In the wake of corporate financial scandals, questions about indemnifying and holding officers and directors personally liable come into focus. Delaware law provides a permissive and mandatory approach for protecting and indemnifying officers and directors. Case law presents a balance between policy goals of indemnification and liability for bad faith acts of individuals. Determining the boundary line for this balance necessarily invokes culpability standards for fiduciaries where delineation of due care, loyalty, and good faith are pivotal aspects of when personal liability may lie against an officer or director. Whether concepts of gross negligence can provide the basis for bad faith will affect individual liability. Analysis of recent corporate scandals may shed light on whether Delaware law appropriately addresses such matters.


Hardy-type arguments manifest Bell nonlocality in one of the simplest possible ways. Except for demonstrating nonclassical signature of entangled states in question, they can also serve for device-independent self-testing of states, as shown, e.g., in Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 180401 (2012). Here we develop and broaden these results to an extended version of Hardy's argument, often referred to as Cabello's nonlocality argument. We show that, as in the simpler case of Hardy's nonlocality argument, the maximum quantum value for Cabello's nonlocality is achieved by a pure two-qubit state and projective measurements that are unique up to local isometries. We also examine the properties of a more realistic case when small errors in the ideal constraints are accepted within the probabilities obtained and prove that also in this case the two-qubit state and measurements are sufficient for obtaining the maximum quantum violation of the classical bound.


The Blumenthal-Getoor (BG) index characterizes the jump measure of an infinitely active Levy process. It determines sample path properties and affects the behavior of various econometric procedures. If the process contains a diffusion term, existing estimators of the BG index based on high-frequency observations only achieve rates of convergence which are suboptimal by a polynomial factor. In this paper, a novel estimator for the BG index and the successive BG indices is presented, attaining the optimal rate of convergence. If an additional proportionality factor needs to be inferred, the proposed estimator is rate-optimal up to logarithmic factors. Furthermore, our method yields a new efficient volatility estimator which accounts for jumps of infinite variation. All parameters are estimated jointly by the generalized method of moments. A simulation study compares the finite sample behavior of the proposed estimators with competing methods from the financial econometrics literature.


Abstract A 3-year-old, 4.0 kg, female, spayed Silver Marten cross rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was presented for evaluation of a suspected recurring spindle cell sarcoma following primary excision by the referring veterinarian. Physical examination revealed a large subcutaneous mass on the left metatarsus and a fine needle aspirate revealed suspected neoplastic spindle cells. Hematologic evaluation was unremarkable and a computed tomography scan revealed invasion of the mass into skeletal muscles but showed no evidence of metastatic disease. An amputation was performed, after which the patient recovered uneventfully. However, the rabbit was found suddenly dead at time of discharge from unknown cause. Gross, histologic, and immunohistochemical evaluation was performed, which diagnosed a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first detailed case report of a lagomorph peripheral nerve sheath tumor specifically confirmed with immunohistochemistry. Wide surgical excision is considered the treatment of choice and may be combined with radiation therapy. Further research is required to determine risk factors, the role of adjunctive therapy, as well as long-term prognoses for peripheral nerve sheath tumors in rabbits.


Professors Laura Alfaro and Richard H.K. Vietor and Research Associate Hilary White prepared this case. This case was developed from published sources. Funding for the development of this case was provided by Harvard Business School, and not by the company. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management.


Abstract : A visual examination of the T-3 Firing Platform indicates that the welds of the rewelded half of the platform are considerably larger than the original welds, and have been quite heavily peened to remove the convexity which usually results from welds on heavy aluminum sections such as are found in this platform. There is evidence also, that a fairly large heat-affected zone exists adjacent to the welds because of two factors - (1) The welds were made in several beads; (2) Probably a heavier current was used to obtain better fusion than was obtained on the original welds. There is also a discoloration of the metal alongside the welds which indicates the presence of this heat-affected zone. The original welds on the other half of the platform are very small, convex, single beads which have the appearance of not being thoroughly fused into the members for the full depth of the weld metal. Some undercutting is visible on some of the welds. Welds at A and B are cracked loose from the members. Welds at C have been rewelded with at least a three-bead weld and heavily peened. From the radiographs taken, it is apparent that the weld metal of these welds is very porous. This condition, coupled with the small size and convexity of weld, may be in no small measure responsible for the cracks which occurred.


Abstract Tackling environmental problems is one of the main policy challenges facing governments. The process of forming attitudes starts at a young age, and is mostly shaped by education. Participation in pro-environmental initiatives at schools is mainly voluntary. Local governments can play an important role as the institution that links communities with the environment. In this paper, we examine the role of local governments/municipalities on school participation in an environmental educational program, with a special focus on primary and secondary education. We use data from the Sustainable School Program in Chile. We model schools' participation and level of participation by an ordered probit model with sample selection. Results show that public schools are more likely to participate in the program compared with private schools, and schools with more teachers reveal a higher probability of being part of the program. In addition, while school performance and teachers' perceptions correlate with achieving higher levels of certification, a more intense commitment to the program is more likely in communes whose local authorities have the capacity to promote voluntary financial and environmental initiatives. Thus, in order to promote successful co-management of environmental policy, local governments should take into account the heterogeneity of the school system.


The aim of this paper is to investigate whether different market regimes affect bidding behavior in housing auctions. Taking advantage of special circumstances in the Norwegian housing market in 2015 and 2016, we conduct a survey involving 1803 respondents in three of Norway's largest cities, Oslo, Stavanger and Trondheim. In the Norwegian housing market 90 percent of dwellings are sold after an English auction. Norway has a rather homogeneous market, with the same laws, traditions, interest rates and approximately the same tax rates applying across the country. However, in December 2016, the two-year nominal house price increase was 34.8 percent in Oslo and 14.8 percent in Trondheim, whereas prices fell 7.8 percent over the same period in Stavanger. We find that households in booming housing markets appear to believe that a more aggressive bidding strategy is advisable to obtain a dwelling at the lowest possible price, compared with households in bust markets. Evidence suggesting that bidders in booming markets are less likely to decide on a maximum price limit before an auction commences substantiates this finding. In addition, we find that bidders in booming markets have a weaker reliance on real estate agents.


Maturation of barley cysteine endopeptidase B (EPB) in Trichoderma reesei was studied with metabolic in hibitors, Western blotting, and immuno microscopy. The inactive 42-kDa recombinant EPB proprotein, first detected in apical cells, was sequentially processed in a time-dependent manner to a secreted polypeptide of 38.5 kDa, and thereafter, to polypeptides of 37.5, 35.5, and 32 kDa exhibiting enzyme activity both in the hyphae and culture medium. The sizes of the different forms of recombinant EPB were in accordance with molecular masses calculated from the deduced amino acid sequence, assuming cleavage at four putative Kex2p sites present in the 42-kDa proprotein. Both the liquid and the zymogram in-gel activity assays indicated that the 32-kDa enzyme produced in T. reesei in vivo was 2 kDa larger and four times less active than the endogenous EPB. Brefeldin A treatment prevented the last Kex2p processing step of EPB from a 35.5- to a 32-kDa protein. This coincided with a significant increase in the immuno-gold label for EPB and in modified Golgi-like bodies, which suggests that the processing step probably took place in medial Golgi. A 30.5-kDa EPB polypeptide was observed when glycosylation was inhibited by tunicamycin (TM) or when deglycosylation was carried out enzymatically. Deglycosylation increased the enzyme activity twofold, which was also indicated by an increased fluorescence by TM treatment in the zymogram in-gel activity assay. Simultaneous incubation with TM and monensin produced a peptide of 31.5 kDa. Therefore, monensin may inhibit the final processing step of an unglycosylated EPB by an unknown protease in the fungus. In any case, the final recombinant EPB product in Trichoderma differs from the mature endogenous 30-kDa enzyme produced in barley.


Hedge funds do not easily fit into the current way institutions go about investing. Based on a survey of recent academic and practitioner research, this article reviews six competing frameworks for how to incorporate hedge funds in institutional portfolios. Each framework has very different implications for institutional asset allocation, manager selection, and benchmarking.


With the technology boosting in the new era in this globalized world, it is essential for people to be equipped with technical skills to be competent for life-long learning and working. And English, as the globalized language, is used widely between nations and has promoted the integration of economy. It is critical for youths to master English to compete for further study, the future jobs, and so on. The role of the teacher is to make students learn English with tech skills. Therefore, this research is focused on teaching English through modern tech tools. This research is mainly about exploring activities through social networking sites to teach ESL writing and looking for suggestion to enhance the effectiveness of activities. Data was collected through mono-method approach, which is a qualitative research. According to the research, it was found that there are many various writing activities taking place among teachers and students on the social networking sites; the teaching and learning is in the non-linear way. The teaching pedagogy can be the teacher–centered or student-centered when utilizing social networking tools. Besides, the appropriate suggestion can make the activities better. Hence, educators and teachers should be aware of the social networking tools on ESL teaching.


