SIR,-It is estimated that no fewer than 800,000 women in this kingdom are taking oral contraceptives, so if 80 women develop alopecia areata (9 March, p. 593) this amounts to no more than the normal incidence of 1 in 10,000. The suggestion of a causal relationship between alopecia and oral contraceptives was raised in your columns in 1965.l-3 After this I asked doctors working in the clinics of the Family Planning Association to tell me of any cases of alopecia which came to their notice. Ten cases were reported. During 1965 oral contraceptives were prescribed for 75,093 women at F.P.A. clinics. Assuming that the women had alopecia areata, and that all cases were reported, then the incidence was 10/75,093, which is closely similar to the incidence in the general population. One woman had had alopecia before starting the pill, three developed alopecia as soon as they started, and in the remainder the hair loss was noted between 3 and 21 months after starting an oral contraceptive. The pills prescribed contained the progestogens norethynodrel, norethisterone acetate, ethynodiol diacetate, and megestrol acetate. One doctor wrote to say that she had suffered from alopecia areata all her life but since taking the pill she had had no further trouble.I am, etc., HILARY HILL, Medical Secretary, Family Planning Association l ondon W. 1.


We have transmitted a low-power beam of repetitive broadband THz pulses the record distance of 167 m through the atmosphere with 51% relative humidity at 21°C and have observed the broadened transmitted pulses with a signal to noise ratio greater than 200. The measured transmitted pulses reshaped from a 0.5-ps input pulse into an output pulse structure with a 5-ps symmetric pulse at the leading edge followed by a frequency-swept, rapidly oscillating trailing edge extending with increasing frequency to beyond 150 ps. The leading pulse appearing in the output pulse structure is composed of phase-locked frequency components extending from 0.07 to 0.37 THz that experienced negligible attenuation and group velocity dispersion due to transmission through water vapor. Such a stable pulse shape is suitable for the THz bit in a digital THz communications channel. Our results demonstrate a bit rate-distance product of greater than 8 (Gb/s)-km, which is comparable to an optical fiber digital communications channel.


Abstract Sub-tidal, reef-lagoon surficial sediment samples from Discovery Bay, north Jamaica were analysed in order to quantify the impacts of anthropogenic bauxite inputs on trace metal (Fe, Zn, Mn) levels and sediment characteristics. Contaminant levels exhibit marked spatial variations, but are highest across central and southern parts of the bay and primarily reflect wind blown inputs, modified by subsequent suspended sediment transport. Highest contaminant levels (Fe—13,701 ppm, Mn—237 ppm, Zn—74 ppm) occur immediately adjacent to, and just north-east of, a bauxite loading terminal in the south-west of the bay. Sites of high sediment contamination are negatively correlated with per cent CaCO3 content, indicating the diluting effect of bauxite on the carbonate substrate. At high contamination sites CaCO3 levels are reduced to 63.7% and are in the range of 75–80% across much of the central and southern area of the bay. Magnetic susceptibility level measurements are positively correlated with iron and negatively correlated with CaCO3 content, and indicate the potential for using magnetic susceptibility measurements in metal contaminant tracing studies in carbonate environments. Whilst metal contamination levels are low compared with many clastic-dominated systems, and are currently at levels unlikely to impact the reef biota, the data indicate both the progressive contamination of this previously carbonate-dominated lagoon environment, and the potential for such terrestrial inputs to impact upon sediment characteristics in such restricted settings.


Singapore remains one of the few countries in Asia that has yet to decriminalise homosexuality. Yet it has also been hailed by many as one of the emerging gay capitals of Asia. This book accounts for the rise of mediated queer cultures in Singapore's current milieu of illiberal citizenship. This collection analyses how contemporary queer Singapore has emerged against a contradictory backdrop of sexual repression and cultural liberalisation. Using the innovative framework of illiberal pragmatism, established and emergent local scholars and activists provide expansive coverage of the impact of homosexuality on Singapore's media cultures and political economy, including law, religion, the military, literature, theatre, photography, cinema, social media and queer commerce. It shows how new LGBT subjectivities have been fashioned through the governance of illiberal pragmatism, how pragmatism is appropriated as a form of social and critical democratic action, and how cultural citizenship is forged through a logic of queer complicity that complicates the flows of oppositional resistance and grassroots appropriation.


The invention provides a reagent device and a method used for detecting EB virus antibodies. The reagent device has a long strip shape, and has a base body comprising 8 hole positions and a handle positioned on one end of the base body. From the end proximal to the handle, the 8 hole positions are sequentially a sample hole, an auxiliary agent hole, an enzyme conjugate hole, a substrate hole, a termination liquid hole, a dilution liquid hole, a reaction hole, and a dilution hole. According to the invention, based on a principle of enzyme-linked immunoassay, EB virus antibody is detected by using the reagent device. The method is an independent single-person analysis and detection method. The device can be used in cooperation with a corresponding specific analysis instrument. During a detection process, detection reagents or samples are injected by using a full-automatic precise dosing device. The device and the method have the advantages of automatic operation, precise dosing, high detection result accuracy, high detection result precision, and wide application prospect.


Generally, indium-tin-oxides (ITO) thin film is prepared by the sputtering process with ITO target, but only 20 % of ITO yielded from the target is deposited on the substrate. Namely, about 80 % ITO is exhausted by the deposition elsewhere far from the substrate. The recycling process of indium is limited so that ca. 20 % ITO of the starting material is lost without any recovery. Even if the recycling of ITO has been carried out in this process, we should prepare ITO target of 5 times more than apparent use of ITO on film. If we change it to printing process from the sputtering, the reduction in ITO use is expected as ca. 50 %, considering the increase in film thickness by printing. Our target technology also includes ITO nanoink for the project. As a result, monodispersed ITO nanoparticles (NPs) with a cubic shape were fabricated by using quaternary ammonium hydroxide-assisted metal hydroxide organogels. These NPs have perfect uniformity in size with beautiful shape, and perfect single crystalline structure including Sn. As we were attempted to make thin film with ITO nanoink, it was successfully fabricated below 200 nm in thickness and the resistivity was drastically decreased below 1.0 × 10–3 Ω cm after heat treatments. GZO nanoink as substitute of ITO has also been developed.


Abstract In this study crown magnesium produced from Turkish calcined dolomite by the Pigeon Process was refined and corrosion tests were applied. By using factsage thermodynamic program metalothermic reduction behavior of magnesium oxide and silicate formation structure during this reaction were investigated. After thermodynamic studies were completed, calcination of dolomite and it's metalothermic reduction at temperatures of 1473 K, 1523 K and within a vacuum (varied from 20 to 200 Pa) and refining of crown magnesium was studied. Different flux compositions consisting of MgCl2, KCl, CaCl2, MgO, CaF2, NaCl, and SiO2 with and without B2O3 additions were selected for the refining process. These tests were carried out at 963 K for 15, 30 and 45 minutes setting time. Considerable amount of iron was transferred into the sludge phase and its amount decreased from 0.08% to 0.027%. This refined magnesium was suitable for the production of various magnesium alloys. As a result of decreasing iron content, minimum corrosion rate of refined magnesium was obtained 2.35 g/m2/day. The results are compared with previous studies.


The muscular ideal is increasingly becoming the preferred body type for men, adolescent boys and even some women. Why is this body type the new ideal, and how did it develop? Why are some people driven to achieve heightened muscularity, and how do they do it? What risks to physical and mental health are involved when extreme behaviors are undertaken in the pursuit of the muscular ideal? This edited book draws on new research to provide an overview of the muscular ideal, including historical and present socioeconomic trends, assessment and measurement issues, and clinical presentation of disorders such as muscle dysmorphia. Chapters also cover related issues such as steroid use, repeated cosmetic surgery, and prevention issues. The target audience includes sport and health psychologists, clinical and counseling psychologists, and graduate students in psychology, sociology, gender roles, and health and sport science courses.


Purpose: Disability is a global health and a global development concern. To address both issues, a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) approach is increasingly recommended to meet a spectrum of needs, especially for people with disabilities. It is first necessary to understand the perceptions of local, frontline providers, in order to design effective measures for implementing CBR programmes. This paper aimed to understand the conceptions of Primary Healthcare Providers (PHPs) - serving a sub-urban, socially-vulnerable territory in Brazil - about: 1) disability, 2) rehabilitation, and 3) the possible local implementation of a CBR strategy, including any anticipated barriers. Method: Cross-sectional, exploratory qualitative research was based on focus groups conducted between 2013 and 2016. It involved a total of 78 PHPs serving the western region of the Ribeirao Preto municipality in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Data analysis was based on Habermas' critical hermeneutics approach. Results: PHPs understood disability mostly within the biomedical paradigm. Similarly, the predominant conception of rehabilitation was focussed on enabling individuals' capacity, more than their environment. For local CBR implementation, the barriers that were anticipated were: 1) difficulties in managing and running action across sectors, and 2) the broader socio-political environment that hardly empowers civil society and is affected by power differentials. Conclusion and Implications: While local PHPs identified important CBR implementation barriers which are contextual in nature, the predominant conceptions of disability and rehabilitation (i.e., biomedical, impairments-based) also act as a barrier. Contextual and cognitive barriers must both be addressed when envisioning a local CBR implementation.


Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) experimentally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) developed chronic renal infection and persistent shedding of virus in urine for up to 8 months, despite initial rapid clearance of virus from blood and the timely appearance of high levels of specific neutralizing antibodies. Infectious WNV could be recovered by direct culture of their urine and by cocultivation of kidney tissue for up to 247 days after initial infection. Only moderate histopathologic changes were observed in the kidneys or brain of the chronically infected hamsters, although WNV antigen was readily detected by immunohistochemistry within epithelium, interstitial cells, and macrophages in the distal renal tubules. Comparison of WNV isolates from serial urine samples from individual hamsters over several months indicated that the virus underwent both genetic and phenotypic changes during persistent infection. These findings are similar to previous reports of persistent infection with tickborne encephalitis and Modoc viruses.


Abstract. Understanding the properties of cracked rocks is of great importance in scenarios involving CO2 geological sequestration, nuclear waste disposal, geothermal energy, and hydrocarbon exploration and production. Developing noninvasive detecting and monitoring methods for such geological formations is crucial. Many studies show that seismic waves exhibit strong dispersion and attenuation across a broad frequency range due to fluid flow at the pore scale known as squirt flow. Nevertheless, how and to what extent squirt flow affects seismic waves is still a matter of investigation. To fully understand its angle- and frequency-dependent behavior for specific geometries, appropriate numerical simulations are needed. We perform a three-dimensional numerical study of the fluid–solid deformation at the pore scale based on coupled Lamé–Navier and Navier–Stokes linear quasistatic equations. We show that seismic wave velocities exhibit strong azimuth-, angle- and frequency-dependent behavior due to squirt flow between interconnected cracks. Furthermore, the overall anisotropy of a medium mainly increases due to squirt flow, but in some specific planes the anisotropy can locally decrease. We analyze the Thomsen-type anisotropic parameters and adopt another scalar parameter which can be used to measure the anisotropy strength of a model with any elastic symmetry. This work significantly clarifies the impact of squirt flow on seismic wave anisotropy in three dimensions and can potentially be used to improve the geophysical monitoring and surveying of fluid-filled cracked porous zones in the subsurface.


Abstract The family Caristiidae, commonly known as manefishes or veilfins, includes seven species of mesopelagic, oceanic fishes found throughout the major ocean basins of the world. We present a partial revision of the family, including all of the "small mouth" species, which are distinguished from other species of the family by having an upper jaw that extends approximately to midorbit and is almost completely covered by the thin bones of the suborbital series, a broad suborbital space, and by the lack of palatine teeth. This group, previously thought to include only the genus Paracaristius, is described in full, including the establishment of a new genus and three new species. The new genus Neocaristius includes only Neocaristius heemstrai, a distinctive species that is distinguished from all other species in this group by dentition, lateral-line morphology, dorsal-fin origin, and orbit size, as well as other meristic and morphometric characters. Neocaristius heemstrai is a circumaustral species, known from the South Atlantic, South Pacific, and southern Indian Ocean. The genus Paracaristius includes four species, P. maderensis and three species newly described herein. Species of Paracaristius are distinguished from each other on the basis of meristics, dentition, presence or absence of papillae on the hyoid arch, and placement of the dorsal fin. Two species of Paracaristius, P. nemorosus, new species, and P. aquilus, new species, are apparently resticted to the eastern tropical Atlantic, while the other two, P. nudarcus, new species, and P. maderensis are more widespread.


He opened his eyes with enormous effort, as if all strength had left him, as if only the sheer habit of having to open the shutters onto the world made him look up. He struck the match. Strangely, the hiss that brightened the room also took him down its flickering flame, down the spiral of memories, until he heard, from years ago, the hiss of the cobra. Contrary to what one might think, it had nothing to do with the fanged demons of nightmares; it was really an old sod, the most gentle of creatures. He was lying beside his mother that time as the cobra emerged from the dense undergrowth that surrounded the hut under the canopy of wild fig and palm trees tangled up in climbing creepers. In his childhood in that hut he always felt surrounded by the primeval green of a giant forest. Suddenly thunder and lightning made him open his eyes and he heard the hiss of the cobra amidst the pattering of rain. It went, as always, slithering as if the last thing it wanted was to disturb anyone's sleep, then past the mud hut with corrugated roof, across the plain of tall grasses, towards the great swamp. For reasons known only to himself, the old cobra never failed to keep a precise time between the waning of the moon and the cry of the jackal. He wasn't scared of the cobra, and he fell asleep in the hiss and the pattering of the rain. This serial is available in Kunapipi: https://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol21/iss2/10


In precedent work, the author presented a method for the theoretical computation of zero-point-energy converters, called Dynamic Finite-Element-Method (DFEM). In several articles some examples for the conversion of zero-point-energy have been demonstrated, which deliver an output power in the Nanowatt- or in the Microwatt- range, which is a fundamental proof of the principle, but not sufficient for any technical application.
The way towards a powerful zero-point-energy converter in the Kilowatt-range needed some additional investigation, of which the results are now presented. Different from former fundamental basic research, the new converter has to be operated magnetically, because the energy-density of magnetic fields is much larger the energy-density of electrostatic fields, namely by several orders of magnitude.
In the article here, the author presents step by step the solution of the theoretical problems, which now allows the theoretical construction of a zero-point-energy converter in the Kilowatt-range. The result is a model of a zero-point-energy motor with a diameter of 9 cm and a height of 6.8 cm producing 1.07 Kilowatts.


Microsoft StreamInsight (StreamInsight, for brevity) is a platform for developing and deploying streaming applications. StreamInsight adopts a deterministic stream model that leverages a temporal algebra as the underlying basis for processing long-running continuous queries. In most streaming applications, continuous query processing demands the ability to cope with high input rates that are characterized by imperfections in event delivery (i.e., incomplete or out-of-order data). StreamInsight is architected to handle imperfections in event delivery, to generate real-time low-latency output, and to provide correctness guarantees on the resultant output.
 On one hand, streaming operators are similar to their well-understood relational counterparts - with a precise algebra as the basis of their behavior. On the other hand, streaming operators are unique in their non-blocking nature, which guarantees low-latency and incremental result delivery. While our deterministic temporal algebra paves the way towards easier testing of the streaming system, one unique challenge is that as the field evolves with more customers adopting streaming solutions, the semantics, behavior, and variety of operators is constantly under churn. This paper overviews the test framework for the StreamInsight query processor and highlights the challenges in verifying the functional correctness of its operators. The paper discusses the extensibility and the reusability of the proposed streaming test infrastructure, as the research and industrial communities address new and constantly evolving challenges in stream query processing.


The preparation of multi-walled carbon nanotube/polylactide (PLA)/Ecoflex® biodegradable composites is described. Three modifiers, maleic anhydride ,methyl methacrylate and vinyltrimethoxysilane , were utilized to modify multiwall carbon nanotube. The dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotube was enhanced by covalent or hydrogen bonding between modified multi-walled carbon and biodegradable blend. The tensile strengths of pristine PLA/Ecoflex® resin and 4 wt% modified multi-walled carbon composites are 68 kgf/cm2 and 257 kgf/cm2, respectively (representing a difference of 380%). High electrical conductivity can be achieved at a low carbon nanotube loading. When 1wt% modified multi-walled carbon was added to PLA/Ecoflex® matrix, the surface resistance of the composite fell from 1.46×1016 to 7.88 × 102 Ω/Υ (by 1013 order).


OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between the tomographic and electrophysiologic characteristics of the retina with an idiopathic epimacular membrane.

METHODS
Sixty patients with unilateral idiopathic epimacular membranes underwent optical coherence tomography and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG). The mfERGs were elicited by a pseudorandom m-sequence stimulus with 37 hexagonal elements, and the mfERGs in area 1 (central 4.1 degrees ), area 2 (ring from 4.10 degrees -7.15 degrees ), and area 3 (ring from 7.15 degrees -13.75 degrees ) were compared with the tomographic features of the corresponding area. The data from the normal fellow eyes served as control.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The retinal thickness, amplitudes, and implicit time of the mfERG.

RESULTS
On optical coherence tomographs, the retina was thickest in area 1, followed by area 2 with low tissue reflectivity of the outer retina, and area 3 was of normal thickness. Electroretinography showed the amplitude ratio (affected vs fellow eyes) of mfERGs from areas 1, 2, and 3 was significantly lower than that of the controls (P<.01), and the implicit times were significantly delayed (P<.01). The amplitude ratio was reduced the most in area 1, and the implicit time was delayed the most in area 3. The foveal thickness was negatively correlated with visual acuity (rho = -0.46; P<.001). The mfERG amplitude in area 1 was not significantly correlated with the visual acuity.

CONCLUSIONS
It is likely that retinal thickness is correlated with neural dysfunction, but mfERGs demonstrated various physiological changes in the retina.


The origins of librarianship in Uganda are indicated and the legislation affecting bibliographic control in the country described. Issues are discussed including publishing, a national library and national bibliographic agency, information technology, education and standards. Factors affecting the current state of bibliographic control in Uganda are examined and relevant agencies and publications listed. Strategies for further development are put forward and recommendations made.


