The increasing importance of the carbon sequestration issue calls the researchers to investigate if the agri-environmental support (AES) to extensive mountain grazing granted under Regulations 2078/92, 1257/99 and 1698/2005 is still efficient. AES may have contributed to the maintenance of low carbon stocks in extensive grazing areas, which might otherwise have been abandoned and revegetated by species that assist carbon sequestration. We evaluate benefits and costs of supporting the maintenance of pastureland through cattle grazing in an Italian Alpine pasture for 2004. We focus on three non-commodity outputs of Alpine grazing –landscape-recreation amenities, carbon sequestration and contribution to economic vitality of the area- and three groups of agents: visitors, local community and EU households. The efficiency of supporting mountain grazing is demonstrated by a net benefit of euro 228,613. Landscape-recreational benefits are the key variable, as their value (euro 205,377) is large enough to justify the grazing activity and the related support. The value of carbon sequestration achievable with reforestation (euro 62,491) could not compensate the loss in tourism benefits. Net beneficiaries of the agri-environmental policy are not the farmers but the visitors and the local community. Transforming of the intangible goods (both landscape-recreational amenities and carbon sequestration) into tangible ones would favour the local community. The overall convenience of supporting the maintenance of Alpine pastureland through cattle grazing depends on the number and the types of benefits and costs we consider. When a complete evaluation of all the benefit and cost flow is impossible or when an aspect, previously considered as irrelevant, suddenly increases its importance (such in the case of carbon sequestration), an approach inspired by the precautionary principle is absolutely necessary and wise.


UNLABELLED
We sought to determine whether stimulation of opioid receptors during body cooling would alter sensitivity to heat in the heat-sensitized, inflamed skin of 14 healthy volunteers. To investigate the contribution of opioid receptors to nociception, the opioid antagonist naloxone was introduced into the skin by iontophoresis after the topical application of capsaicin. For comparison, the same iontophoretic dose of saline was also administered. Shortly after the iontophoreses, sensitivity to heat was greater at the naloxone and saline sites than at iontophoresis-control sites in the capsaicin-treated skin, indicating that nonspecific aspects of the iontophoreses enhanced thermal hyperalgesia. The hyperalgesic effect of saline persisted during body cooling, whereas the naloxone site was less sensitive to heat (heat pain threshold 43.6 degrees +/- 1.0 degrees C) than either the saline site (40.8 degrees +/- 0.9 degrees C) or iontophoresis-control sites (41.7 degrees +/- 1.0 degrees C) (P < 0. 05). We conclude that activation of opioid receptors contributed to thermal hyperalgesia in inflamed skin during body cooling.

IMPLICATIONS
This study shows that opiate receptor block paradoxically inhibits sensitivity to heat-pain in inflamed skin during body cooling. The findings suggest that endogenous opioids release substances from nerves or other cells during inflammation, which heighten pain. Thus, opioids may fine-tune pain and the inflammatory response while healing takes place.


The electrokinetic properties of cells were studied with the batch and continuous cultures of Bacillus megaterium and the chemostat culture of Candida utilis. The above cells growing at a higher rate had a higher electrophoretic mobility and a greater negative zeta potential; this seems to stem from the accumulation of negatively charged groups on their surface. The bacterial cells had higher values of electrophoretic mobility and electrokinetic potential comparing to the yeast cells; the electrokinetic properties of the bacterial cells changed more with a variation of the growth rate than in the yeast cells.


Heat stress is associated with compromised performance and productivity in poultry due to declines in feed intake, nutrient utilisation, growth rate, egg production and quality, feed efficiency and immunity. Additionally, heat stress is characterised by reduced antioxidant status in birds, resulting in increased oxidative stress. Heat stress is also linked with increased economic losses due to mortality of birds. Vitamin E is a major chain-breaking antioxidant in biological systems. An optimum response with supplementation of vitamin E in feed has been found to improve feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency, egg production and quality, nutrient digestibility, immune response and antioxidant status in poultry birds. This work compiles past and present information about the role of vitamin E in heat-stressed poultry.


The retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathway is known to play important roles during craniofacial development and skeletogenesis. However, the specific mechanism involving RA in cranial base development has not yet been clearly described. This study investigated how RA modulates endochondral bone development of the cranial base by monitoring the RA receptor RARγ, BMP4, and markers of proliferation, programmed cell death, chondrogenesis, and osteogenesis. We first examined the dynamic morphological and molecular changes in the sphenooccipital synchondrosis-forming region in the mouse embryo cranial bases at E12-E16. In vitro organ cultures employing beads soaked in RA and retinoid-signaling inhibitor citral were compared. In the RA study, the sphenooccipital synchondrosis showed reduced cartilage matrix and lower BMP4 expression while hypertrophic chondrocytes were replaced with proliferating chondrocytes. Retardation of chondrocyte hypertrophy was exhibited in citral-treated specimens, while BMP4 expression was slightly increased and programmed cell death was induced within the sphenooccipital synchondrosis. Our results demonstrate that RA modulates chondrocytes to proliferate, differentiate, or undergo programmed cell death during endochondral bone formation in the developing cranial base.


A case of transverse myelopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus with subacute onset and fatal course is reported. A review of the literature is done and clinical, laboratorial, therapeutics and pathological aspects are discussed. The authors call attention to the poor results of therapy and discuss the participation of immunological factors leaving to demyelination which are, aside the classical vascular involvment, the probable mechanisms in the neurological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. The authors believe that, in their case, such a demyelinative mechanism was responsable for the clinical picture, although a necroscopic examination was not allowed.


CONTEXT
Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a benign, self-limited lesion of both major and minor salivary glands, although more commonly the latter. It can represent a diagnostic dilemma and may be mistaken for a malignant neoplasm, such as mucoepidermoid carcinoma, as well as invasive squamous cell carcinoma. A major causal relationship has been ascribed to ischemia. Bulimia, an eating disorder with increasing prevalence in our society, may also be an underlying underreported cause.

OBJECTIVE
To discuss the potential pathogenesis, diagnostic pitfalls, and the application of immunohistochemistry as an aid in the diagnosis of necrotizing sialometaplasia.

DATA SOURCES
This report uses a previously published case history for illustrative purposes and a review of the current literature.

CONCLUSIONS
The diagnosis of necrotizing sialometaplasia may be difficult and is reliant upon a well-oriented biopsy section and a complete clinical history. Diagnosis may be further supplemented via immunohistochemistry, demonstrating focal to absent immunoreactivity for p53, low immunoreactivity for MIB1 (Ki-67), and the presence of 4A4/p63- and calponin-positive myoepithelial cells. Interpreted in context collectively, these findings may be helpful adjuncts in the diagnosis of necrotizing sialometaplasia; nonetheless, to date, hematoxylin-eosin staining remains the gold standard.


The RF magnetron sputter technique was used to deposit Bioglass (BG) and hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings onto titanium substrates. In the current study, the physico-chemical and dissolution properties of various deposited coatings were investigated. X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the as-sputtered coatings had an amorphous structure, a heattreatment for 2 hours at 600°C changed only the HA coating into a crystalline apatite structure. Dissolution experiments demonstrated that all the amorphous coatings dissolved during the incubation for 4 weeks in simulated body fluid, while all the heattreated sputter coatings were still maintained. In contrast with the HA heattreated sputter coatings all the bioglass containing sputter coatings showed the formation of a crystalline apatite phase. Scanning electron microscopical examination of the sputtered coatings demonstrated that on all the heattreated BG/HG sputter coating a thick CaP precipitate was formed, while on the BG sputter coating occasionally a globular precipitate was observed.


Building robust and general dialogue models for spoken conversations is challenging due to the gap in distributions of spoken and written data. This paper presents our approach to build generalized models for the Knowledge-grounded Task-oriented Dialogue Modeling on Spoken Conversations Challenge of DSTC-10. In order to mitigate the discrepancies between spoken and written text, we mainly employ extensive data augmentation strategies on written data, including artificial error injection and round-trip text-speech transformation. To train robust models for spoken conversations, we improve pre-trained language models, and apply ensemble algorithms for each sub-task. Typically, for the detection task, we fine-tune \roberta and ELECTRA, and run an error-fixing ensemble algorithm. For the selection task, we adopt a two-stage framework that consists of entity tracking and knowledge ranking, and propose a multi-task learning method to learn multi-level semantic information by domain classification and entity selection. For the generation task, we adopt a cross-validation data process to improve pre-trained generative language models, followed by a consensus decoding algorithm, which can add arbitrary features like relative \rouge metric, and tune associated feature weights toward \bleu directly. Our approach ranks third on the objective evaluation and second on the final official human evaluation.


Under fascism, many teachers, academics and scholars who had been defined «incompatible» with the regime for political or «racial» reasons left Italy. This essay shifts the focus from cases of professors who were already well known at the time, to those who represented the future of Italian science and university life, the young scholars who were expelled in an almost invisible way. How did their experiences of intellectual migration echo in the scientific community they belonged to, and how in the host community? What have been the consequences in the sciences and professions? And in the experience of migration to the United States what was the impact of being a woman, an Italian, a Jew and an intellectual looking for a qualified job? The case study is a female scholar of psychology, graduated in Florence - an antifascist close to Gaetano Salvemini and Nino Levi - who migrated alone to New York in 1939 and never came back to Italy. What obstacles did Calabresi encounter during her career in Italy? What prejudices did she have to face and what aid did she receive, in the course of this long journey of Americanization? She was at the New School for Social Research in New York and she only got a good position as a clinical psychologist a full ten years after her arrival in the US. Her troubled case allows us to look also, in a comparative manner, at the changes of a young, problematic discipline and profession, that was increasingly feminized. (In Italy academic psychology was established in 1905 and declined during fascism; it obtained professional recognition only in 1989; in Germany it was recognized in 1941.) Renata Calabresi was the only Italian woman who had a grant through the Emergency Committee in the Aid of Foreign Displaced Scholars (that collected around 6.000 applications); but in Italian academic circle she was «forgotten» like many other displaced scholars.