ABSTRACT:BACKGROUND:Tubal problem is one of the causes of infertility in infertile couples. For that, evaluation of fallopiantubes forms an important part of evaluation in infertile woman.OBJECTIVE:To assess the diagnostic accuracy of Sonohysterography (SHG) in comparison withhysterosalpingography (HSG) in infertile women.PATIENTS AND METHODS:this cross sectional study included 50 women, 37women with primary infertility and 13women withsecondary infertility. The study was conducted in Al-Imamian Al-Kadhimian medicalcity/Baghdad/Iraq from 1st of October 2017 to 30th of July 2018. All underwent clinical andphysical examination. This was followed by Sonohysterography on day 7th or 8th of menstrual cycleand Hysterosalpingography on the same day.RESULTS:Fifty infertile women were included in this study with mean age of 27.9±5.9 years. Mean infertilityduration of studied women was 3.6±2.4 years; 68% (N=34) of infertile women had duration of lessthan 5 years and 32% (N=16) of them had duration of 5 years and more. The history of previoussurgical operation was detected in 28% (N=14) of infertile women. The final diagnosis ofhysterosalpingography (SHG) revealed that 89% (N=89) patent fallopian tubes and 11% (N=11)obstructed tubes. The final hysterosalpingography (HSG) revealed that 85% (N=85) patent fallopiantubes and 15% (N=15) obstructed tubes. No significant difference between women with patent andobstructed fallopian tube by SHG regarding history of parity (p=0.6), abortion (p=0.7), type ofinfertility (p=0.1), infertility duration (p=0.6), history of previous operation (p=0.5) and history ofprevious diagnostic intervention (p=0.6). Sonohysterography (SSG) has 100 % sensitivity and 60 %specificity in comparison to hysterosalpingography (HSG). Analysis of the raw data gave positivepredictive value of 95.7% and negative predictive value of 100 %. From the results of this study itclear that there is no statistically significant difference (p = 0.001) between the results of the twomethods (SSG and HSG) with an accuracy of 96%.CONCLUSION:Sonohysterography has higher sensitivity and good specificity and is lesser invasive. It can be usedprimarily to assess tubal condition in infertile women.


This study explores depression in cancer patients with reference to conditional goal setting (CGS) theory. CGS theory proposes that depressed individuals believe that personal happiness is conditional upon attainment of specific goals (personal CGS). Other individuals may set important goals believing that goal achievement is a necessary prerequisite of social acceptance and approval (social CGS). CGS has been found to contribute to depression in normal populations. 15.2% of the 67 newly diagnosed cancer patients in this study showed clinical levels of depression. A significant relationship was identified between personal CGS, rumination and depression, as predicted in CGS theory. Two months later, 46.7% of patients demonstrated clinical levels of depression. This later experience of depression was significantly related to social CGS. The results suggest CGS involving a misdirected pursuit of happiness is initially associated with depression whereas subsequent experiences of depression are related to a misdirected pursuit of social acceptance. Implications are discussed in terms of understanding the cancer patients' motivations controlling goal setting. It is suggested that successful psychotherapy for depression in cancer patients needs to examine the motivations controlling goal setting in addition to the process of goal pursuit. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Study Design. A retrospective investigation of the results of operative treatment of patients with symptomatic thoracic spinal stenosis. Objectives. To establish the effectiveness and define the limitations of surgical treatment for stenosis of the thoracic spinal canal. Summary of Background Data. In contrast to cervical and lumbar stenosis, symptomatic narrowing of the thoracic spinal canal is rarely encountered. Although the treatment of thoracic stenosis has been described in multiple case reports and in several small series with minimal follow-up evaluation, there are few studies of patients treated surgically for this condition with follow-up evaluation beyond 2 years. Methods. Twelve patients who underwent operative decompression for symptomatic stenosis of the lower thoracic spine were followed up for an average period of 62.4 months. Surgery was performed on the thoracic spine alone in four cases and on the combined thoracolumbar spine in eight. Factors that were investigated included pain severity, lower extremity motor function, ambulatory status, and postoperative complications. Results. The level of pain after surgery was decreased in eight patients and unchanged in four patients. Of the 10 patients with a motor deficit before surgery, eight had improvement of muscle function. Of the 11 patients with a gait disturbance before surgery, ambulatory status was improved in seven, unchanged in two, and worse in two. One patient lost neural function secondary to surgical intervention. There were five cases in which the early result subsequently deteriorated because of recurrent stenosis, spinal deformity/instability, or both. Conclusions. Thoracic stenosis can occur in isolation or, more commonly, in association with lumbar stenosis. Ideally, operative treatment should address all stenotic segments and directly decompress the primary anatomic abnormalities causing neural element compression. Although satisfactory short-term results can be expected, deterioration of the early outcome because of the potential for recurrent stenosis and deformity/instability at the thoracolumbar junction can sometimes be seen with longer follow-up evaluation periods.


Atomic nanowires on semiconductor surfaces induced by the adsorption of metallic atoms have attracted a lot of attention as possible hosts of the elusive, one-dimensional Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid. The Au/Ge(100) system in particular is the subject of controversy as to whether the Au-induced nanowires do indeed host exotic, 1D (one-dimensional) metallic states. In light of this debate, we report here a thorough study of the electronic properties of high quality nanowires formed at the Au/Ge(100) surface. The high-resolution ARPES data show the low-lying Au-induced electronic states to possess a dispersion relation that depends on two orthogonal directions in k space. Comparison of the E(k x ,k y ) surface measured using high-resolution ARPES to tight-binding calculations yields hopping parameters in the two different directions that differ by approximately factor of two. Additionally, by pinpointing the Au-induced surface states in the first, second, and third surface Brillouin zones and analyzing their periodicity in k || , the nanowire propagation direction seen clearly in STM can be imported into the ARPES data. We find that the larger of the two hopping parameters corresponds, in fact, to the direction perpendicular to the nanowires (t perp ) . This proves that the Au-induced electron pockets possess a two-dimensional, closed Fermi surface, and this firmly places the Au/Ge(100) nanowire system outside potential hosts of a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid. We combine these ARPES data with scanning tunneling spectroscopic measurements of the spatially resolved electronic structure and find that the spatially straight—wirelike—conduction channels observed up to energies of order one electron volt below the Fermi level do not originate from the Au-induced states seen in the ARPES data. The former are rather more likely to be associated with bulk Ge states that are localized to the subsurface region. Despite our proof of the 2D (two-dimentional) nature of the Au-induced nanowire and subsurface Ge-related states, an anomalous suppression of the density of states at the Fermi level is observed in both the STS and ARPES data, and this phenomenon is discussed in the light of the effects of disorder.


Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) have lately come to be widely used in everyday applications. Their usability and capability have attracted the interest of both commercial organizations and research communities. Recently, the Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a promising application of MANETs. It has been designed to offer a high level of safety for the drivers in order to minimize a number of roads accidents. Broadcast communication in MANETs and VANETs, is essential for a wide range of important services such as propagating safety messages and Route REQuest (RREQ) packets. Routing is one of the most challenging issues in MANETs and VANETs, which requires high efficient broadcast schemes.
The primitive and widely deployed method of implementing the broadcast is simple 'flooding'. In this approach, each node 'floods' the network, with the message that it has received, in order to guarantee that other nodes in the network have been successfully reached. Although flooding is simple and reliable, it consumes a great deal of network resources, since it swamps the network with many redundant packets, leading to collisions contention and huge competition, while accessing the same shared wireless medium. This phenomenon is well-known in MANETs, and is called the Broadcast Storm Problem.
The first contribution of this thesis is to design and develop an efficient distributed route discovery scheme that is implemented based on the probabilistic concept, in order to suppress the broadcast storm problem. The proposed scheme is called a Probabilistic Disturbed Route Discovery scheme (PDRD), and it prioritizes the routing operation at each node with respect to different network parameters such as the number of duplicated packets, and local and global network density. The performance of the proposed scheme PDRD has been examined in MANETs, in terms of a number of important metrics such as RREQ rebroadcast number and RREQ collision number. Experimental results confirm the superiority of the proposed scheme over its counterparts, including the Hybrid Probabilistic-Based Counter (HPC) scheme and the Simple Flooding (SF) scheme.
The second contribution of this thesis is to tackle the frequent link breakages problem in MANETs. High mobility nodes often have frequent link breakages; this potentially leads to re-discovery of the same routes. Although different probabilistic solutions have been suggested to optimize the routing in MANETs, to the best of our knowledge they have not focused on the problem of frequent link breakages and link stability.
II
Unlike other existing probabilistic solutions, this thesis proposes a new Velocity Aware-Probabilistic (VAP) route discovery scheme, which can exclude unstable nodes from constructing routes between source and destination. The main idea behind the proposed schemes is to use velocity vector information to determine the stable nodes and unstable nodes. A proper rebroadcast probability and timer are set dynamically according to the node stability. Simulation results confirm that the new proposed scheme has much better performance in terms of end-to-end delay, RREQ rebroadcast number and link stability.
The routing in VANETs is very critical and challenging in terms of the number of broken links and packet overheads. This is mainly due to the fast vehicles' speed and different vehicles' movement directions. A large number of routing protocols such as Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) and Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) have been proposed to deal with the routing in MANETs. However, these protocols are not efficient and cannot be applied directly to VANETs context due to its different characteristics. Finally toward this end, this thesis proposes new probabilistic and timer probabilistic routing schemes in order to improve the routing in VANETs. The main aim of the proposed schemes is to set up the most stable routes to avoid any possible link breakage. These schemes also enhance the overall network performance by suppressing the broadcast storm problem, which occurs during the route discovery process. The proposed schemes also make AODV protocol suitable and applicable for VANETs. Simulation results show the benefit of the new routing schemes in terms of a number of metrics such as RREQ rebroadcast number, link stability and end-to-end delay.


Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned to undertake an archaeological evaluation by Dalesmoor Homes prior to the proposed development of land at Strands Farm, Lancaster Road, Hornby (SD 5850 6815); the site lies at the south-western end of the village of Hornby. The work was undertaken between 9th and 13th September 2002, and consisted of the excavation of five 15m long trenches. The trenches were positioned in order to trace any occupation across the area affected by the groundworks.
Hornby was one of the medieval towns of Lancashire. The evaluation revealed two north/south ditches, dated to between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, thought to be the rear boundary ditches of burgage plots that may have had their frontage during the medieval period on, or close to, present day Station Road. Cartographic evidence suggests the medieval boundary may have been maintained throughout the post-medieval period, until the development of Strands Farm during the twentieth century. Several features, comprising dog and sheep/goat burials, gullies, and a layer of horticultural soil, represent activity in the rear gardens of the post-medieval properties that fronted onto Station Road.


Summary:  During antigen processing, peptides are generated and displayed in the context of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules on the surface of antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) to modulate immune responses to foreign antigens and guide self‐tolerance. Exogenous and cytoplasmic antigens are processed by distinct routes within APCs to yield class II ligands. Exogenous antigens are internalized, processed, and bound to class II molecules within endosomal and lysosomal compartments of APCs. Studies reviewed here demonstrate the importance of reduction in regulating exogenous antigen presentation. The differential expression of a γ‐interferon‐inducible lysosomal thiol reductase in professional APCs and melanomas is discussed in the context of tumor immune evasion. Cytoplasmic autoantigens, by contrast, are degraded by the proteasome and other enzymes in the cytosol, with the resulting peptides translocating to endosomal and lysosomal compartments for intersection with class II molecules. Processing and editing of these antigenic peptides within endosomes and lysosomes may be critical in regulating their display via class II proteins. Multiple pathways may regulate the transit of cytosolic peptides to class II molecules. The role of lysosome‐associated membrane protein‐2a and heat‐shock cognate protein 70 in promoting cytoplasmic peptide presentation by MHC class II molecules is discussed.


China's rapid economic growth period was predicated on a development model that exploited the stark divide between its urban and rural citizens. As the workshop of the world, Chinese factories tapped the vast surplus labor of the countryside. Rural workers' expectations were low, but their desire for new employment opportunities was boundless and their numbers seemed limitless. Three decades later, these conditions have changed: workers' expectations are higher and their numbers are diminishing as the population ages. Labor disputes and strikes are endemic as the expectations and aspirations of workers outpace the nation's slowing growth rate. Compared to the anemic labor movements in the West, China's workers are emboldened, though they are still hampered by a repressive political environment and strict constraints on freedom of association. Conflict is spontaneous and settlement is ad-hoc. Like many authoritarian regimes, the Chinese Communist Party has difficulty committing to the institutionalization of labor conflict as it heightens the possibility of social empowerment. The state remains in charge, which also means that labor-capital conflict almost invariably metastasizes into a confrontation between workers and the state.


Starting from the perspective that discourse structure arises from the presence of coherence relations, we provide a map of linguistic discourse structuring devices (DRDs), and focus on those for written text. We propose to structure these items by differentiating between primary and secondary connectives on the one hand, and free connecting phrases on the other. For the former, we propose that their behavior can be described by lexicons, and we show one concrete proposal that by now has been applied to three languages, with others being added in ongoing work. The lexical representations can be useful both for humans (theoretical investigations, transfer to other languages) and for machines (automatic discourse parsing and generation).


Background Research examining the associations between movement behaviours and mental health indicators within a compositional framework are sparse and limited by their cross-sectional study design. This study has three objectives. First, to describe the change in movement behaviour composition over time. Second, to explore the association between change in movement behaviour composition and change in depressive symptoms. Third, to explore how reallocations of time between movement behaviours are associated with changes in depressive symptoms. Methods Longitudinal data of 14,620 students in grades 9–12 (mean age: 14.9 years) attending secondary schools in Canada (Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec) were obtained from two waves (2017/18, 2018/19) of the COMPASS study. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), recreational screen time, and sleep duration were self-reported. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Revised)−10 (CESD-R-10). Compositional data analyses using pivot coordinates and compositional isotemporal substitution for longitudinal data were used to analyse the data. Analyses accounted for school clustering, were stratified by gender and age (< or ≥ 15 years), and were adjusted for race/ethnicity, body mass index z-score, baseline movement behaviour composition, and baseline depressive symptoms. Results There were significant differences in movement behaviour composition over time across all subgroups. For example, the relative contributions of MVPA and sleep duration to the movement behaviour composition decreased over time while screen time increased among younger boys and girls and older girls. Increasing sleep duration relative to the remaining behaviours (i.e. screen time and MVPA) was associated with lower depressive symptoms among all subgroups. Increasing screen time relative to the remaining behaviours (i.e. MVPA and sleep duration) was associated with higher depressive symptoms among all subgroups. Increasing MVPA relative to the remaining behaviours (i.e. screen time and sleep duration) was associated with lower depressive symptoms in older girls only. Isotemporal substitution estimates indicated that decreasing screen time by 60 minutes/day and replacing that time with 60 minutes of additional sleep is associated with the largest change in depressive symptoms across all subgroups. Conclusions Findings from this prospective analysis suggest that increased sleep duration and reduced screen time are important determinants of lower depressive symptoms among adolescents.


A Bourdieusian Interpretation of English Language Learning: The Case of Korea In recent years, educational research describing the sociological impact of the English language has drawn increasingly on the theories of Pierre Bourdieu to account for the mechanisms by which ELT imbricates in social stratification. Accordingly, this critical study takes as its analytical focus the Bourdieusian concepts of "habitus," "capital," and "field" in an effort to illustrate the structural and cognitive pressures that drive English language education and thus intergenerational social inequality. Specifically, Bourdieu's model is employed to foster a theoretical comprehension of the post-globalization developmental strategies of the Republic of Korea during a period of sustained political and social reform. It has been shown that the interplay between Korea and internationalization has resulted in the identification of English as a resource crucial to the accumulation of capital within the transnational arena. This conflation of internationalization and Englishization acts not only as an instrument for responding to global pressures but a vehicle for elite privilege reinforcement, sustaining circular forms of socioeconomic inequality on the basis of language proficiency – to the advantage of the agentive forces behind the local dissemination of English and the disadvantage of broader subaltern populations. As a consequence, EFL instrumentalization within the Korean sociolinguistic field is illustrative of the measures by which dominant classes propagate self-aggrandizing values and norms via the manipulation of cultural capital, thereby achieving the hegemonic subjugation of subordinate groups via structural and ideological mechanisms.


Versatate-fluorocarbon emulsion with core-shell structure was synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization using versatate, organic fluorine and acrylate as raw materials. The influences of amount of organic fluorine and versatate, core-shell ratio on the properties of emulsion were discussed. The emulsion was characterized with contact angle analyzer, particle size, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that the emulsion had good properties while w(organic fluorine)=6%, w(versatate)=8%, soft core-hard shell and w(core):w(shell)=3:2. The particle size is 110nm and with core-shell structure. The contact angle of emulsion film to water is 98.1º. The synergistic effect of versatate and fluorocarbon based on core-shell structure improve the over-all properties effectively.


We present a general framework for the quantification and characterization of leakage errors that result when a quantum system is encoded in the subspace of a larger system. To do this we introduce new metrics for quantifying the coherent and incoherent properties of the resulting errors, and we illustrate this framework with several examples relevant to superconducting qubits. In particular, we propose two quantities: the leakage and seepage rates, which together with average gate fidelity allow for characterizing the average performance of quantum gates in the presence of leakage and show how the randomized benchmarking protocol can be modified to enable the robust estimation of all three quantities for a Clifford gate set.


Market microstructure is a relatively new area in finance which emerged as a result of inconsistency between actual and expected prices due to a variety of frictions (mainly trading frictions and asymmetric information) and the realisation that the trading process through which investors' demand is ultimately translated into orders and volumes is of greater importance in price formation than it was originally thought. Despite increased research in the area of liquidity, asset pricing, asymmetric information and trading systems, all subfields in the area of market microstructure, there are a number of questions that remain unanswered such as the effect of different trading systems on systematic liquidity, informational efficiency or components of the spread. This thesis aims at shedding light on those questions by providing a detailed empirical investigation of the effect of trading systems on systematic liquidity, pricing, informational efficiency, volatility and bid-ask spread decomposition mainly with respect to the UK market (FTSEIOO and FTSE250) and to a less extent with respect to the Greek market. Those two markets are at different levels of development/sophistication and are negatively correlated.The aims of this thesis are outlined in chapter one with chapter two providing a detailed review of the theoretical literature relevant to this study. Chapter three is the first empirical chapter and tests for the presence of a common underlying liquidity factor (systematic liquidity) and its effect on pricing for FTSE100 and FTSE250 stocks under different trading regimes. Results show the presence of commonality for FTSE100 and FTSE250 stocks although commonality is weaker for FTSE250 stocks and its role on pricing is reduced. Chapter four investigates the same issues with respect to the Greek market and we find that commonality appears to be stronger in some periods while it is reduced to zero for other periods. Chapter five focuses on the effect that changes in the trading systems can have on informational efficiency and volatility primarily with respect to FTSE100 and FTSE250. Different methodologies and data are employed for this purpose and produce similar results. We find that order driven markets are more responsive to incoming information when compared to quote driven markets. Volatility has a greater impact on the spread when the market is quote driven. We also examined if automated trading increased informational efficiency with respect to the Greek market. The results obtained indicated that the effect of automation was positive. Finally the last chapter focused on the effect of different trading systems on the components of the spread and their determinants. Our main finding is that the asymmetric component of the spread is higher under a quote driven market. Also stock volatility appears to affect the asymmetric component to a greater extent when the market is quote driven. We believe that the main justification for those findings is affirmative quotation.


