Background Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is the leading cause of sight impairment in working age populations in developed countries. Current first line treatment for centre-involving DMO involves intravitreal anti-VEGF but treatment response can be variable. In this retrospective, real world, multi-centre cohort study, we aim to identify ocular and systemic characteristics that correlate with anatomical and functional outcomes for treatment-naive DMO patients treated with intravitreal aflibercept. Methods Retrospective multicentre cohort study of treatment-naive DMO patients initiated on aflibercept at three North West London hospitals between 2016 and 2018. Baseline systemic and ocular factors, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) at 12 months were determined and statistically analysed. Results A total of 270 eyes of 221 DMO patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 62.8 ± 12.1, mean baseline HbA1c was 67 ± 20 mmol/mol, and mean eGFR was 72 mL/min/1.7m2. Mean number of aflibercept injections at 12 months was 6.2. Better baseline BCVA, lower baseline CMT, and absence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) were associated with better BCVA at 12 months whilst lower baseline CMT and proliferative retinopathy status were associated with lower CMT at 12 months. Conclusion Our study is the largest real-world dataset examining factors influencing functional and anatomical response to aflibercept in DMO in the UK. Older age, lower baseline BCVA, higher baseline CMT and more severe diabetic retinopathy were associated with poorer visual acuity at 12 months and prioritisation of these patients within a pressured healthcare setting is recommended.


He had no professional license, but was named one of the three best architects of 1957 along with Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. He drove a red Ferrari with the license plate VROOM. His succession of wives brought him clients and influenced his designs. He relied on a staff of talented assistants to realize his ideas. If ever there was a product of Hollywood, it was architect Craig Ellwood (1922-1992). A fiction of his own making--even his name was an invention--Ellwood fashioned a career through charm, ambition, and a connoisseurs eye. By the 1950s Ellwood had a thriving practice that infused the Germanic rationalism of Mies van der Rohe with an informal breeziness that was all Southern California. A series of dramatic, open, and elegant houses made him a media star, and interest in him and his work has only increased in recent years. California Modern: The Architecture of Craig Ellwood is the first compre-hensive monograph on this prolific, influential, and complex character. Copiously illustrated with contemporary images--including many striking black and white photographs by Julius Shulman--plans, drawings, and specially commissioned new photography, California Modern traces Ellwoods fascinating personal history, provides a critical evaluation of his work, and establishes his importance as a pivotal shaper of the California style.


Background During the development of Huntington disease smooth pursuit may become impaired, decreasing the gain of the pursuit and releasing the saccadic intrusions. Although UHDRS includes the pursuit evaluation, it estimates the performance of this oculomotor function only qualitatively. Meanwhile its quantitative evaluation without eye movement recording equipment is practically impossible. It barely allows to notice large saccadic intrusions and it cannot detect reduction of the gain. Furthermore UHDRS motor score uses four point scale to assess the pursuit, rating it from "normal", through "jerky", "incomplete range" and "cannot pursue". Such a subjective method strongly depends on examiner's skill and experience. Technique We designed the system that allows objective measurement of smooth pursuit parameters and its quantification. Additionally, the immobilisation of the head usually required in studying smooth pursuit is unnecessary. The sensor is placed on the subject's head along with the laser servo projector mounted on forehead plate allowing for viewing the moving target on the wall. Eye movement measuring system uses infrared reflectometry, providing high temporal and spatial resolution (1kHz, 5 angular minutes). Such a device, along with accompanying custom-designed software, allows automatic detection of saccadic intrusions as small as 1 degree. Conclusions The developed instrumentation demonstrated the capability for immediate and quantitative assessment of the smooth pursuit quality. Furthermore, it is characterised by easy application and minimal intrusiveness.


Relationship marketing has received little attention from business historians who have favored the study of branding, associational advertising, market research, and the role of marketing agencies, particularly in relation to modern consumer manufacturing. Although the term relationship marketing is of recent origin, we analyze its practice under a different guise, "connections," over several centuries: we draw on the extensive archival evidence of a rural business services industry in Australia and New Zealand. Relationship marketing's emphasis upon close and enduring individual customer relationships mitigated uncertainty of performance and behaviour, on both sides of the transaction, created by a long and geographically extended supply chain. The success of these relationships contributed to the primary industry-led economic development of both nations.


N-terminal or C-terminal arms that extend from folded protein domains can play a critical role in quaternary structure and other intermolecular associations and/or in controlling biological activity. We have tested the role of an extended N-terminal arm in the structure and function of a periplasmic enzyme glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) from Zymomonas mobilis. We have determined the crystal structure of the NAD(+) complex of a truncated form of the enzyme, GFORDelta, in which the first 22 residues of the N-terminal arm of the mature protein have been deleted. The structure, refined at 2.7 A resolution (R(cryst)=24.1%, R(free)=28.4%), shows that the truncated form of the enzyme forms a dimer and implies that the N-terminal arm is essential for tetramer formation by wild-type GFOR. Truncation of the N-terminal arm also greatly increases the solvent exposure of the cofactor; since GFOR activity is dependent on retention of the cofactor during the catalytic cycle we conclude that the absence of GFOR activity in this mutant results from dissociation of the cofactor. The N-terminal arm thus determines the quaternary structure and the retention of the cofactor for GFOR activity and during translocation into the periplasm. The structure of GFORDelta also shows how an additional mutation, Ser64Asp, converts the strict NADP(+) specificity of wild-type GFOR to a dual NADP(+)/NAD(+) specificity.


Abstract Coprolites were collected 74 m above the base of the Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of northwestern Argentina and their chemistry, mineralogy, and textures were studied to infer their biological source and taphonomy. They were found to contain a few fragments of bone and much crystalline apatite, and so can be assigned to carnivores able to digest bone. Primary minerals derived from endogenous materials were apatite and pyrite, and secondary minerals derived from ground water were chiefly calcite and glauconite in one coprolite and glauconite in another. Primary apatite, presumed originally to have been mostly dahllite (a carbonate hydroxyapatite) precipitated from digested bone, was converted to francolite (a carbonate fluorapatite) during diagenesis through the introduction of fluoride from ground water. The chemistry, mineralogy, and structure of the coprolites suggest an early onset of mineralization, early anaerobic burial, and a recent anaerobic-to-aerobic transition during weathering. The chemistry of the coprolites is consistent with the stratigraphic identification of the coprolite horizon as an ancient flood plain.


This paper explores the use of full polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) images for tsunami damage investigation from the polarimetric viewpoint. The great tsunami induced by the earthquake of March 11th, 2011, which occurred beneath the Pacific off the northeastern coast of Japan, is adopted as the study case using the Advanced Land Observing Satellite/Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar multitemporal PolSAR images. The polarimetric scattering mechanism changes were quantitatively examined with model-based decomposition. It is clear that the observed reduction in the double-bounce scattering was due to a change into odd-bounce scattering, since a number of buildings were completely washed away, leaving relatively a rough surface. Polarization orientation (PO) angles in built-up areas are also investigated. After the tsunami, PO angle distributions from damaged areas spread to a wider range and fluctuated more strongly than those from the before-tsunami period. Two polarimetric indicators are proposed for damage level discrimination at the city block scale. One is the ratio of the dominant double-bounce scattering mechanism observed after-tsunami to that observed before-tsunami, which can directly reflect the amount of destroyed ground-wall structures in built-up areas. The second indicator is the standard deviation of the PO angle differences, which is used to interpret the homogeneity reduction of PO angles. Experimental results from after- and before-tsunami comparisons validate the efficiency of these indexes, since the built-up areas with different damage levels can be well discriminated. In addition, comparisons between before-tsunami pairs further confirm the stability of the two polarimetric indexes over a long temporal duration. These interesting results also demonstrate the importance of full polarimetric information for natural disaster assessment.


The article examines the concretisation of criminal defence rights under EU law through a set of Directives designed to strengthen procedural safeguards. The article reviews the origins of the new measures, designed to provide a stronger basis for judicial cooperation based on mutual trust. It examines the shortcomings of the existing system of protection of fair trial rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and considers whether, and how, EU law can improve the situation. The article recognises that the new measures, monitored and enforced by the European Commission, provide new possibilities for civil society organisations. However, it argues that the main opportunity is for enhanced protection of defence rights in the national courts. The measures themselves, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the possibility to seek timely guidance from the Court of Justice of the EU constitute new tools which, if national courts can be persuaded to use them, could appreciably advance fair trial rights protection in the EU. The experiment will reveal the usefulness of EU law as a driver of fundamental rights compliance in the post-Lisbon era.


