The judgment of the Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India while a landmark development in recognition of transgender rights, threw open a Pandora's box full of questions having moral and legal dimensions. One such question pertains to the obligation of the state to fund gender affirmative healthcare services such as sex reassignment surgeries ('SRS'). Given how prohibitively expensive they are, this paper interrogates whether the state has a duty to provide for such healthcare services and attempts to provide a normative justification for the same. In the process, it rejects the two most popular reasons advanced for state funding – the identity thesis, and the autonomy framework. Drawing from Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum's capability approach, it instead argues for a shift towards an assessment based on the impact healthcare services have on the 'quality of life' of transgender persons.


Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 have afflicted millions of people in a global pandemic. Recently developed vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 represent one of the most important tool in limiting widespread of infection. However, it is known that vaccination rates in IBD patients are suboptimal. The aim of this study was to compare clinical and socio-demographic features of IBD patients undergoing or not vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, and assess the reasons of who expressed their consent. Methods A questionnaire was administered to all consecutive IBD contacted by a tertiary referral center for vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 from April 10th 2021 to May 16th 2021. Comparisons of prevalence were assessed by Fisher's exact test (significance level p<0.05) Results 475 IBD patients were contacted by phone call: 28 of them were not reachable, 98 were already vaccinated. Of the remaining 349 IBD patients, 324 (92.8%) accepted to be vaccinated while 25 (7.2%) refused. The questionnaire was compiled by 248/324 (76.5) of accepting and by 19/25 (76.0%) of refusing patients. Their demographic, social and clinical features are shown in Table 1. Among the different variables, only a previous unwillingness to be vaccinated against influenza was associated with the refuse of vaccine anti-SARS-CoV-2. Age, sex, diagnosis, marital status, educational level, employment, previous COVID-19 and biologics and/or immunosuppressants were not associated with the decision to be vaccinated or not. 171 (68.9%) IBD patients have been always pro-vaccine, while the others 77 decided after discussion with their own gastroenterologist (41, 53.2%), relatives (16, 20.8%), general practitioner (9, 11.7%) or according to mass-media (9, 11.7%). The reasons leading to be vaccinated were: duty of collective (190, 76.6%), back to the normality (91, 36.7%) and fear to get sick (71, 28.6%). The possibility to be vaccinated in their own IBD Centre was considered relevant by 141 (56.8%) IBD patients. After vaccine, 67 (27.0%) reported no concerns; the others reported the following: side effects in the short- and long-term (60, 24.2% and 62, 25.0%, respectively), IBD flare (22 (8.9%), interference with IBD medications (19, 7.7%) and inefficacy (18, 7.3%). Conclusion The majority of IBD patients accepted to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. IBD patients who previously refused vaccine against influenza also refused vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The possibility to be vaccinated in their own IBD Centre and, among undecided patients, the gastroenterologist recommendations played a relevant role towards the decision to be vaccinated.


Video super-resolution (VSR) methods have recently achieved a remarkable success due to the development of deep convolutional neural networks (CNN). Current state-of-the-art CNN methods usually treat the VSR problem as a large number of separate multi-frame super-resolution tasks, at which a batch of low resolution (LR) frames is utilized to generate a single high resolution (HR) frame, and running a slide window to select LR frames over the entire video would obtain a series of HR frames. However, duo to the complex temporal dependency between frames, with the number of LR input frames increase, the performance of the reconstructed HR frames become worse. The reason is in that these methods lack the ability to model complex temporal dependencies and hard to give an accurate motion estimation and compensation for VSR process. Which makes the performance degrade drastically when the motion in frames is complex. In this paper, we propose a Motion-Adaptive Feedback Cell (MAFC), a simple but effective block, which can efficiently capture the motion compensation and feed it back to the network in an adaptive way. Our approach efficiently utilizes the information of the inter-frame motion, the dependence of the network on motion estimation and compensation method can be avoid. In addition, benefiting from the excellent nature of MAFC, the network can achieve better performance in the case of extremely complex motion scenarios. Extensive evaluations and comparisons validate the strengths of our approach, and the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed framework is outperform the state-of-the-art methods.


In 1974, Paul M. Fink published Backpacking Was the Only Way, a memoir of exploration in the Smoky Mountain backcountry that is long out of print. The basis of the book was a journal kept from 1914 to 1938, combined with evocative photographs that Fink compiled into a manuscript he called Mountain Days. The manuscript is now considered to be a unique and insightful first-person account of the region. Containing rare historical accounts of the manways, camps, and cabins once used by adventurers exploring the mountains before the advent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this is the first widely-accessible publication of Mountain Days. This edition features a new foreword by Ken Wise, professor and director of the Great Smoky Mountain Regional Project at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville's John C. Hodges Library.


Latest research has shown that the readability of documents plays an important role in information seeking and acquisition, especially for non-domain-expert users. Classical document readability measures are based on surface text features, independent of users. In this paper, we propose to integrate text features with the users' eye movement features. The latter is expected to reflect a user's reading level, thus can be used to measure document readability in a personalized way. Based on the eye tracking data collected from our preliminary user evaluation, we investigated the impacts of different features on document readability prediction. The results show that the combination of text and eye movement features has a higher correlation with human judgments than using either of them individually.


Borrelia burgdorferi produces potent cell-activating molecules capable of stimulating polyclonal proliferation and immunoglobulin production by murine B lymphocytes and cytokine production by a variety of cell types. These stimulatory molecules function in infected mice, resulting in elevated levels of circulating immunoglobulins and serum interleukin-6. We have recently demonstrated that the purified outer surface lipoproteins OspA and OspB possess these properties. To assess their possible involvement in human disease, we determined whether cells from normal human donors could respond to these activities. Normal human B lymphocytes but not T lymphocytes proliferated when incubated with either sonicated B. burgdorferi or purified OspA. Sonicated B. burgdorferi was efficient at stimulating immunoglobulin M production by human mononuclear cell cultures; however, purified OspA was relatively inactive. Both sonicated B. burgdorferi and purified OspA stimulated production of high levels of interleukin-6 by mononuclear cells. These findings extend our observations with the mouse model and suggest that the stimulatory lipoproteins could indeed be involved in the symptoms and pathologies of human infection with B. burgdorferi.


[1] To explore the role of hurricanes in the climate system, a detailed analysis is made of the bulk atmospheric moisture budget of Ivan in September 2004 and Katrina in August 2005 from simulations with the Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) model at 4 km resolution without parameterized convection. Heavy precipitation exceeding 20 mm h−1 in the storms greatly exceeds the surface flux of moisture through evaporation, and vertically integrated convergence of moisture in the lowest 1 km of the atmosphere from distances up to 1600 km is the dominant term in the moisture budget, highlighting the importance of the larger-scale environment. Simulations are also run for the Katrina case with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) increased by +1°C and decreased by −1°C as sensitivity studies. For hours 42 to 54 after the start of the simulation, maximum surface winds increased about 4.5 m s−1 (9%), and sea level pressure fell 11.5 hPa per 1°C increase in tropical SSTs. Overall, the hurricane expands in size as SSTs increase, the environmental atmospheric moisture increases at close to the Clausius-Clapeyron equation value of about 6% K−1 and the surface moisture flux also increases mainly from Clausius-Clapeyron effects and the changes in intensity of the storm. The environmental changes related to human influences on climate since 1970 have increased SSTs and water vapor, and the results suggest how this may have altered hurricanes and increased associated storm rainfalls, with the latter quantified to date to be of order 6 to 8%.


In the thesis, initial design of an Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV)is performed with the expert system and its skirt system is further optimized with the genetic algorithm. Both the expert system and genetic algorithm are advanced computerized design techniques of artifical intelligence. Those techniques are specifically developed for the ACVs with programming codes in this thesis. Then the main objective is to show the successful implementation of those techniques in the design of ACVs. The thesis work is divided into two parts. In the first part, the general configuration of ACVs, including the overall dimensions, weight distribution, parametric properties, and several subsystems, is studied and designed by the expert system as an initial design phase. In the second part of the thesis, the skirt system of ACVs is further optimized. In particular, the properties of the bag and finger skirt are optimized for improved ride quality and stability by the genetic algorithm. For the validation of these two artificial intelligence techniques, the CCG (Canadian Coast Guard) 37 ton Waban-Aki and U.S. Navy's 150 ton LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) are selected for the tests. The results of the tests proved that the expert system was successfully implemented and was a powerful tool for the initial design of ACVs. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm optimized the skirt system with significantly improved ride quality and stability. It was also shown that the skirt mass was an important design factor in the heave response of the bag and finger skirt. Hence, this thesis work opened the new possibility of designing ACVs with artificial intelligence techniques.


We ask what conditions transmission contracts increase or mitigate market power. We show that the allocation process of transmission rights is crucial. In an efficient arbitraged uniform price auction, generators will only obtain contracts that mitigate their market power. However, if generators inherit transmission contracts or buy them in a 'pay-as-bid' auction, then these contracts can enhance market power. In the two-node network case, banning generators from holding transmission contracts that do not correspond to delivery of their own energy mitigates market power. Meshed networks differ in important ways as constrained links no longer isolate prices in competitive markets from market manipulation. The paper suggests ways of minimising market power considerations when designing transmission contracts.


Abstract Physical characteristics and blood glucose and serum lipid concentrations were analysed in 196 patients with electively diagnosed cholelithiasis and 187 age and sex matched controls. A logistic regression analysis showed that women with cholelithiasis had more total body fat and were shorter than the female controls. There were no differences in anthropometric measurements between the men with gallstones and their controls. Patients of both sexes, however, had increased serum triglyceride and decreased serum cholesterol concentrations compared with control subjects.