We previously reported the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of N,Nbis(2-chloroethyl)-2-(1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4yl)propenamide, a prodrug that targeted the mitochondria of glioblastoma (GBM). The mitochondrial enzyme monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) is highly expressed in GBM and oxidizes an uncharged methyl-tetrahydropyridine (MP-) moiety into the mitochondrially-targeted cationic form, methyl-pyridinium (P+-). Coupling this MAOB-sensitive group to a nitrogen mustard produced a prodrug that damaged GBM mitochondria and killed GBM cells. Unfortunately, the intrinsic reactivity of the nitrogen-mustard group and low solubility of MP-MUS precluded clinical development. In our second generation prodrug, MP-Pt(IV) we coupled the MP-group to an unreactive cisplatin precursor. The enzymatic conversion of MP-Pt(IV) to P+-Pt(IV) was tested using recombinant human MAOA and rhMAOB. The generation of cisplatin from Pt(IV) by ascorbate was studied optically and using mass-spectroscopy. Efficacy toward primary GBM cells and tumors was studied in vitro and in an intracranial patient-derived xenograft mice GBM model. Our studies demonstrate that MP-Pt(IV) is selectively activated by MAOB. MP-Pt(IV) is highly toxic toward GBM cells in vitro. MP-Pt(IV) toxicity against GBM is potentiated by elevating mitochondrial ascorbate and can be arrested by MAOB inhibition. In in vitro studies, sub-lethal MP-Pt(IV) doses elevated mitochondrial MAOB levels in surviving GBM cells. MP-Pt(IV) is a potent chemotherapeutic in intracranial patient-derived xenograft mouse models of primary GBM and potentiates both temozolomide (TMZ) and TMZ-chemoradiation therapies. MP-Pt(IV) was well tolerated and is highly effective against GBM in both in vitro and in vivo models. From: Experimental Glioblastoma Therapy Shows Curative Powers in Mice Models Patti Muck, Houston Methodist Hospital Newsroom, 8 Oct. 2020, https://www.houstonmethodist.org/newsroom/experimentalglioblastoma-therapy-shows-curative-powers-in-mice-models/, accessed 13 Oct 2020. Houston Methodist researchers found that mice harboring human glioblastoma tumors in their brains had greatly enhanced survival and weight gain when given a newly developed prodrug. This mitochondrial-targeted prodrug an inactive compound that cancer cells selectively metabolize to produce an active toxic drug – also greatly improves outcomes when coupled with standard therapies of radiation and/or chemotherapy. The drug selectively targets and destroys the DNA inside the glioblastoma cell mitochondria (the energy factory of the cancer cell) leaving normal cells intact. In an Oct. 8 study published online in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, investigators used a second generation prodrug called MP-Pt(IV) to target the deadly cells of glioblastoma tumors, a brain cancer that is almost always fatal and has no cure. Life expectancy in humans with glioblastoma ranges from a few months to two years. Human glioma cells were removed from patients during surgical excision and isolated within 10 minutes after removal. The glioblastoma cells were injected into the brains of 48 female mice for a 300-day study. The prodrug was well tolerated, and, when given on its own, extended survival by more than a factor of three. However, when combined with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the drug was curative in nature, allowing 90% of mice to survive, thrive and gain weight during the 10 months of observation. "This study tells us that adding MP-Pt(IV) to a chemoradiotherapy protocol could address a critical need in glioblastoma treatment," said David S. Baskin, M.D., FACS, FAANS, corresponding author and director of the Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment in the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist. "We now know that MP-Pt(IV) is an excellent candidate for preclinical development."


This thesis explores how teachers conceptualise and teach gifted readers in the primary school classroom in China and Scotland. Gifted readers are a group of children who can demonstrate advanced and high abilities in reading, and appropriate reading materials and differentiated instructions should be provided to support their development. However, there is a paucity of literature in relation to current schools' provision for gifted readers in the socio-cultural contexts of China and Scotland.

The qualitative study, which was embedded in a constructivist paradigm, was located in primary schools in Guangzhou, China and East Ayrshire, Scotland. It involved the use of a semi-structured questionnaire to provide a snapshot of Chinese and Scottish teachers' conceptualisations of and teaching practices for gifted readers. The main research method – the semi-structured interview - was used to explore teachers' and literacy coordinators' (including head teachers, deputy head teachers and principal teachers) in-depth and diversified perspectives relating to the teaching of gifted readers in China and Scotland. Thematic analysis was mainly used to analyse the interview data. The data collected were examined in order to explore the socio-cultural influence on teachers' perceptions on and practices with gifted readers.

This thesis contributes to the understanding of general gifted education but also gifted education regarding the subject of reading in two different socio-cultural contexts. The findings suggested that both Chinese and Scottish teachers perceived that gifted readers were proficient readers that could demonstrate higher reading ability than their similar-aged peers. Many teachers tended to believe that a literacy-rich family environment nurtured gifted reading ability. A difference emerged between Chinese and Scottish teachers in terms of how they perceived the role of school education for gifted readers. While Scottish teachers thought that gifted readers could be nurtured by school education, Chinese teachers viewed primary education as providing basic education rather than providing additional education for children who might require this. It was also found that Scottish teachers had more flexibility and autonomy to select a wide range of texts for their gifted readers, yet they had limited time so this limited their practices. In the classroom in China, to a large extent, the use of literacy textbooks prescribed what should be taught, and it appeared that Chinese teachers had less autonomy to tailor their teaching to suit the needs of gifted readers. The study showed that Scottish teachers adopted more pedagogical strategies such as differentiation and a focus on higher order thinking to develop gifted readers. However, Chinese teachers' teaching for gifted readers was constrained by intense exams, a centralised education system, heavy workload and insufficient professional support. The empirical data demonstrated that a lack of educational resources and highly centralised education system could potentially impede the development of gifted learners. It was also found that the social activity of teaching for gifted children was deeply embedded in the two particular sociocultural contexts of the study.


The author presents a particular manifestation of the failed back syndrome secondary to previous spondylolisthesis surgery: the flat back syndrome. Surgical treatment of this condition require, in the author experience, combined anterior and posterior surgery.


There is a dearth of literature on how research agendas have been developed. In this article, the authors reflect on the process of developing a research agenda through a case study of a rural health university centre. The aim is to contribute to understanding how a team can effectively plan research. Two leaders of the process, as well as academics external to the process, reflected on the experience and the outcome of the agenda development process. Reflections focused on three areas: (a) engagement levels, (b) power and influence, and (c) interpretation of the research agenda. First, while there was passionate discussion at meetings and afterward, engagement levels varied. Second, the process was imbued with power and influence at multiple levels. Finally, the availability of a conceptual framework to contextualise rural and remote health research helped in interpreting the significance of the resulting research agenda. The article concludes with contrasting thoughts on the place of research agendas within contemporary neoliberal regimes of research management.


Control of cell shape is crucial to the proper development of tissues and organs throughout all metazoan phyla. During organogenesis, patterning molecules are responsible for coordinating tissue remodelling that is in part mediated by cell shape changes, based on tightly controlled rearrangements of the cell cytoskeleton. These coordinated cell shape changes are in turn important for the formation of cell–cell contacts, triggering signal transduction cascades and influencing the patterning information. Precisely how cell shape is regulated in response to higher order patterning signals, and how this shape change itself subsequently impacts upon global tissue patterning, remain intriguing questions.
This thesis examines and characterises at the cell-biological level a striking example of cell shape change; the morphogenetic furrow of the developing eye in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In the furrow, cells show a marked decrease in their apical surface area, and contract along their apico-basal axis. The role of polarity
determinants, cytoskeletal machinery and the conserved patterning molecules involved in effecting this cell response are investigated.
In particular, this work demonstrates a crucial role for the hedgehog signaling pathway in effecting the cell response. This is achieved through the alleviation of
Ci75-mediated transcriptional repression, resulting in the activation of non-muscle Myosin II and the formin diaphanous, together with the F-actin effectors Profilin and
Cofilin. It is shown that activation of the hedgehog pathway leads to a range of cell behaviours that appear dependent upon the level of Myosin II activity, ranging from shallow grooves to tube-like structures. These results are discussed with regard to wider developmental contexts such as cell constriction in the vertebrate neural tube,
other instances of cell constriction, such as cytokinesis, and in relation to the evolution of eye development in dipterans.


Previous studies on Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) feeding during the highly migratory summer period are scarce. In this study we present detailed diet analyses and investigations of prey selection for Atlantic mackerel in relation to zooplankton distribution and hydrographical conditions in the Norwegian Sea in July 2004. A wide variety of prey organisms were found in the stomachs of mackerel in all water masses. According to dry weight was Limacina retroversa the principal prey in Coastal and Atlantic water masses. L. retroversa was presumably abundant in the Norwegian Sea and taken as secondary prey in the quest for more nutritious prey. Calanus finmarchicus was less important in all water masses than previously documented, also when combined with calanoidae copepod remainders, indicating that their descend to overwinter in deeper waters had already started in late July. Mackerel showed a size selective feeding behaviour and preferred larger prey species over smaller prey. Small copepods (< 1 mm) were numerous in the zooplankton samples in all water masses, especially Coastal and Atlantic, but were not present in the stomach samples. Furthermore, the three largest copepodite stages of C. finmarchicus (CIV – CVI) were selected over the three smallest stages (CI – CIII). Pronounced prey and size selection strongly suggests that mackerel performed particulate feeding. The potential feeding competition between mackerel and herring was also investigated. There was a clear difference in the diets of the two species. C. finmarchicus and L. retroversa were the main prey of mackerel, whereas herring preferred euphausiids and amphipods. These latter species normally swim in deeper waters and only enter the upper layers for feeding when protected by the dark. Moderate feeding by herring at the end of their feeding season and more active feeding by mackerel could explain the pronounced differences in the diet and lack of feeding competition between these two important planktivorous species.


The problem of efficient bit allocation for dependent video coding within the context of ascribing a quantizer to each macroblock (MB) within a frame is addressed in this letter. Strongly dependent MBs exhibit significant discontinuities on their operational distortion-rate (D-R) convex hulls that nullify the assumptions made for the use of the coordinate-wise steepest-descent (SD) algorithm. A qualified slope concept and a near-neighborhood look-ahead modification are introduced to circumvent these problems and are experimentally evaluated on a set of H.263+ encodings.