. This study aimed at surveying the local calliphorid and sarcophagid species in Maranha˜o State (Brazil) to determine their distribution and abundance, as well as the distribution of exotic Chrysomya species. In total, 18,128 calliphorid specimens were collected, distributed in 7 genera and 14 species. The species Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Rondani, 1850) and Paralucilia paraensis (Mello, 1969) were new state records. Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) and Cochliomyia macellaria (F., 1775) were the most abundant species, and the exotic species of Chrysomya together contributed more than 50% of total blow fly abundance. The abun- dance distribution of the calliphorid community conformed to a log series model, characterized by a steep curve that reflects an assemblage with a high degree of dominance. For the Sarcophagidae, a total of 14,810 specimens were collected and distributed in 15 genera, 11 subgenera, and 52 species. Tricharaea ( Sarcophagula ) occidua (F., 1794) and Peckia ( Sarcodexia ) lambens (Wiedemann, 1830) were the most abundant species. The abundance distribution of the species followed a log normal model, with a gentler slope, consistent with a more uniform community. The cumulative species curve for the sarcophagids did not reach the asymptote. Forty-three sarcoph- agid species were new state records and 22 were new records for the Brazilian northeast, which emphasizes the need for a continued survey in this region.


key factor in the successful application of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) in tunneling is the ability to develop accurate penetration rate estimates for determining project schedule and costs. Thus establishing a relationship between rock properties and TBM penetration rate can be very helpful in estimation of this vital parameter. However, this parameter cannot be simply predicted since there are nonlinear and unknown relationships between rock properties and TBM penetration rate. Relevance vector regression (RVR) is one of the robust artificial intelligence algorithms proved to be very successful in recognition of relationships between input and output parameters. The aim of this paper is to show the application of RVR in prediction of TBM performance. The model was applied to available data given in open source literatures. In this model, uniaxial compressive strengths of the rock (UCS), the distance between planes of weakness in the rock mass (DPW) and rock quality designation (RQD) were utilized as the input parameters, while the measured TBM penetration rates was the output parameter. The performances of the proposed predictive model was examined according to two performance indices, i.e., coefficient of determination (R) and mean square error (MSE). The obtained results of this study indicated that the RVR is a reliable method to predict penetration rate with a higher degree of accuracy.


Background Medication reconciliation (MR) was implemented in a psychiatric unit in January 2016. A test phase of 3 months was conducted by following the Med'Rec1 study indicators. Standard criteria (all incoming patients were eligible for the study) were found unsuitable in psychiatric patients. Selection criteria were determined in order to target the high risk population. A second phase was implemented to assess if the chosen criteria allowed reconciliation of patients at a high risk of medication errors. Purpose Are the chosen criteria for the selection of patients relevant for MR? Material and methods The study was conducted in the same unit until reaching the same number of reconciled patients (RP) than the test phase. The retained criteria for inclusion (or/and) were: Patients with at least 1 somatic medicine on admission prescription orders. Patients >65 years. New unknown patients. Patients admitted to hospital for 6 months or more. The selected indicators were those of the test phase.1 The results were compared statistically (χ2 test). Discrepancies (D) corresponded to medication errors (addition, omission, etc). D were found between the list of all medications patients were taking daily and admission prescriptions orders. Results Results were preliminary, with 44 RP (average age 45.3 years) for phase II compared with 67 RP (average age 44.9 years) for the test phase. Indicators Test phase (%) Phase II (%) Results MR in 24 hours/RP 54 44 Patient's mental state can be an obstacle D/RP 33 32 p=0.9, NS. Results were not lower than those expected At least 1 D corrected/RP 10 14 p=0.4, NS. Involvement of the somatician physician (not consulted during test phase), in addition to the psychiatrist, enabled better patient care D/RP with 1 somatic medicine 61 53 p=0.58, NS. As in the test phase, somatic drugs are more often involved than psychotropic drugs D/Patients >65 years 14 75 Samples too small for χ2 analysis. This criterion is to be maintained even if the psychiatric population is young Conclusion At this stage of the study, the retained criteria seem to fit our psychiatric unit. A multicentre study could confirm that these criteria are suitable for psychiatry. References and/or acknowledgements 1. Buiche M. Thesis: Conciliation des Traitements Médicamenteux: Expérimentation du rapport Med'Rec2015 de l'HAS dans un établissement Psychiatrique, 2016. No conflict of interest


Although the inherent characteristics of poststimulatory auditory fatigue have been studied for some time, it has not been until the last decade that interest has been shown in a relatively new method of measuring auditory threshold changes due to sound stimuli. A number of specific clinical techniques have been reported for discerning temporary shifts in threshold that occur during periods of sustained-tone stimulation. The results of studies carried out with two of these techniques have led to a number of interesting practical speculations that have been applied to the clinical evaluation of abnormal hearing. Dix, Hallpike, and Hood 1-5 have stressed two major factors which discriminate post-stimulatory fatigue from abnormal loudness level losses that occur during periods of tone stimulation. The first of these is that the amount of fatigue following a tone stimulus is dependent on the physical magnitude of the stimulus. However, changes in loudness level that occur


The ball defects generated in skew rolling process have restricted to large extent the further application of skew rolling technology in ball manufacturing industry. Research was carried out so as to find the factors and laws of influencing on skew rolling ball quality. It was found by analyzing the forces exerting on the ball that the deforming velocity of ball had the largest influence on the resistance to deformation. Simulations were done respectively under different roller obliquities, different distances between two guide plates, and different rotation speeds of rollers by means of DEFORM-3D software. Finally, the influencing factors and laws on ball quality were discovered.


Theory of mind (ToM) or mentalizing difficulties is reported in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the mechanism underpinning these apparently shared deficits is relatively unknown. Eighty-three young adult males, 19 with ASD alone, 21 with ADHD alone, 18 with dual diagnosis of ASD and ADHD, and 25 typically developing (TD) controls completed the functional magnetic resonance imaging version of the Frith-Happé animated-triangle ToM task. We compared neural function during ToM with two non-ToM conditions, random and goal directed motions, using whole-brain and region-of-interest analysis of brain activation and functional connectivity analyses. The groups showed comparable ToM task performance. All three clinical groups lacked local connectivity increase shown by TD controls during ToM in the right temporoparietal cortex, a key mentalizing region, with a differentially increased activation pattern in both ASD and comorbid groups relative to ADHD. Both ASD groups also showed reduced connectivity between right inferior lateral prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices that could reflect an atypical information transmission to the mentalizing network. In contrast, with mentalizing both ADHD groups showed decreasing connectivity between the medial prefrontal and left temporoparietal cortices when compared to TD controls. Therefore, despite the complex pattern of atypical brain function underpinning ToM across the three disorders, some neurofunctional abnormalities during ToM are associated with ASD and appeared differentiable from those associated with ADHD, with the comorbid group displaying combined abnormalities found in each condition.


We present an online catalog containing spectra and supporting information for cataclysmic variables that have been observed with the Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). For each object in the catalog we list some of the basic system parameters such as (R.A., decl.), period, inclination, and white dwarf mass, as well as information on the available FUSE spectra: data ID, observation date and time, and exposure time. In addition, we provide parameters needed for the analysis of the FUSE spectra such as the reddening E(B − V), distance, and state (high, low, intermediate) of the system at the time it was observed. For some of these spectra we have carried out model fits to the continuum with synthetic stellar and/or disk spectra using the codes TLUSTY and SYNSPEC. We provide the parameters obtained from these model fits; this includes the white dwarf temperature, gravity, projected rotational velocity, and elemental abundances of C, Si, S, and N, together with the disk mass accretion rate, the resulting inclination, and model-derived distance (when unknown). For each object one or more figures are provided (as gif files) with line identification and model fit(s) when available. The FUSE spectra and the synthetic spectra are directly available for download as ASCII tables. References are provided for each object, as well as for the model fits. In this article we present 36 objects, and additional ones will be added to the online catalog in the future. In addition to cataclysmic variables, we also include a few related objects, such as a wind-accreting white dwarf, a pre-cataclysmic variable, and some symbiotics.


A 40-year-old man was hospitalized due to fever, muscular swelling and pain. He had poorly controlled diabetes with many dental caries and repeated periodontitis. CT revealed multiple intramuscular abscesses; administration of antibiotics and pus drainage were performed. Intraoral infection was suspected as the route of infection of pyomyositis, and a total of six teeth was extracted. In the clinical treatment of diabetic patients, it is important to instruct patients to routinely check for the presence of traumatic injuries of the lower extremities, and to have routine check-ups and dental care to check for dental caries or periodontitis.


Storage proteins, vicilin, legumin as well as the lectin, purified from pea seed proteins, were radiolabelled with [14C]- or [3H]-formaldehyde, then mixed with the pea flour which was incorporated in a liquid meal and given to rats through a gastric tubing. Radiolabelled casein (75% of the total proteins in the meal) and triolein were added to the meal and the animals were killed after 2 and 7 h. Samples were taken from the stomach and intestinal contents and from the intestinal mucosa and the liver. 2 h: gastric emptying and intestinal absorption from vicilin and legumin materials were as high as for casein. 7 h: in the colon contents an excess of labelled vicilin and legumin (2.9 and 2.6% of the radioactive dose from the meal) was observed compared to casein (1.5%). The pea lectin disappeared slowlier from the intestinal contents than did the three other radiolabelled proteins (2 h) which gave the highest radioactive materials in the livers. The lectin did not interact with the intestinal mucosa but it was less hydrolysed than the three other proteins tested and 15% of the dose reached the colon (7 h). This lectin could have been adsorbed on pancreatic enzymes such as a lipase, but radiolabelled triolein did not produce radioactive material in the colon, demonstrating that lectin or other pea proteins, in these experiments did not inhibit this lipase. Short-time experiments (2 h, 7 h) were sufficient to describe and compare the digestion of three radiolabelled pea proteins.


Single event effects induced by 15.14MeV/u Xe-136 ions in different batches of 32k x 8 bits static random access memory are studied. The incident angle dependences of the cross sections for single event upset and single event latchup are presented. The SEE cross sections are plotted versus energy loss instead of linear energy transfer value in sensitive region. The depth of sensitive volume and thickness of "dead" layer above the sensitive volume are estimated.


