Kinetic equation of dumping geo-container is considered, ALE dynamic mesh technique of finite element is applied, and strength and failure problem in the process of geo-container hitting the bottom is discussed. The finite element model of dynamic meshing is established, and the motion state, stress and strain of the geo-membrane of the large geo-container during the process of dumping are analyzed and calculated. By comparing with the results of the flume model experiment and dynamics calculation, the results verify the FEM model of fluid-structure coupled dumping geo-container; during the dumping, the tensile stress on the geo-membrane is the largest at the first 0.24 seconds after the geo-container hitting the bottom, and the maximum is 6.936 MPa at node 397 in the geo-container; after the failure analysis of the geo-membrane, the breaking strength is 27.050 MPa, which is less than the allowable strength, and meets with the strength requirements.


We explored to determine if iNOS could be induced by insulin in osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells. Insulin (100 nM) stimulated nitric oxide production by twofold and significantly increased iNOS mRNA and protein levels. Insulin also increased collagen synthesis, but had little effect on alkaline phosphatase activity. In contrast, IGF-1 had little effect on NO production below 10 nM and it stimulated NO production by only 57% at 100 nM. IGF-1 had little effect on collagen levels, whereas it inhibited alkaline phosphatase activities in a dose-dependent manner. When an MEK inhibitor was preincubated, insulin failed to stimulate NO production, whereas insulin dramatically increased NO production in the ERK1 overexpressed cells. Taken together, it is proposed that insulin increases iNOS mRNA, iNOS protein, and NO production, possibly via activation of ERK. These may play an important role in osteoblast functions such as collagen synthesis.


It has been suggested that high serum level of food proteins antibodies (especially cow's milk protein antibodies) may have a specific meaning in the diagnosis of food allergy, especially presenting with gastrointestinal complaints. In our study we tested with enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay test (ELISA) the antibody serum level to cow's milk and soy proteins in 123 children. The following patients were included in the study: 30 children with cow's milk enteropathy (CME), 27 children with soy proteins intolerance (SI), 19 coeliac children on gluten containing diet (CD), 9 coeliac children on gluten free diet (GFD) and 50 healthy sex and age matched control children. All coeliac patients had assumed cow's milk and soy proteins at the moment of the test or a few days before. Higher antibody serum level was found in coeliac disease to both cow's milk and soy proteins and in cases with cow's and soy allergy, than in control cases. The highest mean value of cow's milk and soy proteins antibodies have been found in the untreated coeliac children (CD), also higher than in the two groups of specific allergy. In treated coeliac children (GFD) with normalized jejunal mucosa cow's milk and soy proteins antibodies was normal. None of the 19 CD with high cow's milk and soy proteins antibodies level showed clinical intolerance to cow's milk and soy proteins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A Country is a predefined territory, where people live along with the nature and other living species (Botanical, Marine, Zoological etc.…). A Nation is the same as a Country, but with registered and identified group of people as the citizens. Each living group in a nation is identified as a Household. Poverty is the inability to buy the Basic Needs by a Household, and save a reasonable money, irrespective of their earnings per month. It includes all the citizens in a nation, from Rich to Poor. Saving is the local money value of the Arithmetic difference between the monthly earnings of a household (Husband+Wife+Children), AND the Cost of monthly Basic Needs for them. Basic needs are the Cost of Food, Shelter and Clothing for each Household. Irrespective of the monthly earning of any household, if the Cost of monthly Basic needs are lower, then there is a saving. It is the joint and coordinated responsibility of the administrative heads of the Rural, Urban, Thaluk, District, State and the Central Government in every nation to ensure that every Household has a reasonable savings per month. A nation where the households, irrespective of their Economic bracket (Rich or Poor), lead a satisfied life and make a reasonable saving in every month, is a Developed nation. A nation where the lead an unsatisfied life and do not make a reasonable saving in every month is a Developing nation. A nation where the Basic needs are not available to meet the monthly requirements of the households OR the costs of Basic Needs are very high, is an under developed nation. Population is an asset as a productive work force. It is a liability, if lethargic and nonproductive. National administration should be divided from top to bottom with a full employment approach, through integrated Training and Development infrastructure. A Household is a Father, Mother and 2 children. Each administrative head should identify every Household, and provide a "Living card". This card should have the estimated monthly income, value of reasonable basic needs (Vegetarian food + 4 sets of clothing and applicable rent value per year divided into month) for each Household. Households with monthly income less than the total monthly value of basic needs should be marked as "P" for poor. Each administrative head should attempt to reduce and eradicate the Poor category. This is a direct bottom level approach to eradicate poverty. Induction of savings through Cost reduction of Basic needs is a planned management approach. Effective management of Man Power, Materials and Techno-Commercial Infrastructure is a Macro level approach. All these lead to savings at Household level. Domestic savings is a source for Domestic investment to direct the nation towards accelerated Development.


The gene encoding mature thermostable L2 lipase from Bacillus sp. L2 was cloned into Pichia pastoris expression vectors and placed under the control of the constitutive glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAP) promoter and methanol inducible alcohol oxidase (AOX) promoter. In inducible system, recombinant L2 lipase was efficiently secreted into the culture medium driven by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-factor signal sequence, compared to the constitutive system. The optimization of the recombinant L2 lipase production (from inducible system) in 100 mL culture was done for the best clones pPαS3 and pPαG2 from Pichia strains SMD1168H and GS115, respectively. The effect of media formulation, methanol concentration and induction time on L2 lipase production from inducible system was evaluated. A time course profile of recombinant lipase production in 500-mL flasks with the optimized conditions was performed and 15.3 mg/mL and 14.25 mg/mL of dry cell weight were produced after 144 h of induction time from recombinant pPαS3 and pPαG2, respectively. The lipase activities detected from both clones were 91 U/mL and 125 U/mL for pPαS3 and pPαG2, respectively.
The recombinant L2 lipase was purified to 1.8-fold with 63.2% yield and with specific activity of 458.1 U/mg using affinity chromatography. The enzyme was in a monomeric form, non-glycosylated with a molecular weight of 44.5 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature were 8.0 and 70oC, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the pH range of 8.0-9.0 and at 65oC for 60 min where it retained more than 70% of its residual activity. The metal ions Ca2+, Na+, Cu2+ and Mn2+ activated the lipase at 1 mM, whereas Mg2+and Zn2+ inhibited it. Lipase showed a notable preference for medium to long chain triacylglycerols (C10–C16), with the highest activity toward tripalmitin (C16). It hydrolyzed all the natural oil tested, with the highest hydrolysis rate on corn oil and the least was on sunflower oil. L2 lipase was inhibited by EDTA, PMSF, pepstatin A and all the surfactants tested. It showed random positional specificity towards triolein. CD spectral analysis of L2 lipase revealed a Tm of around 67.2°C.


This paper describes the tensions between Welsh and English speakers in two intercultural contexts where I work. It explores these intercultural tensions using Derrida's notions of hospitality, and asks whether it is possible to talk about extending hospitality to a language, rather than a person. I start by describing in a little more detail my own experience of the intercultural contexts of both church and college. I then go on to very briefly outline a theoretical framework for hospitality in terms of host, guest and threshold. Next, I describe a small study I carried out to evaluate a new Welsh-language pastoral group at college. I consider whether this might be understood as an effective act of hospitality towards the Welsh language. I end by considering how this study might inform good bilingual practice in both college and church, as well as perhaps other social contexts. The paper concludes that after the initial act of welcoming Welsh over the threshold by simple bilingual gestures, the host community needs to build an 'understanding space' where Welsh can flourish. This then in turn generates a second threshold where power relations are reversed.


: In recent years, the booming of the Bike Sharing System (BSS) has played an important role in offering a convenient means of public transport. The BSS is also viewed as a solution to the first/last mile connection issue in urban cities. The BSS can be classified into dock and dock-less. However, due to imbalance in bike usage over spatial and temporal domains, stations in the BSS may exhibit overflow (full stations) or underflow (empty stations). In this paper, we will take a holistic view of the BSS design by examining the following four components: system design, system prediction, system balancing, and trip advisor. We will focus on system balancing, addressing the issue of overflow/underflow. We will look at two main methods of bike re-balancing: with trucks and with workers. Discussion on the other three components that are related to system balancing will also be given. Specifically, we will study various algorithmic solutions with the availability of data in spacial and temporal domains. Finally, we will discuss several key challenges and opportunities of the BSS design and applications as well as the future of dock and dock-less BSS in a bigger setting of the transportation system.


Background: Incisional hernia is a common iatrogenic complication of abdominal surgery and is a cause of unwanted morbidity. The study was reported for the first time from Republic of Mauritius. Aims & Objectives: The objective of the study was to analyze the clinical pattern and effect of comorbidities on the clinical course of incisional hernias and repair. Methods: The study is a cross sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital for over 22 months. 38 patients with incisional hernia were studied with special emphasis laid on the predisposing factors and co-morbidities at the time of hernia repair. Results: In this study the incidence of incisional hernia was prevalent in females and occurrence was 3 times more than males. All hernias in females were the result of a gynaecological operation. 68% (26 out of 38 patients studied) of hernias were reported within 2 years of gynaecological operation. Majority of patients presented with swelling and pain related to scar. Twenty two out of thirty eight were operated and hernia repaired. Obesity was found to be the most important factor when the effects of co-morbidities were studied. Fifteen out of thirty eight (39.47%) patients came under the category of morbidly obese. Conclusion: In patients with recurrent hernia control of obesity and other comorbidities before the attempt to repair hernia can be decisive.