An open motion control software for a novel selective laser sintering system has been developed to fabricate a three-dimensional porous artificial bone with complex shape. It adopts the library functions provided by a motion control card in Delphi 2006. It focuses on the realizations of control for 'sintering a dot', 'sintering a line' and 'sintering a surface' aiming at the characteristics of selective laser sintering. A problem that the transmission length of interpolation commands can not exceed certain value at a time due to constriction by the register capacity of the motion control card has been resolved. The control software has been successfully used in the experiment of laser sintering for fabricating artificial bone. The results show that the selective laser sintering system has high stability and accuracy.


In the paper, Intelligent Autonomous Decentralized Systems (IADS) is proposed. It is the development based on the combination of autonomous decentralized systems (ADS) and distributed artificial intelligence (DAI). The concept, model, architecture, performance, methodology and technology for design and implementation of IADS are discussed. The IADS based on Agent (Union-IADS, Market-IADS, Group-IADS) are presented. They have not only autonomous controllability and coordination, but also some humanoid DAI, such as activity, mobility, sensibility, reactivity and sociality.


To understand the posttranslational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) to its pathologic conformation, it is important to define the intracellular trafficking pathway of PrPC within the endomembrane system. We studied the localization and internalization of PrPC in CHO cells using cryoimmunogold electron microscopy. At steady state, PrPC was enriched in caveolae both at the TGN and plasma membrane and in interconnecting chains of endocytic caveolae. Protein A–gold particles bound specifically to PrPC on live cells. These complexes were delivered via caveolae to the pericentriolar region and via nonclassical, caveolae-containing early endocytic structures to late endosomes/lysosomes, thereby bypassing the internalization pathway mediated by clathrin-coated vesicles. Endocytosed PrPC-containing caveolae were not directed to the ER and Golgi complex. Uptake of caveolae and degradation of PrPC was slow and sensitive to filipin. This caveolae-dependent endocytic pathway was not observed for several other glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. We propose that this nonclassical endocytic pathway is likely to determine the subcellular location of PrPC conversion.


Abstract The fossil hyaenids from Langebaanweg in South Africa are revised taxonomically using both morphological comparisons and measurement data. Ictitherium preforfex is found to be a synonym of Ikelohyaena abronia . Other hyaenid taxa in this fauna are Hyaenictitherium namaquensis, Chasmaporthetes australis and a new taxon similar to Chasmaporthetes australis in the size and shape of the M 1 trigonid and other characters, but differing from this taxon in having short P 3 relative to P 2 , a smaller anterior accessory cusp on P 4 and M 2 present. This taxon has previously been referred to Euryboas sp., but comparison with Eurasian hyaenids indicates that it shares diagnostic characters with Hyaenictis graeca , type species of the genus Hyaenictis . This genus is poorly known and its content is reviewed. We find that only the new species from Langebaanweg, formally described as Hyaenictis hendeyi sp. nov. , and the Spanish Hyaenictis almerai probably belong in this genus, while other taxa intermittently referred to Hyaenictis belong to other genera. Thus, neither Leecyaena bosei nor Chasmaporthetes silberbergi belong in Hyaenictis .


Lenin spoke at the Second Congress of 1920 to multiple audiences. In continuity with the First International, he spoke in the utopian language of Bolshevism, of the successful revolutionary proletariat that had taken the state and was making its place in history without the intercession of bourgeois class rule. Recognizing the limits of socialism in one country surrounded by the military and economic might of "World imperialism," however, Lenin also pressed for a broader, ongoing world-historic anti-imperialism in alliance with the oppressed of the East, who, it seemed, were neither sufficiently proletarianized, nor, as yet, subjects of history. There are many ways to situate this particular moment in Lenin's thought. One can see the budding conceits of Marxist social history, or "history from below," in which millions in the East could become historical subjects under the sign of "anti-imperialism." One can also see this gesture to those outside the pale as a flourish of the emergent Soviet empire, and as a projection of anxieties about Bolshevik control over a vast and varied Russian countryside with its own internal enemies. But Lenin also spoke to audiences who would make up the next, Third International, like the Indian Marxist M. N. Roy, who saw imperialism dividing the world into oppressed and oppressor nations. For this Third Worldist audience, looking increasingly to the new Soviet Union for material and military support for "national self-determination," Lenin extends the historic mission of a future world socialism.


In this paper, we have investigated artificial neural networks based prediction modeling of foreign currency rates using three learning algorithms, namely, Standard Backpropagation (SBP), Scaled Conjugate Gradient (SCG) and Backpropagation with Bayesian Regularization (BPR). The models were trained from historical data using five technical indicators to predict six currency rates against Australian dollar. The forecasting performance of the models was evaluated using a number of widely used statistical metrics and compared. Results show that significantly close prediction can be made using simple technical indicators without extensive knowledge of market data. Among the three models, SCG based model outperforms other models when measured on two commonly used metrics and attains comparable results with BPR based model on other three metrics. The effect of network architecture on the performance of the forecasting model is also presented. Future research direction outlining further improvement of the model is discussed. Keywords-Neural network, ARIMA, financial forecasting, foreign exchange


This paper discusses some of the findings from a recent longitudinal study that examined how 35 beginning teachers used information and communications technologies (ICT) in the first three years of their teaching. The research, set in Western Australia, adopted a mixed method approach to help understand the role that ICT played in the evolving pedagogical practices of the teachers involved. The study found that beginning teachers articulated pedagogical beliefs that aimed to engage their students in active meaning making. It also found that these teachers were competent in the use of a basic suite of ICT software. However, pedagogical beliefs that resonate with contemporary learning theory and operational ICT competence did not translate into practices that synergised pedagogical, content and technological knowledge. The teachers involved in the study did not use ICT in ways that were consistent with their stated pedagogical beliefs. The relationships between teachers' beliefs and their pedagogical and technological knowledge are discussed within the contexts of different school settings. A framework is presented that emphasises the need for teachers and school leaders to make connections across pedagogical and technological domains.


In this paper we present BAT (BMAT Annotation Tool), an open-source, web-based tool for the manual annotation of events in audio recordings developed at BMAT (Barcelona Music and Audio Technologies). The main feature of the tool is that it provides an easy way to annotate the salience of simultaneous sound sources. Additionally, it allows to define multiple ontologies to adapt to multiple tasks and offers the possibility to cross-annotate audio data. Moreover, it is easy to install and deploy on servers. We carry out an evaluation where 3 annotators use BAT to annotate a small dataset composed of broadcast media recordings. The results of the experiments show that BAT o↵ers fast annotation mechanisms and a method to assign salience that produces high agreement among annotators.


The need for an understanding of how innovative solutions can be used during the design of new hospitals is growing and many National Health Service (NHS) infrastructures are facing new challenges. For instance, in 2001 the first NHS privately financed hospital, the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle faced problems that included: overcrowding due to inadequate bed space provision; overheating due to the design and use of a glass atrium, with maximum temperatures reaching over 35°C; and collapsed ceilings. Furthermore, the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) (2007) reported that NHS Trusts in England were struggling to meet current hygiene standards. This highlights the existence of design challenges in these hospitals in the creation of Built Healing Environments (BHEs) that enhance patient wellbeing, staff performance, operational efficiency and medical outcomes, There have been considerable advances in Construction Information Technology (IT), especially in Computer Aided Design (CAD), Building Information Modelling (BIM), Parametric Modelling and Environmental Simulation, 3D Visualisation, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). This paper aims to review the advances in CAD and BIM applications during healthcare infrastructure planning, design and construction. Their application to healthcare infrastructure problems will be reviewed in order to conceptualise a Virtual Built Healing Environment (VBHE). The VBHE would provide the opportunity for a comprehensive knowledge base of various healthcare infrastructure-related innovative design solutions and the construction IT software, hardware and equipment needed to develop such solutions, including a Healthcare Infrastructure Digital Mock-Up Facility (HIDMUF).


Comparing Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) Frequency Bands to Leveled Biology and History Texts Lynne Crandall Department of Linguistics, BYU Master of Arts For decades, teachers and language learners have been concerned about matching the difficulty level of texts to the proficiency level of learners in order to achieve comprehensible input, which leads to effective learning. Some leveling systems and research use word lists as part of their leveling processes, particularly the Academic Word List. The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) has not been explored yet as a leveling tool, so this study aims to address this lack of research by examining how the AVL words vary in cumulative frequency bands and also in separate frequency bands with regard to level and topic. The AVL was divided into 5 frequency bands and compared against corpora of biology and U.S. history texts at the elementary, junior high, high school, and university levels. Results showed that the biology texts had a higher percentage of total AVL tokens than the history texts did, suggesting that the AVL may be more suitable for some disciplines than others. For the cumulative bands, Bands 1 through 3 proved to have the highest percent deltas, suggesting that words 1 to 800 are the most useful to learn. Looking at each separate band, Bands 1 and 2 had the highest percent of AVL tokens at the high school level, implying that the words of these bands are especially valuable for learners at this level. The university level had the highest percentage for Bands 3 through 5. There was no statistical significance for any band concerning the factor of the relationship between topic and level, but there was statistical significance for the factor of proficiency level at every level. For the factor of topic, there was significance for every band except Band 3. For each band, the elementary and junior high texts were generally similar to each other concerning the AVL tokens found in them. High school and university texts were similar to each other for Bands 1 and 2 but were not similar to each other for Bands 3 through 5.


