A slat collimator in single photon emission computed tomography consists of a set of parallel slats. As the collimator spins, the detector measures a one-dimensional projection data set. A complete data set can be obtained by rotating the detector/collimator assembly around the object (patient) while the collimator spins continuously. The measured projection data are assumed to be weighted planar integrals of the object. This paper describes the development of an approximate three-dimensional image reconstruction algorithm for a rotating/spinning slat collimator. This algorithm is in filtered backprojection form. Computer simulations were performed to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.


Thirty-three male patients (pts) were given cisplatin and fluoro-uracil (1 g/m2/d) in IV continuous infusion over 96 h, for the primary or palliative treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer. The mean age was 52 +/- 7 years (range: 37-65). Patients underwent continuous ECG monitoring and were monitored for 22.4 +/- 1.5 h before FU infusion, 91.9 +/- 7.3 h during FU infusion and 18.5 +/- 2 h after 5FU infusion. Patients were given one cycle of chemotherapy (32 pts), two (25 pts) or three consecutive cycles (20 pts). Seventeen pts (53%) had supraventricular arrythmia, 15 pts (47%) had ventricular arrythmia and 10 pts (31%) had ST segment deviation. The ECG abnormalities were more frequent during the first cycle of chemotherapy. No previous clinical or ECG parameter was associated to ECG changes. Platin-induced hypomagnesemia and hypokaliemia probably increase incidence of cardiac abnormalities, during and after FU infusion.


The overreliance on large parallel corpora significantly limits the applicability of machine translation systems to the majority of language pairs. Back-translation has been dominantly used in previous approaches for unsupervised neural machine translation, where pseudo sentence pairs are generated to train the models with a reconstruction loss. However, the pseudo sentences are usually of low quality as translation errors accumulate during training. To avoid this fundamental issue, we propose an alternative but more effective approach, extract-edit, to extract and then edit real sentences from the target monolingual corpora. Furthermore, we introduce a comparative translation loss to evaluate the translated target sentences and thus train the unsupervised translation systems. Experiments show that the proposed approach consistently outperforms the previous state-of-the-art unsupervised machine translation systems across two benchmarks (English-French and EnglishGerman) and two low-resource language pairs (English-Romanian and English-Russian) by more than 2 (up to 3.63) BLEU points.


We studied covariability of selected amino acid positions in globally dominant HIV-1 subtype C viruses. The analyzed sequences spanned the V3 loop, Gag p17, Gag p24, and five CTL epitope-rich regions in Gag, Nef, and Tat. The corresponding regions in HIV-1 subtype B were also evaluated. The analyses identified a great number of covarying pairs and triples of sites in the HIV-1B V3 loop (173 site pairs, 242 site triples). Several of these interactions were found in the earlier studies [e.g., the V3 loop covariability analyses by Korber et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993;90:7176-7180) and Bickel et al. (AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1996;12:1401-1411)] and have known biological significance. However, generally these key covarying sites did not covary in the HIV-1C V3 loop (total 17 covarying site pairs), suggesting that the V3 loop may have subtype differences in functional or structural operating characteristics. Covariability of positions 309 and 312 was observed in the immunodominant region HIV-1C Gag 291-320 but no covariability was found in the corresponding region of HIV-1B, and vice versa for Nef 122-141; these findings may reflect subtype-specific covariability within immunologically relevant regions. Gag p17 exhibited greater covariability and less diversity for HIV-1B than HIV-1C, raising the hypothesis that Gag p17 is highly immunodominant in HIV-1B and is especially important for HIV-1B vaccines. Information on covariability should be better exploited in assessments of HIV-1 diversity and how to surmount it with vaccine design.


The Great Depression was the most devastating and destructive economic event to afflict the global economy since the beginning of the twentieth century. What, then, were the origins of the Great Depression and what have we learned about the appropriate policy responses to economic depressions from that episode? This essay reviews two recently published books on the Great Depression. Eric Rauchway's The Money Makers: How Roosevelt and Keynes Ended the Depression, Defeated Fascism, and Secured a Prosperous Peace (Basic Books, 2015) tells the story of the ways Franklin D. Roosevelt drew on the ideas of John Maynard Keynes to place monetary policy front-and-center to underpin the recovery from the Great Depression and to underwrite the blueprint of the Bretton-Woods System. Barry Eichengreen's Hall of Mirrors: The Great Depression, the Great Recession, and the Uses — and Misuses — of History (Oxford University Press, 2015) shows the way the lessons learned from analysis of the Great Depression helped shape policy makers' response to the 2007-08 financial crisis, thus helping to avoid many of the mistakes made by policy makers in the 1930s


OBJECTIVE
To develop a communication prompt based on dignity therapy to facilitate effective conversations between patients with haematologic neoplasms and their family caregivers and to improve the programme and preliminarily explore the benefits and challenges of family participatory dignity therapy (FPDT).

METHODS
A mixed-methods approach was applied to develop and revise the programme. The FPDT was developed and validated using the Delphi survey, and its further improvement was explored with a simple one-group pre- and post-trial and semi-structured in-depth interviews.

RESULTS
Most of the FPDT items were endorsed by experts and patient-family dyads. The Content Validity Index was 93.6% in the first round of the Delphi survey and 100% in the second round. The "hope level," "spiritual well-being" and "general health" scores of pre- and post-testing increased from 33.60 ± 4.30 to 37.70 ± 5.10 (t = 3.99, p = .003); from 30.30 ± 3.65 to 38.80 ± 7.29(t = 4.13, p = .003); and from 41.67 ± 8.78 to 53.33 ± 8.05 (t = 3.50, p = .007) respectively. The qualitative data also indicated that the project was meaningful and well received.

CONCLUSIONS
We showed that FPDT was a valuable and feasible means of improving communication between patients with haematologic neoplasms and their family caregivers in China by raising the hope level and spiritual well-being and promoting general health.


In July 2010, the Secretary of State for Health convened an independent review of the funding of "dedicated palliative care" for adults and children in England. The aim was to develop, for the first time, a per patient mechanism to fund palliative care to meet the needs of the approximately 457 000 people who require palliative care every year, and in particular, the 92 000 who are currently not being reached.1

The review team aimed to create a fair and transparent funding system delivering better outcomes for patients and providing better value for the National Health Service (NHS). This required the development of a palliative care tariff based on assessed need, a funding system which incentivises good outcomes for patients irrespective of time and setting, and the commissioning of integrated care packages which stimulate community based services to enable more people to be cared for outside the acute sector. The team suggest important levers for change (table 1).

View this table:

Table 1
Proposed levers

Before the tariff could be discussed, the knotty question of defining "dedicated palliative care services" had to be addressed. In the report they have been defined as "services which ensure that people achieve an acceptable quality of life enabling them to die in the place of their choice", with a division of services into three categories: specialist care services (care delivered by specialist providers such as specialist in-patient services), core services (services whose primary focus is palliative care, eg, community nursing teams) and universal palliative care services delivered by non-specialists (eg, general practitioners and social workers). One of the aims of pilot testing may be to refine these categories. For example, there are a number of successful multidisciplinary specialist services without dedicated in-patient beds.

Very wide consultation (760 individuals and 380 organisations) was carried out to define what …


Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) is an approach to nuclear fusion which utilises the properties of electrostatically accelerated ion-beams instead of hot plasmas. The best known device which uses the principle is the Farnsworth-Hirsch fusor. It has been argued that such devices have some potential advantages in spaceflight and in-particular as power-supplies for trans-atmospheric propulsion. This paper builds on previous work in the field and focuses on how the fixing of the fuel for such reactors in a solid, liquid or encapsulated form may provide a high enough energy-density to make such devices practical power sources. Several methods of fixing the fuel are discussed; theoretical calculations are presented and applicable literature is reviewed. Finally, there is a discussion of practical issues and feasibility, together with suggestions for further work.


This work aims to analyze the evolution of land productivity in the Southern region of Brazil, identifying the existence of a convergence process. In order to do that, we measured the land productivity in 1995/96 and in 2006 and we used this variable as dependent in a convergence model. Subsequently, we estimated a convergence model using spatial econometrics. As a result, we confirmed the convergence process hypothesis (absolute and conditional) in the Southern region of Brazil.


You are subject to this subpart if you own or operate a refractory products manufacturing facility that is, is located at, or is part of, a major source of hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions according to the criteria in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section. (a) A refractory products manufacturing facility is a plant site that manufactures refractory products (refractory bricks, refractory shapes, monolithics, kiln furniture, crucibles, and other materials used for lining furnaces and other high temperature process units), as defined in § 63.9824. Refractory products manufacturing facilities typically process raw material by crushing, grinding, and screening; mixing the processed raw materials with binders and other additives; forming the refractory mix into shapes; and drying and firing the shapes. (b) A major source of HAP is a plant site that emits or has the potential to emit any single HAP at a rate of 9.07 megagrams (10 tons) or more per year or any combination of HAP at a rate of 22.68 megagrams (25 tons) or more per year.


Abstract The genomic loci bound by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a hormone-activated transcription factor, show little overlap between cell types. To study the role of chromatin and sequence in specifying where GR binds, we used Bayesian modeling within the universe of accessible chromatin. Taken together, our results uncovered that although GR preferentially binds accessible chromatin, its binding is biased against accessible chromatin located at promoter regions. This bias can only be explained partially by the presence of fewer GR recognition sequences, arguing for the existence of additional mechanisms that interfere with GR binding at promoters. Therefore, we tested the role of H3K9ac, the chromatin feature with the strongest negative association with GR binding, but found that this correlation does not reflect a causative link. Finally, we find a higher percentage of promoter–proximal GR binding for genes regulated by GR across cell types than for cell type-specific target genes. Given that GR almost exclusively binds accessible chromatin, we propose that cell type-specific regulation by GR preferentially occurs via distal enhancers, whose chromatin accessibility is typically cell type-specific, whereas ubiquitous target gene regulation is more likely to result from binding to promoter regions, which are often accessible regardless of cell type examined.