Quantum dot light emitting diodes (QLEDs) are promising candidates for high efficiency and high colour gamut displays with saturated colours. This paper reports a peak current efficiency of 46 cd A−1 and a peak power efficiency 42 lm W−1 for red QLEDs with CIE (x, y) of (0.695 and 0.305), which we believe to be the highest ever reported for a red QLED. Annealing QLED devices at 40 °C for 120 hours makes such a dramatic increase in the peak current efficiency by 207% (from 15 cd A−1 to 46 cd A−1) and the power efficiency by 600% (from 6 lm W−1 to 42 lm W−1). This paper also addresses three major issues confronting the development of QLEDs: first, the nature of CdSe based QDs, whether a sulphur rich (CdSe (core)/CdS (shell)/ZnS (shell)) or selenium rich (CdSe (core)/ZnSe (shell)/ZnS (shell)) system gives higher efficiency; secondly, how to balance the charge injection from high electron mobility ZnO films by simply altering the annealing conditions rather than the complicated application of thin insulating interfacial layers (2–5 nm); and thirdly, improving the hole injection using high mobility hole transporters (electron blockers). In addition, this paper also investigates the effect of annealing the encapsulated devices (positive aging) on the device performance. The (CdSe (core)/CdS (shell)/ZnS (shell)) QD films dried at 80 °C have a hole mobility of 3.1 × 10−7 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an electron mobility of 6.7 × 10−8 cm2 V−1 s−1, whereas the corresponding values for (CdSe (core)/ZnSe (shell)/ZnS (shell)) are 2.0 × 10−6 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 1.1 × 10−6 cm2 V−1 s−1. The electron transport in all the QLEDs has been found to be space charge limited regardless of the QDs employed. Annealing sol–gel derived ZnO nanoparticles at 120 °C in a vacuum results in films (particle size 3–5 nm, crystallinity 60.7%) with an electron mobility of 3 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is compatible with standard low mobility organic hole injectors and electron blockers to yield high efficiency devices. ZnO films annealed at 200 °C in air (crystallinity 90.2%, mobility 1.1 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1) results in poorer efficiency for an identical device structure. The work function and band gap of the ZnO (vacuum annealed at 120 °C) films are −3.9 eV and 3.5 eV respectively. The corresponding values for the ZnO (annealed at 200 °C in air) films are −3.8 and −3.3 eV respectively. Despite these small differences, there is a significant impact on the device performance, which is attributed to the differences in the mobilities of the ZnO films and ZnO/QD interfacial effects. The (CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS) QDs give higher efficiencies (16 cd A−1 and 10 lm W−1 at 1000 cd m−2) than the analogous (CdSe/CdS/ZnS) system (10 cd A−1 and 5.8 lm W−1 at 1000 cd m−2). Upon annealing at 40 °C for 120 hours, the latter system gives enhanced efficiencies of 26 cd A−1 and 12.5 lm W−1 at 1000 cd m−2. High mobility, high LUMO hole transporters/electron blockers are essential for the production of high efficiency QLEDs with saturated colour CIE co-ordinates of (0.708, 0.292).


This study proposes the design of a tidal turbine station keeping system based on the adoption of a tensioned mooring system. Damping is introduced to investigate its effect on the reduction in the peak load experienced by tidal turbines during their operational lives in high-energy wave–current environments. A neutrally buoyant turbine is supported using a tensioned cable-based mooring system, where tension is introduced using a buoy fully submersed in water. The loads on the turbine rotor blades and buoy are calculated using a wave and current-coupled model. A modelling algorithm is proposed based on inverted pendulums, which respond to various sea state conditions, to study the behaviour of the system as well as the loads on blades. The results indicate that the tensioned mooring system reduces the peak thrust on the turbine and validates the applicability of the model.


SUMMARY Sirtuin proteins form a family of NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases that are considered potential drug targets against parasites. Here, we present the first characterization of a sirtuin orthologue from Leishmania amazonensis, an aetiological agent of American tegumentary leishmaniasis that has been the subject of many studies focused in the development of therapeutic approaches. The protein has high sequence identity with other Kinetoplastid Silent information regulator 2 Related Protein 1 (Sir2RP1) and was named LaSir2RP1. The gene exists as a single copy, encoding a monomeric protein (LaSir2RP1) of approximately 41 kDa that has NAD+-dependent deacetylase activity. LaSir2RP1 was immunodetected in total protein extracts, in cytoplasmic granules, and in the secreted material of both promastigotes and lesion-derived amastigotes. Analysis of both lectin‑affinity purified promastigote and amastigote extracts revealed the presence of a major enriched protein of approximately 66 kDa that was recognized by an anti-LaSir2RP1 serum, suggesting that a parasite sirtuin could be glycosylated in vivo.


We present long-term photometric observations of a group of classical symbiotic stars: BF Cyg, CI Cyg, V1329 Cyg, AG Peg, Z And, AG Dra and YY Her. Analysis of the minima positions in the historical light curves revealed a systematic vari- ation in the O C residuals which indicates apparent changes of the orbital period in these systems. It was found that (i) this variation is connected with changes in the energy distribution of the hot star spectrum, and (ii) the phase shift in the period correlates with the change in the star's brightness. The effects are best demonstrated by the eclipsing systems of BF Cyg and CI Cyg. During quiescent phases, when the nebular radiation dominates the optical spectrum, the minima occur prior to the time of the inferior conjunction of the giant star. However, dur- ing active phases, when the component of recombination radia- tion decreases considerably and a cool shell around the hot star developes, the minima - eclipses - coincide with spectroscopic conjunction of the stars. The observed variation is interpreted as a result of systematic changes in both geometry and location of the main source of the optical continuum caused by a variation in the luminosity of photons capable of ionizing hydrogen during transition periods between different levels of activity of symbiotic binary.


The paper seeks to find the proper, or at least current, role of theory in Roman archaeology. It sets up a project to study the settlement pattern of Roman Britain from purely material sources and tries to investigate the presence or need for theory in each of the successive steps of the project. A division is found between the gathering of observations and their manipulation, which can be relatively explicit, and the interpretation of the observations which has to have an an element of theory and subjectivity. Three basic questions arise from this title. Which theories? To which areas of Roman archaeology should they be applied? What is the purpose of such application?


In a global marketplace where companies must innovate and improve
continuously to grow and become more competitive, it is necessary to have
access to international quality certifications that give them support and can be
maintained in this market. Quality certification in the software industry to help
companies be more productive while reducing costs and in their developments.
The software development companies in our country are mostly micro and small
enterprises, and for such companies is an international certification called
Mark-It.


Error diffusion is an important procedure for image and hologram quantization. The spatial distribution of the spectrum of the quantization noise is shaped by a filter function, which depends on the diffusion weights. The customary weights applied during the whole quantization process are optimized to yield the desired filter functions. Stability restrictions limit the optimization process. We suggest optimizing new weights locally after the quantization of each pixel. In this way the eventual occurrence of instabilities can be counteracted and the quality of the filter function improved.


The purpose of the paper is to discuss, from a multigenerational perspective, the (im)mobilities of older Pakistani women migrants in the UK and the material culture of gift-giving, which moves with (and without) them to and from the ancestral homeland of Pakistan. A multigenerational perspective allows us to comprehend the collective importance of the mobilities of older Pakistani female migrants in upholding the culturally significant ritualistic custom of gift-giving. The research is situated within the theoretical context of the 'New Mobilities Paradigm' to understand the mobility patterns of older migrants and the mobilisation of material culture. We find that the process of coordinating and exchanging gifts leads to a great deal of physical mobility, within localities and national spaces, but also internationally across different diasporic locations. In doing so, older Pakistani women migrants perform an important role as 'gift agents' in the host and home countries, assuring their own social status as well as that of their families. Importantly, the resulting mobility of older Pakistani women empowers their less mobile peers to also participate in gift-giving. This paper concludes by extending the concept of 'mobility practices' to include the mobility of gifts as a practice, which can compensate for physical immobility in older age due to ill-health, fragility, or other factors.


Intramural nerves in smooth muscle strips from opossum esophagus were stimulated electrically to cause contractions of longitudinal body muscle, off responses of transverse body muscle and relaxations of sphincter muscle. Krebs solution was modified by calcium removal by strontium substitution for calcium, by adding magnesium, and by adding nitroprusside. Longitudinal muscle contractions were abolished by calcium removal and by excess magnesium; they were unaffected by nitroprusside; strontium could not replace calcium. Off responses were abolished by calcium removal and by excess magnesium; they were depressed by nitroprusside; strontium effectively replaced calcium. Resting active tension in sphincter strips was partly reduced by calcium removal and by excess magnesium; it was abolished by nitroprusside; strontium could not replace calcium. Relaxations in sphincter strips were unaffected by all experimental conditions. Longitudinal contractions, off responses, and resting active tension of the sphincter represent different kinds of calcium activation of muscle. The excitatory nerves (which are cholinergic) in longitudinal muscle are calcium dependent, the nerves that produce off responses may not be, and the nerves that relax the sphincter are not.


Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive technology that can visualize conductivity changes inside human body in real time using multiple surface electrodes. For convenience of wearing and application, if no electrodes are attached to the back, a commonly used image reconstruction approach produces poor images of dorsal region. In this study, we developed a novel image reconstruction approach that uses special current injection and voltage measurement patterns to well reconstruct the conductivity distribution inside the body even in the absence of dorsal electrodes. The proposed method has proven through numerical and phantom experiments.