The rise of the Buwayhids to power during the fourth century of the Hijra is important in the history of medieval Islam not only from political but also from cultural, administrative and religious standpoints, all of which form the subject matter of the present study. Despite the importance of the subject the only study of the Buwayhids, apart from general histories such as Muller's Per Islam in Morgen-und Abendland and works such as Levy's Baghdad Chronicle, Mez's Renaissance of Islam and Minorsky's La Domination des Dailamites, is Said Hasan's History of the Early Buwayhids, which, however, deals only with the foundation of the dynasty down to the death of Mu'izz al-Dawla in 356 A.H. It is chiefly on this account that this study deals with the fortunes of the rest of the Buwayhids of Baghdad, from the accession of Mu'izz al-Dawla's son in that year down to the overthrow of al-Malik al-Rahim in 447 A.H.; and it is hoped that, providing as it does a more detailed examination of all the available sources, chiefly Arabic, than has yet been made, it may shed new light on this later and much longer period. Beginning with an introduction which summarises the rise of the Buwayhids, the first five chapters aim at the reconstruction of the political history together with an account of the development of art and learning under the individual rulers. In the next three chapters a study of the administrative institutions has been attempted. Finally the last two chapters discuss respectively the relationship of the Amirs to the Abbasid Caliphs and the religious background to the rise and fall of the dynasty.


Physicians working in rural areas face challenges to keep up-to-date knowledge and skills, to form a community of practice to share resources, and to collaborate interprofessionally. Continuous medical education is available to doctors in the form of conferences, small group discussions, self-learning, and online accredited activities. However, these are usually not directly and immediately applicable to the complex problems that physicians encounter in practice. Project Extensions for Community Healthcare and Outcomes (ECHO) uses weekly sessions of videoconferences where an interprofessional group of specialists (the hub) is available to healthcare professionals working in rural, remote, and underserved areas (the spokes) to exchange knowledge. During these sessions, one member of the hub gives a short didactic presentation, followed by spokes who present their most challenging cases to the whole community for discussion and recommendations. ECHO was developed at the University of New Mexico for treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in 2004, and started in Canada for chronic pain and opioid stewardship in 2014. Research has shown that ECHO is effective in improving spokes' knowledge and to increase access to specialist care in remote areas. ECHO has expanded to 150 partners in the United States, 14 in Ontario, and internationally to 33 countries.


Purpose Although elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are associated with a higher risk of developing heart conditions across all ethnic groups, variations exist between groups in the distribution and association of risk factors, and also risk levels. This study assessed the 10-year predicted risk in a multiethnic cohort of women and compared the differences in risk between Asian and Caucasian women. Methods Information on demographics, medical conditions and treatment, smoking behavior, dietary behavior, and exercise patterns were collected. Physical measurements were also taken. The 10-year risk was calculated using the Framingham model, SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation) risk chart for low risk and high risk regions, the general CVD, and simplified general CVD risk score models in 4,354 females aged 20–69 years with no heart disease, diabetes, or stroke at baseline from the third Australian Risk Factor Prevalence Study. Country of birth was used as a surrogate for ethnicity. Nonparametric statistics were used to compare risk levels between ethnic groups. Results Asian women generally had lower risk of CVD when compared to Caucasian women. The 10-year predicted risk was, however, similar between Asian and Australian women, for some models. These findings were consistent with Australian CVD prevalence. Conclusion In summary, ethnicity needs to be incorporated into CVD risk assessment. Australian standards used to quantify risk and treat women could be applied to Asians in the interim. The SCORE risk chart for low-risk regions and Framingham risk score model for incidence are recommended. The inclusion of other relevant risk variables such as obesity, poor diet/nutrition, and low levels of physical activity may improve risk estimation.


Health&WealthMOD is the first Australian microsimulation model designed to determine the economic impacts of disease on older workers, aged 45 to 65 years. Chronic health conditions are known to be associated with early retirement. This paper describes an application of Health&WealthMOD to estimate the impact of this association on projected labour force participation to 2020 given the ageing population and long-term trend in chronic conditions. Due to ageing and disease trends, the number of people with chronic conditions in the 45-64 years age group was expected to rise to about 4.8 million by 2020, an increase of 82% from the 2003 population of the same age group. About 904,000 persons in the 45-64 age group were projected to be out of the labour force due to ill health in 2020, when only the ageing and population growth were considered. When trends in illness were captured, the figure was increased to about 1.2 million persons. This demonstrates that health is a major driver of labour force participation and retirement and that economic policies alone, with no consideration of health interventions to treat or prevent chronic illness, will only have a limited impact on labour force participation. Thus, it is important that the government focuses on both health policies and economic policies in order to make sure that there will be an adequate supply of labour force in future.


Year by year people's desire to get more than they own becomes more and more obvious. This desire often leads them into conflicts which result in chaotic situation. Having observed one of the most striking human characteristics, many authors consider ambition as an interesting topic to write as the main idea in their literary works. A Scottish author, Sir Walter Scott presents ambition as the main discussion through one of his novels, Kenilworth. Kenilworth vividly picturizes the ambition of the main character in order to be a king. In relevance to this, the thesis writer's main concern is on Leicester, the main character, for he is the one who has the desire for power. The thesis writer finds him interesting to discuss because he undergoes two different lives. While he is with the Queen he acts as a single man and as a husband when he is with his legal wife, Amy Robsart. In finding out the results that bring Leicester into destruction, the thesis writer analyses his character traits and the conflict he has to face. In analysing it she uses literary approach especially the theory of characterization. From the discussion, it is revealed that Leicester's character traits which support him to the destruction are being selfish, irresponsible, ambitious, and irrational. Besides, in order to have the right understanding the thesis writer also uses the theory of ambition to help the thesis writer in analysing Leicester's desire and the results of his desire to be a king that lead him to destruction. After analysing the topic, the thesis writer concludes that a person in Leicester's position with his mind that is always surrounded by ambition only gets sorrow and remorse in his life.


Objective To examine gait characteristics among patients following their first lifetime concussion, second or greater lifetime concussion, and individuals with no concussion history. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Regional sport-concussion clinic. Participants Fourteen patients presented following their first lifetime concussion (57% female; 15.6 [95% CI:=13.0, 17.2] years of age; 11.1 [8.3, 13.9] days post-concussion), 21 following their second or greater lifetime concussion (52% female; 16.9 [15.5, 18.4] years of age; 8.6 [6.2, 11.1] days post-concussion), and thirty-one controls without a concussion history (65% female; 15.0 [14.2, 15.8] years of age). Exclusion criteria included a current lower extremity injury or diagnosed learning disability. Interventions/independent variables Participants completed gait evaluations and medical history questionnaires. MANCOVAs evaluated between-group gait differences; correlations were calculated between the number of lifetime concussions and gait. Outcome measures Participants recorded their number of prior concussions. Three inertial sensors quantified single and dual-task gait; variables included average gait speed, cadence, and stride length. Main results During dual-task gait, patients reporting for their ≥ second lifetime concussion walked significantly slower (0.81 [0.75, 0.89] m/s vs. 0.92 [0.86, 0.97] m/s; p=0.009) and with smaller stride lengths (0.98 [0.92, 1.04] m vs. 1.08 [1.04, 1.13] m; p=0.02) compared to controls. A moderate correlation was detected between dual-task gait speed and the number of prior concussions (ρ= 0.44, p= 0.04). Conclusions Patients with a prior concussion history demonstrated altered dual-task gait strategies relative to controls. Dual-task gait velocity and number of prior concussions were moderately correlated, suggesting a worsening effect from multiple concussions across the lifetime. Competing interests None. Dr. Meehan receives royalties from ABC-Clio publishing for the sale of his book, Kids, Sports, and Concussion: A guide for coaches and parents, and royalties from Wolters Kluwer for working as an author for UpToDate. He is under contract with ABC-Clio publishing for a future book entitled, Concussions, and with Springer International publishing for a future book entitled, Head and Neck Injuries in Young Athletes. His research is funded, in part, by a grant from the National Football League Players Association and by philanthropic support from the National Hockey League Alumni Association through the Corey C. Griffin Pro-Am Tournament. Drs. Howell, Beasley, and Vopat have no conflicts of interest to report.


Based on soil-structure interaction model, the response analyses of the Menglian tunnel by using viscous-spring artificial boundary and time history analysis method under earthquake accelerations and multiform conditions of surrounding rocks are presented. The seismic responses of the tunnel are calculated by changing parameters of surrounding rocks within certain influencing distances to the linings. The shock absorption effects, applicability, and shock mechanisms of grouting in the surrounding rock are analyzed. The results show that the displacements and stresses of the tunnel linings in karst areas decrease by grouting in the surrounding rock, under the high-intensity seismic load, and the linings are protected when the grouting measure is used. It also shows that the shock absorption effect is better with the increase of the grouting density and range. By calculating analysis, it can achieve the shock absorption effects when the grouting range is 5.5 to 7.0m in the Menglian tunnel. The results provide useful reference for the shock absorption design of tunnel.


Biologists are increasingly using databases for storing and managing their data. Biological databases typically consist of a mixture of raw data, metadata, sequences, annotations, and related data obtained from various sources. Current database technology lacks several functionalities that are needed by biological databases. In this paper, we introduce bdbms, an extensible prototype database management system for supporting biological data. bdbms extends the functionalities of current DBMSs with: (1) Annotation and provenance management including storage, indexing, manipulation, and querying of annotation and provenance as rst class objects in bdbms, (2) Local dependency tracking to track the dependencies and derivations among data items, (3) Update authorization to support data curation via content-based authorization, in contrast to identity-based authorization, and (4) New access methods and their supporting operators that support pattern matching on various types of compressed biological data types. This paper presents the design of bdbms along with the techniques proposed to support these functionalities including an extension to SQL. We also outline some open issues in building bdbms.