Big data parallel frameworks, such as MapReduce or Spark have been praised for their high scalability and performance, but show poor performance in the case of data skew. There are important cases where a high percentage of processing in the reduce side ends up being done by only one node. In this demonstration, we illustrate the use of FP-Hadoop, a system that efficiently deals with data skew in MapReduce jobs. In FP-Hadoop, there is a new phase, called intermediate reduce (IR), in which blocks of intermediate values, constructed dynamically, are processed by intermediate reduce workers in parallel, by using a scheduling strategy. Within the IR phase, even if all intermediate values belong to only one key, the main part of the reducing work can be done in parallel using the computing resources of all available workers. We implemented a prototype of FP-Hadoop, and conducted extensive experiments over synthetic and real datasets. We achieve excellent performance gains compared to native Hadoop, e.g. more than 10 times in reduce time and 5 times in total execution time.

During our demonstration, we give the users the possibility to execute and compare job executions in FP-Hadoop and Hadoop. They can retrieve general information about the job and the tasks and a summary of the phases. They can also visually compare different configurations to explore the difference between the approaches.


This paper presents a novel hybrid segmentation technique incorporating a statistical as well as a geometric model in a unified segmentation scheme for brain tissue segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. We combine both voxel probability and image gradient and curvature information for segmenting gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) tissues. Both qualitative and quantitative results on synthetic and real brain MRI scans indicate superior and consistent performance when compared with standard techniques such as SPM and FAST


Protective relays are designed to respond for faults on specific power system apparatus. Computer based power system protection using numerical relays have been used for protecting present day power systems. Several computational functions are used in numerical relays. In this paper, various characteristics and requirements of these computational functions are discussed from the relaying point of view. Different approaches have been used to implement these functions. Most commonly applied methods are modeled and simulated in this research work. A comparative study of these methods is presented based on the characteristics and requirements of mentioned functions. Using the simulation results, suitability of different methods applied to these computational functions has been investigated in this paper. Furthermore, several suggestions are given to choose appropriate method for each of the computational functions. Also few recommendations have been presented to improve some of these computational methods.


AbstractTitle: The Moment Of Truth; A study of service quality assuranceAuthors: Fanni Helminen and Linda ElsborgLevel: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, C-level.Advisor: Lars- Johan Age and Jens Eklinder FrickDate: 2014- JunePurpose: Quality assurance has become a vital concept and an important tool to ensure that employees are able to deliver high service quality. The purpose of this study will be to elucidate how service companies can apply the use of sevenfundamental features supporting service quality in their quality assurance; recruitment and selection; training, teamwork; empowerment; performance appraisals and rewards; communication, and culture (of the organization). Furthermore, we will illustrate how the type of business entity, organizational structure and organizational resources afflicts the seven features.Method: Method: We will, from a hermeneutic point of view, apply and qualitative deductive research method. Data have been collected through a case study. The data have been transcribed and the analytical method has been selected based on the conducting purpose. The analysis is based on Miles & Hubermans (1994) general model for qualitative data processing and will connect the results to the theoretical references. The analysis has divided into two parts; a detailed analysis which examines how the chosen study object works with the seven features and one where the reflections on the service company's individual organizational capacities will illuminate the effect of the seven features and present the organizational properties affected by them.Results & Conclusion: The study has given us a foundation of practical examples of how the quality assurance of service businesses can be operationalized. The study showed that the service company's individual organizational capacities have an effect of the seven features supporting service quality. What emerged during the study was that the type of business entity and organizational resources could not be linked to a flexible and customer-oriented quality assurance. However, we could see that the choice of organizational structure, more specifically a service-oriented organization structure, resulted in a more flexible and customer-oriented quality assurance.Contribution: By presentinghowone of Sweden'smost successfulservice companies within the health and sports industry works withthe sevenfeatures, and how the company's individual organizational conditions effects that work, the study can be seen as a foundationof new thoughtsand ideas. Based on the result and conclusion of this study we contribute additional ideas on how management teams can work in order to become more customer-oriented and adaptable to customer'srapidly changingneedsand demands.Future Research: Oursuggestion for further researchisto develop the work on the seven features supporting service quality by focusing on other service industries. Additional suggestion for future research is to investigate otherorganizational conditions than the three already highlighted in this study. By focusing on other service industries and organizational capacities the future study might contribute to a bigger and more comprehensive picture about how service organizations work in order to reach a customer-oriented and flexible quality assurance of services.Keywords: Quality assurance, service quality, quality activities, service company's individual organizational conditions


Ca8.78Ce (PO4)7:0.06Eu2+,0.16Mn2+,xH3BO3 phosphors were synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction method. XRD patterns of the samples indicate that H3BO3 doping does not change the phase formation. However, H3BO3 doping can change the emission intensities of Ce3+, Eu2+, Mn2+ and the energy transfer efficiencies of Ce3+–Eu2+ and Ce3+–Mn2+. The reason for this is that H3BO3 doping changes the luminescent centre and the distance between different luminescent centres to some degree. When the ligand polyhedron volume decreases, the lifetime and emission intensity of the luminescent centre will increase. When the distance between Ce3+ and Eu2+/Mn2+ decreases, the energy transfer efficiency between them will increase. In Ca8.78Ce(PO4)7:0.06Eu2+,0.16Mn2+,xH3BO3, the average volume of an [(Eu/Mn)1/2/3–O8/9] polyhedron will decrease from 27.511 A3 to 21.847 A3, and the average distance between Ce and (Eu/Mn)1/2 will decrease from 3.702 A to 3.573 A with increased doping amounts of H3BO3 from 0 to 7. Meanwhile, the emission intensity and lifetime of Ce3+ decrease, and those of Eu2+/Mn2+ increase. Furthermore, the energy transfer efficiency from Ce3+ to Eu2+/Mn2+ and the quantum efficiency are improved. H3BO3 doping improves the ratio of red, green and blue colours of the spectrum, which improves the colour rendering index of materials from 80.5 to 90.7. H3BO3 doping also improves the thermal stability of the material to some degree. The quenching temperature of Eu2+ is improved from 75 °C to 100 °C.


The Human Situation was first delivered as The Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow in 1935-1937. The lecturer, W. Macneile Dixon (1886-1946), had retired from the professorship of English language and literature in the University of Glasgow in 1935. As the author said, he proposed to set forth "as briefly and clearly as in me lies, the undisputed and indisputable facts of the human situation, the circumstances in which we actually find ourselves." He would allow his thoughts to revolve around "What kind of world is this that we in fact inhabit? And to discuss some among the possible and alternative interpretations of things as they are." The author does range widely over the human situation discussing with great erudition man's place and function in the universe. Entering upon an engagement very difficult, he proceeds with the busiest common sense and literate charm to assist us in trying to


The element free Galerkin method is extended by the local partition of unity method to model the cohesive cracks in two dimensional continuum. The shape function of a particle whose domain of influence is completely cut by a crack is enriched by the step enrichment function. If the domain of influence contains a crack tip inside, it is enriched by a branch enrichment function which does not have the LEFM stress singularity. The discrete equations are obtained directly from the standard Galerkin method since the enrichment is only for the displacement field, which satisfies the local partition of unity. Because only par-ticles whose domains of influence are influenced by a crack are enriched, the system matrix is still sparse so that the increase of the computational cost is minimized. The condition for crack growth in dynamic problems is obtained from the material instability; when the acoustic tensor loses the positive definiteness, a cohesive crack is inserted to the point so as to change the continuum to a discontiuum. The crack speed is naturally obtained from the criterion. It is found that this method is more accurate and converges faster than the classical meshless methods which are based on the visibility concept. In this paper, several well-known static and dynamic problems were solved to verify the method.


Even though silica nanoparticles and their monolayers find a broad field of applications, only a few studies providing a quantitative description of silica nanoparticle deposition at solid/liquid interfaces have been reported in the literature. Given the deficit of reliable experimental data, the goal of this work is to acquire thorough physicochemical characteristics of amorphous silica nanoparticle deposition. Silica nanoparticle monolayers of controlled coverage were formed on macroion (PAH)-modified mica. The size of the particles determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was equal to 28 nm. The electrophoretic mobility and the zeta potential of the particles were also determined as a function of ionic strength and pH. Using a well-defined suspension, systematic studies of particle deposition kinetics were carried out. The coverage of the self-assembled particle monolayers was determined by AFM and SEM imaging. Particle deposition was carried out under diffusion controlled transport conditions. For long deposition times, the saturation coverage was attained, systematically increasing with ionic strength up to 0.48 for I = 0.15 M NaCl. The deposition kinetic runs were adequately interpreted using the random sequential adsorption (RSA) model. This model was also used to determine the specific density of silica particles that confirmed their porous structure. In addition, the particle desorption kinetics was studied using AFM and SEM methods. It was confirmed that silica nanoparticle desorption was negligible within the time period of 60 hours. Our experimental data proved, therefore, that it is feasible to produce uniform and stable silica particle monolayers of desired coverage in the self-assembly processes, controlled by the bulk suspension concentration and the ionic strength. Such monolayers may find practical applications as substrates for selective protein and nanoparticle deposition, or various catalytic applications.


OBJECTIVES: To review the recent advances in the evaluation and treatment procedures for depressive episodes and their repercussions on nursing care. The growing effectiveness of anti-depressive medication, together with the importance provided by community understanding of mental health disorders, have modified the role nurses play in evaluation (Part One in Revista ROL de Enfermeria 23(4):265-270), intervention and follow up (Part Two) for patients suffering from depressive episodes. In this context of change, the therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient has developed into one of the pillars which maintains a correct and long-lasting stabilization of a depressed patient's state of mind. SOURCES: Cases identified by Medline database referring to nursing treatment of patients suffering from depression, published from 1995 until 1999.