A new approach for estimating and tracking the azimuth angle regarding north and a two-dimensional position of a mobile unit is presented. Outdoors, the azimuth angle of a device can be easily detected using an electronic compass and the position can be calculated using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Indoors, magnetic disturbances lead to unreliable compass outputs. Also, indoors there exists no standard positioning system like GNSS outdoors. The presented approach is based on Wi-Fi signal strength measurements collected by four horizontally arranged directional antennas. To proof the concept the well known Wi-Fi fingerprinting based on the normalized Euclidean distance in signal space has been adopted. A test with measurements collected in a laboratory demonstrates the feasibility of the approach. Especially in indoor environments this facilitates the use of electronic guides that offer additional information by means of augmented reality, e.g. on museum exhibits in visual range.


In the United States, smokeless tobacco (ST) is marketed as chewing tobacco and as oral snuff. During the past 15 years, consumption of chewing tobacco has declined by 30.6%, whereas snuff use has significantly increased, namely, by 51.8%. This increase is primarily due to the growing popularity of oral snuff use among teenage and young adolescent males. Chewing of tobacco is associated with an increased risk for oral cancer. Snuff dipping is causally and specifically associated with cancer of the cheek, gum, and pharynx. In laboratory animals, snuff induces cancer of the mouth. Several carcinogens have been identified in ST, the tobacco-specific N-nitrosamine (TSNA), N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), and 4(methylnitrosamino)-l-(3-pyridyl)-l-butanone (NNK) being the most important. NNN and NNK are formed from nicotine during curing, aging, and especially during fermentation of tobacco. Oral swabbing of a low concentration of a mixture of NNN plus NNK in water induces oral tumors in rats. The concentration of the strongly carcinogenic TSNA is higher in snuff than in other ST products. According to our analytical studies, the three leading snuff brands in the US (92% of the market) contain far higher concentrations of nicotine, unprotonated nicotine, and TSNA than the less popular brands. Thus, the leading US snuff brands are the strongest inducers of nicotine dependence and also have the highest carcinogenic potential.


On a recent evening, The Deer Hunter,' an old movie I had never seen, came on the television after the show I had been watching. Its first scene showed a group of all white male workers leaving their factory jobs at the end of their shift sometime during the Vietnam War. They were laughing and joking among themselves. Obviously, it was quitting time. This scene evoked images of another opening scene, a scene from Showboat,2 a movie I saw many years ago while still in high school. On a plantation in the antebellum South, one of the slave field hands yelled out at the end of the shift, "it's quittin' time." Then, stereotypically, a very large, very dark black man approached him and said (in dialect presumably appropriate to the time and place), "I'se de fomun; I'll say when it's quittin' time."


The COVID-19 pandemic will forever be known as a disruptive dilemma that impacted many industries in Australia.  For the university sector, sudden lockdown and social distancing rules resulted in an acceleration in the provision of learning and teaching via online platforms, creating new challenges for students and educators. This project explored the ways in which an enabling course supported students through the forced transition from face-to-face classes to online learning due to the COVID-19 restrictions, and the students' ability to adjust to the disruption caused by the pandemic. This unexpected change provided the opportunity to explore how enabling students perceived this experience and the effect it had on their ability to complete their units of study.  This paper presents findings on the impact that the abrupt transition to online learning had on the students' educational experience and on their psychological and emotional wellbeing. It was found that most students experienced increased stress due to the changes in household dynamics, responsibilities and a different learning context, yet many reported improved study and technological skills, as well as an improved awareness of their ability to cope with change.


Dynamic Pricing and Demand Shaping: Theory and Applications in Online Assortments, Ride Sharing and Smart Grids Shuangyu Wang This dissertation consists of three papers in revenue management: on-line assortment optimization with reusable resources, spatial distribution of surge price under incentive compatible assignment for drivers and optimal price rebates for demand response under power flow constraints. In Chapter 2, we study an on-line assortment optimization problem of substitutable products with fixed reusable capacities. At any time, a potential user with her preference model (possibly adversarially chosen) arrives to the selling platform and the platform offers a subset of products from the available set of products to the user. The user selects a product with probability given by her preference model, uses it for a random duration, which is distributed according to a distribution that only depends on the product selected, and generates revenue to the seller. The revenue contribution depends on the product selected and the actual usage time of this user. The goal of the seller is to find a policy for determining the assortment offered to each arrival to maximize the expected cumulative revenue over a time horizon. We find that a simple myopic policy offering the available assortment that maximizes the expected revenue from a single user at her arrival time provides a good approximation for the problem. In particular, we show that the myopic policy is 1/2-competitive, i.e., the expected cumulative revenue of the myopic policy is at least 1/2 times the expected cumulative revenue of an optimal clairvoyant policy that has full information about the adversarially chosen user sequence, including their preference models and arrival epochs. The proof is based on partitioning the expected revenue of optimal clairvoyant policy into two parts and a coupling argument that allows us to bound the two parts in terms of the expected revenue of the myopic policy. In Chapter 3, we study the surge pricing problem on a ride sharing platform when there is a demand shock to the traffic network. The goal of the platform is to maximize the revenue by setting the prices over the network and the assignments between drivers and riders. In particular, we model the city as a continuous two dimensional network with exogenous arrivals of baseline riders, available drivers and demand shocks. We consider the demand shock only exists in a short time scale, so the rider chooses to request the ride or not depending on their willingness to pay and the price quoted to them, and the driver accepts any price to provide service. Since drivers can see the price distribution on driver app, they only accept the assignment from the locations that are incentive compatible for them. Thus, the price change at one location may affect the operations over the network and the platform must consider the incentive of drivers when assigning them. We develop a model for this surge pricing problem and show the structural properties of an optimal solution. Once the prices at the location with demand shock is determined, we can determine the optimal prices on other part of the network. Then, the optimal assignments between riders and drivers can be determined analytically. The surge pricing problem reduces to one that only depends on the price at the location with demand shock. We then extend our model by including strategic behavior of riders, using throughput as objective, dealing with multiple demand shocks, un-constraining the price and considering movement time. We also conduct numerical experiments to study the properties of the model which can not be explored analytically. In Chapter 4, we study the demand response problem of computing price rebates to offer to the customers to reduce the consumption in the presence of power flow constraints and transmission losses on the distribution grid. In particular, we employ alternating current power flow model for the power flow constraints with transmission loss. However, the demand response problem with alternating current power flow constraints is known as a nonconvex problem, which is in-tractable to solve. To overcome this, we apply a semidefinite relaxation of alternating current power flow model to obtain a convex approximation for the problem. At the same time, to handle the uncertainty in the power reduction of customers, we use sample average to approach the expected cost and linear injection approximation to estimate the impact of uncertainty in the power reduction. Based on these relaxations and approximations, we propose an efficient iterative heuristic to solve the near-optimal offer price under alternating current power flow constraints and transmission losses. We conduct a substantial amount of numerical tests on our heuristic and compare its performance with other popular models. The result shows that our iterative heuristic leads to a significant reduction in the rebates that one needs to offer to shed a certain demand than the solution which does not consider full transmission loss in its model.


In satellite on-board computers, memories are one of the components that need protection against radiation. Their effects can cause several types of errors like: Single Event Upsets (SEUs) that affect a bit of memory, Multiple-Cell Upsets (MCU), which corrupt several bits, and Single Event Functional Interrupt (SEFI) in control circuits, which can cause malfunction of the entire memory chip. This paper describes an implementation on the Zynq-7000 System on Chip (SoC) of a VHDL design which incorporates Error Correction Codes (ECC) for DDR3 memories. The proposed design is based on the use of Orthogonal Latin Square (OLS) codes, which not only provide error correction to all single bit errors, but also double correction for data bits. It is able to retrieve the contents of a memory device from the information of the others when a SEFI occurs with a simultaneous SEU (instead of the basic Single-bit Error Correction-Double-bit Error Detection SEC-DED)


Web Services are the most famous implementation of service-oriented architectures that has brought some challenging research issues. One of these is the composition, i.e., the capability to recursively construct a composite Web service as a workflow of other existing Web services, which are developed by different organizations and offer diverse functionalities (e.g., ticket purchase, payment), transactional properties (e.g., compensatable or not), and Quality of Service (QoS) values (e.g., execution price, success rate). The selection of a Web service, for each activity of the workflow, meeting the user's requirements, is still an important challenge. Indeed, the selection of one Web service among a set of them that fulfill some functionalities is a critical task, generally depending on a combined evaluation of QoS. However, the conventional QoS-aware composition approaches do not consider the transactional constraints during the composition process. This paper addresses the issue of selecting and composing Web services not only according to their functional requirements but also to their transactional properties and QoS characteristics. We propose a selection algorithm that satisfies user's preferences, expressed as weights over QoS criteria and as risk levels defining semantically the transactional requirements. Proofs and experimental results are presented.