The current study set out to examine how adolescents perceive social support from their peers, parents, and teachers and how this relates to depression. This study used the critical incident technique to gather open ended descriptions of incidents that participants identified as being the most socially supportive and non-supportive behaviors. Participants identified encouragement, concern, teaching, economic support, non-economic support, attendance, listening compassionately, advice, consoling, advocating, and prayer as the socially supportive behaviors they received from others. They identified criticism, ignoring, neglect, deterrence/discouragement, favoritism, inappropriate discipline, and distrust as the socially non-supportive behaviors. Parents displayed more encouragement, consoling, economic support, non-economic support, and attendance. Peers displayed more encouragement, consoling, economic support, attendance, listening compassionately, concern, advocating, and prayer. Teachers displayed more advice and teaching as types of support. In regards to the impact of depressive symptoms being present, teaching, economic support, and non-economic support were all identified as being supportive behaviors that participants with some depressive symptoms identified with, while neglect and ignoring were non-supportive behaviors that depressed participants identified with. In total we did find that depressed people tend to find emotionally based types of support like encouragement, listening compassionately, and attendance more supportive due to participants with no depressive symptoms present reporting these behaviors more. Participants displaying some depressive symptoms reported receiving types of support like teaching, economic support, and advices, which are less emotionally, based which can suggest that less Depression and Social Support emotionally based types of support do not protect against the development of depressive symptoms. Explanations for the results and future areas of research are discussed. 6 Depression and Social Support


MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and H.264 are currently the most popular video coding algorithms for
consumer devices. The complexity and computational intensity of their respective
encoding processes and the associated power consumption currently limits their full
deployment in portable or cost-sensitive consumer devices.
This thesis takes two approaches in addressing these performance issues. Firstly in the
static partitioning of application's control-flow-graphs using thread-level parallelism to
share the computational load between multiple processors in a System-on-Chip multiprocessor
configuration. Secondly, two separate design methodologies, one founded in
RTL and in the second SystemC, were applied in order to investigate dedicated vector
architectures in the acceleration of video encoding through the exploitation of data-level
parallel techniques. By implementing two vector datapaths, one from each methodology,
a comparison of the two is made.
The key contributions of the work are summarised below: (1) demonstration of the reduction in computational workload per processor by
exploiting thread-level parallelism; (2) static partitioning of three state-of-the-art video encoders, namely MPEG-2,
MPEG-4 and H.264, to permit their execution on a multi-processor environment; (3) design of a vector datapath to accelerate MPEG-4 video encoding by
implementing data-level parallelism; (4) comparative study of the potential of the ESL language, SystemC, in the design
methodology, in comparison with the RTL.


Delay of tumor growth in RIF-1 fibrosarcomas in C3H mice was studied, comparing ip delivery of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or cisplatin (cis-DDP) versus collagen matrix-associated intratumoral delivery of drug with and without irradiation to a total dose of 1,500 cGy. For cis-DDP (6 mg/kg), the number of days required for treated tumors to attain three times their original treatment volume was 6.2 +/- 1.6 SE for ip drug and 7.0 +/- 1.3 for intratumoral drug matrix. The use of the vasoactive agent epinephrine (1 mg/kg) in the matrix resulted in a growth delay of 10.1 +/- 2.0 days. Irradiation given 60 minutes after drug administration enhanced the delay of tumor growth to 19.2 +/- 2.6 days for systemic drug and 16.7 +/- 2.5 days for matrix-associated drug. The delay of tumor growth for irradiation plus matrix-associated cis-DDP containing epinephrine was 33.0 +/- 5.4 days. X-rays alone caused a tumor growth delay of 11.2 +/- 1.3 days. Similar results were found for 5-FU at a dose of 50 mg/kg, although the epinephrine in the matrix was not as effective.


Background: Increasing popularity of emerging drugs or the 'legal high' is of major concern to the Government. Emerging psychoactive substances e.g. morphine, carnabinoids, cathinones are not controlled and are believed to cause harm if not more than controlled drugs. They are being sold all over as legal substances and consumed openly. Objective: To evaluate the trends and patterns of emerging drugs use, magnitude and their impact in the Counties. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 702 respondents in Nairobi and Mombasa Counties. The social dynamics, types of emerging drugs, drug initiation age, source of drugs, venue of consumption, and their effects on respondents among other issues were investigated. Qualitative, u nivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done. Results: The drug initiation age ranged from 5 to 28 years though most started abusing the drugs at 21years (18%), with over 81% being introduced by friends. They are abused for their stimulating, hallucinating, depressants effects on the streets, club, drug dens, party but rarely at home and schools. Forty one (41) emerging drugs (see text) comprising of one or combinations of drugs were recorded, with Nairobi recording significant higher number of emerging drugs than Mombasa. Most of the highly abused drugs were ' kuber, shisha, shashaman, mau, tambuu , jet fuel, kukumanga, mkorogo, mshomoro, rohypnol, Artaine and kamusi. 'Shisha' and 'kuber' were most commonly abused drugs in both counties. Over 25% of the shisha and kuber abusers aged between 26 to 35 years. The emerging drugs were purchased drugs from various outlets, thus making it difficult to track. Some respondents injected either heroin or cocaine while others injected both heroin and cocaine thus, placing the individuals at risk of contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C. The emerging drugs have a lot of impact on the county's security, economy, education, school drop-out rate, non performance at work place and reproductive health. Conclusion and recommendations: The Government should set up of rehabilitation centres, training programmes on alcohol and drug abuse, establish Employee Assistant Programmes, wellness centres, control sale of prescription medicine, stiff penalties on drug peddlers and ban of advertisement on media. There is need for all stakeholders to review the alcohol and Drug Abuse policy to include new and emerging drugs in order to mitigate illnesses deaths and associated with emerging drugs. Government should come up with ways of tracking and controlling the emerging drugs especially shisha, kuber, and prescription medicine. Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ADA) issues should be incorporated in the education curriculum at all levels.


A very general procedure entitled complete relaxation and conformational exchange matrix (CORCEMA) analysis has been developed to analyze the 2D-NOESY spectra of interacting systems undergoing multistate conformational exchange. This is an extension of earlier work from this laboratory on the methodological treatment of multistate conformational exchange [Krishna et al., Biopolymers 19, 2003 (1980)] and the theory of transferred NOESY for finite exchange off-rates [Lee and Krishna, J. Magn. Reson. 98, 36 (1992)]. The current theory is based on generalized rate matrices for relaxation and conformational exchange. The CORCEMA algorithm explicitly incorporates intermolecular dipolar cross relaxation between the molecules when they are complexed. It permits an analysis of NOESY intensities for the intra- as well as intermolecular contacts between the interacting molecules under a variety of binding conditions. Its application is illustrated on two examples of transferred NOESY simulations: (1) a two-state system involving a ligand and an enzyme forming a ligand-enzyme complex, and (2) a three-state system in which the ligand-enzyme complex can undergo a conformational transition from an "open state" to a "closed state," and can include conformational changes in both the complexed ligand and the complexed enzyme, such as hinge-bending motions. Simplifying expressions for generalized matrix analyses are derived for three limiting cases of the three-state system. This three-state example is illustrated using a hypothetical model of the hinge-bending motion in a thermolysin-inhibitor complex. It is shown that: (1) The neglect of cross relaxation between the interacting species in their complexed forms can lead to misleading conclusions on the "bound" conformation of the ligand. (2) If protein-mediated spin diffusion is dominant, caution is needed in analyses based on initial slopes alone due to one's inability to identify the exact range of the initial growth curve under poor signal/noise situations. (3) The neglect of conformational changes upon complexation, e.g., hinge-bending motions of the ligand-enzyme complex, can lead to erroneous results on the nature of "bound" conformations of the ligand. In this case, attempts to analyze the transferred NOESY data with a two-state model will result in a "virtual" conformation for the bound ligand. (4) When the hinge-bending rate is slower than the cross relaxation and enzyme off-rates, the bound conformation of a ligand deduced from the transferred NOESY experiment is more likely to represent nonspecific or weak binding in an open state of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


We explore challenges in achieving authentic inquiry with data in classrooms from the fifth through the eighth grade. We present the Tabletop, a prototype computer-based data analysis tool based on animated visual representations, and reports on clinical and classroom trials of this tool. Vignettes from clinical sessions illustrate students' understanding of the software interface as well as interacting subtleties of data creation and data analysis. One year of classroom trials is summarized in terms of three important categories of conceptual and cultural prerequisites for successful implementation: (a) reasoning about the aggregate, (b) the objectification of knowledge, and (c) the pragmatic structure of classroom projects.


Our prior research has shown that currently available total ankle implants fail to restore physiologic ankle mobility. Most of the modern mobile-bearing designs that feature a flat tibial component and a talar component with anatomic curvature in the sagittal plane function nonphysiologically with the natural ligament apparatus. To establish a more natural relationship between the implanted components and the retained ankle ligaments, we have developed a new design. According to our prior research, we suggest that physiologic ankle mobility is reproduced best with a design featuring a spherical convex tibial component, a talar component with radius of curvature in the sagittal plane longer than that of the natural talus, and a fully conforming meniscal component. Our preliminary observations in trial implantation and in a few patients suggest that while reproducing physiologic ankle mobility, the new design is capable of maintaining complete congruence at the two articulating surfaces of the meniscal bearing over the entire motion arc, with the prospect of minimizing wear of this component.