This paper contributes to an emerging body of literature on intergenerational transmission in health by presenting the first causal estimates on the impact of maternal mental health on child health. The potential endogeneity of maternal mental health is dealt with by utilising nationally representative panel data from two cohorts and individual fixed effects instrumental variables models. While previous literature has found evidence supporting detrimental effects of poor maternal mental health on child health our results found no evidence to support this. Our results hold irrespective of whether we look at the contemporaneous or intertemporal effects. We also found little differential impact based on the gender or age of the child and the levels of maternal education or household income. These results demonstrate that failing to account for endogeneity of maternal mental health could over-estimate the harmful impact of poor maternal mental health on child health. Our findings are robust to a battery of sensitivity and specification tests.


The interest earned on a bank account, the arrangement of seeds in a sunflower, and the shape of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis are all intimately connected with the mysterious number e. In this informal and engaging history, Eli Maor portrays the curious characters and the elegant mathematics that lie behind the number. Designed for a reader with only a modest mathematical background, this biography brings out the central importance of e to mathematics and illuminates a golden era in the age of science.


Thermobiosensors are biosensors, which utilize thermal sensors (thermistors, thermocouple) for measuring changes of heat arising during ferment, immune or metabolic reactions. Thermosensors apply to an estimation of a condition of ferment systems, interactions of immune components, kinetics of a biocatalysis, and also for application in biochemical diagnostics, at definition of quality of products, monitoring of an environment and control of biotechnological processes. In the review the data, concerning of the major principle of development and creation mini- and microthermobiosensors, are given on the basis of modern achievement in the field of technology of micromanufacturing. The various types mini-, micro- and multithermobiosensors, and also their application in separate areas of the biochemical and clinical analysis and monitoring of an environment are surveyed. The development and modern achievement in creation of separate variants thermosensors is in detail described on the basis of thermistors and thermocouples. The place thermosensors in general development of biosensor controls is allocated and the attention to prospect of their further improvement and application is given.


The spoofing-aware speaker verification (SASV) challenge was designed to promote the study of jointly-optimised solutions to accomplish the traditionally separately-optimised tasks of spoofing detection and speaker verification. Jointly-optimised systems have the potential to operate in synergy as a better performing solution to the single task of reliable speaker verification. However, none of the 23 submissions to SASV 2022 are jointly optimised. We have hence sought to determine why separately-optimised sub-systems perform best or why joint optimisation was not successful. Experiments reported in this paper show that joint optimisation is successful in improving robustness to spoofing but that it degrades speaker verification performance. The findings suggest that spoofing detection and speaker verification sub-systems should be optimised jointly in a manner which reflects the differences in how information provided by each sub-system is complementary to that provided by the other. Progress will also likely depend upon the collection of data from a larger number of speakers.


Most automobile insurance databases contain a large number of policyholders with zero claims. This high frequency of zeros may reflect the fact that some insureds make little use of their vehicle, or that they do not wish to make a claim for small accidents in order to avoid an increase in their premium, but it might also be because of good driving. We analyze information on exposure to risk and driving habits using telematics data from a pay‐as‐you‐drive sample of insureds. We include distance traveled per year as part of an offset in a zero‐inflated Poisson model to predict the excess of zeros. We show the existence of a learning effect for large values of distance traveled, so that longer driving should result in higher premiums, but there should be a discount for drivers who accumulate longer distances over time due to the increased proportion of zero claims. We confirm that speed limit violations and driving in urban areas increase the expected number of accident claims. We discuss how telematics information can be used to design better insurance and to improve traffic safety.


S hould Helicobacter pylori infection be eradicated in patients requiring maintenance proton pump inhibitor therapy for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease? This question has stimulated heated debate and contention over the past few years. The issue first came to prominence in 1996 when Kuipers et al published their study purporting to demonstrate that omeprazole accelerated the development of corpus atrophic gastritis in H pylori infected subjects. This rung alarm bells due to the fact that atrophic gastritis is a well recognised risk factor for gastric cancer in H pylori infected subjects. There was therefore concern that proton pump inhibitor therapy was modifying the inflammatory response to H pylori infection in such a way as to increase the risk of gastric cancer. For this reason, some experts have recommended that H pylori infection should be eradicated prior to long term proton pump inhibitor therapy. The original paper by Kuipers et al was widely criticised due to weaknesses in its design, and its claim that proton pump inhibitor therapy accelerated atrophy in H pylori infected subjects was not supported by the FDA Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee. In 1999, Lundell et al published a study claiming that proton pump inhibitor therapy did not accelerate the development of corpus atrophy in H pylori infected subjects. However, their conclusion was challenged because there was evidence of accelerated development of moderate and severe atrophy in the H pylori infected group on proton pump inhibitor therapy and the size of this effect was similar to that reported by Kuipers and colleagues. The paper by Kuipers and colleagues in the current issue of Gut confuses the issue further as they did not observe any progression of atrophy in their H pylori infected subjects [see page 12]. Indeed, there was not even a trend in favour of progression of atrophy that might have become significant in a larger study. Several other recent studies have also found no evidence of acceleration of corpus atrophy in H pylori infected subjects on proton pump inhibitor therapy. Consequently, there is little evidence in support of the original concern that proton pump inhibitor therapy accelerates corpus atrophy in H pylori infected subjects. One consistent finding however of all of these studies is that proton pump inhibitor therapy does change the pattern of H pylori induced gastritis, causing it to move from the antrum into the more proximal corpus mucosa of the stomach. In this way, it induces what is referred to as a corpus or body predominant gastritis. This may have significance with respect to the subsequent risk of H pylori associated gastric cancer. Uemura et al recently examined the association between the pattern of H pylori induced gastritis and the subsequent development of gastric cancer in patients not receiving proton pump inhibitor therapy. Their study indicated that the strongest risk factor for cancer was the presence of corpus predominant gastritis and that this was a greater risk factor than either atrophy or intestinal metaplasia. Irrespective of whether proton pump inhibitor therapy accelerates atrophy, there is cause for concern that it does induce the pattern of gastritis most associated with increased risk of gastric cancer. However, the association of two factors does not confirm a cause and effect relationship. It is not known whether corpus gastritis by itself increases the risk of cancer or whether it is just an epiphenomenon induced by some underlying factor which represents the link with cancer. Consequently, we do not know whether inducing a corpus predominant gastritis by proton pump inhibitor therapy will, in itself, increase the subsequent risk of gastric cancer. The paper by Kuipers and colleagues in this issue of Gut is useful in that it demonstrates that it is readily feasible to eradicate H pylori infection in patients on long term proton pump inhibitor therapy and by so doing achieve resolution of the corpus predominant gastritis. The paper also claims that treating H pylori infection results in some resolution of corpus atrophy. However, there are concerns about assessing the severity of atrophy following eradication of H pylori infection. Resolution of inflammation makes quantification of atrophy difficult and, of course, also makes it impossible for the observer to be blinded to the patient's H pylori status. However, as discussed above, resolution of the inflammation might be more important than any possible resolution of atrophy with respect to the risk of gastric cancer. The question regarding the appropriateness of eradicating H pylori infection in patients with reflux disease must also address the effect this may have on the reflux disease itself and its response to treatment. There are now reliable data indicating that H pylori infected subjects have a lower prevalence of reflux disease and some data indicating that patients with the more virulent CagA positive strain of H pylori infection have a lower incidence of reflux oesophagitis and its complications than those with CagA negative strains. 18 These observations have stimulated interest in the possibility that H pylori infection may afford some protection from reflux disease and that the increasing prevalence of this disease and its complications in the Western world may be partly explained by the fall in prevalence of H pylori infection. Again, however, we must recognise that associations do not confirm causality as they may be due to confounding factors. However, the observation that CagA positive strains are associated with less reflux oesophagitis than CagA negative strains does raise the real possibility of a protecting effect as this comparison within H pylori infected subjects removes confounding factors related to susceptibility to the infection. If H pylori infection does provide protection against reflux disease then eradicating the infection should induce or aggravate the condition. The data on this question are also conflicting. Labenz et al reported that eradicating H pylori increased the incidence of oesophagitis in ulcer patients. However, Moayyedi et al did not find any increase in reflux symptoms following eradication of H pylori in patients with symptomatic heartburn. Swhwizer et al reported improvement in reflux symptoms following H pylori treatment but their study was criticised for its small size and inadequate matching of randomised groups. Two studies have observed development of reflux disease COMMENTARIES 5


Road reconstruction and the resulting work zones are considered as a major source of traffic congestion and delays on freeways. The roadway capacity is decreased as a result of a reduced number of traffic lanes, narrower lanes, and work zone speed limits. Accurate prediction of construction work zone capacity helps traffic engineers to have a better estimation of the traffic flow characteristics. To this end, multiple methodologies have been developed to quantify the impacts of work zones on traffic flow. This paper presents a critical review of the three types of approaches to estimating construction work zone capacities, including parametric, non-parametric, and simulation. Then the most commonly considered factors and their frequency are presented. It also performs a detailed review of the approaches, their objectives, and weaknesses. Lastly, it provides recommendations for future research. The presented work could help researchers in the area of work zone capacity estimation by presenting all the previous methodologies in one place.