Tensegrity structures have non-conventional structural properties since they require self-stress in order to be stable. When a tensegrity structure integrates sensors, actuators, (structural members able to change their length) and a control system, deployment and modification of structural behavior becomes feasible. Control of tensegrity structures is a special type of control since multiple-degrees of freedom depend on a lower number of coupled actuators. In addition, there is no direct closed-form solution for achieving a given control task, and this complicates the search for control commands. This thesis investigates the behavior of a near full-scale deployable tensegrity footbridge that deploys from both sides and connects at mid-span. Tests on the structure demonstrate that deployment behavior is not reproducible and therefore, pre-defined control commands are unsuccessful for achieving desired positions. Active control is thus, required for mid-span connection of the two bridge halves. Available simulation models involve assumptions that are not satisfied on the near full-scale structure. In this case non-dimensional, friction free joints are poor assumptions. Using measurements of the response in real-time integrates variable behavior. This advantage shows potential for controlling full-scale structures where changing environment conditions are likely. The active-control methodology for the mid-span connection of the two bridge halves, combining simplified simulations and real-time measurements, accommodates lack of accuracy due to modelling simplifications and non-repeatable behavior. A strategy to partially re-use previous control command reduces the time required for the mid-span connection. In this way, the structure learns from its experience. A damage detection and location method that includes target reliability is tested for single cable damage situations. Despite important modeling simplifications, it is possible to focus on possible damage locations through combination of actuation, measurements, simulations and data interpretation techniques. The structure thus performs self-diagnosis. Active control for structural behavior enhancement and adaptation to damage (self-adaptation) is successfully tested. Simulations are used in order to avoid testing control command that lead to excessive internal forces. Real-time measurements provide a direct evaluation of the actuation effect. Stochastic search is the component that guides the interaction with measurements. Combination of these components results in adaptation and learning since the control system gradually improves performance of the structure through the interaction with the environment during the stochastic search process. Self-diagnosis, self-adaptation and learning are features that are usually associated with living organisms. Thus, this research contributes towards behavior-based biomimetics in structural engineering.


Within the oral mucosal cavity, the buccal region offers an attractive route of administration for systemic drug delivery. The mucosa has a rich blood supply and it is relatively permeable. It is the objective of this article to review buccal drug delivery by discussing the structure and environment of the oral mucosa and the experimental methods used in assessing buccal drug permeation/absorption. Buccal dosage forms will also be reviewed with an emphasis on bioadhesive polymeric based delivery systems


Heinrich PESTALOZZI : Die Achillas als Quelle der Mas. Pp. 52. Zurich: Rentsch, 1945. Paper, 7 Sw. fr. ACCEPTING the conclusions of Schadewaldt's Iliasstudien, P. has produced a short specimen of 'Quellenanalyse' (Schadewaldt, op. cit., p. 164). He claims to have discovered one of Homer's main sources in an earlier Achillas, parts of which can be restored in outline by a comparison of certain episodes in the Iliad and Odyssey with what we know of the Aethiopis. The first and longest section of P.'s essay (pp. 5-37) sets out. the evidence for the Achilleis, and reconstructs its last three episodes: Achilles' killing of Memnon, the death of Achilles, and the funeral of Achilles. All these were narrated in the Aethiopis, and P. generally speaks as if the Aethiopis were identical with the Achilleis. At other times he appears with greater caution to regard the Achilleis as having been a common source for the Iliad and for the Aethiopis. In his second section (pp. 38-45) P. deals with Homer's relation to the Achilleis, distinguishing the elements which Homer took over from his source from the additions which he made out of his own head; the latter including the Menis, Achilles' relationship with Patroclus, and the killing of Hector. P. lays special emphasis on Homer's development of a new style of epic narrative, in which 'Mehrschichtigkeit' replaces . the 'Gradlinigkeit' characteristic of earlier epic. In his third section (pp. 46-52) P. surveys the history of epic on the basis of his own conclusions. He ranges from the time when the Helen-story had nothing to do with Troy to the creation of the Epic Cycle to suit the requirements of Pisistratus' reorganization of the Panathenaea. P.'s reconstruction of his Achilleis is not unconvincing; but the conclusions which he draws from that reconstruction are not always supported by logic or evidence. The book has neither bibliography nor index. j A D A V I S O N,


The antiquity of handaxes was first noted over 200 years ago (Frere, 1800) and since then archaeologists have attempted to categorise and explain them. We are now much closer to elucidating the answers to why and how they were made, what they were used for and what they signify about past hominin behaviour. In a British context, several authors have contributed significant leaps forward in the comprehension of these processes, most notably, Roe (1968), Wymer (1968) and more recently McPherron (1995), White (1998a) and Ashton (2003). The work pioneered by Roe (1968) emphasised the variability present within handaxe-dominated assemblages from the British Palaeolithic and attempted to place this variation within an objective typological framework.
Subsequent authors have utilised Roe's methodology to attempt to ascertain the basis for this metrical variability both within and between handaxe-dominated assemblages, positing causal factors such as raw material (Ashton and McNabb, 1994; White, 1998a), resharpening (McPherron, 1995) and cultural design (Wenban-Smith, 2004). This study examines the basis and methodology of these hypotheses through the technological analysis of twenty two British Palaeolithic localities. The focus of this examination is Roe's decision to divide assemblages into Point, Ovate and Cleaver Traditions, groupings which have become the standard through which to understand and classify handaxe variability within Britain.
The results of this analysis indicate that resharpening is a key factor in determining handaxe shape and that metrical classification alone can never deliver us the types of tool-specific information necessary to make sense of observed patterning in the archaeological record. This suggests that it is perhaps time to move towards a new analytical framework for handaxes, one in which the fluidity of form during handaxe use-life (Shott, 1989) is taken into account. Moving beyond Roe's (1968) paradigm will allow us to engage with the processes and rhythms of the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic chaine operatoire in a way simply unavailable through metrical classification.


Quantum chemistry calculations at the level of (TD)-DFT plus PCM solvent models are employed for analyzing potential energy surfaces and as a result two local minima with D2, two local minima with C2H, and one second-order transition state with D2H group symmetry are found in both ground S0 and excited-state S1 potential energy surfaces. Simulated vibronic coupling distributions indicate that only second-order transition states with D2H group symmetry are responsible for observed absorption and fluorescence spectra of rubrene and vibrational normal-motions related with atoms on the aromatic backbone are active for vibronic spectra. The Stokes shift 1120 cm 1 (820 cm ) and vibronic-band peak positions in both absorption and fluorescence spectra in non-polar benzene (polar cyclohexane) solvent are well reproduced within the conventional Franck–Condon simulation. By adding damped oscillator correction to Franck–Condon simulation, solvent enhanced vibronic-band intensities and shapes are well reproduced. Four (three) normal modes with vibration frequency around 1550 cm 1 (1350 cm ) related to ring wagging plus CC stretching and CH bend motions on the backbone are actually interpreted for solvent enhanced absorption (fluorescence) spectra of rubrene in benzene and cyclohexane solutions.


A recent report released by the United States Census shows the Hispanic
population in the United States has grown 13% in the past four years, bringing
the total number of Hispanics living in the country to 39.9 million. Hispanics
are now the largest ethnic/minority group in the country, and their population
growth has outpaced that of other immigrant groups in the country, and the
entire U.S. population, four-fold. This trend is expected to continue, and
implications of it can be seen today in the changing faces of America's
work force.


The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor is a calcium ion channel involved in the release of free Ca2+ from intracellular stores. For analysis of the role of IP3-induced Ca2+ release (IICR) on patterning of the embryonic body, monoclonal antibodies that inhibit IICR were produced. Injection of these blocking antibodies into the ventral part of early Xenopus embryos induced modest dorsal differentiation. A close correlation between IICR blocking potencies and ectopic dorsal axis induction frequency suggests that an active IP3-Ca2+ signal may participate in the modulation of ventral differentiation.


The cluster-randomized controlled trial of the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program (K-DPP) demonstrated some significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors and other outcomes. We aimed to refine and improve K-DPP for wider implementation in the Kerala state of India. The specific objectives of the scale-up program were (a) to develop a scalable program delivery model and related capacity building in Kerala and (b) to achieve significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors in the target population. A total of 118 key trainers of a large women's organization trained 15,000 peer leaders in three districts of Kerala. Each of these peer leaders was required to deliver 12 monthly sessions to ~25 people, reaching an estimated total of 375,000 adults over 12 months. We evaluated the number of sessions conducted, the participation of men, and program reach. We also assessed the effectiveness of the program in a random sample of 1,200 adults before and after the intervention and performed a biochemical evaluation on a subsample of 321. Of the 15,222 peer leaders who were trained, 1,475 (9.7%) returned their evaluation forms, of which, 98% reported conducting at least 1 session, 88% ≥6 sessions, and 74% all 12 sessions. Tobacco use among men reduced from 30% to 25% (p = .02) and alcohol use from 40% to 32% (p = .001). Overall, mean waist circumference reduced from 89.5 to 87.5 cm (p < .001). Although there were some study shortcomings, the approach to scale-up and its implementation was quite effective in reaching a large population in Kerala and there were also some significant improvements in key cardiometabolic risk factors following the 1 year intervention.