• Blended learning (face-to-face and online learning) as basic component in creating the right environment for professional language learning. • Experience with Leonardo da Vinci Project REDILEM and the exploitation of its social and economic benefits for learners, existing and perspective entrepreneurs, managers and other beneficiaries. • Distance learning — the most important possibility of improving access to continuous vocational training and lifelong education in regions. • Advantages and some obstacles in distance (e-learning) education.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


The posttraumatic stress with neurotic and somatic manifestation and the precocious aging was shown in the veterans of special risk subdivisions. The early atherosclerotic involvement of heart vessels, brain, legs etc. was revealed. A significant role in the precocious aging and atherosclerosis of vessels play immune changes: the combination of immunodepressive and autoaggressive states revealed in the veterans.


The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of teen dating victimization among boys and girls and examine their association with family and peer contextual risk factors and injuries and mental health indicators. As part of the population-based Youths' Romantic Relationships Project, 8 230 high school students were questioned about their victimization experiences. Latent class analysis was used to identify classes for both girls and boys. Latent class analysis identified a best fitting model of three classes for girls: Low victimization (61% of girls), Sexual and psychological violence (27%) and Multiple victimization (12%). Similarly for boys, three classes were identified including a Low victimization (84% of boys), a Multiple victimization (9%) and an Unwanted sexual contacts and psychological violence (7%). Associations between class membership and family and peer contextual risk factors and mental health indicators revealed more distinctive features among classes for girls than for boys. Confirming our hypothesis, both genders in the Multiple violence class reported experiencing the most injuries (e.g., bruise or cut, pain the next day or need of a medical appointment). A history of childhood interpersonal traumas was significantly related to classes of dating victimization, suggesting that different forms of child abuse (neglect, exposure to interparental violence, physical or sexual abuse) are associated with a heightened risk of revictimization in the context of their first romantic relationships. Our findings suggest that child sexual abuse may act as a specific vulnerability factor for more pervasive forms of TDV for girls. The findings highlight the utility of a person-oriented approach to enhance our understanding of the diversity of victimization experiences in the context of teen romantic relationships. Results also underscore the importance of tailoring prevention efforts to efficiently tackle teen dating violence and the relevance of trauma-informed practices.


Compelling evidence now exists supporting the involvement of chemokines in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Examples of chemokines and chemokine receptors being involved in mediating autoimmune disease exist for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, allograft rejection, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, lichen planus, and graft-versus-host-disease. Expression of chemokines by endothelial cells appears to be an important step in the development of these diseases. Since chemokines are small molecular weight molecules that act through G-protein coupled receptors, they make attractive drug targets. Several antagonists of chemokine - chemokine receptor interactions have been used to successfully alleviate some or all of the symptoms associated with many of these diseases in animal models. Further investigation of the involvement of chemokines in the pathogenesis or progression of autoimmune diseases may lead to practical clinical advances in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of such diseases.


Education is widely seen as an important means of addressing both national and international problems, such as political or religious extremism, poverty, and hunger. However, if developing countries are to become societies that can compete properly with Western industrialized countries, not only is a fundamental shift in thinking with regard to the value of education and more/better provision of teaching required, but strong support from other countries is needed as well. This article explores questions such as whether Western policymakers can avoid a repetition of some of the failures of the past few decades in terms of providing foreign aid; how educators and providers of educational scenarios and learning contents can foster and manage the creation of a worldwide knowledge society; and in particular, if the provision of open educational resources (OER) can realistically overcome the educational gap and foster educational justice.


ABSTRACT The effects of non-thermal and low temperature treatments on parasite elimination and chemical and sensory quality of raw oysters were evaluated using: low temperature pasteurization, cold pasteurization, individual quick freezing, ultra-low freezing, and blast freezing. C. parvum was inactivated by all experiments. The results on the effect of treatments on C. cayetanensis were inconclusive because no sporulation was observed. Oysters ultra-low frozen for 7 days showed no significant difference from the control in the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Sensory testing based on appearance, aroma, and texture, showed that raw oysters treated with low temperature pasteurization were preferred to ultra low freezing, individual quick freezing, and the control, but were not significantly different from oysters which were blast frozen. Thus all treatments have the potential to be used to eliminate C. parvum, but with low temperature pasteurization having little effect on chemical and sensory quality of raw oysters.


It has long been known that defects in the structure of the mitochondrial genome can cause various neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases. Nevertheless, at present there is no effective method for treating mitochondrial diseases. The major problem with the treatment of such diseases is associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy. It means that due to a high copy number of the mitochondrial genome, mutant copies of mtDNA coexist with wild-type molecules in the same organelle. The clinical symptoms of mitochondrial diseases and the degree of their manifestation directly depend on the number of mutant mtDNA molecules in the cell. The possible way to reduce adverse effects of the mutation is by shifting the level of heteroplasmy towards the wild-type mtDNA molecules. Using this idea, several gene therapeutic approaches based on TALE and ZF nucleases have been developed for this purpose. However, the construction of protein domains of such systems is rather long and laborious process. Meanwhile, the CRISPR/Cas9 system is fundamentally different from protein systems in that it is easy to use, highly efficiency and has a different mechanism of action. All the characteristics and capabilities of the CRISPR/Cas9 system make it a promising tool in mitochondrial genetic engineering. In this article, we demonstrate for the first time that the modification of gRNA by integration of specific mitochondrial import determinants in the gRNA scaffold does not affect the activity of the gRNA/Cas9 complex in vitro.


The realization of a user-centric paradigm will revolutionize future wireless networks. For this innovative concept to materialize, a paradigm shift is required from a long-term contractual based service delivery to a short-term contractual and dynamic service delivery concept. However this necessitates that translation of user satisfaction into network technical indices, commonly termed as Quality of Experience (QoE). In this paper we propose the user utility function to capture her satisfaction for different services. We validate the proposed utility function by extensively carrying out the simulations for VoIP, video streaming and FTP applications using OPNET simulator. We also suggest three different types of users on the basis of user preference. Keywords-utility function; user satisfaction; QoE;


This paper presents investigations into the implementation of infinite impulse response (IIR) Low pass filter techniques for anti-sway control of a gantry crane system. A lab-scale gantry crane is considered in the experimental work. An unfiltered bang-bang input voltage is used to determine the characteristic parameters of the system for design and evaluation of the low pass filtering techniques. The Butterworth IIR low-pass filter with 3rd, 6th, and 9th orders respectively were designed based on the properties of the system. Implementation results of the response of the gantry crane with the filtering techniques are presented in time and frequency domains. The performances of the filters are examined in terms of level of swing angle reduction, and time response specifications. Finally a comparative assessment of the filter techniques with different orders is discussed and presented.


The interest in nonlinear liqht reflection phenomena is caused by the fact that they can give a unique information about crystals' surface properties In this work we have used the boundary conditions on the surface of nonlinear media with space dispersion (SD) obtained in. We have considered phenomenologically polarization effects due to interaction of the two arbitrarily polarized waves durinq both propagation and reflection from crystals of cubic, hexagonal and tetraqonal crystal systems (the incident angles of light are supposed equal to zero, and the crystal optical axis to be perpendicular to the boundary). 10 both cases for media with weak gyrotropy four mechanisms of nonlinear optical rotation (NLOR) and deformation (NLOD) of polarization ellipses have been determined. It has been made )fl a first approximation with respect to the parameter of SD Jd/. (here ci is a characteristic length of spatial non-locality ot response, ?*, is a wavelength). The influence of linear qyrotrop>' and dissipation on the interaction ha also been investigated. A nonlinear polarization spectroscopy scheme has been suggested. This scheme allows one to distinqush between contributions of different NLtJR and ILOD rnechansms irrespective of the crystal symmetry. The study of NLOR and NLOD effects during the interaction of two elliptically poirized waves with the medium is shown to give three or four as much spectroscopy information on the cubic nonlinearity and )ts SD as in the case of application of a plane polarized wave. Moreover the joint study of liqht polarization interaction during both reflection and propagation of waves through the crystal is most effective. This is connected with the fact that spectroscopy information received in experiments 'on reflection' and 'on propagation' is complementary to a great degree


We report the case of a 45-yr-old-male referred to our hospital with diagnosis of type A aortic dissection. During emergency surgery, the ascending aorta was replaced with a supracoronary tube, and a Y-shaped graft bypass was performed from aortic tube to brachiocephalic artery and left carotid artery due to the involvement of both carotids. Signs of myocardial ischemia appeared on the third week after surgery, with electrocardiographic changes, cardiac marker elevation and severe ventricular dysfunction. Coronary angiography showed critical stenosis of the left main coronary artery, due to extrinsic compression, and extensive dissection of the left coronary tree. The patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in which four intracoronary stents were placed with a satisfactory outcome.


Radiotherapy (RT) has been extensively applied in clinical cancer therapy. However, cancer cells usually exhibit high resistance to radiation, ultimately resulting in the failure of tumor eradication. Recently, a series of radiosensitizers that can selectively accumulate into specific organelles inside cancer cells have been developed, providing new opportunities for overcoming radioresistance and boosting radiosensitivity. In this Review, the progress and future directions of organelle-targeted radiosensitizers will be introduced, which aims to offer valuable information toward better-designed radiosensitizers for clinical cancer therapy.