BACKGROUND
One hypothesis suggests that the differential response to ondansetron- and serotonin-specific re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be due to a functional polymorphism of the 5'-HTTLPR promoter region in SLC6A4, the gene that codes for the serotonin transporter (5-HTT). The LL 5'-HTTLPR genotype is postulated to be specifically sensitive to the effects of ondansetron with SS/SL 5'-HTTLPR genotypes sensitive to SSRIs. This study tests this hypothesis by matching nontreatment-seeking alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals with LL genotype to ondansetron and SS/SL genotypes to the SSRI sertraline, and mismatching them assessing naturalistic and bar-laboratory alcohol drinking.

METHODS
Seventy-seven AD individuals were randomized to 1 of 2 counterbalanced arms to receive sertraline 200 mg/d or ondansetron 0.5 mg/d for 3 weeks followed by an alcohol self-administration experiment (ASAE) and then received placebo for 3 weeks followed by a second ASAE. Individuals then received the alternate drug for 3 weeks followed by a third ASAE. Drinks per drinking day (DDD with drinks in standard drinking units) for 7 days prior to each ASAE and milliliters consumed during each ASAE were the primary outcomes.

RESULTS
Fifty-five participants completed the study. The genotype × order interaction was significant, F(1, 47) = 8.42, p = 0.006, for DDD. Three analyses of covariance were conducted for DDD during the week before each ASAE. Ondansetron compared to sertraline resulted in a significant reduction in DDD during the week before the first, F(1, 47) = 7.64, p = 0.008, but not the third ASAE. There was no difference in milliliters consumed during each ASAE.

CONCLUSIONS
This study modestly supports the hypothesis that ondansetron may reduce DDD in AD individuals with the LL genotype as measured naturalistically. By contrast, there was no support that ondansetron reduces drinking during the ASAEs or that sertraline reduces alcohol use in individuals who have SS/SL genotypes. We provide limited support that ondansetron may reduce drinking in nontreatment-seeking individuals with the LL genotype.


Explores empirically the formative factors of the scenic quality concerned with highway landscape evaluation. Based on earlier works the formative factors are comprehensively considered and summed up. Then EFA (exploratory factor analyses) and CFA (confirmatory factor analysis) are made by way of 112 questionnaires, which have all been completed and returned to develop a 6-dimensional model to reveal the scenic landscape beauty. Fitting the model by introducing SEM (structural equation modeling) the formative factors are verified including the six scenic quality aspects as follows: vividness, variety, cultural, naturalness, comfort and security.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether transformational leadership behavior is a function of the leader's own self-respect and his/her evaluation of being capable, significant, and worthy (self-esteem). It is also tested whether transformational leadership is related to innovation success. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 411 entrepreneurs and managing directors of small- and medium-sized Austrian companies. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (PLS). Findings – A strong and significant relationship between self-esteem and transformational leadership was found. Furthermore, data analyses revealed that transformational leadership has a positive impact on innovation success. Originality/value – This study reveals the important but heretofore neglected role of self-esteem, defined as a manager's overall self-evaluation of his/her competences, as an important predictor of transformational leadership.


Corruption as one of the oldest phenomenon in human society exists in every society to an extent. Giving the extant literature on corruption and its implication on economic growth in developing countries, this paper makes a case for institutionalizing nudge approach in fighting the social canker. Corruption has been given diverse definitions by different scholars. Some say, it is the general disease of body politics, others say, it is the public exploitation and abuse of public office for private gain. Contextually, research shows that the causes of corruption in most developing countries are low wage level of public officials, ineffective law enforcement, greed and personal aggrandizement, social pressure, lack of commitment to work, cultural practice of giving gift among others. In effect, corruption may draw off funds needed for economic growth as well reduce private sector investment and participation thereby having preposterous effect on development.


Background: Peripheral neuropathy is associated with foot complications among diabetics. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with peripheral neuropathy and its association with the difference in plantar pressures in degree of severity of peripheral neuropathy. Methods and Material: Cross sectional study conducted in outpatient clinics at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Malaysia. Diabetics aged 18-70 years were recruited. Exclusion criteria were those with amputated limb, gross foot deformity and existing peripheral neuropathy. Controls were non-diabetics who walk normally, no history of foot problem and attended the clinic as subjects' companion. Quantitative assessments for neuropathy Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS). F-scan system was used to analyze the plantar pressures. Spearman's Rank test, Mann-Whitney test used to determine correlation between variables and logistic regression analysis used to determine risk factors associated with peripheral neuropathy. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 91 subjects were recruited (72 diabetics; 19 non diabetic volunteers). Presence of callus was associated with higher NDS scores. Older age (P = 0.02), heavy weight (P = 0.03), HbA1c (P = 0.005) and duration of diabetes (P < 0.005) showed positive correlation with NDS. Forefoot to rearfoot (F/R) ratio of maximal plantar pressure in both feet showed no significant difference to callus or ulcers (p = 0.195) and degree of severity (p = 0.598). Conclusion: Age and weight were associated risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Plantar pressure is not a valuable tool for predicting foot ulceration among diabetes patients.


: The effect of colcemid on the distribution of actin microfilament bundles in the mouse embryo fibroblasts was studied using immunomorphological methods. In the control fibroblasts, microfilament bundles usually cross the entire cell and are oriented in parallel to the stable edges of the cell. In the colcemid-treated cells there are several groups of bundles. In each group all bundles are oriented in the same direction but these directions do not depend on the cell shape. Besides, bundles in the colcemid-treated cells are shorter than in the control cells. Microtubules are suggested to control the organization of action bundles.


Post-inhibitory rebound (PIR) plays an important role in producing rhythmic network activity. By inducing new excitation, following a phase of inhibition it promotes the generation of rhythmic neuronal activity. I investigated this property in identified neurons of the swimmeret system. These neurons are characterized by membrane potential oscillations and create the well-coordinated Power- and Return-Stroke movements of four pairs of swimmerets at the abdomen of crayfish. I isolated the abdominal nervous system and performed current clamp recordings with sharp electrodes at the dendritic aborizations of the neurons. I tested whether the neurons are able to produce a PIR by injecting hyperpolarizing current pulses. All spiking neurons (PSE, RSE, ASCE and DSC) possessed the ability to produce a PIR, which was accompanied by a small sag potential. In contrast, not all neurons of the central pattern generator, IPS, generated a PIR. The only neuron receiving excitatory synaptic input, ComInt1, also produce a PIR.
Different ionic currents are shown in various studies to account for the generation of a PIR. Those are the L-type calcium current (ICaL), the hyperpolarization activated cation current (IH), and in some systems the persistent sodium current (INaP). In the following experiments, I investigated the ionic basis of the PIR in the above described neuron groups. I could detect that both ICaL and IH and partially INaP generate PIR responses in the spiking neurons PSE, RSE, ASCE and DSC, while only IH seemed to be involved in generating the PIR in IPS.
To test the significance of the identified ionic conductances for generation of rhythmic motor output, I blocked the respective ionic currents individually while monitoring fictive locomotion of the system on the network-, as well as on the single cell level. During this series of experiments also the contribution of the transient potassium current, IA, was investigated by application of 4-AP. Confirming the importance of the above identified currents (ICaL, IH and INaP), all ion channel blockers altered the ability of the entire system to produce a steady motor rhythm. Similar strong effects were observed when blocking IA.
These results of this study demonstrate that PIR is an essential mechanism for the neurons in the swimmeret system to induce new excitability after a phase of inhibition. This suggests that PIR plays a crucial role in establishing rhythmic cellular activity. Furthermore, I could show that PIR responses were mediated by different ionic current depending on the neuron group.


The compromise in Moscow essentially followed the lines roughed out by the State Secretary. Even if he was aware of the magnitude of the concessions he had to make, especially in Eastern Europe, he was equally convinced that the end result – the restoration of US-Soviet relations – was to be perceived, even by his critics at home as a great breakthrough. Byrnes greatly overestimated his ability to generate a consensus in support of the Moscow agreements. The issues of Eastern Europe and the extended Middle East, exactly those where he took a step back or chose to neglect, would in the following months lead to a consensus, only not the one he was seeking.


A sustained release system for lansoprazole designed to increase its residence time in the stomach without contact with the mucosa was achieved through the preparation of floating micropellets by emulsion solvent diffusion technique. Floating micropellets of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 drug to carrier ratios were prepared using hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose and chitosan as a carrier. The yield of the micropellets was up to 82%. All floating micro pellet formulations showed good flow properties expect formulation contain hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as coating material and packability. Drug loaded micropellets were found to float on simulated gastric fluid and simulsted intestinal fluid for more than 12 h. The drug release studies were carried out in simulated gastric and intestinal fluid without enzymes at 37° for a period of 12 h. The Drug to chitosan ratio 1:1 showed good incorporation efficiency and high percentage in vitro release of lansoprazolc from micropeliets. The morphology and particle size analysis were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. The range of particle size is in between 327 to 431 pm. This method is simple, giving better yield and reproducible. The prepared lansoprazole floating micropellets can be used for sustained release in gastric media for more than 12 h, there by improving the oral bioavailability of lansoprazole by increasing gastric residence time because this helps to retained in stomach for a longer period.