Network function virtualization is gaining acceptance as modern approach enabling telecom equipments to run as software applications on IT hardware on top of cloud. To host these applications, virtual infrastructure is needed within the cloud. Cloud orchestrators are used to create, modify and destroy virtual infrastructure. These are cloud specific and usually one cloud orchestrator may not be compatible with other clouds. Investigating on generic orchestrators that can fit on any cloud platform will reduce complexity and provides a single approach for creating virtual infrastructure. Our goal is to investigate on how generic orchestrators can be used to deploy VNFs on cloud. The detailed analysis of cloud agnostic orchestrators over cloud native orchestrators is done. Resources that are needed for a VNF are described in a template supported by generic orchestrators and compare it with template of cloud native orchestrator. Results are analyzed by verifying whether the orchestration engines, Cloudify and Terraform can use those templates to create various resources on cloud environment. We summate that both orchestrators can be used for deploying VNFs on cloud. The VNF description for Cloudify is based on TOSCA which is slightly complex compared to Terraform. Cloudify using TOSCA related syntax is becoming standard. Terraform though uses HCL syntax similar to JSON makes it simpler for VNF description. Same study can be done on other cloud platforms such as VMware.


The aim of this study was to investigate whether torso endurance scores were linked with anthropometric variables in children and to develop a normative scale of anthropometric measures in children in both genders for clinical assessment, rehabilitation, physical education targets and young athletic training purposes. It was hypothesized that changes in anthropometric measures through ages 7 to 14 influence endurance scores in both subsets. It was also hypothesized that boys and girls differ in the relationships between torso muscle endurance and anthropometric measures. Reduced torso muscle endurance has been identified as a potential personal risk factor for developing low back pain and decreased athletic performance. However, torso muscle endurance data in children is lacking. Further, given that endurance tests require postures where the body is supported horizontally, it makes sense that anthropometric variables would influence endurance. Isometric torso muscle endurance scores established through four tests were performed in random order by healthy children. These were correlated with anthropometric dimensions. Seven hundred and fifty-three children from one elementary school (394 boys and 359 girls) were grouped into 8 age strata (7 to 14). Each age stratum had different number of participants for boys and girls. Four tests established isometric torso muscle endurance: Biering-Sorensen test for extensor endurance, flexor endurance test and right and left side bridge tests. The mean, standard deviation of the endurance tests and anthropometric measures were determined for each gender/age strata. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were determined between the anthropometric dimensions and isometric torso endurance scores for each gender/age strata. Variance in endurance scores were not well explained by anthropometric measures. Variables other than segment length and circumference influence torso endurance as children grow and develop. Given links to future back pain and athletic performance, more investigation would be justified.


Na+- myo-inositol cotransport activity generally maintains millimolar intracellular concentrations of myo-inositol and specifically promotes transepithelial myo-inositol transport in kidney, intestine, retina, and choroid plexus. Glucose-induced, tissue-specific myo-inositol depletion and impaired Na+- myo-inositol cotransport activity are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, a process modeled in vitro in cultured human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. To explore this process at the molecular level, a human RPE cDNA library was screened with a canine Na+-dependent myo-inositol cotransporter (SMIT) cDNA. Overlapping cDNAs spanning 3569 nt were cloned. The resulting cDNA sequence contained a 2154-nt open reading frame, 97% identical to the canine SMIT amino acid sequence. Genomic clones containing SMIT exons suggested that the cDNA is derived from at least five exons. Hypertonic stress induced a time-dependent increase, initially in a 16-kb transcript and subsequently in 11.5-, 9.8-, 8.5-, 3.8-, and ∼1.2-kb SMIT transcripts, that was ascribed to alternate exon splicing using exon-specific probes and direct cDNA sequencing. The human SMIT gene is a complex multiexon transcriptional unit that by alternate exon splicing generates multiple SMIT transcripts that accumulate differentially in response to hypertonic stress.


Following an increased demand from users for a precise knowledge of beta spectra coupled with well-established uncertainties, LNHB is leading a study of beta spectral shapes at the metrological level. The evaluation of these beta spectra, especially to reach metrological uncertainties, requires new measurements and new calculations with high precision. The first part of this contribution will describe a new experimental setup for the measurement of beta energy spectra based on a silicon detector with a very thin entrance window and operating at liquid nitrogen temperatures under high-vacuum. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to optimize the detection chamber and source holder. Some preliminary results are included. The second part summarizes the calculations already implemented. These complex calculations are compared to some measurements of beta spectra obtained by using metallic magnetic calorimeters, and highlight the major contribution of the atomic screening and exchange effects at low energy.


Visual commissures of the honeybee brain were investigated by electrophysiological and histological methods. A newly described serpentine optic commissure (SOC) consists of four neurones each of which has widely extending arborizations in both medullae and lobulae. The cells are monocularly sensitive, the best stimulus being a moving target. Neurones of the posterior optic commissure (POC) connect the two medullae and show spatial opponency; the sign of the tonic response depends on the position of the stimulus in the receptive field of the cell. The inferior optic commissure (IOC) assembles neurones that have ramifications in both lobulae. They show directional selectivity to a moving stimulus and this is often combined with an opponent tonic response. The anterior optic commissure (AOC) contains neurones which are similar to those of the IOC and which connect the two lobulae. These show a preferential sensitivity to one direction of movement. A single pair of cells close to the interoptic tubercle commissure is identified as being movement-sensitive without directional selectivity. Note: Present address: B A M, FG 5.1; Unter den Eichen 87, D-1000 Berlin 45, FRG.


Why would two risk-average agents write a nominal contract? A possible answer is that for an agent who is subject to risks caused by price variability, a nominal contract that offers hedging against these risks may be optimal. This paper argues that nominal contracts may have a role in efficiency allocating risks that are associated with changes in the price level. These risks may be fundamental to the economy or caused by imperfections. Alternatively they may be caused by the fact that other nominal contracts are written in the economy. As an additional nominal contract is preferred by an agent who has already written a nominal contract, multiple contracting equilibria may exist and nominal contracts can arise as equilibrium phenomena. Therefore this paper identifies advantages to writing nominal contracts in order to efficiently allocate risk but it also points out that under certain restrictions nominal contracts can also lead to inefficient equilibria.


Background: This article addresses the following question: why don't primary and secondary school students perform urban walks or hikes during cultural and tourist visits of the cities they live in, when engaging in physical activity (PA)? The aim is to demonstrate that exploring cities on foot is a different, important, and necessary way to perform PA, that leads to improving social relations and exposing individuals to culture; in particular, teachers would be trained for this. Methods: qualitative methodology based on exploratory observation; state-of-the-art literature review; design of a didactic proposal in the form of an Urban Walk. Results: existence of publications on related activities in many countries including Spain; development and implementation of the Urban Walk; opinions of its future teachers and their knowledge of the possibilities and advantages of this proposal and its relationship with different knowledge subjects. Conclusions: the Urban Walk facilitates future teacher knowledge of cities and provides a new approach to PA; physical-cultural activities that complement the proposal need to be designed.


Galectin-3 (GAL3) is a β-galactoside-binding lectin expressed in CD4 T cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). GAL3 promotes HIV-1 budding by associating with ALIX and Gag p6. GAL3 has been shown to localize in membrane lipid rafts in dendritic cells and positively regulate cell migration. HIV-1 spreads between T cells by forming supramolecular structures (virological synapses [VSs]), whose integrity depends on lipid rafts. Here, we addressed the potential role of GAL3 in cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1 in CD4 T cells. GAL3 expressed in donor cells was more important for facilitating HIV-1 cell-to-cell transfer than GAL3 expressed in target cells. GAL3 was found to be co-transferred with Gag from HIV-1-positive donor to HIV-1-negative target T cells. HIV-1 infection induced translocation of GAL3 together with Gag to the cell-cell interfaces and colocalize with GM1, where GAL3 facilitated VS formation. GAL3 regulated the coordinated transfer of Gag and flotillin-1 into plasma membrane fractions. Finally, depletion of GAL3 reduced the cholesterol levels in membrane lipid rafts in CD4 T cells. These findings provide evidence that endogenous GAL3 stimulates lipid raft components and facilitates intercellular HIV-1 transfer among CD4 T cells, offering another pathway by which GAL3 regulates HIV-1 infection. These findings may inform the treatment of HIV-1 infection based on targeting GAL3 to modulate lipid rafts.


BACKGROUND
Numerous studies demonstrate the efficacy of the combination therapy of insulin and sulfonylurea in subjects with type II diabetes mellitus. However, two recent meta-analyses of randomized trials during the last decade provided inconsistent conclusions and failed to resolve the controversy.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy of insulin and sulfonylurea combination therapy in type II diabetes mellitus by performing meta-analysis of only the controlled studies selected according to specific strict criteria.

METHODS
A computerized literature survey was conducted using the MEDLINE database from January 1980 through March 1992 with the search headings of "sulfonylurea" and "insulin" and "combination therapy in diabetes mellitus. "A manual search was also performed using references from each retrieved report. Case reports, review articles, editorials, and citations reported in non-English-language journals without English translations were excluded. Forty-three citations were obtained. Four strict inclusion criteria were used to select studies: randomized, placebo-controlled trials (oral agent plus insulin vs placebo plus insulin); homogeneous target population (subjects with type II diabetes); intervention using the same sulfonylurea agent in a combination therapy; and uniform outcome measures to evaluate efficacy such as body weight; values for serum glucose, glycohemoglobin, and C peptide; daily insulin dosage; and lipid concentrations. More stringent qualitative subcriteria were then used to eliminate bias in the final unanimous selection by two blinded reviewers. Data were pooled and analyzed using Student's t test and Winer's combined test.