This article describes the urban system and the urban-rural and inter-urban relations between towns in four Danish regions, especially during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and with a focus on Copenhagen and the provincial centres Odense, Aalborg, and Aarhus. For centuries, the capital drew heavily on resources from many parts of the country, with the region extending roughly 30 kilometres outside of Copenhagen representing the most important catchment area during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Researchers have divided this area into several supply zones that provided different products to the capital. Like Copenhagen, Odense and Aalborg have been undisputed centres of their respective parts of the country since the Middle Ages. The regions surrounding both these cities have rather distinct and stable boundaries. For example, the northernmost part of Jutland, which includes the long river-like Limfjord, has always belonged to the hinterland of Aalborg even though several small market towns are likewise situated along the bay. By contrast, eastern Jutland possessed no provincial centre before Aarhus assumed the role in the nineteenth century. Until that time, many of the towns in this region had relatively well-defined catchment areas, and competition for rural customers was apparently less pronounced than in many other parts of Denmark.


The influence of national administrative institutions on contemporary reforms has often been noted but insufficiently tested. This article enriches the comparative perspective of administrative reform policies by focusing on four interrelated dimensions: the choices of reformers, institutional constraints, timing and sequencing and long-term trajectories. This article tries to determine whether most similar administrative systems exhibit analogous contemporary reform trajectories in content, timing and sequence. By comparing the administrative reform policies of two 'most similar' Napoleonic countries, France and Spain, this article analyses the commonalities and divergences of decentralisation, territorial state reorganisation, civil service reforms and policies that focus on performance management and organisational design. The article identifies the 'causal mechanisms' that characterise the specific role of institutions and considers both the role of context and the importance of policy intersections.


Aim: Although several small-sized retrospective studies have suggested the clinical value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients, its proper application still need further exploration and validation. In a phase III clinical trial in Chinese patients with extensive-stage SCLC, we explored the clinical value of CTCs in predictive and prognostic value. Methods: Blood samples were collected from eighty five patients in this clinical trial, which were randomized to accept etoposide plus lobaplatin (EL) or etoposide plus cisplatin(EP). CTCs from 7.5 ml of blood were analyzed using the CellSearch system at different time points, including prior to the treatment (baseline), after 2 cycles of treatment and disease progression. The relationship between CTC counts and overall survival (OS) was investigated, as well as the clinical significance of CTCs and other validated serum markers. Results: At baseline, ≥5 CTCs/7.5mL blood were 64.7% in the overall patients with 61.7% in the EL arm and 68.4% in the EP arm, however the total rate was decreased to 33.3% after two cycles of treatment with 41.9% in the EL and 23.7% in the EP arms, respectively. The data of CTC counts at disease progression were not mature yet. At baseline as well as after 2 cycles of chemotherapy, the counts of CTC were related with overall survival (OS), the median OS of patients with ≥5 CTCs was significantly shorter than those with 26 months, log rank p 26 months, log rank p<0.0124). In a multivariate analyses, CTCs were demonstrated to be an independent prognostic marker for OS at both baseline (adjusted hazard ratio=0.081, p=0.018) and after 2 cycles of therapy (adjusted HR=0.206; p=0.0249).Moreover statistical significant was found in CA125 after 2 cycles of therapy (adjusted HR=0.208; p=0.0142), but not in CEA and NSE at either time points. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CTC counts at both baseline and after 2 cycles of chemotherapy are an independent prognostic marker in Chinese patients with extensive-stage SCLC. Compared with conventionally validated serum markers, CTCs may have a superior clinical significant in monitoring therapeutic outcomes of Chinese SCLC patients after chemotherapy. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


In genetic modification of plants, once the transformants are obtained, selection markers are no longer required in mature plants. At present, the Cre/lox site-specific recombination system is most widely used to eliminate the selectable marker genes from the transgenic plants. In this study, attempt was made to favour the selection of marker-free plants in the re-transformation method. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) can be directly visualized in living cells, tissues or organisms under UV illumination. This advantage of GFP is exploited in the development of a practical approach in which GFP is used as a visual marker to monitor the removal of the selectable marker gene from transgenic plants. For that purpose, the pGNG binary vector was constructed, in which the GFP gene (gfp) was linked to the expression cassette Nos P-nptII-NosT and the two units were cloned between two directly-orientated lox sites. The CaMV 35S promoter was placed before the first lox site and used to drive GFP expression. The beta-glucuronidase gene (gus) of Escherichia coli was cloned behind the second lox site without a promoter, thus would not be expressed in this position. Tobacco plants were first transformed with pGNG and selected on kanamycin (Kan)-containing media. Regenerated transgenic shoots were readily singled out by GFP fluorescence. The GFP-expressing plants were then re-transformed with pCambia1300-Cre containing hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hpt) as a selectable marker gene. The Cre-mediated recombination resulted in the elimination of lox-flanked genes, herein gfp and nptII, from the plant genome and brought the GUS gene next to the 35S promoter. Our data demonstrated that transgenic plants free of nptII were easily selected by monitoring the loss of green fluorescence, and at the same time, GUS (here as a target protein) was expressed in the nptII-free plants. Finally, hpt and cre were removed from the progenies of the nptII-free plants by gene segregation.


The role of surface spins in the relaxation of magnetization in optically excited Fe(3)O(4) nanocrystals has been investigated via time-resolved Faraday rotation measurements. The time scale of the magnetization recovery following the optically induced demagnetization increased from 250 to 350 ps as the size of the nanocrystals increased from 5 to 15 nm. From analysis of the data with a simple model relating the spin-lattice relaxation rate to the average spin-orbit coupling strength of the interior and surface spins, we estimated the relative efficiency of surface in spin-lattice relaxation with respect to the interior spins. Our analysis indicates that, in Fe(3)O(4) nanocrystals passivated with oleic acid, the surface is 3 times more efficient in spin-lattice relaxation than the interior.


Recent advances in consumer research have shown that the billing schedule has a significant impact on consumer decisions and consumption patterns. The strategy of devising different billing schedules to influence a customer's purchase decision (or choice of consumption pattern) is well accepted, and should be effective as long as billing schedules are exactly the same as the perceived payment outlays. Payment card technology makes the payment time perceived by consumers ambiguous and may enable the decoupling of payment outlay and billing schedule. If the decoupling hypothesis is supported, customers will no longer be subject to mental account manipulation by the payment scheme. Working with a large electronic payment service provider, we conducted a survey to collect data on usage and perception of payment cards in late 2003. Our results strongly support the decoupling hypothesis, and firms need to rethink their bundling and pricing strategies based on billing schedules. The possible use of this decoupling phenomenon to increase the willingness to pay of consumers and other managerial implications are discussed.


We investigated the effect of silicide formation on ion-induced nanopatterning of silicon with various ultrathin metal coatings. Silicon substrates coated with 10 nm Ni, Fe, and Cu were irradiated with 200 eV argon ions at normal incidence. Real time grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) were performed during the irradiation process and real time measurements revealed threshold conditions for nanopatterning of silicon at normal incidence irradiation. Three main stages of the nanopatterning process were identified. The real time GISAXS intensity of the correlated peaks in conjunction with XRF revealed that the nanostructures remain for a time period after the removal of the all the metal atoms from the sample depending on the binding energy of the metal silicides formed. Ex-situ XPS confirmed the removal of all metal impurities. In-situ XPS during the irradiation of Ni, Fe, and Cu coated silicon substrates at normal incidence demonstrated phase separation and the formation of different silicide phases that occur upon metal-silicon mixing. Silicide formation leads to nanostructure formation due the preferential erosion of the non-silicide regions and the weakening of the ion induced mass redistribution.


Objective: This study examined the ability of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) to differentiate between autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and typically developing (TD) children. Method: Children (Mage = 11.27 years, SDage = 3.28) identified with ASD Severity Levels "1" and/or "2" (n = 28), ADHD (n = 44), dual diagnoses of ADHD and ASD (n = 29), and TD (n = 61) were assessed using the SCQ. Results: The SCQ differentiated between ASD and non-ASD groups. Children with ASD had higher total and domain scores on the SCQ than ADHD and TD children. The optimal cutoff total score of 13 was identified for differentiating between ASD and ADHD groups (area under the curve [AUC] = .96). Twenty eight of the 39 items were identified as significant in differentiating between ASD and ADHD. Conclusion: The SCQ continues to be a well-validated screening tool for ASD and is suitable for determining whether further ASD assessment is warranted in children with ADHD symptoms.


The ultimate purpose of CRM, like any organizational initiative, is to increase profit. In the case of CRM this is achieved mainly by providing a better service to your customers than your competitors. CRM not only improves the service to customers though; a good CRM capability will also reduce costs, wastage, and complaints Effective CRM also reduces staff stress, because attrition - a major cause of stress - reduces as services and relationships improve. CRM enables instant market research as well: opening the lines of communications with customers gives direct constant market reaction to the products, services and performance, far better than any market survey. Good CRM also helps to grow business:  customers stay longer; customer churn rates reduce; referrals to new customers increase from increasing numbers of satisfied customers; demand reduces on fire-fighting and trouble-shooting staff, and overall the organization's service flows and teams work more efficiently and more happily, as cited the case of Airtel Magic at Bharti in this study.


Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been implicated in the regulation of vascular tone in various pathological conditions. To examine the effect of in vivo overexpression of the peptide in rats, we prepared recombinant adenovirus stocks encoding the human preproET-1 cDNA (Ad.ET-1) or Escherichia coli lacZ (Ad.betaGal), each driven by cytomegalovirus early promoter. Ad.ET-1 or Ad.betaGal was injected into the caudal vein of rats and the animals were studied under anesthesia 96 h later. Hepatic overexpression of the virus-derived human ET-1 mRNA was accompanied by a 13-fold elevation of liver ET-1 content in the Ad.ET-1 group. Circulating plasma ET-1 levels in the Ad.ET-1 group were sixfold higher than those in the Ad.betaGal group. Mean arterial blood pressure was increased by 28 mmHg in the Ad.ET-1 group as compared with the Ad.betaGal group. In the Ad.ET-1 group, intravenous infusion of the ET(A) receptor antagonist FR 139317 reduced the blood pressure to levels seen in the Ad.betaGal group, whereas the same antagonist did not significantly alter the blood pressure in the Ad.betaGal group. Intravenous infusion of the ET(B) receptor antagonist BQ-788 caused a small but significant increase in blood pressure in both groups. These findings demonstrate that endogenous overexpression of preproET-1, accompanied by an elevation of plasma ET-1 concentrations to the levels seen in pathophysiological states, can cause systemic hypertension through the activation of the ETA receptor.


