stories has never been fully examined. Further studies have mainly focused on the traditional type of humorous tales, their classification, and functions and have based these examinations solely on written texts. This study seeks to investigate the current practice of the performance of humorous tales in Malay society. It will focus on the roles played by the narrator and audience in order to enliven the performance. In this connection, it is essential to look at the background of the storytelling tradition; the whole corpus of the Malay humorous tales : traditional, modem and contemporary type of tales; also other aspects related to the performance ; techniques of delivery, setting, the audience's reception, and the narrator's background (status in the community; personality; level of education; and the way in which they acquired their fund of stories). The introduction of four different types of classification systems - based on themes, heroes, modes of creation; and plots, - shows that the tales consist of a variety of themes; heroes; tales, and actions performed by the heroes respectively. The thematic classification in particular will give an alternative classification scheme which could fit numerous tales that exist in oral form. It also shows why the Malay are fascinated by this kind of tales; who are the butt of humour; why they are targeted; and what laughable actions they perform. The poetic values of Malay humorous tales are evident through their linguistic and literary features. In linguistic terms, the storytellers use colloquial Malay, classical Malay, Malay dialects and some foreign language to execute their repertoire. Literary features take the form of storytelling techniques, which include repetitions, insertion of poetic verses, and shortening phrases. The combination of these linguistic and literary features, reveals that even such colloquial presentation also possesses its own stylized forms of delivery. Discussion of poetics also includes an analysis of the tales' devices of humour and their functions. On the basis of the classification schemes, especially the classification of heroes and plots, it appears that incongruity, ambiguity, absurdity, surprise and a combination of several such elements are the devices of humour that provoke Malays to laughter. Such stories are used to express elements of didacticism in negative terms; for socializing purposes; to represent a form of social and political criticism; to enhance self-respect and arouse a sense of national awareness and integrity.


Growing axons are often guided to their final destination by intermediate targets. In the developing spinal cord and optic nerve, specialized cells at the embryonic midline act as intermediate targets for guiding commissural axons. Here we investigate whether similar intermediate targets may play a role in guiding cortical axons in the developing brain. During the development of the corpus callosum, cortical axons from one cerebral hemisphere cross the midline to reach their targets in the opposite cortical hemisphere. We have identified two early differentiating populations of midline glial cells that may act as intermediate guideposts for callosal axons. The first differentiates directly below the corpus callosum forming a wedge shaped structure (the glial wedge) and the second differentiates directly above the corpus callosum within the indusium griseum. Axons of the corpus callosum avoid both of these populations in vivo. This finding is recapitulated in vitro in three-dimensional collagen gels. In addition, experimental manipulations in organotypic slices show that callosal axons require the presence and correct orientation of these populations to turn toward the midline. We have also identified one possible candidate for this activity because both glial populations express the chemorepellent molecule slit-2, and cortical axons express theslit-2 receptors robo-1 and robo-2. Furthermore, slit-2 repels–suppresses cortical axon growth in three-dimensional collagen gel cocultures.


Enamel softening has been considered to be necessarily associated with roughening of the surface, loss of luster and dissolution of the cemental substance that binds the enamel rods together; and whenever enamel decalcification is associated with decay of dentin this conception of enamel softening is only too accurate. But this conception seems to be only a part of the story, so to speak—the final part rather than the complete process of enamel degeneration. For instance, 1 to 1,000 lactic acid and water at mouth temperature will cut tooth enamel in thirty minutes with a rough, white surface. A tooth placed in 1 to 500 lactic acid and some salivas will be unharmed. A tooth placed in this solution made with other salivas, after three or four days, may show the enamel perfectly smooth and to all appearances normal, and yet it can readily be pared to a slight


Hypothermia remains a significant challenge in the initial care of premature infants. Although a number of prevention strategies have been identified, hypothermia is still a common event, especially in extremely low birth weight infants. Using data from four centers, we documented an incidence of hypothermia on admission to the neonatal intensive care unit from the delivery room of 31–78% for infants < 1500 g birth weight. Increased efforts will be necessary to prevent early hypothermia in very preterm infants, especially with respect to the environmental conditions of the delivery room itself. Journal of Perinatology (2007) 27, S45-S47. doi:10.1038/sj.jp.7211842


: The efficiency of category II DOTS chemotherapy was studied in 353 patients with recurrent tuberculosis. The latter was verified by a positive sputum smear test in 232 of them and this test was negative in 121. A control group consisted of 79 first detected patients. The results of the treatment for recurrences were substantially worse than those in new-onset tuberculosis. These have recently improved. Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance to drugs was responsible for failing therapy. The worse results were obtained when the disease was multidrug resistant. Other reasons, social risk factors in particular, leading to incompliance lowered therapeutic effectiveness.