There is a persistent shortage of qualified health workers globally,
but worse in developing countries, where it is even worse in rural
areas than urban and peri-urban areas. Health workers refuse to be
deployed in rural areas or migrate to urban areas in search of better
physical facilities and to avoid professional isolation, among other
reasons. Health workers brought up in urban areas have not experienced
rural life and find it difficult to countenance a professional life in
rural areas. Several training institutions have engaged in programmes
to expose pre-service health workers to rural health work to demystify
it and to enable the professionals make an informed choice on practice
location after qualification. In this study, the intentions of Ugandan
medical students to work in rural health facilities after qualification
were sounded out, together with the factors that affect them and their
perception of rural areas. The study covered five government medical
schools (2 for doctors and 3 for Clinical Officers). Students of all
years of study in the different courses were interviewed, as well as
key informants in the administration of the schools. At least one half
of all the respondents (50% or 167/336) were clear that they did not
intend to work in the rural facilities after training, while the other
half was divided equally among those who wanted and those who were not
sure yet. Whereas the proportion of those intending to work in rural
areas rose progressively from the first year of studies, it reached a
peak in the pre-final year (fourth year for student doctors and second
year for clinical officers) and plummeted in the final year after the
students had residential field experience. The majority of the students
had a negative perception about working in the rural areas and
associated them with lack of physical facilities, social services and
communication. Personal demographic characteristics and previous
exposure to a rural life did not seem to be related to a choice about
work in rural areas. Most of the few students who intended to work in
rural areas hoped to stay for not more than three years, before going
either for further studies or for self-employment in urban areas. The
paper recommends review of the community exposure programmes of the
medical schools, with a view to improve support supervision in the
field and logistical support for the students during attachment. It
also recommends better facilitation of rural health facilities and
better incentives and remuneration for rural health workers.


The purpose of this book is to acknowledge the universality of depression, to throw some light on those aspects of depression which are neglected in the more conventional treatments of the subject and also to attempt to provide a synthesis between the biological and socio-environmental factors which lead to the onset of depression and modify its course. A book devoted to depression has the advantage that it has the space at its disposal to explain and clarify concepts and promising ideas that a chapter in even a comprehensive textbook does not have. A single author writing about all the relevant aspects of a subject brings with him the merit of uniformity, continuity and lack of repetition. He is also more fallible in some areas than others, which finds an exact parallel in the experience of clinicians in their practice. A multi-author, multi-specialist work portrays an air of omniscience and omnicompetence which many clinicians find dispiriting. It is likely a considerable number of practising clinicians will have a greater knowledge and experience in some areas of the subject of this book. than I have and will feel emboldened to approach others. The entire work is informed by historical considerations. The lesson of history is to be open-minded and not to judge too harshly those that have gone before.


The exponential increase in the availability of online reviews and recommendations makes sentiment classification an interesting topic in academic and industrial research. Reviews can span so many different domains that it is difficult to gather annotated training data for all of them. Hence, this paper studies the problem of domain adaptation for sentiment classifiers, hereby a system is trained on labeled reviews from one source domain but is meant to be deployed on another. We propose a deep learning approach which learns to extract a meaningful representation for each review in an unsupervised fashion. Sentiment classifiers trained with this high-level feature representation clearly outperform state-of-the-art methods on a benchmark composed of reviews of 4 types of Amazon products. Furthermore, this method scales well and allowed us to successfully perform domain adaptation on a larger industrial-strength dataset of 22 domains.


In their article in this issue, Drs. Jatoi and Loprinzi review much of the data on weight loss and anorexia in cancer patients from the standpoint of the impact of nutrition and various pharmacologic agents on management, and they make some sound recommendations for therapy. The benefit of nutritional interventions in this area are often overhwhelmed by the patient's complex disease course and, therefore, are difficult to demonstrate.


We directly instantiate metalevel argumentation frameworks (MAFs) to enable argumentation-based reasoning about information relevant to various applications. The advantage of this is that information that typically cannot be incorporated via the instantiation of object-level argumentation frameworks can now be incorporated, in particular information referencing (1) preferences over arguments, (2) the rationale for attacks, and (3) the dialectical effect of critical questions that shifts the burden of proof when posed. We achieve this by using a variant of ASPIC+ and a higher-order typed language that can reference object-level formulae and arguments. We illustrate these representational advantages with a running example from clinical decision support.


Objectives: Transposition of the great arteries (TGA) represents a neonatal emergency. In 1999, it has been demonstrated that prenatal diagnosis improves outcome, but since then these results had not been confirmed by other centers. The aim of this study is to assess whether prenatal diagnosis of TGA has any impact on short-term outcome. Methods: We report our results over the last 14 years (1995–2008), on a series of 252 cases of TGA, including 208 cases diangnosed postnatally and 39 cases diagnosed prenatally. Cases with extra-cardiac anomalies and those with contraindications to the switch operation were excluded from the study. Variables considered included: age at admission, intubation, Rashkind septostomy, age at surgery, pre-and post-operative mortality, 1 month survival. Statistics were performed with the SPSS package. Results: Gestational age at delivery, birth weight, Apgar Score, coronary arteries anatomical pattern, time of total circulatory support and length of stay in ICU did not significantly differ between the groups.


Several heterocyclic organic corrosion inhibitors that contain ionazible functional group were encapsulated into nano-structural hybrid organo-silicate coating to improve its corrosion protection performance on aluminum alloy 2024-T3 substrate. When the coating is formed on the substrate surface, it serves simultaneously as protective barrier and as a reservoir for leachable corrosion inhibitor that is stored and released through the mechanism of reversible ionic interaction with the matrix material. The efficiency of active corrosion protection for these coating systems was examined by electrochemical methods including potentiodynamic polarization (PDS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The effects of chemical structure and the loading concentration of the inhibitor within the coating were determined.


Background and objective: Biological clock controls behavioral, physiological and biochemical circadian rhythms of animals. Circadian clock genes including period3 are involved in the circadian clock mechanism. The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that differences in DNA sequence variations of the turkey period3 (turPer3) gene may be associated with performance traits including growth and reproduction. Methodology: The turPer3 gene was screened for DNA sequence variations and evaluated the relationships among haplogroups with performance traits. The DNA sequences of turPer3 (16.6 kb) gene were screened using 290 turkey birds by re-sequencing the individual amplicons. Results: Seven SNPs, including one each in exon 18 and intron 5, two SNPs in exon 19 and three SNPs in intron 6, were detected. The SNPs detected in the exon 19 were non-synonymous, which changed the amino acids from methionine to threonine and serine to phenylalanine at 953rd and 955th positions, respectively. Linkage disequilibrium (D') among SNPs ranged from 0.03-1.00. Pairwise FST ranged from 0.01-0.43. Haplogroup frequencies of the turPer3 ranged from 0.02-1.00, were significantly associated with body weight (BW) at 231 days of age, average daily gain (ADG) for the period of 160-231 d of age, FCR for the periods of 69-159 d and 160-231 d, egg production and semen quality traits (p#0.05). Conclusion: The DNA sequence variations of turPer3 gene are significantly associated with BW, ADG, FCR, egg production, egg weight and semen quality traits. turPer3 gene may seem to have some regulatory role in the molecular mechanism of the circadian clock. Genomic reagents reported in the present study would be valuable for future genotype: phenotype evaluation studies in the turkey using a candidate gene approach.


Objectives: The study identified the determinants of family planning practices among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) attending clinics in Akure, Nigeria.
Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from PLWAHs attending clinics in Akure, Nigeria selected through a systematic sampling technique.
Results: Poor knowledge of family planning (odd ratio [OR]=10.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.21-46.71), never discussed family planning with sexual partner (OR=0.40, CI=0.01-0.12), death of children (OR=7.47, CI=2.16-21.85), low level of education (OR=9.40, CI=2.95-29.94) and living in rural areas (OR=7.45, CI=2.67-20.79) were significantly associated with the non-use of contraceptive.
Conclusion: This study concluded that the PLWHA attending clinics in Akure had a poor knowledge of family planning methods. The determinants of current use of family planning methods were knowledge of family planning, discussion of family planning with sexual partner, death of child (ren), level of education and areas of residence.


The authors demonstrate that appearance in blood of chemical substances (ligands) capable to bind with serotonin receptors of smooth muscles (SM) leads to serotonin insufficiency. Intravenous injection of serotonin adipinat corrects serotonin insufficiency (biochemical stage) which leads to restoration of disordered function of SM (pharmacological stage). Normal function of SM eliminates functional intestinal obstruction (from the first hours after surgery), vascular insufficiency, tissues hypoxia (clinical stage) in surgical patients with different diseases. Serotonin adipinat was used in more than 900 surgical patients. It is concluded that this drug is a necessary component of prophylaxis and treatment of functional intestinal obstruction, vascular insufficiency, local and regional tissues hypoxia.