Background Index contact testing is an HIV case-finding approach that elicits sexual or needle-sharing partners, as well as biological children, of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and offers them HIV testing services. Objectives We aim to describe the results of an innovative project in Sedibeng District that expanded index testing by retesting previously negative contacts and incorporating status-neutral testing. Method We used registers to identify people who previously tested HIV-negative through index testing from March 2019 to September 2021. The individuals were telephonically traced and offered HIV retesting. Data were collected on a weekly basis using REDCap®. We monitored the number of individuals called, those who came back for retest, and their HIV results. Results Fifteen counsellors contacted 968 people over 12 months. Forty-eight percent (462 out of 968) of those called returned for testing. Of those, 121 (26%) tested positive. Overall, 66 out of 276 (24%) men with HIV and 55 out of 186 (30%) women with HIV were identified and linked to antiretroviral treatment (ART). Fifty-seven percent (194 out of 341) of clients who tested HIV-negative were offered, and 124 out of 194 (64%) initiated, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). All individuals who retested HIV-positive had a new diagnosis; none reported having had another positive test result between the original negative and the positive retest. Conclusion Revisiting index clients with a previous negative HIV test result is worthwhile, creating an opportunity to identify undiagnosed PLHIV and high-risk people for PrEP. The high positivity rate highlights the importance of providing a sero-neutral approach to HIV testing, including integrating prevention messaging and linkage to PrEP services.


The empirical analysis of auctions has frequently been constrained by data limitations. This is especially so with respect to undisclosed reserve prices. As a result, it has often been difficult to empirically consider some of the key theoretical arguments regarding the impact and role of reserve prices. Using a dataset that includes information on the undisclosed reserve prices, this paper examines residential property auctions in Dublin, Ireland. The Irish market provides an interesting case to consider the dynamics of the auction process and specifically the optimal reserve price.The analysis is based on a range of primarily theoretical pieces that have considered the optimal value of the reserve, especially when undisclosed (e.g. Riley & Samuelson, 1981; McAfee & Vincent, 1992; Vincent, 1995; Li, Perrigne & Voung, 2003; Caillaud & Mezzetti, 2004; Hu et al., 2010). The primary piece of the literature that has considered real estate in this context is McAfee, Quan & Vincent (2002). The data set utilized in this study consists of 389 properties that were offered for sale through auction between 1998 and 2002. Importantly, this data includes information on variables often missing from existing empirical work, including the undisclosed reserve, the attendance at the auction, the number of bids and bidders and the individual auctioneer presiding. A key advantage in this dataset is that unlike many papers (e.g. Ong et al., 2005) we do not have to rely on proxies to capture the impact of different factors. In addition, due to the nature of the auction procedure followed in Ireland, we are largely considering willing sellers. Therefore, unlike papers such as DeBoer et al. (1992) and McAfee et al. (2002), our reserve estimate is based on perceived market value and not related to issues such as outstanding mortgage debt or unpaid tax. This allows us to directly compare the theoretical optimal reserve with the actual undisclosed reserve in the market place.


Solid-liquid suspension flow is often involved in the production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. In these fields, working with continuous small-scale equipment in order to save costs and resources is of increasing interest. Therefore, it is also important to enable process control for small-scale apparatus, which requires the development of new concepts to observe and control crystallization processes in minichannel equipment. The particles and crystals should be detected and measured with as low impact as possible because contact between process medium and the sensors can often lead to the incrustation of the sensor, disturb the particle size and shape, or contaminate the system.
 For the observation of crystallizing processes in minichannel crystallizers, a non-invasive, temperature-controlled flow-cell is designed in this work. In particular, this flow cell has been designed to examine crystals in a fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) tube with an inner diameter of 1.6 mm. Crystals can be investigated using a standard optical camera and microscope. An image processing routine enables the evaluation of crystal size. This is crucial for the assessment of the process and crystal size distribution, which is often a quality criterion in the crystallization process.
 The contribution will show how the flow-cell for two-phase flow is constructed and the evaluation routine is implemented. Based on experimental data, the applicability of the equipment and the evaluation method are described.


Deciding to initiate antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV involves a number of factors, including how one thinks about disease (illness appraisals) and how one thinks about treatment (medication appraisals). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 adults who were deciding whether to begin ART, in which participants were asked to relate their experience of testing positive, their experience with medications other than ART, and their thoughts about ART. Digital recordings were transcribed for team-based narrative analysis. In response to HIV+ diagnosis, participants described the following appraisals: 1) HIV is a threat to mortality; 2) nonacceptance of the HIV diagnosis; 3) HIV is associated with stigma and rejection; and, 4) the HIV diagnosis meant betrayal by a cared for other. Medication appraisals included: 1) negative feelings about medications in general, 2) taking HIV medication would create a personal crisis; 3) the benefits of taking HIV medication would not outweigh the costs; 4) doubts whether they could adhere, and 5) taking medications would be stigmatizing. Illness and medication appraisals may represent barriers to initiating and adhering to treatment and should be taken into account in helping clients to cope with their diagnosis and manage their healthcare.


Surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has become very pop- ular after respectable success with minimal invasive surgeries. This is the first report of long term vaginocutaneous fistula (VCF) plus inguinal abcess after tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). A 67 year-old woman with vaginal discharge lasting more than 3 years complained with a painful swelling in the left inguinal area for the last three months. She had a medical history of TVT sling procedure for SUI six years ago. She had no history of pelvic surgery, cancer treatment or pelvic irradiation before or after TVT sling. No urethrovaginal or vesicovaginal fistula was found in physical examination and cystocopy. MRI showed a vaginocutenaous fistula and inguinal abcess. This case highlights the need for a high index of suspicion for VCF after TVT.


255th National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS) - Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water, New Orleans, LA, Mar 18-22, 2018


This paper presents a new approach to statistical similarity assessment based on sequence alignment. The algorithm performs mutual matching of two random sequences by successively searching for common elements and by applying sequence breaks to matchless elements in the function of exponential cost. As a result, sequences varying significantly generate a high-cost alignment, while for low-cost sequences the introduced interruptions allow inferring the nature of sequences dependence. The most important advantage of the algorithm is an easy interpretation of the obtained results based on two parameters: stretch ratio and stretch cost. The operation of the method has been simulation tested and verified with the use of real data obtained from hardware random number generators. The proposed solution ensures simple implementation enabling the integration of hardware solutions, and operation based on only two sequences of any length predisposes the method to online testing.


The inverted pendulum offers a very good
example for control engineers to verify a modern control
theory. This can be explained by the facts that inverted
pendulum is marginally stable, in control sense, has distinctive time variant mathematical model. Inverted Pendulum is a very good model for the attitude control of a space booster rocket and a satellite, an automatic aircraft landing system, aircraft stabilization in the turbulent air-flow, stabilization of a cabin in a ship etc. To solve such problem with non-linear time variant system, there are alternatives such as real time computer simulation of these equations or linearization. The inverted pendulum is a highly nonlinear and open-loop unstable system.
This means that standard linear techniques cannot model the
nonlinear dynamics of the system. When the system is
simulated the pendulum falls over quickly. The characteristics of the inverted pendulum make identification and control more challenging. The inverted pendulum is an intriguing subject from the control point of view due to their intrinsic nonlinearity. The problem is to balance a pole on a mobile platform that can move in only two directions, to the left or to the right. This control problem is fundamentally the same as those involved in rocket or missile propulsion


Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by chronic motor and vocal tics. Although it is a common disorder in childhood, the etiology of Tourette Syndrome has not been fully elucidated yet. Studies, -conducted so farhave revealed differences in neurobiological structures of individuals who suffer from Tourette Syndrome. The objective of this review is to assess etiological and pathophysiological studies in the Tourette Syndrome literature. An electronical search was conducted in PubMed database using the keywords tic disorders, Tourette Syndrome, neurobiology, genetics, neuroimaging and animal models. Research and review studies published between 1985 and 2015, with a selection preference towards recent publications, were reviewed. According to the studies, genetic predisposition hypothesis is considered as a priority. However, a precise genetic disorder associated with Tourette Syndrome has not been found. The evidence from postmortem and neuroimaging studies in heterogenous patient groups and animal studies supports the pathological involvement of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits in Tourette Syndrome. Consequently, the most emphasized hypothesis in the pathophysiology is the dopaminergic dysfunction in these circuits. Furthermore, these findings of the animal, postmortem and neuroimaging studies have confirmed the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of Tourette Syndrome. In conclusion, more studies are needed to understand the etiology of the disorder. The data obtained from neurobiological studies of the disorder will not only shed light on the way of Tourette Syndrome, but also guide studies on its treatment options.


Security is a never ending challenge. The security researchers must be steps ahead to avoid attacks and threats, thereby keeping businesses running and avoiding calamities. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is to this rescue after its official acceptance and recommendation by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2001. However, timing attacks have called for a modification to it to retain its potency and effectiveness. This research boosts the Rijndael by incorporating an invented playfair ciphering into the algorithm using 256 ASCII codes. The concept counters possible leakages from the S-box lookups from the cache. The research introduces mixcolumn in the last round against the standard to make it a constant time algorithm. The encryption and decryption were validated. Previous researches implemented Architectural and operating system modifications, placing all the lookup tables in CPU registers, Parallel Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) implementation , Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) implementation, the Dynamic Cache Flushing Algorithm but none keeps AES assets of good speed and memory conservation; most especially in embedded systems.