RESULTS
Sixteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Metabolic control improved with the combination therapy as reflected by a significant lowering of fasting serum glucose values (P < .01) and glycohemoglobin concentrations (P < .025). Moreover, improved metabolic control was achieved with a significantly smaller daily insulin dose (P < .01) and without a significant change in body weight. Finally, the combination therapy enhanced the endogenous insulin secretion as expressed by an increase in fasting serum C peptide concentration (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS
Combination therapy with insulin and sulfonylurea may be a more appropriate and a suitable option to insulin monotherapy in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes in whom primary or secondary failure to sulfonylurea developed. It may also be a more cost-effective way of long-term management in this group of subjects, especially in the elderly.


This article explores whether the Jesus saying in Matthew 26:11 contradicts the Jesus tradition about caring for the poor. Bultmann's understanding of the love commandment provides a key to understanding this perceived paradox. On the one hand, in Matthew 19:21, Jesus says that to love one's neighbour as required by the Decalogue means, in practice, to dispose of all riches and give the money to the poor. On the other hand, in Matthew 26:6-14, Jesus pardons the woman who anointed him with precious oil in anticipation of his burial rather than selling the oil and giving the money to the poor. The article argues that the Matthean Jesus did not contradict himself. Bultmann's insight into the dialectical dissociation between Christian ethics and Stoic ethics supports the coherence in Jesus' view on caring for the poor. O Galilee, Galilee, thou hatest the law; thine end will be to have to deal with brigands (Yohanan ben Zakkai, y . Shabbat 15d, quoted in Elliott-Binns 1956:74).


The commentary by Connell et al on the data presented in our paper is a welcome contribution to the debate on the most appropriate method for demonstrating latent tuberculosis (TB) infection in refugee children. Although a comparison of the performance of interferon-g release assays (IGRAs) with tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) was not the primary aim of our study, the data do allow us to make observations on this topic. We have reassessed our data on the effect of previous BCG immunisation on IGRA and TST positivity (see table 3) and suggest that the very similar ORs for IGRAs and TST might reflect the adjustment of the cut-off point for a positive TSTwhere we had added 5 mm for children under the age of 5 years with a history of previous BCG immunisation (see Methods section). It has been shown that BCG immunisation affects TST reactivity predominantly in children of this age. When our data analysis was restricted to include only children aged <5 years, the OR for a positive TST in BCG-immunised children was 3.2 (p1⁄40.1) when the adjusted cut-off was used and 5.1 (p1⁄40.04) when a cut-off of 10 mm was used. We are grateful to Connell et al for emphasising that the antigens used in both types of IGRA are also expressed by a small number of non-tuberculous mycobacteria and therefore can only be regarded as predominantly Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific, as indicated in the Introduction to our paper. We do not agree that our data 'suggest TST may have had superior sensitivity to either of the two IGRAs in household TB contacts (ie, those at highest risk of latent tuberculosis infection)'. By reference to the data in figure 3 of our paper, it can be seen that five of six children (83%) with household TB contact who had a positive TST in association with neither IGRA being positive had received BCG immunisation. Furthermore, we had adjusted the cut-off point for TST positivity by subtracting 5 mm for children with household contact; re-analysis of the data using a cut-off point of 10 mm for all children decreased the OR for a positive result to 2.1 (p1⁄40.1). It is therefore not unlikely that the higher rate of TST positivity in this subgroup reflected previous BCG immunisation rather than false negative IGRA results. With reference to the data in table 1 of Connell et al, we note that the percentage of children without an interpretable result is particularly inflated by the large number of younger children enrolled in the study. This is evident by the breakdown according to age group in table 1 (with the single HIV case omitted). It should also be noted that the failed phlebotomy numbers are further skewed for QuantiFERON-TB gold in tube (QFT-GIT) as, for most of the study, preference was given to attempting the T-SPOT.TB in cases of limited blood volume. Connell et al did not comment on our finding that an inconclusive test result with one IGRA was usually associated with a valid result for the other IGRA. It is for that reason that we suggested initial testing with an IGRA rather than TST, and testing with the alternative IGRA when the first IGRA gives an inconclusive result. Furthermore, our data suggest that choosing the first-line IGRA according to patient demographic/clinical considerations will minimise the need for repeat testing. This strategy will only be possible when both IGRAs are available, but we believe it has the potential to be more cost-effective and convenient for both children and their families than a primarily TST-based screening approach, particularly in children from refugee families.


The pace of deep machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world of computing at all levels of hardware architecture, software, chip manufacturing, and system packaging. Two major developments have opened the doors to implementing new techniques in machine learning. First, vast amounts of data, i.e., "Big Data," are available for systems to process. Second, advanced GPU architectures now support distributed computing parallelization. With these two developments, designers can take advantage of new techniques that rely on intensive computing and massive amounts of distributed memory to offer new, powerful compute capabilities.


An experimental study of low-velocity impact characteristics and strength after impact was carried out on both woven fiber-reinforced resin matrix composites and woven fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites. The test specimens were impacted using a dropped-weight impact test apparatus with an instrumented spherical tip. Ultrasonic C-scan was used in nondestructive testing to characterize and quantify the impact damage. Much more damage of ceramic matrix composites than that of resin matrix composites occur and process in loading stage. The peak load of resin matrix composites is higher than that of ceramic matrix composites. According to the results of observing optical photographs and C-scan images, the damage area of ceramic matrix composites is greater than that of resin matrix composites and the difference increases as the energy increases. Damage resistance of ceramic matrix composites is lower than that of resin matrix composites, but damage tolerance of ceramic matrix composites is higher than that of resin matrix composites.


Should the law in liberal democracies care about religion simply because it is religion? This question opens the floor to reflect on two intertwined aspects of the law and religion debate in jurisprudence that require normative positioning. First, how should liberal democracies understand and accordingly interpret religious freedom? Second, how should non-theocracies outline the contours of the normative relationship between law and religion? Thus, how should liberal democracies understand and deal with religion in law? Over the past years, legal scholars and philosophers have contributed to these two interpretative concerns of the law and religion debate via the question what the legal definition of religion and religious freedom should be. The focus of this essay is on the liberal theories of religious freedom and their main contribution to the debate on law and religion in jurisprudence. Based hereon, this essay introduces a conceptual framework that consists of normative positions, each theorising a particular approach towards religion and religious claims for exemptions from general laws. This conceptual framework of normative positions involves argumentation patterns that are helpful in theorising the outcome of the question whether liberal democracies should care about religion because it is religion. Therefore, this essay starts by juxtaposing the most influential liberal and apparently non-religious positions present in the religious freedom theories. These normative positions are classified as rejection; substitution; generalisation; equation and representation. This classification of positions is the first step in answering the covering question whether religion qua religion requires special legal protection in liberal democracies. The answer to this question is threefold, and the synthesis of this threefold answer is abstraction from the religious dimension, which refers to the very distinctly religious dimension. Thus, abstraction is the binding element of the various normative positions discussed in this essay. Abstraction dismisses the special legal protection of religion qua religion. In other words, it renounces arguments that justify religious freedom with an appeal to the distinct value of religion. Subsequently, abstraction proposes a more general framework to justify free exercise, and it rethinks religious claims for exemptions from general laws, from that particular framework of general values. Consequently, abstraction involves arguments that stand for the adoption of a non-sectarian and religion-empty understanding of religious freedom. That is to say, free from distinctly religious values, though certainly not hostile to religion.


This review briefly summarises the cellular and physiological aspects of sperm motility (SM) and viability from the point of view of male fertility/infertility. We discuss the SM patterns and maturation processes during the epididymal transit, including the effects of seminal plasma proteins, and while moving through the female reproductive tract. In connection with SM and viability, the oxidative stress, the mitochondrial markers of SM and related predictive value of the proportion of motile sperm, and the effect of male age on sperm function are reviewed within the current literature. Furthermore, some of the potential techniques to determine molecules involved in sperm motion are presented. Other key points are sperm maturation and the markers of sperm maturity, including sperm-hyaluronic acid binding and DNA integrity, as well as the proportion of hyaluronic acid-bound sperm with respect to sperm morphology and tyrosine phosphorylation. Finally, proteins regulating SM and assessment approaches of sperm viability are pointed out in this review.


Background: Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare variation of adenocarcinoma. Although SRCC of the urinary bladder is highly malignant, it is often neglected due to its rarity. Materials and Methods: We used the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2004–2016) to compare SRCC with urothelial carcinoma (UC) and investigated the prognostic values of the clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes in SRCC of the urinary bladder. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, subgroup analyses, and propensity score matching (PSM) were used. Results: In all, 318 patients with SRCC and 57,444 patients with UC were enrolled. Compared with those with UC, patients with SRCC were younger at diagnosis (P < 0.001) and had higher rates of muscle invasive disease (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), and distal metastasis (P < 0.001), as well as higher-grade tumors (P = 0.004). A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that the SRCC group was associated with significantly higher risks of overall mortality (OM) compared with the UC group [hazard ratios (HR) = 1.44, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) = 1.26–1.63, P < 0.0001]. Patients with SRCC also had a higher risk of cancer-specific mortality (CSM; HR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.18–1.65, P < 0.0001). After PSM, the SRCC group also experienced higher risks of OM (HR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.24–1.68, P < 0.0001) and CSM (HR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.20–1.79, P = 0.0001) compared with the UC group. In the subgroup analyses, no significant interactions were observed in sex, age, N stage, M stage, and lymph nodes removed in terms of both OM and CSM. Conclusion: The prognosis of SRCC is poorer than that of UC, even after adjustment for baseline demographic and clinicopathological characteristic as well as cancer treatment. SRCC is an independent prognostic factor for patients with urinary bladder cancer.