Protein arginine methylation plays a critical role in differential gene expression through modulating protein-protein and protein-DNA/RNA interactions. Although numerous proteins undergo arginine methylation, only limited information is available on how protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) identify their substrates. The human PRMT5 complex consists of PRMT5, WD45/MEP50 (WD repeat domain 45/methylosome protein 50), and pICln and catalyzes the symmetrical arginine dimethylation of its substrate proteins. pICln recruits the spliceosomal Sm proteins to the PRMT5 complex for methylation, which allows their subsequent loading onto snRNA to form small nuclear ribonucleoproteins. To understand how the PRMT5 complex is regulated, we investigated its biochemical composition and identified RioK1 as a novel, stoichiometric component of the PRMT5 complex. We show that RioK1 and pICln bind to PRMT5 in a mutually exclusive fashion. This results in a PRMT5-WD45/MEP50 core structure that either associates with pICln or RioK1 in distinct complexes. Furthermore, we show that RioK1 functions in analogy to pICln as an adapter protein by recruiting the RNA-binding protein nucleolin to the PRMT5 complex for its symmetrical methylation. The exclusive interaction of PRMT5 with either pICln or RioK1 thus provides the first mechanistic insight into how a methyltransferase can distinguish between its substrate proteins.


Automated sensitivity analysis approaches in system dynamics focus primarily on model parameters. Although table functions are often subjectively approximated, they do not form the focus of most sensitivity analyses. Recently, a promising approach that allows automation of sensitivity analysis on functions was proposed by Hearne (2010), but the applicability of this method to system dynamics table functions has not been studied, yet. In this study, the new method is applied to a simple system dynamics model. In the light of the observations a number of shortcomings are identified and a set of extensions to address these are proposed and then tested. The results of experiments with the original and the extended method demonstrate that the method can be used easily and efficiently for table functions. The extensions are shown to be valuable in creating a more comprehensive method, but they also raise the research issue of the tradeoff between their added value and the cost of dealing with increased complication. Apart from our experimental results, the article also puts forth a set of directions along which the approach can be improved further. Despite the issues requiring further research, the method holds promise for routine implementation.


Lawas is a poem without a written language Sumbawa creator name or anonymously, in language both oral and written literature to express or express feelings of the heart in various events. Lawas is created
by men who were born and declared with the language both oral and written literature that creates a feeling of beauty and emotion in the depths of the human soul. Lawas (traditional poetry), which is a reflection of the souls of children, young soul shakes and parents. The method used in this study was descriptive qualitative method. Descriptive method is a method that aims to describe, mencandra, describe or create a picture of a problem in a factual and thorough. While qualitative methods as a research procedure that produces a rich descriptive data in the form of words written or spoken of the people and behaviors that can be observed. The approach used in this study is the approach of structuralism is an approach that sees literature as an independent text. The goal of this research is to get a view of: (1) Typography traditional poetry Sumbawa "Lawas" seen from the form, (2) Sumbawa traditional poetic diction "Lawas" seen from the form, (3) The theme of traditional poetry Sumbawa "Lawas "seen from the form, (4) Mandate of traditional poetry Sumbawa" Lawas "seen from the form, (5) The function of traditional poetry Sumbawa" Lawas "seen from the form, (6) The meaning of traditional poetry Sumbawa" Lawas "for the people of Sumbawa. Results obtained in this study were: (1) Typography on older Sumbawa is composed of three forms namely form of 3 strand (Tarzina), form 4 strand (Kwatrijn), form six strand (Sextet). Of the three forms, the old form of 3 strand (Terzina) is more widely used and known, (2), diction / choice of words contained in the old lot of Sumbawa which aims to beautify, soften, and give the impression of artistic and poetic, (3) The theme of older Sumbawa is the theme of the Deity, humanitarian, social, romance, marriage, separation, philosophy, advice relationships, and life role model, (4) Mandate older Sumbawa is about healthy way of life, discipline, affection, social life, advice life, the spirit of mutual cooperation, role model and example of life, (5) Lawas to society Sumbawa has several functions, namely educative function, sosisal, psychology, emotive, religious, moral, for the life of the community, (6) contained in the old meaning for the people of Sumbawa Sumbawa is the meaning of educational, social , psychological, emotive, and religion which is a reflection of social and cultural life of society Sumbawa.


Clinical course versus morphological data on the level of tumor cell differentiation was studied in 323 cases of cancer of the ovaries. Level of cell differentiation proved to be of prognostic value, since it appeared to influence prognosis and clinical course greatly. Metastasis developed in 58.2 +/- 4.5% of patients suffering well-differentiated ovarian cancer. In cases of moderately- and poorly-differentiated cancer, it was 76.1 +/- 5.1 and 90.8 +/- 2.5%, respectively. The high level of tumor cell differentiation was registered in 41.8 +/- 4.5% of patients with cancer at early stages (I and II), while the low--level--in 9.2 +/- 2.5% only. This was matched by the predominance of poorly--differentiated tumors over those with high level of cell differentiation (90.8 +/- 2.5 and 58.2 +/- 4.5%, respectively). The five-year survival rate in patients with poorly--differentiated tumors was 8.3 +/- 2.5%, i. e. 7.8 times lower than in cases of tumors with high level of cell differentiation.


Anomaly detection is the detective work of machine learning: finding the unusual, catching the fraud, discovering strange activity in large and complex datasets. But, unlike Sherlock Holmes, you may not know what the puzzle is, much less what "suspects" you're looking for. This O'Reilly report uses practical examples to explain how the underlying concepts of anomaly detection work. From banking security to natural sciences, medicine, and marketing, anomaly detection has many useful applications in this age of big data. And the search for anomalies will intensify once the Internet of Things spawns even more new types of data. The concepts described in this report will help you tackle anomaly detection in your own project. Use probabilistic models to predict what's normal and contrast that to what you observe Set an adaptive threshold to determine which data falls outside of the normal range, using the t-digest algorithm Establish normal fluctuations in complex systems and signals (such as an EKG) with a more adaptive probablistic model Use historical data to discover anomalies in sporadic event streams, such as web traffic Learn how to use deviations in expected behavior to trigger fraud alerts


The past two decades have uncovered the beneficial relation of physical activity and other health behaviors on brain and cognition, with the majority of data emerging from older adult populations. More recently, a similar research thread has emerged in school-aged children, which offers insight into the relation of physical activity to scholastic performance, providing a real-world application of the benefits observed in the laboratory. Technological advances have similarly furthered our understanding of physical activity effects on cognitive and brain health. Given this emerging body of work, this manuscript reviews the basic findings within the field, but more importantly suggests triggers or signals from the emerging literature that will shape the field in the near future. The overall goal of this body of research is to increase cognitive and brain health to promote effective functioning of individuals across the lifespan.


The currently predominant view of public requitals for criminal behavior draws on the deontic guidance provided rather sketchily by Kant's writings. He offers a broad, formal framework for the mandate to respect others and punish those who criminally violate the mandate. As ethical beings, people have the duty to avoid invading the "autonomy space" of others that is delineated by maxims designed to reasonably and fairly balance everyone's equal liberty and security interests. Once society settles on a complete and coherent set of maxims the determines the reach of one's autonomy space, it must then turn to maxims that address the requital repercussions for invasions of this space. In the private realm, our legal regime looks to corrective justice for guidance. In the public, criminal, realm we turn to . . .. Well, here is where a deep debate resides. Might we think of punishment as corrective justice writ large? This does not seem promising since our intuitions and traditions emphasize the blameworthiness of the criminal autonomy invader, which corrective justice downplays. Instead, should we turn to conceptions of retribution, as Kant asserts? If so, what are the parameters of retribution? While this is more promising, I believe the prominent role of blameworthiness in our judgments of apt punishment are best situated by conceptions of distributive justice. Defending and developing this position is the primary burden of this article. After explicating the key elements of autonomy space and requitals for its invasion, including "dignity", "respect", "responsibility", "consent", "harm", "wrongful harm", and especially "blameworthiness", I turn to the process by which these elements may be integrated and implemented in a just penal regime centered on distributive justice.


General relativity and quantum mechanics are conflicting theories. The seeds of discord are the fundamental principles on which these theories are grounded. General relativity, on one hand, is based on the equivalence principle, whose strong version establishes the local equivalence between gravitation and inertia. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, is fundamentally based on the uncertainty principle, which is essentially nonlocal in the sense that a particle does not follow one trajectory, but infinitely many trajectories, each one with a different probability. This difference precludes the existence of a quantum version of the strong equivalence principle, and consequently of a quantum version of general relativity. Furthermore, there are compelling experimental evidences that a quantum object in the presence of a gravitational field violates the weak equivalence principle. Now it so happens that, in addition to general relativity, gravitation has an alternative, though equivalent description, given by teleparallel gravity, a gauge theory for the translation group. In this theory torsion, instead of curvature, is assumed to represent the gravitational field. These two descriptions lead to the same classical results, but are conceptually different. In general relativity, curvature geometrizes the interaction, while torsion in teleparallel gravity acts as a force, similar to the Lorentz force of electrodynamics. Because of this peculiar property, teleparallel gravity describes the gravitational interaction without requiring any of the equivalence principles. The replacement of general relativity by teleparallel gravity may, in consequence, lead to a conceptual reconciliation of gravitation with quantum mechanics.