ABSTRACT Lean premixed stratified combustion is rapidly growing in importance for modern engine designs. This paper presents large eddy simulations for a new burner design to assess the predictive capability of the probability density function (pdf) approach to flames that propagate through non-homogeneous mixtures in terms of equivalence ratio. Although various efforts have been made in the past for the simulation of the same test case the novelty of this work lies to the fact that it is the first simulation effort that differential diffusion is accounted for given the relatively low Reynolds numbers (13,800) of the configuration. First mean and root mean square velocity simulations are performed for the isothermal cases to assess the effect of the grid resolution and the overall LES flow field solver. Then instantaneous snapshots of the flame are presented to provide insight to the structure of the flame and the effect of stratification. Finally, results for velocities, temperature and mixture fraction are presented and compared with the experimental data. Overall, the results are in very good agreement with experiments.


In this paper, we use recently developed robust estimation ideas to improve object tracking by a stationary or nonstationary camera. Large uncertainties are always present in vision-based systems, particularly, in relation to the estimation of the initial state as well as the measurement of object motion. The robustness of these systems can be significantly improved by employing a robust extended Kalman filter (REKF). The system performance can also be enhanced by increasing the spatial diversity in measurements via employing additional cameras for video capture. We compare the performances of various image segmentation techniques in moving-object localization and show that normal-flow-based segmentation yields comparable results to, but requires significantly less time than, optical-flow-based segmentation. We also demonstrate with simulations that dynamic system modeling coupled with the application of an REKF significantly improves the estimation system performance, particularly, when subjected to large uncertainties.


The demand for poultry products is growing rapidly with the fastest growth being in
developing countries (Ravindran, 2012; FAO, Food Outlook, 2013). Poultry products are in
high demand in all countries of the South Pacific region and this trend will continue due to
expected population growth, the taste and health consciousness of the products and fast
changing life styles in the region among others. While recognizing the importance of poultry
products in the region however, the title "Poultry Industries in the South Pacific Region:
Challenges and Opportunities" may be interesting but not so easy to address due to lack of
reliable statistics of the industry in most countries. The South Pacific region consists of 22
small Island countries most of which do not have up to date statistics of livestock and poultry.
Despite the high demand of the products, poultry sector is still less developed in the region
and domestic production does not meet demand in most countries. Going by at the current
trend of poultry industries the region can be grouped into; i) countries that have a fairly well
established industry with few large scale poultry systems and ii) those where the industry is
predominantly traditional with little or no commercial poultry systems. In the former group
the industry is mainly driven by big companies while in the latter few small private
investments may be seen in some countries. Out of the 12 member countries of the University
of the South Pacific (USP) only Fiji falls in the first group. This paper highlights the main
features of the poultry industries in Fiji and Samoa. Information provided is based on reports
from the Livestock Departments of the Ministries of Agriculture and personal interviews.


: Present paper gives the data about the effect of green marketing customer purchasing behavior. Research starts with environment and its problems and the reason why green marketing emerged. How people are influenced by this green marketing and how government and organizations are helpful in following the green marketing. This study also tells the emerging changes in green marketing over the years. It also tells how it is decreasing environmental pollution and people are using eco-friendly products. Data collected for this study is both major and minor data. The major data is gathered through survey and minor data is gathered through websites. The data is collected from 103 Respondents in india Region A quantitative research issued and data will be collected using social media and people around us. The collected is analyzed through Ms-Excel


BACKGROUND
There have been no licensed treatment options in the UK for treating thrombocytopenia in people with chronic liver disease requiring surgery. Established management largely involves platelet transfusion prior to the procedure or as rescue therapy for bleeding due to the procedure.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two thrombopoietin receptor agonists, avatrombopag (Doptelet®; Dova Pharmaceuticals, Durham, NC, USA) and lusutrombopag (Mulpleta®; Shionogi Inc., London, UK), in addition to established clinical management compared with established clinical management (no thrombopoietin receptor agonist) in the licensed populations.

DESIGN
Systematic review and cost-effectiveness analysis.

SETTING
Secondary care.

PARTICIPANTS
Severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count of < 50,000/µl) in people with chronic liver disease requiring surgery.

INTERVENTIONS
Lusutrombopag 3 mg and avatrombopag (60 mg if the baseline platelet count is < 40,000/µl and 40 mg if it is 40,000-< 50,000/µl).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Risk of platelet transfusion and rescue therapy or risk of rescue therapy only.

REVIEW METHODS
Systematic review including meta-analysis. English-language and non-English-language articles were obtained from several databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, all searched from inception to 29 May 2019.

ECONOMIC EVALUATION
Model-based cost-effectiveness analysis.

RESULTS
From a comprehensive search retrieving 11,305 records, six studies were included. Analysis showed that avatrombopag and lusutrombopag were superior to no thrombopoietin receptor agonist in avoiding both platelet transfusion and rescue therapy or rescue therapy only, and mostly with a statistically significant difference (i.e. 95% confidence intervals not overlapping the point of no difference). However, only avatrombopag seemed to be superior to no thrombopoietin receptor agonist in reducing the risk of rescue therapy, although far fewer patients in the lusutrombopag trials than in the avatrombopag trials received rescue therapy. When assessing the cost-effectiveness of lusutrombopag and avatrombopag, it was found that, despite the success of these in avoiding platelet transfusions prior to surgery, the additional long-term gain in quality-adjusted life-years was very small. No thrombopoietin receptor agonist was clearly cheaper than both lusutrombopag and avatrombopag, as the cost savings from avoiding platelet transfusions were more than offset by the drug cost. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that, for all thresholds below £100,000, no thrombopoietin receptor agonist had 100% probability of being cost-effective.

LIMITATIONS
Some of the rescue therapy data for lusutrombopag were not available. There were inconsistencies in the avatrombopag data. From the cost-effectiveness point of view, there were several additional important gaps in the evidence required, including the lack of a price for avatrombopag.

CONCLUSIONS
Avatrombopag and lusutrombopag were superior to no thrombopoietin receptor agonist in avoiding both platelet transfusion and rescue therapy, but they were not cost-effective given the lack of benefit and increase in cost.

FUTURE WORK
A head-to-head trial is warranted.

STUDY REGISTRATION
This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019125311.

FUNDING
This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 24, No. 51. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


Decays of both eta and eta' provide very useful information in our understanding of low-energy QCD, and experimental signatures for these decays would be extremely helpful at, BES-III. The rare decays of the eta and eta' mesons could serve as a low-energy test, of the Standard Model and its beyond. The sensitivities of the measurements of eta and eta' decays are discussed at BES-III, in which the eta and eta' inesons are produced in the psi decays.


This article shows how the consensus doctrine of the European Court of Human Rights works in the context of the Court's living instrument approach. It is an analytical inquiry looking at definition, function, ascertainment, and outcome of the consensus doctrine. It also provides a constructive critique of how the European Court of Human Rights applies and justifies the doctrine. It is suggested that with a few adjustments, the Court could use the consensus doctrine in a way that is even more convincing and fits its role of stating the law as it is while developing it progressively at the same time. The doctrine of consensus as applied by the Court contains normative elements that should be dealt with in an open fashion. The Court should rely on the object and purpose of the treaty in a transparent manner. A concept that could inspire the jurisprudence of the Court is opinio iuris hominis. This concept is aimed at giving more weight to state practice that evidences the intent to act motivated by and in accordance with human rights. The Court should also make a conscious decision as to whether it wishes to apply the consensus doctrine in the context of interpretation as opposed to the context of balancing.


Science diplomacy is a fast-growing field of research, education, and practice dedicated to better understanding and reinforcing the connections between science, technology, and international affairs to tackle national and global challenges. Interest from early career scientists and young diplomats to learn more and engage at the science-diplomacy nexus is growing all around the world. However, as a relatively new and multidisciplinary field, we show that science diplomacy has so far been largely taught through extracurricular courses and workshops, often self-organized by university student groups or international scientific organizations, targeting specific disciplinary and geographic audiences. Given this fragmented landscape, we map and categorize current science diplomacy educational offerings in higher education. Despite some coverage of science diplomacy within general science policy programs or courses focused on an issue area (e.g., water diplomacy or environmental diplomacy), a structured foundational course addressing the commonalities of all the scientific and technological issues relevant to international affairs is still lacking. Hence, we first suggest knowledge and key skills scientists and diplomats can learn from each other to bridge the disciplinary divide and engage in science diplomacy scholarship and practice. Building upon it, we then propose cross-cutting, core concepts that can inform the establishment and consolidation of science diplomacy curricula at universities. These aim to be useful to teach science diplomacy to advanced undergraduate and graduate students of all backgrounds and to be adaptable to a wide range of degree programs and disciplines.


Double- and triple-barreled ion-sensitive microelectrodes were used to measure changes in extracellular K+ and Na+ concentrations ([K+]o, [Na+]o) in brown fat. Redox states of different respiratory enzymes were measured simultaneously in order to correlate ion movements with metabolic activity. Trains of stimuli applied to the efferent nerves evoked two distinct increases in [K+]o. A first, small, rapid increase occurred within 10 s and accompanied a first, rapid membrane depolarization. A second, slow increase of [K+]o occurred several minutes after stimulation and accompanied a second, slow depolarization. A few seconds after stimulation onset, while the membrane was repolarizing and shifts in redox states indicated increases in lipolysis and respiration, [K+]o decreased. The [K+]o decrease was accompanied by an increase in [Na+]o, and could be partly blocked by ouabain. Phentolamine, an alpha-antagonist that blocks the first depolarization, also blocked the first, rapid [K+]o increase and part of the subsequent decrease. Propranolol, a beta-antagonist, had little effect on the first depolarization and the first increase in [K+]o, but blocked part of the subsequent [K+]o decrease and the second, slow [K+]o increase. The changes in [K+]o were almost completely abolished in the presence of both antagonists. It is concluded that brown adipocytes take up K+ and simultaneously lose Na+ in response to the interaction of noradrenaline with alpha- and beta- receptors, and this indicates a very early stimulation of the Na+ pump.