Adaptive E-Learning systems may be a supportive solution for a wide range of learning applications. In order to complement common learning paradigms in computer-based education the digital game-based learning paradigm is an interesting alternative, through which we can increase motivation, intrigue learners for a new or a previously boring subject, and provide another, more relaxing environment for self-assessment and testing. Despite of these advantages, one main shortcoming is that the creation of game stories and curriculum-relevant game content is an enormous workload for teachers and learning content providers. In order to reduce the learning game creation effort, we propose an enhanced digital game-based learning approach by applying a flexible game shell in combination with auto-generated questions based on the course content and automatic assessment of natural language answers. On the basis of requirements within the AdeLE research project and application scenarios, our development approach as well as the first prototype implementation are highlighted. First experiences and tests based on the prototype implementation are promising.


In this paper, we present a design methodology of lightweight register transfer level (RTL) hardware threat implemented based on a MAX II FPGA platform. The dynamic power consumed by the toggling of the various bit of registers as well as the dynamic power consumed per unit of logic circuits were analyzed. The hardware threat was designed taking advantage of the differences in dynamic power consumed per unit of logic circuits to hide the transfer information. The experiment result shows that the register hardware threat was successfully implemented by using different dynamic power consumed per unit of logic circuits to hide the key information of DES encryption module. It needs more than 100000 sample curves to reduce the background noise by comparing the sample space when it completely meets the time alignment requirement. In additional, an external trigger signal is playing a very important role to detect the hardware threat in this experiment. Keywords—Side-channel analysis, hardware threat, register transfer level, dynamic power.


Key workability characteristics of SCC can be described in terms of filling ability, passing ability, and resistance to segregation. These properties are typically characterized by data that relate to specific testing methods. In general, these methods include the components required for evaluating simultaneously filling ability, passing ability, and resistance to segregation, since these properties are rather interrelated. In this investigation, 33 SCC mixtures made with various mixture proportioning parameters, including maximum size and type of aggregate, type and content of binder, and w/cm were evaluated. Comparisons and correlations among various test results used in evaluating the workability responses obtained for these mixtures are established. This is done to highlight advantages and limitations of the various test methods that can be used to assess workability of SCC designated for precast, prestressed applications. Ranges of acceptance of the various test methods are also established.


. Invertebrate hosts of Chemoautotrophic symbionts face the unique challenge of supplying their symbionts with hydrogen sulfide while avoiding its toxic effects. The sulfur-containing free amino acids taurine and thiotaurine may function in sulfide detoxification by serving as sulfur storage compounds or as transport compounds between symbiont and host. After sulfide exposure, both taurine and thiotaurine levels increased in the gill tissues of the symbiotic coastal bivalve Solemya velum. Inhibition of prokaryotic metabolism with chloramphenicol, inhibition of eukaryotic metabolism with cycloheximide, and inhibition of ammonia assimilation with methionine sulfoximine reduced levels of sulfur-containing amino acids. Chloramphenicol treatment inhibited the removal of sulfide from the medium. In the absence of metabolic inhibitors, estimated rates of sulfide incorporation into taurine and thiotaurine accounted for nearly half of the sulfide removed from the medium. In contrast, amino acid levels in the nonsymbiotic, sulfide-tolerant molluscs Geukensia demissa and Yoldia limatula did not change after sulfide exposure. These findings suggest that sulfur-containing amino acids function in sulfide detoxification in symbiotic invertebrates, and that this pro-cess depends upon ammonia assimilation and symbiont metabolic capabilities.


Abstract. Photochemical grid models (PGMs) are used to simulate tropospheric ozone and quantify its response to emission changes. PGMs are often applied for annual simulations to provide both maximum concentrations for assessing compliance with air quality standards and frequency distributions for assessing human exposure. Efficient methods for computing ozone at different emission levels can improve the quality of ozone air quality management efforts. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the decoupled direct method (DDM) to calculate first- and second-order sensitivity of ozone to anthropogenic NOx and VOC emissions in annual PGM simulations at continental scale. Algebraic models are developed that use Taylor series to produce complete annual frequency distributions of hourly ozone at any location and any anthropogenic emission level between zero and 100%, adjusted independently for NOx and VOC. We recommend computing the sensitivity coefficients at the midpoint of the emissions range over which they are intended to be applied, in this case with 50% anthropogenic emissions. The algebraic model predictions can be improved by combining sensitivity coefficients computed at 10 and 50% anthropogenic emissions. Compared to brute force simulations, algebraic model predictions tend to be more accurate in summer than winter, at rural than urban locations, and with 100% than zero anthropogenic emissions. Equations developed to combine sensitivity coefficients computed with 10 and 50% anthropogenic emissions are able to reproduce brute force simulation results with zero and 100% anthropogenic emissions with a mean bias of less than 2 ppb and mean error of less than 3 ppb averaged over 22 US cities.