The synthesis of materials using the principle of thermogravimetric analysis to discover new anticorrosive paints requires several costly experiments. This paper presents an approach combining empirical data and domain analytical models to reduce the number of real experiments required to obtain the desired synthesis. The main idea is to predict the behavior of the synthesis of two materials with well-defined mass proportions as a function of temperature. As no exact equational model exists to predict the new material, we integrate a machine learning approach circumscribed by existing domain analytical models such as heating and kinetics equations in order to derive a generative model of augmented experiments. Extensive empirical evaluation shows that using machine learning approach guided by analytic models, it is possible to substantially reduce the number of needed physical experiments without losing the approximation quality.


Geotechnical laboratory experiments are vital in determining the geotechnical properties of soil. These tests are generally performed for a number of times to obtain the best result and in most of the times, to average them to minimize the deviation in output. Hence to execute the process calculation is a tedious and hectic process, especially when the number of experiments is large or the steps of calculations are lengthy. Besides, the availability of software and spreadsheets to obtain accurate output is very rare in literature, and the few that are there are too in-comprehensive and incomplete dealing just a few of the many laboratory experiments that the entire geotechnical engineering is concerned. The work in this project is an honest effort to minimize the effort involved in the different Civil engineering laboratory experiments carried out at different institutes and construction sectors by designing a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet that determines the output of the different geotechnical laboratory experiments along with the graph of related parameters wherever necessary. The process, procedure, input parameters and the calculations have been followed as per the Indian Standard Codes of Geotechnical Engineering. In cases, where the size of the apparatus or the related constants vary from place to place, the input columns have been provided where the different input can be incorporated in order to obtain the corresponding result. The excel spread sheet has been designed to make it a generalized one so that the utility of this spread sheet can be availed irrespective of variation in location and instruments. For all practical reference during the work, the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory of NIT Rourkela has been used and the output has been tested on a number of inputs that wereobtained in different experiments done at NIT Rourkela. The result obtained has been found consistent. Also a few inputs of the book, "Principles Of geotechnical Engineering" by B M Das and "Soil Mechanics and foundations" by B C Punmia, Ashok Kr. Jain, Arun Kr. Jain have been tested and found consistent. Hence, this Microsoft Excel Spread sheet can be judiciously used in minimizing effort and obtaining the most accurate outputs in various laboratory experiments in Geotechnical Engineering


Informal school fees – for uniforms, books, and other supplies – are substantial in developing countries, often several times formal tuition. We evaluate a scholarship program that alleviated informal fees for girls in a subset of Gambian secondary schools. The program is unique because it overlapped with a government policy that had already eliminated formal school fees for girls, allowing for a comparison between program recipients and students who paid no tuition fees but were responsible for other expenses. We analyze the program using difference-in-differences, an identification strategy we support by documenting common pre-treatment outcome trends between treated and untreated schools. We find that informal fee alleviation increased female enrollment by 13% and the share of enrolled students who took the 9th grade exit exam by 11 percentage points. These results highlight the importance of informal fees in secondary school outcomes, even in settings where formal fees have been lifted.


In order to study the phototropism exhibited by certain monoazo dyes more completely, a shutter and a sample illuminator were constructed for use with a Cary Recording Quartz Spectrophotometer. By use of this device the dye solutions can be exposed to a strong light source during the dark periods of the chopping shutter of the instrument. In this way solutions which show a very rapid phototropic change can be studied.


Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) constitute a facile and scalable approach for delivery of payloads to human cells. LNPs are relatively immunologically inert and can be produced in a cost effective and scalable manner. However, targeting and delivery of LNPs across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) has proven challenging. In an effort to target LNPs composed of an ionizable cationic lipid (DLin-MC3-DMA), cholesterol, the phospholipid 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), and 1,2-dimyristoyl-rac-glycero-3-methoxypolyethylene glycol-2000 (DMG-PEG 2000) to particular cell types, as well as to generate LNPs that can cross the BBB, we developed and assessed two approaches. The first was centered on the BBB-penetrating trans-activator of transcription (Tat) peptide or the peptide T7, and the other on RNA aptamers targeted to glycoprotein gp160 from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), a HIV-1 coreceptor. We report herein a CCR5-selective RNA aptamer that acts to facilitate entry through a simplified BBB model and that drives the uptake of LNPs into CCR5-expressing cells, while the gp160 aptamer did not. We further observed that the addition of cell-penetrating peptides, Tat and T7, did not increase BBB penetration above the aptamer-loaded LNPs alone. Moreover, we found that these targeted LNPs exhibit low immunogenic and low toxic profiles and that targeted LNPs can traverse the BBB to potentially deliver drugs into the target tissue. This approach highlights the usefulness of aptamer-loaded LNPs to increase target cell specificity and potentially deliverability of central-nervous-system-active RNAi therapeutics across the BBB.


Through a series of critical interventions in contemporary political thought, utilising the concept of liminality, this thesis points towards a Foucauldian ontology of the conditions necessary for social criticism.

Beginning with a critical investigation of Foucault's archaeological and genealogical works (chapter one) the idea that Foucault's "analytic of the limit" provides sufficient grounding for a critical theory of society is challenged. While Foucault's approach contains many insights into the character of social relations it ultimately embodies a problematic transcendental conception of the present. It is argued that Foucault's early works require an "analytic of liminality" if this problem is to be avoided.

Chapters two, three and four serve the following functions: firstly, they explore the concept of liminality as a feature of (respectively) the present, the self and everyday speech acts; secondly, they are critical interrogations of non-Foucauldian accounts of social criticism - from neo-Marxism and postmodernism, through communitarianism to critical theory; thirdly, they introduce a series of concepts that are sensitive to the "paradoxical" condition of liminality thereby suggesting the themes that a Foucauldian ontology of social criticism must endeavour to incorporate.

In chapter five it is argued that Foucault's later works implicitly contain an analytic of liminality that entails a non-transcendental account of the present. Integrating the later work into his earlier work, therefore, provides a greater theoretical understanding of Foucault's ontology of social criticism. It is concluded that Foucault (and poststructuralism in general) represents a distinctive and convincing voice in the debates concerning the character of social criticism.


Analytical solutions of laminated composite shells with embedded actuating layers are presented in this study. The magnetostrictive actuating layers are used to control natural vibration of laminated composite shell panels. The first-order shear deformation shell theory (FSDT) is used to represent the shell kinematics and equations of motion. The exact solution for symmetric laminated shells with embedded actuating layers under simply supported boundary conditions is obtained using the Navier solution procedure. Negative velocity feedback control is used. The parametric effects of the position of the magnetostrictive layers, material properties and control parameters on the vibration suppression are investigated in detail.


We have developed a statistical nonlinear model to explain an anomalous intensity saturation observed in the amplification of intense broadband incoherent pulses on neodynium-doped glass power chains. The physics behind this model is basically self-phase modulation creating new wavelengths scattered in the tail of the gain profile. The theory shows qualitative agreement with the experimental results.


Hosting tours at your farm can be a great way to market your products and your farm's brand. Tours let you tell potential customers how you grow your food, why they should buy it, and who you are as a farmer. This 3-page fact sheet discusses these topics and provides logistical advice for planning and executing a successful farm tour. Written by Claire Mitchell and Joy N. Rumble, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, August 2015.


The multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM) is implemented to numerically simulate the cross flow over a longitudinal vibrating circular cylinder. This research is carried out on a three-dimensional (3D) finite cantilevered cylinder to investigate the effect of forced vibration on the wake characteristics and the 3D effect of a cantilevered cylinder. To meet the accuracy of this method, the present calculation is carried out at a low Reynolds number Re = 100, as well as to make the vibration obvious, we make the vibration strong enough. The calculation results indicate that the vibration has significant influence on the wake characteristics. When the vibrating is big enough, our early works show that the 2D vortex shedding would be locked up by vibration. Contrarily, this phenomenon would not appear in the present 3D case because of the end effect of the cantilevered cylinder.


During the last century enormous progress has been made in the understanding of biological diversity, involving a dramatic shift from macroscopic to microscopic organisms. The question now arises as to whether the Natural System introduced by Carl Linnaeus, which has served as the central system for organizing biological diversity, can accommodate the great expansion of diversity that has been discovered. Important discoveries regarding biological diversity have not been fully integrated into a formal, coherent taxonomic system. In addition, because of taxonomic challenges and conflicts, various proposals have been made to abandon key aspects of the Linnaean system. We review the current status of taxonomy of the living world, focussing on groups at the taxonomic level of phylum and above. We summarize the main arguments against and in favour of abandoning aspects of the Linnaean system. Based on these considerations, we conclude that retaining the Linnaean Natural System provides important advantages. We propose a relatively small number of amendments for extending this system, particularly to include the named rank of world (Latin alternative mundis) formally to include non‐cellular entities (viruses), and the named rank of empire (Latin alternative imperium) to accommodate the depth of diversity in (unicellular) eukaryotes that has been uncovered. We argue that in the case of both the eukaryotic domain and the viruses the cladistic approach intrinsically fails. However, the resulting semi‐cladistic system provides a productive way forward that can help resolve taxonomic challenges. The amendments proposed allow us to: (i) retain named taxonomic levels and the three‐domain system, (ii) improve understanding of the main eukaryotic lineages, and (iii) incorporate viruses into the Natural System. Of note, the proposal described herein is intended to serve as the starting point for a broad scientific discussion regarding the modernization of the Linnaean system.