Water quality and bacterial infections are directly related to human health and wellbeing, thus waste water treatment is a necessary procedure for avoiding disturbances to ecosystems and for assuring human health. Furthermore, bacterial contamination in water bodies, the appearance of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals and public places have to be addressed and not only by means of proper aseptic practices. Water quality improvement and antibacterial surfaces call for the need to design new supported catalsysts/photocatalysts. The above mentioned issues have given rise to a research field called advanced photochemical oxidation processes (APO's). This Thesis is based on APO's while designing, testing and characterizing supported photocatalysts. The used supports were: Polyethylene thin films, glass Rashig rings and Glass fiber mats. Photocatalysts as TiO2, Fe-oxides, Cu-decorated TiO2 and copper oxides were deposed by dip coating and sputtering on the mentioned supports. The photocatalysts were tested mostly under solar simulated light irradiation for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in solution, the inactivation of bacteria (E. coli) in solution and inactivation of bacteria on solid-air interface. Characterization techniques allowed describing/optimizing the surface of the catalyst/photocatalyst leading to pollutant degradation and bacterial disinfection. Photocatalyts supported on polyethylene films (PE-TiO2 and PE-FeOx) showed activity in the degradation of MB in solution over several use cycles, suggesting a potential practical use. The TiO2 light absorbance in the visible region was improved by the addition of Cu/CuO and moreover, the contact between photocatalyst and targets (MB or E. coli) was increased by using glass Raschig rings or glass fiber mats (GF) as supports. Only very low amounts of Cu were enough to increase MB degradation kinetics. Self-cleaning of MB was evaluated on GF-TiO2-Cu-mats under simulated solar irradiation as well. Bacterial inactivation in solution by means of GF-TiO2-Cu 3%-mats showed to be much faster than via GF-TiO2-mats. Regarding antibacterial films, copper oxides were deposed on polyethylene by direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) showing antibacterial activity not only under very low light intensity but also in the dark.


Vaccination is widely regarded as one of the most successful achievements of medicine and public health. It has helped to drastically reduce the threat of the most devastating childhood diseases, such as measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, as well as Haemophilus influenzae and rotavirus infections. Thanks to vaccines, smallpox has been declared eradicated from the world in 1980 and polio is on the brink of being eradicated as well. According to the WHO, vaccination prevents an estimated 2.5 million deaths each year—in other words, it saves five lives every minute.

"When there is a serious infection, people look to vaccines as the answer because prevention is always better than treatment. With Ebola or Zika, everyone was very eager to have a vaccine", said Kathryn Edwards, Director of Vanderbilt University's Vaccine Research Program, who also serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious disease. But once vaccines are available and successful, they become victims of their own success. Many vaccine preventable childhood diseases have lost their threat, at least in the developed world. "Young doctors and parents don't fear these diseases like we used to do. The better our vaccines are, the more difficult it is for parents to appreciate their importance", Edwards said.

### A persistent problem

Many people instead focus their attention on adverse reactions, perceived or real. Although only few people are radically opposed to vaccines per se , anti‐vaccine groups are very vocal and they have an impact on people's perceptions. A much larger group is "hesitant": somewhere between complete acceptance and complete rejection and vulnerable to the propaganda put forth by anti‐vaccine groups. In a recent study, 13.5% of the respondents from the USA stated that they disagree that vaccines are safe—and the situation is worse in Europe, where the number gets as high as 41% in France …


Aims: The purpose of this article was investigating the efficiency of designing resonator in decreasing low noises. Materials and Methods: The designed Helmholtz resonator was installed in a channel analogous to ventilation channel. The resonator was produced signals at very low frequencies (125-500 Hz) and sound pressure levels 60-90 dB and transmitted through a channel by means of a speaker. Afterwards, the variation of sound pressure level was monitored and then intra-channel signals processing and preparing of sound Algorithm in channel was done by MATLAB software. Results: The highest decrease of sound pressure level at 125 Hz frequency among of Helmholtz resonators was observed at chamber diameter of 63 mm and resonator's 1 cm-caliber. Sound pressure level reductions of 0-10 dB were achieved in an experimental duct system using a Helmholtz resonator. Conclusions: This research showed that the designed Helmholtz resonators at a certain frequency of low-frequency sound demonstrated the soundest decrease. The increase in the Helmholtz resonators' chamber volume and their neck's pass area are negatively associated with the rate of sound resonance. As a result, of determining the effective frequency range of the Helmholtz resonator, the designed resonator could be applied as an effective and efficient instrument of removing or decreasing noise.


In the industrializing and urbanizing USSR, the canteen was a political and ideological ambition of the Bolsheviks: its aim was first to promote the efficiency of production. The idea was to provide rationally planned and prepared meals. Canteens were thus the place of a healthy diet, but also of a political education and kulturnost ("civilizing process"). Yet with the food crisis and rationing, the canteen became, for Soviet workers, the only location for a regular meal. On the ground, improvisation dominated. Canteens were lacking everything: buildings, refrigerated storage area, cutlery, staff and especially food. Dirty premises, a very poor quality of food, and monotony created discontent among the workers. Canteens were the symbol of the Soviet failure to keep promises of a brighter tomorrow. They were also the melting pot of the Soviet experience, a common, essential anthropological and political experiment, a learning school of real socialism, a fundamental place in the formation of the "Soviet man."


This chapter aims to contribute to better understandings of the gendered regulatory context within which the remuneration and working conditions for home care work are negotiated and determined. Focusing on the Australian case, it highlights a dynamic process of formalization and informalization of employment standards in home care work. The chapter analyses both the incomplete process of formalization in respect to home care work until the late 1990s, and the more patchy process of informalization since that time, driven as much by outsourcing and government funding models as by changes in labour regulation.


Some countries are facing issues on freshwater and electricity production, which can be addressed with the use of renewable energy powered desalination systems. In the following study, a reverse osmosis desalination plant powered by marine current energy converters is suggested. The marine current energy converters are designed at Uppsala University in Sweden, specifically for utilizing low water speeds (1–2 m/s). Estimations on freshwater production for such a system, in South Africa, facing the Indian Ocean was presented and discussed. It is concluded that the desalination plant cannot by itself supply freshwater for a population all the time, due to periods of too low water speeds (<1 m/s), but for 75% of the time. By using ten marine current energy converters, each with a nominal power rating of 7.5 kW, combined with a reverse osmosis desalination plant and water storage capacity of 2800 m3, it is possible to cover the basic freshwater demand of 5000 people. More studies on the hydrokinetic resource of the Western Indian Ocean, system cost, technology development, environmental and social aspects are necessary for more accurate results.


Solutions to problems are often not unique. A representation of a problem as a theory in some logical formalism often admits a number of models representing solutions (Marek Truszczyfiski, 1999). The solution-representing models are perhaps required to come from a particular class. The typical strategy is to represent a class of problem instances E, for example the problem of determining a Hamiltonian circuit in a digraph if there is one, as a theory TE, and a specific instance I of E, e.g. a specific digraph, as a theory T1 in such a way that certain kinds of models of the combined theory TE + TI represent the solutions, i.e. in the example, the required Hamiltonian circuits in I, as the result of a mapping from answer sets (the models) solutions of I. As a specific formalism for answer set programming, DATALOG programs with negation (Ceri, Gottlob, & Tanka, 1990) and their stable models have received a large amount of attention e.g. (Niemel~i, 1998; Marek & Truszczyfiski, 1999; Remmel & Marek, 2001). While more recent work e.g. (East Truszczyfiski, 2000) has built upon this forrealism, for our purposes here we shall stay with a formalism more closely tied directly to DATALOG ~ programs. It will be seen that extensions of the basic formalism can be profitably incorporated in our dynamical systems approach. This work identifies a certain class of DATALOG ~ programs which we call call fully normalized.


This report presents the results of the NRC Direct Radiation Monitoring Network for the fourth quarter of 1986. It provides the ambient radiation levels measured in the vicinity of 75 sites throughout the United States. In addition, it describes the equipment used, monitoring station selection criteria, characterization of the dosimeter response, calibration procedures, statistical methods, intercomparison, and quality assurance program.


Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) (family Closteroviridae, genus Crinivirus) is an emerging virus which causes severe diseases on melon (Cucumis melo) plants. CCYV-infected melon plants display yellowing, mottling, chlorosis, or chlorotic spots on leaves. To develop a new control strategy, the potential for 1,2,3-benzothiadiazole-7-thiocarboxylic acid-S-methyl-ester (ASM) to suppress CCYV infection was evaluated. ASM treatment on melon plants greatly increased the expression levels of pathogenesis-related 1a gene, a marker gene for systemic acquired resistance. ASM treatment on melon plants before inoculation of CCYV suppressed systemic symptoms and decreased CCYV accumulation. ASM treatment on melon even after inoculation of CCYV reduced disease severity and accumulation levels of CCYV. The results show the potential for ASM treatment on attenuation of the CCYV disease symptoms.