Bio-inspired pinecone-like bioactive glasses consisting of ordered thin-layers separated by consistent cavities were synthesized using a sol-gel process. The short diameter of the as-produced particles was as short as 161 nm, and the surface area was as high as 280 m2 g-1. The pore volume, ranging from ∼0.74 cm3 g-1 to ∼0.67 cm3 g-1, could be modulated by the aqueous ammonia concentration. The surface was further tailored for positive charges by amino grafting. The as-produced nanoparticles could successfully enter cells via endocytosis. The microRNA delivery of the bioactive glass particles was further investigated by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, indicating a loading efficiency and transfection efficiency greater than 90%. The potential of such particles as drug carriers was also studied. CCK8, live-dead cell staining and PI/annexinV double staining analyses confirmed that the bioactive glass particles loaded with antitumour doxorubicin (DOX) significantly accelerated the apoptosis of tumour cells. These bio-inspired bioactive glasses are promising as novel vectors for drug and microRNA delivery with high efficiency.


Immigrant entrepreneurs are an important and growing segment of Canada's startup scene. They contribute to the Canadian economy and lower unemployment rates by creating job opportunities through their ventures. However, they face a challenge in receiving funding from local investors in the initial stages of their startup. Angel investors are experienced professionals with an extensive network in the entrepreneurial ecosystem who specialize in early stage funding. Increasing engagement between Angels and immigrant entrepreneurs can create greater opportunities for the immigrant community in Canada and help Angels diversify their portfolio. The objective of this research is to adapt the Investment Decision Making Criteria for Angels (IDMCA) to analyze the factors that influence an Angel's decision making process, and determine whether these factors are moderated by an entrepreneur's immigrant status. Results from the study have shown that the Passion & Commitment (P&C), Integrity & Trust (I&T), and Open-mind & Adaptability (O&A) are important factors for an Angel's decision making in respect to immigrant startups, whereas Industry Experience (IE), Track Record (TR), and Technology Knowledge (TK) are not important factors.


Automatic hydrochemical logging and in situ titration combined withlaboratory analysis were used to understand the spatial and temporal hydrochemical variations of the spring-fed, travertine-depositing stream in celebrated Huanglong Ravine, Sichuan, SW China. This is essential for protection of the Huanglong World Natural Heritage travertine landscape. It was found that the deposition of travertine was due to very strong CO 2 degassing from the water, leading to decrease in pCO 2 and specific conductivity (SpC), and increase in pH and SIc downstream from the Spring. However, regular downstream hydrochemical evolution was interrupted by dilution withsnow-melt water and by renewed CO 2 from some downstream springs. The chemistry of Huanglong Spring itself was stable at a diurnal scale thoughit was altered by the great Wenchuan earthquake of May 12 2008. However, in spring-fed pools downstream, pCO 2 and SpC were lower, and pH and SIc were higher in daytime than at night, whichindicates that the deposition of travertine was faster during the daylight hours. This was due to the combined effects of higher water temperatures and higher aquatic algae photosynthesis. In addition, it was found that the phosphate concentration in the stream increased remarkably downstream in the tourist midseason, indicating water pollution by tourism activities. The increase of phosphate (an inhibitor of calcite precipitation) may be one of the reasons for the decrease in travertine deposition rates and accelerated propagation of discoloration by diatoms during the past decades, whichneeds to be given more comprehensive study and tackled in future for the protection of these world famous travertine deposits.


Gene expression variance has been linked to organismal function and fitness but remains a commonly ne-glected aspect of molecular research. As a result, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the patterns of transcriptional variance across genes, and how this variance is linked to context-specific gene regulation and gene function. Here, we use 57 large publicly available RNA-seq data sets to investigate the landscape of gene expression variance. These studies cover a wide range of tissues and allowed us to assess if there are consistently more or less variable genes across tissues and data sets and what mechanisms drive these patterns. We show that gene expression variance is broadly similar across tissues and studies, indicating that the pattern of transcriptional variance is consistent. We use this similarity to create both global and within-tissue rankings of variation, which we use to show that function, sequence variation, and gene regulatory signatures contribute to gene expression variance. Low-variance genes are associated with fundamental cell processes and have lower levels of genetic polymorphisms, have higher gene-gene connectivity, and tend to be associated with chromatin states associated with transcription. In contrast, high-variance genes are enriched for genes involved in immune response, environmentally responsive genes, immediate early genes, and are associated with higher levels of polymorphisms. These results show that the pattern of transcriptional variance is not noise. Instead, it is a consistent gene trait that seems to be functionally constrained in human populations. Furthermore, this commonly neglected aspect of molecular phenotypic variation harbors important information to understand complex traits and disease. Author Summary Gene expression variance, or the variation in the level of gene expression within a population, can have significant impacts on physiology, disease, and evolutionary adaptations. While the average level of gene expression is typically the focus of research, the variation around this average level (i.e., gene expression variance) can also be important for understanding complex traits and disease. Here, we investigate the landscape of transcriptional variance across tissues, populations, and studies. Using large publicly available RNA-seq data sets, we were able to identify the general properties associated with high- and low-variance genes, as well as factors driving variation in variance across genes. Specifically, we uncovered gene expression variance was significantly associated with gene length, nucleotide diversity, the degree of connectivity and the presence of non-coding RNA. Our results suggest that the mechanisms responsible for maintaining optimal levels of variation in high-versus low-variance differ, and that this variability is the result of different patterns of selection.


The article addresses the process of heritage-making in a locality characterized by complex histories of forced and voluntary mobility in a form of colonization, migration and tourism. It focuses on the eruption of discontent concerning a restoration of local memorial site for dead Japanese colonizers in a small county within the north-eastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang. Using the concept of heritage controversy, the article presents a detailed analysis of successive phases of events dubbed "memorial drama" in order to situate the dissonance in heritage-making within the wider social processes of mobility, development and change in the rural county. In tracing the local attempts to expand the officially sanctioned messages behind the memorial site, as well as their failure, the article argues that alternative voices in otherwise strictly controlled heritage-making exists in China, despite being highly sensitive to changing political climate and popular opinion.


Background: Correction of the uremic state by a functioning allograft often restores fertility in women of reproductive age. The rate of fertility significantly differs between industrial countries, developing and middle east countries. On the other hand the results of pregnancy in Kidney Transplantation (KTP) patients are significantly better than hemodialysis patients, and pregnancy most often has no side effects on the function of the transplanted kidney. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the rate of fertility and results of pregnancy among KTP women, and the assessment of the function of transplanted kidneys during pregnancy among those who have received kidneys in Golestan Hospital from 1996 to 2003. Methods: All the transplanted women in child bearing age who were interested in accepting pregnancy were involved in this study. After pregnancy, all the patients were visited twice a month until the 32nd week of pregnancy and their histories were taken and regular clinical examination and necessary paraclinical assessments were carried out. After the 32nd week, they were visited weekly and other necessary assessments were done in addition to previous measures. Taking immunosuppressive drugs was continued with a minor dose reduction and consumption of harmful drugs like some antihypertensives was prohibited. Results: 16 out of 48 women who were at child bearing age and were interested in pregnancy got pregnant and totally 22 cases of pregnancy occurred. Four cases resulted in spontaneous or therapeutic abortion and 3 out of 18 remaining cases had intrauterine fetal death and the others had successful pregnancy. The most common complication was LBW and following that premature labor. Maternal complications were no more than the general population and the function of the transplanted kidney had no decline in most of the cases. Conclusion: Based on what was mentioned, it is concluded that successful KTP can increase the chance of pregnancy and in order to improve the results of pregnancy, it is necessary to prepare ideal conditions especially for the transplanted kidney before pregnancy, while pregnancy does not produce any decline in the function of the transplanted kidney.


WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT
The prediction of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) from in vitro data usually utilizes an average dosing interval estimate of inhibitor concentration in an equation-based static model. Simcyp®, a population-based ADME simulator, is becoming widely used for the prediction of DDIs and has the ability to incorporate the time-course of inhibitor concentration and hence generate a temporal profile of the inhibition process within a dynamic model.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
Prediction of DDIs for 35 clinical studies incorporating a representative range of drug-drug interactions, with multiple studies across different inhibitors and victim drugs. Assessment of whether the inclusion of the time course of inhibition in the dynamic model improves prediction in comparison with the static model. Investigation of the impact of different inhibitor and victim drug parameters on DDI prediction accuracy including dosing time and the inclusion of active metabolites. Assessment of ability of the dynamic model to predict inter-individual variability in the DDI magnitude.

AIMS
Static and dynamic models (incorporating the time course of the inhibitor) were assessed for their ability to predict drug-drug interactions (DDIs) using a population-based ADME simulator (Simcyp®V8). The impact of active metabolites, dosing time and the ability to predict inter-individual variability in DDI magnitude were investigated using the dynamic model.