Isotopic substitutions largely affect the dielectric relaxation dynamics of hydrogen-bonded liquid water; yet, the role of the altered molecular masses and nuclear quantum effects has not been fully established. To disentangle these two effects we study the dielectric relaxation of light (H216O), heavy (D216O) and heavy-oxygen (H218O) water at temperatures ranging from 278 to 338 K. Upon 16O/18O exchange, we find that the relaxation time of the collective orientational relaxation mode of water increases by 4-5%, in quantitative agreement with the enhancement of viscosity. Despite the rotational character of dielectric relaxation, the increase is consistent with a translational mass factor. For H/D substitution, the slow-down of the relaxation time is more pronounced and also shows a strong temperature dependence. In addition to the classical mass factor, the enhancement of the relaxation time for D216O can be described by an apparent temperature shift of 7.2 K relative to H216O, which is higher than the 6.5 K shift reported for viscosity. As this shift accounts for altered zero-point energies, the comparison suggests that the underlying thermally populated states relevant to the activation of viscous flow and dielectric relaxation differ.


Dysfunctional insulin secretion is a hallmark of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Interestingly, several islet microRNAs (miRNAs) are upregulated in T2D, including miR-132. We aimed to investigate whether in vivo treatment with antagomir-132 lowers expression of miR-132 in islets thereby improving insulin secretion and lowering blood glucose. Mice injected with antagomir-132 for 24 h, had reduced expression of miR-132 expression in islets, decreased blood glucose, and increased insulin secretion. In isolated human islets treated with antagomir-132, insulin secretion from four of six donors increased. Target prediction coupled with analysis of miRNA-messenger RNA expression in human islets revealed DESI2, ARIH1, SLC25A28, DIAPH1, and FOXA1 to be targets of miR-132 that are conserved in both species. Increased expression of these targets was validated in mouse islets after antagomir-132 treatment. In conclusion, we identified a post-transcriptional role for miR-132 in insulin secretion, and demonstrated that systemic antagomir-132 treatment in mice can be used to improve insulin secretion and reduce blood glucose in vivo. Our study is a first step towards utilizing antagomirs as therapeutic agents to modulate islet miRNA levels to improve beta cell function.


In a review the general criteria of selection of polymers suitable for encapsulation of integrated circuits (IC) elements have been presented. The compositions (types of resins, curing and accelerating agents) and properties (shrinkage and internal stresses, adhesion) of epoxy systems used for this purpose were discussed. Various variants of casting method, especially glob-top one have been characterized among various encapsulation processes. Practical aspects of epoxy resins' using to encapsulation of IC elements were described.


ABSTRACT Three-hundred-sixty-degree audio/visual immersion and the restoration of non-verbal communication cues are essential features for interfaces inviting the human body in cyberspace. The Posture Platform is a network of bases that offers access to a shared virtual environment. Each base is composed of an immersive 360-degree visual display, a surround-sound system, an array of image capture devices, a microphone, an omnidirectional controller/pointer, and a computer with wifi and an internet connection. The Drawing Room is the most recent virtual space developed for the platform. It invites participants to a blank shared space where they draw their own environment collaboratively. The platform, and the project it hosts, is an example of the art, design, and engineering challenges and opportunities associated with development of inhabitable cyberspace.


There is recent concern about what becomes of Armed Forces leavers. This is most apparent among leavers themselves and is a feature of short careers that compel individuals to find replacement jobs and lifestyles. Concern for one's civilian future rises to prominence in the preexit period and is confronted in resettlement processes during this time. Based on qualitative analysis of interviews with twenty-eight UK regular Army career soldiers and officers, the article argues that the final year of service—though mostly a practical endeavor—is also an important time for tackling matters of identity. The work is underpinned theoretically by a combination of Mead's pragmatism and Ricoeur's hermeneutics and constructs a typology of preexit orientation. This is an approach that casts some doubt about the utility of projecting oneself into unknown civilian futures from the context of distinctive and familiar Army relations.


This paper provides an overview of the potential for recovery of value from contaminated mine waters and waste streams. It discusses various metal ions commonly found in acid mine drainage and other mine waters (mainly Co, Ni, Zn, and U) and evaluates at what concentration they become attractive to investigate for recovery using ion-exchange technology. Waste streams are often treated to achieve compliance with environmental legislation before discharge, but recovery of valuable materials from acid discharge waters can result in economic benefits as well; in certain cases, the recovery of such metals can actually cover the cost of capital and operation and provide an additional revenue stream to the mine. The economics depend on the nature of the valuable metals, their concentrations, and volumes required for treatment. Ion exchange is well established in mining and metallurgical processing as a primary purification technology, treating process streams in which the levels of valuable metals are relatively high. To recover these same metals from surface runoff, tailings, contaminated ground water or mine decant waters; they must be present at a certain level before it becomes worthwhile to fully investigate options for their recovery. We reviewed a number of valuable metals that are likely to be found in mine waters and, based on the capital and running costs, determined the capital payback period for varying contamination levels. Technical issues were discussed and their effect on the economics explored. Using the model developed, it is possible to show early on in a feasibility assessment whether there is economic benefit to the processing of waste water of a given composition from a mining operation. The specific case studies that informed the model are discussed.


We consider hierarchical optical networks with different granularities of paths (wavelengths and wavebands). We introduce classification layers for routing models in these networks (separated and integrated routing, homogeneous and heterogeneous networks, online and offline routing). We also propose and analyze two heuristic routing and aggregation algorithms (online and offline) to be used for homogeneous networks in the separate routing framework. The analysis is based on ring topology; its results are supported by simulations of large scale networks (Europe and USA). These simulations demonstrate a significant cost reduction achieved by employing hierarchical routing (from 33% in the online algorithm to almost 60% in the offline one).


For a book that sent shock waves through the European literary establishment and, since its original publication in 1906 has gone through seven editions along with highly acclaimed translations into all the principal languages of Europe, "A Woman" (Una Donna) by Sibilla Aleramo (1876-1960) has remained curiously obscure in America. Aleramo's lightly fictionalized memoir presented a kaleidoscopic series of Italian images - the frenetic industrialism of the North, the miserable squalor of the country's backward areas to the South, fin de siecle Italian politics and literary life - all set in the framework of a drama admiringly characterized by Luigi Pirandellow as "grim and powerful." For some other Italians, "A Woman" touched a raw nerve, and many critics reacted to Aleramo with extreme hostility. However, whether one liked Aleramo's novel or not, the book was an iceberg in the mainstream of Italian literary life, impossible to get around without careful inspection. - From the introduction.


Introduction . At present, in Poland and other European countrieswe are witnessing an increase in the number of elderly people. Of particular importance is the psychophysical evaluation of the patient and defining the deficits in their everyday functioning. Aim . The aim of the study was to analyze selected demographic factors affecting biopsychosocial functioning of neurogeriatric patients. Material and Methods . The research was carried out in the Department of Geriatrics at University Hospital No. 1 in Bydgoszcz on a group of 122 patients aged from 60 to 95 years, hospitalized for diseases of the nervous system. The biopsychosocial assessment was performed with the use of the NOSGER scale (Nurses' Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients) — the Nursing Care Scale of Geriatric Patients and the Barthel scale. Results . As a result of the analysis, it was found that the average assessment of the functioning of older people in the assessment of the NOSGER scale was 89.89 for 150 maximum points. As a result of the analysis, it was found that respondents aged up to 64 years functioned best in each aspect of the NOSGER scale, whereas respondents aged over 90 years functioned the worst, with the exception of moods and emotions subscales. In the age groups 65–74 and 75–89, functioning was similar in all subscales. The statistical analysis carried out showed that the respondents who were in the second group of fitness had significantly worse functioning in each subscale and the overall NOSGER assessment than those who were in the first fitness group (p<0.05). Conclusions . There were no statistically significant differences found between gender, age, marital status, education, and functional fitness of patients on the Barthel score. There was also no significant effect of gender, age and education on the NOSGER patients assessment. Significant influence of marital status on the assessment in the area of destructive and disruptive behaviors on the NOSGER scale was observed. (JNNN 2018;7(3):118–123)


Background Several studies report an increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients. However, data in the intensive care unit (ICU) are scarce. Research Question We aimed to investigate the association between active cancer and mortality among patients requiring organ support in the ICU. Study Design and Methods In this ambispective study encompassing 17 hospitals in France, we included all adult active cancer patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring organ support and admitted in ICU. For each cancer patient, we included 3 non cancer patients as controls. Patients were matched at the same ratio using the inverse probability weighting approach based on a propensity score assessing the probability of cancer at admission. Mortality at day 60 after ICU admission was compared between cancer patients and non-cancer patients using primary logistic regression analysis and secondary multivariable analyses. Results Between March 12, 2020 and March 8, 2021, 2608 patients were admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection in our study, accounting for 2.8% of the total population of patients with SARS-CoV-2 admitted in all French ICUs within the same period. Among them, 105 (n=4%) presented with cancer (51 patients had hematological malignancy and 54 patients had solid tumors). 409 of 420 patients were included in the propensity score matching process, of whom 307 patients in the non-cancer group and 102 patients in the cancer group. 145 patients (35%) died in the ICU at day 60, 59 (56%) with cancer and 86 (27%) without cancer. In the primary logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for death associated to cancer was 2.3 (95%CI 1.24 – 4.28, p=0.0082) higher for cancer patients than for a non-cancer patient at ICU admission. Exploratory multivariable analyses showed that solid tumor (OR: 2.344 (0.87-6.31), p=0.062) and hematological malignancies (OR: 4.144 (1.24-13.83), p=0.062) were independently associated with mortality. Interpretation Patients with cancer and requiring ICU admission for SARS-CoV-2 infection had an increased mortality, hematological malignancy harboring the higher risk in comparison to solid tumors.