The performance and charge transport characteristics of pentacene transistors with oxide gates such as SiO2 and Al2O3 have been recently shown to largely depend on the density of residual carriers due to electron acceptor defects at the oxide surface. The threshold field in particular is strongly connected to the density of these surface states. We demonstrate that by vapor deposition of self‐assembled monolayers on the oxide gate prior to pentacene growth this charge transfer process is inhibited, the residual charge concentration is decreased by up to two orders of magnitude, and the field‐effect mobility increases by up to a factor of four. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


This paper addresses some of the performance issues encountered in the use of multiple sensors for surveillance and tracking in aerospace and defense applications. These problems generally involve detecting the presence of an unknown number of objects of interest (often referred to as "targets"), and estimating their position and motion from periodic measurements (tracking). Measurements zk = z(tk) are received from one or more sensors at times tk and are classified (labelled) as arising either from one of the objects currently being tracked, from a new or previously undetected object, or as a false alarm or clutter. Typically, measurement models involve nonlinear functions of true object kinematics in additive zero-mean white noise, z(tk) = h[x(tk)] n(tk). Estimates of object kinematics (e.g. position, velocity, acceleration) x are formed from each labelled measurement sequence {zk}, with the objective of keeping an accurate and complete awareness of the external environment. In addition to additive measurement noise, a number of uncertainties are present: (1) objects can maneuver between measurements ("random" acceleration), (2) some measurements (threshold crossings) are due to noise alone (false alarms), or due to non-zero-mean interference, with unknown spatial and temporal covariance ("clutter"), and can be misclassified as being from an object of interest, (3) some measurements actually from an object of interest can be misclassified as being from a different object, or as being noise or clutter, (4) object detection is not guaranteed, so that a sensor can "observe" a region containing an object but fail to detect it (PD < 1), whether or not it is being tracked, and (5) there are errors in knowledge of the relative position and attitude of different sensors, particularly if sensors are moving independently (different platforms). The functions of data association (labelling measurements from different sensors, at different times, that corre-spond to the same object or feature) and data fusion (combining measurements from different times and/or different sensors) are required in one form or another in essentially all multiple sensor fusion applications: one function determines what information should be fused, the other function performs the fusion. This paper presents approaches for quantifying the performance of these functions in the surveillance and tracking application. First, analytical techniques are presented that bound or approximate the fused kinematic estimation performance of multiple sen-sor tracking systems, in the absence of association errors. These bounds and approximations are based on several extensions of standard Kalman filter covariance analysis procedures, and allow modeling of a wide range of sensor types and arbitrary, time-varying geometries, both sensor-to-sensor and sensor-to-object. Arbitrarily many sensors can be used with varying update intervals, measurement accuracies, and detection performance. In heavy clutter or false alarm backgrounds it is often impossible to determine which (if any) of the measurements near a target track actually arise from the target, which leads to a degradation of tracking accuracy. This degradation can be estimated (but not bounded) with an approximate covariance analysis of the Probabilistic Data Association Filter (PDAF). Next, data association performance is quantified in terms of error probability for the case of closely spaced objects (CSOs) with minimal clutter, and for the case of isolated objects in a heavy clutter or false alarm background. These probabilities can be applied to data acquired by any sensor, based on measurement and track accuracies described by error covariance matrices. For example, in many applications a track established by one sensor is used to cue another sensor - in the presence of CSOs and/or clutter backgrounds, this approach can be used to estimate the probability of successful acquisition of the desired target by the second sensor.


Surface exposures as well as deep-crustal and upper-mantle xenoliths constrain the composition
of the lithospheric column beneath the Sierra Nevada mountain range (California) as it
resulted from the generation of the Mesozoic Sierra Nevada batholith (SNB). After the cessation
of magmatism at ~80 Ma, the SNB consisted of a ~30 to 35 km thick granitic crust underlain by
a batholithic "root," a ~70 km thick sequence of mafic-ultramafic, mainly eclogite-facies
cumulate and residues. The deeper root assemblages consist largely of garnet and pyroxenes that
precipitated as igneous cumulate phases during the SNB magrnatism. The root assemblages were
present beneath the SNB as recently as ~8 to 12 Ma, when they were sampled as xenoliths in fast-ascending
magmas erupted through the batholith.
Several lines of evidence suggest that the eclogitic root may have disappeared from beneath the
SNB since Miocene time, leading to a major change in the lithospheric column. There are no
garnet-bearing xenoliths in the Pliocene and Quaternary volcanic rocks; instead, all xenolith
lithologies found in the younger volcanic outcrops are peridotitic, have equilibrated at depths
between 35 and 70 km, possess locked-in temperatures of ~1150 to 1200°C, and display an
asthenospheric-like adiabatic P-T trend. Some of the Pliocene uppermost-mantle peridotitic
xenoliths contain exotic silica-rich glass inclusions that may have originated by partial melting
of the eclogitic root. Geophysical evidence suggests that anomalously high seismic velocity may
represent eclogitic bodies present at depths of 100 to 200 km beneath the SNB. All of these
observations indicate that the "eclogitic" root may have detached and delaminated (sunk) into
the underlying mantle, a process compensated by diapiric rise of asthenospheric peridotitic
material to the base of the shallow (~35 km) remnant crust. The delamination hypothesis is
consistent with observations documenting the existence of a shallow Moho, a low-velocity,
partially molten upper mantle observed today beneath the SNB, a gradual change in Miocene
volcanism in the Sierra toward more primitive compositions, and significant late Miocene-Pliocene
uplift in the area.
If the magmatic arc has indeed lost its root, delamination is an important mechanism in the
differentiation of the continental crust at Cordilleran-type margins. The present-day crustal
column in the Sierra (the SNB) is a mass extracted from the Earth's mantle predominantly
during the Phanerozoic, although not necessarily only during batholithic magmatism. The ~35
km thick present-day crustal composition of the Sierra Nevada is similar to, or more evolved
than, the average continental crust.


This article focuses on the reaction of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies to international financial shocks. The crises in emerging markets at the end of the last century underlined the significant vulnerability of the emerging ASEAN economies to international financial fluctuations and a lack of sustainability in their exchange rate regime. A structural VAR model is used to analyze the efficiency of the measures adopted by these countries after this episode of crisis in order to protect their economies against speculative attacks. The results reveal that the impact of the recent subprime crisis on emerging ASEAN countries is less significant than that observed in industrialized ones.


The aim of the article is to present the regional differentiation of indicators characterizing the economic development of Polish regions in the context of the progress made in the implementation of the concept of sustainable development in 2010 and 2017. The authors focused primarily on determining the position of Lubuskie Province on the economic map of Poland. The article proposes a set of indicators monitoring one of the areas of sustainable development - economic development, which also take into account other areas of sustainable development, i.e. social development, environmental development, and institutional-political development. The main criterion for the selection of indicators were substantive premises and their completeness and accessibility across the regions. The analysis and evaluation of the proposed indicators (explanatory variables) were conducted within five thematic areas which mark the economic development of the regions and which are important from the standpoint of the sustainable development concept: 1) Potential of the economy 2) Innovativeness of the economy 3) Economic activity of enterprises, 4) Production and transportation, 5) Economic activity of households. The article consists of two sections. In the first section, based on literature review, the most important issues regarding the concept of sustainable development and the state of scientific research on the indicators of sustainable development at regional level are presented. The second section addresses the concept of indicator analysis on the basis of which an assessment of economic development of 16 Polish regions was carried out and the position of Lubuskie Province was determined against the backdrop of the other regions. The findings prompted an answer to the question concerning the economic development of Polish regions, and in particular of Lubuskie Province, in the context of the concept of sustainable development.Keywords: indicator analysis, region, sustainable development, economic development, Poland


The crank-slider mechanism is the key component in reciprocating pumps. With the increase of the rotational speed of the crank-slider mechanism, the vibration and working noise of reciprocating pumps increase. Based on the multi-body dynamics theory, the dynamic model of the crank-slider mechanism of reciprocating pumps is proposed. A numerical example is given and the validity of the procedure developed here is demonstrated by analyzing the dynamic behavior of a typical crank-slider mechanism of the reciprocating pump. The model can well simulate the dynamic response of the mechanism, which can enable designers to obtain required information on the analysis and design of reciprocating pumps.


As workforce participation continues to decline in the United States, simultaneously, a steady increase in the impact of information technology (IT) intensity on economic outcomes, both regionally and nationally, occurs. This study-in-progress examines how the impact of IT intensity coupled with the lack of educational opportunities in certain geographic areas impact measures of socioeconomic immobility. As IT intensity is operationalized as a census-based measure of geographic IT, lack of educational opportunity is operationalized as advanced mathematics offerings in high schools, and socioeconomic immobility is operationalized as poverty indicators, including disability payments, Medicaid, and supplemental nutrition assistance. A model and propositions are offered here to measure these variables.


An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of an antioxidant (Hesperidine) on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic toxicity. This effect was evaluated through assessment of liver functions as well as histopathological changes in livers of rats exposed to Hesperidine prior to carbon tetrachloride.Thirty two male albino rats were distributed to four equal groups each of 8 rats. Group I (Negative control). Group II (Positive control grou: received vehicle (Carboxymethyl Cellulose) for 10 days and were challenged with CCl4 2 ml/kg/SC (40% v/v in olive oil) on 8th day. Group III (HDN: 100 mg/kg): rats received HDN continuously for 8 days. On 8th day, they received CCl4 2ml/kg/SC in olive oil. HDN was further continued for 2 more days. Group IV (HDN: 200 mg/kg): rats received HDN continuously for 8 days. On 8th day, they received CCl4 2ml/kg/SC in olive oil. HDN was further continued for 2 more days. After ten days of treatment, liver enzymes, oxidant parameters as malondialdehyde and antioxidant parameters as glutathione and superoxide dismutasewere assessed. Histopathological examination of the liver tissues was conducted.Hesperidine in the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg produced a significant decrease in the levels of liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and oxidant parameters as malondialdehyde. Antioxidant parameters as glutathione and superoxide dismutase also have shown significant increase. These findings were confirmed by histopathology.Hesperidine in a dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg offers dose-dependent significant protection against hepatotoxicity produced by CCl4 in albino rats.


The authors present the development of a technique which uses a 'multi objective' genetic algorithm for the structural synthesis of combinatorial VLSI circuits by employing one or more cell-based design libraries. Throughout, the genetic evaluation circuits which are optimal with regard to different criteria at various levels within the design hierarchy are sought. The genetic algorithm succeeds in manipulating a highly complex solution space of circuit structures and provides solutions in a relatively small number of generations. The structural cell-based GA implemented, the circuit synthesised, and the results obtained, have not been reported in the literature so far.