Abstract I compared the effects on plasmacorticosterone levels of twomethods of collecting blood samples during standardized capture-and-handling stress protocols. In one method, individual nestling American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) were bled three times: when initially removed from the nest, and 15 and 30 min later. In the other method, siblings removed from a nest were bled once each, either at the time of removal, or 15 or 30 min later. I found no difference between the two groups in plasma corticosterone levels at the first sampling time, but 15 and 30 min after capture the singly bled birds had significantly higher plasma corticosterone levels than the multiply bled birds. The results suggest that data from multiply bled birds underestimate actual circulating hormone levels. The underlying mechanism for this phenomenon is unknown, but it may involve hemodilution. Réponse au stress chez les poussins: une comparaison de deux techniques d'échantillonnage


The level of hypohydration at which power output during intermittent exercise performance starts to decrease is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 2% hypohydration without hyperthermia on intermittent exercise performance. Eight collegiate amateur boxers completed 2 exercise tests. On day 1, subjects hypohydrated by 2% of body mass by exercising in a hot environment, and on day 2, subjects performed intermittent exercise (4 × 2 minute per round [R] separated by 1-minute recovery) under a randomly assigned condition of with (HYP) or without (EUH) hypohydration. Each bout consisted of 8 × 5 seconds of maximal cycling exercise (0.05 kp × body mass) separated by 10 seconds of passive recovery. Mean power output per kilogram (MPO), total power output per kilogram (TPO), energy system relative contribution, and core rectal temperature (Tre) were measured. Changes in body mass before the exercise tests were -2.25 ± 0.18% (HYP) and -0.17 ± 0.19% (EUH) (p < 0.001). Mean power output, TPO, and each energy contribution ratio were not significantly different between the trials, and pre- and postexercise test Tre did not differ significantly between trials. Results demonstrated that approximately 2% hypohydration lies below the point at which power output during intermittent exercise starts to decline.


Background: By combining the results of three large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), we aimed to investigate the overall effect of GLP-1 RAs on major cardiovascular events (MACE) and identify subpopulations exhibiting the greatest cardiovascular (CV) benefit. Methods: Three multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled CVOTs of long-acting GLP-1 RAs were included: LEADER (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results), SUSTAIN-6 (Trial to Evaluate Cardiovascular and Other Long-term Outcomes With Semaglutide in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes) and EXSCEL (Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering). The primary endpoint was three-point MACE (i.e., CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke). Overall effect estimates were calculated as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the random-effects model; pre-defined subgroup analyses were performed. Results: Overall, significant risk reductions in MACE (relative risk [RR]: 0.88 [95% CI: 0.81-0.97]) and CV death (RR: 0.85 [95% CI: 0.75-0.95]) were observed. Subgroup analysis indicated significant racial differences in this CV benefit (P for test of difference Conclusions: Long-acting GLP-1 RAs reduced risks of MACE and CV deaths in diabetic study populations, and racial difference in the CV benefit was observed. The existence of extra CV benefit in Asians and the underlying mechanisms should be investigated in the future. Disclosure Y. Kang: None. Y. Cho: None. J. Choi: None. C. Woo: None. W. Lee: None. J. Park: None. C. Jung: None.


Patients in need of, or currently receiving, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy now have a branded formulation of paroxetine that is bioequivalent to paroxetine hydrochloride (Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline), yet available at a significant discount. The FDA recently approved paroxetine (Pexeva, Synthon Pharmaceuticals) mesylate for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive/compulsive disorder (OCD), and panic disorder. The product is currently available in pharmacies.


Thyroidectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedure worldwide, even if the risks of lethal postoperative complications prevented its evolution and diffusion until the beginning of the XX century. At that time, T. Kocher described his meticulous technique, reporting excellent results in terms of mortality and morbidity. At present, mortality for this procedure approaches 0% and overall complication rate is less than 3%. Nonetheless, major complications of thyroidectomy (i.e. compressive ematoma, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypoparathyroidism) are still fearful complications and account for a significant percentage of medicolegal claims. Patients volume and surgical skill play an important role in reducing the risk of complications. Accurate knowledge of anatomy and pathophysiology, complications incidence and pathogenesis and a careful surgical performance are essential. In this review, post-thyroidectomy complications basing on literature analysis and personal experience are described. The main anatomical, technical and pathophysiological factors that help preventing post-thyroidectomy complications are analyzed, taking into proper account new technologies and the minimally invasive surgical procedures that influenced thyroid surgery during the last decade.