Article is devoted to the new conditions for the development of society characterized by the reconstruction of the course of higher education by increasing the competitiveness of Russian universities in the world scientific and educational space. A characteristic feature of modern development is the transition to a new stage of the formation of an innovative society, to build an economy based on the generation, distribution, transfer and use of knowledge. Ability to adapt capacity to the constantly changing environment is becoming the leading trend, the main source of material prosperity of civil society. And university rankings as indicators and tools of the competitiveness of universities certainly play an increasingly important role in the interaction of universities, businesses and states in the global educational space.


We consider several combinatorial optimization problems in a geometric setting. The first problem we consider is the problem of clustering to minimize the sum of radii. Given a positive integer k and a set of points with interpoint distances that satisfy the definition of being a "metric", we define a ball centered at some input point and having some radius as the set of all input points that are at a distance smaller than the radius of the ball from its center. We want to cover all input points using at most k balls so that the sum of the radii of the balls chosen is minimized. We show that when the points lie in some Euclidean space and the distance measure is the standard Euclidean metric, we can find an exact solution in polynomial time under standard assumptions about the model of computation.
The second problem we consider is the Network Spanner Topology Design problem. In this problem, given a set of nodes in the network, represented by points in some geometric setting—either a plane or a 1.5-D terrain, we want to compute a height assignment function h that assigns a height to a tower at every node such that the set of pairs of nodes that can form a direct link with each other under this height function forms a connected spanner. A pair of nodes can form a direct link if they are within a bounded distance B of each other and the heights of towers at the two nodes are sufficient to achieve Line-of-Sight connectivity—i.e. the straight line connecting the top of the towers lies above any obstacles. In the planar setting where the obstacles are modeled as having a certain maximum height and minimum clearance distance, we give a constant factor approximation algorithm. In the case where the points lie on a 1.5-D terrain we illustrate that it might be hard to use Computational Geometry to achieve efficient approximations.
The final problem we consider is the Multiway Barrier Cut problem. Here, given a set of points in the plane and a set of unit disk sensors also in the plane such that any path in the plane between any pair of input points hits at least one of the given sensor disks we consider the problem of finding the minimum size subset of these disks that still achieves this separation. We give a constant factor approximation algorithm for this problem.


Abstract : Several aliphatic-aromatic thermoplastic polymers in neat resin form have been identified which hold promise as solvent-resistant matrices for application in composites for aerospace vehicles. During this initial 24-month technical effort, 16 compositions representing polyimides and two types of polybenzimidazoles were synthesized, molded, and characterized. Polyimides from pyromellitic dianhydride with 1,6-hexane- and 1,8-octanediamines and polybenzimidazoles from 3,3',4,4'-tetra- amino biphenyl with suberic and sebacic acids and 1,12-dodecanedicarboxylic acid demonstrated excellent unstressed resistance to chloroform, acetone, and tricresyl phosphate. N-arylenepolybenzimidazoles and polyimides from 3,3' ,4,4'-benzo- phenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride with aliphatic diamines were susceptible to chloroform absorption. Modification of the aliphatic polyimides from 3,3' ,4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride and 1,6-hexane- and 1,8-octanediamine, with m-phenylenediamine, reduced the chloroform susceptibility to acceptable values. jg p8


In the northern-most area of Chile, stretching six hundred miles down the coast of South America and expanding more than forty thousand square miles into Bolivia, Peru and Argentina lies the Atacama Desert. This massive, barren landscape consists of expansive salt flats, out of which towering volcanoes extend, reaching twenty thousand feet into the sky. The Atacama Desert is known to be the driest desert in the world, with a landscape resembling that of Mars (Vesilind 2003). Despite this extreme and often harsh environment, the Atacama Desert has been home to a diverse population since as early as 10,000 B.P.. Emerging out of a transfusion of The Late Formative Period and the Period of Regional Developments (between 1000 and 1450 A.D.), a new tradition began (Briones 2006) that involved indigenous peoples branding the earth over which they traveled and these impressions remain today. These structures are called "geoglyphs" and embody the most fundamental aspects of archaeological landscape, including feelings of deep attachment to the earth, means of survival, and religious vestiges. This article is available in Spectrum: https://scholars.unh.edu/spectrum/vol2/iss1/3 28 The Geoglyphs of The Atacama Desert: A Bond of Landscape and Mobility


The aim of this thesis is to estimate the base of support (BoS) during gait, defined as the area over which the body is supported during the double-support phase. To reach this goal, both absolute and relative orientation and position of the feet are required. The relative orientation is achieved by sensor fusion algorithms that combine information from accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers. In fact, in this study the orientation is obtained by using Magneto-Inertial Measurement Units (MIMUs) that are suitable for measurements outside of motion analysis laboratory and over extended period of time. However, the use of inertial technology itself does not allow to obtain the absolute position estimation due to the lack of a global reference with fixed origin. These problems can be overcome by using additional distance sensors (DS). We plan to adopt infrared time-of-flight proximity distance sensors (IR ToF), which guarantee a high output data rates and allow that transmitter and receiver are embedded in the same sensor. First of all, to refer both feet to the same system, orientation and position with respect to an absolute coordinate system are required. This is the pre-requisite of further step width and BOS estimation. MIMUs provide the orientation relative to an absolute frame, which is identified by the direction of the gravity and the Earth magnetic field. Although, the position information cannot be achieved by MIMUs, which provide only the relative displacement with respect to the initial position of the sensors. In fact, the single foot orientation will be referred to the a global frame that is not fixed in a defined origin point. DSs overcome this limitation, offering the relative distance between feet and, thus, connecting both feet coordinate systems and enabling to provide absolute positions. To accurately estimate the 3D orientation, complementary properties of accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope are exploited and their data are combined in a sensor fusion algorithm. MIMU systems suffer from measurement errors and integration drifts, which can limit displacement and orientation assessment during long-term measurements. Thus, the study begins with choosing a suitable way to estimate the orientation through MIMUs and then compensating the errors. Consequently, the orientation of each foot with respect to the global non-fixed frame is obtained. To find the trajectory and displacement of the foot during time, the measured gravity-free acceleration is double time integrated and temporal parameters have to be calculated to impose the right initial and final conditions at every gait cycle. The zero velocity update is used to reduce the integration error, imposing that the velocity must be zero during the foot flat phase, when the foot is still on the ground. IR ToF sensors measure the time an electromagnetic wave needs to travel a distance. Once distances between the swing foot and the stance foot are collected, we can solve a scanning problem creating a model of the scanned foot and, then, describe the position of both feet with respect to the same previously fixed global reference frame. Thus, absolute positions of both feet are obtained. The tests for methodology validation will include experiments using mechanical analogues replicating the gait mechanism and on a healthy subject. The validation is made with stereophotogrammetry, which is considered the gold standard in gait analysis.


: Eutrophication is a key driver in the loss of marine ecosystems, and seagrass meadows are among the many ecosystems which have declined globally during the last decades. Seagrass restoration is being used worldwide in coastal areas to counteract the decline in areal extent and to promote biodiversity. This study assesses the spatial and temporal changes in benthic fauna composition after a successful large-scale eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) transplantation in Horsens Fjord, Denmark. Transplantation was done by anchoring individual shoots in the sediment. Subsequently, benthic fauna was compared among bare bottom (BB), transplanted eelgrass (TE) and a natural eelgrass (NE) meadow in Horsens Fjord. Species richness ( S ) , abundance (N) , Shan-non-Wiener index ( H' ) , Pielou's evenness ( J' ) and biomass ( B ) of benthic fauna were significantly higher at TE and NE than at BB. S , H' and J' were not different between TE and NE, but N and B were. Furthermore, S , N and B showed significant year-to-year variation, with the highest values occurring the same year as peak eelgrass biomass at both TE and NE, and S , N and H' correlated positively with dry eelgrass biomass. Increases in community parameters were achieved at TE at least 1 yr 2 mo after transplantation, and a higher diversity of feeding groups was found. However, the ecological status of fauna at TE was in a transition state towards that at NE, according to the Water Framework Directive. The fast succession of benthic fauna proved that successful large-scale transplantation of eelgrass can restore fauna communities very quickly.


A novel yeast species is described based on three strains from the gut of wood-boring larvae collected in a tree trunk of Ficus carica cultivated in parks near Nanyang, central China. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene showed that these strains occurred in a separate clade that was genetically distinct from all known ascomycetous yeasts. In terms of pairwise sequence divergence, the novel strains differed by 15.3% divergence from the type strain of Pichia terricola, and by 15.8% divergence from the type strains of Pichia exigua and Candida rugopelliculosa in the D1/D2 domains. All three are ascomycetous yeasts in the Pichia clade. Unlike P. terricola, P. exigua and C. rugopelliculosa, the novel isolates did not ferment glucose. The name Candida ficus sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these highly divergent organisms, with STN-8(T) (=CICC 1980(T)=CBS 12638(T)) as the type strain.