On March 11, 2011 the North-East of Japan was hit by a massive magnitude 9 earthquake. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that destroyed farmland, cities, factories and the infrastructure of the coastal regions and also caused the nuclear meltdowns in the Fukushima Daiichi Powerplant. In media as well as in research the disaster was perceived as a national catastrophe, overlooking its transnational character. Japanese diasporic communities worldwide organized support and fundraising events to support the devastated regions and thus showed their solidarity with the homeland.
In both transient and permanent Japanese communities being active often became a means to overcome the global, local and personal shockwave of the catastrophe and overcome feelings of insecurity. Yet, the broad variety of activities also furthered diasporic civil society and helped to integrate members of Japanese communities more into the surrounding society.
By bringing together disaster studies and diaspora studies and analyzing the reactions of Japanese transient and permanent communities in Ghent, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Sao Paulo, Honolulu and London following the Triple Disaster, this volume will help to get a better understanding of how catastrophes effect diasporic communities.


The aim of this paper is to introduce the theory of Abelian integrals for holomorphic foliations in a complex manifold of dimension two. We will show the importance of Picard-Lefschetz theory and the classification of relatively exact 1-forms in this theory. As an application we identify some irreducible components of the space of holomorphic foliations of a fixed degree and with a center singularity in the projective space of dimension two. Also we calculate higher Melnikov functions under some generic conditions.


Objective. We determined the prevalence of and risk factors for British Isles Lupus Activity Group (BILAG) flare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods. We followed 299 patients for 1 year with the BILAG scores calculated using British Lupus Integrated Prospective System software and confirmed with manual calculation. Results. "A" flares occurred at a rate of 0.254/year, "B" flares 1.637/year, and A or B flares 1.765/year. The most common A flares were renal and mucocutaneous. The most common B flares were hematologic, renal, mucocutaneous, and musculoskeletal. Risk factors for a later A or B flare in the hematological system included: low C3 (p < 0.0001), low C4 (p = 0.0004), and positive anti-double-stranded (ds)DNA (p = 0.003); in the mucocutaneous system: low C3 (p = 0.02) and low C4 (p = 0.0004); and in the renal system: low C3 (p = 0.02) and low C4 (p = 0.02). In a stepwise regression model, only ethnicity (p = 0.02) and low C4 (p = 0.0002) remained as independent predictors of later A or 2B flares. Conclusion. The organ system distribution of A and B flares is very different, with A flares more common in renal and mucocutaneous, and B flares more common in hematologic and renal systems. A or 2B flares are significantly more common in African Americans and in patients with abnormal serologies (low C3, low C4, or high anti-dsDNA). If flare is an outcome in an SLE clinical trial, these factors must be balanced by taking them into account at baseline in terms of randomization, or by statistical adjustment in final analyses.


The ability to respond quickly and accurately to an external perturbation with a stepping response is critical to avoid falls and this ability is impaired in older, compared to young adults. However, little is known about whether young and older adults improve compensatory stepping responses similarly with practice. This study compares the extent to which young and older adults can improve, retain, and generalize postural compensatory steps in response to external perturbations. Centre of mass displacement, step characteristics and lower leg muscle activation latencies were measured during one training session of compensatory stepping in response to large surface translations in 13 young and 12 older adults. Retention was tested 24 h later. Older adults decreased their center of mass displacements over repeated exposure to large surface translations in both the anterior and posterior directions and retained these improvements. In contrast, young adults only showed adaptation and retention of forward stepping responses. Neither group was able to generalize improvements in stepping responses across directions. These results suggest step training may be beneficial for older adults, however additional, multidirectional training may be necessary to facilitate generalization of postural stepping responses for any direction of a slip or trip.


In this paper we address the accessibility to advanced networking functionalities and media rendering using a new framework. The objective of proposing this new framework is to make advanced services accessible for heterogeneous and limited devices. The context of this work concerns digital homes where several multimedia services exist and their use requires complex configurations and the ability to handle advanced networking op- erations. This required ability is not satisfied for handheld devices that are heterogeneous in terms of software and hardware capabilities. Indeed, even advanced mobile terminals do not support, at least natively, network- ing operations such as the multicast, services discovery and multimedia streaming with different protocols. In order to improve the user's experience in such environments, we focus on the Web accessibility and the adop- tion of the HTTP protocol that are nowadays supported by the majority of heterogeneous terminals such as mobile phones, TVs and game boxes. In order to demonstrate the feasibility and the validity of our framework we consider, as a digital home architecture, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) environment. We show that even if the existing architecture and multimedia/networking services are complexes, the proposed framework simplifies the architecture for the user and guarantees the delivery of an accessible and adapted response.


Learning, and particularly, experiential learning is a process that takes place inside the learner. Teaching is a process that takes place outside of the learner. While the educational literature addresses both processes, it offers very little discussion of the theory connecting the two. How does teaching stimulate learning? This paper addresses the connection between teaching and learning by drawing on the concept of service dominant logic from Marketing, and more specifically consumer co-creation of value. Co-creation posits that consumer value does not come from products or services, but rather, from the dynamic interaction between operant resources (provided by the marketer) on operand resources (provided by the consumer). While viewing educational value as the product of an interaction between teaching inputs and learner responses offers little new insight, exploring the nature of operant (teaching) and operand (learning) resources provides a powerful theoretical tool for understanding the nature of the teacher- student interaction. This paper develops a framework for classifying operant and operand resources. The framework, in turn, offers useful strategic insights for designing experiential learning programs.


Thin-film dewetting can be exploited to self-assemble and organize nanoparticles. Crucial to this effort is the understanding of the nanoscale liquid phase dynamics, and molecular dynamics simulations (MD) provide a powerful tool in this respect. In this paper we demonstrate that MD simulations utilizing a Lennard-Jones (LJ) interface potential can be effectively used to study various wetting regimes of nanoscale Cu disks on graphite. It was found that both the dewetting velocity and the equilibrium contact angle increase with a decrease in the Cu-C potential, and that the retraction velocities obtained are characteristic of dewetting phenomena governed by inertial and capillary forces. This phenomena leads to a change in morphology, from disks to nanodroplets, which, in turn, when using the most accurate LJ potential, jump off the graphitic substrate with a velocity on the order of 140 m/s. This ejection velocity is consistent with the previous experimental observation that nanoscale Au triangles deposited on graphite or glass jump when exposed to a pulsed laser above the melting threshold. Interestingly, the Cu ejection velocity decreases when the liquid Cu disks are deposited on a suspended graphene membrane. Finally, a Rayleigh-Plateau-like instability, which leads to the breakup of a pseudo-one-dimensional liquid Cu nanowire in nanodroplets, is revealed when the MD simulations are performed using different LJ interface potentials.


An Anthropology of Biomedicine is an exciting new introduction to biomedicine and its global implications. Focusing on the ways in which the application of biomedical technologies bring about radical changes to societies at large, cultural anthropologist Margaret Lock and her co-author physician and medical anthropologist Vinh-Kim Nguyen develop and integrate the thesis that the human body in health and illness is the elusive product of nature and culture that refuses to be pinned down. Introduces biomedicine from an anthropological perspective, exploring the entanglement of material bodies with history, environment, culture, and politics Develops and integrates an original theory: that the human body in health and illness is not an ontological given but a moveable, malleable entity Makes extensive use of historical and contemporary ethnographic materials around the globe to illustrate the importance ofthis methodologicalapproach Integrates key new research data with more classical material, covering the management of epidemics, famines, fertility and birth, by military doctors from colonial times on Uses numerous case studies to illustrate concepts such as the global commodification of human bodies and body parts, modern forms of population, and the extension of biomedical technologies into domestic and intimate domains


OBJECTIVES
To determine the proportion of patient transitions that could be connected through 3 proprietary alternatives to open, community-based health information exchange (HIE): HIE between physicians who are part of the same integrated system, use the same electronic health record (EHR), or use an EHR that participates in an EHR vendor alliance.

STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional analysis of Medicare patient transitions and physician EHR adoption and organizational affiliation from SK&A.

METHODS
We characterized the percentage of transitions that could be covered by each HIE approach and the degree of redundancy. We then assessed whether coverage opportunities differed by provider type and used multivariate linear regression to estimate the association between physician characteristics and proportion of transitions uncovered by any proprietary approach (ie, requiring an open HIE approach).

RESULTS
Given current EHR adoption and organizational affiliations, 33% of transitions could be covered by proprietary HIE. For the average physician, open methods of HIE would still be needed for 45% of patients treated by other physicians. Physicians who did not use a market-leading EHR, were not members of a large integrated system, and shared patients with a broader network of physicians have the greatest need for open HIE.

CONCLUSIONS
Proprietary approaches to HIE do not eliminate the need for open HIE and may further disadvantage providers in small healthcare organizations using less common EHRs. Ongoing support and innovative value creation within open HIE will likely remain necessary to support HIE by independent physicians. Public efforts to promote interoperability should seek to integrate proprietary models with open HIE.


In this paper, we study the isotropic design of two types of spatial parallel manipulators: a three-degrees-of-freedom manipulator and the Stewart—Gough platform. The isotropic conditions for Jacobian matrices, which relate the input joint velocity and output Cartesian velocity, are determined separately using a pure symbolic method. Thereafter, upon determining the isotropic conditions for both manipulators, the variation of the kinematic condition index is studied with respect to the motion of the moving platform to show how far the manipulator is from being isotropic. Finally, the isotropic conditions are obtained numerically for both manipulators.