Igniting a passion for reading and research is core business for school libraries. Today, the learning ecology of schools is as complex and changeable as the multiple channels and formats that now shape the reading environment for students. Reading is shaped by a diversity of texts, interfaces, devices and experiences. In response to ALIA's 2013 statement (Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA], 2013a) that book collections would establish 50:50 physical to digital equilibrium by 2020, the authors sought to understand the current context and state of play in school libraries. A survey on ebooks, titled 50:50 by 2020 Ebook Trends in Australian Schools, resulted in 450 responses from schools from all states and territories across government, Catholic and independent sectors. Collections are changing in response to the need to contextualise ereading within the learning and teaching experiences in schools. While the benefits and pedagogical rationale of ebooks are recognised, their adoption and use thus far seem to be less about pedagogical innovation than about the practicalities of collections and services offered by school libraries. Analysis of the survey data and other research supports the conclusion that Australian school libraries will not reach a projected balance of 50:50 in the school library collection by 2020.


By its nature and scope, the concept of sustainability is a challenge to traditional education. Where most academic institutions still value and promote narrowly conceived fields of expertise, sustainability requires a comprehensive, wide-angle approach to problem definitions as well as solutions. This challenge highlights the need for a bold reassessment of a number of epistemic assumptions; one of them being the validity of the Baconian-Cartesian reductionism at the core of the scientific method. This paper presents a novel, non-reductionist approach to understanding and teaching sustainability grounded in an analogy from the systems philosophy of Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677). This approach is an alternative that transcends the traditional dichotomy between reductionism and holism in their various forms. I discuss how Spinoza's approach to parts and wholes can be applied to a transdisciplinary, systems-based sustainability education addressing systems of varying size and complexity. A multitude of systems theories and methodologies have failed in the role as widely accepted and used meta-languages that effectively transcend disciplinary confines. As applied in this paper, Spinoza's philosophy can effectively be used as such a discipline-transcending facilitator of understanding. To my knowledge, Spinoza's fundamental contributions to the philosophy of systems and transdisciplinarity presented in this paper have not been recognized in the literature, including the research on Soft Systems Methodology and other "constructivist" systems approaches.


In the 1.5-1.8 /spl mu/m range the glucose absorption signature is weak and not distinct. Tunable laser sources or arrays of laser diodes can eliminate the low signal limitation, even with modest powers narrow linewidths are not important, but wavelength stability (for lasers in an array) or wavelength reproducibility (for a tunable system) is critical. Successful noninvasive measurements will likely require very large signal-to-noise-ratios, so wavelength deviations must be very small.


In 1975 the BCG vaccination policy in Sweden changed from routine vaccination of all newborn infants to selective vaccination of groups at higher risk. This report aims to evaluate the present BCG policy, with focus on the tuberculosis situation in Sweden during the period from 1989 to 2005. The population structure in Sweden has changed, with increasing numbers and proportions of people who were born outside Sweden, especially in countries with high prevalence of tuberculosis. BCG vaccination coverage fell from more than 95% before 1975 to less than 2% in 1976 to 1980, and then again increased to around 16% (corresponding to about 88% of the risk group recommended for vaccination). The increasing proportion of foreign born tuberculosis patients among all tuberculosis cases of illness in Sweden, and the high age-specific incidence of tuberculosis in the childbearing age groups in the foreign-born population, indicate the need to continue selective vaccination of children in families originating from countries with high tuberculosis incidence. The cumulative incidence of tuberculosis in the 30 cohorts born in Sweden after 1974 and observed to the end of 2004 was estimated at 0.5 cases per 100 000 person-years. Sweden still has one of the lowest incidences of tuberculosis in the world, which means a minimal average risk of infection for the majority of children born to Swedish parents. The observed increase of tuberculosis in 2005, partly attributed to an outbreak at a day nursery, is a reminder of the serious consequences of delayed diagnosis. Intensified active case finding is the most important action to prevent childhood tuberculosis, by means of eliminating the sources of infection to prevent transmission to the child population. Early detection and treatment of infected children is necessary to prevent development of serious disseminated tuberculosis.


Three main projects are described in this thesis. In the first, a stereocontrolled route tothe marine alkaloid Zoanthamine was studied. A convergent approach based on thechiral starting materials (S)-Perillyl alcohol and (R)-4,5-Dihydro-5-hydroxymethyl-2(3H)-furanone was developed. Some of the key reactions for control ofstereochemistry were: Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, [3,3] sigmatropicrearrangement, iodolactonization-elimination, and diastereoselective alkylation.Intermediates corresponding to the C1-C5, C6-C10, and Cll-C24 fragments ofZoanthamine have been synthesized regio- and stereoselectively.In the second project, the total synthesis of (-) Balanol has been accomplished.Enantioselective synthesis of the hexahydroazepine ring involved introduction of thetwo stereogenic centres via Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of an acyclic allylicalcohol, followed by acid-catalysed ring-opening of a bicyclic aziridine intermediate.The third project deals with a further study of the regio- and stereoselective ring-opening reaction discovered in the balanol project. The ring-opening of the three chiralbicyclic systems (one epoxide and two aziridines) was investigated, with a number ofdifferent nucleophiles and counter-ions. In most cases, excellent regio- andstereoselective was observed. The results from DNMR experiments, X-raycrystallography, and molecular mechanics calculations were used to provide anexplanation for the observed selectivity, which is postulated to originate from acombination of steric and electronic factors.


Using individuals' life‐cycle invention data, we investigate how graduate education affects inventive performance and inventors' abilities to absorb and combine diverse knowledge sources. To control for the endogeneity of educational choice, we use the status of college labor markets as an instrumental variable (IV), specifically the difference between the unemployment rate and its long‐run average rate by academic field. We find that graduate education, induced by the IV, significantly enhances inventive performance and the scope of exploited knowledge, exceeding the levels implied by ordinary least squares. Graduate education can have a significant causal effect on inventive capability and performance.


During the last decades dengue incidences are emerging significantly around the globe. Currently, about one fifth of the human population lives in dengue risk zones, which are mainly located in (sub-) tropical regions of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Dengue infections in European population mainly referred to returning travellers from tropical endemic regions. Nevertheless, vector establishment in Europe already took place and therefore the risk increases. Currendy, autochthonous cases of dengue fever have been reported in Europe. Studies estimating the risk of dengue epidemics regard ing changing climatic conditions in Europe are missing. Therefore, we close this gap by using the temperature constraints for virus amplification within the vector Aedes aegypti from two laboratory experiments. We transfer these findings to the changing European climate based on data provided from a regional climate model (COSMO-CLM; A1B and B1 scenario). Daily mean temperature were averaged for the time-steps 2011—2040, 2041—2070 and 2071-2100 in order to reduce natural variability but rather point out climatic trends for risk assessments. For both scenarios the strongest increase of temperature is projected after mid-century. Results indicate a growing threat of virus amplification in Europe especially towards the end of this century. Larger parts of the Mediterranean will be at risk. The southwest of the Iberian Peninsular appears to be especially threatened. Even in some parts of Central Europe, such as Southwest Germany, dengue virus amplification can no longer be excluded at the end of the century. However, it is unlikely that Aedes aegypti will serve as an efficient vector in Europe. In fact, it is Aedes albopictus that is an invasive species in Europe and potential differences in extrinsic incubation period between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus have to be identified. Policy and public health authorities have to consider these emerging biorisks in order to establish surveillance systems and develop counteraction strategies. Hence, we strongly empha size the need for a growing European awareness in the face of biological hazards that are responding to climatic changes.


Based on carbon emission data of 17 cities in Shandong Province in 2005-2009, this paper analyzes carbon emission economic efficiency. It conducts weight distribution by the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) method, and takes systematic evaluation on carbon emission economic efficiency using TOPSIS method. In eastern coastal regions, including Dongying, Yantai, Weihai and Qingdao, the carbon emission economic efficiency is generally higher than inland regions of Shandong Province. The conclusion reached after correction of time weight is basically consistent with traditional TOPSIS overall evaluation, further proves validity of the evaluation. Finally, it gives recommendations for improving carbon emission economic efficiency in Shandong Province.


Urban scaling laws relate socio-economic, behavioral, and physical variables to the population size of cities and allow for a new paradigm of city planning, and an understanding of urban resilience and economies. Independently of culture and climate, almost all cities exhibit two fundamental scaling exponents, one sub-linear and one super-linear that are related. Here we show that based on fundamental fractal geometric relations of cities we derive both exponents and their relation. Sub-linear scaling arises as the ratio of the fractal dimensions of the road network and the distribution of the population in 3D. Super-linear scaling emerges from human interactions that are constrained by the city geometry. We demonstrate the validity of the framework with data on 4750 European cities. We make several testable predictions, including the relation of average height of cities with population size, and that at a critical population size, growth changes from horizontal densification to three-dimensional growth.


We investigated the vocal repertoire of a Malagasy primate: the black lemur (Eulemur macaco macaco). The first study allowed the characterization of 16 different vocal signals on the basis of acoustic parameters. Black lemurs emit sparse harmonic sounds, dense harmonic sounds, spectrally structured noise (Beeman, 1998) and a wide variety of grunts. The second study focused on the behavioral context of emission of these signals and used the pre- and post-event histogram method (Douglass and Sudd, 1980; Preuschoft, 1995a). It provides statistical demonstration of the association between a signal and other behaviors of the emitter, thus giving insight into the latter's motivations. Four signals are linked to affiliative and agonistic interactions. Three signals express a state of alarm, and two appear related to discomfort. Most grunts are linked to contact and signal precisely the emitter's level of vigilance. Other interdisciplinary communication studies could benefit from methodology and software used here.