Abstract Children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) are at increased risk of mental health problems. Fortunately, there is emerging evidence of the benefit of family-centred, strength based approaches for these children. Previous studies have highlighted the barriers to accessing services for these families. This article outlines the development of a consultation service offered by the Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) to assist Adult Mental Health Service (AMHS) clinicians in supporting families of parents with mental illness. Data was obtained regarding the number of AMHS clients who are parents and the impact of the consultation service promotion on referral patterns. During data collection there was a critical event involving the death of a child of a parent with mental illness. Subsequently, a state wide COPMI policy was developed that is hypothesised to have influenced the referral pattern. The number of adult clients who are parents was lower than in other Australian studies (3–17 versus 23%). There was a modest increase in referral numbers to the CYMHS during this time. AMHS Clinicians reported barriers in talking to client's who are parents regarding their children's needs and facilitating appropriate referrals. The article demonstrates the limitations of having an external service (CYMHS) offering an assessment of the family's needs and the importance of the AMHS clinicians having adequate skills and knowledge to work with these families. Recommendations include organisational support for AMHS clinicians in working with these families, ensuring adequate professional development and developing strategies to support collaborative work between agencies.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms including tremor and bradykinesia. The primary pathophysiology underlying PD is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. Loss of these neurons causes pathological changes in neurotransmission in the basal ganglia motor circuit. The ability of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors to modulate neurotransmission throughout the basal ganglia suggests that these receptors may be targets for reversing the effects of altered neurotransmission in PD. Studies in animal models suggest that modulating the activity of these receptors may alleviate the primary motor symptoms of PD as well as side effects induced by dopamine replacement therapy. Moreover, glutamate receptor ligands may slow disease progression by delaying progressive dopamine neuron degeneration. Antagonists of NMDA receptors have shown promise in reversing motor symptoms, levodopa-induced dyskinesias, and neurodegeneration in preclinical PD models. The effects of drugs targeting AMPA receptors are more complex; while antagonists of these receptors exhibit utility in the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias, AMPA receptor potentiators show promise for neuroprotection. Pharmacological modulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) may hold even more promise for PD treatment due to the ability of mGluRs to fine-tune neurotransmission. Antagonists of mGluR5, as well as activators of group II mGluRs and mGluR4, have shown promise in several animal models of PD. These drugs reverse motor deficits in addition to providing protection against neurodegeneration. Glutamate receptors therefore represent exciting targets for the development of novel pharmacological therapies for PD.


Ideas regarding what it means to age well date back centuries. Gerontological scholarship includes countless conceptual, theoretical, and empirical contributions to how to make sense of these ideas. The construct of successful aging is therefore one of the most debated operationalizations of what it means to age well. Empirical research on successful aging taps into either understandings of successful aging or the strategies that people use to age well. The very essence of the construct of successful aging is, however, sociocultural. This is why this chapter proposes that exploring the cultural values that underpin the understandings of successful aging that inform this scholarship is a theoretically profuse approach to making sense of the controversy that surrounds this construct.
 Two decades ago, a culture-relevant framework for the study of understandings of successful aging was formulated to address the disregard for cultural values that lie at the very core of this controversy. This framework proposes that there is congruence between the value orientations that people prefer and the understandings of successful aging that they hold, and that if we are to make sense of this congruence, we need to acknowledge that the foundations of value orientations (i.e., political, economic, and religious systems) shape what we deem to be necessary for aging well. From this it follows that there are bound to be more understandings of successful aging than what the scholarship in this area tends to acknowledge. After all, gerontological scholarship relies most heavily on contributions made on the basis of data from highly industrialized societies in the part of the world referred to as "the West." In other words, gerontological scholarship on successful aging is extremely ethnocentric in its take on this construct, since only a handful of cultural understandings of what it means to age well are regarded as the norm. A failure to acknowledge this very fact leads gerontologists to disregard or downplay (often inadvertently) understandings of what it means to age well that do not resonate well with their own value paradigms or to impose (sometimes unintentionally) the Western template on findings about successful aging that do not rhyme well with what this scholarship assumes to be a given (i.e., a future, activity, independence, and mastering of nature orientation to what aging well means).


The objective of this study is to summarize studies and investigations and show a brief details of different technologies used for the treatment of petroleum wastewater. The wastewater from Petroleum industries and refineries mainly contains oil, organic matter and other compounds. The treatment of this wastewater can be carried out by physical, chemical and biological treatment processes. Treatment of petroleum wastewater has two stages, firstly, pre-treatment stage to reduce grease, oil and suspended materials. Secondly, an advanced treatment stage to degrade and decrease the pollutants to acceptable discharge values. Most studies are focused on degradation of some pollutants found in the petroleum wastewater such as organic materials, phenols, sulphides and ammonia.


We discuss the selection of the socially efficient discount rate for public investment projects that entail costs and benefits in the far distant future. We show that the discount rate should be a decreasing function of time horizon under some specific restrictions on the distribution of uncertain growth and on preferences. We consider a logarithmic random walk for consumption. The benchmark result is that, in the absence of any risk of recession, the yield curve is decreasing if relative risk aversion is decreasing. Relaxing the assumption on the absence of recession requires more restrictions on preferences, as increasing relative prudence.


Buying into the Regime is a transnational history of how Chilean grapes created new forms of consumption and labor politics in both the United States and Chile. After seizing power in 1973, Augusto Pinochet embraced neoliberalism, transforming Chile's economy. The country became the world's leading grape exporter. Heidi Tinsman traces the rise of Chile's fruit industry, examining how income from grape production enabled fruit workers, many of whom were women, to buy the commodities—appliances, clothing, cosmetics—flowing into Chile, and how this new consumerism influenced gender relations, as well as pro-democracy movements. Back in the United States, Chilean and U.S. businessmen aggressively marketed grapes as a wholesome snack. At the same time, the United Farm Workers and Chilean solidarity activists led parallel boycotts highlighting the use of pesticides and exploitation of labor in grape production. By the early-twenty-first century, Americans may have been better informed, but they were eating more grapes than ever.


Abstract The goal of parkour is to cross various obstacles in an efficient and creative way by jumping, swinging, climbing, and running. Parkour aligns with the SHAPE America national standards for K-12 physical education and has demonstrated its potential to highly engage both boys and girls in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). In this article, we present a knowledge packet for teaching parkour to elementary children. First, we discuss the knowledge packet by unpacking the content development together with common errors and suggestions on how to correct these. Next, we propose appropriate equipment that can be used during physical education lessons. After which we introduce organizational and pedagogical principles that strengthen the parkour unit, such as focused station work, modifying content and equipment and offering children high practice opportunities and the role of teacher's content knowledge. We end the paper by providing examples for assessing children in a formative and summative way.


In this cross-sectional study, we examined age-related differences in anxiety sensitivity (AS), experiential avoidance (EA), and mindfulness among younger adult students (N = 426; M age = 20.1 years) and community-dwelling older adults (N = 85; M age = 71.8 years). Participants anonymously completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Geriatric Anxiety Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Independent t tests indicated that younger adults reported significantly higher levels of AS and EA, whereas older adults reported significantly higher levels of trait mindfulness. Correlational analyses demonstrated that AS and EA were significantly associated with each other and with anxiety-related symptoms. However, trait mindfulness was significantly inversely related to AS, EA, and to trait and state anxiety. To date, these three factors have yet to be examined simultaneously within the context of age differences, and the present study illuminates these differences as well as their relationships. AS, EA, and low mindfulness appear to be significant correlates for anxiety-related symptoms in younger and older adults.


Spin-polarised local density functional cluster calculations are carried out on sub-stitutional Ni in Si and Cu in GaAs along with TM-H 2 complexes. The Jahn-Teller distortion for Ni in Si leads to a slight displacement along h100i in agreement with EPR experiments. Several models of NiH 2 are investigated and it is shown that one, with H located at anti-bonding sites to two of the Si neighbours of Ni, has the lowest energy and possesses H related local vibrational modes close to those reported for Pt-H 2. A similar structure is found for CuH 2 in GaAs. The electronic properties of the complexes are described in terms of the vacancy model of TM impurities.


In this 2‐phase randomized controlled study, we examined whether consuming a higher‐protein (HP) diet would attenuate fat‐free mass (FFM) loss during energy deficit (ED) at high altitude (HA) in 17 healthy males (mean ± sd: 23 ± 6 yr; 82 ± 14 kg). During phase 1 at sea level (SL, 55 m), participants consumed a eucaloric diet providing standard protein (SP; 1.0 g protein/kg,) for 21 d. During phase 2, participants resided at HA (4300 m) for 22 d and were randomly assigned to either an SP or HP (2.0 g protein/kg) diet designed to elicit a 40% ED. Body composition, substrate oxidation, and postabsorptive whole‐body protein kinetics were measured. Participants were weight stable during SL and lost 7.9 ± 1.9 kg (P < 0.01) during HA, regardless of dietary protein intake. Decrements in whole‐body FFM (3.6 ± 2.4 kg) and fat mass (3.6 ± 1.3 kg) were not different between SP and HP. HP oxidized 0.95 ± 0.32 g protein/kg per day more than SP and whole‐body net protein balance was more negative for HP than for SP (P < 0.01). Based on changes in body energy stores, the overall ED was 70% (−1849 ± 511 kcal/d, no group differences). Consuming an HP diet did not protect FFM during severe ED at HA.—Berryman, C. E., Young, A. J., Karl, J. P., Kenefick, R. W., Margolis, L. M., Cole, R. E., Carbone, J. W., Lieberman, H. R., Kim, I.‐Y., Ferrando, A. A., Pasiakos, S. M. Severe negative energy balance during 21 d at high altitude decreases fat‐free mass regardless of dietary protein intake: a randomized controlled trial. FASEB J. 32, 894–905 (2018). www.fasebj.org


Purpose of review Oxygen (O2) delivery, the maintenance of which is fundamental to supporting those with critical illness, is a function of blood O2 content and flow. Here, we review red blood cell (RBC) physiology relevant to disordered O2 delivery in the critically ill. Recent findings Flow (rather than content) is the focus of O2 delivery regulation. O2 content is relatively fixed, whereas flow fluctuates by several orders of magnitude. Thus, blood flow volume and distribution vary to maintain coupling between O2 delivery and demand. The trapping, processing and delivery of nitric oxide (NO) by RBCs has emerged as a conserved mechanism through which regional blood flow is linked to biochemical cues of perfusion sufficiency. We will review conventional RBC physiology that influences O2 delivery (O2 affinity & rheology) and introduce a new paradigm for O2 delivery homeostasis based on coordinated gas transport and vascular signaling by RBCs. Summary By coordinating vascular signaling in a fashion that links O2 and NO flux, RBCs couple vessel caliber (and thus blood flow) to O2 need in tissue. Malfunction of this signaling system is implicated in a wide array of pathophysiologies and may be explanatory for the dysoxia frequently encountered in the critical care setting.