This paper presents a modular 28 GHz phased array. Each of its $\mathrm{2}\times \mathrm{4}$-modules is driven by a CMOS RFIC, whose RF output is optically synchronized using a fully integrated silicon photodiode. The photocurrent is amplified using a tuned injection-locked TIA to serve as the reference for an on-chip synthesizer, which generates and distributes the RF signal to the PAs that drive the antennas. We demonstrate beam steering, data transmission, and synchronization of array modules up to 25m away from the clock source.


BACKGROUND
Burnout affects the quality of work and health of newly graduated nurses, increases the turnover rate among newly graduated nurses and leads to a shortage of nurses. Reducing job burnout among newly graduated nurses is critical. However, the factors that impact burnout among newly graduated nurses are currently not well known.

OBJECTIVE
This exploratory study aims to identify the factors that influence burnout among newly graduated nurses in China.

METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study of newly graduated nurses from 15 cities in 13 provinces in China. We used online questionnaires to conduct the survey and obtain the results in this study. A STROBE checklist was used to report the results.

RESULTS
Of the 2400 questionnaires distributed, 2071 (86.29%) were returned. Job satisfaction, professional rank, hospital level, professional values, and core competence were negatively correlated with burnout, while negative emotions were positively correlated with burnout. Women were more prone to burnout than men.

CONCLUSIONS
Burnout among newly graduated nurses was divided into three dimensions based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale. Our findings provided new evidence that newly graduated nurses had average levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and low levels of personal accomplishment. Job satisfaction, professional rank, hospital level, gender, professional values, negative emotions, and core competence were predictors of job burnout among NGNs in China.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Nursing managers should pay attention to burnout management, standardize training about professional values, core competence, and coping mechanisms, and promote mental health and job satisfaction among newly graduated nurses.


Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles with a size range of 40–150 nm and a lipid bilayer membrane (1-4). They contain protein and nucleic acids, and mediate local and systemic intercellular communication (1-3). Many cell types can produce exosomes, the contents of which likely reflect the phenotypic states of the cells that generate them under both physiological and pathological conditions. They may convey these exosomal cargoes to neighboring or distant cells, and subsequently modulate the phenotype of these target cells. At first exosomes were thought to function as "cellular garbage bags", but now these nanosized extracellular vesicles are being studied for their role in progression and metastasis (5). Cancer-derived exosomes are reported to play a role in various malignant phenotype mechanisms such as proliferation, motility, invasive properties of the recipient cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), transferring drug resistance, immune evasion, and pre-metastatic niche formation (6-17). However, we still need to understand how exosomes and their cargoes function in recipient cells, and whether exosome packaging and release in the extracellular space is an active or passive process.


Focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a severe form of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), a glomerulopathy of presumably immune origin that is attributed to extrarenal pathogenic circulating factors. The recurrence of FSGS (rFSGS) after transplant occurs in 30% to 50% of cases. The direct analysis of patient plasma proteome has scarcely been addressed to date, mainly due to the methodological difficulties associated with plasma complexity and dynamic range. In this study, first, we compared different methods of plasma preparation, second, we compared the plasma proteomes of rFSGS and controls using two preparation methods, and third, we analyzed the early proximal signaling events in podocytes subjected to patient plasma, through a combination of phosphoproteomics and lipid-raft proteomics (raftomics). By combining immunodepletion and high pH fractionation, we performed a differential proteomic analysis of soluble plasma proteins and of extracellular vesicles (EV) obtained from healthy controls, non-INS patient controls, and rFSGS patients (n = 4). In both the soluble- and the EV-protein sets from the rFSGS patients, we found a statistically significant increase in a cluster of proteins involved in neutrophil degranulation. A group of lipid-binding proteins, generally associated with lipoproteins, was found to be decreased in the soluble set from the rFSGS patients. In addition, three amino acid transporters involved in mTORC1 activation were found to be significantly increased in the EV from the rFSGS. Next, we incubated human podocytes for 30 min with 10% plasma from both groups of patients. The phosphoproteomics and raftomics of the podocytes revealed profound differences in the proteins involved in the mTOR pathway, in autophagy, and in cytoskeleton organization. We analyzed the correlation between the abundance of plasma and plasma-regulated podocyte proteins. The observed changes highlight some of the mechanisms involved in FSGS recurrence and could be used as specific early markers of circulating-factor activity in podocytes.


Objectives: Neck pain is a frequent spinal pain problem and considered an important health issue in the modern world. Neck pain may originate from intervertebrals discs, ligaments, muscles or of the structures involving the neck. The aim of this study was to find out characteristics along with social and psychological implications of musculoskeletal neck pain amongst children aged 8 to 18 years. Study Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Orthopedic Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Period: From March 2017 to February 2018. Material & Methods: A total of 260 children and adolescents of both genders, aged 8 to 18 years and having musculoskeletal neck pain with spasm were enrolled in this study. A structured questionnaire was interviewed from participants or parents/guardians of this study. Results: Out of a total of 260 cases, there were 125 (48.1%) were boys and 135 (51.9%) girls. Most cases, 158 (60.8%) were between the age of 12 to 18 years while mean age amongst study participants was 14.58+2.63 years. Most of the children, 98 (37.7%) were studying in high school. All 260 cases had flawed flexion of back and neck during study and while using mobile phones or similar devices. Pain location involving neck was recorded in all 260 (100%) study participants while shoulder pain was demonstrated by 188 (72.3%). Most common eye symptoms were eye strain, in 64 (24.6%). Most of the cases, 180 (69.2%) were having irritability while poor communication was noted in 164 (63.1%). Conclusion: Musculoskeletal neck pain is frequent amongst children and adolescents. Hunching the head, neck and shoulders on mobile phones and similar devices, as well as improper posture during studying and watching television increase stress on cervical spine area, may be leading to musculoskeletal neck pain.


BACKGROUND
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) using a single incision (uniportal) may result in better pain control, earlier mobilization and shorter hospital stays. Here, we review the safety and efficiency of our initial experience with uniportal VATS and evaluate our learning curve.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of uniportal VATS using a prospectively maintained departmental database and analyzed patients who had undergone a lung anatomic resection separately from patients who underwent other resections. To assess the learning curve, we compared the first 10 months of the study period with the second 10 months.

RESULTS
From January 2014 to August 2015, 250 patients underwent intended uniportal VATS, including 180 lung anatomic resections (72%) and 70 other resections (28%). Lung anatomic resection was successfully completed using uniportal VATS in 153 patients (85%), which comprised all the anatomic segmentectomies (29 patients), 80% (4 of 5) of the pneumonectomies and 82% (120 of 146) of the lobectomies attempted. The majority of lung anatomic resections that required conversion to thoracotomy occurred in the first half of our study period. Seventy patients underwent other uniportal VATS resections. Wedge resections were the most common of these procedures (25 patients, 35.7%). Although 24 of the 70 patients (34%) required the placement of additional ports, none required conversion to thoracotomy.

CONCLUSIONS
Uniportal VATS was safe and feasible for both standard and complex pulmonary resections. However, when used for pulmonary anatomic resections, uniportal VATS entails a steep learning curve.


A selective guide to rankings of graduate and undergraduate business degree programs in the U.S. and abroad. Mainly covers rankings by Business Week, the Economist, the Financial Times, US News and Forbes.


Preferential flow could dictate the leaching of contaminants in unsaturated soils. The objectives of this study were to: (i) numerically determine the characteristics of steady-state funnel-type preferential flow and how would it be influenced by infiltration rate, soil layer density, and textural combinations; and (ii) explore the validity of several basic assumptions used in different models to incorporate pesticide leaching through preferential flow paths. Water movement and pesticide transport in 12 two-dimensional hypothetical profiles were numerically simulated. Results showed that there was an induction zone where water was gradually congregated into preferential flow paths and its movement could be conceptualized as a network of tributaries merging into rivers. Beneath the induction zone, water moved through several distinct flow domains without lateral interaction. The frequency distribution of normalized water fluxes would spread out when the layering density increased or the pore discontinuity across a textural boundary increased. There existed a critical number beyond which any further increase in layer density would not influence the frequency distribution of normalized water fluxes. Frequency of water fluxes in the stationary region was not lognormally distributed. Pesticide leaching depended primarily on the last 20% of the water flux distribution. If a profile was made of regions with different layer densities, the water fluxes of the entire unsaturated profile might be neither spatially stationary nor vertically invariant. It was possible to numerically derive the worst-case scenario (i.e., the widest spreading of the water fluxes). Because it is impossible to measure the frequency distribution of normalized water fluxes in a field, it is prudent to predict pesticide leaching according to this worst-case frequency distribution.