Although social development research indicates that affiliation with delinquent peers predicts adolescent delinquent behavior, less is known about how peer relationships may impact girls' delinquent behavior differently than boys' behavior. To address this gap, this study examines adjudicated girls' perceptions of how their peer relationships impacted their decisions to engage in delinquency. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, a sample of eight adjudicated girls shared their perceptions of how same-gender friendships, opposite-gender non-romantic friendships, and opposite-gender romantic relationships influenced their choices to enact delinquent behavior. The study findings offer important implications for designing future gender-specific programming to prevent and/or reduce girls' delinquency.


The Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a broad collection of practices for water resource management, aiming at underground water recharge and storage for its recovery. Climate change, population growth and economic development may be behind the acute tension over water resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. In these areas, recourse to new sources of water has to be considered in order to secure water supply for drinking, irrigation, tourism and domestic using. Artificial groundwater recharge using different water resources (desalted waters, river waters, treated wastewater, etc.) appears as one of major solution to the recurrent issue of water scarcity and supply security. Artificial groundwater recharge is potentially a pragmatic way to store and restore water in the environment allowing to: i) maintain necessary water supply levels, ii) alleviate salt water intrusion into costal aquifers, iii) store water avoiding evaporation as it happens for dams, and iv) make it available at any time for all needs.


Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a new generation of heat and moisture exchangers (NG-HMEs) on pulmonary rehabilitation, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and usage patterns. Methods: A prospective observational study on 23 laryngectomized patients with prior HME experience from June 1, 2021 to November 30, 2021. Patients were interviewed at inclusion, after 6 weeks and after 12 weeks after the introduction of NG-HMEs. Two validated questionnaires were used to report pulmonary complaints and quality of life: the Cough and Sputum Assessment Questionnaire (CASA-Q), the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions Index Score (EQ-5D Index Score), and the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions Visual Analog Scale (EQ-5D-VAS). Usage patterns and patient satisfaction were reported using study-specific questionnaires. Results: The patients had an average age of 65.7 ± 6.8 years, with 87% being male, on average 33.7 ± 35.3 months after total laryngectomy (TLE). NG-HMEs were used for a mean of 21.87 ± 4.63 hours/day (P = .034). After 12 weeks of use, patients reported the following changes in the CASA-Q domains: cough symptoms (+5; P = .663), cough impact (0; P = .958), sputum symptoms (+8; P = .13), and sputum impact (+3; P = .489). The EQ-5D index score increased (+0.024; P = .917) as well as the EQ-5D VAS (+0.8; P = .27). All patients rated their experience with NG-HMEs with ≥3 out of 5. The patients who used NG-HMEs as instructed (n = 13) reported more profound changes in the CASA-Q domains: cough symptom (+11; P = .129), cough impact (+7; P = .209), sputum symptom (+11; P = .123), and sputum impact (+10; P = .102). Conclusions: Our results show that NG-HMEs could have a positive clinical impact on pulmonary rehabilitation after TLE, even in HME-experienced patients. The use of NG-HMEs does not affect the quality of life. The possible effects of NG-HMEs require further evaluation in long-term studies to fully assess their efficacy.


Ahstract-The response time and contrast of vertically-aligned negative nematics depend critically on the aligning surface and its induced pretilt. Pretilt can be tuned up using obliquely evaporated inorganic oxides as alignment surface. A thorough study of pretilt angles induced by aligning sur faces of thermally evaporated SiO", has been carried out on several commercial and experimental negative nematic mixtures. Morphology of SiO", with different evaporation angles has been studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. Some morphological variations appear at specific evaporation angles. These are related to the pretilt induced by the surface and to the dynamic response of the device.


The management and monitoring of mechanized tunnel excavation parameters are crucial for ensuring the safety, quality and project's time/costs, since these parameters are the only existing elements that enable the evaluation of the performance of the excavation itself. In this study, will be presented the computational tool christened as SAPE (Support System and Monitoring of Underground Excavation Parameters), an innovative tool meant to assist the monitoring of ongoing or completed mechanized tunneling projects. The tool was designed to be a flexible and simple management tool, which means that it can be customized as a function of the characteristics of each project. The default version comprises the most important excavation parameters (a total of 14). Besides, it has important functions, such as geolocation (GoogleEarth program), historical production data and basic excavation statistics. The software was tested in the recently completed twin tunnels of the Subway Line 5 – Lilac in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.