A scale with 28 items, the Organizational Locus of Control (ELCO), was built based on Rotter's theory and Levenson's scale. ELCO was validated on a sample of 350 employees of Telebras, a governmental firm in Brazil. As foreseen from the theory, a principal-axis factoring showed the presence of the expected two factors, namely internal and external locus of control. The external locus of control factor, composed of 18 items, showed good internal consistency (alpha =.81) whereas the internal factor, with 10 items, still lacks consistency (alpha =.66). With the same data, a study of Telebras employees' locus of control was performed. The most striking finding was that the level of internality falls with schooling (high school graduates vs. University graduates), as well as with the amount of professional experience. The surprising results were interpreted in terms of the peculiar period that this public firm is undergoing, namely, of becoming a private enterprise. This situation seems to have induced the employees to a general loss of trust in their own competency, which is mostly felt by those who are intellectually more sophisticated and have a longer career experience. Also, the theory of locus of control needs better definition so as to make possible the construction of better scales of measurement of the constructs it contains.


The Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP) has opened up exciting opportunities to probe transverse MHD waves in the Sun's corona. The archive of CoMP data is utilized to generate a catalog of quiescent coronal loops that can be used for studying propagating kink waves. The catalog contains 120 loops observed between 2012 and 2014. This catalog is further used to undertake a statistical study of propagating kink waves in the quiet regions of the solar corona, investigating phase speeds, loop lengths, footpoint power ratio (a measure of wave power entering the corona through each footpoint of a loop) and equilibrium parameter (which provides a measure of the change in wave amplitude) values. The statistical study enables us to establish the presence of a relationship between the rate of damping and the length of the coronal loop, with longer coronal loops displaying weaker wave damping. We suggest the reason for this behavior is related to a decreasing average density contrast between the loop and ambient plasma as loop length increases. The catalog presented here will provide the community with the foundation for the further study of propagating kink waves in the quiet solar corona.


This descriptive type of cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the learning styles of undergraduate medical students and their relation with preferred teaching-learning Methods. The study period was from July 2017 to June 2018. The study was carried out among the students of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th phases of the MBBS course at three government and four nongovernment medical colleges in Bangladesh. Out of seven medical colleges, four were within Dhaka and three outside Dhaka. The sample size was 1004. Medical colleges were selected purposively, and a convenience sampling technique was adopted for data collection. Bangla translated version of Fleming's VARK (visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic) questionnaire was used to identify the learning styles of students. Linear regression was used to compare the VARK learning styles scores with teaching-learning Methods. The study revealed that out of 1004 medical students 64.2% preferred multimodal learning styles, and the rest, 35.8% preferred unimodal learning styles. Among unimodal learning preferences, auditory (A) and kinesthetic (K) were the most preferred sensory modalities of learning. The most preferred teaching Methods among the students were bedside teaching (29.9%), followed by tutorials (25.9%), and practical sessions (20.6%). The most preferred learning method among the students was mixed Methods (60.3%). A positive correlation was present between VARK modes and teaching-learning Methods (P <0.05). Majority of students preferred multimodal learning styles. Students are able to learn effectively as long as the teacher provides a blend of visual, auditory, read/writing, and kinesthetic activities. The study recommended that teachers be aware of the medical students' learning styles and that aligning teaching-learning Methods with learning styles will improve their learning and academic performance.
TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 19-26


Chronic with pontine Chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system with a predilection for the hindbrain. Generally, lesions decrease in size with increasing distance from the hindbrain. We herein describe a case of CLIPPERS in a patient showing the largest lesions in the temporal lobe. A 49yearold man consulted to our hospital with a 22day history of a high fever and an abnormal visual field involving the left eye. Brain MRI showed a FLAIR hyperintense lesion in the right temporal lobe with punctate gadolinium enhancement. Several days later, lesions showing similar enhancement extended to the pons, medulla oblongata, and cerebellar hemispheres. Biopsy of the right temporal lobe lesion revealed perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates without any findings of demyelination, lymphoma, or glioma. He was diagnosed with CLIPPERS based on clinical, radiological, and histopathological findings. Clinical and radiological findings improved quickly after steroid therapy. CLIPPERS could represent larger lesions distant from the hindbrain showing punctate enhancement.


Modulation of internal environment and maintenance of cellular structure and stability are basic requirements to ensure cell survival. These cellular functions are provided by the cell outer membrane, a phospholipid bilayer characterised by the fluid mosaic model. Chemical reactivity at the membrane interface has previously been identified between phospholipids and membrane binding species. Observed reactivity, termed intrinsic lipidation, involves non-enzymatic acyl transfer from phospholipids to a nucleophilic membrane bound molecule. Reactivity has been characterised for membrane active peptides and proteins, and been found influential to the structure and function of both the newly modified species, and the bulk membrane. Research presented within this thesis probes fundamental features of observed intrinsic lipidation reactivity at the membrane interface.

This work has expanded upon previous intrinsic lipidation research, facilitated by the development of informative and robust analytical techniques for the study of reactivity. Optimised TLC has allowed improved routine high throughput reactivity screening, compared to alternative fluorescence and solution state NMR techniques. Informative analysis and mechanistic understanding of intrinsic lipidation has been achieved through LCMS and solid state NMR analysis. Synthetic protocols for preparation of isotopically labelled 15N small molecules, and 13C phospholipids, has facilitated solid state NMR in particular. Biological relevance of peptide intrinsic lipidation has also been probed to determine the role of reactivity in natural function, and disease induction. Biophysical techniques such as CD and tryptophan fluorescence revealed that solution phase intrinsically lipidated melittin adopts an α-helical structure with central proline kink, in contrast to the random coil of unmodified melittin. Furthermore, at μM concentrations, palmitoylated species were shown to undergo spontaneous micelle formation. Disease related behaviour linked to peptide intrinsic lipidation includes moderate antimicrobial activity, and possible induction of amyloid nucleation.

Additionally, this study has identified novel intrinsic lipidation of small molecules in vitro utilising chromatographic and ionisation conditions optimised with synthetically prepared standards. Observed for multiple cationic amphiphilic small molecules, intrinsic lipidation was promoted by primary amines in a hydrophilic environment, due to increased proximity between reactive moieties. Small molecule intrinsic lipidation products were shown to exhibit biological relevance, including spontaneous micelle formation, membrane disruption, and phospholipidosis induction. Pharmaceutical propranolol displayed notable intrinsic lipidation in vitro, and in Hep G2 cell culture. Initial transesterification from membrane phospholipids produced O-acylated propranolol, followed by secondary N-acylated propranolol formation by intramolecular O to N migration. Study of propranolol reactivity has revealed preferential eukaryotic transfer from the sn-1 phospholipid backbone position, and reaction kinetics influenced by temperature, pH, and membrane composition.


The construction industry has lagged behind other industries in implementing reform through total quality management. It has not followed the manufacturing industry in the implementation of TQM. The success of the total quality management (TQM) philosophy in manufacturing and other industries is forcing construction organizations to adopt TQM. This paper first outlines the imperatives of quality and its initiatives in the construction industry and then analyzes the critical success factors (CSFs) of the fourteen most prominent total quality management (TQM) frameworks. Based on the comprehensive analysis and examination of existing TQM frameworks and literature, the paper proposes the 10 critical success factors (CSFs) of TQM for construction industry. Finally, it describes the CSFs from the construction industry perspective. 1. INTRODUCTION The construction industry of any country is the backbone of its infrastructure and economy. Though it is a major contributor to the economy of any country, it faces the problems of high fragmentation, instability, low productivity, poor quality and lack of standards. Abd. Majid and McCaffer (1998) further established that most countries are dealing with the same common problems despite the differences in their economies. Due to the above mentioned quality problems, construction clients are not satisfied with the performance achieved on many of their projects (Kometa & Olomolaiye 1997). Kometa & Olomolaiye (1997) state that despite many efforts, apart from time and cost overruns, unsatisfied clients and other difficulties continue to plague the industry. Thus the reputation of the construction industry is ill suited for meeting the competitive challenges of today's fast changing market (Torbica & Stroh 1999), where the competitive edge is with those who manage their resources most effectively and offer a timely response to the demands of the market. Today, quality management has become one of the important forces leading to organizational growth and a company's success in national and international markets. The role of quality in construction has also been espoused by Belle (2000) and Burati et al. (1992). In order to emphasize the role of quality various aspects of quality tools and techniques have been also described in previous studies (Belle 2000, Metri 2004). Recently, efforts made to improve quality in construction are widely reflected in the relevant literature (Arditi and Gunayadin 1998, Rosenfed et al 1992, Mallon & Mulligan 1993, Kiwus & Williams 2001, Federley & Chase 1993). Many companies are frustrated in their effort to improve quality through TQM because these companies have exclusively focused on financial measures instead of quality measures (Torbica & Stroh 1999). Other studies, in the recent past also observed the failure of TQM. These failures are due to the too much- too soon effort without proper foundation and focus (Culp et al. 1993). Construction firms, therefore, need to understand the TQM CSFs for the successful implementation of TQM. Therefore, there is a pressing need to establish TQM CSFs for construction firms. This paper examines the TQM frameworks developed by scholars and businesses and develops the TQM CSFs for construction firms. 2. SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF TQM FRAMEWORKS An extensive literature survey has been carried out to select TQM frameworks for this study. The relevant literature has revealed that different countries have adopted similar TQM frameworks in the form of quality awards with a different title. Today, there are more than a hundred quality awards existing in different countries. However, all these quality awards are basically derived from three basic and prestigious awards: the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), the European Quality Award (EQA) and the Deming Prize. This study, therefore, includes only these three basic awards as TQM frameworks along with other frameworks developed by scholars. …