The large-scale magnetic fields observed in spiral disc galaxies are often thought to result from dynamo action in the disc plane. However, the increasing importance of Faraday depolarization along any line of sight towards the galactic plane suggests that the strongest polarization signal may come from well above (∼0.3–1 kpc) this plane, from the vicinity of the warm interstellar medium (WIM)/halo interface. We propose (see also Henriksen & Irwin 2016) that the observed spiral fields (polarization patterns) result from the action of vertical shear on an initially poloidal field. We show that this simple model accounts for the main observed properties of large-scale fields. We speculate as to how current models of optical spiral structure may generate the observed arm/interarm spiral polarization patterns.


OBJECTIVE Given the relatively lower radiosensitivity of sarcomas and the locally infiltrative patterns of spread, the authors sought to investigate spine stereotactic radiosurgery (SSRS) outcomes for metastatic sarcomas and to analyze patterns of failure. METHODS The records of 48 patients with 66 sarcoma spinal metastases consecutively treated with SSRS between 2002 and 2013 were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate rates of overall survival (OS) and local control (LC). Local recurrences were categorized as occurring infield (within the 95% isodose line [IDL]), marginally (between the 20% and 95% IDLs), or out of field. RESULTS Median follow-up time was 19 months (range 1-121 months), and median age was 53 years (range 17-85 years). The most commonly treated histology was leiomyosarcoma (42%). Approximately two-thirds of the patients were treated with definitive SSRS (44 [67%]) versus postoperatively (22 [33%]). The actuarial 1-year OS and LC rates were 67% and 81%, respectively. Eighteen patients had a local relapse, which was more significantly associated with postoperative SSRS (p = 0.04). On multivariate modeling, receipt of postoperative SSRS neared significance for poorer LC (p = 0.06, subhazard ratio [SHR] 2.33), while only 2 covariates emerged as significantly correlated with LC: 1) biological equivalent dose (BED) > 48 Gy (vs BED ≤ 48 Gy, p = 0.006, SHR 0.21) and 2) single vertebral body involvement (vs multiple bodies, p = 0.03, SHR 0.27). Of the 18 local recurrences, 14 (78%) occurred at the margin, and while the majority of these cases relapsed within the epidural space, 4 relapsed within the paraspinal soft tissue. In addition, 1 relapse occurred out of field. Finally, the most common acute toxicity was fatigue (15 cases), with few late toxicities (4 insufficiency fractures, 3 neuropathies). CONCLUSIONS For metastatic sarcomas, SSRS provides durable tumor control with minimal toxicity. High-dose single-fraction regimens offer optimal LC, and given the infiltrative nature of sarcomas, when paraspinal soft tissues are involved, larger treatment volumes may be warranted.


Thais started to migrate to Germany around the 1960s, and it is statistically evident that the feminisation of Thai migration through marriage to Germans has continued to the present day (Federal Statistics Office of Germany, 2016). Women account for almost 87 percent of all Thais in Germany. Marriages of Thai women to German or foreign husbands account for 94 percent of marriages in Germany involving Thai nationals, compared to only six percent of Thai men married to German or foreign wives. In 2005, the total number of Thais in Germany was 58,784; however, only 43 percent of Thais were registered as "labour" under the German employment system. This paper investigates the employment dilemma of Thai marriage migrants after implementation of the new Residence Act of 2005. First, it sheds light on the underlying problems that hinder Thai marriage migrants' potential as full-time labourers and provides better understanding of why highly-educated Thai marriage migrants cannot fully integrate into the German labour market. Second, it examines the Thai diaspora and explores the present-day trans-nationalism of Thai marriage migrants in Germany. Finally, it applies Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical concept of capital, habitus and social space to better understand Thai marriage migrants' career choices in the German milieu. Qualitative interviews with 38 informants and a quantitative questionnaire filled out by 125 additional respondents were conducted between 2016 and 2017, providing one of the most comprehensive researches on Thai marriage migrants in Germany to date.


This paper proposes a novel mobile community service platform that enables a mobile phone to promote collaborations that are more advanced. Our research contributes in two folds. First, as a service design framework, a model of a mobile community is defined in which each member has a role and corresponding task to achieve a common goal. Second, the proposed platform provides a running and development environment based on the community model. It consists of a Community Service Phone Platform, a Community Server, and a Task Framework. The Task Framework provides programming interfaces that alleviate the task development overhead and enable plug-and-playable tasks. The phone platform is middleware and provides a running environment for the tasks.


The techno-interface of BF-BOF region is an important stage that connects iron making procedure with steel making procedure in the production line, acting as a connecting link between the preceding and the following procedure. It is also the key region to optimize the iron making and steel making process as a whole. In this paper, based on queuing theory method for BF-BOF region simulation, a static simulation method is presented to realize the simulation of dynamic system, WITNESS is used to simulate the M/M/1 queue model. The number of different transportation ladles has been analyzed to influence the BF-BOF region, the best ladles were obtained in order to improve production rate. The results show that the modeling method can reflect the complex system characteristics of BF-BOF region and provide the advice for system optimization.


This research paper questions the efficacy of some of the measurements applied to the contribution of female led rural enterprises (FLREs) when matched against the family, social and community contributions of the owners. It explores the Becker's (1993) typically neo-classical approach, to measurement which is diametrically opposed to Granovetter's (1985) socio-economic stance. Questionnaire responses (n.559) were received and analysed examining the economic, social and community make up of FLREs. Many of the enterprises were what would be considered lifestyle businesses in terms of turnover. However, in terms of community sustainability their contribution was significant. The paper then goes on challenge the prevailing perception of the value and contribution of both the rural (lifestyle) and the growth enterprise and offers data to better inform policy for economic development and business support for female led enterprises in rural areas.


Silver nanoplates were synthesized by reducing silver nitrate (AgNO3) with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). In the synthesis, the hydroxyl end groups of the PVP served as a mild reductant in the kinetically controlled synthesis, and DMF played a critical role as a reaction medium (solvent) for the formation and growth of the nanoplates. In the present study, the growth of the nanoplates proceeded along different pathways, as evidenced by variations in the shape evolution, depending on the PVP to AgNO3 weight ratio. When the concentration of PVP is below a certain value, a large number of small nanoplates with different sizes were initially formed and then fused together along their lateral planes, leading to the formation of a secondary large nanoplate (bimodal particle growth). When the PVP concentration became higher and the surface capping was enhanced, the small nanoplates continued to grow individually without fusing (unimodal particle growth). This study not only advanced our understanding of the role played by PVP in the kinetically controlled synthetic reaction but also allows us to produce Ag nanoplates with a high aspect ratio in a single step.


Is American international law distinctly legal realist? The claim is often made, but underexplored. What would it mean for American international law scholarship and practice to be legal realist in its orientation? Where would such an orientation come from, and what do those origin stories mean for current international law work? Are there common realist-inspired approaches within the varied schools of American international law scholarship? Does wielding those approaches produce distinctly American views on international law doctrine, its operation, or its function? And if American international law scholarship and practice is, in these ways, somewhat distinct, what does it mean for the broader, global project of international law?
This chapter takes the claim seriously and explores the ways in which American international law may in fact be tinged with legal realism. It explores how a number of intellectual trends—American jurisprudential legal realism, post-World War II international relations scholarship, utopian strands in American foreign policy thinking, and U.S.-specific foreign relations law—converged to bring a series of specific methods or attitudes to the forefront in American approaches international law. Perhaps provocatively, this chapter argues that all the major schools of American international law—New Haven, International Legal Process, Transnational Legal Process, Law and Economics, International Relations and International Law, and others—have picked up these methods, attitudes, or approaches—enough to warrant labeling all of them as essentially "legal realist."
And it explores how legal realism translates into four noticeable trends in American approaches to international law:
(1) a focus on norms rather than rules,
(2) a focus on process rather than doctrine,
(3) a focus on institutions and power rather than substantive rules, and
(4) an emphasis on pragmatism and practicality.


While continuous improvement is not new to education, implementing it with fidelity in various educational contexts remains difficult. This article provides a framework of the necessary components in planning for and implementing continuous improvement, based on current literature in the field of education. Key characteristics for consideration include: (a) purpose-driven; (b) change as a complex process; (c) data-based practices, structures, and systems; (d) relationships for professional collaboration; and, (e) capacity building. Utilizing a qualitative case-study design and aspects of action research, the framework is used to outline efforts of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) in becoming a continuous improvement organization. Although implementation of continuous improvement is still in early stages, many lessons have been learned. As education researchers and policy makers continue to wrestle with best practices and strategies for continuous improvement, we encourage further investigation of successful case studies, including the potential of research-practice partnerships.


Acupuncture is effective for pain relief after surgery of the cervical spine. Researchers find electroacupuncture applied to acupoints Hegu (LI4) and Neiguan (PC6) safe and effective for achieving significant pain relief. Surgery on the anterior cervical spine is a complex procedure. Analgesics including fentanyl and sufentanil may be used to alleviate postoperative pain. However, due to concerns regarding respiratory depression, they are often prescribed at low dosages leading to only a partial painkilling effect. The results of the perioperative research finds acupuncture effective for pain relief and for stabilizing hemodynamics during surgery.


Objective: To compare the efficacy of Oxytocin versus Methylergometrine in active management of
third stage of labour in reducing risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Methods: This study was carried
out by randomly assigning into two groups with 150 women in each group. Group 1 included patients
who received injection Oxytocin 10 IU intramuscular within one minute of the birth of the
baby. Injection Methylergometrine (0.2 mg) was given intravenously at the delivery of anterior
shoulder of the baby to women in Group 2. Outcome measures were the duration of third stage,
blood loss, pre and post-delivery hematocrit, side effects and incidence of PPH. Statistical analysis
was done using Chi square test, Fischers test, Mann Whitney test, and t test. p < 0.05 was considered
significant. Results: Mean duration of third stage of labour, mean blood loss, post-delivery
fall in hematocrit and need for additional uterotonics were significantly less in the Group 2. However
side effects like nausea, vomiting and rise in blood pressure were significantly higher in
women in Group 2 (p = 0.000). Conclusion: Methylergometrine is more effective than Oxytocin in
reducing the duration of third stage of labour and blood loss but has significant side effects like
nausea, vomiting and rise in blood pressure.