The three-dimensional pattern of the hyperbolic umbilic diffraction catastrophe is computed from an integral representation. A detailed description is given of the geometrical arrangement of the wave dislocation lines (optical vortices) on which the diffraction pattern is based. From a crossed grid of nodal lines in the focal plane, two bundles of dislocation lines spring out symmetrically into the regions of 4-wave interference. Each dislocation line then follows a chain of curved segments which approximate successive steps along lattice vectors in the space group Fmmm. The result is a bundle of helices of non-circular cross-section that gradually straighten out until, far from the focal plane, they become the dislocations of the Pearcey diffraction pattern for the cusp catastrophe. A new phenomenon is the multiple puncturing of the caustic surface by a series of helical dislocations.


The limiting efficiency of an intermediate band solar cell with a non-ideal band structure is analyzed using the principle of detailed balance. Firstly, the impact of finite band width on the optimum band gap design for AM1.5 spectrum is examined. It is found that the band width may be a determining factor in the optimum band gap arrangement, but that the degradation in efficiency due to the band width up to ~ 200 meV is moderate. It is also found that the band width can determine which band gap combination gives the highest global limiting efficiency. Further to the intermediate band width modification, the inclusion of band tails, analogous to those present in amorphous materials is discussed in terms of realizing an intermediate band using quantum dot arrays. In this model the worst case scenario is assumed, that of low absorption, but maximum emissivity at the band tail edge of the intermediate band. Results show that, with multiple band gap combinations giving several local peaks, the one giving the global maximum efficiency changes with band width. When band tails are included in a materials system proposed for implementing an intermediate band solar cell via quantum dot miniband formation significant drop off in efficiency is seen. The results taken together suggest the intermediate band width and any band tails should be considered in designs for intermediate band solar cells.


In this paper, major challenges for 5 nm node BEOL performance are presented. High wire resistance is a key issue for interconnect delay. Accordingly, we focus on potential wire resistance reduction with various architectures and materials. Copper liner thickness was identified as the major knob for increasing Cu areal percent, as compared to increased line aspect ratio and width. Interconnect delay variability is reviewed and analyzed with respect to various patterning techniques.


We consider a case study using SQL-as-a-Service to support "instant analysis" of weakly structured relational data at a multi-investigator science retreat. Here, "weakly structured" means tabular, rows-and-columns datasets that share some common context, but that have limited a priori agreement on file formats, relationships, types, schemas, metadata, or semantics. In this case study, the data were acquired from hundreds of distinct locations during a multi-day oceanographic cruise using a variety of physical, biological, and chemical sensors and assays. Months after the cruise when preliminary data processing was complete, 40+ researchers from a variety of disciplines participated in a two-day "data synthesis workshop." At this workshop, two computer scientists used a web-based query-as-a-service platform called SQLShare to perform "SQL stenography": capturing the scientific discussion in real time to integrate data, test hypotheses, and populate visualizations to then inform and enhance further discussion. In this "field test" of our technology and approach, we found that it was not only feasible to support interactive science Q&A with essentially pure SQL, but that we significantly increased the value of the "face time" at the meeting: researchers from different fields were able to validate assumptions and resolve ambiguity about each others' fields. As a result, new science emerged from a meeting that was originally just a planning meeting. In this paper, we describe the details of this experiment, discuss our major findings, and lay out a new research agenda for collaborative science database services.


The corrosion inhibition characteristics of Garcinia indica extract (GIE) on the corrosion of 6063 aluminium in 2.0M phosphoric acid solution were studied by using potentiodynamic polarization using Tafel extrapolation technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques at different temperatures and at different concentrations of inhibitor. Kinetic parameters and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated and discussed in detail. Inhibition efficiency increased with extract concentration and increased with temperature. The adsorption of GIE on metal surface obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. GIE acted as mixed inhibitor in phosphoric acid solution and followed chemisorption on the surface of 6063 Al alloy


A long‐standing debate concerns whether nectar sugar composition evolves as an adaptation to pollinator dietary requirements or whether it is 'phylogenetically constrained'. Here, we use a modelling approach to evaluate the hypothesis that nectar sucrose proportion (NSP) is an adaptation to pollinators. We analyse ~ 2100 species of asterids, spanning several plant families and pollinator groups (PGs), and show that the hypothesis of adaptation cannot be rejected: NSP evolves towards two optimal values, high NSP for specialist‐pollinated and low NSP for generalist‐pollinated plants. However, the inferred adaptive process is weak, suggesting that adaptation to PG only provides a partial explanation for how nectar evolves. Additional factors are therefore needed to fully explain nectar evolution, and we suggest that future studies might incorporate floral shape and size and the abiotic environment into the analytical framework. Further, we show that NSP and PG evolution are correlated – in a manner dictated by pollinator behaviour. This contrasts with the view that a plant necessarily has to adapt its nectar composition to ensure pollination but rather suggests that pollinators adapt their foraging behaviour or dietary requirements to the nectar sugar composition presented by the plants. Finally, we document unexpectedly sucrose‐poor nectar in some specialized nectarivorous bird‐pollinated plants from the Old World, which might represent an overlooked form of pollinator deception. Thus, our broad study provides several new insights into how nectar evolves and we conclude by discussing why maintaining the conceptual dichotomy between adaptation and constraint might be unhelpful for advancing this field.


The purpose of this investigation was to identify academic variables, both before and during the nursing program, that predicted the practical nursing student's success in educational and licensure processes. The predictor variables were (a) high school grade point average (GPA); (b) Practical Nursing Entrance Exam (PNEE); (c) number of support course credit hours successfully completed prior to nursing school; (d) Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE); (e) first, second, and third nursing course percentage grade; and (f) LPN Assessment Test. The criterion variables included (a) percentage grade for the first nursing course, (b) LPN Assessment Test pass rate, and (c) National Council Licensure Examination for practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) pass rate. The sample (N=62 consisted of practical nursing (PN) students who attended and/or graduated form a Midwestern vocational technical school/college during the time between August 1991 and June 1995. Due to incomplete data on some nursing program entrants, statistical analyses were conducted on variables with complete data sets and, thus, the sample size for each analysis varied. The investigation found: (a) there was a moderate, positive correlation (r = .35, p < .05) between high school GPA and the first nursing course percentage grade (FNCPG); (b) the third nursing course percentage grade (TNCPG) was the most important academic predictor in discriminating between the LPN Assessment Test pass and fail groups; (c) passing the LPN Assessment Test correlated with passing the NCLEX-PN (r = .32, p, .01); and (d) the PNEE composite score (R-.59) and TABE total reading score (R= .57) were the best predictors of the LPN Assessment Test percentage score when each test was analyzed separately. Based on these findings, the high school GPA, TABE, and PNEE can be analyzed by a nurse educator to help identify a student at-risk for failing in the first semester of his/her PN education. As the student progresses through the nursing program, nursing course grade and the LPN Assessment Test become significant academic predictors of success in the educational and/or licensure process. Nurse educators can utilize this knowledge as they plan and initiate appropriate teaching methodologies and/or counseling designed to support the student's success in the admission to, progression thru, and graduation from a practical/vocational nursing program.


This study analyzes mobbing, a particularly relevant phenomenon nowadays, as the attention given
by media shows. The research involved the users of a trade union's anti-mobbing window set up in an
Italian town in 2006, with the aim to provide assistance and support to the workers seeking help. After
an examination of the literature, the models, causes, and effects of mobbing on the individuals, their
families, and the organization, we presented the intervention methodology implemented at the window.
The intervention envisaged an initial interview, administering the Leyman Inventory of Psychological
Terror (LIPT; Leymann, 1990) adapted by Ege (2002; LIPT Ege), and determining the professional
harm that mobbing causes. A qualitative and quantitative analysis provided a snapshot of mobbing regarding the data collected through the LIPT on a sample of 106 workers, and identified possible areas
of intervention from a psychological and legal point of view.


Desalinated water is often created using fuels that contribute to atmospheric CO2. These decisions of fuel and technical methodology are made using a cost benefit analysis which often ignores externalities. In such situations, Solar and clean solutions may lose out.

Loyalty and reward mechanisms using tokens or credits for consumers are often used to create value for marketing consumer goods, etc.

A lesser known fact is that the economics of loyalty or reward mechanisms can function like currencies with similar economic value properties emerging.

Currencies function like social protocols for the transfer of value among participants in an economic network. As such, the value of a currency emerges as a direct function of the number of participants. This emergent value effect has been observed in 50 of the world's largest currencies, gold, and even Bitcoin. The cumulative economic effect of this currency phenomenon is valued at $16 trillion USD. The effect is emergent and ranges from $500-$5,000 per participant using a value transfer protocol be it currency, token or credit.

The potential to apply the positive economic externality effects of currency networks to help offset the negative externalities associated with carbon pollution are worth studying and applying.

The users of desalinated water are a collective economic network. As such they can create economic value which can be applied to reduce the cost of solar desalinated water, making solar a more attractive option than the use of fossil fuels in the desalination process. The proposed mechanism for this is a Token or reward scheme which distributes a portion of tokens to the users of said water and the purchasing agent or utility of said water.