Most current therapeutic approaches to cancer include agents which induce genotoxic damage, either through direct damaging effects on DNA or indirectly, by altering cellular checkpoint controls or by causing a synthetic lethal response in patients with genetic abnormalities in DNA damage repair pathways. As candidate agents or novel combination therapies come into the clinic, the development of multiplexed immunoassays that quantitatively measure several pharmacodynamic biomarkers of DNA repair could improve our understanding of the relationship between target engagement and therapeutic efficacy. We previously reported the initial development of a quantitative, multiplex immunofluorescence assay comprised of a nuclear marker and four DNA damage repair proteins (γH2AX, pNbs1S343, Rad51, and ERCC1) as a method for monitoring drug action in vitro and in vivo. Here, we report the use of this multiplex assay to measure the effect of a PARP inhibitor (BMN-673) on an isogenic pair of HR competent and incompetent cell lines. The multiplex immunofluorescence assay utilizes a cassette approach, with all validated primary antibodies conjugated directly to a fluorophore or hapten such that multiple antibodies raised in the same host species can be used without the requirement of an anti-species reporter. The cassette approach allows for rearrangement of the composition of markers in the multiplex assay based on the investigational agent or clinical trial in question. We will also report on the development and utility of additional DNA damage markers for future multiplex assays, including markers specific for ATR-activated repair pathways. We have developed an antibody to the pATR T1989 site and will demonstrate its use in immunofluorescence applications as a pharmacodyamic marker following in vitro exposure to DNA damage-inducing agents and an ATR inhibitor. Additionally, we show in vitro data which supports the use of phosphorylated checkpoint proteins (pChk1S345, pChk2T68) as downstream indicators of DNA damage in the multiplex format. These biomarkers, in conjunction with our previously-reported multiplex panel, will provide an effective technique to monitor DNA repair responses and checkpoint controls in the clinical evaluation of combination therapy approaches targeting DNA damage repair deficiencies. Funded by NCI Contract No. HHSN261200800001E.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):PR11.

Citation Format: Allison M. Marrero, Deborah Wilsker, Scott M. Lawrence, Thomas D. Pfister, John Hirt, Ralph E. Parchment, Joseph E. Tomaszewski, James H. Doroshow, Robert J. Kinders. Use of a DNA damage multiplex immunofluorescence assay to monitor pharmacodynamic markers following in vitro exposure to therapeutic agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr PR11.


As part of the renewable energy transition, for the past few years, the Netherlands has been implementing wind farms as its resource, both onshore and offshore. The onshore wind farms so far gained shallow public acceptance with various issues such as overlooked locals' interests, unfairness sense and low trust to the government, and physical visibility, noise, and shadow of wind turbines. Previous studies showed that people possess a better acceptance of offshore wind farms in other countries. However, since offshore wind farms are newer and very different than the onshore ones, there is no research that specifically assesses the public acceptance of offshore wind farms in the Netherlands. This research aimed to fill that gap by examining the public acceptance using an existing framework provided by POLIMP, an organization founded by the European Union. This organization consists of several research institutions that put interest in social aspects of sustainable development, including renewable energy technology. They identified five possible influential elements which were public awareness, fairness sense, trust towards stakeholders, evaluation of costs, risks, and, benefits of a technology/resource, and local context.
This research tested that framework and based on the analysis of it, came up with a new adjusted framework, customized specially for investigating the factors that influence public acceptance of offshore wind farms in the Netherlands. The data of this study were gathered with an online survey and analyzed quantitatively with correlation and regression methods. The results show that based on the existing framework, public's high level of awareness, positive evaluation of costs, risks, and benefits and local context fit influenced public acceptance of offshore wind farms in the Netherlands. The results from the new adjusted model reveal that knowledge about the needs of renewable energy and trust towards the researchers as the source of that knowledge is essential to influence public acceptance. Fairness sense, trust towards other involved stakeholders, and demographic characteristics did not give any positive influence to the public acceptance of offshore wind farms in the Netherlands.


Orientation: The evolution of technology has given rise to numerous computer-aided programs for analysing textual data, shaping the advancement of qualitative research. Research purpose: This study aimed to demonstrate how some of the critique associated with text analysis programs, as well as the dilemmas experienced in conducting research in the social sciences (achieving either precision or depth in the results, but seldom both), may be overcome. Motivation for the study: The South African luxury consumer market is described as complex and heterogeneous. Through the application of the text analysis software DICTION, this study demonstrated how this software can be applied to analyse in-depth interviews, and gain not only unique behavioural insights into a complex consumer group, but also produce quantitative output that allows for the development of distinct customer market segments. Research design, method and approach: A qualitative approach was adopted to collect the data, while the analysis using the text analysis program DICTION produced both qualitative insights and quantitative scores. The latter were used to perform a cluster analysis and develop unique customer segments. Practical/managerial implications: This study reveals how managers may swiftly obtain insights into lengthy transcripts of interview data, obtain quick answers about consumers' behaviour and develop consumer market segments using the output obtained from the text analysis software DICTION. Contribution/value-add: The results demonstrate how both precision (statistical analysis) and richness (context from the transcripts) may be achieved in a research study, and provide a unique method to research, understand and segment a complex consumer market.


Inorganic phosphorus availability for plant uptake is often very low in highly weathered acid soils, particularly those that contain large quantities of Al and Fe hydrous oxides. Conservation tillage use is increasing in tropical agriculture, necessitating consideration of crop residue as a potential source of plant-available P, and of the importance of the mobility of this P in soils from both agronomic and environmental standpoints. The extent to which the predictive value of Mehlich 3, which is used as an index of available P for soils in Malawi, is improved by including mineralisable P as a contributory fraction extracted by the Mehlich 3 method has not been investigated in detail using Malawi soils. The main objective of the present study, therefore, was to determine whether the efficacy of Mehlich 3 was improved when mineralisable P was taken into account. The soils selected for laboratory and greenhouse investigations varied from 9 mg kg -1 to 50 mg kg -1 in their Mehlich 3 extractable P status. The Mehlich 3 extractable phosphorus was strongly correlated with pH (r = -0.766; P< 0.01). The correlation between organic matter and organic P was also highly significant at the 0.1 per cent probability level. The phosphorus uptake was negatively correlated with organic matter (r =-0.621*), and positively related with total P (r = 0.644; P< 0.05), pH (r = 0.793; P< 0.01), inorganic P (r = 0.961; P< 0.001), Mehlich extractable- P (r = 0.870; P< 0.001) and mineralised P (r =0.868; P< 0.001). There was an increase in P uptake with an increase in the incubation periods. The Mehlich 3 extractable phosphorus was strongly correlated with total inorganic phosphorus (r = 0.881; P< 0.001), mineralised phosphorus (r = 0.815; P< 0.001), organic phosphorus (r = 0.993; P< 0.001), pH (r = -0.766; P< 0.01), and organic matter (r =?0.553; P< 0.05). The present findings confirm that the efficacy of the Mehlich 3 method may be improved if mineralisable soil P fraction is taken into account.


BACKGROUND
Cannabis consumption is suspected of causing arrhythmias and potentially sudden death.

OBJECTIVES
To investigate prevalence and temporal relationships between cannabis use and onset of symptomatic arrhythmias among cancer patients using Belong.life, a digital patient powered network application.

METHODS
Real-world data (RWD) were obtained through Belong.Life, a mobile application for cancer patients who use cannabis routinely. Patients replied anonymously and voluntarily to a survey describing their demographics, medical history, and cannabis use.

RESULTS
In total, 354 cancer patients (77% female, 71% 50-69 years of age) replied: 33% were smokers and 49% had no co-morbidities. Fifteen had history of arrhythmias and two had a pacemaker; 64% started cannabis before or during chemotherapy and 18% had no chemotherapy. Cannabis indication was symptom relief in most patients. The mode of administration included oil, smoking, or edibles; only 35% were prescribed by a doctor. Cannabis type was delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol > 15% in 43% and cannabidiol in 31%. After starting cannabis, 24 patients (7%) experienced palpitations; 13 received anti-arrhythmic drugs and 6 received anticoagulation. Eleven needed further medical investigation. Three were hospitalized. One had an ablation after starting cannabis and one stopped cannabis due to palpitations. Seven patients (2%) reported brady-arrhythmias after starting cannabis, but none needed pacemaker implantation.

CONCLUSIONS
RWD showed that in cancer patients using cannabis, the rate of reported symptomatic tachy- and brady-arrhythmias was significant (9%) but rarely led to invasive treatments. Although direct causality cannot be proven, temporal relationship between drug use and onset of symptoms suggests a strong association.