The protozoan parasite Tritrichomonas foetus causes infertility and spontaneous abortion in cattle. In Saskatchewan, Canada, the culture prevalence of trichomonads was 65 of 1,048 (6%) among 1,048 bulls tested within a 1-year period ending in April 1994. Saskatchewan was previously thought to be free of the parasite. To confirm the culture results, possible T. foetus DNA presence was determined by the PCR. All of the 16 culture-positive isolates tested were PCR positive by a single-band test, but one PCR product was weak. DNA fingerprinting by both T17 PCR and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA PCR revealed genetic variation or polymorphism among the T. foetus isolates. T17 PCR also revealed conserved loci that distinguished these T. foetus isolates from Trichomonas vaginalis, from a variety of other protozoa, and from prokaryotes. TCO-1 PCR, a PCR test designed to sample DNA sequence homologous to the 5' flank of a highly conserved cell division control gene, detected genetic polymorphism at low stringency and a conserved, single locus at higher stringency. These findings suggested that T. foetus isolates exhibit both conserved genetic loci and polymorphic loci detectable by independent PCR methods. Both conserved and polymorphic genetic loci may prove useful for improved clinical diagnosis of T. foetus. The polymorphic loci detected by PCR suggested either a long history of infection or multiple lines of T. foetus infection in Saskatchewan. Polymorphic loci detected by PCR may provide data for epidemiologic studies of T. foetus.


Background and Aim: Personality may be studied to predict human behavior in military organizations .The aim of this study is to survey the relationship between personality characteristic of military commanders and violations of soldiers under command. Methods: This descriptive survey study was carried out in middle and senior military commanders in military units of a Tehran military Headquarter in 2018. Samples were selected from all of the commanders in related units. The NEO Five-factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) was used to assess personality characteristics and a researchermade questionnaire was used to assess the violations of soldiers. The questionnaires were completed by the commanders and analyzed in the process. Results: A total of 102 middle and senior commanders responded to the research questionnaires. Findings from the NEO Five-factor Inventory (Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness) showed that a commander's personality characteristics is associated with an increase or decrease in the violations of soldiers. There was a significant and inverse relationship between Conscientiousness and Openness with violations of Soldiers (r=0.553, P<0.01) & (r=0.471, P<0.05). No significant relationship was found between the variables of Neuroticism, Extroversion and Agreeableness, and the violations of soldiers. Conscientiousness and Openness predicted 43% of variance violations of soldiers (R Square=% 43). Other results indicated a high personality score of Openness (mean: 25.08) and a low score of Neuroticism (mean: 15.08) among military commanders. The highest mean of violations in task soldiers refer to "lack of respect for politeness" (Mean=2.91), as well as "abuse of collective personnel" (Mean=2.91), and the lowest mean of violations in task soldiers refer to "slackness and negligence in performing the task and executing orders in logistical area" (Mean=1.91) . Conclusion: The relationship Between NEO Five-factor Inventory and decreases or increases in violations of soldiers justifies the need for continuous psychological training and (NEO-FFI) Personality Testing in order to recruit and deploy commanders appropriately at the level of units, companies and battalions.


Background In England, nearly one child in ten lives in overcrowded housing. Crowding is likely to worsen with increasing population size, urbanisation, and the housing crisis. Children with behavioural difficulties are at increased risk of mental and physical health problems and poorer employment prospects later in life. We examined the relationship between crowding and behavioural problems in children aged 3 years within the Southampton Women's Survey. Methods The SWS is a population-based cohort study of women aged 20–34 years assessed when not pregnant; those who became pregnant and their children (n=3,158) were followed up. Mothers were interviewed when children were aged 2 years; they reported the number of people living in their home, the number of rooms and their perception of space within their home. A measure of crowding was derived as the number of people per room. At age 3 years, children's behaviour was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). We used the total SDQ score as a continuous measure and univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were performed adjusting for confounding factors identified in a Directed Acyclic Graph: sex, single-parent family, maternal educational attainment, receipt of benefits, and occupation. Results 2602 children (52% boys) followed to age 3 years had complete data on crowding at age 2 years. The characteristics of the sample were broadly representative of the population in England. Median (IQR) SDQ score was 9 (6–12) and people-per-room was 0.75 (0.6–1), with 327 (13%) of mothers and children living in socially rented accommodation and 13.5% living in homes with ≥1 people-per-room. Mothers' perception of space within their home tended to agree with the objective people-per-room measure of crowding. An increase of one household person-per-room was associated with a 1.30 increase SDQ points (95% CI 0.70 to 1.90) adjusting for confounding factors. This relationship was partially mediated by greater maternal stress and depression, increased use of childcare, less sleep and strained parent-child interactions. Behavioural problems were greater in children who lived in socially-rented houses (by 2.69 SDQ points, 95% CI 2.17 to 3.20) than in children living in owner-occupied homes. Conclusion Living in a more crowded home was associated with a greater risk of behavioural problems at age 3 years, independent of the effects of confounding factors. These findings support the need for improved housing for families, and suggest that families living in crowded circumstances might benefit from greater support.


The Ecological Community Evaluation System (EEWH-EC) of Taiwan was proposed in 2009 and is focused on evaluating the entire community. It is a member of the EEWH family of green building assessment system. The purpose of this study is to introduce the EEWH-EC. The evaluation system includes five assessment categories: ecology, energy conservation and waste reduction, health and comfort, service function, and crime prevention. Communities can apply this system to assess themselves, determine their special characteristics, and use the outcome to implement improvements. The government can utilize the evaluation result to make policies for better and sustainable environments for citizens.


Advances in technology have made possible new and innovative methods of health care delivery. Home telecare, in which the patient's health is monitored remotely at home, is one such method. This paper discusses the use of a triaxial accelerometer within a home telecare system for monitoring physiological and functional parameters for daily living. A novel system is described for objectively and continuously monitoring movement, suitable for patients with chronic diseases including congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The key design criteria were ease of use by, and comfort for, the patient together with the provision of clinically relevant information. The patient's posture, energy expenditure and movement are clinically important parameters that can be measured by accelerometry. A data processing scheme in which these parameters are extracted is described.


The science, history, and culture of tropical cyclones around the globe have evolved considerably since the award-winning first edition of "Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones" was published nearly 10 years ago. Improved forecasting techniques, altered naming systems, and new intensity and duration records are only a few of the changes that have taken the meteorological world by storm in recent years. As a result of improvements in forecasting and warning systems, landfall and intensity predictions are much more accurate and timely, thereby reducing economic costs and enhancing life safety."Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones, New Edition" features significant updates and information on recent weather phenomena and the devastation and loss that often resulted. Hurricanes Andrew, Gilbert, and Wilma are covered in detail in this comprehensive reference, as well as the most destructive and deadly tropical cyclone witnessed in the United States in the last 50 years - Hurricane Katrina. As the historic and vibrant city of New Orleans continues to rebuild and reconstruct in the aftermath of this hurricane, national meteorological agencies and research institutions suffer from the deadly effects of under-funding and political neglect. Between 2005 and 2006, hurricane-related damage in the United States totaled $168 billion, and nearly 1,500 lives were lost - grim tallies that lend credence and urgency to the call for a centrally organized, multi-agency response to tropical cyclone activity in this country, and indeed, around the globe.Focusing on these issues and more, this completely revised edition features more than 85 all-new, black-and-white photographs and line illustrations, a revised introduction, historical and cultural entries, extensively revised front and back matter, a bibliography of print and Web resources, a chronology, and an index.


We have recently discovered that de-N-acetyl GM3 [NeuNH(2)LacCer, d-GM3], a derivative of ganglioside GM3, is specifically expressed in metastatic tumor cells and that its expression correlates with an enhanced metastatic phenotype. Although the classic N-acetylated form of GM3 (NeuAcLacCer, c-GM3) is found in both normal and tumor cells, metastatic tumor cells (but not other cells) predominantly express d-GM3 (82-95% of total GM3). d-GM3 expression is mainly found in metastatic melanomas, but not in benign nevi or the majority of primary melanomas. Using metastatic (d-GM3-positive) and poorly invasive (d-GM3-negative) human melanoma cell lines, we found that d-GM3 stimulates cell migration and invasion by increasing the expression and activation of urokinase-like plasminogen activator (uPA). Further studies showed that d-GM3 activates matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), but not MMP-9, when uPA receptor signaling is activated. These results implicate d-GM3 as a specific marker for metastatic melanoma and a novel therapeutic target for neoplastic diseases.


Background Genetic variations in calpain-10 and adiponectin gene are known to influence insulin secretion and resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Recently, several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in calpain-10 and adiponectin gene have been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes and various metabolic derangements. We investigated the associations between specific calpain-10 and adiponectin gene polymorphisms and Korean type 2 diabetes patients. Methods Overall, 249 type 2 diabetes patients and 131 non-diabetic control subjects were enrolled in this study. All the subjects were genotyped for SNP-43 and -63 of calpain-10 gene and G276T and T45G frequencies of the adiponectin gene. The clinical characteristics and measure of glucose metabolism were compared within these genotypes. Results Among calpain-10 polymorphisms, SNP-63 T/T were more frequent in diabetes patients, and single SNP-63 increases the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. However, SNP-43 in calpain-10 and T45G and intron G276T in adiponectin gene were not significantly associated with diabetes, insulin resistance, nor insulin secretion. Conclusion Variations in calpain-10, SNP-63 seems to increase the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in Koreans while SNP-43 and adiponectin SNP-45, -276 are not associated with impaired glucose metabolism.