The classical spherical cap geometry which is used to define the shape of sessile drops resting on polymer surfaces has a deficiency, since it is a two-parameter model of the three measurable drop dimensions:  contact angle, base radius, and height. In this paper, mathematical expressions for a drop having all three measurable quantities as parameters are derived. The proposed new model is termed as the three-parameter spherical cap geometry. A vapor diffusion model for the drop depending on the two-parameter pseudospherical cap geometry is also developed that is similar to that of Rowan, Newton, and McHale. The evaporation rate of sessile drops of water resting on poly(methylmethacrylate) polymer has been studied by using their recently published precise data. When the present analysis is applied, the drop heights as calculated from the reduced two-parameter pseudospherical cap model fit the experimental data better than those calculated from the classical two-parameter spherical cap model. In addition, ...


In neural systems, synaptic plasticity is usually driven by spike trains. Due to the inherent noises of neurons and synapses as well as the randomness of connection details, spike trains typically exhibit variability such as spatial randomness and temporal stochasticity, resulting in variability of synaptic changes under plasticity, which we call efficacy variability. How the variability of spike trains influences the efficacy variability of synapses remains unclear. In this paper, we try to understand this influence under pair-wise additive spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) when the mean strength of plastic synapses into a neuron is bounded (synaptic homeostasis). Specifically, we systematically study, analytically and numerically, how four aspects of statistical features, i.e., synchronous firing, burstiness/regularity, heterogeneity of rates and heterogeneity of cross-correlations, as well as their interactions influence the efficacy variability in converging motifs (simple networks in which one neuron receives from many other neurons). Neurons (including the post-synaptic neuron) in a converging motif generate spikes according to statistical models with tunable parameters. In this way, we can explicitly control the statistics of the spike patterns, and investigate their influence onto the efficacy variability, without worrying about the feedback from synaptic changes onto the dynamics of the post-synaptic neuron. We separate efficacy variability into two parts: the drift part (DriftV) induced by the heterogeneity of change rates of different synapses, and the diffusion part (DiffV) induced by weight diffusion caused by stochasticity of spike trains. Our main findings are: (1) synchronous firing and burstiness tend to increase DiffV, (2) heterogeneity of rates induces DriftV when potentiation and depression in STDP are not balanced, and (3) heterogeneity of cross-correlations induces DriftV together with heterogeneity of rates. We anticipate our work important for understanding functional processes of neuronal networks (such as memory) and neural development.


This research was implemented in the Colombian Amazon forest area; to assess the effect of Tween-80® surfactant in the degradation of the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) in bioremediation treatments under aerobic conditions in the laboratory and pilot-scale. One control treatment, Natural Attenuation (AT) and four biostimulation treatments with leonardite with four different dosages of Tween-80® were proposed. The efficacy of organic stimulators and nonionic surfactant in soil microbiota was studied at laboratory and pilot scales, the latter in a passive aeration reactor. The test that presented a better performance was carried out with a Convective Flow Reactor (CFR) at pilot-scale. The results showed that bioremediation strategies improved the natural degradation process; the best outcomes were obtained in a treatment that includes Leonardite and Tween-80® (1.5 g/L) with 52% TPH degradation in 80 days (d).Tween-80® produced an effect in TPH solubility, and increased the production of CO2 in distinctive bioremediation treatments in both periods. The kinetics of CO2 production showed that the system required a periodic addition of a co-substrate as well as an increase of soil microbiota through the addition of compost (pilot scale). In this stage more than 76% of contaminant was degraded in 60d.


In all industrial and technological agglomerations several types of public and semi-public actors coexist. The same happens with the levels of government. Consequently, the daily reality of agglomerations is characterized by a wide diversity of innovation-support institutions more or less actively engaged in enhancing the technological capabilities and knowledge flow of the territory. Taking this consideration as a starting point, the article presents the dynamics of the technological agglomeration of the Vallès Occidental County, located within Catalonia, Spain. It has supplied information on the major efforts of different public actors in the territory since the 1980s, mainly through the establishment and enhancement of innovation-support institutions, and analyses succinctly their effects through selected successful and failed cases. Two normative statements are suggested from the analysis. The first is that policy strategies should not try to be hegemonic. Instead, they should be elaborated seeking complementarity and coexistence. A second normative conclusion is the necessity of fostering the learning processes within and across institutions, by mobilizing collectively the assets of the area into an open explicit option for the economic performance of the territory. The conclusions include a final plea for further research about the industrial dynamics and knowledge flows in the Vallès Occidental County, an important growth pole of Catalonia.


Zn3Ta2O8 is a promising host for low voltage cathodoluminescence (CL) applications. Surface chemical stability during low voltage electron beam excitation is a prime concern for phosphors to be used in various new generation information displays. Photoluminescence (PL) and CL characteristics of the Zn3Ta2O8 host doped with Pr3+ are presented. The phosphors were synthesized via solid-state reaction route at 1100°C. Red CL or PL with a maximum at 611 nm, attributed to the 1D2-3H4 transition of the Pr3+ ion, was observed at room temperature under high energy electron (2 keV, 12 μA) or a monochromatic xenon lamp (257 nm) irradiation. Electron stimulated chemical changes on the surface of the Zn3Ta2O8:Pr3+ phosphor during an electron beam exposure from 0-350 C/cm2 was monitored using Auger electron spectroscopy. The CL exhibited only a 20% loss in the original intensity during the continuous electron beam exposure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to estimate the redox states of the chemical constituents and a comparison of binding energies was made with the standard Ta2O5 and ZnO compounds. A correlation between the structural configuration of Zn3Ta2O8 and the XPS data is also established.


An important problem in automatic parallelization of scientific programs is to generate loops from an algebraic description of the iteration domain. The usual technique is to produce a perfectly nested set of loops, whose bounds consist in maxima and minima of several affine functions. However, perfect loop nests suffer from the run-time overhead of evaluating bound expressions and do not allow to scan non-convex domains efficiently. We study a candidate loop structure for overcoming these problems. This structure, called nested loop sequence (NLS,) is defined as a sequence of DO loops whose bodies ore nonempty sequences of DO loops. We propose on algorithm to compute a NLS scanning a given convex polyhedron, which overcomes the run-time overhead problem. The algorithm produces a loop structure in which the bounds of every loop consist each in a single affine function.<<ETX>>


OBJECTIVE. In response to a California legislative mandate, a pilot tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) screening program was undertaken by the Genetic Disease Branch of the California Department of Health Services between January 2002 and June 2003. This article outlines the Genetic Disease Branch approach to implementing the MS/MS pilot program and the program evaluation strategies used. METHODS. Through the use of multiple data collection methods, we were able to describe hospital participation patterns, screening test uptake, screening test performance, follow-up services utilization, and provider and family satisfaction with the educational materials and follow-up services provided. RESULTS. During the 18-month pilot program, just more than one half of California's 755698 newborns were offered MS/MS screening; among this group, 90% of parents chose to have their newborns screened. Fifty-one newborns were identified with MS/MS-detectable disorders, among 461 patients referred for follow-up testing (0.13% of the screened population). One disorder was diagnosed successfully for every 6939 newborns screened and for every 9 infants referred (excluding phenylketonuria). The overall California population prevalence of MS/MS-detectable disorders was 1 case per 6500 infants (excluding phenylketonuria). The positive predictive value for medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency was 86.7%, whereas the positive predictive value for short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency was 21.6%. For a sample from Hawaii, 1 isovaleric aciduria case was detected among 6132 newborns. CONCLUSIONS. Evaluation of the California MS/MS screening pilot program demonstrated that this technology was effective in identifying additional metabolic disorders. The positive predictive value of screening was particularly good for medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. Overall, patient referral rates were very acceptable. The utility of the program was also demonstrated by positive reviews from patients and providers.


The Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Canada, has applied Byerly's method to determine the direction of faulting in 65 earthquakes, which makes a total of 75 earthquakes so analyzed. To date 10 solutions have received some confirmation by comparison with observed faulting.

The method is ambiguous in that two planes, neither of which is indicated as the fault, are defined for each solution. This does not obscure the fact that of the 75 earthquakes all but 8 resulted from strike-slip faulting. Of these 8, 5 are on the Pacific coast of North America, 2 in the Hindu Kush, and 1 was an anomalously deep-focus earthquake off the coast of Spain. Otherwise, for all circum-Pacific areas and for the Mediterranean, and for focal depths ranging from 12 to 650 km, strike-slip faulting appears to be the rule. Within any area the strike directions of the faults appear to be random. The dip direction on the other hand may have some consistent orientation. This apparent inconsistency could be explained by supposing that planes whose strikes deviate from a favored direction tend to develop very steep dips.

In any solution the intersection of the two planes defines a unique line, here called the null vector. Whichever plane represents the true solution, this vector is perpendicular to the displacement couple and so undergoes no displacement; hence its name. In the southwest Pacific the null vectors lie parallel to vertical planes striking in the direction of the associated geographical features. In other circum-Pacific areas the correlation is less certain, but it is still definite enough to suggest a considerable measure of confidence in the validity of the fault-plane techniques.