Following the Model-Based-Design (MBD) development process used presently by the automotive industry, the control systems for a new SeriesParallel Multiple-Regime Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), UVic EcoCAR2, have been developed, implemented and tested. Concurrent simulation platforms were used to achieve different developmental goals, with a simplified system power loss model serving as the low-overhead control strategy optimization platform, and a high fidelity Software-in-Loop (SIL) model serving as the vehicle control development and testing platform. These two platforms were used to develop a strategy-independent controls development tool which will allow deployment of new strategies for the vehicle irrespective of energy management strategy particulars. A rule-based energy management strategy was applied and calibrated using genetic algorithm (GA) optimization. The concurrent modeling approach was validated by comparing the vehicle equivalent fuel consumption between the simplified and SIL models. An equivalency factor (EF) of 1 was used in accounting for battery state of charge (SOC) discrepancies at cycle end. A recursively-defined subsystem efficiency-based EF was also iv applied to try to capture real-world equivalency impacts. Aggregate results between the two test platforms showed translation of the optimization benefits though absolute results varied for some cycles. Accuracy improvements to the simplified model to better capture dynamic effects are recommended to improve the utility of the newly introduced vehicle control system development method. Additional future work in redefining operation modes and mode transition threshold conditions to approximate optimal vehicle operation is recommended and readily supported by the control system platform developed.


Introduction: Learning procedural skills is one of the essential aspects of undergraduate medical education. However, learning procedural skills in clinical settings is less widely considered. This study aimed to explore the Iranian undergraduate medical students' perception of learning procedural skills and its outcomes in three universities of medical sciences in Iran. Methods: A descriptive exploratory qualitative methodology with an in-depth unstructured, face-to-face interview, and content analysis was used in this study. Sixteen students in clinical phases of general medical education programs from educational hospitals were selected using purposive sampling. According to the preferences of the participants, the interviews were conducted in medical schools or in hospitals. Results: The students participating in this study included 7 females and 9 males (totally 16 people) with a mean age of 23.7 years old with a range of 21-27 years. The three main themes of this study were "the gap of transferring formal teaching from skill lab to clinical placement", "learning self-leading procedural skills in clinical settings", and "students' dissatisfaction with patients' vulnerability" with 8 subthemes which were extracted and explained based on the students' perception. Conclusion: Unsupervised and self-learning by medical students and weakness in controlling the learning process have undesirable results for patients and students.


Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is pneumonia that occurs more than 48 hours after endotracheal intubation due to microorganisms that enter the lower respiratory tract by aspiration of secretions oropharynx derived from endemic bacteria in the digestive tract or pathogen exogenous obtained from contaminated devices or health workers. Therapy using proton pump inhibitors as prophylaxis against stress ulcer (PSU) which may be incurred as a result of the use of a mechanical ventilator may be associated with an increased risk of hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP). Based on comparative data from several randomized studies IDSA (2005) recommends the use of sucralfate compared with H2-blockers in the PSU to reduce the likelihood of onset VAP.


Learning multimodal representations involves integrating information from multiple heterogeneous sources of data. In order to accelerate progress towards understudied modalities and tasks while ensuring real-world robustness, we release MultiZoo, a public toolkit consisting of standardized implementations of>20 core multimodal algorithms and MultiBench, a large-scale benchmark spanning 15 datasets, 10 modalities, 20 prediction tasks, and 6 research areas. Together, these provide an automated end-to-end machine learning pipeline that simplifies and standardizes data loading, experimental setup, and model evaluation. To enable holistic evaluation, we offer a comprehensive methodology to assess (1) generalization, (2) time and space complexity, and (3) modality robustness. MultiBench paves the way towards a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of multimodal models, while ensuring ease of use, accessibility, and reproducibility. Our toolkits are publicly available, will be regularly updated, and welcome inputs from the community.


In the 1980s Latin America experienced the second worst economic crisis of the century. In this book, economists from Latin America reexamine strategies of development in light of new theoretical knowledge. In addition, they review the adjustment processes applied in various countries. The chapters offer analysis of the causes of the crisis and an assessment of economic measures that might prove viable in promoting democracy, social justice, and a growing economy.


In today's world, where mobile and wireless technology are growing without bounds, the extension of e-government services to m-governance seems to be not a distant reality. M-government is itself a complex business strategy for the efficient utilization of all wireless devices providing for instant availability of services and information for better benefits to users. This concept paper proposes the implementation framework for m-government services to different parties like citizens, businesses and governments. This implementation framework contains two guidelines namely the network architecture for m-government and the implementation methodology for its (government's) services to different parties particular to citizens. The implementation methodology, we propose here, is applied with to other parties with some modifications of this methodology. This framework for m-government services points to Indian context in few occasions as an example case to explain the fact.


The ability of educational games to promote students' engagement in learning and practice depends on perceived enjoyment of those games. This study investigated high school students' perceptions and enjoyment of games within the Writing Pal intelligent tutoring system. In accord with research on motivation, results showed that perceived helpfulness and difficulty of the games were the main predictors of enjoyment, whereas graphics quality and writing apprehension were not. Perceived difficulty was most salient for generative practice games in which students had to apply strategies to write original text.


Background: Thoracic trauma occurred in 10% of the patients seen at US military treatment facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan and 52% of those patients were transfused. Among those transfused, 281 patients received warm fresh whole blood. A previous report documented improved survival with warm fresh whole blood in patients injured in combat without stratification by injury pattern. A later report described an increase in acute lung injuries after its administration. Survivorship and warm fresh whole blood have never been analyzed in a subpopulation at highest risk for lung injuries, such as patients with thoracic trauma. There may be a heterogeneous relationship between whole blood and survival based on likelihood of a concomitant pulmonary injury. In this report, the relationship between warm fresh whole blood and survivorship was analyzed among patients at highest risk for concomitant pulmonary injuries. Materials and Methods: Patients with thoracic trauma who received a transfusion were identified in the Joint Theater Trauma Registry. Gross mortality rates were compared between whole blood recipients and patients transfused with component therapy only. The association between each blood component and mortality was determined in a regression model. The overall mortality risk was compared between warm fresh whole blood recipients and non-recipients. Results: Patients transfused with warm fresh whole blood in addition to component therapy had a higher mortality rate than patients transfused only separated blood components (21.3% vs. 12.8%, P < 0.001). When controlling for covariates, transfusion of warm fresh whole blood in addition to component therapy was not associated with increased mortality risk compared with the transfusion of component therapy only (OR 1.247 [95% CI 0.760-2.048], P = 0.382). Conclusion: Patients with combat related thoracic trauma transfused with warm fresh whole blood were not at increased risk for mortality compared to those who received component therapy alone when controlling for covariates.


Recent work on the behavior of localized states in pattern-forming partial differential equations has focused on the traditional model Swift-Hohenberg equation which, as a result of its simplicity, has additional structure; it is variational in time and conservative in space. In this paper we investigate an extended Swift-Hohenberg equation in which nonvariational and nonconservative effects play a key role. Our work concentrates on aspects of this much more complicated problem. First we carry out the normal form analysis of the initial pattern-forming instability that leads to small-amplitude localized states. Next we examine the bifurcation structure of the large-amplitude localized states. Finally, we investigate the temporal stability of one-peak localized states. Throughout, we compare the localized states in the extended Swift-Hohenberg equation with the analogous solutions to the usual Swift-Hohenberg equation.


Incineration is a common method to treat medical wastes. Whereas pathogens and environmentally problematic organic compounds are destroyed, toxic heavy metals cannot be ruined. In this study heavy metal concentrations of two types of medical wastes were analyzed. Four different blister pack layers (polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl chloride/polyvinylidiene chloride with pigment (PVC/PVdCp), polyvinyl chloride/polyvinylidiene chloride transparent (PVC/PVdCt) and polyethylene (PE)) and blister pack as a unit, and three types of medical gloves (latex powdered and powder-free medical gloves, nitrile powder-free medical gloves and vinyl powdered and powder-free medical gloves) were digested using high pressure digestion methods. Different acid mixtures were used to digest the samples. Heavy metal concentrations were analyzed by the inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). As, Fe, Na, P, Sn, Sr and Zn were detected in blister pack and different blister pack layers. Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, Sr and Zn were detected in three different types of medical gloves. No environmentally relevant elemental concentrations were detected except for Sn and Zn. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.65.3.4157


The paper focuses on the reliability-based design optimization of gravity wall bridge abutments when subjected to active condition during earthquakes. An analytical study considering the effect of uncertainties in the seismic analysis of bridge abutments is presented. Planar failure surface has been considered in conjunction with the pseudostatic limit equilibrium method for the calculation of the seismic active earth pressure. Analysis is conducted to evaluate the external stability of bridge abutments when subjected to earthquake loads. Reliability analysis is used to estimate the probability of failure in three modes of failure viz. sliding failure of the wall on its base, overturning failure about its toe (or eccentricity failure of the resultant force) and bearing failure of foundation soil below the base of wall. The properties of backfill and foundation soil below the base of abutment are treated as random variables. In addition, the uncertainties associated with characteristics of earthquake ground motions such as horizontal seismic acceleration and shear wave velocity propagating through backfill soil are considered. The optimum proportions of the abutment needed to maintain the stability are obtained against three modes of failure by targeting various component and system reliability indices. Studies have also been made to study the influence of various parameters on the seismic stability.