METHODS
Thirty-five in vivo DDIs involving azole inhibitors and benzodiazepines were predicted using the static and dynamic model; both models were employed within Simcyp for consistency in parameters. Simulations comprised of 10 trials with matching population demographics and dosage regimen to the in vivo studies. Predictive utility of the static and dynamic model was assessed relative to the inhibitor or victim drug investigated.

RESULTS
Use of the dynamic and static models resulted in comparable prediction success, with 71 and 77% of DDIs predicted within two-fold, respectively. Over 40% of strong DDIs (>five-fold AUC increase) were under-predicted by both models. Incorporation of the itraconazole metabolite into the dynamic model resulted in increased prediction accuracy of strong DDIs (80% within two-fold). Bias and imprecision in prediction of triazolam DDIs were higher in comparison with midazolam and alprazolam; >50% of triazolam DDIs were under-predicted regardless of the model used. Predicted inter-individual variability in the AUC ratio (coefficient of variation of 45%) was consistent with the observed variability (50%).

CONCLUSIONS
High prediction accuracy was observed using both the Simcyp dynamic and static models. The differences observed with the dose staggering and the incorporation of active metabolite highlight the importance of these variables in DDI prediction.


INTRODUCTION
The infundibular dilatation (ID) of the posterior communicating (PCom) artery is defined as the conic, triangular or infundibular shaped, less than 3mm wide, origin of the PCom artery from the internal carotid artery. The purpose of this paper is to present the personal experience in the microsurgical management of the ID, to review the literature and to propose some algorithms to improve its clinical and microsurgical management.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Nine cases of ID have been operated on through a pterional approach. In four patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) the ID was considered as the potential source of the bleeding; in four cases the ID was treated after a SAH due to the rupture of an aneurysm; finally, an ID was treated in patient with diagnosis of pseudoxantoma elasticum.

RESULTS
In eight cases the ID was clipped and the Pcom artery subsequently occluded and in the remaining case the ID was associated with a fetal PComA and the ID was reinforced. There were no complications excepting a transitory third cranial nerve paresis. The Glasgow Outcome Scale was 5 in all cases at discharge and one year later.

CONCLUSIONS
The true significance of the ID remains unknown, but in some instances it is necessary to consider its management: 1. In patients with ruptured aneurysms submitted to microsurgical clipping and with an ipsilateral ID, the lesion must be explored and treated; 2. In patients with ruptured aneurysms treated with endovascular procedures or harbouring an ID contralateral to a microsurgically treated aneurysm, the microsurgical indication will be done after considering all risk factors; 3. In patients with SAH and an ID as the only potential source of the bleeding there would be an indication for microsurgical exploration; 4. The incidental finding of an ID should be indication for observation in absence of major risk factors.


Reports of geomagnetic activity for the first quarter of 1944 have been received from a sufficient number of magnetic observatories so that the international quiet and disturbed days may be selected in accordance with the method outlined on pages 219–227 in the December 1943 issue of this JOURNAL. The selection is based on the reports of magnetic character on a scale of 0, 1, and 2 from 35 observatories and of K-indices from 23 observatories.


Background: A definitive treatment of SARS CoV-2 is yet to arrive and the human death toll rises exponentially globally. In this health emergency, it might be useful to look into the old therapies which could be effective against the virus. In vitro research showed Ivermectin could decrease the concentration of coronavirus 4000 to 5000 folds in living lung tissue. Aim: In this prospective study a combination of Ivermectin and Doxycycline will be evaluated therapeutically to treat COVID-19 patients. Methods: 100 COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study with a predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. RTPCR of the SERS-CoV-2 will be done at designated government hospitals. The clinical features and response to treatment were noted according to a dedicated protocol. Results: In this study male and female were 64 and 36 respectively, the age ranged between 8 to 84 years. Retesting was done between 4 and 18 days of starting medication. All patients tested negative and their symptoms improved within 72 hours. There were no noticeable side effects. Conclusion: Combination of Ivermectin and doxycycline was found to be very effective in viral clearance in mild and moderately sick COVID-19 patients. Medical societies and institutions should undertake larger multi center studies to validate and recommend this combination therapy to include in national guidelines.


This paper presents vibration-assisted insertion of flexible neural electrodes with bio-dissolvable guides to deliver accurate microprobe insertion with minimized tissue damage. Invasive flexible neural microprobe is an important new tool for neuromodulation and recording research for medical neurology treatment applications. Flexible neural electrode probes are susceptible to bending and buckling during surgical implantation due to the thin and flexible soft substrates. Inspired by insects in nature, a vibration-assisted insertion technique is developed for flexible neural electrode insertion to deliver accurate microprobe insertion with minimized tissue damage. A three-dimensional combined longitudinal-twisting (L&T) vibration is used to reduce the insertion friction force, and thus reducing soft tissue damage. To reduce the flexible microelectrode buckling during surgical insertion, a bio-dissolvable Polyethylene glycol (PEG) guide is developed for the enhancement of flexible neural probe stiffness. Combining these two methods, the insertion performance of the flexible neural probe is significantly improved. Both the in vitro and the in vivo experiments were conducted to validate the proposed techniques.


Eccrine pore carcinoma is an infrequent malign skin tumour that derives from the eccrine sweat glands, it fundamentally affects persons of advanced age, its growth is slow and it is predominantly located in the lower extremities. Its high malignancy and its potentiality for giving rise to distant metastasis makes it necessary to carry out aggressive surgical treatments with lymphadenectomies of the ganglion chains. There are no more than 300 tumours of this type described in the literature. Our study examines 9 cases detected in Navarra in the last ten years and analyses its clinical and histopathological behaviour. The chosen surgical treatment was extirpation with safety margins of 2 cm; we did not carry out prophylactic lymphadenectomies. At present the survival rate of patients is 100% and only in one of the series has a lymphatic metastasis been detected.


In Reply:—I thank Dr. Barasch for his insightful comments and for this opportunity to clarify my statement regarding the priority for confirmatory research. Actually, we agree that both laboratory and clinical research findings are strengthened, challenged, or refuted by further studies, and that subtle effects or those which are heavily dependent on the exact conditions of the experiment absolutely require confirmation. In my own field of interest, I note that it took very few studies to establish that the analgesic potency of epidural morphine greatly exceeded that of systemic delivery, but dozens of studies to establish that potency of epidural fentanyl differed little from that of systemic delivery. At this point, it would be very unlikely that yet another study comparing epidural to systemic morphine or fentanyl would meaningfully add to our understanding of analgesic potency, although other factors which were not previously examined in depth, such as opioid-induced immune modulation, might justify such a comparison. My point in the editorial was not that confirmatory research was not wanted in this journal, but rather that we would consider articles addressing the study topics of the retracted papers as being entirely novel rather than confirmatory. I also thank Dr. Barasch for the suggestion regarding electronic publication of selected articles, and we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of creating this second class of article within our Editorial Board. As I have quickly observed, this journal, like others in medical science, must continuously and critically review its processes and products to better serve the research and clinical practice communities.


: Peritoneal washings were performed on 48 patients with suspected or known ovarian carcinoma. The procedure was part of the initial surgical staging in 27 patients with presumed stage I and II ovarian cancer and was performed during second-look operations in 21 other cases with proven ovarian malignancy. This paper presents the microscopic features of the washings, with particular emphasis on the cytologic differentiation between benign and malignant findings outside of the ovary. Thirty-four cases showed benign or reactive mesothelial cells and no evidence of peritoneal disease. The washings of six patient showed malignant cells, which were confirmed histologically. Notable atypia that mimicked ovarian carcinoma was found in eight patients who had benign or borderline lesions. These findings included papillary and glandlike epithelial structures, with varying degrees of cellular atypia and psammoma bodies. The histologic counterparts of these atypicalities were Mullerian inclusions, mesothelial proliferations and borderline serous tumors. The differential diagnosis between these entities is essential because false-positive cytologic diagnoses may alter postoperative treatment in some patients.


Erythrocytes must maintain a biconcave discoid shape in order to efficiently operate and serve an important physiological role in an organism. The erythrocyte can be viewed as a toroidal dielectrophoretic (DEP) electromagnetic field (EMF)-driven cell that maintains its zeta potential via a dielectric constant (chloride anion) that resides between a negatively charged membrane surface and a positively charged Stern layer. There are ferromagnetic (iron) and ferroelectric (chloride anion) influences that may be crucial to the maintenance of this zeta potential. We hypothesize that within this uniquely shaped cell resides an interesting geometric mathematical measure, the Golden Ratio, that houses a DEP EMF may be driven/fueled by the zeta potential and may be critical for the efficient recycling of CO2 and the delivery of O2 to organisms.


This paper will examine the Costa Rican expression "pura vida". This expression, which has come to represent Costa Rica itself, is literally seen and heard everywhere in the country. Even though a superficial interpretation of these two words may be as simple as "hello," "good-bye," "thank you" or "you're welcome," a close study of how the expression is used reveals that it is far more elaborate and complex than it appears. It is quite possible that not even Costa Ricans genuinely understand all the potential meanings that the expression "pura vida" embraces.


Summary A transect across the passive margin SW of Rockall Plateau was drilled during DSDP Leg 81. Site 555 was located on continental crust of the Rockall Plateau. Sites 552 and 553 were located over the wedge of dipping reflectors, and Site 554 drilled the outer high at the transition from the thick wedge of dipping reflectors to normal oceanic crust. New trace-element and Pb-isotope data are presented which characterize three basalt types: (1) Dipping reflector basalts resemble depleted N-type MORBs, strongly depleted in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and other incompatible elements; they have been contaminated by U-depleted continental crust, or alternatively derived from depleted subcontinental lithosphere. (2) Outer high basalts are less strongly depleted N-type MORB and show no evidence of crustal contamination. (3) Site 552 basalts postdate the onset of subsidence of SW Rockall margin; they are relatively evolved N-type MORB derived from a source similar to that of the outer high basalts but show evidence of crustal contamination. Genesis of the dipping reflector basalts is best explained by a stretching/rifting model, not the 'subaerial seafloor spreading' model.