Formulas are derived for the fifteen elastic constants associated with bending, stretching, twisting, and shearing of plates with closely spaced integral ribbing in a variety of configurations and proportions. In the derivation the plates are considered, conceptually, as more uniform orthotropic plates somewhat on the order of plywood. The constants, which include the effectiveness of the ribs for resisting deformations other than bending and stretching in their longitudinal directions, are defined in terms of four coefficients, and theoretical and experimental methods for the evaluation of these coefficients are discussed. Four of the more important elastic constants are predicted by these formulas and are compared with test results. Good correlation is obtained. (author).


Childhood obesity has been identified as a health crisis reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. Significant literature addresses the many aspects of this issue however little exists that honours the experiences and voices of overweight adolescents. Framed by relational-cultural theory, in this exploratory qualitative study, I examine experiences, strategies, and processes of overweight adolescents in relation to their interactions with others. A case study analysis of a focus group of overweight adoloescents ages 13-16 years was conducted with three salient themes emerging. Participant's verbalized experiences demonstrated a perception of issues related to their relationships with others and sometimes an identified awareness of factors pertaining to these relationships. The third theme centres on the varied and at times complex strategies participants used when navigating these potential or existing relationships with others. Implications for health promoting theory, policy, practice, and future research are outlined.


The Voronoi Treemap is a space-filling treemap technique that relaxes the constraints of rectangular nodes. Its organic shapes maintain a one-to-one aspect ratio, are flexible with their placement, allowing stable zooming and dynamic data values. This poster articulates the tradeoffs that go into generating dynamic treemaps. We then present innovative features that allow Voronoi Treemaps to smoothly represent dynamically-changing data. We demonstrate its use with a deep organizational chart and an animated dataset. User tests confirm that Voronoi Treemaps can be a successful visualization technique.


In Senegal, as elsewhere in the WAEMU zone, access to credit for vulnerable microentrepreneurs is a major concern despite the important role of traditional microfinance institutions. To effectively solve this problem, Islamic microfinance has been identified as an alternative offer, alongside conventional finance, in order to give access to bank accounts to those underprivileged people that have not been sufficiently served by financial institutions. Thus, this article aims to study the advent of Islamic microfinance in Senegal. To do this, our research focuses on the history and role of the State of Senegal in the promotion of Islamic microfinance to finally present the characteristics of this new funding model for vulnerable populations often excluded from the traditional financial system.


Controlling the mobility of mobile nodes (e.g., robots) to monitor a given field is a well-studied problem in sensor networks. In this setup, absolute control over the nodes' mobility is assumed. In this paper, we address a more general setting in which mobility of each node is externally constrained by a schedule consisting of a list of locations that the node must visit at particular times. Typically, such schedules exhibit some level of slack, which could be leveraged to achieve a specific coverage distribution of a field. Such a distribution defines the relative importance of different field locations. We define the Constrained Mobility Coordination problem for Preferential Coverage (CMC-PC) as follows: given a field with a desired monitoring distribution, and a number of nodes n, each with its own schedule, we need to coordinate the mobility of the nodes in order to achieve the following two goals: 1) satisfy the schedules of all nodes, and 2) attain the required coverage of the given field. We show that the CMC-PC problem is NP-complete (by reduction from the Hamiltonian Cycle problem). Then we propose TFM, a distributed heuristic to achieve field coverage that is as close as possible to the required coverage distribution. We verify the premise of TFM using extensive simulations, as well as taxi logs from a major metropolitan area. We compare TFM to the random mobility strategy — the latter provides a lower bound on performance. Our results show that TFM is very successful in matching the required field coverage distribution, and that it provides, at least, two-fold query success ratio for queries that follow the target coverage distribution of the field.


In the present, the use of info-communication technology has become a living communication reality that pervades everyday life. The relationship between the learning and teaching process to medialization and digital technology has become increasingly prominent. Since the spread of digital data, and especially the emergence of the World Wide Web, many phenomena and trends and could have been observed regarding the use of ICT in education. Some of these trends have reached on their peak the plateau of productivity since the 1990s, but more have proven to be merely fad. One of the most frequently used methods in the present is, for example, the flipped classroom, where students acquire the theory at home through digital curricula, while in the classroom they deepen their knowledge and interact with teachers. From the 2000s, e-learning has become a new educational environment which includes novel forms of learning and teaching supported by ICT, both in form, content, and methodology. In the present, E-learning continues to be a significant trend, and many teachers are just now discovering the benefits of the platform and some of them turn to blended learning (Kis-Toth – Lengyelne, 2012). The use of a Learning Management Systems (LMS) relies on multimedia and linking texts - hypertext - while it requires interaction between the learner (user) and the text (information). Gamification supports the player within, where point systems, levels, and healthy competition between students play an essential role. Although not a traditional methodology, the use of social media and web 2.0 in education is becoming more and more important, students follow or write blogs, or edit Wikipedia. As it is observed that nowadays students' attention can be maintained for a shorter period then in the case of previous generations, the use of micro-content in the transfer of knowledge adapts to the accelerated information-taking habits. In the universe of micro-content, the use of smaller curricula reinforces the popularity of independent learning. Finally, current trends include the strengthening of the interactive visual learning environment, (Benedek, 2019) and the use of augmented reality content, or how Microsoft refers to it, mixed reality. The lesson of the past 30 years might be that using technology itself, without a sophisticated methodology that takes into account as many didactic aspects is not enough. The technology-centered approach teaching-learning process is just as much a mistake as the thinking that automatically assumes the effectiveness of learning organization due to the use of modern technology. Any methodology in which the demonstration is given prominence describes that its application, if unrelated to the process, can very easily become a dead end. The use of technology, unless it is based on methodological principles, does not lead to an increase in the efficiency of the learning process. By focusing merely on the application of technology, unrealistic expectations cannot be met." (Olle, 2013: 102.)


Cyclone diplegs play a major role in the functioning of fluidized beds. Previous studies have shown that at certain operating conditions there can be severe gas bypassing (also referred to as jet streaming) of gas in deep beds of Geldart Group A materials which leaves significant portions of the fluid bed defluidized. If cyclone diplegs are immersed in these defluidized regions, solids discharge from the dipleg may be hindered, which can lead to the flooding of the dipleg and the cyclone. This could result in high solids losses from the fluidized bed. Tests were conducted to demonstrate that cyclone diplegs can flood when discharging into a bed with gas bypassing. Tests were also conducted to determine how gas bypassing affects the operation of cyclone diplegs that have a splash plate or a trickle valve. These tests were conducted in a 1.52-m-diameter semicircular column equipped with a Plexiglas faceplate to allow visual observation.


Conformationally flexible ancillary ligands have been widely used in transition metal catalysis. However, the benefits of using flexible ligands are often not well understood. We performed density functional theory (DFT) and experimental studies to elucidate the mechanisms and the roles of conformationally flexible α,α,α',α'-tetraaryldioxolane-4,5-dimethanol (TADDOL)-derived ligands on the reactivity and selectivity in the Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydroboration (CAHB) of alkenes. DFT calculations and deuterium labeling studies both indicated that the most favorable reaction pathway involves an unusual tertiary C-B bond reductive elimination to give high levels of regio- and enantioselectivities. Here, the asymmetric construction of the fully substituted carbon center is promoted by the flexibility of the TADDOL backbone, which leads to two ligand conformations with distinct steric environments in different steps of the catalytic cycle. A pseudo-chair ligand conformation is preferred in the rate-determining tertiary benzylic C-B reductive elimination. The less hindered steric environment with this conformation allows the benzylic group to bind to the Rh center in an η3 fashion, which stabilizes the C-B reductive elimination transition state. On the other hand, a pseudo-boat ligand conformation is involved in the selectivity-determining alkene migratory insertion step, where the more anisotropic steric environment leads to greater ligand-substrate steric interactions to control the π-facial selectivity. Thus, using a conformationally flexible ligand is beneficial for enhancing both reactivity and enantioselectivity by controlling ligand-substrate interactions in two different elementary steps.


Along with other sporting mega-events, the Olympic Games, in all its versions, makes extensive use of volunteers. The 70,000 London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic volunteers, for example, played a vital role in the delivery of the event. Stebbins' theoretical perspective of serious leisure includes consideration of volunteering and there are calls for its further empirical evaluation. This study therefore uses a qualitative study of the lived experience of London 2012 volunteers to test the relevance of the serious leisure framework to Olympic volunteering. The data are drawn from the reflective diaries of 20 participants who volunteered in a variety of roles during London 2012. It is concluded that all of the qualities of serious leisure are identifiable to various extents within the experiences of the London 2012 volunteers. This finding will help Olympic and other sporting mega-event managers to understand and improve the experiences of their volunteers. Recommendations are also made, in the light of the findings, for the further refinement of the serious leisure perspective. Particular attention is paid to highlighting how the findings might contribute to recent debates around whether sporting mega-event volunteering is best explained by the serious leisure quality of career volunteering, or by the serious leisure associated concept of project-based leisure, or alternatively by the competing term of episodic volunteering.


After a short survey of the literature concerned, it is pointed out that early findings of rectal carcinoma (T1 or Dukes' disease A orCSI + II according to Mason) can be removed locally in the unaffected tissue under observation of the strictest indication by transanal surgery or by posterior rectomy. In this procedure the surgical mortality is 0 per cent, the ten-year-survival can go up to 90 per cent. The own material described comprises 97 patients with an average age of 64.5 years.