In the past, the increasing demands for HEP processing resources could be fulfilled by the ever increasing clock-frequencies and by distributing the work to more and more physical machines. Limitations in power consumption of both CPUs and entire data centres are bringing an end to this era of easy scalability. To get the most CPU performance per watt, future hardware will be characterised by less and less memory per processor, as well as thinner, more specialized and more numerous cores per die, and rather heterogeneous resources. To fully exploit the potential of the many cores, HEP data processing frameworks need to allow for parallel execution of reconstruction or simulation algorithms on several events simultaneously. We describe our experience in introducing concurrency related capabilities into Gaudi, a generic data processing software framework, which is currently being used by several HEP experiments, including the ATLAS and LHCb experiments at the LHC. After a description of the concurrent framework and the most relevant design choices driving its development, we describe the behaviour of the framework in a more realistic environment, using a subset of the real LHCb reconstruction workflow, and present our strategy and the used tools to validate the physics outcome of the parallel framework against the results of the present, purely sequential LHCb software. We then summarize the measurement of the code performance of the multithreaded application in terms of memory and CPU usage.


Abstract With the discovery of substantial gas in Myanmar's Sittwe region in the Rakhine state, India was keen to acquire gas from some of the new finds in the Shwe gas field, divided in several blocks, of which A-1 and A-2 blocks were closer to India and also estimated to have the best recoverable reserves. Given the geographical location, overland pipelines transiting through Bangladesh are the most cost-effective way of getting gas from Myanmar to India. Despite its initial enthusiasm, Bangladesh backtracked from its earlier willingness to be a partner to the tripartite pipeline. Dhaka tied its support for the project to India accepting its many existing demands in other area. The domestic opposition in Bangladesh delayed the finalising of the pipeline routes—one of the main reasons that eventually led to other countries walking away with the contract of the A-1 block.


The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of the tight coupling of manufacturing technologies and the extent to which it can facilitate the realisation of self-replicating production resources. This was explored through a three year programme of development projects where multiple 3D printing and milling machines were designed, built and evaluated with respect to their manufacturing capabilities and self-replicability. It was found that this tight coupling of processes increased functionality, self-replicability and consequentially utility of these machines. The project specifications were used to identify conflicting requirements and qualitatively assess their interrelationships. Further work will see this expanded into a quantitative model to identify where design effort should be focused and also theoretical limits of self-replicability. The principal social implication of this work is that non-autotrophic self-replication, upon which the RepRap philosophy is based, is largely dependent upon locally available technology and resources. Self-replication therefore becomes an affordance of not solely machine but also of environment.


Introduction: Dispensing errors are any discrepancies between the written instructions which are found on the prescription order form and the accomplishment of these instructions by the pharmacy, when the drug is dispensed to the wards or hospital services. Objective: The hospital pharmacy of a tertiary care hospital in southern India has four satellite pharmacies and has more than 7900 medicine brands in its formulary. These pharmacies handle more than thousand prescriptions per day. There are chances of errors during the dispensing of the medications. Based on this, the present study aimed to study and evaluate the rate of occurrence of the dispensing errors and the factors which contributed to the dispensing errors. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was carried for a period of eight months, at two pharmacies of the hospital (out-patient/ in-patient pharmacy), at various stages of dispensing and time schedules. Results: A total of 160 dispensing errors were found in 12,340 prescriptions that were monitored, out of the 57,109 prescriptions which were received in both the pharmacies during the study period. The overall rate of the dispensing errors which was found in both the pharmacies was 1.29%. It was seen that 11am-3pm was the peak time at the hospital, when the maximum numbers of errors occurred. The stage of the dispensing process where the maximum numbers of dispensing errors occurred was at the filling stage. It was observed that the maximum number of errors occurred in the in-patient pharmacy, in comparison to the outpatient pharmacy. The different types of dispensing errors that were observed during the study were drug omission, wrong quantity of the drugs, wrong drugs, wrong strength of the drugs and wrong dosage form of the drugs. Conclusion: This study concludes that during peak hours, an insufficient number of pharmacists was found to be the most important factor which contributed to the dispensing errors. This also shows the need for a sufficient number of pharmacists to be posted during the peak hours at the filling section and in the in-patient pharmacy to minimize the dispensing errors.


This article is concerned with the economic impacts of tourism industry, especially in developing countries. It initially reviews the concept and using a model, it deals with the factors affecting the economic impacts associated with tourism. The research findings indicated that with short-term and long-term strategic planning and using the specific abilities and tourism products of developing countries, which suffer from some indices as unemployment, limits in earning and currency flows, inflation and other problems, most of their economic problems can be solved.


An artificial neural network (ANN) and response surface methodology (RSM) models were developed for the analysis and simulation of the correlation between parameters of the friction stir processing process (FSP) and the torque acting on a tool during modification of cast aluminium alloy AlSi9Mg. The input parameters were: rotational speed, travelling speed and down force. The output parameter of the models was the torque of the spindle. Good correlation between the experimental set and the model was achieved. The best results were obtained for the multilayer perceptron type 3-6-1. Results obtained in artificial neural network were compared with those through response surface methodology. Based on results achieved, ANN and linear model can be recommended to predict the spindle torque value acting on the tool during FSP process carried out on alloy AlSi9Mg.


Banat has a geographical location particularly favorable from the point of view of the climate and of the relief, which favored the development of a large number of grassy species. The Aninei Mountains is the area taken in the study, located in South-West of Romania. It is an area with favorable climatic conditions for a large number of plants also sheds a considerable number of medicinal and aromatic herb, that make the region even more valuable. The genus Stachys belongs, from a systematic point of view, to the Family Lamiaceae. The family contains about 4,000 species spread all over the world, most frequently in Mediterranean area. (Chifu et al., 2001). The genus Stachys groups a large number of species (over 300), with a wide distribution over almost the entire globe. Exceptions to this rule are only Australia and New Zeeland. (Bilusic Vundac et al., 2006) Our research aimed at both identifying the areas where this species thrives and justifies its economic valorisation, and at establishing, through bio-chemical analyses of the material quality. The paper highlights the importance of knowing the real economic potential of spontaneous medicinal species, correlated with biochemical analysis. Determination of chemical composition can recomended or not the use of a medicinal species from certin areas. For the quantitative assessment we used the methodology of economic mapping of medicinal plants in the spontaneous flora indicated by Alexan, Bojor and Craciun in 1983, and improved by Bojor in 1991. Chemical composition was determined after the Official Methods of Analyses. The authors thank the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth, and Sport which, through the National Council of Scientific Research in Higher Education, has financed the present study as part of the research project PN II IDEI nr. contract 1077/2009, project code ID-865. The topic of the project is ,,Identifying medicinal and aromatic plants from the Aninei Mountains with a view to valorisation''.


Objectives: A correct diagnosis of urinary tract infection in young infants requires an uncontaminated urine culture, commonly obtained by urethral catheterization. In the current study, we examined the rates and factors associated with contaminations of catheter-obtained urine cultures in very young infants. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 143 catheter-obtained urine cultures of infants ≤2 months of age admitted to the pediatric ward of a tertiary hospital in Israel from April 2019 to September 2020. Patient's and operator's study variables were documented at the time of catheter insertion. Positive urine cultures were reviewed by a pediatric nephrologist and a pediatric infectious disease specialist and designated as infection or contamination. The study variables were compared between those with or without contamination. Results: The contamination rate in our cohort was 29%. Females were more than twice as likely to have a contaminated urine culture (37 vs. 18%, respectively, P = 0.014). Circumcision status, official training about sterile catheterization, a sense of difficult catheterization, and the shift in which the culture was obtained did not influence the contamination rate. Conclusions: Catheter-obtained urine cultures have a high contamination rate among very young infants, especially among girls.


Rabbits were caused to inhale known numbers of virulent bovine tubercle bacilli as separated cells in droplet nuclei. For approximately 5 weeks after infection the growth of the bacilli and the response of rabbits to their growth was homogeneous; i.e., all reacted in the same way and to the same degree. After 6 weeks individual differences in the rate of progress of the initial tubercles and of the infection as a whole became evident. These variations in the response seemed to be influenced by the number of initial tubercles and by the number of bacilli found in the lesions. It is concluded that, as evidenced by the homogeneous phase of infection, rabbits do not differ in their resistance to initial growth of bovine tubercle bacilli. However, the later, heterogeneous pattern of response suggests that these animals vary widely in their capacity to acquire resistance.


United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 was adopted in 2000 with the aim of ensuring all efforts toward peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, as well as the conduct of armed conflict itself, would entail sensitivity toward gendered violence and gendered inequalities. In this article, I contrast two accounts of the writing of UNSCR 1325 that issue from the two institutions that claim authority over the document: the United Nations Security Council and the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. I make a broader theoretical argument about the importance of paying analytical attention to the discursive terrain of international institutions when analyzing the formulation and implementation of security policy, concluding that contemporary theorizing of international institutions is product ⁄productive of a particular configuration of political authority and legitimacy that can, and should, be challenged.


With the recently developed serial block-face scanning electron microscope (SBFSEM) it is now possible to analyze the 3-D structure of biological specimens at a resolution that is one order of magnitude better compared to light microscopy requiring minimal user input. It allows the automatic creation of large series (≫ 1000) of digitally imaged ultra-thin sections (≪ 100 nm) from heavy metal-stained and plastic embedded tissue. Together with the ability of selectively staining individual, identified neurons using electron dense material one can visually track the complete structure at a resolution as low as 20x20x40 nm. Here we introduce a simple fuzzy region-growing tracing algorithm that incorporates a minimum of prior knowledge about object and background gray level distributions. We show that this algorithm reliably traces structures of interest over several hundreds of sections opening the unique opportunity to systematically study the morphology of neuronal structures at the nanometre scale in a fully automated way.