Epitaxial layers were grown in a horizontal hot-wall CVD reactor and intentionally doped with aluminium in a wide concentration range by varying the flow of aluminium into the reactor. The layers were grown on 4H and 6H SiC substrates on both Si and C face. Low temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) has been used to characterize the layers; 6H-SiC show differences in the structure of the Al bound-exciton (Al-BE) between the two faces, suggesting that the site preference is face dependent. From the LTPL spectra the Al concentration in the layers can be estimated.


Background. The research on management in Swedish home care has been conductedmainly from sociological perspectives where structural conditions have been of interest (see for example Hagerman et al., 2013; Andersson, 2014; Osterlind, 2013). The conditions impacting on management are described as differing ideals where the main ideals are the care perspective and the cost perspective (see for example Andersson, 2014; Osterlind, 2013). The conflict between ideals create tensions between ideology and practice and different expectations (Antonsson, 2013) and may also create problems, dilemmas and paradoxes (Osterlind, 2013). The rules impacting on the home care activities are bureaucratic rules stemming from the state and municipality. However, Trydegard (2000) argues that at the same time there is room for autonomy and path-dependence in the home care units.Purpose and research approach. There seems to be a lack of studies on management control in home care, and more especially no study combining a discourse, structures and theories on management control. The purpose of this thesis is to explore management control in home care in the relation between structures and managers' interpretative repertoires in a social-constructionist perspective. The purpose is also to create a prototype model for further research. The ontological positioning and theoretical framework are building on Giddens' structuration theory (1979, 1984) in which structures are seen as both the medium and outcome of social interaction and rules are important. The units of analysis are the managers' accounts on management control in semi-structured interviews. The accounts are analysed in a so called case cluster analysis (McClintock et al., 1979) in the software program NVivo. The codes are building on Ouchi's theory of management control (1979) as 'input control', 'behaviour control', 'output control' and 'clan control', and also building on Giddens' structuration theory (1978, 1984) defined as 8 characteristics of rules, 'normative sanctions', 'signification of meaning', 'authoritative' or 'allocative resources'.Findings. The findings reveal that home care is highly bureaucratic in input and output control by the use of formal rules stemming from municipality or state. In behaviour control home care has a medium-low degree of bureaucracy if exercised through 'signification of meaning' and medium-high when exercised through 'authoritative resources'. In clan control home care has a low degree of bureaucracy and can either be positive or negative depending on how informal leaders in the unit impact on cooperation between care personnel and if there is trust and a good communication between manager and care personnel. Two main patterns of structuration appear: creation of structures for an efficient process flow of home care to increase efficiency, and co-creation of new rules for behaviour to increase cooperation. Managers focus on different situations of management control depending on conditions in the home care unit and own interpretations. Two interpretative repertoires are identified; the discourse on hard matters is created in relation to matters that are more rigid in structure, such as legislation and municipal goals and that are difficult to interpret differently, whereas soft matters are created in discourse around dilemmas and human or relational aspects of control.


Some Basic Concepts. Economic theory of depletable resources: An introduction (J.L. Sweeney). The optimal use of exhaustible resources (G.M. Heal). Intertemporal consistency issues in depletable resources (L. Karp, D.M. Newbery). Analytical Tools. Buying energy and nonfuel-minerals: Final, derived, and speculative demand (M.E. Slade, C.D. Kolstadt and R.J. Weiner). Mineral resource stocks and information (D.P. Harris). Strategies for modeling exhaustible resource supply (D. Epple, J. Londregan). Applications to Policy and Forecasting Issues. Natural resources in an age of substitutability (P. Dasgupta). Natural resource cartels (D.J. Teece, D. Sunding and E. Mosakowski). The economics of energy security: Theory, evidence, and policy (M.A. Toman). Natural resource use and the environment (C.D. Kolstad, J.A. Krautkraemer). Energy, the environment, and economic growth (D.W. Jorgenson, P.J. Wilcoxen).


ABSTRACT Vegetable sanitization protocols recommend the use of chlorine, which has adverse effects on the environment and carcinogenic effects on humans. Acetic acid is an interesting alternative to chlorine because it possesses no risk to human health and is widely available in the form of vinegar. This study aimed to evaluate the sanitizing action of vinegar, 130 g L-1 total titratable acidity expressed as acetic acid, on lettuce. Vinegar was chosen because it is a low-cost product widely available in the Brazilian market. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of vinegar against Escherichia coli were 2.5 and 15 g L-1 total acidity, respectively. Lettuce leaves artificially contaminated with E. coli or naturally contaminated with total coliforms were washed with water and immersed in vinegar solution (15 g L-1 total acidity) for 15 min. This period was sufficient to reduce E. coli counts in artificially contaminated samples and total coliforms in naturally contaminated samples. There were no visual changes in lettuce leaves, which indicates that vinegar at 15 g L-1 total acidity can be used to sanitize vegetables without affecting their appearance.


A single brief visual stimulus when accompanied by multiple beeps is perceived as multiple flashes (Shams et al, 2000). This sound induced flash illusion is thus an interesting example of the modification of the perception of an unambiguous visual stimulus by an auditory stimulus. The temporal properties of the illusion are well documented with the illusion remaining strong as long as all the stimuli occur within a temporal window of approximately 70ms. Other psychophysical limits to the effect are less well known. Based on the assumption that sensory integration is maximised when the stimuli occur together in both time and space, we predicted that the illusion would be sensitive to the special congruency of the stimuli. Results were consistent with this hypothesis in that reports of illusory flashes were more frequent when the auditory stimuli originated from the same spatial location as the visual flash. Unexpectedly, we found that modulation of the illusion by spatial congruency was weaker when the visual stimulus was presented in the right visual field. We speculate that this might be a direct consequence of earlier processing of the illusory stimulus in the right visual pathway.


Chronic Stable angina is one of the most important diseases of the coronary arteries that are in the form of a stable incomplete blockage in blood flow through one or more coronary arteries due to atherosclerotic plaque and it negatively affects human health and its adaptation to life and its requirements. For the purpose of adapting to these requirements for patients with angina The chest must be prepared specific rehabilitation programs that take into account the specificity of each case of stable angina. Which contribute greatly to strengthening the cardiovascular muscle and related blood vessels, reducing the number of heartbeats, the normal restoration of the work of the heart muscle and adapting to functional shortcomings resulting from narrowing of the arteries of the heart and to resist the frequent clinical appearance of crises of angina pectoris The study aimed to: Knowing the effect of rehabilitative exercises on some functional variables Know the differences between the two groups after applying the rehabilitative exercises. The researcher used the experimental approach as it is the appropriate approach to solve the research problem. The research sample was chosen in an intentional way and they are suffering from simple stable angina-I who do not need to perform a catheter operation and the sample was chosen after the accurate diagnosis by the specialist doctors by accurate description of the case That the patient suffers in addition to the stress test (the individual's ability to walk on the moving device) and to reach a result that the patient suffers from stable angina (CSA-1), and the total number of sample individuals (12) was infected and they were divided into two groups in a random manner and by ( 6) Injured in each group. The researcher conducted the pre-test (measuring chemical variables, stress test) from the date of 2/18/2019, Thursday to the date of 2/25/2019, Thursday also within the official working hours, after which the vocabulary of the qualifying curriculum was applied during (36) rehabilitative units, after which the researcher conducted the test Al-Baadi on 20/5/2019, Thursday, 25/5/2019, Tuesday, within the official working hours as well. To deal with raw grades in a simple way in order to explain them, the researcher used the statistical bag. In light of the foregoing, the researcher reached several conclusions and recommendations that he will address.


Nonlinear equations describing inertial Alfven waves in plasmas with sheared magnetic field and flow are derived. For some specific parameters chosen, we have found a new type of electromagnetic coherent structures in the tripolar vortex-like form.


Models of household consumption used to estimate the relative needs of people living in different family types need to take account of economies of household size, price-like substitution effects and the allocation of consumption among the individuals of the household. No existing estimation method tackles all three of these issues in a simultaneous and transparent fashion. Partly because of this, consumption-based estimates of consumer equivalence scales have had little direct application in social and economic policies. This paper combines a household production model introduced by Lau (1985) with a Samuelson-type (1956) household welfare function to develop a consumption model which is both general and amenable to the incorporation (and testing) of a range of additional identifying information. The latter can include 'expert judgements' of the technology of household production (the scale economies) of different goods. A simplified version of this model is used to estimate some preliminary equivalence scales and intra-household allocations for aged couples and singles.