In this paper, we address the issue of devaluations' effectiveness by investigating to what extent a nominal devaluation leads to a real depreciation. Beyond the traditional factors identified by the literature, we pay particular attention to the size of the nominal devaluation and to the initial misalignment of the real exchange rate. Using a sample of 57 devaluation episodes (in 40 developing and emerging countries) and relying on panel data techniques, we evidence that the existence of a sizeable overvaluation of the real exchange rate is a prerequisite to ensure that nominal devaluations will have an expected effect in terms of real depreciations. Furthermore, our results put forward a potential nonlinear relationship between the size of the devaluation and the effectiveness of the nominal adjustment: devaluations operate more efficiently when the magnitude of the nominal adjustment is lower.


Congestive heart failure may be deemed the epidemic of cardiology in the 21st century in the industrialized part of the world. Although new therapies improving morbidity and mortality from chronic heart failure have emerged it is likely that there is a growing role for digoxin. Thus, digoxin treatment is known to control symptoms of congestive heart failure when added to standard therapy. In this setting, we review the prevailing knowledge of the Na,K-ATPase, the cellular receptor for the inotropic action of digitalis glycosides, in relation to the hemodynamic effect of digoxin. It is concluded that if improvement of hemodynamics is needed in congestive heart failure, this knowledge should be taken into account and in many cases digoxin should be added to standard therapy. Digoxin is still the only safe inotropic drug for oral use that improves hemodynamics. Digoxin should be used to heart failure patients in sinus rhythm when they after institution of mortality reducing treatment still have heart failure symptoms, and to patients intolerant to heart failure mortality reducing drugs. Digoxin should probably in heart failure patients with sinus rhythm be given in the lowest possible dose that relieves symptoms sufficiently.  2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.


Five studies examined the relationship between talent and team performance. Two survey studies found that people believe there is a linear and nearly monotonic relationship between talent and performance: Participants expected that more talent improves performance and that this relationship never turns negative. However, building off research on status conflicts, we predicted that talent facilitates performance—but only up to a point, after which the benefits of more talent decrease and eventually become detrimental as intrateam coordination suffers. We also predicted that the level of task interdependence is a key determinant of when more talent is detrimental rather than beneficial. Three archival studies revealed that the too-much-talent effect emerged when team members were interdependent (football and basketball) but not independent (baseball). Our basketball analysis also established the mediating role of team coordination. When teams need to come together, more talent can tear them apart.


Many developing countries depend on their agricultural production to ensure food security. However, along with agriculture, there are many other sectors that impose demands on basin water resources. Declining water supplies and growing demands require better management decisions in water allocation. This paper describes the current water demand and supply situation in a rural river basin of a developing country and analyzes several solutions to overcome the water allocation issues.


This study aimed at improving speaking skill of 5th grade students of Kramat 4 elementary school using sociodrama method. This type of research is a collaborative classroom action research. This research was conducted in Kramat 4 elementary school with the subjects of the research were all students of grade V of Kramat 4 elementary school, amounting 34 students, consist of 14 male students and 20 female students. In this study, researchers used an action research design developed by Kemmis and Taggart with a spiral model. The data collection methods used were tests, observations, and documentation. The data analysis technique in this research was quantitative descriptive statistic by finding mean. The result of the research showed that learning of speaking skill by using sociodrama method can improve the speaking skill of 5th grade students of Kramat 4 elementary school. The speaking skill increased in cycle I was 7.38, from initial condition 60,35 increased to 67,73. In the second cycle increased by 16.17, from the initial condition 60.35 increased to 76.52.


This article builds upon existing literature which demonstrates the complex interconnections of Catholicism, Irishness, and whiteness in the Republic of Ireland. Using this multifaceted inter-relationship between religious, national, and racial identities as its starting point, this article analyses negotiations of Irishness, community, and belonging amongst adherents of Mormonism in Ireland.
This article firstly argues that as members of a minority religion Mormons in Ireland of all backgrounds are stigmatised and marginalised from Irish narratives of 'belonging'. Secondly, this article determines that as the majority of Mormons in Ireland are white Irish, in keeping with the majority population, they view themselves and are viewed by others as both insiders and outsiders within their own country. Thirdly, this article demonstrates how Mormons in Ireland with racialised identities also navigate a complex system of racial, religious, and national affiliations. Thus, this article establishes that Mormons of all backgrounds in Ireland struggle to gain acceptance and belonging within the national narrative of belonging.
Finally, this article identifies the processes through which Mormons in Ireland work to create belonging to the national narrative. For some, emphasising their identity as Christian is a way to find commonality with the majority Catholic population in Ireland. For others, a celebration and reinterpretation of Irishness is used as a tool to build a dual sense of belonging; to others within an increasingly diverse Mormon community in Ireland, and to the wider society.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
Because efforts to secure adequate arterial oxygenation during cardiac resuscitation are more important than efforts to promote CO(2) elimination, we investigated whether continuous transtracheal oxygenation (TTO) could represent a potentially simpler alternative to conventional positive-pressure ventilation with 100% O(2) through an endotracheal tube.

DESIGN
Controlled and randomized.

SETTING
Animal laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS
Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats.

INTERVENTIONS
The technique for TTO was initially developed and tested in five rats. A model of ventricular fibrillation (VF) was then used to compare the effects of TTO (n = 5) with the effects of O(2) delivery through an endotracheal tube as part of positive-pressure ventilation (n = 5) or through a mask without additional airway intervention (n = 5). VF was induced and left untreated for 4 min, after which chest compression and one of the three oxygenation interventions was started. Defibrillation was attempted after 6 min of chest compression. In a subsequent series, defibrillation was attempted after 10 min of chest compression in rats treated with either TTO (n = 5) or endotracheal intubation (ET; n = 5).

MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS
TTO and ET secured adequate arterial PO(2) during chest compression (213 +/- 77 mm Hg and 154 +/- 36 mm Hg; not significant), whereas the mask yielded an arterial PO(2) of only 49 +/- 38 mm Hg (p < 0.05). Each rat treated with TTO or ET was successfully resuscitated and survived the postresuscitation interval, but none of the rats treated with the mask survived. TTO maintained its efficacy after increased duration of chest compression.

CONCLUSION
TTO was as effective as conventional positive-pressure ventilation with 100% O(2) for securing oxygenation, resuscitation, and short-term survival and more effective than O(2) delivered through a mask.


RATIONALE
Trace levels of natural and synthetic steroid estrogens estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynyl estradiol (EE2) have been demonstrated to exert adverse effects in exposed organisms. E2 and EE2 have been proposed for inclusion in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) list of priority pollutants; however, the detection and accurate quantification of these compounds provide significant challenges, due to the low detection limits required.

METHODS
A sensitive method combining ultrasonication, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, with electrospray ionisation in negative mode (LC/ESI-MS/MS), capable of determining E1, E2 and EE2 at concentrations between 0.07 and 60 ng/L for seawater and between 0.4 and 200 ng/g wet weight in Mytilus spp. is reported. Recoveries at the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 95 to 102% and 88 to 100% for water and tissue, respectively. Salinity (12 to 35‰) and typical marine particulate matter loadings (between 10 and 100 mg/L) were not found to affect analyte recoveries.

RESULTS
The first detection of E1 by LC/MS/MS in Irish marine waters (Dublin Bay, at 0.76 ng/L) is reported. Steroids were not detected in Galway Bay, or in any mussel samples from Dublin, Galway and Clare. The level of E2 detected in the dissolved water phase was below the proposed WFD Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) in other surface waters.

CONCLUSIONS
The proposed method is suitable for the detection of E1, E2 and EE2 at biologically relevant concentrations and, due to the specificity offered, is not subject to potential interferences from endogenous E1 and E2 which often complicate the interpretation of estrogenic biomarker assays.


We present a syntactically enriched vector model that supports the computation of contextualized semantic representations in a quasi compositional fashion. It employs a systematic combination of first- and second-order context vectors. We apply our model to two different tasks and show that (i) it substantially outperforms previous work on a paraphrase ranking task, and (ii) achieves promising results on a wordsense similarity task; to our knowledge, it is the first time that an unsupervised method has been applied to this task.


BACKGROUND
Health-risk behaviours (HRB) increase the risk of disability and chronic diseases at an older age. This study aimed to compare Slovakia and the Netherlands regarding differences in the prevalence of HRB by neighbourhood and individual deprivation and to determine whether area differences could be explained by the socio-economic position (SEP) of the residents.

METHODS
We obtained data on non-institutionalized residents aged ≥ 65 years from the EU-FP7: EURO-URHIS 2 project from Slovak (N = 665, response rate 44.0%) and Dutch cities (N = 795, response rate 50.2%). HRB concerned daily smoking, binge drinking, physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables and body mass index. Area deprivation was measured by the neighbourhood unemployment rate. Individual SEP was measured by education and household income with financial strain. We used multilevel logistic regression.

RESULTS
In Slovakia, no HRB was associated with either neighbourhood unemployment or individual SEP. The elderly in the Netherlands from the least favourable neighbourhoods were more likely to be daily smokers [odds ratio (OR) 2.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25, 4.30] and overweight (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.24, 2.75) than residents from the most favourable ones. For the Dutch elderly the gradients varied per HRB and per individual-level SEP indicator. Individual SEP explained country differences in the association of area unemployment with smoking and lack of physical activity but not that with overweight.

CONCLUSION
Countries differed in the associations with HRB of both neighbourhood unemployment and individual SEP among the elderly urban residents. The local importance of socio-economic factors on both levels should be considered when developing health-promotion activities for the elderly.