The quality of extra virgin olive oil is associated with the presence of microcomponents whose healing effects have been proved in some special cases. The enzymatic hydrolysis of oleuropein and ligstroside, and of their demethylated analogues, affords four different pentanedialdehydes, and for one of which, 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl (3S,4E)-4-formyl-3-(2-oxoethyl)hex-4-enoate, also known as oleocanthal, an anti-inflammatory effect was quite recently carefully assessed. Extra virgin olive oil is now worldwide considered as a functional food whose daily intake, as for the Mediterranean diet, helps consumers in keeping a constant level of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the blood. The presence of these active principles provides, therefore, olive oil with an important added value. In the framework of the actions of the recently funded Agrifood Regional Center, which should coordinate the scientific research and production worlds, an absolute analytical method was developed for the mass spectrometric detection of the two most abundant NSAIDs, Tyr-OLPD and HTyr-OLPD (oleopentanedialdehydes (OLPDs) conjugated to p-hydroxyphenylethanol and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol, respectively), by UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS.


Day by day network and internet applications is becoming very popular. Sensitive information requires security and safety measures. Security is the most challenging aspect in the internet and network applications. Encryption algorithm provides the necessary protection against the data intruders' attacks by converting information from its normal form into an unreadable form. The majority of current web authentication is built on username/password. And the password replacement offers more security, but it is very much difficult to use and expensive to deploy. Security of data can be done by a technique called cryptography. So everybody say that cryptography is a developing technology, which is important for network security. Cryptography in the past was used in keeping military information secure to protect the national security. However, the use was limited. At present, the range of cryptography applications have been expanded a lot in the modern area after the development of communication means; cryptography is essentially required to ensure that data are protected against penetrations and to prevent the practice of spying. Cryptography is a developing technology, which is important for network security. Study on cryptography is still in its developing stages and a considerable research effort is still required for secured communication. This paper talks about the state of the art for a broad range of cryptographic algorithms that are used in networking applications.


Detailed impedance spectroscopic studies are carried out by incorporating various guest iso-valent cations within the solid solubility limit having different ionic radii in Ag2SO4. The solid solubility limits up to x = 3 mole% cation doped Ag2SO4 are set with XRD, SEM, IR and DSC techniques. A major dependence of conductivity on the ionic size of the doped iso-valent cations is observed. The ionic conductivity is found to increase with the incorporation of a guest cation that creates appropriate distortion factor in iso-valent cation doped Ag2SO4. The conductivity of Ag2SO4 is found to be dependent on the ionic size of the guest cation, particularly in the low-temperature modification of Ag2SO4 (β-phase). These results could throw light on the fundamental conduction mechanism in Ag2SO4 and also on the criterion of selecting the impurity cation in the classical doping method. The optimized solid electrolytes can then be utilized for their technological applications in electrochemical devices such as SOx sensors and thermal batteries. Copyright © 2012 VBRI Press.


Abstract. Obtaining accurate porosity information of fluvial sediment deposits is helpful and desirable for many tasks of river engineers. Besides direct measurements of single samples and empirical formulas specialized for specific cases, packing models promise efficient predictions due to their theoretical and extensible foundation. The objective of this work is thus to investigate the usability of three such models in order to obtain a suitable porosity prediction method for the challenging case of fluvial sediment packing. There, the complexity originates from wide continuous size distributions, from silt to gravel, and different grain shapes. We use data obtained from extensive numerical packing simulations to determine the required model parameters and to verify the models' accuracy for moderate size ratios. This study reveals systematic deficits in one of the models, which can be attributed to the absence of a built-in mixture packing model. By combining these findings with data from laboratory measurements and extending the model to include cohesive effects, we exemplify that reasonable porosity predictions can be obtained with the Compressible Packing Model for the Rhine river in Germany. Through an additional comparison with data from French rivers, guidelines for a successful prediction in cases with limited prior knowledge of the model parameters are developed. Future model enhancements of the packing models directly, and by incorporating more effects that are known to influence porosity, are expected to improve the predictive performance.


For many, the struggle over civil rights was not just about lunch counters, waiting rooms, or even access to the vote; it was also about Christian theology. Since both activists and segregationists ardently claimed that God was on their side, racial issues were imbued with religious meanings from all sides. Whether in the traditional sanctuaries of the major white Protestant denominations, in the mass meetings in black churches, or in Christian expressions of interracialism, southerners resisted, pursued, and questioned racial change within various theological traditions.
God with Us examines the theological struggle over racial justice through the story of one southern town-Americus, Georgia-where ordinary Americans sought and confronted racial change in the twentieth century. Documenting the passion and virulence of these contestations, this book offers insight into how midcentury battles over theology and race affected the rise of the Religious Right and indeed continue to resonate deeply in American life.


Radioactive 26Al is an excellent tracer for metal ejection in the Milky Way, and can provide a direct constraint on the modelling of supernova feedback in galaxy evolution. Gamma-ray observations of the 26Al decay line have found high velocities and hence require a significant fraction of the Galactic 26Al in the hot component. At the same time, meteoritic data combined with simulation results suggest that a significant amount of 26Al makes its way into stars before decay. We investigated the distribution into hot and cold channels with a simulation of a Milky-Way-like galaxy with massive-star feedback in superbubbles and with ejecta traced by 26Al. About 30-40 per cent of the ejecta remain hot, with typical cooling times of the order Gyr. 26Al traces the footpoints of a chimney-fed outflow that mixes metals turbulently into the halo of the model galaxy on a scale of at least 50 kpc. The rest diffuses into cold gas with temperatures less than about 10,000 K, and may therefore be quickly available for star formation. We discuss the robustness of the result by comparison to a simulation with a different global flow pattern. The branching ratio into hot and cold components is comparable to that of longer term average results from chemical evolution modelling of galaxies, clusters and the intracluster medium.


Database systems have been essential for all forms of data processing for a long time. In recent years, the amount of processed data has been growing dramatically, even in small projects. At the other hand, database management systems tend to be static in terms of size and performance, which makes scaling a difficult and expensive task. Enterprises may have multiple database systems spread across the organization for redundancy or for serving different applications. In such systems, query workloads can be distributed across different servers for better performance. In this paper, we focus on complex queries whose evaluation tends to be time-consuming and design the secured share nothing clustering architecture to improve the performance of application and also assure to the user to availability of the data. The proposed architecture is very helpful towards a two phase query optimizer. In the first phase, the synchroniz and decomposes a query into subqueries and transfer them to appropriate cluster nodes. In the second phase, each cluster node optimizes and evaluates its subquery locally


It has been a significant challenge to quantitatively study the dynamic intracellular processes in live cells. These studies are essential for a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms regulating the signaling pathways and the transitions between cell cycle stages. Our studies of Cdc20, an important mitotic checkpoint protein, throughout the cell cycle demonstrate that fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is a powerful tool for in vivo quantitative studies of dynamic intracellular processes. In this study, Cdc20 is found to be present primarily in a large complex (>1 Mda) during interphase with a diffusion constant of 1.8+/-0.1 microm2/s and a concentration of 76+/-24 nM, consistent with its association with the APC/C. During mitosis, however, a proportion of Cdc20 dissociates from APC/C at a rate of 12 pM/s into a soluble pool with a diffusion constant of 19.5+/-5.0 microm2/s, whose size is most consistent with free Cdc20. This free pool accumulates to 50% of total Cdc20 (approximately 40 nM) during chronic activation of the mitotic checkpoint but disappears during mitotic exit at a rate of 31 pM/s. The observed changes in the biochemical assembly states of Cdc20 closely correlate to the known temporal pattern of the activity of APC/CCdc20 in mitosis. Photon counting histograms reveal that both complexes contain only a single molecule of Cdc20. The underlying mechanisms of the activities of APC/CCdc20 throughout the cell cycle are discussed in light of our experimental observations.


The nucleon-nucleon interaction is an important requirement for investigations of nuclear structure and reactions, as well as for astrophysical models such as r-process nucleosynthesis and neutron stars. The traditional approach to low-energy nuclear physics is to treat nucleons as immutable objects interacting via phenomenological forces. The use of phenomenological interactions, rather than one derived from a microscopic theory, raises questions as to the reliability of predictions for exotic regions of the nuclear chart. The quark-meson coupling (QMC) model uses a relativistic mean-field approach to provide a microscopically derived nucleon-nucleon interaction, which takes into account the quark structure of the nucleon.The Skyrme energy density functional is a popular phenomenological tool in studies of nuclear structure and reactions. In this work, the QMC density functional was used to produce a set of Skyrme parameterisations, in the hopes that they will give more reliable predictions for exotic nuclei. In conjunction with Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) calculations, the Skyrme-QMC (SQMC) parameterisations have been used to model the ground-state properties of individual nuclei and nucleus-nucleus potentials for Ca + Sn reactions. The SQMC parameterisation performs with an accuracy comparable to modern phenomenological functionals. From this, one can investigate the importance of the isovector terms of the nucleon-nucleon interaction, which are particularly significant for exotic, neutron-rich regions of the nuclear chart.One of the notable successes of the QMC model is its derivation of nuclear spin-orbit coupling. The isovector dependence of the spin-orbit equation of state is remarkably similar to that of the modern UNEDF1 phenomenological density functional. HFB calculations along the Sn isotopic chain reveal that the isovector properties of the spin-orbit term impact binding energies to a level that will be significant for astrophysical r-process modelling.