ABSTRACT Consociationalism has become a key institutional mechanism for managing conflict after civil war. Proponents argue that a period of consociational influence can contribute to the erosion of ethnic cleavages and even a society where ethnicity is depoliticized. Critics, however, are sceptical of this claim and argue that consociationalism institutionalizes ethnic identities and stymies the transition to a healthier democracy. In response, proponents outline a liberal model of consociationalism which limits the pre-determination of ethnicity in social and political structures. Yet, problematically, consociations in postwar societies often provide guarantees of ethnic representation in order to entice belligerents to abandon violence for democracy. This issue of transitioning from a corporate consociation to a more liberal form requires sustained analysis. This paper examines this conundrum by examining contemporary Lebanese consociationalism. Given that ethnicity is central to debates about revising consociationalism, via qualitative interviews with Lebanese political elites and civil society activists, the paper analyses how these subjects conceptualize ethnicity in contrasting ways which generate different approaches to consociationalism but which ultimately frustrate meaningful reform. It does this by exploring various debates to entrench, reform or transform Lebanese consociationalism.


Automatic and accurate situation assessment is essential for aircraft to conduct and maintain operations autonomously and effectively. There are many uncertainties during the process of air combat situation assessment which have a significant influence on operational decision making. For the uncertainty of advanced aircraft in air combat Situation assessment, with the uncertainty knowledge representation of gray fuzzy theory and uncertainty reasoning of Bayesian network, the fuzzy information can change into the probability of domain knowledge through fuzzy probability conversion formula, A gray fuzzy Bayesian network model for situation assessment of air combat is established, the simulation results shows that the model is reasonable and feasible.


Objective: To investigate the characteristics and the precaution of and reduction of sport injuries among college students in Wuhan, and to provide evidence for the prevention. Methods: Stratified and cluster random sampling method was used to choose 1103 students from a university in Wuhan. A self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the characteristics of sport injuries among172 college students who had experienced sport injuries. Results: The incidence of sport injuries among college students in Wuhan was 15.59%. Sport injuries were closely related with sports events, sports technique, physical condition of exerciser, and ground equipment. The incidence of sport injuries was higher in basketball, soccer and physical fitness exercise. Sport injuries were mainly soft tissue damage. The locations of injuries were primary in ankle joint (56.69%). Injuries induced by basketball & soccer were prone to occur in physical education class, while injuries caused by physical fitness exercise were prone to occur in extracurricular activities. Conclusion: The incidence of sport injuries was higher in basketball & soccer, and sport injuries were prone to occur in physical education class. It was imperative to strengthen the measures of prevention and intervention in college sport injuries.


gave rise to suspicion. The second category would be restricted to all sudden deaths in subjects over a certain age (around 40) in which there were no suspicious or complicating circumstances. A proportion of these, say 5%, would be selected randomly for full necropsy; the results would be the basis of a statistical analysis of the cause of death of the group as a whole. The remaining 95% of cases would be subjected to detailed external examination by a qualified pathologist. Should any significant abnormality be discovered-for example, petechial haemorrhages suggesting death by suffocation-the case would be recategorized into group 1 and a full necropsy performed. If no external abnormalitie-s were present samples of stomach contents and a wedge of liver tissue could be rapidly obtained by the mortuary technician and submitted for toxicological screening at a forensic science laboratory. If a well-organized national system was adopted there is no reason why such tests should not be automated and take only a few days. In the interim burial would be possible but cremation would aWait clearance by the toxicological laboratory. The potential reduction in the number of coroners' necropsies by this method would be very considerable in the country as a whole.-I am, etc., PATRICK GALLAGHER Milton, Cambridge


Abstract. The aim of this research is to define a method, able to analyse the systems of illumination in the medieval period, through a 3D virtual model reconstruction. It specifically needs to deepen the interactions between natural and artificial illumination in confined spaces. The study describes and examines the best survey technique to obtain a 3D model reconstruction, according to the achievement of such lighting scenarios, and the most suitable tools for lighting analysis. Thus, it is possible to carry out accurate interpretations of the past starting from historical sources and scientific data about lighting. This method was validated on a case study of a rupestrian church in Matera. The rupestrian contexts are less investigated in relation to mediaeval artificial lighting even if there are recognitions and comparative studies of widespread contexts, not only in Puglia and Basilicata, but also in Mediterranean area (e.g. in Cappadocia and Cyprus) which allow identifying evidences related to artificial lighting systems. The architectural signs (hole, niches, etc.) for ancient luminaries can be studied in 3D and lighting prospective. Lastly, the virtual model of the rupestrian church was imported into an opensource visualisation software (3D Heritage Online Presenter) to be appreciable on line and to promote historical heritage knowledge.


More than 6000 asteroids in the Solar System have now been discovered and enumerated, and about 500 of them have been investigated in detail by different methods. This rewiew gives observational evidence which indicates that no fewer than 10% of asteroids may be composed of two or more bodies. This was supported by the detection of a satellite of the asteroid Ida by the Galileo spacecraft. This discovery symbolises the change of both observational and theoretical paradigms. Space and ground observations of asteroids by modern teghniques may give extensive new data for modelling double asteroids. The analysis of problems of stability, formation and dynamics of asteroid satellites shows that their sphere of stable motion extends up to several hundred asteroid radii. The idea that the origin of the asteroid satellites may be explained in the frame of a unified accretion model of planetary satellite formation is proposed and justified.


This paper presents the first simulation model of a tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) using three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD), including multiphase flow, thermal-fluid, transitional turbulence, and thermal deformation of the shaft and pads employing two-way fluid–structure interaction (FSI). Part I presents a modeling method for the static performance. The model includes flow between pads BP, which eliminates the use of an uncertain, mixing coefficient (MC) in Reynold's equation approaches. The CFD model is benchmarked with Reynold's model with a 3D thermal-film, when the CFD model boundary conditions are consistent with the Reynolds boundary conditions. The Reynolds model employs an oversimplified MC representation of the three-dimensional mixing effect of the BP flow and heat transfer, and it also employs simplifying assumptions for the flow and heat transfer within the thin film between the journal and bearing. This manufactured comparison shows good agreement between the CFD and Reynold's equation models. The CFD model is generalized by removing these fictitious boundary conditions on pad inlets and outlets and instead models the flow and temperature between pads. The results show that Reynold's model MC approach can lead to significant differences with the CFD model including detailed flow and thermal modeling between pads. Thus, the CFD approach provides increased reliability of predictions. The paper provides an instructive methodology including detailed steps for properly applying CFD to tilt pad bearing modeling. Parts I and II focus on predicting static and dynamic response characteristic responses, respectively.


Abstract This study was designed to examine the in vitro. antibacterial activities of Rumex alpinus. L. and Rumex caucasicus. L. (Polygonacea), both known as "kivircik labada" or "evelik" in Turkey, and used to treat constipation, diarrhea, and eczema. Aerial parts of Rumex alpinus. and Rumex caucasicus., extracted with water and methanol, were screened for in vitro. activity by using disk diffusion assays against 121 strains belonging to 52 bacterial species. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of single compounds were determined by the microbroth dilution method. The aqueous extract of each species had no antibacterial effect against the test microorganisms, whereas the methanol extract of both species had an inhibitory effect on the growth of microorganisms. Rumex caucasicus. was found to be more effective than Rumex alpinus. on the tested microorganisms. This is the first report of the antibacterial potency of Rumex alpinus. and Rumex caucasicus. on a range of foodborne bacteria. The results provide evidence that Rumex alpinus. and Rumex caucasicus. might be potential sources of new antibacterial agents.


The Editors and the Publisher have the sad duty to announce the death of Olgierd C. Zienkiewicz, a long standing board member of this journal. An obituary will be published shortly in the International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, the journal founded by Professor Zienkiewicz together with Professor R.H. Gallagher, in 1969. Professor Zienkiewicz was one of the giants in the development of the finite element method. He will be greatly missed. We extend our sympathy to Helen, his wife, and to all of his family.


3-D seismic reflection data and a variance cube are used to determine the architecture and investigate the triggering processes of submarine landslides affecting the flanks of a Miocene carbonate platform in the Luconia Province, Malaysia. The slide masses exhibit, in time-slice displays, chaotic, patchy seismic patterns, in otherwise smooth reflections. They lie basinward of the slide scar, tend to widen in the transport direction, and end in indistinct lobes. Slide scars appear as crescent-shaped embayments in otherwise straight or oval platform-edge contours. However, slide scars show planar morphology where they coincide with a fault zone. In vertical sections, the basal surfaces of the slides are steep concave slope segments (slide scar) that rapidly flatten where they dip under the slide masses. Slide masses appear as zones of discontinuous wavy reflections that wedge out in both upslope and downslope directions, extend for 1.5 km into the basin, and have a maximum thickness of 130 m. The slide deposit on the western flank is the result of at least two individual sliding events. Two seismically chaotic bodies are separated by a smooth reflection interpreted as an intercalation of hemipelagic mud between carbonaterich slide masses. Syndepositional faulting affects the geometry of the platform and the platform margins, particularly at the time of slope failure. We suggest that the slides were generated by the interplay of steep-slope progradation and faulting accompanied by seismic shocks.


Objective(s): The current study was aimed to determine the bioactive constituents and biological effects of the Crataegus monogyna ethanolic extracts from bark, leaves and berries on hypercholesterolemia. Materials and Methods: Oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and lupeol concentrations were quantified by HPLC. Total phenol content and radical scavenging activity of extracts were also measured. The hypocholesterolemic, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects of the extracts were examined in hypercholesterolemic rats and compared with orlistat. Results: The highest phenol content, oleanolic acid, quercetin and lupeol levels and free radical scavenging potency were found in the bark extract, and the highest ursolic acid level was found in the berries extract. Orlistat and extracts significantly (P<0.05) lowered the hypercholesterolemia-increased serum level of hepatic enzymes and lipid peroxidation level. Hawthorn's extracts protected from hepatic thiol depletion and improved the lipid profile and hepatic damages. Conclusion: Data suggested that hawthorn's extracts are able to protect from hypercholesterolemia-induced oxidative stress and hepatic injuries. Moreover, the hypocholesterolemic effect of extracts was found comparable to orlistat.