We study one-dimensional intersections of M5 branes with M5 and M2 branes. On the worldvolume of the M5-brane, such an intersection appears as a string soliton. We study this worldvolume theory in two different regimes: (1) Where the world-volume theory is formulated in flat space and (2) where the world-volume theory is studied in the supergravity background produced by a stack of M5 (or M2) branes. In both cases, we study the corresponding string solitons, and find the most general BPS configuration consistent with the fraction of supersymmetries preserved. We argue that M5 and M2 brane intersections leave different imprints on the world-volume theory of the intersecting probe brane, although geometrically they appear to be similar.


Based on the analysis of volleyball spiking actionÂ's characteristics of runup, stop-jump and stroke withwinging the arm, this text provides guidance to biomechanics and kinetic analysis on volleyball spiking techniques. Using biomechanical principles to analyze the varying pattern in each joint angle of lower limbs in the process of stop-jump of volleyball spiking technique, to drawthe conclusion that the strength training of smallmuscles and calf muscles should be attached importance to in the process of stopjump of volleyball spiking technique. Through group experiment and analysis of experiment data, to explore characteristics of biological mechanics parameters of each joint of lower limbs of those knee joint injuries in the process of landing after stroke of jumping after a sudden stop, and then know influence the knee joint damage based on the analysis of angle makes to the buffer and stretch stage of stop-jump.


Based on the analysis of problems of diamond cut-off wheels used in slot grinding of ceramics at present, a brazed diamond cut-off wheel was produced and analyzed. Two typical advanced ceramics, alumina and silicon nitride, were used as the workpiece materials. In the experiments of slot grinding of ceramics, grinding ratio, wear process of the wheel and grinding quality of the work were studied. Experimental results showed that the brazed diamond cut-off wheel obtained good grinding ratio and abrasive resistance. The surface roughness of ground silicon nitride was better than that of alumina.


Response characteristics of neurons in each column of the primary auditory cortex (Al) of Mongolian gerbils were studied by single‐unit recording. Tone‐burst stimuli were presented to the ear contralateral to the recording side. During a near‐radial microelectrode penetration of Al in steps of 100 μm, best frequencies (BFs), best thresholds, best amplitudes (BAs), latencies, tuning curves, and Q10 dB's, defined as BF/(frequency bandwidth 10 dB above the best threshold), were measured. Neurons in single penetrations had similar BFs, showing columnar organization of frequency, but had various values of best thresholds (19.1–81.3 dB SPL), BAs (44.9–102.1 dB SPL), latencies (5–80 ms), and Q10 dB's (0.34–17.53). There was a tendency for high Q10 dB's to be located around layer IV, while there was no tendency in the distribution of low Q10 dB's, best thresholds, and BAs. These results provide a layer specificity of tuning properties within a single column of frequency.


The use of images of students from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds in college recruitment materials presents a seemingly difficult dilemma. Should colleges and universities use diversity in recruitment materials to try and attract students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds even if those images do not accurately represent the amount of diversity at the university? To discover student perceptions relating to this question, I used a mixed-methods approach in which I surveyed 117 students and then interviewed 10 survey participants. Survey and interview questions were based on utilitarian versus deontological ethics with an emphasis on whether exaggerating diversity in recruitment materials is ethl. The results of this exploratory study showed that most students believe using a disproportionate amount of diversity in recruitment materials is unethical. Student participants who identified as a person from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group indicated that it is unethical to exaggerate diversity in recruitment materials at a higher percentage than their white counterparts. This is likely because people from underrepresented backgrounds face a much higher risk of harm from misleading recruitment materials than their white peers.


Participatory Action Research (PAR) insists upon the importance of democratiz- ing social inquiry by actively engaging the subject in the design and conduct of research. Drawing on four examples of PAR-based social science and a demo- cratic reconstruction of "epistemic privilege," this article argues that philoso- phers need to take seriously PAR's notion that democratic norms should guide social inquiry. But it does not advocate replacing mainstream or expert-directed social science by PAR. Instead, it maintains that it is both possible and sensible for PAR practitioners to collaborate with conventional research. Indeed, certain forms of nonparticipatory social science seem indispensable for any extensive application of the PAR framework. The article concludes by drawing out its (controversial) implications for two central issues in the philosophy of social sci- ence: first, that the methods of social inquiry are distinct from those in the natu- ral sciences and, second, that there is a sense in which social research can and should be "value neutral."


Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines with a key role in the control of cell trafficking and positioning under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. D6 is a promiscuous 7‐transmembrane‐domain receptor expressed on lymphatic vessels which recognizes most inflammatory, but not homeostatic, CC chemokines. In vitro experiments demonstrated that D6 is unable to signal after ligand engagement, and it is structurally adapted to sustain rapid and efficient ligand internalization and degradation. These unique functional properties lead to the hypothesis that D6 may be involved in the control of inflammation by acting as a decoy and scavenger receptor for inflammatory chemokines. Consistent with this hypothesis, here we report that D6–/– mice showed an anticipated and exacerbated inflammatory response in a model of skin inflammation. Moreover, the absence of D6 resulted in increase cellularity and inflammatory‐chemokine levels in draining lymph nodes. Thus, D6 is a decoy receptor structurally adapted and strategically located to tune tissue inflammation and control transfer of inflammatory chemokines to draining lymph nodes.


In this study we present a direct comparison between residual strain measurements carried out on the same inertia friction weld using ENGIN-X at ISIS, UK and the new strain scanner SALSA at ILL, France. ENGIN-X is a time of flight (TOF) instrument, which receives neutrons from a neutron spallation source, while the SALSA Strain-Imager, a high resolution diffractometer, is based at a research reactor source with a continuous neutron flux and is operated with a constant wavelength. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a confidence in crosscomparing future strain measurements to be performed at ENGIN-X and SALSA. Measurements were carried out on medium size inertia friction welded nickel superalloy test-piece, which show no significant crystallographic texture across the weld line. The results demonstrate that, even though residual stresses determined on SALSA only rely on a single peak analysis (in this case the (111) reflection), the results show excellent agreement with the measurements carried out on ENGIN-X, where strain is determined from multi-peak Rietveld analysis.


The Politics of Religion in an Age of Revival: Studies in Nineteenth-Century Europe and Latin America. Edited by Austen Ivereigh. [NineteenthCentury Latin American Series, No. 5.] (London: Institute of Latin American Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London. Available through the Institute of Latin American Studies, 31 Tavistock Square, London WC 1H 9HA. 2000. Pp. viii, 223. 12.00 or $19.95 paperback.) The Institute of Latin American Studies promotes closer investigation into what it feels is a neglected period in Latin American Studies, the nineteenth century. The focus in this collection of essays from a symposium presented by the Institute is on the Church/State conflict and does indeed suggest that much work remains to be done on this important subject. Dynamic leadership and bold initiatives experienced by the Catholic Church in its Revival made Catholics determined to play a prominent role in the development of their respective countries. This was not viewed benignly by secular-minded liberals. The standard interpretation of the ensuing conflict is derived from the republican position: liberalism advanced all that was positive and desirable, religion was a hindrance. Such is far from the whole truth. Margaret Lavinia Anderson lucidly describes important characteristics of the Revival in Europe, beginning with the vigorous assertion of papal authority. Other elements including schools, associations, and Catholic participation in politics are described as "the divisions of the pope. " James E McMillan cogently argues that in France republicans precipitated the quarrel with their anticlerical measures to circumscribe the role of religion in national life, then were infuriated by the Catholic opposition liberals termed "clericalism," meaning "illicit interference on the part of the clergy in the sphere of politics and public life.' Religion and French political philosophy both constituted major influences in Latin America. However, Eric Van Young illustrates how indifferent or ignorant of the true desires of the masses their purported leaders were during the struggle for independence in Mexico and later. Indians were motivated by traditional and spiritual attitudes which may be traced back to pre-Columbian origins, not the French Revolution. (Still, it is curious that there is no discussion of the influence of the sixteenth-century missionaries and their millenarian ideals in the evolution of the Indian concept of a messiah-king. …


Background Proteins arise from splicing of pre-mRNA using either the U2 spliceosome (most proteins); or the U12 spliceosome. The latter is believed to be less efficient, and it has been reported that autoantigens are much more likely than control proteins to use the U12 spliceosome. We set out to extend this work, and using new databases and a better contemporary understanding of splicing, to address the splicing mechanisms used for commonly encountered autoantigens. Materials and methods We compared splicing characteristics of the UniProt autoantigen database with total genomic proteins, using the approach of Parada et al. (Nucleic Acids Res. 42:10564, 2014). Using this method, splice sites are given a "fit" score reflecting their fit to canonical scoring matrices for the two types of introns. We also determined the number of introns per gene and the average intron length. Results We confirmed that autoantigens had more U12 spliceosome usage, although the difference was only twofold, much less than in the one previous study (Ng et. al., J All Clin Immunol 114:1463, 2004). Autoantigens had increased average number of introns per gene (24 vs 12) and an increase in noncanonical dinucleotides at the splice site. When they were scored for "problematic" splices, autoantigens were three fold more likely to have problematic introns (39% vs 13%). Conclusions Genes encoding autoantigens have more introns and more "problematic" introns than control proteins. This may result in greater numbers of splicing errors, giving rise to proteins toward which tolerance has not been established. This model predicts autoantigenic epitopes to be near splice sites and should encourage studies of more extensive databases of autoantigens to extend analysis. Acknowledgements Supported by grants from NIAMS and the Alliance for Lupus Research (PLC)


Lemon grass is broadly used in medicine, perfumery industry, vitamin A manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. The need for lemon grass oil, especially in human health and its problem of extracting the oil, have directed this paper in designing a mechanical system that will be used to extract and separate lemon grass oil. The extraction of essential oil from lemon grass was done using direct steam distillation process. In all, three concepts were developed based on the orientation of the condensers, source of power, and method of oil production. The three (3) concepts were evaluated and the best concept was selected as the final design. Design analysis was performed on each part to determine their specification, the material to be used and manufacturing processes for the fabrication. Two tests were performed to determine the performance of machine and the quality of the oil produced. From the results, it can be established that the prototype machine developed can be used to extract lemon grass oil from the leaves. The efficiencies were then computed and favorable results were obtained. Also, the results obtained for the four tests responded positive given an indication of the pureness of the oil. It can then be concluded that the prototype machine developed can be used to extract lemon grass oil from the leaves and its efficiency ranges from 2.37 to 3.95 ml/kg and it is economically viable, effective and efficient.


In fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, maternal IgG antibodies directed against platelets pass into the fetal circulation and lead to the destruction of fetal platelets. Fetal thrombocytopenia is usually first noted postnatally, but the maternal alloantibodies may lead to severe fetal haemorrhage in utero in the second or, more commonly, third trimester. Platelet-specific antibodies appear to play the major role in the pathogenesis of fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. Antenatal serological diagnosis is complicated by the fact that no platelet-specific alloantibodies are detectable in untreated maternal serum in about 20% of cases. Even when antibodies are detected, repeated estimation of the titre in the mother gives no indication of the severity of the fetal thrombocytopenia. Therefore, when the diagnosis of fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is suspected, it should be confirmed and subsequently monitored by cordocentesis. The intrauterine transfusion of compatible platelets and the administration of high dose IgG infusions to the mother and/or fetus are currently being used as approaches to treatment. Despite advances in the antenatal diagnosis and therapy of fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, the clinical effects on the fetus remain unpredictable.


A water-soluble β-cyclodextrin polymer synthesized by crosslinking β-cyclodextrin with epichlorohydrin and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride allowed the stabilization of ruthenium nanoparticles not only in basic aqueous medium but also in acidic medium. The aqueous ruthenium colloidal suspensions obtained with this polymer were active as catalysts for the hydrogenation of a large variety of unsaturated compounds including aromatic or fatty acids. The recycling of this catalytic system was attested through ten consecutive runs without loss of stability and activity, demonstrating its robustness.


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulate a variety of intracellular events, but their role in osteoblast adhesion and spreading remains unclear. ROS is a very‐known physiological modulators of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases activities, mainly to low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMW‐PTP) activity. As this biological mechanism is not clear in osteoblast adhesion, we decided to investigate ROS levels and phosphorylations of FAK and Src, identifying these proteins as potential substrates to LMW‐PTP activity. Our results showed that during osteoblast adhesion/spreading (30 min and 2 h of seeding) the intracellular ROS content (hydrogen peroxide) is finely regulated by an effective anti‐oxidant system [catalase and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activities were evaluated]. During the first 30 min of adhesion, there was an increase in ROS production and a concomitant increase in focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity after its phosphorylation at Tyrosine 397 (Y397). Moreover, after 2 h there was a decrease in ROS content and FAK phosphorylation. There was no significant change in LMW‐PTP expression at 30 min or 2 h. In order to validate our hypothesis that LMW‐PTP is able to control FAK activity by modulating its phosphorylation status, we decided to overexpress and silence LMW‐PTP in this context. Our results showed that FAK phosphorylation at Y397 was increased and decreased in osteoblasts with silenced or overexpressed LMW‐PTP, respectively. Together, these data show that ROS modulate FAK phosphorylation by an indirect way, suggesting that a LMW‐PTP/FAK supra‐molecular complex is involved in transient responses during osteoblast adhesion and spreading. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 1063–1069, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Offline policy evaluation is a fundamental statistical problem in reinforcement learning that involves estimating the value function of some decision-making policy given data collected by a potentially different policy. In order to tackle problems with complex, high-dimensional observations, there has been significant interest from theoreticians and practitioners alike in understanding the possibility of function approximation in reinforcement learning. Despite significant study, a sharp characterization of when we might expect offline policy evaluation to be tractable, even in the simplest setting of linear function approximation, has so far remained elusive, with a surprising number of strong negative results recently appearing in the literature. In this work, we identify simple control-theoretic and linear-algebraic conditions that are necessary and sufficient for classical methods, in particular Fitted Q-iteration (FQI) and least squares temporal difference learning (LSTD), to succeed at offline policy evaluation. Using this characterization, we establish a precise hierarchy of regimes under which these estimators succeed. We prove that LSTD works under strictly weaker conditions than FQI. Furthermore, we establish that if a problem is not solvable via LSTD, then it cannot be solved by a broad class of linear estimators, even in the limit of infinite data. Taken together, our results provide a complete picture of the behavior of linear estimators for offline policy evaluation, unify previously disparate analyses of canonical algorithms, and provide significantly sharper notions of the underlying statistical complexity of offline policy evaluation.


A book collection in corpore is usually used to describe a historically formed, indivisible collection of books having a historic, scientific and cultural value. Specialized research on this topic in Lithuania has been scanty, if any, with the exception of research conducted on acquiring and storing book collections in libraries as well as similar topics. The article aims at investigating the theoretical aspects of using the term book collection and providing the analysis of existing practices and trends with regard to book collections both in Lithuanian and foreign libraries. To achieve this objective, the following methods of literary analysis and empirical research have been used: analysis of library websites, expert survey, interviews with the library staff taking care of book collections at their disposal. The objects of research are the book collections in corpore, acquired and stored in the National Library of Lithuania, libraries of state-level and county libraries. The libraries which decide to store and preserve book collections in corpore, undertake a museum function, that is, the inherent function pertinent to a memory institution. This function is not characteristic of public libraries. However, it is among the core functions of the libraries having the national and state status. Based on the criterion of the former owner, collections in corpore can be grouped as follows: personal libraries (the libraries of outstanding statesmen, public figures, science and culture makers) and book heritage of various institutions (institutional libraries). It turned out that currently 144 collections in corpore are being stored in the National Library of Lithuania, state-level and county libraries, with personal libraries identified as the prevailing group among them (137). The seven remaining collections in corpore are institutional libraries. The analysis of the information available in library websites on the collections in corpore revealed that the material presented is rather scarce and the websites do not contain comprehensive information about the scope of the respective collections. Thus, the user's access to information is rather restricted. Today, the acquisition of collections in corpore has been reduced in scope, reflecting the current situation in librarianship. The status of some of the libraries which have acquired a great many book collections in corpore (for example, Vilnius University Library) have to be reviewed. Having established whether we are dealing with a collection in corpore or whether it is merely a donated collection of books, we can integrate the books in question into the library holdings, marking book provenance indicators in a bibliographic description in the online catalogue. Due to their exclusivity, book collections in corpore are becoming book monuments. Such a status puts their custodians under an obligation to treat them as the sets of documents having special value, that is, as book monuments.


Abstract The objective of this study was to explore the relationship among extremely low birthweight (ELBW), psychopathology, and impairments in adaptive functioning in a regional cohort of 7–8-year-old children with a birthweight of 501–1,000 g compared to a sample of full-term controls. One-hundred twenty-nine of 143 (90%) ELBW survivors and 145 controls, born between 1977 and 1981, agreed to participate in the study. The children were assessed at a mean, unadjusted age of 7.8 years. Results showed that parents of ELBW children were more likely than parents of controls to report specifically problems of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There were few differences between the groups in terms of impairments in adaptive functioning. Further analyses showed that the relationship between ELBW and ADHD could not be explained by confounding psychosocial risk factors, nor were ELBW children from disadvantaged environments more likely to have ADHD problems than ELBW children from nondisadvantaged environments. The relationships between ELBW and ADHD problems appeared to be associated with the lower IQ of the ELBW subjects.


Estimote Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons deployed throughout a university campus enabled the creation of interactive tours for prospective and accepted students at Fall and Spring open house events. By configuring their mobile devices with an app to detect the beacons' signals, participants could view webpages containing information based on their current physical locations from the web addresses pushed to their devices by nearby beacons. Google Analytics and relational database reporting functions provided information related to the behavior of campus guests. This study presents lessons learned from deploying a Physical Web and results of analyzing user behavior based on the analytics data. The conclusions drawn from this data can be used to improve campus visits for prospective students and supplement decision making in university admissions offices. Participants in a follow-up survey shared their impressions of the Physical Web as an emerging technology. By joining in the project, participants said they learned more about the Physical Web and its application to real-life scenarios.


IRIS is a digital database of materials used to collect data for second language research that went fully live in August 2012. At the time of writing (May 2013), there have been over 3,300 downloads of materials held on the site, and almost 11,000 visits, demonstrating a clear need for the resource. IRIS has the potential to make a step-change in the way our field works, impacting the nature and rate of second language (L2) research. Here we outline the motivations for the project, what the IRIS database consists of, how it is structured, and the future of the resource.