The Quantum II, originally designed by Abbott Diagnostics for automated rapid identification of members of Enterobacteriaceae, was adapted for the identification of bacterial fish pathogens. The instrument operates as a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 492.600 nm. A sample cartridge containing 20 inoculated biochemical chambers is inserted in the path of the analyzing beam. Reactions are converted into a 7-digit octal biocode, relayed via a sensor to the memory module, and compared to biocodes preprogrammed in the memory. An identification is then printed. Presently, the Quantum II is capable of identifying human strains of Aeromonas hydrophila and Edwardsiella tarda. This study was initiated to determine the feasibility of expanding the use of the Quantum II to include identification of bacterial fish pathogens. Ten to 50 isolates of Edwardsiella ictaluri, Serratia liquefaciens, Yersinia ruckeri, Aeromonas hydrophila, typical Aeromonas salmonicida, and atypical Aeromonas salmonicida were utilized to determine optimal incubation conditions, relative stability of the biochemicals, and ability to obtain consistent biocode numbers. After sorting the octal biocodes from the 169 isolates into groupings using a cluster analysis technique, it was shown by a Chi-square goodness of fit test that isolates of a given species were sorted into the same cluster group at a frequency of at least 99%. Results of this study illustrate the usefulness of the Quantum II BID system for the identification of bacterial fish pathogens not contained within the system's memory module.


BACKGROUND
In contrast to adult patients, a relatively large number of open surgical procedures are still needed in the treatment of urolithiasis in children. Since almost all open surgical techniques may be reproduced by minimal access surgery (MAS), there is a rationale to apply the latter in the management of pediatric urolithiasis. Our study aimed to assess the feasibility and outcome of MAS in the treatment of pediatric urinary calculi.

METHODS
The charts of patients with urolithiasis submitted to MAS between 1994 and 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. The inclusion criteria were contraindication for and failure of lithotripsy or endourology techniques. Demographic data, lithiasis characterization (location, dimension, composition), predisposing factors (anatomic or metabolic) and surgical approach (technique and outcome) were evaluated.

RESULTS
Fifteen consecutive patients (eight girls, seven boys) with a median age of 108 months (range: 10-297 months) were elected for MAS. Eleven (73%) children had associated urogenital malformations and three (20%) presented metabolic abnormalities. A total of 17 procedures were performed laparoscopically: three nephrolithotomy (one transperitoneal, two by retroperitoneoscopy), four pyelolithotomies (retro), three ureterolithotomy (trans) and seven cystolithotomies (suprapubic approach). Five patients underwent concomitant correction of urological anomalies (three calyceal diverticula, one obstructive megaureter, one ureteropelvic junction obstruction). Complete removal of calculi was accomplished in 14 (82%) procedures. There were two perioperative complications (one intraperitoneal vesical perforation and one perivesical urinoma). At a median follow up of 4 years (range, 1 month to 11 years), four patients have developed recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS
MAS is an effective and safe approach for urolithiasis in children who are not candidates for minimally invasive modalities.


INTRODUCTION
The project is developed during this spring semester 2012 in the course 'Holistic design of
systems'. We have been working with the electric energy system in relation to private
consumption. The problem is that the private consumer has an estimated overconsumption
by 10% of electricity. By gaining awareness of own electricity consumption, the private
consumer can reduce their electricity consumption with 10% without compromising their
current life style. Based on this knowledge, the research question of this project has been:
How can household consumption of electricity be visualised, realised and possibly changed
by engaging the public with information and activities?
The developed concept solving this is the 'Electricity Treasure Hunt'. The target group is
private consumers, e.g. a family, single person etc.
ELECTRICITY TREASURE HUNT
The goal of the Electricity Treasure Hunt is twofold. The Treasure Hunt should create
awareness on the private electricity consumption as well as maintenance support of the
gained awareness. The different steps in the Electricity Treasure Hunt concept are shown
below:
A physical treasure hunt with free access is placed in the public area. The treasure hunt
consists of five interactive installations there should be engaging, explorative, reflective to
own household and fun to experience. The participant gain awareness and knowledge of the
system of practices around electricity consumption in the household. The challenge has
been to link the gained awareness to the actual household. After finishing the physical
treasure hunt, the participant(s) can borrow a "sparometer". They can map the electricity
consumption of each product in the household. To support this measuring at home, a virtual
supporting platform is included in the concept. Research shows that this will reduce the
electricity consumption with 10%. The documentation of 10% reduction is a crucial point
when it comes to the business plan, there are based on founding's, partnerships with electric
companies, and sponsorships from other interests.


The Human Genome Initiative (HGI) is the large-scale, multinational effort to map and sequence the human genome. Completion of the Initiative is estimated to require about fifteen years, and its projected $3 billion price tag is enough to place it in the big science category. This is the first such undertaking for the biological sciences, and the decision to go forward has generated much public discussion. Even before the Initiative officially began, the HGI leaders in the United States at the Nation Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy recognized the importance of addressing the legal, social, and ethical issues that the Initiative would raise and announced that part of the funding would be used for studies of those issues. Some of these issues are, in fact, new, arising from the scale and specific goals of HGI. Others have been raised, explicitly or implicitly, by earlier developments in and applications of genetic research. HGI, however, has focused public attention more broadly on previously raised issues or has made them appear more likely to arise in the near future or on a greater scale than had previously been envisaged. This report presents the results of a Project, funded by a grant from NIH, carried out by the Arizona State University Center for the Study of Law, Science and Technology to identify the legal issues arising out of HGI and the empirical and analytical work necessary to resolve them - a Legal Research Agenda. The author was the Principal Investigator under the terms of the grant. This report is a composite summary of the exchanges that took place at the workshops and is, in that sense, the product of all the participants. A list of participants accompanies this report.


ABSTRACT The influence of 15 annual applications of composted (CM) or stockpiled (SM) beef feedlot manure with straw (ST) or wood-chip (WD) bedding on electrical conductivity (EC), soluble cations and anions (Na, K, Ca, Mg, SO4-S, Cl), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), potassium adsorption ratio (PAR), and pH of a clay loam soil (0–15 cm) in southern Alberta was examined in an irrigated barley silage cropping system. Manure type (CM versus SM) had a significant effect on certain soil salinity parameters. Calcium, Mg, Na, K, and SO4-S were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater for SM- than CM-amended soils for certain bedding materials and rates. Electrical conductivity, concentration of soluble cations and anions (Na, K, SO4-S, Cl), SAR, PAR, and pH in the surface soil were greater for ST than WD bedding. Two exceptions were Ca and Mg, where soil concentrations were generally greater for WD than ST. Salinity parameters were greater with increased application rate, and greater for amended than unamended soils. Overall, bedding had considerably more significant effects on soil salinity parameters compared to manure type. Wood-chip bedding may be a management tool for feedlots to lower EC, soluble cations and anions, and pH of surface soils.


This study examines five variables posited to drive(s) initial phonological transfer of (part of) one system over
 another in an L3: language status (L1/L2), facilitation, global structural similarity, dominance, and bilingual experience.
 Specifically, we investigate production of intervocalic voiced stops by English/Spanish bilinguals at the initial stages of L3
 Brazilian Portuguese (BP) or Italian. These segments surface as [−continuant] in BP, Italian, and English but are realized as
 [+continuant] in Spanish; English transfer is therefore facilitative while Spanish is non-facilitative. Three groups
 (English-dominant heritage Spanish speakers, L1 English/L2 Spanish, L1 Spanish/L2 English) enrolled in first semester BP or
 Italian completed delayed repetition tasks in all three languages. The majority of participants across groups produce Spanish-like
 [+continuant] segments, suggestive of a primary role for global structural similarity. For the subset of participants across
 groups that produces English-like/L3-like [−continuant] segments, debrief data indicate a potential relationship between
 metalinguistic knowledge and [−continuant] production.


Grainyhead-like (GRHL) factors are essential, highly conserved transcription factors (TFs) that regulate processes common to both natural cellular behaviours during embryogenesis, and de-regulation of growth and survival pathways in cancer. Serving to drive the transcription, and therefore activation of multiple co-ordinating pathways, the three GRHL family members (GRHL1-3) are a critical conduit for modulating the molecular landscape that guides cellular decision-making processes during proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration. Animal models and in vitro approaches harbouring GRHL loss or gain-of-function are key research tools to understanding gene function, which gives confidence that resultant phenotypes and cellular behaviours may be translatable to humans. Critically, identifying and characterising the target genes to which these factors bind is also essential, as they allow us to discover and understand novel genetic pathways that could ultimately be used as targets for disease diagnosis, drug discovery and therapeutic strategies. GRHL1-3 and their transcriptional targets have been shown to drive comparable cellular processes in Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish and mice, and have recently also been implicated in the aetiology and/or progression of a number of human congenital disorders and cancers of epithelial origin. In this review, we will summarise the state of knowledge pertaining to the role of the GRHL family target genes in both development and cancer, primarily through understanding the genetic pathways transcriptionally regulated by these factors across disparate disease contexts.